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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Monster Snowstorm Breaks Records; Crisis in Ukraine: How to End the War; The War on ISIS: New Terror Video Released

Aired February 10, 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: Records shattered again. A monster snowstorm burying millions on the East Coast. We will show you the areas -- excuse me -- the areas hardest hit and the new storm -- yes, the new storm fast approaching.

Ending the war in Ukraine. President Obama clashes with world leaders on how to stop pro-Russian rebel leaders. This morning, we'll break the disagreements and what comes next.

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm John Berman. It is Tuesday, February 10th, 4:00 in the East.

And we begin with the city of Boston at its breaking point, buried by two more feet of snow. This is the third major storm in two weeks. It is shattering snowfall records. Boston snow depth registers 37 inches. That is the deepest ever recorded there. The weight of all that snow is too much to bear for so many roofs, including the sheet metal plant. Seven workers were trapped inside, when the roof collapsed there, but they all made it out safely.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Suddenly heard a big hissing sound. Knew right away what it was.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was real quiet. And all of a sudden, it was like a hissing sound and like a creaking sound. And all of a sudden, ceiling just started to buckle underneath.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The guys I work with just started yelling, you know, get out, get out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The entire city of Boston is shutdown today. Subways are offline, too. Forty-eight passengers had to be evacuated when the train got stuck on the red line.

The big problem is the mountains of snow everywhere and just no place to put it. Everyone has been told to stay indoors.

Miguel Marquez shows us why.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, we are not on your beloved streets of Boston, but we are very, very close. We are in hull. We can usually see Boston and the airport from here if it weren't such a stormy night. I will don the goggles for a very good reason and show you something.

They had about over 24 inches of snow here in just this snowstorm. This is a drift that we probably would be buried if we stay here much longer doing this for you, John.

I want to show you the front in what looks like our front here. They have worked tirelessly to keep these roads clear. This one area, though, goes on a bit longer. They are not able to do. The Atlantic Ocean on this side, the Quincy Bay on that side. They have tried to keep all of the roads clear.

It is amazing how much snow they can move here in the New England, but it's not enough. Schools have closed. Courts have closed. Government offices have closed. The transportation system completely shutdown. In some cases, the wheels were literally falling off trains.

If they can make it through these next several hours, though, it looks like they will make it. Certainly Boston is used to lots of snow in this area in general used to a lot of snow. But the forecast, there is another storm ahead. So, it's looking like Boston is not going to get much of a reprieve from Mother Nature -- John.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Unbelievable pictures from Miguel there.

A dangerous mix of snow and ice turned into a deadly 15 vehicle pileup on the Jersey highway last night. One person was killed, dozens more injured near Cranston, New Jersey, just outside Manhattan. Four tractor-trailers and two box trucks were involved in this. Police say the I-95 corridor turned slick in a hurry when temperatures plunged below freezing.

A snow emergency has been declared in Upstate New York. A new foot of snow falling in the Albany area. Up to 18 inches reported in the Catskills and southern Adirondacks.

Another snow emergency has been declared in New Hampshire, where up 15 inches of fresh snow has fallen. All parked cars in Manchester have been ordered off the streets or they will be towed. The airport in Manchester, though, is open.

There could be more extreme weather on the way for the Northeast. You're going to want to hear about this.

Let's get to meteorologist Pedram Javaheri for an early look at your weather.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, John. Yes, it's hard to believe potential for another storm system later in

the week. This will be for Thursday into Friday. Another storm that has the potential for a nor'easter in the making here. So, you take a look.

One of the models, of them suggests this comes closer to land. If that's the case, based on this American model, that produce far more heavy snowfall around eastern portions of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, in Connecticut. The European model wants to take offshore. If that plays out, then we see far less snowfall.

So, how much are we talking? The lesser amount would be six to eight around Boston. Two to four around New York City, but Friday afternoon and Friday night, the higher amount if the storm comes closer to land, would be over a foot yet again around Boston, four to six inches in the forecast for New York City.

The Massachusetts governor saying, hey, the amount of snow we had to remove across the state so far this season could fill up Gillette Stadium, home of the Patriots, 90 times over. That's how much snow fall has come down. Of course, top ten in the way of snowiest seasons of all time. Notice, another 10 to 15 in the forecast potential there would take the 77 we have on the ground and put it in the top two scale for some of the largest snowfall in any season we've seen in recorded history -- John.

