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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Remembering Debbie Reynolds; Kerry Criticizes Israel, PM Netanyahu; Trump Takes Victory Lap on Economy. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired December 29, 2016 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOE JOHNS, CNN ANCHOR: A brutal week has just gotten worse as we mourn another Hollywood icon. Debbie Reynolds passing away just 24 hours after her daughter Carrie Fisher. We are live in Los Angeles with more.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: Not a warm reception for the Middle East peace parameters laid out by Secretary of State John Kerry. The Israelis are pushing back hard after Kerry blamed Israeli settlements for the stalled peace process.
[04:30:04] We're live in Jerusalem.
JOHNS: And Donald Trump taking questions from a group of reporters not once, but twice. His take on the Middle East and Russia and transition ahead.
Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Joe Johns.
KOSIK: And I'm Alison Kosik. Good morning. It's half past the hour. John and Christine are off.
Sad news to report overnight. Beloved actress and singer and dancer Debbie Reynolds has died one day after the passing of her daughter Carrie Fisher. The bubbly performer was one of Hollywood's biggest starts in the 1950s and '60s with a career stretched into TV, music, Broadway, and nightclubs. Reynolds was known as much for her irrepressible, unsinkable spirit as for her multifaceted talent. She was 84 years old.
CNN's Paul Vercammen joins us now live from Los Angeles.
Paul, you know, so many people waking up stunned to hear that Debbie Reynolds has passed.
PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's a great way to characterize it, Alison, stunned and absolutely heartsick.
Now, Deb Reynolds' son, Todd Reynolds, telling CNN yesterday that he was with his mom. They were planning for the memorial service for his sister and her daughter Carrie Fisher. Debbie Reynolds developed some sort of breathing problems. She was rushed to Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles where she passed away.
And Todd Fisher telling that said Debbie Reynolds told him, "I miss Carrie", and then he said, now, she is with Carrie.
Alone now and singing my song for you
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBBIE REYNOLDS, SINGER-ACTRESS (singing): Alone now and I'm singing my song for you --
VERCAMMEN (voice-over): Singer, dancer, actress Debbie Reynolds was a Hollywood triple threat and America's sweetheart. Her film career begun at the age of 16 after being spotted in a beauty pageant.
REYNOLDS: I'm laughing at clouds --
VERCAMMEN: Her star officially launched just a few years later after a spirited performance opposite Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor in 1952's "Singing in the Rain."
REYNOLDS: They picked me to put me in "Singing in the Rain". And they just locked me in a studio and for three months, I had five teachers. One for tap and ballet, jazz, modern, and I just worked, worked, worked, you know, until I would just fall apart.
VERCAMMEN: Other roles followed, including 1957's "Tammy and the Bachelor", which resulted in her number hit song "Tammy". She played opposite Gregory Peck in "How the West Was Won" and her performance in "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" earned her an Oscar nomination.
Beloved on screen, at times, Reynolds' life off-screen overshadowed her success. She had two children with the first husband, crooner Eddie Fisher, producer Todd Fisher and actress/author Carrie Fisher who died just one day before her mother. In 1959, the marriage ended in a highly publicized divorce when Fisher left Reynolds to marry her close friend Elizabeth Taylor, a painful betrayal.
Reynolds was able to joke with the scandal years later.
REYNOLDS: I was a Girl Scout. I really was really a simple little girl. That's what I was. He fell madly in love with Elizabeth. Now, I understand, you know, so many years later. It's in the past.
VERCAMMEN: Her second and third marriages also ended in divorce, each time causing Reynolds financial pain. However, she had quietly collecting Hollywood memorabilia over the years that would prove to be a wise investment. In 2011, Reynolds sold Marilyn Monroe's white subway dress at auction for $4.6 million.
She also never quit performing, though, she stepped away from film for much of her career, Reynolds continued to entertain on Broadway stages and in Las Vegas nightclubs.
