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EARLY START

Tragedy In Texas; Tiny Texas Community In Mourning; North Korea Tops Agenda On Trip; Trump Criticized U.S.-Japanese trade Relationship; Saudi Arabia Anti-Corruption Sweep; The Trump Jobs Market; Lebanese Prime Minister Step Down. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired November 6, 2017 - 04:30   ET

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


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[23:30:00] JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Extraordinary that he is been taken, because he has never been linked to corruption and he is in partnership with the Bin Laden family. Bakar Bin Laden, also arrested, he is the older brother of Osama Bin Laden and working on the tallest tower in the world outside of Jeddah which should be one kilometer high. It's running behind schedule. You have to keep in mind here with all these arrests what happens to business. Projects like that, and growth going forward. A new redline in the sand when it comes to corruption in Saudi Arabia Dave.

DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: Corruption probe, a power grabber or is it both. John Defterios is live for us in Abu Dhabi. Thanks.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Powers intrigue. Absolutely 30 minutes past the hour "Early Start" continues right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN breaking News.

ROMANS: Troubling new questions emerge about the man who carried out the deadliest mass shooting in Texas history. 26 people are dead. The gunman was allowed to buy a weapon after being court marshalled and discharged from the air force for assaulting his wife and child.

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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That mental health is the problem the here. This was a very, based on preliminary reports, very deranged individual. A lot of problems over a long period of time.

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BRIGGS: President Trump on his trip to Asia, high stakes meeting with the Prime Minister. Also weighing in on the Texas shooting saying the issue is mental health. Not guns. A crucial trip for the President abroad, and more issues than he thought he'd have to deal with. Welcome back to "Early Start." I am Dave Briggs.

ROMANS: And I am Christine Romans. It is 31 minutes past the hour. It is Monday morning, another American community (inaudible) by gun violence. At least 26 people killed in Sunday's church shooting in the small Texas town of Sutherland springs. That is near San Antonio. The dead range in age in five years-old to 72. About 20 others wounded. Eight of the dead are from one family and one of the victims a child of the pastor.

BRIGGS: The shooter, 26-year-old Devin Patrick Kelley is dead. Kelley was court-martialed by the air force. And have a bad conduct discharge in 2012. He leaves behind an unfolding mystery what set him off on this rampage. Let's bring in CNN Diane Gallagher live for us this morning in Sutherland Springs. Diane good morning to you. This is five weeks after Vegas and very different, because in Vegas, you had people from around the world coming to this concert. Where this is a tiny community ripped apart.

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Dave, a fewer than 700 people live in Sutherland springs, Texas, so if you look at it, mathematically 26 people that is about 4 percent of the town's population, completely wiped out. While they were just worshipping at church on a Sunday morning. According to witnesses 26-year-old Devin Kelley came basically dressed for war. He was in all black, he had a tactical ballistic vest on. Walked across the street from a gas station to the church which you could probably see the sign a little bit lit up behind me there, and opened fire before he walked into the sanctuary. Of course we do know, 26 people killed inside the church. When he came outside, a man who lived next door got his own gun and tried to engage. He fired at the suspect. He continued to chase him to make sure that law enforcement knew where he was going. He did say that he lost track of him. Law enforcement found Devin Kelley's vehicle about eight miles away from the church here in another county. He was dead by a gunshot wound. They don't know if it was self- inflicted or if it came from that man who lived next door from the church.

Officials told us they also found multiple firearms inside that car. The one that he used in the church shooting, a Ruger AR-556, we're told was purchased legally back in April of 2016 add an academy outdoor and sports store in San Antonio Texas. That is key, because you mentioned that court-martial. That was for one count of spousal abuse, one count of child abuse, assault on a child. Assault on his spouse. He served 12 months confinement and he got that bad conduct discharge. He was buckled down in rank. The question that many have now is how was he able to purchase that gun legally to then use it in the worst mass shooting in Texas history.

BRIGGS: Questions about should the military and the criminal background check system overlap. Diane Gallagher live for us there in Texas, thanks.

ROMANS: This shooting has left the Texas community struggling for answers even as they rely on faith and each other.

