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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Orlando Gunman On The Phone During Massacre; Obama and Biden In Orlando Today; Details Emerge In Orlando Massacre Probe; Gun Control Filibuster Ends After 14 Hours With Democrats Declaring Victory; Trump Plans To Meet With NRA Without GOP's Blessing. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired June 16, 2016 - 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 ANCHOR: Will the Orlando club gunman's wife face charges? Her story of what she knew is inconsistent, as we learn who the killer called and what he posted online during the massacre.

Breaking news, after 14 hours on the Senate floor, Democrats get their colleagues to vote on new gun control.

Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Alison Kosik in New York.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm John Berman, live in Orlando. We have breaking news this morning from here. New information on what went on inside the Pulse nightclub during the 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, he pledged his allegiance to ISIS.

And, there was a third call to a friend to say goodbye. Authorities have not identified that friend but they want to know exactly what was said and whether the friend knew that an attack was coming.

Along those lines, investigators are also looking into the gunman's wife. What did she know about the husband's intentions and when did she know it? The wife is giving conflicting statements, conflicting information, and now faces a grand jury investigation to determine whether she might face charges for not reporting to authorities what she knew.

All this, and now information about possible social media postings by the killer during the attack, itself. Joining me right now from in front of the crime scene, Polo Sandoval. Polo, what are you learning?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, investigators and their search for answers will likely take them online to Facebook as new evidence now suggesting that the killer may have been online actively searching for any news related to the shooting, during the shooting.

This is all according to a letter that was sent by a Republican senator from Wisconsin, Ron Johnson, to the CEO of Facebook, in which he's actually calling on the social networking site to provide any pictures and any information that they can to investigators to be able to paint a clearer picture of what happened just only about a block away from where I'm standing.

Now, according to that letter that was sent to Mark Zuckerberg, we do understand that there were at least five Facebook accounts that have been identified as being associated with the gunman, himself. And on the day of the shooting -- the evening of the shooting, rather -- he reportedly searched for different terminology, including Pulse, Orlando, and shooting.

This likely suggests that the killer was likely looking for any sort of news articles that may have been published during the time of the shooting, which is obviously a fairly disturbing detail to be able to assume, or at least picture, what was happening inside with the gunman with one phone in one hand and, of course, his weapon in the other.

The next thing I should mention, too, John, is that this letter also identified several suspicious posts that likely, or at least possibly, were posted by the killer, himself. I want to read you a few of them to give you a better idea of what you would find online.

The first statement here that he posted online, reading, "America and Russia stop bombing the Islamic state." The killer also further pledges allegiance to ISIS leader, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. And then also what is perhaps the most disturbing and perhaps telling post as well, that reads "In the next few days you will see attacks from the Islamic state in the USA."

And we all know that federal investigators have called this a terrorist-inspired attack and not necessarily that he may have been in direct connection with any terrorist organization overseas. But at the same time, that is going to be crucial evidence for investigators as they continue to search online.

And also, some of the phone calls that may have been placed by the killer, himself, while inside that nightclub, one of them possibly made to a producer of a local television station here in Orlando. I want you to hear directly from him of what the voice on the other line had to say that night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT GENTILI, PRODUCER, NEWS 13 ORLANDO: It was at 2:45 when I had just received a phone call of someone claiming to be the Orlando shooter. I answered the phone as I always do, "News 13, this is Matt." And on the other end, I heard "Do you know about the shooting?" And I said "Yes, I'm the getting information and I'm receiving some calls right now." And he cut me off and he said, "I'm the shooter."

[05:35:00] 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: And that news producer is like so many others in this community, really caught in the middle of this investigation as they try to stay up to speed on what is happening and, really, what the latest is. Meanwhile, there is some hope for healing as some of the patients are released from the hospital.

And also, as President Obama and also Vice President Biden arrive here on the ground. They will be speaking to the victims, the survivors, and also, of course, those who rushed towards the gunfire. I'm talking about the first responders who played such a crucial role in, really, some of the people that were able to make it out alive that night, John.

BERMAN: You know, some first responders work right here at the Orlando Regional Medical Center. They were getting patients by the truckload that night. One more question on the investigation, Polo. The wife -- she now faces a grand jury investigation. What did she know, when did she know it -- because she's been giving conflicting stories.

SANDOVAL: Conflicting stories about what her husband's state of mind may have been. She is cooperating with investigators and telling them that her husband had mentioned that he planned to on some form of attack at one point. Now, was it the attack that actually took place here this weekend? That's yet to be seen. That will ultimately have to be the grand jury that will decide if Noor Salman will be possibly the first person to face charges in connection with this deadly attack, John.

