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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
More Bodies Recovered From AirAsia Crash; Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Trial Begins; Lawmakers Return to Washington; Oil Prices Hit New Five- Year Low; Officers Turn Backs on NYC Mayor at Second Funeral; Seven- Year-Old Crash Survivor May Help Probe; Millions Bracing for Winter Storm
Aired January 05, 2015 - 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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JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: A setback in the search for AirAsia Flight 8501, this morning divers in the water trying to recover victims and find pieces of the plane's wreckage, but right now there is new frustration. We are live with what we are learning this morning next.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Happening today, the Boston bombing terror trial begins. A jury set to be selected to try suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. What victims of the act are saying about the trial this morning?
BERMAN: And in just hours, the new Republican Congress members get back to Washington. They begin work this week. Will it be a week of compromise, a week of gridlock or something else? We haven't even thought of yet? We are breaking down the big decisions coming up.
Welcome back to EARLY START, everyone. I'm John Berman.
ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. Monday morning, it's 31 minutes past the hour. Right now, searchers are still trawling the Java Sea hoping to find more wreckage from AirAsia Flight 8501. More bodies to be reunited with loved ones, at least three found so far today.
And crucially, the black boxes, which could shed light on what caused this jetliner to crash with 162 people aboard. Sparking hope and disappointed.
Searchers have found a collection of large objects that may be the fuselage, but at least one piece has turned out to be wreckage from a ship. Let's turn to CNN's Anna Coren live for us now from Surabaya, Indonesia. Some hopes raised and then dashed today, Anna?
ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Christine. We have just got word from officials that they have now called off the air search for today. Those aircraft grounded because of the bad weather.
We are in the middle of the monsoon season. So we are going to see these patterns continue day after day and week after week. As the search and recovery officials out there at the site try and find the wreckage of this plane.
As you say, 162 people were on board that AirAsia Flight 8501, which left here Surabaya on the 28th of December heading towards Singapore, 42 minutes into the flight, it appears that it hit bad weather and then disappeared into the bottom of the Java Sea.
Now you mentioned those three bodies located this afternoon that takes the number retrieved to 37, 13 have now been identified. Those three bodies have been placed into coffins. They are now en route here to Surabaya where they will be handed over to the Disaster Victims Identification Unit.
They will go through the painstaking task of trying to identify these people. Now the problem is this is now up to day nine of this recovery operation, which means the bodies in the water are decomposing at a very rapid rate.
It is highly unlikely that the skin on the finger tips will still be intact. I know it is a very morbid thing to say, but this is the grim reality facing not just the families, but also those dealing with trying to identify them.
They won't be able to use the finger tips to identify these people. They have to use teeth and bone, which could take weeks, which is prolonging, I guess, the agony of the families.
Now they gathered here at the crisis center behind me they were met by officials who said that they would fly them to the search zone so they could say prayers, hand-out flower, and pay their respects.
The feeling is that perhaps could somehow ease the pain and agony that these people are going through. But we know that the weather conditions are horrific in the search area. Not only rain and storms, but high seas and visibility in the water is virtually zero because of all the mud.
The divers have been plucked out of the water now for today. It is going almost 6:00 p.m. here. So the search has been called off for the day. It certainly will start up again tomorrow -- Christine.
ROMANS: That will be day ten since that flight disappeared. Thank you so much for that, Anna Coren in Surabaya.
BERMAN: Accused Boston marathon bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, goes on trial this morning beginning with jury selection. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Tsarnaev. He is charged with plotting the 2013 marathon bombings along with his late brother.
Three people died in the bombings and more than 260 people were injured. Bombing victim, Heather Abbott, lost her foot in this attack. She says she will be in the courtroom during the trial.
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HEATHER ABBOTT, BOSTON MARATHON BOMBING VICTIM: Several people that I'm now very close with will be testifying so I want to be there to support them. I think this is my only chance to kind of experience what this might bring for me, if it is any sort of closure.
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BERMAN: Tsarnaev has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against him.
ROMANS: Some of these victims are saying that they are really concerned the defense is going to paint him as just sort of a -- you know, an unwilling participant in his brother's jihad.
