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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
President Trump Threatens The "End of Iran"; Morehouse Graduates Get Student Loans Paid Off; Christine Romans Marks 20 Years With CNN. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired May 20, 2019 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:30:51] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: The official end of Iran -- a new warning from the president just as tensions are simmering.
DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: The first Republican lawmaker says the president committed impeachable offenses, but the rest of the GOP is not lining up behind Justin Amash.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG (R), SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, 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)
ROBERT SMITH, FOUNDER, BILLIONAIRE INVESTOR, CHAIRMAN, CEO, VISTA EQUITY PARTNERS: And my family is making a grant to eliminate their student loans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: And the Morehouse College class of 2019 has a lot to smile about this morning. Their student loans all paid off.
ROMANS: Wow.
BRIGGS: What a gesture.
Welcome back to EARLY START on a "GAME OF THRONES" Monday -- the final "GAME OF THRONES" --
ROMANS: I know.
BRIGGS: -- Monday ever.
ROMANS: I haven't talked to -- I haven't seen it. BRIGGS: No? No spoilers?
ROMANS: No, no, no. Don't tell me.
BRIGGS: All right.
ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. It is 31 minutes past the hour. We will not spoil it for you this morning, either.
All right. Just when tensions with Iran seemed to be easing, President Trump reigniting them. He's now threatening to literally exterminate the Iranians, tweeting, "If Iran wants to fight, that will be of the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again!"
We bring in Nic Robertson, live from Abu Dhabi. What's the response from the region?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, the mood and the atmosphere over the weekend prior to President Trump's tweet was really sort of a diplomatic stand-down if you will -- lowering of tensions on all sides.
You have the Iranian foreign minister saying we don't want war -- and by the way, nobody would dare to go to war with us, in essence.
You have the Saudi foreign secretary -- minister of state for foreign affairs, the main protagonist in this as well, of course, saying we don't want to go to war but we will defend ourselves.
You have the Iranian -- an Iranian Revolution Corps -- Guard Corps commander saying we don't want war either, but we will defend ourselves, so the rhetoric and language need to be coming down.
Even President Trump's interview on Fox News that was recorded on Thursday struck a different tone. The president saying during this interview that he didn't want to go to war because of the economic costs, because of the human costs, and he thinks he can achieve what he wants in Iran through economic means.
So this is a real sort of scene-setter at the beginning of the week here, raising the tensions and expectations again. What does the president really mean by this?
What we do know is going to happen or is expected to happen -- the Emirates here will announce the outcome of their investigation into who attacked those four boats off their coast here. The Saudis already indicating they think it may be Iran. If that's the way that -- if that's the direction that this moves in, President Trump's comments will really add to the growing tension again.
ROMANS: All right, Nic Robertson. And usually, the tweeting begins in the next hour or so, so who knows what the narrative will be as the East Coast wakes up here. Thanks, Nic Robertson.
BRIGGS: All right, back here to politics. And a Republican congressman says President Trump committed impeachable offenses. The president is pushing back.
Justin Amash, of Michigan, tweeting he believes Attorney General Barr deliberately mispresented the Mueller report to the American people and that the president engaged in impeachable conduct. He went 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, quote, "...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 parodying Democratic talking points.
Others, like Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, won't go as far as Amash but still believe the president has to set a higher standard.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITT ROMNEY (D-UT): 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.
[05:35:03] 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: That's how Romney does a burn.
Barr's characterization of the Mueller report is now under criticism from Attorney General Bill Barr -- Attorney General Eric Holder says Barr is protecting the president and says he does not stand up --
ROMANS: Stand up.
BRIGGS: -- stand up for the good of the people.
ROMANS: That's right. "He is not fit to lead the DOJ."
All right, joining us now, Julian Zelizer. He's a CNN political analyst and historian and professor at Princeton University.
So, Julian, this Amash flurry of criticism this weekend -- do you think others will join him or does it just give the story a few more days of airtime, I guess.
