Return to Transcripts main page

Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Iran Nuke Talks Deadline is Today; Deliberate Crash in the Alps: Pilot's Disturbing History; Indiana "Religious Freedom" Act: Growing Controversy; Yemen in Chaos. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired March 31, 2015 - 04:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:30:58] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Deadline day to reach a nuclear deal with Iran. But with just hours of negotiations left, could tricky issues stand in a way of history. Team coverage breaking down potential roadblocks and potential progress, ahead.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: History of suicidal tendencies, and now, perhaps a motive to kill. Disturbing new information about the copilot who flew Germanwings Flight 9525 into a mountain. We're live.

ROMANS: Backlash and boycotts. Indiana hit hard by critics of this religious freedom law branded as legalized discrimination. This morning, new outraged promises to fix the law and the new defense from the state's governor.

Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.

BERMAN: Good to see you today. I'm John Berman. Thirty-one minutes past the hour.

Happening right now: negotiators in a room in Switzerland furiously trying to reach a deal to curb's nuclear program. The deadline for the framework for the agreement is today. A few hours left to go and stumbling blocks remain. The U.S. State Department official puts the likelihood of a deal at just 50/50. Again, the clock is ticking.

Global affairs correspondent Elise Labott at the talks in Switzerland with the very latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: John, Christine, really getting down to the wire, and it's far from clear whether there will be a deal by the end of today.

Secretary of State John Kerry told me yesterday there was what he called a bit of light in the negotiations yesterday. But he said that there were some tricky issues that needed to be resolved.

Now, of course, everyone is trying to have the hardest negotiating positions in the 11th, but diplomats tell me there are still some key sticking points that we've been talking about for the past few days.

Now, Iran wants to conduct advanced nuclear research while the deal is still in effect. International community wants to keep those restrictions in place for the entire 15 years of a deal. Iran wants all U.N. sanctions lifted on day one. World power wants to phase those sanctions out as Iran complies with the deal and wants the flexibility to re-impose sanctions if Iran is in violation.

Now, diplomats say it's yes-or-no time for Iran, needs to really make those tough decisions on whether it wants to deal as the deadline looms. Everyone is mindful here that Congress, if there's no deal, will impose sanctions against Iran in the coming weeks.

So, the pressure is really on. Secretary Kerry tells me that negotiators are going to be working throughout the day with a mind towards getting a deal. He said everybody knows the meaning of tomorrow -- John, Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: Elise Labott, covering those down-to-wire negotiations for us.

If Iran and the world powers do not reach a deal, there is serious concern Iran could pursue and even accelerate its nuclear program with no outside oversight. But in exclusive interview with CNN's Barbara Starr, the head of the agency that monitors nuclear testing says Iran would almost certainly get caught by a network of seismic and radiological sensors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. LASSINO ZERBO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CTBTO: Any country that would try today to hide a nuclear test explosion, we have more than a 90 percent chance of detecting it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Detecting it, f course, but preventing it is what they're hoping for here.

With the hours ticking down on the deadline on the Iranian nuclear deal, House Speaker Boehner leading a delegation of House Republicans who will arrive in Israel today. Boehner is set to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who is in a sense returning a favor. Boehner invited the prime minister to speak to Congress earlier this month, giving Netanyahu a very high profile platform to speak out against the nuclear deal with Iran, a high power platform while he was running for re-election by the way.

I want to bring in CNN's Oren Liebermann live in Jerusalem for us. Good morning, Oren.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN REPORTER: Good morning, Christine.

Boehner's visit this week makes this a very high profile opportunity for Benjamin Netanyahu as well.

[04:35:00] And Netanyahu has certainly been taking advantage of that opportunity. We've heard over the last few days stressing how dangerous a deal would be not only to Israel, but what he calls the moderate countries in the Middle East. He points to what's happening in Yemen, and he says that's a sign of Iran's aggression and that's a sign of what could happen in the larger Middle East should Iran become a nuclear threshold state.

