Transcripts For CNNW Wolf 20140909

From now. The meeting comes a day before the president addresses the country on his new plan. A new poll shows just how concerned americans are. 45 say isis poses a very serious threat to the United States. Another 22 says it poses a fairly serious threat. Lets go to our white house correspondent, michelle kosinski. Were learning some of the details about the president s speech to the nation, indeed to the world tomorrow night. What have you learned . Reporter first of all, its interesting this is going to be in primetime. That tells you this is going to be something significant. The question of course has been what news is going to come out of this, what we havent heard before. The white house is being facetious about that saying, were not going to rule out theres not going to be a big announcement. It just seem very unlikely its going to be something concrete regarding syria other than this planning stage that theyve talked about just because things are still in that stage. So what the white house has framed this as being is a conversation with the American People, in their words. Hes going to lay out what he believes is the best path forward, how detailed thats going to be remains to be seen. And hell lay out what tools are at americas disposal for, as they put it, degrading and ultimately defeating isis. That ultimately has popped up within the last week and a half or so and they use that all the time now in describing the plan. And that is to tell us that this is going to take a long time. Weve heard from several now within the administration that it could take up to three years. So what Congress Wants to know and what the American People want to know is what exactly is that plan . Today hes going to meet with congressional leadership. But on the senate floor this morning, we did hear from senator Mitch Mcconnell who said he needs to identify military objectives and explain how those ends will be accomplished. We already know that the military objectives as regards iraq, are going to be air strikes, coalition building, expanding those air strikes, thats going to be likely. So that could be what the bulk of this speech focuses on. The bigger question mark is, of course, syria. Its really unclear as to how much of that plan has been shaved, at least in terms that its going to look like something comprehensive and very concrete to Congress Moving forward, wolf. Set the scene specifically for the big meeting at the white house in about two hours or so. The two Top Democrats in the house and the two Top Republicans of the house plus the four leaders the two Top Democrats and republicans in the senate. Its going to be four leaders. Theyre all going to be there. Harry reid, Mitch Mcconnell, there you see the speaker, john boehner, nancy pelosi, the four of them are going to be coming in to meet with the president theyre going to be spending some time. Will this be a meeting which the president basically previews to them what hes thinking or will he be seeking their respective input. Reporter i think both. Close consultation with congress. The white house says that theyve been doing that. This is going to be a continuation of that. He seems like he just wants to get congressional leadership on board with what exactly this plan is. I think what will be interesting will be how to set that balance between consulting with congress and actually having them make changes to the plan if necessary or will the president ask congress for authorization . Thats been another question thats been out there. Some have said specifically they want to see a vote in congress on authorization of any military force moving forward. But the white house has stopped short of saying that they will do that. Its all of course dependent on what this plan is going to be. But the white house has kept it at close consultation with congress. So i think the most interesting thing here, well be seeing what those participants say coming out of this meeting. Are they on board with not only the plan as it stands now . And we all want to know how much of a plan is that plan . And also are they on board with congress participation at this point as the white house sees it . Michelle, i know youre going to be busy. Thanks very much. Were already hearing from the two Top Republican congressional leaders who will be meeting with the president later this afternoon. They say its critically important for president obama to lay out his plan to destroy isis. Heres the house speaker, john boehner. We have a very serious problem. What we need is a strategy. And until theres a strategy, theres no reason to talk about any of the specifics because i dont know how they fit in to the broader strategy. So im hopeful today. [ inaudible question ]. Im looking for a strategy from the president that takes on this terrorist threat and defeats it. The senator minority leader Mitch Mcconnell says the president , quote, needs to identify military objectives and explain how these ends will be accomplished. Needs to present this plan to congress and the American People. Thats Mitch Mcconnell. Lets bring in our chief political analyst Gloria Borger