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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Speaker Nancy Pelosi Directs House Democrats to Proceed with Impeachment; Trump White House Coordinating with Senate Republicans on Impeachment; Joe Biden Has Tense Moment with Iowa Voter; Strikes and Protests Shut Down Paris. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired December 06, 2019 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:30:45]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): The president's actions made it necessary.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: History in the making as Speaker Nancy Pelosi now has House Democrats drafting Articles of Impeachment against President Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's a hoax. It's a hoax. It's a big fat hoax.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: Facing the very real prospect of impeachment, the president and his allies look ahead to a trial in the Republican-led Senate.
ROMANS: A deadly gun battle breaks out after armed robbers hijack a delivery truck.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You're a damn liar, man. That's not true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Dramatic moments at an Iowa town hall as Joe Biden gets into a heated exchange with a voter.
Welcome back to EARLY START on a Friday. I'm Dave Briggs.
ROMANS: And I'm Christine Romans. Nice to see you all. Congratulations for making it through the week almost. It's 31 minutes past the hour here in New York. President Trump now closer than ever to impeachment. The House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi has officially directed the Judiciary Committee to lay out the charges against the president in Articles of Impeachment. Just hours ago, at a live CNN town hall, Pelosi said the Constitution and the facts are now clear.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PELOSI: This is a very sad day, I think, for our country. It's something that I would hope we could have avoided. But the president's actions made it necessary. You cannot violate the Constitution in full view.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Here are the next steps in this process. The White House now has until 5:00 p.m. this afternoon to decide whether to participate in a hearing on Monday. Lawyers from both the Intelligence and Judiciary Committees will present their findings from investigations into the president. Monday's hearing sets up a judiciary vote later in the week with a vote of the full House possible the week before Christmas.
Congressional reporter Lauren Fox has more from Capitol Hill.
LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Dave and Christine, Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, making it clear the Democrats are moving forward with impeaching the president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PELOSI: The president leaves us no choice but to act because he is trying to corrupt once again the election for his own benefit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOX: Now, what we do know is that next week is going to be another explosive one on Capitol Hill. On Monday, the House Judiciary Committee will hold another hearing, this one to discuss that 300-page report from the House Intelligence Committee, all revolving around that July 25th phone call between President Donald Trump and Ukraine's President Zelensky.
We also know the Democrats are going to have to be drafting those Articles of Impeachment, and we have a sense of the direction that they're going. They are looking at whether or not the president obstructed Congress by the fact that he wasn't moving forward or allowing witnesses or information to be revealed to the Intelligence Committee.
We also know that they're looking at the abuse of power charges against the president. And there is a debate within the Democratic caucus about whether to broaden this out to include anything in the Mueller report. We know that that could potentially come in the form of an obstruction of justice Article of Impeachment.
Now, all of that will have to be voted out of the House Judiciary Committee. Then, the week after, they would vote on the House floor about whether or not to impeach President Donald Trump. If that's the direction Democrats are wanting to move it would make President Donald Trump the third in the history to be impeached.
BRIGGS: Lauren Fox, thank you.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi had a scathing answer to a reporter at her news conference yesterday. As she was leaving, a reporter from the conservative Sinclair Broadcast Group asked her if she hates President Trump. She came back with this answer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PELOSI: And as a Catholic, I resent your using the word hate in a sentence that addresses me. I don't hate anyone. I was raised in a way that is full -- a heart full of love and always pray for the president, and I still pray for the president. I pray for the president all the time. So don't mess with me when it comes to words like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: President Trump reacted with a tweet, accusing Pelosi of having a nervous fit and lying about praying for him. Pelosi was asked about the reporter's question and the president's tweet at CNN's town hall last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PELOSI: The word hate is a terrible word. And so for him to say that was really disgusting to me.
[04:35:02]
The president is a master at projecting. When he calls somebody else nervous, he's the nervous one. When he suspects that somebody is not praying, he's probably not praying. But I do pray for him because he is the president of the United States. And I pray that God will open his heart to meeting the needs of people in our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: So after months of trying to stop impeachment in the Democratic House, the president -- President Trump, his aides and allies have accepted that it is all but certain so now they are turning their attention to his trial in the Republican-led Senate. The White House signaling it will try to turn the tables on Democrats, aimed not only to stop the president's removal but to turn the Senate trial to his political advantage.
More from Boris Sanchez at the White House.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Dave and Christine, with impeachment likely a foregone conclusion, the White House is focusing on the Senate, announcing a robust defense of President Trump. Sources tell CNN that the White House counsel is going to try to use this as an opportunity to bash Democrats and score political points.
