Transcripts For WJLA This Week With George Stephanopoulos 20

On the persian gulf, site of the headquarters of the u. S. Navys fifth fleet where were tracking the very latest in the fight against isis with the men and women carrying out the mission. This week we got a rare look on board a u. S. Aircraft carrier and well bring you much more from our journey a bit later. Plus, well have full analysis of the u. S. Strategy. Are we succeeding in this fight and how long will it last . But we begin with the latest developments here, the u. S. Now expanding air strikes into new portions of syria in the battle against the jihadist army. Five days after strikes began in syria, the u. S. And its Coalition Partners have opened a new front in the fight. Bombing isis targets surrounding the kurdish town of kobani. Our terry moran is near the syria turkey border. Reporter we are just a few yard as way from the Syrian Border and this windswept hillside has become a front row seat to the front lines of this war. On these hills, kurdish fighters squaring off just a few hundred yards away with isis. You can hear the crack of rifle fire, the thud of mortars, occasionally a jet overhead as these people bear witness to the desperate struggle for their town now in the crosshairs of isis. A total of seven Coalition Air strikes made in syria since friday including on the isis stronghold of raqqah, as well as three strikes in iraq near the kurdish capital of erbil. Part of a week of bombardment of isis training camps, command and control centers and mobile Oil Refineries, all targeted to degrade the ability of isis to support operations in iraq. The pentagon saying saturday the latest strikes included support from Coalition Forces from saudi arabia, jordan, and the uae. Commanders here telling me of the importance of the role of those majority sunni nations. Their integration into it from my seat was seamless. Back in washington, Obama National security adviser susan rice met friday with leaders of the moderate Syrian Opposition forces, which the u. S. Has agreed to begin arming and training in an effort to provide Ground Support for the fight. But joint chiefs chairman Martin Dempsey stressed that the training effort will take time and that air strikes alone will not be enough to defeat isis. I am confident that we can establish their training it we do it right. We have to do it right, not fast. And now our abc contributor, former marine corps Fighter Pilot and state department official, colonel Steve Ganyard is here to break down these new developments, and, colonel ganyard, give us an idea what was hit in the last week and the significance of that. Its important, martha, to differentiate between the two types of targets that we had in syria this week. The first you see in the blue dots around aleppo was this new terrorist group called khorasan. This is totally separate from isis. Khorasan is a traditional Al Qaeda Group that was plotting to blow up targets in the west. But they are very separate from isis, which has been the most of the focus of the fight in both iraq and syria for the past couple of weeks. In red you see some of the targets that we hit in syria that were focused on isis around raqqah, which is the headquarters essentially of isis, but also down towards al qaim and the crossing down there, its very interesting because the lifeblood of any insurgency is cash. And isis had been developing these modular Oil Refineries that allowed them to collect almost 2 million a day in oil revenues, and so all those things that youre seeing, all those red dots are command and control, theyre refurbishment training areas that isis had in this safe haven in syria, and so the Administration Made a decision to go in and hit those targets to help the effort in iraq. And you said to help the effort in iraq. Obviously we want to protect the west. We want to protect americans, but it is right now to look after iraq. Right. The effect on isis is to help the fight in iraq, and what was happening in syria, it was that the isis had the ability to go back into safe havens and to rearm and regroup. But if you look at these strikes that were done later in the week and yesterday included, you can see theyre focused around places like kirkuk and erbil and a bit worryingly you see all those strikes around baghdad. You look at that, all that range that isis is able to affect, thats almost 8 Million People that now come under the 30,000 to 50,000 men that isis has in uniform, and so you can see why the administration was concerned about taking away their safe area and degrading them in syria so that they couldnt affect iraq. Okay, thanks very much, colonel ganyard. Now an inside look at one of the Aircraft Carriers at the heart of the u. S. Mission against isis. The uss george h. W. Bush where fighter jets are launched, precision bombs are assembled, American Service members running an incredible operation at sea that never stops. Towering some 20 stories above the waters of the persian gulf, the uss george h. W. Bush is at the center of this air war. Its flight deck nearly as long as the Empire State Building is tall and bristling with the most ferocious warplanes in the navy, each loaded with thousands of pounds of bombs and missiles, the f18 fighters launched on missions to syria and iraq any time night or day. This ship left norfolk, virginia, in the middle of february for a ninemonth deployment to the persian gulf. Never did they imagine that six months into the deployment theyd be dropping bombs on a group called isis. We watch your news. We watch whats going on and we quickly started putting together, hey, this is getting worse. This is getting bad. The ship had been conducting missions over afghanistan. But with isis forces quickly taking over territory in iraq, the Aircraft Carrier was ordered to change course. 30 hours after they told us to go, literally were departing the afghanistan theater, and 30 hours later were flying combat sorties over iraq. Many of the Fighter Pilots had done multiple tours here in the past. It is not just the pilots, it takes 4500 sailors to keep this air campaign going. They do everything from maintaining the aircraft to moving the paperwork. Shifts are long. Days off dont exist. Temperatures hovering over more than 100 degrees. The little spare time one gets maybe means time for a quick workout, a rare chance to send an email home or get a haircut. Meals are one of the only times to relax and catch up. 18,000 meals are prepared here each day. Work out here every day runs into the next one, so youre kind of just going over and over again. But these sailors understand their jobs are critical. We watched these men and women assemble bombs, putting together a 500pound precisionguided weapon capable of leveling a building, and above them, the bombs were loaded onto aircraft bound for the war zone. The deck of an Aircraft Carrier is an incredibly dynamic place. Once they get all these fighter jets back on deck, they maintain them, go over them, make sure they dont need any repairs. When theyre all set to go, theyre right back on another mission. The air bosses in the ships tower oversee it all. Best seat in the house. And one of the most important, the tower landing jets every 55 seconds and launching them every 3 minutes. To take off from this short runway, 1 30 the size of a regular runway, the planes front wheels are connected to a catapult. The pilot keeps the engines at full power, and then when the catapult is fired, the jet goes from a dead stop to speeds up to 184 Miles Per Hour in just 2 seconds. But throughout this deployment there has not been a single serious mishap, and well over 250 missiles and bombs have been dropped on iraq and syria. The Strike Group Commander who is also an f18 pilot whos been flying missions told us the isis targets could become harder to find. They are a learning organization, so we know that they will adapt, and that may make our job more difficult, but this is a longterm effort. So the strength of the coalition and our presence here will be here for quite some time. And what is next . With our warplanes now attacking in syria . I dont want to talk about what were doing right now or would do in the future, once its past and behind us then we can talk about that. There goes one now. And there goes one right now. And we are now back on land and joining us is vice admiral john miller, who is the commander of