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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Kobani Eerily Quiet; Ebola Stricken Spanish Nurse Slightly Improved; Oscar Pistorius Heads Back to Court
Aired October 13, 2014 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: A new case of Ebola in the Texas hospital that treated the first patient in the United States with the deadly virus. Why officials are calling this a breach in protocol.
The battle rages for the key city of Kobani. And new threats, new threats from ISIS. Why Americans need to be on guard.
And the search is on for this man popping up from a subway grate and throwing a smoke bomb. What this video says about the security of New York City's subway tunnels and its passengers.
Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans. Thirty-one minutes past the hour. John Berman has the morning off.
Ebola sparking concern in the U.S. and around the world this morning as the global death toll from Ebola climbs above 4,000 for the first time.
In Dallas, health officials are baffled by the first case of Ebola contracted in the U.S.. A nurse who took care of Thomas Eric Duncan. Duncan traveled from Liberia to Dallas. He fell ill. He died of the disease last week.
Officials say the unnamed nurse had extensive contact with Duncan and wore full protective gear. Gown, gloves mask and a face shield at all times but somehow she contracted Ebola anyway.
Officials are blaming a breach in the protocols that governed contact with the Ebola patient. And they're looking into exactly what that could have been.
Meanwhile, hazmat teams decontaminating the nurse's apartment and her car. Officials explaining the situation to worried neighbors while downplaying the possibility of any wider threat to their health. And one person, a close contact of the nurse, has no symptoms, but is being proactively placed in isolation.
Nearly halfway around the world from Dallas, U.S. troops are going into battle against Ebola in West Africa. That's where most of the deaths in the current outbreak have happened. On Thursday, 90 U.S. Marines and Airmen arrived in Liberia, bringing America's total deployment of Ebola fighting troops to 334, with another 700 scheduled for later this month. There's new concern this morning about attacks on U.S. soil by ISIS-
inspired terrorists. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, they are warning law enforcement personnel and warning the news media that they could be targeted by ISIS militants. Law enforcement officials tell CNN a security bulletin with that warning is based on chatter in extremist forums and on social media. It is not on any specific threat.
In Syria, ISIS is still tightening its grip on the Kurdish city of Kobani right there on the Turkish border. The city has reportedly fallen eerily silent. One Kurdish fighter in the city says he fears the Islamic terror group is planning a major assault.
Our Nick Paton Walsh is there live on the border between Turkey and Syria.
And, Nick, does it seem like ISIS is about to finish Kobani off?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Extraordinarily difficult to tell from our vantage point here, Christine. What we do know, though, is we've now seen what probably were about four airstrikes so far this morning. That eerie quiet of yesterday very much over.
Whether the airstrikes land or seem to land give you some idea as to what's happening in the city itself. They're predominantly towards the east of the center which would suggest that the targets there are being hit by the jets we hear flying above ISIS positions, the sort of the middle, central east of that town.
That doesn't necessarily tell you too much, though, about how the battle street by street is raging these front lines on nicely uniformed or even necessarily. We now also have this to say the Turkish border guards have told the Kurds to move away from the main official crossing and also to -- we saw yesterday a Kurdish flag high on a building far to the west of the city, that is now gone. And there was a substantial explosion near that building about an hour ago now.
So a lot of activity on the ground. And as each day goes by, Christine, the key important fact to remember is the Kurds are not being resupplied with ammunition, food and the things they need to continue the fight. Yes, we are seeing coalition air power used in their support. Is that necessarily, though, going to stem ISIS?
It was a clearly lull yesterday, that may have been them calling for reinforcements. We have simply not seen an onslaught to change, the dynamic on the field conclusively here. But each day that passes makes the Kurdish situation much more perilous -- Christine.
ROMANS: And much more perilous, indeed.
Nick Paton Walsh, live this morning for us on the border. Thank you, Nick.
Thirty-five minutes past the hour. Hillary Clinton the target of a heckler during a speech Sunday night in San Diego. Clinton was addressing the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She was interrupted by a man in the crowd carrying a bull horn.
Listen.
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HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Millions of our children are at risk. Though, there are some people who miss important developmental stages.
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ROMANS: The man was taken out of the room by security. Officials say he had a one-day badge for the weekend conference.
Police in New York City are seeking the public's help this morning in finding this suspect who threw a smoke bomb into a crowded restaurant. This happened Friday night. Authorities say the man emerged from a subway grate, tossed the device onto the patio dining area then escaped underground.
Actress Rose McGowan was there and tweeted this, "Someone just threw two red smoke bombs into a restaurant I was eating in. Eyes are burning."
The incident threw a real scare into other patrons.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought it was ISIS because of what's going on, it's scary. It's nerve wracking. As a native Long Islander, coming to this city for dinner with friends and family, I'm glad I did not bring my daughter.
