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President Trump Calling the Whistleblower Another Hoax; Rockets Manager Under Fire After a Bias Tweet; Diplomat's Wife Escaped After Getting Involved in an Accident; U.S. Pull Out troops From Syria; U.S. Pull Out Troops in Syria; Whistleblowers Coming Out Against President Trump; Key Witness Killed After Suspect's Verdict; Nobel Peace Prize Winner Soon to be Announced. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired October 07, 2019 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Another twist in the impeachment inquiry. A second whistleblower has come forward with the story to tell about the president's conversation with the Ukrainian officials.
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: China versus the NBA. How a tweet about the unrest in Hong Kong is causing a firestorm in China.
HOWELL: Plus, a mother's plea. Her fight for justice after she says an American diplomat's wife killed her son.
Live from studio 7 here in the mothership, welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm George Howell.
CHURCH: I'm Rosemary Church. From CNN headquarters in Atlanta CNN Newsroom starts right now.
Well, President Trump is again lashing out at House Democrats as he faces a growing impeachment inquiry, resorting to name calling and throwing around more baseless allegations against his critics, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House intelligence chair Adam Schiff.
HOWELL: The U.S. President tweeted about it, saying the house speaker and intelligence chair, in part, that they are guilty for high crimes and misdemeanors and even treason. This comes, again, as a second whistleblower has come forward in the scandal.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond has the latest now from Washington.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: We now know that there are two whistleblowers from within the intelligence community who have raised concerns about President Trump's call with the president of Ukraine.
Attorneys for that first whistleblower now say that they're also representing at least a second whistleblower from within the intelligence community. And this whistleblower proclaims to have firsthand information about many of the instances raised in that first whistleblower's complaints.
That has, of course, been a key Republican talking point aimed at discrediting that first whistleblower. The fact that many of the allegations that were made, the whistleblower obtained secondhand.
Now, as far as the White House reaction to the second whistleblower, they're essentially saying there's nothing to see here, folks. Here is a statement from the White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham.
She says, "It doesn't matter how many people decide to call themselves whistleblower about the same telephone call. A call the president has already made public. It doesn't change the fact that he has done nothing wrong."
Now, of course, despite that, we've seen the president repeatedly attacking the whistleblower on Twitter this weekend. Also attacking Democrats, the media and even one Republican who dared to come out and publicly criticize the president's requests that China and Ukraine investigate his political rival, Joe Biden.
Senator Mitt Romney, the former Republican nominee, came out and called President Trump's requests appalling and wrong. President Trump has now fired back calling for Senator Romney's impeachment. Of course, senators can't be impeached. From the message from the president here was clear to any Republicans who would come out, out of line and speak out against him, this is what could come.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, the White House.
CHURCH: Well, President Trump's allies tried to defend him on the Sunday talk shows. His personal attorney is also trying to defend himself. Rudy Giuliani admits he met with Ukrainian officials about the Bidens and here was the former New York mayor on Fox News.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUDY GIULIANI, PRESIDENT TRUMP'S LAWYER: We got an anonymous whistleblower who says that Donald Trump did something wrong. Donald Trump, like Hunter Biden says, I didn't do anything wrong.
HOWARD KURTS, FOX NEWS HOST: Forget the whistleblower. We have the transcript of the calls and the president's remarks on the one.
GIULIANI: Wait, wait, before you interrupt me, Howard.
KURTZ: Go ahead.
GIULIANI: I know you want to defend it so bad.
KURTZ: I don't want to defend anything. I'm asking questions.
GIULIANI: You do. You do.
KURTZ: I am asking questions.
GIULIANI: It's pathetic. It's pathetic. Listen to me. KURTZ: One more question about your role in Ukraine because you had
dealt with the recent --
(CROSSTALK)
GIULIANI: My role in the Ukraine --
KURTZ: Hold on. Let me ask the --
GIULIANI: -- is to get out corruption.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: And it's not just Ukraine. On Thursday President Trump also publicly asked China to investigate the Bidens. The president's backers are trying to defend that, too. They're also trying to deflect, change the subject. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): George, do you really think he was serious about thinking that China's going to investigate the Biden family?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He said it right there in public.
JORDAN: I think he's getting -- I think Senator Rubio said a couple days ago, he's getting the press all spun up about this.
