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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

The Race for President: Big Shakeup Coming?; MH370: Experts in France to Examine Plane Piece; California Wildfires: Thousands Evacuated. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired August 03, 2015 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:16] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Big shake up for the race for president. Donald Trump firing a top adviser days from his first debate. Hillary Clinton readying a new pitch to voters as speculation grows she could face powerful new competition from within her own. Details ahead.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now: experts examining a plane piece washed ashore in the Indian Ocean. So, does it belong to the missing Malaysia Airlines 370? We're live.

ROMANS: California on fire. Dozens of homes destroyed. Thousands evacuated. And this morning, those flames are spreading.

Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.

BERMAN: I'm John Berman. Nice to be with you together again for the first time in 160 years.

It is Monday, August 3rd, 4:00 a.m. in the East.

The political world buzzing over a possible shake-up in the 2016 race. "The New York Times" reporting Vice President Joe Biden has begun actively exploring a White House run. "The Times" reports that the vice president's late son Beau strongly lobbied his father to run in the months before he died. The Democrats close to Biden tells CNN he has not made up his mind, and that is likely to wait past August to decide.

A Biden spokeswoman says the family is still grieving and that speculation about a White House is, quote, "premature and inappropriate". The 72-year-old vice president would face a daunting prospect catching up. Hillary Clinton has already race millions, staffed up significant field operations in early primary states. And for its part, the Clinton campaign says it is not worrying about a decision by Biden.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNIFER PALMIERI, CLINTON COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: We will let him make a decision. The -- however hard it is to secure a Democratic nomination, it's however hard it is. And we have no allusions. We never thought that this was going to be easy. There's a lot of views in the Democratic Party, and, you know, we'll be prepared to handle whatever comes our way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The Clinton campaign rolled out its first set of television ads overnight, $1 million buys in both Iowa and New Hampshire.

There is just as much drama on the Republican side where a campaign consultant to frontrunner Donald Trump became ensnared in a scandal over racially charged Facebook posts.

CNN's Sunlen Serfaty has the very latest from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, the Donald Trump campaign announcing on Sunday that they have fired one of their political advisors Sam Nunberg. This after it was uncovered last week that there were some Facebook postings of his that were racially charged, dating back to 2007.

Now, he has denied any wrongdoing, said that those posts weren't his. But on Friday, the campaign said they would investigate these claims and by Sunday he was gone. Now, all of this controversy comes as the spotlight right on Trump as he enters the debate stage on Thursday night as the frontrunner, and certainly, there's an understanding on his part that he has somewhat of a target on his back being the frontrunner.

And he said over the weekend that he predicts that a lot of his opponents will come after him. He says he is not going to throw any punches, at least not the first one.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I always counterpunched and you have to counterpunch. But I'm not looking to start anything. A lot of people say they are getting ready and they have their lines given to them by the pollsters. You know, everything is perfectly put down by a pollster, what to say and how to attack me. And, you know, if that comes, it comes. And I'll have to handle it at the time.

SERFATY: And Chris Christie this weekend downplayed Trump's recent rise in the polls, saying that anyone can do well for a month. And he said it's up to Trump if he wants to be a serious candidate to bring that on Thursday night's debate stage. Here's what he told Jake Tapper on "STATE OF THE UNION."

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R-NJ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think that Donald is going to be as serious a candidate as Donald wants to be. And he's going to determine through the depth of his answers and the seriousness of his answers whether he's a serious candidate or isn't. That's what I mean by campaigns matter. Anybody can do well for a month in this business, especially if you have talent and you have personality. And Donald has both of those things. So, let's see how it goes over the course of time.

SERFATY: Meanwhile on the Democratic side, there's a potential here for a shakeup as well. Sources telling CNN that Vice President Joe Biden is considering a run. He is being encouraged by friends and his advisors.

And it does seem that at the heart of this is what his son Beau Biden thought before he passed away in May. Sources telling CNN that he encouraged his father to make a run. Now, we do know that Biden has not made up his mind. At this point, he is expected to potentially decide in the next month or so after he discusses it with family -- John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Sunlen at the White House -- thank you for that this morning. The Senate votes tonight on a bill to halt federal funding for Planned Parenthood. Senate Democrats are confident the measure will not get the 60 votes needed to advance. Some Republicans are calling for a government shutdown if it is defeated.