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ROMANS: Police say the suspect is a man in his 30s with blond hair. He was wearing a baseball cap and a T-shirt with an American flag on it.
It has been a weekend of mostly peaceful resistant in St. Louis, and in Ferguson, Missouri. Thousands taking part in marches in vigils during a four-day event which wraps up today. Protesters are calling for Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson to be charged in the shooting death of unarmed teenager Michael Brown.
Seventeen people were arrested early Sunday. Police used pepper spray to subdue some of the protesters staging a sit-in outside a convenient store in St. Louis, where another black teen was fatally shot by a white police officer last week.
Police say that teen Vonderrit Myers shot at them first. Then on Sunday night, a group of 200 protesters rallying peacefully to remember Myers eventually grew to 1,000. All right. Let's get an EARLY START on your money this morning.
Stock futures mixed. There's a rebound in markets in Europe but there are lingering fears about global growth especially with big multinational companies. Those companies could be hurt by slowdowns in China and Europe.
With a recent drop in stocks, you may be checking your 401(k). New data shows, women are more likely than men to put a bigger chunk of their paycheck into retirement accounts. But then when it comes to total savings, men are still ahead. Female savers have an average balance of $78,000. Far below the male average balance of $121,000. That's according to Vanguard.
Now the wage gap is partly to blame. But women also work in average of 12 years less than men and are more likely to take time off to care for loved ones or raise children.
All right. Coming up on EARLY START, health officials are questioning the ability of the hospital handling the Ebola case in Spain.
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ROMANS: There are marginal signs of recovery this morning for the Spanish nurse infected with Ebola virus. Health officials in Madrid say Teresa Romero is slightly improved, in critical but stable condition.
There are also concerns the hospital where she is being treated is not prepared to handle a crisis like an Ebola outbreak.
I want to bring in Nic Robertson live from Madrid. He has been following reports of her night. How she's doing overnight. And also these concerns from officials that the hospital just couldn't handle a true outbreak -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Christine, good morning. There are concerns that the hospital isn't capable of handling Ebola. The European Center of Disease Control said that the physical conditions in the -- in the hospital don't allow for the proper control of Ebola and indeed the special committee set up here in Spain has also said that the area where the medical workers take on and put off their protective clothing isn't big enough.
So there is a genuine concern that the Carlos III hospital is not up to the job. Teresa Romero, the nursing assistant, has had, according to some reports, a rough night. The hospital won't confirm that. Critical but stable is how they term her condition. They also say that she is not unconscious, that she's talking. But that she has -- she is having a little difficulty breathing.
They say her lungs are affected. But at the same time, they're also saying there is some room for optimism here. This is what they say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) FERNANDO SIMON, SPOKESPERSON, SPECIAL COMMITTEE FOR EBOLA CRISIS (Through Translator): The amount of the virus Teresa has seems to be lowering. It is important to believe there is hope regarding her case. We have to be careful. It is a good sign for hope, but a person who's contracted Ebola is always in critical condition.
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ROBERTSON: Now what experts here believe is that this 14 or 15-day timeline from when she first showed the symptoms on the 30th of September is important. They say that typically from what they understand this is a pivotal period where she could go either way. So these positive signs right now, they are taking they hope is a good portend of what's to come. But they know these days right now are pivotal. That's what they believe -- Christine.
ROMANS: Pivotal days right now.
Nic, thanks so much for that.
An Ebola scare on the United Airlines flight from New York's JFK airport to Los Angeles. Started when a passenger with flu-like symptoms began vomiting on board and then that prompted the fire department to respond.
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CAPT. JAMIE MOORE, LOS ANGELES FIRE DEPT: The patient has been assessed by the Los Angeles Fire Department, as well as Los Angeles County public health officials. And there is no reason to believe that this person has been exposed to an Ebola virus.
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ROMANS: A miscommunication fueled this incident. Airline officials initially believe this sick passenger had been to West Africa. It turns out it was South Africa.
Also rattling nerves. Fear of an Ebola outbreak in Boston. Dozens of workers and patients At Harvard Vanguard Medical Center quarantined for hours after a man who recently Liberia entered the facility complaining of a headache and body aches. According to one patient, things got a little hectic.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We didn't even get to wash our hands. We didn't get to do anything. And no one has really told us what to do. They just said take a shower and check your temperature for the next 21 days.
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ROMANS: And late last night, hospital officials announced the patient likely does not have Ebola, but that patient is being kept in isolation as a precaution. A second child death blamed now on Enterovirus D-68. A 21-month-old
Michigan girl Madeline Reid. She died at Children's Hospital in Detroit. Last week, New Jersey's medical examiner confirmed a 4-year- old boy had died from the virus.
