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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Another Peaceful Night in Ferguson; Michael Brown's Mother Meets U.S. Attorney General; U.S. Defense Secretary Announces ISIS to Be Imminent Threat; Escalation of War in Gaza

Aired August 22, 2014 - 05:30   ET

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

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CRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: A calm night, calm night in Ferguson, Missouri. Protesters peacefully demonstrating against the deadly police shooting of an unarmed black teenager Michael Brown. The state's governor saying the National Guard no longer needed to stop the violence in the streets. So what's changed in these past two nights? All this as Brown's heartbroken parents explain what needs to happen for them to have some peace.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: A terror organization beyond anything the U.S. has ever seen. An alarming warning this morning about the Islamic militants who murdered a kidnapped American journalist. What makes them so powerful as the U.S. hunts for the British jihadist who killed James Foley? Live scene coverage from Iraq and London ahead.

Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Victor Blackwell in for John Berman.

ROMANS: Nice to see you.

BLACKWELL: Good to be with you.

ROMANS: Happy Friday. I'm Christine Romans. It's 31 minutes past the hour. No more tear gas or chaos on the streets of Ferguson. Those streets are calm this morning. Governor Jay Nixon ordering National Guard troops to systematically withdraw from the embattled Missouri town. Demonstrators numbering in the dozens now instead of the thousands. The mood more measured, but the anger is there. It remains nearly two weeks after the shooting death of this man, Michael Brown. Here is Stephanie Elam.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor and Christine, another peaceful night here in Ferguson. Protesters took to the streets, but they stayed calm. The police also stayed out of their way. In fact, we listened to Captain Ron Johnson talk about how the night went. Here is what he had to say.

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CAPT. RON JOHNSON, MISSOURI HIGHWAY PATROL: We also experimented with pulling out patrol cars back from the streets. To allow for more room for marching. That trend is continuing. We had to respond to fewer incidents tonight. There were no Molotov cocktails tonight, no fires, no shootings. We did not seize a single handgun. Again tonight, we deployed no smoke devices, no tear gas and no mace. And again tonight, no police officer fired a single shot.

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ELAM: Captain Johnson also said that there were seven arrests last night. Compare that to two nights ago, when they had 47 arrests. And he said, of those seven, three were from Detroit, the other four did come from the St. Louis area. But overall, they are saying, things continue to improve. And he credit that to not just the police changing their tactics, but also to the clergy and to the elders in the community as well as the young people for doing their part to keep nerves calm. And you could definitely feel it on the streets. The energy was much different today. You can feel it was calmer. The police looked more relaxed. We also spent some time at the memorial, at the location where Mike Brown died. And the energy there was pretty solemn. People were stopping by to leave candles and to drop off flowers. And at one point, there was a prayer group that showed up. They came up singing the spiritual, they sang for a bit, they prayed for a bit, and they then kept on walking. We saw another group arrived. And they came with flowers. And quietly, they just laid down flower after flower down the street along the way back to Florissant, West Florissant Avenue, which has been the hubbub of so much of this tension. Just handing them out to people who were standing by, an effort to bring peace back to this community. And for the people who were there, a moment and a place where they could focus on Mike Brown and remember him and the loss of life that did happen almost two weeks ago now. Christine and Victor?

BLACKWELL: All right, Stephanie, thank you so much. Michael Brown's mother says her face-to-face meeting this week with Attorney General Eric Holder mattered. Leslie McSpadden tells CNN's Anderson Cooper, Holder promised her a fair and thorough investigation, of course, into the shooting death of her son. And she says, the Attorney General helped restore some of her trust for authorities. McSpadden also addressed her son's detractors who were quick to point out what we see in this video. The alleged robbery the teenager committed at a convenience store before his deadly encounter with Officer Darren Wilson.