In addition, Reynolds had several TV roles over the years, notably playing Liberace's mother in the 2013 Emmy-winning TV movie "Beyond the Candelabra." Her wide array of work was recognized in 2015, when the Screen Actors Guild honored Reynolds with the lifetime achievement award. Reynolds said she loved every minute she spends in show business in
her 2013 autobiography, "Unsinkable". She credits the love she had for her friends and family for personal and professional resiliency.
And it is that spark and sense of humor, along with her talent that Reynolds will be remembered for.
REYNOLDS: I love you. Good night, everybody. Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VERCAMMEN: And right now on the Hollywood walk of fame, Debbie Reynolds star flickering in the candle glow as people fondly remember her -- Alison, Joe.
KOSIK: Paul, I understand you interviewed Debbie Reynolds 20 years ago. What was she like?
VERCAMMEN: She was great. In fact, I asked her about this, about being a mother for the movie mother. I said, are you the type of mother who can't say no? She said, "In many ways, yes." You got a sense that she was just the doting, adoring mother who loved both Carrie Fisher and Todd.
[04:35:04] She said, "Once in a while, if I feel like they are going off a cliff, I'm going to say something."
But you really got a sense that Debbie Reynolds in some ways, this superstar, was America's mother -- Alison, Joe.
KOSIK: Absolutely. One-of-a-kind. Paul Vercammen, thanks so much.
JOHNS: She really was Hollywood royalty.
Just a short time ago, we spoke with legendary actor, writer, producer Carl Reiner. He starred with Debbie Reynolds in the 1959 comedy thriller "The Gazebo" and he offered this remembrance of his friend and costar.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARL REINER, ACTOR/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER (via telephone): What a sad, sad, sad, sad day. I can't believe it. Cannot believe it.
KOSIK: I certainly agree with you. What went through your mind when you heard Debbie Reynolds passed away just a day after her iconic daughter?
REINER: Well, I thought it was a mistake. I thought they got the wrong name. They should have mentioned her daughter. I realized it was Debbie.
And I -- those two icons -- Debbie I knew very well because we did "Gazebo" together. She invited me to write, produce and act in her first television series. She was absolutely amazing, doing three characters, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Brigitte Bardot and Anna Magnani, brilliantly. She was -- I can't tell you how excited I was to just look -- the other day I was watching "Singing in the Rain." That kid was dancing. She took six weeks of dancing to learn to dance with Kelly and O'Connors.
I couldn't believe it. This is the most extraordinary talent this business of ours has ever had. And I went to see -- you know, in my life, I have seen one woman and one woman shows. Mark Twain and Williams doing Charles Dickens, and Carrie Fisher doing a one-woman show that was called "Wishful Drinking."
I remember going back stage. I was so blown away. We got to be real friends by the fact I wouldn't leave backstage. That's the most brilliant thing I ever seen. She did her whole life in two hours.
Anyway, I could not believe. I'm 95 years old. They were 60 and 82. I said, they belong here yet. I'm past my prime.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: The death of Debbie Reynolds reverberated through the wide circle of friends and across the Hollywood community. Albert Brooks who starred with Reynolds in the 1996 comedy mother tweeted, "Debbie Reynolds, a legend and my movie mom. I can't believe this happened one day after Carrie. My heart goes out to Billie." That's Carrie Fisher's daughter, Debbie Reynolds' granddaughter.
Reynolds also played Debra Messing's mother on the sitcom "Will and Grace." Messing posted this on Instagram. "My heart is literally broken. An inspiration on every level. A legend, of course. The epitome of clean-cut American optimism, dancing with Gene Kelly as an equal, a warrior woman who never stopped working."
KOSIK: All right. Switching gears now. Secretary of State John Kerry criticizing Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a Middle East policy speech just weeks before Kerry leaving office. The secretary the state warning the two-state solution is in jeopardy and blaming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for standing in the way of peace.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: The Israelis prime minister publicly supports a two-state solution. His current coalition is the most right wing in Israeli history with the most agenda driven with the extreme elements.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: Kerry defending U.S. support of Israel and the decision by the U.S. to abstain in the U.N. vote condemning Israeli settlements. That abstention allowing the resolution to pass.
