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EARLY START

Polls: Americans Don't Trust Trump; Draft Study Warns Of Severe Climate Change; South African President Faces No Confidence Vote; Manhunt For Suspect Cop Killer In Missouri. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired August 8, 2017 - 05:30   ET

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


[05:30:00] MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN ANCHOR: The trust issue telling. Fewer than one American in four says they trust most of what they hear from the White House and 60 percent say they don't trust the commander in chief.

Now, even President Trump's base is starting to erode, including whites who did not graduate from college, a core group that helped put the president over the top in November. Only 53 percent of them support him now. That's down from 59 percent in April despite the president's -- Monday's Twitter claim that his base isn't going anywhere.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Speaking of Twitter, many people say they have big concerns about that. Seventy-two percent say the president's tweets send the wrong message to world leaders.

President Trump's highest marks came on the economy and national security. Those were split within the margin of error.

MARQUEZ: Meanwhile, more than six in 10 disapprove of his handling of health care and foreign affairs. Overall, nearly six people in 10 say Donald Trump has not had the right priorities in dealing with the country's problems.

ROMANS: All right. The Dow hitting its ninth record close in a row. More good news for the market's cheerleader in chief, President Trump, but what about the rest of the economy? Two hundred days in, it's mainly good news.

A million jobs have been created since the president took office. Housing prices are at records. Consumer spending, a larger driver of the economy, is up.

And a reversal from last year. Businesses are borrowing more. That's a good sign since consumers can't prop up the economy alone.

However, there are a few weak spots. That hot jobs market has not translated into wage growth yet so the paychecks aren't fatter. And high housing prices are pricing out some first-time homebuyers.

But overall, the economic picture is not all that different from the last six months of Obama's presidency.

Now, as for stocks, it's an undeniable win for President Trump. The Dow is up 20 percent since the election. Even as though the White House's economic agenda stalls, corporate profits are keeping stocks near record highs there.

So are you feeling the gains? Are those core Trump supporters feelings the gains? Stock record highs are a measure of company's well-being, not workers, and nearly half of Americans are not invested in the stock market, Miguel.

MARQUEZ: Speaking of which, joining us from Washington, political economist Greg Valliere, chief strategist for Horizon Investments.

ROMANS: Hi, Greg.

MARQUEZ: Good morning to you.

GREG VALLIERE, POLITICAL ECONOMIST, CHIEF STRATEGIST, HORIZON INVESTMENTS: Good morning.

MARQUEZ: Thank you for getting up so early for us.

VALLIERE: Sure.

MARQUEZ: All right. These polls numbers are interesting. The trends, not only for CNN but for other polls, all show it going in the wrong direction --

VALLIERE: Right.

MARQUEZ: -- for the president.

Credibility seems to be the biggest problem. The approvals -- those that strongly approve for the president's job is sinking. Right now it's at 24 percent -- strong approval. Forty-seven percent, though, are strongly disapproving of what he's doing.

All of this comes -- seems to be the honesty and trustworthiness of this White House is in question. People said that -- only 36 percent found that the White House was honest and trustworthy and 60 percent said it was not. This is also a problem for him.

ROMANS: The direction is just --

MARQUEZ: It's just that --

ROMANS: -- is bad. Going in the wrong direction, almost all of these polls.

MARQUEZ: For Republicans as well. Even the Republicans can't say that -- only 50 percent of Republicans say that they trust most of what they hear from the White House. This cannot be good for any sitting president who controls both parties in Congress.

VALLIERE: Well, you're right, Miguel. And I think the president has to look in the mirror. He can keep saying it's fake numbers but as we talked about a half an hour ago it's the trend, it's the direction. All of the polls -- every single one of them -- even Rasmussen, which is a fairly conservative poll, all shows the president going down.

Now he can claim, I guess, that Congress is disliked even more. That Congress has an approval rating around 20 percent. He can claim that in states like West Virginia his base is solid.

But the fact is his agenda is in tatters and a major reason why is that more and more Republicans feel they can go after him with impunity because of these poll numbers.