[03:04:59]
Remember, this is the president who's been tougher on China than any other president.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Preceding that list the president has invited, asked Ukraine to look into a political rival. And there is -- now there is texting on that we're seeing the unfolding, potentially, of evidence to justify the whistleblower's complaint.
So, the question is, is this how the power of the presidency should be used? To get a foreign country --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have --
WHITFIELD: -- to interfere or meddle with U.S. elections?
ELIZABETH HARRINGTON, SPOKESWOMAN, U.S. REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: We have confirmed from Kurt Volker's testimony that there was no quid pro quo. The favor in fact was getting to the bottom of what happened in 2016.
This is an issue that Democrats and the media was very interested in not very long ago. How exactly was Russian disinformation infiltrated throughout our politics for over two years, pushing an insane conspiracy theory about President Trump and Russia that was completely false.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: The intelligence community has already said that Russia did interfere --
(CROSSTALK)
HARRINGTON: The Obama administration views.
SEN. RON JOHNSON (R-WI): There are a lot of unanswered questions. Chuck, I just want the truth. The American people want the truth.
CHUCK TODD, MSNBC HOST: Do you not trust the American -- do you not trust the FBI, you don't trust the CIA --
JOHNSON: No, no, I don't. Absolutely --
CHUCK: I'm just confused here.
JOHNSON: After Strzok and Lisa Page.
CHUCK: OK.
JOHNSON: After James Comey --
(CROSSTALK)
CHUCK: You believe the FBI and the CIA, these government agencies --
JOHNSON: John Brennan. No, I don't trust any of these guys in the Obama administration.
CHUCK: OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: All right. For more, we are joined now from England by Scott Lucas, he is a professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham. Thanks so much for being with us.
SCOTT LUCAS, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM: Good morning, Rosemary.
CHURCH: All right. So, the second whistleblower has now come forward with firsthand knowledge of the phone conversation between the U.S. president and his Ukraine counterpart, confirming what was initially revealed by the first whistleblower.
What impact might this have on the direction of the impeachment inquiry into President Trump and could this, perhaps, represent some sort of turning point, do you think?
LUCAS: Well, we wait to see the content, Rosemary. Not only from the second whistleblower, but according to an attorney, his firm is representing multiple whistleblowers. In other words, there may be more than two.
And, of course, if that content reinforces and attends what the first whistleblower said, not just about the Trump phone call with the Ukraine president, but about the campaign by Rudy Giuliani, Trump's attorney since last November, for an investigation of Joe Biden and the Democratic Party, then, yes, that's huge.
Because now -- it's like a courtroom case. If you have one witness that testifies against the defendant, OK. But if you have multiple witnesses that tell stories that link up, then that court case can't be wished away by just saying it's all a hoax.
CHURCH: Right. And we were just listening to Republicans falling over themselves trying to support the president. We're not hearing from many Republicans speaking out against the U.S. president over his effort to pressure Ukraine's leader to investigate Joe Biden.
Mitt Romney, of course, seems to be the bravest of them all. And he was attacked by President Trump over the weekend for doing that. Why do you think other Republicans are remaining silent or tying themselves in knots trying to support the president?
LUCAS: Well, you'll have to ask them. But, Rosemary, I think your key there is Republicans keeping silent. Because apart from only two U.S. senators -- sorry, three U.S. senators, you heard from one of them Ron Johnson in his interview yesterday, the rest of the 53 have not spoken out to defend Donald Trump, you know, in comparison let's say, representative like Jim Jordan who says it was all just Trump telling a joke.
In other words, many Republicans since the complaint came out, since the transcript came out of the phone call and now since the revelation of the second whistleblower are saying no comment or I need further information, presenting --
(CROSSTALK)
CHURCH: And what do you think they're doing that? Do you think they're sitting back, waiting to see how this all plays out before they figure out who they're going to stand by?
LUCAS: They don't know how big this is, Rosemary. In contrast to Trump/Russia where for more than two years there was a great amount of evidence, as we found out from the Mueller reporting on Donald Trump. There wasn't a focal event.
Now there's a focal event, that phone call. Now we've got officials one, two, maybe more who are breaking ranks to testify and Republican senators are realizing, look, do we stay tied to Donald Trump all the way to November 2020 and re-election when we could go down with him?
CHURCH: Just very quickly, in this situation, Joe Biden apparently has actually done nothing wrong. That's certainly the understanding at this point.