JULIAN ZELIZER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST, HISTORIAN AND PROFESSOR, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY, CO-AUTHOR, "FAULT LINES: A HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES SINCE 1974": Yes, I think the odds are low. This a revoltive one.
Right now, the party has made it very clear, as Sen. McConnell said, that they think the case is closed. So this might add to the discussion. It gives more Republican support to the substance. But I don't think this is moving anywhere in the Republican caucus.
ROMANS: We just heard from Nic Robertson about sort of concerns in the region because of the president's latest tone on Iran. The president essentially saying he would exterminate this entire country.
Put this in a historical perspective for me here.
ZELIZER: Yes, there is no comparison to a statement like this. This depends on people not taking the tweet seriously at some level. If he's serious about wanting to walk back military force, as the president said the other day, he can't issue tweets like this.
ROMANS: Is this a North Korea playbook? I mean, does he think that he -- that kind of language worked with North Korea and he's trying it again here?
ZELIZER: I think that's part of what's going on. He tweeted like this and nothing happened. But that doesn't mean something can't easily unfold in Iran.
And again, his advisers -- some of them are much more hawkish here on Iran --
ROMANS: Right.
ZELIZER: -- both in, really, his support of military force. So this plays into that part of his cabinet.
BRIGGS: It does seem to echo that North Korea playbook. Burn it down and then build it right back up and try to seek credit for that.
But let's talk about Joe Biden's kickoff -- official kickoff in Philly over the weekend. He took aim at President Trump. He reminded everyone of his policies.
It appears he will support Obamacare and defended the crime bill. But he also took on the president in regard to what the president inherited compared to what President Obama inherited on the economy -- listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: President Trump inherited an economy from an Obama-Biden administration that was given to him just like he inherited everything in his life. And just like -- just like everything else he's been given in his life, he's in the process of squandering that as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: An Obama-Biden economy. Is that how Democrats combat what is a fantastic economy that the president's getting credit for?
ZELIZER: It's a very strong argument. Democrats have been scrambling to figure out what do you do with this very good economy and he just offered one of the answers.
He's the only candidate who can actually claim credit, just like President Trump can, so I think you're going to hear that message again and again. And connecting the personal the political with President Trump on the economy, I think was also effective.
BRIGGS: And, Biden has also continued to play that this is the general election. He's not really hitting back at his Democratic opponents yet. He's trying to rise above it. He's a massive frontrunner so he can do that.
He also made a pitch for bipartisanship, which you wrote about. Here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Some of the really smart folks say Democrats don't want to hear about unity. They say Democrats are so angry that the angrier a candidate can be, the better chance he or she has to win a Democratic nomination.
Well, I don't believe it. I really don't. If Democrats -- I believe Democrats want to unify this nation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Now again, the polls suggest that the Democratic Party has not moved as far left as so many things because he has doubled most of his opponents.
You have a word of warning, though, about bipartisanship, though, if that's Biden's --
ZELIZER: Yes. First, the anger isn't all because people are to the left. Many people are angry about what President Trump has done in the Democratic Party and they have reason to be. And second, that's not a fair assessment of the Republican Party. The Republican Party has moved far to the right.
He learned -- Biden, as vice president -- there's not a lot of bipartisanship in Washington coming from the GOP.
So I think as we get closer to Iowa and New Hampshire, these kinds of questions he will have to address. This strategy, I don't think, will hold all the way through those contests.
ROMANS: All right. Julian Zelizer, so much to talk about. So glad to have you here with us.
ZELIZER: Thanks. Happy 20th.
ROMANS: Thank you, thank you, thank you.
BRIGGS: All right. Free speech, press freedoms, Fox News, all under attack by the
president in one single tweet saying, quote, "Hard to believe that Fox News is wasting airtime on Mayor Pete. Fox is moving more and more the losing (wrong) side in covering the Dems."
[05:40:06] Fox hosted a Pete Buttigieg town hall Sunday night. The South Bend mayor and Democratic contender took on Fox but also reached out to its viewers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUTTIGIEG: And when you've got Tucker Carlson saying that immigrants make America dirty, and 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.
