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EARLY START

At Least 16 Trump Associates Had Russia Contacts; Accused Russian Agent Cooperating; President Trump "Pissed Off"; Emergency Brexit Debate; Students In France Blocking Classes in Solidarity with Protesters; LeBron, Wade Share Special Moment in Final Meeting. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired December 11, 2018 - 05:00   ET

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


DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: A busy day ahead in the special counsel investigation. Why we're told President Trump now sees impeachment as a real possibility.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: An accused Russian agent who cozied up to the NRA now pleading guilty. What information she is ready to share with investigators.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MARK MEADOWS (R), NORTH CAROLINA: My life changed over the last 24 hours when Nick Ayers decided not to do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: New names emerge in the search for President Trump's next chief of staff. Why a source tells us the president is, quote, "pissed off" about the whole situation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The government is in disarray, and the fault for that lies solely at the door of this shambolic government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: U.K. parliament holds an emergency debate after Prime Minister Theresa May delays a vote on Brexit.

[05:00:02] I'm going to use the word shambolic ten times today because that is quite a word.

Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.

BRIGGS: I'll stick with smocking gun, but I do like shambolic.

I'm Dave Briggs, Tuesday, December 11th, 5:00 a.m. in the East.

Worries in the West Wing this morning. A source close to the president tells us he is concerned he would be impeached when Democrats take over the House. The source says the president is anxious although he is not certain it will happen. A separate source says White House aides says collusion is not a problem, but sources say the only issue which may stick is campaign finance hush payments to alleged mistresses.

ROMANS: A busy week ahead for the Trump defense team. This afternoon, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort may face new charges or a harsher sentence for breaching his cooperation agreement with special counsel Robert Mueller, also former national security adviser Michael Flynn files a draft sentencing memo seeking no jail time. Tomorrow, Michael Cohen faces sentencing in New York.

Alleged Russian agent Maria Butina has a change of plea hearing. More on that in a moment.

BRIGGS: On Friday, prosecutors reply to Michael Flynn's sentencing request and finally a mystery. A sealed grand jury hearing apparently related to a dispute between special counsel Mueller and a witness. And that's all we know.

For those of you keeping a score at home, we now count at least 16 Trump associates who had contact with Russians during the campaign or the transition. According to public information, everyone on this list denies colluding with Russia in any way.

ROMANS: A source telling CNN accused Russian spy Maria Butina has reached a plea deal and is now agreeing with federal prosecutors.

The 33-year-old used the connection she built with the National Rifle Association to work her way into the 2016 election campaign. She was photographed with GOP presidential hopefuls.

She even lobbed a question at then-candidate Trump at a 2015 conservative event.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA BUTINA, ALLEGED RUSSIAN SPY: Do you want to continue the politics of sanctions that are damaging of both economies or you have any other ideas?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I believe I would get along very nicely with Putin, OK? And I mean, where we have the strength.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: CNN's Sara Murray has details on Butina and her plea agreement.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Dave and Christine.

Maria Butina, the accused Russian spy who cozied up to the National Rifle Association is now cooperating with federal prosecutors, a source tells CNN. And that's part of a plea deal.

This deal is not final. It won't be final until she appears in court on Wednesday. They introduced that plea and the judge accepts it. But she is poised to plead guilty on at least one of the charges she is facing.

Now, Prosecutors cast her as someone who came to the U.S. and begin ingratiating herself with U.S. political groups in order to advance Russian interests. Our understanding from a source is that she is cooperating on a couple of things. Her contacts with the Russians, who she was in touch with, who her handlers and what they wanted to know and what she provided them.

But she's also providing information about another American, her boyfriend Paul Erickson. They wanted to know what his role was in her plot here in Washington and they also want to know information about a separate fraud investigation into him in South Dakota.

Maria Butina was arrested in July. She's been in jail ever since. In normal cases like this, you were sent back to your home country, in this case, it would be Russia, although that could be a little bit awkward now that she is cooperating.

Back to you, guys.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRIGGS: Little bit. Sara Murray, thanks.