But we're now seeing other presidential hopefuls basically saying, well, if my relative had been there, I wouldn't have had them sit on a foreign company board. Do you think this is going to be the downfall of Biden, because he's so much on the defensive now?
LUCAS: I don't want to play crystal ball on that, Rosemary, but I would say there's an issue here for everyone, Democratic, Republican, any other party, about whether we need legislation about whether the daughter, the son, the relative of a high-ranking official sits on a board of a foreign company.
[03:10:05]
Conflict of interest legislation. But that should apply to everyone. It should not distract from the fact that the allegations against Joe Biden and Hunter Biden and against the Democratic Party are unproven, some of them are conspiracy theories and that the man who is spreading them is someone who is asking for a foreign government possibly to help in his re-election campaign.
CHURCH: All right. Scott Lucas, many thanks to you for your analysis and perspective. Always appreciate it.
LUCAS: Thank you, Rosemary.
HOWELL: And now to a major policy shift. The White House now says that Turkey will soon move forward with its long-planned military operation into northern Syria.
CHURCH: The U.S. will not be involved and is now pulling out troops from the area where they have been deployed and supporting Kurdish-led forces. The move came after a phone call between President Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday. Senior U.S. officials have been trying to dissuade Turkey from carrying out the operation.
HOWELL: The White House did not specify in its statement if this move now constitutes a full withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria, but Turkey will now be responsible for all of the captured ISIS fighters who are currently being held by Kurdish forces in northern Syria.
Let's go live to the region. CNN's senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman is on the story live in Beirut, Lebanon. And Ben, this essentially means that Turkey will take on an area of responsibility. The question here, how far into Syria that zone reaches will have significant implications.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Indeed. This is quite a shocking development. The Turks have made it clear they want this so-called safe zone along the almost 450-kilometer border between Syria and Turkey to be 30 kilometers with -- inside Syria, which is basically would encompass a variety of large towns and cities that are currently under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces. Those are the forces that the United States was closely aligned with in the war against ISIS.
And the Syrian Democratic Forces are clearly very unhappy with this move. They put out a statement this morning, just a little while ago, saying that the United States is not abiding by its commitment with the SDF, keeping in mind that in the beginning of September, the Americans and Turkish forces began to patrol a smaller part of that border and not well within it.
So certainly, this does represent something of a betrayal by the United States of one of its most important allies in the war against ISIS. And it brings into question what are Turkey's intentions?
We have heard from the Turks that they want to settle as many as two million Syrian refugees currently in Turkey within this part of Syria, but we need to keep in mind, this is not where those Syrians come from.
These are Sunni Muslims from western Syria being resettled, potentially, in a part of Syria that is largely Kurdish, so this has serious implications. They could certainly destabilize a part of Syria that has been relatively stable now for several years. George?
HOWELL: Well, Ben, that does raise the question now, what will happen with the Kurds? We'll, of course, have to continue with this story and we'll stay in touch with you for developments. Ben Wedeman, live. Thank you.
CHURCH: Well, police in Hong Kong are condemning the violent protests that rocked the city over the weekend. Tensions boiled over once again after the government announced an emergency ban on masks at public gatherings. Many protesters chose to hide their faces anyway, testing the resolve of police. At least 13 were arrested partially for that reason.
HOWELL: Chinese military personnel also had their first direct interaction with demonstrators, warning them they would be arrested for targeting their -- barracks, rather, with lasers.
The Hong Kong protests are even seeping into the National Basketball Association. The Chinese Basketball Association says that it severed ties with the Houston Rockets team after their general manager, Daryl Morey, tweeted support for the protesters on Friday.
CHURCH: The Rockets are one of the most popular NBA teams in China and China's Yao Ming spent years playing for the rockets. Morey has since deleted the tweet and both he and the league have apologized.
David Culver explains why it's such a big deal in China.
DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: To fully understand the fallout from this tweet, you need to really know what basketball means to the folks here in China.
[03:15:02]
The NBA and basketball are something that have gathered a lot of fans here. Millions of fans, in fact. So not only are people watching it on TV but they're also coming together at times like this, young people, and playing on neighborhood courts like the one behind me. Let's recap what exactly played out over the past couple of days. And
where we are today. It started on Friday with the general manager of the Houston Rockets posting a photo that said, fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong.
That, of course, a reference to the democracy protests that are going on right now in Hong Kong and have been happening there for 18 plus weeks. He subsequently took down that tweet, deleted it, realizing that the backlash was coming quite quickly.
