Transcripts For CNNW Early Start With Christine Romans And D

No. In this administration. Im christine romans. It is tuesday, may 16th, 4 00 a. M. In the east. And heres what were talking about. After months of venting over the talk about russia and white house leaks, President Trump has now combined those two stories into one giant selfinflicted wound. The white house pushing back fiercely against reports the president shared highly classified information with russias foreign minister and white house meeting last week. Cnn has now confirmed the key points of the story first reported by the Washington Post. One official with knowledge telling the post that trump said, i get great intel. I have people brief me on great intel every day before he reportedly relayed the intelligence details. The president did not directly reveal the source of the information, but intel officials tell cnn the concern is russia will be able to figure out the highly sensitive source, highly sensitive in part because the information came from a foreign ally. The intel relates to what is called a special Access Program or s. A. Covering some of the most Sensitive Information protected with unique security protocols. The white house once again spinning into damage control. Cnns sara murray starts our coverage from the white house. Reporter good morning, dave and christine. Another day at the white house and another damaging headline. On monday evening, Administration Officials were sent scrambling, insisting the president did not jeopardize classified information and share it with russian officials. Theres nothing that the president takes more seriously than the security of the american people. The story that came out tonight as reported is false. The president and the foreign minister reviewed a range of common threats to our two countries, including threats to civil aviation. At no time, at no time were intelligence sources or methods discussed, and the president did not disclose any military operations that were not already publicly known. I was in the room. It didnt happen. Reporter those comments from President Trumps National Security adviser, h. R. Mcmaster, coming after the Washington Post broke the story that President Trump shared classified information with russias foreign minister and ambassador in a meeting at the white house last week. Now, cnn has confirmed the main details of this story. One thing is clear despite the white houses denial, this has certainly sent the white house off of its message. They were hoping to reset this week after the president s controversial firing of fbi director james comey and instead focus on their new fbi director, focus on the upcoming foreign trip. But if monday is any indication, its clear thats not going to come easy. Back to you guys. All right, sara murray, after a very busy night at the white house. You heard h. R. Mcmaster refer to the story as reported. The National Security adviser essentially saying that if there is so much as a single detail in the post report that is wrong, he can dismiss the whole thing. One of the authors of the report, correspondent greg miller, tells cnn the white house claim the president didnt reveal sources and methods pushes back against something the post never reported. The post never said that. Miller stands by the main point of the story that the president disclosed highly classified details to russian officials. I think that the white house is playing word games here to that effect to try to blunt the impact of this story, nor do any of these white house officials who are denouncing this story, nor have any of them offered any explanation as to why if this was all above board and not problematic in any way, why did the National Security council coming out of this meeting feel it was necessary to contact the cia director and the director of the National Security agency to give them a headsup on what trump had just told the russians . Now, that Washington Post report has now been confirmed by the new york times, the wall street journal, reuters and buzzfeed. But in the hours after the post report, the white house response was, well, mostly confused. Before mcmaster spoke, the administration issued sever statements, mostly focuses on those sources and methods which this report did not address. One statement from secretary of state Rex Tillerson caught the state Department Even by surprise. It issued its own similar statement 20 minutes later, after seeing tillersons statement on cnn. Classified information at the center of this controversy involves isis plans to use Laptop Computers as bombs to take down airplanes. Cnn first reported in april that u. S. Intelligence agencies discovered terror groups were developing new techniques to plant bombs in devices capable of evading Airport Security screenings, an incredibly dangerous and important National Security issue. The Trump Administration later imposed a ban on devices larger than cell phones for passengers flying from eight middle east and african countries, citing factors, including human intelligence. At the time, cnn agreed to withhold key details of the intelligence, including the city where the laptop threat was detected by a u. S. Ally because u. S. Officials were concerned about revealing sensitive sources and methods. The Washington Post story citing u. S. Officials says President Trump revealed the name of that city to russias foreign minister and ambassador, and those officials are now extremely concerned about the president compromising a critical isis intelligence source and its impact on global u. S. Security partnerships. They also worry mr. Trump might have put the lives of u. S. Agents in the field at risk. Some Security Experts even musing yesterday that they may have put the sources themselves at risk, where sources of very important information. Lawmakers reacting to the report with deep concern, with alarm. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi saying at a cnn town hall that if the president did what is alleged, it would be very damaging. This is a very serious matter. This is code word source highly classified information revealed to an adversarial country and to do so in a way, very sophisticated intelligence russia never stopped. Putin was head of the kgb. This is what they do. And on the republican side, senator bob corker, chairman of the Foreign Relations committee, saying of the white house, theyre in a downward spiral right now and have got to figure out a way to come to grips with all thats happening. Corker says you know the shame of it is really theres a good National Security team in place, but the chaos that is being created by the lack of discipline, it creates a worrisome environment. The ranking democrat on the house intelligence committee, adam schiff, calling it deeply disturbing and demanding a briefing for his committee. On the lighter side, senator Susan Collins quipped to reporters, can we have a crisisfree day . Thats all im asking. If President Trump did reveal classified information to the russian diplomats, critics might call it reckless and irresponsible, but in fact, it is unlikely he broke the law here. Thats because the president has Broad Authority to declassify government secrets and can even do it by merely stating something in a public setting. Listen to the reaction of former cia chief james woolsey, who served for a period of time on the president s transition team. We have to distinguish between whats legally permitted and what is wise. It is legally permitted for the president to declassified something, even if he does it quickly and without giving it much thought. Theres not a legal requirement on that. But its not wise to do that. Now under the heading of political irony, remember the president in many of his key