on a savage march. but who is isis? they combine viciousness on the ground with a supremacy in social media. what do we know about the man wearing a wrist watch who says he is the leader of isis. >> he has been a shadowy presence for a long time. >> and how he is using a former catholic school student to spread propaganda. >> why do you think this mosque keeps ending up attached to terrorism? >> isis controls a land the size of kansas. they are the richest terrorist organization on earth. this is like a digital network. we take you inside a terrorist turf war that has surprised united states and our allies. or did it? >> now from studio j at fox news headquarters here is greta van susteren. >> what is isis and what do they want? for the past decade, oliver north and his war stories team have made 15 trips to iraq where isis is gaining ground. what does isis want? >> a caliphate, a country of their own that goes from the levant to the persian gulf and they want to control every aspect of it, politically, diplomatically and of course carry out sharia law in that part of the world

" starts right now. >>> hello, everyone. this is cnn's special live coverage of the war against isis. you saw it on cnn, the top brass at the pentagon, defense secretary chuck hagel and updating us on kurdish fighters trying to halt a move by isis in an embattled syrian city. it's extraordinary footage. here's how it looked before the sunset. within the past two hours, that's isis there. isis fighters taking shots at syrian kurds positioned over that ridge. the battle has been raging for several hours now. just a short time ago a resident there told cnn the kurds are short on weapons, running out of ammo and people of the town are nervous that the people of isis will break that line of defense. no air strikes there yet. isis killed several hundred iraqi troops earlier this week. with us now is jake tapper. he's joining us from columbus, ohio, and also colonel peter mansour, cnn analyst as well. i want to talk about the battle we've been watching in northern syria. jim just asked about it over at the pentagon. here's what happened. >> you're aware of the threat faced by syrian kurds in nor

assault missiles. they included isis fighter vehicles, storage facilities compound and command centers. the islamic state claims is the capital in the north. it was launched in the red sea and u.s. philippine sea in the north arabian gulf. air force and navy and marine corps fighters, bombers and drones helped in the fight. they are all safe now as are those who flew along side partners from the united arab emirates and qatar is helping out but they are not flying over syria at all. isis was not the only target inside syria overnight. a group was singled out by u.s. for eight strikes for eminent plotting of american and western interests. they were monitoring all of this and repeating updates from military leaders through out the night. also touched base with the speaker of the house and house minority leader nancy pelosi to keep them in the loop about the first wave of strikes inside syria. >> peter doocy live in washington. thank you. >> historic alliance five nations working with the united states to help destroy aisis. let's get to kelly wright for a breakdown of that coali

was something more subtle than just isis taking over mosul. you have very strong turkey, kurdish, iraqi relations that have evolved more significantly since 2008, grounded in energy sector, relations, commercial ties and security issues. one of the key components of this, and this was also a personal relationship. it was a barzani/president erdogan tie. not only in the pkk but pushing the ties. and it would help barzani be the king of all the kurds, which is part of his dreams. that was one part of it, but the other part is there were turkey/pkk relations. and they were to help the peace process which still seems to be stymied. and then the third part is the whole kurdistan region and the pkk. and as we all know or some of us may know, these two trends have been at each other in certain forms between cooperation, tacit agreement, leaving the pkk in the mountains in northern iraq, and also in direct competition with each other. and that competition still exists today. that is to say, the two main nationalist trends within the kurdish movement are those led by the pkk and barzani.

he shared blame and also asked for help in the fight against isis, a group he calls a network of death. >> we collectively have not invested adequately in the public health capacity of developing countries. too often we have failed to enforce international norms when it's inconvenient to do so. and we have not confronted forcefully enough the intolerance, sectarianism that feeds too many parts of the globe. today i ask the world to join in this effort. those who have joined isil should leave the battlefield while they can. those that continue to fight for a hateful cause will find they are increasingly alone. for we will not succumb to threats and we will demonstrate the future belongs to those that build and not those that destroy. >> as the president spoke, his military commanders assessed the damage of overnight air strikes. they pounded new targets, one in eastern syria across the iraqi border and four more in iraq. we are told vehicles, weapons, and jihady fighting positions were hit. today isis supporters hit back with the release of another horrific video. this time a diff

make a great weekend. >>> it is a terrorist army on a savage march. but who is isis? they combine viciousness on the ground with a supremacy in social media. >> it's trying to create the largest caliphate it can. >> what do we know about the man wearing a wristwatch who says he is the rightful leader of isis. >> faulker has been a shadowy presence for a very long time. >> and how he is using a former catholic school student from the boston area to spread propaganda. including the beheading videos around the world. >> why do you think this mosque keeps ending up attached to terrorism? >> isis controls the area the size of kansas across iraq and syria. you will see why they are the richest terrorist organization on earth. >> this is like a digital network. almost like a tv station. we take you inside a terrorist troop war that surprised al qaeda. the united states and our allies. or did it? >> now, from studio j at fox news headquarters, here is greta van susteren. >> what is isis and what do they want? over the past decade colonel oliver north and war stories team have made more th

