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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Protest Violence in Berkeley; American Hostage Killed; "Rolling Stone" Takes the Blame; College Football Playoff Bracket Set
Aired December 08, 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 overnight: protesters in Berkeley angry over the Eric Garner grand jury decision, they are not backing down. Police and demonstrators facing off with protesters blocking highways -- look at these pictures -- many even looting. Some peaceful marches were held in major cities across the country as well.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: A U.S. hostage is killed in a failed rescue tempt in Yemen. What went wrong during the raid to free Luke Somers and what does his death mean for the U.S. policy on ransom?
BERMAN: "Rolling Stone" backtracking from its article about sexual assault on the University of Virginia campus, now suggesting that some key facts may not have been true, and the magazine is now also taking heat for its initial apology. We'll explain why.
Good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm John Berman.
ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. It's Monday, December 8th. It's 5:00 a.m. in the East. Yes, it is Monday again.
Breaking overnight: a new night of violence and looting during protests in Berkeley, California. It is happening right now. The city, one of the few places where violence has broken out during protests against the police killings of Eric Garner and Michael Brown.
Last night, 200 demonstrators shut down a major state highway, some hurled rocks and bottles at police and tried to set a patrol car on fire. In Berkeley's main commercial areas, police say looting and vandalism have broken out numerous buildings we're told. 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: And we just spoke to a police representative there and says this is still going on. A couple of hundred demonstrators still on the streets. We let you know if and when it dies down.
Now, almost everywhere else in the country, the demonstrations were peaceful. We're talking New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Minneapolis. Protesters sending the message that black lives matter. That is the sign that so many people are holding. There will be another demonstration at 8:00 a.m. this morning at the U.S. Capitol building.
Now, in New York, really not any violence, but about 300 arrests in total, most for disorderly conduct. On Sunday, protesters gathered at landmarks all over the city. We're talking Times Square, Macy's and Grand Central Station, which is where our Nick Valencia 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)
BERMAN: All right. Nick, thanks for that.
President Obama is offering protesters encouragement while counseling patience. 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 maybe disappointed by these decisions.
And 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 a star-studded at the White House for Kennedy Center honorees, cracking jokes with actors like Tom Hanks, and musicians like Sting.
OBAMA: Now, 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.
(LAUGHTER)
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 a rescue of a hostage being held by al Qaeda in Yemen is drawing support on both sides of the 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're going to be extorted into paying ransom to al Qaeda so that they can rape women and imprison women and blow up buildings and kill civilians, men, women and children, that's a pretty bad plan to start with. And so, I agreed with the president's decision.
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D), CALIFORNIA: You just end up funding other hostage taking and the cycle just perpetuates itself. So, I think our decision is the right one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: We're going to get more details on the raid, also just what went wrong. Joining us for the latest, CNN's Nima Elbagir.
Good morning, Nima.
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: God morning, John.
Well, officials telling CNN that the U.S. Navy SEAL team that went in to rescue the hostages lost the element of surprise. They landed near the location where the hostages are being kept on Ospreys. It sounded like it was quite a distance to get to the actual location and about 100 meters out, they were spotted. In the ensuing firefight that the hostages were executed.
The secretary of defense, Chuck Hagel, has come out and stated given the countdown that the al Qaeda operatives had initiated, threatening to execute Luke Somers, that they did not have any other choice. Take a listen to this, John.
(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: It wasn't just Luke Somers held in the location. Pierre Korkie, a South African teacher, was also inside that house and he was executed alongside Luke Somers. And given that, given what has now happened, many in Somers' family -- many in Korkie's family are questioning why they weren't told ahead of the fact given that he was due to be released on Sunday, John.
BERMAN: A lack of communication there. Nima Elbagir, thanks so much.
ROMANS: The timing is really sad.
All right. 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, 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 live to "NEW DAY" later this morning.
