Transcripts For CNNW Wolf 20140827

Hello, im wolf blitzer reporting from washington. He was held by militants in syria for almost two years. But today, the american journalist Peter Theo Curtis is back in the United States. Curtis spoke briefly with the reporters outside his mothers home in massachusetts. He says hes overwhelmed by emotion and grateful to be free. Curtis was captured in to 12 by al nusri, an al qaeda affiliate. He says hes thankful for all efforts that went to securing his release. First, i want to thank you for coming out here on this beautiful wednesday morning. There have been literally hundreds of people brave, determined and big hearted people, working all over the world for my release. Theyve been working for two years on this. I had no idea when i was in prison, i had no idea so much effort was being expended on my behalf. Now having found out, i have just overwhelmed with emotion. Now total strangers are coming up to me and saying, hey, were just glad youre home. Welcome home. Glad youre back. Glad youre safe. Great to see you. I suddenly remember how good the American People are. And what kindness they have in their hearts. And to all those people, i say a huge thank you from my heart. From the bottom of my heart. And now look im so grateful that you are expressing all this interest in me. At the same time, i have to bond with my mother and my family now and i cant give you an interview and i cant give you talk back and forth can you tell us what it feels thats all i can say to you. In the future, i promise i will respond to your emails and i will be present and i will help you guys do your job. Im one of you and i know what you guys are goingguys. I will be there and i will respond but i cant do it now. Cnns Miguel Marquez was there in cambridge, massachusetts, when curtis went before the cameras. He was more now on whats next for curtis. It was an intensely emotional moment as mr. Curtis walked up to the cameras. He was dressed very simply in a tshirt and jeans and sandals. He was clean and comfortable. He did look tired. He did not want to take questions, as you heard, but clearly had a lot to get off his chest. The next thing for him i think is just to stay with his family. His mother says she is a very good cook. I think specifically the next for him would be a very good meal. Perhaps two, three or five or ten. He likes to bike ride as well. Hell probably get maybe a mellow bike ride in. Maybe some time alone on the road. Just to think about everything that has happened. Wolf. Miguel, thanks very much. Were also learning more details about the journey to freedom for curtis. Cnns Anderson Cooper spoke by phone with curtis mother last night. Nancy, first of all, congratulations, im so happy for you. Can you take me back to that moment when you first learned that your son had been freed . I got a call from the fbi agent whos been working with us the whole time. She flew she flew to the middle east. She called me and said, im standing on the Golan Heights with your son by my side. And he wants to talk to you, but he needs some time to compose himself. That was all she needed to say. I knew that he was healthy and safe. And it was a huge relief. Lets bring in our Law Enforcement analyst tom fuentes, former fbi assistant director. Tom, a lot going on behind the scenes. You heard the mother say she got the word from an fbi agent who was there on the scene who had been working this issue. Youre a former fbi agent. Take us behind the scenes. What was going on . I helped run that program. Its called the Personnel Recovery program. It involved the training of the employees and Family Members who are being deployed throughout the world. And if a capture happens of someone, whether its an employee of the fbi or another Government Agency or a civilian, whether its a student or a journalist, if theyre captured, then the fbi begins working with all the other agencies, intelligence, military, through diplomatic channels, to try to learn as much as possible. But as you heard the mother say, a big part of this is working with the family and keeping the family informed in any and all progress that might be made toward getting their Family Member either rescued or released. I assume the fbi, other u. S. Agencies, will want to debrief Peter Theo Curtis now in these coming days. They probably started that process. But as much as they can to learn what he can share with them. Thats true. The program has built in that when the person is recovered or released, they do the debriefings, try to find out as much as they can about who had them in captivity, where they were, anything they talked about, any clues that might help in other cases. So that goes on. Also, a big part of the program is to make sure that person is receiving the medical care, the Mental Health care, all that theyre going to need to assist in being reunited with the family and the program, the people here back in the u. S. Work with the families. If it means, for instance, he had to be transported to ramstein in germany or another European Hospital for care, it involves uniting the family with that person, getting the family assistance to be with their