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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Tracking Ebola in the U.S.; Islamist Fighters Advance; Khorasan Plotting Attack?; Royal Run Continues for Kansas City; Pope Francis Holds Meeting of Catholic Leaders
Aired October 06, 2014 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And we do begin with breaking news this morning. NBC News is reporting that its cameraman Ashoka Mukpo has now arrived on U.S. soil. He was evacuated from Liberia on a specially equipped plane. He is on his way to Nebraska for treatment. He touched down in Bangor, Maine for refueling.
Meanwhile, in Dallas, the condition of the first patient diagnosed in the United States with Ebola, the Liberian national Thomas Eric Duncan, has now been downgraded from serious to critical.
And in Delaware, a child from Liberia has been placed in an isolation unit. But officials say the child was past the incubation period for Ebola, and that the CDC believes the likelihood of infection is, quote, "extremely low."
CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is in Dallas tracking the effort to contain the spread of Ebola there and at the entry points in the United States.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: John, authorities are following 48 people who may have come into contact with Thomas Eric Duncan.
And the breakdown is like this: they are following seven hospital workers who had contact with Duncan and they are considered in the higher risk category and also three family members also in that higher risk category. The rest of the contacts, 38 of them, are considered lower risk.
So, what's happening with these contacts is that they get visits twice a day from a health care worker and their temperature is taken and the health worker will ask them how they are feeling, will run down the list of the symptoms of Ebola to make sure that they're not experiencing any of them.
Now, this helps explain how they are trying to keep Ebola from spreading within the United States. But authorities also want to keep it from arriving in the U.S. a second time. So, I know when I came back from Liberia, it was just about the same time that Thomas Eric Duncan arrived. And what I found was basically no screening.
Now, they took my temperature in Liberia at the airport there, but they didn't take my temperature in the United States. In fact, they basically had no screening for myself and my two colleagues who arrived even though we said we were journalists arriving Liberia who have been covering Ebola.
So, now, federal officials say that they may start having more stringent measures which may include taking temperatures from people who've been visiting Ebola-affected countries -- John.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: All right. Our thanks to Elizabeth Cohen.
So, with elections coming up in the war against ISIS, the White House already has a lot on its plate. But now, Ebola is beginning to add to the political complications facing this administration.
Our Erin McPike is at the White House with more on that -- Erin.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, as you know, the midterm elections are just one month away and the Ebola crisis is beginning to become a campaign issue. So, the White House is trying to send the message that they have this under control and they're trying to manage the fear.
So, listen here to White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer do that on NBC's "Meet the Press" yesterday.
DAN PFEIFFER, WHITE HOUSE SENIOR ADVISER: I think the first thing we need to do is make sure the American people understand how hard it is to contract Ebola and to understand that there's no country better prepared than the United States to deal with this, the best public health infrastructure and the best doctors in the world.
MCPIKE: But there is a slightly different message coming from the CDC. The director, Dr. Tom Frieden, held a briefing just yesterday. In that briefing, he made the point he wants health care officials and health care workers to have a healthy respect for any kind of lapse in protocols, that that is a big risk.
So, he wants health care officials to be very meticulous, even though officials are warning that an Ebola outbreak in the United States is extremely unlikely. But he said that anytime there is still an outbreak, as there is in Africa, there is a potential risk everywhere. So, he did say that increased airport screenings are something that they are considering.
Take a listen.
DR. TOM FRIEDEN, DIRECTOR, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: And, of course, we are now looking at the issue of entry screening. And we are looking at all possibilities. There have been suggestions from people in Congress, from the public, from the media. We'll look at those and see what works to protect Americans and to make sure that whatever we do doesn't unintentionally actually increase our risk. If we make it harder to fight the outbreak in West Africa, we actually increase our own risk.
MCPIKE: Now, increased screenings are something that is recently as Friday administration officials said that they weren't considering them just yet. But we're hearing from more and more lawmakers, including New York Senator Chuck Schumer say that those are important things to consider.
Well, Tom Frieden will be at the White House today to brief the president -- John.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: That should be a very interesting meeting. Our thanks to Erin McPike for that report.
