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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Trump To Name VP Pick Friday; GOP Convention: Down To The Wire; Health Care Costs To Rise 5.7%, Funeral For Philando Castile; Alton Sterling's Son To Meet With Obama; NBA Stars Call For End To Violence; Theresa May To E.U.: Brexit Will Take Time. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired July 14, 2016 - 05:30   ET

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

[05:30:00] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: By tomorrow we will know the person who will be Donald Trump's running mate. A flurry of last- minute meetings. Now, why one candidate believes it is a two-man race.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: Cleveland preparing for riots. The Republican National Convention just days away from descending upon the city. How leaders there are planning to keep people safe.

BERMAN: And then breaking overnight, a really stunning and emotional call to end gun violence from the NBA's biggest stars. Welcome back to EARLY START, I'm John Berman.

KOSIK: Good morning, I'm Alison Kosik. It's 30 minutes past the hour and breaking overnight, Donald Trump announces he's 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 am 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 because he says his plane blew a tire on the runway. Trump spent extra time with Indiana governor Mike Pence because of that.

Alabama senator Jeff Sessions even flew in from Washington for an audience with the presumptive nominee. Also, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich decided he better get to Indianapolis, too. 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, is down to two as he hinted in talking to Bret Baier. Mike Pence is a great personal friend. We've worked together on 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. Been a very good governor of Indiana.

And so, at the same time, I think Mike will say he's a good friend of mine and he'd probably 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 who will be 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 that nothing has been offered or accepted. He's continuing to play it cool. 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 really honored to have not only Mr. Trump but a number of his children and son-in-law join us at the governor's residence. It's great to have them in Indiana and great to have a chance to break bread. Nothing was offered, nothing was accepted.

But we had a great conversation about the country, the 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 a meeting with Sen. Jeff Sessions from Alabama, who flew here from Washington, D.C. midday on Tuesday. Sessions had been vetted by the Trump campaign. Been listed as a potential vice presidential contender, but sources 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 Donald 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. I want to bring in CNN politics digital managing editor, Zachary Wolf to talk to us this morning. Zachary, never seen a vice presidential selection process just like this, with the candidate himself, Donald Trump, being so open about it. I want you to listen to him tell us that it's down to two.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESUMPTIVE REPUBLICAN NOMINEE: I've got to tell you, Chris Christie is somebody I've liked a long time. He's a total professional. He's a good guy, by the way. A lot of people don't understand that. But I'm narrowing it down. I mean, I'm at three, potentially four, but in my own mind I probably am thinking about two.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So, at three, maybe four, but really two. We've got five up on the screen right now, but if you read all the reporting, you know -- Newt Gingrich, for instance, thinks it's down to Mike Pence and him.

[05:35:00] ZACHARY WOLF, CNN POLITICS DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR: Yes, and some other people seem to think maybe it's down to Mike Pence and Chris Christie. The unifying factor there is Mike Pence but Gingrich certainly made it sound like he was going to be sitting by the phone. He didn't mention Chris Christie. Who knows what's going on?

When you go from two, to three, to four, Trump has very effectively had the media guessing on this. He's controlled a couple of new cycles with it with the strange or -- the meetings in Indianapolis that drew all the different candidates there, except for Christie. It's been interesting to watch as he made his name -- or helped make his name as a reality show. He's really played this out like an episode of "The Bachelor".

KOSIK: You know, as Gingrich sits by the phone and waits to hear whether or not he's actually the guy, it was interesting to hear how he personified a potential Trump-Gingrich ticket, only because it almost sounds like he's pushing himself kind of out of the running. Listen to this and we can talk about it on the back end.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GINGRICH: In many ways, Donald Trump is like a pirate. He's outside the normal system. He gets things done, he's bold. He's actually like a figure out of a movie. In a lot of ways, my entire career has been a little bit like a pirate. I've taken on the establishment of both parties. I've been very prepared to fight in the media. One of the really hard questions he's got to weigh on the way to California is, I mean, do you really want a two-pirate ticket?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: First of all, why personify a ticket like that as two pirates? Is that something that is considered positive? And how much does it really sound like he's saying listen, if we're both pirates maybe you don't want to have this -- have me on the ticket.

WOLF: I don't know that being a pirate is positive but it certainly speaks to the idea that these people are coming from outside the establishment and attacking it so, in that way, I guess the analogy works. I don't know if law-breaking swashbucklers is exactly the right way to go but you can only have one captain of the ship. If you're an alpha governor -- if you want to be in charge it might be hard to take instruction from a guy like Donald Trump.

BERMAN: I think Newt Gingrich is doing psychology 101. I think he's essentially daring Donald Trump to pick him. He's like, oh no, I would be the dangerous pick. I would be the outside the box pick. I certainly wouldn't be safe. I mean, that seems to be almost taunting Donald Trump, who likes to say that he's outside the box and not safe, that if he doesn't pick Gingrich he's taking the easy way out.