loved one. So its a very interesting program. Its a great program. Yeah, he quickly went from syria. He was held by al nusri over the Golan Heights through a u. N. Checkpoint, if you will, into israel, to tel aviv, spent a couple days there, and is now back in massachusetts. Theres another american not held by al nusri but held by isis, Steven Sotloff, whose mother appeared on Al Arabiya Television network to make a personal appeal to the leadership of isis. I want to play a little clip from her appeal. Ive learned that islam teaches that no individual should be held responsible for the sins of others. Steven has no control over the actions of the u. S. Government. Hes an innocent journalist. Ive always learned that you, the caliph, can grant honesty. I ask you to please release my child. As a mother, i ask your justice to be merciful and not punish my son for matters he has no control over. I ask you to use your authority to spare his life and to follow the example set by the Prophet Muhammad who protected people of the book. I want what every mother wants, to live to see her childrens children. I plead with you to grant me this. Sotloff family had been quiet until that video that was released the other day showing the beheading of another american journalist by isis. But now theyre going public like this. Take us a little bit behind the scenes. Its not an easy decision to go public like this, is it . Its not easy at all. I think the shame in this one is shes trying to appeal to their religious beliefs on religious grounds as to why they shouldnt be doing it according to the laws of islam. The problem is, youre dealing with some people who have shown theyre also psychopaths. So youre not going to be able to convince them. I think another imam probably would not be able to convince them. Because their belief is anybody thats more moderate, even if theyre sunni or shia muslim, if theyre more moderate than they are, theyre infidels too and they deserve to die. Weve seen them killing muslims and everybody else in syria and iraq. If youre a mother, you do whatever you think has to be done. Its heart wrenching to see what shes trying to do. We hope Steven Sotloff is released soon. Thanks very much for that. Tom fuentes, the former fbi assistant director, our cnn analyst. Two americans killed in syria fighting for the brutal terror group isis. Did the u. S. Government know they were there . Were about to take a closer look. Also, should president obama get congressional authorization if he decides to strike isis targets inside syria . Well speak with the congressman scott rizle who served on the House Services committee. He has some very, very strong views. Say hi rudy. [ barks ] [ chuckles ] id do anything to keep this guy happy and healthy. Thats why im so excited about these new milkbone brushing chews. Whoa, im not the only one. Its a brilliant new way to take care of his teeth. Clinically proven as effective as brushing. Ok, here you go. Have you ever seen a dog brush his own teeth . The twist and nub design cleans all the way down to the gum line, even reaching the back teeth. They taste like a treat, but they clean like a toothbrush. Nothing says you care like a milkbone brushing chew. [ barks ] nothing says you care like a milkbone brushing chew. [music] defiance is in our bones. Defiance never grows old. Citracal maximum. Easily absorbed calcium plus d. Beauty is bone deep. Having a perfectly nice day, when out of nowhere a pickup truck slams into your brand new car. One second it wasnt there and the next second. Boom youve had your first accident. Now you have to make your first claim. So you talk to your Insurance Company and. Boom youre blindsided for a second time. They wont give you enough money to replace your brand new car. Dont those people know youre already shaken up . Liberty mutuals new car replacement will pay for the entire value of your car plus depreciation. Call and for drivers with accident forgiveness, Liberty Mutual wont raise your rates due to your first accident. Switch to Liberty Mutual insurance and you could save up to 423 dollars. Call Liberty Mutual for a free quote today at see Car Insurance in a whole new light. Liberty mutual insurance. Now to a Major New Development in the war in syria. Were getting reports that is m islamic militants have seized control a keyboarder crossing between syria and Golan Heights. Youll see some smoke rising amid intense fighting between the syrian army and islamic rebels including an Al Qaeda Affiliated group. Our own ben wedeman is joining us live from the Golan Heights. Ben, tell viewers whats going on. Well, what i can tell you right now, wolf, is that were not far from the demarcation line between syria and Israeli Forces. Now, right behind me is an Israeli Police car. Blocking the road. Because this area has been declared a closed military area. As a result of these errant shells as theyre describes by the israeli army, coming over into israelicontrolled territory from the fighting in syria. Now what we understand from the israeli army, as well as sources within syria itself, is that the syrian side of the crossing between the Israeli Occupied Golan Heights and