u. S. Naval forces for Central Command and the commander of fifth fleet here in bahrain. Admiral miller, lets start with what you really have accomplished with those air strikes. Well, good morning. Lets look at it in the framework of the president s strategy and what hes asked us to do, degrade and destroy isil, advise and assist the Iraqi Security forces, reduce isils funding and provide humanitarian assistance. So what have we done . We have a u. S. Led Coalition Air force. We have Iraqi Security forces on the ground and Peshmerga Security forces. Whats been accomplished so far . Theyvretaken mosul dam. Theyve reinforced the area around haditha dam. Theyve reinforced their position around baghdad. Theyve provided relief at sinjar mountain, which was a potential humanitarian disaster. They provided relief around the city of amerli, another potential humanitarian disaster. So theyve really slowed down isis but havent halted them. No, they havent halted them but theres been progress being made. But theyve moved forward south. Well, they were there was some risk in the southern part of baghdad and the Iraqi Security forces have been able to reinforce their position there, so theyre more secure now than they were previously. And the targeting now, we talked to rear admiral miller on the ship, and he said it may get a little more difficult. I saw lots of fighter jets returning to the ship with their bombs still attached. I know thats normal sometimes but is there a chance you kind of run out of targets because isis starts spreading out . Well, theyre an Adaptive Force and weve seen them adapt to the air strikes that were doing. But really bad news for them. Were the most Adaptive Force in the world and so as they adapt, well adapt. But air power has limits. Im sure you would be the first to admit that. So what do you do . You dont have military ground controllers to help pick targets, and you dont have a u. S. Ground force there. No, we dont, but whave a ground force on the ground. The Iraqi Security forces, the peshmerga forces, as well. And we know they didnt perform so well and thats why were there. And thats why we have the advise and assist mission to help them get better at what they do, and theres lots of work going on in that regard. Paint a picture for the American Public of what you think this campaign will look like in the next six months, in the next year. Will we see bombing all the time . Just give us a sense of what that would be like. Well, im not sure that we know what its going to be like because it is an adaptive campaign that will develop over time. We have a broad strategic framework from which to work from and thats helpful to us. And well have to see how its going to develop over time. Okay, thanks very much, vice admiral, for joining us this morning and thanks to all your sailors for welcoming up. Coming up, much more from bahrain. What terror groups could be planning attacks on americans back home. Well have the latest on the new warnings, plus georges exclusive interview with House Speaker john boehner. Whats the move he says the president should be making in the fight against isis . Well be back in two minutes. Announcer this week with George Stephanopoulos brought to you by hp. Are the largest targets in the world, for every hacker, crook and nuisance in the world. But systems policed by hps Cyber Security team are constantly monitored for threats. Outside and in. Thats why hp reports and helps neutralize more intrusions than anyone. In the world. If Hp Security Solutions can help keep the Worlds Largest organizations safe, they can keep yours safe, too. Make it matter. You cant get any thbetter than that. Trains. Siemens trains are not your grandparents technology. Theyre something thats gonna change the cities we live in today. I find it so fascinating how many people ride this and go to work every single day. Im one of the lucky guys. I get to play with trains. People say, wow, we still build that in the United States . And we say, yeah, we do maestro of project management. Baron of the buildout. You need a permit. To be this awesome. And you. Rent from national. Because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle. And go. And only national is ranked highest in car rental Customer Satisfaction by j. D. Power. aaron purrrfect. vo meeeow, business pro. Meeeow. Go national. Go like a pro. Man [ laughs ] those look like baby steps now. But they were some pretty good moves. And the best move of all . Having the right partner at my side. Its so much better that way. [ male announcer ] have the right partner at your side. Consider an aarp Medicare Supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. Go long. Back now in bahrain with our closer look at urgent warnings that terror groups in this part of the world could be planning attacks in the u. S. Overnight, the group khorasan posted on social media that a u. S. Air strike killed one of its commanders, but u. S. Law enforcement Officials Say the dangers that group and others still pose is very real. Abcs Senior Justice Department correspondent Pierre Thomas walks us through the threats. Reporter as air strikes continue this morning in syria and iraq, Law Enforcement Officials Say its injected more uncertainty into an already volatile threat environment here at home. The top threat according to the fbi, the khorasan. The new al qaeda affiliate that is plotting to attack commercial aircraft with undetectable bombs. It really is frightening and really is something that we should be concerned about. Reporter fbi director james comey told me and a small group of reporters that the khorasan was at the top of his list of threats and that he was not certain that its leaders or the plot had been stopped by this weeks air strikes in syria. He said the groups plan could serve as, quote, tomorrow. Heres how the attorney general described the threat in july. Its more frightening than anything i think ive seen as attorney general. Reporter perhaps the next most urgent threat, socalled homegrown radicals. A new fbi Homeland Security bulletin suggests the military strikes could fuel the anger of isis sympathizers in the u. S. Possibly motivating homeland attacks. The fear, that the images of air strikes and the beheadings by isis might spur angry and deranged individuals here at home. We have someone attacking someone in the building. We can hear a lot of screaming. Reporter just this week this man in moore, oklahoma, who police say had recently been trying to convert fellow employees to islam allegedly beheaded a coworker after he was fired. Due to tje manner of death and initial statements of coworkers, we requested the assistance of the fbi. Reporter authorities want to know if this was workplace anger or something more. Also of concern, the 100 americans who have gone or tried to go to syria. This new isis propaganda video brings home the threat. This is the end. This is the end that they face. Reporter the fbi director said they were speaking in what he believes to be, quote, north american accents. This morning, a witchs brew of threats keeping u. S. Law enforcement on edge. For this week, Pierre Thomas, abc news, washington. Thanks, pierre. Lets take this on now with john cohen who until july was counterterrorism coordinator for the department of Homeland Security and ali soufan, a former fbi agent whos tracked al qaeda for years leading the investigation into the attack on the uss cole and also investigating the events surrounding 9 11. Thanks for joining us. I want to start with you, john cohen. Khorasan, you were at Homeland Security in july. You had to have known about this group. What more can you tell us about it and what was done to try to counter any type of attack . Well, the Khorasan Group is a group of hardened, experienced individuals who have been associated with other members of al qaeda, but i think what is most important with regard to the story here is that it reflects what the real danger is in syria where for years we ha had extremists from all over the world all going to syria, and theyve worked together. Theyve planned together. Theyve plotted together. Theyve trained together. Theyve become more experienced together, and this is going to be one of the main challenges the United States is going to have to confront in the years ahead. Ali soufan, youve been quite critical of the approach to combating al qaeda. You recently said that there was too