Return to Transcripts main page

Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Violent Protests in Berkeley; American Hostage Killed; "Rolling Stone" Changes Apology

Aired December 08, 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: protesters in Berkeley angry over the Eric Garner and Michael Brown grand jury decisions. They are not backing down, not at all. Police and demonstrators faced off with protesters blocking a highway and you can see right here, even some looting and violence. We'll have the story, ahead.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: A U.S. hostage is called in a failed rescue attempts in Yemen. What went wrong during the raid to free Luke Somers and what does this mean for the U.S. policy on ransom?

BERMAN: "Rolling Stone", the magazine, is back tracking from its article about sexual assault on a University of Virginia campus and now suggesting some key facts may not have been true. But the magazine is also taking heat for its actual apology. We'll explain why, ahead.

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm John Berman.

ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. It is Monday, I'm sorry, December 8th. It is 4:00 a.m. in the East. Nice to see you all this morning, bright and early.

Breaking overnight, a new night of violence and protests in Berkeley, California. And the city is one of the few places where violence has broken out during protests against the police killings of Eric Garner and Michael Brown.

Last night, demonstrators shut down a major state highway, some hurled rocks and bottles at police and tried to set a patrol car on fire. Elsewhere in the city, police say looting and vandalism have broken out. They say a protester hit in a head with a hammer as he tried to stop a looter from smashing a RadioShack window. The victim was taken to the hospital with injuries that did not appear to be life- threatening.

BERMAN: Now, almost everywhere else in the country, the demonstrations were peaceful, in New York and Chicago, Atlanta, Minneapolis. Protesters, they were trying to send the message again that black lives matter. That can be seen on so many of the signs. There will be another demonstration at 8:00 a.m. this morning at the U.S. Capitol building.

In New York, there has been little violence, 300 arrests in total, most for disorderly conduct. On Sunday, people gathered at Times Square and Grand Central Station, which is where our Nick Valencia has caught up with them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK VALENCIA, CNN NATIONAL REPORTER: John and Christine, hundreds of demonstrators continue to demonstrate over the weekend in New York City. The biggest crowd happening on Sunday night as people flooded the streets in downtown Park Avenue, briefly shutting it down. They were chanting slogans for police reform. They want accountability and they say that they were prepared to continue to march until that reform happens. It actually planned demonstrations well into December. And they say that they will be out here for how long it takes for that reform to happen -- John, Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Thanks for that, Nick.

President Obama is offering protesters encouragement while counseling patients. The president speaks about the country's current racial turmoil in an interview that will air later today on BET. The president calls the deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of police painful, but argues that things are better now than they were 50 years ago.

Our national correspondent Sunlen Serfaty has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, this was something of a pep talk from President Obama intended to reach a very specific group -- young African-Americans who have been vocal and disappointed by decisions. The president's message was clear. He says that racial tension isn't something that's going to be solved overnight. It takes time.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What I told the young people I met with, we're going to have more conversations like this over the coming months, is this isn't going to be solved overnight. This is something that is deeply rooted in our society. It's deeply rooted in our history.

SERFATY: Meanwhile, the president has been battling a health issue. The culprit is acid reflux, the White House says. And it has given the president a sore throat for weeks.

Now, the president even made an unusual step to go to the hospital over the weekend at the recommendation of the White House doctor after seeing some inflammation in this throat. He was given a CT scan there. The White House said this was done out of an abundance of caution. They say that the results of the scan were normal and no biopsy was done or is planned, and he will be treated accordingly.

But even as a lot of questions remain, the president appeared in good spirits on Sunday night at the star-studded at the White House for Kennedy Center honorees, cracking jokes with actors like Tom Hanks, and musicians like Sting.

OBAMA: Not everybody can pull off a name like Sting. But this guy can. His wife, Trudie, calls him Sting. Apparently his kids call him Sting.

POTUS is a pretty good nickname. But let's face it, it's not as cool as Sting.

SERFATY: And the president showed no hints of a sore throat. A White House official said it also had no impact on his schedule or routine -- John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: All right. Our thanks to Sunlen Serfaty in Washington.

