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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

ISIS Seizes Key Syrian Town; Rand Paul Protests the Patriot Act; David Letterman's Final Late Show; Cavaliers Beat Hawks 97-89 in Game 1. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired May 21, 2015 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:32] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: The war against ISIS intensifies. Terrorists gaining new strategic ground in Syria. New ISIS victories across the Middle East, leaving the president's war on terror questioned. Team coverage of our big story, ahead.

Breaking overnight. Rand Paul protests the Patriot Act. The presidential candidate speaking for almost 11 hours on the Senate floor. But was it substance or just politics? We're breaking down the drama.

The end of an era. David Letterman hosting his late show -- late night show. His hilarious, his heartwarming good-bye, that's ahead. We've got Brian Stelter with that.

Good morning and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans. John Berman has the morning off. He needs his beauty rest, folks.

It's Thursday, May 21st, 5:00 a.m. in the East.

Let's begin with our top story: ISIS on a rampage, seizing control of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra. It's the second critical conquest in just five days for ISIS. Over the weekend, those fighters took over the Iraqi city of Ramadi. Two stunning victories forcing the Pentagon to reassess America's ISIS strategy. The focus now in Iraq: securing the province west of Baghdad.

I want to bring in senior international correspondent Arwa Damon. She is live from Baghdad.

You know, Ramadi, devastating, staggering how quickly and easily that town was taken. And now in Syria, the historical cultural city. You have been there. Tell us what is the importance of this city and what it shows of ISIS' strength.

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think what we have been seeing over the last week or so is a clear indication of hust how capable ISIS continues to be despite the fact there were those highly touted victories in Iraq when it was finally pushed out of Tikrit. But managing to launch attacks against two key locations in Iraq and neighboring Syria.

ISIS has a stable of fighters at it disposal that only seems to be growing. The capture of Palmyra potentially devastating on so many fronts. You have the battles that were taking place with ISIS and the Syrian army. The Syrian government not fully acknowledging that Palmyra has fallen, but it did manage to move out some of the artifacts, some of the statues there.

But the city itself, this ancient, stunning sprawling testimony to the power of oil civilization is at the threat of ISIS. And strategically speaking, should ISIS really have full control over Palmyra, that would potentially open up new routes for it towards Homs and the Syrian capital of Damascus.

Here in Iraq, the capture of Ramadi is bogging down Iraqi security forces, along the various frontlines that exist in al Anbar province. The Iraqi government is scrambling, trying to send in whatever scramble in reinforcements it has.

But the government is crippled by a lack of cohesive, capable fighting forces under its own command, which is why we have been seeing the U.S. effort beefed up when it comes to trying to retrain and restructure the Iraqi army.

The Iraqi government is also trying to send out more of these controversial although very capable Shia paramilitary units backed by Iran. It is also saying that it's going to be undertaking a campaign to arm the Sunni tribes.

Now, this is all going to lend itself to a very complex battle field and fighting force. It is not going to have a single command structure. It's going to be very difficult to control, but the Iraqi government at this stage does not have a choice. It cannot afford to have ISIS push further toward Baghdad.

And although ISIS is trying to launch smaller scale attacks against the various towns that exist to the east of Ramadi, the Iraqi government at this stage is bogged down trying to defend the capital, potentially leaving itself vulnerable elsewhere. And all of this will mean the U.S. will have to somehow reassess strategy when it comes to Iraq, because so far, the strategy if it can be called that, is very broad stroked. Training up the Iraqi army is going to be something that could potentially take years. Putting together a fighting force that's going to defeat ISIS, that's a long-term project and Iraq cannot afford to wait for that long.

[05:05:00] ROMANS: So glad you mention that, the American strategy. Arwa Damon, thank you for that this morning, in Baghdad.

The American strategy is something the Republican leaders are saying is not working and they're laying the blame for the stunning rise of ISIS right at the feet of the president, President Obama. They claim his failed foreign policy is making a world a more dangerous place. They are considering a plan to return ground troops to the Iraq battlefield.

We get more this morning from CNN senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Christine, President Obama meets with the president of Tunisia later today, a key ally in the Muslim world, just as the White House is coming under fire over a strategy for defeating ISIS. The ISIS is signaling it's open to some minor changes to its ISIS plan, but that's not enough for the president's critics who insist he is losing the battle against the terror group.

