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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Murder Mystery; Prisoner Swap?
Aired June 21, 2013 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: He was dominant last night and he was the finals MVP. A championship parade is set for Monday in Miami. Now, I'm sure that everyone down there will be talking of three-peats, which, by the way, the Heat team president, Pat Riley, he owns the trademark to the word Three-peats.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Is this team as good as the 1990s Bulls?
BERMAN: No.
ROMANS: Really? Is LeBron as good as Michael Jordan?
BERMAN: No. But that --
ROMANS: Not yet?
BERMAN: No. Not ever. No one is as good as Michael Jordan.
ROMANS: That was the right answer. I think so, too.
All right. Can the Dow rebound? Speaking of rebounds? Can the Dow rebound? All eyes on Wall Street when the trading day begins just a few hours from now. Right now, Dow futures are higher. The index coming off its worst single day of the year down 353 points on Thursday. It's lost more than 550 points, 550 points, in just two days. Again, futures look a little brighter this morning.
BERMAN: Still no answers this morning in the case of a man found dead near the home of all pro-football player, Aaron Hernandez. He's a tight-end for New England Patriots. Police not labeling Hernandez a suspect in the man's death, not now, at least. But the "Boston Herald" says he's been banned from the Patriots practice facility. Susan Candiotti has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The embattled Patriots tight-end spent much of Thursday away from home. First, he drove to Gillette Stadium as a news helicopter hovered overhead, tracking his white SUV. Hernandez hustled into the facility. Next, he stopped for gas where he was bombarded with questions from reporters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you tell us anything you want to say? What happened on Monday night? Can you just tell us what happened on Monday night?
CANDIOTTI: The family of old Lloyd (ph) also wants to know what happened Monday night. They wonder why Lloyd, a friend of Hernandez, was shot dead. His body discovered a half mile from Hernandez's home. Police are not calling Hernandez a suspect in the murder. Yet, Lloyd's family wants to know why police are searching Hernandez's home.
What do you make of the questions that he is being asked and what would you like to know?
OLIVIA THIBOU, VICTIM'S SISTER: I would like to know why. You know, he's a very great guy. What did he possible done to anger anybody to do that? It's really sad.
CANDIOTTI: Do you think he might have had something to do with it?
THIBOU: I don't want to make a comment about that.
CANDIOTTI: Olivia Thibou explained the relationship between Hernandez and the victim. Saying her brother's girlfriend and Hernandez's fiance are sisters. She confirms that on Friday, both men were at a nightclub together.
As far as you know, ever have any angry words between them?
THIBOU: Not that i know.
CANDIOTTI: Back at the crime scene, investigators using metal detectors poked through piles of dirt looking for evidence in Lloyd's murder. Hernandez's lawyer won't comment on the investigation. WBZ reports he met with his client in downtown Boston Thursday.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, North Attleborough, Massachusetts.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right. Developing this morning, severe flooding in Western Canada could force as many as 100,000 people in Calgary from their homes. Calgary's mayor has declared a state of emergency. Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued now for 20 communities in Southern Alberta.
BERMAN: They really could use some of that water in the western U.S. Arizona's first major wildfire of the season still burning out of control in the Prescott national forest. The dozy fire has burned 7,500 acres. Some 460 homes have been evacuated. The cost of fighting this fire is said to be as much as $2.6 million. The cause still under investigation this morning, but officials believe that the fire was man made.
ROMANS: A dust storm kicking up some trouble in Lobo (ph), Texas. Look at that. A wall of dust. It's called a haboob, in case you're wondering, giving the sky a bit of an orange glow. Wind dust of 40 to 50 miles an hour. Reduced visibility to, I mean, near zero. Near zero. BERMAN: Indra Petersons tracking dust storms, wildfires, flooding, doing it all for us. Good morning, Indra.
INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: (INAUDIBLE) dirt going in your mouth trying to report, not good guys. Not good at all. No, thank you. Yes. I want to go back to the basics. A lot of people were saying, you know, why do we have so many wildfires right now? Well, the main reason is, let's about those and winters where we typically get the rain.
