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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

NYPD on High Alert After Police Killings; North Korea Threatens More Cyberattacks; Christie Enters Cuba Debate; Pope Francis' End of Year Message

Aired December 22, 2014 - 04:00   ET

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


CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Tragedy and outrage. Police and New Yorkers on high alert after two NYPD officers were murdered in cold blood. Now blame is spreading as the investigation into what led up to the deadly shootings gets underway.

North Korea making more threats against the United States and White House after President Obama said the U.S. would respond to the cyber hack on Sony. Will the U.S. put the regime back on the state terror list?

Good morning. And welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans. John Berman is off this morning.

It is Monday, December 22nd, 4:00 a.m. in the East. Nice to see you this morning.

New York City police and the people they serve badly, badly shaken this morning by the murder of two police officers sitting in their patrol car in Brooklyn Saturday night. The NYPD stepping up security at police stations, changing protocols and investigating threats now in an unprecedented way.

We have details coming in on the shooting itself. Officials say the gunman, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, told two bystanders, "Watch what I'm going to do", before opening fire. He was then chased by two utility workers who happened to see the shootings. Brinsley shot himself on the subway platform moments later.

President Obama calling New York Police Commissioner William Bratton and the co-chair on the task force on 21 century policing, Charles Ramsey. The president expressing his outrage on these murders, these senseless murders.

The mother of Eric Garner speaking out and urging supporters of police reform to reject violence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GWEN CARR, MOTHER OF ERIC GARNER: Anyone who is standing with us, we want you to not use Eric Garner's name for violence, because we are not about that. These two police officers lost their lives senselessly. (END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: CNN's Alexandra Field is in Brooklyn with the very latest -- Alexandra.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine, this is a city on edge. Sources telling CNN that extra security is being added at NYPD precincts and that various threats being made to the police department on different social media platforms are also being investigated. As many as 15 different threats all needing to be closely looked into by investigators trying to protect the men and women who serve this city.

This as the city grieves the loss of two officers assassinated at gunpoint in their patrol cars. Officer Wenjian Liu and Officer Rafael Ramos killed in this Brooklyn neighborhood. And as the city grieves the loss of these two officers, tensions continue to rise between the mayor and the police officers union. Union leaders say that Mayor Bill de Blasio has the blood of these officers on his hands, lashing out at the mayor for supporting protests that have unfolded in this city over the last couple of weeks, following the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. They say the mayor's support for protesters has puts officers on risk.

The mayor says that right now, his focus is not on politics, with the union, but on the victims of the attack over the weekend. He says he has been spending time with the victims' family and hoping for peace in the city. At the same time, the mayor's office is responding to some of the comments made by the police officers union, saying that the rhetoric is overheated and that could be both divisive and cause people to become angry -- Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: Thanks for that, Alexandra, for Brooklyn for us this morning.

Now, the tension between the NYPD and city hall was made clear after Saturday's shooting. Union leaders and a group of rank and file officers silently turned their backs on the mayor as he walked into the hospital where the two wounded officers were taken. That's something. A move clearly meant as a sign of disrespect. Some of those officers, some of those rank-and-file, supporting turning their backs literally on the mayor of New York City.

Dozens of New Yorkers gathered at vigils last night, lighting candles, singing and praying and remembering the two slain officers.

Thirty-two-year-old Wenjian Liu, a seven-year veteran. He was married just two months ago.

Forty-year-old Rafael Ramos, two years in the NYPD, the father of sons. His youngest son 13-year-old Jaden Ramos posted a heart breaking message on his Facebook page. "Today, I had to say bye to my father. Everyone says they hate cops, but they are the people they call for help. I will always love you and will never forget you. RIP, dad."

New York sports teams are paying tribute to the fallen patrolmen. The Yankees Silver Shield Foundation announced it will pay all education expenses for Officer Ramos' sons. Other teams also remember the two officers, the New York Nets and the Rangers both held moments of silence before their Sunday games. The Jets also observed a moment of silence.

And Jets center Nick Mangold wore a black NYPD cap during the national anthem. Giants coach wore a black stripe on his shoulder and a peace sign below the NY logo in what the team describe as his personal tribute to the fallen officers.

Detectives are trying to learn more about the 28-year-old gunman who ambushed and killed them. They are looking into the claim by Ismaaiyl Brinsley's mother that he had undiagnosed mental illness. They are digging into Brinsley's social media accounts, trying to learn whether his vow on Facebook to, quote, "put wings on pigs," and his references to the Michael Brown and Eric Garner cases were real political protests or an excuse for a violent rampage. That spree began in Baltimore where Brinsley shot his ex-girlfriend Shaneka Thompson. Authorities say Thompson is expected to survive.