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[04:35:00] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lost. Le be with us here as we deal with this in the days to come.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm sorry. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My heart is broken. I mean I would never think

where it can happen and it does happen. It doesn't matter where you're at. I mean in a small community, real quiet and everything, look at this, what can happen.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were flabbergasted, there's just no reason for something like that to take place. Especially here where everybody's family. We all help each other out. We all know each other. This is just devastating.

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BRIGGS: New this morning, we're also hearing from a witness, Johnny Langendorf, who chased after the shooter. After a neighbor brief him on what happen on the church.

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JOHNNY LANGENDORF: I was on the phone with dispatch the entire time. I gave them the direction we were going. What road and everything. And the vehicle was inside. And I was picking up, getting closer and closer. We hit about 95, going down 539 trying to catch this guy until he eventually lost control on his own.

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ROMANS: All right. Joining us on the phone right now CNN law enforcement analyst Cedric Alexander president of the national organization of black law enforcement executives, good morning. You heard from that witness. Sounded like such a chaotic scene. You had the shooter running into the church shooting even before he got through the door. You had someone else who saw him coming out of the gas station, all dressed in black and tactical gear, grabbed his own gun, his own weapon to try to shoot him, and then a car chase. What are law enforcement going to be looking at now, Cedric?

CEDRIC ALEXANDER, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, I tell you, chaotic scene is probably an understatement. But, to that one individual that one citizen who had the wherewithal to intervene, and hopefully stop the shooting that could have even been more horrific, as if that wasn't horrific enough, but there's just going to be an ongoing investigation, as to who this perpetrator is, was, more about his background. I think is going to come to light to us, particularly what may have led up to him acting out in such a violent way. In that community, at that church, at that specific time. So there's still a lot of questions that are still yet to be answered. Going into his home, his vehicle with search warrants which I'm quite sure they've already acquired. And they're going to dig and look a lot deeper so we can hopefully learn more about Kelley, and also, being able to review the unfortunate and sad and horrific video they may also have to view to gather more facts as well. This is just absolutely horrible. My heart and prayers go out to the family and that community at large.

BRIGGS: No question about that. This community is reeling this morning. For those of you joining us, what Cedric Alexander is talking about is this church would post their sermons on YouTube so we have video from just last week what happened inside that church. Very typical sermon. How key will that be in the investigation? How key will the social media background of Kelley? We understand he had a lot of atheist rants and angry battles with people on social media.

ALEXANDER: That interaction that he has had on social media is certainly going to be indicative of someone who may have been struggling with some hallucinations, someone who had just may have been severely clinically depressed, such as what was reported in the Las Vegas shooting. You remember a couple of weeks ago, and I think a lot is going to be gleaned from as much information as they're able to gather, as they do this investigation going forward. But here, again, this is just a horrible event, and it's a lot to digest for any community, large or small, at one time. It is just a lot. It is a very tough day in this community across this country to look at these images all over again.

ROMANS: All right Cedric Alexander, CNN law enforcement analyst, thank you so much for your insight this morning, such a troubling story. Thank you sir.

BRIGGS: Ahead, President Trump speaking about the shooting during his trip to Asia.

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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So sad. Sutherland springs, Texas, such a beautiful, wonderful area with incredible people. Who would ever think a thing like this could happen?

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BRIGGS: A few short hours ago. Alongside Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe there are only five weeks removed from the deadliest mass shooting in America history. The President says guns are not the issue. What else he said, we are live in Tokyo, ahead.

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[04:44:06] TRUMP: We cannot put into words the pain and grief we all feel and we cannot begin to imagine the suffering of those who lost the ones they so dearly loved.

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BRIGGS: That is just in this morning. To CNN has President Trump in Japan reacting just a couple of hours ago to yesterday's mass shooting at a Texas church, he is ordering flags across the U.S. at half-staff through Thursday night. Asked about the shooting President Trump says guns are not the issue but mental health is.

