Return to Transcripts main page
Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
New York Prison Break: Arrested Worker Visited By Husband; Texas Facing Dangerous Threat; Donald Trump Running for President; Warriors Beat Cavaliers to Win NBA Title. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired June 17, 2015 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:00] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: 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 top five and computer systems analyst, data scientist and financial planner. Notice a trend? A lot of STEM jobs there. Science, technology, engineering and math.
All right. It's 5:00 on the nose. EARLY START continues right now.
(MUSIC)
ROMANS: Stunning new details in the New York prison break. Was the woman accused of helping two dangerous killers escape, was she having a romantic relationship with both of them? Her husband now visiting her in jail. What his attorney says about his relationship with his wife? This as the search widens for the escaped inmates.
Tropical Depression Bill barreling across an already water-logged Texas this morning. The threat of dangerous flooding is rising.
And the Golden State Warriors winning their first NBA title in 40 years. Fans celebrating this morning. Sadness in Cleveland. We are live.
Good morning and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans. John Berman has the morning off. It is Wednesday, June 17th, 5:00 a.m. in the East.
She may have been plotting to kill him, and now, Joyce Mitchell and her husband have come face-to-face behind bars. Mitchell is the prison worker who allegedly helped two coldblooded killers escape from a maximum security facility in upstate New York. Now, investigators believe she may have been plotting to have her husband murdered.
Mitchell's lawyer insists that's not the case. And 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)
Now, the lawyer for Joyce Mitchell's husband says he is not standing by her, as officials investigate whether she 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: Remarkable. All right. Jason Carroll, thank you so much.
Tropical Storm Bill downgraded to a tropical depression overnight, but still taking quite a toll on Texas. 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: Wow. 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, and 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.
[05:05:02] They 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.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right. Thank you for that, Sara.
Now, how severe is the flood threat for Texas today? Let's get right to meteorologist Pedram Javaheri.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey, good morning, Christine.
Yes, the flood potential pretty high across much of Texas. And you know what's happened here, of course, in recent weeks, with a surplus of over a foot of rain in Houston. Nearly a foot and a half there coming out of Oklahoma City and Dallas as well and moisture through the roof. So, you take a look at the perspective. We know where the water table is, where the ground water it. Any sort of additional flooding especially if you're around the banks of, say, the Trinity River, the Red River, these areas, the rainfall amounts we are expecting, especially into the afternoon hours.
Daytime heating will ignite these thunderstorms and they could bring in rainfall rates well over 2 inches per hour. So, if this happens in the wrong place at the wrong time, and you're in that area, it becomes very, very dangerous, and that's why the National Weather Service has issued a flood watch and advisories and also warnings for about 30 million people. It stretches all the way towards the Midwest.
And this pattern, again, not just a single or a couple of states being impacted. It's a multi-states, multiday event that is setting up. Storms already popping up this morning around the coast. Kind of on the southern fringe of this feature and then you look at the depression itself.
Enough rotation, especially around Houston area where the National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch. That's for about 3.5 million around the Houston metro, so we are watching that until 7:00 a.m. local time.
But notice, slowly meanders out of the picture. As it does, heavy rainfall continues into the Midwest. In fact, over the next seven day, Christine, rainfall amounts could exceed a couple of inches, even around St. Louis, Indianapolis and heavy rains around New York by Saturday night.
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 get grilled about the war on ISIS, and Pentagon's plan to set up training bases 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.
NATO is condemning Russia for building up its arsenal. Russian President Vladimir Putin announcing his country is modernizing its military by putting 40 new intercontinental missiles into service this year, 40 new missiles. 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.
Secretary of State John Kerry says the U.S. is prepared to ease sanctions against Iran, even though there is evidence suggesting Iranian scientists are working secretly on nuclear weapons. In his first State Department news conference since breaking his leg in a bicycle accident, Kerry says the U.S. is not fixated on Iran's past activities, but rather on his conduct moving forward. Millions of federal employees' records were not encrypted when they
were allegedly stolen by Chinese hackers and security software that could have prevented this breach, that software was never installed. That admission coming from the Office of Personnel Management, that's the federal government's human resources agency. Intelligence officials are concerned the big breach could be used to blackmail Americans or recruit spies.
Dozens of new e-mails between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her confidant Sidney Blumenthal could be released sooner rather than later. That's according to the top House Republican investigating the 2012 Benghazi attack. Blumenthal turned over the emails yesterday before appearing in a close door deposition with Benghazi House committee members.
The Golden State Warriors are your 2015 NBA champions. Steph Curry and Andre Iguodala scoring 25 points each to lead the Warriors to a 105-97 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in game six of the finals lasted night. Iguodala earning MVP honors for the series. LeBron James poured in 32 points, pulled down 18 rebound, the Cavs in that losing effort there in Cleveland.
Donald Trump running for president with tough talk for his opponents as Jeb Bush shows off his late night slow-jamming skills. We got that next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:12:46] ROMANS: So, what's your next move after finally announcing you're running for president? Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush stopping by "The Tonight Show" Tuesday to slow jam the news with Jimmy Fallon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yesterday, in Miami, I formally announced my candidacy for president of the United States. I thought long and hard about this decision. And after careful consideration, I determined that now was the right time to launch my campaign for the Republican nomination.
