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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Missing U.S. Helicopter Found in Nepal; Deadly Amtrak Derailment: Train Sped Up Before Curve; Blues Icon B.B. King Dies; Roger Goodell to Hear Brady Suspension Appeal. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired May 15, 2015 - 05:00   ET

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


[05:00:00] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans. It is Friday, May 15th. It is 4:00 in the East -- 5:00 a.m. in the East. John Berman has the morning off.

I want to start with breaking news this morning. A U.S. marine helicopter that went missing this week has been found, sadly crashed in the mountains of Nepal. A top ranking officer with the Nepali army telling CNN the chopper has been located on the steep slope of a mountain east of Kathmandu. There are at least three bodies located in the wreckage. Six U.S. marines were on the helicopter helping with the earthquake efforts when the radio contact was lost, contact with the chopper was lost.

I want to bring in CNN's Will Ripley live in Kathmandu.

You've been talking to officials there. The crash location is east of where you are. Tell us what you've learned.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, just now the U.S. military is confirming with the Nepali army has been saying for the past several hours that indeed this is the wreckage of that marine helicopter that has been missing since Tuesday, the day that Nepal was rocked by a massive 7.3 earthquake.

This helicopter was in the middle of a relief mission to an area about 80 miles east of where I'm standing right now, where they had dropped off a load of supplies and headed to pick up some patients that needed to be taken here to this command post where I am. They would then get first aid and go to the hospital.

But they never made it to the second location. We know the helicopter went down 21 miles east of here in a very remote mountainous area, the elevation about 11,200 feet, a very steep mountain side. Three burned bodies so far have been recovered. They have not been identified. There's still no word on the condition of the other five. Six U.S. Marines on board, two Nepalese soldiers.

The condition of the helicopter described as wreckage indicates this was a crash. Not a hard landing. There was a fire. Not good news for the families of these people, Christine.

ROMANS: No, not good news at all. I know there had been hope in the early going after it lost contact, some hope that potentially there was some sort of fuel problem, and engine problem. Maybe it landed safely and because of the height in the Himalayans, the communications issues in the Himalayas, they couldn't find where it was or talk to their helicopter. Now, sadly, we are learning it crashed on the mountain side.

Give us a sense where these marines are from and give us a sense of how dangerous and difficult it is to fly a helicopter on those -- around those mountain sides. You have been up in the helicopter in the past 24 hours.

RIPLEY: We flew over the exact area where the region where they located the helicopter and the region where the helicopter was conducting what we know as the last humanitarian mission. And the crew is based in Camp Pendleton, California. We know that the pilot, according to the social media post from his father from Wichita.

And these were people who joined this international task force who have been conducting relief. They've been dropping off badly needed supplies. They've been picking up casualties.

Behind me, you can see behind me bringing back what appears to be one of the survivors of the earthquake. So, still -- they are still bringing back people. We see this every hour on the hour. This is an older woman laying on a stretcher. Her hands locked in prayer.

Christine, flying over the areas where they took people like that woman, I can tell you the devastation is overwhelming and it's heartbreaking. Homes, entire villages are gone. People were standing on top of the crumbled homes waving, hoping that we might be able to either pick them up or provide relief.

And that's what these marines were doing. That's what these heroes were doing. They were trying to help people. They have been added to the victims of this tragedy here in Nepal.

We just got a new death toll. More than 8,400 people have died in the strong earthquakes. And we can add three others on the helicopter to that list now, Christine.

ROMANS: Three others at least. Will, thank you for that.

Again, important to remember one of the major roles of the U.S. military is disaster relief. Something we do routinely. There's military training budgets so that people can be out there trying to help around the world when needed. So sad when helping leads to the fatalities like that.

All right. Thank you, Will. Thanks for that. We'll check in with you again about a half an hour.

All right. New information this morning on the crash of Amtrak 188. The engineer driving that train has agreed to be interviewed by the National Transportation Safety Board. Thirty-two-year-old Brandon Bostian was at the controls when the Washington-New York train derailed in Philadelphia, killing eight people, injuring more than 200. NTSB officials hope Bostian can answer some of the remaining questions.

