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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Manhunt for Escaped Killers; President Doubles Down on "Russian Aggression"; Pool Party Melee. Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired June 08, 2015 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:00:36] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Manhunt. Dangerous men on the run this morning. Two convicted killers pull off a stunning escape from a maximum security prison. We have the latest on the chase.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: And President Obama is with G-7 world leaders in Germany today hoping to get Europe behind him on standing up to Russian aggression in Ukraine.
BERMAN: And outrage over this chaotic scene at a pool party. Some demanding action against the police officer for using what they consider excessive force against teenagers.
ROMANS: Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.
BERMAN: A lot going on.
ROMANS: I know, I watched that several times. And it's just really perplexing.
BERMAN: I'm John Berman. It is Monday, June 8th. It is 4:00 a.m. in the East.
Happening now, an urgent manhunt with state, federal and local enforcement trying to pick up the trail of two ruthless and dangerous men. Two convicted killers who escaped from a maximum security prison. And the way they did it is frankly stunning. Richard Matt and David Sweat used power tools to crack the walls before crawling through a pipe of the Clinton correctional facility, which is about 20 miles north of New York's border with Canada.
CNN's Polo Sandoval has the latest on this manhunt.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, this morning, the search shows no sign of stopping, particularly here in Dannemora, New York. You see heavily armed police officers and in this case correctional officers staging in the area surrounding the prison itself. In fact, we had to go through three checkpoints to go through this location, police and law enforcement and state and federal authorities checking every vehicle leaving this area and also that's making its way here. Now, if you look off to the distance, you may be able to see temporary
flood lights that have been set up, that actually marks the very spot where this manhole is located. This is the location where Sweat and Matt believed to have used this as an exit point.
Now, just before that, authorities believe that they actually used several tools to dig g through a 24-inch wall in the rear of their cell. From there, they entered a steam pipeline and accessed tunnels and drain as well. So, eventually end up here.
So, this morning, we know that the U.S. Marshal Service now has filed federal warrants for both these men for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. We also know that the state of New York hoping people will come forward with any help they can, even offering a $100,000 reward for these two individuals.
Two priorities this morning, that's track them down and try to find out how they were able to execute such an elaborate plan -- John and Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right. Polo, thank you for that.
Happening now: G7 world leaders and meeting at the picturesque castle in the German Alps. This morning, President Obama set to huddle with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al Abadi on the fight against ISIS before the president heads back to Washington.
BERMAN: Do they line up shortest to tallest there? It is like my kid's soccer team. Sorry, I digress. Go ahead.
ROMANS: That follows Sunday's focus on blunting Russian aggression in Ukraine.
I don't think the lunch line is what they're worried about here.
BERMAN: No.
ROMANS: For latest from the G7 summit, let's bring in CNN's Atika Shubert.
Good morning, Atika.
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine and John.
Yes, you're absolutely right. Russia dominating the agenda here. In fact, at President Obama's bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday, more than half of the discussion was devoted to the crisis in Ukraine and specifically convincing Europe to stay strong on those sanctions against Russia.
It doesn't look like we'll be adding to anymore sanctions at this G7, but it really is about convincing Europe that those sanctions are having an impact on the Russian economy and that all of Europe, all of the nations, have to hold fast in keeping those sanctions in place. Those were the dominate discussions yesterday.
Today, we expect to hear more are on climate change. That plenary session is happening right now, but also the situation in Iraq. As you mentioned, President Obama will meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al Abadi.
We don't expect to hear any major announcements on more military aid to Iraq, but at the bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron yesterday, it was announced that an extra 125 British military trainers will likely be extended to Iraq.
[04:05:02] So, that will be a point of discussion today.
ROMANS: All right. Thank you so much for that, Atika Shubert.
BERMAN: Iraqi troops are claiming victory this morning, seemingly a rare occurrence these days. Iraqi forces in the city of Baiji say they have complete control of the city center, the main mosque and surrounding neighborhoods. But still raging, a battle to retake a major oil refinery, that's Baiji's main strategic asset, really what the battle is about.
CNN's Jomana Karadsheh tracking the story for us.
Good morning, Jomana.
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.
As you mentioned, Iraqi officials both from the military and militia officials, of course, the Shia militia is the key fighting force on the ground there, on Sunday announcing after months of intense fighting they regain the city of Baiji. They say that they have taken back much of the city center. They have taken the government complexes and main mosque.
Now, what they say is left is pockets of resistance as they describe it and also clearing operations as we have seen ISIS in the past leaving behind areas that they have withdrawn from. Booby traps that Iraqis say they are clearing as they claim ISIS fighters have withdrawn to the city of Mosul.
