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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Democrats Filibuster for Gun Control; Orlando Gunman on the Phone During Massacre; Body of Boy Killed by Alligator Recovered. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired June 16, 2016 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:00] ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: -- Democrats get their colleagues to vote on new gun control. Good morning and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Alison Kosik in New York.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm John Berman in Orlando this morning. It is Thursday, June 16, 5:00 am in the East. The breaking news from here, we have new information on what went on inside the Pulse nightclub during that massacre. Investigators have learned that the gunman placed calls to at least three different places. One was to 911. Another to a local TV newsroom. During both those calls, the gunman pledged allegiance to ISIS. And there was also a third call to a friend, apparently to say goodbye. Now, authorities have not identified that friend, but they want to know exactly what was said and whether the friend knew that the attack was coming. Investigators are also looking into the gunman's wife. What did she know about her husband's intentions and when did she know it? The wife is giving conflicting statements and now faces a grand jury investigation to determine whether she will face charges for not reporting what she knew to authorities. Joining me now with the latest this morning, CNN's Polo Sandoval. He is out in front of the crime scene, the Pulse nightclub, which is still an active crime scene all these days later. Polo, what's the latest?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well John, we know that it is obviously impossible to explain the unexplainable. So investigators, though, can paint a clearer picture at least of who the killer was and possibly what his motivation truly was behind that wave of terror that took place not far from where I'm standing here this morning. So investigators are weighing heavily in order to do that, on his digital footprint. What was he saying online? Who was he talking to, potentially on Facebook, and I can tell you that now lawmakers, at least one of them in particular, a Senator, a Republican Senator from Wisconsin, is actually turning to Facebook, specifically writing a letter to the CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, asking that he help investigators provide pictures, any kind of digital information that may be on one of at least five accounts that could potentially be tied to the killer.

This in an effort to try to find out exactly who he was talking to and who may have had knowledge of this attack. That lawmaker, Ron Johnson, Senator Ron Johnson, actually lays out at least those five accounts, and then also some posts that were allegedly posted on there by the killer himself in the days leading up to the murders. I want to read you a few of the posts so you have at least a better idea of what kind of messages were online, at least that were discovered online. The first reading quote, America and Russia stop bombing the Islamic state. The killer then went on to pledge his allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. And in the final post that is perhaps the most disturbing one that could have been foretelling here, it read, quote, in the next few days you will see attacks from the Islamic State in the USA.

So again, that lawmaker, Ron Johnson, now hoping that Facebook can continue to help investigators in providing any form of information that they can, as it's going to be very important to find out who he was talking to online and also on the phone. We do understand that he possibly called one of his friends to say goodbye, and also, another interesting and quite bizarre twist, the killer also allegedly made a phone call to a local television station, a CNN affiliate, News 13. I want you to hear directly from the producer at that station that actually took the call. He paints a clear picture and actually tells you exactly what the voice on the other line said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

It was at 2:45 when I had just received the phone call of someone claiming to be the Orlando shooter. I answered the phone as I always do, News 13, this is Matt. On the other end, I heard, do you know about the shooting? And I said, yes, I'm getting information. I'm receiving some calls right now. And he cut me off and he said, I'm the shooter. And I didn't know what to say. It was alarming to say the least. He sounded really calm on the phone and he started saying that he did it for the Islamic State, he did it for ISIS.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: All right, so what comes next? That investigation will continue to move forward. We do expect some potential new information to be released later today, and then also President Obama and Vice President Biden will be here on the ground meeting with victims and survivors and also those first responders who rushed towards the gunfire that night. Obviously, the President, John, very familiar with that role of consoler in chief.

BERMAN: Yes, of course, so many of those first responders worked here at the Orlando Regional Medical Center. They treated truckloads of patients. Polo, back to the investigation for one minute, because, the wife. There is considerable focus now on the wife, what she knew, when she knew it, what her exact story is, and now she faces a grand jury investigation.

[05:05:00] SANDOVAL: And ultimately, they are the ones who would decide, John, if Noor Salman will be arrested and charged in this case, what would be the potentially first arrest here made in this case. We do understand that she is speaking to investigators, she's cooperating with authorities. We were in Port Lucie a couple days ago as she reportedly returned home to gather a few belongings, but she remains out of public view. She is talking to investigators saying that at one point, her husband actually said that he planned to carry out some form of extremist attack, but was it this attack? That's that lingering question authorities will have to answer. And of course, at this point, they likely have enough evidence to at least put in front of a grand jury to make that ultimate decision if she would be charge charged. Again, we have to remember this community, though, that continues to grieve and also eager for any new potential information that could come today. John --

BERMAN: Trying to get as much information as they can from her at the same time as they decide whether to charge her. Polo Sandoval, thanks so much.

