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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Deadly Plane Crash: What Went Wrong?; The War on ISIS: Middle East Outrage; Hackers Hit Insurance Giant; Secretary of State Kerry in Ukraine

Aired February 05, 2015 - 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: Happening now: divers searching the water, combing the wreckage of a deadly plane crash. This as investigators try to figure out what went so terribly wrong. We're live with new information overnight.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: New outrage and promises for vengeance after ISIS murders a Jordanian pilot. Will Middle East countries now step up in the war on ISIS? We are live with the very latest.

BERMAN: Breaking overnight: a huge data breach -- I mean, colossal, at one of the largest health insurance companies in the country. The Social Security numbers of 80 million people could now be in the hands of hackers. We will tell you what we are learning this morning. That's ahead.

ROMANS: Replay the tape.

BERMAN: Indeed.

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

ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. It's Thursday, February 5. It is 4:00 a.m. in the East.

This morning, in the wake of a horrifying air crash in Taiwan, officials there are grounding all planes at the same models ATR72s until they can be inspected. So far, 32 people are confirmed in Wednesday's crash, 15 injured, 11 are still missing. Investigators have down loaded data from the black boxes. They will also be analyzing dash cam video of the crash that you can see here. And this brief transmission from the cockpit declaring an engine flameout and a mayday.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

PILOT: Mayday. Mayday.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

ROMANS: CNN's Anna Coren is live for us at the river in Taipei where this plane came to rest upside down.

Ana, what's the latest on the recovery report, and on the investigation this morning?

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine, divers scoured the river and found another body. 11 are still unaccounted for. That means less than a quarter of the passengers on board that TransAsia Flight 235 managed to survive.

And when you stand here, Christine, and you look at the surroundings, the fact that the plane clipped the overhead above us, the major bridge, and crashed into the water behind us, it is a miracle that anyone managed to walk away with their lives. I think that is the tragedy. Some people have escaped pretty much unhurt and there are all these deaths and it wasn't just from impact, but also from drowning. These people believed to be trapped in their seats when the plane hit the water.

As far as the investigation goes, well, obviously, authorities have two black boxes. They are analyzing the data from that. We obviously heard that mayday call from whether the pilot or co- pilot, both confirmed dead, talking about this engine meltdown, obviously, serious problems with the engine. Remember, it took off literally minutes before it crashed. The divers are going to be in the water for another hour and boats will travel up and down this river up until midnight. This has gone 5:00 p.m. local time here.

Conditions in the water, visibility is very poor. The current isn't strong, which is a good thing. So, they sent up a drag net about a mile downstream hoping they don't lose any of those bodies. Families gathering here hoping to get any news that they possibly can, but, you know, Christine, this is certainly a very bleak day here.

ROMANS: It certainly is. And as you point out, only a quarter of the passengers surviving. Thank you so much for that, Ana. And keep us up to date with the recovery efforts this morning.

BERMAN: New information this morning in the deadly train crash north of New York City. This morning, service has resumed on this commuter rail line where the commuter train slammed into an SUV stopped on the tracks overnight. The crash ignited an inferno that consumed the first passenger car that killed six people, injured 15. This is the deadliest accident in the history of the Metro North Line.

Two mysteries face NTSB investigators. One, why didn't the driver move off the tracks as the signal blared and, second, why were so many people killed in the train versus car accident? It's a kind of crash that's rarely this deadly to so many passengers.

For details of the investigation, let's turn now to Rene Marsh on the scene -- Rene.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RENE MARSH, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Christine and John, the train and SUV have been removed from the tracks. As early as today, investigators could start the process of interviewing the train's crew. We know this Metro North train left Grand Central station Tuesday. In this suburb just about 30 miles outside of New York City, there was an SUV sitting in the middle of the tracks. It's unclear why this SUV was stopped on the tracks. We do know that vehicles are allowed to cross over the railroad tracks in this area, but only when the traffic signal is green and gives the driver a go.

Once the train collided with this SUV, that triggered a fiery explosion. Investigators believe the fuel from the SUV is what really ignited the flames here. As you know, six people lost their lives; one of those, the driver of that SUV. We also know that investigators now have the recorders from the train, two of the recorders. They downloaded that information.

And as early as today, we could find out how fast this train was traveling and when the brakes were applied -- Christine and John.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Rene Marsh, thank you for that update, Rene.

