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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

NATO Summit Set to Begin; Cameron Determined to Confront ISIS; Russia and Ukraine Working on Ceasefire

Aired September 04, 2014 - 05:30   ET

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

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JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Getting tough with Russia. President Obama meeting with world leaders over the crisis in Ukraine, trying to figure out how to stop an invasion and skeptical of any peace plan coming from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

We have live coverage ahead.

Homegrown terror. A new warning this morning about Americans joining ISIS overseas. Could they bring the fight from Iraq and Syria back to the United States? This, as Britain battles its own terror threat from ISIS.

We're live with the latest.

Welcome back to EARLY START, everyone. I'm John Berman. Thirty minutes past the hour, Christine Romans is off today.

In what might be the most crucial NATO summit ever held begins in less than three hours. They certainly have a lot to talk about. Western leaders from 60 countries gathering in Newport, Wales attempting to tackle two bloody conflicts, on in Ukraine, one in Afghanistan, in addition to growing the threat from ISIS. And they want to do this all in just two days.

President Obama calling out Russia for its, quote, "brazen assault on Ukraine." The commander in chief careful not to use the word invasion, at least not yet.

This morning, the president meets with the leaders of Britain, Italy, France and Germany before opening remarks at 8:00 a.m. officially kick off the NATO Summit.

I want to go live to White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski. She is in Wales this morning.

And Michelle, President Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron just arrived at the NATO Summit. They have been pretty in sync so far in terms of their stances on Russia and ISIS.

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they've really been showing this united front. I mean, we saw them -- they participated in an event before the summit actually started this morning so they wanted to have that kind of appearance together. And this morning was really interesting. They put out this op-ed together in the "Times of London" and the title of it was pretty blunt. It was "We Will Not Be Cowed by Barbaric Killers."

So they got into the ISIS threat together but also on Ukraine. And really focused on this need for NATO to be strong now. Maybe it's more important than ever to have this united front, not only in support of Ukraine, but supporting countries in that region and united against Russia.

And the -- and the U.K. has been really repeating over the last week that we support American action. We support the American stance. That's in regards to ISIS. Now the U.K. has not agreed to participate in airstrikes. In fact the U.K. said that they haven't been asked by the U.S. to help in that way. But we've heard David Cameron a couple of times now really speak strongly about the ISIS threat, the need to protect his homeland.

I mean, it's a different sort of threat than the U.S. faces, obviously. But he's been saying, you know, we need to help the U.S., not going so far as to saying with airstrikes, but they've also been arming the Kurds and the Iraqis and they've been wanting to support this united stance that Europe has taken on the Russia issue as well. And we're likely to see sanctions come out of this NATO Summit -- John.

BERMAN: All right. It will be interesting to see what happens there with Ukraine not to mention the threat with ISIS.

Michelle Kosinski in Wales for us. Thank you so much.

You heard Michelle mentioned the British Prime Minister David Cameron says he is determined to confront ISIS head on. The prime minister is the host of this NATO Summit in Wales. He says he was shocked by the beheading of American journalist Steven Sotloff and then he will never pay ransom for the release of a British hostage now in the hands of Islamic extremists.

Nic Robertson just spoke to the British prime minister. He joins us live now from Newport, Wales.

Good morning, Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, John. One of the questions I asked the British prime minister was, is the British government any closer to identifying this British accented man believed to be involved in the killing of Steven Sotloff and James Foley? He said that work was underway, intensive efforts are being made, information is being shared with key allies. But he said that he wouldn't go and waved, and when I pressed him he wouldn't go any further than that. Not in a public sphere.

He is working hard on it he said. An important point that he wanted to make when I asked about how are you going to tackle the threat of ISIS in Iraq and Syria, he said he wasn't ruling out airstrikes. But again, he would work with his allies. But his point on all of this is that this is a fight of a generational nature against ISIS. This is what he said.