and dana bash. Gloria, fair to say this speech the president will deliver to the nation, 9 00 p. M. Eastern tomorrow night primetime is critically important. It is. What he has to explain to the American People is the nature of the threat. And what he has told us originally was that air strikes in iraq were because of humanitarian reasons in protecting personnel in baghdad. If this has creeped over into air strikes in syria, for example, he has to explain to the American People why were doing this. I would also add in talking to folks at the white house, its not clear to me, they intend to ask for permission from congress. Theyre clearly going to consult with congress. But its their understanding from talking to lots of members that members arent exactly eager to vote on the use of military force this close to an election. What are you hearing . The same thing. I just came from capitol hill. And im hearing from top sources in both parties that theres no plan right now in the works to have a vote on an authorization for force, for more military strikes. And youre right, this is a classic case of what comes first, the chicken or the egg. And this is also a case where theyre sort of happening at the same time. Meaning the white house isnt going to ask for something its not going to get. And while there are some very powerful voices on capitol hill in both parties saying Congress Must have a role in this, you have as many voice, maybe more voices saying, wait, maybe we dont need a role, especially when were eight weeks before an election where any kind of vote on military action is dicey. And it depends, of course, on what the president actually asks for. How much budgetary information is he going to provide . How much more spending is this going to cost . And thats thats a different question. If you vote for more money, youre voting for the authorization of force. No question. But weve been hearing that he is going to reask for whats effectively a Counterterrorism Fund which hes asked for before and hasnt gotten. So if that is really an ask, that could be something that they debate. But it would be different legally from an authorization of force. But youre right, politically, practically, maybe not so much. The american taxpayers are going to spend a lot of money to try to destroy isis over the next three years. U. S. Taxpayers are spending a lot of money over the last 12 years to try to destroy al qaeda. Al qaeda is still around, as we know. Getting ready for the eve of 9 11. Not exactly sure why they think they can destroy isis in three years. Heres the question, will they seek special supplemental budgetary requests authorizing additional funds to go ahead and destroy isis . Thats the open question, whether or not weve been hearing it might be that fund which would be more money. We have dont know if its going to be a specific ask in this meeting right now or when he gives his speech tomorrow night congress is only in session for another two weeks. We havent heard Democratic Leaders coming out and saying, lets have a vote, we really need to have a Vote Congress has to appropriate it. But lets remember where we are right now. We are in a sprint for them to get in, get done, fund the government and get out of town. How many more days are they in session . Its flexible right now. But probably a week and a half. They want to get back home. If the u. S. Is about to go to war bigtime in syria and iraq and the u. S. Might be doing it, maybe congress should stay in session instead of going back on vacation. That would be a suggestion that perhaps the president ought to make if thats what he wants. And though technically its called recess. But if the country is about to go to war, maybe congress should stick around and get involved. I dont disagree. But as weve been talking about, there are very different opinions on how much congress should be involved. And there are some who think that ironically even some who say this is an imperial president , theyre putting it on the president now to be the leader on this and congress to recede a bit. And what youre probably going to hear from the president is somebody talking about, this is what hes going to do in concert with the allies. Yes, its going to take more money. This is not going to be a shortterm solution. This requires Due Diligence over a period of years. We eventually will wipe them out. If i come back to you and ask you for more money because my money has run out, would you do that for me you make a good point. There is a lot of punting going on right now on capitol hill. Its about time, if the country is about to risk american lives. Including fighter pilots, flying over not only iraq but maybe over syria which has a very strong antiaircraft missile system, the congress and the president has to do their jobs. Thanks very much, guys. Just ahead, well hear from a top democrat on the House Intelligence Committee about the president s isis plan. Congress adam schiff is standing by on capitol hill. Ill ask him what he thinks Congress Needs to do to authorize and fund these kinds of strikes. And the ravens ray rice banned from the nfl. Is this something the nfl should have done a whole lot earlier . Were taking a closer look. Moved some new cars. Hauled a bunch of steel. Kept the supermarket shelves stocked. Made sure everyone got their latest gadgets. Whats up for the next shift . Ah, nothing much. Just keeping the lights on. laugh nice. Doing the big things that move an economy. 