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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
U.S. Sailor Kills 2, Himself in Hawaii; Impeachment Vote Coming?; Kamala Harris for Veep?; Real-Life Cannonball Run. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired December 05, 2019 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[04:31:13]
DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, deadly gunfire at Pearl Harbor, just days before ceremonies to mark the 1941 attack.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: A full House vote on the impeachment of President Trump could come the week before Christmas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to hear a lot more from Kamala in a lot of different ways.
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: She can be president some day herself. She could be vice president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Could Senator Kamala Harris return to the 2020 race as a vice presidential candidate?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the cannonball run.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: A team of outlaw racers set a new record in a real life cannonball run.
Welcome back to EARLY START, everybody. I'm Christine Romans.
BRIGGS: I'm Dave Briggs, 4:31 Eastern Time.
We start with breaking news overnight, deadly gunfire causing panic and a lockdown in a military base in Hawaii. Two civilian shipyard workers at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam killed by U.S. sailors who then killed themselves. A third civilian employee was wounded and is in stable question.
Rear Admiral Robert Chadwick says the attack came just two days before the commemoration of the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ADM. ROBERT CHADWICK, COMMANDER, U.S. NAVY, HAWAII REGION: The role that the shipyard played in World War II is pretty legendary, and the shipyard is well known for, you know, the amazing work they did then and the amazing work they continue to do. So, this is certainly a tragedy for everyone here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Chadwick says the attack took place near dry dock 2, a maintenance area for nuclear submarines. An investigation is under way. Authorities have not released the motive nor the identities of the victims or the shooter. We'll bring you more information as we get it.
ROMANS: White House Democrats now planning their next steps after four legal scholars yesterday made the case for and against impeaching President Trump. Sometime next week, the Judiciary Committee will hear from staffers on the intelligence committee testifying about the findings of their investigation.
We also expect a Judiciary Committee vote on articles of impeachment. Then in the week of December 16th, a possible house floor vote on articles of impeachment.
So, what as of now could be in those articles? Well, the Democrats' report lays out evidence for abuse of power, and bribery, obstruction of justice and obstruction of Congress. Democrats debating whether to wrap the president's actions listed in Robert Mueller's Russia investigation into those obstruction counts.
At Wednesday's hearing, Democrats' three witnesses agreed the president had committed impeachable offenses.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NORM EISEN, DEMOCRATIC COUNSEL: Did President Trump commit the impeachable high crime and misdemeanor of abuse of power based on that evidence and those findings?
PROF. NOAH FELDMAN, HARVARD LAW SCHOOL: Based on that evidence and those findings, the president did commit an impeachable abuse of office.
EISEN: Professor Karlan, same question.
PROF. PAMELA S. KARLAN, DEMOCRATIC WITNESS, STANFORD UNIVERSITY: Same answer.
EISEN: And, Professor Gerhardt?
MICHAEL GERHARDT, UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOL OF LAW: We three are unanimous.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: The Republicans' witness, law professor Jonathan Turley, warned of a slippery slope. He said thin evidence could lead to more and more frequent impeachments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PROF. JONATHAN TURLEY, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL: I believe this impeachment not only fails to satisfy the standard of past impeachments but would create a dangerous precedent for future impeachments.
If you prove a quid pro quo, that you might have an impeachable offense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Turley casts doubt on a quid pro quo, despite significant evidence seen by millions of Americans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Let's be clear, what we just described is a quid pro quo. It is funding will not flow unless the investigation into the Democrats' server happened as well.
MICK MULVANEY, ACTING WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: We do -- we do that all the time with foreign policy.
GORDON SONDLAND, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE E.U.: Was there a quid pro quo? As I testified previously, with regard to the requested White House call and the White House meeting, the answer is yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[04:35:06]
BRIGGS: Whatever risks of impeachment, House Democrats seem ready to plunge ahead. Behind closed doors yesterday, sources tell us Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked her members, quote, are you ready? They replied in unison, yes.
ROMANS: So, one of the Democrat's impeachment witnesses sparking outrage from Republicans and White House after she invoked the name of the president's 13-year-old son Barron during that hearing.
