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EARLY START

At Least One Killed in Northern Illinois; Moments Before the Fatal S.C. Shooting; New Challenges for Iran Nuclear Deal; Apple Watch is Here. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired April 10, 2015 - 04:30   ET

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


JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: The National Weather Service reports at least 14 tornadoes across three states. Officials say the path of destruction across Illinois alone was more than 25 miles long.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, let me show you the huge twister in northern Illinois. This is near the city of Rochelle. Officials say the severe storm killed one person in nearby Fairdale. This is another view of the tornadoes and pelting hail in northern Illinois. Residents of this neighborhood ran to the basements for shelter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LINDSEY MANNING, ILLINOIS TORNADO VICTIM: We were here. It was hailing. We actually kind of thought it was going to miss us. We started getting calls from people saying tornadoes were headed our way, and we quickly went down to the basement and could feel the tornado right over our house and came up to this. I feel like it is a bad dream. Something I'd be watching on the news somewhere else. Not in my neighborhood.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Emergency officials say the tornadoes and high winds caused multiple injuries, widespread damage, like this building leveled in Rockford, Illinois. The fire department there tweeted that they were having hard time getting access to devastated areas because of all of the damage and debris.

BERMAN: In Missouri last night, another severe storm blasting through Chesterfield, just west St. Louis. Fire officials say some 15 buildings in an industrial area were damaged. Some of them just, you know, destroyed. No one was injured. Officials say it was after business hours and those still there got out as quickly as they could.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID BARNARD, ESCAPED STORM DESTRUCTION: There was a lot of wind and sideways rain. You couldn't really see anything. I started hearing crashing back in the shop area of our building and I went back there and saw that the vents have been ripped out of the roof and back part of the roof was separating from the wall of the building and lifting up, and decided that probably wasn't the best place to be. (END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: In Iowa, ominous -- look at those ominous storm clouds near Clinton, Iowa. That's in Eastern Iowa, along the Mississippi River. This is another twister there downed trees and power lines, scattered debris. Officials say no injuries were reported. We're told they had pretty good warning there. The local news stations and the weather officials were on top of this one here.

BERMAN: Some of the pictures are remarkable.

Let's bring in meteorologist Derek Van Dam tracking the storms.

Derek, what's the latest?

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, John and Christine, the National Weather Service warned about Thursday severe weather outbreak it would be a particularly dangerous situation. Boy, did it materialize.

We saw it here at the CNN weather center as well. We had all of the ingredients for the severe weather to break out, including that destructive, unfortunately, deadly tornado that took place just in the outskirts of Rochelle, Illinois. In fact, this is the radar as it crossed over Interstate 39. You saw the footage of the 18 wheeler truck flipped on its side, both terrifying and extraordinary to see. Mother Nature just having that type of brut force.

This is the latest: cold front marching eastward, as we speak at the moment. The severe weather threat really starting to diminish, or has diminished overnight. Thanks to losing that daytime heating from the sun, but it won't take long before we fuel more thunderstorms later this afternoon. In fact, this time we have our eyes set on the Mid- Atlantic States from the nation's capital to Raleigh and Georgia and even towards the Gulf Coast and even into portions of Texas with 90 million people under some enhanced or slight risk of severe thunderstorms.

We don't anticipate this to be as widespread as what we experienced on Thursday. But, certainly, we need to keep an eye to the sky. Have your NOAA weather radio ready. We have the possibility of large hail and damaging winds and isolated tornadoes are certainly a possibility today.

So, we'll keep you up to date all day long from CNN.

BERMAN: Stay posted on this. Stay current, because this information is really important for a lot of people.

Thanks, Derek. Appreciate it.

This morning, we have new video that brings new perspective on the police officer shooting of an unarmed man in North Charleston in South Carolina. That Officer Michael Slager is now in jail facing murder charges. We have new dash cam video released by state officials. Now, this video does not show the shooting itself, but shows the

important moments leading up to it. You can see right there, Walter Scott is pulled over and questioned by Officer Slager.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OFFICER MICHAEL SLAGER: Do you have your license, registration and insurance card?

WALTER SCOTT: (INAUDIBLE)

SLAGER: What's that?