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Call today to request your free decision guide and find the aarp Medicare Supplement plan to go the distance with you. Go long. President obama lays out his isis strategy for congressional leaders today and for the entire country indeed the world tomorrow night. What kind of support can he expect from the u. S. Congress and does the president need approval from the lawmakers to go ahead and escalate this war . The democratic congressman adam schiff is a key member of the House Select Committee on intelligence and joins us from capitol hill. Congressman, thanks very much for joining us. Let me pick up on what i was talking with dana and gloria about. You guys up on the hill, democrats and republicans, youre only supposed to stay in session for another two weeks or so before everyone goes back, starts campaigning, getting reelected. But if the country is about to go to war, dont you think Congress Needs to stay in town and get the job done, whatever it takes . Absolutely. And i think youre exactly right, wolf. We are really going to war. When the president talks about taking the offense against isis, what were really saying is were engaged in a longterm military campaign. The military part is only one piece of it. But clearly were going to be risking people, we already are. This is something we have a constitutional obligation to take up, to vote and to authorize. Weve moved well beyond the protection of american personnel in erbil or baghdad. But if youre contemplating widening that military engagement in iraq or going into syria, thats Something Congress really has to vote on. Former roll call authorizing this kind of operation. But a lot of your colleagues want to run away from that kind of sensitive vote as quickly as possible. Will the president seek such formal authorization based on what you know . My guess is that he wont ask for that. But that doesnt prevent us from taking it up ourselves. Were not a suitor has to be waited to be asked to the dance. We should take this up in congress. Its going to be tough to draft this. This is the challenge and probably why the president doesnt want to put all his eggs in the basket of the congressional authorization. Were a pretty dysfunctional lot, to put it mildly. But we should able to draft something that authorizes what hes doing already, which has broad support in the congress. And there will be a buyin with what the president announces tomorrow. Thats something that we should be able to draft. And i think we ought to stay as long as it takes to get that job done. There are few responsibilities more important in the congress of the United States than declaring war when thats necessary. And you know, congressman, its not going to be cheap. The u. S. Taxpayers spent over 1 billion getting rid of gadhafi in libya. Hasnt exactly turned out the way the u. S. And so many other countries would have liked. Its a horrible situation in libya right now. But its going to be expensive if theres no formal vote authorizing this escalation of the military campaign against terrorism in iraq and syria, there could be some specific votes appropriating additional funding. That would be one way to get around what you want, right . Well, i think thats probably the strategy the white house will employ. And that is theyll request the money from congress. And if we appropriate the money, they will say that congress has quite literally bought into this strategy. But i dont really think thats enough. If we dont do more, frankly congress has no one to blame but itself for the weakening of our institutional role in the checks and balances of our system and a real abdication on our part. We cant lay this at the feet of the president , although he has a role here. But this is fundamentally Congress Responsibility to declare war as well as to fund it. And given the long duration, were talking about a period of years here, talking about a military campaign that will go well into the next presidency, this is really incumbent on us to act. Congressman schiff, thanks very much for joining us. Thanks, wolf. The press secretary, josh earnest, is answering reporters questions. This is an Important Message about our priorities and our National Security does he plan to play out specifics of his plan to afternoon the president believes str g strongly in robust congressional consultation. Im confident that the president and the congressional leaders will have the kind of meeting that reflects the seriousness of the situation. But because that meeting hasnt started, i dont want to get ahead of any message the president may communicate in the context of that meeting. We are going to work at the conclusion of that meeting to give you at least some sense of the issues and priorities that were discussed in that meeting. Chairman mckeankeehan