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TRUMP: We have a lot of mental health problems in our country, as do other countries. But this isn't a guns situation. I mean we could go into it, but it's a little bit soon to go into it, but fortunately somebody else had a gun that was shooting in the opposite direction. Otherwise it would have been, as bad as it was, it would have been much worse, but, this is a mental health problem at the highest level.

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[04:45:07]ROMANS: The shooting now taking some of the focus away from the President's Asia trip. Our senior White House correspondent Jeff Zeleny joins us live from Tokyo, beautiful scene, evening there behind you in Tokyo. Bring us the latest on this part of the story.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning Christine. You heard the President's comments right there when he was having a brief news conference just a few hours ago here in Tokyo with the Japanese Prime Minister. Of course talking about the latest shooting back in the United States. Of course the President choosing to focus on mental health. There is no question on mental health is a key component of any gun debate. We have seen it play out again and again. But guns of course are also the issue here, so the President choosing to address one. He said he is too soon to talk about gun laws specifically.

But interesting, the President actually has been on both sides of the gun issue, before he ran for the President, he actually said the NRA has too much power, and he supported changing gun laws. The one different equation here in domestic gun debate, of course opens again, the President, if he decides to become involved in this. But he said it's too soon. It is the latest shooting episode of violence in at least -- about the last five weeks' time. He traveled to Las Vegas to be on the scene of that shooting. The White House, though, press secretary, Sarah Sanders says the President will not cut short his trip here in fact it is just largely just beginning here. So many important meetings. That shooting in Texas of course dominating the domestic side of this conversation.

ROMANS: Absolutely and Jeff, you know after that terror attack in New York on Halloween, the President had a policy prescription immediately. There is no policy prescription here.

ZELENY: He did.

ROMANS: All right, Jeff Zeleny.

ZELENY: That is true. And again mental health, right.

ROMANS: Finish your thought.

ZELENY: I was just saying the President is talking about mental health being an issue, of course some funding measures, the health care bill that didn't happen, et cetera, so this is part of the equation here, but it's only one part of it. We'll see if the President continues to address this as he travels across Asia. He will be here about 12 days' time or so.

ROMANS: All right Jeff Zeleny across the world. Thanks. BRIGGS: There's your domestic angle on the foreign policy side.

Japan just the first stop on President Trump's 13-day Asia tour, North Korea topping the agenda at almost every stop. CNN's Alexander Field also live in Tokyo. Good morning to you, Alex. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Trump both speaking about in North Korea nuclear threat. Are they speaking with one voice?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Very much saying they're on the same page. We knew on that President Trump first stop that he would be meeting with really essentially his closest ally in the region, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He says North Korea poses a grave threat to safety and security of his country. He doesn't use the same kind of rhetoric that President Trump uses but certainly they agree as to how to proceed right now. Prime Minister Abe is saying that now is not the time for dialogue. He agrees with President Trump that maximum pressure must be exerted, that all options must be kept on the table as he echoed the President. To that end he announced Japan is leveling new sanctions against North Korea, freezing the assets.

He also talked during a joint press conference with the President about Japan's purchasing more defense equipment from the United States. That is a position that the President has been talking about in recent weeks and months, talking about the need for Japan's military to be able to better defend itself against the threat that North Korea poses. Certainly that is where he is politically on the same page with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who was recently reelected to his office. He has been speaking about the kind of threat that North Korea poses.

The President also met with some Japanese family members who say they have members who have been kidnapped by North Korea. The President then sent an indirect message to Kim Jong-un saying he should release anyone who is being held in North Korea. He went on to say the people are great people, he hopes it all works out for them. He moves on to Seoul, South Korea where that will be a top item on the President's agenda.

BRIGGS: No doubt. To tell that this is a close relationship and almost a bromance between the president and the prime minister, Alex, thanks.

ROMANS: Back home another strong week on Wall Street. You can thank apple for record highs. My goodness, that iPhone x hitting the stores, details on CNN money stream next.