There is outrage across the Arab world this morning at the murder of a Jordanian fighter pilot by ISIS militants. That pilot, Muath al Kaseasbeh, burned alive while trapped in a cage. Governments and groups normally on opposite sides, like the Assad government in Syria and the al Qaeda fighters trying to bring it down, they uniformly denounced this killing as monstrous and depraved.

But at least one Arab member of the U.S.-led coalition stepped back from the fight. The United Arab Emirates stopped flying air strikes. The UAE is worried about the safety of its pilots in the wake of the Jordanian pilot's capture and murder.

But Jordan's monarch and his people -- they are stoked for vengeance. The king telling U.S. House member, the only problem we're going to have is running out of fuel and bullets. He will be meeting to map out an anti-ISIS tragedy within the hour.

So, what form will this revenge take? Will Jordan increase its role in airstrikes against ISIS?

I want to bring in CNN's Atika Shubert. She's live in Amman, Jordan, for us -- Atika.

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I don't think there is any doubt that Jordan wants to increase air strikes against ISIS. In fact, we know from the U.S. official that Jordan has already requested to step up its air missions over Syria in particular where it has been striking ISIS previously.

So, clearly, there is the desire to do so. There is overwhelming public support for king Abdullah at this point to continue with those strikes. The question is when we will see the concrete strikes take place. This is what the Jordanian public really wants to see at this point. They want to see ISIS hit and they want to see ISIS being hit hard.

ROMANS: All right. Atika Shubert for us -- thank you so much for that. And again, promising revenge for the killings of their pilot. BERMAN: The United States is moving more troops and military hardware in Iraq. Search and rescue teams are being shifted to prepare in the event that a U.S. plane or coalition plane is shot down in ISIS terrorist. The U.S. brutality is showing no signs of slowing down. A U.N. committee says that militants are selling abducted Iraqi children as sex slaves, killing others and using more as suicide bombers or human shields against airstrikes, children of all backgrounds, including Yazidis.

This as officials in Libya raise alarms that ISIS is expanding its footprint there. On Wednesday, ISIS claimed responsibility for storming one of the largest oil fields in Libya.

ROMANS: Hackers stealing information from insurance giant Anthem. The company is still investigating. But up to 80 million customer records were compromised. That makes this one of the largest breaches in corporate history, 80 million. What was taken? Names, birthdays, social security numbers, addresses, job information, including pay data.

Now, the insurance company says credit card data and medical records weren't compromised, cold comfort when so much of that other stuff was.

Anthem is the second largest health insurer in the United States. The company says it will notify current and past customers if their data was stolen and offer free credit monitoring and identity protection. Anthem CEO says even his information was stolen during this sophisticated external hack. He promised to get to the bottom of who did it, and it's hired a top cyber security firm and notified the FBI.

Many would say the top cyber security firm should be hired before being breached, not after. But it just shows you just how many different industries, especially the insurance industry, the financial industry and the retailers, they are bombarded every day by hackers who want your information. It's very valuable, and that information could be for sale right now for all we know.

BERMAN: When they get your Social Security number or your address, things like that, that is sort of a sick investment in the future. They then sell that to people who flip it and try to make money off it, somehow.

ROMANS: Identity theft or identity fraud or recreating identity. Yes, it is a dangerous situation. A lot of people affected.

BERMAN: No solace in the fact they didn't take credit cards this time. It's probably irrelevant.

All right. An emotional day in court at the Aaron Hernandez murder trial. The former football star accused of killing his friend. The victim's mother takes the stand. And it is what the judge said to her creating a lot of controversy this morning. We will play it for you, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ROMANS: An unusual warning from the judge during day three of the testimony in the Aaron Hernandez murder trial. It happened when the mother of murder victim Odin Lloyd broke down on the stand after being shown a picture of her dead son's body. Now, listen to the exchange with prosecutors followed by a lecture from Judge Susan Garsh.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is that a picture of your son's body?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

JUDGE SUSAN GARSH: It is important you manage during the testimony to retain control of your emotions and not to cry while you are looking at any photo that may be shown to you. Do you understand that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, ma'am.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Testimony resumes this morning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern. North Attleboro Police Captain Joseph DiRenzo will be on the stand. He was the first officer to arrive on the scene when Lloyd's body was found in 2013.

