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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
New Video Shows Sandra Bland's Arrest; Donald Trump: On the Attack; President Obama's Next Big Battle; U.K. Foils Terror Plot Against U.S. Military; Apple Shares Sinking. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired July 22, 2015 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans. Twenty-nine minutes past the hour.
Chilling new dash cam video capturing the controversial arrest of Sandra Bland. A Texas police claiming the 28-year-old civil rights activist from Illinois hanged herself in her jail cell, with a plastic bag, three days after she was pulled over and arrested during this routine traffic stop.
[04:35:09] Bland's family just doesn't it buy. They believe police responsible for her death.
The dramatic new video showing just how quickly this traffic stop, this officer's encounter with Bland spiraled out of control.
We get more from CNN's Ryan Young. He is in Waller County, Texas, for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Christine, a very active day in this investigation. People wanting to know what exactly happened to Sandra Bland.
You really can break this up into two parts. First, what happened during a traffic stop and now, we are getting to see dash cam video from inside the trooper's car. You can really see how quickly this escalated after he pulled over. There was a short conversation and then this happened.
POLICE OFFICER: Do you mind putting out your cigarette, please, if you don't mind?
BLAND: I'm in my car. Why do I have to put out my cigarette?
POLICE OFFICER: You can step out now.
BLAND: I don't have to step out of the car.
POLICE OFFICER: Step out of the car.
BLAND: Why am I -- POLICE OFFICER: Step out of the car!
BLAND: No, you don't have the right.
POLICE OFFICER: Step out of the car.
BLAND: You do not have the right to do that.
POLICE OFFICER: I do have the right. Step out or I will remove you.
BLAND: I refuse to talk to you other than to identify myself.
POLICE OFFICER: Step out or I will remove you.
BLAND: I don't --
YOUNG: Now, that struggle happens off camera. But we do know, someone arrived with a cell phone and started shooting what was going on between that officer and Ms. Bland.
That officer has been put on administrative leave during this investigation because we were told there were some violations involved in this traffic stop. But, yesterday afternoon, we got a chance to go inside the jail cell, number 95, where Sandra Bland had spent the last three days before she hanged herself, according to investigators.
The sheriff walked us through and showed us how someone could look through the window and see her feet dangling. We actually saw a trash can that had the same kind of trash liner that they believe she rolled up and put around her neck.
Now, the sheriff details how the hallway, as soon as you walk down it video cameras activates and lets everyone know that someone is in that hallway. Investigators tried to see if they can sneak under the cameras. That couldn't happen.
But this investigation remains far from over -- Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right. Ryan, thank you for that.
To politics now: Donald Trump and Lindsey Graham escalating their war of words. One day after Graham called Trump a jackass for his comments about John McCain's military service, the reality show star front-runner fired back, not only calling Graham an idiot and a stiff, but also broadcasting the South Carolina senator's cell phone number on live television.
Dana Bash is there. Let's get more from her right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Christine, there is an old saying, "politics ain't bean bag", but it usually isn't a schoolyard brawl either. And that's really what this Republican presidential race is right now. You have Donald Trump here in South Carolina, calling his fellow Republican Lindsey Graham an idiot and stiff, after Graham called him a jackass first.
And then, Trump did something that is kind of unbelievable. He held up Lindsey Graham's personal cell phone number and read it on, what turned out to be national television.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I wrote the number down. I don't know if it's the right number. Let's try it, 202 (AUDIO DELETED)
I don't know. Maybe it's three or four years ago, so maybe it's an old number.
BASH: It is something that everybody kind of looked at and said, is this really happening? And the answer is, it is happening. And not necessarily that cell phone stunt, but the kind of uncensored politically incorrect Donald Trump is what is drawing crowds like we saw here in South Carolina.
About 1,100 people came from within this retirement community to hear him speak. The auditorium was filled to the gills. There was an overflow room and they were really mesmerized. I have to say that he had these potential voters in the palm of their hand.
Now it, obviously, as it always is with Donald Trump, was not a traditional stump speech. It was more of a one-man show. He had some big applause lines on the issues that he has used to rise in the polls: illegal immigration, why the administration -- the Obama administration can't, in his view, make good deals, whether it's on trade or Iran.
