Return to Transcripts main page
Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Here Come The Hearings; Bolivia's President Steps Down; More Arctic Air On The Way, Frigid Forecast; Kevin Hart Returns; Giuliani Associate, Rudy Had Me Pressure Ukraine; Trump White House; Apple Card Accused Of Gender Bias; Instagram Will Test Hiding Likes; FBI To Joined Probe Of Mormon Attack In Mexico; Barham Fire In Southern California 80 Percent Contained; Two Killed When Car Crashes Into Building's 2nd Storey; CNN Business, Markets Mostly Lower; Alibaba Singles Day Sales Soar. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired November 11, 2019 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: The biggest week so far in the impeachment inquiry. Democrats will take their case straight to the American people. How will the president counter?
DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: After more than a decade, the president of Bolivia is stepping down. Why? And what it means for Latin America.
KOSIK: It is cold out there and getting colder, record lows in jeopardy all along the East Coast this week.
BRIGGS: And Kevin Hart is back. The comedian in public for the first time since really a devastating car accident. Welcome back to Early Start, everybody. I'm Dave Briggs.
KOSIK: Good to see him back on his feet.
BRIGGS: Sure is.
KOSIK: Good morning, I'm Alison Kosik. It's 30 minutes past the hour here in New York. And I would say, brace for a historic, possibly decisive week on Capitol Hill. The impeachment inquiry now moves into the public eye with televised hearings. Democrats are trying to stay narrowly focused, keeping the story simple. They are going to be to be trying to turn the public against President Trump by using witnesses drawn from diplomatic and military service. The president's allies are peddling a smokescreen of conspiracy theories and distractions, hoping to sew confusion.
BRIGGS: Some fierce exchanges over the weekend offering a preview of how the two sides will fight for a political edge. CNN's White House reporter, Jeremy Diamond with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Good morning Dave and
Alison. This impeachment inquiry is moving into its public phase. On Wednesday, we will see the first witnesses called forward to publicly testify about the president's handling of foreign policy towards Ukraine. We will see the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, Bill Taylor, coming forward, as well as the top State Department official, George Kent.
As all of this is happening, of course, the president not only defending his own conduct, but we are also seeing Republicans, Republican Senators in particular, trying to fine-tune their defense of the president.
SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY): If you're not allowed to give aid to people who are corrupt, there's always contingencies on aid. I think it's a mistake to say, he withheld aid until he got what he wanted, well, if it's corruption and he believes there would be corruption, he has every right to withhold aid.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): I consider any impeachment in the House that doesn't allow us to know who the whistleblower is to be invalid, because without the whistleblower complaint, we wouldn't be talking about any of this. And I also see the need for Hunter Biden to be called to adequately defend the president. And if you don't do those two things, it's a complete joke.
DIAMOND: Republicans on the House side meanwhile have sent a list of witnesses that they would like to see come forward in this public phase of this impeachment inquiry, sending this list to House Democrats, who of course, would have to actually approve these witnesses to come forward. Among the individuals on the list, are Hunter Biden, former Vice President Joe Biden's son, as well as the whistleblower, the anonymous intelligence official whose complaints about President Trump's call with Ukrainian president sparked this entire he impeachment inquiry?
But Democrats so far, don't seem inclined to accept those requests. The president will also have an opportunity to shift the narrative on Wednesday, as these first witnesses come forward. The president has a scheduled joint news conference at the White House with the Turkish president. Dave? Alison?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOSIK: All right, Jeremy Diamond, thank you.
New allegations connecting President Trump directly to threats against Ukraine. Rudy Giuliani's associate Lev Parnas, tells -- says Giuliani told them to give the ultimatum to the new president of Ukraine, investigate Joe Biden or risk hundreds of millions of military aid. Parnas' lawyer also telling the New York Times, Parnas warned Ukraine that Vice President Mike Pence would not attend Volodymyr Zelensky's inauguration, unless Zelensky did as he was told.
BRIGGS: Parnas says, he believes Giuliani was acting with President Trump's authorization. Both Giuliani and the other participants in the meeting denied Parnas' account to the Times. Note that in the end, Pence did not attend Zelensky's inauguration, a move the whistleblower complaint says came at President Trump's direction.
