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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Obama & Sanders Meet at the White House; Trump Faced with Task of Uniting the GOP; Four Killed in Tel Aviv Terror Attack. Aired 4- 4:30a ET
Aired June 09, 2016 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:00:13] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: In just hours, Bernie Sanders meets with President Obama at the White House. With Hillary Clinton now the presumptive nominee for president, is Sanders planning an exit strategy?
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Trump just hours from meeting with top Republican fund-raisers. His job now, trying to unite the Republican Party. But after days of controversy, can he do it?
ROMANS: Breaking news overnight, Hamas praising a deadly terror attacks in Israel as two suspects are identified.
Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.
BERMAN: I'm John Berman. It is Thursday, June 9th. It is 4:00 a.m. in the East.
And the Bernie summit is upon us. In just hours, Senator Bernie Sanders flies from Vermont to Washington for a closed-door meeting with President Obama at the White House. Now, Bernie Sanders is still a candidate for president despite the fact that Hillary Clinton is the now presumed Democratic nominee having amassed well more than the needed number of delegates, including super delegates to secure the nomination. She does have a majority of pledged delegates as well.
Now, White House insiders make it clear that the president is inching to endorse Hillary Clinton and soon. But today, the meeting will be more about body language and soft persuasion, more of a listening situation with Bernie Sanders than any direct call to drop out.
Michelle Kosinski has the details from the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, John and Christine.
Right, the White House is being so careful about this. It also makes me say, come on now. I mean, even now, they're not saying that Hillary Clinton is the presumptive Democratic nominee, because for them, it's all about respecting the process still, respecting Bernie Sander's decision-making and his supporters who ultimately, of course, they would like to see vote for Hillary Clinton.
So, last night, the president taped an appearance with Jimmy Fallon. Here is how he kind of framed things.
JIMMY FALLON, COMEDIAN/TV HOST: Is Bernie going to endorse Hillary?
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I'm sure they're going to have a conversation.
FALLON: Is he ever going to drop out? Or is he going to just stay in? It's like --
OBAMA: I'm going to be talking to him tomorrow. He's going to be coming to the White House.
And the main role I'm going to be playing in this process is to remind the American people this is a serious job. You know, this is not reality TV. My hope is, is that over the next couple weeks, we are able to pull things together.
And what happens during primaries, you get a little ouchy. Everybody does.
KOSINSKI: So, this meeting today between Bernie Sanders and President Obama here at the White House, and keep in mind this is the third time they had discussion in the past week.
Publicly, the White House says the president wants to congratulate Sanders, to talk about building on the progress he's already made on the issues. How he might play an important role and continuing to engage in the debate.
But behind the scene, we know the president wants to hear Sanders out, that this is likely to be a long meeting, at least an hour. And that ultimately, that's how the White House will decide moving forward, that they're going to hash out a plan of how to move forward.
Even if Sanders, though, wants to say in the race a while longer, and the White House doesn't necessarily see him staying in up to the convention, but the White House might not wait for him to fully leave the race before President Obama endorses Hillary Clinton, because they respect the process, you know, they might do something softer, maybe announcing something on social media before you see one of those big events where the president is standing there with Hillary Clinton.
Again, the White House wants to keep this as inclusive and positive as possible -- John and Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right. Michelle at the White House -- thank you for that.
Hillary Clinton is handling Sanders and his supporters gently. She has made no move to push him out of the race. Instead, she is now focusing on the general election. She is focusing on Donald Trump. Early next week, Secretary Clinton is set to campaign in battleground
states Ohio and Pennsylvania. She spoke to CNN about Sanders and why she believes his supporters, they will ultimately get behind her.
CNN's Jeff Zeleny has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, for her part, Hillary Clinton is giving Sanders the space he needs for now. She told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Wednesday that she respects Sanders supporters and believes the party will be unified against Donald Trump by the convention in Philadelphia next month.
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A lot of his supporters and our supporters share the same goals. We want to raise the minimum wage, we want to have universal health care coverage. We want to fight inequality and create more economic opportunity for hardworking people. We want to make college affordable so it doesn't bankrupt kids and their families.
