Return to Transcripts main page

Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Search for Escaped Killers; Healing in Charleston; Explosion in Afghanistan; Supreme Court to Rule on High-Profile Cases; Greece At Make-or-Break Moment; Jordan Spieth Wins 2015 U.S. Open. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired June 22, 2015 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:00] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Pixar debut fell short of the number one spot since 1995. But it was not all bad news. It was Pixar's second biggest U.S. opening behind "Toy Story 3." I guess that "Inside Out", it's a real tearjerker -- I mean, apparently, it's a real tearjerker.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: You just got to check it out.

All right. EARLY START continues right now.

(MUSIC)

BERMAN: Breaking overnight, a flurry of activity in the search for two escaped killers. A huge police presence in one area. So, are authorities finally closer to capturing these inmates?

ROMANS: Charleston healing this morning as investigators dig deeper into what motivated a young white man to open fire on an African- American church, killing nine people. And now, the debate over the Confederate flag flying at the South Carolina statehouse. Should it be there? Is it time to go?

BERMAN: All right. Good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm John Berman.

ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. It is Monday, June 22nd. Nice to see you all. It is 5:00 a.m. in the East.

BERMAN: Breaking right now, we have our eye on an unexpected overnight activity in the hunt for the two escaped killers from maximum security prison. Possible sightings have officers chasing Richard Matt and David Sweat on opposite ends of New York state.

Just hours ago, there was a possible new sighting near Owls Head. That's about 20 miles west of the prison in Dannemora. New York state police are on the scene with command post, ATVs and also help from Vermont tactical troopers. Now, while that was happening, a search in Friendship near the border with Pennsylvania, you can see it down there in the left hand bottom part of your screen, that wrapped up.

There's also new information on the investigation into how these convicts escaped. A corrections officer at the prison is being questioned. A lawyer tells CNN that police interviewed the guard on Sunday for 14 hours.

Let's get the latest, turning to CNN's Sara Ganim in Dannemora.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA GANIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, it seems the investigation is now focused on those paintings that Richard Matt was making behind bars. We already know that prison seamstress Joyce Mitchell received one of those paintings. She's now been charged with helping those two men escape by providing them the tools they used to break out.

And now, we've learned that 57-year-old male prison guard Gene Palmer also on the honor block where those two men were housed, he received one of those paintings as well. His attorney telling CNN that that is the focus of the investigation into him, the focus of the interviews, that police searched his home. They wanted to talk to him about that painting, about his relationship with those two men and with Joyce Mitchell as well. He knew all three of them. He had daily and constant contact with them.

Because he was a guard on that block, as most guards do, to maintain a good working relationship with the inmates for safety reasons. But his attorney told me 100 percent, he denied any knowledge of the escape plan. Take a listen to what he told me.

ANDREW BROCKWAY, ATTORNEY FOR CORRECTIONS OFFICER GENE PALMER: I can 100 percent confirm that he did not know that they were plan being to break out of the prison. These two people are psycho paths. They are master manipulators. They're obviously in prison for life, so they have nothing but time to develop schemes to take advantage of innocent people.

GANIM: Now, in addition to that, his lawyer also telling CNN that Gene Palmer was actually on vacation the night that those two inmates escaped. But he lives only a few blocks from here, a few blocks from that prison. And he told his lawyer that he was scared because he did know those two inmates and that people inside the prison could not believe that something like this could happen. And he tells me that he's continuing to cooperate, that he plans to cooperate as long as investigators need him to, that he wants to be exonerated because he believes that he did nothing wrong -- John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Sara Ganim for us in Dannemora.

Also overnight, thousands of people joining hands in Charleston, South Carolina, demonstrating unity against the hate that drove a white 21- year-old to gun down nine people in after African-American church last week. Police estimate 10,000 to 15,000 people formed a unity chain across a 2 1/2-mile-long bridge between Charleston and Mt. Pleasant.

We're learning more this morning about the gunman's motive for the shooting, officials digging into this 2,000-word racist rant, really, that appears on a Web site registered to Dylann Roof.

CNN's Alina Machado is in Charleston with the very latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, even though that manifesto surfaced online over the weekend, the focus here in Charleston remains those nine lives who were lost. The manifesto is about 2,000 words long. It has very inflammatory language, not just about blacks but about other minorities. The manifesto was published on a web site that was registered to Dylann Roof.

[05:05:01] And in it, the manifesto talks about a possible turning point, citing the Trayvon Martin case as a catalyst for change with Roof and perhaps what fueled what happened and also talks about why Charleston was chosen as a target.

