Return to Transcripts main page
Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Crisis in Ukraine: Will the U.S. Get More Involved?; The War on ISIS: Jordan's Revenge; Measles Outbreak: 5 Infants Infected at Daycare; President Obama Pushing Middle Class Initiatives; Black Boxes: Trouble in Both Engines
Aired February 06, 2015 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Ending the crisis in Ukraine. Right now, U.S. and other world leaders figuring out how to stop the bloodshed and keeping Russia from making a new land grab. We are live with the latest overnight, ahead.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Jordan unleashing vengeance against ISIS, bombing the terrorists in Iraq and Syria, vowing to go even further. We are live with new information this morning.
ROMANS: Outbreak spreading. New worries -- new worries this morning about measles after one daycare reports five children sick with this disease. Health officials issuing a dire warning ahead.
Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.
BERMAN: I'm John Berman. Great to see you. Thirty minutes past the hour right now.
The Obama administration doing what it can right now to stop the escalating battle for Eastern Ukrainian between the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian separatists there. Secretary of State John Kerry in Kiev, meeting with Ukrainian officials about possible U.S. defensive weapons aid, lethal aid. The secretary also backed the Ukrainian prime minister's claim that Russia is directly supporting the rebels with tanks and troops.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: I would ask him very simply: Mr. Prime Minister, is it true that as the Kremlin just said today, there are no Russians on the ground in --
ARSENIY YATSENYUK, PRIME MINISTER OF UKRAINE: It seems to me the only country who strongly denied clear military Russian boots on the ground is Russian Federation and personally President Putin. If they need, I can give them my glasses.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BERMAN: Wow. There is diplomacy efforts being made on every level right now. The leaders of France and Germany, they are trying to work out some kind of a peace agreement. They met yesterday with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. Today, they will meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. And while that's going on, Vice President Biden, he is getting in to the diplomatic push, he is meeting this morning in Brussels with European Union leaders. He wants to discuss a new around of aid for Ukraine.
Let's get the latest developments right now. A lot going on.
CNN's Erin McLaughlin live in Moscow.
Good morning, Erin.
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, John. The goal of the diplomatic efforts expected here in Moscow later today is very clear. And that is to deescalate the conflict in Eastern Ukraine.
We heard from French President Hollande yesterday saying what that essentially, what they are talking about is a German and French negotiations document developed alongside the Ukrainians and Russians aimed and based at maintaining Ukraine's territorial integrity.
Now, we've heard from the spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin characterize the visits of the German chancellor and French president in Moscow today as a positive and welcome development. We saw their visit with the Ukrainian president yesterday. Out of that meeting, the Ukrainian foreign minister tweeting that things went well. So, Ukrainians seem pleased with the proposal, this process initiated by the Germans and French so far.
As for the Russians, today, state media reporting that the Kremlin still does not know the details of the German and French proposal, hopes that it will be a constructive one, pointing to a number of initiatives and proposals developed by Russian President Vladimir Putin over the last days and weeks aimed at ending the conflict as well. Those Russian proposals, though, have been met with cynicism by western officials.
One Western diplomat characterizing the Russian proposal as cynical effort to get out of the Minsk agreements. The Minsk agreements were the agreements that Russia was a party to in September. But with the violence that we've been seeing unfold in eastern Ukraine have pretty much all collapsed. Now, not present in Moscow today, the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. We do understand, he will be meeting with the Russian foreign minister in Munich over the weekend -- John.
BERMAN: All right. Erin McLaughlin for us in Moscow -- a flurry of developments while people are dying in Eastern Ukraine -- thanks, Erin.
ROMANS: Jordan is striking back at ISIS with a reported 30 fighter jets hitting ISIS training centers and armed depots, expanding from ISIS targets only in Syria, some in Iraq as well, and claiming the targets were destroyed, completely destroyed. Jordan's foreign minister telling CNN the country's military is just getting started.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NASSER JUDEH, JORDANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: It's actually the beginning of our retaliation over this horrific and brutal murder of our brave young pilot. But it's not the beginning of our fight against terrorism and extremism. We have been in this current effort for a good few weeks now, actually at the forefront of it, and we've been fighting terrorism and extremism for a number of years.
