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Man Mistakenly Killed by Police; Bush Viewing and Burial Today; Arrest hits Asian Stocks Hard; Flake Causes Delay on Votes; Senate Resolution on Khashoggi Killing. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired December 06, 2018 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00] ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Do you believe they were transparent with you? Were you satisfied?

EMANTIC BRADFORD, SR., FATHER OF MALL SHOOTING VICTIM EMANTIC "EJ" BRADFORD, JR.: I'm still disappointed. I was disappointed because no parent wants to find out their child -- neither his mother or my wife, want to find out the way we found out. And that was just totally wrong for you not to notify us. And that wasn't proper protocol. (INAUDIBLE) notify the parents. And for us to be in a meeting with them, you know, they apologized, but that still doesn't erase the fact that we were not notified that night. So what was your reason and rational about allowing that to go on and his mother had to find out the next day from one of his friends. And I had to call that night, this morning, at 3:43 and get my answer. That's totally unacceptable.

HILL: And did they give you an answer to that?

BENJAMIN CRUMP, ATTORNEY FOR EJ BRADFORD'S FAMILY: And there --

HILL: No?

CRUMP: They said that the coroner should have done it. This is four, five days later, after they put out a cross worldwide media that their son was a mass shooter. And they knew from day one that wasn't their child. Their child, who they raised, wouldn't shoot anybody, certainly wouldn't disobey law enforcement officials because Mr. Bradford worked for the Birmingham Police Department for 25 years. He knew the character of his son.

And this notion that the president says to stop these bad guys with guns and prevent these mass shootings, we need to have good guys with guns. Well, EJ was a good guy with a gun. He happened to be a black man. And for whatever reason, the police, when they see good guys with guns who happen to be black, Erica, they label them criminals, just like with Jemel Roberson in Chicago and now with EJ Bradford Jr. here in Alabama. We have to stop this pattern and practice of just seeing black and shoot first, ask questions later.

HILL: And I know you've been pushing forward so that you can better understand what happened that night. The videos, both the mall surveillance video, the body camera footage. You don't have access so that. But there is now a suspect in custody in -- who is in -- pardon me, a suspect in custody charged with the attempted -- for charges on attempted murder when it comes to Brian Wilson, a friend of your son's, Mr. Bradford. His attorney is supposed to have access to those videos.

What does this mean for you, Mr. Crump? Does this mean that you and Mr. Bradford will get to see those videos as well?

CRUMP: Yes, we think eventually those videos are going to come out. And there's so many questions to be answered. EJ, there's -- he did not go to the mall with any of these individuals, Brian Wilson. He went with other people. And people have said EJ Bradford didn't do anything with any altercation that night.

And the other question that is so troubling to us, Erica, is that this suspect has only been charged with shooting the 18-year-old person. We don't know who shot the 12-year-old little girl. Was she also shot by the police who shot EJ Bradford? We need to know these answers so we can try to heal this community and build trust.

HILL: And really quickly, we are just about out of time, but just clarify for me something that you said. So Brian Wilson, who was shot, the suspect, is now charged in that shooting. He has been described as a friend of your son, Mr. Bradford, but you're saying he was not there -- EJ was not with Brian that night?

BRADFORD: No. It was just a bunch of people in the mall. If you see someone in the mall, my son will speak to you. But he did not go to the mall with that guy.

HILL: Still so many questions that we know need to be answered. We appreciate you coming back and joining us and we'll continue to stay on this. Thank you.

BRADFORD: Thank you.

CRUMP: Thank you.

HILL: John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, former President George H.W. Bush will be buried today. The family will do something that has not been done in 50 years in his final farewell. We'll have the details, next.

HILL: But first, it is the time of year when we honor some of the best humanity has to offer. CNN Heroes. You can join Anderson Cooper and Kelly Ripa as they announce the 2018 CNN Hero of the year live this Sunday 8:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're humans helping humans, and they need our help.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are truly giving the gift of mobility.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're the best the world has to offer.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're building something that matters a lot more than we do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're heroes today and every day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is nice. (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) skills how to program. It's all about solving problems.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We serve anybody who has ever raised their hand to defend our Constitution.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My vision was to have a home where women could find safety and find themselves.

