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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

John Kerry Meets with Iran's Foreign Minister; Three British Teens Try to Join ISIS; Suspect in Ferguson Police Shootings in Custody; Robert Durst Arrested; Vanuatu Hit by Cyclone Pam; NCAA Basketball Tournament Field Set. Aired 5-5:30am ET

Aired March 16, 2015 - 05:00   ET

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

ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: You look at the Dow and the S&P 500, they've made a U-turn and are now sitting in the negative for the year.

<05:00:00> Let me ask you this, you drive a Tesla? Looks like you'll be able to go even farther on a single charge. CEO Elon Musk hinted on Twitter that a new software update will end what's known as range anxiety. You know, when you're going somewhere, you don't think you're going to actually have enough oomph to get there.

The standard model S gets 200 miles per charge. And Musk didn't say how much the battery life on the car will increase by. But did you know this? That Tesla cars could actually get upgrades without ever going to a mechanic. You know, they're like smartphones. They could get software updates to boost performance.

Good news if you like to grab your ice cream and you're kind of like a binge watcher. You may be able to stream "Seinfeld" soon. Sony in talks to sell streaming rights to the hit NBC sitcom from the 1990s. That's according to the "Wall Street Journal." Hulu, Amazon and Yahoo! Are all in talks to buy the rights to stream the show. And that deal could fetch Sony almost $500 million per episode.

One notable name not part of this, the bidding war, Netflix. It took a pass -- took a pass on the show late last year. Kind of looked at it and decided nah, we're not going to go with it.

Don't ask me why.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Alison Kosik, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

EARLY START continues right now.

Secretary of State John Kerry meeting with the Iranian Foreign minister right now. Negotiations over Iran's nuclear program as some Republican senators say they now regret writing that letter to Iran.

Breaking overnight, three teens from London arrested for trying to join ISIS. They are now out on bail. We are live in Istanbul.

And then cold case. Robert Durst under arrest. Could a TV series finale have uncovered new information about the real estate heir's past after all of these years?

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm John Berman. Christine Romans on jury duty today. It is Monday, March 16th, 5:00 a.m. in the East.

And new this morning, a critical round of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran has begun. Secretary of State John Kerry sat down with the Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif at 3:00 a.m. Eastern to discuss Iran's nuclear program.

Surely being discussed, the letter signed last week by 47 Republican senators and spearheaded by freshman Senator Tom Cotton. Secretary Kerry says the letter was, quote, "absolutely calculated," to interfere with his negotiations. But he told CBS he wasn't about to apologize for it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: I'm not going to apologize for the -- for an unconstitutional and un-thought out action by somebody who's been in the United States Senate for 60-some days. That's just inappropriate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Senior international correspondent Nic Robertson following developments for us.

Nic, what's the latest?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Secretary Kerry before going into this meeting today over the weekend had said that he believes that the situation with the talks with the Iranians is like this, that there are some technical issues to discuss with the Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif, but he feels that it's mostly a matter of political judgments at this stage.

Two weeks now is the deadline to get that framework agreement, to get a final agreement by the end of June this year. However, when you listen to what the Iranian Foreign minister is saying, he said, coming into these talks that he feels really that this is still a lot of technical issues to get through here.

Both men were due to meet Sunday evening. They didn't because their deputies had met earlier in the day. And it was just decided that they would get briefings. Zarif himself off to Brussels later today to brief the Europeans, the French, the Germans, and the British. So, you know, you get a sense two weeks to go in talks, they didn't meet yesterday, a session this morning. But it doesn't seem that they're quite close to that framework agreement -- John.

BERMAN: All right, Nic Robertson, a progress update for us in those talks.

Thanks so much, Nic. Breaking overnight, three teenage boys out on bail in London after

they were caught trying to join ISIS. Two 17-year-olds, one 19-year- old, they were stopped by Turkish officials who had been tipped off by British authorities. That's key. Turkey deported them back to the United Kingdom where they were arrested Saturday night.

I want to bring in our senior international correspondent Arwa Damon live from Istanbul.

And, Arwa, Turkey has been criticized for not doing enough to stop this flow of people from western Europe trying to join ISIS.

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It has. And Turkey has always bristled at those accusations and said look, you can't just blame us. Europe needs to do its part as well. And is pointing to how the events over the last few days unfolded as an example of how things should work, saying, look, when the British intelligence agency provided us with information, we acted on it immediately.

We were able to capture these three teenagers at Istanbul's secondary airport whilst they were trying to cross into the country. We detained and then we deported them. This is the way things need to be happening.

Turkey says that Europe is not sharing enough intelligence with it in terms of individuals that it does not want to have traveling.

