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EARLY START

White House Plan For Reuniting Families; Sarah Sanders Asked To Leave Restaurant; Turkey's Erdogan Victorious In Election That Grants Him Unprecedented Power; U.S. Fine-Tunes Wish List For North Korea. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired June 25, 2018 - 05:30   ET

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


[05:30:58] MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN ANCHOR: The president wants to send immigrants home without due process and the administration's plan to reunite families separated at the border is going to require some patience.

DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: And another chapter in the blurry political line between public and private life. Sarah Sanders asked to leave a restaurant because she works for the president.

KOSINSKI: And an election with consequences around the world. Turkey's president fends off a strong challenge that tightens his grip with sweeping new powers.

Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Michelle Kosinski in for Christine Romans.

BRIGGS: Good to have you, my friend. I'm Dave Briggs. Thirty-one minutes past the hour.

Let us know @EarlyStart on Twitter what you think about this -- Sarah Sanders being kicked out of a Virginia restaurant for her political beliefs. Do you like this trend or is it disturbing?

But we start with immigration. The Trump administration releasing its plan for reuniting thousands of families separated at the border, but don't expect any fast action here.

Homeland Security officials say 2,053 children are still in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services and they will remain that way until their parents' deportation proceedings are completed. Families will be reunited before deportation or if a parent is released, they can apply to serve as the child's sponsor.

KOSINSKI: According to Homeland Security officials, over 500 families have been reunited since the zero tolerance policy started, and parents are now being offered the option of signing voluntary departure orders to speed up their cases. They are being assured they will be reunited with their children if they do sign. But the offer's raising eyebrows with advocates who question whether the families clearly understand these terms.

BRIGGS: President Trump talking about depriving immigrants of due process.

Let's go live to Washington and welcome in Philip Wegmann, commentary writer for the "Washington Examiner." Good morning, sir.

So this, of course, related to a Trump tweet about doing away with due process for those coming here to this country illegally.

TEXT: "We cannot allow all of these people to invade our country. When somebody comes in we must immediately, with no judges or court cases, bring them back from where they came. Our system is a mockery to good immigration policy and law and order. Most children come without parents.

Our Immigration policy, laughed at all over the world, is very unfair to all of those people who have gone through the system legally and are waiting on line for years! Immigration must be based on merit. We need people who will help to Make America Great Again!"

BRIGGS: So no judges or court cases -- back to where they came from. Ironic, perhaps, that the words "law and order" are anywhere in this tweet, let alone the fact that they are capitalized.

Is this the right approach for a president that wants to preach law and order to, in fact, do away with it?

PHILIP WEGMANN, COMMENTARY WRITER, WASHINGTON EXAMINER: Well, I don't think there's a lot of room to make distinctions on Twitter. I know that we have 240 characters now.

But this president likes to gloss over things and I think that what he's doing right now is taking advantage of really, a frustration that's been festering for years. Conservatives, especially in his base, have heard from politicians on both sides from both previous administrations that they were going to do something about the border and nothing happened.

And so I think that this anti-constitutional backlash is sadly inevitable and if something does not happen -- if Republicans in Congress and Democrats in Congress don't find a way to actually move forward with some type of immigration reform we're going to see more of this sort of rhetoric normalizing actions that aren't necessarily constitutional.

KOSINSKI: Yes, and we heard from plenty of Republicans over the weekend and also Sen. James Lankford saying well, the people who are running all of this, they're seasoned government officials. They know where every single child is located.

But do you think that there's been an erosion of trust among both Republicans and Democrats over how this is being handled? I mean, whether they do know where every kid is.

WEGMANN: Right. Well, the vicinical (ph) play here is that I think that the White House has done their calculations -- Democrat leadership has also done there's -- and both sides have come to the conclusion that doing nothing actually is better for their electoral chances. It's a big bet on both sides.

But I think going forward, the White House, they don't have their wall. They need something to look like they're getting tough.

And, Democrats, on the other hand, know that kids behind chain link fences, that is a heart-wrenching image and it's an image that's going to play really well in campaign ads come November.

So sadly, the intentions currently are for Washington, D.C. to do what they do best, nothing.