supporters have a history of going after others who allegedly disclosed Sensitive Information. Heres how speaker paul ryan, tweeting about Hillary Clinton last july its simple. Individuals who are extremely careless with classified info should be denied further access to it, talking, of course, about the fbi director, you know, determination that she was extremely careless with her email. Yeah, the private server. White house chief of staff reince priebus, same time frame those who mishandled classified info have had their security clearances revoked, lost their jobs, faced fines, and even been sent to prison. As for the president himself, listen to his words. We cant hand over our government to someone whose deepest, darkest secrets may be in the hands of our enemies. I dont think its safe to have Hillary Clinton be briefed on National Security because the word will get out. We cant have someone in the oval office who doesnt understand the meaning of of the word confidential or classified. More along the same lines from last summer, the president tweeting crooked Hillary Clinton and her team were extremely careless in the handling of sensitive, highly classified information. Not fit. Worth noting, the quote in that tweet is from now former fbi director james comey. And look, this is like most stories right now, there are two entirely different political narratives being spun out there, and one is that this is all fake news, that this is all denied by the white house and the very wellrespected National Security team, and the other is that this is a serious threat to our National Security and a serious breach of what we expect of the president. We will try to get to the bottom of all of this over the next two hours. But first, classified information not the only topic the white house struggling to clean up. What the president may or may not have said. Why wont you just explain whether or not there are recordings of the president s made it clear what his position is. Still no real explanation on the president s veiled threat to release recordings of james comey. Thats next. Sometimes you just know when you hit a home run. Thats how i feel about blueemu pain relief spray. Odorless and fastacting. It soothes all my muscle aches and pains. And its convenient for those hard to reach places. And if youre like me, youll love blueemu super strength cream. Its made with real emu oil, its non greasy, its a deep penetrating formula that works itself down into your joints. Take it from me. It works fast and you wont stink. Blueemu, it works for me itll work for you. You wont see these folks they have businesses to run. They have passions to pursue. How do they avoid trips to the post office . Stamps. Com mail letters, ship packages, all the services of the post office right on your computer. Get a 4 week trial, plus 100 in extras including postage and a digital scale. Go to stamps. Com tv and never go to the post office again. Im alex trebek. If youre age 50 to 85, i have an Important Message about security. Write down the number on your screen, so you can call when i finish. The lock i want to talk to you about isnt the one on your door. This is a lock for your Life Insurance, a rate lock, that guarantees your rate can never go up at any time, for any reason. But be careful. Many policies you see do not have one, but you can get a lifetime rate lock through the Colonial Penn program. Call this number to learn more. This plan was designed with a rate lock for people on a fixed income who want affordable Life Insurance thats simple to get. Coverage options for just 9. 95 a month, less than 35 cents a day. Act now and your rate will be locked in for life. It will never increase, guaranteed. This is lifelong coverage that can never be cancelled as long as you pay your premiums, guaranteed. And your acceptance is guaranteed, with no health questions. You cannot be turned down because of your health. Call for your information kit and read about this rate lock for yourself. Youll also get a free gift with great information both are free, with no obligation, so dont miss out. Call for information, then decide. Read about the 30 day, 100 percent money back guarantee. Dont wait, call this number now. The white house is refusing to confirm or deny whether the president is recording phone calls at the white house. Mr. Trump made a thinly veiled threat against james comey last week, tweeting the twird fbi director better hope there are no tapes of their conversations before he decides on start leaking. Spokesman sean spicer offering no clarity on this controversy. I think i made it clear last week that the president has nothing further on that. I made it clear what the president s position is on that issue. Why wont you just explain whether or not there are recordings of president i think the president s made it clear what his position is. Attorney general Jeff Sessions met with President Trump about the search for a new fbi director on monday. It is not known whether sessions offered a final recommendation or just an update. Well, out on the table, when turkeys controversial leader meets with President Trump at the white house today, president recep erdogan is critical of nearly everything the u. S. Wants to accomplish in the middle east and the war on terror, but the relationship is conflicted certainly. Mohammed nilou has more. How did the president s decision to arm the syrian kurds undermine, perhaps loom over this meeting today . Good morning, dave. Yeah, its certainly going to loom over the meeting in a big way. Look, you have two World Leaders with similar personality traits, but with policy, theyre very far apart. Turkeys president erdogan is going into this meeting with two goals. The first is to convince the United States to stop arming and backing kurdish groups on the ground in syria. The United States is backing them to help topple isis. Turkey considers some of those groups terrorist groups and wants that to start. The u. S. Wants them to extradite fatah gullon and turkey wants them extradited because they say hes behind the failed military coup attempt last year. Two very big demands. Its unclear whether the Trump Administration is willing to concede to either of them. But of course, the fallout also might be some of the intelligence information that was passed on to russia. Look, we know that in syria and the fight against isis, russia and turkey are not fighting directly, but we know that theyre backing opposite sides. Russia backs syrias government, president bashar al assad, and turkey backs a lot of the rebel groups that are fighting bashar al assad, so we dont know what the nature of that intelligence was, but of course, if youre turkey, youve got to be concerned that that intelligence might endanger some of your own operations and your own troops on the ground right now fighting isis. So, youve got to imagine thats got to be a major concern for turkey, something president erdogan might raise directly with President Trump when they meet today. Dave . Mohammed, thank you. Of course, theres a question of how does the United States, the Trump Administration, value human rights, but now that takes a back seat because of this latest controversy. Thank you. All right, a possible link between the worldwide cyber attack and north korea. Is pyongyang expanding its nefarious activities . We go live to seoul. But weve got the get tdigital tools to help. Now with xfinitys my account, you can figure things out easily, so you wont even have to call us. Change your wifi password to something you can actually remember, instantly. Add that premium channel, and watch the show everyones talking about, tonight. And the bill you need to pay . Do it in seconds. Because we should fit into your life, not the other way around. Go