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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Caron Pushes Back Against Media; Security Audit Underway at Egypt's Airports; Six-Year-Old Boy Allegedly Shot by Cops; Israeli PM Meets with President Obama Today; Turnout Strong for Myanmar Elections; University of Missouri Football Players Boycott; Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired November 09, 2015 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:40] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Ben Carson venting his frustration with the media and the coverage of his White House run. He says the focus too much on his past. Wait until you hear how he lit into reporters on the road.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: Broken baggage scanners, lax searches. Employees taking bribes. Just some of the charges Egypt is denying at embattled Sharma el Sheikh airport. Will a new review uncover anything following the possible bombing of a departing jetliner?

BERMAN: A Louisiana community in mourning and demanding answers. A 6-year-old boy will be buried today after being shot and killed by two marshals.

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

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

And this morning there's new criticism from the media -- of the media from Ben Carson. The Republican candidate is pushing back against reporting that scrutinize his stories he has told about his youth. A key part of Carson's personal narrative is that he says he was violent as a youngster until he turned to God which transformed his life.

Campaigning in Puerto Rico, Carson offered a point-by-point rebuttal to some of the reporting by Politico, the "Wall Street Journal" and CNN. Now CNN's investigation could not corroborate several of the Carson's stories, including a description of punching a classmate in the face with his hand wrapped around a lock.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The kind of investigations that were done, you know, talking to the wrong people, not going to Wilson Junior High School where the lock incident occurred, but talking to other people and saying, see? I mean, that's just stupid. And if our media is no better at investigating than that, it's sick.

The burden of proof is not going to be on me to corroborate everything that I ever talked about in my life because once I start down that road, every single day from now until the election, you're going to be spending your time doing that, and we have much more important things to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: Meantime, Donald Trump had a very different kind of weekend. He hosted "Saturday Night Live," an appearance which got good ratings but not so great reviews. A kind of good dancing there. Sunday morning he was right back in the swing of things, taking swings at his opponent. The latest on that now from CNN's Chris Frates in Washington.

CHRIS FRATES, CNN INVESTIGATIONS UNIT CORRESPONDENT: Alison and John, fresh of his "Saturday Night Live" appearance Trump took aim Sunday at his rivals for the Republican nomination. Trump was asked about the news that Marco Rubio issued previously unreleased American Express card detailing his spending. Now remember, Rubio has come under intense fire for charging personal expenses to the Florida Republican Party Amex card when he was in the state legislative leadership in Tallahassee. Here is what Trump had to say about Rubio's credit card spending.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I hope he's going to show his credit cards. And I hope it turns out to be good for him. Not bad for him. And we will see what happens. But I would like to see him not hurt himself on such a matter that, you know, should be very easy to understand and very simple to understand. So we'll see what happens if he gave the information, it will be very easy -- probably very to see whether or not anything was done wrong.

And frankly, I hope nothing was done that was wrong because that would be really terrible to be disqualified for that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRATES: So he didn't hit Rubio that hard and that's likely because there were no immediate bombshells in those Amex statements. But Trump did drop one of his signature passive-aggressive attacks when he said, I hope there's nothing bad for him because it would be horrible to be disqualified as president for that. So Trump is basically leaving the door open here to hit Rubio on it later. But that likely won't stop reporters from asking -- John and Alison.

BERMAN: All right, thanks, Chris.

Hillary Clinton heads to New Hampshire today to officially file for the first-in-the-nation primary. The Democratic frontrunner will hold a town hall tonight in Windham. Over the weekend Clinton proposed loosening restrictions on marijuana and called for more research into possible medical benefits.

Her top rival, Bernie Sanders, in Las Vegas. He did not hold back about why he says young people should care about this election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Because I know you're going to go back and people are going to say, why did you go to this rally? Some guy that no one has heard of, why were you here?

And I want you to tell them, I want you to tell them, if anyone tells you, you know, politics is (EXPLETIVE DELETED) and you should not get involved, I want you -- I want you to ask them why it is that the Koch brothers and other billionaires are spending 900 million bucks on this election.

[04:35:18] They think it's pretty important. And if they think it's pretty important, your friends should think it's pretty important.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Now Donald Trump used the BS word earlier this year in a campaign rally. Now Bernie Sanders. Now just before Bernie Sanders hit Nevada, a little bit of a shakeup in his Nevada campaign. The state director Jim Farrell stepped down for what he called family reasons.