syria has been taken over by rebels led by members of the nusra front. Thats a radical militant organization affiliated with al qaeda that have weve seen their influence grow steadily in the last year and a half within syria. Now, what this means essentially, wolf, is that now theres only about 200 yards separating al nusra front, this Al Qaedaaffiliated group, from Israeli Forces on the Golan Heights. Now, as a result of these this fighting on the syrian side, a number of shells have landed within israelicontrolled territory. This morning, an israeli officer with the army was wounded by one of those errant shells. This afternoon, another civilian was wounded by shell also as well. Thats why this areas been declared closed military area. We know over the last few years there have been occasional flareups of fighting on the syrian side. The fighting is sort of the shells have spilled over the demarcation line. The israelis today did respond to the sources of fire within syria itself. But certainly this is the probably one of the most severe flareups in the Golan Heights since the outbreak of the syrian uprising in march of 2011. Wolf. Whats the Israeli Government reaction to this al nusra front, these islamic militants taking over this keyboarder crossing from the syrian military, the Syrian Regime of president Bashar Al Assad . Theres a lot of concern about this. The israelis obviously have been keeping a very close watch on whats going on, on the other side of the demarcation line, very concerned about whats happening. But by and large, they have tried to stay out of the fighting, tried to just keep it contained on the other side of the line. But israeli officials have made it clear that any attempt to approach Israeli Forces on that line will be met with force, decisive force, because they arent going to allow the kind of fighting thats going on in syria with the kind of elements that are involved in the fighting in syria to spill over into their territory. Were told, ben, i know youre up on the Golan Heights, youre not in tel aviv or jerusalem, that the Prime Minister benjamin netanyahu, in about half an hour or so, is going to make a statement, joined by his defense minister and his army chief of staff. Is it going to be do you know if its going to be a statement about whats going on as far as israel and syria in the Golan Heights is concerned or will it be about the ceasefire that now seems to be holding, that went into effect yesterday . We understand the focus will be largely on the ceasefire, which was of course a controversial decision taken by the Prime Minister without consulting, matter of fact or without putting that decision to a vote within his cabinet, within which there are ministers who were strongly opposed to any sort of ceasefire. But obviously, the developments on the Golan Heights are going to figure into his statements that we expect to be delivered within about 15 minutes. Wolf. All right, thanks very much. Well of course monitor what the Prime Minister of israel, benjamin netanyahu, has to say. Ben wedeman, up on the Golan Heights, be careful, thank you very much. Government officials believe there are more than 100 american citizens fighting in syria with terror groups like isis. Weve also learned two americans were killed while fighting with isis. The two were killed in a battle near aleppo. We had heard the name of one before. That would be this man, Douglas Macarthur mccain, originally fr minnesota, although spent some time in california. Our justice correspondent is with us now. Did the u. S. Government know about mccain going into all of this . He was on some sort of watch list . I assume thats what weve been told. But theres another american also who had served whos serving with isis who was killed by Syrian Forces, antigovernment Syrian Forces shall we say . Well, yes. They believe there are upwards of a dozen americans are now fighting with isis. Its a little bit of fogginess there, wolf, because as you know, some of these groups, you know, they change loyalties, you know, within several months of each other. So we know upwards of a dose reason z and they know theyre working with other terror groups, al nusri . Up jwards of 100, working wi different groups such as al nusri, some more moderate and so on. Mccain was on the radar of the officials for the last few months. Theyve been watching him. Theyve been watching social media, for instance, to try to figure out where he was going to go. Obviously, the concern is not only what hes doing there, but what he might do if he tries to come back. On social media, he was pretty blunt in expressing his support for isis. He was very much a fan of what they were doing there. Which is what the family is very shocked about. They knew he had converted some ten years ago to islam. They didnt know he had radicalized to this point. The other american mentioned by this antibashar al acssad regime, this group, the other american that was killed, do we know the identity . The u. S. Government is not confirming whether or not thats true. Theres a lot of problems with them having visibility down there. We know, for instance there are some americans who also have