Transcripts For CNNW Wolf 20150212

Mosul. Has isis launched a number of major attacks in the area where you are today, because thats what were hearing . Reporter yeah, wolf, its been a very active day for isis in the western country as you mentioned, but also here in the north. Five of the positions came under attack by isis today. Some of those attacks involved suicide bombers. The kurds believe this is all part of the new tactic being used by isis in this region. Launching various attacks to divert the kurdish attention from the main game which is circling and choking off the isis stronghold in the city of mosul. We visited a key position to the west of mosul where the kurds are doing just that. It was clear isis wants that position back. These kurdish fighters are holding onto very important ground. They say isis attacks them every day. Sometimes by driving huge truck bombs into their defenses. This is probably the most contested piece of territory in all of Northern Iraq at the moment. From this position they have cut off isis and being resupplied across the border in syria. An isis outpost is just 800 yards away. For the kurds, taking and holding this cross road is a key objective in their strategy of surrounding and choking off mosul. The isis stronghold in Northern Iraq. And its another sign of the huge progress the kurds have made in rolling back territory isis initially conquered so easily. So we have to drive them out of this entire region. The head of the Kurdish Security council says they have taken back almost all the ground they can until the new retrained iraqi army is ready to take the field. There are some limitations of how far we can go because we dont want to create any political sensitivities with the arabs. And for the rest of the region, we need cooperation and the iraqi army to participate. Much of the territory reclaimed has been scarred dramatically by war. Homes flattened. Villages wiped out. Isis blew up some of these homes as they retreated. Others they rigged with explosives to detonate when people returned. They say four people were killed here when they opened the front door. Across this recent battle field, people have started returning to whats left of their homes, even as the war against isis still rages, only a short distance away. So far, the kurds believe they have cleared isis from some 5,000 square miles in Northern Iraq. Much of it between mosul and the syrian border. As you heard there, they dont think they can do much more on their own. The remaining key areas, these are dominant arab areas and because of the ethnic sensitivities in this country, they do not believe it is advisable for them to progress without the iraqi army. It is unclear just when that National Military force will be ready to launch that sort of major operation. Wolf . We know that u. S. Marines are trying to train the iraqi army. So far, even though this is all arack, this army remains missing in action. They are basically fighting on their own against isis. Thanks very very much. Frances most wanted woman may have linked up with isis. Hayat boumeddiene. She is believed to have crossed into syria before last months deadly assault. Now the isis french language magazine claims she has safely reached the Islamic State, as they call it in syria. It contains a purported interview in which she said reaching isis territory was easy and shes happy to be on isis soil but she does not talk about her role in the paris attacks. They also offer no proof to authenticate any of these claims. Lets bring in bob bear and cnn terrorism analyst paul. You led cnns reporting on this purported interview. If isis claims are true, why not include any photos some proof that boumeddiene is linked up with the terror group in syria . Well, absolutely wolf and they havent done that yet, obviously for religious reasons, they wouldnt show her in a photo without the full veil they could put out a photo showing her eyes. Theyve not done that yet. French terror experts think that this claim is credible. It was in this french language magazine from isis yesterday. Also in their english language magazine today claiming shes now on isis soil, that shes joined this caliphate. You also have some new information, paul about that belgium isis plot from last month, right . Thats right, wolf. And the suspected ring leader in that plot isis are now claiming that hes back in syria, that hes evaded this International Man hunt to get him. And they actually include what they claim is an interview with him in syria. They also include pictures of him and the two dead gunmen in that raid that Belgian Security forces conducted in eastern belgium last month. Ive spoken to a senior official who says they were actually the two gunmen killed in that raid. So theres a picture of him with these two gunmen he took before he left syria. Hes then thought to traveled to greece. Isis is now saying hes back safely in syria. So another potential propaganda coup from this terrorist group. The new issue of this isis magazine is entitled quoting now, may a la curse france. The cover is of the eiffel tower. Whats the message . Well, they consider france a combatant trying to destroy the Islamic State and that just about any frenchmen are enemy combatants. Same with britain and of course the United States. I think the important thing is what paul got onto, the Islamic State is it still on the move. Theyre on the move in yemen and north africa and libya. For boumeddiene to go over to the Islamic State and take refuge with them makes sense. Its the only game in town. I think were seeing you know, this staying power. The Islamic State is going longer than i expected and its going to take quite a bit to turn this