we should bring it here to the united states. it's very good. >> you are not a good american? >> i like coffee and tim horton's coffee. "early start" continues right now. an american held hostage by terrorists for two years finally freed. peter theo curtis out of danger. intelligence officials are close to finding the jihadist who murdered james foley and the advances isis is making. a day of mourning in ferguson, missouri. michael brown's family preparing to say good-bye. he will be laid to rest today. we are going to bring you the mood on the streets tonight. northern california rocked by the strongest earthquake in 25 years. the latest on the damage report and that damage report is growing. that's next. good morning, everyone. welcome ta "early start." i'm john berman.

>> welcome back. i'm christine romans. it is monday, august 25th. it is 5:00 a.m. in the east. >> we have good news this morning concerning an american hostage overseas. journalist theo peter curtis freed by islamic militants in syria after two years in captivity. the 45-year-old curtis was kidnapped in october 2012 and turned over to an al qaeda linked group. curtis is expected to be reunited with his family, shortly. nick paton walsh is following the developments for us. good morning, nick. >> reporter: john, interesting to know he was handed over. one of the strangest parts was the syrian border partially controlled by rebels, but a long way away from where he was kidnapped in northern syria, held for six months in aleppo. we know he was held with another

american. for six months together, they shared the cell, torture and hunger and shared an escape plan. that involved theo pushing matt up to a window in the cell. matt got out. tragically, when he reached down, theo was stuck. he left. today, released a statement saying theo and i were together for over six months, but we never shared an august day during that time. now, thank god, we do. this day will go down as one of the happiest of my life. relief to him. relief for theo curtis' family. they thanked the american and ka tarry governments for negotiating the release. it's not clear what triggered the final walk to freedom. there's no suggestions that money did change hands. the key thing is the group holding him linked to al qaeda, yes.

described as a terrorist organization by the u.s., yes. with the fight against isis broadening, they may want to be considered moderates and looking for the positive pr of allowing the release to occur. a lot of complexity. an american family here overjoyed. >> a lot of moving parts. not clear what, ultimately, they have released. you so eloquently say the one important fact we know is this man will be reunited with his family. thank you so much. british intelligence zeroing in on the identity of the terrorist seen beheading james foley in the video released by isis. britain's u.s. ambassador says a trail of clues could unmask the terrorist. >> they are speculating we are close to identifying who this guy is. you may see the foreign secretary say yesterday, we are putting out a great deal of resource into identifying this

person. i think we are not far away from that. we are putting lot into it. there are a lot of technology and voice identification people can use to check who the people are. >> the family released a letter from their son during captivity. foley dictated a letter to a fellow hostage who memorized it and relayed it to his family. the games and teaching each other helped the time pass. they have been a huge help. we repeat story and laugh to break tension. i have had weak and strong days. we are grateful when anyone is freed, but yearn for our own freedom. we try to encourage each other and share strength. hundreds gathered in his hometown in rochester, new hampshire for a remembrance honoring the american journalist. militants making advance in iraq where they are in control

of a key air base. what kind of advances are they making in iraq? just underscores the islamic state does not know national borders. >> reporter: absolutely. it is a border that is nonexistent for isis. what's going on in iraq as to what's going on in syria when tackling the threat of isis as we have heard from officials. while the air strikes here in iraq, since august 8th halted the advances we have seen isis making seem to be an unstoppable organization over the past couple months, taking more and more territory here in iraq. it still maintains control of major cities. iraq's second largest city, mosul is under their control. the city of fallujah under complete control of isis on the other side of the border. in syria, that is what we have

seen over the past week or so, isis making significant advances in the northern part of syria where their presence has been in a province that the city has been their de facto headquarters. they have been battling for the takeover of that keierre base. we are told by the syrian observatory monitoring the situation on the ground and developments after intense battles between isis militants and regime forces they were able to, isis was able to take over the base despite air strikes to try to stop that. solidifying their presence there. all of the province to be under the control of isis. really undercoring the importance of going after isis in terms of trying to weaken

