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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Boston Terror Investigation; Search for Survivors; FIFA's President Steps Down Amidst Scandal; Adrian Peterson Returns to the Vikings. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired June 03, 2015 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:00] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: But even after months of testing, the company still isn't sure what's wrong. Takata using a chemical is blamed for the defect, some of the replacement air bags will need to be replaced. That's right -- some of the replacement air bags will need to be replaced because of a potentially faulty part.

There was testimony on Capitol Hill, the company bringing Congress up to speed on just how slowly this thing is going. It could be about five years. You know, car safety experts are just aghast, basically.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: EARLY START continues right now.

(MUSIC)

ROMANS: Terror investigation in Boston. Law enforcement forced to fire on a man -- a man believed to have had had ties to ISIS. A man being watched by investigators for more than a year. This morning, a new arrest connected to that case. Details ahead.

BERMAN: Time running out in the desperate search for survivors in that capsized cruise ship. Hundreds are still missing this morning. We're live with the very latest.

ROMANS: A stunning turn in soccer's corruption scandal. FIFA's president stepping down, just days after he was re-elected. What inspired this sudden about-face? We are live with that.

Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.

BERMAN: Great to see you today. I'm John Berman. It is Wednesday, June 3rd, 5:00 a.m. in the East.

Breaking overnight, police have arrested one man in Massachusetts, they searched a home in Rhode Island. Law enforcement sources say both are connected to a man the FBI thinks was radicalized by ISIS. A man shot and killed by Boston police in a Joint Terrorism Task Force unit on Tuesday.

Boston police officials say 26-year-old Usaama Rahim lunged at officers with a foot-long knife. Rahim's family tells a radically different story.

Our national correspondent Deborah Feyerick has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, investigators from the Joint Terrorism Task Force have this man on radar and under surveillance most recently around the clock because of what they describe as an alarming uptick in his activity.

Now, he was being investigated for possible threats against police officers. Two members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force approached him only Tuesday morning. They did not have their guns drawn and were surprised when he turned and brandished a military-style knife.

Now, they repeatedly ordered the man identified as Usaama Rahim to drop the knife, he refused and then begun moving towards hem. That's when police say the two officers fired a shot, one hitting Rahim in the torso, another in the abdomen. Now, his brother is giving a very different account of what happened, saying that his brother was simply waiting for a bus to go to work when he was confronted by several officers who engaged in a conversation.

Apparently, Rahim, according to the brother, made a phone call to their father who actually heard the shots. The brother making that call because he needed, in his words, a witness for what was going on.

Now, authorities say that he wasn't going to be arrested, that he wasn't even going to be taken in for questioning but they did want to see what he was going and where he was doing, and that's why they decided to engage him. This is now all under investigation. There are surveillance tapes from CVS, where this whole thing happened. And those surveillance tapes are going to be shown to local area imams and leaders in the community.

Police questioning two associates, they believe who were in communication with Rahim, they believe Rahim was radicalized online by ISIS and other extremist elements.

Right now, all of this under investigation -- Christine, John.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Deborah Feyerick -- thanks, Deb.

Happening now, the Iraqi government is begging for more help in its fight against ISIS. At a meeting in Paris at the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS, Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al Abadi, he complained his forces have received more promises than actual support. This as a U.S. State Department Twitter feed accused the Assad regime in Syria of actually aiding ISIS with air strikes as Islamic militants advance on the city of Aleppo in northern Syria.

Tracking all the events for us, CNN's Ian Lee, who joins us now.

Ian, all of these folks meeting in Paris, they want to eradicate. They want to stop ISIS. They disagree on how to do it. IAN LEE, CNN REPORTER: Well, that's right. You have the Iraqi Prime

Minister Haider al Abadi who is saying that he wants more surveillance to monitor and strike ISIS as it moves around Iraq. But then you have the deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken that says that the strategy right now is working, both militarily and politically, pointing to the fact that ISIS lost 25 percent of the territory that had it once in Iraq.

So, you do have conflicts reports. Everyone agrees that ISIS needs to be confronted, Iraq wanting more weapons, more supplies in that.

