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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Myanmar Released Imprisoned Journalists; House Dems and White House Face Off; Trump Not Bluffing on Tariff Threat; Royal Baby: It's a Boy!!! Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired May 07, 2019 - 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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[04:30:52] WA LONE, REUTERS JOURNALIST: I'm very happy and excited to see my family and my colleagues. And I can't wait to go to my newsroom.
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DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, two "Reuters" journalists jailed more than 500 days despite worldwide outrage finally freed by Myanmar.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: The president's taxes, the Mueller report, congressional subpoenas, the White House defying Congress on all three again showing disdain for basic checks and balances.
BRIGGS: He's not bluffing. Trade officials say the president's threat to hike tariffs on Chinese goods is real. Critical trade talks resume tomorrow.
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PRINCE HARRY, DUKE OF SUSSEX: This little thing is absolutely to die for. So, I'm just over the moon.
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ROMANS: It's a boy and that's about all we know. The baby of Prince Harry and the duchess of Sussex is now 7th in line to the throne.
Harry's mind blown. He's like he can't believe what women can accomplish. We love it.
Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.
BRIGGS: I'm Dave Briggs. Happy Tuesday, everybody. Four-twenty-one Eastern Time.
We start with breaking news overnight. Two journalists from "Reuters" jailed in Myanmar are free this morning after more than 500 days in prison. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo had been sentenced under Myanmar's Official
Secrets Act for reporting on a massacre of Rohingya civilians. Their convictions sparked an outcry from diplomats and human rights advocates. And now, they have been released just weeks after their final appeal was denied. The pair earned this year's Pulitzer Prize for international reporting for the story that got them jailed.
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LONE: Inside in a prison and also around the world, people who are wishing to release us, so, I would like to say thank you. I'm very happy. I'm excited to see my family and my colleagues. And I can't wait to go to my newsroom.
(APPLAUSE)
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ROMANS: And there is the "Reuters" newsroom in Singapore, it erupted in cheers as journalists watched their colleagues leave prison. The president in Myanmar has pardoned other prisoners in mass amnesties, customary around the traditional new year.
"Reuters" editor in chief Steven Adler described the men as courageous reporters and the symbols of the importance of press freedom around the world.
And "Reuters" releasing this video avoid of the two men -- it makes me want to cry -- being reunited with their children. Gosh.
BRIGGS: Can you imagine that moment?
ROMANS: His daughter was born when he was in prison, in prison for telling the truth. That is really something. Welcome home.
BRIGGS: Five hundred days. Yes, welcome home to you both.
OK. Ahead, let's talk some major showdowns between the House Democrats and the Trump administration on all three fronts.
First, the president's tax returns, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin saying he will not hand them over despite the risk of a subpoena. It's the latest move by administration officials to shield the president and aides from a wide range of inquiries from the tax returns to a demand for testimony about the census and immigration.
ROMANS: The second front, a possible contempt of Congress citation for the attorney general. House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler has confirmed committee staff and justice officials will meet today to try to reach a deal on congressional access to the Mueller report. If they can't, a vote to hold Bill Barr in contempt is planned tomorrow. The committee's top Republican calls the vote illogical and disingenuous.
BRIGGS: And, third, it's deadline day for Don McGahn. By 10:00 a.m., the former White House counsel has to comply with the House Judiciary subpoena for documents. Sources tell us if he doesn't, he could face a contempt of Congress citation as well.
The White House has signaled it might try to invoke executive privilege to keep McGahn quiet.
ROMANS: All right. It's a question everyone is asking on Capitol Hill, will Bob Mueller testify? President Trump reversing his previous stance tweeting Mueller should not. He says the Democrats want a redo and he's not on board with that.
Some Republicans like Georgia Doug Collins like Georgia Congressman Doug Collins are warming up to the idea. Collins is the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee. He believes Mueller would tell everyone there's no collusion and obstruction.
[04:35:00] And Republican Senator Susan Collins wants to hear from Mueller, too.
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SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME): It appears that Mr. Mueller would like to testify, and I think it would give the opportunity for the public to get additional views and clarifications on some parts of his report.
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ROMANS: House Democrats have set aside May 15th, that's a week from tomorrow for Mueller to testify. He has not formally agreed.
