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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Mother Pleads With ISIS to Release Son; U.S. Weighs Airstrikes Against ISIS; Bank Hack Attack; New Russian Offensive in Ukraine

Aired August 28, 2014 - 04:00   ET

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

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now: a mother's plea to terrorists to release her son American journalist Steven Sotloff held captive by ISIS. The Islamic terror organization promising to kill him if U.S. airstrikes on that group continue.

President Obama now weighing his options to further the attack. This as we learn new information about ISIS recruiting teenagers here in the United States.

We have live team coverage, ahead.

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

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Christine Romans. It's Thursday, August 28th, 4:00 a.m. in the East.

We welcome all of our viewers here in the U.S. and around the world.

Up first, a mother's desperate plea directly to the leader of ISIS to release her son. In a video that aired on Al Arabiya, Shirley Sotloff asks the head of the terrorist group to send her son, Steven, whose been held for a year home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHIRLEY SOTLOFF, MOTHER OF KIDNAPPED JOURNALIST: Steven has no control over the actions of the U.S. government. He's an innocent journalist. I've always learned that you, the caliph, can grant amnesty. I ask you to please release my child.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Steven Sotloff was captured while covering the civil war in Syria. When ISIS militants executed American James Foley, they said Sotloff would be next.

CNN's Karl Penhaul following developments for us. He's live in London -- Karl.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine, this statement by Sotloff's mom is very important. It's an excellent strategy, according to kidnap and ransom expert that I've been talking to here in London. What he says the statement is doing is really focusing on Sotloff as a human being, not as a political pawn, not as a piece of chattel, but really looking at him as an individual, and moving away from the idea that he has some kind of an influence over what the U.S. government does.

Now, what this kidnapping ransom expert also said was that this plea, yes, it is a desperate plea by a distraught mother, but it is also a way of opening up lines of communication establishing some dialogue with the kidnappers, with ISIS in this case that could perhaps lead to some form of negotiation.

The kidnap and ransom experts said that the nightmare scenario in any kidnapping would be that the victim was being held by some crazy hot heads. He said ironically, the more experienced the kidnappers, the better, because they will have a clear idea of what their demands are and also what they can realistically expect to get.

And this expert said that ISIS does have some expert kidnappers in its rank, possibly some of the Chechen foreign fighters that cut their teeth fighting the Russians years ago.

Now, of course, if you look at statements by the G-8 industrialized nations, they come out with their memorandum that firmly condemns ransom payments to extremist groups, saying that that will fund weapons and recruitment. But, of course, we do know, according to wide reports, that some of the European nations may have been paying ransoms under the table to ISIS to get freedom for their citizens, Christine.

ROMANS: All right. Karl Penhaul, we know that kidnapping ransom has been a big part of the business model of ISIS. So, crazy hot head or professional, it's all kind of an (INAUDIBLE) -- thanks so much, Karl.

BERMAN: While President Obama considers possible airstrikes against ISIS in Syria, that terrorist group is now claiming responsibility for a series of car bombings in Iraq last weekend. The blast in the city of Kirkuk killed at least 20 people. In the meantime, the U.S. is considering now humanitarian relief and new operation in the northern part of Iraq.

CNN's Anna Coren has the details. She's live in the northern part of that country, in Irbil.

Good morning, Anna.

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Hi, John.

I think what you're talking about is the township of Amerli, which is about 100 miles north of Baghdad. This is a township that has been under siege from ISIS for the past two months. They've cut off water and power supplies. We just heard from a Turkmen Foundation which is in regular contact with people on the ground, that children, dozens of children have died from dehydration, from starvation because of the low supplies, just the shortages of food and water in this township.

Now, we understand that the Iraqi military has been making the occasional food drop, aid drop, as well as weapons drop. There are local police, local volunteers who are picking up weapons and fighting ISIS, holding them at the gate.

But we have heard from the United Nations, saying that this could be a potential massacre, that plea was made several days ago. They are calling for the Iraqis, the international community, for the United States to take immediate action. So, obviously, that would translate into U.S. air strikes around this township, as we say, John, is under siege.

BERMAN: More than 100 U.S. airstrikes in Iraq already. So many ethic and religious minorities in the northern part of that country.

