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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Impeachment Hearing Ends Before Final Vote; Boris Johnson And Party Score Resounding Win; President Trump Signs Off On Tentative U.S.-China Trade Deal. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired December 13, 2019 - 05:30   ET

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

[05:30:00]

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Telecom companies have 18 months to phase in the service.

And, EARLY START continues right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JERRY NADLER (D-NY): The committee will now stand in recess until tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: History on hold. The House Judiciary vote on impeachment delayed until this morning. A late-night curveball ended a day of GOP delays.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: This one-nation conservative government has been given a powerful new mandate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: A defining win for Boris Johnson and the Conservative Party in the U.K. Is Brexit now on the fast track?

BRIGGS: The president signs off on a phase one trade deal with China. What both sides get and the lasting damage these talks may have created.

BRIGGS: Good morning, everyone. Welcome back to EARLY START. Happy Friday -- I'm Dave Briggs.

WALKER: It's actually Friday the 13th -- I didn't realize.

BRIGGS: That's right. Hey, I forgot -- I forgot, too.

WALKER: Uh oh. Half past the hour. I'm Amara Walker.

Breaking overnight, a late-night surprise in the House Judiciary Committee. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NADLER: It has been a long two days of consideration of these articles and it is now very late at night. The committee will now stand in recess until tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. at which point --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoa.

NADLER: -- I will move to divide the question so that each of us may have the opportunity to cast up-or-down votes on each of the articles of impeachment and let history --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoa.

NADLER: -- be our judge. 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 -- this is the kangaroo court that we're talking about. This is outrageous --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unbelievable.

COLLINS: -- to not even consult --

REP. LOUIE GOHMERT (R-TX): It's Stalinesque. Let's have a dictator. It was good to hear about that.

COLLINS: Ten a.m. tomorrow --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unbelievable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Wow. Well, the vote on articles to impeach and remove President Trump put on hold until this morning. Virtually everyone expected a vote last night.

BRIGGS: So why the delay then? Democrats were furious at Republicans for what they considered a blatant effort to drag out debate forcing a final vote in the dead of night.

Let's go live to Capitol Hill and bring in CNN's Suzanne Malveaux. Good morning, Suzanne. What happened --

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

BRIGGS: -- and what broke down?

MALVEAUX: It really was shocking to all of us who are following this. Nobody really expected this. It was a 14-hour marathon debate and it was just after 11:00 when you saw the chairman gavel that session to close, and the outbursts -- the gasps that you could hear inside of the chamber.

But it became very much clear that Democrats were explaining very clearly why it was that this had happened. They said that they had been assured by their Republican counterparts that perhaps they would end offering these amendments around 5:00 or 6:00 in the evening.

When it was clear that that was not happening -- there was more amendment after amendment and further debate -- they took a break after about 9:00. They came back at 10:00 and that is when the Democrats and Nadler had decided at that point that they did not want this vote to happen in the dead of night; they wanted it in broad daylight.

They made it clear to all of us when they were speaking afterwards that this vote was too important and too historic to let it be buried late into the night, early into the morning hours. And, Republicans, Doug Collins, a particular ranking member there, really saying that this was an outrage.

And there is quite a bit of animosity now between -- there was before but on a totally different level between the Democrats and the Republicans in this committee.

However, we will see this vote take place -- take place at 10:00 in the morning. There will be a vote -- a roll call on an existing substitute amendment. There might be some procedural matters to take care of.

But essentially, those two votes on articles of impeachment -- abuse of power, as well as obstruction of Congress -- will happen later this morning with every expectation it will go to the full House perhaps on Wednesday.

And then you're taking a look at the Senate trial. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell working with White House counsel for a quick and speedy trial next year. McConnell already saying that he is confident that the president will be acquitted.

BRIGGS: Suzanne Malveaux live for us. Let's hope for some Christmas civility this morning -- not likely. Thank you, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: OK, thank you.

WALKER: Breaking overnight, a decisive historic outcome in the U.K. election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNSON: It does look as though this one-nation conservative government has been given a powerful new mandate to get Brexit done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Boris Johnson's Conservative Party capturing an absolute majority, winning at least 355 seats. That is the best result for the Conservatives since Margaret Thatcher's landslide win in 1987. And there are already plans for a leadership change in the Labour Party.

Max Foster live from London with the latest developments. So what does this all mean for Brexit?

[05:35:00]

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was a disaster for the Labour Party. It seems as though Brexit-supporting Labour supporters switched to the Conservatives because Boris Johnson very successfully campaigned on this one issue, effectively to get Brexit done, and that was the message that really resonated with voters.

So he's got this big majority now. He's effectively got control in Parliament. He used to be having to respond to all these smaller groups. He doesn't have that anymore and he's going to push ahead with Brexit.

