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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Midwest Flooding Detailed; Ethan Couch and Mother Expected in Texas Today; Musician Sues Spotify for Millions in Royalties; Coalition Claims Deaths of Ten ISIS Leaders. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired December 30, 2015 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:30:00] ALISON KOSIK, CNN EARLY START HOST: Historic flooding, as a massive winter storm barrels across the country to death toll rising this morning. We're tracking the damage and what comes next?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN EARLY START HOST: The race for president shrinking this morning and then there were 11, George Pataki calling it quits and then he'll have a few parting words.
KOSIK: The "Affluenza teen" is expected back in the U.S. just hours from now, what we have learned about his time in Mexico. Welcome back to Early Start I'm Alison Kosik, good morning.
ROMANS: So nice to see you this morning, Alison and I'm Christine Romans. It is 30 minutes almost 31 minutes past the hour. Breaking Overnight, official say almost 50 people have now been killed on weather related accidents in the past week. And while the storms are over the flooding downstream is about to get worse more than 18 million Americans and 13 states now living under flood warnings.
For some it's already too late, a newspaper reporter covered this cabin. Watch this, a cabin floating down the Merrimack River in Rural Missouri. Across the state, residents have been warned of major to historic flooding over the next few days into early next week they are preparing for the worse.
One place where the worse is expected West Alton, Missouri. This is just north of St. Louis. CNN, Alina Machado is in West Alton. She's got the latest for us.
ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRENSPONDENT: 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 things improve. And just 70 miles from here there are several homes and businesses already under water in Union, Missouri.
Authorities there are telling CNN that they had to rescue at least two people who got off in the rising flood waters. Missouri Governor, Jay Nixon is asking people to please avoid driving through roads that are covered with water.
JAY NIXON, MISSOURI GOVERNOR: The amount of rain we received and some places that makes the flood (ph) 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 evacuated order and most people have followed that order but he says about 50 residents have decided to ride this one out, Alison and Christine?
KOSIK: OK, Alina Machado thanks for that. In Illinois also hit by severe floods, this inundated road that you see here is in a residential neighborhood in Wood River. City workers fill the gap in piling up sandbags along the Mississippi River to protect against flooding.
ROMANS: Areas of the Arkansas River which flows right into Mississippi tapping flood levels they hit in the spring tapping those flood levels by foot. Forecasters warned it will stay eight feet above flood stage through Thursday night at least.
KOSIK: That same storm system doing serious damage in Michigan. Here you can see this tree flattening this car, this is actually in Detroit. Elsewhere in the city, more trees toppled over crashing homes, blocking roads all have leaned on the roaring winds. I want you to listen to what happen to one woman and her family.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were inside (ph) and watching TV. We heard a sound. We thought it was a loud car crash. It lasted for about 30 to 40 seconds. We went to the front door, see those big tree on the front porch and neither we can get out of the house.
ROMANS: Glad she's OK. Meantime the northeast hit with a snowstorm about five inches fell in Vermont, three people died in that state when their SUV crashed head on into a tractor trailer in Killington at least four other people were injured. This was the scene in Albany, New York cars taken their own sweet time as the flakes fall the area hit with at least six inches of snow. I keep saying they're out of practice.
KOSIK: We're not used to driving in the snow...
ROMANS: So true.
KOSIK: ...feel warmth for so long, while those storms and those icy conditions still causing some major travel headaches already there are more than 250 flight delays and cancelations in the U.S. Yesterday ending at midnight, the weather had affected about 7,200 flights.
ROMANS: You know, so many people traveling for the holiday...
KOSIK: Yes.
ROMANS: ...to trying to get back from the holidays. Now, with the rain that still mostly behind us, what's ahead for the millions in the warning zones, meteorologist, Pedram Javaheri has the latest.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Alison and Christine, good morning. Yes, you know, this is being compared in some places to the 1993 floods that occurred across this region and really what's different about these floods compared to the '93 events? The '93 event happened in the spring and the summer season where we have tremendous snow, a lot of rainfall, the snow melted, the water levels were on the rise.