back. In iraq we heard phil black report the kurdish fighters, theyre trying to do the best they can against these isis forces in the area Northern Iraq around mosul and elsewhere. But theres still no sign the Iraqi Military has shown up to help out at all. They have a huge military but theyre mia. Exactly. Even now until today, the iraqi state is starving the kurds of ammunition and guns. Theyre simply not delivering stuff meant for them. And the province was taken back not by the iraqi army but by an iranian trade brigade. You still see baghdad identified with iran more than a cohesive state. Its not a good sign. I understand why the kurds wouldnt want to move into mosul because then it becomes a war kurds against arabs. Nearly 2 Million People in mosul still under the control of isis. Coming up were moving onto another major story following in the United States. A day of grief in North Carolina. Families and friends say final goodbye to three wonderful Muslim Students gunned down execution style. Were going to bring you the latest on the investigation. Also ukraine and russia they agree to a peace deal but does it have any real collapse of lasting . Were going live to minsk and live to the front lines in ukraine. Alright, so this tylenol arthritis lasts 8 hours but aleve can last 12 hours. And aleve is proven to work better on pain than tylenol arthritis. So why am i still thinking about this . How are ya . Good. Aleve. Proven better on pain. Okay, listen up im reworkin the menu. Mayo . Corn dogs . You are so outta here aah [ female announcer ] the complete balanced nutrition of greattasting ensure. 24 vitamins and Minerals Antioxidants and 9 grams of protein. [ bottle ] ensure®. Nutrition in charge™. You total your brand new car. Nobodys hurt,but there will still be pain. It comes when your Insurance Company says theyll only pay threequarters of what it takes to replace it. What are you supposed to do, drive threequarters of a car . Now if you had a Liberty Mutual new car replacement, youd get your whole car back. I guess they dont want you driving around on three wheels. Smart. New car replacement is just one of the features that come standard with a base Liberty Mutual policy. And for drivers with accident forgivness,rates wont go up due to your first accident. Learn more by calling switch to Liberty Mutual and you can save up to 423. For a free quote today,call Liberty Mutual insurance at see Car Insurance in a whole new light. Liberty mutual insurance. Right now, family and friends, theyre paying their final respects to three Muslim College students gunned down in their apartment on tuesday. Funeral services are being held on the campus of the university. Last night, a candle light vigil paid tribute to the vicks as police try to unravel whether this was a hate crime. Were on the scene and have more. I want everyone to remember them please. Heart break and outrage over the murder of three Muslim Students in North Carolina. Three shots in an apartment. Friends and family deeming their execution style killing a hate crime. Its basically incomprehensible to me that you can murder three people over a parking spot. According to a preliminary investigation, police say 46yearold neighbor craig hicks may have shot them in the head over an on going parking dispute at their apartment. Hicks wife says her husband was frustrated with the parking issue. I can say with absolute belief that this incident had nothing to do with religion or victims faith. Were in shock. But the family says there had been issues of disrespect and harassment. My daughter honest to god, told us on more than two occasions this this man came knocking at the door. She told us, daddy, i think he hates us for who we are. Hicks who claims he is an atheist allegedly posted an antireligious statement on his Facebook Page quote, if your religion kept its big mouth shut so would i. Cnn cannot confirm the authenticity of this post. We love you. We will never forget you. Overnight, thousands gathered on university of North Carolinas campus. Im embarking on a trip to turkey to help syrian refugees. Mourning the loss of three scholars dedicated to serving their community. And i was able to confirm with the chief medical Examiners Office that there were three autopsies done on these victims yesterday. We also know the Investigation Continues now to determine in fact if this was a hate crime, if it was motivated by a bias against muslims. The fbi is here assisting local Law Enforcement and were learning a little bit more about 46yearold craig craig hicks, the defendant in this case. He is a fulltime student at the do you remember ham Technical Community college about to get his degree in law. He is set to get his pairralegal degree in may. He is behind bars right now facing three counts of firstdegree murder. The allegation is he took a gun and shot all three of these wonderful Young Students right in the head in that apartment, is that right . Thats right. And residents are saying that he had a a side to him that he was so upset constantly about parking places and who would park where and if he saw a car he didnt recognize and that he was always getting on people. Now were hearing that maybe it wasnt motivated by hate but just a paranoia in regard to people and cars and parking. That doesnt mean he cant be convicted of firstdegree murder. Here in North Carolina its day for day. Life in prison or death. Thanks very much. Were going to dig deeper into this story. Jeffrey toobin is standing by. Also our Global Affairs analyst bobby go. Shes written extensively on this in the United States. Much more coming up on this important story right after this. Dont want that one. Yea, actually i do. Its