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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

More Protest Against Death in Custody; Crisis in Yemen: Saudi Arabia Stops Airstrikes; Ice Cream Risk Goes Back 5 Years; Mayweather- Pacquiao Fight in Jeopardy? Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired April 22, 2015 - 05:00   ET

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


[05:00:07] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: EARLY START continues right now.

(MUSIC)

BERMAN: There is growing frustration in Baltimore. A new investigation now into the death of a man mysteriously injured during his arrest. New witnesses are coming forward. Protesters, they want to know how Freddie Gray died.

The silence over Yemen, it is over. New fighting inside that war-torn nation. Houthi rebels stage a new attack. Saudi Arabia with a fresh round of bombing. What happened to the idea that the fighting would stop? We have live team coverage breaking down the new developments in what the U.S. involvement might be as well.

Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm John Berman. It is Wednesday, April 22nd. It is 5:00 a.m. in the East. Christine Romans is off today.

And happening today, a new protest is plans in Baltimore at the police station where officers brought 25-year-old Freddie Gray after arresting him ten days ago. Somehow, Gray suffered a severe spinal cord injury. And one week later, on Sunday, he died.

Baltimore police have now released the names of the six officers involved in arresting and transporting Gray. All six of these officers are suspended with pay. New witnesses are now coming forward, describing that arrest as Baltimore's mayor has vowed to find out what happened leading up to the fatal injury.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAROLD PERRY, WITNESSED FREDDIE GRAY ARREST: I heard the young man screaming, "Get off my neck, get off my neck, you're hurting my neck." And then two cars pulled up shortly after that. One car door slammed and then another. And they must have went to him where he started hollering and screaming a little louder and the police say, "Shut the F up."

MAYOR STEPHANIE RAWLINGS-BLAKE, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND: There can't be any assignment of blame until we know exactly what happened. But we're going to get to the bottom of it. We know that while he was in our custody when he first engaged the police department, he was alive. He was breathing. He was responsive. When medical attention came to Mr. Gray, he was unresponsive and not breathing. We're going to figure out what happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake says that by May 1st, the results of the investigation will get to prosecutors. The prosecutors will then decide whether to file criminal charges. The Justice Department announced it is opening a parallel federal civil rights probe before the local investigation is even complete.

Our national correspondent Miguel Marquez covering the protests and has the very latest -- Miguel.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John, an incredibly emotional evening near Baltimore with up to 2,000 people turning out to see for the first time the parents of Freddie Gray who showed up here at the western district police station. This is the place Mr. Gray was eventually brought after being arrested several blocks away from here.

His parents, miss mother in particular, overwhelmed by grief. They marched from here, back over to the point where he was arrested. At that point, everybody raised their hands in protest, in a moment of silence, as the family -- literally, all you could hear was hear them wail. Some of the people in this neighborhood still focused on this.

I'm going to show what you that protest earlier looked like.

PROTESTERS: Hands up, don't shoot!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want you to lift those hands up as high as you can. I want this to be a sign to the Baltimore City Police Department that this is not an act of surrender. But we're coming as a sign of strength, as one human being, one commitment, that we will not rest until we get justice for Freddie Gray.

MARQUEZ: And at one point then, protesters then, did start walking through the streets of this area of west Baltimore. They tried to grab the mike. They were very aggressive even towards us.

But they weren't angry at the press. They were angry at the police, they were angry at the mayor. People saying, it is us against them in this neighborhood, and what they want now is the six officers who are implicated in this, arrested and charged with first degree murder. They say they will be back tomorrow night. They will be back on Thursday. They're going to go down to city hall, they say, and stay there unless they get justice -- John.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: All right. Our Miguel Marquez live for us in Baltimore. New this morning, there was supposed to be calm over Yemen. Saudi

Arabia had announced it was stopping its nearly month-long bombing campaign over that nation. But breaking this morning, apparently, Houthi rebels have staged a raid on some kind of base there. And Saudi Arabia responded by dropping bombs. So, that calm that we're expecting hasn't happened, at least not yet.

Let's go straight to our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson and bring us the latest on these developments.

Good morning, Nic.

[05:05:00] NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, John.

