Return to Transcripts main page

Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Confronting Iran in Yemeni Waters?; Migrant Shipwreck: Death Toll Rises, New Arrests; Baltimore Officers Suspended; Clinton's New Hampshire Visit: Day 2. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired April 21, 2015 - 04:30   ET

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


[04:30:02] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: The death toll is rising in the Mediterranean. Crew members from the capsized ships have been arrested, revealing a human trafficking tragedy. We have new developments overnight.

Mounting questions and fury over the death of a man mysteriously injured during his arrest. Six police officers now off the job. We have new details ahead.

Welcome back to EARLY START, everyone. I'm John Berman. Thirty minutes past the hour. Christine Romans is off today.

And this morning, a new hot zone that puts U.S. assets in direct conflict with Iran. U.S. warships are now patrolling the waters off of Yemen. These vessels designed to send a message to block Iranian vessels suspected of trafficking arms to rebels inside Yemen. The Iranian-backed Houthis have overthrown the government there, that is backed by the United States and Saudi Arabia.

Iranian officials are not backing down. The commander of the Iran's regular navy told CNN, we don't let anyone give us warnings and threats.

Our senior international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh is monitoring the latest developments for us.

Good morning, Nick.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John, as you say, danger of conflagration here. This is now a substantial amount of U.S. firepower in that vital maritime area. About nine ships now being joined by the USS Theodore Roosevelt, the aircraft carrier, and the U.S. Normandy, a guided missile carrier. Now, of course, they're all there partially to assist in the U.N. Security Council resolution imposing an arms blockade against the Houthi rebels inside Yemen.

Of course, it's not precisely openly clear what the suspected nine or so Iranian ships in the area which the U.S. is closely monitoring what they are actually carrying or where they are bound. But there is that dangerous moment if they choose to head to Yemen shores and believe to be suspecting arms, that potentially when the U.S. faces a decision point, you let them pass, or do you try and stop them, even board them.

Now, that's a far-flung proposal at this stage, but it certainly means this area, a gulf vital for energy supplies, trade transit through to the Mediterranean, elsewhere in the world is now an intense flashpoint. While, of course, the U.S. is talking peace about nuclear deal with Iran in Switzerland, at the same time it's keen, I think, to show the regional allies, Saudi Arabia, a decades long ally, that it's still certainly behind them in this campaign they're waging with other allies in Yemen.

The U.S., of course, has, of course, searched and rescue facilities and targeting intelligence sharing. They're very much involved in this conflict, and this addition of extra firepower in the seas around Yemen is another sign of how potentially far this war has come from the beginning just weeks ago, John.

BERMAN: Nick Paton Walsh following what is going on in Yemen.

Of course, it has global implications. U.S. officials believe the Iranian role in Yemen is evidence in the larger effort to spread its influence throughout the Middle East. Already, Iran is training and equipping Shiite militias in Iraq, and helping to prop up the Assad government in Syria. Senior member of Iran's parliament added Yemen to the list when he visited Sana'a is the fourth capital to fall into our hands.

While that is going on, the United States is trying to broker a nuclear deal with Iran. We just learned yesterday of the charges that Iran has placed now against a "Washington Post" journalist, an American journalist being held inside that country. Charges that "The Post" determines are ludicrous.

Let's go inside Iran to get the reaction there and bring in our senior international correspondent Frederik Pleitgen. He is standing by live in Tehran this morning.

Good morning, Fred.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, John.

It is really interesting right now, the way that the U.S. and Iran are interacting. On the one hand, you have the confrontation that continues to go on. But you also have signs of possible reconciliation.

As you said, there is a conflict going on right now around Yemen. It's actually really interesting because I just came back literally a couple of minutes ago from a Red Crescent center here in Tehran. The Iranians took us there to underscore the point that anything that they want to deliver to Yemen is only humanitarian aid. That is something that they've been saying, they, of course, deny, the accusations, they are allegedly supplying weapons to the Houthi rebels there.