The president's decision to attempt to rescue of an al Qaeda hostage in Yemen is drawing support from both sides of the political aisle this morning, even though American journalist Luke Somers and a South African teacher died in the raid. Republicans as well as Democrats are backing the president and the U.S. policy not to negotiate with terrorists.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE ROGERS (R-MI), HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: If we are going to be extorted into paying ransom to al Qaeda so that they can rape and imprison women and blow up buildings and kill civilians, men, women and children, that's a pretty bad plan to start with. So, I agreed with the president's decision.

REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D), CALIFORNIA: You just end up funding other hostage taking and cycle just perpetuates itself. So, I think our decision is the right one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: We are getting more details on the raid now and just what went wrong.

Joining us now with the latest from London, CNN's Nima Elbagir.

Good morning, Nima.

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.

Well, given that this was the second attempt at rescue attempt within the last two weeks of Luke Somers, the element of surprise was always going to be the difficult to try and grasp. But add to it, the reality that because of the location, the SEAL teams had to be flown in using Ospreys. It sounds almost impossible. And indeed, as they approached the locale, about 100 meters away, U.S. officials say that SEAL teams were spotted and that one of the terrorists went back in and shot the hostages.

Secretary Hagel has said given the countdown that al Qaeda started threatening to kill Luke Somers, that he felt there was little option. Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHUCK HAGEL, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Is it imperfect? Yes. Is there a risk? Yes. But we start with the fact that we have an American that's being held hostage and that American's life is in danger. That's where we start. And then, we proceed from there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELBAGIR: But this didn't just end in tragedy for the Somers family, John. There was a second South African hostage in there, Pierre Korkie, who was due to be released on Sunday. His family negotiated for his release. The White House say that they had no intelligence of this at the time that they went in -- John.

BERMAN: Sad.

All right. Nima Elbagir for us in London -- thanks so much, Nima.

ROMANS: Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says he does not expect Afghanistan's security forces to buckle the way Iraq's has. Hagel spent the weekend in Afghanistan, his fourth and final trip there as defense secretary. Hagel says the difference between Afghanistan and Iraq is that Afghanistan's government wants U.S. troops there to assist and advise and train.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAGEL: They have welcomed us. They want us to continue to help them support them. That's a big difference between Afghanistan today and where we were in Iraq.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: CNN's Jim Sciutto spoke exclusively with Secretary Hagel in Afghanistan. He's going to bring you that story, that interview, live to "NEW DAY" later this morning.

BERMAN: Six Guantanamo Bay prisoners are free this morning. The U.S. transferred the detainees to Uruguay as refugees. This as the largest single group of inmates to depart the war-time prison in Cuba since 2009, and the first to be resettled in South America. The move has been expected since the deal finalized last spring. President Obama has about to close the prison.

ROMANS: There are concerns this morning over the release of a top secret CIA torture report. The potentially explosive report details what the CIA did following the 9/11 terror attacks. And now, there are fears that the release of the report could lead to violence against Americans around the world.

Former President George W. Bush is already challenging the conclusions of the report. Bush told CNN that whatever the report says is way off base. BERMAN: So, it was just like the Beatles but with less singing and no actual Beatles. It was the duke and duchess of Cambridge. Prince William and Catherine arriving in New York on Sunday to a swarm of flash bulbs, oh, there's the shrinking sing like the Beatles, oh, you don't sing. You've inherited this.

Later this morning, William heads to Washington to meet with President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. The duchess, who is five months pregnant, will stay in New York. Tonight, they will watch the Brooklyn Nets take on LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers and they may meet actual royalty, Beyonce and Jay-Z.

ROMANS: "The New York Times" had a really cool line where they said, New Yorkers met them with the mix of antagonism, admiration and sarcasm.

BERMAN: That's right. Welcome to New York. Particularly, the flashing in the streets, actual streets.

All right. CNN is honoring its Top 10 Heroes of the Year. The all- star tribute aired last night and Pen Farthing took the top honor of hero of the year for his non-profit Nowzad Dogs, which reunites soldiers with stray animals. They took them while serving abroad. Celebrity presenters included Benedict Cumberbatch and Uzo Aduba, and singer Sheryl Crow performed with CNN hero Arthur Bloom.