"Say this for Buttigieg. He's willing to be questioned by Chris Wallace, something you've barely done since you've been president. Oh, and covering candidates of both parties is part of the job of a news channel."
All right. The 2019 graduating class of Morehouse College in Atlanta getting the surprise of a lifetime at their commencement ceremony Sunday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: 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 grant to eliminate their student loans.
(APPLAUSE, STANDING OVATION)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: That was billionaire investor Robert Smith making the pledge during his commencement speech.
BRIGGS: It drew a standing ovation and chants of "MVP." The Morehouse president says Smith is willing to cover tens of millions of dollars for the 396 graduates.
The seniors could hardly believe their ears.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELIJAH NESLY DORMEUS, GRADUATE, MOREHOUSE COLLEGE: But, you know, loans with interest sub and unsubsidized. So when I heard --
ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR, "WEEKEND PRIMETIME EDITION": Sure.
DORMEUS: -- the message it just ringed back in my head that first feeling I had and I was like wow. To hear that it would 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 is said to be worth about $5 billion. What a gesture.
ROMANS: Yes.
All right, we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:46:33] BRIGGS: Welcome back to EARLY START on this, the 20th anniversary of Christine Romans here at CNN. And let me just say a quick word that, as John Berman said earlier, getting up at 1:30 in the morning can be debilitating, really --
ROMANS: Awful.
BRIGGS: -- but sitting beside someone who you respect and admire as an anchor and a businessperson and love as a human being makes it truly delightful.
ROMANS: Awe, you guys, thank you so much.
BRIGGS: You are an incredible teammate. Let's talk a look back at her 20 years here.
ROMANS: No way.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR, "NEW DAY": Good morning, welcome to EARLY START, everyone. I'm John Berman.
ROMANS: And I'm Christine Romans.
BRIGGS (voice-over): You know Romans as CNN's chief business correspondent and co-host of EARLY START since 2014.
BERMAN: Welcome to EARLY START, by the way.
ROMANS: Oh, thank you, thank you.
BERMAN: Christine Romans, the official new co-anchor of the EARLY START broadcast.
ROMANS: I know, it's my first day so please be nice to me.
BRIGGS (voice-over): Before she got her place at the anchor desk, Christine was a CNN reporter covering everything from Main Street --
ROMANS: For some farmers, they've never seen, in the fields, this many poor ears right in a row.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Probably not.
BRIGGS (voice-over): -- to Wall Street, including her first appearance on this network, May 25th, 1999.
ROMANS: After currency crises in Thailand, South Korea, Russian, and Brazil, no one wants to stand in the way if Argentina is the next emerging market's domino to fall.
BRIGGS (voice-over): It's on Wall Street viewers really came to know her, sometimes tackling our more interesting projects.
ROMANS: This is a word I don't usually say on television. Does your job suck?
BRIGGS (voice-over): She's interviewed some of the world's most high- profile CEOs.
ROMANS: A few billionaires have been coming out and saying that they feel persecuted for their success.
MARK CUBAN, BUSINESSMAN, INVESTOR, OWNER, DALLAS MAVERICKS: No, that's the biggest bunch of nonsense ever.
ROMANS: What keeps Jamie Dimon up at night?
JAMIE DIMON, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, JPMORGAN CHASE: Cyber. Cyber, cyber, cyber, cyber. It is a national risk.
BRIGGS (voice-over): Political leaders --
ROMANS: Are you concerned at all about China's growth strategy here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The important thing is that they stick to their reform agenda.
BRIGGS (voice-over): -- and cultural icons.
DOLLY PARTON, SINGER-SONGWRITER: Music, in general, really have pushed through many ideas.
BRIGGS (voice-over): Never one to forget where she came from, Romans frequently talks of her Iowa roots.
ROMANS: My very first job, Ali, I was a corn reporter. I really was -- calling the markets for corn.
BRIGGS (voice-over): And she got the chance to discover more as part of a CNN special.
ROMANS: I could use a hot beer.
BRIGGS (voice-over): She shared with us her own family's journey to America.
