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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Show of Solidarity for Ukraine; Cease-fire in Ukraine?; Remembering Joan Rivers

Aired September 05, 2014 - 05:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now: President Obama meeting with world leaders, trying to fight back against Russian aggression in Ukraine. Also against the threat of ISIS. With the NATO summit in the last day, what can be accomplished? We are live.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: New information this morning about an American suspected of joining ISIS terrorists. Why he could prove vital to the terror organization as it gains ground in Iraq and Syria.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOAN RIVERS, COMEDIAN: I have no sex appeal and it has screwed me up for life. Peeping toms look in my window, pull down the shade. You have no idea. My gynecologist examines me by telephone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Oh, my. Remember a legend. Joan Rivers dead at the age of 81. We are now learning about her death as we look back at her iconic career.

ROMANS: Her daughter had a very nice statement. She said, you know, her mother would want everyone to return to laughing soon.

BERMAN: And when you see something like that, it's hard not to.

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

ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. Thirty minutes past the hour this Friday morning.

We are in the final hours now of the NATO Summit and Western leaders are showing their solidarity with Ukraine. President Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron and the leaders of France, Germany, and Italy, all pledging to help protect Ukraine from Russian aggression. And a new round of economic sanctions targeting Russian banks and businesses could be announced today.

Western leaders also talking tough now about ISIS, vowing to build an international coalition to confront the terror group head on.

Nic Robertson joins us live this morning from Newport, Wales.

First, start off with what the plan and what they expect to do or hope to do in terms of Ukraine and Russia.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, sure, that's going to dominate the talk this morning. The discussion is going to be about the rapid reaction force. There's going to be discussion about their priorities, technical priorities for NATO forces, do they need more drones, that sort of thing. And also about the increased number of exercises, increase in military exercises closer to Russia. And that's some of the discussion this morning. And then this afternoon, how are they going to pay for it. The discussion will be about the money.

Now we've had a couple of headlines on this from British Prime Minister David Cameron today saying, outlining us, giving us the first official outline of what this rapid reaction force would look like. It would deploy anywhere around the world in two to five days. He said if they can agree that here today, Britain would contribute 3500 troops. Britain would contribute to that rapid reaction force. It would have a base in Poland. It would pre-position equipment towards the east in the eastern NATO states. So it would be more responsive and more ready.

On ISIS, we've heard that there is a growing -- there have been discussions and there's a belief that a group of nations can be formed, can be found that will be able to target ISIS. President Obama, today speaking with the Turkish president, Erdogan T, obviously Turkey borders Syria and Iraq where ISIS has its bases. Using support from Turkey would be important so building a coalition on the fight against ISIS. That is happening today as well.

ROMANS: Yes. Obviously very, very key in that fight against ISIS.

Nic, thanks so much.

BERMAN: As far as Ukraine goes, one complicating or mitigating factor is there could be a cease-fire declared in Ukraine in less than four hours. The new president of Ukraine and the NATO secretary-general both expressing cautious optimism about a possible cease-fire between Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels, this as some fighting dies continue in eastern Ukraine. Pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces engaging in a struggle for a key highway near Donetsk.

Want to bring in Reza Saya, live from Kiev.

And Reza, you know, we could be hours from this fighting stopping?

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John. In a matter of those hours, we're going to find out if all this talk about a cease-fire is legitimate or if it's all talk. But certainly, indications are that there's a potential for a breakthrough and it all depends on what happens at about 2:00 p.m. local time. That's in about an hour and a half in the city of Minsk, Belarus. That's where both sides of this conflict are set to meet and both sides say they are prepared to sign a seven-point cease-fire agreement.

Ukrainian officials and European officials and Russian officials are going to be there, too. We should point out, some western capitals, some NATO members have expressed concern about this plan and skepticism. Some have said this is a ploy by Moscow to buy more time for the rebels and delay the sanctions. But President Poroshenko, himself, yesterday said he's hopeful that this will work and pro- Russian rebel leaders in southeastern Ukraine they say they're hopeful as well.

If and when this plan goes into effect among the conditions are an end to all military operations in the region. The pulling out of troops, the banning of military flights over the conflict zone, an establishment of a humanitarian corridor and the positioning of international monitors to make sure that all these conditions are met.