BRIGGS: Hundreds of former federal prosecutors say President Trump would have been indicted if he were not president. The bipartisan group of more than 450 signed on to a statement saying special counsel Robert Mueller's findings would have produced obstruction charges against citizen Trump. The statement offers a rebuttal of sorts to the attorney general's determination the evidence uncovered in the Mueller report was, quote, not sufficient.
The ex-prosecutors say: We emphasize these are not matters of close professional judgment but took a look at these facts and say a prosecutor could not sustain a conviction for obstruction of justice runs counter to logic and experience. Those signing the letter did not explicitly address what if anything they hope might happen next.
ROMANS: All right. President Trump's trade officials say his tariff threat is real. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer told reporters Monday the administration would be moving forward on Trump's threat to hike tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods to 25 percent on Friday. Lighthizer said China went back on previous agreements in the latest round of trade talks, derailing months of progress toward ending the damaging trade war.
Lighthizer said: We tried to accommodate changes in the text but these are substantial and substantive changes. The news comes as the Chinese delegation is set to travel to Washington. And new this morning, Chinese Commerce Ministry said Vice Premier Liu He will be in D.C. Thursday for the 11th round of talks. China responding this morning to the president's tariff saying that
raising tariffs won't resolve any issue.
Trump threw negotiations into question over the weekend when he tweeted his threat to raise tariffs. Markets around the world fell. The Dow fell as much as 471 points but then stocks made a major recovery. The Dow closed just 66 points lower.
Right now, global markets are mixed. You can see that Tokyo, Shanghai are down, but Hong Kong is up.
Futures in the U.S. are slightly lower here, about a third of a percentage point lower. Monday's losses overall were pretty shallow. That says two things, the market doesn't believe the president would scuttle trade talks, this was just a negotiating ploy, or investors believe his tough talk might get significant concessions from the Chinese.
BRIGGS: Could these catastrophic effects of climate change have a silver lining? Well, to hear Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tell it, they do. Shrinking Arctic Sea has led to warmer global temps which in turn has caused more melting of sea ice. But Pompeo says it's a great opportunity, allowing access to natural resources while cutting shipping times between Asia and the West.
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MIKE POMPEO, SECRETARY OF STATE: Steady reductions in sea ice are opening new passage ways and new opportunities for trade. Arctic could come the 21st century Suez and Panama canals.
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BRIGGS: Pompeo's speech coming on the same day a U.N. report warned that 1 million species were at risk or extinction due to human action including climate change.
To 2020 now, Pete Buttigieg campaigning in South Carolina and confronting his lack of African-American support head on. The racial makeup of the crowds in places like New Hampshire, Iowa, might not be noteworthy but here was Buttigieg in mostly black central South Carolina appearing in a room filled with mostly white people.
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PETE BUTTIGIEG (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I need help. So the black voters who know me best, the people of South Bend helped return me to office by an overwhelming margin. Out here people are just getting to know me, and trust in part is a function of quantity time.
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BRIGGS: Buttigieg campaign touted the trip to South Carolina a chance for the Indiana mayor to highlight his policies for black voters, two black voters, policies that include a focus on criminal justice reform, education and black entrepreneurship. ROMANS: All right. Summer is coming and a new FDA study is raising
concern about the safety of sunscreen. The study shows several common ingredients are absorbed into the bloodstream after one day of use. Researchers also found the concentration of three ingredients kept rising with daily use and stayed in the body for 24 hours afterwards. The FDA says more testing is needed to determine the possible cancer risk.
So, should you stop using sunscreen? Experts say absolutely not. That definitely poses a cancer risk. But the FDA wants sunscreen manufacturers to provide more information on chemical absorption and potential health risks.
[04:40:05] BRIGGS: Sixty new cases of measles reported this week in the U.S., bringing the total number for the year to 764. All but eight of the new cases are in New York, and ultra orthodox Jewish communities. Pennsylvania is new to the list, bringing the total number of states with cases this year to 23.
Dozens of new measles cases are being reported weekly. The number steadily increasing by week in 2019. Experts attribute the surge largely to anti-vaxx parents.
ROMANS: All right. It's the latte that lit up the internet. How HBO and Starbucks handled the unexpected coffee cameo in "Game of Thrones."
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ROMANS: President Trump has pardoned a former Army officer sentenced to prison ten years ago for killing an Iraqi prisoner.
