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EARLY START

Egypt Calls for "Unified Arab Force" to Fight ISIS; Malls on Alert; Hollywood's Biggest Night; Joey Logano Wins Daytona 500

Aired February 23, 2015 - 05:00   ET

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


JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: The battle against ISIS. Could there be a new fighting force to take on the terror group? Could Arab nations be stepping up to battle ISIS?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: A new terror video from an extremist group al Shabaab, urging attacks on shopping malls in the West. How is law enforcement responding and why are officials playing down this threat?

BERMAN: And the winner is? A huge night for the Academy Awards. We're not going to tell you what wins until later in the show. We're going to keep the suspense as long as we possibly can. But there were some big winners, some big surprises. Stick around.

ROMANS: The winning -- the winning film sounds like your last name.

BERMAN: It does. That's the trick, "Grand Budapest Hotel." No, no. Just kidding.

Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm John Berman.

ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. It's Monday, February 23rd, it's 5:00 a.m. in the East.

New this morning, the president of Egypt is calling for unified force to fight ISIS. It is the latest sign that Middle Eastern countries are heeding President Obama's call for them to step up in the fight against terror. Already, Jordan and the UEA have offered to send military assistance to help Egypt battle ISIS and neighboring Libya. Several Arab nations are striking ISIS in Syria and Iraq.

I want to bring in CNN's Ian Lee. He is live in Cairo with the very latest. Good morning, Ian.

IAN LEE, CNN REPORTER: Good morning, Christine.

This address by President Sisi last night was really a state of the union for Egypt. Right off the top, though, he talked about the ISIS threat. Egypt is battling on two fronts. In the East, you have the Sinai Peninsula, and then you have the 13 air strikes that Egypt conducted against ISIS targets in Libya and the West. That is after the brutal, brutal beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians by ISIS.

In the speech, he called for a Pan-Arab army, saying a united Arab force needs to be developed to battle is. He did not give many details about what that means or what it would look like. He did reiterate though many times that the Egyptian military's role is defending Egypt's borders but added if the need arises, that they could be used in the region only with the cooperation of their Arab brothers -- Christine.

ROMANS: How likely is that call, President Sisi's call for a Pan-Arab force to resonate? We've heard in the past decades, this idea of a Pan-Arab force.

LEE: Yes. President Sisi is not the first one to call for this. Decades, we heard it before, including form the late Egyptian President Gamal Abdul Nasser. Back during in the turbulent '50s, '60s and '70s, the Arab world really didn't trust each other. Now a threat every Arab country had to deal with in some sort.

But while this call is popular here in Egypt, Arab leaders are not known for unity. So, there will take a lot, and I cannot emphasize this enough, a lot of diplomatic work with the Arab capitals to get the force together.

ROMANS: All right. Ian Lee for us in Cairo -- thank you, Ian.

BERMAN: This morning, new Defense Secretary Ash Carter is in Kuwait. He is there to consult with top military State Department and intelligence officials on the fight of ISIS. This all comes on the heels of the newly released ISIS propaganda video that appears to show Kurdish Peshmerga forces captured by ISIS. Now, CNN cannot confirm the authenticity of the video. In the video, the prisoners who seem to be under duress call on fellow Peshmerga forces to give up the fight against ISIS.

Our senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman is in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq in Irbil.

Good morning, Ben.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, John.

This video certainly is making the rounds, but not necessarily making a lot of impact on ordinary Kurds in this part of Iraq. What you see in the video is orange-clad jumpsuits. Their hands chained being lead to cages, they're interviewed by somebody who's holding a microphone with an ISIS logo on it.

Later, you see them in those cages, paraded in the back of the pickup trucks through what we believe is the Iraqi city of Hawija, currently under ISIS occupation. Now, during this nine-minute video, you see still photographs of those beheadings of Egyptian Christians that happened last week in Libya. But it ends with a tight shot on one of the prisoners. So, no executions as far as we know, but certainly the implication is it is a very good possibility.

