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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Protests After No Chares in Garner's Death; Federal Civil Rights Investigation; Inside the Fight for Kobani

Aired December 04, 2014 - 04:00   ET

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

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight: protests erupting in New York and across the country after a grand jury decides not to indict a white police officer involved in the chokehold death of an unarmed black man.

Eric Garner's family is outraged this morning and speaking out.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Now, a federal civil rights investigation is happening in the Garner death investigation, as President Obama vows to lessen racial tensions between police and minorities across the country.

Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.

BERMAN: Good to see you this morning. I'm John Berman. It is Thursday, December 4th, 4:00 a.m. in the East.

And breaking overnight: protests across the country. As nine days after unrest in Ferguson, the issue of race and justice again in sent center of the national discussion, and once again, the flashpoint is a grand jury decision not to indict a white police officer in the death of a black man, in this case, a New Yorker named Eric Garner.

ROMANS: Garner died in July after officers used a chokehold, trying to arrest him for selling loose cigarettes on the street.

Following the announcement of grand jury's decision, activists begun to organize protests. At least 30 people were arrested and demonstrators shut down a roadway and stopped traffic in the Lincoln Tunnel.

Garner's widow also spoke out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ESAW GARNER, WIDOW OF ERIC GARNER: I'm determined to get justice for my husband, because he shouldn't have been killed in that way. He shouldn't have been killed in any way. He should be celebrating Christmas and Thanksgiving with his children and grandchildren. He can't. Why? Because a cop did wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: CNN's Joe Johns has more from the scene of Garner's death on Staten Island.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, this is the place where that altercation occurred back in July, resulting in the death of Eric Garner. There is a makeshift memorial here with flowers, posters, candles. And into the night, the number of people visiting the scene rose and fell, some expressing anger and exasperation.

What seemed difficult for many to reconcile was the plain evidence on video of what occurred here on the street last July and how that could not lead to an indictment. But other whose showed up here, including community leaders and family members of Garner, encouraging the crowd to keep it peaceful.

The scene is walking distance from the Staten Island district attorney's office. And the only statement coming out of there was that the law requires the activities of grand juries to remain secret and there would be no release of information about the decision unless a court orders it. There was a small protest here with perhaps a dozen people or so marching through chanting "no justice, no peace". But we only saw them once.

For his part, Daniel Panteleo, the New York police officer whose actions were under review by the grand jury, did release a statement expressing his condolences to the Eric Garner family -- John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. On Staten Island this morning, thank you for that, Joe.

We have that statement from Officer Panteleo. He says, quote, "I became a police officer to help people and to protect those who can't protect themselves. It is never my intention to harm anyone and I feel very bad about the death of Mr. Garner. My family and I include him and his family in our prayers and I hope they will accept my personal condolences for their loss.

BERMAN: Eric Garner's father, Ben Garner, had a message, saying he is disappointed by the grand jury decision, but people should keep protests peaceful and lawful.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN GARNER, FATHER OF ERIC GARNER: I was hurt by it, but still, I don't want no reason for anybody to get locked up here and go through the same (EXPLETIVE DELETED) that we are going through all the time.

REPORTER: What do you think happens next? Have you talked to the lawyers a bit about, you know --

GARNER: The feds will take over.

REPORTER: And you are hopeful that the federal government -- GARNER: I'm quite sure they will give the right decision.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Ben Garner's message struck a cord with New York City's Mayor Bill de Blasio, telling reporters about the painful personal talk he had to have with his son Dante, who is black. De Blasio says even he, the mayor of New York, had to warn his sons to be careful in any interactions he might have with police officers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D), NEW YORK CITY: I couldn't help but immediately think what it would mean to lose Dante. Life could never been the same thereafter. I could feel how it will never been whole again. Things will never been whole again for Mr. Garner.

And even in the midst of his pain, one of the things he stopped and said so squarely was, there can't be violence. And said Eric would not have wanted violence. Violence won't get us anywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Following the grand jury's decision not to hand up an indictment in Garner's death, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the Justice Department will launch a federal civil rights investigation into the case. He promised it will be, quote, "independent, thorough, fair and expeditious."

