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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
New Russian Airstrikes In Syria; General: Hospital Airstrike A "U.S. Decision"; Republicans Criss-Cross Iowa; South Carolina Flooding; Official Arrested For Attacking TV Reporter; Stock Futures Climb. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired October 07, 2015 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: This time it appears to be a coordinated assault with forces from Bashar al- Assad, a new situation there on the ground.
[05:30:33] We will go live to Moscow with an update.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: ISIS is surging in Afghanistan. A top U.S. commander says the situation could mean big changes for American troops on the ground. How long could they be forced to stay? We are live in Kabul.
BERMAN: Breaking overnight, a Biden family meeting coming this weekend. It is there where he could decide conclusively, will he jump into the 2016 race? We have brand new information just moments away.
Welcome back to EARLY START, everyone. I'm John Berman.
ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. Nice to see you. It's 30 minutes past the hour this morning.
Let's start here, breaking news overnight, Russia launching new airstrikes in Syria hitting targets in Western Syria. It appears to be a coordinated assault in conjunction with forces loyal to Bashar Al-Assad.
This is according to a U.K.-based human rights group, who says the clashes are the heaviest in the last month. Now this comes after NATO'S secretary general has confirmed a second incursion, by Russian fighter jets into Turkish airspace. Turkey and NATO members, which has strong ties to Russia is warning that Moscow risks, quote, "losing a friend."
Meantime, Secretary of State John Kerry entertaining the notion of no- fly zones in Syria to protect civilians caught in that civil war, this despite President Obama's consistent rejection of the idea of no-fly zones.
We want to get right to CNN's Matthew Chance in Moscow for us this morning. Rapid developments every day, it is still a very -- the situation is escalating.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is and it's been a week now since Russia embarked on this air campaign in Syria striking what it says are targets of Islamic states and other terrorist groups, and it does seem to be intensifying those airstrikes almost by the day.
This morning, Syria awoke to a barrage of airstrikes coming in a coordinated fashion in the west of the country, coordinated not the U.S. military, of course, but with the Syrian Army with Hezbollah and with other fighters on the ground according to local sources.
Really attacking these areas that are controlled by rebel groups who oppose the Bashar Al-Assad regime, not necessarily territory held by Islamic State. There is an intensification underway.
They are coordinating the Russians more and more with the Syrian armed forces and pro-Syrian elements as well, all the time, though, holding out the hand of corporation with the United States saying this morning the Russian Defense Ministry, they are prepared to consider a Pentagon initiative.
The more closely coordinated airstrikes against Islamic States, the United States has a coalition of 60 countries by attacking is, but there are still some details to be worked out, Christine, they haven't been yet.
ROMANS: All right, Matthew Chance for us in Moscow this morning. Thank you, Matthew.
BERMAN: New developments this morning out of Afghanistan, the top American commander there says the U.S. plans to draw down troop levels may have to be changed. General John Campbell told the Senate Armed Services Committee that ISIS and al Qaeda are getting stronger in Afghanistan.
That is in addition to the Taliban. He says this has forced him to recommend changes to existing plans that will cut U.S. troop strength by about 90 percent. General Campbell did not say what troops levels he is actually proposing.
The general also added nuance or could say flat out altered his explanation for the airstrike on a Doctors Without Borders Hospital in Kunduz, they killed 22 people.
Earlier, he said the strike came in a response to a request by Afghan forces, but now Campbell said it was, quote, "A U.S. decision made within the U.S. chain of command."
CNN's Nic Robertson is live for us in Kabul with the very latest. Doctors Without Borders continues to be infuriated calling for an independent investigation here saying there is no other explanation than this hospital was intentionally targeted there.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, they continue to call it a war crime. They say it's not just an attack on the hospital, but an attack on the Geneva Convention and they say that they want the International Investigation Commissioner, a body setup by the Geneva Convention to investigate this. They say they operate under the rules of engagement of all the partners. If there has been some misunderstanding between all these parties that can only be found out by having all the facts on the table in an independent way. That's their position.
