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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Troops Were Injured In Iran Attack; President Trump's Impeachment Trial Underway; Andrew Yang's Wife Evelyn Shares Her Story of Sex Assault; MLB: No Evidence Players Cheated with Wearables. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired January 17, 2020 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, defense officials reveal that there were U.S. troops injured in that Iran missile attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN ROBERTS, UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT: You will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws, so help you God?
U.S. SENATORS: I do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHIRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. senators are now sworn jurors with the impeachment trial of President Trump under way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EVELYN YANG, ANDREW YANG'S WIFE: What happened to me should have never happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: Presidential candidate Andrew Yang's wife Evelyn shares her story of sexual assault.
ROMANS: Major League Baseball says it found no evidence that players used wearable devices to steal signs in the cheating scandal.
[05:00:07]
Good morning and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.
JARRETT: And I'm Laura Jarrett. It's Friday, January 17th, 5:00 a.m. in the East, 17 days until the Iowa caucuses.
Breaking overnight, new revelations several U.S. troops were injured in Iran's missile attack last week on American bases in Iraq, that's despite assurances from the Pentagon at the time that there had been casualties. No seriously hurt, no one killed. The initial report of zero casualties was crucial in President Trump's decision not to retaliate following Iran's attack.
Asked about the discrepancy, a defense official told CNN it was the commander's assessment at the time. Symptoms emerged days after the fact, and they were treated out of an abundance of caution.
More now from national security reporter Ryan Browne in Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN BROWNE, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Good morning, Christine and Laura.
The U.S. military revealing that 11 U.S. military personnel were injured during that Iranian missile attack on al Assad air base in western Iraq. This previously, the Pentagon had previously said there were no U.S. casualties, but reports of concussions, potential traumatic brain injury has been suffered by 11 U.S. service personnel, including some who have had to be sent out of the country, out of Iraq for more enhanced treatment. Eight were sent to Landstuhl base in Germany, the remainder sent to a base in Kuwait so they could get more sophisticated care.
But this comes amid continuing questions about the missile attack, the strike against General Soleimani, the Iranian general which led to that retaliatory missile attack. Questions about how transparent the U.S. is being, the U.S. military not initially disclosing these casualties, and as the reports came in, still continuing to not disclose those facts. It wasn't until it broke in the press that the U.S. Central Command which oversees U.S. troops in the region finally did issue a statement.
Now, concussions are hard to detect. Sometimes they're detected days after an attack, after forces hiding in bunkers for safety likely could have suffered that kind of injury. It may have taken a few days. But there was no official correction of the record despite the Pentagon initially saying there were no casualties until the story broke in the press.
And again, continued questions about how transparent the Trump administration and Pentagon are being given these major international security issues involving Iraq, Iran and U.S. troops deployed overseas.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right. Ryan Browne, thank you so much, Ryan.
After all the anticipation and buildup it is finally here, the third impeachment trial of a president in U.S. history has now officially begun. With pomp and ceremony, the House transmitted and read out the articles of impeachment.
The chief justice of the United States and members of the Senate all sworn in, and now the trial of the president begins. Congressional correspondent Phil Mattingly has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christine and Laura, this is now the Senate's job, the idea of whether or not to vote to remove the president of the United States. It started on Thursday with a procession of the seven House Democratic impeachment managers walking over those two articles of impeachment.
And what followed was something at least as it pertains to a United States president has only been seen two times prior on the United States Senate floor. Take a watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL C. STENGER, SENATE SERGEANT AT ARMS: Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye. All persons are commanded to keep silent on pain of imprisonment while the House of Representatives is exhibiting to the Senate of the United States articles of impeachment against Donald John Trump, president of the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The managers on the part of the House will now proceed.
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): Donald J. Trump, president of the United States, is impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors. With the permission of the Senate, I will now read the articles of impeachment.
President Trump used the powers of the presidency in a manner that compromised the national security of the United States and undermined the integrity of the United States democratic process.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): The presiding officer will now administer the oath to John G. Roberts, chief justice of the United States.
ROBERTS: I am now prepared to take the oath.
SEN. CHUCK GRASSLEY (R-IA): Will you place your left hand on the Bible and raise your right hand? Do you solemnly swear in all things pertaining to the trial of impeachment of Donald John Trump, president of the United States, now pending, you will do impartial justice according to the Constitution of the laws, so help you God?
ROBERTS: I do.
GRASSLEY: God bless you.
ROBERTS: Will all senators now stand or remain standing and raise their right hand? Do you solemnly swear in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of Donald John Trump, president of the United States now pending you will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws, so help you God?
U.S. SENATORS: I do. [05:05:01]
MATTINGLY: Now, guys, let me quickly lay out what's going to happen next. You're not going to see the senators on the Senate floor for the trial until Tuesday at 1:00 p.m.
But in the meantime, stuff will be happening behind the scenes. The president has now been officially summoned for that trial, a response from the White House defense team will come this weekend. Also, both the House managers and defense team will have to file briefs and responses to those briefs over the course of the next several days.