President Trump caught in a squeeze with three weeks to find a new chief of staff, and no clear frontrunner here. Multiple sources familiar with the president's mood tells CNN he is, quote, super pissed at the way the effort to replace John Kelly is going. His own initial pick Nick Ayers ultimately said no to the job.

Here's the current list of candidates looks like this, though it is constantly to fluctuate by the hour.

Romans?

ROMANS: A source tells CNN President Trump questioned one of those on the list, David Bossie, about his time in the House during the Clinton impeachment. A source says Bossie advised the president to go as partisan as possible to survive.

Another leading contender, Representative Mark Meadows, chairman of the hard right House Freedom Caucus and has expertise in how House oversight works. He says he hasn't spoken to the president about the job.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTHA MACCALLUM, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: So, it sounds if you were offered the job, you would say yes?

MEADOWS: Well, you know, listen, there's a lot -- you don't answer a question before it is asked, but I can say this, that because it's an honor, certainly, I'm favorably inclined to at least have a discussion with the president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: CNN's Kaitlan Collins has more from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Dave and Christine, President Trump is very much scrambling to find someone to replace John Kelly as his chief of staff now that his top contender, Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, Nick Ayers, has bowed out of the running because he and President Trump could not come to agreement on the timing. President Trump wanted him to commit to two years, but he told President Trump that it is his desire to move back to his home state of Georgia, and would only agree to do the job on a temporary basis. And now, he is no longer seen as an option for that job.

[05:05:03] That is leaving President Trump to embark on this frantic hunt for someone else to take that place, because unlike what Donald Trump has done in the past, where he's had two people up for consideration for a job, he only had Nick Ayers in his mind as taking over for John Kelly and did not think that he was going to turn down the job the way he did. So, it's a very fluid list. White House officials are cautioning that nothing is final, but we do have Congressman Mark Meadows at the top of the list. Also, the U.S. Trade Rep. Robert Lighthizer and even Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin are also on that list, along with a few others whose names have been floated not only in the past during discussions of John Kelly's job, but are now being brought up again.

Of course, John Kelly is seen at the White House. He was at work in his office on Monday, but people at the White House are saying they are aware they have three weeks left to find a new chief of staff -- Dave and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Kaitlan, thank you for that.

President Trump will meet with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi later this morning at the White House. Democrats, Republicans and White House have until December 21st to reach a budget deal and avert a partial government shutdown.

The talks are deadlocked over funding for a border wall. Democratic leaders plan to offer $1.3 billion, far short of the $5 billion the president wants to fund that wall. And down even from the $1.6 billion they had offered earlier.

In a joint statement, Pelosi and Schumer said: This holiday season, the president knows full well that his wall proposal doesn't have the votes to pass the House and Senate and should not be an obstacle to a bipartisan agreement.

Democratic leaders say the country can't afford what they are branding a Trump shutdown at this time.

BRIGGS: A bipartisan group of former senators calling on current members of the Senate to defend democracy. They are warning the U.S. is entering a dangerous period with the Mueller Russia probe nearing an end and House investigations of the president likely to ramp up in the New Year.

The 44 ex-senators write in "The Washington Post" op-ed, quote: At other critical moments in our history when constitutional crises have threatened our foundations, it has been the Senate who stood in the defense of democracy. We urge current and future senators to be steadfast and zealous guardians of our democracy by ensuring that partisanship or self interest not replace national interest. The list of former senators includes 32 Democrats, 10 Republicans and two independents.

ROMANS: All right. Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins said she feels vindicated by Justice Brett Kavanaugh's vote in a case related to Planned Parenthood. Collins cast one of the decisive votes in favor of Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation. At issue yesterday was whether Kansas and Louisiana could terminate Medicaid contracts with Planned Parenthood clinics. The clinics offered preventative care, like cancer screening and birth controls to low income women.

Collins says Justice Kavanaugh joined with the liberal members of the court. It shows what I said about him all along and his respect for precedent and very well pleased that he has shown it early.

Still, progressives who opposed Kavanaugh and supported abortion rights say Collins' confidence is misplaced because the case did not touch squarely on Roe v. Wade.

