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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Community Leaders Help Calm Protests in Charlotte; Tulsa Cop Charged with Manslaughter; Yahoo: 500 Million User Accounts Breached; New Video Shows Suspect Planting NYC Bomb. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired September 23, 2016 - 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: Hundreds of protesters, they broke a curfew in Charlotte. They marched throughout the night. This as the family of Keith Lamont Scott speaks out. They saw the video of his shooting and they have different account than police.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, the Tulsa police officer who shot an unarmed black man booked into jail. She is now released o bail and facing charges of felony manslaughter.

BERMAN: Yahoo suffers what could be the biggest data breach ever, 500 million accounts hacked. So what does it mean for your security this morning?

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm John Berman.

ROMANS: Is there really security on the Internet? That's my question.

BERMAN: I don't know.

ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. It's Friday, September 23rd. It is 5:00 a.m. in the East. We'll get to that story in a moment.

But the breaking news this morning, a welcome sight on the streets of Charlotte. Relative calm this after the third night of protests triggered by the fatal police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott. For the most part, the demonstrations broke up over couple hours, well past the midnight curfew declared overnight by the mayor of Charlotte. But, you know, police decided not to enforce the curfew because the demonstrations were peaceful. So, they let the protesters stay.

Protesters calling for the release of videos that show Bradley Vinson shooting Keith Scott. This morning, the police chief refusing to make the footage public. But he did allow Scott's family to watch it and what they say they saw is quite different than the events described by police.

Joining us live with the latest from Charlotte, CNN's Nick Valencia.

Break us up to speed, Nick.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine. A semblance of normalcy has returned here to the streets of downtown

Charlotte, a much different scene than what we witnessed 24 hours ago, 24 hours ago, businesses cleaning up the aftermath of the riots and vandalism that took place during those heated protests, those chaotic protests.

[05:00:07] That wasn't the case yesterday. By and large, these protests were peaceful. A few hundred demonstrators that did take to the streets did so in a calm manner. There were incidents and episodes of some demonstrators shaking hands of National Guardsmen. When we showed up, they were mingling with some of the demonstrators.

It has been a couple of hours now since the elements of the National Guard have pulled out of here. You mentioned that curfew that was not implemented by police because things went so well last night -- Christine.

ROMANS: Let's talk about the video, the family reaction to the video. We know they have seen video of the shooting, or at least one of the videos of the shooting. But that has not been released to the public. What's the family's reaction to that video?

VALENCIA: The thing is that's complicating matters here is it's turning into a he said-she said. The family of Keith Scott saying one thing, the police saying another. After they saw that video yesterday, Keith Scott's family said in their definition, it was ambiguous. That they not clearly see a gun in Scott's hand, that there was no aggressive motion, that he was actually walking backwards when he was shot and killed by police.

It's a much different narrative that's been put out by police. They said he did have a handgun. One official that I spoke to said that not only did Scott make aggressive motion to police that cost him his life, but he did have a gun and ankle holster. The mayor has said that she is considering releasing this video to the public. And I think we should anticipate even more demonstrations until that happens -- Christine.

ROMANS: All right. Nick Valencia for us in Charlotte this morning -- thank you, Nick.

BERMAN: Also, a peaceful night in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where a different police officer who killed an African-American man has now been charged with felony manslaughter in the first degree. Officer Betty Shelby, she was released a couple hours ago on $50,000 bond. She turned herself in before that.

She faces four years to life in prison if convicted. It was one week ago that Shelby fatally shot 40-year-old Terence Crutcher after his SUV broke down in the middle of the road. The entire event scene in police helicopter and squad car dash cam video. You can see Crutcher with his hands up right over there, although he is not fully visible at the moment of the shooting.

That is when Shelby's attorney says he was reaching into the car causing Shelby to fear for her life. But Tulsa's district attorney said Shelby had checked the SUV and already knew there was no threat on the driver's side. Lawyers for Crutcher's family they are happy the charges have been brought. They will seek a vigorous prosecution they say.

ROMANS: The window was closed. That's what so many critics are saying. The window was closed. She knew the window was closed. If she did, why shoot there?

Joining us this morning to discuss the events in Tulsa and in Charlotte, retired LAPD police sergeant, Cheryl Dorsey.

