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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; Pentagon Anthrax Scare Widens. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired June 04, 2015 - 04:30   ET

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

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[04:30:06] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Developing overnight, a domestic terror plot foiled. A target revealed. The terror suspect killed in Boston. Authorities say he had plans to kill the woman behind the contest to draw the Prophet Muhammad. Hear what Pamela Geller had to say about the threat to behead her.

And ISIS using water as a weapon. The terrorists now heightening their hold on a key city. They are cutting off the water supply to a huge chunk of the country. Can their reign of terror be stopped before the humanitarian crisis grows worse?

Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm John Berman. Thirty minutes after the hour. Christine Romans still on assignment for another few minutes.

New this morning, we have information about the terror suspect killed in Boston. The man that officials say came at them with a knife. Law enforcement sources say that 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: Our Pamela Brown in Boston, fascinating developments.

The conservative blogger who law enforcement sources say was being targeted by Rahim, she is now speaking out. Pamela Geller told CNN's Erin Burnett that she thinks she was targeted for, quote, "violating Sharia blasphemy laws". Speaking of jihadists 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 on CNN again later this morning. She will be on "NEW DAY" in the 8:00 Eastern Hour.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: New developments this morning in the battle of ISIS in 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 ISIS fighters do not fear death but contends the losses will eventually have an effect.

Meantime, effects are being felt downstream after ISIS shut off a major dam in Ramadi, a city they recently captured. Iraqi officials are worried that the dry river bed and ensuing humanitarian crisis will give ISIS a strategic advantage against government forces.

Senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman joins us now with very latest.

Good morning, Ben.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine.

Yes, according to the Iraqi officials, ISIS is in the process or has already cut off a dam on the Euphrates River right outside of Ramadi which, of course, ISIS took back from the government on 17th of May. Now, the worry is they'll be able to cut off the flow of that vital river and deny the people, the millions of people living downstream of drinking water, water for agriculture, all of that.

Now, you recall after Ramadi fell to ISIS on the 17th of May, the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said it would take a couple of days for Iraqi forces to retake the city.

[04:35:04] That at this point is now several weeks ago.

Now, regarding the statement by Tony Blinken, the U.S. deputy secretary of state, yes, he did say that the U.S.-led coalition has managed to kill as many as 10,000 ISIS fighters, but the CIA says that there are 20,000 to 30,000 men fighting for ISIS and that ISIS has been very successful at making up numbers through recruitment or conscription.

Now, ISIS has lost about 25 percent of the territory it has been able to gain within the last year. However, keep in mind that within the last month, of course, they were able to take Ramadi in Iraq and Palmyra in Syria. Whatever the numbers say on the ground, the situation looks pretty grim at the moment -- Christine.

ROMANS: Yes. And, Ben, we should be clear, that in Washington, there were folks who were trying to push back against this idea that the Americans are somehow counting the body count for ISIS here. In fact, they say they are focused on more than strategy and employing it. Thank you so much for that, Ben Wedeman.

BERMAN: This morning, Baltimore police are looking at new safety measures for the department of fleet transport vans. The changes come following the death of Freddie Gray, who of course was fatally injured while he was in police custody. The proposed changes include installing cameras, GPS, and prisoner harnesses.

And what might be more significant development, the police commissioner there, Anthony Batts, is asking for new federal resources -- new resources to battle a spike in crime rate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY BATTS, BALTIMORE POLICE COMMISSIONER: Nothing is more important than the sanctity of human life in the city. Mere numbers miss the point. We are talking about people. These are not numbers. These are human beings that lost their lives in the streets of Baltimore. We are aggressive in the crime fight using all of the resources that are available to us.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BERMAN: Batts blames the 40 percent jump in the murder rate in the influx of narcotics in Baltimore or drugs stolen from pharmacies during the unrest following Freddie Gray's death in April.

ROMANS: The investigation into the shooting death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice last fall is now in the hands of prosecutors. They will let a grand jury decide whether a 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.

BERMAN: Former Texas Governor Rick Perry is set to toss his Stetson into the presidential race. The former governor will announce his second bed for the White House today in the speech in Addison, Texas. He, of course, is a veteran. He will be surrounded by veterans and also the widow of American sniper Chris Kyle. His web site is already live.

