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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Obama to Outline Plan for ISIS; Mystery Virus Infects Children; NBA Owner on the Way Out

Aired September 08, 2014 - 05:00   ET

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

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: The hunt for ISIS. President Obama promising a strategy to take down the terror organization. How he plans to do it as the U.S. launches air strikes in Iraq. Live team coverage ahead.

Children sick from Colorado to Georgia. A rare respiratory virus infecting hundreds of kids. Why the CDC warns this could be just the tip of the iceberg.

Another NBA owner out for offensive remarks on race. Bruce Levenson apologizing and selling his share of the Atlanta Hawks. What he said and what's next for the team ahead.

Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans. John Berman is off this Monday morning. It is September 8th. It is 5:00 a.m. in the East.

Up first, President Obama's plan to take out ISIS. On the day before 9/11, two days from now, the president will address the nation. He is expected to announce a phased military campaign that could take three years to complete. And the president is already hinting he has no plans to seek congressional approval for this.

We get more from Erin McPike.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A looming question we expect Wednesday's speech to answer, Christine, is will the president propose airstrikes in Syria? It would be trickier than in Iraq because the U.S. does not support the Syrian government. We expect that the speech will layout the fine print of his strategy. And to that end, will he seek congressional approval? It's hard to tell so far.

Listen to how he couched that on NBC's "Meet the Press".

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am going to be asking Congress to make sure that they understand and support what our plan is and it's going to require some resources, I suspect, above what we are currently doing.

MCPIKE: Now, some members of Congress may not want to be on the record with a vote like that just two months before the mid-term elections, but there are members of Congress who say congressional approval is necessary or important, like Texas Senator Ted Cruz who was on ABC yesterday.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R), TEXAS: It should absolutely take congressional approval.

MCPIKE: Now, the president also said he wants the American people to understand why ISIS poses a direct threat and that the U.S. has the capacity to deal with it. We keep hearing that the American public is so war-weary. But as far as ISIS is concerned, there has been virtually no polling, so it's unclear what the American people think and that is why President Obama has to make this case -- Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE) ROMANS: All right. Erin McPike for us this morning.

Meanwhile, the U.S. stepping up airstrikes in Iraq, trying to stop ISIS extremists from seizing a critically strategic dam on the Euphrates River. If the Haditha dam falls to terrorists, it could literally open the flood gates on Baghdad.

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

And ISIS militants have been trying very, very hard to take over this peace of critical infrastructure. How are they doing?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christine, Haditha dam is in Anbar province. The province that is mostly controlled by ISIS. That is where we saw the early advances back in January where they took over major parts of the province of Anbar, including the city of Fallujah.

But Haditha and Haditha dam have remained under the control of the Iraqi security forces. ISIS has been trying over the last few weeks and months to try and capture that key installation, the Haditha dam. And officials told us they have been really concerned in those attempts to try and capture the dam. ISIS has been launching attacks. They've really been concerned of mortars and attacks and sorts of attacks that could damage the dam and really cause what they call catastrophic flooding in Anbar province and other parts of the country. And that is why Iraqi officials requested the assistance of the U.S. military because they haven't been able to do this on their own.

So, under the cover of U.S. airstrikes, they have managed to take out some of the ISIS extremists, around the focus of this operation -- a district called Barwanah, about six miles west of Haditha. They say this has been the area used by ISIS to launch these attacks. This operation is ongoing, they say, but that they have made some progress in the outskirts of Barwanah.

Really, U.S. air strikes here, months since the campaign began, really shifting the balance on the ground here in favor of the Iraqi ground forces wherever we see that happen, and a real expansion, one month on. We saw them focused in the north. We saw the impact in the areas where these air strikes have been taking place. Now, we see them move to the west of the country to that key Anbar province that is mostly controlled by ISIS bordering Syria also considered to be the heartland of Sunni Arabs.

ROMANS: Jomana Karadsheh for us in Baghdad, laying it all for us, thank you, Jomana.

