Return to Transcripts main page

New Day

Developments on Korean Peninsula; Trump Takes Kavanaugh's Side; Ford Wants FBI Probe; Red Sox and Yankees Wait Another Night; U.S. and China Announce More Tariffs. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired September 19, 2018 - 06:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:31:49] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Major developments on the Korean peninsula this morning. A third summit between the leaders of North and South Korea. This meeting produced promises of peace and it pledged to dismantle a key nuclear site, but only if the United States makes concessions first.

CNN's Paula Hancocks live in Seoul with the details here.

Paula, and those matter.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, let me give you the headlines.

At this point, North Korea has said that they have agreed to dismantle a key test site for their ICBM program, the intercontinental ballistic missile program. It's one that they have already promised to President Trump back in Singapore. But on top of that, they have said that they will allow international experts to go in to verify this.

Now, as you say, there was a caveat on the next one. They said that they would look into shutting down the Yongbyong nuclear facility, but only if there were, quote, U.S. corresponding measures. Now, they gave no timeline for this. They didn't specify what they were looking for. But we know what they want. They want a quid pro quo from Washington. They're looking for a declaration of the end of the Korean War. A peace treaty. An easing of sanctions, which, up until this point, Washington has not been prepared to do.

But the U.S. president did tweet quite quickly after this announcement saying he approved of it, saying he was excited by it, also pointing out the fact that the two Koreas are going to have a joint bid for the 2032 Summer Olympics. It was a very wide-ranging agreement here and that's quite surprising when you consider there are still many concentration camps within this country and also a high rate of malnutrition.

But there were some significant moves when it came to a military deal in the DMZ. They're going to start clearing some of the landmines. They're going to start taking down some of the guard posts. Even dismantling the joints security area. That is the area where North and South Korean soldiers have been facing off against each other for decades.

Alisyn, back to you.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: OK, Paula, thank you very much for that report.

All right, back here, less than seven weeks until the midterm election. There -- is there some scenario in which Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination falls apart. We explore the impact of the political controversy, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:37:59] BERMAN: All right, this just in. We're 48 days from the midterm elections and President Trump is standing by his Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, despite the allegations of sexual assault against him. The president insists that Kavanaugh is not a man who deserves this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Honestly, I fee terribly for him, his (ph) wife, who is an incredible lovely woman (ph), and for his beautiful young daughters. I feel terribly for them (ph).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: All right, want to bring back Frank Bruni, Abby Phillip and John Avlon.

It was interesting the president said that, but I will dismiss it as the least surprising thing ever, that the president took the man's side on a he said-she said over a sexual assault. And I want to move on to the political implications of where we are now. And I think if you look at the last 12 hours, 11 hours, from when the attorney for Professor Blasey sat down with Anderson and said, in all likelihood we're not sitting down Monday, it now seems to me, Frank, that Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation is much more likely and much sooner, perhaps, than we anticipated because it moves obstacles for some Republicans on the fence to line up behind him.

FRANK BRUNI, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: One hundred percent I agree with you. And if you listened closely yesterday to what Senator Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski said, they both were urging this woman to come forward to testify on (INAUDIBLE) were saying it would be a very -- a real shame if she didn't. What I heard in that is that they were going (INAUDIBLE) to (INAUDIBLE) if this (INAUDIBLE) Professor Blasey testifying. And I think everything we've seen from Senator Collins and Murkowski, they do not want to tank this nomination. They do not want to draw the ire of their party, draw the ire of President Trump and go down as people who scuttled this nomination. So they're looking for reasons to vote for Brett Kavanaugh.

And if there is a hearing on Monday, or if there's no hearing on Monday, no testimony from Professor Blasey, I think that may be the reason they found to say, hey, you know, we want to consider this more fully or we did consider this, we don't have any more information. This, you know, Professor Blasey didn't come forward. Here we go.

[06:40:05] JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, to be clear, the easier scenario for that is if she does no come forward on Monday because they may be forced to confront uncomfortable facts that increase heat from constituents, that cause deeper reflection. And there's a -- there's a bit of a trap that's been set because Kavanaugh has been forced into the Donald Trump position, which is deny, deny, deny. And (INAUDIBLE) never at the house (ph). And that (INAUDIBLE) part, upon further inquiry. And Flake and Collins have said, if he's lied about this, you know, it's not the crime it's the cover-up, that would be disqualifying. That whole issue gets sidestepped if this does not go forward in that moment.

CAMEROTA: But, Abby, correct me if I'm wrong. I think the timing is important here. I think that the senators, like Collins and Murkowski, who said, well this is strange. What we're first responding to hearing that Dr. Ford didn't want to come forward on Monday. But then there's new information, I mean after last night, when the lawyer sat down with Anderson, there's new information, she has conditions. They're not unreasonable conditions, which is, please, FBI, re-open the background check. I want to see an investigation, not just an interrogation and so they might feel differently now.