Yesterday, Mr. Poroshenko said as soon as this deal is signed at 2:00 p.m., he will call off the troops from southeastern Ukraine and then pro-Russian rebel leaders said if indeed they observe that this has happened, at 3:00 p.m. local time, an hour later, they will call off the troops themselves. So all eyes on 2:00 p.m. on the city of Minsk, Belarus, John, to see if, indeed, the cease-fire agreement is signed and then we watch the battlefield to see if it takes effect and the fighting stops.

BERMAN: A lot of unknowns, a lot of conditions and a lot riding on this as well.

Reza Sayah for us live in Kiev this morning. Thanks so much, Reza.

ROMANS: A U.S. citizen from Massachusetts now being linked to ISIS. 32-year-old Ahmad Abousamra is already wanted by the FBI. Now intelligence officials believe he has joined ISIS. Using his computer skills he honed in Boston to help the extremist group social media campaigns.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIE HARF, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESWOMAN: Obviously, we take seriously the threat of American citizens who joined terrorist organizations. We take additional care when thinking about options for taking them off the battlefield. That your citizenship cannot serve as a shield if you take up arms against the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Meanwhile the British Prime Minister David Cameron is opening a legal path to possible military strikes against ISIS and Syria. He is declaring the Assad regime illegitimate, meaning the West would not need the Syrian leader's permission to enter Syrian air space under international law.

And now Iraq's president is appealing for help from the international community to fight ISIS. He tells CNN's Christiane Amanpour ISIS can be wiped out if it gets cooperation from the United States and neighboring Middle East nations. According to Iraqi defense officials, a U.S. airstrike in Mosul killed at least two high ranking members of ISIS. And there are reports the terror group's leader was also killed. The Pentagon is denying that. BERMAN: A doctor from Massachusetts the third American to be

diagnosed now with the deadly Ebola virus. He is being flown home from Liberia right now to get treatment in a special bio-containment unit in Nebraska. Dr. Richard Sacra contracted the disease while treating maternity patients in Monrovia. He will arrive in Omaha today, which is not a moment too soon for his wife.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEBBIE SACRA, WIFE OF DR. RICHARD SACRA: I just had a call from the doctor who put Rick on a plane to come to the United States. And he said that Rick is clearly sick, but that he was in very good spirits and he was -- and he walked on to the plane.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Some researchers are warning that it is only a matter of time before isolated cases of Ebola are discovered in developed nations. They are warning the United States and other countries to be on alert. More than 1900 people have now been killed by the virus in West Africa. And this outbreak has already taken more lives than all other recorded Ebola outbreaks combined.

ROMANS: Thirty-seven minutes pas the hour. Time for an EARLY START on your money.

European stocks mostly lower. U.S. stock futures also down a bit ahead of the jobs report due out at 8:30 a.m. Eastern.

Apple is adding more security measures to protect against tactics used to steal nude celebrity photos of Jennifer Lawrence and a whole bunch of other people. The company will alert iCloud users with e-mail and push notifications when someone tries to change an account password or store a Cloud data on a device or connect to an unfamiliar device to that account. The company will also expand its use of two-factor authentication. That means you enter a second temporary password sent to an app or a text message.

Thirty-eight minutes after the hour right now. And she was such a pioneer in the world of comedy. Rising to fame in the '60s with the signature phrase, "Can we talk?" She said it differently than that. But as Joan Rivers meant, can I talk about anything and anyone? Nobody was safe from her sharp tongue, really least of all herself. The legendary comedian died Thursday at the age of 81 a week after being rushed to a New York City hospital when she suddenly stopped breathing during an outpatient medical procedure on her throat. Funeral services scheduled for Sunday at a synagogue here in New York City.

ROMANS: Her daughter really had a sweet -- a brief but sweet note that she said. You know, her mother would like everyone to return -- she knew her mom would want people to return to laughing again soon.

BERMAN: You know, I'm sure that is the case.

Ten minutes from now, some of Joan Rivers classic one liners and what she wanted at her funeral. We'll have that. Just stay with us.

ROMANS: All right. Millions across the country bracing for a big chill. Temperatures said to drop dramatically. Indra Petersons tracking what you need to know as we turn to fall, next.

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ROMANS: A ten-minute hailstorm pummeling farmers in central Minnesota. Apple trees, zucchinis, soy beans, pumpkin crops decimated by hail the size of tennis balls.

