Well Gun Plan; Deadly NYC Chopper Crash; Trumps Holds Rally In Pennsylvania
DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: The White House laying out proposals for reducing gun violence in schools, which include arming teachers but leave out two big commitments from the President.</s>CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Tragedy in New York City. Five people are dead after their chopper plunges into the East River.</s>O.J. SIMPSON, FOOTBALL LEGEND: Almost like you (ph), Ron and Nicole, were physically dead and they almost killed me, who I was attacked and murdered.</s>BRIGGS: After 12 years under wraps, the jaw-dropping interview from O.J. Simpson. Does these hypothetical story count as a confession? Welcome back to "Early Start," on a Monday everybody, I'm Dave Briggs.</s>ROMANS: Do you have to say it is Monday? I'm Christine Romans. It is Monday, it is 32 minutes past the hour. Last night the Trump administration put forward its proposal to give some school personnel what it calls, rigorous firearms training. That is the center piece of a plan to combat gun violence in and out of schools, the plan President Trump promised after the Parkland shooting. Now, the proposal has other elements, but not among them are two things this President said last month he would prioritize.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In addition to everything else, in addition to what we are going to do about background checks, we will go very strongly into age, age of purchase.</s>BRIGGS: The White House's new plan does not expand background checks, does not raise the minimum age of purchase. The plan does call for a new commission just the day after the President said all commissions do is talk. For more, let's turn to Boris Sanchez at the White House.</s>BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN NEWSROOM HOST: Dave and Christine, it is a multi- pronged effort that the White House is including in the proposal to try to stop school shootings in light of the shooting in Marjory Stoneman Douglas senior high school last month. First, the White House is pushing for the creation of a new task force headed by education secretary, Betsy DeVos, that would examine the problem of school violence and then recommend possible policy solutions and funding solutions that would limit school violence. Secondly, the White House is going to push Congress to pass two bills; first, the Fix NICS bill that would incentivize local municipalities to report information to the national background check system; and then secondly, the stop School Violence Act, which provides funding for schools to try to beef up their defenses essentially. Beyond that, the most controversial part of this is what the White House is advocating that states should put into effect. First, one policy that would require states to train personnel within schools to be armed, that is the hardening of schools, something that President Trump has pushed for, for a very long time dating back to the 2016 campaign. Also very controversial, the idea of risk protection orders, something that the White House is advocating that states should do is allowing law enforcement to temporarily take firearms away from individuals that have been deemed at risk and prevent them from buying more weapons for a certain amount of time, Dave and Christine.</s>ROMANS: All right. Thanks, Boris. No reaction yet from the NRA. One Republican Congressman with a top NRA rating tells CNN the White House proposal is a missed opportunity, fails to honor the victims and survivors of the Parkland shooting. That lawmaker favors raising the minimum age to buy assault style weapons. The lawmaker believes that President Trump has quote, "Abandoned his instincts on the issue of gun safety."</s>BRIGGS: Breaking news overnight. A deadly helicopter crashed in New York City's east river caught on video last night. All five passengers on board were killed. The pilot was the only survivor. Here is his may-day call.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lima Hotel, mayday, mayday, mayday.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lima Hotel, you OK?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: East River, engine failure.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am sorry say again?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: East River, engine failure.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're a little broken up say one more time?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He had an engine failure over the East River, Lima Hotel.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Requiring assistance? It was a mayday call. LaGuardia.</s>ROMANS: Lima Hotel is code for liberty helicopters which operates about flight. The pilot was able to free himself from the wreckage and was rescued.</s>DANIEL NIGRO, FDNY COMMISSIONER: One of the most difficult parts of the operation we're told is the five people besides the pilot were all tightly harnessed. So, these harnesses had to be cut and removed in order to get these folks off of this helicopter which was upside down at the time and completely submerged.</s>ROMANS: In the cold water. The chopper was in the air for a private photo shoot. The National Transportation Safety Board will arrive this morning to investigate. A pivotal special election in Pennsylvania, tomorrow's polls showing a tight race between Democrat, Conor Lamb, and Republican, Rick Saccone in the states reliably Republican 18th congressional district. President Trump defeated Hillary Clinton there by 20 points in the 18th, which covers some of Petersburg suburbs. The President campaigning in the district for Saccone over the weekend, that rambling freewheeling speech was more about his favorite candidate, Donald Trump.</s>TRUMP: I know her weakness. Wouldn't we love to run against Oprah? I would love it. I would love it. That would be a painful experience for her. The only way to solve the drug problem is through toughness. The death penalty. I think it is a discussion we have to start thinking about. Don't you? I don't know if you're ready. Can you imagine covering Bernie or Pocahontas? Pocahontas. How about that? Maxine Waters, a very low I.Q. individual. But our new slogan, keep America great, exclamation point. Keep America great.</s>BRIGGS: The President also tweeted on Sunday. Republicans are five and zero in recent congressional races, bragging he backed and campaigned for each of the winners. He did fail to mention the Senate race in Alabama -- deep red Alabama where he backed two losing candidates. Donald Trump, Jr. will be in Pennsylvania today to campaign for Saccone. A cringe-worthy moment on national television for Betsy DeVos. The education secretary admitting on "60 minutes," she does not know how schools are performing in her home state of Michigan. DeVos is a longtime advocate of school choice using public money to offer parents alternatives to traditional public schools like charter and voucher program. DeVos says alternatives drive public schools to perform better, but she had no answers when asked if school choice was successful in Michigan.</s>LESLEY STAHL, 60 MINUTES, CORRESPONDENT: Are the public schools in Michigan gotten better?</s>BETSY DEVOS, SECRETARY OF EDUCATION: I don't know overall. I can't say overall that they have all gotten better.</s>STAHL: The whole state is not doing well.</s>DEVOS: Well there are certainly lots of packets where the students are doing well.</s>STAHL: Have you seen really the bad schools and maybe try to figure out what they're doing?</s>DEVOS: I have not -- I have not intentionally visited schools that are under performing.</s>STAHL: Maybe you should.</s>DEVOS: Maybe I should. Yes.</s>BRIGGS: DeVos eventually acknowledged public schools in Michigan need to do better.</s>ROMANS: All right 38 minutes pass the hour. Republican lawmakers discussing legislation limiting President Trump trade powers, nullifying his new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. Republican Senator, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, said he would support such legislation even if he is not sure the measure would pass.</s>SEN. RON JOHNSON, (R), WISCONSIN: There is really growing level of optimism, because we're returning certainty to American in Wisconsin's economy and the top of cancelling after now imposing this steel tariffs has interjected uncertainty in the economy were just it wasn't necessary.</s>ROMANS: In Wisconsin, Harley Davidson is in Wisconsin and the E.U. has already said that they would slap back on tariffs if need be. Trump's tariff plan faces opposition not just from fellow Republicans, but from allies, aids, corporate America, the series of trade war. Again the E.U. already promise to retaliate threatening tariffs on quintessential American good like Harley Davidson motorcycles. The concern that would hurt U.S. jobs, Johnson, of course represents the state of Wisconsin.</s>BRIGGS: O.J. Simpson in his own hypothetical words.</s>SIMPSON: We go over. Get into my car (ph) and go over.</s>JUDITH REGAN, AMERICAN EDITOR, PRODUCER, BOOK PUBLISHER: Let's just go back and do the details. Where did you park?</s>SIMPSON: I don't want to go to details. And hypothetical, in the alley.</s>BRIGGS: The interview unearthed after 12 years. Does it sound like a confession? You decide next.