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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Afghan Protests Turn Violent; Anti-American Protests In Pakistan; Blast Near Baghdad's "Green Zone" Kills Seven; Obama Taking On China; Romney Pledging To Fix Immigration; One Year Anniversary Of Occupy Movement; Boy Pulled From Well; Scouts Accused Of Protecting Molesters; Soyuz Lands In Kazakhstan; Royal Couple Filing Criminal Complaint; No Deal In Chicago Teachers Strike
Aired September 17, 2012 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ZORAIDA SAMBOLIN, CNN ANCHOR: Burning rage against Americans. Four U.S. soldiers killed on an American base in Afghanistan and new violent protests at the U.S. consulate in Pakistan and near the U.S. embassy in Kabul.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Scout's dishonor. One of American's most trusted institutions accused of covering up sexual abuse. We are talking about the Boy Scouts of America.
SAMBOLIN: Occupy Wall Street one year later. Protesters plan to mark the occasion loudly later this morning. We're following all of that for you.
Good morning to you. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Zoraida Sambolin.
BERMAN: And I'm John Berman. It is 6:00 a.m. in the east and happening right now in Afghanistan, the crowd has turned. Protests have become angry and violent outside the U.S. and NATO bases in Kabul.
An Afghan police official saying at least 15 officers were injured in protests against that anti-Islam film that was made by a relatively unknown movie producer. Demonstrators are firing their guns, throwing rocks and setting at least two police cars on fire near the U.S. Embassy.
This comes just one day after four American soldiers were killed on an American base in Afghanistan. We are covering this story like no other network can. Let's get right to Anna Coren live in Kabul. Anna, what is the latest this morning?
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, it was only a matter of time before we saw violence spread on the streets here in Afghanistan. The government is really trying to keep a lid on it, obviously banning huge groups of people so they couldn't view that inflammatory video.
But as you say, 300 protesters took to the streets today just on the outskirts of Kabul about five kilometers from the U.S. Embassy. They turned on police, attacking about 15 officers, and they were injured, including the commander, they set two police cars on fire. We were able to get within about 100 meters of the protest. We were kept back because it had turned extremely violent and there were concerns that people were firing on the crowd, they would be firing particularly on westerners.
So that seems to have been contained at the moment. We know that protest has spread to other parts of Kabul. We're just keeping an eye on that at the moment -- John.
BERMAN: Difficult weekend in Afghanistan, Anna, as another insider attack, a so-called green-on-blue attack on NATO troops there.
COREN: Yes, absolutely tragic, John, because you know, the U.S. forces, the coalition, they thought they had really got on top of this. They implemented certain measures to really prevent these attacks from happening.
But two attacks over two days over the weekend. As you say, four U.S. soldiers were killed early Sunday morning when Afghan police officer turned on the U.S. forces who were training him. You've got to remember that this is what we're going through at the moment, this transfer of power.
Coalition troops really handing over power to the Afghan forces so that they can stand on their own two feet. Four U.S. soldiers killed Sunday. Two British were killed on Saturday. That takes the death toll of these insider attacks, these green-on-blue attacks to 51 this year.
It really is a frightening statistic when you think we are only in the middle of September. Compare that to last year and it was 35 last year. So coalition forces are very, very concerned about this alarming trend -- John.
BERMAN: It is alarming. Thank you very much. Anna Coren live in Kabul this morning.
SAMBOLIN: It's 3 minutes past the hour. Anti-U.S. sentiment building in Pakistan now. Police spent the weekend beating back protesters, trying to storm the U.S. Consulate in Karachi. One person was killed, dozens others were injured. Protesters setting at least four police cars on fire, as well.
Demonstrators in Karachi holding up signs reading, quote, "blasphemy is not freedom of expression, and its sentence is death." Also word of a deadly attack near the heavily protected green zone in Baghdad this morning.
Police say a suicide bomber rammed a car packed with explosives right into a checkpoint. Seven Iraqis were killed by the blast this morning, 24 others were injured. The Shiite lawmaker and his bodyguard among those wounded.
BERMAN: News back here at home. School is still out in Chicago. The teachers' strike continues this morning, despite a tentative contract agreement reached by school officials and union leaders. A group of union delegates said they wanted more time to discuss the deal with the rank and file. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel says he will seek a court injunction to try and force the teachers back into the classrooms.
