Transcripts For CNNW The Situation Room 20140911

Lets get right to the breaking news on this 9 11. America finds itself in a new war against terrorists. This time its the brutal Islamist Group isis which slaughtered thousands across the middle east and brutally beheaded two americans. President obama laid out the strategy for destroying isis with expanding air strikes in syria. Officials say u. S. Planes are carrying out surveillance there and targets have been spotting. Arming and training rebels now the Obama Administration is selling that strategy to congress and American Allies even getting ready to carry out the new battle plan. Correspondents, analysts, guests standing by for full coverage and begin with the White House Correspondent michelle kosinski. Reporter the white house says its reviewing targets inside syria. That doesnt necessarily mean that air strikes are imminent and trying to get congress on board. Looking somewhat promising with some wavering there. Trying to Gain International partners on this. On this september 11th, the president and first lady remember the victims of terror from the time that launched americas war on it. Now a new chapter has opened. I will not hesitate to take action against isil in syria and iraq. Reporter today, the white house says based on the recent expansion of intel gathering, multiple new targets have been identified. Are you talking about targets in syria at this point . The president has gotten guidance of targets available and would be critical to denying isil safe haven both in iraq and syria. Many in syria . I wouldnt characterize the guidance. Reporter the targets for now under review with the pentagon and National Security team. Today secretary of state kerry in the middle east secured the support of arab leaders taking a key question from cnns elise abbo abbott. Is the United States at war with isis . Sounds like from the speech we are. I think thats the wrong terminology. What we are doing is engaging in a very significant counterterrorism operation. And its going to go on for some period of time. Reporter but plenty of questions persist. Weeks ago president obama said this about arming and training the Syrian Rebels. Its always been a fantasy. An opposition made up of former doctors, farmers, pharmacists and so forth. Reporter now thats part of the plan. The white house says after more than a year of u. S. Assistance, theyre far more organized and strong. Critics like senator john mccain not convinced sparring with former press secretary jay carney. Im astounded that mr. Carney should say that the Free Syrian Army is now stronger. In fact, theyve been thats not what i said, senator. I said, if i could, sir, i said that we know a great deal more about come on. You knew about it. Come on, jay. We knew about them then. You didnt choose to know. Your boss is the one that went the entire National Security team wanted to arm and train them, he turned them down. Reporter its interesting hearing from the uk. The u. S. s closest ally. The foreign minister said let me be clear. There will be no british air strikes in syria and then the Prime Ministers Office said, wait a minute. Not anything is off the table yet. Everything is being considered but the white house says that it is encouraged by what it calls Robust International support for the president s plan including it says in the middle east. Wolf . Michelle, at the white house, thank you. Did the president convince congress of the merits of his new isis strategy . Does he need a goahead from congress to carry out the battle plan . Lets turn to chief Congressional Correspondent dana bash. Will me get what he wants to train u. N. Syrian forces . Reporter House Republican leaders were pushing the rank and file to give the president that authority he needs. But that is just one small part of a larger new military mission that congress so far is not weighing in on. Taking Ground Troops against isis off the table is a mistake says House Speaker john boehner. F16 is not a strategy. An air strikes alone will not accomplish what were trying to accomplish. Reporter despite that tough talk about the president s strategy, congress is punting on its own role. Why not be much more active and have a vote to give the president authority, to have a congressional marker on this if this is an incredible threat . I do believe it would be in the nations interest. Reporter boehner often blasts the president for going it alone and argues here its the president s prerogative to ask for congressional approval and the white house says it has all the power to battle isis with a 13yearold authorization to confront al qaeda. 24 years that i have been here, the president of the United States would request that support and would supply the wording of a resolution to authorize this force. And at this point in time, we have not gotten that request. Reporter but some in both parties arent buying this. We are the legislative branch. If youre saying the president ought to ask for it, do it. We represent 700,000 americans and its important that we have rather than just 1 person making all the calls, thats not the way this our government was designed. Reporter even some democrats facing tough reelection battles in just seven weeks want to weigh in. I didnt come here to take the easy votes. Reporter now, others still would rather not take a dicey vote like this on military action, particularly. Some vulnerable democrats in the senate where it could flip to republican control in november. Not to say, wolf, Senate Democrats wont do this but probably not until after novembers election. Thanks very much. Joining us from the white house, the president s National Security adviser, ambassador susan rice. Thank you very much for joining us. Ill start with a simple question. Is the United States at war right now with isis . Well, wolf, as the president said clearly last night, well do whats necessary to degrade and destroy isil. And so, thats going to entail a comprehensive approach. On the one hand, as the president made clear, well be involved in sustained air strikes against isil targets in iraq and to the extent necessary in syria. Well also be building up the capacity of partners on the ground. And also, with the support of congress we hope the moderate Syrian Opposition, so well combine that with a political strategy in support of inclusive and representative governance in iraq. Well also support the sunni elements inside of iraq to take the fight to isil since theyre the ones most directly affected by the isil terrorism. And so, this will be a political, diplomatic as well as military strategy. It will involve partners in a Broad Coalition from the countries in the region who met today in saudi arabia, with secretary kerry and pledged to support the effort, to partners in europe and australia and others in the west. It will be a Broad Coalition to deal with the threat that isil poses. Sounds like a war to me. Is it fair to call it a war . Wolf, i dont know whether you want to call it a war or sustained counterterrorism campaign. I think, frankly, this is a counterterrorism operation that will take time. It will be sustained. Well not have american combat forces on the Ground Fighting as we did in iraq and afghanistan which is what i think the American People think of when they think of a war. So i think this is very different from that. But nonetheless, well be dealing with the significant threat to this region, to american personnel in the region and potentially also to europe and the United States. And well be doing it with partners. Well not be fighting ourselves on the ground but using american air power as we have been over the last several weeks as necessary. You point out to the extent necessary those were your words referring to u. S. Air strikes against isis targets inside syria. Is there any doubt that would be necessary gibb the enormous amount of land that they control not only in iraq but in syria . Thats the base, the refuge. I think in all likelihood, wolf, that will be the case. But what the president said is well take the fight to isil where we need to. And there wont be any safe haven. He is very clear. Were not so concerned about borders but concerned about degrading and destroying isil. I think that suggests that in all likelihood that will be necessary. Not 100 . Is that what youre saying . Wolf, i think the point is well act in iraq and syria as is necessary with the advice and guidance of the commanders on the ground. Ultimately, the decisions to be taken by the president. But well do whats necessary in that theater to deal with the isil threat and i anticipate since it is a threat that evolves and moves across this now very porous border as the president said yesterday it will require action in syria, as well. And in any event, as you know, were also seeking greater resources and authority from congress to increase the support for the Syrian Opposition. You know theres criticism and the president s reference of the comparison to the operation thats