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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Yemen in Crisis: Big Blow for War on Terror; ISIS Hit List Targets U.S. Military Officers; Ted Cruz: Running for President. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired March 23, 2015 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:13] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: A big blow to the war on terror. This morning, one of the biggest Mideast allies on the brink of civil war. Yemen in crisis. U.S. evacuating troops, losing key ground for counterterrorism and intelligence gathering. We are live with the latest development.

U.S. military officers on an ISIS hit list -- 100 people targeted as we learn new information about Western doctors moving to Syria to help ISIS. We're live in Baghdad.

And the 2016 presidential campaign has now officially begun. New this morning: Senator Ted Cruz announcing his bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

Good morning and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans. It is Monday, March 23rd. It's 4:00 a.m. in the East. John Berman off this morning, you'll see him later today on "THE LEAD".

Happening now: Yemen is in crisis, as the U.S. pulls the last of its forces, about 100 special operations troops out of that country in response to the deteriorating security situation there. Now, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee warning of the dangers posed by losing Yemen as a base for U.S. counterterrorism operations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MICHAEL MCCAUL (R-TX), HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE CHAIR: We will have no intelligence footprint or capabilities to monitor what AQAP and ISIS and the Shia militants are doing in the region. And without -- you know, good intelligence stops plots against the homeland. Without that intelligence, we cannot effectively stop it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: On Sunday, Houthi rebels opposed to Yemen's president seized an international airport in the city of Taiz.

Meanwhile, the U.N. Security Council met in an urgent sessions, backing Yemen's president, calling on all sides to put down their weapons and negotiate. A U.N. official warning that Yemen is in a, quote, "rapid downward spiral", and at, quote, "the edge of civil war".

For the latest, let's bring in senior international correspondent Nic Robertson -- Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Christine, this is really a dangerous escalation in what we're seeing in Yemen right now. Yemen, of course, is where al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is based. That is the organization that attacked the USS Cole in the year 2000, 17 service members were killed in that attack. It is, of course, the place where al Qaeda's bomb maker made the under pants bomb to try to bring down an aircraft over Detroit Christmas 2009.

So, al Qaeda there is taking advantage of this unstable situation. But the people who are destabilizing it the most at the moment appear to be the Houthi rebels, backed by the former president, entering by air and land in the city of Taiz, the third largest city in the country. This puts them down within 100 miles of where the internationally recognized president of the country is now hiding out, if you will, in the town of Aden, in the south of the country, of course. He was captured by the Houthis when they overran the capital Sana'a last month. That's when the U.S. embassy evacuated its embassy personnel back then, just about a month ago.

The president, President Hadi's compound bombed on Thursday last week by aircraft. On Friday, ISIS also entering the fight, taking advantage of the instability, targeting worshippers at two mosques near the capital, with more than 130 people killed and hundreds wounded in that attack.

So, what you have right now is a scenario where al Qaeda and there are even more radical ISIS are going to get stronger, where there's instability. And Samantha Power, the U.S. representative, said over the weekend that 16 million people, that is more than 60 percent of Yemen's population are now in dire humanitarian need. That country really tipping over the edge right now into potentially all-out civil war -- Christine.

ROMANS: Potentially all out civil war. And again, those last 100 special operations personnel from the U.S. evacuated.

Thanks so much, Nic Robertson.

This morning, FBI and military investigators are looking into a purported ISIS hit list of U.S. troops posted online, a hit list by a previously unknown group claiming affiliation with ISIS. It is the so-called Islamic State Hacking Organization. It posted the names, pictures and addresses of U.S. troops. There are also reports that a group of foreign medical personnel traveling to Syria, to work in ISIS controlled hospitals.

A Turkish lawmaker tells CNN that a group of 11 includes seven Britains, an American and a Canadian.

Joining us now from Baghdad with more, CNN's Jomana Karadsheh.

Good morning, Jomana.

First of all, these medical students -- you know, an official telling you that these medical students are now working for ISIS.

[04:05:04] JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christine, we are getting little details at this point. Yes, the source of the information coming from a Turkish member of parliament, an opposition MP and also from British media reports.

