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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Deadly Tornado Outbreak; Trump Refusing to Work with Democrats; "American Taliban" Goes Free; NFL Considers Allowing Players to Use Marijuana for Pain. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired May 23, 2019 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:03] DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: The damage is extensive. Roofs ripped off of homes, debris is everywhere. At least 10,000 customers are without power. At this Chevy dealership, the cars were literally tossed around, landing upside down. Officials are asking people to remain indoors.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. DAVID WILLIAMS, JEFFERSON CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT: We do not need citizens coming out, helping us by driving around identifying problems. We've got enough calls coming in from affected citizens to where we don't need people driving around telling us that there's a tree in the roadway. We have personnel out doing that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Three people in Missouri are confirmed dead. Debris reached as high as 13,000 feet in some places. Several injuries reported in the Carl Junction area of Jasper County. A possible tornado, also downed trees and power lines in Joplin, eight years to the day after that catastrophic storm there killed 158 people.
In Oklahoma, we're keeping an eye on a pair of run away barges that may hit the interstate bridge and a nearby dam in Weber Falls. Officials are calling for evacuations along that river. Residents have been told if they are staying, if they do not evacuate, they need to write their name on their arm in permanent marker.
BRIGGS: Flooding from earlier storms literally sinking that home along the Cimarron River in Logan County. The Oklahoma highway patrol racing to rescue this woman. She had to climb out of a window in her home to safety.
The threat in the region is not over.
CNN's Pedram Javaheri live in the weather center with what's to come.
But, let me ask you, Pedram, about what I'm reading about, a wedge tornado striking Jefferson City. What does that mean?
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know, anytime you're looking at a tornado that is wider than it is tall, Dave, we're talking about a wedge tornado. It's an unofficial term for a tornado but about 2 to 3 percent of all tornados look something like this, and this particular storm, thunderstorms in the Eugene, Missouri, area just outside of Jefferson City, of course we have a viewer that captures this, and you see the lightning strike illuminate a wedge tornado, again, very unusual to get them to be this wide. But anytime you're talking about a wide system, a wide tornado, often people will tell you, it caused damage to one property, leave another one unscathed. But when you have wedge tornado, that takes out entire communities.
So, this is certainly something we're going to watch carefully going into the morning hours to see what comes of the damage left behind from that storm system and the tornado that moved over this region right before midnight local time across the area. But notice tornado watches in place, stretches 700 miles from the south to the north. The strongest thunderstorms concentrated on the northern tier there, work their way into portions of Indiana as well, Indianapolis, in line here to get stronger thunderstorms to work its way in this direction in the next couple of hours. But diving into the Jefferson City tornado there, I just want to show you the vertical profile here of the thunderstorms getting up to as high as 40,000 feet into the atmosphere.
Christine talked about debris being measured by radar there as high as 13,000 meters -- 13,000 feet, I should say, high into the atmosphere as well, certainly, a serious storm system across the region just before midnight. And, of course, you take a look at this, almost 170 reports of tornadoes in the past five days. This is the highest concentration of tornadoes that I could locate across the country in a two-year span. So, it really kind of goes to speak to how intense it's been across the region in less than a week period.
But thunderstorms still in the forecast by this afternoon. Still could see another round of severe weather across portions of the plains, and now introducing portions of the northeast into the picture for severe weather as well, and we'll break that down in further detail in the next 30 minutes guys.
ROMANS: All right. Pedram Javaheri, thank you so much for that.
All right. This -- President Trump proving there is more than one way to shut down the federal government. Until all investigations by the White House are done, Mr. Trump will not work with Democrats, not on infrastructure, immigration, health care, or disaster aid, even the budget. There was optimism about this yesterday morning but no, no, now the budget even appears to be on hold.
The Trump tantrum erupting Wednesday morning after this comment from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): Would you believe that it's important for the -- to follow the facts. We believe that no one is above the law, including the president of the United States, and we believe that the president of the United States is engaged in a cover-up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: And that appears to have been the trigger. He walked into a meeting with Dems on infrastructure lecturing them for about five minutes, then left. The president's disdain spilling over into the Rose Garden.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Instead of walking in happily into a meeting, I walk into look at people that have just said that I was doing a cover-up. I don't do cover-ups. This whole thing was a takedown attempt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: In fact, the president was an unnamed co-conspirator in the hush money case that sent Michael Cohen to prison for three years.
[05:05:04] The president brought a poster to the Rose Garden with incorrect facts, slamming the Mueller report but Nancy Pelosi continued her tough talk later in the day, even invoking the "I" word.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PELOSI: In plain sight, in the public domain, this president is obstructing justice and he's engaged in a cover-up. And that could be an impeachable offense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Appearing on "The Late Show", 2020 Democratic hopeful Kamala Harris defended the speaker.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So he's going to hold America's infrastructure hostage.