<05:05:06> Turkey has compiled what's called a pool list. These are various different names from different countries, different nationalities that have all been brought to the attention of Turkish authorities. Anyone who is on that list is barred from entry into the country. The names on that list over the last few months have increased which Turkey says is in part due to greater intelligence cooperation.

But at the end of the day, there needs to be much more that it's done. When it comes to the case of those three teenage girls, John, if you remember, that were able to make it into Syria, Turkey says that if they had been alerted about this earlier, perhaps they could have prevented the girls from reaching Syria. Perhaps they could have done something beforehand and been able to return them back to their families.

Turkey was able to detain one Syrian man who was involved in helping them out, but they weren't able to stop the girls from crossing -- John.

BERMAN: Arwa Damon, for us in Istanbul. Thanks so much, Arwa.

New developments to tell you about in the shooting of two police officers during last week's protests in Ferguson, Missouri. 20-year- old Jeffery Williams has been arrested and is now being held on bond charged with two counts of first-degree assault. Officials say they was caught him with help from the community and that Williams says he wasn't even trying to hit the two police officers. He apparently claims he was trying to shoot at a demonstrator.

CNN's Stephanie Elam has the latest from the Ferguson -- Stephanie.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John, law enforcement officials say 20-year-old Jeffery Williams is the man who was behind the shooting that left two police officers injured outside the Ferguson Police Department early Thursday morning. They say Williams says he was in a dispute with somebody else who was out there demonstrating, but accidentally shot the two police officers.

Here's what else they had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT MCCULLOCH, ST. LOUIS COUNTY PROSECUTOR: The charge is still assault in the first degree. They're class A felonies for striking those two officers. There was a weapon recovered, which has been tied to the shell casings that were recovered there. The weapon recovered from him. And he has acknowledged his participation in firing the shots.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELAM: Now while Prosecutor McCulloch says that Williams was a known protester in front of the Ferguson Police Department, one community organizer that I spoke with who's been behind these protests that have been continuing some 200 days in front of the Ferguson Police Department, says not only does he know that he wasn't a protester, he also knows Williams because of the religious community in the greater St. Louis County area.

He says he went to go speak with Williams since he's been arrested and he said Williams told him that he was shooting at somebody who he said stole from him, one of the demonstrators. Then this is the rest of the conversation. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BISHOP DERRICK ROBINSON, SPOKE WITH SUSPECT JEFFREY WILLIAMS: I told him, why didn't he come to persons like myself who he knew and others to share what was going on because there was enough law enforcement, there was enough leaders that would able to diffuse whatever was going on. And I thought it just -- it just didn't look good for our community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELAM: Back to the investigation, law enforcement officials say do they believe that they have the shooter in custody who is behind this, but they're not ruling out that he has accomplices. And so the investigation continues -- John.

BERMAN: Stephanie Elam in Ferguson for us. Thanks so much.

So President Obama making the insider's chuckle this week into the gridiron dinner. The gathering of the media elite and the politically powerful, not open to cameras. But the president was heard predicting that he could get more laughs this year not because he is funnier, but because weed is now legal in D.C. His words. He also marveled at how technically advanced Hillary Clinton has become, joking that he didn't even know you could get your own server in your home.

Now on Friday the president made a personal visit to a wounded veteran Sgt. Cory Remsburg during a stop in Arizona. Friends and volunteers just finished building Remsburg a new home. The president dropped off a few house warming gifts including some White House beer. The two have become friends over the years.

Three American aid workers exposed to Ebola in Sierra Leone due back in U.S. today. Over the weekend, eight others were flown home. They're being monitored for signs of the disease. The CDC says all 11 workers had contact with an ailing colleague who was just diagnosed with Ebola. The patient is said to be in serious condition right now at the National Institute of Health in Maryland.

An attorney for Robert Durst says his client will not fight extradition in California but will fight murder charges. The 71-year- old Durst, the subject of an HBO documentary, is now accused in the killing of a close friend back in 2000. A cold case authorities say that may be tied to the disappearance of his wife.

CNN's Shasta Darlington has the details.

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, real estate heir Robert Durst is behind bars in New Orleans, according to his own lawyers, in relation to the brutal murder of his very close friend, Susan Berman who was shot execution-style at her home in Los Angeles back in 2000. A law enforcement source told CNN that he's being held on a capital murder charge in relation to the Berman case.

<05:10:06> No one has ever been charged in that case, but recently, the district attorney in Los Angeles reopened the investigation. And, of course, the HBO documentary, "The Jinx," has revealed a string of new details about Durst.

An eccentric New Yorker from a millionaire family, he's been tied to three different investigations in three different states, including the disappearance of his wife and the killing and dismemberment of an elderly neighbor.

Listen to what the director said about "The Jinx."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bob Durst has been accused of many crimes over many years, and that's what makes him, in some ways, the most unusual of all suspects. This isn't a one-time event that people are associating with. They're saying this is a guy for whom murder is an option.

