Return to Transcripts main page

Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Will Israeli Leader Spill Sensitive Details?; Iranian Nuclear Talks Resume; Hillary Clinton E-mails; Iran Backs Iraq Against ISIS; NHL Trade Gets Personal

Aired March 03, 2015 - 05:00   ET

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

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: In just hours, all eyes on the speech before Congress. Israel's prime minister promising new information on why he says a nuclear deal with Iran would be a historic mistake. What will Benjamin Netanyahu reveal and could his plans to derail the negotiations with Iran back fire?

Team coverage breaking down the story this morning begins right now.

Good morning and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans. It is Tuesday, March 3rd. It is 5:00 a.m. in the East. John Berman has the morning off. Nice to see you all this morning.

The White House warning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to reveal secret details of nuclear talks with Iran when he delivers the speech to Congress later this morning. That speech bringing to a head a month's long faceoff between the administration and Israel over a signature initiative. The White House believes will rein in the nuclear ambitions, but Iran views as an existential threat. A speech with such high drama that has also become the hottest ticket in Washington.

CNN's Michelle Kosinski is at the White House with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Christine.

Right. And so, we are hearing these concerns from lawmakers, from the secretary of state. You know, within the White House that there could be sensitive information revealed by Prime Minister Netanyahu in this big speech before Congress. It seems like that is coming from the Israeli delegation putting out these sorts of teasers that we're going to hear something that we haven't heard before.

There is good reason, though, to believe that, because remember, over the last couple of days leading up to this big speech, they have revealed certain bits of information about the ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran. Like that it could have something like a ten- year timeframe, at a time when the White House was asked about that specifically, they said, no, no, that's not accurate. But we just heard from President Obama on the negotiations and it does seem like they are going for at least a ten-year timeframe. The White House, too, issued a kind of warning about revealing

sensitive information. Here is the press secretary. Listen.

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The release of that information would betray the trust of our allies. And it certainly is inconsistent with the behavior of trusted allies. The fact is and that would be true even if the sources were to claim that they had obtained the information from somewhere else.

KOSINSKI: So, he just said, if the prime minister or the Israelis do reveal sensitive information about the negotiations, that's not the way trusted allies react to each other, calling it a betrayal. Whatever is going to be revealed today, though, it certainly generated a lot of attention. I mean, Congress has set up alternate viewing areas because there is so much demand to hear Netanyahu speak -- Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Michelle, thank you for that.

The prime minister previewing this morning's congressional address at a speech Wednesday to the pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC. He said he'll warn that Iran is, quote, "developing the capacity to make nuclear weapons, lots of them." But the prime minister also said his speech is not intended to hurt the president politically.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: My speech is not intended to show any disrespect to President Obama or the esteemed office that he holds. I have great respect for both.

Israel and the United States will continue to stand together because America and Israel are more than friends. We're like a family. Now, disagreements in the family are always uncomfortable, but we must always remember that we are family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: For more on the prime minister's speech and how this is all playing in Israel, let's bring in CNN's Oren Liebermann. He's live in Jerusalem.

Good morning, Oren.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN REPORTER: Good morning, Christine.

And it's only really in the last two or three days that the sensitive information, whatever it is, has taken over the headlines. Up until now, almost from the very the moment the speech was announced, it's been about public opinion both America and here in Israel, an equal number of people here support him and disagree with this decision.

The general agreement though is the threat Iran poses to the safety to Israel. The question is, is this speech really a good idea? The right supports him, Likud, his own party, Jewish Home support his decision in front of Congress, and to make America and Europe more aware of the threat a nuclear Iran could pose to Israel.

On the other hand, you have the left, which is Labor and Zionist camp. They absolutely oppose this speech and they have from the very beginning. This is interesting, in the last two or three days, Israelis are quiet. Here they have been quiet. It seems they are trying to show a unified Israel to the world with Netanyahu on the international stage.

