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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Trump May Use Swiss as Backchannel to Iran; Alabama Governor Signs Most Restrictive Abortion Ban in U.S.; Trump Bans Foreign Telecom Gear That Poses Security Risk. Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired May 16, 2019 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:00:23] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: President Trump pursuing a backdoor to negotiate with Iran. Who he's talking to and why he's frustrated with his top advisers. We're live in Tehran.
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PAT ROBERTSON, TELEVANGELIST: I think Alabama has gone too far.
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DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: Even televangelist Pat Robertson says a near-total ban on abortions in Alabama goes too far. The governor has now signed it into law.
ROMANS: A Chinese telecom giant now barred from doing business with American firms. The move escalating tensions in an ongoing trade war.
BRIGGS: Is the leading e-cigarette company downplaying the dangers of nicotine to minors? A new lawsuit says yes. And parents, if you don't know about the dangers of vaping, you should. We'll talk about that in a bit.
Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Dave Briggs.
ROMANS: I guarantee you your 6th grader knows what Juul is.
BRIGGS: Right.
ROMANS: And Juuling is.
BRIGGS: It's even everywhere.
ROMANS: Even if you don't, so talk to them about it.
I'm Christine Romans. It's Thursday, May 16th. It's 4:00 a.m. in the East. It is 12:30 p.m. in Tehran.
All right, breaking overnight, President Trump pursuing a backdoor channel to negotiate with Iran's leaders. He is trying to diffuse mounting tensions in the Persian Gulf. The White House announcing the president would meet with the president of the Swiss Federation today at the White House. Last week CNN reported that the White House passed along a phone number to the Swiss in case Iranian leaders wanted to call the president. BRIGGS: A source tells CNN today's meeting with the Swiss is an
effort to move that along. But is Iran interested in talking?
Fred Pleitgen live for us in Tehran this morning. Fred, good morning, what's the latest there?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Dave, well, the short answer to that question is that Iran at this point in time is not interested in talking to the Trump administration. One of the things that we heard from Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was that he said at this point in time negotiations with the Trump administration are absolutely out of the question.
In fact, he called negotiations with the U.S. poison, and negotiations with the Trump administration he said would be double poison because he feels that the strategy of maximum pressure that the Trump administration of course is exerting on the Iranians is like coercion and that is not something that the Iranians say that they are going to be a part of, at least at this point in time.
Various other things happening here on the ground in Iran. The head of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard Corps, he came out late last night and he said that right now Iran is at the height of the confrontation of its confrontation with the United States. He said he believes that America is trying to do everything to bring Iran to its knees. He obviously said he believes that the U.S. will fail and that this is one of the biggest tests ever, he said, of the Islamic Revolution here in Iran.
So certainly a lot of big things happening here on the ground in Tehran. Meanwhile, we're also finding out more as to what has been alarming U.S. military officials about Iran's latest news and what's caused some of the big build-up here in the greater Middle East and of course in the Persian Gulf area. Apparently a lot of it was satellite images of Iranian boats moving around rockets or short-range missiles.
Now from what we're learning, it's unclear whether or not the Iranians would have been able to shoot those missiles from the little boats that they were moving around from, or whether or not they were trying to move them from two other places here in the greater Middle East and the Persian Gulf region.
We understand that they've been moved from the Port of Chabahar, which is actually just south of the Hormuz Strait. Of course that narrow waterway where a lot of the interaction between the U.S. military and the Iranian military takes place, really a very sensitive, and right now quite frankly a very dangerous area as well.
Meanwhile we're also learning that apparently President Trump is frustrated with some of his advisers. He obviously feels that right now a lot of them are moving very, very quickly to build up here in Iran. Of course with that the threat of a military confrontation with Iran becoming a lot bigger than it was in the past. President Trump as you said also looking for those negotiations and of course also still trying to make good on his promise to get America out of costly wars in the Middle East rather than keep them in. At the same time, you also have some distance between the U.S. and
some of its allies. The Brits standing by the words of one of its generals saying that there is no new threat from Iranian forces, although we're hearing that apparently the Brits themselves know that that is not true -- Dave.
BRIGGS: OK. Looks like another pivotal day in the region.
Fred Pleitgen, live for us, 12:34 p.m. in Tehran. Thanks.
ROMANS: All right. One day after 25 men voted in favor of the nation's most restrictive abortion ban, the female governor of Alabama has signed it into law. Republican Kay Ivey says the measure is a powerful testament to the belief that every life is precious.
[04:05:06] There are only exceptions in cases where the mother's life is threatened and there is no exception for rape or incest. Any doctor who performs an abortion faces up to 99 years in prison.
BRIGGS: Even some conservatives say the law is too extreme. Here's televangelist Pat Robertson on the Christian Broadcasting Network.
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ROBERTSON: I think Alabama has gone too far. There's no exception for rape or incest. It's an extreme law. And they want to challenge "Roe v. Wade" but my humble view is that this is not the case we want to bring to the Supreme Court because I think this one will lose.
