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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

American Accused in Terror Plot; ISIS Advance in Ramadi Contained; Al Qaeda Seizes Yemen Airport; GOP Candidates Gather in New Hampshire. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired April 17, 2015 - 04:30   ET

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


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[04:30:27] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: An American charged in an terror plot accused of training with terrorists in Syria.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: ISIS making new advances in Iraq this morning. A new city is on the brink of collapse.

ROMANS: Al Qaeda is using Yemen's civil war to its advantage, making alarming advances in what was once a key U.S. ally in the war on terror.

Team coverage this morning breaking down the terror threat at home and around the world.

Welcome back to EARLY START. Good morning, everybody. I'm Christine Romans.

BERMAN: I'm John Berman. Thirty minutes past the hour right now.

Developing this morning: a naturalized American citizen back from terrorism training in Syria, with plans to attack on U.S. soil. This man is now in custody. He is charged with terrorist threats and lying to the FBI.

Our justice reporter Evan Perez in Washington with the latest -- Evan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE REPORTER: John and Christine, Abdirahman Mohamud is alleged the terrorist threat that U.S. counterterrorism officials have warned us about for months. An American who traveled overseas to fight with an al Qaeda group and retired to the U.S. to plot an attack at home.

A federal indictment charges the 23-year-old resident of Columbus, Ohio, with attempting to provide material support to the Nusra Front, a terrorist group.

The FBI says Mohamud became a U.S. citizen last year. Two months later, in April 2014, he flew on a one way ticket to Greece with plans to make his way to Turkey and then to Syria. Justice Department prosecutors say he got training in guns and

explosives and combat. He came back last June, just days after his brother was killed fighting for Nusra in Syria.

The FBI says Mohamud told a friend that a cleric told him to come back home to carry out a domestic terrorist attack.

Now, Christine and John, according to the FBI, Mohamud talked about killing police and military execution-style.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Evan Perez, thank you for that.

Happening now, air strikes by the U.S.-led coalition are helping contain an ISIS advance in the city of Ramadi 70 miles from Baghdad. With tens of thousands fleeing that battle, a senior official in Anbar province tells CNN the airstrikes appear to be cutting off ISIS re- supply routes. But he says troops defending Ramadi need more reinforcements and more weapons if they're going to hold on to that city.

Senior international correspondent Ivan Watson is following all the latest developments for us.

Good morning, Ivan.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine.

An Iraqi government official in that embattled town of Ramadi says the Iraqi security forces are only barely holding on to the city that ISIS has taken over positions in the east of the city. That is despite a day of air strikes carried out over Ramadi on Thursday.

This city is located about 70 miles west of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. That's about an hour's drive on the highway. I have driven it before to get there.

Now, Iraqi government officials in Ramadi telling us that the city is virtually deserted. At least 150,000 citizens fled over the course of the last two days. Some reinforcements arrived over the course of the past 24 hours. That amounts to about a little less than 40 Humvees. The U.S. military vehicles provided to the Iraqi government. A little less than 40 Humvees full of Iraqi soldiers arrived over the course of the last 24 hours.

According to Iraqi government official, he says it is welcome assistance, but it's not enough. There have been increasingly panicked calls for reinforcements to that city.

However, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey, he spoke to journalists at the Pentagon on Thursday and said it would not be the end of the campaign should Ramadi fall. It would have to be recaptured. But it wouldn't be a decisive blow to the campaign against ISIS if this key city just an hour's drive west of Baghdad was to fall in the face of this ISIS offensive -- Christine.

ROMANS: Unbelievable.

All right. Ivan Watson, thank you for that, Ivan.

BERMAN: Turning now to the battle for Yemen. The air war by the Arab-led coalition by Houthi rebels is keeping both sides busy leaving al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula mostly unopposed. On Thursday, al Qaeda fighters overran an airport and an oil export terminal in Southeastern Yemen. In Washington, U.S. officials tell "The Los Angeles Times" that they are increasingly concerned about the Saudi air campaign which has reportedly caused hundreds of civilian casualties.

[04:35:01] And now the United Nations is worried about a humanitarian crisis and calling for an immediate cease-fire for all sides fighting in Yemen.