Now, of course, Baiji has been the scene also of intense U.S. and coalition air strikes for a long time now. And as you mentioned, we do not know the fate of the Baiji oil refinery, very important, all eyes are on that. This has been highly contested between ISIS and the Iraqi forces. It has changed hands several times in the recent months.
And in recent months, we also heard that ISIS fighters had gained control of the majority of that complex -- of the complex of the refinery. As Iraqi officials say that this is a major victory, another victory for them in the face of all the setbacks that they have faced in recent months. It is still going to be a big challenge ahead for them to keep control, to hold this territory that they regained in the face of the enemy that is really highly adaptable and as we have seen has ability to strike back -- Christine. BERMAN: The Iraqi government troops eager to claim whatever kinds of
victory they can.
Jomana Karadsheh for us, thanks so much.
ROMANS: All right. New developments this morning in that huge hack of federal employee information. Today, government officials expected to notify current and former federal employees whether they are among the millions whose sensitive information may have been compromised. Officials say nearly every federal agency was hit by hackers. They believe those hackers were working for the Chinese government.
The question officials are trying to answer is why? What is the motive for a Chinese hack of American information?
National correspondent Sunlen Serfaty has the latest from Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John and Christine.
Well, cyber security experts who are advising the government tell CNN it could be about building a massive database, an indication they say that China is potentially preparing to use this data in some way in the future, having the ability to potentially impersonate, expose and blackmail U.S. government officials.
This is such a massive breach, one of the largest attacks on the federal government. Taking information about 4 million current and former federal employees.
Big warnings of the same extend from lawmakers on Sunday, sounding alarms and how this information could be leveraged.
Here is the chairman on the House Homeland Security Committee.
REP. MICHAEL MCCAUL (R-TX), CHAIRMAN, HOUSE HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE: It was done to get personal information on the political appointees in the federal government and federal employees to exploit them so that later down the road, they can use this for espionage, to either recruit spies or compromise individuals in the federal government.
SERFATY: The president is attending the G7 summit in Germany. And on Sunday, his press secretary indicated how the U.S. may respond, potentially even using economic sanctions as punishment.
JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The option that the president put on the table for responding to these kinds of activities in the form of financial sanctions certainly is one that continues to be available to him.
SERFATY: And while the White House is not officially laying blame on who is behind the attack, sources do say U.S. investigators believe that they can track the breach to the Chinese government. The Chinese officials have denied, though, that they are behind this -- John and Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: All right. Thanks to Sunlen Serfaty for that.
New this morning, the cyber attack on federal agency computers may affect private citizens, in addition to federal work workers. Law enforcement sources tell CNN that security clearance that applications dating back decades may have been part of the hack. Those forms require sensitive personal information of spouses, partners, friends and others close to the applicant. Sources tell CNN that while serious, the hack of private citizens' data likely compromised less sensitive information than the ones affecting federal workers.
[04:10:05] Still, the information is out there.
ROMANS: All right. An emotional farewell for the Biden family as Beau Biden has laid to rest this weekend in Delaware. President Obama delivering the eulogy at the packed funeral for the Delaware attorney general who lost his battle with brain cancer. The president calling the vice president's 46-year-old son a champion of the people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The son of a senator, a major in the Army, the most popular elected official in Delaware -- I'm sorry, Joe -- but he was not above dancing in nothing by a sombrero and shorts that would shake a laugh from the people he loved. Through it all, he was the constant public servant. A notebook in his back pocket at all times so he could write down the problems of everyone he met, and go back to the office to get them fixed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin volunteered to sing at the service after learning Beau Biden was a big fan of the band.
BERMAN: You know, the president had a hard time getting through that eulogy and it was a beautiful event. You hear from Beau Biden's brother. That too was, you know, heart wrenching. This was a memorial service for a friend and a son.
There were a lot of public figures involved with it, but it didn't feel like a public event. It felt like a private ceremony for someone that so many people loved. I have to tell you, it just tore at your heart. The president kissed the vice president. President Obama kissed Vice President Biden on the cheek afterwards. It was a lovely event.
ROMANS: It was moving.
BERMAN: All right. Eleven minutes after the hour right now.
Boston police say a woman struck by a shattered baseball bat at Fenway Park suffered life threatening injuries, but the good news, she is expected to survive. This happened during the second inning of the Red Sox game on Friday. This scared so many people, because you sit on those lines there and you are at risk.
The woman is identified Tonya Carpenter. She was sitting along the third baseline and part of the broken bat went flying into the crowd and hit her. She was taken on a stretcher from the park to the hospital.
