Transcripts For MSNBCW Weekends With Alex Witt 20141012

Welcome to weekends with alex witt. New alarm today. After a second patient has been positive in texas. The new patient is a Health Care Worker who helped treat Thomas Eric Duncan, the ebola patient who died last week. Procedures werent followed. Clearly, there was a breach in protocol. We have the ability to prevent the spread of ebola by carrying safety for patients. In dallas, texas, of course, with more on this breaking story. Tell us exactly what we know about this Health Care Worker who got infected, and who is it . Reporter well, alex, weve learned this Health Care Worker is a woman who in treating duncan had repeated close contact with him. Now, so far, shes not been able to identify specifically when this breach in protocol occur d occurred. She was 1 of 19 Health Care Workers being asked to selfmonitor signs or symptoms of possible exposure. She reported a fever on friday. Within 90 minutes, she was inside the hospital, in isolation and being tested. Those test results came back in, the preliminary test results last night positive for ebola. The cdc is working to confirm them right now. We have the results of those later today. Okay. Which means, youve got a second patient and potential for exposure to others. Whats the hospital and the city of dallas doing about that . Reporter well, step number one is identifying anyone this person had contact with who may have possibly been exposed while they were symptommatic. Only a person who is actively showing symptoms of ebola is infectious. Right now, they think only one person was in contact with this Health Care Worker while they had those symptoms. That person is in isolation right now. They, themselves, are not showing any fever or any other possible signs of ebola exposure. The apartment believed to belong to this Health Care Worker is being decontaminated right now. Hazmat crews on the scene overnight and early this morning, they began notifying neighbors to what was going on. We have knocked on every door in that block and talked to every Single Person that came to the door. Explained what has happened, and what we have done so they will not be afraid of the hazmat unit. Crews have also decontaminated the Health Care Workers car which is here at the hospital. Theyre working on decontaminating any surfaces, railings, anything that might have been exposed. For now, the emergency room here not accepting patients, alex, as they focus on this new case. This second ebola patient here at the hospital. Sarah, is Texas Health Presbyterian offering up an explanation as to how this happened . Well, so far, no. No explanation. You heard there, the cdc saying it was a breach of protocol and they yet havent identified exactly what that breach was. We know this Health Care Worker was in full protective gear and supposedly following cdc protocols while treating mr. Duncan. This is going to be key right here. How someone who was following the protocol and wearing the gear where this slipup occurred that resulted in infection. Thank you so much from dallas, texas. Theres a bit more now from dr. Daniel varga, the chief clinical officer as to how events unfolded in this latest case. The care giver notified the hospital of imminent arrival and was immediately admitted to the hospitals isolation room. We are also continuing to monitor all staff who had some relation to mr. Duncans care, even if they are not assumed to be a significant risk of infection. Dr. Richard carmona joins me now. Welcome back to the broadcast. The fact that the first person in the u. S. Wit with ebola transmitted it to a Health Care Worker who was wearing the protective gears. Are those facts alarming to you . Protocol was breached. Well, good morning, and nice to be with you again, alex. My colleague, dr. Frieden who runs the cdc is correct. In order for that person to be infected, the protocol must have been breached. There are a number of ways that happens. Gloves werent placed on correctly. A mask there wasnt eye protection, blood drawing. So what you have to do now is go back and look specifically at how that person interacted with anybody who was infected. And were those protocol where was the break in the protocol . Otherwise, you cant get the infection. Another alarming note from the cdc director. He told cbs, in fact, all of Thomas Duncans care givers how many might they be in contact with here . Where does it stop . Well, if anybody who is in contact with an ebola patient and takes to proper precautions, they are not at risk. But when the protocol has been broken, and i think probably dr. Friedens referring to if one nurse or one female person who was interacting with this patient got it. Was there anybody else who didnt follow the propertocol . I think that has to be looked at carefully. When you talk about the circle of people. These Health Care Workers, at least 19, i believe at one count, theyve gone home to their family, they may have children, those kids go to school, theyre with other children in classroom, parents pick the kids up, theres play dates. You go to the grocery store, the bank. Theres a huge potential number of people that are affected. Is this a virus that can permeate all these different circles of contact . Is it that strong . No. Thats not the case. The fact is that studies have shown that if you have the proper personal protective equipment and follow the guidelines that cdc has put out that you will not be at risk. But you must adhere very, very specifically to these guidelines. Even though all of those Health Care Workers even though they are adhering to the guidelines are told that if you dont feel well, if you have a fever, youre to report to your physician right away. And theyre being monitored. Just to make sure. Because they are a unique group of people that are exposed. But if they follow the proper protocols, they should not get ebola. You know, doctor. Emmanuel wn the program. And he talked about a vulnerable time in his mind, when Thomas Eric Duncan was is that a place where you think theres a vulnerability . He suggested when you get to end of life as he clearly was, he may have crossed over that certain line from which he would not come back, that should not that particular procedure should not be followed in an ebola patient. Well, it really depends. Zeke is correct that is a highrisk procedure because theres a lot of mucous. Hands are in the mouth trying to place a tube. But as far as the need for that, when a patient requires respiratory support, they need a tube. But there are policies and procedures in place to be able to do it seamlessly without exposing themselves if they follow the policies and procedures. If all of these Health Care Workers followed protocol, but theyre saying clearly someone must have not. Is there a chance this virus could be airborne . Well, the transmissability is really through the exchange of fluids. And its not like a common cold. So if somebody coughs in your face, if somebody is drawing blood and the blood gets on their body and they have cuts and they have bruises. They have open skin. Thats a more likely way, which is why its very important to follow the policies and procedures that eye protection is worn, body protection, gloves and all of this material is exposed, disposed of appropriately. Theres a transition room when you change clothes and go to the outside, that nothing goes with you that was inside the room. Its really pretty detailed. And if theyre followed, there really is no chance of getting ebola. The Texas Department of state Health Services says we knew a second case could be a reality. We are broadening our team in dallas and working with extreme diligence to prevent further spread. Are there expectations of more people . Especially those with whom Thomas Eric Duncan was, perhaps, staying or anyone else that came in contact with him . At this point, theres not any expectations. But certainly, the guard is up as my colleague dr. Frieden has spoken about from cdc, that anybody that came in touch with mr. Duncan after he was symptomatic, when he had a fever, they had to be looked at closely depending on the type of contact. And i know that work has been done. Theres not an expectation, but we cannot become complacent because we know the incubation period could be as far out as three weeks. We must be able to observe those people in an isolated location to ensure theyre not infected and have the potential of infecting someone else. Dr. Richard carmona, nice to see you. Thanks, alex. Nice be with you. New video has emerged today where kurdish fighters are battling against an isis assault. This footage released by a proisis group and not independent verified shows the heavily armed militants fighting street to street and house to house. And afterwards, the destruction a city of rubble engulfed in flames. Now, overhead, planes continued their Bombing Campaigns today as well as yesterday, conducting three air strikes. Today, the situation is iraqs Anbar Province. An ied attack killed the provinces Police Commander a day after officials there begged for International Help. On this mornings meet the press, susan rice was asked if the white house strategy is working. It cant be judged by one particular town or region. This is going to take time. And the American People need to understand that our aim here is longterm degradation. Joining us now is nbc news chief correspondent Richard Engel. Hello. Leaders are calling for urgent help. They say without more air strikes, without movement from perhaps even the iraqi army which has been able to do much against isis, that many more parts could fall to isis. And that would mean a large chunk of territory right on the doorstep of baghdad that is completely in the hands of isis. There are concerns that baghdad, the airport itself are once again in isis crosshairs. In another part of this front against isis, the town of kobani. A small city under attack by isis. A u. N. Official says that unless there is assistance given to the defenders of kobani could be overrode by isis. And hundreds perhaps more than hundreds could be massacred. A u. N. Envoy said unless something happens, there could be another was the massacre that was the worst massacre of civilians in europe since world war ii. An ominous threat, ominous warning. A war that so far is not impacting turkey. And turkey is the country that could have the biggest impact to potentially save kobani or turn the tide of the battle. Turkish tanks and troops