At the same time, as you said, there are conflicts also about how to deal with ISIS. I spoke to some very senior Iranian general in the past couple of days and they believe the U.S. is not really trying to deal with ISIS. They think that they are the ones who are making the head way. They are the ones who are training the Shia militia, and they believe that they have the strategy that would work.

They also told us they still very much see the U.S. as a threat. They say at this point in time, there is a lot of distrust, especially, of course, on the military level. But at the same time, if you look at the government in Iran, it certainly seems to want the nuclear deal. They want rapprochements. They want better relations with the U.S. and Iran. They want this nuclear deal to work.

However, there are still a lot of hurdles that need to be taken. If you look at the rhetoric, especially coming out of Tehran over the past couple of days, where they seem to be drawing red lines about things they don't want, for instance, inspectors at military bases are something that people keep mentioning.

[04:35:09] There still certainly is a long way to go. But you can feel it here in the air in Tehran this is a very, very decisive time as the U.S. and Iran seem to be redefining the relationship between themselves.

BERMAN: And does there seem to be a sense of compartmentalization, Fred? On the one hand, you have this conflict in Yemen, you have warships and Iranian warships perhaps staring at each other over narrow waters. You have these U.S. journalist being held on what seems to be trumped charges.

Are the Iranians able to keep that all separate from the nuclear talks?

PLEITGEN: John, I think it is two separate things that are issue. I think on the one hand, you're right, there is compartmental. I think that the government, for its part, is trying to keep the Yemen conflict separate from what's going on in the nuclear negotiations. You can tell that by the foreign minister is saying. You can tell that by what other government officials are saying.

And you can tell that also -- yesterday when I spoke to the vice president. She told me, you know what, the thing that happened to "The Washington Post" journalist, to Jason Rezaian, that's necessarily the position of the government, but they say they have no influence over the judiciary here.

But on the other hand, there is also, of course, a divide with Iran itself. Right now, you have a moderate government, but you still have hard liners here who are very, very powerful, especially the clergy here in this country and, of course, there's going to be tough talk from the Iranian government on many, many issues, especially when it comes to confrontation with the United States. At the same time, the government here is looking for leeway from these very conservative forces to try and force these nuclear negotiations and, slowly, try to initiate change in the relationship.

BERMAN: Yes. You know, complicated situation on the international scene, but also complicated relationships inside the country where you are right now in Iran.

Frederik Pleitgen reporting from Tehran this morning -- thanks so much.

Developing overnight, the captain and crew member of the ship that capsized in the Mediterranean on Sunday have been arrested on suspicious of human trafficking. As many as 900 migrants from Africa are believed to have died when the overcrowded vessel capsized. Top European leaders met in Luxembourg on Monday, trying to confront what they are calling now a migrant crisis. Hundreds of thousands have made this dangerous journey from North Africa. So many of them require rescue, 3,500 died at sea last year.

I want to bring in senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman who is live in Sicily with latest on the investigation -- Ben.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The prosecutor in Catania has arrested two men out of the 28 survivors from this catastrophe. One of them was the Tunisian captain of this ill-fated ship. The other was a Syrian shipmate.

As far as the remaining survivors, they have gone to Mineo where there is an old residence for the families of U.S. servicemen who used to work here with NATO. Of course, now that has been taken over and used as a migrant center. The European Union at this point is scrambling to come up with the solution with the mounting crisis. They are looking at the possibility of increasing funding for the sea operation to rescue migrants, ways perhaps to stop them from coming in the first place. Perhaps aid to those countries that are most affected.

Beyond that, they are talking about the possibility of some sort of military operation to destroy the boats that bring the migrants to Europe. But that requires a much higher level of decision by the European leadership, unfortunately, does not have a very good record for decisive military action. But nonetheless, the pressure is building on European leaders to do something to stem this massive influx of migrants from the Middle East and Europe.

BERMAN: Ben Wedeman in Sicily, thanks so much.

We have new details this morning on the ISIS inspired plot. Federal prosecutors call it the biggest ISIS recruitment case in the United States so far in the United States. Officials say that six men, Somali American friends, aged 19 to 21, were conspiring to sneak into Syria and join ISIS by any means possible. Those are the words of the U.S. attorney.

