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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Manhunt for Escaped Killers Expands to Vermont; The War on ISIS: Obama's New Strategy; Jeb Bush Across Europe; Blackhawks Even Up Stanley Cup Final, 2-2. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired June 11, 2015 - 05:00   ET

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

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[05:00:00] PENNY PRITZKER, COMMERCE SECRETARY: I've probably talked to 1,800 CEOs around the country. And they all tell me they are struggling to find enough workers with the skills they need to fill the jobs they have today. That's another area we have to focus in order to continue to keep the United States on the cutting edge of innovation.

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CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: The silver lining: a shortage of workers is starting to boost wages in some industries.

It is 5:00 on the nose. EARLY START continues right now.

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ROMANS: Happening now, new focus in the search for two escaped prisoners. Have the dangerous killers moved into Vermont or could they be hiding just miles from the prison they just broke out of? The new tips, ahead.

The president reveals his new strategy for fighting ISIS. More U.S. troops now head to Iraq. Will it be enough? We have team coverage breaking down on the president's new ISIS plan.

Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans. It is Thursday, June 11th, 5:00 a.m. in the East. John Berman has the morning off.

Happening now: the manhunt for two convicted killers who escaped from a maximum security prison in upstate New York, refocusing this morning on western Vermont.

The governors of New York and Vermont holding a joint news conference. New York's attorney -- Andrew Cuomo, the Governor Andrew Cuomo saying authorities believe Richard Matt and David Sweat have discussed Vermont as a possible destination.

Meanwhile overnight, near the prison, police closing a state highway pursuing a tip there. More information also coming to light on the connection between those fugitives and this woman, a woman named Joyce Mitchell, who worked as a training supervisor in the prison's tailor shop. Mitchell's daughter-in-law suggesting she may have been duped into contacting people outside the prison for Richard Matt. Paige Mitchell saying she believed Matt acted like he was interested in art and talked to Joyce Mitchell into contacting people who supposedly knew about art on his behalf.

For the latest on the manhunt and this investigation, let's bring in CNN's Jason Carroll.

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JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Christine, New York state police say that they are going to be redoubling their efforts, retracing their steps, including right here in this neighborhood, in front of the prison and knocking on doors again, searching every building, not wanting to leave any stone unturned. They have some 500 leads that they are going to be following up on, including one lead that seems to suggest that these two fugitives may have a plan to visit Vermont. The reason why? Vermont's governor weighed on that.

GOV. PETER SHUMLIN, VERMONT: We have information that suggests that they thought that New York was going to be hot. Vermont would be cooler in terms of law enforcement and that a camp in Vermont might be a better place to be than New York.

REPORTER: Do you know where in Vermont?

SHUMLIN: We do not.

CARROLL: New York's governor says it's important to follow-up on all leads, including the lead involving Joyce Mitchell. You remember her, Christine. She is that prison employee that was brought in for questioning over the weekend. There had been allegations that she had befriended both of these inmates.

I spoke to her daughter-in-law at length. She said that 95 percent of what is being put on in the media is simply untrue. Paige Mitchell said this, quote, "I'm appalling to me. I'm totally disgusted that anyone would think she would knowingly help them. She would never want a criminal near her family."

There's also been talk about whether or not that Joyce Mitchell had some sort of a plan to help these inmates once they had escaped out through that manhole, allegations that she was going to provide some sort of a getaway car. I asked Paige Mitchell about that as well. She said that that is absolutely ridiculous. She said, her heart was in the right place, but, quote, "she was trying to do something nice and it back fired" -- Christine.

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ROMANS: All right. Jason Carroll -- thank you for that, Jason. The Pentagon this morning moving forward to carry out President

Obama's orders, sending 450 additional American troops to Iraq to aid the Iraqi fight against ISIS. Now, the new personnel focusing on training Sunni tribesmen and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. The U.S. also moving to speed up delivery of weapons to the Sunnis, a response to Sunni complaints that weapons now are delayed as they passed to Iraq's Shiite dominated central government.

The overall American aim here, sparking a stronger Sunni fight against the Islamic State.

CNN's Michelle Kosinski has more from the White House.

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MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Christine. Right. So, these are 450 additional U.S. troops sent to a key area in Iraq, Anbar province, between Ramadi and Fallujah, two cities that have since been taken over by ISIS.

They're going to be on a military base, but White House says not in a combat role. Again, their job is to advise, assist and train Iraqi forces, basically help the Iraqis help themselves.

