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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Taking Out ISIS; Mystery Virus Hitting Midwest; NBA Owner on the Way Out; Ceasefire in Ukraine in Jeopardy

Aired September 08, 2014 - 04:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: President Obama promising a tragedy to take down ISIS. How he plans to do it and why victory won't come quickly. This as U.S. airstrikes pound the terrorists in Iraq. And we learn more about the British hostage whose life is on the line. Live team coverage ahead.

A mysterious virus plaguing children in the Midwest. Thousands infected with a rare respiratory illness. Why health officials are saying this could be just the tip of the iceberg.

Another NBA owner on his way out for sending an offensive, racially charged e-mail. What Bruce Levenson is now saying and what this means for the future of the Atlanta Hawks.

Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans. Twenty-nine minutes past the hour. Happy Monday, everyone. John Berman is off today.

Let's begin with President Obama's plan to destroy ISIS. On the day before 9/11, two days from now, the president will address the nation and he's expected to announce a phased a military campaign against ISIS that could take three years to complete.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: On Wednesday, I'll make a speech and describe what our game plan is going to be going forward, but this is not going to be an announcement about U.S. ground troops. This is not the equivalent of the Iraq war. What this is ISIS similar to the kinds of counterterrorism campaigns that we have been engaging in consistently over the last five, six, seven years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Meanwhile, the U.S. is ramping up air strikes in Iraq, trying to stop ISIS extremists from seizing a critically strategic dam on the Euphrates River. If this dam, the Haditha dam, falls to terrorists, it could literally open the floodgates on Baghdad.

I want to bring Jomana Karadsheh live from Baghdad this morning.

And, Jomana, you were saying that ISIS has been really trying to get this dam for sometime. How important is it?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christine, if we look at the Haditha dam, this is in Anbar province. If you recall, this is the first province we saw is making those breathtaking advances earlier this year.

In January, ISIS took control of much of Anbar province, including key cities like Fallujah. But Haditha and the Haditha dam have not fallen to ISIS. And Iraqi security forces and Sunni tribes in the area have been really holding on to this dam because they have been concerned, as you mentioned, about a key facility falling into the hands of the terrorist organization.

But for weeks and months, they have been launching attacks on the dam trying to capture the dam. And that is why Iraqi officials told us they asked the United States for help to try and launch an offensive to clear the area around the dam where these attacks have been -- these areas being used to launch these attacks on the dam and that is what happened yesterday. They say thanks to the U.S. airstrikes, they have been able to clear some of the ISIS positions in the area.

Now, the focus of the military offensive has been a district called Barwanah. That's about six miles west of Haditha. This is where they have been launches strike, for example, like mortars to try and target the dam. This has been the major concern, officials say, that if the dam is damaged, this could cause flooding that would be catastrophic, not only for Anbar province, but other parts of the country.

So, this is really -- now, they are making they're making some advances, but for the -- if you look at the bigger picture here, the rest of Anbar province, the key province bordering Syria and Jordan and also considered to be the Sunni Arab heartland is still much of that province remain in the hands of ISIS.

But as we saw yesterday, an expansion of this U.S. military campaign one month into it, moving from the northern part of the country now to the west.

ROMANS: Jomana Karadsheh, we'll wait to see what the president has to say about his plans to stop ISIS. Thank you, Jomana.

New details this morning about the British hostage David Haines. ISIS is threatening to kill the longtime aid worker seen at the end of the video of this video of the journalist Steven Sotloff's video. And that's hitting very close to home for England's Muslim population.

Karl Penhaul monitoring developments live from London for us.

Hi, Karl.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Christine.

This certainly a real sense that time is ticking away for David Haines. And he is a -- he is from Scotland. He is 40-something years old. And he went to Syria as an aid worker to help out delivering tents and water and food to some of the refugees up on the border with Turkey. He was kidnapped by ISIS back in March 2013.

Talking to some ISIS sympathizers here in London, they say the spate of beheadings that ISIS has carried out and obviously saying that it will carry out more is a kind of a shock-and-awe campaign, something, of course, that most people find absolutely repulsive.

