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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

New Clashes in Ferguson; Gaza Cease-fire Extended; Fight for Mosul Dam

Aired August 19, 2014 - 05:30   ET

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

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

ROMANS: Breaking news overnight: chaos in the streets of Ferguson, Missouri. 31 people arrested, two people in the crowd shot, four police officers hurt. The National Guard unable to stop protests from, again, turning violent, crowds furious over the police shooting of unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown.

We've got dramatic new video overnight and what's next in that case. We are live.

Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans, 29 minutes past the hour.

We are following that breaking news from Ferguson. Stun grenades and tear gas fired by police. Police say rocks, bottles and Molotov cocktails were thrown at them. Police say they were shot at.

At least two people were shot in the crowd, shot by other members of the crowd. Thirty-one arrests made. Some of those from as far away as New York and California. Four police officers injured.

I want to bring in CNN's Ed Lavandera, he has been there all night long. So has our CNN producer Steve Kastenbaum. They have watched what started as a protest in the name of Michael Brown. They watch that turn into something much more dangerous and much darker as the night went on -- Ed.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christine, as you mentioned, those 31 people arrested. A number of handguns recovered from the crowd. Authorities say that they saw Molotov cocktails and because they were being shot at, you know, they had to get into the crowd once again. But I think one of the -- what I saw repeatedly was a lot of the times, police relying on some of the local community members to try to bring down the tempers, turn down the volume.

And that seemed to work for a little while. But eventually, that gave way, things turned confrontational once again and when the gunshots started being heard, that's when the tear gas canisters were deployed.

And really, we have seen Captain Ron Johnson, a man who we have come to know at the center of the security force here in Ferguson. One of the more emotional nights for him. Saw him trying to plead on the streets tonight with people to no avail. And he came out just a little while ago, very emotional, trying to urge people to get things under control.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. RON JOHNSON, MISSOURI STATE HIGHWAY PATROL: There were numerous reports of shots fired. We had two fires, one at a business and one at an unoccupied residence. In the area of West Florissant and Canfield, our officers came under heavy gunfire. Our officer confiscated two guns doing a car stopped near the media staging area. These are not acts of protesters, but acts of violent criminals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: And I'm here with our producer Steve Kastenbaum. Another night of mouthfuls of tear gases as we witness all of this.

What stood out the most to you tonight?

STEVE KASTENBAUM, CNN PRODUCER: What stood out to me was that when we first arrived in Ferguson, it was a completely different feel on the streets compared to the previous nights. First off, police weren't letting people drive anywhere close to the main drag in Ferguson. They had to park far away and walk in on foot.

The main drag therefore was much more subdued. There weren't people driving up and down and honking their horns and people blasting music and whatnot. These are much more subdued march, peaceful protests, walking up and down the avenue with a very strong presence from community and church leaders out there. Self-policing while the police were on the sidelines. They were most laid back.

But then, it took a turn when the protesters, the march came up against the line of police in riot gear. And a few individuals who were mixed in with these peaceful protesters threw bottles at police. That's when things turned.

LAVANDERA: And they came into contact with that line because they were starting to make that move toward this area where we are here. This is the area where the central command for security force here. Last night, they got very close.

KASTENBAUM: Right.

LAVANDERA: They were just on the hill, on the other edge of that tree line you might see behind me. Clearly tonight, those authorities weren't going to let them get anywhere as close as they got -- as they got last night. So that's why we saw those lines further down the street.

KASTENBAUM: Right.

LAVANDERA: But it was a very kind of tactical response, I thought, from what I witnessed. It was very specific, very targeting to people in the crowd.

KASTENBAUM: Right. The previous night, the riot police and the armored vehicles, the heavily armed police officers moved in very quickly. After that the protesters made it here, they pushed back and pushed back into Ferguson and that's when we also saw some looting taking place. And at that moment, it became very chaotic. The tear gas, the -- the blasts, those flash grenades that they used were being fired in every direction.