The U.S. also wants to streamline the process of getting more equipment to the Iraqis, help them get the recruits that they need, especially from Sunni tribes.

[05:05:04] But, you know, the question is there, that if these problems have existed for some time within the Iraqi army and this kind of assistance and more has been considered for some time, why wasn't this and more done before the fall of Ramadi?

And sending now significantly more U.S. troops, doesn't that indicate that there were underestimations in what was needed in the first place? What we just got from the White House I think as much of an admission that there had been problems as we're going to get. U.S. officials said, yes, the fall of Ramadi was a setback. Yes, forces need to be more nimble in fighting ISIS, which has been nimble. And they need to react more quickly when there are shortfalls.

U.S. officials said that this is a problem they are trying to solve. Among the criticism out there coming from members of Congress, especially Republicans, is that more needs to be done, that the president needs to lay out a more detailed strategy and questions over how much good really these additional U.S. troops are going to be able to do -- Christine.

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ROMANS: All right. Michelle Kosinski at the White House, thank you, Michelle. The emphasis on training Sunni and Peshmerga fighters. The push to get weapons into the Sunni hands more quickly and directly, and the timing following the fall of Ramadi to ISIS. This revised U.S. strategy against ISIS now seems to put less on the central government there, and the military to win the fight, at least in Anbar Province.

Joining us to put the pieces together of all this CNN's Ian Lee.

Ian, despite these additional weapons, despite this additional trainers and this new equipment from the American government, Iraqi officials still saying it is not enough. What do they want?

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. For the Sunnis, they have been for a long time asking for this weapons and the training, that's going to be crucial for retaking Ramadi. For them to control Anbar province, a predominantly Sunni area, but Iraqi officials are saying it is not enough. Iraq's Vice President Ayad Allawi says they still need more.

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AYAD ALLAWI, IRAQI VICE PRESIDENT: I don't think this is the frankly the only answer. This may be part of the answer and small part of the answer. I know we are in need of training and in need of equipment and in need of weapons. We are in need of intelligence, to get intelligence, provide intelligence, to know where are the strong points of ISIS, where are the weak points of ISIS, where territory, what to do. This is unfortunately not available yet.

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LEE: What the Iraqi government has been asking for is more intelligence. More surveillance, knowing where ISIS fighters are and when they're moving. But when CNN's Ben Wedeman visited the front lines and in talking to commanders there, they say that they don't need the training, they just need more weapons.

You talk to one Iraqi general who's been in the army for 35 years, he said he didn't believe the United States was committed to defeating ISIS. He says the U.S. has the abilities to defeat them, but he has not seen it yet, Christine.

ROMANS: Now, can more weapons and training defeat ISIS or is there a political component to this as well?

LEE: Well, ultimately, it is going to be a political deal between the Sunnis and Shiites. There's a lot of mistrust there, and this goes back for many, many years.

So there is that divide that will be difficult for diplomats to try to get them to come together and see eye to eye. And as you reported earlier, you said earlier that these weapons had been slow to getting to the Sunni fighters. That just highlights this mistrust that OK, if they are able to defeat ISIS, what next? And that is going to be the crucial part moving forward.

ROMANS: Yes, and that Sunni disenfranchisement with the Shia-led government in Baghdad is something feeding the fuel of the recruitment of ISIS as well. So important to watch that.

All right. Thank you so much, Ian Lee. Thanks. An American citizen killed in Syria fighting against ISIS. The State Department confirming Keith Broomfield of Massachusetts died last week. He is fighting alongside Kurdish forces near Kobani. The State Department has been in contact with Broomfield's family. It's not clear how his remains will be repatriated since the U.S. has no diplomatic presence in Syria.

The rise of ISIS could spell the demise of al Qaeda. Two of al Qaeda's top spiritual leaders telling "The Guardian" the terror group is no longer a function organization because it's been ripped apart by ISIS. They say that the leader, al Qaeda's leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, is now completely cut off from his commanders with the ISIS propaganda machine dominating the recruiting war in the Middle East.

New evidence the Israelis may be spying on the Iran nuclear talks. According to "The Wall Street Journal", a cyber security firm based in Moscow has detected a computer virus frequently used by Israel spies, that virus in three European hotels.

[05:10:04] All three hotels have hosted the nuclear negotiations. The virus could allow hackers to infiltrate computers, phones and Wi-Fi networks. The Israelis are not commenting.