Nuclear talks with Iran resumes next week in Vienna. The two sides planning to address several key unresolved issues, like the terms for lifting sanctions and the timing for lifting sanctions, or whether inspectors will have unrestricted access to Iranian military sites. The president of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, said the he is optimistic a deal can be reached by the end of June. But he admits and acknowledges that getting one will be difficult.

ROMANS: New concerns this morning about the government's ability to protect vital landmarks after a Florida postal worker flew the gyrocopter through protected air space undetected, unto the Capitol lawn. Homeland Security is looking into this security gap.

Meanwhile, 61-year-old Doug Hughes, he faces federal charges for violating the restricted air space and operating an unregistered aircraft. He has been released on home confinement. He says he pulled this he things is a stunt to call attention to the need for campaign finance reform.

BERMAN: Congressional leaders hammered out a bipartisan deal granting the president fast track trade negotiating authority. Liberal and pro-business Democrats are split over the deals potential for creating or cutting American jobs. Under the legislation, Congress gets an up or down vote on any such deals. But in return, they would not be able to make changes. That is a concern for labor, environmental and other interest groups.

House Speaker John Boehner backing the deal but said the burden of the success rests on the president's shoulders.

ROMANS: As U.S. senators head home for the weekend, Eric Holder is still attorney general and his potential or nominated successor Loretta Lynch, she is still waiting. Senate Republicans have tied to Lynch's nomination to a still unresolved human trafficking bill, delaying her confirmation for months and infuriating many Democrats.

Now, Senator Harry Reid says he will force a vote on Lynch if it does not happen soon. And a likely presidential contender, Jeb Bush, breaking with some fellow Republicans. He is calling for Lynch to be confirmed as soon as possible.

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, the White House is lashing out at Republicans over their tactics in stalling the nomination of President Obama's pick for attorney general, Loretta Lynch. Lynch's nomination has been held up for months, mired in a dispute over abortion language, in a bill that deals with human trafficking.

At the White House, Thursday, Press Secretary Josh Earnest accused the GOP of hypocrisy, noting that Republican lawmakers like Iowa Senator Charles Grassley had urged the president last fall to hold off on naming the nominee until the New Year as a gesture of bipartisanship. Now, the White House notes Grassley is blaming the president for Lynch's delay. Earnest called that shameful, saying Lynch deserves a vote. Here's what he had to say.

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: So, she's waited now more than twice as long as the previous seven attorneys general nominations combined to get a vote on the floor of the United States Senate. That is an unconscionable and there is no excuse or explanation for it.

ACOSTA: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell indicated a break in the log jam could be coming next week when he believes bipartisan negotiators will come up with a compromise on the human trafficking bill and then get to a vote on Lynch. As for Grassley's office, they fired back at Josh Earnest, saying the White House is good at rewriting history -- John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Our thanks to Jim.

So, WikiLeaks is pouring salt on Sony's electronic wounds, publishing a searchable database of every Sony e-mail and document that was stolen by hackers last year. The huge data breach exposed a lot of embarrassing emails from top studio executives. The editor in chief of WikiLeaks Julian Assange defends the move, saying that the hack material is news worthy and belongs in the public domain.

In a statement, Sony condemned this release, saying the cyberattack was a malicious criminal act.

ROMANS: All right. Time for an early start on your money this morning. Asian and European markets are mostly lower right now. U.S. stock futures lower right now, U.S. stock futures lower here. You know, stocks fell just a little bit yesterday, despite what were strong earnings from Goldman Sachs and Citigroup. The Dow down six, still just 1 percent shy from record high.

The price of oil is still rising, folks. U.S. crude oil just above 56 bucks a barrel right now. That's compared with more than $100 a barrel last summer. Don't expect prices anywhere near that high soon, but this has been a substantial bounce here from the lows.

If you ordered an Apple Watch, get ready to wait. The original plan have watches for sale in stores next Friday. You can still try them on in the stores and you can preorder the watches online, but you'll have to wait until June for the watch to ship to you. No word from apple yet why the changes have been made. When I was trying on the watch with Apple communication spokesman, Apple executives there, you know, we kept saying, when are they going to ship? They are supposed to be ready April 24th. When are they going to ship?

