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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Alabama Anti-Abortion Bill to Test "Roe v. Wade"; White House Weighs Responses to Iran; Mike Pompeo Back in D.C. After Meeting with Vladimir Putin; Audio Reveals Pilot Concerns About Boeing 737 MAX. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired May 15, 2019 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[04:30:46] VIVIAN DAVIS FIGURES (D-AL) STATE SENATOR: But do you -- do you know what it's like to be raped?
LINDA COLEMAN-MADISON (D-AL), STATE SENATOR: Maybe we need to come up with a castration bill. I mean, you guys come up with some crazy bills.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: The most restrictive abortion law in the country passes in Alabama. It sets up what could be the toughest challenge yet to "Roe versus Wade."
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Also breaking, the State Department ordering non-emergency personnel out of Iraq. The latest regional trouble as the U.S. deals with threats from Iran.
SANCHEZ: And the president says we are winning the trade war. But is there a real strategy to help American farmers who are growing desperate?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We flat-out deserve to know what is on our airplanes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't disagree.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Pilots had big concerns for Boeing executive after that first crash of a 737 MAX. Why weren't changes made sooner? Hear the newly uncovered audio.
Welcome back to EARLY START this Wednesday morning. I'm Christine Romans. Nice to see you.
SANCHEZ: Great to be here with you, Christine. Love the new set.
ROMANS: Yes. SANCHEZ: We are 31 minutes past the hour. I'm Boris Sanchez in for
Dave Briggs.
And breaking overnight, a near-total ban on abortion now on the verge of becoming law in Alabama. The state senate passing a bill setting up what may be the Supreme Court battle that tests "Roe v. Wade." The bill heading to the governor's desk would punish doctors who perform abortions with life in prison. There are exceptions for serious health risks to the mother, but not in cases of rape or incest. Lawmakers and supporters of the bill have made no secret of their larger goal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Is this bill designed in any way to go to the Supreme Court or how is it designed?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's designed in every way to do just that.
ERIC JOHNSTON, ALABAMA PRO-LIFE COALITION PRESIDENT AND DRAFTER OF BILL: This is the first time in 46 years that the makeup on the Supreme Court has changed where there's possibly enough conservatives on there who would believe "Roe v. Wade" is incorrectly decided.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Republicans Governor Kay Ivey has six days to sign the measure. She has not publicly taken a stance on it but she has previously aligned herself with anti-abortion forces. Last night's vote condemned by Alabama Democrats.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLEMAN-MADISON: Republicans, you all, you guys used to say, we want the government out of our life. We want them out of our business. We want them out of our bedroom.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, never said that.
COLEMAN-MADISON: Yes. Yes, you did. You said I want them out of my bedroom.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, they don't.
COLEMAN-MADISON: Now you're in my womb. I want you out.
STATE SEN. BOBBY SINGLETON (D-AL): I apologize to the women of Alabama for this archaic law that we passed. A state that will allow them to be raped and the fact that they have to carry that child.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: The ACLU and Planned Parenthood say they will challenge the measure in court if it becomes law. Nine states have passed laws that impose significant abortion restrictions. And similar measures are pending in seven other states including Alabama where the Senate debate had some emotionally charged moments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FIGURES: Well, do you -- do you know what it's like to be raped?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, ma'am, I don't.
FIGURES: Do you know what it's like to have a relative commit incest on you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On me? No, ma'am.
FIGURES: Yes, on you.
COLEMAN-MADISON: Maybe we need to come up with a castration bill. I mean, you guys come up with some crazy bills. I'd love to be able to just open up your minds and just see what's inside.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Democratic presidential candidates quick to denounce last night's vote. Elizabeth Warren calling the ban dangerous and exceptionally cruel. Kristen Gillibrand tweeted, "For politicians who claim to care so much about humanity, they don't have much of it."
SANCHEZ: Meantime, Georgia's Governor Brian Kemp has been forced to postpone a trip to Los Angeles as the film industry protests a new anti-abortion bill that he just signed into law. The measure essentially bans abortions as soon as a fetal heartbeat can be detected. That can occur six weeks before many women even know they're pregnant. Tax incentives have turned Georgia into a haven for the film and television industries but the passage of one of the strictest anti-abortion bills in the country has been met with condemnation by film and TV producers.
ROMANS: All right. We're following breaking news at hour. The U.S. State Department urging American citizens not to travel to Iraq due to terrorism, kidnapping, and armed conflict. Officials also ordering non-emergency U.S. government employees to leave the region. This comes amid mounting tensions with Iran.
[04:35:02] CNN has confirmed an option to send more than 100,000 troops to the Middle East to counter Iran. This was discussed at a recent White House National Security meeting. Here's what President Trump said about that on Tuesday.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Would I do that? Absolutely, but we have not planned for that. Hopefully we're not going to have to plan for that. And if we did that, we'd send a hell of a lot more troops than that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Two U.S. officials described the National Security meeting as a prudent measure driven by an interest in being ready for anything.
