Spring Mosul Offensive; Obama: Muslim Nations Must Undercut Terror; Road Rage Arrest; Cold Snap Freezing Eastern U.S.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: A surprising reveal from the Pentagon. Iraq's military planning to try to take back a key city in Iraq from ISIS this spring. So why are they telling us this so early?</s>CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: A shocking arrest in the deadly road rage case in Arizona. A 19-year-old suspect now accused of shooting his neighbor. The victim's husband expressing outrage saying his wife had tried to help her accused killer.</s>BERMAN: And this morning, 185 million Americans feeling the bitter, bitter cold. Freeze warnings issued across several states. New warnings about dangerous road conditions. This one is cold and ugly. Good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm John Berman.</s>ROMANS: And I'm Christine Romans. It is Friday -- Friday -- February 20th. It is 4:00 a.m. in the East.</s>BERMAN: That was such a meek Friday.</s>ROMANS: I know, but I mean, it's cold. It was a meek cold Friday. But it is Friday. New this morning, the Pentagon revealing plans to force ISIS out of Iraq's second largest city Mosul. U.S. military officials telling CNN some 20,000 to 25,000 Iraqi troops could be committed to retaking Mosul just months from now. This leads to the question whether any American troops could be involved. Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr tracking that story for us -- Barbara.</s>BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, the Pentagon offering details about an upcoming military operation in Iraq. Iraqi forces now getting ready to try to retake Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, ISIS capturing it last year. Now, the plan is for five Iraqi brigades, plus additional Iraqi forces, more than 20,000 troops to try to go to Mosul, perhaps as soon as early April or May. Pretty specific information. More than 20,000 troops. There were also Peshmerga forces who will try to cut off any ISIS escape routes north and west of Mosul. The big question, of course, is what role will U.S. troops play besides the ongoing coalition air strikes? Still on the table, not decided, no recommendation to President Obama, is whether there will be a small group of U.S. military advisers going to Mosul, functioning as target spotters, helping the Iraqi forces spot those ISIS targets on the ground. It's a populated area. The Iraqis may need help in figuring out exactly where ISIS is. Again, raising the specter in the minds of some that it will bring U.S. troops, perhaps, closer to a combat environment. The Pentagon says it's revealing all of this information to show the commitment that Iraqi forces have to the battle -- John, Christine.</s>ROMANS: Thanks to Barbara Starr for that. President Obama continuing to walk a fine line in his summit on violent extremism. The president called on Islamic nations to work harder to undercut the root causes of terrorism. The president is pushing back against identifying terrorism -- his refusal to identify terrorism as Islamic. Senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta has the latest from Washington.</s>JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, he didn't use the words Islamic terrorism or extremism, but President Obama called on Muslim and Arab nations to start doing a better job of pushing back on what he repeatedly called lies from al Qaeda and ISIS. In a speech of his countering violent extremism summit to hundreds of world leaders at the State Department, the president said the U.S.-led coalition will continue pounding ISIS with air strikes. But he argued, the Islamic world must take aim at the underlying reasons for radicalism, from income inequality, to the lack of democratic freedoms. Of course, it should be noted, many of the countries where the problems exist also happen to be members of the president's coalition against ISIS. Still, the president did prod those Muslim partners to develop a more effective counter-message to the terrorists who are now all over social media. Here's what the president had to say.</s>BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: None of us, I think, should be immune from criticism in terms of specific policies. But the notion that the West is at war with Islam is an ugly lie. And all of us, regardless of our faith, have a responsibility to reject it.</s>ACOSTA: Now, all critics have pounced on the president's refusal to use the term "Islamic terrorism" or variations of that phrase. And as soon as the president wrapped his remarks today, Arizona Republican Senator John McCain jumped in on Twitter, saying the notion that radical Islam is not at war with the West is an ugly lie -- using the president's words there. The White House had hoped to make great strides this week in communicating an inclusive message to the Islamic world. But it's a message that had to battle against this debate over semantics that the president seemed determined to have -- John and Christine.</s>BERMAN: All right. Our thanks to Jim. Breaking news this morning: two trains had collided north of Zurich in Switzerland. There are reports of many injuries, also carriages pushed off the train tracks. We're going to bring you more information as soon as it becomes available.</s>ROMANS: All right. This morning, pro-Russian rebels maintain control of the crucial rail hub of Debaltseve in Eastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian government calls the rebel's battle for the city is a breach of the cease-fire they agreed to just last week. So, the question this morning is -- will the separatists put down their arms now they have Debaltseve? Or will they try to grab more territory? For the very latest, let's bring in senior international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh, live for us from Donetsk, in Eastern Ukraine. Nick, what are you seeing this morning?