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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Texas Ebola Scare Ends for Some; Hannah Graham's Body Found?; Unrest at New Hampshire Pumpkin Festival

Aired October 20, 2014 - 04:00   ET

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


JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight: quarantine over. Family and friends of the first Ebola patient in the United States declared disease-free. Now, the critical time period for other hospital workers as the search continues for people who may have been exposed.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: A gruesome discovery and a possible break in the case of the missing UVA student. What police are saying this morning about the human remains discovered over the weekend.

BERMAN: All right. Welcome to idiocy, folks. An annual pumpkin festival turns violent, as riot police flash with college students, tear gas and bottles thrown, dozens of injuries and arrests.

ROMANS: All right. Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.

BERMAN: I'm John Berman. Great to see you today. It is Monday. It's October 20th. It's cold and it's 4:00 a.m. in the East.

And we do have breaking news overnight. Forty-eight people who were quarantined in Dallas because they had contact with Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan, they have been declared infection-free. This is an important milestone. Among these people, Duncan's fiancee.

Now, all of them cleared to end their differing levels of seclusion after 21 days of quarantine. We'll have more on that in just a moment.

But, first, on Saturday, Duncan's loved ones remembered him at a service in North Carolina. At the same time, the cruise ship passengers who endured a perhaps overblown Ebola scare disembarked in Galveston, Texas. A passenger who have been a lab supervisor in a Dallas hospital where Duncan was treated and later died voluntarily isolated herself on board for the Ebola test came back negative. The relief is even greater for dozens of people in Dallas who had direct contact with Duncan.

CNN's Alina Machado is there with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine and John, there are 48 people here in Dallas County who are breathing a sigh of relief this morning after reaching the end of their 21-day monitoring period without showing any symptoms. These are people who had contact with Thomas Eric Duncan before he died on October 8th. They include Duncan's fiancee, Louise Troh.

Listen to what a pastor at her church told us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They feel this is a tremendous miracle that's happened, that they have not come done to be symptomatic, given the close exposure they had early on. This is a long awaited day for celebration.

MACHADO: There are still 75 people whose monitoring period started the day Duncan died. So, they still have a few days left. And there's another group of people who will be monitored even longer after they had contact with one of the two nurses who became sick after treating Duncan -- Christine and John.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Alina Machado, thank you for that.

The European foreign ministers meet today with an eye to ramping up the European Union response to Ebola, as well as to ISIS. British Prime Minister David Cameron calling for the E.U. to put $1.3 billion and 2,000 aid workers into the fight against the deadly disease.

In Spain, nurse's aide Teresa Romero Ramos was cleared of Ebola on Sunday. She is free of the virus. CNN was able to follow her samples through Spain's testing lab.

Nic Robertson is with us live this morning with more on that -- Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Christine.

We were at the Spain's equivalent to the CDC, the only lab they have in this country that does the Ebola checks. When that sample came in from Teresa Romero, the nursing assistant, we watch it go through the testing procedure.

It took a while to wait for the results to come through. But within a few hours, officials there got what they expected. Teresa Romero showing negative, no signs of Ebola virus in her body. Now, she will have to wait in hospital for another about 72 hours to get a second test.

Also, she's had a chest infraction, had some difficulty breathing. So, she will likely remain a bit longer for monitoring of that condition. For Spanish authorities, this is something of a milestone. It means no one in the country as far as they know has Ebola. Teresa Romero's husband remains under quarantine in isolation here with a dozen or so other people who came into contact with Teresa Romero. They'll stay in hospital for observations for the next, about a week or so before they are likely to be cleared.

And also, there were two other people in the hospital here who were having tests for Ebola symptoms or Ebola-like symptoms. They've also now tested negative for the second time. And one of those, we understand, from sources within the hospital who has knowledge of their treatment. One of those people now have been able to leave the hospital as well, Christine.

ROMANS: You know, Nic, you make a really good point, too, that the fear in Spain has really subsided as this final case here, this case of Teresa Romero Ramos, as she no longer has the virus. This is not front and center in the Spanish media anymore, is it?