now going to expand against isis to the longstanding u. S. Counterterrorism operation in yemen and a lot of folks saying thats a comparison of apples and oranges. Those are a bunch of terrorists down there and dont control a major army with sophisticated equipment largely u. S. Captured equipment or a military officer corps with experience. Is that a fair comparison . Basis of the comparison is as follows. The nature of our strategic approach. In yemen as well as in somalia, the United States has engaged in air strikes to attack al qaeda targets whether al qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and yemen or shabal shabaab and we have work with partners and the Yemeni Military and advised and worked to equip and with somalia and the forces and as well as with the African Union force now 20,000 that the United States has funded and helped train and support. So, we will be working with partners on the ground and we will be striking from the air just as we have done in yemen and somalia. Now, the tempo of our strikes, the intensity in all likelihood will be greater in iraq and syria. But the fact of the matter is this is different from the previous wars in iraq and from afghanistan in that there not be american combat forces on the Ground Fighting on the ground. This will be with partners and u. S. Air power and indeed a coalition that is unprecedented. Building support from countries in the region as we discussed. Those who met with secretary kerry today in jetta as well as European Partners and others and involved a multifaceted effort for partner capacity on the ground and to strike as appropriate from the air. I know our time is limited but i just got this in. Anderson cooper completed an interview with mother of james foley, diane foley and not blaming the Obama Administration but telling anderson maybe more could have been done. Let me play a little calypso you have a chance to respond to the very distraught mother. As an american, i was embarrassed and appalled. I think our efforts to get jim freed were an annoyance. You know . To the government . Yes. And they yeah. And it wasnt didnt seem to be in our strategic interest, if you will. I was appalled as an american. Jim would have been saddened. Jim believed until the end that his country would come to their aid. I pray that our government would be willing to learn from the mistakes that were made and to acknowledge that there are better ways for american citizens to be treated. All right, ambassador rice. I want to give you a chance to respond to this mother. Well, wolf, ive gotten to know diane foley well as we have met on a number of occasions when i was ambassador to new york and here in washington at the white house. She is an extraordinary woman. She did an amazing job on behalf of her family and with her husband and other children to do Everything Possible, leave no stone unturned, to try to bring jim home safely. Were all heart broken that that was not possible. But i and others in the u. S. Government worked very hard with diane foley and her family to try to be supportive, to try to provide what information we could. As you know, the president ordered a very daring and very well executed rescue operation when on the only occasion we had what we thought was fresh and we hoped actionable intelligence about the whereabouts of jim foley and the other hostages. Unfortunately, they were no longer there. But i think that effort which involved hundreds of american personnel and very sophisticated effort underscores the importance that we attached to doing everything we can to bring americans in captivity back home. I know you tried very, very hard and unfortunately they these isis terrorists, they executed two americans and were all saddened by that. Ambassador rice, thanks very much for joining us. Thank you. James foleys mother diane speaks exclusively to anderson about the horrific nightmare. Ac 360 tonight 8 00 p. M. Eastern right here on cnn. Up next, by targeting isis in syria, would the u. S. End up on the same side as iran . And a new ferguson video revealed. Witnesses say they watched as Michael Brown was shot with his hands in the air. Well get reaction. woman the constipation and belly pain feel tight like a vise. How can i ease this pain . man when i cant go, its like rocks piling up. I wish i could find some relief. announcer ask your doctor about linzess a oncedaily capsule for adults with ibs with constipation or chronic idiopathic constipation. Linzess is thought to help calm painsensing nerves and accelerate bowel movements. It helps you proactively manage your symptoms. Do not give linzess to children under 6, and it should not be given to children 6 to 17. It may harm them. Dont take linzess if you have a bowel blockage. Get immediate help if you develop unusual or severe stomach pain especially with bloody or black stools. The most common side effect is diarrhea, sometimes severe. If its severe, stop taking linzess and call your doctor right away. Other side effects include, gas, stomacharea pain and swelling. Bottom line, ask your doctor about linzess today. Whenwork with equity experts who work with regional experts thats when expertise happens. Mfs. Because there is no expertise without collaboration. Back to the breaks news. U. S. Surveillance aircraft over syria. The white house saying targets indeed have been identified inside syria. Top Administration Officials, though, seem reluctant to call the new campaign against isis a war. Joining us now are chief political analyst Gloria Borger and robin wright. Ladies, thanks very much for joining us. Theyre refusing, you heard secretary of state kerry refusing to call it a war. Counterterrorism operation. Susan rice, national they dont want to call it a war. Whens wrong with calling this a war on terror or they used to have a war on drugs, war on crime. This is for all practical purposes a war on terror. Right. Look. Theyre trying to distinguish this in every way they can from iraq, from afghanistan, talking about how there are no boots on the ground here. This president s a reluctant warrior as we know from watching him over the last months. The speech he gave last night was not a speech he ever expected to give or wanted to give. He didnt want to leave a legacy of conflict in syria to the next president and in iraq to the next president. He his narrative is ending wars. Killing osama bin laden. Theyre trying to say this is more somalia, like yemen. This is not a war. Its a counterterror operation. Wolf, as you pointed out, its a matter of semantics and spin. This is dangerous. The president said there are risks. So, call it what you will. Its a war. We also heard that a little clip from that interview, the president gave a month or so ago to tom freedman in the New York Times saying arming the moderate Syrian Rebels always has been a fantasy. Whats changed over the past month . Absolutely nothing. Thats the problem. I think the president was specific coming to what the United States is going to do in iraq. But the problem is there was nothing about what happens next. Phase 2 of what is a war and does involve going across the border into syria. Something the United States has been reluctant to do for three yeerps. The problem is, who do you arm . Rebels have not proven effective. Either in fighting whether its the assad regime or isis. They havent been very effective at all in ruling local territory that they have charge of. Theyre predominated by exiles who dont necessarily represent the people inside the country. Theres a real danger that we are getting into whens not only open ended but poorly defined. The president s asking for 500 million to congress to appropriate funding to arm and train the moderate syria rebels. He said a month ago, tom freedman, the idea of light arms or sophisticated arms to what was essentially an opposition made up of former doctors, fa farm farmers, pharmacists and so forth and battle not only a well armed state but a well armed state backed by russia, iran, hezbollah. That was never in the cards. I think what changed, gloria, two videotapes of two american journalists being beheaded. Look, absolutely. That shifted American Public opinion tremendously. Suddenly americans saw these videotapes an they said, wait a minute. This means that my country is in indaenger. I have seen two americans beheaded and if you look at the recent wall street journal poll 47 of the country now believes that we are less safe than we were before the september 11th, 2001, terror attacks. So the country has moved. And the president followed and weve seen him sort of back into this. You know . First he said it was a humanitarian effort and an effort to protect american personnel in baghdad and now hes taken it to the next step because i think theres a sense what other choice do they have . Talking to people at the white house, they dont believe any of the choices are perfect. As you point out. Because they understand the risks, particularly in syria. And with the uncertainty of who these rebels are and assad. Robin, you are a real expert on iran. You have written books on this subject. Where does iran fit into this and iraq against isis and syria against isis. Where does iran fit in . There are people saying maybe the u. S. Should cooperate with iran on this issue. 