That backlash included Chinese basketball Association severing ties with the Rockets, the major broadcaster's CCTV here likewise terminating a contract to show some of the games here, and big sponsors like Tencent saying that they would suspend live streaming any of the Rockets games.
So, a lot of money is at stake and a lot of eyes here that would likewise be watching the Rockets as they play. Now Morey sent out a subsequent tweet and I'll read that for you apologizing for what he initially put out.
He said, quote, "I did not intend my tweet to cause any offense to Rockets fans and friends of mine in China. I was merely voicing one thought base on what interpretation of one complicated event. I have had a lot of opportunity since that tweet to hear and consider other perspectives.
I have always appreciated the significant support of our Chinese fans and sponsors have provided and I would hope that those who are upset will know that offending or misunderstanding them was not my intention. My tweets are my own and in no way represent the Rockets or the NBA."
Now, that apology has also gotten some backlash, particularly from U.S. lawmakers. On both sides, Democrats and Republicans. Essentially saying that Morey should not be appeasing the Chinese communist government and that his response showed concern for money rather than the democracy movements going on in Hong Kong.
Either way, when I caught up with one young player here, I asked him what he thought of the Rockets in light of this event, he had heard about the tweet and the subsequent apology and the fallout. He said, it changed his opinion somewhat of the Rockets. He'd be less likely to watch them play, but he said overall, he still has a love for the game here.
David Culver, CNN, Beijing.
CHURCH: We turn to Iraq now and violent clashes between protesters and authorities have turned deadly once again.
HOWELL: Four more lives were lost in the unrest bringing the death toll to 104 people who died. Officials deny that security forces have open fire on demonstrators, but activists dispute that. They claim security forces and Iranian-backed militias are deliberately shooting into the crowds. CHURCH: Meantime, Iran's supreme leader is responding to the unrest
in Iraq. He says the souls of the two nations are tied and their bond will grow stronger. He added, enemies seek to sow discord but they failed and their conspiracy won't be effective.
HOWELL: Still ahead, a mother makes an emotional plea for justice. Her fight to hold a U.S. diplomat's wife accountable gains the attention of top British officials.
[03:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOWELL: We are just weeks away from Halloween Day, October 31st. It is Brexit day, the deadline. And Boris Johnson is facing growing pressure not just from his own parliament, but from other E.U. leaders.
CHURCH: Yes, the British prime minister's office says he spoke with the French president Sunday to discuss proposals. Emmanuel Macron reportedly told him to amend his plan by week's end. Mr. Johnson is still threatening to yank the U.K. out of the E.U. with no deal.
HOWELL: In the meantime, Britain's Brexit secretary is suggesting the government could be flexible when it comes to the Irish backstop. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN BARCLAY, U.K. BREXIT SECRETARY: The backstop is a unicorn that has failed to materialize three times in parliament. It's been rejected --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But it's not unicorn. It's been rejected three times.
BARCLAY: It's been rejected three times in parliament. And the reason for that was the concerns around laws applying in Northern Ireland over which people would not have a say. And the fact that it was at odds with the Belfast Good Friday Agreement in terms of failing to secure this consent at both sides.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And Ireland's prime minister says time is tight to reach a compromise.
Well, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is getting personally involved in the case of a car crash involving a U.S. diplomat's wife that left one man dead. Raab is set to meet with the family of 19- year-old Harry Dunn who was hit and killed in that crash.
HOWELL: Police say the woman who has diplomatic immunity was driving on the wrong side of the road. The secretary and the victim's own family are calling on the United States to reconsider the woman's immunity.
CNN's Anna Stewart joins us now from London with more on this. Anna, it is a heartbreaking story. All the more so because the mother of this young boy who was killed has felt no justice has been done here.
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: That's right. And the family is really living a nightmare right now. I spoke to them yesterday. I went to Northamptonshire and met with them and they described the terrible tragic circumstance of their son's death.
He was 19 years old, he was riding his motorbike, something that he absolutely loves to do. And this accident was so bad. The hospital I'm told had to really come to him because it was evident that all of his bones were broken and they simply couldn't save him.
And after his funeral having been told already shortly after the death that the suspect was the wife of a diplomat, it wasn't until after the funeral they discovered that she'd actually left the country without telling the police and no one knows where she is. And it doesn't seem very able for the police of the British government to summon her back because of the complex nature of diplomatic immunity. They feel huge anguish.
