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1 Killed, 5 Hurt in Crane Collapse in Dallas; Red Sox Legend David Ortiz Shot in Dominican Republic; Democratic Hopeful Descend on Iowa, Take Aim at Biden; Trump Defends Mexico Deal as Criticism Intensifies; Massive Protests in Hong Kong Over Extradition Bill. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired June 10, 2019 - 06:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: A crane collapse in Dallas kills one and injures several more.

[05:59:35] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The car fell from the top level of our garage.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It just sliced through the building. There's people running around the hallway, trying to figure out what to do.

SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm running for president to beat Donald Trump.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nineteen of the 23 candidates making a five- minute pitch to voters in Iowa. You did not see the frontrunner, Joe Biden.

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Who does this government work for? I'm in this fight to make it work for the rest of America.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. It's Monday, June 10, 6 a.m. here in New York and a very busy morning.

We begin with the deadly crane collapse in Dallas. Look at these pictures. Authorities say strong winds caused a construction crane to topple onto an apartment complex. To hear one witness tell us, the crane sliced through the building like a hot knife through butter.

Also, breaking overnight, the news that honestly kept me from sleeping, former Boston Red Sox great David Ortiz was shot in the back at a nightclub in his native Dominican Republic. Ortiz is more than just a ball player. He is a legend in Boston. The video of this event is terrifying.

The encouraging news is police say that Big Papi is out of surgery and out of danger. Let's hope.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: That is wonderful news.

All right. Meanwhile, the majority of the Democratic hopefuls descending on Iowa for the biggest gathering of the 2020 campaign yet. Joe Biden was not among them. We have a new CNN poll that still shows him on top, but there's a dead heat for second place. So we'll tell you the issues that Democratic caucus goers care most about.

We have it all covered for you. So let's begin with CNN's Rosa Flores, live in Dallas, on that deadly crane collapse. What have you learned, Rosa?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Alisyn, take a look behind me. Police is not letting us get any closer, and that's probably for a good reason. I know it's a little dark, but take a look, and you'll still see the crane that collapsed, how it sliced through the building and how the mangled metal is still wedged in there.

Now, the collapse, we know, at least left one person dead and six others injured.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God! The crane is falling over! Oh, my God!

FLORES (voice-over): Frightening moments as a crane collapses on an apartment complex in Dallas, leaving at least one dead and several injured.

DAVID MENDOZA, RESIDENT: The walls started to shake a bit. I look out, and the entire courtyard had just turned completely white and gray from debris.

FLORES: The crane splitting apart this apartment complex in two, reducing parts of the building to rubble.

ABBY KEARNEY, WITNESS: It just sliced through the building. I mean, not to be cliche, but like a hot knife through butter. And it went from the fifth floor all the way through to, from what I can tell, at least the third floor.

FLORES: Sections of the parking garage crumbling, leaving a pile of cars inside.

KAL FAHMY, WITNESS: I heard a noise like an explosion, right? So I thought, proceeding towards the garage to see what the heck was going on. And there was cars -- a lot of cars that fell from the top level.

FLORES: Emergency crews sending rescue dogs to search for the missing and injured. Neighbors rushing to help neighbors escape the destruction.

MENDOZA: I'm looking next to my truck, and we're seeing just a pile of cars, and we over look to the right and we see a gentleman kind of dangling in his car that's, like, facing straight down. And so me and my other neighbor, we were just kind of like, we can't leave him like that.

FLORES: Moments before the collapse, a terrible storm with severe winds tearing through the area, sending debris flying. Officials stunned by the crash.

JASON EVANS, DALLAS FIRE-RESCUE SPOKESPERSON: This is a really challenging situation. I don't recall ever responding to one where it's actually fallen onto an occupied building.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FLORES: So the cause of the collapse is still under investigation. But there was severe weather reported at the time, including straight- line winds between 70 and 71 miles an hour.

Also leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power right now. At last check this morning, about 260,000 people are without power here in Dallas County -- John.

