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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

North Korea Releases Captive American; New Ebola Concerns; Home Grown Terror; Autopsy Report Leaked; Giants Upstage Royals, Win Series Opener

Aired October 22, 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: Breaking news: an American detained by North Korea for five months is finally on his way home right now. The surprising release fuelling hope for two other Americans still being held in that country.

The hospital where the first Ebola patient in the United States died, the hospital is apologizing for how they handled the situation, admitting what they did was wrong. We're going to tell you how they plan on preventing it from ever happening again.

And homegrown terror concerns this morning. Three high school girls from Denver intercepted in Germany headed to join ISIS in Syria. So, how are these teens able to get out of the country and why.

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm John Berman. Christine Romans is on assignment today. It is Wednesday, October 22nd, 5:00 a.m. in the East.

We do have breaking news overnight: an American held by North Korea for five months is on his way home to Ohio right now. Jeffrey Fowle is due to arrive there in an American government plane within the next coming of hours.

Now, this is in answer to a plea that Fowle made in an interview with CNN, an interview that really out of nowhere, North Korean officials abruptly arranged last month.

Standing by live in Seoul, CNN's Paula Hancocks with the very latest on this surprising development.

Good morning, Paula.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.

Well, this was a very sudden and seller unexpected decision by Pyongyang, at least on the surface of it. We did know that the State Department was in discussions indirectly with North Korea, to try and get these three U.S. citizens released.

But what many experts were expecting say high level delegation to go to Pyongyang. Like we've seen in the past, the ex-presidents, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, having to travel to Pyongyang to pay lip service and secure the release of a U.S. citizen. That didn't happen, as far as we know, in this occasion.

What appears did happen is Pyongyang said, we're going to release Jeffrey Fowle, you have to come and pick him up. So, the Department of Defense sent a plane over to Pyongyang. There was a U.S. plane sitting on the tarmac there which is something very unusual itself. And then took Jeffrey Fowle to Guam where they refueled and where he was evaluated.

And the State Department said that he was in good health. But, of course, they do have to take into consideration the fact that he was a North Korean prisoner. So, obviously, there will be a lot of support for him in the future. As you say, he's now almost home to Ohio.

So, a wonderful day for the Fowle family. Of course, a bitter day for two other families who will be pleased that Jeffrey Fowle has been released but it will also make them realize, just a reminder, that their loved ones is still in detention.

Now, of course, Jeffrey Fowle's crime, according to many experts, may not have been as serious in North Korea's eyes as the other two U.S. citizens currently in detention. He's accused of leaving a Bible in a seaman's club in a northern port city of Chongjin. He hadn't gone to trial yet. The other two, Kenneth Bae and Matthew Miller had both been tried, both been found guilty. And, of course, that could have been a factor as well, the fact that he had been gone to trial. So, it was easier for Pyongyang to be able to release -- John.

BERMAN: Happy for him and his family, of course, still thinking about the two other Americans still held in captivity in North Korea. Paula Hancocks for us in Seoul -- thanks so much.

We do have Ebola news this morning. Two airline passengers who arrived in the United States are under close watch in Chicago. Officials say they're both Liberians. They arrived on separate planes. Both vomited during their flights and neither had a fever. They and their traveling companions are being isolated and screens in area hospitals.

Another Liberia landed at Newark Airport with the fever. The CDC says he was isolated and he's being screened at a local hospital right now. But according to the Department of Homeland Security Web site as of Sunday, Washington Dulles had also referred four people to Atlanta for Ebola screening. The administration announced on Tuesday, that it is tightening the net on these airport screenings. It's ordering all passengers entering the United States from Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia to come through one of the five airports doing enhanced Ebola screening. In addition to Chicago and Newark, they are New York's JFK, Washington Dulles and Atlanta.

In New York City, thousands of workers at health facilities from doctors to janitors filled a convention center for a demonstration with the latest protocols for preventing Ebola transmission. Wednesday did bring good news for the NBC cameraman who caught Ebola. Ashoka Mukpo tweeted that he's officially been declared Ebola-free. He added, quote, "Feeling so blessed. I'm very happy to be alive."

So, all of this news and more awaiting the new administration's Ebola czar, John Klain. Today is his first official day on the job.

At the NIH in Maryland, the condition of a Texas nurse who has Ebola has been upgraded from fair to good. Nina Pham cared for Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian patient who died.