Take a listen actually to what the mother, Charlotte Charles, had to say to me.
[03:25:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHARLOTTE CHARLES, HARRY DUNN'S MOTHER: It can't be right that somebody -- a diplomat or their family can come over to the U.K. or any other country, kill somebody, unintentionally or not, and just go away and ignore what's happened and leave us with nothing.
We can't change what's happened to Harry. And we can't get him back. But what we will do our absolutely utmost to do is make sure it doesn't happen to another family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEWART: Harry's family wanted to speak to us because they want our international viewers and our viewers in America to understand what is going on here. They want more pressure put on the U.S. government because they feel that they've done all they can in the U.K. and it's really over to Washington here.
CHURCH: Very quickly, Anna, of course, as we were reporting at the initial stages there, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is getting involved. In what way? Is there a sense that he could be pushing here for waiving diplomatic immunity?
STEWART: So publicly all we know from the foreign secretary is he's expressed his disappointment with the circumstances to the U.S. ambassador of the U.K. And he is meeting with the family later this week. Whether or not he has the power or, you know, behind closed doors he's
able to push anything or do anything is unclear. Really this is for the State Department and they've simply told us that, quote, "immunity is rarely waived." Rosemary.
CHURCH: Anna Stewart, many thanks to you for bringing us up to date on that just a heartbreaking story for that family. I appreciate it.
HOWELL: For those watching around the world on CNN international, thank you for your time. Spirit of Tokyo is up next.
CHURCH: And if you're joining us here in the United States, do stay with us. We have more news for just ahead.
[03:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States. You are watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Rosemary Church.
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm George Howell. Let's check the top headlines we have for you this hour.
Turkey said it's moving head with a military operation in northern Syria. The U.S. will not be involved and will pull out troops from that area where they were deployed. Senior U.S. officials have tried to dissuade Turkey from carrying out this operation.
CHURCH: Another whistleblower has come forward in the Ukraine scandal facing U.S. President Donald Trump. The lawyer representing the first whistleblower says his team also represents this second one. He says the client works in the intelligence community and has firsthand knowledge backing the first whistleblower's claims.
HOWELL: President Trump on Twitter again lashing out over this second whistleblower suggesting they're part of what he calls it is deep state. He also launched baseless accusations at two top Democrats in the House, accusing them of high crimes, misdemeanors and treason.
CHURCH: Well, if the House does vote to impeach President Trump, it will ultimately be up to the Senate to decide if he will be removed from office.
HOWELL: And some Senate Democrats also running for president they're weighing in on that prospect. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you have enough evidence to convict yourself?
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, you would vote right now to --
WARREN: Look, I think the evidence is clear. When Donald Trump released the transcript in which he solicited a foreign government to interfere in the 2020 elections, he broke the law.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Do you think it's irresponsible for senators who will be essentially jurors to say right now that they would vote to convict? Is that irresponsible?
SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think people will say different things. I personally as a former prosecutor like to look at all the evidence because you might convict on a number of counts and not on another one.
SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am a juror and I want to look at what the articles of impeachment are, I want to look at all the evidence. I'll just tell you, just as an American, this is not just offensive, I think it's ground for impeachment.
So, I'm looking forward to the fullness of this coming out. The House has to go through a process. They will develop articles of impeachment; they will pass them perhaps on the floor before they get to the Senate where there will be a trial. But if you want to ask me as somebody looking at our president, what the president of the United States is doing, it is contrary to our framers of Constitution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: So, Rosemary, I mean, that is what the Democratic presidential candidates are saying. But the question always what are voters saying, especially in that key state of Michigan? President Trump took that state in 2016 but by a very slim margin.
CHURCH: And CNN's Miguel Marquez went to Michigan to see what impact, if any, the impeachment inquiry is having on President Trump's support.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All important Macomb County, Michigan, has impeachment dented the president's support here? Did you vote for the president or Clinton in 2016?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For the president.
MARQUEZ: For the president. Are you still just as happy with them?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No comment.
MARQUEZ: Some of the president supporters are on the fence, but most we spoke to say impeachment is little more than politics.
MATTHEW KALINOWSKI, TRUMP SUPPORTER: I think it's a lot of just people don't like him. They want him out of office. The left and the media.