BERMAN: All right, Polo Sandoval for us on the investigation.

We're also getting new details this morning on the gunman's connection to Jihadist propaganda. A law enforcement official tells CNN that his consumption of Islamist material, including videos of ISIS beheadings, spiked just two weeks before the attack.

A source said the shooter was a boiling kettle looking for any excuse to do something violent. And apparently, up until two weeks before, his consumption of ISIS propaganda had only been sporadic. So, a lot right at the very end.

This coming out as some new video has emerged from a film documentary in 2010. A documentary about the 2010 BP Oil spill, of all things. (Video playing) The security firm G4S has confirmed that this is the killer right now working as a security guard in Pensacola. He speaks on a hidden camera right here, talking about people making money off of disasters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OMAR MATEEN, WORKED AS BP OIL SPILL SECURITY GUARD: No one gives a shit, no one gives a shit here. Everybody 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: In addition to this, new witnesses are emerging who say they saw the 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 he approached him repeatedly on Grinder about a year ago, interactions that he describes as "creepy". Cedeno says he was not interested but that 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, SAYS GUNMAN APPROACHED HIM ON GAY APP: From the Adam4Adam app, one of my friends actually -- he's been speaking with him since 2007 on and off, year and year at a time. And 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: Cedeno says his friend never did meet up with the killer and that he, himself, does not know anyone who actually did. Still, he does say there was that connection -- that chat -- online.

In just hours, President Obama arrives here in this city. He'll be joined by Vice President Joe Biden. They're going to spend most of the day here. They'll stand in solidarity with the city. They'll meet with survivors and the families of victims to offer their sympathy. They will also spend time with first responders and medical personnel who helped treat the victims.

The White House has said one of the things the president wants to do is reach out to survivors right now who are dealing with so much survivor guilt and PTS, and trying to really struggle through what happened to them and how they moved forward. The president wants to really reach out and give them a collective hug from the nation.

Joining me now to talk about the investigation and where it goes next, retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, CNN national security intelligence and terror analyst and a former commanding general of the U.S. Army in Europe. General, thanks so much for being with us.

You know, one of the things we've learned most recently is that this killer was making phone calls during the shooting, but also posting online or doing internet searches to find out, essentially, if he was being covered. If there was information out there about what was going on. What does that tell you about his mindset? What does it tell you about his killer?

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: The dots are connected, not only the internet searches but also the other things. We now know he phoned a friend, the night of the killing, from the club. As they look at the combination of what's on the cell phone, what's on his computers, the searches, along with a timeline of his reconnaissance of both Disney Springs, the club, the multiple adventures that he took here with his wife --

[05:40:00] As they connect the dots and say who was he with, who was he talking to at the time, when did the spikes occur, what drove him to do this, you'll have a better feeling for his mindset, certainly. But also, who he may have been connecting with. So, co-conspirators beyond his wife might be a part of this as well.

BERMAN: Yes, I suppose it could be a couple of things going on, or both, inside the club. It could just be pure narcissism. You know, a deranged mind who wanted to see if he was making an impact. Or it could be what others have told us is essentially, you know, the playbook for ISIS to make sure that this horrific atrocity that you are committing is making the splash that you want it to.

HERTLING: Yes. I'm not a psychiatrist but the struggle with his humanity, his sexuality, combined with the potential for putting the onus on an organization that's asking people to do this -- asking extremists to do these kind of things is an interesting dynamic and that's the thing that makes this case so extremely difficult.

BERMAN: An incredibly deranged person, incredibly violent person looking for an excuse --

HERTLING: Right.

BERMAN: -- to go kill. That is something that people have been looking into right now. CNN's Barbara Starr wrote extensively on that. And we have this other information, which is that his consumption of this terror propaganda spiked over the last two weeks. Over the last two weeks he consumed "a hell of a lot", what we're told, of ISIS propaganda.

HERTLING: Yes.

BERMAN: And before that it was only sporadic. Before that, he had said things as far back as 2013. Said things as far back as high school but only from time to time. The last two weeks it really was apparently a mad rush.

HERTLING: Yes. Was he trying to get psyched up to do what he eventually did? Seeing more beheadings, see more propaganda. Seeing the kind of things that would perhaps drive him to have the courage, if you want to call it that, to do this heinous act. All of those are contributors to his mindset and I think that's what the FBI and the folks who are examining this crime want to know.