This just in, the 10th victim in the South Korea MERS outbreak has died. The death of a 65-year-old man announced a very short time ago. Officials say the patient was in the final stages of lung cancer. Fourteen new cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome were confirmed Thursday bringing the total number to 122.

Meanwhile, a second clinic in South Korea forced to close with staff, patients and even visitors sent to the quarantine. Thousands of people are under quarantine. And again, most of these fatalities so far have had other underlying medical conditions but certainly a scary time for the region.

All right. Ten minutes past the hour. Time for an early start on your money. Asian and Europe stocks are higher right now following Wall Street yesterday. The Dow up 236, above 18K again. It was the best day in a month, put the Dow higher for the year.

A hint of compromise between Greece and its E.U. creditors, that was enough to push stocks higher. No deal yet, but talks continue. Investors dumping bonds, the yield on the ten-year is 2.5 percent. That's the highest 10-year bond yield since September. Folks, that means borrowed money is going to cost more for homes, for cars. You name it.

Oil prices hovering around a 2015 high. Crude above 61 bucks a barrel. A government report showed American crude supplies fell for the sixth straight week. Higher prices might not last, though. There's still a supply glut in the U.S. U.S. production is ticking up again in oil.

Happening now, Jeb Bush polishing his foreign policy credentials in Europe, just days before announcing he is running for president. But is this trip working? Details ahead. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Jeb Bush plans to hit the ground running when he officially joins the Republican race for president on Monday.

[05:15:03] Before that, he is polishing his international credentials with his three-nation tour of Europe. Bush is in Warsaw, Poland, today. He's been stressing solidarity against Russia, even called Vladimir Putin a bully. He's trying to jump start his campaign that isn't a campaign yet.

We get more from CNN's Dana Bash.

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DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's not unusual for a candidate, or in this case, an almost presidential candidate, to make his way across the pond, here to Europe, in order to show that they're comfortable on the world stage.

That's exactly what Jeb Bush is doing here in Europe right now. He started out in Germany. Now, he is where I am in Warsaw, Poland, and then, eventually, he's going to make his way to Estonia.

And the theme that you've already heard from him is that he believes that he and the United States should be much more aggressive, much more involved in helping particularly these countries that used to be part of the Soviet Union beat back on the aggression of Vladimir Putin. He even called him a bully on this trip. So, that is really a big part of the trip and reason why he is here.

But there is another reason, and that is to give him and his campaign a reset button, if you will. He has not been able to break-away from the pack. He has not been able to scare other competitors off of the field. That has hurt him maybe unfairly. But the fact of the matter is, his last name is Bush and the expectation was that he would be a little bit more ahead of the game at this point.

So, they are hoping this trip will kind of wipe the slate clean. He'll be able to go back, in just a few hours after he lands back in the United States, he's going to make his announcement official and he's going to hit the ground running. That is what we're going to see from Jeb Bush over the next several days. Not your typical pre- announcement trip, but this election is anything but typical.

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ROMANS: All right. Dana Bash -- thank you for that, Dana.

If Hillary Clinton is elected president, her husband, the former president, stands to lose out on millions. Bill Clinton says if Hillary does win, he will likely step off the lecture circuit which has earned him more than $100 million since leaving office in 2001. This man is paid a lot of money to speak.

Clinton also says he would like to stay involved with the family foundation as long as possible during the campaign. He wants to ensure they raise enough money to fund the foundation's global charitable work.

McKinney police, Texas police officer Eric Casebolt, he let his emotions get the best of him while responding to a pool party disturbance where he is seen on videotape throwing a teenage girl to the ground and drawing his gun on others. That's according to his lawyer. She says Casebolt handled two suicide calls before arriving at the pool party and it took an emotional toll on him. He has since resigned.

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JANE BISHKIN, ATTORNEY FOR ERIC CASEBOLT: Eric regrets that his conduct portrayed him and his department in a negative light. He never intended to mistreat anyone, but was only reacting to a situation and the challenges that it presented. He apologizes to all who are offended. That day was not representative of the 10-year service to the community of McKinney and it is his hope that by his resignation, the community may start to heal.

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ROMANS: The attorney says Casebolt is currently in seclusion after receiving death threats.

Meantime, the girl seen being manhandled by the officer, 15-year-old Dajerria Becton, she's trying to recover from the incident.

