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Turkey's Migrant Smugglers; European Union to Unveil Plans for Migrant Crisis; Hillary Clinton Apologizes on Private E-mail; Yazidi Girl Enslaved by ISIS Leader; Queen Elizabeth II Makes British History; New Era in Late Night Television. Aired 3-4:00a ET

Aired September 09, 2015 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:05] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Battle plans. As the EU releases its strategy for dealing with the migrant crisis this hour. We will have an exclusive look at the dangerous journey thousands take to get to Greece.

Close call. A British Airways plane catches on fire just moments before takeoff in Las Vegas sending passengers scrambling to get off.

"I'm sorry." Hillary Clinton tries to move beyond the e-mail scandal engulfing her White House bid with a series of mea culpas.

And Queen Elizabeth II becomes Britain's longest serving monarch.

Hello, and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. And this is CNN NEWSROOM.

As thousands of migrants continue to flood into Europe the European Commission is set to announce new plans for dealing with the influx of people.

The flow shows no signs of stopping. The United Nations says at least 850,000 migrants are expected to arrive in Europe this year and next. Australia's prime minister announced that his country will take in 12,000 additional refugees from Syria and Iraq in hopes of taking some of the pressure of Europe. And White House spokesman says the U.S. is considering ways to help as well.

We're actually looking at live pictures there, waiting for the EU to unveil its plan on how to cope with this migrant crisis.

Now many of those migrants are relying on human smugglers to take them from Turkey to Greece. Senior international correspondent Ivan Watson is in Ayvalik, in Turkey, on the Aegean Sea, and he joins us now live.

So talk to us about what the situation is there right now.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, if Europeans are troubled and concerned about the flood of refugees that have come across their borders in recent weeks then they better get ready because the scenes that we saw in the Turkish port city of Izmir this week indicate that there are new waves of particularly Syrian refugees determined to smuggle themselves across the Aegean Sea to islands in Greece like Lesbos which you can see several kilometers away in the distance. The indicators are that this smuggling business is very much booming right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON (voice-over): This is how some refugees and migrants are smuggling themselves to Europe, cramming more than 30 people at a time in broad daylight on board an overcrowded pontoon boat, armed with life jackets and inflated inner tubes in case of an accident.

This footage filmed secretly a little more than a week ago off the coast of Turkey. Turks, who appear to be smugglers, shove the overloaded boat out into the water. Seconds later, a man appearing to pilot the boat abandons ship.

The inflatable rubber boat turns into circles until the migrants figure out how to steer the vessel themselves. It then motors off towards the Greek island of Lesbos, an informal gateway to Europe.

And it looks like many more Syrian refugees are on the way. In the Turkish port city of Izmir on Tuesday, scores of Syrians sit in cafes and on sidewalks with backpacks full of belongings and garbage bags full of life jackets.

(On camera): The passage to Greece by sea is still a really big business here. I mean, cafes are selling life jackets. You've got Syrians trying them on in the street just waiting for their trip across the water.

(Voice-over): This Turkish shop owner does not want us filming his business.

Several Syrian refugees who don't want to be identified for fear of reprisal back home tell me they've just arrived in Turkey from Syria within the last couple of days.

(On camera): Aren't you afraid? These are bad boats? You know?

UNIDENTIFIED SYRIAN REFUGEE: I know. I know.

WATSON: Something terrible could happen.

UNIDENTIFIED SYRIAN REFUGEE: I know.

WATSON: People are dying in the water.

UNIDENTIFIED SYRIAN REFUGEE: What could I do? Stay in Syria? They're taking guys to the army. I don't want to fight with anyone. I don't want to kill, I don't want to get killed.

WATSON (voice-over): They say it costs around $1300 U.S. to buy passage to a Greek island. Among those waiting a call from a smuggler, many families with children.

When I ask a father if he's afraid his kids could drown at sea, he answers, "They'll die anyway if they stay in Syria."

