web of information. >> bringing in our pentagon correspondent, barbara starr, on this story because, barbara, you hear about all of this, the cell phone locations and who they're trying to trace, is it

about americans offended but what about overseas fair game? barbara starr. your phone -- you can track the phone sitting there you don't have to be on it. >> true. not a privacy. >> forget about it. there is no privacy. >>> a truck stolen in mexico with radioactive waste.

threat of al qaeda again. cnn's barbara starr explains why we may be hearing a lot more about that terror group in the year ahead. and that's next. >>> and just ahead, it is called the knock-out game but it has life-threatening consequences. now one suspect is charged with the federal hate crime. that and much more coming up next. d" hoo-hoo...hoo-hoo. hoo-hoo hoo. sir... i'll get it together i promise... heeheehee. jimmy: ronny, how happy are folks who save hundreds of dollars switching to geico? ronny: i'd say happier than the pillsbury doughboy on his way to a baking convention. get happy. get geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. i have a cold with this annoying runny nose. [ sniffles ] i better take something. [ male announcer ] dayquil cold and flu doesn't treat all that. it doesn't? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms plus has a fast-acting antihistamine. oh, what a relief it is! if you have a business idea, we have a personalized legal solution that's right for you. with easy step-by-step guidance, we're here to help

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attempt. cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr joins us live. what can you tell us? >> reporter: good morning, pamela and victor. the pentagon says four u.s. troops were wounded when their aircraft took gunfire as it was attempting to land on this evacuation mission in a place called bohr in the south sudan. this is a town where a couple of days ago it was reported that the rebels took over, and, of course, president obama calling south sudan a country at the precipice. what happened? two v-22 aircraft, typically flown by special forces in this part of the world, were coming in for a landing. they were there to evacuate american citizens working for the united nations. gunfire hit the aircraft. four of them were wounded. this is about as dire as it can get, because the pilot has to make an immediate decision what to do, not knowing if he's going to lose an engine, if a fuel line is ruptured. by all accounts, the pilot got out of there very fast. the wounded are now back in nairobi, kenya, getting medical treatment. but now, the question is what happens next? a lot of work going on rig

starr, on this story because, barbara, you hear about all of this, the cell phone locations and who they're trying to trace, is it americans, americans living abroad, how expansive is this, if you're overseas and you're on the phone? >> reporter: well, we don't know a lot about how expansive it is. "the washington post" reporting that this all came from more leaks by, guess who, edward snowden and documents that he had, and that is it about 5 billion cell phone records a day. how much does it affect americans? well, by all accounts, if you're an american, you're out of the country on business or may vation, you pick up your cell phone, use it, that call that record of that call, not the conversation itself, is most likely to be recorded by the nsa. why are they doing this? they're trying to establish a huge database of connections. they have terror suspects they want to go after, look at that, they look at who might be calling them and work their way back through this web of information. but you know, advocates in the united states and around the world are going to be extremely conc

. >> cnn's barbara starr is at the pentagon with more on this story. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, carol. worth recalling what happened to this man working in pakistan as a u.s. government contractor. 72-year-old warren weinstein was taken captive, kidnapped out of his house when gunmen broke in and overpowered his security team. the head of al qaeda claimed responsibility for that attack. there have been previous videos, photos, signs of life but this latest video shows weinstein really in pretty poor shape. he is a man who is making a plea for help. have a listen. >> i'm now over 72 years of age. i'm not in good health. i have a heart condition. i suffer from acute asthma and the years have taken their toll. i have been cut off from my family. my wife, who's over 70, my two daughters, my two grandchildren, my son-in-law and perhaps new members of the family whom i have never met. needles to say, i have been suffering deep anxiety every part of every day not knowing what is happening to my family, not knowing how they are and because i am not with them. >> reporter: this

veteran is trying to fulfill that dream. barbara starr records. >> i'm colonel dave sutherland. i'm a veteran with great pride. i'm a family, i'm a husband, i'm an uncle, i'm a son, i'm an american soldier. i served for you, i fought with you, and i would die for you. >> david sutherland led 5,000 troops in iraq. we met him first on patrol in 2007. >> they were sick and tired of al qaeda. >> reporter: now retired his journey to serve continues, with one passion, helping veterans coming home. >> we believe in everything we do that our veterans, our military families, our families of the fallen can thrive where they live. >> reporter: a journey of absolute commitment he's made with colleague ken mitchell, a former naval officer. they are here talking to veterans and veterans advocates. >> something in my heart told me this is what i was meant to do. given my background, given the fact the only reason i'm here is because of the vietnam veterans. >> reporter: they left military service in 2010 and observed the dixon center, working with communities across the country, organizing locally

