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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Racing to Find the Breach in Hospital Protocol; Vatican Proposes Shift on Gays; Intense Fighting Over Kobani

Aired October 14, 2014 - 04:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: New fears and a growing number at risk. Questions swirl about the protocols of the hospital that is now ground zero for Ebola in America.

The National Nurses Union says health care workers are not being protected, claiming that without better preparation, equipment and training, Ebola is, quote, "a disaster waiting to happen."

And a possible historic moment from the Vatican. A new tone toward the gay community. Why the sudden change in the church? We are live in Rome.

Welcome back to EARLY START, everyone. I'm John Berman. Christine Romans is off today.

And there is clear concern this morning among CDC officials. The fear is there could be more cases of Ebola transmission like the Dallas nurse who became infected caring for the first man diagnosed with the virus in the United States. Federal health officials say others who cared for Thomas Eric Duncan could become infected the same way. That is their worry at least.

That nurse has now been identified as Nina Pham. CDC director Thomas Frieden says Pham is clinically stable. She has received a blood transfusion from an Ebola survivor Dr. Kent Brantly. Now investigators are racing to determine exactly how Pham became infected to try to prevent it from happening again.

CNN's Victor Blackwell is in Dallas with more on that effort.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. We've learned that Nina Pham received a certification in Critical Care Nursing just two months before she began treating Thomas Eric Duncan here at this hospital.

A person who knows the family very well through their church says that Pham likely was doing more than she was supposed to have done in treating this patient. That's what that person told the local newspaper.

And CDC detectives are here in Dallas trying to determine if all the protocols were followed. And we heard from the hospital on Monday, they were quick to point out a statement made by Dr. Thomas Frieden, the director of the CDC, when he on Monday walked back something that he said the day before.

Now you remember on Sunday, he said that there was obviously a breach of protocol here that led to the infection. Well, on Monday, he said that some people likely took that as blaming the nurse or blaming the hospital. And that was not his intention.

Immediately after that, the hospital sent out an extended quote also highlighting that Frieden says that Ebola is the enemy here, not a hospital, not a person, not a country, the virus is the enemy. Essentially saying that no one should blame us, at least not yet.

Again, the investigation is continuing here in Dallas -- John.

BERMAN: All right. We have breaking news this morning. We just learned that a Sudanese United Nations worker died of Ebola in Leipzig, Germany. That's according to a spokesman for the St. George Clinic.

I want you to stay tuned to CNN for more on this developing story this morning.

A lot going on with Ebola, including the National Nurses Union saying that health care workers are not getting the kind of training or the protective equipment that they need.

Zenei Cortez is a registered nurse and head of National Nurses United. She tells CNN's Jake Tapper that without better preparation, Ebola is, quote, "a disaster waiting to happen."

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ZENEI CORTEZ, REGISTERED NURSE AND V.P., NATIONAL NURSES UNITED: We do not have the proper protective equipment and also the information or the knowledge or the education or the training, then it's really a disaster waiting to happen. And when do we want to do the training? We want to do it now.

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BERMAN: In Louisiana, A judge granted a temporary restraining order blocking the disposal of incinerated waste from the Texas apartment where Thomas Eric Duncan had been staying. The company that incinerated the waste tells CNN it had no plans to move the waste to Louisiana.

Meanwhile, the condition of the NBC cameraman with Ebola is improving. Ashoka Mukpo tweeted Monday, quote, "Feeling like I'm on the road to good health." Now the NBC crew that had been with Mukpo admitted in a statement that it had broken its word to self-isolate. That crew including NBC's medical editor Dr. Nancy Snyderman is now under a mandatory 21-day quarantine.

A patient in Boston who had been to Liberia has now been cleared of Ebola, while a medic who had been working on a ship off the coast of West Africa has been hospitalized in Kansas pending the results of an Ebola tests expected later today, although officials do believe he is at low risk.

This morning, there are new questions about the training involved in the case of the Spanish nurse's assistant who has been hospitalized with Ebola. Teresa Romero Ramos remains in critical condition in a Madrid hospital. Her husband wrote a scathing letter calling for the regional health minister to resign. Javier Limon says his wife received only 30 minutes of training on how to use protective gear.