to xfinity. Com myaccount missile tests and a Nuclear Threat may not be the only concerns about north korea. Security experts tracking the Global Ransomware attack that affected 150 countries say the trail of clues could lead back to the north korean regime, which has a long record of computer criminality. Cnns alexandra field followng the developments and joining us live from seoul. Good morning to you, alexandra. What do we know this morning . Reporter good morning, dave. Well, look, this is the beginning of a massive investigation. Youre talking about more than 300,000 cases, more than 150 countries. So, yes, there are a lot of governments around the world who want to know who is at the root of this attack, and the job of figuring that out falls on Security Firms and researchers. One breakthrough now is that a researcher at google has said that code used in the attack bears similarities to code that has been used by a north Korean Hacking Group called the Lazarus Group. No comment from google, but two major Security Firms are saying they have found the same similarities. They say this is still a weak connection. They need stronger connections. And another President Trump<\/a> has now combined those two stories into one giant selfinflicted wound. The white house pushing back fiercely against reports the president shared highly classified information with russias foreign minister and white house meeting last week. Cnn has now confirmed the key points of the story first reported by the Washington Post<\/a>. One official with knowledge telling the post that trump said, i get great intel. I have people brief me on great intel every day before he reportedly relayed the intelligence details. The president did not directly reveal the source of the information, but intel officials tell cnn the concern is russia will be able to figure out the highly sensitive source, highly sensitive in part because the information came from a foreign ally. The intel relates to what is called a special Access Program<\/a> or s. A. Covering some of the most Sensitive Information<\/a> protected with unique security protocols. The white house once again spinning into damage control. Cnns sara murray starts our coverage from the white house. Reporter good morning, dave and christine. Another day at the white house and another damaging headline. On monday evening, Administration Officials<\/a> were sent scrambling, insisting the president did not jeopardize classified information and share it with russian officials. Theres nothing that the president takes more seriously than the security of the american people. The story that came out tonight as reported is false. The president and the foreign minister reviewed a range of common threats to our two countries, including threats to civil aviation. At no time, at no time were intelligence sources or methods discussed, and the president did not disclose any military operations that were not already publicly known. I was in the room. It didnt happen. Reporter those comments from President Trump<\/a>s National Security<\/a> adviser, h. R. Mcmaster, coming after the Washington Post<\/a> broke the story that President Trump<\/a> shared classified information with russias foreign minister and ambassador in a meeting at the white house last week. Now, cnn has confirmed the main details of this story. One thing is clear despite the white houses denial, this has certainly sent the white house off of its message. They were hoping to reset this week after the president s controversial firing of fbi director james comey and instead focus on their new fbi director, focus on the upcoming foreign trip. But if monday is any indication, its clear thats not going to come easy. Back to you guys. All right, sara murray, after a very busy night at the white house. You heard h. R. Mcmaster refer to the story as reported. The National Security<\/a> adviser essentially saying that if there is so much as a single detail in the post report that is wrong, he can dismiss the whole thing. One of the authors of the report, correspondent greg miller, tells cnn the white house claim the president didnt reveal sources and methods pushes back against something the post never reported. The post never said that. Miller stands by the main point of the story that the president disclosed highly classified details to russian officials. I think that the white house is playing word games here to that effect to try to blunt the impact of this story, nor do any of these white house officials who are denouncing this story, nor have any of them offered any explanation as to why if this was all above board and not problematic in any way, why did the National Security<\/a> council coming out of this meeting feel it was necessary to contact the cia director and the director of the National Security<\/a> agency to give them a headsup on what trump had just told the russians . Now, that Washington Post<\/a> report has now been confirmed by the new york times, the wall street journal, reuters and buzzfeed. But in the hours after the post report, the white house response was, well, mostly confused. Before mcmaster spoke, the administration issued sever statements, mostly focuses on those sources and methods which this report did not address. One statement from secretary of state Rex Tillerson<\/a> caught the state Department Even<\/a> by surprise. It issued its own similar statement 20 minutes later, after seeing tillersons statement on cnn. Classified information at the center of this controversy involves isis plans to use Laptop Computers<\/a> as bombs to take down airplanes. Cnn first reported in april that u. S. Intelligence agencies discovered terror groups were developing new techniques to plant bombs in devices capable of evading Airport Security<\/a> screenings, an incredibly dangerous and important National Security<\/a> issue. The Trump Administration<\/a> later imposed a ban on devices larger than cell phones for passengers flying from eight middle east and african countries, citing factors, including human intelligence. At the time, cnn agreed to withhold key details of the intelligence, including the city where the laptop threat was detected by a u. S. Ally because u. S. Officials were concerned about revealing sensitive sources and methods. The Washington Post<\/a> story citing u. S. Officials says President Trump<\/a> revealed the name of that city to russias foreign minister and ambassador, and those officials are now extremely concerned about the president compromising a critical isis intelligence source and its impact on global u. S. Security partnerships. They also worry mr. Trump might have put the lives of u. S. Agents in the field at risk. Some Security Experts<\/a> even musing yesterday that they may have put the sources themselves at risk, where sources of very important information. Lawmakers reacting to the report with deep concern, with alarm. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi<\/a> saying at a cnn town hall that if the president did what is alleged, it would be very damaging. This is a very serious matter. This is code word source highly classified information revealed to an adversarial country and to do so in a way, very sophisticated intelligence russia never stopped. Putin was head of the kgb. This is what they do. And on the republican side, senator bob corker, chairman of the Foreign Relations<\/a> committee, saying of the white house, theyre in a downward spiral right now and have got to figure out a way to come to grips with all thats happening. Corker says you know the shame of it is really theres a good National Security<\/a> team in place, but the chaos that is being created by the lack of discipline, it creates a worrisome environment. The ranking democrat on the house intelligence committee, adam schiff, calling it deeply disturbing and demanding a briefing for his committee. On the lighter side, senator Susan Collins<\/a> quipped to reporters, can we have a crisisfree day . Thats all im asking. If President Trump<\/a> did reveal classified information to the russian diplomats, critics might call it reckless and irresponsible, but in fact, it is unlikely he broke the law here. Thats because the president has Broad Authority<\/a> to declassify government secrets and can even do it by merely stating something in a public setting. Listen to the reaction of former cia chief james woolsey, who served for a period of time on the president s transition team. We have to distinguish between whats legally permitted and what is wise. It is legally permitted for the president to declassified something, even if he does it quickly and without giving it much thought. Theres not a legal requirement on that. But its not wise to do that. Now under the heading of political irony, remember the president in many of his key supporters have a history of going after others who allegedly disclosed Sensitive Information<\/a>. Heres how speaker paul ryan, tweeting about Hillary Clinton<\/a> last july its simple. Individuals who are extremely careless with classified info should be denied further access to it, talking, of course, about the fbi director, you know, determination that she was extremely careless with her email. Yeah, the private server. White house chief of staff reince priebus, same time frame those who mishandled classified info have had their security clearances revoked, lost their jobs, faced fines, and even been sent to prison. As for the president himself, listen to his words. We cant hand over our government to someone whose deepest, darkest secrets may be in the hands of our enemies. I dont think its safe to have Hillary Clinton<\/a> be briefed on National Security<\/a> because the word will get out. We cant have someone in the oval office who doesnt understand the meaning of of the word confidential or classified. More along the same lines from last summer, the president tweeting crooked Hillary Clinton<\/a> and her team were extremely careless in the handling of sensitive, highly classified information. Not fit. Worth noting, the quote in that tweet is from now former fbi director james comey. And look, this is like most stories right now, there are two entirely different political narratives being spun out there, and one is that this is all fake news, that this is all denied by the white house and the very wellrespected National Security<\/a> team, and the other is that this is a serious threat to our National Security<\/a> and a serious breach of what we expect of the president. We will try to get to the bottom of all of this over the next two hours. But first, classified information not the only topic the white house struggling to clean up. What the president may or may not have said. Why wont you just explain whether or not there are recordings of the president s made it clear what his position is. Still no real explanation on the president s veiled threat to release recordings of james comey. Thats next. Sometimes you just know when you hit a home run. Thats how i feel about blueemu pain relief spray. Odorless and fastacting. It soothes all my muscle aches and pains. And its convenient for those hard to reach places. And if youre like me, youll love blueemu super strength cream. Its made with real emu oil, its non greasy, its a deep penetrating formula that works itself down into your joints. Take it from me. It works fast and you wont stink. Blueemu, it works for me itll work for you. You wont see these folks they have businesses to run. They have passions to pursue. How do they avoid trips to the post office . Stamps. Com mail letters, ship packages, all the services of the post office right on your computer. Get a 4 week trial, plus 100 in extras including postage and a digital scale. Go to stamps. Com tv and never go to the post office again. Im alex trebek. If youre age 50 to 85, i have an Important Message<\/a> about security. Write down the number on your screen, so you can call when i finish. The lock i want to talk to you about isnt the one on your door. This is a lock for your Life Insurance<\/a>, a rate lock, that guarantees your rate can never go up at any time, for any reason. But be careful. Many policies you see do not have one, but you can get a lifetime rate lock through the Colonial Penn<\/a> program. Call this number to learn more. This plan was designed with a rate lock for people on a fixed income who want affordable Life Insurance<\/a> thats simple to get. Coverage options for just 9. 95 a month, less than 35 cents a day. Act now and your rate will be locked in for life. It will never increase, guaranteed. This is lifelong coverage that can never be cancelled as long as you pay your premiums, guaranteed. And your acceptance is guaranteed, with no health questions. You cannot be turned down because of your health. Call for your information kit and read about this rate lock for yourself. Youll also get a free gift with great information both are free, with no obligation, so dont miss out. Call for information, then decide. Read about the 30 day, 100 percent money back guarantee. Dont wait, call this number now. The white house is refusing to confirm or deny whether the president is recording phone calls at the white house. Mr. Trump made a thinly veiled threat against james comey last week, tweeting the twird fbi director better hope there are no tapes of their conversations before he decides on start leaking. Spokesman sean spicer offering no clarity on this controversy. I think i made it clear last week that the president has nothing further on that. I made it clear what the president s position is on that issue. Why wont you just explain whether or not there are recordings of president i think the president s made it clear what his position is. Attorney general Jeff Sessions<\/a> met with President Trump<\/a> about the search for a new fbi director on monday. It is not known whether sessions offered a final recommendation or just an update. Well, out on the table, when turkeys controversial leader meets with President Trump<\/a> at the white house today, president recep erdogan is critical of nearly everything the u. S. Wants to accomplish in the middle east and the war on terror, but the relationship is conflicted certainly. Mohammed nilou has more. How did the president s decision to arm the syrian kurds undermine, perhaps loom over this meeting today . Good morning, dave. Yeah, its certainly going to loom over the meeting in a big way. Look, you have two World Leaders<\/a> with similar personality traits, but with policy, theyre very far apart. Turkeys president erdogan is going into this meeting with two goals. The first is to convince the United States<\/a> to stop arming and backing kurdish groups on the ground in syria. The United States<\/a> is backing them to help topple isis. Turkey considers some of those groups terrorist groups and wants that to start. The u. S. Wants them to extradite fatah gullon and turkey wants them extradited because they say hes behind the failed military coup attempt last year. Two very big demands. Its unclear whether the Trump Administration<\/a> is willing to concede to either of them. But of course, the fallout also might be some of the intelligence information that was passed on to russia. Look, we know that in syria and the fight against isis, russia and turkey are not fighting directly, but we know that theyre backing opposite sides. Russia backs syrias government, president bashar al assad, and turkey backs a lot of the rebel groups that are fighting bashar al assad, so we dont know what the nature