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EARLY START

President Praises Congressman's Attack on Reporters; Close Call for Top U.S. Commander in Afghanistan. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired October 19, 2018 - 04:30   ET

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


(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[04:30:41] DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Any guy that can do a body slam, he's my kind of guy.

(CHEERS)

TRUMP: He's my guy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: The president praises a congressman for assaulting a reporter as the world waits for answers on a journalist presumed murdered by the Saudis.

DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: John Kelly and John Bolton in a screaming match in the West Wing. The pair square off over border crossings that have president threatening to shut down the border.

ROMANS: And the Boston Red Sox they are heading back to the World Series. The Sox co-hosts the Dodgers or Brewers Tuesday.

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

BRIGGS: I'm Dave Briggs. It is 4:31 Eastern Time, 1:31 in Phoenix, Arizona, where the president will wake up this morning. Another rally tonight in Arizona.

We start, though, with the latest out of Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The body of Jamal Khashoggi allegedly tortured and dismembered has yet to be found. With that story topping headlines around the world the president decided last night to praise Montana Congressman Greg Gianforte for assaulting a reporter from "The Guardian" in 2017.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Greg is smart. And by the way, never wrestle him. You understand? Never.

(CHEERS)

TRUMP: Any guy that can do a body slam, he's my kind --

(CHEERS)

TRUMP: I had heard that he body-slammed a reporter.

(CHEERS)

TRUMP: And I said, oh, this is terrible. He's going to lose the election. Then I said well, wait a minute. I know Montana pretty well. I think it might help him, and it did.

(CHEERS)

TRUMP: No, he's a great guy. Tough cookie.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The editor of "The Guardian" not amused. John Mulholland said, quote, "It runs the risk of inviting other assaults on journalists both here and across the world."

Here's a reminder of what Gianforte did to "The Guardian's" reporter Ben Jacobs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN JACOBS, REPORTER, THE GUARDIAN: Yes, but there's not going to be time. I'm just curious about that right now.

REP. GREG GIANFORTE (R), MONTANA: OK, speak with Shane, please.

I'm sick and tired of you guys. The last time you came in here, you did the same thing. Get the hell out of here.

JACOBS: Jesus --

GIANFORTE: Get the hell out of here. The last guy did that same thing. Are you with "The Guardian"?

JACOBS: Yes, and you just broke my glasses.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: So the president stands by Gianforte for that 2017 assault, capping off a week where he refused to criticize another ally attack -- accused of attacking a journalist, the Saudis. In a slight hedge, the president tells the "New York Times" he has confident in the intel report suggesting a Saudi role, but he said he's waiting for the results of investigations by Saudi Arabia and Turkey following the lead of two key advisers.

BRIGGS: Jared Kushner, who has close ties with the Saudis, urging the president to move slowly. Two sources tell CNN Kushner is warning his father-in-law against being pressured into a quick decision on Khashoggi.

Another voice in that camp, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. He briefed the president on his trip to Ankara and Riyadh and then said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE POMPEO, SECRETARY OF STATE: I told President Trump this morning that we ought to give them a few more days to complete that so that we, too, have a complete understanding of the facts surrounding that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: "The Washington Post" reporting that hardlined Republican lawmakers and commentators are mounting a whispering campaign against Khashoggi aiming to protect the president from criticism.

The "Post" says conservatives have privately exchanged right-wing articles that highlight decades-old assertions about Khashoggi's connections to the Muslim Brotherhood and raised conspiracy theories about his work as a reporter covering Osama bin Laden.

BRIGGS: A former Saudi diplomat emerging as a key figure in the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi. According to a source familiar with the Turkish investigation, Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, now a Saudi intelligence officer, was fully aware of the operation.

Mutreb is described as a kernel in the Saudi intelligence with close connections to Crown Prince bin Salman. CNN has learned Turkish officials suspected Khashoggi had been killed within hours of his disappearance. Turkish officials even raced to the Istanbul airport where a private Saudi plane was waiting to take off in an attempt to find out whether the journalist had been abducted.

ROMANS: Overnight, Secretary of State Pompeo denied an ABC News report that Turkish officials played him an audio recording and showed him a transcript of Khashoggi's apparent murder.

[04:35:09] Amid the growing controversy Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, well, made a decision finally. He will not participate in that high-profile investor conference in Saudi Arabia. The chief factor was the withdrawal of several of Mnuchin's European counterparts.

FOX Business Network, the only remaining media partner in that conference, also dropped out on Thursday.

