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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Terror Attack at French Factory; Obama to Visit Charleston, Deliver Eulogy; Investigating New York Prison Break; Supreme Court Upholds Obamacare Again; Millennials Overtake Baby Boomers; Taylor Swift to Stream Music on Apple. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired June 26, 2015 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:30:06] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Disturbing new details on the man who killed nine people in a South Carolina church. Was he planning an even bigger attack? This as the president travels to Charleston this morning to honor the victims.
Sleeping on the job. Yes, perhaps literally. Troubling new information about the prison where two dangerous killers escaped. That's ahead.
Welcome back to EARLY START, everyone. I'm John Berman. About 30 minutes past the hour. We do have some breaking news this morning.
Government officials in France are reporting a possible terrorist attack with at least one person killed and a suspect in police custody.
Let's get straight to CNN's Jim Bittermann in Paris for us with the latest -- Jim.
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John, good morning. In fact we're just getting details coming in about an hour and a half ago, apparently. There was an explosion at the plant, for the air products plant, which is about 25 miles from Lyon, the city of Lyon. An explosion that was caused, apparently, by a terrorist act, although we're still waiting to hear confirmation of that.
The Interior Minister is on his way down to that area. And a member of parliament who happens to be on the scene down there is saying that in fact the situation is now somewhat stabilized at least. After this there's a number of, of course, fire trucks and police officers on the scene. And they have arrested, apparently, one of the two individuals that are believed to have carried out this attack.
But perhaps the most disturbing thing, John, is that according to reports, there was a decapitated body of man found nearby this plant with an Islamist flag, an Islamic fundamentalist flag around the body. And I think the idea that -- the suggestion anyway that it might be some kind of a terrorist act -- John.
BERMAN: That's horrible. To be clear, there is a suspect now in custody, Jim?
BITTERMANN: Yes, according to what we're hearing from reports from AFP that there is a suspect in custody. Apparently the two men, according to -- again, according to reports, tried to break into the plant with a car. They rammed through the gate. There was an explosion. This is the plant makes all kinds of -- different kinds of compressed air products. And there was an explosion. It did not apparently do further damage to the plant.
The member of parliament said that the plant appeared to be normal. Not what -- there was a fire going on. But there of course it's all surrounded by firemen and police. And it's a little difficult to know exactly what's going on. But we're getting details gradually here as people get on the scene. I'm sure we'll get something from the Interior minister when he gets down here. But it's been taken a little bit to get down there -- John.
BERMAN: All right, Jim Bittermann, for us with the news this morning.
And one dead, perhaps decapitated. An explosion at an industrial plant near Lyon. We'll bring you the very latest on that as it comes in.
Also breaking overnight, new evidence that the man who has admitted to killing nine people in a Charleston church may have planned a much bigger killing spree. A Columbia police report says that during a police stop in March, officers found a part for an assault weapon plus six 40-round ammunition clips in the would-be killer's car.
Roof told the officers that he wanted to buy an AR-15 assault rifle for shooting on a range but did not have the money. This new information comes as his family is promising to provide answers to many questions about the attack at some point in the future.
In a statement, the family says now is not the time. They say, quote, "After an appropriate time, there will be an opportunity to have questions answered, but we ask that right now, care and attention and support be given to the grieving family members of the victims."
Along those lines this morning, President Obama and the first lady fly to Charleston for the funeral of the Reverend Clementa Pinckney. The president will deliver the eulogy for the pastor of Emanuel AME Church. He was one of nine people killed there in last week's attack.
Our national correspondent Martin Savidge is in Charleston with the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. Today is going to be another emotional day here in Charleston. It was yesterday, of course, we had the first two funerals and then last night we saw as the Reverend Clementa Pinckney was carried back to the church which he led and of course the church in which he was murdered just over a week ago. In fact, it was a very powerful scene as you watch his casket being carried up the front steps of Mother Emanuel Church.
Today there's going to be just a whole host of dignitaries that will be attending his funeral. First and foremost, the president, the first lady, the vice president, the speaker of the House, and also Secretary Hillary Clinton. That's just naming some of the dignitaries.
The role that the president has to play, of course, he's delivering the eulogy, but he's going to be the comforter-in-chief. It's a role that he's had to play before, but this one and this time is very, very different. Unlike other national tragedies this one is a racially motivated massacre. He's of course our first black president, and race is an issue that he has not really wanted to talk about much in the early part of his administration but as we know from just this week, it became a very blunt conversation.
[05:35:12] So it is likely that race will be part of the eulogy. It's also possible that gun control, gun issues could be part of this eulogy as well. This is not just a city that has to heal, but it's a nation that will also be looking to the president, not just for comfort but perhaps for some insight for the issue of race, which as a nation we still grapple with today -- John.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: Yes, well said, Martin. It will be an emotional day in Charleston today.
New information this morning on the help of a -- on the help that a New York corrections officer allegedly gave two convicted killers who escaped from an upstate security prison -- max security prison nearly three weeks ago. Court documents reveal that Gene Palmer told detectives that he unintentionally made their escape easier by providing needle-nosed pliers and a flat-head screw driver to one of the inmates.
