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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

U.S. Commando Raid Kills ISIS Leader; NTSB Can't Confirm Projectile Hit Train; Texas Biker Bloodbath; Gas Prices Rising; Rubio Tangles Over Iraq War Question; Rockets Cap Off Rally, Down Clippers; Braves Shelby Miller One Out Shy Of No-Hitter. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired May 18, 2015 - 05:00   ET

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

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, EARLY START continues right now.

[05:00:00] The key Iraqi city falls to ISIS. Ramadi now in terrorist hands. How can the U.S. and coalition forces respond? We've a live report moments away.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: A key ISIS figure is dead. His wife is now in American custody following a risky raid in Syria. The pair suspected of having top level intelligence about ISIS hostage operation. We will tell you what intelligence the U.S. is picking up.

BERMAN: This hour, Amtrak's northeast corridor reopens for business. Trains will be running for the first time since the deadly crash in Philadelphia. We'll tell you what authorities are now learning about what might have let up to that tragedy.

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm John Berman.

ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. It's nice to see you. It is Monday, May 18th. It is 5:00 a.m. exactly in the east.

Developing this morning, a major victory for ISIS in Iraq, Ramadi, the capital of Anbar Province, falls to ISIS fighters. After months of clashes between Iraqi forces and ISIS militants, Iraqi officials now say ISIS forces burst through gates and walls with armored bulldozers.

At least 10 suicide bombings, and on Sunday, government forces pulled out of the military base on the city's west side and retreated eastward. Iraqi and American officials say the fight for Ramadi is not over yet.

For the latest, I want to bring in senior international correspondent, Nick Paton Walsh. Good morning, Nick.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Christine, a devastating setback for the Iraqi government here. We are talking about the capital of Anbar Province, predominantly Sunni, which was the focus of Baghdad operations to try and push ISIS back.

Now they are the ones in retreat. Video is showing their military pulling away from the capital. Pictures taken by ISIS of the amount of armor left behind by the Iraqi. This began as a suicide bombing campaign.

They used bulldozers to force way into the center. It seems that the Iraqi Security Forces, who have been fighting for weeks to try and prevent this overrunning were unable to hold back.

Now we are into a much troubling moment where the government appealed to Shi'a militia to come in and try to push ISIS back. Reports that Iran's defense minister has flown into Baghdad perhaps to try to offer assistance Iran can offer here.

The issue is also how long advertised this potential issue has been because the fight has been going for a long period of time. There have not been adequate resources. We are hearing about 500 people may have lost their lives in the fight alone.

Thousands have fled, 100,000 have fled in the past months or so. Fears are in the next 24 to 48 hours. ISIS will purge the city of anyone they think will have ties to the enemy.

Also a fear that the momentum has switched, this is one city, but the information propaganda value will not be lost for ISIS, many fear what may happen in the weeks ahead in Ramadi and to the north in Baghdad as well.

ROMANS: So what did ISIS do? I mean, you look at Kobani and Tikrit, there were indication that maybe ISIS was on its heels, what was the driver here for them to allow them to take this particular city?

WALSH: Well, it may well be the narrative of ISIS on the back foot was a little too pervasive certainly and coalition circles and maybe within the Iraqi government as well after the victory the Iraqi government had in Tikrit.

The violence around Ramadi has been unrelenting as has the flow of refugees away from it. So this was pretty well telegraphed frankly as a potential failure, but I do think many have been surprised by the strength of the final ISIS onslaught.

It may show some tactical prowess frankly, but they were quite happy to let the narrative become on their back feet for a few weeks and then snap move in and finish the campaign for Ramadi.

There are questions of where the extra strength came from and what they will be questions as to what they managed to do and what their potency is increased with. Now they have all of the Iraqi equipment that seems to being left in the wake of retreating Iraqi Security Forces -- Christine.

ROMANS: Iraqi equipment originally supplied by the Americans that was sort of a bitter irony. Thank you so much, Nick Paton Walsh.

BERMAN: This morning, U.S. officials are assessing a trove of intelligence seized in a Special Forces raid said to kill a key ISIS commander. U.S. officials say about a dozen Army Delta Force commandos raided a multi-story building in Eastern Syria. The Pentagon claims the ISIS commander known as Abu Sayyaf died

in a heavy fire fight when he resisted capture. Officials say Sayyaf helped run the ISIS oil and gas operation. They also say he was a key military leader as well.

Pentagon officials say there were no U.S. or civilian casualties in this raid. U.S. troops also said to capture Abu Sayyaf's wife. They also secure computers, mobile phones and documents. Officials hope will prove to be of intelligence use.

