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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Authorizing the War on ISIS; UAE Joins Airstrikes Against ISIS; Stock Futures Look Cautious; Brian Williams Suspended; Jon Stewart Leaving "The Daily Show"; Agreement on Ceasefire in Eastern Ukraine

Aired February 11, 2015 - 05:30   ET

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

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JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: New information in the tragic death of American ISIS hostage, Kayla Mueller, the failed U.S. mission that attempted to save her that as President Obama and Middle Eastern allies step up their attacks. And we are learning of the alarming number of new recruits heading to ISIS.

Welcome back to EARLY START, everyone. I'm John Berman. Christine Romans is off today. About 31 minutes past the hour.

We do have breaking news overnight, the United States closing down its embassy in Yemen. The State Department has evacuated dozens of diplomatic officials from its compound in Sana'a while urging all Americans to leave that country immediately.

France and Britain have just suspended operations and evacuated their embassies there as well. It gives you a sense of the tense security situation there. Serious concerns about the power vacuum in that country since the government has essentially resigned and fled and rebels have taken over.

This is the day that President Obama would formally ask Congress to officially authorize the war on ISIS, though the mission has been going on for months now. His request reportedly would limit the type of ground forces that the U.S. could deploy or the length of that deployment.

It comes on the heels of the shattering news that American hostage, Kayla Mueller, is dead. The Pentagon has revealed that U.S. commandos tried unsuccessfully to rescue her last summer. President Obama calls her death heartbreaking. He is defending his decision to reject the ransom demands from ISIS for her release.

Let's get more now from senior White House correspondent, Jim Acosta.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: John, in that interview with "Buzzfeed," the president said speaking with the parents of these American hostages is as tough as anything he does, but he is standing by his administration's policy of not paying for the release of hostages.

The concern, and we've heard this repeatedly from inside the White House, is they don't want to provide an incentive for ISIS or other terrorist groups to take more hostages.

The other big reason, we've gotten briefings on this, is that the payments made by other governments for their hostages helps fund ISIS operations.

But the president essentially acknowledged to "Buzzfeed" that this rescue operation that he authorized last summer was aimed at freeing Kayla Mueller and the other hostages who were being held inside of Syria. Here is more of what the president had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The one thing that we have held to is a policy of not paying ransoms with an organization like ISIL. And the reason is, is that once we start doing that, not only are we financing their slaughter of innocent people and strengthening their organization, but we're actually making Americans even greater targets for future kidnappings.

So, you know, it's as tough as anything that I do, having conversation with parents who understandably want, by any means necessary, for their children to be safe. And we will do everything we can short of providing an incentive for future Americans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Now, as for the war on ISIS, we're hearing from the sources at the White House will unveil this new authorization for the war on ISIS as soon as tomorrow. It will get rid of the 2002 authorization for the war on Iraq and replace it with a measure that will be ISIS s- specific.

Sources tell us that the authorization will have no geographic boundaries and will only last three years. But on this key question of whether it will allow U.S. boots on the ground in combat that is where it gets interesting.

According to this latest proposal seen by lawmakers, the authorization will prohibit something called enduring offensive combat operations. That would indeed, John, provide some latitude for the president to commit ground forces inside of Iraq to take on ISIS -- John.

BERMAN: All right, Jim Acosta, thanks so much.

U.S. intelligence officials say that ISIS is plotting to pull off more kidnappings in countries such as Jordan and Lebanon. That as the Pentagon reveals the terror group is holding at least one more American hostage. They have not revealed an identity.

In Arizona, friends and families are trying to cope with the death of aid worker, Kayla Mueller. She is being remembered as a young woman, who took extraordinary measures to serve others.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERYN STREET, KAYLA MUELLER'S FRIEND: I'm not yet sure how to live in a world without Kayla, but I do know that we're all living in a better world because of her. So I'm going to end on a quote that reminds me of her. Peace is not something you wish for. It's something you make. It's something you do. It's something you are and it's something you give away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: President Obama calls Kayla a great spirit and says the more people learn about her, the more they appreciate what she stood for, very true.

A new round of airstrikes overnight targeting ISIS positions in Syria, not from the U.S. but from Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, this marks the first time the UAE has engaged in combat missions against ISIS since late last year.

The UAE was concerned about the safety of its pilots. A top U.S. counterterrorism official warns that ISIS is recruiting westerners now at an unprecedented rate. Twenty thousand fighters from 90 nations have joined ISIS on the battlefield including about 150 Americans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADMIRAL JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: This is one of the real threats about this group is their foreign fighters, these are folks that come in with other passports, other visas and then can perhaps export some of this terror back to their home countries, which is one other reason why we have to take the threat so seriously.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: I want to bring in Jomana Karadsheh right now live from Amman, Jordan. Twenty thousand foreign fighters from some 90 nations, those numbers not dwindling one bit -- Jomana.