That has all happened (ph) in a matter of several day period from the historic rainfall and you take a look over 440 river gauges reporting some flooding across this region about a 20,000 square mile area of land also dealing with the flooding that's in place over this region and there are about a dozen ways you can cause levees to fell and levee is really the primary concern over the next couple of weeks in this region as the water is to be -- may enter (ph) downstream.
They almost meet up with the Mississippi River and eventually work its way down at the Gulf of Mexico but a lot of these levees are not taking on so much water from multiple river sources that are coming in. But not only are they overtopping in some areas certainly levee failure becomes a realistic possibility that displaces a large number of people and I mean (ph) displace people in this sort of a scenario.
[05:35:00] Of course you have people that are leaving their homes, leaving their properties behind, you're leaving the situation there for potential fatalities to take place just because we know flooding it accounts for about 81 fatalities per year in the United States note this (ph) tornados come in second.
And when you take a look at how typically in the United States flooding fatalities take their toll about 70 percent of them -- at least as of 2014, 70 percent of them were occurring while people are driving. So something is certainly worth noting in the next couple of weeks as this water moves downstream towards the portions of the Gulf of Mexico.
KOSIK: OK, Pedram thanks for that. We've got some political news breaking overnight. Former New York Governor, George Pataki ending his campaign for the Republican Presidential nomination. They look at it though Pataki really never broke out of the single digits in the polls or as a result on to the main stage in the Republican debate.
He struggled quite a bit to draw attention in the crowded field of candidates by attacking frontrunner, Donald Trump. Pataki though use this equal time matching Trump's appearance on Saturday Night Live to announce he was dropping out and he used that time to take a final parting shot at Donald Trump.
GEORGE PATAKI, 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 bring us together and the one who understands that politicians including the president must be the people's server and not their master.
ROMANS: Joining us to discuss, the CNN political reporter, Eric Bradner live in our Washington Bureau right and early for us this morning and the Pataki news is so interesting that it used the equal time on NBC...
ERIC BRADNER, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Yes. ROMANS: ...to have that television spot. You know, holding that his back pocket getting closer to this -- to this early voting state but he really just couldn't hold on. So, now you have 11, you have 11 in this crowded field and you have Donald Trump basically announcing a switch in strategy. He is going to start spending money. He's going start spending 2 million a week, he says...
BRADNER: Yes.
ROMANS: ...maybe in ad spending. Who does that put pressure on now? Who is the most I guess under pressure to do better or dropout like Pataki?
BRADNER: Well, it puts pressure on the entire field because Trump has not spent any money on advertising so far. He's gotten so much free media attention that he hasn't had to put his own money into it and the candidates like Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush are relying on Super PACs to do a big chunk of their advertising. Well, Super PACs don't get as lower rates as individual candidates actually do so...
(Crosstalk)
BRADNER: ...financially, it's a little bit tough for them but you look at some of the lower-tier candidates people who are struggling the game, traction -- there are several candidates Chris Christie, John Kasich, Carly Fiorina, who are depending a lot of their hopes on New Hampshire that's going to be the key stake to watch to see if one of them can sort of merge and outperform expectations there maybe get a low (ph) traction but yes we're definitely in a winnowing process for several candidates not making it to the first voting and Pataki is now the fourth current or former governor to dropout Bobby Jindal, Rick Perry, Scott Walker or the others and yes I love the irony of him using the free time he got because of Donald Trump and this race is dominated by outsiders.
(Crosstalk)
ROMANS: It's so upside down because like leadership experience you look at...
KOSIK: Right.
ROMANS: ...George Pataki I mean it used to be you campaigned on your record but now campaigning on your experience and record is...
KOSIK: Is...
ROMANS: ...bad...
KOSIK: I see. You know, Trump did in this impromptu news conference yesterday on his plane he kind of gave an idea of what somebody's ads are going to look like some of these commercials. He did say that they're going to focus on issues like trade and security...
