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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Losing the War on ISIS?; Officials Confirm "Jihadi John's" Identity; DHS Funding Countdown; New Rules to Keep Internet Open; Ukraine Begins Withdrawing Heavy Weapons

Aired February 27, 2015 - 04:30   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Is the U.S. losing the war on ISIS? A grim conclusion from the FBI's top counterterrorism official. How he says the terrorists have pulled ahead.

This as we learn new information about the ISIS executioner. Why he may have radicalized and did police miss their chance to stop him.

Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans. Thirty minutes past the hour this Friday morning. John Berman has the morning off.

A dire prognosis in the battle against ISIS this morning. The FBI's top counterterrorism official testifying to lawmakers that America in his words, losing the battle to stop Islamist militants from spreading their violent message online.

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MICHAEL STEINBACH, FBI ASST. DIRECTOR, COUNTERTERRORISM DIVISION: The foreign terrorists now has direct access into the United States like never before.

They know they can't travel, so what they're doing is they're putting out a very effective propaganda message through social media, through lots of platforms, saying, hey, if you can't come to Syria, do something in the U.S. or Western countries.

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ROMANS: U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper was also on Capitol Hill Wednesday, painting an equally grim picture.

CNN's Pamela Brown has more on that.

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PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Christine.

With Jihadi John, ISIS's high profile recruit, now unmasked, this morning, U.S. law enforcement officials say they are focused on the terror group's influence to attract new followers here in the U.S.

And law enforcement officials I have been speaking with have say we are going to keep seeing more ISIS-related cases, until the ISIS propaganda machine is shutdown, the machine that is fueling rapid recruitment in the U.S.

And that was the main topic of discussion among top law enforcement and intelligence officials on the Hill Thursday. In fact, U.S. intelligence chief James Clapper said in testimony on the Hill that you can't shutdown the Internet.

JAMES R. CALPPER, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: The global media attention and widespread support in extremist circles for these attacks probably will inspire others to conduct similar attacks.

BROWN: He also said that 180 Americans have now tried to join the fight in Syria and that some have already returned to U.S. soil. And in regards to the global threat, he said the final accounting is -- once the final accounting is done, 2014 will have been the most lethal year for terrorism and the 45 years such data has been compiled. A very dire picture there -- Christine.

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ROMANS: It is. And that number, 180 Americans, have left for that battle. Some have returned.

Attorney General Eric Holder sits down with CNN to discuss Jihadi John and the war on ISIS. He is here during NEW DAY at 7:00 a.m. eastern.

We are learning much more this morning about the British accented voice of ISIS that the world has come to know as "Jihadi John". Now, beyond his real name, now confirmed by officials to be Mohammed Emwazi, his birth place in Kuwait, a privileged upbringing in London and prospects for a bright middle class future.

There are questions that remained, at the top of the list, what radicalized Emwazi?

CNN's Isa Soares is standing by live in London.

What do we know about his possible motivation for joining ISIS? Because when you look at born in Kuwait, that raised and educated in the United States, it doesn't look as if financial oppression was an issue, middle class background, access to education. He has a college degree.

So, what -- what could have radicalized him?

ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. Good morning, Christine.

Those are the very questions that authorities would have to answer, many people are asking them this morning. In fact, many of the British papers asking the very question, what could have radicalized him? And, in fact, the blunders that police knew. That they said they spoke to him about a dozen times in the nine years or so. But, you know, he still slipped through the net.

One of the groups that he has been talking to, that Mohammed Emwazi was reportedly talking to is CAGE. It's a Muslim-led advocacy group. They say he got in contact with him back in 2009. He -- if you remember, he went to Tanzania on a reportedly graduate present, safari trip, from his parents. There, he was stopped by authorities, he wasn't allowed to enter, he was questioned -- he was sent back and questioned about his motives of going there, what his opinions regarding 7/7, 9/11.

And he told CAGE, he told the group, a Muslim advocacy group, that he felt targeted, he felt like a prisoner. He really felt intimidated and harassed by authorities. And according to CAGE, Christine, it is this that led him to really -- to be radicalized.

But, you know, many say he was radicalized prior to that. In fact, before he even went to Tanzania on the supposed safari trip. Now, court papers that many in British papers are talking about this morning, in fact, this is dating back to 2012. That he, in fact, was part of a group called the jihadi -- young jihadi network here in London called the London Voice.

From this part of northwest London. What they say is that they used football as the guise to then meet up and to raise funds and build connections to Somalia, to -- in particular to the terror group al Shabaab. Part of that group, this is what media reports are saying, is what's (INAUDIBLE), he died in a missile strike in Mogadishu, as well as the two men behind -- then they were part of the cell on the 21st of July bombers who failed on that attack.

So, you are starting to get a picture of what he was. Many people saying, Christine, he was a shy, timid, a very humble man, which is what CAGE has described him as that as well.