The Vatican is proposing a stunning shift toward gays and lesbians. A new report out says the church should welcome and appreciate the gay members of its swath. One veteran Vatican journalist calls this move a pastoral earthquake.

CNN's Delia Gallagher has more on this move. Delia is live in Rome this morning.

Good morning.

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, John. That is right, an earthquake indeed. It's the first time we've heard such a positive tone from the Vatican on the question of gays, on the question of divorced people, on the question of people living together outside of marriage. These are all situations which until yesterday, the church considered irregular, indeed disordered in the case of gays.

And as you say, in this document, which was published yesterday, they are now saying well, actually there is value in being gay. There is asking that gays be appreciated for the gifts that they can contribute to the Christian community.

It is a document which is a work in progress. We should make that clear. It is a summary of what the discussions were last week between the bishops and the Pope and the cardinals. The discussions continue this week and you can bet that they will be heated because some bishops have already come out and said, wait a minute, we need to talk a little bit further about this.

Many are applauding the new openness. But some are very much against it. So we can be sure to see this week and indeed in the whole of next year because this is a build-up to another international meeting which will occur in October of next year.

So any changes, John, and this is what -- why this is so important because this language obviously begs the question, are there going to be real changes to the Catholic Church's teaching. That's what everybody is looking out for. Anything like that would come next year when the Pope actually makes any decisions if he's going to do so -- John.

BERMAN: Even so, what we're talking about here is a change in tone, not necessarily a change in doctrine. But t those total shifts have become a hallmark of Pope Francis.

GALLAGHER: It's very important, actually. You know, it's not just a question of language because language also denotes ideas and content. And so if we change the language in some way, sometimes we change the idea. And of course, with this Pope, I think a lot is about public perception. So regardless of what this CNA document will or won't say at the end of the day, the public perception is already out there that this Pope wants a more open and welcoming church.

That's been one of his themes since the beginning of his pontificate and that's what this document is leading towards -- John.

BERMAN: And I think at this point, there is just no question that this Pope has created a shift inside the Catholic Church in a little more than a year that he has held the papacy.

Delia Gallagher in Rome for us this morning. Very, very interesting. Appreciate it.

Thirty-seven minutes after the hour. He's back or at least North Korea's state media says he is. Newly released but undated photos of Kim Jong-Un are the very first public glimpses we have had of the supreme leader in more than a month. In the pictures he is seen walking with a cane while reportedly making two official state visits.

His appearance or his disappearance from public view fueled speculation of his health. People wondering if -- there'd been a possible coup in North Korea.

President Obama and defense ministers for more than 20 nations are set to meet this afternoon at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. The topic, how to defeat ISIS in Syria and Iraq. The session will be hosted by Joint Chiefs chairman Martin Dempsey. Top officials from Bahrain, Britain, Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, Iraq, Jordan and Kuwait will be among those attending.

Worry on Wall Street. A late-day selloff Monday sends stocks sinking lower again. The Dow Jones slid 223 points. That's the fifth straight day of triple-digit moves. Only one of them were moves up. Now the move dashing hopes to rebound following last week's plunge. The market has been in shambles since last week after fears emerged of a global growth slowdown. Also big drops from the energy sector as of late.

A 7.3 magnitude earthquake rattled buildings and nerves in Central America overnight. The quake struck off the Pacific Coast of El Salvador. You can see it right there. Officials did issue a tsunami warning, but so far there have not been any reports of large waves. The quake was strong enough to prompt severe shaking felt by millions of people in El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. There has been one fatality reported along with some damaged buildings.

All right. It has been a scary 24 hours for many. Storms raking through the country affecting millions.

For more on today's severe weather threat, we're going to turn to meteorologist Alexandra Steele.

Good morning, Alexandra. ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hi, John. You know, you're

speaking of deaths, we had two deaths yesterday. One in Alabama and one in Arkansas. The first October tornado deaths since 2009. One actually a 33-year-old Marine and then a 75-year-old woman in Alabama and in Arkansas.

So here's the threat today. 36 million people impacted today as well. Look at this line. From the Great Lakes to the southeast. Heading to the east.

Now the threat for tornadoes is there today. Not quite as high as yesterday. The threat today more of the very heavy rain and the very strong damaging wind gusts.

