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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
The Race for President: Will Biden Run?; U.S. Troops Hacked by ISIS; Cars Buried in California Mudslide. Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired October 16, 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: The race for president could be flipped upside down by Sunday. Joe Biden said to be days from deciding whether to run for president. What sources are telling CNN, ahead.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. troops targeted and hacked. Personal information of more than 1,000 service members now in the hands of ISIS. We're live with what happened.
KOSIK: Breaking overnight: Drivers trapped. Cars buried in a California mudslide.
Good morning and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Alison Kosik.
ROMANS: It is Friday, October 16t, 4:00 in the East. I'm Christine. So nice to see you all of you this morning on this Friday morning.
This morning, we may be days away from learning whether Joe Biden will join the race for president. A senior Democratic official telling CNN the word from Biden's inner circle is that he will decide by Sunday. One top Democrat who has spoken to Biden this week says, quote, "His family is totally on board with a run and that he wants to do this."
But in the wake of the CNN Democratic debate and solid performances from Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, many asking whether there's still room for him in this race.
The vice president himself not giving anything up on Thursday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Have you made your decision yet?
JOSEPH BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I can't hear you.
REPORTER: Have you made your decision yet? Is there still an opening for you in the race, sir?
BIDEN: I'm here to greet President Park. Well talk to you all about that later.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: To gauge whether there's an opening, sources tell CNN that Biden has personally been making calls to Democratic strategists in early primary states asking questions about how, but not whether to launch a 2016 bid. A senior Democratic official says those close to Biden, they're still giving no indication what his decision may be.
With the official says there is growing impatience among some party dealers over the drawn out uncertainty.
KOSIK: Hillary Clinton with events in two cities. She was in Texas courting Hispanic vote at a big rally in San Antonio. Clinton spoke about immigration and pledged to fight for Latinos. And she picked up an endorsement of Julian Castro, former mayor of San Antonio and now the secretary of Housing and Urban Development. She returned the favor, revealing in a Q&A that Castro is on her short list for running mate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JULIAN CASTRO, HUD SECRETARY: We are calling the 38 electoral votes of the state of Texas for the Democratic nominee and next president of the United States, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I think really highly of him. I am thrilled to have his endorsement today. Both he and his brother, the congressman, are just among the best young leaders in America, regardless of category or the fact that they come from San Antonio.
So, I am going to really look hard at him for anything because that's how good he is. And he deserves the accolades he's receiving.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: He's been rumored to be on her short list now for months. A new campaign fundraising totals are out this morning. They show Bernie Sanders gaining ground on Hillary Clinton. The new figures from Federal Election Commission show Clinton raised $28.8 million in the third quarter of the year, Sanders was closed on her heels at $26.2 million. Worth nothing, Sanders has far more individual donors than Clinton. About 650,000 people given to Sanders so far versus 400,000 for Secretary Clinton.
KOSIK: The FEC numbers show also -- showing both top Democrats outpacing all the Republicans in the money raise. Top fundraiser for the third quarter on the GOP side was Ben Carson at just $21 million. Second place but well behind Carson, Jeb Bush. Followed by Ted Cruz and Carly Fiorina.
Bush's campaign haul, while not the biggest, was still enough to calm jitters among his supporters.
CNN's Sara Murray has more from Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Good morning, Christine and Alison.
Well, Jeb Bush may have calmed some of the nerves of his donors yesterday. The campaign put out (AUDIO GAP) information. And it was better I think than people expected. He raised about $13.4 million. That definitely puts Bush in the top tier of fund raising. He is still trailing Ben Carson who raised $20 million and Ted Cruz is nipping right at his heels, but it does put him right near the top of the pack.
Now, we also got fundraising number yesterday for Donald Trump. You remember he is mostly self financing his campaign. His staffers say he spent $2 million on the effort so far. And even though he does not go around soliciting donations, he still raised nearly $3.9 million.
Trump managing to make some other waves yesterday, threatening to pull out of the CNBC debate, the upcoming GOP debate, if CNBC doesn't need a list of his demands.
[04:05:07] Those include agreeing to limit the debate to two hours and allowing candidates opening and closing statements.