But what we've also been interested to do over the weekend is to try and gain some insight into the mindset of Britons who have been heading out to Syria to fight for this extremist group. I talked to a family of a man who became Britain's first suicide bomber back in February, and he really doesn't seem to fit the profile of some kind of young, crazed radical. In fact, he was 41 years old and father of three and he initially headed out to Syria to work for an aid organization. He headed out on one of these aid convoys that are leaving from Britain, and then, the last thing his family saw was him heading out in an ISIS or in al Nusra, in fact, video in some kind of Mad Max steel plated truck, blew himself up outside of Aleppo prison.

But this is what he said in his last conversation home to his family.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAFEEZ MAJID, BROTHER OF SUICIDE: He said he loved us all very, very much. He said I know you are looking after the family and you're doing a very, very good job. And that, you know, if I had done any wrongs in my life, that I hope maybe you can forgive me for those wrongs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PENHAUL: But getting into the mindset of these British jihadists, these foreign jihadists that are helping these extremists groups in Syria is what the British government is trying to do right now. It wants to understand why they have gone and then stop them from going there in the first place, Christine.

ROMANS: It's so interesting, Karl. It's the nuance of that profile of the jihadists. It's more nuance that a lot of these guys have very different backgrounds, looking for something, looking for some meaning they didn't find in their life or with their own family. Just fascinating. Karl Penhaul, thank you.

The State Department launching a media blitz against ISIS by using the terror group's own propaganda footage. They're hoping that a video entitled "Welcome to the Islamic State Land" will hurt ISIS recruitment of U.S. citizens.

Right now, more than a hundred Americans have traveled overseas to join ISIS. The video contains some graphic images of beheadings, beatings, suicide bombings -- urging viewers to think again and turn away from the terror organization. Meanwhile, Secretary of State John Kerry is heading to the Middle East as early as today. He's going to strengthen the coalition against ISIS.

Congress is back in session today with a full plate of issues, not a whole lot of time. Republican leaders say they expect to meet with White House officials to discuss ISIS militants, whether to attack them in Syria. President Obama has not asked Congress for a vote on it. Republicans also plan to formally complain about the president's handling of the Bowe Bergdahl trade for the five Taliban prisoners. Some lawmakers claim the president did not give them enough notice.

And there's likely to be shall we say back and forth over immigration. The president announcing he won't take any executive action on the issue until after the mid-term elections.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: What I'm saying is I'm going to act because it's the right thing for the country. It will be more sustainable and effective if the public understands what the facts are on immigration and what we have done on unaccompanied children and why it's necessary.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), FLORIDA: Last year, we tried to do that through a one-size-fits-all approach. It didn't work. We don't have the support for that. The only way we're going to be able to address it and I believe we should through a sequence of bills.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Congress also debates a bill to fund the government until December. With critical midterms coming up, with the balance of power in the Senate at stake, both parties are likely to avoid drama that cold cost them in November.

Thirty-seven minutes past the hour. Time for an EARLY START on your money.

European stocks are mixed. A poll in Scotland showing the county favors independence causing uncertainty in London. Asian stocks are mixed as well.

U.S. stock futures pointing lower. Stocks very much in record territory with the S&P 500 closing at a record high on Friday. The current bull market has now been running for more than 2,000 days. This is the fourth longest rally since 1928.

The average bull market usually about 900 days long. This run already twice the typical bull run.

So, when will the rally run out of steam? Some analysts believe stocks are in a bubble that could pop soon. But there are also plenty of optimists who say it's not too late to jump in, they like the fundamentals of the U.S. economy.

Hundreds of children in Missouri hospitalized by a respiratory virus that has health officials scrambling for answers this morning. Doctors say this could just be just the tip of the iceberg. Ten states from Colorado to Kentucky contacting the CDC for assistance. Fearful the virus could spread.

In Kansas City, dozens of children are hospitalized daily, 15 percent of them in intensive care. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARY ANN JACKSON, DOCTOR: It has been associated with clusters of respiratory virus illness, so that piece was well-known. But the clusters that have been seen in the past and reported have been small clusters of maybe 25 or 30 patients. We were seeing that many cases in a day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Wow. Health officials in Colorado, Illinois and Ohio are reporting cases with similar symptoms to that outbreak in Missouri.