ROMANS: Right. So these numbers make him more vulnerable with his own party -- with the Republican Party.

VALLIERE: Yes.

ROMANS: What does it mean for his agenda?

He wants tax reform, he'd like infrastructure. He's got these big- ticket items on his agenda that even with control of all three -- you know, the White House, and the House, and the Senate, there's no big agenda item done here yet.

VALLIERE: No, and Christine, he wants an infrastructure program but he hasn't produced a bill. He wants tax reform, he hasn't produced a bill.

What he's got to deal with, unfortunately for him and the whole country in September, is a nasty fight over the budget. Debt ceiling increase, whether we can get a budget by the end of the fiscal year.

Things like tax reform which many on the Hill want and many in the markets want, that's going to be pushed back by many months.

[05:35:02] ROMANS: Well, you know, health care reform, you know, failed because there were hard questions and somebody --

VALLIERE: Right.

ROMANS: -- had to give something up, you know. I mean, there had to be losers in health care reform to win health care reform.

Tax reform is the same, you know. What are you going to give up? Who's going to give something up and how are they going to be able to negotiate that?

What are you hearing about the framework here? Are they moving forward at all on this?

VALLIERE: I think so. There were a lot of meetings in private. There's full agreement on the premise that we need tax reform. There is not full agreement on the details.

ROMANS: Well, yes, right.

VALLIERE: Yes. How do you pay for it? What's the effective date? What do you do to deductions?

But I do think we can get tax reform in 2018. We're not going to get it in 2017.

ROMANS: I think that's when the stock market --

MARQUEZ: You really think we're going to get it in 2018 in the middle of a -- of midterm elections?

VALLIERE: Yes.

MARQUEZ: It just seems very difficult for anything to happen that year.

VALLIERE: There's a precedent for that. I think they ought to do it by early -- I mean, by summer of 2018 I think that ship has sailed. But I think they can get a tax bill done early next year.

It may not be as big as Donald Trump wanted. We're not going to lower the top corporate rate from 35 percent to 15 percent. They don't have the money to do that. But I do think they'll be something early next year.

ROMANS: You know, companies are really banking on it. It's one of the reasons why the stock market is so high.

VALLIERE: Right.

ROMANS: They feel -- they feel as though there's going to be a payday for companies. Corporate profits are strong.

MARQUEZ: The Trump effect.

ROMANS: And the -- and the president has, you know --

VALLIERE: Yes.

ROMANS: -- taken credit. He has taken credit for the stock market records. He has taken credit for a million jobs added in the first half of this year.

Is there a risk for him in cheerleading an economy that maybe that core white working class voter is not feeling? You know, that core white working class voter who elected him is not feeling the stock market highs? Does it make him look like he's too pro-business, maybe too elite?

VALLIERE: Well, it's a good point, Christine.

You know, the populists -- the Steven Bannon populists would argue that people in Youngstown and Bethlehem aren't feeling this yet. And for Trump to brag about the stock market -- you know, he's a rich New York billionaire and he has a lot of people from Goldman Sachs in his administration. That may not resonate with his core.

MARQUEZ: It's very difficult for a president to affect the economy immediately.

ROMANS: Yes. They get too much credit and too much blame. VALLIERE: Yes.

MARQUEZ: When does push come to shove here? Clearly, there is a Trump effect.

VALLIERE: Yes.

MARQUEZ: The business community sees the possibility --

ROMANS: Yes.

MARQUEZ: -- of a more friendly administration and plans years out, but when does push come to shove here? When do we have to see some actual results to shore up that hope that industry has?

VALLIERE: It could be a rocky fall. I still think, and Christine and I have talked frequently about the fundamentals. I still think they're quite good. Great labor market, great inflation, on and on and on. Really good earnings.

But I think at some point this fall if it becomes clear that his agenda is in real trouble, that tax reform is going to be delayed by quite a bit, that's not a good story for the markets.

ROMANS: No. These poll numbers -- I mean, the president, I think, is going to, you know -- I don't know what the president is going to do. He may tweet about these poll numbers and say that they're -- you know, that they're -- that they're fake and phony and all that.

