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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
A Warning to Iran: U.S. Warships Head to Yemen; Migrant Shipwreck: Death Toll Rises, New Arrests; Baltimore Officers Suspended; Clinton's New Hampshire Visit: Day 2. Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired April 21, 2015 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:00:16] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: A warning to Iran. U.S. warships preparing to block Iranian weapons from reaching rebels in Yemen. The U.S. and Iran now on opposite sides in a civil war. We're live.
The death toll rises in a migrant shipwreck in the Mediterranean. The tragedy revealing a refugee crisis, crew members arrested, suspected of human trafficking.
And six police officers suspended following the death of a man mysteriously injured in an arrest. The community this morning is demanding answers. And we have new developments, ahead.
Good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm John Berman. It is Tuesday, April 21st, 4:00 a.m. in the East. Christine Romans is off today.
And this morning, a new hot zone that puts U.S. assets in direct conflict with Iran. U.S. warships are now patrolling the waters off of Yemen. The personnel onboard are prepared if necessary to board Iranian vessels suspected of trafficking arms to rebels in Yemen. The Iranian backed Houthis have overthrown the government there, that is back by the United States and Saudi Arabia.
Iranian officials are not backing down. The commander of Iran's regular navy told CNN, we don't let anyone give us warnings and threats.
Our senior international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh following these tense developments.
Good morning, Nick.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John, very much a show of force by the U.S. here. There are about ten U.S. ships in the area. But they will be joined by a carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, and a guided missile cruiser, the USS Normandy, imminently. That significantly boosts the U.S. fire power off the coast of Yemen.
That vital Gulf up towards the Red Sea there, key to U.S. interests, energy in particular. So much oil and gas transiting through that particular area. But this is most about the arms blockade. The U.N. Security Council resolution imposing that against the Houthis inside of Yemen, and the thought perhaps reports that as many as nine Iranian ships maybe in that area, trying to bring weapons toward the Houthis currently engaged in the lengthy conflict inside Yemen against the Western-backed government of President Hadi and other groups there as well.
Iran quite clear its defiance in this area and that runs the risk, John, potentially that if the U.S. troops or U.S. ships see Iranian ships and feel the need to stop them, that could be a moment of conflagration. This is what's so troubling in the region, John, we see so much fire power amassing, with so many conflicting interests. The U.S. whilst talking to Iran about the nuclear deal, key here to keep on the side of the decades-long regional ally, Saudi Arabia, but that makes many deeply concerned about a potential for wider conflagration -- Japan.
BERMAN: You know, Nick, it's interesting. The U.S. and Iran have war ships eyeballing themselves in the small waterway at the same time that Iran now has a "Washington Post" journalist charged on what "The Washington Post" calls ludicrous charges, Jason Rezaian in Iran, at the same time, as you say, these nuclear negotiations are going on between the United States and Iran -- a strange combination of factors here.
WALSH: Well, certainly. They say diplomacy can often carry a big stick, potentially, the presence in the Gulf here and the clear siding with Iran's big regional nemesis Saudi Arabia is perhaps Washington's way is if the talks don't go the way we want, then there is another way the regional events could unfold.
But bear in mind, too, these ships don't have necessarily the authority of the states to board Iranian ships. This is very much about I think a show of force, both backing the Saudis on one side, but at the same time, too, showing the Iranians that the diplomacy is significantly a better option potentially for Tehran, John.
BERMAN: All right. Nick Paton Walsh, watching this for us this morning -- thanks so much, Nick.
Developing overnight, the captain and crew member of the ship that wrecked in the Mediterranean on Sunday have been arrested on suspension of human trafficking. As many as 900 migrants from Africa are believed to have died when the overcrowded fishing vessel they were packed into capsized. Top European leaders met in Luxembourg on Monday, trying to confront what they're calling a migrant crisis. Hundreds of thousands have made the dangerous journey from North Africa, so many of them requiring rescue. Some 3,500 died at sea last year.
I want to bring in senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman who is live from Sicily following the investigation into this vessel where 900 people might have died.
