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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Obama at APEC: Touching on Sensitive Topics; Americans Freed from North Korea: New Detail; The War on ISIS: Leader Injured in Airstrike?

Aired November 10, 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: President Obama in Asia this morning, tackling tough foreign policy issues and ambitious agenda, women's rights, pollution, freedom for the Internet, speaking just moments ago. We'll break down the latest developments for you.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: New details emerging this morning. Just how the President Obama administration helped free two Americans held prisoner inside North Korea. We are live with this new strategy used to secure this release.

ROMANS: New air strikes on ISIS, possibly injuring one of its leaders as President Obama shifts strategy to fight these terrorists. We are live with what we're learning this morning on that front.

Welcome back to EARLY START. Happy Monday. I'm Christine Romans.

BERMAN: I'm John Berman. Great to see you.

Thirty minutes past the hour right now.

And happening right now, just a few minutes ago, the president finished speaking in China to the Asia Pacific leaders. He is laying out an agenda for trade talks with these nations. The president touched on some sensitive topics for China, the host country, including Internet censorship, pollution, civil rights.

President Obama faces a full plate of foreign policy challenges during this week-long swing through China, also going to Myanmar and Australia as well. The issues that he will speak about includes shoring up America's key trade relationship with China, just as that country strengthens its ties to Russia.

CNN senior international correspondent David McKenzie is live for us now in Beijing.

David, so interesting to listen to the president as he wades delicately through issues that he knows could potentially offend China.

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's a very good point, John. And certainly, he touched on hot-button issues that will offend the communist party leadership. But I have to say, at the front end of his speech, he was pushing for a better relationship between China and the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We welcome the rise of a prosperous, peaceful and stable China. In fact, over recent decades, the United States has worked to help integrate China into the global economy, not only because it's in China's best interests, but in America's best interests and the world's best interests. If China and the United States can work together, the world benefits.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKENZIE: Well, certainly he went on to talk about human rights in China as well as freedom of the press saying these are important issues for the United States, not just boxes to check. That will certainly rankle leaders.

President Obama will have meetings with the Chinese President Xi Jinping in the coming days. This has been a rocky relationship in the recent years. So, Obama would look to help mend those fences, but also push through issues like cyber security and the stealing of intellectual property, which has long been the accusation of the U.S. government against China and Chinese firms. There are a lot of difficult issues to get through, but at least, initially, President Obama appears to be trying to say that working together will help both countries economies -- John.

BERMAN: And, David, the president announced some visa -- some visa relaxation of the visa rules between the United States and China. Anything else concrete that we can expect to come out of these discussions other than that face-to-face meeting with the two leaders which I believe is Wednesday?

MCKENZIE: Well, certainly, the visa rules are interesting because it now allows business and tourists travelers going between U.S. and China to have a ten-year visa window, which is significant for trade between the countries. There's obviously bilateral trade treaties being talked about between the Chinese and U.S. leadership. There's no indication those will be pushed through. But certainly, a lot about this will be the symbolism and definite way that Xi Jinping, the president of China, and the president of the U.S., President Obama, have any kind of chemistry, because it's been frosty as I've said in the last two years.

If they can at least improve that on the surface, it will be seen as a win for President Obama -- John.

BERMAN: Yes, I think the existence of chemistry at all will be a positive development from the United States. Good point.

David McKenzie live for us in Beijing, thanks so much, David.

ROMANS: This morning, two men held captive by North Korea are waking up in their own beds after North Korea leader Kim Jong-un ordered their release. Ken Bae and Matthew Todd Miller set free after a secret mission to Pyongyang by America's top spy. Bae's family spoke out about his readjustment to life back home in Seattle.

Ana Cabrera has more.

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ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, what a weekend for the families of Kenneth Bae and Matthew Todd Miller who have been reunited after months, even years apart. Both men arriving late Saturday night embraced by their loved ones as they step off the plane at McCord Field in Tacoma, Washington.

Of course, Bae has been held captive for over two years. For Matthew Todd Miller, it has been seven months. Still a lot of mystery surrounding the details of why they were released now. But both families relieved and expressing a lot of gratitude to have those voice back.