Four were arrested in Minneapolis on Sunday. Two others detained in San Diego. The officials say they were trying to cross into Mexico with fake passports and make their way to Syria from there. Prosecutors say the men were encouraged by a 21-year-old friend who has already joined ISIS in Syria. But the U.S. attorney says there was no single mastermind behind the conspiracy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ANDREW LUGER, MINNESOTA U.S. ATTORNEY: In today's case, the answer is that this group of friends is recruiting each other. They are engaged in what we describe as peer-to-peer recruiting, friend to friend, brother to brother. We have a terror recruiting problem in Minnesota.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[04:40:03] BERMAN: Four suspects appeared in court on Monday. They did not enter a plea.

Time now for an early start on your money. Cristina Alesci is here with that.

CRISTINA ALESCI, CNN MONEY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the skeptic inside of me is just beaten down. Stocks around the world are up, Asia, Europe and U.S. futures.

Yesterday, the Dow climbed 208 points thanks to strong earnings from big players. There's a lot more to consider. Today, we'll have to see how the markets react to that.

ROMANS: What about the earnings reports coming from the airlines?

ALESCI: Yes, we have some strong earnings coming out, hopefully, from Delta. But one piece of airline news that's making some headlines this morning is the customer satisfaction index came out, and ranked dead last. Spirit Airlines, which is known for its cheap tickets, but also, its extra fees for just about anything from carry-ons to water.

Another low-cost, close to the bottom, low-cost carrier close the bottom, Frontier, JetBlue claimed the top spot, followed by Southeast. Believe it or not, customer satisfaction hit a 20-year high. That is not saying much. I feel like getting -- taking domestic air travel these days is like a bus, worse than a bus.

BERMAN: Thanks so much, Cristina. I appreciate it.

Six officers suspended after a man was mysteriously injured during his arrest and died. The community demanding answers as a new video surfaces, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:45:03] BERMAN: New protests in Baltimore and still no explanation from police why Freddie Gray was arrested and why and how he suffered a fatal spinal cord injury while in custody. Baltimore police have released video of the arrest that appears to show Gray being dragged into a police van. Six officers involved in the arrest have been suspended during the investigation.

An attorney for the family says that Freddie Gray was in perfect health until police chased and tackled him. The mayor of Baltimore promises to get to the bottom of this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MAYOR STEPHANIE RAWLINGS-BLAKE, BALTIMORE, MD: We are very committed to making sure that we get this right. We have had a very challenging history in our city when it comes to trust between the community and the police. And we have to make sure that this investigation goes forward, that it's transparent, and that we actually have independent eyes to take a look at it because it's too important not to get this right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Baltimore has a sorry history of police brutality and an even sorrier history in terms of a governmental response to police brutality. Typically, the police deny, deny, deny no matter what the facts are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: A lot of unanswered questions in the situation right now in Baltimore.

CNN national correspondent Miguel Marquez is there with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John, an amazing scene outside here at the western division of the Baltimore Police Department. A few protesters left after a huge rain storm came through here. You still see they are shouting angrily at police who have gathered here.

The man in the white shirt there, that's -- he's community affairs commander, Melvin Russell. He came in the middle of the crowd. Hundreds of people here at one point to try to engage them and bring down the level of anger.

Here's how that turned out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are asking the wrong person. You're asking the wrong person.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You totally think he was OK before he got put in that wagon.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why are you asking questions I can't answer?

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why wasn't he --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know.

MARQUEZ: That was just several blocks from here where Freddie Gray died, 25 years old, when he was arrested by police, witnesses say he was complaining about having asthma and not having his inhaler on him. They put him in a wagon and took him in to custody, putting him in leg irons at one point. There was never a point, say police, where he was injured while he was

arrested.

But by the time he got to the police station, somehow, his neck was broken, his family's lawyer saying it was nearly severed, the spinal cord. Seven days later, he died.

And this crowd now angry protesting that black lives matter, and they don't want this to happen again. It seems to be at least for this very tough neighborhood in Baltimore, a turning point -- John.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Miguel Marquez for us in Baltimore.