embassy. barbara starr joining us now from the pentagon. what's the trigger to sending these marines and how long do you think they will stay? >> reporter: good morning. they will only go into the south sudan, of course, if there are orders from them and the trigger would be the state department. the ambassador has to say i need help. and that would be then the order that comes to the pentagon. and the reason they have moved the marines closer to the south sudan is so they are ready to go if there is an order either to evacuate americans or reinfor the embassy and secure it as this growing violence in south sudan grows out of control. united nations are concerned that tens of thousands of people are at risk. right now no order from the state department, no indication they will move any time soon. but this is really sort of the shadow of the benghazi situation hanging over the pentagon. they don't want another situation where americans are in trouble and they don't have forces nearby to help them. deb. >> all right, barbara starr, thank you so much. the shadow of rwanda and the ethnic

correspondent barbara starr joining me now from the pentagon -- washington, rather, with more on this. what can you tell us about how these events unfolded? >> reporter: well, fredricka, new nfgsz -- information in just a few minutes ago, it turns out military officials are telling us three u.s. military aircraft came under fire when they attempted to make this landing in south sudan. they were all v-22 aircraft. they were going into a place called bor to try and evacuate americans working for the united nations. this is the very heart of the violence that is wracking south sue done. thousands of civilians are trying to escape. u.s. citizens trying to get out. the military was going in to get them out when the aircraft approached the landing strip, they came under small arms fire. all three u.s. military aircraft, all three of them, took damage from the gunfire, from those incoming rounds. four personnel were hurt. what we are also told is all three aircraft made it out of there. they got out of there very fast, obviously, made it to nearby uganda, landed, and the wounded were then taken on

have been killed. cnn's barbara starr is at the pentagon with more. hi, barbara. >> good morning, carol. terrible news for u.s. military families. a u.s. military official tells me six u.s. troops were killed in this helicopter crash in southern afghanistan. one survived. no indication that the helicopter crashed due to enemy fire in southern afghanistan, but under investigation, i am told, as to why there was an engine failure for this helicopter. they are now notifying the families and, of course, the names of the fallen will be released after all of the families are notified. this is one of the worst incidents in recent months as the u.s. presence has basically wound down in southern afghanistan and across that country. so far this month until this terrible accident, or incident if you will, only one u.s. troop had died in the war in afghanistan this month. still terrible news for all of the american families involved, all of those who serve in afghanistan and have been killed in action, but now today six more u.s. troops killed. chris? carol, i'm sorry. >> no worries. barbara starr,

help evacuate any americans still in south sudan. joining me is pentagon correspondent barbara starr. what is the military plan for the u.s. and other military forces? >> reporter: for the u.s. if they get a request from the state department and orders to go, they will move. there are two possibilities here if they get those orders, to either bring out any additional americans from the embassy or american citizens that either need or want to get out of south sudan or go to the embassy and help reinforce it, provide security in order to keep the embassy open. but those marines won't go, of course, unless the state diplomat makes t department makes the decision they need them. you will see in coming weeks other nations in the region try to make the effort i think to send in some peacekeepers to work on behalf of the united nations. the violence has begun to really accelerate. some people calling it out of control ethnic cleansing. tens of thousands of south sudanese looking for shelter with the united nations compound and safety anywhere that they can. so there's a real effort here to try an

considering closing commissaries to save money. our pentagon correspondent barbara starr is joining us. barbara, what have you learned about this very controversial proposal? >> well, wolf, this would be a fundamental shift in the how military families buy their groceries. the commissaries have been a staple of military life for decades. and i want to run everyone through a couple numbers just so you see the scope of this program and why the pentagon is thinking about cutting it, believing they can save money. look at this. there are about 178 commissaries in the united states another 70 or so overseas. the groceries are discounted. a family of four saves about $4500 a year if they buy their groceries at the commissary rather than out in the commercial world. in the civilian world, and that adds up to about.6 billion a year compared to buying across the board in commercial stores. but here's the thing. the commissaries cost the u.s. taxpayer about $1.4 billion a year in tax dollars to run. so the pentagon calculation is, do they really need the commissaries? should they save that $1.4

