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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

New York Prison Guard Out on Bail; More Charges for Church Shooter; President Obama Snags Major Trade Win; Stocks Fall on Greece Concerns; Tsarnaev Apologizes at Sentencing; 2015 NBA Draft Starts Tonight. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired June 25, 2015 - 05:00   ET

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

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, a new arrest in the prison break of two escaped killers, a second prison worker now in trouble for his alleged role in this crime. We have new details ahead.

[05:00:00] New charges could be soon coming for the Charleston church shooter, as the first of his victims is laid to rest today.

The Boston marathon bomber says he is sorry. New reaction on the killer's apology, that's ahead.

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm John Berman. It is Thursday, June 25th. It is 5:00 a.m. in the East. Christine Romans is off this morning.

And we do have breaking news this morning. A New York state prison guard has bailed out of jail after his arrest, that in connection with two convicted killers three weeks ago. The 57-year-old is expected to plead not guilty at a hearing today.

Investigators tell CNN that palmer gave the inmates tools to fix circuit breakers in the cat walk behind their cells. Now, Palmer told detectives said he supervised the work and reclaimed the tools after, but this is the same catwalk that Richard Matt and David Sweat used in their escape.

For the latest, let's turn to national correspondent Jason Carroll in Plattsburgh, New York.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John, that prison guard was arraigned Wednesday night. He's now in custody, facing several serious charges, including promoting dangerous contraband, destroying evidence, and official misconduct. I'm told that these are low-level felonies and at one point, he could have faced an even more serious charge of aiding and abetting.

But because he was cooperating with investigators, I'm told the district attorney chose not to pursue that particular charge. But still, serious charges nonetheless for his alleged involvement in all this. His attorney tells me that his client did admit to passing on that frozen chunk of hamburger meat to Richard Matt inside, that frozen chunk of meat there were those hacksaw blades but there by Joyce Mitchell. Joyce Mitchell, also the prison employee who convinced Gene Palmer to pass on that chunk of frozen meat.

Once again, he was arraigned on those charges Wednesday night. His attorney tells me he will be entering pleas of not guilty.

ANDREW BROCKWAY, GENE PALMER'S ATTORNEY: I believe that he was conned by Joyce Mitchell. She duped him. And looking back on that, he can't believe that someone would take advantage of him. He knows he made a mistake and that he shouldn't have done what he did but I think at the end of the day, he's a man of integrity. He has taken a polygraph test. He passed the polygraph test.

The district attorney has stated that he does not believe that Mr. Palmer aided and abetted the escape of Mr. Sweat and Mr. Matt. And that's what the story should be here.

CARROLL: And Palmer's attorney also wanted to make is he clear that his client says he did not know what was inside that slab of meat and had no knowledge at all about any escape plan -- John.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: All right. Our thanks to Jason for that.

New information in the Charleston shooting case this morning. Overnight, law enforcement sources told CNN that the Justice Department is likely to pursue hate crime charges against the gunman in addition to nine state murder charges.

Also last night, bible study began once again at Emanuel AME one week after the killings. The interim pastor discussed Jesus saying, that, quote, "because he lives, we can face tomorrow."

Today funerals begin for the victims. In response o to threatening protests, the city council passed an ordinance barring demonstrations of 300 feet within funeral services.

On Friday, Emanuel's pastor, Clementa Pinckney, he will be laid to rest. President Obama will deliver the eulogy. Reverend Pinckney's casket was placed for public viewing at the state capitol in Columbia, that as the Confederate battle flag still flies nearby.

The debate over removal of the flag heated up when a lawmaker defended it and seemed to blame, in a way, the victims of the massacre.

CNN's Ryan Young has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, a lot of people here in Columbia will remember this day. As the caisson passed through the streets, you could hear the wheels slowly turning through the streets. But here outside the capitol, you could so many people lining up in 100 degree temperatures, all alongside that flag that still remains here. There's still a fight but most people here want to honor a leader. STATE REP. WILLIAM CHUMLEY (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: These people sit in

there, waited their turn to be shot. That's sad. Somebody in there with the means of self-defense could have stopped this and we'd have had less funerals than we're having.

