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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
International Anger Over CIA Torture; Government Shutdown Averted; Fight Against ISIS Getting Stronger; Oil Prices Fall Below $60; Powerful Storm Pummels West Coast; Iconic Model Accuses Cosby; LeBron Sits Out for Cavs, Thunder Roll
Aired December 12, 2014 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: EARLY START continues right now.
Defending the CIA. The agency's director on the record about the scathing Senate torture report. Admitting some mistakes, but what he didn't say that's causing so much controversy this morning.
Government shutdown averted, barely. The House passing a last-minute $1 trillion spending bill to fund the government. But with Democrats and Republicans attacking the plan, the controversy continues.
A powerful storm pummels the West Coast. Rain, snow, flooding, winds over 100 miles per hour hammering communities. And it's not over yet. What you need to know for the day.
Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START this Friday morning. I'm Christine Romans. It's December 11th, 5:00 a.m. in the East. Thanks for joining us this morning. John Berman has the day off.
The battle over the CIA's use of harsh interrogation techniques is escalating as CIA Director John Brennan steps into the spotlight to defend those techniques, claiming they produced useful intelligence.
CNN justice reporter Evan Perez, he's got more this morning from Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE REPORTER: Christine, it was unprecedented scene for a CIA director, a live news conference beamed around the world from the Langley headquarters of the secretive agency. CIA Director John Brennan made his first public appearance since Senate Democrats released a bombshell report describing brutal interrogations of terrorists. He never used the word "torture" in his 45-minute press conference, but he said at least some of the gruesome techniques went beyond what was authorized. He called them abhorrent.
JOHN BRENNAN, CIA DIRECTOR: Agency officers used interrogation techniques that had been authorized, were abhorrent, and rightly should be repudiated by all. And we fell short when it came to holding some officers accountable for their mistakes.
PEREZ: At the same time, Brennan tried to clarify his earlier statement that the CIA program yielded valuable intelligence.
The Senate report says it didn't. Brennan now says detainees did provide important and useful information, but he says no one can say whether the intelligence came as a result of harsh interrogations.
The CIA director stood a few feet from the agency's memorial wall. It bears 111 stars representing employees killed in the line of duty.
And Brennan was speaking as much to his own employees as he was to the public by taking media questions. He began by reminding everyone that 15 days after 9/11, it was the CIA employees were the first boots on the ground in Afghanistan and it was the CIA officer was the first American killed when the war started. He said the agency did many things right to save American lives during this time.
And, Christine, he says the CIA has learned from its mistakes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right. Evan Perez for us in Washington this morning.
Top officials in the Bush administration out in force fighting the firestorm created by that 500-page Senate torture report. Bush era Attorney General Michael Mukasey claiming enhanced interrogation techniques did not violate the law. Former CIA Director Michael Hayden, he argued that rectal feeding and rehydration were not an interrogation technique at all.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
MICHAEL HAYDEN, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR: Jake, I'm not a doctor and neither are you. What I am told is, this is one of the ways that the body is rehydrated. These were medical procedures. And to give you a sense --
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: You're really defending rectal rehydration?
HAYDEN: What I'm defending is history. To give you a sense as to how this report is put together, this activity which was done five times in each time for the health of the detainee, not part of the interrogation program, not designed to soften him up for any questioning.
MUKASEY: The torture statute says you can't, under color of law, cause -- intentionally cause somebody severe physical or mental pain or suffering. So, severe physical suffering or pain isn't defined. Severe mental pain or suffering --
ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: So, it gave them a lot of wiggle room.
MUKASEY: It's defined in durational terms. It has to last beyond what's transient. What the CIA did did not violate that statute.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
ROMANS: Worldwide rage over harsh interrogation building. Harsh words now coming even from U.S. allies. Germany calling CIA torture gruesome. Other countries like China and North Korea predictably accusing the U.S. of hypocrisy for torture while pointing the finger at them at the same time over their own human rights violations.
CNN's Ian Lee joins us now live from Cairo.
And the U.N., Ian, the U.N. is saying the U.S. has lost the moral high ground, and it's calling for prosecutions. Any chance that could happen? And if it doesn't, then what?