Let's get the latest on the investigations. Let's bring in CNN's Alexandra Field.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, the Inspector General's Office is doing a thorough investigation of the prison, trying to determine what kinds of protocol may have been breached to allow the prisoners to successfully complete that elaborate escape plan. Now investigators are looking at whether corrections officers on the honor block may have slept during their evening shift. That could have potentially left David Sweat and Richard Matt unsupervised long enough to prepare for their escape.
At the same time, a second prison employee has now been charged in connection with that escape. Gene Palmer is talking candidly to state police, talking about what was going on behind bars. He even talks about being involved in certain trades with the inmates. He says that there was an exchange. He was given paintings and information about potentially illegal activity happening behind bars in exchange for certain kinds of assistance, including paint and paint brushes, hamburger meat and access to an electrical box in the catwalk behind the men's cells, the same catwalks that they had to move through in order to escape from that prison.
Palmer tells police he had no idea that any of the assistance he was providing would in any way make an escape easier -- John.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: Thanks, Alexandra, for that.
A pilot and eight passengers are dead after a small plane crash in Alaska. The eight were cruise ship passengers on an aerial sightseeing tour. Authorities say the plane crashed into a cliff Thursday about 25 miles from Ketchikan, in Alaska. It is still not known what caused this crash. NTSB investigators are headed to the scene this morning. The eight passengers were taking a seven-day cruise aboard the Holland America ship MS Amsterdam.
This morning, Republicans are vowing that their fight to kill Obamacare is not over. That even though the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that it is legal for the government to subsidize insurance for Americans who buy through the federal exchange. The response to that ruling at the White House can best be described as -- you see it right there -- a little bit of jubilant.
CNN's Michelle Kosinski has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, John. Well, what we've been hearing from the White House leading up to this decision was a lot of confident posturing, saying things like this is an easy case, it should never have been taken up, almost challenging the Supreme Court publicly. So then to see this sense of relief around here, the celebration after the decision, tells you that maybe they didn't think it was quite so certain things would go their way.
I mean, there were after all two separate speeches written just in case. Then you see the photos of people full on hugging; the president exuberantly slapping hands there with his chief of staff. Also when he went out to the Rose Garden to deliver his speech, he went immediately to legacy, saying that, you know, this is something that had been talked about for a century, debated for decades, but now, health care is the right of everyone. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Affordable Care Act is here to stay. Some day our grand kids will ask us if there was really a time when America discriminated against people who get sick, because that is something this law has ended for good.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSINSKI: So is the president going to celebrate this? The White House won't say. Does he feel vindicated? They also won't use that word, but they do say that he is pleased. You know, the White House, as usual, want to frame this in terms of helping the middle class. And the president in his speech said this is a victory for hardworking Americans. It's a good day for America. He doesn't say it's a good day for himself.
But we all know this is a very good day for the White House. One of their best. Especially since on the very same day the president's Congress finally passed these extremely contentious bills that now open the door to his historic trade pact with Asia.
The White House acknowledges, though, that the battles are far from over. I mean already Republicans are bound to keep trying to, quote, "Protect Americans from Obamacare, by repealing it." And also, as the trade deal with Asia gets to its final stages, the president could face another showdown with members of his own party.
Keep in mind, too, that five days from now, four days from now, is the deadline for the Iran nuclear deal and that is going to bring a set of fireworks all its own -- John.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[05:40:12] BERMAN: Yes, the fun's not over yet. Michelle Kosinski, thank you so much.
And the Supreme Court, it will hand down more rulings this morning. Four major cases remain on the docket covering drug use in executions, the cost of cleaning up power plant emissions, the use of nonpartisan panels in congressional redistricting, and the most highly anticipated decision, whether same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry.
So Donald Trump, dumped by Univision. The network pulling the plug on the Miss USA Pageant. What ignited this controversy and how Trump is responding? That's coming up.
Plus we are following breaking news just coming into us out of France. It appears that a person has been decapitated in a terror attack. There was an explosion. We're going to have all the details right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: All right. There is breaking news this morning. A possible terror attack in France. A man suspected of launching a deadly attack against a gas factory in France. Happening in Grenoble. That suspect is now under arrest. Sources say the attacker set off several small explosions inside this chemical factory.
[05:45:04] Now the disturbing part is that a decapitated body was found near the factory. There was a note or some kind of symbol nearby as well.
Stay with CNN. We're going to keep you updated as soon as we learn more.
In the meantime, newly minted presidential candidate Donald Trump is threatening to sue the Spanish language TV network Univision for dropping coverage of the Miss USA Pageant, which Trump co-owns. Univision says it is responding to harsh words from Trump about Mexican immigrants at his campaign kickoff speech. This is some of what Trump said earlier this month.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They are bringing drugs, they are bringing crime, they are rapists and some I assume are good people. But I speak to border guards and they tell us what we're getting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: On Thursday, Trump spoke to Erin Burnett about the lawsuit and what he calls his love for the Mexican people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: They have a huge legal ability. You know, we're going to be suing them anyway because Univision has been, in my opinion, given instructions from Mexico to get me, not to stop so much with the border, but to stop talking about trade with Mexico and other countries, but to stop talking about trade with Mexico, because Mexico is ripping us off so badly. And again, I love Mexican people. Their tremendous spirit, tremendous -- I have great affection for the Mexican people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Trump says Univision is reneging on what he called an iron- clad contract. Both co-hosts of the Spanish language Miss USA telecast have now dropped out.