are a few hundred yards away from kobani, but not have been taking any action. Thank you so much for that report. In the news now, a 21monthold toddler has become the first person to die of virus d68 in michigan. The Childrens Hospital said Madeline Reid died on friday. A 4yearold boy died of that virus last week in new jersey. Enterovirus has sickened people across 46 states, most of them children. Tonight, new jersey will hold a vigil in support of the alleged victims in the towns High School Football scandal. About 2,000 people have been invited to attend. The Police Department are investigating reports of sexual assaults in the locker room. Seven players have been charged and arrested. The football schedule has been canceled for the season. Attorneys for accused Boston Marathon bomber could be shaping a defense to prove he was bullied into the 2013 attack. They want to enter evidence proving that he knew his older brother was the killer in a 2011 triple homicide cold case. Defense attorneys believe this evidence is critical to their claim. The late brother pressured him into the bombing. His trial begins in january. Hundreds of air strikes later and isis continues to gain ground in iraq. Ahead, ill ask a retired army general if the u. S. Strategy is working and what our next steps could be. receptionist Gunderman Group. Gunderman group is growing. Getting in a groove. Growth is gratifying. Goal is to grow. Gotta get greater growth. I just talked to ups. They got expert advise, special discounts, new technologies. Like smart pick ups. Theyll only show up when you print a label and its automatic. We save time and money. Time . Money . Time and money. Awesome. Awesome awesome awesome awesome all awesome i love logistics. 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Several of the strikes hit isis targets in Anbar Province where officials issued a desperate plea just yesterday. In a new interview, Martin Dempsey was asked if isis is now within striking distance of baghdad. Isis is blending in to parts of the disenfranchised sunni population. So for indirect fire, the answers yes. Heretofore, weve been successful, mostly the iraqis have been successful in keeping them out of range. But i have no doubt there will be days when they use indirect fire into baghdad. Joining me now, retired general montgomery megs who served in the first iraq war. Good to see you, general, thanks for joining me. Good to be here. Baghdad, do you think its in danger of falling . And if it does, how devastating is that. Baghdad goes under the hand of isis. You have one of the historical and cultural capitals of the muslim world in the hands of a very nasty organization. But, remember, the majority of people in baghdad are shia, not sunni. And iran has a very strong interest in the shia population in iraq. If theres any threat of isis getting into baghdad, you will see the guard in a clandestine way. And they will be working with the organizations. I dont think isis is going to take that one on until theyve done all the rest of the work to tie up iraq. Okay. So temporarily, then, you think its okay at this point. Lets talk about the u. S. It began its campaign a couple of months ago. Conducted 265 strikes in that time. But today, officials in the Anbar Province say they are in danger of falling. Isis has taken several army bases as you know. So the question is, is the u. S. Strategy working . In the shortterm, no. If isis could be allowed to attack with impunity and exploit success, your shortterm losses may obviate the opportunity for longterm gain. And im going back to a statement by a Government Official earlier today. If it takes too long to get a coalition of nations that count, too long to contain isis, you will lose the sunni leadership in iraq who will have to start making deals so their tribes can survive. That is not success. The u. S. Is conducting 379 of 436 air strikes in syria, which is 80 of the strikes overall. Does the u. S. Want the partner countries to take on a bigger share of the fight . Or is it a case of just trusting your own guys more to get the job done . No, i think its been the president stated, you know, they want this 40nation coalition to work. Its just that the deadline for that is way past the area of opportunity that isis enjoys now. So you want a Strong International coalition. Theres no doubt about that. Its just taking too long to put it together. And turkeys a special case because we need turkey in the coalition, but turkeys First Priority is getting rid of assad. And the second priority is taking care of the kurds who, quite frankly, ran a very nasty insurgency in turkey, which included tricks like getting on buses, taking all the soldiers off. Theres got to be a way to approach turkey that makes it clear thats not going to happen again. Who knows what arrangements we can make. You talk about turkey in a couple of perspectives there and their involvement and lack thereof. They dont seem to have a lot of friends insight. But youve got isis now knocking on their door, right there in kobani. But they have left their borders wide open to isis to transfer men, transfer guns, transfer oil. Whose side is turkey really only. Turkeys on turkeys side as they see it. This is the home of the empire. This is a longterm powerful force in the muslim sunni era. They have strong interests in what happens in syria and what happens with the kurds. And to them, i think, that comes first and we need to get through that so we can actually enlist them in the campaign and have them stop allowing the isis to sell oil at a profit for crying out loud. And the flow of foreign fighters into isis. Theyve got to stop that. General, something i know youre familiar with, the apache helicopters, the u. S. Is using them in iraq. General Martin Dempsey said this morning said they were needed to defend the baghdad airports. First of all, how exposed are these apache helicopters . Is this a necessary risk . Well, i think its a necessary risk. And the fact of the matter is, the apache is a very, very powerful platform when used with its operational safety zone with the systems that support it. We have to be very careful about that and where the apaches go home for home base, which i assume there is in the Large International airport in baghdad. You heard general dempsey mention indirect fires. If isis can get long range fires and put them on the airstrip, thats a major problem. All right. Now, some of the bunkers still remain that saddam had that you could put the apaches in, that would alleviate things so much, but i think the air force did a job of cleaning those out. Thanks much. Good to be on the air with you, alex. The new york city subway system got creepier. What one man is stealing from women to sure to knock your socks off. [ male announcer ] united is rolling out global, satellitefed wifi to connect you even 35,000 feet over the ocean. Thats. Wifi friendly. Thats. Wifi friendly. Come from all walks of life. If you have high blood sugar, ask your doctor about farxiga. Its a different kind of medicine that works by removing some sugar from your body. Along with diet and exercise, farxiga helps lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. With one pill a day, farxiga helps lower your a1c. 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Ask your doctor about farxiga and visit our website to learn how you may be able to get every month free. Dad,thank you mom for said this oftprotecting my future. You. Thank you for being my hero and my dad. Military families are uniquely thankful for many things, the legacy of usaa Auto Insurance could be one of them. If youre a current or former military member or their family, get an Auto Insurance quote and see why 92 of our members plan to stay for life. Police are investigating yet another oddity in new york city subways. A thief with an apparent foot fetish has been yanking womens shoes off their feet. The man approaches women from behind while they climb the stairs, rips off their shoes and then runs away. As if thats not strange enough, officers have noticed the man has a preference for the right shoe and sneakers are especially irresistible to him. Yep, only in new york. A roster of bigname performers is set to take the stage as part of a protest to mark two months since the Michael Brown shooting. Were going to go to st. Louis next. Here i am. Rock you like a hurricane. Fiber one now makes cookies. Find them in the cookie aisle. Yyou think it smellspet fine, but your guests smell this. Eliminate odors youve gone noseblind to with febreze fabric refresher. Smells good. So you and your guests can breathe happy. Suddenly youre a mouth breather. A mouth breather how do you sleep like that . You dry up, your cold feels even worse. Well, put on a breathe right strip and shut your mouth. Cold medicines open your nose over time, but add a breathe right strip, and pow it instantly opens your nose up to 38 more so you can breathe and do the one thing you want to do. Sleep. Add breathe right to your cold medicine. Shut your mouth and sleep right. Breathe right. Welcome back to weekends with alex witt. To california where a man has been arrested and charged with arson for allegedly starting a fire that destroyed 150 homes. 