BERMAN: All right, Rosa, thank you very much.

Joining us now by phone, Abbey Kearney, who lives in that apartment building where the crane collapsed. Oh, we actually have you in person. Thank you so much for being with us.

Just set the scene for us. You were in your apartment, and you noticed the weather changing. Describe the changes.

ABBEY KEARNEY, VICTIM: Yes, it was a very normal Sunday afternoon. We weren't even aware that there was even any severe weather potential. And it was a bright sunny day. There were people at the pool. I was just laying on the couch. And the reason that we went outside was because it got dramatically darker quickly.

So my husband and I both went outside to stand on our patio. We face the pool. We overlook the pool. And it was very clear quickly that something was not right.

The wind picked up and all of the sudden, we had at least three giant patio umbrellas --

BERMAN: Right.

KEARNEY: -- just shoot straight up into the air. And then not long after that, I said, if that crane falls, that's probably going to fall on our building. And then right after that, we saw the crane fall on the building. And it did just cut through the building.

[06:05:05] BERMAN: So describe that. The crane starts to fall. You see it. What was that scene like?

KEARNEY: We actually couldn't see the crane itself. Normally, when I would walk onto the balcony, I would be able to see the crane, basically at a parallel to our building. But that day when we walked out, we couldn't see the crane.

So when it did fall, we just saw the building -- you know, it knocked the building down. But we weren't actually -- we didn't see it fall. We just saw it when it sliced through the building.

BERMAN: And then --

KEARNEY: It was absolutely terrifying.

BERMAN: I'm sure it was terrifying. It's terrifying to see the pictures, even, today. What happened to you after that? Did you have to evacuate?

KEARNEY: We did. It was probably about an hour. I don't even know the time frame, because it's all pretty hazy. But we -- once we kind of got our bearings and realized, you know, that our cats were OK, we just tried to figure out what to do, what a game plan would be. But you just don't know what to do in a situation like this. It's not something that you plan for.

So we kind of just spent the hour gathering belongings that we could. Luckily, we had been to a wedding the night before, and so we had just come back. I hadn't even unpacked my bag. So I just grabbed my bag and anything that we could. And we got out. And we went down the street.

At that time we did have to leave the cats. We weren't able to get them corralled in time to get out by the time they did start knocking on doors and making us leave the building.

BERMAN: Do you have the cats now?

KEARNEY: We do.

BERMAN: OK.

KEARNEY: We do. We do. We had a very long night, but I think we're going to make it. We're very lucky.

BERMAN: Abbey Kearney, we're glad you're OK. That must have been terrifying, to see the pictures today. Wow. And I hope you have a chance to get back soon. Thanks very much for being with us.

KEARNEY: Thank you. I appreciate it.

CAMEROTA: Now to this scary story, John. Breaking overnight, former Red Sox slugger and Boston icon David Ortiz shot at a bar in his native Dominican Republic.

CNN's Alexandra Field joins us now with the breaking details. What happened, Alexandra?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Alisyn, good morning to you. David Ortiz, a giant of Boston, a giant of baseball, shot in the back with the bullet going into his stomach. Apparently, he was approached by a shooter on a motorcycle. He was rushed to the hospital for surgery. His father updating reporters with his son's condition overnight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEO ORTIZ, FATHER OF DAVID ORTIZ (through translator): The operation is over, and he is stable. We're just waiting for the doctors to take him out of the surgery room. He's resting right now. No, there are no other damages we know of. He is stable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FIELD: Several people believed to be connected to the shooting were taken into custody by police. One of those people actually taken to a hospital with injuries after a group of bystanders attacked following the shooting.

The love for David Ortiz, Big Papi, coming in from everywhere, including from some of his former teammates like Pedro Martinez, who posted a picture of the two of them together on Twitter, called his former teammate a strong man, said he's at peace, knowing that his friend is out of danger. Sending thoughts and prayers.

