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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Northeast Digging Out; ISIS Releases New Hostage Video; Obama Back Home in Washington

Aired January 28, 2015 - 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: The Northeast digs out. Look at that. Some areas just smacked with catastrophic, deadly snow. Overnight, the last of the travel bans were lifted. Airports slowly getting back to business, but it will take time, lots of it, for cities to clean up this mess.

We have team coverage from the places that were hardest hit also talk about what comes next.

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I hope you're warm. I'm John Berman.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Christine Romans. It's Wednesday, January 28th. It's 4:00 a.m. in the East.

Breaking overnight, the Northeast started to dig out from this huge, deadly blizzard. Record-breaking snowfall, close to three feet from Long Island, New York, all the way up to Maine. Catastrophic flooding, flooding in Massachusetts where a wind-blown tidal surge breached the seawall in Marshfield and forced evacuations there as well.

But overnight, the worst of the 2015 blizzard has now passed. In Massachusetts, the statewide travel ban ended at midnight.

Let's bring in national reporter Nick Valencia.

Nick, what's it like where you are?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN NATIONAL REPORTER: Yes, good morning, Christine. It still is very cold and that wind is still a factor here. It's in Scituate where we saw some of the nastiest wind -- wind recorded about 60 miles per hour, more than two feet of snow. Just behind me here is the Atlantic Ocean. And that caused a problem yesterday morning when flooding hit this community. This is a coastal community.

So they're used to seeing major flooding in this area, but even residents that we've spoken to throughout the day in the past couple of days that we've been here say that it's remarkable what they saw here over the course of the last 24 to 48 hours. So much so that the National Guard sent two teams in here to rescue a handful of families, to evacuate these people from this area. We understand that some families are now staying at a nearby holiday

inn here, a hotel, to house themselves as the power gets restored in this area. They also did something preemptive to try to avoid further problems.

This is a community that back in March of 2012 had some fires. And it's a problem that has come along with some of those severe weather systems that have come through this area. So because of that, the local fire chief asked the National Grid to shut down some of the residences here, power in some of the residences here to avoid any more catastrophic events.

This road, just to give you an idea of how bad it got here, it was nearly impassable. And I want to pan over just so you can see some of the debris still in the streets here. And that's from, I'd say, about 150 yards away where the beach is here, where the ocean is.

And that debris got sent all the way up here, guys -- very impressive, the strength of this system, the strength of the snow. One of the worst snowstorms that this state, that this city has seen in the last decades -- Christine, John.

ROMANS: Interesting, Nick, that they shut down parts of the power grid. I think one of the hallmarks of this big storm is the preparation, so many people prepared and some argued over-prepared, but the preparation for this big storm.

Nick Valencia, thank you so much for that this morning.

BERMAN: The blizzard of 2015, it proved deadly and dangerous for parts of New York state. It did lead to the deaths of two people, an elderly man with dementia and a teenager reportedly killed when his sledding tube slammed into a light pole, dangerous.

Still, you can see it right there. There were actually surfers out there on Long Island, risking it all for a ride. I imagine it must be a pretty good ride to be that cold. Oh, my goodness.

That just is terrifying to look at. It is nuts. Amazing pictures.

All right. New York City did dodge the worst of it, but out in Long Island, they got hit by lots and lots of snow.

Our Ana Cabrera faced the storm for us. She has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, after more than 24 hours of pounding waves, relentless snowfall, whipping winds, the folks here on Long Island and especially here in Montauk are breathing a very big sigh of relief. It seems the worst is over.

But the misery is still upon us, with more than two feet of snow blanketing much of this region. In fact, the latest snow reports we got from just down the road in Southampton was 28.8 inches, with wind gusts continuing overnight in the 20s and 30-mile-per-hour range still causing drifting snow and dangerous driving conditions, not to mention very cold temperatures, dangerously cold temperatures that claimed at least one life, an 83-year-old man with dementia who was found frozen outside his home. We also have learned of a 17-year-old who died while sledding after hitting something and suffering a serious injury.

So certainly a devastating storm for some families, but a lot of people here telling us it could have been much worse. We watched the coastal flooding. And even though the beach was battered with 16-foot waves, we do know that much of the beach was saved. No homes reporting major damage from flooding or anything like that, and even the power remained on for the majority of the residents here on Long Island -- John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: All right. Ana Cabrera, thank you for that.