Let's go live to Tehran and bring in Frederik Pleitgen -- Fred.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Christine. Yes, and look, one of the things that Iranian officials have also been saying is that they don't want an escalation of this conflict either but they also say that they are ready if an escalation does happen.
As far as those embassy personnel in Iraq is concerned of the U.S., the Iranians, at least officially, have not reacted to that yet. But it was interesting because I spoke to a senior Iranian former Revolutionary Guard commander who told me, look, one of the things that the U.S. needs to understand is that there is an escalation here in the Middle East, that Iran does have a lot of militias that it controls in neighboring countries including Iraq. And those could be a real threat to American interests that happened there.
Meanwhile, the supreme leader here in Iran, he's putting the brakes on the situation a little bit. He came out late last night and said categorically that there would be no war with the United States. He said that Iran would continue, as he put it, to resist the U.S. and he believes that the U.S. will have to retreat in the face of that. He also, quite interestingly, Christine, said that at this point in time there were categorically be no negotiations with the Trump administration. He said he feels those negotiations would take place in an era of coercion. He says that is not something that the Iranians are going to do.
So you can see the situation here in Iran, in the greater Middle East, so extremely tense even as both the U.S. and Iran are trying to say they don't want this to escalate into an armed conflict -- Christine.
ROMANS: All right. Fred Pleitgen for us in Tehran this morning where it's 1:00 in the afternoon there. Thank you so much, Fred. Talk to you soon.
All right. The trade war with China is keeping investors on their toes. Stocks finished higher Tuesday, rebounding from Monday's big selloff. The Dow closed up above 207 points. The S&P 500 also ending up about eight-tenths of a percent. The NASDAQ finished up 1.1 percent.
Look, the president claims we're winning this trade war. And sources close to the White House, though, say there's no strategy or path forward. It's a big difference from the image that the president is trying to craft.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We're having a little squabble with China. Yes, I think it's going to turn out extremely well. You know what? You want to know something? You want to know something? We always win.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ROMANS: And the president likes the position he's in here. He really does. On Tuesday, Trump traveled to Louisiana to speak at a liquefied natural gas export facility. That plant is coming online this week. It was built partly in response to increased demand from China for this product from the U.S. But one of the retaliatory steps Beijing took Monday was to jack up tariffs on liquefied natural gas to 25 percent which experts worry will slow demand.
At the same time, exporters are trying to figure what tariffs mean for their businesses. Soybean growers are being badly hurt. Prices of soybeans at a 10-year low.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARRY BEAN, FARMER: It's like when you leave a restaurant because you got bad service. Well, maybe they fixed the problem, but you found a new restaurant that you like. And so it's really hard to get that business back once we lose it.
BILL GORDON, VICE PRESIDENT, AMERICAN SOYBEAN ASSOCIATION: The rural communities, we're starting to feel in our schools and down on main street with farmers are not making money. Definitely starting to get dire out here in rural America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Now I've said this a million times, Boris, but the only story between maybe the Ohio border and Denver is the trade war and the flooding and how hard it is right now, planting season, to figure out what to do as a farmer.
Right now talks between the U.S. and China have come to a halt. U.S. trade delegation is expected to travel to Beijing in coming weeks, but few details about that trip are known.
SANCHEZ: Mike Pompeo is back in Washington, set to brief President Trump today on his talks with Vladimir Putin. The secretary of State says he delivered a clear message to the Russian president about interfering in the 2020 election. He thinks he got through.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE POMPEO, SECRETARY OF STATE: I said it as clearly as I could, so yes, I think so. By the way, we have another election in the middle. We had one in 2018 where we had some good success at making sure that we kept our election safe and secure and free from interference. So I don't think he could be mistaken about America finding that Russian interference is unacceptable in 2020.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Matthew Chance live from Moscow with the latest development.
Matthew, Mike Pompeo not the first to warn Russia about election meddling. Sources in the intelligence community are convinced they will try to do this again. So how do you think they'll respond to his latest message?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they responded to his face by saying that look, all of these allegations of election meddling are, in the words of the Russian Foreign minister, absolutely fake.
[04:40:06] And so whatever happens behind closed doors, whether they sort of engaged in further election meddling, I think we'll just have to wait and see. But certainly, the public opinion is that, you know, they absolutely deny in this despite the fact there have been multiple Russians indicted for hacking of the Democratic Party e-mails for instance, and the fermenting social unrest from the troll factory which is located in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg. I've actually been myself to that that troll factory.
