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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

The Hunt for ISIS; Thousand Russian Troops in Ukraine; NATO Emergency Meeting

Aired August 29, 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: The hunt for ISIS, the terrorists, leaving a deadly trail of destruction. This morning, recruiting new members here in the United States. This, after the president announces he has no new strategy yet to battle the group in Syria.

We're live with the latest new information on a mass execution.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Russian invasion. Violence escalating in Ukraine. Russia accused of arming and fighting alongside rebels, moving in to take over more Ukrainian territory. World leaders outraged. Right now the United Nations holding an emergency meeting.

Live team coverage ahead.

BERMAN: Good evening, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm John Berman.

ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. It's Friday, August 29th, 4:00 a.m. in the East. A very busy news day. We welcome all of our viewers here in the U.S. and around the world.

BERMAN: Up first, reports of imminent airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria. Well, they're apparently premature. President Obama says there is no -- excuse me. No military strategy there, yet, in Syria. He is under pressure to punish ISIS terrorists inside Syria but he made it clear, he is not yet ready to take that step. The president says removing the threat needs to be a regional effort.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: As I have said, ruling out a cancer like ISIL will not be quick or easy. But I'm confident that we can and we will, working closely with our allies and our partners. And I do think it will be important for Congress to weigh in and -- or that our consultations with Congress continue to develop so that the American people are part of the debate. But I don't want to put the cart before the horse. We don't have a strategy, yet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The president says he is meeting with top advisers on the ISIS threat in Syria and Iraq and is sending Secretary of State John Kerry to the region to build support.

In the meantime, ISIS militants claimed to have carried out a mass execution of Syrian soldiers.

CNN's Anna Coren is live in Irbil. And, Anna, you know, these pictures are grizzly.

ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely, John. It's just horrific and sickening video that ISIS has released. It starts off showing Syrian soldiers stripped to their underwear, most with their hands behind their head, marching through the desert. The next shot is a pile of bloody bodies. The cameraman then turns around and that's when you see just this gruesome scene, body after body after body of these dead soldiers face down in the dirt.

Now we have seen this type of video from ISIS before. But knowing that these Syrian soldiers have been captured in battle so fundamentally prisoners of war, it's just horrific. It just shows that ISIS has no code of conduct, no moral code, whatsoever.

ISIS claims that these are the Syrian soldiers that they captured from al Tabqa military base, seized several days ago after a week long battle with forces from Bashar al-Assad regime in Raqqa Province. It was the last stronghold in that area.

The video, just gruesome, John. And then, several hours later, another video was posted on YouTube. This one showing Kurdish forces who they've captured. Fifteen soldiers in orange jump suits, the same jumpsuit that as American journalist James Foley was wearing when he was brutally executed in that video last week. One of the soldiers makes a desperate appeal to the president here in Kurdistan to stop working with the United States, allowing the United States to conduct airstrikes here in Iraq.

The video then finishes with one of those soldiers kneeling before a mosque in Mosul, Iraq's second largest city seized by ISIS back in June before he is beheaded. So these hideous videos we are seeing more on more on the net. But certainly, when they are soldiers, captured soldiers, prisoners of war, this is really coming to define the way that ISIS operates.

BERMAN: You know, and Anna, it's clear, the president says he is still developing his strategy to deal with ISIS in Syria specifically. But ISIS doesn't seem to be waiting.

COREN: No, ISIS is definitely not waiting. There are battles being waged certainly here in Iraq, an active operation at Mosul dam. That has been happening for some time now. We know that Peshmerga, the Kurdish forces, are trying to push them back. But, you know, ISIS operates by laying explosives, blowing up oil wells, certainly blowing up oil pipes. And we saw that yesterday with huge, big black plumes of smoke coming from that area.

ISIS is on the attack. Yes, the U.S. airstrikes are changing the way that they operate on the battlefield. But definitely, they are still attacking, they're still trying to infiltrate into cities. We are seeing car bombings, suicide bombings. So this is something we are going to see more of according to officials -- John.

BERMAN: And we're still seeing these savage images produced by them for PR purposes.

Anna Coren in Irbil, thanks so much -- Anna.