You know, the clock it ticking for the British hostage David Haines. ISIS is threatening to kill this longtime aid worker seen at the end of the video of journalist Steven Sotloff's beheading. And that's hitting very close to home for England's Muslim population.

Karl Penhaul monitoring developments live from London.

Good morning, Karl.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine.

David Haines was kidnapped back in March 2013. By all accounts, he is a veteran aid worker. On this particular occasion, he was working for French aid organization up in a refugee camp close to the Turkish border. He was the logistics and safety manager there. It seems he had been working for a few days before this aid organization before he was kidnapped. So, certainly, we're keeping a close eye on what his fate maybe.

Now, of course, because he is a Briton and the black masked man is believed to be British, the executioner of Steven Sotloff and the James Foley, then a lot of attention here in Britain on what makes British nationals head out to the battle zone and join these extremists groups. And over the weekend, we were trying to get insight of the mindset of the jihadi fighter, talking to the family of the man who became Britain's first suicide bomber back in February.

Now, the pictures seems much more complex than simply describing as a crazed young radical. That really in this man's case was not the issue. He was in his 40s. He was a father of three.

He first headed out to Syria on one of the many aid convoys that are traveling there to help the civilian population. But it was there in one of the refugee camps apparently that he met fighters from a group that recently splintered from ISIS and joined al Qaeda affiliate al Nusra. And that is where he was convinced to take part of the suicide bombing against Aleppo prison, getting into a Mad Max-style dump truck filled with explosives. His family had no idea, but this is the last conversation they had with him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAFEEZ MAJID, BROTHER OF SUICIDE BOMBER: He said that he loved us all very, very much. And he said I know you are looking after the family and you are doing a 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: That British suicide bomber had really a normal British childhood, although his parents were pa Pakistani. Right now, his mother still can't believe that he won't be coming home. Of course, what the British authorities are trying to do is get more insight into the mindset of these men who have been heading out to join ISIS and other extremist groups to stop them going there in the first place -- Christine.

ROMANS: Yes, and you bring up a good point. It's not just sort of like crazed young jihadi. It's a very complicated picture, Karl, of these men who are turning to this fight.

PENHAUL: Absolutely. I think, you know, before part of any also, you know, in any war, we know there is propaganda on both sides. Of course, the videos we have seen coming out from ISIS and other jihadi groups, well, ISIS sympathizers here in London describe those a shock and awe. They create repulsion in this and that is why we don't look at the nuances but certainly talking to the family of Britain's first suicide bomber.

There are a lot of nuances here. There is a lot of stuff that we have to understand to really figure out then how we can begin to tackle this problem, Christine.

ROMANS: All right. Karl Penhaul for us this morning in London, thanks, Karl.

The State Department launching a massive social media blitz against ISIS, by using the terror group's own propaganda footage. They are hoping a video entitled "Welcome to the Islamic State land" will hurt ISIS' recruitment of U.S. citizens. More than 100 Americans have traveled overseas to join ISIS. The video contains graphic images of beheadings, beatings and suicide bombings, urging viewers to think again and turn away from the terror organization.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State John Kerry heading to the Middle East as early as today to try to strengthen the coalition against ISIS.

Congress is back in session today with a full plate of issues and not a lot of time. Republican leaders say they expect to meet with White House officials to discuss ISIS militants and whether to attack in Syria. President Obama has not asked Congress for a vote on it.

Republicans also planned to formally complain about the president's handling of the Bowe Bergdahl trade for five Taliban prisoners. Some lawmakers claim the president did not give them enough notice.

And there's likely to be some 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 that I'm going to act because it's the right thing for the country. But it's going to be more sustainable and more 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 did not work. We don't have the support for that. The only way we will address it and I believe we should is through a sequence of bills.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

Time for an EARLY START on your money. Stocks around the world mixed this Monday morning. U.S. stock futures lower right now.

But I can tell you, it seems like nothing can keep the bull market down. The S&P 500 ended last week at record high. The markets have been climbing for more than 2,000 days, the fourth longest rally in the last century.