>>> welcome and thank you for joining us for cnn's special coverage for the war on isis. it is 9:00 a.m. in the uae. i'm becky anderson in abu dabi. and it's 1:00 a.m. on the east coast of the united states. i'm michael holmes at the cnn center in atlanta. welcome to our viewers in the u.s. and indeed all the way around the world. ahead this hour, president obama prepares to speak at the united nations, making his case that the entire world should stand up to the threat of isis. this as u.s.-led air strikes pound the terror group strong hold in syria. we'll bring you new details about the other extremists on the target list. also the exclusive interview with the iraqi prime minister about the new coalition to defeat isis. >> this is a danger. this is a blood game. it's going to end in a bloodbath if nobody stops it. nobody is listening. >> he says he stale needs from the u.s. in order to drive isis out of iraq. the u.s. president barack obama is going to be rallying support for the battle against isis at the general assembly in new york later today. his message will likely have new

his country has paid a heavy price for the rise of isis. and the fight against ebola. health officials say deadly disease could affect millions of people within months if left unchecked. >> u.s. president barack obama before the u.n. general assembly on wednesday builds a united front against isis. we'll be speaking from a position of strength having just rallied an alliance of arab nations to help deliver the first blow against isis targets inside syria. on tuesday, jordan, saudi arabia, bahrain and the united arab emirates where i am here delivered air strikes alongside the u.s. while canada flew combat patrols. president obama met with representatives of those nations on tuesday on the sidelines of the u.n. in new york. and he says the air campaign is just the beginning. >> because of the almost unprecedented effort of this coalition, i think we now have an opportunity to send a message that all of us are committed to making sure that we degad and ultimately destroy not only isil but other kinds of extremist ideologies that would lead to so much bloodshed. this is not some

what lies ahead. >>> with begin with the strongest comments yet from the president about isis after the beheading of a second american journalist as we come on the air today. he's vowing to destroy the group that many say is more extreme than al qaeda and top level cabinet members are standing right behind him. >> we remain mindful of the possibility that an isil sympathizing perhaps motivated by online propaganda could conduct an attack at home with little or no warning. at the threat to the u.s. homeland is likely to be limited in scope and scale. they are adapting their tactics to overcome our defenses and to avoid our intelligence collection. left unchecked, they will seek to carry out attacks closer to home. >> this as our nation's top counterterrorism official says the fbi has arrested a handful of people trying to come to the u.s. from syria and if we don't act siisis could set its sets o the homeland? >> whatever they think they will achieve, they have already failed. our objective is clear, it is to destroy isil so it's not a threat to not just iraq but to the region and to

army on a savage march. but who is isis? they combine viciousness on the ground with a supremacy in social media. >> it's trying to create the largest caliphate it can. >> what do we know about the man wearing a wrist watch who says he is the leader of isis. >> he has been a shadowy presence for a long time. >> and how he is using a former catholic school student to spread propaganda. including the beheading videos around the world. >> why do you think this mosque keeps ending up attached to terrorism? >> isis controls a land the size of kansas. across iraq and syria. they are the richest terrorist organization on earth. this is like a digital network. almost like a tv station. we take you inside a terrorist turf war that has surprised al qaeda, the united states and ourle allies -- or did it? >> now, >> now from studio j at fox news headquarters here is greta van s sustern. >> what is isis and what do they want? for the past decade, oliver north and his war stories team have made 15 trips to iraq where isis is gaining ground. oliver north joins us. what does isis want? >> a calipha

barack obama calls the killing barbaric. isis shows the execution of 44-year-old david haines of scotland. we are not going to show this video. it is too disturbing. but it shows an isis fighting beheading haines and delivering a warning to the british prime minister. >> your evil alliance of america will only accelerate your destruction. and claim the role of the o'b d obedient lap dog will drag you into a unwinnable war. >> an isis fighter with an apparent british accent threatened to kill haines if u.s. air strikes did not stop in iraq. that threat came in a video showing the beheading of steven sotloff this morning. mike haines said the following, david was like so many of us, just another bloke. david was most alive in his humanitarian roles. his joy and anticipation for the work he went to do in syria, he is for myself and my family the most important element of this whole sad affair. he was and is loved by all his family and will be missed terribly. british prime minister david cameron reacted very swiftly to the killing. he rushed ban to 10 downing street to take part in

on, isis targets, in pakistan, terror-related targets. why not in syria? why not launch drone strikes in syria against isis targetings? when you ask a question like that of the state department, what do they say? >> well, the answer is always shifting. well, right now what they're saying is it's much more difficult to know who to hit in syria because a lot of the rebel groups, isis, the regime, they're all kind of glommed together. how do you know exactly who to hit. the criticism of this administration is that it was much easier to go after these terrorists a long time ago. and that the problem we're facing, particularly in iraq right now, and that also is kind of one border between iraq and syria, is that they don't know because they didn't go after the group when it was relatively easy to do. officials are saying, listen we can walk and chew gum at the same time. what they said is what's different is there was a target of opportunity here. you had this meeting of this group of senior leadership. those targets of opportunities don't come along every so often. so the u.s. is