[08:35:01] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our first goal was just to create this hospital-based intervention.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wart each and every one of them to feel special.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Join Anderson Cooper and Kelly Ripa live as they name the 2018 CNN Hero of the Year.

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "CNN HEROES: AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE": Here once again celebrating the best of humanity.

KELLY RIPA, HOST, "CNN HEROES: AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE": Don't we need this tonight more than ever?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute," Sunday at 8:00 Eastern.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: In just hours, family and friends will gather for a final farewell to President George H.W. Bush, America's 41st president. He will be buried today at his presidential library in Texas.

CNN's Jessica Dean is live in Houston with the very latest.

Jessica.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Good morning to you, John.

We are right outside Saint Martin's Episcopal Church where George Bush and his wife Barbara worshipped for over 50 years. So this church means a lot to the Bush family. And that's what we're expecting to see today is a very personal service, a lot of personal friends and, of course, family going to be here.

[08:40:00] But before that, President Bush's coffin was brought here so he could lie in repose until 6:00 this morning local time. We're told around 12,000 people made their way here to pay their final respects to him. And it took some effort. They had to go to a different location, go through security, get on a bus, be brought here, and then were able to go through the church. So a lot of people here, it meant a lot to them to be able to come out. Of course, the Bushs very tightly -- tightly bound to this community, their home not too far away, really close by.

What are you going to see today? Well, we're expecting at 10:00 again local time, that is when the second funeral will begin. We are expecting to hear from President Bush's grandson, George P. Bush, who is the land commissioner here in Texas.

We're also going to hear from one of his very best friends and his former secretary of state, James Baker, who, of course, was with him the day that he died. We're expecting to hear very personal stories from both of those speakers.

From here, the family and the coffin will go to a Union Pacific facility not too far from here where they're going to board a train. It's the Bush 41 41. It was commissioned to honor his life back in 2005. And you'll notice it's going to be in Air Force One colors, that light blue and white. They will travel through rural Texas and get to College Station, his final resting place there where his library is.

And, John, this will be the first time since 1969, when President Eisenhower was taken to his final resting place via train, that a president will be taken to his burial on a locomotive.

BERMAN: George H.W. Bush loved trains and he loved that train, which will carry him to Texas A&M.

Jessica, thanks so much for this.

And stay with CNN for special coverage of President Bush's funeral starting at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. We expect to hear from George P. Bush and also former Secretary of State James Baker. It will be very emotional.

HILL: Absolutely.

We are also keeping a close watch this morning on U.S. stock futures. They are down sharply at this hour. The trade turmoil between the U.S. and China really rattling investors, not just in the U.S. but around the world.

CNN's Christine Romans is here now with more.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that arrest in Vancouver of the Huawei executive really kind of rattling nerves about what this is going to mean overall for the U.S.-China trade relationships, even as the Chinese and the Americans say that they are moving forward with the trade talks. This is what the world markets look like. You saw Asian markets down sharply. Hong Kong down more than 2 percent. And then when European markets opened up, you saw 2 percent losses across Europe, and those remain. And futures here pointing to a sharply lower open.

Remember yesterday stocks were closed for the national day of mourning, right, so the rest of the world got to catch up with a very big sell-off that happened in the U.S. market on the prior day. and there was some hope that maybe some of that selling was going to slow down or maybe even -- you can see it bounce back this morning, but I don't think that's going to happen. You've got futures down pretty sharply here. You're probably looking at a 300 to 400 point loss at the opening bell when the bell rings in 47 minutes you guys.

BERMAN: Three hundred to 400 points on top of the 800 points from Tuesday.

ROMANS: Right.

BERMAN: Romans, stick around for this because I want to play this moment from "Jeopardy." The category was blank news. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Blank news 600.

ALEX TREBEK, HOST, "JEOPARDY": It's on CNN from 4:00 to 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time. This start.

It's called "Early Start."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: You got to get up pretty early in the morning to know the answer to that question.

BERMAN: I've got to say, they found the only people in America who are not devoted to "EARLY START."

HILL: It's true.

BERMAN: Which everyone knows is the most important early news program in America. Thank you to, you know, "EARLY START" star Christine Romans.

