Return to Transcripts main page
Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Trump to Announce VP Pick Friday; RNC Countdown: Cleveland Prepares for Protests; LeBron James Leads Call to End Gun Violence at ESPY Awards; Theresa May to E.U.: Brexit Will Take Time. Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired July 14, 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] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: V.P. frenzy in Indiana. Donald Trump now just one day away from announcing his running mate with Trump allegedly stuck in Indianapolis. Who flew in for last-minute interviews?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: Cleveland preparing for protests, riots or worse, days ahead of the Republican National Convention. How the city is planning to keep people safe.
BERMAN: Breaking overnight, a stunning open at the ESPY Awards. The NBA's biggest starts lead the call to end gun violence.
Good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm John Berman.
KOSIK: Good morning. I'm Alison Kosik. It's Thursday, July 14th. It's 4:00 a.m. in the East.
And breaking overnight, Donald Trump announces he is just one day away from revealing his choice of a running mate. True to form, he put the word out in a tweet, saying this, "I will be making the announcement of my vice presidential pick on Friday at 11:00 a.m. in Manhattan. Details to follow."
Trump spent Wednesday in a whirlwind of meetings, phone calls and intense conversations with his finalists. He was talking on the phone with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. He was stuck in Indianapolis, allegedly, he says, because of a blown tire on his plane. Trump spent extra time with Indiana Governor Mike Pence.
Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, he even flew to Washington for an audience with the presumptive nominee. And former House Speaker Newt Gingrich decided that he also better gets to the Indianapolis, too, and get in on this. He says he now believes the V.P. competition is down to a two-man race.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH (R), FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: I would say that he clearly, I think it's down to two, as he hinted in talking to Bret Baier. And Mike Pence is a great personal friend. We worked together in many projects over the years. He had a fine career in the U.S. House, ended up as the fourth ranking Republican in the House, really had done a fine job, and a very good governor of Indiana.
And so, you know, at the same time, I think Mike is a good friend of mine. He would be similarly glowing if he was on the show talking about me. So, I think Trump has a tough call because he's got two really good, but really different choices. And I think it will be interesting to see. Certainly, I'm one of the people sitting by the phone waiting tomorrow to see what he decides.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: CNN's Sunlen Serfaty is with Trump and has the latest on the veepstakes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John and Alison.
Well, Donald Trump holding just a flurry of meetings here at this hotel in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Tuesday, where he is still actively deliberating over his vice presidential pick. He has not made a decision yet. Sources telling CNN that right now his gut is with Chris Christie, but there are many people, both within his campaign and within his family, influential voices, who are also pushing for Newt Gingrich and Indiana Governor Mike Pence.
Now, the Indiana governor spoke shortly after that meeting, where he said nothing has been offered or accepted. He is continuing to play it coy. Here's what he had to say.
GOV. MIKE PENCE (R), INDIANA: It was just very warm and just one family meeting with another. We were honored to have not only Mr. Trump, but a number of his children, son-in-law join us at the governor's residence. It's great to have them in Indiana. Great to have a chance to break bread.
Nothing was offered. Nothing was accepted. But we had a great conversation about the country, challenges facing America. And my firm belief that Donald Trump is going to provide the kind of leadership that America needs.
SERFATY: And Donald Trump also taking the meeting with Senator Jeff Sessions from Alabama who flew here from Washington, D.C. midday on Tuesday. Sessions had been vetted by the Trump campaign, listed as potential vice presidential contender.
But sources are telling CNN that was not the nature of this meeting. It was more of an advisory role, very clearly trusted, and could give advice to Trump as he weighs these final options and inches towards his final decision -- John and Alison.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: All right. Sunlen, thanks so much.
In just hours, a huge and perhaps decisive moment for the Never Trump movement, the beginning of their last best chance to stop Donald Trump from becoming the party's nominee. There will be a change to the rules for the Republican National Convention, which starts Monday in Cleveland. Anti-Trump leaders hope to persuade members of the convention rules committee to let delegates vote their consciences to be bound from the results of their states' primaries.
This as security fears mount in Cleveland. Officials expect thousands of protesters from dozen of groups to go to the city. Authorities spent millions on riot gear, identify jail facilities to house nearly a thousand people, and arrange to keep the courts open 20 hours a day.
The FBI says it has been watching for foreign and domestic terror signs, but no threats found so far.
[04:05:03] All the security preparations coming against the back drop of the escalating tensions over killings by and of police officers over the last two weeks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF CALVIN WILLIAMS, CLEVELAND POLICE DEPARTMENT: Dallas was a wake-up call for a lot of people. It causes a lot of law enforcement and people in the country to step back and look at what we are doing and how we're doing it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: Hillary Clinton blasting what she described as Donald Trump's corrosive effect on the Republican Party. Standing in the Illinois Statehouse, where Abraham Lincoln begun his political ascent.
Clinton argued that Trump is perverting what Lincoln's party once stood for. Clinton called that a loss and a threat to American democracy.
Senior political correspondent Brianna Keilar has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alison and John.