BERMAN: His brother was the mastermind.
ROMANS: All right, members of Congress will find a significantly redrawn political landscape as they arrive back in Washington this morning. Republicans take control of both the House and the Senate when they reconvene tomorrow.
Republican leaders have vowed to repeal essential elements of Obamacare and undo the president's immigration reform plan. But with Obama posed to poise to use his veto pen, gridlock could still rule.
At this point, thought, both sides promising to look for common ground. CNN's Erin McPike has the latest.
ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, Christine, on the Sunday shows Republicans took a conciliatory tone saying they want to work with the president this year.
And meanwhile, White House spokesman, Eric Schultz, spoke with our Jim Acosta while the president was traveling in Hawaii and outlined the areas where they can coordinate.
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ERIC SCHULTZ, WHITE HOUSE SPOKESPERSON: They look like corporate tax reform to make sure that our tax code is fairer and simpler, infrastructure which would help create jobs and its trade deals, which would help open up new markets to American manufacturing. These are areas where Republicans have been supported in the past. That's why he is eager to work with Congress to get those done.
MCPIKE: And President Obama is hitting the road this week. He is going to Tennessee, Arizona, and Michigan to sell some of his initiatives. Meanwhile, Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, the incoming majority leader sat down with CNN's Dana Bash and outlined how the president can work with Republicans.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), PRESUMPTIVE SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: He needs to talk to us. That's good. When the American people elected divided government, they are to the saying they don't want anything done, but they want things done in the political center. Both sides can agree on and in the conversation last week, we talked about the thing where there may be some agreement
(END VIDEOTAPE) MCPIKE: First up, the Keystone XL pipeline, Republicans say they have the votes to push that through the Senate. Then the question becomes does the president veto it -- John and Christine.
BERMAN: All right, 37 minutes after the hour, House Speaker John Boehner faces a challenge, symbolic not serious. Texas Congressman Louis Gohmert announced Sunday that he is offering his name as candidate for speaker. Gohmert says of Boehner's tenure that, quote, "After years of broken promises, it is time for a change."
ROMANS: Another step toward a possible run for president in 2016 for Mike Huckabee. The former Arkansas governor announced this weekend that he is ending his Fox News show calling it a necessary move as he explores a second presidential bid. Huckabee says no final decision will be made until the spring.
BERMAN: This is a big step. This is no small step. This guy has given up his TV show, which he loves. Most people who are Fox commentators need do that, you know, to undergo the process of running, but it was interesting that he did it now.
President Obama is making South Asia a foreign policy priority to start the New Year. The president and Secretary of State John Kerry plan to visit India later this month. Then the secretary will likely head to Afghanistan and Pakistan before the president hosts Afghanistan's new leaders at the White House in February.
ROMANS: Time for an EARLY START on your money this morning. U.S. stock futures down a little bit before the second trading day of the year. Experts polled by CNN Money expect solid gains this year, but not the double digit return you are accustomed to over the past few years.
Oil prices keep sliding this morning. Crude oil hit a fresh 5-1/2- year low today at about $52 a barrel. Prices have been cut in half since the summer. They are likely to stay low through the year. That means drivers can expect gas prices to stay low.
The average price of a gallon of regular is $2.20. We will look at December auto sales later this morning. They're probably going to be good. We are expecting strongest sales in at least six years and demand for trucks and SUVs outpacing smaller car sales up because of those lower gas prices.
BERMAN: Beware though.
ROMANS: Short memories.
BERMAN: Someday it will be expensive to fill up the Suburban.
It's 39 minutes after the hour. A somber ceremony for a New York police officer killed in the line of duty, but it is what hundreds of officers did to protest the New York City's mayor that is causing controversy this morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ROMANS: New York police officers once again showing their anger at Mayor Bill De Blasio during the memorial service for Detective Wenjian Liu. It is the second time in days that many members of force have turned their backs on the mayor.
Upset at what they believe is his lack of support for them. A week ago, officers used the same gesture at the funeral of Rafael Ramos, who was also shot to death as those two officers sat in their patrol car.
