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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Cosby's Sex Admission; Iran Nuclear Negotiations: Deadline Day; Greece's Financial Crisis: Europe to the Rescue?; Murder Charge in San Francisco Shooting; World Cup Champs to Celebrate in L.A. Aired 5- 5:30a ET

Aired July 07, 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: It's not good news if your U.S. oil producer or you've been laying people off and suffering from lower energy prices.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, well.

ROMANS: Oh, well. Right.

BERMAN: EARLY START continues right now.

(MUSIC)

ROMANS: Breaking news this morning. Bill Cosby's stunning confession, admitting to getting drugs to use on women for sex. Courts documents unsealed. That's ahead.

BERMAN: Deadline day to reach a nuclear deal with Iran may be closer than ever, but there are still some obstacles in the way. We are covering this story from every angle. We are live at the negotiations in Vienna and we are inside Tehran.

ROMANS: Greece trying to reach a last-minute rescue with European, deep in debt, banks closed for a few more days, running out of money, and emergency meeting underway right now. We are live with the very latest. The end of the road for Greece, folks. It does not look good.

Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.

BERMAN: I'm John Berman. It is Tuesday, July 7. It is 5:00 a.m. in the East.

And breaking overnight: a stunning admission by Bill Cosby. He says he obtained a powerful sedative to give young women that he wanted to have sex with. In court documents released overnight, the comedian also admitted that he gave Quaaludes to at least one woman. His lawyer stopped Cosby whether he ever gave the drug to young women without their knowledge.

Women who have publicly accused Cosby of rape say the new revelation proves what they have been saying all along. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATTI MASTEN, SAYS BILL COSBY RAPED HER: Complete validation across the board from all of us. Complete validation. He will definitely be known as the most prolific serial rapist in the United States of America. No doubt, Dr. Huxtable will be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Cosby made these admission admissions under oath in a 2005 lawsuit filed by one of the more than two dozen women who have accused him of rape. The documents came out Monday because "The Associated Press" went to court to compel their release.

I want you to take a look at this. At one point in the back and forth, a lawyer for the woman suing Cosby asked him, "When you got the Quaaludes was it in your mind you would use these Quaaludes for young women you wanted to have sex with?" Cosby answers, "Yes". Cosby later corrects himself to say woman singular. Not women plural.

"The A.P." reports, at least two women they willingly took drugs Cosby gave them. Cosby has never been criminally charged. He has vehemently denied wrongdoing. CNN's efforts to contact his attorney for comments on the new disclosures have been unsuccessful.

ROMANS: All right. Happening now: Iran and six world powers face a deadline for the nuclear deal. But it is a self-imposed deadline, a deadline that can be extended, a soft deadline but an important one. With new snags cropping up, an extension is looking more likely. Iran now expects the United Nations to lift a five-year-old arms embargo, as part of overall sanctions relief.

The U.S. and partners in the talks don't want that. They oppose lifting the ban on import and export of conventional arms. Both sides are now saying the burden is on the other side to make hard decisions.

For the latest on this and other remaining obstacles of the deal, let's bring in senior international correspondent Nic Robertson. He's at the talks in Vienna.

And, Nic, you've been following these talks for weeks, for months now. There are no easy decisions when you are talking with Iran about a nuclear deal. They are all hard decisions.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They are. They have been thrown into much sharper focus. The situation you have here, you have all the heavy hitters in place. All of those people that need to be involved making the decisions and getting around the table.

Not only Secretary of State John Kerry, but you have the French foreign minister, German foreign minister, British foreign secretary, Russian foreign minister, Chinese foreign minister, you have the E.U. foreign policy chief. All of those people who need to be in the room discussing this and talking about the shape of what can be changed and what can be agreed with the Iranians are all there. So, this really is a moment where you get the sense that it has to happen.

The P5-plus-1 as they're known had two meetings last night, they've had another short meeting this morning. The expectation is they would go into a meeting with the Iranians. If that's happening, we're not aware of it, at the moment, the fact the talks went on past midnight is an indication that just perhaps how tough they are and how close they are.