The Houthis in that south town of Taiz was trying to take over that last army base that they didn't control. The Saudis brought in air strikes on that base, or at least on the Houthi attack. The Houthis seem to be driven back from there. But, of course, this is in stark contrast from what the Saudis believed they have agreed with the Houthis. They believed that the Houthis had agreed to put down their weapons, leave the cities like Taiz that they have taken by force over the last month or so.

We understand from Saudi sources that other parts of that deal, like the former president, agreed to leave the country and go into exile. That is believed to have been happening. The defense minister who had been arrested, captured by the Houthis, he is believed to be being released. So some elements of the agreement are in place. Of course, that threatens that deal, that cease-fire to the Saudi air strikes.

We're also learning as well, new developments in the southern port city of Macala, this is a town that al Qaeda had made big gains over the past month, using the chaos to take over army equipment stores, to take over navy vessels.

We're learning two U.S. drone strikes they believe have killed six al Qaeda fighters there. Again, this follows on from a similar strike there on Monday. So, al Qaeda had been taking advantage, everyone's fear, and it seems U.S. drone strikes at least targeting some of those al Qaeda members in this chaos, John.

BERMAN: Nic Robertson for us. It's a remarkable range of situations in Yemen right now, as Nic was saying the bombing campaign still bombing, the Houthis still raiding. And the United States with drone strikes in al Qaeda which say totally separate situation.

And meanwhile, a tense situation occurs offshore. The U.S. and allied ships are patrolling the Gulf of Aden, prepared to intercept Iranian ships if they enter Yemen's territorial waters. The U.S. believes an Iranian convoy could be carrying weapons bound for the Houthi rebels.

President Barack Obama said the U.S. Navy is to about sure the free flow of U.S. shipping traffic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What we've said to them is, is that if their weapons delivered to factions within Yemen, they could threaten navigation, that's a problem. And we're not sending them obscure messages. We send them very direct messages about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: And Iran is now calling for humanitarian aid to Yemen. And Iran said it's backing a political process.

The standoff there really does only complicate efforts to work out a nuclear deal with Iran. Those talks, the U.S., Iran and other powers, they start again in Vienna today. The hard part really starts in Vienna today.

I want to bring in our senior international correspondent Frederik Pleitgen who is inside Iran with all of these things going on in Yemen, in Vienna, in the Gulf right there.

Fred, what's the view from where you are?

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John. And you also, of course, have the battle against ISIS as well where the U.S. and Iran certainly don't have a common position, but they do have a common enemy in that. So there are many moving parts to all of this.

And the one thing you can really feel on the ground here in Iran is that big lack of trust towards the United States. Now, of course, that is something that goes both way. We do have to keep in mind that the situation that's going on in Yemen right now certainly could be a problem also for nuclear negotiations -- as you said, they are set to resume today in Vienna.

One of the big things that the Iranians have told us is that they say from their point of view, as far as the nuclear negotiations are concerned, the main thing for them is the sanctions relief. They wanted sanctions to go away. We've also been able to speak to senior military personnel here, and they say that they're also looking very closely at the nuclear negotiations because they believe a good deal, if it holds, if it comes into place, and if it holds could really improve the feeling between these two sides also on a military level.

Let's listen in to what the commander of Iran's ground forces told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. AHMAD REZA POURDASTAN, COMMANDER OF IRANIAN GROUND FORCES (through translator): At the moment, we consider the United States to be a threat to us because its policies and actions are threatening to us. We would like the U.S. to change its rhetoric and tone of voice, so that our nation could have more trust in U.S. military leadership.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: Now, at the same time, as you said there is also the situation in Yemen. And that is one that's certainly complicating things between the U.S. and Iran earlier today. The speaker of Iran's parliament, Ali Larijani, he went on TV and he praised the Yemenis for he called resistance to the Saudis. And that's making something difficult.

The standoff at sea is something that the Iranians are not taking very well. They said they never had intentions to delivering weapons to the Houthis. But, of course, we have heard from Secretary of State Kerry, we heard from other U.S. officials, they don't buy that at this point, John.

[05:10:00] BERMAN: Frederik Pleitgen inside Tehran, with a really remarkable view of what's going on there. Thanks, Fred.