CNN's Miguel Marquez went to Detective Liu's service and has this report.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, it is just the end of the funeral procession here for Detective Wenjian Liu. If you can hear this, it is the bagpipes. The ceremonial bagpipes from NYPD coming back.
I'm looking about a half mile, as far as I can see, down 65th Street here in Brooklyn. All I can see is that wall, that ocean, that sea of blue, just an incredible turnout. NYPD preparing for some 25,000 police officers, probably thousands more citizens from the area here who turned out.
The funeral was touching. I can't really say it was a funeral, but series of speeches in the Buddhist tradition, there were mourners and speeches. The mayor was speaking very highly of Wenjian Liu relating two stories.
One, this was a guy who was a fisherman. He loved fishing. Whenever he caught a big one, he would always like to share it with his family. Also, Detective Liu was somebody who loved to care for people.
On a single call he talked to the family about and related the story of an elderly man who fallen down and Detective Liu stated with him for hours until before he can get back up. He wasn't physically injured. He just wanted some company.
His cousin getting up and saying that Detective Liu, someone that we know as Wenjian Liu, they know as Joe. So this was a family that moved from China 20 years ago and had become fully Americanized. This is the end of the ceremony.
ANNOUNCER: And the Liu family would like to thank everyone for expressions of sympathy and support. Detail, dismiss!
MARQUEZ: The dismissal of the second funeral is very tough time for the NYPD and the City of New York. I can tell you that here in front of the church none of the officers turned their backs on the mayor as he spoke. A little farther down, there were a few.
I spoke to one detective, retired detective who said he saw thousands of police officers turn their backs farther down the way. Still a lot of anger, still a lot of upset, but the mayor has now met with the five police unions. The level of rhetoric has been brought back and clearly the mayor has spent a lot of time with the Ramos family and the Liu family in recent days. Things may be moving in a more -- things may be on more stable ground as a New York City police helicopter flies closely overhead -- John and Christine.
ROMANS: Miguel Marquez, thank you for that, Miguel.
Jury selection begins this morning in the trial of the New Jersey man accused of murdering 6-year-old Etan Patz in 1979. Two years ago, 53- year-old Pedro Hernandez told investigators he lured Etan into the basement of a bodega in lower Manhattan, strangled him and left him in a box on the street. He has since recanted.
Hernandez has an IQ of 70. He has a history of mental problems. Prosecutors will have to make the case with no body and no crime scene evidence.
About 100 U.S. soldiers are starting the New Year in quarantine at a military base on Washington State. They returned from West Africa where they helped build treatment centers for Ebola victims. They will be monitored for 21 days.
As a precaution, they will not be allowed to have physical contact with any family members. About 50 more U.S. troops stayed behind to continue that mission.
A U.S. health care worker is being monitored closely at a hospital in Nebraska this morning. Officials say this patient experienced a, quote, "high risk of exposure to Ebola" while working in Sierra Leone.
The worker is not showing symptoms of infection and not considered infectious at this point. The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has now claimed nearly 8,000 lives.
New Yorkers in the nation are preparing to say a final good-bye to former Governor Mario Cuomo. A wake will be held today in New York with Vice President Biden and his wife, Jill, scheduled to attend the viewing this afternoon.
Cuomo's funeral is tomorrow morning at St. Ignatius Church in Manhattan. The former governor died of heart failure with his family by his side on New Year's Day. He was 82 years old. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Cuomo family this morning.
The tributes are pouring in for former ESPN sports anchor, Stuart Scott, who died Sunday after a long battle with cancer. He was 49 years old. Scott is best remembered for his special talent and personality which included some of the most memorable catch phrases in sports. In a statement, President Obama said over the years, Stuart Scott entertained us and inspired us with his fight against cancer.
Federal investigators are hoping to speak to the 7-year-old Illinois girl who somehow survived a plane crash in Kentucky that killed her parents, her sister and her cousin. Sailor Gutzler walked a mile in near-freezing temperatures to find help after the small plane went down in the woods Friday night. NTSB officials say Sailor's account of the crash could help them determine what caused it.
Listen to Kentucky Police. They are blown away by this little girl's courage and her remarkable resilience.