On the Turkish coast last week, the refugees just kept coming, some walking with children down to the water. Under the olive groves, they wait for their chance to escape.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[03:05:05] WATSON: Now, Rosemary, what was striking about the Syrian refugees that I spoke with was that they don't tend to come from the roughly two million Syrian and Iraqi refugees who currently reside in Turkey. These people were freshly arrived from the capital city, Damascus. So basically from areas controlled by the Syrian government. They had flown into Turkey within just a day or two prior to arriving in Izmir with the expressed purpose of getting across the Aegean Sea and getting to Greece.

Now some of them had mentioned that it does appear that it is getting -- becoming more difficult to try to make that cross-sea passage. Some of them said that they had made multiple attempts and been forced to turn back but their determination to get to Europe was as firm as ever -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: It is just incredible what some of these people have gone through on their journey. And we're talking with Ivan Watson in Ayvalik in Turkey. Many thanks to you for that live report.

And as Europe struggles to take in the migrants the European Commission is coming up with a plan. I want to take you very quickly for a moment to these live pictures. We're looking at (INAUDIBLE), I think we were going to go to those live pictures of the European parliament -- there we go. As we await to hear from Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president, to hear what his plan is for these migrants.

Let's go quickly to Fred Pleitgen as they prepare there. Fred is in Berlin, joins us now live with a very latest.

So, Fred, what are we likely to hear today?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think it's going to be a two-pronged approach that Jean-Claude Juncker is going to take. On the one hand what he wants to do, of course, is mend of the divisions within the European Union as far as this refugee crisis is concerned. And on the other hand he also of course needs to come up with some sort of overarching sustainable Europe-wide policy in order to deal with this issue.

And at that this point in time the two sides in this whole debate are still very far apart. You have countries, on the one hand, for instance, like Germany, like Austria, like Italy and France, who take a more humanitarian approach to all of this, who say that of course the European Union needs to take more refugees in. But they also say that these refugees need to be distributed among all European countries.

And that of course is where the big problem comes in because otherwise you have nations, for instance, like many of the Eastern Europe ones like Hungary, like Denmark, for instance, as well, who see this more as a border control issue and that is really the big problem that Juncker is going to have and that is what his policy or his proposals are going to have to reflect.

Now what we expect is that he is going to call for mandatory quotas to distribute some 160,000 refugees among various European countries. There have been some backlashes against that. The Polish president, for instance, saying that he doesn't necessarily want people that he knows nothing about all of a sudden coming to Poland. And the Poles are pledging a lot less than what people think their quota is going to be.

So on the one hand he's going to call for these mandatory quotas, but on the other hand, one of the key things that he's also most probably going to call for is also bigger efforts to try and secure the borders of Europe. Now that of course is something that -- has come under criticism over the past couple of days especially when you look at that border fence that is being constructed by the Hungarians at this point in time.

There have been some European politicians who don't believe that it is something that will actually lead to a solution of the problem but that it would exacerbate the problem and possibly move it to other countries. So there are really -- there is a balance that Jean-Claude Juncker needs to strike between the nations that want to restrict immigration to the European Union and the nations that feel that at this point in time there is no alternative to letting many of these refugees in.

And Angela Merkel has already said, you know, they're talking about these 160,000 and the quote for that. She believes that the migration to Europe is going to be far greater and that European nations are going to have to come to terms with the fact that they have a much larger problem on their hand than many more people flocking to their shores that they will need to distribute, Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. Our Fred Pleitgen reporting there from Berlin. Many thanks to you.

Well, for the first time U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is publicly apologizing for using a private e-mail server for official government work when she was secretary of state.

Brianna Keilar reports Clinton's mea culpa comes as her popularity shrinks among voters.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hillary Clinton's numbers have taken a dive, down 10 points nationwide as she tries to turn a corner. Tonight for the first time, she directly apologized for her use of a private e-mail server while secretary of state, telling ABC News --

[03:10:02] HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That was a mistake. I'm sorry about that. I take responsibility.