:00 a.m. watching cnn's special coverage of the u.s.-led air strikes in syria targeting isis. now here's what we know right now. the u.s. is heading up an alliance of arab nations in delivering the first air strikes on isis targets inside syria. the uk has confirmed it is not involved. senior u.s. official says the offensive started with tomahawk cruise missiles before the air strikes were launched. now, jordan says its war planes have already returned from their mission. a syrian opposition group says at least 20 targets have been hit. around raqqa and the de facto capital of the militants self-proclaimed islamic state. sources on the ground report multiple isis fatalities. although many militants had evacuated we believe. syria's official news agency reports that the u.s. did tell syria's u.n. representative about the operation the day before. for more details from washington i spoke with cnn's chief u.n. security correspondent jim schudo. what he had to say. >> multiple military officials tonight, the start of this strike meant to be, a decisive blow going at key targets of isi

president obama's message to isis. >> we will not forget, and that our reach is long, and that justice will be served. >> is the president being tough enough on isis, or has he lost his foreign policy mojo? we're going to debate that. >> plus, the atrocities of isis contribute to the misguided fears of islam, just as the sotloff family challenges the head of isis. >>> and inside the mind of an executioner. is isis an organization that attracts psychotic killers, or do they become that once inside? we're going to get into all of that this evening. we have a lot to get to ahead tonight. >> we sure do. let's begin with the obama administration's message to isis today. cnn's security correspondent jim sciutto joins us live. so jim, the president, the vice president, and the defense secretary all spoke out today about isis. but they weren't necessarily all on the same page. what did they say? >> no, they were not there. was something of a conflicting message. you did hear stronger words than you heard in the past from president obama, our reach is long, justice will be served. vice presiden

breaking news of another gruesome isis beheading. this time of a british hostage. i'm natalie allen. a scottish aid worker is now the third westerner to be executed by the islamist group isis in recent weeks. david haines was abducted in syria in march 2013. isis threatened earlier to kill him if u.s. air strike dis not stop in iraq. on scattered thunderstorms they released a horrific video showing his execution. before beheading haines with a knife an isis fighter delivered this warning to british prime minister david cameron bufford. >> your evil allies of america who bombed the dam will only accelerate your destruction and claim the role of cameron bufford will only drag you and your people into another bloody and unwinnable war." >> david haines' brother issued a statement on behalf of the family. here's what it says in part. david was like so many of us just another bloke. he served with the u.n. in the balkans to help people in real need. there are many accolades from people that that region that david helped. he helped whoever needed help regardless of race, creed or religion. d

different countries tried to join isis with at least 100 from the office. >>> coming up, some brand new developmentments in the search for missing uva student. what police are searching for in the apartment of the person of interest. >>> then, he had 800 rounds of ammo and a machete in his car. the shocking new details about the man who scaled the white house fence and made it to the front door. >>> a new twist in the case of missing uva student hannah graham. charlottesville police back at the nursing assistant issuing a new search warrant. they left with bags of items. police say they're looking for clothing wanted by jesse matthew. this poster released, matthew sped away after going inside with family members and asking for a lawyer. he's for reckless driving. the 32-year-old is believed to be the last person seen with hannah at the mall before she vanished more than a week ago. >> i need to talk to you. if there came a point in time where the two of you parted ways, then i need to know that. and i need to know where that was. >> investigators are testing matthews' cars for fiber

>>> we have major breaking news this morning. the u.s. launching air strikes against isis targets in syria overnight. we have new details just in. good morning. welcome to "early start." i'm john berman. >> i'm christine romans. welcome to the viewers from the u.s. and around the world. the military officials saying the targets hit were in the isis strong hold of roqqa. the aim is to demand control and supply and training facilities. the air strikes are a significant escalation of the terror group. that campaign has been targeted to iraq. >> the strikes started overnight with the tomahawk missiles. the u.s. is not alone in launching the air strikes. the american military officials say the partner nations involved in the air strikes are arab countries. saudi arabia, united arab emirates and qatar. we have complete coverage. let's start with senior washington correspondent joe johnson. joe, we have new information from centcom about the strikes. >> reporter: that is right, john. this is expected to be a long campaign. latest information from central command is a mix of fighter and b

strikes continues now with chris hayes. >> breaking news tonight in the american war on isis as the u.s. begins air strikes in syria. according to the pentagon the decision to start air strikes was made earlier today and the bombing began about 2 1/2 hours ago as the news agency posted this video. perports to show air strikes over the city in syria that has been the headquarters or capital for what isis calls the newly declared islamic state. the pentagon is offering few details, but confirms along with partner nation forces are taking action against isis and syria. there is no indication of which partner nations are involved. sources tell us that saudi arabia, the united arab emirates, bahrain, jordan and qatar. white house correspondent chris jansing, what is the white house saying publicly at this moment? >> publicly they are saying absolutely nothing. what we know is this is significant what you just said. these partner nations. we heard from the president that he planned to have a coalition. we heard from samantha power, the un ambassador. if air strikes happen in syria, the united

updates as they come in. >>> ahead for us at this hour, not necessarily isis but the al qaeda linked khorasan group that might be the main concern for the fbi right now. worrying that that terror cell filled with al qaeda veterans could attack the u.s. at any time. so why did the pentagon say u.s. air strikes against khorasan were so successful? plus, the u.s. bombing its own equipment in iraq, equipment it gave the iraqi military but is now in the hands of isis fighters. ♪ (train horn) vo: wherever our trains go, the economy comes to life. norfolk southern. one line, infinite possibilities. you can't get any thbetter than that. trains. siemens trains are not your grandparent's technology. they're something that's 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. i'm 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!" ♪ i thought it'd be bigger. ♪ ♪ (dad) there's nothing i can't reach in my subaru. (vo) introducing t