Mucinex Fastmax night time and its got a nasal decongestant. Is that really a thing . It sounds made up. I cant sleep when im all stuffy. I take offense to that. Im not going to argue with a talking ball of mucus. I think youre being a little hasty. Hes not with me. Mucinex fast max night time. Multisymptom relief plus nasal decongestant. Breathe easy. Sleep easy. Start the relief. Ditch the misery. Lets end this. Music. The getaway vehicle for all the confidence you need. Td ameritrade. You got this. University of North Carolina chapel hill North Carolina State University the communities there all mourning the loss of three wonderful Muslim Students at this hour. A Funeral Service at the Islamic Center . Raleigh is being held right now. Youre looking at live pictures coming in. The sister of the sixty spoke last night with Anderson Cooper about the three young lives that were lost. You say you know there had been some interactions. Do you think they had anything to do with your brothers religion with how he was perceived by this person . Having heard secondhand from what a very close friend of his had said that basically he had said because of the way you look and not comfortable with the way you look and im really sorry. Its okay. This is really hard. I know. I go from being in denial to being really numb to being really angry. I came here today in hopes of shining light on his legacy and the others and for the three of them that has been dedication to service. And i want to make sure that they are recognized for that and that the world realizes what we have lost in the loss of these three incredibly brilliant, bright, beautiful, accomplished successful respectful loved three young people. What a horrible, horrible story. Take a look at this. Live pictures coming in. This is a Prayer Service being held at the Islamic Center of raleigh for these three wonderful young kids. Lets listen in briefly a little bit to the prayer. Erful Young Students who were brutally killed brutally killed chapel hill North Carolina. You see the father there, the middle of the screen of the two young women who were killed, shot in the head allegedly by this neighbor of theirs 46yearold Craig Stephen hicks. He turned himself in. This Memorial Service is continuing right now. I want to discuss whats going on. Well take a quick break, right after this. When it comes to medicare, everyone talks about what happens when you turn sixtyfive. But, really, its what you do before that counts. See, medicare doesnt cover everything. Only about eighty percent of part b medical costs. The rest is on you. [ male announcer ] consider an aarp Medicare Supplement Insurance Plan insured by unitedhealthcare Insurance Company. Like all standardized Medicare Supplement Insurance Plans it could really save you in outofpocket medical costs. So, call now and request this free decision guide. Discover how an aarp Medicare Supplement plan could go long™ for you. Do you want to choose your doctors . Avoid networks . What about referrals . [ male announcer ] all plans like these let you visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients, with no networks and virtually no referrals needed. So, call now request your free guide, and explore the range of aarp Medicare Supplement plans. Sixtyfive may get all the attention, but now is a good time to start thinking about how you want things to be. [ male announcer ] go long™. Funeral Services Underway right now in raleigh, North Carolina at the Islamic Center in memory of three wonderful young Muslim Students. One was 23 years old, you sar mohammed 21 and 19 years old. Three wonderful students gunned down the other night in their apartment in chapel hill for apparently no reason. Supposedly maybe a parking dispute. It doesnt make any sense. Lets discuss whats going on with our senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin and bobby go. Shes written extensively on islams in america. You look at whats going on. Give us your thoughts on what has happened here. Well, its a its a terrible, terrible tragedy. What you can see here is sort of three young people full of promise, full of hope and not just from those pictures but also from descriptions from family and friends. Very positive minded, very determined to contribute to their community. Couldnt be more american frankly, than these three young people being gunned down. Were being told that the precipitating cause had something to do with a parking dispute dispute. As a journalist im trained to believe that nothing is impossible. But as a human being, that does stretch it a little bit. It seems impossible that that could be the only reason why these three young people are no longer with us. And jeffrey the argument that you hear from family members and others, maybe this guy, the alleged shooter, was upset about the parking or whatever was going on and he had a history of confrontations over parking. But he had no criminal record had not shot anyone else before. All of a sudden he allegedly goes into their apartment, takingtakes out his weapon and shoots these three young kids in the head. To call it byizarre and horrific is an understatement. I think its important that we call it a hate crime because we want to learn the country we live in but as a legal matter mate may not matter. He is going to be eligible for the Death Penalty in North Carolina regardless of the motive. The hate crimes law really only applies as i understand it to estimate misdemeanors to felonies and the federal governments hate crimes law, they usually only step in if theres a failure at the state level. So i think its unlikely to matter as a legal matter, but obviously, it is something were all going to want to know