good morning. i'm randall pinkston. the plan to defeat isil is front and center at the united nations. on the sidelines of the u.n. general assembly, the president will sit down with more than a hundred world leaders at the summit. it's not clear if russia's president will be one of them. mike viqueira is live for us at the united nations. mike, what is the president hoping to accomplish today? >> well, it's obviously a huge topic of discussion here, a very controversial discussion as we saw in plane view yesterday with the conflict between putin and obama, and whether bashar al-assad should be ousted or bolstered. president obama joining many dignitaries, foreign ministers, we understand that vladimir putin is not going to be here for this conference.

what they are doing is taking stock of the coalition fight against isil, and it goes through many different forms, almost a time line, talking about first of all a very general sense of the state of the coalition against isil. the air strikes have been going on for more than a year, even the u.s. top commanders, randall say the fight is at a stand still. obviously they have had some very high profile successes, notably in iraq where the iraqi army is still struggling to oust them. earlier in the year there was talk of a spring offensive to retake the city of mosul. no one is talking about that now. alls one of the things that many officials and experts cite as a reason for the continued viable city of isil is the constant influx of fighters coming in.

how do you stop that? how do you stop these individuals from going back to their home countries and reeking havoc through acts of terrorism. all of this will be on the available. we'll hear from president obama, ban ki-moon, the iraqi prime minister, and other dignitaries who have a lot of skin in the game here. >> so mike, obviously the obama administration is not going to say this publicly, but analysts will say that the obama has failed on two of its key goals, one to remove assad, and second the goal of degrading isil. so we have this different vision of how to do that with putin having put together his own anti-isil coalition. how is that going to work out? >> that has been the criticism with vladimir putin's sudden and unexpected move even by the admission of the administration

to move forcibly into syria to back the assad regime. and yesterday we saw acrimony and diplomacy all playing out in public, where vladimir putin said assad is the only choice. president obama speaking an hour earlier saying we cannot go back to the prewar status quo, a war that is in its fifth year now, that has caused the deaths of an estimated 250,000. so while the administration may dispute your point that isil hasn't been degraded, there is no question that even in the words of the outgoing army chief of staff just a couple of weeks ago, the fight is now at a stand still to say nothing of one of the key tranches of that, to train the so-called moderate-vetted opposition, that program is in a shambles,

randall. >> what about the report that they were halting the training, and then jamie mcintyre said they are re-examining it, but nothing has been stopped. >> yeah, remember this was a much-trumpeteds a sect of the obama plan. lloyd austin testified that there are four, maybe on the outside five of the 5,000 individuals that the administration, the goal they had set forth to be trained within saudi arabia, turkey, and elsewhere to take the fight against isil within syria. this obviously a program that has fallen by the wayside, and regardless of whether it is if i recally alive or dead, it is obviously no longer a central part of the u.s. policy. >> not to mention that some of those trainees have turned over equipment to the enemy.

>> right. for more on the training program. jamie mcintyre reports from the pentagon. >> reporter: pentagon sources concede that russia's deployment to syria under the justification of battling isil out flanked the u.s. and caught it flat footed. the russian president hasn't exactly made a secret that he is backing long time, ally, bashar al-assad. >> translator: there's no other solution to the syrian crisis than strengthening the effective government structures and rendering them help in fighting terrorism. >> reporter: with russian support, president assad is going nowhere any time soon. and the u.s. is powerfulless to stop russia's moves, reduced to

issuing warning that moscow simply ignored. >> to pursue the defeat of isil without at the same time pursuing a political transition is to fuel the very kind of extremism that underlies isil. and if that's the russian view, that's a logical contradiction. >> russia's in the driver's seat because it's willing to do what the u.s. is not, namely put forces on the ground. last week david petraeus told congress that putin's bold actions were a direct result of president obama's inaction. >> russia's recent military escalation is a further reminder that when the u.s. doesn't take the initiative, others will fill the vacuum. >> reporter: every time the u.s. turns around it seems that putin is a step ahead.