So that debate about Brexit effectively is over. It was a referendum on that. It was also a referendum on Boris Johnson. He wasn't taken seriously before and is being taken seriously now.

And in the next half an hour or so, we expect him to pop in that car, go down to Buckingham Palace. He'll be invited to form a government and then he'll come out here and give his pitch to the nation, which is much more centrist than you might expect. He's talking about one- nation conservatism.

This isn't the right-wing Boris Johnson that many people thought they had as prime minister. This is someone going for the center ground, pushing ahead with Brexit, worrying about the health service and things like that.

But in the background, up in Scotland, the nationalists pretty much dominate politics up there now. So he's got this issue about whether or not to go for a referendum on Scottish independence. He's not going to go for that, but that's what they want. It is a crisis that is looming.

But today, I think he's going to look like a statesman out there when he comes out.

WALKER: Max Foster live outside 10 Downing Street. Thank you.

BRIGGS: All right. Ahead, impeachment, the 2020 race, and the U.K. election. How do all these stories overlap? Find out, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:40:35]

WALKER: House Judiciary chairman Jerry Nadler infuriating Republicans, pulling the plug on last night's impeachment debate before the expected final vote on two articles of impeachment. The votes, instead, will start at 10:00 a.m. this morning with live coverage on CNN.

BRIGGS: Boy, that face from Doug Collins there.

WALKER: It says it all, doesn't it?

BRIGGS: That screen right -- really says it all. There it is.

Joining us now from Washington, "Washington Post" congressional reporter and CNN political analyst, Karoun Demirjian.

I don't even know how to make that face -- I'll try. It hurts me to do so.

So, Doug Collins said this was a kangaroo court. Louie Gohmert called it Stalinesque.

How did we get there? And generally, ending debate after 14 hours at 11:15 earns a man a drink. What happened? Will that civility continue today?

KAROUN DEMIRJIAN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON POST: Well, as you pointed out, the hearing had been going for an extremely long time.

And I think Democrats had gotten the sense from Republicans earlier on that they -- you know, they would present their amendments, which would get shot down. They would go through this process but that it would end at a reasonable hour of the evening. And then when -- that didn't happen because Republicans decided to keep going.

Basically, this is a power move by Nadler to just say no, I'm shutting this down and we're coming back at 10:00 tomorrow morning. And sorry if you all have to change your flights as a result of it but that's just the way it goes.

And the backlash from the Republicans -- I just attempted to make the face, myself -- is one of -- one of -- one of frustration and fury. And this is just --

Look, there was no part of this impeachment process that isn't kind of -- that you couldn't have guessed before it started, at least in this phase of it, right?

You knew the Democrats were going to back the articles. You knew that Republicans were going -- were going to object. The question was just how dramatic and how intense was it going to get and how many barbs would be lobbed from the other side of the party line?

And I think that people expected -- there was decorum yesterday but I think people expected slightly more comradery in terms of just getting this to a close. Even Republican Tom McClintock, at one point, who said can we just get this over with -- and they didn't.

WALKER: Karoun, I mean, there's a long list of to-dos for Congress, right, before the end of the year, including that vexing government spending bill. And you have the Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell saying look, we just don't -- yes, here's the list of bills that were finalized this week in the House. And you have the Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell warning that they may not have enough time to get all this stuff done even though the president wants it.

What do you make of that?

DEMIRJIAN: Yes. I mean, this also seems like a little bit of a -- a continuation of an argument that's been happening, which is that Republicans have been trying to make it seem like Democrats are totally solely only focused on impeachment. And this is part of a campaign message to basically say they're not doing anything else for you; they're just focused on impeaching the president.

The -- as you just put up on the screen, the list of things that were wrapped up this week alongside impeachment kind of belies that. But, McConnell has also suggested that he's not going to do things like put the trade bill on the floor of the Senate until they are done with impeachment.

So I think you're going to see a lot of finger-pointing happening between the parties about who is actually the work here of Congress and governing, and of the stuff that actually is going to be the kitchen table issues that you present to voters in November versus just obsessed and focused on impeachment, whether that's impeaching the president or waging a defense of the president as well.

And I don't think that that is going to necessarily end, even if you have the proven record of things that came out of the House this week.

BRIGGS: Indeed.

Equally as dramatic, elections overnight in the U.K. Sweeping victories for Boris Johnson and the Conservatives.

Our own Stephen Collinson writing about this development. "Labour's Jeremy Corbyn took his party way to the left, leaving the more moderate ground where many voters feel most comfortable, including some in his own party and outside. He promised revolutionary change, a fundamental overhaul of society, heavy new taxes on the rich, and a far bigger role for the state in the economy. Sound familiar?

Is there a cautionary tale in what happened yesterday in the U.K. for Democrats here?