24yearold ronald beau marshall will be held on 250,000 in connection with the september incident which became known as the bowls fire. In maine, one person is dead, 22 injured after a hay ride overturned saturday night. A 17yearold girl was among two people who were badly hurt after the driver of the jeep pulling that flat bed missed a turn and then flipped down a steep hill. U. S. Secretary of state john kerry announcing 212 million in additional aid to the reconstruction of gaza today. During a diplomatic meeting in cairo, kerry said the Palestinian People need our help desperately. This brings the u. S. Contribution in gaza to more than 400 million. And in dallas, a nurse who cared for Thomas Eric Duncan at the Presbyterian Hospital has tested positive for the ebola virus. Reported a fever late friday, immediately isolated. Anyone with contact with the worker will be monitored closely for symptoms. The positive results after a preliminary test and the cdc is conducting an exam. Well get the results later on today. Susan rice addressed the crisis in a new interview on this mornings meet the press. And joining me now, White House Correspondent kristen welker. Good day to you. The first case of ebola contracted inside the u. S. How is the white house reacting . Reporter well, alex, Obama Administration officials are echoing what we heard from the cdc. Which they are incredibly concerned about this case of ebola. This second case, as you say, the first case to be transmitted inside the United States. We know that president obama was briefed by one of his top advisers earlier today. As you pointed out, National Security adviser susan rice addressed this crisis on meet the press with chuck todd. She said other countries need to do more to help fight ebola in west africa. Take a listen to what she had to say. No, they havent done enough. And we are pushing very hard for everybody to do more. This is going to take all hands on deck because the goal has to be to contain this epidemic in the three countries that weve seen in west africa to try to prevent its spread and to provide the appropriate care to those that need it. Alex, i asked a Senior Administration official what specifically is the administration asking of other countries. That official wouldnt get into specifics about which countries they are talking to but said theyre asking several countries for more help. Providing things like help setting up treatment centers, supplies and, of course, health care officials. And we know that the United States has sent 3,200 u. S. Forces over to west africa to help fight ebola there. The Administration Says the key to ending this is to containing it in west africa and to dealing with the crisis there. The outbreak that has claimed so many lives. Alex . Kristen welker, thank you so much from the white house. New today, protesters in missouri demanding justice in the shooting death of Michael Brown are preparing for possible widespread arrests tomorrow with several demonstrators planning to engage in nonviolent civil disobedience. Crowds are gathering for day three of what organizers are calling a weekend of resistance following another night of marches and standoff. Two months after Michael Brown was fatally shot by a white police officer. Were marching all night long. Were young, were strong, were marching all night long. A few dozen protests outside Busch Stadium in st. Louis. In the first game of the National League championship series. And joining me now from st. Louis. Always good to see you. It is day three now of this weekend of resistance. Talk about the scene right now and whats planned for today. Today started with meeting of women, a womans only caucus talking about the importance of women in movements like this. Now theres also going to be a meeting where people are going to be trained for civil disobedience tomorrow. Theres supposed to be multiple actions of civil disobedience. Theres trainings going on, preparing people for that. Theres also a concert with several hip hop artists. A local artist at the rally yesterday, hosting it. And theres also a large inner faith meeting. So people are kind of gearing up and talking about why theyre here and talking about what theyre doing here. Right. Everything gets underway, i think about an hour and a half from now. Its going to be a long day. There were a few protests last night. You were at the ferguson Police Department. What did you see happen . What are you hearing about what happened any place else . There was a long march from where Michael Brown was shot to the Ferguson Police station. Their people got into the faces of Police Officers. They were telling Police Officers kind of their frustrations. Talking about police brutality. Telling them they should stop killing people. Thats kind of what happened at that police station. There was some dancing, also,nn. And i think a lot of people then got kind of angry. Thats when you saw a few dozen protesters move over to the shaw neighborhood where myers was killed. And there im being told about 100 protesters sat down and wouldnt move. Police are saying they threw rocks, but the organizers are saying the protesters did not throw rocks. What happened there, mace was used and protesters were dispersed by police in riot gear. Organizers say theyre anticipating these widespread intentional arrests tomorrow, the protesters are planned to engage in nonviolent civil disobedience. What are you hearing about that . Any word on what exactly is planned . Reporter its all being kept kind of secret. Its really by design. They dont want to tip police off to what theyre doing. Theyve only told me there are going to be multiple acts of civil disobedience all over the city. Its not just going to be in fergus ferguson, its going to be all over the place. Its going to be a mixture. The faith group and the clergy and the young activists. Its up in the air. Not for us, i think in the media, as to where we should be. But the activists are a good idea of what they want to accomplish tomorrow. Okay. Thank you so much as always. Lets go from there to politics. Vote 2014. And control of the senate hangs in the balance with several tight races getting even closer. Lets bring in the Washington Bureau chief susan page. Welcome, susan. Hey, alex. When you look at the election with the seasoned eye. Whats at stake . Well, control of the u. S. Senate is i think the big prize on election night. And big consequences for president obama and the final two years of his term. If he ends up with a Republican Senate and Republican House, that will change the dynamic in town or make it in some ways more difficult. Maybe in some ways easier for him to get things done. You think therell be policies overturned . Well, i think hell have to with a republicancontrolled senate, which is what we now look like we will probably have. But likely we will have a Republican Senate. I think the congress will take up things like the keystone xl pipeline, for instance. Pass them, president obama to veto or sign. Also might happen with some policies involving the Affordable Care act. There have been a lot of things that the Republican House has passed the last four years. The senate has bottled it up. President obama may no longer have that kind of protective shield after november. Are. Okay. Im going to ask if youre a betting woman at the end of this. You said probably. Id love a number on that. I want to get specific with the states. Youre right about the Close Senate Race in North Carolina. Thats in the latest article. And in the usa today poll, shows kay hagan is leading by two points. And youve written that democrats are very disappointed because they thought senator hagan was beginning to pull away from the challenger. Whats happened there . Thats right. A couple of races that have gotten closer. Some the republican have been leading. The race in iowa where the republicans, now looks like its very close. The same thing has happened in North Carolina and the other direction. Some democrats said their own polling was showing. And not a really big lead, but five or six point lead for kay hagan. We didnt find that. Found a race is essentially tied. Those are the two states plus colorado where i think were likely to see control of the senate colorado, iowa, North Carolina, those are the three places to watch first and foremost, i think, on election night. I also want to take a look at kentucky with you. Thats a big one were watching. Allison grimes, shes been leading. But last week when she refused to answer whether she voted for president obama. Many described it as a painful 40 seconds. This nonanswer, do you think its going to affect the outcome in kentucky . Welm, i think the questions about her campaign generally are affecting her are raising some questions about her seasoned whether shes seasoned as a candidate. There was that incident she a o also there have been some other things that have happened with her campaign that have raised some questions. What is amazing, though, this race is still contested at all. The Senate Republican leader were talking about in a red state in a republican leading state if that race is still very close. If you were betting, youd probably bet on mitch mcconnell. Before i get to leon panettas situation with his book, you said betting, probably the senate goes gop. Percentage, whats the likelihood do you think . Well, i dont know. Better than even. But not for sure. Yeah. So that may not be very satisfying. Perhaps youre trying to lay a bet on this. Im not sure i can help you with that. Im going to put you at 51 . Thats a safe number to get with you right now. Leon panetta, his criticism of president obama and his new book, the only person he really is not critical of is Hillary Clinton. So talk about whats behind that. And do you think its driven by the election two years from now . Well, it could be, leon panetta has been a supporter of the campaign the last time around. We would expect him to be a supporter in 2016 if she decides to run. That might be part of it. You also need to remember he and Hillary Clinton were aligned on a bunch of big issues against president obama. They didnt carry the day when the president made the decision on arming Syrian Rebels two years ago. But they were on the same side. I think its probably natural she comes off pretty well in his memoir just as he came off pretty well in her memoir. Maybe something to keep in mind. Okay. Susan page, come see us again soon. Thanks, alex. A heartbreaking message of the parents of a Young American kept captive by isis. Americans drink 48 billion bottles of water every year. Thats enough plastic bottles to stretch around the earth 230 times. Each brita filter can replace 300 of those. Clean. Clear. Brita water. Nothing is better. Here we go, here we go, here we go. Fifty omaha set hut losing feeling in my toes nothing beats that new car smell chicken parm you taste so good nationwide is on your side mmm mmm mmm mm mmm mm mmmmmm receptionist Gunderman Group is growing. Getting in a groove. Growth is gratifying. Goal is to grow. Gotta get greater growth. I just talked to ups. They got expert advise, special discounts, new technologies. Like smart pick ups. Theyll only show up when you print a label and its automatic. We save time and money. Time . Money . Time and money. Awesome. Awesome awesome awesome awesome all awesome i love logistics. My motheits delicious. Toffee in the world. So now weve turned her toffee into a business. My goal was to take an idea and make it happen. Im janet long and i formed my Toffee Company through legalzoom. I never really thought i would make money doing what i love. We created legalzoom to help people start their business and launch their dreams. Go to legalzoom. Com today