Now, we have seen Trump say things like this about debates in the past. But this time, he is not alone. Ben Carson is also threatening to pull out of the debate if CNBC isn't willing to tweak the rules. So, that something we'll be keeping an eye on in the coming days.
Back to you, Christine and Alison.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right. And we know you'll be doing that for us. Thank you so much, Sara.
A hacker based in Malaysia arrested and charged with stealing the personal information (AUDIO GAP) and giving it to ISIS. Ardit Ferizi, a citizen of Kosovo, being detained by the Malaysian government on a provisional U.S. arrest warrant. He allegedly stole the personal data of more than 1,000 U.S. service members and federal employees.
CNN's Matt Rivers tracking the latest developments for us live from Hong Kong. I mean, that's really something. That's an awful lot of service members' information now in the hands of people who are sworn enemies.
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine, that it is. The suspect in the case has been identified as a 20-year-old who went -- posed online under the moniker name "The Directory." And while in Malaysia, officials say he was one of the leaders of a hacking group called the Kosovo Hackers Security.
Now, it was while in Malaysia, officials say, that this young man was able to hack into the computer system of a U.S. company and in the process, as you mentioned, managed to obtain the personal information, things like e-mail addresses, home addresses and in some cases even photographs of over 1,000 U.S. military members and federal employees.
It was then over the span of two months or so that officials alleged that this young man then provided that information to a relatively high profile member of ISIS. Now, Ferizi was arrested in Kuala Lumpur without incident on September 15th. He is currently awaiting extradition to the United States to face those charges.
Now, as for that ISIS member, officials say he has been identified as Junaid Hussain. Hussain was actually killed, according to the Pentagon, in a U.S. airstrike in August. However, before his death, he was able to post online the personal information of over 1,300 U.S. military members and federal employees. Now, U.S. officials have not yet confirmed whether the criminal complaint, what's described in that complaint is, in fact, related to what Hussain posted online, but the timing certainly appears to line up.
ROMANS: In terms of hacking and cyber attacks in particular, I mean, how active is ISIS in this arena? Is this something that they regularly engage in or is this -- is this a new strategy?
RIVERS: It is something that they relative often engage in. However, the question of how good they are at is something that U.S. officials are question. There certainly is the desire to launch these attacks from ISIS, but whether they have the ability within their own ranks to effectively launched these technical cyber security attacks is currently in question.
That said, ISIS does have money at its disposal. Money can buy anything. And that includes buying hacking services on the online black market. And FBI officials have said that is certainly one of the chief concerns in terms of the ability of ISIS to launch effective cyber attacks.
ROMANS: All right. Troubling. Matt Rivers in Hong Kong for us, thanks for following that. Thanks, Matt.
KOSIK: Huma Abedin is set to be interviewed behind closed doors today by the House Benghazi committee. The appearance comes six days before her boss testifies publicly. Abedin is the only Clinton aide known to have an e-mail account on the former secretary of state's personal network. She is expected to face a grilling about Clinton's handling of the 2012 attack and her use of a private server while heading up the State Department.
ROMANS: The administration scaling back its Obamacare forecast for 2016. Officials expect 10 million Americans to be covered by private insurance through the Affordable Care Act. That's less a half of the original prediction for the next year by the Congressional Budget Office, just a million more signed up this year.
KOSIK: The nation's budget deficit falling to the lowest level since President Obama took office. It stands at $439 billion, a $44 billion decline from last year. According to the Treasury Department, that represents the fastest sustained deficit reduction since after World War II. The Office of Management and Budget credits increase of tax receipts, thanks to a recovering economy.
ROMANS: All right. Time for an early start on your money. Asian stocks higher. European stocks are following their lead. U.S. stock futures are barely moving.
It was a great day on Wall Street yesterday. The Dow climbed 217 points. The NASDAQ and S&P also closing higher.
What drove that rally? Well, mixed earnings reports from Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, new economic data. First time jobless claim fell to a pre-recession low, signaling the employment picture is improving. Inflation fell 0.2 percent last month. That new inflation number makes the interest rate hike this year by the Federal Reserve less likely.
[04:10:03] So, that sparked enthusiasm for stock investors.
Kia recalling hundreds of thousands of Sorentos. The car company recalling 2011 through 2013 Sorentos. The problem, a fault in the brake shift interlock mechanism. The transmission can shift out of park when the driver's foot isn't on the brake and the car can roll away. Kia says it will replace the part for free.