Here is where our tornado watches are. Of course tornado watches mean that the atmosphere is ripe for tornadoes to develop. And including Atlanta now until 11:00 in the morning you can see until 7:00. This one now until noon right along the Florida Gulf Coast here. And again, really some strong storms moving through there this morning.

Also a tornado watch meaning some of these storms have the potential to spin and then of course let's put down tornadoes. So here's Atlanta, Georgia, really a rough go this morning in the southeast if you're driving.

This is what we've seen. Tornadoes as of yesterday, 13 reports of tornadoes. 223 -- over 200 very incredibly strong wind reports and also hail. At least 17. And hail, we're going to see this morning as well. Maybe half-inch hail.

Now here's the pattern. This is really the culprit. This dip in the jet stream. That shifting eastward. Thus the severe weather threat shifts eastward, John.

Here is the area of concern today, Atlanta eastward. Of course Atlanta, a huge Delta hub. Charlotte, a U.S. Airways hub. So wherever you are around the country, you're certainly may be impacted wherever you may be flying or driving as this line is moving eastward.

BERMAN: Some serious travel problems on the way.

STEELE: Yes.

BERMAN: Alexandra, thanks so much.

STEELE: Sure.

BERMAN: A new push by ISIS militants. Is this Kobani's last stand? Our Arwa Damon is live at the border.

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BERMAN: It could be Kobani's last stand. Fighting has become intense for the key city on Syria's border with Turkey. Three air strikes by the U.S. coalition were reported around Kobani this morning along with four oil refineries hit in southern Syria overnight. ISIS is continuing its push for control of Kobani while also scoring a

victory in neighboring Iraq taking a strategically important military base in Anbar Province. Kurdish fighters reporting the most airstrikes to date as they manage to push back and attempt an advance by ISIS on Monday. But one fighter tells CNN it would be impossible for them to hold their ground if current conditions continue.

Our senior international correspondent Arwa Damon has the latest from the Syria-Turkey border.

Good morning, Arwa.

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. And ISIS, right now, according to this fighter and a number of other people inside Kobani we've been speaking to really focusing all of its efforts on trying to capture the border crossing between Kobani, Syria and Turkey.

And just to give you an idea of how close they are to accomplishing that. Our camera is going to be zooming in showing you silos on top of which is the Turkish flag. According to this fighter that we were speaking to, ISIS has a position that's about 700 to 800 meters behind where that flag is located and then they control everything to the south of that.

The fighting centered around that strategic border crossing. YPG fighters doing what they can to try to hold ISIS back. But they don't have the weapons, they don't have the manpower to do it indefinitely. They say that they do not have adequate resupply lines. And if ISIS is able to capture that border crossing that means that virtually all of their supply lines are logistical lines. There are to evacuate themselves and the remaining civilians to safety will be closed off.

ISIS for its part has plenty of logistical routes that it can choose from. This one fighter telling us how they were bringing their tanks in from the south, the east and the west. And that's the key problem here, even when it comes to these street-to-street battles is that ISIS is moving around in tanks.

This one fighter was describing how during one of the battles he was firing a rocket-propelled grenade at a tank when 10 ISIS fighters moved out in front of the tank, walked to their hands in together to try to block that rocket-propelled grenade from hitting the tank. They died and the tank then did fire on the YPG position.

This fighter saying that the ISIS people that they have out there, those fighters, whether they're Syrian or foreign, are absolutely fearless -- John.

BERMAN: We've been looking at pictures behind you now for several days, even a couple of weeks of the battle raging in Kobani. ISIS moving ever closer to taking it over. Nevertheless, the Kurds do seem to be holding out.

What would be decisive here? What would give ISIS the push it needs to take the city or what would give the Kurds the push they need to push out ISIS?

DAMON: The Kurds need what they have been calling for all along, which is a weapons corridor. They also want to see additional airstrikes, a greater level of coordination and cooperation between themselves and the coalition. They also need more fighters on the ground.

But again, it all goes down to having the weapons capabilities to continue taking out those ISIS tanks. The rockets that ISIS has been firing quite relentlessly at them. ISIS for its part, these are fighters who are there to fight until the death. They're absolutely fearless. They will stop at nothing. They will carry out suicide bombings without thinking twice about it. And they have plenty of fighters and weapons at their disposal so defeating them is going to be very difficult -- John.

