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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Ebola Epidemic: Another American Infected; War on ISIS: New Help; JPMorgan Hacked: 83 Million Accounts Breached

Aired October 03, 2014 - 04:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news this morning: new information about the NBC journalist infected with Ebola. This as we learn details of just how many people came in contact with the Texas Ebola patient, and what's being done there to stop that virus from spreading.

ROMANS: New help on the way this morning in the war on ISIS. What's being done to stop those terrorists? We are live in Baghdad with that, ahead.

And, hackers attack JPMorgan Chase. This is one of the biggest security breaches ever, 83 million accounts affected. We're breaking down what you need to know, and what you need to do about it this morning.

Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans. Thirty-one minutes past the hour.

We have breaking news for you this morning.

The freelance NBC News cameraman who was diagnosed with Ebola on Wednesday has now been named. He is 33-year-old Ashoka Mukpo. NBC hired him just one day earlier as a second cameraman for the network's medical editor, Dr. Nancy Snyderman.

Now, the network is flying him, Snyderman and the whole crew back to the U.S. for quarantine and treatment. NBC News President Deborah Turness released a statement saying, "We are taking all possible precautions to protect our employees and the public. The rest of the crew, including Dr. Nancy, are being closely monitored. They show no symptoms or warning signs. However, in an abundance of caution, we will fly them back on a private charter flight and then they will place themselves under quarantine in the United States for 21 days, which is at the most conservative end of the spectrum of medical guidance."

In Dallas this morning, health authorities working furiously to prevent an Ebola outbreak. They are casting a much wider net this morning as the number of people they think may have had contact with the first patient diagnosed with the virus in the U.S. swells from a dozen to about 100. Officials are now trying to track all those contacts to check on their health.

Meanwhile, the four people Thomas Eric Duncan was staying with had been ordered by authorities to stay inside after they violated a voluntary quarantine. Duncan's girlfriend Louise spoke to Anderson Cooper about the instructions she has received from the CDC.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LOUISE, DUNCAN'S GIRLFRIEND: Stay at home. Stay at home and monitor my temperature. They take my temperature and they're going to be monitoring my temperature and all of us. My son should stay home, my nephew. Everyone should stay home for 21 days. We should not come outside, if we have to come outside, right on the porch but not get down the stairs.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: What did you think when you heard that?

LOUISE: Scary. I'm scary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Inside the apartment, conditions are bleak, we're told. Louise says no one brought food on Thursday to four people who are barred from leaving, to get it themselves, until health officials sent some late in the day.

Then, there is soiled cloths and linens left behind by ill Duncan. Louise had sealed Duncan's, all of his items in a plastic bag.

Authorities are scrambling to find a company to disinfect the apartment. Here's Dallas County's top elected official.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDGE CLAY JENKINS, DALLAS COUNTY: We have some hygiene issues that we are addressing in that apartment. This is a fluid situation. We have a contractor. There are protocols that have to be followed to clean and take care of the things that need to be taken care of in there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: It's important to note that no one besides the original patient has shown any signs of Ebola infection. Duncan himself still is in serious condition in a Dallas hospital.

Officials in Liberia said Duncan lied on the exit questionnaire he filled out at the airport, when he wrote that he had no contact with anyone infected with Ebola. Officials say they will prosecute him for that lie when he returns to Liberia.

But Duncan's half brother says Duncan did not know the pregnant woman he helped was infected.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) WILFRED SMALLWOOD, EBOLA PATIENT'S HALF BROTHER: (INAUDIBLE) this woman is pregnant, was walking and falling off and he ran to help her she can't drop and hurt herself. Nobody knew Ebola because Ebola is in the system, it's not in the body. So, I think (INAUDIBLE). He didn't know the woman.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The Dallas independence school district trying to cope with Ebola fears this morning. Custodians dressed in white hazmat suits cleaning elementary school Wednesday night, one of the schools attended by five children who had contact with Duncan. The school district says those five children are now being home schooled.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUPERINTENDENT MIKE MILES, DALLAS INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT: W also enrolled the five students into the home-bound program so they will get curriculum support and technology support to continue their education.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: United Airlines also taking precautions to address the Ebola scare. The airline is reaching out to the nearly 400 passengers who are on the flight with the Ebola victim Thomas Eric Duncan. United Airlines refereeing them to the CDC, Duncan traveled on two United flights. One from Brussels to Washington, D.C and then onto Dallas Ft. Worth.

CNN's Rene Marsh has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RENE MARSH, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Christine, Dulles Airport was the second stop for this Ebola patient traveling from Liberia. We do know that United Airlines, one of the carriers he flew on, they are now voluntarily contacting all of the people who were onboard this man's last night.

There's two United Airlines flights involved here. The airline tells us that both of those planes are thoroughly cleaned. They were thoroughly cleaned with heavy duty disinfectant. We also know that both planes remain in service.