of that intelligence was, but of course, if youre turkey, youve got to be concerned that that intelligence might endanger some of your own operations and your own troops on the ground right now fighting isis. So, youve got to imagine thats got to be a major concern for turkey, something president erdogan might raise directly with President Trump<\/a> when they meet today. Dave . Mohammed, thank you. Of course, theres a question of how does the United States<\/a>, the Trump Administration<\/a>, value human rights, but now that takes a back seat because of this latest controversy. Thank you. All right, a possible link between the worldwide cyber attack and north korea. Is pyongyang expanding its nefarious activities . We go live to seoul. But weve got the get tdigital tools to help. Now with xfinitys my account, you can figure things out easily, so you wont even have to call us. Change your wifi password to something you can actually remember, instantly. Add that premium channel, and watch the show everyones talking about, tonight. And the bill you need to pay . Do it in seconds. Because we should fit into your life, not the other way around. Go to xfinity. Com myaccount missile tests and a Nuclear Threat<\/a> may not be the only concerns about north korea. Security experts tracking the Global Ransomware<\/a> attack that affected 150 countries say the trail of clues could lead back to the north korean regime, which has a long record of computer criminality. Cnns alexandra field followng the developments and joining us live from seoul. Good morning to you, alexandra. What do we know this morning . Reporter good morning, dave. Well, look, this is the beginning of a massive investigation. Youre talking about more than 300,000 cases, more than 150 countries. So, yes, there are a lot of governments around the world who want to know who is at the root of this attack, and the job of figuring that out falls on Security Firm<\/a>s and researchers. One breakthrough now is that a researcher at google has said that code used in the attack bears similarities to code that has been used by a north Korean Hacking Group<\/a> called the Lazarus Group<\/a>. No comment from google, but two major Security Firm<\/a>s are saying they have found the same similarities. They say this is still a weak connection. They need stronger connections. And another Security Firm<\/a> says that the similarity is not unique enough to point in any definitive way to the operator here, but this is one piece of evidence that certainly researchers and Security Firm<\/a>s are going to be looking at. What they do in these cases in order to find out who is at the origin of these attacks is to try and look for code thats been used by known groups in the past. That may be what led them to look at lazarus. Lazarus is the group out of north korea that was linked to the major hack of Sony Pictures<\/a> in 2014 after Sony Pictures<\/a> produced a spoof film about north korea. Lazarus has also been linked to Cyber Attacks<\/a> on banks around the world. Right here in south korea, officials arent pointing to north korea. They say this is still the beginning of the investigation into who is behind this attack, but dave, defense officials here have in the past said that north korea is responsible for at least ten cyber plots in just the last decade alone. And defense officials here believe that north korea continues to build up its capacity to carry out Cyber Attacks<\/a>. They say that the cyber attack team inside north korea is 6,800 people strong. Dave . Wow. And more than 300,000 worldwide users impacted by that cyber attack. Alex, thank you. All right, desperate attempts to contain the worlds biggest cyber attack appear to be working. The infection did not spread as much as Law Enforcement<\/a> expected yesterday. Still, the virus that hit 150 countries was a wakeup call for the world and investors. Cybersecurity stocks, dave, look at that, monday big jumps for Companies Like<\/a> palo alto networks, symantec and fireeye. Cybersecurity is a big and growing business. Funds for the sector are up about 35 in the past year. The latest attack, which locked computers and demands payment to open them targeted machines running Microsoft Windows<\/a> without uptodate security. In an unusual move, microsoft swiping at the u. S. Government for the attack. Thats because the tools used in this malware were stolen from the nsa. Microsoft president brad smith telling cnn, thats why we need new rules about government stockpiling cyber weapons. One of these rules should actually put new restraints on governments so that theyre not hoarding these vulnerabilities, theyre not creating all of these exploits, and when they are, that theyre keeping them secure. He added that microsoft wants a Digital Geneva Convention<\/a> for cyber weapons. So, imagine, you know, governments can see these vulnerabilities in, you know, operating systems are the global economy, basically, has them, sees them, could use them if they wanted. Maybe dont. Theyre just stockpiling it as a cyber weapon, but then its hacked or leaked and then its out there. We still dont know if it was hacked or leaked by the nsa. We dont know. We dont know. Cybersecurity, the emerging economy. Yep. Global. All right, talk about mixed messages from the white house. We cant have someone in the oval office who doesnt understand the meaning of the word confidential or classified. What a difference eight months makes. The president himself now accusing divulging classified information to the russians. Im alex trebek. If youre age 50 to 85, i have an Important Message<\/a> about security. Write down the number on your screen, so you can call when i finish. The lock i want to talk to you about isnt the one on your door. This is a lock for your Life Insurance<\/a>, a rate lock, that guarantees your rate can never go up at any time, for any reason. But be careful. Many policies you see do not have one, but you can get a lifetime rate lock through the Colonial Penn<\/a> program. Call this number to learn more. This plan was designed with a rate lock for people on a fixed income who want affordable Life Insurance<\/a> thats simple to get. Coverage options for just 9. 95 a month, less than 35 cents a day. Act now and your rate will be locked in for life. It will never increase, guaranteed. This is lifelong coverage that can never be cancelled as long as you pay your premiums, guaranteed. And your acceptance is guaranteed, with no health questions. You cannot be turned down because of your health. Call for your information kit and read about this rate lock for yourself. Youll also get a free gift with great information both are free, with no obligation, so dont miss out. Call for information, then decide. Read about the 30 day, 100 percent money back guarantee. Dont wait, call this number now. The story that came out tonight as reported is false. I was in the room. It didnt happen. Thats what the white house says, but sources tell cnn and many others the president shared classified information with the russians. How did it happen, and what is the danger now for the u. S. And its allies around the world . A blockbuster report that is still being felt this morning. Welcome back to early start. Im christine romans. And im dave briggs. It is 31 minutes past the hour. We are blind and dancing on the precipice. Thats what one Foreign Policy<\/a> expert said of this latest story. Just when it seemed the optics of the president s relationship with russia could not get worse, the white house pushing back fiercely against reports the president shared highly classified information with russias foreign minister and ambassador to the u. S. In a white house meeting last week in the oval. Cnn has non confirmed the key points of the story first