KOSIK: New this morning, a Russian security audit is under way in the Egyptian resort of Sharma el Sheikh. The U.S. is increasingly confident it was a bomb that brought down a Russian jetliner that took off from Sharma killing all 224 people on board. With one U.S. official telling CNN it is, quote, "99.9 percent certain."

Egypt is walking a fine line, though, firmly denying media reports of lax security at the airports, but also inviting Russian experts to conduct airport security checks and make suggestions for improvement.

Joining us from Sharma el Sheikh with latest is CNN's Ian Lee. Good morning, Ian.

IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John and Alison. The FBI also might get involved in this investigation. We're hearing from a U.S. law enforcement official that the FBI may be requested to come in and help the Egyptian officials in this investigation in particular listening to a noise that occurs right at the last second of that plane flight. A loud bang is heard on the voice recorder.

U.S. and U.K. officials have said that they believe this is an explosion from a bomb. Now the Egyptians have said that it could also be an engine exploding, a battery exploding. They're saying it's too soon to jump to conclusions, but also at the Sharma el Sheikh airport behind me, there is a Russian team on the ground. They are assessing security not only here, but also at other airports around Egypt.

They have tens of thousands of citizens in this country and they want to make sure that they can get back safely. There have been a lot of criticism at the security measures at these airports. But right now, the army has taken control and we are hearing from people leaving that it is fairly tight.

KOSIK: All right, Ian, very interesting. The U.S. may join in on the investigation of what brought down this plane. Thanks so much for your report.

BERMAN: Happening today, a 6-year-old boy will be laid to rest and the two law enforcement officers charged with killing him, they will appear in court. First grader Jeremy Mardis was shot and killed after a police chase in Louisiana. Jeremy's father Chris Few, he was injured when the officers opened fire. His condition has been upgraded to serious. The two officers were arrested based in part on body camera video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COL. MICHAEL EDMONSON, HEAD OF LOUISIANA STATE POLICE: Jeremy Mardis, 6 years old. He didn't deserve to die like that. We took some of the body camera footage. Let me tell you something, I'm not going to talk about it, but I'm going to tell you this. It is the most disturbing thing I have seen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Police have not so far disclosed a motive for the shooting.

Let's get the latest now. CNN's Nick Valencia in Marksville, Louisiana.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John and Alison, according to local media reports, at least one of the officers involved and charged in the murder of 6-year-old Jeremy Mardis has a troubled history. Back in 2011, 32-year-old Derrick Stafford was indicted on two counts of aggravated assault, one incident dating back to 2004, another occurring while he was still employed by the Marksville Police Department.

We have reached out to the Marksville Police Department as well as family members of Stafford. They have not gotten back to CNN. But in our research on both history of the officers, we could not find any instance in which either was convicted of a crime.

Meanwhile, in this community of 5,000, the focus is largely on 6-year- old Jeremy Mardis. Earlier, I spoke with his first grade special needs teacher at the site where he was shot and killed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just brought this cute bear and puppy dog and the wreath from the Autism Network because when a child in a our community, you know, needs something, we're there for them.

VALENCIA: You guys are there for them. What goes through your heart and mind when you look at this?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just --

VALENCIA: For Jeremy?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm just know he is watching over everybody. He always was an angel. (END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: The funeral for that 6-year-old will be held later this afternoon in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Meanwhile, those two marshals, they're in custody behind me. They remain in this jail and they are expected also to have their first court appearance on Monday -- John, Alison.

BERMAN: All right, Nick. Thanks so much.

A deadly accident in a Washington, D.C. suburb. Four people were killed, 14 others injured when a van caught fire after colliding with a pickup truck in Hyattsville, Maryland. Police say a child was among the fatalities.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[04:40:09] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I stayed with one of the little girls and just held her hand. I think her leg may have been broken and she was crying and we tried to keep her awake, keep her still.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She had a burn on her face.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And what did you do?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Actually I started saying John 3:16 to her. And that calmed her down from crying.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Of the 14 people hurt, eight are in critical condition, including four children.

KOSIK: Time for an EARLY START on your money. Asian markets finishing mixed overnight. The Nikkei and the Shanghai Composite both up under 2 percent. The Hang Seng losing almost 1 percent. And looking at the Dow in pre-market trading it's slightly lower.