Among them, why the train accelerated from 70 miles an hour to over 100 miles an hour in the moments before the crash heading into the curve.

[05:05:08] We are also learning this morning that Amtrak was just months away from installing a safety system that would have prevented the deadly accident.

CNN's Brian Todd is in Philadelphia for this morning with the very latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine.

We have some new details on the investigation of the train derailment this morning from the NTSB. They say that the engineer of the train, Brandon Bostian, has agreed to be interviewed by NTSB officials.

They say that interview will occur sometime in the next few days.

Also, some new data from the train that officials are giving us. They have analyzed the forward facing camera, which was apparently in the locomotive of the train which captured some images of the train up until a few moments before the derailment. That camera also captured a display of the train's speed and what NTSB officials have told us that it shows a gradual build up of speed until just before the end of the recording. And that end of the recording, of course, came just a couple of seconds before the train derailed. It also showed 16 seconds before the end of the recording, the train's speed exceeded 100 miles an hour.

Also, they've done some checks to the signals and controls and track from before this accident. They checked the mechanical records up until the departure of the trip. And NTSB officials say they found no anomalies on those records. They also did a track inspection. They say a geometry vehicle drove over the section of the track before the trip -- the day before this trip and found no anomalies. They also checked some of the signals around the junction of the track. Not all of them, they have checked some of the signals, and so far, they found no anomalies.

We also have some information from my colleague, Rene Marsh, this comes from an Amtrak spokesman, who told her that that system called the positive train control, which defaults and basically kicks in with an automatic system which slows down or stops the train when it's going too fast, that system was in place in the southbound side of the section of the track, but not on the northbound side, which is where the accident occurred.

The reason that positive train control is in place on the southbound side, the spokesperson tells Rene Marsh is because the trains is going from New York south travel at a much greater rate of speed, especially in that section of the track. But it's been a big controversy that that system has not been in place in the northbound section. NTSB officials say if it had been, then this accident would not have occurred -- Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Brian Todd, great context, thanks for that. You know, friends and colleagues of the engineer Brandon Bostian are defending him. Xavier Bishop worked with Bostian as a flagman for sometime. He doesn't work for Amtrak anymore. Bishop describes Bostian, though, during that time as extremely conscientious.

He tells CNN's Drew Griffin he never saw Bostian take a drink, use his cell phone or drive a train when he wasn't completely ready. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Good engineer?

XAVIER BISHOP, FORMER CO-WORKER: Great engineer. I mean, he was on point. If there was something he did not know, he knew who to call to get the information. He did not come off as I know it all, and he knew everything. He knew what he needed to know, and if he wasn't sure about, he wasn't 100 percent, he was going to call and make sure that he got the proper information. Because he wasn't going to do anything and, OK, I'm just going to assume something would happen. He was always thorough.

GRIFFIN: You mentioned we all know the speeds. We all know the track. We all know the route. You know that that curve is coming up. You know that you're leaving Philly and you have to go slow for a little while.

What I can't understand then is, how can this guy who you travelled with on these tracks many, many times have gone into this situation so hot?

BISHOP: Again, I mean, that's the million dollar question. To be honest with you, I'm going based on the person that I know. You know, I'm not going to say we can't make mistakes and we don't make mistakes. We're human. We all make mistakes. But, you know, for something like this, I don't know. It just -- there are just not enough pieces of the puzzle for me, like something just doesn't seem right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Something just doesn't seem right.

ROMANS: Amtrak already facing the first in what is likely to be a series of lawsuits. Amtrak dispatcher Bruce Philips was riding on that as a passenger. His attorneys say Philips was violently hurled inside the compartment before being slammed on the floor. Philips was hospitalized with a concussion, brain trauma, and spinal injuries.

His attorney accusing Amtrak of gross negligence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT MYERS, ATTORNEY FOR BRUCE PHILIPS: Anytime a train is operating twice the speed of the restricted speed in that area, this just is not negligence, this is way beyond what any -- any train can be doing at anytime. This is -- this is horrendous, especially you have to remember, the train is going into a curve. So, you're speeding up going into a curve instead of slowing down going into a curve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The Death toll from Tuesday's crash climbing to eight now, as crews pull the body of a man previously identified as missing from the wreckage of the lead car.