reported by the Washington Post<\/a>. One official with knowledge telling the post, i get great intel. I have people brief me on great intel every day, before the president relayed the intelligence details. The president did not directly reveal the source of the information, but intelligence officials tell cnn the concern is russia will be able to figure out the highly sensitive source. Its highly sensitive in part because the information came from a foreign ally. The white house once again spinning into damage control. Cnns sara murray starts our coverage from the white house. Reporter good morning, dave and christine. Another day at the white house and another damaging headline. On monday evening, Administration Officials<\/a> were sent scrambling, insisting the president did not jeopardize classified information and share it with russian officials. Theres nothing that the president takes more seriously than the security of the american people. The story that came out tonight as reported is false. The president and the foreign minister reviewed a range of common threats to our two countries, including threats to civil aviation. At no time, at no time were intelligence sources or methods discussed, and the president did not disclose any military operations that were not already publicly known. I was in the room. It didnt happen. Reporter those comments from President Trump<\/a>s National Security<\/a> adviser, h. R. Mcmaster, coming after the Washington Post<\/a> broke the story that President Trump<\/a> shared classified information with russias foreign minister and ambassador in a meeting at the white house last week. Now, cnn has confirmed the main details of this story. One thing is clear, despite the white houses denial, this has certainly sent the white house off of its message. They were hoping to reset this week after the president s controversial firing of fbi director james comey and instead focus on their new fbi director, focus on the upcoming foreign trip. But if monday is any indication, its clear thats not going to come easy. Back to you guys. Sara murray, thank you. You heard h. R. Mcmaster refer to the story as as reported. Now, the National Security<\/a> adviser essentially saying that if there is so much as a single detail in the post report that is wrong, well, then they can dismiss the whole thing. One of the storys authors, National Security<\/a> correspondent greg miller, telling cnn that the white house claim that the president did not reveal sources and methods pushes back against something the post never, in fact, reported. I think that the white house is playing word games here to that effect to try to blunt the impact of this story, nor do any of these white house officials who are denouncing this story, nor have any of them offered any explanation why this was also above board and not problematic in any way, why did the National Security<\/a> council coming out of this meeting feel it was necessary to contact the cia director and the director of the National Security<\/a> agency to give them a headsup on what trump had just told the russians . So, the report that the president shared this highly secret information with the russians in the oval office, that report has been matched, confirmed by the new york times, the wall street journal, reuters, and buzzfeed. But in the hours after the post report, the white house response was mostly confused. Before mcmaster even spoke, the administration issued several statements, mostly focused on those sources and methods, and the president did not reveal sources and methods. Again, the Washington Post<\/a> never said the president revealed sources and methods. The Washington Post<\/a> and others reported the president revealed highly secret information to the russians that our adversaries should not know. One statement from secretary of state Rex Tillerson<\/a> caught the state department completely by surprise. It issued its own similar statement 20 minutes later after seeing tillersons on cnn. The classified information at the center of this controversy involves isis plans to use Laptop Computers<\/a> as bombs to take down planes. Cnn first reported in april that u. S. Intelligence agencies discovered terror groups were developing new techniques to plant bombs in devices capable of evading Airport Security<\/a> screenings. The Trump Administration<\/a> later imposed a ban on devices larger than cell phones for passengers flying from eight middle east and african countries, citing factors including human intelligence. Now, at the time, cnn agreed to withhold key details of the intelligence, including the city where that laptop threat was detected by a u. S. Ally because u. S. Officials were concerned about revealing sensitive sources and methods. The Washington Post<\/a> story citing u. S. Officials says President Trump<\/a> revealed the name of that city to russias foreign minister and ambassador, and those officials are now extremely concerned about the president compromising a critical isis intelligence source and its impact on global u. S. Security partnerships. They also worry President Trump<\/a> might have put the lives of u. S. Agents in the field at risk, to say nothing of the sources itself. Lawmakers react to the report with deep concern. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi<\/a> saying at a cnn town hall that if the president did whats alleged here, it would be very damaging. This is a very serious matter. This is code word source highly classified information revealed to an adversarial country, and to do so in a way, they sophisticated or intelligence, the russians have never stopped. Putin was head of the kgb. This is what they do. Harsh words as well on the republican side. Senator bob corker, chairman of the Foreign Relations<\/a> committee saying of the white house, they are in a downward spiral right now and have got to figure out a way to come to grips with all that is happening. Corker says, you know, the shame of it is theres a really good National Security<\/a> team in place, but the chaos that is being created by the lack of discipline, it creates a worrisome environment. The ranking democrat on the house intelligence committee, adam schiff, calling the reports deeply disturbing and demanding an immediate briefing for his committee. Meantime, on the lighter side, senator Susan Collins<\/a> quipped to reporters, can we have a crisisfree day . Thats all im asking. If President Trump<\/a> did reveal classified information to the russian diplomats, critics might call it reckless, irresponsible, dangerous, alarming, but in fact, it is unlikely the president broke the law. Thats because the president does have Broad Authority<\/a> to declassify government secrets. He can even do it on the spot, even by merely stating something in a public setting. Listen to the reaction of former cia chief james woolsey, who served for a period of time on the president s transition team. We have to distinguish between whats legally permitted and what is wise. It is legally permitted for the president to declassify something, even if he does it quickly and without giving it much thought. Theres not a legal requirement on that, but its not wise to do that. Now, under the heading of political irony, remember the president and many of his key supporters have a history of going after others who allegedly disclosed Sensitive Information<\/a>. Heres House Speaker<\/a> paul ryan tweeting about Hillary Clinton<\/a> last july. Its simple, individuals who are extremely careless with classified info should be denied further access to it. White house chief of staff reince priebus, same time frame, same subject those who mishandle classified info have had their security clearances revoked, lost their jobs, faced fines, and