But you are starting to get a better picture of what perhaps -- you know, who he was and who he was hanging out with. But many questions remain specifically in regards to what motivated him. What was the rationale for going into Syria and the bigger question then is, Christine, is -- you know, if authorities knew perhaps that he was building connections to Somalia, then why did they let go of him? If they tried to recruit him and failed, if he was so important, why did it slip through the net?

ROMANS: Clearly, two different threads. You have people -- the CAGE organization, the advocacy organization, say authorities -- attention from authorities caused him to be radicalized. And then you have others saying, no, the attention of authorities didn't catch what they should have caught. Very two different views of that.

Isa Soares, thank you so much.

With only hours left before the Department of Homeland Security runs out of funding, the U.S. Senate is set beginning this morning on a funding bill that will meet a key Democratic demand, namely a bill that does not also block President Obama's executive actions on immigration. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has set a separate vote on the House side. The tickling clock has tempers flaring.

The number two Democrat Steny Hoyer, calling House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy a coward for cutting of his microphone mid-debate. Hoyer later apologized.

For the latest on the funding countdown, I want to bring in White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski this morning -- Michelle.

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MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Christine.

Here we are hours away from the Department of Homeland Security running out of funding, which would mean that essential employees will have to go to work, but not be paid despite their mortgages and bills to pay. Tens of thousands of other employees would be furloughed. This is all over, of course, a political battle.

At this point, the Senate looks like it's poised to vote on what's being called a clean bill that would fund the Department of Homeland Security, but not tie it to simultaneously defunding the president's executive action on immigration.

In the House, there's a lot of Republican opposition to this. And the House Speaker John Boehner had the reaction to the continued barrage of questions on the subject.

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), HOUSE SPEAKER: When they make decisions, I'll let you know.

KOSINSKI: So, it's unclear if the House is even going to take up a vote on this clean bill.

The White House is putting the responsibility squarely on John Boehner's shoulders, saying that this isn't a partisan dispute anymore, it's a party dispute, accusing Republican leadership of falling down on the job and saying, really, the hard work has already been done on deciding the level of funding. The White House urging Republicans, as they put it, take the responsible course now -- Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Michelle, thank you for that.

Big news for internet users. Regulators have voted for equal Internet, now prepare for a fight. These rules known as net neutrality will give equal opportunity for Internet access and access to all Web sites. That means network owners like Comcast and Time Warner Cable, they can't slow delivery or charge providers for faster access.

A huge win for Web sites Facebook and Twitter and AOL, the list goes on. Netflix called this a win for consumers. But Internet service providers like AT&T and Comcast say they don't want additional rules. They want a light touch from regulators. And they warn a legal fight is coming.

What does this mean for you as you watch "House of Cards" if you are a binge watcher? Well, the rules won't be official until the summer. But if upheld, it simply means there are actual rules against content discrimination. So, your Internet provider can't purposely slow your streaming down when you get to a certain point during the month.

Thirty-nine minutes past the hour.

Happening, a search for several missing Canadian teenagers who may have lured to Syria by ISIS, lured online. What we are learning this morning, next.

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ROMANS: Welcome back.

We are getting new details this morning about the three Brooklyn men arrested for plotting to aid ISIS. Now, those who knew the younger men telling "The New York Times" saying they have been increasingly isolated and enamored with the Islamic terror group's brutal violence.

We are learning what the FBI is alleging about exactly how the older suspect paid for an organized the effort to send the youngest suspect to Syria to join ISIS. We have deborah feyerick tracking that part of the story.

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DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Christine, we were learning more about the 30-year-old alleged money man, Abror Habibov. He had conversations with the 19-year-old suspect, the one who was picked up as he tried to board a plane to Turkey. According to the FBI, the money man provided $1,300 to the young man and took him to the travel agency to help pay for the ticket to get to Syria to join ISIS. The money man promising him that he would pay his expenses, certainly enough to help him buy a weapon and then send cash if he needed once he got to Syria.

Now, according to the FBI, the money man did reach out to other individuals, asking them to chip in, to help defray the cost of this venture, saying that they should help to provide for the brothers. That's a code word for jihadists or wannabe jihadists.

Now, it's unclear when this money man arrived in the United States. But he was here long enough to open up a string of kiosks up and down the East Coast, at malls in Virginia Beach, Savannah, as well as Philadelphia. He did overstay his visa. About two years ago, he signed up as a part-time student at a technical college here in New York. Unclear whether that was an attempt to stay in the United States legally once his visa had expired. Right now, the FBI looking and following the money trail and tracking down those other individuals -- Christine.

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FEYERICK: All right. Deborah Feyerick for us this morning in Brooklyn.

The recruiting arm of ISIS reaching into Canada. Police confirmed six people from Quebec, including two women, left the country to join ISIS in January alone. At least three of them attended Maisonneuve College in Montreal. Students there stunned by this news.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It just makes us think, like, what were they thinking?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't believe some students could have their mind like blown by that and leave the country to go there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Now a teacher at the college who taught an Arabic and Koran studies course has been linked to the students who left to join ISIS. The school has canceled its contract with that teacher.

