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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Trump to Name His 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 4:30-5a ET
Aired July 14, 2016 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[04:31:13] ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: Tomorrow, we will know who will be Donald Trump's 2016 running mate. A flurry of last-minute meetings Wednesday. Why one candidate believes it's become a two-man race. We're excited.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Cleveland preparing for the possibility of violence on the streets. The Republican National Convention just days away. How leaders there are preparing to keep people safe.
KOSIK: Breaking overnight. A stunning and emotional call to end gun violence from the NBA's biggest stars.
Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Alison Kosik. Good morning.
BERMAN: And I'm John Berman. Thirty-one minutes past the hour right now.
Breaking overnight: Donald Trump announced he is one day away from revealing his choice of running mate. He did it on Twitter, writing, "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. Stuck in Indianapolis, allegedly, he says, because of a blown tire on his plane, Trump spent some extra time with Indiana Governor Mike Pence. There was dinner on Tuesday, breakfast on Wednesday.
Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions flew from Washington for a meeting with a nominee. Was he going as a candidate himself or to advise?
And former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, he decided he better get to Indianapolis, too. He says he now believes the competition is now 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)
BERMAN: You never hear that much candor, that many details of the V.P. selection process.
CNN's Sunlen Serfaty is with Trump and has the latest on the veepstakes.
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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. [04:35:03] 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.
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KOSIK: OK, Sunlen Serfaty, thanks for that.
And 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. That would mean a change actually to the rules of the convention which starts Monday in Cleveland.
Anti-Trump leaders hope to sway the delegates to vote their consciences to be unbound from the result of their state's primary. This as security fears mound in Cleveland. Officials expect thousands of protesters from dozens of groups to descend on 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. 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.
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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)
BERMAN: 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.
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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.
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ROMANS: All right. Our thanks to Brianna Keilar. And the heartbreak is continuing in Dallas. Families and fellow police officers and families honor the victims of the sniper attack one week ago. Funerals for two others will be held tomorrow and Saturday.
We get more now from CNN's Kyung Lah.
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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.
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BERMAN: All right. Our thanks to Kyung Lah.
Four of the NBA's biggest stars calling for an end to violence. Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade, they opened 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.
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[04:40:03] 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)
BERMAN: Dwyane Wade very powerful.
LeBron James called on all professional athletes to go back to their communities and invest time and resources to help build them.
This generation of athletes much more socially conscience than we have seen in a long time. It's very interesting to see.
KOSIK: Absolutely. And you look at young people who look up to these celebrity stars, these sports stars and they're certainly stepping into the roles and trying to be mentors for the community and for their fans.
BERMAN: Nice to see.
KOSIK: New information on the final moments of the Minnesota man shot and killed by police as his family prepares to say their final farewells.
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[04:45:18] KOSIK: A heart wrenching day lies 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.
More now from CNN's Brynn Gingras.
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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.
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.
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BERMAN: Brynn Gingras, thanks so much.
The 15-year-old son of Alton Sterling travels to Washington, D.C. 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.
You have to hear the heartfelt messages followed by his mother's reaction during a CNN town hall last night.
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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)
BERMAN: 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.
Police in Fresno, California released body cam footage of officers fatally shooting an unarmed teenager last month after he refused to comply with repeated police commands. The shooting has triggered protest in Fresno, that have drawn hundreds of people.
Video shows the victim 19-year-old Dylan Noble being shot four times as he lay on the ground. I have to tell you this video is disturbing.
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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.
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BERMAN: Fresno police said 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. Get ready to pay for more health care. There's new out that health care costs are expected to rise at a 5.7 percent annual rate over the next three years. Costs dipped as the economy recovered from the recession. Even fell last year. Thanks to some Obamacare measures.
[04:50:00] A large chunk of the future increase coming from out of pocket expenses. So, yes, it will get more expensive. Everybody wants to know why. Experts say aging baby boomers will require more care, plus wages will rise, along with medical prices. So, those factors will increase how much we shell out for health care.
Right now, spending on health care makes up 17.5 percent of the U.S. GDP and by 2025, that's going to wind up jumping to more than 20 percent. More of that spending will be paid for by federal and state and local governments. Here is o bit of go news in the data. Prescription costs for drugs will rise at a slower pace than we have seen in recent years. You know, even President Obama wrote an article in "Medical Journal"
on Monday acknowledging costs with Obamacare are still a challenge. So --
BERMAN: Challenge for a long, long time to come.
