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Report: Progressives Upset over Timing of Impeachment Articles & Democrats' Deal with Trump on Trade; White House Restricts Number of Officials Listening to Trump's Calls with Foreign Leaders; 13-Year-Old Boy Arrested in Fatal Stabbing of College Student; 120th Army/Navy College Football Game Tomorrow. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired December 13, 2019 - 14:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[14:37:00]

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: Just hours ago, every single Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee voted to approve both articles of impeachment against President Trump.

Yet, according to this new piece in "The Atlantic," many progressives didn't get what they wanted from impeachment and feel betrayed by their more moderate colleagues.

Elaine Godfrey, assistant editor with "The Atlantic," wrote the piece.

Elaine, welcome back to you.

You say progressives tell you they're upset with how the Democrats handled impeachment. Tell me why.

ELAINE GODFREY, ASSISTANT EDITOR, "THE ATLANTIC": Hi, Brooke. Thanks for having me.

Yes. Progressives have been working for months advocating to make the articles of impeachment against the president pretty broad, encompassing a lot of the president's alleged wrongdoing, from allegations that he's self-dealing, violating the Emoluments Clause in the White House, to obstruction related to the Mueller case.

They're pretty disappointed these two articles that they've ended up with are both related to Ukraine and not much of the other items.

BALDWIN: What else would they want included? Mueller? Obstruction of justice?

GODFREY: Right. Obstruction of justice related to Mueller, Emoluments Clause violations.

And I just spoke with Representative Rashida Tlaib, of Michigan, a progressive freshman member, who told me she wishes at least one of the articles referenced Trump's racism and human rights abuses at the border.

BALDWIN: Could this disagreement for Democrats over impeachment foreshadow the election in 2020?

GODFREY: Absolutely. Progressives thinks this is another example of Democrats capitulating to moderates in the Democratic Party and trying to appeal to Trump voters or moderate Republicans rather than the base and expanding the Democratic base.

They think this is exactly the problem they'll have in 2020 when they choose a nominee.

BALDWIN: Elaine Godfrey, thank you.

GODFREY: Thanks for having me.

BALDWIN: This just in. On the day the House Judiciary Committee voted to impeach President Trump, CNN has learned, the past couple of months, the White House have been restricting the number of officials allowed to listen in to the president's phone calls with foreign leaders.

That limited access has been in effect emerging from President Trump's July phone call with his counterpart in Ukraine, a conversation you well know is the centerpiece of this impeachment inquiry.

To the White House we go to CNN's Pamela Brown who helped break this story.

What are you learning, Pamela?

PAMELA BROWN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, our team has learned the White House further clamped down on the number of administration officials allowed to listen in to the president's calls with foreign leaders. A sign of the White House's fears about the so- called Deep State in the wake of the Ukraine controversy.

Also we've learned from several sources the transcripts, readouts of Trump's calls with world leaders, are being disseminated to a far smaller group of people inside the White House, continuing an effort that began early in this administration to limit the number of people with insight and information about those conversations.

[14:39:55]

After a career staffer, Lieutenant Colonel Alex Vindman, raised concerns about the president's call to the Ukrainian president, later testified to Congress about it, the White House now excludes career staffers and details, we've learned, whose roles include taking notes and providing edits to the eventual transcripts of the conversations meant to clarify what was said and are also heavily involved in policymaking.

But now, Brooke, only a handful of political officials listen in. I spoke with one who called this extreme restriction the Vindman Rule.

The president seemed to mock Alex Vindman, the lieutenant colonel, in the Oval Office, calling him another beauty, while also saying he verified the Ukraine transcript. Vindman, as you know, told Congress it substantively correct but noted there were certain words were missing -- Brooke?

BALDWIN: Pamela Brown, thank you.

Meantime, the first lady's spokeswoman responding to Melania Trump's silence over the president's attack on teen activist, Greta Thunberg. That's ahead.

Also, she was a student, musician and aspiring journalist. Tessa Majors was killed in a park near her college. A crime that certainly has New Yorkers rattled. We'll talk about her and the impact she had before her life was cut short.