We talked to Kenneth Bae's sister a little bit about what those first 24 hours back on American soil have been like. And listen to what she shared.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TERRI CHUNG, KENNETH BAE'S SISTER: We had a late night eating pizza. You know, he is a story teller to begin with. I mean, that's what he does. He holds court and he just regales people with like funny stories. And that's just who he is as a person, to begin with. So, you could tell he was hungry for that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Terri Chung also said she is seeing glimpses of the Kenneth, her brother that she remembers, but it hasn't fully emerged just yet. She said, realistically, it's going to be some time for him to readjust and get reacquainted with life back in the U.S.

I also want to mention, we reached out to the family of Matthew Todd Miller who is choosing not to speak right now to the media. They are asking for their privacy at this time as their family reunites -- John, Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: You know, there is still so much mystery surrounding the release of Kenneth Bae and Matthew Miller. You know, why now? Why did the president send the director of national intelligence James Clapper instead of a senior diplomat?

Let's talk more about the timing, the motive, the methods here. Let's go to Paula Hancocks live this morning for us in South Korea.

Good morning, Paula.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, John. Well, first of all, let's look at why. Nothing happens in North Korea that is accidental. It is a highly choreographed country. Every single thing is pored over as it comes out of the country.

So, this was very intentional. This decision came from the top. It would have come from Kim Jong-un, the leader himself and he did it for a reason.

Now, speaking to many analysts who have looked at this country for years, sometimes decades, they believe that first and foremost, it's good PR for Pyongyang. If you look at it, the North Korea official statement that came out after the two U.S. citizens were released, they say that U.S. President Obama had given an earnest apology.

Now, Washington hasn't commented on this particular statement, but the fact is if they have an apology from the most powerful man in the world, and obviously for Kim Jong-un, this is propaganda gold. He can use this to show the power and leverage he has on the international stage, or at least that is the way it will be spun within the country itself.

So, of course, it's good PR as far as they're concerned. They played this as a humanitarian gesture. And also, they want to mitigate their reputation. They want to soften their image at this point. There is the United Nations commission of inquiry, looking into the human rights abuses in North Korea, saying that some of them are crimes against humanity. That is working through the U.N. as we speak.

We have seen a charm offensive from Pyongyang around the world trying to soften its image and also trying to lessen the impact of this U.N. report. Obviously, fears that could be sanctions and the leader could be referred to the ICC -- John.

BERMAN: Yes, the U.S. wading warily into this opening with North Korea, seeing if it ends up leading to anything else.

Paula Hancocks live for us in Seoul this morning -- thanks so much.

ROMANS: All right. Nuclear talks with Iran are heating up in Oman. Secretary of State John Kerry meeting deep into the night with the Iranian foreign minister and the European Union's foreign policy chief. Negotiations continuing this morning. Now, the two sides facing a November 24th deadline to cut a deal. After that, an interim agreement keeps the Iranians from building a nuclear bomb expires.

BERMAN: Iran's supreme leader went on Twitter talking about Israel. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says that the only way to bring an end to what he calls Israeli crimes is a vote that would end in the injection of all Jewish immigrants to Israel. He goes on to say the elimination of Israel does not mean the massacre of Jewish people. The ayatollah is calling for a referendum among what he calls the original people of Palestine, that would be Muslims, Christians, and Jews. But it would exclude Jewish immigrants.

New this morning, the White House is promising a more satisfying experience for Americans looking to sign up for Obamacare. Open enrollment on the retooled healthcare.gov Web site begins on Saturday, but we are told consumers can start window-shopping now to check out options. This is something they could not do when Obamacare was rolled out last year. About 7.3 million people have insurance through federal and state exchange.

ROMANS: And you can sort by deductible, you know, your annual deductible. Or you can sort by how much you want to pay every payroll period to find the best plan for you.

All right. Time for an early start on your money.

Global markets higher this morning. Asian shares surging after the announcement of a launch date for trading link between Hong Kong and Shanghai stock exchanges. In the U.S., stocks just eked out gains Friday after solid jobs data was enough that both the Dow and S&P 500 hit record highs. Right now, this morning, futures are higher, looking to build on those records.

