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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Apologies for Racism; Hillary Responds to E-Mail Questions; Did Senate Iran Letter Break the Law?; Another ISIS Atrocity

Aired March 11, 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: Making their apologies. Two University of Oklahoma students booted from school over their racist video now asking for forgiveness. We will tell you what the students and their families say and how that school community is banding together.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Hillary Clinton on the record. She's explaining why she used her personal e-mail to conduct State Department business, but her answers aren't sitting well with everyone. We'll have Clinton's comments and the reaction.

BERMAN: And then, appalling new video from ISIS, using children to carry out their crimes. We have a live report from the Middle East, straight ahead.

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

ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. It's Wednesday, March 11th. It's 4:00 a.m. in the East. Nice to see you this foggy morning in the East.

New developments this morning at the University of Oklahoma, where two fraternity members are apologizing for leading a racist chant. Those mea culpas come hours after the two students were expelled from the university. Yesterday, students came out in force again to cheer the quick action by the university president, David Boren, and to protest against racism.

National correspondent Miguel Marquez is at OU. He has the latest for us this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, John, Christine, this is the area outside the SAE house at the University of Oklahoma. Hundreds of protesters here have come to really rally and show support, more than anything, for what they did not like about that video that made its way around the world, ricocheted around the world.

We're also hearing from one of the individuals who has been expelled, saying that he actually withdrew from the school this Monday, Parker Rice from Dallas, whose house we went to, and they have pulled out of their house. In a statement, he says that their family has received death threats. And also in that statement, I want to read part of it to you, he says,

"I know everyone wants to know why and how this happened. I admit, it likely was fueled by alcohol consumed at the house before this bus trip, but that's not an excuse. Yes, the song was taught to us, but that, too, doesn't work as an explanation. It's more important to acknowledge what I did and what I didn't do. I didn't say no, and I clearly dismissed an important value I learned at my beloved high school, Dallas Jesuit. We were taught to be 'men for others', in quotes, I failed in that regard, and in these moments, I also completely ignored the core values and ethics I learned from my parents and others."

The family also asks that the media and other people please leave them alone for now because they are trying to figure out where everything goes from here. The people here at the University of Oklahoma, though, are going to stay on this. They want the school to address all of the concerns that they have, saying that this is not the only instance of racism at this school.

For its part, the school, which has come down very hard on SAE and on this incident, says the investigation is continuing. There may be more disciplinary actions and even more expulsions -- John, Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Our thanks to Miguel for that.

The family of the other student is apologizing for his role in the racist SAE video. "The Oklahoma Daily" student newspaper has identified the second expelled student as Levi Pettit.

His parents issued a statement saying, quote, "He made a horrible mistake and will live with the consequences forever. We were as shocked and saddened by this news as anyone. Of course, we are sad for our son, but more importantly, we apologize to the community he has hurt."

Now, the last African-American member of the University of Oklahoma's SAE chapter is speaking out, William Bruce James II. That's his name. He pledged SAE 14 years ago.

I spoke to him yesterday, actually. He says the fraternity that appears in the video is all but unrecognizable from his years there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM BRUCE JAMES II, LAST AFRICAN-AMERICAN MEMBER OF OU'S SAE FRATERNITY: It's extremely painful to hear it still, obviously. I can't watch the video. But it's extremely shocking, but the most shocking thing for me is that just -- it doesn't represent what I remember at all. And I don't understand how the house got there. But that's not indicative of anything I experienced at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So, some shocking new video has emerged from that fraternity chapter in Oklahoma. "The Oklahoma Daily" says the video appears to show the fraternity's house mother, her name is Beauton Gilbow, laughing and singing the "N" word. She says the video was taken out of a context. She was singing along with a rap song, which if you watch the video, she does appear to be singing along with a rap song, repeating the "N" word again and again.

ROMANS: Still, there's just so much attention on that fraternity and those young men in that video. Just really, really shocking.

All right. Five minutes past the hour.

New this morning, Hillary Clinton trying to quell a raging controversy over her use of personal e-mail while secretary of state. Mrs. Clinton faced reporters for the first time in five months at a U.N. event Monday. She struck a defiant tone, defending her use of a personal e-mail server and her BlackBerry, saying that it was -- for convenience, and it was allowed under federal rules.

For the latest, let's bring in senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John and Christine.

Now, Hillary Clinton finally broke her silence, but she did not break the fever of controversy that's clouded her campaign in waiting for the last eight days. She vigorously defended during a news conference at the United Nations her use of private e-mail. She said any mistakes were innocent ones.

And this is how she explained it.

