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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Trump Threatens The End Of Iran; GOP Rep. Says Trump Committed Impeachable Offenses; Buttigieg Reaches Out To Fox Viewers, Slams Hosts; Morehouse Graduates Get Loans Paid Off; Game Of Thrones, Game Over; Extreme Weather; Deutsche Execs Ignore Trump Concerns; Google Cut Ties With Huawei; Molotov Cocktails Found Outside Chicago Synagogue; CNN Business; Apple On Climate Change. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired May 20, 2019 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN HOST: The official end of Iran, a new warning from the president just as tensions are simmering.
DAVE BRIGGS, CNN HOST: The first Republican lawmaker says the president committed impeachable offenses. But the rest of the GOP not behind Justin Amash.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG (D-SOUTH BEND-IN) 2020 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Some of those hosts are not always there in good faith, I think a lot of people tune into this network who do it in good faith.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Mayor Pete Buttigieg makes his case on Fox News hours after the president said, Fox shouldn't cover the Democrats at all.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My family is making a grant to eliminate their student loans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: And the more House college class of 2019 has a lot to smile about. Their student loans all paid off.
ROMANS: Amazing.
BRIGGS: It is, indeed, welcome back to "Early Start" on a Monday everybody. I'm Dave Briggs. Happy 20th anniversary here at CNN to Christine Romans.
ROMANS: Thank you. You guys surprised me. Yes, 20 years at CNN. It feels like yesterday when I walk in this doors, although it wasn't this building.
BRIGGS: No.
ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans, it is 32 minutes past the hour this Monday morning. All right, let's start with Iran here. Just when tensions with Iran seemed to be easing, President Trump reigniting them. He is now threatening to literally exterminate the Iranians, tweeting if Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again. Let's bring in CNN's Fred Pleitgen live from Tehran for us. Fred, how is that being received where you are?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, not very well, Christine and it really is unclear why President Trump all of a sudden tweeted that. Of course we have been talking about the fact that towards the end of last week, tensions between the U.S. and Iran and this latest standoff seemed to be receding somewhat, and there were even reports that President Trump apparently wanted to create a back channel of negotiations possibly with the Iranians and now this new hostile tweet toward the Iranians, obviously provoking, there's pretty strong reactions here in Iran.
There was a senior aide to Iran's supreme leader who came out and said at President Trump himself in the past had referred to the United States as being crippled and that surely President Trump must know that a crippled body cannot harm Iran, and then you had the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corp, who --this was before President Trump tweets came out and said, the Iranians absolutely don't want war with United States, but would be prepared if in fact there was a war with United States.
He says, the difference between the U.S. and Iran is that Iranians are not afraid of war. So some pretty strong words there coming from Iran's military. But by and large, over the weekend you have had pretty much all Iranian officials come out and say they absolutely don't want an escalation of the situation, but the other thing they have said at this point in time absolutely no negotiations with the U.S. either. Christine, and by the way, happy 20th anniversary to you, and we actually thought it was your 20th birthday.
ROMANS: Thank you. I will take that. I will take that. Time flies, right. All right, Fred, nice to see you in Teheran this morning. Thanks.
BRIGGS: Well played, Fred.
A Republican Congressman says President Trump has committed impeachable offenses and now the president is punching back. Justin Amash of Michigan tweeting he believes Attorney General Barr deliberately misrepresented the Mueller report to the American people and that the president engaged in impeachable conduct. He goes on to say undoubtedly any person who is not the president of the United States would be indicted based on such evidence.
ROMANS: The president never too busy to fire back calling the Congressman a total lightweight, who opposes me and some of our great Republican ideas and policies just for the sake of getting his name out there. RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel says Congressman Amash is parroting Democratic talking points. Others like Utah Senator Mitt Romney, they won't go as far as Amash, but still believes the president has to set a higher standard.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITT ROMNEY (R-UH): I think it's a courageous statement, but I believe that to make a case for obstruction of justice you just don't have the elements that are evidenced in this document.
[04:35:05] The president has distanced himself from some of the best qualities of the human character. I think he could substantially improve his game when it comes to helping shape the character of the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Meanwhile, Barr's characterization of the Mueller report is now under criticism from former Attorney General Eric Holder, he accuses Barr of protecting the president and says he does not stand up for the good people he leads. He is not fit to lead the DOJ.