[05:35:04] BRIGGS: And just when it seemed we couldn't be more divided, Sarah Sanders, the press secretary, says over the weekend she was kicked out a Virginia restaurant because she works for the Trump administration. It's called the Red Hen in Lexington.

Let me get to some reaction, in particular from the left.

Here is a surprising tweet from David Axelrod.

He says, "Kind of amazed and appalled by the number of folks on the left who applauded the expulsion of Sarah Sanders and her family from a restaurant. This, in the end, is a triumph for Donald Trump's vision of America. Now we're divided by red plates & blue plates!"

What's he talking about? Well, in part, the reaction from people like Maxine Waters. Listen to what she has to say about this technique -- this tactic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MAXINE WATERS (D), CALIFORNIA: And if you see anybody from that cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get up and you create a crowd and you push back on them. And you tell them they're not welcome anymore, anywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: So what do you think of Maxine Waters encouraging this type of, if you want to call it, protest?

WEGMANN: Well, first of all, I think that we're dealing with two different things. It's easy to conflate them.

What happened to Sarah Huckabee Sanders is fundamentally different than the sort of behavior that we saw in the protest against Nielsen when she was at a restaurant. There was actually a mob that surrounded her.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked to leave by a private business. I don't think that that's a good thing. Again, I want to go on the record saying that I'm pro-dinner. I don't think anyone should get thrown out of any restaurants.

But, you know, this is not a common carrier. This is not an airline. This is an artisanal chicken place and she can go somewhere else for dinner.

But what Maxine Waters is advocating for is very dangerous because it's -- she's calling for mobs to exert pressure and that is anti- Democratic because mobs by their very nature are -- those impetuous vortexes that our founders were so afraid of.

And what Waters is essentially saying to everyone in that crowd is that the system doesn't work and that you need something extra. That is fundamentally dangerous and that is going to be harmful to our democracy in the long run because again, the names and the -- you know, the team in control changes hands here in Washington --

BRIGGS: Right.

WEGMANN: -- every four years, every two years. This is a bad precedent to set.

KOSINSKI: Yes, there could be some places in the country where members of the press --

BRIGGS: Sure.

KOSINSKI: -- would -- could be attacked in some way.

BRIGGS: There are, believe me.

But, "The Wall Street Journal" writes about this and saying that the left's relentless contempt might end up reelecting Donald Trump. So their argument is this could actually help Trump to galvanize his base.

What do you think of that notion?

WEGMANN: Absolutely. I mean, like we've seen this -- we've seen this from this administration. They've figured out a way to weaponize martyrdom early on.

BRIGGS: Yes.

WEGMANN: People don't like them and so they say look, I'm deplorable just like you. Look at how these elites are arguing and look at this backlash against us. Come rally to us.

And this really is a plant the flag moment because what we're doing is exactly what Axelrod said. Now it's red plate, blue plate.

And I think one my favorite writers described what's happening currently not as a civil war but as a really tragic divorce, and I think that we're seeing that right now with this administration --

BRIGGS: Yes.

WEGMANN: -- and the left really driving a wedge between people for their own political purposes. And it's sad because basic decency and also our democracy is taking a big hit here.

BRIGGS: Yes, right.

KOSINSKI: Yes, this is an administration that strongly advocates for the freedom of business owners to act according to their beliefs.

Thanks so much, Phil.

BRIGGS: This is a good point, Michelle.

Thank you, Phil.

WEGMANN: Thank you for having me.

KOSINSKI: Much appreciated.

Turkish President Recep Erdogan tightening his control over the country after surviving the most serious threat yet to his political dominance. Erdogan declaring himself the winner of Turkey's election before the official results were announced.

Let's go live to Istanbul and bring in CNN's Sam Kiley.

Sam, Erdogan's main opponent just spoke about the results. Tell us what he said.

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Muharrem just said essentially, that this result, in terms of the constitutional implications, was what he called an existential threat to Turkey, not even an existential threat to Turkish democracy.

Now, he could be forgiven a degree of sour grapes given that he hoped to be able to force a run-off at least against Mr. Erdogan, but Mr. Erdogan won 53 percent of the vote against his 30 -- around 30 percent. And that is, I think from the opposition's perspective, both a good and a bad thing.