[05:05:06] And from what we're hearing from the press conference afterwards, it doesn't look like those supplies will be heading to Iraq really anytime soon. But going to the battlefield on the ground, we're hearing this morning that ISIS is cutting off the water from the Ramadi dam that has drastically lowered the Euphrates River, creating a water crisis in the government-controlled cities downstream of Khalidiya and Habbaniya.

We're also hearing that this could be because ISIS is trying to get a tactical advantage using the lower water to create more options for fighting back. So, we're hearing multiple reports on that, but it would create a crisis for the Iraqi government.

ROMANS: All right. Thanks so much for that, Ian Lee for us in Cairo this morning.

BERMAN: This morning, crews are struggling to find survivors among the 458 people aboard a Chinese cruise ship that capsized in a storm on the Yangtze River. But almost two days after this disaster, the count of people rescued stands at just 15 -- just 15 out of more than 400. And hopes are dimming that any more will be found alive.

CNN's Anna Coren is standing by with the very latest on these rescue recovery efforts.

Good morning, Anna.

ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hello, John. We just heard from local authorities during a press conference updating the media on that search and rescue mission that is under way on the Yangtze River. They say that there are hundreds of boats, divers, scouring the water. They're talking about the challenges that they're facing, such as the strong currents, poor visibility because of the silt and mud. It is extremely difficult to see anything.

Also, within the ship, which we have to remember is four stories, 75 meters long, 13 meters wide, that many of those cabin doors were locked. So, they cannot get into those cabins where it's feared many of those people were, obviously, seeking refuge, or perhaps just asleep when that tornado hit.

As that ship went down, they said, basically, everything is turned upside down. Society furniture, extremely difficult to get through the ship. There are tangled cables, so they are really having problems, if you like, getting through the compartments of this vessel. But they are working to get equipment there to raise the ship. That is what we understand from authorities, so that they can get in the vessel and, sadly, John, no doubt find many, many bodies.

As we're saying more than 400 unaccounted for. Another survivor was found earlier today, but as you say, only 15 people have been found. And it is now more than 40 hours since that ship capsized on the Yangtze River, John.

BERMAN: The numbers and potential loss there is staggering. Of course, the information we're getting heavily controlled by the Chinese government.

Thanks so much, Anna. Appreciate it.

ROMANS: New this morning, the National Security Agency is losing its authority to store the bulk collection of Americans' records. President Obama signed the USA Freedom Act last night following weeks of congressional drama, in a 67-32 Senate vote on Tuesday. The compromise bill restores some NSA surveillance program that expired over the weekend.

But within six months, the government will need a special court order to get phone records. Those records will now be now held by phone companies, not the NSA.

BERMAN: Add the Pentagon to a growing list of location that's may have received a shipment of live anthrax. The Pentagon's police force received a shipment of what was supposed to be dead anthrax from a Utah lab, one of three lots that have now been shown to contain live forms of anthrax. It's believed up to a dozen states and facilities in Canada, South Korea and Australia, received shipments, some of them dating back to 2007.

ROMANS: Evidence from nuclear watchdog Iran's stockpile has actually grown during the country's interim nuclear agreement. It's not a major obstacle to a deal. That's what a senior U.S. official is saying this morning. A senior Iranian diplomat calls the increase a technical issue and said the stockpile will decrease by the end of the month.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State John Kerry who is spearheading the nuclear talks is expected to begin walking today after having surgery to set his broken right leg. The administration claims that broken leg, that injury will not slow down final negotiation.

BERMAN: It took four hours. That's some broken leg.

ROMANS: That's not a small deal to break the femur, that's remarkable.

BERMAN: More than 10 million people have signed up for Obamacare. That is according to the Department of Health and Human Services. That number, though, could be in jeopardy, depending on a Supreme Court ruling due later this month. The vast majority of Obamacare customers depend on federal tax credits to help buy that insurance. More than 6 million people could lose their subsidies if the court rules against tax credits in states that rely on the federal health insurance marketplace.

[05:10:08] ROMANS: And that's because they're relying on the federal market place because some of the states refused to set up their own health care.

BERMAN: Supreme Court making a big decision.

ROMANS: All right. A shocking turn in soccer's corruption scandal. FIFA's once defiant president now stepping down under investigation. New developments.

BERMAN: He was defiant 12 hours ago and now, he quit. What's going on?