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: And I have to add, even if I'd had two devices, which is obviously permitted, many people do that, you would still have to put the responsibility where it belongs, which is on the official. So, I did it for convenience, and I now, looking back, think that it might have been smarter to have those two devices from the very beginning.

ZELENY: But it's unclear if that two-device defense is going to wash. Some Republicans in Congress already saying, look, we use two devices ourselves. Why would that be such an inconvenience?

But Secretary Clinton was steadfast, saying that she did not break any laws. She said the server, that private e-mail server, was in their house in Chappaqua, New York. It was installed under the watchful eyes of the Secret Service, which is, of course, her husband and her have Secret Service attention.

But that is not enough for congressional investigators either. Look for them to potentially try and subpoena that server. So, she did not clear up the full controversy around this.

She may have given more openings to answer questions, but it's clear that Secretary Clinton finally on the offense, for the first time in eight days, on the offense on this. Democrats will now surely come rallying to her side -- John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: It's Jeff Zeleny's first appearance on EARLY START. We're lucky to have him here at CNN.

ROMANS: Can he have a mug?

BERMAN: He probably already has a mug. Let's not start with the mug thing. It's too early for that.

ROMANS: Let's give Jeff Zeleny a mug and welcome him to EARLY START.

BERMAN: He was probably given a roomful of mugs.

All right. Congressional investigators may not stop at Hillary Clinton's e-mails. As first reported by CNN's Dana Bash, who has a mug of her own, the House committee investigating Benghazi will seek private e-mails from as many as 10 of the former secretary's top aides at the State Department. The committee chairman says he is concerned some e-mails about Benghazi and the attack on the U.S. consulate there may have been sent between private accounts.

Mrs. Clinton's media team, as it stands right now, has not yet responded to CNN's request for a comment.

ROMANS: There are new questions this morning about the open letter to Iran signed by 47 Republican senators. Some legal scholars and pundits are suggesting Republicans -- Republicans may have broken the law when they warned Iran that any nuclear deal could be undone by the next president.

The Logan Act forbids any U.S. citizens from trying to influence disputes or controversies with a foreign government. But no one seems to be too worried about prison time. There has never been a prosecution under the Logan Act in its 216 years on the books.

White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski has the latest on the letter controversy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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

You know, some could say this is just a letter, just an open letter, but this has nearly all the Republicans in the Senate writing to Iran during sensitive negotiations over its nuclear program with a view of stopping that process.

So, some are questioning, is that criminal? Is it treason?

Analysts say that would be a huge stretch. But what this has done is set off this nasty war of words. Those Republicans who signed this letter are staunchly standing by it.

But remember, seven Republican senators did not sign it. It was interesting to hear from them speaking out about why.

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R), MAINE: But I did not think it was appropriate for us to write to the ayatollah and try to explain to him our constitutional system of government. That strikes me as inappropriate, particularly at this time during the negotiations.

Now, I do believe that if there is ultimately an agreement reached, and it should come before the Senate for consideration, but I doubt very much that the ayatollah cares what a group of senators thinks.

KOSINSKI: So, what she and other Republican senators who did not sign the letter are saying is not that they don't think Congress should have important input, but many of them are supporting legislation that's been proposed that would give Congress an up-or-down vote on any potential nuclear deal with Iran. They said that that would be more appropriate than this open letter, though the White House has threatened to veto any such law -- John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

Federal officials say the hacking of the State Department e-mail system over the past year is the worst ever against a government agency. According to investigators, Russian hackers suspected of breaching State Department computers are also behind cyber attacks targeting the White House and other federal agencies.

Back in November, State Department officials shut down the e-mail system over a weekend in an effort to bolster cybersecurity.

BERMAN: New this morning, a departure in Ferguson, Missouri. The city council voted unanimously to accept the resignation of city manager John Shaw. He was cited in the scathing Justice Department that detailed racial bias in the Ferguson police department and really the entire town system, including the court system. Shaw supervised all city agencies, including the police. Since the report, the Ferguson city clerk has been fired and two police officers have quit.

ROMANS: Utah lawmakers approving a bill that would allow firing squads for executions when lethal injection drugs are unavailable. Concerns about a nationwide shortage of the chemical compounds used in executions may have pushed state legislators to pass this measure. A firing squad would only be used if lethal injection drugs are not available a month before a scheduled execution. Critics say the bill is a giant step backward to the Wild West days. The governor has not said if he will sign this.

BERMAN: Firing squads were actually legal in Utah I think until 2004, and people grandfathered in, it's a weird word in this case, all the way to 2010. It's not that foreign to that state. It's the only state in the country that has them. Federal authorities are investigating the fatal shooting of a deputy

U.S. marshal in Louisiana. They say 28-year-old Josie Wells was serving a warrant Tuesday on a suspect in a double homicide when he was killed. The suspect identified as Jamie Croom was wounded in this incident. Reports say he was on probation for firearm charges.