BRIGGS: Last night at that Montana rally, the president framed the midterm elections this way. Democrats create mobs. Republicans create jobs. He also took a shot at Senator Elizabeth Warren blasting his potential 2020 rival for the DNA test she recently made public.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: The only good thing she did, I think she's probably disqualified because she made a fool out of herself. But I think the only good thing she did, I can't call her Pocahontas anymore. She has so little Indian but she has none. But I cannot call her Pocahontas anymore. But if you don't mind, I'll continue. Do you mind?

(CHEERS)

TRUMP: Because it will show everybody what a phony she is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: Senator Warren's DNA test reveals she is between 1/32nd and 1/1000 Native American.

ROMANS: Two key Democrats who are running for the Senate are trying to distance themselves from their own party with 18 days to go before the midterms. Listen to this campaign ad for Indiana incumbent Joe Donnelly. He sounds like he's checking off the Republican Party's talking points.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOE DONNELLY (D), INDIANA: I split with my own party to support funding for Trump's border wall. The liberal left wants to chop Defense spending. No way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: And Arizona Senate candidate Kyrsten Sinema admits she doesn't like to mention her party affiliation in her ads.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Are you a Democrat?

KRYSTEN SINEMA (D), ARIZONA SENATE CANDIDATE: I am.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: A proud Democrat?

SINEMA: Oh, gosh. It's hard to say proud. I don't want that word. I'm not sure that people are even proud of parties anymore because I feel like the parties are -- they're not doing a good job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: The latest forecast from CNN's Harry Enten has Donnelly defeating Mike Brown by five points and Sinema flipping Jeff Flake's beating Martha McSally by one. Very tight race there.

ROMANS: An internal report finds Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and his wife Lola violated the department's government travel policy. According to the Interior inspector general, Zinke allowed his wife to travel with him in federal vehicles and tried to side-stepped the rules by making her a volunteer at the agency. Volunteers travel free on the taxpayers' dime.

Now some Interior employees say they felt pressured to designate Mrs. Zinke as a volunteer and raised concerns. Secretary Zinke denies trying to skirt government regulations, but has reimbursed the government for his wife's travel.

BRIGGS: Internal government e-mails show President Trump was more closely involved than had been known. Scrapping plans to move the FBI out of the decaying Hoover Building to the Washington suburbs. The decision may benefit the president financially. His hotel a block away and could have ended up in competition if any hotel built on that current FBI site. Documents released by House Democrats cite e-mails from the General Services Administration.

In one a top GSA official describes the headquarters decision as, quote, "What POTUS," the president, "directed everyone to do." The GSA said in a statement that the e-mails were taken out of context.

ROMANS: A heated argument in the West Wing between two of the presidents' top aides. Sources telling Chief of Staff John Kelly and National Security Adviser John Bolton got into a loud shouting match over a recent surge in border crossings. The president irritated by the increase and is threatening to shut down the southern border on Twitter. Bolton favors a more hardlined approach to immigration and has criticized Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, who used to serve as Kelly's deputy when he ran the department. We're told the president took Bolton's side in that argument.

BRIGGS: Outgoing U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley drawing the biggest laugh of the night at the Annual Alfred E. Smith Dinner in New York. Haley was the featured speaker at the fundraiser for Catholic charities, and she was a hit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI HALEY, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: Two years ago, President Trump was here and he made some waves with his remarks. Apparently no one here could have predicted that. So last year --

(LAUGHTER)

HALEY: Last year you went with Paul Ryan, who's a Boy Scout, and that's fine, but a little boring.

(LAUGHTER)

HALEY: So this year you wanted to spice things up again, right? I get it. You wanted an Indian women. But Elizabeth Warren failed her DNA test.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Haley ended her remarks on a more serious note.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HALEY: In our toxic political environment, I've heard some people in both parties describe their opponents as enemies or evil.

[04:40:02] In America, our political opponents are not evil.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Remember the president called Democrats evil during the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation.

BRIGGS: The Boston Red Sox headed back to the World Series. A big three-run homerun in the sixth by Rafael Devers and six shocking stellar scoreless innings from David Price, lifting the Red Sox to a 4-1 victory over the defending champ the Houston Astros in Game 5 of the ALCS. That was Price's first playoff win as a starter in 12 tries. Boston lifts its record to 5-0 in October on the road. Game one of the World Series set for Tuesday at Fenway Park.

The Sox gets the Dodgers or Brewers who square off tonight in game six of the NLCS with L.A. leading that series 3-2. And one young man very happy there.

ROMANS: Yes. I love that.