ROMANS: There are new details this morning about the treatment of Western hostages held by ISIS including American James Foley. The "Washington Post" reports at least four captives, including Foley were water boarded several times by the Islamic militants who appeared to mimic that technique used by the CIA to interrogate some suspected terrorists following 9/11.

We're also learning about the man who could be the second American killed fighting for ISIS this week. The family of (INAUDIBLE) says he was killed over the weekend during terrorist clashes in Syria.

CNN is still waiting on government officials to confirm that U.S. man's identity. Meanwhile, friends of this Minnesota dad of nine said his change to radicalism and his sudden move to the Middle East came out of nowhere.

And more information now about American terrorist Douglas McCain who fought for ISIS. It turns out he's not the only of his friends who died alongside Islamic radicals. Turns out his one-time best friend and Minnesota classmate Troy Kastigar was killed fighting for the al- Shabaab terror group in Somalia. That was back in 2009.

Now CNN spoke with Kastigar's mother who still after five years after her son's death is still struggling with his loss.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIE BOADA, TROY KASTIGAR'S MOTHER: I don't easily talk about it to people because I don't want to have to also defend him. My family is great so and my friends are great but just in general and the world. I mean, it is, it's the hardest, the hardest loss that there is. And I'm really grateful that I had him and that I knew Doug.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Insiders say ISIS is recruiting people from the Twin Cities mainly because of the state's large Somali population. They say the terrorists are targeting young, disaffected Minnesotans by using recruitment videos. It's now believed at least 100 Americans have left the country to take up arms alongside militant extremists in Syria.

BERMAN: Now to the escalating crisis in Ukraine. Ukrainian military officials say it is a full scale invasion with Russian forces now fighting alongside separatists rebels on another front, this one in southern Ukraine. The United States and NATO say there is evidence as many as 1,000 troops have crossed into Ukraine and are now directly involved in the latest fighting.

Russia denies this. President Obama blamed Russia for fueling Ukraine's civil war and says the actions will have consequences.

Here's Matthew Chance following developments live from Moscow this morning.

You know, Matthew, U.S. officials say 1,000 plus Russian troops now inside Ukraine with heavy weapons.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. And NATO, the Western military alliance, John, has issued satellite images purporting to show this Russian military incursion inside eastern and southeastern Ukraine as well. But, from the Kremlin point of view, and they have been outspoken on this, they are categorically denying that they are sending troops officially to the battle zone inside eastern Ukraine, saying that this is a hoax. This is made up. Again, totally denying it.

There has been word from pro-Russian rebel leaders inside eastern Ukraine as well, which has added to the confusion around all this. Them saying that Russian troops are engaged in fighting in eastern Ukraine. But get this, only as volunteers. They are essentially saying these rebels, that on their free time, during their leave, Russian soldiers are volunteering, coming across the border fighting and in some instances who have been seeing dying as well, of their own accord. So it's adding that extra dimension of plausible, I use that word carefully, plausible deniability from the Russian point of view -- John.

BERMAN: It's a vacation invasion, according to the pro-Russian rebels inside Ukraine. It is an astounding claim as you say. What effect is the presence of either, these Russian troops or these vacationing Russian troops inside Ukraine? What effects are they having on the ground there? What is the status of the battle right now, Matthew?

CHANCE: Well, they appear to be having a pretty dramatic effect, right? These thousand troops, obviously highly trained. But there may be other troops as well that NATO and the U.S. is not aware of. But what we do know is that over the course of the past several days and perhaps the past several weeks, government forces that have been making significant ground against the pro-Russian rebels over the past couple of months have suffered some important reverses, particularly, as you mentioned, in the southeast of Ukraine, near the city of Mariupol which is on the coast.

It seems to be a situation in which, you know, these rebel forces backed by these Russian volunteers or Russian regular troops are managing to strike some blows against the Ukrainian military. Now on that point, the Kremlin has intervened once again calling on the rebels in eastern Ukraine to open a humanitarian corridor to allow the government forces that are battling them there to withdrawal without any further loss of life.

So once again the Kremlin calling on its proxies in eastern Ukraine to take military action and to save the lives essentially of Ukrainian government troops.