35 years after the confrontation over the embassy seizure, we seize a very important Foreign Policy objective. The i ran yranians are more wor and bordering iran. They have redefined politics in the region. Deepening a divide of the sunnis and the extremists on one hand and the shiites on the other and afraid that not only the region but the world gets into sucked into whats a sectarian war and they have a very, very strong desire to make sure that the world stands up together. They will defacto be an ally in the campaign against isis and quite important in trying to better relations, not necessarily with the United States but in healing some of the deep wounds between iran and some of the sunni regimes in the persian gulf. Secretary kerry in saudi arabia today trying to mobilize an opposition to isis to get the sunnis to stand up but in this one, this is where saudi arabia and iran are actually standing on the same page at least. The enemy of my enemy is not necessarily my friend. And this is something that the this is a line the administration has to walk, right . United states desperately needs every ally thats what i was going to say. Iran is in the region and enormous influence in iraq we thats what i was going to say. This is difficult for the administration because theyre talking about being part of a coalition. Theyre trying to lead a coalition but it doesnt yet seem to be a Large Coalition of the willing at this point. And thats very difficult for them because theyre not where they want to be. All right. Thanks very much. Still ahead, the secretary of state john kerry speaking to cnn. He says the u. S. Is not at war with isis and asking him to explain. Also, a new witness to the Michael Brown shooting. We have details of the exclusive video and how it could impact this case. When your favorite food starts a fight fight back fast with tums. Relief that neutralizes acid on contact. And goes to work in seconds. Tum, tum tum tum tums try great tasting tums chewy delights. Yummy. No. Not exactly. To attain success, one must project success. Thats why we use fedex one rate. Their flat rate shipping. Exactly. 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As you know, we have heard from at least six or seven eyewitnesses on the shooting but this is the first i guess what you call a really raw look at how people reacted when they saw what was happening. As youll see on the video, these two construction workers are visibly horrified, one is especially angry. Watch. Just after 12 00 noon, august 9th, ferguson, missouri. The men in the exclusive cell phone video hear gunshots. Theyre about 50 feet away from Michael Brown and officer darren wilson. The unidentified person recording this video captured the witnesss reaction during the final moments of the shooting. [ bleep ] hands in the air. Reporter both men were contractors working in the area. The man on the left in the pink shirt told cnn they heard one gunshot and then about 30 seconds later a second shot. He says he saw Michael Brown staggering, and then he says brown put his hand up and said, okay, okay, okay. The witness told us the cop didnt say get on the ground. He just kept shooting. That same witness described the gruesome scene saying he saw Michael Browns brains come out of his head. Again, reiterating his hands were up. Watch how he motions on the video. Right there. Reporter the video was shot by someone who lived in a ground floor apartment nearby. He went to grab the ipad to take the video just after the shots rang out. Witnesses say it was taken shortly after the video ended. If you look closely, you can see Police Officer on the right side in the distance beginning to put up crime scene tape. Both men told us by the time it was over, there were three officers on the scene but only one involved in the shooting. Another voice is also heard on the tape. The contractor in the green shirt told me, that voice belongs to a man he didnt know who pulled up alongside them yelling this. [ bleep ] break it off. Reporter that same contractor in green also told me that he saw Michael Brown running away from the police car. He said brown put his hands up and that the officer was chasing him. He also said that officer wilson fired another shot at brown while his back was turned. The contractor in the pink shirt also shared this. That a second officer arriving later to the scene drew his weapon. He said the one cop was the one who shot him. Then i saw the other officer pull a gun out but he didnt shoot. That same worker described how brown staggered dead after the second shot 20 to 25 feet to the ground. Explaining, he was like a walking dead guy. Two shots. That leaves a number of shots we have learned about through the autopsy report and other audio recordings unaccounted for. But their account was square with what other witnesses have said. The woman who took cell phone video of browns body lying in the street also told cnn that brown was shot from behind. Just like the contractor in the green shirt says. While he was running away from the officer trying to get away, he was getting shot at. Reporter now, after the shooting, the contractor in the pink tshirt told us that they were the only two white people out there on the street and told us coworker they had to, quote, get the hell out of there before things got ugly and, wolf, he said it was getting ugly and people lining the streets. These two guys been interviewed by authorities . Reporter they have and since spoken and given statements to the police and the fbi and again, wolf, what they told us does seem to be in line with the other statements given by the people who live in ferguson, what they told police and, again, remember, these guys are white, they were just in ferguson doing that job that day and no horse in the game as far as we can tell and why some legal experts say what they apparently witnessed a man with the hands up being chased down by a Police Officer could be a game changer in this case. Excellent reporting. Thanks very much. Lets big dedig deeper with jef toobin and tom fuentes. Jeffrey, you say this new video changes your understanding of what happened to Michael Brown. Explain. Well, it changes my understanding of what prosecutors have to work with. His their testimony, the two contractors, is not inconsistent. In fact, its very consistent with what the other witnesses have to say. What makes it so significant is this video which is a realtime in effect acting out of what these witnesses saw. And, you know, they clearly did not know they were being videotaped so the fact that they are raising their hands and saying, he was shot with his hands up, that is extremely incriminating evidence against officer wilson. Its important to emphasize the prosecutors are going to have to look at all the evidence. Not just these two witnesses. All the evidence together but certainly these are very incriminating witnesses against officer wilson. Tom . Its incriminating but the video is not. The yil low tape doesnt get posted around a crime scene within 10 or 30 or a few minutes of a crime happening or an event happening. That takes a listening time so to me the fact that the Yellow Police tape is already going up and being installed around that scene tells me that that video is taken minutes, several minutes at least after the event had happened. Wasnt like contemporaneous . No. Well, actually, yesterday, these witnesses said it was about three minutes after the shooting that the crime scene tape started to go up so, you know, toms right it is not contemporaneous and three minutes if thats the case, thats pretty short. Possible the tape up within three minutes . I doubt it but, you know, ill concede it could have been but the first emphasis of the officers arriving there would be to try to see what assistance they could render, you know, as far as the body on the ground and wilson himself, the officer standing nearby. Yes, they would start putting tape up to try to keep the crowd back but maybe three minutes, five or ten. But the other aspect of what these witnesses say is they heard the shot and then but they didnt see it. They didnt see what happened to start the event which is critical in this whole situation and then they say it was about 30 seconds until more shots were fired. I think other witnesses placed this time closer together than 30 seconds. Even if it happened before, lets say Michael Brown did something to, you know, endanger or threaten this Police Officer, once his hands are in the air, she shouldnt be shot again, right . Thats true. Thats true. Thats what these witnesses say saw his hands in the air. Thats consistent with what other witnesses have said but again, you know, as far as the timing of the whole thing and what, you