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EARLY START

Former President George H.W. Bush Lies in State; What Does Michael Flynn Know?; Haspel to Brief Senators on Khashoggi; Another Kareem Hunt Accusation; Big Plans for Netflix in 2019. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired December 4, 2018 - 04:30   ET

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


[04:30:02] DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: Live pictures now. George Herbert Walker Bush lying in state at this hour. President Trump paying respects as funeral details are revealed.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: After a year of silence, we're about to hear how much Michael Flynn knows about the president's ties to Russia. Critical details expected today from the special counsel.

BRIGGS: The CIA director briefing select senators today on the Jamal Khashoggi case. Her absence last week drew scorn from lawmakers.

ROMANS: And another assault allegation against former NFL star Kareem Hunt. One NFL announcer is saying enough with the second chances.

Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.

BRIGGS: Good morning, my friend.

Good morning to all of you. It is 4:30 Eastern Time on a Tuesday.

At this hour, George Herbert Walker Bush lying in state at the capitol rotunda. His body will remain there until tomorrow morning for public viewing. President Trump and first lady among the visitors paying respects last night after a moment of silence. Mr. Trump saluted America's 41st president, while Mrs. Trump held her hand over her heart.

ROMANS: Later today, the president will visit the Bush family at Blair House across the street from the White House. Lines to view President Bush stretched into the early morning hours.

More now from CNN's Sunlen Serfaty on Capitol Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Dave and Christine.

Well, there's certainly been so many moving moments as a nation honors the life and the legacy of former President George H.W. Bush. Up here on Capitol Hill, there was so much emotion on Monday especially from his family as they watched his casket slowly being carried step by step into the U.S. Capitol where he once served, of course, as a congressman from Texas.

His body right now lies in state at the rotunda. It was opened all night for the members of the public to come in and pay their respects. Now, earlier in the day, there was a ceremony here on Capitol Hill where the common theme was not only speaking about the achievements of the former president, but mostly about who he was as a man. That he was humble, that he was kind and that he was someone who established deep relationships here in Washington.

REP. PAUL RYAN (R), WISCONSIN: He showed us that how we live is as important as what we achieve. His life was a hymn of honor. His legacy is grace perfected. His memory will belong to glory.

SERFATY: And the former president's body will continue to lie in state overnight tonight until Wednesday where it will be brought to the National Cathedral for his memorial service, where there, he will be eulogized by his son, former President George W. Bush -- Christine and Dave.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: Sunlen, thank you.

In addition to Bush 43, President Bush will be eulogized by former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, former Senator Alan Simpson, and presidential historian who wrote a book about 41, Jon Meacham. President Trump will attend the funeral Wednesday in Washington's national cathedral but will not speak. Presidents are usually asked to give eulogies, but the plans for the Bush funeral were in place before Mr. Trump was elected and there is another president in the family to speak anyway.

ROMANS: All of the living presidents are expected to attend the funeral on Wednesday which should make for a bit of political theater, at least an astonishing photo op. Putting President Trump side by side with predecessors he harshly criticized. Bush 41 will be buried wearing socks that featured jets flying in formation, an homage of his life of service starting as an 18-year-old naval aviator in World War II. U.S. Postal Office will suspend regular mail deliveries tomorrow for the national day of mourning honoring George H.W. Bush.

BRIGGS: Special counsel Robert Mueller is expected to file a sentencing memo for Michael Flynn today. The document could provide details about what Mueller knows and where his investigation is headed next. Flynn was forced to resign as national security adviser in February of 2017. The White House says he was let go for misleading Vice President Pence about conversations with a Russian diplomat. In December of 2017, Flynn pleaded guilty of lying to the FBI and agreed to cooperate with Mueller.

ROMANS: The special counsel is also expected to file a sentencing memo for former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort by Friday. Now, at least some of the memo will be made public. Mueller has promised to layout specifics of the Manafort alleged lies which led to the termination of his plea deal. BRIGGS: President Trump's contempt for the special counsel appears to

be boiling over and according to some legal experts, his latest Twitter rampage could amount to obstruction of justice or witness tampering. The president urging the maximum sentence for his former lawyer Michael Cohen who flipped on the president with two guilty pleas.

ROMANS: Mr. Trump tweeting Cohen is making up stories to get a deal for himself, his wife and his father-in-law so they can get off scot- free.

[04:35:06] BRIGGS: Capital S capital F.

ROMANS: Notice the president's spelling of scot-free?

Miriam Webster's Dictionary did and wanted everyone to know, scot has "T" means free from penalty or obligation. Scott with two "T's" is, you know, some guy named Scott.