BERMAN: All right. Rapid developments.

Matthew Chance in Moscow for us. Thanks so much.

The situation in Ukraine prompting NATO to call an emergency meeting.

CNN's Karl Penhaul joins us live in London with that in just a few minutes.

Some more news for you right now. A volcanic eruption in the South Pacific, spewing smoke and ash and forcing a number of international flights to be diverted. Mount Tavurvur erupting before dawn in East New Britain Island. That's in Papua New Guinea. There have been no reports of injuries. But wow, look at those pictures.

ROMANS: All right. Eleven minutes past the hour. Time for an EARLY START on your money.

European stocks higher. Asian shares mixed. U.S. stock futures also pointing higher right now. Yesterday, the S&P 500 ended a three-day winning streak closing just a little below 2000. But if the futures hold, looks like stocks could rally today.

And it's finally official, Apple will make a big announcement September 9th. Mark it on your calendar. The invitation very vague. But it's wildly expected Apple is going to roll out two versions of an iPhone 6. The phone is expected to have a much bigger screen to battle competitors like Samsung and HTC. Also there's speculation that this long-awaited iWatch will be unveiled. It'll be Apple's first wearable device expected to have a heavy focus on health and fitness apps.

BERMAN: You're going to have to help me through this next month, not getting a new phone. My phone is only a year old but I'm going to see the new one, I'm going to want it.

ROMANS: I'll help you.

BERMAN: You're going to be there for me?

All right. I want to talk a little bit now about what I think is one of the silliest Twitter memes of all time. It had to do with what the president was wearing yesterday during his news conference. Look at it.

ROMANS: It's a tan suit.

BERMAN: Yes. But it's before Labor Day, so who cares? You can do that.

ROMANS: He never wears a tan suit. He wears the same blue Armani suit or sometimes the gray suit. The guy never changes. He is right as rain. What in the world is he doing changing his fashion now?

BERMAN: And that is why Twitter went nuts yesterday. And as Romans, you know, correctly knows, the president always wears blue or gray. And in fact there was an interview he says, you know, he only wore gray or blue suits. But 4,000 tweets about his, you know, taupe, beige suit.

ROMANS: Do we know? Have we got -- has our crack team in Washington gotten to the bottom of it? Did that tan suit just show up in his closet and he wore it or did he say, I want to wear tan suit today?

BERMAN: I certainly hope they haven't spent a second of time investigating that. Are you looking at -- I don't wear it because I don't think it looks good with my eyes, but, you know, he should wear whatever he wants.

(LAUGHTER)

ROMANS: All right. Legendary comedian Joan Rivers, someone who has a lot of opinions about what people wear, sadly she's in critical condition this morning. She's in a New York hospital. What her family said overnight and what they are expecting about her recovery right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: 81-year-old comedian Joan Rivers said to be resting comfortably this morning at a New York City hospital. She was rushed there Thursday after she suddenly stopped breathing during an outpatient surgical procedure on her throat. And she went into cardiac arrest. She's in critical, but stable condition this hour. Her daughter Melissa releasing a statement thanking everyone for the overwhelming love and support for her mother.

BERMAN: The latest in the Michael Brown shooting. The audio recording that apparently captured the moment police opened fire on him has been authenticated by a streaming app company called Glide. The company says the recording was created at the same time the unarmed Missouri teenager was killed this month. It does bolster the man's claim and his lawyer that he inadvertently recorded audio of the shooting. And it's important to note CNN has not independently authenticated it yet.

Also going on, a group caught up in protests in Ferguson now suing police, the city and the county for $40 million in damages. They allege their civil rights were violated through arrests and assaults with rubber and tear gas.

ROMANS: Authorities in Arizona say no criminal charges will be filed in connection with that gun rage incident in which a 9-year-old girl fatally shot her instructor with an Uzi. Thirty-nine-year-old Charles Vacca was killed when the automatic weapon recoiled in the arms of the 9-year-old spraying bullets everywhere.