Controlling owner of the Atlanta Hawks is on his way out, resigning over a racially charged e-mail. What he is now saying about those remarks.

Plus, California flooded. Drivers stranded as storms moved in and the threat is not over yet. We'll explain, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: President Obama warning the Ebola virus could mutate if it's not controlled. He calls the pandemic in West Africa a huge national security priority. Mr. Obama's comments come as the White House requests $30 million from Congress to pay for the CDC's efforts to combat the deadly outbreak.

So far, at least 2,200 people in the region have been sickened. And those numbers could rise. That's because Ebola clinics in places like Liberia don't have enough space and people are being turned away. In a desperate move, officials in Sierra Leone are issuing a three-day lockdown. Residents will be forced to stay in their homes beginning Friday. This is so doctors can treat people through door to door screenings.

Meanwhile, a vaccine to cure Ebola is showing promise on monkeys, but researchers say these animals needed a booster shot for longer protection. And the third American doctor infected with Ebola is recovering. Dr. Rick Sacra is being treated at a Nebraska hospital with an experimental drug different than the one given to two other Americans.

The grand jury in the Michael Brown shooting case is still working through the evidence. They've been meeting every Wednesday. And their term is set to expire this week. But they will continue their work until they have determined whether to indict Officer Darren Wilson. The six-year veteran officer with the Ferguson Police Department could face charges of murder or manslaughter charges unless it is determined he acted in self defense. Wilson gunned down unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown on August 9th, setting off weeks of protests in Ferguson.

Southern California drenched by storms, up to two inches of rain in an hour, falling in some areas. You have remnants of tropical storm Norbert causing flash flooding in riverside, closing sections of I- 215. Emergency crews were called in. More than 70 cars stranded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was just unreal how the water is coming down. And so, I was hoping that my car wasn't going to stall out in that water and gosh, it is unreal to look at this and see this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The rains had little impact, though, on California's extended drought. Even after Sunday's storms, Riverside County remains well below its average rainfall for the year.

Yosemite National Park on fire. Flames burning at 7,000 feet, forcing 100 hikers to be evacuated by helicopter. Weekend winds spreading the fire over several hundred acres now. Seven choppers and plane more than 100 firefighters all battling this blaze.

The controlling owner of the NBA Hawks is selling his interest in the team after admitting he sent an offensive e-mail that some are calling racist. Bruce Levenson admitted to the league in July, he sent an e- mail to team management two years ago, insisting the Hawks fan base was too heavily African-American.

We get more now from Nick Valencia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This whole started for Bruce Levenson back in 2012 when he wrote an e-mail to the Atlanta Hawks' leadership. He called it an inflammatory e-mail and we know that he self reported this to NBA league officials. What we don't know is what were the events that transpire to lead him to making this decision two years after that original e-mail was written?

We know that the NBA had launched their own investigation and it was reported that Levenson perhaps did not want to put his family through that scrutiny that would go along with this investigation. We did reach out to Levenson and a man who answered the phone at his Maryland home, said he wasn't commenting to the media.

Now, to this e-mail. Let's take a look at what exactly what was said. We know that Levenson started off by blaming the Hawks low ticket sales on the majority black fan base. He goes on to say, "My theory is the black crowd scared away the whites and there are simply not enough affluent black fans to build a significant season ticket base. Please don't get me wrong. There was nothing threatening going on in the arena back then. I never felt uncomfortable. But I think Southern whites simply were not comfortable being in an arena or at a bar where they were in the minority."

Now, some find this situation that Levenson is in as ironic. Earlier this year, he was on CNN's "SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer, blasting the then-owner of the L.A. Clippers Donald Sterling for the racist rant he went on earlier this year. Take a listen to Levenson's comments here. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRUCE LEVENSON, HAWKS OWNER: When something like this happens, we quickly, we loudly, we clearly reject it. The fans spoke up. The players spoke up. Our NBA business partners spoke up. And every NBA owner spoke up. Nobody said this was OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: Now, we did talk to fans in the Atlanta area. And many condemned it. Others, though, said that this might be a ploy to Levenson to raise the value of his team. It's worth nothing that Donald Sterling made a lot of money after he sold his team. Perhaps, this could be the same situation for Levenson.