The investigation will be handled initially by the woman that President Obama has nominated to replace Eric Holder, the U.S. attorney from Brooklyn, Loretta Lynch. The president himself also weighed in on this case.

CNN White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, John and Christine.

Yes, this is interesting. I mean, we have the outgoing attorney general announcing a federal investigation now into the case. And the U.S. attorney there is going to be the next attorney general.

We also heard from the president on this in an unexpectedly long statement just before he addressed Native American tribal leaders. Here's part of what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When I met with folks from Ferguson and law enforcement and clergy and civil rights activists. I said this is an issue we have been dealing with for far too long and it's time for us to make more progress that we've made. And I'm not interested in talk. I'm interested in action. And I am absolutely committed as president of the United States to making sure that we have a country in which everybody believes in the core principle we are equal under the law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSINSKI: It will go what the administration announced just in the past week, a task force to look at policing in America, a deeper investigation of what some see as the militarization of local police departments and the receiving of military equipment from the federal government.

Also, the administration asking Congress for more money for training for local police departments, also body cameras. The president said that that kind of action is going to continue until he sees some strengthening in the trust and accountability between police departments and communities -- John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Michelle, thank you for that.

Protests around the country have been largely peaceful. At New York City's Grand Central Terminal, hundreds chanted "I can't breathe" during a die-in organized in social media under #thisstopstoday.

Police stopped protesters from disrupting the Christmas tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center. But some blocked traffic as they took to the streets. It totals of about 30 arrests made there.

BERMAN: In Philadelphia, protesters gathered in city hall for a die- in prior to that city's tree lighting ceremony. The crowd there was chanting "no justice", and "hands up, don't shoot", throughout the event there.

In Washington, hundreds of demonstrators marched through the Dupont Circle neighborhood. They can be heard chanting "I can't breathe" and "no justice, no peace". The protests lasted several hours before winding down.

ROMANS: In Ferguson, Missouri, Michael Brown's stepfather says he is sorry for his emotional outburst, his called to burn this down, came the night a grand jury there decided not to indict a police officer in his stepson's death.

Our CNN correspondent George Howell, he got the latest for us this morning from Ferguson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Police in Ferguson are looking back at what happened last week to determine to find out why and what started the looting and rioting that we saw. And they are focusing on video and that audio. You will remember, Louis Head making the comment. He's the stepfather of Michael Brown, telling people to burn things down. Police are questioning whether that helped incite a riot. Mr. Head has since apologized for those comments, saying that he made

them in a fit of rage. He was angry and he did not want to see this community burn down.

In the meantime, we are also hearing from the governor of the state, Jay Nixon. You'll remember, he took some heat for his decision on how he deployed the National Guard after the rioting took place.

Take a listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: There are business owners who said, hey, had the National Guard been there, maybe my business would not have been looted or burned down. Your decision, though, to bring them in later.

GOV. JAY NIXON (D), MISSOURI: The loss of property was significant, clearly. Individual business owners, our hearts go out to them. But you put in context, the fact we didn't have a single one of those folks shot or single law enforcement or trooper or national guardsmen shot nor any of their weapons discharged in that difficult a situation, I had to make decision about life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: In the aftermath of what happened in New York with Eric Garner, I can tell you, there were about a handful of protesters in front of the police department. But overall, here in Ferguson, everything remained peaceful -- John, Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Our thanks to George Howell in Ferguson for that report.

We're going to have more on our coverage surrounding the Eric Garner, no indictment, the protest that developed overnight. We're going to have a look inside one of the protests as it has been winding through the streets the last few hours.

ROMANS: And it's one of the most dangerous places for journalists in the world. Our Nick Paton Walsh went inside Syria's Kobani for an up- close at the fight against ISIS. He is live with his gripping reporting. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Happening now: reaction to the case of the death of Eric Garner. A New York City grand jury decided Wednesday not to indict the police officer who tried to arrest Garner using a chokehold. That event ended in Garner's death. The grand jury announcement sparked protests nationwide. In New York, marchers virtually shutdown midtown Manhattan for a time last night.