And when senators return on Tuesday, they will be debating and voting on the initial rules and structure of the trial. The expectation at this point in time it will essentially be presentations on both sides, each lasting 24 hours over the course of a couple of days and then questions from senators over a course of 16 hours. That is a resolution that's been drafted or being drafted by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Democrats have made clear they're unhappy with that, would like to vote against it and will likely offer amendments to it in the initial stage of the process. There should be votes. It could get interesting early, but the big question still outstanding for everybody is will there be enough votes at some point in the trial likely after the presentations and questions subpoena witnesses and documents. At this point in time, Democrats have made clear that is what they're focused on. They will need four Republicans to join the Democrats to be able to make that reality. Still waiting to see where those Republicans come down.
Senator Susan Collins putting out a statement last night making clear she's open to the idea and is only open to it after those initial presentations which runs counter to what Democrats want at least at the start of the trial. So, basically, we'll have to wait and see likely for a couple of weeks to get the answer at least to the question of witnesses and documents -- guys.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JARRETT: Phil Mattingly, thanks so much for laying all that out for us in Washington.
New claims this morning from the Rudy Giuliani associate at the center of the Ukraine scandal that led to this impeachment. Lev Parnas says the president of the Ukraine is lying when he claims he didn't feel President Trump was pressuring him to investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Parnas says the Ukrainians are still afraid of Trump as are many Republicans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEV PARNAS, INDICTED ASSOCIATE OF RUDY GIULIANI: There's a lot of people in the Republican Party that don't agree -- they're good people that don't agree with what he's doing, but they're scared. He gets away with everything and I would --, you know, especially with Attorney Bill Barr on the side and the Justice Department, a lot of people are scared. They don't want to get escalated.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: People are scared of being investigated by the Justice Department on behalf of President Trump, you're saying?
PARNAS: I think so.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JARRETT: Parnas has been indicted for making illegal campaign contributions including to a Trump super PAC. President Trump as recently as yesterday denied knowing him at all.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNIITED STATES: I don't know Parnas other than I guess I had pictures taken with thousands of people, including people today that I didn't meet. But just met him. I don't know him at all. Don't know what he's about, know-nothing about him. He's probably trying to make a deal for himself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: Last night, Parnas' attorney mocked Trump's claim releasing this video of the two men socializing at Mar-a-Lago.
ROMANS: A report by an independent government watchdog says the Trump administration broke the law by withholding more than $2 million in congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine. The Government Accountability Office, the GAO, says the decision by the White House to freeze the security assistance last summer was designed to advance the president's own agenda. The delay in delivering the aid central to the impeachment case against President Trump. And I read that whole review, and it just said it's just not legal to change Congress' wishes about the release of military aid for your own political policies.
JARRETT: Congress has the power of the purse.
The wife of a presidential candidate makes a painful revelation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EVELYN YANG, WIFE OF ANDREW YANG: Actually what happened to me could have been prevented.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: Andrew Yang's wife Evelyn shares more of her story up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:13:17]
ROMANS: All right, another trade deal and win column for the president this week. The Senate passing President Trump's new NAFTA with bipartisan support. The revised NAFTA also known as USMCA passed a vote of 89-10. Canada, U.S., Mexico signed this thing back in November 2018 but then it took a year of negotiations between administrations and Democrats for the deal to pass the House, a new version of that deal signed by the three countries.
The new version enhances labor protection, creates new rules for labor commerce. More auto content must be made in North America by workers making at least $16 an hour. That means that's good for American workers.
It's been a big week for Trump's trade deals. On Wednesday, the president inked phase one with China easing tensions, but punting on the biggest issues for a phase two some time in the future. China pledged to spend $200 billion over the next couple of years on egg and manufactured products. In exchange the U.S. is going to cut tariffs in half on $120 billion in Chinese goods.
The trade war, though, is already hurting the Chinese economy. The Chinese economy grew at the weakest pace in 29 years. Last year, China's GDP, 6.1 percent. That is strong of course by global standards, but that's the slowest for China since 1990.
JARRETT: The wife of presidentially candidate Andrew Yang revealing she was sexually assaulted by her OB/GYN during her first president. Evelyn Yang tried for years to conceal her identity through court proceedings but now she says campaigning with her husband, listening to other women tell their stories has inspired her to speak out.
Yang says visits to her doctor, Robert Hadden, in 2012 became gradually more invasive culminating in what she calls straight up sexual assault.
[05:15:01]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YANG: Grabbed me over to him and undressed me and examined me internally ungloved. And at first, I was a little bit like what's going on here?
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: And there was no one else in the room?
YANG: No, no.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: Eventually, Yang reported the assaults to the Manhattan D.A. and learned several women had already reported Hadden. In 2016, Hadden pleaded guilty to two of nine charges against him which did not include his attack on Evelyn Yang. He lost his medical license but served no jail time.
Yang and 31 -- 31 other women are now suing him and Columbia University which runs the facility where Hadden practiced.