In Dallas, Texas Governor Rick Perry announced that a new state of the art Ebola treatment and bio containment facility will be built in North Texas. The governor also said that Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital where Pham and another nurse were infected and where Thomas Eric Duncan died. That hospital will no longer treat Ebola patients.

Ed Lavandera has more now from Dallas on apologies from Texas health officials.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, officials with Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital have been on a campaign apologizing for the way it handled the case of Thomas Eric Duncan.

We sat down with the chief clinical officer, Dr. Daniel Varga, to dig deeper into just exactly went wrong.

Do you think this is also a case of Ebola had been in the news for the last six months or so, it is a deadly disease, trekked halfway around the world. Was there a sense with the health care workers that it wasn't really anything that was going to show up at our doorstep?

DR. DANIEL VARGA, CHIEF CLINICAL OFFICER, TEXAS HEALTH PRESBYTERIAN: You know, I think that friend of mine awareness is hard to capture in the absence of real presence. I will tell you, we were worried up front about Ebola. As I think anyone else, we looked, you know, starting in August and moving forward. But in the absence of Ebola showing up in August, Ebola showing up in early September, et cetera, it does become sort of isolated.

LAVANDERA: Let your guard down?

VARGA: Yes, I think you let your guard down a little bit on that.

LAVANDERA: We asked Dr. Varga where exactly was this breakdown in communication. He said that one of the nurses that treated Thomas Eric Duncan wrote down in his health record that he, quote, "had came from Africa." But at the same time, one of the physicians treating him wrote down that he was a local resident, that was showing no signs of vomiting, diarrhea or nausea, and that he hadn't been around sick persons. Clearly, two very different versions of the story that were never reconciled and led to the misdiagnosis.

And Dr. Varga also says that the hospital didn't prepare adequately, that there was never any simulation or training drills that would prepare the health care workers on how to handle an Ebola patient that just walked in off the street and into their emergency room -- John.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: All right. Our thanks to Ed Lavandera in Dallas.

New this morning, identifying the biggest threats to U.S. security. The former director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Matt Olsen, told our chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto that the Khorasan group and al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula posed the biggest threats to the United States, but he said that so-called lone wolf attacks, such as the Boston marathon bombings. These types of attacks are more likely.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT OLSEN, FORMER DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL COUNTERTERRORISM CENTER: I would say the most likely type of attack is one of these homegrown violent extremists, or, you know, lone offenders in the United States perhaps. And the rise of ISIS and the number of people going to Syria, whether to fight with ISIS or just fighting just in the conflict there against Assad -- the likelihood, I think, does go up because of the number of people who are there who have gained some degree of training and radicalization.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Olsen said that the United States lost track of terrorists after Edward Snowden's NSA leaks. He said Snowden's revelations changed the way that terrorists communicate, causing them to go further underground which makes them more difficult to track.

Today marks a national day of protests. Protesters say it's the day of protest to stop police brutality and all eyes will be on Ferguson, Missouri. Organizers are expecting a large number of protesters there. Tensions there are still running high. The grand jury decision on whether or not to indict Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of unarmed teenager Michael Brown is expected soon.

This morning, the world of journalism, not to mention the fans of accountability, are mourning the loss of a giant. Ben Bradlee, the legendary editor of "The Washington Post" has died. He ran that paper from 1968 to 1991, overseeing the paper's groundbreaking coverage of the Watergate scandal.

That reporting led by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, it changed history. It really also changed journalism. Ben Bradlee had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease for several years. He was 93. Such a huge loss.

And stay with CNN, because at 7:00 Eastern Time, Woodward and Bernstein reuniting to share memories of Ben Bradlee, their boss, their mentor, their friend. That will be an extraordinary discussion coming up on "NEW DAY".

Ten minutes after the hour.

Indra Petersons is here with an early start on our forecast.

INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning. The day today starts with transition. Yesterday (INAUDIBLE) showers

right across Ohio valley but today, it's going to be about the coastal low that's now starting to develop. This is what everyone's been talking about.

We're going to be talking some stronger winds and enhanced rainfall. Yes, the biggest portion of bull's-eye around Maine, three to five inches. But notice, even as far south as just east of Philly or so, we're still talking two to three inches of rain. And that's only side of the equation, of course. We have strong winds, in addition to that as well.