them to try to defeat them as u.s. officials say, it is going to take more than air trikes here in iraq. in missouri, michael brown being laid to rest. just over two weeks since the unarmed teenager was shot to death by ferguson, missouri police officer, darren wilson. days of protest have given way to calm, relative calm. in a rally on sunday, michael brown's father wants just one thing on the day he buries his son, peace. let's get more from nick valencia in ferguson. >> reporter: peace in ferguson, at least for the moment, seems to have been restored. the father of 18-year-old unarm ed michael brown made a plea for a day of silence, a day of respect and restore peace on the streets of ferg southern. here at the scene where he was

shot and killed, you can see a memorial leading up to where his body laid for four hours before it was recovered. people began putting these roses down, leading up to where he was shot and killed. here at the scene and the neighborhood on canfield, a lot of people are showing up to show their solidarity for michael brown. a lot of people from out of state. people have driven from across the country, different cities and states to show their respect and make sure the story is not lost. largely, their eyes are focused on the funeral that will take place later today at 10:00 a.m. local time where it is expected 5,000 people will come out and show and pay respects. nick valencia, cnn, ferguson, missouri. >> meanwhile, in northern california, they are literally picking up the pieces this morning. a magnitude 6.0 earthquake shoot the region on sunday. the worst damage was in california's napa valley. a state of emergency has been

declared there. dozens of cities are red tagged as uninhabitable. many suffered injuries including a child in critical condition. there is damage to the wineries. state officials say people there are hurting. >> there's a mythology about napa, it's all fancy wineries. under that, there are a lot of folks, very low income that need support. >> reporter: like the mobile homes we saw on fire. >> i was just there. i spent two and a half hours in the mobile homes. one thing about the fires and horrific images. dozens and dozens of them that are off the foundations. you have seniors in there that don't have families coming to pick them up and help them. they can barely get off the couch on a good day. now their possessions are strewn all over the place. >> the cost of the damage, the strongest in 25 years, it could

cost $1 billion. >> they are living in a state known for earthquakes, but many don't have the insurance. one in ten californians have insurance to cover home and property damage. the number is lower in the areas affected sunday. in napa, for example, about 6% have coverage. in california, the average cost of earthquake insurance, 860 bucks a year. during lulls between earthquakes, homeowners forget the importance of coverage. quick "early start" on your money. european stocks higher. asian stocks ended mixed. u.s. pointing higher to start the week. stocks are not far from record highs. the dow thooz go 136 points to hit a record. president obama back at the white house after his two-week working vacation in martha's vineyard. the president will meet with secretary of defense chuck hagel. they have a lot to discuss. an issue, the growing threat from isis militants.

of course everyone saw the group's video tape of american journalist james foley. the president was criticized for his vacation, golfing on his vacation given the situation and the protests in missouri. happening now, the war in gaza escalating. israel increasing the air strikes. we are live in jerusalem with the latest, after the break. angie's list is revolutionizing local service again. by making it easy to buy and schedule service by top-rated providers, conveniently stay up-to-date on progress, and effortlessly turn your photos into finished projects with the angie's list mobile app. visit angieslist.com today. but do you really? [ female announcer ] neutrogena® makeup remover erases 99% of your most stubborn makeup with one towelette. can your makeup remover do that? [ female announcer ] neutrogena® makeup remover.

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jerusalem. the hamas person was a top money man for the organization. >> reporter: certainly that was the target of the israeli air strike. they say he was one of the financial chiefs of hamas and the idea is they hit a target. it isn't clear, however, if the financial chief was killed in that. certainly, no word from hamas as to what the outcome may have been. all this goes to indicate the fight is still very much on both sides continuing to trade fire. also, civilians falling victim as well in gaza. among the victims, some 16 in the last 24 hours. a woman and her three children on the israeli side while hamas militants targeted the border crossing between israel and gaza. four people were injured in that attack. 23 mortars raining down around mid afternoon.

that's had severe disruptions in northern civilian life in gaza. yesterday, 500,000 kids were due to start the school year again. that is impossible because the schools are being used as shelters for displaced people. in israel, it was due to be the start of the soccer season over the weekend. that, too, has been suspended because of the threat of rocket fire on public gathering. there's a whiff of good news in israel and gaza, new egyptian efforts for a cease-fire. we are going to monitor that in the course of the day to firm that up for you. christine? >> karl penhaul in jerusalem for you. thank you. the deadly ebola outbreak is spreading in africa. the deaths occurred in isolated areas in a central african nation. it's a different strain than the one seen in west africa.

