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EARLY START

Decision Day On Mexican Tariffs; Nadler Splits With Pelosi On Impeachment Inquiry; Biden No Longer Supports Hyde Amendment. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired June 7, 2019 - 05:30   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:30:42] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Mexico says it will send 6,000 troops to its border with Guatemala to curb migration. Will that keep President Trump from imposing tariffs?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I make no apologies for my last position and I make no apologies for what I'm about to say.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: Democratic front-runner Joe Biden flip-flops on federal funds for abortion.

ROMANS: A Colorado couple says they became violently sick at the same Dominican resort where three American mysteriously died on vacation.

BRIGGS: Plus, how did an airplane door fall from the sky right into a Las Vegas neighborhood?

Welcome back to EARLY START. Happy Friday, everybody. I'm Dave Briggs.

ROMANS: And I'm Christine Romans. It is Friday -- jobs day Friday. It's 31 minutes past the hour in the East.

And today is the deadline for the president to decide whether to impose tariffs on goods from Mexico.

Here's a live picture of the president's golf club in Ireland. He's beginning his day there.

The president must set the wheels in motion to carry out his threat to impose that initial five percent tariff, starting Monday, unless Mexico somehow stems the flow of migrants at the southern U.S. border, basically overnight.

Now, both sides say they believe there's still a chance to avert these tariffs, but Vice President Mike Pence underscored the U.S. demand that Mexico must first halt the tide of migrants.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The bottom line is we made it very clear that Mexico has to step up. They have to do more and they have to do more quickly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: Mexico's foreign minister announcing last night that his country is deploying 6,000 Mexican National Guard troops to the country's southern border with Guatemala to help curb migration.

Earlier, the foreign minister said he is optimistic a deal can be made with the U.S. in time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCELO EBRARD, MEXICAN FOREIGN MINISTER: We are optimistic because we have a good meeting with respectable -- respectful position from both parts. We have -- we have the opportunity -- we have the opportunity to share our point of view.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: President Trump believes tariffs are a win-win for the United States, telling Fox's Laura Ingraham they're, quote, "a beautiful thing."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Republicans should love what I'm doing because I view tariffs in two phases.

Number one, it's great to negotiate with because people don't want to be tariffed for coming into the United States. They don't want that.

And number two, frankly, they're going to make a fortune because all the companies are going to move back into the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: Republicans, for the most part, view tariffs as new taxes.

The president said lawmakers, including Republicans, should be ashamed of themselves for not standing solidly behind him on tariffs.

Talks between the U.S. and Mexico resume in Washington later this morning.

ROMANS: House Judiciary chairman Jerry Nadler is privately pushing to begin an impeachment inquiry into President Trump, but he's running into resistance from Nancy Pelosi.

According to "Politico," Democrats held a meeting this week where the House speaker argued she would rather see the president, quote, "in prison."

CNN's Manu Raju has more from Capitol Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine and Dave.

Now, a split between the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee over whether or not to open up an impeachment probe. Jerry Nadler, the chairman of that committee, says they should and he's been making this care privately to Nancy Pelosi on multiple occasions.

Pelosi says no. She believes that's the wrong approach. She supports a current plan which does not go down this route.

She also believes that moving to vote to impeach the president ultimately would be fruitless and help him -- Trump -- essentially be reelected because the Senate would not convict this president, and the president could essentially say he's been exonerated. She does not want to go down that path.

Nevertheless, Jerry Nadler is pressing on. I am told behind closed doors he's made the case on multiple occasions to the speaker only to get rebuffed, including at a meeting earlier this week when he told the speaker very clearly that moving forward with an impeachment inquiry could add weight to the legal case in court.

The cases involving the fight between the House Democrats and the Trump administration over the subpoenas that they are demanding for information -- subpoenas that the White House is not complying with -- he thinks they could win those cases.

Also, he believes it would be important to centralize all the investigations that are happening in the House. He says they should all happen under his committee, particularly the investigations involving potential crimes involving this president.

[05:35:05] Now, there is pushback, not just from Pelosi but also Adam Schiff, the House Intelligence Committee chairman who, himself, is looking into different aspects of the president's conduct while in office.

But nevertheless, the Judiciary chairman is facing pressure from his own members in the House Judiciary Committee who want to move forward with an impeachment probe who are growing very frustrated at the defiance from this administration. And this tension and division only bound to intensify in the weeks ahead, particularly if the administration does not comply with their demands -- Christine and Dave.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRIGGS: Don't hold your breath on them complying --

ROMANS: Yes.

BRIGGS: -- with their demands.

Manu, thanks.

Joining us now, "Politico" congressional reporter Melanie Zanona, live in Washington this morning. Good to see you.

ROMANS: Good morning.

MELANIE ZANONA, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, POLITICO: Good morning.

BRIGGS: All right. So, Nancy Pelosi says she'd rather see Trump in prison than impeached. Fifty-nine of her Democratic House colleagues are for impeachment. We're around a quarter -- a number that continues to tick up.

Can Nancy Pelosi hold them off or are we headed towards an impeachment inquiry?

ZANONA: That is the question on Capitol Hill right now, is how much longer can Pelosi hold the line? You have more and more Democrats calling for impeachment.

Now, we're knowing that Jerry Nadler, the chief -- head of the Judiciary Committee who would be in charge of impeachment proceedings, has also been quietly pushing for this behind the scenes.

And now that she's saying that she is for putting him behind bars, it's a valid question. Why doesn't she think that he should be impeached? And I'm sure a bunch of her members are going to be dying to ask that question when they get back here in Washington.

But look, Pelosi is trying to run out the clock. That's her strategy here. She wants to wait and wait and hopefully when they get closer to 2020, members will be less willing, in her mind, to go down that road.

ROMANS: Well, that "in prison" comment might have been meant more for her Democratic colleagues than for the president, who is clearly insulted by it. But, I mean, she could have been --

BRIGGS: I think so.

ROMANS: -- trying to play the Democrats like -- look, I'm with you. I think that he's a bad actor but impeachment is not the answer. I'd rather see him in prison.

You know, it could have been --

BRIGGS: Right.

ROMANS: -- that she was -- she was trying to say look, I'm with you --

BRIGGS: I agree there, yes.

ROMANS: -- I'm with you, and try to get some -- ZANONA: Yes, absolutely. I --

ROMANS: -- currency there.

ZANONA: She has been very strategic here about wrapping up her --

BRIGGS: Yes.

ZANONA: -- rhetoric, both publicly --

ROMANS: Yes.

ZANONA: -- and privately. I do think this was part of her calculation here.

BRIGGS: Yes.

ZANONA: But it is important to note that these tensions have been building between --

ROMANS: Sure.

ZANONA: -- Nadler and Pelosi. They are clearly not on the same page.

In fact, Nadler was asked here on CNN the other day if they are on the same page, and he took an uncomfortably long pause, looked down, and then sort dodged the question.

ROMANS: Yes.

ZANONA: So, tensions are growing and I don't think Nadler will move ahead without her blessing. But at the same time, it is the question is how much longer can Pelosi hold the line?

ROMANS: The Trump "in prison" quote is something that really caught the president's attention and it was remarkable against the backdrop of the fallen soldiers at D-Day -- that absolutely pristine and sacrosanct backdrop. The president dove right in on internal politics, really bucking all decorum -- listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I think she's a disgrace. I actually don't think she's a talented person.

I've tried to be nice to her because I would have liked to have gotten some deals done. She's incapable of doing deals.

She's a nasty, vindictive, horrible person.

The Mueller report came out. It was a disaster for them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: He also called Sen. Chuck Schumer "a total political jerk." I think the decorum aside -- I mean, there are a lot of people who see that image and just cannot believe that the president's advisers would allow him to sit there with that backdrop and say those things.

Sure, he was punched first by Pelosi -- Nancy Pelosi, the House speaker -- but he's the President of the United States and those men who died behind him did not die for partisan politics, right? They died for --

ZANONA: Yes.

ROMANS: -- an entire country.