ROMANS: Wow, that's so -- that's -- you know, I always heard about the ticket for all those years, but then to see it.
BRIGGS (voice-over): Perhaps it's pride in her own family that makes Romans such a natural part of ours and her current, but not first T.V. husband.
ALI VELSHI, MSNBC ANCHOR, "VELSHI & RUHLE": Does your husband watch this show?
ROMANS: Yes, he does. What do you have for me?
VELSHI: I'd like you to be my co-anchor.
ROMANS: Oh, it's a ring pop.
VELSHI: Yes, and it's totally --
ROMANS: That's so sweet.
VELSHI: Yes, I know it's --
BRIGGS (voice-over): Enter this guy.
BERMAN: I don't like this either. A live performance is a live performance. If you're going to play music, play music.
ROMANS: If they're playing a real football game, you should be playing real music.
BERMAN: I know. I get -- just play it.
ROMANS: That's the way I look at it.
BERMAN: That's awesome. I'm with Romans on this.
You've made being awake for the hours between 4:00 and 6:00 a.m. tolerable, barely.
BRIGGS (voice-over): And when time came for Berman to find a new partner -- in his dreams -- I got the honor of sitting at her side and how lucky am I.
ROMANS: Which "Grease" character are you?
BRIGGS (on camera): I am Danny and you, my friend, are Sandy.
ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans.
BRIGGS (on camera): I'm Dave Briggs. Here's --
ROMANS: The sandwich contains a soy patty bun and an eggless sandwich sauce. I don't know why, but I had a funny burger on that one. It just sounds like a funny burger.
[05:50:02] BRIGGS (on camera): Just visualizing eating that thing.
ROMANS: Meatless sauce.
BRIGGS (on camera): That sounds awful.
ROMANS: EARLY START continues right now.
BRIGGS (voice-over): While the faces around her have changed, so, too, has the network within the world. Even after 20 years, she looks the same, sounds the same, and still treats everyone the same respectful way, which means everything to all of us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: Guys --
BRIGGS: Was the McVegan the special highlight of your career?
ROMANS: I don't know. That was the special highlight of my career, actually.
BRIGGS: Congratulations, my friend.
ROMANS: Thank you.
BRIGGS: Thank you to Mallory Leonard for finding all that video --
ROMANS: Yes.
BRIGGS: -- and our producer, L.J., as well. And I think we have two more people who just want to say congratulations.
ROMANS: I'd like to thank my hair stylist for not making me so dark.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR, "NEW DAY": Yay.
ROMANS: Hi, guys.
BERMAN: Christine Romans;
BRIGGS: Hey, guys. Good morning.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR, "NEW DAY": Christine, you're such an inspiration. Honestly, you -- every morning you are so bright-eyed, clear-headed. You are so -- just such an inspiration to the people like Dave and me who do find, occasionally, these hours challenging.
BRIGGS: Challenging, yes.
CAMEROTA: And then you just -- in your hearty Midwestern way, you just get in here and go to work.
ROMANS: The early bird gets the worm, guys. Come on.
BRIGGS: It's the farmer in her.
BERMAN: And you promote hair growth, obviously, in your co-anchors because look at what's happened to Briggs since he's sat next to you.
BRIGGS: I also have a few more grays, my friend.
ROMANS: Oh, you guys, that's really sweet. I can't believe you found all that tape. I can't believe you found all that tape.
BRIGGS: Mallory Leonard really spent some time finding that, so kudos to our staff.
ROMANS: That was amazing. Thank you so much, guys.
BERMAN: Congratulations, Christine Romans.
BRIGGS: Thank you, guys. We'll see you in a little bit.
ROMANS: That went so fast. Those years went so fast.
BRIGGS: Fast?
ROMANS: Yes.
CAMEROTA: Twenty years.
BRIGGS: Wow, all these early mornings. Thanks, guys. Congratulations, my friend.
ROMANS: Thank you, thank you.