much focus on Coalition Partners<\/a> have opened a new front in the fight. Bombing isis targets surrounding the kurdish town of kobani. Our terry moran is near the syria turkey border. Reporter we are just a few yard as way from the Syrian Border<\/a> and this windswept hillside has become a front row seat to the front lines of this war. On these hills, kurdish fighters squaring off just a few hundred yards away with isis. You can hear the crack of rifle fire, the thud of mortars, occasionally a jet overhead as these people bear witness to the desperate struggle for their town now in the crosshairs of isis. A total of seven Coalition Air<\/a> strikes made in syria since friday including on the isis stronghold of raqqah, as well as three strikes in iraq near the kurdish capital of erbil. Part of a week of bombardment of isis training camps, command and control centers and mobile Oil Refineries<\/a>, all targeted to degrade the ability of isis to support operations in iraq. The pentagon saying saturday the latest strikes included support from Coalition Forces<\/a> from saudi arabia, jordan, and the uae. Commanders here telling me of the importance of the role of those majority sunni nations. Their integration into it from my seat was seamless. Back in washington, Obama National<\/a> security adviser susan rice met friday with leaders of the moderate Syrian Opposition<\/a> forces, which the u. S. Has agreed to begin arming and training in an effort to provide Ground Support<\/a> for the fight. But joint chiefs chairman Martin Dempsey<\/a> stressed that the training effort will take time and that air strikes alone will not be enough to defeat isis. I am confident that we can establish their training it we do it right. We have to do it right, not fast. And now our abc contributor, former marine corps Fighter Pilot<\/a> and state department official, colonel Steve Ganyard<\/a> is here to break down these new developments, and, colonel ganyard, give us an idea what was hit in the last week and the significance of that. Its important, martha, to differentiate between the two types of targets that we had in syria this week. The first you see in the blue dots around aleppo was this new terrorist group called khorasan. This is totally separate from isis. Khorasan is a traditional Al Qaeda Group<\/a> that was plotting to blow up targets in the west. But they are very separate from isis, which has been the most of the focus of the fight in both iraq and syria for the past couple of weeks. In red you see some of the targets that we hit in syria that were focused on isis around raqqah, which is the headquarters essentially of isis, but also down towards al qaim and the crossing down there, its very interesting because the lifeblood of any insurgency is cash. And isis had been developing these modular Oil Refineries<\/a> that allowed them to collect almost 2 million a day in oil revenues, and so all those things that youre seeing, all those red dots are command and control, theyre refurbishment training areas that isis had in this safe haven in syria, and so the Administration Made<\/a> a decision to go in and hit those targets to help the effort in iraq. And you said to help the effort in iraq. Obviously we want to protect the west. We want to protect americans, but it is right now to look after iraq. Right. The effect on isis is to help the fight in iraq, and what was happening in syria, it was that the isis had the ability to go back into safe havens and to rearm and regroup. But if you look at these strikes that were done later in the week and yesterday included, you can see theyre focused around places like kirkuk and erbil and a bit worryingly you see all those strikes around baghdad. You look at that, all that range that isis is able to affect, thats almost 8 Million People<\/a> that now come under the 30,000 to 50,000 men that isis has in uniform, and so you can see why the administration was concerned about taking away their safe area and degrading them in syria so that they couldnt affect iraq. Okay, thanks very much, colonel ganyard. Now an inside look at one of the Aircraft Carrier<\/a>s at the heart of the u. S. Mission against isis. The uss george h. W. Bush where fighter jets are launched, precision bombs are assembled, American Service<\/a> members running an incredible operation at sea that never stops. Towering some 20 stories above the waters of the persian gulf, the uss george h. W. Bush is at the center of this air war. Its flight deck nearly as long as the Empire State Building<\/a> is tall and bristling with the most ferocious warplanes in the navy, each loaded with thousands of pounds of bombs and missiles, the f18 fighters launched on missions to syria and iraq any time night or day. This ship left norfolk, virginia, in the middle of february for a ninemonth deployment to the persian gulf. Never did they imagine that six months into the deployment theyd be dropping bombs on a group called isis. We watch your news. We watch whats going on and we quickly started putting together, hey, this is getting worse. This is getting bad. The ship had been conducting missions over afghanistan. But with isis forces quickly taking over territory in iraq, the Aircraft Carrier<\/a> was ordered to change course. 30 hours after they told us to go, literally were departing the afghanistan theater, and 30 hours later were flying combat sorties over iraq. Many of the Fighter Pilot<\/a>s had done multiple tours here in the past. It is not just the pilots, it takes 4500 sailors to keep this air campaign going. They do everything from maintaining the aircraft to moving the paperwork. Shifts are long. Days off dont exist. Temperatures hovering over more than 100 degrees. The little spare time one gets maybe means time for a quick workout, a rare chance to send an email home or get a haircut. Meals are one of the only times to relax and catch up. 18,000 meals are prepared here each day. Work out here every day runs into the next one, so youre kind of just going over and over again. But these sailors understand their jobs are critical. We watched these men and women assemble bombs, putting together a 500pound precisionguided weapon capable of leveling a building, and above them, the bombs were loaded onto aircraft bound for the war zone. The deck of an Aircraft Carrier<\/a> is an incredibly dynamic place. Once they get all these fighter jets back on deck, they maintain them, go over them, make sure they dont need any repairs. When theyre all set to go, theyre right back on another mission. The air bosses in the ships tower oversee it all. Best seat in the house. And one of the most important, the tower landing jets every 55 seconds and launching them every 3 minutes. To take off from this short runway, 1 30 the size of a regular runway, the planes front wheels are connected to a catapult. The pilot keeps the engines at full power, and then when the catapult is fired, the jet goes from a dead stop to speeds up to 184 Miles Per Hour<\/a> in just 2 seconds. But throughout this deployment there has not been a single serious mishap, and well over 250 missiles and bombs have been dropped on iraq and syria. The Strike Group Commander<\/a> who is also an f18 pilot whos been flying missions told us the isis targets could become harder to find. They are a learning organization, so we know that they will adapt, and that may make our job more difficult, but this is a longterm effort. So the strength of the coalition and our presence here will be here for quite some time. And what is next . With our warplanes now attacking in syria . I dont want to talk about what were doing right now or would do in the future, once its past and behind us then we can talk about that. There goes one now. And there goes one right now. And we are now back on land and joining us is vice admiral john miller, who is the commander of u. S. Naval forces for Central Command<\/a> and the commander of fifth fleet here in bahrain. Admiral miller, lets start with what you really have accomplished with those air strikes. Well, good morning. Lets look at it in the framework of the president s strategy and what hes asked us to do, degrade and destroy isil, advise and assist the Iraqi Security<\/a> forces, reduce isils funding and provide humanitarian assistance. So what have we done . We have a u. S. Led Coalition Air<\/a> force. We have Iraqi Security<\/a> forces on the ground and Peshmerga