So that aside, where does this leave us -- those comments? Is the entire impeachment discussion actually something the president loves because it allows him to --

BRIGGS: Divide.

ROMANS: -- fight back and divide?

ZANONA: Yes, absolutely. You know, there is a growing sense on Capitol Hill that impeachment would be the best thing for Republicans and for the president because it would galvanize his base and it would also give him an enemy to talk about.

I think he does well when he is fighting. And he is a counterpuncher, as you saw time and time again.

And creating Nancy Pelosi as sort of the number one liberal foe is something that didn't really work out for them very well in 2018. But now that she's sort of the face of the Democratic caucus and the potential impeachment, that could have more of an impact in 2020 in a presidential election.

BRIGGS: All right. The president also talked tariffs at Normandy and, in part, said that his Republican senators who oppose these tariffs, which are essentially new taxes, should be ashamed of themselves for opposing the president.

Listen to more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: They won't pass any legislation in Congress. And I have senators and others, and Pelosi coming out and saying oh, how horrible.

What they're doing is they're hurting a deal. They should be saying we're with the president. We'll do whatever he wants to do, and Mexico would fold like an umbrella.

But now, I have these people -- and I'm saying there's some Republicans, too. I think they should be ashamed of themselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP) [05:40:02] BRIGGS: He wants Congress, again, to say we're with him no matter what he wants to do, including taxes.

He'll slap on a five percent tariff on Mexico starting Monday. But, Mexico announced, as we announced earlier, 6,000 troops headed to the southern border with Guatemala. Will that be enough to keep the president from declaring another national emergency and slapping on tariffs?

ZANONA: Right, that is a great question. I think it all depends on whether he and perhaps, more importantly, his conservative base views these concessions by Mexico to send troops to the border, to crack down on the asylum law, is that a win for them? Is that enough?

But, senators absolutely --

ROMANS: Yes.

ZANONA: -- are preparing for the possibility that he will go through with this on Monday.

ROMANS: It -- the trouble for Republicans is like look, if you're in Texas you don't want to end up like Iowa where you are the collateral damage for the president's trade wars. And that's what we're talking about here with Mexico tariffs.

You're talking about Arizona and Texas. I mean, one estimate I saw that a quarter of the 400,000 jobs lost if the president slap on tariffs on Mexico would be in Texas. If you're in Texas --

ZANONA: Exactly.

ROMANS: -- and if you're a Republican, you're worried about that.

ZANONA: And, John Cornyn, keep in mind, is up for reelection next year. He's the Republican senator who will be facing a very strong primary challenger -- or a very strong Democratic challenger in M.J. Hegar, a former Army helicopter pilot who tried to take down a member of Congress in the previous election. And he is going to be worried and really fighting for his seat.

And having these tariffs go through are not going to help his reelection bid in any way. In fact, Texas will be hit the hardest by the economy. So, that's why you're seeing him and others who normally are aligned with the president really pushing back here as much as they can.

But, of course, the concern among Republicans is crossing President Trump could earn you pro-Trump primary challenge or a nasty --

ROMANS: Right.

BRIGGS: Right.

ZANONA: -- tweet, and no one wants to be the next Jeff Flake.

ROMANS: That's a tricky place to be, isn't it?

BRIGGS: It is, indeed.

ZANONA: Yes.

ROMANS: All right. Melanie Zanona from "Politico," thanks. Have a great weekend. Have a great rest of your day.

ZANONA: Thank you -- you, too.

BRIGGS: Thank you.

ROMANS: Thank you, Melanie.

All right, a 180 from Joe Biden on the Hyde Amendment. The former vice president and Democratic front-runner reversing a long-held position on abortion funding in the space of a single day. He now says he no longer supports that measure and he wants it eliminated.

The Hyde Amendment blocks federal funds from being used for most abortions.

Arlette Saenz is live with us this morning to bring us up to speed on this story. Hi, Arlette.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Hi, Christine and Dave.

Well, this was a major reversal for Joe Biden. He has supported this measure for decades.