BRIGGS: "The Washington Post" team of fact checkers introducing the bottomless Pinocchio. It's a new rating for politicians who repeated a false claim over and over. They have not identified any current elected official who meets that standard other than President Trump.

The paper says the president keeps going long after the facts are clear. He is not merely making gaffes or misstating things, he is purposely injecting false information into the national conversation.

Fourteen statements made by the president immediately qualified for this list, including his false assertion that the U.S. has started building a border wall. According to "The Post", he repeated the claim 86 times in the seven months before the midterms.

ROMANS: You don't hear him say how Mexico is paying for the wall. Now, we're talking about Congress funding that wall.

BRIGGS: That's going to be a fascinating meeting today with Pelosi and Schumer, where we get a glimpse of governing in 2019.

ROMANS: All right. Nine minutes past the hour. Speaking of governing in 2019, leaders of Britain and France facing crises of their own, protests in Paris even after French President Macron offer concessions and Theresa May facing backlash for suspending Brexit vote. We're going to go to live to London, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:13:29] BRIGGS: In Britain, parliament set to hold emergency debate after Prime Minister Theresa May announced her government will postpone a vote on its Brexit deal. That vote had been scheduled to take place today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THERESA MAY, U.K. PRIME MINISTER: It is clear while there is broad support for many of the key aspects of the deal.

If we went ahead and held the vote tomorrow, the deal would be rejected by a significant margin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: What a zoo.

May started frantic diplomacy with E.U. leaders trying to get assurances on specifics of the deal. Today, she meets today with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

CNN's Nina dos Santos joining us live outside parliament.

Nina, good morning. Any good options here for Theresa May?

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, too, Dave.

Well, there are options on the table, but each side is so polarized, it is unclear if the E.U. will help her out and give her something on these so-called backstop arrangements over the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland that her side MPs will actually vote for. And likewise, here in the United Kingdom, we hear members of her cabinet starting to suggest if the E.U. doesn't give her the assurance that she needs, the parliament could try and put some kind of footnote into this withdrawal agreement that would allow parliament to have a little bit more control over that backstop. And again, whether the EU would go for that again is a moot point.

And this is the problem with Brexit. You have to deal with so many factions on the legally binding technicalities, if you like.

[05:15:05] At the same time, we've also got the opposition parties trying to use this as a wedge issue to precipitate a general election. One of the things that we are seeing later on this morning is the leader of the opposition, Jeremy Corbyn, of the Labour Party having debate in the house of commons to press the representatives to abandon the vote very much at the last minute. Obviously, other MPs had a chance to vote it down. That could have

precipitated change of leadership at the party or the new vote on Brexit or a new general election. And the fact they are no longer able to do so, they say, means they need more clarity as to when the new vote is going to take place.

Will it take place at the end of the year? Parliament goes into recess in two weeks or will it be kicked in the long grass next year, Dave?

BRIGGS: A long road ahead.

Nina dos Santos, live this morning, 10:15 in London, thanks.

ROMANS: And all that drama kicked U.S. stocks down to session lows on Monday morning after the Prime Minister Theresa May said she would delay the vote on the Brexit deal. Dow fell 2 percent. Fell below 24K for the first time since late June.

But then stocks staged a recovery later in the day, bounced right back, led by a recovery in Apple shares. Dow closed in the end when all is said and done, up 34 points. The S&P 500 closed up. The Nasdaq closed up about 1 percent.

The Brexit chaos reinforcing one of Wall Street biggest fears. Slowing global growth. Germany and Japan are already in an economic contraction. While China's economy has suffered from the wave of tariffs. A messy separation between the U.K. and the European Union. It's last thing the global economy needs.

BRIGGS: French students blocking classes and activities today at 170 high schools across the country, showing solidarity with "Yellow Vest" protesters. Trying to calm the protests, French President Emmanuel Macron gave a televised speech in which he said he'll ask his government to increase the minimum wage by 100 euros per month starting in 2019 and also vowed to cancel a planned tax increase. Macron acknowledged that workers in rural districts don't feel heard by the government, adding that much of the anger that people feel is just.