ROMANS: Two NBA finals games, two overtimes. It's already a great series and tied at one game apiece. LeBron James putting the undermanned Cavaliers, his team, on his back, leading to a dramatic overtime victory against the Warriors, 95-93. King James had a triple-double, 39 points, 16 rebounds, 11 assists.
Game three is in Cleveland tomorrow night.
BERMAN: It was good stuff.
All right. A history making hero returns home. Triple Crown winner American Pharoah down the stretch he went. Man, it was an impressive race. He is now back in Kentucky after winning the Belmont Stakes here in New York. He's the first to win the Triple Crown in 37 years.
It is not known when or if American Pharoah race again. You know, his owners say they re going to put him back out on the track this year. They are not sure when.
One thing is certain though.
ROMANS: Money, money, money.
BERMAN: How do you make money if you are a Triple Crown winning horse?
ROMANS: You tell me, John.
BERMAN: He's going to be a busy horse when he is done racing.
ROMANS: The stud farm is his future for sure.
BERMAN: Oh, yes.
ROMANS: All right. Time for an early -- speaking of money, time for an early start on your money this morning. Asian stocks mostly higher. European and U.S. stock futures are lower. On Friday, the Dow fell 56 points. Strong May jobs report may indicate a hike in interest rates later this year.
Big story this morning, Apple's annual worldwide developer conference starts today. Tightly scripted, always exciting.
Here is what to expect -- first, Apple likely to get into the music streaming business. After buying Beats, Apple is expected . Next, better Apple Watch apps. Apple likely to announce new tools that will give developers a lot more power. Also, Siri gets an upgrade. Apple working on a smarter Siri that can give information before need by pulling from a user data.
Well, we're not expecting Apple TV. Rumors has it, that project has been shelved. They're having trouble with that.
All right. A pool party melee. This video is unbelievable. One officer is -- well, he has been suspended. He's on a desk duty this morning. Why some are calling for his job.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:17:28] BERMAN: Chaos at a concert in northern New Jersey. Police in riot gear using mace, piercing alarm overnight, trying to disperse rowdy crowds. Concert goes were pushing and shoving to get into MetLife Stadium. Officials say people were trying to enter illegally. Some witnesses say all those people had report multiple arrests.
ROMANS: In McKinney, Texas, a pool party spirals out of control. This video going viral, showing a police officer confronting a group of teenagers, throwing one to the ground and pulling his gun, he un- holstered his gun. That's something that a police officer is supposed to do when there is eminent danger to them. These were all kids in swimsuit. The officer has been disciplined. An investigation is underway.
Let's get more on this from CNN's Nick Valencia.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK VALENCIA, CNN NATIONAL REPORTER: John and Christine, an officer responding to a disturbance at a pool party has been put on administrative leave. The incident started on Friday night when police neighbors called them about a group of teen who did not have permission to be at a private pool and were refusing to leave. In the 7 1/2 minute clip, the officer can be seen rounding up teens, wrestling one to the ground and at one point, the officer unholsters his weapon and points it at the crowd.
At a press conference on Sunday, the police chief in McKinney talked about the incident.
CHIEF GREG CONLEY, MCKINNEY POLICE DEPARTMENT: Several concerns about the conduct of one of the officers has been raised. A formal investigation into the incident has been started. And the officer involved is on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. The McKinney Police Department is committed to treating all persons fairly under the law.
VALENCIA: The police chief says he will look into the officer's actions. They launched a full investigation within their department -- John, Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: I tell you, Tom Fuentes used to be cop, one of our contributors. He was saying your job as a police officer is to deescalate when you have a crowd situation like that. It looked asa though like the officer was escalating that.
It was interesting when I watched the video. It is interesting how the other police officers were behaving around him. It's almost as if he sort of running from group to group. The other officers didn't --
BERMAN: You saw one officer with a calm conversation with the group of kids there. We'll see what happens --
ROMANS: The unholstering the gun -- yes, that's a real problem.
BERMAN: All right. Police in Milpitas, California, is calling a bus driver a hero after spotting a 3-year-old boy that the man had allegedly kidnapped on his bus.
[04:20:07] Tim Watson notified his dispatcher who then called police. The suspect, 23-year-old Alfonso Edington was arrested. Witnesses report seeing the boy leave a local library with a black hood and sweatshirt.
ROMANS: Wow.
All right. A night to celebrate Broadway's finest. It's the 69th Tony Awards. The musical "Fun Home" taking home five trophies and top prize for best musical. Best play went to "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime", also won five Tonys. One other big winner, Helen Mirren taking up her first Tony for reprising her role as Queen Elizabeth in "The Audience".