Good morning. It's so nice to have your expertise this morning. Thank you so much.

CHERYL DORSEY, RETIRED LAPD POLICE SERGEANT: Good morning. Thanks for having me.

ROMANS: Let's start in Charlotte, a peaceful night. The family has been shown the video, but the family is not convinced. This is what they say. After watching the video, the family again has more questions than answers. It's impossible to discern from the videos what, if anything, Mr. Scott is holding in his hands when he was shot and killed? Mr. Scott's hands were by his side and he was walking backward.

It is appropriate do you think the next move that the authorities release the video to the public?

DORSEY: Well, that's what we are clamoring for, right? And I think, unless and until they do that, the community is going to continue to fill in that blank because we don't know what's missing. And, you know, there was an inference in the beginning when the police chief first spoke that there was definitive evidence of exactly what occurred.

ROMANS: No book. There is a gun.

DORSEY: Now, we're hearing there is not clear cut evidence. It is a little uncertain. I can't say for sure. Then the fact that this law that goes into effect on October 1 is being used now in September to not produce it is further problematic for me. It feels like they are beginning to circle the wagons. They're trying to create something that will justify what we know was unreasonable and unnecessary.

BERMAN: What reasons, if you are part of this investigations, what reasons could you have not to release the video at this point?

DORSEY: Well, the reason is because he doesn't want to further enflame the community. I think if the community saw what's probably really on that video, they would lose their minds, right? Things are bad already and I think things would get worse if they saw the things that we believe occurred.

ROMANS: So much mistrust. Distrust in the community. I think you really see that coming through here even when the police chief said there was a gun. There was no book. The people didn't believe him. What is the core of that?

DORSEY: Well, the problem is because we have seen police officers, some and not all, let me be clear. Stretch the truth in the past, right? We saw in the case of Walter Scott, who was accused of grabbing a taser. That is why Michael Slager pumped eight rounds into his back. We heard Ray Tensing say that Sam Dubose tried to run him over with a car and video refuted that.

And so, we know that police officers will sometimes create and craft a story to try to fit the scenario. So, the fact he had a holster is not alarming. If you have a gun, you want a holster to put it in.

[05:05:02] The fact that he even had a gun in an open carry state in and of itself is not a big deal.

And I understand now that he's felon, OK, but you don't get to kill a felon because he's possessing a gun.

ROMANS: And we don't know he's a felon.

BERMAN: Also, yes, there's no proof that police knew that when they rolled up.

DORSEY: Absolutely they didn't know, absolutely.

BERMAN: Again, though, just the other side of it, could be, I could see a scenario where the officers are concerned and the police chief is concerned that the video doesn't speak to what other evidence he says he has, right? What did he say? There's your truth and my truth and the truth.

DORSEY: The truth, right. And isn't that interesting that he uses that word? I'm hearing a lot of code speak, I'm hearing a lot of wordsmithing. They are saying the individual who is deceased did something that obviously was threatening.

Well, what was it? Articulate it? Police officers are told to articulate those kinds of threats.

BERMAN: They have to show it exists beyond the video, right? And that's complicated.

DORSEY: Absolutely.

ROMANS: The mistrust with the community and police officers. Also, this training of de-escalation. When you see a suspect walking away and shot in the back, as we saw in the Tulsa situation. Are we doing enough to train to heal the mistrust and to train the police officers that every move you are making is watched and can be perceived in different ways? Do they know how to handle?

I know everyone is afraid of a gun and guns everywhere in this country. Police officers are terrified of a suspect, an erratic suspect with a gun. Are we doing enough to train them to deescalate the situation? DORSEY: Well, listen, you know, that's adherent to police work,

right? So, it's our job as a professional to be calm. It is our job to deescalate, because we are taught to use the force with the type of force you are encountering. So, if someone is walking away for you and scared-er, if that is a word, than you've ever been in your life, because he's walking away, why are you chasing him.

Take a position of cover and concealment and wait for your back up and you guys swarm him or doing what you need do to feel good about that encounter. There's no urgency, there's no exigent circumstance that you have to act right now. And so, I don't think training is an issue.

