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EARLY START

Call for "Unified Arab Force" to Fight ISIS; Malls on Alert; Hollywood's Biggest Night

Aired February 23, 2015 - 04:00   ET

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


CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Tackling terror. Egypt wants to unite Arab nations against ISIS. How can they do it? And could it affect America's role in a fight? A live report from Cairo moments away.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: A new terror video threatens attacks on shopping malls, including a famous site in the United States. This morning, how law enforcement is responding.

ROMANS: And big night for "Birdman." It takes top honors in a wild night at the Academy Awards. We have all the big winners and must-see moments. Lady Gaga, "The Hills are Alive." That's all I'm going to say.

BERMAN: It was an upset victory. I've actually seen "Birdman". It was like that and the "Lego Movie" this year. So, I've actually seen this year.

ROMANS: And "The Grand Budapest Hotel" did not win, but it won a lot of other awards because it was just a beautifully done film. Anyway, we're going to have all that for you.

Good morning and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.

BERMAN: I'm John Berman. It's Monday, February 23rd. It's 4:00 a.m. in the East.

And new this morning, the president of Egypt is calling for a united Arab force to fight ISIS. This is the latest sign that perhaps that Middle Eastern countries are heeding President Obama's call for them to step up in the fight against ISIS. Already, Jordan and UAE have offered to send military assistance to help Egypt to battle ISIS and neighboring Libya. Of course, several Arab nations are part of the coalition strike against ISIS in Syria and Iraq.

I want to bring in CNN's Ian Lee with the latest this morning.

Ian, this is a call to arms.

IAN LEE, CNN REPORTER: It is. Good morning.

And what we heard last night from President Sisi was really a State of Union Address from Egypt. Right off the top was the fight against ISIS. Egypt is fighting ISIS on two fronts. We know they're battling them in northern Sinai, which they've lost hundreds of security personnel. They also had 13 airstrikes targeting ISIS in Libya after the brutal beheading of those 21 Egyptian Christians.

In the speech, he talked about this Pan Arab army, saying the need for united Arab force is growing and become increasingly needed every day. He didn't give many details about what this force would look like, what who would happen, but we know that Arab countries have offered military assistance to Egypt for their battle. The president also said that with this need that the Egyptian military's main role is to defend only the Egyptian border. But if asked by their Arab brothers, in cooperation with them, they could also be there to protect the region -- John.

BERMAN: Ian, is there a sense of how the call is resonating with the population inside Egypt and perhaps on the street and other Arab nations?

LEE: Well, here in Egypt, the call has seen as fairly popular. Listening to the speech, it sounded a lot like Gamal Abdel Nasser, the Egyptian leader who called for Pan-Arabism as well.

In the other Arab countries, this call will be received somewhat warmly. We know that many Arab countries are dealing with the threat of ISIS. This is something the Arab countries are concerned about. And this is, though, the first time we have heard a president call for Pan-Arab army, although it has been called for in the past, without really any success. It will not be easy to accomplish, John.

BERMAN: All right. Ian Lee for us inside Cairo, a big moment in that nation, thanks so much, Ian.

ROMANS: This morning, Defense Secretary Ash Carter is in Kuwait where he's on an unannounced visit to consult with top military, State Department and intelligence officials on the fight against is. This on the heels of the newly released ISIS propaganda video that appears to show Kurdish Peshmerga forces captured by ISIS.

Now, CNN can't independently confirm the authenticity of this video. But in it, the prisoners under duress call on fellow Peshmerga to give up the fight against ISIS.

Senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman following the story for us from Irbil, Iraq.

Good morning. Good morning, Ben.

I have to say that in terms of these highly produced videos and their propaganda value, we have no way of knowing if any of it is true and just what the motive. And even if you can take ISIS for its word, but it clearly is a threat.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a threat. It's a threat to the Kurds, to the Kurdish forces that have been fighting ISIS now since last summer. What is significant in this video is, in fact, that they don't -- they are not executed, but the threat is there. During this nine-minute video, where you see them, among other things,

being paraded in cages on the back of pickup trucks through what we believe is the city of Hawija, which is south of Kirkuk. During the video, you see still photographs flashed on the screen of some of the Egyptians who were beheaded in Libya last month. And, obviously, the implication is this could be the fate of these 21 men as well.