As the country reels from the police-involved shootings of black men in Minnesota and Louisiana and the killing of police officers by a black man in Dallas, Texas, Hillary Clinton is casting herself as uniter and trying to cast Donald Trump as a divider. Coming to the old statehouse here in Springfield, Illinois, where Abraham Lincoln gave his famous House Divided speech.
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: And that is why I believe Donald Trump is so dangerous. His campaign is a divisive as any we have seen in our lifetimes. It is built on stoking mistrust and pitting American against American. It's there in everything he says and everything he promises to do as president.
KEILAR: Hillary Clinton citing Trump's proposal for banning Muslim immigrants, as well as his talk about deporting undocumented immigrants. And questioning in the past, President Obama's citizenship. It is not that Hillary Clinton doesn't have some vulnerabilities herself when it comes to raise. For instance, in the '90s, she supported anti-crime measures passed by her husband that many say contributed in part to this era of mass incarceration that she now derides.
But her vulnerabilities seeming to be eclipsed by some of the things that Donald Trump has said. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton will continue her outreach to minority voters today. She'll be talking to the oldest and largest Hispanic-American organization in the country, LULAC, this morning -- John and Alison.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: Brianna Keilar, thanks so much.
The heartbreak continues in Dallas. Families and fellow police officers from the country honor the victims of the deadly sniper attack one week ago, three were laid to rest on Wednesday. Funeral of two others will be held in tomorrow and Saturday.
Let's get more now from CNN's Kyung Lah.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Alison, Dallas begun the painful process of saying farewell to three of its sons, three funerals for three fallen officers.
Lorne Ahrens, age 48, the father of an 8 and 10-year-old, husband to a fellow cop, a heart as big and 6'4", 300 pound frame.
Sergeant Michael Smith, 55, father of two girls who sat next to their mother as they said good-bye. Sergeant Smith was a Dallas cop for 30 years.
Dallas Area Rapid Transit Officer Brent Thompson married two weeks ago to a fellow cop.
Two more cops scheduled to be buried soon as Dallas continues the process of saying farewell to lives taken too soon -- John, Alison.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOSIK: All right. Kyung Lah for us in Dallas.
Four of the NBA's biggest stars calling for an end to gun violence. Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade opening last night's ESPY Awards with a promise to speak out for social justice, each of them vowing to follow the lead of legends like Muhammad Ali and Jackie Robinson and use their influence to bring about change.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DWAYNE WADE, CHICAGO BULLS: The racial profiling has to stop. The shoot-to-kill mentality has to stop. Not seeing the value of black and brown bodies has to stop.
But also the retaliation has to stop. The endless gun violence in places like Chicago, Dallas, not to mention Orlando, it has to stop. Enough. Enough is enough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: LeBron James calling on all professional athletes to go back into their communities and invest time and resources to help rebuild.
BERMAN: An important message.
All right. The Minnesota man shot and killed by police last week will be laid to rest today as we learn new information about the final moments of his life. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:13:55] BERMAN: A heart wrenching day ahead in St. Paul, Minnesota. Philando Castile will be laid to rest a week after being fatally shot by police. And while a city and the nation mourn his death and honor his life, there are new questions about why he was pulled over and how often he reacted after they shot him.
Let's get more now from CNN's Brynn Gingras.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Alison, we are learning new details and even some discrepancies about the traffic stop that ended in the death of Philando Castile. We're told by his fiancee, of course, that they were pulled over because of a broken taillight. Well, according to the officer, Jeronimo Yanez, his attorney, he said Yanez pulled them over, because Castile matched the description of an armed robbery suspect. And so, Yanez had, quote, "reasonable suspension" to take further investigative steps.
CNN has also learned that Castile had a conceal carry permit obtained in 2016, but according to Yanez's attorney, Castile did not listen to commands from the officer and even showed a gun during that traffic stop.
There are questions of the CPR. According to Reynolds, she told the governor that she was -- or her fiance was not administered CPR right away.
[04:15:06] Well, according to the department who responded to the scene and performed CPR, their chief says they responded within three minutes.
So, there's still a lot of questions out there. Most notably, what exactly happened in that one minute when investigators say that traffic stop occurred and Reynolds started streaming all that video live on Facebook. It's something we might get more details when the dash cam video is released, but that right now is part of an investigation which were told is going to take several months to complete -- John and Alison.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOSIK: OK. Our thanks to Brynn Gingras for that.
The 15-year-old son of Alton Sterling travels to Washington, D.C. today with his mother today. Cameron Sterling will meet with the president a week after his father was shot and killed by police. Alton Sterling will be buried tomorrow. On Wednesday, the young man spoke to the nation.
I want you to listen to his heartfelt message here, followed by his proud mother's reaction during a CNN town hall last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAMERON STERLING, ALTON STERLING'S SON: My father was a good man. That was a sacrifice to show everyone what has been going on in life. It should give everyone a push that everyone should be together, not against each other. And another thing, the protesting -- I feel that everyone, yes, you can protest, but I want everyone to protest the right way. Protest in peace. Not guns, not drugs, not alcohol, not violence.