I want to read part of it to you. The manifesto says, ends with, "I have no choice. I am not in a position to alone in the ghetto and fight. I chose Charleston because it is the most historic city in my state and at one time, it had the highest ratio of blacks to white in the country. We have no skinheads, no real KKK, no one doing anything but talking on the Internet. Well, someone has to have the bravery to take it to the real world and I guess that has to be me."

Now, CNN has not been able to independently confirm that, in fact, Dylann Roof was the author of that manifesto, but it again was published on a Web site that was registered to him. We do know the FBI is carefully looking at that document -- John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: All right. Thanks to Alina Machado.

The focus in Charleston this morning is on the nine people killed in these horrific attacks, as it should be. The community came together at Emanuel AME to remember and also to look forward.

Our Martin Savidge has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, the church was filled to capacity and beyond. There were many people who felt that they had to be there. The couple I was sitting next to said they were simply walking by and then were felt compelled to walk into the church. On the other side of them was a woman whose family has been attending this church for over 100 years. A very mixed kind of congregation.

Initially, people were nervous. Security was tight. Uniformed police officers were patrolling in the outer aisles. And I think there were some nerves. But then the grand organ played, choir began to sing, and it just felt right.

Much of this service was very normal, normal in the sense of similar kind of hymns you would have, the kind of prayers you would have. And it was deliberately meant to be that way, to deliver back that sense of community and church after so much tragedy.

But you couldn't help but notice and certainly for the congregation, there were nine faces not there, including their own reverend. And so, at times you saw this congregation up on its feet dancing in the pews celebrating the life. And at other times, you could see people absolutely collapsed under the weight of grief.

And when that happened, other members of the congregation would come over and gently sit next to them, or put an arm around them, or in some cases actually love them and hold them close. It was very, very powerful, but I think also, too, people were wondering if they were going to talk about other issues that have been raised by this tragedy.

In the sermon, the reverend said this was not the time.

REV. NORVEL GOFF SR., LED EMANUEL AME CHURCH SERVICE: There is a time and place for everything.

AUDIENCE: Amen.

GOFF: And now, it's a time for us to focus on the nine families.

(APPLAUSE)

Oh, I know I'm right, because at this time we need to be in solidarity and praying for families and our communities around this state, and particularly in Charleston.

SAVIDGE: After the service was over, I asked a woman if it had helped her, and she said it did. But as a long-time member of the congregation, she said the pain runs so very, very deep -- John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Thank you, Martin, for that.

You know, the minister there said it's not the time for politics, but in the wake of the massacre, there are calls to remove the Confederate flag flying on the ground of the South Carolina statehouse.

Charleston Mayor Joseph Riley explained the controversy to Jake Tapper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSEPH P. RILEY, JR., MAYOR OF CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA: It sends, at best, mixed messages and at worst, for people -- hateful people like Roof, it's an affirmation because they have appropriated something and used it as a symbol of hatred. So, I think that needs to go into a museum, and I think it will.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ROMANS: Into a museum.

Republican Mitt Romney joining that call, tweeting, the Confederate flag should be taken down, saying, quote, "To many, it is a symbol of racial hatred. Remove it now to honor Charleston victims." President Obama tweeted in response, "Good point, Mitt."

BERMAN: Fire crews rushed to a plane at New Jersey's Newark airport overnight after the engine began throwing off sparks. Authorities say the Express Jet flight for United Airlines preparing to take off for Savannah, Georgia, when the pilot noticed sparks coming from one of the engines.

Express Jet says the 41 passengers were placed on a replacement plane. No one was injured thankfully. Not clear what prompted the engine trouble.

ROMANS: All right. Later this morning, the Supreme Court will announce opinions on some of its high profile cases it's considering. Although it's unknown which of the 11 pending rulings the Supreme Court will announce. One of the most important and anticipated -- a decision on federal subsidies provided through Obamacare.

[05:10:03] The question before justices, which states are eligible for federal tax credits that help offset insurance costs for low and middle income Americans, is it all 50 or just -- excuse me -- those with those own exchanges?

BERMAN: Yes. If the Supreme Court rules against Obamacare, 6..4 million people, it's estimated, could actually lose those subsidies and fall off those insurance roles.

The other major decision involves gay marriage. Do gay couples have a constitutional right to marry? It will radically alter the entire marriage system in the United States here forcing the states that do not recognize gay marriage to do so immediately.