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DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We should be clear what we are facing here is this Islamist extremist narrative, a poisonous narrative. It isn't just in Iraq and Syria. We've also seen it in Somalia, in Mali, of course, in Afghanistan, when hosted by the Taliban. So this is a generational struggle.

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ROBERTSON: Well, I also asked him about what President Obama had said in Estonia yesterday when he said that ISIS should be destroyed and also gone on to say that it should be shrunk until it is a manageable problem. I asked the British prime minister, for him, should it be destroyed or shrunk, he said absolutely destroyed, his words were, "It should be squeezed out of existence" -- John.

BERMAN: Squeezed out of existence which seems more substantial than a manageable problem perhaps.

And, Nick, you said that the prime minister didn't rule out the possibility of airstrikes in Syria or Iraq against ISIS but of course one year ago the prime minister couldn't get his plan to attack Bashar al-Assad through the British parliament.

Is there a sense the British people would support airstrikes?

ROBERTSON: You certainly don't get the sense here but the anger that is growing here publicly about the beheadings of James Foley and Steven Sotloff, that the people have seen, the fact that it's believed somebody with a British accent is involved in this. And now a British national is threatened by ISIS.

This is certainly raising the profile here, certainly giving the prime minister more political capital to work with, if you will. It's on the front pages of newspapers here. But what he also talked about, while not ruling out the airstrikes, which is sort of diplomatic political speak, if you will, for he doesn't have the backing yet, and he's not saying he can count on it. He said, what he wants to do is support and build up countries like Jordan, that in the region fighting this ISIS threat themselves, make sure they're stable. Of course Jordan a key ally here.

He said what we don't want to be doing is acting over the heads of the peoples in those areas and then leaving them to pick up the pieces. You get an idea in there that if there are airstrikes, they are not that close for them -- John.

BERMAN: No, what we hear, Nic, in the next few hours will have such an impact in the Middle East, in Ukraine, this NATO Summit in Wales where you are. So crucial.

Nic Robertson, thanks so much for your reporting.

Thirty-six minutes past the hour right. Alison Kosik here with an EARLY START on your money.

Good morning, Alison.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: And good morning to you.

This morning markets around the world are really watching Europe. Investors are waiting for a much anticipated announcement coming from the European Central Bank later this morning. And the bank is going to be revealing what its next step is going to be on interest rates. Many investors are expecting new stimulus measures to come from the ECB which would try to rub up Europe's economies which are slowing.

That's the newest. It could look similar to the bond buying program that the Federal Reserve is currently winding down.

So ahead of this, stocks are looking cautious around the globe. European shares are mostly lower. Asian shares ended the day mixed. And we are seeing U.S. stock futures, they're just not doing too much movement right now.

BERMAN: Maybe it's tired. It's 5:30.

KOSIK: It is. Seriously. Stocks ended yesterday mixed. And once again, you know, what happens after the ECB meeting or doesn't happen, that's really going to be the catalyst for the market movement that we may see once the markets open here in the U.S.

BERMAN: Once the markets wake up.

Alison Kosik, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

KOSIK: You got it.

BERMAN: Crisis in Ukraine. Is that country on the verge of a cease- fire with pro-Russian rebels and how involved is Russian President Vladimir Putin in the prospects for peace?

We're live on the ground with the latest right after the break.

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BERMAN: At this hour, pro-Russian forces are making significant advances deep into eastern Ukraine. This, as leaders from both countries, Russia and Ukraine, attempt to reach a cease-fire. Ukraine's president announcing that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed on steps to end the hostilities. President Putin offered a seven-point plan for peace in the region, a move that has most Western leaders expressing skepticism.

I want to bring in Reza Sayah tracking the developments.

And Reza, when you look at these developments from where you are in Kiev, there might be reason to be skeptical.

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John. When you look at the battlefield, there's indications that all that talk yesterday about a cease-fire seems to be, for now, just all talk because the fighting seems to continue.