And their criticism has been fairly muted. They've said, now that he has his AIPAC speech over with, it's time to come home. It's time to come back to Israel. And that's really all they've said here to Israeli media.

On the other hand, Isaac Herzog, who's considered to be Netanyahu's number one challenger for prime minister has already prepared his criticism essentially for the moment Netanyahu finishes his speech before Congress, Herzog has already planned an event right outside of Gaza, the communities outside of Gaza, where he will offer his rebuttal. We speak to see much more criticism right after Netanyahu speech, and certainly when Netanyahu comes back to Israel -- Christine.

ROMANS: Where he has an election, as you point out.

Oren Liebermann, thank you for that, Oren, this morning in Jerusalem.

While the White House and Israeli officials maneuvered in Washington, Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, they were moving ahead with nuclear talks in Switzerland. President Obama says it is unlikely those talks yield a deal, but that if Iran does say yes, it would be, quote, "far more effective than military action or sanctions at keeping Iran from getting nuclear weapons."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know, I would say that it is probably still more likely than not that Iran doesn't get to yes. But I think in fairness to them, they have been serious negotiators. They've got their own politics inside Iran. It is more likely that we could get a deal now than perhaps three or five months ago. But there are still some big gaps that have to be filled.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Big gaps indeed.

For the latest, I want to bring in senior international correspondent Frederik Pleitgen live in Tehran.

The president says it is not likely, but it's the closest they have been and there are still big gaps. The Iranians have to move further.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They certainly do. And it's certainly something where there is a great divide here among politicians here in Iran, also somewhat within the Iranian society, but generally also within the power structures here. There are those who say that there is still room to maneuver and there is still room for negotiations and that negotiations are moving forward well. Those are usually the people around the President Hassan Rouhani, who were very moderate, wants some sort of deal, who are working very hard to work some sort of deal.

And I think that's also quite well-reflected in the relationship that the Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif has with Secretary of State Kerry. You can see that they are making big attempts to try and move forward on all this. On the other hand, you do also have, Christine, quite a few hard liners here in Iran who felt that Iran should have walked away from the negotiations table a long time ago. There are also people here in this country who feel that Iran should strive for a nuclear weaponized capability. So, that is certainly something that is out here as well.

If you look at the supreme leadership, or the supreme leader in this country, he has been trying to manage both sides, if you will. On the one hand, he has supported the negotiations, but on the other hand, he also said similar to President Obama that he also believes that a deal will be unlikely.

If you survey regular people here, the public opinion in this country, there is cautious optimism that a deal could come through. There are many people who said they have seen positive signs in the past only to see potential deals fall apart in the past. And so, there is certainly also a good degree of skepticism as well.

For most Iranians, what it comes down to is they want the sanctions against their country to be lifted as fast as possible. It is something everybody will tell you the country is reeling from (AUDIO GAP) foreign investment. They'll tell you that they need some sort of economic perspective. And that's also something you are hearing in the comments from a Iranian officials, especially from Javad Zarif, the foreign minister. He also emphasizes again and again that Iran wants the sanctions to be dropped as fast as possible -- Christine.

ROMANS: All right. Fred Pleitgen in very windy Tehran this morning. Thank you for that, Frederik.

Hillary Clinton may have violated federal rules when she was secretary of state. "The New York Times" reporting Clinton did not have a government e-mail address during the four-year tenure, using a personal account to conduct all government business. It was only two months ago that the Clinton advisers in an effort to comply with record keeping requirements reviewed tens of thousands of pages of her personal emails and decided which ones to turnover to the State Department. The spokesperson says Mrs. Clinton has been complying with the letter and spirit of the rules.

Possible Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush taking Clinton to task in a tweet. He wrote, "Transparency matters." He called for the release of all unclassified e-mails and released his e-mails right there on a Web site. The latest now on the political fight to fund the Department of

Homeland Security. The money runs out at midnight on Friday, and Republicans are running out of options when it comes to reversing the president's immigration reforms. Senate Democrats voting down the only chance they had left on Monday. Pressure mounting now on Speaker Boehner to accept a clean funding bill already passed by the Senate, a move some believe could jeopardize his speakership.

