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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Police Reform Protests Nationwide; GOP Support for Al Qaeda Hostage Raid; Hagel: Afghanistan Army Won't Buckle; Two Airstrikes in Syria

Aired December 08, 2014 - 05:30   ET

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

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CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, violence erupts in Berkeley as protesters angry over the Eric Garner decision face off with police. Explosives reportedly thrown at officers. Demonstrators shutting down a freeway. The violence continues at this moment. We've got that ahead.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: An attempt to rescue an American hostage goes horribly wrong. He was killed by his captors. Both sides of the aisle this morning defending the president's decision to try to save Luke Somers. That as we've learned more details about this failed mission.

ROMANS: New fears of violence ahead of a potentially explosive CIA report detailing torture used by the agency after 9/11. Now U.S. embassies and American workers abroad are warned about possible retaliation.

Welcome back to EARLY START this morning. I'm Christine Romans.

BERMAN: I'm John Berman. Great to see you. It's 30 minutes past the hour right now.

ROMANS: OK, breaking overnight, another night of violence and looting during protests in Berkeley, California. The San Francisco Bay Area, one of the few places where violence had broken out protests against the police killings of Eric Garner and Michael Brown.

Last night and into this morning about 200 demonstrators shutdown a major state highway and some hurled rocks and bottles and reportedly even explosives 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 in numerous stores. A victim was taken to a hospital with injuries that did not appear life threatening after he was hit with a hammer for trying to stop looting at a radio shack.

Earlier, we spoke with Jennifer Coates, the public information officer with the Berkeley Police Department. She said protests were continuing into the morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JENNIFER COATES, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, BERKELEY POLICE DEPARTMENT (via telephone): So what we have seen so far that they have been using objects to break out several windows to businesses that we have had reports of looting.

We have seen numerous buildings on Shattuck and telegraph that have been damaged or looted. Businesses such as Sprint and AT&T and several banks effected as well.

Also a radio shack that was actually hit tonight and that was one of the businesses where the protester was injured trying to protect the business.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: She said there were about 200 protesters out involved in some of that violence. Now almost everywhere else in the country, demonstrations were peaceful in New York, Chicago and Atlanta and Minneapolis. Protesters were carrying the message that black lives matter.

There is another demonstration planned for this morning at 8:00 a.m. at the U.S. Capitol. Now in New York, really not much violence here at all, but 300 arrests though, mostly for disorderly conduct.

On Sunday, protesters gathered at landmarks in Times Square, Macy's, Grand Central Station. That is where our Nick Valencia caught up with them.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: 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. They say that they are prepared to continue to march until that reform happens.

They actually planned demonstrations well into December and they say they will be out here forever how long it takes for that reform to happen -- John, Christine.

ROMANS: Nick, thank you for that. President Obama offering protesters encouragement while counseling patience. The president speaking about the country's current racial turmoil in an interview that will air later today on BET.

Obama calls the deaths at the hands of police of unarmed black men painful, but argues that things are better now than they were 50 years ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's important to recognize as painful as these incidents are, we cannot equate to what was happening 50 years ago. If you talk to your parents, grandparents, they will tell you that things are better. Not good in some cases but better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Obama was diagnosed with acid reflux this weekend after visiting the hospital on Saturday night for a persistent sore throat.

BERMAN: The president's decision to attempt to rescue the hostage held by al Qaeda 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 and Democrats are backing the president and the U.S. policy not to negotiate with territories.

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REP. MIKE ROGERS (R-MI), HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: If we are going to be extorted to pay ransom to al Qaeda to rape women and blow up buildings and kill civilians, men, women and children, that is a bad plan to start with. I agree with the president's decision.

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: We are getting more details now on the raid and just what went wrong. Joining us for the latest is CNN's Nima Elbagir. Good morning, Nima.

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. Well, given that this is the second attempted rescue in less than two weeks. It was always going to be tricky and U.S. officials are telling CNN that it was the loss of the element of surprise that led to the raid's failure.

Some three dozen U.S. Navy SEALs were dropped by Ospreys, a distance from the location where the hostages were being held. As they approached the location, 100 meters from it, they were seen. It was that which led to the hostages being killed before the Navy SEALs had even reached their final destination.

Given that there was a South African in there that U.S. officials are saying they weren't aware of. This complicates this establish U.S. policy to not negotiate with terrorist.