Law professor Pamela Karlan was making a point that the Constitution limits the president's power but admits she went too far.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KARLAN: I'll just give you one example that shows eye the difference between him and a king, which is the Constitution says there can be no titles of know built. While the president can name his son Barron, he can't make him a baron. I want to apologize for what I said about the president's son. It was
wrong of me to do that. I wish the president would apologize, obviously, for the things that he's wrong. But I do regret having said that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: The First Lady Melania Trump blasted the professor on Twitter saying: A minor child deserves privacy and should be kept out of politics. Pamela Karlan, you should be ashamed of your very angry and obviously biased public pandering and using a child to do it.
BRIGGS: House Democrats want to know about dash one. That's the mysterious stand in for the numbers dialed by Rudy Giuliani and the newly released phone records from the House Intelligence Committee. Those records also show numerous calls from President Trump's personal attorney to the White House and Office of Management and Budget.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Mr. President, can you explain why your personal attorney Rudy Giuliani would need to talk to the budget office?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I really don't know, you'll have to ask him. It sounds like something that's not so complicated. But you'd have to ask him. No big deal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: According to "The New York Times," Giuliani travelled to Hungary and Ukraine this week to meet with several former Ukrainian prosecutors. He's actually participating in a documentary series for a right wing cable network, all part of his effort to defend the president against impeachment inquiry.
ROMANS: All right. More Americans will have to work for food stamps under the new Trump administration's rule. The requirement limits the state's ability to waive existing work mandates and could result in 688,000 people losing their food support benefits as part of the administration's efforts to overhaul the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP.
More than 36 million Americans currently receive these benefits. Right now, states can waive the work requirement for areas where unemployment is at least 10 percent, or there is an insufficient number of jobs, giving states flexibility on local areas where there simply aren't the jobs for -- to make that requirement so you don't need the waiver. The 3.6 percent unemployment rate is the national average.
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said this: The rule -- this rule lays the groundwork for the expectation that able-bodied Americans re- enter the workforce where there are currently more job openings than people to fill them.
But critics say it could leave more struggling Americans hungry. The new rule takes effect in April.
BRIGGS: All right. Ahead, 2020 Democrats getting peppered with this question on the campaign trail.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Would you consider Senator Harris as a running mate?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: More on Senator Kamala Harris as a running mate, next.
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[04:43:08]
ROMANS: So, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau now admits he and other world leaders were talking about President Trump behind his back during that NATO event at Buckingham Palace. They were overheard apparently joking about the president in his viral open mic moment caught on camera. Trudeau doesn't appear concerned his comments will adversely affect the U.S./Canada relationship.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: I made a reference to the fact that there was an unscheduled press conference before my meeting with President Trump. And I was happy to take part in it but it was certainly notable. And I've had a number of good conversations with the president over the course of this day and yesterday.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: President Trump who, you know, is known to be thin-skinned was less than pleased about this hot mic moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Well, he's two-faced.
REPORTER: Do you think that Germany is too naive --
TRUMP: And honestly, Trudeau is a nice guy, I find him to be a very nice guy. But the truth is, I called him out on the fact that he's not paying 2 percent. And I guess he's not very happy about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: A source tells CNN that the president is annoyed and bothered by the video but believes the two leaders will be able to work through. Sources also say the hot mic video is not why President Trump cancelled his scheduled news conference at the end of the NATO meeting.
And a reminder, he spoke to reporters for 2 hours and 1 minute over the course of that appearance. So, it's not as if -- BRIGGS: He spoke until every question.
ROMANS: Right, right. So, cancelling the press conference I think, he -- there was plenty of availability for the president.
BRIGGS: All right. The Biden campaign seizing on that clip, with a new campaign video.
Jessica Dean traveling with the Biden campaign in Charles City, Iowa.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JESSICA DEAN, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Christine and Dave, Joe Biden continuing his bus tour through Iowa. He's going all across the state to towns here, making his case in halls like this one that he is uniquely positioned to beat Donald Trump in 2020.
[04:45:02]
And to that end, his campaign releasing a video slamming President Trump. He says in effect that the world is laughing at the president.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: World leaders caught on camera laughing about President Trump.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Several world leaders mocking President Trump.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're laughing at him.
TRUMP: My administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country.
I didn't expect that reaction, but that's OK.