BERMAN: Six Guantanamo Bay prisoners have been transferred to Uruguay and are now being treated as refugees. This is 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. Of course, President Obama since he was running for office is 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. The duke and duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Catherine, they arrived in New York on Sunday to a swarm of flash bulbs, and, yes, shrieking, you hear shrieking there.
Later this morning, the prince will go to Washington and 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 play on LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers and they may meet actual royalty, Beyonce and Jay-Z.
ROMANS: The spokesperson for the prince says it is not on the schedule, but who knows?
BERMAN: If they meet Beyonce and Jay-Z.
ROMANS: If they meet Beyonce and Jay-Z. And I love the way the New York media, of course, the New York papers are going crazy with this. But "The New York Times" said they were met with a blend of enthusiasm, sarcasm and bemusing antagonism as befits celebrity --
BERMAN: But you hear shrieking. I mean, New Yorkers may try to be blase, and they pretended they're cynical about the whole thing, but they still clearly love it.
ROMANS: Someone loves it. Welcome to New York. Welcome to New York.
BERMAN: Come on our show tomorrow morning. We will have you as our guest live, duke and duchess. You're going to be live on EARLY START tomorrow morning.
In the meantime, CNN is honoring its Top 10 Heroes of the Year. The all-star tribute aired last night and Pen Farthing took the top honor as the 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: And you know who I found in the red carpet there. You won't believe it. Michaela Pereira, I was star struck.
BERMAN: And you are in the red carpet. You are a star.
ROMANS: It was fun.
All right. Time for an early start on your money this morning. U.S. stock futures are pointing lower this morning. Down a bit from Friday's records. The Dow and S&P both reached closing records on Friday thanks to a strong jobs report.
John, you were off Friday. It was a big jobs report. Stocks posted their seventh straight week of gains. The S&P now up 12.3 percent this year.
It looks like a good end of the year with strong jobs growth and falling gas prices. Oil prices slide continues down about $65 a barrel. The prices have been lower since OPEC decided not to cut production about a week ago. And analysts are now slashing forecasts for oil prices next year. Bad news for oil producers, great news for consumers.
The national average for a gallon of regular is $2.66. Look at that, the lowest in four years, a dollar lower than it was last summer. That's a huge stimulus for drivers.
BERMAN: It means cash for you. Cash in your pocket.
ROMANS: It is. Right away. I mean, it's $12 less for a fill up? That's real money.
BERMAN: Eleven minutes after the hour right now.
"Rolling Stone", the magazine is issuing, an apology over the article over the sexual assault on University of Virginia campus. But even the apology now is under scrutiny. We're going to talk about what the magazine has been doing in its coverage.
ROMANS: An unnecessary roughness on the field. Look at this -- the Saints and Panthers throwing punches after a touchdown spilling into a tunnel. What's sparked this brawl?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: "Rolling Stone" magazine taking a step back on the campus rape story that really has blown up in its face. The magazine on Friday admitted to doubts about the story's claim that a woman named Jackie was brutally gang raped at a was brutally gang raped at the University of Virginia fraternity party.
Now, the magazine's original online apology admitted that its reporter never contacted any of the alleged perpetrators at Jackie's request. 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.
(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)
ROMANS: All right. Sara Ganim for us this morning -- thanks, Sara.
The Israeli government remains silent this morning on whether the Israel Defense Forces were behind two airstrikes 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 they were military.
BERMAN: 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.
ROMANS: The Red Cross in the Philippines says the storm battering the country right now has claimed at least 21 lives and destroyed now 1,000 homes. The storm has been downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm as it sweeps across the islands. It is 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: North Korea says it is not behind the hack attack on Sony. They're not behind it, but they said they like it. The country's state-run media calls the massive cyber attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment, quote, "a righteous deed." So, the North Korean government apparently now surfing as well.
The crippled company's computer systems, you know, that's what happened at Sony. There has been no evidence linking Pyongyang to the hacking. The government was suspected because of Sony's film "The Interview", which is a comedy that centers on the plot to assassinate Kim Jong-un.
