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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Tornado Terror Devastates Parts of Kansas; McConnell Flip-Flops On Potential SCOTUS Vacancy; Deadly Week On Mount Everest. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired May 29, 2019 - 05:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:32:40] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: For the 13th straight day, tornadoes carve a destructive path. This time, the worst damage is in Kansas. And historic flooding is expected in Arkansas and Oklahoma.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: I would fill it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: A total 180 from Mitch McConnell, who says he would fill a Supreme Court vacancy during an election year.

ROMANS: An embattled Chinese firm wants back in with the U.S. After being blacklisted two weeks ago, Huawei claims it's no security threat despite accusations it stole trade secrets.

BRIGGS: And a new nominee for worst first pitch of all time or is it the best? You decide, coming up.

Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Dave Briggs.

ROMANS: And I'm Christine Romans, 33 minutes past the hour.

Another night of terrifying tornadoes stretching from the Southern Plains all the way to the Northeast.

Eastern Kansas hit especially hard. The cities of Linwood and Lawrence suffering extensive damage. They are located just across the border from Kansas City. Linwood's mayor says dozens of homes in the area are gone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It good real dark and it started raining really hard. And I could feel the air moving the walls and I could feel air coming from above. And then, all of a sudden, I heard some stuff flying around up above me.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BRIGGS: Storm clouds stretching for miles across the region; homes in the area flattened. Lawrence police warning residents about downed trees and power lines.

At least patients are being treated for injuries. Some people forced to take cover in the safe room of a local gas station.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRAD PERKINS, SURVIVED TORNADO: Just lightning hitting the ground right there in front of me and just everything pitch black. (Audio gap) to my wife, too, so I was still going. She called me, too, though, and said hey, it is right in front of you. You need to turn around.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Wow.

The Red Cross has opened a shelter for anyone in the county displaced by the storm, which crossed into Missouri and spawned a tornado near the town of Kearney.

A tornado also touched in Berks County, Pennsylvania. One neighborhood in Morgantown suffered heavy damage with several trees uprooted.

[05:35:01] And in New Jersey, a busy high school was damaged by a severe band of storms. Nobody, though, thankfully, was injured.

BRIGGS: All of the damage and destruction coming from the same system stretching from Texas to the New York metro area.

Authorities in Ohio getting a handle on all of the damage suffered late Monday. This ceiling fan remains intact but the ceiling, itself, did not.

For 13 consecutive days, a tornado has touched down in the United States. That is the longest stretch since 1980. Thirty-nine million people face a severe weather threat today.

The flooding in Arkansas turned deadly overnight. Police say a driver steering around a barricade on a flooded roadway drowned.

And the rain-swollen Arkansas River could crest at nearly 41 feet later today, putting western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma on alert for record-breaking flooding. The mayor of Tulsa warning residents to prepare for a worst-case scenario.

The Army Corps of Engineers has been releasing water from the Keystone Dam ahead of the river cresting but this could worsen the flooding in nearby communities.

Further east, flooding in at least eight states along portions of the Mississippi, the longest lasting since the great flood of 1927.

ROMANS: All right.

Presidential candidate and former vice president Joe Biden back on the trail in Texas. He's talking more about policy, laying out part of his education plan in Houston. His plan includes more funding for schools in low-income areas and helping teachers pay off student debt.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You all went to college. You spent four years and you ended up with a debt -- most of you, if not all of you. And you end up in a situation where you, in fact, are making 25 percent less than most college graduates. And it's just -- it's just not right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Biden's campaign also hit back at President Trump's low I.Q. comments overseas, criticizing him for embracing autocrats like Kim Jong Un.

The campaign said this. "To be on foreign soil on Memorial Day, and to side repeatedly with a murderous dictator against a fellow American and former vice president speaks for itself."

Now, the president -- Trump defended his controversial comments by saying he was actually sticking up for, quote, "Sleepy Joe Biden." Trump tweeting that Kim Jong Un called Biden "a low I.Q. idiot." The president says he used a much softer term, "low I.Q. individual" so "who could possibly --

BRIGGS: Ah.

ROMANS -- be upset with that?"

BRIGGS: I can't imagine anyone would be upset with that, also tongue- in-cheek.