Security<\/a> forces. Whats been accomplished so far . Theyvretaken mosul dam. Theyve reinforced the area around haditha dam. Theyve reinforced their position around baghdad. Theyve provided relief at sinjar mountain, which was a potential humanitarian disaster. They provided relief around the city of amerli, another potential humanitarian disaster. So theyve really slowed down isis but havent halted them. No, they havent halted them but theres been progress being made. But theyve moved forward south. Well, they were there was some risk in the southern part of baghdad and the Iraqi Security<\/a> forces have been able to reinforce their position there, so theyre more secure now than they were previously. And the targeting now, we talked to rear admiral miller on the ship, and he said it may get a little more difficult. I saw lots of fighter jets returning to the ship with their bombs still attached. I know thats normal sometimes but is there a chance you kind of run out of targets because isis starts spreading out . Well, theyre an Adaptive Force<\/a> and weve seen them adapt to the air strikes that were doing. But really bad news for them. Were the most Adaptive Force<\/a> in the world and so as they adapt, well adapt. But air power has limits. Im sure you would be the first to admit that. So what do you do . You dont have military ground controllers to help pick targets, and you dont have a u. S. Ground force there. No, we dont, but whave a ground force on the ground. The Iraqi Security<\/a> forces, the peshmerga forces, as well. And we know they didnt perform so well and thats why were there. And thats why we have the advise and assist mission to help them get better at what they do, and theres lots of work going on in that regard. Paint a picture for the American Public<\/a> of what you think this campaign will look like in the next six months, in the next year. Will we see bombing all the time . Just give us a sense of what that would be like. Well, im not sure that we know what its going to be like because it is an adaptive campaign that will develop over time. We have a broad strategic framework from which to work from and thats helpful to us. And well have to see how its going to develop over time. Okay, thanks very much, vice admiral, for joining us this morning and thanks to all your sailors for welcoming up. Coming up, much more from bahrain. What terror groups could be planning attacks on americans back home. Well have the latest on the new warnings, plus georges exclusive interview with House Speaker<\/a> john boehner. Whats the move he says the president should be making in the fight against isis . Well be back in two minutes. Announcer this week with George Stephanopoulos<\/a> brought to you by hp. Are the largest targets in the world, for every hacker, crook and nuisance in the world. But systems policed by hps Cyber Security<\/a> team are constantly monitored for threats. Outside and in. Thats why hp reports and helps neutralize more intrusions than anyone. In the world. If Hp Security Solutions<\/a> can help keep the Worlds Largest<\/a> organizations safe, they can keep yours safe, too. Make it matter. You cant get any thbetter than that. Trains. Siemens trains are not your grandparents technology. Theyre something thats gonna change the cities we live in today. I find it so fascinating how many people ride this and go to work every single day. Im one of the lucky guys. I get to play with trains. People say, wow, we still build that in the United States<\/a> . And we say, yeah, we do maestro of project management. Baron of the buildout. You need a permit. To be this awesome. And you. Rent from national. Because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle. And go. And only national is ranked highest in car rental Customer Satisfaction<\/a> by j. D. Power. aaron purrrfect. vo meeeow, business pro. Meeeow. Go national. Go like a pro. Man [ laughs ] those look like baby steps now. But they were some pretty good moves. And the best move of all . Having the right partner at my side. Its so much better that way. [ male announcer ] have the right partner at your side. Consider an aarp Medicare Supplement<\/a> insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. Go long. Back now in bahrain with our closer look at urgent warnings that terror groups in this part of the world could be planning attacks in the u. S. Overnight, the group khorasan posted on social media that a u. S. Air strike killed one of its commanders, but u. S. Law enforcement Officials Say<\/a> the dangers that group and others still pose is very real. Abcs Senior Justice Department<\/a> correspondent Pierre Thomas<\/a> walks us through the threats. Reporter as air strikes continue this morning in syria and iraq, Law Enforcement<\/a> Officials Say<\/a> its injected more uncertainty into an already volatile threat environment here at home. The top threat according to the fbi, the khorasan. The new al qaeda affiliate that is plotting to attack commercial aircraft with undetectable bombs. It really is frightening and really is something that we should be concerned about. Reporter fbi director james comey told me and a small group of reporters that the khorasan was at the top of his list of threats and that he was not certain that its leaders or the plot had been stopped by this weeks air strikes in syria. He said the groups plan could serve as, quote, tomorrow. Heres how the attorney general described the threat in july. Its more frightening than anything i think ive seen as attorney general. Reporter perhaps the next most urgent threat, socalled homegrown radicals. A new fbi Homeland Security<\/a> bulletin suggests the military strikes could fuel the anger of isis sympathizers in the u. S. Possibly motivating homeland attacks. The fear, that the images of air strikes and the beheadings by isis might spur angry and deranged individuals here at home. We have someone attacking someone in the building. We can hear a lot of screaming. Reporter just this week this man in moore, oklahoma, who police say had recently been trying to convert fellow employees to islam allegedly beheaded a coworker after he was fired. Due to tje manner of death and initial statements of coworkers, we requested the assistance of the fbi. Reporter authorities want to know if this was workplace anger or something more. Also of concern, the 100 americans who have gone or tried to go to syria. This new isis propaganda video brings home the threat. This is the end. This is the end that they face. Reporter the fbi director said they were speaking in what he believes to be, quote, north american accents. This morning, a witchs brew of threats keeping u. S. Law enforcement on edge. For this week, Pierre Thomas<\/a>, abc news, washington. Thanks, pierre. Lets take this on now with john cohen who until july was counterterrorism coordinator for the department of Homeland Security<\/a> and ali soufan, a former fbi agent whos tracked al qaeda for years leading the investigation into the attack on the uss cole and also investigating the events surrounding 9 11. Thanks for joining us. I want to start with you, john cohen. Khorasan, you were at Homeland Security<\/a> in july. You had to have known about this group. What more can you tell us about it and what was done to try to counter any type of attack . Well, the Khorasan Group<\/a> is a group of hardened, experienced individuals who have been associated with other members of al qaeda, but i think what is most important with regard to the story here is that it reflects what the real danger is in syria where for years we ha had extremists from all over the world all going to syria, and theyve worked together. Theyve planned together. Theyve plotted together. Theyve trained together. Theyve become more experienced together, and this is going to be one of the main challenges the United States<\/a> is going to have to confront in the years ahead. Ali soufan, youve been quite critical of the approach to combating al qaeda. You recently said that there was too much focus on Osama Bin Laden<\/a> and not on the bin ladenism he spawned. What do you mean by that and what do you think we should be doing better . I think since 9 11, our tactics has been just tactics. We have been, you know, dealing with al qaeda, with the threat al qaeda brings. We have been successful in diminishing some of the threat in the short term, but we never dealt with the ideology. Today after