Now after Kerry's speech, a top national security adviser to President Obama softening the blow a bit, telling CNN the White House would veto any U.N. resolution dictating a peace solution or recognizing a Palestinian state. Reaction from Israel to the Kerry speech was swift and strong,
especially from the prime minister who called it a bias attack that pay lip service to Palestinian terror.
Let's get more from CNN's Oren Liebermann live for us in Jerusalem.
Good morning, Oren.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alison.
One of the comments in the papers points out that Secretary of State John Kerry and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu each had one person in mind when they were speaking. Kerry was thinking about himself and Netanyahu was thinking about President-elect Donald Trump.
The points these two leaders made, Kerry talking about settlements in the Israeli government, Netanyahu talking about the rest of the Middle East and the Palestinians, were not in response to each other. Each side seemed to know exactly what it is they wanted to say and they made their points while not responding to the other. Prime Minister Netanyahu was withering in his criticism of Secretary of State John Kerry's speech, saying it was bias and anti-Israel. Here's part of that response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[04:40:02] BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: The persistent Palestinian refusal to recognize a Jewish state remains the core of the conflict, and its removal is the key to peace. Palestinian rejection of Israel and support for terror are what the nations of the world should focus on if they truly want to advance peace. I can only express my regret and say it is a shame that Secretary Kerry does not see this simple truth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIEBERMANN: Netanyahu making it clear that he is not changing his position. He believes settlements are not the obstacle to peace. despite, what is very clearly now an international consensus that they are. Palestinians welcome the speech and say it is about time the Obama administration held Israel responsible for settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. They say it's now up to Israel to abide by the resolution. Once they do that, that is to say, once Israel stops building in the settlements, the Palestinians say they are ready to resume negotiations -- Alison.
KOSIK: And yet another stalemate on a very obviously contentious issue.
CNN's Oren Liebermann, thanks so much.
JOHNS: Back here in the States, the transition continues. President- elect Donald Trump emerging from Mar-a-Lago to take questions from multiple reporters for the first time since the summer. We'll tell you what he had to say.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:45:03] JOHNS: After avoiding packs of reporters for more than five months, President-elect Donald Trump finally spoke to journalists on Wednesday and not once, but twice. Mr. Trump clearly trying to dial-down the heat with President Obama after days of feuding, and so apparently was the president who phoned Trump. The White House says the call was, quote, "positive and focus on continuing a smooth and effective transition."
Trump seeming to agree, speaking later to the media at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT-ELECT: He called me. We had a very, very good talk about generally about things. He was in Hawaii. And it was a very, very nice call. And I actually thought we covered a lot of territory, a lot of good territory.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: Agreeable tone there coming just hours after Mr. Trump tweeted this, "Doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks. Thought it was going to be a smooth transition. Not."
Sunlen Serfaty has more on the transition, smooth or otherwise, from Mar-a-Lago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Joe and Alison.
As President-elect Donald Trump continues his time here in Florida, it's this public feud with President Obama which has really escalated in the last few days. But it seems that both sides now are taking steps to at least publicly lower the temperature on the spat.
Now, Donald Trump here in Florida also taking steps to really reclaim and redirect the narrative around his transition, focusing now on the economy.
Trump coming out, making a rare appearance here in Florida, telling the press that two companies will have jobs saved or created here in the United States, but very similar to the Carrier deal, Trump not divulging any additional details beyond just taking a small victory lap.
TRUMP: I was called by the head people at Sprint, and they're going to be bringing 5,000 jobs back to the United States. They are taking them from other countries. They are bringing them back to the United States.
And also, One Web, a new company, is going to be hiring 3,000 people. So, that's very exciting. SERFATY: And here in Florida, Trump has been holding interviews with
potential contenders for these big cabinet positions that are still left remaining. Among those, the secretary of veterans affairs and secretary of agriculture. Those two big posts are still outstanding.
We know, according to transition officials, though, that Trump potentially is inching toward some decision and we should expect at least one of those big announcements before the end of the week -- Joe and Alison.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOSIK: All right. Thanks to Sunlen Serfaty for that.