A judge in California ruling store Apple employees they don't have to be paid for the time that they spend having their bags searched at the end of their shifts. The class action suit on behalf of more than 12,000 employees in California had argued that the time they spent on these screenings it actually added up to about $1500 a year in lost wages. But the federal judge in this case said that anti-theft screenings aren't part of the employees' job responsibilities. And they can avoid the searches by not bringing a bag to work which I find a little unrealistic. I can't imagine, as a lady, not taking a bag with me to work. I mean, guys can get away with it. You've got your wallet in your pocket but come on, I've got to bring my stuff.

BERMAN: I bring a backpack every day. I think --

KOSIK: OK, there you go.

BERMAN: Yes.

KOSIK: That's what I'm saying. I'm saying it's a little unfair.

BERMAN: It's not just for the ladies anymore.

KOSIK: OK.

(LAUGHTER)

BERMAN: All right. All sides today hoping for a thaw in a frosty, frosty relationship. Benjamin Netanyahu visits the White House to speak with President Obama for the first time in a long time. This as there is new violence to tell you about in Israel. We are live in Jerusalem next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:46:34] BERMAN: Huge meeting at the White House today. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Obama, their relationship has been, in a word, chilly. They meet today hopefully for some fence mending of sorts. This follows Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress to lobby against the Iran nuclear deal. The Israeli leader is also seeking more military aid from the United States. It comes amid a new wave of violence with more terror attacks in Israel.

CNN's Oren Liebermann is live in Jerusalem this morning. Good morning, Oren.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. And there are a number of people here who say all they have to do to have a successful meeting is to not snap at each other. To make sure that no negative publicity comes out from either side on this meeting. But there are some big items on this agenda. The number one item there for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the U.S. military aid package to Israel in the aftermath of the Iran nuclear deal.

Now that that is a done deal, Netanyahu will push to increase that military aid package. It stands at right about $3 billion a year right now. And Netanyahu knows this won't a quick lobby and probably won't be decided today. The deal itself, that military aid package, goes into 2018. But this is where Netanyahu will start pushing to increase it to $4 billion, perhaps $5 billion a year. So that will be number one on his agenda.

Of course the Israeli/Palestinian conflict will also be on that agenda with the alleged attack this morning and a number of attacks yesterday, all in the West Bank. This morning security officials here say a woman approached the checkpoint in Eliyahu which is in the northern part of the West Bank and refused to stop when soldiers there ordered her to stop. These soldiers, when she refused to stop according to security officials, opened fire and shot her.

Now there was another attack yesterday. There were actually three alleged attacks yesterday but one of them is getting a tremendous amount of attention because of some very disturbing video. And we have to warn you before you see this video. This is in Beitar Illit, an ultra orthodox settlement south of Jerusalem in the southern part of the West Bank where in this video you can see this woman approaches a security guard in this settlement and as that security is checking her ID, she pulls out a knife and attempts to stab that security guard. That security guard was able to pull out his gun and shot the alleged attacker sending her to the hospital.

So all of this hangs over these conversations. We'll see what comes out of this. Not expecting any big announcements but big issues here on the table.

BERMAN: We're expecting statements from the leaders, though, not a live press conference.

Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem, thanks so much.

KOSIK: The preliminary results of Myanmar's first openly contested election in 25 years are expected sometime later today. Up to 30 million people in the Southeast Asian nation went to the polls. And that represents a turnout of 80 percent and could signal a move away from decades in military rule for the country once known as Burma.

Senior international correspondent Ivan Watson joins us live from Myanmar this morning.

Any word on what the numbers are looking like?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Only the first results are starting to come out, Alison, that a dozen of the seats of the more than 500 seats that were up for grabs have gone to the main opposition party that is led by the Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. That iconic opposition politician who spent more than a decade under house arrest.

I can't stress enough what a big deal Sunday's election was for this country. I met people who waited five hours in line just to cast their ballot. And when I asked them was it worth it, they said yes, absolutely because every vote counts.

[04:50:09] This is the first time in 25 years that people here have been able to vote in an openly contested national election. The military junta that ruled this country for decades used to crackdown hard with deadly force on any sign of dissent.

