Return to Transcripts main page
Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Kerry Building Anti-ISIS Coalition; Cameron Takes Aim at ISIS
Aired September 15, 2014 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: The war on ISIS. This morning, dozens of world leaders pledging support to battle the terror organization. What countries will and will not do in the fight. This happening as ISIS executes another hostage, David Haines. His family breaking their silence as we learn new information about how close investigators might be to identifying his killer.
Our live team coverage starts right now.
Welcome back to EARLY START, everyone. I'm John Berman.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Christine Romans. Thirty-one minutes past the hour.
American efforts to expand a coalition against ISIS seemed to be building momentum this morning. Secretary of State Kerry in Paris today for an international conference aimed at stopping the terrorist group. He's finishing up a weeklong trip across the Middle East.
Kerry's arrival in Paris comes as ISIS beheads a third Western captive, British aid worker David Haines, escalating the political urgency of his mission. The fruits of that mission, word from a State Department official that several Arab nations have offered to fly airstrikes against ISIS.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: We have countries in this region. Countries outside of the region. In addition to the United States. All of whom are prepared to engage in military assistance and actual strikes if that is what it requires.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: CNN correspondent Fred Pleitgen is live for us in Paris.
Good morning, Fred.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine. Yes, and Secretary Kerry's legwork was so important to actually making this conference happening. It's hosted by the French. However, the things that Secretary Kerry has done in the past couple of weeks there in the Arab world, in the Middle East, is really something that contributed to this ever growing coalition against ISIS. And one of the things that -- that he mentioned there was the participation of a lot of these Arab countries in what's about to follow.
As you said, some of them have pledged airstrikes. He didn't say which ones that are going to be. But the Arab nations are going to be absolutely key in all of this, especially the ones with the Sunni majority because the area that we're talking about in Iraq and Syria is of course heavily Sunni dominated. It'll be very important for the people there on the ground to see that this is not just America doing the heavy lifting, but also countries from that neighborhood.
On the whole, what we plan to see -- what we think we're going to see at this conference today, Christine, is that a lot of these countries are going to be very specific about what they can and cannot provide here in the fight against ISIS. There's going to be some that are going to provide ways to try and stop ISIS from getting financing. There's others that's going to provide humanitarian aid for the hundreds of thousands of refugees in Iraq and Syria.
And then there are going to be those that are going to be provide a military component. Some European countries like Germany and France are already giving weapons to the Kurds and to Iraqi government. And then as Secretary Kerry said, some of them say that they are willing to be part of the aerial campaign as well.
The French announced today that they are also participating in reconnaissance mission over Iraqi territories. They're flying from a base in the United Arab Emirates. We'll wait to see which countries are going to be willing to go further and actually participate in the airstrikes as well -- Christine.
ROMANS: All right. Fred Pleitgen for us in Paris. Thank you, Fred.
BERMAN: British Prime Minister David Cameron taking a tough stance following the beheading of aid worker David Haines. Cameron calling ISIS a menace that he says we have to confront and a poison that needs to be drained from society.
The British prime minister adding the United Kingdom is ready to take whatever steps are necessary. The question is, does that mean committing to airstrikes against ISIS targets? So far something the U.K. has not committed to.
I want to bring in Atika Shubert live from London.
Good morning, Atika.
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. It is something that Britain has not committed to because last year, British lawmakers actually voted against strikes in Syria. So this is a hurdle he's going to have to overcome if it's an option he wants. He says -- previously the prime minister has said no option is off the table. But in a statement he made after the emergency cabinet session yesterday, he said -- he pointed out a number of steps saying that British jets, for example, were helping with surveillance over the area.
That they will be helping Kurdish Peshmerga forces. But he also said it's not about boots on the ground. At the same time, however, he said Britain would not shirk its responsibilities. That this would only strengthen the country's resolve. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: David has been murdered in the most callous and brutal way imaginable by an organization which is the embodiment of evil. We will hunt down those responsible and bring them to justice no matter how long it takes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHUBERT: Now of course, the prime minister is dealing with really two fronts here. Not only the situation of yet another British hostage being held in Syria, but also the concern that some of these jihadi fighters that have gone to fight in Syria from Britain may now return to come back home. So counter terror here at home in Britain is also one of the big things he's outlined in his statement yesterday.