Tonight, a much different -- last night, a much different approach as the police looked for those bad actors in the crowd. They look to spot out the people who were throwing things at them. You would see the fingers pointing and then a team, a small team of officers would break away from the larger unit, encircle that person, bring them back in and arrest them. So it was a change in tactics. In my view, I saw maybe some nuance thing but there was a different approach to when it dealt with the bad actors in the crowd.

LAVANDERA: But the point where it all fell apart was that area a little bit farther away from that police line where there was fewer officers, clearly more exposed since it was a smaller group of them coming into contact with these people. And that's when we heard the gunshots being fired. And the fire is being set at the business and these blockades in the road.

KASTENBAUM: Right. And we are watching that video now, you and I were up there. This is very close to where Michael Brown was shot. And this was a group of a few dozen young people who were facing off against police, completely ignoring the orders to clear the streets, that they would face arrests. And the police kept blasting these orders on the loud speakers. So they didn't move in right away.

They stood their ground for a while and kept giving these orders, clear the streets or facing arrest if you don't. But then something happened when those fires were set in the street and another individual tried to ignite a building on fire which we have video of. That's when things turned much more violent, really. And the tear gas canisters.

ROMANS: Yes.

KASTENBAUM: The smoke canisters, the flash grenades went off. And then that's when you and I heard the gunshots come from the direction from where the protesters have scattered.

LAVANDERA: Christine?

ROMANS: You know, I'm interested, Steve, because you talk about somebody trying to light -- you know, trying to light a fire. We know that there are other activities in the crowd by a minority in the crowd for sure, but simply trying to provoke the police, trying to cause trouble. Gunshots fired. Two people, again, two people hurt, shot in the crowd because there are people in the crowd with weapons.

Tell me a little bit about the elements of the crowd. You had said that earlier on, there were people who were peacefully protesting. Did those people leave at some point and then you had these other elements who had taken over?

KASTENBAUM: Clearly the crowd thinned out very quickly when the -- when it was -- when it was taking a turn for the worst.

(CROSSTALK)

LAVANDERA: I thought they got a sense that, like --

KASTENBAUM: Right. Yes. Right.

LAVANDERA: We're out of here.

KASTENBAUM: Right. Exactly. The local community leaders had -- at that point had pushed everybody off the streets and convinced everybody to get on the sidewalks. But there were a few people who would not listen to those community leaders. And when it was getting really tense, it felt to me like at that point the majority of the people who had just been marching up and down the streets, they went home.

ROMANS: How much of this, you guys, is about Michael Brown --

LAVANDERA: And it was interesting --

ROMANS: -- and how much of this was about just causing trouble?

LAVANDERA: You know, I think what you hear from them, as they are being very defiant, there is those -- what they're lashing out and what you hear them say is, you know, this bigger picture of what they say, you know, police brutality and this treatment.

ROMANS: Right.

LAVANDERA: And that sort of thing. So you do hear that. But you also hear that from -- that's the reason why a lot of these people are coming out here to do what they are doing. I think -- I think what some of the peaceful demonstrators will say is that they are taking advantage of that.

KASTENBAUM: Right.

LAVANDERA: Of that message.

KASTENBAUM: And we heard that from some of the local residents this evening while it was still a peaceful demonstration. They were saying that they didn't want the people in their neighborhood who were coming here from outside and taking advantage of this situation to do bad.

LAVANDERA: Yes. Christine, I can't tell you like how many times I heard people say in talking to them, and I think I heard this quote maybe three or four times tonight, and somewhat people saying this has gotten too crazy.

ROMANS: Right. Right. Well, I'll tell you that, you know, when you talk about the idea of disrespecting authority and disrespecting the police, you know, the overarching thing here is that 10 days ago, people feel as though police disrespected Michael Brown in the worst way possible and so you have just this breakdown, just this breakdown between, you know, people on the streets and police. Just the inability of them to resolve this.