ROMANS: Yes. KOSIK: ...among other things. Do you think these ads are going to help elevate him even more because hey maybe we'll actually hear where he stands on some issues?
BRADNER: They probably will. You know, by the way, trade is a fascinating issue because what he is talking about when he is railing on Mexico he's really like rolling back NAFTA which I realize is kind of an in the weeds issue but it's very, very different from where the modern Republican Party is on trade. So, very pro-trade party and yet Trump is doing well on those issues.
He is -- he is sort of turning, you know, a conventionalism on his head so yes I think this will help him. I think this is a way to draw attention to some of these issues that really got in traction early on as he was taking these personal shots too that we were all kind of wondering will this people want to knock him out of the race...
KOSIK: Yes.
BRADNER: ...and it never was.
(Crosstalk)
KOSIK: Speaking of those personal shots...
ROMANS: Yes.
KOSIK: ...he's kind of dredging up the past of talking about the transgressions of Bill Clinton and one thing that Hillary Clinton is doing though whenever she's being asked about what Trump is doing taking his potshots at her about the past, she's ignoring. Listen to what she did during one moment yesterday.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you have a response -- do you have a response to Donald Trump's...
HILLARY CLINTON, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hey, great to see you, OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hear Charlotte is going to have a sibling?
CLINTON: Yes, yes.
(Crosstalk)
[05:40:00] ROMANS: So, she answered the question about whether Charlotte was going to have a sibling, her granddaughter...
KOSIK: ...but did not answer...
ROMANS: ...but did not answer the question about her husband and Donald Trump's shout at her husband. Is this -- is this -- what it's going to be -- is this -- are we going to be -- are we going to be re- litigating the 1990s especially since Donald Trump has said that it was nonsense -- the impeachment of Bill Clinton was nonsense.
BRADNER: Right. We probably are -- anyway, what Donald Trump has said in the past does not seem to matter in the course of this presidential campaign and he's very upfront about the fact but he used to be -- he used to consider himself a Liberal Democrats, so he sort of thrown his own history just way behind him and he is ignoring it himself. So, yes, Hillary Clinton has tried to stay out of these really personal fights with Donald Trump because she wants to focus on policy. She wants to hit him but only hit him when he's alienating big groups of people...
ROMANS: Right.
BRADNER: ...Muslims, Latinos. But Bill Clinton is going to be on the campaign for a lot more starting in January so far he's just sort of been in the background in fund raising that's going to create opportunities for Donald Trump to bring this up. Bill Clinton is not...
KOSIK: And she can't...
BRADNER: ...is not going to be able to avoid taking...
KOSIK: Yes, and she's not going to be able to avoid the questions either, right?
BRADNER: Yes, right exactly. She'll do one-on-one interview, she'll be in Town Hall where she'll be asked the question directly and there will be no way to rush it off. I think it's just a matter of sort -- waiting to find the right opening for her...
ROMANS: Right.
BRADNER: ...but there's no doubt it's -- if Trump is trying to muddy the waters here and make it personal it will be tougher for Hillary Clinton to avoid.
ROMANS: He says she made it personal first by talking about sexes (ph)...
(Crosstalk)
ROMANS: ...but I just got to say Bill Clinton is masterful (ph) politician. A lot of the American (ph) agrees with him on policy or not and his record he is a masterful (ph) politician and he has never campaigned in a -- campaign like this before. So, it will be a new experience for the former president, no question.
BRADNER: Yes.
ROMANS: Eric Bradner, thank you so much nice to see you this morning.
BRADNER: You too.
KOSIK: See you. The so-called "Affluenza teenager" back in the U.S. today after weeks on the run but what charges will he now be facing? Next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [05:45:00] KOSIK: No longer a fugitive, the so-called, "Affluenza teen" is expected to return to the U.S. today after his capture 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're brought back to Texas. CNN, Ed Lavandera has details.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENTS: Christine and Alison, Texas authorities are waiting for 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, 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 and she now faces up to 10 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 -- in his case, has been the source of great frustration for many people here in the Forth Worth area especially the families of the four people that were killed in that drunken car crash back in 2013.