But despite this, in fact, on the frontlines, it's a completely different picture. We understand there were two attempts by ISIS to break through Kurdish lines. Both were successful and came at a very high cost to ISIS. Now, at one battle to the south of here, in a place called Mahmour (ph), according to Kurdish officers, more than 50 ISIS fighters were killed when they tried to approach the Kurdish lines. Coalition aircraft also came into play there.

In a separate incident to the west of here, near the Syrian border, ISIS force again, tried to approach the Kurdish lines. More than 30 killed there. So, despite the fact the Kurds tell you time and time again, that they need heavy weapons, they are able to keep ISIS at bay -- Christine, John.

ROMANS: Keeping ISIS at Bay. Thank you so much for that, Ben Wedeman, this morning.

BERMAN: Five minutes past the hour.

Chilling threat from the terror group al Shabaab has shopping malls stepping up security. This video calls for attacks on malls in Canada, Britain and the United States, specifically naming the Mall of America in Minnesota. Officials walking a fine line. They're urging heightened vigilance, at the same time, some of them are downplaying the security level.

Let's go to correspondent Erin McPike. She spoke to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, Secretary Johnson is stressing that anyone heading to the mall of America should be careful was a striking comment Sunday morning. Government officials started walking back comments and continued to throughout day. So, I asked him later if he wanted to revise what he said.

Do you regret the comments you made this morning?

JEH JOHNSON, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: No, no.

MCPIKE: I also asked him to explain how Americans can be more careful when they go out to big public places. And his bottom line was to stay vigilant and embrace this motto, that if you see something, say something.

But pay close attention to the developing story here. A spokesperson for DHS said the agency is, quote, "not aware of any specific credible plot against the Mall of America or any other domestic commercial shopping center.

JOHNSON: That is becoming a less and less relevant statement because you and I won't necessarily know about when the next bad actor is going to strike and try to murder several cops on the beat, in Brooklyn or some other place.

MCPIKE: And yet the Mall of America beefed of security and the spokesman for Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton said he was in close contact with the state's public safety commissioner throughout the day Sunday, trying to keep tabs on what they can prevent -- John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Thanks for that, Erin McPike, for us this morning. New this morning, the family of the slain ISIS hostage speaking out against the U.S. policy of refusing to pay ransom to terrorists. The White House confirmed the death of aid worker Kayla Mueller earlier this month rather.

Mueller's father tells NBC News the family pushed without success for a change in U.S. government policy, hoping to save Kayla's life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARL MUELLER, SLAIN ISIS HOSTAGE'S FATHER: We understand not paying ransom, but on the other hand, any parents would understand that you would want anything and everything done to bring your child home. And we tried. And we asked. But they put policy in front of American citizens' lives.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Kayla's mother, Marsha, says she believes the U.S. under estimated, in her words, how powerful ISIS was.

BERMAN: Turkey is apparently concerned that ISIS is moving ever closer to a key historic site inside Syria. The tomb of Suleiman Shah, an ancestor of Ottoman sultans, is about 23 miles from a Turkish border inside Syria, but it has long been regarded as Turkish territory. The Turkish forces evacuated not only the soldiers guarding the tomb, but the remains themselves, they have been moved to another site. It seems to actually moved a few times over the last several decades, of symbolic importance to Turkey.

ROMANS: Hundreds of thousands of protesters filling streets across Yemen, coming out to support Yemeni President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi on Saturday. Hadi escaped house arrest imposed by the rebels last month after they forced him to resign. Hadi issued a statement declaring he is still the president of Yemen. Following his escape, the rebels kidnapped his nephew. No word so far on the nephew's fate.

BERMAN: Nearly 70 people reported dead after a ferry in Bangladesh capsized. Authorities said a cargo vessel hit the ferry in a river that many passengers in the lower deck could not get out as the boat started on taking on water. It's unclear how many people were onboard. The ferry operators apparently do not keep records. The ferry accident last summer on the same river left 45 people dead.

ROMANS: Two people are dead, 15 wounded following an explosion at a pro-government protest in Eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian officials are calling the detonation of a remote-controlled bomb in the city of Kharkiv a suspected terrorist act.

Officials say a counterterrorism now underway. They say four people belonging to a group that received training in Russia have been arrested.

BERMAN: The mayor of Jerusalem, Mir Barkat, and his body guard, they jumped out of the car to stop a knife attack. The suspect was swinging the knife a crowd of pedestrians and struck apparently an ultra orthodox Jewish man. That is when the mayor sprang into action. He tackled and hold the suspect down until arrived. The attacker is said to be an 18-year-old Palestinian who we are told was not authorized to live in Israel.