STEPHEN COLBERT, COMEDIAN: Yes.
HARRIS: Right?
COLBERT: Yes.
HARRIS: Over the issue of the investigation.
This is a false choice. We cannot abandon our democracy for the sake of appeasing somebody who is completely focused on his interests only.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: In a letter to her Democratic colleagues, Pelosi says Trump had a temper tantrum for us all to see. The president didn't see it that way tweeting: This is not true, I was purposely very polite and calm, much as I was minutes later with the press in the Rose Garden. BRIGGS: A second major setback for President Trump who's fighting to
keep his financial records private. A federal judge in New York ruling the president can not block subpoenas by House Democrats, Deutsche Bank and Capital One. The judge says the subpoenas are broad but clearly pertinent to the work of Congress. The decision starts a one week clock for Trump's legal team to find a way to keep the banks from releasing extensive information about President Trump, his businesses and family members.
Earlier this week, a D.C. federal judge said the former Trump accounting firm Mazars would have to comply with congressional subpoena. The president's attorneys have appealed that ruling.
ROMANS: Vladimir Putin was more prepared than President Trump for their 2017 meeting in Germany, putting U.S. officials at a disadvantage. That's what former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told the top Democrat and Republican in a secret meeting this week. A source says Tillerson also says he was guided by American values but could not or would not answer whether the same could be said for President Trump.
BRIGGS: Pentagon officials expected to brief President Trump's national security team as soon as today on a plan that could send thousands of additional U.S. troops to the Middle East over rising tensions with Iran. The officials emphasized no decision has been made and the troops may not be needed at all. The president's approval is needed for such a significant deployment. It's unclear if he'll authorize the action after criticizing past U.S. interventions overseas.
ROMANS: Six migrant children have died after crossing the southern border and the latest case being reported happened eight months ago. A ten-year-old girl dying in the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement. It happened last September. Five other minor migrants have died since there were no fatalities in the previous ten years.
A spokesman for Health and Human Services says the girl came to their San Antonio office in March 2018 with a history of congenital heart defects. Surgery complications left her in a coma, and she died at a Nebraska children's hospital months later. When CNN asked HHS why her death was not announced, we were told notifying the media is not required by the department.
BRIGGS: An infant girl just a few months old has died after being left in a day care van in Florida. Police responded to a call about an unresponsive baby at the Ewing's Love and Hope Preschool and Academy Wednesday afternoon and found the baby in a car seat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIAN KEE, JACKSONVILLE SHERIFF'S ASSISTANT CHIEF: The kid was there from about 8:00 a.m. to about a little after 1:00 p.m., so almost five hours.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BRIGGS: Temperatures in the area reached as high as 92 degrees. Darryl Ewing, a co-owner of the day care facility, was neglected for child neglect.
ROMANS: It's an awful story.
All right. A perfectly healthy dog has been euthanized, why the dog was put down after its owner died.
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[05:13:39] ROMANS: All right. It turns out trade wars are not short and they are not so easy to win. We are nearing the one year anniversary of the start of the U.S. trade war, and economists are forecasting what a protracting trade war would cost. The window for resolving that trade dispute is narrowing, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development warns the trade war could wipe out billions from the global economy.
This new OECD forecast shows global GDP would fall by seven-tenths of a percent or $600 billion by the year 2021. It also estimates global growth will slow to 3.2 percent this year, down from 3-1/2 percent growth in 2018.
So, why? Well, economists note that rising tariffs have affected confidence. That's key. With uncertainty high and confidence low, investment has suffered and the manufacturing sector has taken a hit.
The trade war with China isn't the only risk to global growth. The potential of new trade barriers and Brexit related uncertainties are also an issue.
BRIGGS: More legal trouble for lawyer Michael Avenatti. He's been charged with stealing $300,000 from his former client Stormy Daniels and using that cash to pay employees at his law firm and a coffee business he owned. According to the indictment, Avenatti has not repaid Daniels about half the cash he allegedly stole. Avenatti told CNN he will be, quote, fully exonerated.
[05:15:01] He's facing charges in two other cases in New York and L.A.
The first U.S.-born detainee in the war on terrorism walks out of prison a free man today. John Walker Lindh also known as the American Taliban was captured in Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks. He served 17 years of a 20-year sentence. His case is raising questions now about radicals reentering society.
A small but growing number of Americans convicted on terror-related charges. They are completing prison sentences in the coming years. There are calls for investigation into Lindh's time in prison. Two U.S. government reports say he made pro-ISIS statements that could land him back in detention.
