Return to Transcripts main page

Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Vote on 1/6 Commission Delayed By Senate GOP Stall Tactic; Microsoft: Russian SolarWinds Hackers Spear-Fished USAID; NYT: U.S. Intel Officials Gather Evidence on COVID Origins; Community Honors 9 Victims of San Jose Mass Shooting; Biden Touts Economic Recovery Plan. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired May 28, 2021 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:25]

LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: The Capitol riots, countering China and border security, one big tangled mess on Capitol Hill.

New overnight, Russian-backed hackers at it again. How they used the State Department to target groups critical of Vladimir Putin.

And unexamined intelligence, the extraordinary basis for the president's new order to review the origins of coronavirus.

Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. We have reports this morning from Moscow, Capitol Hill, Hong Kong, San Jose, the White House, Berlin and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

This is EARLY START. I'm Laura Jarrett. Christine Romans is off today.

It is Friday, May 28th. Happy Friday, everyone. It is 5:00 a.m. here in New York.

All right. We begin with this, only in Washington, folks. A key vote on forming a commission to investigate the Capitol riot delayed overnight and the reason will drive you nuts.

CNN's Daniella Diaz is live for us on Capitol Hill this morning.

Daniella, this was supposed to be a vote overnight on investigating the Capitol insurrection, a bipartisan commission, but then you also have China and the border and it's all wrapped into one dysfunctional night in Washington.

So, please explain what the heck happened.

DANIELLA DIAZ, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fourteen hours of debate, Laura, and still no end in sight. The Senate didn't even wrap today until 2:30 a.m., just a couple hours before I showed up to the Capitol to work today.

But, look, this is delayed, this vote for the 9/11-style commission to investigate the Capitol attack on January 6 was delayed because Republican senators, a handful of them, are trying to add additional amendments to this bill that they were debating late last night, early this morning, to increase competitiveness with China. This bill is bipartisan, but this handful of Republican senators wanted to delay the process, to delay the vote for this 9/11-style commission to investigate the insurrection.

And namely, you know, one senator in particular, Ron Johnson, wants to add a border security amendment to this bill which is why he spent last night trying to delay the vote on this as long as possible.

But the bigger picture here is that this panel, this independent panel, 9/11-style commission, the vote was probably going to happen today, was supposed to happen yesterday and this comes after Brian Sicknick's mother visited the Capitol with his long-time girlfriend to lobby Republican senators who won't support this panel to try to persuade them to vote in favor of this.

You know, Brian Sicknick, of course, is one of the police officers who died in the line of attack when the Capitol was being attacked on January 6. She stopped by several senators' offices yesterday, she was followed by reporters and in between meetings she expressed disappointment with the senators and a source close to her told us that she isn't happy with how the process has played out and some of her meetings played out.

Take a listen to what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GLADYS SICKNICK, MOTHER, FALLEN CAPITOL POLICE OFFICER BRIAN SICKNICK: They listened, listened very well, they do, but the bottom line is we don't know.

REPOTER: What are you hoping will be on their minds when they vote on this commission?

SICKNICK: The country. They are supposed to uphold the Constitution and right now, I don't think they're doing it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIAZ: Laura, the bottom line here is that it seems unclear that despite Brian Sicknick's mother and his long-time girlfriend personally trying to lobby Republican senators on this issue, you know, they even wore necklaces with his ashes in them as an effort to try to persuade them on this. This panel, this bill for this independent panel to investigate the Capitol attack is going to fail when it's put to a vote today in the Senate. You know, Democrats were unable to get those ten Republican senators to get the support behind this.

JARRETT: And they clearly were not willing to blow up the filibuster over this, Manchin made that clear.

All right. Daniella, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

JARRETT: All right. Breaking overnight, a new major hack against the State Department's International Aid Agency. Thousands of emails compromised. Microsoft says it's the work of the same Russian intelligence hackers who launched last winter's SolarWinds attack. The new target here dozens of human rights and other groups that have been critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Matthew Chance is live for us in Moscow this morning.

So, Matthew, what more are you learning about this hack?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, all we've got so far is what Microsoft have blogged about in terms of what they've identified in terms of this hacking attack which has been taking place as recently as this week in the United States with USAID and with other aid agencies and non-government organizations associated with human rights that appear to have been targeted on this occasion by the same hacking group, according to Microsoft, that was behind the SolarWinds hack which you remember last year targeted U.S. government organizations and other groups as well in a massive sophisticated intelligence gathering network.

[05:05:16]

Now, just in April, the White House through intelligence work, through the advice of its intelligence agencies, identified Russia's foreign intelligence service, the SBR, as being behind that SolarWinds attack. Microsoft is saying it's the same group behind this attack. That of course could have big consequences in terms of the pressure and the relationship between the United States and Russia, particularly when you understand that in a couple of weeks, President Biden will be sitting face-to-face in Geneva for his first summit with Vladimir Putin as president.