We have a lot of the same goals. Now, we may have approached it somewhat different, but our goals are the same. I really believe a lot of Senator Sanders' supporters will join us in making sure Donald Trump doesn't get anywhere near the White House.
ZELENY: The question is less what Sanders will do, but when? All eyes will be on him today. He also has also a rally set tonight here in Washington which holds the absolute last primary next Tuesday. It's unlikely the patience of any Democratic leader will last beyond that if that long. By then, we are likely to hear a full-throated endorsement of Clinton from her biggest superdelegate supporter of all, President Obama -- John and Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: All right. Jeff Zeleny, thank you so much.
Donald Trump has his own big day ahead of him. That day has dollar signs all over it. He meets with fund-raisers from 50 states. Now, folks who might be feeling jittery, this meeting comes from a pretty delicate time for Donald Trump. Many party leaders are nervous or flat-out angry about Donald Trump's claim that a federal judge is biased against him because of the judge's Mexican heritage. This judge is born in Indiana.
House Speaker Paul Ryan called Trump's comment the textbook definition of racism, though, Ryan is asking anew for party unity. In other words, unity with Donald Trump.
Senior political reporter Manu Raju has new reporting from Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Good morning, John and Christine. Now, there are several GOP camps forming on Capitol Hill. There are
Republican leaders who say, look, the voters have chosen Donald Trump and he would be a much better president than Hillary Clinton. And then, there are Republicans in that never Trump movement like Ben Sasse, a senator from Nebraska, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Reid Ribble of Wisconsin, a congressman who did not hold back about Donald Trump when I had a chance to talk to him yesterday.
REP. REID RIBBLE (R), WISCONSIN: His comments over the weekend are authenticating what I believe is the man's core character. And, you know, something walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it's likely to be a duck. And if you continue to say what I believe are racist statements, you are likely to be a racist.
RAJU: Then, there are Republicans who are running in tough re- election races. This is where you're going to find the most distance from Donald Trump. Yesterday, Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania said he's going to wait and see how this campaign plays out before he determines whether he can actually support Donald Trump.
Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire both said they would support, but not endorse the nominee, (INAUDIBLE) distinction there, but really an implicit warning that Trump could lose their backing.
And yesterday, I got a chance to catch up with Trump's biggest rival on the campaign, Ted Cruz, who told me, quote, "Time will tell on whether he would back Trump this year." So, we'll see if Trump's new tone and whether his speech will win over Republicans, particularly ones who are skeptical of him. But right now, a lot of folks are nervous -- John and Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: All right. Manu, thanks so much.
The State Department is now broadening its investigation of the deliberate editing of an archive press briefing video. Just a week ago, a spokesman called the matter closed. Now, the about-face comes after Secretary of State John Kerry publicly demanded an explanation for the edit and the fact that the State Department didn't own up to it. State Department officials now admit deleting a series of questions about secret negotiations with Iran -- well, the back and forth that happened during a 2013 press conference. The secretary of state calls the actions stupid, clumsy, and inappropriate.
ROMAS: All right. The Dow is up 18,000, the S&P 500 is near a record high. But corporate America is worried about politics, political uncertainty hitting big business, and it's causing a stall in hiring and expansion. That's right. Now, adding jobs because they are worried about what's going on in the political world.
Forty-five percent of chief financial officers say political risks have caused them to hold back on spending. More than 1/3 say it's preventing them from making acquisitions, buying companies. Another third say it stopped them from hiring. So, what are executives so afraid of? The most popular response to this survey from Duke University was the upcoming election. Sixty-one percent of CFOs say they are concerned about the upcoming election. Washington gridlock was second. Can't get anything done in D.C. because of all of the uncertainty.
Followed by proposed regulations, minimum wage, tax reform. The survey did not ask specifically about presumptive nominees Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. Some CFOs penciled it in, cited both by name as major risks to their business. Another interesting note, the biggest fear among European CFOs, the Brexit vote later this month. That will be the vote to decide whether people, will decide whether U.K. will leave the European Union.
BERMAN: All right. A lot of interest in that vote all across the world.