According to Ukrainian officials, during the overnight hours, they have seen increased shelling by Russian forces from Russian territory targeting locations in southeastern Ukraine. Of course Moscow continues to deny that they are part of this conflict but certainly it looks like the accusations are continuing to come from Kiev. And it looks like the fighting seems to continue.

However, if you are an optimist, there are signs of a possible breakthrough, a possible cease-fire. Yesterday, in a phone conversation between President Putin of Russia and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, the two agreed on a framework, on the conditions with which a cease-fire would be put in place, the conditions would include the ending of military operations in southeastern Ukraine.

The pulling out of troops, the establishment of a humanitarian corridor where they would be able to leave the region and humanitarian aid would be able to go in the conflict zone. And international monitors would be put in place to make sure all sides are meeting these conditions.

Mr. Poroshenko, who just arrived at the NATO Summit in Wales says he's optimistic that an agreement could be made as early as tomorrow. That's when all sides of this conflict will meet in Belarus, John.

So many people eager to see what happens in this summit tomorrow. But, at this point, indications that the fighting still continues.

BERMAN: It could be that both sides are trying to consolidate whatever gains they might have before a peace deal is reached. Of course Russia denies it's fighting at all which only complicates the whole situation.

Reza Sayah for us following this in Kiev, thank you so much, appreciate it.

Forty-four minutes after the hour. Officials have confirmed it was an EF-1 tornado that caused this destruction in upstate New York near Elmira. The twister was on the ground for nearly 10 minutes. It packed winds of about 100 miles per hour, over a six-mile stretch.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My husband just kind of jumped over all of us. And it sounded like a locomotive train. And you can just see and hear things getting pulled up. And we just prayed.

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BERMAN: Enough of that. What's going to happen today? Let's get an early look at the forecast with Indra Petersons.

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BERMAN: Fomenting right now up in Montana headed our way.

All right, Indra Petersons. Thanks so much.

Let's take a look at what's coming up on "NEW DAY." Kate Bolduan joins us now.

Good morning, Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR, NEW DAY: Good morning, John. Of course we're going to be following as you have been that critical NATO Summit set to begin in just over two hours. President Obama and world leaders facing some of the most serious threats they've encountered in decades really all at once, from ISIS to Russian aggression in the Ukraine.

We're going to live from the summit, taking a look at just how crucial this meeting really is. What we can expect out of it. We're going to talk with the White House about the president's strategy for taking on both of these huge issues.

And then there's this, the Ferguson Police Department is now facing a federal investigation into its policing tactics. And the judge considers whether or not he should release Michael Brown's juvenile records as part of this investigation.

We are going to hear a debate on whether or not anything Brown may or may not have done before he became an adult matters in this case -- John.

As you can imagine, emotions high on all aspects of this investigation and case especially regarding this.

BERMAN: Yes, I would be interested to hear the differing opinions on that.

Kate Bolduan, look forward to seeing you in just a few minutes. Thanks so much.

BOLDUAN: Thanks, John.

BERMAN: Forty-six minutes after the hour. A U.S. Ebola survivor breaking her silence. Nancy Writebol shares the moment she learned that she was infected with the deadly virus. That's next.

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BERMAN: The very latest in the deadly Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The third American to contract the virus has been identified as Dr. Rick Sacra of Holden, Massachusetts. He's being treated right now at a hospital in Liberia. Dr. Sacra is a family physician and an assistant professor at UMass Medical School. He volunteered to go to Liberia to help try to contain the outbreak of this virus.

We are also hearing for the first time from Nancy Writebol. She is the American missionary who survived her battle with Ebola. Want you to listen to her describe how she learned she was sick. She heard it from her husband.

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NANCY WRITEBOL, MISSIONARY: He said, Nancy, I need to tell you some things. I said OK. And he said, Kent has Ebola. And I just, I was just sick.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Doctor Brantley?

WRITEBOL: Yes, when David told me. And then after, I kind of regrouped from that, he said and Nancy, you do, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Can you imagine being told you have Ebola like that? All right. The first British citizen to contract Ebola has been discharged from a London hospital after making his own full recovery. Twenty-nine-year-old William Cooley was treated with the experimental drug ZMAPP.