So, yes, we are upping the ante, we're going after them wherever they are, with everything that we have. But it's not the beginning and it's certainly not the end.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Jordan named the operation Muath the Martyr, after its pilot Muath al Kaseasbeh, murdered by ISIS, showing being burned alive in a video ISIS released this week.
Jordanian state television reflecting the depth of the public rage there, released exclusive video of the bombing run and air force personnel, including a uniformed woman, writing taunts aimed at ISIS on those bombs. King Abdullah giving voices to his people's grief, visiting the al-Kaseasbeh, pointing out a fly over of Jordanian air force jets after their bombing run.
Standing by with the latest this morning for us from Amman, Jordan, CNN's Becky Anderson.
Good morning, Becky.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A very good morning to you. A lethal show of force with a very clear message as the foreign minister pointed out. Jordan is absolutely determined to go after ISIS in Syria and in Iraq. And as he described it, eradicate them. We are hours away from Friday prayers here in Jordan. There have been appeals for public rallies.
It has yet to be seen whether those will be heeded, but certainly a sense of unity here. After weeks of concern by many people in Jordan, as to whether the country should really be involved in this coalition fight against a group that some people here said really wasn't impacting on Jordanians themselves here. They had other issues to deal with.
But, clearly, the release of the video of the brutal murder of the young pilot galvanizing the support certainly over the past 48 hours or so and a very clear message from some 30 fighter pilots and jets over Syria, over Raqqa, and a big hotbed of ISIS activity in Syria yesterday.
So, what happens next? Jordan reluctant to divulge military details going forward. Suffice to say the military going across borders. They don't see Iraq and Syria as sort of two identifiable places. They say this is a fight across borders and appealing to the international community for more support for intensified support for Jordanian fighter pilots in the air, for other regional allies in the U.S. in the air and for those foot soldiers on the ground who are fighting against this militant group.
The real concern here is that if this isn't a fight that is taken to ISIS, that the group will continue to spread in this country. Do remember, Jordan shares a border with Syria and Iraq. The impact of Syrian refugees on this country is absolutely enormous. Some 7 million people here. Some 3 to 4 million are refugees across the board. The impact on the infrastructure is absolutely enormous.
So, the fight the Jordanians say is theirs for the taking. They will lead from the front. And they also point out, Christine, that while this has a military element for sure, this is also an ideological fight -- one high level official describing ISIS to me yesterday as the un-Islamic Islamic State as it were. He said this is a group who says they are fighting in the name of religion. They are not. There is a clear counter message across the region against extremists who say they are waging war in the name of Islam.
So, what happens militarily in the days and weeks to come is unclear at this point. But, certainly, an appeal from the Jordanians as they run this -- taking a lead on this and they run from the front as it were and appeal for intensified effort across the board -- Christine.
ROMANS: All right. Becky Anderson for us in Amman -- thank you, Becky.
BERMAN: Controversy in Washington. Democrats challenging Republicans to fund the Department of Homeland Security with no strings attached. Homeland security money runs dry in about three weeks. Democrats are demanding a clean funding bill that is not tied to stopping the president's executive action on immigration. Republican leaders probably don't want to be blamed for a homeland security shutdown, not clear at this point how they planned to respond.
ROMANS: From paying for the war on terror to a plan for winning it. The Obama administration is set to release its national security strategy today. White House officials tell us it will signal America's resolve and readiness to deter and defeat American adversaries moving forward. It will include strategies for combating ISIS and Syria in Iraq and Russia's aggression in Ukraine.
BERMAN: The White House confirms it is close to sending official request to Congress to authorize the use of force against ISIS. The president is required by law to get congressional approval for any prolonged military action. It could be something of a political battle there.