SAMBOLIN: President Obama's launching an unfair trade complaint against China with the World Trade Organization. The White House claiming Beijing is trampling on trade laws by opposing more than $3 billion in duties on U.S. auto exports creating an unfair advantage for China's automakers and parts manufacturers.
The President will make the announcement today while he is campaigning in Ohio, a state that relies heavily on the auto parts industry for jobs.
BERMAN: His competitor, Mitt Romney, is in Los Angeles this morning, looking to beef up support among Latino voters. He will pledge to reform the nation's broken immigration system.
That's what he calls it, when he addresses the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce today. There are no details about how he'll do that exactly and excerpts of the speech released in the media so far. Romney will also say over 2 million more Hispanics are living in poverty today than the day that President Obama took office.
SAMBOLIN: It is the one-year anniversary of the Occupy movement. On this day last year, demonstrators began camping out in Lower Manhattan Zucotti Park. Today, protesters are planning rallies in the more than 30 cities around the world including a march on the New York Stock Exchange.
BERMAN: The dramatic rescue to show you in China. Firefighters trying to save a 4-year-old boy who fell more than 20 feet into a well. They couldn't go in after him since the opening of the top was only about a foot wide. So they dug a hole and made their own entrance while pumping fresh air into the well so the boy could breathe. Amazing. Look at that.
SAMBOLIN: Wow. All right, 5 minutes past the hour. A shocking sexual abuse scandal at an iconic American institution. Coming up, the documents that reveal decades of alleged cover-ups at the Boy Scouts of America.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: Welcome back to EARLY START, everyone. It's about 9 minutes after the hour right now. I'm John Berman.
SAMBOLIN: And I'm Zoraida Sambolin. Glad to have you with us this morning.
Well, the Boy Scouts of America refer to them as perversion files, records that scouting officials use to blacklist alleged molesters and to keep them out. But the "Los Angeles Times" has gotten a look at volumes of these files and the paper found a shocking pattern of covering up for the accused. I want to bring in one of the reporters on this story for the "L.A. Times," Jason Felch. Jason, how did you get a hold of these files?
JASON FELCH, REPORTER, "LOS ANGELES TIMES": The files that we looked at, some 1,800 files, 1,600 of which we've gotten through so far, were evidence in a 1992 civil trial in California and produced as evidence in that trial.
SAMBOLIN: And what did you find in those perversion files?
FELCH: In many of the cases that we looked at, Boy Scouts only learned about abuse after it had already been reported to the police by others. In about 500 cases that we found, however, the Boy Scouts were the first to learn about the abuse, either from victims or from people who witnessed the crimes. In those cases -- go ahead.
SAMBOLIN: I just want to know what kind of abuse we're talking about here.
FELCH: A lot of varieties of sexual abuse, of young scouts, ranging from oral copulation all the way through sodomy. Many of it was repeated and in many cases there were multiple victims in each file.
SAMBOLIN: And was there ever an attempt to notify police or families?
FELCH: Yes, in many of the files the Boy Scouts did what we would expect them to do and report a crime to police. Of the 1,600 that we looked at we found about 400 where there was no indication of the crime being reported to the police. And in 100 of the files we found there were explicit references to attempts to hide this abuse, either from authorities, or from the parents of the victims in some cases and from the general public.
SAMBOLIN: And you've spoken to some of the alleged victims and I understand now they're in their 30s or 40s. What did they say to you?
FELCH: Well, for many of the young men who this happened to, it was a life-changing experience. Childhood sexual abuse can change the course of a person's entire life. And in many cases, the -- the damage wrought during that experience, even a fleeting experience, manifests itself many years later in really devastating ways, drug abuse, violence, depression, mental health problems.
So, many of the boys that I've spoken to that went through this, that are now men, are still everyday living with what happened to them.
SAMBOLIN: I want to read a statement from the Boy Scouts of America. And it reads like this:
"In the more than 100 years that the BSA has served youth, society has learned about this important issue. The BSA continuously enhanced its multi-tiered policies and procedures, which now include background checks, comprehensive training programs, and safety policies."
This is quite a bit of time that has passed here, Jason. The statutes of limitations may limit some of the lawsuits. Do you think there will be any legal action here?