So, as far as the timing today, yes, you're going to talk about that enhanced rainfall really again anywhere from Philly, all the way up even into the Northeast. But by tomorrow, it's a slow-moving system. So, we're still going to be talking about showers out there, just making the way farther to the north.

When does this guy get out of here, for once the timing is good. By Friday, yes, in the morning hours, you could see some showers that are clearing quickly by the afternoon. We really should be talking about the system making its way out of New England. So, that is the good news. Perfect for the weekend.

But before that, of course, we have strong winds to deal with, really holding on for the next several days. Even 30, 40-mile-per-hour winds will be out there. You're definitely feeling the difference. Not only the winds but the temperature drop.

Look at this drop today, a good 10, 15 degrees cooler than just yesterday really into the northeast. Keep in mind, the pattern is not staying that way. In fact, warm air will be filling in. Again, as we dry out towards the weekend, that warm air will also filling in.

So, notice right now, temperatures are below level by the time we skip to the beginning of the weekend, they're shooting right back up where they need to be. So, typically, bad news today. Not that day so much.

BERMAN: So, just hold on. We have to wait out is your message out there.

All right. Indra, thanks so much.

That's the weather. Let's get an early start on your money. Alison Kosik is here.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: And I've seen a bit of caution creep in to stock markets around the world right now. European stocks are down, pulling back from earlier gains after some disappointing results. Asian shares ended the day mostly higher. And right now, here in the U.S., stock futures, they're down slightly.

But, hey, come on, yesterday, stock, had a really good day. The Dow climbs 215 points or 1.3 percent. The S&P 500 rose 2 percent. And the NASDAQ had its best day of the year, surging 2.4 percent. Gosh, it's been quite the rocky month but yesterday's climb erased a

good portion of October's losses and actually put the Dow back in that territory for the year. So, all that whiplash last week, forget about it.

The S&P 500 is up about 5 percent so far this year. The NASDAQ up almost 4 percent. But this roller coaster ride, usual for Wall Street, right?

BERMAN: Yes, I know, this is crazy volatility. This is much more than we've seen in a long time.

All right. Alison Kosik, thanks so much.

Thirteen minutes after the hour.

ISIS militants releasing a new video. They say it's American weapons in their hands after a botched air drop. We'll take you live to that region.

And homegrown terror: why three American teenagers, girls, fled the United States, trying to join ISIS. That's what's alleged. We'll tell you that story, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: New video this morning of what appears to be U.S. supplies captured by ISIS. This video which is on the internet claims to show weapons and ammunition, including hand grenades and rockets on the ground, dropped from U.S. planes. It was meant for Kurdish forces, the ones that are battling ISIS right now.

I want to go live to CNN's senior international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh with these latest developments.

Good morning, Nick.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John, when the Pentagon talked about dropping the aid to the Kurds a couple days ago they were clear that one of the pallets had gone astray. One of the 28, they said, destroyed subsequently by one of the six airstrikes they put in around Kobani that day.

Now, this video could have been taken before the airstrike landed or it could have been another one that went astray, too. Clearly, they seem to suggest they've got ammunition from inside those crates for all intents and purposes looks reasonably authentic. But bear in mind, some perspective here, John. I mean, you know, this is one of 21 that went astray. Often guided parachuting systems used to drop them in a relatively accurate location, but really, up in the balance of the battlefield that was changed which is supplies that got to the Kurds who were running dangerously low, rather than one crate that went astray into ISIS's hands. They were armed to the teeth from overrunning Iraqi military bases.

And it seems, I think, the resupply adding to the Kurdish confidence, we're hearing this morning from activists and fighters inside the city, of three coalition airstrikes overnight, continued mortaring by ISIS for the eastern city towards the center, around they harass the Kurds around there and continue fight to get east as well.

The broader picture, John, while it seems ISIS are hitting the middle of the town, they're unable to project power inside it and are being pushed to the outskirts. Key too will be bolstering perhaps the Kurds to get in the next few days.

Turkey said they would allow Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters to go from Iraq, through Turkey to help Syrian-Kurdish fighters in Kobani. That's a big concession by Turkey. They may arrive, Kurdish media reports suggests, in the next few days bringing heavy weaponry with them.

So, that could assist in the broader defense. ISIS, though, still not out for the count -- John.

