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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
American Executive Reportedly Arrested In Tehran; Plane Catches Fire on the Runway, Passengers Injured; Debate Shakes Up Race for President; Patriots Rout Dolphins, Stay Undefeated. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired October 30, 2015 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: You know, some workers get upset because they say, you know, they feel like they are pressured to work instead of being with their families.
[05:00:05] REI made an unprecedented move to keep its doors closed, even on Black Friday. That company wants shoppers to get outside instead. Some retail workers like the time and a half.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: Sure, some people relish the idea of more money.
ROMANS: You know, the outsiders sometimes, it looks like we are crazy with the shopping extravaganza on the day to give thanks.
KOSIK: I hear you.
All right. EARLY START continues right now.
(MUSIC)
ROMANS: Breaking overnight. An American businessman reportedly arrested in Iran. Tensions rising the country meets with officials in Vienna this morning. The war on ISIS and the crisis in Syria hanging in the balance. We are live.
KOSIK: New information on the passenger plane that burst into flames on the runway. That's coming up.
ROMANS: The race for president shaking up. Donald Trump sinking, Marco Rubio shining, and Jeb Bush, he's talking to his donors, convincing them he is not in a freefall.
Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.
KOSIK: And I'm Alison Kosik. It's Friday, October 30th. It's 5:00 a.m. in the East.
Breaking overnight: an Iranian-American businessman reportedly arrested in Tehran. He's been identified as Siamak Namazi. Namazi is the head of strategic planning for Crescent Petroleum. He was visiting family in Tehran two weeks ago when he was arrested by Iranian security forces.
The announcement of Namazi's arrest complicating the Syrian peace talks getting underway at Austria, where the Iranians have been invited to the table for the very first time.
Let's go live in Vienna and bring in CNN international correspondent Frederik Pleitgen.
So, first of all, what's the justification for arresting him and how much is this really complicating the already very complicated talks going on about what to do with Bashar al Assad?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, so far, Alison, there really hasn't been any justification for why exactly Mr. Namazi was detained. But we have discerned from some media reports that apparently his passport was taken away before he was detained and taken to the infamous Evin Prison, which is also where Jason Rezaian has been sitting for more than 415 days. Of course, that's "The Washington Post" reporter who apparently has been convicted of espionage by Iranians. Also, quite an intransparent process, that's exactly what we are seeing here right now as well.
Apparently, the forces that arrested Mr. Namazi or detained Mr. Namazi are part also of the hard line security forces that answer to Iran's supreme leader and not to Iran's government.
And it certainly is something that complicates matters here at these Vienna talks as well. As you said, this is the first time that the Iranians have been invited to the talks, which, of course, resolve around trying to revolve around the situation in Syria.
However, Secretary Kerry last night met with the Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif. The two normally have the good working relationships. They are the architects behind that nuclear deal between Iran and the West that, of course, was sealed just a couple months ago.
And Secretary of State Kerry according to the State Department did raise the issue of Americans detained in Iran, because what many people thought was that after the nuclear agreement, the relations would improve with Iran and the U.S. you have been seeing a lot of anti-American rhetoric coming from a lot of hard liners in Tehran. There had been signs that had been put up in Tehran saying no further negotiations with the U.S., warning about the alleged American cultural interference in Iran affairs.
And these arrests, of course, are part of that. And they also weigh on the process here, where all of this side and the U.S. on one side and the Iranians and Russians on one side are trying to find some sort of solution to Syria. Of course, there's a lot of stumbling blocks still there. And you're absolutely right, this is something, this arrest that further complicates those matters, Alison.
KOSIK: How likely is it that the U.S. will bend and allow Bashar al Assad to transition out of power and is there any agreement yet, close to agreement, on how long that could take? It could take months or it could take years.
PLEITGEN: There's absolutely -- there's absolutely no agreement on anything at this point in time. Bashar al Assad remains the main stumbling block, if you will, between the sides that are participating here in these talks.
On the one hand, you have the Russians and the Iranians who have said, look, we are not adverse to some sort of political transition period in Syria, to some sort of unity government that could be formed in the future. But they do believe that Bashar al Assad could be part of that process.
They speak about elections that could happen, that something in position in Syria says is impossible in a war-torn country and a large part of its territory dominated by ISIS.
And then, of course, you have the U.S. and its allies. The U.S. has said they could see Bashar al Assad remaining in power for a while, but at the end of the process, he would have to go. Of course, you have the Saudis, for instance who say they want Assad to go immediately.