So, it looks like they are shipping later than they thought.

BERMAN: Interesting. The truth is out there.

New calls for investigation falling reports that a volunteer deputy arrested for what he called a deadly mistake on the job bought his way on to the force.

[04:10:05] Accusations of training records falsified. Sheriff's office is now on the record this morning about those records. What they said, that's next.

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BERMAN: The ACLU and lawmakers in Oklahoma are calling into the investigation into the shooting death of Eric Harris. Seventy-three- year-old reserve deputy Robert Gates claims he accidentally pulled his gun instead of his taser when he killed Harris earlier this morning. Now, there are reports suggesting training records for Bates were falsified. Thursday night, the sheriff's office admitted the training records are missing, they are missing. While an attorney for the Harris family said there is no way the reserve deputy belonged on the street with a weapon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJ. SHANNON CLARK, TULSA COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: It may be semantics. The sheriff said they're lost. We have not located them. It doesn't mean they are never to be found again. It means that we are trying to figure out where the training records are. You have to remember, this goes back a long time.

DAN SMOLEN, HARRIS FAMILY ATTORNEY: We are talking about hours on the job training, field training, which is what specifically required. That he is there with an officer. He is working. He is learning how to do a takedown. He is learning how to carry a weapon. He's learning he difference between what a weapon feels like versus a taser.

And no, I don't believe any of that training has been done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The Tulsa County sheriff's office opened an investigation into the training records for Bates.

[04:45:01] An Oklahoma City lawmaker has zero confidence in the investigation and he has asked the state attorney general to step in.

ROMANS: Just two weeks before the NFL draft, Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston is being sued by the woman who accused him of rape. Erica Kinsman, a former FSU student, claims that Winston sexually assaulted him in 2012. Her suit comes after multiple investigations, ending with no criminal charges against Winston who has maintained his innocence. He is considered to be the top prospect in the draft. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are expected to take Winston with number one overall pick.

BERMAN: Adrian Peterson is back in the NFL. He has been reinstated by the league effective today. Peterson missed most of last season. He was suspended while fighting child abuse charges. He is now free to rejoin the Minnesota Vikings as long as he participates in an ongoing counseling program. Peterson's agent says the star running back would prefer a fresh start with a new team in 2015.

ROMANS: Officials release the 911 call from the Seattle airport worker who fell asleep and found himself trapped in the baggage compartment of an airborne Alaska Airlines jet earlier this week. Now, during the call, the 911 operator has trouble understanding that this panicked caller is stuck in the belly of a plane.

Listen.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

OPERATOR: Where are you in a plane?

CALLER: I'm inside the plane. Alaska Airlines plane Flight 448.

OPERATOR: Are you at the airport?

CALLER: Not in the airport. I feel like (INAUDIBLE)

OPERATOR: Are you by yourself or with somebody?

CALLER: (INAUDIBLE)

(END AUDIO CLIP)

ROMANS: The pilot made an emergency landing after hearing banging and screaming from the cargo hold. The plane was in the air for 14 minutes. The compartment was pressurized. It was temperature controlled. The worker was OK.

Alaska Airlines has banned him from working on any future flights.

BERMAN: A six-year, $287 million campaign aimed at boosting moral among those in the U.S. Army appears to be failing. According to a report in "USA Today", more than half of the 770,000 Army soldiers pessimistic about their future in the military, nearly as many are unhappy in their jobs. Data compiled by the Army also indicates that just 14 percent are eating healthy and getting sufficient rest.

ROMANS: Sounds like it reflects every other profession. You know? Half of the people happy with their jobs.

A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states an increase in the electronic cigarettes by teenagers. The report says the number of high school students using e-cigarettes tripled from 2013 to 2014. The CDC says the percentage of teens who regularly smoke regular cigarettes dropped from nearly 16 percent in 2011, to just over 9 percent in 2014.

BERMAN: There is a stormy weekend ahead for much of the country. Good nap weather. Let's go straight to meteorologist Derek Van Dam for an early look at the weather -- Derek.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, John and Christine.

We are watching out for the possibility of severe weather for roughly 30 million Americans. Anywhere from Kansas to Oklahoma and much of Texas. This includes San Antonio, Houston and just outside of the Wichita region, damaging winds and hail and a possible tornado. Be aware.