MARQUEZ: John Skantze voted for Trump in 2016 and had concerns early on. Six months ago, he thought Joe Biden might be an option. Now he says the push for impeachment has him supporting the president more than ever.
JOHN SKANTZE, TRUMP SUPPORTER: They are there for one thing now and one thing only. And that's to try to impeach the president.
MARQUEZ: But Democrats here say moving forward with the impeachment process could sway voters to their side.
Does it help move votes in --
(CROSSTALK)
CAROLE CHI, CHAIR, STERLING HEIGHTS DEMOCRATIC CLUB: UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And does it help Macomb --
MARQUEZ: -- in Macomb County?
CHI: I think so. I think so. Because I think people in Macomb County want to see -- see what's being done, see the right thing being done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUEZ: Obama won Macomb and Michigan twice. Trump easily won Macomb and flipped the state by a razor-thin margin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: And who won the state of Michigan after decades?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUEZ: The county critical to both parties. Republican strategist Jamie Roe says the drive for impeachment will only help re-elect the president and Republicans.
JAMIE ROE, STRATEGIST, GRAND RIVER STRATEGIES: If they're going to try to impeach him on this Ukraine business, I think that they are driving themselves straight back to the majority -- minority in the House.
MARQUEZ: Paul Kanan with the Michigan Democratic Party says while impeachment is important, Democrats also need to keep their focus on the issues.
[03:35:01]
PAUL KANAN, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, MICHIGAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY: We need to be talking about what affects people on a day-to-day basis. And that is -- that's those blue-collar pocketbook issues.
MARQUEZ: Miguel Marquez, CNN, Macomb County, Michigan.
CHURCH: The White House is dismissing reports of a second whistleblower and what it could mean for the impeachment inquiry.
HOWELL: While the whistleblowers pose an obvious threat to those in power they also face serious personal consequences for their actions.
Our Randi Kaye looks at prominent whistleblowers in recent U.S. history.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
You tell me what you know and I'll confirm. I'll keep you in the right direction, if I can, but that's all. Just follow the money.
RANDI KAYE, CNN INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: He is, perhaps, the most famous whistleblower in history known simply as 'deep throat.' In the 1970s he helped take down President Richard Nixon by divulging critical information about the Watergate break-in to Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Woodward, Bernstein, you're both on the story and I don't (muted).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: 'Deep throat' would set up secret meetings with Woodward by drawing a clock with a specific time, usually late at night, on page 20 of Woodward's copy of the New York Times. They would then meet at that time inside an underground parking garage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no, I am not deep throat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: In fact, he was. The mystery ended in 2005 when Mark Felt, the number two in command at the FBI in the early '70s, revealed he was 'deep throat.' Also, in the 1970s, military analyst Daniel Ellsberg earned a reputation as the most dangerous man in America for leaking a top secret government study about the Vietnam War known as 'the Pentagon papers.'
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The name has come out as the possible source of the Times Pentagon documents. It is that of Daniel Ellsberg.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The Pentagon papers showed the government had mismanaged the Vietnam War and lied about it. Ellsberg was charged under the Espionage Act of 1917 with theft and conspiracy, but the charges were later dropped due to government misconduct. Ellsberg's disclosures as a whistleblower are credited with helping end the war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD NIXON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I couldn't care less about the punk. I wanted to discredit that kind of activity.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KAYE: Decades later in 2013, former U.S. army soldier Chelsea Manning was convicted after sharing nearly 750,000 military and diplomatic documents with WikiLeaks, related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHELSEA MANNING, WHISTLEBLOWER: I stopped seeing just statistics and information and I started seeing people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Included in the leaked material, a video of Iraqi civilians and journalists being killed by a U.S. helicopter in 2007. She was convicted and sentenced to 35 years for the leak, but President Barack Obama commuted her sentence in 2017.
The same year Manning was convicted, whistleblower Edward Snowden began leaking classified government material to the media and a documentary filmmaker.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EDWARD SNOWDEN, WHISTLEBLOWER: The more you're ignored, the more you're told it's not a problem until eventually you realize that these things need to be determined by the public.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Snowden, a former CIA employee and NSA contractor, shared documents from the National Security Agency about far-reaching surveillance programs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES CLAPPER, FORMER DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: People's lives are at risk here because of data that Mr. Snowden --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Among other things, Snowden was charged with giving national defense information to someone without a security clearance and revealing classified information. He's living in exile in Russia.
Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.
HOWELL: All right. Randi, thank you for that report.