Of course, we don't know what is being said behind closed doors. But yesterday, when the senior Iranian official gave a briefing, he made it very, very clear about the arms embargo. United Nations resolution led to an arms embargo on Iran. That is a red line for them. Not part of the nuclear deal itself, but they won't sign the broader nuclear agreement unless that arms embargo is lifted.

[05:05:03] Of course, that's the red line here. There are other issues that are outstanding, the amount of nuclear research and development that Iran can do over the next decade or so, site inspections for the nuclear watchdog in Iran if an agreement is made. That still has points to be hammered out, details on that to be hammered out.

But at the moment, the sense is everyone here is trying their best. They are all here still talking. But precisely if those gaps are narrowed, we just don't know at the moment, Christine.

ROMANS: They are still talking up late last night.

All right. Thanks so much for that, Nic.

BERMAN: All right. This morning, people around the world are hanging on the fate of the negotiations, particularly in Iran.

CNN's Frederik Pleitgen has been Iran, speaking from everyone from government officials and small villages speaking to elderly people there, getting a sense of what they are saying and what their feelings are about the talks. Fred joins us right now.

Fred, what are you hearing?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, it's quite remarkable, John, how well informed people are about the talks, especially about the nuances of the U.N. Security Councils resolutions, about the phase of sanctions relief, but also what the Iranians are asking for in return.

So, by and large, I would say the public is quite well-informed. However, if you look at Iranian media, there are rumors flying around here as to what might have been said and tentative agreements reached. It is something that people are clinging on to and something they talk about a lot as well.

This country has a very complex political structure, and also a very complex society with a lot of politics in it. Certainly, if you ask the majority of the population, most of them will tell you, they want sanctions relief, they want an agreement as fast as possible, they want their economy to be unleashed, especially, of course, if you look at the field of oil and gas where a lot of investment is needed.

But at the same time, you also have very powerful hard liners who don't want to give an inch, especially to the United States. You can literally feel how the government here is trying to mitigate all of that.

The interesting thing that happened just a couple of minutes of ago is that we learned that the authorities have said here that if agreement is reached, they have no plans for any celebrations. That is a concession to those hardliners who might be angry at any sort of ground that Iran might give the U.S. and other partners. It is interesting to see the rhetoric here and also the different moods of the different fields of society, John.

BERMAN: A balancing act inside Iran. Frederik Pleitgen for us, thanks so much, Fred.

ROMANS: All right. Happening now: European leaders meeting in Brussels, they're trying to stem the fallout from the Greek cash crisis. Greece is running out of money and at some point, will have to leave the euro if it can't get this resolved.

There was a resounding no vote against the latest bailout offer. Already, the European Central Bank has turned down an emergency request by Greek banks for cash. Without euros, Greek banks can't reopen and will remain close to at least.

Greeks will have to keep lining up at ATMs where they can only 60 euros per day. Today, Greek officials are at the summit to present their plan for new bailout. They already said no to higher taxes, they've already said no to more spending cuts. They've already said no to more pension cuts.

So, what can they offer? And will European leaders be less hostile for debt relief than they have been so far?

I want to ask CNN's Isa Soares live for us now in Athens.

Isa, debt relief actually writing off the debt of Greece. Is that on the table? What would that say to the other countries who have already taken very harsh austerity measures so that they could get their debts under control?

ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a very thorny issue. Good morning, Christine.

We don't know if it's on the table. We know, though, this is something the Greeks have been pushing for, for some time. And we also know that the Italians and the French have been amenable to that following the IMF report suggesting that Greece's debt is unsustainable.

Having said that, we do not know where Germany stands on this. This is something that from meeting after meeting they had. They have always taken a harsh tone when it comes to debt. Is Germany prepared to say, OK, we will give you debt relief? And will its people be happy?

It is worth pointing out to viewers, Christine, there are elections in the rest of Europe this year. There are elections in Spain and next year in Portugal. You know, German Chancellor Angela Merkel faces pressure at home over any sort of debt relief. They are owed the biggest amount of money by Greece.

Already this week, we have seen some protests in Portugal and some people really complaining about the fact their government hasn't pushed hard enough for a better deal. They are concerned about in Europe. They are concerned that there will be a ripple effect and people will start demanding more and more concessions from Europe.