[04:45:01] First Lieutenant Michael Behenna shot and killed suspected al Qaeda operative Ali Mansur Mohamed in 2008, reportedly in retaliation for explosion that killed two fellow soldiers. He was originally sentenced to 25 years in prison, which was eventually reduced to 15 years. He was released on parole in 2014 and has always maintained he acted in self-defense.
BRIGGS: A suspect is in custody in the shooting death of a Mississippi police officer. Police say 19-year-old Darian Atkinson was spotted walking down a street and arrested. He allegedly shot and killed officer Robert McKeithen Sunday night in the parking lot of Biloxi's headquarters. McKeithen spent nearly 24 years on the force and was planning to retire at the end of the year.
During the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, he received a medal of valor for saving four special needs children. He leaves behind a wife, a daughter, two step sons and a stepdaughter. Police say they have no motive for the shooting.
ROMANS: Disaster relief funding could finally be close for millions of Americans dealt a blow by Mother Nature. A key lawmaker expressing optimism an agreement could be reached soon to help people affected by hurricanes, floods and wildfires. Congressional aides say some issues do remain unresolved. It's also unclear whether President Trump will ultimately back any final deal. It's been more than a month since competing relief proposals stalled in the Senate after a partisan dispute erupted over how much assistance to give to Puerto Rico.
The president on Monday accused Democrats of holding up a disaster aide deal and renewed his claim Puerto Rico is receiving too much federal assistance.
BRIGGS: Flooding has gone from bad to worse in the Midwest and Plains. In Missouri, two levees in St. Charles Parish failed and at least one breach, forcing evacuations. Look at that water.
In Davenport, Iowa, people are now applying for unemployment after flooding forced 30 businesses to close. Some rivers are already at record levels. More rain expected to aggravate the problem in coming days.
Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri with the forecast.
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PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Dave and Christine.
Yes, right across the central portion of the country, once again, that's where the energy comes together. Very dynamic pattern once again, much like last week, we had the jet stream aloft across the region, prompting some of the active weather. And, of course, when you take a look, upwards of 100 severe weather reports. In the past 24 hours, about three associated with tornadoes and northern Texas, western Oklahoma, we've got the Gulf moisture, the jet aloft, and a system moving across the region.
So, the risk now increased between moderate. That's indicated in red which we haven't seen much of so far in 2019. So, on a scale of one to five, that is a four across that region of northern Texas on into portions of Oklahoma. Hail and wind always the primary threat but certainly an increased risk for some of these storms to have some rotation.
And notice, late into the evening hours by 7:00 p.m., is when we expect some of the storms to take place across the region. The energy shifts farther to the east come Wednesday afternoon. The rainfall threat, though, guys, is going to be big time across this region with additional flooding across the area.
Send it back to you.
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BRIGGS: All right. Pedram, thanks.
The biggest surprise in the most recent "Game of Thrones" episode wasn't the death of a favorite character, it was the appearance of a Starbucks coffee cup. Eagle eyed viewers and the Internet exploded spotting it during a feast scene on a table in front of Daenerys Targaryen, sorry, folks, the mother of dragons as you all call her.
Starbucks was quick to capitalize on the buzz about their brew tweeting quote: To be honest we're surprised she didn't order a dragon drink.
HBO also having some fun, the latte that appeared in the episode was a mistake. Daenerys had ordered an herbal tea.
Now, this isn't the first time something that didn't belong made the final cut. In a fight scene during "Gladiator", the hydraulics were revealed under a chariot. And in "Braveheart", the top of a car was visible in the background of a battle scene.
ROMANS: All right. That whole "Game of Thrones" Starbucks slip made for good material on the late show. It made us laugh a latte. So, here's another late night laugh.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got a low triple hazelnut her for Darius Stormbottom of the house Taragon (ph), cream of the Anvilles and first projector of the seven kitchens, the mother of dradles, the Parcheesi of the Greek glass knee, the onion, the bleakest of chins. Again, looking for Darius Stormbottom.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's Daenerys Targaryen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: By the way, unless that's a service dragon, you have to take it up, OK?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dracarys.
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ROMANS: That was funny.
BRIGGS: That was well played by Colbert. I enjoyed that.
ROMANS: A popular item will make its way back to Wendy's menu.
[04:50:03] It's all thanks to Chance the Rapper and Wendy's Twitter game. CNN Business is next.
BRIGGS: They do have a strong Twitter game there at Wendy's.