trillions of dollars thats been spent, after thousands of lives around the world that have been lost, we have more people adhere to the ideology of Osama Bin Laden<\/a>. In 2014 than we had in 2001. So that gives you an idea that the threat is not a group. The threat is in the ideology. There are different groups, sometimes we call them isis, sometimes we call them al qaeda, now people are calling khorasan a new group, however, we never dealt with ideology and that is a problem. And i know were trying to do that now. I know the state department has many programs, but quickly from you both, how confident are you that you really can destroy isis and these al qaeda splinter groups . Lets start with you, john cohen. Well, i think the main question here, martha, is why is the rhetoric, why is the narrative from these groups resonating and resonating with people in the United States<\/a> in particular because that is one of the most disturbing elements of this problem is that these but tell me how confident you are that we can beat them. I think weve taken some good first steps, the work of the fbi, department of Homeland Security<\/a> and others have been somewhat productive in developing communitybased efforts that might make our communities a little bit safer in resisting these types of issues but we have a lot more work to do. Ali soufan, very, very quickly, please, how confident are you . Well, first before i answer this question, we have to know our enemy. I mean, it was said a long time ago, if you know your enemy and know yourself, you will win 100 times in 100 battles. Look for example about the Khorasan Group<\/a>. Khorasan is a region in central asia that includes part of iran, pakistan and afghanistan. They defer al qaeda refer to the leadership in northern pakistan as khorasan, so for them saying the brothers in khorasan is like them is like us saying headquarters or the headquarters in washington, d. C. , so its not a new affiliate. Its not a new group. It is simply al qaeda as we know it and as we always knew it so first we have to learn about our enemy. We have to identify the enemy and if we dont do this with isis and if we dont target the incubating factors that making isis popular among thousands of youth around the world, then i think were going to have a lot of difficulties in dismantling it and defeating it. Okay. Thanks to you both. Well have much more from bahrain later in the show. But for now lets go to washington and my colleague, jon karl. Jon. Thanks, martha. Coming up, georges exclusive interview with House Speaker<\/a> john boehner. Find out why he says he is ready to Call Congress<\/a> back into session to debate the war on isis. Plus, what he says republicans and democrats could agree to get done right now. And later, who replaces attorney general eric holder . First the powerhouse roundtables big winners of the week back in just two minutes. The future to life. For more than 145 years, pacific life has been helping families achieve lifelong Financial Security<\/a> with innovative tools and strategies. Talk to a Financial Advisor<\/a> to protect your family and plan today. Pacific life. The power to help you succeed. When im working, things can get so hectic. So sometimes i need to find an easy way to express whats most portant to me. Like, with my crew, i use shorthand to talk to them and tell them what i need. And when i need to talk directly to my fans. But the most meaningful shorthand of all is the one i use when im about to drive x. Its an easy way to tell everyone that im about to drive. And i do it every time before i get behind the wheel. Use x to pause the conversation before you drive. Because no text is worth a life and now jons pick. Derek jeter is jons big winner of the week. Trending right now, our facebook find of the week. Whats burning up news feeds . House Speaker John Boehner<\/a>, could he face a challenge to his speakership . Order. According to the hill newspaper, clusters of conservative lawmakers have been secretly huddling trying to orchestrate a coup against the ohio republican. But, wait, the wall street journal has another big headline. They declare a powerful Speaker Boehner<\/a> is now back on top. House leadership has already been rocked by eric cantors stunning primary loss. You certainly looked stunned. Did this completely shock you . Absolutely, jon. Were going to be able to look back at this and what seemed really bad at the time may turn out to be really good. So could there be another ehner in his strongest position yet . Its our facebook find of the week. The speaker shot down that story about a coup during our exclusive interview and he certainly seemed as confident as ever as he hit the campaign trail for gop candidates this week in some surprising places. George was right there with him. Its an aggressive swing through deep blue territory. Weve got 41 more days and were going to get finished. House Speaker John Boehner<\/a> campaigning in new hampshire, new york and maine. We caught up with him in portland. Its got to be a good sign for your party, i believe, that youre campaigning in new england in late september. We can gain seats in this election and weve got great prospects all over the country. House speaker, john boehner. [ applause ] i dont think you can be a National Party<\/a> if you just ignore one part of the country. Fix our regulatory issues and fix our legal problems and find a way to educate more of our kids. Its not going to happen if we dont elect bruce to the United States<\/a> congress. Weve got great candidates here in the northeast. How many House Republicans<\/a> next year . More than we have today. Think youre going to have a Republican Senate<\/a> . I do. The speaker confident about the campaign. Glad youre all here for this. Shes a great candidate. But has much less faith in the president s war plans. We will degrade and ultimately destroy isil. If the goal is to destroy isis as the president says it is, i dont believe the strategy that he outlines will accomplish that. Why not . At the end of the day i think its going to take more than air strikes to drive them out of there. At some point somebodys boots have to be on the ground. Thats the whole point. American . Listen, the president doesnt want to do that. If i were the president , i probably wouldnt have talked about what i wouldnt do. And maybe, maybe we can get enough of these forces trained and get them on the battlefield but somebodys boots have to be there. And if no one else will step up, you would recommend putting american boots on the ground. We have no choice. These are barbarians. They intend to kill us, and if we dont destroy them first, were going to pay the price. I know youve said that assuming youre speaker next year you want to have a vote on a resolution. Why not now . Id be happy to. Last night on my orders the president typically in a situation like this would call for an authorization vote and go sell that to the American People<\/a> and send a resolution to the hill. The president hasnt done that. He believes he has the authority under existing resolutions to do what hes doing. You dont agree . I think he does have the authority to do it but the point ive been making is that this is a proposal that the congress ought to consider. Our reporter jeff zeleny has talked to a couple of sources up on capitol hill that said you and other leaders actually warned that if it came up now, it would splinter both parties and might not pass. I did not suggest that to anybody in my caucus or to the president , for that matter. So to be clear, if the president put a resolution forward now, youd call the congress back. Id bring the congress back. But what else will a Republican Congress<\/a> do . Karl rove wrote this week that gop candidates must lay out a specific agenda. We have focused like a laser for the last 3 1 2 years on jobs and the economy. Over 40 bills tting in the United States<\/a> senate. Lets start with those bills. How about repealing the tax on medical devices, brought by majorities in the house and senate. How about the Keystone Pipeline<\/a> brought by bipartisan majorities in the house and the senate. As for Immigration Reform<\/a> heres what the speaker told me last year. I think by the end of the year we could have a bill. One that passes the house and passes the senate signed by the president . Yeah, no question. You told me last year it was going to be passed. I