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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

NATO Summit Set to Begin; Americans Fighting for Islamic Extremists; Ebola Epidemic; Are You Ready for Some Football?

Aired September 04, 2014 - 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: Happening now: President Obama meeting with world leaders over the crisis in Ukraine, trying to figure out how to stop this Russian invasion and skeptical over Vladimir Putin's new cease-fire proposal. Live team coverage ahead.

Home grown terror armed with U.S. passports. New concerns this morning over Americans who have left this country to join ISIS. Britain's prime minister speaks with CNN about his own country's ISIS terror threat. Live team coverage on all the angles here ahead.

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm John Berman. It is Thursday, September 4th, 5:00 a.m. in the East. Christine Romans is off this morning.

We are three hours from the start of what could be the most critical NATO summit ever. Western leaders from 60 countries gathered in Newport, Wales, attempting to tackle two spiraling conflicts, one in Ukraine, one in Afghanistan, as well as the growing threat from ISIS. And they are going to try to do this all in just two days.

President Obama calling out Russia for its, quote, "brazen assault on Ukraine." The commander-in-chief careful not to use the word "invasion", at least not yet.

This morning, the president meets with leaders of Britain, Italy, France, and Germany, before remarks at 8:00 a.m. Eastern, officially kick off that summit.

We want to go live now to White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski. She is in Wales this morning.

And, Michelle, what does the president want to accomplish with these leaders today, specifically in regards to what's going on in Ukraine?

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: There's a lot on the plate surrounding that. First of all, to get commitments to continue to support Ukraine, NATO countries have been doing this now for months. There's not a lot of question about continuing to happen.

The bigger question is how much everyone is going to pay for it. President Obama has wanted commitments from all of these countries to boost their contribution to the NATO funding. He also wants to expand NATO's reach in terms of the number of troops that are ready, that would be ready in an emergency situation, and to conduct these training exercises that rotate in and out.

It's been one of President Obama's proposals for NATO, that more U.S. troops participate in that, and that the whole system is expanded -- the training, the planning, and especially as we mentioned, the readiness. So, I think we are going to see changes there.

Also, just the way they commit to what exactly they're going to do in terms of sanctions. European Union has been talking about expanding that for a few days now. The U.S. will usually be aligned in that way. Although it's been kind of, first the U.S., then Europe and going back and forth in boosting those sanctions.

So, we do expect to see a tougher stance on Russia. We're not sure exactly in what area the sanctions will be. But it's one thing we are waiting for in the next two days -- John.

BERMAN: We'll be watching these discussions. No doubt we'll be watching these discussions as well from inside Ukraine and Russia.

Michelle Kosinski in Wales for us, thank you so much.

Now, the host of this summit is British Prime Minister, David Cameron. He has his eyes not just on Ukraine, but also on ISIS. He says he's determined to confront ISIS head on. He says he was shocked by the beheading of American journalist Steven Sotloff and that he, Britain will never pay a ransom for the release of a British hostage, one now in the hands of Islamic extremists.

Our Nic Robertson just sat down -- actually, I think it was standing up, for a one-on-one interview with the British prime minister. He joins us now from Newport, Wales.

Good morning, Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, John.

One of the questions I asked the British prime minister was, is he any closer, is Britain any closer to finding this British accented man who's involved apparently in the brutal murders of both James Foley and Steven Sotloff? He said that they were making progress, but he wasn't willing to discuss the issues working with their partners, he said, to on this particular issue.

But he said -- he was very, very clear, because I asked him the question, look, is this about destroying ISIS or is this about, as President Obama has also said, is this about reducing, shrinking to a manageable problem ISIS. He said no, for him, this is about destroying ISIS.

He isn't ruling out the use of airstrikes, anything like this. He said it was important to build up the nations around there, the partners in the region, Iraq and Jordan, he mentioned. But he also said he views this as a generational problem. This is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We should be clear what we are facing here. This Islamist extremist narrative, poisonous narrative, it isn't just in Iraq and Syria. We've also seen it in Somalia, in Mali, of course, in Afghanistan, when hosted by the Taliban. So, this is a generational struggle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: The British prime minister, when I asked him, I said that this ISIS issue is not on the main agenda here at the NATO Summit. He said, look, it may not be on the agenda, but it's certainly something everyone wants to talk about. This is something that will be discussed perhaps at the big banquet dinner tonight in Cardiff Castle. This is something that will happen in bilateral discussions, other discussions between groups of nations here.

