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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

U.S. Intel: ISIS May Have Bombed Plane; Trump Vs. Rubio; Officer Committed "The Ultimate Betrayal". Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired November 05, 2015 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:37] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: A bomb on board. U.S. intelligence now believes ISIS likely brought down a Russian jetliner, killing 224 people onboard. This morning, flights shutdown, thousands stranded. Live team coverage breaking it all down begins right now.

Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm John Berman. It is Thursday, November 5th, 4:00 a.m. in the East.

And breaking overnight, new information on the crash of the Russian jet in the Sinai Peninsula, a crash that killed 224 people. New U.S. intelligence suggests the plane was most likely brought down by a bomb planted by ISIS or one of its affiliates. That is what several officials are now telling CNN. This is backed up by British officials and sources in the Middle East using very similar language.

And new this morning, one U.S. official tells CNN that the bombing may have had some kind of assistance from inside the airport itself.

Let's get latest from Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, our own Elise Labott is hearing from her sources that it is possible someone at the airport at Sharm el-Sheikh may have been involved in trying to get a bomb onboard the aircraft.

Where it stands now is it's not absolute. It's not a final assessment. But the U.S. intelligence community increasingly believes it may have been a bomb that brought down the airplane killing all 224 souls on board. A U.S. official telling me and I quote, "There is a definite feeling it was an explosive device planted in luggage or somewhere on the plane."

The U.S. has been monitoring ISIS communications. They believe it is possible it was either ISIS or an ISIS affiliate behind all of this. They had been worried about the security situation in Sinai for months as militants increasingly moved in. After the attack, they began to see these ISIS online claims, these online communications that are not part of the public claims of responsibility. Think of it as ISIS chatter, if you will, that the U.S. intelligence community is monitoring.

We've now seen the U.K., Ireland respond by cutting their air flights to Sharm el-Sheikh. A lot of concern about security at the airport there. But it must be said that the Egyptian government right now is still saying that the airport is safe -- John, Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: Barbara Starr, thank you.

The possibility of a bomb brought down Flight 9268 creating special concern in the United Kingdom where Sharm el-Sheikh is a popular tourist destination, as Barbara just mentioned. Britain and Ireland have suspended all flights to and from the airport there, temporarily stranding nearly 20,000 British tourists. U.K. officials say the report was driven by a report from British experts who found problems with security at Sharm el-Sheikh airport.

For the very latest, let's bring in CNN's Max Foster in London, where authorities, Max, are very concerned.

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They're very concerned, and David Cameron in a couple of hours is going to chair an emergency cabinet meeting they call it here at Downing Street to try to work out the latest intelligence.

There were some intelligence that came on very late yesterday and that prompted this response, which is in banning effectively all flights between Sharm el-Sheikh and U.K., and telling tourists, Brits, to stay away from the area altogether. Three and a half thousand tourists were meant to be flying back to the U.K. today. So, it's caused all manner of chaos, but the British foreign secretary saying today that they have to err on the side of caution on this one.

And this has frustrated the Egyptians because they believe the Brits should have waited for the outcome for the formal investigation. But Britain saying they can't wait because British lives are under threat.

We haven't gotten access of the intelligence on which that space, but we do that the British team is on the ground in Egypt, assessing the security situation at Sharm el-Sheikh airport. They accept that improvements have been made, but they haven't gone far enough.

So, that's really the basis of why flights continue to be suspended. It's quite all good, I have to say, because President Sisi of Egypt happens to be coming here today on a preplanned visit. We haven't heard from him yet. We're going to get his first response here.

David Cameron is going to be asking, John, why British lives are potentially at risk in this airport.

[04:05:02] What can be done to improve security there?

BERMAN: All right. Max Foster at 10 Downing Street, awkward indeed because Egypt insists that the airport at Sharm el-Sheikh is still safe this morning. I want to talk more about that. Let's bring in senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman live in Cairo.