. sniffing, searching, patrolling to make sure everyone stays safe. barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. >> a great story. what do you think were the top stories of the year? go to cnn.com and to go your top ten choices. you have until midnight eastern time tonight. the top ten will be revealed on monday. here are some of our picks. >> a funnel cloud that has just developed. it appears to be on the ground in oklahoma city. >> it is a populated area. we just fear that not everyone may have gotten the word. >> when i got homey realized there is nothing left of my house. >> luckily the only rooms spared were the rooms we were in. >> we're at the end of a searing day. staring at a neighborhood that is almost unrecognizable. >> that's on me. i mean, we fumbled the rollout on this health care. >> i wanted to have the opportunity to have insurance. i don't have insurance at all. >> we should have done a better job getting that right on day one. >> breaking news, a assumer typhoon is slamming into the philippines right now. >> i don't have the words for it. it is really horrific. it is a great

. pentagon correspondent barbara starr joining me now. so, barbara, tell us more about this evacuation mission. not a rescue, but just simply trying to lift these americans out of a very difficult section of south sudan. >> that's right, fredricka. the american civilians 20 to 30 of them in this area of south sudan working for the united nations have no other way to get out to escape the violence. so, the u.s. military had gone into try to evacuate them. three u.s. v-22 aircraft were trying to land at south sudan. all three came under fire. all three of them took damage. one more severely than the others. four service members wounded. they are now in nairobi, kenya, getting medical treatment. but the question now for the pentagon is what to do. how to get the americans out of there. because the feeling is when all three aircraft are hit that they were deliberately targeted by rebel forces and this is the violence and the terrible situation going on there now. thousands south sudanese trying to escape get to u.n. compounds get to any safe area that they can. but as we talk he

armed groups fighting for power. barbara starr has been following the story. she is at the pentagon for us. barbara, what is the military planning to do in light of this incident? >> well, brianna, there have been some developments today, mainly that the u.s. is going to accepted about 150 marines from their base in the mediterranean to a nearby country in africa, the nation of djibouti, and they will be there be ready to move in to the south sudan if the violence gross worse and there is a decision to either oo fully evacuate the american embassy or send security forces to reinforce it. and protect it. the violence it literally is spinning out of control as you see, thousands of south sudanese trying to seek refuge. u.n. camps. the fighting growing more fierce. there are about 100 american personnel at the u.s. embassy. so after what happened over the weekend with the four troops getting hurt, they want to take no chances. so there will be this heavily armed marine corps force in next door djibouti ready to move if ordered. this is just one of the latest indications of how serious the

clashes since then. barbara starr is joining me now. well us what the u.s. plans to do to get the remaining americans out. >> well, this is now the problem, fred. 20 to 30 americans, perhaps, trapped in south sudan where the rebels have taken over. the u.s. military tried to go in today on an evacuation flight to get them out of there. all three u.s. military aircraft took small arms fire from the ground. all three aircraft damaged. one seriously. four u.s. troops wounded in the attack. one seriously. they were now in nairobi getting medical treatment. back in south sudan, this now becomes a difficult situation. a short time ago, the state department said no more government sponsored evacuation flights out of there. that means no u.s. military flights for now. it is simply too dangerous, they feel, to go back in there right now. so, we are told that defense secretary, chuck hagel, general dempsey, all talking about this to come up with a plan about what to do next on how to get those american civilians out of there. they can't take them out by road, it's too dangerous right now. >

affiliates have much more autonomy, much more freedom to operate as they see fit. barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. >>> and then there's this. two airport breaches on christmas day. now raising a whole lot of questions. the breaches happened at two airports on opposite ends of the country. a newark airport in new jersey and in women's clothing scaled a fence and walked on to two runways. at sky harbor airport in phoenix, workers say they saw a man climb over barbed wire then run right on to the tarmac. >> reporter: $100 million have been spent on securing the perimeters of all new york area airports, about you it wasn't enough to stop one intruder from getting on the runway at newark liberty international. two officials say the suspect was coming from the new jersey turnpike and jumped the airport's security fence. he made his way across two runways before reaching gate 70 at terminal c where an airline employee stopped him. police arrested him and charged him with trespassing. they say the 24-year-old yers jersey city man was wearing women's clothes and he told them he'd been in som

