Serious White House Breach; ISIS Closing in on Kobani; New ISIS Hostage Video Mocks Airstrikes
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Armed, dangerous and much deeper into the White House than we knew. Frankly than we were told. Shocking new details about the fence jumping intruder arrested in the president's home. This as the head of the Secret Service is expected to be grilled in front of Congress this morning. Is the president and his family, are they being kept safe?</s>CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: ISIS fighters gaining new ground in Iraq and Syria. Moving closer to key cities. Local residents fearing their town will be lost. This as ISIS releases new propaganda, video of a British hostage this morning. Live team coverage ahead.</s>BERMAN: Pro-democracy protesters taking over the streets of Hong Kong demanding change from their government. We will take you live to the heart of these protests.</s>ROMANS: Those pictures are remarkable.</s>BERMAN: Really stunning. And those protests will only get bigger within a few days.</s>ROMANS: Yes.</s>BERMAN: Welcome back to EARLY START, everyone. I'm John Berman.</s>ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. It's 31 minutes past the hour. Let's begin with the Secret Service. The director of the Secret Service already facing a tough congressional oversight this morning and it just got a whole lot tougher. We now know that the man who jumped the White House fence earlier this month made it much farther into the White House than had been previously reported. CNN's Jim Acosta has that story for us this morning from the White House.</s>JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, Omar Gonzalez made it much farther inside the White House than previously acknowledged by the Secret Service. According to congressional and law enforcement sources, once Gonzalez entered the White House, he managed to get through a Secret Service officer at the North Portico door, went past the stairs, leading to the first family residence, and then ran into the East Room before he was tackled just as he was trying to head into the Green Room. No shots were fired inside or outside the White House. And according to a memo that will be used by lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee at a hearing later on this morning, there were multiple lapses that allowed Gonzalez to make it that far. One of them being a failure to use what's called the crash button, that would have instantly locked down the White House. The question, of course, is, why that button was not used? And this new information runs counter to what the Secret Service initially said on the night of the fence jumping incident, when a spokesman told reporters that Gonzalez was apprehended just inside the North Portico door. The director of the Secret Service, Julia Pierson, is scheduled to appear before the House Oversight Committee later on this morning. According to White House officials, the president has confidence in her leadership -- John and Christine.</s>BERMAN: Thanks, Jim, for that report. This morning residents of the Syrian city of Kobani are terrified and pleading for help. That as ISIS closes in. Islamic militant fighters are less than two miles now from that Kurdish town near the border with Turkey. U.S.-led forces have intensified airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, but officials in Kobani say it is not enough. They need more help or that city will fall. Standing by live at the border right now, CNN's Phil Black. Good morning, Phil.</s>PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. Yes, when we speak to everyone around here on this side of the border here in Turkey, just across the border in Syria in that city of Kobani, which you can see behind me, we are asked where is the international coalition. Where are the airstrikes? Why aren't they getting involved in the battle that is raging just across the border there? You can see Kobani, it is being approached from all sides -- the west, the south and the east -- by ISIS. We are standing to the east. And it is from this direction in recent days that we have watched ISIS approach. And we have seen firsthand, very clearly, the fact that ISIS fighters really outgunning their opponents. They have much heavier weaponry than the Kurdish fighters who are desperately trying to resist them. And they have moved so close to the city now. ISIS was shelling Kobani directly yesterday. As many as 20 times according to people within the city that we spoken to. They believed that has killed a number of civilians, at least three. And there are now real concerns for those who remain behind in that city. Well, most have fled, some 200,000 from the city in the surrounding region across the border here in Turkey to seek shelter. There are still thousands behind. And there are real concerns about what should happen to them in the event that ISIS makes its last final push. A final lurch to take this city. We heard some fighting this morning, distantly. Some shelling. We think coming from the south. It is otherwise peaceful for the moment. But here on the ground, there is every sense that there's little standing between ISIS and its goal. That they're at the gates and they're in a position to take Kobani -- John.</s>BERMAN: All right. Phil Black for us on the border where you can practically see that city as it fights for survival against ISIS. Our thanks to Phil. Meanwhile, ISIS released a new propaganda video overnight featuring British hostage John Cantlie. We'll go live to London with that, tell you what's on that video in about 15 minutes.</s>ROMANS: We're following breaking news this morning. Police in Baghdad are confirming claims by ISIS that the Islamic militant group has carried out several attacks on Iraqi army patrols and checkpoints in the southern outskirts of the city. At least eight Iraqi soldiers are reported killed. Officials characterized the attack as a hit-and-run. They say Iraqi Security Forces do remain in control of the area.</s>BERMAN: Meanwhile, Syria's foreign minister is slamming the United States and the West for the way they are conducting the war on ISIS. Telling the United Nations General Assembly that Western governments ignored Syria's warning about ISIS for years. And these countries now need to coordinate airstrikes against ISIS with the Syrian government. Now the White House is refusing to do that. Syria's foreign minister went on to say that the U.S. is making a mistake by not targeting other extremist groups in the region along with ISIS. Those groups obviously fighting the Syrian government.</s>BERMAN: The cost of this war is climbing. According to research from the strategic and budgetary assessment, U.S. military operations have already cost between $780 million and $930 million in the last two months. The cost going forward depends on duration and intensity. But the think-tank estimates the lower intensity campaign will cost as much as $320 million a month. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says the U.S. is spending up to $10 million a day. He's likely to request more money. Time for an EARLY START on your money this morning. Asian stocks ended the day mostly lower. Pro-democracy protests continue in Hong Kong. European stock are up right now. U.S. stock futures are pointing higher as well.</s>BERMAN: The first Clinton grandchild is waking up this morning. Waking up. Falling asleep. Waking up. Falling asleep.</s>ROMANS: Crying. Eating. Crying.</s>BERMAN: But the important thing is she will be in her new home. That is her right there. That little bundle of stuff right there. Charlotte Clinton Mezvinsky leaving the hospital on Monday along with her mother and father and a couple of other people who may be recognizable and standing behind them. Baby Charlotte will be busy over the next few day, I am sure, writing, transcribing memoirs, things like that. No, she will be meeting aunts and uncles on her father's side of the family. She has 18 first cousins.</s>ROMANS: That's awesome.</s>BERMAN: To meet in between napping and eating and napping.</s>ROMANS: Very bullish on babies. Babies are cool. Babies are cool. Best of luck to them. Best wishes for them in their sleepless nights.</s>ROMANS: Start saving in a 529 for college right now.</s>BERMAN: Right. They're late if they haven't started already. They're late.</s>ROMANS: Right.</s>BERMAN: Thirty-seven minutes after the hour. Happening right now, thousands of protesters taking over the streets of Hong Kong demanding big changes. We are live with the very latest, next.