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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Boston Terror Suspect Planned Beheading; ISIS Cuts Water Supply; Baltimore Seeks Federal Help with Policing. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired June 04, 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: Developing overnight: a domestic terror plot foiled and a target revealed. The terror suspect killed in Boston. Authorities say he had plans to kill a woman behind the contest to draw the Prophet Muhammad. Pamela Geller's fiery response moments away.

And ISIS tightening its grip on a key Iraqi city despite that nation's attempts to take it back. The terror group's move to cut off a key water supply now being felt by Iraqi forces, all across the country. How can the U.S.-led coalition end the suffering and gain back that ground?

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm John Berman. Christine Romans is on assignment for the next few minutes.

It's Thursday, June 4th, 4:00 a.m. in the east.

And new information about the terror suspect killed in Boston, a man officials say came at them with a knife. Law enforcement sources say Usaama Rahim once had a plot to behead a controversial conservative activist. The court documents say the 26-year-old man changed his mind and decided to target police instead.

Let's get the latest now from justice correspondent Pamela Brown in Boston.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, John and Christine, we have learned that the terrorism suspect who was killed here in Boston on Tuesday morning, Usaama Rahim, a second suspect arrested, David Wright, and a third individual allegedly met on a beach in Rhode Island just this past Sunday to talk about their plan to go to New York and behead Pamela Geller. She is a controversial figure who organize that Prophet Muhammad cartoon drawing contest in Garland, Texas, where there was an attempted terrorist attack.

So, apparently, they wanted to go there and behead her as part of this plot. And then, allegedly, according to the authorities, Rahim changed his mind on Tuesday morning, called UP his friend David Wright and said he did not want to wait to go to New York, and that he wanted to do something in Boston and kill police officers. It's unclear exactly how he planned to attack. But according to the documents, he said he wanted to target and go after the boys in blue. He said, "Yes, I'm going to be on vacation here in Massachusetts. I'm just going to go after those boys in blue", according to the court documents.

Again, he was killed after he was approached in a parking lot by police officials and he allegedly had a military-style knife on him. Officials say that he lunged at him and they opened fire.

We know the other suspect appeared in court. He is facing conspiracy charges for attempting to destroy Rahim's cell phone as part of the investigation. It is still very active. And the FBI is still looking for any other associates who may be tied to this group -- John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: All right. Our thanks to Pamela for that.

The conservative blogger who law enforcement sources say was Usaama Rahim's original target, she speaking out. Pamela Geller told CNN's Erin Burnett that she thinks she was targeted for, quote, "violating Sharia blasphemy laws". Speaking of jihadist generally, Geller said, "They mean to kill everyone who doesn't do their bidding."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAMELA GELLER, TARGET OF BEHEADING PLOT (via telephone): It won't end with me, no matter what happens to me or the cops. This is just the beginning. The one thing that's being ignored that came from Garland, Texas, is that ISIS is here. Islamic terrorism is here. Now, will the media realize what's at stake and that their heads are next, or will they continue to target me because they hate my message of freedom? That's the question.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Geller will be back on CNN later this morning during the 8:00 hour of NEW DAY.

New developments this morning in the battle of ISIS against Iraq. A top State Department official says the U.S.-led coalition has killed more than 10,000 ISIS fighters in the last nine months. Speaking on French radio, Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken admitted that ISIS fighters do not fear death. While contends that losses will eventually have an effect.

While that is going on, the effects are starting to be felt downstream after ISIS shut off a major dam in Ramadi. A city they recently captured. Iraqi officials say they are worried that a dry river bed and humanitarian crisis from lack of water could give ISIS a strategic advantage against government forces.

Our senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman joins us with the latest.

Good morning, Ben. BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good

morning, John. The worry of Iraqi officials regarding the dam in Ramadi is that they will cut off the flow of the Euphrates River, of course, which is the source of water for many, many Iraqis downstream.