out in case the situation does get worse. our barbara starr is at the pentagon. that's very different to the u.n. force who are going in to try to stop the fighting. where are these marines going and what happens when they get there in. >> well, at the moment, you know, earlier this week, the pentagon sent about 150 marines from their base in the mediterranean to the horn of africa to djibouti. and then yesterday they took about 50 of those marines and put them closer to south sudan, if you look at the map, those 50 marines are now in uganda. that will put them very close to south sudan if they get the orders to go in. there are two possible missions if they go in would be to revacuate americans as you said or provide more security even for the u.s. embassy there if it tries to stay open amid the growing violence. they have no orders to go yet, but what you're really looking at michael, is the military lesson of benghazi. that if americans are going to get into trouble because run into trouble given outbreaks of violence, you need to have military force close enough to go ge

environment, dennis rodman is heading back there later this month. barbara starr is "outfront." lots to talk about. let's start with the most starting china. north korea. >> it is difficult to assess. there's not a lot of visibility. there is, however, commercial satellite imagery first published by a webb with the johns hopkins studies. this is a satellite launch facility at a place, if you look on the right-hand side, in september, no roof on this site. just weeks later, by mid-november, about two months later, the roof is on. you see paift has been poured. all kinds of progress at this site. this is a site the north koreans will use more capable rockets. a nearby assembly building undergoing construction. so it looks by all accounts, the missile program making progress. no signs of a missile on a launch pad but everything you see in the satellite image is aimed at making the north koreans able to launch more capable missiles. that is always a worry. >> and this all come in the context of kim jong-un and his attempts to rule that country and rule as himself. and part of that, are these rep

. here's pentagon correspondent barbara starr. >> i can understand that in u.s. and western countries, are there is misleading information and propaganda about tprk. >> north korean state media released this video over the weekend of detained american tourist, 85-year-old merrill newman reading a handwritten apology. pyongyang saying new man admits he's guilty of big crimes when he fought for the u.s. in the korean war killing civilians, working with anti-communist guerrillas and planning now 60 years later to try to meet up with them. the video shows him signing is the four-page statement he read on camera dated november 9th and sealing it with his thumb print in red ink. what happened to him had next isn't clear after being held since late october, taken off his plane just as his tour group was leaving. the white house is now weighing in a spokeswoman saying the u.s. is deeply concerned, calling on innic to release newman and fellow american kenneth bae now held for more than a year. but one expert says that could complicate an already sensitive situation. >> north korea doesn't want to

. this happened today in southern afghanistan. >> barbara starr is covering the story from the pentagon. what have we learned so far? >> well, suzanne, michael, the reports are so preliminary right now. very tragic news, however for the an least six american military families. these troops killed when their helicopter went down in southern afghanistan. rd cooing to the initial reports, there were no reports of enemy fire in the area area at the time. but they are talking to members of another helicopter flying in the immediate area asking them what they saw, what they might be able to tell them about all of this. so it's under investigation. you know, the war, everyone says, has been end wooing down. 42,000 troops still serving, about 129 troops killed so far this year. that's way down because the number of troops are down. but for the families of the fallen, it makes no difference. very sad, very tragic news as we go into this holiday season. >> barbara, it takes an while for the full details to come out. barbara starr. >> just breaks your heart when you think about the families just w

from the correspondent barbara starr who you just got word secretary of state john kerry has talked with what, a key rebel leader who used to be south sudan's haven't. what do we know about this? >> well, u.s. government officials are confirming the secretary of state john kerry has spoken to the rebel leader who used to be the vice president of the country. a lot of people in suit south sudan believe he was behind what is believed to be a military coup attempt several days ago that sparked all of this fighting that is now turned into somewhat of ethnic warfare across the country. reports by united nations of mass graves, of continued violence. as for the americans, the reason the marines are now nearby, 150 marines, if an order comes to evacuate them or reinforce the embassy, this time they'll have the marines nearby to carry that out. they believe they've evacuated most of the americans that want to get out of the most troubled area, but there still are americans there, and they want to be able to deal with whatever arises in the coming days. >> it's a crazy political situation th

