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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Calls Mount for Immediate Ceasefire Between Israel and Gaza; Daily Coronavirus Cases in the U.S. At the Lowest Level Since March 2020; House Strikes Deal to Create Independent January 6 Commission. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired May 17, 2021 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:00]
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CO-ANCHOR, EARLY START: Mounting calls for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Gaza. How the U.S. Is responding after a weekend of escalation.
LAURA JARRETT, CO-ANCHOR, EARLY START: A major step toward returning to normal. We'll tell you about the staggering drop in new COVID cases overnight.
ROMANS: A billion dollar affair. Bill Gates' divorce opening the windows into the private life of the long time Microsoft chief.
JARRETT: Calls are mounting this morning for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. New air strikes from the Israeli Air Force began early this morning in Gaza. Sunday, the deadliest day in Gaza since the latest conflict broke out. Israeli military operations ramping up in retaliation for thousands of rockets being launched into civilian areas of Israel.
ROMANS: Overnight, Israeli war planes attacked a tunnel belonging to Hamas in the southern Gaza Strip. CNN's Hadas Gold live in Ashdod, Israel with more. Hadas, about 3,100 rockets fired from Gaza at Israeli territory since last Monday. Any hope this could slow down any time soon and slow the pace of civilian death and destruction here?
HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'm in Ashdod, this is just about 15.5 miles north of the Gaza Strip. This city according to the military has received the highest number of red alert sirens. And just in the last few minutes, we've been hearing explosions to the south of us, Ashkelon, which is the city's south of here has been receiving red alert sirens. So, we may get a siren here in any minute, possibly indicating incoming rocket attack. But what we've been hearing also earlier this morning are lots of jets flying overhead.
We've been hearing some explosions, some booms in the south. At one point, we saw a big plume of black smoke behind us. That all gives you the indication that this action is continuing, and despite what we know, are a lot of conversations, pressures, diplomatic pressures, the international community trying to reach some sort of calm situation here. We don't seem to be anywhere close to that. As you noted, the Israeli military says 3,100 rockets have been fired from Gaza into Israel since this conflict began. Yesterday was the deadliest day according to the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza. So far they say 197 Palestinians have been killed including 58 children.
In Israel, 10 people have been killed including a child and a soldier. The Israeli military saying it's continuing to hammer militant targets in the Gaza Strip including homes that they say belong to Hamas commanders. In the last few hours, they say those were also being used as weapons storage. You referenced the tunnels. The Israeli military calls them the Hamas metro system. They said that's where they hide. They said that they are using these tunnels in civilian areas. But the death and destruction in Gaza is getting quite high and, also, in Israel, we are continuing to see rocket attacks throughout the day.
Now, we know that the diplomatic community is trying to work something out. The U.S. State Department has sent their Mid-East envoy here to try and speak to both sides. We also know, and I think this is important that Egypt says that they are communicating with both sides. There have been reports that an Egyptian delegation has proposed a one year truce. And keep in mind that Egypt was instrumental in getting calm after the 2014 situation, but I can tell you that from what we're hearing here on the ground from the explosions that we've been hearing all morning long, we do not seem to be heading towards calm any time soon.
ROMANS: That attack on the tunnel system, of course, there were civilians who lived in the apartment buildings above it. And so that's getting a lot of attention over the weekend, just the civilian disaster. The children who are being killed in Gaza. And the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is defying international calls for ceasefire, saying the strikes will go on, right?
GOLD: Yes, so he gave an address to the nation yesterday, to Israelis. And he said in this address that despite the international pressure, he said there's always international pressure, that they will continue this operation because they want to continue until they have reached their military objective, until they have essentially wiped out, he said Hamas' military capabilities to prevent them from trying to do something like this again. He acknowledged the international pressure that he is facing, he acknowledged the price of such an operation, but he did not give any sort of indication that the Israelis are interested in a cessation in the coming days. And what I think also interesting is the tone we're hearing from President Joe Biden, from the Americans.
Because although they have had conversations with both sides and expressed deep concern for the civilian casualties, for the destruction, and, also, for, of course, what happened to that building, the house the "Associated Press" and "Al Jazeera", which the Israeli military says was also hosting Hamas offices. We have not heard the really intense pressure from the Americans yet on any sort of --
ROMANS: Yes --
GOLD: Ceasefire.
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ROMANS: All right, Hadas, keep us posted and stay safe. Thank you, Laura?
JARRETT: All right, back here in the U.S., overnight a significant milestone in the fight against COVID. The fewest new cases reported in a day since last March. Now, granted, testing is down because so many people are now vaccinated and the CDC no longer tracks asymptomatic cases of people who had the vaccine, but this does show real progress.
ROMANS: The seven-day average of new cases hasn't been this low since last June, and the average death rate fell below 600 this week for the first time since July of 2020. A death rate below 600. The trend is undeniable here, blue states are getting more people vaccinated, red states are lagging behind. Numbers that correlate with mask wearing.