I think what we heard from General Campbell was really trying to more take ownership of what happened. I mean, yes, the day before, he had said, it was an accident situation at the hospital, it sound like he was blaming the afghan forces, that's what Doctors Without Borders, that wanted the strike.
I think here he is taking responsibility and be clear that it was a U.S. chain of commander that the U.S. has responsibility. I have been talking to Afghan in Kunduz, they told me despite the airstrike on the hospital, they feel, because the Afghan army isn't strong enough to take on this growing threat of the Taliban, throw in ISIS, thrown in al Qaeda.
[05:35:06] Their army isn't strong enough. They need the support of U.S. military. They say, look, avoid civilian casualties, but right now there is a strong feeling on the ground, even in Kunduz, even after all of this that the Afghans here still want U.S. forces, need them, they believe to help their own army here -- John.
BERMAN: There is this controversy about the hospital, Kunduz hangs in the balance. Nic Robertson for us in Kabul, thanks so much.
ROMANS: All right, breaking overnight, a decision from Joe Biden may be imminent. Will he run for president? A source close to the vice president tells CNN's Gloria Borger that there will be a family conversation at Biden's home in Delaware this weekend to discuss his possible candidacy. The source says this conversation could be conclusive.
Hillary Clinton is on a campaign swing through Iowa this morning. She is taking on Republican criticism of her record with a humorous touch. She told a crowd that she sent all the Republican candidates a copy of her book "Hard Choices" about her time as secretary of state.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There are so many of them they could have a book club and they could, if they want to know how you put together a coalition that imposes international sanctions on a country like Iran, they can read about it. That's what I did.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Bernie Sanders is in Washington today, set to speak at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institutes Presidential Candidate Forum.
BERMAN: The Republican front runner, Donald Trump, is in Iowa today. He will speak about his tax plan at a rally. Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor is in Iowa as well. He is now taking really, frankly, flat out direct shots at his former political protegee, Senator Marco Rubio, for spending days away from Washington and instead being on the campaign trail.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We should cut the pay of elected officials that don't show up to work. I don't know about you, but this idea that somehow voting isn't important. What are they supposed to do? They should go to the committee hearings.
They should vote. The idea that somehow the private sector when you don't show up to work you get a pay cut. Why shouldn't that exist in state capitals as it does and why shouldn't it exist in Washington, D.C.?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Senator Marco Rubio missed another vote on Tuesday this one on a defense policy bill. Senator Rubio is in New Hampshire campaigning.
Ben Carson taking some heat for some comments he made about a school shooting in Oregon. Carson told Fox News that he would have taken on the gunman.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Not only would I probably not cooperate with him. I would not just stand there and let him shoot me. I would say, guys, everybody attack him. He may shoot me. He can't get us all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Donald Trump says civilians with guns could have stopped the mass shooting. He says he supports allowing Americans to own assault weapons. He told "NEW DAY" the bad guys are going to have them anyway.
ROMANS: All right, 6,000 federal inmates will be released from prison in an effort to fight prison overcrowding and provide relief to inmates given harsh sentences in drug cases. The move follows a decision by the U.S. Sentencing Commission last year to lower maximum sentences for drug offenders. The release is the largest in the Bureau of Prison's history and the first of what could be tens of thousands of early releases.
BERMAN: Tragedy at Fort Campbell after a soldier was shot dead during a training exercise. It happened around 10:30 in the morning. The unidentified soldier was taken to the hospital on the Kentucky army base, but doctors could not save him. The shooting is currently under investigation. Officials say they do not suspect foul play.
ROMANS: All right, 38 minutes past the hour. Time for an EARLY START on your money this morning, a good morning for stocks, finally something to be happy about. European and Asian shares were higher.
Oil prices rose overnight. That was spreading optimism throughout world markets. U.S. stock futures are up too. Yesterday the S&P 500 snapped its five-day winning streak. Investors are a bit more cautious that recent turmoil in stocks is over.