technology and surveillance capabilities. >> the new drone kept under wraps but barbara starr has uncovered details about the plane. she's got a preview of what it's going to be able to do. >> reporter: this is what the new super secret air force drone is believed to look like. cnn has learned this unmanned spy plane is designed to fly for up to 24 hours behind enemy lines, in countries like north korea, iran, and syria. military sources tell cnn, it will give the u.s. a critical stealth advantage to spy on countries which have strong air defense systems that can shoot down more conventional aircraft. >> this aircraft will be able to penetrate that border and go in and do operations in and around enemy's airspace without being targeted. >> reporter: the new drone unmasked by aviation week, it's so secret, the drone is believed to be at this hangar at area 51, the air force's highly secure flight test center in nevada. reporter amy butler says the shape means enemy radars can't easily see the drone. unlike the u2 spy plane, this has no pilot and advance censors. it will make long f

feels totally abandoned and forgotten. cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr is following this story. barbara, what can you tell us about this video? >> reporter: well, it is another proof of life video from warren weinstein but this man appears to be in very rough shape now after all this time. he says he is not in good health, he has a heart condition, he has acute asthma, and the years certainly, when you look at him, have taken their toll. have a listen to a bit more of what he had to say. >> nine years ago, i came to pakistan to help my government, and i did so at a time when most americans would not come here. now when i need my government, it seems that i have been totally abandoned and forgotten. >> reporter: now, the leader of al qaeda has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping and the conditions that have been set for his release are the release of al qaeda prisoners being held, detainees in the united states at guantanamo bay and of course, the u.s. maintains the position it does not negotiate. brianna? >> barbara, the obama administration, we have heard them repe

of state take action to bring him home? cnn's pentagon correspondent barbara starr is with us this morning to break down this video, tell us the latest. please, let's begin by resetting who is this man, how was he taken? >> reporter: warren weinstein, s,

pentagon correspondent, barbara starr, for the details. what are you hearing over there? >> reporter: well, if you think the intelligence community, the nsa is too much in your business, about what phone calls you make, this federal judge agrees with you. in a massive ruling today, a federal judge said that the nsa program to collect phone call information, who you call, what numbers you call, when you call, how long that call is, unconstitutional. that it violates your fourth amendment protection against unreasonable search and seizure. i want to quickly read to you part of what the judge had to say. quote, he says i cannot imagine a more indiscriminate and arbitrary invasion than this systematic and high tech collection and retention of personal data on virtually every citizen. i have little doubt that the author of our constitution, james madison, would be aghast. the man who revealed all of this, edward snowden, now in moscow, also issuing a statement saying quote, i acted on my belief that the nsa's mass surveillance program would not withstand a constitutional challenge and tha

against the united states. pentagon correspondent barbara starr shows up 2013 has been a year of rebuilding. >> reporter: cnn's chris lawrence has messages from senior al qaeda operatives are renewing concerns the group is planning to attack. the intercept don't indicate specific targets but are described by one source as, quote, active plotting. >> there are multiple indications that al qaeda in the a rain beian peninsula is plotting attacks both within yemen and u.s. and other western structures as well as overseas. >> the group in yemen already well known for the failed underwear bomber attempt to bring down an airplane christmas day 2009. four years later the intelligence community believes it poses the greatest threat of an attack on the u.s. >> they're still capable of posing attacks against yemen and the united states in multiple locations including trying to conduct attacks against the u.s. homeland especially by taking down aircraft. >> reporter: analysts say the group rebounded in 2013 from battle field losses. u.s. drone strikes have had mixed results. a drone attack t

how they're doing. barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. >>> it 16:15. and it is -- it is 6:15 and it is chilly out there, olga. >> don't be fooled biff all the sunshine through morning. we're seeing partly cloudy skies and we're going to pull in some more sunshine later on this afternoon but the temperatures will still be brisk. our winds out ever the northwest. let's check out the view outside the michael & son cam. a clear and quiet right now. we're tracking cloud cover out toward dulles and moving on in toward the beltway. if you have to get up, out and about this morning, make sure you dress warmly. we're seeing very cold temperatures right now in the 20s. we should make it close to the freezing mark by about the 7:00 hour. then we're going to keep going from there. as we move from partly to mostly cloudy to mostly sunny by midday, temperatures will take quite a bit of spike. this afternoon the sunshine continues. that's going to taws even higher. i'm calling for -- going to take us even higher. i'm calling for mid range for the city centers. north and west you'll stick to the lower

