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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Kerry Meeting With Iran's Foreign Minister; Three U.K. Teens Try To Join ISIS; Suspect Held In Ferguson Police Shootings; Senate Dispute Over Human Trafficking; Americans Exposed To Ebola; Heavy Flooding Along Ohio River; Ugly Week For Stocks. Aired 5:30-6a

Aired March 16, 2015 - 05:30   ET

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

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05:31:44

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Right now, Secretary Of State John Kerry meeting with the Iranian foreign minister. Negotiations over Iran's nuclear program after Republicans say they now regret signing the letter to Iran.

In custody, an arrest in Ferguson in the shooting of two police officers. New details this morning on how this all went down.

Cold case, Robert Durst under arrest. Could a TV series uncovered the truth behind the real estate heir's past after all of these years.

Welcome back to EARLY START, everyone. I'm John Berman. It's 32 minutes after the hour right now. Christine Romans is on jury duty today.

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 a.m. Eastern to discuss Iran's nuclear program.

One of the things you can imagine will be discussed is that letter to Iranian leaders signed last week by 47 Republican senators spearheaded by freshmen Senator Tom Cotton. Secretary Kerry says the letter was quote, "absolutely calculated to interfere with these negotiations." He told CBS News, though, he is not about to apologize.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: I will not apologize for an unconstitutional and un-thought out action by somebody who has been in the United States Senate for 67 days. That is just inappropriate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Let's get a status update on these talks, senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson following things for us. Nic, what is the latest? NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. I mean, this meeting going on two and a half hours. Relative terms, that is a very long meeting between Secretary Kerry and Foreign Minister Zarif.

Typically the meetings can last an hour, an hour and a half, sometimes two hours, they can go long, but it gives you an idea they have a lot to talk about. They were supposed to meet yesterday, but it was decided that deputies met earlier in the day on Sunday.

And therefore, it would be better for the heads on each side, Kerry and Zarif, to get updates from their own teams before getting down to talks, which also gives you the idea maybe a lot to talk about, but it did not seem that they are sort of in a race for the deadline, which is coming at the end of the month, still two weeks away for that.

When he arrives, Zarin, the Iranian foreign minister, has said that he really feels that there is a lot of technical discussion and issues to be done here. Secretary Kerry framing it differently saying he feels that, yes, there are some technical issues to discuss, but really it is all a case of political judgments at this stage.

Zarif expected to go to Brussels later today to brief the French, the Germans and the British on the progress of the talks. It doesn't appear that we are in a final phase and rush for this framework deadline by the end of March. But it does seem this morning at least something substantive under way in those talks -- John.

BERMAN: Two and a half hours and counting, you say, a matter of political judgment or it could be matter of political will soon enough. Nic Robertson covering these talks for us, thanks so much.

Breaking overnight, three teenage boys out on bail in London after they were arrested trying to join ISIS. The two 17-year-olds and one 19-year-old were stopped by Turkish officials, who had been tipped off by British authorities, that's key.

The trio arrived on a flight from Barcelona. After questioning, Turkey deported them back to the U.K. where they were arrested Saturday night. The three have been charged on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts.

<05:35:08> New developments in the shooting of two police officers during last week's protest in Ferguson, Missouri. The 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 caught him with help from the community and that Williams says he wasn't even trying to hit the two officers. He claims he was aiming at a demonstrator with whom he had a dispute. Police are not ruling out the possibility that others were involved in the shootings so the investigation they say does continue.

To Washington, a new political hurdle in the confirmation of Loretta Lynch to be the next attorney general, a Senate vote had been set for this week, but that's not happening now until Democrats and Republicans resolve a dispute over human trafficking bill.

Let's get the latest from CNN's Erin McPike.

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, Democrats are upset about some language in legislation that would stop human trafficking. They are upset about an anti-abortion provision, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that they have had their chance to address this, and he doesn't want to delay it anymore. And he was explaining his reasoning on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" this weekend. Listen here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SENATOR MITCH MCCONNELL (R), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: This is boilerplate language that has been in the law for almost 40 years that they all voted for three months ago in another bill. We are not going to be able to finish the trafficking bill until this gets resolved and this will have an impact on the timing of considering the new attorney general.

I hoped to turn to her next week, but if we cannot finish the trafficking bill, she will be put off again. They need to come to grips with this. I offered them a simple up or down vote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCPIKE: So he says that would further delay the vote on confirming the attorney general nominee, Loretta Lynch. McConnell also refused to say whether he would vote for or against Lynch when that vote comes to the floor -- John.