House Speaker John Boehner promises a rigorous set of hearings and discussions on the subject. The bottom line here is that Congress has been unwilling to weigh in on this, and the president has been unwilling to ask for it. So, it will be unclear what happens once it does get there.
ROMANS: All right. Forty minutes past the hour. Time for an early start on your money this morning.
European stocks are down right now, ongoing worries about Greek debt and bailout conditions. Asian stocks ended the day mostly lower.
But U.S. stock futures are not following that lead. They are moving higher right now. Yesterday, the Dow gained 211 points. It was enough to put stocks up for the year, folks. February has been a great month so far, raising all of the losses from a horrible January.
One very important metric out this morning that could move markets, January jobs report comes out at 8:30. Economists polled by CNN Money predict 233,000 jobs added. That's down slightly from December. The unemployment rate ticking down to 5 1/2 percent.
BERMAN: Still the kind of trend you want to see.
ROMANS: It's the kind of trend you want to see. That's right.
BERMAN: All right. Not the kind of trend you want to see. More children infected with measles. This morning, new concerns about how fast this outbreak is spreading. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: The measles epidemic is widening and now hitting a day care center in Illinois. Two infants have tested positive at the Palatine kinder care center. Three others have been diagnosed based on symptoms. As many as ten more children may have been exposed. Parents are being urged, watch their children for any fever or rashes. Unvaccinated staff and children are being asked to stay home for two more weeks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. KIRAN JOSHI, COOK COUNTY SR. MEDICAL OFFICER: We do expect that there will be more cases associated with this day care. Public health nurses have already begun reaching out to the exposed individuals to provide guidance to each family. The Cook County Department of Public Health will facilitate identification and notification of individuals who may have been exposed to measles cases.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Of course, those very young children, that's where the exposure is the most dangerous. At least 102 cases of measles in 14 states have now been confirmed this year. Most of those cases in California. Updated numbers -- we're expecting updated numbers from California today.
BERMAN: A field trip today for the jury in the Aaron Hernandez murder trial. The jurors will take a bus tour of key trial locations, including the crime scene and house of the victim Odin Lloyd and the house of the defendant Aaron Hernandez as well. In the court on Thursday, lawyers for the former NFL star grilled a police witness. The defense claims that crime scene was tainted by law enforcement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES SULTAN, HERNANDEZ DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Have you been trained in the collection of evidence at the crime scene, Captain DiRenzo?
CAPTAIN DIRENZO: No.
SULTAN: You said that at some point a decision was made to pick up pieces of evidence, right?
DIRENZO: Yes.
SULTAN: OK. And that was before anyone from state police crime scene services arrived, right?
DIRENZO: Yes, yes.
SULTAN: Nobody measured it?
DIRENZO: Nobody measured it. No.
SULTAN: You eyeballed it. Is that what you are telling us?
DIRENZO: That's exactly what I'm telling you, yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Aaron Hernandez, of course, is charged with killing Odin Lloyd in 2013.
ROMANS: The son of the hedge fund manager accused of killing his father for lowering his allowance, he has pleaded not guilty. Authorities say 30-year-old Thomas Gilbert Jr. was angry that his father Thomas Gilbert Sr. cut his monthly allowance by a few hundred dollars. They allege he went to the family home last month, shot his dad and then tried to make it look like a suicide. Gilbert is held without bail. His attorney claims the case is circumstantial.
BERMAN: Investigators getting a clearer picture of what happened when a New York commuter train crashed into an SUV stopped on the tracks at a gate crossing. The SUV driver and five passengers on the train were killed.
Officials say all signals and warning systems were working properly. The train was just traveling below the speed limit and engineer applied the emergency brake. They say it was 39 seconds when the crossing lights went on until the crash. A man behind the SUV says the crossing gate came down on the back of the car. Instead of backing up, the driver, Ellen Brody, drove forward into an oncoming train.
