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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Pelosi: "The President Violated the Constitution"; Trump Setting Sights on Senate Trial; Biden Clashes With Voter at Iowa Town Hall; Bears Hand Cowboys Third Straight Loss. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired December 06, 2019 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: -- and the facts are now clear.
[05:00:04]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: 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 the process. The White House now is has until 5:00 p.m. this afternoon to decide whether they will 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 Lauren Fox has more from Capitol Hill.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
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.
PELOSI: The president leaves us no choice but to act, because he is trying to corrupt, once again, the election, for his own benefit.
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 Donald Trump and Ukraine's president, Zelensky.
We also know that Democrats are going to have to be drafting those articles of impeachment. And we have a sense of where they are 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 could potentially come in the form of an obstruction of justice article of impeachment. All that will have to be voted out of the House Judiciary Committee. And then, the week after, they vote on the House floor 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 history to be impeached.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: Lauren Fox, thanks.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi had this scathing answer to a reporter at a news conference yesterday. She was just leaving. A reporter from the conservative Sinclair broadcast group asked her one final question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Do you hate the president, Madam Speaker?
PELOSI: I don't hate anybody.
REPORTER: Representatives Collins --
PELOSI: I was raised in a Catholic house. We don't hate anybody, not anybody in the world.
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 reacting with a tweet accusing Pelosi of having a, quote, 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: I believe that we should -- hate is a terrible word. So, for him to say that was really disgusting to me. The president is a master at projecting. When you call somebody else nervous, he's the nervous one. When he suspects somebody's 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: After months of trying to stop the impeachment in the Democratic House, the president and his aides and allies have accepted it's all but certain and 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. They 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.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Dave and Christine, with impeachment likely a foregone conclusion, the White House is focusing on the Senate and is mounting 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 we'll reveal for the first time how corrupt our system really is. I was elected to clean the swamp and that's 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 the Senate trial in a way that is favorable for the White House and to potentially call up the 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 pop up. Disagreements 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.
REPORTER: Are you worried, sir, about the stain impeachment might have on your legacy?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No, not at all. Not at all. It's a hoax. It's a hoax. It's a big, fat hoax.
SANCHEZ: One more note. While we've been hearing from sources that the president is unlikely 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.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right. Boris Sanchez, thanks so much for that.
BRIGGS: All right. Ahead, a terrifying rush hour scene. Police and armed robbers in a deadly gun battle in broad daylight. The details, next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You're a damn liar, man. That's not true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: And this dramatic moment at an Iowa town hall, as Joe Biden has a heated exchange with a voter.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:11:03]
BRIGGS: A frightening fatal gun battle breaks out when armed robbers hijack a UPS truck during rush hour and led police on a dramatic chase. It started when two men robbed a Coral Gables jewelry score. The owner of the store fought back. One woman at the store was hurt.
Minutes later, the police said they took a UPS driver hostage at gunpoint and commander the man. Then they led police on a breakneck 20-mile chase, dodging cars, driving on 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: Just awful.
All right. New developments on trade this morning. China may waive its tariffs on some shipments of U.S. soybeans and pork, potentially, potentially a positive sign as the U.S. and China struggle to reach even a symbolic trade deal. The clock is ticking down to December 15th when new tariffs on Chinese goods kick in.
CNN Business lead writer Matt Egan joins us this morning. You know, the big question, I don't think investors are prepared, really, for -- or companies actually for a whole other year for tariffs the way they are right now, let alone new tariffs in December.
MATT EGAN, CNN BUSINESS LEAD WRITER: Good morning, guys.
ROMANS: Good morning.
EGAN: It's safe to say that tariff man, as President Trump likes to call himself, is back. And no one knows how long he will be here. As you mentioned, the next ten days are critical, because as of right now, if nothing changes, the United States is scheduled to impose a 15 percent tariffs on $160 billion of imports from China. And these are consumer facing goods, including iPhones, all this right before Christmas. What could go wrong?
ROMANS: Right.