eric. isis released another video saturday showing the execution of 44-year-old david hanes. we're not going to show you the video. it goes onto showing an isis fighter beheading hanes and sending a warning to david cameron. >> our alliance of america which continues to distract the muslims of iraq will only accelerate your destruction and claim of the role. it will only drag you and your people into another bloody and unwinnable war. >> hanes was abducted in march of last year when he was an aid worker in syria. an isis fighter with an apparent british accent had threatened to kill hanes if air strikes did not stop in iraq. the brother of david hanes released a statement a short time ago, in it mike hanes says the following, quote, david was like so many of us just another bloke. he was most alive and enthusiastic in his humanitarian roles. he is for myself and family the most important element of this whole sad affair of the he was and is loved by all. his family will be missed terribly. >> british prime minister david cameron reacted swiftly to the killing of dayvid hanes. he ru

next door to me in "the situation room." wolf? >> happening now, isis beheading video. it apparently shows the brutal murder of a second american journalist steven sotloff and warns a british hostage been next. isis warning to obama. the group says if u.s. air strikes continues, it will strike the necks of americans. will the president now expand u.s. action to syria? and americans in isis. some are fighting with the jihadists abroad. will they bring their terror training back to the united states? i'll ask the chairman of the house homeland security committee, congressman mike mccaul. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >> let's get right to the breaking news. isis relations a new video apparently showing the beheading of another american, steven sotloff, who disappeared last year in syria. the brutal execution video comes two weeks after the murder of american james foley. this one comes with a direct warning to president obama. our correspondents and guests are standing by with full coverage. let's begin with global affairs correspondent elise la by the. s

live coverage, i'm anderson cooper. this is only the beginning of a u.s. led war against isis militants. across syria, u.s. war planes, fighter jets, missiles there you see tarted isis training camps and key command centers. we're also learning in the northwest, a little known branch of al qaeda was apparently in the final stages of executing an attack. this according to u.s. officials attack on western targets and possibly an attack on the united states. last night, we took strikes. once again, it must be clear to anyone who would plot against america that we would not tolerate safe havens for terrorists who threaten our people. >> telling cnn that this terror cell had been working on a bomb made of clothes dipped in explosive material. so we've heard some back and forth, barbara about the verb e a verbiage of whether this was an imminent threat. what have you heard? >> well, anderson, the administration says it went ahead with the attack against the khorasan group because it did pose an imminent threat it was in the advance stages of an attack. the worry was clearly as they

, something up until now we've only been really able to see through isis propaganda videos. it is actual battle between turkish forces and isis forces as well. all of this happening in front of a cnn camera where our phil black is stationed among a number of refugees who have been watching this dramatic battle that's been taking place as well. it is nightfall now. 7:00 where you are, phil black. at least give me the scene setter of what we've been seeing on camera for the last 40 minutes or so? >> reporter: where we are standing is on the hilltop north of the turkey/syria border. on the turkey side just across the border behind me. although the fact we've lost sunlight, there is still a gun battle going on behind me just on a ridge line. we're still seeing extended tracer fire, hearing small arms fire being exchanged. now, what we have seen, when there was still daylight here to see it, and it was an extraordinary sight, isis fighters at the top of a ridge doing their best, well, to move forward to try and claim territory in northern syria as they have been doing for the last week

barnett. coming up this hour, french fighter jets join the air assault against isis just as the british parliament prepares to vote on its own military involvement. a closer look at the impact of the coalition strikes. >>> plus -- >> we are not moving fast enough. we are not doing enough. >> at the u.n., president obama and world leaders focused on ebola and amid the dire warnings, one african doctor may have found a breakthrough treatment. >>> not everyone waiting in line to get the iphone 6. wait till you hear how much they're selling for on the black market. a lot to get to this hour. just hours from now, british lawmakers are expected to back the prime minister's push to join coalition air strikes against isis militants in iraq. >> that's right. meantime, u.s. and french fighter jets carried out the latest round of attacks in iraq. warplanes from the u.s., saudi arabia and the united arab emirates struck isis oil refineries. let's head to the region now to max foster who is watching all of these events unfold in abu dhabi. max, if we look at the overall strategy, these initi

conference about how to stop isis. we'll take you live to paris for that. >> a hurricane slams into mexico's most popular tourist destinations and a reporter is right in the middle of the storm. >>> later, queen elizabeth weighs in on the scottish referendum with only days to go before the crucial independence vote. >> the queen actually didn't say a whole lot. she just said be careful -- very unusual for her to say that. just think very carefully but that in itself was significant. we will begin in paris where an international conference is set to begin at this hour. at issue, how to tackle isis in iraq and syria. u.s. secretary of state john kerry says almost 40 countries have agreed to join a coalition to destroy the militant group. >> the conference in paris comes just days after isis took another innocent life as you know british aid worker david haines. he is the third westerner known to have been beheaded by the militant group in recent weeks. >> more now from atika live outside 10 downing street in lon don't and the british prime minister failed to hunt down those who killed