Surprising how there were so few power outages, really, at the trailing end of the storm. In Maine, high winds are still a problem, knocking out power to thousands of homes and businesses and making driving very difficult.

National correspondent George Howell is in Portland, Maine, for us. He's got the latest there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John, Christine, I want to show you here really the tail end of this storm where they got most of the snowfall. Portland, Maine, look around here. And you see these snow berms. I mean, in some cases, I mean, these are really up to my waist. They got some 16 to 18 inches of snowfall here in Portland.

It's not unusual for this city to get that much snow, but again, in one storm system, it is a lot for them to deal with. We've seen snowplows going up and down the street doing their best to clear the roads.

And then, Jordan, can we look down the street there? I want you to see where the snowplow is.

You see also the blowing snow? We've seen a lot of that. The winds have been very intense out here to the point where it could lead to whiteout conditions for a lot of the people, you know, if they were to venture out onto the roadways.

Again, most people are staying home. They were advised to stay off the streets, while crews did the work that they need to do. And now, it's just a matter of waiting for all of the snow, guys, to melt and go away. That could take several weeks for business to get back to normal here in Portland -- John, Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: All right. That's the scene in Maine. What about Connecticut? A big part of it just got hammered by the

blizzard. Take a look at the coastal areas. The storm dumped up to 30 inches of snow in some towns and cities. This is New London right on the water.

ROMANS: Whoa!

BERMAN: One of the hardest-hit areas. That shoveling, just back- breaking stuff.

The plows were out in full force. They needed to be. Those roads are going to be a mess for some time.

ROMANS: And, frankly, when you're digging out a car, the snow blower doesn't help much. You've got to get in there with the old fashion way, with a big old shovel.

More than two feet of snow is also on the ground in Rhode Island. Those streets littered with abandoned cars after residents decide to spare themselves a night in the cold. It wasn't just cars left behind. A revolutionary war replica ship was knocked to its side by strong winds, breaking the mast and opening a hole in the hull. The travel ban in Rhode Island, it was lifted overnight, but state officials are still urging people to stay home if possible since conditions could still prove dangerous.

BERMAN: You know what they do in Southie in Boston? They have a tradition in Boston with the cars there where if you dig your car out in a big snowstorm like this, that is your space.

ROMANS: You own all the real estate.

BERMAN: That is your space until the snow melts. So, it actually becomes this civic race. People race out there to shovel out their cars so they can have a space for a few weeks there. It's not a bad tradition.

ROMANS: What's the penalty if you abuse it?

BERMAN: It's not a legal thing. Again, and this is Southie, so I would not be talking, the penalties may be harsh. Just sayin'.

All right. Some parts of the Northeast hit hard by the blizzard. They could face even more snow now.

I want to bring in meteorologist Ivan Cabrera who has been tracking what is still to come.

There's more?

ROMANS: Good morning.

IVAN CABRERA, AMS METEOROLOGIST: More to come. But I tell you what, I was one of those that dug out for myself, and I put some lawn chairs out there.

BERMAN: Right?

CABRERA: And the penalty is serious. If you take my spot after I've been shoveling for a couple of hours, we've got problems. In fact, they started handing out tickets, the Mayor Menino, God rest his soul, no longer with us, but started handing out tickets for people that did that because they didn't want scuffles to break out.

So, yes, just a little history there in Boston for you. It's over. The blizzard of 2015 is done. We have a little bit of light snow left here across northern Mass and into Maine, but we are pretty much done. And it was historic for some areas.

Take a look at this. I want to focus -- well, the top, let's look at Lunenburg here, in Massachusetts, 36 inches as well as Auburn, 36 inches. So three feet of snow verified.

But Worcester, Mass, 34 1/2 inches. Since we have been measuring snow since meteorologists have been going out with yardsticks and measuring snow and reporting back and writing it on paper back in the 1800s, we have never snowed that much in Worcester. The last time we came close was back in '97. That was the blizzard of '97.

But that snow melted rapidly because that happened in April. It was the April fool's storm. This snow is not going to melt rapidly. What you're seeing here from Springfield to Worcester to Boston all the way down to Cape Cod, this is going to hang out here because temperatures are in the teens. We are in January. And we have more snow on the way.

This is not going to be a blockbuster snow event, but it's going to hurt. You know, we've got more snow on top of more snow. And this is the kind of winter where the snow will probably be on the ground until May or June -- guys.