Now, there is a third carrier, Brussels Airlines. That carrier brought him from Liberia to Belgium. They say they will continue to fly that route because it's their humanitarian duty as they are carrying medicine, supplies and health care workers to the region -- Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: Three flights.

President Obama promising Dallas mayor, Mike Rawlings, all of the support his city needs to deal with Ebola. He's offering the resources of the Centers for Disease Control to prevent this virus from spreading there.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon sending 1,400 troops to Liberia this month. A total of 3,000 American soldiers stationed in West Africa this fall to fight an outbreak that has killed well over 3,000 people.

Kurdish fighters claiming a victory in Iraq, retaking the strategic town of Ravia (ph) on the Syrian border on Thursday. Retaking it with help from coalition airstrikes.

Meanwhile, Australia committing special forces troops to advise and assist the Iraqi army in its fight against ISIS. Australian aircrafts are set to join the coalition airstrike.

CNN's Ben Wedeman is there for us live now in Baghdad. He has the latest on the war to stop ISIS.

And, Ben, we've been hearing over the past few days, all of these reports of ISIS advances in Syria and advances in Iraq. Tell us about this town that's been retaken and maybe some encouragement by what's going to be happening with the Australians.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is the town, Christine, of Hete (ph) which is 90 miles to the northwest of Baghdad, which yesterday was taken by ISIS using the usual methods, suicide car bombs, suicide truck bombs, basically sent the local garrison, the army, the Iraqi army and local Sunni militia fleeing the city. They are now on the outside of the town hoping to get the reinforcements to retake it.

But at the moment, the black flag of ISIS flies over the government buildings in that town. There is also renewed pressure from ISIS this morning on the city of Ramadi, which is also on the Euphrates River. It appears that what they are trying to do is take all of the major towns and cities on the Euphrates. Essentially, they're going to be able to control the stretch of the river from just about an hour's drive outside of Baghdad up through Iraq, through Syria and to the Turkish border.

So, hugely significant this current push they are undertaking. It doesn't seem and certainly when you speak to Iraqi officials, they stress the point, it doesn't seem the U.S. air strikes and other coalition member airstrikes are really blunting ISIS push in the western areas of Baghdad -- Christine.

ROMANS: What are people in Baghdad -- I mean, it has been years now of just horrific violence and car bombings from different fighting with different sects. You have this prolonged push by is. What are people saying? How concerned are they about what is happening in that country? And how concerned are they about Baghdad?

WEDEMAN: Well, they are extremely concerned in general. The situation in Baghdad is somewhat more complicated. This is a predominately Shia city. And what we've seen, the pattern of ISIS expansion in Syria and Iraq

is they will take over areas where there is a sympathetic local population. The population for instance here in Iraq that's been alienated by the al Awlaki government before the current government of Haider al-Abadi. So, it's fertile ground.

Baghdad is not fertile ground. There is a good deal of host hostility to ISIS here. Now, Iraqi army, along with the Shia militia has set up the defensive belt around Baghdad, which is fortified where they have been able to keep ISIS at bay.

So, there is no immediate concern of Baghdad falling to ISIS. The real concern is that they, ISIS, will be using car bombs and other explosives simply to spread terror in the population. As we have seen, that is something they are particularly good at -- Christine.

ROMANS: All right. Ben Wedeman in Baghdad for this morning -- thank you, Ben, with that.

While the Kurdish fighters triumphed in Ravia, they are facing a major defeat in Kobani, and Syria's border with Turkey. Residents of the Kurdish town have been ordered to evacuate as ISIS fighters close in from three sides. Islamic militants have taken hundreds of surrounding villages as they push toward the Turkish border.

On Thursday, Turkey authorized military force to repel ISIS, opening the door with the U.S.-led coalition conducting airstrikes.

All right. CNN's Phil Black is on the Turkish Syrian border this morning. He's going to join us live with a report from there in just about 30 minutes.

President Obama will not appointing a new Secret Service director until December. After a series of high profile security lapses forced Julia Pierson to resign this week, the White House and officials at Homeland Security will wait for a panel of experts to complete a review of their agency before a candidate is chosen. Until then, Joseph Clancy takes over as interim director. He headed up the agency's presidential protection division before leaving the Secret Service in 2011.

More than 80 million JPMorgan Chase accounts have been hacked. That number dwarfs JPMorgan's previous estimates for the big bank hack it announced earlier this summer. The total disclosed in the securities filing on Thursday, makes this breach larger than Home Depot, not as big as Target.

And unlike a retailer, JPMorgan Chase has much more sensitive financial data than just credit card information. The bank says hackers stole contact information for 76 million households and 7 million small businesses. They did not get account information like financial account numbers or Social Security information or passwords. But customers should still be wary. There is still cash in selling e- mail addresses and other personal information to scammers. It opens you up to phishing expeditions from scammers.