thought it was too but it wasnt. We had a flood of children coming across the border. Once again, proving that no good immigration bill can pass until we have real border security. Big things in washington take bipartisan majorities. Issue of immigration, only way to do it and, frankly, the right way to do it is to do it in a broad, bipartisan way. And you think you can bring your party along on that . Absolutely. And youre committed to doing that as speaker. I said the day after the 2012 election it was time to do Immigration Reform<\/a>. I meant it then and i mean it today. Hello, everybody. Bring us inside that room in january. What do you say to the president and what can get done . I think the conversation was pretty straightforward. Mr. President , youve got two years left. Do you want to have two years like weve had the last four years where we butt heads and butt heads and butt heads. George, i didnt go to washington just to make noise. I went there to do something on behalf of my country. And i think the president ran for office to do something on behalf of the country. And its up to us to see where the Common Ground<\/a> is. Tax reform, big highway bill, certainly theyre in the realm of doable. Mr. Speaker, thanks very much. Nice to see you. Thanks, george. The roundtable is here now, minnesota congressman keith ellison, matt bai, National Political<\/a> columnist for yahoo news and author of the new book, all the truth is out. Syndicated radio host Laura Ingraham<\/a> and abc political analyst matthew dowd. So congressman ellison, let me start with you. Look, you have prominent voices in the Democratic Party<\/a> and some prominent republicans saying there should be a vote. If it came to a vote, would it pass . It depends on what it would say. Were looking on a narrowly tailored sort of provision, something that is limited in time, space, something we have some control over so that it just doesnt go on and on and on but i think that the right provision would could pass. Would you yourself support authorizing military action in syria and iraq . Well, i did support the equip and Train Mission<\/a> for the syrian fsa, but, again, before i say what i would vote for, i want to see the language first, but i do think this, that they should the islamic state, whatever people want to call them, theyre neither islamic or a state in my view, i think that they are a real threat and i think but i think the real question is, getting the politics right. Making sure that we stabilize iraq by making sure that theres an inclusive government in baghdad. These are the real questions. Cutting working with the turks to make sure that the smuggling and the but recruiting routes are closed off. These are the things that are really going to win the day. But on this issue of whether or not the president actually has the authority to do what hes doing, theres hes resting on the authorization that was passed right after the attacks on september 11th, and this authorization now, we have two lawyers at the table, laura and congressman ellison, but this is very specifically tied to september 11th. It authorizes forces against those nations, organizations or persons he determined planned, authorized or committed or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on september 11th. How does this it doesnt. The congress adjourned earliest of any time in congressional history before an election. They recently adjourned, right . They didnt take a vote on this because just like Immigration Reform<\/a> we have a lot of profiles in the opposite of courage on capitol hill. They dont want to be held accountable. Article 1, section 8 vests the power solely in congress, congressman, you know this to declare war. Thats it and we can say, well, the president has the 2001 2002 the president said that al qaeda was decimated, right . The fact is it wasnt decimated. We have a new, changing threat to the United States<\/a>. Congress should vote. We should have civilian authorization, civilian leadership authorization for this war, otherwise were going to be in for real trouble down the road. That through. This debate is way long overdue and not really fundamentally about president this has been a debate that should have happened over the last 30 years. It should have happened with president bush. It should have happened with president clinton related to bosnia and it should have happened with president reagan and the previous president bush, the idea that we are going to war and never declaring war is i think abysmal. The fact we can put our troops in harms way and lost 7,000 troops since 9 11, twice as many people we lost in 9 11 but still not willing to have a conversation, a discussion and a debate about whether or not we should declare war and pointing to the fact martha was sitting on an Aircraft Carrier<\/a> thats sitting in the sea that is more powerful than nearly every other country in the world, that one Aircraft Carrier<\/a> and cant have this debate in congress. Matt bai, let me ask you, though, you saw the economist cover this week that showed president obama in a flight suit invoking, of course, the Mission Accomplished<\/a> moment for president bush. His speech at the u. N. Talking about a network of deaths sounding a lot like the axis of evil and, you know, i mean if you listen to his words, they sounded quite a bit like george bush. He said there can be no reasoning, no negotiation with this brand of evil. The only language understood by killers like this is the language of force. Yeah, even the authorization hes claiming on this is basically an acceptance of the global war on terror that he had said basically doesnt exist when he campaigned. Look, in 2004 john kerry said to me, i remember, we need to get a place where when he was running in the fall, we need to get to the place where terrorism is a part of our lives but its a nuisance and matthew made an ad about it, existential fact and there was an ad made about it. What were finding there was a lot of truth ultimately that every president s going to have to deal with this as matthew said, this is not a new issue. It will go on for decades and the question is, how we learn to maintain this as part of our Foreign Policy<\/a> and keep our keep safety, its not about whether you eliminate the group because when you eliminate one group, the next one pops up. We have to take a quick break. Coming up later, george talks to bill oreilly but before we go to our break, our powerhouse puzzler, and this week, bill oreilly does the honors. General George Patton<\/a> is the subject of my new book and, of course, hes a military hero but he was also an olympian. Did you know that . So heres the quiz question. Which olympics did the general compete in and bonus points if you know the year and the location. Back in two minutes to see if the roundtable and you can guess the answer. Theyre custom made trains. You cant get any better than that. Siemens trains are not your grandparents technology. Theyre something thats gonna change the cities we live in today. I find it so fascinating how many people ride this he was also an olympian. Im one of the lucky guys. I get to play with trains. People say, wow, we still build that in the United States<\/a> . And we say, yeah, we do your customers, our financing. Your aspirations, our analytics. Your goals, our technology. Introducing synchrony financial, bringing new meaning to the word partnership. Banking. Loyalty. Analytics. Synchrony financial. Enagage with us. So what olympic contest did general patton complete in . Lets see those white boards. Congressman ellison. Ski jumping. I dont think thats going to be the answer. Shotputting cannonballs. I like the guess. I was going to do synchronized swimming but i chose biathlon. Ooh, thats i love patton. Im a huge fan. Pentathlon in 1912. All right. Heres bill oreilly with the answer. And heres the answer, general patton competed in the first modern pentathlon at the 1912 summer Olympic Games<\/a> in stockholm, sweden. That is unbelievable. A ringer. George talks to bill about his new book later. Were back in just two minutes. Were back in just two minutes. And im here to tell homeowners 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. Plus, when you call now, youll get this magnifier with led light absolutely free when you call the experts at one reverse mortgage today, youll learn the benefits of a governmentinsured reverse