As a side issue, they're going to look at states that do not recognize gay marriage, whether they have to honor same-sex marriages that happen in other states. Those decisions happen at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Again, not clear if these two major rulings will happen today or next week, but it could be as soon as today.

ROMANS: All right. Time for an early start on your money. It's a make or break moment in Greece's debt crisis. It looks like investors are -- they're betting on a deal, a last minute deal.

European stocks are higher. Look at the rest of the world is following suit.

Eurozone leaders and finance ministers are meeting today to discuss these new proposals from Greece's prime minister. He was elected in January on a promise to end austerity, but Greece's creditors have held firm. They're refusing to hand over more fund without reform.

So, deadlocked -- they have been deadlocked for months. If no deal is reached today, deposit withdrawals from Greek banks could speed up. Already, people have been taking their money out of the banks like crazy. Greece is only days away from default and a possible exit from the eurozone. It's a really, really -- I know people have Greek fatigue, I know it, but this san important moment here.

BERMAN: No drama here like the Greek drama.

All right. We're following breaking news out of Afghanistan, an explosion outside the parliament building there. We have details and a live report. This was a dramatic attack. That's just in.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:15:01] ROMANS: Breaking this morning: an explosion and gunfire outside Afghanistan's parliament building in Kabul. I want to get straight to CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson for the very latest.

Looks -- it looks serious, Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It does. And this was an attack, it appears, to be designed to upset the vote on a new defense minister inside Afghanistan.

So, the Taliban who have claimed responsibility for this taking an opportunity to strike at a time when everyone is watching what is happening and Afghanistan's government, taking the opportunity to try to send a message. You might be voting for a new defense minister, but we're still on the attack. We can strike in the capital.

What happened, they drove a car-laden with a suicide bomb to try to break through the outer security to get into the parliament building. Of course, it's heavily fortified. There were six gunmen attackers on foot. They weren't able to get into the main parliament building. The parliamentarians were evacuated.

The gunmen meanwhile got into another building nearby where they set off explosives. There were rocket propelled grenades, AK-47 gunfire. Thirty-one civilians, we are told -- none of the parliamentarians, none of the lawmakers, 31 civilians injured in that attack.

Now, of course, the Taliban have attacked recently several times in Kabul at softer targets, like guest houses. They have been more successful, if you will, there in sort of terms of killing or injuring people. But in the Afghan parliament building, it's the Afghan security forces that held off this attack. And we're told that all of those attackers and suicide bomber are all dead at this time, Christine.

ROMANS: All right. Nic Robertson, a serious situation there at the parliament building in Kabul -- thanks, Nic.

BERMAN: All right. Defense Secretary Ash Carter is in Germany this morning. He will attend his first NATO meeting as defense secretary. He will speak at the forum. It's in Berlin. He will call for a united NATO. The secretary will lay out America's strong but balanced approach to deterring Russia's aggression, we were told by officials there. He will also stress the need to maintain Moscow's role in helping allies fight terrorism and to hammer out a nuclear deal with Iran.

ROMANS: All right. A heat wave steaming up the Southeast and baking the Southwest today.

Let's bring in meteorologist Pedram Javaheri for an early look at your weather.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey, good morning, John and Christine.

The extreme heat is the real story across really much of the eastern side of country. Look at the heat indices when you factor in the humidity, up to around 100 from Birmingham out towards Atlanta, 102 in Jacksonville, what it will feel like. Charlotte down into Charleston, South Carolina, 106 when you factor in the extreme humidity in the forecast.

And the temperatures, the good news for the northeast is it's going to continue to cool off towards the latter portion of the week. Look at this massive drop of temperature for the eastern corner and really the northeastern corner of the country.

The New York, an uphill climb for a couple of days, from 88 to 93, and then the cooling trend returns the fact for your first full day of summer, 88 degrees above average. By the latter portion of the week, we go below average. And here's the perspective: some severe weather around the Great Lakes today. About 40 million people in line for this.

And the largest threat area, I think, will be from Milwaukee down towards Chicago, the most populated area of impact. And take a look, the model take you out and posit for you around noon. Thunderstorms really begin to blossom as the front cruises through. Heavy rainfall out towards Chicago possible by lunchtime before things move off to the east towards Detroit and Cleveland.

Back to you.

ROMANS: They don't care if it rains in Chicago. They won the Stanley Cup.

BERMAN: That's right. Six months' grace period, do whatever it wants.

ROMANS: Yes.