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ROMANS: Just days after being re-elected, a stunning about-face by Sepp Blatter who had announced had he is stepping down as president of FIFA, the governing body of world soccer. It comes on the heels of a sweeping indictment alleging corruption at the highest levels of the Swiss organization. And the U.S. Justice Department confirms Blatter himself is a target.

CNN international sports anchor Amanda Davies is live in Zurich.

And, you know, I was reading the CNN money story about this, Amanda, an economic professor at Smith College, leading expert on the business of sports, he was the one that said this makes me want to break into the song "ding-dong the witch is dead."

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN INTERNATIONAL SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, there a lot of people around the world cheering from the news that we got so suddenly yesterday at that unexpected press conference that Sepp Blatter has decided to step aside, just four days into his new term as president. But as is, the workings of FIFA, he says he's going to step aside, but that is -- at his desk in office today because he said, he will stick in his role until his successor is found.

We understand that Blatter has -- was in the office, earlier, for a staff meeting, addressing what was said yesterday. But this is news that for many people is a long, long overdue.

[05:15:00] It has been praised by some of the biggest sponsors in football, the likes of Coca-Cola, McDonald's, some of the biggest in football executives. The U.S. soccer president, Sunil Gulati, has spoken out, supporting the move by Sepp Blatter, the head of Europe football Michel Platini has done the same.

But there are so many questions still to be answered. One is what more is to come of that FBI investigation? As you said, they have admitted that they are investigating Sepp Blatter. Those who added two and two together presume that the reason he made this announcement yesterday was because he knew that something was coming.

But his daughter Corinne has released a statement saying that is not the case. She says his decision has nothing, absolutely nothing at all, to do with the accusations that are currently circulating. But there is undoubtedly more to come from that. The FBI are not doing that investigation by hearts.

So then the question of who succeeds Sepp Blatter, who is going to put their hand up to lead this organization, the organization that controls world football, forward through what will be one of its most difficult and revolutionary times. What happens to 2018 and 2022 World Cups? That, of course is, very dependent on these investigations that are taking place.

And what does European football do, UEFA, they have their big meeting in Berlin on Saturday, ahead of their biggest match on their calendar, the European Champions League. It will be interesting to see what the events of the last 24 hours, what impact that will have on the meeting.

ROMANS: You cannot overstate how incredibly, incredibly seismic the shift is going on, at least in the administration of world soccer. Thanks so much for that, Amanda.

You know, corporate sponsor, relieved. They are cheering Blatter's resignation. Major sponsors including Visa, Adidas, Anheuser-Busch, McDonald's, Coca-Cola, they're all voicing their approval. These companies have been in a tough spot the last few days, raising concerns, they're saying they're concerned, threatening, but none of them actually pulled any money.

Adidas and Visa pay an average $32 million a year for their partnership with FIFA. Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Budweiser, they pay $19 million.

BERMAN: I'm not sure "ding-dong, the witch is dead", I'm not sure what song that is. Can you sing that for me?

ROMANS: On the break.

BERMAN: Oh, you can't sing it anymore?

ROMANS: You do it.

BERMAN: No, no.

ROMANS: Which old witch.

BERMAN: That's the one. All right, all right.

ROMANS: That's the one.

BERMAN: That's what I thought.

ROMANS: Let's take a look at U.S. stock futures right now, up a bit this morning. A lot on the market with all eyes on last-minute negotiations to avoid a Greek default.

BERMAN: All right. A new clue linking suspect Daron Wint to the murders of three members of the wealthy Washington, D.C. family and their housekeeper. Authorities say forensic analysis matched traces of blood found on his shoe when he was arrested to at least one of the murder victims. Investigators have said they do not believe Daron Wint acted alone. So far, no one else has been charged in connection with those killings.

ROMANS: The accused Colorado movie theater gunman is not expected to testify at this trial, but jurors heard more from James Holmes in court on Tuesday. Prosecutors played video of this interview a psychiatrist, in which Holmes said he tried calling a crisis hot line before the shootings but was disconnected. Holmes is charged with kill 12 people and wounding 70 in the theater shooting. The prosecution is seeking the death penalty. The defense claims that Holmes was insane.

