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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Boko Haram Pledges Loyalty to ISIS; Walk Away from Iran?; 5 Arrests in Putin Opponent's Killing; Report: Cycling Leaders Let Lance Armstrong Cheat
Aired March 09, 2015 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Two of the world's most barbaric terror groups say they want to join forces. ISIS and Boko Haram indicating some kind of joint operations. What does this mean for the West and the United States? Details ahead.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Nuclear talks with Iran down to the wire. Now President Obama says he is willing to walk away. He is warning Tehran it has to agree to a reasonable deal. We'll tell you where the president is drawing the line.
BERMAN: And bizarre developments. Suspicious, perhaps, following the assassination of the opponent to Vladimir Putin. Five appear in court and the sixth blows himself up. What secrets may have perished with him? That's ahead.
Good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm John Berman.
ROMANS: And I'm Christine Romans. It is Monday, March 9th, it is 5:00 a.m. in the East.
New this morning, America's highest ranked general is on his way to Iraq. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey set to hold talks with Iraqi officials and U.S. commanders. Dempsey's visit comes as a new offensive begins in the war against Islamist terror. Hundreds of troops from Chad and Niger are launching ground and air attacks against Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria. Offensive begins one day after Boko Haram pledges allegiance to ISIS in the audio message reportedly recorded by the group's leader.
I want to bring in senior international correspondent Arwa Damon. She is live for us from Istanbul.
Good morning, Arwa.
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
And that allegiance between Boko Haram and ISIS is one that U.S. officials, especially special forces officials that we have been speaking to over the last few weeks, have expressed their concern about what is happening when it comes to Boko Haram is a multipronged approach by the Lake Chad Basin nations. This newly formed alliance has proven to be effective when it comes to recapturing key territory from Boko Haram in northeast Nigeria.
Chad and Niger, as you mentioned, they're launching that new offensive. But both countries have been fighting Boko Haram in Niger and Chad has been heavily involved in the battle against Boko Haram in Nigeria, as we saw when we were there a few weeks ago.
This newly formed allegiance, although we cannot verify independently the authenticity of that audio recording, it's quite critical, both for Boko Haram and ISIS. For Boko Haram, it helps them up their credibility at a time when some analysts would argue that they are losing key territory, although they have proven their effectiveness in carrying out bombings, such as what took place in a marketplace in Northeastern Nigeria. ISIS benefitting from this as well, extending its foot print even further into Africa.
What does this mean for security in the United States? Well, as top officials will say, what happens in other parts of the world, what happens in Africa, can potentially impact security in America.
ROMANS: All right. Arwa Damon, thank you for that this morning from Istanbul -- thanks, Arwa.
BERMAN: In the subject of ISIS, more price less antiquities destroyed by ISIS. "The Associated Press" reports that the government of Iraq is now investigating claims that ISIS has attacked the ancient archaeological city of Khorsabad in northern Iraq. In just the last few weeks, the extremist group has smashed artifacts at the Mosul Museum, also destroyed much of the famed archaeological site at Nimrud and other city as well. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called this destruction a war crime.
President Obama is promising to walk away from a nuclear deal with Iran unless it includes tight inspections in what he calls unprecedented transparency. With weeks until the deadline for the outline of a deal, the president does say he thinks an agreement can happen.
CNN's Erin McPike has more now from the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, the president said he and other foreign leaders have offered Iran an extremely deal and he explained to this weekend to CBS just why he's optimistic.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think it is fair to say that there is an urgency, because we now have been negotiating for well over a year and the good news is, is that during this period, Iran has abided by the terms of the agreement. We know what's happening on the ground in Iran. They have not advanced their nuclear program. We have been able to rollback their 20 percent highly enriched uranium during this period of time. It's given us unprecedented access into what they are doing. So, we are not losing anything through these talks.
MCPIKE: He also conceded that there are some gaps in the negotiation negotiations, but he said he believes he'll know in about a month's time if Iran seems willing to accept this deal. We should also point Secretary of State John Kerry has been traveling overseas the past week consulting with U.S. allies on this issue -- John and Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right. Erin McPike, thanks for that, Erin.