[05:10:01] And this is something they will try to prevent. That is why today we are heard from Jean-Claude Juncker, the E.U. commission president, who basically said, made it very clear. He said, throwing Greece -- I'm going to quote him here, "Throwing Greece out of the monetary union or the European Union is not something we want, but it's time for those with common sense and reason to negotiate."

I think today, Christine, will be a time for talking, time to put exactly the proposals on the table, and if they think they're credible, then perhaps in two or three days, we may see the banks reopen. But if that doesn't happen, I don't think ECB is going to budge.

ROMANS: "Reuters" is calling this the end of the line for Greece in the euro. It doesn't have the cash. If people keep taking out of 60 euros a day, at some point, there will not been any money left, Isa. They're going to get an IOU from their government. And the moment that happen, that's the moment when you're talking about Greece having its own new currency, and that could be incredibly destabilizing.

Any suggestion that there isn't money in the banks? That, you know, 60 euros a day, that people are going to be able to get that out?

SOARES: Well, we know they were running out of 20 euro notes. I tried to take money yesterday no problem. I was in front of an ATM yesterday and people were able to get 60 euro out, Christine. You know, we know that the money is running thin. Three days ago, it was 1.5 billion left in Greek banks.

You know, we don't have -- the Greek government is not telling us how much money is left. We know that is very, very thin at the moment. The suggestion is by Tuesday they won't have enough money. These are just reports at the moment. People are nevertheless concerned. That is why we see people cueing up every single day, in the morning, right to the evening to get the 60 euro.

And before I pass it onto you, a lot of people are not spending it completely. They are saving it. Putting it under their pillow, under mattress, to make sure -- they don't know what's going to happen the rest of the week.

ROMANS: And we are seeing reports of family groups and neighbors getting together with informal groups keeping certain kinds of staples and getting their networks of how they supply themselves.

Thank you so much, Isa Soares. It's really --

SOARES: Yes, a lot of bartering. Thank you.

ROMANS: Yes, a lot of bartering, interesting, you know? It's just unchartered -- really never have been here before.

Investors hoping European leaders can make a deal before it is too late. European shares lower. Stock futures are a bit higher. The market in Athens still closed.

The country tumbling toward bankruptcy, which could almost certainly mean leaving the Eurozone. There is hope the European leaders will not let that happen, as Isa.

Yesterday, stocks fell in Europe. The U.S. following, and the U.S. following Greek citizens voting no.

Dow ended down 47 points and Wall Street paying a lot of attention, but I would say U.S. markets are not in panic mode yet. They are watching the painful process of diplomacy and waiting for some resolution.

BERMAN: They may not wait much longer.

A Mexican man illegally in the United States now charged with murder. He will be in court in just a few hours. This is a very controversial case. Wait until you hear what the family of the victim tells CNN. That's next.

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[05:16:l4] BERMAN: The man charged with killing a San Francisco woman on a public pier will be arraigned for murder today. The undocumented immigrant admitted on camera he killed Kate Steinle. He says it was an accident. He is a man with several past convictions who has crossed the border illegal many times.

This new alleged crime has touched off a firestorm of outrage in San Francisco's sanctuary city law. This prevents the city from handing over convicted felons to federal officials without a court order or warrant. The San Francisco sheriff is defending the law, saying it is vital to public safety.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROSS MIRKARIMI, SHERIFF, SAN FRANCISCO CITY AND COUNTY: When you look at how people were just so fearful to reporting and encountering local law enforcement, how they were really preyed upon, that changed dramatically when we enacted sanctuary city laws.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The family of the victim, they want to stay out of the sanctuary city debate. They kept their focus on their loved one. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRAD STEINLE, KATHRYN STEINLE'S BROTHER: All I feel now is love and I'm thankful that I had the time that I had with her because she was the most amazing sister. If I was able to talk to Kate right now, she would say, hey, Brad, it's OK. Just spread my memory and spread love and I know that would make her smile.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So sad. Our heart goes out to that family.

From San Francisco, CNN's Sara Sidner has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez is now being formally charged with murder by the San Francisco district attorney in the case of Kathryn Steinle. Kathryn Steinle was killed right behind me on Pier 14, when shots rang out from the stranger and she was hit from the upper body and died at the hospital.