ROMANS: All right. In a brand new interview, President Trump appears t confirms the U.S. conducted a cyber-attack against a Russian entity during last year's mid-term elections.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I would rather not say that, but you can believe that the whole thing happened and it happened during my administration.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why don't they talk about that?
TRUMP: Because they don't like me to talk. Intelligence says, please don't talk intelligence. You know, sometimes intelligence it's good and sometimes you look at Comey, and you look at Brendan and you look at Clapper, I'm supposed to believe that intelligence, I never believe that intelligence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: The National Security Council did not respond to CNN's request for comment about just what the President Trump was specifically referencing.
BRIGGS: Wow. President Trump attacking free speech, press freedom, Fox News all in one single tweet. Saying quote, hard to believe that Fox News is wasting air time on Mayor Pete. Fox is moving more and more to the losing wrong side in covering the Dems, The president apparently mad that his favorite network is even covering the 2020 Democratic race. Fox hosted a Pete Buttigieg town hall Sunday night. The South Bend mayor and Democratic contender took on Fox, but also reached out to their viewers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BUTTIGIEG: I mean, when you got Tucker Carlson saying that immigrants
make America dirty, when you've got Laura Ingraham comparing detention centers with children in cages to summer camps. Summer camps, then there is a reason why anybody has to swallow hard and think twice before participating in this media ecosystem, but I also believe that even though some of those hosts are not always there in good faith, I think a lot of people tune into this network who do it in good faith.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: As for the Trump tweet, one Fox News host Brit Hume took exception tweeting at the president, saying this for Buttigieg, he is willing to be questioned by Chris Wallace, something you've barely done since you have been president, oh, and covering candidates of both parties is part of the job of a news channel. Meantime, another Democratic presidential candidate, Kamala Harris will roll out her plan today for closing the gender pay gap.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), U.S. DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm going to announce the first ever national priority on closing that pay gap and holding -- and holding corporations accountable for transparency and closing that gap. There will be penalties if they don't.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Details on that policy later this morning. This programming note, Washington state governor and 2020 Democrat Jay Inslee is a guest on "New Day" later this morning. Inslee just release a $3 trillion jobs plan centered on clean energy. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called the climate plan the most serious and comprehensive to address the crisis in the 2020 field.
ROMANS: All right. The 2019 graduating class of Morehouse College in Atlanta, getting the surprise of a lifetime at their commencement ceremony, Sunday. Now, pay close attention to the reaction of the man in the lower left corner of your screen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On behalf of the eight generations of my family who have been in this country, we're going to put a little fuel in your bus, and my family is making a grand to eliminate their student loans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: That was billionaire investor Robert Smith making the pledge during his commencement speech. It drew a standing ovation and chants of MVP.
BRIGGS: The Morehouse president says the total amount covered for the 396 graduates is in the 10s of millions of dollars. The seniors could hardly believe their ears. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELIJAH NESLY DORMEUS, MOREHOUSE GRADUATE: I mean, you know, loans added with interest, you know, sub and unsubsidized, so when I heard the message, it just brings back in my head, that first feeling I had, when I was like wow, to hear it will be taken care of, is just like, now I can pay it literally forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Robert Smith is the founder of the investment firm, Vista Equity Partners, and it is said to be worth about $5 billion. According to Forbes, he is the richest black person in America.
[04:40:00] ROMANS: All right. Game over after eight grueling bloody seasons. HBO's "Game of Thrones" aired its series finale.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are my queen, now and always.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: So what happened next? We won't tell you. So who ended up ruling the seven king kingdoms, what happened to the iron throne and what character's story line could lead to a spinoff. Social media, of course, exploded as things went down. You'll have to watch to find out.
BRIGGS: Meanwhile, over 55 million Americans facing a severe weather threat. At least 38 tornadoes reported since Friday morning in Kansas, Nebraska, and Texas. Take a look at this home in Oklahoma City, struck by lightning. Two other homes in Comanche County, Oklahoma flattened by twister. The threat is not over yet. Hail, rain, tornado are all moving east this morning.