New this morning, police in Russia have arrested five suspects in the killing of top opposition figure Boris Nemtsov. A sixth suspect blew himself up after a standoff with police. With the suspects starting now to appear in court, the looming question is, did they act alone or on orders from someone higher up?
Let's turn to senior international correspondent Matthew Chance.
Matthew, bring us up to speed on who these men are and why the Russian government suspects them of the killing of Boris Nemtsov.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the investigators seem to have made some progress. They say at least in getting to the bottom of how murdered Boris Nemtsov, that prominent opposition politician in Russia.
They've got five suspects in custody. Four of them I have to say have proclaimed innocence. But of them who's been named as Zaur Dadayev from Chechnya has been apparently confessed to the killing. Another suspect, the sixth suspect, died when he detonated a hand grenade as police were trying to arrest him in Grozny, which is a city in the southern Russia province of Chechnya.
The implication of this arrest is that there were not political implications for the killing of Boris Nemtsov but religious ones. The leader of Chechnya who's a pro-Kremlin figure saying that he knows personally the self-confessed assassin Dadayev and says that he is a brave warrior and that he was a Russian patriot and a strong Muslim who was angered, he says, by the support that many people gave, including Boris Nemtsov, to the cartoons that appeared in the "Charlie Hebdo" magazine in France. The killing that took place, the attack on the officers of the magazine earlier this year.
So, that's being floated, at least officially, as some kind of possible motive for the killing of Boris Nemtsov. Opposition figures, though, say that's not very likely. Boris Nemtsov did make remarks in the support of "Charlie Hebdo", and he did have Jewish heritage, but they believe that he was killed for political reasons, not for religious ones.
ROMANS: Interesting. All right. Matthew Chance for us, a lot of questions still. Thank you, Matthew.
BERMAN: Breaking overnight, the president of South Korea paid a surprise visit to U.S. Ambassador Mark Lippert in the hospital. Officials say she went immediately to see the ambassador after returning from a trip to the Middle East. The ambassador is recovering after his face was slashed by a man opposed to joint military drills being conducted by the U.S. and South Korea.
ROMANS: Hillary Clinton is set to make a public appearance today in New York City. It's not clear whether the former secretary of state will address the e-mail scandal that is haunting her these days, or if she's even going to take questions. She will be at a Times Square theater with Chelsea and Melinda Gates for a women's rights event.
One of her biggest supporters, Senator Feinstein, urges her to break her silence and explain why it was she used a personal e-mail address to conduct government business at the State Department.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: What I would like is for her to come forward and say just what the situation is, because she is the preeminent political figure right now. She is the leading candidate, whether Republican or Democrat, for the next -- to be the next president. I think that she needs to step up and come out and state exactly what the situation is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Senator Feinstein says if Hillary Clinton does not address the scandal now, her silence is going to hurt her.
BERMAN: A huge turnout in Selma, Alabama, to mark the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. Tens of thousands stood as one last night to remember the violent confrontation between police and protesters that help bring about the 1965 Voting Rights Act. This weekend wrapped up with the commemorative march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
Attorney General Eric Holder spoke to the crowd saying that despite the progress, the right to vote in the U.S. is now under siege.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIC HOLDER, ATTORNEY GENERAL: Without adequate political representation and without real political power, people of color continue to be marginalized, stigmatized, brutalized and denied their very humanity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: On Saturday, president and the first family led their way across the bridge there, hand in hand with Georgia Congressman John Lewis, who, of course, was a leader in the 1965 march.
ROMANS: There's growing outrage this morning in Madison, Wisconsin, after the fatal shooting of an unarmed teenager by a police officer. The shooting of 19-year-old Tony Robinson sparked weekend demonstrations that were tense but peaceful. Authorities bracing today for a possible walkout by high school students and other signs of protests. The Madison police officer involved in the shooting identified as 45-year-old Matt Kenny has been placed on administrative leave while the investigation goes forward. BERMAN: A protest rally will be held this morning on the University of Oklahoma campus after a video surfaced showing fraternity members engaged in a racist chant. The Oklahoma chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon had been shutdown after this video emerged showing people chanting this slur, suggesting that blacks would never been admitted to that fraternity.
ROMANS: Suggesting, promising.