meanwhile, in liberia, not enough aid workers to help the people who have come down with the disease. they are in need to find health workers and experts in disease management. the practice of hiding ebola victims is banned under the law. in a british health care worker who tested positive was flown to london sunday night. he caught the virus caring for patients where 15 nurses have died. 2600 people in west africa have been infected with it. a scare in the skies over arizona. an american airlines flight forced to land just before noon sunday. the move came after authorities got word of a tweet claiming there were explosives on board. that tweet sent out by hackers targeting sony's online entertainment president. the aircraft was cleared to continue to san diego.

another security breach at brooklyn bridge. police arresting a thrill seeker after he took a stroll on the suspension beams. he was charged with criminal trespass and disorderly conduct. he got past security that had been on high alert. trespassers replaced the flags flying over the bridge. >> let's get a look at the forecast. indra petersons has it for us. >> it feels good. look at the entire country. look how clear the entire area is. you are seeing maybe a couple systems here in the upper midwest. a little bit of action here down by the gulf. otherwise, dry across the country. we are watch thag system hanging out in the midwest, pushing out toward the northeast. light scattered showers. the bulk of it where the rain is going to be is where the center of circulation is. one to three inches near the plains and the midwest. light scattered showers.

summertime sufficient. otherwise, look at the pattern. easy, right? hot and warm. high pressure building in for the eastern half of the country. mild in the pacific northwest. another way to look at it, the exact same pattern, look at the temperature difference here. meanwhile, the pacific northwest, you can tell by the colors alone, nice and cool and mild. one of the bigger stories is cristobal over the bahamas at a tropical storm strength. winds 15 miles per hour. the models are in agreement expecting it to stay offshore, but strengthening to a category one hurricane tuesday through wednesday. >> keep it offshore, please. >> looks good now. >> thanks, indra. some of the biggest and brightest stars were on hand for mtvs music awards. ♪

>> the night belonged to beyonce, honored. >> finally, someone recognizing her talents. i feel like she's underappreciated. >> a couple must see moments. nicki minaj suffered wardrobe malfunctions. they took a moment to honor michael brown. arianna grande took hope the award for best pop video and someone else who doesn't get enough attention, miley cyrus, top honors with video of the year for "wrecking ball." you bring it to may attention, it's been a full year of miley cyrus. she exploded a year ago when she was with robin thicke, right? >> yes, they were together on stage. yeah, it's been one year, how they survived since miley cyrus.

happy anniversary. twe twerkiversary. >> andy scholes breaks it down. he better bring back good news. you have one break to make this work out for us, andy. the bleacher report is next. 3rd and 3. 58 seconds on the clock, what am i thinking about? foreign markets. asian debt that recognizes the shift in the global economy. you know, the kind that capitalizes on diversity across the credit spectrum and gets exposure to frontier and emerging markets. if you convert 4-quarter p/e of the s&p 500, its yield is doing a lot better... if you've had to become your own investment expert, maybe it's time for bny mellon, a different kind of wealth manager ...and black swans are unpredictable. dust irritating your eye? (singing) ♪

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told andy scholes to come back with good news about the little league world series. bring us good news about the team from chicago. have you done it, andy scholes on the bleacher report? >> happy twerkiversary. stay with me on this. it was a great run. they fell short, one win short of becoming the first all african-american team to win the world series. the kids on the south side were taken on in the south korean championship. they weren't able to mount a comeback like las vegas. the u.s. championship game, they won, 8-4. the kids shared nice sportsmanship after the game. cool high five there. international teams have now won the last three little league series titles. the chicago team fell short, but the city of chicago will hold a

victory parade for the team on wednesday. there's your good news. brutal news for the st. louis rams fans. they came out yesterday. the season is over before it began for quarterback sam bradford. he tore the acl in his left knee against the browns and is out for the entire season. it's the same injury that forced bradford to miss the last nine games of last season. tough news for him. back-up, sean hill is going to be the starter for the rams. trending on bleacherreport.com, an event backfires. before the rams/browns game, a man offered to buy free drinks for the world. as you can see, that's exactly what happened saturday night. now the fan backed out of the free drinks for the entire world promise. after sam tweeted at him, he was going to make a $500 donation to the st. louis boys and girls