And so, yes, there were sort of words spoken at this meeting obviously. But as they sort of went down the list of subjects, of issues that stand between Russia and the United States, whether it's Syria, North Korea, the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, arms control or the more recent escalation between the United States and Iran. The fact is, that even though the two sides say they want to restore better relations, they are fundamentally opposed on all of those issues. And so it's a small step, in the words of Mike Pompeo, towards a better relationship but it's going to be a very long path they've got to walk along -- Boris.
SANCHEZ: Yes. I suspect we will hear more from Internet Research Agency, the so-called Internet Research Agency.
Matthew Chance, reporting from Moscow, thank you.
ROMANS: All right. New audio confirms American Airlines pilots angrily confronted Boeing officials about new features of the 737 MAX fleet last November. This was less than a month after a Lion Air jet crashed off Indonesia and four months before a second deadly 737 MAX crash in Ethiopia. CBS News obtained the audio. Its existence was first reported by the Dallas Morning News.
SANCHEZ: And on the recording a Boeing official tells the pilots that software changes are coming perhaps in as little as six weeks, insisting the company doesn't want to hurry the process. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We flat-out deserve to know what is on our airplanes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't disagree.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These guys didn't even know that damn system was on the airplane, nor did anybody else.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know that understanding the system would've changed the outcome on this.
(END VIDEO CLIP) SANCHEZ: The problem here is that the Boeing officials is right. The pilots on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 repeatedly performed all of the manufacturer's procedure but they still could not control the Boeing 737 MAX 8 before it crashed. Software changes on the flight control sensor are still not finalized, and by the way, Boeing reports that not a single new aircraft was ordered in the last month.
This is a really fascinating story. Did a war criminal get a job as a ride share driver? What a CNN investigation uncovered.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:46:52] ROMANS: All right. Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders turning to foreign policy, taking a forceful stance against the possibility of war with Iran. A source says the Vermont senator is set to make Iran an issue following reports the Trump administration is considering a military buildup in the region.
Sanders, an outspoken critic of the Iraq war, sees a similar and troubling pattern.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Trump has been very, very provocative toward Iran. He is trying to egg them on. When tension gets high, stupid things happen and you have a president who might be trigger happy here, or both might be trigger happy, we're off and running.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Montana Governor Steve Bullock announcing his run for the White House. He is the 22nd Democrat to join the race and he's hoping his experience as a red-state Democrat will attract voters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. STEVE BULLOCK (D-MT): My legislature has been over about 60 percent Republican. But when we walk in that building, it's not who are the Democrats, who are the Republicans all the time. It's like, how can we possibly impact people's lives? And I think that D.C. could learn a lot from Montana.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Meantime, presidential hopeful and Massachusetts Senator Senate Elizabeth Warren giving a FOX News town hall invitation a hard pass. Look at the scathing tweet. She called FOX News a hate-for- profit racket that gives a megaphone to racists and conspiracists. FOX News has already hosted Sanders and fellow presidential hopeful Amy Klobuchar town hall events this year, both of them getting a lot of attention.
ROMANS: Yes.
SANCHEZ: A lot of ratings. It's interesting that she would turn this down.
ROMANS: All right. Disney is completely taking over Hulu as the streaming war heats up. CNN Business has those details.
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[04:52:58] SANCHEZ: Listen to this guy's resume. He's driven for Lyft, he's driven for Uber, and he is accused of war crimes. Yusuf Abdi Ali has been shuttling passengers for more than 18 months in suburban Virginia. Both Uber and Lyft run criminal background checks but the former Somali military commander hasn't been convicted of a crime, though a basic Google search turns up many documents and news stories alleging that he committed atrocities while a military commander during Somalia's civil war in the 1980s.
ROMANS: Ali's ride share work raises new questions about just how thoroughly Uber and Lyft screen their drivers. Confronted with questions, he was tightlipped.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you feel you deserve to live here, sir?
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you feel you deserve to live here, sir?
YUSUF ABDI ALI, UBER DRIVER: No comment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: CNN previously reported Uber and Lyft have approved thousands of people whose criminal records should have disqualified them. Uber says it has suspended Ali as it reviews this matter. Lyft says it has permanently banned Ali from its platform.
SANCHEZ: A college student now facing second-degree murder charges after beating his mother to death with a baseball bat in the middle of the night. The incident happened back in March. 21-year-old Thomas Summerwill said his mistook his mother Mary for an intruder while he was home on spring break. Prosecutors, though, filed criminal charges against Summerwill this week. They say his belief was not reasonable since he had been drinking. According to his defense attorney Summerwill has the full support of family members who call the incident a horrible accident.
ROMANS: All right. It's been two months since a gunman live streamed his mass shooting attack on a New Zealand mosque. And today, Facebook introduces new restrictions that said would have stopped the alleged Christchurch shooter from live-streaming the massacre. It says people who break its most serious policies will be immediately banned from Facebook Live for a period of time which is 30 days.