>> if the goal to defeat isis. >> it will take years. >> i don't see how we can do it any other way. >> thanks very much. ron johnson, "the lead" with jake tapper starts now. >>> president obama tells the world there is no nice cure for the cancer of islamic extremism. i'm jake tapper. this is the world lead. >> the only language by killers like this, is the language of force. >> president obama selling isis and terrorists to the world and telling allies they're part of this already whether they like it it or not. his surprisingly strong message to the u.n. as air strikes continue, but just how much support does the president have some we might be able to find out as president obama makes history before the u.n. security council unveiling his plan to stop the plague of terror from spreading across oceans. also in world news, it could be the worst revenge killing. isis supporters behead another hostage in another horrific hostage in another horrific terrorist video. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> good afternoon, everyone. we'll begin with the world lead. you are watching l

>>> on the record. president obama talking about the issues with isis. this as fighting wages on. we will take you to the ground live. >>> al qaeda leader's warning to the west. how it will seek revenge for u.s. air strikes in syria. >>> massive protests filling the streets of hong kong. police launching tear gas at thousands of demonstrators. this morning, things have taken a turn. we are live with what's happening in hong kong ahead. good morning. welcome to "early start." i'm christine romans. it is monday, september 29th. 5:00 a.m. in the east. john berman has the day off. a stunning admission by president obama reverberating in washington. the president acknowledging on "60 minutes," the roeason the rapid expansion of isis took u.s. by surprise is they overestimated the iraqi military to fight off the terror group. cnn's erin mcpike has more from the white house. >> reporter: christine, in an intervi interview, president obama acknowledges the intelligence community under estimated the strengths of isis. he said that is the context for how the united states is going to have

not been able to do did prior to this. isis has really filtered through. before this, there was a lot of infighting. corral themxd in a singlenbgs7 >> good evening from new york. i'm chris hayes. we have breaking news. in me americanb. war on isis as the u.s. begins air strikes in syria, the decision toc start airstrikes was made earlier todayçó bys7 centcom. they began two and a half hours ago as syrian activistsgjf syria, and the president, we expect, we'llúhíar from himjf eastern time, perhaps before hed leaves he will speak about this. but all of this;q0z really was i qe people in prime time and he gave a speech an=z he said, that he wasfáÑi willing to into syria.isedqpá he was willio form this coalition. the nato summit, but at that point, asxd they were leaving theñr nato sum summit, the administrationeiiu(q they want to be able to go into the unites nations generallpq as you well know, it has been very difficult to get very specific commitments, and even©t p ok the u.n. is going to state that they're going to transportation, the financing, of these foreign fighters

wednesday. . >> and prime minister david cameron says britain is ready to join the fight against isis in iraq. we will be live from downing street. >> i'm becky anderson. the air force along with saudi arabia conducted the majority of the air strikes in syria. more on that in a moment. >> the u.s.-led air campaign against isis in syria is taking aim at the militants' cash flow by hitting its mobile oil refineries. >> the pentagon says they are an important target because isis generates $2 million a day from oil operations. the impact right now is still being assessed. but the pentagon says initial indications show the air strikes in eastern syria were successful. meanti meantime, britain appears to be on the verge of taking military action against isis, but only in iraq. >> david cameron told the u.n. general assembly he's recalling british law makers later this week to get their authorization on air sfritrikes. it's believed he has enough support from britain's three main parties. the bombings would only target isis in iraq which has asked for the uk in assistance. >> but mr. cameron di

and in fact begged for those air strikes to help iraqi security forces fight against isis in that country. but over the border in syria, it is a very different story. the government in syria does not welcome and is certainly not asking for u.s. air strikes inside their country. in fact, syria has said it would see any air strikes by anyone on its territory as an act of aggression. but those air strikes have in fact, started tonight. the u.s. military announcing that these aircraft, f-22s, f-16s, f/a-18s and b-1 bombers are taking part in the initial bombing attack on syria tonight or inside syria tonight. i should mention, this may be the first time that f-22 raptors are being used in this kind of a combat mission. that may be significant as a matter of military history and capability. but all those aircraft reportedly used in the initial attack which started at 8:30 p.m. eastern with a target list of about 20 sites. about 20 isis targets in and around raqqa which is in eastern syria. the pentagon describing these as isis command and control facilities, headquarters facilities, lo