KEILAR: According to the "New York Times," aides are crafting a strategy for her to show more spontaneity, heart and humor. CLINTON: I do kind of know what Donald is going through. And if

anyone one wonders if mine is real, here's the answer. The hair is real. The color isn't.

KEILAR: What President Obama's former adviser David Axelrod is poking fun at the reboot, tweeting a report, "read more like 'The Onion'. Her detailed plan to show more authenticity and spontaneity, just do it." In Iowa this weekend Clinton tried to shore up her shrinking lead in the polls.

CLINTON: I believe I've got the vision, the policies, the skill, the tenacity and the determination to get us back on the right track.

KEILAR: Her loss is Joe Biden's gain. New poll numbers out today show a swell of support for the vice president. He's up 10 points since last month and he's still deciding whether to get in the race. Dodging questions about a possible run.

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know, I talked to my wife about that. I've got to talk to my wife about that.

KEILAR: Nationwide, Biden is running neck and neck in the polls with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders who is beating Clinton in a new poll of New Hampshire primary voters.

BERNIE SANDERS (D), DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE: And don't tell anybody. I think they are getting nervous.

KEILAR (on camera): But while this summer has been all about the Sanders surge, it really is the Biden bump that's dominating headlines right now going into the fall. Talking to Clinton campaign sources they say they're not too worried. They think that if Biden were to enter the race he would see his poll numbers dip under the harsh spotlight of the campaign trail.

Brianna Keilar, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: U.S. Democrats have given President Barack Obama the votes he needs to prevent the Senate from rejecting the Iran nuclear deal. Four more Democrats announced their support on Tuesday, bringing the number of supporters in the Senate to 42. Now that means the president likely won't have to use his veto power to protect the agreement from a Republican plan to kill the deal.

Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton is expected to announce her support for the deal in a speech later today.

Meanwhile, Republican candidates Ted Cruz and Donald Trump will hold an anti-Iran deal rally on Capitol Hill. The deadline for American lawmakers to vote on the agreement is September 17th.

All right. We do want to take you back live now to Strasbourg, in France. European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker is delivering his State of the Union address. He is expected to talk about the growing migrant crisis. Let's listen.

JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT (Through Translator): But what I'm trying to do today is not to go into all the details but try and make the general picture more understandable.

If you like I'm the first president of the commission who is in a way directly endorsed including by the director of the European parliament. That was my direct path to office. Right from the very beginning, in fact when I was speaking to you on the 14th of June, laying out my (INAUDIBLE), I made it quite clear that I intend to make the commission more political. And therefore, the president of the commission -- because of the democratic procedures and the nomination procedures, would also be a political president.

When I say political, basically, I mean political in the very best connotations of that world. We are politicians. I feel like political people rather than just politicians. These days in French anyway it's got a bad connotation. So in the best connotations we are, as you say in English, politicians. And by political I don't mean we're going to politicize everything. That's not our wish. I just want to say that I really do feel that now is not the time to go ahead willy-nilly business as usual. Please don't feel that's the case.

(APPLAUSE)

JUNCKER (Through Translator): Don't count up how many times I use the word social. Just take it my heart is full of the social. And don't count how many times I use economic, monetary or budget, those words. Very often people make rather empty speeches about this.

[03:15:19] Now we've got to be frank. It really -- the bell tolls. The time has come. We have to look overtly at the huge issues with which European Union is now confronted and that's what I want to focus on now.

Our European Union -- I don't really want to fall into despond but it's not in a good situation. It is no point of the president of the commission, the representatives of European democracy and the peoples of Europe to just put things in rosie colors. No, we're not in a good place. There's a lack of Europe in the European Union and there's a lack of union in this European Union.

(APPLAUSE)

JUNCKER (Through Translator): And that has to change. We have to change it, and now. Work together to that end. So I think that is the remit we've got from the European electorate. And that actually corresponds to the remit you gave to me.

I don't know why you are becoming nervous when you are speaking about the European Union. I know. You can't interrupt me from time to time. I will not at each time respond to what you are saying because what you are saying is worthless.

