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Democrats Slam President Trump's Racist Tweet; ICE Has Begun Raids To Round Up Undocumented Immigrants; Serious Wind And Flooding Threat In Louisiana. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired July 15, 2019 - 05:30   ET

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


[05:30:00] JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: "Why don't they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime-infested places from which they came."

DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: Factually, Trump is wrong. All of them are American citizens. Three of the four were born in the U.S.

Ilham Omar moved to the U.S. about 25 years ago when she was 12 and became a citizen at 17. But clearly, that's not the point.

Not a single Republican member of Congress has objected to the president's racist comments. Democrats, both those politically aligned with progressives Trump targeted and more centrist ones, are slamming the tweet.

The president doubling down, though, saying on Twitter the freshmen Democrats used, quote, "disgusting language."

More now from White House correspondent Boris Sanchez.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Dave and Jessica, the president exploiting a rift among these Democrats and the House speaker over recent weeks and their use of social media, and the House speaker's decision to push forth an immigration funding bill which they did not accept.

It appears that now these Democrats are banding together against their common enemy. All four of these women sending out rebukes of the president, as did House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Take a look at what she tweeted, writing, quote, "I reject Donald Trump's xenophobic comments meant to divide our nation." She goes on to say that the president "should work with Democrats for a humane immigration policy that reflects American values."

Clearly, President Trump, here, using the language of white nationalists to try to court supporters who feel uncomfortable with immigration. Based on the president's long list of racist remarks, he is apparently comfortable saying this sort of thing, Dave and Jessica.

(END VIDEOTAPE) DEAN: Boris Sanchez, thank you.

Immigration officials insist raids to arrest undocumented immigrants are underway, but the show of force threatened by President Trump has not yet been seen. We were originally told these 10 cities were being targeted but CNN cannot confirm any arrests.

There were sporadic reports of ICE activity in a few places -- Chicago, Florida, and in New York. Mayor Bill de Blasio says there were three confirmed ICE operations, but there has been only one report in Chicago of any apprehensions by ICE agents.

BRIGGS: "The New York Times" reports plans for the operation were altered at the last minute because news reports tipped off immigrant communities about what to expect. Well, if that information was supposed to be kept secret, this comment last week from the president did not help.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It starts on Sunday and they're going to take people out and they're going to bring them back to their countries.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: According to "The New York Times," a secondary raid plan is now being rolled out by the White House. This one calls for smaller scale apprehensions over a week or so.

Ken Cuccinelli is the acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and he was tightlipped about details when pressed by Jake Tapper on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR, "STATE OF THE UNION": Can you guarantee that no parents will be separating from their children in these raids?

KEN CUCCINELLI, ACTING DIRECTOR, CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION SERVICES: In the same way I wasn't willing to talk about operational details, that would be an operational detail that I'm not going to comment on. There are a million people, including families, with removal orders. There -- the priority remains for ICE to get at criminals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: The operation is expected to target about 2,000 undocumented immigrants who have court orders for removal from the country. It will also focus on recent arrivals to the U.S.

Joining us now to talk about all of this, Princeton professor and historian Julian Zelizer, a CNN political analyst. Good to see you, sir.

JULIAN ZELIZER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST, HISTORIAN AND PROFESSOR, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY, CO-AUTHOR, "FAULT LINES: A HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES SINCE 1974": Good morning.

DEAN: Hey.

BRIGGS: A quote by Maya Angelou said, "When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time."

Well, the first time with President Trump was, of course, the birther movement. Then there was the Mexicans coming across the border are rapists. There were the "very fine people" Charlottesville comments, and now, this tweet -- and I'm just mentioning a few.

Jeh Johnson, the Homeland Security secretary under Obama, said we should not become numb to these comments but are we already?

ZELIZER: Absolutely. His record -- the president's record on using rhetoric of white backlash is pretty clear and it's pretty consistent and it is amazing to see the president tweet language like this. But at some point, it just becomes another story and that numbness is the greatest danger to the country.

DEAN: I want to read you this quote from an "Axios" piece.

It says, "The few Republicans who dared to defy him either got crushed by pro-Trump candidates in primaries, quit the party or retired. One remaining critic, Sen. Mitt Romney, mostly pushes back by issuing stern but ineffectual tweets. And, Sen. Ben Sasse, who used to lambast the president, has mostly gone silent.

No modern president besides George W. Bush, immediately after the 9/11 attacks, has enjoyed such popularity with Republican voters."

Is this the Republican Party now? Is that where we are?