Mr. Ince has emerged as a force of some might within the body politic of Turkey and can be expected to lead his party over the next few years in opposition against Mr. Erdogan.

[05:40:00] But what he's referring to is now the constitutional power that he -- the new president -- reelected president now has under the law. He'd been exercising it in real terms anyway as president, but now he has the ability essentially to rule by decree with relatively little parliamentary oversight.

Very little opportunity to counter any of the checks and balances that you might see in the United States, for example, with the separation of powers.

Now, from Mr. Erdogan's perspective, having entrenched himself so unassailably, at least for the next five years, there may be some cause for optimism.

For example, he may feel now empowered to reach out to the Kurds. He has been pursuing a peace process with them. Perhaps now he has more confidence to restart it. But he's got five years of almost untrammeled power.

KOSINSKI: Yes. It wasn't very long ago he survived a coup attempt and now he's expanding his own grip.

Thanks so much, Sam.

BRIGGS: OK. So you've got the ongoing immigration feud, denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, trade wars.

The president has a lot on his plate yet, he still finds time for a Twitter feud with Jimmy Fallon. "THE TONIGHT SHOW" host speaking out about that infamous night when he tousled Donald Trump's hair.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY FALLON, HOST, NBC "THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON": I did not do it to normalize him or to say I believe his political beliefs or any of that stuff. I don't do that with any guest.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.

FALLON: With anyone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: More of what Fallon says about that fascinating moment in U.S. political history next on EARLY START.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:46:12] KOSINSKI: The White House is preparing its formal follow- up to the recent Singapore summit. The U.S. is expected to give North Korea specific requests and a time line regarding denuclearization.

CNN's Alexandra Field is live again with us in Seoul with the latest.

So here we go. I mean, having a time line would be a significant improvement to this situation. What do you think, Alexandra?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is really just the beginning of all the heavy lifting that has to be done. It's one thing for both sides to agree to work toward denuclearization. It's an entirely different thing to agree on how you're going to do that, what denuclearize means, how quickly it happens, who verifies it, and how it's verified.

But you do have a senior U.S. Defense official saying that it is time to start to makes those steps, saying essentially, that the U.S. will be giving its concept for implementation to North Korea. That there will be specific asks within that concept. That there will be a specific time line for implementation.

And maybe the key takeaway here is that that U.S. official says that there will soon be data points where you can see whether or not North Korea is essentially delivering on its word. And that will be the determining factor on whether or not North Korea is acting on good faith, given the commitment that it made in Singapore.

The U.S. made commitments in Singapore at the same time. They said they would put an end to the military training exercises that President Trump called war games. The Pentagon has since announced that they are not holding those so-called war games now in August.

And, North Korea, at the time, agreed to take some steps too that were considered a show of good faith, including destroying a missile engine test site. Not clear if that's been done yet or when that could happen.

But they did also agree to turn over the remains of some U.S. service members. The U.S. is preparing for North Korea to make good on its word by delivery about 100 coffins to the DMZ but it's not yet clear when North Korea could hand over those remains from there.

Again, a testing would have to be done to confirm whether or not the remains belong to American servicemen. They could, of course, be remains from other soldiers who fought alongside the U.S.

KOSINSKI: Right, a big step. Important to note though, it's the U.S. offering this time line to denuclearization and not the other way around.

Thanks, Alexandra.

BRIGGS: OK. "TONIGHT SHOW" host Jimmy Fallon expressing regret over the episode where he tousled Donald Trump's hair before the election. The comedian telling "The Hollywood Reporter" quote, "I did not do it to normalize him."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FALLON: It was definitely a down time and it's tough for morale for people that -- it's 300 people that work here. And so, people talking that bad you and ganging up on you in a really gang-mentality, it was insane. It was people you wouldn't expect.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you're a sensitive guy.

FALLON: You go, all right, we get it. I heard you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.

FALLON: You made me feel bad. So now, what? Are you happy?

I'm depressed. Do you want to push me more? What do you want me to do?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know. What are you --

FALLON: You want me to kill myself? What would make you happy? Get over it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSINSKI: Touslegate.