ROMANS: All right. A new report says Deutsche Bank employees reported suspicious activity involving President Trump and his son-in- law Jared Kushner. But the bank's executives ignored it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Christine Romans, I feel like you're always watching over me. I just have a feeling somehow that you're just always hovering over me, a little bit superior, because you're so much tougher than I am. You get up earlier than I do. Your show is on earlier, you never complain about it, as I am occasionally known to do, and my hat is off to you, Christine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just want to say it's not a contest here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because it feels a little bit like a contest.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But I am holding up this picture, so she can lord over you a little bit. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It also feels like and I feel like this every
day, I do know who you prefer, because you do talk so glowingly about Christine, and how you love your time together and she is your work wife and the star of "Early Start," and you say a lot of things like that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I might say those things about you behind your back. I might. As far as you know. Look, I did "Early Start" with Christine Romans. Getting up that early is in human, and unless you are doing it with someone whom you respect, admire, and genuinely like, it's unbearable, and Christine Romans is all of those things.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don't I know it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I'm not afraid to say it, and I would always joke, she has a lot of stories about people she worked with over the years, one of my biggest fears is once --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She'll start talking.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- is once I was no longer anchoring with her, some of those stories would be about me, so, I feel like I have to be nice about her, but even if I didn't have to be, I would be.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Christine, how can you have been here for 20 years, were you a baby business reporter? I can't believe it, but obviously all of us are better off for it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congratulations, Christine Romans, and CNN is better off for having you here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Congratulations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRIGGS: Deutsche Bank employees reported suspicious activity involving President Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner in 2016 and '17, but the bank's executives ignored their concerns. According to "The New York Times," Deutsche Bank's anti-money laundering specialists recommended reporting Trump and Kushner's transactions to the U.S. agency that investigates financial crimes. The nature of the transactions is not clear, but the report indicates at least some of them involve money flowing back and forth with overseas entities or individuals. Deutsche Bank is one of a few big banks willing to lend money to the Trump Organizations in recent years. The bank tells CNN business quote at no time was an investigator prevented from escalating activity identified as potentially suspicious.
ROMANS: President Trump defending his tariffs, Sunday, claiming they're forcing companies out of China.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We're taking in billions of dollars. Now, from China's standpoint, it's not good, because all of these companies, many of these companies that are paying the tariff are moving to Vietnam and other places in Asia.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: U.S. importers, not the Chinese government who pay tariffs. In an interview with Fox News recorded last week, Trump said, the U.S. and China had a very strong deal, a trade deal, but he escalated tariffs after Beijing back down, sought changes. Since then, talks have stalled, shaking markets and putting further pressure on major U.S. industries. But the president plans to use some of the estimated $100 billion collected by tariffs to help those most devastated by the trade war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I'm going to take $15 billion out of the hundred billion dollars and I'm going to give that to our farmers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Trump delivered more good news for farmers after making good with Canada and Mexico. The U.S. lifted steel and aluminum tariffs on both of those countries, Friday. He tweeted our great farmers can begin doing business again with Mexico and Canada. They have both taken the tariff penalties off of your great agricultural product.
It's interesting because the president thinks there's this pot of a hundred billion dollars and he can just reach in and take $15 billion and give it to farmers. It's not going to be as simple as that. Another plan he had had was to sell American farm products or give them to poor countries immediately aid agencies said, it's not quite as easy as that either, but the president at least is saying that he would like to make farmers whole, farmers who have been hurt, of course, by his own trade policies.
BRIGGS: Farmers who don't want handouts. They want to do business.
ROMANS: They want free market.
All right, Google suspending some business in Huawei, a major blow to the Chinese tech giant, the U.S. working blacklist. CNN business is next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Christine Romans, 20 years, I mean, you make me smile every time I get to bump into you in the makeup room or walking into the building as you are walking out. I can't believe you have been here that long. Lucky, lucky us, congratulations, we love you.
