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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Impeachment Vote Delayed to this Morning; Boris Johnson Returns to Power; Phase One Trade Deal with China; Lamar Jackson Runs Into the NFL Record Book. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired December 13, 2019 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: This one nation conservative government has been given a powerful, new mandate.
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DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: A defining win for Boris Johnson and the Conservative Party in the U.K. Is Brexit now on the fast track?
AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: And the president finally signs off on a phase one trade deal with China. What both sides get and the lasting damages the talks may have created.
And good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Amara Walker.
BRIGGS: Good morning.
Good morning, everyone. Happy Friday. I'm Dave Briggs. It is December 13th, 5:00 a.m. in the east.
We start in the nation's capital. Breaking overnight, a late-night surprise from the House Judiciary Committee.
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REP. JERRY NADLER (D-NY): It's been a long two days after consideration of these articles and it's very late at night. The committee will stand in recess until tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m., at which point, I will move to divide the question so that each of us may have an opportunity to cast up-or-down votes, on each of the articles of impeachment, and let history be our judged. The committee is in recess.
REP. DOUG COLLINS (R-GA): Mr. Chairman, you chose not to consult the ranking member on a schedule issue of this magnitude?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So typical.
COLLINS: This is the kangaroo court we're talking about. REP. LOUIE GOHMERT (R-TX): Just Stalin-esque. Let's have a dictator.
It's good to hear about that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unbelievable.
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BRIGGS: The Stalinesque dictator comment there from Louis Gohmert of Texas. The vote on articles to impeach and remove President Trump put on hold until this morning. Virtually everyone expected a late-night vote last night.
WALKER: So, why the delay? Democrats were furious that Republicans are, what they considered, a blatant effort to drag out the debate, forcing a final vote in the dead of night.
Let's go live to Capitol Hill now and CNN's Suzanne Malveaux with more.
Good morning, Suzanne.
I mean, 14 hours of debate and no vote last night. What happened?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
I mean, it was a shock to everybody. You could hear the gasp inside of the chamber there as people erupted in that outburst there, 14-hour marathon session, abruptly closed. It was just after 11:00 at night, when we saw the chairman, Jerry Nadler, gavel that session to close.
Many of the Democrats explained it this way. They said, look, the Republicans had assured them that this was going to wrap up some time between 5:00 and 6:00 in the evening. That was the expectations. That they would go ahead and offer these amendments, there would be debate, but it would not continue late late into the night.
They took a brief break around 9:00. They came back around 10:00. There was the expectation that they would continue. But Democrats say they felt that it was just being dragged out and that was something that was intentionally being done by Republicans so that the vote on articles of impeachment would happen in the dead of night.
There were several members of Congress who said, no, this has to happen in broad daylight. This is something that is too historic and important that the American people to see. That's why Nadler actually made that cutoff and said, look, no, this is how we're going to do it.
As you heard, the ranking member, Doug Collins there, just really furious at what had transpired, a sense of no goodwill between Republicans and Democrats at this point. What we expect later today is, at 10:00, there will be potentially a roll call on one of the amendments, some procedural maneuvers. And then finally those votes on impeachment, abuse of power, obstruction of Congress. It goes to the Senate trial.
We have already heard from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who is working with White House counsel to cooperate on how that's going to unfold. McConnell already saying that he is confident that the president will be acquitted.
WALKER: Suzanne Malveaux on Capitol Hill -- appreciate it. Thank you.
BRIGGS: Also breaking overnight, a decisive historic outcome in the U.K. election.
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JOHNSON: It looks like the one nation conservative government has been given a powerful, new mandate, to get Brexit done.
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BRIGGS: Boris Johnson's Conservative Party capturing an absolute majority, winning at least 355 seats. That's the best result for the Conservative Party since Margaret Thatcher's landslide win in 1987. There are already plans for leadership change in the Labour Party.
Max Foster live from London with what this all means.
Max, good morning.
MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think you actually had it there in that sound byte. Throughout the campaign, Boris Johnson went very big on Brexit. He's the man to get Brexit done. And that's what people voted on. And they left Labour in Brexit-voting seats for the conservatism, an extraordinary moment and huge achievement for Boris Johnson.
He's inside currently. He's going to come out in about an hour, to head down to the palace and asked formally the queen if he can form a government.
[05:05:02]
She will obviously say yes. He will come back and give a speech. His speech is big.
