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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

ISIS On A Rampage; Middle East In Chaos; Osama Bin Laden Documents Released; Senator Paul Ends Filibuster; Santa Barbara Oil Spill; Say Goodnight, Dave. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired May 21, 2015 - 05:30   ET

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

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get more this morning from CNN senior White House correspondent, Jim Acosta.

[05:30:00] 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 its strategy for defeating ISIS.

The White House is signaling it is open to some minor changes to its ISIS plan, but that is not enough for the president's critics, who insists 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 going to light our hair on fire every time there is a setback?"

Frustration with the battle against ISIS as some GOP presidential candidates floating the idea of sending U.S. troops in combat in Iraq, something the White House 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 is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEB BUSH (R), FORMER GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA: 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: In a speech on climate change to Coast Guard graduates yesterday, the president steered clear of the debate of strategy and instead arguing 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.

ROMANS: All right, Jim, thank you. The most urgent threat posed by ISIS right now is its ability to recruit followers and fighters online. That is the assessment from FBI Director James Comey. Comey says ISIS is now waking up to the idea of malware to attack computer systems in the U.S.

Comey says the FBI is sending more agents and investigators around the world to gather evidence on terrorists and build criminal cases against them.

Let's bring in Arwa Damon this morning. Arwa Damon has been following the ISIS conquest of this important ancient city in Syria, Palmira. Tell us about the stunning victory from ISIS. The Assad regime is saying about it and what it means for U.S. strategy -- Arwa.

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, a number of activist organizations are claiming that Palmyra has fallen to ISIS. The Syrian government at this stage, not going quite so far, but it did say that during the intense fighting over the last few days, they were only obliged to move some of the historical artifacts and statues that they could to a safer ground.

Of course, the great concern is being that this absolutely spectacular testament to just how marvelous ancient civilization is the city of Palmyra would end up at the mercy of ISIS. We have seen what the terrorist organization has done to the other historical sites in Iraq.

And there is also, of course, the humanitarian cost. The areas where the fighting was centralized around the ancient city of Palmyra are inhabited. There are populations there that there were unable to flee the fighting.

One cannot even begin to imagine the horrors that they have potentially endured. And then strategically, militarily speaking, the capture of Palmyra is also significant in that it would open new routes for ISIS towards the city of Homs and Damascus.

This comes under the heels of yet another victory for ISIS in Iraq when it captured the Anbar provincial capital of Ramadi. This is not much of a surprise, though, because as far as November, senior officials in Anbar Province and officials trying to hold out in Ramadi had been warning that this would take place.

They had been begging, pleading for reinforcements. None materialized and then Ramadi eventually fell after wave upon wave of ISIS suicide bombers. This organization has a growing, stable list of fighters and suicide bombers it would seem.

Now the Iraqi effort is concentrated in an area between Ramadi and Fallujah, both of which are under ISIS control. We spoke to a commander there who said that for now, he and his men were able to hold the frontlines as they do exists preventing ISIS from moving farther east towards the capital of Baghdad.

He said that no real reinforcements had materialized. These Shi'a military units that was supposed to be arriving in the thousands, he has not seen any sign of them nor has the Iraqi government begun its campaign to arm the Sunni tribes. This is not a situation that can afford these types of delay. The government has no choice but to take action. Similarly, the U.S. at this stage has no choice, but to try to revise and beef up strategy when it comes to Iraq.

[05:35:03] Because clearly despite the defeat of is in Tikrit, this is an organization that is still capable of making significant attacks and making significant gains -- Christine.

ROMANS: It certainly is. All right, Arwa Damon, thank you for that analysis and reporting this morning from Baghdad. Documents seized by Navy SEALs in that raid that killed Osama Bin Laden, those documents have now been released four years after the mission.

They show the al Qaeda leader had a little interest in developing an ISIS-like caliphate. That wasn't his goal. He actually warned against it. He was obsessed with attacking the United States and its interests worldwide. CNN' Tom Foreman takes a closer look.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Christine. This really is a remarkable collection of documents, reading through them, you get a much more full picture of this man, who has 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, to Europe and to Russia to carry out attacks specifically to try to hit American targets if possible and that numerous attacks failed. They simply did not materialize.

When he responded to the letters to others, he said it 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 said, look, don't attack the security forces or 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 loyal dogs are too scared of death to fight us face-to- face. The main reason they continue to kill us is because we do not have the knowledge and resources to counter their technology."