says h doesnt think theres time for congress to weigh in. What does the president think . I did not see those comments from congressman mckeehan. What ill say as a general matter, its hard to respond to directly to those comments as a general matter let me say that the president does believe in robust congressional consultation. Thats why the president is convening the meeting with the congressional leaders at the white house today. I would note that over the recess, the last five or six Weeks Congress has been out of town, its not prevented the president or members of his staff from communicating directly with members of congress about this conversation. In the last week alone, the president and his staff have consulted with dozens of members of congress from both parties about the situation in iraq and syria as it relates to isil. Senate and house staff have received classified briefings this week and all members of the house and senate will receive briefings from the administration on thursday in just a couple of days. I also know that the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees in the house and senate are convening hearings next week. I understand that secretaries hagel and kerry will be testifying before those committees next week. So that is an indication and just gives you a little snapshot of this administrations commitment to robust congressional consultation. He understands the congress has and should have a role as these important decisions are being made. And the president would certainly welcome support from members of Congress However they choose to show it for the steps that were taking to confront isil and mitigate the threat that they pose to american National Security interests and to the homeland. This is a priority because the president believes that when you have the executive branch and the legislative branch, democrats and republicans, bridging divides to present a united front both to our enemies but also to the International Community, it only strengthens the hand of our country as we confront those threats and makes it easier to build Strong International coalitions and makes it easier to unite our country as we take the steps that are necessary to confront this threat. So a congressional buyin as the president described it is very important. Its a priority and the president would certainly welcome the opportunity to have it. There he is, josh earnest, the White House Press secretary making an important statement. Adam schiff, the congressman from california, still with us. He was listening as all of us were listening. I want to get your reaction not only as a member hoff congress but as a member of the intelligence committee, congressman. What did you think . I think theyre still trying to take the temperature of the congressional leadership. Does the leadership want this taken up in congress, can they produce the votes . My guess is the president would like nothing mar than to have the president ratify in an authorization his ability to use force in these circumstances. But until he gets a sense of thats really doable, he doesnt want to completely rely on that. Hes not going to want to take the position that thats fully necessary. At the same time from my own point of view, it is a constitutional necessity and i hope we take it up. What about a simple congressional resolution of approval, if you will, for what the strategy is without going into all the specifics. Its not necessarily a formal authorization. Its not necessarily an appropriation. Its just a resolution of approval, nonbinding, if you will. Well, i think there are any number of ways that the congress can show its support for what the president is doing. It could be through a funding measure, it could be through a more generic resolution as youre talking about. The constitution gives us the power to declare war, but it doesnt prescribe how that declaration needs to be written. So it could be done a number of ways. My own feeling is if what were really talking about is an authorization to use force weve seen with the originally aumf from 2001 how if youre not careful, those terms can be broadened to include conflicts in places in the world against organizations that didnt even exist at the time, if you want to cabin the president , the way you do it is through a very specific authorization. Congressman schiff, thanks for joining us. Thanks, wolf. Up next, ray rice and the power of the videotape. Were taking a closer look at how it changed the mind of a professional Football Team and the whole league. If i told you that a free tensecond test could mean less waiting for things like security backups and file downloads youd take that test, right . What are you waiting for . You could literally be done with the test by now. Now you could have done it twice. This is awkward. Go to comcastbusiness. Com checkyourspeed. If we cant offer faster speeds or save you money well give you 150. Comcast business built for business. Next hour, the Vice President joe biden will be speaking at the national archives. The ceremony is commemorating the 20th anniversary of what he calls one of his proudest moments, passage of the