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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Crowds Cheer Biden: Run, Joe, Run; Review Finds Top Secret Emails on Clinton Server; Jailed Clerk Files Appeal, Gets High Profile Support; Europe in Crisis. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired September 08, 2015 - 04:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[04:00:12] ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: Run, Joe, run. Crowding cheering a jogging Joe Biden. But will Biden run for president? What's he's saying, ahead.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: A new review finds Hillary Clinton received top secret information on her private e-mail server while serving as secretary of state.

KOSIK: The Kentucky clerk in jail for refusing gay couples the right to marry making a new appeal and getting high profile support.

Good morning and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Alison Kosik.

BERMAN: And I'm John Berman. It's Tuesday, September 8th, 4:00 a.m. in the East.

This morning, is this the sign from Joe Biden that some Democrats have been looking for? The sign that he is running for president.

In Pittsburgh, he was undoubtedly running -- running along a parade route, at least. The vice president radiated energy as he marched in the city's huge Labor Day and gave a fiery speech aimed straight at a key Democratic constituency: labor.

Senior political correspondent Brianna Keilar here with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John and Alison.

As Democratic and Republican presidential candidates fanned out across key states, it was Vice President Joe Biden here in Pittsburgh who really raised eyebrows. He gave a very fiery speech to union members with populist undertones. He talked about how college should be free and how the wealthy should be taxed to pay for it. He railed against trust fund babies, his words, and what sounded suspiciously like a stump speech.

JOSEPH BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm hot, I got -- I acknowledge that. I'm mad. I'm angry. How many people in your own neighborhoods -- how many people in your own neighborhoods are in trouble can look their kids in the eye and say it with heart, "Honey, it's going to be OK, it's going to be OK"? Not enough, because the level playing field doesn't exist.

KEILAR: Mr. Vice President, sounds like you have a rationale for running.

BIDEN: I'm going to run part of this parade.

KEILAR: And he really did. He was jogging, zigzagging across the parade route, talking to parade goers. Some who told him that he should run, some who said he should beat Hillary Clinton who was in Iowa trying to shore up support there, saying that she had the policies and tenacity and vision to make her candidacy a successful one.

Bernie Sanders was in New Hampshire trying to shore up support there where he was the leader in recent polls. But for Joe Biden, it's a decision that he is continuing to mull over. He is keeping a council of a small, close-knit circle of confidants and long-time friends as he tries to decide whether he's going to get into this race or not -- John and Alison.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: Thanks very much for that, Briana.

New developments overnight in a Hillary Clinton email controversy. The CIA and another intelligence agency said two e-mails Clinton received on her personal account contained top secret information at the time they were sent. "The New York Times" report a special intelligence review was endorsed by a finding by the two agencies inspector general, a finding disputed by the Clinton campaign and the State Department. They say different agencies acquire information in different ways, and often have different ideas about whether it should be classified.

There was also some good news for Clinton on Monday. She picked up the endorsement of Iowa's one and only Democrat in Congress, Dave Loebsack, who told a Labor Day picnic crowd she's going to work for the middle class because that's where she came.

Clinton meantime spent the holiday weekend pitching voters across the state.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I watched George W. Bush and his Republican administration try to reverse everything that had been done. And you know? They did a really good job of it, didn't they? They drove us into a ditch.

And they did it because they continued to believe that the only way that anybody should be involved in the economy is to do exactly what you're told by the people on top, the big corporations, and get out of the way of trickle down economics. It didn't work before. It can't work again. I believe I've got the vision, the policies, the skill, the tenacity

and the determination to get us back on the right track.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: Today, Clinton is set to propose a new slate of campaign finance reform measures. They will include limits on political donations by corporations and big donors.

BERMAN: Republican candidate Carly Fiorina managing to attack Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump all at the same time. Fiorina says she sometimes feels like the one candidate consistently going after Clinton.