By that, he was talking about their ability, for example, to trace e- mail, which he was afraid could easily be traced and their ability to use drones. He cautioned some of his commanders to never move unless there was 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 this pressure was put on them. You can see that quite clearly in all of these documents. He was under pressure.

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

ROMANS: Yes, it's fascinating read. Thanks for that, Tom Foreman.

Breaking overnight, Rand Paul ending a 10.5 hour filibuster on the Senate floor just before midnight, the Republican presidential candidate is voicing fierce opposition to the Patriot Act. He wants the NSA's controversial phone surveillance operation dismantled and he's calling for the entire agency to be overhauled.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SENATOR RAND PAUL (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The vast majority of the American people think we have gone too far in the bulk collection of records. ACLU surveyed that we looked at earlier, between the ages of 18 and 39, over 80 percent of people in that age group think that we have gone too far and that we are not protecting privacy.

Ten other senators including seven Democrats joined Paul's filibuster. Insiders say any attempt by Republicans to pass a clean reauthorization of the Patriot Act will most likely fail.

Time for an EARLY START on your money this morning, U.S. stock futures are lower, but they are just inches from records. Stocks got a temporary bump from the Federal Reserve yesterday. It looks like a rate hike won't come until September or later, but it wasn't enough for another record day.

Another huge health insurance breach to tell you about, CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield said hackers gained access to information of 1.1 million customers. The information at risk was names, birth dates, e- mail addresses and subscriber ID numbers. No credit card or medical information. A lot of the speculation this morning of the Chinese government be somehow be to blame.

All right, overnight, Chinese state media responding to the arrest in the U.S. of six Chinese citizens charged with espionage stealing wireless technology secrets and trying to set up shop in China with the government to sell and use that American technology. The Chinese government is saying that Washington is, quote, "paranoid about China's rise."

Breaking overnight, a family murdered and their mansion set on fire. The police revealing who they think is responsible. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:43:09]

ROMANS: Breaking overnight, Washington, D.C. police identifying a suspect in last week's quadruple homicide and arson. The 34-year-old Daren Dylon Wint is wanted on first degree murder charges.

The police believed there was more than one assailant. The four victims, a wealthy couple, their 10-year-old son, and the family's housekeeper, they were found dead in their burning mansion. Sources tell CNN the victims were bound with duct tape. Investigators believe the killers were watching the family and erased security camera footage. A police source says they made off with $40,000.

A huge crude oil spill on the central California coastline prompting Governor Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency in Santa Barbara County. Look at this, as much as 105,000 gallons of oil spilled when a pipeline ruptured. Environmental crews are now working feverishly to clean up and contain this nine-mile oil slick. CNN's Paul Vercammen got a firsthand look at the damage control.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here's what the grueling work of cleaning up an oil spill looks like. You can see the tar mixed in with the seaweed. They literally rake together seaweed and tar and they put in plastic bags.

What also gets put in plastic bags is anything else that the oil has covered. If you look right there, those are palm tree fronds that got so soaked in the oil, obviously fallen off the trees onto the shore, more of these fronds over here.

But this isn't just limited to where we are standing right now. If we go ahead and take almost 180, you look off in the distance, another cluster of workers with the rakes and the plastic bags and the rest trying to clean up this misery, this black misery on the beach. Look at the seaweed right here.

[05:45:02] It is all mixed in. Every time, even another little small wave comes in, it seems that more of the tar balls and more of the oil comes washing ashore.

They go ahead and they pick up another pile of seaweed with tar and put in the plastic bag. They will have to clean this beach up handful by handful.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: Paul Vercammen, thank you for that. If you are planning to go to the beaches for Memorial Day weekend, they will be closed. All American Pipeline is the company that owns that pipeline. The company is saying it regrets the release and is making every effort to limit the environmental impact.

All right, a heartwarming and hilarious final show for David Letterman. We are breaking down the best moment with our best guy, Brian Stelter right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: After 33 years in late night, more than 6,000 shows, David Letterman is now officially retired. His swansong on CBS was an emotional affair. The final show had career highlights and a star studded top ten list.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm just glad your show is being given to another white guy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thanks for letting me take part in another hugely disappointing series finale.