BERMAN: Right now, we still are being told that he was not directed from overseas or directed by anyone else for these attacks, however, that timeframe of consuming a ton of information over the last two weeks -- one of the things I imagine they will look for as if there was a trigger --

HERTLING: Yes.

BERMAN: -- to do that two weeks ago if there was a conversation with somebody.

HERTLING: Well, you have to consider, too, Ramadan started and the orders from ISIS in "Dabid" magazine was do it during Ramadan. You'll get more blessings from that. Just a very strange approach. But you combine that on that timeline as when did the orders come from this source, if you want to call them orders -- permission is the better word -- and how did this coincide with this spike?

BERMAN: So while we're doing all this intelligence news gathering -- electronic investigation, which is part of the new way of looking at crimes, there's always the very old-fashioned way. The FBI put out a bulletin last night with a poster, essentially saying do you know anything about this killer? Asking the community to weigh in and offer help.

You were from Orlando. This is your home. And you were at an event last night where people were talking about this.

HERTLING: Yes, they were, and what you're talking about is the collusion of social networking and just plain, as you say, the cop on the beat saying hey, here's the picture. Does anyone know this? They want to not only give the information, but they also want to see the reaction. They want to look into the faces and have others look in the faces of people saying oh, yes and stroking their chin. I do know that guy. So that's all part of this dynamic.

BERMAN: All right, we're just a few days into this investigation. They've learned a lot already, but so much more they need to figure out. General Mark Hertling, thanks so much for being with this morning.

HERTLING: Thank you, John.

BERMAN: We appreciate it. One of the big issues being discussed around the nation right now, debated in fact, is what role guns and gun control may have had. Could this have been prevented? There was high drama on the Senate floor overnight. A filibuster, the likes of which we have not seen in years. It only ended a little while ago. We'll tell you how it was resolved -- that's next.

[05:44:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:48:10] 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 led 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 those who have endured this very, very late night, I yield the floor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: Joining me now to discuss this, senior media correspondent and host of CNN's "RELIABLE SOURCES", Brian Stelter. Thanks for getting up so early.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT, HOST, "RELIABLE SOURCES: Thank you.

KOSIK: So, it's not every day we're actually interested in what happens on the Senate floor, but nothing like a good old filibuster to get us interested. It wasn't just Sen. Murphy, it was dozens of other Democratic senators as well. Let's listen to a piece and then talk about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MURPHY: I am most of the time, around here, a team player but I've had enough.

SEN. CORY BOOKER, (D) NEW JERSEY: What we're seeking is not something that is partisan. What we're seeking is common sense.

SEN. BOB MENENDEZ, (D) NEW JERSEY: We need more than another moment of silence.

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN, (D) MASSACHUSETTS: The members of this Congress will have blood on our hands.

SEN. TAMMY BALDWIN, (D) WISCONSIN: Our thoughts and prayers for their deaths are important, but not enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: OK, every small step toward gun control can help, many say. But in this case, others are saying listen, the big push now is to reinstate that assault weapons ban. This amendment doesn't do that. What this amendment does is it bans people who are on terror watch lists from getting gun licenses, and it expands background checks, essentially. So it doesn't do the thing that everybody's talking about.

[05:50:00] STELTER: Yes, gun rights activists want the status quo to remain in effect or for changes to loosen some restrictions. Many others, though, especially in the wake of a massacre like this, want to see something done. At least want to feel like Congress is taking some action. And so this is the battle and we see it play out now in Congress.

The Senate, yesterday, was considering an appropriations bill, but Sen. Murphy took to the floor and said he would hold the floor in order to send a message about the importance of this issue. This ended up being led by Sen. Murphy, one of the longest speeches on the Senate floor ever. Maybe the eighth or the ninth longest filibuster. And unlike many filibusters which are intended to stop actions, stop a vote, this was intended to force a vote. So that's why he declared victory at about 2:00 in the morning, eventually saying that there will be votes on these measures. We will see if the Democrats have the votes to succeed, but at least there will be votes.

His message, in a word, was enough. That he's had enough and that his colleagues have had enough, and they want to see something done. But we should be realistic. They're talking about incremental measures here. I see some commentators, some liberal writers, and others calling for more drastic steps.

Calling for changes in the Second Amendment, calling for changes to what weapons are allowed in the country. But that's not what these senators and legislators are talking about. They're talking about more incremental measures for the moment, at least.