IAN LEE, CNN REPORTER: Christine, there's been a strong international call for the prosecution of Bush-era officials, especially coming from human rights groups like Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch, as well as the United Nations.
A U.N. human rights official talked to Christiane Amanpour about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN EMMERSON, U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICIAL: Whether the program produced actual intelligence or not is irrelevant. The obligation to prosecute crimes of torture is an obligation resting on the United States, because it's party to the Torture Convention. And whether or not actionable intelligence resulted makes no difference to the legal liability of those who committed the crimes of torture.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEE: Christine, so far the Obama administration has been reluctant and has resisted calls for prosecution. There are other alternatives. One that has been thrown out there is a formal pardon which would led the officials off the hook, but send a strong message that any torture in the future use would be prosecuted.
The other option is going to the European court system, although it is highly unlikely the U.S. would just hand over for prosecution. You said earlier, really, the damage is coming from the U.S. moral authority, especially in this region. Every year, the U.S. State Department releases a human rights report which details the use of torture. A lot of the countries in the region have taken helped or helped the CIA in these interrogations.
When the 2014 human rights report comes from the State Department, many of the countries in the region are going to be ready to point out the hypocrisy, Christine.
ROMANS: Yes, they will. All right. Ian Lee, thank you for that, Ian, in Cairo this morning.
Shutdown averted. Federal agencies and offices will be open on time this morning after the House last night narrowly approved a big $1.1 trillion spending bill. The measure keeps most of the government open through September. But House Republicans authorized funds for Homeland Security, those
funds only authorized through February. That gives Republicans a chance to put restrictions on the president's immigration plan once Republicans take control of the House next year.
Liberal Democrats are furious that the budget bill loosens Wall Street regulations.
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SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D), MASSACHUSETTS: I'm here today to ask my Republican colleagues who don't want to see another Wall Street bailout to join in our efforts to strip this Wall Street giveaway from the bill.
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Democrats have supported this provision in the past. It was agreed to in this bill on a bipartisan, bicameral agreement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: The president is expected to sign the budget bill later today following approval by the Senate.
A Senate panel moving to strengthen President Obama's hand in the war against ISIS. On Thursday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved new war powers. The measure authorizes the president to use military force against the Islamic terror group. But it would limit large scale ground combat operations, unless it is deemed necessary to protect or rescue U.S. soldiers or citizens.
Outrage over the deaths of two unarmed black men by white police officers still gripping this nation.
Attorney General Eric Holder will be in Chicago this morning to discuss race and law enforcement issues in the wake of what happened in Ferguson, Missouri, and New York City. It is latest in the series of meetings he is holding on building community trust.
Meantime, hundreds of minority congressional staffers walked off the job Thursday. That action protesting the grand jury's decisions in the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. This as Eric Garner's daughter Erica, she staged a die-in Thursday in New York City in memory of her father.
His victim was also there calling for justice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GWEN CARR, ERIC GARNER'S MOTHER: Just as we want everyone to stand together, stand with us. It's been that way and I want it to stay that way. It's not for just my son or your son. It's for everyone's son.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Time for an early start on your money this morning. Eight minutes past the hour.
Oil prices plunging. And that is bad news for stocks. U.S. stock futures lower right now. Looks like a tough end to the wild week.
Dow futures down 115. You know, stocks snapped a three-day losing streak yesterday. Dow closed up 63 because of strong retail sales. That boosted stocks.
But the story here is the sliding oil, plunging oil and how that is weighing on stock markets sentiment. Oil fell below 60 bucks a barrel for the first time since July of 2009. Now, oil's plunge means cheap gas for consumers. It means money in consumer's pocket. It's almost like a tax cut, a stimulus in the U.S. But it's a huge problem for oil producers and the countries that depend on oil revenue.
This morning, the International Energy Agency just cut its outlook for oil demand next year because of the booming supply in the U.S. and weak demand elsewhere. Oil company stocks have been hit very, very hard this week, too.
All right. West Coast under water. Neighborhoods flooded as rain, snow and powerful winds slam communities. This is not over yet, folks.
Plus, she says, "Bill Cosby drugged me." A pioneering model and actress comes forward with her story, next.
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ROMANS: The West Coast pummeled by a monster storm packing gusty winds, torrential rain and communities crippled, flights canceled, subway shutdown and streets under water.