Anna Coren, appreciate you being there for us. Thanks so much.

ROMANS: All right. There's word this morning of another American killed in Syria, in addition to Douglas McCain who is fighting for ISIS. That's coming from a Syrian opposition group who did not identify the second American. This as the FBI indicates Douglas McCain's terror origins. He's from the Minneapolis area, which is Feds say has become fertile recruiting ground for Islamic terrorists.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYLE LOVEN, FBI SPOKESMAN: Unfortunately, the recruiters and those who lure youth overseas are very aware that they have a pool of potential travelers here in Minneapolis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Douglas McCain attended the same high school as Troy Kastigar, who was killed fighting for the terror group al-Shabaab in Somalia.

BERMAN: American journalist Peter Theo Curtis making his first public statement since being released, after nearly two years of captivity in Syria. Curtis says he is grateful beyond words to those worked so hard for his freedom and to the welcome home he has received.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER THEO CURTIS, AMERICAN JOURNALIST: I had no idea, when I was in prison, I had no idea that so much effort was being expended on my behalf. Now, having found out, I am just overwhelmed with emotion.

I'm also overwhelmed that one of the things, that is the total strangers have been coming up to me saying, hey, we are just glad you are home, welcome home, glad you're back, glad you're safe. Great to see you.

So, I suddenly remember how good the American people are and what kindness they have in their hearts. And to all those people, I say a huge thank you from my heart, from the bottom of my heart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Curtis told all the journalists there, his fellow journalist, that he is going to answer their questions, but first needs time to decompress. My favorite thing was he says, you know, I know all of you are here. I appreciate you all want to be part of this story, but I need to bond with my mom.

ROMANS: I know mom trumps everything.

BERMAN: Mom trumps everything.

ROMANS: Seven minutes past the hour.

The FBI is investigating coordinate cyber attacks on JPMorgan Chase and on other major banks, possibly stemming from Russia. Experts say this hack was sophisticated. Hackers able to breakthrough bank security and steal account information.

A U.S. official told CNN the extent of the damage and where the hack came from still is not clear. But hackers from Russia are often top FBI suspects. The timing of the hack has raised suspicions, given U.S. sanctions against Russia. In response to the breach, JPMorgan said companies of its size experience cyber attacks every day and it has measures to defend against and monitor them.

Let's get a quick check of the markets. European shares lower right now. Asian shares ended the day down. The S&P 500 eked out another record yesterday. But U.S. stock futures pointing lower right now. And a great run on the stock markets, so a lot of people are watching here.

BERMAN: Don't screw it all up for us, Christine Romans.

Web site glitches causing problems still for Obamacare. Hundreds of thousands of insurance customers could lose their health coverage when the 300,000 people who have been asked to confirm their citizenship status with the administration. But bugs in the healthcare.com -- healthcare.gov, I believe, Web site, prevent many from submitting the required proof. They have until next week to provide the information or their insurance will be canceled at the end of September.

ROMANS: Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal suing the Obama administration over the implementation of Common Core education standards. The suit claims federal grant money and regulations were manipulated to effectively force states to adopt uniform standards and testing. The Republican governor accuses the White House of sending states down a path toward, quote, "a national curriculum", in violation of the Constitution's State Sovereignty Clause.

BERMAN: Protesters demanding action in the wake of the Michael Brown shooting are taking their case now to the White House. They are planning to deliver a petition with some 900,000 signatures, urging what they call justice for Michael Brown, calls on the Justice Department to investigate the prosecutor and fired all police officers involved in the shooting of the unarmed teenager. Police are scaling back their presence in Ferguson, following several nights of calm there. Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson says state and county police will now have a reduced role.

ROMANS: All right. Happening now in New Jersey, a father's desperate search for his son who's missing in Israel. Could Hamas have played a role in his disappearance? We are live with the latest, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Welcome back to EARLY START.

Israel and Hamas now both declaring victory in the Gaza war. I guess the important thing is neither side is shooting this morning. The indefinite cease-fire they agreed to is still holding.

