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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Frightening Scene Near U.S. Capitol; Iraqis Regain Part of Ramadi; NSA Data Collection Program in Jeopardy; Nation Pauses for Memorial Day; Cavs Hold Off Hawks & Win Game 3. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired May 25, 2015 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:00] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Retailers will give better deals on those closer to Father's Day. You'll also have to wait for swim wear and video games. Those go on sale at the end of the summer.

EARLY START continues right now.

(MUSIC)

ROMANS: Will there be a new strategy in the war against ISIS? Following a grim prognosis from the White House, the defense secretary revealing Iraqi forces showing no will to fight. This as ISIS unleashes a new massacre in Syria.

Team coverage breaking down our big story of the morning.

Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START this Memorial Day. I'm Christine Romans. John Berman is off this morning. It is Monday, May 25th. It is 5:00 a.m. in the East.

Up first, though, a big scare near the U.S. Capitol. A bomb squad called in to detonate a pressure cooker found in a suspicious vehicle last night. It turned out to be a false alarm. A Virginia man was arrested near the scene for driving that vehicle without a license.

Pressure cookers have been used in several recent terror attacks, including the Boston marathon bombings. That's why they were so concerned.

The incident last night taking place as thousands of people were gathering for a Memorial Day concert.

Turning now to the Middle East. Iraqi forces rising up against ISIS in Ramadi. The Iraqi forces taking back part of that city, one week after it fell to the terrorists showing life after the U.S. defense secretary questioned their will. All this as we get disturbing new reports of mass slaughter in Syria at the hands of ISIS fighters.

Let's start with the situation unfolding right now in Ramadi. CNN senior international correspondent Arwa Damon live from Baghdad. Good morning, Arwa.

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine. Well, they haven't quite yet taken back portions of Ramadi. They did however manage to capture a town just to the city's southeastern outskirts. And according to multiple security sources that we just spoke to, a force numbering around 5,000 or 6,000 is now in position waiting for what they are calling zero hour.

Now, this force is made up of conventional Iraqi security forces, army and police, and Iranian-backed Shia military forces. Now, these two are on the frontlines simply because they have the heavier weaponry.

Also being employed are the Sunni tribes. They only have light weapons at their disposal despite the fact that they have numerous calls and promises being made by the Iraqi government they would be arming the Sunni tribes. So far, these tribal fighters are going to be used to hold the ground more in a rear defensive position.

Now this is significant in that it is an active level of cooperation. We have not seen this before to this degree. And this perhaps the formula that Iraq is going to have to rely on if it wants to ultimately defeat ISIS because the Iraqi government does not have capable conventional forces in sufficient numbers at their own disposal.

But a number of Iraqis and number of soldiers and former officers we have been speaking to are really bristling at the U.S. secretary's comments that the Iraqis don't have the will to fight. They will say that their soldiers on the ground want to fight and it is not necessarily America's place to be launching this kind of criticism given that it was America that at the end of day did trained up the Iraqi security forces and declared them combat ready before the U.S. withdraw all of its soldiers from Iraq, Christine.

ROMANS: Yes, that's an interesting point of view.

Do Iraqis in the capital in Baghdad fear ISIS will make it there? Are they worried about more ISIS advances?

DAMON: You know, when you talk to people, many will tell you that it's enough because of the psychological warfare that ISIS has launched and the impact that it has on the people's emotions and morale; that simply the rumor that ISIS is coming or that ISIS has advanced is enough to create panic and chaos. But when you ask them if they really think that ISIS will be able to take Baghdad, most of them say no. It is not because they believe in the capabilities of the Iraqi security forces, but because they know that Iraq's powerful neighbor Iran would not allow that to happen. And no matter which side of the spectrum they fall on, whether they support Iran's influence here or not, it is reassuring to them to know that Iran would not let Baghdad fall.

Of course, having the population and so many here relying on Iran for that does not necessarily bode well for Iraq's future. That's the problem the country will have to deal with down the road.

ROMANS: Yes. All right. Arwa Damon for us in Baghdad this morning -- thank you, Arwa.

Now, with these stunning advances, frankly, by ISIS across the Middle East, the Pentagon is signaling it is open to a shift in strategy in Iraq. Defense Secretary Ash Carter questioning, as we told you, Iraq's will to fight the terrorists, at least in Ramadi.

[05:05:01] That was in exclusive interview with CNN.

Let's get more from Athena Jones at the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine.