So, very much a focus issue although not per se on the precise agenda itself, John.

ROMANS: No, sort of just hanging over this entire summit. The main focus -- one of the main focuses, is Ukraine right now. Did the prime minister give you indication of whether he thinks that there might be some kind of cease-fire possibility, possible deal in place in Ukraine?

ROBERTSON: He gave the impression he doesn't trust particularly what President Putin is saying. And I said, look, what President Putin has announced in his seven points of steps to peace would be tantamount to the pro-Russia rebels. And therefore, Russia taking territory in the southeast of Ukraine, ceding territory, taking it away from the government in Kiev.

And Prime Minister Cameron said this is absolutely not acceptable to allow these pro-Russian rebels to essentially carve out a piece of Ukraine for themselves. So, the steps that President Putin laid out, Prime Minister Cameron is not convinced they are going to lead to peace and not convinced at all that President Putin really means what he's saying at the moment, John.

BERMAN: And he's covering a couple of the crises these leaders will try to tackle over the next several hours, as they begin to discuss Afghanistan.

Our Nic Robertson, our thanks so you.

(MUSIC)

BERMAN: Right now, in the Middle East, there are U.S. citizens taking up arms in fighting for Islamic extremist groups including ISIS. How many Americans are there?

Well, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is now putting a number on it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHUCK HAGEL, DEFENSE SECRETARY: As we have acknowledged publicly, we are aware of over 100 U.S. citizens who have U.S. passports who are fighting in the Middle East.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: I want to bring Jomana Karadsheh right now. She is live from Baghdad.

Of course, ISIS dominated by Iraqis with Iraqi leadership. But there are these foreign fighters, including Americans, now within the ranks, Jomana.

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Of course a lot of concern about that. And as we heard Secretary Hagel saying about 100 fighting in Syria. Now, that's not only with ISIS. There are aware of about a dozen within that group fighting with ISIS. Others are with different rebel groups, other Islamist groups that are fighting in Syria. But as we have seen loyalties change, these foreign fighters tend to change groups once they are on the ground.

And there's a lot of concern here in Iraq, in the region, about the flow of these foreign fighters. America's allies in the region like Jordan and Israel would be really concerned about foreign fighters, Islamic extremists with foreign passports and Western passports that allow them to travel freely in the region, a real threat for them.

And as you mentioned, here in Iraq, of course, this is a concern. Over the years, especially under the U.S. military presence here, Iraq has been a magnet for foreign jihadists who bring their battles here to Iraq. And now, officials here are concerned their country is, once again, becoming more of a magnet with what is going on in Syria, foreign fighters there and moving their battle as U.S. airstrikes continue here in Iraq, bringing their battle, their jihad here to Iraq.

So, a lot of concern about it. And officials here tell us that more needs to be done, one by the countries where these fighters are coming from, the U.S., Europe and other Arab and Muslim countries, to try and stop them before they get close to Iraq or Syria.

And another issue -- and it has always been an issue -- is border control. They say that countries like Iran and Turkey need to tighten their border security more to stem the flow of these fighters coming into Syria and ultimately also into Iraq here.

And as you mentioned, John, the majority of these fighters within the ranks of ISIS are Iraqis. And this is also a big concern here that ISIS has this ability to still exploit those sectarian divisions that really run deep in this country to really recruit more Sunnis on the site or factor a fear, spreading the fear amongst the Sunni community, forcing people to join their ranks or turn a blind eye.

So, really, here, Iraqis want more to be done by the international community. And also made clear by President Obama and other U.S. officials, Iraqis here also have a critical task. They need to bring the Sunni's on board. The Sunnis in the past have been key allies of the military here when they turned to al Qaeda in 2006 and really turn the tide in the battle against al Qaeda and Iraq, weaken the group after the U.S. military left things really changed here with what is set to be the sectarian policies of this government. So, really, more needs to be done also in Iraq, on the ground, to try and shift the situation here and weaken ISIS in Iraq.