BERMAN: All right, Erin McPike for us at the White House. President Obama making insiders chuckle this weekend at the gridiron dinner. The gathering of media elite and the politically powerful not open to cameras, but the president was heard predicting that he would get more laughs this year, not because he is any funnier, but because he says, weed is now legal in D.C.

He also marveled at how technically advanced Hillary Clinton has become joking that he did not know you could get your own server in your own home. On Friday, the president made a personal visit to wounded veteran, Sergeant Cory Remsberg during a stop in Arizona.

Friends and volunteers had just finished building him a new home. The president dropped off a few house warming gifts including some White House beer. President Obama and the sergeant have become friends over the years.

Three American aid workers exposed to Ebola in Sierra Leone are due back in the U.S. today. Over the weekend, eight others were flown home. They are being monitored right now for signs of the disease.

The CDC says all 11 workers had contact with an ailing colleague, who was diagnosed with Ebola. That patient is said now to be in serious condition at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland.

Opening day at Yankee Stadium not for the Yankees, no, for soccer. The NYCFC, the new soccer team in town shut out revolution 2-0 in their New York debut, 43,000 fans turned out to see them. This is going to be fun. Now some Yankee players had expressed concern about permanent damage to the Yankee stadium field because soccer will be played on it. I think they will be just fine.

All right, let's talk about the weather. Winter, will it last more or will we get more rain? Let's go to meteorologist, Pedram Javaheri for an early look.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning. Yes, it seems like at least winter definitely has at least one more push left in it. With all that said, we moved into the record books, a little celebration there. Number one all time for the snowiest winter on record in Boston surpassing the 1995 and 1996 season.

You get this much snow, you ara going into the record books. The winter air, really push in here towards the middle portion of the week, some of the coldest air. Unfortunately parts around the northeast.

So by Monday, we see it across the northern tier of the country. By Tuesday into Wednesday, it eventually pushes in really towards the northern and eastern half of the country.

Here you go, as far as temp trends, 73 in Chicago drops down to the mid-40s. In New York, the 50s are seasonal. You have not felt that very much this year. It cools off into the 30s over the next couple days.

Good thing with this is this time of year, of course, the temperatures see-saw pretty rapidly. They moderate rapidly as well. We should not cool off that long when it looks like the long term trend will be back towards seasonal here in the next couple of weeks.

BERMAN: All right, Pedram, thank you. Stunning video out of Cincinnati, homes and businesses flooded, roads swamped, trees submerged. The Ohio River spilled over its banks because of the heavy rain and melting snow.

The rising water is also affecting parts of neighboring Kentucky. The river there reaching its highest level since 1997, it could stay above flood stage into Wednesday. Thankfully, no deaths or major injuries to report here yet that's the weather.

Let's take an early look at your money with Alison Kosik.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Let's take a quick trip around the globe and look at Asian and European markets. They are higher at the moment. U.S. stock futures, they are also looking up after coming off a pretty tough week.

<05:40:10> All three of the major averages posting a third weekly loss in a row, the Dow and the S&P 500 are negative for the year. What's the deal? Why the slump? A strong dollar and low crude oil prices are a couple reasons. The dollar is at a 12-year high versus the euro. While that is great for U.S. travelers heading to Europe, it is bad for U.S. multinational companies because a stronger green buck hurts businesses that make a big chunk of profits overseas.

Also crude oil has been hovering around $44 a barrel. The extra supply in crude has forced energy companies to cut back production and layoff workers. So investors at this point are looking for a bottom for oil prices.

We saw some stability recently. We are just not seeing that bottom. In fact just this morning, we saw oil futures test another low so no bottom yet.

BERMAN: All right, Alison, thanks so much.

So after years of proclaiming his innocence, Robert Durst is behind bars this morning in connection to a 15-year-old murder case. What the real estate heir was caught saying that could help seal his fate. That's next.

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05:44:49

BERMAN: New this morning, an attorney for Robert Durst says his client will not fight extradition to California, but will fight murder charges. The 71-year-old Durst is 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 might be tied to the mysterious disappearance of Durst's wife. CNN's Shasta Darlington has the details.

<05:45:12> 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 is being held on a capital murder charge in relation to the Berman case. No one has been charged in the 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 has 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 accused of many crimes over many years. That is what makes him in some ways the most unusual of all suspects. This is not a one-time event that people are associating with. They are saying this is a guy for whom murder is an option. I found him very engaging. I would say charming. He is 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 "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: All right, Shasta Darlington with that. Thanks so much.

Let's take a look at what is coming up on NEW DAY. Alisyn Camerota joins us now. Hi, Alisyn.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, John, great to see you. So at this hour, Secretary of State John Kerry meeting with top officials from Iran as the clock ticks towards the deadline for a nuclear deal.