The president responding with this tweet. "Jimmy Fallon is now whimpering to all that he did the famous 'hair show' with me (where he seriously messed up my hair) and that he would have now done it differently. Be a man Jimmy!"

Fallon hitting back at the president, tweeting "In honor of the president's tweet, I'll be making a donation to RAICES." That's a refugee and immigration center for education and legal services.

BRIGGS: I think the POTUS is still made that he messed up his hair. Don't -- God --

KOSINSKI (messing up Briggs' hair): Just like that?

BRIGGS: No.

KOSINSKI: I mean, here's a sensitive thing.

BRIGGS: I hate when people touch my head.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Wow.

KOSINSKI: I like it.

BRIGGS: Oh, John Berman.

KOSINSKI: I like it.

BERMAN: Messing with the moneymaker.

BRIGGS: I must like her, John Berman because that -- no one touches the head.

BERMAN: She's messing with the moneymaker, but I will say --

KOSINSKI: He didn't -- he didn't retaliate.

BERMAN: I will say we now know that it's real.

KOSINSKI: Oh wait, there's a tweet.

BERMAN: There's two things we know. We know that it's real and I'm also shocked that Michelle didn't get her hands caught in your head with all the product there. I'm surprised the hands aren't --

[05:50:02] BRIGGS: There's a lot of product up there, John.

BERMAN: -- still stuck to the top of the scalp.

BRIGGS: Today --

KOSINSKI: I can catch -- I probably catch some --

BRIGGS: There's a lot of product up there, man.

BERMAN: Wow, wow. So, I --

KOSINSKI: I like it.

BERMAN: Guys, in all seriousness as Dave fixes his hair --

BRIGGS: Yes, proceed.

BERMAN: There's just no lie between late-night and the White House anymore. There is just no line.

If late-night comedy in the Oval Office are constantly intertwined, where are we? What has happened? And what has happened to the national discourse in dialogue.

Have you been to any good restaurants lately, like say, the Red Hen in Virginia? Sarah Sanders not allowed to eat at this restaurant. The owner asked her to leave.

We'll talk about that. Was that the right thing to do?

We'll also discuss this. Sarah Sanders seemed very prepared to send out her story on her official White House Twitter account. Is that the right way to handle this situation -- the White House picking an official fight with a restaurant? That's very interesting also.

BRIGGS: No.

BERMAN: Also, look, I don't want to lose sight. As far as we know there are still 2,000 children that have been separated from their parents --

BRIGGS: Yes.

BERMAN: -- living in shelters all across the country this morning. When are they going to get home?

Do not lose sight of them. It's unclear what the time line is to get them back to their parents. And wherever you are on the immigration discussion and debate, everyone should want clarity on that.

KOSINSKI: Yes.

BERMAN: Everyone should want clarity on your hair, Dave Briggs, which --

BRIGGS: I'm going to leave it this way, J.B. I think -- I think we have something. Michelle --

KOSINSKI: I may have, yes.

BRIGGS: -- gave me a new look.

BERMAN: The carefully tousled look.

BRIGGS: Yes.

You know, John, I just think these two stories with Sanders and with Fallon are the perfect stories for where we are as a society in 2018.

KOSINSKI: Yes. Politics is in --

BRIGGS: And probably not a positive reflection but --

KOSINSKI: Yes, politics is in everything now.

BRIGGS: Yes.

KOSINSKI: Next it will be like kids' cartoons.

BERMAN: I would agree with everything Dave says but I can't take him seriously with his hair tousled like that.

BRIGGS: I know. I've got a comb --

BERMAN: Yes.

BRIGGS: -- so we're going to go to commercial break here in a moment.

John, we'll see you in about nine minutes.

BERMAN: All right.

BRIGGS: Thank you, my friend.

KOSINSKI: Thanks, John.

BRIGGS: And thank you, Michelle.

KOSINSKI: No problem, any time.

Well, a 32-year-old cold case finally solved thanks to DNA a discarded napkin.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:56:35] BRIGGS: Fox News commentator David Bossie and a former Trump campaign deputy manager apologizing for this on-air remark to Democratic strategist Joel Payne.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOEL PAYNE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: You don't have to be a golden retriever to hear all the dog whistles coming out of the White House these days and from my friend David over here.