mortgage. It will eliminate your monthly mortgage payments and give you taxfree cash from the equity in your home and heres the best part. You still own your home. Take control of your retirement today the highest tax rate of any major country in the world. So why does that matter . Well, america faces tough foreign competition every day. Facing the highest tax rate makes it harder to keep up. Harder to upgrade equipment. Harder to keep american jobs competitive. To level the playing field, we have to update our outdated tax codes. And get washington to help america stay competitive. Join us at fairreform. Com back now with our politics buzz board. Topping it off this week might be only 2014, but there were a lot of potential 2016ers on the Midterm Campaign<\/a> trail this week. Chris christie in connecticut. This is a pretty cool state, isnt it . Louisiana governor bobby jindal in the granite state. Please give a good North Carolina<\/a> welcome to governor jeb bush. [ applause ] and jeb bush paid a visit to North Carolina<\/a> where rand paul was also expected to Campaign Next<\/a> week. Its already election day in iowa. Early voting started in the Hawkeye State<\/a> where a competitive race could decide control of the senate. Fivethirtyeight sees a troubling trend for democrats in colorado. Cory gardner takes the lead over incumbent democrat mark udall in the latest polls. Stat guru nate silver and his team give the gop a 60 chance of retaking the senate, up five points since last week. All right. Back with the roundtable. The big news here this week was eric holder stepping down, so, matt, i want to ask you, the white house is making it clear that they are considering at the very least a recess not a recess appointment but a lame duck appointment, one to get nominated before the next senate takes over. How would republicans react to this . Well, first i think the republicans have been way too vociferous in their things about eric holder. I mean i think you can criticize him for many things, one of which is i dont think hes been a very good advocate of the free press. Hes taken on leakers and taken on that and how he hurt the First Amendment<\/a> but the idea that eric holder is the worst attorney general when weve had edwin meeses, the john mitchells, even rfk who was a very political attorney general at the time. I think that president obama would make a huge mistake by trying to do this in an interim appointment and trying to do it at the time of when republicans are right before theyre about to take the senate. If he has an argument to make he ought to make it in january when they take the senate over. Laura, let me guess im trying to get over the edwin meese comment. I mean but you okay. You want holder gone right away. I mean i dont think wouldnt you welcome a lame duck confirmation . First of all, what you just said about the holder versus edwin meese, i mean that could do an hour on that. But didnt edwin meese resign amidst a scandal . Yes, of course, he did but the greatest hits of holder from fast and furious where the court just ruled that they have to turn over their document list, why theyre withholding all these documents from the people, irs, targeting of reporters, lack of transparency, were a nation of cowards on race, running into situations and condemning entire states because theyre dealing with the illegal immigration problem that the federal government isnt involved in and hes not, you know, hes not kind of out there so thats one point. But on the issue of who replaces him, does it really matter to quote Hillary Clinton<\/a>. I mean, its going to be someone like thomas perez who would probably get confirmed by the republicans, labor secretary, former head of the civil rights decision, hes really simpatico with president obama, went to harvard law school, close friends, thats someone i think they would probably go for. Deval patrick, his name mentioned but apparently doesnt want any part of it. Hell put in someone. Try to get someone in with the same world view but we dont need another Community Organizer<\/a> as attorney general but we need someone who has an impartial view as the nations chief Law Enforcement<\/a> officer. Youre not just another advocate. You dont work for, you know, the naacp. You work for the people so i hope the president learns from a terrible initial appointment of eric holder. Congressman, i assume you have a different view of eric holders legacy. But theres nobody in the cabinet closer to the president than holder. What does it mean to lose him . Well, i think that hes been a tremendous advocate for civil rights. I think Lgbt Community<\/a> has a lot to thank him for. I also think that on the issue of vote photo i. D. , right after the Supreme Court<\/a> stru down section 4 in the Voting Rights<\/a> act, you saw the states move right in and i think that he stepped up to the plate to try to protect civil rights and Voting Rights<\/a> for people, so i think theres a lot good to be said. What he has said about our drug laws and trying to question mandatory minimums, things like that, i think, are very important. So i think that its going to be a loss and i think hes done a pretty good job. You know, matt, the president in announcing holders departure pointed out that the incarceration rate has gone down by 10 at the same time the crime rate has declined the first time weve seen in 40 years. Youve seen both incarceration and crime go down under this attorney general. Does he deserve some credit . He deserves some credit and hes gotten himself into a couple of messes and, you know, with all respect to what laura is saying, i dont think its possible to serve six years as attorney general in this climate in america without becoming the most controversial attorney general and whatever hyperbole you want to use, in tryst tri, the history of civilization, its reflective of the moment were in, its an extremely sensitive job in washington. Going back i think to janet reno were living in an era where its a lightning rod kind of job. One thing the president could do is look to the last couple years of the Bush Administration<\/a> where he actually opted for a career jurist in Michael Mukasey<\/a> to come in and be that sort of caretaker attorney general for the last 18 months. I think it was one of the best periods of his administration. I think that pick was widely seen as a good one and one thing you could do rather than going out for somebody in his inner circle or somebody whos been out there on the front lines is to try to find someone if its possible to have a consensus pick in this job in this country right now he could try to find someone who is less political he may need one if the republicans take over the senate. Lets just take a look at the history of this and there are some things that he has not done well, totally true, but he represents the president in this and so he works for the people. He works for the people of the United States<\/a>. Name an attorney general over the last 40 years who didnt in many respects from rfk who ran the president president kennedys campaign and was his brother was put there for that reason. John mitchell who ran Richard Nixons<\/a> campaign and then ran the Reelection Campaign<\/a> when he got into watergate. Edwin meese who was the main part of Ronald Reagans<\/a> campaign. Youre naming some of the more political attorney generals. But all of these folks, all of these folks in line were political in nature. How many of them called us a nation of cowards . Its just natural this will happen. I want to move on and were almost out of time and i want to gett quick ly to something john boehner said to george about jeb bush possibly running for president. Take a listen. You said youve been trying to nudge jeb bush into thinking about running. Any success . Hes had plenty of opportunities to tell me to stop and he hasnt. Listen, i think jeb would make a great candidate. Weve got a lot of good candidates out there. Laura, you think hes actually going to run. I would if i had to bet now i bet he would run but george will said on my radio show this week, he has four strikes, common core, immigration, amnesty, the fact his last name is bush and fourth it makes him a target for the base of the party. Hes a wonderful person. I like all the bushes but four strikes. He had a rough ride in North Carolina<\/a> this past week where tom tillis, the republican nominee for that senate