The full Senate could begin to debate as early as today on legislation that would give Congress power to weigh in on any nuclear deal with Iran. They approved a compromise version of the bill. President Obama had promised a veto before the compromise. That compromise gives Congress 30 days look at an agreement. The president now plans to sign the compromise measure if there are no big changes inside the House or Senate.

Attorney General Eric Holder announcing that the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Michelle Leonhart, is retiring. She's been under fire after revelations that DEA agents engaged in sex parties with prostitutes paid for by Columbian drug cartels. Leonhart told Congress she did not have the authority to fire these agents. Following her testimony, the House Oversight Committee issued a bipartisan statement of no confidence. You know, the White House declined to defend Leonhart who has led the DEA since 2007.

Eric Holder, the attorney general, is still in office, because his proposed replacement Loretta Lynch is still waiting for a confirmation. Her nomination has been held up for months via an unrelated Senate controversy over a human trafficking bill. That controversy finally appears to have been resolved. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he expects to pass a compromise bill today that would clear the way for a vote to confirm the attorney general nominee. The passage is likely though narrow. Loretta Lynch will be the first African-American woman to lead the Justice Department.

We have new details this morning about a huge ice cream recall. Alison Kosik here with that.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN MONEY CORRESPONDENT: This seems to be more serious than first thought, because we're learning that Blue Bell products have actually been a health risk for years. The outbreak of listeria linked to the ice cream has been going on since 2010. That's what the CDC is saying.

The company has been gradually recalling certain items for weeks but what happened this week is that Blue Bell recalled every product sold in 23 states because of the potential health risks. Three people in Kansas have died and ten others have gotten sick in the past year likely linked to bacteria from Blue Bell products. So, everybody wants to know how did the listeria get into the ice

cream. It actually did not get into the pasteurized milk. But listeria can travel on nuts into ice cream and live for years on surfaces in the factory like on drains and pipes. That's exactly, John, what the CDC thinks happened here.

BERMAN: And they pulled everything off. Blue Bell pulled everything off the shelves. It's a drastic move.

KOSIK: It really is.

BERMAN: All right, Alison. Thanks so much.

KOSIK: Sure.

BERMAN: I want you to look at a picture right now from the Boston marathon bombing trial, the sentencing phase. That's Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. These are the pictures that the jury saw. But it was another picture that caused drama in the courtroom.

What Dzhokhar Tsarnaev showed the camera and what this now means for the likelihood that he could face the death penalty, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:15:58] BERMAN: What will the jury see today?

Impassioned arguments in the sentencing phase of the Boston marathon bombing trial. A jury must decide if convicted killer Dzhokhar Tsarnaev will get the death penalty. The prosecution opened in dramatic fashion, portraying Tsarnaev as a cold-blooded killer and America's worst nightmare. They were shown a picture. The courtroom saw a picture that people are still talking about today in Boston.

Let's get the latest from CNN national correspondent Alexandra Field -- Alexandra.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John, unrepentant, uncaring, and untouched by the sorrow he's created. That's how prosecutors described Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the opening states of the penalty phase of this trial.

They ended opening statements showing a picture of Tsarnaev giving the middle finger to a security camera in his holding at the federal courthouse several months after the bombing. Prosecutors told the jury he was determined and destined to be America's worst nightmare.

The jury has already found him guilty of the death of Krystle Campbell, Lingzi Lu, Officer Sean Collier and 8-year-old Martin Richard. The government says each of the victims have time to feel pain, time to feel scared and frightened but no time to say good-bye.

As they make their case for a death sentence, prosecutors have already called three bombing survivors to testify in this phase of the trial, along with Krystle Campbell's brother and her father. He told jurors his daughter gave him a hug every day and that's what he misses most today -- John.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Alexandra Field in Boston.

Disturbing details emerging this morning about a suspected terrorist. The FBI now says Abdirahman Sheikh Mohamud ventured to the battlefields of Syria. The goal was to follow in his big brother's footsteps and join al Nusra, which is the al Qaeda affiliate there. Officials say he then returned to Ohio with the intent to use the training that he received in Syria to attack a military facility or prison and execute Americans. Mohamud pled not guilty on Friday to charges of providing support to terrorists.