I wonder, what is the thing that turns it? What is the thing that prevents this one more night from happening again? Because it doesn't feel as though there's been a cooling at all.

KASTENBAUM: That's a really good question. We were saying when we first arrived here earlier in the evening that it was so subdued and so well-controlled and police were sort of taking a hands off approach to things that we initially thought that maybe this last night was going to be that turning point. Now I don't know where it goes from here.

LAVANDERA: Right. I get the sense in listening to Captain Ron Johnson, they are trying to balance this idea of letting people continue protesting and protecting, you know, First Amendment rights to do all of that.

ROMANS: Right.

LAVANDERA: But I wonder that after tonight or after last night, excuse me, you started hearing some calls yesterday for people saying perhaps there needs to be a moratorium on people coming out here. The peaceful demonstrators and perhaps that would dissuade the others from coming out and then you heard Captain Ron Johnson a little while ago talking about how he wants the demonstrators to come out earlier in the day and then kind of be gone by nightfall.

ROMANS: Yes.

LAVANDERA: And perhaps that might do something. But I know for a fact that those conversations are going to be had intensely throughout the community today, not just in law enforcement, but religious leaders as well. So it will be interesting to see how that message spreads throughout the community.

ROMANS: Yes. I mean, the president yesterday appealed for calm in Ferguson. And it was the roughest night -- the roughest night yet. We'll have to see what it does take to turn this, to change -- turn the page on this, into something that's more like the investigation into Michael Brown's death and healing in that community.

Guys, thanks so much. Great work there overnight. I know it's been a very long night for you.

I mean, there have been three autopsies in the Michael Brown shooting. We know two of them including one commissioned by his parents revealed that the teen was shot six times, including twice in the head. A forensic expert telling CNN those wounds could be the most telling as this investigation proceeds.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR CYRIL WECHT, FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST: The two wounds to the head are very significant. Michael Brown was 6'3". The shots were not fired from a sniper's lair high in a tree or from an adjacent building on the third floor. So this boy, this young man, was bent over. He was stooped. Either

he was charging, like Officer Wilson says, we were told through his surrogate, some woman friend, like a bull, charging at an officer with a loaded gun, shooting at him, just rushing right on, head down or he was already toppling over, having been wounded and he was falling to the ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: So many more questions to be answered. We're following the breaking news out of Missouri. People shot -- two people in the crowd shot. Molotov cocktails launched at police. Four police officers hurt overnight. Tear gas used to stop the violence in the streets of Ferguson. The National Guard not able to contain the chaos there.

Much more ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Forty-five minutes past the hour. We are following breaking news.

Another night of chaos in Ferguson, Missouri. Police in riot gear and armored vehicles firing stun grenades and tear gas in clashes on the streets of Ferguson. Police say they were responding to bottles and Molotov cocktails being thrown at them. Thirty-one arrests were made. Two people in the crowd shot. Not by police. Police say they did not fire a single shot last night but they were shot by other people in the crowd.

I want you to listen to what it sounded like during this tense moment as police moved in.

We're going to continue to follow developments all morning long from Ferguson.

Time for an EARLY START on your money. Forget August's rocky start. The market, stock markets surged ahead yesterday. The Dow jumped 175 points. That was one of its largest single day moves this year. Big rally yesterday. The Nasdaq rose to a 14-year high. And the rally, well, it looks like it's going to keep going today. At the moment futures are higher. Asian markets, European market all higher. So a good day yesterday for stocks continuing early this morning.

Want to take a look at what's coming up on "NEW DAY." Kate Bolduan joining us, I'm sure, with the very, very big news overnight of another violent night, the most violent night yet -- Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR, NEW DAY: Yes. That's absolutely right, Christine. We're going to be following that violent night of protest in Ferguson. Chris is going to be live on the ground for us there this morning.

We're going to look how the peaceful demonstrations, really for a large part of the night just turned into chaos. And we're going to talk to people who were there last night and saw it all happen, including a photographer who was tear gassed and had to be helped by a CNN crew.