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LESLIE MCSPADDEN, MICHAEL BROWN'S MOTHER: He was a teenager. He was growing up. He was only 18. He had a chance to make a mistake and correct it. Just like the officer. He had a choice. And he chose the wrong one. It wasn't really necessary. No. My son was only 18. Only 18.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Brown's parents say their son was peaceful and humble. Now, calling for the arrest of Officer Darren Wilson so they can have, quote, some type of peace.

ROMANS: OK, new this morning, a critical witness in the Michael Brown shooting was arrested back in 2011 for theft and making a false report to police. And there is a warrant for his arrest right now in Jefferson City, Missouri. It's 22-year-old Dorian Johnson. You recognize if you've been following this story, he was with Brown the day Brown was shot and killed. Now, he has claimed that the unarmed teen was shot while running away from police with his hands up. That was his initial version of what happened there in that confrontation with the police officer.

In the summer of 2011, police claimed Johnson lied about his identity, his age and his address when he was being questioned by police about stealing a woman's backpack. Here is what Johnson's attorney is saying. "Dorian Johnson's past transgressions do not change the facts nor do they justify Officer Wilson's grotesque and deadly violation of Michael Brown and Dorian Johnson's civil rights." So, what's interesting here is in a case here that depends on who saw what and what they are telling authorities, his credibility is really, really important in this case.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Especially when it comes to lying or telling the truth to police. So, that's why we are reporting it. That's the relevance here.

ROMANS: Stay with CNN all morning for continuing coverage of the latest developments in Ferguson, Missouri.

BLACKWELL: Well, they have already kidnapped and killed an American journalist. But U.S. military leaders say the terror group ISIS is capable of much more. We are live with the new warning and the hunt to find the militants who killed James Foley. Next.

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BLACKWELL: This morning, a sobering warning from the Defense Department about the terror group ISIS. Senior Pentagon officials describe the organization as apocalyptic and an imminent threat. Listen to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, at a briefing on Thursday.

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CHUCK HAGEL, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: ISIL is as sophisticated and well-funded as any group that we have seen. They are beyond just a terrorist group. They marry ideology, sophistication of strategic and tactical military prowess. They are tremendously well funded. This is beyond anything that we have seen.

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BLACKWELL: U.S. Air strikes on ISIS targets continue in Iraq. But Secretary Hagel warns, defeating the group will not be possible unless its presence in Syria is addressed. But he wouldn't say whether that meant U.S. air strikes are being considered. Jomana Karadsheh is monitoring the latest developments live from Baghdad. Although the secretary and Chairman Dempsey would not say if air strikes are potential of their imminent, would they at least discuss the possibilities, what's on the table? What's being considered?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, if you look at what's been going on here, of course there are other factors the U.S. is looking at. Now, how do you weaken ISIS? It's looking at how it gained so much ground so far. If we look at here in Iraq, now the air strikes that have been taking place, this U.S. air strikes since August 8th, 90 of them carried out, most of them concentrated around the Mosul dam area. What has it done? It has allowed Iraqi security forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga to regain control of that sensitive and key structure, and also halted the advances in the north that we saw of ISIS. But, as we heard from the senior U.S. officials, that, alone, is not going to be enough. ISIS still controls a big part of this country. Large cities, key cities like Iraq's second largest city, Mosul. The city to the west of here, the city of Fallujah still under complete control of ISIS. And to be able to turn things around, the U.S. would be looking here to Baghdad to start with - with the Iraqi government that is being formed. This is going to have to be an inclusive government if things are going to change on the ground. The new prime minister needs to bring the Sunni Arab community back into the fold, make them feel like they are really part of the political process. Over the past few years, the policies of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has marginalized the Sunnis and really made them feel persecuted by the Shia dominated government. They are key in combatting ISIS here as we have seen in the past. They help the U.S. military combat extremist groups like al Qaeda in Iraq before. We cannot look at Iraq without looking at Syria. You cannot look at it in isolation. ISIS still has ground, territory that it controls, allowing this group to withdrawal back into Syria possibly as a result of these air strikes. It can regroup and strike back again. And over the past couple of weeks, we have also seen the group making advances in northern Syria. So, as warned by the U.S., the issue of Syria needs to be tackled. That is key to changing the situation here on the ground.