Obamacare now open for window-shopping as we just reported. Enrollment for the federal exchange doesn't begin until November 15th. But you can start looking right now.

Let's talk about GM. Replacement switches for GM cars were ordered months before its massive recall. That's according to "The Wall Street Journal", who viewed the email exchanges between GM and ignition switch supplier Delphi. Now, the urgent order took place in mid-December, 2013, almost two months before GM told federal regulators about its problem. GM ignition switch recall is linked to at least 30 deaths. CNN has reached out to both Delphi and GM for a comment on that.

So, timing of that is something very, very interesting.

BERMAN: All right. Twenty minutes until the hour right now.

Happening now, was an ISIS leader injured in a new airstrike on that terrorist group? We are live with the latest we're hearing this morning. That's next.

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BERMAN: New this morning, an Iraqi government official says that the head of ISIS was injured in airstrikes over the weekend. A spokesperson for the interior ministry says Abu Bakr al Baghdadi was wounded in an air attack on a convoy. Now, reports are conflicting right now over the exact location of the attack and just who launched, whether it was Iraq or the United States.

Pentagon officials say they have no information backing up the claim that Baghdadi was injured. President Obama says his decision to send 1,500 more troops to Iraq signals a new phase in the war on ISIS.

Our senior international correspondent Arwa Damon is standing live this morning in southern Turkey.

Arwa, if it's true, the claim that Baghdadi was injured in an airstrike, it would be a very, very big development.

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It would be a big development. But let's not be under illusions that the injuring or even killing of al Baghdadi would somehow bring about an end to ISIS. We have seen the groups before lose key leaderships, extremists organizations having their top tier commanders killed and yet, they have continued to survive and thrive.

That being said, neither the U.S. nor the Iraqi prime minister's office or ministry of defense are, in fact, confirming that al Baghdadi was targeted, never mind being injured in an attack.

Now, when it comes to the 1,500 troops, that's going to nearly double the U.S. presence in Iraq. And this next phase that we are hearing President Obama talk about, well, so far, the U.S. effort has allowed for ISIS at the very least to be stopped in its tracks. It's advance towards Baghdad and other key locations being halted.

But the effort thus far has not allowed for Iraqi security forces to be able to push ISIS back and make any sort of significant gains when it comes to actually decimating the terrorist organization, the hope is that these additional 1,500 troops will allow that particular effort to move forward. We are hearing that they will be placed possibly in a more forward operating base and not just in Baghdad or in Irbil.

We are hearing two potential locations, might be al Anbar province to the west, and Taji to the north of the capital, both of these areas predominantly Sunni and key ISIS strongholds.

But what is going to be vital in all of this if ISIS is, in fact, to be defeated in Iraq is going to be for the Shia-led Iraqi government to get those Sunni tribal leaders on board.

So far, by and large, the Sunni thrives in areas that ISIS control and fighting alongside the terrorist organization are at least providing it with friendly territory where which it can operate. So, having those thrives on board is going to be very important, having them turn on ISIS what is going to be the key to switching the tide in ISIS advance and control in Iraq.

BERMAN: The key winter training and relationship building inside Iraq.

Arwa Damon for us this morning, thanks so much.

ROMANS: All right. Today marks the end of the 21-day Ebola monitoring period for nurse Kaci Hickox. She's publicly fought state- ordered quarantines in New Jersey and Maine after returning from treating Ebola patients in West Africa. She tested negative for the disease and showed no symptoms. Hickox says she and her boyfriend are planning to move from Ft. Kent to Southern Maine. Exactly where they're headed is not known.

BERMAN: FEMA is asking at least a dozen residents of an assisted living facility who are displaced by Hurricane Sandy, to repay thousands of dollars in federal disaster aid. The residents spent four months in emergency shelters after their building was flooded. Now, FEMA has declared them ineligible for aid checks they received two years ago because the money was supposed to be spent on temporary housing, which never happened because residents were moved from one state-funded shelter to another. Watch this space, I imagine this will be worked out. That sounds outrageous.

ROMANS: Yes.