Look at the scene in San Francisco -- cars submerged. The rain is making it absolutely treacherous for people to get around. Winds are also packing a punch, toppling trees. You can see this one uprooted, crushing this SUV parked in a driveway.
Two children were hurt here when the tree came crashing down on the school yard -- school playground actually in Santa Cruz. Emergency crews rushed to save an 11-year-old boy pinned underneath the tree. Another young girl -- he was OK. Another young girl who was struck by branches was treated for minor injuries.
One person was injured in San Jose when heavy rain sparked a roof collapse at a Safeway grocery store. People inside the grocery at the time, they described the scene as pure chaos.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just hectic. You just hear loud noises, crashing, and it's just really scary. I had to call 911 and just freaked out.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ROMANS: Besides the rain, there was also snow. You can see this blizzard coming down here in the northern sierra. At least two feet of snow fell there.
And here's a couple of daredevils making the best of the rough surf. This surf, you're never going to believe this, on Lake Tahoe. The storm's gusty winds made for some impressive waves for surfers in Lake Tahoe.
In Oregon, a man was killed when a tree toppled on his tent in Mt. Ashland. The 40-year-old's son said the tree fell across his dad's arm and chest. The teenager said he tried to give his dad CPR, but it was just too late.
Strong winds also picked up a sheet metal, causing it to fly to a high rise in downtown Portland. The metal shattered a window, flew into a lawyer's office. People inside had to duck for cover fast.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was coming so fast, I had about one second to turn away from the window so my back was to the window. It blew in and shattered glass went everywhere, totally. And papers, it was like being in a tornado. My papers in my office were flying in all directions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: One of the lawyers suffered a nick to the face. Fortunately, no one else was seriously hurt.
So, is there any relief in sight for the West Coast?
I want to get to meteorologist Derek Van Dam for the early start on your forecast.
DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Christine.
We are still monitoring our major west coast storm. Here it is on the satellite loop. Some impressive rainfall totals from San Francisco.
Get a load of this. Rain since Thursday, more than what we received in all of 2013 for the San Francisco Bay Area. Nonetheless, very impressive and going north into Central California upwards of seven inches of rain. Now, we focus on Los Angeles, two to four inches of rain. You know what that means for the wet roads and morning rush commute. Not nice. You want to avoid that at all possible.
Of course, we've got the wind to contend with. High wind warning in effect for much of Southern California extending across much of Nevada and even into new Mexico.
Take a look at this. Some of these wind gusts reported on mountain tops exceeding hurricane strength. That is impressive for White Mountain. On top of that, we had very, very chilly temperatures across the Northeast. Temperatures today in New York City, topping 36.
Back to you.
ROMANS: Thirty-six. All right. Thanks, Derek.
Another Cosby accuser steps forward. This time, it's Beverly Johnson, an iconic model from the '70s. In an essay for "Vanity Fair", she details an incident where she says Cosby drugged a cappuccino he made for her at his home during a read through for a role on "The Cosby Show."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEVERLY JOHNSON, MODEL: In the second sip, I knew I had been drugged, and I had been drugged really good. He was getting angry, he was pissed and he grabbed me by my arm and dragged me down the brownstone stairs. He threw me in the taxi.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Johnson says Cosby escorted her out of his home when she wouldn't stop cursing at him.
CNN has reached out to Cosby's attorney but has not heard back yet.
Stay with us. Johnson will join us live during the 8:00 a.m. hour of "NEW DAY."
New questions are being raised about a magazine story on alleged gang rape at the University of Virginia. The college students described as friends of the alleged rape victim Jackie have come forward and they are challenging key details of that story. Two of her friends told ABC News some of "Rolling Stone's" article is false.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RYAN, FRIEND OF ALLEGED UVA VICTIM: The reason that we didn't go to the police was because Jackie didn't want to.
INTERVIEWER: Jackie said to you, I don't want to go to police. She said those words to you?
RYAN: Yes.
INTERVIEWER: They attribute to you in this article as saying, she is going to be the girl who cried rape and will never allowed into any fraternity party again. Did you ever say that?
KATHRYN HENDLEY, FRIEND OF ALLEGED UVA VICTIM: No.
