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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
New Coalition Puts Netanyahu On Verge of Exit; Biden's "National Month of Action"; Chamber of Commerce: Boosts Immigration to Help Worker Shortage. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired June 03, 2021 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:30]
LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: On the verge of a deal. A historic coalition for leaders in Israel with a common goal, ousting Benjamin Netanyahu.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: The president's summer of joy. Beer, barbershops, daycare and more -- how the president plans to reach America's vaccination goals by summer.
JARRETT: First fuel, then meat, now transit systems hit by hackers. The secretary of state's new message to countries harboring the attackers.
Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is EARLY START. I'm Laura Jarrett.
ROMANS: Good morning. I'm Christine Romans. It is Thursday, June 3rd. It is 5:00 a.m. in New York.
It looks like a new era may be dawning in Israel, bargaining right down to the wire Israeli opposition parties struck a new deal overnight, setting up the exit of Israel's longest serving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Elliott Gotkine is covering the developments in Jerusalem.
Elliott, opposition leaders got to their deal just 38 minutes before the final deadline. What happens now?
ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: It certainly went down to the wire, didn't it, Christine?
ROMANS: Yeah.
GOTKINE: What happens right now is that there needs to be a vote of confidence in the Israeli Knesset or parliament. Now, that vote needs to be called by the speakers of the Knesset who happens to be from Prime Minister Netanyahu's Likud party.
What looks likely at this stage is that on Monday he will follow the rules and he will convene the vote which will happen a week later, so June 14th. Now, what this opposition bloc, this coalition in waiting, if you
like, is trying to do is replace the speaker of the Knesset in order to have one of their own people there and, therefore, have this vote on the new coalition happen faster.
Now, they had 61 votes in their bloc. They sent a letter to the speaker saying we want to hold this vote on replacing you, but then one of their members pulled out, revoked their signature, which means they don't have the votes to replace the speaker. So that's a pretty inauspicious start if you can't even get the votes together to replace the speaker if you are going to go forward with a stable government.
But, certainly, this is a mind-boggling coalition for it's breadth, for the number of parties info, for the fact that Naftali Bennett has just got seven seats and he's going to be the prime minister, and the fact that, of course, this could see the end of Netanyahu's rule after 12 consecutive years. He is down but he is not out yet.
ROMANS: All right. We will be watching carefully. The Israeli defense minister is in the U.S. today, of course, meeting with the secretaries of state and defense. The U.S. may get some of its early questions addressed.
Elliott Gotkine for us, thank you.
Laura?
JARRETT: All right. Free day care, free beer and then some.
President Biden announcing a new effort to vaccinate Americans for the summer. Plans include shots at the shop, an effort to recruit 1,000 black-owned barber shops and salons to provide and promote vaccinations and mayors in 50 cities will also compete to see who can grow vaccination rates.
CNN's Phil Mattingly has more at the White House for us.
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PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christine and Laura, you can call it a month of action, you can call it a vaccine sprint. President Biden called it both. It's the White House's kind of final push to really capitalize -- really kind of reach that goal of 70 percent of American adults having at least one dose of the COVID vaccine by July 4th.
The president set this deadline months ago in terms of when the administration wanted some sense of normalcy to return and set the 70 percent number a few weeks ago believing that it was reachable but understanding that as vaccine rates started to drop as more Americans got that vaccine, it would be a difficult one to accomplish.
Right now, administration officials think they're on track and they're trying to lay out a series of new incentives to push those who are hesitant or have difficulty accessing the vaccine to get that first dose by July 4th. What would that mean? Well, this is how the president framed it.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A summer of freedom. A summer of joy. A summer of get together and celebrations, an all American summer that this country deserves after a long, long dark winter that we've all endured.
MATTINGLY: Now, this is the latest effort in incentives we've seen not just on the federal level but on the state level, whether it's millions of dollars or college scholarships or sports tickets, any array of items to try to convince people to get this vaccine that has been so demonstrably effective over the course of the last couple of weeks.
The White House jumping on board with their own initiatives. One of those initiatives, free child care in four of the largest child care centers in the country as well as hundreds of YMCAs for anybody who needs child care while they get a vaccine or while they recover from a vaccine. You have Vice President Kamala Harris will start a nationwide tour anchored in the south where vaccine rates have been lagging behind to try to get people to get vaccinated.
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You have Anheuser-Busch offering a free round of beer if the country hits that 70 percent mark. As the president said, get a shot, get a beer.
All of these things trying to come together, including keeping pharmacies open later on Friday nights, the pharmacies volunteering to do that in an initiative with the White House, all trying to reach individuals who aren't just hesitant but maybe haven't been able to find the time because of jobs, because of child care. The White House pulling out all the stops right now recognizing these last couple weeks will be crucial to reach that 70 percent goal. They are on track but there's a lot more work to be done -- guys.
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JARRETT: Phil, thank you for that.