</s>NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is strangely quiet here in the rebel strong hold of Donetsk. Last night, that was not the case -- intense shelling heard in the night and the day as well. And that begged the question, really, once we saw the separatists now fully in control of Debaltseve. That's a town that is being frankly brutalized by the violence that's been swirling this two week encirclement by the separatists until they force the Ukrainian army now. Now, the separatists have Debaltseve. Does that mean the violence stops? Well, it doesn't seem that was the case last night, both ingoing and outgoing rounds we heard here. That violence is still raging. We are almost a week now potentially into the supposed cease-fire, a remarkable situation that we still have world leaders referring to this as a truce despite that violence. And also questions for the government in Kiev. They made a clear decision to leave hundred if not thousands of troops in Debaltseve during the Minsk agreements, knowing perhaps that they would eventually be surrounded by the separatists, the far superior military force, because Ukraine and NATO, it is backed by the Russian military and staffed equipped by them. That fight was lost by them, but we don't know how many troops were lost in that fight at this stage. There are some preliminary figures coming out from the government. But suggestions from the rebels exaggerated. It has been a bloody period in the fight in Ukraine here. And they it happened during a supposed cease-fire. Back to you.</s>ROMANS: During a supposed ceasefire. Nick Paton Walsh, thank you for that this morning from Donetsk, Ukraine.</s>BERMAN: Breaking overnight: the government of Venezuela has arrested the mayor of that country's capital Caracas. A Venezuelan military source confirms that intelligence agents arrested Mayor Antonio Ledezma and raided his office because of his alleged involvement in the coup against President Nicolas Maduro. In a televised address, Maduro accused the U.S. of involvement in that alleged coup. But a spokesperson calls those claims baseless and false. This arrest comes on the one-year anniversary of anti- government demonstrations that really rocked that country, rocked Venezuela, leading to the arrests of the opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez. Overnight, President Bill Clinton tweeted called for the release of Lopez and other political prisoners in Venezuela without delay.</s>ROMANS: Police in Las Vegas arrested a suspect in a road rage incidents that left a mother of four dead. Nineteen-year-old Erich Nowsch taken into custody after a brief standoff with police at his house. His house just one street away from the home of victim Tammy Meyers. Meyers' husband Robert emotionally overcome during the standoff lashing out at the media for what he felt blaming his wife and son for escalating the confrontation with her accused killer.</s>ROBERT MEYERS, HUSBAND OF VICTIM TAMMY MEYERS: Are you all happy? You made my wife look like an animal and my son. There's the animal a block away! Are you happy?</s>ROMANS: After Nowsch's arrest, Robert Meyers spoke out, revealing that his wife knew the suspect from a local park. He said she had tried to help him.</s>MEYERS: My wife spent countless hours at this park consoling this boy. He is probably watching this right now and I know he's got to feel bad because she was really good to him. She fed him. She gave him money. She told him to pull his pants up and to be a man.</s>ROMANS: Las Vegas police are looking for a second suspect this morning. They believe Nowsch was the shooter.</s>BERMAN: FOX News Bill O'Reilly defending himself from what he is calling his Brian Williams problem. Left-leaning "Mother Jones" is calling him less than honest reporting from Argentina for CBS during the 1982 Falklands war. He was in Argentina, he never actually made it to the Falkland islands. Few reporters ever did. "Mother Jones" edited together its evidence posted it on its Web site and on YouTube. O'Reilly calls the article's author a liar and claims he never said he's actually in the Falkland. I encourage to read the story, read the accounts here, because there are statements where he said war zone and combat, things like that, never did say, as far as I can tell, he was in or on the Falkland islands, but it's an interesting read.</s>ROMANS: All right. Ten minutes past the hour. The FDA issuing a warning about a deadly superbug. Health officials say improperly cleaned medical scopes inserted down the throat may be infecting patients with a deadly drug-resistant bacteria. Now, the warning comes after California hospital officials reported several people, including two who died, were infected with the superbug CRE which was linked to improperly sterilized scopes at UCLA Medical Center. A federal advisory board is urging the government to tax sugary drinks and foods. A report published by the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee -- that's a flashy name -- recommends the consumers keep their added sugar intake to no more than 10 percent of their total daily calories. The report also says that the caffeine and few cups of coffee could actually be good for you. That's why I feel so damn good.</s>ROMANS: And this last point, the committee also said they are backing off stricter limits of salt.</s>BERMAN: You with the bag of potato chips and two cups of coffee over here.</s>ROMANS: We are healthy. We are healthy.</s>BERMAN: Good times here on</s>EARLY START. ROMANS: All right. Time for an early start on your money. European stocks mostly lower right now. Today is the E.U.'s deadline for the debt deal with Greece after weeks of negotiations falling apart. U.S. futures really aren't moving very much yet. Rumors are flying this morning about the Apple car. Apple accused of poaching employees from a company that makes batteries for electric cars. And according to Bloomberg, Apple wants to start production of an electric vehicle by year 2020. It would compete with Tesla and electric vehicles in development by General Motors and others. Remember, Apple wasn't the first to make a digital music player, wasn't the first to make a smartphone, but Apple revolutionizes those products. Now, Apple could be attempting to do the same thing for electric cars. Watch this space.</s>BERMAN: The unbearable cold weather hitting 30 states this morning creating dangerous conditions, icy roads. The police release this dash cam video showing, wow, just how dangerous it all is. Stay with us.