But I do want to get to one more thing, Abby, before I let you respond, and that is Kavanaugh's denial, OK, because we keep sort of paraphrasing it. But here is what Brett Kavanaugh has said. This is a completely false allegation. I have never done anything like what the accuser described to her or anyone because this never happened. I had no idea who was making this accusation until she identified herself yesterday.

So if he says just that on Monday, I don't know what else lawmakers can do if that's all the information they have.

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Alisyn, I think you're right that we still need to see today what some of these key senators say, like Collins, Murkowski and Flake, about the prospect of having more investigation in addition to testimony before making a final decision about what goes on here, because I do think that's important.

You know, you can want Ford to testify, but also want more information to be provided to the committee. And that actually goes to your second point, which is that what more can we learn here about what happened. Are we just going to get Brett Kavanaugh's reading another version of his statement and Christine Ford reading another version of her statement, or are we going to get new information about what might have happened about some of the details around this event? And I would argue that one of the best ways to do that is to have more people be a part of this process.

So I think whether or not we learn something new might be contingent on how this is done, on whether or not there are more parties involved. And I think that the White House, starting on Monday, when they first presented this prospect of a side by side of Kavanaugh and Ford testifying, it was because they thought that the side by side would be essentially a kind of neutral situation in which you could not decipher who to believe more between the two of them. And I do think that there is a real possibility here that even if Ford testifies, that we're not -- it's not going to move the ball forward anymore, that all of these senators are going to -- who want to vote for Kavanaugh are going to have a reason to do so because they can just point to his denials and point to the way that he carries himself as a reason to believe him. I think that the key here is going to be, can we get additional information inputted into this process? That is -- might be the only thing that will change this.

BERMAN: And, look, maybe this is Professor Blasey's calculation. If she's sitting here this morning thinking, even if I do go spill my guts before the American people, he is still going to get confirmed. It's not going to change one Republican vote. Why expose myself to that? Maybe she is thinking that. These are the considerations --

CAMEROTA: How could she not be?

BERMAN: That a lot of victims, and alleged victims of sexual assault have to consider. You just have to consider that.

Politically speaking, I think we already have the answers to the questions that Abby was raising there, which is, what do Collins and Murkowski think? What does Jeff Flake thing? I think they have made clear that Professor Ford -- Professor Blasey should be given a chance to speak. And if she chooses not to speak, then they are voting yes. And Jeff Flake has said as much very clearly. And I think that is the position that we exist in this morning.

My question now, though, is, if this is where we are, there's no testimony. He gets confirmed. Who benefits in the midterms? Do the Democrats run on this? Is this something they feel comfortable talking about, energizing women? Does it energize women or is it so murky?

BRUNI: I think if it benefits anyone, it benefits the Democratic Party. Women are already hugely energized. We've seen that in the primaries. We've seen that in special elections. I think if women feel that once again the words of a woman have been discounted, they haven't been given adequate weight, there hasn't been a full investigation into them. I do think if this cuts either way, it's going to cut in the Democratic favor. It's going to boost turnout and it's going to further energize women who are already energized. Yes, I believe that.

[06:45:01] AVLON: I think particularly if there is a hearing, because the optics of all the white men on the Republican side is a problem. It will compound the gender gap, which is already cavernous and not getting better. But if Republicans get a win on the Supreme Court, that itself will rally their base.

BERMAN: Yes, I can't imagine they're going to have the hearing if she doesn't go. I don't think Brett Kavanaugh is going to go and face any questions from Democrats on this and is a weird (ph) look (ph).

AVLON: No. No. BERMAN: All right, Abby, Frank, John, thank you very, very much. Read Frank's column, by the way, on the players from the Seattle Seahawks. That will make you feel good about the world.

CAMEROTA: Oh, no, I'm doing -- can I wait until the end of the show or should I --

BERMAN: No, do it right now.

All right, better keep those champagne bottles on ice, because the Boston Red Sox have to wait at least one more night -- which is fine, we can wait one more night to win the American League title. We just made the Yankees look good because we feel bad for them. The "Bleacher Report" is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Baseball's playoffs less than two weeks away. The Red Sox will be there but they have to wait just a little while longer before they actually --

CAMEROTA: If (ph) they win.

[06:50:02] BERMAN: No, they have won, they just have to officially get the division title.

Lindsay Czarniak explains what I'm talking about.

LINDSAY CZARNIAK, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Oh, this is so boring. Your team's just rubbing it in. That's really what's going on here.

Yankees/Red Sox, you know it's always a juicy rivalry, but the stakes, they couldn't be higher because the division crown is on the line. So the Yankees get to play spoiler, trying to keep the Red Sox from clinching the division title at Yankee Stadium for the second time in three years.

This "Bleacher Report" brought to you by Ford, going further so you can.

So, Boston had a chance to clinch the division title last night against the Yankees. New York playing the spoiler role to the hilt, grabbing the 3-2 win in the opener of a three-game series at Yankee Stadium. Also notable for the Yankees, Aaron Judge was back in the line-up for the first time since late July when he broke his wrist. He went hitless, however, for the (INAUDIBLE), but overall felt positive about his return.