We get more from Kaitlan Collins at the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Dave and Christine, it seems that President Trump bottled his anger toward the special counsel Robert Mueller and then unleashed all of it in a series of tweets going after the special counsel, but also after his former attorney Michael Cohen who recently pleaded guilty to lying to Congress.

President Trump is not only saying he lied under oath, but also calling for the maximum prison sentence for Michael Cohen, saying that he should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for the crimes he committed that he says were not related to him. Of course, two high profile guilty pleas from Michael Cohen have had to do directly with President Trump. One admitting that he violated campaign finance laws which he said he did at the direction of President Trump, and two, lying to Congress, which he said he did out of loyalty to President Trump.

Now, this seems to have unnerved President Trump because, of course, we have reported Michael Cohen sat down with the special counsel's team for at least 70 hours over the last several weeks which is certainly something that is clearly giving the president a cause for concern -- Dave and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRIGGS: Kaitlan, thanks.

President Trump also showering praise on Roger Stone for standing up to special counsel Robert Mueller and refusing to testify against him in the Russian investigation. The president tweeting Monday: Nice to know some people still have guts.

Stone is under Mueller's microscope over Mueller's microscope over possible contacts with WikiLeaks during the 2016 campaign and whether he knew ahead of time about the release of Democratic e-mails hacked by the Russians.

ROMANS: The president's tweet spawning a Twitter fight between his son Eric and the husband of presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway. George Conway is a prominent conservative lawyer in D.C. who has been highly critical of the president in the last few months, beginning Monday morning when Conway suggested Mr. Trump's tweets on the Russian probe amounted to witness tampering.

BRIGGS: Eric Trump responded with this: Of all the ugliness in politics, the utter disrespect for George Conway shows toward his wife, her career, place of work and everything she has fought so hard for to achieve, might top them all. Kellyanne is a great person and, frankly, his actions are horrible.

George Conway responding with the series of retweets. One of them referencing the Stormy Daniels saga.

ROMANS: All right. Later today, CIA Director Gina Haspel is expected to brief a small group of lawmakers on the murder of "Washington Post" journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Some senators slammed the Trump administration last week when they were denied a CIA briefing on the case. Haspel may be able to provide details about an audio tape of the murder. The briefing last week without Haspel, of course, triggered a backlash with senators voting to advance the resolution that would cut U.S. military support to the Saudis for the war in Yemen.

In an editorial for "The Wall Street Journal", Senator Lindsey Graham says, quote, the recent vote should show Saudi Arabia and the Trump administration that Congress isn't mugging for the cameras. We are a co-equal branch of government exercising leadership to safeguard the country's long term interests and values and reputation. After all, someone's got to do it.

BRIGGS: I think I'm the most qualified person in the country to be president. The words of former Vice President Joe Biden during a book tour in Missoula, Montana. Biden says his family must decide as a unit whether they are prepared for a White House bid. He says a decision will be made in the next six-to-eight weeks.

Biden sounds like he's already in campaign, though, telling the moderator, quote, I am a gaffe machine, but my god, what a wonderful thing compared to the guy who can't tell the truth. The question is, what kind of nation are we becoming?

ROMANS: All right. The maker of Marlboro cigarettes is looking for a new vice. "Reuters" is reporting Monday that Altria may want to buy a Canadian company, the Cronos Group. After the report, Cronos stock rose 11 percent.

Altria could find that the red hot cannabis industry is a much needed supplement to its stagnate tobacco business. Altria is also rumored to be considering a big investment in Juul in order to diversify beyond cigarettes. Cannabis stocks have been in the spotlight recently following the legalization of recreational marijuana in Canada in October. And the legalization of recreational and medical marijuana in several U.S. states last month. Cronos confirmed it was discussing a potential investment by Altria, but said the two companies have not yet reached an agreement. Altria was not immediately available for comment.

BRIGGS: Breaking overnight: Russia partially unblocking Ukraine's ports on the Azov Sea, allowing ship traffic to resume through the Kerch Strait. In a confrontation last week, Russia rammed and fired on Ukrainian ships capturing three of them, detaining 24 service members.

[04:40:04] Ukraine imposed martial law for 30 days in several regions in response. Ukraine says it welcomes the restored access, but is awaiting the release of its service members.

ROMANS: The death of the top admiral overseeing U.S. naval forces in the Middle East over the weekend was an apparent suicide. CNN reported on Saturday that Vice Admiral Scott Stearney was found dead in his residence in Bahrain. Officials say there's no evidence of foul play.