he just entered into an intelligence sharing agreement, with iran, syria, and u.s. partner iraq. deputy secretary of state told cnn: over in iraq, the much heralded offensive to retake ramadi is going nowhere. the official explanation, it's taking time to clear mind fields of ied's, but some say a bigger problem is the forces are not anxious to liberate the mostly sunni city. president obama has met with cuban president raul castro this morning on the sidelines of the united nations general assembly. it's their first meeting since the u.s. and cuba reopened their

embassies in washington and havana. john terrett is live for us this morning. >> good morning, my friend. it is very hot here. it's like cuban weather. i thought rain was coming in. but actually it's really hot. >> talk to us now about the improved relations between the two countries and still the problems that exist. >> reporter: yeah, the relationship between washington and havana is indeed vastly improved compared to how it was a couple of months ago, a couple of years ago. the trade embargo has been in place since just after the cuban revolution back in 1959, and basically there has been no economic contact between these two countries since then. and yet, cuba is just 90 miles off of the coast of florida. so yesterday at the united nations, we had an extraordinary scene with the man who is now

the president of cuba. raul castro, brother of fidel, coming here to the general assembly and speaking on behalf of his country for the first time. and then you spin forward to this morning, and we just got notification that a meeting has happened between president obama and raul castro. so what did they talk about? well you can bet that they were talking about lifting the embargo. president obama also called for the lifting of the trade embargo, but it's not in his gift. the only organization that can lift the trade embargo against havana is the congress, and no sign of that happening any time soon, but obviously the hope is as relations warm between the two countries, and i was hearing there is another flight going

out of kennedy down to havana, a new charter flight, so the relations are warming, and the hope is as congress sees things getting better the embargo will be lifted. let's listen to raul castro yesterday. >> translator: now a long and complex process begins towards the normalization of relations, but this will only be achieved with the end of the economic, commercial, and financial blockade against cuba. the return to our country of the territory illegally occupied by the guantanamo naval base, the cessation of radio broadcasts, and the destabilizing programs against the island. and when our people are compensated for the human and economic damages they still endure. >> reporter: he raises a number

of very difficult issues there for president obama, not least of all the return of property which they claim was stolen from them. that's an issue which is going to rumble on for a very, very long time. he is talking about getting guantanamo bay back, but the key issue, the lifting of the trade embargo. once again, the united nations does its job, two key leaders come together to discuss burning issues. that has happened. >> what about the return of private property seized by the cuban government shortly after fidel castro took power. thank you, john terrett. the president of planned parenthood right now is testifying in front of a house committee on capitol hill. lawmakers are questioning her over her organization's use of

taxpayer dollars. you are k looking now at live pictures of the planned parenthood testifying in -- before the committee. federal funding for planned parenthood has been central to the heated debate surrounding that bill. libby casey is listening in on the hearing, and is live for us in washington this morning. libby tell us about the hearing and what conservative lawmakers are hoping will come of it. >> randall this committee is one of four looking into planned parenthood. this comes in the wake of videos released this summer that purport or claim that planned parenthood was profiting from selling fetal tissue. now instead of hearing apologies or a defensive cecil richards, we're hearing someone going on offense. she says in no way has the organization profited from selling fetal tissue. and just 1% of nearly 700

clinics across the country obtain tissue that is sold at cost for medical research. she ask also talking about the other work that planned parenthood does. today there is a big effort to show americans that planned parenthood does have supporters here in washington and in all 50 states. they are calling it a national pink out. republicans are very critical of planned parenthood. they don't buy the lines they are hearing from this organization, and they basically want to strip it of funding, so this is one of the mechanisms they are using to try to push back at the organization, randall. >> libby with the fact that the senate has already cleared the funding bill, what hope do the republicans in the house have of stopping funding and/or shutting down the government? >> yeah, that's a good question. the planned parenthood issue has really been rolled into this bigger question of whether republicans will go ahead and

fund the government past the end of the fiscal year, which is wednesday night at midnight. and it looks like these ultra conservative republicans might be able to hold off funding the government over the planned parenthood issue. that's not looking like it's the case anymore. the senate is set to pass today a bill to fund the government, in colluding planned parenthood, and we're expecting the house to do so as well. that's because speaker john boehner has announced he is stepping down, so he is no longer beholden to these ultra conservatives, and we can work with democrats and get the government funded just until december, randall. so we're watching that play out. meanwhile there is a big power struggle happening over who will run the republican party. kevin mccarthy is leading that fight. he was asked by reporters today what he would do differently than the outgoing, speaker of the house. take a listen.