BERMAN: Hard, I think, for any parent to see a photo of their dead child.

A federal jury has convicted the creator of the Silk Road Web site, Ross Ulbricht, on drug conspiracy and other charges. Prosecutors say Ulbricht was the mastermind of the black market site which allegedly served as a drug trafficking version of eBay, connecting a worldwide network of users and dealers. He faces up to 30 years to life in prison. Ulbricht's lawyers say they planned to appeal.

ROMANS: While Bobbi Kristina Brown remains on life support, there are new details concerning the events that led to her hospitalization. An attorney says Bobbi Kristina's friend Max Lomas is the one who found her face down and unresponsive in a full bathtub last weekend. According to the police report, Lomas called 911, while Brown's partner, Nick Gordon, administered CPR. The lawyer says Lomas is cooperating with authorities in that investigation.

BERMA: Jeb Bush trying to make clear where he stands on the subject of vaccination, obviously, probably saw the fallout after fellow Republican presidential hopefuls Rand Paul and Chris Christie suggested that parents should have a choice about vaccinating their kids. Ninety-nine cases of measles in California, 108 overall in 15 states and Washington, D.C.

Seeing that, the former governor of Florida tried to make clear where he stands on the issue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEB BUSH (R), FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR: Seeing that, parents ought to make sure their children are vaccinated. Parents have a responsibility to make sure their children are protected, over and out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: New Jersey Governor Chris Christie clarifying his remarks. He now tells reporters there is no question that kids should be vaccinated against the measles.

And look at this tweet from Rand Paul. It shows the Kentucky senator, he got a booster vaccine. He got a shot. I believe that was two days ago. And he wrote, "Wonder how the liberal media will misreport this."

ROMANS: Hmm, Sanjay Gupta had a great line this week. He said, there are two sides to this controversy. Two sides of every story, the right side and wrong side. And the anti-vaxxers, he said are the wrong side.

All right. The head of the Federal Communications Commission proposing tough net neutrality rules. Chairman Tom Wheeler is looking to regulate Internet service like the utility, but with modernize oversight. The move would ban brand ban providers from charging Web sites for faster delivery of their content, and from blocking or slowing any legal online content or service. The proposed rules echo those called for by President Obama.

BERMAN: Senate Democrats standing firm. Rejecting a second attempt by Republicans to undo President Obama's immigration reform actions. Democrats again blocked a bill that also is tied to the funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Democrats say Republicans risk shutting down a critical government agency which is due to run out of money at the end of February.

ROMANS: A Washington lawmaker is shrugging off a Beltway tempest with this phrase, haters are going to hate. Illinois Congressman Aaron Schock is in the hot seat after a redecorating his Capitol Hill office suite in style, specifically the style of the popular PBS TV series "Downton Abbey." Ironically, Schock says he's never seen the show, but his decorator gave him the full Lord Grantham.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. AARON SCHOCK (R), ILLINOIS: You know, as Taylor Swift said, haters are going to hate. So --

REPORTER: Haters are going to hate. So, is this what this is about, haters are going to hate?

SCHOCK: I think there is intrigue because most members' offices are cream walls.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The congressman insists he will be footing the bill for the "Downton" makeover. Taxpayers won't pay for that. BERMAN: I mean, they are really bland, I will say. I mean, congressional offices are very, very bland. So, why not? I would do "Star Wars". When I get elected to Congress, I will decorate my office like the Death Star. Why not, right?

ROMANS: You want your office like that.

(CROSSTALK)

BERMAN: I have my office like that. A very messy death star.

ROMANS: I can attest to that.

BERMAN: All right. One of America's best known news men doing damage control this morning. NBC "Nightly News" anchor Brian Williams apologized for his mistaken recollection that he came under fire while covering the invasion of Iraq during that war back in 2003.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN WILLIAMS, ANCHOR, NBC NIGHTLY NEWS: I want to apologize. I said I was traveling in an aircraft that was hit by RPG fire. I was instead in a following aircraft. We all landed after the ground fire incident and spent two harrowing nights in a sand storm in the Iraq desert. This was a bungled attempt by me to thank one special veteran and by extension, our brave military men and women, veterans everywhere, those who have served while I did not. I hope they know they have my greatest respect and also now my apology.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: He said he had come under fire. His helicopter did not.