Later this morning, the jury that convicted Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the Boston marathon bombing reconvenes for the sentencing phase of that trial. Jurors will decide if he will get the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole. Some marathon bombing survivors have appealed for Tsarnaev to be spared the death penalty, though not out of mercy, many of them. Many just do not want a long appeal process to drag out. They feel they do not want to see him anymore.

The Transportation Security Administration imposing new rules for screening airport and airline workers. When traveling as passengers, employees will not be allowed to bypass security face by other travelers. Airports will also be required to reduce the number of access points to secure areas and conduct random screenings throughout the workday. The new rules follow a number of security lapses involving guns being smuggled onto planes.

New details this morning about the condition of Bobbi Kristina Brown. Her grandmother, Cissy Houston, says in a statement that the 22-year- old daughter of the late Whitney Houston is no long near a coma, but according to doctors has irreversible brain damage. Just a few days ago, Bobby Brown, her father, said during that his daughter was awake and he felt she was watching him.

Hillary Clinton is hitting back at Republican attacks. What she had to potential 2016 rivals. We'll tell you, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:53:05] BERMAN: Happening today: Hillary Clinton and her first campaign swing through New Hampshire with the visit to the community college this morning.

On Monday, the former secretary of state stuck with the small scale tone of her campaign so far. She discussed programs such as Social Security and Head Start. While that was going on, she was defending herself a bit from attacks or some say revelations in a new book.

Senior political correspondent Brianna Keilar has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: John, good morning. In a brief Q&A session with reporters here in Keene, New Hampshire, Hillary Clinton addressed this upcoming book that alleges pay-to-play between the Clinton Foundation and foreign countries while she was secretary of state. She said it all boils down to politics.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), 2016 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, we're back in the political season, and therefore, we will be subjected to all kinds of distraction and attacks. And I'm ready for that. I know that that comes, unfortunately, with the territory. It is, I think, worth noting that the Republicans seem to be talking only about me. I don't know what they talk about if I weren't in the race.

KEILAR: Clinton campaign aides have been sharper in their rhetoric about this book "Clinton Cash." For instance, John Podesta, the chairman of her campaign, saying that it's conspiracy theories woven together from cherry-picked information.

Also, here in New Hampshire, at an event to discuss small businesses with local business owners, Hillary Clinton put some distance between herself and Obama on the economy. She said small business need to get back growing and she said the economy has stalled out -- John.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: All right. Brianna Keilar in New Hampshire, thanks so much.

A big food scare overnight having to do with ice cream that could be in your freezer. We'll tell you what you should throw out immediately.

[04:55:00] That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Time now for an early start on your money, and an early start on your refrigerator this morning.

ALESCI: Yes.

BERMAN: First, let's start with futures.

ALESCI: Yes, futures are up this morning. It's been a great start to the week so far. Yesterday, the Dow climbed 208 points, thanks to some strong earnings from Morgan Stanley, Halliburton and IBM. But there's a lot to consider today with Verizon, Chipotle, and Yahoo, and many more reporting results today.

And now, let's get to those food stories. A big scare announced overnight. Blue bell ice cream issued a voluntary recall for all of its products after ice cream samples tested positive for potentially deadly listeria bacteria. Listeria can cause fatal infections in young children and older people, and can also be dangerous for pregnant women. So, check your ice cream.

Kraft is making big changes to mac & cheese. Starting next January, Kraft will remove artificial preservatives and synthetic colors from its recipe. Instead, the company says it will use spices like paprika and turmeric. Parents want healthy simple food for children. Kraft says don't worry, it will still taste the same.

BERMAN: It better. Look, it's one of the few things I can cook.

ALESCI: It doesn't taste like cheese, though. Kraft mac and cheese doesn't taste like actual real cheese.

BERMAN: It tastes like awesome. And I hope it continues to do so.

ALESCI: I'm going to change your mind on this, John.

BERMAN: Cristina Alesci, thanks so much.

EARLY START continues right now.