FELCH: We have yet to see what's going to -- what the fallout of this is going to be. We know that many of these files are going to become public in the coming weeks when the Supreme Court of Oregon allows the release of about 1,200 of these files from 1965 to '85. When the public sees what we've been looking at, I think there will be a continued outcry about what's in these files. And there very well may be litigation.
SAMBOLIN: And what about the victims? Have they told you what they would like to be the outcome here?
FELCH: Well, it really -- I think some of these victims that we've spoken to don't want this -- don't want to pursue this issue. One that I spoke to described this as a Pandora's Box in his life. That he really doesn't want to open.
In other cases, and I think as more young men who experienced this come forward, there will be people asking for justice and seeking justice for what happened to them. And, that will vary case to case.
SAMBOLIN: All right, Jason Felch, reporter for the "L.A. Times," we really appreciate you sharing your findings with us this morning. Thank you.
FELCH: Thanks for having me.
BERMAN: A lot of questions this morning. It is 13 minutes after the hour. Right now, we want to get you up to speed on all the headlines. Here's Christine Romans for the top stories.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, you two. Let's start in Afghanistan where violent protests there are focused on Kabul. Hundreds of people rallying against a very low-budget film that mocks Muslim Prophet Muhammad. People are burning their cars, they're firing their guns, and Afghan police officials saying at least 15 officers were injured. Police were also forced to beat back a mob in Karachi, Pakistan. One person was killed there in Karachi.
Touchdown in Kazakhstan as a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, carrying two cosmonauts and an American astronaut returned to earth last night, some 3-1/2 hours after undocking from the International Space Station. Those three, including NASA's Joe Acaba were in space for 125 days. A safe touchdown.
Prince William and his bride, Catherine, are in the Solomon Islands today. They're celebrating the Queen's diamond jubilee. Nine thousand miles away, their lawyers are filing a criminal complaint with French prosecutors against a photographer who snapped those topless photos of the Duchess of Cambridge. Britain's royal family also plans to go to court today to stop the publication of more topless photos of the duchess and to seek damages.
The 49ers finer on Sunday night football, they beat the Detroit Lions 27-19 in prime time last night. They move on to 2-0 in the season. Tight end Vernon Davis caught two touchdowns. And this was a big storyline last night: coaches Jim Harbaugh and Jim Schwartz met before the game, there it is, with a friendly hello and handshake. No bro hug. Last season, the two almost came to blows.
BERMAN: The handshake a lot better than what we saw last year. They were really at each other's throats. The 49ers, by the way, they look good.
ROMANS: Yes, 2-0.
BERMAN: They lost to Giants last year. I think they're back. They're the team to beat. That's what I say.
SAMBOLIN: Oh, all rightly.
ROMANS: John Berman, you're sports --
(CROSSTALK)
BERMAN: Because I paid for his lose his yesterday.
(LAUGHTER)
BERMAN: All right, 15 minutes after the hour right now.
Trying to wrap our heads around the brain. A neuroscientist look like the brain -- looking at why the brain knows right and wrong. Why my brain isn't working this morning.
We need to know these things. The tragedies we witness, and our politics, it's on "THE NEXT LIST". Take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID EAGLEMAN, NEUROSCIENTIST: I'm interested in neuro law because it's really where the rubber hits the road in neuroscience. Where we can link all the things we're learning about human behavior, how humans are different, and translate that into social policy. How we actually are running the system here.
I'm David Eagleman and I'm a neuroscientist. At some point, there will be a crime committed like the Virginia Tech shooting or the Columbine shooting or the Aurora movie theater shooting and we will find that the perpetrator had a brain tumor. I'm not suggesting that any of those events were explained by brain tumors. But at some point that will happen.
And then society is going to have to deal with this very difficult question about this relationship between brain and behavior and this question of culpability.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Really interesting stuff. Don't miss "THE NEXT LIST", the next time, next Sunday, 2:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN.
SAMBOLIN: A great story all the time. Really fascinating.
Sixteen minutes past the hour. President Obama trying to one-up Mitt Romney and stick up for American workers at the same time. Coming up, the White House set to announce a new stand on China.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAMBOLIN: Welcome back. We are minding your business this morning.
U.S. stock futures have turned lower. Investors are waiting for reports on manufacturing, expected out later this morning.
BERMAN: And the big business story on the campaign trail today will be the Obama administration filing a new complaint with the world trade organization against China.
Christine has all the details.