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LT. BRENT WHITE, KENTUCKY STATE POLICE: I was literally just struck by how calm she was able to and the ability for her to give us information. She was obviously distraught, but probably in shock. After trying to raise her family and trying to communicate with her. She indicated to us she believed her family was deceased, but she hoped they were just sleeping.
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ROMANS: So she went to get help. NTSB officials removed the wreckage of the plane on Sunday. Funeral arrangements for Sailor's family are still pending.
Happening now, millions across the country bracing for a monster snow storm and fast falling temperatures, what you need to know for the day. That's next.
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ROMANS: Millions of people across the nation bracing for a major winter storm. It has also prompted watches, warnings and advisories for parts of 14 states from Washington all the way to Ohio. Take a look at the scene at Spokane International Airport.
You can see the crews on the tarmac working to clear the snow. As you can imagine there were delays. Some areas of Washington saw up to 11 inches of snow.
Folks in Illinois using snow blowers and shovels, and almost anything they could find to clear the snow falling there. Plows are also out in full force to keep the roads safe, frigid temperatures making it icy. One man had a huge scare on the road.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At first, a little bit tough conditions actually an incident where I almost swerved off the road.
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ROMANS: Icy conditions prompting lots of accidents in Missouri. Check out the damage to the SUV in Missouri. We're told in this case, no one is furiously hurt.
That same storm system spawning a line of severe storms in the south, at least nine confirmed tornadoes touched down in Mississippi and Alabama. Wicked weather damaged homes and injured an infant. One woman in her house suddenly heard the telltale sign of trouble.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was just like you hear them saying a train is coming. That is what it was. A train coming and it was hitting the house.
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ROMANS: A sound you don't want to hear. The stormy weather and frigid temperatures set to continue this week. Let's get to meteorologist, Pedram Javaheri, for an early look at your weather.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good Monday morning to you. Let's talk about what is happening nationwide right now, pretty massive area of high pressure in place across portions of the southeast and the central plains with the high pressure in place, very cold temperatures across the northern tier of the country.
Minneapolis taking a significant drop in the temperatures over the past couple of days up from the 30s down into the 11-degree temperature range. Chicago, uniform trend right now, but things are about to get much colder over the next two to three days.
Look at the high temperature in Minneapolis. Best they can do is 9 degrees. Windchills 45 to near 50 below across portions of Minnesota. Similar story out of Chicago, a lot of that cold air makes it to the southeast and the northeast as well. Introduce a few snowshowers for you across the northeast.
Look at how expansive this cold air is here. It settles in as it gets to the southern states by Wednesday morning. High temperature trend in Chicago, goose egg on Wednesday.
In New York and Boston, the temperatures drop in the upper 20s on Wednesday. The best bet for snow in Boston and New York looks to be on Tuesday with 1 inch to 2 inches in the forecast. Back to you.
ROMANS: Pedram, thank you.
It is inevitable. Some prices will go up in 2015. What you can expect to pay more for when we get an early start on your money next.
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ROMANS: Let's get an EARLY START on your money this Monday morning, European stocks moving lower. The euro is at a nine-year low versus the dollar. U.S. stock futures are down before the second trading day of the year. Experts polled by CNN Money are expecting solid, but smaller gains in 2015.
Oil prices are still sliding. Crude oil is below $52 a barrel right now, a new five-year low. The price has been slashed in half since the summer.
General Motors is bringing coupons straight to your car. You look up directions to the nearest Dunkin' Donuts while driving. You might be offered a deal on your coffee.
Drivers will also be able to use Priceline to make hotel reservations on the go. The discounts will go straight to drivers through GM's OnStar service giving advertisers a new way to access customers.
New Year, new higher price tag, you can expect to pay more for some staples this year including coffee. A drought in Brazil is making your caffeine fix pricier. Also burgers and steaks, red meat prices are expected to climb 5 percent this year.
And finally SUV, low gas prices driving up demand for bigger vehicles. For more things you will pay more for, visit CNNmoney.com.>
Happening now, a setback in the search for AirAsia Flight 8501 disappeared. Hopes raised and dashed this morning, all those details as "NEW DAY" starts now.
