Return to Transcripts main page

Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Memo: Multiple Secret Service Security Lapses; ISIS Gaining Ground; Massive Protests in Hong Kong

Aired September 30, 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: Explosive new information about the armed White House intruder. How far we are now learning he made it into the president's home before he was finally stopped. This as the head of the Secret Service faces some tough questions on Capitol Hill today. Is this agency capable of keeping the president safe?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: ISIS fighters gaining ground this morning, inching closer to Baghdad, and also a key Syrian city. We are live on the ground, right next to the battle zone.

ROMANS: Thousands and thousands of protesters filling the streets of Hong Kong. Pro-democracy demonstrators demanding big changes from their government, and they are setting a deadline. We're live with what's happening right now.

It is remarkable to see those pictures.

BERMAN: Amazing pictures. They could get bigger those protests, over the next few days.

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

BERMAN: And I'm John Berman. It is Tuesday, September 30th. It is 5:00 a.m. in the East.

We have a stunning revelation this morning about White House security. We know that the man who jumped the White House fence earlier this month made it much deeper into the White House than had previously reported, even perhaps than we were led to believe by the secret service. The director of the Secret Service testifies before Congress this morning. This was already going to be a tough warning for her, but it just got much, much tougher.

CNN's Jim Acosta has that story from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, Omar Gonzalez made it much farther inside the White House than previously acknowledged by the Secret Service.

According to congressional and law enforcement sources, once Gonzalez entered the White House, he managed to get through a Secret Service officer at the north portico door, went past the stairs, leading to the first family residence, and then ran into the East Room before he was tackled just as he was trying to head into the Green Room. No shots were fired inside or outside the White House.

And according to a memo that will be used by lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee at a hearing later on this morning, there were multiple lapses that allowed Gonzalez to make it that far. One of them being the failure to use what's called the crash button, that would have instantly locked down the White House. The question, of course, is, why that button was not used? And this information runs counter to what the Secret Service initially said on the night of the fence-jumping incident, when a spokesman told reporters that Gonzales was apprehended just inside the north portico door.

The director of the Secret Service, Julia Pierson, is scheduled to appear before the House Oversight Committee later on this morning. According to White House officials, the president has confidence in her leadership -- John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Jim Acosta, thank you for that report, Jim.

Residents of the Syrian city of Kobani terrified this morning. Pleading for help as ISIS closes in. Islamic militant fighters two miles from the Kurdish town with the border with Turkey. U.S.-led forces intensified airstrikes on Iraq and Syria, but officials in Kobani say it's not enough.

Standing by live at the Turkish-Syrian border, CNN's Phil Black.

Phil, bring us up to speed.

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Christine, not enough. That's what people tell us. They ask, where is the international coalition? Where are the airstrikes? Why aren't they getting involved in the fight that's going on behind me? That's where you can see the city of Kobani. It is where people are still left in the city believe they have been left to die by the international community.

It is being advanced upon on all sides -- from the west, the south and the east. We are standing to the east where we have been witnessing the east approach of ISIS and where we have seen firsthand in recent days the fact that the ISIS infrastructure, its weaponry, is simply far greater, far more powerful than what the Kurdish fighters are using to desperately resist them. They are so close now, just a few miles.

Yesterday, they were shelling directly into Kobani itself. It is where residents received at least 20 hits from ISIS shelling. They believe a number of civilians, at least three, were killed as a direct result of that shelling. Most of the residents fled into Turkey, some 200,000 or so from the city and the surrounding region.

But there are still thousand left behind. It is believed. There are very big concerns about what would happen to them should ISIS make a last sudden dash into the city itself.

This morning, we have heard some fighting. It is faint. It is distant. Some shelling we believe from the south.

But here on the ground, there is every sense that ISIS is at the gates. That it is very close to reaching its goal and taking Kobani -- Christine.

ROMANS: And if it does take Kobani, then you have a direct shot from Raqqa which is the self declared state all the way to the Turkish border.

BLACK: Yes, that's right. It would be a significant expansion of ISIS territory. And key in a strategic sense, too, because it would give ISIS this last stretch of the Turkish border, which is considered by many analysts to be the main route of resupply for ISIS.

In terms of foreign fighters, those that are traveling from across the world to swell their numbers. Most cross here. It is believed and it is also a lot of trade and contraband that is smuggled back and forth. The Turkish government appears to be launching an effort to crackdown on in that, to some degree, but it is continuing.

And what this means in a larger sense and the message from ISIS to the world would be, would be they are taking territory, important territory, big chunks of territory, including a major city when they are struck from above by the U.S. and other countries, and those countries that coalition claims to be degrading ISIS ability here in Syria -- Christine.

ROMANS: All right. Phil Black, thank you so much for that, Phil. And, of course, we are also monitoring reports this morning that ISIS is within miles of some of the outskirts of Baghdad as well. So, you've got advances on both fronts. Thank you so much.

BERMAN: Syria's foreign minister is slamming the United States and West for the way they are conducting the war on ISIS, telling the United Nations General Assembly that Western governments ignore his country's warnings about ISIS for years and now need to coordinate airstrikes against ISIS with the Syrian government. The White House is refusing to do that. Syria's foreign minister went on to say that the U.S. is making a mistake by not targeting other extreme groups in the region, along with ISIS.

ROMANS: All right. The cost of the war against ISIS is climbing. According to the new research from the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, military operations against ISIS have cost between $780 million and $930 million in the last two months. The costs going forward depends on duration and intensity. But the think tank estimates a lower intensity campaign would cost as much $320 million a month.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says the U.S. is spending $10 million a day and is likely to request more money.

Time for an EARLY START on your money this Tuesday morning. Asian stocks mostly lower. Those pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong

are rattling nerves at the Hang Seng Index has been hobbled over the past few days. European stocks right now are mixed. U.S. stocks futures are pointing higher.

The last day of January -- last day of September.

BERMAN: January?

ROMANS: January.

BERMAN: Living in the past. Christine Romans.

Fiery words for Hamas and ISIS from Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli prime minister warning the United Nations General Assembly that the two organizations are branches, as he puts it of the same poisonous tree, bent, he says, on world domination through terror. And he compared both groups to the Nazis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: So, when it comes to their ultimate goals, Hamas is ISIS and ISIS is Hamas. What they share in common, all militant Islamists share in common.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The prime minister went on to tell the United Nations that Israel's fight against Hamas and U.S. war on ISIS are part of the same cause.

ROMANS: The United States and Afghanistan set to sign out a long term agreement today, allowing nearly 10,000 American troops to remain in that country beyond the end of the year. Officials from both countries agreed to this deal. They agreed to it a year ago. The former President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, he refused to sign it. He was protesting against U.S. airstrikes that killed Afghan civilians.

Under this plan, all U.S. troops would be out of Afghanistan by 2017.

BERMAN: Some big development.

ROMANS: Sure is.

Happening now, thousands of protesters filling the streets of Hong Kong. They are demanding change from their government. We are live there.

BERMAN: Plus, the man suspected of kidnapping missing student Hannah Graham now linked to the murder of another young woman. We will hear from her family, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Police in Baghdad are confirms claims by ISIS that the militant group has carried out several attacks on Iraqi army patrols and checkpoints in the southern outskirts of Baghdad. At least eight Iraqi soldiers are reported killed. Officials characterized the attack as hit and run. They say Iraqi security forces remain in control of the area. Again, this is in the southern outskirts of Baghdad, by some reports, just eight miles away from the city.

BERMAN: We will keep our eye on that all morning for you.

Meanwhile, a stunning new development in the arrest of the man suspected of abducting Hannah Graham may have led to a break in another case, the 2009 killing Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington. Virginia state police say forensic evidence belonging to Graham suspect Jesse Matthew Jr. matched forensic evidence collected during the Harrington investigation. For Harrington's parents, the news is something of a relief, but they say time is of the essence for Graham and her family.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GIL HARRINGTON, MORGAN HARRINGTON'S MOTHER: They've got plenty of time to sort it out and make sure that this is indeed the person who killed Morgan Harrington and who is responsible for the disappearance of Hannah Graham, which is really paramount. I mean, we know where Morgan is. Morgan is in a box over there. Hannah Graham is still missing. And her family needs to know where she is. We need to bring Hannah home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Graham's disappearance may help unravel some other mysteries. According to local media, there are at least two other women besides Graham and Harrington who disappeared from the same area since 2009.

A patient exposed to the Ebola virus may be held in a strict isolation at a Dallas hospital this morning. Test results are expected back from the Centers for Disease Control at some point today.

Officials at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital will only say the patient was admitted based on symptoms and recent travel history.

ROMANS: The Centers for Disease Control still trying to get a handle on the nationwide outbreak of Enterovirus D68. That is the respiratory disease primarily affecting children. And now, officials are also looking into whether limb weakness and paralysis in 10 children in Colorado could be connected. Doctors say MRI tests spotted an be abnormality in shoulder, triceps, biceps and hips.

BERMAN: Protesters in Hong Kong are digging in and bracing for the possibility of a crackdown by authorities. Thousands of people, thousands and thousands have jammed into the heart of the city. They are demonstrating against a move that would allow only Beijing approved candidates to be part of the upcoming election to become Hong Kong chief executive. Now, violence flared -- look at these pictures -- on Sunday after the ranks of the largely student-led protests that began last week. They grew over the weekend and they have grown since the weekend. Standing by live in the middle of these protests right now is CNN's

Andrew Stevens.

Good morning, Andrew.

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.

They do continue to grow as well. If you take a look behind me, I don't know how much you can see because this crowd is getting quite dense now, but far back as the bridge and beyond the bridge. This is a ten-lane carriage way going into the heart of the financial district in Hong Kong. So that gives you a good idea of how many people, tens of thousands, I would estimate are now packing in here showing their support and showing their solidarity for the students who originally started the movement a few days ago.

And as you see, the numbers are just swelling and swelling. What they want is a very clear aim. They want to turn the democratic process that's been promised by Beijing into something that Hong Kong would like to see. That is specifically allowing Hong Kongers to choose the candidates for the next election for the next chief executive. So, if they can do that, they will be able to get pretty much everything they need.

But at the moment, it is something of a standoff, John. The Hong Kong government is showing no willingness to meet any of the claims at all. Beijing says it stands 100 percent behind the Hong Kong government stand on this. Beijing doesn't want to see protests. They both say this is an illegal and unlawful gathering. Protesters say they will stay here until they get satisfaction. So, a standoff.

BERMAN: Very curious to see how the Beijing and Hong Kong authorities react in the coming days if the protests grow as they are expected to.

Our Andrew Stevens will stay right in the middle of it for us. Thanks so much, Andrew.

ROMANS: Racing champ Tony Stewart breaking his silence seven weeks after hitting and killing a driver in the sprint car race. Stewart telling reporters he regrets participating in the race that night while admitting he has watched the video of his car striking and killing Kevin Ward Jr. on YouTube.

Stewart sounding somber when discussing how the incident haunts him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY STEWART, NASCAR RACER: I think about it every day. I wish I could say it was once a day, but it's not. I think about it a lot every day. That's the great thing about getting back in the car. It gives me time to forget about it for a minute and stop thinking about it. And then, you know, after you get done at the end of the day, you start thinking about it again. It's not something that goes away. And it will never go away.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ROMANS: A grand jury decided last week not to indict Stewart. He says the death of ward caused him to think about retiring, but leaving the sport he loves would, quote, take the life out of me.

BERMAN: The head of the FAA ordering a 30-day review of safety and security at agency facilities after the fire that snarled traffic in Chicago. That fire forced the cancellation of more than 3,500 flights and the ripple effect still being felt this morning. The emergency plan review will be coordinated with two worker unions, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association and other aviation specialists. The FAA has said it expects the Chicago area center to be fully restored by October 13th. About two weeks away.

ROMANS: Wow.

The new report says the heat wave hitting Australia last year could only be had been caused by global warming. Five independent groups of researchers using different methods analyzed the high temperatures that baked Australia for much of 2013. Their findings -- their studies find the extreme heat would have been virtually impossible for not human caused climate change. It is the most definitive connection yet that scientists have drawn between a specific weather event and global warming.

BERMAN: Indra Petersons has an EARLY START on the forecast for today.

Good morning, Indra.

INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning.

Yes, if you are in Florida today, you dealt with a lot of rain yesterday. The last thing you want to be talking about is more rain. But, unfortunately, that is going to be the story. Look at the heavy rain. About three to five inches of rain in Georgia, 5 inches just yesterday. That stationary front is still there. We are still talking about the low continuing to bring more showers into the region. The good news is another day or so, we will finally see it make its way offshore and hopefully, they can dry out a little bit more.

Midwest and Northeast, two systems, one low bringing light showers in today and tomorrow. And then we will really be watching this system across the country with the threat of even some severe weather. So, let's take it kind of day by day here. Get a little better idea of an idea whether showers are light showers again today, kind of out towards the mid-Atlantic and northeast.

But it's this system, the one here that's going to be starting to make its way up that will bring that severe weather threat. Today into the Dakotas, with that second system tomorrow kind of brings it more towards the Midwest. Then, as you get through really about Thursday, look at the threat again. We're really seeing that expand.

So, anywhere from Chicago, think about the delays, they're still not even back to normal. We have potential for more delays a couple of days away. And, of course, the heaviest threat right around St. Louis as we make our way into Thursday. Eventually, that system is going to make its way into the northeast by the time we get to the weekend.

Temperature-wise, ahead of the system, warm. Once the system passes, you are talking about cooler air. A couple of cold fronts come through.

Last thing Chicago wants to hear is showers on the way.

ROMANS: All right. Thanks so much, Indra. Nice to see you this morning.

BERMAN: All right. It was a rough, rough night for me and all decent people on earth. Why? Because the New England Patriots were mauled last night. They were humiliated in Kansas City. They kept me up way too late.

We'll tell you much more about what went wrong and why and how we can fix it.

ROMANS: Your Tom Brady, what happened to him?

BERMAN: Look, he still is handsome.

Andy Scholes, always handsome, will tell us more in the "Bleacher Report", next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: John, I'm sorry. I'm sorry about last night.

What happened to your Patriots?

BERMAN: They got killed. I stayed up for the first half. The truth is, actually, the Patriots put points on the board in the second half. I was pleasantly surprised, and they get shutout.

Andy Scholes has more on this dreary, dreary day for the Patriots.

Good morning, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, BLEACHER REPORT: Good morning, guys.

Yes, this one not pretty if you are a Patriots fan. The Chiefs dominating New England in every facet of the game on Monday night football. The crowd in Kansas City providing a huge home-field advantage. They actually set a world record for the loudest outdoor stadium, breaking the Seattle's old record by five decibels. They must have bee loud.

Now, Jamaal Charles back from injury in this one for the Chiefs. He scored three touchdowns in the game. Tom Brady, meanwhile, continuing to struggle. He was picked off twice in the game. One of them was returned a touchdown. Brady actually watched the Patriots final two drives from the bench. The Chiefs hand Bill Belichick one of his worst losses as coach of the Patriots. Final score is 41-17.

Now, if you are a Raiders fan, it's going to be a long season. The team firing head coach Dennis Allen after a 0-4 start. The Raiders are in the bye week falling an embarrassing 38-14 loss to the Dolphins in London. Allen was 8-28 in a little more than two seasons with the team.

The NFL Players Association announcing yesterday that a neutral arbitrator rather than someone appointed by Commissioner Roger Goodell will rule on Ray Rice's appeal of his indefinite suspension. This is the first time someone not appointed by the league will rule in a personal conduct case. The hearing date for the Rice appeal should be set later today.

Cardinals running back Jonathan Dwyer has been charged on nine counts, including felony aggravated assault. Dwyer allegedly head butted his wife, breaking her nose during an argument in July. Police also say he threw a shoe at his 17-month-old son. But the indictment doesn't charge him with any crimes related to the child. Dwyer and his attorney had denied any wrongdoing in the case.

All right. Detroit Lions tight end Joseph Fauria missed last week's game due to a sprained ankle. Not the strangest news in the world. Well, that was until Lions confirmed Fauria's hurt ankle while trying to house-train his 3-month-old named Lil' Rufio. Faurio was running after Lil' Rufio and he missed the bottom two steps in his house.

So, lots of ways to get into the NFL, guys, that's a pretty funny one. By the way, you know, Kansas City, the center of the sports universe. The Royals taken on A's in the wild card game. Jon Lester versus James Shields, I guess you can share for, right, Berman? You got Lester on the mound for the A's.

BERMAN: John Lester used to pitch for the Red Sox. Yes, no longer, because the Red Sox aren't playing baseball anymore this time of year.

The last time the Kansas City Royals, you weren't even born. It was 1985.

(LAUGHTER)

BERMAN: That's true.

ROMANS: Everything goes back to Boston. Will there ever be a report that doesn't tie back to Boston?

SCHOLES: Probably not.

ROMANS: Thanks, Andy.

All right. Twenty-six minutes past the hour. The Secret Service facing some tough questions this morning as new details of just how far a knife-wielding intruder made it into the White House before he was finally stopped. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)