other other nationality, other citizenship, that they are fighting. Dual citizenship. That is correct. We dont know the name of the other american, but if another american was killed fighting with isis, well probably get that name sooner rather than later. Sure, absolutely. When they announced the name, he showed his picture and his u. S. Passport. Maybe well get some more information like that. Well watch it closely. Very disturbing development, obviously. Up next, much more on what is drawing young westerners to syria. Why theyre joining the ranks of terrorists. Ill speak with a former cia analyst. [ man ] look how beautiful it is. Honey, we need to talk. We do . I took the trash out. I know. And thank you so much for that. I think we should get a Medicare Supplement insurance plan. Right now . [ male announcer ] whether youre new to medicare or not, you may know it only covers about 80 of your part b medical expenses. Its up to you to pay the difference. So think about an aarp Medicare Supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare Insurance Company. Like all standardized Medicare Supplement insurance plans, they help cover some of what medicare doesnt pay. I did a little research. With a Medicare Supplement plan, youll be able to stay with your doctor. Oh, you know, i love that guy. Mmhmm. [ male announcer ] these types of plans let you visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. And there are no networks. Is this a onesizefitsall kind of thing . No. There are lots of plan options. It all depends on what we need and how much we want to spend. [ male announcer ] call now to request your free decision guide. It could help you find an aarp Medicare Supplement plan thats right for you. What happens when we travel . The plans go with us. Anywhere in the country. I like that. You know what else . Unitedhealthcare Insurance Company has years and years of experience. What do you say . Im in. [ male announcer ] join the millions already enrolled in the only Medicare Supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp. Remember, all Medicare Supplement plans help cover some of what medicare doesnt pay and could really save you in outofpocket medical costs. Youll be able to choose your own doctor or hospital as long as they accept medicare patients. And with these plans, there could be low or no copays. You do your pushups today . Prepare to be amazed. [ male announcer ] dont wait. Call today to request your free decision guide and find the aarp Medicare Supplement plan to go the distance with you. Go long. Douglas macarthur mccain was just one of thousands of westerners who have gone to syria in the past few years. Theyve joined various terror groups. Theyve also joined some other opposition, more moderate groups to battle the Bashar Al Assad regime. This is a former cia analyst on iraq. Shes now with the new America Foundation here in washington. Tara, thanks very much for joining us. Lets talk a little bit about what draws these Young Americans and british subjects, other europeans, to give up so much and go to turkey and then sneak in to syria, eventually wind up, some of them working for isis or al nusra, maybe some of them have gone with isis into iraq now. What draws these people to do th that . Surprisingly, in many cases, its not strong religious ideology. Many of these people like the one killed yesterday mccain, they had typical normal average everyday childhoods. Something goes wrong, something goes astray. In the same way we see people, you know, individual School Shooters or what not, something goes wrong, and then they are recruited by this organization or they find something appealing about the organization. I dont think they intend to end up necessarily beheading an individual or becoming part of the group doing the activity its doing. Something goes astray and thats why we need good intelligence to find these people. Some of these groups like isis, theyre very active, effective on social media on recruiting these individuals. Social media, through twitter, through online forums. These are things agencies track on a regular basis. Someone like mccain, this Douglas Macarthur mccain if hes tweeting nice things about eisi, people are watching that, and thats why presumably he would be put on a watch list . Absolutely. There are a lot of forms of intelligence being monitored like open Source Intelligence like social media. The problem is theres also a lot of noise. There might be a lot of individuals like member cane tweeting similar sympathetic messages who arent ending up being a part of the small portion of individuals fighting in syria or end up being in the very radical heart of these organizations. Part of the did i cutfficulty i separating mccain from the outer fringes of these groups. We know theyre going to consider expanding air strikes against isis targets that have been going on. You need really good intelligence about where to strike in syria. You used to work at the cia. Does the u. S. Have that kind of intelligence . Absolutely. You need really good intelligence. You need not just the imagery of the sites you want to actually hit, you need good signal intelligence to know if