CNN's Deborah Feyerick was with the protesters.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The demonstrators marched about seven straight hours. They began at Times Square, walked over to Rockefeller Center with a plan to interrupt the tree lighting ceremony. Police have set up a perimeter so they marched around, making their way over to the West Side Highway, shutting it down. The goal was to stop traffic and they did that, walking against the flow on numerous avenues throughout New York City.

The demonstrators ultimately ended here at 14th Street and Sixth Avenue. A handful of very determined, very angry protesters.

Police officers now outnumbering the number of demonstrators, but at the height of this march, there were hundreds marching down Broadway, marching up the West Side Highway, marching and chanting saying whose streets, our streets, and this is what democracy looks like.

Everything winding up around midnight.

Deborah Feyerick, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Deb, thank you for that.

Now to Syria, and a gripping CNN exclusive. We take you inside the intense deadly fight for Kobani.

Our Nick Paton Walsh and his crew follow a female commander and her Kurdish fighting forces. They exchanged fire with ISIS a mere 65 feet away.

Nick joins us live from just inside the Turkish border overlooking Kobani.

Some really gripping footage there of what is a very intense situation, Nick.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Christine, what is remarkable is after spending weeks, as we've seen observing the fight inside Kobani from the hills in Turkey that overlooked is to see actually what it has done to a town. There is so little left to fight over and the people who try and eek out a life there are looking for food, fuel, something to get through the winter.

It is a fight itself that is deeply chilling and remarkable, too, to see that on that frontline with coalition technology in the skies trying to support them. The actual fighters on the ground are often 22-year-old young, within in their 20s.

We spoke to one field commander, Media Raqa (ph), who told us how one of her friends had died trying to defend others.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): There were heavy clashes with ISIS. We were out numbered. She herself was injured, but she advanced to help save the other injured with her. ISIS surrounded her because girls are very prized by them. She then blew herself up and killed a lot of them with her.

I was near her then. Her last words were, "We will liberate our land with the last drop of blood in my body."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH: It is a grim detail, Christine, but in the frontlines, you saw, there is one smell that haunts the fighter s. And it's from the bodies of ISIS militants killed and left behind when their units had to pull back, mostly likely because of coalition air strikes hit them hard. The decay in the air is a reminder of the fighting of the enemy they face. And they're simply defending the town they want to look after, but they are worried because as winter comes in, the ammo is getting less and they are finding ISIS using shelling and not giving up the fight. It hangs in the balance every night, Christine.

ROMANS: And you look at these pictures, Nick, and this is absolute destruction of this town. These men and women are fighting for this town. It looks as if you couldn't live or even work there.

WALSH: They do live there. They, as I said, struggle it seems with food and aid to get in, the capacity that they want. It is very hard simply to be there. Airstrikes, while friendly for the Kurds, shake the room, walls and windows. On the roof one night with heavy machine guns and whistling bullets overhead, constantly.

And as I said, though, the indiscriminate mortar fire, homemade mortars made by ISIS, gas cans with scrap metal just lobbed into the civilian areas and destroying homes. There are very few children still there, but they're greatly at risk -- Christine.

ROMANS: Greatly at risk, indeed. Nick, thank you for bringing that to us. Please stay safe. And again, thank you for a look inside that town. It really paint what is war is. That is what war is there.

BERMAN: Remarkable, remarkable images.

Breaking overnight: an American man held captive in Yemen is begging for help. Luke Somers was kidnapped last year by an al Qaeda affiliate. In recent video, Somers appears nervous as he introduces himself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LUKE SOMERS, KIDNAPPED BY AL QAEDA: My name is Luke Somers. I'm 33 years old. I was born in England, but I carry an American citizenship and have lived in America for most of my life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Last week, both special operations and Yemeni forces tried to free Somers without success. An al Qaeda official says that Somers will meet, in his words, his inevitable fate if the United States does not meet the group's demands in three days. Those demands were not outlined in the video. Somers says his life is in danger and he needs help immediately. He is a freelance photographer who's kidnapped by terrorists last September.

