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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Airstrikes Continue against ISIS in Iraq; UK Participation in ISIS Airstrikes; Suspect Arrested in Missing Student Case; President Obama Calls on U.N. Support for Ebola Outbreak
Aired September 25, 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: New air strikes this morning targeting terrorists in Iraq and Syria. The war on ISIS intensifies. President Obama trying to convince the United Nations that ISIS must be extinguished. This as a new world power announces that it may soon play a role in this fight.
We'll have live team coverage ahead.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: In just hours, President Obama at the United Nations trying to get global support to combat the Ebola epidemic. African leaders warning this crisis could cripple their countries.
We are live in Liberia.
BERMAN: The last man seen with missing nursing student Hannah Graham is behind bars this morning. But the mystery of what happened to the 18-year-old girl remains.
Welcome back to EARLY START, everyone, I'm John Berman.
ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. It's Thursday, 31 minutes past the hour. We welcome all of our viewers here in the U.S. and around the world.
New this morning the coalition battle against ISIS building. New airstrikes in eastern Syria. These new airstrikes carried out overnight by U.S. and coalition warplanes. At least a dozen mobile oil refineries were targeted. A Pentagon spokesman saying the military is, quote, very confident we hit what we were aiming at. Of course that black market oil exactly what's helping fund the ISIS machine.
The new airstrikes began just hours after President Obama addressed the U.N. General Assembly calling for a united front against the Islamic terror group. Meanwhile, U.S. forces continuing to hit the militant group in Iraq as they have been for weeks now. American warplanes conducting air strikes Wednesday on two ISIS fighter positions in northern Iraq and two vehicles west of Baghdad.
But President Obama drawing the line setting a limit on how much the U.S. will do. Setting that limit during his meeting with the new Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Although we cannot do this for you, we can be a strong partner and we are fully committed to your success. We wish you Godspeed and we are grateful for your willingness to take on this leadership mantle at such a critical time in your country's history.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: A critical time, no question.
Joining us now with the latest from Iraq is CNN's Ben Wedeman.
And, Ben, the president of the United States telling Iraq we will help you, but we can only go so far.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And certainly here in the northern part of Iraq and the Kurdish area, the help is appreciated, but they tell us they would like much more. One commander we spoke to earlier today saying that some units of ISIS are better equipped than the Kurdish forces are. That they would like to see more in the way of night vision goggles, they'd helicopters, heavy armor as well.
This commander telling me that some of the artillery they are using against ISIS was manufactured in 1937. Now you may be able to see behind me some smoke on the horizon. That is a town until about a week and a half under the control of ISIS. What's going on back there at the moment is that there are Kurdish forces there, either detonating or diffusing booby traps left behind by ISIS when they were pushed out of this area a week and a half ago.
And Kurdish commanders say that is one of the problems that in town after town they've managed to take control of, that ISIS has left behind dozens, hundreds perhaps, of booby traps and other problems that they have to deal with. And that, indeed, is slowing their advance to the west of here.
Now only about a five minute drive from where I'm standing, ISIS still has forces in that -- in those areas. The Kurdish forces slowly pushing forward but as I said, a lack of equipment and booby traps is slowing their progress down -- Christine.
ROMANS: All right. Ben Wedeman for us in northern Iraq. Thank you so much for that, Ben.
BERMAN: Now one of the key questions in the war against ISIS has been which European allies would join the airstrikes and if so when. Now the French have already joined in, in Iraq. Now British Prime Minister David Cameron says he will ask parliament for clearance to join the coalition bombing against ISIS in Iraq.
CNN's Erin McLaughlin is standing by live in London with more.
And this is so interesting because it was just a year ago where the parliament there voted against David Cameron in his effort to start bombing Bashar al-Assad in Syria. ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, John. But this
time around, it seems as though Prime Minister David Cameron is gathering the necessary political support to approve of British airstrikes over Iraq. Set to be debated tomorrow in the House of Commons. And at the same time, some lawmakers are wary.