BERMAN: The president says it's an Iraqi issue, it's a regional issue, it is now a worldwide issue.

Jomana Karadsheh in Baghdad for us -- thank you so much.

Eleven minutes past the hour. Alison Kosik is here with an EARLY START on your money.

KOSIK: And you know what? What the European Central Bank does or doesn't do today could move the market. So, investors are waiting for that much anticipated announcement from the European Central Bank that's expected to come later this morning.

And there are some new stimulus measures which would look to try to rev up Europe's slowing economy. That stimulus could look similar to the bond-buying program that the Federal Reserve is currently winding down. So, ahead of that announcement, stocks are looking pretty cautious. European shares are mostly lower. And U.S. stock futures are lightly to the downside right now as well.

Michael Bloomberg, New York City's former mayor, is back on top at his own company. The former mayor is once again taken over Bloomberg LP, that's a company he founded 30 years ago. Bloomberg's return comes at a crucial time for the company as it looks to introduce more products outside its data terminals for finance professionals, and it's also looking apparently to expand its news coverage.

So, even after, you know, running New York City for 12 years, being one of the richest in the world, he's still got the fire in his belly to run a company. And why not? It's his own.

BERMAN: He owns 88 percent of it. He can do whatever he wants --

KOSIK: What he wants to do.

BERMAN: Exactly.

All right. Alison Kosik, thanks so much.

Twelve minutes after the hour.

Russian President Vladimir Putin presenting a plan for peace in Ukraine. Can he be trusted? We are live in Ukraine with what's happening on the ground, because it will surprise you -- right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Pro-Russian forces advancing deeper into Eastern Ukraine this morning, as leaders from both of those countries try to hammer out a cease-fire deal. Ukraine's president announcing that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed on steps to try to end the hostilities. President Putin offered a seven-point plan for peace in the region. But most Western leaders are really skeptical at best of that right now.

I want to bring Reza Sayah right now, tracking developments, live from Kiev.

What we are seeing on the ground this morning, Reza, may give us all reason to be skeptical.

REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John. There's a lot of talk over the past 24 hours about a cease-fire, but there's new information coming from the conflict zone that doesn't bode well for those talks. Over the past couple hours, Ukrainian officials saying that during the overnight hours, there was increased shelling from Russian troops targeting locations in southeastern Ukraine.

Of course, Moscow has repeatedly denied that they are in this conflict, that they are involved in this conflict, but the accusations from Kiev are continuing and seemingly so does the fighting.

However, the prospects of a potential cease-fire, they seem to be there. Russian President Putin, yesterday, in a phone call with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, seemed to agree on the framework, on the conditions for a cease-fire. Among those, the military operations in Southeastern Ukraine, the pulling out of troops, the establishment of a humanitarian corridor, international monitors in place to make sure all those conditions are met.

Mr. Poroshenko said he was hopeful that framework, the conditions would be put in place beginning tomorrow in Belarus, where all sides of this conflict are meeting to discuss the crisis.

So, John, all eyes on Belarus tomorrow to see what the outcome is.

BERMAN: We'll have to wait 24 hours to see if there is any juice in this deal. Reza Sayah for us in Kiev, thank you so much.

Seventeen minutes after the hour.

The Ferguson, Missouri Police Department has been notified by the Justice Department that is under federal investigation. The formal announcement could come today. That probe will be focusing on the police practices of the Ferguson police over several years. The department is also being investigated by the Feds for the shooting death of unarmed teenager, Michael Brown.

Officials confirmed it was an EF-1 tornado that caused this destruction in Upstate New York, near Elmira. The twister was on the ground for nearly 10 minutes, packed winds of 100 miles per hour, over a six-mile stretch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My husband just kind of jumped over all of us. It sounded like a locomotive train. You can see and hear things getting pulled up. And we just prayed. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Will there be anymore of that?

Indra Petersons has a look at the forecast today.

Good morning, Indra.

INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning.

The big story is going to be watching the same cold front makes its way across the country, really over the next several days. And as it moves to the east, we'll start to see the showers move ahead of it as well. Yes, there's a severe weather threat around Wisconsin.