department official tells cnn's barbara starr the military personnel are believed to be in the custody of the ministry of the interior. the official says the united states is in touch with libyan officials and is working to get facts and ensure their release. that official also says the four are being detained were in libya as part of aest to augment security at the u.s. embassy in tripoli. also tonight, target as now confirmed that debit card pin numbers were stolen as part of the recent hacking that compromised debit and credit card information. earlier, the retailer said pin numbers were not part of the breach. still target says the pins are believed to be quote safe and secure because they were strongly encrypted. and a massive report has been released by the connecticut state police more than a year after the shooting at sandy hook elementary school that left 20 first graders and six adults dead in newtown, connecticut. the report is thousands of pages long. the summary was released concluding that the shooter's motives may never be known. anthony bourdain parts unknown continues

benghazi, the pentagon wanted the marines to move closer to the region. barbara starr has more, the pentagon seems to be taking no chances, what is the latest on their movements and the american civilians they may have to evacuate? >> good evening, john, about 150 marines are on the ground there in the nation. heavily armed, waiting for orders. if they get the orders they will go in. they have two possible missions, to reinforce to provide additional security for the u.s. embassy in the capital there, or to evacuate the rest of the people there. the problem is right now, the fighting is so bad, so vicious, so severe, the state department is not even sure if they're on the lookout for americans who may be hiding in hotels, in their homes, anybody who wants to get out they want to be able to provide that air lift to get them out in the coming days. but this is very tough going, as the u.n. warned today, the concern is the fighting is spiraling out of control. >> tough going, barbara, how much is the response anyway to what happened with the stakes here, and how much is the ghost of a

correspondent barbara starr. barbara, the united nations is almost doubling the peacekeeping force in south sudan. but it's really had a mixed track record of being able to stop violence. what is the influence and the influx of these helmets really going to mean? >> they need to get there fast. nations have to be willing to contribute the actual personnel to put on those blue helmets, those blue hats and go in there and try and do something. what can they do? very little at the moment. they are trying desperately already, the ones that they do have there, to keep people safe. some 40,000-plus south sudanese are trying to seem shelter in u.n. compounds and safe areas. and it is very tough going for them, because the violence is growing worse. this has been a problem across africa for decades, of course, when these ethnic rivalries, this genocidal violence breaks out. really, it requires a political solution. the u.n. goes in, and just tries to save as many people as they can, with help and aid from the private sector as well. >> when you talk about political solution, the united states was o

. let's go straight to our pentagon correspondent, barbara starr. she is working the story for us. until the last few days, this uncle, jang sung-taek, was considered to be arguably after kim jong-un the most powerful person in north korea. what's going on? >> reporter: wolf, that is the question for the united states at this hour. what is happening inside that regime. the uncle, according to the north korean news agency, has now been executed. he was purged, stripped of all his posts a few days ago. the alleged crime is what it always is in the north korean regime, disloyalty to the regime. the question now front and center, kim jong-un, the new young leader in north korea, in power for only the last two years, what is he doing. this man that he has executed was a family member, married into the family, was a close confidant of his father's when he was in power, now apparently executed. the concern for the united states is that basically, the decision making inside north korea right now, unstable and uncertain. not only has this man been removed from power, the question for the u

bin laden was killed, but now experts say it's getting stronger. barbara starr has more. >> cnn has learned recent intercepts of messages from senior al qaeda operatives in yemen are renewing concern the group is planning new attacks. the intercepts don't indicate specific targets but are described by one source as, quote, active plotting. >> there are multiple indications that al qaeda in the arabian peninsula is plotting attacks, both within yemen against u.s. and other western structures as well as overseas. >> the group in yemen well known for the failed underwear bomber attempt to bring down an airplane christmas day 2009. four years later, the u.s. intelligence community believes it poses the greatest threat of an attack on the u.s. >> they're capable of plotting attacks against the united states in multiple locations including against the u.s. homeland especially by taking down aircraft. >> analysts say the group rebounded in 2013 from battlefield losses. u.s. drone strikes have had mixed results. a drone attack this month failed to kill an al qaeda planner believed to be beh