youre targeting individuals, they are where you think they are. Things can go wrong. I think the quote he said was intelligence is never packaged neatly with a bow. Theres always going to be gaps. Theres always going to be holing. In a place like syria, these gaps are salient, because we dont have a strong presence on the ground. We saw one the gaps with the recent special forces raid. Intelligence isnt perfect. People can move locations. Sites can be changed. Weapons can be moved around. I think what youre going to see in syria is right now youve seen the spy planes go in. Theyre probably collecting imagery to see if there are sites where we think we can make an impact. At the end of the day, you know, its going to be a harder case than iraq. Iraq, weve had thousands of troops on the ground for the past decade so id imagine intelligence there was a lot better for the strikes we saw which were effective in the recent weeks than were going to see if we strike in syria. I think its something we need to be prudent about. I think thats what the administrations probably looking at to see how we can be most effective if and when we strike syria which it looks like we might move towards. One of the things to really worry about is civilian casualties, collateral damage, as they used to call it in the military, if the u. S. Is going to launch air strikes there, potentially a lot of civilians could be killed in the process. Thats a big problem for the u. S. The president has to consider. Tara, thank you for joining us. Tara muller with the new America Foundation here in washington. Coming up, president is weighing his military options. But at what point should he seek congressional authorization under the war powers act . Were going to discuss that with republican congressman scott ridgel of the House Armed Services committee. Hes got some very strong views. By taking our y eyes off the road. And focusing on drivers. Real people. Real distractions. Without real consequences. The result our Gold Standard of safety. And the only place youll find it is at the lexus golden opportunity sales event. Now through september 2nd. This is the pursuit of perfection. Ugh. Heartburn. Did someone say burn . Try alka seltzer reliefchews. They work just as fast and are proven to taste better than tums smoothies assorted fruit. Mmm. Amazing. Yeah, i get that a lot. Alka seltzer heartburn reliefchews. Enjoy the relief. When folks think about wthey think salmon and energy. But the energy bp produces up here creates Something Else as well jobs all over america. Engineering and innovation jobs. Advanced Safety Systems technology. Shipping and manufacturing. Across the United States, bp supports more than a quarter million jobs. When we set up operation in one part of the country, people in other parts go to work. Thats not a coincidence. Its one more part of our commitment to america. Welcome back. Im wolf blitzer reporting from washington. The pentagon has provided president obama with a list of military options for going after isis fighters, including isis strongholds inside syria. For now, content with air strikes inside iraq, while iraqi soldiers, kurdish fighters, try to retake territory on the ground. Republican congressman scott rigell of virginia is on the House Armed Services committee. Hes joining now from virginia beach. Thanks very much for joining us lots to discuss. Lets get to this ens sensitive issue of authorization. The president has authorized surveillance flights over syria. Do you expect the u. S. Will end up striking isis positions not only in iraq but in syria as well . Wolf, thank you. Theres every reason to believe that the president will escalate his initiative there and the use of military force. I have this high privilege to represent the district that has the highest concentration men and women in the country in active duty and retired. Meeting my fiduciary responsibility to them and their families, its clear to me our president , president obama, must, and really should, adhere to the war powers resolution, and his track record in this area is not good. We go back to libya in 2011. I actually led an amendment that would have defunded the operation odyssey don. The military action we took in libya. Because he should have received specific authorization as is required. Its not the kings army. But he did not do so. Last year, as he began to indicate that he was going to launch military operations against syria, barbara lee and i led an effort to really, you know, slow that down. So let me interrupt, congressman. You want a formal resolution to come up for a vote in the house and the Senate Authorizing the president to launch air strikes against isis targets in syria before he undertakes such mission . Is that what youre saying . Absolutely, wolf. This is not only by view, but at least 105 members of congress have signed on to a letter that was initiated by congresswoman barbara lee and me that says essentially what you just said there. This is not personal to the president. This is bipartisan. The important benefit we would gain from adherence to the war power resolution, which is the law of the land, is that the American Peoples