violence against women act. Biden tweeted that that act, quote, changed the prevailing culture from a refusal to intervene to a responsibility to act. The Vice President says the Baltimore Ravens did the, quote, right thing when they released running back ray rice. Rice was dropped by the team and subsequently suspended indefinitely by the nfl after this video surfaced on tmz showing rice punching and knocking out his thenfiancee who is now his wife. The white house released this statement. Quote, the president is the father of two daughters and like any american, he believes that Domestic Violence is contemptible and unacceptable in a civilized society. S hitting of women is nothing something a real man does. Rice was already serving a ban for Domestic Violence. Rices wife posted this on her Instagram Account i woke up this morning feeling like i had a horrible nightmare, feeling like im mourning the death of my closest friend. But to have to accept the fact that its a reality is a nightmare in itself. No one knows the pain that the media and unwanted opinions from the public has caused my family. To make us relive a moment in our lives that we regret every day is a horrible thing. To take something away from the man i love that he has worked his blank off for all his life just to gain ratings is horrific. This is our life. What dont you all get . If your intentions were to hurt us, embarrass us, make us feel alone, take all happiness away, youve succeeded on so many levels. Just know we will continue to grow and show the world what real love is. Determination of rices contract will cost him nearly 10 million. Still collecting that 15 million signing bonus he got when he signed with the ravens. Lets bring in brian stelter, the host of cnns reliable sources our senior media correspondent. A lot of questions surrounding the release of this tape. Heres the latest statement, brian, from the nfl as to why they didnt see the video until this week. Quote, we requested from Law Enforcement any and all information about the incident, including any video that may exist. That video was not made available to us and no one in our office saw it until yesterday. That case was pretty much over and settled until the tape, as you know, did come out. So why did the tape the tmz release of this tape have such a profound why did tmz get this tape that apparently the ravens, the nfl didnt have . Well, for one thing, wolf, i think tmz was more motivated to see it. Tmz is sort of famous within the media for going to extreme lengths to get material, to get media. And what i mean by that is theyre willing to pay. This heralds back to the National Enquirer decades ago willing to pay sources. But tmz always focuses on trying to pay for video or audio or for images, for evidence that they can then publish. Tmz doesnt shy away from the fact that it does pay. Its part of the media eco system. Its willing to pay when others are not. And then the rest of the media climbs on board later and covers it later. We should mention tmz is owned by the same company that also owns cnn, time warner. Its a Sister Company to cnn although it is pretty separate. Ive been trying to talking to the operator of tmz and havent been able to get ahold of him today. But tmz is part of this media eco system and is willing to pay for material. I think it was just more motivated to get this material than the nfl was. This was done in an elevator in a resort in the casino. You know there are cameras almost everywhere, you go to these kinds of hotels, these kinds of rert sos. Wouldnt it have been normal for the nfl, wouldnt it have been normal for the Baltimore Ravens or for Law Enforcement in this particular case to say, we want to see the video from the elevator . You would expect so. Thats why people are so unsatisfied by the nfls latest statement. Tmzs come out and said they dont think the nfl ever went to the casino and asked for the tape. The nfl is saying they would have had to get it through the police. Thats why you talk about the idea of motivation. Tmz knew it was going to drive traffic to their website and attention to their brand. Its not the first time. Earlier this year, they were the ones that got that tape of the elevator altercation involving beyonce and her sister. They also broke the Donald Sterling story wide open. A lot of complaints about people from people in the media who say tmz shouldnt pay. But they are able to break news in a way others arent because they pay. I think thats why theyre part of this eco system that exists. Have they issued another Statement Today . There was word last night they had more evidence they were about to release today as far as the nfl, the Baltimore Ravens, what they knew, what they didnt know tmz came out and said they believe that the nfl never contacted the hotel, contacted the casino. That was their latest bit that theyve released. Theyre very good at letting stories roll out over time. That way that keeps tmz in the center of the story. This is just the latest example of the power of video. Imagine if there had been a Police Dashcam or a body carl on the officer that shot michael brown, a story that dominated the