ROMANS: Oh, well, thank you.

And you won "Celebrity Jeopardy," John. So now I kind of feel like sort of in your category now.

BERMAN: This is not about me. This is about you and "EARLY START" which made the big time on "Jeopardy."

ROMANS: It is big time.

BERMAN: All right, Romans, thanks so much.

Judicial nominations in the Senate on pause over one Republican senator. Some colleagues not too thrilled about that. What they want to see happen, that's next.

HILL: And this holiday season you can have your cake and eat it, too -- John Berman, lucky you -- with less sugar and fat. Lisa Drayer shows us how to shave the calories from some sweet treats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LISA DRAYER, CNN HEALTH CONTRIBUTOR: Simple swaps are key to lightening baked goods. For a nutritional boost, try substituting some all-purpose flour with white whole wheat flour. You likely won't taste the difference, but you will get extra fiber, vitamins and minerals.

Instead of oil or butter, you can try using purred apple, carrot, banana, or pumpkin in some recipes. For instance, unsweetened applesauce can replace oil in some muffins, quick breads and cakes.

And heart-healthy purred avocado can also stand in for half the fat in a recipe. Just know, reducing fat may also shorten cooking time, so check to see if it's done earlier than usual.

You can also try making frosting with Greek yogurt for extra protein.

Lastly, here's a general rule, you can cut the amount of sugar in a recipe by 25 percent without really noticing, but you may need to add a little more liquid to make up for it.

[08:45:06] Have fun experimenting so see what your pallet prefers.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Outgoing Republican Senator Jeff Flake is standing in the way of his party confirming 22 federal judges to the lower courts. He is demanding a vote to protect special counsels, like Robert Mueller, from political interference. Senator Flake told CNN, the Judiciary Committee, where Republicans hold a one vote advantage, they can try to move forward with the nominations, but as a member of the panel, he will just vote no, which will mean effectively they won't get out of committee.

Joining us now is Senator John Kennedy, a Republican member of the Judiciary Committee.

And, Senator Kennedy, I know actually you take the confirmation process incredibly seriously. You dive in and research these nominees more than almost any senator I have ever seen.

[08:50:07] What do you make of the action being taken by Senator flake to hold off these votes?

SEN. JOHN KENNEDY (R), LOUISIANA: Well, I'm not going to impugn Jeff's motives. He has every right to do what he's doing. Now, do I agree with him? No. But I'm certainly not going to criticize him. I think Jeff's in good faith. He believes strongly about that we ought to have a vote on his bill. You know, I wouldn't do it in this circumstance, but I'm certainly not mad. I mean I've told him, man, you know, do -- if you think you're right, stand your ground.

BERMAN: So, senator, I know you oppose the measure that Senator Flake is proposing here.

KENNEDY: Right.

BERMAN: You don't believe there is a need for protection for the special counsel.

KENNEDY: Right.

BERMAN: But why not give him a vote? You support democracy?

KENNEDY: Well, I'm OK if they want to have a vote, John. I'm fine with that. I don't think we get to vote enough as senators. But I don't think the bill is constitutional. I don't think that it's necessary. I just don't believe that President Trump -- I think he's too smart to fire Mr. Mueller. I don't think Mr. Mueller should be fired. I think he's getting -- looks to me like he's getting close to the end of his investigation. I hope he files a report soon. And -- and I'm going to fight like hell to make sure the report is public.

I also think, if a bill passes, the president's going to veto it. But having said all that, Jeff wants to make a point here, and he has every right to make that point. And if he wants to hold up all the nominations, I don't agree with him, but he has the right to do that.

BERMAN: But I do think it's interesting that you would support the idea of a vote. You would be happy --

KENNEDY: I'm OK with a vote.

BERMAN: OK.

KENNEDY: I think -- look, I think -- I think we don't get to vote enough on tough issues around here.

BERMAN: So, senator, you seem so confident that President Trump doesn't want to fire the Special Counsel Robert Mueller or wants to allow this investigation to continue. And it's curious that you have such confidence when the president tells us what he's thinking like all the time about the Mueller investigation. This is just one of the most recent things he's written. He is quoting Roger Stone, I will never testify against Trump. This statement was recently made by Roger Stone essentially stating that he will not be forced by a rogue and out of control prosecutor to make up lies and stories about President Trump. Nice to know that some people still have guts.