BERMAN: All right. So they are just like the rest of us, with the castles. The British royal family released the first pictures Princess Charlotte and his big brother Prince George together. Look at that pose at all. George is seen holding his sister who is only a couple of weeks old when their mother Catherine --
ROMANS: And then he changed her diaper after that.
BERMAN: -- duchess of Cambridge took the picture. Charlotte is fourth in line to the throne and is due to be christened on July.
ROMANS: The one where he's looking -- sort of looking off to the camera --
BERMAN: Yes, what am I doing here?
ROMANS: What is she doing here in my family?
BERMAN: It's my crown. It's mine.
All right. Royals inherit their responsibility.
CNN anchors, we have to earn them in a quiz show. Watch us faceoff in the '70s theme spectacular.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: I feel like I have a piece of the '70s being born in July of 1979.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR: I lived in the 1970s.
BALDWIN: Music. Culture. TV.
Boom.
QUEST: Politics. Business. Diplomacy.
Britain!
(CHEERS)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Well, John Berman is back.
BERMAN: I can confirm that I did in fact win "Celebrity Jeopardy".
COOPER: He's teamed up with a Don Lemon. Didn't do so well the last time.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: I've actually been studying.
You are good at detail.
BERMAN: Right.
What are you good at?
LEMON: Lalalala, lalalala --
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: If you watched the quiz show last time, you know I had to carry Jake Tapper.
DAVID MUIR, CNN ANCHOR: I think I hit the lottery with her as a partner.
CAMEROTA: I assume I will have to do all of the heavy lifting once again.
MUIR: Schlemiel, Schlimazel, Hasenpfeffer Incorporated.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: This is the big time. "The CNN Quiz Show: Seventies Edition" tonight, at 9:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.
ROMANS: I can't wait.
BERMAN: It's good stuff.
ROMANS: What is Don Lemon good at?
BERMAN: Don Lemon, let me tell you. You have to watch tonight. Watch at 9:00.
ROMANS: I will.
Twenty-three minutes after the hour. Happening right now: a huge multinational effort to rescue thousands
of migrants off the Libyan coast. We have the latest.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:26:25] BERMAN: This morning, in South Korea, officials are trying to contain a deadly outbreak of MERS. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome has claimed the life of six people in South Korea. So far, there are 87 confirmed cases. Among them, a member of the South Korean air force stationed at the U.S. air base in Seoul. This morning, more than 2,000 people remain in quarantined.
ROMANS: A huge migrant rescue operation happening right now in the Mediterranean. Almost 6,000 peoples rescued from smuggling ships, trying to cross from Libya to Italy. One British ship alone taking in a thousand people including 10 pregnant women. That ship is set to dock in Italy in less than three hours. That's where senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is right now with the very latest.
Nic, the weather is why so many of these smuggling ships are out right now, because it is calm seas. People are trying to make the best of it.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They really are. And this wave of migrants we're seeing this weekend crossing the Mediterranean almost 6,000 people. That's the biggest wave of migrants in a single weekend this year.
And if you look at the statistics, from the Italian coast guard, from the U.N. agency for refugees, they are putting the figure of migrants have crossed over the Mediterranean now to about 100,000 so far this year. That's double the number by the same period last year. And this weekend, really with the good weather and calm seas, it is encouraging a lot of the migrants or people making them pay to be put upon boats to get into Europe, to put to sea.
The HMS Bulwark, that British war ship that is bringing over, expected over 1,000 people to the key side here in a few hours, we're told that when they were picking people up from the sea, they were picking people up from rubber dinghies, dinghies that were designed for maybe 20 people, had 100 people in, a few wooden boats. But it seems that the people that are putting these migrants out to sea are callus enough to do it in numbers and in vessels that are not capable of essentially making that journey. That is why this massive rescue is underway, Christine.
ROMANS: Unbelievable, and there's been a steady, I would say increasing stream of these refugees in the last few months, hasn't there?
BERMAN: Oh, absolutely. This weekend alone. So, you have the British war ship coming in here. We were watching an independent ship last night docking. They had Eritreans, Ethiopians, Sudanese. The ship coming in today will have Egyptians, Libyans, people from Mali, people from Nigeria, Pakistan aboard.
So, you have the British warship, you had German warships out there, Italian warships, Spanish warships, Swedish warships, as well as all these independent vessels. It's a massive operation that is underway this weekend. As you say, they have been coming across the sea here in high numbers so far this year. Just a few months ago, several hundred died when the boat capsized out at sea, Christine.
ROMANS: Yes, it's tragic. All right. Nic Robertson, thanks for that, Nic.
BERMAN: All right. A huge manhunt under way for two convicted killers, ruthless criminals who escaped a prison with an elaborate scheme. They are on the run this morning. We will have details on the manhunt next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