ROMANS: One of the interesting things about hacking is that sometimes they take great pride in making it look like it was something else, like posing like someone else. So, that's when you are investigating and it gets tricky.
BERMAN: A righteous deed. ROMANS: A righteous.
How about a righteous dude? Let's get to meteorologist Pedram Javaheri for a look at your weather.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: John and Christine, yes, it's going to be an interesting set up for the next couple of days. In fact, we have nearly 2 million people underneath a winter storm watch at this hour across interior New England, as we have a storm system on the horizon. Potential nor'easter developing here as we head into Tuesday morning.
The cold air in place and storm system off the Eastern Seaboard, significant snow accumulation across northern and new England. While the immediate coastline, the major metro cities, with 1 to 3 inches across New York City Tuesday, and absolutely soggy day across New York City. Gusty winds as well as you work your way to the north, out towards portions of Boston, northward, even upwards of 4 inches possible before we are all done with this over the next couple of days.
You look at the high temperatures for your Monday, generally in the mid and upper 30s across New York and Boston and Washington. It's about 5 to 8 degrees below average for this time of year. It gets warmer Tuesday and Wednesday, into the mid-40s. The rainfall is heavy at times there the next couple of days as well.
Let's send it back to you.
BERMAN: All right. It will be a wet one.
ROMANS: It means mud.
BERMAN: Thanks so much.
Nineteen minutes after the hour.
Now, we now know the four teams who will compete in the first ever playoff for college footballs national championship. We also know the two aggrieved schools who will not compete in the said playoffs. Laura Rutledge has the details in the "Bleacher Report", next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: After months and months of debate and speculation, not to mention the tension, we finally know which four teams will play in the first ever college football playoffs.
ROMANS: Laura Rutledge shows us who is in and who is out in this morning's "Bleacher Report".
LAURA RUTLEDGE, BLEACHER REPORT: Good morning, John and Christine.
Yes, six teams definitely worthy, but only four could be invited. So, let the second guessing begin. Top seed Alabama will play number four Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day. And then the other semifinal, number two Oregon takes on the defending national champion number three Florida State in the Rose Bowl.
The winners of those games meet in the national title game on January 12th in Arlington, Texas. And the co-champion of the Big 12, Baylor and TCU, left out of the selection committee. Much to their dismay.
All right. With home-field advantage in the NFL playoffs on the line, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots came up big on Sunday night. But it wasn't easy. They had to rally from an 11-point deficit, scoring the game's final 20 points. Brady, 69-yards touchdown pass to Julian Edelman in the fourth quarter sealed the deal in New England's 23-14 win.
Emotions ran high in the game between the Panthers and Saints after Cam Newton broke out his superman celebration after a short TD. Pushing and shoving led to a huge fight behind the end zone. Surprisingly, only ne player ejected. The Panthers went on to win in a blowout, 41-10. Whoo!
Vikings and Jets go to overtime. But Minnesota didn't want to disappoint the home crowds. Jarius Wright off to the races, an 87- yard reception from Teddy Bridgewater. That is the second longest overtime passing touchdown in NFL history.
And this Viking Everson Griffen had something to say about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EVERSON GRIFFEN, VIKING: You look at the play right there. Teddy back. He drops to Wright. There you go. Whoo!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RUTLEDGE: John, I'm wondering if that was your reaction after the Patriots win last night. Maybe?
BERMAN: That is my reaction when I see Tom Brady. I can see a picture of Tom Brady and that's my reaction.
ROMANS: That's his reaction when he found out he is guest host for the two hours, Brady is going to be here.
BERMAN: Tom Brady is coming tomorrow on the show. I don't know if we can do that.
Laura, thanks so much.
ROMANS: All right. Thanks, Laura Rutledge, for that.
All right. Twenty-five minutes past the hour. Protesters in Berkeley facing off with police overnight. Riots even breaking out and we're told this is still happening at this hour.
We got that for you after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