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BRIGGS: Fascinating. The law won't go on the book for six months. The ACLU and Planned Parenthood are planning to file a lawsuit to block it. Alabama one of 16 states to introduce or pass restrictive abortion bills this year. Missouri's governor says he will sign a bill now in the state Senate that would ban abortions after eight weeks of pregnancy.
ROMANS: All right. A delay in tariffs against the European Union, as the trade war with China leads to fallouts from farmers. President Trump was facing a Saturday deadline to decide whether to hike tariffs on cars coming in from Europe all the way up to 25 percent, a move that would have alienated European allies and devastated global supply chains. Now the president plans to delay that decision by six months in order to negotiate with the E.U. and Japan, It's according to a person familiar with the situation.
Delaying those auto tariffs is key and shows how sensitive the markets are to trade risks. The Trump trade hawks have been consistent here for months. When you break down the U.S. trade deficit by country, half the U.S. overall goods deficit with the world is China. When you break it down by category, half the trade deficit is autos. So those are the two things the president really wants to go after. But as the president delays one tariff, the tit-for-tat with China is hurting American farmers.
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CHRISTOPHER GIBBS, OHIO FARMER: We're in a freefall out here in agriculture. We've seen 30 percent decrease in the prices of soybeans. The geopolitical turmoil that the president has thrown into the mix over the last year, the markets just don't have anywhere to go.
EVAN HULTINE, PRESIDENT, BUREAU COUNTY FARM BUREAU: Are fourth generation farm going to still be feasible, you know, two years from now, five years from now, if the president doesn't wrap up these trade wars with a win? And so there's all these pressures weighing in on us.
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ROMANS: These guys have taken second jobs and they are on track to maybe have the worst conditions for their farms since the 1980s farm crisis.
BRIGGS: The real face of the trade war there.
On the same day he delayed the auto tariffs, President Trump signed an executive order banning American countries from using telecom equipment deemed a national security threat, a move that sure to escalate tensions with China.
More now from CNN's Alex Marquardt.
ALEXANDER MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine and Dave. This executive order had been expected but what's interesting here is that it doesn't specifically mention China or Huawei while clearly being aimed at both of them. Now the U.S. government, the White House, the intelligence community, they see Chinese tech firms as threats to U.S. national security.
They see Huawei as well as ZTE as potential arms of the Chinese government, that if push came to shove, the Chinese government could essentially weaponize, if you will, for their purposes to carry out malign activity here in the U.S. The U.S. has been on a campaign to convince its allies, particularly in Europe, to not use Huawei technology and in fact has threatened to withhold intelligence if they do.
The major American mobile carriers, we should note, like AT&T, which is our parent company, as well as Verizon, they don't use Huawei, but smaller rural carriers do and they could be seriously affected -- Christine, Dave.
BRIGGS: OK, Alex, thanks.
Huawei says it is prepared to work with the United States on product security but the company warns if it's restricted from doing business here in the United States, America will be left behind if the 5g technology race.
ROMANS: There are also rural networks that have components of Huawei already in the -- you know, in use.
BRIGGS: In operation. Yes.
ROMANS: In operation, right.
Later today the White House plans to release a broad outline of its new immigration reforms, spearheaded by Jared Kushner. It will address securing points of entry, increasing border barriers, and a merit points system, a merit based system to enter this country. It does not deal with DACA which Democrats insist they want re resolved this part of the deal. It also omits discussion of family separations at the border, low-skilled immigrants or the 11 million undocumented immigrants already in the U.S.
BRIGGS: The administration wants to address border security in a move toward a merit based system which gives preference to skilled and educated immigrants. It also signals a shift away from immigrants coming to the U.S. based on family ties.
The plan is short on concrete details and so far many key Republicans are not publicly on board.
ROMANS: It doesn't talk about worker -- guest worker programs, too, and that's something that American farms and businesses need.
BRIGGS: No DACA. Yes.
[04:10:02]\ ROMANS: DACA, separation of families at the borders, and guest worker problems. That's what needs to be addressed there.
All right. The maker of the popular e-cigarette Juul is accused of deceptive advertising aimed at teens, ads that said to lie about the dangers of nicotine. North Carolina's attorney general filing a lawsuit Wednesday against Juul labs claiming thousands of kids in the state are at risk of addiction to nicotine. Attorney General Joshua Stein says Juul, quote, "must be stopped from spreading that addiction any further."
It's the first time a state has taken legal action over the company's alleged marketing toward teens. The suit claims that Juul's 75 percent market hold on e-cigarette is primarily driven by use among middle schoolers and high schoolers. Middle schoolers and high schoolers. That's where the growth is here.
BRIGGS: This is such an important story, parents.