headlines for weeks, in part because we still dont know exactly what happened. On the other hand, ray rices now wife feels her privacy has been violated by tmz. Thats a point to keep in mind. Even though many, many people are watching this video and reacting to this video, she feels her privacys been violated by the release of it. Thats something thats been glossed over in some of the coverage. Do you think she might have a legal suit or a lawsuit against tmz for releasing the video . I would be very surprised. Tmz has never successfully been sued. That is one thing thats striking about their about the way they do their work. They might come right up to the line. But theyre very careful not to cross it. As a result, theyve never been successfully sued. Brian stelter, as always, thanks very much. Thanks. Still ahead, the u. S. Goes from the defense to the offense against isis. But what will it take to win the battle . Well examine the strategy. Thats coming up next. 4g lte d. No overages no contracts well even buy you out of yours. So make the switch today. This is holly. Her long day of Outdoor Adventure starts with knee pain. And a choice. Take 6 tylenol in a day or just 2 aleve for all day relief. Onward your studied day and night for her drivers test. Secretly inside, you hoped she wouldnt pass. The thought of your baby girl driving around all by herself was. You just werent ready. But she did pass. cause shes your baby girl. And now youre proud. A bundle of nerves proud. But proud. Get a discount when you add a newlylicensed teen to your Liberty Mutual insurance policy. Call to learn about our whole range of life event discounts. Newlywed discount. New College Graduate and retiree discounts. You could even get a discount when you add a car. Call Liberty Mutual for a free quote today at see Car Insurance in a whole new light. Liberty mutual insurance. Welcome back. Im wolf blitzer reporting from washington. Tomorrow night, 9 00 p. M. Eastern, the president is set to outline his new strategy for attacking the terror group isis. Also known as isil, while the Details Remain sketchy, the president did reveal this much in a recent interview. More than anything, i want the American People to understand the nature of the threat and how were going to deal with it and to have confidence that well be able to deal with it. Lets bring in brian todd. The president said his goal is to degrade, ultimately to destroy isis. But so far, the u. S. Hasnt targeted any of its leaders, the leaders of the islamic state, as its called, for assassination. Why is that . Reporter weve been pressing white house and pentagon officials on that over the past couple of days. The pentagon says the policy is that theyre conducting air strikes to protect u. S. Personnel and facilities, to support humanitarian efforts and to support iraqi forces that are acting in furtherance of the objective overall of helping isis. Thats their lane to protect u. S. Personnel and protect humanitarian missions, to protect iraqi forces. Then we asked why hasnt there been the policy from the getgo to mix in air strikes targeting the isis leaders among them . Why not make that part of the policy . Were trying to get answers now, wolf, right now from the white house. And that may be more of a question for the white house policymakers to answer this afternoon. That could all change tomorrow night when the president addresses the nation about a strategy for isis. The president has mentioned in past days and recent days the need to decimate isis, taking out isis leadership is part of that. But as far as why they havent tried to do that up to now, thats kind of a burning question. Some analysts say they may not have had quite good enough intelligence to really strike and conduct specific air strikes toward isis leaders. The Intelligence Community brushes back on that saying, our intelligence capability is good and is growing there. So theres a little bit of some vague policy and vague pronouncements on this as far as why they havent targeted isis from the getgo. Theres a little nuance there, too. Ive covered the National Security beat for a long time. Its one thing for the pentagon, the u. S. Military to say they havent been authorized to go ahead and engage in targeted killings of isis leaders. And the militarys been precise in that statement you just referred to. But what about the cia, the Intelligence Community . As you know in pakistan and elsewhere, its the cia very often who launches those drones and getz ahead and launches the missiles on taliban leaders. Reporter were pressing the cia and other intelligence agencies on that as well. But it has to often come from the white house itself to give the final order to actually target a specific leader. Thats been the case with osama bin laden, presumably with the al shabaab leader who was recently killed. Were trying to get answers on that. Why havent you targeted isis leader . Why not target them from the getgo . This could change tomorrow night when the president lays out the strategy and maybe some of the equation will change. But also maybe a reluctance to go into syria where al bagdadi might be hiding. Well all be waiting to hear what the president has to say tomorrow tonight. Up next, president obama, as you know, is ready to unveil his new antiisis strategy. The former National Security adviser to president obama, retired general james jones, hes here with me. Well discuss whats going on when we come back. And back when i wasnt eating right, she got me drinking boost. Its got a great taste, and it helps give me the nutrition i was missing. 