We have new details this morning in the gunman's connection to Jihadist propaganda. Law enforcement official tells CNN that it's consumption of Islamist material, including videos of ISIS beheadings spiked just two weeks before the attacks. The source says the shooter was a boiling kettle looking for any excuse to do something violent. This as interview video of the killer has just emerged from a film documentary on the 2010 BP oil spill. The security from G4S has confirmed this is him right here working as a guard in Pensacola. He speaks in this hidden camera interview about people making money off of disasters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OMAR MATEEN, ORLANDO SHOOTER: No one gives a [ bleep ] here. Everyone is just out to get paid. They're like hoping for more oil to come out and more people to complain so they'll have the jobs. Because once people get laid off here, it's going to suck for them. They want more disaster to happen because that's where their money making is.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. It's all about the money, right?

MATEEN: All about the money. Exactly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: New witnesses are emerging who say they saw the Orlando gunman out in the gay community. Could he have been struggling with his sexuality? Cord Cedeno tells CNN's Brian Todd that he saw the killer at Pulse and that the killer once approached him, or approached him repeatedly on Grindr a year ago, interactions he describes as creepy. Cedeno says he was not interested, but one of his friends also chatted online with the gunman over a span of years and almost did go to meet him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CORD CEDENO, WITNESS: From the Adam for Adam app, one of my friends actually, he's been speaking with him since 2007 on and off year and year at a time. He sent him a picture of his private part and my friend actually was attracted to him. He almost went and hooked up with him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Now Cedeno says his friend never did meet up with the killer, and that he himself does not know anyone who did, but this is still part of the investigation. In just hours, President Obama arrives here in Orlando. He will be joined by Vice President Biden. They will spend most of the day in the city. They're going to stand in solidarity with the people here, meeting with survivors and the families of victims to offer their sympathy. They will also spend time with first responders and medical personnel who treated the victims. One of the things the White House has said is that the President wants to reach out to all the survivors who are dealing with so much PTS right now, survivor guilt, asking questions about why they survived and others didn't. The President has been through this before. He knows how hard it is for people to get through this.

Joining me now to talk about the investigation and where it goes next, Lieutenant General Mark Hertling. CNN national security intelligence and terrorism analyst, former commanding general of the U.S. army in Europe. General, thanks so much for being with us. You were part of investigations in Iraq. One of the things you say is that cell phone data, electronic data, can be so crucial. You know, they're having some trouble getting the information off this guy's Samsung phone because it was covered in blood and water, a water main broke and it was soaked, but they'll have the SIM card and that alone will tell them a lot.

LIEUTENANT GENERAL MARK HERTLING, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY INTELLIGENCE AND TERRORISM ANALYST: Yes, the forensics of all this, even though the phone had a bio-hazard on it initially, they'll be able to take that out, connect calls, when they were made, connect contacts -- you can see all the individuals that he's ever called, link that with what's on the computer and other information in his house -- all of those things will combine to give a much greater picture of this guy's activities over the last weeks, days, months, years. Very important.

BERMAN: And that's all key. You were explaining, it sort of paints a matrix. You match that information from the SIM card to his social media posts, to the location data that they can get perhaps from the cell phone companies, and everyone has been very cooperative here -- you can see his movements and what he was doing, when, and where.

HERTLING: Well not only that, but as they go into his computer and start looking at search engines -- it's been recorded that he looked at various jihadist websites. As they see spikes in that activity -- were there times that he was actually looking more at these kind of sites? What was he doing on his phone during that period of time? Can you connect the combination of the spikes in jihadist propaganda to who he is calling and what he is talking about and the length of those calls -- all of that is critically important and the FBI is phenomenal in that regard.

[05:10:10] BERMAN: Now the FBI overnight also did something very interesting. They put out a poster, simply, help us find out more information on this guy. They put out a poster into the community with his face right there and his name saying, seeking information. Now, you actually were out -- you live here in Orlando. You were you out last night and you were saying that there's a lot of discussion about this.

HERTLING: Well, there was. In this one event I was at, a Hispanic event, they actually showed these posters around and said, this is the guy that's been on television. This is the killer. You may not recognize him, but how about these pictures? Any recollection at all that you've seen him on the street? There were some people who were seeing it on TV and who are loathe to come forward on it. But when you get them in a smaller group and they start talking to other people, oh yes, we did see him here. Oh yes, remember this guy that we saw? More information comes out. So again, the FBI is trying to uncover every single stone in what might lead to more information to this guy and his actions.

BERMAN: All right. General Mark Hertling, thanks so much for being with us, appreciate it. We know you care so much about your community so we thank you for speaking on their behalf as well.