They want to see concrete proposals with clear objectives rooted really in international law, which is perhaps why Prime Minister David Cameron yesterday at the U.N. General Assembly really laying out his case for British airstrikes in Iraq. Take a listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: So we have a clear basis in international law for action and we have a need to act in our own national interests to protect our people and our society. So it is right that Britain should now move to a new phase of action. I am therefore recalling the British parliament on Friday to secure approval for the United Kingdom to take part in international airstrikes against ISIL in Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCLAUGHLIN: That proposal set to be debated is again limited to airstrikes over Iraq. And those airstrikes would be at the request of the Iraqi government. Prime Minister Cameron saying that any sort of airstrikes over Syria would have to be subject to a separate parliamentary debate -- John.
BERMAN: Erin, we're getting word this morning there were several terror arrests this morning in Britain. What can you tell us about this?
MCLAUGHLIN: That's right. Those arrests, important to note again, according to a statement put out by the Metropolitan Police are not in response to any sort of imminent public health or safety risk but nine men were arrested this morning in London and a place in England called Stoke on Trent on suspicion of belonging to a prescribed group or a banned group.
Now in the United Kingdom, it is illegal to belong to a group that has been banned under the Terrorism Act of 2000. A group concerned, by that definition, with terrorism. So nine men arrested. British media reporting that one of those men was radical cleric Anjem Choudary. Someone well known here.
CNN has interviewed him many times. And there has been this growing concern within the counterterrorism community especially about some of the rhetoric that we've been hearing from Choudary and some of his followers. But again the moment police not releasing the identities of those nine men nor they're releasing the name of that prescribed group in question -- John.
BERMAN: All right. Erin McLaughlin for us in London. Thanks so much, Erin. ROMANS: Top diplomats are warning against letting the fight against
ISIS inadvertently helped Syria's dictator Bashar al-Assad. ISIS emerged as one of the rebel groups fighting to overthrow Assad's regime. Diplomats meeting at the U.N. this week say the coalition effort to eliminate the ISIS threat could also eliminate an Assad enemy.
In his U.N. address, President Obama took pains to emphasize that the airstrikes are intended to help moderate Syrian rebels, not Assad. Syria's representative to the U.N. criticized that part of the president's message.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BASHAR JA'AFARI, SYRIAN AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: The approach used by President Obama was a rather constructive one, except in the small part where he contradicted himself by saying that USA -- I mean, his administration would support what he called the Syrian opposition.
He shouldn't have said that in this way because we are a legitimate government. Nobody has the authority or the permission or the power to war against a legitimate government elected by its own people. This is the case of the Syrian government.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: France's Foreign Ministry is confirming the authenticity of the video showing the murder of a French mountaineer. French officials say that Herve Gourdel was kidnapped over the weekend in Algeria by armed ISIS allies, followers really. The video titled, "A Message of Blood for the French Government" shows the beheading of Gourdel.
Secretary of State John Kerry spoke out Wednesday at the U.N. General Assembly condemning that heinous act.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: We stand by the French people in outrage of this barbarity. And we also share their resolve to rid the earth of this menace. We will not stand by the French people in outrage of this barbarity. And we also share their resolve to rid the earth of this menace.
We will not stand by as ISIL and others who use fear and violence and oppression to achieve their goals and continue to find safe haven anywhere including in Syria.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: British aid worker Alan Henning is still believed to be in the hands of ISIS himself. His family is holding out hope that the Islamic terror organization might release him.
ROMANS: All right. 40 minutes past the hour. Time for an EARLY START on your money. European stocks higher this morning on hopes of more stimulus from the European Central Bank. U.S. stock futures barely moving. Stocks rallied yesterday, the Dow about 150 points.
Apple says a fix is coming for its troubled iPhone software. Apple withdrew the first update to its new IOS 8 yesterday. Users complained that after updating their phones, they were unable to connect to cellular networks and they couldn't use the fingerprint reader. This morning Apple said it's working in a fix that would be ready in a few days. In the meantime, users who are having problems, you can reinstall IOS 8 through iTunes, which apparently fixes it.