EGAN: And we've seen that President Trump has sort of shifted his tone in recent days. He talked about how maybe it will be better if there's no trade agreement with China until after the election. I mean, that's quite the shift. It's been 55 days since President Trump gathered all of the reporters in the oval office and talked about how there's a preliminary phase one trade deal. The one catch it has to be written.
ROMANS: Right.
EGAN: Not surprisingly, that's taken longer than he had hoped. It's been tricky. There's all these disagreements over how much U.S. crops China will buy, over how many U.S. tariffs will get rolled back in favor of China. And meanwhile, the markets are living and dying on all of the headlines. I mean, you look at the swings of the Dow in the past week, and it's all about trade.
ROMANS: Yes, absolutely. Let's listen to what the president said yesterday about trade because it's interesting, you're right, every day, it's kind of a new tone really from the White House about where we stand. This is the most recent from the president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Right now, we're moving along. We're not discussing that. But we will have major discussions. On December 15th, something could happen, but we're not discussing that yet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: The president often says, he doesn't in that sound byte, but he often says, we'll see what happens, you know? And it's -- that's where we are. We'll see what happens.
But I think investors have baked in that there will not be mutually destruction between China and the United States on trade next year, living things as they are. And that could be the wrong -- that could be the wrong gamble. EGAN: It could be. I think there's been a mindset in the market that
it's sort of this battle between tariff man and Dow man, right? President Trump sees the stock market as his ultimately barometer of his success. And if there were to be a sharp decline in stocks, that would hurt his re-election chances.
And so, investors are thinking, that can't happen because politically, it would be bad news. I talked to former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers this week.
ROMANS: Yes, great interview.
EGAN: And one of the things he said was that markets are really optimistic right now, and they're actually at such high levels they could potentially fall a long way if something goes wrong.
Another interesting thing he says about the trade strategy.
[05:15:00]
He said that we are engaged in a "stop or I'll shoot myself in the foot" strategy, which I think sums up the collective exhaustion among mainstream economists with this trade war.
ROMANS: Dow man, you call him Dow man. Dow man this week said I don't follow the stock market. I don't watch the stock market. I watch jobs.
BRIGGS: Well, jobs are coming out at 8:30. We'll see those November job numbers.
GM workers back to work, which could help a little bit. Will be the sign we're moving in the right direction that the president would like to see?
EGAN: It could be. I do think there's a little nervousness heading into the jobs report coming out in three hours. That's because the ADP private sector report came out Wednesday and it showed that the U.S. added just 67,000 private sector jobs in November.
That was the second weakest growth in the past decade. It was soft. Now, the government jobs report is a bigger deal. It shows a wider view of the economy. Investors paid more attention to that.
Now, the jobs report from the government is supposed to say the government added 180,000 jobs. That would actually be an acceleration. That would be really good news.
The unemployment rate is supposed to be unchanged at about 3.6 percent. It's an incredible figure, near 50-year lows. And, frankly, it's lower than a lot of people thought was even possible. The question is, how long can it stay that low, particularly in the middle of a trade war?
ROMANS: And, you know, manufacturing is in a recession for -- you know, a mild recession in manufacturing. I'll be watching to see if they lost more manufacturing jobs.
BRIGGS: I watch when sports and business news combine. They did that this week. Steve Cohen going to buy into the Mets. So, the Mets fans will have someone else to be mad at.
What's your take on all this?
EGAN: Listen, this is an amazing sports deal and this is coming from a hedge fund billionaire. Now, long-suffering Mets fans like myself are hoping that Steve Cohen are going to bring some of that magic that he had on Wall Street to the baseball diamond. Or at least at a minimum, he will bring a war chest of cash that he can use to spend on free agents.
But, listen, clearly, there's a boom in sports franchise valuations and Steve Cohen wants to get a piece of that.
BRIGGS: 1986, my friend.
EGAN: I know.
BRIGGS: Your last World Series win.
ROMANS: I have no idea what you're talking about.
(CROSSTALK)
BRIGGS: Maybe it's around the corner.
EGAN: Yes, and I was 1 at the time.