General Motors taking a big step toward the first self driving car. The CEO Mary Barra announced G.M. will roll out a vehicle with a semi autopilot mode in about two years. It will drive itself by talking to other vehicles using new information sharing technology and sensors. The system is called super cruise. It will be first available in the 2017 Cadillac -- fully automated vehicles still thought to be years away.

Ten minutes past the hour.

Hundreds of children in Missouri hospitalized by a respiratory virus that has health officials scrambling for answers this morning. Doctors say this could 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 being hospitalized every day, 15 percent of those children 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: Health officials in Colorado, Illinois and Ohio are now reporting cases with similar symptoms to that outbreak in Missouri.

A new warning this morning about Ebola. What President Obama is now saying about this deadly virus.

Plus, Hamas slammed by the Palestinian Authority. We are live with what this means for Gaza moving forward, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

I want to bring in Ian Lee live from Jerusalem. How important is the statement from Mahmoud Abbas and will it have any influence on Hamas leadership in Gaza?

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, like you said, the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas accused Hamas of running this shadow government in Gaza, saying, quote, "We cannot accept the current state of affairs and will not accept the partnership with us and Hamas if the status quo remains as it is in Gaza.

Now, these words call into question that unity government which was created last April. A new cabinet was formed shortly, but Abbas is saying Hamas' shadow government running Gaza now is essentially rendering that unity government helpless.

Now, obviously, Hamas denounced the statements, calling them unjust and unjustified. And that this sort of criticism shouldn't be aired out in the public, in the media, but rather in dialogue. It's interesting to note that a recent poll states if presidential elections were today, Hamas' political leader Ismail Haniya would trounce Mahmoud Abbas.

The poll also states that almost 80 percent of Palestinians believe Hamas won both Gaza war. And so, you can see, it's not really a surprise why Hamas is popular right now.

Now, this rift is music to the Israel's ears. They condemned the unity government from the very beginning as they see Hamas as a terrorist orgniazation. Palestinians accuse Israel of working to undermine it. Now, Israel is now calling for Abbas to abandon this deal and to return to the dialogue with them.

But what would that mean if for Gaza in particular, if this unity falls apart? Well, a lot of the -- when we had the ceasefire, a lot of the conditions were based on a unified Palestinian front. And so, if this does fall apart, we could be returning to square one, Christine.

ROMANS: Fascinating to look at the politics behind it. Ian Lee, thank you for that.

Sixteen minutes past the hour.

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 request $30 million from Congress to pay for the CDC's efforts to combat the outbreak. So far, at least 2,200 people in the region have been sickened. Those numbers could rise, that's because Ebola clinics in places like Liberia don't have enough space and people have been turned away.

In a desperate movie, officials in Sierra Leone are issuing a three- day lockdown. Now, the residents will be forced to stay in their homes beginning Friday. Also, doctors can treat people door-to-door screenings. Meanwhile, a vaccine to cure Ebola is showing promise on monkeys, but researchers say the animals needed a booster shot for longer protection.

And the third American infected with Ebola is recovering. Dr. Rick Sacra is being treated at a Nebraska hospital. He is being treated with an experimental drug different than the one given to two other Americans.

Southern California drenched by storms, up to 2 inches of rain in an hour falling in some areas. Remnants of tropical storm Norbert causing flash flooding in riverside. Rising waters closing sections of I-215. Emergency crews called in with more than 70 cars stranded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: All that rain, but you know what? It had little impact on California's extended drought. Even after Sunday's storms, Riverside County is below average rainfall for the year.

Yosemite National Park is on fire. Flames burning at 7,000 feet, forcing a hundred hikers to be evacuated by a helicopter. Weekend winds spreading the fire over 700 acres. Seven choppers and a plane and more than 100 firefighters have been battling that blaze.

Indra Petersons has a look at your forecast this Monday morning.

Hi, Indra.

INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning. Yes, happy Monday. It always feels rough when you say that.