even been sent to prison. As for the president himself, listen. We cant hand over our government to someone whose deepest, darkest secrets may be in the hands of our enemies. I dont think its safe to have Hillary Clinton<\/a> be briefed on National Security<\/a> because the word will get out. We cant have someone in the oval office who doesnt understand the meaning of the word confidential or classified. The parallels are eerie, but that was the campaign, this is the presidency. And that was Sarah Huckabee<\/a> sanders pushback in the fbi handling case. So, more along the same lines from last summer, the president tweeting crooked Hillary Clinton<\/a> and her team were extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information. Not fit. Worth noting, the quote in that tweet is from now former fbi director james comey. All right, a quick programming note, everybody. Two mustsee events tonight on cnn. First, a cnn exclusive, the former acting attorney general, sally yates, fired by President Trump<\/a> for refusing to enforce the travel ban. Now she speaks out on that, her testimony about michael flynn, and a whole lot more. Sally yates speaks to anderson tonight at 8 00 eastern only on cnn. That should be intriguing. Then, debate night returns. Ohio Governor John Kasich<\/a> and vermonts Bernie Sanders<\/a> found a voice but fell short in the 2016 race. Now they face off on health care, the economy and other issues facing the country. A live cnn debate tonight, 9 00 p. M. Eastern following the sally yates exclusive, both only on cnn. Youd have to figure both have to address these latest accusations. Absolutely. Centered on health care, of course. Absolutely. All this is ahead of a key meeting for the president today. Turkeys president heads to the white house with some major differences on big challenges in the middle east. We are live. If youre searching for something that finally relieves your pain, icyhot lidocaine. Desensitizes aggravated nerves with the max strength lidocaine available. Icyhot lidocaine. All right, it is the news wall street has been waiting for. The president s top officials will meet with moderate republicans to talk tax reform. Thats today. According to sources familiar with the matter, the National Economic<\/a> director gary cohn and treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin<\/a> plan to meet with moderate gop members wednesday, ahead of the first major hearing on tax reform. The group will be crucial in passing any tax package, and this is what investors want to hear. Tax reform is the giant gift to wall street, to Big Companies<\/a> who want to make more money. Companies stand to make tons of money if there are Corporate Tax<\/a> cuts, so wall street wants details, and soon. And experts want details on how the government will pay for these cuts. So far, the white house insists it will pay for itself through growth. However, the Tax Policy Center<\/a> estimates it could reduce by 4 trillion a decade, 400 billion a year. And while we may not be seeing the president s tax returns any time soon, Financial Experts<\/a> say his personal disclosure for this year will be filed in a short period of time, so we could get more details on the president s financial information. Which reveals what . Would reveal broad strokes. Broad strokes. But historically, the last two president s have done that at this time of the year, so he would be doing that. The white house refusing to confirm or deny whether the president is recording phone calls at the white house. Mr. Trump made a thinly veiled threat against james comey last week, tweeting the fired fbi director better hope there are no tapes of their conversations before he starts leaking. The president s spokesman, sean spicer, offering no clarity on the controversy. I think i made it clear last week that the president has nothing further on that. I made it clear the president s position on that issue. Why wont you just explain whether or not there are recordings i think the president s made it clear his position. Attorney general sessions met with President Trump<\/a> about the search for a new fbi director on monday. Its not known whether sessions offered a final recommendation or just an update. All right, Critical Issues<\/a> on the table when turkeys controversial leader meets with President Trump<\/a> at the white house today. President recep erdogan is critical to nearly everything the u. S. Hopes to accomplish in the middle east, but the meeting comes a week after erdogan was angered by the u. S. Decision to arm kurdish fighters in syria. Cnns Mohammad Lila<\/a> has a preview this morning of this incredibly important meeting. Good morning. Good morning, christine. On the surface of it, youd think these are two World Leaders<\/a> that would get along very well. Theyve got a lot in common. For example, theyre both populist leaders. Neither of them shy away from controversy. Both of them have what you would describe as icy relations with the media in their home countries, and they enjoy giving long speeches to their supporters. Youd think it would be a partnership made in heaven, but there are a couple wedges right now in that relationship between the United States<\/a> and turkey. The first, of course, is that turkey is insisting that the United States<\/a> stop arming kurdish fighters on the ground in the fight to battle isis. The United States<\/a> has basically thrown its hat in the ring through those kurdish fighters as their weapon of choice to dislodge isis on the ground, something turkey is opposed to because they consider those turkish groups to be terrorists. And the second big issue, of course, is the fact that turkey wants a religious cleric who is living in the United States<\/a> by the name of fat laughed gullan extradited back to turkey for part in the coup. Those are big issues separating the countries and we havent seen any indication from the Trump Administration<\/a> that theyre willing to change course, change their policy on those two issues. So, while these two World Leaders<\/a> might get along on a personal level, when it comes to policy, theyre certainly very far apart. Christine . Mohammad lila in abu dhabi, thank you so much for that. Job cuts coming to ford. Were going to tell you how many and why on cnn money stream, next. Im alex trebek. If youre age 50 to 85, i have an Important Message<\/a> about security. Write down the number on your screen, so you can call when i finish. The lock i want to talk to you about isnt the one on your door. This is a lock for your Life Insurance<\/a>, a rate lock, that guarantees your rate can never go up at any time, for any reason. But be careful. Many policies you see do not have one, but you can get a lifetime rate lock through the Colonial Penn<\/a> program. Call this number to learn more. This plan was designed with a rate lock for people on a fixed income who want affordable Life Insurance<\/a> thats simple to get. Coverage options for just 9. 