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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Prison Break: New Questions Surround Joyce Mitchell; Texas Facing Dangerous Threat; Donald Trump Running for President; Warriors Beat Cavaliers to Win NBA Title. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired June 17, 2015 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:30:18] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: New questions this morning about the woman arrested for helping two dangerous killers break out of prison. Her husband's attorney on the record about their relationship as the search grows cold for the escaped inmates.
Happening now. Rain pounding Texas. The threat of dangerous flooding rising this morning. The damage done and what is still to come, ahead.
Breaking overnight: the Golden State Warriors winning the NBA championship over LeBron and the Cavaliers. A big celebration ahead.
Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans. John Berman has the morning off. It is 30 minutes past the hour.
She may have been plotting to kill him. And now, Joyce Mitchell and her husband has come to come behind bars. Mitchell is the prison worker who allegedly helped two cold blooded killers escape from a maximum security prison in upstate New York. Investigators believe all three of them may have been involved in a plan to murder her case.
Mitchell's attorney says that is not the case. Her lawyer says that this is not the case. He claims his client is devastated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Could you tell us how your client is holding up, Joyce Mitchell?
STEPHEN JOHNSON, JOYCE MITCHELLS' ATTORNEY: Well, as I said, I mean, I didn't talk to her yesterday. But as of late yesterday, she was pretty distraught.
REPORTER: Elaborate on that. I mean, she had a visitor today, her husband, correct?
JOHNSON: That is correct.
REPORTER: Can you explain how that visit went?
JOHNSON: I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: That's her lawyer.
The lawyer for Mitchell's husband says he is not standing by her, as officials investigate whether his wife had a sexual relationship with both escaped inmates.
Let's get the latest from CNN national correspondent Jason Carroll.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christine, we are learning a little bit more about Joyce Mitchell and her alleged role in all this and why she may have initially agreed to be the get-away driver. A source telling CNN that she did have some sort of an inappropriate relationship with both Richard Matt and David Sweat, and that same source telling CNN that there may have been some sort of a murder plot to murder Mitchell's husband Lyle and perhaps she felt threatened herself at some point, and that she may have been coerced to being the getaway driver.
Investigators are looking more closely at Lyle Mitchell to see if he knew anything at all about the escape plan, his attorney telling CNN on Tuesday that he knew nothing about the escape plan or the murder plot.
We could also tell you, Christine, that Lyle Mitchell did visit Joyce Mitchell when she was in custody out here on Tuesday. That visitation lasted for about an hour. There was no physical contact between the two of them. They were separated by a glass partition and spoke over the phone.
Joyce Mitchell, as for her, she was being held here not too far from where we are, but she was moved to another facility to the south near Albany. And as for that massive manhunt, that is still very, very much under way. More than a thousand leads, but still no sign of these two men. Christine, it seems the trail has gone somewhat cold.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: They could be anywhere. Jason Carroll, thanks for that.
All right. Tropical Storm Bill downgrade to do a tropical depression overnight, but still taking a toll on Texas, folks. The storm rolled in Tuesday afternoon, high winds taking down trees and power lines, four to eight inches of rain swamping the eastern half of the state.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The roads are gone. The big rock piles, the dunes down the beach side, they are nonexistent. This water is just pouring in and flooding.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ROMANS: Officials have called for voluntary evacuations in parts of Houston where residents are reeling from Memorial Day floods that swept away hundreds of cars and homes.
We get more from CNN's Sara Sidner.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are Seabrook, Texas, that this is a very low-lying area. We need to be fair about that because this is not what it looks like everywhere. However, there is some trouble from Tropical Storm Bill. A boat sitting here, you know, near the water where it should be, but we're actually in a parking lot and next to us are homes.
And these homes are kind of used to it because on the one side, they have the Galveston Bay, which is kicking up on the other side, an estuary. And so, they are getting water and in a low-lying area.
The water has made it into the garages of these homes here, but the folks here say, look, we are used to this. The worst we ever had was Hurricane Ike back in 2008. After that, they said the rest of this they said we can deal with this and know not to put things in their garages, they know to lift things up, and that's exactly what they've done.
Most folks here are taking it in stride. There has been a warning -- a tornado warning that has been in effect throughout the evening and into the night to midnight. But, so far, this storm really hasn't done much damage. There is still always a concern about flooding, and it's supposed to last at least through Wednesday, so everyone is waiting and watching to see what happens with Tropical Storm Bill -- Christine.