(APPLAUSE) JUNCKER (Through Translator): Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, whatever work programs or legislative agenda the first priority today is and must be our addressing the refugee crisis. Since the beginning of the year, nearly 500,000 people have made their way to Europe. The vast majority of them are fleeing from Syria. The terror of the Islamist in Libya or dictatorship in Eritrea.

The most affected member states are Greece, with over 213,000 refugees, Hungary, with more or less 145,000, and Italy with 120,000. The numbers are impressive. For some they are frightening. But now is not the time to take fright. It is a time for bold, determined, concerted action by the European Union, by its member states and by its institutions.

The first of all the methods before other considerations is a matter of humanity and human dignity. And for Europe, it's also a matter for historical fairness.

(APPLAUSE)

JUNCKER (Through Translator): We Europeans, we are all Europeans here. Oh, yes, OK. OK. I'm noting that you do think that you are not Europeans. OK, well said but not well done.

This is not a time to take fright. It's a time of humanity and of human dignity. We Europeans, all of us, I thought, before the interruption, all of us should remember well that Europe is a continent. We are nearly everyone has at one time been a refugee. Our common instrument is marked by millions of Europeans fleeing from religious or political persecution from war, from dictatorship, from oppression.

[03:20:13] Huguenots fleeing from France in the 17th century. Jews, Sinti, Roma and many others fleeing from Germany during the Nazi horror of the '30s and the '40s of the last century. Spanish Republicans fleeing to refugees camps in southern France at the end of the 1930s after their defeat in the civil war. Hungarian revolutionaries fleeing to Austria and elsewhere. Everywhere in Europe. After their uprising.

(APPLAUSE)

JUNCKER (Through Translator): After their uprising against communist rules was oppressed by Soviet tanks in 1956. Czech, Slovak citizens, seeking refuge in other countries including mine after the oppression of the Prague Spring in 1968. Hundreds of thousands were forced to flee from their homes after and during the Yugoslav wars that was by the end of the last century. Not centuries ago by the end of the last century, the last decade of the 20th century.

Have we forgotten that there is a reason there are more McDonald's living in the United States than in the entire population of Scotland? There is a reason the number of O'Neills and Murphys in U.S. exceeds by far those living in Ireland. Have we forgotten that 20 million people of Polish ancestry live outside Poland as a result of political and economic emigration after the many border shifts forced expulsions and resettlements during Poland's so often painful history?

Have we really forgotten that after the event -- the devastation of the Second World War, 60 million people were refugees in Europe? That as a result of this terrible European experience, a global protection regime the 1951 Geneva Convention on the status of refugees was established to grant refuge to those who jumped the walls in Europe to escape from war and totalitarian oppression?

We Europeans should know and should never forget why giving refuge and complying with the fundamental right to asylum is so important. The fundamental right to asylum is one of the most important international and European values. You should not forget that.

(APPLAUSE)

JUNCKER (Through Translator): I have said in this house and elsewhere in the past that we are too seldom proud of our European heritage and our European project. Yes, in spite of our fragility, and our weaknesses, our self-perceived weaknesses, today it is Europe that is sought worldwide as a place of refuge and exile. It is Europe today that represents a place of hope, a haven of stability in the eyes of women and men in the Middle East and in Africa.

This is something I have to say this year. This is something to be proud of, not something to fear.

(APPLAUSE)

JUNCKER (Through Translator): Europe today, ladies and gentlemen, in spite of many differences amongst the member states, is by far the wealthiest place and the most stable continent in the world. Those who are criticizing Europe, the European integration, the European construction, the European Union have to admit that this is a place of peace and this is the place for stability and we should be proud of this.

We have -- we have --

(APPLAUSE)

[03:25:04] JUNCKER (Through Translator): We have the means to help those fleeing from war. Terror. Oppression. I know that many now will want to say that this is all very well but Europe cannot take everybody. It is true. That Europe cannot house all the misery of the world. But let us be honest and put things into perspective. There is certainly an important and unprecedented number of refugees coming to Europe at the moment. However, they still represent just 0.11 percent of the total European Union population.