I found him very engaging, I would say charming. He's very funny, yet you cannot be unaffected by the feeling of shaking Bob's hand and recognizing while that's happening that this is a hand that he used to dismember a person.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DARLINGTON: New evidence emerges in the documentary, like this letter written by Durst. They compare it to an anonymous letter, presumably sent by Berman's murderer to alert police to a cadaver at her house. The handwriting is almost identical, even the misspelling of the word "Beverly," compelling evidence that we will no doubt hear more about.

Another tip from the law enforcement source who told CNN that the reason the FBI moved in when it did is because they believed Durst was about to flee the country. They tracked him to a New Orleans hotel where he was checked in under a false name -- John.

BERMAN: Shasta Darlington for us.

Three more teenagers arraigned in Brooklyn for the brutal beating of a 15-year-old girl at a McDonald's last week. Five of the six girls were caught on camera attacking the victim. Five of the six are now in custody. Police say several of them have gang affiliations. One of them, a 14-year-old, was caught with her mother in Atlanta trying to board a plane back to Jamaica. The victim here suffered a concussion and several other injuries.

Stunning video out of Cincinnati. Homes and businesses flooded, roads swamped, trees half submerged in water.

That's the Ohio River spilling over its banks because of heavy rain and melting snow. The waters also affecting parts of Kentucky. The communities obviously in low lying areas are being hit the hardest. The river has reached its highest level since 1997 and is expected to stay above flood stage into Wednesday. Thankfully no deaths or major injuries to report.

So what is next? For more of this wet weather, let's go to meteorologist Pedram Javaheri for an early look at the forecast.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good Monday morning to you. Look at the flooding concern along the Mississippi and also the Ohio River Valleys. We know from Cincinnati, points in the tributaries around the Cincinnati area, certainly going to see major flooding. But 63 percent, that's how much snow we had on the ground as of the 1st of March. So that number has dwindled down to about 10 percent with all the warm air that's been in place much more like late spring as opposed to late winter, what we're experiencing here.

Eighty-two in Kansas City. Into the upper 70s in St. Louis. And 81 down in Charleston. How about around 70 degrees in the nation's capital today, but it all goes downhill very quickly. Temps drop like a rock in the coming couple of days as we get another blast of winter here. And this certainly is par for the course when it comes to this time of year as winter tries to reestablish itself.

We go from spring-like down towards winter-like again in parts at least. Into the 50s from the 80s in Kansas City while Minneapolis goes from the 60s to the 40s. And even around New York City, enjoy the next couple of days. From 54 down to the upper 30s in the next couple days.

BERMAN: All right. That's the weather. Let's get a look at your money.

Alison Kosik here with that.

KOSIK: And let's begin with Asian markets. We are seeing Asian and actually European markets as well. They are higher. U.S. stock futures, they're following that lead. They are higher as well. That's after U.S. stocks came off a really rough week. All three of the major averages posting a third weekly loss in a row. The Dow and the S&P they're now sitting in the negative for the year.

Why is that? A strong dollar is one reason behind the slump. The dollar is at a 12-year high versus the euro. And while it's great for U.S. travelers who are heading to Europe, it's bad news for U.S. multinational companies because a stronger greenback hurts businesses that make a chunk of their profits overseas. It also makes it harder for American companies to compete abroad because European goods are going to be cheaper than American exports. And that's part of the reason you're seeing this volatility back in the market.

BERMAN: It's a sign of a stronger economy, but be careful what you wish for, right?

KOSIK: Always a trade off.

BERMAN: Right, Alison. Thanks so much.

The small island chain of Vanuatu ravaged by a cyclone. Just tremendous destruction as the aid begins to arrive. We're live from the devastated islands coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

<05:17:54> BERMAN: The death toll is now beginning to rise in cyclone ravaged Vanuatu. Government officials there say now at least 11 people are confirmed dead, 11 people confirmed dead, in one of the worst disasters ever to hit that region. The cyclone named Pam flattened or damaged virtually every structure on the island chain. The final number of deaths will almost certainly be higher.

This was a category five storm. It packed 185-mile-per-hour winds when it roared through the poverty stricken nation over the weekend.

Our senior international correspondent Ivan Watson has arrived on the island chain. We are trying to establish communications with him. As you can imagine, it is very, very difficult to reach him.

Ivan, can you hear me?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I hear you, John.

BERMAN: Give us a sense of what the situation is there. WATSON: This is a -- one of the poorest countries in the Pacific that

has been just pummeled by the worst storm -- people here tell me the worst storm that they've seen in generations. So what you have across the capital city is trees snapped in half, buildings, a large number of residences damaged, if not destroyed.

