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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Passengers Tackle Man on United Flight; Crucial Election in Israel: Polls Open; New Outrage Over GOP Letter to Iran. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired March 17, 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: Breaking overnight, a scare in the air. Passengers tackling a man who was running for the cockpit of a United flight. Details ahead.

<04:00:14> Happening now: the polls are open. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fighting to hang on. Some stunning last minute statements that raise questions about the prospects for Mideast peace. The very latest this morning.

Iran raising new concerns about a letter from Republican senators as the deadline approaches for a U.S.-brokered nuclear deal. President Obama voicing new outrage over the Republican intrusion. We have team coverage of the very latest, ahead.

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm John Berman. It's Tuesday, March 17th, 4:00 a.m. in the East. Christine Romans on jury duty.

Breaking overnight, it was a terrifying flight for passengers on the United Airlines jet, forced to subdue another passenger who tried to rush the cockpit. This is cell phone video of the suspect being retrained by an unidentified man. Flight 1074 from Washington, D.C. to Denver was forced to turn around with 33 passengers, six crew members on board. The plane landed back in D.C. about an hour after takeoff.

Police took the man in question into custody after the flight got back to the airport. A spokesman at the airport said he was taken to a local hospital for evaluation. The remaining passengers will be flown to Denver this morning. We'll keep you posted as new information comes in there.

The polls now open in Israel as voters line up to elect a government this morning. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has raised the stakes again. Right at the end of his re-election campaign, the prime minister vowed there would not be a Palestinian state as long as he is prime minister. That's reversal of a stance he has held since 2009. Now, this follows his speech earlier this month before the U.S. Congress, criticizing the White House nuclear negotiations with Iran. Israel and U.S. relations is just one of the issues at stake as Israel decides who will lead in that country.

CNN's Oren Liebermann outside a polling station in Jerusalem with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, after the election polls, after all the back and forth we've seen in this election race, this is what it all comes down to, who can get the right voter turnout, who can get the most seats in the Knesset, and then, ultimately, who can create the coalition government?

In the last few days and especially in the last few hours before the election, we have seen Benjamin Netanyahu really making a push for right wing support. Just yesterday in an interview with local media, he insisted and suggested that if he is the prime minister, there would not be a Palestinian state. He said a Palestinian state in the Middle East would be a base for attacks on the state of Israel. So, he is really doubling down on the support from right wing.

Meanwhile, Isaac Herzog coming out and saying that if he's the prime minister, he would bring change. He says, if you want the status quo, if you want the same thing, vote Netanyahu. But if you want different leadership, if you want change, that's what he is standing for.

We have seen Netanyahu over and over again focusing on security. That's his biggest issue. Isaac Herzog focusing on the economy.

Both politicians here on the public very much aware of what the final round of polling before the election showed. It showed and Likud and Benjamin Netanyahu are falling behind in this race. Up until the last week, it was neck and neck. Both politicians polling at right around 23 or 24 seats. In these critical few days, Isaac Herzog is falling away. He has a four-seat lead. He needs that to hold on for him to be the next prime minister.

Of course, the election results will come in, the polls will come at 10:00 tonight, and we'll find the official results in the hours after that. It will be very interesting to see how everything shakes out politically here in Israel -- John.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: All right. Our thanks to Oren Liebermann for that.

Developing this morning, President Obama says the U.S. can't afford to have Senate Republicans trying to undermine his efforts to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran. That is how President Obama it with the interview with "Vice.", in an interview just released. The president told "Vice" founder Shane Smith that he is embarrassed for the 47 Republican senators who signed the letter.

CNN's Jim Acosta has more from the White House.

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JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: John, senior administration officials say Iranian negotiators did indeed raise Senator Tom Cotton's letter to the ayatollah in those sensitive nuclear talks that are currently underway in Switzerland. But U.S. officials are confident the letter will only be what they're calling a distraction.

Cotton is not backing down, saying he has no regrets about the letter, which was signed by 46 of his GOP colleagues and complained about the nuclear negotiations to Iran's ruling clerics. The flare up with Republicans was enough for the White House chief of staff to send his own letter to GOP Senator Bob Corker assuring him Congress will have a vote on these sanctions that will be loosened as part of a deal with Iran.