Elaina Plott, staff writer for "The Atlantic," joins us live from Washington this morning.

ROMANS: Hi, Elaina.

BRIGGS: Good to see you.

ELAINA PLOTT, STAFF WRITER, THE ATLANTIC: Hi, good morning.

BRIGGS: OK, so Joe Biden, the clear front-runner in the Democratic field, telling teachers he wants to pay them more. Not exactly taking a lot of chances laying out his education plan, and letting his campaign issue a statement about the president siding with a murderous dictator on foreign soil.

What's the Biden campaign strategy at this point?

PLOTT: The strategy here and what's important, I think, for viewers to remember is that up until this point in the Democratic primary, it's almost been this zeitgeist of who can take on Trump best, one-on- one, and who can maybe engage in the ad hominem attacks that have made him such a sensation.

And, Joe Biden, what he showed, I think, in his rally yesterday was that he and his team actually really do believe that policy is going to be what sets a contender against President Trump apart.

You know, Joe Biden, of course, is not the first one to lay out an education plan. Bernie Sanders has done that.

ROMANS: Yes.

PLOTT: I saw a report recently that over 250,000 people have already logged onto Elizabeth Warren's Website to see how much student debt would be forgiven under her own plan.

So, this is something that voters across the country are engaging with. And I think you're having Biden's strategists just banking on the fact that if they let President Trump act as he does, tweet as he does -- as the strategists said, speak for himself, that will be the only ship that needs to sink in order to let some of these candidates and hopefully for them, Biden sail.

ROMANS: Yes. Fascinating to see how he's doing so many fewer events than the other candidates.

BRIGGS: Yes, not saying much.

ROMANS: But he's got the -- you know, I mean, he can just focus on education --

PLOTT: Yes.

ROMANS: -- say this about education, move on to the next thing and not be distracted by the president. Let the campaign handle --

BRIGGS: Yes.

ROMANS: -- the dirty work.

Let's talk about Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader. He was at a Chamber of Commerce -- a Kentucky Chamber of Commerce luncheon, I guess, yesterday in Paducah, Kentucky. And he was asked if there's a Supreme Court -- a death on the Supreme Court, he was asked --

BRIGGS: That was -- that was the question.

ROMANS: -- next year, what would he do -- listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If a Supreme Court justice was to die next year, what would you do?

MCCONNELL: I would fill it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Hashtag Merrick Garland. You know, President Obama had a Supreme Court nominee when Antonin Scalia passed away and he was not -- he was blocked at all fronts.

Listen to McConnell defending how he blocked and why he blocked Merrick Garland.

[05:40:00] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCCONNELL: All we're doing, Chris, is following a longstanding tradition of not filling vacancies on the Supreme Court in the middle of a presidential election year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: And he goes on to say and you have one party in the White House and another party in control of the Senate --

BRIGGS: Yes.

ROMANS: -- making that distinction.

Is this a 180? Is this a complete flip?

PLOTT: Look, you can ask McConnell's team all day long and they'll tell you exactly the clip that you just played. That this follows exactly what McConnell said when Garland's nomination was coming up. That a different party controlled the Senate, a different party controlled the White House, and it was thus, up to voters to decide which party they wanted picking a Supreme Court nominee.

But, I -- you know, when I hear a clip like this, what I'll never forget is standing in the Senate a couple of years ago when reporters were just asking McConnell about Trump tweet after Trump tweet in the early days of his presidency.

And I will never forget him just looking at reporters and saying, "I'm not going to answer your questions about his tweets." And somebody said, "Well, why not?" And he said, "Because I choose not to."

And that's the sort of Mitch McConnell strategy at this point. You know, you're not going to get him to apologize for what might be perceived as a 180.

So, if this is something that's going to be important to voters, it's really incumbent upon Democratic candidates to make this an issue that stays alive well into 2020.

BRIGGS: Yes, not clear if the Supreme Court will become a 2020 issue.

But impeachment sure will and Justin Amash, the Michigan Republican congressman, continues to stay on the attack against what the president did in obstructing justice, according to volume two of the Mueller report.

And here's what he said at a town hall of Michigan voters yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JUSTIN AMASH (R-MI): Clearly, things that violate the public trust are impeachable. I'm confident that if you read volume two you will be appalled at much of the conduct, and I was appalled by it.

