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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Screening Out Ebola; ISIS Gains Ground in Syria; Deadly Police Shooting Protest
Aired October 09, 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: Stopping Ebola at the airport. How the U.S. now plans to keep infected travelers from entering the country.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. airstrikes unable to stop ISIS in Syria. Terrorists there gaining ground. That as the mother of an American hostage reaches out to save her son. We're live.
ROMANS: And breaking news overnight: chaos on the streets of St. Louis after another deadly police shooting. Dramatic new video to show you, ahead.
Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.
BERMAN: And I'm John Berman. Thirty-one minutes past the hour right now.
And health officials in the United States are set to start screening for Ebola at five major airports. The intensified screening starts Saturday here in New York's JFK and then expand next week to Newark ,Washington Dulles, Chicago O'Hare and Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta.
The screenings will affect only the 150 passengers or so arriving from West African countries that are the so-called hot spots for the Ebola virus. You can see them right there, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia.
Customs and Border Protection officers at the airports will use thermometers -- I guess thermometers aimed at your forehead. They will use a questionnaire to try to spot passengers who may have been exposed to Ebola.
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JEH JOHNSON, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: We are asking passengers to fill out a declaration about what symptoms do you have, are you feeling ill, where have you been in to the last 21 days, and where will you be for the next few days? And through a non contact thermometer, we're going to be taking temperatures of every passenger that comes from one of the three affected countries. If you answer positive or test for a high fever, the passenger is referred to CDC.
DR. AMESH ADAJA, INFECTIOUS DISEASE PHYSICIAN: There is a 21-day incubation period. People may not have a fever when they're passing through the airport. And invariably, when a case comes through, people are going to ask, you know, we had the temperature screening set up, why did this happen? And I'm telling people that it's completely predictable that it will happen because this is not a foolproof way to prevent from coming into the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: The first person diagnosed in the U.S. with Ebola died of that disease on Wednesday. Officials at the hospitals treating Thomas Eric Duncan say he'd been on a ventilator and on dialysis for kidney failure. His death came amid growing questions about the medical treatment he received.
Senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is in Dallas for us this morning with more.
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ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Today in Dallas, family and friends mourning the loss of Thomas Eric Duncan and still, so many unanswered questions about the care he received at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital.
For example, why did the hospital wait five days before asking the Food and Drug Administration for permission to use an experimental medicine? His girlfriend Louise, she issued a statement thanking the mayor of Dallas, the judge involved in the case, the pastor who's been involved, members of the community, but not thanking the doctors and nurses which is quite telling.
In the statement, she said this, "I trust a thorough examination will take place regarding all aspects of his care."
Now, in a related development, a deputy sheriff was rushed to the hospital in full protective gear because there were fears that he might have Ebola. However, there are lots of reasons to think that he doesn't. Consider this: he never actually had contact with Thomas Eric Duncan. He did go into the apartment where Duncan was living, but he was there three days later and he touched surfaces, but Ebola cannot live on surfaces for more than a few hours. And Duncan had been out of the apartment for several days.
Also, Monnig doesn't have all of the signs of Ebola. For example, he doesn't have a fever. So, health authorities saying that the risk of him having Ebola is very low -- John, Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: Better to be safe than sorry.
Meanwhile, we are learning new information this morning about the Spanish nurse infected with Ebola. How she may have caught the virus. We are live in Madrid with that in 15 minutes.
BERMAN: Other big news this morning. Islamic militant fighters are pushing further into the Syrian city of Kobani this morning, as the U.S. coalition conducts more airstrikes against ISIS targets in and around that city. The Pentagon officials insist that air power alone will not be enough to save Kobani. Not without what spokesperson John Kirby says a willing and effective partner on the ground.
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REAR ADM. JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON SPOKESMAN: Airstrikes along are not going to do this, not going to fix this, not going to save the town of Kobani. We know that. And we have been saying that over and over again. And yet, we continue to get questions of, well, why aren't you doing more and how come they are not more effective? What we've been very honest about the limits of air power here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: The limits of airpower.
CNN international correspondent Phil Black live right on the border with Syria and Turkey.
And, Phil, you know, we have seen the smoke. We've seen more planes. The siege of Kobani continues.
PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It does, John. We heard more planes overhead just this morning. It is almost continuous, that sound, and seeing impacts in the distance around Kobani that we suspect to be airstrike.
So, despite the United States' belief that air strikes alone will not save the city, those air strikes are continuing. That will give some heart to the Kurdish fighters inside the city because that's what they want to see more of.
Their belief is that if they take care of the street fighting within the built-up area of the city, and then they can leave the airstrikes to the U.S. and coalition in order to deal with the ISIS positions and reinforcements that are moving through the more open territory that they have conquered in recent weeks. They believe that combination will enable them to hold off ISIS for a longer period of time. And they believe that worked well in the last 24 hours or so, even allowing them to reclaim parts of the city that had fallen to ISIS.
But there is no doubt the situation for them is dire. The U.S. assessment is clear. Kobani will fall and there are clear reasons for that. There are limited resources. They're running out of space to fall back to. They're taking heavy casualties. It is, it seems, only a question of time until the city does fall to ISIS.
Those fighters remain determined despite the fact the final ISIS occupation of Kobani very much appears to simply be a fact in waiting, John.
BERMAN: Phil Black, and you are standing there watching this happen, along with the Turkish troops at the border who are not going to assist the situation. Our thanks to you, Phil. ROMANS: All right. ISIS militants are celebrating the downing of an Iraqi military helicopter. Photo posted to an ISIS Web site show the flaming, charred aircraft. Iraqi officials say both pilots onboard were killed.
Meanwhile, the head of the Kurdish regional government in Iraq is calling on the U.S.-led coalition to step up airstrikes against ISIS. Massoud Barzani also pleaded with the international community to help the hundreds of thousands of Kurdish refugees fleeing the ISIS advance.
BERMAN: The mother of the American hostage Abdul-Rahman Kassig is reaching to ISIS. Look at this tweet sent by Paula Kassig to the leader of the terror group.
She writes, "I am trying to get in touch with the Islamic State about my son's fate. I'm an old woman and Abdul-Rahman is my only child. My husband and I are on our own with no help from the government. We would like to talk to you. How can we reach you?"
ISIS has threatened to kill Kassig. He was doing humanitarian work in Syria when he was captured earlier this month.
ROMANS: Federal prosecutors are asking for a closed courtroom later this morning when a Chicago-area teen appears in court to face terrorism charges. Nineteen-year-old Mohammed Hamzah Khan is accused of planning to join ISIS. He was arrested at O'Hare airport Saturday trying to board a flight to Vienna with a connection to Turkey. It's not clear whether the judge will honor the prosecutor request to keep the media and public out of this morning's hearing.
BERMAN: New intrigue and complaints about the 2012 prostitution scandal in Colombia with Secret Service agents, that involved more than that. The White House has repeatedly denied inappropriate behavior by administration staff. But according to "The Washington Post", new details drawn from government documents and interview suggest that a White House volunteer, an advance man, may have had a prostitute staying overnight with him at his hotel. Documents also reportedly show that senior officials were made aware of the documents during the investigation. At the time the aide denied to investigators that he hired a prostitute or brought anyone to his room.
ROMANS: All right. Smoother and faster. That's how officials say signing up for Obamacare will go this time around. Federal officials unveiled what they called a cleaner Healthcare.gov Web site, and a more logical signup process for insurance. The next open enrollment begins November 15th. It's almost that time of year.
BERMAN: We have it here, too.
ROMANS: Yes.
BERMAN: All right. President Obama heading West for a series of fundraising and other events in California for the weekend. He will hold a town hall today tech company workers in Santa Monica, before attending $1,000 reception for the Democratic National Committee at the home of actress Gwyneth Paltrow. This is the president's second trip in recent months. Not a swing state I might add. He is there to raise cash for Democrats and to help keep control of the Senate.
ROMANS: All right. Thirty-nine minutes past the hour. Time for an EARLY START on your money.
Big day on Wall Street yesterday. Stocks biggest one day gain of the year. Just when you were getting worried about markets, they snapped back. The market closed nearly 2 percent higher. The Dow gained 274 points.
It was the best day in almost a year for the NASDAQ and S&P 500. Nice recovery from Tuesday's selloff. Investors concerned about sluggish global growth. And so is the Fed. You can thank the Fed for yesterday's run. The Fed signaled that it will not raise interest rates anytime soon. Right now, futures are slightly higher.
Alcoa kicked off third quarter earnings season yesterday. The aluminum giant beat Wall Street expectations. Right now, the stock is more than 2 percent. Another big move for overnight, Gap, the retailer slid 8 percent after its announced its CEO is stepping down next February.
So, those are the two big stock movers to look out for today.
BERMAN: All right. Breaking news overnight. Angry crowds protesting another deadly police shooting in Missouri. We have that dramatic video. Look at this. We'll give the story, just ahead.
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ROMANS: Outrage in St. Louis after a police officer guns down a man. You can see a large crowd gathered at the site late Wednesday where the victim was shot dead. Tensions sparked after an off-duty police officer shot a victim described as a black man in his 20s. The police department says the officer had attempting a pedestrian check when the victim took off on foot and shot at the officer. They say the officer fearing for his life returned fire, ultimately killing the man. The whole scene played out just miles away from the city of Ferguson, of course, where officer Darren Wilson fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown.
BERMAN: The manhunt for alleged cop killer in Pennsylvania has intensified. There have been sightings of the suspect Eric Frein, in the Pennsylvania woods in the recent days. And police are telling reporters that they found a journal apparently written by Frein that describes in chilling detail how he shot and killed a state trooper.
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LT. COL. GEORGE BIVENS, PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE: Friday, September 12th, got a shot around 11:00 p.m. and took it. He dropped. I was surprised at how quick. I took a follow-upshot on his head and neck area. He was still and quiet after that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: That's awful. Frein allegedly shot and wounded a second trooper. He has been on the run for 27 days now.
ROMANS: There has been no sign of Hannah Graham since the University of Virginia student went missing more than three weeks ago. Search teams are combing an eight-mile area around Charlottesville looking for clues. The 18-year-old Graham was last seen with Jesse Matthew Jr. He is charged with abduction with intent to defile, in connection with Hannah's disappearance. This is the largest manhunt -- the largest search in Virginia history.
NFL owners are considering and plan to refuse Roger Goodell's power with the personal conduct policies. The NFL is under fire for its handling of domestic violence and child abuse cases involving stars like Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson.
Listen to Goodell after Wednesday's intense day-long meeting with owners in New York.
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ROGER GOODELL, NFL COMMISSIONER: It is my job, obviously, to admit mistakes. But more importantly, it's my job to go and figure out how we're not going to have those mistakes occur again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Ray Rice is appealing his decision. He wants the decision fast tracked. That's according to "USA Today". The former Ravens running back is asking the players union to resolve this quickly to begin the process of what he calls restoring his name and resuming his career. Rice was released by the Ravens after the video surfaced of him knocking out his then fiancee.
ROMANS: Adrian Peterson is scheduled to stand trial in Texas on a felony child abuse charge abuse charge beginning December 1st. Peterson did not enter a please at his arraignment Wednesday. A spokesman for the running back says he is not looking for a deal. He intends to go to trial. The proceeding could be delayed if the judge has to recuse himself for calling the lawyers on both sides quote "media whores." The judge says he meant as a joke.
BERMAN: The stakes in the Senate race are high. And the winner could help determine who controls the Senate. The incumbent Republican Pat Roberts faced off Wednesday with this challenger, independent Greg Orman. This was their first debate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GREG ORMAN (I), KANSAS SENATE CANDIDATE: The truth is both parties are more interested in political games than problem solving.
SEN. PAT ROBERTS (R), KANSAS: A vote for Greg Orman is a vote to hand over the future of Kansas and the country to Harry Reid and Barack Obama. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Now, both candidates seem less interested in attacking each other than blasting a Democrat not in the room, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, his name came up with almost every response with Roberts and Orman, blasting Reid for his stewardship of the Senate. A new CNN poll that just came out yesterday has Roberts with a one-point lead in that race.
ROMANS: Tight, very tight.
BERMAN: Yes.
ROMANS: A series of bon fires merging into larger wildfires in California's Sierra Nevadas. Fire crews reporting progress of the Applegate fire. It's 10 percent contained. But people in the area are told to evacuate or get ready to go. Fire officials say about 80 structures are threatened.