BERMAN: Ooh!

ROMANS: I'm going to forget you said that. In fact, we were just saying how delightful it is to be on the program until that final announcement.

BERMAN: I don't know where that came from.

CABRERA: That's how it goes up there.

ROMANS: Just the facts.

All right. Ivan Cabrera, thank you so much.

You know, the airlines are getting passengers moving again this morning. Cancellations focused in Boston obviously where the storm hit harder, but most flights are back on track in New York and Philadelphia. Regular service should resume this afternoon at Boston Logan.

Those airports basically shut down for the storm. In the last couple of days, 8,500 domestic flights were canceled. How many flyers does that affect? Four hundred thousand. It's going to cost them $230 million -- $230 million in lost economic activity. That's according to the U.S. Travel Association. That's lost economic activity for the economy.

That doesn't count the costs to the airlines. This morning, airlines facing a backlog of stranded travelers. They expect to be operating as usual by Friday, rebooking passengers into next week. The ripple effects of this is always just so extreme.

BERMAN: It's crazy.

ROMANS: Trying to get where you're going now. Just be patient.

BERMAN: Just be safe.

All right. Eleven minutes after the hour. ISIS releases a new video featuring a Japanese hostage. We'll tell you what they are now demanding for this man's release and what they are promising to do if the demands are not met. We're live in Tokyo coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Time may be running out for hostages being held right now by ISIS. A new video released by ISIS has a message reportedly from Japanese hostage Kenji Goto. He says he will be killed within 24 hours, along with a captured Jordanian fighter pilot, if a female terrorist in Jordan who is due to be executed, if she is not released.

Let's bring in Will Ripley live from Tokyo.

Will, any developments?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That apparent ISIS deadline now less than five hours away, John. And as you said, there are two lives on the line right now, Kenji Goto, the Japanese journalist, and that Jordanian pilot captured last month.

ISIS has really upped the stakes with this new video which follows a trend that we're now seeing. The last two videos showing a still image of Kenji Goto holding a picture first of his beheaded friend, Haruna Yukawa, who was killed over the weekend, and now showing a photo of that Jordanian pilot saying that both of them will die in a matter of hours if the Jordanian government does not meet ISIS's demands.

ISIS, of course, demanding the release of a terrorist, Sajida al- Rishawi who was convicted and sentenced to death for a bombing attack in 2005 that killed 60 people. The pilot is of key importance to the Jordanian government.

But ISIS, John, is not saying that they will release the pilot and Kenji Goto. They are only saying that they will not kill the pilot if their demands are met. So a very tough spot for Jordan. A very difficult situation for the Japanese government as well. And, of course, caught in the middle of all of this are now two families, the family of al-Kasassbeh, and, of course, the family of Kenji Goto, including his anguished mother who just a short time ago was pleading with the prime minister directly to do what he can to secure the safe release of her son. Of course, he is a father of two young daughters, well respected, and very much in grave danger right now.

Lots happening behind the scenes, and we won't know the outcome until this resolves one way or the other in just a matter of hours, John.

ROMANS: You know, Will, it is interesting. This has been going on for some days, and it is fraught with peril even getting involved in some kind of negotiations or communication with the terror group. Is there any conflict within Japan, any concern that they're even engaging somewhat directly with ISIS right now?

RIPLEY: There absolutely is, John. And a lot of that is coming from Japan's closest ally, the United States, which, of course, has a strict policy not to negotiate with terrorists. The U.S. has turned down proposed prisoner exchanges in the past. You think about the incident with James Foley. ISIS was wanting the U.S. to hand over a lady nicknamed Lady al Qaeda in exchange for Foley's life. The U.S. refused. Foley was beheaded.

In this case, though, Abe is facing a tremendous amount of pressure to try to secure a deal to bring Goto safely home. But no matter the outcome, there are going to be serious questions about how this was handled, why things happened the way that they did. But that the key priority right now here in Tokyo is to get them home, if possible. We just don't know if they're going to be able to do that.

BERMAN: All right. Will Ripley in Tokyo watching this for us, keep us posted, Will.

ROMANS: Breaking news this morning, the Libyan branch of ISIS is now claiming responsibility for an attack that killed at least ten people in a Tripoli luxury hotel. Among them, an American security contractor, a French citizen, five Libyans. The attack on the Corinthia Hotel began with a car bomb, followed by gunmen storming the building. Libya's interior ministry says the siege is now over. Those gunmen are dead.