All right. A very close call in America's longest war. A top U.S. commander in Afghanistan narrowly escapes injury in an insider attack that killed a powerful police chief. We've got more from the Pentagon next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:45:16] ROMANS: Recreational marijuana is now legal in Canada, but U.S. investors have the munchies for cannabis stocks. Shares of Canadian cannabis companies are trading in the U.S. Canopy Growth, Cronos and Tilray have soared this year. So has Aurora Cannabis. That's thanks to Coca-Cola. There is speculation Coke will likely invest in Aurora, which makes sense. People are drinking less soda and Coke is looking to expand its business beyond soft drinks telling CNN its closely watching the growth of cannabis-infused drinks.

But pot infused drinks won't hit U.S. stores yet. Cannabis still illegal in the U.S. under federal law even though a number of states allow it. So what can you do if you're traveling to Canada where, by the way, this was made legal this week. Even if you live in a U.S. state where pot is legal like Colorado, you cannot cross the U.S. border with it. So don't try to fly with it in your carry-on. And the exact rules are different across different Canadian cities and provinces so our advice to international travelers who are interested in this space, check local laws and age limits before you go.

BRIGGS: A stunning breach of security in Afghanistan. The top commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan narrowly escapes an injury on an insider attack on local police. A powerful Afghan police chief was killed in the attack.

Ryan Browne has the latest from the Pentagon.

RYAN BROWNE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine and Dave.

A senior Afghan police chief and critical U.S. ally was killed in an insider attack in a government compound in Kandahar yesterday. Now this attack took place while just after the senior Afghan official was meeting with the top U.S. general in Afghanistan, General Scott Miller, who was not injured in the attack but two Americans were wounded. A U.S. service member and a U.S. civilian government employee. A coalition contractor was also wounded in the attack.

Now U.S. troops were able to kill the assailant but the Taliban claimed responsibility for the assassination attempt. And the assassination of a key U.S. ally as Afghanistan readies for elections this month raises questions about the country's ability to ensure security and stability as the U.S. seeks to transfer full security responsibility to the Afghanistan government.

Back to you, guys.

ROMANS: All right, Ryan. Thank you so much for that.

All right. Who has it tougher? A congressman or a prison inmate? One congressman's remarks might surprise you.

BRIGGS: And LeBron James makes his Lakers debut. He put out a show but did the Lakers get a win? The answer ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:52:28] ROMANS: All right. A curious comment from Republican Congressman Dave Brat. He stopped by a Virginia jail Wednesday to speak with inmates about addiction. In audio obtained by the "Washington Post" Brat draws parallels between the campaign attack ads against him and the challenges inmates face. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DAVE BRAT (R), VIRGINIA: You think you're having a hard time. I got $5 million worth of negative ads going at me. How do you think I'm feeling? Nothing's easy. For anybody. You think I'm a congressman, oh, life's easy. This guy's off having steaks. Baloney, I got a daughter. She's got to deal with that crap on TV every day. All right? So it's tough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: Moments later, he told the inmates he is not dismissing the fact that they do have it tougher. His Democratic opponent Abigail Spanberger called Brat's comments disturbing and damaging.

BRIGGS: The Justice Department issuing subpoenas to at least seven of the eight Catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania. Part of an ongoing investigation into priest sex abuse. Advocates for survivors say this is the first federal probe of this size and scope into sex abuse by American Catholic clergy. A Pennsylvania grand jury reports found credible evidence that 301 predator priests abused more than 1,000 children in six dioceses since 1947.

The Justice Department also subpoenaed the Buffalo diocese seeking information about pornography, taking victims across state lines and inappropriate use of cell phones and social media.

ROMANS: The former president of USA Gymnastics discussed a possible job offer with the FBI agent investigating Dr. Larry Nassar. The "New York Times" reports Steve Penny talked with Agent Jay Abbott about a top security job at the U.S. Olympic Committee. Penny's lawyer tells the "Times" his client did not think Abbott was on the Nassar case and denies any conflict of interest.

The "Times" also reports Penny e-mailed FBI employees to get their take on how to word public statements about the investigation. Penny was arrested Wednesday for alleged evidence tampering in the Nassar probe.

BRIGGS: Florida Governor Rick Scott making sure voters in eight counties badly hit by Hurricane Michael can cast ballots in the midterms. Scott signing an executive order letting election supervisors extend the number of early voting days and designate additional early voting locations. The overall number of deaths in the storm has risen to 35, 25 of those in Florida.

ROMANS: Chicago police suspect possible foul play in the disappearance of a postal worker. 26-year-old Kierra Coles, three months pregnant, has been missing since she left her apartment on the Southwest Side on October 2nd.