[05:05:07] National correspondent, Sunlen Serfaty, is at the White House with more -- Sunlen.

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, the administration is characterizing this as a significant blow to ISIS, but there are a significant amount of questions that still remain. Who was the man the administration is referring to as Abu Sayyaf?

Who was he really? How big of a role and how much influence he had in ISIS? The basic question is what actually is his real name? Now some lawmakers on Capitol Hill are urging caution, especially when it comes to balancing the risk of a mission like this against the reward.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D), CALIFORNIA: This was an extraordinary risk. If one of our people were captured, if we lost some of our special forces, there would be tough questions to answer whether it was worth it. I think notwithstanding the success of the operation, we have to ask those questions. Was the intelligence value we hope to gain and we are gaining worth this kind of risk?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SERFATY: And other lawmakers are praising this sort of initiative coming out of the administration. Here is what the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DEVEN NUNES (R-CA), HOUSE INTELLIGENCE CHAIRMAN: Many of us have been advocating this strategy for a long time or using this tactic because this is a better way to gather intelligence versus just air strikes.

So it takes guts for the administration and our military to put action like this together. It was successful. We are happy that they got back and got back safely. Now over the coming weeks, we will know what they were actually able to gather.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SERFATY: And U.S. officials say there was a lot of intelligence, reams of data that was picked up from the mission site including a computer which could have valuable information on how ISIS operates, how they raise their money, and how they communicate.

And that's, of course, in addition to the wife of this ISIS leader, who has been detained and now will be interrogated by the United States. Now lawmakers on Capitol Hill do expect to receive a briefing from the White House on this, this week -- John and Christine.

ROMANS: All right, Sunlen Serfaty, thank you for that.

Less than a half hour from now, Amtrak rail service resumes between New York and Philadelphia less than a week after a rail disaster that killed eight people and injured more than 200.

First train leaving New York rolls out at 5:30 a.m. and a northbound train leaves Philadelphia at 5:53. Over the weekend, technicians installed new automated speed controls on the northbound side of the tracks ahead of that curve as a first step toward improved safety.

CNN's Jean Casarez joins us now live from inside Penn Station in New York that's where travelers are getting set to board that first train out. Good morning, Jean.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. You know, Christine, this is such great news for so many travelers, 750,000 passengers per day on the northeast corridor. So 5:30, you're right, 5:30 right here at Penn Station. The first train will leave bound for Philadelphia.

Philadelphia's first train will be 5:53 a.m. Here is the reality. There isn't anybody here. You know, at 6:30 last night is when Amtrak first sent out that tweet saying they would restore the service. So possibly word hasn't gotten out. People already had made arrangements for Monday.

But now we are telling them if they don't know that service has been restored. The president and CEO of Amtrak said that they have been working around the clock to restore that infrastructure. They also now have automatic speed controls in that section of where that train runs.

But also, the status of the investigation is that as people will now be restored to normal train travel, the FBI will be on scene today to look at the windshield of that train to see in fact that if a projectile or even a bullet went through that windshield.

Now ironically, at the very same time, two other trains also reported that a projectile had gone through their windshield or at least hurled at their train. One was another Amtrak train and then a completely different line, the Septa, Pennsylvania regional train.

The NTSB did confirm over the weekend, though, that the engineer of the affected train did not radio in that a projectile have been hit, but if you look at that windshield, you can see that something happened to it.

And so the FBI investigation continues, but here as the passengers continue to come this morning, there will be elation that they can have their normal train traffic -- Christine.

ROMANS: So Jean, just reiterate for me. There were different reports in the same area around the same time of projectiles on trains.

CASAREZ: That's right. Very close in time. Very close in location. What's interesting is it's different lines. Another Amtrak train, but a completely different regional Pennsylvaniaa line and that corroboration right there shows, I think, a lot of truthfulness on the part of those engineers that radioed in saying something was happening. Their train was being hit by something.

[05:10:06] The question is, did a projectile or something hit this train? If so, how did it affect the speed at all?

ROMANS: It's so interesting. I know that investigation is continuing. Every piece of information is so critical. Thank you, Jean Casarez in Penn Station for us. So those trains are about to roll out in about 20 minutes. Thank you.

BERMAN: All right, 10 minutes after the hour right now. A deadly shootout in Waco, Texas, gunfire at a restaurant between five rival biker gangs. When the bullets finally stopped flying, nine people were dead. Police say they heard there might be trouble at the Twin Peaks Restaurant. They say they were prepared.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SGT. PATRICK SWANTON, POLICE SPOKESMAN: We were so concerned of the incidents that may occur here that we had active S.W.A.T. officers that were here on scene. I can tell you at this point that their action has saved lives in keeping this from spilling into a very busy Sunday morning crowded central Texas marketplace. So thank goodness the officers were here and took the action that they needed to take to save numerous lives.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: One of the questions being asked this morning is if the restaurant officials knew that this could be trouble, why they allowed this meeting of biker gangs to take place? Restaurant workers and customers hid in the freezer when the gunfire started. Only the bikers themselves were among the dead and injured.