JPMorgan Chase has not seen any fraud incidents yet. This year, the bank implemented a $250 million budget to focus on cyber security.

Turning to markets, stocks around the world this morning are mostly higher. U.S. futures are ahead of the release of the all-important monthly jobs report. That comes at 8:30 Eastern Time.

All right. Disturbing details about the man suspected in the disappearance of the missing student Hannah Graham. Previous allegations about him now surfacing, as he soon may be investigated in yet another missing girl case.

Plus, several storms pummeling the Midwest, downing trees, flooding streets, cancelling hundreds of flights and it's not over.

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ROMANS: New information on the man being held in the disappearance of Hannah Graham. We are learning Jesse Matthew was accused of two sexual assaults at two separate colleges, one more than we previously knew about. He was never prosecuted in either case, though. This is according to records and officials in both of those cases.

The revelation comes after Matthew was arrested in the disappearance of missing UVA student Hannah Graham, and then linked by investigators to the 2009 rape and murder of Morgan Harrington. Investigators are now looking into potential links to that case. Meantime, he may soon be investigated in another missing girl case. An attorney for the man who was convicted of murdering a 17-year-old Alexis Murphy, the attorney wants investigators to check for any possible link Matthew may have had in Murphy's 2013 death.

A woman whose tweet triggered an investigation of possible misconduct by a Ferguson grand jury says her Twitter account was hacked. Susan Nichols says she did not tweet a message saying, quote, "I know someone sitting on the grand jury and there is not enough evidence to warrant an arrest, #ferguson." She also denies deleting that message and then deleting the account itself.

The grand jury is considering possible charges against Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, possible charges in the fatal shooting of the unarmed teenager Michael Brown.

Severe storms beating a path of destruction across the Midwest and south to Texas. The storm with gusts up to 90 miles an hour causing widespread damage in Dallas Ft. Worth. More than 100,000 people lost power and these powerful winds causing a brick wall to collapse on parked cars at the historic Ft. Worth stockyards.

Hong Kong's leader refusing to resign. But city leaders will meet with protest leaders. Could a compromise or at least dialogue on the way? We are live, next.

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ROMANS: Now, the latest on the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Hong Kong's chief executive saying his government is open to talking with the activists. But he made it clear he has no intention of quitting.

Tensions simmering as demonstrators blocked two vehicles authorities say content food meant for police. Blocking those vehicles near the chief executive's office building. The activists chanting "shame" and "we don't trust you."

Our Andrew Stevens is in Hong Kong again for us on day six, in the thick of it for us.

Good morning, Andrew.

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine.

I just want to show you this wall here. There are more walls like this springing up around the protest site. These wall curve right around out of sight, thousands and thousands of the messages of support for the protests. A lot referring to 689, which is the number of votes the chief executive got to win the election a couple of years ago.

But all these in both in English and Cantonese, talking about support for the protest, support for what the protests is doing, and staying strong Hong Kong. That sort of message is coming up.

And you can see here, they set up a little station here. You can come along and pick up your post-it note and write what you like and put it basically wherever you can.

As you can see, it is now a sea of colored Post-it notes, people finding bits of space. They cover them in plastic because they want them to stay here for as long as they can. This is the sort of the popular movement part of this, if you like, Christine. It is, as I said, goes right up around that corner here.

But as far as the scene here today, fewer people here. That's because the negotiations are now underway. The chief executive saying last night, just before the deadline last night of the protest movement who had threaten to try to occupy buildings, when that deadline just before that hit, he said there would be dialogue between the government and student leaders. That's expected to begin tomorrow.

It has taken the sting and tensions and hate so far out of the protests here today. A lot fewer people here, but expect this to continue to run for several more days, Christine.

ROMANS: All right. Andrew Stevens for us in Hong Kong this morning -- thank you, Andrew.

Fifty-five minutes past the hour. We'll be right back.

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ROMANS: Time for an EARLY START on your money this morning. Stock futures higher after a wild market swing yesterday before finishing where it began. Attention today on the jobs report, the monthly jobs report. Analysts expect a rebound in hiring after a weak number in August. Economists predict 216,000 jobs created in September. That's up from 142,000 the month before. The jobless rate should stay unchanged at 6.1 percent. That report due at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time this morning.

Pay day loans have never had a good reputation. And guess what? Online, it's even worse. Pay day loans are these loans with very high fees, and a new study by Pew Charitable Trust found that online lenders are more likely to use abusive tactics and put customers in debt. They also charged higher fees for borrowing. Look at this -- rates as high as 700 percent versus 300 percent for in-store pay day lenders. Online lenders make up a third of the market, but they are subject of nine out of 10 complaints to the Better Business Bureau.

It's 5:00 in the East. EARLY START continues right now.