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[04:35:05] ROMANS: So much water. I should mention Hurricane Ike, that was a hurricane. This is a tropical depression now. But much of Texas is under a flood watch today.
Let's get to meteorologist Pedram Javaheri for an early look at your forecast.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey, good morning.
And let's take a look at this, because, you know, for some people, the worst of the storm certainly not over yet. Models doing a pretty good job so far with the storm system. This point by this afternoon, the center of circulation of the tropical depression goes over the Dallas metroplex region. And once it gets there thunderstorm potential back in the picture and we know the radar estimates totals somewhere around six to eight inches from say La Grange towards (INAUDIBLE, Bay City, one of the areas very hard hit, and again heaviest rainfall remaining offshore in the past 24 hours.
Still some strong thunderstorm activity around the Port Lavaca Region, work your way to the north, Waco getting strong thunderstorms this morning. And again, give it a couple of hours and we think Dallas will begin to pick up tremendous rainfall as well. And take a look, some 30 million people from Houston out towards St. Louis underneath the flood watches, warnings and advisories that are in place this morning, and the storm exhibiting some rotation.
So, about 3.5 million people underneath a tornado watch that conspires at 7:00 a.m. local time and includes Houston as well so something worth noting before the storm system pushes out of this region in very slow moving feature here and by midweek to the latter portion of the week, the rainfall, anywhere from Indianapolis even towards Pittsburgh and by Saturday night, New York city gets in on heavy rainfall. That will be remnants of the storm system so a wide reaching impact over this region -- guys.
ROMANS: All right. Pedram, thank you for that.
The Obama administration's Middle East strategy goes under the microscope today when Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and Joint Chiefs chairman, General Martin Dempsey, appear before the House Armed Services Committee. They're expected to be grilled about the war on ISIS, and just what the Pentagon's plan to set up training basis in Iraq manned by hundreds of U.S. troops.
Meanwhile, ISIS has lost control of the northern Syrian town of Tal Abyad, to Kurdish fighters.
CNN's Jomana Karadsheh is tracking that story live for us from Amman, Jordan.
And, ISIS, after just a couple of days fighting, gave up that town. How important is that town?
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Very significant, Christine. The loss of Tal Abyad would arguably be the biggest, most significant loss for ISIS in a very long time, especially after we have seen the group gaining territory, both in Iraq and Syria over recent weeks, with the gain of Ramadi and Palmira in Syria.
This would be a significant loss for ISIS and also a significant gain for the local grounds on the troop backed by the coalition air strikes. Over the past month, we saw them making advances. These Kurdish YPG fighters along with Syrian and other groups have made advances around that area in the province taking over villages.
In recent days, they did seem to be advancing fast and taking control of the Syrian side of the Akcakale border crossing with Turkey. This is a very significant one that was under the control of is.
And just yesterday, the YPG, the Kurdish fighters, and Syrian Arab fighters announcing that they are in full control of the town of Tal Abyad and saying right now, they were clearing the towns of mines and improvised explosive devices, something that we have seen ISIS leave behind in liberated areas.
Of course, lots of questions about ISIS would give up such a strategic town that is close to the Turkish border. And its main point into ISIS-controlled territory, just about 50 miles from its de facto capital in Syria, the city of Raqqa. Tal Abyad was a main crossing border for supplies coming in and smuggling route for ISIS and also for funneling in the foreign fighters.
So, lots of questions about why it only took two days for Tal Abyad to fall. If we saw the same exact forces, Christine, were involved in intense fighting for months for the city of Kobani, which was not as strategic.
Now, of course, a lot of concern what ISIS might be planning, possibly a counterattack in response.
ROMANS: All right. Jomana Karadsheh for us this morning in Amman, Jordan -- thank you for that.
NATO is condemning Russia for building up its nuclear arsenal. Russian President Vladimir Putin announcing his country is, quote, "modernizing its military by putting 40 new intercontinental ballistic missiles into service this year.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called the move unjustified, destabilizing, and dangerous. He says Russia's nuclear saber-rattling leaves NATO countries no choice but to increase military readiness.