(LAUGHTER)
BRIGGS: Perhaps there's a light at the end of the tunnel, Matt Egan. Enjoy the weekend, my friend.
ROMANS: Have a great weekend, Matt.
EGAN: Thank you.
BRIGGS: Thanks.
Also, good news for the Romans' kids, though. The Chicago Bears continue to win. While you were sleeping, the Dallas Cowboys, though, continue to struggle.
Andy Scholes has that story in the "Bleacher Report".
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:22:22]
ROMANS: So, former Vice President Joe Biden in a heated exchange with a voter in a town hall in Iowa Thursday. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) 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) in order to get access to the public for the president. So, you're -- you're selling access to the president, just like he is.
BIDEN: You're a damned liar, man. That's not true. No one has ever said that. No one has proved that.
IOWA VOTER: I see it on the TV.
BIDEN: You see it on the TV. I know you do. And by the way, I -- let him go. Let him go. Let him go. Let him go.
Look, the reason I'm running is because I've been around for a long time and I know more than most people know. And I can get things done. That's why I'm running.
You want to check my shape, let's do push-ups together, man. Let's go run. Let's do whatever you want to do.
(CHEERS)
No one has said my son has done anything wrong. And I did not in any occasion, and no one has said it.
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.
IOWA VOTER: That's what I hear on the, on the MSNBC.
BIDEN: You don't hear that on MSNBC. You didn't hear that at all. What you heard -- I'm not going to get in an argument.
IOWA VOTER: I don't want to.
BIDEN: Yes, you do. But, look, here's the deal, here's the deal --
IOWA VOTER: You know, it looks like you don't have the backbone that Trump does.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let him talk. Let him talk.
BIDEN: Any other questions?
IOWA VOTER: I'm not voting for you anyhow.
BIDEN: Well, I knew you weren't, man. You think I though you'd stand up and vote for me? You're too old to vote for me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Biden resumes his Iowa bus tour today. He will be joined by John Kerry, the former secretary of state and 2004 Democratic presidential candidate just endorsed Biden.
BRIGGS: Another week, another loss for the Dallas Cowboys. This time they lose at the hands of the suddenly hot Chicago Bears.
Andy Scholes has that story in the "Bleacher Report".
This Mitchell Trubisky guy, unrecognizable the last four, five weeks. Good morning.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, certainly turned it around this season.
BRIGGS: Yes.
SCHOLES: Good morning to you.
SCHOLES: The Cowboys have not turned anything around. They've lost seven of ten games. Yet they remain in first place in the awful NFC east. But certainly feels like the wheels have come off in Dallas.
[05:25:02]
The Bears coming out and dominating this game. The Cowboys scored the first touchdown and then it was the Mitch Trubisky show. The Bears quarterback throwing for three touchdowns. He ran for another. The Bears scored 24 unanswered points.
Jason Witten and the Cowboys just looking frustrated on the sidelines. Final score was Bears 31-24, but it was never even really that close. And after the game, unhappy Jerry Jones said Jason Garrett will remain the team's head coach.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JERRY JONES, DALLAS COWBOYS OWNER: It leveled out. Losing, losing, losing. I'm not trying to be funny, but the point is that we've got to win a football game. I don't care what the standings are or the numbers are. We're not collectively getting together as a team and doing what it takes to win a ball game.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: Yes. Three weeks left in the season, Dave. Cowboys still in first place. But Jason Garrett's job does not look like it's very safe. He has to go on a good run to keep it.
But there are rumors swirling. James Slater of NFL network reporting the Cowboys have really interest in Urban Meyer to be their next head coach.
BRIGGS: Oh, there's no way he's coaching that team next year. But they could host a playoff game and San Francisco goes on the road. Do we need to rethink that?
SCHOLES: Hey, man, you win your division, you win your division. I don't think they change that. BRIGGS: All right. Andy Scholes, have a good weekend.
SCHOLES: All right.
BRIGGS: Romans, what's coming up?
ROMANS: All right. We're at a rare moment in American history fellows. Just steps away from the impeachment of the U.S. president. More on what to expect in the days ahead, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