BRIGGS: We're very happy for you.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:55:59] BRIGGS: Game over. After eight grueling, bloody seasons, HBO's "GAME OF THRONES" aired its season finale.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIT HARRINGTON, ACTOR, HBO, "GAME OF THRONES": You are my queen, now and always.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Wait, now -- you haven't seen it yet so we won't tell you what happened next. We won't tell you who ended up ruling the seven kingdoms or what happened to the iron throne and what character's storyline could lead to a spinoff. We won't tell you that either.
Social media exploded as things went down and they continue to this morning. You'll have to watch to find out, Romans.
ROMANS: Yes, don't tell me.
BRIGGS: You'll see it later this morning.
ROMANS: Don't tell me.
All right. Over 55 million Americans facing a severe weather threat right now. At least 38 tornadoes reported since Friday morning in Kansas, Nebraska, and Texas.
Take a look at this home in Oklahoma City. It was struck by lightning. Two other homes in Comanche County, Oklahoma flatted by a twister.
The threat is not over yet, folks. Hail, rain, and tornadoes moving east this morning.
BRIGGS: Twenty years after the Columbine massacre, one of the survivors has been found dead. Thirty-seven-year-old Austin Eubanks was found at his home early Saturday morning after a wellness check.
During the attack in 1999, Eubanks was shot in the hand and knee. His best friend died on the scene. Shortly after the incident, Eubanks said he developed an opioid addiction.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AUSTIN EUBANKS, COLUMBINE SURVIVOR: When I took those medications I felt better and I thought that's what they were for. It's incredibly difficult. I mean, it's a journey that really doesn't ever end.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: He later became a public speaker on substance abuse issues. Eubanks' family said he lost his life to a disease he tried to help others combat.
ROMANS: An abducted 8-year-old girl in Texas is home safe this morning. Police say Salem Sabatka was taking a walk with her mom Saturday night in Fort Worth when a car approached and a man grabbed her.
Two people called police after spotting a car in a hotel parking lot that matched the description put out by police.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OFFICER BUDDY CALZADA, FORT WORTH POLICE DEPARTMENT, FORT WORTH, TEXAS: These guys are heroes. You know, we're here in police uniforms with badge and guns and everybody calls us heroes. And now, we have two citizens that went out of their way and assisted us 100 percent. They're our heroes tonight, I'll tell you that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Officers raced to a room at the hotel and rescued the girl. She was taken to a local hospital and has since been reunited with her family.
The 51-year-old suspect is facing aggravated kidnapping charges. BRIGGS: The reigning king of "JEOPARDY!", James Holzhauer, resumes his historic run tonight after a 2-week hiatus. James is already the second-most successful contestant in the show's history.
The man whose record he's gunning for, all-time "JEOPARDY!" champ Ken Jennings, is rooting for James, writing in this "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 reason "JEOPARDY!" fan, this streak is something special."
As is your 20 years here at CNN.
ROMANS: Oh, thank you.
BRIGGS: And I don't have a ring pop, like Ali Velshi.
ROMAN: Whoo.
BRIGGS: It's maybe too early for booze, but we've got a -- I got you a special --
ROMANS: That's sweet.
BRIGGS: -- bottle here. Maybe you can open that a little bit later on.
ROMANS: Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate it.
BRIGGS: Happy anniversary -- 20 years.
ROMANS: Thanks for joining us. I'm Christine Romans.
BRIGGS: I'm Dave Briggs. Here's "NEW DAY." We'll see you tomorrow.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're on a road to impeachment and now, it's a bipartisan road.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The first sitting Republican member of Congress to call his behavior impeachable.
ROMNEY: Justin Amash has reached a different conclusion than I have.
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): Can an impeachment even be potentially successful in the Senate? We see no signs of that yet.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If Iran attacks it will be up to America to take the last strike.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're at a greater risk of nuclear war now than ever before.
TRUMP: I don't want to fight, but you do have situations like Iran. You can't let them have nuclear weapons.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An era of television history closes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "GAME OF THRONES" ended leaving somebody new on the iron throne.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.
BERMAN: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. It's Monday, May 20th, 6:00 here in New York. And we're coming to you live from our brand new studio.
END