SCOTT: I got my license, but (INAUDIBLE)

SLAGER: OK, let's start with your license. The reason for the stop is your brake light's out.

SCOTT: Oh, OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: CNN's Brian Todd is in North Charleston. He breaks down this video and what it means for the investigation -- Brian.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, the latest development in this case is a dramatic one. The release of the dash cam video from the squad car of Officer Michael Slager. The video shows what appears to be a routine traffic stop.

[04:35:01] Walter Scott's vehicle pulling into the parking lot of an Advance Auto Parts Store, Officer Slager getting out, going over to the car, talking to Walter Scott on the driver side, talking to him for several minutes. Then, Slager comes back to his vehicle. Walter Scott appears to get out of his vehicle briefly and put his hand up and but then he goes back in the vehicle. A few seconds later, Walter Scott emerges from his vehicle on this videotape and is seen taking off running to the left side of the screen.

That is the extent of that videotape. We don't know why Walter Scott took off running. That is a key gap that has to be filled in this case.

Another new development we have just interviewed another witness. We have exclusively interviewed a witness to come forward to talk about what she saw on the day of the shooting. Gwen Nichols is her name. She was in the neighborhood.

She saw a scuffle between Walter Scott and the officer. She did not witness the actual gunshots. She said they scuffled a little bit, and then saw Walter Scott go into the vacant lot where he eventually was shot.

She did hear the gunshots, though, and she described to us how she felt when she heard them.

GWEN NICHOLS, WITNESS: I started to cry. Sorry. I started to cry because I thought about the altercation with my son, and it could have been my son. It could have been any one of these young black men around here.

TODD: Gwen Nichols referred to her son there because she says her own son had his encounter with the North Charleston police that was somewhat similar. That his son was pulled over for a routine traffic stop and they ended up kind of roughing him up a little bit and arresting him. So, she could relate to what happened to Walter Scott on that day -- John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Thanks to Brian Todd.

This morning, we are hearing from the mother of Michael Slager. While holding back tear, she offered this to the family of the man who her son is accused of murdering.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAREN SHARPE, MOTHER OF MICHAEL SLAGER: I just -- I just have to let it be and hope God takes care of everybody involved. Not only my family, but the Scott family, because I know they're grieving, just like I'm grieving.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Karen Sharpe says her son loved being a police officer and that murder, she says, is just not in his character.

ROMANS: All right. Cracks are starting to appear in the framework for the nuclear deal with Iran. Here in the U.S., the Senate is closing in on a plan that would give Congress a chance to review the deal which might complicate negotiations, of course. While Iran's supreme leader says he will not agree to a deal unless economic sanctions are lifted on day one. Iran's support of Houthi rebels in Yemen also now an issue.

CNN senior international correspondent Frederik Pleitgen following the latest developments for us this morning live from London.

Good morning, Fred.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning. And it seemed as though after the framework agreement was signed, that it was just a couple of details that still needed to be worked out. And it seemed that that June 30th deadline for a final deal was very realistic.

But one person we have been waiting to hear from is the supreme leader of Islamic Republican Iran. He is the man who calls all the shots there. And as you said, he is very, very pessimistic. He says so far nothing has been signed. He said a deal might not happen by June 30th. In fact, a deal might not happen at all.

And you said it, the big thing for the Iranians is they want the sanctions to be lifted immediately. And, of course, that's something that's not necessarily in line with what the U.S. wants. The U.S. believes that the sanctions would probably be phased out in line with the Iranians, taking the steps that are called for within that interim agreement. We have to wait and see whether or not negotiations lead to anything positive going forward.

Of course, one of the things when we hear statements like this, that we always have to keep in mind is that the Iranians also face a lot of pressure at home. There's a lot of hard liners in Iran who don't want a deal, who feel that the framework agreement that has been signed so far is the one that's not good for them. They feel like they are giving up too much.

And so, one of the things that they need to deliver on is they need the sanctions relief to be very, very fast. So, this has all the hallmarks of being an internal Iranian debate, but certainly, it seems as though that June 30th deadline will be harder to come by than many people thought -- guys.

ROMANS: All right. Fred Pleitgen -- thanks, Fred.