An American woman stabbed in the restroom of a high end mall in the United Arab Emirates. Police in Abu Dhabi identified the woman as 47- year-old Ibolya Ryan, a school teacher with 11-year-old twins. Security footage shows a suspect covered head to toe in women's garb. The U.S. embassy is working with authorities to identify the suspect's motive, identity, even the gender.

ROMANS: What a mystery.

All right. Much more on the protests over a grand jury decision not to indict a police officer in the chokehold death of an unarmed black man. What Attorney General Eric Holder is now saying about a federal inquiry.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC HOLDER, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: Mr. Garner's death is one of several incidents across the country that have tested the sense of trust that must exist between law enforcement and communities they are charged to serve and to protect.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: This morning, you heard him there. Attorney General Eric Holder, he has announced a federal civil rights investigation into the death of Eric Garner. A grand jury in New York decided not to indict a white police officer who tried to arrest Garner.

The city medical examiner had ruled that the officer's chokehold was the primary cause of Garner's death. The grand jury's sparked protests overnight, nationwide. There was one here in New York City, several in New York City that virtually shutdown the streets of midtown Manhattan.

Look at the cover this morning from "The New York Daily News." The headline, "We Can't Breathe", which paraphrases Eric Garner's words as he was gasping for air as the police were arresting him and has become a mantra shouted by protesters. The paper made it clear obviously where it stands on the issue.

ROMANS: All right. Right now, Russian President Vladimir Putin is delivering his state of the union address to members of parliament. He is focusing on Russian economy which government officials warn could fall into recession next year. Putin said sanctions his nation faces are harmful for all countries. He is outlining the government's position on domestic and foreign affairs and in response to Russia's role in East Ukraine, he says Crimea in particular has a sacred, sacred role for all of Russia forever. He is really blaming the West for the position of force, he says, for Russia.

It's interesting. His popularity is very, very high in Russia, but every day, a loaf of bread costs more for the Russian people. They are suffering from the sanctions and the economy that is in freefall many say. Russian President Vladimir Putin's popularity is very, very strong.

BERMAN: Yes, strong, but question is how tenuous is it with the economic situation which is increasingly dire.

Twenty-five minutes after the hour.

The launch is a go. In just about three hours, NASA will launch a highly anticipated test flight from Cape Canaveral. The unmanned Orion spacecraft will blast off at 7:05 Eastern Time on top of a Delta IV rocket. The capsule is designed to eventually take astronauts to asteroids, and maybe even to Mars. Today's mission will last 4.5 hours. The capsule is expected to orbit the earth twice much higher than recent near earth orbits like the space shuttle.

So, the big deal here is this is going deeper into space than a long, long, long time in capsules. It could take about seven years before astronauts fly in space on this Orion capsule.

ROMANS: Very cool.

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

Asian stocks soaring this morning, and Shanghai up 4.3 percent on strong data from the U.S. and hopes of more stimulus measures. European stocks looking more cautious ahead of the decision on interest rates by the European central bank.

U.S. stocks barely budging, but, you know, stocks are higher than they have ever been. Yesterday, both the Dow and S&P 500 closed at highs. Stocks have been a broken record. I feel like a broken record, a broken record. The S&P 500 up 12 percent this year. It is almost record fatigue. Your 401(k) is doing well.

BERMAN: Do the broken record thing again because that was funny.

ROMANS: A broken record, a broken record.

BERMAN: OK, good. Thank you.

ROMANS: All right. Now, fast food workers, though, promising to walk off the job today. Protesting $15 an hour pay are expected in 190 cities. This is the latest in the campaign of strikes that started about two years ago. Since then, more than a dozen states and several cities have raised minimum wage above $7.25.

But no fast food chains have committed to a wage hike. It is interesting to me. You have stocks at record highs, yet workers don't feel it. And workers in some fast growing parts of the economy, like fast food and retail and leisure and travel, they are saying we need to be paid more money. Really interesting I think split of what's happening.

BERMAN: Indeed. Jobs report tomorrow, by the way, right? ROMANS: Yes, you got it.

BERMAN: All right. Coming up for us, new information, the very latest on the protests here in New York and around the country after a grand jury's decision not to indict in the police officer chokehold in the death of Eric Garner. We're going to tell you what we now know about the federal investigation, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)