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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Snow Storm Hits the East Coast; The Race for President: Pataki Suspends Campaign; "Affluenza" Teen to Return to U.S.; Eagles Fire Head Coach Chip Kelly. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired December 30, 2015 - 05:00   ET

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

ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: Across the state, residents have been warned to -- warned of major to historic flooding over the next few days. That can go into early next week. They are preparing for the worse.

[05:00:04] One place where the worse is expected is West Alton, Missouri, just north of St. Louis.

CNN's Alina Machado is in West Alton with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Alison and Christine, high water is already blocking several roads in and around West Alton, Missouri. And the situation is expected to get much worse before they improve.

And just 70 miles from here, there are several homes and businesses already underwater in Union, Missouri. Authorities there telling CNN that they had to rescue at least two people who got caught up in the rising flood waters.

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon is asking people to please avoid driving through roads that are covered with water.

GOV. JAY NIXON (D), MISSOURI: The amount of rain we received in some places in excess of a foot has caused river levels not only to rise rapidly, but to go to places they've never been before. Now that the rain has moved out, the threat has changed. But it is not by any means over.

MACHADO: The mayor of West Alton, Missouri, has already issued a voluntary evacuation order and most people has followed that order. But he says about 50 residents have decided to ride this one out -- Alison and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Alina, thank you for that.

Illinois also hit by severe floods this inundated road is in a residential neighborhood in Wood River. City workers filling up and piling up sand bags all along the Mississippi River there to protect against flooding.

KOSIK: Areas of the Arkansas Rivers, which flows into the Mississippi, topping flood levels they hit in the spring by a foot. Forecasters warning it will stay eight feet above flood stage through Thursday night at least.

ROMANS: That same storm system doing serious damage in Michigan. You see this tree flattened a car in Detroit. Amazing. Elsewhere in the city, more trees toppling over, crushing roads, all this blamed on roaring wind, look at the size of that tree.

Listen to what happened to one woman and her family.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everyone was sitting watching TV. We heard a sound. We thought it was a large car crash. It lasted about 30 to 40 seconds. We went to the front door and seen this big tree on the front porch and know that we can't get out of the house.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: So glad she's safe.

Meantime, the Northeast is hit with a snowstorm. About five inches falling in Vermont. Three people died in the state when their SUV crashed head on into a tractor-trailer. This happening in Killington. At least four other people were injured.

This was the scene in Albany, New York. Cars taking their time as the flakes fell. The area hit with at least six inches of snow.

ROMANS: People out of practice frankly. It has been so mild for so long.

Storms and icy conditions causing travel headaches. Already, there are about 250 flight delays and cancellations in the U.S. right now so far this morning. Yesterday ending at midnight, the weather had acted about 7,200 flights, Alison.

KOSIK: Lots of headaches. Now with the rain and the snow mostly behind us, the question is what's ahead for the millions in the floods warning zones, let's go to our meteorologist Pedram Javaheri for the latest.

Good morning.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey, good morning.

You know, this is a slow motion disaster we often see when it comes to flooding events. And, of course, we know what occurred in the past several weeks. We go back on the 1st of December, over 4,000 record temperatures set across the country.

And the reason I bring that up when it comes to flooding is this time of year, of course, into the winter season, most of the precipitation in this region of the country impacted by flooding typically comes down of the way of snow. The great job of absorbing the runoff and also really lowering the river levels, the water levels that's typical in the winter season. We know what's happening with the extreme heat.

We have increased runoff. We have above moisture levels and river levels, of course, near historic values. You take a look, widespread. A lot of these watches and warnings going to be in place here for at least perhaps a week maybe even two weeks in some of these spots.

So I want to show you the formats when it comes to the river basin. You have the Missouri, of course, the Arkansas, the Ohio River as well, all of them feed right into the Mississippi, a lot of water, of course, in recent days. We touched on about 70 tornadoes touching down across this region. Underneath all of that, we had historic rainfall come down, some areas 6 inches, some areas as much as nearly a foot of rain come down across this region.

So, you take a look at the observation, what you think it will be when it comes to the case of water as it flows downstream, around New Year's Eve there. St. Louis could be peaking and levels could be upwards of 10 feet above previous record values from 1993, and you work to Memphis, January 3rd. This continues to go downstream into early next week into parts of Louisiana.

So, this pattern, it continues with the sunny skies, are expected to return over the next couple of weeks, and you take a look, there is some scattered light showers in this region. Nothing in the way of heavy rainfall.

And your forecast high temperatures will remain rather toasty around the Florida panhandle, work your way towards Jacksonville into the 80s, upper 70s around Charleston, still above temperatures in the northeast after some brief wintry mix there in part.