why someone could do something so awful. Whats so disturbing, bobby, these two young women, they were wearing the traditional head scarves. We hope it doesnt put a chill out there for other young muslim women if they want to walk around wearing a head scarf, that is their absolute right to do so they shouldnt be afraid to do so because potentially they could be targeted as muslims, right . Weve seen eng cos of that pretty much since 9 11. That people perceived to be muslim and often head gear is the indicator, face more and more hostility. In this case this man lived in the same building, he was their neighbor. Even if they didnt wear a head scarf, he would have been aware that they were muslim. But you go on social media now and youre hearing from Muslim Americans saying exactly that, that you know we now more vulnerable because we because of our head scarves, because of our beards because of the way we look. The otherness that is being defined here is something that sends a chill through the millions of Muslim Americans. It certainly does. And once again our deepest, deepest condolences in the families of these three wonderful Young Americans who needlessly needlessly were murdered. And theres no excuse. Theres no explanation. What can you say . Its just a horrible, horrible thing. Well take a quick break. Much more right after this. Right now youre gonna ask for my credit card so you can charge me on the down low two weeks later look, credit karma are you talking to websites again . This website says free credit scores. Oh. Credit karma yeah, its really free. Look, you dont even have to put in your credit card information. What . credit karma. Really free credit scores. Really. Free. I could talk to you all day. Whats that thing . I moved our old Security System out here to see if it could monitor the front yard. Why dont you switch to xfinity home . I get live video monitoring and 24 7 professional monitoring that i can arm and disarm from anywhere. Hear ye the awkward teenage one has arrived dont be old fashioned. Xfinity customers add xfinity home for 29. 95 a month for 12 months. Plus for a limited time, get a Free Security camera call 1800 xfinity or visit comcast. Com xfinityhome. Lets go to ukraine now. A peace deal. It took an overnight negotiating session in minsk to get the deal done in the end. They agreed to withdrawal of heavy weapons of artillery beyond Surveillance Center and more a ton my for areas of eastern ukraine. Nick robertson is joining us from minsk. The ceasefire is set to take effect on sunday. Moments ago, we heard from the ukrainian president , Petro Poroshenko talking about that delay until sunday. Listen to what he said. We demand immediate ceasefire without any precondition. Unfortunately, they demanded we have at least almost 70 hours before the ceasefire was launched. Immediately after the deal was signed by the group, the russian terrorists stop the offensive operation. He makes a fair point, nick. Why not an immediate ceasefire . Reporter it certainly seems that there was pressure on him from vladimir putin. Not to do that. There was a moment in the talks here 17 hours of talks, a couple hours before they concluded, Petro Poroshenko said there just wasnt enough on the table pr him, the separatists saying the same thing. Really looked like any kind of a deal wasnt going to be concluded. Its not just this delay getting to the ceasefire. Everything is sequenced after that. Its all about building trust. You get the ceasefire if thats successful, pull back the heavy weapons. If thats successful you have this demilitarized zone. What was really telling at the talks here the only person who came out and spoke after the talks was vladimir putin. Normally when you have a successful agreement, all parties to that come out and speak together and that didnt happen. Its very telling of who perhaps felt they got the most out of this. We all remember the other ceasefire back in september. That didnt exactly work out well. Why do people think this one might be any better . Reporter there are some elements to it sort of details that we are not privy to yet of the level of autonomy the separatists will get. The Ukrainian Government was very adamant was it being able to control the border. If everything sequences kwekt correctly, then the kraip january government will get control of its border again. Theres a lot of ifs. But its built into those ifs, if they work then thats the principle through which people hope that enough trust is built that this can stick and maintain on the ground. But i think everyones looking at this right now and seeing those as very big ifs, very big concerns, that the farm la isnt right and not there fully. We heard that from the German Foreign minister earlier today saying that they didnt get agreement on everything. So there are holes in it and there are concerns because of those holes, wolf. Well stay on top of it. Lets hope this one works out. The peace deal calls for amnesty for the separatist fighters. President poroshenko was asked if that included those responsible for shooting down Malaysia Airlines flight 17 over ukraine. Heres his response. No pardon law will excuse the terrorist who organized the attack of the innocent victim of mh17. We never, ever pardon them. 298 people died when mh17 crashed in july. Its believed it was brought down by a surface to air missile. Just ahead, battle lines are forming over a request to wage war. Reaction to president obamas request to fight isis. Some say it goes too far. Others, not far enough. Mayo . Corn dogs . You are so outta here aah [ female announcer ] the complete balanced nutrition of greattasting ensure. 