ZELIZER: Yes, we're at a point you can't separate the two. This is the Republican Party. The Republican Party continues to be silent every time the president does something like this. Occasional tweets, but those are not a profile in courage. And the Republican Party now has absorbed President Trump as their own.

[05:35:03] And so, you can't go into 2020 and be a Republican and say well, we're not about the politics of President Trump. This is the GOP in the modern era.

BRIGGS: You wonder what Melania has to say. She was not born here. You wonder what Elaine Chao, this cabinet member born in Taiwan, has to say about this. We expect something from Mitt Romney but ultimately, not much beyond that.

So let's talk about these raids that the president initially announced on Twitter -- he didn't leave it for secret -- and then on Friday, again said these raids -- immigration raids across the country intensities were coming on Sunday. Clearly, they did not because the president tipped off the entire country.

Does he win either way? What's the impact? ZELIZER: Well, look, the politics of fear is something he very much thrives on and so the implementation of the policy is not happening as predicted, so far, but he is generating fear. He's putting that threat out to show his base that he really is as anti-immigration as they imagine. And so, at that level, he's not winning but it fits his political agenda.

The rhetoric, in some ways for him, is as important as actually implementing this and there's part of him, I'm sure, that imagines that would be politically difficult if this all goes into effect.

BRIGGS: But how is it -- you know, he won that way in 2016 but he did not learn from the midterms in 2018 when this was not a popular issue and he seems to be doubling down on it --

DEAN: Right.

BRIGGS: -- Jessica, for 2020.

DEAN: Well, right, and that was an issue. Is health care now becoming, among Democrats also, this kind of dividing -- a real contrasting issue for them or some -- Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Medicare for All. Joe Biden has talked about wanting to hold onto Obamacare.

ZELIZER: Well, remember, midterms usually draw out the voters who hate the president. The reelection campaign will bring out all those supporters who love what the president is doing. So there are two very different kinds of elections and so you can be a strategist and say well, this might still work for a 2020 package even if it didn't work in the midterms.

DEAN: You know, as -- you're a historian --

ZELIZER: Yes.

DEAN: -- you've taken a look at the history of our nation and presidents. If you zoom out big picture, we say all the time an election unlike we'd ever had or times unlike we've ever seen. That really does hold true right now.

ZELIZER: No, I hate using the term "unprecedented" but I think we are now fully in one of those unprecedented periods and this election will be really determining of what the country is about. It's values, how we see the presidency, and what the direction is going to be not just in the next four years, but what's the direction of the Republican Party. What is now normal in American politics?

All of this will be on the ballot in 2020 and we'll see where the country is.

DEAN: It's a lot there.

BRIGGS: I just want to show you where the country is according to a new NBC poll. Joe Biden leads President Trump in a head-to-head matchup. Elizabeth Warren leads. Kamala Harris is about tied with the president.

This is the -- that was a different number there. But, Biden is clearly the front-runner according to this new polling.

Julian, good to see you, sir. Thank you.

DEAN: Thanks so much for being here.

ZELIZER: Thank you. Thank you.

BRIGGS: Speaking of 2020 -- the presidential race -- Democratic presidential contender Beto O'Rourke revealing he and his wife are both descendants of slave owners. O'Rourke, in an online post, says he was recently given documents showing the ancestry.

He writes, quote, "I benefit from a system that my ancestors built to favor themselves at the expense of others. That only increases the urgency I feel to help change this country so that it works for those who have been locked out of or locked up in this system."

O'Rourke says he will continue to support reparations for slavery, an issue multiple candidates have addressed on the campaign trail.

DEAN: His standing in the polls may not reflect it, but Pete Buttigieg is no longer the little campaign that could. The South Bend mayor now has more than 250 people on his staff.

His campaign now flushed with cash after raising a stunning $24.8 million in the second quarter. That is expected to be the most of any 2020 Democratic candidate.

The hiring spree includes putting people on the ground in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, those key early-voting states. It also signals Team Buttigieg believes the fundraising haul will continue into the second half of 2019.

BRIGGS: Police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana investigating the death of a beloved community activist and founder of the city's African American Museum but they say they have no motive and no suspects.

Seventy-five-year-old Sadie Roberts-Joseph was found dead in the trunk of a car Friday. The car was discovered about three miles from her home.

Police still do not know what caused her death. Investigators are reaching out to the public asking anyone with information to come forward.

DEAN: Bastille Day celebrations turning violent in Paris. Anti- government protesters clashing with police on the Champs-Elysses. At least 175 people taken into custody for questioning.

Earlier in the day, Emmanuel Macron became the first French president in modern times to be booed during the traditional July 14th parade.

[05:40:01] Yellow vest populist protesters infiltrating the event despite a heavy police presence.