And what we know, as you mentioned, that this group of 11 individuals, including an American and seven British nationals, arrived in Turkey last week and from there crossed into Syria. According to this member of parliament telling the British "Observer" newspaper they have gone to work at hospitals in ISIS-controlled territory.

Now, we do not know at this point, we have not been able to verify independently their motivations and their exact whereabouts. But British newspapers are quoting this member of parliament as saying that their family members are in touch with them. Some of them have traveled to Turkey and asked to help track down their children to try to bring them back. And he says they are convinced they have gone to work for ISIS.

Now, he says, quote, "that they have been cheated, that they have been brainwashed," but also says that they are not fighters. They are health providers and they are there to help.

Now, all of this really very little information at this point. We have reached out to the British government, the only government that has been commenting so far, saying they are aware of the reports and that they are providing consular assistance to the family members, and also, they reached out and informed Turkish police of these reports.

Now, the family members, according to the "Observer" newspaper in the U.K. are on the Syrian border, seven mothers and fathers trying to convince and reach out to their children to come back home -- Christine.

ROMANS: Can you imagine the panic those parents must be going through?

Meanwhile, there's this other report, ISIS targeting U.S. military personnel. Have we ever heard of this group? It seems like, I've never heard of this group that's targeting them online.

KARADSHEH: This is an unheard of group up until the hacking division until we heard of it in the past couple of days with the threat posted on Web sites that have been used by ISIS in the past, but also that are open for public postings like this. But, of course, as you mentioned, U.S. government and different agencies would take threats like this very seriously by informing people who might be mentioned in this threat, the 100 service members or others.

So, while we never heard of it before, we know this group is savvy electronically. We have seen something similar to this, Christine, in the past. If you remember, ISIS has threatened other members of the coalition in previous videos. But this one, there is some skepticism about the source of this. With all threats like this, it is taken very seriously by the U.S. government and the agencies.

ROMANS: Absolutely. All right. Jomana Karadsheh, thank you so much for that this morning, live in Baghdad.

The president of Tunisia is announcing a manhunt under way for a third attacker who escaped last week's museum massacre. Two other gunmen were killed by police after slaughtering 21 people, mostly tourists. One tourist who survived is back home in Florida.

Listen to Giovanna Gonzalez described what it was like inside that museum.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GIOVANNA GONZALEZ, SURVIVOR: We have to run like crazy. We heard a bomb. And then him shooting. It was a tragedy. It was something that -- he marked my life forever. I thank God I'm here. Just go ahead and have my family, see my mom, see my daughter. And I'm happy to be home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Since the attack, Tunisian authorities have arrested 20 extremists in a nationwide security sweep.

The U.S. now expanding effort to train Iraqi troops fighting ISIS. Hundreds of American advisors, hundreds working at a military base north of Baghdad, helping factions of Iraqi forces get on the same page with weapons training and improved coordination with coalition airstrikes. The Iraqi military is increasing its efforts to recapture land seized in the last year by ISIS.

To those nuclear talks with Iran now, entering their final critical week, substantial progress is being reported. But Secretary of State John Kerry says there are still gaps remaining. Talks resume in Switzerland on Wednesday. They're scheduled to last through Sunday.

If the two sides can agree on the framework for a deal, they'll spend up to three more months filling in the details of the deadline for comprehensive agreement set for the end of June.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is in the U.S. for talks with Secretary of State John Kerry today, and President Obama tomorrow. They'll be discussing the phase of U.S. troop withdrawals from Afghanistan. Ghani says he is determined to keep ISIS from establishing a foothold in his country. And he insists the perception that the Afghan people want U.S. troops to leave is simply untrue.

[04:10:03] He says they see America as critical to their future.

Federal investigators could file criminal corruption charges against Democratic Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey this week. The ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee denies any wrongdoing. Menendez is accused of using his office to promote the business interest of a Democratic Party donor in exchange for gifts. According to "The Wall Street Journal", he's been under investigation by the FBI now for more than two years.

Ted Cruz is making it official. The Republican senator from Texas becoming the firs candidate to announce a bid for the White House in 2016. He tweeted overnight, "I'm running for president and I hope to earn your support." Cruz is expected to follow-up that tweet with a declaration speech at Liberty University today.