Republican Senator John McCain slammed the president for allowing ISIS to seize the key Iraqi city of Ramadi and laid into White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest for asking, quote, "are we go to light our hair on fire every time there is a setback?"

Preparation with the battle against ISIS as some GOP presidential candidates floating the idea of sending troops into combat into Iraq, something the ISIS has ruled out.

Potential GOP contender Jeb Bush who admittedly mishandled his own questions about his brother's record in Iraq is making the case Iraq was better off under his brother, President George W. Bush. Here's what he had to say.

JEB BUSH (R), FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR: ISIS didn't exist when my brother was president. Al Qaeda in Iraq was wiped out when my brother was president. There were mistakes made in Iraq for sure, but the surge created a fragile, but stable Iraq that the president could have built on.

ACOSTA: In his speech on climate change to coast guard graduates yesterday, the president steered clear of the debate on strategy. Instead arguing that global warming is a national security threat, contributing to the crisis in Syria, where ISIS took root. He will have a chance to answer some of his ISIS critics later today -- Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Jim Acosta, thanks for that.

Now, documents seized by Navy SEALs in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, those documents have now been released four years after the mission. So interesting. They show the al Qaeda leader had little interest in developing an ISIS-like caliphate. That was not his goal. He was obsessed with attacking the United States and its interests worldwide. He even wrote letters and e-mails to terrorists in Yemen and in Africa, saying forget this Islamic state, hit the Americans at home.

CNN's Tom Foreman takes a closer look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Christine, this really is a remarkable collection of documents. Reading through them, you got a much more full picture of this man who's been almost mythical here as an enemy of the United States. We do know from these documents that he actually sent people at one

point to Great Britain and to Europe and to Russia to carry out attacks specifically to try to hit American targets if possible. Numerous attacks failed. They simply didn't materialize. When he responded to the letters to others, he said it was simply that it was bad luck and God wasn't on our side.

Beyond that, though, he felt a great disdain for American targets out there. Throughout his letters, he pushes people to say, look, don't attack the security forces, the police forces where you are. Attack the American targets. He wanted to stay focused in that direction.

But he had a great deal of respect for, at least fear, of American power out there. At one point, one of his documents says, "These pig- eating invaders and their loyal dogs are too scared of death to fight us face-to-face. The main reason they continue to kill us is because we don't have the knowledge and resources to counter their technology."

By that he was talking about their ability, for example, to trace email, which he's afraid could easily be traced. Their ability to use drones. He cautioned to never move unless of a cloud cover overhead because the drones will spot you. And in many ways, he dealt with day-to-day struggles to keep his forces mobilized and fighting back as all of this pressure was put on him.

And you can see that in the documents. He was under pressure. His forces were under pressure in terms of transportation, communication, getting weapons to people and carrying out actions. And no doubt, that is one of the reasons why all those years after 9/11, he was unable to replicate that kind of really big attack. It shows up in these papers -- Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: Yes, they're fascinating read. All right. Thanks, Tom.

Time for an early start on your money. U.S. stock futures down, but really close to record highs. Yesterday, the market got the short lived bump from the Federal Reserve. The Fed minutes raised concerns of a strong dollar and low oil prices on the American economy. That could mean delaying an interest rate hike. Short lived bump but it wasn't enough for another record day.

Egg prices are soaring because of the recent bird flu outbreak. Now, you won't see higher prices yet. But the big food service companies are forced to pay a lot more for eggs, so much more, they are asking restaurants to change their menus.

[05:10:00] An estimated 10 percent of the total egg supply has been affected, 30 million egg laying birds were killed because of the bird flu. Eventually, the price of mayonnaise, salad dressings and cake mixes could also spike.

All right. After 33 years in late night, more than 6,000 shows, David Letterman is now officially retired. His final late show was an emotional affair. It was filled with career highlights, star-studded top 10 list, and no tears. He didn't cry, but a lot of heart felt appreciation from the host.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID LETTERMAN, TV HOST: I want to thank the folks at home. You know, people come up to me all the time and say, Dave, I have been watching you since your morning show. I always said, have you thought about a complete psychological workout? The people who watch this show, there's nothing I can do to ever repay you. Thank you for everything. You have given me everything. Thank you again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Foo Fighters. Letterman's last musical guest. I guess "Ever Long" is his favorite song. The final show ran long, but was not edited.