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HANNAH STROUD, ATTORNEY FOR DAJERRIA BECTON: She is having a hard time sleeping and a hard time eating. And, obviously, where she would rather be out having fun with her friends, she felt a little bit like she has to be stuck at home. And her aunt, who's her legal guardian, is keeping a tight watch on her.

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ROMANS: Civil rights groups are calling for police reforms and an independent investigation into possible criminal charges against Eric Casebolt.

Police say a bloody baseball bat was recovered from the Washington, D.C., mansion where four people were murdered last month. Court records unsealed Wednesday show the bat was found in a bedroom with three of those victims. All four -- three members of the Savopoulos family and their housekeeper, they have been beaten and stabbed.

Thirty-four-year-old Daron Wint is charged with first-degree murder in those killings. Police say his DNA was found on discarded pizza in the house. Authorities don't believe Wint acted alone.

A former grad school girlfriend of James Holmes resumes her testimony this morning at his trial. Prosecutors are expected to present cell phone messages Holmes exchanged with her, including those saying he wanted to kill people. The defense claims their breakup in 2012 may have contributed to his psychological psychotic break. He has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the shooting that killed 12 people and wounded 70.

[05:20:00] The NTSB says Amtrak engineer Brandon Bostian was not using his cell phone for calls, text or the Internet while operating the train that derailed in Philadelphia last month. Amtrak records also show he didn't access the train's Wi-Fi system. But investigators still have not determined is why, why the train took a 50-mile an hour curve at 106 miles an hour. Eight people were killed, more than 200 injured in that crash.

A group of oil companies agreeing to pay $345 million in compensation for the 2013 blast that killed 47 in Quebec. Royal Dutch Shell, Marathon Oil and ConocoPhillips are among the firms contributing to the settlement through a sealed bankruptcy court filing. If the court approves the settlement, the companies avoid facing any wrongful or negligence lawsuits in the future.

An epic argument with an umpire gets Minnesota Twins star Torii Hunter tossed out of the game. So, he decided to do tossing of his own. Andy Scholes has the details in the bleacher report, next.

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ROMANS: The Chicago Blackhawks come through with game four of the Stanley Cup Finals. The series tied at a nail biting 2.

Andy Scholes has more on this morning's bleacher report.

Hey, Andy.

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

I'm sure there are tired fans in Chicago this morning, but at least they are heading to work happy. Game four, it was a good one. It was tied at 1-1 in the third period. Off the face-off, Brandon Saad, some fancy moves and he gets the wrester to go.

[05:25:02] Blackhawks take a 2-1 lead. The Lightning had a bunch of chances to tie this one up late, but they just could not find the back of the net. Chicago wins game four to even the series. Game five is Saturday night in Tampa.

U.S. men's national team taking on the reigning World Cup champions Germany in Cologne. Down 1-0, Michael Bradley, beautiful pass here and he buries it to tie the game. Bobby Wood drills it home for the goal. U.S. wins this one, 2-1. It's their first win ever against Germany on their home soil.

Twins and Royals last night in Minnesota last night. The umpire rings up Torii Hunter. Hunter did not agree with the call. He argues, gets ejected and decides to take off the elbow pads and shin guard. There go the gloves. Hunter leaves his jersey on the field.

The Twins fans in Minnesota, they absolutely loved it. The bat boy had to run around and pick it all up.

Al right. The NBA finals continue tonight with game four in Cleveland. Cavs point guard Matthew Dellavedova was so exhausted after chasing around Steph Curry and diving after loss ball in game three, that he was treated for severe cramping at a local hospital. But he is out and good to go for game four.

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MATTHEW DELLAVEDOVA, CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: I felt like I pushed the limit a few times. That's probably the most tired I have been. But I'm feeling good now.

LEBRON JAMES, CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: He dove on the ground at the NBA finals record six times. He gives us everything he has. We all appreciate it as his brothers in the lineup beside him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Tip-off tonight is at 9:00 Eastern.

Christine, I got to tell you, I just back from Cleveland. And Dellavedova -- he is a rock star there right now. They chant "Dilly, Dilly," all the time.

ROMANS: Wow.

SCHOLES: You can't walk 10 feet without seeing someone wearing his jersey.

ROMANS: That's cool, very cool. All right. Thanks so much, Andy Scholes.

New tips moving the search for two killers who broke out of prison. Could those escapees be across the state line or where police the road overnight just miles from that prison? We'll tell you where this investigation is focused.

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