Ben, what is the latest this morning on the investigation?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, according to the prosecutor here in Catania, two men have been arrested out of the 28 survivors from this disaster.
[04:05:05] One apparently a Tunisian. He's the captain of the ship. The other is a chief mate, he's a Syrian. They are currently being questioned by the Italian authorities.
Now, the other survivors have been sent to Mineo, which is not far from here. It's an old U.S. residence for families of U.S. military personnel. They're going to be under observation and they will get medical treatment if they need help. Otherwise, they will be integrated for what passes for the system dealing with migrants here in Italy.
Now, I'm on the dock in Catania where last night, those migrants and the two, of course, arrested members of the crew of the ship arrived. But ironically -- this gives you an idea of the contradictions between the situations here in Europe, where, of course, right behind me is the cruise ship that docked a while ago with elderly English pensioners. And it was here last night where those survivors arrived.
Now, the European community is trying to come up with some sort of way to deal with this crisis. They are looking at a 10-point plan which would include increased funding for the sea operation to try to rescue these migrants and other measures that might prevent more people from coming. They will be meeting in an emergency summit on Thursday, European leaders that is. But at this point, there is no clear idea how to really deal with the fundamental issues that have led to this mounting crisis -- John.
BERMAN: Mounting crisis. You see the tragic implications of it over the last few days.
Ben Wedeman for us in Sicily, thanks so much.
New details this morning in an ISIS inspired plot. Federal prosecutors call it the biggest recruitment case so far in the United States. Officials say that six men, Somali American friends, all of them, aged 19 to 21, they were conspiring to sneak into Syria and join ISIS by any means possible. Those are the words of the U.S. attorney in Minnesota.
Four of the men were arrested in Minneapolis on Sunday. Two others were detained in San Diego. Officials say they are trying to cross into Mexico with fake passports and make their way to Syria from there. Prosecutors say the men were encouraged by a 21-year-old friend who had already joined ISIS in Syria.
But the U.S. attorney in Minneapolis says there's no single mastermind behind this conspiracy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
U.S. ATTORNEY: In today's case, this group of friends is recruiting each other. They are engaged in what we describe as peer-to-peer recruiting, friend-to-friend, brother-to-brother. We have terror recruiting problem in Minnesota.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Four of the suspects appeared in court on Monday. They did not enter a plea.
The Senate could come closer to the nomination vote on Loretta Lynch, President Obama's attorney general nominee, that is thanks to a pending deal. Lawmakers are closing in on the agreement to tweak an abortion bill on a stalled anti-human trafficking bill. Once that is settled, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he will put Lynch's nomination to a vote. If confirmed, she would become the first African-American woman to serve as attorney general.
Eight minutes after the hour, which means that it's time for an early start on your money. CNN Money correspondent Cristina Alesci is here with that.
Good morning.
CRISTINA ALESCI, CNN MONEY CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
Futures are solidly up this morning. It's been a great start to the week. Yesterday, the Dow climbed 208 points, thanks to some strong earnings from Morgan Stanley, Halliburton and IBM, a company in your home town, John.
But there is a lot more to consider today with Verizon and Chipotle, a company that I'm closely watching, Yahoo. And more are reporting results today.
BERMAN: And Google, a big change from Google today.
ALESCI: Yes, indeed. Google is changing the mobile search algorithm to favor mobile friendly sites. A site has to be able to load quickly, be easy to read and adjust to a smaller screen, to get better placement. If not, the site will rank lower. It could be a huge loss for small businesses that don't have separate mobile sites.
So, here, it's just a reflection of more people searching on their phones rather than the desktop.
BERMAN: When you search on the phone, if the stuff is buried really far down, it's hard to get to it as well.
ALESCI: You're not going to get to it.
BERMAN: It will be interesting to see how that changes things for all of us.
Cristina Alesci, thanks so much.
Six officers off the job after a man somehow injured during his arrest dies. There is new video that raises new questions into what went so terribly wrong.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [04:12:41] BERMAN: New protests in Baltimore and still no explanation from police about why Freddie Gray was arrested and how he suffered a fatal spinal cord injury while he was in custody. Baltimore police have released new video of the arrest that shows Gray being dragged into a police van.