Admiral John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, said he was unaware of investigations into Stearney. There was nothing going on like that. The U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet oversees operations in areas like the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.

BRIGGS: Ahead, could voters in North Carolina's ninth district have to vote again? Absentee ballots that helped swing the race are under new scrutiny.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:45:04] BRIGGS: A voter fraud scandal in North Carolina may ultimately lead to a new election. Officials in the state's ninth district investigating allegations that absentee ballots were tampered with in the tight congressional race between Republican Mike Harris and Democrat Dan McCready. A review of some ballots revealed many were signed by the same small group of people, some connected to a long time operative working for Harris' campaign.

ROMANS: A set up of 161 absentee ballots obtained by CNN showed the same nine people signed at least ten absentee ballots each, and that many of those nine people who signed the ballots seemed to know each other. Republican operative Dowless denied any wrongdoing to the "Charlotte Observer". McCready conceded last month after results showed Harris won by just 905 votes.

BRIGGS: A new assault allegation against former Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt. He reportedly kicked a man at a Kansas City nightclub in January of this year. According to the police report, Hunt and several others repeatedly hit the victim, breaking his rib and his nose. The victim did not pursue charges.

The Chiefs released hunt on Friday after video was released showing him assaulting a woman in February. He has apologized publicly and says he deserves another chance.

Another NFL domestic abuse case came up on Monday night football. Washington recently claimed Reuben Foster, after he was cut by the 49ers following allegations of domestic battery. Monday night football announcer Jason Witten, a former NFL tight end, says it sends the wrong message.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, the Redskins willing to take a chance on Reuben Foster. Should they have him?

JASON WITTEN, FORMER NFL TIGHT END: A hundred percent no. I believe the Redskins used horrendous judgment in claiming this guy. And I understand it is an ongoing investigation. But my family has been affected by domestic violence. I understand the anguish that it causes. You know, young players just have to understand that there is no tolerance for putting your hands on a woman, period.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: Jason Witten played alongside convicted domestic abuser Greg Hardy but also has a foundation to fight domestic abuse.

Redskins president Bruce Allen said the team did its own investigating and felt comfortable they heard a side of the story from Foster that was different.

ROMANS: All right. The family attorney of the man killed by police in the Alabama mall says he was shot three times from behind. A medical review commissioned by E.J. Bradford Jr.'s family reveals the 21-year-old was shot in the head, neck and near his right hip. Bradford was at the Riverchase Gallery Mall in Hoover on Thanksgiving night when someone opened fire, wounding an 18-year-old man and a 12- year-old bystander. Moments later, Hoover police officer working security at the mall misidentified Bradford as the gunman and shot and killed him.

Bradford's father, a former corrections officer, is furious.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EJ BRADFORD, SR., VICTIM'S FATHER: Why did you shoot him? You can't explain that to me because that ain't training. That is cowardice. There's no justice if you get off with this. You will not get off with this. I will make sure. Hoover, you need to do the right thing and own this one, because it's wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: Bradford's autopsy report is finished, but hasn't been released to the public. After identifying Bradford as the gunman, Hoover police later changed their story saying Bradford probably wasn't the shooter, but did have his hand on his gun. A week after the mall shooting, the authorities identified Erron brown. Brown is now in custody charged with attempted murder. ROMANS: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court rejected to name the 11

unidentified priests in the clergy abuse grand jury report. Now, the court says keeping their identity secret is the only way to protect their right to represent tuition under the state constitution. The state attorney general says while his office can't release the names, the state's Catholic bishops can and should. An August grand jury report detailed decades of sexual abuse of children by hundreds of priests, the names of more than 270 priests were released in that report.

BRIGGS: OK. Coming up, is Netflix losing some old friends? We'll have the future home of Ross and Rachel and Joey and company, next in CNN Business.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:53:58] ROMANS: A hate crime investigation is under way in California after a swastika was spray painted on the side of a home Sunday night just as Hanukkah started. The homeowner says she believes the crime happened in response to the Hanukkah themed lights she had just put up. A car was also vandalized. Two people in dark clothing were seen leaving the area. The family says the incident won't stop them from celebrating, adding the lights will stay up.

BRIGGS: Four people are hospitalized this morning following a bus crash in Arkansas that killed a child and injured 45 others. Charter bus was carrying a youth all-star football team home to Memphis from the championship game played over the weekend in Dallas. The driver told police she lost control of the vehicle. Twenty-six patients between ages 9 and 13 were treated at the hospital. No word yet on whether charges will be filed.