Time now for an early start on your money.

Stocks are at record highs. NASDAQ is near the dot-com bubble high. Look at this -- the NASDAQ topped 5,000 for the first time since March 2000, 15 long years to get here. It's now just about 2.4 percent from its peak.

So, should you be concerned about another tech bubble? Not so fast. This time very different from the dot-com era. Many of the companies leading the charge, they are well-established, they have a lot of cash on hand.

Actually, the NASDAQ is late to the record game. The Dow and S&P have been demolishing records for almost two years. Yesterday was no exception. The Dow climbed 156 points to a record high close.

Happening now. A major battle to take a key city from ISIS in Iraq. Why the fight for Tikrit is crucial and why the U.S. is not helping. We are live ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: There is a bloody struggle raging right now for control of Tikrit. The Iraqi city is under ISIS control, but Iraq's military staging a major offensive to retake Tikrit. They are getting a big assist not from the U.S., but from Iran.

CNN's Ian Lee tracking these latest from Cairo this morning.

Good morning, Ian.

The U.S. is being careful -- very careful of how it deals with its offensive in Tikrit. Tell us why.

IAN LEE, CNN REPORTER: That's right, Christine.

Tikrit, as you may remember, is the hometown of Iraq's former leader Saddam Hussein. What we have is a predominately Shiite fighting force going into a predominately Sunni area. You have the Iraqi military. You have the ministry of interior. You do have some Arab Sunni tribal fighters with the government.

But it's these Shiite militias, including the Badr Brigade, which has strong ties to Iran that a lot of people are worried about. We also know from the semi official Iranian news agency that Qassem Suleimani, he is the leader of Iran's elite Quds brigade, will be there as well. What the United States is very careful of is that he's seen as supporting Iran's push, but also these militias have a poor track record in going into Sunni areas. They treat civilians at times at enemy combatants.

There had been a lot of accusations of human rights abuses and the United States is very careful of being brought into sectarian fighting. But also watching this assault is going to be Sunni and Arab fighters in other parts of the country. They're going to be watching to see how the Shiite militia men and also the Iraqis army treat the civilians of Tikrit. Are they welcome back into their homes or are they treated as enemy combatants as well? That's going to put a strain if they are on the Sunni fighters if they are helping the Iraqi government.

But looking at this fight, it is a huge test for Iraq's military. They dissolved in the face of ISIS last summer. They now have more U.S. training. They have better weapons. Will they be able to take the city of Tikrit? If so, that will pave the way to taking Mosul which is ten times larger, Christine.

ROMANS: All right. Ian Lee, thank you so much for that this morning in Cairo, monitoring that offensive on the city of Tikrit.

Seventeen minutes past the hour. The federal death penalty trial of accused Boston marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev set to begin on Wednesday. In court Monday, the prosecution and defense battled over how soon they can discuss the role of the defendant's older brother Tamerlan in that marathon attack. He was killed in a gun battle with police. The two sides also sparred over how much graphic evidence the jury will be shown. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is charged with killing three people and injuring 264 in the 2013 Boston marathon.

The chief of the LAPD says enhanced video of that fatal shooting of the homeless man on Skid Row appears to show the man's hand reaching in the direction of an officer's belt. "The L.A. Times" says that it reviewed the video, and it shows the officer quickly pulling away at that moment. And three of his colleagues opened fire. But "The L.A. Times" reports it's unclear if the man's hand grabbed the officer's weapon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I reviewed the video and the audio, and preliminary, you can hear the young officer who is primarily engaged in the confrontation saying that he has my gun, he has my gun, and he says it several times. We felt great compassion in the LAPD for people who live in conditions of homelessness and often, mental illness with no treatment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The officers are part of an LAPD task force that focuses on Skid Row and is, quote, "specially trained with homeless people and mental health issues." The police chief is asking for any witnesses or anyone else with video of the incident to come forward.