Six officers involved in the arrest have been suspended during this investigation. An attorney for the family says Freddie Gray was in perfect health until police chased and tackled him. The mayor of Baltimore has promised to get to the bottom of the investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR STEPHANIE RAWLINGS-BLAKE, BALTIMORE, MD: We are very committed to making sure that we get this right. We have had a very challenging history in our city when it comes to trust between the community and the police. We have to make sure that this investigation goes forward, that it's transparent, and that we actually have independent eyes to take a look at it because it's too important not to get this right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Baltimore has a sorry history of police brutality and an even sorrier history of a governmental response to police brutality. Typically, the police deny, deny, deny no matter what the facts are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: There are a lot of questions this morning, a lot of unanswered questions this morning.
CNN national correspondent Miguel Marquez has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John, an amazing scene outside here at the western division of the Baltimore Police Department. A few protesters left after a huge rain storm came through here. You still see they are shouting angrily at police who have gathered here.
The man in the white shirt there, that's -- he's community affairs commander, Melvin Russell. He came in the middle of the crowd. Hundreds of people here at one point to try to engage them and bring down the level of anger.
Here's how that turned out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are asking the wrong person. You're asking the wrong person.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You totally think he was OK before he got put in that wagon.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why are you asking questions I can't answer?
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why wasn't he --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know.
MARQUEZ: That was just several blocks from here where Freddie Gray died, 25 years old, when he was arrested by police, witnesses say he was complaining about having asthma and not having his inhaler on him. They put him in a wagon and took him in to custody, putting him in leg irons at one point.
[04:15:05] There was never a point, say police, where he was injured while he was arrested.
But by the time he got to the police station, somehow, his neck was broken, his family's lawyer saying it was nearly severed, the spinal cord. Seven days later, he died. And this crowd now angry protesting that black lives matter, and they don't want this to happen again. It seems to be at least for this very tough neighborhood in Baltimore, a turning point -- John.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: Two Tulsa deputies have now been reassigned following the fatal shooting of Eric Harris, 73-year-old volunteer deputy Robert Bates who says he shot the unarmed suspect when he meant to taser him. Bates is now charged with second degree manslaughter. The two deputies who pinned Harris to the ground were resigned after death threats against them and their families.
The FBI has determined that a civil rights investigation into the shooting is not warranted. Bates is currently free on bond while awaiting trial.
Later this morning, the jury that convicted Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the Boston marathon bombing reconvenes for the sentences phase of that trial. Jurors will decide whether Tsarnaev will get life or a death sentence. Handful of Marathon bombing survivors, handfuls of them, have appealed for Tsarnaev to be spared the death penalty.
Let's get more from Alexandra Field in Boston.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRSPONDENT: John, after returning a verdict of guilty on all 30 counts, the jury in the Dzhokhar Tsarnaev trial will now have to determine whether he gets a life sentence or whether he is sentenced to death.
This next phase of the trial, the penalty phase, is expected to be extremely emotional for all of the survivors who have already endured weeks of testimony, graphic recounting of the day of those deadly attacks back in 2013. We are hearing from some survivors who are asking for a life sentence,
saying that they have to see Dzhokhar Tsarnaev sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of appeal or parole.
Jessica Kensky and her husband Patrick Downes were both hurt during the attack back in 2013. They were quoted in "The Boston Globe" making this statement. They say, "We wish that he could feel the searing pain and terror that four beautiful souls felt before their death as well as the harsh reality of discovering mutilated or missing legs. However, we must overcome the impulse for vengeance."
That sentiment also echoed in an op-ed by Denise and Bill Richards, the parents of Martin Richard, the 8-year-old who was killed in the blast back in 2013. They wrote in "The Boston Globe" that they are hoping for a life sentence as well. They say the appeal process that would come with the death penalty would mean years of reliving the agony of that awful day.