Turns out a sham recount has sham security. Observers watching Arizona's Republican-run recount of the 2020 election results say they've seen security gates left open, confidential manuals left unattended and quality control measures ignored. After winning a lawsuit, Arizona's Democratic secretary state now has observers on site at this partisan audit.
The observers' reports came the same day three Pennsylvania lawmakers visited the audit site, one is known for peddling conspiracy theories and was pictured outside the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. He says he wants Pennsylvania now to conduct and audit like Arizona's.
ROMANS: Audit in air quotes to say the least.
"The New York Times" says four of its reporters had their phone records seized by the Justice Department. The newspaper reports it was part of an investigation into leaks during the Trump administration. Officials also obtained a court order to seize the reporters' email logs but that information was not obtained.
In the last few weeks, the Justice Department disclosed several other reporters had their records secretly obtained during the Trump era as well, including at CNN and "The Washington Post."
JARRETT: Still ahead, new body cam video of the moment a 12 and 14- year-old opened fire on police. The sheriff now claims one of them was inspired by a video game.
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JARRETT: Breaking overnight, three Delaware police officers are in stable condition after they were shot responding to a call. A huge police presence late Wednesday night shut down the street in Wilmington where the shooting occurred with police asking nearby residents to shelter in place. Officers on the scene wearing tactical gear, carrying long rifles and taking cover behind vehicles there. Wilmington police haven't released any more information on what happened.
ROMANS: All right. Florida police releasing body camera video of a tragic standoff with two children, these kids 14 and 12 years old had apparently run away from a group home. Police claim they then broke into a house and used the weapons they found inside to fire at deputies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(GUNSHOTS)
POLICE DEPUTY: Shooting out the rear window toward my direction. Stand by.
(GUNSHOTS)
POLICE DEPUTY: Don't make me do this. Don't do this.
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ROMANS: Radio instructions told police not to engage the children. This went on for more than 30 minutes.
JARRETT: Eventually, the 12-year-old surrendered. The 14-year-old was shot by police. Police learned disturbing details from the 12-year- old.
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MIKE CHITWOOD, VOLUSIA COUNTY SHERIFF: He advised that the 14-year- old made a statement, "I'm going to roll this down like GTA," referring to the video game Grand Theft Auto. We're arresting these kids in the state of Florida for violent crimes and the Department of Juvenile Justice wants to put them in the places that can't handle them.
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JARRETT: The 14-year-old is alive but seriously hurt. The Florida United Methodist children's home where the pair were staying says it will be pausing their emergency shelter care program for the next 30 days to evaluate placement decisions.
This is a really sad case.
ROMANS: It really is.
All right. New video of the moment three gunmen opened fire outside a Florida nightclub. We want to warn you, this one is hard to watch. Surveillance video posted online showing at least one of the gunmen start shooting into a group of people standing outside the club, as people run for safety. At least one person drops to the ground is motionless there.
Police release another angle earlier this week showing at least three people exciting a vehicle before shots were fired. Two people were killed, 21 injured and the manhunt for those shooters is now, Laura, in day five here.
JARRETT: Three different stories all on gun violence.
ROMANS: Yeah.
JARRETT: All right. It was fun while this lasted for Knicks fans but the Hawks are soaring to the second round of the NBA playoffs.
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ROMANS: How to fix a worker shortage in the great American comeback? Allow more foreign workers. That's the diagnosis of the Chamber of Commerce. Its chief policy officer tells my colleague Matt Egan pressure is building on lawmakers to address the worker shortage, the powerful business lobby urging Washington to allow more foreign workers to legally enter the country.
The chamber proposes double the cap on employment-based visas, double the quota on H-1B and H-2B visas for temporary and seasonal workers, and reform the immigration system.
Even before the pandemic, the lottery systems for H-1B and H-2B visas were, you know, hugely oversubscribed. In April, the administration raised the number of H-2B temporary visas for non-ag workers because of increased labor demands. Some economists say now the post-COVID labor shortage might ease when schools start in the fall and jobless benefits expire but many are calling on the Congress to address immigration long term, something that has been thorny to say the least for the past decade. JARRETT: Absolutely. While the U.S. Army will not investigate Michael
Flynn's comments seeming to back a Myanmar-style coup in the United States, a police officer injured in the Capitol riot warns the remarks by President Trump's former national security could absolutely lead to more violence.
Officer Michael Fanone called on Mitch McConnell for rallying GOP senators against that independent bipartisan investigation into the Capitol attack.
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MICHAEL FANONE, DC METROPOLITAN POLICE OFFICER: Here I am escorting the mother of a dead policeman while she and myself advocate for, you know, the formation of a commission to investigate the circumstances which resulted in her son's death, and you have, you know, a leader on Capitol Hill who is making phone calls asking for personal favors and dolling out political capital to push for, you know, a no vote on that commission.
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It was absolutely disgraceful.