In the meantime, Israeli officials are investigating whether Hamas is behind the disappearance of Aaron Sofer, a New Jersey religious student who went missing last week while hiking near Jerusalem. His parents made this appeal on YouTube.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I beg of you, beg you, please, if anyone sees -- Aaron, please call the police immediately.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Now, remember, we don't know what's happening here. But it was the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli teenagers by Hamas that was really one of the triggers to the seven weeks of fighting in Gaza.

Ben Wedeman is live for us this morning. He's in the Golan Heights.

Ben, you know, what do we know right now?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: At this point, what we know, John, is that Friday evening, Aaron Sofer, a 23-year-old New Jersey resident went hiking in what's known as the Jerusalem Forest, which is west of Jerusalem, a very popular area. He was with a companion.

And at one point, they were going down sort of a steep incline and the two got separated. His companion waited, never found him and contacted police. And since then, the police have been searching in this area, the Jerusalem forest.

As you mentioned, the parents putting out a video appeal to who might have any information about him. They've also offered 100,000 shekel, a regard, it's about $28,000 to anybody that might be able to help find him.

Now, we spoke to the Israeli police spokesman this morning. They still have no information about the disappearance of this young man who's now missing, at this point, about one week.

Now, at this point, the police are not suggesting that this -- his abduction or his disappearance may have anything to do with politics, crime, personal motives. They really are coming up with blanks at this point.

But, the search continues. Yesterday, his family, friends and supporters were out in the Jerusalem forest, again, also searching to supplement the efforts of Israeli police.

But, John, until now, they found nothing.

BERMAN: Just to be clear, again, there's no claims of any kind of kidnapping. An Israeli officials say they just don't know at this point.

WEDEMAN: That's correct, John. No claims at this point. The police, we spoke to one man who is normally involved in these searches. He said, you know, he can count on two fingers the cases over the last 15 years where they have come up and drawn blanks. At this point, they are drawing blanks -- John.

BERMAN: All right. Ben Wedeman for us this morning fascinating. Appreciate it.

ROMANS: All right. The sister of Boston marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been arrested on an alleged bomb threat against a woman in New York City. Aliana Tsarnaev, who lives in New Jersey, is charged with aggravated harassment. Police say she phoned in the threat to the woman who said to be her ex-boyfriend's girlfriend, saying, quote, "I know people who can put a bomb on you."

BERMAN: Authorities in Omaha confirm it was a police officer's bullet that killed a crew member of the reality TV show "Cops", as they filmed a robbery at a fast food restaurant. Thirty-eight-year-old Bryce Dion was hit by an officer's errant bullet during a shootout with the robbery suspect. Police say the suspect who was also killed was armed with a pellet gun.

ROMANS: A new gun control bill is gaining traction in California. This measure would allow family members to ask a judge to order firearms be removed from people likely to commit violence. The bill was introduced after police in Santa Barbara said they were unable to confiscate weapons from a 22-year-old who later went on a deadly shooting spree despite concerns from his family members about his mental health.

BERMAN: A search and rescue mission underway for the pilot of a fighter jet that crashed in Virginia. The Air Force National Guard F- 15 went down in a rugged area of the George Washington National Forest on Wednesday. The plane was on a test flight from Massachusetts to Louisiana when the pilot reported an in-flight emergency. The air national guard lost radio contact with the flight about 25 minutes before that crash.

ROMANS: In Indiana, reports of a violent explosion at a BP refinery. According to local stations, people as far as two miles away reported feeling this blast. They say their houses shook, pictures were knocked off walls, a Fire Department officials said BP issued an all- clear more than two hours after the explosion. BP says a fire ignited after a compressor exploded. No reports of injuries.

BERMAN: Look at the water there.

Powerful storms on both coasts are steering clear of land, but -- ROMANS: Wow, look at that.

BERMAN: Wow, they are just creating some huge waves. Of course, surfers love that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAIRD HAMILTON, BIG WAVE SURFER: We live for this. We wait our life for this stuff to happen. So, you know, we spend our whole life waiting for the storm of our lifetime.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Most surfers are not Laird Hamilton.

BERMAN: And that was, in fact, Laird Hamilton right there.

ROMANS: There were 100 water rescues. Imagine, people got out there and got overwhelmed. Boys and girls, you are not Laird Hamilton, stay off the waves.