Meanwhile, Islamist fighters on the advance this morning, attacking a Hezbollah checkpoint on Syria's border with Lebanon, and the Syrian city of Kobani is on the edge. In imminent danger of falling in the hands of ISIS fighters. That Kurdish city is right on the border with Turkey and Syria, and it has been under siege for weeks.
On Sunday, ISIS fighters took a strategic hill overlooking the city, and now the fighters defending the city are looking for a way.
Our Arwa Damon joins us live now from the border between Turkey and Syria with Kobani, that city right behind her.
Good morning, Arwa.
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
Some of those fighters trying to cross into Turkey, some of those Kurdish fighters still holding their ground at least trying to. ISIS has managed to move into the southeastern portion of the town. Overnight, eerily quiet, John, that is because the Kurdish fighters telling us that they were forced to stay indoors because ISIS capacity by far surpassed theirs, especially when it comes to their night vision capabilities.
Over the last few hours, we have been hearing gunfire being exchanged between both sides, but also, more and more artillery landing near the heart of the city of Kobani, that a clear indication that ISIS has managed to push forward. Overnight as well and perhaps an indication of the desperate the situation has become. One of the Kurdish female fighters launching a suicide mission against one of the ISIS.
Why is Kobani so important? Well, humanitarian catastrophe aside, if ISIS manages to take over Kobani, it would have a clear supply route from the border here in Turkey, straight down to the stronghold in Raqqa. But, also, if we just look at the bigger picture of what's happening not just in Syria, but in Iraq, since the U.S.-led coalition air strikes began, it really doesn't seem to have had much of an impact on ISIS's ability to continue to push forward. In fact, we have only been seeing ISIS making gains and those non-ISIS fighting entities, whether it's the rebel forces in Syria or the Iraqi security forces in Iraq unable to push forward and hold significant territory. Whatever blow the U.S. was hoping it may have dealt to ISIS, at this
stage, the organization most certainly seeming as if it is not being impacted, John.
BERMAN: And that could be the most serious impact of this advance in Kobani, the symbolic one. Our Arwa Damon, we can see an explosion going off in the distance right behind Arwa. That city teetering on the edge and could fall into ISIS hands as soon as today.
We will update you on that.
The parents of the American man being held captive by ISIS making a heart-wrenching plea for the terrorists to release their son. Abdul- Rahman Kassig's parents are begging for mercy in a video released on Sunday. CNN is respecting Peter Kassig's parents' wishes to now refer to him by his Muslim name.
The 26-year-old former Army Ranger was in Syria providing humanitarian aid when he was captured last October. His parents say they are torn apart.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAULA KASSIG, MOTHER OF ABDUL-RAHMAN KASSIG: Please know that we are all praying for you and your safe return. Most of all, know that we love you and our hearts ache for you to be granted your freedom so we can hug you again.
ED KASSIG, FATHER OF ABDUL-RAHMAN KASSIG: Like our son, we have no more control of the U.S. government than you have over the breaking of dawn. We implore his captors to show mercy and use their power to let our son go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: A warning from the director of the FBI about a possible terror plot to attack the United States. Director James Comey told "60 Minutes" that the al Qaeda affiliate Khorasan may be plotting to do something very, very soon.
As for identifying and finding the hooded English-speaking man in this ISIS execution videos, the FBI director says the U.S. and British intelligence are making progress.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES COMEY, FBI DIRECTOR: We are working pretty hard not to just identify that savage, but all of them.
SCOTT PELLEY, CBS NEWS: Do you know who he is?
COMEY: I believe we do.
PELLEY: Do you have a name?
COMEY: I have it on my head. PELLEY: But you're not willing to share it?
COMEY: I am not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: The FBI director went on to say that FBI knows the identities of about a dozen Americans who have joined ISIS. He insists his agency is prepared to track them carefully should they attempt to return to the United States.
Eight minutes after the hour right now. The Enterovirus has claimed the life of a 4-year-old New Jersey boy. Eli Waller's death is the first confirmed fatality directly caused for the mysterious illness. Swelling in Eli's brain and lymph nodes was determined to be a result of the virus. At least four other people who tested positive for Enterovirus 68 have died. CDC officials are investigating whether the virus played a role in their deaths.