seat had to actually distance himself, you know, ever so gently from bushs position on common core and i believe on immigration. We only have about 20 seconds left. We cant end without at least mentioning there is a new clinton, Hillary Clinton<\/a> now is a grandmother. The daughters name is charlotte. She has elephants in her nursery, matt bai. Oh, me . Ten seconds. Really . Youre the one. Im waiting for the email, the dnc appeal under charlottes signature. I think its coming in the next hour. Not eligible to run until 2052. Thanks, everyone. Our conversation continues online. Go to abcnews. Com as we go back to school with education secretary arne duncan. Coming up, did someone take out a hit on general George Patton<\/a> . Bill oreillys stunning take on the death of a world war ii hero. World war ii hero. Back with bi back now with bill oreilly no stranger to strong opinions his latest book, killing patton unloads a jaw dropper. Did a soviet dictator take out a hit on one of americas largerthanlife political military heros . George sat down with the fox news host. The series keeps going. Your first warrior, general patton. General patton interested me because he was the last no spin general. Just no bs. Right at you. Got him killed, but he do you really believe that . Yes. The official record says patton died after a car accident on a hunting trip but oreillys new book killing patton suggests a darker conspiracy. I think stalin killed him. Patton was going to go back to the United States<\/a> and condemn stalin and the soviet union, tell the American People<\/a> these guys arent going out of poland. Theyre going to try to take over the world. Stalin wanted him dead. And i think stalin got him head. All the evidence is there including the driver who was with him that day. Is that it was a spur of the moment decision to go see this castle before hunting. There was no way anybody could have known. But you have to take into consideration that patton was being tracked by soviet intelligence. He also had round the clock guards in his hospital room. He had round the clock guards who were worried about the press, werent worried about anybody else. His wife was in the hospital room with him. Right there. Right. And hes having cognac, and hes laughing with the nurses, and he goes to sleep, and he wakes up dead. Why . The doctor who reviewed the record said it was completely consistent with a pulmonary embolism. No autopsy. They couldnt get him in the ground fast enough. But his wife didnt want an autopsy, right . At the moment she didnt but then she asked, and she herself launched an investigation. How could you really investigate it now . You can investigate it because of dna evidence. Stalin had a factory that produced traceless poisons back then. But now with our advanced technology, we could see if there was something in pattons remains. American troops with general pattons seventh army move swiftly through western sicily. What surprised you most about patton . Patton was a guy who was fixated on victory, and he was willing as u. S. Grant was to pay any price in american blood. A lot of guys are getting killed and maimed but your troops still love you. Why . And thats what i wanted to find out. You talk about the sacrifices he was willing to make. That makes me wonder what he would think of your idea we heard this week about having the u. S. Hire a mercenary force to fight the battle against islamic militants in the middle east. What about a mercenary army. Elite fighters who would be well paid, well trained to defeat terrorists all over the world. Would he really believe in outsourcing our National Security<\/a> like that . No, patton would want to go in himself to do it. If George Patton<\/a> were alive today, he would be saying to president obama, give me the third, ill go into syria and ill wipe them all out, and he would. Thats what he would absolutely do. Obama wouldnt approve that one. We dont have any pattons today, but i was with Henry Kissinger<\/a> last night, and he told me that my idea of a worldwide antiterror force paid for by Coalition Nations<\/a> under the supervision so not just the u. S. Bill oreilly and Henry Kissinger<\/a> on a mercenary force. Simpatico. A worldwide war against jihad. Not going to stop so lets win the war and thats what George Patton<\/a> would say, lets win the they came to the ship, the uss perth. The larger helicopter couldnt land on the kirk. It was too big and it would have destroyed the ship. He was running out of gas, so he hovered over the kirk and he throws his family. Including a baby, right . Including an 8monthold baby, a 2yearold, 5yearold, throws them off of the deck of the helicopter onto the deck of the uss kirk, which is a probably 18foot drop into the hands of service member. When we told that story last week from the last days in vietnam, george wondered what happened to that baby who was thrown from the helicopter. So we tracked her down, turns out she lives in oregon and is a doctor. Specializing in pediatric neuropsychology. Just a couple of days ago, she watched that film and that scene for the very first time. You were that baby who was held out in that bundle. You had obviously heard the story, but i mean its far more dramatic seeing it. Far more dramatic. What my parents told is not the same as what it looked like. They downplayed it quite a bit. When my mom let go of me, you know, she said that the crewmen down below looked like little tiny ants and not sure if they saw this bundle that was coming down and trusting them. So you saw the film. What did you think . Mixed emotions. My family and i, we were able to get out and then there was still hundreds of families who were not able to get out and that and that was so sad. Theres a sense of guilt but at the same time just so glad that we could get out safely, relatively safely. Incredible story. But now lets head back out to martha in the persian gulf. Thanks, jon. When it comes to military power, there are few things more aweinspiring than watching those fighter jets take off and land on a u. S. Carrier, but it is still those 4500 sailors who support those aviators who really impress. They toil with little recognition a long way from home missing loved ones and celebrations. Happy birthday to you but they become a unique kind of family through the long days, knowing what they do truly matters. Were all pretty used to it. The conflict, its our job. Back home when we heard the president of the United States<\/a> say were going to carry out strikes over iraq and syria, that night how did they get word to you . The captain comes over the 1mc, the loudspeaker, and gives us a brief of whats going on and says, hey, its game time and everyone gets their motivation boost. Its for real. Did he say the commander in chief just said were going to carry out air strikes . In so many words and thats when you tart feeling, okay, its real and were out here to were touching lives. You know, everyone on here on this ship thats a part of this mission is affecting lives, and when they look back in history, we will all be a part of that. Our thanks to everyone aboard that carrier, and some welcome news, the pentagon did not release any names of Service Members<\/a> killed in afghanistan this week. Thats all for us today. Thanks for sharing part of your sunday with us. Check out world news tonight. So long from bahrain, headquarters of the u. S. Navys fifth fleet. Have a great day. Fifth fleet. Have a great day. One day my son came to me and said, dad, lets go shoot some hoops. I couldnt play wi him. I didnt have the energy, i was just so overweight. It just made me feel like i was nothing. And then my sister introduced me to herbalife. I started drinking the protein shakes, she helped me plan out a more balanced diet. Ive lost 44 pous. And now when my son asks me to shoot some hoops, i wear him out find out more at iamherbalife. Com","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"archive.org","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":"800","height":"600","url":"\/\/ia804502.us.archive.org\/10\/items\/WJLA_20140928_140000_This_Week_With_George_Stephanopoulos\/WJLA_20140928_140000_This_Week_With_George_Stephanopoulos.thumbs\/WJLA_20140928_140000_This_Week_With_George_Stephanopoulos_000001.jpg"}},"autauthor":{"@type":"Organization"},"author":{"sameAs":"archive.org","name":"archive.org"}}],"coverageEndTime":"20240621T12:35:10+00:00"}