INTERVIEWER: So, this is not true.
HENDLEY: No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Police in Virginia are still investigating that alleged assault.
A whooping cough epidemic spreading in California. The state Department of Health tallying nearly 10,000 cases so far this year. The worse outbreak there in 70 years. Epidemiologists blame the high number on the limitations on the new vaccine introduced in the '90s because it has fewer side effects, also on better testing and diagnosis.
And another epidemic starting in California. This one spreading among professional hockey teams -- mumps. It's basically a childhood disease, but at least five NHL teams have been affected so far. The outbreak started in Southern California with the Anaheim Ducks, and it spread to teams in Minnesota, New York, New Jersey. Teams offering booster shots to their players.
A 219-year-old time capsule has unearthed at Massachusetts statehouse and it's been sent to a museum to be x-rayed to find out what treasures are inside. It will be opened next week. Now, the capsule is believed to have a collection of silver and copper coins dating back to the 1650s, and engraved in silver plate, newspapers and the seal of the commonwealth. It was first buried in 1795 by Governor Samuel Adams and Paul Revere and militia officer William Scollay. It was unearthed in 1855 and reburied with more items. Officials are not sure if they will add more objects to the capsule before re-burying it. Very cool.
The Arizona Cardinals have the best record in football, but no healthy quarterbacks. How they pulled out another win despite losing another QB? Andy Scholes is going to tell us in our "Bleacher Report", next.
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ROMANS: All right. NBA fans were hoping to see LeBron versus Durant for the first time this season, but an injury is keeping King James from holding court.
Andy Scholes has more in this morning's "Bleacher Report".
Hey, Andy.
ANDY SCHOLES, BLEACHER REPORT: Hey, good morning, Christine.
Yes, LeBron missed last night's big match up with the Thunder because of knee soreness. The team says the injury is nothing major and LeBron sat out as a precaution. But it's still bad timing for fans. LeBron-Durant marquee match up in the NBA.
Now, Durant himself just returned from injury, playing just his fifth game of the season last night. In a silent protest, Durant wrote "black lives matter" on his shoes.
Now, as for the game, Russell Westbrook and Durant were too much for the Cavs without LeBron. They won 103-94 for their fourth straight win.
Now, Thursday night football featuring the Rams hosting the Cardinals. More bad news for the Cardinals. Quarterback Drew Stanton went down with a knee injury in the fourth. He is set to have an MRI today, but the fear is that he has torn his ACL and will be lost for the rest of the season. The same thing happened to team's original starting quarterback Carson Palmer last month.
So, now, the team is down to third stringer Ryan Lindley. Only good news for the Cardinals is that they won the game, 12-6. They have the best record in the NFL at 11-3. But no quarterback.
All right. Panthers quarterback Cam Newton meanwhile, he won't be on the field this Sunday as he continues to recover from the Tuesday's car crash. Yesterday, Newton said he is happy to be alive after the accident.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAM NEWTON, PANTHERS QUARTERBACK: I'm looking at this truck and thinking somebody is supposed to be dead. I can't stop smiling because it's like God has his hands on me. I'm on somebody's fantasy league, you know? And I think it's the man upstairs. It's great to walk away from something like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: Taylor Swift is getting set to go on tour in 2015. She's going to be playing in cities all across the country, including Houston. Now, the concert is going to be at Minute Maid Park where the Astros play on October, well, it's because in October in baseball, there is this thing called the post season. Astros are so confident that they are not going to be in the playoffs, they scheduled a Taylor Swift concert on a day they could have a postseason game.
But, Christine, they did say if a miracle happens and they make the playoffs, they would move the concert. As an Astros fan, I'm from Houston, I'm pretty sure it's not going to happen. The Taylor Swift concern will go on as scheduled.
ROMANS: I don't know. Maybe they jinxed it. Maybe they're going to go get to the post-season now. Who knows?
SCHOLES: Maybe that is what they are thinking.
ROMANS: Maybe that's what we got to do. We got to tempt the fate.
All right. Thanks so much. Nice to see you, Andy.
The CIA playing defense after a scathing Senate report accuses the agency of torturing terror suspects. Its director holding an unprecedented lengthy news conference. But it's what he didn't say that's causing controversy.
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