KOSIK: It is becoming the year of the recall.
ROMANS: Oh my gosh! It feels like three years of recall fatigue. My goodness!
KOSIK: Absolutely. Breaking news overnight. Look at these pictures. Drivers stranded in a southern California mudslide as a raging Texas wildfire burns homes to the ground. New developments on both stories, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KOSIK: Storms in southern California triggering flash flooding and mudslides. Look at these pictures from the air, they're incredible, showing cars and trucks stranded in mud on a stretch of Interstate 5, one of California's main freeways. Sudden severe thunderstorms sent water and mud flowing down mountains, whoa, into canyons and across roadways in Los Angeles County. Remarkably, there are no reports of injuries, thankfully.
ROMANS: In Texas, the trouble is fire. A major wildfire burning in drought ridden central Texas and there's no relief in sight. It has burned six square miles, wiped out dozens of homes, now threatens hundreds of others. The fire only about 25 percent contained. The Texas governor is ordering additional resources to fight it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R), TEXAS: They have been stepping up, working around the clock to try to contain this fire. They have been dealing with challenges and shifting winds that have caused it to go in different directions. And they have a singular goal, and that is to try to eliminate this fire as quickly as possible to reduce the extent of damages.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Exactly what caused that fire is still not known.
[04:15:00] Now, the rain that we're seeing happened in California is actually heading east. But the question is, will it hit Texas where that water is really needed.
Let's turn to meteorologist Karen Maginnis.
Good morning.
KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It would be nice if a lot of that moisture would just spread across the state. But this was such an isolated area.
And we look across Texas as well, east Texas in extreme to exceptional drought as well. It doesn't look like anything looming on the horizon. Still can expect a few isolated areas where the rainfall would be heavy, associated with the cutoff flow in southern California. So, no widespread rainfall there.
Most of it is going to be right along that California/Nevada border. If you are traveling towards the Hill Country region of Austin and San Antonio, that Bastrop Fire, well, maybe some cloud cover, but just about zero percent chances for precipitation.
But temperatures are going to ease up a little bit. So, that will be the good news. Temperatures go from the 90s into the upper 80s for the weekend. And a huge cool-down from the Great Lakes to the Eastern Seaboard., the northeast of New England. It's going to feel a whole lot more like fall.
Alison and Christine, back to you, guys.
KOSIK: All right, Karen. Feeling like fall.
Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert plans to plead guilty to charges of lying to federal investigators. His attorney say Hastert will enter the plea at the end of the month. Sources with knowledge of the investigation tell CNN Hastert paid hush money to a former student he allegedly abused when he was a high school wrestling coach in Illinois.
ROMANS: A coalition of community groups led by former NAACP president Ben Jealous set to unveil a plan today for police reform in Baltimore. The six-point plan calls for firing corrupt officers, lifting gag orders in cases of police misconduct. Jealous also wants the city to outfit all officers with body cameras, make the video available to the public and train police in de-escalation techniques. It comes as Baltimore's city council set to vote in giving interim police commissioner Kevin Davis the job permanently.
KOSIK: New details emerging about a possible motive in the death of a teenager allegedly beaten by his parents and other members of a secret church in Upstate New York. Prosecutors say Lucas Leonard may have tried to leave the World of Life Church. They say the beatings may have lasted more than 10 hours. Lucas' parents have pleaded not guilty to manslaughter charges. Four other church members are accused of assaulting his 17-year-old brother.
ROMANS: Yet another woman who's filed a legal complaint against embattled comedian Bill Cosby. Renita Hill's lawsuit alleges sexual assault and emotional distress. Hill claimed she met Cosby in Pittsburgh in 1988 while auditioning for a television show. Her suit claims he sexually assaulted her after giving her a drink that knocked her unconscious.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RENITA HILL, COSBY ACCUSER: One more step towards seeking justice for what happened to me and holding Bill Cosby accountable for the false allegations that he's made against me. I am hopeful with the help of my legal team, justice will be served.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Meanwhile, two more schools, Tufts University in Massachusetts and Goucher College in Maryland, they revoked the honorary degrees they awarded to the comedian.