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[14:45:50]

BALDWIN: There are so many questions now about how the murder of a college freshman could have happened. This 13-year-old suspect is now in custody in this shocking killing of a Barnard College freshman, Tessa Rane Majors, a talented musician, songwriter and aspiring journalist.

The 18-year-old was walking in New York City's Morningside Park Wednesday evening blocks from campus when attacked and stabbed. She crawled up the park's stairs to a security booth where a campus security guard later found her. She died later at a hospital from her injuries.

Her family issued a statement, quote, "We lost a very special, very talented, and very well-loved young woman. Tess shown brightly in this world and our hearts will never be the same."

CNN's Brynn Gingras is with me now.

We'll talk to someone who knew Tessa in a moment.

But to you, tell me about this 13-year-old boy and this arrest?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Brooke. This arrest happened earlier today of a 13-year-old boy. I can't stress that enough. Mind-blowing to think of the age of this person now charged by police. We're awaiting to see if prosecutors will charge this boy as an adult. We'll have to keep you posted on that.

But as to how police got to him, we're told by a law enforcement source they saw this suspect in the lobby of a building near the area where this crime happened and he was wearing similar clothes to the ones described by suspects in this crime.

So they brought him into custody on a criminal trespass charge. Had some communication with him, according to a source. And I'm told he admitted to being a part of this crime, and also gave detectives the names of at least two other people who were possibly involved. The latest we have is that authorities were running down the names trying to find those other suspects. And we've learned also, not too long ago, there's a second person in custody that police are talking to. However, that person has not yet been charged, or arrested, at this point. It's unclear, really, at this point if that person was a name that that first suspect gave police or how they came on to him.

The point is, that this suspect who has now been charged, again, by police, three separate charges, including second-degree murder, also had a knife on him. Authorities won't say if it was the knife used in the crime.

But, again, it's mind-blowing to think the age of this person who has now been arrested by police in connection with this huge crime that is just so incredibly heartbreaking.

BALDWIN: Heartbreaking. When you look at the details -- let's go back to that night. It's my understanding she crawled to a guard station. That guard reportedly was on rounds and there had been a string of robberies in this neighborhood. Five reported since June. Why wasn't security beefed up? What's the school doing?

GINGRAS: The school saying guards don't make rounds and they're clarifying those reports saying there was a guard there able to help. Sort of the statement they have put out since.

However, they say they are now beefing up their own security. Right? There was a robbery pattern going on in that area. Police were aware of it. They're trying to get ahold of it and this, unfortunately, happened.

Also we're learning it's possible that some of these suspects maybe were involved in some incidents they were investigating. That's unclear with all the background information there.

But, again, talking about a school across the street from Columbia University. Two very distinguished schools in very really popular student area of New York City. It's terrifying to think this could happen to a college freshman.

BALDWIN: I know. Rattled so many people not just here in New York, back home in Virginia for her.

Brynn, thank you.

Tessa was set to go home after finishing her first semester as Barnard. As a high school senior she interned with the "Augusta Free Press" in Virginia.

Chris Graham is the paper's editor and with me now.

Chris, so sorry this has happened.

You hired her to intern for you. I understand you met with her last December and you say, typically, those meetings are 15 to 20 minutes but you sat with her more than 2 hours. That tells me you saw something quite special in here. CHRIS GRAHAM, EDITOR, "AUGUSTA FREE PRESS": Well, and she was

amazing. She spent most of that time quizzing me. Almost interviewing me, asking me why I did what I did and asking how I did what I did. Such an inquisitive, bright, young woman. So lucky to have her be a part of our organization for a couple of months, Yes.

[14:50:12]

BALDWIN: You interviewed her, actually, on your podcast in May. She was just graduating from high school. So excited to go to New York City, to go to Barnard.

I want to play a piece from the podcast about why she said she was interested in journalism.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TESSA RANE MAJORS, MURDER VICTIM (voice-over): I always loved writing. Since I was a little kid I would write in journals, talk about myself. Write poems. Most recently, I started writing songs.