Ever since the fall of Iraq in Ramadi and later Palmyra in Syria this past week, there's been a lot of discussion about whether the U.S. needs to change its entire strategy towards ISIS, to insure the defeat of the terror group. Secretary Carter is saying that one of the big problems at least in Iraq is with the Iraqi forces themselves. Take a listen to what he had to say.

ASH CARTER, DEFENSE SECRETARY: What apparently happened was that the Iraqi forces just showed no will to fight. They were not outnumbered. In fact, they vastly outnumbered the opposing force. Yet, they failed to fight. They withdrew from the site. And that says, to me, and I think to most of us, that we have an issue with the will of the Iraqis to fight ISIL and defend themselves.

Now, we can give them training. We can give them equipment. We obviously can't give them the will to fight. If we give them training and give them equipment apparent give them support and give them some time, I hope they will develop the will to fight because only if they fight can ISIL remain defeated.

JONES: So, there you have Secretary Carter telling the Iraqi forces to step up.

You also, though, have Republicans both on Capitol Hill and out on the presidential campaign trail who are calling for U.S. ground troops in Iraq, 10,000 ground troops, they say, will be necessary to ensure the defeat of ISIS.

Well, ground troops are not on the table -- Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right, Athena at the White House.

Disturbing reports of rampaging ISIS fighters slaughtering government soldiers and civilians in Syria. At least 400 people, many of them women and children, killed in the ancient city of Palmyra. This is according to Syria state TV. The streets are littered with bodies, many of them beheaded. Let's get the latest from CNN's Ian Lee. He is monitoring the

situation live from Cairo for us.

Ian, this is their worst fears coming to fruition.

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, that's right, Christine.

And when we see ISIS advance, we see the flood of people leaving the area, 11,000 people from Palmyra. When you look to Ramadi, there was roughly 25,000 people fleeing ISIS. That's because when ISIS takes control of the city, the reign of terror begins. They go door- to-door, taking people out who they see as a threat, people who may have supported or fought for the regime, they take them out and they execute them.

We are hearing reports anywhere from 90 well into the hundreds from different groups, different agencies. We can't indefinitely verify it, but we know this happens all over Iraq and Syria. We are hearing at least 11 children were also executed by ISIS and that they have roughly 600 people taken prisoner. People that we are hearing worked for the former regime, although as we have seen elsewhere in Iraq and Syria, the likelihood that they will remain captives is unlikely as we know, they execute these people fairly regularly.

ROMANS: Yes, just brutal -- brutal methods, no question.

What about plans to try to retake Palmyra? What is the Syrian regime saying about that?

LEE: What we are hearing from reports is that they are amassing a force outside of Palmyra preparing to take it. We haven't heard of a date or time when that counteroffensive could begin. We are also hearing from the head of the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah about their operations in Syria. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAYYED HASSAN NASRALLAH, HEZBOLLAH LEADER (through translator): Yes, we are no longer present in one place and not the other in Syria. We are now present in many places. And I'll tell you today, we will be present in Syria where it is needed in this battle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEE: OK.

And we are also hearing right now as well that Syrian war planes have carried out air strikes near Palmyra to soften the targets. But what we are witnessing here is from Hezbollah who supports the Syrian regime, that this battle is expanding and that it is growing more sectarian as it continues. You have these Shiites and the Alawites on one side and when it comes to ISIS, the Sunni fighters there.

ROMANS: All right. Certainly complicated and spanning borders in Syria and Iraq. Thank you for that, Ian. In one week, the NSA's bulk phone data collection program could

become a footnote in history. The White House is already assessing what the agency would be allowed to examine if the law does lapse June 1st.

[05:10:00] Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has already said he will convene a session Sunday night, but it's unclear how legislation could be moved forward after being defeated in the chamber over the weekend.

Another Republican presidential hopeful coming out in favor of ending the NSA program. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, he suggests authorities should have to get a warrant if they want to listen in on Americans phone calls. He argues the program hasn't even been effective.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE HUCKABEE (R), FORMER ARKANSAS GOVERNOR: Two hundred and twenty-five different terrorist plots over the past year since 9/11, and so far, not one of them has been tied directly to the NSA's collection of metadata. So, if this is so effective, how come it hasn't resulted in the foiled terrorist plots?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The issue has divided the 2016 Republican field, with several arguing with keeping the program or at least a modified version of it to fight terrorism.