But in a new excerpt from his interview taped last week with "Vice," the president said Cotton's letter was damaging to the nation.

<04:05:04> Here's what he had to say.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is a good example of the state of our politics that leads Republicans to be more worried about a Tea Party primary than they are about what ordinary folks are thinking. It damages our country. It damages the country. It damages our standing. It's not productive. In this day and age where we've got such big issues, we can't afford it.

ACOSTA: White House press secretary Josh Earnest said congressional critics are missing a key point, that there is no deal yet. But Earnest said the White House would rather Congress hold off on votes on Iran, well beyond the end of March when a framework agreement must be reached and at least until June. That's the deadline for a final deal, and Republicans and even some Democrats might just have a problem with that -- John.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: All right. Jim Acosta at the White House.

So, American voters seemed to be siding with the White House when it comes to that letter to Iran. A new CNN/ORC poll finds that more people thought the Senate Republicans went too far by a margin of 10 points. Only 39 percent said it was appropriate response. More on that poll coming up on NEW DAY, in the 6:00 a.m. hour.

The president not alone in the concerns about that letter. U.S. and Iranian officials say that Iranian diplomats raised the letter as an issue at talks in Switzerland. Those talks continue.

Let's bring in our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson.

Nic, what's the latest?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, five- hour talks yesterday between Secretary Kerry and the Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif. And we are told that yes, that letter did come up. We're not told what the response was and how Secretary Kerry dealt with it. And we're told it also came up Sunday as well in lower level talks. But the talks are back on this morning. Kerry and Zarif have been in a meeting coming up to an hour now. But the mood music surrounding the talks yesterday is not so good. I mean, the briefings that we're getting from the State Department really indicate their concern the deadline of 31st of March for framework agreement and the State Department is not sure if the deadline can be reached at the moment. That there are significant decisions that need to be made by the Iranian side. That there's really political decisions that are on the table for Iranians.

You know, for their part, the Iranian foreign minister yesterday came out of the meeting and said, finally, finally we will get something. You know, indicating something upbeat here. But the reality was he went off to Brussels, met with the French, the German and British foreign ministers and a source -- European source speaking to the Reuters news agency said, look, we had a long meeting, but the gaps haven't been narrowed. And there are substantial issues that are yet to be resolved.

So, you know, what we are hearing at the moment, the talks continue and the deadline approaches. But significant gaps remain. The Iranians, for example, want to keep open an enrichment facility and a heavy water reactor plant that makes weapons grade plutonium. Both of these plants are supposed to be either redesigned or re-designated as research facility in the case of one.

So, all of the pieces still on the table, still in play -- John.

BERMAN: There will need be to movement and quickly to reach the deal by the end of March.

Nic Robertson for us, thanks so much.

Now on the subject of what's going on in Iraq, new developments this morning -- Iran is sending advanced missiles and rockets into Iraq to help drive ISIS out of Tikrit. U.S. agencies have been tracking the shipments for weeks. Now, none of the weapons, we're told, have been used. But the Pentagon is worried they could cause civilian casualties if they are because these weapons are not precision-guided.

Now, despite Iran's backing, the Iraqi offensive to take back Tikrit from ISIS has stalled. ISIS now inflicting heavy casualties on the Iraqi military and Iraqi militias over last few days. The White House is said to be monitoring these developments very closely with the help now of that man, David Petraeus. The retired general, former CIA director, is now consulting with the Obama administration on its Iraq strategy. That is even though the general was convicted of leaking classified information with his mistress and biographer and lying to the FBI about it.

Enrollment in Obamacare is rising. According to the White House, more than 16 million Americans have now gained coverage since the law took effect in 2010. And the administration plans to commemorate the five- year anniversary of the rollout.

Republicans are taking another stab at repealing it. Today, they will unveil their 2016 budget. It includes vouchers for Medicare and transforms Medicaid to block grants to states and eliminates once again the Affordable Care Act.

The White House is slamming Senate Republicans for stalling the nomination of Loretta Lynch for the next attorney general. A spokesperson for the general calls her treatment unconscionable and the GOP leadership inept.