and make your business dream a reality. At legalzoom. Com we put the law on your side. Oats go wow go power oats go go power yayyyy your customers, our financing. Your aspirations, our analytics. Your goals, our technology. Introducing synchrony financial, bringing new meaning to the word partnership. Banking. Loyalty. Analytics. Synchrony financial. Enagage with us. The parents of isis hostage have come forward today. He was seized by isis in Eastern Syria a year ago this month while delivering food and medical aid. Today, his parents ed and paula have a simple message of hope and love for their only son Whose Mission they say has always been to serve others. Im hoping that he will somehow hear of this and of other conversations weve had or other times weve spoken in public. That way hell know that we havent forgotten him. We havent abandoned him, and we certainly do love him. Joining me now is tom portias of human rights watch. Its so hard to listen to these parents. And short of some miraculous rescue mission, can anything be done to free kassig and the other hostages . That is a tragic message. And judging by recent events, i think its going to be very difficult. There was an effort to free the hostages back in the summer. And as we know, that failed. And now, isis is executing the hostages it holds one by one in a very deliberate way in order to promote their propaganda. Its very tragic. How are most of these western hostages captured, tom . Are they betrayed by fixers . Do they just run into the wrong road block . I mean, are they tracked from the start . Well, its a combination of those things. Its very dangerous. And i think that media organizations and humanitarian organizations have a responsibility to their staff to do all they can to keep them safe. Lets not forget, its not just western journalists and aid workers who are being targeted, its anyone whom isis doesnt like. And, of course, they use the western ones to maximum effect for their propaganda when they capture them. But what needs to be done is for humanitarian organizations and media organizations to really have a plan whenever they send their staff anywhere where, you know, theres danger. One of the risks. How do you mitigate them . And so on. And if its too dangerous, they shouldnt go. Do they think any of these groups can operate safely in syria at this point . Well, i think that certain people are more vulnerable than others. Obviously westerners are more vulnerable. But thats not to say that local people arent vulnerable, as well. Local hostages and journalists. 67 journalists have been killed in syria since the beginning of the war in 2011 in the course of doing their job. Many of those are locals. But, of course, some are foreigners. And its not just isis that is responsible. My my former friend and colleague was killed by in 2012 by indiscriminate attacks by the Syrian Government forces. Yep. We ran over that and were sorry for that loss. Is the u. S. Doing enough to try to free the hostages, in your opinion . Really, i dont know. We dont know where theyre being held. They did make this one attempt. Its very difficult. And now, of course, probably with air strikes going on, its even more difficult to determine where theyre being held and so on. I cant answer that question. Okay. How about this, paying ransom, what is human rights watchs stance on that . You know, we dont really have a stance on paying ransom. I mean, clearly if its the case that paying a ransom is simply going to make it more dangerous for other journalists and aid workers, that is a problem that needs to be taken into account. But i think the main responsibility lies with the organizations themselves. Media organizations and humanitarian organizations to do whatever they can to keep their staff as safe as possible. But, i mean, you know, these are risky jobs. And what i find encouraging is the determination on the part of humanitarian workers and journalists to really redouble their efforts and do their job. Its always been dangerous to do this kind of thing in war zones. And, you know, i salute the courage of my colleagues and journalists and humanitarian workers who actually do put their lives onli the line in orr to help people. Very brave, bold and accomplished people. Thank you very much. Tom, we appreciate your time from human rights watch. Thank you. All of you can see much more of the interview with peter kassigs parents tomorrow on the today show. The Voting Rights battle rages on. The Supreme Court issued a slew of decisions that could affect you on voting day. Hey morning hank. For people who dont have allergies every day, just on allergy days. sneeze new qlearquil. The powerfully effective, take it only when you need it, so you can be you again, allergy medicine. Boo haha. All right, see you buddy and introducing qlearquil nighttime, the new allergy medicine for night. Qlearquil, powerful sinus and allergy medicine from the makers of vicks nyquil and dayquil. The setting is perfect. You know what . Plenty of guys have this issue, not just getting an erection, but keeping it. Well, viagra helps guys with ed get and keep an erection. And you only take it when you need it. Good to know, right . If ed is stopping what you started. Ask you doctor about viagra. 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The ruling could mean some 13. 6 million registered texas voters wont be needing 1 of 7 kinds of photo i. D. S to vote. The Supreme Court delivered a slew of rulings that could be interpreted as mixed. For ohio, the Supreme Court blocked a Lower Court Ruling that had restored a week of early voting there. So no early voting. For North Carolina, the high court blocked a ruling that wouldve brought back that states sameday voter registration. Dont go to the polls expecting to register. Then for wisconsin, the Supreme Court blocked a Lower Court Ruling that put a voter i. D. Law in immediate effect. Meaning come november, you will not have to present an i. D. To vote. So for Voting Rights activists, apparent wins in texas and wisconsin, apparent losses in ohio and North Carolina. Joining me now to make sense of it now, an attorney who has argued before the Supreme Court. Amy, welcome back to the broadcast. Would any of these rulings overall favor or harm Voting Rights . Well, i think that the voter i. D. Cases in particular were the ones that the Supreme Court appears most concerned about. Theres a principal. The Supreme Court doesnt want to step in and make changes too close to an election. And i think it felt the Wisconsin Voter i. D. Law which is going to be too much of a change too close. So you had in that order which allowed ruled in favor of the challengers and blocked the voter i. D. Law from going into effect. You had a one paragraph descent from three of the courts most conservative justices. And even they acknowledged there was a basis for the courts decision to block the voter i. D. Law. Given how close it was to the election. In particular, they said absentee ballots have already gone out in wisconsin to voters that dont say anything about needing to submit proof of i. D. And so that went too far for the court. Apparently, the others in ohio and North Carolina didnt go too far, werent too much of a change that close to an election. For anyone not following the change, they dont want to put it out there so close because it confuses people. Exactly. And, remember, theyre not weighing in on the merits of any of these laws. Theyre just these are emergency requests to block the Lower Court Decisions. Right. Theyre not going to step in and make these changes. Right. It basically made no overall judgments about Voting Rights. It had to do with keeping rules in place until november, right . Thats right. You do get a sense that in each case of probably roughly a majority of the court would view these laws given that you need five votes to block the lower courts decision to put the stay into effect. But its just a hint. Its not a judgment. So all of these voter i. D. Laws, ultimately, will they keep coming down to the states and who is in charge of the legislature there . There are not any voter i. D. Cases on the docket so far. You know, certainly, the wisconsin case and possibly the texas case could be at the court quite soon. But it does boil down to who is making the laws, and in each of these cases, you had republicancontrolled legislatures making these laws. In North Carolina, they were it was a law that the Legislature Passed after the courts 2013 decision in Shelby County versus holder, the Voting Rights decision act. So before Shelby County, North Carolina wouldve had to go to the federal government and get preapproval to make these kind of changes. But because of the courts 2013 decision, it didnt have to. The other big item from the Supreme Court this week was the decision to pass on same sex marriage cases. Did that surprise you, amy . And how do you interpret that . Well, yes and no. I was on your show last week y saying they are going to take these cases. But on the other hand, said last month dont take for granted were going to take samesex marriage right now. There are no conflicting decisions among the courts of appeals right now. And thats something the Supreme Court looks for when it decides whether or not to take up a case on the merits. Certainly a lot of us were surprised. You know, i think we expected the Supreme Court to take one or more of these cases and ultimately weigh in on whether or not theres a constitutional right to samesex marriage. Instead, youve got these Lower Court Decisions that were five different states striking down those states bans on samesex marriage. And now the Lower Court Decisions have go into effect and youve got samesex marriage happening all over the country and in some of the states located in the same geographic areas. Youve got, for example, North Carolina and virginia also had bans, they were in the same region as virginia. So when the decision striking down virginias samesex marriage ban went into effect, North Carolina and West Virginia state officials just gave up and are starting to issue licenses to samesex couples. All right. Well, thank you so much. Good to see you. Good to see you, too. Thanks for inviting me. What happened when one detroit homeowner offered his house in exchange for the new iphone . True. And its ahead. I have saved 75 in checked bag fees. Priority boarding is really important to us. You can just get on the plane and relax. I love to travel, no foreign transaction fees means real savings. We can go to any country and spend money the way we would in the us. When i spend money on this card i can see brazil in my future. I use the explorer card to earn miles in order to go visit my family which means a lot to me. When folks think about wthey think salmon and energy. But the energy bp produces up here creates Something Else as well jobs all over america. 