The investigation into Hillary Clinton's e-mails getting dismissed as petty politics by a member of the president's cabinet. HUD Secretary Julian Castro calling out the Republicans on CNN Sunday for wasting Americans' time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIAN CASTRO, HUD SECRETARY: You have here with these e-mails is basically a witch hunt. And, you know, Congressman Gowdy who is leading this very intentionally trying to manipulate this witch hunt to play politics. That's unfortunate and it's one of the reasons that Congress has a 19 percent approval rating.

I think that we need to focus on more substantive things. As one who hasn't spent my lifetime in D.C., I know that out there in America, they care about are you reducing veteran homelessness, are you providing the impetus for young people to achieve their dreams? Are we making sure that America in this 21st century remains the undisputed land of opportunity? Not whether somebody had e-mails or didn't have them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The first round of Clinton e-mails was released Friday. Thousands more on the way despite no clear timetable. Castro, a former San Antonio mayor, is widely rumors as a possible running mate for Hillary Clinton.

The nation pausing today to honor those who have fallen defending our country. President Obama marking this Memorial Day by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. Other top defense officials will pay respects in one of the newer sections of the cemetery, where many of those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan are buried.

ROMANS: Time for an early start on your money this morning.

The stock market is closed today for Memorial Day. But stocks are right at records. Here is a tally for the year: the Dow up 2.3 percent, the S&P 500 up 3.3 percent, the NASDAQ up 7.5 percent.

One of the biggest debates on Wall Street right now, what's the deal with oil? Bank of America, in a note to client last week, says now is the time to buy oil stocks. And smart money already doing that. The 50 largest hedge funds bought a lot of those stocks in the first quarter.

It looks like a smart move so far. Oil has rebounded from 45 bucks a barrel to about $60. And that's still well below $100 last summer. Some analysts prices are headed lower again soon.

Record rainfall brings deadly flooding to Texas and Oklahoma. Thousands forced to flee their homes. Damage done and the storms still on the way. We got that next.

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[05:16:14] ROMANS: A deadly weekend of flooding in Texas and Oklahoma. The severe weather leaving three people dead, several others are missing with hundreds forced to evacuate their homes. Emergency crews still trying to get a handle of the scope of that devastation.

CNN's Alina Machado is there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine, we have been to the hardest hit areas in Texas but nothing compares to what we're seeing here in Wimberley, Texas. We have seen houses that had been knocked off their foundations or tipped over, like this one here, just by the sheer force of those rising flood waters.

We know that there are hundreds of homes that have been damaged or destroyed in this area. And the debris field here is quite extensive. You can see here and tell just how high those flood waters got just by the debris that's been stacked up right there against the tree. There's even a child's toy wrapped up in that debris.

I want to show you something else we were told by the people who were here. You know, this all happened very quickly. A lot of them didn't have time to react. Some had to ride out the rising flood waters in their homes in this area as all of this was happening. There was a truck that normally parks over there in front of

where that jeep is turning. If you walk over here, look at it right over there, completely overturned, just resting, quite a ways away from where it normally is.

You know, there's no doubt that the clean-up effort here will take a very long time and it's going to require the help of many people, Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: Alina there for us, thanks, Alina.

And it looks like the worst isn't over here for Texas and Oklahoma. Let's get to the latest from meteorologist Pedram Javaheri for an early look at your weather.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey, good Monday morning, Christine. Great working with you.

And, yes, let's look at this, because Texas finally on the dry side, but it is over portions of Louisiana and eventually to Mississippi. Also, western and central Kansas where we have thunderstorms this morning.

But things over the next couple hours expected to change. Flash flood watches and warnings still in place over this region, from Oklahoma City and points south.

But here are the models. They have done a wonderful job as far as accuracy in the forecast in recent days. Into the early afternoon hours, north of Dallas and unto Oklahoma City, east of Austin, tremendous rainfall yet again developing over this region.

So, a couple more inches of rainfall not out of the question. You see some places in Texas literally picking up Texas-sized rainfall, a 24-hour total of nearly 12 inches. Remarkable stuff when you think how much rainfall that is.

Oklahoma City, historic month of May, just about 18.7 inches has come down. Look at this, because for cities like Seattle, it would take six months to get what Oklahoma city has seen so far in the month of May. Phoenix, two years worth of rainfall. Even Houston, Christine, would take five months to get the rains they have seen in just 24 days in the month of May.

ROMANS: Wow. That's some perspective. Thanks for that, Pedram.