ROMANS: Investigators releasing new information on what caused a passenger plane to crash into a river. The plane's black boxes have now been retrieved. They've been analyzed. We're live with the new developments, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BERMAN: New information this morning. The crash of TransAsia Flight 235. Aviation officials are releasing the first pieces of information from the plane's black boxes. We now know there were problems with not just one but both of the plane's two engines. The death toll from the crash climbed overnight to 35. The divers are still searching that river in Taiwan for eight missing victims. We have begun to hear, this is from 15 people who survived and lived to talk about the terrifying ordeal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HUANG JIN-SUN, CRASH SURVIVOR (through translator): Shortly after takeoff, I felt something wasn't right. Something was wrong with the engine, because I always take this flight. I told the girl beside me to quickly release the seatbelt, hold on to the chair in front and cover her head with clothes. Not long after, the plane went down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: CNN's David Molko live in Taipei with the very latest.
Good morning, David.
DAVID MOLKO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, good morning.
In the words of the passenger, something was wrong with the engine. In fact, there were problems, not just with one, but both. This aircraft, the twin turbo prop is designed to be flown on one. Let me walk you through what happened during the flight.
Keep in mind, all of this taking place in less than three minutes. The plane was off the ground for less than three minutes.
About 30 seconds in that is when the emergency started. It started with the right engine. There was some sort of alarm or warning.
A few seconds after that, the crew discussed the left engine. They talked about possibly shutting it down. The recorder shows it was shutdown a short time later. Investigators say and this is critical, at this point during the flight, neither engine was actually producing thrust. This is when we heard that call from the pilots to air traffic control "mayday, mayday, engine flameout."
About 30 seconds after that, there were some discussion in the cockpit about restarting one of the engines. Of course, this came too late. We saw what happened next with the harrowing video of the plane clipping the highway, somersaulting basically, and ending up in the river. John, all this happening in less than three minutes.
I should also briefly mention just where I am outside the hospital. Some of the 15 survivors have been taken here, including the youngest. He is 15-month-old Jujo (ph). His father Brian Lin, we've shown you video of them, the father holding his son in his arms. His father releasing a statement a short time ago saying his son who had a fever, he had pneumonia, he is now out of ICU. He had been asking to be held by his mother -- John. BERMAN: Amazing. All right. David Molko for us in Taipei, thank you
so much.
ROMANS: Those are the images I could not get over the people sitting there with -- he had a toddler. Other people just sort of dazed coming out of the plane, just really, really terrifying.
BERMAN: Especially after the other images that we saw of that plane going down.
ROMANS: Yes, look at that. Oh, it just breaks your heart. Glad he's doing better now.
All right. Fifty-four minutes after the hour. RadioShack, once essential, now filing for bankruptcy. Not quite the end for the electronics store. An early start on your money is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: All right. Let's get an early start on your money Friday edition. U.S. stock futures pointing higher.
Yesterday, the Dow climbed 211 point yesterday. That just adds to strong gains in February. In fact, the first week of trading erased all of the losses from January.
Rising oil prices giving the market confidence. Oil is back above 50 bucks a barrel, climbing this morning. Prices have been, you know, moving wildly in recent weeks, looking for a floor after a seven-month slide.
RadioShack, it's official, it has filed for bankruptcy. Now, that doesn't mean RadioShack will disappear. Almost half of the stores will close, but RadioShack struck a deal to sell the other 2,400 stores and wireless company. Sprint will set up shop inside some of those.
RadioShack has been in business for almost 100 years. This was once an essential electronics store, the height of high technology. But online competition from Amazon and others have made it quite frankly irrelevant.
So, RadioShack, there you go. It's ubiquitous. It's going to be declaring bankruptcy, closing a bunch of stores. It's a big change --
BERMAN: I just tweeted a photo of the TRS 80, the TRS 80 computer that I felt was part of my elementary school computer department. I think we had it at home for like a few minutes. I miss it. RIP for parts of RadioShack, but not all of RadioShack.
ROMANS: And millennials are going, what was John Berman talking about?
BERMAN: I know, I know, well, get out of your basement.
All right. EARLY START continues right now. (MUSIC)