Her family says they want no part in what has become a political debate in this case. The debate is over undocumented people being here and how they are treated by local, state and federal authorities. In this particular case, the outrage has grown because it turns out that Lopez-Sanchez was deported to Mexico five times before this happened.

He was expected to be deported a sixth time according to immigration and enforcement, but they did not get the chance to do that because he was then sent to San Francisco jail because of an old warrant after he left federal prison. That warrant was ten years old. It was on a drug charge that the San Francisco district attorney decided to drop. They did not charge him.

And so, the sheriff's office decided he would be able to be let free because the laws of the city, because it is a so-called "sanctuary city", allow for that.

Now, ICE, which overlooks immigration, had asked San Francisco to go ahead and tell them when he was being released, but the department did not do that. The sheriff's department instead releasing him saying that does not follow the policy of the city.

This has become a conundrum between the locals and the feds, and that is what's caused a lot of the consternation from lay people who say we cannot understand how this happened. Someone who's been convicted several times of crimes and deported several times still manage to be free on the street. And now in this tragic murder, we will have to see if justice is served.

Sara Sidner, CNN, San Francisco, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE) ROMANS: All right, Sara.

We have not heard the last of that story for us.

Now, the financial fallout for the giants defensive end Jason Pierre- Paul, after badly a fireworks accident. Coy Wire has the bleacher report next.

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[05:23:33] BERMAN: New this morning, authorities in Florida releasing surveillance video showing Florida State quarterback DeAndre Johnson punching a woman in a night club last month.

ROMANS: It's not pretty. Coy Wire has more on this morning's bleacher report.

Hey, Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS: Good morning, Christine, John.

Yes, Johnson is a 19-year-old freshman. He was dismissed from the team yesterday. The same day the video we're about to show you was made public. It's of him punching a female student just under two weeks ago. And I have to warn you at home, that the video is violent.

Here it is, they're at the bar in Tallahassee, Florida. Johnson appears to be pushing past the girl to get to the bar. She grabs his arm, pushes this chest away, throws a punch and then that. Guys, hits her right in the face. Here it is again.

Court records are saying that she suffered swelling of a left check and lip, bruising around her left eye, and a laceration on the bridge of her nose. Johnson has been charged with misdemeanor battery.

A little background on DeAndre John, he is a highly touted dual threat quarterback out of Florida, wasn't expected to play much this year, because he's just a freshman, but now he is off the team and not be playing for the team.

Johnson's attorney Jose Baez released a statement in part. "While it is clear from the video that DeAndre Johnson was not the initial aggressor, his family wants to take the lead to help him learn and grow from this experience. DeAndre is embarrassed in the situation and would like to express his heartfelt apologies to everyone."

[05:25:00] Guys, of course, this is not the first time Florida State has been in the spotlight for alleged bad behavior out of their quarterbacks. Former Heisman trophy winner and first overall pick in last year's draft, Jameis Winston was accused of sexual battery by a fellow student in 2013, but he was never charged.

Now, another football news, according to an NFL.com report, the New York Giants have pulled their $60 million contract offer from star defensive lineman Jason Pierre-Paul yesterday. Pierre-Paul is still in the hospital recovering from the Fourth of July fireworks accident where he burned both hands and possibly suffering nerve damage. When asked about the report, the Giants told CNN, quote, "Our first concern is for JPP's well being," end quote.

And, finally, this is for you, John and Christine, your World Cup champions, the U.S. women's national team will keep the celebration going in Los Angeles today. They're going to have a rally at 2:00 p.m. Eastern in downtown L.A. to honor their huge win over Japan and the record third World Cup title. I wonder if they slept, probably not. The party is going hard.

Two nights ago, I got one hour sleep in Vancouver. I got three hours sleep last night. It was just an incredible experience out there in Vancouver. Truly, a momentous time for American sports history. Guys, it is truly special.

ROMANS: Why sleep?

BERMAN: Yes, why sleep? Exactly.

ROMANS: Just passing the World Cup around and caressing its head and whispering to it. It's so beautiful.

WIRE: That's right.

ROMANS: All right. Thanks, Coy.

BERMAN: We have breaking news this morning. A stunning admission from Bill Cosby. New unsealed documents revealing the comedian says he obtained drugs to use on women for sex.

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