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JARRETT: That event over the weekend where Flynn spoke was attended by prominent peddlers of the QAnon conspiracy theory or delusion theory, some of whom are obsessed with the idea that the U.S. military will somehow put Trump back into office. Flynn says his remarks there were misinterpreted.
ROMANS: All right. A guilty plea from a man who stormed the Capitol, carried the Trump flag into the Senate chamber and took selfies during that insurrection. Paul Hodgkins is the first defendant to plead guilty without a deal to cooperate with prosecutors. He faces more than a year in prison and thousands of dollars in fines when he's sentenced July 19th. The case could be a sign of what's to come for other Capitol rioters, even those who have no criminal history.
JARRETT: Well, Hall of Fame horse trainer Bob Baffert now suspended from the home of the Kentucky derby for two years.
Andy Scholes has more in this morning's "Bleacher Report."
Hey, Andy.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Good morning, Laura.
So, you know, Bob Baffert has escaped major punishments for his horses being banned substances in the past but not this time around. Churchill Downs coming down hard on Baffert, banning him from entering any horses at the famed track for two years. This came hours after confirmation that a second drug sample taken after Medina Spirit's win at the Kentucky Derby came back positive for the banned steroid betamethasone. Medina Spirit, the fifth Baffert horse to test positive for a banned
substance in the last year or so, and Churchill Downs Incorporated said Baffert's record of test failures threatens public confidence in horse racing and the reputation of the Kentucky derby. New York's racing commission had already banned Baffert from entering horses in Saturday's Belmont Stakes. The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission now going to decide if Medina Spirit will be stripped of the Kentucky Derby title.
Baffert's lawyer, Fred Robinson, sets to join "NEW DAY" at 6:30 Eastern this morning to discuss the suspension.
All right. To the NBA. Knicks had to win to stay alive in their series against the Hawks but Trae Young is too much again. He had 3, including this long three in the final minute, after which he bowed to the Madison Square Garden crowd. Hawks win 103-89 to take the series in five games.
They are going to face the Sixers in the second round. Philly beating the wizards 129-112 without Joel Embiid in game five. The team announcing Embiid is day to day with a meniscus tear in his knee. Sixers host the Hawks game one on Sunday.
The Jazz meanwhile the first team to advance out of the West. They won four straight from the Grizzlies after dropping game one. Donovan Mitchell 30 points, 10 assists in the 126-110 closeout victory.
They're going to wait the winner between the mob and the Clippers. And Luka Doncic looking healthy and unstoppable once again last night scoring 42 points to go along with 14 assists, the Mavs coming through with multiple defensive stops in the closing seconds. They win 105-100 they are now up 3-2 to close that series out on Friday.
Canadians and Jets opening their second round series, scary moment in the final moment -- minute as Montreal's Jake Evans gets drilled by Mark Scheifele. Some of his teammates called the hit dirty, disgusting, Evans laid on the ice for around eight minutes before being taken off on a stretcher. Canadians won that game 5-3. Montreal's coach said Evans was not taken to the hospital but was under evaluation.
Finally, Coach K is calling it a career. Mike Krzyzewski saying that his 42nd season at duke is going to be his final season. He will be replaced by former player and current assistant coach Jon Scheyer.
What a remarkable Coach K's had. He has the most wins this men's division I history, five national titles, 12 final fours, he's won three straight Olympic gold medals as head coach of Team USA. Coach K calling yesterday when the announcement came out, Christine, a celebration and it certainly was because there will never be another Coach K. Here is coaching he has a great final season there.
ROMANS: Of course, those stats just something. What an overachiever. And what a role model, you know, just -- and coach for so many years and so many people.
Andy, thank you so much.
SCHOLES: All right.
ROMANS: All right. Quick programming note for you, everybody. President Obama joins Anderson Cooper for a rare one-on-one about his life post-presidency. Don't miss that.
An "ANDERSON COOPER 360" special report, Barack Obama on fatherhood, leadership and legacy. That's Monday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, only here on CNN.
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ROMANS: All right. Good Thursday morning. This is EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.
And I'm Laura Jarrett. About 29 minutes past the hour here in New York.
This morning, a seismic shift in the Middle East. Overnight, a coalition spanning Israel's political spectrum announcing a deal to form a new government which likely means the end of Benjamin Netanyahu's record term as prime minister.
The head of the centrist party Yair Lapid informed Israel's president he has managed to piece together a coalition just 38 minutes ahead of the midnight deadline. Under the deal, former Netanyahu ally, Naftali Bennett, would serve as prime minister for the first half of a four- year term.
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NAFTALI BENNETT, YAMINA PARTY LEADER (through translator): Mr. President, we will do together whatever is good for Israel and we will see you at the swearing in ceremony. Thank you very much.
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JARRETT: Wow. Lapid would be foreign minister and then the two men would swap jobs in two years.