BRIGGS: The White House confirming that a planned meeting today between President Trump and Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales has been called off.

Guatemala postponing the meeting while its constitutional court examines legal challenges to an agreement that would make Guatemala a so-called safe third country for asylum seekers. Under the agreement, people crossing into Guatemala would apply for U.S. asylum there instead of at the U.S. border, potentially easing the current immigration crush at American's southern border.

Sources say the two presidents were close to solidifying that deal.

DEAN: Iran's foreign minister is in New York for a meeting at the U.N. The State Department granting a visa to Javad Zarif. According to "The New York Times," the move was approved by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Tensions between the two countries are building with Iran increasing its uranium enrichment. Zarif accusing President Trump of hurting the United States with his Iran policy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMAD JAVAD ZARIF, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: The Trump administration is isolated in the global community. It is time for the United States to begin to return to the international consensus.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: Zarif says it comes as the U.K. announces it will work with Germany and France to keep the Iran nuclear deal alive. The three countries are meeting about it today.

British foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt says he will "...be building on the leadership shown by the U.K., alongside France and Germany, as we do what it takes to maintain the nuclear deal and to work to encourage Iran back into compliance."

DEAN: What caused the major Saturday night blackout in New York City? Well, it's still not known and the investigation could take months.

Con Edison says a high demand for power was not responsible for the outage and the utility company president has ruled out other potential causes as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIMOTHY CAWLEY, PRESIDENT, CONSOLIDATED EDISON, INC.: We have no indication at all that this was involved in cyber in any way or a physical attack.

In terms of loading or demand on the system, it was a -- it was a warm evening last night. But in terms of the peak demands that Manhattan exhibits on those hottest weekdays, the demand last night was very low.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: Parts of Midtown Manhattan suddenly went dark Saturday night for about five hours. Some 72,000 people were affected by the outage.

A Jennifer Lopez concert that was in progress at Madison Square Garden was called off for safety. The concert has been rescheduled for tonight.

And we're seeing new video of how Broadway stars adapted. When Broadway went dark, the cast of the Tony-winning musical "Hadestown" giving a sidewalk performance. Ah, the upside to a blackout.

Though, the local papers not too happy with their mayor. Bill de Blasio getting hit hard this morning. The "Daily News" says "Dim & Dimmer" while the "New York Post" editorial says the mayor must go. Of course, he was in Iowa campaigning for president at the time.

Some dramatic video now of construction workers saving a baby and a toddler from a burning apartment building in Albuquerque. The workers happened to be installing a new roof next door.

You can see one of them, Mason Fierro, catching the children as they're tossed down, then hauling over a ladder to get the family out safely.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He might not remember my name or my face but he knows that somebody helped and that's all that I care about, honestly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: Two children and another person were taken to a local hospital. All are in stable condition.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

DEAN: Millions under flash flood watches in the Mississippi River Valley as the threat from Barry continues today. We'll have more for you on that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:48:10] DEAN: Tropical Storm Barry now downgraded to a tropical depression, but the threat from flooding still very serious this morning. At least 50,000 people in Louisiana were without power statewide overnight and forecasters say heavy rain and tornadoes are still possible in that area through today.

CNN's Natasha Chen is in Franklin, Louisiana with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Dave and Jessica, we're hearing from the St. Mary Parish emergency officials that on Sunday, they got at least seven inches of rain, which is more rain than they got during the entire Barry event the day before. So really, the problem has come after the storm came through.

We'll show you what the flooding looks like here in Franklin. This is Metal Shark Shipyard. They make aluminum boats. This is supposed to be their parking lot but this is what flooded after Barry, Saturday night into Sunday.

Of course, they were very much prepared for this -- the barricade that we're looking at has been here for years -- but we did see a lot of folks bringing in extra gravel, plugging holes. So they were prepared for this flooding to get much worse. Now, this is all coming from a drainage canal that they are hoping will recede over time.

There are some homes in Franklin also being threatened because of the flash flooding.

We visited nearby Glencoe, Louisiana as well. That is an area that had to be evacuated on Saturday night, also, because of flash flood issues. We saw one home that was completely ripped apart because of the strong winds from Barry.

We talked to Joseph Colbert (ph), who was sitting in the carport at the time. He says his sister was inside the home when the winds struck and broke all the windows. She came running outside.

Here's what he said.

JOSEPH COLBERT, GLENCOE, LOUISIANA RESIDENT: It sounded like a train to me but some people said when you hear a train they're thinking it's a tornado. But it did sound like a train coming through.

CHEN: And you heard the glass breaking?