. >>> "outfront" next, breaking news, video appears to show another american beheaded by isis. the masked terrorist wielding that knife threatening president obama directly, will the united states do something about it? plus we'll go frame by frame small by crucial clues in the video. will president obama find the killer? and are your darkest secrets at risk? hackers release nude photos of jennifer lawrence and other celebrities. is this just the beginning? let's go "outfront." >>> good evening, everyone. i'm erin burnett. we begin "outfront" tonight with the breaking news. a second american beheaded by terrorists. isis releasing video today of what appears to be the gruesome execution of 31-year-old stephen sotloff. this is just 13 days after another american, james foley, was beheaded by the same terrorists. again today, we saw a masked executioner speaking in a british accent making a direct threat against the united states. jim sciutto begins our coverage tonight. >> reporter: the image is haunting and familiar. an american in an orange jumpsuit on his knees. his killer all in

door in "the situation room". >> thanks, jake. >>> happening now, war against isis. president obama addresses the nation tonight to lay out the strategy for destroying the brutal islamist terror group. that could mean u.s. airstrikes in syria. we'll get a full preview of his battle plan. >>> isis terror plan, a captured laptop may spell out a strategy for mass attacks include biological warfare with a deadly germ that once killed millions of people. >> an insider's view, jay carney joins the cnn team and he'll share his insight into how president obama is handling this extraordinarily tough decision. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >> just four hours from now, president obama will make it clear to the american people that the united states once again is going to war on this, the eve of the 9/11 anniversary and he'll outline a strategy to destroy isis, the terror group that's brutally seized vast stretches of territory in iraq and syria and slaughtering thousands of people and beheading two americans 13 years after al qaeda stru

investigators are now trying to identify the isis executioner through images, words and actions. and 9/11 worries. even as u.s. leaders vow to go after isis does america also need to be on the defensive a week before the 9/11 anniversary? i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> president obama, an urgent consultations with america's allies as the united states puts troops into two war zones. u.s. troops will be going into ukraine not to on fight, but to join nato exercise isses as president obama accuses russia of an all-out assault on a sovereign nation. and following the latest saf rajry from isis, the second beheading of an american, another 350 u.s. troops are now heading for a security role in iraq. the president vowing to seek justice as it destroys isis and there also seems to be a bit of a mixed message going on. our cresses and guests are standing by with full conk and let's begin with our senior white house correspondent jim acosta and he's traveling with the president, the nato summit in wales. what's the latest, jim? >>

now. >>> president obama vowed to destroy isis and he said the goal was to make isis a manageable problem. so which is it? i'm jake tapper. this is "the lead." >> the bottom line is this -- our objective is clear. >> is it though? is it clear? in the world lead, can you contain a threat like isis or does one have to wipe it off the face of the earth completely? president obama seemingly contradictory remarks might make it difficult to know exactly what he thinks especially after isis beheaded a second american. also, he called the threat from isis, quote, beyond anything we've seen before. maybe defense secretary chuck hagel can better explain the u.s. strategy to fight isis if there is one yet. in an exclusive cnn interview. and the politics lead, while foreign affairs are grabbing the headlines, control of the u.s. senate hangs in the balance here at home. our surprising new poll on a race that is on track to be the most expensive senate race in history. ♪ ♪ ♪ -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> good afternoon, everyone. welcome to "the lead." i'm jake tapper. we'll

cooper" starts right now. >>> special coverage of a dramatic turn in america's war against isis. u.s. missiles, war planes raining down bombs across syria. >> as our initial indication is that these strikes were very successful. second, while it's not our policy to discuss future operations, i can tell you that last night's strikes were only the beginning. >> we're talking about 200 pieces of explosives falling on targets inside syria. and today we learned some of what they took out. >> fired from the uss philippine c. now the intended target was the communications array on the roof of the building. detonated as air bursts with the effects focusing on the communications array. the flight of the f-22s delivered gps-guided munitions, precision munitions targeting, again, only the right side of the building. you can see on the right hand side the aftershock. this was a residential area that had been used for training site and logistics site for isil fighters. >> these were the isis targets. but we now know a separate set of air strikes also took place aimed at eliminating a terror cell

. is this agency capable of keeping the president safe? >>> isis fighters gaining ground this morning, inches closer to baghdad and key syrian city. we are live on the ground next to the battle zone. >>> thousands and thousands of protesters filling the streets of hong kong. pro-democracy demonstrators demanding changes from the government. it is remarkable to see the pictures. >> amazing pictures. they could get pibigger over th next few days. >> good morning. i'm christine romans. >> i'm john berman. it is tuesday, september 30th. 5:00 a.m. in the east. we have a stunning revelation about white house security. we know the man who jumped the white house fence earlier this month made it much deeper into the white house than previously reported. even perhaps than we were led to believe by the secret service. the director of the secret service testifies before congress. it just got much tougher for her. cnn's jim acosta has the story. >> reporter: john and christine, omar gonzalez made it farther than acknowledged by the secret service. according to sources, once gonzalez made it to the

house officially on board with the president's plan to battle isis. voting to arm and train syrian rebels. this as a new terror plot surfaces showing isis may be ready to extend its battle from the streets of iraq and syria. the new arrest and why new york's city's top cop is so concerned. >>> another domestic violence arrest for the nfl. cardinals jonathan dwyer inactive joining several players as the league struggles to handle off the field issues. we are breaking it down. >>> and happening right now, history perhaps being made. scotland voting on independence. will it break hundreds of years of tradition and leave the united kingdom? a vote with repercussions will be felt around the world. we are live as these votes come in. good morning. welcome to "early start." i'm john berman. it is thursday, september 18th. christine romans is off today. a crucial element in president obama as plan to fight isis is moving ahead. the house voted to support funding to train and arm so-called moderate syrian rebels. many republicans back the president's plan. they did so by a more than 2 to 1