And last night, here in Atlanta, he was speaking to a group from the Democratic National Committee and revealing that he now does support repealing this measure. Take a listen to what he had to say last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: I make no apologies for my last position and I make no apologies for what I'm about to say.

I can't justify leaving millions of women without access to the care they need and the ability to exercise their constitutionally-protected right. If I believe health care is a right, as I do, I can no longer support an amendment that makes that right dependent on someone's zip code.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now, this reversal comes after two days of intense criticism from his Democratic rivals in the 2020 race. You had nearly the entire field saying that Joe Biden was wrong on this issue.

He was also facing pressure from abortion rights groups who wanted him to back the repeal of this measure.

Biden eventually, last night, deciding that he was going to go forth and say that he no longer supports it -- Christine.

ROMANS: All right, Arlette Saenz. Thank you so much for that. Nice to see you this morning -- thanks.

All right, is four years of college still worth it? "CNN Business" next, with the answer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:48:23] ROMANS: It's Friday. Let's get a check on "CNN Business" this Friday morning.

Taking a trip around the world to see what global stock markets are doing, you can see Asia closed pretty much mixed. But, European stock markets are higher right now, especially Paris markets, up more than one percent.

And you've got Dow futures up a little bit this morning. Not a great big solid move but look, that is a positive direction and this week we've really needed it.

U.S. stocks finished Thursday higher. The Dow reported its fourth day in a row of gains, closing up 181 points. The Dow on track to snap a 6-week losing streak.

The S&P 500 closed up about six-tenths of a percent. The Nasdaq also higher.

Investors turning their attention this morning to the May jobs reports. That comes out in less than three hours. April was surprisingly strong. Economists estimate 185,000 jobs were added in May.

And, May's report could be a key factor in the Federal Reserve when it considers interest rates when it meets in two weeks. There is an operating assumption right now that the president's trade war -- if it hurts the American economy it could result in what the president has wanted all along -- a cut in interest rates to goose the economy that he is hurting -- go figure.

Is four years of college still worth it? The Federal Reserve Bank of New York says yes. The New York Federal Reserve finds the average college graduate earns $78,000 a year compared to $45,000 for a high school graduate, a difference of more than 30 grand.

A college degree is still a good investment. The study finds a college degree has a 14 percent average return on investment.

College tuitions are rising -- that is a problem -- but the report finds the overall long-term benefits still outweighs those costs, Dave.

[05:50:00] BRIGGS: Residents in a Las Vegas neighborhood receiving an unwelcomed surprise -- an airplane door falling from the sky, hitting a building and ending up in someone's front yard. It happened yesterday afternoon. Officials say an access panel fell off an A-4 military plane shortly after it took off from nearby Nellis Air Force Base on a routine training mission. Thankfully, no one was hurt.

The FAA and Las Vegas police are investigating the incident.

New developments in the investigation of three unexplained American deaths at a Dominican resort. A Colorado couple who stayed at the same facility in La Romana last year claims they became violently ill once they arrived.

Kaylynn Knull and her boyfriend, Tom Schwander, are suing the owners of the Grand Bahia Principe resort. They believe they were exposed to pesticides in the air conditioning system.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAYLYNN KNULL, AMERICAN TOURIST WHO BECAME ILL AT DOMINICAN RESORT: It's too coincidental with the symptoms that we had for me to even begin to stay quiet about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: Meanwhile, autopsy reports are in for the three Americans who died at the resort. All three had fluid in their lungs.

Rosa Flores with more from the Dominican Republic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Dave, Christine, there are new developments into the mysterious deaths of the three Americans who died in the Dominican Republic. This is according to the Attorney General's Office, who released preliminary autopsy results.

According to the A.G., Miranda Schaup-Werner had a heart attack.

The Maryland couple, Nathaniel Edward Holmes and Cynthia Ann Day, had internal bleeding of the pancreas and fluid in the lungs.

Now, all of this is dependent upon toxicology reports, so official cause of death has not been determined yet. Now, the A.G. also mentions medications that were found inside the couple's room.