[04:05:00] So, this is just another complication that's happened since the May 17th fall of that strategic city in Anbar province to ISIS. Now, regarding that statement by Tony Blinken, the deputy secretary of state, yes, he did say that the U.S., he believed rather the coalition, has killed as many as 10,000 ISIS fighters, but the CIA says is has between 20,000 and 32,000 fighters and has been able to replace them through recruitment, through conscription over the years.

Now, it's important to keep in mind according to U.S. officials, ISIS has since the height of its expansion, been able -- has lost about 25 percent of its territory. Keep in mind, of course, within the last month, ISIS has been able to make two stunning victories. One, of course, is the fall of Ramadi. The other is the fall of Palmyra or Tadmur in Syria to ISIS fighters as well. So, despite the loss of territory, is doesn't seem to be stopping at the moment -- John.

BERMAN: All right. Ben Wedeman for us -- thanks so much.

This morning, Baltimore police are looking at new safety measures for prisoner transport vans. The changes come following the death of Freddie Gray who was fatally injured while in police custody. The proposed changes include cameras and GPS and roller coaster style harnesses.

And what might be an even more significant development, Police Commissioner Anthony Batts is also asking for new federal resources to battle a spike in the crime rate. Batts is seeking help from federal prosecutors and law enforcement agents.

Let's get more from CNN's Miguel Marquez.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, this is high stakes for Baltimore's Police Commissioner Anthony Batts. He held an extraordinary press conference with the slew of law enforcement officials, most of them from the federal government, saying that this was his effort to bring the level of crime down there. Baltimore has seen extraordinarily high levels of crime, in particular, since the riots over the death of Freddie Gray. The murder rate for the year is up 40 percent, 119 murders right now. And May saw the deadliest month, 43 dead in Baltimore in May.

The police commissioner is saying that much of the violence is driven by the pharmacies, 27 pharmacies robbed among the hundreds of businesses that were looted and robbed during the riots there recently, saying that the prescription drugs from those pharmacies is helping to fuel the violence.

Here is how he puts the reason he was doing this press conference. ANTHONY BATTS, BALTIMORE POLICE COMMISSIONER: Nothing is more

important than the sanctity than human life within this city. Mere numbers miss the point. We are talking about people. These are not numbers. These are human beings who have lost their lives on the streets of Baltimore.

We are aggressive in our crime fight using all of the resources that are available to us. This is all hands on deck.

MARQUEZ: Well, despite saying it is an all hands on deck effort, noticeably missing from that conference was anybody from the Baltimore City's mayor's office and from the city's state attorney office. Maybe not so surprising on the latter point as Marilyn Mosby, the city states is going after and trying six officers over the death of Freddie Gray.

But the police commissioner very much on the offensive now, saying he is bringing in extra forces to try to bring in that crime rate in Baltimore down -- John, Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Miguel Marquez, thank you so much.

The investigation into the shooting death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice last falls is now in the hands of prosecutors who will hand it over to a grand jury to decide whether the Cleveland police officer will be charged. Rice was playing with a pellet gun in a park near his home when Officer Timothy Loehmann fired the fatal shots just seconds after arriving on the scene. The Rice family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit.

The anthrax cries crisis is growing by the day. Live anthrax spores were mistakenly sent to as many as 51 labs and 17 states and Washington, D.C. and three countries. They expect those numbers to go up as the investigation into the shipments of anthrax goes on. More than 400 batches are now being tested. Four have been found to contain live anthrax. The Pentagon says there have been no reported cases of infections and insists there is no threat to public health.

Former Texas Governor Rick Perry is set to throw his Stetson into the Republican presidential race. The former governor will announce his second bid for the White House today in a speech in Addison, Texas. He will be surrounded by veterans. He is an Air Force veteran. He will also be with the widow of American sniper Chris Kyle.

[04:10:01] His Web site is already live. Governor Perry is the tenth candidate officially vying for the Republican nomination, including the several others who are effectively running but refuse to say it out loud because of legal and fundraising reasons.