And this adds to a whole list of fraught issues on the agenda. Hacking already there, of course, the recent activities and crisis in Ukraine with the forcing down of a civilian airliner to arrest a dissident journalist, the military buildup in Ukraine, amongst other things.

Remember, that when it comes to hacking the United States has already imposed very recently, you know, stringent sanctions on Russia for the SolarWinds hack, they put economic sanctions on the country and, you know, curbing the ability of people to buy Russia's foreign debt. They also sanctioned individuals and expelled ten diplomats from the United States because of the SolarWinds hack.

They reserved the right to escalate that if the behavior continues. So, if this hack is confirmed by the U.S. intelligence agencies, then we would expect perhaps a response, perhaps more pressure, perhaps more sanctions from the United States on Russia as well.

JARRETT: All right. Matthew Chance, thank you so much for laying all of that new information out for us.

Also new overnight, federal prosecutors investigating whether some Ukrainian officials engineered a sweeping plan to interfere with the 2020 U.S. election. This is all according to "The New York Times." investigation includes scrutiny of Rudy Giuliani and whether he was used to spread misleading claims about then-candidate Joe Biden. The goal of course was to bolster President Trump's reelection prospects.

Now, Giuliani according to "The Times" is not subject -- is not the subject of the investigation but the U.S. attorney in Manhattan is separately examining whether he violated foreign lobbying laws by operating on behalf of Ukrainian officials.

Breaking overnight out of China, a clear sign why President Biden ordered that 90-day intelligence review into the origins of COVID.

Will Ripley joins us this morning.

There's all this renewed debate, Will, about whether COVID started with this lab leak in Wuhan, but tell us what you're learning about what the intel community has actually been sitting on.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So as the Biden administration stated, there are these two main theories, Laura. There is the lab leak theory and then there is the theory that the virus was spread to humans through an unnatural interaction with animals, maybe a bat to another animal and then to person.

Now, up until just recently, the animal theory was the widely accepted one, what the World Health Organization team that investigated in Wuhan said they thought was the most likely scenario.

But now that the Biden administration is adding urgency to this new push to look into whether the virus did actually leak out of the Wuhan lab after those lab workers were hospitalized, now we are learning that there is evidence that hasn't been examined. "The New York Times" talked about unexamined evidence that investigators need to pour through. They need to analyze on computers.

CNN's own reporting shows that there are nearly 200 pages in an annex to the WHO report from that team that was in Wuhan that need to be looked through. They tested 69 animals like porcupines and bamboo rats and bats. They looked at patient zero not actually having any direct contact with the wildlife market believed to be at the center of the outbreak.

There was a major influenza outbreak in Hubei province which is where Wuhan was located at the time that COVID was emerging.

Now, China, they are firing back, both their ministry of foreign affairs and also their state media. This is the "China Daily" editorial that is out where they said that this U.S.-led investigation is more mud slinging. They say the lab leak is nothing but a smear campaign, a conspiracy theory propelled by prejudice and political need.

And they're even pointing the finger at the United States saying that the investigation might lead to secretive U.S. labs and bases which is something that they're throwing out there without any evidence whatsoever to back it up, Laura.

Here is what is real, 3.5 million people have died as a result of this pandemic and China has been far from transparent. The United States sending a signal that if China will not make that raw data available, they will push allies to investigate and try to get to the bottom of what happened. But, you know, without openness, which we are not seeing from China, Laura, how much are they really going to be able to find out?

JARRETT: Very, very, very well put. Will, thank you for all of your reporting, as usual.

All right. The man who gunned down nine co-workers in San Jose literally spelling out his hatred for his employer years ago.

[05:10:04]

That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JARRETT: A vigil last night in San Jose remembering the nine people killed in a mass shooting at a rail yard on Wednesday. The superintendent of the Valley Transportation Authority facility feeling the loss of his work family. The local sheriff says VTA employees actually went through active shooter training.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NAUNIHAL SINGH, VTA LIGHT RAIL YARD SUPERINTENDENT: I was able to hold those emotions with me the whole day yesterday when I went home at 7:00 p.m. last night. I saw my family running towards the car when I parked. When they hugged me, they were happy that I was able to make it home, but I was sad inside that some of my family members could not feel the warmth that I was able to feel yesterday.

[05:15:05]

That's going to be missed forever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: An unopened birthday gift, an unfinished jigsaw puzzle, heartbreaking reminders for the widow of Lars Lane they will never home again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICKI LANE, WIDOW OF LARS LANE: Holding him. Just holding -- that's what I'm going to miss. He always gave me a big hug every day when he got home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: (AUDIO GAP) FBI, the three handguns used by the San Jose shooter were obtained legally and registered. A witness says the gunman bypassed certain people and appeared to specifically target others.

Authorities have also uncovered disturbing warning signs that date back years.

CNN's Dan Simon is in San Jose with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Laura, we are learning that the shooter apparently had a documented history of hate towards the VTA, the place where he worked. We're learning that in 2016 after an overseas trip to the Philippines, the shooter was detained by Customs officers and those officers discovered that he had books in his possession, books about hate and extremism and fear. He also had a black memo book where he talked about his hate towards the VTA.