DEMIRJIAN: Potentially. I mean, you're talking about a fundamentally different electorate, but also -- look, it depends a lot on what the Democrats decide to do in their primary, right, so it's potentially a cautionary tale.

I was seeing -- just watching some of the British reporters who have been covering this, some of them who are saying that it seems like the issue with Labour was not just the message but also the leadership. That's also a potential message for the -- for what happens in the United States. I think you have to choose a politician to -- just generally in politics, people come out for issues but they also come out for a person.

[05:45:06] And so, I think Democrats are trying to face that right now as they sort through their field about what policy areas they want to coalesce around and who they think also will be the person to motivate people to get up and got and vote for the person at the top of the Democratic ticket at the polls.

This is the same issues that were at play at Britain. It's always a cautionary tale when you see something happening but, you know, we're not quite dealing with the exact same set of issues as they are. There's no Brexit right now sitting in our laps right now.

But again, it's -- it has to do with both the politics and the players --

BRIGGS: Yes.

DEMIRJIAN: -- so there's bit and pieces you can take of that but not probably all the way across the board.

WALKER: Yes, a vastly different electorate, as you said.

BRIGGS: I want to come full circle. The Doug Collins face and a surprise question for you, Karoun. Doug Collins face late last night on Capitol Hill or Peloton face, Monica Ruiz.

Who wins the year? Which face, the Doug Collins or -- wait for it -- that one? Who you got, Karoun?

DEMIRJIAN: This is hard, right? Probably, the Peloton face is more famous but I've got to say Doug Collins' face seems more genuine. So, you know --

WALKER: And more outraged, right?

DEMIRJIAN: Yes.

BRIGGS: Well said. Karoun Demirjian, always a pleasure.

WALKER: Thank you.

BRIGGS: Enjoy the weekend.

DEMIRJIAN: You, too.

BRIGGS: All right.

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, though, has made similar pledges in past negotiations but has mostly failed to follow through.

But, the phase one deal does not address the major structural changes to China's economy that Trump has long wanted.

There is mixed reaction from China. A spokesperson for the Chinese 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, though, pointing to a positive open on the trade news.

WALKER: A surge of tropical moisture working its way up the east coast. Here is meteorologist Derek Van Dam with the forecast.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Great Friday morning, Dave and Amara.

That surge of moisture means a wet weekend for the entire east coast of the country from Atlanta to New York.

Before we get to the details, this forecast brought to you by the Ninja Foodi pressure cooker. It's the pressure cooker that crisps.

Here is a broad look at the weather across the country and you can see just how active it remains across the southeast. This moisture will start to overspread the entire east coast as we head into the overnight period tonight and for sure into the day on Saturday. So be prepared for that from Boston to New York, Philadelphia, and D.C., as well as Atlanta, Charlotte, and Charleston.

You can see the rainfall totals here, one to locally higher. Three- inch amounts possible across the east coast. This will be a rainmaker for the coastal cities.

But you can see some snowfall expected across Upstate New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire. And you can trail that snowfall westward with our next developing storm system.

Talking temperatures now. Forty-two for Chicago, 48 near New York City, 45 in Atlanta. The seven-day forecast for the Big Apple calls for a cooldown next week.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: Derek, thank you. And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:53:06] BRIGGS: The Trump administration greenlighting new oil drilling leases for over one million acres of federal land in California. The move covers eight counties in central California, mostly around petroleum-rich Bakersfield in the Sierra Foothills near Yosemite National Park.

A lawsuit filed by environmental groups halted leasing for the last five years until the impacts of fracking could be better studied. A court-ordered report by the Bureau of Land Management just concluded the adverse impacts of fracking can be moderated.

WALKER: The deadly shooting at a kosher deli in Jersey City is being classified as a case of domestic terrorism with a hate crime bent. New Jersey's U.S. attorney says there was clearly a bias toward both the Jewish community and law enforcement. Police believe the two shooters were acting on their own.

Their final victim has been identified. Douglas Miguel Rodriguez, an Ecuadorian immigrant, has worked in the store for one year.

Flags in New Jersey will fly at half-staff for one week starting today, ahead of the Sabbath.

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. But four days after buying the device, this happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHILD: Who is that?

HACKER: I'm your best friend. I'm Santa Claus.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: The caller also encouraged the girl to mess up her room and break her T.V.

Ring said the hacker did not gain access through a data breach. Instead, it said the person likely took advantage of the family's weak account security.

Vaping-related lung injuries are rising nationwide. Over 2,400 hospitalizations are being reported by the CDC. That's up more than 100 cases in a week. There are now 52 confirmed deaths in 26 states and Washington, D.C. with the ages ranging from 17 to 75.