BERMAN: Yes, all that and there is mounting tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia, this over the conflict in Yemen. The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have overrun the capital of a key Sunni province that despite the Saudi-led air strikes, trying to stop their advance, Iran's supreme leader is lashing out, calling the Saudi bombing campaign genocide.

[04:40:03] CNN senior international correspondent Nima Elbagir standing by with the latest.

Good morning, Nima.

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.

The Saudi Arabians are definitely feeling the heat over this, now the third week of air bombardment in Yemen. Not only have they been criticized by the supreme leader, but humanitarian agencies have already -- had very strong words about what they're calling out a lack of concessive access to the trapped population. They are stuck within the escalating conflict.

The Red Cross managing finally today to get really crucially needed supplies into Sana'a. They finally got a plane in, but, of course, they say it is not enough. So much more is needed.

And the background for this is that these air attacks -- they don't actually seem to have the impact they need to have to push back the Houthi forces advance. They have taken Ataq in the southwest of Yemen. That brings them very, very close, perilously close to the natural gas facility which has a platform on the Arabian Sea. That is the biggest producer of natural gas in Yemen. It's very important not just to Yemen, but to the broader region. So, Saudi Arabia really looking like it needs to see results very, very quickly, John.

BERMAN: Nima Elbagir for in Djibouti, just across the sea there from this conflict raging in Yemen. Thanks so much, Nima.

ROMANS: All right. Back here, Hillary Clinton is expected to officially announce she is running for president as soon as this weekend. There is word she'll make that announcement through video and social media. Insider say word could come on Twitter around noon Eastern Time Sunday.

This hardly coming as a surprise, she has long been touted as the Democratic front runner for 2016.

BERMAN: She's going to run for president?

ROMANS: I know, I meant to tell you that.

BERMAN: Who knew? You take a few days off and Hillary Clinton is running for president.

Someone else running -- Florida Senator Marco Rubio, he is on the cusp of declaring his bid. Official announcement is expected early next week. He is supported by the super PAC. The PAC which is called Conservative Solutions can collect unlimited amounts of money from donors who want to see Marco Rubio become president.

ROMANS: All right. Forty-two minutes past the hour. Time for early start on your money.

U.S. stock futures are not really moving. It's been relatively calm this week for stocks compared to the last few weeks. Despite some few swings, stocks basically where they started the year. Still a lot of questions about corporate profits, oil, interest rates, lots of reasons to think volatility could be around the corner.

Tax season ends in less than a week. Get to work, folks. The average refund received so far just over $2,800, 67 percent of taxpayers have already filed. The IRS paid out 77 million refunds so far, totaling about $220 billion.

If you have not filed yet, the IRS has a few words of advice. Don't panic. But definitely file for a six-month extension. And if you call the IRS, don't expect to talk to a live person because budget cuts have made it a really ugly year for customer service.

BERMAN: Expect no sympathy either from the IRS.

All right. Forty-two minutes after the hour.

As the jury deliberates the fate of Aaron Hernandez, charged with murder, there is new drama that unfolded in the courtroom. We'll explain, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:46:50] ROMANS: Breaking news this morning: At least one person dead after twisters ripped across the Midwest. These pictures are just unbelievable. 14 tornadoes at least reported in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri. One person killed in northern Illinois where a tornado shredded homes and toppled trees. In one St. Louis suburb, a violent storm damaged 15 buildings. A twister touched down in eastern Iowa, spared densely populated areas, but it did down power lines and trees.

BERMAN: Deliberations resume today in the Aaron Hernandez murder trial. This comes as a reporter was ordered to appear before the judge. Two jurors said they were followed by a news van. Now, the judge filed a new order to keep the media away as the panel works toward a verdict.

CNN's Susan Candiotti picks up the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: After deliberating more than 15 1/2 hours over three days, the jury in the case against Aaron Hernandez still has not yet reached a verdict. Now, considering that they have more than 430 exhibits to look over and testimony from 135 witnesses, it's easy to understand why jurors are taking their time.

Now, there was another development in the case, two jurors thought they were followed by an unmarked car. When they reported it to the court and the car belonged to a Boston television station. Now, the judge has now banned that television station's photographer, in particular, from covering the trial anymore.