All right. A major crackdown on feeding the homeless as residents in the Florida community crying foul. Police in Ft. Lauderdale arrested three more people for attempting to feed the homeless in a public place. This comes after a 90-year-old man was arrested on a beach last week. The city's new ordinance bans public food sharing. Ft. Lauderdale's mayor back the ordinance and says more arrests will be made if people continue to break the law.

BERMAN: The FAA growing increasingly concerned about rogue drones at sporting events, especially football games. The agency confirms it is investigating the incidents this fall involving drones violating air space restrictions at college and NFL games. Many sports fans are using these to shoot video to post online. The FAA says small drones are a serious accident waiting to happen inside a crowded stadium.

ROMANS: Yes, the whole drone phenomena is really -- we have to get new rules for the road literally. Rules for the air for how to use these things.

All right. An arctic chill on the way. Temperatures set to drop up to 40 degrees. We are tracking when it will hit, next.

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BERMAN: Arctic weather and really low temperatures in the forecast for this week.

Jennifer Gray has an early start on our weather -- Jennifer.

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JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Guys, very cold air is going to start sinking south as we go through the next couple of days. Already, snow showers across portions of the Northern Plains, the Midwest. We could see up to a foot of snow in Minneapolis. It is going to be very cold over the next couple of days.

Elsewhere in the country, though, pretty nice, staying pleasant in the south. Temperatures around 71 in Atlanta, Memphis, 79 in Dallas. The very cold air is going to stay to the north for today. Sink a little farther south tomorrow.

Minneapolis, your high temperature today is 30 degrees, 21 in Billings. The cold air is going to stay in place for much of the week. It will slide a bit farther south like we mentioned. Snow showers possible for the Great Lakes tomorrow. That should be it as far as the snow, though. This is not a huge

nationwide snowmaker. It's mainly going to be dry, just cold air sinking south. So, warm air does stay in place for the southeast for another day or so. Once we go through tomorrow, 73 degrees in Atlanta, 66 in Memphis. The chilly air in Kansas City by tomorrow, as well, 39 degrees is your high temperature, 11 in Bismarck -- or Billings rather for tomorrow -- guys.

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ROMANS: Eleven in Billings.

BERMAN: I'm sure Bismarck is happy that it's not 11 there. That is in Billings.

ROMANS: All right. Pope Francis has again demoted a conservative American cardinal from a key post. Cardinal Raymond Burke has openly criticized the pontiff for the direction in which he is leading the Catholic Church. The Vatican did not give reason for reassignment, but said the former archbishop of St. Louis would be given fewer responsibilities in his new position.

BERMAN: All right. Fifty-four minutes after the hour.

Recreational marijuana may now be legal in four states, but that does not mean it cannot get you fired. That's a double negative. You can get fired for smoking pot. We'll tell you more, coming up.

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ROMANS: All right. Let's get an early start on your money, Monday edition.

Global markets are higher, led by a jump in Asia. U.S. stocks futures also moving up here, building on Friday's record highs after a solid jobs report. That's the stock market's third straight week of gains, folks.

There is a lack of diversity in Silicon Valley. And the divide goes all the way to the top. Surprise, surprise. A new survey of 20 tech companies found just four corporate board members are minorities -- just four -- out of 189 corporate board members, and 11 companies have no minority members including Facebook, Twitter and Yahoo and Google. Women don't fare much better. There are only 36 total.

The new data comes from the Reverend Jesse Jackson and his Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. He has been raising awareness and pushing on this divide in Silicon Valley for sometime.

Two more states and Washington, D.C. voted to legalize Marijuana last week. But just because your state is OK with smoking pot doesn't mean your employer is. Only two states have laws that protect workers from getting fired for using medical marijuana. No state laws protect recreational users.

Marijuana is still illegal on the federal level. I can tell you when I talk to HR, human resources managers and employment law people, they say it is the briskest part of their business right now, is helping companies figure out how you can be fired for smoking pot.

BERMAN: Yes. So, keep the bong off the Facebook page. I think most lawyers will tell you that's good advice. I didn't go to law school.

ROMANS: That is good advice. Know what your company's policies are because it could backfire on you.

BERMAN: EARLY START continues right now.