Prosecutors here in Forth Worth are trying to move Ethan Couch's case from the juvenile system into the adult system as it stands right now the most he could probably face -- the jail time that he could face is about up to four months. And prosecutors say that they do not believe that that is enough and that's why they're trying to move his cases from the juvenile system to the adult system.
There is a hearing scheduled for that on January 19th of next year. So, it will take some time before we really hear the future fate of Ethan Couch but right now this Texas' authorities waiting on both of them to be brought back for Mexico here to the Forth Worth area. Christine and Alison?
KOSIK: OK. Ed Lavandera thanks very much. And less than 43 hours and counting now until the crystal ball drops welcoming 2016, a million people are expected to crowd into New York -- New York City Time Square for New Year's Eve and officials are saying there's going to be a high level of security with 6,000 police guarding the revelers. The mayor says Time Square will be one of the safest places on earth.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 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's not a threat that's been corroborated in a meaningful way. We've been in constant touch with the FBI and with homeland security and other agencies.
KOSIK: City (ph) Mayor, de Blasio says those ringing in the New Year should remain vigilant.
ROMANS: All right, 40 minutes past the hour of time for an early start in your money this shortened holiday week. U.S. stock's future is down slightly this morning as oil keeps tumbling oil prices down more than 2 percent right now. There are only two trading days left to the year. Stocks basically flat, yesterday has rise during pre- light volume and that put the S&P 500 up for the year but just fairly.
Music Streaming Service, Spotify is being sued for $150 million of royalties. The suit filed by guitarist and vocalist, David Lowery claims the distributing rights holders of some songs have not been paid by Spotify. The company said it plans to pay every penny it owes but sometimes the data is (ph) necessary to confirm rights holder is missing, wrong, incomplete, you know, megastar Taylor Swift and Adele they have kept their music off Spotify.
Some are criticized streaming for poorly compensating artists. All right, what's coming up on New Day, Michaela Pereira joins us now with a preview. Hi, there.
(Crosstalk)
MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi guys.
KOSIK: Good morning.
PEREIRA: Obviously, a lot of people are watching the weather here in America right now.
ROMANS: Right.
PEREIRA: I had on New Day. We're going to take a look at this epic historic flooding that's expected and happening in the Midwest. Rivers are about to crash at record levels. There are millions of people in Harm's Way in the Midwest. We're going to be giving you live reports on the threat including when the historic flooding will peak and where.
Also, the so-called, "Affluenza teen" and his mother are expected back in the United States in Texas today, those fugitives as they were captured in Mexico. Ethan Couch facing up four months behind jail -- behind bars rather for violating his probation on drank driving manslaughter conviction. His mother though could be looking at much longer stretches behind bars. We have a live report and also one of the parents of the young man that was injured in that 2013 drank driving case...
ROMANS: Yes.
PEREIRA: ...will join us today. Also, Christine I don't know if you knew this but you left behind your John Berman on the set today so we're trying to...
ROMANS: I know.
PEREIRA: ...return that to you. ROMANS: I forgot what he looks like.
(LAUGHTER)
KOSIK: Hi, John.
PEREIRA: Oh, you remember.
ROMANS: Oh, yes.
PEREIRA: Three hours of that.
ROMANS: He looks the same.
PEREIRA: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
ROMANS: All right, I will see you very soon, thanks.
PEREIRA: You got it.
[05:50:00] KOSIK: It's been a record year at the box office and Stars Wars wasn't the only force behind it, big money at the movies, that's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KOSIK: The U.S. lead coalition against ISIS says it has killed 10 of the terror group senior leaders over the past month one was this man, Sharaf Al-Mudan (ph). Official say the Syrian based ISIS leader had direct links to the ring leader of the November Paris attacks that left 130 people dead.
