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EARLY START

Bystander Who Shot Video Steps Forward; Guilty On All Charges; New Secret Service Scandal; President Obama Travels to Jamaica; First Round of the Masters Begins Today. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired April 9, 2015 - 05:00   ET

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


[05:00:00] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: EARLY START continues right now.

(MUSIC) BERMAN: The police officer caught on camera shooting an unarmed black man has been fired. Body cameras ordered for the entire police force as the witness who captured the killing on his cell phone explains what happened when the camera wasn't rolling.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Guilty on all charges. Jurors will now decide if Boston marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev will spend the rest of his life in prison or get the death penalty. The latest from court and what bombing survivors are saying this morning.

BERMAN: And then, breaking overnight. You will not believe it -- a new scandal at the Secret Service.

Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm John Berman.

ROMANS: And I'm Christine Romans. It's Thursday, April 9. It is 5:00 a.m. in the East.

New this morning, a South Carolina city vowing to make changes in the wake of a police officer's arrest on murder charges. Among those changes, North Charleston City officials promising Wednesday to outfit every officer on force with a body camera. The city also firing Officer Michael Slager as he sits in the jail awaiting a bail hearing.

On Saturday, Slager shot and killed 50-year-old Walter Scott as Scott ran away following a traffic stop. Slager says Scott tried to grab his taser. But this remarkable disturbing video shows Slager firing eight shots at Scott from about 25 feet away as Scott tried to flee. The man who shot that video has now stepped forward, telling NBC News what he saw happening moments before he begun recording.

Jason Carroll is in North Charleston with latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, Feidin Santana said he was on the way to work on Saturday, that's when he spotted Officer Slager and Scott in some sort of a struggle. He says the minute that the two hit the ground, he pulled out his cell phone and started recording.

FEIDEN SANTANA, RECORDED POLICE SHOOTING: They were down on the floor. They were down on the floor before I started recording. They were down on the floor. I remember the police officer had control of the situation. He had control of Scott. And Scott was trying to just get away from the taser. The taser, you know, you can hear the sound of the taser.

CARROLL: Scott's family calling Santana basically a hero for coming forward and sharing his video. Someone else speaking out on behalf of Santana is the city's mayor. The city's mayor and police chief actually faced an angry crowd at one point during a press conference. Specifically when they were questioned about something that happened after the shooting.

There seems to be a question about whether or not the officer's performed CPR on Scott. Listen to what happened when the police chief was questioned about that.

EDDIE DRIGGERS, NORTH CHARLESTON POLICE CHIEF: In the end of it, what I saw was a -- I believe to be a police officer removing the shirt of the individual and performing some type of life-saving, but I'm not sure what took place.

REPORTER: You don't know if CPR was performed?

DRIGGERS: I was told that life-saving -- they tried to save his life.

CARROLL: The police chief unable to answer questions about the officer's taser. Where was it? The video seems to show, at least this is what the family believes. They believe that the video shows Officer Slager trying to plant that taser next to Scott's body.

The police chief unable to answer that question when pressed on that particular subject. Certainly that's what Scott's family believes. They also said as painful as it is to see that video, they also say that they are very, very grateful that this young man came forward and presented the video to them and to investigators -- Christine, John.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Our thanks to Jason.

The mother of the shooting victim of Walter Scott says she forgives Officer Michael Slager for killing her son. The woman of deep religious faith, Judy Scott tells Anderson Cooper that she believes Officer Slager tried to make it look like her son grabbed his taser. But that God's love inspires her now to forgive him. She had seen the video of the shooting, but she says she could not watch it until the end.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDY SCOTT, SHOOTING VICTIM'S MOTHER: I couldn't really watch the whole tape. When I saw my son running and I saw the police man behind him, I couldn't take it. I had to turn away. I couldn't handle it. The policeman is supposed to protect the people. Not try to frame

them or get out of what they have done wrong. They are supposed to be honest people, protecting us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[05:05:02] BERMAN: We are learning details this morning about now former officer Michael Slager.

North Charleston officials say that Slager's wife is eight months pregnant. The city will continue to pay for her health insurance until the baby is born. The 33-year-old Slager has two stepchildren. Personnel records show that Slager, like Walter Scott, served in the U.S. Coast Guard after joining the North Charleston Police Department in 2009. This is interesting, Slager was highly proficient in taser use, scoring 50 out of 50 in a certification program.