And here's another development. The FBI is assisting with the investigation. This is according to a State Department official who says that local police asked the FBI to assist with the toxicology reports.

And then, of course, there is an FBI attache here in this country that is helping with that.

And finally, health inspectors went into the resort that you see behind me to conduct a health inspection and the results of that inspection are expected Friday or Monday -- Dave, Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRIGGS: Boy, a lot more answers needed there. Great reporting --

ROMANS: I agree.

BRIGGS: -- from Rosa.

All right. Ahead, Taylor Swift saying hey, kids, spelling is fun, which is why some fans are scratching their heads this morning. We'll tell you why, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:56:27] ROMANS: All right. New Orleans music legend, Dr. John, The Night Tripper, has died after suffering a heart attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. JOHN, SINGER-SONGWRITER: Singing "Right Place Wrong Time."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The song, "Right Place Wrong Time" was his biggest hit, but his style fits many musical genres -- blues, jazz, rock, funk.

His real name was Malcolm John Rebennack. A 6-time Grammy award- winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame back in 2011.

Dr. John was 77.

BRIGGS: The NBA takes some quick action, banning a Warrior's minority investor after cameras capture him shoving Toronto Raptors star Kyle Lowry on the sidelines during game three of the NBA Finals. Mark Stevens, seated there in the blue shirt, also accused of cursing at Lowry.

The League has banned Stevens from attending Warriors games and team activities for one season and also fined him a half-million bucks.

Stevens issued a statement apologizing for the incident, attributing it to a, quote, "lapse in judgment."

ROMANS: You don't touch a player, except to help him up.

BRIGGS: Ever -- ever.

ROMANS: All right -- all right.

BRIGGS: Awful.

ROMANS: Point taken.

BRIGGS: Ban him forever.

ROMANS: In her new song "ME!," Taylor Swift extols the virtues of spelling.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAYLOR SWIFT, SINGER-SONGWRITER: Singing "ME!"

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: So that's why fans are calling out the superstar singer for a typo on merchandise featuring another lyric from that song. A picture posted on Twitter of a limited-edition Taylor top reveals a misplaced apostrophe on the word "your'e."

No public comment from Taylor Swift on the pop blunder.

BRIGGS: We wish good luck to all of you getting that song out of your head at any point today. That is a terrific --

ROMANS: You're welcome, America.

BRIGGS: You're welcome.

All right. Our own Jim Acosta censored himself on T.V. While you were sleeping, Stephen Colbert had a little fun with that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, CBS "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT": The GOP caucus met with White House officials to learn what Trump's plan with Mexico was, and how did that go?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: One Republican aide -- after this meeting was over with, they described this as a "cluster 'f.'" I won't complete the word there.

COLBERT: Oh, oh, oh, oh -- oh, oh, oh, can I guess? Uh, cluster "f". Is it cluster farm? Is it cluster fun? It's just -- it is -- it's cluster (bleep), isn't it? Is it cluster (bleep)?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: It's cluster fest, of course.

ROMANS: Yes, thank you.

BRIGGS: Yes. I mean, everybody knows that.

ROMANS: Exactly.

BRIGGS: John Berman did a nice job there, reacting.

ROMANS: Cluster Friday.

Thanks for joining us. I'm Christine Romans.

BRIGGS: I'm Dave Briggs. Here's John Berman, once again, with Alisyn on "NEW DAY." We'll see you Monday. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: I can't justify leaving millions of women without access to the care they need.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Biden is, in fact, going to support repealing the Hyde Amendment.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a clear cave to the pressure that he was getting.

REP. JERRY NADLER (D-NY): It may very well come to a formal impeachment inquiry. We will see.

RAJU: Behind the scenes, he has made multiple pitches to the House speaker, but the two Democrats are at odds.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They are more focused on undermining this president than they are to solving major problems in the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. This is NEW DAY. It is Friday, June seventh, 6:00 here in New York.

And we begin with Democratic front-runner Joe Biden reversing his stance on federal funding for abortions. After days of criticism from his Democratic rivals and women's rights groups, the former vice president says he no longer.

END