For the latest, I want to bring in senior international correspondent Nima Elbagir.

Nima, what happened here? What was ISIS going for? What did it want? Just terror, or did it -- what did it want in this attack?

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we've had months of violence in Libya, infighting, targeting of foreign diplomats, but this level of coordination and the clarity of what they were hoping to achieve, this in and of itself is a very clear escalation of the insecurity in the country.

This group says that they were acting because Abu Anas al-Libi, who is the alleged al Qaeda operative who was taken by Special Forces of the United States where he subsequently died in custody, they believe that this was an infraction on Libyan sovereignty but also an insult as they called it to the Libyan people. And they are acting, they say, in retaliation for that.

This is all happening, of course, while there are U.N.-sponsored talks between the rival factions in Libya. There is a key faction that is missing. And this incident really illuminates how in many ways these talks are themselves as the country deteriorates and spirals into instability.

You have essentially two rival governments, the one in Tripoli and the one in the east of the country. And given that Libya was seen at the start of the Arab spring as potentially a success story, what this has shown is that really the problem in Libya, Christine, is growing too big to ignore.

ROMANS: And a real security issue, a continuing security issue in that country. Ten dead. Thank you so much for that, Nima Elbagir.

BERMAN: We just have some new information this morning on the man who flew a drone that ended up on the White House lawn. President Obama now weighs in on this security scare only to CNN. We'll tell you what he thinks needs to be done. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: President Obama back in the White House this morning after visits to India and Saudi Arabia. This afternoon, he'll speak at a farewell ceremony for outgoing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.

The White House, Berman, also announcing a reversal of that decision by the president. The president wanted to end the popular 529 college savings account, not end the accounts but end some of the tax benefits for them. After facing an uproar from parents and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle -- I mean, people were pretty furious, the president now calling on Congress that pass the 529 provision in the upcoming budget.

BERMAN: It's a fascinating argument for people who want to save for college.

ROMANS: Yes.

BERMAN: All right. We do have new details about the government worker who accidentally flew a drone onto the White House grounds. The unidentified employee works for the -- get this -- the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency. Imagine that we have such an agency. Also, CNN has learned that he told the Secret Service that he was drinking before launching the drone.

ROMANS: Don't drink and drone, folks. Friends -- don't let friends drink and drone.

BERMAN: The president says the incident highlights the need to regulate all unmanned aerial vehicles.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I've actually asked the FAA and a number of agencies to examine how are we managing this new technology? Because the drone that landed on the White House you buy at RadioShack. You know that there are companies like Amazon that are talking about using small drones to deliver packages.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: That's the best press RadioShack, by the way, has received in decades.

Prosecutors have still not ruled out the possibility of filing charges against the employee of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency. It's his drone that did land on the lawn. Sources tell CNN he will likely face disciplinary action at work.

ROMANS: It's still a DUI, droning under the influence.

BERMAN: You're going to run with this for days.

ROMANS: That's me. I'm going to -- anyway.

BERMAN: Drone on. You want to drone on.

ROMANS: OK.

House Speaker John Boehner reportedly threatening a lawsuit against the president, trying to overturn his executive action on immigration. Republican officials say Boehner is preparing a resolution that could authorize different forms of legal action against the Obama administration. Last year, House Republicans filed suit against the president over the Affordable Care Act.

BERMAN: There is word that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is ready to testify before a House committee investigating the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi in Libya. The ranking Democrat on that committee says that Mrs. Clinton agreed last month to go before the panel investigating the attack that did happen on her watch as secretary of state. Four Americans including ambassador Chris Stevens were killed in that attack.

In previous testimony before another House panel, the secretary of state acknowledged a systemic breakdown.

ROMANS: The Pentagon expected to announce a decision on discipline for Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl in a matter of days. Bergdahl left his post in Afghanistan was captured by the Taliban. He was held for years before exchange for five Guantanamo Bay detainees in a prisoner swap last year. Officials are denying reports, denying reports that Bergdahl will be charged with desertion. Officials insist no decision has been made yet.

BERMAN: All right, 4:26 in the East. The northeast is digging out from the blizzard of 2015. The work just beginning, and you know what? More snow's on the way. Coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)