Pierre Korkie's family believed that he would be released on Sunday after successful negotiations with the hostage takers -- John.

BERMAN: What is the reaction among the families now to the fact that this raid was attempted and obviously it went so wrong?

ELBAGIR: Well, even after the first failed attempt, Luke Somers, his family spoke out. They were angry that they hadn't been given notice or opportunity to pursue anything through their own channels. Pierre Korkie's family is upset, but they had an out date. His wife had been released successfully through negotiation via a second party through the Yemeni tribes.

Of course, the reality as the U.S. has always said that this is not the negotiation. They will never pay any kind of ransom to hostage takers. But in this instance, it was going through a second party so they were hopeful that this would be successful -- John.

BERMAN: Nima Elbagir for us this morning, thanks so much, Nima.

ROMANS: Just so sad. 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. He said the difference between Afghanistan and Iraq, Afghanistan's government wants U.S. troops there to assist, advice and train.

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CHUCK HAGEL, DEFENSE SECRETARY: 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 will have that interview live to "NEW DAY."

BERMAN: There are concerns this morning over the release of a top secret CIA interrogation report. The potential explosive report details what the CIA did following the terror attacks in September 11th, 2001.

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 some of the conclusions in the report. He told CNN that whatever the report says is way off base.

All right, it is just like the Beatles, but not nearly the same song repertoire. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Katherine arrived Sunday.

The flashbulbs and shriek, actually shrieks when people saw this couple. Later this morning, the prince heads to Washington. He will meet with President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

The duchess is five months pregnant and she will stay in New York. They will attend a Brooklyn Nets game. They may meet Beyonce and Jay- Z also.

ROMANS: All right, let's get an EARLY START on your money this morning. Good start for the week for Asian shares. China trade data slow and weakened. That is fueling hopes of more government stimulus.

European shares a little bit lower. U.S. stock futures are lower for the U.S. stocks pulling back from the records of the open. Stocks have never been this high. Dow last week was 10 points away from 18,000. The S&P 500, seven-straight week of gains for stocks.

The S&P is up 12.3 percent for the year. It looks like a strong end to a great year with jobs growth gaining speed with a great jobs report on Friday. Gas prices are giving consumers more money.

BERMAN: This is serious stuff.

ROMANS: The rest of the world is gloomy. The U.S. seems to be doing well.

BERMAN: But Europe, gas prices are good news for Europe, which is having problems getting their economies started.

ROMANS: Until persistently low oil prices are painting a picture of global doom.

BERMAN: All right, 38 minutes after the hour, what is Israel doing over Syria? Launching air strikes? That is the question right now. We will look at new reports claiming that the Israeli military bombed an area near Damascus. We will have a live report next.

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BERMAN: Israeli government quiet this morning on whether it was behind two air strikes from Syria this weekend. The Syria military, and state run news agency, and a London based opposition group all say the planes dropping bombs were Israeli.

CNN's Ben Wedeman is live in Jerusalem with the latest. Ben, what do we know?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John, we know two air strikes took place yesterday evening, one apparently on Damascus International Airport in a storage area. The second strike took place on the road between Damascus and the Lebanese border.

The Syrian Army put out a statement saying that there were no casualties, only material damage. The Syrian media is pointing the finger at Israel regarding these airstrikes.

There have been a series of airstrikes on targets in Syria that have been attributed to the Israelis, but at this point, the Israelis, as customary are declining to comment on these reports.

But we did hear the intelligence minister of Israel today saying that Israel has a firm policy to prevent the transfer of sophisticated weapons systems to terrorist organizations.

It is widely believed that in the past, perhaps the targets were anti- aircraft missile systems being transferred from Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Of course, Hezbollah is a player in the Syrian civil war.

But at this point, the Israelis are being very tight-lipped about all these accusations that they were behind the air strikes -- John.

BERMAN: A complicated mix of competing interests in that region right now. Ben Wedeman live in Jerusalem for us, thanks so much.

ROMANS: All right, let's take a look at what is coming up on "NEW DAY." Chris Cuomo joins us this Monday morning. Hi, Chris.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: How are you, my friends? Protests turning violent, second straight night in California. Vandalism, looting. We will look at who is doing it and who is inciting it. Maybe some surprises for you there.