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ROCHELLE WALENSKY, DIRECTOR, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL & PREVENTION: I think that people who were not inclined to wear a mask were not inclined to wear a mask before Thursday.
DANA BASH, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: But some of them were mandated to do so and those mandates are lifting, in part, because of your new guidelines.
WALENSKY: Yes, and what we're really asking in those settings is to say in terms of the honor system, people have to be honest with themselves. You're protected if you're vaccinated. You're not if you're not vaccinated.
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JARRETT: Part of the issue here is whether the unvaccinated will bother getting a shot now that they'll blend in with almost half the country that is vaccinated and walking around without a mask. California is one of the handful of states where a mask mandate remains in place, but that's set to lift in June, almost 20 states lifted their mandates after the CDC said vaccinated people can go maskless. EARLY START is covering the pandemic coast to coast.
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PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Paul Vercammen in Los Angeles, and here in Los Angeles and throughout the nation, we're seeing that first wave of 12 to 15-year-olds getting COVID-19 shots in their arms. L.A. County has a half million children in that age group. So this is a key component to their overall strategy to achieve herd immunity. We heard these youngsters saying they were so glad to get this first shot, they couldn't wait to get the second one, and eventually hang out with their friends and head down to the beach. And meanwhile, there were a lot of parents who were quick to ask that they couldn't wait for that to happen either as they have been cooped up for so long with those 12 to 15 year-olds inside.
EVAN MCMORRIS-SANTORO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Evan McMorris-Santoro in New York. The CDC says students should keep wearing masks in classrooms through the end of the school year. Public health officials and many teachers groups are hoping for a return to traditional, in- person, unmasked school next year, thanks to the availability of the vaccine. But the CDC says there just isn't enough time to get students fully vaccinated for the end of this year. So even while more students return to class, the masks, the CDC says, should stay on.
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Polo Sandoval in New York City. Where today, yet, another sign that things are slowly getting back to normal. New York City subway system back up to running 24/7. You recall about a year ago, the transit authority actually suspended service between 1:00 and 5:00 a.m. to allow for the cleaning of those subway cars as New York was trying to contain this COVID outbreak. And outdoor food and beverage curfew will also be lifted today. And on Wednesday, large stadiums will be increasing to 33 percent capacity.
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ROMANS: All right, thanks to our reporters for all of those. New this morning, the "Wall Street Journal" reports Bill Gates' resignation from Microsoft's board came after it started an investigation into a romantic relationship he had with an employee. The journal said during the investigation, board members felt Gates should no longer serve as the board's director. Gates resigned before that board investigation was completed. A spokesperson for Gates admitted to this relationship, telling the journal, quote, "there was an affair almost 20 years ago which ended amicably. Bill's decision to transition off the board was in no way related to this matter".
A separate report from the "New York Times" on Sunday says Gates had quote, "developed a reputation for questionable conduct in work- related settings involving Microsoft as well as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation." Earlier this month, Melinda Gates filed for divorce from the billionaire in a statement announcing the split, the couple said quote, "after a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage." The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation did not respond to request for comment. CNN has not confirmed the allegations cited by the journal and the Times.
JARRETT: One house Republican calling out his colleagues for downplaying the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol.
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REP. FRED UPTON (R-MI): It's absolutely bogus. You know, I was there.
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ROMANS: Complicit in the big lie. Liz Cheney says House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy and his newly-minted deputy Elise Stefanik are part of the problem when it comes to spreading Donald Trump's election lies. McCarthy's response to the deadly Capitol riots will no doubt be of interest to a new independent house commission that will now investigate that attack. The top Democrat and Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee striking a deal to create this commission. The panel will have bipartisan subpoena power.
JARRETT: Now, it's worth noting here, McCarthy has not signed off on the deal. One house Republican who voted to impeach the former president though had this to say about Republicans who are trying to whitewash the insurrection.
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BASH: What's your response to those statements from your Republican colleagues?
UPTON: Bogus. It's absolutely bogus. It was chilling what happened. Absolutely chilling. And that's why I think that it's important that we move forward with this bipartisan commission, get the facts out, try to assure the American public this is what happened, and let the facts lead us to the -- to the conclusion.
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ROMANS: In the friendly confines of "Fox", Elise Stefanik insists Trump is a big part of what's to come for the GOP.
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REP. ELISE STEFANIK (R-NY): President Trump is an important voice in the Republican Party. He's critical to the party. He is the leader of the Republican Party. Voters determine the leader of the Republican Party and they continue to look to President Trump for his vision and he's going to be important part of us winning back the house in 2022.
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ROMANS: As whether Stefanik's rise in leadership could result in a repeat of that January 6 riot, Liz Cheney replied, there's no question.
JARRETT: A sports -- a space force commander, I should say removed from his post after criticizing the U.S. military on a conservative podcast. Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Lohmeier appeared on "The Steve Gruber Show" to discuss his new book where he claims that Marxist ideologies are spreading within the Armed Forces.