These software issues come at the same as the bendgate. Some iPhone 6 Plus users say the large phones bend when kept in their pockets. Beware of skinny jeans and tight pants, folks. That seems to be the problem.
Apple shares lower right now before the bell.
BERMAN: Just one more of the issues you can have with skinny jeans. Believe me. I know.
ROMANS: Bendgate.
BERMAN: Believe me.
A suspect arrested, accused in the abduction of an 18-year-old student who vanished last week. What police are now saying about this case and where that suspect was apprehended. Shocking when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: Police now have a suspect in custody in the abduction of missing University of Virginia student Hannah Graham. 32-year-old Jesse Matthew was apprehended by police on a beach in Galveston, Texas. Virginia authorities say the extradition process is already under way. Matthew was the last person seen with Hannah Graham before she disappeared 12 days ago. There were prayers for Graham Wednesday night during a vigil in her hometown of Alexandria.
ROMANS: No change of venue for Boston marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. A federal judge denying a defense request to move the proceeding out of Massachusetts. The judge says an impartial jury can be found in Boston. The trial itself is being delayed two months. It will now begin on January 5th. Tsarnaev has pleaded not guilty to 30 federal charges. He could face the death penalty if convicted.
BERMAN: Yes. They didn't move the trial. He essentially said you couldn't find anywhere in the country where they didn't know about the Boston marathon bombings. And then the jury pool of potential candidates up in the Massachusetts is big enough they said.
ROMANS: Is big enough.
BERMAN: That they can find what they need.
Let's take a look at what's coming up on NEW DAY. Chris Cuomo joins us now.
Good morning, sir.
ROMANS: Good morning, Chris.
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR, NEW DAY: Hey, and you know, and the point there is it's not just about people who don't know anything about the Boston bombing, it's just people who said they can be fair.
ROMANS: Right.
BERMAN: Exactly.
CUOMO: So the concern becomes well, how closely associated were you to it. He'll get a fair trial. The question is, will it really change that outcome.
All right, guys, so obviously we have major breaking news overnight to talk about because there have been more airstrikes but it's what was being targeted. You've been hearing it very well from John and Christine this morning. There's obviously a strategy going on here. This time it was about taking the money away from ISIS.
Now, as we know, the president gave a major address to broaden the coalition. One nation already poised to step up. The British parliament set to vote on launching airstrikes in Iraq. Ask yourself why the U.S. Congress didn't do the same.
Also this morning, nine people arrested in London on suspicion of terror. And the suspects may include a prominent radical preacher. You may have seen him on TV. We've -- talking about this. We're going to have our big brains in here. We got Fareed Zakaria, we're going to have many people from Congress like Senator Angus King. We have the Pentagon spokesman, Rear Admiral John Kirby. He's the best source in terms of figuring out the effectiveness of these strikes.
We also have a former Delta Force officer and other military and terror experts to give us the best sense of what's happening here and why, my friends.
ROMANS: Big brains and big hair on "NEW DAY."
BERMAN: Big brains, big hair. Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
CUOMO: Why the big hair?
ROMANS: I don't know. Berman's hair is a little big today.
BERMAN: My hair is a little poofy.
CUOMO: He's got nice hair. But you know there is a reason for that.
BERMAN: Yes. We have to go. Time's up. Thank you so much, Chris. See you a little bit.
ROMANS: All right. In just hours, President Obama will ask world leaders to help in the Ebola epidemic plaguing West Africa. The crisis unfolding as we speak. We're going to take you live on the ground in Liberia. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: President Obama putting Ebola at the top of his agenda today at the U.N. with the crisis deepening in Western Africa by the day now. The president calling it a national security priority. But in Liberia, it is a matter of life and death. The latest figures from the World Health Organization out Wednesday, more than 6200 confirmed or suspected Ebola cases. In total nearly 3,000 people have died of Ebola so far.