BLACKWELL: Jomana Karadsheh in Baghdad for us, thank you.

ROMANS: Meanwhile, Scotland Yard, British intelligence officials and the FBI are all trying to identify the black-hooded ISIS executioner who killed U.S. journalist, James Foley. His distinctly British accent on the videotape of the murder may have left behind more clues than he intended. Atika Shubert live from London with the latest on the investigation. Atika, what are the things they are looking for?

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they are looking at certain mannerisms, for example. In the video, he appears to be left-handed. They are also looking at his height and build, but of course, his very distinctive voice. He has an accent that linguistic experts tell us probably comes from south England, from London. This is somebody who grew up here from a very young age and is very well educated, probably comes from a fairly well off family. He seems very articulate in the video. So, this is what the government will be looking at comparing it to the video and audio data base that they already have on the hundreds of Jihadists that have gone into Syria and Iraq to fight, and they are hoping that they'll find a match or possibly even that somebody in the community here may even recognize it and tip him off.

ROMANS: That's simply unbelievable. I know they are really tracking everyone very carefully coming into and out of the country, because someone with the British passport really has a lot of freedom around the world. Atika Shubert, thank you so much.

BLACKWELL: Let's take a look at what's coming up on new day. Kate Bolduan joins us now.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, guys. We are going to be continuing to follow developments in Ferguson, Missouri. Chris is there. Where it is much quieter this morning than it has been in recent days. It's thankful to see quiet settling in on that city. We are going to look at new questions in the investigation. And there are a lot. You will also - we'll be hearing from Michael Brown's parents this morning. A very powerful interview you want to see. And, you are going to - we are going to be covering secretary -- Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's chilling morning about ISIS, why he says the militants are more than just a terror group and unlike anything that he's seen before. We'll look at also the email ISIS sent James Foley's parents before they viciously murdered him. We are going to talk with the Pentagon about what can be done to help other American - other Americans being held captive right now.

BLACKWELL: All right, thank you, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Thanks, guys.

BLACKWELL: The war in Gaza escalated. Israel taking out new Hamas targets. What does this mean for peace talks going forward? We are live, next.

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ROMANS: Israel stepping up air strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza. Three top Hamas military commanders have now been killed in these attacks. The Israelis calling up an additional 10,000 reservists. It's a sign of a possible escalation in hostilities as Hamas officials vow revenge. Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas insisting there's no alternative to Egypt's plan for a long-term truce. He's headed to Cairo now for a new round of peace talks this weekend. Let's bring in Karl Penhaul live from Jerusalem. Hi, Karl.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Christine. Well, very much this fight is still on. It's gone back to being an air war, by all accounts. In the last 24 hours, the Israeli military says that Hamas and other militant factions have fired more than 100 rockets from Gaza towards Israel. Israel has launched several dozen air strikes on the Gaza strip. Now, since the cease-fire broke down late Monday, the Palestinian health authorities say that more than 70 Palestinians have been killed and on the Israeli side two Israelis wounded since the cease-fire broke down. The United Nations continues to insist that more than 70 percent of the casualties on the Palestinian side have been civilians. Now, in terms of what the impact of that Gaza rocket fire is having on daily life in Israel. Well, we have had word now from the Israel Football Association, that the start of the soccer season has now been suspended. That was due to start tomorrow, so obviously that is a disruption to daily life here in Israel. And also, alerts still at Ben Gurion international airport, Hamas has threatened to target that airport with its rocket fire. You'll remember that last month, U.S. airlines stopped flying into Ben Gurion for a certain amount of time. That caused huge international embarrassment to Israel. So, they are trying to stop any repeat of that so far. And also, around the corner, starting in September, both in Israel and in Gaza, the start of the school year that could also be disrupted by the continuing of this war. Christine?