The ISIS assault on Assyrian Christian villages in northeast Syria expanding. Nearly a dozen villages have been overrun in recent days and a number of hostages has climbed now into the hundreds. And now, outrage around the globe as video captures militants vandalizing a museum in Mosul destroying artifacts that may be centuries old.

CNN senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman has more. He's live for us in Irbil, Iraq.

And this is the cradle of civilization, quite frankly, and this is a group hell-bent on, I guess, wiping out traces of civilization.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it certainly is shocking. The five-minute video posted on the Internet yesterday, Christine. What you see in it is these men in the Mosul museum toppling one statue after another, which crashes to the floor. Then they take sledgehammers to them, and other instances, you see a man with a drill who is defacing one of the famous iconic winged bulls of Nineveh that date back to the seventh century BC.

In this video, you see men who explaining that these were idols built by people centuries ago and that God has ordered the Muslims to destroy them. He says we will destroy them even if they are worth in his words billions of dollars.

Now, we did speak to a source in Mosul yesterday. He says what you see in this video is really just the tip of the iceberg. That many other valuable items in this museum have already been sold to merchants on the black market for antiquities.

Now, we heard from UNESCO, the United Nations cultural organization, which describes this vandalism as reprehensible and criminal, and they asked for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council to discuss the situation.

Now, keep in mind, Christine, that Iraq, as you said, is the birth place of civilization in the opinion of many historians and archaeologists. This country has 1,200 archaeological sites, 1,800 are now in ISIS hands -- Christine.

ROMANS: All right. Ben Wedeman, thank you so much.

Forty-eight minutes past the hour.

Crisis in Ukraine. A new peace with the military and pro-Russian rebels may be happening this morning. Can it hold this time? We are live in Ukraine after the break.

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ROMANS: Ukraine's military starting to pull heavy weapons out of the conflict zone as part its tenuous cease-fire deal. Russian separatists started to do the same a few days ago.

But, you know, tensions are very high here. After the fall of Debaltseve, the port city of Mariupol is preparing to defend itself in case of an attack. Russia and Ukraine, they're also locked in the gas feud.

Diana Magnay joins us live from Donetsk with the latest.

Good morning, Diana.

DIANA MAGNAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Christine.

First of all, I think it's important to say, Mariupol will be a very, very different strategic target that Debaltseve. It is much bigger. Debaltseve is 25,000 people, and Mariupol is about 500,000 people. It would take more effort to take Mariupol than anything else so far in this conflict, any other towns that have fallen into rebel hands.

Let's talk about where I am in the corner of Donetsk, very close to the airport. As you can see, there has been significant damage here. There is still the sound of artillery in the distance near the airport and we have been hearing small arms fire over to my left.

Now, the rebels have the airport pretty much even circled, except for one more village, which is in the Ukrainian hands.

That is why despite this cease-fire, there is still fighting around that village, because, of course, the rebels want to circle the airport, the airport being a key area. That is why they are saying they are not withdrawing their artillery because they are fired at by Ukrainian positions. So, there is still both sides keeping their heavy armor around Donetsk airport.

This morning, we followed the DNR, the Donetsk People's Republic, pulling out some of the Grad missile systems from the center of Donetsk. Yesterday, we saw the Ukrainian military do the same. But it does appear that both sides are trying to make good on the Minsk agreement -- Christine.

ROMANS: All right. Diana, thank you so much for that. Stay safe there in Donetsk.

Fifty-four minutes past the hour.

What color is this dress? Believe it or not, there is a raging debate. More on the dress that broke the Internet, next.

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ROMANS: Let's get an early start on your money this Friday morning.

U.S. stock futures barely moving. Yesterday, stocks mostly fell. Energy stops led the dip. Oil fell more than 4 percent, crude back below $50 a barrel. This morning, oil bouncing back a bit. You know, it's been a wild ride for prices since last summer. One bright spot, the NASDAQ is just 12 points below 5,000, a level not seen since the dot-com bubble in 2000.

Apple is back with the secret announcement. The company holding a special h event on March 9th. Journalists around the world are all excited when they got the email yesterday. There's a lot of speculation that it could be discussing the Apple Watch, exactly what it does and when it will be available.

Apple has mentioned the watch before, but skipped on some very important details. Battery life is rumored to be less than a day. It is not cheap toy. Starting at 350 bucks. So, we'll see if that is what the announcement is on March 9th.

Now, is this dress black and blue or white and gold, and who cares? Believe it or not, people are going crazy. This is an online debate. It exploded last night.

The BuzzFeed post about the dress' color broke traffic records, drawing more people to the site than one time before. More than 10 million people have already read that post, 10 million people. Right now, the #thedress is the number one trending topic. Is it news? No. Did it break the Internet? Yes. Bizarre? Uh-huh.

EARLY START continues right now.

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