Senate Democrats right now pushing for new gun control measures. Gun control right in the middle of this debate on fighting terror. There was a dramatic moment that lasted nearly 15 hours on the Senate floor. A filibuster like we have not seen, or rarely have seen over the last two decades. It just ended a short time ago. We will tell you what happened next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:15:47] KOSIK: A filibuster in the Senate has come to an end with Democrats declaring victory in the first round of the gun control fight. Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy leading the charge. After more than 14 hours on the floor, he finally left the podium overnight, announcing there will be a vote on closing the terror gap and universal background checks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D), CONNECTICUT: I woke up this morning determined to make sure that this wasn't going to be a lost week. Ask yourself, what can you do to make sure that Orlando or Sandy Hook never ever happens again.

With deep gratitude to all of those who have endured this very, very late night, I yield the floor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: And joining me now, Zach Wolf, he's the managing editor of CNN Politics Digital. Thanks for coming on the show today.

ZACH WOLF, CNN POLITICS DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR: Thank you.

KOSIK: So what's interesting is that we rarely pay attention to what happens on the Senate floor, but nothing like a good old filibuster to grab our attention. You have got Chris Murphy declaring victory, but here's the reality with what he's victorious on. This amendment would look to keep those on terror watch lists from getting gun licenses, and it would look to expand background checks for those at gun shows and internet sales. But it doesn't do the thing that everybody is really talking about. Obviously besides the terror watch list is that assault weapons ban. WOLF: That's right. You know, the assault weapons ban lapsed more

than ten years ago. There's no talk really of it coming back. There's some discussion that maybe Democrats would offer it but it took a nearly 15-hour filibuster to get votes on these other two amendments, so it's hard to believe that that will be coming back anytime soon.

KOSIK: So was this all theater? I'm talking about the filibuster. Not just what we saw on the Senate floor, but this really dramatic cover of "The Boston Globe" today showing a scale model of an AR-15 weapon. Now these are the kinds of weapons that everyone knows were used in Orlando massacre and the massacre at Sandy Hook. Yes, this op ed is stunning. The picture is stunning. But this amendment doesn't look to do away with that.

WOLF: No, it doesn't. So -- at the same time, the gun rights activists have had basically been able to hold off any sort of movement on gun legislation for so long that any movement is movement, I think, for gun control activists. They can look at this -- if there is a vote, and if they do get something passed, or even if there is a vote, I think that that is something that they can point to. It may not be what they want, but it's something. So I guess that's movement in their direction.

KOSIK: And meantime you have got Twitter going crazy with all of the different thoughts on this. We have got the NRA tweeting, supporters, contact your lawmakers and tell them to oppose any new gun control measures. And then of course we've got Donald Trump tweeting that he's going to be meeting with the NRA today.

WOLF: Yes. It was actually kind of a way for him to change the subject, I think. He had been coming under some criticism for the way he had talked about President Obama in the wake of the Orlando thing. So now he tweeted yesterday that he would be meeting with the NRA. A lot of people support closing the so-called terror gap, keeping people on terror watch lists or suspected of being terror sympathizers from getting guns. It's kind of a no-brainer for him to support this, but then he's changed the subject effectively by saying that he would meet with the NRA. They said they're happy to meet with him but they have not suggested they're going to change their position on the idea of due process yet.

KOSIK: All right. We will continue seeing gun control certainly be the focus of the political discussion. Zach Wolf, thanks for coming on the show today.

WOLF: Thank you.

KOSIK: A toddler killed by an alligator at Disney World has been found. Investigators are promising to make sure to find the alligator that's responsible.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:24:39] BERMAN: A heartbreaking end to the search for a 2-year- old boy who was dragged into a lagoon by an alligator at Disney World, really just down the road from here. Divers recover the body of Lane Graves in 6 feet of murky water, about 10 to 15 yards from where he was taken from the beach. The child likely drowned. Now wildlife officials want to be sure that they got the alligator who did it. They want to keep him from attacking anyone else. Let's get more now from CNN's Martin Savidge.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. Good morning, Alison. The family of this little boy now has issued a statement. They thank the public for their prayers. They also thank law enforcement for their efforts. And they have now said that they wish to be left alone to grieve privately.

The recovery of the child does not mean that this all comes to an end. There are a number of investigations moving forward. Orange County will oversee them. Orange County will be looking to see what exactly happened. And then also, the Florida Fish and Wildlife, they will be working to determine if they have the right alligator. Already, they have captured and euthanized five. They're not sure if that's the complete number that were in the lake. They want to make sure they get the right one. They don't want that to continue to roam free. And then there's going to be the internal investigation that will be conducted by Disney itself. It's expected, what is referred to as an after-action report. Disney insiders say they believe as a result of that report, there will be significant changes. Going on, they say, they expect Disney to do the right thing. Many eyes will be watching. The thing that is a constant is that as long as you have water and as long as you are in Florida, you are bound to have alligators. John and Alison --

BERMAN: Very difficult time for Disney, to be sure. Thanks to Martin Savidge for that.

We have breaking news overnight from here in Orlando. The Orlando club killer posting on Facebook and making phone calls during the massacre. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)