[04:05:01] And she wonders why Trump is not focusing more of his fire on the Democratic frontrunner.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARLY FIORINA (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Mrs. Clinton is the same person who compared Republicans to terrorists. For heaven's sakes, I actually wish Mr. Trump would throw a little more heat Hillary Clinton's way. I feel sometimes as though I'm the only candidate who's consistently been critical of her. The truth is Mrs. Clinton has lied as secretary of state about Benghazi, about her e-mails, about her server. And so when she revives this war on women, make no mistake, she will. This is her go-to line.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: Meantime, Republican contender Mike Huckabee in Kentucky today. He plans to lead a rally in support of county clerk Kim Davis. She is sitting in jail for contempt of court after refusing a federal judge's order to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Her lawyers had filed an emergency appeal demanding her release. Today is the first day that motion could be heard.

For the latest on that, let's turn to CNN's Jean Casarez.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Alison, it is expected today that Mike Huckabee, presidential contender, is actually going to Kentucky not only to lead a rally for Kim Davis outside of the jail, where she still sits, but to go inside and talk with her.

Her attorney confirmed with CNN that Mike Huckabee called Kim Davis on her cell phone, and already spoke with her last week. Now, this is all the while Kim Davis tells her attorney and also her husband that she is very comfortable in jail because her beliefs are so strong in this area.

Well, contrary to that, her attorneys have actually filed an emergency petition with the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals asking for emergency relief. Basically that she'd be released from jail.

Technically, they are asking for an injunction against the governor. They have a suit against the governor because they say that he issued just absolute directives saying that all county clerks must issue same-sex marriage licenses and her with her religious beliefs told her she could not do that, but there weren't any exclusions for her.

Now, additionally, in spite all of this, the community is rallying around Kim Davis over the weekend. They had a rally in support of her. Many people coming from out of town. But her office, at the end of last week, started issuing same-sex marriages. Her county clerks did that for her, deputy clerks. Her name is not on it.

But she still believes as the elected clerk, that it is coming from her, that she is, in effect, endorsing it, although the current order from the district court said -- you are not endorsing it as the county clerk. You are showing the people are who they purport to be. And under the law, that they have a right to marry.

Additionally, the order in effect right now says she took an oath to offer and to honor the Constitution of the United States, which the Supreme Court says, allows for same sex unions. We will see what the future holds in Kentucky -- John, Alison.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Jean Casarez, thanks so much.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney set to deliver a biting speech against the Iran nuclear deal later this morning. He will discuss what he believes the consequences of the agreement for the United States and its Middle East allies. Congress votes on the measure next week.

Cheney says, "Arming and funding Iran while simultaneously providing them a pathway to a nuclear arsenal is not an act of peace. It's not, as President Obama claims, the only alternative to war." Dick Cheney says, "It is madness."

France could soon begin launching air strikes against ISIS targets in Syria. Until now, they have only taken part in attacks against ISIS in Iraq. But French President Francois Hollande says he has proof the group is plotting terror attacks from inside Syria. Britain has already joined the offensive, announcing it conducted its first armed drone strike against ISIS inside Syria's border two weeks ago, killing three operatives.

KOSIK: Time for an early start on your money. Asian markets mostly closed higher, but more signs China's economy is slowing down. New trade figures show imports and exports fell sharply for August.

And look at Japan, the Nikkei losing all its gains for the year after the weak GDP Japan report.

Here in the U.S., markets will open again after the Labor Day holiday, and futures are pointing higher. A good sign after a rough end to the week, on Friday, the Dow, NASDAQ, and S&P 500 all fell about 3 percent.

Earlier this year, they were at record highs. Now, the Dow more than 12 percent from its high. The S&P 500 on the edge of correction territory.

All right. Later today, Pope Francis is expected to announce revisions to the marriage annulment process for Catholics. The church is not releasing details about these provisions. But the pope has said he believes obtaining annulments can be too costly and too cumbersome.

Folks against (ph) to ease church's rules creating some deep divisions within the Vatican.

[04:10:01] One staunch conservative publicly warning the pope he does not have the power to change church doctrine. That announcement for the Vatican expected today around 6:00 a.m. It could be a very, very great deal for married Catholics in this country.