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[04:59:27] ROMANS: Some of Saudi Arabia's most high profile prince and businessmen swept up in an anti-corruption probe. At least 38 former, current and deputy ministers now under arrest, accused of corruption. CNN has obtained a list showing the names of at least 17 princes and top official the arrested. Arrested by a newly formed anti-corruption committee, initiated by Saudi King Salman. They also removed three ministers from their position. Let's get to CNN's John Defterios with more, John? What's happening there? [04:55:00] JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Well, I tell

you, Christine, this is a message of transparency to root out corruption. You have to wonder, because of the depth of the arrest whether it's also an effort here to settle some old scores. Of those related to the king who passed away in 2015 or had business ties with them. This is a top to bottom overhaul of society. They see it as a last chance for Saudi Arabia to win society Uriel and to clean up corruption. Let's take a look at some of the bigger names here. Minister of the National Guard who was related to King's son. Prince (inaudible) who is a prolific investor worth over $20 billion invested in Apple, twitter, news corp. and City group. He is partners with the Bin Laden group, building the largest tower in the world, 1km high in Jeddah, some questions whether that continues even the former administer of finance well respected in Washington in the IMF world bank here taken in. Ironically, this is a message to the international business community. They had 3500 of them just two weeks ago. And the same venue is holding those who are being arrested. A huge turn of faith here. The crown prince's big vision 20-30 vision to overhaul society, big plans to create a $2 trillion sovereign fund. The message from the international committee says this is great you are opening up, great that women are able to drive, but we want to make sure this follows the international rule of law at the same time, Christine.

ROMANS: All right John Defterios with all of that power intrigue, the whole economy trying to change its reliance on oil revenue. A lot going on there, thank you sir.

BRIGGS: Some high profile roundup in Saudi Arabia just part of the chaotic weekend in the Middle East. The Saudi's also intercepted a ballistic missile targeting the Riyadh airport. That missile fired from Yemen, just after the Prime Minister of Lebanon resigned with some harsh words for Iran. CNN's international correspondent Ben Wedeman live in Beirut with the latest. Ben good morning, he resign the Prime Minister Lebanon, but not in Lebanon, why?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In fact he was in Saudi Arabia with his second visit there in just five days. He made the announcement of his resignation on Saudi-backed television. Keep in mind the (inaudible) now resigned Lebanese Prime Minister also holds passports from Saudi Arabia and France in addition to his Lebanese one. He has a long history of ties with the ultra- conservative kingdom of Saudi Arabia. And in fact in the aftermath of his resignation announcement many people are wondering if it was even his own decision to resign. The Saudis have made it clear they were very unhappy with the fact that the government that he led since December of last year had his boll la ministers in it. They are very unhappy with the growing influence of Iran across the Middle East, particularly in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen.

Now speaking of Yemen, yes, over the weekend, a ballistic missile was fired from the controlled parts of Yemen at the international airport in Riyadh. The Saudis are saying this is almost tantamount as an act of war by Iran, which supports Houthi rebels, but Saudi Arabia of course has been for several years involved in a rather bogged down in a war in Yemen as well, so it's a complicated situation in which the Saudis, their gulf allies and the Trump administration are trying to come up with a coherent, a policy to somehow stop the spreading influence of Iran in the region, but it may be a little too late for that.

ROMANS: All right Ben Wedeman for us, thanks.

BRIGGS: Ben thanks.

ROMANS: Let's talk about money now. CNN money stream, global stock markets beginning the week mostly lower, stepping back after another strong week on Wall Street. Eight weeks in a row gains for the S and P 500, the dow, these indexes have never been higher, apple shares pushed to record high last week, Apple rising 2.6 percent. The IPhone X arrived in stores. Big profits for Apple last quarter, so the earnings report was really just loved on Wall Street but the earning season is winding down so this week the focus is tax cuts.

The house of ways and means committee will start marking opposite bill it released last week.

America's job market we now know is on fire. Unemployment is at a 17- year low. Jobs rebounded in October. 261,000 new jobs, the best performance yet under the Trump administration, the only wrinkle, wage growth has not been great, but still this has been a really great year. President Trump takes credit for these big job gains. Now optimism over tax cuts could be help in the numbers. But the president inherited a hot jobs market. He didn't just create it. In fact when you compare Trump era job gains, the last few months of the Obama presidency, look at that Dave, Trump is actually wagging just a tag behind.