ROMANS: The Senate plans to take up the nomination of Loretta Lynch for attorney general next week. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell making that announcement today. Her nomination cleared the judiciary committee last month with bipartisan support. If confirmed by the full Senate, Lynch would be the first black woman to serve as attorney general.

BERMAN: A lot of people complaining saying it's been a long time to get that nomination going.

ROMANS: Yes.

Time for an early start on your money this morning. Asian markets mixed after the U.S. markets' steep plunge yesterday. Futures indicate we could see a rebound maybe today, after stocks suffered their worst day of the year, the worst day of the year. The Dow tumbled 332 points, erasing all of its gains for the year. The S&P 500 also now negative on the year, sank almost 2 percent.

The surging dollar, folks, the big story, and that really spooked investors. The dollar at a 12-year high against the euro, the euro slipping even more this morning.

This is great news if you're traveling to Europe. Really great news if you're traveling to Europe. But it's bad news for U.S. companies that sell their goods overseas. It makes their products look more expensive and cuts the value of their overseas earnings.

So that strong dollar hurting stock market investors but really helping international travelers.

BERMAN: So, just go to Rome if you can right now.

ROMANS: Go to Rome, but do not scratch your initial on the Colosseum.

BERMAN: Bad idea.

ROMANS: Very bad idea. Then, suddenly all of the currency -- the currency appreciation --

BERMAN: The exchange rate on that not good.

ROMANS: No.

BERMAN: More rain set to start in the Gulf Coast could spoil your weekend in the Northeast as well.

Let's get to meteorologist Pedram Javaheri for an early look at the weather -- Pedram.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: John and Christine, good Wednesday morning to you.

Yes, you know, we do have a weekend storm headed our way. It is going to bring in rain showers, maybe a wintry mix Friday into Saturday. But let's try to enjoy today. We make it up to 60 degrees. Recall the last time it was this warm, back on Christmas Day, it was 62 across Central Park at least.

Look at this. We have 63 percent of the U.S. with snow on the ground as of the 1st of March. All of that depleted now, about 19 percent coverage across the ground. So, a lot of this melting quickly with the mild temperatures in place, and unfortunately, when you melt that rapidly, you introduce a lot of water vapor in the atmosphere. So, we have plenty of fog to go around.

Nearly 90 million people this morning from Chicago towards New York underneath a dense fog advisory, generally through the late morning hours. But wet weather still prevalent across the Southern states, generally about an inch or so from Mississippi into Alabama. Minimal amounts across interior portions of the country as you work your way towards the Northeast.

But the temps into the 70s down in the south, the 60s around New York City, upper 60s around D.C. But here comes our weekend storm system. Again, timing, Friday night into Saturday, a wintry mix possible, but really nothing as bad as what we've seen, of course, in recent months, guys.

BERMAN: All right. Pedram, thanks to you -- and looking dapper in the three-piece suit there, I must say as well.

ROMANS: Yes, I don't think he had a tie yesterday. Did he have a tie in?

BERMAN: No, he went from no tie to a three-piece suit. He's mixing it up a little bit. Pedram, a wintry mix, shall we say.

ISIS indoctrinating the next generation of terrorists, the Islamist militants enlisting a 13-year-old to carry out the latest killing. We're live in the Middle East, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: A number of new developments in the battle against ISIS. Overnight, Iraqi forces took back large parts of the city of Tikrit in Iraq. ISIS militants reportedly retreating now after a week of heavy fighting there.

This morning, there is a Senate hearing to consider the president's request to authorize the use of force against ISIS. Of course, U.S. has been engaged in military action against ISIS for months and months now. The terrorist group released a chilling new video showing a child shooting an alleged Israeli spy, a claim that Israel now disputes.

I want to go straight to Jerusalem and bring in CNN's Oren Liebermann. OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, at the center of this

is a story about an Israeli spy, except from all sides, we're hearing that that's simply not the case.

In this video which is quite lengthy, the first part of it is an apparent confession by 19-year-old Muhammad Musallam that he was a Mossad spy. Except this morning, we spoke with the Israeli defense ministry, and they say not only was he not a Mossad spy, that he didn't work for the Israeli spy agency, he didn't work for any security organization in Israel.

His mother says the same thing. We spoke with her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HIND MUSALLAM, MOTHER OF VICTIM (through translator): Muhammad is not an agent. Muhammad is not an agent. Muhammad doesn't have a shackle. If he was an agent, he would have lived a beautiful life. We could have been living a different life, and we wouldn't be living this life. If my son was a spy, I wouldn't be cleaning houses so we can live.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIEBERMANN: So, what do we know about 19-year-old Muhammad Musallam?