The city of Cleveland threatening to erupt. Protesters taking to the streets after a police officer acquitted of manslaughter charges in the shooting death of two unarmed suspects. Police able to keep the protests mostly peaceful for now.

We get more this morning from CNN's Nick Valencia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine, with an NBA playoff

game in the city on Sunday night, Cleveland officials were worried that things could get out of hand. But the biggest demonstrations were held on Saturday, and even those were on a very small scale. Protesters upset that a local police officer was acquitted of two voluntary manslaughter charges and a fatal shooting in 2012.

Earlier, civil rights leaders in the city spoke to the public, asking them to keep the peace.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is Cleveland. Not Baltimore. Not Ferguson.

VALENCIA: With the Memorial Day holiday on Monday, there are no major demonstrations planned. City officials hope that things remain calm here in the city of Cleveland -- Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: Thanks, Nick.

Tributes this morning pouring in for John Nash, the Nobel Prize winning Princeton professor whose battle with schizophrenia was portrayed in 2001 film, "A Beautiful Mind."

[05:20:07] Nash and his wife Alicia were killed Saturday when a taxi they were riding crashed in New Jersey. Neither was wearing a seatbelt.

Russell Crowe, who played Nash in that film, tweeted, "Stunned. My heart goes out to John and Alicia and family. An amazing partnership, beautiful minds, beautiful hearts."

John Nash was 86. His wife Alicia was 82 years old.

Game three of the NBA's Eastern Conference Finals. Cavaliers taking on the Hawks, and this one was decided in overtime. Could LeBron James bring the Cavs to within one game of the finals? Andy Scholes has the bleacher report, next.

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ROMANS: After a record-setting performance by LeBron, the Cavs are now just one win away from a trip to the NBA Finals.

Andy Scholes has more in this morning's bleacher report.

Hey, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Christine.

LeBron coming through with just an epic performance last night in game three against the Hawks.

But before we get to his night, there was a moment in the second quarter that had social media buzzing. Matthew Dellavedova and Al Horford gets tangled up right here, going for the lost ball. Horford, if you watch, closely throws an elbow at Dellavedova. And following a referee review, Horford was assessed a flagrant 2 foul and ejected from the game, while Dellavedova received a technical. So, the Hawks had to play without their best player.

After a slow start, LeBron heating up in the third.

[05:25:02] Here, he dunks over the entire Hawks team. The game goes to overtime. In the extra period, LeBron with the corner three puts the Cavs up by one. Cleveland would hold on to win this one, 114-111. LeBron did it all in this game. He finished with an amazing triple/double, 37 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists, first player in NBA history to put up such numbers in a post season game. The Cavs now lead the series, 3-0.

Indianapolis taking center stage yesterday for the 99th running of the Indy 500. Scary movement on pit row, a passing car clipped another car at pit row, causing it to hit two crew members. Both were taken to the hospital. One of the men suffered an ankle injury. The other was checked out and later released.

Final lap, Juan Pablo Montoya edges Will Power by a tenth of a second to win the race as the second Indy 500 win for Montoya. First since he was a rookie way back in 2000. Roger Federer was not happy after his opening round win in the French Open, why, well, because this fan ran on the court after the match to try to take a selfie with him.

Check how long it takes for security to get the fan away from Federer. Now, in the press conference, Federer says something needs to be done about this because the one place he should feel safe is when he's out on the court.

Dodger Padres playing afternoon baseball yesterday. (INAUDIBLE) gets a hold of this one. And you got to check out the Dodgers fan in left. He makes the catch while filming with his hand hold camera.

And, Christine, his name is Bobby Crosby. He posted it on YouTube. Check this out.

ROMANS: Whoa!

SCHOLES: This is his angle. Watch the concentration. Look at that. He started screaming snow cone. So, fans were going nuts in this section obviously, chanting MVP, MVP.

Christine, the most amazing thing about this? He's done this before. He did it earlier this season.

ROMANS: Just two great examples.

SCHOLES: It's unbelievable.

ROMANS: One, a bad example of someone trying to use a selfie and be on the action. And the other is a right example, so interesting. Oh my gosh! Thank you so much for that. Have a great day.

SCHOLES: All right.

ROMANS: Breaking overnight: 27 minutes past the hour. Frightening scene at the Capitol Hill. The bomb squad finding a pressure cooker and gasoline in a suspicious vehicle. What we are learning about that incident this morning, next.

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