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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Police: 3 Arrested in Plot to Attack Officers; President Obama & Bush Call for Unity at Officers' Memorial; Sanders Endorses Clinton, Trump Narrows VP Search; Cameron to Submit Resignation to Queen. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired July 13, 2016 - 04:00   ET

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


[04:00:10] ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: Three arrested, one more suspect, possibly on the run, accused of plotting to attack police officers in Baton Rouge. New information overnight.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN ANCHOR: President Obama and George W. Bush urging the nation to unite after last week's deadly shooting by police and then the attack on them in Dallas.

KOSIK: Hillary Clinton finally endorsed by Bernie Sanders, as Donald Trump narrows his V.P. search, new developments in the race for president.

Good morning and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Alison Kosik.

MARQUEZ: I'm Miguel Marquez. Good to see you.

KOSIK: Good to see you.

MARQUEZ: It is Wednesday, July 13, 4:00 a.m. here on the East Coast.

Breaking overnight, authorities in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, say they have foiled a plot to kill police. Just days after Baton Rouge officers shot Alton Sterling, three men have been arrested. Men who officials say stole guns and ammunition, intending to shoot police officers. Authorities say one suspect is still at large. That is not the only threat facing police there.

CNN's Boris Sanchez is in Baton Rouge with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miguel and Alison, officials tell us they have every reason to believe there is potentially a fourth and maybe more suspects involved in this plot to harm officers in Baton Rouge. This all started late Friday night into Saturday morning after officials tell us there was a burglary at a Cash America Pawnshop here in Baton Rouge when they saw one suspect fleeing the scene with a handgun.

After interrogating that suspect, he apparently told officers that him and a group of people were, quote, "looking to get bullets", in order to target police officers during following the death of Alton Sterling. Due to the information that was gathered during that interrogation, officers raided a home yesterday here in south Baton Rouge, and they arrested two other suspects, one of them a 13-year- old. They were able to recapture some of the weapons stolen during the burglary.

There were eight weapons taken in all. They now have six in their possession. But there's still two weapons, two handguns, that are missing. So, officials are still looking for it.

Again, they're looking for a potential fourth suspect. They made a plea to the community and the suspect himself to turn himself in peacefully. It's critically to point out, this is one of two credible threats that the Baton Rouge police department is dealing with right now. They tell us they received dozens of threats, not only against law enforcement, but against protesters, and against he public in general.

But there are two that they deemed credible enough to dedicate resources to, the burglary at the pawn shop, and a report from an officer who said he was being followed by someone suspicious. We don't have many details about how that incident unfolded exactly. What we're hearing is that the officer reported having been followed at some point. And now, officials are investigating that. Again, we don't have that many details, but as soon as we do, we will hopefully flesh it out and continue to follow developments as this manhunt for a potential fourth suspect continues in Baton Rouge -- Alison, Miguel.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: And our thanks to Boris Sanchez for that.

A day of mourning in Dallas with private funerals scheduled for three of the five police officers murdered in the street by a sniper last week. On Tuesday, the city came together as the nation watched. President Obama and George W. Bush speaking passionately at the public memorial for the officers, both reaching across party and ideological lines, calling for unity among Americans in the wake of last week's tragedy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And today, in this audience, I see people who have protested on behalf of criminal justice reform grieving alongside police officers. I see people who mourn for the five officers lost but also weep for the families of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. In this audience, I see what's possible --

(APPLAUSE)

I see what's possible when we recognize that we are one American family, all deserving of equal treatment, all deserving equal respect, all children of God. That's the America I know.

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT: We recognize that we are brothers and sisters, sharing the same brief moment on earth, and owing each other the loyalty of our shared humanity. At our best, we know we have one country, one future, one destiny. We do not want the unity of grief, nor do we want the unity of fear. We want the unity of hope, affection and high purpose.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

KOSIK: And later today, President Obama will host law enforcement, civil rights, faith activists and elected leaders for what the White House is calling a conversation on community policing and criminal justice.

[04:05:07] MARQUEZ: And new determination from the mother of Philando Castile to give meaning to her son's death at the hands of police. Castile shot and killed last week by police during a traffic stop in Minnesota. Late last nice, his mother Valerie Castile telling CNN that she appreciated the phone call from President Obama on Tuesday, but she says much more must be done. Along with her was attorney, TV judge Glenda Hatchett and she defended her son, saying he did everything right when police pulled him over.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VALERIE CASTILE, MOTHER OF MAN KILLED BY POLICE: He did everything he was supposed to do to be a productive citizen in the state of Minnesota. And I want everyone to know who he is, who he was and what he stood for.