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, John. About six months into the air campaign by the international coalition, and we have heard from members of the coalition, the United States and other countries, about the losses they say that they have inflicted on ISIS.

Jordan saying about 20 percent of the capabilities of the group has been degraded and also they say thousands of fighters have been killed. It is still capable of striking. It is still able to recruit with these numbers that you have just mentioned.

That is why there is this growing feeling here in this region that Jordan and other countries also need to step up here and also step up their military campaign against ISIS being part of the coalition.

As you mentioned, the United Arab Emirates resuming its airstrikes, they have moved a squadron of F-16s to Jordan over the weekend saying that it is in solidarity with this country that has upped its military campaign, its airstrikes against is over the past week in retaliation for the killing of the Jordanian pilot.

That event, that gruesome video that came out, John, really did -- it does seem, for now, at least, it galvanized members of the coalition, especially the Arab nations. We have heard in the past few months some saying this is not their war.

A sentiment that at least for the time being seems to be changing with people feeling that they need to go after ISIS and strike it because it is a threat to this region as it is also to the international community.

Jordan, for its part, saying it is determined to continue this fight not only to degrade the capabilities of ISIS, but also to destroy the group. The chief of Jordan's Air Force saying that Jordan wants to wipe is off the face of the earth.

That is their aim at this point. But this small country with a capable military does say -- we've heard this from officials over the past week -- they want more support militarily and financially from other Arab and Gulf nations and also from the United States and the international community -- John.

BERMAN: All right, Jomana Karadsheh for us in Amman. Thanks so much, Jomana.

The Obama administration is planning to create a cyber-intelligence center to deal with digital attacks such as the one that crippled Sony Pictures.

It's going to be built in the model of the National Counterterrorism Center, which was created after September 11th. Homeland Security officials say that the government response to hackers falls well short of the response to more conventional terrorist attacks. They say they need to upgrade those capabilities quickly.

The president is set to announce he is bringing back nearly all of the 1,300 troops that were sent to West Africa to fight the Ebola outbreak. They'll be home by about April 30th. The number of new Ebola cases has dropped to about 150 per week. That figure was over 1,000 per week last fall. Ebola has claimed nearly 9,000 lives.

Time now for an EARLY START on your money, CNN Money correspondent, Cristina Alesci, is here with that.

CRISTINA ALESCI, CNN MONEY CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Futures are pretty much flat, but don't be fooled. There is a lot going on, on Wall Street today. Let's start with oil prices. They're once again slipping. U.S. crude oil fell by 5 percent yesterday. And we could see big developments in the standoff between Greece and its European lenders.

The two sides are still very far apart, but finance ministers are meeting in Brussels later today to discuss Greece's bailout. Keep in mind, no one expects a deal, but investors will be looking for any signs of progress.

Now, despite these concerns, stocks managed to climb yesterday. The Dow rose 140 points, thanks in part to better than expected earnings from Coca-Cola. Today, we'll get a closer look at some other major players including Pepsi before the bell.

And then after the bell, we have a few other consumer companies that will really give us a gauge on the American consumer including Whole Foods and Cheesecake Factory. My guess is you eat none of that stuff -- John.

BERMAN: I like both Whole Foods and Cheesecake Company. That's just how complex I am.

ALESCI: I find it hard to believe that you bite into a cheesecake. I don't know.

BERMAN: Indeed. All right, a huge shake-up in television. NBC News anchor, Brian Williams suspended. "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart says he's leaving. What we learned overnight, that's just ahead.

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BERMAN: Huge shake-ups in the media business. NBC News has suspended anchor, Brian Williams, for six months without pay. The top-rated network anchor was taken off the air for embellishing his role in a helicopter attack in Iraq. NBC News is also reviewing other stories that Williams reported.

This is a statement released by NBC Universal's Chief Executive Steve Burke. He said "By his actions, Brian has jeopardized the trust millions of Americans place in NBC News. His actions are inexcusable, and this suspension is severe and appropriate."

There was another blockbuster in the media business overnight. Jon Stewart announced he's stepping down from "The Daily Show." Wow! A lot to discuss.

I want to bring in Brian Stelter, CNN senior media correspondent, host of CNN's "RELIABLE SOURCES." Brian Stelter, the Brian Williams news shook me to the core. I've been in this business a long time. He has been the anchor there since 2005?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: In 2004 and he's so well respected in this industry. He's the kind of person that's admired widely. That many other anchors want to be. Someday, you know, you look at college journalists they look up to Brian Williams.

But everybody now is wondering how many of these exaggerations actually exist. Are there more that NBC hasn't shared yet or that haven't been found yet, or is this just, you know, an isolated case involving the Iraq war?

BERMAN: And you have a "New York Post" there. Look, there are a lot of people taking glee in this.