[05:10:05] Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter saying that discovery means all 243 people known to be aboard have now been accounted for. Most of the more than 200 crash victims taken to area hospitals have now been released.

A political battle over infrastructure spending. Yesterday, President Obama said the U.S. needs to invest more and not just when a bridge collapses or train derails.

But House Majority Leader John Boehner tore into a reporter who asked about Amtrak funding to the crash.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Are you really going to ask such a stupid question? Listen, you know, they started this yesterday. It's all about funding. It's all about funding. Well, obviously it's not about funding. The train was going twice the speed limit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: On Wednesday, the House Appropriations Committee voted to reduce grants to Amtrak by 15 percent.

Sad news breaking overnight from Las Vegas -- the thrill is gone. Legendary blues artist B.B. King who inspired a generation of musicians has died.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

ROMANS: One of the world's greatest guitar players and amazing vocalist. B.B. King won 15 Grammy awards, including one for lifetime achievement. He was inducted into both the rock 'n' roll and Blues Foundation halls of fame. His attorney says King died in his sleep at his home in Las Vegas. B.B. King was 89.

Up until recently, performing up to 100 shows a year. Unbelievable talent. Unbelievable influence he has on this country.

A new message from the leader of ISIS. A new message calling for new attacks. Details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ROMANS: ISIS trying to show the world its leader is very much alive and very much in charge, releasing a new 34-minute audio recording of Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. The voice does sound like al Baghdadi. CNN's Arabic speakers say the voice does indeed sound like al Baghdadi.

What you see there is rare video of him in Mosul. You don't see him very much. He is secretive, really elusive. The voice on this audio tape calls on all Muslims to join ISIS or carry out attacks on behalf of the terror group.

I want to go to Beirut and bring in CNN senior international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh.

There had been so much talk that perhaps he was injured. He was surrounded by a team of Iraqi doctors who are tending to his injuries sustained a drone strike. It looks like an attempt from ISIS to say, no, he's still in charge.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: To some degree and we actually saw a similar audio recording emerged after a previous reports that he had been injured or killed some time ago. It was an audio recording that they used to try and dispel that.

That previous audio recording not this one, had a specific date reference. It referred to extra U.S. advisers, troops being sent to Iraq, a recent White House announcement. A date made within the last week or so.

There was less in this recording to specify when probably it was made. There is a reference to Decisive Storm, the Saudi-led coalition striking the Houthis in Yemen right now and others dated to the past one to two months or so. No specific thing which makes you totally confident when it had been made.

Yes, I mean, there's been a lot of reporting to suggest he may have been injured, but frankly, most officials he had spoken to had no smoking gun to point to that. And the U.S. is clear he has not been injured in an air strike which they carried out that hit him. You think they would shout from the rooftops had that been the case.

This message is very rhetorical. It does I think to some degree sound a little more plaintive in the past. He is trying to extol recruits to get them to come to the battlefield, to fight where they are or where ISIS may be right now on their home territory for example. It is not frank in the tone which it strikes. Call for a march forward whether light or heavy.

There is much to look into the way in which he's choosing to deliver this message, not being a visual, being audio instead, and I think the interesting thing, Christine, when you noted is that there is no definitive proof of when particularly it was made. It doesn't do the job of dispelling the fact necessarily he is completely the functional head of ISIS at a time when that is becoming the abiding narrative about how that particular extremist group doing now. So, an interesting pretty much but it doesn't contain rather than what it does contain, Christine. ROMANS: Is he the functional head of ISIS? Is he calling sort of the

military shots for ISIS or is this a rhetorical 34 minutes? Is he sort of the spiritual leader and he's got deputies who are -- I guess his potential successors?

WALSH: Well, I mean, we know that ISIS is a pretty well-structured organization. Obviously, it is not a corporate structure of people who obey orders given by real time. So, of course, a lot of it is disenfranchised. Unless he has been injured or taken out, to some of the reporting suggested, but we don't necessarily believe is the case, he is still giving the predominant shots in terms of strategy. And elsewhere, there'd been suggestion that his number two may have been anointed as some sort of operational head.