The next phase in the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is underway. Australian transport officials say the search vessel Go Phoenix and two others will conduct detailed sonar sweeps in the Southern Indian Ocean in an effort to find the wreckage. MH370 disappeared way back in March with 239 people onboard. An extensive search has thus far failed to turn up a single piece of definitive evidence as to the plane's whereabouts.
Activists and authorities remain in a standoff in Hong Kong this morning. What will the government do now that protesters have ignored the deadline to disperse? We're going to take you live to Hong Kong.
And new apologies. What Vice President Biden said now that could impact the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS. The vice president back tracking on what he called America's biggest problem.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: Hong Kong authorities and protesters remain at a standoff this morning. Pro-democracy activists ignored a government decline to disperse, but they did decide to allow city workers to enter offices that had been blocked last week.
CNN's Kyung Lah is live for us now from Hong Kong.
Kyung, give us a sense of where things stand right now.
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, today is decision day. That's what the government has decided to call it. They wanted these crowds to disperse.
But what we see from the protesters are some concessions which has really sort of mitigated all that. The pedestrian bridge that you're seeing me stand on, I would not have been able to stand on here a few days ago because this was completely packed. This is the main entry way into the main governmental building into Hong Kong. You can see that you can access it now. That was a demand of the
government, and that's something that the protesters have given into. If you look over here, though, they're still here.
Now, this is a main road in Hong Kong. It is noticeably thinner than it has been, you can see, though, it is still blocked off. What the protesters are saying today is we will give you some concessions. The government will be allowed to go into its main offices, but this road is not going to be cleared until they can sit with the leaders of the government and decide and determine if there's going to be more democracy in Hong Kong's future and where the people are going to be able to select their leaders without interference of Beijing -- John.
BERMAN: The tension still remains even if the numbers do not. Our Kyung Lah on the ground there in Hong Kong, thanks so much, Kyung.
A new apology from Vice President Joe Biden. He has now apologized to Turkey and the United Emirates for comments he made last week during an appearance at Harvard Kennedy School of Government. The vice president suggested that U.S.-Arab allies are partly to blame for strengthening ISIS and other militant groups.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSEPH BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our allies in the region were our largest problem in Syria. The Saudis, the Emiratis, et cetera, what were they doing? They were so determined to take down Assad and essentially have a proxy Sunni/Shia war. What do they do? They poured hundreds of millions of dollars and tens -- thousands of tons of weapons into any one who would fight against Assad, except that the people who were being -- who were being supplied were al Nusra and al Qaeda and extremist elements of jihadists coming from other parts of the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Now, he may be right, but he is still apologizing. The White House says the vice president spoke to the crown prince of Abu Dhabi by phone to say he did not intend to imply that the UAE supported terrorists.
Please help end this nightmare. Those words from the parents of missing college student Hannah Graham. The 18-year-old University of Virginia sophomore vanished last month. Yesterday, her parents made a new emotional plea for her safe return. Authorities even upped the reward to find her to $100,000.
With tears in her eyes and her husband by her side, Sue Graham begged anyone with information to come forward.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUE GRAHAM, MOTHER OF HANNAH GRAHAM: Despite all of your efforts, Hannah is still missing. Somebody listening to me today either knows where Hannah is or knows someone who has that information, we appeal to you to come forward and tell us where Hannah can be found. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Your heart goes out to that family.
All right. Sixteen minutes after the hour right now.
The Royals, America's team. Can you feel it? Shocking the Angels and advancing to the American League Championship series for the first time since I was like two. Laura Rutledge has the details in the "Bleacher Report", next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: So just like everyone predicted, the Kansas City Royals going to the American League Championship series after sweeping the powerhouse Angels.
Laura Rutledge with more in the "Bleacher Report".
LAURA RUTLEDGE, BLEACHER REPORT: John, it has been almost three decades, but it was worth the wait. The royals are back and playing for the American League pennant for the first time since 1985.
The Kansas City crowd, they knew their team needs one more win for a sweep of the Angels. So, many brought their brooms to the game. Bottom of the first, Royals get going early. Bases loaded, Alex Gordon drives it all the way to the wall, that clears the bases and gives the Royals a 3-1.
Kansas City played defense too. Check out Lorenzo, came with a diving catch in center. That saves possibly two runs.
All right. Bottom ninth, Angels Mike Trout strikes out for the final out. The greatest Royal ever George Brett loves it. Free barbecue for everyone in Kansas City. Royals Jarrod Dyson still happy after the games, shows off with a back flip during the celebration.