YOUNG: And a local paper caught up with Representative William Chumley to ask him about his comments that he made to CNN. He released a statement, "Please let me be clear, the responsibility for the despicable murder in Charleston rests solely on the murderer. If any of my remarks suggest differently, I am deeply sorry."

As we saw people standing here together, one of the things they wanted to talk about the unity they experienced since this horrific tragedy -- John.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Our thanks to Ryan for that.

South Carolina is one of many Southern states now caught up in the debit over the confederate flag.

[05:05:02] In Alabama, Governor Robert Bentley ordered four battle flags taken down in a Confederate memorial at the state capitol.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ROBERT BENTLEY (R), ALABAMA: If there are flags that are actually flying over the grounds, if I have the authority to remove them, then I'm going to. And I looked into it. We researched it. We looked at the laws. There was nothing that said that it should be flown. There was no reason that I could not remove it, so that's exactly what I did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: In Virginia, the governor has said he will strike the Confederate symbol from license plates. But a former U.S. senator there has raised some eyebrows seeming to defend the flag. Possible Democratic presidential candidate Jim Webb wrote on Facebook that the issue is complicated.

In Mississippi there's a discussion to completely change the state flag which does include the Confederate emblem.

CNN's Ed Lavandera is in Oxford, Mississippi with the latest -- Ed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, here in the town square of Oxford, Mississippi, the state flag is still flying with the Confederate symbol. But across the state, there is a growing push to have the state flag changed. The two U.S. senators from Mississippi are calling for the flag to be changed, as is the Republican speaker of the House and other state lawmakers to say this is to become a symbol of hatred and the flag should be changed. But Mississippi's governor, a Republican, is also saying he does not

think the legislature will act and that voters had a chance to make a change back in 2001, but by a 2-1 margin voted to keep the flag as is.

But it's interesting as you look around here, John, in the town square of Oxford, a number of businesses have put up old flags that once used to represent the state of Mississippi. Several people that we've spoken with say this is their way of saying this could be a change that could benefit the state in the long run and something that would take away the symbol of hatred that is on the state flag today -- John.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: All right. Ed Lavandera, thanks so much.

Breaking overnight, five former advisers to President Obama on Iran say they are concerned that the pending nuclear deal may fall short of the administration's own standards for a good agreement. The advisers, among them, former CIA Director David Petraeus, read an open letter that expresses concerns about the concessions the White House may make on the way to a deal. A senior administration official tells "The New York Times" that the concerns in the letter, quote, "In large part track with the American negotiating position."

President Obama is telling the French President Francois Hollande that the United States will abide by commitments not to eavesdrop on French leaders, anymore that is. This comes after reports that the U.S. spied on Hollande and two of his predecessors. Secretary of State John Kerry denies any ongoing or current surveillance, and he says it will not happen again. They speak of the past, though.

Unusual drama on Capitol Hill as a House committee grilled the director of the Office of Personnel Management over the worst ever breach of U.S. government data. Katherine Archuleta will face new questions today from a Senate committee. Archuleta disputes CNN's reporting that 18 million current and former and prospective government workers may have been affected. She says those numbers are preliminary, unverified and approximate and she stands by the original estimate of 4.2 million people affected, which in an awful lot.

New this morning, we are learning how many Americans are currently being held hostage overseas. An adviser to the president says about 30 are being held captive, most by drug cartels, but many by terror organizations. The White House is launching a new policy that protects families of hostages from prosecution if they independently decide to pay ransom to terrorists. The U.S. government has an official policy to never pay ransom, a policy that one former hostage tells CNN isn't working.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Many of the families told us that they, at times, felt like an afterthought or a distraction. That too often, the law enforcement or military and intelligence officials they were interacting with were begrudging and giving them information. And that ends today. I'm making it clear that these families are to be treated like what they are, our trusted partners and active partners in the recovery of their loved ones.

DAVID ROHDE, FORMER TALIBAN HOSTAGE: I don't know of any studies that show that American and British citizens, because their governments don't pay, are somehow being kidnapped less because of those government policies. When I was in captivity, my Taliban captors, they simply thought the U.S. government secretly did pay ransoms. That's false but they really believed it.