ROMANS: A really cool night.

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

U.S. stocks futures pointing lower down a bit from Friday's records. Dow and S&P both closing, reaching closing records on Friday, thanks to a very upbeat jobs report. Stocks posted their seventh week in a row of gains, seven weeks in a row.

Remember the S&P 500, John, up 12.3 percent this year. That's good for the 401(k).

BERMAN: That is a lot.

ROMANS: Really, I mean, three years in a row of double digit S&P 500 returns. Unbelievable.

It looks like a good end of the year with strong jobs growth and falling gas prices, a really good combination for consumers here. Oil prices sliding this morning more, down to $64 a barrel right now. Prices have been lower since OPEC decided not to cut production. Analysts are splashing forecast for oil prices next year.

It's going to be bad news for oil producers, great news for consumers. The national average for a gallon of regular, John, $2.66, the lowest in four years. It's a huge stimulus for drivers. This acts as a tax cut right in your pocket every time you go and fill up the tank.

BERMAN: You hit on it. I think there are the ingredients for a few really good months here in the U.S. economy. Fingers crossed, yes. "Rolling Stone" has issued an apology over its article about sexual assault at the University of Virginia. But even the apology now is under scrutiny. Has the magazine been fair in all of its coverage?

ROMANS: And unnecessary roughness on the field. The Saints and Panthers throwing punches after a touchdown. What sparked this foot- brawl?

(COMMECIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: "Rolling Stone" magazine taking a step back from the exclusive story on campus rape that has now blown up in the magazine's face. The magazine on Friday admitted to doubt about the story's claims that a woman named Jackie was brutally gang raped at the University of Virginia fraternity party. The magazine's original online apology admitted that its reporter never contacted any of the alleged perpetrators at the request of the alleged victim. It also said, quote, "Our trust in her was misplaced." Now, that apology was changed on Saturday to read the mistakes are on "Rolling Stone" not on Jackie.

CNN's Sara Ganim is at the University of Virginia with the latest for us this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA GANIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, "Rolling Stone" magazine now says they are the ones to blame for any inaccuracies in their story about an alleged gang rape here at the University of Virginia. They are backing away from any criticism of the woman named Jackie who is at the center of the story.

The attorney for the fraternity here on campus tells CNN that several details in that article are just plain wrong. He says that records show there was no party the night that Jackie claimed that she was attacked. There's no side staircase in the frat house where the article states that Jackie walked down after her attack and that the fraternity brother who Jackie says brought her to the party was never even a member of that fraternity.

Now, over the weekend, the campus remained focused on the broader issue of sexual assault. In the meantime, we spoke to several of Jackie's friends. They say they do believe that something bad happened to her, but it has become clear to them that there are things about that "Rolling Stone' article that are inaccurate that now is for police to figure -- John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Our thanks to Sara Ganim.

The Israeli government remains silent this morning on whether the Israel Defense Forces were behind two air strikes in Syria on Sunday. The Syrian military, the state-run news agency and a London-based opposition group all say that planes dropping bombs were Israeli. The two sources differ on the nature of the targets. The Syrian government claims there were civilian targets but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the targets were military.

ROMANS: Secretary of State John Kerry says he is deeply disappointed and concerned that "The Washington Post" bureau chief in Tehran has been charged more than four months after he was detained. What Jason Rezaian has been charged with is not known outside of the courtroom. His family now calling on Iran's supreme leader to allow him access to legal representation, to bail and review of his case file.

BERMAN: It's a blow to journalism everywhere.

We're learning new details about the first Ebola case in the United States. Thomas Eric Duncan went to a Dallas hospital a couple of weeks before he died, but he was misdiagnosed and sent home. Now, the Texas Presbyterian ER doctor who made that call is speaking. His name is Dr. Joseph Meier. He told "The Dallas Morning News" he did not know two key things that Duncan had a 103 degree fever and had just come from Liberia. Meier says he would have started Ebola assessment had he known these things.

I think what he actually said is that he missed the writing, that he did have a 103 degree temperature on the form right there. The interview in "The Dallas Morning News" is very interesting.