But journalist was a field that I'd never really delved into before, but it was just another form of writing. And I thought it to be a very interesting experience.

Because reading a news article is totally up to reports - what the reporter to spin it a certain way and the way it ends up, coming away from the situation is totally influenced by the person writing it.

And I thought it was really cool that you can take an experience and show it through a lens and someone could have the same experience and have it be completely different. So just through the subjectivity of the field was fascinating.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Young, looking forward to life and a career, and smart. She shines in that interview.

What's it like to hear that back, Chris?

GRAHAM: You know, I didn't listen to it after we did the interview back in late May until yesterday. And I've picked up on that section of the podcast as well. I feel like I learned from her an awful lot.

You know, when you do journalism as long as I have -- and you have, too, Brooke -- maybe you forget what got you into it. And I listened to that quote numerous times. I went back over and over, and, you know, she enlightened me a bit. But that's who she was. You know?

She was a talented songwriter. I would invite anyone out there, her band called Patient Zero. I found her music on every one of the major music services.

She was an amazingly talented, creative person, and such a light in the world. BALDWIN: She talked to you about her music. Let's listen to that

clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJORS (voice-over): I ended up actually being able to do a show there and I just think it's so important to just be able to take chances and -- I mean, what's the worst thing you can do? Not respond or say no, basically. So, I mean, no one's going to judge you for reaching out. You might as well do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Just last question. You know, of course, her family, -- I can't even begin to imagine. Deep, deep in mourning over this precious young woman.

If you could say anything to her family about your experience with her, what would it be?

GRAHAM: Thank you for allowing us to be a part of her life. She made us better people. I think everyone who knows her, or knew her, would say the same thing. We all feel like we're better people of knowing Tess Majors and are heartbroken for you and we love you and we just hope that you can pull through.

BALDWIN: A beautiful sentiment.

Chris Graham, thank you.

GRAHAM: Thank you.

BALDWIN: We're going to take you back now to Washington. More of this historic day. The president of the United States getting one step closer to being impeached. And he's now responding by threatening payback.

Plus, big news in the U.K. Should Prime Minister Boris Johnson's big election win make 2020 Democrats back here in America nervous?

We'll be right back.

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[14:57:54]

BALDWIN: One of college football's biggest rivals hits the field this weekend, Army versus Navy, for the 120th time tomorrow afternoon in Philadelphia.

CNN's Coy Wire is in Philly and just brought over the game ball.

Who is with you?

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: You would love to be here now, Brooke. This is Army West Point's marathon team. (CHEERING)

WIRE: And this game dates back to 1890. Loaded with traditions. Like the running of the game ball.

This crew right here started last night, ran through the night about 150 miles from West Point to here.

We're at the iconic rocky steps, if you will, outside of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

This is Zach Gold (ph). He's from Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh.

What does this Army/Navy game mean to you?

ZACH GOLD (ph), ARMY FAN: The two academies getting out here, young people, all here. And it's a friendly competition. And I know we'll beat Navy. End of the day, same team, same fight. Getting out to have a really good time.

WIRE: Love it.

And Autumn Shay (ph), from San Diego.

Rainy and cold here. What's one cool moment from your run?

AUTUMN SHAY (ph), ARMY FAN: I think the best part, we were in New Jersey, we just stopped to say hello to the crowd. Somebody passed me their baby and had me hold her like a football.

(LAUGHTER)

SHAY (ph): I think that summarizes Army's commitment to the game.

WIRE: There you go, Brooke.

And no fumbles I'm presuming.

What an awesome honor to be here for the Army/Navy game, Brooke. They say it us a game where everyone on the field is willing to risk lives for everyone watching.

It's an honor and privilege to share this. Tomorrow, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern, the Army/Navy game.

Anything you have to say to the West Point grads out there?

(SHOUTING)

WIRE: There you go, Brooke.

BALDWIN: All the sailors. Where's the Navy, Coy? Be fair.

But I love healthy trash talk before the big game.

Coy, thank you. Thank the men and women, of course, from West Point. Good to see you.

And let's continue on.

[14:59:59]

Top of the hour. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.