ROMANS: A U.S. Marine killed in a crash during the training mission in Hawaii. The 22 Marines from Camp Pendleton and San Diego were on board this MV 22 Osprey in Oahu when the aircraft experienced what the military is calling a hard landing mishap and caught fire. The 21 surviving Marines were all taken to hospitals. No word this morning yet on their condition or the identity of the Marine who died.

BERMAN: A five-day ceasefire in Yemen is over. It did not take long for the Saudi-led airstrikes to ramp back up. They hit Houthi targets overnight in the southern port city of Aden. Politicians and tribal leaders gathered for talks, but the Houthis boycotted the meeting. They are rejecting Yemen's insistence that exiled President (inaudible) be reinstated. ROMANS: Time for an EARLY START on your money this Monday morning, U.S. stock futures are barely budging. The S&P 500 ended last week at a record high. Powering ahead, eyes on consumers this week, earnings from some of the biggest retailers like Walmart and Target and also going to get a look at housing this week.

Gas prices are rising. The national average $2.71 per gallon, 26 cents more than a month ago, still much lower though than this time last year. Drivers have saved hundreds of dollars since last summer because of lower oil prices.

A brand new study out this morning finds 40 percent spent those savings on necessities like groceries or rent, about a quarter of Americans saved it or invested the extra money. What did you do with your extra gas money?

BERMAN: EARLY START tattoo. They can run a lot of money if you get a lot of the different colors.

ROMANS: John.

BERMAN: All right, 12 minutes after the hour. The Iraq war proving to be an interesting discussion point for presidential candidates to say the least, this time, Marco Rubio getting caught in a feisty exchange, we will show it to you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:16:24]

BERMAN: It was a warm and wonderful weekend. We had rain too, which was great so stuff can grow. Temperature is going to cool off before the work week. I want to bring Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri for an early look at the weather -- Pedram.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: John and Christine, good Monday morning, to you, yes, for the most part a lot of people are saying goodbye to the warm weather. We had in place cool air beginning to filter in. For some people, cold enough to support snowshowers here in mid-May, but look at this, 27 below what was the temperature this time yesterday in Fargo.

Minneapolis, more than 20 degrees colder than this time yesterday. Other parts of the country, it is warmer ahead of the cold front, but Minneapolis is 74 on Sunday. The best is 45 Monday afternoon. Even in Green Bay, temperatures dropping 10 degrees, but winter weather here. The models will show you a little bit of snow showers in Duluth and Marquette.

Snowing in May and again, that really stays confined to southern Canada and northern tiers of the United States and some showers are possible in and around the northeast today.

High temperature, New York is 66. A little farther to the south, look at the nation's capital is 90 degrees. Stays quite hot for a couple of days than the cool temperatures, more seasonal temperatures begin to filter in, Christine and John, by the weekend.

ROMANS: All right, thank you for that, Pedram. As it was for Jeb Bush, the Iraq war question is troublesome for Florida senator and Republican presidential candidate, Marco Rubio. Testy exchange with Chris Wallace of Fox News, Rubio pushed to clarify his position on whether the 2003 invasion of Iraq was a mistake.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SENATOR MARCO RUBIO (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It was not a mistake. The president based on -- this is the way the world works -- the president based on the information that was provided. Look --

CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS: He was saying based on what we know now.

RUBIO: Based on what we know now, I wouldn't thought Manny Pacquiao would beat Mayweather in the fight.

WALLACE: You got asked the same question. You said --

RUBIO: It was not the same question. The question was whether it was a mistake. My answer is it is not a mistake. I still say it is not a mistake. The president was presented with intelligence that said Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. It was governed by a man who had committed atrocities in the past of weapons of mass destruction.

WALLACE: What she asked him was, was it a mistake to go to war in Iraq.

RUBIO: It was not a mistake given the fact that what the president knew at the time. That's not the same question. The question I was asked was you know now. Well, based on what we know now, I think everyone agrees --

WALLACE: Was it a mistake to go to war with Iraq?

RUBIO: Yes, I understand, but that's not the same question.

WALLACE: That's the question I'm asking you. Was it a mistake to go to --

RUBIO: It was not a mistake for the president to decide to go into Iraq because at the time, he was --

WALLACE: I'm not asking you that. I'm asking you --

RUBIO: In hindsight. The world is a better place because Saddam Hussein is not there. I don't understand the question you're asking.