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Com checkyourspeed. If we cant offer faster speeds or save you money well give you 150. Comcast business built for business. President obama will lay out his strategy to the American People tomorrow night, 9 00 p. M. Eastern, in a major address. Joining us now is retired u. S. Marine corps general james jones, the former supreme allied commander for europe and the also the National Security adviser to president obama. Thanks for coming in. This war on terror, ive always thought basically since 9 11, its almost like the war on drugs, the war on crime. Its never going to be completely won, if you will. Its just going to go on and on and on. Its going to take a long time. Three years to destroy isis. If the president and his aides think they can destroy isis and Al Qaeda Al Qaeda hasnt been destroyed since 9 11. They have various branches, al qaeda in the arabian peninsula, al qaeda in the maghreb. But theyre still something the u. S. Has to worry about. And whats really changed is the International Community has also wakened up to the fact that they have to be involved in this. This is not a bipolar world anymore. Its multilateral. Everybody has to get in this. Where al qaedas concerned, its certainly been defeated and degraded at times. But lookalike organizations crop up. Even if you get al baghdadi, the leader of isis, if you kill him, say you kill him, some other guy is going to jump up and take over. Yeah, until you really get at the longterm issues here with regard to the future of how various countries are going to live and Work Together, whether its the islamic world and the rest of the world and the like. But it has the strategic the longterm strategic goals have to be laid out in such a way that we realize theres more than just military aspects here that have to be solved. This is one thats imminent. But longterm economic plans, education, diplomacy, cultural assimilation, all those things have to be factored in the longterm goal that will convince people that theres a better way to live on this planet. Thats going to take an enormous amount of work. Not going to be resolved in three years. Take us behind the scenes. You were there not annual as the nato supreme al lied commander buzz the president s National Security adviser. He has to authorize the targeted killing of a terrorist leader, is that right . Yes. Its one thing for the military as the u. S. Military did against the al shabaab leader in somalia, launching missiles from drones. ] Fighter Aircraft overhead, they killed him. Its another thing for the cia to do similar operations as opposed to the military. Whats the difference if the president authorizes the cia to kill a terrorist as opposed to the u. S. Marine corps or the army or the navy hopefully the effect is the same. Hopefully well be successful. But generally speaking at least up to now with regard to iraq, theres been a fairly welldefined lanes of operation between the cia and the military . I think so. Explain. I think the cia generally operates covertly and clandestinely. The military is more in the white world, except for the special forces sometimes. So it kind of depends what tools you have, where they are, whats available and its not to say that they dont Work Together as well because in the raid to kill osama bin laden, it was a s. E. A. L. Raid, special forces. But the whole Community Works very well together. Thats one of the things that if i were an isis leader, i would be thinking very hard about because when the president gives the word, it will be a formidable capability that we launch against this organization and perhaps against them. I have to assume all those top leaders of isis right now are worried the United States is going to try to kill them. I would be very worried about that. I would be shocked if the president decided not to do that. In other words, if the president knew where al baghdadi was or who the executioner of those two american journalists, where they were i assume the president quickly would say, go ahead, kill them. Well, after the evidence of two beheadings on television which really galvanized the world against them, i would be very surprised if that isnt done at some point. General, thanks very much for coming in. Lets continue this conversation. Thank you. Up next, we have the initial report on what brought down flight mh17 over eastern ukraine. Richard quest is standing by to explain. Why it doesnt assign blame for the crash. Youre driving along, having a perfectly nice day, when out of nowhere a pickup truck slams into your brand new car. One second it wasnt there and the next second. Boom youve had your first accident. Now you have to make your first claim. So