A mega beer merger getting new life this morning. Anheuser-Busch Inbev made a third offer to buy its rival SABMiller. SABMiller had already rejected two earlier bids. This time the deal is worth $104 million. When you say no, John, see then the price keeps going up.
BERMAN: That's why they're doing me wrong.
ROMANS: It would be the biggest merger in beer history, but Miller would own about half of the world's top --
BERMAN: These are these great American beer brands aren't actually American anymore?
ROMANS: They are gobbled up by huge international conglomerates. It's really interesting to me the consolidation in the liquor business over the 10 years.
BERMAN: I want to know what it means for my beer.
The rain is over, but the residents in South Carolina are warned be careful of these flood waters, these historic storms leaving so much danger behind. We'll have the latest in South Carolina next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:43:37]
BERMAN: In South Carolina, the rain has finally stopped after two weeks, but so many rivers and streams still rising from the record volume of water that's submerged, covered hundreds of roads and bridges, 11 dams failed.
The death toll from the floods is rising. Seventeen people lost their lives in South and North Carolina. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is warning residents about hidden dangers within the flood waters.
The state highway patrol shared this picture of what happened when two cars went around road blocks. Not a good idea. Making matters even worse, more than 400,000 people without drinkable water this morning, donations have been pouring in.
While that's going on the Coast Guard in an active search for survivors from the cargo ship "El Faro" that went missing in the Atlantic sunk from Hurricane Joaquin in the midst of that storm.
New debris has been located as we learn a power failure may have left the ship helpless in the middle of that storm. The NTSB is investigating how it sank. Officials say it was equipped with a flight data recorder like a black box that has a pinger with a battery life of about 30 days.
ROMANS: Let's look at what's coming up on "NEW DAY." Michaela Pereira joins us this morning.
MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR, "NEW DAY": What's going on? It really is. We have all sorts of polls going on. We will give them to you at the top of the hour. We will take a look at them and show how some Democrats are doing in key swing states just six days before the CNN Democratic debate in Viva Las Vegas.
[05:45:05] We will also break down GOP field who is rising, who is falling. Also we know the investigators in Oregon are looking into the mother of the Oregon campus gunman and what she may have known. Were there signs, warning signs she may have missed?
We will hear from a friend of the mother. We will also speak with a top psychiatrist. How responsible are parents for the actions of a troubled child, a difficult conversation, but one that many are grappling with.
ROMANS: I know and a lot of people are talking about. The parallels between the Adam Lanza case, a mother who -- with a fascination with guns and a son who needed help. All right, thank you for that, Michaela.
For the second day in a row, a health scare in the cockpit forces a plane to reroute midair. We'll tell you what happens.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: For a second straight day reports of a midair scare for airline passengers, United Airlines flight 1514 en route from Houston to San Francisco making an emergency landing in Albuquerque. The co- pilot passed out during the flight. He was able to walk-off the plane. He was taken to a local hospital.
This a day of an American Airlines pilot, 57-year-old Michael Johnson died of an apparent heart attack while flying from Phoenix to Boston. That plane was diverted to Syracuse. Of course, our hearts go out to his family.
[05:50:04] BERMAN: City officials in Alabama facing assault charges after striking a local television reporter. The incident captured on video. It shows reporter, Ken Curtis, asking City Commissioner Amos Newsome if he would resign in the face of voter fraud allegations linked to his election.
After putting his hand in the face of the reporter right there, he then strikes the reporter. There it is. He drew some blood there. He was arrested and could face a year in jail.
ROMANS: A landmark CNN study goes inside the secret world of teens, young teens, revealing they are largely addicted to social media. Child development experts studied the social media habits of more than 200 8th graders analyzing what teens say to each other on social media and why it matters so much to them.
Fifteen percent reported receiving inappropriate photos. An overwhelming number of parents, 94 percent, say they didn't realize the amount of fighting that occurs on social media.