The U.S. Supreme Court starts a new term on Monday and justices will confront a number of political -- politically explosive issues.
CHURCH: Yes. And it will be a challenge for the chief justice to keep the high court out of the spotlight when the rulings emerge during an election year.
Ariane de Vogue has the details. ARIANE DE VOGUE, CNN U.S. SUPREME COURT REPORTER: A momentous term is
set to begin. The justices will tackle an array of hot button issues, LGBT rights, gun rights, and last week the court agreed to hear an abortion case. All these opinions are going to come down in the heat of the next election. They'll be heard by President Trump's two nominees, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.
On Sunday protesters gathered at the court to mark Kavanaugh's one- year anniversary. They are furious that he was confirmed despite allegations of sexual misconduct that came out during his confirmation process.
Kavanaugh has always denied the allegations. But liberals are worried about the direction of the court because Kavanaugh took the seat of Anthony Kennedy, who was largely seen as a swing vote for some of these issues.
[03:39:57]
And all eyes will be on Chief Justice John Roberts. He's been trying to keep the court out of the political fray but many of these cases will come down as the election gears up.
Ariane de Vogue, CNN, Washington
HOWELL: We have new development on a story in Kansas. The hunt for two men who opened fire in a crowded bar this weekend. Reaction to the incident ahead for you.
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HOWELL: In the State of Texas a $100,000 reward is being offered for any information on the murder of Joshua Brown.
CHURCH: Brown was a key witness in the murder trial of a former Dallas police officer who was sentenced to jail last week for killing her neighbor.
Here is CNN's Polo Sandoval with the details.
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Dallas police have not said anything to suggest that Joshua Brown's murder could in any way, shape or form be directly tied to the high-profile murder trial of Amber Guyger.
Before his murder on Friday, Joshua Brown made headlines as a key witness in the trial of Dallas officer Amber Guyger.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSHUA BROWN, WITNESS: My apartment was right here. I could reach over. Both apartments directly across from mine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: Last week, Guyger was convicted of killing Botham Jean after walking into his apartment in 2018. She claims to have mistaken his apartment for hers and thought he was an intruder.
On the witness stand, 10 days before his own shooting death outside his home, Brown testified he heard the shots and saw Guyger outside his apartment. Brown got emotional recounting, hearing his neighbor's voice from time to time.
Lee Merritt, a civil rights attorney representing the Jean family said on social media, Brown lived in constant fear of gun violence and that his death, quote, "underscores the reality of the black experience in America."
Merritt also said Brown deserves the same justice that he sought to ensure for the Jean family. Investigators have released few details on Brown's death, only that witnesses heard gunshots and that that they observed a silver four-door Sedan speeding away from the scene.
[03:45:04]
Police have not said if the murder is any way connected to the Guyger proceedings.
Police continue to investigate this murder in Dallas. They're hoping that any witness who saw something will eventually reach out to them.
Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.
CHURCH: Well, police in the U.S. State of Kansas are searching for a man who open fire in a bar killing four people.
HOWELL: Police have just taken one of the suspects Javier Alatorre into custody late Sunday. The other suspect 29-year-old Hugo Villanueva-Morales remains on the loose. Police consider him armed and dangerous. They each face four counts of first-degree murder.
CNN's Natasha Chen has more.
NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's been an incredibly emotional weekend for this community. Police say that there was some sort of argument inside the bar before the shooting. People who were here Saturday night tell me said they observed a man who was very agitated getting into arguments with a bar tender and another guest before getting kicked out of this establishment.
People who stayed in the bar tell me that man came back with at least one other person, past this sign that says no firearms or weapons allowed on this property, and yet police say they believe two suspects fired shots inside the bar when they were about 40 or 50 people inside, killing four men.
We're also hearing of incredible heroics, including one man who died as he was pushing aside a young woman to save her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was in front of him. Then he just pushed me out of the way, and I was on the floor, and people with blood everywhere. I was just crawling trying and to get behind tables and trying to get behind chairs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHEN: At a tense vigil on Sunday night we also heard of another man who died in the arms of his fiance inside that bar. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly offered a statement saying, "I continue to be frustrated that these mass shootings and killings occur with regular frequency. Our nation has an obligation to address this ongoing public health crisis."
Natasha Chen, CNN, Kansas City, Kansas.