know, what they were seeing at the beginning of this thing, its not quite the whole story. Jeffrey, is there any doubt this videotape would be admissible in court . I cant imagine how it wouldnt be admissible. I suppose the defense if there is a trial officer wilson could argue its too late after the fact. Trying to boll fester their wit. I think its close enough to a contemporaneous tape that if the credibility of these two witness witnesses are challenged as they certainly will be, the prosecution would be able to introduce the tape at least in rebuttal to say, look, this shows that theres a different standard for being admitted, part of a grand jury investigation, right . Oh, certainly admissible for the grand jury. Grand jury does not have anything like the strict rules of evidence before an actual trial. And the prosecutor has said hes going to put all the evidence in front of the grand jury so it is without a doubt clear that this tape and these witnesses, their statements, will be before the grand jury. That decides whether to charge officer wilson. If theres a trial, then the admissibility issues are more complicated and no, no doubt it will be before the grand jury. Thats what i thought. I want both of you to stand by. Theres more to discuss. Is there another side of the story not told . Well talk about that when we come back. Dad,thank you mom for said this oftprotecting my future. You. Thank you for being my hero and my dad. Military families are uniquely thankful for many things, the legacy of usaa Auto Insurance could be one of them. If youre a current or former military member or their family, get an Auto Insurance quote and see why 92 of our members plan to stay for life. So what were looking for is a way to plus our Accounting Firms mobile plan. And minus our expenses. Perfect timing. Were offering our bestever pricing on mobile plans for business. Run the numbers on that. Well, unlimited talk and text, and ten gigs of data for the five of you would be. Oneseventyfive a month. Good calculating kyle. Good job kyle. 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Jeffrey toobin is with us and Law Enforcement analyst tom fuentes, former assistant director of the fbi. Tom, how common is it for a month later for new video to surface like this . I think its a little bit long as far as o video to come out by know and the whole video, you know, it may be this is hidden or already given it to the authorities a while back and come forward but it has been a long time for this suddenly now to come out publicly and for them to i assume it was them that wanted this to be in the hands of the media and shown on television. We dont know, jeffrey, if theres other videotapes that may be out there, audio recordings, the Law Enforcement authorities may have that. They havent been released to the public, right . Absolutely. The authorities are under no obligation to disclose what evidence they receive. In fact, its their practice not to disclose it. It certainly is of no benefit to them. As for this tape, i dont really think its significant that its been a while since the crime. The video speaks for if its a crime i should add that. The the video speaks for itself as far as it shows every sign of being authentic and we can argue about what it means but the fact that it came out now opposed to a couple of weeks i dont think is particularly significant. Almost all of the witnesses that spoken out publicly, tom, they back up this contention Michael Brown had his hands up in the air and may be other witness that is we dont know about just like other audio or videotape we dont know about who may have a different eyewitness account, right . Thats right. There could be others were not aware of completely and some aspects of what witness says at least are a little bit lets say unusual to put the terms that he was dead man walking, staggering for 25 or 30 seconds, that sounds thats more melo dramatic than the other witnesses saying it happened quicker. A shot. Officer chased him down. Shot him again. Hands up. Shot him. You know . The whole event, the first time you hear it from the other witness sounds like 10 to 20 events but this sounds like half a minute or longer and the way he describes it to me is a little concerning. All right. Dramatic. More on the story later. All right. Jeffrey, tom, thanks very much. Coming up, the secretary of state john kerry speaking to cnn about the president s plan to destroy isis but the secretary says this is not a war. And can the u. S. Really defeat isis without reinforcements on the ground . Ill ask a senior Syrian Opposition adviser. Many of my patients still clean their dentures with toothpaste. But they have to use special care in keeping the denture clean. Dentures are very different to real teeth. Theyre about 10 times softer and may have surface pores where bacteria can multiply. Polident is designed to clean dentures daily. 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You can use it to track your Actual Energy use. Find rebates that make equipment upgrades more affordable. Even develop a Customized Energy plan for your company. Think of it as a way to take more control over your operating costs. And yet another Energy Saving opportunity from pg e. Find new ways to save energy and money with pg es Business Energy checkup. Americans are pausing to remember the 9 11 terror attacks, which killed almost 3,000 people 13 years ago today. [ bell tolls ] in new york, a bell marked key moments, including the collapse of the second tower at 10 28 that morning. In between, the names of the victims were read. At the pentagon, a giant flag was unfurled at dawn. Its a tradition that began the day after the attacks when put building. Later, a private ceremony was held for families. And despite rain, several hundred people came to the field near shanksville, pennsylvania, where united flight 93 crashed as passengers tried to overtake the terrorists. President obama spoke at the pentagon ceremony. Beginning tomorrow, there will be teenagers, young adults, who were born after 9 11. Its remarkable. While these Young Americans did not know the horrors oh s of t day, their lives have been shaped since. A time that brought us pain but a time that taught us endurance and strength. A time of rebuilding, of resilience and of renewal. What gives us hope, what gives me hope, is that it is these Young Americans who will shape all the days to come. 13 years after a small and hateful minds conspired to break us, america stands tall and america stands proud. The president led a moment of silence at the white house. Coming up, the u. S. Recruits a number of arab allies to join the fight against isis. But is it a war . Secretary of state john kerry speaking to cnn. And president obama uses another Counter Terror campaign as an example. But did he pick a bad example . When folks think about what they get from alaska, they 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. Happening now, breaking news, u. S. Military aircraft on the move. Theyre preparing for strikes against isis terrorists in syria. Were learning more about the first steps with president obamas war plan. Plus, the president s response to isis brutality. From the mother of james foley, one of the americans beheaded by the terror group. Shes speaking exclusively to cnn. And live to ferguson, missouri for reaction to the new video. It shows a witness to the Michael Brown shooting just moments later saying the teenager had his hands up when he was killed by a Police Officer. We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. Im wolf blitzer. Youre in the situation room. This is cnn breaking news. Lets get right to the breaking news this hour. U. S. Surveillance aircraft are flying over syria. And the pentagon says armed and manned combat planes will begin flying out of Northern Iraq soon. American forces are starting to mobilize for president obamas newly announced offensive against isis terrorists. Our correspondents are standing by with new information on the u. S. Battle plan and the isis threat. First, lets go to jim sciutto. Hes got the latest. Jim . Reporter im told by a u. S. Official that u. S. Surveillance aircraft are now flying over syria. This to gather intelligence to prepare for the air strikes that the president ordered in a speech to the nation last night. Earlier, surveillance flights had been confined just along the border with iraq. Now they are over syria to gather more of this intelligence. How imminent are these air strikes . We all anticipate them beginning very soon. I spoke to the president s National Security adviser susan rice. She didnt say they were 100 but obviously very likely. Reporter ive spoke on the a number of officials. They say the u. S. , the pentagon continues to refine and improve its intelligence inside syria to refine and improve the target list. If a target of opportunity comes up, the u. S. Is certainly prepared to strike and will strike. But as far as a broader air campaign against isis as outlined by the president