So, Alison, in Central Park, a new record set, 275 days since the last time temperatures went below 32 degrees. That's March 30th if you are counting. The last record from 1998.

[05:05:00] Keep in mind from '97 into '98, we have an El Nino year in place as well.

So, a lot of records, some of them we don't want to be seeing guys.

ROMANS: And the trees are confused. You know, blossoms in some neighborhoods.

KOSIK: We have some flowers in the backyard.

JAVAHERI: Did you notice that here, too? It is a tree -- trees are all across parts of the country.

ROMANS: Wait until they get that hard freeze, sometime in 2016.

Thank you for that so much, Pedram Javaheri.

A political news braking overnight. Former New York Governor George Pataki ending his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. You know, he never broke out of single digits in the polls or onto the main stage in the Republican debate. He struggled to draw attention in the crowded field of candidates by attacking the front runner Donald Trump.

You know, Pataki used his equal time, matching Trump's appearance on "Saturday Night Live" to announce he was dropping out. He used that time to take a final shot at Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE PATAKI (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, tonight is the end of my journey for the White House as I suspend my campaign for president. I'm confident we can elect the right person, someone who will bring us together, and who understands that politicians including the president must be the people's servant and not their master.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: All right. Let's dig in a little deeper with everything political. Joining us now, CNN politics reporter Eric Bradner live in our Washington bureau.

Good morning.

ERIC BRADNER, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Good morning.

KOSIK: All right. Let's talk about George Pataki, the field now, whittling down to 11. We just saw him.

ROMANS: Eleven, still very crowded.

KOSIK: It feels like this race has been already been going on for years, already. What does it say about what's happened?

BRADNER: Well, it says the established politicians, someone like a three-term governor of New York are struggling so badly to get any traction at all. The George Pataki is using the time that NBC gave him. This is, of course, the time that he was given for free as equal time after Donald Trump's "Saturday Night Live" appearance. He is using that time to get back into the race.

I mean, this doesn't really shake anything up. Pataki is not polling even at 1 percent. So, there's no real change here. It does say something about the climate here, a struggle for established politicians, especially people who were figures of George Bush's administration, politics past to get any traction at all in this climate.

KOSIK: It is difficult at all to get a word in edgewise with Trump.

ROMANS: Now it feels as though we are going back to the 90s. Now we are talking about Bill Clinton. We are talking about marital indiscretions. Donald Trump says this is fair game. Listen too what he said yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Are your own personal discretion fair game in this campaign?

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes, they would be, frankly, Hillary brought up the whole thing with sexism and all I did is reverse it on her because she's got a major problem. It happens to be right in her house.

So, if she wants to do that, we're going to go right into the president, the ex-president. We'll see how it all comes out. And I feel very confident that it will come out very well for us. We'll say this -- the last person that Hillary wants to run against is me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Is that where we're going? Are we going back to the '90s, are we going into the bedrooms of these candidates, or is this going to peter out here?

BRADNER: No, it probably won't peter out. And a couple important pieces of context here.

One, Bill Clinton is about to ramp up his presence on the campaign trail. He's going to start hitting it in January in a way he hasn't so far. He has been behind the scenes. He will be on the trail. So, his marital indirections will be ammo for Trump.

The other thing that Trump is trying to do here is draw Hillary Clinton into a personal fight. She has been really careful to criticize him, but only criticize him when he is alienating large groups of people, Latinos, or Muslims, or women.

Now, Trump sees, you know, his lower favorability ratings among women. The advantage Democrats have with women and he also sees Hillary Clinton is already somewhat unpopular, just like him, with the broader general electorate.

And so, he knows if he can get into a personal food fight with her, even if it might hurt him. It probably hurts her more. So, he's trying to knock her off course. Keep her from being able to focus on politics.

KOSIK: It's interesting. You say he's trying to knock her off course. Reporters still are peppering her with questions. I want you to listen, then we'll come back on the other side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Your response to Donald Trump's comments about your husband?

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Great to see you. Thank you.

REPORTER: Charlotte is going to have a sibling? CLINTON: Yes, she is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMASN: She could have answered. She's not.

KOSIK: So she's ignoring the questions, but at some point, Eric, don't you think she has to step up and address what's right in front of her?

BRADNER: Right.

ROMANS: Actually right behind her. Like 20 years behind her.

[05:10:00] BRADNER: Right. Exactly, exactly. She will probably come up with a good way to sort of blow it off.

Yes, this is going to be, you know, Donald Trump has brought a high enough profile into the race and enough media attention, it's hard not to address something when he is waging a sustained personal attack on you. He's made very clear that he's going to keep up the attack on Hillary Clinton. It's a part of the reason he's doing that is he's demonstrating to Republicans that he has strength and leadership qualities, the ability to take her on in the general election.