BERMAN: All right. Speaking of a man who can do whatever he wants, it seems, Jordan Spieth, this man just won his second major in a row and he is barely old enough to drink.

He may not be done yet. It's not the win people are talking about, but another man's loss. Andy Scholes with all the details with the bleacher report, next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:22:18] BERMAN: All right. Jordan Spieth is better at golf than you are. He's better at golf than everyone in and he's just 21. He won the U.S. Open last night, the last two majors now he has pocketed in a row.

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

Hey, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, guys.

Jordan Spieth, he's the youngest golfer ever to win the Masters and the U.S. Open in the same year. He's now halfway to winning golf's grand slam.

But he didn't run away with it yesterday. We had some high drama at the end. Here is Spieth on 16. He's going to knock down the birdie. This will move him to 6 under par.

Now, he would double bogey 17, opening up the door for Dustin Johnson. And Johnson, he had this eagle putt to win the U.S. Open on 18. He would miss it, but all he had to do was tap in a three footer to send this to a playoff, which would have been today. But he misses that, too.

Spieth celebrates with his family as he wins his first ever U.S. Open.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JORDAN SPIETH, 2015 U.S. OPEN CHAMPION: It's beyond what I dream, what I've ever dreamt of. I mean, this is -- what an incredible week, handling kind of the nerves and just the grind that is the U.S. Open and to come out on top and just a weird day and a weird finish, but an exciting one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: The U.S. national team will be back on the pitch tonight as they take on Colombia in the knockout round of the women's World Cup.

The U.S. is heavy favorite in this game, but Colombia has a puncher's chance, and I mean that literally. Their star player, Lady Andrade, once punched Abby Wambach in the face during the 2012 Olympics. And she is guaranteeing victory tonight because she says the U.S. is overlooking Colombia. The U.S. players declining to get into the war of words saying, they will let their play speak for itself. Kickoff tonight is at 8:00 Eastern.

All right. Some awesome video from the Angels/A's game yesterday. Lots of dads and kids at the ballpark on Father's Day.

But it's a mom who steals the show. Check her out right here. She makes an amazing one-handed snag on the foul ball all while holding the kid. Once the kid gets the ball, he tries to throw it away, but mom once again making the great save.

BERMAN: Nice.

SCHOLES: Awesome catch right there from her.

And, guys, back to Spieth. I have to say, I used to work in Dallas. I coughed him and he was a teenager. Once at the bar in Nelson, all of us media types sitting around talking, this kid is going to win Majors in one day. But none of us thought he would win two by the time he was 21 years old.

ROMANS: He was sitting around same the same thing about you, you know that guy Andy Scholes --

BERMAN: He'll never be doing the bleacher report.

ROMANS: He'll be on CNN one day.

[05:25:00] SCHOLES: I don't think that happened but --

(LAUGHTER)

ROMANS: As to that woman who caught the ball, you know, on Father's Day, it's always important to remember, it takes a mom to make a dad.

SCHOLES: That's right.

BERMAN: So they say. So they say.

ROMANS: All right. Thanks, Andy.

SCHOLES: All right.

Charleston this morning coming together in the aftermath of that horrific massacre. Thousands -- look at that -- thousands lining a bridge, trying to rise above the hate that motivated a young man to kill nine people. We have the very latest on the investigation and the healing, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Breaking overnight, the manhunt for two killers shifts again, this time west of the prison they escaped from. Could this finally be the real deal?

BERMAN: The city of Charleston, taking steps to heal. The church where nine people were killed opened its doors for services. That as police looking at the writings connected to the young, accused shooter discovering a history of hate.

ROMANS: Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.

BERMAN: I'm John Berman. Good to see you this morning. Twenty-nine minutes past the hour right now.

ROMANS: Breaking right now: unexpected activity in the hunt for two killers who escaped from a maximum security prison in upstate New York. Officers are now hunting for Richard Matt and David Sweat after a possible sighting of the two just hours near Owls Head. That's about 20 miles west of the very prison they escaped from in the town of Dannemora.

Now, this is the latest in a series of possible sightings over the past couple of days. Last night, New York state police wrapped up their search for Matt and Sweat near the Pennsylvania border after a possible sighting the two near a rail yard.

BERMAN: Yes, they moved a whole bunch of resources, though, to Owls Head overnight. Perhaps, that is something real.

While that's going on, new details into the investigation into the escape itself. Corrections officer Gene Palmer was questioned Sunday by authorities for 14 hours, 14 hours.