First U.S. Ebola Diagnosis Identified; Car Bomb Attack in Baghdad
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Alarming new concerns about the handling of the first Ebola case in the United States. The hospital that turned the patient away leaving him sick, contagious and part of the general population for days.</s>CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: The Secret Service director now stepping down, resigning after a series of blunders that could have put the president and his first family in danger. What is next for the embattled agency, ahead.</s>BERMAN: ISIS advancing toward Baghdad as the United States and its partners escalate the airstrikes. We are live in Baghdad ahead. Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm John Berman.</s>ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. It is 30 minutes past the hour this Thursday morning. This morning, we have new information for you about the person -- the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the U.S. He is Thomas Eric Duncan. A 42-year-old Liberian citizen. On September 15th in Monrovia, Duncan assisted a pregnant woman who later died of Ebola. Four days later, he flew to Dallas to visit family and friends. The CDC says that four days or five days after that, he developed symptoms, but was initially turned away from a Dallas hospital. Then on September 28th, Duncan's nephew Josephus Weeks, he became so frustrated that Duncan wasn't getting medical care, he called the CDC. And finally Duncan was admitted to the hospital. His worried family members waiting to hear word of his condition.</s>JOSEPHUS WEEKS, NEPHEW OF THOMAS ERIC DUNCAN: It's very stressful. We're here. But we just want -- I mean, we appreciate as much help as we can get because Eric just got here. He contracted the stuff and now he needs to pay back the hospital. We're still here. We will not sleep just like you. We feel the pain. We feel the pain. We just hope and pray that Eric survives the night. And we just -- we got our hopes up for him.</s>ROMANS: Remarkable. Concern that he hopes that he survives the night and also concerns about how to pay the bills. Meanwhile, we now know Duncan had contacted at least a dozen people during the period that he had Ebola symptoms. Chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us now with more.</s>DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, John and Christine, there is no question what happened was very historic. A patient being diagnosed in the United States with Ebola. It's never happened before. In fact a patient has never been diagnosed with Ebola outside of Africa. But it's happened now. And it raises some concerns. And then also, I will tell you, it was not that unexpected. Patients getting on planes in these West Africa countries, they're not sick, but they're carrying the Ebola virus in their bodies. They're in what's called the incubation period. That can last up to 21 days. And they can travel anywhere in the world during that time. So it's not surprising it'll happen. And it's likely to happen again in the United States and many other countries around the world. Unfortunately, what happened regarding this first patient and the missteps regarding his diagnosis and early treatment is unfortunate. But hopefully it sends a clear message to hospitals and emergency room departments around the country that it should not happen again. John and Christine, back to you.</s>BERMAN: Our thanks to Sanjay there. The Dallas hospital that initially turned Duncan away is now investigating the missteps that Sanjay was discussing. Officials at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital say Duncan came to the ER with a low-grade fever and abdominal pain. But that his symptoms did not warrant admission at the time. What doctors reviewing the case did not learn was that Duncan had told a nurse he was visiting from West Africa. A U.S. official tells CNN that was clearly, quote, "a screw- up."</s>DR. MARK LESTER, TEXAS HEALTH RESOURCES EXECUTIVE VP: He volunteered that he had traveled from Africa in response to the nurse operating the checklist and asking that question. Regretfully, that information was not fully communicated throughout the full team.</s>ROMANS: During those few days between Duncan's first symptoms and then finally his admission to the hospital, everyone he came in contact with may have been exposed to Ebola. Health officials are closely watching 12 to 18 people who had close physical contact with Duncan for symptoms. They're watching them for symptoms. They include five children who attend four different area schools. And that has the Dallas public schools scrambling to reassure nervous parents.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It has been confirmed that five students may have come in contact with an individual recently diagnosed with the Ebola virus.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I am concerned that if my son gets fever or anything like that, I will definitely immediately take him to the emergency.</s>ROMANS: As for Thomas Eric Duncan, Texas Health Presbyterian says he is in currently serious condition. Meanwhile, WFAA is reporting the Dallas health officials closely monitoring one other person who had very close contact with Duncan as a second potential Ebola patient.</s>BERMAN: Such critical days now.</s>ROMANS: It really is. Really is.</s>BERMAN: As they follow these people that this man came in contact with to see if they develop any symptoms and I can understand the concern of the schools now. Thirty-four minutes after the hour. The search for a new person to head the Secret Service is under way this morning. Julia Pierson handed in her resignation to Homeland Security Director Jeh Johnson on Wednesday after a series of serious lapses protecting the White House and the president.