So, captors aren't hearing the message or believing it. And you know, even if they think, you know, they're not going to get money for an American or British captive, they still can use them for publicity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The families of several hostages killed in the last year called the changes a step in the right direction.

Pretty big victory for President Obama after the Senate approves fast track trade authority.

[05:10:01] The vote sets up a chance at a legacy-making deal for the president, joining the markets of a dozen Pacific nations accounting for 40 percent of a global economy. Now, if there is a deal among the nations, Congress would have to approve it. That would happen by the end of the year, and there is no guarantee that it would pass. They will not have a chance to amend, though.

The IRS is under renewed scrutiny this morning. The House Oversight Committee will hear testimony from officials investigating former IRS Director Lois Lerner and her e-mails, up to 24,000 of those emails missing because agency employees erased the backup tapes. Congress requested Lerner's e-mails following allegations that the IRS targeted Tea Party groups applying for nonprofit status. Agency officials told lawmakers last June that an unknown number of e-mails had been lost when Lerner's computer crashed in 2011.

BERMAN: Ten minutes after the hour, time for EARLY START on your money.

Alison Kosik here with that.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN MONEY CORRESPONDENT: And good morning to you.

We are watching stocks, European and Asian stocks are lower at the moment. U.S. futures are up a bit after a rough one yesterday. We saw stocks stumbled after Greece talks ended abruptly. The Dow fell 178 appointments. The NASDAQ also fell 1 percent.

And for Greece, the stakes couldn't be higher as Greece's deadline to reach a debt deal with international creditors. That's coming up really soon, next Tuesday. If no deal is reached, it won't be able to pay back the International Monetary Fund, the $1.8 billion that it owes. And it would make a Greek exit from the European Union more likely. They are going to be resuming those talks later today. One analyst e-

mailing me saying he thinks the deal is hanging by a thread.

BERMAN: Yes. I mean, this is a tense few days and crucial. So, by next Tuesday, we'll know for sure.

KOSIK: Don't ask me.

BERMAN: All right. Hang on here for one day.

KOSIK: Yes, exactly.

BERMAN: Not in my house. President Obama had an unusual confrontation with a heckler at the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: No, no, no, no, no. No, no, no, no. No, no, no. Hey! Listen, you're in my house.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

As a general rule, I am just fine with a few hecklers. But not when I'm up in the house.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: He got a shoulder rub from vice president there.

The heckler, a transgender activist was demanding an end to the deportation of LGBT immigrants. She was escorted from the room as the president requested because she would not quiet down.

The Boston marathon bomber, he broke his silence to say he is sorry. An apology that many had been waiting for but did it go far enough? What his victims are saying, that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:16:03] BERMAN: Dramatic moments inside a Boston courtroom. The Boston marathon bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, he never said a word during his trial. But just before a judge formally sentenced him to death, Tsarnaev stood up and spoke, apologizing to families of the victims, also the survivors. They too had their say.

CNN's Deborah Feyerick has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John, it was a very powerful day at the sentencing of marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, as about two dozen survivors and relatives of those who died gave victim impact statements.

One amputee, Heather Abbott, who said, "He did not break me. The memory of those killed will be kept alive by those who survived his terror."

The family of 8-year-old Martin Richard basically condemning what he had done, saying, "He chose to accompany his brother. He chose hate. He chose destruction. He chose death. We choose love. We choose peace."

Among those defiant was amputee Rebecca Gregory. She essentially said, "We are Boston strong. We are America strong. By choosing to mess with us was a terrible mistake. How's that for a victim impact statement?"

Now, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev did offer an apology to the victim's families saying he was sorry for the lives he had taken, the suffering he caused and the damage he had done. He also did confess saying, "The bombing, which I'm guilty of, if there's any lingering doubt, I did do it along with my brother."

But for several family members and for officials here, it was too little too late. The U.S. attorney Carmen Ortiz saying, what Dzhokhar Tsarnaev did not say was he did not renounce terror and he did not renounce violent extremism -- John.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: No, he did not. Our thanks to Deb Feyerick for that.