[04:05:01] Rand Paul is not one of them, but he does want funding pulled after a series of controversial undercover videos appear to show Planned Parenthood staffers talking about selling fetal issue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They, you know, are manipulating the baby, turning the baby around to get to body parts and then selling the liver and the doctors cavalierly saying, oh, well, yes, livers are popular right now for sale, I think most Americans don't want their tax dollars going to this. So, I think when something is morally repugnant to so many people, why should tax dollars go to this?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Senator Paul says he wants to see the millions that go to Planned Parenthood instead fund thousands of community health centers that provide the same services without performing abortions.

BERMAN: Today, the White House will announce a major climate change plans designed to dramatically reduced greenhouse emissions from coal- burning plants. The president calls it the biggest and most important step ever taken to battle climate change. The plan calls for a 32 percent reduction in power sector carbon pollution by the year 2030, as well as more aggressive transition to renewable energies.

Republicans are vowing to take the administration to court over the plan. And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has already sent the letter to governors in all 50 states urging them not to comply.

ROMANS: The president authorizing the use of air power to defend a new American-backed fighting force in Syria. That is raising the risk of the U.S. being drawn into direct combat with the Assad regime. The White House says the Pentagon-trained forces are committed to fighting ISIS, not fighting Syrian government troops. But if they're attacked by either, air power will be to protect them.

BERMAN: New information this morning on the investigation into Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. Preparations underway in France to begin examining a part of the aircraft wing, the flaperon, that washed up last week on Reunion Island in the western Indian Ocean. Authorities in Malaysia say the flaperon is from a Boeing 777, but conclusive word on whether it is from MH370 itself will have to wait until the examination starts on Wednesday.

Let's get the very latest. CNN's Saima Mohsin in France's aviation lab near Toulouse.

Good morning, Saima.

SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.

Well, this lab has opened for the first time since that flaperon arrived over the weekend. It was shut then. It arrived with the police escort and a sealed container, John.

Every person who touches that flaperon or comes near it has to be registered, such a delicate nature of this investigation. And it's so insensitive, of course, that Parisian authorities are remaining really tight-lipped, who really haven't had much out of them that this morning, we have spoken to the prosecutor's office who confirmed they will be meeting with all those officials that are flying in from around the world to be a part of this investigation.

This afternoon in Paris, they will meet to exchange their information that they have and to decide how they're going to move forward. How are they going to analyze this piece. Are they all agreed on what they're looking for and what they want from this analysis come Wednesday when they arrive here.

Now, joining them will be Malaysian authorities, Malaysian Airlines people as well, a specific team that looks at MH370, French authorities and air transport police. And a French prosecutor is leading the investigation here in France, John. That is an interesting angle, because four French nationals were onboard MH370, and their families have brought a civil case. They are looking at manslaughter with regards to potential hijacking or terrorist activities onboard MH370.

And that is why the French prosecutor's office will be involved. They are leading the investigation and members of the Malaysian judiciary will also be joining as well. So, there are two aspects to this investigation.

Now, you have mentioned there that the flaperon has been confirmed over the weekend, of being a part of a 777 aircraft. But it's yet to be confirmed as part of MH370. That is the definitive analysis that is going to happen here over the next few days. And, of course, there is a lot of debris now. The people are out looking for on Reunion Island.

Local people have been out. CNN crews have seen them combing the area trying to help the investigation, see if they can find anything else. So far, nothing else found has been identified as being part of a plane or indeed any kind of MH370 debris. And this morning, the Malaysian transport minister in a tweet said

that the debris is consistent with drift analysis determined by experts. We've been discussing that on CNN, how this is the time that any kind of debris from a potential crash in the Indian Ocean where we believe MH370 have gone done may have washed up in this area close to Reunion Island.

But he says we have to wait for complete analysis to complete to say that his is from MH370 -- John.

BERMAN: And that comes Wednesday. In the meantime, a renewed focus on all those islands in the coastline as well.

Saima Mohsin, thanks so much.

[04:10:01] ROMANS: All right. Time for an early start on your money this morning.

Asian shares are lower. European shares and U.S. stock futures are a bit more optimistic. Complete analysis.