ROMANS: Arizona Senator Martha McSally lashed out at CNN's Manu Raju Thursday. She called him a liberal hack after he asked her a noncontroversial question about impeachment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Senator McSally, should the Senate consider new evidence as part of the impeachment trial?
SEN. MARTHA MCSALLY (R-AZ): Man, you're a liberal hack. I'm not talking to you.
RAJU: You're not going to comment?
MCSALLY: You're a liberal hack.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: People frankly were shocked by her reaction and many are calling for her to apologize, but she's standing by her remark. She posted a video of the interaction on her Twitter page earning her the full support of the White House. It's still unclear whether McSally will vote in favor of more witnesses in the Senate trial. She gave this vague answer last night on Fox.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS HOST: What about Manu Raju's question, do you want witness?
MCSALLY: What I want is a fair trial.
INGRAHAM: You're not going to play the game. But you can call me a conservative hack, but do you want a witness, yes or no? Why aren't you telling us?
MCSALLY: Because we're going to vote on Tuesday to start the trial and let them present the --
INGRAHAM: How are you going to vote on the motion for more witnesses?
MCSALLY: We're going to get to that. I mean, I'm not going to tell everybody what my vote is going to be. But obviously, my point --
INGRAHAM: It's a pretty easy question, don't you think, Senator.
MCSALLY: I think we're going to proceed forward at that point.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Laura Ingraham, thank you.
McSally is facing a tough re-election in November. Her Democratic challenger Mark Kelly is outpacing her fund-raising and polls she's currently leading by 4 points.
JARRETT: And the Trump campaign fund-raising yesterday.
ROMANS: Yes, yes.
JARRETT: Another manager is out in the sign stealing scandal that rocked Major League Baseball.
Andy Scholes with details in this morning's "Bleacher Report", next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:21:54]
ROMANS: Social media buzzing yesterday, alleging the Astros used wearable concealed devices to notify them about certain pitches. This is all over the place yesterday.
Andy Scholes has more in this morning's "Bleacher Report".
Hey, Andy.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Christine.
You know, Major League Baseball telling ESPN in a statement that they had explored wearable devices during the investigation of the Astros but found no evidence to substantiate it. But that certainly didn't stop Twitter from going crazy over this yesterday. Many people pointing out that Jose Altuve was pleading with teammates he didn't want his jersey ripped off after a walk off home run to beat the Yankees in the ALCS.
Agent Scott Boris releasing a statement to "The New York Post" on Altuve's behalf saying, I have never worn an electronic device in my performance as a major league player.
In Commissioner Rob Manford's report released on Monday, he stated the investigation revealed no violations of the policy by the Astros in the 2019 season or 2019 post-season.
Now, the fallout from this scandal continuing yesterday as the Mets and new manager Carlos Beltran mutually agreeing to part ways. Beltran the only player named in Manford's report on the Astros signed stealing scandal. He did not even get to manage a game for the Mets.
In a statement, Beltran said in part: I've always taken part in being a leader and doing things the right way and in this situation I've failed, I'm very sorry.
Beltran joins the Astros A.J. Hinch and the Red Sox Alex Cora to be fired. Major League Baseball says they're still investigating the Boston Red Sox's use of technology to steal signs during their 2018 World Series winning season.
All right. San Francisco Giants meanwhile making history, hiring Alyssa Nakken as the first full time female coach in Major League Baseball history. Nakken, a former softball standout at Sacramento State, joined the club as an intern of baseball operations back in 2014. The Giants manager Gabe Kapler says Nakken will travel with the team and be in uniform and she's going to help with batting practice. All right. Finally, the New Orleans Police Department has obtained an
arrest warrant for Cleveland Brown star wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. on a charge of misdemeanor simple battery. This stems from Beckham celebrating with the players after winning the national title. In this video there, Beckham appears to slap the police officer on the rear end.
This came after Beckham was seen giving money to players out on the field after the game. The Browns have been in touch with Beckham and his representatives about the matter the team said in a statement.
So, Christine, a very eventful night there for Odell Beckham, Jr. And Tigers won the national title, and then that incident there in the locker room.
ROMANS: All right. Well, that's one way to party after a win.
All right. Thanks, so much, Andy Scholes. Nice to see you this morning. Have a great weekend.
Laura, what's coming up next?
JARRETT: All right, Christine.
Well, defense officials now reveal there were U.S. troops treated for injuries after last week's Iran missile attack. So why are we just finding about this now? The story, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:29:32]
ROMANS: Breaking overnight, defense officials reveal that there were U.S. troops injured in that Iran missile attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: You will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws, so help you God?
U.S. SENATORS: I do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: U.S. senators are now sworn jurors with the impeachment trial of President Trump under way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YANG: What happened to me should have never happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Presidential candidate Andrew Yang's wife Evelyn shares her story of sexual assault.
JARRETT: Major League Baseball says it found no evidence that players used wearable devices to steal signs in the cheating scandal.
END