Now, as this happens, of course, there has been a fair amount of fighting on the front between ISIS fighters and the Kurdish forces. To the south of here, an assault or attempted assault by ISIS in an area called Mahmour. We were there the other day. They tried to break through the lines there, but between the Kurds and coalition air strikes, they failed. More than 50 ISIS fighters were killed. Kurdish commanders telling us among the fighters were foreigners.

Now, to the west of here, in the Sinjar mountains near the Syrian border, a similar assault by ISIS. In that instance, at least 30 ISIS fighters were killed. So, they may be putting out as much propaganda video as they like ISIS, but they are not faring very well on the battlefield, John.

BERMAN: And the fight will heat up in that region, not far from where you are. Ben Wedeman for us in northern Iraq. Thanks so much.

ROMANS: A new and troubling threat from the terror group al Shabaab has shopping malls across the U.S. stepping up security. The al Shabaab video calls for attacks on malls in Canada, Britain and the United States. It zeros in on one in particular. It names the Mall of America in Minnesota.

Officials walking a fine line. They are urging heightened vigilance and downplaying the threat of this.

Washington correspondent Erin McPike spoke to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson. She has the latest for us this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN WASHINGTON 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. Erin McPike, thanks for that.

Turkey is worried that things are dangerous near its border with Syria. It is evacuating not only soldiers guarding an ancient tomb, it's evacuating the remains themselves. Officials say forty soldiers watching over the historic tomb of Suleiman Shah have been evacuated along with the shah's coffin. The tomb is inside Syria, 23 miles from the Turkish border.

But it is regarded as Turkish territory. This is an important and holy site. It shows you how crazy things are out there.

BERMAN: It is the first grandfather of the first Ottoman sultan has been considered Turkish territory inside Syria for a long, long time.

Hundreds of thousands of protesters filling the 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 being forced to resign. Hadi has issued a statement declaring that he is still president. Following his escape, the rebels kidnapped his nephew. No word at this point on that nephew's fate.

Two people are dead. 15 wounded following an explosion of a pro- government protest in Ukraine. Ukrainian officials are calling the remote-controlled bomb in the city of Kharkiv a suspected terrorist attack. Four people belonging to a group that received terror training in Russia have been arrested. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military will not withdraw the heavy weapons in the Donbas region as planned because its positions are still being shelled they say by pro- Russian separatists.

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

Time for an early start on your money. European and Asian stocks are up this morning, thanks to an agreement between Greece and its E.U. creditors. U.S. stock futures are down slightly right now, but very close to all-time highs. On Friday, the Dow popped 155 points. First record close of the year. S&P 500 also with a record. Markets cheering the four-month bailout extension for Greece. This deal is conditional. Greece must detail new reforms by today. That keeps the drama on the front pages.

Breaking this morning: Honda's CEO stepping down. After six years, he will step aside in June, to be replaced by the company's managing officer. Honda is front and center in the Takata air bag controversy. Remember that? That has caused millions of recalls. The faulty air bags have been linked to six deaths all in Honda cars.

ROMANS: All right. So, it seemed really nice out briefly on Sunday. Is it going to last? No. It is freezing. The winter temperatures back with a vengeance. A wintry mix even being felt in Texas. Really freezing temperatures hitting Texas. More than 1,200 flights canceled. Majority in Dallas.

I want to get to our 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.

BERMAN: All right. Thanks, Pedram.

It was a night I will never forget at the Academy Awards last night. I just got back from the "Vanity Affair" party. It was awesome. Meanwhile, at the awards themselves, it was "Birdman" that came out on top. We will tell you who else won and who lost and the big surprises.

ROMANS: You did not go to the "Vanity Fair" awards --

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: "Boyhood" versus "Birdman.", all the buzz leading up to this year's Oscars. But when the envelope was opened, it was "Birdman" winning out best picture.

Don Lemon was there. He breaks down all the big winners for us.

Hey, don.

John and Christine, congratulations to all of the winners last night. This morning, (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: Thanks, Don. Yes, his underwear was kind of --

BERMAN: That is all sprayed on. The six-pack is not real. They spray that on. That's what they do with me before I do EARLY START.

ROMANS: I will say, J.K. Simmons had an exceptional speech. If your parents are alive, call your parents. I thought that was a nice moment.