KOSIK: Former NBA and reality TV star Lamar Odom remaining unresponsive in a Las Angeles hospital three days after he was found unconscious at a Nevada brothel. Workers there say he'd been using cocaine and taken sexual enhancement supplements. Odom has been surrounded by family, including the Kardashians in the hospital as he fights for life.
We get more from CNN's Paul Vercammen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine, Alison, the Odom- Kardashian family circling the wagons, not wanting very much information to come out of the hospital. Khloe Kardashian going so far as to say that she did not want Dennis Hof, the owner of the brothel, to speak anymore about Odom's visit there.
Hof didn't listen. He told HLN's Nancy Grace that Odom spent $75,000 at the brothel.
DENNIS HOF: He spent $75,000, and that was his number. What he wanted is two girls 24 hours a day to take care of any of his needs from food, anything in the bedroom. I'll be here a minimum of four days, maximum of five days. I'll give you $75,000. The girls agreed to it. He put it on a credit card.
VERCAMMEN: Florence Odom, Odom's grandmother, said he is a beautiful person and anybody who would meet him would say the same thing. She also said that show and spotlight might have gotten to him.
At last word, Lamar Odom still on a ventilator and still not speaking at this hospital.
Back to you now, Christine and Alison.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: Thanks for that, Paul Vercammen.
You know, some people who followed his career upset by all the references to reality shows. This guy is an amazing athlete.
KOSIK: Sure. He's got a storied NBA career that they want to focus on.
[04:20:01] ROMANS: Right. And they really want to focus on. You know, a lot of hardship in his life, too, but really loved and adored by so many people in the sports world.
KOSIK: The Kardashians are still part of his life. He's got his wife by his side, even though they're estranged.
Breaking news this morning: a West Bank holy site set on fire as Israel tries to stop a new wave of lone wolf terror attacks. We are live with the security being put in place.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Welcome back.
Breaking news from Israel and the West Bank, where it has been a very tense morning. Palestinian rioters set fire to the compound housing Joseph's Tomb in the city of Nablus. Palestinian forces, which control the holy site, put out the fire. The blaze reportedly caused major damage to one section of the site, but there were no injuries.
In east Jerusalem, Israeli security force and border police set up checkpoints, stealing off Palestinian neighborhoods after weeks of random bloody attacks against civilians. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu implementing some of the toughest security measures his country has seen for years.
I want to go live to Jerusalem and bring in CNN's Oren Liebermann.
First, Oren, tell us about that fire.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And that fire is the latest attack we are seeing in what's been now weeks of attacks back and forth here. Backed by Palestinians and IDF soldiers, Israeli soldiers, border police shooting Palestinians in clashes between the two forces. That attack happened overnight in Nablus in the West Bank when the IDF says Palestinian rioters torched a holy site, torched the site of Joseph's Tomb.
[04:25:02] And then Palestinian security forces moved in, dispersed the rioters and put out that fire. But that is part of what has led to the atmosphere here and the tension and part of what's led to the security measures you see here behind me.
Look at this -- this is just one gate we see from our position. They are checking people who are moving into the old city with heavy restrictions in and around the old city in East Jerusalem. They are checking IDs. They are looking at cars as well, examining everything. That's made movement here very difficult. You see the road here is blocked off behind me and another security checkpoint in the distance there. And there's even another security checkpoint off to my right.
We'll see more of this in East Jerusalem where Israel blocked off Palestinian neighborhoods, made movement in and out very difficult for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.
Palestinians say this is its own form of incitement, as Israel tries to deescalate here and choosing more force which they say will only use to lead to more escalation. That's part of the tension here and part of the problem in terms of how to calm this entire situation down. Now, the big question here, there are Friday prayers coming up. There have been in recent weeks clashes after those prayers.
The question, how will those be? Israel has imposed restrictions on who's allowed in for prayers. It will be men over 40 and women of all ages as an attempt to see if that can help calm the situation here.
ROMANS: Certainly, a tense -- another tense morning for you there. Thanks for that, Oren Liebermann, and keep us up -- keep us up posted with what's going on there. Thanks.
KOSIK: Joe Biden could blow up the race for president by the end of the weekend. New information on whether he's going to take on Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Will Biden run? Explosive new information on how soon the vice president could become a presidential candidate and how his family feels about it.