It has been dry there for the past couple of years. When the rain comes, it comes at the wrong time.
BERMAN: New details this morning in how a Spanish nurse may have come down with Ebola. We are live with the very latest, next.
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BERMAN: We are learning more this morning about the Spanish nurse who cared for an Ebola patient and now has Ebola herself. Maria Romero Ramos says she may have accidently touched her face while removing her protective gear. That may be the moment she became infected.
We're also learning that her dog has now been put down despite an outcry in Madrid and online. Hundreds of thousands of people signed that petition to try to save that dog's life.
CNN's Madrid correspondent Al Goodman is standing by live.
Good morning, Al. What's the latest?
AL GOODMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A lot more questions than answers is the latest, because if that is the -- if that is the leading hypothesis of how she contracted this Ebola virus, by when she was dealing with another Ebola patient, a Spanish missionary who got it in Africa, came back to this hospital behind me where he later died, she was on the team treating him. If when taking off the suit, she somehow touched her exposed face with the glove or other part and gave herself, that has to do, according to medical workers and their unions, with the amount of training that she had.
And then the questions raised, John, about what happened after that. She went to her doctor, her neighborhood doctor, a couple of times she was sent back home. Finally, it took a week to get to another hospital's emergency room where when the test came trough that she did have, it took hours for her to get here. So, she was exposing, according to people, a lot of other people.
Those other people are now under observation. Lots of questions for this government which is trying to get a grip on this which has been trying to say they did everything right, but many people think it did not -- John.
BERMAN: Everyone in the United States watching things well, because the procedures there are not too different from procedures here.
Al, quickly again, the dog, Excalibur, put down despite the public outcry.
GOODMAN: Well, a huge outpouring that start the here because in addition to the nurse's assistant, her husband is in this facility under close observation on potentially getting the Ebola virus. He started this campaign with the media and social media. In the end, about 400,000 people signed up to save the dog Excalibur, which is at their house, about 30 minutes south in a suburb.
There were protests outside the house, but Spanish authorities pushing aside recommendations said some recommendations from medical experts to save the dog, study the dog, use it for research. They put it down yesterday -- John.
BERMAN: All right. Al Goodman for us in Madrid -- thanks so much, Al.
ROMANS: All right. If Ebola goes unchecked, the financial cost could be huge. An EARLY START on your money, next.
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ROMANS: All right. Welcome back. Almost the top of the hour. Let's get an EARLY START on your money this morning.
Big day on Wall Street Wednesday. Stocks scored their biggest one day gain this year. The market up nearly 2 percent across the board. The Dow gained 274 points. A big recovery from Tuesday's ugly selloff. You can thank the Fed, Fed Chair Janet Yellen. She helped this run here. The Fed signaled Wednesday it would not raise interest rates anytime soon.
The World Bank is raising its economic estimate for the Ebola outbreak. The newest evaluation puts the impact of $32 billion. Now, part of that cost is the fast-tracking drugs to fight the outbreak.
CNN's Poppy Harlow sat down with Melinda Gates Wednesday who explained why we don't have any approved drugs and what we should do about it.
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MELINDA GATES, CO-CHAIR, BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION: People suffer from other diseases like Malaria that we don't get much here. So, we need to make ways that public and private partnerships that we -- it's in the interest of pharmaceuticals to actually invest in those diseases. And they are doing it, but Ebola was one that was behind. (END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Of course, the Gates Foundation putting its own money, backing some of this and fighting Ebola. For the rest of Poppy's interview with Melinda Gates, head over to CNNmoney.com.
All right. All Beyonce, all the time. That is who listeners are getting from a Houston radio station. News 92 is dumping the all news programming for 24 hours all Beyonce. Twenty-four-hour commercial free Beyonce broadcast. Can you imagine?
That change comes at a price. The station had poor ratings, had to layoff 47 workers due to financial losses, replacing it with Beyonce.
BERMAN: That's why we only put 50 percent Beyonce in our newscast.
ROMANS: Exactly.
BERMAN: We're not ready to go all the way.
ROMANS: Exactly.
BERMAN: EARLY START continues right now.
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ROMANS: Fearing an Ebola epidemic in the U.S., this morning, airports planning new security procedures to stop infected travelers from bringing the virus into the country.