On the Democratic side, Lincoln Chafee is the third challenger to Hillary Clinton. The former Rhode Island governor and former Republican and former independent as well launched his presidential bid Wednesday. Chafee says his campaign will stress high ethical standards, and he has a pretty unique proposal to improve global relations. He wants the United States to adopt the metric system. Some people have joked that he's going to put politics one centimeter at a time.

A Republican presidential contender Ted Cruz is apologizing for a joke about Vice President Joe Biden. Speaking at a Republican dinner in Michigan, Cruz poked fun at Biden for his verbal gaffes, but the problem is the timing here. He made this joke while the vice president is grieving over the death of his son Beau who died from brain cancer.

Senator Cruz joked to Biden, "You know the nice thing, you don't need a punch line." He went on to say, "Honestly, it works. The next part of your act, just walk up to someone and say, Vice President Joe Biden and just close your mouth, they will crack up laughing."

Well, on social media, people weren't laughing last night. And Cruz ultimately posted an apology on Facebook and Twitter saying, "It was a mistake to use an old joke about Joe Biden during his time of grief. And I sincerely apologize. The loss of his son is heartbreaking and tragic. And our prayers are very much with the vice president and his family."

Jurors in the trial of accused Colorado movie theater James Holmes, they viewed more of his videotape mental evaluation. Holmes told a court appointed psychiatrist that dropping out of graduate school did not matter because he was already planning the shooting, his mission, he called it. And he expected to be locked up or killed when that mission was complete.

Twelve people were killed. He killed 12 people, wounded 70 others in that shooting at the Aurora, Colorado movie theater. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. The defense claims that Holmes was legally sane.

Eleven minutes after the hour. Time for an early start on your money.

U.S. stock futures are lower this morning. Stocks, though, are flirting with records. Boy, flirting. Yesterday, the Dow climbed 64 points and the NASDAQ closed just shy of its high set in May.

The big business story this morning is T-Mobile and Dish Network are in merger talks. That will combine the second largest satellite provider with the fourth largest wireless carrier. Dish acquired with many wireless licenses, but does not have the cellular network to put them to use. The deal could help T-Mobile boosts its network and add subscribers. No word on the price or structure.

A lot of consolidation in the telecommunications business this year, with AT&T closing a deal for direct TV and charter communications trying to merge with Time Warner Cable.

There is a chance for severe storms, including large hail, possibly a few tornadoes in the Central Plains. Let's get to meteorologist Ivan Cabrera with an early look at the forecast.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) IVAN CABRERA, AMS METEOROLOGIST: John and Christine, another round of severe storms. And I think later this afternoon, in fact, the damaging wind potential and torrential rain and the potential for tornadoes as well. We're going to watch this very closely along this boundary here.

In fact, let's focus in on what we're thinking. The highest risk for severe weather, Omaha and Kansas City. You see the orange there, that's an enhanced area for some of the more damaging storms I think by later this afternoon.

So, let's go ahead and track this for you. Watch the clock here. By the time we get to 2:00 or 3:00, 4:00, you see the nasty storms rolling through Kansas City with the potential of very strong winds and in excess of 60 miles an hour. That can do damage. And you don't need the winds to spin to get damage here. But there is the potential for tornadoes as well. So, we'll watch that closely.

The other story we've been talking about, of course, no severe weather here, but it's the very cool temperatures that have been impacted the Northeast. As you well know, temperatures in New York finally getting above 70 degrees. By the time we get to Saturday afternoon, pushing 80 degrees. That's going to feel fantastic outside. Likewise for Boston, temperatures warming up for the weekend.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: All right. Our thanks to Ivan for that.