ROBERTSON: It isn't. That's kind of surprising. You know, there are a few TV crews outside here reporting. You pick up the newspapers this morning, there is no mention of it on the front page. Never mind what you might expect of a picture of her saying "all clear" or "Spain out of the situation."

There has been so much debate about whether Teresa Romero was given adequate training with protective equipment, whether other nurses here and doctors have been provided with everything they needed. Spain perhaps wasn't up to standard in dealing with it. But, no, it's people here are moving on. It's off the front pages now -- Christine.

ROMANS: Off the front pages.

All right. Nic, thank you so much.

BERMAN: Not off the front pages here, congressional Republicans blasting the president's response to the Ebola crisis. From the morning talk shows, Senator Roy Blunt and Congressman Tim Murphy call for travel ban and suspending visas from West Africa. That is something -- those are things that administration has firmly rejected.

On the CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION", Senator Ted Cruz assailed the president's election of Ron Klain as his new Ebola czar, noting lack of experience in public health.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ (R), TEXAS: We don't need another White House political operative which is what Mr. Klain has been. What we need is presidential leadership. Two weeks ago, the president should have stood up and suspended flights from these countries.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: We are learning that the Pentagon is joining the federal government's Ebola response in a pretty big way. Defense officials tell CNN's Barbara Starr that the military is forming a 30-person quick strike team to provide direct treatment within 72 hours to Ebola patient inside the United States.

In Arkansas, Bill Clinton defended the administration's response at the get out to vote. He slammed Republicans critics who, quote, "don't know a lick about it" for playing the blame game.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT: So, we all need to do what we all do best every time a tornado strikes, we need to settle down, figure out what the challenges are and solve them together. I don't think this is time to blame. We need to save every life we can and keep this thing from coming to America. That's what we need to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: All right. Seven minutes past the hour. Time for an early start on your money this morning.

Asian stocks higher led by Japan's bench mark Nikkei. Look at the Nikkei, up 4 percent. European stocks not following that lead. They're down a little bit right now.

U.S. stock futures are pointing higher after a crazy week last week. The Dow rose 263 points on Friday. That was the second best day of the year. For the week, though, the Dow is still down about 1 percent in the week in a big swings issue. So, is this turmoil over? Well, Friday's rally was driven by corporate data, strong corporate data. That could keep stocks climbing this week as well.

We'll hear from giants like Amazon, Apple today, Coca-Cola, General Motors, McDonald's. A new report last week found consumer sentiment at the highest level since 2007 and healthy spending could mean strong earnings and a boost for stocks.

We're also going to get a bunch of housing data this week. You know, mortgage rates fell below 4 percent. We're going to get more housing -- so, I'm going to be interested to see the housing data this week. That's what I'll be focusing on.

All right. Eight minutes past the hour.

Positive identification could come as early as today on human remains found over the weekend that police suspect is 18-year-old Hannah Graham. The University of Virginia student vanished five weeks ago. After the remains were located, the search for Hannah became a death investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF TIM LONGO, CHARLOTTESVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT: The Charlottesville Police Department made a difficult phone call and reached out to John and Susan Graham to share with them this preliminary discovery.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The remains were found on an abandoned property near Charlottesville. Authorities hope it gives Hannah's family some relief.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We stayed positive, stayed upbeat. You know, we were here for a mission, and that mission was to bring closure. We are hoping that that's what we have done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Thirty-two-year-old Jesse Matthew Jr. is in custody. He is charged in connection with Hannah Graham's disappearance. He's also been linked to the murder of Virginia Tech student in 2009.

BERMAN: The Ferguson police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown has told investigators he was trapped in his cruiser and feared for his life as he and the teenager struggled for his gun. And forensic test reportedly found Michael Brown's blood on the gun, car and uniform of Officer Darren Wilson, that is according to "The New York Times". The results of the grand jury investigation into the deadly shooting of the unarmed teen are expected around mid-November.