KOSIK: It will be.
All right. Extreme heat getting grip on the East starting today. Let's get to meteorologist Allison Chinchar.
Good morning.
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ALLISON CHINCHAR, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That's right. Very hot and we have heat watches and warnings up extending all the up and down the East Coast. The orange color on the screen is a heat advisory. And all of the areas you see in pink, including the city of Philadelphia, is under an excessive heat warning, because that also takes into account the humidity. That feels-like temperature.
Look at this. Philadelphia with a temperature of 92, but it's going to feel like 101. Cities like Washington, D.C. and Norfolk, the temperature is 94, but it's going to feel like 103.
We also have the threat for severe weather in many of the same cities in the Northeast. We're talking New York, Burlington, also into Washington, D.C. But it stretches all the way back toward Denver and the yellow areas you see are under a slightly higher risk for severe weather.
The main threat is going to be the afternoon into the evening commute hours.
So, Alison and John, that is something we will have to keep a close eye on.
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KOSIK: All right. Thanks, Alison.
Donald Trump's rise to the Republican nominee has shocked Wall Street. So, why aren't investors freaking out? We're going to get an early start on your money, next.
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[04:56:21] BERMAN: Britain's new Prime Minister Theresa May is asking European leaders for time to navigate her country's exit from the European Union. During her first hours on the job, the prime minister spoke to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande emphasizing her commitment to delivering the will of the British people. That means getting out of the European Union. She has also put in together a new built for Brexit cabinet.
CNN's Robin Oakley live from London with the very latest. Not even a day on the job and she's got a big job ahead of her, Robin.
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Absolutely. She has shown a remarkable ruthlessness in starting to put together her new cabinet to succeed David Cameron. She's got rid of the former chancellor George Osborne, who used to be in 11 Downing Street here, the man who helped reform the British economy alongside David Cameron. He's gone, not offered another job at all.
We're promised today that she will announce an appointment of a number of women to increase or improve the gender balance in the cabinet. But, of course, the key appointment yesterday was that of Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and two fellow leave campaigners in the referendum on the future with the European Union. So, the leave side can so far have done much better with her appointments and very much, she's living up to her promise that Brexit means Brexit, John.
BERMAN: And perhaps the most recognizable name and face and hair on that list is Boris Johnson, the former London mayor, well known to Americans as a showman.
OAKLEY: Yes, he is a showman. He is one of the politicians who can walk into a room and light it up and really get things going. He enjoys having hecklers.
He is a showman politician rather in the style people suggest of Trump, but a softer, gentler version of that. But he's also had a long career as a journalist. I worked alongside him myself. And he's got a lot of hostages to fortune, things he said in his columns in the past. For example, comparing Hillary Clinton to sadistic nurse in a mental hospital, complaining in his leave campaign on the European Union that Barack Obama was part Kenyan ancestry, which made him anti- British because he was anti-colonial. That kind of stuff Boris Johnson will have some trouble living down, but he is possibly one of the few politicians in the cabinet that has the charm to do that, John.
BERMAN: Shows they want a big and loud presence in the world stage.
Robin Oakley, thanks so much.
KOSIK: Let's get an early start on your money. Stocks in the U.S. on fire, and it's looking like more gains today. Dow futures are higher. Stocks in Europe are posting gains. Asian stocks are finishing mostly higher. Overnight, we are seeing oil prices up.
Donald Trump's rise as the presumptive Republican nominee has shocked Wall Street and numerous economists and business leaders, they are thinking the economy and stock market will tank if he wins in November. So, why aren't we seeing investors freaking out? Wall Street thinks it is unlikely that Trump will be the United States. Clinton does have a solid lead in major forecasts.
You look at CNN's latest poll of polls which shows Clinton with 45 percent of the vote versus Trump's 40 percent. Polls in some swing states out this week show a much closer race, some have Trump ahead. But even if he wins, the way Wall Street sees it, he won't get much done. But then again, should we really rely just on the polls. We saw what happened with the Brexit.
BERMAN: Wall Street doesn't like it when things don't get done. I think they prefer a status quo.
All right. EARLY START continues right now.
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KOSIK: V.P. Frenzy in Indiana. Donald Trump one day away from announcing his 2016 running mate.