ROMANS: And this is about auto parts. There's been some concern that the Chinese are subsidizing their auto parts manufacture. So, even though you don't see Chinese cars on the road in the United States, you see Chinese auto parts coming into the country and it's undercutting American auto parts manufacturers and that means American jobs have been lost.
The White House launching its fourth trade enforcement with the World Trade Organization against China about these export subsidies and duties on U.S. auto parts. They're going to launch this in a campaign stop in Ohio today. Imagine, there are an awful lot of people in Ohio who are tied to the auto parts industry.
China has been starting to -- I guess, percolate a little bit on the campaign trail. Romney's been saying that President Obama has not been tough enough with China, specifically with its currency. The President has been saying, no, no, no, we have been tougher than the previous administration.
Here's their rhetoric. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We've brought trade cases against China at nearly twice the rate of the last administration.
MITT ROMNEY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Day one, I'm going to label China a currency manipulator.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
ROMANS: And now they've both got adds where they're talking about China and trade policy, vis-a-vis China.
Gordon Chang watched candidates make promises while they're campaigning and then not live up to this promises over and over again -- just about every president has done this four, five, presidents deep now. This is what Gordon Chang has to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORDON CHANG, CHINA EXPERT: They don't say very much as candidates. If they do say something they're going to be tough on China. They're going to be tigers. But when they become president, they become pussycats. And the reason is because they see China as a dominant nation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: And just about everything they deal with foreign policy, when you think about, you know, Sudan, North Korea, Venezuela, all these places around the world where China sometimes is on the other side of the dispute with people who might not be our allies.
I want to take a look at what the trade disputes have been -- tires, chickens, rare earth minerals, by the way, if you haven't heard about the rare earth story it's fascinating. China controls 98 percent of these valuable minerals that go into gyroscopes for helicopters and fighter jets, wind turbines, anything, missile defense programs -- all that stuff, U.S. made autos.
Now, let's talk about the jobs front. Economic policy institute made this helpful map which shows the darker the state, the more pronounced the job loss has been to China, according to the economic policy institute, a left-leaning organization. You can see, look at all those swing states.
BERMAN: I see swing states, Ohio. I see Florida, Colorado. Pretty dark red.
ROMANS: Yes, so those are places where a trade dispute against China from the President's point of view, and also Mitt Romney's point of view of hitting them on the currency front, that's where it plays, because those folks in those states know job loss because of China.
BERMAN: What's the one thing we need to know about our money?
ROMANS: The one thing you need to know is housing. You haven't missed your chance to refinance and get really low mortgage rates, guys. The Federal Reserve's QE3, the stimulus, should mean mortgage rates stay very, very low. So, while we're talking about China and the big picture, the micro for you right now folks, is that interest rates, thanks to the Fed, should stay very, very low, if you can refinance, if you can refinance, if you can.
BERMAN: I don't want to make light of the China/U.S. trade discussion and issues right now but there is an issue where China and the U.S. are on the same page.
SAMBOLIN: Agree.
ROMANS: They're crystal clear they're on the same page.
BERMAN: Pandas. ROMANS: It's true.
SAMBOLIN: So take a look at this. It is a cub. The National Zoo's giant panda Mei Xiang gave birth to a cub Sunday night. Zoo staff report they can hear the cub but haven't seen it so far. It follows five pseudo pregnancies. She gave birth to her first cub in 2005 but he was sent back to China. We're going to listen and see if we hear anything here.
Oh, that's the baby squawking.
BERMAN: You are seeing this live this morning on CNN, the panda is getting up.
SAMBOLIN: Well, she's moving around. We're hoping to get a glimpse of the baby. It is a baby boy. We know that. And at five weeks old, when the doctors apparently were able to tell that it is a baby boy, a 3.2 pound baby panda boy.
BERMAN: It is undeniably cute.
SAMBOLIN: It is.
ROMANS: It really is.
SAMBOLIN: Well, we haven't seen it yet. Although go to CNN.com and there is a little picture in there for you.
BERMAN: All right. Twenty-five minutes after the hour. Some pretty serious news out there. The Israeli prime minister boldly inserting himself into election politics right here in the U.S.
Coming up, Benjamin Netanyahu's direct appeal to American voters. And if you're leaving the house right now you can watch us any time on your desktop or mobile phone. Just go to CNN.com/TV.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAMBOLIN: No end to the fury. Kabul and Karachi, the latest hot spots for protest over a movie insulting Islam.