Now, Netanyahu especially this week has been getting a strong show of support from congressional Republicans. We know Speaker of the House Boehner here towards the middle of the week, and it was earlier this week that Senator Mitch McConnell was here with a team of Republicans from the Senate. McConnell met with Netanyahu and stressed his support for Israel.

McConnell said, look, if there is a deal, we will push for required congressional approval of that deal. McConnell said, if there isn't a deal, and he says, he agrees with Netanyahu, he agrees that there should be tougher sanctions on Iran.

Now, the prime minister's office here is releasing very few details about Boehner's visit. But, Christine, we have learned about one interesting detail, and that is that Boehner will meet with the defense minister here tomorrow. Close to the press, but still very interesting that note.

ROMANS: Yes. Now, let me ask you, Oren, about the president, President Obama. He would need to get Congress to sign off on any nuclear deal with Iran. Does Boehner's meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu tell anything about the prospect of getting that done?

LIEBERMAN: Well, it certainly doesn't make it any easier for the president, because Netanyahu is getting such a strong show of support. And Boehner is not here on his own. He's here with a team of House Republicans. McConnell also wasn't here on his own. He was here with a team of Senate Republicans. So, if Obama wants to push this deal through Congress, it could be very difficult and this meeting, these meetings with Prime Minister Netanyahu certainly won't make that process any easier for Obama.

ROMANS: All right. Oren Liebermann, thank you for that this morning in Jerusalem.

BERMAN: This morning, we are learning new details about the events leading up to the horrific crash of the Germanwings Flight 9525. The German prosecutor investigating the crash says that copilot Andreas Lubitz suffered from suicidal tendency prior to getting his pilot's license. And a European government official tells CNN that Lubitz visited an eye doctor who determined the problem was psychosomatic and he deemed Lubitz unfit to work.

With the very latest on this investigation, I want to bring in senior international correspondent Frederik Pleitgen live in Cologne for us this morning. Good morning, Fred.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, John.

And, you know, we are learning so many new details about the investigation, but still, there is so much unclear. Now, one thing we have learned and we have gotten off the phone with a source that's close to the investigation. That source has confirmed to us that right now, one of the main motives that the investigators here are working from is that Lubitz was afraid that the fact he had these mental and possible resulting physical problems were something that made him so afraid to lose his pilot's license that that is why he did what he did.

Now, the source also said that at this point in time, it is very difficult to get any sort of clarity. They said at this point in time, because there is no note from him saying why he did this, that you're not going to get any sort of 100 percent confirmation. There are a lot of people working on this. They're trying to piece it together and they're trying to determine with as much certainty as they can why he decided to then steer that plane into the mountain top.

Now, one of the things, of course, that the airline has been saying is they say that he did pass a physical as late as summer of 2014, and they say that they are saying their doctors would have found out if anything physical would have been wrong with his eyes. Of course, we know that he apparently had sick notes that determined at least in part that he was unfit to fly because of the problems with his vision were psychosomatic, that they came from something psychosomatic. So, right now, of course, the investigators are trying to piece together. They say it is difficult to determine with absolute certainty why they did this.

But, of course, the motive is something that's very important not just to the investigation, but, also, of course, to the victims and relatives that want clarity as to what happened to their loved ones, John.

BERMAN: I'm sure motive based on fear, though. It would be interesting to see what the families make of that.

Frederik Pleitgen for us in Cologne, thanks so much, Fred.

ROMANS: All right. New boycotts and backlash this morning over Indiana's religious freedom law. It's being called legalized discrimination. The governor of Indiana issuing a new defense, an op- ed this morning vigorously defending his law even as his state, many in his state are concerned what it means for business there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:43:06] ROMANS: Indiana lawmakers are under pressure this morning, intense pressure, to do something about this exploding controversy over a new so-called religious freedom law. Critics say it's nothing but a mask for discrimination against gay people.