ED HENRY, CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, FOX NEWS: Final point, David.

DAVID BOSSIE, FORMER DEPUTY CAMPAIGN MANAGER, TRUMP CAMPAIGN: Michael -- hey, look.

HENRY: All right, you've said that about David. David, go ahead.

BOSSIE: Michael Hayden posted a picture of Auschwitz. Donny Deutsch is talking -- PAYNE: Yes, that liberal -- that liberal Michael Hayden.

BOSSIE: Look, look, you're out of your --

PAYNE: Yes, that screaming liberal Michael Hayden.

BOSSIE: You're out of your cotton-picking mind. You don't -- you guys -- you guys -- you guys --

PAYNE: Cotton-picking mind? Well, but let me tell you something. Let me tell you something.

BOSSIE: -- are out of your minds.

PAYNE: I've got some relatives who can pick cotton, OK, and --

BOSSIE: This is ridiculous -- this is ridiculous.

PAYNE: -- I'm not going to sit here and allow you to attack me like that --

BOSSIE: You guys are --

PAYNE: -- on T.V.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: Two thousand eighteen.

Fox issued a statement saying, "David Bossie's comments today were deeply offensive and wholly inappropriate, and we do not in any way condone them."

KOSINSKI: And, Fox declined to comment on whether Bossie would be suspended.

But, Bossie later tweeted, "During a heated segment on Fox & Friends today, I should have chosen my words more carefully and never used the offensive phrase that I did. I apologize to Joel Payne, Fox News, and its viewers."

BRIGGS: The unarmed teenager who was shot and killed by police in East Pittsburgh last week will be laid to rest today. Hundreds showed up to mourn Antwon Rose, Jr. Sunday. Nightly demonstrations throughout Pittsburgh stopped Sunday so people could attend his viewing.

Police are looking for a black sedan that drove through the crowd late Friday. No injuries were reported.

A family attorney says Rose's mother is nervous about the protests because she doesn't want another person to get hurt. But she is pleased the protests have been peaceful.

KOSINSKI: DNA from a discarded napkin used to crack a decades-old cold case in Washington State. Gary Hartman will be arraigned today, charged with the 1986 murder and rape of a 12-year-old, Michella Welch.

A renewed genetics efforts began in 2016 to identify DNA using new methods, so a detective recently followed Hartman into a restaurant, collected his napkin -- which sounds like something out of a movie -- and sent it to a crime lab. Well, it matched the DNA found at the crime scene.

No word yet if Hartman has a lawyer. Bail has been set at $5 million.

So, thanks for joining us. I'm Michelle Kosinski.

BRIGGS: Thanks for being here, my friend. I'm Dave Briggs.

"NEW DAY" starts right now. Let's hope Erica Hill takes a shot at that well-coiffed John Berman hair.

We'll see you tomorrow.

KOSINSKI: I can't believe he didn't do it back. I feel so like --

BRIGGS: See you, guys.

KOSINSKI: OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president suggesting that immigrants should not receive due process.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's still over 2,000 babies and kids that still have not been reunited.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We know where every single child is.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A 15-year-old child walked off from one of those locations.

CARLOS GUTIERREZ, FORMER SECRETARY OF COMMERCE, GEORGE W. BUSH ADMINISTRATION: I'm not worried about Sarah Huckabee Sanders. I'm worried about millions of kids that today are seeing a different America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.

BERMAN: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. It's Monday, June 25th, 6:00 here in New York.

Alisyn is off. Erica Hill joins me again this morning. And also joining us, John Avlon. Everyone welcome at this restaurant this morning.

(LAUGHTER)

JOHN AVLON, CNN ANCHOR: I appreciate that.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: That's good to know.

AVLON: I've heard good things about the eggs.

BERMAN: Yes, exactly -- very good farm-to-table and then some.

This is our "Starting Line."

It seems that the president's trying to grab more power and upend the legal system at the border. No due process, no courts. He wants to throw out undocumented immigrants who cross the border with no judges, no legal proceedings.