[05:55:06]

Illinois is now suing e-cigarette maker Juul. The suit alleging Juul's undid years of progress to reduce youth smoking. At least five other lawsuits were filed by states against the company. WALKER: Crime victims and prosecutors in Kentucky stunned after former Gov. Matt Bevin issued 428 pardons before leaving office Tuesday. Among the offenses pardoned were reckless homicide, child rape, a man who murdered his parents when he was 16, and a woman who threw her newborn in the trash. The story was first reported in the Louisville "Courier Journal."

A state prosecutor calling the pardons an absolute atrocity of justice.

Bevin told "The Washington Post" he's, quote, "a big believer in second chances."

BRIGGS: Twelve former NFL players charged with defrauding the league's retiree health care plan out of $3.4 million. Former star running back Clinton Portis among the retired players who allegedly submitted phony claims for expensive medical equipment that was never purchased.

The NFL's Player Health Reimbursement Account has established as part of the 2006 collective bargaining agreement. It provides tax-free reimbursement for out-of-pocket medical expenses for former players, their wives, and their dependents.

Former NBA commissioner David Stern rushed to a New York City hospital Thursday afternoon after suffering a sudden brain hemorrhage. He collapsed at a Manhattan restaurant. The league says he underwent emergency surgery.

The 77-year-old Stern served 30 years as the NBA's longest-tenured commissioner -- some feel the greatest commissioner in the history of sports.

Security guards tried to revive him before EMS arrived at the scene.

WALKER: The distinctive blue and yellow vans at the airport won't be around much longer. SuperShuttle is going out of business on December 31st. The company and its sister sedan service, ExecuCar, list more than 60 airports in North America and more than a dozen internationally. The service has faced stiff competition from ride- hailing services like Uber and Lyft.

BRIGGS: A team of Canadians saving the symbol of the United States, a bald eagle, from a big, hungry octopus. The team of salmon farmers, working off Vancouver Island, heard the eagle screeching last Monday. They found this -- the jumbo-sized octopod trying to pull the eagle underwater.

They briefly hesitated to interfere with Mother Nature. Finally, one of them used a boat to gently tug on a tentacle until the octopus released the eagle, which flew to the shore.

The fisherman, John Ilett, tells CNN, quote, "It's moments like this why I love my job."

It's 5:57 and a check on "CNN Business." Lyft is taking on the car rental industry, announcing its new Lyft rental service Thursday. The program will allow users to rent cars for up to two weeks. The concept is only available in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area as of right now.

It says customers won't get hit with mileage-based charges and extra refueling costs that other rental companies add on.

Lyft declined to comment on how many cars it has available.

Peloton's holiday ad --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MONICA RUIZ, ACTRESS, PELOTON HOLIDAY AD: I'm excited. Let's do this. Five days in a row.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: -- you've certainly seen it by now -- sparked a flood of memes and backlash.

Now, the Peloton wife, actress Monica Ruiz, says she thinks she figured out the problem with the ad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MONICA RUIZ, ACTRESS, PELOTON HOLIDAY AD: I mean, honestly, I think it was just my face. Like --

HODA KOTB, NBC ANCHOR, "TODAY": What do you mean?

RUIZ: It was my fault. My eyebrows looked, like, worried, I guess?

KOTB: I don't know. Does the picture behind me help?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: Critics accused Peloton of peddling negative body image, unchecked privilege, and gross marital dynamics.

Ruiz even appeared in an ad for Aviation Gin, Ryan Reynolds' brand, and seemed to poke fun at her own controversy.

Ruiz says she hopes people can just see her as an actress with very telling eyebrows by the ad.

WALKER: Yes.

BRIGGS: We love her. We can agree.

WALKER: Yes, so adorable.

BRIGGS: I bought my wife a Peloton. I am one of those husbands. I liked the ad.

WALKER: Peloton winning big with this. I think --

BRIGGS: No doubt about it.

WALKER: I'm done talking about it. Are we done?

BRIGGS: No. We're done for now. We're not done with it yet.

WALKER: Thanks for being with us, everyone. I'm Amara Walker.

BRIGGS: I'm Dave Briggs. Have a great weekend, everybody.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NADLER: Let history be our judge. The committee is in recess.

COLLINS: Mr. Chairman --

WALKER: The committee vote on articles of impeachment against President Trump delayed until this morning.

REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): We suspect there was some strategy to try to drag us into the middle of the night. We want to do it so everyone can see exactly what's going on.

REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): When you're nervous about next fall's election you have a rigged and rushed process.

REP. JOE NEGUSE (D-CO): Facts matter. I hope that each and every one of us agree, at least, on that simple point.

COLLINS: Words cannot describe how inappropriate this was. They have one thing -- their hatred of Donald Trump.

REP. VAL DEMINGS (D-FL): To protect this president at any cost is shameful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.

END