club in honor of sam's play. >> we are not going to get a drink, but he's going to make a nice donation. >> congratulation to the team from chicago, the little league team. >> they are great. >> it was a great ride. >> i love the handshakes at the end thachlt is what it's all about. >> thank you, andy. 27 minutes after the hour. an american journalist held hostage for nearly two years is free this morning. what we are learning about the terror group that released him and how this peaceful solution may have been negotiated right after the break. where the reward was that what if tnew car smelledit card and the freedom of the open road? a card that gave you that "i'm 16 and just got my first car" feeling. presenting the buypower card from capital one. redeem earnings toward part or even all of a new chevrolet, buick, gmc or cadillac - with no limits. so every time you use it, you're not just shopping for goods. you're shopping for something great.

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an american held hostage by terrorists for nearly two years is free this morning. what was behind the release of theo curtis? officials are close to identifying the jihadist that executed james foley. new advances militants are make thg morning. we have live team coverage ahead. a day of peace for ferguson. michael brown's parents calling for a day of silence at the funeral more than two weeks after the unarmed teen was killed by police. we are going to show you the move overnight. picking up the pieces in california. shaken by the strongest earthquake they have seen in 25 years. in latest damage report, ahead. welcome back to "early start," everyone. great to see you, i'm john berman. >> nice to have you back. i'm christine romans.

an american journalist held nearly two years by terrorists is expected to be reunited with his family. he was freed sunday by an al qaeda linked group. he was kidnapped back in october, 2012. cnns nick paton walsh is following developments for us live in london. good morning, nick. >> at the heart of the release is also the story of a partially failed escape involving another american. he was peter theo's cell mate for six months in northern syria. they shared the torture together, hunger and deprive deprivation. theo pushed matthew up to the window. he reached down and theo was stuck in the window. he had to leave theo behind.

wrestled with guilt since august. yesterday was the happiest day of his life. we finally learned he was free. peter's family saying how he had, in fact, been released in negotiations by the u.s. and ka tarry governments. no sign money changed hands. an interesting place where he was transferred. the israeli border of syria handed to u.n. peace keepers there, presumably by syrian rebels. a long and complex journey where we last learned he was held. interestingly, too, they were thought to have held him for nearly two year period on and off moving to different locations. they are al qaeda affiliates, considered terrorists but by allowing the release may be looking for some sort of accommodation or positive pr in the eyes of the west.

right now, as the west is moving in to broaden the crackdown against isis militants. great moments for an american family to learn after nearly two years their son is free. >> nick paton walsh, thank you. they are clees to learning the identity of the terrorist that killed james foley. they have been poring over clues. >> i see the british media are speculating we are close to identifying who this guy is. they said yesterday, we are putting out a great deal of resource into identifying this person. i think we are not far away from that. we are putting lot into it. there's a lot of sophisticating technology to use to check who the people are. >> meantime, the family released a letter from their son, during

captivity. foley dictated the letter to a fellow hostage who memorized it. it says, in part, the games and teaching each other have helped times pass. they have been a huge help. we repeat stories and laugh to break the tension. i have had weak and strong days. we are so grateful when anyone is free, but of course yearn for our own freedom. we try to encourage each other and share strength. sunday, hundreds gathers in rochester, new hampshire for a mass of remembrance honoring the slain american journalist. isis is on the march in iraq and syria where they have gained control of the taqba air base. welcome to the program. tell me what you make of this release. the release of this other

american hostage and, i guess, the angle that the country of cutter was involved in the negotiations. >> first of all, i'm extremely happy and pleased for the family. they have managed to get him out and safe. he's one of an estimated 20 journalists held captive in the region. this is a very interesting dynamic. we now have cutter involved. they have been funding the muse limb brotherhood since the beginning on a sectarian basis. they have been involved in these complex negotiations. we know they have a history of getting involved. they were involved when the u.s. freed six taliban members and one of them now is fighting in the region. they have a history of funding