24 vitamins and Minerals Antioxidants and 9 grams of protein. [ bottle ] ensure®. Nutrition in charge™. Im only in my 60s. Ive got a nice long life ahead. Big plans. So when i found out medicare doesnt pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options. Then i got a Medicare Supplement Insurance Plan. [ male announcer ] if youre eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80 of your part b medical expenses. The rest is up to you. Call now and find out about an aarp Medicare Supplement Insurance Plan, insured by unitedhealthcare Insurance Company. 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Remember, all Medicare Supplement Insurance Plans help cover what medicare doesnt pay. And could save you in outofpocket medical costs. Call now to request your free decision guide. And learn more about the kinds of plans that will be here for you now and down the road. I have a lifetime of experience. So i know how important that is. Battle lines are forming over president obamas formal request to use military force in the war against isis. It limits the authority to the military campaign to three years. It does not authorize whats called enduring offensive Ground Combat operations but it disallow for Ground Combat operations in limited circumstances, including rescue and special forces missions. Some republicans say the proposal ties the hands too much. Some democrats say its way too vague. But the debate is not entirely along party lines. Joining Us Democratic congressman of maryland. Hes a key member of these committees considering this issue. Are you going to vote in favor of what the president has put forward or you got serious concerns . Wolf i do have serious concerns and im going to work to change the language that was submitted. And im someone who supports the current Ongoing Operations that were conducting in iraq and syria against isil. I support the targeting of isil in both those countries. I support our efforts to provide air power to the iraqi and kurdish forces. I support a limited number of American Forces on the ground to provide training and equipment. What concerns me is two things. One, the grant of authority with respect to deploying american Ground Combat forces is way too broad. And secondly, this leaves on the books indefinitely forever, the 2001 aumf which is essentially a blank check to any executive in the future. In fact, the president himself raised concerns about the 2001 aumf two years ago and said that we should revise and ultimately repeal it. Thats the direction we need to move . He wants to keep the 2001 military authorization to go after al qaeda around the world but he wants to eliminate the 2002 authorization that led to the u. S. War, the invasion of iraq the removal of saddam hussein. You want him to not only repudiate the 2001 authorization but the 2002 authorization, but the 2001 authorization as well, but from what im hearing from white house officials, he doesnt want to do that. Not repudiate it, but essentially, the Expiration Date for this targeted authority, fresh authority to go after isil should dove tail with an Expiration Date or revision of the 2001 aumf. Otherwise, youre spending an awful lot of time trying to design the framework for the isil effort, sort of trying to arrange the front door while youre leaving the back door wide open. I mean any future executive could put american Ground Forces into combat virtually anywhere in the world where they find there are al qaeda, you know presence or affiliated al qaeda presence. Again, the president himself said two years ago, he wanted to revise and ultimately repeal it. So thats what were calling for. The president doesnt even believe he needs this formal new authority from congress to go ahead and wage this war against isis. And a few guys democrats or republicans, liberals or conservatives resist too much hes going to basically say you know what hes got the authority already. He says he has the authority. Hes going to fight this war the way he wants without members of congress tieing his hands. Whats going to be your reaction if that goes down theres no legislation thats passed . Well, the president kateindicated in his letter that he sent to congress along with the proposed legislation that he as he stated two years ago in his speech at National Defense university wanted to address the 2001 aumf. I hope he would pursue that. But youre absolutely right, wolf the president is suggesting and saying that he has the authority under the 2001 aumf to do what hes doing. As i said at the beginning i support the Current Mission against isil. I would support an aumf designed and takeilored to support that Current Mission. What i have huge concerns about is opening the door to dragging the United States into another ground war in the middle east. That has not brought about the results that we wanted. It has had lots of negative repercussions. We need the kind of military force were using today, but we need to focus on a political solution that makes sure the kurds and the iraqis come together are able to provide the Ground Forces necessary to take the fight to isil. What i hear you saying is when the president said in his televised remarks that he doesnt want another ground war that occurred in iraq or afghanistan, he doesnt have anything along those lines in mind. What youre saying is trust but verify. You right. There are two things wolf. Number one, members of congress cannot vote on good intentions. Were voting on whats written on the page of the law. And if that law provides for much Broader Authority for u. S. Combat forces you know we have to take that into account. Secondly the fresh authority, the fresh authority for the introduction of combat forces will extend beyond president obamas term. And so that remains a big issue. As i said as long as the 2001 afu is in place, it would allow the u. S. President to put u. S. Combat forces a lot of places in the world. We should do what president obama said two years ago, we should begin to reframe that authority as well. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you. Thank you, wolf. Still to come reporting from the front lines of vietnam, the gulf war, a career which spans five decades. Well have a look at the life and times of correspondent bob simon. The United States top Law Enforcement officer weighs into the central issue of racial tensions between citizens and police. The fbi concerned that there is a disconnect between police and people of color as seen in ferguson missouri and new york city as well. He used a pop culture reference to confront the serious issue of prejudice in america. I am reminded of the song from the broadway hit avenue q, everyone is a little bit racist a part of which goes like this. Look around and you will find no one is really color blind. Maybe its a fact we all should face. Everyone makes judgments based on race. You should be grateful i did not try to sing that. But if we cant help our latent biases we can help our behavior in response to those instinct active reactions. Lets bring in our justice reporter evan perez. A little bit of comment there, but this is a serious issue the fbi director is addressing today. Thats right, wolf. Its not even very common the fbi weighs into this issue. They tend to stay away from this. It is something he felt he needed to do to address the Big Conversation people have been having since ferguson. One of the things hes talking about is officers often work in very difficult neighborhoods where a lot of the crime is carried out by men of color. And what do they do after seeing this year after year . And heres a little bit of what he had to say. Police officers on patrol in our nations cities often work in environments where a hugely disproportionate percentage of street crime is committed by young men of color. Something happens to people of good will working in that environment. After years of police work officers often cant help but be influenced by the cynicism they feel. A mental shortcut becomes almost ir irresistible. Two black men look like so many on one side of the street that hes locked up. Two white men, maybe even in the same clothes, do not. He says the same things happen in some of these minority communities who will make assumptions about the Police Officers who are there to protect them often in very dangerous circumstances. Hes also going to say he believes the fbi needs to do a better job tracking this . Well yes. Theres not much the fbi can do to enforce police departments, but he says hes going to use his bully pulpit to use police to report when they have shootings. Right now he doesnt know how many people have been shot by police. You can see how many were booked but you cant tell how many were shot by cops. Thats a helpful statistic evan evan, thanks. Two journalists have been released after spending more than a year in jail in egypt, but theyre due back in court in 11 days for a retrial. Theyre accused of supporting the brotherhood but are maintaining their innocence. One in prison with them deported to his country of australia. He said he worked for them when he was there, hes a terrific terrific guy. He and his colleague do not belong in prison in egypt. I hope they are both completely vindicated and cleared and allowed to go home. On a very very personal note i was really shaken last night when i heard that bob simon of cbs news had been killed in a car crash in new york city. Bob simon was certainly an old friend a wonderful colleague, a truly amazing journalist. Over the years we often covered many of the same stories, and he could not have been more cooperative and wonderful when i was just starting out as a young reporter. He was already a major cbs News Television correspondent. He could not have been nicer to me. He was always extremely helpful, always offering some very very strong and important advice. Thats something, as all of us certainly appreciate something a young reporter will always remember. I also remember when he was taken prisoner by saddam husseins forces during the first gulf war in 1991. Like so many of his colleagues around the world, i was deeply shaken. At that time i was cnns correspondent. I was so worried about his fate. I worked all my sources to try to find out what was going on to do everything i could to help. There wasnt much i could do but fortunately after 40 days he was freed, and all of us were simply thrilled. He was never afraid to cover wars or other dangerous stories, and like millions of others i always looked forward to his 60 minutes reports. We were always a bit smarter after watching bob simon report. In short, he was among the very very best in our business. My deepest condolences to his wife francois and his daughter tonya. Bob simon, may he rest in peace. Thats it for me. Thanks very much for watching. Ill be back at 5 00 p. M. In the situation room. Our news review with brook bau man starts right now. Hi there, im brooke baldwin. Thank you so much for being with me today. Youre watching cnn and right now i wanted to share some live pictures with you. Incredibly solemn moments here in raleigh, North Carolina as this Prayer Service is under way for the three Muslim Students murdered in North Carolina. Despite what police are saying the family and friends of these three young victims insist they were killed because of their faith, and its now faith, the father says that is the only thing easing his grief over the loss of his two daughters