Attorneys for James Holmes will call their first witnesses today at the trial of the Colorado movie theater gunman. The defense is expected to focus on his alleged mental illness, trying to convince jurors that Holmes was legally insane when he opened fire inside a packed movie theater, killing 12 and wounding 70. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

Bobbi Kristina Brown has taken a turn for the worst. A family member said the 22-year-old of the late Whitney Houston was moved to hospice care because of her deteriorating condition. Bobbi Kristina has been unconscious since she was found unresponsive in the bathtub of her home in Georgia earlier this year. An aunt made a statement to reporters saying, "She is in God's hands now."

A lawsuit accuses Nick Gordon of assaulting Bobbi Kristina and transferring thousands of dollars from per bank account to his, without authorization.

Two-term Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal is now the 13th official Republican presidential candidate. Jindal made the announcement online before addressing a kickoff rally in Kenner, Louisiana, on Wednesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. BOBBY JINDAL (R-LA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am governor of the great state of Louisiana. And I'm running for president of the greatest country in the world, the United States of America!

(END VIDEO CLIP) BERMAN: I love the signs, Jindal signs. He earned a more enthusiastic support from people there than he sort of did from his own children. I want you to look at a hidden camera video of when his children learned that he was officially running for president. They put up this hidden camera to post a Facebook video for the campaign. This is the parents telling the kids he's running for president. You can see the reaction is kind of, you know, muted.

All right. Try this, Derek Jeter. Blue Jays baseman Josh Donaldson doing the Yankee great one better, leaping into the stands to make an amazing -- oh my gosh, I haven't seen that! I have never seen a catch like that.

Sorry, I have to keep going with the news broadcast, but I want to watch it again and again.

Coy Wire with details on this in the bleacher report, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: The University of Virginia getting a taste of revenge, winning their first ever college baseball national championship against the team that broke their hearts this time last season.

Coy Wire with it all in the bleacher report -- hey, Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS: Good morning, John.

You know, Virginia wouldn't have had it any other way. Big time underdogs up against Vanderbilt, the defending champs, to whom they lost in last year's title game. And mid-way through this season, it looked like Virginia wasn't even going to make it to the tournament, but they did earning a 3 seed.

And you know what they say, it's all about getting hot at the right time. Virginia freshman Pavin Smith got things going with that two- run shot right there at the top of the fourth and from there on out, the Cavaliers pitching shut Vanderbilt down. Virginia gets their redemption, winning 4-2. The Cavaliers capture their first ever college World Series crown.

Here's that highlight you love, John. Blue Jays and Rays in Tampa yesterday. Blue Jays pitcher Marco Estrada had a perfect game going in eighth, and teammate Josh Donaldson to keep hope alive dives three rows deep to make that catch. Watch again. Stretched out like skinny jeans, my goodness, Estrada would end up losing on this perfect game for the very next batter. The Blue Jays did get the win, 1-0.

From the big leagues on to little leagues. Jackie Robinson West, the all black Chicago Little League team who is stripped of their U.S. championship for using players from outside their region is now suing Little League's governing body, saying they failed to provide all the information used in their decision and didn't mention any specific rules violation.

[05:25:03] Attorneys for the team said yesterday that they have been unfairly singled out and the decision could have been racially motivated.

A statement from Little League International says the group takes eligibility seriously, but they haven't reviewed the lawsuit yet and won't comment at this time.

Now, this year's NBA draft gets going tonight in New York City. All signs point to Kentucky's Karl-Anthony Towns being selected as the number one overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves. After that, though, it's wide open on who is going in the next few picks. Maybe Jahlil Okafor from Duke.

It should be a lot of fun to watch. The Lakers have the second pick, followed by Philly, New York and Orlando. It's a hot ticket to the draft this year. There are reports that tickets have already gone for upwards of $300. Can you even imagine?

BERMAN: I went to the NFL draft once, a sport you know very well. Took my then-girlfriend, now wife. She was almost not my wife after that. It was six hours of sitting in the room, I was heaven, and she still resents me to this day for going to that. I love it.

WIREI: Awesome stuff, John.

BERMAN: Thanks so much.

A second prison worker arrested accused of helping two killers escape. We'll tell you what prosecutors say he did, that's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)