BERMAN: Power play. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel trying to force teachers back to work as the strike there enters week two.
SAMBOLIN: And royally mad. The palace fighting back after topless pictures of Kate Middleton hit the web for the whole world to see.
Welcome back to EARLY START. Thanks for being with us this morning. I'm Zoraida Sambolin.
BERMAN: And I'm John Berman. It's about 29 minutes after the hour.
Right now, we're going to start right now with rage in the Middle East over that anti-Muslim film produced in the U.S. that range is only spreading. Now the leader of Hezbollah, which the U.S. has classified as a terrorist organization, is encouraging more protests at U.S. embassies today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HASSAN NASRALLAH, LEADER OF HEZBOLLAH (through translator): I believe that these offenses in the film are so great and dangerous. I can also claim that they are unprecedented as introduced by this film. Even if we are to compare this film to a book written by the apostate Salman Rushdie or to those offensive cartoons that were published in Europe or to the burning Korans in the United States, this film poses a bigger and more dangerous matter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: I want to welcome Zainab al-Suwaij, executive director of the American Islamic Congress, a nonprofit group dedicated to promoting tolerance.
And I have to tell you, I have been in Lebanon when Mr. Nasrallah has told people to rise up, and they do what he says. How nervous is the U.S. right now about Hezbollah's entering this discussion about the film?
ZAINAB AL-SUWAIJ, EXEC. DIR., AMERICAN ISLAMIC CONGRESS: Well, everyone is trying to position themselves among the rest of the Muslim nation, especially the considered minority group, in the area. At the same time, they have not been on the news lately as much as the other, like the Muslim brotherhood and the other groups who are -- took power after the Arab spring. So there is some concern that we will raise. It's not as big as the concern of other groups in the region.
BERMAN: The U.S. obviously trying to respond to this as best they can. It's happening all over the region, spreading now to Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Listen to what U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, said to FOX News about how the U.S. is looking at the situation right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, FROM FOX NEWS)
SUSAN RICE, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: We have seen in the past outrage and, and, and unfortunately violent outrage, which is condemnable, and never justified. It may, indeed, occur in other circumstances. There's no predicting exactly what the trajectory of this. Obviously, the last couple of days have been somewhat better. But, we're very vigilant.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: So she says there is no predicting the course this will take. Doesn't the U.S. have to try to get out in front of it somehow? Is there any way to do that?
AL-SUWAIJ: I think we should be more -- we should be more direct about the situation. I think we positioned ourself very weak in the past few days, especially in terms of apologizing about the film. I think the film is not any way, shape or form has been supported by the American government or the American public. It's an act of individual that led to what's going on.
Under our Constitution, and the freedom of the press, and freedom of speech and religion, we cannot stop these incidents from happening. And I think we should -- we should be clear about that, and we should deliver the message to strongly note, not by apologizing but by explaining our position as American government and American nation, as well.
BERMAN: Do you think it is just the film at this point that has launched these demonstrations? Or is there something else at play that's bringing these people out into the streets?
AL-SUWAIJ: It's a bigger -- it's a bigger picture than the film only. I think there are a lot of other political goals behind the -- behind the riots going on. I don't think the film -- the film was just an excuse to these kind of riots in the street. I think the political goals that they -- these radical groups have, and is steering the riots in these countries, are much bigger than just bad quality film that's been put on YouTube.
This is similar situation that we had a few years ago with the Danish cartoon.
BERMAN: The chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations Steven Haas had a quote over the weekend which I found instructive. He said the U.S. interests in the region, in the Middle East, greatly outweigh our ability to intervene or influence them.
So how do you influence a situation there, when obviously we do care so much about what goes on?
AL-SUWAIJ: Of course. We do care. I think we have better position than just apologizing. We are supporting many of these nations, with our tax money. I think we should put the pressure on these governments, to say -- to make our embassies and our personnel safe and secure.
At the same time, I think we are -- we should have a better strategy in dealing with the situation, directly -- not with the people directly, but with their own governments over there. As we should put more pressure on these kind of things, because this is the only language that they do understand over there, is the pressure that comes from the government, and that this is the same picture that they project on us, thinking that, you know, the government here can stop a film from being spread on YouTube or on the net or elsewhere.