WOLF: Yes, you know, in years past the first rule of veepstakes, if you're in the midst of it, is that you don't talk about it. So the idea that Gingrich is out there doing these interviews and really talking very publicly about his own qualifications would suggest that maybe he's not the guy. I don't know. This year is certainly not like the other years but there's a lot of psychology going on out there.

KOSIK: All right, so we are literally days away from the Republican convention beginning. We still don't know exactly who's going to be speaking but "The New York Times" -- it's got somewhat of a list out.

WOLF: Yes, that's right. "The New York Times" has published a list. Some of the big names on there are people like Tim Tebow, an astronaut, a couple of governors like Gov. Rick Scott. A former rival, Scott Walker. Not a lot of huge-name Republicans, though. That speaks to the idea that a lot of these people had said that they wouldn't go to the convention, they were busy with other stuff, which was always pretty suspicious.

But it also speaks to the different nature of Trump's campaign. You're not going to have a lot of, you know, from people -- former presidents and former presidential candidates. People on the -- that Republicans have in their stable that they could bring out. It's going to look and feel very different, I think, than any other convention we've ever seen.

BERMAN: No actual pirates on the speaking lineup, if you ask me. Now, Zach, real quickly, there have been a whole bunch of polls in the last 24 hours that have, frankly, been all over the place from key states showing, essentially, the race is very close.

WOLF: That's right. We had some good news for Hillary Clinton in Colorado. We had some bad news for Hillary Clinton in Florida. I think if I were -- if I were wanting to choose one of those I'd rather take -- I'd rather be Donald Trump and take the better news for him in Florida. But, you know, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Colorado, all of these battleground states, as predicted, they're extremely close. Nobody seems to be pulling away with this thing.

KOSIK: All right, Zach Wolf, thanks so much for coming on the show this morning.

WOLF: Thank you.

KOSIK: OK. It's time for an EARLY START on your money. Get ready to pay more for your health care. New data shows 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 and even fell last year, thanks to some Obamacare measures.

[05:40:00] But a large chunk of the future increase, that's going to be coming from out-of-pocket expenses. So, yes, it is about to get more expensive because experts say aging baby boomers will require more care. Plus, wages will be rising, along with medical prices, and those factors will increase how much we shell out for health care over the next decade.

Now, right now, if you look at spending on health care it makes up 17.5 percent of U.S. GDP. By 2025, that's going to jump to more than 20 percent and more of that spending will be paid -- will be paid for by federal, state, and local governments in the future.

One piece of good news in this data, prescription drug costs. They will rise at a slower pace than we've seen in recent years. You know, critics of Obamacare are saying here, see, Obamacare, it isn't working. Others will say that's not necessarily true. Even President Obama wrote a piece earlier this week saying it still is a challenge to get this spending under control.

BERMAN: Well, whether it's working or not, the health care challenges facing this country are not going to go away anytime soon.

KOSIK: You're right about that.

BERMAN: All right, new information on the final moments of a Minnesota man's life. He was shot and killed by police and now the family prepares to say their final farewells -- that's next.

[05:41:05] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:45:15] BERMAN: A heart-wrenching day lies ahead in St. Paul, Minnesota. Philando Castile will be laid to rest one week after being shot and killed by police. And while his city and the nation mourn his death there are new questions about why he was pulled over and how officers 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're learning new details and even some discrepancies about the traffic stop that ended in the death of Philando Castile. We're told by his fiance, of course, that they were pulled over because of a broken taillight.

Well, according to the responding officer, Jeronimo Yanez's attorney -- he said Yanez pulled him over because Castile matched the description of an armed robbery suspect and so Yanez had "reasonable suspicion" to take further investigative steps.

CNN has also learned that Castile had a concealed carry permit obtained in 2015. 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's also this question of CPR. According to Reynolds, she told the governor that 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 on when that dash cam video is released but that, right now, is part of an investigation which we're told is going to take several months to complete -- John and Alison.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: Brynn Gingras, thanks very 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. I want you to listen now to the heartfelt message, followed by his proud mother's reaction that she had during a CNN town hall meeting last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAMERON STERLING, ALTON STERLING'S SON: My father was a good man. That was his sacrifice to show everyone what has been going on in life and it should give everyone a push that everyone should be together, not against each other. And another thing, the protests. 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 MCMILLION, MOTHER OF ALTON STERLING'S SON: My son is only 15 and some people look at him as if he's a lot wiser than what he is, and he really is. He know right from wrong. He knows that what is going on right now in America, it's not right. And he just want justice for both sides.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: The ACLU has filed a civil lawsuit against the Baton Rouge Police Department for allegedly violating the First Amendment rights of those who are protesting the shooting death of Alton Sterling.

BERMAN: Four of the NBA's biggest stars calling for an end to gun 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 leads of legends like Muhammad Ali and Jackie Robinson, and use their influence to bring about change.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DWYANE 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: I've looked at this several times already this morning. It's so powerful, each and every time. LeBron James called on all professional athletes to go back to their communities and invest time and resources to help rebuild them.