ROMANS: The deadly Camp Fire has triggered so many claims, one California insurance company has gone out of business. A judge declaring Merced Property and Casualty insolvent because of the potential liabilities. The company faces $64 million in claims from the town of Paradise.

[04:55:01] Its asset is only $23 million. Merced policyholders are covered by the California Insurance Guarantee Association.

The death toll from the Camp Fire revised down to 85 from 88 after DNA tests revealed the remains of three victims were accidentally separated into different bags during recovery. It's tragic.

BRIGGS: Comedian and "SNL" star Pete Davidson opening up about being cyber bullied and considering suicide. In a remarkably candid Instagram post, he has had some well-publicized troubles lately, including a controversial joke about a Republican candidate who lost an eye in combat and his break up with singer Ariana Grande. In the post, the 25-year-old Davidson talks about battling bipolar disorder, and hopes that what he has to say can help others coping with tough situations.

ROMANS: Despite the online bullying, Davidson refused to give in. He writes this: no matter how hard the Internet tries to make me kill myself, I won't. To all those holding me down and seeing this for what it is, I see you and I love you.

Davidson also criticized the cultural and media environment for the tendency to be offended by things, echoing the sentiments of the Republican he joked about, Dan Crenshaw.

BRIGGS: A holiday light display in Austin, Texas, lighting up 911 emergency switch boards. (INAUDIBLE) was inspired by "National Lampoons Christmas Vacation", recreating the scene where Clark Griswold is hanging from his roof while trying to put up Christmas lights. On Monday, a man driving past Chris's house and dialed 911 and stopped to help before he realized it was only a dummy.

That Good Samaritan was Alfred Norwood Jr., a veteran. The homeowner tracked him down and invited him over and thanked him for his service and awarded him with $500 gift card so he can afford groceries for the holidays.

There's a lot to love about that story.

ROMANS: I was just like, oh, man. It went from terror to saying it is a joke. Oh god.

All right. Let's get a check of CNN Business. Global stocks are lower as excitement about the U.S.-China trade truce begins to fade. Asian stocks closed mixed. The Nikkei closed down 2.4 percent. Shanghai and Hang Seng up slightly.

European stock markets are slightly lower in early trading. They're open for about an hour, ad the fading excitement looks to extend to Wall Street this morning. Futures are lower.

On Monday, investors cheered the temperature trade truce. The Dow rose 288 points. The major U.S. averages all about 1 percent.

And I'll tell you, Dave, you think you would have a bigger gain than 1 percent if you thought this is the end of the trade war, right?

BRIGGS: Optimistic about simmering tensions, yes.

ROMANS: The reality here is that the U.S. and China have 90 days now to resolve trade issues which have been a problem for years if not decades.

Tumblr is cracking down on adult content. Starting December 17th, Tumblr says it is banning images and videos that featured adult content, including pornography from that platform. Tumblr says it will make exemptions for nonsexual content, including breastfeeding photos and health related situation like vasectomies. By expanding its list of banned material, Tumblr says it wants to make people feel more comfortable expressing themselves on that platform.

Tumblr will still allow written adult content, including erotica, fan fiction and other creative writing. But otherwise, they are cleaning things up over there.

Netflix has big plans for the New Year. During a conference Monday, Netflix chief content officer said he expects Netflix will shell out even more money on original content next year after spending more than 8 million. That's 8 million, I'm sure it is more than that.

BRIGGS: Billion I believe.

ROMANS: Eight billion this year.

2019 will also bring Netflix some competition. Disney and AT&T have unveiled plans to launch their own direct to consumer platforms in the New Year. The Netflix chief said it's uninterested in expanding into live and sports programming, putting original content first.

Social media went too a tizzy after reports sitcom "Friends" will be leaving the platform. Users say they will cancel their subscription if they could not watch "Friends" over and over and over again.

Netflix responded tweeting, quote, the holiday armadillo has granted your wish. "Friends" will still be there for you in the U.S. throughout 2019.

BRIGGS: One of the great all time holiday episodes where Ross couldn't find a Santa suit. I'm so happy to hear Netflix will stay with "Friends" for now.

EARLY START continues right now.

(MUSIC)

BRIGGS: George Herbert Walker Bush lying in state at this hour. These live pictures. President Trump paying respects as funeral details are revealed.

ROMANS: After a year of silence, we're about to hear how much Michael Flynn knows about the president's ties to Russia. Critical details expected today from the special counsel.

BRIGGS: CIA director briefing select senators today on the Jamal Khashoggi case. Her absence last week drew scorn from lawmakers.

ROMANS: And another assault allegation against former NFL star Kareem Hunt. One NFL announcer is saying enough with the second chances.