in his speech last night, that i am told is not imminent. I assumed they would start with drones opposed to manned aircraft. Drones, hell fire missiles just to begin with. Thats obviously safer than sending Fighter Pilots over what could be potentially dangerous territory. That is true. But that is a possibility, as well. If you look at previous campaigns and the campaigns that the president has outlined as a parallel for whats going to happen in syria against isis, in yemen, in somalia against al shabab, those have been principally drone strikes. Lets talk a little about jim foley, one of the american journalists beheaded by isis. His mother, diane foley, is speaking to anderson cooper. Shes distraught, obviously. Shes lost her son, but i want to play a clip from the interview she had with anderson. As an american, i was embarrassed and appalled. I think our efforts to get jim freed were an annoyance, you know. An annoyance to the government . Yes. Yeah. And it wasnt didnt seem to be in our strategic interest, if you will. I was appalled as an american. Jim would have been saddened. Jim believed till the end that his country would come. I pray that our government would be willing to learn from the mistakes that were made, and to acknowledge that there are better ways for american citizens to be treated. When i spoke to the president s National Security adviser, ambassador susan rice, i wanted to give her a chance to respond to this obviously very upset mother. Heres what she told me, among other things. Wolf, ive gotten to know diane foley well,s she and i have met on a number of occasions when i was ambassador in new york and here in washington at the white house. She did an amazing job on behalf of her family and with her husband and other children, to do Everything Possible, leave no stone unturned to try to bring jim home safely. Were all heart broken that that was not possible. I know that obviously the mother is very upset. The foley family understandably upset. The sotloff family upset. We spoke to a spokesman for the sotloff family, you did earlier in the week as well. I dont think theres anything you can say to these families to say that the u. S. Government did Everything Possible to try to free their respective sons. Its heartbreaking to watch. You put yourself in their shoes and imagine what happened. In fact, i spoke to some close to the sotloff family who said the u. S. Had better intelligence on sotloffs location earlier than u. S. Officials have said. Therefore, should have acted earlier. But as susan rice said, the u. S. Launched a very difficult and Dangerous Rescue Mission inside syrian territory. They put u. S. Boots on the ground. She used the phrase, hundreds. Regardless, u. S. Troops were on the ground, in syria. A step the president said he will not do in his action against isis because hes concerned about an iraqlevel kind of involvement and the danger to those troops. So the u. S. And the administration put american troops in danger to attempt this rescue. Thats a bold step. Thats the argument that Administration Officials make. Clearly at a minimum, theres been a communication problem with the family. Both families feel betrayed. Both families asked for certain contact with the administration that they did in yemen. I speak to Administration Officials and they will say listen, we did our best here. I think you might imagine its impossible to make them satisfied. But theres clearly a problem here because you have bold criticism coming from both families. The full interview will be seen later tonight on ac 360. While the u. S. Military gears up for new attacks against isis, secretary of state john kerry has been meeting with key arab leaders in saudi arabia trying to rally Global Support for the president s battle plan. Our correspondent is traveling with the secretary. Reporter wolf, when i spoke to the secretary of state today, he told me that the fight against isis is just the next step in the u. S. War against al qaeda that started 13 years ago today. Secretary of state john kerry arrived in saudi arabia, part of a whirl wind visit to the middle east to build a coalition to take on isis. The u. S. And several arab allies say they have agreed to join a coordinated military campaign against the Islamic State militants. In an interview with cnn, kerry insists the u. S. Is not at war with isis. I think thats the wrong terminology. What we are doing is engaging in a very significant counterterrorism operation. Its going to go on for some period of time. If somebody wants to think about it as being a war with isil, they can do so. But the fact is, its a major counterterrorism operation that will have many different moving parts. Reporter one of those moving parts wont involve going to congress. Kerry defended the administrations stance that the 2001 authorization for use of military force against al qaeda applies to isis. You voted for that as a senator. Did you envision it to be tackling groups that are not affiliated with al qaeda . This group has been affiliated with al qaeda. Reporter its not now, though. They say theyre not. But you dont just run away because you say youre not. So yes, we anticipated a longterm fight with al qaeda. Nobody has questioned the authority of that effort against al qaeda over the last years. This group is and has been al qaeda. Its the same thing as al qaeda, and it by trying to change its name, it doesnt change who it is, what it does or the legitimacy of the authority. Reporter but attacking isis in syria with u. S. Trained and armed rebels and air strikes could have unintended consequences. How do you undertake this campaign in syria without strengthening assad . First of all, assads legitimacy will never be restored by any action. He is illegitimate with respect to any capacity to lead syria to a place of when the conflict ends. The people who are targeting assad from the beginning are not going to stop here. Reporter a couple of weeks ago, the president said it was a fantasy to think that the opposition would be able to be trained and armed and battle the assad state. Now youre saying he didnt say that reporter now you said theyre going to battle the assad state and isis. Whats changed . They have been battling isis for some years. Not very effective. Theyve had problems because theyve been outgunned and more manpower and so forth. Thats one of the reasons why the president believes you have to focus on isil wherever they are. Reporter and he said one of the major differences between going after isis and going after al qaeda in yemen and somalia is the large Global Coalition shaping up. Thanks, elise. The u. S. Is clearly taking steps to expand the fight against isis in iraq and syria, as well. Many iraqis are welcoming that. Lets bring in cnns anna coren, joining us from the Northern Iraqi city of irbil. Whats been the reaction over there . Reporter people very pleased to hear president obamas strategy to hunt down isis. They were looking for a commitment, a partnership from the United States and they feel they got that when president obama made that announcement. Very welcome to hear about that Strategic Campaign to escalate air strikes here in iraq. Obviously there have been more than 150 u. S. Air strikes to date over the past five weeks. Theyve been extremely effective. Had a huge impact on the ground. But officials here calling for a much more intensive campaign. They also are relieved to hear that president obama is going to take this fight into syria. That is the safe haven, the sanctuary for isis. The troops here fighting isis can easily retreat over the border to syria, to consolidate, rearm, come back into iraq and attack. Then of course, those u. S. Troops, 475 additional troops to train, advise, and to assist. Wolf, i think the real key to all of this is leadership. The United States obviously taking on that incredibly Important Role thats been sorely lacking here in iraq. The peshmerga, the Kurdish Forces and iraqi forces operating separately. Now under the United States they can take the fight together to hit isis. Anna corning, thank you very much. The 475 troops the president announced would be deployed to iraq, that brings the total to 1600 total military personnel who are in iraq right now. Still ahead, president obama being criticized for citing yemen and somalia as place where is the u. S. Has been successful in fighting terror and raising new questions about his plan of attack against isis. And new video from the scene of the Michael Brown shooting in ferguson, missouri, capturing the reaction of witnesses reigniting anger. Narrator these are the skater kid whoa narrator that got torture tested by teenagers and cried out for help. From the surprised designers. 