gone, my opus on isis and bill o'reilly, is he a sexist? but three u.s. security orptives on the ground in benghazi on that fateful night years ago tell fox news what really happened when four americans were massacred by terrorists. these men risked their own lives to same ambassador chris stevens and the other americans. they were repeatedly told to stand down and wait. but instead they made a decision to rescue fellow americans. going in the direction of gunfire. the rescue mission unfortunately, too late. >> i gave you that 30 minutes back, and i gave you some air power, would ambassador stevens and shawn smith be alive today? >> yes, to me, without the delay they would still be alive. >> my gut is yes. >> you in on that? >> i much strongly believe if we would have left immediately they'd still be alive today. >> with me now, shawn smith's mother, pat smith, good evening, pat. >> hi, judge. >> this has to be so hard for you to watch. but what is your reaction to the first-hand account from the men that tried to save your son that night saying they believe that had they been al

>>> isis terrorists claiming to be acting in the name of a merciful god seem to have without compassion beheaded a second american in as many weeks i'm jake tapper. his name was steven sotloff, a miami heat fan by all accounts, a kind and curious soul. he was missing for a year. now the worst has apparently happened. isis releasing a video claiming to show his execution just as the group vowed to carry out in retaliation for u.s. strikes in iraq. >>> the politics lead. the isis executioner in if the sotloff video was speaking right to president obama just days after the president admitted he didn't quite have the a strategy yet to fight isis in syria. how should the president respond now? and also in world news, while the pentagon still has plans to deal with isis on the drawing board, the u.s. dollars carry out a strike on a different terrorist target, no not in the syria. thousands of miles away in somalia. >>> good afternoon, everyone. welcome to "the lead." i'm jake tapper. we'll begin with a horrific world lead. it is not as if the world needed more proof of the savagery of the ter

and destroy isis so it's no longer a threat to the middle east and the united states. he spoke wednesday after meeting with baltic leaders in estonia. >> but critics say the president's message is muddled. john acosta has our report. >> reporter: president obama came to estonia so they would realize that the u.s. has their backs. he said he wants to destroy the isis terrorist group. responding to calls to get tough on isis, president obama all but vowed vengeance for the killing of american journalist steven sotloff. a message echoed by vice president biden. >> we will follow them to the gates of hell until they are brought to justice because hell is where they will reside. >> reporter: attempting to clarify his policy for dealing with isis, the president said that he wants to wipe out the terrorist group. >> our objective is clear and that is to degrade and destroy isil so it's no longer a threat to not just iraq but to the region and the united states. >> reporter: then, a few breaths later, the president appeared to soften that goal. >> we can continue to shrink isil's spher

lemon. i'm alisyn camerata. new air strikes targeting isis positions in eastern syria going after the money. u.s. and coalition war planes pounding oil installations isis uses to finance operations. >> britain's prime minister recalling parliament to seek per motion to gin the ajoin the air. passing an anti-terror resolution. the president says those words must be matched by action. >> is there an unintended consequence to air strikes. is it possible by fighting isis the coalition is actually strengthening al qaeda? our terrorism experts will explain how that works. >> as we saw in the special townhall, former president bill clinton agrees with the decision to launch air strikes in syria. we're going to have what else he said. >> there is also breaking news in the case of the missing university of virginia student hannah graham. police in galveston texas have taken jesse matthew into custody. the suspect wanted on suspicion of abduct tgioabduction, a full. >> breaking news -- new round of air strikes against isis late today targeting oil refineries in sear yeah. go to jim acosta, seni

in mt. ontake. >> thanks, eric. u.s. and coalition planes are hitting isis targets on a new front. u.s. military released new video showing an f-15 bombing an isis target near the city of kobani. >> they destroyed isis vehicles near irbile, saudi arabia, and the uae. >>> isis fighters have swept through dozens of villages near kobani. >> arwa damon is in the area and shows us what's bng happening. here she is. >> reporter: at one point the only position that the kurds had from entering the town of kobani was that. then we saw them using artillery and 60 caliber machine guns to drive isis fighters back managing to gain another strategic hilltop in the process. isis moved into this area of syria well over a week ago. very rapidly taking over dozens of villages and towns and sending around 200,000 people fleeing for their lives into turkey. kobani was and still is the last town standing. ever since the fighting broke out this close to the turkish border the various hill tops have been filled with spectators watching the battle unfold in front of them. the kurds managed to regain stra

>>> this is a live fox news special. attacking isis. and the terror closer to home. i'm geraldo rivera. air forces struck at seven isis targets inside syria today as u.s. aircrafts carried three additional attacks inside iraq. >> along with france we conducted over 200 air strikes in iraq against isil in support of iraq forces. with our air partners we conducted 43 air strikes in syria. >> we are taking the fight to the isis savages who beheaded our citizens, raped, robbed and pillages territory, assassinated thousands of prisoners and now threatening to disrupt the world. >> isis are so bad that al qaeda is afraid of them. >> the fighting coalition against isis continues to grow. today aircraft from belgium, denmark and britain fly towards the fight. >> the brutality is staggering, beheadings, gouging out of eyes, rape as a weapon, slaughtering of children, all of these things are from the dark ages. it is backed by billions of dollars with an arsenal of modern weapons. >> is the modern enemy already here. >> 9-1-1 what's your emergency? t 12th street. >> what's going on there?