BERMAN: They do not need that.

All right. Some other news, Secretary of State John Kerry is the highest ranking U.S. official to endorse sending arms to Ukraine. He shared these feelings with lawmakers on Monday. But President Obama right now is taking a wait-and-see approach. The president met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday and will hold off until on the decision until Merkel meets Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Let's get more now from senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: John, President Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel tried to show a united front when it comes to dealing with Russian aggression in Ukraine. But the two leaders, they sounded very far apart on that key question of sending arms to the Ukrainian military. President Obama made it clear he may will take his confrontation with Russian President Vladimir Putin to the next level and ship arms to Ukraine to fight those pro- Moscow separatists.

Here's what the president had to say to news conference here at the White House.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What I've asked my team to do is to look at all options. What other means can we put in place to change Mr. Putin's calculus. And the possibility of lethal defensive weapons is one of those options that's being examined. But I have not made a decision about that yet.

ACOSTA: Chancellor Merkel wants the White House to wait at least until Wednesday when she's expected to sit down with Putin to try to hammer out a peace deal, but with Russia already accused of violating past agreements and sanctions having little effect on Putin, the Obama administration is dropping plenty of hints it may move forward with those armed shipments if the talks fail. But in a sign of the internal debate within this administration, the president downplayed the impact of helping Ukraine to defend itself. It's worth nothing the president was asked whether he had a red line for dealing with Vladimir Putin, he offered no red line for when Russia might go too far -- John.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: All right. A big meeting coming up in Belarus. Leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany, they meet face to face tomorrow. The presidents of all four countries have been communicating for days. But the question is, can they agree on a real deal to end the bloodshed in Eastern Ukraine?

I want to bring in Erin McLaughlin live from Moscow.

Doesn't look like a deal could happen, Erin?

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, John.

Well, that very much remains to be seen. All signs are saying that they see no alternative to a peaceful resolution to this conflict. However, as we heard from German Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday, success in the talks are anything but guaranteed.

Now, today, the Russian defense minister that it would allow Ukraine military experts to tour and inspect the Rostov region of Russia which borders southeastern Ukraine, in an attempt to counter accusations that Russia continues to supply military equipment and personnel into the conflict zone. This can also be seen as a gesture of goodwill ahead of those talks scheduled for tomorrow.

As for those negotiations, few details have actually been made public, difficult to tell how far apart the sides are away from some sort of compromise.

Today, president Putin is in Egypt meeting with leaders today. He is expected in Minsk tomorrow. However, his attendance is not 100 percent confirmed. He has said he wants all sides to agree on certain issues beforehand -- John.

BERMAN: First sign we'll know if these talks are going anywhere is if everyone even shows up, which at this point is still uncertain.

Erin McLaughlin, thanks so much.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is determined to move forward with the controversial address before the U.S. Congress next month. Netanyahu has been under fire for accepting an invitation from House Speaker John Boehner without the White House knowledge. The Israeli prime minister says he cannot allow politics to stop him from sounding a warning about what he calls a bad nuclear deal with Iran. The president insists diplomacy has to play out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: The prime minister and I have a very real difference around Iran, Iran sanctions. It does not make sense to sour the negotiations a month or two before they are about to be completed. What's the rush?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: President Obama has reiterated he does not plan to meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu when he visits Washington in March.

Let's get an early start on our money right now. Correspondent Cristina Alesci is here with that.

Good morning.

CRISTINA ALESCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

It looks like a better day for the markets. U.S. futures are barely moving right now. It's too early to tell if stocks can shake off yesterday's slide. The Dow dropped 95 points.

Worries about Greece's debt and bailout conditions are dragging markets around the world down. Investors are, of course, weighing the possibility of a Greek default or an exit from the Eurozone.

Now, the only sector that actually rose yesterday was energy. That's a welcome change for the sector, which has been hammered for months because crude oil prices have been slashed in half since July. But prices seem to be stabilizing a bit hovering at $52 for a few days.