BERMAN: It's lovely. And, you know, he is a guy who has been in so many films and TV shows over the years. Actor's actor. A working actor, as it were, and I think it's just terrific.

ROMANS: And Julianne Moore, she has been acting forever. I first started watching her when she was Frannie on "As The World Turns."

BERMAN: You say you think. You know, you know --

ROMANS: I was like 5 years old. She was the red headed soap opera star. She had a long and very great career. She deserves it.

BERMAN: Congratulations to all. What a night.

All right. The Daytona 500 is in the books. They finished the race although it was dull at the end. The race may be remembered for what happened before it started. Andy Scholes has the details on the "Bleacher Report" next.

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BERMAN: NASCAR's biggest race, Daytona 500, saw its second youngest driver ever take the checkered flag.

ROMANS: So, why are so disappointed?

BERMAN: It ended under a caution. Wah-wah.

ROMANS: All right. Andy Scholes, is it wah -- sorry, you're not wah- wah. Hi, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, guys.

Yes, Joey Logano, he's only 24 years old. He's just win, he's finally living up to the nickname "Sliced Bread". He was given that when he broke into the sport at 18 because he was supposed to be the next big thing. Well, mission accomplished with this win.

For the first time in 15 years, not one of the Busch brother was in the Daytona 500. Here is a look at Kyle Busch from the hospital room. He broke his left leg and right foot in a race earlier this week. His brother, Kurt facing domestic violence charges.

Now, to the race, Jeff Gordon who was retiring at the end of this season, he started the pool, led for 77 of the first 100 laps. But he was involved in a late accident. It was this accident that put up the caution flag that allowed Joey Logano to cruise to the finish line and win his first Daytona 500.

The Oscars weren't the only big ticket in L.A. last night. Lakers and Celtics renewing their rivalry, but not quite what it used to be. Both teams not doing well this season, but this was a good game. Time winding down the fourth, Avery Bradley hits a three at the buzzer to send the time to overtime. In the extra period, it was the return of Linsanity. Jeremy Lin, 25 points in the game. Lakers win, 118-111 to snap their seven-game losing streak.

The NFL combine wrapping up yesterday. Of course, the big story of the weekend was the two quarterbacks. Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota. Winston was spot on during this throwing session and reportedly very impressive in the meetings with teams. Mariota, meanwhile, he signed in the physical drills with the fastest 40-yard dash out of all the quarterback.

So, the debate continues, who the Bucs take at number one? We are still more than two months away from the draft on April 30th.

All right. Eighteen-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps is taking the plunge, so to speak. Phelps announcing his engagement to Nicole Johnson. The pair have been dating off and on for the past few years. Phelps, of course, is still serving a six-month suspension from USA swimming. But that ends in a couple weeks. He is expected to start swimming competitively in April.

And, of course, we are all looking forward to the summer of 2016 when he is supposedly going to make another run at the summer Olympics.

BERMAN: Andy Scholes, Mariota or Winston, who is your pick?

SCHOLES: I think it's going to be Winston at this point, you know? We can't talk about with all the off the field issues, it's going to be a late first round pick. But where are they? Everybody is talking about how well he is at the combine. I think he goes number one.

BERMAN: Interesting. All right. Andy Scholes, great to see you this morning. Thanks so much.

ROMANS: Did more people watch NASCAR or the Daytona 500, or they watch the Oscars?

BERMAN: I think the Oscars. We will have our crack staff, or extensive EARLY START staff will check that out.

ROMANS: Two very big events yesterday.

All right. Twenty-four minutes past the hour.

The most magical place on earth is not cheap. Single day tickets to the Magic Kingdom at Disneyworld in Florida going up $6 to $105. And the kids don't get off easy either. Children between 3 and 9 will be charged 99 bucks. The high cost isn't slowing families from coming. All-time attendance records were set in the final quarter of 2014. I've noticed that before, whenever they raise prices, it doesn't matter. People keep coming.

Could a unified show of force of Arab nations be what it takes to stop ISIS? The president of Egypt floating that idea as Muslim nations increased efforts against the terror group. Will Cairo take the lead?

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