QUINYETTA MCMILLON, MOTHER OF ALTON STERLING'S SON: My son is only 15. Some people look at him as if he's a lot wiser than what he is. He really is. He knows right from wrong. He knows that what is going on right now in America is not right. And he just wants justice for both sides.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: The ACLU has filed a civil lawsuit against the Baton Rouge Police Department, as well as the city and state of Louisiana for allegedly violating the First Amendment rights of those protesting the shooting death of Alton Sterling.
BERMAN: Police in Fresno, California, have released graphic body camera footage of officers fatally shooting an unarmed teenager last month after he refused to comply with repeated police commands. The victim, 19-year-old Dylan Noble was shot four times ay on the ground. I want to warn you. This video is disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you come forward, you're going to get shot, man. Get down on the ground now.
(GUNSHOTS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shots fired. Suspect down. EMS code 3.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep your hands up. Keep your hands out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep your hands out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dude, if you reach one more time, you will get shot again. Stop.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let me know what you need.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dude.
(GUNSHOT)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Quit reaching for your waistband.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Fresno police say the officer spotted Noble's truck while responding to a report of a man armed with a rifle. The police chief says he decided to release the video because of an intense public interest in the shooting.
KOSIK: All right. Time for an early start on your money. Another day of records for the stock market. The Dow and S&P 500 closing all- time highs yesterday.
Both averages on a four-session win streak. So, that scene, the Dow dropped more than 2.5 percent or 475 points. The catalyst was Friday's job report and coupled with the expectation that the Federal Reserve will not raise rates anytime soon.
As for today, futures are pointing to more gains. European stocks are rising. We're seeing shares in Asia, they closed mostly higher. Crude oil prices are up more than 1 percent.
One stock we are keeping an eye on today, Line. Never heard of it? You're not alone. I'll tell you what it is about.
It's a Japanese messages app with 218 million active users, most of which are in Asia. It's also the biggest tech IPO of the year. So, Wall Street is really going to be watching this one closely. Line will begin trading at the NYSE sometime after the closing, the opening bell actually, under the ticker symbol LN.
So, the thing with this app is, you know, it's another app. But what makes, what sort of sets it apart from the others as you play games to get all these cool emojis.
BERMAN: Cool emojis.
KOSIK: A race for the emojis.
BERMAN: That is my goal in life. Get more better emojis.
KOSIK: All right. Britain's new prime minister taking office, warning E.U. leaders the Brexit could take time. But does he have any? We're live, next.
BERMAN: And does she have any emojis?
KOSIK: That's the question.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:24:01] KOSIK: Britain's new Prime Minister Theresa May is asking European leaders for time to navigate her country's exit from the E.U. During her first hours on the job, May spoke to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Hollande, emphasizing her commitment to delivering the will of the British people. She's also putting together a new built for Brexit cabinet.
CNN's Robin Oakley live from London with the latest.
So, her first night as prime minister, she wasted little time in assembling the top leaders in her government.
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Well, indeed, Alison. It is very much a post-Brexit team, because in the three crucial jobs that will be to do with taking Britain out of the European Union, she put campaigners for the leave in the recent referendum.
We've got Boris Johnson, a very controversial selection, as the foreign secretary. She's put Liam Fox in charge of the new international trade department to drum up trade for Britain in the post-Brexit world.
[04:25:06] And the man in charge of the Britain's exit from the European Union is David Davis, a former contender for the conservative leadership himself.
That's three from the right wing of the conservative party, three Brexiters. It's as if she's saying, OK, you guys wanted to take Britain out of Europe. Now, you go ahead and do it. You get down to the detail, and she's outlined a program of social reform that she wants to be getting on with helping the poorer working classes in Britain in the meantime, Alison.
KOSIK: The lineup that I saw there. Boris Johnson certainly stands out. He was also in the race for prime minister.
He is an interesting character, isn't he? He's kind of an equal opportunity insulter. He's often been compared to Donald Trump. Even told the story that a child ran up to him on the streets of Manhattan, a child ran up to him and thought that he was actually Donald Trump because of what he looks like.
OAKLEY: Yes, people say he's kind of softer, warmer Donald Trump in some ways. He is one of those personality politicians who really gets on with people. He can stir up a crowd. If he walks into the room, he cheers it up.
But he also comes with high risk factor because he had a long career as a very well-paid journalist. One of the most read columns in British journalism. And some of the things he said in the past could land him in big trouble in the role of foreign secretary.
For example, he once described Hillary Clinton as looking like a sadistic nurse in a mental hospital. During the (AUDIO GAP), he criticized President Obama saying he was part Kenyan ancestry, which made him anti-British because he was anti-colonial.
So, those kinds of remarks in his previous career, either as a Brexiter or as a journalist are going to come back to haunt him, Alison.
KOSIK: All right. We shall see.
CNN's Robin Oakley, thanks very much.
BERMAN: All right. Donald Trump promising to announce his 2016 running mate tomorrow. But after a flurry of last minute meetings, we may have a pretty good sense of who the final candidates are.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