So, the big question is it a floor or a pause? There isn't a bunch of consensus on this right now. In fact, one Citigroup analyst came out yesterday. He says we could be looking at oil at $20 a barrel soon. That would have ripple effects across several economies around the world, including Russia. That would be a big blow to Russia.

BERMAN: As you say there, conflicting opinions. That analyst says that, "The Wall Street Journal" has got a big story today about how the fact that oil prices are on their way up again.

ALESCI: Exactly, exactly.

BERMAN: So, who knows?

Cristina Alesci, thanks so much.

Ten minutes after the hour.

A battle brewing over same-sex marriage. Dozens of counties in Alabama refusing to issue licenses on the first day that gay marriage was to become legal there. So, what comes next? That's ahead.

Plus, breaking overnight: Jesse Matthew reportedly charged with the murder of missing student Hannah Graham. We have new information, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: All right. Happening now, despite getting a legal go-ahead from the U.S. Supreme Court, many Alabama counties have refused to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples. Instead, those judges are following the lead of Alabama's chief justice, defying a federal court order. Still, gay couples across Alabama are determined to get married.

Let's get more now from CNN's Suzanne Malveaux.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That was an extraordinary scene on Monday in Alabama. This is where same sex couples lined up outside the courthouses to get married. In counties like Birmingham, Montgomery and Huntsville, they were successful. But in other counties, like Mobile, Florence and Pike, they were denied.

Amidst the confusion, marriage equality advocates were reporting that 53 of 67 counties in Alabama were not issuing marriage licenses. At the epicenter of the dispute is Alabama's Chief Justice Roy S. Moore, who ordered the judges to defy the federal court.

Well, the conservative judge, he is no stranger to controversy. Back in 2003, he was removed from his seat for defying a federal order to take down a display of the Ten Commandments at the state's judicial building. Well, voters put him back on the bench in 2012.

Well, his actions on Monday led to confusion and chaos throughout the state, as some judges, they complied with Moore's demand to deny the marriage licenses to gay couples, while other judges gave the green light.

Some in Alabama, they are comparing the political standoff to the historical battle that took place in the state over the federally ordered racial integration. Well, Moore has called for Alabama's governor, Robert Bentley, to punish any judges issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples. The governor says he'll do no such thing, that the debate over same sex marriage must be worked out through proper legal channels.

And in April, the U.S. Supreme Court will, indeed, take up the issue.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Suzanne Malveaux, thanks so much.

The measles outbreak spreading to three more states and Washington, D.C. The Centers for Disease Control now reports that 121 cases of the highly contagious disease exists now in 17 states and the nation's capital. The largest number of the cases is 88 in California, where the outbreak began at Disneyland. Officials say the resurgence in measles is due largely to the growing number of people not having children vaccinated or delaying their vaccinations.

All right. He was already charged in the disappearance of University of Virginia student Hannah Graham. Now reports say that Jesse Matthews has been charged with first degree murder. A former announcement is expected at a press conference this morning. Eighteen-year-old Graham was last seen in September, leaving a Charlottesville bar with Matthew. Her body was found just over a month later. Matthew is currently behind bars for a 2005 rape case. The DNA has linked him to the death of a Virginia Tech student in 2009.

Convicted killer Drew Peterson now charged with trying to hire a hit man to kill the lead prosecutor in the case. The former Illinois police officer is currently serving a 38-year prison sentence in the drowning death of his third wife. He is also the prime suspect in the disappearance of his fourth wife. Peterson is accused of plotting to kill the prosecutor in the 2012 trial that ended with his conviction for murdering ex-wife Kathleen Savio.

U.S. Airways flight had to make an emergency landing at Houston last night without its nose gear, sparks flying as the plane touched down. The flight landed safely with only one minor injury reported among the 53 passengers and four crew members. It is not clear why the landing gear malfunctioned. The NTSB is on the scene now investigating.