ROMANS: The president of New Hampshire's Keene College says any student involved in turning the city's annual pumpkin festival into chaos will be held responsible for their actions. Officials say rowdy crowds threw bottles and rocks. They set fires and overturned cars. Police in riot gear responded with tear gas and pepper spray.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got hit. It was a Jack Daniels bottle across the face. Yes, I was in the health center for a little bit, but I left.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These guys just came in with shields, started, I don't know, tear gassing me. It's crazy. Crazy stuff, real, real crazy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's ridiculous. It's not pumpkin fest. I'm Rhode Island. This is supposed to be a fun weekend but it's stupid.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: It's supposed to be a fun weekend, and that's stupid.

ROMANS: Really stupid. At least 30 people were injured. Thirty people injured. Police reportedly made dozens of arrests. Some of the Keene college students blame the unrest on out-of-towners.

BERMAN: All right. Some better news, NFL history made in Denver Sunday night. Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning broke a record with that pass. Surpassing Brett Favre to become the NFL's all-time leader in touchdown passes.

The record-breaking 509th TD pass. It was an eighth yard. You saw it right there. It came in the second quarter. Peyton Manning, it turns out, is good at this football thing. He threw four touchdown passes. Denver beat the 49ers 42 to 17.

ROMANS: Congratulations to him.

BERMNAN: Way to go, Peyton Manning. We expect he will be on next hour live. I'm just kidding. Congratulations, Peyton Manning. All right. Eleven minutes after the hour.

Tom Sater has an early look at your forecast.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM SATER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, John. Good morning, Christine. The seasons are changing. But take a look at these colors. In dark blue, these are frost advisories from the beautiful Shenandoah down in the Appalachian chain.

But I want to point out the light blue, freeze warnings. Which means the growing season has now come to an end. We're always seeing these issued for the first hard freeze. If you have a tender plant that you'd like to try to save for a couple more days or weeks, you've got about an hour to get it covered. But it's always coldest just before sunrise.

So, yes, things are changing. We've got a series of fronts that are going to be passing through, not so much west to east, but they're dropping from Canada, which will reinforce the cooler air and really let everyone know if there was a doubt that fall is here. A nice bubble of warmth in the Midwest and Southern Plains. High pressure on one coast. A disturbance in western Texas with smattering of some showers.

But here are temperatures. Look at the highs in the Great Lakes, low 60s. Upper 50s in New England, 70s down to the South, even some 80s in the Southern Plains, and a smattering of some 60s. We do have some high surf in the Pacific Northwest with the next cold front moving in.

But that's what we're watching. That is the story, more than just frost on the pumpkins. It's everywhere in the east. We'll keep you posted on the day's events as they unfold.

ROMANS: All right.

BERMAN: You have to be careful with frost on the pumpkins.

ROMANS: I know. Your house is one of the blue spots.

BERMAN: All right. Twelve minutes after the hour.

The U.S. drops a new round of aid and unleashes huge airstrikes against ISIS in the fight for Kobani. We are live from the region, next.

ROMANS: And a possible break through with the search for the more than 200 Nigerian school girls kidnapped by Boko Haram, how Nigeria says they plan on getting the girls back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Relentless U.S. airstrikes are keeping ISIS from overrunning Kobani. Dozens of ISIS troops were reportedly killed over the weekend. The American air support is helping Kurdish fighters on the ground push the enemy back. And while that is happening, U.S. cargo planes are delivering desperately need weapons and medical supplies to resupply those Kurdish soldiers.

This in an attempt to keep the critically northern Syrian town from falling. The air drops of aid and weapons, a key development overnight.

I want to bring in Nick Paton Walsh live at the Turkey-Syria border.

Good morning, Nick.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): John, a sea change really in the level of support the Americans are providing the Kurds here on the ground. These 27 bundles we understand dropped by three C-130 aircraft overnight contained ammunition, medical supplies and food, things Kurds have been crying out for in the past weeks. It has not been coming across the border at the level they would like. The Kurds blame Turkish military.

Barack Obama spoke to the (INAUDIBLE) to make the air drop. Senior officials said they would not characterize the Turkish response. But you can imagine, they probably wouldn't (INAUDIBLE) publicly, after a particular decision by the United States very publicly throwing support behind groups with the Syrian Kurds whose Turkey view as allies of terrorists to Turkish Kurds, their allies inside Turkey.

A complex relationship made more complex by the clear move by the United States to back the Kurds in the hour of need, John.