When he's calling the special counsel a rogue and out of control prosecutor, why does that inspire confidence in you that his job is safe?

KENNEDY: Well, let me -- let me put it this way, John, every politician, and it's especially true in Washington, but every politician I've ever known can talk the ears off a jack rabbit. They talk a lot. You have to watch what politicians do, not what they say.

Now, I know President Trump -- we're all politicians, he is and I am -- has had a lot to say about Mr. Mueller. But look at what he's done. I don't know any single act of -- that he has committed that is in any way tried to deter Mr. Mueller from doing his job.

Now --

BERMAN: Well --

KENNEDY: He's vented a lot on Twitter. This is America. He has a First Amendment right to. But he hasn't taken any steps to try to block the investigation --

BERMAN: Well --

KENNEDY: Nor do I think he will.

BERMAN: Well, I will say -- I will say, he did fire the former FBI director, James Comey. He did install his own guy as acting attorney general who oversees the investigation.

KENNEDY: True.

BERMAN: Those two steps in and of themselves, that's not nothing, is it, senator?

KENNEDY: No, but presidents have the right to fire the FBI director. And, number two, presidents have the right to surround themselves with advisers of their choice. You're talking about our acting attorney general. I don't -- I haven't seen any evidence that the acting attorney general has taken any steps to impede Mr. Mueller. If he --

BERMAN: Do you know --

KENNEDY: If he -- if he does, now we'll deal with it. But I'm not going to hang him before he has a trial.

BERMAN: Do you know with 100 percent certainty if the acting attorney general is overseeing the special counsel investigation? Because we haven't been given a direct answer. You're on the Judiciary Committee. You certainly are owed an answer to that. Do you know?

KENNEDY: I don't know with 100 percent certainty either.

BERMAN: Should you? Shouldn't you know? Shouldn't you know that?

KENNEDY: Say it again, John, should I know what?

BERMAN: I don't mean you -- shouldn't that be something that you know as a senator on the Judiciary Committee?

KENNEDY: Well, I mean, I'd like to know, but I don't expect the acting attorney general, or the permanent attorney general, to call the Judiciary Committee every time he takes a step in doing his job. I mean, look, this is honestly how I feel. I know there's been a lot of rhetoric. Talk's cheap. I know of no overt steps to interfere with Mr. Mueller, nor should there be, or to impede his investigation. Looks to me like Mr. Mueller's moving along now --

[08:55:01] BERMAN: We'll see. KENNEDY: At a very rapid pace, and we're going to know more.

BERMAN: Right.

KENNEDY: If somebody did something wrong, punish them to -- for the rest of their natural lives if it's appropriate. Prosecute them. But in the meantime, he seems to be moving more quickly now. And I'm happy with that. Let's get this thing wrapped up.

BERMAN: We've got about a minute left and I want to get your take on the Jamal Khashoggi situation and the briefing by the CIA Director Gina Haspel to a select group of senators. You said she managed to piss everyone off by only briefing a select group of senators there.

Would you support a Senate measure which basically suggests that it is the belief of the Senate that the Saudi crown prince was connected to or behind, in some level, the murder of Jamal Khashoggi?

KENNEDY: Yes. And, look, in terms of Director Haspel, I wasn't there. And that's fine. But I've talked to people who were there and did get briefed. I believed before, I believe now, that Prince Mohammad knew about it. I don't know whether he gave the order, but he certainly knew about it. Number two, they gutted Mr. Khashoggi like a -- like a fish. And, number three, we've got to condemn it in the strongest possible terms. Number four, we've got to do it without blowing up the Middle East.

BERMAN: Senator John Kennedy, it's always a pleasure to speak with you. If I don't get a chance to see you again, and I certainly hope I do, have a Merry Christmas.

KENNEDY: Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, happy whatever religion you are, John.

BERMAN: Whatever. Senator, thank you so much.

KENNEDY: Thank you.

BERMAN: CNN's special coverage of President George H.W. Bush's funeral begins right after this quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)