That's something that conservative voters will value. So he knows he has the lead. He is turning his attention away from primary rivals towards a potential general election opponent and trying to boost themselves, headed into Iowa and New Hampshire that way.

ROMANS: I think it hurts him, though, with women. I don't have poll numbers in front of me, bill Clintons number with women. Twenty years ago the impeachment stuff seems so ancient history to me, and Donald Trump in 28 famously said that was all nonsense, that impeachment stuff was nonsense.

BRADNER: Right, absolutely. Keep in mind the Clintons and Trump were friends or had the appearance of being friends prior to his entry to politics.

KOSIK: Golf buddies.

BRADNER: Yes. Exactly. Now --

ROMANS: Bill Clinton had high approval ratings across the boar. Attacking Bill Clinton seems, I don't know.

BRADNER: Sort of a political tactic, from his strength, turned into a weakness, you are right. Hillary Clinton does a lot better with women. Donald Trump does better with men. That's sort of the party divide that we've seen for a long time, which is why Trump is trying to muddy the waters here anyway he can.

ROMANS: Can we talk about quickly? I want to talk about Chris Christie and Marco Rubio. Chris Christie is there in New Hampshire, really attacking Marco Rubio's record. Jeb Bush is attacking it, too, via super PAC, attacking Marco Rubio's record.

And this is, Marco Rubio has responded. I want you to listen to Rubio on Chris Christie.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My time in the Senate. I have close to a 90 percent attendance record. You know, Chris has been missing in New Jersey for half the time. But candidates I think as we get down the stretch, some of them get a little desperate and little nasty in their attack, and that's fine. We're going to continue the campaign on what I'm going to do when I'm president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Rubio's record, I mean, look, let's be honest, when you go out. You campaign hard in a crowded field. You are not doing your day job every day.

BRADNER: I think people know if you are running for president, that means you are making a lot of trips to Iowa, and New Hampshire, South Carolina. Jeb Bush has tried this attack against Marco Rubio before. It hasn't really had much effect. Rubio is still the establishment candidate with the most traction.

And, yes, Rubio is sort of pointing out no one has much room to talk, running for president means giving up something here. Jeb Bush is out of office. Chris Christie is not. So, Christie spent a lot of time in New Hampshire.

Yes, running for president means spending time away from your day job. That's just the way it goes.

KOSIK: Perhaps voters have understand that and not care about them being and doing their daily duties.

All right. Eric Bradner, thanks so much for your analysis. We're going to talk later in the show.

ROMANS: And he'll be doing his day job, Eric will, for the next year, well that the early hours of the morning. Thanks for getting up early for us, Eric.

The so-called affluenza teenager expected in the U.S. this morning after weeks on the run, what we are learning now about the time Ethan Couch spent in Mexico with his mother and the charges he and she could now be facing next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:16:25] ROMANS: No longer a fugitive. The so-called affluenza teen is expected to return to the U.S. if a matter of hours now after he was captured in Mexico. Ethan Couch violated his probation in a drunk driving manslaughter case and fled along with his mother. The question now is, what will they both face when they are brought back to Texas?

CNN's Ed Lavandera has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine and Alison, Texas authorities are awaiting the return of Ethan Couch and his mother Tonya Couch. They were captured Monday afternoon in the Mexican resort town on the Pacific Ocean of Puerto Vallarta. Authorities took them into custody.

We are told by Mexican officials that they did not resist. That they were not armed, but they were taken into custody and are now in the process of being brought back to the United States. It's not exactly clear how long that process is going to take.

But when Tonya Couch arrives back here in the United States, she will be charged with interfering with the apprehension of a fugitive. That is a felony charge. She now faces up to ten years in prison.

And now, other authorities here are trying to figure out just exactly what to do with Ethan Couch. Obviously, he has been the source -- his case has been the source of frustration for many people here in the Ft. Worth area, especially the families that were killed in that drunken car crash back in 2013.

Prosecutors here in Ft. Worth are trying to move Ethan Couch's case from the juvenile system into the adult system. As it stands right now, the most jail time he could probably face in the jail time that he could face is about up to four months, and prosecutors say they do not believe that that is enough. That's why they're trying to move his case from the juvenile system to the adult system.

There is a hearing scheduled for that on January 19th of next year. So, we'll take some time before we really hear the future fate of Ethan Couch. Right now, these Texas authorities are waiting on both of them to be brought back from Mexico here to the Ft. Worth area -- Christine and Alison.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: All right, Ed. Both of them expected to be brought back to Texas today.

Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke pleading not guilty to six counts of murder and one count of official misconduct in the shooting death of a black teenager last year. Laquan McDonald's shooting was captured on dash-cam video. The shooting sparking protests and had led to calls now for Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to resign. Van Dyke's attorney says he may request a change of venue for the trial.