DEAN: The timing on the release of that video no accident. It was released shortly after President Trump landed back in the U.S. after being overseas, and keeps in line with Vice President Biden's practice of not criticizing the president while he's overseas.
Also, Vice President Biden saying he'd consider former rival, Kamala Harris, as a running mate.
BIDEN: She's solid. She is -- she could be president some day. She can be the vice president. She can go on to be a Supreme Court justice. She can be attorney general. I mean, she has enormous capability.
DEAN: Biden wrapped Wednesday night here in Charles City. He rolls on with day six of his eight-day bus tour today -- Christine and Dave.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: Jessica Dean, thank you so much for that.
Senator Elizabeth Warren was also asked about Senator Kamala Harris.
Here's what she told MSNBC.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WARREN: Watch what she did during the Kavanaugh hearings, holding our attorneys general accountable. Going after Barr, going after Sessions, Kamala's terrific. And I guarantee, we're going to hear a lot more from Kamala in a lot of different ways.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Warren calls Senator Harris smart, confident, and a tough advocate for families.
BRIGGS: Elizabeth Warren touted her plans for a wealth tax and Medicare-for-All during an appearance on "The Tonight Show". But she also answered some fun curveball questions as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY FALLON, COMEDIAN: Curveball: what's Baby Yoda's whole deal and why are people so excited about him?
WARREN: He's a baby.
FALLON: That's very good -- very good. You get that one.
Should there be a "Ballers" movie or were you satisfied with the series finale?
WARREN: Oh, anything that The Rock wants to do.
FALLON: Do you know who Van Halen is?
WARREN: Yes, but you don't have to. Let's ease up on Billie.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Warren cutting 17-year-old Billie Eilish some slack after the singer admitted last week that she didn't know who Van Halen nor who Huey Lewis were.
Huey Lewis and the News, one of my all time favorites.
ROMANS: All right. Since we're going back, let's go back here. Three men set a new record for the cannonball run and illegal high speed drive from New York to Los Angeles.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the cannonball run, America's illegal grand prix.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: The run was made famous in the 1981 movie that starred Burt Reynolds as Irwin Cannonball Baker, the original record holder in the cross country sprint.
Arne Toman, Doug Tabbutt and Berkeley Chadwick just drove a customized Mercedes-Benz from New York City to L.A in 27 hours and 25 minutes, beating the previous cannonball record of 28 hours, 50 minutes, set in 2013. Their average speed, 103 miles an hour.
The guys said they had a few encounters of law enforcement but were never pulled over. They were only stopped four times during the entire 2,825-mile trip.
BRIGGS: OK. So, there's video -- there's shots of driving by police. Apparently police were informed that they were coming through town.
ROMANS: Perhaps, perhaps.
BRIGGS: And not going to endanger other motorists.
ROMANS: All right. Peloton says, guys, you might have misread the holiday ad message. Come on, give it a break.
CNN business has details next.
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[04:53:13]
BRIGGS: George Zimmerman is suing Trayvon Martin's parents for $100 million. He claims there was a conspiracy to frame him for the Florida teen's shooting death in 2012. The suit alleges the civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump helped to swap out a reluctant witness for her half sister and then prepared her with a script intended to land Zimmerman in prison.
The suit claims Trayvon's parents, prosecutors and state authorities went along with the alleged ruse. Zimmerman represented by Larry Klayman, the same attorney who filed a birther lawsuit, claiming President Obama was not a natural born U.S. citizen.
ROMANS: Former President Jimmy Carter is out of the hospital. He was released Wednesday afternoon following treatment from a urinary tract infection. A statement from the Carter Center says he looks forward to further rest and recovery at home in Plains, Georgia.
Carter has been hospitalized twice in the last month. In November, he had an operation to relieve pressure on his brain after several falls. At 95 years old, Carter is the oldest president in American history.
BRIGGS: Hillary Clinton hammering her old friend and colleague Lindsey Graham on her debut appearance on "The Howard Stern Show".
The secretary of state covering a wide range of topic, calling President Trump's inauguration one of the hardest days of her life. She said she couldn't figure out what happened. Here's what she told Stern about Senator Graham.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: It's like he -- it's like he had a brain snatch, you know?
Lindsey was good company. He was funny. He was self-deprecating. He also believed in climate change back in those days.
HOWARD STERN, RADIO HOST: He sold his soul to the devil?