All right. While you were sleeping, Rand Paul protesting the Patriot Act on the Senate floor for nearly 11 hours. A dramatic gesture. But will it help or hurt his presidential campaign? We are breaking down the stories from Washington, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Welcome back.

Republican presidential hopeful Rand Paul taking nearly 11 hours on the Senate floor to denounce the Patriot Act and the NSA bulk surveillance program. Both of those are set to expire June 1st. The move has Paul at odds with those who are saying he is putting national security at risk.

Joining us to discuss this and more this morning, Ron Brownstein, CNN senior political analyst and editorial director for "The National Journal".

So, did he look presidential? Is he striking a chord that's going to help him get elected?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Right, good morning. Look, I think it's really distinctive is what it is. And the first few minutes of your show today really show how the environment has changed around him.

You know, a few years ago, when Rand Paul was making this kind of libertarian critiques against the efforts in the national security and perhaps excesses of national security, he seemed to be on the forward wave of the Republican Party. The Republican Party, particularly with the rise of ISIS, has moved for a much more hawkish -- traditionally hawkish position. And so, what Rand Paul is doing, he's putting him at odds with more of those who have moved back are skeptical of the kind of reforms on data collection he is advocating.

ROMANS: Meanwhile, Jeb Bush talking about his family and saying he has had his own path. How is he positioning himself with the other players?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes, look, I think this is an enormous challenge for Jeb Bush, which is that there's a lot of frustration over elements of the Obama record. But that doesn't mean Americans reassessed their negative judgment after two terms of George W. Bush's two terms. And as we saw with the Iraq controversy, and will see on the economy and other issues, this really is his biggest challenge.

Jeb bush is not George W. Bush on all issues. He is different. But the argument of do you want to go back has a resonance with him, that it doesn't have -- that it's is more powerful than any other Republican.

ROMANS: These comments, you made these comments about climate change. "The Guardian" reporting that he basically is saying it would be arrogant to say the science was settled or convoluted, you know, this human rule in climate change.

BROWNSTEIN: Well, I mean, look, in both parties, there are a lot of landmines. There are a lot of trip wires with the base. Jeb is challenging Republican thinking on immigration, on Common Core, not signing the no new taxes pledge.

But here's one where the demands of orthodoxy in the party put you in a difficult position, not only with the overwhelming scientific consensus, but the increasing public opinion consensus. I mea, the numbers are moving to Americans accepting the science and feeling that we have to act. And yet, I think every Republican candidate will promise to repeal the president's actions on reducing carbon emissions from existing power plants.

ROMANS: We should point out that these candidates now are not even a candidate yet, but likely out there. They're being asked a lot of things. It doesn't necessarily mean it is their first priority, but they're answering questions to get a lot of attention.

Let me ask you something that did not get very well reported this week. Bernie Sanders, independent running for president, he introduced a bill to make college public universities free -- free tuition. $70 billion a year, free. He wants free college and there is a big progressive push for debt free college. Hillary Clinton sort of mentioned it in Iowa. As debt free as possible.

Could that be a watershed, I guess, movement for the Democrats?

BROWNSTEIN: I think it is a big issue. The backdrop is the millennial generation for the first time ever will equal baby boomers as a share of the eligible voters.

ROMANS: That's remarkable.

BROWNSTEIN: Thirty year, over 30 years. Baby boomers have been the largest generation of electorates. And millennials now, and the workforce.

ROMANS: And 2/3 of millennials have student loan debt. BROWNSTEIN: And, in fact, if you look at what happened, state

appropriations, the states supporting public education, provided 2/3 of the educational budget for public universities and colleges in 2000, that is now down to 44 percent. It's been shifted through federal government through Pell grants, but largely to families. And as a result, as you say, 2/3 have debt.

Hillary Clinton has been cautious. I don't think she will go all the way to debt free. But there is no question this burden of student debt which is effecting the way young people are moving forward in their lives and decisions and home-buying, even marriage. I mean, kind of the ability to get started in life, that, I think is a growing issue, and it's going to grow in part because millennials are the largest bloc in the electorate.