Now, the Orioles were hoping to celebrate on Sunday with a chance to clinch against the tigers. Top six, no score, Nelson Cruz with a shot to the opposite field. It saved just fair of the right field foul pole for the two-run homer. Bottom of the ninth, Tigers down a run, but with the chance to tie or win the game. Orioles pull off the nifty double play to finish off the series. They sweep the Tigers and advance to take on the Royals. You can see that game one of the ALCS Friday on TBS.
On to football where Tom Brady and the Patriots silenced a lot of their critics while humiliating the Bengals last night. Brady surpassed the 50,000 passing yards mark with passes like this one to Tim Wright. And after the touchdown, Brady and Julian Edelman having fun. Brady finally spikes the ball himself, Patriots were dominant all game, taking down the Bengals, who are no longer the last undefeated team in the NFL. New England wins 43-17.
Broncos and Cardinals. Peyton Manning set another passing record on Sunday. First quarter, he finds Julius Thomas in the end zone. That is his 500th career touchdown pass, making him only the second player in NFL history to throw 500 touchdowns. He now trails only Brett Favre, who has 508.
Manning didn't stop there, of course. He threw four more scores in the game. Broncos win it 41-20.
And, John, back to Tom Brady.
BERMAN: Yes.
RUTLEDGE: Just goes to show you what happens when you make Brady mad. He has the trademark chip on his shoulder, and he's pretty dangerous when that comes out.
BERMAN: A very, very broad, handsome shoulders, too. I might add. To all of you who said that Tom Brady was finished, shame on you. Shame on you.
RUTLEDGE: Right.
BERMAN: Thank you, by the way.
RUTLEDGE: And the o-line playing well helps.
BERMAN: Yes, it does help, and it helps when people catch the balls that he throws to them. But that's a whole other issue.
Laura, great to have you with us this morning -- thanks so much.
A new case of Ebola making its way on U.S. soil as a cameraman is heading to Nebraska from Liberia after being diagnosed with the deadly virus.
We'll also tell you about the other top headlines you need to know for the day right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
BERMAN: Breaking news this morning, as a new Ebola patient lands on U.S. soil, an NBC cameraman makes his way to a hospital in Nebraska for treatment of the deadly virus. Also, what the U.S. government is now considering to keep you safe.
Other news, gaining control. ISIS continues the push in Syria taking control over a strategic hill overlooking the city of Kobani. This morning, an increase in the presence of Turkish military along the border. That could be a key development as Islamist fighters possibly with the al-Nusra Front are attacking a Hezbollah checkpoint on Syria's border with Lebanon. We'll tell you what this means for the coalition's efforts. And we are live in that region this morning.
And, an imminent danger. FBI Director James Comey says the group Khorasan may be planning an attack on the United States and it could be coming any day. We have all the details. Welcome back to EARLY START, everyone. I'm John Berman. Twenty-eight minutes past the hour. Christine Romans is out today.
And we do have some breaking news at this hour. NBC is reporting that its cameraman, Ashoka Mukpo, has now arrived on U.S. soil after being evacuated from Liberia on a specially equipped plane. He is on his way to Nebraska for treatment, touched down in Bangor, Maine, for refueling.
Meanwhile, in Dallas, the condition of the first patient diagnosed in the U.S. with Ebola, the Liberian national Thomas Eric Duncan has now been downgraded from serious to critical.
And in Delaware, a child from Liberia has been in an isolation unit. But officials say the child was passed the incubation period for Ebola, and that the CDC believes the likelihood of infection is, quote, "extremely low".
CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is in Dallas tracking the efforts to contain the spread of Ebola there and also entry points to the United States.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: John, authorities are following 48 people who may have come into contact with Thomas Eric Duncan.
And the breakdown is like this: they are following seven hospital workers who had contact with Duncan and they are considered in the higher risk category and also three family members also in that higher risk category. The rest of the contacts, 38 of them, are considered lower risk.
So, what's happening with these contacts is that they get visits twice a day from a health care worker and their temperature is taken and the health worker will ask them how they are feeling, will run down the list of the symptoms of Ebola to make sure that they're not experiencing any of them.