The voice of the Tea Party starts the race trailing potential candidates Jeb Bush and Scott Walker in the polls.

Ten minutes past the hour. Time for an early start on your money.

U.S. stock futures barely moving on Friday. They climbed, the stocks climbed, the Dow climbed 169 points, about 1 percent Friday.

The NASDAQ closed above 5,000 for only the fourth time in history, now within strikes distance of the record high from March 2000. But don't worry. NASDAQ today looks a lot different. It's made up of well- established companies with lots of cash on hand. In fact, corporate America has more cash than it knows what to do with.

S&P 500 companies have a record $1.4 trillion sitting in cash. That means very healthy balance sheets in case another crisis comes along. But the bad news: corporate giants don't feel strongly enough to invest in equipment, research and employees.

New tension in the White House relationship with Israel this morning. President Obama casting new doubt on his faith in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as Israeli officials fly to France trying to influence any other possible nuclear deal with Iran. We are live after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:15:02] ROMANS: The White House has all but given up on Benjamin Netanyahu as a willing partner in the Middle East process this morning. President Obama saying that he took the Israeli at his word when Netanyahu said there would never be a Palestinian state under his leadership. That's despite Netanyahu's efforts after winning reelection last week to back pedal and reassert his support for a two- state solution.

CNN's Erin McPike has more from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine, President Obama told "The Huffington Post" that he believes achieving a two-state solution won't be possible under Benjamin Netanyahu because he says the Israeli prime minister reversed himself under comments that he had made prior to his re-election last week.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I did indicate to him that we continue to believe that a two-state solution is the only way for the long term security of Israel if it wants to stay a Jewish state and democratic. And I indicated to him that given his statements prior to the election, it is going to be hard to find a path where people are seriously believing the negotiations are possible.

MCPIKE: Obviously, it doesn't sound as though the air is going to be cleared on that anytime soon. Now, on another matter, the president also had sharp words for Senate Republicans who are holding up the confirmation vote for attorney general nominee Loretta lynch due to differences on a completely different bill.

OBAMA: You don't hold attorneys general hostage for other issues. This is our top law enforcement office. Nobody denies that she is well-qualified. We need to get her done.

SAM STEIN, THE HUFFINGTON POST: And is Eric Holder prepared to stay as long as possible?

OBAMA: Yes, he is. And the irony is, of course, the Republicans really dislike Mr. Holder. If they really want to get rid of him, the best way to get rid of him is to get Loretta Lynch confirmed.

MCPIKE: Of course, both of these issues will be front and center for the White House this week, Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Erin McPike, thank you for that.

Senior Israeli officials tell CNN they believe the real reason President Obama won't take Netanyahu's word that he still supports the Palestinian state is the White House wants to divert attention from the developing nuclear deal and negotiations in Switzerland. Meanwhile, Israel is seeking to influence those negotiations, sending a senior delegation to Paris for talks today with French officials.

Let's bring in CNN's Oren Liebermann live from Jerusalem for the latest.

And, Oren, you know, you listen to the president in that "Huffington Post" interview, wow, these are strange relations, no questions.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN REPORTER: Absolutely, Christine. And there are a couple of ways to view this latest back and forth between these two leaders and between these two administrations. The first is that, that's what it is. It is the back and forth we have seen especially in last few months, ever since the Iran deal has come into the spotlight and ever since Netanyahu spoke before Congress.

These two have been going back and forth a bit. And these comments from the administration now that Obama's focus on Israel and the two- state solution a way of diverting attention away from the nuclear deal is another round of this back and forth.

And if that's the case, we already know what one of the next step is, and that will be when House Speaker Boehner is here at the end of the month, which is right when the Iran nuclear deal deadline comes up.

The other way to look at the comments is through the lens of a nuclear deal. That is where Israel seems to and the administration seems to believe that at this point, they can't stop a deal. What they're trying to do is influence a deal. And that would be for something like Netanyahu's speech before Congress in terms of influencing the Americans. And now, we have the minister moving to France. In France right now, speaking with the French delegation, try to influence this from the American side and French side.