<04:10:02> Majority Leader McConnell is refusing to consider the Lynch nomination until the Senate passes a human trafficking bill that has a controversial provision, so say the Democrats. That measure will be voted on today or perhaps not if it is blocked. Democrats are expected to filibuster because that bill includes what they consider to be some anti-abortion provisions.

The head of the Secret Service, he's going to have to explain his agency's latest missteps when he appears at a House hearing on Capitol Hill today. Joe Clancy was appointed on a permanent just last month to reform the Secret Service. He will be grilled about the two suspended agents who disrupted a bomb investigation outside the White House earlier this month after a night at a bar. The director is also expected to face questions about the culture and management at the Secret Service.

Ten minutes after the hour.

Hillary Clinton's e-mail issues seem to be hurting some of her poll numbers. A majority of Americans say she hasn't done enough to explain her e-mail practices. That's at least according to the latest CNN/ORC poll.

The former secretary of state's favorability rating has dropped to 53 percent this morning, still a positive though. It is down six points since November, 16 points since the time she was secretary of state in September of 2011. Forty-six percent believe that Mrs. Clinton's response to the e-mail scandal was enough, 51 percent says she had not explained her use of the private email account while she ran the State Department, an interesting number in there though, 57 percent of the polled say they would be proud to have her as president.

Eleven minutes after the hour right now. Let's take a look at your money. Alison Kosik is here with that.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

Let's start with Asian markets. They are looking mixed at the moment. U.S. stock futures, they are a bit lower at the moment.

Stocks, though, on Monday jumped rebounding from big losses that we saw last week. The Dow gained 227 points. The S&P 500 and the NASDAQ, they both added 1 percent. And that puts the Dow and S&P 500 back in positive territory for the year.

So, why the bounce? The dollar's rally took a breather. And investors seemed up beat ahead of the Federal Reserve's two-day policy meeting that begins today, which brings me to the hottest word on Wall Street at the moment. That is the word, "patient". If the Fed stays patient on hiking interest rates, that could spark another rally. No mention of the word and it could cause a selloff and signal a rate increase as early as June.

I don't think there is one word that can move the markets. It's really incredible. Everyone is watching that.

BERMAN: All right. Alison, thanks so much.

Real estate heir and star of the HBO documentary, Robert Durst, charged with murder. We have new details this morning on his case. That's next.

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<04:15:53> BERMAN: Real estate heir Robert Durst faces charges in two states. A weapons warrant in New Orleans could complicate his extradition to Los Angeles, where he is now charged with murdering his close friend and confident Susan Berman 15 years ago.

Let's get more from CNN's Jean Casarez.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, late Monday, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office filed formal charges of first-degree murder against Robert Durst, alleging special circumstances. Special circumstances are necessary in California to make a case death penalty eligible. The D.A. says he'll determine at a later date if he will seek death.

Meanwhile, right here in New Orleans, Robert Durst had an extradition hearing, said he would fight extradition to California, that he would voluntarily go to the state and Los Angeles to face any charges.

Meanwhile, a source close to CNN, law enforcement, says that when Durst was arrested Saturday night, they found in his hotel room which is right behind me a large amount of cash, a .38 revolver gun and marijuana. And that maybe why the local district attorney's office and court said that may seek local charges against Robert Durst. That could hold up him going to California and the defense is not happy about that.

In court, Robert Durst very frail, very thin, within a glass enclosure, as the hearing was going on. Other defendants were in the courtroom, but he was in that glass enclosure. Sometimes, he would look at the gallery. Sometimes he would appear to be sleeping, lounging back in his chair.

When he came out of the glass enclosure to face the judge, he first looked at the gallery and just smiled. He then appeared before the judge. The judge asking him questions if he freely and voluntarily was going to California. He answered to those questions yes and yes, your honor.

Meanwhile, the investigation continues in Los Angeles. They say this has been going on two years in regard to the slaying of Durst's very close friend and confidant Susan Berman, who was found in her home Christmas Eve of the year 2000. Authorities believe she was murdered there on December 23rd by Robert Durst.

John, reporting from New Orleans, Louisiana, back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: All right. Jean Casarez, thanks so much.