The Iraqis claim they had in fact killed him. That's being not confirmed. There is a lot of misinformation and confusion of who runs the top of ISIS. That is why the audio message is interesting. It hasn't quelled that speculation. So, they have not quite down as effectively as you think they might have wanted to, Christine.

ROMANS: Interesting.

All right. Nick Paton Walsh, thank you for that this morning.

Jurors deciding the fate of convicted Boston marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev about to begin a second full day of deliberations. On Thursday, the panel relayed a question for the judge, a question concerning how to apply the legal concept of aiding and abetting. Tsarnaev faces either life in prison or the death penalty.

Jeb Bush says he would not have invaded Iraq if it were up to him and if he knew then what we know now, with the benefit of hindsight. Bush has recently been under muddled answers to the question of whether with the benefit of hindsight, the Iraq war launched by his brother was a mistake.

At an Arizona town hall event, Bush said he would not have done it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEB BUSH (R), FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR: If we're all supposed to answer hypothetical questions, knowing what we know now, what would you have done, I would have not engaged. I would not have gone into Iraq.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Bush says he does believe the world is still safer because Saddam Hussein was removed from power in Iraq.

[05:20:00] Hillary Clinton telling supporters they can expect to see a more authentic version of herself during the 2016 campaign, meeting Thursday in New York with a group of so-called Hill Starters, donors who've raised at least $27,000 for her. Clinton said she learned from her failed run for presidency in 2008. She plans to find ways to show more of her personal side. Tom Brady is appealing his four-game deflategate suspension. Wait

until you hear who will be hearing that case for the NFL. Andy Scholes has the details in the bleacher report. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: In an unexpected move, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell himself is going to hear Tom Brady's appeal of the four-game suspension.

Andy Scholes has more in this morning's bleacher report.

Tom Brady, Roger Goodell, across the table, wow.

ANDY SCHOLES, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, good morning, Christine.

This is a big surprise. Most people did not think Roger Goodell was going to preside over the hearing, especially after what the players association said in the official notice of appeal. The union said in the release, "Given the NFL's history of inconsistency and arbitrary decisions in disciplinary matters, it's only fair a neutral arbitrator hear this appeal."

Well, that's not going to happen. The decision of whether or not Brady's four-game suspension stands will come solely from Goodell. According to the collective bargaining agreement, the appeal will be held in the next 10 days. There could be a delay if both parties neutrality agree for more time to prepare.

Now, all of this comes after the Patriots created their own Web site as rebuttal to the Wells report.

[05:25:01] You can find it at Wellsreportcontext.com. It is nearly 20,000 words and was written by the Patriots attorney. The first line reads, "The conclusion of the Wells report are at best incomplete and incorrect and lack context." It also says, inconsistencies and logic and evidence are ignored.

In the NBA playoff last night, Cavs looking to close out the Bulls. Things not looking good for Cleveland early. Kyrie Irving twisted his knee in the second quarter. He would have to leave the game. But his back up, Matthew Dellavedova more than picked up the slack. He led the team with 19 points as the Cavs won easily, 94-73. LeBron is heading back the Eastern Conference Finals for a fifth straight season.

All right. The Clippers were looking to close out the Rockets in advance for their first ever Western Conference Finals. Things were looking great for L.A. as they were up 19 late in the third quarter. Then the rockets came through with one of the most improbable and inspirational comebacks in NBA history with James Harden sitting on the bench, not feeling well. Rockets outscore 40-15 in the fourth quarter.

Corey Brewer and Josh Smith leading the way for Houston as the Rockets shock the Clippers and the world, winning this game, 119-107. They forced a game seven in Houston on Sunday. And, Christine, as a former Houston Rockets ball boy and super fan, I have seen thousands of games. I have to say that one was the most satisfying Rockets game I've ever seen in my life.

ROMANS: Wow, I didn't know you were a former ball boy. That's great. I learn something new about you every day.

Andy Scholes, thanks, Andy. Have a great weekend.

SCHOLES: You too.

ROMANS: All right. Twenty-seven minutes past the hour.

Breaking news this morning, a U.S. military helicopter missing after the earthquake in Nepal has been found, crashed on a mountain side. We are live, next.

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