New York not the only city this morning reeling from the shooting of a police officer. In Tarpon Springs, Florida, 45-year-old Officer Charles Kondek was shot and killed. The 17-year-old veteran of the Tampa area department he'd served and the NYPD before that. A sheriff's spokeswoman said a 23-year-old suspect is in custody.

All right. Now to the other big story this morning. North Korea warning overnight the massive cyberattack on Sony is just the beginning. A new statement from Pyongyang steadfastly denies involvement in the Sony hack, but then it claims the U.S. government was behind the making of the Sony Pictures comedy "The Interview." It goes on to threaten, quote, "counteraction against the White House, the Pentagon and whole the U.S. mainland."

President Obama taking a cautious approach, telling CNN's Candy Crowley he views this Sony hack as cyber vandalism, those are his words, not an act of war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to be in an environment in this new world where so much is digitalized. That both state and non-state actors are going to have the capacity to disrupt our lives in all sorts of ways. We have to do a much better job of guarding against that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: CNN's Kyung Lah joins us live now from Seoul with the latest.

Kyung, good morning.

And this story -- this story just keeps moving and morphing with the strange response, couple of strange responses now from the North Koreans and Sony still reeling about what to do next. Bring us up to speed.

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the strange response that you are talking about, you can also say it's quite a twisted response. We are used to the flowery rhetoric from North Korea. They took a lot of liberties, filling up some three pages of rhetoric.

And what we can tell you is that while the president is trying to cautious, North Korea is being anything but. Take a look at a couple of lines from what North Korea is saying. They are saying, quote, "The army and people of DPRK are fully ready to stand in confrontation with U.S. in all war spaces, including cyber warfare space to blow up those citadels." And North Korea is pledging that any future attack will, quote, "bring achievements thousand of times greater than the hacking attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment."

At the same time, North Korea saying, hey, we did not have anything to do with it. It was some of the proxy agencies. Someone who feels the same way the DPRK does, which, you know, the United States will say is absolutely nonsense.

President Obama saying that he is going to review, Christine, whether or not to put North Korea on the terror list.

ROMANS: So, North Korea says we didn't do it, but we will do it even worse if the U.S. is not what we would like to say.

So, what are Sony leaders saying about the controversy around "The Interview"? Because the DPRK, the officials in Pyongyang are saying that the U.S. government is responsible for the making of that movie. It shows a very -- I just think a very poignant culture clash really that other countries the U.S. would make a movie. A movie company made this movie.

LAH: You know, people watch North Korea who say there are a lot of preposterous things come from North Korea. And this rhetoric is a part of that as well. The United States will say the evidence is clearly pointing to North Korea. What Sony Pictures is saying, the CEO and the attorney, is that saying they are absolutely intending to not back down.

Here's what they said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL LYNTON, SONY PICTURES CEO: We have not caved. We have not given in. We have persevered, and we have not backed down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Remember, Sony only delayed this. Sony has been fighting to get this picture distributed. It will be distributed. How it's going to be distributed I don't think anybody knows quite yet. But it's going to be distributed. And what Sony has been trying to do is get the picture out to the public. But aAt the same time, the rights of employees and movie going public are protected.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAH: So, will it be released via DVD? Will it be streamed? Will it be released worldwide? These are a lot of things that a lot of people want answered because many more people actually want to see this movie -- Christine.

ROMANS: All right. Kyung Lah for us this morning in Seoul -- nice to see you. Thank you.

Ten minutes past the hour.

Gunfire at the Canadian border, U.S. officers shooting an unidentified Canadian man at the Ambassador Bridge. That's the span connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. Customs officials say the man got out of his car and was waving what appeared to be a gun as he approached the checkpoint. It turned out to be a replica gun. The suspect was shot in the arm, he has been treated and taken into custody.

Time for an early start on your money this Monday morning.

Stock futures are higher, building off last week's impressive weekly gain. The Dow and S&P up more than 3 percent last week. The NASDAQ jumped, wow, 2.4 percent. Thanks to the fed's reassurance it would be patient with rate increases.

Analysts expect the rally to keep going this week. The NASDAQ and S&P already with double digit gains. Investors will bet the oil shock is over.