KOSIK: All right, let's take a look at what's coming up on "NEW DAY". Poppy Harlow joining us now. Good morning, Poppy.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR, "NEW DAY": Good morning, you guys. Decision day -- decision day is imminent for Donald Trump. The presumptive Republican nominee set to announce his choice for vice president. Who will it be? Trump says in his mind, guys, it's really down to two people and, of course, he's the only one who knows who they are. We will try to pry as much information as possible out of a former Trump campaign adviser.

[05:50:00] Also, the president meeting with law enforcement officers and Black Lives Matter activists yesterday at the White House. Very long meeting trying to bridge the gap between them and come together. What was said behind closed doors? We will speak with two people who attended that meeting, all ahead on "NEW DAY". Back to you.

KOSIK: All right, Poppy, thanks very much.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is on an incredible record run. I'm going to tell you one number that shows just how impressive those gains are. An early start on your money, next.

[05:50:35] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:54:45] 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. And she's also putting together what seems to be a "built for Brexit cabinet".

[05:55:00] CNN's Robin Oakley is live from London with the latest. A big job at her first full day on the job, Robin.

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN: Yes, and it's been a bold, brave, ruthless, and risky reshuffle of the David Cameron cabinet, particularly the risk part coming with the appointment of Boris Johnson as Britain's new foreign secretary. An accident-prone former journalist who may have to mend quite a lot of fences because in his time as journalist and in his period as a leading campaigner for Britain to leave the European Union he's given some real hostages to fortune, describing Hillary Clinton, for example, as looking like a sadistic nurse in a mental hospital.

Saying that Barack Obama -- talking of his part-Kenyan ancestry, making him anti-colonial and therefore anti-British. He got into trouble on a visit to Israel. He had to apologize to the city of Liverpool for things he'd said about citizens there, so Boris Johnson a big risk.

But the ruthlessness also showing in the chopping out of the cabinet of the main architect of Britain's economic recovery, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne. No place for him in Theresa May's team, John.

BERMAN: Any sense of what her outlook toward the United States will be and when she plans to have her first meeting with the U.S. president?

OAKLEY: No, we've heard nothing of that, as yet. Her first phone calls have been exchanges with Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, and Francois Hollande, the French president. One would expect an early contact with the United States. She's a traditionalist in many ways. The United States is very much seen as Britain's foremost ally and she's been much involved in security matters and intelligence and so on in her previous role as home secretary. Had good contacts, I think, with various American officials through that.

So I would think the relationship with the United States won't change at all, except that there's been some resentment that President Obama very much sided with the remainers in the referendum campaign, John.

BERMAN: All right, Robin Oakley, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

KOSIK: OK, let's get an EARLY START on your money. The U.S. stock market is hot and it looks like it's going to get hotter today. Dow futures are solidly higher. Stock markets in Europe are posting gains. Asian stock markets finished mostly higher overnight and we are seeing oil prices heading higher as well.

The record run for the Dow and the S&P 500, it is impressive, but the rise from the lows this year are incredible. Check out the Dow since the beginning of the year. Fears about China gripped Wall Street. Oil crashes and stocks tanked, then things turned around and from that low point in February the Dow is up an astonishing 2,700 points, or more than 17 percent. Even the 800, almost 900-point, drop of the Dow following the Brexit vote, it was quickly erased.

Some analysts think the market has come too far, too fast. Others are more bullish and still see value in sectors like tech and health care. I say volatility is king. Right now, enjoy riding the wave higher.

BERMAN: Time to get nervous. All right, Donald Trump just one day away from revealing his 2016 running mate. "NEW DAY" starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: I'm at three, potentially four.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The vice presidential spot at this point, it's up to him.

GINGRICH: Certainly, I'm one of the people who will be sitting by the phone waiting.

PENCE: It's very humbling to be considered for a position of this magnitude.

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R-NJ), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am confident that he will make America great again.

TRUMP: In my own mind, I probably am thinking about two.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We will not let the act of a coward break us.

MCMILLON: The violence is not going to never be the answer for nothing. We want peace.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been a one-way conversation about the police, but not including the police.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're not even close to being where we want to be.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is it about black people that make us seem to police officers to be more dangerous?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo and Alisyn Camerota.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, welcome to your NEW DAY. It's Thursday, July 14th, 6:00 in the east. Alisyn is off. Poppy Harlow joins me this morning. We're going to be talking a lot about race today, but we do have this political intrigue.

The presumptive Republican nominee says he's going to announce his running mate tomorrow morning in New York. Donald Trump has done it again, dominating the news cycle. No one really asking who Hillary Clinton is going to pick for a running mate, but the intrigue for Trump has the media on edge.

HARLOW: The pick will come just days before the start of the Republican Convention in Cleveland. Details of who will speak there and who won't starting to emerge and it's looking like, shall I say, anything but your average convention.

We've got it all covered for you. Let's begin with Phil Mattingly, live from Cleveland. First of all, Phil, everyone's been waiting and waiting and waiting to find out and now some details, according to "The New York Times" and you're talking to the campaign. What do we know? PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know that the speaker list, as it currently stands, which was promised a week ago yesterday, as you noted, is available in draft form.