BERMAN: Promising that they would never be admitted to that fraternity. Good point.
The national leadership of the fraternity has apologized saying it is disgusted that any member would act in such a way. The university itself is investigating.
ROMANS: They suspended all of the members. The members they could see there actually saying the chant have been cut from the fraternity completely. And it's unclear what will happen to the entire chapter basically.
BERMAN: We don't want to play what they say for you, it is, frankly, repugnant. The fraternity has a lot to answer for this morning.
ROMANS: I do. I'm surprised. That whole incident surprises me so much. Just horrible.
BERMAN: Eleven minutes after the hour.
We do have a break from the winter temperatures across the country. Will it stick? Let's hope so.
Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri here with an early look at the weather.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: John and Christine, good morning to you.
You know, 40s and 50s never sounded so good. We still do have some wintry weather in place, generally north of Pittsburgh, eventually towards Williamsport with snow showers possible, mainly in the morning hours. We do have about 4.5 million or so people underneath winter weather advisories from say Philly to Allentown eventually towards Tom's River for some morning flurries.
Possibly, New York gets in on some flurries, no accumulations and way too warm for any of it to be sustained to the afternoon hours. The big story down around the Gulf Coast, from Houston outwards to Austin to San Antonio, about 11 million people dealing with flash flood watches that are in place here, where the next couple of days where some heavy rainfall possible, moisture coming in from the Pacific and also the Gulf. So, you know plenty of rain to go around in the next coming days.
Two to four inches around Houston by mid to the latter portion of the week, from Birmingham up towards portions of Tennessee, four to six inches possible, mild weather across the south with all this rainfall -- look at Atlanta, 70 or so, gets up to the mid-70s. Plenty of rainfall in the forecast on New York and Boston, not too bad, low to mid-50s possible by the middle portion of the week -- John and Christine.
ROMANS: All right. Pedram, thanks for that.
Time for an early start on your money now. Asian and Europe markets mostly lower, following the U.S. market's plunge on Friday. Most Americans Friday welcomed a solid jobs report. A very strong jobs report, but investors worry. That means the Fed will raise interest rates sooner.
The Dow tumbled 279 points. The NASDAQ and the S&P 500 each lost more than 5 percent. All three lost nearly 2 percent for the weekend. Right now, futures are lower.
Wall Street has one thing to celebrate. Today, the bull market turns six years old.
BERMAN: Light those candles.
ROMANS: On March 9th, 2009, you remember that horrible. I had a pit in my stomach. The S&P 500 hit a low of 676. It has climbed 206 percent. That makes this the fourth strongest bull market on record. Most analysts believe this bull has enough steam to make it to seven years.
Now, the longest bull market, look at that, from 1987 to 2000. If you were to replicate that lengths -- we'd be out to like 2021, the length of this bull market. I'm not predicting that's going to happen.
BERMAN: That'd be great.
ROMANS: I'm just saying.
BERMAN: I'll take it.
ROMANS: Sometimes old bull has a lot of onus left.
BERMAN: That's the hope.
Thirteen minutes after the hour. It is fuelled by the sun. A plane launching overnight. Hoping to become the first of its kind to make a trip around the world. We will tell you all about the remarkable aircraft, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: Testimony resumes this morning in the trial of accused Boston marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Last week, jurors heard gripping testimony from survivors, including one who lost both legs and helped police identify Tsarnaev. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in this case, in the attack that left three people dead and more than 260 injured.
ROMANS: A police forensic expert will be back on the stand today at the murder trial of former NFL star Aaron Hernandez. She testified Friday that the DNA of both Hernandez and his alleged victim Odin Lloyd were present on a marijuana blunt found at the crime scene. Jurors could also hear testimony today from a baby sitter regarding Hernandez's state of mind on the day of the killing.
BERMAN: And the search for Malaysia Air Flight 370 can't go on forever. Those words came from that man, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, one year after the disappearance of MH370. The prime minister says search crews are 40 percent done with the 23,000 square miles of the search zone off the coast of Western Australia. He insists he is reasonably optimistic of success. A key findings of report from a team of international experts just out this weekend revealed that batteries on the jet's flight data recorder, the locater beacon had expired. As for the flight crew, they found no unusual behavior among the pilot or the crew.