It's going to be quite centrist from what we've been hearing from him today. People think of him as a right wing leader. Actually, he's not. He's fundamentally a centrist. He's going to talk about that in his speech later on, an extraordinary moment.
What we're going to have, what we're going to effectively seeing is the whole Brexit debate in this country resolved, the remainers have lost, they voted for Boris Johnson. Next week, he'll bring legislation. By the end of January, he is hoping to reach a deal with the European Union and the U.K. is on its way out.
One little sort of spinner in the works for him perhaps is in Scotland, the Scottish nationalists did incredibly well. They dominate politics there. They campaigned on an independence referendum there, something that Boris Johnson absolutely won't even count. It's a big constitutional crisis blowing up there. But that's for another day, perhaps, Dave.
BRIGGS: And still a rocky road ahead, getting Brexit through.
Max Foster live for us in London -- thank you, sir.
WALKER: A risky recovery operation for authorities back on White Island for the first time since a volcanic eruption Monday. CNN will go live to New Zealand.
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[05:10:59]
BRIGGS: Five-ten Eastern Time, and a check on CNN Business.
After months of negotiations, President Trump has signed off on a phase one trade deal with China. The agreement includes a delay in tariffs on Chinese goods. Those were scheduled to kick in Sunday. The source says the deal also includes reducing existing tariffs. In exchange, China has promised to purchase agricultural products.
China has made similar pledges, though, in past negotiations, but has mostly failed to follow through. But the phase one deal does not address the structural changes to China's economy that Trump has long wanted.
There is mixed reaction from China. A spokesperson for China's ministry of affairs said the deal would be beneficial for all, adding, we have always been committed to resolving and controlling differences between China and the United States through constructive dialogue. But China's foreign minister lashed out at the U.S. for discrediting China on major issues, saying the talks seriously damaged the foundation of mutual trust.
U.S. futures pointed to a positive open on the trade news.
WALKER: The death toll from this week's volcanic eruption in New Zealand is now up to 15. Six bodies recovered from the active volcano now aboard a New Zealand navy ship. Authorities are working to recover two more bodies in a risky operation.
For the latest now, let's go to Will Ripley live in New Zealand with more.
Yes, risky. It's dangerous. How is this recovery operation going to pan out?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's -- they were creative, Amara, with how they put this all together. They had meetings since the eruption on Monday. And the solution they came up with, was to send a bomb disposal squad from the frigate off the shore here, on a small vote, to the island. They recovered the bodies which they knew where they were because they had flown drones over them.
And then they put him in a helicopter and airlifted them. So, in the early morning hours local time, they're going to try again to recover two more bodies. One was seen in the water on Tuesday. The other, they have no idea where it is.
But back here in Whatakane, where a lot of the families have gathered, that is where it was just truly heartbreaking because these people that were brought back were put in a room. There were six coffins. The bodies haven't been identified yet. They are at Auckland hospital where that process, that identification process is underway.
So, family members had to go in this room and sit with the six coffins, not knowing if their loved one is in there or is their loved one out on the island. It's heartbreaking, Amara.
WALKER: Yes, absolutely.
Will Ripley, appreciate your reporting. Thank you.
It's holiday travel season. Would you take a helicopter to the airport?
CNN's Samantha Kelly tests out Uber's new service.
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SAMANTHA KELLY, CNN BUSINESS TECH EDITOR: So, I can take an UberX to go to the hotel that I want to go to at JFK and I'll get there in about 40 minutes.
This is around the time it would have taken us if we had taken an UberX, about 40 minutes ago. This is the time we would have been arriving at our destination. But you can't beat the view.
So, what's the difference between Uber Air and Uber Copter?
MARK ALLISON, HEAD OF UBER ELEVATE: So, Uber Copter is the product that's available right now between Lower Manhattan and JFK that you can book and we're opening up to all users of the Uber app. And Uber Air is a future product that we're going to launch once we have new vehicles. Uber Copter is the first version of that future product. That is fundamentally of what we think of as multimodal.
KELLY: So, when I open the app, I saw, I can take a $200 helicopter ride or I could take an Uber X which could get me in around the same time, even less, for only $60. So, can you talk about how you can justify the cost of that?
ALLISON: Sure. So, we actually are only going to be offering -- operating the copter service in the afternoon during congested time.