CHURCH: Well, the Nobel Prizes are expected to be announced this week and the favorite to win the peace prize, a 16-year-old climate activist. More on that when we return.
[03:50:00]
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRETA THUNBERG, CLIMATE ACTIVIST: I shouldn't be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet, you all come to us young people for hope. How dare you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Who could forget that extraordinary speech. Climate activist Greta Thunberg shaming world leaders for failing to act on climate change.
HOWELL: It's been two weeks since she delivered that powerful speech. And in the coming days her activism could be recognized by the Nobel committee.
According to bookmakers, she is a favorite to win the Nobel Peace Prize this week. If she does, it would make her the youngest ever recipient of that award.
Let's get perspective now from Leslie Vinjamuri. Leslie, the head of the U.S. and America's Programme at Chatham House. Good to have you with us, Leslie.
LESLIE VINJAMURI, HEAD, U.S. AND THE AMERICAS PROGRAMME, CHATHAM HOUSE: Thank you. George.
HOWELL: So, again, we know that Thunberg is definitely out in the ether here as a possibility. What do you make of her chances?
VINJAMURI: Well, right now, I think she's the person that everybody is talking about. Her speech at the U.N. was so powerful. It's difficult to even listen to it now, several days later and not feel the emotion and the power.
So, I think she really is the person that we have all of our eyes on. She's mobilized the youth. There's so much focus globally not only on climate, but on the next generation, on youth, on the abilities of young people to really make a difference if they engage.
And she has been just phenomenal at getting young people across Europe, across North America, across the entire globe to really engage. And I think that message is just tremendously powerful. And she herself is really quiet an extraordinary speaker and so committed.
So, I think we really are focused very much on her. Of course, there are other possibilities. So many people doing really tremendous work. It's really nice to talk about these people because at a tough time in international politics, the Nobel Peace Prize really is a bright light.
HOWELL: Tough time around the world, quite frankly. What are some of the other names, Leslie, that are out there?
VINJAMURI: Well, I think Jacinda Ardern, the president of New Zealand for her response to the Christchurch killings and certainly talking about humanity as a response to terrorism, very powerful, very young, very impressive, inspiring leader.
The United Nations high commissioner for refugees, UNHCR I think is always on our list because the refugee crisis, immigration continues to be a problem globally and to occupy people's thinking and a problem that needs addressing.
There are some others. I think, you know, the -- Macron, perhaps, for trying to salvage or renegotiate an Iran deal. Quite -- you now, the list is long. I think we're looking at several hundred names. But, again, I think most people right now are really focusing on climate, on youth activism and on Greta Thunberg.
HOWELL: And Leslie, just briefly here, we do know the U.S. president and his supporters suggest that his name should be in the running. Specifically, for his actions with North Korea. How likely is that?
VINJAMURI: Well, I must say, George, I would be quite surprised. We haven't seen any progress. We've seen certainly a lot of talk. We've seen some meetings. Absolutely no progress in terms of denuclearization.
And I think given the optics around the U.S. president right now, the fact that we have now got impeachment hearings. There's been so much negative language that hasn't done anything, really, to inspire and speak to the broader question of peace, I would be very, very surprised.
HOWELL: Leslie Vinjamuri with perspective for us. Thank you so much, Leslie.
VINJAMURI: Thank you.
[03:55:03]
CHURCH: Well, one month after hurricane Dorian devastated the Bahamas, rescuers have made a miraculous discovery.
HOWELL: Take a look. They found this dog buried in the rubble of a building. Apparently, survived for weeks on nothing but rainwater. Wow. Rescuers say that he was skeleton thin, unable to walk when they found him.
CHURCH: He is now recovering and has been aptly named Miracle. Rescuers say Miracle will soon be put up for adoption unless his owners claim him. Let's hope the owners come out and grab him. And if not, he finds a loving family.
HOWELL: Absolutely.
CHURCH: Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church.
HOWELL: And I'm George Howell. Early Start is next at Hudson Yards in New York.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A second whistleblower in the Ukraine scandal. Lawyers say he's spoken to a government watchdog. What does he know about the president's demands to Ukraine's leader?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joe Biden speaking out. Defending his family against unproven accusations of wrongdoing, saying he'll beat trump like a drum.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A manhunt underway for one of two suspects in a Kansas bar shooting that killed four. Police say the suspect at large is armed and dangerous.
[04:00:05]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Overnight, a major shift in U.S. foreign policy. The Trump administration removing -
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