Cleveland's mayor apologizing for insensitive language for the wrongful death suit in the death of Tamir Rice. He was the 12-year- old shot by Cleveland police officers. Cleveland's lawyers had said Rice's death back in November was caused by his own actions. Surveillance video show the 12-year-od playing with a toy gun which police mistook for a real gun.

He was killed just seconds after officers arrived on the scene responding to a 911 call about someone with a potential gun in the park. Tamir's mother says she wants justice for her son.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAMARIA RICE, MOTHER OF TAMIR RICE: The whole world has seen the same video like I have seen and I'm sure the whole world is saying you guys never gave him a chance. So, with that being said, it could never been justified.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Mayor Frank Jackson says the city plans to file an amended response to the lawsuit. The Tamir Rice family and their attorneys will hold their own press conference today to address the city's action.

It was a trade deadline deal. Defense man Jordan Leopold dealt from NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets to his hometown Minnesota Wild. But that's just part of the story. You need to hear why.

Andy Scholes has details in the "Bleacher Report", next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: The NHL trade deadline was yesterday, in arguably the most heartwarming trade ever. The Columbus Blue Jackets made a 12-year-old wish come true.

Andy Scholes has more on this morning's "Bleacher Report".

Good morning, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Christine.

Yes, Jordan Leopold was a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets yesterday. But right before the deadline, he was traded to the Minnesota Wild. And his homecoming made his 11-year-old daughter very happy.

Leopold is from Minnesota. And that's where his family lives and his daughter, Jordyn, basically, she missed dad a lot. And so, she wrote the Minnesota Wild a letter a few months ago. And it read, "My dad is very lonely without his family. We are living in Minnesota right now and I am lost without my dad. So is my mom, my two sisters and my brothers. Your team needs some D-men. So, can you please, please ask the Jackets if you can get him. Thanks, Jordyn Leopold. Smiley face."

Now, both teams had seen the letter before the trade. But they knew Leopold wanted to go home. And after seeing, Blue Jackets GM tweeted out the letter saying, it's not always about the business. So awesome.

Fourteenth ranked Baylor in Austin last night, taking on Texas. Longhorns up by three in overtime when things get a little heated. Texas point guard Isaiah Taylor and Baylor forward Royce O'Neale and they go to the ground for a loose ball. They get into it. The benches clear.

According to the NCAA rules, leaving a bench during a fight is automatic ejection. In total, seven players were thrown out of the game. Texas went on to wins, 61-59.

Kicking the king is punishment in the NBA. The league announcing on Monday that Houston Rockets superstar guard James Harden will be suspended for one game for kicking LeBron during the Rockets win over the Cavs on Sunday. Harden is going to sitting out as the Rockets play the Atlanta Hawks tonight.

Dallas Mavs owner Mark Cuban is a regular on TV these days, with this show "Shark Attack". But he's going to be on another shark show this summer, "Sharknado 3". Cuban is going to play the president of the United States in the third installment of the "Sharknado" franchise. Political commentator and author Ann Coulter, she is going to be the vice president.

Christine, Cuban said it was an easy decision to play the president in "Sharknado 3". He says he is a big fan of the movies. I don't know who isn't. I love "Sharknado."

ROMANS: I know. You know, Mark Cuban is such an outspoken -- you know, he's sports figure. He's also, you know, like business figure and tech figure. I would tune in to that. And him and Ann Coulter, that's an interesting pairing.

SCHOLES: That should be great.

ROMANS: All right. Thanks so much. Nice to see you, Andy.

The U.S. warning Israel's prime minister not to reveal sensitive information during his speech before Congress. Will Benjamin Netanyahu listen? And what will happen if he doesn't? Live team coverage, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)