Jurors at the trial of the accused Boston marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev will hear testimony today about the boat where Tsarnaev was hiding out in his arrest. On Monday, the jury took a field trip to see the bloody bullet-riddled boat. Later in court, they heard officers described the intense gun battle between police and Tsarnaev brothers that led to the death of Tamerlan Tsarnaev. While making his escape in a stolen vehicle, you remember that Dzhokhar dragged the body of his brother through the street, ran over his brother's body and then dragged him to the street.

The attorney for Jeffrey Williams, the shooting suspect charged with wounding two Ferguson, Missouri, police officers, claims his client was roughed up by police after his arrest this weekend. He says Williams has a large amount of bruising on his body. Police call those allegations false. The lawyer for the 20-year-old Williams says he was not shooting at officers. Police say he opened fire after a dispute with someone else.

An American health care worker being treated for Ebola at the National Institutes of Health has taken a turn for the worse. The condition of the patient has been downgraded to critical. The patient who was not been identified is part of the Boston-based aid group Partners in Health, and caught Ebola in a treatment facility in Sierra Leone. At least 10 co-workers are being monitored after they were exposed. One has now been isolated in a hospital in Nebraska after a change we are told in symptoms.

So, Russian leader Vladimir Putin back in public after a disappearance. Where was he for 11 days? Why isn't he telling us what he was doing?

We are live in Moscow, next.

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<04:23:18> BERMAN: So, Russian leader Vladimir Putin, he is alive and in public after 11 days disappearance, you're looking at right now, put to bed some conspiracy theories about where he had been for than a week and a half. And once he did reappear, he started doing the types of things that has drawn notoriety or infamy over the last several months. He put tens of thousands of soldiers into combat alert.

Our senior correspondent Matthew Chance in Moscow for us with more on the military exercise and this reemergence and still the mysterious absence -- Matthew. MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean,

look, the reemergence of Vladimir Putin answered some of the rumors, but really not all of them. He demonstrated pretty clearly he is not dead, and that was one of the rumors that was circulating on the Internet and on social media.

But he could have been ill. He was away without any explanation for 10 full days, which for a leader like Vladimir Putin or any leader really is extraordinary, particularly if it is not explained.

There also rumors that he's been ousted in a palace coup, obviously putting to bed the rumors by making this appearance. But we still don't know what is going on behind the scenes in the Kremlin, where there are various factions trying to putting pressure on Vladimir Putin. And so, it's a very opaque country and this whole episode really underlying that.

But, you're right. Vladimir Putin came back, announced -- one of the first things he did, announced massive military exercises, this time in the Arctic Region, nearly 40,000 Russian troops on full alert, something like 110 war planes, more than 40 ships, 15 submarines underneath the polar ice cap as well.

<04:25:03> So, it's a major military show of force, the biggest really that we have seen in some years in that region. And it's a response -- the idea is it's a response to the very small NATO exercises that are going on just across the border in Norway. So, it's Russia showing if it comes to the Arctic, which is an area where countries compete for natural resources, when it comes to the Arctic, we are way more, more dominant than anything you've got.

So, it's another one of these nationalistic, aggressive messages for Vladimir Putin.

BERMAN: Eleven days gone, aggressive on the first day back.

Matthew Chance, thanks so much for being with us. I appreciate it.

Hundreds of thousands of Brazilians protesting in the streets demanding the impeachment of the leader, Dilma Rousseff. She is at the center of a corruption scandal involving the oil giant Petrobras. Rousseff chairs -- served as chairman of the company's board of directors from 2003 to 2010. Prosecutors filed charges Monday against her party's treasurer for allegedly soliciting illegal campaign donations from the company executive.

A royal pair set to land in the United States today. Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, arrive at Andrews Air Force base this evening for their third ever visit to the United States as a couple. The pair is slated to tour Washington through Thursday and events all over the capital. On Thursday, they will meet with lawmakers and have an Oval Office visit. This visit concludes Friday at Louisville, Kentucky. I wonder if they're going to wear those nice hats.

New this morning, polls open in an election that is being watched all around the world. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu trying to hang on to his job. Last minute words on the campaign trail causing alarm all around the world. That's right after the break.

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