All right. A charter helicopter pilot lucky to have survived a harrowing crash into New York's Hudson River. Fire officials say the 34-year-old pilot was moving his empty chopper from a fuelling station to the passenger area of the heliport when he ran into trouble. You can see the aircraft's spin into the water. The pilot deployed the helicopter's flotation device, climbed out of the aircraft and was picked up by a nearby ferry. His only injuries were to his hand, and, well, his pride. The NTSB will lead an investigation into the crash.
ROMANS: Could a Joe Biden-Kamala Harris ticket be the best move for Democrats in 2020? She's on board, but only if she's on the top of the ticket.
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SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think that Joe Biden would be a great running mate as vice president. He's proven that he knows how to do the job.
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[04:15:15] BRIGGS: 4:15 Eastern Time and the field of 2020 Democratic hopefuls expands to 23 this morning with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio entering the race. Senior Iowa Democrat with knowledge of the plans confirming it to CNN. He'll head out on the trail almost immediately, making stops in Iowa and South Carolina.
ROMANS: Interesting remarks from presidential candidate Kamala Harris. She turned the tables when asked if she'd join the Biden ticket as his VP.
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HARRIS: I think that Joe Biden would be a great running mate. As vice president he's proven that he knows how to do the job.
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ROMANS: And Harris also said she disagrees with comments her hypothetical VP made this week about the 1994 crime bill. Biden pushed for that as senator. It included billions in funding to states for new prisons, trained police officers, and mandated life sentences for people convicted of three violent felonies.
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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Ninety-two out of every 100 prisoners behind bars or in a state prison, not a federal prison. This idea that the crime bill generated mass incarceration, it did not generate mass incarceration.
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ROMANS: Harris, a former prosecutor, told CNN that the crime bill did contribute to mass incarceration, invoking a federal three strikes law. Experts tell CNN that it's difficult to assess how the 1994 bill contributed to mass incarceration because incarceration rates had been rising steadily since the early 1970s. You'll hear more of that debate between those two, I'm sure, on the trail.
BRIGGS: You will indeed. Meantime, a new Quinnipiac poll from the critical state of Pennsylvania shows Trump in trouble against several 2020 opponents. Biden leads him in double-digits. Sanders also ahead. The poll shows Trump within the margin against several other top candidates. It is interesting to see Bernie Sanders, though, also leading him
because the thought was that Joe Biden was uniquely qualified to win in Pennsylvania. Apparently not. Apparently the politics of Bernie Sanders poll well there as well.
ROMANS: All right. Those numbers will continue to change I'm sure in the weeks ahead.
BRIGGS: Yes.
ROMANS: All right. Two students getting the boot from Georgetown over connections to the college admissions scandal. Now one of those students are suing the school.
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[04:23:18] BRIGGS: Georgetown University plans to rescind the admission of two students for their alleged involvement in the college admissions scandal. The announcement coming just hours after one of the students filed a lawsuit against the school aiming to stop his dismissal. That student Adam Semprevivo wants to keep the credits he says he earned so he can transfer to a new college.
His father, Stephan Semprevivo, pleaded guilty last week to a federal conspiracy charge. He admits paying $400,000 to get his son into Georgetown under the pretense that he was a tennis recruit.
ROMANS: That's interesting.
All right. Ford is recalling another 270,000 Fusion vehicles to fix a glitch that can cause cars to shift gears and roll away. The expanded recall covers certain 2013 or 2016 Fusion midsized cars with 2.5 liter engines. Last year the company recalled 550,000 Fusions and Escape SUVs for the same problem. Engineers are developing a fix. Until then, Ford is urging drivers to always use the parking brake. Always use the parking brake. There has been one report of an injury and three involving property damage.
BRIGGS: The utility giant Pacific Gas and Electric is to blame for the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history. That from state fire investigators who say the Camp Fire was caused by electrical transmission lines owned by PG&E. Eighty-five people died and 150,000 acres burned in the fire in northern California's Butte County. The finding was not unexpected. In a February earnings report, PG&E had cited its transmission lines and the dry vegetation around them as a possible culprit. The utility filed for bankruptcy protection back in January.
[04:25:05] ROMANS: For anyone with a fear of heights this might be your worst nightmare. Window washers trapped in a lift basket swinging out of control and crashing into the side of the tallest building in Oklahoma City. This is about 50 stories up. The impact was hard enough to break windows at the very top of the Devon Tower. It took 45 minutes for emergency crews to secure the lift and get the two workers to safety. Devon Energy, which owns the building, says the company's emergency response team is investigating the incident. BRIGGS: That is 75-year-old Mick Jagger back on his feet. The leader
of the Rolling Stones posting the video on social media showcasing his signature dance moves a little more than a month after undergoing heart valve surgery. The procedure forced the Stones to postpone their "No Filter Tour" of North America. Judging by the video, the Stones could be back where they belong on stage very soon. Again, 75 years old, and he moves like that.
ROMANS: Yes. All right.
BRIGGS: Impressive, man.
ROMANS: OK. Photos of missiles in the Persian Gulf is what spurred the U.S. to escalate warnings about Iran. Now the president looking for a backdoor to speak with the Iranians.
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