The company did not specify all the rules for its one-strike approach but pointed to its ban on spreading terrorist propaganda. Policy will expand to other topics in the coming weeks.
[04:55:06] SANCHEZ: We're now hearing from a third student who helped disarm two gunmen at a Denver suburb school last Tuesday. Joshua Jones says his instincts immediately kicked in as he and two other students rushed the shooter. The 18-year-old was shot in the calf and thigh during the attack. Joshua said it took all three of them to step up and stop the carnage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSHUA JONES, STEM SCHOOL HIGHLANDS RANCH STUDENT: I'm also so glad that we did it. With just me or just Brendan or Kendrick, it would have been much worse for everybody else in that room. But there was not really a specific moment where we all recognized that each other was getting up and we were going to help each other with this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: There Joshua mentioned Kendrick. Celebration of Kendrick Castillo's life is set to take place tonight. The 18-year-old was the only one who died taking down one of the gunmen who entered his classroom.
ROMANS: All right. A North Carolina lawmaker who gained national attention sponsoring the state's anti-transgender bathroom bill has won the Republican primary in a special congressional election. The Ninth District House seat has been open since November's results were thrown out over allegations of election fraud. State Senator Dan Bishop was projected to receive more than the necessary 30 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff. He will meet Democrat Dan McCready in the September 10th special election.
SANCHEZ: San Francisco, one of the most tech savvy cities in the world, is now the first in the U.S. to ban police and other city offices from using facial recognition. The technology has popped up everywhere from places like law enforcement, concerts, homes, stores and schools. The rule is set to go effect in a month. It turns out an exception for federally controlled facilities at San Francisco International Airport and the Port of San Francisco but the ordinance does not prevent businesses or residents from using facial recognition or surveillance technology.
ROMANS: All right. TV comedy legend Tim Conway has died. Conway is best known for his 11-year stint doing sketches on the "Carol Burnett Show," playing a variety of hilariously dead pan characters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIM CONWAY, ACTOR: Now like I told you, I have this real important meeting today with Mr. Philips.
CAROL BURNETT, ACTRESS: Oh, yes. He'll be here at noon.
CONWAY: Thank you for that news flash.
(LAUGHTER)
CONWAY: Do you have any news on the Hindenburg?
(END VIDEO CLIP) ROMANS: Conway was famous for his ability to break up his co-stars with unexpected adlibs. Watch Carol Burnett lose it at the bottom right of your screen. Conway won three Emmy's for his work on that show and later for guest work on "Coach" and "30 Rock." Tim Conway was 85 years old.
SANCHEZ: Visions of Zion were dancing in their heads, but Knicks fans got a dose of cold harsh reality instead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK TATUM, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER AND CEO, NBA: The third pick goes to the New York Knicks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Groaning heard around the country. The Knicks winding up with the third pick in the NBA draft last night despite having the NBA's worst record last season. Watch how their fans reacted.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: The Memphis Grizzlies got the second overall pick. The Zion sweepstakes went to the New Orleans Pelicans with the number one pick. One Knicks fan may have been a bit premature. He got this Zion tattoo that looks a lot like the Knicks logo. The -- NBA draft, I should say, is June 20th. Of course the silver lining for Knicks fans, the draft is a bit of a clinch. Remember Michael Jordan was picked third.
ROMANS: Michael Jordan. Was he a good basketball player?
SANCHEZ: He's OK.
ROMANS: Yes.
SANCHEZ: He's OK.
ROMANS: I think I've heard of him.
Let's get a check on CNN Business this morning. Asian markets closed higher after losses earlier this week. European markets have opened lower on Wall Street. Watching futures here this morning, you know, kind of indecisive, I would say. Stocks finished higher Tuesday rebounding from Monday's steep selloff. The Dow closed up 207 points. That's less than 1 percent. The trade war here making for a pretty volatile trade. On the U.S. economic calendar, retail sales scheduled for 8:30 this morning so we'll see how the consumer is doing.
Disney's takeover of Hulu is just about complete. On Tuesday Disney Comcast agreed to sell its ownerships take in Hulu to Disney. The sale won't happen for at least another five years but Disney will take full operational control of Hulu right now. The deal effectively makes Hulu a Disney product. Disney has made it clear, Hulu, which has more adult programming like the "Handmaid Tale," will be a critical part of its streaming strategy. Disney executives have talked about potentially bundling its services together for a discounted price. Everything is changing and fast in the streaming war so watch this space.
SANCHEZ: And it's all good as long as they stream CNN and that you watch EARLY START, and get up early with us.
ROMANS: Yes.
SANCHEZ: We have a whole other hour ahead. EARLY START continues right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FIGURES: But do you -- do you know what it's like to be raped?
COLEMAN-MADISON: Maybe we need to come up with a castration bill. I mean, you guys come up with some crazy bill.
[05:00:00]