BRIGGS: Pet owners know how to deep the bond with an animal can be. Well, a woman in Virginia was so attached to her dog, she took it to the grave with her. Emma, a healthy Shih Tzu mix was euthanized recently so she could be buried with her owner who left explicit instructions in her will. Volunteers at a Virginia shelter were heartbroken when their pleas to save Emma were ignored.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARRIE JONES, CHESTERFIELD ANIMAL SERVICES MANAGER: We did suggest to them they could sign the dog over on numerous occasions, you know, because it's a dog that we could easily find a home for.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Emma was euthanized and taken to a pet cremation center. Her ashes were placed in an urn and returned to the woman's estate.
ROMANS: All right. We should have a better idea soon when Boeing 737 MAX jets will be back in service. The FAA, along with eight other countries and the E.U. will decide if the planes are cleared to fly after reviewing the certification of a 737 MAX's automated flight control system. They won't get to see Boeing's fix because it's not ready, according to the FAA.
Meantime, Boeing getting much needed support from airline executives. American airlines CEO tells NBC News that his company is committed to the plane once it's fixed, even though customers may be hard pressed to fly again. And United's CEO says he'll be on first flight when the 737 MAX is back in service.
BRIGGS: Celebrity chef Mario Batali facing an arraignment Friday in a Boston courtroom for allegedly groping a woman. CNN reported on a lawsuit filed against Batali by Natali Tene. She claims Batali groped her and kissed her repeatedly in a Boston restaurant in March 2017. Batali who is facing a criminal charge later said in a statement to CNN that he was, quote, deeply sorry.
Ahead, the NFL taking a closer look at pain management. Is the league on the verge of allowing players to use marijuana? Coy Wire has more in the "Bleacher Report", next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:22:34] BRIGGS: The NFL opens the door to allowing players to use marijuana for pain.
Coy Wire has more in the "Bleacher Report".
Good morning, my friend.
Talked to a lot of former players at the Super Bowl about this, current players also who believe this needs to happen yesterday.
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, likewise, Dave, and a lot of former players getting involved with companies are starting their own companies dealing with medicinal marijuana. The NFL, they have been firm on keeping marijuana on its list of banned substances as part of its drug policy. But the league and the NFL Players Association recently formed a
committee to study pain management, and Commissioner Roger Goodell says the league would be open to be used medical marijuana if medical experts think it's a legitimate solution.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROGER GOODELL, NFL COMMISSIONER: There's a lot of alternative pain medications and treatments. And those are the types of things that we want this committee to focus on with medical experts and with medical science behind that. Of course, they will look at one of those as what role medical marijuana could have in that. That's something that will be part of their studies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: The NFL's chief medical officer told "USA Today" at league meetings, quote, we'll go where the medicine takes us, unquote.
Toronto super fan Drake clearly enjoying the Raptors' back-to-back playoff wins at home, walking out of court with the air guitar, rousing Bucks players and giving Raptors coach Nick Nurse a back rub during the game.
But Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer isn't exactly a fan of the Raptors sideline antics. He told reporters, quote: There's certainly no place for fans or whatever Drake is for the Raptors on the court. There's boundaries and lines for a reason, unquote.
But Drake's not sweating the criticism. He responded on social media, last night with a series of salty tears emojis on Instagram.
Game five between the Bucks and Raptors is in Milwaukee tonight at 8:30 Eastern on our sister channel TNT. The home team has won every game in this series. We're just tied at two games apiece. The winner will face the Warriors in the final.
The Yankees have the third best record in baseball, jumping to the top of the AL East, their spring board is in Baltimore at Camden Yards. They have 34 home runs in 11 games against the Orioles this season.
[05:25:02] That's more homers than the Marlins have in all their games combined.
Gleyber Torres has 10 of those homers, two of them last night. Yankees win 7-5 and are now the first team ever to hit three or more home runs in six straight games at an opponent's ballpark.
Times are tough for the Orioles against the Yanks, 2-9 against them this season. And yesterday at home, Richie Martin hits his very first Major League home runs, but it lands in the hands of a Yankee's fan. It's tradition to give the ball back when it's a player's first home run. But it appears that the usher is having a hard time convincing this father-son duo to give it back.
And even an Orioles fan, you can see, turning into some sort of a broker, it seems. No word yet , Dave, on what happened to that ball or if Richie Martin will ever see that token.
BRIGGS: No. The kid's got to keep it. That usher has to go back up and do something else.
That is -- that is a souvenir, my friend. Stop it.
WIRE: No doubt.
BRIGGS: Coy Wire, good stuff, my friend. Thank you.
Romans, what's coming up?
ROMANS: All right. Breaking overnight, devastation in the Midwest. Tornadoes roar through the Missouri capital. Three are dead and the threat is not over.
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