BERMAN: Or small Walkmen. Try to think of non-steroid objects.

(LAUGHTER)

ROMANS: Hours later, another storm packing 70-mile-an-hour wind dropped three inches of rain on the very same region.

And just an inside joke, Berman loves to talk about the shape and size of hail.

BERMAN: Well, it's always golf-ball sized. So I'm trying to figure out other size that hail can be. We'll leave that aside for a moment and get an early look at your forecast now with Indra Petersons.

Good morning, Indra.

INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: In the future, I'm going to tell you how many inches of hail. I'm going to let you come up with the name next. That's just how we're going to do it from now on, on EARLY START.

All right. Let's talk about what's going on across the country, southeast still talking about a couple of scattered showers but a severe weather threat is out there today. We're going to show you that in just a second. But keep in mind, if you are in the southwest, you have enhanced moisture from the hurricane that's hanging out in the Pacific.

Keep in mind, Detroit, Ft. Wayne, even down into Indianapolis today, you do have that threat for severe weather. Keep in mind, you have flights to Detroit, you're going to watch out for that. But by tomorrow, this is where it gets tricky. Look at all the major cities that are going to be affected. We're talking about even Boston, Portland, even down toward New York City we have the threat for some of these stronger thunderstorm that are going to be out there.

Temperature divide. Very easy to see. Look at the 60s toward, yes, Minnesota, but then to the south, you're still talking about almost near 100 degree temperatures. This is the cool pool of air. Watch it. Because this is what's going to be flowing down even into the south and the northeast as we go toward the weekend. All of this milder air will be spreading further in. You're going to notice that change, it's a little bit of a roller coaster as those temperatures kind of swing back down as we go towards the weekend. Just keep in mind, by next week, that pattern is staying as well. So

fall is so close. The new names, Berman, they are yours from here on out.

BERMAN: Appreciate it. Thank you so much.

ROMANS: Thank you.

BERMAN: Indra Petersons is taking care of us here on EARLY START.

ROMANS: Let's take a look at what's coming up on "NEW DAY. Chris Cuomo joins us this Friday morning.

Hi, Chris.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR, NEW DAY: Good morning, my friends. We have the latest on the global fight against ISIS this morning. President Obama and NATO leaders trying to form a united front against the terror group. Now this comes as we learn about the hunt for an American believed to have joined ISIS to support their propaganda campaign. There's a lot of talk about what they do on social media. They believe this man that you're looking at is the person behind.

So how big of a threat to Americans is ISIS? We're going to take a look at that. And then, big trials getting ready to start for us here. The Georgia father accused of killing his toddler by leaving him to die in a hot car. He has been indicted on murder and child cruelty charges. There's something confusing about the charges. We are going to get into that and we're going to look at whether the prosecution has a case, or if they overcharge, did they overstate. There's a lot of new information coming out to take you through on that.

And obviously, we are going to be talking Joan Rivers because very few people breakthrough in the American culture the way she did. She deserves to be celebrated. And we'll be joining in with that this morning.

I hope you have a good weekend if I don't get to see you, guys.

BERMAN: Looking forward to that. And, Chris, actually I know you had a chance over the years to speak to Joan Rivers. I'm very curious to hear what you have to say about her and your interactions on "NEW DAY." So we look forward to that.

CUOMO: She told me, don't be funny, you're not.

(LAUGHTER)

ROMANS: She's smart.

BERMAN: A very, very wise woman.

All right. Thank you.

ROMANS: Smart. Right. All right. Thanks. BERMAN: And we are going to be talking about Joan Rivers when we come

back. She has passed away at the age of 81. We're going to tell you what she requested for her funeral, ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RIVERS: Can we talk here for a second? There's no big deal to have a woman in the White House. John F. Kennedy had 1,000 of them. I am telling you right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNNY CARSON, "THE TONIGHT SHOW": I said, you know, you're going to be a big star.

RIVERS: And then --

CARSON: And that's something you don't say because it always sounds like, you know, you're just --

RIVERS: And I look behind. I couldn't believe you're talking to me.

CARSON: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Some called her the queen of mean, but this morning Hollywood royalty, adoring fans, remember Joan Rivers and her ability to make everyone laugh.

BERMAN: You know, she was such a pioneer. She was not afraid to poke fun at herself. Not afraid to poke fun at anybody, for that matter. The quick-witted, sharp-tongued comedian she passed away yesterday at the age of 81.