The clock is ticking on rescuers in China. Searching for survivors from the shipwreck on the Yangtze River. Hundreds remain missing and the count of those found dead is growing. CNN takes you to the search site, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:17:31] BERMAN: Right now, rescue crews are cutting holes in the overturned hull of the cruise ship that capsized in China's Yangtze River. It has been nearly three days since the accident as officials continue to recover bodies, more than 60 so far. Hope to find anyone alive is all but gone.

CNN's David McKenzie just got an up close look at the rescue efforts in last hour and joins us now with more -- David.

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, John. There was certainly feverish activity on the hull of that vessel that is still upside down in the river and a whole lot of salvage equipment, some 500 tons they say surrounding it. You see people clambering over the bow, gingerly trying to open holes to try and get in, perhaps to see if anyone is still stuck in an air pocket. But at this stage, if anyone is alive, they will be testing the limits of human endurance.

They are affixing wires around the hull and they appear to salvage that vessel, to bring it up and to begin the task of recovering those who may have passed away. Family members are in the area. They streamed in the hundreds. Some have some hope, but many I talked to expect the worst in what is shaping up to be China's worst disaster of its kind in living memory -- John.

BERMAN: David McKenzie on the ground there seeing that effort. And we know the immense distress that those family members are under.

What an accommodations now, David, are being made for the family members of those lost in this disaster?

MCKENZIE: Well, certainly, they are getting them in hotels in the area. They are giving them counseling. There are a number of people trying to assist the families.

But, of course, the situation is such that they are traumatized. Some I have spoken to said parents and grandparents and many family members on that vessel, that they were told this would be the safest possible way to tour China.

Of course, it ended all in tragedy. If you look at this river and how quickly it is moving and the zero visibility the divers had to work with and the fact that they have expanded the search area for more than 90 miles.

[04:20:05] It's really not looking good to find anyone alive at this point -- John.

BERMAN: All right. David McKenzie for us -- remarkable look at the investigation as it goes on. Thank you so much, David.

Stunning revelations from the family caught up in the middle of the molestation scandal that is rocking television right now. New information from this interview. What they have to say, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: So, for the first time, the Duggar parents from TLC's "19 Kids and Counting" are speaking out about the molestation scandal that has really rocked their family.

Jim Bob and Michelle told Megyn Kelly from FOX News that they were devastated when their eldest son Josh confessed to molesting five under age girls when he was a teenager, four of them his sisters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM BOB DUGGAR: He felt like our son's heart had gone astray. I think Jesus share the story about he had 100 sheep and one went astray. And there he was -- he took care of the 99, but he also went after the one that went astray. And so, as parents, we still love Josh and we love the other ones, but we're going to protect those in our hands, but also we're going to make sure that Josh didn't make any wrong choices.

MICHELLE DUGGAR: It doesn't mean you are not a good shepherd. Jesus went after the one that went astray.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[04:25:00] BERMAN: Two of the abused daughters, Jill and Jessa are speaking out. They said what Josh did is wrong, but they do not believe he should be labeled as a child molester.

A former top U.S. soccer official who was once in FIFA's committee admitted that he and others took bribes that rigged votes on where the World Cup would be in 1998 and 2010. That is according to newly released federal court records. The 40-page document indicates that Chuck Blazer -- you can see him right there with the beard -- pleaded guilty to money laundering, fraud and tax evasion in 2013 and played a central role in the government's case against other FIFA officials.

This investigation is still ongoing. I think we're going to will see other names in the near future.

So, real life flying saucer is about to take off, but there are no little green men inside, allegedly. Folks in Hawaii could see a saucer shaped NASA aircraft that could hold the key to a future mission to Mars. Look at that, that is ridiculous cool. The NASA saucer will be cared 20 miles in the sky by a huge balloon. If all goes as planned, you can watch live coverage on the launch on NASA TV at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

All right. Twenty-six minutes after the hour.

A man radicalized by ISIS, he planned to perhaps behead victims here in the United States before Boston police and FBI agents killed him this week. Who was the target and what is the target now saying? We'll have the very latest right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)