In Lebanon, by comparison, the refugees represent 25 percent of the population in a country which has only 1/5 of the wealth we do enjoy in European Union. Who are we that we are never making this kind of comparisons? Who are we?

(APPLAUSE) JUNCKER (Through Translator): Let us be clear and honest with our often worried citizens. As long as there is war in Syria and terror in Libya, the refugee crisis will not simply go away. We can build walls, we can build fences. But imagine without being demagogue, imagine for a second if it were you, your child in your arms, the world you knew torn apart around you. There is no price you would not pay. There is no wall you would not climb. No sea, you would not go to sea. No border you would not cross if it is a war of the barbarism of the so-called Islamic State that you are fleeing.

We are fighting against the Islamic State. Why are we not ready to accept those who are fleeing the Islamic State? We have to accept these people on the European territory.

(APPLAUSE)

JUNCKER (Through Translator): It is high time to act, to manage the refugee crisis because there is no alternative to this. There has been a lot of finger pointing, not enough finger painting but too much finger pointing in the past weeks. Member states have accused each other of not doing enough or doing the wrong thing. And more often than no fingers have been pointed from national capitals towards Brussels. Brussels is always close if member states are failing. If member states are not doing their jobs Brussels the commission the European parliament is accused of not doing their job.

(APPLAUSE)

JUNCKER (Through Translator): We could all be, not all, the majority of this house and myself and my commission, we could be angry about this blame game. But I wonder who that would serve. Being angry does not help anyone. Blaming others does not help the refugees and the migrants. And the attempt of blaming others is often just a sign that politicians, policymakers, sometimes lawmakers are overwhelmed by unexpected events.

Instead, we should rather recall what has been agreed that can help in the current situation. It is time to look at what is on the table and move swiftly forwards. We are not starting anew. Since the early years of this century, the commission, not mine, the one of Jose Manuel Barosso, has persistently tabled legislation after legislation to build a common European asylum system and the parliament and the council have enacted this legislation piece by piece and the last piece of legislation entered into force just in July 2015, two months ago.

[03:30:11] Because Europe, we now have common standards for the way we receive asylum seekers. In respect of their dignity, for the way we process their asylum applications and we have common criteria, which our independent justice systems use to determine whether someone is entitled to international protection. But these standards need to be implemented entirely and respected everywhere in Europe in practice.

And this is clearly not the case before the summer, not after the summer, before the summer. The commission started the first series of 32 infringement proceedings to member states of what they have previously agreed to do. Doesn't matter of credibility. We are doing, we are legislating and we are not implementing. It's a matter of credibility that member states are implementing and respecting commonly agreed international and European laws.

(APPLAUSE)

A second series of infringement proceedings will follow in the days to come. Common asylum standards are important but they are not enough to cope with the current refugee crisis. The commission, the parliament, the council said in the spring, that we need a comprehensive European agenda on migration. We proposed this as a commission in May. And it would be unfair to say that nothing has happened sense then.

We have tripled our presence at sea. 122,000 lives have been saved since then. Every life lost is one too many. It's one too many. But many more have been rescued that would have been lost otherwise, an increase of 250 percent. We should be proud of that performance.

(APPLAUSE)

Twenty-nine member states and Schengen Associated countries are participating in the joint operations coordinated by Frontex in Italy, Greece and Hungary. 102 guest officers from 20 countries, 31 ships, three helicopters, four fixed wing aircrafts, eight patrol cars, six thermos-vision vehicles and four transport vehicles --

CHURCH: "Europe has the means to help those who flee from war and terror." A powerful message there from Jean-Claude Juncker. European Commission president in Strasbourg, France. He was unveiling and still unveiling a plan to deal with the massive flow of immigrants and refugees that we've seen into Europe. It is a matter of humanity and human dignity, he said. The bell tolls. The time has come to confront the process of displaced people.

And you heard some heckling there on the side. It's no secret of course that some Eastern European countries are not happy with what will be announced in just a moment which is quotas where basically Jean-Claude Juncker is saying that all European countries need to share, they need to take a portion of these refugees and migrants and take them into their countries and look after them.