WALLACE: I'm asking you --

RUBIO: A president cannot make a decision on what someone might know in the future.

(END VIDEOTAPE) ROMANS: Last week, Rubio said he would not have authorized a war knowing what is now known about Iraq. His point I think is presidents don't have the benefit of 20/20 hindsight.

BERMAN: It is a tough question for candidates to answer because it's a tough question. Historically, Iraq is a very complicated issue and one that is good for candidates to address. So the way they answer and what they answer should be important to voters.

BERMAN: It is still incredibly relevant, why, because today Ramadi fell to ISIS.

BERMAN: Exactly. About 20 minutes after the hour right now. Let's talk basketball. The Houston Rockets moving on. The Los Angeles Clippers going home.

ROMANS: Wait, the Bulls aren't in it anymore?

BERMAN: The Bulls have been gone for a few days. Coy Wire with the news, not the old in the "Bleacher Report" next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: When you are up 19 points going into the fourth quarter in game six, you think you are moving on, but no, Los Angeles Clippers are going home. The Houston Rockets came back from 3-1 in a series and they are moving on at the Clippers expense -- Coy Wire.

ROMANS: Coy has more in this morning's "Bleacher Report." Hi, Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, guys. Yes, some call it a rousing resurgence by the Rockets, others a catastrophic collapse by the Clippers. Either way, Houston is heading into the Western Conference finals.

The bearded one, James Harden, got it done. No more flu-like symptoms like earlier in the series, but still sick with it, driving to the rack, coming right at you. He was stopping on dimes and giving you two nickels.

Showing why he was the MVP candidate all season. Harden finished with 31. Rockets were rolling. They won 113-100. This is only the ninth time in NBA history that any team has comeback from a 3-1 playoff series deficit. Clippers still have never made it to the conference finals.

Tuesday, the Rockets and Warriors in game one of the Western Conference finals and then Wednesday, the eastern finals. They are going to tipoff here in Atlanta where the Hawks host the Cavaliers.

To baseball, where Braves pitcher, Shelby Miller was on the verge of history yesterday against the Marlins, he was just one out away from his first career no hitter in the first . Then the Marlins Justin Moore broke up the party.

[05:25:01] Come backer, straight back up the middle so close for Miller. The Braves got this win, though, 6-0, but after the game, the Marlins actually fired their manager, Mike Redmond. Miami is 16 and 22 to start off this season.

In golf, Rory McIlroy hit more high notes than an Irish tenor. He shot a course record on Saturday and crashed the tournament record by five strokes yesterday, but Rory, he called his mistake free Sunday round boring. Come on, dude, you dominated. McIlroy playing like the world's top rank player, gets his 11th PGA tour win.

Finally, it's two down and one to go for American Pharoah. The weather in Baltimore was bad on Saturday for the Preakness. The grand stand and in field had to be evacuated. The track was a mud pit, but one of it slowed down American Pharoah, won by five lengths.

It's been since 1978 that a horse has won the Triple Crown. The Belmont is on June 6th. We will see if American Pharoah can do what not many have done, win the elusive Triple Crown at the Belmont stake. Keep in mind, guys, though, there have been 13 other horses over the last 37 years, who won the first two legs. Can American Pharoah get it done? That's what we will find out.

BERMAN: Belmont is tough, man, a lot longer. All right, Coy, great to see you. Thanks so much.

One programming note, if you have questions for me, anything at all, where can you ask them? Why? On Facebook, at 1:00 p.m. today, I'm doing a big Facebook chat that will break new records on the internet. That's 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Ask anything you would like.

ROMANS: Why would anyone want to ask John Berman anything? Wait, because he won "Jeopardy."

BERMAN: I have a number of answers as exampled here on "Jeopardy," which I won last week.

ROMANS: Have you watched your performance? I love your reaction.

BERMAN: Math was hard. I was nervous I had the math wrong. I watched it. It was terrifying. It was as bad living through it the second time as it was actually playing the first time.

ROMANS: OK, you know, next time, the same tie.

BERMAN: It is the same tie. I'm wearing my "Jeopardy" winning tie.

ROMANS: Wait, you have not changed your clothes since you win "Jeopardy?"

BERMAN: If you win "Jeopardy," you never change your clothes again. I may never change again, so Facebook at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Ask Anything.

ROMANS: All right, it's 5:27 a.m. in the east. After months of violent battles, ISIS is now claiming control over the city of Ramadi. Iraqi forces vow the fight is not over, the very latest on that situation ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)