Ben, the Egyptians say it's safe. You've been in and out of that airport a lot. How safe is it?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, let's just say what I have seen over the 14 years I lived here was that security at Sharm el-Sheikh is relaxed. It is a tourist destination, a very busy place. And often times you don't get the feeling that they are on high alert, to say the least.

And, certainly now, given that the eyes of the world are upon that airport, clearly, security has been hyped up a bit. The horse is out of the barn at this point. And it's questionable whether it will be able to receive tourism and tourists at the level it did in the past.

And as far as Egyptian officials reacting to the suggestions by American officials that perhaps there was a bomb on board the aircraft, we did hear from Allah Yousef (ph), who is a spokesman for the Egyptian president, in London at the moment saying, we should not get ahead of ourselves when it comes to the results of the investigation.

And one final note, this morning, Al-Ahram, which is the paper of note here in Cairo, on the front page, there is not even a mention of the MetroJet crash in any form whatsoever. So, it appears that at the moment, the Egyptians are remaining mum on suggestions there may have been a bomb onboard this aircraft -- Christine.

BERMAN: That is fascinating, fascinating.

ROMANS: Very fascinating. All right. Thanks.

Also new this morning, Russian aviation officials say one of the plane's two black boxes, the cockpit voice recorder, has serious damage. They say it will take a lot more work to read the data from it.

International diplomatic editor Nic Robertson is in St. Petersburg -- Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, there have been new developments here overnight, nothing from the Russians specifically about this report of a bomb may have been put aboard the aircraft. However, what we have heard is that the MetroJet's other A321 aircraft have been grounded by the aviation authority. It's odd in a way because these aircraft were earlier in the week inspected and cleared for service. We have heard from the foreign ministry spokesperson who said that the Egyptians are leading the investigation and therefore, we need to wait for that team to complete their work to make their report.

We heard from the main aviation authority here in Russia saying it is up to Egypt to put out any information about the investigation first. It would be illegal for Russia to comment on the investigation without the express permission of the Egyptian government.

So, that's the position that we are getting from Russia authorities here. We also know today is the funeral of the first of the victims being buried today. Officials say 14 bodies will be repatriated to families today. Five of those bodies are being repatriated will be the air crew. And so far, the identification of the bodies continues. Close to 50 bodies identified now -- John.

BERMAN: All right. Nic Robertson for us in St. Petersburg, Russia. You can see the international scope of what's going on right now from Russia to England, you know, to Egypt, and, of course, the United States with its investigators and intelligence officials now weighing in.

ROMANS: And it's said that the families waiting for their loved ones to come back, but they're also investigating. Their families are part of the crime scene quite frankly. So, they are investigating the difference in the shrapnel and the bodies in the back of the plane, what that could say about a possible bomb, and its origins on that flight.

BERMAN: All right. Eight minutes past the hour.

Some other news, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld reportedly blasted by George H.W. Bush, that man's father, in a new biography. What the former president is criticizing members of his son's administration.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Candidates both Republican and Democrat now converging on New Hampshire to officially file for the state's crucial first of the nation's primary. GOP front runner Donald Trump was first in line when the filing period begun Wednesday. Trump used the occasion to go after rival Marco Rubio on his personal finances. Rubio now moving up in the polls. He's returning fire.

We get more from CNN's Dana Bash. She is in New Hampshire.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, it is always busy here in New Hampshire this time of year in an election year, but especially right now because it is filing time for these candidates to actually get on the ballot for the first in the nation primary.

Later today, Marco Rubio is going to sign his name and make sure that he is going to be there.

And yesterday, it was Donald Trump. Of course, as he tends to do, came with a lot of fanfare. It was a big event. And he signed it.

But then he also took a couple of shots at some of the opponents who seem to be giving him more and more of a run for his money. Marco Rubio is one of them. That is where Trump decided to hit him the hardest on questions about finances from way back when Marco Rubio was in the statehouse credit card -- credit card that he used.

Here's what Donald Trump said about that.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Marco Rubio has a disaster on his finances. He has a disaster on his credit cards. When you check his credit cards, take a look at what he's done with the Republican Party when he had access. What he had to put back in and whether or not something should have happened.