A lot of the European -- the Eastern European countries are saying they don't have the resources to do that. But he also used history. He used World War II as a reminder that most of us are and have been immigrants and refugees at some point or our ancestors have. So we're still going to monitor this keeping an eye and an ear out on what Jean-Claude Juncker said in terms of these quotas. So we'll move on for the time being but we will be keeping an eye on that.

For all the fighting in Syria, one man sits at the head of ISIS. And we have heard very little about Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on a personal level until now. A young Yazidi girl names Zeinat spoke exclusively with CNN senior international correspondent Atika Shubert and she said she became a slave of the caliphate, handpicked by al-Baghdadi himself. During her time in captivity, she says she met and became friends with

American hostage Kayla Mueller, who told her she was repeatedly raped by the ISIS leader.

[03:35:07] Well, Atika joins me now live from Berlin with more on her exclusive interview and the startling new details about Kayla Mueller.

So, Atika, talk to us about what all she told you about the situation.

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Zeinat, which is not her real name, we're trying to not reveal her identity for her own safety, really has an incredible story and we've tried our best to verify it. We verified several details with the Mueller family about Kayla Mueller's captivity and also with U.S. officials who we know spoke to several Yazidi girls. We believe that Zeinat was one of them, about what happened to Kayla Mueller.

But Zeinat's story is just incredible about how she was handpicked by Baghdadi out of hundreds of Yazidi girls who are held at a sort of slave market and ultimately she was held in captivity with Kayla Mueller. Take a listen to what she told us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZEINAT, HELD CAPTIVE BY ISIS LEADER: The first time I entered the room, I saw Kayla. I thought she was Yazidi. So I spoke in Kurdish to her. She told, I didn't understand. So I spoke to her in Arabic. But she told me, where did you learn Arabic? And she said, I am from America. I asked, how did you come here, and she said, ISIS, they captured me. I told her that I am a Yazidi girl from Syria and I was captured by Daesh. After that we stayed together and became like sisters.

SHUBERT (on camera): And did Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi come to visit in?

ZEINAT: After we were moved to the house, about eight days later, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi visited the house. We were together because we didn't know what he was going to do with us again. And he asked us, why did you try and escape? And after he talked to us, he called for Kayla. When Kayla came back to us, we asked her, why are you crying. And Kayla told us Baghdadi said, I'm going to marry you by force and you're going to be my wife. If you refuse, I will kill you.

SHUBERT: So you were brought -- Kayla was brought to see Baghdadi, they were alone in a room, and Baghdadi raped Kayla. Is that what she told you?

ZEINAT: Yes. Kayla told me specifically because she was telling me everything so she wasn't hiding anything from me.

SHUBERT: How many times did this happen?

ZEINAT: Four times.

SHUBERT: Four times that you know of. Did he ever rape you as well? ZEINAT: No. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi told us, I did this to Kayla and

what I did to Kayla I will do to you. On Wednesday -- before Saturday, it will be your time.

SHUBERT: How did you escape?

ZEINAT: When I heard what happened to Kayla, I wanted to escape. I told Kayla to escape with me. But Kayla refused. She told me about the American journalist who was beheaded. And she said, if I escape, they will behead me. The first time I told her I would escape, she said, don't run away. If they catch you, they will surely kill you. But I told her no. I saw what Abu Bakr Baghdadi did to you. I saw how you suffered. I saw how much pain you were in. I will escape whatever way I can.

SHUBERT: Do you think that Kayla was valuable to Baghdadi?

ZEINAT: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi married her, that she was his wife. He did not allow his friend Abu Sayyaf to see her face. Always she had to wear the niqab. And Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi brought one watch for Kayla.

SHUBERT: And she wore a niqab the whole time so no other man could see her face?