ROMANS: Ten minutes past the hour. Time for an early start on your money this morning.

European and Asian stocks are up thanks to the agreement with Greece and E.U. creditors. The Greek drama continues.

U.S. stock futures are down slightly right now. Stocks close to all- time highs here. On Friday, the Dow popped 155 points. It reached The S&P 500 notching a record high. Markets cheering Greece's four- month bailout extension to pay its bills and stay in the E.U. Greece must have new reforms by today. The deadlines have been sticky for markets.

ROMANS: Breaking this morning, Honda's CEO stepping down after six years. He will step aside in June. He is replaced by the company's managing officer. The air bag controversy have been linked to six deaths so far. All of those deaths in Honda cars.

BERMAN: So, the relative thaw we saw on Sunday in the 40s, yes, forget about that. That's a distant memory. The winter temperatures are back with a vengeance. The wintry mix being felt in Texas, more than 1,200 flights are canceled in and out of Dallas.

I want to get to meteorologist Pedram Javaheri for an early look at the weather -- Pedram.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: John and Christine, look at the radar this morning. Rain showers from southern California to portions of South Carolina. Big expansive area brought the I-10 corridor for not only rain showers, but get your way into some of the northern tiers of the state of Alabama, southern Tennessee, I should say, certainly getting icy and snow taking place.

That is a concern back to the west in Texas, pretty expansive region here for winter weather advisories and warnings, ice across eastern and southern of Texas. Fort Worth into Dallas, don't be surprised to see sleet accumulate. The ice threat is going to cause disruption on the interstates to Austin, all the way to Waco, to stop at the city in Dallas. And the snow showers will be accompanied as well.

But generally speaking, the light side around North Texas, two to four inches, one to two inch around Little Rock, while around Colorado, over two feet of snow possible in some of the higher elevations in the coming couple of days. Your high temperatures ranging from about 12 in Chicago to 20s around New York City -- guys.

ROMANS: It felt nice yesterday.

BERMAN: It was really nice.

ROMANS: It was good. It was good. All right. Thirteen minutes past the hour.

"Birdman" is on an Oscar high. The drama about a washed up film actor beat out the coming of age film "Boyhood", doing best picture. "Birdman" also won best director honors during Sunday night's award show.

Fifth time was the charm for Julianne Moore honored as best actress for "Still Alice". There was so much buzz about her before this happened. It almost was a foregone conclusion it felt like.

Eddie Redmayne won best actor for portraying Professor Steven Hawking in "The Theory of Everything". We're going to have more from Los Angeles later this half hour.

BERMAN: I saw exactly zero of the award show last night.

ROMANS: I love how current you are at pop culture.

BERMAN: No, but I am usually. But last night, it was just so late. It started so late, and it went on forever. I had to wake up to be with you. I need all of my faculties.

ROMANS: I will in the next half hour, I will tell you everything you need to know about the Oscars.

BERMAN: Thank goodness.

ROMANS: Lady Gaga.

BERMAN: All right. Lady Gaga.

Thirteen minutes after the hour. Two British girls on the run this morning, apparently headed to join ISIS. Their families -- they are crushed. We're going to tell what they're saying and what's being done to bring these girls home.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: This morning, the families of three British teenage girls believed to be headed to Syria to join ISIS, they are making a desperate plea. They are begging the girls to come home, saying, "We are not mad at you. Remember how much we love you. And don't do anything stupid." Following the story for us from London, CNN's Atika Shubert.

Atika, three young women basically vanishing to join the fight with ISIS is the suspicion. These families must be just so upset.

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They are absolutely devastated. And they say there is no sign that their children were talking to or even interested that much in politics in the Middle East. And some of them said they had classes after school, one said they were going to a wedding and they just disappeared.

Take a listen to what the sister of one of those girl schools had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She is an "A" student. She's -- to convince young girls of that age that are so vulnerable and so -- it's just wrong. It's evil. It's a really evil thing to do. You are breaking up entire families. We want her to come home. If you are watching this, baby, please come home. Mom needs you more than anything in the world. You're our baby.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHUBERT: Now, the reason the families are speaking out and police have issued those unblurred photos of the girls is that they are still believed to be in Turkey. That they may not have crossed into Syria yet. They want to let them know they should come back home as soon as possible.

ROMANS: Atika, what is the investigation showing about how they got the money to get there, were they in direct contact with, you know, I guess emissaries of ISIS or another group to get to the Middle East?