What we do know is that when Levenson bought the Hawks in 2004, it was estimated value of about $200 million. The team now, 10 years later and seven playoff appearances later, its estimated value is $425 million -- Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Nick Valencia, thanks, Nick.

Forty-eight minutes past the hour.

Ukraine's fragile cease-fire in trouble. New fighting between pro- Russian rebels and Ukraine's military. Are all hopes lost now for peace shattered this morning?

We are live after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is threatening to severe unity agreement with Hamas. He's accusing Hamas of running a shadow government in Gaza. He wants a single authority operating there. Abbas' comments coming two weeks after a cease-fire ended 50 days of violence between Israel and Hamas.

The worst flooding in five decades ravaging Kashmir this morning. At least 175 people have died after five days of relentless rain, thousands have been forced to flee their homes. Rescuers using helicopters and boats trying to get to tens of thousands of residents who are stranded in their homes. The local airport, the main highway in the region, shutdown by that flooding.

The cease-fire in Ukraine on the verge of unraveling. New fighting erupting Sunday, two days after a cease-fire was declared between government forces and pro-Russian separatists. The heaviest fighting near the airport in Donetsk, where the Ukrainian army trying to seize back the region from rebel control.

Reza Sayah live on the phone this morning from Kiev with the latest developments.

What can you tell us about, I guess, the durability of that cease-fire and what's happening exactly right now in Donetsk?

REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): It's in question right now, Christine. Obviously, when you have a cease-fire, you want to see calm, you want to see peace. But, unfortunately, that simply hasn't been the case in parts of the conflict zone, in southeastern Ukraine. We have seen several instances of weapons being fired and shellings.

The most significant flare up happening Saturday night right outside the critical port city of Mariupol. That's where for the past 10 days, we had a tense stand off between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian forces and volunteers. There was shelling at this location that destroyed a gas station and injured several people.

Yesterday morning, a CNN crew was at the same very location when they observed more shelling and in a very troubling incidents, civilians in a vehicle were targeted. Several people injured there. A 33-year-old woman killed, the first fatality of the cease-fire.

In other parts of the conflict zone, more reports of cease-fire violations. It's not clear who's doing the shooting. Both sides blaming one another. So, it's incredibly difficult to figure out what is happening.

But we should point out that on both sides, there are extremists elements who may be looking to sabotage the cease-fire. We haven't verified if that's the case, but that certainly could be a potential cause and some positive developments, the Ukrainian president, Petro Poroshenko was visiting Mariupol today. He probably wouldn't go there if he believes that the fighting is continuing. And neither side has declared the cease-fire is over.

So, some hope still left, but certainly, some troubling in the case over the past 72 hours, Christine.

ROMANS: And we know you'll watch it for us. Reza this morning in Kiev -- thanks, Reza.

Gas prices in this country keep falling. But will the trend continue through the fall? We're gong to get an EARLY START on your money, next.

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ROMANS: All right. Happy Monday.

Let's get an EARLY START on money for the week. European stocks mixed this morning. U.S. stock futures pointing lower. Nothing seems to keep this bull market down. It has been climbing for more than 2,000 days, the fourth longest rally this century, about twice as long as the average run. Experts are divided if this rally is nearing an end or if there's still room left to rise.

Prices at the pump falling. The national average price for a gallon of regular is $3.44. It's down about 20 cents from the start of the summer. And experts say prices could fall another 10 cents to 20 cents by next month. Falling crude oil prices have caused the drop in gas prices on top of that. Prices usually fall in September as people drive less.

Brand new on CNN Money this morning. Millennials are saying no to credit cards. According to a new Bankrate survey, six out of 10 millennials don't have a single credit card. Compare that to three out of 10 Americans over the age of 30. Mounting student debt and struggling economy have scared millennials away from credit cards. Instead, they are turning to debit cards, a smart way to avoid spending what you don't have, but it means losing a chance to build a good credit score for the future. Interesting.

EARLY START continues right now.

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