♪ >>> president obama ready to take on isis. tonight, stet to reveal his pla to fight syria and iraq. strategy expected to include diplomacy, aid and force. but is it too little too late as isis fighters continue to gain ground. live team coverage begins now. good morning, welcome to "early start." i'm christine romans. >> good morning, it's wednesday, 4:00 a.m. in the east, i'm john berman. it is a crucial day in the battle against isis. all eyes on president obama, he's getting set to address the nation tonight on his strategy to eliminate isis. and this morning, we're getting some insight into just what the president will say. an administration official tells cnn the president will focus on three angles, blaming the threat posed by isis, actions taken against isis, announcing a new series of proposals to ultimately destroy the group. we're also being told the president feels he already has authority to take action. so he will not need to ask congress to vote ahead of the midterm election. many congressmen pleased they will not have to take a vote on this matter. the president

we appreciate you staying with us. our top story this hour first it was isis command and control and after it's their cash flow. >> the pentagon says u.s.-led air strikes overnight hit a dozen mobile oil refineries run by isis in eastern syria. part of an operation that earns the militants as much as $2 million a day. the impact is still being assessed. but the pentagon says it's confident that the air strikes were successful now meanwhile, britain appears to be on the verge of taking military action against isis in iraq. prime minister david cameron told the u.n. general assembly his recalling british lawmakers later this week to get their authorization on air strikes and our erin mclaughlin is live in london with details on that upcoming vote. prime minister david cameron reconvening parliament to get approval for air strikes on isis in iraq. can we assume that he's fairly confident then of getting the support he needs even after that failed vote on syria in parliament last year? >> reporter: i think so, rosemary. i think it is important to keep in mind that lawmakers in the uk

>>> this is a live fox news special, "attacking isis and the terror closer to home." u.s. and allied air forces struck at least seven isis targets inside syria as u.s. aircraft carried out three additional attacks inside iraq. >> along with france we've conducted over 200 air strikes in iraq against isil. and in support of iraqi forces. with our air partners we've conducted 43 air strikes in ear yeah. >> we are taking the fight to the isis savages who beheaded our citizens, raped, robbed pillaged a swath of oil-rich territory, say assassinated thousands of prisoners and threaten to disrupt the world. >> isis, they are really bad terrorists. they are so bad that al qaeda is afraid of them. >> the fighting coalition against isis continues to grow. today aircraft from belgium, denmark and finally britain fly toward the fight. >> the brutality is staggering. beheadings, crucifixions, the gouging out of eyes, the use of rape as a weapon, the slaughter of children, all these things belong to the dark ages. but is it not just the brutality it is backed by billions of dollars and capt

uncovered an imminent isis plot against the new york and paris subway systems. we're covering all angles of the terror threat at this hour with our reporters, guests, and cnn's global resources and we begin with cnn justice correspondent pamela brown. what's the latest you're hearing about the khorasan group? >> james comey says khorasan is still at the top of his list of priorities. he believes that the group is still in tact and could still be actively planning to attack the u.s. or europe. despite a series of syrian bomb attacks in western syria, the fbi director says, quote, he's not confident at all that the u.s. air strikes have taken out the khorasan group. >> in one shape, way, form or another, the united states telegraphed the fact that they knew about this group and were preparing to come after them. it's quite possible that some of these fighters and operatives managed to disperse before these cruise missiles took effect. >> reporter: james comey said that the fbi did not have enough information to know the specifics of the attack but believes khorasan could carry out the attack

purposes is launching a new war. this one against isis terrorists, not only in iraq but in syria as well. hello, i'm wolf blitzer reporting from washington. we begin with a critically important speech by president obama, this on the eve of the 9/11 anniversary. the president addressing the nation, indeed the world, about the new threat posed by the terrorist group isis. here's what we know about the strategy and the speech later tonight. officials say the president is open to conducting air strikes against isis targets inside syria. no details yet on whether he'll lay out a plan -- specific plan tonight for those strikes -- when they will begin. the president told congressional leaders he has the authority to carry out his isis plan without any additional authorization from congress. but he did ask for congress' support. secretary of state john kerry is on a mission to get help from countries in the region, his first stop today was in baghdad to show support for the new iraqi government. for more on the president's plan to try to defeat, destroy isis, let's bring in our white house corre

ready to join us as well. we'll get his thoughts on what he heard. also coming up, isis chat rooms luring westerners, young ones, the recruiters out there are answering questions about how much isis pays its fighters. we have details coming up. also isis moving closer and closer to a critical border town in syria. this is a development that could seriously complete their conquest along the turkish border. turkey is a nato ally. we've got a live look coming up. ♪ who's going to do it? who's going to make it happen? discover a new energy source. turn ocean waves into power. design cars that capture their emissions. build bridges that fix themselves. get more clean water to everyone. who's going to take the leap? who's going to write the code? who's going to do it? engineers. that's who. that's what i want to do. be an engineer. ♪ [ male announcer ] join the scientists and engineers of exxonmobil in inspiring america's future engineers. energy lives here. you raise her spirits. we tackled your shoulder pain. you make him rookie of the year. we took care of your cold symptoms. you