BERMAN: You know, I have the bleach blond hair and the physique. Come on. So, anyway, but I digress.

Marie, the hurricane, has been downgraded as a hurricane in the Pacific. Still obviously creating issues.

ROMANS: Yes, let's get an early look today at your weather.

Chad Myers has that.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Christine and John, good morning.

A couple scattered rain showers across the Northeast. But otherwise, this afternoon, absolutely sunny and nice. Eighty-two for the high, 88 in D.C., 92 -- getting warmer in Atlanta, Memphis and Dallas.

There'll be a change in the forecast. It's been cool in the East. That's all going to change. It's going to get hotter, especially by the end of the weekend into all of next week. Scattered showers in the planes tomorrow, also up into Chicago, could see some severe weather over the weekend, especially Sunday in the upper Midwest as the change takes place from warm to cold and cold to warm.

In fact, even in Colorado, above 12,000 feet, not much up there, but there's some. They'll get snow up there, first snow of the season. Ninety-three Atlanta for tomorrow, 94 in Memphis, 83 in Kansas City, and a pleasant 94 in Dallas.

Back to you guys.

ROMANS: All right. Chad Myers, thanks for that.

Nineteen minutes past the hour.

Crisis in Ukraine. BERMAN: Yes.

ROMANS: The country claiming that Russia is invading, sending its troops into new areas to support separatists. What is Russian President Vladimir Putin doing?

We are live in Moscow, after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: All right. This morning, the Ukrainian military commander calls it a full scale invasion. Russian troops and separatist rebels battling Ukraine's military forces on several fronts this morning.

Ukraine's prime minister now calling for an immediate U.N. Security Council meeting to address what he calls Russia's increased military presence that has escalated that country's crisis. It comes as Russia prepares to send a second humanitarian aid convoy into eastern Ukraine. Last week, a truck convoy entered Ukrainian territory without the government's permission.

But now, really, the accusations go beyond eight convoys to this notion that there are thousands, perhaps, of Russian troops crossing the border.

CNN's Phil Black live in Moscow for us.

Phil, you know, we talk about the idea of a possible Russian invasion here. Those words are very loaded.

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, indeed, they are, John. I mean, the Ukrainian government has made lots of allegations about Russian incursions into its territory before. But this is different. It is of a much bigger scale.

Ukraine says that there are now Russian troops directly involved in the fighting in two locations, one south of Donetsk, that big key city, and another location further south on the coast of the sea of Azov. That's particularly a concern because there hasn't been much fighting there recently. So, it would be effectively a new front in this conflict.

The Ukrainian government isn't just talking some soldiers. It's talking about infantry, armor, heavy weapons as they describe an invasion. Now, if this is true, what is Russia's goal here? Well, for some time now, as the Ukrainian government forces have been making gains, there has been concern from the U.S., from NATO, that this could inspire Russia to intervene more directly, to try and change the balance of power in that region, to try and swing the momentum back towards the rebels.

There is another theory, which suggests Russia could be moving into that southern region now, to try and establish a direct land link between the Russia mainland and Crimea, that peninsula that it annexed earlier this year. At the moment, these are just theories, because Russia still is not commenting on these specific allegations. Generally, it doesn't give a running commentary on everything that Kiev or Washington makes.

It continues to maintain. And President Putin said this just the other day, after meeting with this Ukrainian counterpart, that Russia is not a direct player in the fighting there, that Russia wants peace -- John.

BERMAN: Interesting response. Are you invading Ukraine? No comment.

But I suppose we have to wait to see, because as you say, there have been so many claims over the last several weeks and months from the Ukrainian government. Have to see how this develops.

Phil Black for us in Moscow, thanks so much.

ROMANS: The United Nations Security Council passing a resolution about the fighting in Libya, demanding an immediate cease-fire. The Security Council's resolutions include sanctions against those involved in the violence between rival militias. Libya's ambassador to the U.N. called the resolution a milestone and has warned a full blown civil war.

BERMAN: For our viewers around the world, "ON CHINA" is next.

For those of you here in the United States, EARLY START continues. We are going talk about the hunt from ISIS. An American mother's desperate plea to spare her son's life, as a new report surfacing this morning that a second American may have been killed fighting for ISIS. We'll talk about this, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)