BERMAN: That's a big move.

Our Nick Paton Walsh headed to the border right now to get a very close at the effect of those air drops. It should be noted, the air drops are necessary because we can't drive the supplies over the border because Turks won't allow it.

ROMANS: Very complicated situation indeed. All right. Thanks for that.

The government of Nigeria claims it has a cease-fire with the Islamic terror group Boko Haram that includes an agreement to release more than 200 kidnapped school girls. Nigerian officials expect the girls to be freed after a meeting in Chad this week. No confirmation of any agreement from Boko Haram. In fact, the group launched attacks on two Nigerian villages after the cease-fire was allegedly signed.

BERMAN: The trial of a London man accused in a terror plot. That trial resumes today. Erol Incedal is accused of planning either an attack on a prominent person or an assault similar to the 2008 Mumbai attack which left 174 people dead. We are told the 26-year-old had the address of a property belonging to former Prime Minister Tony Blair and had a phone containing material support from the Islamic State. Now, this man denies the allegations.

ROMANS: Well, Martians may be breathing easier after the comet Siding Spring buzzed the Red Planet after the closest fly-by ever recorded. The comet came been 87,000 miles of Mars. That's close. That may not seem very close, but it was enough to make NASA hide its Mars rover and orbiters on the other side of the planet.

BERMAN: Hide the rover, hide the rover.

Nineteen minutes after the hour.

Dozens killed over the weekend in a surge of violence in Baghdad. But just who is responsibility for this bloodshed? We're live from Baghdad with the latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: A new weekend of violent clashes between pro-democracy protesters and police in Hong Kong. Demonstrators seizing back control of the city's busy Mong Kok district after losing days earlier, 240 people were injured including 18 police officers, 33 others were arrested.

A two-hour meeting for the two sides is set for Tuesday. And it is expected that this meeting will be broadcast live.

ROMANS: The search for survivors of a Himalayan avalanche goes on in Nepal. Officials say more than 400 hikers have now been rescued from deep snow following last week's avalanche. The military heading up efforts to find more stranded hikers. At least 39 people died in the avalanche and officials expect the death toll will rise.

Now to a surge of violence in Baghdad as series of car bombs killing dozens over the past few days. The most recent attack happening at a Shia mosque, killing at least 21 people.

Senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman following the latest for us this morning from Baghdad.

What can you tell us, Ben?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Christine, we've had a series of car bombs in Baghdad over the last few days. But this was a suicide bomber who went with an explosive belt inside a mosque where he killed 21 people, wounding 25.

And this really seems to be the real threat to Baghdad. We heard a lot. We reported a lot about the fact that ISIS is just around the perimeter of the city. But it's inside the bombings day after day, multiple bombings every day that seems to underscore the clear and present danger in the Iraqi capital.

Speaking to coalition officials, they're confident that Baghdad, as far as its outer defenses go, is safe. There is a lot of Iraq's armed forces and police are in Baghdad. The problem is, not the threat from outside. The problem is the bombs day after day after day -- Christine.

ROMANS: Relentless bombings day after day after day.

All right. Ben Wedeman, thank you so much for that.

BERMAN: Twenty-four minutes after the hour right now.

We may learn as early as tomorrow what the fate of Oscar Pistorius will be. Closing arguments happen today in the sentencing phase of his trial. Prosecutors are pushing for the athlete locked up for ten years for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp last Valentine's Day.

The defense argues he shouldn't do time behind bars and he should be sentenced to community service.

ROMANS: All right. It's almost time for the Jodi Arias trial take two. Her sentencing retrial in Arizona gets underway today. Up first, an evidentiary hearing, opening statement are set for Tuesday. A jury convicted Arias last year of murdering her boyfriend, Travis Alexander, back in 2008, but was deadlocked on whether she should receive the death penalty.

So, here it goes again. Retrial sentencing for Jodi Arias.

BERMAN: All right. Twenty-five minutes after the hour. A cruise ship with a quarantined passenger makes it home as some of the people in Dallas that might have been exposed or could have been exposed to Ebola reach the 21-day milestone in their observation.

Quarantine over. A key milestone. But what's next? That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)