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At least some of those targets, the pentagon gearing up for new air strikes less than 24 hours after the president unveiled his longterm plan to attack the terror group. But a key line in his speech is raising lots of questions. Brian todd is joining us and looking into that line. Brian, what are you seeing . Reporter that line from the president compared his strategy against isis to what he called a successful track record against terrorists in yemen and somalia. But in yemen, the president s critics say the strategy has not been successful. And a dangerous threat to america remains. Isis can be rolled back the president says, and he cites two examples americans can pin their hopes on. This strategy of taking out terrorists who threaten us is one that we have successfully pursued in yemen and somalia for years. Reporter but if yemen is a success, the threat to americans from there still remains and could believe worse than isis. This is what its looked like in yemen this week. Instability in the capital. Protesters tried to storm a government building and attack soldiers. Several people were killed, dozens wounded. Another image from yemen put out this week. A video from al qaedas branch in yemen, of a previous attack on a government checkpoint. Aqap, as theyre known, taking a page out of the isis playbook. Its not been a success in yemen. Our partners are struggling to contain the insurgency. Reporter critics say the Yemeni Government hasnt been strong enough. A yemeni official tells cnn, Yemeni Forces have driven the terrorist group out of key strong holds. U. S. Specialops troops assisted them in one operation this year, killing 65 terrorists. Joslyn says thats only part of the problem. They melted away and still wages the insurgency and controls rural areas. Reporter thats a government cooperating with the u. S. In syria, u. S. Forces wont have that. The partnership with the u. S. Has been successful in killing off dozens of leaders. One of them, awlaki, the americanborn cleric, a top strategist. They also got the number two in the group, a saudi who had been at guantanamo bay. Reporter but still handing, two of the most dangerous terrorists that threaten america. Now, al asari is responsible for some nearly successful attempts to bomb planes bound for the u. S. , including the underwear bomb day attack in 2009 and the 2010 printer cartridge bomb plot. There is concern now that he may be sharing his technology with jihadist groups in syria. White house officials acknowledge theres more work to be done in yemen. Wolf . Where are those two dangerous leaders . Reporter an official told me today they believe the overall leader is somewhere in southern yemen, where there is some strong holds there in the rural areas. When asked about the bombmaker, that official couldnt give me an answer on where they think he is. Thats a dangerous notion that hes out there, maybe exporting his technology. Thank you very much. Jim sciutto is watching whats going on. Hes got some new information for us. What are you learning, jim . This is an alarming assessment coming from the cia about the number of isis fighters in syria and iraq. Were told that the latest intelligence assessments say there are between 20 and 31,500 fighters in isis available to isis in syria and iraq. This is up from an earlier estimate of just 10,000. So wolf, doubling or even tripling the number of isis fighters that u. S. Intelligence believes are fighting alongside isis in syria and iraq. This, of course, gets to just the severity of the mission that the u. S. Is undertaking now, that the president has said his aim is to destroy, degrade, and destroy isis. Why did this number increase . Im just going to read some comments here from the cia. The new total reflects an increase in members because of stronger recruitment. Theyre saying since june, following battlefield successes, as well as the declaration of the caliphate the Islamic State, and this has been a worry that as isis makes gains in iraq, in syria, that they are able to draw more fighters, not just from the region, but from around the world. The west, of course, we know there are at least a dozen americans there, as well. Success brings recruitment, and the declaration of the caliphate, the territory gained, even perhaps the killing of americans, sadly, has allowed them to increase their numbers. Just again, to highlight those numbers, the previous estimate had been some 10,000 fighters. The new estimate from the cia, 20,000 to 30,000 fighters, doubling or tripling the estimate of their strength. Yesterday i reported based on my sources, i was hearing between 15,000 and as many as 30,000 isis fighters in iraq and syria. Some officials later said to me its closer to 15,000. But im not surprised now the cia saying its maybe as many or more than 30,000. Because they have a lot of money right now. They stole a lot of money from banks in mosul. They have hundreds of millions and theyre paying a lot of these isis fighters significant sums of money to participate. So it shouldnt be that much of a surprise. Jim sciutto, thank you very much. Lets break all this down with our guest right now. Chris dicky, are you surprised the cia estimate is now 15,000 to 30,000, maybe 31,000 isis fighters . I think a lot of the time theyre just grabbing numbers out of the air. Thats one of the reasons we see those numbers jump around so much. But it could be 30,000. Tomorrow it could believe 15,000. The question is about people who are attracted, who may become disillusioned, who may leave. It depends on whats going on, on the battlefield and even on social media. Were seeing some british jihadis who are with isis saying they want to go back to england but theyre afraid if they do theyll be prosecuted. So its going to be a very fluid situation. What do you think, phillip . Youve studied this, as well. What i heard is that theyre recruiting sunnis, disgruntled sunnis who hate the shiite regime in baghdad and theyre getting these numbers in part because they have a lot of money. Sure. But were confusing two questions here, wolf. I think the president confused them a bit last night. That is the question of how many people, some disaffected iraqi army veterans, how many people are in the trenches in iraq trying to unseat the regime and how many people are recruited from new york or washington, d. C. Are in the small slither of isis who might direct terrorism operations against europe and the United States . Maybe theres 30,000 people in isis. The vast majority of them have nothing to do with plotting against the United States. The president talked about a Counterinsurgency Campaign against isis and iraq. But that has nothing to do with threats to washington, d. C. I think we ought to separate out those two points. What do you think of these new estimates . Isis is not a 10foot monster. They are vulnerable. Recently we heard reports from syrian tribes in eastern syria, but theyre ready to rise up against isis. Those tribes are fighting isis. Weve seen the Free Syrian Army in the recent days go on the offensive against isis in the Northern Aleppo province. So this number is extremely fluid. The think about isis is, its worst enemy is the local populace. Some of these isis mill tarl guys who have been recruited, iraqis, not only came from Saddam Husseins military, others were in the post Saddam Hussein iraqi military, trained in part by the United States. But they were so irritated, so angry at the al malaki regime in baghdad that they flipped and went over to isis. Let me play a little clip. Another clip from secretary of state john kerrys interview. She asked him about the president s reference to yemen and somali, places where the president said the United States has had success fighting terror. Isil is an animal unto itself. It is significantly such a threat because of the foreign fighters that are attracted to it, which you dont see in somalia. Similarly in yemen. Chris dicky, is that true that you dont see a lot of foreign fighters with al qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula . I think the secretary was tired when he made those remarks. There have been a lot of foreign fighters that joined al shabab, many from the United States. There have been many who have gone to yemen to join aide on the Arabian Peninsula. If were looking at that, if thats the measure, no, thats not very encouraging at all. Isis has been good at recruiting people from europe and the United States. But phil muds point is very well taken. Were talking about a lot of people who are local on the ground citizens who joined up with isis for one reason or another. Certainly hatred of the assad regime in syria. Phil, what do you make of what the secretary of state is saying . Because it seemed counter to everything i had heard about al shabab in somalia and the terrorist group in yemen. I think hes halfway right. If you look at the campaigns and the tribe leaders, it looks remarkably similar to what the president described, no boots on the ground, special operations, good intelligence that can pin point leadership in yemen. Weve had drone strikes in somalia in the past couple of weeks. But what the president laid out and what the secretary forgot is weve also committed to help the new Iraqi Government blunt the insurgency trying to move into baghdad. Thats a different question and different goal than what we described for somali and yemen. Very different. Heres what worries a lot of u. S. Officials. If the u. S. Provides sophisticated weapons to the Free Syrian Army and rebels, they could wind up in the hands of other terrorist organizations. Your reaction . The past eight months, Free Syrian Army and the Opposition Forces on the ground have been using this military hardware. And we dont have a proof of those military systems falling into the wrong hands. So weve seen increased sophistication by the rebel forces on the ground. So thats very heartening and should be reassuring to u. S. Officials. How much of a threat is isis right now, chris dicky, to the United States . Look, it doesnt have to have 10,000 or 30,000 people willing to attack the United States. It only has to have very few willing to do it and who are trained in the safe havens of isis in syria and in iraq. But it can also inspire people in the United States who never had any contact with it, to fly the black flag, say theyre fighting for the caliphate, and to pick up a gun and kill people. I think the nearterm threat is of small terrorist attacks in europe, in the United States. Thats what were looking at in the nearterm. Let me get your thoughts on this today. The 13th anniversary of 9 11. Bin laden is dead. His number two is now number one. Hes still a free man someplace. Why is it so hard to find, to capture, or to kill him . I was thinking about him on this day especially. Because the american intelligence process, the process i participated in at cia depends on vulnerabilities and mistakes. Mistakes you talk to the wrong people or you communicate on email, et cetera. The challenge is, do i participate in the organization and risk making a mistake or do i separate myself, limit my impact on the global stage. I think hes an after thought. But at the same time, stay out of the clutches of the americans. So hes said im going to limit vulnerability and again, afterthought in the al qaeda fight. He just posted a half hour video speaking about the jihad against the United States, saying they want to create an al qaeda branch. Hold on a second. Lets remember 13 years ago, i spent time watching the u. S. Government fight for how much air time they would give to bin laden. Today, zawahri cant pay to get on al jazeera. I think the fight against al qaeda is underestimated. Weve made a lot of progress. The franchises have been damaged by america. If you look at polling data in the middle east, people dont respect the message anymore. I think were in a better place ideal logically. Dont you think the United States has a responsibility to get the guy responsible for killing almost 3,000 americans 13 years ago today . Oh, hell yeah. We would all feel better if he was taken out or imprisoned. But the real problem with him is hes a real idealogue. In fact, i think that zawahri is sitting somewhere in pakistan contem c content to issue a statement and feel that hes the idealogical tone setter for global jihad. Guys, thank you very much. Good discussion. Just ahead, another story were following here in the situation room. In ferguson, missouri, tensions rising as people watch a newly revealed video from the day police shot and killed Michael Brown. Later, the nfl goes for a big name crime fighter to investigate what officials knew about the star player who punched his fiance in the elevator. Turn around every now and then i get a little bit hungry and theres nothing good around turn around, barry i finally found the right snack [ female announcer ] fiber one. 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. 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Call Liberty Mutual for a free quote today at see Car Insurance in a whole new light. Liberty mutual insurance. Were keeping our eyes on ferguson, missouri, where people have been learning about and watching a new video taken shortly after the shooting of Michael Brown. The newly revealed video shows onlookers accusing police of overreacting and gesturing that brown was holding his hands in the air when he was shot and killed. Cnns ted rowlands is joining us from ferguson right now. Ted, whats been the reaction to this newly revealed video . Reporter well, wolf, since cnn aired this video last night, the reaction has been intense. People think that what is shown on this video validates what the other witnesses have said all along of what happened to mike brown. We talked to people outside here where theres a constant protest going on here in downtown ferguson, and they say this video is absolutely important to the case. You have repeated, repeated statements from people saying he was unarmed, his hands was up. So when this video comes out, it just gave clarity to a lot of the witness statements. Reporter wolf, one of the themes were hearing is that people are pleased, if you will, that the two contractors in this video and seen reacting are white. They say that will help this case, sadly. They say it will help this case because in a lot of peoples minds, this is a black and whitish shoe. Wolf . Ted rowlands in ferguson for us. Thank you. Lets dig deeper and get more reaction to the video. Joining us now, the naacp board member john gaskin and attorney benjamin crump. Mr. Crump, what has been the family reaction to this newly revealed video . Wolf, we believe that this is a paramount significance, not just because the construction workers were not residents of ferguson, and not just because the construction workers for caucasian. But because this is a recording that was taken immediately capturing the response, the live reactions of what they had just saw, what their outrage was to what they had just witnessed. It was like a play by play of what just happened and thats very important in a legal context, because often you dont have what just happened. There are live reactions to what they just witnessed. This is before any media accounts or anything. They dont even know theyre being recorded. They dont know what each other is going to say. So we get their firsthand impressions, and this is significant. Youre a lawyer, mr. Crump. Our legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin, said theres no doubt this will be admissible before the grand jury. Is there any doubt that if there is a trial against the Police Officer, this video would be admissible, not admissible. Whats your sense . I think certainly it should be admissible. It is a firsthand impression of their live reactions. Its contemporaneous recording, wolf. Its not biased. Its very objective, and it gives us play by play what they just saw. What could be better for the trier of fact than to get an unbiased recording of what they just saw, especially their outrage by gives a vivid illustration of what many people in ferguson are feeling by Michael Brown being executed in broad daylight after he put his hands in the air and also important, wolf, they said the police shot when their backs were turned running away from them. So this is very significant. Were you aware of the video, mr. Crump, before it aired on cnn last night . We had heard rumors of it, but we were not aware of it. It was for his family, it was a bittersweet, because it helps we believe them get closer to justice. But really what it was is a live play by play reaction of their child being executed. John gaskin, whats been the Community Reaction there in the st. Louis area . Well, you have a lot of people here that are on our side, as mr. Crump just mentioned. This is great. This is certainly a step in the right direction, and i believe there is a good possibility there may be more information out there thats very pertinent to this case. But for this video, if you take a close look at it, and i have to give your Network Credit for getting their hands on it, these employees had their hands up in the air, almost imitating what mike brown was doing. And so this is fresh. This was before the media gave any kind of perspective on this or anything. So this is firsthand what people were seeing, people there that were on the ground, really what appeared to be possibly less than a couple hundred feet away from the incident and the shooting that took place. But this is great. This is a step in the right direction. Theres possibly more information out there. We hope that this critical information will be used and the jury will take this into account. But it speaks volumes that these employees were not from the city of ferguson. They didnt know Michael Brown. They didnt know the family, so they dont have a vested interest in this. Theyre obviously just showing a firsthand expression of what took place. So thats critical. Yesterday at this time we were talking about that effort of the protest to block the interstate there, interstate 70. Then some protesters went over to the Police Station in ferguson. Anything happening today, john . Not that im aware of. As you have just seen and your network just showed, there