By the way, a lot of people think I'm right about the Mueller report and they just won't say it. There are a lot of Republicans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: A lot of Republicans, he says, agrees with him, although they won't say it publicly.

Amash also continued his tweetstorm, hitting at the A.G. "Barr has so far successfully used his position to sell the president's false narrative to the American people."

So again, Amash says a lot of Republicans agree with him and they just won't say it publicly.

Ultimately, what will the impact of these Amash comments be, and why is he going further on impeachment than, really, Nancy Pelosi?

POLOTT: Well, I think your first question actually leads in quite nicely to an answer to your second.

I think what -- paradoxically, the primary impact of Amash has continued. Quite well-articulated attacks against Trump and the need for impeachment is that he's putting pressure on the likes of Pelosi, on the likes of Chuck Schumer to actually start thinking more seriously about impeachment and start listening to people and, say, the House Oversight Committee and the Democratic Party, who are eager to impeach but having leaders like Nancy Pelosi say this is what Trump wants.

BRIGGS: Yes.

PLOTT: This is what he wants in order to divide the country.

What Amash is doing is kind of stepping forward as the lone Republican and saying here, point-by-point, is why I do think this president obstructed justice and why I think this attorney general is not acting in the best interest of his country.

So, what I think you might see is not necessarily him providing cover for more Republicans to come forward, but higher-ranking officials in the Democratic Party --

BRIGGS: Yes.

PLOTT: -- actually get on board with moving forward with impeachment proceedings.

BRIGGS: It sure would be interesting to know how many members of Congress actually read the Mueller report. I thought that would be the one impact of the statements that they would get on record. But we may never know. They're back in session Monday, I think.

Elaina Plott, good to see you, my friend.

PLOTT: Thanks, guys.

BRIGGS: Have a good week.

ROMANS: And a big question about reading it or reading about it and hearing it -- hearing testimony about it --

BRIGGS: Yes.

ROMANS: -- an what has a bigger impact on the public.

All right, Elaina Plott, thank you.

A quick programming note. Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Michael Bennet, joins Dana Bash for a CNN town hall. It is live from the CNN Center in Atlanta. It's tomorrow night, 10:00 Eastern, only on CNN.

BRIGGS: All right.

Ahead, a first of its kind trial. Did Johnson & Johnson flood the market with prescription painkillers and should the company pay for it? The state of Oklahoma says yes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:48:34] ROMANS: It is a battle that could determine the future of technology worldwide. Embattled tech giant Huawei claims the U.S. is setting a dangerous precedent but cutting off business ties with the company.

The Chinese firm says it will ask a U.S. court to reverse measures that bar federal agencies from buying Huawei products.

The company says the U.S. is using the strength of its government to come after a private company. The U.S. says -- the U.S. says Huawei stole trade secrets and worked to skirt U.S. sanctions on Iran.

The battle with Huawei and tariffs on China could make it much more expensive for American companies to expand 5G coverage.

BRIGGS: Officials in Nepal are considering procedural changes in the wake of 11 recent deaths on Mount Everest. Climbers have been voicing concern about the overcrowding you see there.

Arwa Damon live in Katmandu, Nepal. Arwa, what are you hearing?

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Dave, you will all remember that really iconic photograph of that long line of climbers waiting to summit Mt. Everest during that final push that took place inside what's known as the "Death Zone." It's called that because when you take in a breath there, you're only getting one-third of the oxygen that you would at sea level.

And so many people have been criticizing the Nepalese government for issuing too many permits that led to this overcrowding and also not controlling the experience level of climbers who were allowed on the mountain.

Now, we spoke to the director general of the tourism department -- the Nepal tourism department -- who told us that they only issued nine more permits this season compared to last season. And so, there was no overcrowding due to the number of permits that were issued.

[05:50:14] He also did, however, say that they were blaming weather for the overcrowding. This season only provided a few viable summit days. And he denied, initially, these allegations that too many inexperienced climbers were trying to attempt to go for the summit.

But he did say that the government is considering adding a requirement when you apply for a permit. That you will have to prove that you do have a certain experience level.

And as one climber put it, you can come to Everest and think that you're invincible and then very quickly realize Dave that nature has other plans.