BERMAN: The record setting attempt to fly a manned solar powered plane around the world is under way from Abu Dhabi. The Solar Impulse-2 embarking on a five-month mission that includes flights across the Atlantic and Pacific. The plan is to hop from continent to continent spreading the message about clean technologies. Solar Impulse-2 is wider than a 747 jumbo jet but weighs less than a large SUV. It features 17,000 solar cells lining the tops of the wings.
ROMANS: That's cool.
All right. A stunning discovery in Utah. A baby still alive 14 hours after a crash that left a car upside down in the Spanish Forks River. A nearby fisherman spotted the vehicle. Rescuers found this 18-month- old girl alive, still strapped to her car seat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The witness said there was an arm that he could see inside the vehicle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It became apparent the driver was deceased, but we also noticed there was a small baby in the backseat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Grabbed the baby in my arm, raised its head up out of the water as I released the seatbelt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The child was passed to me, and I just ran up to the ambulance with the child.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Unbelievable. She is in critical condition at a Salt Lake City hospital. Her mothers with driving the car and she died in the crash, nothing short of miraculous that they were able to spot her and get her out.
BERMAN: Miracle and tragic.
ROMANS: That's right. BERMAN: Nineteen minutes after the hour.
Tim Tebow on the comeback trail. The Heisman trophy winner may not be ready to give up his NFL dream yet. Coy Wire has the details in the "Bleacher Report", next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: This is a doozy. A scathing new report claims cycling leaders broke their own rules so that Lance Armstrong could cheat his way to winning.
ROMANS: Coy wire has more on this morning's "Bleacher Report".
Hey, Coy.
COY WIRE, BLEACHER REPORT: Good morning, Christine, John.
Yes, Lance Armstrong won seven Tour de France before being banned for life for using performance enhancing drugs. Now, a report just released by the Cycling Independent Reform Commission says the sports governing body helped Armstrong and other cyclists cover up doping. The 227-page document claims the UIC violated its own rules by not investigating any of the allegations, even after Armstrong tested positive for Cortisone in 1999. Investigators spoke to 174 people, including Lance Armstrong. In a new statement, Armstrong simply apologized for his actions and he says he hopes this leads to a drug- free sport.
In NFL news, free agent running back Chris Johnson is recovering in a hospital in Orlando, Florida, after being shot in the apparent drive- by shooting. Deputies say they found Johnson and another man on the sidewalk with gunshot wounds while a third victim was found dead in a Jeep. Johnson, a three-time pro bowler, hit in the shoulder, he is expected to make a full recovery. There haven't been any arrests in what detectives are calling a homicide investigation.
In lighter NFL news, don't call it a comeback. Tim Tebow, he hasn't played quarterback in two years, but he might be lacing up those cleats again. The former Heisman trophy winner is reportedly considering taking another crack at the NFL by attending that new veteran combine. That's a combine that's going to go down in two weeks and allow veteran players who aren't currently in the league show off skills for teams who maybe looking for him. Now, Tebow hasn't played since the Patriots cut him in 2013 pre-season.
In the NCAA tournament, it's the big dance, a week away, but March Madness already in full swing. Check this out. North Florida won an automatic bid yesterday. One of their band members got turned up all the way jiggy with it. Freshman Steven Putnam was putting it down and he actually won a book scholarship for this performance, guys. March Madness is still in the air. I hope this video inspires you, John and Christine, if Iowa state and Harvard have a chance to go the big show, that we'll see something like this from one of you guys.
BERMAN: Romans does that during every break. (LAUGHTER)
BERMAN: I mean, that's like an average Monday here.
ROMANS: See, that's if I had too much coffee, that happens, at the end of EARLY START.
BERMAN: Coffee from our paper cup, or non-branded clean paper cup.
ROMANS: Yes, John Berman is in week four now of the mugs now mission to get mugs. Coy, it's inside baseball, Coy, but thank you.
WIRE: I would love to see it some time.
ROMANS: All right. Thanks, Coy.
Twenty-six minutes past the hour this morning. ISIS and Boko Haram each on their own barbaric. A new alliance between the two, frightening. We have more on what's happening here. A report coming after a break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