BERMAN: Arwa Damon for us at the border with Kobani on the brink behind her.

Arwa, our thanks to you.

Forty-eight minutes after the hour right now. Pushing for prison time. Live in court with Oscar Pistorius. The sentencing phase of the trial going on right now. We'll take you there.

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BERMAN: At this moment, a South African prosecutor is pushing for prison time in the sentencing hearing for Olympic track star Oscar Pistorius. He was found guilty last month of culpable homicide in the death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. The sentencing phase of that trial began Monday in Pretoria.

Protests picking up steam in Ferguson, Missouri. More than four dozen people arrested at a Moral Monday March. Among them noted author, activist, then academic Cornel West. Ferguson Police say he and others disturbed the peace by trying to push through police lines. Demonstrators don't see it that way.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is no us against them. This is a "we" problem. It is we and we all have to work to dismantle a system that unfairly privileges some people over other people. No matter what the injustice is.

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BERMAN: It has been two months since a white police officer in Ferguson shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager.

It has been one month since University of Virginia sophomore Hannah Graham vanished without a trace. Her parents released a statement urging the public to keep searching for their daughter. The statement says, in part, "It is heartbreaking for us that the person or persons who know where Hannah is have not come forward with that information. It is within their power both to end this nightmare for all and to relieve the searchers of their arduous task."

The 18-year-old was last seen on surveillance video with Jesse Matthew. He is charged with abduction with intent to defile. Matthew has reportedly been linked by DNA to the case of a woman killed in 2009.

A Penn State student is under arrest this morning for allegedly threatening a mass shooting at the University Student Center. Police say 20-year-old Jong Shim, a sophomore student, used a local -- used a social media site to make that threat. That site helped track the posting to Shim's off-campus apartment.

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TYRONE PARHAM, PENN STATE CAMPUS POLICE CHIEF: He admitted to -- making the post on Yik Yak the night before. We searched his residence. There were no weapons found.

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BERMAN: Police also say that Shim told them the threat was meant as a prank. Penn State students failed to see the humor.

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HAYLEY KOHLER, PENN STATE STUDENT: I think it was not something appropriate to joke about. And he has to be made an example of because we can't have these interruptions, you know, happening frequently.

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BERMAN: Jong Shim is charged with making terroristic threats. He is being held on $100,000 bail.

Kentucky's Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate has renewed her refusal to say whether she voted for President Obama. Alison Lundergan Grimes faced Republican opponent, Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell, in a debate Monday night. Grimes drew some fire last week for refusing to reveal her presidential pick to a newspaper editorial board. She would not say whether she voted for the president. She stuck to that position on Monday.

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ALISON GRIMES (D), KENTUCKY SENATE CANDIDATE: This is a matter of principle. Our Constitution grants, here in Kentucky, the constitutional right for privacy at the ballot box, for a secret ballot. I'm not going to compromise a constitutional right provided here in Kentucky in order to curry favor on one or other side or for members of the media.

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BERMAN: Fifty-five minutes after the hour right now. Your wallet about to get a bit thicker this winter. Oil prices dropped just in time for the cold, but will this trend last?

And the world's largest chocolate companies pitching in to battle Ebola. This move that might not just be about sweet intentions. We'll have that coming up.

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BERMAN: So if you are feeling the pain of the recent stock market selloff, there a silver lining. Oil prices are plummeting. In fact they've reached a four-year low. Some parts of the country are already enjoying gas prices below $3 a gallon. Home heating oil and natural gas also conveniently declining as we get closer to the winter.

The largest chocolate companies in the world are joining the battle against Ebola. Nestle, Mars, Hershey's, Godiva and others all raising money to fight the outbreak. They plan to announce how much they're donating to the International Red Cross and other charities tomorrow. Much of the world's chocolate production comes from West Africa and the companies are worried about production interruptions.

So the zombie apocalypse is back and bigger than ever. The Season 5 premiere of "The Walking Dead" on AMC shattered its previous ratings record to 17.3 million people watched Sunday night. That's up from the then record 16.1 million viewers for the Season 4 premier.

EARLY START continues right now.