The president tipping his hand a bit on Twitter Thursday, writing that he may compel some prominent Democrats to testify. He writes, quote, "We will have Schiff, the Bidens, Pelosi, and many more testify and will reveal for the first time how corrupt our system really is. I was elected to clean the swamp and that is what I'm doing."
Trump later tweeting that it is a good thing that Republicans have never been more united. Of course, Trump is going to lean on Senate Republicans to guide this Senate trial in a way that is favorable for the White House and to potentially call up that roster of witnesses he says he would like to hear from.
Notably, the White House counsel Pat Cipollone, members of his staff, members of the White House communications team have been meeting with Senate Republicans more and more frequently for weeks trying to iron out strategy and messaging and to fix problems before they potentially pop up.
This agreement, like whether that whistleblower whose complaint led to this impeachment process, should testify. Still plenty for the two sides to iron out. The president, though, sounding confident. He was asked on Thursday if he believed that impeachment would be a stain on his legacy. Listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Are you worried, sir, about the stain impeachment might have on your legacy?
TRUMP: No, not at all. No. Not a t all. It's a hoax. It's a hoax. It's a big fat hoax.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: One more note. While we've been hearing from sources that President Trump has struggled to grasp the reality that he likely will be impeached by the House, White House counsel Pat Cipollone has been preparing for a potential trial, hiring dozens of attorneys for what is likely to come in January -- Dave and Christine.
ROMANS: All right, Boris. Thank you for that.
Some troubling details from Uber's safety report which revealed Uber received nearly 6,000 reports of sexual assault, including 464 reports of rape in 2017 and 2018. Now the report also noted there were 19 deaths caused by physical assault during 2017 and 2018.
Uber first said it would release the report nearly a year ago in response to a CNN investigation. That investigation found it was 103 Uber drivers in the U.S. had been accused of sexually assaulting or abusing their passengers in the previous four years. In the report, Uber repeatedly attempts to put the number of sexual assaults into a context as a percentage of total rides saying that 99.9 percent of rides occur without incident. Last year, Uber announced to increase safety measures including a
partnership with Rapid SOS, that's a company that sends a rider's location to a local police agency when the rider uses the emergency button in the Uber app. It also updated its background check policy to conduct annual checks of its drivers. Lyft said it will release a safety report by the end of the year.
BRIGGS: Do you let your kids take an Uber or a Lyft?
ROMANS: No. No. And in fact in my town, they really push -- they really pushed it in my town and the schools in particular. You know, they don't want to drop the kids off.
BRIGGS: Yes.
ROMANS: You know, with an Uber or a Lyft or the back and forth, and practices. They just say, you know, it's just --
BRIGGS: Clearly safety is their priority. But yes, I'm not there either.
All right, ahead, a terrifying rush hour scene. Police and armed robbers in a deadly gun battle in broad daylight. Details, next.
[04:40:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRIGGS: A frightening fatal gun battle breaks out when armed robbers hijack a UPS truck during Miami rush hour and led police on a dramatic chase. Police say it all started when two men robbed a Coral Gables jewelry store. The owner of the store fought back. One woman at the store was hurt. Minutes later, the police said the suspects took a UPS driver hostage at gunpoint and commandeered the man. They then led police on a breakneck 20-mile chase, dodging cars, driving on the sidewalks and driving through a barricade with dozens of emergency vehicles in pursuit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF ED HUDAK, CORAL GABLES POLICE: This is what dangerous people do to get away. And this is what people will do to avoid capture. If people give up and are held accountable for their crimes, then we wouldn't put these many people in danger.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Police approached the truck when it got stuck in heavy traffic. They say both suspects, the UPS driver and a bystander at the end of the chase were killed.
ROMANS: All right. Three soldiers from the Minnesota National Guard were killed when their Blackhawk helicopter crashed during a flight from an Army aviation facility in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Officials say the chopper went down Thursday afternoon while conducting a maintenance test flight. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
[04:45:03]
The identities of the soldiers are being withheld until their families are notified.
BRIGGS: It is day seven of Joe Biden's barnstorming tour across Iowa. The former vice president will be joined on the trail today by John Kerry. The former secretary of State and the 2004 Democratic presidential candidate just endorsed Biden. On day six, Biden got into a heated exchange with a voter at a townhall Thursday.
More now from CNN's Jeff Zeleny.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Christine and Dave, Joe Biden is receiving the endorsement today from former secretary of State, John Kerry. Of course he is the winner of the 2004 Iowa caucuses, a failed presidential candidate in the general. But he does know how to win the Iowa caucuses. The Biden campaign is hoping that his endorsement will help the former vice president over the next two months or so here in Iowa.