According to the CDC, this strain of Enterovirus has sickened nearly 700 people in 46 states.
Supporters of same-sex marriage celebrating another legal victory. This time it's Alaska's ban biting the dust. A federal judge issued a surprise Sunday ruling that overturned a constitutional amendment first approved by Alaska voters in 1998. The state is planning to appeal the judge's rulings.
After months in the courtroom for killing his girlfriend, it is sentencing day for Oscar Pistorius. We go live to South Africa as the blade runner learns his fate.
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ROMANS: Oscar Pistorius is back in court today for sentencing in the killing his girlfriend. It's the final phase in the murder trial that gripped the nation. Last month, the athlete was convicted of killing model Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius faces several years in prison, although the judge has a lot of discretion here. Could go easy on him.
CNN's Kelly Phelps following the latest developments, really following the whole trial for us. She's in Pretoria, South Africa.
And Kelly, explain this process for the American audience here. How can a sentencing hearing take days potentially?
KELLY PHELPS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, because this is discretionary sentencing, the judge is not guided by a piece of legislation or statute. Essentially both sides have the opportunity to put witnesses and evidence before the court that they feel is relevant if terms of being either aggravating or mitigating factors. They will then give their suggestions of what an appropriate sentence would be in this matter in order to assist the judge in guiding her discretion.
She will then eventually have the task of making that final determination in conjunction with other cases and recognize sentencing principles as well as the evidence that is being put forth before her. So it is in a sense a sort of mini trial.
ROMANS: A mini trial. Could take another couple of days. And she has a wide, wide bit of discretion, Kelly, in what her sense is.
We know you'd be following it for us. Thank you so much, Kelly Phelps.
5:51 this morning, search teams today scouring the site in the Ukraine where the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH-17 crashed. Officials will be collecting the remains of bodies and personal belongings of the victims. Ukrainian authorities will be then transfer the findings to a Dutch
team -- you know, forensic team have so far identified 272 people of the total 298 on board. The aircraft shot down by a missile, investigators say, over eastern Ukraine back in July. Still, still trying to process that scene.
Hong Kong students today facing off with police clearing protest barricades. Demonstrators turn to social media calling on protesters to reinforce other barricades. The students have invaded major districts in the city for three weeks in a row now. They demand -- they are demanding voters have a larger say in choosing the city's leader in the 2017 elections.
National Security Adviser Susan Rice revealing what she knows about North Korea's Kim Jong-Un. In an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press" she said there is no proof that the North Korean leader is out of power. Listen.
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SUSAN RICE, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: Chuck, obviously, we're watching carefully what is happening in North Korea. It's a country that we monitor with great attention. We have not seen any indications of the transfer of power at this point in North Korea that we view as definitive. But we'll continue to watch it carefully.
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ROMANS: Kim has not been seen publicly in more than a month. There are rumors that he was deposed or that he is ill. A group of defectors even says they believe his younger sister may be running the country while he recovers.
All right, 52 minutes past the hour. Stocks tanked last week. Tanked. Is the selling over or just beginning? We're going to get an EARLY START on your money next.
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ROMANS: Let's get an EARLY START on your money this Monday morning. Reality check time for stocks. And this week, crucial for the markets. Stock futures, they're mixed right now. The Dow had its worst one-day point loss of the year last week. The Nasdaq and the S&P 500 had their worst weekly performances in two years. Ouch.
But you know what? A swift selloff may be a healthy thing for the market. I say don't fear, don't fear the bears. The last correction took place back in 2011. A correction is a 10 percent pullback from a recent peak. And corrections are healthy. You're supposed to have them periodically so you can pull back and even go higher. That's the point.
Some analysts say this one so long overdue for a big drop. The Dow has already fallen 4 percent from its recent highs. The S&P 500 is now I think 5 percent from its record. So we're halfway to a correction at the moment. Gas prices are dropping. Now the lowest levels of the year. AAA says
the national average for a gallon of regular $3.20. That's $0.09 lower than last week and $0.20 lower than last month. As many as 20 states could see the averages below $3 a gallon. Missouri and Mississippi are already there but Gas Buddy predicts prices on the West Coast and the rocky mountain states could drop another $0.15 to $0.30 cents a gallon over the next two weeks.
That drop in gas prices following a steep decline in crude oil. Crude down 25 percent from its peak earlier in the year. That's also good news for homeowners. The Energy Department says heating bills could drop 5 percent to 10 percent this winter. Those in the northeast to use oil to heat their homes could see an even bigger savings.
Other commodity prices like natural gas, those are falling as well which could provide relief to other parts of the country this winter. But half of U.S. households heat their home with natural gas.
All right. That does it for us here. "NEW DAY" starts right now.