representatives, senators and those of us who serve in the house, would engage in this critical debate. Time is available to us to walk through that debate. Now, if the president had to take action overnight to stop an attack or to respond to one that had occurred, the war powers resolution provides for that, and i would support and, indeed, applaud the decision by the president to take action but thats not the case. What about isis beheading an american citizen, does that justify the u. S. Responding . Wolf, this is a level of horror that we, with a western mind, our mindset here as americans, we really cant wrap around that level of immorality. I would caution us, though, against pivoting Foreign Policy, off any event, however horrific it might be like this. Now, it must be factored into the equation. Our deepest sympathy goes to the family. The Justice Needs to be brought to the individual who did that. But that said, we cannot allow our Foreign Policy to pivot around one incident. As horrible as it is. Now, in the overall equation, we will factor it in. Let me interrupt one more time. I apologize for interrupting. If the u. S. Were to launch drone strikes with hellfire missiles to target and kill isis leaders who were responsible for killing that american, would that require congressional authorization, a roll call vote in the house . Well, i appreciate the specificity of your question. I believe if we have specific information on the individual and the leaders who planned that, and that information was absolutely certain, then in this hypothetical that youve given me, which i dont like to wonder in too much, but in that hype thought ka, id say that that would be supported. But the overall point of continuous engagement in this region, again, it is not the kings army. The nation would benefit. I think, wolf, it would be a sign of strength and not of weakness for the president to bring his case before the American People as is really required under our constitution and legislation, and to work through this, both in the house and the senate. A lot of people, though, are concerned, i know, in the administration, that if they were to go to the house and senate for such a vote, the president might not get the majority vote he would be seeking. Do you think he would . Well, is this not, then, the will of the people . Thats the point. Do we really believe in we, the people . Look, im not an isolationist. Nor am i a passivist. Im not saying under no circumstances will we apply American Force here. I do believe weve got to wrestle with these deep underlying issues. I no, look, if we roll back the tape to operation odyssey dawn in libya. What do we have now . It trapains me to say. Its a cauldron of confusion. It cant be reported properly in the press. But libya itself is dysfunctional now. Yes. And yet we launched over, well, 221 tomahawk missiles into this country. And the president didnt receive authorization for that. Yes, i remember thats not the i remember those tomahawk cruise missiles, the other military actions wound up costing the american taxpayer more than 1 billion that the Libyan Government never reimbursed the u. S. For any of those funds. You see the chaos thats unfolding in libya today. Its a disaster. As bad as my mar gadhafi may have been, there are a lot of experts who are saying whats going on in libya right now is as bad or worse. Scott rigell, thanks very much. Were learning a major development, potentially. A cdc employee whos possibly been exposed to ebola. Disturbing indeed. Stand by. [announcer] who could resist the call. Of americas numberone puppy food brand. With dha and essential nutrients also found in mothers milk. Purina puppy chow. Losing your chex mix too easily . Deploy the boring potato chip decoy bag. With a variety of tastes and textures, only chex mix has twenty bags of interesting. Pick your mix. But parallel parking isnt one you do a lof them. Ings great. Youre either too far from the curb. Or too close to other cars. Its just a matter of time until you rip some guys bumper off. So, here are your choices take the bus. Or get Liberty Mutual insurance. For drivers with accident forgiveness, Liberty Mutual wont raise your rates due to your first accident. See Car Insurance in a whole new light. Call Liberty Mutual insurance. The breaking news involving the ebola crisis in west africa. The cdc, the centers for Disease Control and prevention in atlanta, says one of its Staff Members working in that region may have been exposed to ebola. Lets bring in our senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen. What im hearing is this employee was working in sierra leone and ended up they were working next to, within three feet of an International Health worker who was sick, had symptoms, and later it turned out that person had ebola. The cdc employee is completely fine, has no symptoms at all, but it was time for this person to company home. They put the cdc employee and a private chartered flight from sierra leone to atlanta. This employee landed this morning. This employee has to take their temperature twice a day just to make sure they dont get sick. Its interesting, while theyre here in