</s>JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Well, Director Pierson offered her recommendation -- her resignation today because she believed that it was in the best interest of the agency to which she has dedicated her career. The secretary agreed with that assessment. The president did as well. Over the last several days, we have seen recent and accumulating reports raising questions about the performance of the agency and the president concluded that new leadership of that agency was required.</s>BERMAN: The damning phrase there was recent and accumulating reports. The beginning of the end for Pierson came on September 19th, when a fence jumper -- you can see it right there -- managed to get through the front door of the White House and all the way to the East Room before being tackled. And support for Pierson really just almost disappeared completely after the revelation that an unscreened armed man had been allowed to ride an elevator with the president, which is a violation of all kinds of Secret Service protocols. So now the retired head of the President Obama's protective detail, Joseph Clancy, has been named acting director of the Secret Service. That is as the search for Pierson's permanent replacement begins.</s>ROMANS: The alleged White House fence jumper Omar Gonzalez pleading not guilty to charges that he ran into the presidential mansion carrying a deadly weapon, a knife. A federal court judge ordered a mental competency exam for Gonzalez to determine if he is fit to stand trial. After his arrest last month, investigators found 800 rounds of ammunition, a machete and two hatchets in his car.</s>BERMAN: Coalition airstrikes against ISIS intensified on Wednesday. The U.S. military says the final count for Tuesday made it the busiest day so far with 28 strikes total including two by the United Kingdom. Those airstrikes do seem to be having an effect. The mortuary at the general hospital in Mosul, which is Iraq's second largest city, has received the bodies of 45 ISIS militants in the last 48 hours. In southeastern Baghdad, a car bomb detonated on a busy commercial street killing at least 14 people, wounding another 51. Joining us now live from Baghdad, CNN's Ben Wedeman. Ben, do we know any more about that attack?</s>BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John, that attack took place on Wednesday evening. And of course, keep in mind that the Eid al-Adha, the holiday after the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, is about to start so there are a lot of people out in the streets shopping, getting ready for this in Iraq what will be an eight-day holiday. So this car bomb went off, at least 14 people were killed and, of course, the estimates may rise. And this comes just one day after a series of car bombs and other attacks occurred in Baghdad and elsewhere. In Baghdad itself on Wednesday, 20 people killed and in total 40 in Baghdad and areas to the south of the capital. So this really underscores the danger to the capital isn't necessarily the fact that just a few miles away from here is ISIS, but rather that ISIS is managing to get car bombs and other explosive devices inside the city -- John.</s>BERMAN: Those are fighting on the streets there in Baghdad. Also up north in Mosul and Syria. Hundreds of miles worth of territory, Ben. Thanks to you. ISIS also gaining ground, as we just said, in Syria and moving closer to a crucial Kurdish town. But there could soon be help on the way. We're going to take you there live in about 30 minutes.</s>ROMANS: Thirty-eight minutes past the hour, time for an EARLY START on your money. And I'm sorry to report it was a rough day for stocks around the globe. European stocks lower again this morning. Some Asia markets are closed for the holidays, but Japan's Nikkei fell 2.6 percent. Folks, that's a big move for one day. U.S. futures are also pointing lower. Could be another bad day if it holds. Yesterday the Dow plunged 238 points. I don't use the word plunge very lightly. When it's more than 200 points, you can call it a plunge. That's about 1.4 percent. The concerns there are about global growth. The ongoing protests in Hong Kong, quite frankly.</s>BERMAN: Yes.</s>ROMANS: That's one of the biggest business stories in the world really. If this -- if it turns into something very dangerous with the economy and Chinese leadership. And also this first case of Ebola in the U.S. all rattling nerves. Look at this. Hotel and airline stocks hit on the worries that the Ebola scare could affect travel. Some of the hardest hit, John, Starwood Hotels and Resort, Southwest and JetBlue and Delta, they all dropped about 3.5 percent. That's a big move for one day. And it was interesting. It was sort of indiscriminate selling of those travel stocks. Not based on whether they traveled to Africa or whether an international flight.</s>BERMAN: Right. And Southwest does not go to Monrovia.</s>ROMANS: Right. It does not. It does not. But there were just big concerns in some of those stocks.</s>BERMAN: All right. 40 minutes after the hour. We're not talking about Ebola here, but another mystery virus that has infected hundreds of children across the U.S. now linked to deaths of several children. We have new information this morning, ahead.</s>ROMANS: Plus new accusations of tampering in the Michael Brown investigation. Is there someone on the grand jury breaking the rules? That's next.