U.S. crude oil prices rose about $4 after hitting lows last week. This may signal the end of falling oil prices with shed $40 in the past six months. Until then, drivers can still enjoy one benefit, cheap gas. New survey reports the average price fell to $2.47 a gallon Friday, a 25 cent drop in just a couple of weeks, down more than $1.25 since peaks earlier this year. It's money right in your pocket.

A top Republican and potential 2016 candidate now speaking out on President Obama's decision to normalize relations with Cuba. What Governor Chris Christie is demanding the president about a fugitive on the FBI's most wanted terror list.

And, a sports legend is in hospital this morning. An update on Muhammad Ali's condition in just moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Breaking overnight: French police arresting a man suspected of driving a vehicle into a crowd of pedestrians Sunday in the city of Dijon. At least 12 people were injured. The suspect was held yelling "Allahu Akbar", Arabic for God is great, as he mow down his victims. A day earlier, French police shot and killed a man who stabbed and wounded three officers while also shouting "Allahu Akbar".

A critical victory for Kurdish fighters driving ISIS forces from the heart of the northern city of Sinjar. Hundreds of citizens under siege for over a month were rescued in Sunday's counterattack. ISIS positions in the region were a target of 47 U.S. airstrikes, 47 just last week.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie asking President Obama to demand that Cuba turnover convicted cop killer Joanne Chesimard. Chesimard killed a New Jersey trooper in 1973 and has been living in asylum in Cuba since 1984 after escaping from prison here in the U.S. She is on the FBI most wanted terror list. Christie says if this president wants to normalize relationship with Cuba, this is an opportunity for the Castro regime to show they're serious about change.

Within days, perhaps even before Christmas, we could learn whether Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl will face court martial. That is according to a senior administration official. The 28-year-old sergeant was freed earlier this year as part of a Taliban prisoner swap. After nearly five years in captivity, Bowe Bergdahl walked off his post in 2009 and then faced accusations of desertion by his fellow soldiers before he was captured by the Taliban and held for five years.

For the first time, a woman is expected to take on the second highest ranking job in the Justice Department. Obama soon expected to tap Sally Quillian Yates as his pick for deputy attorney general. That's according to "The Washington Post". The long-time prosecutor from Georgia will run the daily operations of the Justice Department. Yates has previously served as the vice chair of Eric Holder's advisory committee.

Florida State University quarterback Jameis Winston has been cleared of rape allegations at the student code of conduct hearing. A student claimed two years ago that Winston sexually assaulted her. Winston was not arrested, but he did face a university code of conduct charge. An independent hearing officer has now ruled there is insufficient evidence to uphold that charged. The woman can appeal within five days and Winston could still face legal trouble in a civil case.

Legendary boxer Muhammad Ali recovering after being hospitalized for pneumonia over the weekend. Ali's spokesman says the illness was discovered quickly and that the former world heavyweight boxing champion's prognosis is good. Ali also suffers from Parkinson's disease. His spokesman says he is in stable condition and could be released soon. We clearly wish him all the best.

If you are planning to hit the road or the skies on Christmas as it approaches, prepared to get Scrooged. The huge storm may cause major travel problem headaches for 2/3 of the U.S.

I want to get to meteorologist Ivan Cabrera for an early look at your weather -- Ivan.

IVAN CABRERA, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Christine, we are tracking a storm that by midweek will be bringing us some severe weather across the southeastern U.S. and snow for the Midwest as the holiday travel season has been just incredible here with all these travel delays as a result of the weather systems timed terribly. This will not be a snowstorm for the eastern United States, but for the Midwestern U.S., we are going to see a swath of 4 to 6 inches developing between Tuesday and heading into Wednesday.

And on the southern branch, we are going to see the potential for severe weather, frequent lightning, damaging winds potential, and even torrential rain that's going to possibly cause flooding. It has been raining buckets across Florida. In fact, an area of 4 to 6 inches, widespread across the southeastern U.S. 6 to 10 inches across northern Florida with flooding potential through the next 48 hours. Even severe weather as we talk about frequent lightning, torrential downpours, and even potential for some rotating thunderstorms as well.

Again, that's Tuesday heading into Wednesday. Things calm down by Thursday. Forecast highs today, cold across the north as expected. South of that front, temps in the 70s and 80s.

ROMANS: All right. Ivan Cabrera, thank you so much for that.