ZEINAT: Yes. He also gifted his other wives, they had the same kind of watch.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SHUBERT: Now one of the key details that she told us was that she believes that Baghdadi had in effect made Kayla Mueller one of his wives, not only because she was told to wear the niqab all the time and that she couldn't really reveal her face to any other men but also because she was given special gifts including a watch that was worn by Baghdadi's other three wives. So it's this kind of level of detail that is incredible and also that Zeinat was herself in the Baghdadi household and she has a number of details about his daily life.

He got up usually at 10:00 a.m. Went to bed at midnight. Never carried a phone because he would fear that he might be tracked and hit by drone strikes. So it really is an incredible story we're hearing and we have more details throughout the day here -- Rosemary.

[03:40:02] CHURCH: It is unbelievable what she was saying and talking about him being an evil man.

Atika Shubert reporting there from Berlin. Many thanks to you.

A historic moment for Britain's royal family today as Queen Elizabeth becomes the country's longest reigning monarch. We will have a live report from Buckingham Palace after the break.

We are also monitoring what is happening in the European parliament. You heard before Jean-Claude Juncker, he's talking about what Europe has to do. We understand he has said 160,000 refugees and migrants must be taken in by Europe. We're waiting to hear what sort of quotas for each of the countries within Europe he is expecting. And so as soon as we have that we will of course share it with you. But let's take a very short break for now. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: All right, taking you back now to these live pictures from Strasbourg, France. European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker is delivering his State of the Union address. We've learned so far he has said Europe has the means to help those who flee from war and terror. He said Europe represents a place of hope for these refugees and we know that he has announced a number, 160,000 migrants and refugees, are to be accepted into Europe.

At this point we are waiting for him to give us a breakdown because those 160,000 refugees and migrants or immigrants will be basically sent out to the various European countries. But we haven't got those quotas yet. We are monitoring this and of course will come back to that when we get more information. But let's move on for now. We've got other things to cover as well.

And Queen Elizabeth II makes history today as she becomes Britain's longest reigning monarch. She will surpass the record set by her great, great grandmother Queen Victoria. Elizabeth ascended to the throne when she was just 25 years old, meaning she has reigned for more than 63 years, and that adds up to 23,226 days, 16 hours, and 30 minutes.

[03:45:16] How about that? Queen Elizabeth has ruled through the tenure of 12 British prime ministers and 12 U.S. presidents and despite making 97 state visits she has no passport. Why would she need it?

All right. Well, let's bring in CNN's royal correspondent Max Foster for details on today's historic moment. He is live this morning at Buckingham Palace, of course.

So, Max, talk to us about this. It is extraordinary, isn't it, the time that she has been there as queen. So tell us about her legacy and also I wanted to ask you, could this possibly mean now that she has reigned the longest in Britain, could she possibly be thinking once she's reached this milestone that maybe it's time to step aside?

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's always the big question, isn't it? And there are other monarchs in Europe, for example, and in the Middle East who have abdicated in the last couple of years and that question always comes up. But there is no sign at all that she is planning that herself.

This is a rare view. We're at the back of Buckingham Palace. We're in the garden. She's coming down from Scotland, though, today, really playing down events. It has to be said, because she doesn't want this to be seen as a big celebration, although she is very proud of her achievement, I think that's fair to say. This is also hinged on the fact that this date is based on her father's death, but also the death of Queen Victoria. So she doesn't want to celebrate it but she will be marking it up in Scotland.

The one thing the palace has really done today is issued this photograph. If we can show you that, this is a photograph with lots of meaning to it. It's actually taken by Paul McCartney's daughter Mary McCartney. And what it shows is the Queen at her desk with a red box. So she receives these red boxes from the government every day apart from Christmas Day. And it's full of government papers. The latest information of the day. She reads them every day.

I think the message we're getting here is that she's still working every day. She's working as hard as she has any other day and there is no sign of her retiring whatsoever. And that in raw terms of course is abdication.

CHURCH: Yes. A very strong message there. Our Max Foster, many thanks, reporting there live from Buckingham Palace.

And now let's bring in Richard Fitzwilliams, another world commentator and he is live in our London bureau.