All right. Violence in the streets. Uber cars attacked. Celebrities held hostage. What ignited the mayhem? That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:50:33] BERMAN: Really extraordinary sights on the streets of France. Taxi drivers protesting against the online ride service Uber. They turned the streets of Paris, really, into this bizarre scene. Blocking roads and attacking drivers they thought were working for Uber. Courtney Love was among the passengers caught in the crossfire. She tweeted out a picture of her car's smashed windshield saying, "They've ambushed our car and are holding our driver hostage. They're beating the cars with metal bats. This is France? I'm safer in Baghdad."
When they go after Courtney Love, you know it is serious. CNN's Jim Bittermann is live in Paris with the developments.
Good morning, Jim.
BITTERMANN: She wasn't the only victim, John. In fact there are quite a few others. Thousands of people were inconvenienced yesterday with those taxi blockades around the airports, particularly. Things are a bit better today. In fact, there's only one real hot spot in Paris where there are some hardliners who are holding out. But for the most part, the drivers seem to be placated by what the government has promised, which is that they're going to go after Uber Pop drivers and the administration of Uber Pop if they continue to operate on the streets of Paris.
But just to show you how bad things got yesterday, today one of the largest taxi unions has declared free taxi for people coming into the airport. You get a free ride in their taxis today because they felt the image was so bad yesterday of all these things going on. Of course, the image wasn't particularly great before yesterday. In any case, damage was so bad that they wanted to try to do something to improve that -- John.
BERMAN: Really extraordinary images on the streets of that city. We'll see how long it goes on for.
Jim, I really appreciate it.
So Taylor Swift at least is safe, if Courtney Love is not. The rift healed between the megastar and Apple. We'll tell you the final result next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:56:29] BERMAN: Time now for an EARLY START on your money. Alison Kosik here with that.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: And it looks like a lower start for stocks. Asian markets closed in the red. European stocks and U.S. futures are following their lead.
The market's nervous about Greece. Yesterday's negotiations came to an end without a deal again. Both sides plan to continue negotiations tomorrow as the clock winds down. Tuesday is Greece's deadline to reach a debt deal with its international creditors. And if no deal is reached, it would make a Greek exit from the European Union more likely.
Well, it's finally happened. Millennials are taking over the country. That's according to new data from the Census Bureau. Millennials born between 1982 and 2000 outnumbered baby boomers and they're also the most diverse generation. Almost half are part of at least one minority race.
And employers are changing how they recruit new employees to attract millennials. They want flexibility in where and when they work. In fact one survey even found a lack of flexibility as the top reason that millennials quit their jobs.
No more bad blood between Taylor Swift and Apple. Swift said she's happy to stream her album "1989" on Apple Music. The 25-year-old pop star tweeted this, "This is simply the first time it felt right in my gut to stream my album. Thank you, Apple, for your change of heart."
The move comes days after she threatened to pull her album from the streaming service. Apple is promoting a three-month free trial of the new service and Swift objected to its initial decision not to pay writers, producers, or artists during that time. So in response Apple said it will go ahead, changed its policy and pay artists even during the free trial.
A lot of power in that woman. Not just with her power with her music, but with her name as well. You know her middle name is Allison, that's a powerful name.
(LAUGHTER)
BERMAN: That's very powerful. When Taylor Swift wins, we all win.
Tourists killed when their sightseeing plane crashes. "NEW DAY" with all the latest, now.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, and welcome to your NEW DAY. Alisyn is in Charleston. John Berman is here in for Chris Cuomo. We are starting with breaking news. There's been an apparent terrorist attack at a factory in southeastern France. There are gruesome details coming in. We want to give you want we know at this point.
A man has been beheaded. Several others have been injured. We know that one person is in custody, although the detail is not clear if whether that person that's been arrested was an attacker.
BERMAN: Again, the details coming in just over the last several minutes now. Let's get the very latest. CNN's Jim Bittermann tracking the developments for us live from Paris.
Good morning, Jim.
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. In fact the very latest that we have is that the Paris prosecutor's office has commissioned its anti-terrorism section to start investigating this crime, which suggests that they think that this was a terrorist act. They're not saying or not confirming any way at this point that there is somebody under arrest. But that's what a lot of people are reporting. That they have arrested at least one person, not clear whether that's a suspect or somebody else that might have been at the scene.
As far as we know, basically, what happened was, according to reports, about two hours ago, two men in a car, apparently loaded with explosives, crashed into the gate, the front gate of this air products plant, which is a company to the south of Lyon, about 25 miles from Lyon, that makes all kinds of industrial compressed gases. And they crashed into the gate. The explosion in the car took place.
And there were no further, at least as far as we know, secondary explosions. We also aren't sure about injuries. We've heard there may have been some people injured.