But, for the most part, it was people wanting to come and see what all of the fuss is about. Some saying that he scares them, and that he is just a celebrity, and they wanted to see the celebrity for themselves.
But this is something that it really is apparent now, that he is tapping into a sentiment in the Republican Party, not necessarily on the issues, but on the need for somebody who says it like it is, who is a doer. These are words that voters, themselves, used with me outside this event.
So, this is his first time here in the early primary state, first in the South primary state of South Carolina and it's only a question of where he is going to go next and what is he going to say next -- Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[04:35:06] ROMANS: All right. Thank you so much for that, Dana Bash.
Senator Graham showing a sense of humor after Trump broadcast his personal phone number tweeting, quote, "Probably getting a new phone, iPhone or android?"
Donald Trump is way on top in the polls. Some perspective though, history shows early leads can be hard to hold.
In the summer of 2007, Rudy Giuliani was leading the Republican field with more than 30 percent of the vote. Then, Fred Thompson seized the lead from him a few months later at 19 percent and neither of them captured a single state.
In the summer of 2011, Michele Bachmann topped the GOP field with 17 percent. She plunged to 4 percent by November, with Herman Cain rising to the top -- remember that? Herman Cain had 23 percent of the vote. Once again, both candidates failed to win even a single state.
Ohio Governor John Kasich becoming the 16th candidate to enter the Republican field for president, kicking off his campaign with a rally at Ohio State University, his alma mater. He then hit the ground running with a town hall event in New Hampshire where he touted his experience and his can-do attitude.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JOHN KASICH (R-OH), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is going to be fine. We just have to get people to believe again and it's not about -- you know, you come here, because I'm running for president, OK? I'll do my part. But if you think we can fix this country from the top down, we're wrong. It gets fixed from the bottom up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Kasich says his blend of fiscal conservativism and social welfare compassion separate him from the rest of the Republican field.
To the Democrats now. Hillary Clinton raking in the campaign cash in the Sunshine State. The Democratic front-runner raising more than $3 million so far in Florida. That beats out Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio in their home state. Bush has picked up $2.6 million from Floridians so far, Rubio nearly $1 million behind the former governor.
In Syria, a longtime al Qaeda operative with a $7 million bounty on his head killed in Syria by a U.S. air strike. The Pentagon confirming that Muhsin al Fadhli died when his car was struck on July 8th. The Kuwaiti born jihadist was the leader of the Khorasan Group. It's a collection of senior al Qaeda members operating in Syria.
A Defense Department official says his death will degrade and disrupt the external operations of al Qaeda.
The White House pulling out all of the stops to sell the nuclear deal with Iran. Secretary of State John Kerry and other top officials meeting with House and Senate members in enclosed briefings this afternoon.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter nears the end of his tour of the Middle East. Little to no progress reported after his stops in Israeli and Jordan. Carter is heading to Saudi Arabia today to meet with members of the Saudi defense ministry.
The White House deciding not to retaliate or publicly blame China for the huge hack that exposed the personal information of 22 million federal workers. According to administration officials, the U.S. does believe Beijing is responsible but the Obama administration does not want to reveal its evidence because its own espionage activities could be exposed.
Time for an early start of your money.
Asian and European stocks mostly lower, so are U.S. stock futures. A lot of big names are down before the bell, Apple, Chipotle and Microsoft. Those companies reported earnings Wall Street was not thrilled about. Yesterday, the Dow dropped 181 points, more disappointing earnings from IBM, Verizon and others.
Yesterday was a disastrous day for identity thief protection company LifeLock. Shares plunged 50 percent and cut in half on news the country is failing for protect customers' data again. That is their model, to protect your data. In 2010, the company was forced to refund $12 million for making false claims about its services. LifeLock promised to better protect user's personal information like credit card, Social Security, and bank account numbers. Well, the Federal Trade Commission says LifeLock has broken that promise. LifeLock says it will take its case to court.
President Obama making his final appearance on "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart and used it to promote his nuclear deal with Iran, insisting a catastrophic problem has been taken off the table. The president crowing about his recent Obamacare and free trade victories and he insists he is not done yet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So, the way I feel right now is, I've got 18 months, there are a bunch of other things that we want to get done, some of them, we got started early. Climate change is a good example, where we doubled fuel efficiency standard on cars and increased solar power by 20 times.