An experimental Ebola vaccine fast tracked in a clinical trial by the National Institute of Health has been injected now for the first time into two human subjects in Bethesda, Maryland. Researchers there are trying to determine if that vaccine is safe. The Ebola outbreak escalating now in West Africa. A second cluster of Ebola patients emerging in Nigeria where hundreds perhaps thousands of people could be at risk after coming in contact with a doctor who died from the virus.

Joan Rivers' daughter says her mother is now out of intensive care and being kept comfortable in a private room in a New York hospital. In her latest statement Melissa Rivers again thanked everyone for their support. Earlier this week she confirmed that her mother was on life support. The 81-year-old Rivers was hospitalized a week ago after suffering cardiac and respiratory arrest during throat surgery.

This is really interesting in politics. A shocker in Kansas. Chad Taylor, the Democrat challenging three-term Republican Senator Pat Roberts dropped out of the race. Taylor is not saying exactly why he decided to end his campaign but what this does is it clears the way for Democrats to rally behind an independent candidate Greg Orman who has left the door open to caucus with either party, Republicans or Democrats if elected.

Remember control of the Senate is at stake here. So anyone seen in the country could swing this entire election. And Kansas was supposed to be a safe seat for Republicans.

Fifty-three minutes after the hour. Employees in Silicon Valley finding out the hard way there is no such thing as a free lunch. I'm talking about the really hard way.

An EARLY START on your money, next.

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BERMAN: Just a few minutes before the hour right now, Alison Kosik here with an EARLY START on your money.

KOSIK: Good morning. And investors are waiting for a much anticipated announcement coming from the European Central Bank. That's happening later this morning. And there are some who are expecting new stimulus measures which would look to try to rev up Europe's slowing economy. And that stimulus could look very, very similar to the bond buying program that the Federal Reserve is currently winding down.

So ahead of this announcement, stocks are looking pretty cautious. European shares are mostly lower. U.S. stock futures they are barely moving right now.

I'm wondering who thought this through. Malaysia Airlines is backtracking on its latest promotion. The company renamed a promotional competition asking customers what destinations are on their bucket list. In other words --

BERMAN: That's awful.

KOSIK: I know, it's like, what? So the bucket list is basically where do travelers want to go before they die. The airline acknowledged the campaign was inappropriate given the two deadly disasters involving Malaysia Airlines planes this year. The struggling carrier also just cut 6,000 workers as part of a major overhaul.

So you ever hear that phrase, hey, there's no such thing as a free lunch? Well, guess what? That's true. Google, Facebook and others, they're known for giving their employees free meals. And now the IRS is asking, hey, if you pay taxes on your paychecks why not pay taxes on your company's sushi?

So what the IRS is doing is adding company provided meals to its list of top tax priorities for the next year. So if these meals are ruled taxable, the cost of the food would be considered income to the employees. So that means that employers would owe payroll tax and the employee would have to pay up as well.

So this is basically on the IRS' to-do list. If it does happen, it would take at least nine months to a year so you got a little bit of a ride on that or a free ride on those lunches.

BERMAN: It's going to cost them a lot of money if the IRS decides to implement that.

KOSIK: Yes.

BERMAN: All right. Alison Kosik, thanks so much. Appreciate you being here with me.

"NEW DAY" starts right now.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking now. The most important NATO summit in decades. President Obama face-to-face with world leaders pushing for action against ISIS and Russia. We're live at the summit. KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: One-on-one, CNN putting tough questions to

British Prime Minister David Cameron and the Secretary of Defense chuck Hagel. What further military action will be taken against ISIS? Their answers straight ahead.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, the Department of Justice officially investigating the Ferguson Police Department, this as a judge decides whether Michael Brown's juvenile record should be released. We have the latest.

CUOMO: Your NEW DAY starts right now.