The family of Bobbi Kristina Brown is praying for a miracle as she fights for her life in a Georgia hospital. A public candlelight prayer vigil was held Monday night just outside of Atlanta. Several family members were there. Bobbi Kristina remains in a medically induced coma after she was found unresponsive in a bathtub at her home. A close friend of her father Bobby Brown spoke exclusively to CNN and says everyone is staying hopeful.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNNY GILL, BOBBY BROWN'S CLOSE FRIEND: There has been some little improvement here and there. So, you know, ultimately, it's -- when you put it in perspective, it is really about she's fighting and she's strong. That's the one thing that has been that Bobby has been talking about and has -- if there was one thing he is hanging his hopes on is that she's a fighter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The 21-year-old Bobbi Kristina is the only child of Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown. Police are trying to determine how she ended face down in a bathtub.

Jeb Bush opening up his e-mail records. The former Florida governor and frankly already sort of candidate for president is releasing a horde of e-mails today, along with the chapter of his e-book. He is expected to post some 275,000 e-mails from his eight years as Florida's chief executive. This was done as he really stepped in the presidential process. He

says he is exploring the possibility of running right now, but really doing everything he can to run, including raising a lot of money.

All right. Chris Christie going to Iowa now. This is his 13th trip to Iowa as New Jersey governor. He, too, testing the waters for a possible presidential run. He spoke at the Republican fund-raiser Monday night. In a recent poll of likely Iowa caucus-goers, Christie tied for eighth among potential Republican contenders.

Senator Marco Rubio from Florida is sending a strong signal that he is serious about a White House bid. The Florida Republican has hired a former Mitt Romney aide Jim Merrill to oversee his political activities in the Northeast. Merrill directed two New Hampshire primary campaigns for Romney. You know, Rubio has hired a finance director and raising money as well.

Twenty minutes after the hour.

ISIS releasing a chilling new video of British hostage John Cantlie, as parents of American woman captured by ISIS wait to learn what has happened to their daughter. We are live in Iraq where the war on ISIS is intensifying.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: As soon as today, President Obama could formally ask Congress to authorize the use of military force against ISIS. This comes one day after the release of the latest ISIS propaganda video which shows hostage John Cantlie, the British journalist, being forced again to report for ISIS. This time, he sounds like time is running out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN CANTLIE: Hello, I'm John Cantlie. In the last film in the series, we're in a city that has been at the heart of the fighting since summer of 2012.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Still no word on the fate of American hostage Kayla Mueller. The State Department says it is working around the clock to determine whether she is still alive. New intelligence reveals ISIS is plotting to kidnap more Western and international hostages in countries such as Lebanon and Jordan, that as Iraqi troops prepare to launch a major ground offensive to take back parts of the country controlled by ISIS.

I want to bring in Phil Black live from Irbil in Northern Iraq.

Phil, there is a lot going on now in Iraq.

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, indeed, John. That's right.

It is actually ISIS that is significantly under pressure militarily in this corner of northern Iraq with Kurdish fighters on the ground having the assistance of international air power, drawn defensively lines, pushed them back containment to an area, a territory around the city of Mosul.

Kurdish fighters on the ground are confident that the job is only part done, what must follow in the months ahead is a big military campaign to actually free and clear the remaining territory, including that Iraqi city that is dependent on training, retraining, rebuilding the Iraqi army which is the military force that fled from ISIS when it first invaded this territory.

Now, that British journalist, John Cantlie, that you mentioned there has been used in a number of ISIS videos, or has appeared in reporting seemingly doing a journalist job from various ISIS controlled cities. In this latest one, he is in the city of Aleppo. He talks about the damage inflicted there he says by both coalition air strikes and those conducted by the Syrian regime, while generally portraying the society, the community there, is thriving under ISIS rule.

But as you point out, he makes that ominous statement this is the last report in his series, ominous because of what has become a clear trend in the drama grotesque ways that ISIS deals and has murdered with its Western hostages. And, of course, that is why there is ongoing concern for Kayla Mueller, the 26-year-old American aid worker, a long time ISIS captive, who ISIS said claimed was recently killed in an airstrike by the Jordanian military.

Now, while there is enormous skepticism about the claim, there has been only silence. No word, fact or otherwise, to give any sense of her safety -- John.

BERMAN: All right. Phil Black for us in Irbil -- a lot going on there. We'll check back in with you in a little bit. Thanks so much, Phil.

Happening now: the East Coast of the U.S. digs out from a record- breaking snowstorm, but guess what? There is more to come. That's after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)