The incident sparked a national debate over just how young children should be in handling those kind of firearms. On Thursday, Hillary Clinton weighed in calling the incident heartbreaking and horrifying.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: What 9-year-old little girl is strong enough to manage an Uzi submachine gun, which is apparently what it was. You know, the kick, the effort to control it. I mean, that's just the height of irresponsibility, to say nothing of the choice of letting your child do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The instructor's family is grief stricken, as you can imagine. His widow says their kids are taking it very, very hard.

BERMAN: Authorities in Israel now confirmed that a body found in a forest near Jerusalem is that of missing American Aaron Sofer. The 23-year-old disappeared last week while hiking with a friend. The yeshiva student from New Jersey was studying in Israel. Police investigators have yet to determine the cause of death. But Sofer's family believes it was accidental and that no foul play was involved.

NASCAR driver Tony Stewart will return to sprint competition on Sunday night at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. The three-time NASCAR champ has not raced since his car struck and killed fellow driver Kevin Ward, Jr. during a dirt track race in upstate New York earlier this month. Police found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing on Stewart's part but they do say their investigation is still ongoing.

ROMANS: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell admitting he mishandled the recent case involving Baltimore Ravens star Ray Rice who was accused of assault his fiance. Rice received just a two-day suspension sparking backlash from a lot of people believe that penalty was too light. Goodell has announced a new, very strict policy for any league employee accused of domestic violence. Six games for a first offense. You're out six games, one year ban for two-time offense.

BERMAN: And actually after one year, you have to re-apply for reinstatement and Goodell says there's no guarantee.

This is remarkable. A 2,000 -- word letter he wrote to the owners. You almost never see someone in this type of position say, hey, I was wrong.

ROMANS: Right. And domestic abuse experts are saying, you know, look, the suspensions were longer for smoking pot than they were for knocking a woman out.

BERMAN: A guy was just suspended for a full year for smoking pot. Ray Rice suspended for two games. That now changing.

Nineteen minutes after the hour.

Happening now, an emergency meeting over the crisis in Ukraine. Russia accused of arming and fighting alongside rebels inside Ukraine. World leaders furious this morning. We are live with the very latest right after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Reports of Russia's brazen military advance into Ukraine has prompted NATO to hold an emergency meeting in Brussels today. President Obama says Moscow directly responsible for the escalation of hostilities between -- Ukraine's government and pro-Russian separatists.

CNN's Karl Penhaul live in London for us. And this is -- this is remarkable, the last 24 hours, how tensions have ratcheted so high.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It has certainly sent NATO into a tailspin. And that's the reason why ambassadors to the -- ambassadors to NATO have been meeting now for almost an hour. Expecting some kind of statement from them in another hour from now. And they've been poring over satellite pictures, satellite pictures that appear to show more than 1,000 Russian combat troops backed with heavy weaponry including artillery pieces that are now inside Ukrainian territory.

Really this shows that Putin -- President Putin has played his cards very stealthily in this whole affair. I remember back in March when NATO was looking at pictures showing around 90,000 Russian troops on that Ukrainian border, fears that the Russians were coming then. That never materialized. But since then, Putin and his troops have been proving, they've been looking what they can do and gradually apparently filtering across the border.

And really what is NATO going to do? Some analysts have been suggesting can it invoke Article Five? But of course Ukraine is not a member of NATO. So NATO saying we are going to act in self-defense here. We're going to take some military action. So that then opens up the idea, well, more sanctions, more financial actions to ban imposed on the Russians. And this is really something that the politicians are going to be looking at, the diplomats are going to be looking at. They're raising the question, what really can they do -- Christine.

ROMANS: Can they do. And the notion that these Russian soldiers on vacation invading Ukraine, another really interesting angle.

Karl Penhaul, thank you so much for that in London for us this morning.

BERMAN: For our viewers around the world, "AFRICAN VOICES" is next. For those of you here in the United States, EARLY START continues with the hunt for ISIS.

The terrorists leaving a deadly trail of destruction in Syria and Iraq. Some gruesome, gruesome videos, now recruiting members here in the United States as well. And there is growing concern this morning over what we are seeing there. This, after President Obama announces he has no strategy to deal with ISIS in Syria, yet.

We are live after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)