BASH: As for Rubio, he insists this is a non-issue, that he is going to release the credit card statements from back when he was in the statehouse to prove that he did not use the Republican Party's credit card or money. He paid everything that he spent on his personal expenses himself. And he had this to say to me in response to Donald Trump.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That's Donald being Donald. He doesn't -- whenever there is a bad poll, he kind of gets weird and does these sorts of thing. He doesn't know what he is talking about.

The bottom line, people need to understand is this was an American Express card. If there were personal expenses on there, I paid them directly to American Express at the time. If there were political, the Republican Party paid them.

BASH: And there's a pretty good reason for Donald Trump to be setting his sights on Marco Rubio more than he has in the past, particularly here in New Hampshire because Rubio is climbing pretty big in the polls here. He went from just 2 percent a couple months ago to 11 percent which puts him third.

And New Hampshire is such a key place for so many of these players. Donald Trump really wants to remain on top and continues to push the others down.

[04:15:02] It is still a long three or four months until the first in the nation primary here -- John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: It sure is. Oh, it is.

BERMAN: Ninety days. Well, 90-plus days. Ninety days until Iowa, and then one year until the real life election day.

ROMANS: When is California? June?

BERMAN: California is in June. And maybe it will go all the way to California. Take it to the convention.

The new national poll shows Donald Trump and Ben Carson, they're at the top of the Republican field, this from FOX News. Trump on top by three points. Carson in second in 23. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz down at 11 percent. They are a second tier.

Then, there's the way, way below tier. You see Jeb Bush, John Kasich, Rand Paul, Mike Huckabee, Carly Fiorina.

And with just 2 percent, Chris Christie. That is a very interesting number, because at 2 percent, the New Jersey governor would not qualify for the main stage in the next debate next Tuesday night. He would be on the undercard.

It is sponsored by Fox Business Network. They will announce their line up tonight.

And, by the way, Bobby Jindal and George Pataki may not qualify for the undercard.

ROMANS: Remarkable.

BERMAN: Yes, it's kind of crazy.

ROMANS: It really is.

Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton is on a two-day visit to southern California. She is raising money and appearing on "Jimmy Kimmel Live". Clinton taped her appearance on Kimmel. The show is going to air tonight. She is doing three big fund raters -- fund- raisers, including one hosted by the singer Christine Aguilera, filmmaker Rob Reiner holds another for Clinton at his home today.

BERMAN: What is your favorite Christine Aguilera song? "Roar", right? Definitely, that's the right answer.

Former President George H.W. Bush is reportedly blasting key figures in his son's administration, specifically Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld. The comments are part of a new biography being published next week, according to "The New York Times".

The elder Bush says that as vice president, Cheney built his own empire and asserted too much hard line influence in the White House. As for the Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, Bush 41 says he was arrogant and served the president badly. "New York Times" says the book's author John Meacham asked both Cheney and Rumsfeld for comment. Cheney admitted he was much harder line after 9/11 than before. Rumsfeld declined to comment.

This book is riddled with swear words.

ROMANS: It is?

BERMAN: The elder George W. Bush uses the word "ass" a lot.

ROMANS: Oh my.

BERMAN: I can say that on TV because George H.W. Bush says it, too.

ROMANS: Well, it's an old fashion swear word, isn't it?

BERMAN: It is. He swore like a sailor, he was a naval aviator.

ROMANS: There you go, swears like a tailor. Time for a new start on your money this morning. China shares soar almost 2 percent. That officially puts China's stocks up 20 percent from the August low. That's an official bull market.

U.S. stock futures are barely moving. It's a morning after a bombshell from Fed Chief Janet Yellen who said a December rate hike is a, quote, live possibility. And that got a lot of attention folks. It's the Fed's last chance this year to raise interest rates. It will be the first rate hike in almost a decade. Concerns about the economy still linger.

But Yellen told Congress she sees improvements in the job market and consumer spending. There was a really hot housing number yesterday, too. Plus, cheap oil prices have been keeping inflation low. And she says that's only temporary.