atlanta, theres no restrictions. This employee can go to work, can go out, can do whatever they want. Is that shouldnt they air on the side of caution maybe . Because sometimes it takes a while for symptoms to develop, right . Wolf, i think thats a question a lot of people will be asking. Heres the reasoning behind it. Youre not contagious with ebola until youre actively sick. This person is not sick and had what is considered to be a very low risk exposure. They were just working near the person. They werent taking care of them or anything like that. So if this person starts to get sick, if this person spike, a temperature, then, yes, im sure, immediately, this person will be kwaquarantined. Theyll be vigilant about that. Certainly, this person isnt contagious because theyre not sick. Lets hope this person is just fine and youll update us of course as we go along. Elizabeth, thanks very much. Up next, a very different story were following. Persshmerga fighters in norther iraq gets u. S. Help in retaking a Strategic Dam in isis. Who are the peshmerga . Can they get the job done on the ground . A spokesman for peshmerga is standing by. [announcer] who could resist the call. Of americas numberone puppy food brand. With dha and essential nutrients also found in mothers milk. Purina puppy chow. U. S. Air strikes in iraq against isis are credited with helping iraqi and Kurdish Forces to retake some strategic locations including the dam in mosul. Those kurdish fighters are known as the peshmerga. They are aligned with the semiautonomous region known as kurdistan. They have historically been great warriors, very courageous, but are they large enough to stop isis . A senior british media observer doesnt think so, telling the daily beast theyre doing their best but theyre not the element they were. With the bulk veterans from guerrilla warfare from 20 to 30 years ago. This bringigadier general is th spokesman for persshmerga in erbil. Are you losing ground or gaining ground against the isis forces in kurdistan and Northern Iraq . Initially we lose ground but now we are gaining ground after we received an air strike, help and support from our friends, the u. S. , and support, with ammunition. Its very little, but it helped us a lot. So now, day by day, we are gaining ground, and we have a plan to recontrol and defeat our enemy, our common enemy, the international enemy, isis, and all the area, to save the area from isis. You know they are threatening the civilian people. They killed many peoples in sinjar, in sin yajar mountain. They kill christian, yazidi, kurd, arab. There is no difference. So we have a plan with help and support with our friend, the u. S. , and some countries. So what do you need from the United States right now . I know the United States has launched some air strikes. Have you received weapons, tanked, armored personnel carriers, other sophisticated weapons from the United States . Yes. We received some weapons from the United States. But, you know, its not enough, very little. Unfortunately, Iraqi Government to solve the problems instead to help us to defeat our enemy, to fight our enemy. They are creating a problem. You know, they said, you know, airspace, we have to control airspace. Every shipment has to go we have to check, you know, to see. They are, you know, losing time. You know, about that, we need help and su port from u. S. And other countries to tell baghdad you have to help and support Kurdish Forces and to be able to defeat the enemy. For a week, we did not receive anything from u. S. Or from other countries. The problem, baghdad. So we need u. S. And other countries to tell baghdad, you have to solve some bad policies youre created in the past. It is a good chance to solve the problems now. Basically, what youre saying is you dont want the u. S. Government to go through the government in iraq, in baghdad, through the Iraqi Military, to go through them and then provide weapons to the peshmerga, the kurdish fighters . You want the u. S. To do it directly . It doesnt look like theyre ready to make that decision. Yet you say youve received only a little bit of weapons from the United States, is that right, Brigadier General . Yes, we receive it was good, you know, it helped us a lot to stop isis and to recontrol the area, but believe me, its not enough, because we have a very long border wr isis. We have 1,050 kilometer border with isis. Were fighting terrorist country. Not terrorist organization or small group. So we need to have weapons, ammunition, equipment, everything is army. We are part of Iraqi Defense system, but unfortunately, they did nothing for us, with budget, with training, with weapons, with ammunition, with everything. So even for eight years, they did not pay the Peshmerga Forces even 1. Even the Iraqi Military, it was trained and financed and equipped by the United States, as soon as they got some threats from isis, the Iraqi Military in Northern Iraq simply abandoned their positions and handed over, in effect, a lot of u. S. Military equipment to isis in mosul and elsewhere. Brigadier general ismail, thanks so much for joining us. Were going to continue to watch whats going on with the