And it was probably a good thing, Berman, that the Sox lost because their championship banner fell off the back of a truck, literally. Did you see this? Check it out. Three fans found this in the middle of a highway on its way to Fenway Park.

CAMEROTA: Gosh.

CZARNIAK: They said they saw someone run over it also. (INAUDIBLE). The team is sending a courier to pick up the banner later this morning because --

BERMAN: That's messed up.

CZARNIAK: As you said, they're going to need it.

CAMEROTA: Why didn't -- why didn't you strap that down on your truck, John? Why -- how did that --

BERMAN: Exactly.

CAMEROTA: How did that fall off?

CZARNIAK: Were you driving too fast?

BERMAN: Yes, you could tie it down much better.

CAMEROTA: Yes. Yes.

CZARNIAK: And there will be no banners for the Orioles this season, who suffered a franchise worse 108 loss in one season yesterday with the Blue Jays. But the Orioles did get recognition for an interesting twist on their uniforms. The players had their team name and names on the back of their jerseys spelled out in braille. It was the 40th anniversary of the National Federation of the Blind moving its headquarters to Baltimore. Fans were also given braille alphabet cards to spell out the names of their favorite players. So kind of a cool twist, but obviously they weren't winning, so fans can't be excited about that.

BERMAN: Still a wonderful gesture.

Thanks, Lindsay.

CZARNIAK: Yes, it is.

CAMEROTA: Thank, Lindsay.

All right, an escalation in the trade war between the U.S. and China. Who really pays for the increased tariffs? Christine Romans tells us, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:56:46] CAMEROTA: OK, it's time for CNN "MONEY NOW." The U.S./China trade war is escalating with Beijing striking back against President Trump's latest rounds of tariffs. So who pays for this war? Chief business correspondent Christine Romans joins us with the answer.

Hi, Christine.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi there.

You know, the president defending his trade agenda. He says his tariffs will punish China, force them to end their unfair trade practices and force them to negotiate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're having a tremendous impact on China. As you know, we're doing a very good job with China. China has been taking advantage of the United States for a long time. And that's not happening anymore. We can't let that happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: So far the U.S. has hit China with $250 billion -- tariffs on $250 billion in goods. The president often says these are tariffs on China that China pays. But it's actually U.S. importing companies that pay, whether it's electronics, shoes, sporting gear or food. The company's pay the import tax to the U.S. government and then the companies either eat that higher cost or they pass it along to you, the consumer. In fact, the auto industry already warns tariffs on car parts could raise the price of a new car by several thousand dollars.

And a powerful corporate lobby, the Business Roundtable, says tariffs threaten U.S. business and workers, agreeing that China is a bad actor on trade, but that tariffs are the wrong way to achieve real reforms. Guys, that is not the view inside the White House, not at all, where the theory is that the U.S. economy is so strong, this is exactly the time to slap on tariffs, and that consumers either won't feel higher prices or they won't mind.

John.

BERMAN: All right, Christine Romans, thanks very much.

You know what we all need now?

CAMEROTA: What?

BERMAN: We need to laugh.

CAMEROTA: We do.

BERMAN: So let's do that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SETH MEYERS, HOST, "LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS": Following an accusation of sexual assault, Supreme Court Justice Nominee Brett Kavanaugh visited the White House today for the second day in a row. It's the first time an sexual assaulter has gotten into the White House without the Electoral College.

JAMES CORDEN, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW WITH JAMES CORDEN": Republicans have also been critical of the timing of the misconduct allegation. They were like, this isn't how it works. You're supposed to find out we're creeps after we're confirmed. That's what we do.

JIMMY FALLON, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JIMMY FALLON": Stormy Daniels has written a book about Trump. An advanced copy just came out and she actually writes about her night with Trump in detail. Which explains why every book comes with a bottle of Pepto-Bismol and a straw.

MEYERS: Stormy Daniels also claims in her memoir that President Trump promised to make her a contestant on "The Apprentice." It would have been the first ever case of someone being demoted from porn.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: We've gone a whole hour without talking about videos games. Let's see if we can make it another two.

CAMEROTA: Why?

BERMAN: Let's just see if we can do it.

CAMEROTA: OK.

BERMAN: I mean we have to. I think it's a federal requirement.

CAMEROTA: All right. I don't know. We'll see if -- what the audience demands.

Thanks to our international viewers for watching. For you, CNN "TALK" is next. For our U.S. viewers, NEW DAY continues right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), MAJORITY LEADER: She's going to have an opportunity to be heard. Monday is her opportunity.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There should be an investigation. That's the right thing to do.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't think the FBI really should be involved.

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: She's asking she be given the courtesy of having some facts laid out.

[07:00:02] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Republican leaders seem focused on getting Kavanaugh on the bench whatever that takes.

KELLYANNE CONWAY, WHITE HOUSE COUNSELOR: I've read her account. There are a lot of details.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is nothing we've ever known about her to be anything but honest and straightforward.