It really is something where the parties will have to go a long way to make any sort of headway.
[05:05:01] There's not many people who believe that that is going to happen here at this Vienna meeting. But also, there's senior diplomats that we've been speaking to who say, first of all, the fact that this meeting is taking place in this constellation with the Iranians here, the Saudis here, U.S. and Russians here, that's already a big step forward.
If it doesn't completely deteriorate and fall apart, if they decide to keep meeting in this format, that is something that would already be seen as progress. That's how entrenched all of the sides are, that's how dire the situation is in Syria at this point in time, Alison.
KOSIK: All right. Frederik Pleitgen live from Vienna, thanks for that.
ROMANS: All right. Breaking news: a six-day manhunt for a Kentucky fugitive is over this morning. Sixty-two-year-old Floyd Ray Cook, a convicted robber and rapist, wanted for shooting a police officer in Tennessee, he was killed in a shootout with officers this morning in Brooksville, Kentucky.
Police closed in on Cook after he stopped at a home and asked a couple for a ride. They recognized him, refused his request and called police. About 50 officers with police dogs and surveillance planes tracked him into a wooded area and fatally wounded him.
KOSIK: Federal investigators heading to Ft. Lauderdale this morning. They're trying to determine exactly what cause a Dynamic Airways passenger jet bound for Venezuela to erupt in flames. Fifteen people were injured, one seriously. The Boeing 767 was taxiing for takeoff yesterday afternoon when a pilot in a plane behind that jetliner noticed something was wrong.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, Dynamic, out of the left engine, looks like it's leaking a lot of -- I don't know if it's fuel. Yes, it's fluid leaking out of the left engine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Engine's on fire! Engine's on fire!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: Can you imagine getting out of that plane? Over 100 passengers and crew members forced to evacuate the plane on emergency slides when smoke began to fill the cabin.
We get more now from CNN's Alina Machado.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Alison and Christine, hours after the plane caught on fire here at the Ft. Lauderdale International Airport, it was still sitting in the same spot where everything unfolded behind me. Now, the 101 people on that Boeing 767 lived through terrifying moments. The plane was supposed to do to Caracas, Venezuela, at 12:30 Thursday afternoon. Fifteen people were taken to the hospital.
Here's what doctored who treated the injured had to say.
IAN RUSIPOFF, EMERGENCY DOCTOR: Most of them are muscular, skeletal, ankles, knees, elbows.
Now, we're starting to see some chest pains and anxiety issues related to the actual accident itself. The injuries seem to be minor. Most of our patients are walking wounded.
ANDRES GALLEGOS, PASSENGER ON AIRPLANE: Stewardess calmly, very calmly opened -- started the procedure, opening the door. The plane was still moving when this was going on. He calmly, as soon as the plane stopped, he opened the door, let the chute out. The chute opened to the side of the plane. I was the second passenger leaving the aircraft. Went down the chute and turned around and saw the rest of the people.
MACHADO: The cause of the fires is still unknown. But we know that there was a report that fuel was leaking from the plane moments before the flames started.
The NTSB will be looking into what went wrong with this plane -- Alison and Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right. Alina, thank you for that.
Breaking news: the U.S. Senate passing a two-year budget bill. They convened at midnight with a first order of business breaking a filibuster led by Senator Rand Paul. The measure raises the debt limit and increases domestic and defense spending, ensuring there will be not government default. The bill goes to President Obama next. He is expected to sign it.
KOSIK: With debate number three on the books, the race for the Republican nomination is entering a new and unpredictable phase. It is no longer about stopping Donald Trump with Ben Carson catching and surpassing him in the latest national polls.
And with his performance Wednesday night, in the debate Wednesday night, Marco Rubio may be emerging as a frontrunner among the mainstream candidates.
As for Jeb Bush, he seems to be in trouble. His performance on Wednesday, uneven at best. The Florida governor trying to reassure donors his campaign isn't in a free-fall.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: You told donors today that you will get better at this. What will you do to get better at this?
JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Look, we've got eight more debates. I will have to do what candidates do, which is rudely interrupt, not answer the questions that are asked. And hopefully the debate moderator will ask more substantive questions. It's going fine.
REPORTER: Are you having fun?
BUSH: Oh, yes, you saw it. Having lots of fun.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: OK, at least he's having fun.
Marco Rubio who is criticized by Bush for missing Senate votes hits the campaign trail in Iowa later today. But he stayed in Washington long enough to vote this morning on the budget deal, which forced him to miss a scheduled lunch appearance in Council Bluff.