So people were lined up, if you can believe it, an hour before dawn, an hour before polls opened just waiting for their chance to vote. So this was a very emotional moment for people and now much of the country on edge waiting to hear the results of the election. It sounds like the ruling political party that's backed by the military had a bad day. The chairman of the party lost his bid for a seat in parliament as did the speaker of parliament. We're still waiting to find out how big the win could have been for the opposition -- John and Alison.

KOSIK: You know, really amazing. In this country here in the U.S., many of us take for granted voting but it's great to see the anticipation and the excitement there for this elections. Thanks so much for that report. BERMAN: Yet for all the complaints about people, the election season

is too long.

KOSIK: Right.

BERMAN: Look at that country.

KOSIK: Yes.

BERMAN: People lining up just for the chance to vote.

All right. Is Starbucks waging a war on Christmas? The tempest in a coffee cup that is spreading to make things difficult. Turn the tide on your burnt coffee. We will get an EARLY START on your money next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:56:02] BERMAN: The governing board of the University of Missouri will hold a public meeting today in the face of new racial tensions on campus. Dozens of football players say they will not play until university president Tim Wolfe steps down. Coaches say they support the decision to protest how the school had handled alleged racism and discrimination on campus.

Let's get more from CNN's Polo Sandoval.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John and Alison, over the weekend, the university president acknowledging that racism is a problem on his campus. He says that he's currently working to address some of the protesters' concerns. He also released several statements, one of the latest ones reading, quote, "It is clear to all of us that change is needed and we appreciate the thoughtfulness and passion which have gone into sharing of those concerns."

Jonathan Butler, who has met with Wolfe twice, wants the president out. He launched a hunger strike on November 2nd. And he says he won't eat until Wolfe is gone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN BUTLER, STUDENT ON HUNGER STRIKE: My body is literally shutting down. And with each passing moment and each passing day, it gets a little worse. But that's not what I like to focus on. What I like to focus on is what you do see nationally and what you see across other campuses, what you see on my own campus, is that students are finding their voices and they're fighting back. And they are standing up for what they believe in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Well, members of the football team joining the cause over the weekend, pledging to boycott games and practices until Wolfe steps down. The team's head coach Gary Pinkel also seemingly on board. He tweeted this photo with his team, saying, quote, "The Mizzou family stands as one. We are united. We are behind our players." And this is really evidence that this is more than just a student

movement here. And it's really not every day that we see the head of a major university system actually acknowledge publicly that there is a serious problem with racism on their campus. But activists say, at this point, some of these comments coming from the president is still not enough. They still want to see him gone. Meanwhile, the Mizzou Tigers are still scheduled for a game come November 14th. But it's still unclear if they'll actually hit the field -- John and Alison.

KOSIK: All right, Polo, thanks for that.

Authorities in Meridian, Mississippi, are trying to figure out what caused a ginormous sinkhole that you see there. It swallowed 15 cars in the parking lot of a local iHop. And customers say they heard a series of loud booms before the power went out and the sinkhole about 50 feet wide, 600 feet long opened up. Some three inches of rain fell in the area over the weekend. No reports of any injuries.

That is an amazing sight.

Let's get an EARLY START on your money. Asian markets finishing mixed overnight. The Nikkei and Shanghai Composite, both up under 2 percent. The Hang Seng lost almost 1 percent. The Dow slightly lower in pre-market trading.

After a record-setting debut across the pond, the new James Bond film "Spectre" opened strong here in the U.S. taking in $73 million this weekend. It's the second biggest domestic opening ever for a Bond film. Trailing only the last one "Skyfall" which made $88 million in its debut weekend.

Starbucks stirring it up, stirring up that controversy with their plain red Christmas cups this holiday season. The company deciding to remove the reindeer and remove the ornaments for a simple two-toned cup. My goodness. Starbucks says it wants to usher in the season with a pure design that creates a culture of belonging, inclusion and diversity. But one critic has launched a social media campaign accusing Starbucks of hating Jesus. Come on.

BERMAN: I guarantee this will eat up hours of cable news coverage over the next few months.

KOSIK: I can think of at least three things I'm outraged about and they don't include what the cups look like at Starbucks.

BERMAN: You got to be outraged about something. If you can't be mad at Starbucks --

KOSIK: Who can you be mad at?

BERMAN: Who can you be mad at?

EARLY START continues right now.