[04:50:04] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi and congratulations on 20 amazing years to my favorite CNN mama. I will never forget watching you like 10.5 months pregnant at the low boards walking on stage all stylish, giving the award, juggling your job, juggling your two kids at home, and about to have a third and it inspired me, and still does to this day. So, couldn't be prouder to call you a friend and colleague, Romans, love you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:55:00] BRIGGS: Former South African President Jacob Zuma, returning to court today as his corruption case resumes, it's a battle that is dividing the country. David McKenzie live outside the court house in South Africa. David, finally perhaps some accountability. Look like an active scene at the moment.
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This group of people passing by me are vivid supporters of former President Jacob Zuma and hoping they (inaudible). But this is a crucially important court case. They are supporting a man who's been allegedly involved in massive corruption here in South Africa over the years.
Now, this particular court case is stemming from issues from the 90s, and his arms deal, he's alleged to have received millions of dollars in bribery. Something he denies. But this is also about the battle of the soul of South Africa. The incoming president has said, that he wants to clean up this country. He is going to be inaugurated in just a few days, Dave.
He has called for a new dawn, to clean up the graft and the building just close to me now, President Zuma, former president is fighting for his life in terms of staying out of prison. They are trying to stop this court proceedings against him saying that the delays mean it's not a fair trial. Ironic, because many say that he has caused this delays. Why is this important, well, it could be the first African president who really could get prosecuted with these kind of charges? Dave.
BRIGGS: If you missed David off the top, there all of those people behind him support Jacob Zuma. Just about 11:00 a.m. there in South Africa. David, thank you.
ROMANS: All right. To Chicago now, where police are increasing patrols near local synagogues and Jewish schools after two acts of vandalism and attempted arson. Worshippers at Anshe Sholom B'nai Israel congregation arrived for services Sunday morning only to find broken glass and burned rags on the ground. Authorities believe the man in this picture tried and failed to set the building on fire using three Molotov cocktails. Four vehicles were also vandalized and had their windows smashed out. No one was hurt.
BRIGGS: The reigning king of jeopardy, James Holzhauer resumes his historic run tonight after (inaudible). He is already the second most successful contestant that shows history, during his 22 game win streak, Holzhauer's has won almost 1.7 million bucks, the man whose record he is gunning for, Ken Jennings is rooting for him. Jennings writing in the Washington Post op-ed quote, I'm the only person alive who knows firsthand how difficult it is to do what Holzhauer is doing. For any real jeopardy fan, this streak is something special.
ROMANS: All right. Let's go check on CNN Business this Monday morning. Global stocks pretty much mixed here overall as trade fears are easing on Wall Street. You can see DOW features down a little bit here. U.S. Stock futures, you know, I would call this undecided to be honest. After ending the week lower last week for stocks, all three indices fell for the week as trade talks stalled between the U.S. and China. But investors are very sensitive to every trade headline here. And Wall Street likes that the U.S. is making good with Canada and Mexico lifting steel and aluminum tariffs on both countries Friday.
Google suspending some business with Huawei. This is a major blow to the Chinese tech giant. Last week, the Trump administration added Huawei to a trade blacklist citing security concerns. Now, Google will no longer do any business with Huawei that requires the transfer of hardware or software except via open source. Google tells CNN, it is complying with the order restricting U.S. companies from doing business with Huawei.
This move means Huawei will lose access to updates for Google android, and future Huawei smart phones will not connect to services like Gmail and YouTube. But the U.S. cutting off Huawei also hurts Silicon Valley, likely costing U.S. Tech companies $11 billion. But Apple CEO Tim Cook has words for the class of 2019, his generation failed on climate change.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIM COOK, CEO, APPLE: We spent too much time debating. We have been too focused on the fight and not focused enough on progress. I don't think we can talk about who we are as people and what we owe to one another without talking about climate change.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: That is a commencement speech at Tulane University Saturday. Cook told students to ignore the political noise, to make a real difference. Cook also commented on how tech separates society, noting that algorithms keeps us wrap up in ideas that we already agree with rather than exposing alternative viewpoints. I completely agree with that part.
BRIGGS: All right. Ahead, "Early Start" continues with the latest between Iran and the United States.
The official end of Iran. A new warning from the president just as tensions were simmering.
ROMANS: The first Republican lawmaker says the president committed impeachable offenses, but the rest of the GOP is not behind Justin Amash.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUTTIGIEG: Some of those hosts are not always there in good faith.
END