95 a month, less than 35 cents a day. Act now and your rate will be locked in for life. It will never increase, guaranteed. This is lifelong coverage that can never be cancelled as long as you pay your premiums, guaranteed. And your acceptance is guaranteed, with no health questions. You cannot be turned down because of your health. Call for your information kit and read about this rate lock for yourself. Youll also get a free gift with great information both are free, with no obligation, so dont miss out. Call for information, then decide. Read about the 30 day, 100 percent money back guarantee. Dont wait, call this number now. Missile tests and a Nuclear Threat<\/a> may not be the only concerns about north korea. Security experts tracking the Global Ransomware<\/a> attack that affected 150 countries say the trail of clues could lead back to the north korean regime, which has a long record of computer criminality. Cnns alexandra field following the developments for us. She joins us live in seoul. Good morning to you, alex. What do we know about this possible link . Reporter hey, dave. Well, this is a massive attack, so it will take a while to get to the bottom of it, but there are leads, there is a direction to go in. Heres how you get to the bottom of this, an attack thats generated some 300,000 cases, more than 150 countries. Youve got Security Firm<\/a>s and researchers who are looking at the malware code, trying to match it to code used by other hackers in the past, known hackers. That may have been what led researchers to look at the Lazarus Group<\/a>, a Hacking Group<\/a> out of north korea. A top researcher out of google says there are similarities between the code used in this recent attack and code thats been generated by that group for their malware. Those findings, those similarities have been backed up by two major cyberSecurity Firm<\/a>s who say theyre seeing the same things, but they called these weak links, not Strong Enough<\/a> evidence at this point to directly link this major global cyber attack to north korea or to the Lazarus Group<\/a>. But if Lazarus Group<\/a> sounds familiar to you, thats because it probably is. This is the same group out of north korea that was linked to the major hack of Sony Pictures<\/a> back in 2014 after sony was set to release a spoof film about north korea. This group has also been linked to hacks on banks across the world. Here in south korea, officials are not seeing whether or not they believe that north korea could be behind the attack. They say its too soon. Theyre looking at all possibilities, dave, but officials here have said in the past that north korea is connected to at least ten different cyber plots in just the last decade alone. We know that north korea has worked to beef up their cyber attack capacity. Defense officials in south korea, dave, estimate that theyve got a team of 6,800 people who are dedicated to working to carry out Cyber Attacks<\/a>. Alex field live for us in seoul. Thank you. All right, things are heating up on the east coast today. We have the weather. The tremendous heat over the eastern half of the country is not just going to remain put, but expand over the next couple days. We could see multiple days of 90plus degrees across parts. Northeast. Temps generally 10 to 15 above average some areas 20 degrees above average. Around the plains, des moines into sioux falls, strong storms through much of this afternoon and this evening. Well see that migrate toward the east and a second round develop into the overnight hours around say wichita into kansas city, but generally speaking, the concern is locked in back out towards the plains for mainly damaging winds and hail with a few isolated shot of a tornado across parts of the texas panhandle. Almost 90 out of dallas, 86 out of chicago today. Same story expected out of detroit, while the upper 70s and low 80s around parts of the northeast, but its really not until tomorrow and especially come thursday where we get into the 90s and stay there. About 21 degrees above normal in new york city come thursday afternoon. Look at washington. First time we get into the middle 90s this season, and it looks like we might stay there for a couple days. A good 20 degrees above normal by wednesday and thursday afternoon around the northeast. Guys . All right, thats your weather. Lets check your money. U. S. Futures and Global Markets<\/a> mixed after the s p and nasdaq, record highs. I feel like a broken record. You know, just doesnt take much to get up there. Oil prices rallied 2 after russian and Saudi Energy Ministers<\/a> agreed to extend a production cut. The dow also less than 200 points away from its own record high, ending a fourday losing streak after a Cisco Systems<\/a> rose after the cyber attack. Trump officials will be meeting with gop lawmakers about tax reform. By the way, thats what wall street really is concerned about. Its the main event here as we ent ended the best earnings season since 2011. Profits for u. S. Companies up about 15 this quarter. While the Trump Administration<\/a> calls on u. S. Automakers to add jobs, ford announcing plans to cut 20,000 jobs worldwide. Thats about 10 of its global staff, not insignificant. This is according to a report in the wall street journal citing people familiar with the matter. Ford isnt cutting staff on assembly lines, as Union Workers<\/a> are protected. Reportedly, these are salaried workers without Union Protection<\/a> that will be fired. Ford would not confirm or deny this report to cnn, saying only that becoming lean and efficient is a key priority. The Company Announced<\/a> last month plans to reduce costs after profits sank 35 in the first quarter. How about facial recognition at the airport . Delta testing a facescanning kiosk for baggage checks. The machine allows passengers to bypass checking agents. Instead, you go right up to this kiosk. It uses Recognition Technology<\/a> to match your identity to your passport photo. The company said customers shouldnt have privacy concerns. The scanned images will not be stored. That could really speed things up, i think. Anything that will speed it up, but certainly some privacy concerns, you would think will happen. All right, so, early start continues now. The latest on these accusations from the Trump White House<\/a> from the Trump White House<\/a> sharing intelligence. Captions by vitac www. Vitac. Com the story that came out tonight, as reported, is false. I was in the room. It didnt happen. The white house with a fullthroated denial after the president was accused of sharing classified information with the russians. What did he share . Why does it matter . Welcome to early start, everybody. Im dave briggs. Serious accusations once again facing the white house. And im christine romans. Another big story reverberating through washington and all over the world, really, as it just, the optics of the president s relationship with russia just get worse. The white house pushing back fiercely against reports the president shared highly classified information with russias foreign minister and the ambassador to the u. S. In a white house meeting last week. Cnn has now confirmed the key points of that story first reported by the Washington Post<\/a>. One official with knowledge telling the post that trump said, i get great intel. I have people brief me on great intel every day before he reportedly relayed the intelligence details. The president did not directly reveal the source of the information, but intelligence officials tell cnn the concern is russia will be able to figure out the highly sensitive source, highly sensitive in part, of course, because the information came from a foreign ally. The white house once again spinning into damage control here. Cnns sara murray starts our coverage from the white house. Reporter good morning, dave and christine. Another day at the white house and another damaging headline. On monday evening, Administration Officials<\/a> were sent scrambling, insisting the president did","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"archive.org","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":"800","height":"600","url":"\/\/ia600609.us.archive.org\/32\/items\/CNNW_20170516_080000_Early_Start_with_Christine_Romans_and_Dave_Briggs\/CNNW_20170516_080000_Early_Start_with_Christine_Romans_and_Dave_Briggs.thumbs\/CNNW_20170516_080000_Early_Start_with_Christine_Romans_and_Dave_Briggs_000001.jpg"}},"autauthor":{"@type":"Organization"},"author":{"sameAs":"archive.org","name":"archive.org"}}],"coverageEndTime":"20240617T12:35:10+00:00"}