JIMMY FALLON, THE TONIGHT SHOW: Oh, yeah. The governor thought long and hard about joining the GOP race. After months of being a total caucus tease, Jeb finally made up his mind and quit beating around the bush.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jeb really wants to get in the White House but as not as bad as Obama wants out --
(END VIDE OCLIP)
ROMANS: It was the first-ever late night appearance for Jeb Bush, mostly likely won't be his last.
The Donald's big campaign kickoff announcement was pure trump. The billionaire jumping into the Republican race for president with a rambling stream of consciousness speech, taking direct aim at some of his Republican rivals, firmly staking his claim as the outsider-in- chief.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
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: Totally unscripted. Among the things he said, the American dream is dead, he says America spends too much on education and gets too little in return.
Let's get more on Trump's big announcement from CNN's 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.
[05:15:02] 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.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right. Joe Johns, thanks for that.
As Donald Trump hits the campaign trail, rocker Neil Young is blasting the billionaire, blasting him for using his classic song "Rockin' in the Free World" without his permission. In a statement, Young's longtime manager says Donald Trump was not authorized to use "Rockin' in the Free World" in his presidential candidacy announcement. Neil Young, a Canadian citizen, is a supporter of Bernie Sanders for the president of the United States of America.
So, just how rich is Donald Trump? That's been a matter of debate for years. At his announcement yesterday, he said he is worth more than $8.7 billion. The third parties say that number is too high. They put it closer to $4 billion.
What is the difference? The value of the Trump brand which is hard to quantify. Regardless, Trump says his money is the best qualities when can comes to running the country. It means he won't be swayed by special interests.
Time for an early start on your money. U.S. stock futures are higher in the morning. We'll hear from Fed Chair Janet Yellen later today. No action likely today, but we'll be looking for any clues today a rate hike is coming in September as expected.
Yesterday stocks rose. The Dow up 113 points despite the concerns about interest rates and Greece's debt crisis.
One of Sunday's shark attack victims in North Carolina is speaking out from his hospital bed. Sixteen-year-old Hunter Treschl had his left arm amputated below the shoulder. He describes the moment the shark first began to attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTER TRESCHL, SHARK ATTACK VICTIM: I was just in about waist-deep water, I would say, playing with my cousin, like I said. And I felt this kind of hit on my left leg, like I felt like it was a big fish coming at you or something. Then, I felt it like one more time and then it just hit my arm. It was -- that was the first. I saw it was biting up my left arm kind of, then it got that off eventually and it swam -- I don't know if it swam away, but I was able to move and I got out of the water with the help of my cousin and on the beach.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: I cannot believe his demeanor the way he is able to sort of laugh about. . A nervous laugh, obviously.
Twelve-year-old Kiersten Yow also had her left arm amputated but her parents say she should be able to keep her left leg which was also bitten by a shark.
Troubling new data collected by NASA -- troubling data showing the world is running out of water. More than half of the earth's 37 largest underground aquifers are being depleted at alarming rates. That's according to information collected from the GRACE Satellite System. The issue is something scientists long suspected. This is the first detailed assessment showing the major aquifers struggling to keep up with human demand.
LeBron James and the city of Cleveland, they're going to have to wait a little longer for an NBA title. The Golden State Warriors ending a 40-year drought to become king of the league.
Andy Scholes, king of sports. He has all the details in the bleacher report, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: All right. For the first time in 40 years, the Golden State Warriors are NBA champs. The party is still going on in the Bay Area. It's a different story in Cleveland, and that is where we find our very own Andy Scholes.
Sad night in Cleveland.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Christine, it certainly was. A lot of sad fans out here last night. No one happy to see that the 51-year championship drought will continue for the city of Cleveland.
But for the warriors, their wait is finally over. For the first time in 40 years, they are NBA champions. They won this championship as a team. Last night in game six, they opened up a 15-point lead in the third quarter and never looked back.
LeBron and the Cavs, they did make a late run late in the fourth quarter but they didn't have enough. The Warriors won game six 105- 97. Andre Iguodala was named the final's MVP after a great series. After the game, CNN's Rachel Nichols 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) ROMANS: Pretty cool moment before the game, 19-year-old Marlana VanHoose sang one of the best national anthems you'll ever hear. 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 and I have to say it was incredible.
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.
[05:25:01] 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 until the next round -- 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 currently investigating whether the St. Louis Cardinals hacked into the Houston Astros computer database that house the team's evaluations of players and trade discussions.
Major League Baseball, the Astros and Cardinals all say they are fully cooperating with the FBI investigation. Now, 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.
And, the Astros, they employ physicists, they employ a former NASA engineer to come up with all of these complex algorithms to evaluate their players, Christine, so if the Cardinals intentionally went in there to hack the Astros system to learn this information, I mean, forget about the spygate, forget about deflategate --
ROMANS: Right.
SCHOLES: -- this would be the biggest scandal we've seen in sports history.
ROMANS: That's really interesting. Hacking means extreme money ball. Really interesting if that happened.
All right. Thanks so much, Andy Scholes, in Cleveland for us this morning.
All right. Stunning new details in the New York prison break. New accusations against the worker arrested in that case, as the search for two killers goes cold.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: 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.
Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans. John Berman has this Wednesday off. It is 30 minutes past the hour.
She may have been plotting to kill him.