COLBERT: Yes, ma'am. All the windows started coming out. The picture window, kitchen window, bathroom windows -- all of it started coming out.

[05:50:07] CHEN: Colbert told us that he's been in that home for about 40 years and now, he's staying with other family members.

So there are a lot of people here affected not only by the wind damage but by floodwaters. And authorities are very concerned in trying to keep those waters out of people's homes and they are working hard with utility crews, of course, to restore power to everyone.

In Franklin, Louisiana, I'm Natasha Chen.

Dave and Jessica, back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRIGGS: OK, thanks.

A check on "CNN Business Now." A look at markets around the world. Asian stocks closed higher despite fears of a slowdown in China.

And on Wall Street, futures are barely moving. All three major averages closed at new all-time highs Friday. The Dow jumped 244 points and the S&P 500 closed above 3,000 for the first time ever.

Wall Street's focus shifts to corporate earnings this week. Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, IBM, Netflix, and Microsoft among the companies reporting results.

Earnings for S&P 500 companies are expected to fall 2.6 percent in the second quarter. That will mark the first time in three years that earnings have fallen in back-to-back quarters.

Secret is supporting the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team and their fight for equal pay. The deodorant brand announced it is contributing $529,000 to the U.S. Women's National Team Players Association and used a full-time -- a full-page ad, rather, in Sunday's "New York Times" to urge the Association to, quote, "Be on the right side of history."

Secret has released several ads promoting equal pay for women, including one without Alex Morgan earlier this year. Secret also used "The New York Times" ad to challenge other brands to support the team's fight for equal pay.

It's going to be a new 007.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mister?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bond -- James Bond.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Bond, I suppose you wouldn't care to raise the limit?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have no objections.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: No objections because "The Daily Mail" reports the 25th Bond film will reveal Lashana Lynch, who you may recognize from "Captain Marvel," as your new 007 with Daniel Craig's character coming out of retirement for one last mission.

There had been a lot of talk that Idris Elba would step into the role, but Lynch's casting comes as a big surprise to fans of the franchise. The 25th Bond film is due in 2020.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:56:55] DEAN: Young royals out in force this weekend lending their shine to some big events.

CNN's royal correspondent Max Foster standing by in London with more on this. A lot of activity this weekend, Max.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, and incident-free, thankfully, for Meghan.

Firstly, accompanying her sister to the tennis on Sunday -- on Saturday. That was so she could watch her great friend, Serena Williams, play in that match. They were there together in the stands, all the cameras focused on them, and there was no suggestion of a rift between the two, which I think some photographers were looking for.

Also, we had them out last night as well. We had Meghan out on the red carpet. She's used to the red carpet as an actress but this was her first appearance as a royal.

She also bumped into Beyonce, who appeared in that film, "Lion King" -- apparently, Prince Harry's favorite film. So that was a big celebrity moment here last night.

Also, Jay-Z there having a chat with Harry. We heard --we heard that he was overheard giving some parental advice to Harry -- always find time for yourself. So we'll see whether or not he takes that on board.

Meghan not quite back, officially, from maternity, so these were accompanying visits if you like. We don't know when she'll appear again.

DEAN: All right. Big smiles, though, all weekend. Thanks so much, Max.

And thanks so much for joining us. I'm Jessica Dean.

BRIGGS: Good to have you here.

DEAN: Thanks.

BRIGGS: I'm Dave Briggs. "NEW DAY" starts right now. We'll see you tomorrow.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: President Trump suggesting that some members of Congress should go back to their countries.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president feels he is resonating with his core supporters.

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is racist and un-American. We should never hear that from the President of the United States.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have not seen any ICE agents making any appearances, but a fear is very palpable. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We should be able to enforce the law in a reasonable way and that's what we're doing here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want comprehensive immigration reform but frightening children across our country is simply unacceptable.

(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 Monday, July 16th.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Fifteenth -- it's July 15th.

CAMEROTA: I'll fire someone later. July 15th, 6:00 here in New York.

This morning, the outcry builds after President Trump tweets a stunningly racist attack against four Democratic congresswomen of color. Democrats spent Sunday speaking out against it and trying to process something like this from the president. But to this point, there is virtual silence from Republican lawmakers.

The president not apologizing after sending this incendiary tweet telling the women to, quote, "Go back to the countries they came from."

All of the lawmakers that are referenced are American citizens. Three of them were born in the United States.

BERMAN: So, as we wake up today, the question is what do you call someone who says clearly racist things? This morning, the answer is Mr. President.

The second question, what do you call lawmakers who stand by in silence when someone says clearly racist things? The answer this morning, Republican members of Congress.

We've been looking all night and found only.

END