Now, Yellen's comments make tomorrow's jobs reports even important. Strong numbers could support the case for that rate hike next month. There are many economists, though, who are telling me they think those days of 250,000 job growth consistently might be waning. And you are looking in the 200,000 range now.

BERMAN: Interesting. Tomorrow, big day.

ROMANS: Yes.

BERMAN: The White House says Iran's revolutionary guard has been on a hacking spree in recent weeks. The military force targeting emails and social media accounts of administration officials. U.S. journalist and academics have also reportedly been hit.

The attacks are believed to be connected to the recent arrest of an Iranian-American businessman Siamak Namazi. Namazi's friends and associates say the Iranians confiscated his computer when they raided and ransacked his family's home in Tehran.

ROMANS: President Obama could take executive action to shut down the military prison at Guantanamo Bay. Right now, the White House is finalizing a plan to transfer many of the detainees to other nation's and some to facilities here in the U.S. The measure will be sent to lawmakers in the next few days. But the White House says it is not expecting Congress to give it fair consideration.

Eighteen minutes past the hour.

Did a police officer kill himself and stage it as a murder to cover up his embezzlement scheme? A stunning plot revealed, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:22:48] BERMAN: A stunning twist in the shooting death of a veteran Illinois police officer. When the body of Lieutenant Joe Gliniewicz was found in September, there was a huge manhunt for his killers. But now, investigators say Gliniewicz pulled off a carefully staged suicide. They're accusing him of betrayal. This story is nuts. Let's get more from CNN's Rosa Flores.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, Christine, Illinois investigators making a shocking revelation, saying that Lieutenant Gliniewicz was no hometown hero. He was a con artist that lived a secret life, that he made his suicide look like a homicide to investigators to distract them.

So, how did he do that? Investigators believe that he planted evidence on the scene to distract them. Things like leaving pepper spray. Then, a few feet away, dropping a baton and then other objects.

And the distraction did work. It took authorities two months to determine this was indeed a suicide.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are no winners here. Gliniewicz committed the ultimate betrayal, to the citizens her served, and the entire law enforcement community. The facts of his actions proved he behaved for years in a manner completely contrary to the image he portrayed.

FLORES: So, what was the motive here? Investigators believe that authorities were zeroing in on Gliniewicz for alleged criminal activity that spanned seven years, and that Gliniewicz was using the Explorers Program, which is a mentorship program for teens, to launder money. Now, those monies were in the thousands of dollars and were used to pay his mortgage, to access adult web sites among other things.

Now, as for his family, they are asking for privacy and as you know, there was pouring of support emotionally and financially for that family. And CNN has learned that at least one organization who gave that family $15,000 is asking for their money back -- John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[04:25:04] ROMANS: All right, Rosa Flores.

Such a sad story. You have to think the family is still a victim here. No matter what happens, the families are still victims here.

BERMAN: Yes. Although, the family, they're being looked into or they're being discussed right now as well.

ROMANS: Part of the investigation.

BERMAN: Yes.

ROMANS: All right. Twenty-five minutes past the hour.

U.S. intelligence now believes ISIS may have bombed the Russian jetliner, killing 224 on board. Live team coverage next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Did terrorists bring down a Russian plane with 224 people onboard? New U.S. intelligence suggests that ISIS could be behind this tragedy. We have team coverage breaking down all the developments overnight. It begins right now.

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

ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. It is 29 minutes past the hour.

Breaking overnight: new information on the crash of MetroJet Flight 9268 in the Sinai Desert. Now, the latest U.S. intelligence suggests that plane was most likely brought down by a bomb planted by ISIS or one of its affiliates. That is what several U.S. officials are telling CNN backed up by British officials and sources in the Middle East using similar language.

And next this morning, one U.S. official tells CNN the bombing may have been an inside job. The latest on that from Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: John and Christine, our own Elise Labott is hearing from her sources that it is possible someone at the airport at Sharm el-Sheikh may have been involved in trying to get a bomb onboard the aircraft.

Where it stands now is it's not absolute. It's not a final assessment.