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A dallas hospital worker who treated Thomas Duncan falls ill. And the cdc says other Health Workers there may be at risk. Isis fire power despite Coalition Air strikes Islamic State militants are moving even closer now to baghdad. What will it take to stop them . Weekend of resistance, a day of disobedience for protesters. And house call. Selling a home for an iphone plus . Who gets the better of this deal . Hey there, everyone, welcome to weekends with alex witt. Heres whats happening. Today, theres news about a second ebola patient. It is igniting new concerns about a further spread of the virus. The patient is a Health Care Worker who helped treat Thomas Eric Duncan. Of course, the ebola patient who died on wednesday. The cdc says there may be more workers at risk. It is possible in the coming days that we will see additional cases of ebola. This is because the Health Care Workers who cared for this individual may have had a breach of the same nature of the individual who appears now to have preliminary positive tests. More with this developing story. Lets go through the chain of events here. How did this patient, former Health Care Worker get admitted into isolation . Reporter well, alex, the patient had had repeated close contact with duncan during his care. Part of a group being asked to selfmonitor. When she came down with a fever on friday, she followed protocols that had been set into place in case of a situation like this. The individual was selfmonitoring and immediately on developing symptoms as appropriate. She contacted the health care system. And when she came in, she was promptly isolated. The level of her symptoms and indications from the test itself suggest that the level of virus that she had was low. Reporter this Health Care Worker was in the hospital in isolation and being tested within 90 minutes of contacting Health Care Workers. An apartment about 15 minutes away from here that is believed to be hers is in a process of being decontaminated. Neighbors in that area were notified as early as 5 30 this morning as to what was going on via door to door visits and reverse 911 calls. Alex. Thats her residence. What about where she works at the hospital . What are the next steps there . Well, the key here is really identifying where this breach of protocol occurred. Health officials are now monitoring all people who treated duncan. The thought process behind that is if one person was exposed even though it appeared all protocols were being followed, that if one person was exposed and got ebola, more people could have been exposed, as well. Now, until they identify this source of infection, the cdc is recommending to the hospital that the number of Health Care Workers treating potential ebola patients be kept to a minimum as they are also recommending that any medical procedures, any unnecessary blood draws be eliminated, as well. Those procedures kept to a minimum. Thank you very much from dallas. Residents who live in the same dallas neighborhood as that Health Care Worker are reacting today. I think its kind of crazy because its so close. Im not super concerned or scared, i think that theyre going to take the right precautions. It was a little scary. We saw, you know, the hazmat crew and everything. Yeah. Out here and so, it was just a little bit uneasy. Im going to stay at my sister who lives in Lake Highlands area. But im not sure. Residents say police knocked on the doors around 5 30 this morning, handing out flyers to alert them someone in the neighborhood had tested positive. U. S. Airports are on the front lines in Americas Campaign to combat the virus. And Chris Dahlgren is here with the latest on that. Reporter well, air travelers from three west african countries can expect intensified screenings now. The new procedures are already in play at Jfk International airport. With four additional airports scheduled to begin on thursday. These new american measures are the latest offensive from a ban of countries launching preventive efforts to stop the deadly disease from spreading. Just been feeling unwell in england, a frightening scene. Medics in full biocontainment suits. This too just an actor, testing if theyre ready for the real thing. This was not drill. Customs and Border Protection agents in gloves and face masks talked to passengers arriving from west africa. The coast guard took their temperatures, looking for a fever or any sign of sickness. A reassuring step for many concerned travelers passing through jfk. Its my life. Who wants to have some type of illness . Especially Something Like ebola, you know. The screening will expand to newark, washington, atlanta, and chicago this week. But even officials dmis it is far from full proof. This screening procedure, for example, would not necessarily have caught the patient in dallas as indicated. Thomas eric duncan who died in dallas last week may not have shown obvious signs of ebola when he traveled into the country. Duncans body and personal effects have been cremated to prevent further spread. New supplies have arrived in sierra leone. But Officials Say it is still not enough. The United Nations is appealing for 1 billion in aid but has only gotten a quarter of that. While in a nebraska hospital, one bright spot. The father of nbc freelance camera man ashoka mukpo is turning a corner. In the u. S. And around the world, continuing to add the layers of protection, alex. But obviously, especially with todays news, a lot of people very concerned. You can about imagine. Okay. Thank you for that. To the developing news from the middle east now. Coalition war planes continue to bomb in kobani today. But in the city center, the fighting continues. And in iraq, a day of bloodshed, isis suicide bombers attacked a Kurdish Military base in the east while the fighting rages in Anbar Province where officials have issued a desperate plea for Ground Troops. Joining me now from london. A good day to you. I know so much of the focus has been on konbani recently. But the iraqi front appears to be deteriorating now. Whats the situation there today . Doesnt look good, alex. Bombs killed more than two dozen. Those bombings including the police chief west of baghdad. Isis controls a number of towns in anbar including most of fallujah. The situation is so dire, one leader is calling for International Help and warning that the entire province could fall to isis if they dont get it. The terror group still making gains around iraq. In a lot of places, it appears isis has managed to cut off supply lines to iraqi forces. Today, the u. S. Dropped food, water and ammunition to iraqi soldiers near saddam husseins birthplace. Theyre desperately trying to fend off isis, but they dont have the supplies to do it. Alex . Okay. Lets talk about the pentagons report, saying u. S. Strikes are continuing around kobani today. Has there been any measurable success in pushing back isis . Well, its hard to tell, alex. At least nine air strikes in and around kobani and Northern Syria today. There was fighting this morning in the south and east of that city. More signs of air strikes this afternoon. It appears that kurdish fighters have managed to push isis back a bit with the help of those air strikes. The question, alex is for how long. Youve seen this propaganda video now released by a pro isis group on friday. Now, we cant independent verify where or when it was shot. But it supposedly shows isis fighters in kobani. And you can see they have heavy weapons. And thats what kurdish fighters say they need. More heavy weapons, alex, more ammunition to defend kobani. They still say air strikes alone are not enough for them to defeat isis. Okay. Thank you for that. Continuing the conversation now, gjoining me now is steven clemens. Good to see you. Good to see you, alex. Americans have conducted 87 of all the air strikes in iraq and syria, thats 87 . Any real expectation that the regional partners that amount to some 40 countries would take a greater share of the burden . Well, look, its great from, you know, a pr perspective to have a lot of countries involved. I met with a french minister of defense last week who is deeply concerned not only about isis here, but about signals that were beginning to see of attempts to coordinate, mimic and communicate with other groups throughout africa and whatnot. So, you know, the world is turned on to the problem. What were not seeing is the robust involvement of other arab partners in this beyond the sort of headlines that were getting. And sort of big swaths that the u. S. Takes. I think its very, very important to, you know, look at this and realize that what you see in anbar, what you see with the executions and beheadings weve just read about in northern iraq, what we see in the tragedy thats unfolding in kobani in the turkish syria border is that the allies, the cousins, the tribes tied to these thus far have not fully deployed themselves to protect these places in dire need. And thats a real problem. So weve got the air strikes underway, certainly. But where are the arab Ground Troops that were such a critical part of president obamas strategy . Well, theyre not there yet particularly in iraq, and one has to wonder. When you look at the success, the command and control success of isis and you see the iraqi soldiers in military saying, you know, they will not they will forfeit their weapons, abandon their posts if the United States doesnt come in. You begin wondering what did we spend billions of dollars on. What sorts of training, supply, and why was it so ineffective . When you look at what isis has been able to do. Folks coming in from all over the world and using incumbent forces they have. Their ability to turn this the forces that we trained arent able to stand up thus far and havent been performing as well across the board. There are some cases where there was some real heroism and success in fighting isis. So far, particularly on the iraqi side, its been an incredible disappointment, and i think its leaving in peril huge swaths of iraq, and throughout the region. So its those fighters, but also combined the fact that when you look at bahrain, look at kuwait, the uae and particularly saudi arabia, jordan and others. Each of these nations have troop that are not present on the ground taking up this cause. And thats a real problem. And as we look at syria. Youve got the United Nations warning of an imminent massacre there in the city of kobani. We see footage all weekend long of turkish tanks. Theyre sitting idly on a hillside there above the fray. The u. S. War planes are the ones circling above, dropping the bombs on the outskirts of the city. It kind of sums up the whole situation, steven. Do you see a scenario where turkey crosses that border and engages isis. What would be the catalyst for that . Something has to break. Youve got folks in kurdistan that want to move their fighters and forces to help further defend the kurds in kobani and thus far turkey has not been allowing them free passage through. Why you do have the forces, essentially, just watching with binoculars whats going on very clearly from the hill above while isis comes in from another side. So, it is a it is a terrible tragedy unfolding. Hopefully forces will come in and begin trying to take other steps. Certainly, this is a nightmare situation which the world is observing and the right places are not pulling in. And u. S. Fighters alone seem unable, as Richard Engel said in a powerful piece this morning on chuck todds show on this morning that he hasnt seen isis really be degraded in the north, in the west, or in the place with kobani. That what we keep talking about degradation or susan rice the National Security adviser this morning saying we have to fasten our seat belts for a longterm degradation. Longterm means that places like kobani are going to go up in flames, be captured and well see some of the worst horrors of this century. Does the u. S. Have any leverage to get turkey and other regional partners to become more enga engaged . Of course we have leverage. We cant force or compel them to. I think they need to be looking into the abyss of what a nightmare this is if this group doesnt roll back at some point. Thats going to be a multiprong strategy. That means stopping them forcefully with turkish power. Turkey is a nato member. This is on the edge of turkey and we ought to be talking more broadly about the forced dimensions of it. At the same time, jim risen in the New York Times today outlines the billions of dollars that went into iraq before much of that money disappeared perhaps into a lebanon bunker. One wonders if cash like that flowing around becomes an asset for isis down the road. And look at how you peel off sunni tribes that seem to be acquiescing and colluding with isis to some degree in parts of iraq. This has a multipronged strategy. Were talking about Bombing Campaigns when, in fact, this is a complex system that has to have 17 different strategies at the same time to unplug it. And it has to be done fast. Theres no longterm strategy thats going to save these towns and cities. Steven clemens, your insights are appreciated. See you again soon, thanks. Thank you, alex. The battle for control of congress, how can president obama help the democrats win . Thats next. People. [ alex ] transamerica helped provide a lifetime of retirement income. So i can focus on what matters most. [ female announcer ] everyone has a moment when tomorrow becomes real. Transamerica. [ female announcer ] everyone has a moment when tomorrow becomes real. Introducing a pm pain reliever that dares to work all the way until the am. New aleve pm the only one with a sleep aid. Plus the 12 hour strength of aleve. I have 40,ney do you have in your pocket right now . 21. 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For the whole weekend [ snoring ] [ male announcer ] zzzquil, the non habit forming sleep aid that helps you sleep easily and wake refreshed. 20 past with a live look at the white house. The flag at half staff. In recognition of National Fallen Firefighters Memorial weekend. Sadly, 107 names were added to the memorial. During a service earlier today in maryland. A bomb explosion today in iraq has killed the police chief in Anbar Province a major blow to the efforts to fight isis. Now, at the same time, isis militants have made it within eight miles or so of the baghdad airport. And Martin Dempsey revealing new details today about what life is like for cities under isis control that includes fallujah and mosul. Strict interpretations of sharia law. Thats still going on all the time. And hundreds of years. Yeah. But isils also clever to give the enemy its due. They are also providing basic goods and services. They seek to reach out to children to influence the next generation. Joining me now is Matt Cartwright of pennsylvania. Thanks for joining me. So my pleasure, alex, how are you . Im well, thanks. Despite these air strikes, they are drawing closer to baghdad. Theyre appealing for help, trying to stop isis from advancing, obviously. Are the air strikes working . Well, i think its too soon to tell yes, weve had Something Like 385 air strikes. But the idea is to degrade the strength of isis over time. The idea is this is an enemy that is advancing. I mean, military strategists will tell you when youre dealing with an enemy on the advance that is on the offense, they are out in the open more. And air strikes are more effective against enemies like that as opposed to enemies that are dug in and standing still. Sitting down and more protective from air strikes. So, my approach is lets take our time. There are those calling for boots on the ground in a hurry. I think the president is taking the right approach. Lets not be in a hurry to do that. To put Young American men and women in harms way. Right away. Lets see how this plays out. For example, you take kobani along the northern border between syria and turkey. Who is doing the boots on the Ground Fighting there . Were talking about the kurds. The kurds are kind of holding their own against isis. And theyre right up against the turkish border. To me, i think what we want to see is a diplomatic offensive to try to persuade the president to open up that border. There are all kinds of additional kurdish fighters that want to jump in and join that fight. All right. Thanks for weighing in on all thats going on overseas. Back state side regarding politics. There are some democrats who do not want president obama campaigning on their behalf. That would include Alison Grimes in kentucky. She wouldnt answer whether she even voted for president obama in the last election. Youve got senator Jeanne Shaheen saying president obama would not be helpful for her campaign. Why are some democrats running from the president . Well, i know Alison Grimes, she is a fantastic candidate. She has a good chance of toppling mitch mcconnell. And, you know, as for why she was hemming and hawing about that, look, what you have to realize is that every campaign is its own creation. Every campaign has lots of different moving parts, and you have to judge each candidate on his or her own merits, rather than strapping them to the president. Look, lets face it, its no great surprise that in the sixth year of an eightyear presidency, the bloom is off the rose. And that happens with every president. They want to strap the democratic candidate to the democratic president and vice versa. So, i dont think we can be too hard on Alison Grimes for taking that approach. What she might have said is, what did you think, i was going to vote for mitt romney who was ready to write off 40 of good americans as unworthy takers on our society . How would president obama play your Reelection Campaign in your home district . Youve got a lot of other things to do. I wont blame him hes welcome here. He is. Okay. Hed be very welcome. And i support so much of what hes done. You know, leon panetta comes out with a critical book about him. But, remember, leon panetta is also highly critical of republicans. He lays it right at the feet of Speaker Boehner for why theres gridlock in washington. You know, the republican held house has done everything it can do to gum up the works of government and create this gridlock. Leon panetta himself makes that point. And people shouldnt focus so much on his criticisms of the president. But his are not the only ones, as you well know. Former president s bill clinton, jimmy carter, robert gates, all criticizing this president. I mean, your reaction as a member of the president s own party. Is any of this criticism warranted . Of course. Alex. Everybodys got their strengths and weaknesses. The president , leon panetta gave a lot of credit to the president for making the tough call to go after osama bin laden. And it was a risky move. It was a tough call, but he made it, and he was right. So panetta gives credit where credit is due. He does have some criticisms. And so have other leaders. But, you have look, you let yourself in for that when you run for public office, alex. People are allowed to criticize you and they do. You know, they criticize tv news anchors, too. Ill let you in on that. Thank you very much for your time. Up next, weekend of resistance, the latest from ferguson, missouri, where preparations are being made for a day of disobedience. Thats right. Its just that im worried about you know hidden things. Ok, whys that . No hidden fees, from the bank where no branches equals great rates. Im 55 years old and i have diabetic nerve pain. The pain was terrible. My feet hurt so bad. It felt like hot pins and needles coming from the inside out of my skin. 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Now, police and protesters faced off in ferguson last night two nights months after Michael Brown was fatally shot by a police officer. A little bit of technical difficulty there. But nonetheless, a few dozen protesters rallied outside of Busch Stadium in st. Louis. That was the photo we were showing you. Todays bombshell on ebola raises questions about how it could happen. A leading expert from the Harvard Public School school of Public Health joins me next. Theyre about 10 times softer and may have surface pores where bacteria can multiply. Polident kills 99. 