ROMANS: And a lot of questions about the kind of intake information that they're bringing in and who sees that and how well it is communicated.

Now, let's get to meteorologist Pedram Javaheri for the early look at weather.

Welcome to EARLY START.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey, good morning. Thank you for having me. Nice to be here.

We are starting off across the Northeast today, guys. And, you know, things are not looking bad when you look at the maps. We've got mostly sunny skies across the Northeast, down across the southeast as well.

Things are about to change pretty quick as we head in towards the middle of the week. Cold air coming in from the northern plains. A storm system offshore across the eastern coastline of the Atlantic out there, kind of put it together because the recipe here for a potent nor'easter developing as we head in from Tuesday eventually through Wednesday morning, and we have the heavy rain in place, the snow showers in place now.

I can tell you if this pattern was to set up 30 days from right now, we would be looking at a nor'easter that would bring significant snowfall to some of the metro cities in the northeast. The temperatures are way too warm the next couple days. They will call for heavy rainfall in the immediate coast. The snowfall stays confined for northern New England, interior portions of New England. So, that's rainfall forecast right on the coast. New York City, Tuesday, looks soggy as they come, one to three inches

in spots, working their way towards Bangor, Maine, heading with from two to four inches to your forecast. And again, the heaviest snowfall stays to the north. High temperatures today should be in the 30s. That's about 5 to 8 below average.

It warms up, Christine and John, now by Tuesday and Wednesday to the mid-40s and supports the rain and not the snow. So, you can look at it in a positive way. It will be rainy as opposed to snow.

ROMANS: You call it rain. I call it mud. It's going to be mud in the Northeast. More mud.

Thank you for that. Nice to see you.

JAVAHERI: You bet.

ROMANS: A major tropical storm is slamming the Philippines. Schools and government offices now closed as capital city prepares for some serious flooding.

BERMAN: And instead of throwing the football, players during the Saints/Panthers game, they were throwing punches.

Find out why this brawl broke out on the gridiron. That's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: The Red Cross in the Philippines says the storm battering the country right now has claimed at least 21 lives and destroyed 1,000 homes. The storm has been downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm as it sweeps across the islands, but it's still dumping a lot of rain. And there are fears it could cause severe flooding in Manila when it reaches the city later today.

BERMAN: So, North Korea says it is not behind the hack attack on Sony, but they like it. The country's state-run media calls the massive cyber attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment, quote, "a righteous deed." It sounds like "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" right there. The attack crippled Sony's computer systems. There has been no evidence linking Pyongyang to the hacking. The government was suspected because of Sony's film "The Interview" which is due out. It's a comedy that centers on the plot with Seth Rogan and James Franco to assassinate Kim Jong-un.

ROMANS: Pearl Harbor and World War II veterans gathering on Sunday to mark the 73rd anniversary of the attack that launched the United States into war. About 100 survivors attended the ceremony in Hawaii overlooking the sunken battle ship, the USS Arizona. The Arizona was lost, along with more than 1,100 American sailors and marines in that surprise Japanese attack.

BERMAN: The first ever college football playoff is now set. On New Year's Day, top seed Alabama will play number four Ohio State. They will play in the Sugar Bowl. And number three seed Florida State, the defending national champion will play Oregon at the Rose Bowl. The two semifinal winners meet in a national title game on January 12th. If you fans of Baylor or TCU, I'm sorry. But I think a lot of fans around the country are excited for these matchups.

ROMANS: TCU beat my team this weekend, I will say.

All right. The New Orleans Saints crushed at home on Sunday, 41-10 by the Carolina Panthers. The first quarter touchdown celebration by the Carolina quarterback Cam Newton setoff a huge brawl. This fight between players burst through a gate behind the goal post and into a tunnel.

Oh, my -- come on, guys. Newton chalked it up to a lot of testosterone on the field at one time. That's called Sunday. It doesn't always end in a brawl.

BERMAN: I'm alone in my office. No, never mind.

Protesters in Berkeley facing off with police amid demonstrations over a grand jury's decision not to indict an officer in Eric Garner's chokehold death. There are reports this morning of explosives being thrown, attempts to set a car on fire. A lot going on and still going. We'll have the details ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)