Time for an early start on your money this morning. Socks are higher, while we wait for news from the Federal Reserve. No action on interest rates today but should have a better look how the Fed sees the economy. If it's on track, it could be higher interest rates coming in September.
Soon you won't find trans fat on any grocery store shelf. The FDA declared trans fat unsafe for eating and told food companies to get rid of them by June 2018.
[04:40:04] Now, a lot of food giants and restaurants have already started phasing out trans fat, especially after the FDA started requiring warning labels. But some of the most popular food brands in America are still guilty, Bisquick, Duncan Hines frosting, Jiffy Pop popcorn, Popeyes onion rings and Cajun fries. These companies say they are working hard to change their recipes and find alternatives.
Forty minutes past the hour.
The former NAACP leader accused of lying about her race defends herself with new questions about who her real parents might be. Strange new twist, ahead.
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ROMANS: Former NAACP local leader Rachel Dolezal calling into question the white parents who raised her are actually her biological parents. They say they are. She is questioning that.
Listening to this interview Dolezal gave to NBC's Savannah Guthrie. She insists there is no DNA proof her parents gave birth to her. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, NBC NEWS: You doubt whether Ruthanne and Larry to say they are your parents. You doubt whether they are your parents?
RACHEL DOLEZAL, FORMER NAACP LEADER: I don't -- I'm just saying I can't prove that.
GUTHRIE: There's a birth certificate that has your name and their names on it. Why would you doubt something so fundamental?
RACHEL DOLEZAL: I'm not necessarily saying that I can't prove they're not. But I don't know that I can actually prove they are. I mean, the birth certificate was issued a month and a half after I'm born. It certainly -- there are no medical witnesses to my birth.
RUTHANNE DOLEZAL: We are concerned she is not being rational and not being honest with herself or with others, and in her attempt to establish a new identity, she has become very malicious toward her biological family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Dolezal says raising two black sons helped her, quote, "owned what it means to experience and live blackness."
All right. His kickoff announcement was pure trump. Billionaire Donald Trump jumping into the Republican race for president with the rambling stream of consciousness speech, taking direct aim at some of the Republican rivals and firmly staking his claim as the outsider in chief.
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[04:45:00] DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: All of these politicians that I'm running against now, they are trying to disassociate-- I mean, you looked at Bush. It took him five days to answer the question on Iraq. He couldn't answer the question. He didn't know. I said, is he intelligent?
Then, I looked at Rubio.
He was unable to answer the question. Is Iraq a good thing or a bad thing? He didn't know. He couldn't answer the question!
How are these people going to lead us? How are we going to go back and make it great again?
We can't. They don't have a clue. They can't lead us. They can't. They can't even answer simple questions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: All right. We get more on Trump's big announcement from senior Washington correspondent Joe Johns.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Christine, Donald Trump heads for New Hampshire today after making his first campaign stop last night in Iowa. He's been flirting with a run for president for decades, but finally made it official on Tuesday. His kickoff event was about as raw and an unfiltered as it gets for the modern American presidential candidate, saying what is on his mind and not letting the script for his kickoff speech get in the way and not shy either about his wealth.
For other candidates like Mitt Romney, last cycle, it was a delicate issue. For Trump, it's a selling point. By any standard, an unusual kickoff speech, moving back and forth between prepared text and extemporaneous remarks, jumping from topic to topic, issue to issue.
Trump was clear who he sees as bad and good, starting with the current occupant of the White House. He called the president a bad negotiator and called the president's signature health care plan a big lie.
He also went after some of the Republican contenders, including Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio.
His challenge will be his low approval ratings, 58 percent of Iowa Republicans who responded to a poll said they would never vote for him. The Trump campaign says that dynamic will change now that he's in the race. They expect his approval ratings to rise.
A Trump campaign was welcomed by some who said they hoped he would make the race more entertaining. But some Republican strategists fear it could turn the race into a reality show -- Christine.
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ROMANS: All right. Thanks, Joe.
So, what's your next move after finally announcing that you're running for president? Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush stopping by "The Tonight Show" Tuesday to show-jam the news with Jimmy Fallon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm looking forward to hitting the campaign trail and discussing the issues that are important to all Americans. And having spirited debates with my fellow Republicans about how to solve them.
JIMMY FALLON, TONIGHT SHOW: You don't want to mess with Little Jebby. Because when it comes to debating, he's a master.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's a master debater --
FALLON: Now, that we're talking about the issues, where do you stand on immigration?