KOSIK: This will be a critical week for the Joe Biden campaign. He and other Democrats are now facing a potential new challenge from moderate Michael Bloomberg, who will be focusing on states that hold their primaries later in 2020. While Biden is at the top of the national polls, last week's Quinnipiac poll in Iowa had him fourth in a tight race. Biden touting his plan for health care, the single- biggest issue among the top candidates. In New Hampshire, he framed his plan as the one with the most reasonable price tag.
[04:35:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, 2020 U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It cost about $720 to $750 billion every 10 years. But it will not cost, if you do Medicare for all, $3.4 trillion a year. So what I propose is taking Obamacare and making it Bidencare by adding the public option.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: The Biden campaign arguing Democratic victories in Kentucky and Virginia prove his healthcare plan is best. He says the election results are warning that the high cost of Medicare for all would hurt the presidential nominee and Democrats in down ballot races.
KOSIK: A programming note. Former Vice President, Biden takes questions from voters in a CNN town hall live from Iowa, just 84 days to the caucuses. Erin Barnett moderates tonight at 9:00 Eastern only on CNN.
A remarkable claim from former ambassador to the U.N., Nikki Haley. In her upcoming memoir, Haley says former Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson and former White House Chief of Staff, John Kelly, tried to recruit her to undermine President Trump. In the book first obtained by the Washington Post, she writes this, Kelly and Tillerson confided at me that when they resisted the president there weren't being insubordinate, they were trying to save the country. Haley says she refused to go along with their plans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIKKI HALEY, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: Instead of saying that to me, they should have been saying that to the president, not asking me to join them on their side bar plan. It should have been, go tell the president what your differences are and quit if you don't like what he's doing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Tillerson has not responded to a request for comment. Kelly tells the Post, if providing the best and most open advices working against the president then guilty as charge. This, as the anonymous senior Trump administration official claims in his or her fourth forthcoming book, that Trump officials considered resigning as a group last year, hoping to sound an alarm about President Trump.
KOSIK: Upheaval in Latin America long time Bolivian president, Evo Morales, resigning amid mass protest. Morales stepping down after losing the support of Bolivia's military. The country has been wrath by deadly protests following last month's disrupted election. The resignation of Morales, a vocal supporter of authoritarian regimes in Venezuela and Cuba, changes the balance of power in Latin America. And after nearly 14 years in power, it is unclear who will succeed Morales. The three officials next in line, they also resigned. Patrick Oppmann has the latest from Mexico City.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A political earthquake is rocking Bolivia, after the countries long serving staunchly leftist president, Evo Morales, was forced to step down. It's been a weeks of violent protests and allegations that Morales had stolen an election to become president for a fourth term.
Morales had denied that and said that he was facing a coup. But after report came out showing widespread fraud, Morales finally on Sunday offered to hold new elections. The offer came too late for the country's opposition for the military, and the police. Many of whom had risen up against Morales. The head of the military said on Sunday, it was time for Morales to leave office. And within hours, Morales did just that, shocking Bolivia and much of Latin America.
He said it was a coup that was forcing him from power, right. That he recognized that if he didn't leave there would be bloodshed and he wanted to avoid that. Many of Morales' critics said that he had become too authoritarian, that he was never planning on leaving the presidency and that he was essentially becoming a dictator.
So, while Morales is out, he has received offers from other countries to seek asylum there. Morales says, while he may no longer be president of Bolivia, he's not going anywhere. Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Mexico City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRIGGS: Patrick Oppmann. Breaking overnight, protester rocking Hong Kong after a police officer shot a protester. Now we do need to warn you, this video you are about to see is disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(GUNSHOT)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: The 21-year-old protester did survive the shooting and is in critical condition. Demonstrators began disrupting transit as early as 7:00 a.m. Local Time as part of a day-long general strike. Office workers in the city's central financial district have been sent home, as riot police fired teargas.
KOSIK: Is Apple's new credit card giving higher limits, higher credit limits to men than women?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:40:00]
BRIGGS: 4:44 Eastern Time. Another arctic blast ahead this week, with snow in the forecast from the plains to New England. The cold could smash hundreds of records in the eastern U.S. Here's meteorologist Pedram Javaheri.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Dave and Alison, good morning, guys. Yes, the big story remains the arctic blast of colder air. Multiple rounds of this year instore already seen the impacts across the northern plains, portions the Great Lakes and Holland that eventually pushing it across portions of the northeast.