And Alisyn and John, I've got to tell you, I'm a New Yorker through and through. I got to live in Boston for a short period of time. I have never seen a stronger force for unity or source of pride for any city than the Red Sox are for Boston. David Ortiz is such a big part of that. You know that he and his family are getting a lot of love, a lot of support from Boston this morning beyond and, I think, from the anchor desk.

BERMAN: No, look. Yes, no, this is my David Ortiz action figure, which is in my office always. And I'm not making light of this, because as you said, Alexandra, David Ortiz is more than a ball player. I mean, he's the heart and soul, or was for a long time, in Boston. And one of the things I will never forget is after the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, they shut the city down. They shut much of the state down. People weren't allowed to leave their homes.

And then finally, the Red Sox were allowed to play again. They opened up Fenway, and they had a ceremony before the game. And David Ortiz addressed the city and, really, the country. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID ORTIZ, FORMER BOSTON RED SOX PLAYER: This is our (EXPLETIVE DELETED) city.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: We had to bleep part of it. But really, the message was crystal-clear to everyone, a message of defiance. And he brought that city together. And overnight -- I'm not exaggerating. I had a hard time sleeping.

CAMEROTA: I know. You lost sleep over this. I understand why. BERMAN: Because he's the type of person, why would anyone shoot David

Ortiz? Why would anyone do that? How could this happen to someone like this man? It just -- it makes you shake your head. And I know that the entire city feels that way, and the news, hopefully, is good and that he's recovering.

CAMEROTA: So we'll follow all of his progress and any reports that we get from the hospital this morning.

BERMAN: All right. We've got big news in the Democratic race for president. Nineteen of the candidates are coming off their first giant joint event in Iowa. The front-runner, former Vice President Joe Biden, he was not among them.

The cattle call does come as the new CNN/"Des Moines Register" poll comes out, which has shown a big swing in support for certain candidates.

[06:10:06] CNN's Jeff Zeleny is live in Des Moines with the very latest. Quite a day there, Jeff.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: John, good morning. It certainly was. We saw all the Democratic presidential candidates, or most of them, at least, descending on Iowa this weekend, culminating yesterday in a big hall of fame dinner, as they call it.

All candidates trying to make their voices heard. John Delaney of Maryland came in with a bagpipe. Others came in with a jazz piano and marching bands, but it was clear that Joe Biden, a race for second and all of the other candidates trying to be heard. That's what the field looks like right now.

But front runners here in Iowa can be fleeting.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZELENY (voice-over): The Democratic presidential field on parade. Nineteen candidates on stage in Iowa Sunday for the biggest 2020 gathering of the year. Bernie Sanders arguing it's no time to play it safe.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There are some well-intentioned Democrats and candidates who believe that the best way forward is a middle ground strategy that antagonizes no one, that stands up to nobody, and that changes nothing.

ZELENY: Sanders didn't mention any well-intentioned Democrat by name, but it appears to be the latest chapter in his rising battle with Joe Biden.

The former vice president was not on hand for the Iowa Hall of Fame dinner. He sent his regrets as he attended his granddaughter's high school graduation.

Biden is leading the way in a new CNN/"Des Moines Register" Iowa poll. But Sanders is suddenly facing fresh competition. Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg are now essentially locked in a three-way tie for second place.

WARREN: There are people who are ready for big structural change in this country.

MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have some work to do to get people used to the idea of a millennial midwestern mayor running for president. Although it's not quite as exotic as people thought it was in January, if the polls are anything to go by.

ZELENY: Kamala Harris is the only other candidate above 5 percent.

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm going to tell you somebody else who has defrauded the American people: Donald Trump.

ZELENY: Eight months before the Iowa caucuses open the Democratic voting, candidates are trying to break out. For all the talk of impeachment in Washington, the word was barely mentioned here, as contenders sought to introduce themselves.

BOOKER: Our party does not need a savior. We need each other.

SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: To the pundits who still say, "Can a woman really win?" Yes, of course we can.