ROMANS: The continuing of this war. All right, thanks so much, Karl Penhaul in Jerusalem.

BLACKWELL: A California patient being tested for Ebola does not have the deadly virus. Good news there. The unidentified patient who began showing symptoms earlier this month after visiting West Africa had been kept in isolation in a hospital there in Sacramento. Meanwhile, two Americans who contracted the disease, Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol have now been released from Atlanta's Emory University Hospital. Brantly told reporters his recovery was nothing short of miraculous.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. KENT BRANTLY, EBOLA PATIENT: I prayed that God would help me be faithful, even in my illness. And I prayed that in my life or in my death that he would be glorified. I serve a faithful god who answers prayers.

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BLACKWELL: And Brantly called on everyone to also pray for the victims of Ebola in West Africa. Look at the map here. The death toll has now risen to 1,350 and nearly 2,500 suspected or confirmed cases.

ROMANS: All right, one company offering unlimited talk, text and data for life for 60 bucks a month. The wireless price war, heating up. We are going to get you an "EARLY START" on your money, next.

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ROMANS: Let's get an "EARLY START" on your money this Friday. U.S. stock futures barely moving right now, but stocks record territory. You've got a bumpy start to August. But the bull market is back on track and climbing. The S&P 500 hit a record close yesterday. It's 28 this year. Look at this chart. The S&P 500 is up almost 200 percent since its March 2009 low. I mean if you are invested a grand in stocks back then, it would be worth almost three grand right now. Hopefully, you are not timing the market, but if you go across averaging, you have had a pretty good run, folks.

A Bank of America's $16.5 billion settlement with the government may not be as bad as it sounds. Some of their record settlement could be claimed as tax deductions. That will - roughly $4 billion in tax benefits, that's according to the U.S. public research group. The Justice Department can specify that certain settlements are not tax deductible. But that was not part of Bank of America's deal. The bank admitted responsibility for misleading buyers of toxic mortgage- backed securities leading up to the financial crisis. The latest news in the wireless price wars, Sprint undercutting the competition. Sprint announced a new unlimited data plan that costs $60 a month. Rival at T-Mobile offers an unlimited plan for $80 a month. And Verizon and AT&T don't offer unlimited at all. Now, the cheaper plan is Sprint's latest effort to become more competitive after its merger with T-Mobile felt apart. Carriers losing customers. It's been ranked the worst cell phone service in the country. 60 bucks a month for life, unlimited.

BLACKWELL: Yeah, yeah, I think that the 60 bucks is going to outweigh ...

ROMANS: Price matters.

BLACKWELL: Yeah, yeah.

ROMANS: Price really matters. Nice to see you this week.

BLACKWELL: Good to be with you this week.

ROMANS: Come back soon.

BLACKWELL: I will.

And be sure to join us tomorrow for a "NEW DAY". I'll be live in Ferguson. "NEW DAY" starts right now.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Overnight, after the anger, calm prevails at the National Guard is told to stand down. Drama shifts from the streets to the investigation. The credibility of the key witness, now in question. Did Michael Brown's friend previously falsify a police report? This, as a new witness speaks out.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, new questions about where Officer Darren Wilson is. As CNN learns his face was not fractured as others have reported. We break down the new twist in the investigation.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Guest ready, grave words from U.S. Secretary of Defense calling ISIS one of the greatest threats to the U.S. right now. Are air strikes in Syria the only way to defeat them? This is the final email from James Foley captors to his family is released overnight.

CUOMO: Your "NEW DAY" starts right now. This is "NEW DAY" with Chris Cuomo, Kate Bolduan and Michaela Pereira.

Good morning. Welcome to "NEW DAY." It's Friday, August 22nd. What will come after the anger here in Ferguson, Missouri? It's now almost two weeks since a police officer shot and killed Michael Brown Jr. The community has been frozen in time, outrage and violence the only outlets. But now we see a shift in mood and momentum.