Was this an overreaction by police or was it an appropriate response?

Plus we're going to take a closer look at that private autopsy that showed the unarmed teenager Michael Brown was shot six times. What does that tell us about what happened that Saturday? Broad daylight, Saturday.

ROMANS: All right. A lot to break down this morning. Thank you so much, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Thanks, Christine.

ROMANS: We'll talk to you very soon.

All right. We're following that breaking news this morning in Ferguson, Missouri. As Kate said tear gas, gunfire, Molotov cocktails filling the streets. Angry protests over the deadly police shooting of unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown.

Thirty-one people arrested, two people shot in the crowd by other people in the crowd. Police say they did not fire a single shot.

We've got all the dramatic video ahead.

Plus, the cease-fire ending today in Gaza. Are Israel and Hamas about to resume hostilities? We are live with the latest on that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: We are following breaking news. Peaceful protests in the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, taking wrong turn overnight. Police using stun grenades and tear gas in response to rocks, bottles and Molotov cocktails being thrown at police. Thirty-one arrests were made, at least two people were shot not by people but by other people with guns in the crowd. Four police officers were injured.

It was the first night after a curfew was lifted in Ferguson. Also the first night National Guard troops were on patrol.

Much more on this tense situation in Ferguson, ahead on "NEW DAY."

I want to turn now to Israel and Hamas agreeing to extend their cease- fire another 24 hours. It gives more time for negotiators in Cairo to hammer out a long-term peace plan. After more than a week of calm, neither side seemed to be interested in the resumption of fighting.

CNN's Frederik Pleitgen live in Gaza where it is calm. The calm is holding here.

The cease-fire is holding for now, Fred, but all of this is always so fragile.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Very fragile. The people here certainly are very nervous. And I think that the fact that the cease-fire was only extended by 24 hours is something that's making people even more nervous, Christine.

Certainly it looked as though last night some sort of longer term agreement might be reached. There seemed to be an agreement that might have even been signed, but then all of a sudden towards the end of the talks, it seems as though everything fell apart.

It's interesting because one member of the Hamas delegation said that absolutely no progress has been made. So far he says that the negotiating sides have to use every single minute of this day to try and hammer out some sort of agreement. Otherwise, there is a really real possibility of hostilities resuming here.

Certainly the Israelis have said that if there's rocket fire coming from Gaza, they will respond with force. We can see that -- at least hinted at that last night. There were a lot of drones in the air that seemed to be monitoring the area. So certainly it's a very tense time especially of course for the people of Gaza who have already lost so much in this conflict, with houses destroyed, with people killed, with people wounded and who want to see some sort of tangible results that would improve their economic and their humanitarian situation -- Christine.

ROMANS: And you talk about ending the blockade, what kind of rebuilding do they want to do and how long do they think it will take them to get started? Because the pictures we're showing of Gaza, it's rubble.

PLEITGEN: Yes. It's rubble. It's absolutely rubble. And there are a lot of houses that are destroyed. Certainly things like cement and things like steel will be very important, of course. There are security concerns for Israel who are saying, you know, these things in the past have been used to build bunkers. It's not something that we want to see happen in the future again. So certainly there are things that need to be hammered out.

But it really is everything at this point. It's food. It's medication. And then of course the whole rebuilding effort. They can't start as long as there's not a long-term agreement. And it's not only humans that are suffering. Strange enough we went to Gaza Zoo in the past couple of days which has also been hit by airstrikes. And the situation there is just absolutely appalling.

You have one cage that really sort of hurt me, almost, where there's a baboon sitting in it and next to him is the carcasses of his entire family. His wife and his children. There's lions that are almost starving. In fact we got the zoo some food to be able to give to the lions for them to survive the next couple of days.

But it's the people that are suffering. It's also, of course, the animals that are suffering here. But there is really an all-round effort that is necessary. And that's why the authorities here are saying, the people here are saying they need to be able to get building material back in here to start some sort of reconstruction effort. And of course there's going to have to be an effort on the part of the

international community as well. In fact there is a donor's conference that's already scheduled to begin in Cairo once some sort of agreement is reached -- Christine.