But it's pretty clear that these poll numbers show us, Greg, that the Twitter addiction is a distraction for him and is actually undermining his ability to talk to people or to look presidential.

VALLIERE: I travel all around the country and I talk to Democrats and Republicans and on both sides they say the tweeting is not presidential. That he looks childish with these tweets.

And I thought that Gen. Kelly would impose some discipline -- that he'd stop Trump from tweeting. What's happened? Trump's tweeting even more right now. So even the General, I think, has been unable to discipline this guy.

MARQUEZ: That will be an interesting conversation at some point. Oh, to be a fly on that wall.

VALLIERE: Yes, yes.

MARQUEZ: Greg Valliere --

ROMANS: Greg Valliere, nice to see you.

MARQUEZ: Thank you very much.

ROMANS: All right. Thank you.

MARQUEZ: Have a good day. VALLIERE: Yes.

MARQUEZ: An alarming draft report by government scientists say climate change is already severely affecting the U.S. and there are concerns the Trump administration will try to keep that report under wraps.

The draft obtained by "The New York Times" says the average temperature in the U.S. has risen dramatically since 1980 and may climb over the coming century beyond the point at which changes become catastrophic. Another key finding, it is possible to attribute some extreme weather to climate change.

ROMANS: The study by scientists from 13 federal agencies directly contradicts claims by the president and some cabinet officials who say the human contribution to climate change is uncertain.

The National Academy of Scientists has signed off on the draft and the authors are awaiting permission from the Trump administration to release it. One of the scientists involved tells "The New York Times" he and others worry the White House will suppress this study.

MARQUEZ: And a lawsuit against two psychologists who helped design the CIA torture program is now set for trial next month.

The ACLU taking Dr. James Mitchell and Dr. John Bruce Jessen to court on behalf of two CIA detainees and the family of a third detainee who froze to death in prison. The suit claims the men were taken into custody and tortured during the War on Terror.

[05:40:13] A federal judge said Monday they can be sued, ruling private contractors who work for the U.S. government are not immune from litigation.

ROMANS: All right, 40 minutes past the hour.

President Trump isn't the only world leader facing a lack of confidence. A vote underway in South Africa could see the president and his entire cabinet ousted. We're going to go live to South Africa, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Time for a look at what's coming up on "NEW DAY." Alisyn Camerota, the esteemed author of "Amanda Wakes Up." I was just --

MARQUEZ: An all-around good egg.

ROMANS: I just saw it in "People" -- in "People" magazine -- just did a review of it, too, so I'm so proud of you.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR, "NEW DAY": Thank you so much and, I mean, I hate to brag but it's also in "O" magazine this month. I know. I mean, it's --

[05:45:00] MARQUEZ: No, no bragging here. CAMEROTA: Honestly, it just gets better.

MARQUEZ: We take it all back, Alisyn -- forget it.

CAMEROTA: I can't wait to hear what you guys think of "Amanda Wakes Up," available at bookstores now. Thank you guys very much.

Let's get to the news that is actually on the program.

There is a new report on climate change. It is described as comprehensive and alarming.

It's been signed off on by 13 federal agencies but it has not yet been released by the Trump administration. Will President Trump release it? Will he allow the public to see it?

"The New York Times" has obtained a copy of this report and we have that "New York Times" reporter joining us on "NEW DAY" to tell us what is in it.

We also have all sorts of new CNN polling about how Americans are feeling 200 days into the Trump presidency. What bothers them the most, what do they like the most? We'll bring you all that when we see you at the top -- when we see you at the top of the hour.

MARQUEZ: Shameless. That's shameless.

CAMEROTA: It really is shameless.

ROMANS: I love it. I love it.

MARQUEZ: Oh, my goodness.

ROMANS: A girl's got to sell her book. All right, thanks.

CAMEROTA: Thanks, guys.

ROMANS: Nice to see you.

MARQUEZ: Thanks, Alisyn.

Now, thousands of protesters are assembling in South Africa right now for and against the country's controversial President Jacob Zuma.