I think officers are using, I was in fear too readily, too easily, without any follow up question, without any demand that you articulate the fear that caused every blow, every bullet, every strike. And unless and until you have those kinds of demands on an officer to articulate, what was it that made you scared? If a big black man scares you, maybe you shouldn't be a police.

BERMAN: Cheryl Dorsey, thanks so much for coming in this morning. We appreciate it.

DORSEY: Thanks for having me.

ROMANS: Cheryl, thank you so much.

All right. To business news now, this could be the largest data breach of all time. Yahoo says data from 500 million user accounts was stolen. This happened in 2014, discovered in August after a hacker claimed to be selling data from 200 million Yahoo! accounts.

Now, here's what Yahoo says. It says a state-sponsored actor is behind the hack, but would not say what country, what government was involved. The timing raising questions already getting attention from lawmakers.

Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal issuing statement overnight, saying, quote, "as law enforcement and regulators examine this incident, they should investigate whether Yahoo may have concealed this knowledge of this breach in order to artificially bolster its valuation in its pending acquisition by Verizon," end quote.

Verizon tells CNN Money, it learned of the hack just three days ago. Verizon put in a bid of $4.8 billion to buy Yahoo back in late July.

BERMAN: All right. Donald Trump pushing law and order, calling for more police to patrol the streets and announcing he could make a trip to Charlotte next week. And you know what? I hear there's a debate, something about a presidential debate in three days. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:12:53] BERMAN: So, Donald Trump says he may visit Charlotte after Monday night's big debate with Hillary Clinton. You know, I think big is actually an understatement in this case. ROMANS: Pivotal.

BERMAN: That's good.

All right. Donald Trump calling for national anti-crime agenda. He claims the protests are making America look bad to the world.

On Thursday, he was pitching his law and order message in a rally in Pennsylvania. Trump also raised some eyebrows by tying the protests in Charlotte to drug use. Trump offered no evidence to back up that claim. And later, the campaign said he was not linking drug use to the protest, but was just speaking in general terms about drug deaths in the country.

Let us look forward to Monday night, this showdown between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

Joining us to discuss, CNN politics digital reporter Tal Kopan in Washington.

And, Tal, you know, we are three days away from what could be the most presidential significant debate in our lifetime. We are in a close race right now, very close. It has gone back and forth to some extent as to who has the momentum. On Monday night, on the stage in Hofstra, the back drop being the protests in the country right now.

TAL KOPAN, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Yes, absolutely. You know, these protests are really dominating conversation. And, you know, for a sort of a wide group of different viewpoints.

So, it's really going to be something that's top of mind. We'll see how moderators handle it, of course. The candidates can only respond to the questions they are actually given.

But, you know, this is the first time we're going to see Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump sitting next to each other, interacting going back and forth and it is going to be fascinating, because the way they spoken about each other on the trail, acrimonious may be forgiving. This is very negative, very use of really charged words.

So, we're going to see them sitting next to each other and see what they actually say in front of each other, and then how they actually get into facts and policies is going to be fascinating.

ROMANS: And the policy is what's so incredible, because you look at something like what's happening in Charlotte. You look at the concerns around Tulsa and some other cities. It's almost like an onion, you peel back. There's the economy, there's the fact that Charlotte is doing very, very well economically, but there's a black/white divide that has not been healed.

[05:15:04] You look at policing tactics. You look at criminal justice tactics. And, you know, tough on crime talk from the '90s and how a generation later has spilled in.

And seeing Donald Trump start to wade into that, he'll have to show that he can put all that together into a prescription.

KOPAN: That's right. And keep in mind, they will speak to different constituencies. They are going after the middle, but they have to also keep their base happy.

And so, it will be interesting. Donald Trump has gone far on the law and order message that he likes to deliver, but he's also been at least going through the motions of sort of outreach to the African- American community. He will have to balance those two push-pulls. And then, you know, Hillary Clinton, of course, has had strong support in the African-American community. She's on the left side of the spectrum. She has a lot of pressure from the progressive wing of her party to deal with criminal justice and what is perceived to be an over incarceration problem.

So, she's going to have to balance that. That also make people feel she can keep the country safe. So, the way they balance the two sides of the coin and also speak to the voters that they need to turn out is going to be really interesting to watch.