BERMAN: And of course, there's this whole issue, Atika, of the so- called ISIS executioner. The man seen now with three videos presumably executing hostages in the Middle East. He is believed to have a British accent. We've all heard it.
Are they any closer to identifying this man?
SHUBERT: Well, they said that they have -- they are very close. And it's certainly quite possible that in fact they've already identified him. But they're simply not making it public. We do know that they had analysts pouring over the video and the audio. It appears to be the same man in every single video. He has a similar accent, for example. And it's a very distinctive sort of London accent. So this is what they're going to be looking at to try and pinpoint exactly who he is, but they have not made that information public yet.
BERMAN: All right. Atika Shubert for us in London. Thanks so much, Atika.
Now family members remembering David Haines as a decent and selfless man who had a joy and passion for humanitarian work. He'd only been in Syria for three days when he was kidnapped last year. His brother Michael clearly brokenhearted but trying not to be bitter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL HAINES, DAVID HAINES' BROTHER: My first reaction could be one of hatred. But my brother's life wasn't about hatred. It was about love for all men. We prayed in our own way. Unfortunately, it was not in our hands. It was not in the hands of the government. It was in the hands of terrorists.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: I can't imagine the pain he must be going through. Michael Haines added that his brother was most alive when he was helping others. ISIS revealed the identity of the next hostage it is threatening with
death. He is British aid worker Allen Henning who was abducted while trying to help Syrian refugees.
ROMANS: Al Qaeda calling claim by the U.S. that it is in decline. Al Qaeda says that's nothing but a lie. Al Qaeda's influence in the Middle East is being threatened by ISIS and while a spokesman for the militant group admits to some slip-ups and errors, he insists al Qaeda is expanding. The State Department disagrees, saying the organization has been degraded, its leadership diminished by U.S. attacks and struggling to compete for recruits with ISIS.
BERMAN: One of three Americans being held in North Korea has been sentenced to six years of hard labor. During Matthew Miller's show trial on Sunday, three North Korean judges found him guilty of committing hostile acts under the guise of being a tourist.
It is believed Pyongyang is using Miller, along with Jeffrey Fowle and Kenneth Bae, as bargaining chips in its dispute with the United States over the North Korean nuclear program.
President Obama making plans to escalate the U.S. role in the international fight of the Ebola outbreak. Among the moves, he is expected to announce tomorrow sending more portable hospitals, doctors and supplies to West Africa, setting up training for health workers in Liberia and other nations. The president will also urge Congress to approve $88 million to fund these proposals.
Meanwhile, a fourth doctor in Sierra Leone has died from Ebola. Attempts to get her evacuated to Germany for treatment failed. And while this is going on, 10 senior government officials in Liberia had been fired by the president there for ignoring orders to return to the country. They were on overseas trips.
ROMANS: All right. Thirty-eight minutes past the hour. Time for an EARLY START on your money. European stocks lower, U.S. futures also pointing lower. They were down on Friday ending five weeks of gains. But stocks still not far from highs. Wall Street analysts can agree on a few stocks to buy and a few to ditch.
At the top of the buy list Delta Airlines. Did you know 100 percent of Wall Street analysts have Delta stocks rated as a buy. Shares already up 45 percent this year. H&R block is also a favorite of Wall Street analysts. There's less agreement on what to get rid of. But Clorox, John Deere and Campbell's Soup were among the stocks most frequently rated a sell by analysts.
BERMAN: All right. Thirty-nine minutes after the hour.
Breaking news overnight. Tourists stranded as Hurricane Odile barrels into Mexico. Indra Petersons tracking this storm. That's coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Hurricane Odile slammed into the southern tip of Baja California Sunday night as a category 3 hurricane making landfall near the resort town of Cabo San Lucas. Winds up to 125 miles an hour. The National Hurricane Center has classified this as a dangerous hurricane forecast up to 18 inches of rain in some areas. Mexican authorities ordered evacuations in postal areas. They've prepared shelters for 30,000 residents and tourists.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We got woken up by a call from the hotel who said that they were evacuating the place, that our flight had been canceled and that there was a bus leaving in a half hour. But it was a 20 to 22-hour bus ride.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Thank you.
ROMANS: Odile is expected to lose strength as it passes over Baja California.
BERMAN: What is the latest on this storm? Indra Petersons has a look at the forecast.
ROMANS: Indra.
BERMAN: Good morning.
INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning. Yes. One thing to stress, yes, it made landfall as a category 3 but just a few miles per hour shy of a category 4 hurricane. So a major hurricane, you can see still even at this hour, still well-defined, still holding on to its category 3 strength. That winds still packing 115 miles per hour. Even in the next hour. So they're still expected to feel winds as strong as 90 miles per hour. So the danger is far from over yet even as we continue to follow its track through the afternoon today.
Still over Baja, expected to remain a category 2 hurricane even by the afternoon today. And keep in mind, look at this track. You have the sound on one side and of course you have the ocean on the other. The amount of flooding that potential is high with the rainfall amounts alone expected to be even high as 18 inches. This is the concern as this major system is in the region. Of course some of that moisture will funnel the southwest.
We're going to watch to see whether or not that does bring flooding concerns in the southwest over the next several days. Keep in mind, Edward way out in the Atlantic. Expected to stay off the coastline even east of Bermuda. Meanwhile, the rest of the country kind of quiet. Yes, we have some scattered showers out there, right along the Gulf. We had that stationary front there in the Midwest.
A second front bringing some lighter showers, but also reinforcing that cool air into the northeast. You'll see some scattered showers by tomorrow. Only to have a second system drop in behind it. So there is that pattern. You're wondering is this chilly air going to last in the northeast. Yes. Unfortunately also means the heat is going to be staying out towards the west. Twenty-degree temperatures above normal on the West. Almost 20 degrees below once you talk about the Midwest. Very scary when you talk about Baja this morning. Still billing with a lot of rain.
BERMAN: A powerful storm.
ROMANS: Unbelievable.
BERMAN: All right. Quarter to the hour right now. Let's take a look at what's coming up on "NEW DAY." Kate Bolduan joins us now.
Good morning, Kate.
ROMANS: Good morning, Kate.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR, NEW DAY: Good morning, guys. Happy beginning to the week.
We're following the big meeting out of Paris this morning where Secretary of State John Kerry and other world leaders, they're gathered to focus again on the continued threat of ISIS and what to do about it. Can they form a strong coalition to eliminate the terror group? That of course is what Kerry has been working on really crossing the globe, to try to accomplish over the past week. What measures will be taken?
Plus several Arab nations are offering to help but is it enough? And what are they going to be offering. We're going to be live at the conference, really digging into the strategy against ISIS going forward.
And then, the NFL in crisis. Three new instances of players involved in some form of abuse with one of them accused of abusing his own child. He claims it was just discipline. So what is the line then between corporal punishment and abuse, and is spanking your child ever OK?
You don't normally think that is the debate that's going to come into a football discussion, but it absolutely is there today. Hot button issue. A lot -- every parent has an opinion on it and now it's making it into the league as well, guys.
ROMANS: Kate, it's so interesting here. It's a Monday morning and we're talking about this, not about the games yesterday.
BERMAN: No. You're not talking about who won and lost.
BOLDUAN: Right.
ROMANS: First time in a long time. Thanks, Kate.
BERMAN: Big, big difference.
All right. Coming up for us next, we'll have more news for you right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: The annual Tom Harkin Steak Fry in Iowa looked more like a Hillary Clinton for president rally. Thousands of people cheering for her on Sunday. She was there to honor the retiring Iowa senator at his 37th and final steak fry. Little known fact. When I was a little girl in grade school, he came to my school. That's how long he has been a politician in Iowa.
BERMAN: And he's still talking about it to this day. It's one of his career highlights after 37 years of politics.
ROMANS: I'm just saying. For most Iowans, that guy has been around forever.
Clinton dropped more hints about 2016. This time, medium well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, it is true. I am thinking about it. But for today, that is not why I'm here. I'm here for the steak.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Clinton did take some political shots calling congressional Republicans the guardians of gridlock. It's the first time she's been back in Iowa. The first time she's been back since -- the 2008 presidential election. I wonder what's kept her away.
BERMAN: Yes. It could have been coming in third during the Iowa caucuses that kept her away right there. I'm thinking, I'm told the steak is not what you should eat there. You should check it if you're ever invited to a steak fry in Iowa.
Meanwhile, independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders was also in Iowa this weekend testing the waters perhaps for a presidential campaign of his own in 2016. The Vermont senator addressed supporters Sunday in a town hall event in Waterloo, Iowa. He is the longest serving independent member of Congress in U.S. history.