Kerry also suggesting the U.S. needs to deal directly with Syria. What is that shift in policy about? We will explore.

How about that crazy case of millionaire, Robert Durst suspected in murders going back decades. There this new HBO documentary, as you just heard, has the revealing interview with Durst that we will play you, is this the break prosecutors have been waiting for?

We will speak to the judge in the case. So NEW DAY begins at the top of the hour. John Berman will join us then.

BERMAN: That's right. You have a very special guest coming up on "NEW DAY." Thanks so much, Alisyn.

Coming up, where is Vladimir Putin? The Russian president not been seen for almost two weeks so what's behind his absence? So many conspiracy theories abound. That's next.

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<05:52:00> BERMAN: So where in the world is Vladimir Putin? It has now been 11 days since he has been seen in public which has fueled all speculation in Russia and around the world about this mysterious absence. The Russian leader has a scheduled meeting today with the leader of Kyrgyzstan. He canceled a trip to Kazakhstan last week, a move that raised flags and ramped up these questions about his whereabouts.

Aid is now slowly beginning to arrive in cyclone ravaged Vanuatu. First reports reveal that the Cyclone Pam afflicted one of the worst disasters ever to hit that region damaging and flattening virtually every structure there.

There is concern for more than 80 of the Pacific nation's outlying islands. At least eight people confirmed dead. That number is rising this morning. Pam was a Category 5 storm packing 185-mile-an-hour winds when it roared through the nation over the weekend.

Riots breaking out across Pakistan, Christians taking to the streets armed with clubs retaliating for Taliban suicide bombings that targeted two different churches on Sunday. Those attacks killed 14 worshippers and injured more than 70 others. Police says angry mobs later beat two suspected militants to death. Two officers were also killed trying to stop the bombers from rushing into churches.

Coming up, good news for "Seinfeld" fans, a new streaming deal that could bring the show to a phone or iPad or anything near you. An EARLY START on your money is next.

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<05:56:55> KOSIK: Let's get an early start on your money. I'm Alison Kosik in for Christine Romans this morning. Stocks are mostly higher around the world. It looks like U.S. stock futures are following that lead after coming off a very rough week.

All three of the major averages posted a third weekly loss in a row. You look at the Dow and the S&P as well, they are now in negative territory for the year.

So do you drive a Tesla? It looks like you'll be to go even farther on a single charge. CEO Elon Musk hinted on Twitter that a new software update will end what is known as range anxiety. The standard Model S gets 208 miles per charge.

Musk did not say how much the battery life on the car will increase by. Tesla cars can get upgrades without ever going to a mechanic. They are just like smartphones. They can get software updates to boost performance.

Good news if you are a binge watcher. You may be able to stream "Seinfeld" soon. Sony is in talks to sell the streaming rights to the hit NBC sitcom from the 1990s. That's at least according to "The Wall Street Journal."

Hulu, Amazon, and Yahoo! are in talks to buy the rights to stream the show. The deal could fetch a lot of money. Sony could fetch almost $500 million per episode. One notable name not part of the bidding war, Netflix, it considered adding the show to the lineup last year, but chose to take a pass.

A lot of news happening this morning, Secretary Kerry continuing U.S. nuclear negotiations with Iran, the latest on that and more, "NEW DAY" starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BERMAN: Negotiations between the U.S. and Iran has begun.

KERRY: This letter was absolutely calculated directly to interfere with these negotiations.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you going to apologize for this letter?

KERRY: Not on your life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three British teenagers facing terrorism charges are out on bail.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The teenagers were stopped in Turkey.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is believed they were planning to join the group ISIS.

BERMAN: Could a TV series finale have uncovered the truth?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You do this documentary about a murder and then you come up with this amazing evidence.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is the reality when an island nation like this one?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The whole south is gone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They've washed their main source of food.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to your NEW DAY. It is Monday, March 16th, 6:00 in the east. Chris is off this week. We are happy to be joined by John Berman all week.

But up first at this hour, the United States and Iran back at the negotiating table. Secretary of State John Kerry meeting with Iran's foreign minister in Switzerland. The deadline to get a nuclear deal done is just two weeks away.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: The White House increasing pressure on Congress to stay out of the negotiations. This as the author of a controversial letter sent by Republicans to Iran says, he has, quote, "no regrets." We begin our coverage with CNN senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson live in London. Good morning, Nic.

ROBERTSON: Yes, good morning, Michaela. Foreign Secretary Kerry and the foreign minister of Iran, Zarif, have been meeting for about three hours already this morning.

Zarif when he arrived in Switzerland at the weekend said that he believed that these talks were about technical issues. Secretary Kerry for his part has said, look, there are some technical issues.