STELTER: Brian shot down referring to the Iraq war mission that he was on, just one of the examples of the coverage this morning. You know, there has been some snarkiness from some media outlets. There's been aggressive coverage of this. I have to say, in the television circles that I'm in, talking to some rivals overnight, there's no real glee here. There's a lot of actual sadness because it hurts the whole industry. It hurts all of journalism when a titan of journalism falls.

BERMAN: And when credibility suffers, we all suffer.

STELTER: Right.

BERMAN: One last thing on Brian Williams. A six-month suspension, but it may be not just six months.

STELTER: A lot of people think that he won't actually be able to come back six months from now. These kinds of things have a way of becoming permanent. And Lester Holt, who will be filling in, is a steady hand on the ship. He will be able to guide it, I think, pretty strongly for the next six months.

BERMAN: All right, let's talk about Jon Stewart right now because Jon Stewart has been on "The Daily Show" since 1999, so many fans. Last night he released a whopper saying he's leaving.

STELTER: Yes. And he's a great example of having -- "Time" magazine pointed this out. He doesn't have as big of audience as Brian Williams, but he has a passionate audience. Jon Stewart's fans love him and don't miss an episode.

I think that's why we're seeing his name trending again on Twitter again even this morning. People do not want to see him go. He's got a young fan base, a liberal fan base.

And among those folks, they believe they get a lot of real news from Jon Stewart, and they're actually right about that. He does provide a lot of actual substance even though he provides a lot of sarcasm and humor.

BERMAN: Any sense of what he will do now?

STELTER: Not yet. He said he has no definitive plans. He did direct his first feature film last year. There's speculation maybe he'll do more of that. He suggested that he won't miss daily television. That makes me wonder if maybe he would seek out more of a weekly show like John Oliver on HBO.

That's maybe a more appealing schedule for someone like him. He said he doesn't have any concrete plans. I'd be interested to see if he has more serious news interest. He's always denied being a newsman. He always said I'm a comedian and not a journalist.

But over the years he got more serious. Not any less funny but he got more serious. He had some political points he wanted to make and political points he wanted to score, perhaps. And I wonder if he has more interest in pursuing those directions.

BERMAN: We'll see where Comedy Central goes filling that void. Brian Stelter, thanks so much for coming in this morning. Appreciate it. Breaking news this morning, Russia has announced that Vladimir Putin will attend peace talks on the crisis in Ukraine. Putin is on his way to those talks right now. We're live with the latest next.

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BERMAN: All right, this just into CNN. A spokesman for the Kremlin confirms that Russian President Vladimir Putin will be in Minsk today for peace talks aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine. Low-level negotiators have been trying to work out a tentative cease-fire deal between the pro-Russian rebels and the Ukrainian military.

The question now, will the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France, will they have a deal they can sign when apparently they will be meeting later this morning in Minsk?

Nic Robertson joins us live with the latest. Good morning, Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. I mean, what we're hearing, the latest from the French is, that Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande have talked on the phone. They do think it is likely that they will come here.

They make it sound as if their final, final decision is not made yet. We continue to hear leaks from Russian media that the talks here, the low-level contact meeting talks have been successful, that there is a tentative agreement on a ceasefire and some steps forward beyond that.

But we're also hearing from the Ukrainian side that any talk of an agreement so far of the low-level meetings is a little too hasty. Here not in a position to say that. What is being created here at the moment is a narrative by the Russians, who really seem to be trying to drive forward the agenda here.

President Putin saying he's coming. Russian-related media outlets saying, that a deal has been done, a tentative deal with a low-level group has been done for a ceasefire.

But all other parties to this at the moment are a lot more hesitant in saying that there are still big problems to overcome. It does look like the heads of state may be here later today. But a real hard, solid deal seems far from done at the moment -- John.

BERMAN: All right, important perspective, Nic Robertson, thanks so much. Keep us updated.

Gas prices climbing this morning even though the oil prices have been dropping, an EARLY START on your money next.

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BERMAN: Time now for an EARLY START on your money. CNN Money correspondent, Cristina Alesci, is here with that.

ALESCI: Yes, futures are flat right now, but John, hang on to your anchor chair because it's not going to stay that way. There's a lot for Wall Street to digest today. We could see big developments in that standoff between Greece and its lenders.

European finance ministers are meeting in Brussels later today, 11:30 our time, to discuss Greece's bailout. The two sides are very far apart. No permanent deal is expected, but some kind of stopgap measure may be in the works.

Now, oil is cheap, but gas prices are rising. The national average for a gallon of regular today is $2.21. That's down more than $1 from this time last year. But prices have been climbing for 16 days in a row. Experts looking to the spring for those higher prices when people are driving more.

BERMAN: All right. Thanks so much, Cristina. Appreciate it.

ISIS gaining an alarming number of new recruits, "NEW DAY" has that story right now.