Let's take a look at what's going on about in the desert southwest. Remember, we have a Norbert, what used to be Norbert, bringing all that moisture still into the southwest. So, a heavy rain is expected in this region, heading out towards maybe Phoenix and Vegas today. Keep in mind, you could be talking about delays about two to four inches of rain. Of course, the threat of flooding will be in that region.

Then, if you're on the East Coast, very easy to see where the storms are, right? You can see this kind of front kind of making its way through. With that, we're talking about heavy amounts of rain because this is a stationary front, two to five inches of rain really kind of out towards the Carolinas, even in through the northeast, maybe a couple of light scattered showers over the next several days from this system, but all eyes are going to be on the next system as we go to the middle of the week, not only bringing a threat to severe weather into the Midwest by Tuesday and Wednesday, more heavy showers by the end of the week. It is what is behind the front that is so much cold air.

We're talking about the huge temperature drop. Real quickly, you're going to be talking about temperatures going from 70s to highs in the 50s. We could be setting records for the highs coolest. That's going to be the concern. We're talking about 80s going down to 60s out towards Amarillo. You will feel the change.

ROMANS: We will feel the chill. Thank you, Indra.

All right. She might not have gotten Meryl Streep crying in several accents, but Joan Rivers got the send off she wanted. A host of household names, Donald Trump to Barbara Walters, to Howard Stern packed Temple Emanu-El in New York to pay their final respects to this woman who blazed so many trials, burned a few bridges and kept people laughing for almost half a century.

The service was filled with songs from Broadway stars including Hugh Jackman and plenty humor to balance the tears.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEBORAH NORVILLE, TELEVISION ANCHOR/HOST: It was Joan all the way. The sanctuary is filled with white Phalaenopsis orchids. You can't see the altar because there are so many flowers. She planned every step of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Rivers died last week following a surgical procedure on her throat. New York health officials are now investigating the clinic that performed it.

All right. Coming up, another NBA owner under fire and on the way out. The e-mail he sent that's fuelling accusations of racism. Andy Scholes has the details on "Bleacher Report", coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Another NBA owner will lose his franchise because of inappropriate and offensive comments involving race. Andy Scholes is here with more in the "Bleacher Report".

This is an odd story.

ANDY SCHOLES, BLEACHER REPORT: Yes, it certainly is, Christine.

Bruce Levenson, he's the controlling owner of the Atlanta Hawks, and he says he will sell his interest in the team because of the inappropriate e-mail he sent two years ago. In the email to general manager Danny Perry, Levenson made many racially charged comments about how to improve attendance at Hawks games, adding, quote, "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."

According to ESPN, the Hawks started an internal investigation after one of the co-owners was alarmed by a racist remark included in the players scouting report. After that, the NBA launched its own investigation. But before it was concluded, Levenson decided to tell everyone about it and announced he is will voluntarily sell the team. He apologized for the e-mail, calling it inappropriate and offensive.

All right. The NFL season is now in full swing. On Sunday night football, Peyton Manning and the Denver broncos got off to a good start when it comes to avoiding that dreaded Super Bowl hangover. Peyton threw three touchdowns in the first half, the Broncos held on to beat the Colts, 31-24. Week one wraps up tonight with a Monday night double header. We got Giants at the Lions, followed by the Chargers at the Cardinals.

And finally, top-seeded Serena Williams, she looked as dominant as ever last night. She cruised to her third straight U.S. Open title beating her good friend Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets. This is Serena's sixth U.S. Open title and her 18th straight grand slam win, tying her with Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova on the all time list. Good for her.

Tonight, we got the U.S. men's final. It will be Kei Nishikori versus Marin Cilic. Not the final everyone expected. Everyone was looking for a Federer and Djokovic final. The exact opposite happened. It would be interesting to see what happened. Nishikori is the first ever Japan born to compete in the grand slam final. So, it should be interesting to watch tonight.

ROMANS: This will be a late night for John Berman tonight with football, too. So, he'll be football hangover around.

Nice to see you.

SCHOLES: All right. President Obama promising he has a plan to fight ISIS. How he expects to do it and why it could be a long battle. We're live after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)