BERMAN: All right. Nick Paton Walsh for us this morning, the Kurds inside Kobani showing impressive resilience so far. Thanks to you, Nick.

Nineteen minutes after the hour.

Homegrown terror concerns on several fronts this morning. Three high school girls from Denver are back home now after leaving the United States to join ISIS in Syria. The teens were stopped in Germany before they could board a flight for Turkey. They apparently go from Turkey to Syria, that would be their plan.

Agents now are combing through the e-mails to see who if anyone recruited these girls. They're ages, 15, 16 and 17. They allegedly stole money from their parents to finance the trip.

In Canada, police shot and killed a 25-year-old man who ran over two soldiers in his car. One of those soldiers is dead. Authorities say the suspect may have been radicalized. He was, they say, on their radar.

And a newly released video shows a 17-year-old Australian teenager alongside ISIS fighters in Syria, threatening to behead Western leaders.

All right. Game one of the world series, it is over. Not happy times for Kansas City. For the first time in this season, they lost.

They said it couldn't be done. So, does this mean it's all over for Kansas City? Are their dreams now over?

Andy Scholes has the highlights in the "Bleacher Report", next.

All right. While fear of Ebola is traveling much faster than the disease in the United States, business travelers appear to be unfazed. According to a survey by the Global Business Travel Association, nearly 80 percent of international business travel has not been impacted by Ebola concerns over the past month. About 90 percent of domestic business travel has not been affected, that is in spite of very, very, very, very few Ebola-infected travelers.

The SARS outbreak of 2003 prompted many major countries to ban travel to affected areas like Hong Kong, Singapore and Toronto. Not so with Ebola. SARS, yes, Ebola, no. Many companies are ramping up the information they give their travelers on how to avoid Ebola and also the flu.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: All right. It was supposed to be a big party in Kansas City last night, but the San Francisco Giants, they spoiled all. Taking game one of the World Series.

Andy Scholes is there. Got the "Bleacher Report," Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, BLEACHER REPORT: Good morning, John.

Yes, Kansas fans, they've been waiting 29 years for last night, they came to the stadium, they were going nuts. They were confident. You know, they had won eight straight postseason games coming into the World Series.

But the air was let out of Kauffman Stadium in the first inning. Already down 1-0, James Shields gives up two-run home run to Hunter Pence. Pence was 0 for 3 against Shield before that home run.

The 3-0, it was all Giants ace Madison Bumgarner need. He was magnificent. Giving up only one run. Giants take the lead in the series with a 7-1 win. Bumgarner, he may have dominant of the game but he gave all the credit of the win --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MADISON BUMGARNER, GAME ONE WINNING PITCHER: Come in every day, same guy, you know, couldn't be in a better mood, ready to compete. Nobody works harder than him. I mean, it's been an honor and it's a blessing to have him as a teammate. So --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I paid him to say that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: All right. Game two will be tonight, first pitch at Kauffman Stadium set for a little after 8:00 Eastern.

Some NFL news to tell you this morning. According to ProFootballTalk, Ray Rice has filed a grievance against his former team, the Ravens, for terminating his contract. Rice was originally suspended for two games, and will argue he shouldn't have been let go by the Ravens per the collective bargaining agreement. If Rice wins, he would received his salary of $3.5 million from the team.

CNN has learned Rice's hearing for his grievance against the NFL is set for November 5th and 6th. No word yet on when his grievance against the Ravens will be resolved. Michael Sam, the NFL's first openly gay player has been released from

the Cowboys practice squad. Sam was signed by Dallas before week one, but has yet to make the 53-man squad playing in a real NFL game. It's the second time in two months Sam was released.

He was drafted and waived by the St. Louis Rams. Sam tweeted he was thankful for the opportunity and the fact that he can play every Sunday.

John, back out here in Kansas City, I'm suspecting the Royals fans, they'll be a little more nervous today. You know, the winner of game one of the World Series has gone on to win the series 10 out of the last 11 times. You know, the Royals really need this game tonight after the series, they're going to San Francisco for three straight game finance they don't get, 0-2 hole is a pretty daunting path for them to overcome.

BERMAN: Yes, big, big game tonight.

All right. Andy, thanks so much.

All right. Twenty-seven minutes after the hour.

Right now, we are awaiting the arrival of an American back on American soil after months of being held captive in North Korea. Why the sudden change of heart by the regime there? We'll have the latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)