BERMAN: The New York State Attorney General launching an investigation of two leading fantasy football sites, Draft Kings and Fan Duel, this comes after allegations of cheating especially insider trading by employees playing at each other's sites.
The attorney general is looking into whether they gained an unfair financial advantage in a game known as daily fantasy football by exploding access to non-public information. He asked the site for details on how they prevent fraud.
Making so much fun of the Yankees this morning, the Houston Astros won a baseball game last night and they will go to the American League Divisional Series. They shut out the New York Yankees in the American League wildcard game.
Houston ace, Dallas Kikel just crushed the Yankee lineup. That's all the Astros need. Carlos Gomez hit that one for the Astros. The Yankees now have nothing left to do.
ROMANS: So were you born hating Yankees?
BERMAN: Yes, it is absolutely genetic. It's reinforced repeatedly throughout my lifetime.
ROMANS: All right. How does 16-weeks paid leave sound? I think you should take some starting tomorrow. For a baby maybe or a family emergency, I'm going to explain this proposal in Washington, D.C., 16- weeks paid leave.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:56:23]
ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. Let's get an EARLY START on your money this morning. It's a good morning for stocks. European and Asian shares are higher after oil prices rose overnight. U.S. stock futures are up, too.
One stock not following that trend this morning, Yam Brands, the parent company of KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, plunging before the open. The company said it's not likely to meet its earnings goal for the year in part because of scandals over the quality of food sold in China.
It could soon get easier to sue your credit card company. Many credit card companies, banks, cell phone service providers even student loan issues, they make customer sign an arbitration clause and the user agreements.
These clauses require users settle any legal dispute out of court. Users waive their right to file a class action suit. Now the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is proposing a rule to ban companies from getting this free pass to avoid going to court.
Washington, D.C. could soon have the most generous paid leave policy in the country. The D.C. city council considering a proposal that would give up to 16 weeks paid time for employees with new children, significant family problems or medical issues.
Who could be covered? Anyone that lives or works in D.C. will get paid the first $1,000 of their weekly salary and half their weekly wages above that amount but no more than $3,000.
Businesses have come out against the bill. The U.S., the only developed country that doesn't mandate any kind of paid leave. You do get this family medical leave at FMLA. You can take up to 12 weeks off unpaid if you work for a big company in the country, but paid leave is something its new and far between.
BERMAN: I thought it was a cynical joke. We are talking Washington, D.C., many people say many who work in Washington, D.C. don't do any work anyway.
ROMANS: They could also say that many in Congress already have a paid leave.
BERMAN: A permanent leave. All right, the CNN Democratic debate is now just six days away and in 2 minutes, there are brand-new polls being released from swing states. They are fascinating. They will change the way you think. "NEW DAY" has those numbers right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: A brand new poll shows some good news for frontrunner, Hillary Clinton.
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am fighting for what I think is important for our country.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Democrats want to know if Joe Biden is going to get into this race.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The fact of the matter is he has to make a decision quickly.
ROMANS: Russia launching new airstrikes in Syria.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The White House is left with few options.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": ISIS doesn't team to be the main target.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Russia should not be interfering.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Russia now firmly owns the actions of the Assad regime.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can see where the water is covering over that road right there.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "AC360": The record volume of flood water still making its way downstream. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now it's time to assess the damage.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome to your NEW DAY. It is Wednesday, October 7th, 6:00 in the east. We have telling new numbers that give fresh insight into the 2016 race. Just ahead of next week's big CNN Democratic debate.
Three key swing states, Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, pretty picture for Democratic frontrunner, Hillary Clinton. Also though, we are going to get into the big difference between these states and her struggles in Iowa and New Hampshire?
What's difference? Could it be new information about certain personal trades? We'll get into that.
PEREIRA: Here to break down the numbers, chew on them a little bit. How the GOP field is stacking up, CNN's political analyst and the presidential campaign correspondent for the "New York Times," Maggie Haberman and CNN political commentator and political anchor for New York One, Errol Louis.
You have a chance to look at the numbers. Let's look at the first ones right off the bat.