ROMANS: Iowa is a nice place to be when you're --
(CROSSTALK)
BERMAN: Just like Vermont. Just like Vermont except for the mountains.
ROMANS: Exactly. And the ocean.
Former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, he is expected to appeal his indefinite suspension from the NFL. That's according to ESPN and profootballtalk.com. But the NFL Players Association tells CNN no final decision has been made. Rice has until 11:59 tomorrow night to file. He was cut by the Ravens and suspended by the league just hours after TMZ released a video showing him striking his fiancee, knocking her unconscious inside a hotel elevator. BERMAN: Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy appealing his
conviction on domestic abuse charges. He was found guilty back in July of assaulting and threatening his ex-girlfriend. On Sunday, Hardy was deactivated by the Panthers with the team's home opener. Head coach Ron Rivera was grilled about the decision after the game.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RON RIVERA, CAROLINA PANTHERS HEAD COACH: At the end of the day, I had to make a decision that was in the best interest of the Panthers, OK? Understand that, guys. This is a very difficult situation that the league is dealing with right now. Teams are dealing with this. And we're doing the best we can, OK?
We're not infallible. We make mistakes. But the decision I made today was based on all the information that I tried to get and the people I talk with and then going forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Rivera says Hardy will be back on the field, but would not say when.
ROMANS: The Minnesota Vikings playing Sunday without star running back Adrian Peterson. He was deactivated after being indicted and arrested. Peterson accused of beating and injuring his 4-year-old son with a tree branch. After a 30-7 loss to the Patriots, his teammates were not very talkative.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRANDON FUSCO, VIKINGS OFFENSIVE LINEMAN: I'm not commenting about Adrian here. We just lost a game and I shouldn't comment about that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not going to comment on that at all.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: You sent a message. Did you text? Did you talk? What kind of --
JEROME FELTON, VIKINGS FULLBACK: I just sent a text message. I'm not going to blow him up right now. So -- and I know he is hurting right now and he is down. So as a teammate and a friend, send him a message. But you know, we got to focus on getting better this week.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Peterson is free on $15,000 bond. No word when or if the Vikings plan to reinstate him.
BERMAN: You bring a great point up, Romans, which is that we just talked a whole lot about issues surrounding football and barely anything about the games themselves. This is a Monday morning. And that's why this is all such a big problem for the NFL.
ROMANS: A long time since that's happened. All right. Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba building up to what might
be the largest IPO in history. Should you jump on the bandwagon? We'll get an EARLY START on your money next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Let's get an EARLY START on your money this morning. European stocks lower. U.S. stock futures pointing lower as well. Oil prices down about 1 percent this morning. Look at this. $91 a barrel. That's the lowest since the beginning of the year. Prices spiked over the summer because of the turmoil in the Middle East and fears that could affect the oil supply. But you know what, they have been falling steadily since July. But increased supply in the U.S., decreased demand also bringing prices down. Something to watch there.
Alibaba is expected to be the biggest IPO of all time and it might be getting even bigger. Reports this morning that Alibaba planning to raise the top of its IPO range from $66 to $70 a share. Demand for the stock has been quite high. Underwriters may stop taking orders by early this week.
It's a Chinese Internet company. It has been described as a mix of eBay and Amazon. Only much bigger. It has 280 million annual users. And you know what I always say about IPOs. We spend more time in this country planning for our retirement -- planning for our vacation than our retirement and a big sexy IPO comes along and everyone gets all excited. Just, you know, study the company, read the risks to the company and wait a year and then decide if you want to be an investor.
BERMAN: A sage advice. That's all for us. "NEW DAY" starts right now.
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, world leaders meeting in Paris building a coalition to take on ISIS. Even Arab countries now signing on for military action. This as another Western hostage killed over the weekend. We're tracking all the developments.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking new details, Ray Rice reportedly set to appeal his suspension as star running back Adrian Peterson misses Sunday's game after being charged with child abuse. Now banners calling for Roger Goodell to go are flying over stadiums. We are live with the latest.
MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: She is back. Hillary Clinton makes a return trip to Iowa. The state that derailed her presidential campaign six years ago. With Bill by her side, did she win over the Hawkeye State this time?
CUOMO: Your NEW DAY starts right now.
ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY, with Chris Cuomo, Kate Bolduan and Michaela Pereira.