BUSH: Well, Jimmy, we're a nation of immigrants and I believe everyone should ever the chance to achieve the American dream. And to translate that for all your Spanish speaking viewers (SPEAKING SPANISH)
FALLON: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold the telefono. I know I just got back from Miami, but I didn't think I was interviewing Governor Pitbull.
(MUSIC)
BUSH: Fireball!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: It was the first-ever late night appearance for Jeb Bush.
All right. Golden State Warrior fans celebrating this morning. The team winning its first NBA championship in 40 years! Andy Scholes joins me live. That's next.
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[04:52:32] ROMANS: For the first time in 40 years, the Golden State Warriors are NBA champions. The party is still going on in the Bay Area, but it's a different story in Cleveland and that's where we find Andy Scholes.
Hey, Andy.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Christine. Yes, it was a sea of sadness outside of Quicken Loans Arena last night. The fans here not happy that the 51-year championship drought is going to continue for the city of Cleveland.
But for the Warriors, their wait is over. For the first time in 40 years, they are NBA champions. The Warriors, they jumped out to a 15- point lead in this game in the third quarter. And they did it as a team.
LeBron and the Cavs, they would make a final run in this one late in the game but they just didn't have enough. The Warriors ended up winning 105-97. Andre Iguodala was named the finals MVP after an amazing series.
After the game, CNN's Rachel Nichols, she caught up with Warriors superstar Steph Curry to talk about winning his first championship.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RACHEL NICHOLS, CNN SPORTS: What does it feel like to reach this after everything you've been through?
STEPH CURRY, GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS GUARD: This is amazing. All those things you just talked about, the injuries, the underdog stories, it makes this moment so much more special. Having just to fight your way every single year and get a little bit better, have a great group of teammates that this is a bond that we will have forever.
(END VIDEO CLIP) SCHOLES: Pretty cool moment before the game. 19-year-old Marlana VanHoose sung one of the most awesome national anthems you'll ever here. Take a listen.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
SCHOLES: Social media went absolutely crazy, praising her performance and rightfully so. Marlana suffers from cerebral palsy and is blind. She wasn't even supposed to live a year, but now, she is an inspiration to us all. I witnessed that live. It was incredible!
All right. U.S. women's soccer team is headed to the knockout stage of the Women's World Cup. Team USA beat Nigeria last night 1-0. Captain Abby Wambach scored the game's only goal. Team USA's next game going to be Monday night, but they're not going to know who they're going to face in the next round until after today's games.
All right. We could have one of the biggest sports scandals in history on our hands. The FBI is investigating whether the St. Louis Cardinals hacked into the Houston Astros computer database that house the team's evaluations of players and trade discussions.
[04:55:01] Current Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow, he used to work for the Cardinals. He is known for using what some call extreme money ball to evaluate players. Major League Baseball, the Astros and Cardinals all say they are fully cooperating with the FBI investigation.
And, Christine, it's very interesting, the Astros, they used physicists, former NASA engineers to come up with all of these complex algorithms and evaluations -- or to evaluate players, and if the Cardinals intentionally went in there to hack the Astros system to steal this information, I mean, this could be huge.
ROMANS: Yes. That is really, really interesting story.
All right. Thanks, Andy. We will keep track of that.
All right. Fifty-five minutes past the hour.
Hey, parents, are you worried about your little darling's future? The best jobs for millennials, next.
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ROMANS: Good morning. I'm Christine Romans. Let's get an early start on your money this morning.
European stocks lower right now. Last-minute negotiations to avoid a Greek default still ongoing. U.S. stock futures looking more upbeat. We're going to hear today, later today from the Federal Reserve chair, this woman, Janet Yellen today. No action on interest rates is expected but we could get a better look at how the Fed sees the economy and outlook determine who interest rates will finally rise.
All right. Parents, listen up, these are the best job prospects for millennials. Those are people 18 to, you know, early 30s.
[05:00:01] Topping CareerCast list out today -- advertising account executive. Look at that annual median salary, 115 grand. Millennials are in high demand there. Also in the top five, civil engineer, computer systems analyst ,data scientist, and financial planner. Notice a trend? A lot of STEM jobs there. Science, technology, engineering, and math.
All right, 5:00 on the nose. EARLY START continues right now.