New details released on how a Stanford student convicted of rape was sentenced to just six months in jail. His letter asking for leniency from the judge, that's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:14:03] ROMANS: Growing backlash this morning against the judge who sentenced a former Stanford student athlete to just six months in jail for raping an intoxicated and unconscious woman on campus last year. He was convicted of three felony counts of rape, but only received six months. The lead prosecutor strongly disagrees with that sentence, but says he doesn't believe Judge Aaron Persky should be removed from the bench.
And then there is this. Details emerging including a letter written by the defendant Brock Turner asking for leniency. It's a letter sparking outrage for its seeming lack of remorse and for shifting the blame to campus drinking culture.
We get more from CNN's Dan Simon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, despite being found guilty, it seems clear that the defendant in this case, Brock Turner, is not acknowledging that he assaulted that victim. He said his actions were the result of binge drinking and the party culture on college campuses.
He said this to the judge when asking for a lenient sentence, quote, "One decision has the potential to change your entire life. I know I can impact the attitude and culture surrounded by binge drinking and sexual promiscuity that protrudes through what people think is the core of being a college student."
In the meantime, it is a bit ironic that the judge in this case, Aaron Persky, just got a brand new six-year term. He was supposed to face re-election on Tuesday, but because nobody was challenging him, he automatically got that new term. Of course, there is an effort under way to recall him. You need about
70,000 signatures for his name to appear on a recall ballot. There is also an effort under way on change.org. More than 660,000 people have signed a petition asking for the judge to be recalled.
Now there is pushback among some of Aaron Persky's supporters. We spoke to a public defender who says the judge is a good person and he does not deserve to be recalled.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: All right. Our thanks to Dan for that.
Baltimore police officer Caesar Goodson is set to go on trial today for his alleged involved in the death of Freddie Gray. He is the third of six Baltimore officers to be tried in connection with Gray's death, and the only charged with murder. He was the driver of the van in which Gray suffered a fatal spinal injury. Goodson opted for a trial before a judge, a bench trial, rather than in front of a jury.
Last month, the same judge cleared Officer Edward Nero of all charges. Nero was acquitted. The first trial ended in a hung jury.
ROMANS: Attorney Jose Baez who famously won a murder acquittal for Casey Anthony, he will be defending former star NFL star Aaron Hernandez in this upcoming double murder trial. The 26-year-old Hernandez is already serving a life sentence for a murder in 2013. He is charged with fatally shooting two men outside a Boston nightclub in 2012. Prosecutors alleged it was because one of them caused Hernandez to spill a drink. Baez says he hopes the public keeps an open mind and lets the facts unfold in court.
BERMAN: At noon today, there will be a Muslim prayer service for Muhammad Ali. The service for Ali's body will be prepared for burial is at the Louisville's Freedom Hall. The event is open to the public, about 18,000 people are expected to attend. And then on Friday afternoon, a memorial service for Ali is scheduled, with Bill Clinton, Billy Crystal and Bryant Gumbel delivering the eulogies.
ROMANS: Ohio is now the 25th state of the nation to legalize medical marijuana. Governor John Kasich signed this new law Wednesday. He says it's important for suffering children to able to relieve their pain. The measure takes effect three months and only patients with certain conditions like cancer, AIDS, PTSD and epilepsy will qualify for medical marijuana.
BERMAN: Record setting temperatures may be possible this weekend along the East Coast, although I have to say, it was like 50 last night.
ROMANS: I know.
BERMAN: Let's get the latest from our meteorologist Pedram Javaheri.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, John and Christine, get ready for a pretty big heat wave ahead of us the next couple of days, and I think much of the Northeast actually staves off the vast majority of the heat until this weekend but notice the heat is already on, from billings out towards Denver, Kansas City, even near down towards ay Dallas temps already into the upper 80s and low 90s.
But notice, as the jet parks in place, and we have a northerly flow out of areas around New England. So, you stay cool across this region, but everyone else really begins to see the heat crank over the next couple days. In fact, look at Chicago, 93 to 94 degrees from Friday and Saturday Minneapolis gets into the mid-80s.