Thousands mourn a sheriff's deputy killed in the line of duty. But are investigators any closer to tracking down his killers? New details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOSIK: Authorities in Illinois are expected to reveal new evidence later today in the slaying of Police Officer Joe Gliniewicz. He was gunned down last week in Fox Lake, north of Chicago. The manhunt for three suspects continues.

On Sunday, family and friends and thousands of fellow officers from across the country said an emotional farewell as Gliniewicz was laid to rest.

We get more from CNN's Ryan Young.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Alison, how do you remember an officer with a name bigger than life? His name was "G.I. Joe", and the community, and we saw more than 2,000 officers come to the funeral for Lieutenant Joe Gliniewicz. More than 1,000 of them got into their cars and were part of the 17-mile procession that lasted over an hour to get from one car in and one car out.

We saw community members show up and stand along the highways to pay respects their respects to a man who so many say gave so much to the community. In fact, there was a very impassionate moment when his brother got up and talked about his fallen brother.

MICHAEL GLINIEWICZ, LT. JOE GLINIEWICZ'S BROTHER: When we were growing up, we all knew Joe was a hero. But now, the nation knows he's a hero. You will always be part of my life.

YOUNG: So, we know police plan to have a news conference Tuesday afternoon to talk about new evidence they have found. Many people are hoping that will help them solve this case or get them closer to suspects. A $50,000 reward is also being offered in connection for information in the case. So many people hoping to get more about the suspects as police continue to work this case -- John and Alison.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[04:15:00] BERMAN: All right, Ryan.

A stunning indictment by the Italy's highest criminal court of police, prosecutors and judges in the Amanda Knox case. The five-judge panel explained why it overturned the murder conviction. It says the prosecution had stunning flaws and went to trial with an absolute lack of biological traces tying Knox and then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito to the death of Meredith Kercher in 2007. The high court's ruling in March cleared Knox and Sollecito once and for all in Kercher's murders.

Knox responded with a post on her blog saying, "I'm deeply grateful that the Italian Supreme Court has filed its opinion and forcefully declared my innocence. I will now begin the rest of my life with one of my goals being to help others who have been wrongfully accused."

KOSIK: New York City's West Indian parade marred by violence. And an aide to Governor Andrew Cuomo is in critical condition after being shot in the head. Two other people were injured by gunshot Sunday and a fourth person was fatally stabbed. Police say the Cuomo staffer, 43-year-old Carey Gabay, was caught in the crossfire between two rival gangs. No arrests have been made yet.

BERMAN: A Muslim flight attendant accusing her employer ExpressJet, claiming she was suspended for refusing to serve alcohol because of her religious beliefs. The complaint by 40-year-old Charee Stanley says the airline initially agreed to a religious accommodation, but then put her on a year-long unpaid leave after another attendant complained. ExpressJet in a statement says they value diversity, but could not comment on personnel matters.

KOSIK: The migrant crisis exploding this morning. Thousands crossing Europe's border, seeking asylum, as governments warn they can only take so many. We've got live team coverage as the chaos unfolds next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOSIK: Europe is reaching its tipping point this morning. Thousands of migrants keep pouring into Hungary despite desperate to reach Western Europe. Many of them forced to wait days with little food or water. Clashes with police now breaking out along the border with Serbia, the new flash point for the crisis.

France announcing it's willing to take in 24,000 asylum seekers over the next two years, with the British agreeing to receive 20,000 more. Germany setting aside nearly $7 billion in total to handle the influx. But the never ending wave of migrants is simply overwhelming Europe.

CNN is covering this crisis issue like no other network on television, starting with senior international correspondent Arwa Damon live from the Serbia-Hungary border.

Arwa, you are standing where thousands are waiting in limbo.

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Look, this is the train track that many of them follow to get from Serbia into Hungary. And they'll come across either as fairly large groups or smaller people, because it's exhausting to walk the entire way, especially for the children. Some of them prefer to wait on the Serbian side for a little bit longer. Not entirely sure what exactly is going to happen when they cross into Hungary.