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MATTHEW LOHMEIER, LIEUTENANT COLONEL, U.S. AIRFORCE: Since taking command as a commander 10 months ago, I saw what I considered fundamentally incompatible and competing narratives of what America was, is, and should be. That wasn't just prolific in social media, it was spreading throughout the country during this past year, but it was spreading throughout the United States military. And I'd recognized those narratives as being Marxist in nature.
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JARRETT: A Defense Department official tells CNN that Lohmeier was removed due to a loss of trust and confidence in his ability to lead. There are also questions about whether he consulted his chain of command before publishing his book.
ROMANS: It looks like Matthew McConaughey's interest in running for governor of Texas could be serious. "Politico" reports the actor has been quietly talking to influential people in Texas, political circles about throwing his hat in the ring. He's called his potential candidacy, a, quote, "true consideration", the current Governor Greg Abbott has announced he is planning to run for a third term and he remains a GOP favorite.
JARRETT: So, ahead for you, a wild fire west of Los Angeles burning over some 1,300 acres. Now thousands under mandatory evacuations. Stay with us.
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JARRETT: A blazing brush fire in southern California spreading quickly. The Palisade's Fire now covering over 1,300 acres with zero containment reported by Sunday afternoon. About a thousand residents are under mandatory evacuation orders now. L.A. Fire officials worry that high winds could push the fire northwest, threatening 20 -- threatening homes 20 miles west of Los Angeles as the fire rips through dry, dense mountain vegetation there. The cause of the fire has been deemed suspicious and an arson suspect is being questioned now.
ROMANS: The NBA playing tournament is now set after a thrilling finish to the regular season. Andy Scholes has this morning's "BLEACHER REPORT", hey, Andy.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning Christine. You know, when they came in -- came up with the play in tournament before this season, I'm not sure anyone imagined we were going to get LeBron versus Steph Curry. But that's exactly what we got. And Steph just going bonkers yesterday in the season finale win against the Grizzlies. He scored 9 straight points in the closing minutes to put the game away. Steph had 46, securing his second NBA scoring title for his career. And LeBron thinks no one in the league has been better this year than Steph.
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LEBRON JAMES, FORWARD, LOS ANGELES LAKERS: Well, playing versus -- in my opinion, the MVP of our league this year and Steph -- everybody calling him out this year, everybody saying that, well, now that, you know, Clay is hurt, can Steph lead the team on his own? What is he going to be able to do? Can he carry a team on his own? Can he carry a team to the poll season? Can he keep a team afloat? He's done that and more.
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SCHOLES: All right, LeBron meanwhile looking great in his season finale. He scored a game high of 25 in the win over the Pelicans before checking out after stepping on an opponent's foot. After the game, LeBron said he'll be fine. So, this is what the playing tournament looks like. In the west, the seven-seed Lakers will play the eight-seed Warriors, winners of that game claims the seven-seed and plays Phoenix in the first round, loser has to play the winner between the Grizzlies and the Spurs. The winner of that game then claims the eight seed and will play the Jazz in the first round in the east. You've got the Celtics and Wizards playing in the seven and eight match-up, Pacers and Hornets in the 9-10. Those games are tomorrow night.
All right, the New York Yankees meanwhile say a ninth member of the organization has tested positive for COVID-19. The latest staff member is being isolated in Baltimore. Three coaches, five staffers and shortstop Gleyber Torres have all tested positive in the last week. All nine are considered breakthrough cases, meaning they tested positive despite being fully vaccinated.
All right, the pandemic pushing the college football FCS National Championship game to the Spring, and it was worth the wait. Sam Houston State quarterback Eric Schmid throwing the game-winning touchdown with just 16 seconds left to beat top-seeded South Dakota state 23-21. The win gives the Bearcats the first FCS title in school history. They were pumped up in the rain there in North Texas. Not going to have long to enjoy it though, next season kicks off in a little more than three months.
All right, finally, Liverpool basically had to win this game to keep their hopes of making the Champions League next season alive. They get a corner in the 95th minute, it was their lack and goalkeeper Alisson Becker was the one who came down the pitch and punched it in for the win. He was mobbed by his teammates. This was the first time a keeper has scored in Liverpool's 129-year history, and it was the first winning goal by a goalkeeper in Premier League history. And you know, Laura, you just had to be excited for him because every goalkeeper's dream, right, to actually score a --
JARRETT: Yes --
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SCHOLES: Winning goal, but it never happens, but it happened for Becker there yesterday, which is pretty cool.
JARRETT: Good for him. It was great. All right, Andy, thanks so much.
SCHOLES: All right.
JARRETT: All right, growing calls for the Tokyo Olympics to be cancelled, but one top official thinks the show must go on.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) JARRETT: Good morning everyone, this is EARLY START, I'm Laura
Jarrett.
ROMANS: And I'm Christine Romans. It's just about 30 minutes past the hour this Monday morning, and this morning, the deadliest day yet in the escalating violence in Israel. The Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rules out a ceasefire and vows the air strikes against Hamas will go on. In fact, new air strikes by the Israeli Air Force resuming early this morning. You can see Israel's Iron Dome defense system on the left.