But it was a different moment from a town hall on Thursday in New Hampton, Iowa, that overshadowed that news.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED IOWA VOTER: But you on the other hand sent your son over there (INAUDIBLE) and work for a gas company that he had no experience (INAUDIBLE), nothing, in order to get access to the public for the president. So, you're selling access to the president, just like he was.
BIDEN: You're a damn liar, man. That's not true. And no one has ever said that. No one has proved that.
UNIDENTIFIED IOWA VOTER: Now bear with me. I see it on the TV.
BIDEN: You've seen it on the TV.
UNIDENTIFIED IOWA VOTER: (INAUDIBLE).
BIDEN: No, I know you do. And by the way, that's the -- I'm not sedentary. I don't like (INAUDIBLE). And -- no, let him go. Let him go. The reason I'm running is because I've been around a long time and I know what most people know. And I can get things done. And that's why I'm running. And you want to check my shape on, let's do push-ups together, man. Let's run. Let's do whatever you want to do.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: Number two, number two, no one has said my son has done anything wrong. And I did not in any occasion, and no one has ever said it. Not one --
UNIDENTIFIED IOWA VOTER: I didn't say you were doing anything wrong. I said --
BIDEN: You said I set up my son to work at an oil company. Isn't that what you said? Get your words straight, Jack.
UNIDENTIFIED IOWA VOTER: That's what I hear it on the -- on MSNBC.
BIDEN: You don't hear that on MSNBC. You did not hear that at all. What you heard -- look, OK, I'm not going to get in an argument with you, man.
UNIDENTIFIED IOWA VOTER: No, I don't want to.
BIDEN: Yes, you do. But, look, here's the deal. Here's the deal --
UNIDENTIFIED IOWA VOTER: You know it looks like you don't have any more backbone that Trump does.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED IOWA VOTER: Let him talk. Let him talk.
BIDEN: Any other questions?
UNIDENTIFIED IOWA VOTER: Yes, all right. I'm not voting for you anyhow.
BIDEN: I know you weren't, man. You think I'd thought you'd stand up and vote for me? You're too old to vote for me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: Now Joe Biden later said he did not lose his temper in that moment. He said he was simply trying to correct the record. But he clearly was sensitive to any conversation about Hunter Biden and his business dealings with Ukraine.
Now of course Joe Biden is about wrapping up an eight-day bus tour here in Iowa. He's trying to regain his footing. Of course he was the front runner for much of the year, overtaken in some respects by Pete Buttigieg.
Now most of the Democratic candidates are coming back to Iowa this weekend for campaigning again less than months before the Iowa caucuses open the 2020 race -- Christine and Dave.
ROMANS: All right, Jeff Zeleny in beautiful Des Moines, Iowa.
We are now learning a fifth migrant child has died in the U.S. government's care. We want to warn you, you might find the video you're about to see disturbing. It was first obtained by Pro-Publica. It shows the 16-year-old Guatemalan boy collapsing in his Texas holding cell back in May. In a statement, border officials say Carlos Gregorio Hernandez Vasquez was found unresponsive during a welfare check. But Pro-Publica says that is not what happened. Video shows the teen's cellmate walking up, finding him collapsed near the toilet and alerting officials. Pro-Publica's analysis of the video shows Carlos laying unresponsive
for four hours. Border Patrol logs obtained by Pro-Publica say three welfare checks were done on Carlos during that time. The logs do not indicate that anything was amiss. Pro-Publica says an autopsy found Carlos died of a respiratory infection from the flu, complicated by bronchial pneumonia, sepsis and an immune system disorder. A Border Patrol spokesperson says the investigation into the teen's death is ongoing.
BRIGGS: A photo showing a class of corrections officers trainees giving a Nazi salute is triggering outrage in West Virginia. The image shows more than two dozen class members in uniform with their arms raised and faces blurred. A line of text above that photo says "Heil, Byrd." It's a reference to their training instructor. State officials have suspended several employees and the governor has called for those involved to be fired. West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin says the actions warrant an immediate investigation.
ROMANS: That's just ridiculous.
BRIGGS: It's where we are.
ROMANS: All right, 50 minutes past the hour, chaos on the streets as striking workers paralyze parts of France.
[04:50:05]
We go live to Paris, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Teargas and bricks flying in the streets of Paris. Hundreds of thousands of people across France protesting President Emmanuel Macron's plans to reform the national pension system. Police in the capital have detained dozens of people so far and stopped to question thousands. Protest organizers say their efforts to shut the country down will now last until at least Monday.