But in Greece, stocks plunging 30 percent this morning. The stock market reopened today after being closed for five weeks. There are restrictions on local investors to keep money from flooding out of the Greek banks. They will only be allowed to buy shares with existing cash. They won't be able to draw from their Greek bank accounts. The stock market and the banks were shutdown at the end of June to prevent collapse. Banks reopened two weeks ago after Europe agreed to a new bailout. Withdrawals are still limited to 420 euro a week.

That's what happens when you shutdown the stock market for five weeks. When it opens, it plunges.

BERMAN: It's like 20 percent drop in the morning.

All right. Happening now, dozens of homes destroyed. Thousands evacuated as wildfires rage across California. We have new developments overnight, that's next.

ROMANS: Plus, caught on camera, a tornado touching down. Look at that. The dramatic story behind this new video next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: New this morning, a state of emergency declared for all of California or at least 21 wildfires are burning right now. The worse of them has already destroyed two dozen homes and threatened thousands more in Northern California. Hundreds of families have been evacuated. Authorities say the Rocky Fire 100 miles north of San Francisco is barely 5 percent contained right now.

Let's get more from CNN's Stephanie Elam in Lake County, California.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are inside the evacuation area for the Rocky Fire. And, as you can see right here, above us, that is active fire, where it has plenty of fuel that it can burn at this point. And this is why we are seeing so many firefighters out here monitoring this line.

We are standing along Highway 16. California 16. And what they want to do is contain this fire so it doesn't jump across the road.

So, a lot of fires, back fires being built on the opposite side. But as you take a look at this active fire here, you can see the wind is really pushing it.

[04:15:02] And that is a big part of the problem with fires like this. When there is this much wind and such low humidity, it is the perfect environment for a wildfire, for one that is ballooning as quickly as this one has.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Stephanie, thanks for that.

Will the weather cooperate with those California firefighters?

Let's go to meteorologist Derek Van Dam.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, John and Christine.

We have over 20 fires raging across California as we speak. We focus in on the Rocky Fire. Look at the terrain across the area, almost 3,000 firefighters having difficult time navigating the steep cliffs and really getting at the individual spot fires. It's only 5 percent contained at the moment. Over 54,000 acres have been burned so far. And look at that, 6,000-plus structures threatened from this.

Unfortunately, the weather is really not going to play along too much. Still sunny and dry through the rest of the week, and it appears the humidity levels will stay low and the wind remain light to moderate.

This is what some of the ground looks like in the arid parts of California. Remember, we have 46 percent of the state under an exceptional drought.

Take a look at his incredible video from NASA. This shows the rainfall conditions over the past six months. And notice the colors over the eastern half of the United States compared to the west. We certainly wish we had that rainfall in California, but that's just not the case.

That's the severe weather today across the New England area, and that is going to mean large hail, damaging winds possible for Pittsburg and New York. Your heat wave coming to and end by the middle of this workweek.

Back to you.

BERMAN: All right. Derek, thanks so much. We have amazing weather video just in. Look this, that tornado

silhouetted against the black clouds tearing across the field southwest of Des Moines. This was part of the severe thunderstorm system in mid-Iowa causing wind and hail damage around that area. No damage reported from this particular twister.

ROMANS: A manhunt underway this morning in Tennessee for a suspect who is accused of murdering a Memphis police officer. Saturday, officer and Marine Corps veteran Sean Bolton was gunned down after he spotted an illegally parked car and approached. Detectives say Bolton actually interrupted a drug deal and got into a struggle with this man, Tremaine Wilbourn, who shot him several times. Wilbourn and the car's driver sped away, but police say the driver himself in and was later released. Wilbourn remains at large this morning.

Although they are shaken up, Bolton's fellow officers are determined to get this suspect off the streets.

(BEGIN VIDEOI CLIP)

TONEY ARMSTRONG, DIRECTOR OF POLICE SERVICES: When you look at this individual, you are looking at a coward. He's a coward. He literally destroyed a family. Look at the impact that has had on this department, this community, this city for less than two grams of marijuana.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The mayor says the White House has contacted city officials to show support. U.S. Marshals have joined the manhunt for Wilbourn and are offering a $10,000 reward.

BERMAN: Federal agents will join the Baltimore police department's homicide unit following the city's deadliest month in decades. 191 people have been killed in Baltimore since January 1st. 45 of those homicides happened last month alone. Three days into August, ten people have already been shot. Ten agents from the FBI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals and Secret Service will join 20 other federal agents who are already working murder cases on the streets of Baltimore.

ROMANS: The FBI, ATF and homeland security are now investigating two explosions outside New Mexico churches ahead of Sunday services. The incidents came in Las Cruces, about 40 miles north of the Mexican border. The first explosion tore apart a mailbox outside a Calvary Baptist Church, and the second explosion was in a trash bin outside the Holy Cross Catholic Church. No injuries were reported.

BERMAN: A powerful thunderstorm packing high winds uprooted a tent at a music festival west of Chicago Sunday afternoon, killing one man, seriously injuring three others. About 20 more were treated and released. Witnesses say a huge tent at the Prairie fest in Wood Dale was lifted straight into the air and dropped unto the crowd. Firefighters apparently had to cut victims out.

ROMANS: Wow. All right. Bobbi Kristina Brown will be laid to rest today. The only child of singer Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston, she is scheduled to be buried alongside her mother's grave at a private burial in New Jersey. Family and friends said an emotional farewell to the 22-year- old in a private funeral in Georgia Saturday. The service was temporarily disrupted by the disturbance between members of these two feuding families.

Brown died on July 26th, six months after she was discovered face down and unresponsive in a bathtub in her suburban Atlanta home. So many people said that the circumstances surrounding her accident was so similar to her mother's death just a few years ago.

All right. This morning, we are learning of another lion illegally killed in Zimbabwe. It was again an American hunter accused in its death.

[04:20:02] We are live with new details, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: All right. This morning, we are learning of a second lion in Africa illegally hunted. Once again, an American is now wanted in connection with its killing. Wildlife officials say it happened in April and that his guide was hunting without a permit. It's, of course, on the heels of the death of a well-known lion at the hands of a different American.

CNN's David McKenzie live in Johannesburg this morning with more on both of these cases.

Good morning David.

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine.

Yes, the latest comes from the Zimbabwean park authorities. They say that another American was involved somehow in the illegal hunt back in April. They arrested the Safari owner who organized that hunt. And it puts into question in general the dodgy practices that seem to have been going on in Zimbabwe of potentially luring these lions out of national parks and killing them.

Of course, this issue of Cecil the Lion has drawn worldwide response. In response to that, they have tightened the rules there in Zimbabwe, banning the hunting of big game on the margins of the park, and also banning bow hunting all together. Now, it was with the bow that Dr. Walt Palmer killed Cecil and just wounded him and tracked him for many hours and that started this whole intense focus on the issue of trophy hunting in Africa -- Christine.

ROMANS: There's been a lot of attention on lions. But hunting and poaching in Africa effects a lot of different animals actually.

[04:25:00] MCKENZIE: That's right. You know, we have been talking about lions a lot in the last few days, and that's a serious issue. Lion numbers have dropped by 90 percent in the several decades.

But I want to be clear here, lions itself aren't endangered in Southern Africa. They're not in that category. But what we have seen is them being hunted and poached, but also, huge poaching in Zimbabwe and other parts of Africa of rhinos, of elephants. Those numbers have been dropping massively and conservationists say that it's often weak environmental management that is causing these poachers to come in, often sending their goods to China.

So, there's a whole big issue here that is effecting these populations extremely badly. In a few generations, you might not see these animals in the wild at all. And many conservationists say that this issue of Cecil the Lion is the way to open the door on the bigger issue to tackle poaching and hunting. In fact, U.S. Congress has a bill in place that they're going to work on to try to do this and the U.N. has also announced tough new rules on transporting illegally animal products -- Christine.

ROMANS: All right. David McKenzie in Johannesburg for us this morning -- thank you.

BERMAN: The race for president intensifies this morning. Donald Trump fires an advisor, Hillary Clinton's campaign gets ready for a possible Joe Biden run. Some brand new Clinton ads, the first, released overnight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: It's a big shake up coming to the race for president. Days from the first presidential debate, Donald Trump fires a top adviser, Hillary Clinton launches her first television ads as speculation mounts she could face a powerful, new challenger.