ROMANS: All right. In Boston, the jury in the Boston marathon case will now weigh whether Dzhokhar Tsarnaev should be executed after finding him guilty on all 30 counts. As the verdict was read Wednesday afternoon, the 21-year-old stood with his head bowed, his hands clasped as the guilty verdict told one after another.

CNN's Alexandra Field has more from inside the courtroom.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine, John, this is the moment that so many people waited so long for. Nearly two years they waited to hear the verdict, and now, 30 counts Dzhokhar Tsarnaev found guilty in each and every one of them.

He strode into the courtroom. He listened as each was read out loud. He made just a glancing look at the jury. But for the most part, he looked at his hands, he looked down, he looked at his attorney who is sometimes by his side -- really no outward show of emotion which has been typical for him throughout this trial.

Twelve jurors deliberated for just under 12 hours before arriving at the verdict. Eleven of those jurors didn't seem to look at the defendant, didn't seem to want to make eye contact. They kept their eyes forward, looking at the judge, looking at the clerk. One juror it seems was trying to get a closer look at Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, but that juror wouldn't have seen any outward display, any sign of surprise from the defendant himself.

A lot of people were inside that courtroom to hear the verdict. Family members of the victims who were killed in this case, survivors of the bombing. The gravity of the situation, you could you feel it inside that courtroom. It was very quiet. People sat still. A few of them dabbing tears away from their eyes.

But really, no large expressions of emotion. People are just sort of listening in, wanting to hear every word, wanting to hear every word guilty said over and over again. We heard from survivors who came out after the verdict was read, some of them said they didn't really have a sense of closure, but certainly this is a piece of the puzzle for a lot them. There is some sense of justice for some of them.

But this trial is not over yet. The 21-year-old's life is now in the hands of the jury. The penalty phase which jurors will consider the death sentence could begin as early as next week -- Christine, John.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Our thanks to Alexandra.

The survivors of the bombing are sharing their reaction of the guilty verdict. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REBEKAH GREGORY, BOSTON BOMBING SURVIVOR: I don't believe that there will ever be justice brought to this no matter if he does get the death penalty or he remains in prison for the rest of his life. I do believe however that he should be held accountable for his actions, and I'm very thankful for each of the jury members that are making him do that.

KAREN BRASSARD, BOSTON BOMBING SURVIVOR: I don't know what justice is. I'm grateful to have him off the street. I'm grateful to show everyone, the world, that it's not tolerated. This is not how we behave and we are grateful that everybody has worked so hard to make it known that we're not going to allow this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The governor of Massachusetts, Charlie Baker, says that he believes Dzhokhar Tsarnaev should be executed for the crimes that he has committed.

ROMANS: Breaking overnight: A Secret Service supervisor has been placed on administrative leave following allegations of sexual assault. "The Washington Post" reports that a female agent is alleging that a manager in the security clearance division made, quote, "unwanted sexual advances" after the pair returned to the office from a party on March 31st. The Secret Service says appropriate action was taken. The incident is currently under investigation.

BERMAN: As soon as today, the White House could announce its intent to remove Cuba from the state sponsors of terrorism list. The State Department said Cuba should be cleared. It has not provided support to terrorist groups within the last six months, says the State Department. White House officials wanted to make the announcement before the Summit of the Americas later this week. Once announced, Congress will then have 45 days to vote on the measure.

ROMANS: President Obama is in Jamaica on the first leg of the journey that takes it to historic meeting with 48 leaders of Caribbean nations. He then heads to the Summit of Americas in Panama where he is likely see Cuba's Raul Castro. Top administration officials say security against terrorism and energy top on the agenda.

BERMAN: Apparently, the very top of the agenda.

ROMANS: One of the president's first stops in Jamaica, a tour of the Bob Marley Museum.

BERMAN: That's right.

ROMANS: That was the top of the agenda. It happens to be the former home of the reggae legend.

[05:10:02] BERMAN: I'm going to listen to Bob Marley for the rest of the day.