Well, his family says he was a funny guy, a fun-loving guy who was a volunteer fireman. They say 3 1/2 months ago, he vanished. They found out he traveled to Syria to fight for ISIS. His family says he was duped, he was tricked into believing that fighting for ISIS was leading the good life and that ISIS promised him women, cars and money. They say when they spoke with their son via Skype, he looked like a different person.

At that point, Muhammad Musallam's father says he tried to help him get home. He sent him money. He recruited the Red Cross to help, but unfortunately to no avail. Muhammad Musallam was captured on his way home.

We found out what happened, John, from the end of that video where Musallam was killed by a young child.

BERMAN: A troubling new development to say the least.

Oren Liebermann for us in Jerusalem -- thanks so much, Oren.

ROMANS: All right. Nineteen minutes past the hour.

Jurors in the Dzhokhar Tsarnaev trial getting a look at a key piece of evidence. What did the Boston bomber write in that boat where he was trapped as police closed in? Details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Jurors at the trial of accused Boston marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev getting a look at a key piece of evidence -- writings from inside the boat where Tsarnaev hid after the attack and where he was ultimately captured. Tsarnaev wrote that the U.S. government is killing innocent citizens and, quote, "I can't stand to see such evil go unpunished." He is charged in the attack that killed three people and injured more than 260. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

BERMAN: Chilling new video of the midair helicopter collision that killed ten people in Argentina. Wow, look at that. Three of those dead were prominent French athletes. Prosecutors in France have opened an investigation now. The victims were participating in a reality TV survivalist show called "Dropped." Among the dead are the two Argentine pilots and the show's host, French Olympic swimmer Camille Muffat, and Olympic boxer Alexis Vastine.

ROMANS: Newly released al Qaeda documents reveal a terror organization in decline right before Osama bin Laden's death. The documents seized from bin Laden's compound and released during a trial last month include letters written to and from the terror leader in 2010. Many of them reflecting concern about the CIA drone program wiping out key al Qaeda leaders in Pakistan. Bin Laden was even warned by a top operative to keep communications to a minimum and to take excessive caution. He was killed weeks later.

BERMAN: All right. It is the NFL version of March Madness. I'm talking about the free agent signing period. It kicked off big time. You're looking at that man. He just won a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots.

So, why would he ever want to leave? Well, he's got millions and millions of reasons why. Darrelle Revis signed with the New York Jets. He tweeted, "I want to thank the Pats and Pats nation for an unbelievable year. New York, I'm coming home."

Darrelle Revis, thank you, and I wish you a very bad year ahead.

There were some big trades in football as well. The Eagles and Rams swapped quarterbacks, including that man, Sam Bradford, traded from the Rams to the Eagles for Nick Foles. In draft picks went back and forth in that deal as well. A lot more wheeling and dealing. You've got to stay tuned for "The Bleacher Report" later on because I've never seen a free agent period like this.

ROMANS: Really?

BERMAN: Never.

ROMANS: Really, never?

BERMAN: Never. I've never seen -- you don't trade quarterbacks -- starting quarterbacks in the NFL. That doesn't happen.

ROMANS: I don't think it was nice of you to wish that guy a bad year.

BERMAN: Darrelle Revis? He's going to the Jets. I want him to be happy and play poorly. ROMANS: Listen, let's talk about the "Blurred Lines" controversy. A

Los Angeles jury deciding that the biggest song of 2013 was, in fact, plagiarized. At issue was the Robin Thicke and Pharrell Song "Blurred Lines", it sounds like this.

(MUSIC)

ROMANS: Relatives of Marvin Gaye claimed it was too similar to his 1977 hit "Gotta Give It Up." Listen.

(MUSIC)

ROMANS: The jury agreed with the Gaye fell, awarding them $7.3 million. Attorneys for Thicke and Pharrell say they may appeal the decision. It's really similar.

BERMAN: The Robin Thicke song not just bad but illegal it turns out as well. A double whammy.

ROMANS: You sang that all summer in 2013.

BERMAN: I love Marvin -- the Marvin Gaye version. I'm not a giant fan of Robin Thicke.

ROMANS: You could not live in this country and get away from that song for the entire summer of 2013.

BERMAN: True point.

ROMANS: And now, they've got to pay $7.3 million.

BERMAN: And now, they've got to pay for it.

All right. Twenty-seven minutes after the hour.

Kicked out of school, pleading for forgiveness. Two students picking up the pieces after the video of their racist chants spread around the world. We have the latest developments from the University of Oklahoma, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)