Obviously we know the flashpoint was. What happened in Ferguson, Missouri and Staten Island in New York, the question is, what will turn the tide here? The president made a surprising ruling about racial profiling. We will take you through what is going on in the governmental side.

Also two hostages killed by al Qaeda during a surprise raid by U.S. commandos, it turns out one of the hostages, the South African teacher was just hours from being released, so is this about communication?

What decisions were made? The White House is telling us it had to move very quickly for certain reasons. We will go through it right now because there are big questions from the families about why this happened the way it did.

ROMANS: So sad. It is so sad. Chris, we look forward to you breaking that down for us.

There is some breaking news this morning, firefighters in Los Angeles struggling to control a massive fire downtown. The California Highway Patrol has shut down the 101 Freeway in both directions. The nearly 101/110 interchange, the building under construction, a tall structure with commercial space on the lower level.

That is quite a fire. The fire department spokesperson says no one is thought to be living or working there when this fire broke out. We will keep you up to date as we learn more. In Los Angeles, a huge fire underway right now, snarling traffic, locking down the 101 and 101/110 interchange.

BERMAN: What a blaze. All right, 46 minutes after the hour right now. "Rolling Stone" taken to task not only over its article about the sexual assault on the University of Virginia campus, but also over the apology. What's going on? That's next.

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BERMAN: "Rolling Stone" magazine is taking another step back from the explosive story on campus rape that really now 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 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 in a very controversial line, "Our trust in her was misplaced." But that apology was changed on Saturday to read, quote, "The mistakes are on "Rolling Stone" not on Jackie." CNN's Sara Ganim is at the University of Virginia with the latest -- Sara.

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

The attorney for the fraternity here on campus tells CNN that several details in that article are just plain wrong. He says that record show there was no party the night that Jackie claimed that she was attacked.

There is 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 the fraternity.

Now over the weekend, the campus remained focus 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 out -- John and Christine.

ROMANS: All right, Sara Ganim. Thank you for that, Sara.

Secretary of State John Kerry says he is deeply disappointed and concerned with 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 is now calling on Iran's supreme leader to allow him access to legal representation, bail and a review of his case file.

BERMAN: 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.

The Texas Presbyterian ER doctor who made that call is Dr. Joseph Myer. He told the "Dallas Morning News" that he missed a couple of things. He missed that Duncan had a 103-degree fever and that he had just arrived in the United States from Liberia. Myer says he would have started an Ebola assessment had he caught either of those things.

ROMANS: Actress, Danielle Watts who appeared in the film "Django Unchained," she will be arraigned in court this morning along with her boyfriend. They are each charge with the misdemeanor count of lewd conduct.

Now Watts had claimed she was a victim of racial profiling because she is black and her boyfriend is white. Police say witnesses reported the couple having sex in the car with the door open. BERMAN: Gas under $2 a gallon has spread to more parts of the country. We will let you know when it might come to your neighborhood when we get an EARLY START on your money next.

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ROMANS: Let's get an EARLY START on your money today. Good start for the week for Asian shares. But European shares are lower so are U.S. stock futures. (Inaudible) to pull back from highs at the open.

The Dow closed at a record on Friday. Not too far from 18,000. The Dow hit 17,000 for the first time just five months ago. That rise is powered by a strong jobs report, much like the one we got on Friday.

Oil prices sliding this morning, it's down to about $65 a barrel right now. Prices have been lower since OPEC decided, not to cut production. As oil prices fall, so do gas prices.

Nationwide gas costs an average $2.66 a gallon. That's the lowest in four years and down about $1 from the summer peak. Almost every state has prices below $3 a gallon. A few places in Oklahoma and Texas, it is below 2 bucks. Not everyone will see gas under $2, but prices will fall another 15 to 20 cents. That's what the analyst are saying.

Shoppers are getting their shopping done earlier this year, according to the American Research Group. Almost half of shoppers have the majority of their shopping done, and fewer shopped this past weekend than previous years.

That's because Black Friday seems to have drained consumers of their spending money. Also about 20 percent of parents said they are so worried about paying for college, they are trimming their holiday spending to save up. Those are smart people. That is up for about 5 percent of parents last year.

BERMAN: You think you may want to have kids one day, start saving for college now.

We have a lot to cover day including violent protests in Berkeley that were raging all night long. "NEW DAY" has that and more starting right now.