In places like Washington, they get there on Saturday. But look at New York City, Sunday, we see it warm up to 86 degrees come Sunday afternoon. We already set records across the country, well over 100 of them have been tied or broken, some of them across the Southwest, of course. Some of them across parts of the Mid-Atlantic States in recent days.
But notice the pattern gets an impressive run up, 90 degree days. And then the southern tier of the country actually have heat indices in place that will be up around 100 degrees. It will feel like outside. So, we are watching this very carefully for this coming weekend, guys.
Let's send it back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right. Thanks for the report, Pedram.
BERMAN: All right. The Cleveland Cavaliers, they have new life in the NBA Finals. LeBron James, he led the way with 32 points. The Cavs dominated the Golden State Warriors. This game was in Cleveland.
Look at that, that was a nice basketball play right there. LeBron James going up with the alley-hoop.
ROMANS: Effortless.
BERMAN: The final score was 120-90. They won by 30 points. James called the game both a must-win and do or die, just -- you have two cliches at once there. The Warriors still lead the series 2-1. Game four being Cleveland Friday night.
The remarkable thing about the series is that the losing team has stunk all three nights. There is yet to be game where both teams played well.
ROMANS: Really?
BERMAN: Oh, yes. I mean, it's ridiculous. They have been three one- sided games. Not fun basketball to watch.
ROMANS: All right. Nineteen minutes past the hour.
Breaking overnight, Hamas praising a deadly terror attack in Israel. We go live to Tel Aviv, right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:24:12] ROMANS: New this morning, Hamas praising the deadly terror attack in Tel Aviv that killed four people and wounded five others. And just hours ago, the Israelis announced 83,000 entry permits for Palestinians have been frozen. Two Palestinian gunmen disguised rather as Hasidic Jews. They're now in custody for the killings at the upscale Sarona Market.
And this morning, there are reports Israeli authorities wanted that marketplace shutdown back in April because of security flaws.
Let's bring in CNN's Oren Liebermann live from Tel Aviv.
And those reports of, you know, back in April, looking at this particular spot and being concern about security is just chilling this morning.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. The beauty of this market, the reason people are out here right now is also the reason for those security concerns.
[04:25:02] It's because it's an open air market, because it's accessible from a number of streets in the area. And though there are a number of very secure facilities right around here, the ministry of defense, a mall that's quite secure, this area is open.
Take a look behind me here. This is less than 12 hours after the attack. The restaurant where this attack happened, both restaurants have opened up. That's Max Brener further down, and Benedict right here behind me. Less than 12 hours after the attack, these restaurants started filling up with customers coming out.
The mayor of Tel Aviv urged people to come out, to not let terror disrupt their lives. He also urged everyone here to still believe in peace. And that perhaps is why you see so many people here after hours ago, two Palestinians gunman according to police opened fire here, killing four Israelis and wounding a number of others. Again, those security concerns because of the openness of the market.
There is added security here. We will see what other steps are taken in the days ahead. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised a swift offensive and defensive response. We have seen the beginning of that.
The cancellation of 83,000 or rather the freezing of 83,000 permits from Palestinians to enter Israel, the freezing of Gazans who generally in Ramadan are allowed to visit Jerusalem to pray during the holy month, as well as 204 permits of the suspects' family members frozen in the wake of this terror attack.
Now, as you mentioned, Hamas praised the attack. We have a bit of that statement here. Hamas praised the terror attacks saying, "Wednesday night's operation in Tel Aviv is the first good news to our people in our persistent struggle in the month of Ramadan and the first of many surprises that will be awaiting for the Israeli occupation forces this month." That statement released this morning.
We know the Israeli military, the IDF, has been working in the southern West Bank throughout the day. Prime Minister Netanyahu again promising a swift response to this terror attack -- Christine.
ROMANS: All right. Oren Liebermann, Netanyahu bowing to attack the attackers. Thank you for that this morning, Oren.
BERMAN: All right. In just hours, President Obama, he meets with Bernie Sanders at the White House. What's going to happen in the Oval Office? How far will the president go to try to push Bernie Sanders out of the race?
We have new details. Plus, what the president had to say overnight -- next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