extremist organizations and it's a very interesting dynamic that we now seem to be negotiating with al qaeda. i know we had a former strategy of never negotiating with terrorists. i fully understand the pressure they are under, but now we seem to be talking to al qaeda and negotiating through cutter, the release of hostages. i wonder, is this a dangerous precedent? >> uncomfortable discussions. let's talk about what's going on in syria now. the taqba air base fallen to the isis militants. what should the united states be doing inside syria, active aggressive military action against isis, even if it helps the syrian regime? >> i think we are caught -- the u.s. is caught between a rock and a hard place.

it's close to the taqba air base. it's the largest dam in syria. this was the last military base in the region, also. isis controlled that area. also, let's not forget we have 18,000 east of the region, which were trapped, running out of food and this, potentially is another genocide. we are going have to, somehow, negotiate again whether we like it or not. isis poses a problem to the whole region and the whole of the world as well. i'm not sure we will bomb isis in syria. russia and china and other countries have interests there as well. i think we may have to, again, have very uncomfortable discusses.

>> caught between the devil and hard place. a mixed metaphore. thanks for being with us. appreciate it. 38 minutes after the hour. state of emergency declared in california. shaken by the strongest earthquake that area has seen in 25 years. the damage done could top $1 billion. the dramatic destruction and a breakdown of why the quake was felt by so many, next. ♪ nervous whitening will damage your teeth? introducing new listerine® healthy whitetm. it not only safely whitens teeth, but also restores enamel. lose the nerves, and get a healthier, whiter smile that you'll love. listerine® healthy whitetm. power to your mouthtm! we'we're trying ourls. best to be role models. we don't jump at the sound of the opening bell, because we're trying to make the school bell. corner booth beats corner office any day. we make the most out of our time...

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in just a few hours, funeral services for michael brown. three white house officials will be in attendance there. it's been two weeks since the unarmed teenager was shot to death by police officer darren wilson. days of protest have given way to relative calm. michael brown's father called for a day of silence as he buries his son. let's get more from nick valencia in ferguson. >> reporter: peace in ferguson, at least for the moment, seems to have been restored. michael brown sr., the father of the unarmed 18-year-old shot and killed by officer wilson made a plea to the crowd in attendance for a day of silence, a day of respect and to restore peace in the streets of ferguson. here where he was killed, you can see a memorial where his body laid before four hours before it was recovered by

medical examiners. people began laying down the roses. here at this scene and the neighborhood, a lot of people are showing up to show their solidarity for michael brown. a lot of people from out of state. a lot of people have driven from all over the country to show their respect and make sure the story is not lost. largely, though, their eyes are focused on the funeral that will take place later today at 10:00 a.m. local time where it is expected more than 5,000 people come out to show and pay respects for michael brown. nick valencia, cnn, ferguson, missouri. s state of emergency in effect for california wine country where they are cleaning up after a magnitude 6.0 earthquake. the strangest in 25 years. the napa valley suffered the worst damage. dozens have been red tagged. more than 170 people were injured including a young child in critical condition this

morning. major damage to the region's famed wineries. state officials say real people are hurting. >> there's a mythology about napa that it's all fancy wineries. under that, a lot of folks need support. >> reporter: like the mobile homes we saw on fire. >> i was just there. i spent the last two and a half hours. one thing about the fires and the horrific images about the fires. there are does bs and dozens of mobile homes tauf foundations. you have senior that is don't have families coming to pick them up and help them. they can barely get out of the couch on a good day and now their possessions are strewn all over the place. we need to be here for the long run. >> the cost could top $1 billion. it was felt over a wide area. >> it was a 6.0 earthquake. this is key, it was early in the morning.