ROMANS: All right. Here to break it all down for us is Tal Kopan. Tal Kopan, CNN digital politics political reporter.
So nice to see you this morning.
You know, look, a lot of people talking about Jeb Bush, his performance at the debate and also his outreach now to his donors, his many donors who's given a lot money trying to reassure them that everything is OK.
[05:10:05] And the sort of story line his campaign is on life support, he disputes it.
Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: It's not on life support. We have the most money. We have the greatest organization. We're doing fine.
They're not walking away. They're not walking away. This is just -- look, there's eight more debates. There is ample time to do exactly what candidates do. End is not near.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: You know, the idea here, Tal, that he's got -- he's got seasoned donors. His donors are grown up, who've been through cycles before, and they're going to watch as this plays out.
What do you think?
TAL KOPAN, CNN DIGITAL POLITICS: Well, it's interesting. Right now, what we are hearing is donors are not quite bolting for the door just yet.
I'm reminded of what George Pataki said this week. He was laughing. It makes him chuckle to hear Jeb Bush is having money trouble. He raised millions of dollars and is in one of the strongest positions coming out of last quarter.
That said, a campaign is all about narrative. And the problem for Jeb Bush right now is the narrative is all about him circling the drain. And so, it's very hard to reassure any skittish donor that you've got things under control when every campaign stop, every press availability, the question is, are you done? The fact he has to answer the questions is what his campaign doesn't want to be doing right now.
KOSIK: OK. Let's move on to Donald Trump who was before this debate really in the headlines almost every day for something he would say. Now off this most recent debate, he is claiming victory. Here is something he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So who saw the debate last night?
(CHEERS)
And great book. And who won the debate?
Yes, we think we did well, everybody. I mean, I think there were a few people that really did well last night. We were given good credit. It is hard to get credit from the press.
You know, when you get credit from press, you know you really did well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: But the thing is, he is claiming victory, but he didn't make any headlines out of the debate. He is not really grabbing any attention like he used to. Do you think his reign is on the wane?
KOPAN: Well, that might be a perfect way to put it.
And remember, going into this debate, it might have been the week Donald Trump just did not want going in because Ben Carson has started to come out ahead in some polls. And so, it's possible that we are seeing his frontrunner status start to ebb.
And yet, how unusual is it that wracking our brain after the debate, we can't remember Donald Trump's big moment. He didn't generate any of the headlines himself. But, of course, you know, if you ask Donald Trump, everything's great. He is still ahead in the polls.
So, I don't know we will see any changes in the Donald Trump stump speech or his attitude. But it certainly feels like there's a bit of a change in the winds.
ROMANS: Yes, the personal monitor of his competence never changes. That number is static, I will say.
You know, Ben Carson, though, slamming the debate, slamming the process, slamming this whole ritual of, you know, candidates on stage not being in charge of what they will be asked and having to elbow their way in to get something. A lot of people this morning, a lot of Republicans talking about changing the way the debates are run from here on out.
Listen to what Ben Carson said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Debates are supposed to be established to help the people get to know the candidates and get to know what's behind them and what they're thinking process is and philosophy is. And what's has turned into is a gotcha. That's silly, and that's not really helpful for anybody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: How swift is the momentum among the Republican candidates and their teams to try to pressure Fox Business News and others to change the debate format?
KOPAN: Well, as Donald Trump says, they seem to have a lot of the cards. This is one area that perhaps he may have had the most sort of underrated effect on the race, is that he is really familiar with negotiating. And according to reports, he and others threatened to walk away from the debate if they didn't meet the demands. And that's a very difficult thing to deal with if you are a network and an organization preparing to go into this sort of momentous event, that as we have seen brings networks a lot of ratings.
And it's interesting. I mean, there's been a lot of grumbling toward the RNC and on the Democratic side, the DNC, for how the debates are run. It is a win-win for the candidates.
Especially with the conservative base, they love attacks on the media. They really feel that the media doesn't give them a fair shake. And the candidates can't lose by forcing the moderators to tone it down a little bit or relent to their demands.
KOSIK: Exactly. There's only so much control you can have with those debates.
All right. Tal Kopan, we're going to come back to you later in the show. I got more questions for you. Thanks for coming on.
KOPAN: Thank you.
ROMANS: Let's ask her about the Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders meeting.
KOSIK: Did they have a beer? What was going on?
[05:15:00] ROMANS: I know, I want to find out. All right. We'll find out.
KOSIK: All right. Graphic new videos taking you inside the Waco biker shootout. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. Welcome back.