It has been a year for Pope Francis. This morning, he is giving his big end of the year message. What he will say about bold moves he made in 2014 and what he hopes to achieve in 2015.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: With his pivotal role in normalizing relations between with U.S. and Cuba, Pope Francis capping off quite a year. In a few moments, the pontiff will layout his plans of the year ahead, including his visit to the U.S. in September.

Joining us now is CNN's senior Vatican analyst and associate director of "The Boston Globe", John Allen. He is in Rome, near the Vatican, where Pope Francis will address the Catholic central government known as the curia.

Good morning, John. So nice to see you.

I mean, this is a pope who in just about every I guess major political story of the U.S., whether it's immigration, whether it's Cuba, whether it's gay rights, this is -- this is a pontiff who has made his opinion known and really changed the tone. Many American Catholics think he changed the tone quite dramatically to inclusion, not what separates us.

Is that the kind of tone you think we're going to hear today?

JOHN ALLEN, CNN SENIOR VATICAN ANALYST: Yes, Christine, this is a pope with no off switch. I mean, we should, there simply is no sort of big ticket issue on the global stage in which he hasn't played a central role in 2014.

We know he has another extraordinarily busy year set for 2015. I expect what we're going to hear from Francis is the continuation of the themes that have become associated with his message -- compassion, tolerance, spirit of service, a particular outreach to the poor and forgotten. Last year, he used what the Vatican thinks of the state of the union speech to strike a strong note of service and leadership to the church. I expect we'll hear from him about that today. One footnote, Christine, is that it is traditional for the pope to get

together with the upper echelons of the Vatican every year at Christmastime. But in a classic Francis touch, he has added another meeting this morning for the worker bees of the Vatican, that is the blue collar employees of the place, and they have been encouraged to bring their families.

So, I think you're going to see today is a kind of twin bill, a more formal address to the movers and shakers in just a few moments, and later, a gathering with the working class folks around here, which I think that's going to have the feel of a high school pep rally, Christine.

ROMANS: Let's talk about the challenges, John, because clearly there are big challenges the pope can weigh in on. Do you expect him to weigh in on the growth of ISIS, some of the challenges to Christianity and to the church and to humankind?

ALLEN: Oh, absolutely. I mean, you saw him do that recently in late November where he traveled to Turkey, in the issue of ISIS and broader question of radical Islamism is front and center. He pointedly called upon Muslim leaders around the world to be more outspoken in their condemnation of these radical movements, and we expect him in 2015 to use the platform he's got to try to make that happen.

As you say, he's also got a pivotal trip to the United States set for September. Before that, in January, he is going to Sri Lanka and the Philippines. We expect him to convene another high level summit of Catholic bishops from around the world in October to debate hot button issues regarding the family, including the role of gays and lesbians in the church.

We also expect sometime during the year, he's going to perform another first. He's going to issue the first ever encyclical letter, the most important form of papal teaching on the climate change and environment. That is intended to influence a U.N. Environmental Summit in September and high level climate change summit in Paris in December.

So, you know, you tick off all the boxes. I don't think there is any issue of relevance around the world where Pope Francis will not be a player in for the next 12 months, Christine.

ROMANS: And even the issues within his own church, for example, the nuns -- the ruling -- I guess, what he said last week, the report he had last week about the nuns, where he really held them up, he did not criticize them for teachings or criticizing for their beliefs, but instead lifted them up, which surprised many people, I think.

ALLEN: Yes, that's right. I mean, this was an investigation of American nuns, Vatican investigation six years in the making. And I think at the beginning, most nuns in the States saw this as a kind of crackdown. They expected it would produce some kind of punitive measures or new controls or new oversights by Rome.

As you say, in the report issued this Tuesday, there was none of that. Instead, it was a kind of hymn of praise of the contributions of American nuns, the leading roles in the church's education and its health care and its social outreach. Francis has set aside 2015 as a special year for consecrated life, that is celebrating the roles of men and women, religious, in the church. We expect him to make a big deal out of that this year. It's another area where the message under Francis has shifted from confrontation to healing to dialogue and outreach. Very much, that has become one of the cornerstones of his approach -- Christine.

ROMANS: Compassion, tolerance, spirit of service, you say. We've seen that this year. We'll hear about it. In just a few minutes, we are expecting him to begin soon.

John Allen, thank you. We know we're going to listen for us and come back with some analyst on the other end. Thank you.

New York on edge this morning after two police officers were murdered over the weekend. What we are learning this morning about the shooter and moments leading up to this tragedy in just moments.

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