BERMAN: After showing declines of violent crimes for years, some of the U.S.'s biggest cities are now seeing increase. In Los Angeles, the crime rate is up 25 percent this year. In New York City, the number of murders has increased 15 percent, leaving the mayor to defend his crime-fighting record.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D), NEW YORK CITY: There has been, obviously, an uptick in homicides and shootings. It is something we take very, very seriously. It's something we're addressing right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Mayor de Blasio said safety is the number one priority.

In Baltimore, following the death of Freddie Gray, there were more homicides in May than any single month since 1971.

ROMANS: All right. Let's turn to politics now. The still undeclared Jeb Bush using a bit of home field advantage to attack would-be Republican rivals while addressing an economic summit in Orlando Tuesday, the former Florida governor took aim at Rand Paul on national security. Bush also went after his friend Marco Rubio who suggested in a video message to the summit that Republicans need to elect younger leaders.

How old is Rubio?

BERMAN: He's in 40s. I mean, he's younger than I am. He's 42 or 43.

The crowded Republican field could be growing some more with Louisiana Governor Bob Jindal set to announce his decision on a possible 2016 run. He will do that at a June 24th event in New Orleans. A source close to Jindal tells CNN that he's, quote, "likely to seek the Republican nomination." Government Jindal formed a committee last month to explore a possible presidential bid.

ROMANS: On the other side, Hillary Clinton crisscrossing the country, attending at least 26 fundraising events over the next month.

[05:20:00] Her first campaign rally is scheduled for June 13th in New York City. The Clinton campaign says it hopes to have $100 million raised by the end of this year, between fund-raisers and her super PAC. The number could top billion with B by November 2016. Who says there's no money in politics?

BERMAN: AP plus OTA equals good news. Why all the initials? Well, the Minnesota Vikings star running back finally return to get field. Andy Scholes with initials, letters, and maybe some math in the bleacher report, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: For the first time since being indicted on child abuse charges, Adrian Peterson is back on the field practicing with the Minnesota Vikings.

ROMANS: Andy Scholes has more on this morning's bleacher report. Hey, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, guys.

You know, the Vikings are not sure this day was going to come. All offseason, Peterson's agent had been demanding a trade. Peterson himself saying he didn't think the Vikings showed him enough support during his legal troubles. But yesterday was the first time since December 12th, Peterson put on a Vikings uniform and practiced with the team during the OTAs.

The former MVP has completed all of his counseling requirements after pleading no contest to misdemeanor reckless assault, and he says he's happy to be back with the Vikings.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADRIAN PETERSON, MINNESOTA VIKINGS: I've learned a lot from our mistake. And I'm moving forward, and I'm focused on what's in front of me and bettering myself as a person, and professionally as a player.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[05:25:08] SCHOLES: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has formally rejected the players' association motion that he recuse himself from Tom Brady's appeal. That means he will decide whether or not Brady's four-game suspension for deflate-gate stands or is overturned. The hearing is scheduled to take place June 23rd.

All right. The French Open continues this morning with the men's quarterfinals and it's a good one. One seed Novak Djokovic is going to play sixth seed Rafael Nadal, in a rematch of last year's final. Djokovic has beaten Nadal three of the last four times they've played but never beaten him at Roland Garros.

Nadal, of course, nearly unbeatable on clay. He's going for his sixth straight French Open title if he gets it, he would have a record ten for his career. All right. Michigan and Florida battling it out in the women's

college world series. Haley Wagner pitched a masterpiece for the Wolverines, shutting out the Gators. That sets up a winner take all, game three tonight. Michigan, they're playing with an extra purpose during this great run they've having. Chad Carr, the 4-year-old grandson of former Michigan football coach Lloyd Carr has DIPG, that's the same inoperable brain condition that Lauren Hill has.

The softball team is wearing special Chad tough bracelets during their game. The Carr family, they've set up the Chad Tough Foundation to raise awareness and fund more research to fight DIPG. And, guys, if you want some more information on how you can help, you can go to chadtough.org.

ROMANS: Chadtough.org.

BERMAN: A cause good for them.

Thanks, Andy.

ROMANS: Happening now: a new arrest connected to a terror investigation in Boston. A new arrest, law enforcement taking down a man believed to have ties to ISIS. Those new developments, next.

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