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PRINCE HARRY: It's been the most amazing experience I could ever possibly imagine. How any woman does what they do is beyond comprehension, but we're both absolutely thrilled. This little thing is absolutely to die for, so I'm just over the moon.
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[04:55:00] BRIGGS: A beaming Prince Harry has another title under his belt, yes, that would be proud papa. His wife, Meghan Markle, duchess of Sussex, gave birth yesterday to a baby boy, the princess will get to look at the new baby tomorrow. Let's get to Anna Stewart, live in Windsor for us.
Anna, good morning to you.
When we might find out anything else here?
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Well, that's the big question. I think it's a name that people want to know now, and in terms of how long it takes them to normally to announce this, we look at the Cambridge children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte we found out two days after they were born. Prince Louis, that was four days. But we hope to know by the end of the week.
And, of course, what is baby Sussex's name, will it be something tradition. Currently the bookies, I have placed my own bet, the top ones are traditional, Alexander, James, Arthur, the names all very much in the royal circles, many of them are middle names for current royals.
The list is fairly comprehensive. It does go down to Donald 500-1. I think that is unlikely, but it may not be something traditional. And I say that because so far, baby Sussex hasn't had a traditional start to life in terms of the royals. We didn't find out the duchess was in labor until actually after the baby was born. They have decided to keep that private.
They have drawn a line between the media and their private line and, of course, the way it was announced on Instagram, it's a boy. That was incredibly modern and I recognize the duchess of Sussex after that. So, yes, it could be anything.
The other big question is will it have a title, will it be a prince? That would have to be an intervention from the queen. Currently, expectation is it will take one of Prince Harry's lesser titles like the earl, earl of Dumbarton.
BRIGGS: And I think you said you have bet on the name of the baby, did I hear that right, and what's your bet?
STEWART: Yes, you did hear that right. I will divulge, I did bet on the name Anna. I think that's not going to win. Also Grace. I did have one baby boy but that was Arthur. That is still in the running.
BRIGGS: Anna betting on herself. I like that. Good to see you. We'll see you in a bit.
All right. The opposition in Turkey is raging after elections officials order a new mayoral race in Istanbul. The decision wipes away a crushing defeat for President Recep Erdogan. His party claiming there were, quote, irregularities and corruption, immediately condemned by the opposition as a capitulation to Erdogan and a blow to democracy. Turkey has drifted closer to authoritarianism under his 18 years in power. The defeat in Istanbul in March, which has remained his political base was especially bitter for Erdogan and his party.
ROMANS: All right. Time for a check on CNN Business this Tuesday morning. Global markets are mixed as investors fret about trade tensions between the U.S. and China. On Wall Street, you've got futures leaning lower here.
But resilience, I think, is still a keyword for the U.S. stock market. The Dow made a major recovery, rebounding from a 471-point decline to close 66 points lower. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq also erasing sharp losses, ending a half percentage point lower.
These are shallow losses really. Now, that says either investors don't believe the president's threat to increase tariffs on Chinese goods or they believe his tough talk is necessary and may get concessions from the Chinese.
Kraft Heinz will restate two years of earnings after some employees engaged in misconduct. Kraft Heinz announced Monday an internal investigation found employees faked transactions. Kraft now has to restate results for the years 2016, and 2017, and the first three quarters of the 2018. The delayed filings mean Kraft Heinz will be late in announcing first quarter results for this year. A huge corporate fail.
The restatements will total about $208 million.
All right. Wendy's is bringing back its spicy chicken nuggets, thanks to Chance the Rapper and Twitter. The rapper tweeted positive affirmations for today, Wendy's will bring back spicy nuggets, please, Lord, let it be today. Wendy's social media team seized on the opportunity, saying it would bring the item back if the tweet got 2 million likes. Boom, it wasn't long before that happened.
Wendy's tweeted Monday morning, this is not a drill, spicy chicken nuggets are coming back. No word about when nuggets will come back on the menu. Chance the Rapper said they should time the new nuggets to when his album drops in July.
BRIGGS: That is some impressive influence there by Chance the Rapper moving the meal.
All right. EARLY START continues right now.
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LONE: I'm very happy and excited to see my family and my colleagues. And I can't wait to go to my newsroom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Breaking overnight, two "Reuters" journalists jailed more than 500 days despite worldwide outrage finally freed by Myanmar.
END