even the retro fitted buildings sustained a lot of damage. keep in mind, no tsunami warnings. it was 6.7 miles southwest of napa. you can see 106,000 people did feel very strong shaking. let's put that in compareson to what they saw 25 years ago when you could see the difference. the difference between a 6.0 and 7.0 is a 7.0 feels ten times stronger. it hit a 7.8, millions of people were affected by that. many people are used to feeling the shaking. right in between the two plates in the region. we are talking lot of seismic activity going forward. you have the threat 32% chance of seeing a 5.0 aftershake out there. as we talk about the plates moving along and they are more active right now. >> thanks for that. let's look at what's coming

up on new day. allison joins us. >> hi, guys, great to see you. john, i look forward to meeting you. >> i'm john. >> you are going to spend the next three hours together and you have never met. >> i'll tell you what's coming up. we are covering the latest in the fight against isis. the u.s. says we are prepared to take them on in syria if they become a direct threat to american interests. they are close to identifying terrorist who is beheaded american james foley. this morning, an american taken hostage in syria is finally free. we eem talk to a family friend. in missouri, michael brown will be laid to rest. don lemon sat down with brown's mother and trayvon martin's mother. you won't want to miss this powerful, exclusive interview. john, mikaela and i will see you in about 15 minutes. >> looking forward to it. thanks.

47 minutes after the hour. a bomb threat on twitter forcing an american airlines flight to land. who hackers were targeting on board the flight. that's next.

a scare in the skies over arizona. an american airlines flight forced to land at phoenix sky

harbor international airport. the move came after authorities got a tweet claiming there were explosives on board. it was sent by hackers targeting sony's online entertainment president who was on the flight. after several hours the aircraft was cleared to continue to san diego. another security breach at brooklyn bridge. a thrill seeker took a stroll on the bridge. the suspension beams. the 24-year-old was charged with criminal trespass. he got past security that's been on high alert. he was a national treasure in britain. richard attenborough has died. he won an academy award for directing "gandhi." he's the billionaire theme park

drek tar in "jurassic park." he was 90. some of the biggest and brightest stars on hand for mtv music awards. ♪ >> the night belonged to beyonce. a couple must see moments, nicki minaj suffered a wardrobe malfunction and they honored michael brown, the unarmed teen killed by a police officer in ferguson, missouri. ariana grande took home an award for best video and miley cyrus won video of the year for "wrecking ball." is burger king ready to trade american citizenship for lower taxes? an "early start" on your money, next. ♪ nervous whitening will damage your teeth? introducing new listerine® healthy whitetm.

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>> all right. let's get an "early start" on your money. european stocks mostly higher. hinted atmore stimulus measures. u.s. stocks pointing higher. the dow is just 136 points away from the record close of less than 1%. s&p 500 down slightly from its record. nothing says america like fast food burgers. burger king might be giving up its citizen zip. they are in merger talks with tim hortons. it would allow burger king to cut the tax bill through process

called inversion. tax rates are lower in canada than the u.s. they would operate as separate brands. losing chunk of retirement benefits for old student loans. it happens. last year, 156,000 americans lost part of their social security checks because of student debt they defaulted on. the government garnishing social security to pay your debt. that number tripled. the total amount garnished, 150 million bucks. ift's $180 per person per check. many were small. retirees now owe more than before because of compounding interest rates. student loan debt, one of the few kind of debt that almost always stays with you, even during bankruptcy and your retirement. 58 minutes past the hour. "new day" starts right now.

breaking, new breaking new details. an american finally free after being held hostage by an al qaeda linkedin tell generals group. peter theo curtis, less than a week after an american captive was beheaded by isis. police say they're closer to identifying james foley's killer. new this morning, california's napa valley cleaning up after a 6.0 earthquake, leaving thousands in the dark t. worst quake to hit the area in 25 years, caused incredible damage and injured more than 170 people. we'll look at the recovery effort. cnn exclusive. as the ferguson community prepares to bury michael brown junior, a special look at the women who are living a parent's

worst nightmare. your "new day" starts right now. good morning everyone. welcome to "new day." it is monday, august 25th, 6:00234 the east. i'm john berman joined this morning by allison cam rata. great to meet you. >> you as well. you're everywhere. chris and kate are off this morning. we'll begin with president obama and his top advisers bearing down for a war possibly against isis t. commander in chief back from his vacation meeting this morning with defense secretary chuck hagel, this amid increasing concerns by some at least that isis could try and attack the united states. this comes as american held captive in syria for almost two years finally granted his freedom. now officials in the united kingdom are working to identify the man seen on video execu