Elected officials from Connecticut, to Washington state, they have now barred government travel to Indiana. Think about that -- barring government travel to the state of Indiana. Even the NCAA speaking out against this law, joining a growing chorus of voices. "The Indianapolis Star", a front page editorial, look at that, front page, top by a huge banner, "Fix This Now."

State officials are pushing back, led by Governor Mike Pence. His Monday "Wall Street Journal" op-ed complains the controversial law has been, quote, "grossly misconstrued as a license to discriminate." But this morning, Pence and legislative leaders are now promising a fix. Not a repeal -- a fix, they say, a clarification. Not a ban on anti- gay discrimination, but what they call a clarification of the new law is not intended to sanction discrimination.

CNN's Miguel Marquez is in Indianapolis with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, with the Final Four coming to town and the NCAA itself expressing concern about the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, there is great pressure on the governor here and government to change SB-101. The mayor of Indianapolis, the Republican mayor, has signed executive order saying he wants the state government to change the act and to fix it as he says. The city council has also passed a resolution opposing SB-101.

Hundreds of protesters were in the meeting. Here's what it looked like when it passed.

(APPLAUSE)

[04:45:00] MARQUEZ: A very raucous council meeting to be sure. The chairperson of the council in there is saying she had lost control, jokingly, of the meeting several times during it. But the protesters got what they want and they are promising to keep up the pressure across the entire state on the governor and the government here until they make those changes.

What those changes may be, it is unclear. Governor Pence obviously tripling down by writing a "Wall Street Journal" editorial, saying that the bill will stand, not saying he's going to change it. The Republicans in the legislature here, a supermajority in the legislature here of Republicans, saying they will seek fixes, but what those fixes will be and when they will come down is not very clear. Groups here say that there is an easy way to fix it, but that would mean recognizing gays and lesbians -- John, Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Two Republican presidential hopefuls are backing Indiana's governor and the state's controversial new law despite all the boycotts and protests. Texas Senator Ted Cruz and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush say they don't see a problem.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEB BUSH (R), FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR: I think Governor Pence has done the right thing. Florida has a law like this. Bill Clinton signed a law like this at the federal level. This is simply allowing people of faith space to be able to express their beliefs, to have -- to be able to be people of conscience. I think once the facts are established, people aren't going to see this as discriminatory at all.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R), TEXAS: I'm very much a believer that the Scripture teaches that you hate the sin and love the sinner. But at the same time, I don't think the law should be forcing Americans to violate their religious faith.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The Democratic front runner Hillary Clinton also weighing in. She sent in a tweet that said, "Sad this new Indiana law can happen in America today. We shouldn't discriminate against people because of who they love."

ROMANS: And, of course, the business fallout has been immense. More business leaders now calling for changes of the new law. Nine CEOs and including the heads of Eli Lilly, an important, important employer in Indiana, Anthem, Angie's List, Indiana University Health, wrote a letter to Governor Mike Pence asking for reform. They want Pence to push new legislation to clarify the law.

The letter says, quote, "We call on you to take action to ensure the Religious Freedom Restoration Act will not sanction or encourage discrimination against any residents or visitors to our state by anyone. The CEO said they are worried how the law is affecting their employees, and the reputation of the state.

The reputation of the state is very clear here. A lot of other companies have said this is a big closed for business sign. They are worried about attracting the best talent to Indiana. They are worried about the climate for the business growth.

Apart from what the letter of the law means and what Mike Pence, the governor, is defending in terms of the letter of the law, the spirit of the law, these companies say, is a no-go for them.

BERMAN: And the controversy is there. It's already hurt them.

ROMANS: They create the jobs. That has to be pressure on them.

BERMAN: Forty-seven minutes after the hour right now.

The defense in the trial of accused Boston marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev will begin to present its case, trying to convince the jurors that though Tsarnaev took part of the bombing, he was being controlled by his older brother Tamerlan. Prosecutors rested their case on Monday, with one final description of the carnage.