However, the jurors were asked whether they thought this incident would affect their ability to deliberate and they said no. So, the trial will go on. Deliberations will continue this day on Friday from 9:00 in the morning until 1:00 in the afternoon -- John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Our thanks to Susan for that.

Big question, will there be a new breakthrough for U.S. and Cuba relations? This morning, President Obama could be meeting with President Raul Castro? We'll have the latest next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:52:33] BERMAN: The president is in Panama this morning. He is -- he could have an historic face-to-face with Cuban President Raul Castro. And as soon as today, the president could remove Cuba from the U.S. list of governments that sponsor terrorism. That would be a significant development.

CNN's senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, all eyes will be on what could be an historic encounter between President Obama and Cuban leader Raul Castro here at the Summit of the Americas. It's a summit of Latin American leaders that takes place later on today.

Now, they have spoken on the phone before, and they did it shake hands back in 2013. But nothing like what we may witness later on today.

Now, one thing we should point that this interaction comes as the State Department is recommending the Obama administration remove Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. That is a key stumbling block. It is believed to reestablishing embassies in both Havana and Washington.

There was a lot of speculation that this would all have been taken care of by now. But the president, when he was asked about normalizing relations with Cuba earlier on Thursday dismissed the notion that this is taking too long.

Here's what he had to say.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In terms of the overall process of establishing diplomatic relations with Cuba, I think that they are proceeding as I expected. I never foresaw that immediately overnight, everything would transform itself.

That suddenly, Cuba became a partner diplomatically with us the way Jamaica is, for example. That's going to take some time.

ACOSTA: One sign of the difficult work that lies ahead, a couple of fights have broken out here in Panama City between pro-Castro Cubans and dissidents from the island who have traveled here for the summit. While none of that is expected to pose much a threat to the summit that is taking place over the next couple of days, it is a reminder of the hard feelings that still exist on the island -- John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Jim Acosta, thanks for that.

OK, Google -- Google consistently rated the best place to work.

BERMAN: Besides CNN.

ROMANS: I asked the guy who does the hiring, how do you get a job there? You will not believe some of the tricks.

BERMAN: This is really interesting. I can't wait to hear this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:58:18] ROMANS: All right. Let's get an early start on your money. U.S. stock futures are down a little bit. You know, the Dow is one good move away from 18,000, but corporate earnings could foul that up. Profits likely fell for the first quarter in six years.

BERMAN: For the first time in six years, yes.

ROMANS: For the first time in six years. So, look, that was 2009, an ugly time. A bit of a pull back expected in earnings. And that could hurt the stock market.

All right. The Apple Watch is here. You can officially preorder an Apple Watch this morning. You can try one on in the Apple Store, the first new product for Apple in five years.

So, we are told there aren't big lines like for the iPhone. In London, our CNN Money correspondent there says there's more media than customers. The early reviews have been, I would say, nuance.

BERMAN: I think very nuance.

ROMANS: Because some of the reviews are saying it's really interesting. It taps you to let you know when there's a phone call or an e-mail or notification for appointment. But it takes -- one guy says it takes three days to figure it out.

BERMAN: You need to learn to need, as we were.

ROMANS: Once you learn to need it, it helps you get away from your iPhone and not be checking it obsessively.

BERMAN: I like that.

ROMANS: OK, Google does not care where you went to college. Google's head of people operations Laszlo Bock told me it doesn't matter where you went to college. What your grades are or if you can answer the fancy brain teasers. So, what does matter? Leadership, cognitive ability and Google-liness.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LASZLO BOCK, HEAD OF PEOPLE OPERATIONS, GOOGLE: For us, it's not, are you like us? We actually look for people who are different, because that diversity gives us great ideas. And we look for people who are intellectually humble, who are willing to admit when they're wrong, and people who are conscientious, who care about the environment around them because we want people who think like owners, not employees.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: And who really want a job with a mission. He himself has looked at 25,000 resumes. And what does he say for whatever job you are trying to get, he said forget all of the gimmicks. Just make your resume great and specific. How did you show leadership? How did you grow sales? Be specific.