He's facing one of the most serious tests of his scandal-plagued years in office, a no-confidence vote in Parliament that could force him out. Zuma has survived no-confidence votes before. This time it's different.

Joining us from Cape Town live, CNN's David McKenzie to tell us why it is different -- David.

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right. Good morning, Miguel.

I've got thousands of protesters surrounding me here. They're here and they're all asking for one thing. That Jacob Zuma, the president, must go.

In a few hours, you could see a new president of South Africa because of this no-confidence vote. He's survived them before but this time it's a secret ballot. A surprise move by the Parliamentary speaker and it could mean that they will try to pull the ruling ANC, Nelson Mandela's party, to their side.

If they can get more than 50 votes the embattled president that has survived scandals before -- corruptions scandals and many other scandals -- could be gone. The entire cabinet could be gone.

Too early to tell, Miguel, but a festive atmosphere at this point but there will be competing protests today from the ANC and from the opposition parties. A heavy police presence here but for now, very peaceful and a very, very exciting atmosphere Ihave to say, here in South Africa, for this momentous occasion -- Miguel.

MARQUEZ: But if the party of Nelson Mandela goes down that will certainly be a sea change for South African politics. We will be watching it closely.

Thank you for being there.

ROMANS: All right, 47 minutes past the hour.

The fate -- we now know the fate of that Google engineer behind the controversial memo criticizing diversity, and Google's CEO is weighing in. That's on "Money Stream," next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:52:18] ROMANS: A manhunt is underway for a Missouri man authorities say shot and killed a police officer during a routine traffic stop.

Thirty-nine-year-old Ian James McCarthy of Clinton, Missouri faces first-degree murder charges and is considered armed and dangerous.

He was pulled over by Officer Gary Michael for a registration violation Sunday night and allegedly opened fire on the officer once he stepped out of his patrol car. Officer Michael was with the Clinton Police Department for less than a year.

MARQUEZ: Now the search for an Ohio rape suspect on the run since last week is over.

Police say Brandon Lee Powell shot and killed himself after they tracked him down to his parents' home in the rural town of Antwerp and tried to coax him out of a crawl space there. It's not clear whether his parents knew he was in their home.

Powell escaped police custody last week when he overpowered a deputy in a transport van and took off with his handgun.

ROMANS: The parents of eight-year-old Gabriel Taye have filed a lawsuit against the Cincinnati Public Schools seven months after the boy hanged himself with a necktie in his home.

They allege the school -- the school district failed to properly respond to their son being bullied. They claim they were not informed of an incident in a school bathroom that left him unconscious two days before he took his own life.

Now, a Cincinnati homicide detective who reviewed this surveillance video from the school says he saw behavior that could rise to the level of criminal assault. Look at that.

The school district would only say it's aware of the lawsuit.

MARQUEZ: Oh, seeing those little feet.

Opening statements are set to begin this afternoon in a civil trial filed against Taylor Swift. The singer is expected to testify at some point.

David Mueller, a former Denver deejay at KYGO radio, a CNN affiliate, claims he lost his job after Swift accused him of groping her backstage at one of her concerts in 2013.

Mueller filed a suit against Swift, her mother Andrea, and her radio promotions director in 2015. He is seeking millions of dollars in damages.

ROMANS: All right, let's get a check on "CNN Money Stream" this morning.

Global stock markets lower after some disappointing trade data in China. But in the U.S., the Dow and the S&P 500 both hit record high closes, the ninth in a row for the Dow. Strong earnings are keeping stocks at records.

Profits in 2017 are on track for the best growth in six years and many U.S. companies -- big companies are being helped by a weaker dollar. About 40 percent of sales for S&P 500 companies last year was overseas.

A falling dollar makes U.S. products cheaper for foreign buyers. The U.S. dollar index is down about seven percent this year.

Tesla will sell a billion and a half dollars in bonds to fund its Model 3 production. Tesla banking on its mass market Model 3 to be a rival for automakers like Ford and Chevrolet. Tesla already has 455,000 preorders --

[05:55:07] MARQUEZ: Wow.

ROMANS: -- for the electric car.