And notice you're going to get a decent amount of snow showers there into the higher elevations. And of course, the favorable regions across the Eastern Great Lakes. But snowfall totals in those areas where some lake-effect snow is expected, as much as eight or more inches. But across of the bigger cities, Chicago, say, St. Louis, Columbus and National generally a couple of inches instore and the major metro cities in the northeast too warm for any snow, well, I guess some rain out of it. Maybe a few flakes mix in on Tuesday.
[04:45:03]
Highs, in advance headed into to 50's around the northeast. Cincinnati at 58, but notice back behind it, Minneapolis and Chicago ranging from 18 to 28 degrees, upwards of 350 record temperatures could be set. And in fact, Tuesday morning, low temps looking pretty cold across the Midwest. Only nine in Chicago, down to six across Minneapolis before a gradual warming trend into the weekend. Guys?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOSIK: All right, Pedram, thank you.
Goldman Sachs and Apple are facing an investigation after users of the Apple card accused the program of gender bias. The card, which is run by a partnership between the two companies, apparently gave male users higher credit limits than their wives. An official at the department of financial services said on Twitter, the department would take a look. Tech entrepreneur, David Hanson was among the first to turn attention to the issue. He wrote on Twitter, Apple card offered him 20-times the credit limit of his wife. He said, they share assets and his wife even has a higher credit score than he does. And they're not the only couple to have that issue. Apple co-founder, Steve Wozniak said on Twitter, he was offered 10 times the credit limit of his wife. He wrote, some say the blame is on Goldman Sachs, but the way Apple is attached, they share the responsibility. Hanson said when he reached out to Apple, he was told, credit limits are determined by an algorithm. But I must say that, keep in mind, algorithms, they were built by humans.
BRIGGS: Yes, that's really interesting story. Good stuff.
All right. California, not the only place experiencing devastating wildfires this season. Officials in New South Wales, Australia, Sydney's home state, warning of catastrophic prior danger, with high temps, strong winds, low humidity. Firefighters battling dozens of blazes, 40 of them uncontained. At least three people are confirmed dead as of Saturday. More than 100 homes lost. And officials say hundreds of koalas are also feared dead. The local animal hospital is treating a dozen who survived.
KOSIK: You're on Instagram, right?
BRIGGS: I am, indeed. You're better than me.
KOSIK: Well, it looks like likes are going to start to disappear. Find out what's behind the move on CNN Business, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:50:00]
KOSIK: Welcome back. A prominent Russian professor is being questioned by police after he was pulled from a river, along with a backpack containing a woman's severed arms. CNN's Matthew Chance is live for us in St. Petersburg with the strange and very disturbing details. Good morning.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Alison. That's right. We're at the river now. As you can see behind me, there's police divers still dredging through this Moika River through the middle of St. Petersburg looking for, frankly, more body parts. Because they rescued this history professor. He's a prominent academic figure in this country. He's an expert on the Napoleonic Wars for with Russian in the 19th century.
And he was found inside this river with a backpack on his back with two human arms inside of it. They also dredged the river and found two legs. They then searched his apartment, which is in this building right here, and found the sort of headless torso of a former student of his. A student of his, in fact. He was also having an affair with this woman. Her name was Anastasia Yeshchenko. She was just 24 years old. He's 63 years old. He's being charged with her sort of gruesome murder.
You know, it's a crime that has gripped Russia because it's, once again, putting the spotlight on a domestic abuse in this country. I mean, the Russians take very a slack attitude toward domestic abuse. In fact in some instances, it's not even deemed a criminal offense, much to the outrage of women's rights advocates. And they've been warning for some time, that this kind of, you know,
tragedy would be the result of that slack attitude. And it seems that here at Petersburg that's come to pass (inaudible), and again, much of Russia and the world is watching this very grisly crime, Alison.
KOSIK: Grisly, indeed. CNN's Matthew Chance, live for us from St. Petersburg, thank you.
BRIGGS: Bernard Tyson, chairman and CEO of Oakland based Kaiser Permanente has died. Tyson was the company's first black chief executives. Even on the country's largest nonprofit health systems. He was known as a champion for accessible health care, racial justice and workplace diversity. He was named one of the 100 most influential people in 2017 and one of their top leaders in health care in 2018. The company says Tyson died unexpectedly in his sleep Sunday. Bernard Tyson was 60 years old.