BERMAN: Hillary Clinton, she needs the kids to turn out, millennials, which helps explain why she went on the Internet in the video released with Zach Galifianakis. I think we can play just a bit of this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZACH GALIFIANAKIS, BETWEEN TWO FERNS: First, you supported Obama's Trans Pacific Partnership deal, and then you were against it. I think that people deserve to know. Are you down with TPP?

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I'm not down with TPP.

GALIFIANAKIS: No, you're supposed to say, yeah, you know me like, the hip hop group.

CLINTON: Don't tell me what to say.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: I would just like to say, that is a gen-X reference, TPP, yes, you know me. That is not for the millennials like Tal.

BERMAN: Are the millennials breaking down the doors right now after watching this video to go vote, Tal?

KOPAN: I'm not sure they're breaking down the doors. I mean, she did a good job of classic "Between Two Ferns". I'm not sure people who haven't watched it before get that particular kind of humor. But she did a good job for that particular sketch.

BERMAN: All right. Tal Kopan, very funny, anytime of day -- thanks for being with us.

ROMANS: Thanks, Tal.

KOPAN: Thank you. ROMANS: Seventeen minutes past the hour. The New York bombing suspect's father is now speaking out, insisting he told the FBI to keep an eye on his son two years ago. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:22:33] BERMAN: There is new surveillance video of terror suspect Ahmad Rahami, allegedly planting a pressure cooker bomb last weekend in a New York City streets. The just released video appears to capture Rahami leaving a bag near the curb.

Moments later, two men removed what is allegedly the explosive device and take the bag them and you see passerby actually kick the bag right there, with what we think is the bomb inside, it did not go off.

Meanwhile, Rahami's father says he warned the FBI two years ago to keep an eye of his son because of his fascination with terror organizations such as al Qaeda. But federal agents tell a different story, insisting that the father, the senior Rahami recanted his claim about his son's terrorist inclinations, leading them to dismiss the matter as a domestic dispute.

CNN's Deborah Feyerick has the latest on the investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, investigators still don't know the location of the bomb factory, the place where they believe Ahmad Khan Rahami may have built at least ten devices. Two of them very powerful pressure cookers. Now, investigators believe Rahami left New York City about three hours after the bombs detonated traveling from Manhattan through the Lincoln Tunnel into New Jersey.

They do not know or they are not saying where he was during those three hours. But they do believe at some point he did return to his family home. He engaged with family members. Officials say that the family members say he was behaving normally. This was before the FBI and New York police released a photo of him and he went on the run.

Meanwhile, investigators are searching for two men who may have unknowingly removed the pressure cooker bomb from the carry-on bag. It took the bag, investigators want it. They believe they could have crucial information, crucial evidence inside, including finger prints, because they still want to know whether Rahami acted alone.

As for his wife, she is back in the United States. As she is being questioned by the FBI, they want to know where he traveled in Pakistan and Afghanistan. They also want to know who he may have met with -- John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Deb, thanks for that. You know, hundreds of people marching through the streets of Charlotte last night, the third night in a row. These demonstrations mostly peaceful. We're going to check in live on the ground with the very latest, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:28:56] ROMANS: Overnight, protesters marching through the streets of Charlotte demonstrating for the third night in a row against the shooting of an African-American man. His family now speaking out after watching the video of this shooting. What they say about his death.

BERMAN: This morning, the officer charged with shooting a different African-American man in Tulsa, turned herself into jail. Now she has been released on bail, facing four years to life in prison if convicted. We have new details on that investigation.

ROMANS: A massive data breach, a big data breach at Yahoo, compromising more than 500 million accounts. This could be historically large hack. We will tell you what it means for your security. It is big. A state-sponsored actor, the company saying.

BERMAN: They say.

ROMANS: They claim.

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

BERMAN: I'm John Berman. We're looking at 29 minutes after the hour right now.

And the breaking news this morning, really a welcome sight on the streets of Charlotte right now -- relative calm, this after the third night of protests triggered by the fatal police shooting of an African-American man, Keith Lamont Scott. For the most part, the demonstrations broke up over the last couple of hours, well past the midnight curfew that was declared overnight by Charlotte's mayor.

But police decided not to enforce the curfew because officials said the demonstrations remain peaceful.