When the trial resumes, John, the jury will hear opening statements from both sides and both sides will have an opportunity to call more witnesses -- John.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: Alexandra Field in Boston where they ran the marathon again yesterday.
The Transportation Security Administration imposing new rules for screening airport and airline workers, when travelling as passengers. Those employees will no longer be able to bypass the scrutiny faced by other travelers. Airports will also be required to reduce the number of access points to secure areas and can have random screenings throughout the workday.
The new rules following a number of security lapse involving guns being smuggled on to airplanes.
New details this morning about the condition of Bobbi Kristina Brown. Her grandmother, Cissy Houston, says in a statement that the 22-year- old daughter of the late Whitney Houston is no longer in a coma, but according to doctors has irreversible brain damage.
Bobby Brown says his daughter is awake and he felt she was watching him.
A major egg-producing plant in Iowa has been quarantined after an outbreak of bird flu. Officials say more than 5 million hens will be killed to prevent the spread of the disease. Bird flu in three Wisconsin counties has prompted Governor Scott Walker to declare a state of emergency there. The virus has been detected in 12 states since the beginning of the year.
Severe weather slamming the East Coast. Serious winds in the town of Anderson, South Carolina, putting the tree under the car there. The similar scene played out in North Carolina. A 2-year-old girl injured after a tree fell on top of a room where she was watching TV. She is expected to be OK.
Hillary Clinton on the record about the Republican attacks against her, as possible Republican rivals make big moves to bolster their own credentials. We'll explain, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:23:10] BERMAN: Happening today, Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire in her first campaign swing through the state, she will pay a visit to a community college this morning. On Monday, she continued the small scale tone of her campaign so far as she discussed programs such as Social Security and Head Start. At the same time, the former secretary defended herself against attacks in a new book or some call it research in a new book.
Senior political correspondent Brianna Keilar has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: John, good morning. In a brief Q&A session with reporters here in Keene, New Hampshire, Hillary Clinton addressed this upcoming book that alleges pay-to-play between the Clinton Foundation and foreign countries while she was secretary of state. She said it all boils down to politics.
HILLARY CLINTON (D), 2016 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, we're back in the political season, and therefore, we will be subjected to all kinds of distraction and attacks. And I'm ready for that. I know that that comes, unfortunately, with the territory. It is, I think, worth noting that the Republicans seem to be talking only about me. I don't know what they talk about if I weren't in the race.
KEILAR: Clinton campaign aides have been sharper in their rhetoric about this book "Clinton Cash." For instance, John Podesta, the chairman of her campaign, saying that it's conspiracy theories woven together from cherry-picked information.
Also, here in New Hampshire, at an event to discuss small businesses with local business owners, Hillary Clinton put some distance between herself and Obama on the economy. She said small business need to get back growing and she said the economy has stalled out -- John.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: Brianna Keilar in New Hampshire.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie speaks today at the Washington Conference on the Americas, which brings together government and diplomatic officials with business and policy leaders.
[04:25:03] The governor is the only state official scheduled to speak. He already visited Canada and Mexico on trade missions last year. This could be seen as an effort to beef up his foreign policy credentials before a White House run.
Jeb Bush is preparing for an overseas trip ahead of his own presumed presidential run. He will visit Germany, Poland and Estonia in June. An aide to the former Florida governor says that Bush wants to get a first hand view of European economic and security challenges. Reports say that the former governor will declare his official White House candidacy after the trip -- although I mean, he's essentially running right now.
Vice President Biden called Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko on Monday, pledging to send $18 million in humanitarian aid to regions affected by prolong fighting between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists. Monday also marked the start of U.S. paratroopers training Ukrainian government forces who are deployed in the east where heavy fighting continues despite the February cease- fire.
The U.S. is sending war ships to Yemen with a warning for Iran. We have live team coverage next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: A warning to Iran. U.S. war ships on their way to Yemen to block Iranian weapons from reaching rebels inside Yemen. Iran seems to be flexing its military muscle at the same time they are trying to broker a deal with the United States. This relationship is increasingly complicated. We are live.