[04:55:00]
KOSIK: The FBI will join the investigation into the attack that killed nine Mormon family members in Mexico. Three women, six children were all shot and killed on a remote dirt road in northern Mexico. A husband and father who lost his wife and two children in the massacre, speaking publicly for the first time to ABC News. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LANGFORD, FAMILY KILLED IN MABUSH: Not only have I lost a wife and two children, but I am having to move the rest of my family, with really no place to go. I believe in forgiveness, but I also believe in justice. And forgiveness doesn't rob justice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: Some members of the break-away Mormon community are leaving northern Mexico, seeking a new start in the U.S. They said they are not going to live at the mercy of the Cartels.
BRIGGS: Fire crews in Southern California are getting the upper hand on the Barham fire that burns some 80 acres in the Hollywood Hills. Smoke forcing the evacuation of the nearby Warner Brother's studio lot in Burbank, this weekend, as a precaution. People living close to the fire have been told to stay indoors. Officials say, favorable wind conditions helped stop the fire from spreading after it broke out Saturday.
KOSIK: Police say two people were killed in New Jersey on Sunday, after their speeding car lost control and flew into the second story of an office building, 22-year-old Braden De Martin and 23-year-old Daniel Foley were believed to have been the only people in the red Porsche Boxster. Police say the convertible was speeding when it hit a median and went airborne. The owner of the building says no one was inside at the time of the crash.
All right, let's get a check on CNN Business this morning, looking at global markets. It looks like Asian shares closed mostly lower. Stocks in Hong Kong fell more than 2.5 percent. Tensions were high between police and protesters in the City of Hong Kong.
On Wall Street, futures are pretty much flat, although looking like they have turned much lower since earlier this morning. They were higher on Friday. Investors are looking ahead to GDP coming out later in the week in the United Kingdom. Other notable events this week include Fed Chair Jerome Powell's semiannual testimony to Congress, as well as Walmart's earnings and the latest data on retail sales.
Today is the Chinese cyber Monday and so far it's been huge. Alibaba kicking off its singles day event with a performance by Taylor Swift. Moment ago, it beat last year's record of $30 billion in sales. That's incredible. The company began offering singles day discounts in 2009. This year it's seen as a bellwether for Chinese consumer spending during a slowdown in the economy because of the trade war. The shopping holiday celebrates single people and was chosen because the date November 11th is written with four ones.
People enjoys seeing how many likes they get on Instagram. But soon, they may not be able to see how many of their friends actually like their pictures. The company will soon be test-hiding likes for some users in the U.S. So, people will still be able to see how many likes their own posts get, but not how many their friends' posts have. The move is in effort to ease competitive pressure. It's aimed at younger people on the platform. I'm all for this idea, by the way. Instagram has already tested the move in seven other countries.
BRIGGS: I love that.
KOSIK: This is a big deal.
BRIGGS: As a parent, that's great. The pressure these kids competition is immense.
KOSIK: I watch my son and my daughter say, how many likes did you get? Now, it just won't matter because they won't see it. Thank goodness.
BRIGGS: I'm curious how it impacts the Instagram business model ultimately, but time will tell.
KOSIK: We will see how that ends up.
BRIGGS: All right. Actor and comedian Kevin Hart making his first public appearance since being seriously injured in a September car accident. Hart received a standing ovation at the E People's choice awards last night when he was presented with the award for best comedy act.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEVIN HART, ACTOR AND COMEDIAN: It makes me appreciate life even more. It makes me appreciate the things that really matter, family. Your energy, your support, it means the world. And I truly want to thank you guys for being there for me in my difficult time.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BRIGGS: Hart also thanked his fans for their support during his
recovery.
Thanks to our international viewers for joining us. Have a great rest of your day. For our U.S. viewers, Early Start continues right now.
KOSIK: The biggest week so far in the impeachment inquiry. Democrats will take their case straight to the American people. How will the president counter?
BRIGGS: After more than a decade, the president of Bolivia is stepping down. Why? And what it means for Latin America.
KOSIK: And it is cold out there and getting colder. Record lows all along the East Coast this week.
END