Governor Perry will be the tenth candidate officially in the race, in addition to several others who are actually running but refuse to say it out loud for 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, former independent, launched his presidential bid Wednesday. Chafee says his campaign will stress high ethical standards. You know, he has a unique proposal to improve global relations. He wants the U.S. to adopt the metric system.

Because I have to make a joke every time we do this. Right now, he is kilometers behind in the polls.

ROMANS: That's funny.

BERMAN: Yes, I've got one for every half hour.

ROMANS: Didn't we adopt the metric system in 1980 or something?

BERMAN: I'm pretty sure we're not on it now.

ROMANS: Yes, I remember a big math segment in my youth when we had this convert and then we didn't.

All right. Another Republican presidential contender Ted Cruz is apologizing for a poorly timed joke about Vice President Joe Biden. Speaking at a Republican dinner in Michigan, Cruz poked fun at Biden for his well-known verbal gaffes, just days after Beau Biden, the vice president's son died from brain cancer.

Cruz said of 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."

Cruz later 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."

And people close with the vice president say he is truly wrapped in grief at the moment.

BERMAN: Yes, Cruz made that job. There's a reporter in the room at the time and tweeted it around and it exploded on social media last night. A lot of people thought it was very bad timing.

United airlines is apologizing to a Muslim passenger denied an unopened can of soda by a flight attendant. This is a crazy story. The passenger 31-year-old Tahera Ahmad is a chaplain at Northwestern University. She said she was told the can could be used as a weapon.

United initially called it a misunderstanding. I'll say. Ahmad wrote on Facebook that she was humiliated and the airline disregarded and trivialized her discrimination complaint.

[04:40:02] Now, United has not only issued an apology, but in a statement adds, "After investigating this matter, United has insured that the flight attendant, a Shuttle America employee, will no longer serve United customers."

ROMANS: All right. Forty minutes past the hour. Let's get an early start on your money this morning.

European stocks are lower. Greece is still negotiating with creditors ahead of the debt deadline tomorrow. U.S. stock futures are lower right now, too. Stocks are very close to records. Yesterday, the Dow climbed 64 points, the NASDAQ closed below the high set in May.

The big business story this morning, 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 still 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 here.

There has been so much consolidation in the telecommunications this year. AT&T closing a deal for DirecTV, Charter Communications trying to merge with Time Warner Cable. A lot of movement in that space.

BERMAN: And regulators probably will not have a problem. Dish and T- Mobile, they do different things. There's not a lot --

ROMANS: Yes, right.

BERMAN: There's a chance for severe storms and including large hail and maybe tornadoes in the Central Plains.

Let's go to meteorologist Ivan Cabrera for a look at the forecast.

IVAN CABRERA, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, each and every day we are doing better with the temperatures. By this weekend, finally, it will feel like June in New York pushing 80, the average high temperature at this time of year in the mid 70s. We have been in the 50s and 60s. And even up in Maine, we had overnight temperatures in the 30s. Incredible.

So, we are going in the right direction here by the time we get to the weekend. D.C. as well, temperatures back in the low 80s with some sunshine. That will feel fantastic.

The rest of the country is not looking bad, although if you look hot. Southwestern United States, well into the 100s. That will continue. Temperatures across the Southeast into the 70s and 80s.

Severe storms across the mid section of the country. Let's focus in on that and talk about the enhanced area of severe storms and damaging wind potential. Large hail with some of the updrafts here, and potential for isolated tornadoes as well. We will watch that from Omaha to Kansas City.

By the time we get into 2:00 to 4:00 hour, that's when we're expecting the storms will be strongest. We will watch the radar and keep you posted -- John and Christine.

ROMANS: All right. Ivan, thanks for that.

Now, the number of states that could have received live anthrax that list keeps growing, folks. How many states now affected, how wide could the trouble grow? What in the world happened here? A report from the Pentagon, next.

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[04:46:08] ROMANS: The Pentagon anthrax scare is widening this morning. It turns out it's worse than initially thought. Officials say suspected live anthrax samples were sent to 51 research labs in 17 states and three different countries -- three different countries. That's nearly double what was originally reported.

CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, the scope of what the Pentagon is dealing with seems to be growing by the day. After a briefing for reporters at the Pentagon, here is what we know.

So far, 400 lots of anthrax are being tested, four of them. These are the large samples, have come back positive. There are now suspected shipments of anthrax that could be live in 17 states, plus the District of Columbia, plus South Korea, Canada and Australia. This all adds up to the possibility that even more live anthrax will be found and the shipments may have occurred in every state across the country already ten smaller samples that have gone out to some of the 51 labs under scrutiny. They have tested positive.