JUDGE GLENDA HATCHETT, LAWYER FOR FAMILY OF PHILANDO CASTILE: We're talking about a man who was doing right, who had a job, who wasn't trying to fight with the police, who wasn't a felon running and combative and trying to get the policeman's gun. We're talking about a man who was employed, who was loved with his community, loved by his family, and who was permitted to have a gun, and now, he's dead. So, we're saying this time, you know, and he did it all correctly, this time must be the last time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUEZ: Valerie Castile says she's still not seeing the Facebook streamed by her son's girlfriend in the aftermath of the shooting. She said it would be too painful to watch Philando in agony. Meantime, police called to the scene after the shooting, say there is more about what happened that they want people to know.

CNN's Rosa Flores has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miguel, Alison, you've seen the video of Philando Castile inside his car with the white t-shirt covered in blood. Now, Castile is the black man who was shot and killed by a police officer. That video was shot near this memorial on this street.

But what about when that cell phone video goes to black. Well, the police chief of some of those first responding police officers helps us fill in the gap. He said his officers arrived on scene, procured the scene, and within three minutes started administering CPR on Castile. He said those officers administered CPR just outside of his door.

CHIEF REICK MATHWIG, ROSEVILLE, MINNESOTA POLICE: Our officers didn't know who had shot whom. There's a lot of things that they had to work through. At 9:10 p.m., so three minutes after they arrived they started to perform CPR on Mr. Castile. Four rows of officers using an AED had performed CPR on Mr. Castile until they were removed by St. Paul Fire and Paramedics, because St. Paul Fire handles the medical emergency in the city of Falcon Heights.

FLORES: Now, the chief also said that all of that was captured on dash cam video and that video was turned over to the state agency conducting this investigation. He says that it will all be revealed when the investigation is completed -- Miguel, Alison.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: All right, Rosa Flores from St. Paul.

Time for an early start on your money. The U.S. stock market is sitting at fresh record highs. Yesterday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average breaking its record from May of 2015, one day after the S&P 500 did the same. Both are now at their highest closing level of all time.

The NASDAQ also hitting a major milestone, at the close yesterday. Year to date, the NASDAQ is now in positive territory for the first time in 2016, up one-third of 1 percent. The Dow and S&P 500 have matching gains for the year, both up more than 5 percent.

So, the catalyst for the recent rise was Friday's jobs report that helped to kind of seal the deal, seal the comeback from the Brexit meltdown which sent the Dow plunging almost 900 points in two days, and that came after volatile earlier in the year, from worries about China and worries about the crash in oil prices.

We are now seeing some weakness in Dow futures this morning. Markets in Europe are looking mixed. And also, we saw shares in Asia closing higher overnight. Not just what we've seen in the last couple of days. Just depends on whether you take a breather.

MARQUEZ: The market stock has been head spinning lately this year.

KOSIK: Volatility has peaked.

MARQUEZ: Should I just put my mattress -- my money under the mattress?

KOSIK: I think that's a bigger discussion.

MARQUEZ: All right. Donald Trump -- speaking of bigger discussions -- narrows his V.P. search, auditioning one possible pick as another quits his day job. We'll tell you about it. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:13:44] KOSIK: Donald Trump is expected to choose a running mate by Friday. And one of the odds-on favorites, Indiana Governor Mike Pence just got a tryout on the campaign trail. And Republican Party insiders say he looked the part, attacking Hillary Clinton while building up his potential boss.

Let's get more now from CNN's Dana Bash.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Miguel and Alison, right here in Indiana, it was audition time, for the state's governor, auditioning clearly to be Donald Trump's vice presidential running mate. He tried to hit all of the points that are traditionally necessary for a running mate, somebody who is supportive of the candidate's agenda, an ability to be president, but maybe when it comes to raw politics, somebody who can be an attack dog for the opponent.

GOV. MIKE PENCE (R), INDIANA: You know, Hillary and her party has been sliding so far to Bernie's left of his agenda it's hard to keep track of it. The truth of the matter is, that they're -- I just have to tell you from my heart, after looking at the direction that their party has gone, farther and farther to the left, to paraphrase the director of the FBI, I think it would be extremely careless to elect Hillary Clinton as the next president of the United States.

[04:15:03] BASH: Now, Indiana Governor Mike Pence is not known very well on the national stage, but he is somebody who has quite a lot of support and has gotten more so over the past couple of days, even, from conservatives who believe that he is one of them. He is a true evangelical.

And also one other interesting point is his donors, Mike Pence's donors, tend to be those, many of who tried to fund and did fund the Never Trump movement. So, that could be something that would make Donald Trump happy.

But at the end of the day, it's got to be the comfort factor and the ability to be commander in chief if needed. And, certainly here, at this public meeting, and more importantly perhaps, in private discussions, we're told that the two have bonded.

But Donald Trump has made clear, as has his aides, not necessarily a final decision yet, and there are other people like Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker, on the short list -- Miguel and Alison.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUEZ: Dana Bash, thank you very much.