And now, we have got a Paris conference on climate change coming up later this year. And if we can get China and India and some of the other big countries to take a look at what we have already done, and finally get something global, that would start addressing what is going to be --
[04:40:00] JON STEWART, THE DAILY SHOW: Fixing everything? Last 18 months, fixing everything?
OBAMA: That's my goal. Yes, basically.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: The president lamenting the fact that Stewart is leaving "The Daily Show" before he leaves the White House, even joking about issuing an executive order demanding Stewart to stay. He says that executive order is tied up in the courts.
Forty minutes past the hour. Was a Tennessee gunman who murdered U.S. serviceman radicalized? Some disturbing information about what investigators found on his computer and cell phone, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: This morning, flags at the U.S. Capitol and the White House are flying at half-staff in honor of the five military service members gunned down in Chattanooga last week.
Federal authorities investigating the shooting, they're going to hold a news conference today.
And we're learning more about the gunman, Mohammad Abdulazeez, and we're learning more about his family connections in the Middle East. New evidence also suggests he may have been radicalized by a militant cleric, not ISIS.
Let's get more from CNN's Gary Tuchman in Chattanooga.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine, we know that Mohammad Abdulazeez, the gunman, went to Jordan last year and that U.S. authorities are investigating that trip and we are being told by a family representative that his parents wanted him to go to Jordan because of the downward spiral his life had taken in Tennessee with severe depression and drug addiction. They hope to get his life in order, living with relatives for a time in Jordan.
One of those relatives was an uncle, and we have now learned that uncle has been detained by Jordanian authorities.
[04:45:03] A lawyer for the uncle says he is not free to go, he is being questioned, and has been detained four days. He has not been arrested. It is not being considered, at this point, that he is being investigated for any crime, just that he is being questioned by Jordanian authorities who are not commenting about the interrogation that is also taking place.
Also, we want to tell you about the possibility that this gunman received any outside advice from any people who wanted him to become a domestic terrorist. The parents deny that, they do say in his weakest moments, though, that he got into, quote, "evil ideology". They say he had some writings back in 2013 after he was fired from a job at an Ohio nuclear power plant because he failed a drug test. And in those writings, he talked Anwar al-Awlaki who was a U.S.-born cleric from Yemen, who was a leader of al Qaeda, a notorious leader, a senior recruiter. And according to family representative, quote, "some of his writings had an affinity for him and also some of the writings made sense to him."
But we are told by the parents through this spokesman he did not mention any other names and did not mention any other organizations in these writings, including al Qaeda, but either way, that is certainly that is being investigated by U.S. authorities.
Christine, back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: Thanks for that so much, Gary. Along with the drug abuse and the depression problems.
OK, to Bill Cosby now. His lawyers responding to admissions by the comedian in a deposition from a sexual assault suit. In a new court filing, the attorneys say just because Cosby admitted giving Quaaludes to a woman he was having sex with, it doesn't mean he drugged other men without their knowledge or consent, or that he engaged in any nonconsensual sex. They say excerpts of Cosby's 2005 deposition had been accurately labeled as a confession.
After a nearly a decade-long steroids persecution, the Justice Department is now dropping its criminal case against Barry Bonds. Baseball's career home run leader had his 2011 conviction from obstruction of justice overturned back in April. Prosecutors decided against an appeal to the Supreme Court. Bonds in a statement says the finality of the decision gives him, quote, "great peace."
More than a thousand security officers. baggage handlers and other contract workers voting to walk off the job at LaGuardia and Kennedy airports at 10:00 p.m. tonight. They'll remain on strike through Thursday, protesting low wages in the face of record profits by the airlines. Most of the employees work for Delta, United, and British Airways.
Delta officials telling CNN they are taking measures to make sure their customers will not feel the strike.
It looks like the heat wave in the northeast is breaking. Let's get to meteorologist Ivan Cabrera for an early look at your forecast.
IVAN CABRERA, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Cooler temperatures across the Northeast, yes, so we are going to be in the 80s and feel fantastic and mostly sunny skies. The storms staying to the South, the heat getting pushed further and further South. We're going to continue with heat indices in the 100s in the Southeast.