99 of odor causing bacteria and helps dissolve stains. Thats why i recommend polident. [ male announcer ] cleaner, fresher, brighter every day. Amerigallons of sugary3 billion beverages every year. Overconsumption may link to obesity. But there is a better choice. Drink more water, filtered by brita. Clean, refreshing, nothing is better. Lets show em what a breakfast with whole grain fiber can do. One coffee with room, one large mocha latte, medium macchiato, a light hot chocolate hold the whip, two espressos. Make one a double. Shes full and focused. [ barista ] i have two cappuccinos, one coffee with room, one large mocha latte, a medium macchiato, a light hot chocolate hold the whip, and two espressos one with a double shot. Heh, heh. Thats not the coffee talkin. [ female announcer ] start your day with kelloggs frosted mini wheats cereal. With whole wheat goodness on one side and a hint of sweetness on the other, its a delicious way to get the nutrition you want. [light instrumental music]y female announcer recycle your old fridge and get 50. Schedule your free pickup at i was out for a bike ride. I didnt think id have a heart attack. But i did. Im mike, and im very much alive. Now my doctor recommends a bayer aspirin regimen to help prevent another heart attack. Be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. Welcome back to weekends with alex witt. A new case of ebola is fueling fears about the virus spreading. A Health Care Worker has ebola. She was on the team that treated Thomas Eric Duncan who died on wednesday. The director of the Harvard Global Health Institute is joining me now. Welcome back to the broadcast. Can you give me some educated speculation as to what you think happened to cause this latest case of ebola . Yeah, so, alex, this is obviously a very unfortunate situation. And i think first and foremost, were all going to pray she gets better quickly and that none of the other Health Care Workers who were involved in taking care of mr. Duncan get sick. So that, of course, then raises the question of what happened, how did this happen . This is a hospital, you know, its in dallas, its got all the right equipment to take of an ebola patient. Clear through there was a breach of protocol somewhere. There was a very specific protocol that needs to be followed perfectly in order to make sure people do not get infected, Health Care Workers do not get infected. And what we know is something somewhere went awry. Do we yet know what it is . No. My best guess is that it was probably at the time of disrobing. Thats where a lot of Health Care Workers get into trouble. So they put on their suit, they go in, take care of the patient, when they come out and take all the contaminated stuff off, thats usually the highest risk moment. And thats where a lot of Health Care Workers have gotten into trouble. What about as was suggested earlier on mhp, dr. Zeke emanuel said that Thomas Eric Duncan, he made the suggestion that when you have a patient who is critically ill like him that the risk of it, as you know, all sorts of bodily fluids can come out. Its a messy process. Blood, mucous, anything else. He said that maybe should not be done for fear of something spreading. It should be considered very, very carefully. Whether you take that step. Yeah. Your thoughts . So, first and foremost, you dont ever do that lightly. I think the idea somehow we would just not offer ventilator support for somebody who is an ebola patient doesnt make any sense to me. Take this nurse, for instance, we hope she recovers very quickly, but if she were to get sick and if she required that, absolutely we should do it. Now, what you need is very careful precautions. And you need the full suit, you need to do this very carefully. But there are a lot of things we do to sick patients which expose people to bodily fluids. I think if doctors and nurses are carefully and effectively gowned and gloved, it should still be safe. But, if they are trained and welleducated into whats going on, it sounds like the problem is human error. Yep. Thats frightening. It is frightening. And alex, the issue is, we all make mistakes, right . And so, if what you really need to do is not just make sure that people have equipment and are told what to do, but they need to drill, they need to practice, they need to figure out how to be able to put on the suit, take off the suit effectively and safely. People need lots of practice at this. My best guess is that the staff as texas presbyterian just didnt have enough training, werent drilled effectively enough in how to do this. And thats why a mistake was made. Youve got to worry if thats going to be the case, almost a domino effect across this country. Youll have people coming into this country. There will be, say a Community Hospital that may not have that same level of training and expertise, you know, among their doctors and nurses. Something like that could happen, too. You could have a place exposed on those levels. Yeah. So theres a good chance if and or when we get another ebola patient, absolutely, that person might go to a Community Hospital, primary care doctors office. Right. This is an important moment for all of us. Are we adequately trained . Are we adequately practiced at doing this . And that is something i think not enough doctors and not enough hospitals have spent enough time and energy on. What about the concern of e the like the concentric circle groups around this one Health Care Worker . Now, this is one of, i believe, the number 19 has been put out there. Number of people who had potential exposure. So youve got this one Health Care Worker, she goes home, lets say she has a family, lets say she has children. Those kids may have been exposed. They go to school. She goes to the bank, she goes to grocery shopping, think about the enormous number of people this one person may have been exposed to let alone everybody else. Yeah. So, first and foremost, we have to remember that when she did not have symptoms, she was not infectious. She couldve gone home, to the grocery store. Unless she was having fevers, symptoms, she was not infectious. Even when she was, people would have to be exposed to bodily fluids in order to catch ebola. So hopefully when she became infectious, she didnt go to the grocery store. But even if she did, she would not have posed a meaningful risk to other people around. I think its not quite as scary as that. I think the issue is, we do have to be careful about monitoring every one of these people. If you could put Something Else into place, is there something you can do to stop the spread of ebola in the states . Yeah. Actually, the thing we care about most is stopping ebola in america and protecting the american public. The thing we have to do is stop the infection in west africa. As long as that infection continues to spread, americans will remain at risk. The whole world will remain at risk. Thats where we have to put our primary efforts. I think the bigger question here is how do we make sure doctors and nurses get trained effectively so they can manage ebola patients without risking their own lives . Something tells me you guys at the harvard Health Institute are looking into that. We are. Thank you for your time with us. Thanks for having me. Now to the other big story of the day. New video has emerged from kobani, syria, where kurdish fighters are battling against an isis assault. This footage was released by a pro isis group. It has not been verified, though shows fighting street to street, house to house, and afterwards, the destruction, a city of rubble and engulfed in flames. Overhead, u. S. And partner war planes continued their Bombing Campaign today and yesterday. Conducting three air strikes. Today, the situation in iraqs Anbar Province is worsening. Just a day after officials there begged for International Help. On this mornings meet the press, National Security adviser susan rice was asked if the white house strategy is working. This is going to take time. So it cant be judged by merely what happens in one particular town or in one particular region. This is going to take time and the American People need to understand that our aim here is longterm degradation and building the capacity of our partners. Joining me now, the former director of the National Counterterrorism center. So this weekend, as you know, the state department issued this worldwide alert warning citizens of a heightened risk of kidnappings. Do you have any specific threats that drew this alert . Not really, alex. This is a fairly routine precaution whenever you have an engagement with the u. S. Overseas, with the group as potent as isis is. So i dont think theres really anything specific, although, youre always in these situations seeing these groups, talking about how can we take some easy or american western targets . How can we get them, where can we get them . And kidnapping people overseas is a lot easier than attacking here on the homeland. The focus on kidnappings and this alert. Really ever since the death of daniel pearl, i think, everyone has known that kidnappings are a threat in countries like pakistan, iraq, certainly syria. But is there any indication it is now a threat outside the traditional hot spots . I think a little bit. Although, i wouldnt say that its a rally changed circumstance. And thats because as weve seen in other countries in north africa, isis is attempting to inspire other groups to pick up the isis flag and kidnap individuals and use them for propaganda purposes. So in that sense, this is about a broader area than just where people might traditionally think about kidnappings. You have people occasionally who are trekking in the mountains in north africa, in tunisia and morocco. And these are places where probably not the highest risk, but its difficult to detect where people might be inspired by isis given how much theyre really pushing. Im sure youre aware of this new interview this week. And its from the london mayor who says theyre monitoring in that city. Do you think that numbers realistic . Where would you put the threat level in london . That doesnt give a real accurate picture of it. The british officials are always looking at 5, 10, 15 relatively high profile and high priority groups. And potentially some plotting. So my expectation is thats certainly increased since the conflict in syria and iraq. But the real challenge for them is picking out of all the ones they could watch, which ones are the most important in that instant . And keeping on those and actually accepting that youre not going to watch everyone. And thats a problem not just for the brits but the fbi and Homeland Security here. Prioritizing correctly and making sure that the ones you deprioritize dont actually start to bubble up and become threats. As you know, the