ZELENY: Voters are struggling to sort through it all.

JOELLEN MEAGAN, IOWA VOTERS: I'm a Joe Biden supporter, but he's not here today. I want to be open-minded to the younger people that are running, too. I think they have a lot to offer.

ZELENY: Democrats of all stripes say they're united in their goal of defeating President Trump, but a debate over generation, gender and more is still very much alive for just who would make the strongest candidate.

(on camera): Electability is always a question. How do you begin to assess who's electable?

BETSY RUBINER, IOWA VOTER: I refuse to believe that a woman can't win. I refuse to believe that a progressive can't win. And I refuse to believe that a Democrat can't win.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZELENY: So Joe Biden was not here over the weekend, but he will be coming to Iowa tomorrow.

He will also have another 2020 candidate in the state at that same time virtually doing the same thing. That is Donald Trump. Of course, he is also running for president. And Donald Trump carried Iowa back in 2016.

Of course, this is a state that Barack Obama and Joe Biden won twice. Alisyn, tomorrow in Iowa, Donald Trump and Joe Biden head to head. Exactly the race Joe Biden has been hoping for. Of course, first, he has that long Democratic primary to get through.

CAMEROTA: Jeff Zeleny, thank you very much for that.

So this morning, a new CNN/"Des Moines Register" poll tells us which issues matter most to likely caucus goers in Iowa. CNN's political director, David Chalian, is live in Iowa for us with the numbers.

What are you seeing, David?

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Good morning, Alisyn. We'll get to those issues in just a moment. I just wanted to show you another question we asked people in this poll. Beyond just who you're committed to right now.

And as Jeff Zeleny just showed you, Joe Biden is still in the lead here in Iowa.

But take a look at this. We asked people your first choice, who's your second choice, who are you actively considering? And you can see the top five here are the ones that get a majority of likely Democratic caucus goers saying they are under active consideration.

Joe Biden now shares the top spot on this score with Elizabeth Warren at the 61 percent threshold there. That's good news for Joe Biden.

Here's one potential warning sign in the polls for Joe Biden. It's the enthusiasm issue. We asked Biden supporters, are you extremely enthusiastic about the choice?

Twenty-nine percent of them said they are. Compared to the rest of the candidates combined, we're at 39 percent they say they are extremely enthusiastic about their choice. So there's a bit of an enthusiasm gap there.

We also checked in on this issue of electability. And when we asked Iowa Democrats, "Are you looking for someone who can beat Trump or are you looking for someone to agree with you on the issues," it's not even a close contest. Take a look at that. Sixty-five percent want someone who has a strong chance to win. Thirty-one percent, shares your issue position.

And in brand-new numbers releasing right now in this next installment of our CNN/"Des Moines Register," Iowa, poll, we looked at the qualities that some of the candidates have, sort of personality traits, if you will.

And to find out which one voters thought was the biggest advantage, look at this. Washington experience comes out on top. Fifty-two percent saying that is an advantage for the candidate. That's good news for Joe Biden.

But look at the bottom end of that scale. Only 1 percent said being over the age of 70 is an advantage. So there is perhaps a negative, potentially, for Joe Biden. And of course, we asked about the issues. What is driving you to

support someone? What's most important? Look at that. The right to an abortion: 79 percent call it a must-have. Climate change as the greatest threat, 75 percent. And restoring an assault-style weapon ban, 57 percent. So abortion, climate and guns are the top driving issues -- John.

BERMAN: All right. David Chalian, thanks so much.

An upset victory for D.C. insiders. You don't normally see that in this type of poll. Thanks, David. We'll very much. We'll have you back in a little bit to talk about this much more.

In the meantime, stunning pictures from Hong Kong. Look at this. More than a million people took to the streets. Will these protests continue today and what will China do about them? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:21:19] BERMAN: This morning, is it a big deal or a big mirage? President Trump is declaring victory at the southern border after reaching a deal with Mexico on immigration. But "The New York Times" reports that parts of the deal were actually hammered out months ago.