you talk to your Insurance Company and. Boom youre blindsided for a second time. They wont give you enough money to replace your brand new car. Dont those people know youre already shaken up . Liberty mutuals new car replacement will pay for the entire value of your car plus depreciation. Call and for drivers with accident forgiveness, Liberty Mutual wont raise your rates due to your first accident. Switch to Liberty Mutual insurance and you could save up to 423 dollars. Call Liberty Mutual for a free quote today at see Car Insurance in a whole new light. Liberty mutual insurance. This just coming in the released running back ray rice now speaking out, speaking to espn. Rice saying, and im quoting now. Good spirits after being suspended. He says hes in good spirits after being suspended by the nfl over the video. Showing him punching his now wife then fiancee. Listen to what he said. I called ray rice this morning and spoke very briefly when i was able to ask him how he was doing. He said to me, i have to be strong for my wife. Shes so strong. Were in good spirits, we have a lot of people praying for us. And well continue to support each other. And then after that, he added, i have to be there for my family right now and work through this. After we talked briefly, he actually handed the phone off to his wife. And we were able to chat. And she told me, look, i love well, we lost the end of that part. But you get the gist of what he said. That was rice ray rice speaking to Josina Anderson of espn. Much more coming up on that story in the next hour. The preliminary report, meanwhile, is out on the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight 17 shot down in july. Cnn aviation correspondent Richard Quest is joining us. What is the bottom line . What does the report say, richard . That the plane was struck by those highenergy objects which came from outside the aircraft. They ripped into the forward parts of the fuselage, caused the plane to break up in midair with the forward section falling immediately where the plane was. And the other part of the plane continuing to travel on. It is an awful prospect of what it was like, except in one respect that which happened happened fast. There is no warning, no may day, no distress call. The plane was shot out of the sky. We all assume it was a surface to air missile. Why cant they say that . Because its the job of this investigation to not to apportion blame and only to give on the facts. They havent managed to get any of the fuselage yet. They can see how the metal has been bent, the indentations, the sort of penetrations. But what they havent got is the metal itself. They are expecting to get it, but this is a war zone at the moment as youve been reporting. Until they can get coordinated response in there, theyre not going to be able to say exactly what sort of missile it was. If, indeed, they ever do. This is as good as saying someone shot the plane down. And they certainly dont say who was responsible for launching that missile or whatever it was. That area where the plane went down, its still an awful, awful scene, right . Not only is it horrific, it is exactly as it was then. Because there have been limited number of people who have been able to go in, but theres been nothing like the large scale recovery operation to get the pieces. I saw this morning the pictures that we were showing. Compare them to what it was like there. Same bits of engines. Same bits of fuselage, same bits of aircraft. Nothing has moved in the two months since the plane was shot down. Richards going to be back later today in the situation room and well have more on this story, what an awful story it has been, richard. Thanks very much for joining us. Thank you. And ill be back later today. 5 00 p. M. Eastern, another twohour edition of the situation room. In the meantime, cnn newsroom will begin with brooke baldwin. Jim, heres 2 off one a day multivitamins to get key nutrients you may need. Go to oneaday. Com for savings. Research suggests cell health plays a key role throughout our lives. One a day mens 50 is a complete multivitamin designed for mens Health Concerns as we age. With 7 antioxidants to support cell health. One a day mens 50 plus. Woman what do you mean, Homeowners Insurance doesnt cover floods . [ heart rate increases ] man a few inches of water caused all this . [ heart rate increases ] woman 2 but i dont even live near the water. What you dont know about Flood Insurance may shock you including the fact that a preferred risk policy starts as low as 129 a year. For an agent, call the number that appears on your screen. And here we go. Youre watching cnn, im brooke baldw baldwin. For the next hour, we are focusing on the fire storm surrounding the nfl. One of its players and Domestic Violence in america. But before we begin, i want to make sure were all clear. Make no mistake, ray rice wasnt fired for beating his then fiancee, knocking her unconscious, dragging her body without regard. No, ray rice was fired because video of that existed. And you, america, saw it. And that alone is the new outrage. I do deeply regret the role i played in the incident that night. But