But here in the Northeast, look at this temperature change. Highs in the 70s for Burlington, Bangor into the 70s and Boston looking fantastic with temperatures in the low 80s. We were in the low 90s in New York yesterday. Today, into the mid-80s. That's what a cool front will do. It will do just that, bring us down to where we should be this time of the year, average high in the 80s in New York. So, that's going to feel great.
But we do have this frontal boundary here. That's going to trigger of another round of showers and thunderstorms. We have some torrential downpours yesterday afternoon across portions of the Northeast. We may see that again, and that is your only chance to break the heat index there into the 100s.
Across the Northeast, temps into the 80s, typical of this time of the year. No issues here. But, then in the Southeast, highs in the 90s with those triple heat indices once again -- Christine.
ROMANS: All right. Thanks for that, Ivan Cabrera.
A terror plan foiled. Two rested and what could have been a catastrophic attack on U.S. soldiers. We are live with what we are learning about this plot.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:52:38] ROMANS: British prosecutors have charged a man and his uncle with trying to join ISIS in Syria. Authorities say the 24-year- old nephew was also plotting a hit and run style attack on U.S. military personnel based in the U.K.
CNN senior international correspondent Frederik Pleitgen live in London with the very latest.
Tell us what happened.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the charges of these two men were read out in a court here in London and one of them, Junead Khan, who as you said is 24 years old. Some of the details are quite troubling.
The prosecution alleges that he was scoping out U.S. military bases that have U.S. soldiers on them here. He was a delivery truck driver before he got arrested. And as you said, he was plotting what they call a car accident style attack, Christine. It's unclear whether or not he wanted to stage a car accident, forcing a U.S. service member to then stop his car and attack him? Or whether or not he wanted to hit a U.S. service member with his car and then attack him?
What we do know, however, he apparently wanted to use a knife in the attack, and there was also talk of possibly using a suicide vest, that he had also downloaded instructions to make a pressure cooker bomb that he could possibly use as that suicide backpack device and that he was in a conversation with some anonymous person on the web and that anonymous person offered him the addresses of British service members, but he turned that down, saying he would rather kill Americans instead.
Now, both of these men remain in custody. Their court date is set for the 10th of August, and needless to say, Christine, none of them or neither of them are going to be out on bail.
ROMANS: Yes. All right. Fred Pleitgen, thank you so much for that, Fred, for us this morning.
A scathing open letter from the parents of 16 high school students killed in the Germanwings plane crash, a letter to the airlines CEO. They say they are still waiting for an apology for parent company Lufthansa. They are angry over what they call deeply insulting compensation offers, $50,000 for each child which they say amounts to what CEO Carsten Spohr gets paid every week.
A Lufthansa spokesman disputes the claim, saying Spohr sent condolence letters, attend hi services in Haltern and Cologne and went to the crash site twice. Apple reporting huge iPhone demands and soaring revenue, a stunning
$200 billion in cash. So, why are Apple shares sinking right now?
[04:55:00] That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Good morning. I'm Christine Romans. Let's get an early start on your money this morning.
Stock futures are lower, because of disappointing earnings from Chipotle, Microsoft, even Apple.
Apple shares down 5 percent before the open -- a remarkable quarter but not remarkable enough. Look at these numbers, Apple revenue almost $50 billion last quarter, 47.5 million iPhones sold, up 60 percent from last year. Investors accustomed to Apple's blow out quarters were expecting even bigger sales.
Apple is making so much money so quickly, it now has $203 billion in cash. Those apple shares 5 percent cheaper this morning.
Citibank paying a price for deceptive marketing techniques. Citi ordered to pay $700 million to 8.8 million customers between 2003 and 2012, Citi controlled customers in credit monitoring services and other programs, promising to defer payments in the event of financial hardship.
The government says Citi overstated the benefits, misrepresented fees. The bank says it is cooperating and closed down all programs associated with overcharging.
The government gives the AT&T and DirecTV merger the green light. The FCC ready to approve the $49 billion merger with a few conditions. Essentially, AT&T can't give its own video services a leg up over streaming video competition like Netflix and Hulu. The Justice Department also gave the merger its blessing.
All right. EARLY START continues right now.
(MUSIC)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POLICE OFFICER: Get out of the car! I will light you up. Get out! Now!
SANDRA BLAND: Wow. Wow.
POLICE OFFICER: Get out of the car.
BLAND: For failure to signal?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