A coalition spokesman says Al-Mudan (ph) was killed in an air strike on December 24th and not like several of the other ISIS officials killed he was "actively planning additional attacks against the west." American spies reportedly keeping their eyes and ears on Israel.
According to the Wall Street journal, the U.S. intercepted communications between Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and his aides as well as conversations with members of congress. It came out Netanyahu was taking his campaign against the Iran nuclear deal to Capitol Hill.
The administration is offering no comment on the journal story except to say that in general the U.S. doesn't conduct foreign intelligent surveillance unless there's a "specific and validated national security purpose."
Let's get an early start on your money. U.S. stock features are down this morning that says oil keeps tumbling. Oil price is now down more than two percent at the moment. There are only two counting -- two trading days left in the year.
Stocks are basically flat yesterday's rise during light trade volume that was just enough to put the S&P 500 up for the year but just fairly. Getting into the top one percent, it just got a little easier. It took about $429 to make it into this elite group in 2013 that's according to new IRS data and that's actually down from $435,000 a year.
[05:55:00] Earlier, thanks to a slew of tax changes, all right do you want to get into a more exclusive club to top point one percent, well that took $1.9 million and $9.5 million to join the even more elite. With such high incomes you can only imagine the tax bills that are half one percent or 19 percent of all income and paid 38 percent of all federal income taxes.
Well, it was a record year at the box office that's thanks to the force, dinosaurs and stranded astronauts. The 2015 U.S. Box Office has crossed the 11 billion mark for the first time in history, I'm talking about $11 billion, that's partially because of inflation oh and a little movie called Star Wars, The Force Awakens.
The film has shattered records and brought in more than $540 million in the last few weeks but the record breaking really stretched out over the entire year, thanks to films like Jurassic World and one of my favorites, The Martian.
New details emerging about the suspects behind the foiled New Year's terror plot in Belgium. The men are members of a Muslim biker gang with a history of links to terror investigations. It's part of a growing trend in Europe what's becoming known as gangster jihadism were Muslims are radicalized in prison then spread the ideology to old friends when they get out. Let's go to CNNs, Erin McLaughlin live with the latest. Erin, is there any indication how close they were to this plot to carrying it out?
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At the moment Alison authorities aren't saying. It's still very much subject of this ongoing investigation. But what we are learning is more information about the affiliations of the two subjects in question and their identities have not yet been released but a senior official -- a counter terrorism official in Belgium telling CNN that they were believed to have been members of a biker gang called the Kamikaze Riders and they were also believed to have that criminal past which includes they say robbery and they were also believed to have been part of a wider group believed to be made up of up to 30 individuals, believed to have been radicalized and known as the band of crazies by authorities.
Now this official are telling CNN that authorities tipped their decision to move in on these two suspects when they discovered they had been discussing of the possibility of attacking a key locations in Belgium including the Grand Place and the concern being the potential access of these suspects could have had to weapons given their criminals connections.
Now, a number of raids were conducted in various locations across Belgium. Those raids yielded no weapons and no explosives but authorities are saying they're taking this plot very seriously, Alison?
KOSIK: Yes, clearly Belgium officials still on edge. Erin McLaughlin thanks so much for your report.
Historic deadly flooding in the Midwest, New Day starts now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is insanity, all of this water...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Rising rivers all across the State of Missouri.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Residents have been warned of major to historic flooding...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The amount of rain we received has caused river levels not only to rise rapidly but to go to places they've never been before.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The jig is up for teenage fugitive, Ethan Couch and his mother.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They even had something that was almost (INAUDIBLE) party before they left town.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our request of the court is going to be to transfer his probation to the adult court.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What will they both face when they're brought back to Texas?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Air strikes killed ISIS leader, Sharaf Al-Mudan.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: An ISIS member with connections to the Paris terror attacks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We haven't severed the head of the snake yet. There's much more fighting to do.