Senior European correspondent Jim Bittermann live in Paris for us this morning.
[04:55:01]
Jim, what do the protesters want?
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR EUROPEAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, basically, they like to see their government withdraw its plan to reform the pension system. The problem is the government and the (INAUDIBLE) was the government hasn't actually detailed what the pension plan they've got in mind are and in fact they're not going to do that until mid- next week. So the unions are keeping up the pressure just against any kind of change in their pension system.
Over the weekend, there are strikes planned. Those strikes are going to continue. There are no demonstrations today, like the ones we saw yesterday brought 800,000 people out on the streets. And like you said, there were 71 people arrested overnight and held overnight. And the question is whether or not there'll be any further demonstrations over the weekend. Some unions are talking about it. And whether the strikes will continue into next week. But all of it is kind of preventative basically to stop the government from tampering with the pension system.
This is the third time since 1995 that the government has tried to tamper with the pension system. And each time people on the streets have pushed back. This time, however, Mr. Macron thinks he can do it -- Christine.
ROMANS: Just this week, we heard the president of the United States criticize Emmanuel Macron for some of the -- you know, some of the violence in the streets, the protests in the streets. This is exactly what the president was talking about.
BITTERMANN: Sure, absolutely. And in fact, it kind of gives a terrible image for France. But the fact is, the French people have kind of gotten used to this. We've seen this so much in the past that you have to sort of evaluate each one as you go along. And people are getting to work today.
ROMANS: OK.
BITTERMANN: There are some things that are still working. So it's difficult to know if you don't live here -- Christine.
ROMANS: Well, and anybody who's ever visited Paris has experienced a strike of some sort. That is very true.
All right, thank you so much, Jim Bittermann. Thanks.
BITTERMANN: Yes.
BRIGGS: SpaceX's latest mission includes giving mighty mice a ride to the International Space Station.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Four, three, two, one, zero. Engines ignition. Liftoff.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: The SpaceX Dragon capsule blazed into orbit yesterday atop a Falcon IX rocket. It's carrying close to three tons of supplies and is slated to link up with the International Space Station Sunday. The mice from a lab in Maine have genes manipulated to enhance their muscle growth. They will help scientists understand how to limit muscle and bone loss in humans during space travel.
ROMANS: All right. Let's get a check on CNN Business this morning. Trade headlines still dominating global markets. Right now, though, it's a positive feeling, the idea that they can -- there will not be mutually shared destruction between the United States and China on trade at least. On Wall Street, futures also look like they're leaning a little bit higher here on jobs day. Stocks closed higher or slightly higher yesterday. The Dow closed up 28. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq also up just a bit.
A pricey milestone for health care in 2018. New data shows American households spent more than $1 trillion for the first time. Up 4.4 percent from last year. Overall, health care spending rose to $3.6 trillion last year. That's a little over $11,000 a person. The cost of health care has been a key issue for Democrats on the campaign trail. Some want to strengthen Obamacare, others want to scrap it in favor of Medicare for All, essentially eliminating private insurers and expanding government-run Medicare for everyone.
Key piece of economic data. The November jobs report, that's due today at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. The Labor Department is expected to have found its footing again. The labor market, rather. Economists estimate 180,000 jobs were added and the unemployment rate remains at about 3.6 percent.
OK, something to watch for in this report, manufacturing. That sector is struggling, contracting for the fourth straight month in November. It's in a mild recession in manufacturing in this country, the very sector President Trump sought to favor with his tariffs, and tough talk is shrinking because of the higher costs of those tariffs and slowing global growth.
BRIGGS: All right. Thanks to our international viewers for joining us. Have a great rest of your day and a wonderful weekend. For our U.S. viewers, EARLY START continues right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PELOSI: The president's actions made it necessary.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: History in the making as Speaker Nancy Pelosi now has House Democrats drafting Articles of Impeachment against President Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It's a hoax. It's a hoax. It's a big, fat hoax.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Facing the very real prospect of impeachment, the president and his allies look ahead to a trial in the Republican-led Senate.
Good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Dave Briggs.
ROMANS: And I'm Christine Romans. It is Friday, December 6th. It is 5:0.0 a.m. in the East, 59 days exactly to go until the Iowa caucuses. And the president, President Trump, is now ever closer to impeachment.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has officially directed the Judiciary Committee to lay out the charges against the president in Articles of Impeachment. Just hours ago, at a live CNN town hall, Pelosi said the Constitution and the facts are now clear.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PELOSI: This is a very sad day, I think, for our country. It's something that I would hope we could --
[05:00:00]