He has told different versions of the story. You know, back in 2013, he suggested his helicopter came under fire. But in the years following 2003 and for years after that, he gave what now appears to be an accurate account. So, the story seems to change over time.

ROMANS: All right. Nineteen minutes after the hour.

Another winter storm moving out of the Midwest and moving into New England. Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri is following the storm for us. Let's turn to him for a look at that forecast this morning -- Pedram.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, John and Christine.

Yes, the storm system beginning to push in across New England right now and really good news to tell you about this picture and you don't get to say that too often with New England storms in February. We do have some moisture to the south, but this particular one really lacking any significant moisture.

So, accumulation is going to be minimal through the early morning hours. Generally a dusting in New York City. If you are lucky, you can call it that. Boston with 1 to 2 inches. You get to eastern New England, say, Portland or so, 3 to 4 inches, maybe a little a bit more.

High temperatures in Chicago, 16, 16 in Marquette, about 19 in Minneapolis, and around New York City and Boston, at or above freezing. Enjoy the mild reading. It's going to get even colder tomorrow. Wind-chills is about 5 below around New York City.

Look at this, series of clipper systems in the forecast from Sunday into Monday. When you look at the long-range forecast, potential of at least 6 to 10 inches around New York City. Long-range in the next seven days. Boston could get over a foot if you calculate the overall forecast for the next week -- guys.

BERMAN: Another foot of snow in Boston. They're going to love that.

All right. Pedram, thanks so much.

ROMANS: At least they have the Super Bowl still.

BERMAN: That's right.

ROMANS: All right. Is the U.S. getting more involved in the war in Ukraine? Secretary of State John Kerry arriving in Kiev this morning breaking down what this visit could many live, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: All right. Happening this morning -- these are live pictures, by the way. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry landing in Ukraine just minutes ago. We are watching that flight. Looks cold and snowy, taxing there.

The secretary of state coming there to Kiev to hold talks with the country's president and other top officials as the U.S. considers arming Ukrainian troops with defensive weapons.

Senior international correspondent Matthew Chance joins us live from Moscow with the latest.

If the United States, Matthew, decides to arm the Ukrainians with defensive weapons or give them any sort of help in this fight against these Russian-backed separatists, that could inject a little bit of uncertainty into the situation, no question, right? I mean, Vladimir Putin, we don't know how we would respond.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No, that's the big risk that the White House has to weigh up, as to whether they're going to go ahead with this. I mean, when we talk about defensive weapons, we're talking about lethal aid, lethal military aid. The United States supplies non lethal aid like flak jacket and night vision goggles and things like that.

But, yes, I mean, injecting weapons into this very volatile war zone could have a very, very devastating effect. I mean, at the moment, the conflict is limited to a small geographical area in the east of the country. But even so, more than 5,000 people have been killed in the past 12 months. If the war escalates and the Ukrainian government receives new arms that are more effective against the rebels, the war could widen, Vladimir Putin in Russia who denies backing the rebels with military support, of course. But nevertheless, probably does if you believe NATO and other western leaders. He could choose to escalate the support of the rebels, and the whole thing could spiral out of control.

So, it is a risky decision that has to be weighed very carefully by the White House. And it's going to be interesting to see what John Kerry has to say when he meets with Ukrainian officials later on today.

ROMANS: And, you know, Matthew, a big concern about Americans and NATO and other Europeans has been the high number of civil casualties here who have been killed in this conflict.

MATTHEWS: Yes, it's been a lot, as for proportion with the number of sort of military casualties that have been caused and indeed, there's a lot of fighting going on right now as John Kerry arrives in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital in the east of the country, there is fierce fighting under way which is caught many, many civilians in the crossfire. One time, which is where this fighting underway between the government and rebel forces, Amnesty International, the human rights group says there are 7,000 civilians still trapped inside that town as shelling and bombardments continue around them. That's reduced from a population of 25,000 just a few days ago.

So, there's been a lot of movement and displaced by the fighting. A lot of people killed in the shell fire and in the gunshots as well.

ROMANS: Matthew Chance for us this morning. And as you can see, the secretary of state, any moment now, will deplane and will be in Ukraine for these talks with President Poroshenko and other officials.

BERMAN: For very important visit.

All right. Happening now: divers searching the wreckage of a deadly plane crash. Investigators trying to figure out what went so wrong. We're live after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)