peshmerga, the Kurdish Forces in the north. Other news were following, some very hard choices. Once again, the president faces a National Security crisis, while worrying about Political Support up on capitol hill. Ron brownstein standing by to discuss. Never bitter taste of gevalia. We do it all for this very experience. Thats good. I know right . Gevalia. Today, more and more people with type 2 diabetes are learning about longacting levemir®, an injectable insulin that can give you blood sugar control for up to 24 hours. And levemir® helps lower your a1c. Levemir® is now available in flextouch® the only prefilled insulin pen with no pushbutton extension. Levemir® lasts 42 days without refrigeration. Thats 50 longer than lantus®, which lasts 28 days. Today, im asking about levemir® flextouch. female announcer levemir® is a longacting insulin, used to control high blood sugar in adults and children with diabetes and is not recommended to treat diabetic ketoacidosis. Do not use levemir® if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. The most common side effect is low blood sugar, which may cause symptoms such as sweating, shakiness, confusion, and headache. Severe low blood sugar can be serious and lifethreatening. Ask your doctor about alcohol use, operating machinery, or driving. Other possible side effects include injection site reactions. Tell your doctor about all medicines you take and all of your medical conditions. Check your blood sugar levels. Your insulin dose should not be changed without asking your doctor. Get medical help right away if you have trouble breathing, swelling of your face, tongue or throat, sweating, extreme drowsiness, dizziness, or confusion. male announcer todays the day to ask your doctor about levemir® flextouch. Covered by nearly all Health Insurance and medicare plans. President obamas weighing several options on how to take on the terror group isis. A u. S. Official says hes already authorized reconnaissance flights over syria. The question now, will he go further, give the okay to conduct actual air strikes inside syria to target isis fighters on the ground . Senior analyst ron brownstein. The president has a tough decision. Does he seek formal congressional authorization for launching u. S. Air strikes in syria or does he just notify congress that hes doing it . It is a tough call. The controlling force and attitudes about American Intervention in the middle east in the last few years has clearly been the public disillusionme disillusionment. That seeded a reluctance for further intervention. This could be different, however. The idea of striking isis across the Syrian Border could be different for several reasons. One, we have the precedent. I think the public gets the precedent from afghanistan of allowing terror groups to consolidate their hold on territory. And obviously the murder of foley crystalizes the danger this kind of organization could pose to the heartland. In that way, i think the politics could be different, but it would still be a crap shoot going to congress. He might get the votes in the senate but in the house, he might not. There probably would be a bunch of democrats remembering their vote in favor of the invasion of iraq in 2003 who might be reluctant to vote in favor of another war resolution. You have this edge of each party coming together in effect against the center potential. Its an uncertain decision to go there. On the other hand, this is different than i think the last year when we were looking at air strikes in syria aimed at the, you know, supporting the rebels there. This is more about domestic u. S. Security. It may be tougher for members to take a vote against striking back against the forces that executed in this horrible fashion an american. Is there any whats your sense, if he asks for such a vote . He would need to do a major address to the american public, maybe go up to capitol hill. Would he get a yes or no . You cant predict anything but i think in the senate he would get a yes and in the house it would be close. In the end, i think it would be tough to vote no for striking back against isis. Again, not guaranteed, but stronger position than he was a year ago on syria. We know hes weighing this option right now, even as we speak. Well see when he makes up his mind what the decision will be. Ron brownstein, thanks very much for joining us. Thats it for me this hour. Ill be back 5 00 p. M. Eastern in the situation room. Another twohour addition. In the meantime, thanks very much for watching. Newsroom with Brooke Baldwin starts right now. Hi there, im Brooke Baldwin. Thank you so much for joining me today. Lets begin with this freed american, just absolutely overwhelmed with emotion, fighting back tears at some points when he spoke out publicly, first morning back home. Here he is. This is Peter Theo Curtis, reuniting with his family after being held hostage for nearly two years by militants in syria. The journalist offering a heart felt thank you to the hundreds of people who worked for his release. The relief you can see in his eyes and joy in his heart were a stark contrast to these grim images from his time in captivity, a nightmare that