[04:55:03] Police say they continue to receive leads and tips. More than $28,000 in reward money being offered by the Postal Service and the Postal Workers Union.

BRIGGS: A Wisconsin sheriff says he has a 100 percent expectation that a missing 13-year-old girl is still alive. Police and volunteers searched the side of a highway on Thursday looking for Jayme Closs. The girl's parents were found shot to death in their home this week. Authorities believe Jayme might have been there and then vanished. Investigators have received more than 800 tips but have no confirmed sightings of the girl.

Cold air moving into the northeast this weekend. Meteorologist Derek van Dam here you're your forecast.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Dave and Christine.

People across New England are waking up to a frosty Friday. In fact over 50 million Americans under a freeze warning or a frost advisory so don't be surprised if you stepped outside your house. Just away from the city center of D.C. and Philadelphia, for instance, and you see some of that frost just scattered across your front lawn. Well, it is that time of year, right? Cool autumn air is going to continue to settle in over the eastern half of the country right through the weekend.

Look at this contrast of temperatures. We have a struggle between summer and almost winter here. Look at New York, 60 today. We'll end up the weekend at 47. Similar temperatures expected across D.C. and further south. Now we still have our flood threat ongoing across central and western Texas. We have flood watch and flood warning from Dallas all the way to San Angelo. So keep that in mind. An additional one to two inches of rainfall over the next 48 hours.

Look at the moisture just streaming across the Ohio River Valley. You can track that cold front across the region and just a head's up, if you're in Southern California. Red-flag warning in effect today for L.A. High fire threat exists across that region.

Back to you.

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

And now throw some more money in that office pool. The Megamillions Jackpot is up to $970 million. I can't even believe I'm reading that number. The cash option $549 million.

BRIGGS: It's remarkable.

ROMANS: It's the largest Megamillions pot ever. The jackpot has been building since July 24th. The drawing is at 11:00 p.m. Eastern tonight.

BRIGGS: And you're add in Powerball, you're talking about 1.4 billion bucks on the line.

LeBron James era begins for the Lakers, but not exactly the way they planned. The former Cavalier did have 26 points and 12 rebounds in his first game but it was all Trailblazers, 128-119. Led by Damien Millard's 28 points. Portland won its 18th straight home opener, that's an NBA record.

ROMANS: All right. Let's get a check on business this morning. Global stocks slightly higher today, but volatility back in a big way on Wall Street. It's been a rough October for stocks. The Dow lost another 300 points yesterday. Now down about 4 percent this month. The Nasdaq's October losses is 7 percent. Selling yesterday accelerated after the Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin backed out of a conference in Saudi Arabia. No other U.S. officials will attend.

But global investors have a long list of worries here. Rising interest rates, the U.S. trade war with China, in fact China's economy is growing at the slowest pace since the financial crisis. 6.5 percent growth in the third quarter.

It's a tuna conspiracy. StarKist face up to $100 million in fines after pleading guilty to price fixing. Federal prosecutors announced the plea yesterday. Three companies including StarKist and Bumble Bee accused of working together to keep canned tuna prices higher, raising costs for consumers from 2010 to 2013. This is part of a larger investigation into the canned tuna industry. Bumble Bee Foods paid a $25 million fine last year.

Elon Musk's newest Tesla is cheap, but not as cheap as he promised. Tesla announced its newest Model 3 sedan on its Web site yesterday. The more affordable model without all the bells and whistles is supposed to be priced around 35 grand. But that's after rebates and discounts. The actual listed price is $45,000. Tesla says customers will be eligible for the $7500 tax credit if they take delivery by the end of this year. That tax credit drops in half on January 1st.

BRIGGS: That's a big difference.

ROMANS: Yes. BRIGGS: Ten grand.

OK. EARLY START continues right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Any guy that can do a body slam, he's my kind --

(CHEERS)

TRUMP: He's my guy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The president praises a congressman for assaulting a reporter as the world waits for answers on a journalist presumed murdered by the Saudis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HALEY: In America, our political opponents are not evil.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: U.N. ambassador with harsh words for both sides of the aisle. Condemning language even used by our president.

ROMANS: And the Boston Red Sox heading back to the World Series. The Sox will host the Dodgers or the Brewers Tuesday night.

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

BRIGGS: Congratulations, Sox. And I'm Dave Briggs. It is Friday, October 19th. 5:00 a.m. in the East. It is 3:00 a.m. in Montana where the president rallied last night.

We start with the latest on that missing journalist. The body of Jamal Khashoggi allegedly tortured and dismembered is yet to be found.