Now, the Pentagon says there is no threat to public health. That these were all within controlled laboratory circumstances. The material never got out in the general public.

But more than 30 people who work in the labs are undergoing precautionary medical treatment. That number could grow and the Pentagon is acknowledging they need to make sure that no lab workers get sick from this -- John, Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Barbara, thank you.

BERMAN: So were the locations for the two world cup tournaments sold to the highest bidder? Well, if you believe testimony from one whistleblower? Yes, they in fact were. I've got to say, mind-blowing testimony from that man with the beard who turned the soccer world upside down -- coming up next.

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ROMANS: For the first time, the Duggar parents from TLC's "19 Kids and Counting", they are speaking out about the molestation scandal rocking their family. Jim Bob and Michelle told FOX News' Megyn Kelly were devastated when their eldest Josh confessed to molesting five underage girls when he was a teenager. Four of those girls were his sisters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM BOB DUGGAR, TLC'S "19 KIDS AND COUNTING": 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, TLC'S "19 KIDS AND COUNTING": It doesn't mean you are not a good shepherd. Jesus went after the one that went astray.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Two of the abused daughters, Jill and Jessa, are also speaking out. They say what their brother did was wrong, but they do not believe he should be labeled a child molester.

BERMAN: We will talk about that coming up in the next hour.

ROMANS: Yes.

BERMAN: A former top U.S. soccer official who was once in FIFA's committee admitted that he and other officials 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, the big man with a big 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. There are other people helping out who pleaded guilty and collecting

evidence. There is more that's going to come out here.

ROMANS: Oh, yes, absolutely.

All right. A real life flying saucer about to take off, but there no little green men inside.

BERMAN: Allegedly.

ROMANS: Folks in Hawaii could see a saucer shaped NASA aircraft, that could hold a key to the mission to Mars. The NASA saucer will be carried 20 miles in the sky by a huge balloon. If all goes as plan, you can catch live coverage of the launch on NASA TV at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

What's a secret to wealth and success, John Berman?

BERMAN: I wish I knew. I haven't found it, that's for sure.

ROMANS: A little career advice from the world's richest man, next.

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[04:58:08] ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. Let's get an early start on your money this morning.

Stocks down this morning as the Greek drama continues. European stocks are much lower right now. Look at these major markets. All down close to 2 percent.

Greece has still not reached a deal with its creditors, ahead of tomorrow's debt deadline. U.S. stock futures are down as well.

I want to tell you about the piece of writing from Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg. She marked the 30th day since her husband Dave Goldberg's sudden death. She marked it on Facebook. She thanked her friends and shared what she learned from the grieving process. It's just so remarkable.

She wrote, "I have lived 30 years in the 30 days. I'm 30 years sadder. I feel I'm 30 years wiser."

Sandberg says she has been consumed with emptiness, but wants to choose life and meaning. And her just heartfelt outpouring about her own grief and what she's going to do, it's just really something I think everyone should read. It was really --

BERMAN: I defy anyone to read it without getting choked up.

ROMANS: Oh, you will get choked up and cry. But, you know, here is a woman who so many of us look up to her for being sort of this model of how you can be a mother and a wife and, you know, strong executive. It's just unfair how she lost her husband. How she's dealing with it I think I think is just remarkable to watch. We wish her the best. All right. He is the world's richest man and he doesn't have a

college degree. We're talking about Bill Gates. His advice, go to college and graduate. Gates dropped out of Harvard in 1975. He founded Microsoft, of course.

But he writes he got lucky. He says getting a degree is a much surer path to success. Fifty-nine percent of students who start college don't graduate in six years citing rising cost and a lack of preparation.

And I hear a lot of people who say, oh, you know, college isn't worth it. It doesn't matter. It costs too much. Now, look, Bill Gates didn't go to college. To you, I say you are not Bill Gates. Bill Gates went to Harvard and dropped out.

BERMAN: Right. Eric Schmidt, who, you know, the head of Google said to us was, he said, look, if you are Bill Gates, if you're Mark Zuckerberg, go ahead and drop out. But you're not. So, why don't you stick with it and graduate college?

ROMANS: So, save your money and go to college.

BERMAN: All right. EARLY START continues right now.