CNN's Alexandra Field has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine, John, jurors had tears in their eyes, they had their heads lowered as prosecution brought its case to a rest. The last thing they heard, graphic details about the death of 8-year-old Martin Richard.

The courtroom saw the singed jersey that he had been wearing, a blood- stained Patriots t-shirt and a pair of pants melted nearly beyond recognition. The medical examiner who performed the autopsy on the young boy, the last witness called by the prosecutions to testify. He told jurors that nearly every part of Martin's 4-foot frame had been covered with injuries. The autopsy photos were too graphic to be shown in open court. Jurors saw those photos instead on personal screens.

But Martin's family was in the courtroom. Both of his parents hearing the details of the autopsy report. His father keeping his eyes closed for much of that testimony.

It took prosecutors 15 days to build their case against Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. They called more than 90 witnesses.

The defense is now calling some of their own witnesses -- Christine, John.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Alexandra, thanks so much.

The violence in Yemen is intensifying. A ground war threatening to erupt this morning. New developments. We're live right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:53:23] BERMAN: The conflict in Yemen threatening to erupt into a full-scale war. Any hour now, Saudi Arabia could launch a ground offensive to try to root out Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who've ousted Yemen's president.

CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson joins us live from Beirut.

Good morning, Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, John.

You only have to look at the map of Yemen right now to realize the fighting and the air strikes are going on all over the country. In the North, close to the Saudi Arabia border, there had been airstrikes. Around the capitals Sana'a, there had been airstrikes. Today, around the town of Yarim, which is the east of the country, airstrikes according to the Houthi health minister that 9 people have been killed, women and children among them, and more people wounded.

Then, look at the south of the country, Aden, this is really the last stronghold of President Hadi, the Western-backed leader. The Houthi is closing in there. Yesterday, Egyptian warships shelling the road, coming into the town there to cut the Houthis off and stop them getting into this important strategic town of Aden, which may be the place if a ground offensive is going to be launched by Saudi Arabia and its allies, it could come from there.

Yesterday, in a displaced person's camp close to the Saudi border, according to Red Cross officials, according to Doctors Without Borders, officials, they say that at least 29 people, possibly as many as 40 people killed there. The Saudis say they believe the Houthi militias are hiding among civilians and may have shot at their aircraft, John.

[04:55:00] BERMAN: Volatile situation there. Nic Robertson, covering for us, thanks so much, Nic.

ROMANS: All right. Jay-Z -- Jay-Z wants you to drop Spotify and subscribe to his new music service. What's it going to cost you? And, boy, look at the glittering lineup of people who want to keep more of their music money. We've got that after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: All right. Let's get an early start on your money. U.S. stock futures slipping after a stellar rally yesterday put stocks higher for the year. The Dow jumped more than 260 points, another triple-digit. This has been like the mood of the last few weeks.

You can thank Janet Yellen.

BERMAN: Thank you, Janet Yellen.

ROMANS: You can thank her right there.

The Fed chair said the economy is not at its full potential. Why are stock investors so happy? Well, that likely means the Fed will raise interest rates slowly and cautiously.

And big night last night. Lots of stars, Jay-Z, some of the biggest names in music want to change how we listen. Backed by huge stars like Beyonce, Madonna, Kanye West, all of these people on the same stage. Tidal is taking on streaming services like Pandora and Spotify. This, though, is the first time the artist owns the streaming service.

A subscription is $10 for the basics, $20 for super high qualify music. Jay-Z and his friends want the artists to be better paid for their songs. Remember, Taylor Swift? She pulled her music from Spotify last year. Guess where you can find her music? Right now on Tidal. Big night last night.

All right. The idea of moving back home with your parents may make John Berman cringe, but this is the smartest move a young person with student can make. Live with mom and dad. Pay down student debt. Invest. Starting -- investing. Save for a home.

Do you know that 16 percent of young people plan to do just that? Many millennials are paying 50 percent or more of their pay on rent.