OK. So, Donald Trump is taking credit for the 5,000 jobs Sprint will bring back to the U.S. But is the news true? The telecommunications giant which employs 30,000 people confirmed the hires in a statement and said the new jobs will mostly be at call centers. OK, that makes sense. In recent years, Sprint moved a number of call centers overseas to save money, including 2,500 jobs just a year ago.
But here's the thing -- this announcement isn't new. The hires are part of 50,000 jobs that Softbank had promised to create in the U.S. Softbank has significant investment in Sprint.
And the U.S. telecommunications industry certainly could use those 50,000 jobs. The industry has lost more than 600,000 jobs in the past 15 years.
JOHNS: Starting to see a trend here with the job announcements, huh? That's happened in Florida.
KOSIK: Yes, it's sort of the trend. If he takes credit for it, definitely do your homework and see how accurate that is.
JOHNS: Absolutely.
The White House is expected to reveal today what sanctions it is taking against Russia for tampering with the presidential election. Details from D.C., next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JOHNS: Donald Trump down playing the apparent threat of Russian hacking in the presidential election. As the Obama administration prepares to level sanctions against Moscow as soon as today for Russia's apparent meddling, Trump speaking to reporters at his Mar-a- Lago estate last night said, not so fast.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I think we should get on with our lives. I think computers have complicated lives greatly. The whole age of computer has made it where nobody knows exactly what's going on. We have speed and other things. I'm not sure you have the security you need. But I have not spoken with the senators and I certainly will be over a period of time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: Many in the Senate have been calling for action against Russia. So, what sanctions the Obama administration is going to level on Moscow?
CNN justice correspondent Evan Perez has more from Washington as the details start to emerge.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Alison and Joe, after debating it internally for months, the Obama administration is ready to name names as the outgoing president tries to response to Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential election. Officials are expected to announce a series of retaliatory measures, including sanctions and diplomatic measures. They're expected to name individuals who are associated with the Russian disinformation operation that U.S. intelligence officials say was at least partly focus on harming Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. And the administration also says that there may be covert action that we may never know about.
For their part, the Russians say that they are tired of, quote, "lies and misinformation from the Obama administration." A Kremlin spokesperson says, quote, "If Washington really does take new hostile steps, they will be answered. Any action against Russian diplomatic missions in the U.S. will immediately bounce back on U.S. diplomats in Russia."
Of course, Donald Trump has said he doesn't really believe that the Russians were behind the hacks.
Before President Obama leaves office, we are also expecting a report in the coming weeks to provide more detail about what the intelligence agencies know about what the Russians and even the Chinese were up to going back to the elections in 2008 -- Alison, Joe.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOHNS: So, we may never know all of the sanctions. Thanks for that, Evan Perez.
In other news, Chicago's police department announcing a plan to equipped patrol officers throughout the city with body cameras will be completed by the end of 2017. That's a year earlier than originally planned. Mayor Rahm Emanuel calling it a win-win for police and the public designed to improve transparency and rebuild trust. Chicago's police department is currently the subject of a federal civil rights investigation.
KOSIK: The sentencing phase of the trial for Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof is likely to be short. Roof is representing himself during the penalty phase and doesn't plan to call any witnesses or present any evidence. He was convicted earlier this year of murdering nine people last year at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Roof could get the death penalty.
JOHNS: OK, New England, get ready. You are in the cross-hairs of the major winter storm.
Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Joe. Good morning, Alison.
The showers and storms across the southern portion of the country here bringing some nice beneficial rain across the Deep South. But notice the northern periphery of this bringing in snow showers around parts of the Great Lakes. Some of these being lake-enhanced temperatures certainly cold enough around places such as Buffalo to support this and pretty significant cut where the heavy snow is locked in place for later this morning into this afternoon. And the rainfall is in place around the major metro cities over the Northeast.
But over 10 million people dealing with the winter weather advisories and alerts that are in place. But go up for a closer perspective across the white mountains of New Hampshire there and avalanche threat in place as well. Very unusual. Not something you see every day for parts of the Northeast. But certainly in place for today across the area with the strong storms that are expected to move across the region.