ROMANS: In Cleveland, a second day over a grand jury's decision not to indict two police officers in the fatal shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice. More than 100 demonstrators marched through downtown streets and disrupted traffic on Tuesday. Much of their anger is directed at the county prosecutor who oversaw the shooting investigation, which ended Monday with the announcement that Officers Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback would face no criminal charges.

KOSIK: You're watching the clock. It's less 43 hours and counting now until the crystal ball drops welcoming 2016, and a million people are expected to crowd into New York's Times Square for New Year's Eve. Officials say there's going to be a high level of security with 6,000 police guarding the revelers.

The mayor says Times Square will be one of the safest places on Earth.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D), NEW YORK CITY: There's been a lot of chatter. There's been a lot of traffic in terms of information around the world related to terror. But there is not a credible threat directed at New York. There is not a threat that's been corroborated in a meaningful way. We have been in constant touch with the FBI and with Homeland Security and other agencies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: Still, Mayor de Blasio saying those ringing in the new year should remain vigilant.

[05:20:00] ROMANS: All right. Time for an early start, U.S. stock futures are lower. Oil is the key here, tumbling again down another 2 percent. There are only two days of trading left this year. Stocks are flat. Stocks moved sideways most of the year, except for a decline in the recovery in the fall.

Right now, the S&P500 is up 1 percent for 2015. Very different from the double digit gains we have become used to.

Look at the last two years. Look at what a run it has been. You know, in 2008, you had like a 38 percent decline in the S&P 500, and then steady gains and a pause in 2011. This year, just about 1 percent.

What itself in store for next year? Experts polled by CNN Money expect more double digit gains. But your portfolio could get a bigger boost in the prediction. About a 6 percent gain for the S&P 500 by the end of the year. That's what the consensus is.

KOSIK: If that's what it will be, I have to take it.

All right. Mike Tyson versus a hoverboard? Who got knocked out? Andy Scholes has this morning's bleacher report, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: All right. After another disappointing season, the Philadelphia Eagles have fired head coach Chip Kelly.

KOSIK: Andy Scholes has more on this morning's bleacher report.

Good morning.

SCHOLES: Hey, good morning, guys.

Yes, it was a rocky three years in Philadelphia for Chip Kelly. When he was given control over personnel, he made a punch of moves that were not very popular with Eagles fans, this past year, he traded the running back Lesean McCoy (ph). He did not re-sign Jeremy Maclin. This just a season after he decided it was time to trade with Sean Jackson.

Kelly won 12 games each of his first two seasons in Philadelphia. He failed to ever win a playoff game.

[05:25:03] You just got to check out this back page cover of "The Philadelphia Daily News" this morning. It has the headline dead duck. Okay, referring to where Kelly coached for the Eagles. Against the Ducks.

All right. Clemson will be without three players for tomorrow's college football semi-finals. According to multiple reports, Davo Sweeney (ph) sent the players home for failing drug tests. Receiver Deon Cain is the biggest lost for the Tigers. He's one of the team's top D threats.

The undefeated Tigers are going to take on the Oklahoma Sooners tomorrow in the Orange Bowl. That game will be followed by the Cotton Bowl, Alabama taking on Michigan State. Winners from these games will be in the national championship game in Arizona on January 11th.

LSU's Leonard Fournette, putting on a show in the Texas Bowl last night against Texas Tech. Running back rushing for 212 years and four touchdowns. He also caught a touchdown in the game. Fournette finishes this season just 47 rushing yards shy of 2,000. LSU easily beat the Red Raiders in this game by final 56-27.

All right. One of the most popular gift, OK the self balancing scooter. It looks like someone in Mike Tyson's household got one. Here's Mike Tyson trying it out. He goes down and that happens to quite a few people who get on a bouncing scooter for the first time.

I tell you what, guys, the first time I got on one was right before EARLY START one morning, I went crashing down into a trash can and nearly missed the hit.

ROMANS: What were you doing messing around on a hoverboard?

KOSIK: You know what's interesting, watch anybody, they get on it, immediately a smile on your face. I know when I went on it.

SCHOLES: It's so much fun.

KOSIK: It is. It's a blast.

ROMANS: The airlines will take them on an airplane. They're having fire problems with them. You can't bring them on airplanes.

SCHOLES: I have one. I'm worried about my house burning down all the time. KOSIK: Oh God.

(LAUGHTER)

KOSIK: Thanks, Andy.

ROMANS: All right. Thank you, Andy Scholes, this morning.

Twenty-seven minutes past the hour. The death toll rising, historic winter storms. Parts of the Midwest under water, folks, it will only get worse. We'll tell you where next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)