Richard, welcome. So I want to talk to you about that because of course, you know, she is very healthy and in very good condition and nearly 90 years of age. Quite extraordinary what she has achieved but a lot of people wondering if now that she's reached this incredible milestone could it possibly mean that she may step aside and give Charles his opportunity?

RICHARD FITZWILLIAMS, ROYAL COMMENTATOR: I'm absolutely convinced that she won't. Firstly it's important to remember at the age of 21 in Cape Town she broadcast to the empire and commonwealth and she pledged her whole life in its service. That's what she has done so brilliantly.

I'm absolutely convinced that she wouldn't abdicate. It's well worth remembering that her uncle Edward VIII did abdicate and that has not been forgotten by the House of Windsor. Also as has been pointed out, I mean, she is physically extremely robust. I mean, in November she's going to march on the state visit and also for her beloved Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting. And looking back over the years it's been a remarkable reign.

CHURCH: And talk to us about her legacy because of course you have followed her and her activities and all of the things that she's done across the globe for many years now. Talk to us about what she has achieved up to this point.

FITZWILLIAMS: What she's achieved, firstly she's been a wonderful exemplar of the monarch as a symbol of national unity. She has epitomized continuity at the time of change, the end of empire and the loss of military power for Britain but also a different form of society, a great deal more liberal, more egalitarian and there's been somewhat of an artistry renaissance during her reign.

There is no question at all, though, she's been absolutely superb in the projection of what I would call soft power. And for me, the highlight of her reign was the remarkable visit in 2011 to Ireland when she was 85 and that, in fact, gave tremendous impetus to the peace process which continued when the Prince of Wales visited Ireland this year and in fact changed or helped to change the policy of the Sinn Fein, the Republican movement there.

Also, the commonwealth almost single handedly she has kept it together. And if it wasn't for her I doubt that the monarchy would enjoy the esteem and the popularity, over 70 percent of the most recent post that it does today.

[03:50:12] CHURCH: Certainly. And talking there with Richard Fitzwilliams on this historic day for Queen Elizabeth II of Britain. Many thanks to you, sir.

Well, late-night television in the U.S. gets a facelift of sorts. Comedian Stephen Colbert has made his debut as host of the "Late Show." One of his first guests is a politician who gets a few laughs. We're back in a moment with that.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. A new era in pop culture has begun in the United States.

Comedian Stephen Colbert just started his run as the new host of the CBS' "Late Show" taking over from David Letterman. As such he's retired the faux conservative commentator he played on the "Colbert Report" for so many years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW": We have been working so hard, so very hard to get this show ready for you. And I have to say, as long as I have nine months to make one hour of TV I could do this forever.

[03:55:08] With this show, with this show, as many people have asked, this show, I begin the search for the real Stephen Colbert. I just hope I don't find him on Ashley Madison.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And one of Colbert's first guests was U.S. Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush. The two joked about the former Florida governor's famous family and his simple campaign signs which use only the candidate's first name with an exclamation point.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've been using Jeb since 1994.

COLBERT: Yes.

BUSH: It connotes excitement. It connotes --

(LAUGHTER)

COLBERT: Jeb. How many of us, when we get excited about things, didn't just go Jeb.

BUSH: In Florida they do when they see me. Most of them, either out of happiness or deep anger.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: There you go.

Well, a quick update now on our top story this hour. The migrant crisis in Europe. The European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker is delivering his State of the Union address in Strasbourg, France. He's expected to outline plans for country-by-country quotas for European member nations to take in refugees and Juncker is giving an impassioned speech about the right of asylum seekers, the horrors they are seeing in Iraq and Syria, and the responsibilities of European countries to help ease this crisis.

Juncker says European leaders need to remember the lessons of World War II and acknowledge that almost everyone's family members were at one time or another refugees themselves in Europe. Very powerful message there.

And that does it for us. I'm Rosemary Church. Thanks for your company. "EARLY START" is next for our viewers here in the United States. And for everybody else, stay tuned for another hour of CNN NEWSROOM.

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