the u.s. embassy citing lessons learned from the attack in benghazi libya. barbara starr is monitoring developments. what's the latest you are hearing? >> brianna, after four uss troops were intoedly wouldn't the in an evacuation attempt, this time the pentagon is taking no chances. if the orders come, this time they will go with significant combat power. as the wounded are brought out from the fighting in south sudan, the u.n. is racing against time to provide safety for 40,000 people being sheltered in its compounds. the fee -- more attacks from rebels are coming. >> we've been reinforcing the base. we have been literally digging and reinforcing the position for the last 36 hours. >> reporter: the u.n. special representative making another plea for calm. >> as i left or base and went to the airport in bohr, there was a lot of looting, gunshots, a lot of dead bodies, very out of control youth. >> reporter: more than 150 heavily armed marine were ordered toto. they were beefing of and you have four were injured saturday when the aircraft were hit by ground fire as they attem

starr is here. this is playing on fears the u.s. has to get in more deeply than expected. barbara, what do we know? >> reporter: president obama making very clear he may decide send troops in to protect americans, to protect u.s. interests in south sudan. but for now, it has already been a very rough weekend for u.s. troops. as thousands in the war torn city face violence what it believes are the last american citizens, many of sudanese dissent. they flew them to cube be and the u.s. military took them to safety in kenya. the first attempt failed on saturday when three u.s. air force special operations osprey aircraft with 46 heavily armed troops on board were fired on. four u.s. troops were wounded, one seriously and rushed to surgery. >> it's always a very tenuous skigs situation when you are flying into a relatively unknown very hostile environment. the rebels probably have what's, you know, is probably soviet former soviet union-type weaponry. those ak-47s are out there. >> reporter: all three u.s. aircraft sustained damage, but they were able to fly with the wounded 500 miles

action to bring him home? cnn's pentagon correspondent barbara starr is with us this morning to break down this video, tell us the latest. please, let's begin by resetting who is this man, how was he taken? >> reporter: warren weinstein, chris, was a contractor working for the u.s. government in lahore, pakistan in 2011 when militants broke into his house, overpowered his security guards and kidnaped him. it was after that that ayman al zawahiri claimed responsibility for this attack and claimed that al qaeda was holding him. now, mr. weinstein after all this time, has appeared again in another video, we believe, of course he made this under duress. we cannot verify the conditions of it. this man is now making yet another plea, he seems very desperate. i want you to have a listen to what he has to say. >> nine years ago, i came to pakistan to help my government. and did i so at a time when most americans would not come here. and now when i need my governme government, it seems that i've been totally abandoned and forgotten. >> he makes a direct appeal for president obama, secret

in stable condition. i want to bring in cnn's pentagon correspondent, barbara starr and foreign affairs reporter. barbara, let me start with you. we should say, barbara, as far is there any sense that they were targeted because they were obviously u.s. aircraft or because there are a lot of 17 and 18-year-old rebels just firing at anything in the air? >> well, this is the question to which there's no answer at the moment. gunmen would have seen the american flag perhaps painted on the side of the aircraft. the feeling is the aircraft were targeted whatever the motivation was. we've gotten word from a u.s. senior official these united nations flights the out of this very violent region, the united nations flights that took place earlier today did include some americans so the sense of it now in the last few minutes is that some american civilians likely now are out of bor. the u.n. said it was relocating all its essential staff out of that area because the violence is so bad. the so we will see in the coming hours if there are still american civilians there, how many, how they mi

pentagon correspondent barbara starr has been digging on the story. barbara, what are you learns? >> it could be flying as soon as 2015. this may be one of the most important programs ever for the u.s. in staying one step ahead of its adversaries. >> this is what the new super-secret air force drone is believed to look like. cnn has learned this unmanned spy plane is designed to fly for up to 24 hours behind enme lines, in countries like north korea, iran and syria. military sources tell cnn, it would give the u.s. a critical stealth advantage to spy on countries which have strong air defense systems that can shoot down more conventional aircraft. >> this air krafl will actually be able to penetrate that border, go in and do operations in and around an enemy's airspace without being targeted. >> reporter: it was first unmasked by "aviation week." it's so secret the drone is believed to be at this hangar at area 51, the air force's highly secure flight test center in nevada. reporter amy butler says the shape means enemy radars can't easily see the drone, and unlike -- it has no pilot an

have a full picture of what happened exactly, it's beginning to come into focus. barbara starr is working her sources at the pentagon joins us now. what are you learning, barbara? >> reporter: good evening, anderson. at this hour military investigators are urgently trying to figure out what did happen here. the reports are that the helicopter, the blackhawk, went down due to mechanical failure. but once it hit the ground, were any of those six military members still alive? they are looking at a report that the helicopter once crashed came under mortar fire from taliban forces in the immediate vicinity. so what they need to determine now, did the six members die in the crash? or is it possible, possible, that they were alive when they hit the ground, that there was a mortar attack, and that they perished in that? investigators are talking to members of another helicopter that was flying in the immediate vicinity. they are trying to see what they can learn. we are told from the one survivor of the crash six u.s. military families, terrible news on this holiday season. but this has b