So, could be this continued back and forth again, Christine. We know exactly where that's going, where Netanyahu has said his strongest supporters are on the right, his strongest supporters are the Republicans and we'll see House Speaker Boehner here when the nuclear deal comes up. So, that's how to look it from this end.

ROMANS: And it sure looks interesting. That's for sure.

Oren Liebermann, thank you so much for that, in Jerusalem for us this morning.

Back here, 18 minutes past the hour.

Real estate heir and accused killer Robert Durst will be in a court today in New Orleans for a detention hearing. He's being held there on drug and weapons charges and will be soon extradited to Los Angeles where he is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Susan Berman back in 2000. Durst's attorney says he is eager for that to happen. He hopes the California prosecutor talked to Durst in Louisiana for three hours, he said, without the attorney's permission.

Prosecutors in the trial of accused Boston marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev are close to resting their case. That's expected to happen mid week. When court resumes this morning, the defense will cross- examine witnesses concerning items that were found on the defendant's computer. The prosecution is seeking the death penalty for Tsarnaev.

"Rolling Stone" magazine will publish an external review of its disputed article about the gang rape at the University of Virginia. They'll publish that in the next few weeks. Now, the article is based on a female student who complained she was raped by seven men at a fraternity house party.

[04:20:00] Her account was later called into question, with "Rolling Stone" admitting it failed to corroborate her story. The magazine then asked a dean at Columbia University's Journalism School to review its handling of the story and promised to print it unedited.

Happening now: a road rage murder suspect on the run. A former police officer believed to be the enraged killer. New details, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: A Texas woman is recovering in the hospital this morning after being shot in the head by an angry driver who allegedly opened fire on the Texas highway when she honked at him. The suspect in this road rage incident is still on the run and police are reaching out to the public for help.

CNN's Shasta Darlington has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine, a manhunt is still underway in Texas after a road rage incident turned violent.

Twenty-eight-year-old Kay Hafford was on her way to work in Houston on Friday, driving in rush hour traffic, and someone tried to cut in and she honked. According to police, the situation escalated and then the unthinkable happened. The driver pulled up on the right side of Hafford's car, pulled out a gun and shot. The bullet went through Hafford's window, hitting her in the back of the head. She managed to pull over to the side of the road and call 911.

911 DISPATCH: Complainant advised white SUV ran her off the road and shot at her. Complainant advised that she's bleeding from the head, thinks she's in shock.

[04:25:00] DARLINGTON: Hafford was rushed to the hospital for surgery. And one Sunday, the hospital upgraded her condition to good.

Her husband Kendrick Hafford was angry, but optimistic about recovery.

KENDRICK HAFFORD, VICTIM'S HUSBAND: I'm glad she's going to be OK. May God deal with you, that's all I can say. If I ever find out who it is, it's not going to be that nice.

DARLINGTON: The big problem is the police still haven't found the driver. They know they're looking for a white SUV, that the driver wearing a blue baseball cap at the time. They simply haven't found him yet, Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: Wow. What story. Shasta, thanks for bringing that to us.

A brawl outside an Arizona Walmart ended with one person dead and officer shot. It was late Saturday night. Details still murky, but state officials say police received a call from the store that a female employee had been assaulted by multiple suspects. The suspects, nine in total, were in the parking lot when police arrived.

Police say they were from the same family. They immediately attacked the eight responding officers and another employee. Two suspects were shot, one fatally. A veteran officer was shot in the leg. He is expected to make a full recovery. There's still a lot of questions about what cause all that.

A big setback for the U.S. war on terror. This morning, a key country for counterterrorism intelligence is on the brink of war. Yemen is in crisis. The U.S. being evacuated troops.

We are live, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Trouble for the U.S. war on terror. A key Mideast ally on the brink of civil war. Yemen in crisis this morning. We are live.

The ISIS hit list. U.S. military officers becoming targets as we learn of new help coming to the terror organization.

[04:30:01] We're live in Baghdad ahead.

The 2016 presidential campaign, it has begun, folks. Texas Senator Ted Cruz officially running for the Republican nomination.