BERMAN: All right. Zainab al-Suwaij, the executive director of the American Islamic Congress -- thank you very much.
I should say the Obama administration strenuously disagrees that they're apologizing for the video but that is another discussion for another time. Thanks very much this morning. SAMBOLIN: It is 35 minutes past the hour.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urging the Obama administration to take a tougher stance against Iran. And keep them from going nuclear before it's too late.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: It's important to place a red line before Iran, and I think that actually reduces the chance of the military conflict. Because if they know there's a point stage in the enrichment or other nuclear activities that they cannot cross because they'll face consequences, I think they'll actually not cross it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAMBOLIN: Netanyahu also telling CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" that Iran in the next six months could have 90 percent of what it needs to produce an atomic bomb. Tehran claims it is enriching uranium for peaceful purposes.
BERMAN: Warren Buffett has completed treatments for stage one prostate cancer. The billionaire investor told a group of newspaper executives it's a great day for me.
The 82-year-old Buffett endured his 44th and final day of radiation on Friday. He said he is relieved it's finally over. He expects to be feeling the negative effects of the treatments for a couple weeks or so, but then back up to full speed.
SAMBOLIN: Bad weather has postponed the space shuttle Endeavour's final flight. Endeavour was supposed to take off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, flying piggyback on a 747 first to Houston and then to its new home, the California Science Center in Los Angeles. The flight is now scheduled for sunrise tomorrow.
BERMAN: What you're all missing is the dramatic re-enactment of the flight, Zoraida Sambolin. Act like a 747.
SAMBOLIN: I would love to be on board as that's flying.
BERMAN: Some day that will happen.
SAMBOLIN: Maybe tonight.
BERMAN: We want to get a check of today's weather. Rob Marciano has a look.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Why don't they just let media come on board? At least one, right?
SAMBOLIN: Wouldn't that be a great idea? I volunteer in case anybody's listening.
MARCIANO: Duly noted. We'll get back to you on that. Because I have al the power in regards to that.
Good morning, guys. You certainly don't want any turbulence when you're flying a space shuttle on top of a 747, so that's why they're delaying that flight. A little bit of a mess across parts of the South.
By the way, the string of gorgeous stuff that you've had across the East Coast, that's come to an end, at least for a couple of days. So if you're a craps player, you've had a good role, 7s come and pick up your chips and head to another table. We are looking at some rainfall. Some of which could be heavy at times starting to come from the Gulf of Mexico. So, it's deep tropical stuff, Houston towards Lake Charles, Beaumont, Texas over towards Baton Rouge. This is all stretching up towards Memphis. Little Rock, we've had some beneficial rains. Although a little bit too much of a good thing for some spots.
Flood watches have been posted for much of the Tennessee Valley. You could see two to in some cases five inches of rainfall here over the next 48 hours. Here's what our computer models are saying. There's all that tropical moisture coming into Georgia, we can use a rainfall. But it does stretch into the Northeast.
First, the Appalachians and the Ohio River Valley and eventually toward the I-95 corridor, a slight chance of seeing some severe weather. That will expand tomorrow as the cooler air begins to drive in. Seventy-eight degrees in New York, 80 degrees in D.C. enjoy today. Tomorrow looks to be stormy and cooler.
BERMAN: All right, Rob Marciano. Thanks for the warning at least. Nice to see you today.
MARCIANO: All right, guys.
SAMBOLIN: Thirty-eight minutes past the hour.
Red faces at Buckingham Palace this morning. Why? It's those topless pictures of Kate Middleton. The royal family is planning to take action now. We're going to go live to the Solomon Islands where Will and Kate are on tour. That's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: Welcome back to EARLY START, everyone. It's 42 minutes after the hour right now. I'm John Berman.
SAMBOLIN: And I'm Zoraida Sambolin. Glad to have you this morning.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are in the Solomon Islands this morning. It is part of their yearlong celebration of the Queen's diamond jubilee. While over 9,000 miles away in Paris, attorneys for the royals are about to file a criminal complaint against a photographer who snapped topless photos of the duchess while she was vacationing in a private home in the south of France.
We're told not everyone in the royal family approved of taking the case to court but Prince William and Catherine are said to be so livid, they felt they need to take a stand.
Max Foster is traveling with the duke and duchess. Poor guy. He joins us live in the Solomon Islands. So, are they filing?
MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: They are filing. I did speak to them just a few hours ago, Zoraida, and it's clear this is weighing very heavily on them. It happened at a very unfortunate time, right in the middle of the tour and (INAUDIBLE) themselves into that.
So it's all smiles for the camera, but she's upset. She feels humiliated. And he actually feels very angry. He's speaking of Diana in relation to this. He went through a tough upbringing because of the pressure his mother was under from the paparazzi. He's seeing it happen again to his wife and he's making sure that is not going to continue because it's completely unacceptable.
He has a torrid relationship with the press and the media. He does work with us. But there's a clear line. When it comes to these paparazzi shots, the media crossed that line. It's unacceptable. It was a private holiday, they're very intimate pictures and they had a right to privacy and he's making an example of this French magazine saying this is completely unacceptable and using everything within his legal power to get some sort of redress.
SAMBOLIN: And so some at Buckingham Palace feel that he should not be taking legal action? Is that right?
FOSTER: I haven't heard that. I have to say. This is all really at St. James's Palace and Clarence House. There seems to be thoughts from the royal family, they were all shocked by these images.
And recently, we had the Prince Harry pictures, as well. Some see that as a slightly more debatable subject and this not being that. But they are going to this French court today and they want to potentially the editor of the magazine to face jail time as a result of this. They're doing what they can to use all their legal power at their means.
They want to make sure they can't produce any more pictures. They do have some more pictures, the French magazine. Although there's an Italian magazine today which is publishing a 26-page spread. But the reality is there's unlikely to be a successful prosecution in that country so they're looking to the French one to make an example of that.
SAMBOLIN: Wow, criminal charges. That's pretty serious. Max Foster live from the Solomon Islands. Thank you for that.
BERMAN: All right. Forty-five minutes after the hour right now, so more news from overseas.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN (voice-over): Violent protests in Afghanistan against the United States. The latest hot spot, Kabul. Hundreds of people rallying against that very low-budget film that mocks the Muslim Prophet Muhammad. They're burning cars, they're firing their guns. An Afghan police official says at least 15 officers were injured. Police were also forced to beat back a mob in Karachi in Pakistan. One person was killed there.
President Obama is lodging an unfair trade complaint against China with the World Trade Organization. The White House is claiming Beijing is trampling on trade laws by imposing more than $3 billion in duties on U.S. auto exports, creating an unfair advantage for China's automakers and parts manufacturers.
The President will make that announcement today while he's campaigning in the state of Ohio. This is no coincidence. That is a state that relies heavily on the auto parts industry to create jobs.
SAMBOLIN (voice-over): Mitt Romney is in Los Angeles this morning, looking to drum up support among Latino voters. He'll pledge to reform the nation's broken immigration system when he addresses the Hispanic Chamber of Congress today. But there are no details about how he would do it and the excerpts of the speech that have been made public to the media.
Romney will also say over two million more Hispanics are living in poverty today than the day President Obama took office.
BERMAN: It is the one-year anniversary of the Occupy movement, and protests are planned today in Lower Manhattan. It expected to begin in about two hours. We have some live pictures right now of New York's Zuccotti Park, obviously very, very quiet there right now.
But protesters are planning rallies in more than 30 cities around the world, including a march today on the New York Stock Exchange.
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SAMBOLIN: Soledad O'Brien joins us now with a look at what is ahead on "STARTING POINT." Welcome back, chica.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thank you. Nice to be back from my vacay.
Ahead on "STARTING POINT" this morning, we're going to continue to follow those developing stories overseas. Those violent protests that we're just talking about in Pakistan, in Afghanistan that have broken out overnight following a deadly weekend for U.S. troops in that country. Is there a plan to stop the unrest? We're going to bring a live report from Kabul this morning.
Also, we'll talk with Jen Psaki. She's with the Obama campaign traveling press secretary. We're going to talk to Peter King, as well, congressman from New York. They're our guests ahead this morning.
And of course, it's supposed to be a safe place for young boys to learn and grow. A new report out says the boy scouts covered up and protected child molesters for more than two decades. We're talking with one of the reporters who broke that story ahead this morning. And the royal family you guys were just chatting about. Kate and Will all upset about what's happening with those naked photos. We're going to find out what does happen in court today, because as we just heard, they will be pressing charges against the French newspaper.