The president is calling for an end to conversion therapy for gay and transgender youth. The president condemned the practice which is aimed at making gay people straight. Critics call it medically and morally unsound. He started this as a petition in honor of a young girl who killed herself in December. So far, that petition received 120,000 signatures in just three months.

ROMANS: All right. Ten minutes past the hour. Time for an early start on your money this morning.

U.S. stock futures are lower right now. Stocks rose a little bit yesterday. Federal Reserve and trying to guess what the Federal Reserve will do is why the stock market was higher. The Fed still has a lot of concerns about the economy, the strong dollar, stunting economic growth, sub par spending, sluggish wage growth, all of that taken together means the guessing game of the interest rate hike could come later, and all that bad news, good news for stock.

Stocks love the Fed's easy money. This is the third longest bull run in history.

But half of Americans are not invested in the stocks market. New Bankrate survey out this morning shows 52 percent of Americans are not in stocks, including 401(k). The main reason: most say they simply don't have the money to invest. So interesting because you have these two Americas where you have investing class that has done very, very well and you have the class that earns money by how they work. Their wages -- wages barely moving. And that's troubling. A lot of personal finance experts say more people should get in the stock market, not be afraid of it.

BERMAN: It takes more money to get into the stock market. That's for sure.

ROMANS: The United States and Iran arming dueling sides of the war in Yemen. Secretary of State John Kerry now on a record with a message to Iran. We're live after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:15:21] BERMAN: Happening this morning: Secretary of State John Kerry issuing a blunt warning to Iran. The secretary says efforts to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran will not stop the United States from siding with Saudi Arabia against the Iranian backed rebels in Yemen. The Iranian state news agency says Iran is deploying its navy off the coast of Yemen now.

Secretary Kerry tells PBS that the U.S. has been tracking Iranian supply flights into Yemen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: We are well-aware of the support that Iran has been giving to Yemen. And Iran needs to recognize that the United States is not going to stand by while the region is destabilized.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Let's get the latest on this crisis. Senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is standing by live in southern Saudi Arabia.

Good morning, Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, John.

About those navy -- Iranian navy vessels sailing off the coast of Yemen, we've heard from the government official, the general whose spokesman for the military coalition led by the Saudi forces here has said that those Iranian boats can come into international waters off the coast of Yemen. But absolutely, they cannot enter Yemeni territory waters, those he says are controlled by the coalition.

So, a clear message for the Iranians there -- a clear message from the Saudis, rather, for the Iranians there.

The Iranian president also has his message as well. He says that the conflict in Yemen should be solved by talks. We know from the U.N., over 500 people killed so far, over 300 of those are civilians.

But the Iranian president also saying the future of Yemen should be decided by the Yemeni people. And that also is a very clear message for the United States and for the Saudi government that Iran doesn't want and doesn't accept that there is this international, it sees it, interference inside Yemen. Of course, the Saudi position, the Yemeni position is that Iran is intentionally destabilizing by backing the Houthis, John.

BERMAN: All right. Nic Robertson, for us, not far from that conflict zone in southern Saudi Arabia. Thanks so much, Nic.

ROMANS: A fourth New York City man indicted in an ISIS-inspired plot pleaded not guilty at a hearing Wednesday. Twenty-six-year-old Dilkhayot Kasimov allegedly raised money to send two of his co- defendants to Syria to join the militant group. Authorities say he also encouraged others to engage in violent jihad. Three of his co- defendants have all pleaded not guilty.

BERMAN: Rand Paul's presidential campaign hit a few bumps in the road. He is taking criticism for his combative back-and-forth with NBC's Savannah Guthrie. He cut her off, accusing her of editorializing when she asked about some inconsistencies in his foreign policy record.

The senator had already been accused of being condescending to CNBC's Kelly Evans in February when he shushed her, you can see it right there, and told her to calm down. I don't think anyone likes that.

For his part, Senator Paul told CNN Wednesday that he has been universally testy with both male and female reporters.

ROMANS: Has he shushed you, John Berman?

BERMAN: I never interview -- I did interview him once. He did not -- he did not shush me. But, you know, John Harwood of "New York Times" and CNBC, he sort of pushed back on. He doesn't seem to enjoy interviews at times.