However, CEO Elon Musk warns Tesla faces, quote "manufacturinghell" as it ramps up production, so to help with the costs Musk is hoping to raise money. He's hoping bond investors are as hungry as stock investors for Tesla.Tesla's stock is up 67 percent this year. Google not confirming two reports it fired the employee who wrote a memo saying women are not biologically fit for tech jobs -- tech roles.

"Reuters" and "Bloomberg" cite e-mails from the male engineer confirming he has been axed. A Google spokesperson said it is against company policy to talk about individual employees. But Google's CEO condemns that controversial memo that was published last week.

A Google engineer published a 3,300-word manifesto criticizing Google's efforts to increase diversity, adding that the company's liberal bias makes it difficult to discuss the issue.

The CEO told employees he supports them expressing their opinions but sections of that memo violate Google's code of conduct by quote, "advancing harmful gender stereotypes." A source inside Google told CNN breaching that code often results in firing.

A lot of -- a lot of heat around this subject inside Google and outside Google. And now, this morning, you're starting to see some saying that this is all just a politically correct overreaction against this engineer.

MARQUEZ: Well, it also puts the company in a tough spot because they want their employees to be as open about their feelings or what they think is going on. But clearly, they felt whatever was in that memo went over the line.

ROMANS: It highlights a struggle in Silicon Valley for fairness and for, you know -- for fairness and diversity for women and otherwise.

All right, thanks for joining us. I'm Christine Romans.

MARQUEZ: And I'm Miguel Marquez.

Americans' trust of President Trump taking a serious hit. That and more from our new CNN polling.

"NEW DAY" starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no way to look at these numbers and to spin it and say this is good news.

ROMANS: A new CNN poll showing the president's approval rating at just 38 percent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have Republicans right now split on whether or not they believe what is being said out of the White House.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: His base and a lot of Republicans are satisfied with what he's doing with national security.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seventy percent of Americans tell us President Trump is too often tweeting in response to what he's watching on television.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The tweets have been a disaster for Donald Trump.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: North Korea vowing revenge against new U.N. sanctions.

SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D), CONNECTICUT: The sanctions now have to be vigorously enforced.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think military options have to be on the table.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo and Alisyn Camerota.

CAMEROTA: We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. This is NEW DAY. It is Tuesday, August 8th, 6:00 here in New York.

Here's our "Starting Line."

President Trump's approval rating at its lowest point in a brand new CNN poll. Just 38 percent of Americans approve of how Mr. Trump is handling his job. At six months into his presidency, the CNN poll shows erosion among the president's strongest supporters.

There is also apparently widespread mistrust of the administration. Six in 10 Americans do not think President Trump is honest and trustworthy, and three-quarters of Americans say they do not trust what they hear coming from the White House.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: With the president's credibility on the line he isn't doing himself any favors with his tweetstorms. What he chooses to tweet about and how are sources of concern.

The president repeatedly attacking a Democratic senator's war record after appearing on our show yesterday, and falsely claiming that the media isn't covering the sanctions against North Korea.

There's also an alarming report from government scientists from over a dozen agencies. The report concludes Americans are feeling the effects of climate change and human activity is the primary culprit. But this contradicts claims made by President Trump and his administration.

So the questions begin where we started with this discussion, which is will they suppress this report from being released to the public?

We have it all covered for you.

Let's start with CNN's Joe Johns live in Bridgewater, New Jersey -- Joe.

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Chris.

This new poll is a bleak picture for President Trump, especially because for most presidents this period tends to be a honeymoon with the voters. But the new CNN poll just adds to the evidence that the Russia investigation, as well as the lack of legislative accomplishments may be taking its toll.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS (voice-over): A sobering assessment from the American people of President Trump's first six months in office. The president's job approval rating now at just 38 percent, its lowest point in CNN polling.

Enthusiasm breaks against Trump with 47 percent strongly disapproving of the job President Trump has done compared with just a quarter who say they strongly approve.

Despite the president's insistence that support among his base is getting stronger, our new poll shows otherwise. Fifty-nine percent of Republicans strongly approving of the president down 14 percentage points since February.