are protesters outside the Ferguson Police department. We expect that those will remain. But as this information comes out and more information comes out, and we believe each week youve seen more information that continues to come out. We want people to remain calm and to allow the system to work. But also hold people accountable and realize that we believe more information is going to come forward. Because theres a lot of information out there that could help our side. So far, mr. Crump, almost all the witnesses, eye witnesses that have come forward have had a very similar story. Have you heard of any other eye witnesses who have a different story they might be telling Law Enforcement and may get to that grand jury, which is now meeting . We havent, wolf. In fact, when you really think about why this video is so important, it corroborates all those other witness accounts that he put his hand up in the air, and the police departmekep shooting. We still wait for the Police Report to come out telling his version of what happened. We think its so unfair that they have still not released anything saying why this officer killed this kid in broad daylight. Well see what happens when that grand jury reaches a decision. I assume it will be in the next few weeks. Benjamin crump, thank you very much for joining us. John gaskin, thanks to you, as well. Thank you for having me. Just ahead, the nfl playing damage control. Can the former head of the fbi sort out the conflicting stories to the ray rice Domestic Abuse case . Guys youre not gonna believe this watch this. Sam always gives you the good news in person, bad news in email. Good news fedex has flat rate shipping. Its called fedex one rate. And its affordable. Sounds great. [ cell phone typing ] [ typing continues ] [ whoosh ] [ cell phones buzz, chirp ] and we have to work the weekend. Great. More good news its friday woo [ male announcer ] ship a pak via Fedex Express saver® for as low as 7. 50. [ male announcer ] ship a pak via Fedex Express saver® and im here to tell hi,homeowners winkler that are sixtytwo and older about a great way to live a better retirement. Its called a reverse mortgage. Call right now to receive your free dvd and booklet with no obligation. It answers questions like. How a reverse mortgage works, how much you qualify for, the ways to receive your money. And more. 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Call Liberty Mutual for a free quote today at see Car Insurance in a whole new light. Liberty mutual insurance. With his reputation on the line, the nfl is bringing in former fbi director Robert Mueller to investigate the leagues handling of the ray rice Domestic Violence case. This goes beyond the shocking video of rice punching his fiance last winter. Now there are more questions when League Officials watched the full video. Im joined by Jeffrey Toobin and cnn commentator l. Z. Granderson. Ray rice, according to this espn report, told the nfl commissioner Roger Goodell back on june 16, that he did in fact punch his then fiance in a casino elevator, quoting four sources, this is espn. This is an assertion that contradicts the statement that when we met with rice and his representatives, Roger Goodell said it was ambiguous about what happened. Potentially, this is very damaging to Roger Goodell. Its further damaging, thats for sure. Even if you looked at the original reporting way back in february and march, it was pretty clear then that multiple officials had already seen the full video. So for Roger Goodell to be walking back his statements because of pr reasons, this only further makes him look less trustworthy and the reasons why the calls for his resignation are justifiable. What do you think, jeffrey . This is yet another very dubious statement that Roger Goodell made in his interview with cbs earlier this week, and another reason why it was it is a good idea for the fbi to bring in an outsider, director mueller, who doesnt have a stake in the outcome, and let him go over the whole thing and see how the fbi how the nfl handled or mishandled, and whether the nfl officials starting with Roger Goodell have been truthful. You mean the nfl bringing in the former fbi director to investigate. When you heard about that, l. Z. , what did you think . When i heard about the further investigation . That Robert Mueller, the former fbi director, is being brought in by some of the nfl owners to get to the bottom of when did the nfl know what was going on, what did Roger Goodell know, what did the Baltimore Ravens know. Was there some sort of coverup. All those allegations. You know, i have to be honest with you, in that i look at what was calculated to be at least 50 Domestic Violence arrests under commissioner Roger Goodells watch, at least 50. So youre trying to tell me now the owners are concerned about Domestic Violence, when weve seen 50 men brought through . Multiple men were charged and had multiple opportunities to be back on the playing field. And now they want to get involved because a video is leaked. I want to know where was this outrage in february . When we knew that ray rice dragged his unconscious fiance out of an elevator. That was the time to have an investigation and have this outrage. This is about pr and it wreaks to me. Im glad that something is happening, but lets got get it twisted. Ray rice is under investigation. This whole situation is under investigation because of this tape, second half of this tape being leaked, not because of the initial action. Of those 50 players who you say were involved in Domestic Abuse, nfl players, how many of them were suspended from the nfl . I dont have a hard count with me right in front of me right now. But what i do know is that we have at least three players, one of which i believe was just signed to the practice squad of i believe i dont want to say the team because i dont want to get that team in trouble. But he was cut by im sorry he was recently cut by the steelers, and he ended up on another team on their practice squad. He had been cut twice before because of Domestic Violence concerns. Now hes on his third team this year on their practice squad, who was cut by the because of Domestic Violence concerns. This was all under Roger Goodells watch. Jeffrey, where does this investigation go now . I think mueller has carte blanche. He has to look at the the nfl is an organization of modest size. He can find all of the right people to talk to. And he will be able to say, this is how they handled this, this is who told the truth and i think it is a step in the absolutely in the right direction. Guys, thanks very much. Just ahead, president obama and the nation mark this 13 years since the terror attacks on america. So what were looking for is a way to plus our Accounting Firms mobile plan. And minus our expenses. Perfect timing. Were offering our bestever pricing on mobile plans for business. Run the numbers on that. Well, unlimited talk and text, and ten gigs of data for the five of you would be. Oneseventyfive a month. Good calculating kyle. Good job kyle. You just made partner. Our bestever pricing on mobile share value plans for business. Now with a 100 bill credit for every business line you add. 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Could mean less waiting for things like security backups and file downloads youd take that test, right . What are you waiting for . You could literally be done with the test by now. Now you could have done it twice. This is awkward. Go to comcastbusiness. Com checkyourspeed. If we cant offer faster speeds or save you money well give you 150. Comcast business built for business. Captions by vitac www. Vitac. Com hours after president obama unveiled his new battle plain against isis terrorists, he was at the pentagon marking this day when 13 years ago the war on terror was launched. Listen to what the president had to say today. 13 years after small and hateful minds conspired to break up, america stands tall and america stands proud. And guided by the values that sustain us, we will only grow stronger. Generations from now, americans will still fill our parks, our stadiums, our cities. Generations from now americans will still build towers that reach toward the heavens, still serve in embassies that stand for freedom around the world, still wear the uniform and give meaning to those words written two centuries ago. Land of the free, home of the brave. The president at the pentagon on this, sent 11th. Thanks for watching. Remember you can always follow us on twitter. Tweet me at wolf blitzer or tweet the show at cnn sit room. Join us tomorrow here at the situation room and dvr the show so you dont miss a moment. Im wolf blitzer in the situation room, are the sta. Erin burnett starts right now. This week Roger Goodell said what happens was quote, unquote, am biggous. Why rihannas opening song has been pulled. And late tonight a cia estimate just out tonight showing the number of isis fighters could be three times what the u. S. Said just days ago. Lets go outfront