And notice Cleveland getting in some snow showers this morning and working out to the east. We have wind alerts as well for winds that could potentially reach up to 60 miles per hour, includes places such as Boston and Portland as well throughout this afternoon and this evening. And the forecast for the heaviest snowfall locked around in New Hampshire into Maine. Some of these areas could see upwards of 1.5 feet of snow by the end of tonight -- guys.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOSIK: Thanks, Pedram.
It looks like an early start on your money. I want to get to Dow 20,000, because it's moving farther, farther away. The average is moving more than 100 points as stocks tumbled Wednesday. It's only the second time since the election that we saw the Dow lose in the triple digits.
Following Wall Street's lead, global markets are mostly lower this morning. Red arrows across the board. Right now, Dow futures down about five points.
KOSIK: Troubled air bag maker Takata could be close to a $1 billion criminal settlement. That's according to "The Wall Street Journal". Takata has been negotiating with U.S. prosecutors over its exploding air bags which have been linked to 11 deaths in the U.S. The report says the Japanese manufacturer could plead guilty to a number of criminal charges. The Takata recall is the biggest in U.S. history affecting 42 million vehicles.
OK. If you still have a Galaxy Note 7, you're soon going to have a dead phone. T-Mobile released an update Wednesday to prevent the faulty devices from charging. AT&T, Verizon and Sprint will roll out similar updates the first week of January. If you remember, Samsung recall millions of Note 7 phones after a battery issue caused them to catch on fire. And while the company said the majority had been turned in, this move is actually going to wind up forcing those people who have not gotten rid of their phones to finally get an alternative.
I know when I get on an airplane, the announcement is, do not turn your phone on.
JOHNS: Yes, you can't use it anywhere, huh?
KOSIK: Exactly nowhere but the garbage.
JOHNS: Tough situation.
EARLY START continues right now.
(MUSIC)
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
JOHNS: Mourning the loss of another icon. Debbie Reynolds passing away just a day after losing her daughter Carrie Fisher. We're live in Los Angeles with reaction.
KOSIK: The Mideast peace parameters laid out by Secretary of State John Kerry not being met with warmth. Israelis are pushing back hard after Kerry blamed Israeli settlements for the stalled peace process. We're live in Jerusalem.
JOHNS: And not one, but two appearances from Donald Trump speaking with groups of reporters for the first time in months. What did he say about the Middle East and Russia and transition?
Good morning and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Joe Johns.
KOSIK: Good morning. I'm Alison Kosik. It's Thursday, December 29th. Coming up on 5:00 a.m. in the East. John and Christine are off.
And we have sad news to report overnight. Beloved actress and singer and dancer Debbie Reynolds has died one day after the passing of her daughter Carrie Fisher. The bubbly performer was one of Hollywood's biggest starts in the 1950s and '60s with a career stretched into TV, music, Broadway, and nightclubs. Reynolds was known as much for her irrepressible, unsinkable spirit as for her multifaceted talent. She was 84 years old.
CNN's Paul Vercammen joins us live from Los Angeles.
Paul, this is a shock to everybody just waking up this morning and kind of -- trying to get over Carrie Fisher's death. VERCAMMEN: Yes, they almost can't believe that we're reporting this,
that this happened, Hollywood is floored and just devastated.
And what happened was, Todd Fisher telling CNN, he's the son of Debbie Reynolds, that his mother is having breathing problems, that were planning the funeral. She was rushed to Cedar Sinai Hospital where she passed away at the age of 84.
He said, earlier in the day, she said that she missed Carrie, and now she is with Carrie.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBBIE REYNOLDS, SINGER-ACTRESS (singing): Alone now and I'm singing my song for you --
VERCAMMEN (voice-over): Singer, dancer, actress Debbie Reynolds was a Hollywood triple threat and America's sweetheart. Her film career begun at the age of 16 after being spotted in a beauty pageant.
REYNOLDS: I'm laughing at clouds --
VERCAMMEN: Her star officially launched just a few years later after a spirited performance opposite Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor in 1952's "Singing in the Rain."