You can see a large area of low pressure spending about across the Colorado Rockies, producing some snowfall over the mountain region. I also want to point out, a low pressure system gathering some steam across the Gulf of Mexico.

This has been quite a rainmaker lately. Between 6 to 8 and localized 10 inching of rain from eastern Texas to Louisiana and parts of Mississippi over the past five days. Cue the flood watches we have in fact across that region.

A few showers expected for the New England coast, including New York City. But look at these temperatures. Not too shabby for the middle of April.

Back to you.

ROMANS: Thanks, Derek.

Does Hillary Clinton have a new challenger in the race for president? The new criticism she's receiving as the GOP moves in on New Hampshire, a key weekend that could narrow a very wide field of potential candidates, next.

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[04:53:01] BERMAN: Just about every Republican with even a remote chance of becoming president will be in Nashville, New Hampshire, this weekend, attending the GOP's first in the nation leadership summit. This is a two-day cattle call for candidates, both declared and undecided, or undeclared, a chance to separate themselves from an increasingly crowded field.

Let's get more from senior correspondent Jeff Zeleny.

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JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John and Christine.

All eyes are on New Hampshire today and tomorrow and throughout the weekend for the first big Republican gathering of the year of potential presidential hopefuls. The entire cast of possible candidates, including a long list of long shots will be on hand. Former New York Governor George Pataki will start things off today at 11:00 a.m. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker will finish on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. In between, so many speeches, including from former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, along with the three candidates who've already announced their candidacies, Senator Rand Paul, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.

Now, New Hampshire, of course, has the first in the nation primary. It follows the Iowa caucuses next February. Chris Christie has been campaigning the longest this week. He has been there already for several days, and former Texas Governor Rick Perry, too.

This is the most wide open Republican field that we've seen in recent memory. But all potential candidates are hardly on equal footing. This weekend will give the Republican activists their best chance yet to size up this field and see who they think should be the nominee.

And on top of all this, on Monday, Hillary Clinton comes for her very first visit to New Hampshire following her first campaign visit in Iowa.

So, so much politicking in New Hampshire -- John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. It gets started now. Thanks, Jeff.

The first Democratic challenger to Hillary Clinton maybe emerging. Former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley. Taken a few shots at the former first lady, accusing of her flip flopping on issues like same sex marriage and immigration. O'Malley says it is important to lead by principle and not by polls. He says the presidency should not be a crown to be passed between two families. He is expected to make a decision about running by the end of May.

BERMAN: You know, what is significant about this is not as much as he is getting in. All indications are he is going to.

[04:55:01] He is now deciding to campaign directly or more directly against Hillary Clinton, because up until now, Martin O'Malley have been careful not to say anything really bad about her. Interesting to see.

ROMANS: IBM warning Louisiana over its religious freedom bill. We will tell you why, next.

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ROMANS: Al right. Let's get an early start on your money Friday edition. U.S. stock futures lower right now. Stocks fell a few points

yesterday despite earnings properties from Goldman and Citigroup. Still, just only 1 percent shy from its record high.

IBM is warning Louisiana over Louisiana's religious freedom bill, sending Governor Bobby Jindal a letter. The tech company said the pending bill would create a hostile environment for its employees. Quote, "IBM will find it much harder to attract talent to Louisiana if this bill is passed and enacted into law." This is from the IBM vice president James Driesse.

This is the latest warning from corporate America to the states considering religious freedom laws. Indiana and Arkansas had similar laws and were pressured by companies to make changes.

Verizon launching flexible TV subscriptions, that's according to "Wall Street Journal". Starting Monday, for $55 a month, Fios customers can buy a base package of channels that include major broadcasters like ABC and FOX. Then, you can add group of extra channels like sports, kid shows and pop culture.

We know that Americans want flexibility when watching TV. According to Nielsen, most Americans watch only 17 channels on their televisions. I have seen more changes in the past year about how we consume television than in the 30 years before that.

BERMAN: I would say as long as one of those channels is CNN, I think it's great.

ROMANS: From 4:00 to 6:00 Eastern, yes.

BERMAN: EARLY START continues right now.