And don't forget, you can watch CNN live on your computer or your mobile phone when you're at work. Go to CNN.com/TV. We'll see you right at the top of the hour on "STARTING POINT."
BERMAN: Excellent. I should tell you, by the way, the Occupy protest expected to begin in about 15 minutes. I said 2 hours before, but 15 minutes. Very soon, although, as we just showed you the live pictures down there, it's a quiet start --
SAMBOLIN: Not many folks there yet.
BERMAN: -- obviously right there.
BERMAN: All right. Usually, a tentative deal is enough to end a worker walkout. But, not in Chicago where this morning, the teachers are still on strike. This is big news. What gives? A live report coming up.
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SAMBOLIN: Welcome back to EARLY START. Fifty-one minutes past the hour. I'm Zoraida Sambolin.
BERMAN: And I'm John Berman. So glad you're with us.
No deal, at least, not yet in the Chicago teachers strike. The walkout enters a second week this morning with striking public school teachers saying they need more time to review a tentative contract agreement that was reached this weekend. Meantime, Chicago's mayor says he's going to court to try and get teachers back on the job.
CNN's Kyung Lah is live in Chicago this morning. Kyung, I have to say, going into this weekend, we thought this was all tied up. We thought they had a deal.
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, tied up with a fancy bow on it. That's what everybody thought. But what happened was, when that contract was presented to the union delegation last night, it was a contentious meeting. I could actually hear applause, and at times, you could hear that they were very unhappy. They want more time.
Two days to go and talk to their membership, work it out, see what they think, and then vote again tomorrow night. What does that mean for the city of Chicago? Those 350,000 students, well, there is no school today and tomorrow. It is a scramble for families. This is one of the dropout sites where some parents drop off kids for a full six hours, just like school.
But for the vast majority of families, it is really a scramble. And it's stretching now into the second week. So, certainly, parents are starting to lose their patience. Schools and children are losing time in the classroom. On the news of this, the school board was very angry, fired back, came out swinging. Here's what the President said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID VITALE, PRESIDENT, CHICAGO BOARD OF EDUCATION: There is no reason why our kids cannot be in school while the union reviews the agreement. Just as we have said that this is a strike of choice, it is now become a delay of choice.
MICHAEL BOCHNER, CHICAGO TEACHER: I don't like being on strike. Nobody in my school likes being on strike, but we understand the reason, and I guess it's not a very easy process. My membership really wants to go back to work, but I understand that, you know, when you have a big union, it's a lot of people. So, we're taking care of not just our school but everybody's school. So, it is what it has to be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAH: So, one of the big concerns for the union delegates last night as we were talking to them is teacher evaluations. John, they want to go over it before they sign on the dotted line.
BERMAN: All right. Kyung Lah live in Chicago watching this story. Thanks very much.
SAMBOLIN: You know, in their last contract, apparently, there was a clause in there that had to do with money that they did not read very carefully and they ended up losing some money. So, they said this time, we're going to go over it with a fine tooth comb. Apparently, it takes two days.
Fifty-four minutes past the hour. Today's "Best Advice," former NFL star, Wade Davis, has that for us coming up.
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SAMBOLIN: Fifty-seven minutes past the hour, and we wrap it up as always with "Best Advice."
BERMAN: Here's Christine.
ROMANS: Thank you. Today's "Best Advice" on this Monday morning comes from former NFL player, Wade Davis. We asked him about the best advice he's ever received, and this is what he told us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WADE DAVIS, FORMER NFL PLAYER: Hi. My name is Wade Davis, and the best advice I've ever gotten is to allow our youth and students to define success for themselves. Don't try to make them choose, but give them the options to choose and hope that you've given them the tools and the vision to choose what's best for them. Thank you so much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: I love that he says thank you when we asked him for his best advice. Very polite young man. But brave advice from a brave guy.
SAMBOLIN: Yes. And very committed to the youth. I was glad to see that after his career is over that that is where he decides to serve his time.
ROMANS: So, take a little bit or leave it. Every day, we give you this advice at the end of the hour so you can take it with you to work if you want.
(CROSSTALK)
BERMAN: That is EARLY START for this morning. I'm John Berman.
SAMBOLIN: And I'm Zoraida Sambolin. "STARTING POINT" with Soledad O'Brien starts right now.