ROMANS: All right. This story, startling video has surfaced showing New York City police officers ripping a child from his mother's arms.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Look what they are doing to her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: And one police officer even pulls out a yellow stun gun and points it around the room. A lot of people were supporting this woman. They thought she was unfairly treated here.

The NYPD says it was called to the location to Jazmine Headley's disorderly conduct. Officers say they tried repeatedly to get the 23- year-old to move, but she refused. Headley was arrested on charges including resisting arrest, trespass and endangering a child. The NYPD says the disturbing incident is under review. Headley is in custody with the Friday court date. Her 17-month-old baby, we're told, is fine and with family members.

The issue is she came at 9:00 in the morning and she waited for hours, according to local media, without a seat. Finally sat down on the floor. That's when the police officers told her she had to move, and that's what precipitated the whole problem.

BRIGGS: An awful scene indeed.

In just a few hours, "TIME" Magazine will reveal its Person of the Year for 2018.

Here are your 10 finalists, President Donald Trump, thousands of families separated at the U.S. border, Russian President Vladimir Putin, special counsel Robert Mueller, "Black Panther" Director Ryan Coogler, Christine Blasey Ford, Jamal Khashoggi, March for Our Lives Activists, South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and Meghan Markle.

Any bets?

ROMANS: No bets. It's such a diverse group of people, too, like so many different ways of influence.

BRIGGS: Hard to imagine not being Trump or Mueller, but we shall see in a few hours.

Ahead, former championship teammates LeBron James and Dwayne Wade share the court for the last time. Andy Scholes has that in the "Bleacher Report", next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:23:50] BRIGGS: For one final time in their careers, LeBron and Dwayne Wade squaring off on court against one another.

Andy Scholes has the details in the "Bleacher Report".

Hey, buddy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Dave.

You know, LeBron and Dwayne Wade were in the same draft class back in 2003. They developed a special bond over their 16 seasons winning two championships and a gold medal together. Wade, of course, retiring at the end of the season, and he got a standing ovation from the L.A. crowd when he entered the game.

Now, the Lakers were up on the heat by three and the closing seconds of the game here with Wade and LeBron going at it again. And LeBron's defense just too good in that play. Wade shot was no good. L.A. hold on to win 108-105. LeBron and Wade sharing an embrace on the court and swap jerseys.

This was a regular season game in December, but LeBron said it meant much more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEBRON JAMES, LOS ANGELES LAKERS: A lot of emotions going on for me knowing I'm losing a brother in the game that I had so much -- I had so many wars with together and separate. This is my guy.

DWAYNE WADE, MIAMI HEAT: This is what you play for here, playing one of the greatest players ever.

[20:25:06] Whether we were teammates or opponents, we brought out the best in each other. The friendship we have, you know that is beyond basketball. But I'll miss this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Seattle Seahawks in their highlighter uniforms looking for the fourth straight win hosted the Vikings on Monday night football. Controversy on the fourth, Vikings lining up for a kick and it's blocked.

He is flagged for using his teammate as leverage which is a penalty. After talking it over, the refs picked up the flag and said no penalty. It was a huge swing in the game. Seahawks win this one 21- 7.

All right. Finally, this is the best last word with the lane violation. Trying to do her best not to fall into the lane. She ends up face planting after waving her arms in the air.

Dave, I found this fascinating. To me, this is the first free throw. Like nobody else moves really. I don't know. I applaud her efforts for trying to not have a lane violation. You just don't see that.

BRIGGS: I was not ready for that, my friend. I'm just going to watch that on loop for the rest of the morning.

SCHOLES: I like the waving the arms like that will keep you up like a bird, you know?

BRIGGS: I needed that.

Andy Scholes, thank you, my friend.

ROMANS: Dave, that is me every Monday. That is Monday. That's how I feel.

BRIGGS: We can relate.

ROMANS: The alarm goes off at 2:30. Help.

All right. Twenty-six minutes past the hour. President Trump still searching for his new chief of staff with no clear frontrunner. How the prospect of impeachment is weighing on his decision.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)