SHUBERT: Well, there's two strands that they're looking at. One is that a classmate actually left for Syria believed to have joined ISIS just a few months ago. So, the police actually have talked to these school girls, warning them of the dangers. So, they are looking to see whether they followed their classmate. The other is they seem to have been in contact online with Aksam Mahmoud (ph). This is a 19- year-old school girl from Glasgow who left last year for Syria. She has been very active online, writing a blog, giving advice to any young women who wants to join ISIS.

So, it's quite possible that they were in contact with her. She may have given them the advice they needed to actually make the journey into Turkey and possible cross the border into Syria.

ROMANS: All right. Atika Shubert, thank you for that this morning in London. Thanks, Atika.

Almost unbelievable that, you know, girls would use their own -- you know, in a western country where they have all kinds of rights to join an Islamic caliphate where the whole point it is run by men, women have no rights. BERMAN: And there are so many questions about how they got there, who meet them in Turkey, is there a pipeline here, who's recruiting them -- all of this needs to be figured by authorities and fast.

All right. Twenty minutes after the hour right now.

I have to tell you, it was a night I will never forget, the 87th Annual Academy awards. "Birdman", no relation to me, John Berman, comes out on top. And all the big categories or at least a few of them. We're going to recap all the big moments and the surprises, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: "Boyhood" versus "Birdman", it was all the buzz leading up to the Oscars. But when the envelope was opened, it was "Birdman" that won big picture, also best director.

You know, the winner in best performance's Don Lemon? It was Don Lemon. He breaks down all the big winners -- Don.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: John and Christine, congratulations to the winners last night. Well, this morning, because we hung out really late.

Let's start with J.K. Simmons, best supporting actor. What a night it was for him. He said he's been in the business 40 years. He just turned 60. All of a sudden, overnight, he is a household name. He is the character actor of our time. Of course, he is winning for "Whiplash."

Best supporting actress, Patricia Arquette, she's really found her voice. Now she is becoming somewhat of an activist, speaking out on women's rights and equal pay.

Best director, Alejandro Inarittu, fantastic speech. Also, he won for "Birdman."

Best actor, Eddie Redmayne. What a role? Having to play someone who is dealing with challenges, and he did a fantastic for that training for months and months and months.

Best actress, Julianne Moore, the odds on favorite. Not a surprise there, another movie dealing with issues, that one dealing with Alzheimer's.

And best picture, "Birdman." It was a surprise to many people because many people thought that it would be "Boyhood." But as it turns out, that didn't happen.

Some emotional moments from Graham Moore, the writer of "Imitation Game." John Legend and Common, their performance for "Selma" really had people crying for their performance. It was a very emotional evening and a very exciting evening, and filled with fashion, filled with tears, filled with joy, and, of course, I'm sure disappointment for the people who did not win.

Neil Patrick Harris was a fantastic host. Of course, I think the moment among moments was when eh came out in his underwear.

It was a fun time here in Hollywood. We really enjoyed it. I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you get to watch it on DVR because I know you get to get up early.

So, back to you, John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: Don knows a thing or two about our schedules.

BERMAN: So caring.

ROMANS: He mentioned the moment from Graham Moore, who was the one adapted the screenplay for "Imitation Game." He said he almost killed himself when he was 16 years old. He felt weird and felt like he did not belong. And he said, for anyone who feels weird and doesn't feel like, they belong, stay weird, because you will have your moment too and you will get through it. And I felt like that was such an emotional -- that to me was the best -- the most important moment. After that was the underwear from Neil Patrick Harris.

BERMAN: In the subject weird. And also Lady Gaga, you have been talking about Lady Gaga singing "Sound of Music" stuff.

ROMANS: Yes, she sang the "Sound of Music" and it was -- I mean, it was really beautifully done. I was stunned how well she sounded. I mean, she's obviously got great, great pipes. But can you hear it?

(MUSIC)

ROMANS: Isn't that good?

BERMAN: I feel so incredibly Austrian. All right. She has a beautiful voice.

ROMANS: John is going to sing in the commercial break.

BERMAN: During the break, until then.

ROMANS: All right. Twenty-seven minutes past the hour.

Could a unified show of force from Arab nation stop ISIS? The president of Egypt floated the idea as the Muslim nations taken on the terror group. We're going to take you to Cairo, ahead.

(CXOMMERCIAL BREAK)