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And so, the operating window will be from 2:00 to 5:00 or 2:00 to 6:00 on certain days. We only show copter as an option to our riders when it's going to save you time.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BRIGGS: The Baltimore Ravens look unstoppable behind a record-setting performance once again by quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Coy Wire has that story in the "Bleacher Report" from Philadelphia, the site of tomorrow's Army/Navy game. Can't wait for that. But this one last night, another thriller by Action Jackson.
Good morning, Coy.
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Dave. And, every week, he just continues to amaze. We might as well go ahead and cement him as the MVP winner by the end of the season. He ran his way into the record books last night.
Is there anything this 22-year-old cannot do? He ran for 86 yards against the Jets last night. He broke Michael Vick's single-season record for a quarterback. He was his idle growing up.
He won the Heisman in 2016 and he showed he could do it through the air, as well. The return of the Jackson five touchdown passes. The third time he's done that in a game this season. That's more than all of the other quarterbacks in Ravens history combined. Baltimore wins 10 straight, 42-21. They clinch their second-straight AFC North title in the process.
Jackson is a humble dude. Well, his P.R. man, his hype man, is not. Listen to this.
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MARK INGRAM, RAVENS RUNNING BACK: Man, you broke Mike Vick's rushing record, man. You're the AFC North champions for the second year in a row. How it feels me? Tell me how it feels.
LAMAR JACKSON, RAVENS QUARTERBACK: It feels good. But, you know, we have a lot of season left to play. We have two more banners to hang up.
INGRAM: So, you're telling me the story is unwritten.
JACKSON: Unwritten right now.
INGRAM: Book unfinished.
JACKSON: Right.
INGRAM: Congratulations, brother, for breaking Mike Vick's record and being the GOAT and MVP that you are.
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WIRE: They're having fun. Look out. Speaking of fun, Heisman front- runner and quarterback of the number one ranked LSU Tigers, Joe Burrow, cleaned house at the college football awards in Atlanta. He won the Maxwell, the Davey O'Brien and the Walter Camp Awards. They go to the player of the college ball, the Heisman Trophy will be awarded tomorrow night. He may take that, too.
Now, we're here, Dave, in Philly for the Army/Navy game. President Donald Trump is expected to be here for the second year in a row. He's the tenth sitting U.S. president to see this historic rivalry. It dates back all the way to 1890. This is the greatest display of pageantry, tradition and sportsmanship that we have in American sports. It's so much more than a game. Listen to this.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Army/Navy game is special because of what it represents, what each team represents.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is everything to West Point. It's on every brick. It's on every stone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Army/Navy game is America's game.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Army/Navy game is a national treasure.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Army/Navy game is the greatest rivalry in college football.
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BRIGGS: Agreed with everything they say, Dave. I've played in the Rose Bowl. I've played in NFL playoff games. None of that compares to the feeling you get when you're here to watch this special rivalry.
BRIGGS: I have never been, my friend. It's always been on the sports bucket list. But this is Army's rivalry, huh? They could be the first class to go 4-0, right?
WIRE: Well, so, if navy doesn't win, yeah. Think about that. Four losses in a row. There's some seniors who will not be able to say they ever beat Army.
So, they are ranked in the top 25 this year, or the Navy Midshipmen. So, it's looking good for them. But anything can happen in this game as you know.
BRIGGS: Oh, man, have fun, my friend. Army/Navy tomorrow.
WIRE: Yes, sir.
BRIGGS: Coy Wire. Good friend.
All right. What's coming up, Amara?
WALKER: Dave, Democrats refusing to vote on impeachment in the dead of night. A historic vote pushed to this morning. A big surprise to an angry GOP.
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[05:28:55] BRIGGS: A Mississippi family claims a hacker accessed their Ring camera and used it to harass their 8-year-old daughter. Ashley LeMay says she installed the ring in the girl's bedroom to keep an eye on her while she works overnight as a nurse. Four days after buying the device, this happened.
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UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: Who is that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm your best friend. I'm Santa Claus.
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BRIGGS: The caller also encouraged the girl to mess up her room and break her TV. Ring said the hacker did not gain access through a data breach. It said, the person probably took advantage of the family's weak account security.
WALKER: A new number will be available for Americans who are thinking of ending their own lives. The FCC unanimously approved a three-digit number, 988, for instant access to the National Suicide Prevention hot line. Officials say the idea was to echo the 911 emergency number, making it easier to access crisis services and to reduce the stigma around suicide and mental health conditions. Telecom companies have 18 months to phase in the service.
And EARLY START continues right now.
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