, patrolling to make sure everyone stays safe. barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. >> now that's a great co-worker. >>> hello, everyone, i'm fredricka whitfield. people stranded in antarctica are anxiously awaiting help. now the rescue ship is also struggling in ice. >>> a texas man has been charged with a hate crime in connection with the so-called knockout game. investigators say he punched a 79-year-old black man. the suspect's lawyer speaks out about his defense. >>> and an about-face on "duck dynasty," the star is pack in action after a very short suspension, say some. what that could mean for the network a & e, coming up. new video coming in on that ship stuck in the frozen water of antarctica. chris turney, the expedition leader gave an update on the crew's situation. >> it's the 28th of december, 2013. as you can see the weather's closed in. we've got some snow falling, but it's not too windy. >> four days since the ship got stuck. although a rescue vessel is within sight, it's not able to get close enough to the ship. isa soares is following the situation from london. >> reporter:

. saying that al qaeda is getting stronger -- putting western targets at risk. barbara starr has more. >> reporter:cnn has learned recent intercepts of messages from senior al qaeda operatives in yemen are renewing concern the group is planning new attacks. the intercepts don't indicate specific targets but are described by one source as quote "active plotting." (cheers & applause) >>"there are multiple indications that al qaeda in the arabian peninsula is plotting attacks both within yemen, against us and other western structures, as well as overseas." >> reporter:the group in yemen already well known for the failed underwear bomber attempt to bring down an airplane christmas day 2009. >>four years later, the us intelligence community believes it poses the greatest threat of an attack on the u-s. >>"they are still capable of conducting attacks outside of yemen, including plotting attacks against the united states in multiple locations, including trying to conduct attacks against the u-s homeland especially by taking down aircraft." >> reporter:analysts say the group rebounded in

pentagon correspondent barbara starr. one other part of the discussion was potentially granting him amnesty if he returns with all those documents. rick legedtee says that should be at least considered. here's what keith alexander says. >> this is analogous to a hostage taker taking 50 people hostage, shooting ten and then say if you give me full amnesty, i'll let the other 40 go. what do you do? >> it's a dilemma. >> it is. >> do you have a pick? >> i do. i think people have to be held accountable for their actions because what we don't want is the next person to do the same thing, race off to hong kong and to moscow with another set of data knowing they can strike the same deal. >> all right. so what's the reaction this morning, barbara? >> well, you know, so far, there doesn't seem to be a lot of official support for any dale of amnesty or pardon for snowden. in fact, the national security council spokes minnesota put out a statement saying "there's been no change in u.s. policy on this be issue. mr. snowden is charged with a felony, and he should return home to face those charge

heroic efforts to save these four navy s.e.a.l.s. >> it is an amazing story. barbara starr, we'll be looking for more details for you in the coming days. coming up, christmas presents left in the warehouse? the people at u.p.s. are apologizing today for fight biting off more than they can chew. we have that next. when my son was born, i remember, you know, picking him up and holding him against me. it wasn't just about me anymore. i had to quit. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. chantix didn't have nicotine in it, and that was important to me. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop

snowden. pentagon correspondent barbara starr joins me now. every time i tell a story like this, they're becoming very repetitive, nsa is tracking your every move stories. this is not one of those stories, is it? >> reporter: well, they are tracking your moves. >> this is bigger. it's bigger and badder, isn't it? this one looked really ugly. >> yeah. well, look at it it this way. here is my cell phone. here is what it's all about. let's say i'm traveling overseas, on vacation, out of the country on business. i want to call back to the cnn office. i want to call home. the nsa is going to record a record of that call. not record the cell phone is our understanding but those 5 billion phone records a day. here is the problem. nsa is not supposed to collect intelligence on u.s. citizens. when it's collecting that much information overseas, they are, of course, inadvertently, according to them, scooping up data involving u.s. citizens phone calls. it's what you said a minute ago, ashleigh. tracking everything we do. i think that's really what it's essentially coming down to is a publ