And you see on this side, the fence that Hungary is in the process of building. It has those coils of concertina wire that go along all of its border with Serbia. Then you see the cement poles that are being put up. That is going to end up being a solid wall. This is Hungary's attempt to try to stem the flow, control the flow of these people coming across its borders.

But opponents of the government very critical of this effort, saying that in building this kind of wall, Hungary is not dealing with the problem. It's not creating a solution. Instead, it's just making the situation worse, because this then forces people to turn to smugglers who do not have their best interests at heart, because these are people who are not going to let the wall stop them. They will always somehow try to find a way through, because that is how desperate they are to get to Western Europe.

In the group that was passing by earlier, Alison, there was a touching moment where a man walked past our camera and touched his heart and said Syria in my heart. Everyone we have spoken to here when you ask them what the most difficult thing was other than the fact they are risking their lives and lives of their children, was how much they miss their homeland.

And that realization that the countries they come from are not places they can call home anymore, nor are they places that they can build a future. And that's why they make this journey.

KOSIK: All right. Heartbreaking to see. They make this just arduous journey.

Arwa Damon live from the Serbia-Hungary border, thanks for that.

BERMAN: More than 16,000 migrants have poured into Austria since Saturday, arriving in packed trains and buses. Most of them hoping to make Germany their final destination. Government officials are warning they cannot keep up with the influx.

CNN senior international correspondent Frederik Pleitgen is live in Vienna.

Good morning, Fred.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, John. And they're not only saying that they can't keep up with the influx. They're also saying that they have very little information of how big the influx is going to be. For instance, yesterday was supposed to be a slower day here at the Vienna western train station.

But at the end of the day, it was almost 4,000 people that actually passed through here. What happens is they come here and then there are volunteers who help them out immediately who gave them food and water, really people who have been working around the clock to make it as good as possible for the refugees who come here.

Of course, you just saw those scenes at the border that Arwa was describing. Many had a very difficult journey. Many of them have also complained about the way they were treated in Hungary. It's a very different picture here in Austria, where really volunteers are doing all they can.

However, the authorities are also saying it is a massive influx that they are dealing with. Certainly, Germany and Austria say they can't deal with it alone. They want other European countries to do more. But there is a real rift in Europe with countries like Hungary, like Denmark, like many Eastern European countries blaming the Germans and Austrians for all these migrants coming here because they say this entices people to come here. The Germans for their part are saying, look, these people are going to come here any way. The least we can do is help them out -- John.

[04:25:00] BERMAN: All right. Fred, just amazing images there. You can see the scope of this crisis, all across Europe.

Our thanks to Arwa and Fred.

KOSIK: Crowds rallying behind Joe Biden. But will he enter the race for president? What he is saying now, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Give it a go, Joe. Crowds cheering Vice President Joe Biden. But will he enter the race for president?

KOSIK: A new review finding Hillary Clinton received top secret information on her private e-mail server. Details ahead.

A Kentucky clerk in jail for refusing gay couples wedding licenses. She files a new appeal and gets some high profile support.

Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm John Berman.

KOSIK: And I'm Alison Kosik. It's 30 minutes past the hour.

Joe Biden is signaling he is ready to run -- whether or not he decides to jump into the presidential race. The vice president radiated new energy as he marched and shook hands in the Pittsburgh huge Labor Day parade and gave a fiery speech at key Democratic constituents, labor.

Senior political correspondent Brianna Keilar is there with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: Good morning, John and Alison.

As Democratic and Republican presidential candidates fanned out across key states, it was Vice President Joe Biden here in Pittsburgh who really raised eyebrows. He gave a very fiery speech to union members with populist undertones. He talked about how college should be free and how the wealthy should be taxed to pay for it. He railed against trust fund babies, his words, and what sounded suspiciously like a stump speech.

BIDEN: I'm hot, I got -- I acknowledge that. I'm mad. I'm angry. How many people in your own neighborhoods -- how many people in your own neighborhoods are in trouble can look their kids in the eye and say it with heart, "Honey, it's going to be OK, it's going to be OK"?