BRIGGS: Those 11 deaths match the last two years combined.

Arwa Damon live for us in Katmandu. Great reporting. Thank you.

ROMANS: All right, let's get a check on "CNN Business" this morning.

A look at global markets right now. A pretty mixed performance in Asia, but a downward trend in Europe. More than one percent declines in London, Paris, and Frankfurt.

On Wall Street, you're also seeing some weakness this morning -- 186 points down on Dow futures right now. S&P 500 futures down about seven-tenths of one percent.

The Dow dropped yesterday 238 points and it wiped out some earlier gains, so kind of a big swing. It had been up 132 earlier in the day. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq both down as well.

Look, investors are coming to grips with the fact that the U.S.-China trade war may be here to stay. You've got companies and industries trying to grapple with how a more permanent tariff regime for the Trump administration is going to affect their business.

All right. General Motors and Bechtel want to make finding a station to charge your electric car easier. They're teaming up to build thousands of charging stations across the country.

A recent AAA survey shows one of the biggest concerns Americans have about electric cars is not being able to find enough places to charge them.

Now, neither company is putting money into the project. They're creating a separate corporation to build the network and inviting other companies to invest.

All right, the iPod is getting an upgrade. Apple released the iPod Touch Tuesday, its first new iPod since 2015.

The device has the biggest storage option ever for an iPod. It can support group Facetime and augmented reality apps. And, of course, the iPod plays music.

Apple's also using the launch to promote its upcoming gaming subscription -- something called "Apple Arcade."

And a classic Pizza Hut menu item has received a makeover for the first time in 40 years. Pizza Hut said Tuesday it's original pan pizza is being completely remade. There's a new cheese blend, a sauce, a newly-engineered pan for crispier crust.

The changes come as Pizza Hut competes with Domino's and Papa John's for customers. For the first time, last year, Domino's had more sales than Pizza Hut.

Last year, Pizza Hut became the NFL's advertising partner, taking that title from Papa John's.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:57:35] BRIGGS: Missouri is poised to become the first state in the country to stop offering abortions since the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. Missouri's annual license for abortion services expires Friday and the state's health department is expected to block services at the last center providing the procedure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. LEANA WEN, PRESIDENT, PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA: We know that banning abortion is not the way to stop abortion, but it will stop safe, legal abortion. We are seeing now just how extreme these anti-women's health politicians are and how far they're willing to go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: A circuit court judge in St. Louis will hear arguments today in Planned Parenthood's lawsuit against the state.

ROMANS: History unfolding in Oklahoma where the nation's battle with opioids has reached the inside of a courtroom.

Oklahoma's attorney general accusing Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries of creating the worst manmade public health crisis in American history, flooding the market and promoting prescription painkillers and then staying silent as the deadly grip of addiction took hold.

The company claims its products are regulated by the government and it's also pointing the finger at doctors, pharmacists, and manufacturers.

Oklahoma is seeking $17.5 billion to tackle the problem.

BRIGGS: As first pitches go, we have a new nominee for the worst ever, a woman being honored as employee of the month by the Chicago White Sox. But as you can see, instead of hitting the catcher's mitt she plunked the photographer's camera, Darren Georgia. He tweeted that his camera is OK.

So, is it worse than the worst-ever 50 Cent throwing for the Mets? The lefty missed the plate by about a dozen feet.

I don't know. It's a tough call. I think 50 still takes the crown.

I rather enjoyed her pitch. I mean, it's a -- that's a team photographer that she nailed.

ROMANS: That's a lot of pressure.

BRIGGS: She's employee of the month.

ROMANS: That's a lot of pressure. I'm not going to criticize anybody for the first pitch.

Thanks for joining us. I'm Christine Romans.

BRIGGS: I'm Dave Briggs. Here's "NEW DAY."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Devastation, World War III.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Rounds of relentless storms are showing no sign of letting up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing left of that house -- just crumbled completely.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It ripped the roof off and I was just holding my kids as tight as I could.

AMASH: Clearly, things that violate the public trust are impeachable.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is putting his job on the line to hold the president to account.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How can you become a Democrat when we voted for you as a Republican?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's Justin Amash alone. Where is anybody else within the Republican conference?

END