ROMANS: All right. Fred Pleitgen for us this morning in Gaza. Thanks, Fred.

With the help of U.S. airstrikes, Kurdish and Iraqi forces have now regained control of the strategically important Mosul dam. Taking it back from ISIS. President Obama said recapturing that dam is a major step forward in the U.S. military operations which he says is directly tied to protecting Americans in Iraq.

CNN's Anna Coren live on the phone from Mosul for us.

And that dam has been retaken. Incredibly important because it is the largest hydroelectric dam in the country -- Anna.

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via phone): Yes, that's right, Christine. I am currently standing on the wall of Mosul dam looking out over this wide expanse of water that many feared ISIS would unleash. Not just in Mosul but all the towns and cities toward Baghdad.

The Peshmerga Special Forces, they now have control of this critical piece of infrastructure. It was a battle which they waged for many days, as you say, thanks to the help of those U.S. airstrikes, 35 strikes in 72 hours hitting 90 ISIS targets. Really allowed those Kurdish forces to make the advances that they needed to get up to the dam.

Iraqi commanders were also part of this operation, but it was late yesterday, where they were able to recapture the Mosul dam. Now that's not to say that this battle is over. It's far from it. There are militants still in surrounding areas. And then 40 kilometers from where we are standing, Christine, is Mosul City, Iraq, second largest city, which is under complete control of ISIS.

It is thought that they will now be retreating to that city, regrouping, rearming, consolidating, planning to launch a counteroffensive. The Peshmerga forces say they are prepared but they need those U.S. airstrikes to continue to keep ISIS where they are -- Christine.

ROMANS: That must be very important. The U.S. airstrikes in terms of letting -- you know, pounding the ISIS positions and allowing them to go and retake that dam. Keeping that dam is going to be really difficult at this point if they are regrouping and coming with a new strategy to try to take it back.

COREN: They definitely need those airstrikes to continue because that is what has changed here. Beforehand, it was the Iraqi military who left Mosul dam when ISIS was making its advance several weeks ago. So we have upped those airstrikes. They would not have been able to capture this critical piece of infrastructure that (INAUDIBLE) power to Mosul, to Baghdad, to much of this country.

And then, on top of that, it contains millions of cubic meters water which is unleashed. Each dam is blown up. And we can't put anything past ISIS. A war or water, some 30 meters high will hit the city of Mosul like a tsunami, like a tidal wave, taking out Mosul, taking out the towns and cities. They believe it would make its way all the way to Baghdad, which is why it is so critical that they hold on to this and that they have those airstrikes to continue with their intensive campaign to make sure they can push back ISIS in the future -- Christine.

ROMANS: All right. Anna Coren for us, standing atop the Mosul dam in Iraq. Thank you so much for your reporting this morning for us.

Fifty-eight minutes past the hour. "NEW DAY" starts right now.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news. We are live in Ferguson as gunfire breaks out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO: Protests turned violent. At least two people shot. Police say they were under heavy gunfire. Tear gas and stun grenades send people scrambling. Dozens arrested. Peaceful demonstrators and journalists caught in the crossfire.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, new details on that private autopsy revealing Michael Brown was shot six times. And we're learning more about what may have happened that tragic Saturdays from a friend of the officer involved.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As he stands up, Michael just bum-rushes him, just shove him back into his car.

BOLDUAN: Now Attorney General Eric Holder is heading to Ferguson as the president calls for calm.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Let's seek to heal, rather than to wound each other.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO: Your NEW DAY starts right now.

Good morning to you. We are live in Ferguson, of course, as CNN has been since the beginning of this Michael Brown saga. And yet another night has been sabotaged by violence and forced police response.

Last night was a little bit of a different situation. But, the result, the same. People dispersed. Tear gas came out. Stun grenades. And last night, gunfire.