Incredible and sometimes graphic video of May's chaotic shootout with rival biker gangs in Waco, Texas. This is surveillance video of the Twin Peaks restaurant. Its patio and parking lot turning into a bloody war zone between the Cossacks and the Bandidos.
Who fired first isn't clear. The rival gangs point the finger at each other. Here is how the president of the Cossacks chapter in Waco described the scene.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN WILSON, COSSACKS BIKER: It was pretty horrific. There were guys getting hit and falling and I realized that I needed to get away from where I was. I looked at the guy to my left, a good friend of mine, and I told him, we have to get off the sidewalk or we're going to die here, you know?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Wow, nine bikers did die. A hundred seventy-seven arrested. All of them charged with organized criminal activity.
KOSIK: All right. The Miami Dolphins taking on the Patriots in New England. Could the fish be the first team to knock off the defending Super Bowl champs this year?
Andy Scholes has this morning's bleacher report, coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:22:54] ROMANS: John Berman is smiling wherever he is this morning. Not because he got to sleep in, although we should prank call him because that would be funny.
KOSIK: That's a great idea.
ROMANS: The Patriots dominating the Dolphins on Thursday night football.
KOSIK: Yes, but he may be smiling. As a Dolphins fan, I'm not smiling.
Andy Scholes has this morning's bleacher report. Good morning.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, guys.
You know, I'll tell you what? Tom Brady and the Patriots, they looked absolutely unstoppable. They outscored at least 30 points in all but one game this season.
Last night, making it look easy against the Dolphins. First quarter, Brady finds Gronk and he's going to rumbles for 46 yards for the touchdown. Brady throwing for 356 yards and 4 touchdowns in this game.
For the season, he has 20 touchdown passes and one interception. That interception wasn't his fault. Patriots cruising to a 34-7 win in this one. They are 7-0 on the season.
All right. The World Series continues tonight in New York. Game three a must-win for the Mets. Royals have a 2-0 lead in the series. No team has after come back from an 0-3 deficit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TERRY COLLINS, METS MANAGER: We have our fan base behind us now. That brings out a lot of energy in our guys. And there's a lot of confidence in the clubhouse. We're down, but we're not out. And we fought back so many times this year, that this is just another challenge we have to meet and so far, we met them all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: All right. First pitch just after 8:00 Eastern tonight. Mets have Noah Syndergaard on the mound, Royals countering with Yordano Ventura.
All right. Clippers hosting the Mavs last night. This is the first meeting between these two teams since DeAndre Jordan burned the Mavs with a last second and then resigned with the Clippers during the summer. It has owner Mark Cuban has some choice for Jordan and Clippers for how they handled that entire ordeal.
But you know what brings enemies together? The kiss cam. Cuban and Clippers owner Steve Ballmer put on the kiss cam. They're all smiles, even blowing kisses back and forth to each other. That's sweet.
All right. Penguins and Sabres last night. The coach throwing a young penguins fan a puck when this man reaches out, steals the puck, and then just put it in his pocket and sits down.
[05:25:08] And social media went absolutely crazy about this. The Penguins tweeted that they were going to make this right and they did. The Penguin mascot iceberg found the kid and he got multiple pucks and jersey and a nice hug from Iceberg.
Guys, another example of how good triumphs over evil. And I'll tell you what, people who steal foul balls and pucks, t-shirts from kids, they should be immediately ejected from whatever game they are at.
KOSIK: I'm with you on that.
(LAUGHTER)
SCHOLES: How do you do that? It's unbelievable.
ROMANS: All right. Andy Scholes, thank you so much, Andy.
SCHOLES: All right.
ROMANS: Breaking overnight: An American businessman reportedly arrested and imprisoned in Tehran. How will this complicate talks this morning between the U.S. and Iran? We are live next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KOSIK: Breaking overnight. An American businessman reportedly in prison in Tehran. Increasing tensions as U.S. officials meet Iran over the war on ISIS. We are live.
ROMANS: A shake up in the race for president. Candidates play defense after a heated debate. Who is up and who is down and where they go from here this morning?
KOSIK: More than a dozen passengers injured when the plane catches fire on the runway. We've got new information this morning.
Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Alison Kosik.
ROMANS: It's Friday.
KOSIK: Yay!
ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. So nice to see you this morning. It is 30 minutes past the hour.
Breaking overnight, an American businessman reportedly arrested in Tehran. He's been identified as Siamak Namazi. Namazi is the head of the strategic planning for a company called Crescent Petroleum.