The senator also weighing in on the South Carolina shooting, urging people not to jump to conclusions about all officers because of the actions of one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think when you look at police across our country, 98 percent, 99 percent of them are doing their job on a day-to-day basis and aren't doing things like this. I just want to be careful that we don't paint with a broad brush that somehow all of our police are bad. In this particular instance, I hope justice does occur, but I hope we don't paint it with such a broad brush that we draw conclusions that may not be accurate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Now, Hillary Clinton has also tweeted out her thoughts about the shooting, saying, quote "Praying for Walter Scott's family. Heartbreaking and too familiar. We can do better -- rebuild trust, reform justice system, respect all lives."

ROMANS: All right. Ted Cruz is building quite a war chest for his presidential campaign. A network of four super PACs says it has pulled in $31 million in either cash or commitments for Cruz. A sum that size could instantly reduce concerns about the senator's ability to compete. It may also pull other candidates in the race since few expected early fund raising to bring in that much money. A surprise.

BERMAN: It's real money and it's a surprise that he was able to do it that fast. I mean, his campaign was going to be a grassroots campaign that didn't necessarily have the money or need the money. Now, he's got it. Let's see what he does with it.

[05:20:00] All right. They are breaking out the clubs at Augusta National. The Masters gets underway today. Tiger Woods is playing. Can he win?

Andy Scholes with the bleacher report, next. ROMANS: Delta Airlines is using GPS to help passengers keep track of

pets while flying. The GPS pet tracker made its debut April 1st. For $50 a flight, the trackers let travelers monitor the location, temperature and body positioning of their pets. The GPS tracker comes at a good time for Delta. A dog went missing from a Delta flight back in October. Ty the dog escaped his kennel in Los Angeles and has not been seen since.

The GPS pet service is available in 10 U.S. airports and will also be use to track other types of sensitive cargo such as human organs for transplant.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: You are just hours away from one of the great sporting events of the year. Round one of the Masters and the whole lot of eyes on Tiger Woods as he returns to action for the first time in two months.

ROMANS: He said he'd been working hard, really hard.

Andy Scholes has more in this morning's bleacher report. Hey, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, guys.

Hey, Rory McIlroy is a favorite to win it this year. He's trying to win his third straight Major.

Now, Tiger, on the other hand, his odds to win the Masters is 20 to 1. Not very good. Most of us really just like to see Tiger actually finish the tournament.

Now, yesterday, for the first time since 2004, Tiger played in the par 3 contest. He had his daughter Sam and son Charlie and girlfriend Lindsey Vonn tagging along.

And on eighth, Tiger almost had a special moment. He nearly gets the hole in one. You can tell he really wanted that one. Now, he would let his daughter putt it in and that actually disqualified him from the contest.

[05:25:01] Now, Jack Nicklaus didn't win the par 3 contest yesterday, but he had the best moment of the day. On 4, the six-time Masters champ, plays it perfectly. Check out the back spin, looks like it's on target, and it would roll in for the hole in one. Jack may be 75 years old, but he still has it.

All right. Nearly six weeks after knee surgery, Bulls guard Derrick Rose is back in action. D-Rose playing 19 minutes for the Bulls against the Magic last night. Check out the fast break. Rose looking like himself. He had nine points in the game, but the Bulls would go on to lose to the Magic, 105-103.

The Dodgers' Adrian Gonzales making history last night against the Padres. Gonzales homered in his first three at-bats of the game. And you've got to check this out. He now has 5 home runs in the first 3 games of the season. That's a major league record. Guys, in case you are wondering, he is on pace to hit 270 home runs

this season right now. Not sure he's going to keep that pace up.

BERMAN: Andy, quickly, who is your pick for the Masters?

SCHOLES: I'm going to go with El Pato, Angel Cabrera.

BERMAN: Ah, interesting. I saw him play. He's very fun to watch there.

All right, Andy Scholes. Bubba Watson.

SCHOLES: All right. There you go.

BERMAN: All right. New details we have for you about the day a police officer killed unarmed black man Walter Scott. The witness who filmed it all opens up, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: New information from the witness who filmed a police officer shoot and kill unarmed black man Walter Scott. What he's now revealing about that shooting as the victim's mother tells CNN what she thinks about the man who killed her son.