And he was asked by those Customs officers if he had a problem with anyone he worked with? And according to "The Wall Street Journal" his answer was no.

We're also learning from the sheriff's office that in addition to those three semi-automatic handguns the shooter had in his possession, he was also equipped with 32 high capacity magazines -- Laura.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JARRETT: Dan, thank you for that.

Well, a new photo of the car involved in a suspected road rage shooting that killed a six-year-old boy now released by the California Highway Patrol. The car appears to be a 2018 or 2019 white Volkswagen. You can see there.

They say it was driven by a female with a male passenger but police say it's still not clear who actually fired the shots that killed 6- year-old Aiden Leos, he is in the back seat being driven to school by his mother.

All right. Three Tacoma police officers waking up in jail this morning. The Washington state's attorney general charged the officers in the death of Manuel Ellis, a black man who died last year after police tackled him, punched him, squeezed his neck and hog tied him on the ground.

Police tried to arrest Ellis, claim he was trying to open car doors somehow an account prosecutors say was contradicted by other witnesses. A nearby driver caught part of the incident on video and Ellis can be heard crying "I can't breathe" on police dispatch video.

The A.G. says this is the first time the state has criminally charged officer for the unlawful use of deadly force and the second time officers have been charged with homicide in Washington since the 2018 law made it easier to prosecute police officers for negligent shootings. The Tacoma Police Union called the prosecution a politically-motivated witch-hunt.

Where have we heard that before?

JARRETT: Well, the lawyers for the family of Ronald Greene say they were encouraged by a meeting with a Louisiana prosecutor to discuss possible criminal charges against the officers involved in Greene's death. One trooper involved died in a car crash, another was fired for his actions in an unrelated case and a third was disciplined and returned to duty.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MONA HARDIN, RONALD GREENE'S MOTHER: It hurts the hell out of me to even say my son was murdered. It's so disrespectful to the state of Louisiana to continue this, to run this through, hoping that eventually it will lose traction. For some reason or other, it will just die away, which is not going to happen because this is for my son. This is for a lot of what's been happening here, the cover ups, the corruption.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: Greene's family also met with Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards. He has pledged to Greene's mother that the state police are cooperating with the prosecutor and the U.S. Justice Department.

All right. A little programming note for you, the richest black neighborhood in America ripped apart by a violent white mob. Uncover the hidden story you have to see, the CNN film "Dreamland: The Burning of Black Wall Street" premieres Monday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:23:29]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is an opportunity for the wealthy to stay wealthy, the poor to have a shot in the middle class and the middle class able to breathe more easily. That's what this is about. But this time bring everybody along.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: President Biden there on the road in Ohio to promote economic recovery and he's taking a subtle shot at the GOP trying to take credit they haven't earned.

CNN's Jasmine Wright is live at the White House for us this morning.

Jasmine, good morning.

So this is all part of his broader plan to spend to elevate the middle class. Yes?

JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: That's right. He will propose a $6 trillion budget today, all aimed at the 2020 fiscal year, CNN has learned. So this budget will be the most robust and sustained spending since World War II and it's all aimed at investing or largely aimed, rather, at investing in education, climate change, health care and infrastructure. So, President Biden will unveil that today and no doubt he will have

to defend that today as Republicans really push back at the price tag, something that they have done for every single thing that Biden has proposed while in office to this date. President Biden in Ohio yesterday did his own pushing back, Laura, really hitting the GOP, putting lawmakers on blast who didn't vote for that $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill passed in March because, remember, no Republicans voted for it but have taken it home and touted the benefits to their home district.

[05:25:00]

President Biden unapologetically called them out yesterday. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: Even my Republican friends in Congress, not a single one of them voted for the rescue plan. I'm not going to embarrass anyone, but I have here a list of how back in their districts, they're bragging about the rescue plan. They touted the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. They touted the fact that we are in a situation where they're dealing with -- touted grants to community health care centers. Touted -- I mean, some people have no shame.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WRIGHT: So, Laura, that was President Biden being bullish on that issue, but the question going forward into this weekend outside of the budget is what happens on infrastructure now that Republicans sent back that $928 billion counterproposal.

But let's be really clear here, that falls well short of President Biden's last offer of $1.7 trillion, right? And so the question is kind of where they can find the middle. And the White House says that there's not enough new spending in this 928 proposal by Republicans, something that they feel they need and they say that the Republicans want to repurpose that money from COVID relief, but it just really does not exist in that amount anymore.

So President Biden says that negotiations will continue, he wants this to be bipartisan, but he wants to get it done and get it done quickly.

So we will be watching to see what happens over the next few days -- Laura.

JARRETT: Negotiations will continue and he will continue holding up that little card with all their names I'm sure.

Jasmine, thank you.

All right. Still ahead, running for their lives. Tens of thousands of people displaced by a volcano threat in one of the world's poorest areas. CNN is live in the DRC.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)