By the way, Murphy will be on "NEW DAY" at 8:00 a.m. I guess he's probably sleeping right now after being there until 2:00 a.m., but he'll be up in a little bit.

KOSIK: We're prepping for that. And you know, one good thing to mention. It's not only politics pushing gun control, also the media. A really stunning cover of "The Boston Globe" this morning showing a to-scale model of an AR-15. It says "Make It Stop." With this picture is an Op-Ed.

STELTER: Yes, and this is an example of "The Boston Globe" taking a position here. Taking a stand calling for more action by legislators on this issue. We've seen "The Boston Globe", once in a while, take these chances on the front page.

They had that famous cover a few months ago where they imagined a Trump presidency and depicted it in very scary ways, but in this case the editorial page of "The Boston Globe" trying to call for action, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren very happy to see this cover. She was promoting it overnight.

KOSIK: Pollsters also taking -- sort of the seizing the momentum of this issue in the wake of what happened in Orlando. There's a new Bloomberg poll that asked Americans who would you have more confidence to handle in a situation in an Orlando-like terrorist attack? And there you have Donald Trump at 45 percent.

STELTER: The divide in the country, when we talk about Trump versus Clinton, is visible right here in this poll. These numbers almost -- not quite, but almost -- mere where voters stand with regards to Trump and Clinton. The numbers are a bit reversed right now. Clinton has an advantage when you look at who are you likely to vote for in the fall. But in terms of this particular issue, Trump slightly ahead, although there is not a lot of difference between Trump and Clinton on this issue.

When we think about the reactions, since Sunday, to the terror attack in Orlando, we have seen probably pretty predictable reactions. Donald Trump, however, is breaking with the NRA in some ways, saying that he does want to see this terror watch list issue --

KOSIK: Right.

STELTER: -- cleaned up. Now that is a break from Republican orthodoxy, so we'll what happens in the days to come with Trump and the NRA here, and see what ultimately comes.

KOSIK: All right, Brian Stelter, thanks so much --

STELTER: Thanks.

KOSIK: -- for your perspective. And Americans are actually buying guns in record numbers. And if history is a guide, the mass shooting in Orlando will spur even more firearm sales. The FBI conducted 11.7 million background checks so far this year. That's compared to 8.9 million checks at the same point last year. Background checks are considered a close measure for gun sales.

Shares of both Smith & Wesson and Sturm, Ruger are jumping almost 10 percent the day after the Orlando shooting. Calls for stricter gun control laws have historically led to a spike in gun sales, but that surge is sometimes temporary. Still, business has been good for the biggest gun manufacturers. You look at Smith & Wesson, its quarterly sales jumped more than 60 percent. Stern, Ruger grew by 30 percent.

Gun control taking over the conversation in Washington and across the country. "NEW DAY" is next.

[05:54:10]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:58:20]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MENENDEZ: We need more than another moment of silence.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Refusing to enact No-Fly, No-Buy is political malpractice.

REP. JOE CROWLEY, (D) NEW YORK: If con man Don can convince the NRA to move forward on this, God bless him.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESUMPTIVE REPUBLICAN NOMINEE: This is too tough to do it alone. But you know what, I think I'm going to be forced to.

MURPHY: We will be getting these votes. I yield the floor.

GENTILI: He cut me off and he said, "I'm the shooter."

BERMAN: What went on during that massacre?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The gunman posted several very disturbing messages.

KOSIK: Will the Orlando club gunman's wife face charges?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We will leave no stone unturned.

JERRY DEMINGS, SHERIFF, ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA: We recovered the remains of the 2-year-old from the water.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Horror at the happiest place on earth.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to make certain that we have the alligator that was involved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome to your new day. We're here in Orlando, Alisyn in New York. We begin with breaking news. This marathon filibuster on the Senate floor came to an end after 15 hours, and somewhat of a qualified declaration of victory by the Democratic senator who started it, Chris Murphy from Connecticut.

He says he has a deal to have an up and down vote on two different measures that will make a difference after what happened over our shoulder here in Orlando. Forty-nine people lost their lives, dozens others injured after this attack, Alisyn.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: And Chris, we're also, as you know, learning new details about what the terrorist did during the attack, as well as the conflicting stories his wife is telling.

So in just hours, President Obama and Vice President Biden will travel to Orlando to meet with victims' families and the first responders. We have this covered the way only CNN can, so let's beginning with CNN senior political reporter, Manu Raju. He is live in Washington with the breaking news out of Congress. Tell us all about what happened last night, Manu.

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Hey, good morning, Alisyn.