CNN's Joe Johns is live at the White House.

Joe, we were on together Friday night when details of this deal were breaking. We were wondering how much would be in it. Maybe not as much as we initially anticipated.

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: And that's exactly right, John. You know, the administration's message is that this is all new. It's a big deal for the president. A demonstration of his negotiating skills. He got some tangible commitments.

But the president spent the last 24 hours or so pushing back against his critics and reporting over at "The New York Times" suggesting it's all smoke and mirrors, that it's nothing new, that these are things Mexico had already agreed to.

Still, the administration's top officials are pushing the idea that the president ought to get credit for this. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN MCALEENAN, ACTING DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: The president put a charge in this whole dialogue with Mexico with the terror threat, brought them to the table. The foreign minister from Mexico arrived within hours. He arrived the next day with real proposals on the table.

This is the first time since we've heard anything like this kind of number of law enforcement being deployed in Mexico to address migration, not just on their southern border but also on the transportation routes to the northern border and in coordinated patrols in key areas along our southwest border. (END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: So the question once again is it the art of the deal or the art of the sale? The president continues to sell this morning. Put out a tweet just a while ago, claiming that the Mexican government is doing more than Democrats to stop illegal immigration.

John, Alisyn, back to you.

CAMEROTA: We'll talk to some of those Democrats in Congress later in the program. Joe, thank you very much.

More than a million people marched on the streets of Hong Kong Sunday against a controversial extradition bill. But you would not know any of this if you used social media in China.

CNN's Matt Rivers is live in Hong Kong with more. What are they so upset about, Matt?

MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're upset about the fact that a million people here, according to organizers, were out in the streets protesting this very controversial law that could go into effect here in Hong Kong in a matter of weeks or months.

Basically, all of those people, one in seven people here in Hong Kong, well over a million, according to organizers, were protesting this extradition law which basically would allow Hong Kong to extradite suspects to Beijing.

What critics are saying is that that would allow Beijing to basically request the extradition of people like dissidents, human rights activists, journalists simply for political reasons.

Now, the government of Hong Kong would deny that, as would Beijing, but that is what people here are thinking.

Now, the protests are not over. Wednesday morning here is the next time that the Hong Kong parliament will be debating this bill. One of the last times they did that, we've got some video we can show you. It was so controversial, tensions went so high that lawmakers actually started fighting each other in the chamber. So will that happen again Wednesday morning? We're not sure. But we know that they're going to be debating it. We know that protests will be happening outside. And so it could go on. This fight is not over.

BERMAN: All right, Matt Rivers for us in Hong Kong. Matt, thank you very much. Those pictures simply stunning.

Iowa caucus fever is upon us. Nineteen candidates there for the first real big event of the nominating season. Which candidate had the best showing? The best experts in the business join us with their take, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:29:01] CAMEROTA: The majority of Democratic 2020 candidates descended on Iowa, some of them taking aim at the front runner, Joe Biden, who was not there. Our new poll numbers show a very tight race for second place in that state.

So back with us to help break it down is CNN political director David Chalian. Also joining us, M.J. Lee, CNN political correspondent; and Alex Burns, CNN political analyst and national political correspondent for "The New York Times."

Great to have you all here.

So David Chalian, let's just put up what poll do you think is most attention-grabbing? What do you think our viewers need to see this morning?

CHALIAN: Well, I mean, certainly, that overall sort of baseline of where the race is at this stage, eight months out, as Democrats are starting to get a little more engaged here in Iowa before the debate season. I just look at that horse race number. It shows --

CAMEROTA: Let's look at that.

CHALIAN: -- Joe Biden with that lead, Alisyn, but what I think is interesting is that that lead is more narrow than it has been in these national polls.

And as you indicated, I think, one of the key things in this poll is that Bernie Sanders does not live in the second place slot all by himself, as we've seen in a lot of these other national polls. They is -- they are all bunched up right there.

[06:30:00]