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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Freddie Gray Death Investigation: New Information; Police & Protesters Clash in Philadelphia; Bernie Sanders for President; White House Monitoring Baltimore Unrest. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired May 01, 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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[04:31:26] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now: thousands of demonstrators demanding answers in Freddie Gray's death. Just how did he sever his spine while in police custody? There's a new theory this morning and new information about the investigation. We're bringing that to you live.

Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans in the studio in New York.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm John Berman in Baltimore this morning. Thirty minutes past the hour.

Great to see you this morning, Christine. Great to see you, everyone.

We are standing in front of Baltimore City hall here. And the security presence here in front of city hall is much less than we have seen in the last few days. Not as many National Guard troops or state troopers here. It was a much calmer night overnight, again, which is a good sign.

Protesters did face off briefly with police as the curfew went into effect at about 10:00 p.m. You can see some pictures right there. CNN cameras captured some video of police arresting one man in the crowd.

But despite what this looks like right here, the streets quickly cleared and the traffic began moving through that intersection. We're going to have more on the scene and the atmosphere in Baltimore in just a moment.

But, first, some really important new information, new claims in the death of Freddie Gray. How he may have suffered the fatal spinal injury while he was in police custody.

Baltimore police, they handed their investigative files over to prosecutors on Thursday, which is one day ahead of schedule. It did surprise a lot of people here.

Multiple law enforcement sources say that those files contain new claims about Freddie Gray's death. Now, among the claims inside this report that Gray was fatally injured in the police van and not earlier during his arrest.

Law enforcement sources tell CNN affiliate WJLA that the medical examiner has determined that Gray died from a broken neck sustained when his head slammed into the back of the van, an injury according to our affiliate from this report on Gray's head reportedly matches a bolt in the back of the van. Now, this is stuff the prosecutor's office here will still have to go through and it does not answer one of the key questions if it is all accurate, which is how did Gray's head slam into the back of the van in the first place?

It is worth noting the driver of the police van has yet to give a statement to investigators. An official at the medical examiner's office says their report could be delivered to prosecutors as soon as today, although that could slide into next week.

Now, there is another new detail coming out, police officials say and they said this in a news conference, that they've learned that the van carrying Freddie Gray made an additional stop. One more stop than they had known and one more stop the police told us about. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEP. KEVIN DAVIS, DEPUTY BALTIMORE POLICE COMISSIONER: The second stop has been revealed to us during the course of the investigation and was previously unknown to us. We discovered this new stop based on our thorough and comprehensive and ongoing review of all CCTV cameras and privately owned cameras. And in fact, this new stop has been -- was discovered from a privately owned camera.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Why it had to be discovered from a private camera and not the police themselves and not from radio traffic? That is unknown as this moment.

Also, what happened during this newly discovered stop is also currently under investigation.

So, as the investigation continues and the new facts come in, we can tell you it was a third straight night where things were in control on the streets of Baltimore.

[04:35:00] Apart from the few moments when the curfew went into effect when the protester tried to advance the line of police officers and was swallowed up and arrested.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

BERMAN: For more on this scene here in Baltimore this morning, I want to bring in CNN's Rene Marsh.

Good morning, Rene.

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.

Yes, you know, it has been really calm. Last night and the day before, which is good news. Within the crowd last night, was that calming voice who we have seen out here at these protests day after day. That is Maryland Congressman Elijah Cummings. At one point, we saw him arm in arm with protesters. He was leading the protesters as the curfew approached, singing "This Little Light of Mine". But his objected out there last night was to make sure that when the clock hits 10:00, that everyone disperse and obey that curfew time.

And it was effective, because people for the most part did go home at that point. But, you know, the key is that he wants people to understand the process because many were expecting perhaps a play-by- play from police, but that most likely will not be the case. Listen to what he had to say about the process.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ELIJAH CUMMINGS (D), MARYLAND: We must allow the process to go forward and all I can assure them and others is we will stick with this case until the end. But the fact is, is now we have a state's attorney who we are impressed with and very proud of. We believe in her. We trust her.

I want her to get the facts right. She will apply the law and come to her own conclusions. That's her job. That's her job. I believe in her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARSH: And that state attorney is a 35-year-old prosecutor. We know her name is Marilyn Mosby. And the world and the nation I should say is watching her as she goes through this process.

And she really is in a probably stressful position here, because the community wants something, which is justice it, but she has to do her job which is following the law.

So, we know that Baltimore Police Department, they've handed over their investigation. That's being reviewed now. The medical examiner's office will be reviewed once they receive it. And they will make their determination based on the information they have. Do they have enough to charge these officers with anything criminally?

BERMAN: You know, we've heard from her office, a press release, where she made it clear she has the investigative report, but will certainly look beyond that and conduct her information and take information from many sources.

It is interesting to see Elijah Cummings there. And we talk about the relative calm of the last few night, it's because people are working to keep the calm, people like Elijah Cummings, city officials, so many people are working to make that happen. We do expect more protests today. More demonstrations, demonstrations have been peaceful. A big march planned for Sunday. And, of course, the curfew will remain in place for the coming days.

MARSH: Right. Four alone today here in Baltimore, as far as the protests. But we will see that again on Saturday. You mentioned Sunday. Clergy supposed to get together, supposed to be a massive showing of religious leaders making sure that the message is sent, but sent in a peaceful way.

BERMAN: We have seen the people marching through the streets in the past few days. It has been peaceful every day and pretty much every night as well.

Rene Marsh, great to have you here with us. Really appreciate it.

As we said, some protests planned here for today and the weekend. There are also protests expected in Seattle and Portland and Oakland today. Last night in Philadelphia, police and protesters did clash when the group of protesters tried to block the entrance to I-95. You see video showing the officers pushing the demonstrators back. Many of them held their hands in the air and chanted "hands up".

Our Poppy Harlow was right in the middle of it all.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John and Christine.

We are in Philadelphia where there has been a huge march. It began with a protest around 4:30 this afternoon, congregated right at city hall in downtown Philadelphia. And then it turned into a march on the streets of Philadelphia that so far has lasted about three hours. Largely the protest has been peaceful, I want to emphasize that.

The chief of police inspector here telling me that these are people that need to have their voices heard. They deserve to protest and exercise their first amendment right as long as they do so lawfully. And he expects it to be a loud, a large, and a lawful protest. It has been that in large part been that.

I will say, there was a confrontation with police right at the entrance at Interstate 95 where police lined up on their horses and bicycles. Protesters were not allowed to go on the highway.

[04:40:00] There was a clash between police and protesters there for about 20 minutes. And then it opened up and the protesters were allowed to continue walking on the streets.

What I hear from people here -- from people of really all ages, white citizens, black citizens of Philadelphia, saying they want answers in the case of Freddie Gray. But for them, it is larger than that. For them, it is also about economic disparity and about a lack of opportunity for African-American youth, especially in this country.

So, clearly, one young African-American attorney telling me she wants to see change within the system, more opportunity, more room for economic growth for many people that she feels are not getting a fair shot.

So, they are protesting to have their voices heard here on the streets of Philadelphia. You see a lot of signs where they are aligning with Baltimore in the name of the protest by the group that organized it, guys, is Philadelphia is Baltimore.

I'll send it back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Our thanks to Poppy Harlow in Philadelphia.

Now, back here in Baltimore, as Rene Marsh was eluding to before, what is happening is the pent up pressure to get answers on the investigation of Freddie Gray. Those answers are not going to be quick in coming. The police handed over the report yesterday and they're going to talk anymore about this, and now, it is in the hands of the state attorney's office. And that will continue, Christine.

And people here on the streets of Baltimore, and we talk to a lot of them, they say they are patient. They want to wait for the answers and they want the investigation to take its course. But that patience is not infinite at this point. They really need some answers fairly soon.

ROMANS: Yes, people want more information and they want some clarity about just what happened to Freddie Gray and where the process will go from here.

I'll tell you, John, as much as the issue, that fuels the feeling and protest. They are not getting enough. They are not getting clarity that there's something to be done.

I'll tell you, in New York in particular, the mayor here, Mayor de Blasio was stern with protesters. He said, you will listen to police. When they tell you to get on the sidewalk, get out of the road, you must do that, you must obey the police. This is nonnegotiable, a lot of people, the irony I think, John, because he was arrested two years ago at a protest, the mayor himself. It shows just sort of the interesting position he finds himself in in New York, John.

BERMAN: And down here, Christine, I cannot say this enough, everyone is working so hard to keep the situation here calm. You have protest leaders working hard for calm. You have the clergy. You have collected officials like Elijah Cummings and you have law enforcement here who really -- they are trying to keep things under control and keep an amicable relationship with those who are on the streets as well. And hopefully, it can maintain this level of relative over the next few days.

ROMANS: Absolutely. All right. Thanks, John.

I want to tell you what is happening with the CVS employees who work for those stores in Baltimore. They are still getting paid after their Baltimore stores were burned down. Two locations sustained such heavy damage during the riots that they remain closed. But CVS is paying the 45 workers for the regularly scheduled hours.

No word on how long CVS will keep paying them, but the company says they could transfer all of the workers to nearby stores. Some have started working at other locations. Both closed stores were among the few options residents had for medications and groceries.

Bernie Sanders now officially running for president and getting support where you may not expect it.

Plus, how Jeb Bush is courting Latino voters. That's next.

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[04:47:14] ROMANS: He knows he can't raise nearly as much money as Hillary Clinton, but Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders says he is in the 2016 race to win it. Sanders, the leading liberal voice in Congress, announced his campaign for the Democratic nomination Thursday, saying it's time to get serious.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I believe that in a democracy what elections are about are serious debates over serious issues. Not political gossip. Not making campaigns into soap operas. This is not the Red Sox versus Yankees. This is the debate over major issues facing the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROAMNS: Right now, Sanders is Hillary Clinton's lone challenger for the Democratic nomination. She welcomed him and his message to the primary race, tweeting, "I agree with Bernie. Focus must be on helping America's middle class. The GOP would hold them back."

Jeb Bush in campaign mode, though he hasn't officially announced his candidacy for president. The former Florida governor clearly courting the Latino vote, backing legal status for undocumented immigrants. In a speech to the National Christian Hispanic Leadership Conference, Bush also expressing his admiration for Pitbull, telling reporters he'd like to take the Cuban-American rapper to a baseball game.

President Obama not going to Baltimore, but that doesn't mean the protests over Freddie Gray's death are not affecting him and his legacy. That part of the story right after the break.

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[04:52:17] ROMANS: President Obama has no plans to visit Baltimore, at least for now. We are told he is monitoring the unrest closely, but wants the police to remain focused on the protesters and not on him and the logistics of sending a president there.

We get more from CNN White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, John and Christine.

Well, we heard the president speak pretty bluntly on racial issues in America this week. But there have been calls as there have been in past incidents for the president to go to Baltimore. What the White House often says is that for him to arrive at a time like this would draw too many resources away from the local communities that need them. But the White House says he would like to go to Baltimore, possibly when things calm down.

We also talked at length with his senior adviser Valerie Jarrett on the situation, about some of the things also the White House is doing behind the scenes. And she says every day this week, she has spoken to both the governor of Maryland and the mayor the Baltimore at least once a day. Also, she says the president is briefed at least once a day on the situation. She said he is paying close attention to the news coverage there, to those pictures.

So, all of those iconic or disturbing pictures that we see and go viral, the president, she said, absolutely is also paying attention to. And we asked her about one particularly distressing piece of video. The president's personal reaction to it, the shooting of Walter Scott in North Charleston, South Carolina, earlier this month.

VALERIE JARRETT, SENIOR ADVISOR TO PRESIDENT OBAMA: It is devastating. I don't know he has ever seen someone gunned down running away. Sure, it has a deeply personal impact on everyone I think who's seen that video.

And the issue is here, what are going to do about that and how can we ensure that our police are members of society? They are living in the community. They are part of the community. We want to strengthen that bond and do everything we can to highlight the best practices.

KOSINSKI: And some analysts have questioned what will President Obama's legacy on race in America be? They feel like that has yet to be determined in many cases. We heard the president almost call out the press as well as the American public a few times this week, saying that people only tend to pay attention when there is something big and explosive going on.

But again, some of the strongest things we see the president say and do on race. The task force on 21st century policing, some of the statements he made have been in reaction to big events. But the White House insists the president has been working on this issue over the years, just in quieter ways that people don't often pay attention to. And they point out that he did make a visit to Baltimore and talk about some of these issues just two years ago.

[04:55:03] What will continue is the work on the task force to look at trust between communities and their police departments, to try to improve the way that policing goes on. And, of course, there is a Department of Justice investigation into this Baltimore incident.

Back to you, guys.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Thanks for that, Michelle Kosinski.

Fifty-five minutes past the hour. Stocks tumbled at the end of April. What should you expect? Sell in

May and go away, or sell in May, stay in play instead? We got that next.

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ROMANS: Welcome back. Happy Friday. First day of May. I'm Christine Romans.

Let's get an early start on your money this morning. U.S. stock futures are higher. It looks like a good start to May after a rough end to April. The Dow fell almost 200 points, folks, yesterday. That wipes out almost all the gains for the year. The S&P 500 and NASDAQ both fell 1 percent.

Stocks across the board were hit. Apple, Google and Starbucks, all of them down more than 2 percent. Problem: renewed fears America's economy may be slowing down.

Some top Democrats pushing a higher minimum wage on Capitol Hill. A new bill would increase the federal minimum wage to $12 by the year 2020. That would give 38 million Americans a raise. The federal minimum wage has not been raised since 2009. But many states and cities and companies have taken the issue and raised wages. Some of those companies saying they need it to retain their best workers.

Tesla says it will cut your energy bill, your electricity bill by 25 percent. The company unveiling a new wall-mounted home battery called the Powerwall.

[05:00:01] It connects to the power grid and charges overnight when electricity costs less. Customers can then turn it on during the day to power their homes. Now, the device starts at $3,000 though utility companies may offer rebates. Tesla CEO Elon Musk says that other home batteries currently on the market suck.

EARLY START continues right now.