Standing by live in Liberia this morning, CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.
Elizabeth, we've just heard those numbers. But do things seem to be getting any better there?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Christine, I wish I could say that they were. But it really doesn't seem like they are. And people keep telling me and I keep seeing that things are going to get worse before they get better. And I'm going to give you the numbers that really get to explaining in part why that's true.
Let's take a look at the number of beds they have to isolate Ebola patients. That's what's key here. You've got to isolate people so they don't spread the disease. In Liberia, they have 315 beds, 440 have been promised by various funders. And they need another -- they need 1,550. So you can see that there is a huge need for beds to isolate people.
Now I met a -- Liberians are basically being left kind of to their own ingenuity to figure this out. And I met a woman named (INAUDIBLE), a 22-year-old nursing student. Her mother, father, sister and cousin all came down with Ebola. She went to four different hospitals to get them care. But she was -- but there was no room. And so what she did is she invented her own personal protection equipment out of trash bags, hair stockings, you name it she used it. She took care of her four patients, her four relatives.
Three out of the four survived. So that's actually a very high survival rate for this outbreak. And she didn't get sick. So it's really amazing what Liberians are doing. But the -- you know, this woman is not far from Monrovia. But, you know, she didn't have any equipment. She didn't have a hospital to go to. Until that changes things aren't going to change here on the ground -- Christine.
ROMANS: Certainly a very difficult situation.
Elizabeth Cohen, for us this morning, thank you so much.
Fifty-three minutes past the hour. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ROMANS: All right. Let's get an EARLY START on your money. Thursday edition. European stocks higher right now. Hopes there are more stimulus measures from the European Central Bank. Look at U.S. stock futures. Barely budging so far. Big rally yesterday. The Dow gained 150 points, reversing some of the losses of earlier in the week. The dollar strengthening against other currencies this morning. Experts say it's the highest level since 2010. The rise fueled by growth concerns in Europe and China. The U.S. economy has been steadily improving.
A slight improvement to tell you about in the student loans crisis. Fewer borrowers are defaulting on their student loans. According to the Department of Education, 13.7 percent of students defaulted on their federal loans within three years of their first payments. That's an improvement from a year earlier but still too high. Double- digits still too high but it is improving.
Economists say student loan debt dragging down the economy. Some other new analysis revealing it has caused an 8 percent decline in home purchases by Americans under 40.
For our viewers around the world, the news continues with Max Foster. For those of you -- here in the U.S., "NEW DAY" starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, new airstrikes on ISIS in Syria. Target the terror group's flow of money.
REAR ADM. JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: We're very, very confident that we caused the kind of damage we wanted to cause.
CUOMO: Also new, Arab countries dropping more bombs than the U.S. and new allies prepare to join the fight.
DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Britain should now move to a new phase of action.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Britain calling back parliament for a key vote to launch its own airstrikes as an ISIS offshoot retaliates, beheading a French hostage.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The only language understood by killers like this is the language of force.
BALDWIN: President Obama pressing world leaders, securing a new resolution to stop money and recruits from getting to the terror group.
CUOMO: A special edition of NEW DAY begins right now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CUOMO: Good morning, welcome to NEW DAY. It is Thursday, September 25th, 6:00 in the East. Kate's on maternity leave, Brooke Baldwin is not. Thank you for joining us here.
BALDWIN: You're welcome. Good morning.
CUOMO: We have big news for you. A new round of airstrikes against ISIS in Syria. The mission, bomb these oil facilities supplying ISIS' black market money flow. Starving the group's rampage in Iraq and Syria. American and Arab forces hitting more than a dozen targets. And a major ally ramping up. Britain voting to join the air campaign amid breaking news overnight that British police arresting nine men suspected of terrorist offenses. There are reports they include a prominent radical cleric you may have seen on TV.
We have every angle covered. We're going to start with senior Washington correspondent Joe Johns with the latest on the airstrikes.
Good morning, Joe. What do we know?