CLINTON: I don't know the answer to that. I think that's a fair question, however.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Stern asked Mrs. Clinton if she had a favorite among the Democratic candidates she answered, quote, whoever can win, that's all I care about.
[04:55:05]
ROMANS: All right. Fans are getting their first look at the new James Bond film, "No Time to Die". The first trailer for the 25th installment has dropped.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where's 007?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I need a favor, brother. You're the only one I trust with this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The world has moved one, Commander Bond --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're 00 --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He is. Sustain the name, you get in my way.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bond, it works.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's what you do to get along.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Daniel Craig's fight and final outing as 007 "No Time to Die" hits theaters in April 2020.
BRIGGS: It's beginning to look a lot more like Christmas in Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWD: Three, two, one!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did the honors of lighting the Christmas tree at the U.S. Capitol last night along with the delegation from New Mexico. The 60-foot spruce travelled from New Mexico to D.C. President Trump and the First Lady expected at the 97th annual national Christmas tree lighting tonight.
ROMANS: All right. Let's get a check on CNN business this morning.
Competing headlines in the U.S./China trade war dominating the markets. You can see rebounds almost everywhere, although London has opened slightly lower.
On Wall Street, futures at the moment up just a little bit. Look, stocks rose Wednesday boosted by a report that a trade deal by China is closer than it seems. So, the Dow popped about half a percent. The S&P and Nasdaq finished higher.
Look, the Dow is on its way for its worst week since August, again in the big concerns that a trade deal won't happen until next year. ADP reports manufacturing jobs declined by 6,000 in November. So, really watching the manufacturing sector. And second week, private sector, payroll growth since march 2010, watching that number. And we get the November jobs report Friday morning. So, jobs are a focus here.
Changes for Instagram in an effort to protect younger users. Instagram will ask new users for their birthday when they create an account. Previously, you were required to provide that you were 13 years or older but you didn't have to provide a birth date. Instagram said it would use age information to recommend younger people opt for more privacy setting such as allowing new message requests only from people they know.
All right. You have seen this ad by now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, ready?
Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A Peloton!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Peloton has gotten an awful lot of backlash for this holiday ad. Critics accused the company for peddling negative body image, unchecked privilege and gross marital dynamics. Now, Peloton says, OK, you're thinking too hard about this. You misinterpreted the message. We constantly hear from our members how their lives have been meaningfully and positively impacted after purchasing or being gifted a Peloton, often in ways that surprised.
Peloton stock fell 9 percent Tuesday but that might be because of the price to lower the price of its workout app. It fell 1.5 percent on Wednesday. Analysts are wondering if this decline is likely to last.
You and I both use a Peloton.
BRIGGS: Yes, this ad, just to be clear, lit up social media. The entire week mostly outraged by the ad.
ROMANS: You had two choices yesterday, you could either talk about constitutional law and the framers impeachment, or you could talk about POD were you about the Peloton.
BRIGGS: Freeze it right there. That's the problem, the look of that lovely actress looking like a bit of a hostage.
But, overall, look, I don't have any objection to the ad other than that look. I bought my wife a Peloton for Christmas, too. I'm not a pig. I'm not saying she's overweight. She wanted the bike and she loves the bike.
ROMANS: One of the things people say, some of the ads are like, you know, $3 million house, beautiful skinny models, perfectly, you know, that it's a little bit 1 percenty but --
BRIGGS: It is. It's a $2,000 exercise bike. It tends to be a bit 1 percent.
ROMANS: Thanks for joining us.
BRIGGS: Can you do the hostage look for me?
ROMANS: Ii can't. You did it very good.
You're a hostage at 4:00 a.m.
BRIGGS: This is a good point.
ROMANS: Thanks for our international viewers for joining us. Have a great rest of our day.
For our U.S. viewers, EARLY START continues right now.
(MUSIC)
BRIGGS: Breaking overnight. Deadly gun fire at Pearl Harbor just days before ceremonies to mark the 1941 attacks.
ROMANS: A full houses vote on the impeachment of President Trump could come the week before Christmas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to hear a lot more from Kamala in a lot of different ways.
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: She can be president some day herself. She could be vice president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Could Senator Kamala Harris return as a vice presidential candidate?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the cannonball run.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
END