Donald Trump has gone to war with Democratic and Republican politicians during the campaign. Now, he's battling a Supreme Court justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg after she expanded criticism, calling him a faker with an ego who says whatever comes into his head. Trump blasting with a tweet overnight, "Justice Ginsburg has embarrassed all by making her very dumb political statements about me. Her mind is shot. Resign."

Trump saying earlier that Ginsburg is a disgrace to the court and should apologize to her fellow justices.

During a CNN town hall last night, House Speaker Paul Ryan echoed Trump's feeling that Ginsburg crossed the line.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: I find it very peculiar. I think it out of place in a pointed branch of government. That shows bias to me. Now, those of us who are in the elected branch of government, who get elected to things, I think that's perfectly in the realm. But for someone on the Supreme Court who is going to be calling balls and strikes in the future based upon whatever the next president and Congress does, that strikes me as inherently biased and out of the realm.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: Hillary Clinton is returning to the campaign trail this morning in Illinois. It's going to be Clinton's first day under the banner of what she hopes is a united Democratic Party. The sight many of the party faithful waited months to see, that came yesterday at an event in New Hampshire, when Bernie Sanders formally endorsed the presumptive nominee.

We get more from CNN's Jeff Zeleny.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Miguel and Alison, after a long heated Democratic presidential campaign, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton stood on the stage, hugged one another and vowed to take on Donald Trump. Senator Sanders said six words, "She must be our next president".

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), VERMONT: Secretary Clinton has won the Democratic nominating process.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

And I congratulate her for that.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

She will be the Democratic nominee for president.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

And I intend to do everything I can to make certain she will be the next president of the United States.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

ZELENY: Senator Sanders pledging to be all he can to help defeat Donald Trump. It's an open question, though, how many supporters will follow him. Several Sanders supporters we talked to from here in New Hampshire, Vermont, other states said they had no intention of voting for Hillary Clinton. Others said they weren't so sure.

But Hillary Clinton was still thankful and praising of Senator Sanders herself for running a long, hard-fought campaign.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: So thank you, thank you, Bernie, for your endorsement, but more than that --

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

Thank you for your lifetime of fighting injustice. I am proud to be fighting alongside you because, my friends, this is a time for all of us to stand together.

ZELENY: Senator Sanders said he will stand with Hillary Clinton in all corners of the country, he'll be doing it alone, though, without the protection of the Secret Service. He officially lost Secret Service protection when he returned to Washington from New Hampshire. He's enjoyed that since February. He's no longer a presidential candidate. He's simply the junior senator from Vermont -- Miguel and Alison.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: And our thanks to Jeff Zeleny for that.

[04:20:01] You know, today is an historic day. Britain is going to be getting a new prime minister at the end of the day today. We are live with the latest on the political roller coaster brought in by the Brexit. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOSIK: An historic morning unfolding in the United Kingdom. Just hours from now, David Cameron will leave Downing Street for the last time as Britain's prime minister. He's going to head straight to Buckingham Palace to tender his formal resignation. Cameron's replacement, Theresa May, will then be granted an audience with the queen.

Let's go live to London and bring in CNN's Robin Oakley.

[04:25:03] You know, something tells me that Theresa May is going to have little breathing room here, no honeymoon period that many other newly elected officials enjoy. Am I right about that?

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Absolutely so, Alison, yes. And she's facing the difficult task that we expected a leadership contest for the conservative party leadership carrying with it the job of prime minister to last nine weeks, through to September 9th, when her main opponent dropped out of the contest earlier this week, that left Theresa May with a coronation instead of a contest. It also left her with just two days to put together a new cabinet team to replace the one she's been working in with David Cameron, Alison.

KOSIK: So, what kind of timetable is she working on? Because at some point, the official process instilling Article 50 of actually having a separation of the U.K. from the E.U. has to be put into play. Is there any indication she's going to do that right away, or will she wait or there's talk that may never happen?

OAKLEY: No, it's going to happen. But it's not going to happen quickly. Theresa May has indicated that she's not going to activate Article 50 beginning those negotiations with the European Union until the end of this year at the earliest.

So, January 2017 is the earliest we'll see action on that. She will try and have contacts, I think, with other European leaders before that. Although they said no talks until she activates Article 50. There's a bit of a standoff there.

But there's one key question to settle, that is 3 million E.U. citizens work and live in Britain. And Theresa May has so far said, well, their future she can't guarantee. They'll have to be part of the negotiations. But there are also 1 million Britons in E.U. countries. So, maybe they can cut a deal on that before the formal talks on Britain's withdrawal begins, Alison.

KOSIK: So many unanswered questions, so many question marks with this, because, of course, the Brexit is unprecedented.

CNN's Robin Oakley, thanks so much.

MARQUEZ: Now, no arrests as police revealed plots to attack officers in Baton Rouge, a city divided by protests in last week's deadly police shooting. What we've learned overnight, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)