ROMANS: And we should say the Bernie Sanders bill has virtually no chance of passing. We know that the president has tried to push for a tax on financial institutions, has not been able to do that. And the president also has a two-year community college plan that is not going anywhere.

BROWNSTEIN: But I think this broader issue of access to higher to education as a key lever in this fight over upward mobility and the cost of that, I think that's not going away. It's only getting bigger.

ROMANS: All right. Ron Brownstein, so nice to see you.

BROWNSTEIN: Good to see you.

ROMANS: Thanks for coming in so early this morning.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

ROMANS: A lot going on.

All right. The Cleveland Cavaliers taking game one from the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA's eastern conference finals. It was not LeBron James who stole the show. Andy Scholes has the details in the bleacher report, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:22:52] ROMANS: All right. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says he wants to hear directly from Tom Brady in the appeal of his deflategate suspension.

Andy Scholes has more on this morning's bleacher report.

Hey there.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Christine.

Yes, one day after Patriots owner Robert Kraft said he would accept the league's penalties, Roger Goodell is speaking out on the scandal, the commissioner telling reporters that Kraft's decision will not affect Tom Brady's appeal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROGER GOODELL, NFL COMMISSIONER: I look forward to hearing directly from Tom. If there's new information or if there's information that can be helpful us in getting this right, I want to hear directly from Tom on that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Goodell also said he hasn't had time to study a request from the players union that he recuse himself from the appeal, because he's been focused on the owners meetings that finished yesterday.

He said he would get to the request, but added he will likely hear the case unless there's a factor that he is not aware of.

Cavs and Hawks opening up the Eastern Finals last night in Atlanta and this was the J.R. Smith show. He took control of this game, hitting a Cavs' franchise playoff record eight three pointers. The Hawks tried to rally in the fourth, but this was not good.

DeMarre Carroll goes down with a hyper extended knee. He had to be carried off the court. He's going to have an MRI later today.

Closing seconds, LeBron puts an exclamation mark on this with a tomahawk slam. He had 31 as the Cavs win game 1, 97-89.

Now, this entire season has been an adjustment for LeBron. First time around in Cleveland, he was just a kid and now he is a father figure.

And CNN's Rachel Nichols sat down one on one with King James to talk about his new role.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEBRON JAMES, CLEVELAND CAVALIERS FORWARD: I almost had to go back to having my first child. As a kid, you have to learn and be patient with them. And then, at some point, you know, they start to get it, you know? It's repetition.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: And more NBA playoff action tonight. Rockets and Warriors tip off game 2 of the western conference finals at 9:00 Eastern. Dwight Howard is questionable with a sprained knee, Christine

[05:25:00] And it's going to look like it's another late night of basketball for me. Not much sleep going into tomorrow.

ROMANS: Yes, and you are not complaining at all. I know it is fun, isn't it? OK. Thanks so much, Andy Scholes. Nice to see you this morning.

Twenty-five minutes past the hour.

ISIS gaining new ground in the Middle East. Many now wondering, is the president's war on terror working. We're live next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: ISIS gaining ground into the Middle East, seizing a key ancient Syrian city. New victories casting new doubt on President Obama's plans to fight the terrorists. Our team coverage of this very big story this morning, ahead.

Breaking overnight: Rand Paul protests the Patriot Act. The presidential candidate speaking for nearly 11 hours on Senate floor.

Also last night, the end of an era for late night television. David Letterman signs off for the very last time. His emotional farewell, ahead.

Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans. John Berman has the morning off. It is 29 minutes past the hour.

Let's begin with our top story.

ISIS rampaging across Iraq, seizing another city, a key historic city called Palmyra. Now, this is the second, Palmyra. It is the second critical conquest in five days for ISIS. This is in Syria. Over the weekend, fighters took over Ramadi in Iraq.

These two stunning victories forcing the Pentagon to reassess its Iraq strategy. The focus now: securing the province west of Baghdad.

Republican leaders are laying the blame for the rise of ISIS squarely at the feet of President Obama. They claim his failed foreign policies making the world a more dangerous place. They are even considering a plan to return U.S. ground troops to the Iraq battlefield.

Let's get more this morning from CNN senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta.