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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Business Lift Mask Mandates for Vaccinated Customers; Biden Voices Support for Ceasefire as Israel-Hamas Conflict Escalates; Gaetz Ally Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking, Cooperating With Feds. Aired 5- 5:30a ET
Aired May 18, 2021 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:23]
LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. We have reports from Tel Aviv, Orlando, Beirut, the White House and Nairobi. This is EARLY START and I'm Laura Jarrett.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Yeah, we are around the world this mornings, folks. It's Tuesday morning. I'm Christine Romans. It's May 18th, 5:00 a.m. exactly here in New York.
Now, the coronavirus shutdown was sharp and quick, reopening will take time and patience. It's a maze of mask and vaccination requirements on the road back to normal.
Starting tomorrow, New York will no longer require masks or social distancing for the fully vaccinated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D), NEW YORK: If you are vaccinated, you are safe, no masks, no social distancing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: CVS and Target joining the growing list of companies that no longer require vaccinated customers to wear face masks but others are keeping mask mandates in place, including the New York Yankees who are dealing with their outbreak right now.
Massachusetts plans to lift all restrictions on businesses and rescind its mask mandate on may 28, the same day Fenway Park returns to full capacity.
And Michigan's governor has already lifted mask requirements for fully vaccinated residents.
ROMANS: Not everyone is on board yet. In California, the mask mandate stays in place until the state fully reopens next month.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is advising residents keep wearing the masks despite the latest CDC guidance. And here is New Jersey's Democratic Governor Phil Murphy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. PHIL MURPHY (D), NEW JERSEY: I don't know how we can expect workers to be able to tell who is vaccinated from who isn't, and it is unfair to put the burden on business owners and front line employees to police every patron.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: Of course, ditching the mask where possible is supposed to be the reward for vaccinated Americans, but in a divided America, recent polling shows a majority of unvaccinated Americans are already not wearing masks and are less likely to socially distance. That explains in part the growing concern for younger children who are not yet eligible to get their shot.
ROMANS: All right. Now to the deadly conflict between Israel and Hamas. President Biden voicing support for a ceasefire in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. While he didn't explicitly call for one it's the first time the White House made mention of a ceasefire as the violence between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza intensifies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: It is heartbreaking. We want to bring an end to the violence. We want to deescalate the situation on the ground. The role we feel we can do that through the most effective way we feel we can do that is through quiet and intensive diplomacy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: The White House says President Biden has discussed U.S. engagement with Egypt and other partners toward a possible ceasefire, at the same time he's stressing U.S. support for Israel's right to defend itself.
CNN's Hadas Gold is live in Tel Aviv for us.
Hadas, no rockets fired towards Israel overnight, that's good news for the first time in a week. Have the Israelis stopped their air strikes?
HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right. Overnight, there was about six or seven hours of quiet although the rockets have since begun again. The noise you're hearing is the cleanup effort here in a town outside of Tel -- on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, a rocket landed here on Saturday and actually in the middle of the road behind me, but the damage from that rocket hitting all of these buildings around me and killing one man.
And as you can see, the cleanup efforts are continuing around me as people are trying to put their lives back together. This is one of 3,400 rockets that Israel says have been launched from Gaza into Israel since this conflict began, although we did get some quiet last night. Many hopes here and around the world for a cessation of hostilities.
Although Israelis overnight saying that it is continuing to target militant targets, saying it struck 65 targets overnight, the Hamas metro tunnel system as well as the homes of several Hamas commanders.
We do know that there are a lot of talks going on behind the scenes, a source telling CNN that Egypt and Qatar are trying to speak with Hamas and Israel, be the mediators between them, and there are some conditions that Hamas is trying to ask for, including what they say ending what they call Israel's provocations in East Jerusalem. Israel is insisting that Hamas start the ceasefire, have three hours without firing anything, but Hamas is rejecting that proposal.
So far, it doesn't seem as though there have been a lot of progress on that end. We also know that President Biden spoke again with Prime Minister Netanyahu and as you noted they are starting to talk about a ceasefire but not necessarily demanding it and I think that tone is important. We know that the next few days will be very important to see what the Americans say if they try to pressure Israel further.
But from the sources that I speak to here, Israel feels as though that they still have time, still have military objectives that they want to reach in the Gaza Strip.
[05:05:07]
So I don't think we're going to be hearing any sort of ceasefire talk at least today.
JARRETT: Hadas, there are also still questions by that decision by Israel over the weekend to level that building in Gaza that housed media organizations among others. Now, Israel says Hamas was also working inside. What more are you learning about that?
GOLD: Well, Israel has been defending itself here for targeting that building. That building housed "The Associated Press" and Al Jazeera offices. Israel said that it gave warning to the people in that building to get out and the "A.P." and Al Jazeera thankfully say that none of their staff were hurt although they say it was close.
Israel is saying that there was Hamas operating in that building and they are trying to say that they wouldn't target such a building without it being a very important target, militarily objective target for them to reach and to take down saying that they understand the significance of targeting that building, and they've even been asked why didn't you try to do a more targeted strike, something that could just take out one office, one room, something like that and they said that those types of strikes can actually be more dangerous because they are a surprise and they wanted to warn people ahead of time.
Now, Israel says and the prime minister has said that they have shared the intelligence about that building with the Americans. What we don't know quite yet is exactly if the Americans necessarily found it entirely acceptable, but clearly, they have not come out and said anything completely against it. They have expressed concern over journalists and their safety in this region.
But this I think the downing of this building will continue to be an issue and something that Israel will continue to be questioned about, but they are standing by their story saying that it was Hamas assets in that building and that's why they decided to take it down.
JARRETT: All right. Hadas Gold live in Tel Aviv, you can hear the rubble being cleared behind you. Stay safe out there. Thank you.
ROMANS: All right. To Arizona, a grift, a spectacle harming democracy. What GOP supervisors in Maricopa County are saying about that sketchy 2020 audit, air, quotes, the party and Trump.
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JARRETT: Welcome back.
A grift disguised as an audit. The GOP-dominated board of supervisors in Maricopa County, Arizona, blasting the state senate's baffling recount of the 2020 presidential election results. The board calls the audit, quote, a spectacle that is harming all of us.
In a new letter to Senate President Karen Pham, the board underscores divisions in the GOP between the sycophants of the former president and those within the party denouncing the baseless election claims.
ROMANS: They write: You have rented out the ones good name of the Arizona State Senate to grifters and con artists. The result is that the Arizona Senate is held up to ridicule in every corner of the globe and our democracy is imperiled, we stand together in our opposition to the big lie. We ask everyone to join us in standing for the truth.
Also signing the letter was the Republican county recorder who called the former president, quote, unhinged for false falsely claiming that the county's election database had been deleted.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN RICHER, MARICOPA COUNTY RECORDER: This isn't a game. These are real humans. These are people who work in the county day in, day out.
They work hard, they're good people, they're normal people who go home and they root for the Suns or they watch Netflix. They are not monsters and stop treating them as such. The defamatory lies need to stop. It needs to stop.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: The audit is being conducted by Cyber Ninjas. Yes, that is the actual name of this Florida-based consulting firm whose chief executive has parroted Donald Trump's lies about the election. The ballot review came to a temporary halt last week because the lease for the Senate and tech consultants was up at the memorial coliseum where openly partisan volunteers and hourly workers have been conducting this ballot count.
ROMANS: All right. As for the man who helped inspire the conspiracy, lawyers for Rudy Giuliani now claim he never literally advocated for an insurrection on January 6th even though we all watched and listened to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER TRUMP ATTORNEY: If we are right, a lot of them will go to jail. So let's have trial by combat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: In a court filing, the former New York City mayor claims the insurrection was orchestrated by pro-Trump extremist groups and that he had no connection to them.
Of course, it wasn't just one instance. Giuliani was a central figure in efforts to overturn the election, spreading lies about fraud in the media and in court. Giuliani says his words to Trump supporters were, quote, hyperbolic.
JARRETT: Perhaps even more galling is Republican Congressman Andrew Clyde who you recall said this about the events on January 6th.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ANDREW CLYDE (R-GA): Let me be clear. There was no insurrection and to call it an insurrection in my opinion is a bold-face lie. If you didn't know the TV footage was a video from January 6th, you would actually think it was a normal tourist visit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: A normal tourist visit. Well, that's Congressman Clyde right there second from the top left in this photo helping to barricade the House chamber door as those he called tourists were trying to force their way inside.
ROMANS: Wow.
All right. On Tax Day, a return to presidential tradition. Protocol again, the White House released the 2020 tax returns for the president. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, with a subtle dig at former President Trump -- of course, the only president since the Nixon era to keep his taxes a secret. The Bidens filed a joint federal report and reported an adjusted gross
income of $607,000. They owe just over $157,000 in taxes, that's an effective federal income tax rate of 25.9 percent. Now, the Bidens made less in 2020.
[05:15:00]
Then candidate Joe Biden was on the campaign trail of course and not earning money through speaking engagements. The federal tax return for Harris and second gentleman Douglas Emhoff
showed they reported a gross number of just about $1.7 million and owed 620 grand in tax. In releasing the returns, the White House said this: Today, the president released his 2020 federal income tax return continuing an almost uninterrupted tradition.
Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the White House continues to -- expects to continue to release the president's tax returns as should be expected of all presidents.
JARRETT: Still ahead, an ominous warning for Matt Gaetz. Why a lawyer for his long time ally says connections between the two men make for must see television.