And the government here has just projected that they are expecting at least 70 percent of the population of this island country to have been displaced by this storm. They've just raised the death toll. And it has taken them more than three days to find that five more people have been killed on another one of the islands.

They are still having a tremendously difficult time trying to reach some of the more than 80 islands that make up this country. So just trying to learn the scale of the damage, the potential scale of the loss of life is an enormous logistical challenge -- John.

BERMAN: You know, it's an island chain of dozens and dozens of islands spanning an area roughly the size of Connecticut.

And, Ivan, are there some islands out there that still have yet to be contacted at all?

<05:20:02> WATSON: They're having to rely on basically planes flying over some of these islands to try to assess the scale of the damage from the sky. We're hearing that it may take until Wednesday to reestablish telecommunications with some of these islands. And if somebody is hurt on them, I'm told that there is only one real functioning hospital in the whole country and that's here in Port Vila, the capital, where I'm located right now.

There's been some progress here. There are some spots of electricity. A lot of roads have been cleared. The airport is working here. There are air force cargo planes from New Zealand, from Australia that are flying in. Even the first commercial flights that have come in. But if somebody is hurt on one of these more far flung islands, they need either a boat or a plane to bring them in here and not all of these islands have been reached yet.

So again an enormous challenge and really dramatic to see a place that was a tropical paradise now reeling from again the worst storm that this place has seen in decades. And we're talking to people who are used to tropical cyclones -- John.

BERMAN: Ivan Watson for us. Has now reached Vanuatu obviously.

Ivan, we're lucky to have you there to give us a sense of what's going on. Trying to fend off a humanitarian disaster in that island chain. Thanks so much.

Twenty-one minutes after the hour. Selection Sunday has come and gone. March Madness in full swing. Do you have your bracket?

Andy Scholes with March Madness, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) <05:25:07> BERMAN: Let the madness begin. The field of 68 teams for now at least in the NCAA basketball tournament is now set. Fill out those brackets.

Andy Scholes with "The Bleacher Report."

Good morning, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS: And good morning, John. You know, the next few days is going to be all about this bracket right here. According to the American Gaming Association, an estimated 70 million Americans are going to be filling out brackets over the next few days. The average person spends more than an hour doing so. Me, it takes me about two or three hours to fill this bad boy.

But this year, you know, the popular picks definitely are going to be the number one overall seed. The undefeated Kentucky Wildcats. Kentucky cruised to a 78-63 victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks. And yesterday's SEC championship game, a little controversy after the big win. The Squad did not cut down the nets as they usually would do after winning a championship.

Head coach John Calipari said they simply forgot. But critics think they were making a bigger statement. They are now 34-0 with the chance of becoming the first team to put together a perfect season in 39 years.

And, you know, Kentucky super fan Ashley Judd would love to see that. Yesterday she received a good luck smooch from ESPN analyst Dick Vitale. This pic, as you can imagine, went viral immediately.

Now not surprisingly Kentucky headlines the bracket as the top overall seed in the tournament. The other number one teams are Villanova in the east, Duke in the south and Wisconsin in the west. Now Georgia State is heading for the big dance for the first time since 2001 which is cause for celebration. But it was a little too rowdy for head coach Ron Hunter. Amid the chaos, he ended up tearing his Achilles tendon and had to be carried off the court.

Don't worry, though, he's going to be back on the sideline on Thursday when the Panthers take on Baylor.

All right. So part of the fun of March Madness is filling out the bracket, trying to win bragging rights amongst your friends and co- workers. But that's not easy. The odds of filling out a perfect bracket are 1 in 9.2 quintillion. That's a 9 followed by 18 zeroes. Mathematicians say it's easier to win mega millions two times in a row than it would be to get a perfect bracket.

Now that being said, there are some tips on how to build a wining bracket. Pick all one and two seeds to win in the round of 64. Number one seeds, they've never lost in 120 games. Two seeds have only lost seven times. So don't do that. Nine seeds, they actually have a winning record against 8 seeds so don't get caught up in the seeding in those games. And pretty much every year a 12 seed beats a 5 seed. The most common that there is, last year three of the four 12 seeds

won in a round of 64 so pick a 12 seed that you like.

And don't pick two number one seeds to meet in the final, John. It's only happened six times in the history of the tournament.

Of course we always want everyone at home to play along with us at CNN. You can log on to CNN.com/bracket. Fill yours out. Really looking forward to March Madness this year as always.

BERMAN: If you want to feel good about your bracket, enter the CNN today because you will beat me this year no doubt.

Andy Scholes, it's great to have you here. Thanks so much.

SCHOLES: All right. Good.

BERMAN: All right. Key negotiations happening right now between the U.S. and Iran. A nuclear deal as the deadline approaches. We'll have the latest next.

05:28:10

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