[05:50:05] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dave, you are to comedy what I am to comedy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thanks for finally proving men can be funny.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dave, I'll never have the money I owe you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: I love it. Let's bring in CNN senior media correspondent, Brian Stelter. Bill Murray with two appearances. What do you think? This is the end of an era really?

I was saying earlier for Gen x, you sort of grew up to finding yourself like who watch in late night, it was David Letterman. You lost "Mad Men" and now David Letterman. It's really passing of the torch.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: It does feel like the torch has been passed this morning and I think Letterman did it exactly his way. It's exactly what we would have wanted from Letterman.

Maybe he did not tear up, but members of the audience did. I'm sure viewers watching at home last night did. It was also the rare moment that actually felt like an event on live TV.

Taped in the afternoon, but when it was broadcast last night. These shows are increasingly about watching on demand, watching online, but this is the show you had to be there for partly because of the stars.

We also saw the president and three former presidents show up on videotape that joked from all the presidents was now our long national nightmare is over. They all said it in a row. It was funny. There are a lot of special moments within the show. It went 20 minutes long because there was so much.

ROMANS: Let me talk a little bit about why now because when you look at him, his comic timing is great. He still has all of his great talent that he can harness at any given moment to be on the show. People love the show. People don't want him to retire so why now?

STELTER: I think he is like Jon Stewart. He has been ready to go for a while. Dave announced his retirement a year ago. Sometimes the line about spending more time with your family is true. His son is 11 about to be 12. They are going to the Indy 500 this weekend.

Sometimes it boils down to those simple rather boring reasons because when I talk to CBS executives, I was pigeon holing them on the streets and they said this is all Dave's doing.

Stephen Colbert will be taking over, but not until the fall so there is a buffer time like three and a half months. Because they will give a bit of distance and let Letterman not just have his moments, but his months.

ROMANS: Let's roll the tape where he said the cue card kid. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID LETTERMAN: People say to me, Dave when did you know it was time to retire? I said there are always signs along the way. One sign was Todd the cue card kid came up to me and he said, for the love of God, Dave, I can't write the words any bigger. Remember that?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: My gosh, Todd the cue card kid wasn't alive when he started the show. That was so funny too. What was he doing during the commercials?

STELTER: He was walking around the corners of the set on commercial break looking up and looking around. People said it felt like he was taking it in one last time. He said he will never go back to the theater.

That may be hyperbole on Letterman's part, but he has said when he's done, he is done. He is not coming back and it's true his staff is packing up this week moving out by the end of the week.

ROMANS: Some of those people were with him for 27 years.

STELTER: They don't have next jobs lined up in some cases. They haven't thought that far ahead.

ROMANS: And then he had something really nice to say about Stephen Colbert. Let's roll that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LETTERMAN: A couple of things about Stephen Colbert. I'm very excited. I think he will do a wonderful job. I wish Stephen and his staff and crew nothing but the greatest success.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STELTER: He sure did not have to come out and address it that way. He could have just been his night. It was important that he signaled ahead to the future. Colbert is meeting with advertisers and warming up Madison Avenue to his version of the "Late Show."

I think we will see a slightly different show. It will be made more for the web for that style of sharing videos online. At the same time, I think a lot of viewers of the Letterman show. People have gone to bed watching Letterman, want to see the fundamentals of the "Late Show." I think Colbert will respect that.

ROMANS: Is it going to be Colbert? Is it going to be Stephen Colbert? Is it real him?

STELTER: It's going to be the real guy. We don't really know that guy. We will meet him in the fall.

ROMANS: All right, thank you so much. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:57:52]

ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. Let's get an EARLY START on your money this morning. McDonald's shareholders are worried about slipping sales, but McDonald's workers are concerned about their wages. About 2,000 protesters gathered near McDonald's headquarters yesterday ahead of the Annual Shareholders meeting.

Now they want $15 an hour wages. McDonald's is raising pay at least $1 above the local minimum wage starting in July. That only effects company owned locations. That is 10 percent of restaurants. The rest of the restaurants, the vast of majority of them, are franchises.

Earlier this week, Los Angeles voted to raise its minimum wage to $15 an hour. That is still a very, very big story in the business world. Low wage workers who want a raise.

All right, ISIS gaining new strategic ground in the Middle East. Another city falls to ISIS, this one in Syria. "NEW DAY" picks up that story right now.