In the summer, we start to dry out the vegetation, and therefore, by fall, we started to kick up a typical wind time where we start to see the fires going. Unfortunately, we need to get all the rainfall we needed this year. So, typically again, fire season the strongest, that is peak during the fall, but since it's so dry, we have this huge deficit and rain. We're seeing fall-like conditions early on.
Unfortunately, that means our fire scene is going to be very long as we continue all the way even in through November. Of course, we have those fire watches, red flag warnings up again for the southwest today. Southwesterly winds not happening, not helping, I should say. High pressure and low pressure close to each other. The winds are going to be pulling out of the southwest, drying them out, bringing single digit humidity today in addition to 40-mile-per-hour winds.
The only hope they have is the high pressure pulls off at the east. We get some moisture. We're going to have to wait until next week. Hopefully, if that's what happens, we get that moisture out of the gulf.
BERMAN: But we do have summer today?
ROMANS: A beautiful first day.
BERMAN: The summer solstice. Solstice with the moistest.
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: There's another week of school because of Sandy. A lot of kids are in school for at least another week because they were out so much for Sandy.
PETERSONS: That's a double sad.
(LAUGHTER)
ROMANS: It's summer, but school is still in. Thanks, Indra.
BERMAN: Thank you, Indra.
Thirty-five minutes after the hour right now. So, how did two planes wind up so dangerously close at a New York airport? That is the question the FAA is trying to answer this morning. The agency investigating why a Delta 747, a big plane, landing at New York's Kennedy Airport, reportedly came within 100 feet of a shuttle America commuter plane that was taking off? This happened last week. Both planes did land safely. But again, they want to know how they got so close.
ROMANS: A potential compromise as the Senate continues to debate immigration reform. A new proposal from the top Senate backers would require stepped up border security, including 700 miles of fences. Didn't they pass that in 2006? I think Congress already did that. Hmmm. More than $3 billion in technology upgrades and thousands of more border agents with one station every thousand feet along the Mexican border.
Only once those conditions are met with the legalization process begin for millions of immigrants. Supporters hopeful this will win over the votes necessary to pass immigration reform.
BERMAN: Defeat in the house for a new farm bill. Lawmakers voting down the $500 billion proposal. It went down 234-195. It would have cut some $20 billion for food stamps which was an apparent sticking point for some Democrats. There were some Republicans who still thought it was too expensive. The Senate had already approved its version of the bill with a larger price tag and smaller food stamp cuts.
ROMANS: Mental evaluation has been ordered for an actress accused sending ricin-laced letters to President Obama and New York mayor, Michael Bloomberg. A judge ordering Shannon Richardson, she must go through a psychological exam within 30 days. Her own attorney requested the exam saying her client may not be able to assist in her own defense. Richardson has been in federal prison since her arrest on June 7th.
BERMAN: There were tears in the courtroom at murder and racketeering trial of James Whitey Bulger in Boston. One witness crying as she told the jurors about the night her car was his hit with gunfire, leaving her friend dead and her boyfriend a quadriplegic. Another also breaking down on the stand. His brother was the one killed, but neither witness able to say that Bulger was responsible for the shooting.
Former hit man and Bulger associate, John Martorano, testified earlier this week that he accidentally sprayed the car with bullets thinking it was that of a gang land rival.
ROMANS: Decision day for an infamous white collar criminal. A federal judge expected to rule today on whether former Enron CEO, Jeffrey Skilling, should be released early from prison. Skilling was convicted on 19 criminal counts in the biggest corporate fraud in U.S. history. If the judge signs off, Skilling's 24-year sentence could be reduced and he could be out in 2017.
BERMAN: The U.S. is or was poised to begin talks with the Taliban about bringing an end to the fighting in Afghanistan. Also in play, the fate of an American soldier held captive since 2009. Barbara Starr has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There may be fragile new hope for the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Release me, please. I'm begging you. Bring me home, please. Bring me home.
STARR: Bergdahl is the only American soldier known to be in captivity held, its believed, for the last four years by insurgents along the Afghanistan/Pakistan border. Now, the U.S. and Taliban are on the verge of a face-to-face meeting in Doha, Qatar to talk about ending the Afghanistan war, and Bergdahl is on the negotiating agenda.
JENNIFER PSAKI, STATE DEPT. SPOKESMAN: Certainly, the issue of Sgt. Bergdahl on the fact that he has been gone too long will be a part of the discussion.
STARR: The Taliban wants to swap Bergdahl for five detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay. But some observers ask, should the U.S. negotiate with terrorists even if it's to bring an American home?
JAMES CARAFANO, HERITAGE FOUNDATION: We should never stop trying to get him back. But I don't think anybody wants to see their country sold (ph) down the river in a sense just to bring him back.
STARR: James Carafano, an analyst with the conservative, Heritage Foundation, says be careful about talking to the Taliban about anything. They see victory in just getting the U.S. to sit-down with them.
Bowe Bergdahl's parents are expected to make a rare public appearance in their hometown of Hailey, Idaho tomorrow, making another appeal for their son's release.
Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: This has got to be so difficult for those parents. Our thanks to Barbara for that report.
Thirty-nine minutes after the hour.
BERMAN: We have some shocking pictures to show you from India where heavy monsoon flooding is destroying towns and villages in the northern part of that country. At least 150 people now reported dead, but there are fears the death toll could reach more than 1,000 there. Look at that. Local officials say upwards of 50,000 people remain stranded. Thousands of soldiers have now been deployed to help with the rescue efforts.
ROMANS: Clashes in Brazil where protesters were on the street again Thursday, demanding an end to government corruption and the funding of sports stadiums. These pictures from Rio de Janeior crowds there said have topped 300,000 in Sao Paolo. One person died after being run over by an SUV during a demonstration. Brazil's president has called a meeting of her cabinet for today to deal with the growing protests.
BERMAN: It was quite a greeting for David Beckham, a dangerous one, too, when he went to Shanghai University.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN (voice-over): Thousands of students waiting for hours to see Beckham tried to push through security and force him on to the field. Several people were trampled. It was so bad his meeting with a local youth team was canceled. Beckham apologized saying it wasn't possible to get through the crowds and on to the field.
ROMANS: Wow!
BERMAN: Mayhem.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS (on-camera): All right. Coming up, an American high school valedictorian vanishes. His family's frantic search.
BERMAN (on-camera): And a life-saving catch caught on camera. I just can't believe that. You got to stay with us. We will explain the story. The child falling down from a fifth story window and how these people down there saved his life.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: All right. This is the video we are talking about all morning. You have to look at this from China. A group of delivery men stopping to catch a two-year-old girl falling from the fifth floor window. She'd been left alone sleeping, apparently, by her parents, but she woke up and crawled onto the window sill. The men apparently heard her cry as they ran to the hall.
ROMANS: Did they drop her?
BERMAN: Well, they saw her dangling. They worked to catch her. You can see, it seems to me that she ends up on the ground a little bit, but at least, they broke the fall there. Maybe get (ph) her legs.
ROMANS: One guy looks like he got hurt.
BERMAN: Yes. A couple of guys were hurt a little bit. I mean, that's a long way to go. That's a big fall to break there.
ROMANS: Five stories.
BERMAN: Nothing serious, though. And they did save the girl's life.
ROMANS: (INAUDIBLE) about windows? It's the most common injury for children had to windows land against them, great falls out, or they crawl out of them.
BERMAN: It's a big issue in cities (ph), for sure.
ROMANS: I guess so.
All right. The search is on in Ecuador for an Oklahoma high school valedictorian missing since Sunday, August Riger (ph). And his family were on a mountain hike when they split up. He disappeared. His father telling CNN he's baffled since there were only two trails. And it's not a dangerous area. He doesn't think his son was kidnapped. Investigators looking for the team say they have no leads.
BERMAN: All right. Check this out. What you're looking at here is the world's largest doomsday shelter opening soon in Atchison, Kansas. This used to be a government storage sight, but a private company bought it and is fixing it up. This will hold some 5,000 people living in hundreds of RVs. It cost about 25 grand per RV plus $1,500 per person inside there.
If you're bored, there'll be a golf course, a bowling alley, a swimming pool, all of it under ground, you know, just in case, just in case it's the end of the world but you can survive underground for a little while. That is there for you.
ROMANS: I'd like to pick the other 4, 999 people that are going t be there with me, though. I'm not quite sure.
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: Do not park your RV next to mine, Berman.
BERMAN: All right. Two people whose RVs are always invited to park here.
(LAUGHTER)
BERMAN: Chris Cuomo, Kate Bolduan, what do you have coming up on "New Day?"
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I don't get it. Is it a shelter if there's a tornado coming or something like that --
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: No, no. This is like a doom's day thing.
ROMANS: Sounds like an end of the world to me.
BERMAN: Yes. I think you move underground for something bigger than weather. I think --
BOLDUAN: You may be able to -- I mean, you may be able to rent it out for, you know, tornado coverage or something, but, I think most importantly, they're ready for the end of days.
CUOMO: I don't know.
We got a lot of news that we're following this morning. So, what we do here on "New Day, we're going to talk more about the big Heat win. A lot of people are saying this was one of the best finals in recent history. Why? We'll take you through it. LeBron was at the headband, you know?
(LAUGHTER) CUOMO: All of big questions. But really, it was an impressive series. Obviously, LeBron MVP once again. Rachel Nichols will be here. She's got great access to the players. So, we'll bring it all to you.
BOLDUAN: We also have a fascinating story out of California. How are these criminals, just take a look, breaking into these cars? They seem to have some sort of mystery magical device. And cops, they don't know what it is and how they do it. But we're going to try to find out.
CUOMO: Magic --
BOLDUAN: It's magic.
CUOMO: -- complete defense to it.
BOLDUAN: Talk about magic.
CUOMO: There's our man Grayson, right? We introduced him to you yesterday. We can't get enough. And guess what, he's going to be with us today on "New Day." He's going to be here with his parents. We'll talk about how they're helping him adjust to the world with sound, and it's an amazing story. We'll finally get to see him right up close and personal here on "New Day." My good friends --
BOLDUAN: That sweet face.
ROMANS: I can't wait.
BERMAN: Yes. I can't wait to meet him. What a great way to end the first week, too, of "New Day" which has truly been fantastic. So, congratulations for that, guys.
BOLDUAN: Thank you, thank you. Thanks for being part of it.
CUOMO: Thank you for helping us doing it and that's why we're kind of matching you guys today. If you look at your screen.
BOLDUAN: Oh, I just noticed.
ROMANS: This is for Wall Street, actually. Kate and I both are feeling a little -- we're feeling sell-off.
BERMAN: We're seeing red.
(CROSSTALK)
CUOMO: J.B., you outdressed me a little bit as usual.
BERMAN: I do what I can.
CUOMO: Sartorial splendor (ph).
(CROSSTALK)
BOLDUAN: Back to the news.
BERMAN: All right.
CUOMO: Back to the news.
BERMAN: Fort-eight minutes after the hour right now. Coming up, wow! Check this out. Check out this catch. Give that guy a contract. He's not been a player. He the best catch you will ever see. The "Bleacher Report" coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: So, what a game. What a series. If you're from Texas, what a bummer. The Miami Heat beat the San Antonio Spurs last night in the game seven of the NBA final to claim their second straight title. Andy Scholes covering all the twists and turns in this morning's "Bleacher Report." Hey, Andy.
ANDY SCHOLES, BLEACHER REPORT: Yes. Good morning, guys. The Miami Heat needed LeBron James to be at his best. He came through delivering yet another amazing performance. Now, game seven was another instant classic. Neither team led by more than seven points the entire way. Bit of the highlights in the fourth quarter. Miami up by three. Shane Battier knocked down the three from the corner.
Battier came out of nowhere on this one and makes six of eight from downtown. That's what the Heat up by six. The Spurs, though, would not go away. Tim Duncan, the N1, that cut the lead back to three. Then, down to under a minute to go, and this is a play Duncan will surely never forget. He missed a point-blank shot and then the very next possession, LeBron with the dagger.
He finishes with 37 points. He's tied the record for the most points in an NBA finals game set in victory. Heat win 95-88. LeBron is the final's MVP for the second straight season.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEBRON JAMES, MIAMI HEAT: This team is amazing. And the vision that I have when I decided to come here is all coming true. Through adversity, through everything we've been through, we've been able to persevere and win back-to-back championships. It's an unbelievable feeling.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: And celebration for the Heat will continue Monday morning with a victory parade through downtown Miami.
Well, step aside Mia Hamm, there's a new queen of scoring in women's soccer. Last night, Abby Wambach passed Hamm as the all-time goal scoring leader in international competition. Wambach scored four goals in the first half of the U.S. win over South Korea giving her 160 goals for her career.
White Sox/Twins yesterday, Alexei Ramirez right here going to hit a screaming foul ball, but check out the catch by the Twins ball boy. Unbelievable. Goes up. Makes the catch. Comes down. Now, turns out this ball boy has big league blood in his veins. His name is Paul Neshek (ph). He's the younger brother of Oakland Ace pitcher, Pat Neshek. Looks like he has a bright future.
Well, Stefan Gordy a.k.a. Redfoo gave it a go at qualifying for the U.S. Open this week. The popular singer from LMFAO competed in both the men's singles and mixed doubles tournaments in the Northern California qualifier. Unfortunately, Redfoo was not party rocking it out on the court there. He lost both tournaments in the first round, guys.
But hey, at least, he looked awesome doing it. And this wasn't really a joke. He takes tennis seriously. At one point, when he was a teenager, he was one of the top players in all of California. He still stays close to the game of tennis, guys. He's dating the number two player in the world on the women's side, Victoria Azarenka.
ROMANS: Did not know that.
(CROSSTALK)
BERMAN: He looked good on the court. I was going to say. This is no joke. This guy can play.
SCHOLES: Yes. He looked pretty good like know (ph) it all.
ROMANS: Thank you, Andy.
BERMAN: All right. Andy, thanks so much. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: There's so much more I wish I could tell you, but we're out of time and I'm out of co-anchors, too. Christine Romans is gone to be on "NEW DAY" with anchors, Chris Cuomo and Kate Bolduan. Take it away, guys.
BOLDUAN: We're just doing people left and right, Berman. Sorry about that. Thanks so much.
CUOMO: She made a good choice. We have a lot of great stuff coming up for you. An exclusive report from Angelina Jolie only for CNN on refugees from Syria. It's amazing how quickly she's gotten back to work.
BOLDUAN: And now, a jury in the George Zimmerman trial and who those jurors are. Fascinating. We're going break it down for you.
CUOMO: And then, the heart rending piece of the morning. There's our little man, Grayson. That's him, listening to his father's voice for the very first time. He had a rare medical problem. Doctors found a miracle way to cure it. And guess what? They're here with us this morning, Grayson, his mom, and his dad. We're going to see how this little boy is doing up close and personal.
BOLDUAN: We're almost at the top of the hour, which of course, you know, means it's time for the top news.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pulls up, puts it in!
CUOMO: This morning, the champions again. LeBron James and the Miami Heat take down the Spurs to win the NBA championship two years in a row. Most exciting final in years.
BOLDUAN: And too close. Breaking this morning, a near miss over New York City. One plane landing, the other taking off just barely missing each other.
MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: New clues, Patriots' player, Aaron Hernandez, reportedly seen on tape with the man who just hours later turned up dead. Will the tight end be named a suspect?
CUOMO: Your NEW DAY starts right now.
ANNOUNCER: This is "New Day" with Chris Cuomo, Kate Bolduan, and Michaela Pereira.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: Good morning and welcome to "New Day," everyone. It's our first Friday. I'm Kate Bolduan.
CUOMO: And I'm Chris Cuomo. Allow me the first TGIF.
(LAUGHTER)
PEREIRA: Well done.
CUOMO: Here at "NEW DAY." And of course, joined by Michaela Pereira as also.
PEREIRA: Good morning.
CUOMO: It is Friday, June 21st, six o'clock in the east.
And the big story this morning, King James has done it again. For the second straight year, the Miami Heat are NBA champions.