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[05:20:12]
ROMANS: To presidential to presidential pardons now. President Biden won't wait until the end of his term to use his pardon powers. A source tells CNN the president is developing a pardon process with a focus on racial justice and he is expected to use it before the middle of his term. The White House is working with the Justice Department to vet applicants. There are more than 3,000 pardon petitions and nearly 12,000 clemency petitions pending.
JARRETT: Police unions across the country endorsing a potential shift in the way that officers defend each other. The union's committee- approved plan calls on more than 350,000 members of law enforcement to intervene when they see another union member doing something wrong, a rejection of the so-called Code of Silence among police officers.
ROMANS: George Floyd's death in Minneapolis last year brought renewed attention to the idea of active bystandership, a new concept that focuses on peer intervention. The officers in that case did nothing to stop Derek Chauvin from pressing his knee down on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes. All of this comes as Congress faces heightened pressure to reach a deal on police reform.
JARRETT: Could more trouble be on the way for Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz? His wingman just pleaded guilty to multiple crimes including sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl and he is now cooperating with prosecutors.
CNN's Paula Reid reports for us from Orlando.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Laura and Christine. Well, Joel Greenberg appeared in federal court here and admitted to six federal charges, including sex trafficking involving a minor. But the most important part of his plea agreement going forward is the fact that he admitted to not only having sex with a minor, he also admitted that he introduced that child to other adult men who also paid her for sex.
The big question now, who were these other men? Was one of them Congressman Matt Gaetz?
Well, Greenberg is behind bars but his lawyer came out after the hearing to tower talk to reporters. He was asked about the congressman. Here's what he said.
FRITZ SCHELLER, ATTORNEY FOR JOEL GREENBERG: Does my client have conversation that could hurt an elected official? I guess this is just, you know, must see television. You will just have to wait and see.
REID: An ominous sign for the congressman there from Greenberg's Attorney Fritz Sheller.
But going forward, Gaetz's team appears to be switching up their strategy. Obviously the congressman has not been charged, he has repeatedly denied wrongdoing. But now, they're taking aim at Joel Greenberg and his credibility. They are pointing out correctly that he is now not only an admitted felon but in the plea agreement, he admitted that he has falsely accused someone else of being a pedophile.
There was a teacher who challenged him for his tax collector position and Greenberg admits that, in fact, he falsely accused that teacher of being a pedophile. So, clearly, Joel Greenberg has some serious credibility issues, but we know from our sources that Joel Greenberg is not the only source of information for investigators. We know from our sources that investigators looking into Congressman Gaetz they also have hundreds of documents. They have other witnesses. They have other ways of gathering evidence in this case as they assess whether they actually can bring charges against the congressman.
We have heard from our sources also that the investigation mostly here on the ground is largely wrapping up. They have a few last witnesses including Mr. Greenberg and we expect over the next few months, this decision will likely go to Washington where federal prosecutors will need to decide if they have enough evidence to charge the congressman. Because this decision, of course, involves a sitting congressman, someone who is also a very close associate of a former president, this is likely something that will involve people at the highest levels of Justice Department -- Laura, Christine.
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ROMANS: A major challenge to abortion rights landing at the U.S. Supreme Court. The high court has agreed to take up the case of a Mississippi law banning most adoptions after 15 weeks potentially setting up a major challenge to Roe v. Wade in the majority conservative court. Mississippi's law makes exceptions only for medical emergencies or cases in which there is a severe fetal abnormality. No exceptions for rape or incest.
A federal judge in Mississippi struck down that law in 2018. The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of appeals upheld that ruling in December of 2019.
JARRETT: And, you know, Christine, this is so important as the court now looks very different than it did several years ago with the addition of several justices by former President Trump.
ROMANS: Everyone watching that Mississippi law.
JARRETT: Absolutely.
All right. Still ahead, CEOs wrestling with what to do about bringing employees back into the office. Does remote work really work, or should people return to the old ways of doing business?
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ROMANS: All right. Good morning. This is EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.
JARRETT: And I'm Laura Jarrett. It's about 29 minutes past the hour here in New York.
Are we ditching the masks too quickly? That's the debate among health experts right now after many called on the CDC to loosen up its guidance on masks for weeks. Now backlash as some experts worry the new guidance issued by the CDC was haphazard and rolled out poorly. They fear without verification systems like a vaccine passport, parts of the country have to rely on the honor system to ensure unvaccinated Americans are still masking up.
One local leader already sees a problem.
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MAYOR QUINTON LUCAS, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI: We really need to get back to a point where it's encouraging those to get vaccinated and more of that focus rather than celebrating our new found freedoms because the honor system just ain't working here. I don't think it's going to work in a lot of parts of this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: In the honor system, of course, unvaccinated people can blend in with less incentive to become vaccinated. More cities are tying reopening to vaccination rates.