Here now some of the legendary one-liner that kept us laughing for decades.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RIVERS: My hot flashes are so bad, I was hit by a heat seeking missile. You don't know. If I want to see three people who make tons of money and have no talent, I will not much watch you guys. I will watch the Kardashians. It is --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What happened to your eye? What happened?

RIVERS: I scratched it on Al Roker's zipper. And it was just --

KATHY GRIFFIN, COMEDIAN: And now it's time to bring up the man of the hour. Comedy legend Joan Rivers.

RIVERS: I drew an upside down glass because I have not seen cups this empty since I did shots with Dina Lohan. I'm sure some of you out there are wondering if my breasts are real, OK? Let me just explain to you, thank you. This one is, this one isn't.

What we do is a calling, my dear. We make people happy. It's a calling.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: By the way, that episode with Louis C.K. was so funny. Ruthlessly funny. I want to read you something now from Joan Rivers' 2012 book.

"I hate everyone, starting with me." She said, "When I die, I want my funeral to be a huge showbiz affair with lights, cameras, action. I want crap services, I want paparazzi, I want publicists making a scene. I want it to be Hollywood all the way. I don't want some rabbi rambling on."

And this is the best line. "I want Meryl Streep crying in five different accents. I don't want a eulogy. I want Bobby Vinton pick up my head and sing 'Mr. Lonely.' I want to look gorgeous better dead than I do alive. I want to be buried in a Valentino gown and I want Harry Winston to make me a toe tag and I want a wind machine so that even in the casket, my hair is blowing, just like Beyonce's."

Wonderful. Funeral services for Joan Rivers are scheduled for Sunday at Temple Emanuel out here in New York City.

ROMANS: All right, 53 minutes past the hour. A little bit of money news here. BP's market value plunging. A judge ruling the company's gross negligence caused the 2010 oil spill in the gulf. An EARLY START on your money, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Let's get an EARLY START on your money this morning. European shares mostly down right now. U.S. stock futures are lower as well. All eyes on the August jobs reports. That's not out until 8:30 a.m.

CNN Money predicts the economy added 226,000 jobs in the month, that's 17,000 more than in July. Also expecting a 6.1 unemployment rate, a slight drop from July's 6.2 percent.

If all these predictions hold, August will be the seventh straight month with more than 200,000 jobs added.

All right. BP could be on the hook for billions more for the worst oil spill in U.S. history. A federal judge ruled BP was grossly negligent in the 2010 deep water horizon disaster because the oil giant didn't follow up on a failed safety test. That ruling could quadruple what BP owes in pollution fines -- quadruple it to more than $18 billion.

BP said it plans to appeal that decision. The company says it already paid more than $42 billion in fines, settlements and clean-up costs. BP shares fell 6 percent yesterday. Apple is adding more security measures to protect against tactics used

to steal nude celebrity photographs. Photographs of Jennifer Lawrence and a lot of other people. The company will alert iCloud users with e-mail and push notifications when someone tries to change an account's password or restore a Cloud data on a new device or connect to an unfamiliar device to the account. The company will also expand its use of two-factor authentication. That's when you enter a second temporary password sent through an app or a text message.

And, you know, our Laurie Segall who's our -- you know, our tech correspondent, she has said two-step authentication is critical for everyone.

BERMAN: Yes, I was just going to say that. I mean, Laurie really thinks that's a very, very big deal.

ROMANS: Yes.

BERMAN: So a good move by Apple for iCloud.

Now, for your answers on all the pressing job questions, Christine Romans hosting a Facebook chat with U.S. Labor secretary today. You can join in on CNN Money's Facebook page at 11:30 Eastern. Start putting in your questions right now.

ROMANS: You can ask me anything.

BERMAN: "NEW DAY" starts right now.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, President Obama overseas trying to build a coalition to confront ISIS as CNN learns about new fears that they could hit the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. And a new hunt for an American who may hold a critical role in the terror group.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Remembering Joan. Emotional tributes pouring in from friends and many fellow comedians. This, as two investigations are opened into Joan Rivers' death. We have the very latest.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Malice murder. The father in the hot car death now indicted for the murder of his son. New questions this morning about whether the prosecution is overcharging him.

CUOMO: Your NEW DAY starts right now.