But look at the showers and lightning that is already out there, especially heads up around Chicago. Keep that in mind, if you are flying this morning, you may want to call ahead and check on that flight.

Otherwise, as we move into tomorrow, we're still going to be talking about those scattered storms now making their way into the Ohio valley. Southeast, you are talking scattered showers, and no change there. But notice what happens as we go toward the weekend.

We are talking the weather spreading to the mid-Atlantic as well as the Northeast. It is something we are watching as we're stilling looking for one, even two inches of rain coming out of that story.

Very easy to see. Where is the colds front, right? Yes, you saw it today right around Wisconsin. Look at the cool air behind it and notice the warm temperatures ahead of it.

So, with that, we're going to be talking about a cool-down, eventually, as the cool front sees it temperatures drop off. It may take a day or two. But by Sunday or so, you'll notice that temperature drop makes its way all the way even into the Northeast.

So, we'll be watching. It could be a lot better. I'm hearing a lot of people saying it's a little hot.

BERMAN: Yes, it's a little hot. Add me to the list.

PETERSONS: Yes.

BERMAN: All right. Indra, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

Coming up, words I have been waiting months to hear. Are you ready for some football? The NFL season kicks off tonight. Laura Rutledge celebrate this is holiday with us in the "Bleacher Report", next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: The NFL'S first openly gay player, Michael Sam, landed a spot on the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad. That is just one piece of the major football news today. Laura Rutledge has more in this morning's "Bleacher Report".

Good morning, Laura.

LAURA RUTLEDGE, BLEACHER REPORT: Good morning, John.

Yes, Michael Sam drafted by the Rams, but he was cut from the team last weekend. And no one was sure if the league's first openly gay player to be drafted would land on another team.

Then, the Dallas Cowboys came calling. Sam is now a member of their practice team. He's just happy to get a chance to prove himself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL SAM, FIRST OPENLY GAY NFL PLAYER: I'm trying to help the Cowboys anyway I can, so I can earn a spot on this team and hope our team will win games.

REPORTER: How do you do that --

SAM: I just -- you know, anything I can. On special teams, on left end, right end, whatever. You want me to hold the ball, I'll hold the ball. I do it to perfection.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RUTLEDGE: Well, Sam is actually from Texas, is now one of 10 practice squad members. Owner Jerry Jones said Sam may have a chance to make the Cowboys active roster in the future.

All right. Serena Williams is looking good at the U.S. Open, and not just her game. Check out her leopard print dress. Not many people can pull that off. Williams dominated her match last night. Serena is still looking for her first grand slam win of the year. She will play Ekaterina Makarova in the semis on Friday.

Now, trending on bleacherreport.com, the NFL season is finally here. Tonight is the night when the defending Super Bowl champ Seahawks host the Packers. Now, a lot of so-called experts are picking the Seahawks repeat as champs that Seattle's Richard Sherman knows they have a tough test starting tonight in a really good quarterback in Aaron Rodgers to focus on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD SHERMAN, SEAHAWKS: It will be a chess match. It's always fun. He's probably, you know, arguably, the best quarterback in this football league. I would say it's between him -- he and Peyton.

AARON RODGERS, GREEN BAY PACKERS: This is a game we have been in before. We know the excitement that surrounds it. It's a highly rated game we are playing in, and tough environment with the Super Bowl champions. So, it's going to be tough test for us.

(END VIDEO CLIP) RUTLEDGE: I like how Sherman calls it a chess match. I think that's an accurate way to portray this game.

And, hey, John, you couldn't ask for a better match up. Offense versus defense. High powered versus dominant defense.

BERMAN: It's all just a preview to Sunday's Patriots opener, which is all we care about, Laura. But thank you --

RUTLEDGE: Against the Dolphins, right?

BERMAN: Against the Dolphins -- the Dolphins will be there, also. It's really just about the Patriots, though.

Laura Rutledge, great to have you with us this morning. Thanks so much.

Happening now: President Obama meeting with world leaders, talking about the crisis in Ukraine, in the threat of terror, as new ISIS concerns emerged. We have live coverage, right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)