Anbar Province appears to be deteriorating rapidly over the past couple of days. Several army bases have been seized by isis. If ramadi falls, isis has a grasp of territory that stretches from Northern Syria to the outskirts after baghdad. How critical would that scenario be . Anbar province is where we really have to keep focused right now. Because as you said, the fall of ramadi would be a significant strategic win for isis. Not just in controlling that region of iraq, but particularly close to baghdad and very important water and dam supplies and Critical Infrastructure that could affect the rest of the country. And anbar is going to be where we have to get the sunni moderate to actually motivate and fight against isis. So if we have trouble aligning ourselves and getting that support on the ground in Anbar Province, that means were going to have even worse troubles elsewhere in the region. So this is a critical place to watch. And may i ask you, lets say that isis does take baghdad. This is the site of the largest u. S. Embassy in the world. Does that mean u. S. Boots on the ground . Well, if baghdad were to fall, i think weve got a total game changer. I tend to think, though, that baghdad remains relatively secure. For no other reason, baghdad is a predominantly shia city. And the shias in all of our experience will fight to the death against isis. So in my view, isis may move towards baghdad, may make life more difficult in baghdad, but i dont think baghdad will actually fall. Now, again, if they were starting to make real incursions into the city, i think the president would have to really deeply reevaluate the strategy. Okay. Thanks for weighing in, appreciate it. Thanks, alex. Straight ahead, sales call, selling a home for an iphone. Yeah. It happened. Whats the catch . Its coming up. Your customers, our financing. Your aspirations, our analytics. Your goals, our technology. Introducing synchrony financial, bringing new meaning to the word partnership. Banking. Loyalty. Analytics. Synchrony financial. Enagage with us. Ring ring . Progresso its ok that your soup tastes like my homemade. Its our slow simmered vegetables and tender white meat chicken. Apology accepted. Im watching you soup people. Make it progresso or make it yourself woman everyone in the nicu all the nurses wanted to watch him when he was there 118 days. Everything that you thought was important to you changes in light of having a child that needs you every moment. I wouldnt trade him for the world. Who matters most to you says the most about you. At massmutual were owned by our policyowners, and they matter most to us. If youre caring for a child with special needs, our innovative special care Program Offers strategies that can help. Dont have allergies every night. Just on allergy nights. [ sneezes ] [ male announcer ] thats why theres new vicks qlearquil for night. The powerfully effective, take it only when you need it, so you can have a good night allergy medicine. Time for your fast five headlines. We begin in india where a cyclone is blasting that countrys eastern sea board with winds of more than 120 miles an hour. At least five people are dead after the storm torn buildings and uprooted countless trees. A storm of greater strength is battling japan with winds up to 146 miles an hour. The typhoon walloped okinawa earlier today, injuring 40 people. Four of the main islands could get up to 20 inches of rain when the typhoon hits land tomorrow. In hong kong, pro democracy demonstrators are standing their ground for a third week. Students battle with riot police. And back state side, one person is dead, 22 others injured after a hay ride overturned at a halloweenthemed carnival in maine last night. The 17yearold girl was among two people badly hurt after the driver of the jeep pulling the flat bed missed a turn and then flipped down a steep hill. And in saylorville, new jersey, a prayer vigil in support of the victims of the High School Football teams hazing. Seven students are facing juvenile charges for the sexual assaults. And those are your those are the fast five headlines. What does it say about a hosing market when someone sells his house for an iphone . Thats next. Business. And i get a lot in return with ink plus from chase. Like 70,000 bonus points when i spent 5,000 in the first 3 months after i opened my account. And i earn 5 times the rewards on internet, phone services and at Office Supply stores. With ink plus i can choose how to redeem my points. Travel, gift cards even cash back. And my rewards points wont expire. 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Ask your doctor about alcohol use, operating machinery, or driving. Other possible side effects include injection site reactions. Tell your doctor about all medicines you take and all of your medical conditions. Check your blood sugar levels. Your insulin dose should not be changed without asking your doctor. Get medical help right away if you have trouble breathing, swelling of your face, tongue or throat, sweating, extreme drowsiness, dizziness, or confusion. male announcer todays the day to ask your doctor about levemir® flextouch. Covered by nearly all Health Insurance and medicare plans. So its 3,000 asking price was too steep for most buyers. When a detroit homeowner offered to swap the house for an iphone 6 the phone started ringing. He has a deal in place for the three bedroom home. What will it take to resurrect detroits Housing Market . Thats a problem siri might have problems with. Joining me is the realtor that helped broker the interesting iphone house swap. Welcome. Hi. Thanks for having me. The buyer had to pay ,000 in back taxes on the home. How much did he get along with the iphone . Actually, the home ended up trading for cash, less than 1,000. But the seller is happy with being able to sell his home. The buyer is excited. He lives a block away and is ready to rehab the home after closing in two weeks. This is a home that needs big time rehab. I understand it had no windows, no doors, had been burned out oh, right . It looked like it would have been a wash. As many other homes on that block were. People just up and left, right is this. Right. Like i said, the buyer lived a block away. He has a smoke restoration company. Oh. Hes in a position where hell turn the house around. Okay. After the client offered the iphone apparently others reached out to you. What else were sellers asking you to sell houses for . I can say that there is a thu deal in place for a different house for an iphone thats in contract. There are sellers looking to trade houses for cars and other things. I have buyers looking to trade cars or different items as well. Can you tell me what the neighborhood used to look like . When i talk about this location with people that are familiar with detroit, they told me this neighborhood was once thriving. Thriving . Families . Kids going to school and all that . I have to say, i have relatives in the area nearby. We have driven by and there seems to be a specific line of demarcation between areas that look like what we are showing the viewers now that are clearly dilapidated and beautiful areas like a block apart. Exactly. Thats true. Detroit is dishts important to be in the right subdivisions. As detroit redevelops its political structure and the money comes in to detroit for redevelopment. Money like dan gilberts. He was obviously the owner of the Cleveland Cavs and founder of quicken loans. He owns 1 billion of real estate in detroit and wants more. Why do you think this Residential Real Estate there hasnt caught on . Dan believes in detroit and put a lot of money downtown. Theres been a lot of activity in the detroit Housing Market. Its tril only market in the country you can get a home for under 50,000 that has a rental income between 700 and 1,000 or more per month. Which was this house. It was an austrian man who bought it for 41,000. Thats what he hoped would happen. It would be rental income. Thats right. When you buy rental homes you have to be particular about the neighborhood. This neighborhood was nice not long ago. Since, it has gone downhill because people have left the more populated neighborhoods. Larry, thank you so much. Interesting business. Appreciate it. Thank you so much. Thats a wrap of weekends with alex witt. Up next, meet the press. See you next weekend. The setting is perfect. You know what . Plenty of guys have this issue, not just getting an erection, but keeping it. 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New aleve pm the only one with a sleep aid. Plus the 12 hour strength of aleve. receptionist Gunderman Group is growing. Getting in a groove. Growth is gratifying. Goal is to grow. Gotta get greater growth. I just talked to ups. They got expert advise, special discounts, new technologies. Like smart pick ups. Theyll only show up when you print a label and its automatic. We save time and money. Time . Money . Time and money. Awesome. Awesome awesome awesome awesome all awesome i love logistics. Faster than dcon. What will we do with all of these dead mice . Tomcat presents dead mouse theatre. Hey, ulfrik hey, agnar whats up with you . Funny you ask. Im actually here to pillage your town. [ villagers screaming ] but we went to summer camp together. Summer camp is over. [ male announcer ] tomcat. [ cat meows ] [ male announcer ] engineered to kill. A hi. Ty . [ male announcer ] tomcat. [ cat meows ] im new ensure active clear protein drink. Clear huh . My nutritional standards are high. Im not juice or fancy water. Ive got 8 grams of protein. Twist my lid thats three times more than me. 17 vitamins and minerals. And zero fat hmmmm. You bring a lot to the party yay new ensure active clear protein. 8 grams protein. Zero fat. 17 vitamins and minerals. In delicious blueberry pomegranate and mixed fruit. This morning on meet the press, the ebola outbreak, a second case in the United States as a texas Healthcare Worker tests positive for the virus after treating Thomas Eric Duncan. The very first person to die of ebola in this country. The politics of fear. We have an ebola outbreak. We have bad actors that can come across the border. Are politicians pressing the panic button in an attempt to win votes before november . The war against isis. U. S. Talks tough. We will follow them to the gates of hell. After hundreds of u. S. Air strikes, the terror group is gaining ground. So youre outgunned . Isis is better off . Of course. In my interview with susan rice, the president s national