Federal officials say they are now reviewing a sudden violent confrontation between a woman and a U.S. marshal caught on video. Watch.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

BERMAN: To recap what you just saw, the deputy U.S. marshal snapped Beatrice Paez's (ph) cell phone, smashed it and kicked it. The video was taken from an onlooker across the street. The confrontation happened on Sunday during a multi-agencies surveillance operation involving a biker gang in South Gate, California. U.S. Marshals is investigating. Paez and the ACLU maintain that her constitutional rights were violated.

A Tulsa judge has given Robert Bates permission to vacation the Bahamas. Bate is the volunteer deputy who fatally shot a suspect that he says he meant to subdue with a taser. Bates pleaded not guilty to second degree manslaughter on Tuesday.

At a court hearing, the judge granted Bates permission to go on an island vacation with his family. That decision outraged the family of the Eric Harris, the man who was killed in this incident. They say it sends a message of apathy for the life of the victim.

All right. So, the NBA and NHL playoffs. But the release of the NFL football schedule has fans in a frenzy. Find out when your team will lose to the Patriots.

Coy Wire has the details on the bleacher report, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:28:08] BERMAN: Folks, we're just 10 days away from Mayweather/Pacquiao, which is the most hyped boxing match in decades. I mean, we're talking a long, long time here. But there are serious questions this morning about whether this fight is going to take place.

Coy Wire with more on the bleacher report.

Hey, Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS: Good morning, John. Yes, we learned that there's no signed contract between Mayweather/Pacquiao at the MGM Grand. And no tickets have been printed from the fight either.

We asked Pacquiao's adviser Michael Koncz this question, if the agreement isn't executed by May 2nd there will still be a fight? He was noncommittal.

ESPN reported yesterday that Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum said he isn't signing the contract draft of the contract because it wasn't what he agreed to in the original term sheet two months ago. Mayweather's camp says the terms have never changed, and fans are hoping obviously that this contract gets signed soon -- you have people who have already spent big bucks on hotel rooms in Vegas. And others who have dished out the cash, the $99.95 for pay per view.

In NBA playoff action in Cleveland, LeBron and Kyrie Irving stole the show against Boston. LeBron said, you take it, Kyrie, no, you take it, LeBron. All right. There we go, this happened all night, there second post-season game as teammates. The duo scored all 24 points for the Cavs. Cleveland wins 99-91, takes a 2-0 series. Game three is Thursday night in Boston.

And in Texas, the battle, the Rockets and Mavericks were in Houston last night. Dwight Howard and Josh Smith had more slams, these two guys grew up together, friends since preschool and now NBA teammates. They hooked up for six alley hoop passes like they were still just out there playing on the playground. That unleashed some enthusiasm amount for JJ turn down for Watt. Rockets win on to win 111-99 and take the 2-0 series lead.

Now, the anticipation is finally over, NFL fans. We know when and how your team is going to lose to my former teams, the Bills and Falcons next season.

[05:25:04] The league released this year's regular season schedule yesterday. It's the Super Bowl champion Patriots, John Berman, posting Big Ben and the Steelers to kick the season off on September 10th. Another game of interest will be Thanksgiving night. The Packers host the Bears in the primetime game, and reports are that Green Bay is going to have a ceremony to retire the one and only Bred Favre's jersey at Lambeau Field.

John, if our Patriots and Falcons or Bills meet up sometime, you know, in the playoffs maybe, I think you and I have to go to that game. And the loser has to do something crazy like wear no makeup on camera.

BERMAN: I accept, I accept, Coy. My problem is that the Patriots are so good, they're playing like most of their games in prime time which stinks for me, because I have to go to bed, you know, means, you know, I have to do the news on no sleep. Deeply problematic.

All right. Coy, thanks so much.

WIRE: All right, John. Thanks. BERMAN: Growing concerns, growing frustration, over the death of a man mysteriously injured during his arrest. What new witnesses coming forward are now saying? We'll tell you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: New frustration and now a new investigation. The unexplained death of Freddie Gray. The spine mysteriously severed during an arrest. What went wrong? What is being done about it? There are new developments to tell you about ahead.

So, the bombs had stopped very briefly, but there is new fighting and new bombing over Yemen. What does this mean for the possibility of calm there? And what does this mean for the U.S. involvement as it stares down Iranian vessels off the coast?