>> john is a very good and decent man. this is a man that came into this office, and if you looked at those that maybe want to fight, how did the house bank get shut down? john boehner is the last one standing to shut it down. he fought to get its majority. became a committee chairman, and then came back and fought for another majority. >> praising the outgoing house speaker. when i said there's a power struggle over leadership, kevin mccarthy looks to have things well in hand in terms of shoring up support, but there is a real movement by conservatives to make sure they can garner concessions from him, and make sure they get some of their members in those leadership positions, probably the number 2 slot. so everyone is talking right now on capitol hill about just how things will play out, and what a

mccarthy speakership would look like compared to john boehner. randall? in >> a lot is going on. thank you very much. libby casey in washington. ♪ we're taking a look at live pictures of the leaders summit, countering isil and violent extremism, the summit called by president obama. we'll check in with the summit and the u.n. right after this. ♪

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back live at the united nations. let's listen to president obama's remarks. >> -- some 120 civil society groups from around the world, and partners from the private sector. i believe what we have here today is the emergence of a global movement that has united by the mission of degrading and ultimately destroying isil. together we're pursuing a comprehensive strategy that has been formed over many years and crippling the al-qaeda core. and we are harnessing all of our tools, military, intelligence, economic development, and the strength of our communities. now i have repeatedly said that

our approach will take time. this is not an easy task. we have isil taking root in areas that already are suffering from failed governance in some cases. in some cases civil war, or sectarian strife, and as a consequence of the vacuum that exists in many of these areas, isil has been able to dig in. they have shown themselves to be resilient, and they are very effective through social media and have been able to attract adherence, not just from the areas in which they operate, but in many of our own countries. there are going to be successes, and setbacks. this is not a conventional

battle. this is a long-term campaign, not only against this particular network, but against its its -- ideology. so i want to provide a brief overview of where we stand. our coalition has grown to some 60 nations, including our arab partners. we welcome three new countries to our coalition. we salute and are grateful for all the service members from our respective nations who are performing with skill and determination. in iraq, isil continues to hold mosul, fallujah, and ramadi. but the coalition has liberated

towns. isil has now lost nearly a third of the populated areas in iraq that it had control. 18 countries are now helping to train and support iraqi forces, including sunni volunteers who want to push isil out of their communities. and prime minister abadi, i want to note the enormous sacrifices being made by iraqi forces and the iraqi people in this fight every day. in syria, which has obviously been a topic of significant discussion during the course of this general assembly, we have seen support from turkey that has allowed us to intensify our air campaign there. isil has been pushed back from large sections of northeastern syria, including the key city of talaba, putting new pressure on its strong hold. and isil has been cut off from

almost the entire region bordering turkey. following the special security council meeting i chaired last year, more than 20 additional countries have passed or strengthed laws to disrupt the flow of terrorist fighters. we share more information and strengthening border controls. we have prevented would-be fighters from reaching the battlefield and returning to threaten our countries. in conjunction with this summit any united states and our partners are also taking new steps to crack down on the illicit finance that isil uses to pay its fighters fund operations and launch attacks. our military and intelligence efforts are not going to succeed alone. they have to be matched by political and economic progress to address the conditions that isil has exploited in order to take root.

prime minister abadi is taking important steps to build a more inclusive government, while working to take back areas controlled by isil. in syria defeating isil, requires, i believe, a new leader. this is going to be a complex process. and as i have said before, we are prepared to work with all countries, including russia and iran to find a political mechanism in which it is possible to begin a transition process. as isil's tentacles reach into other regions, the united states is increasing our counter terrorism cooperation with partners like tunisia, and boosting our sup fort nigeria and its neighbors as they push back against boko haram, and

we're creating a new clearinghouse to better coordinate the world's support for country's counter terrorism effort. ultimately, however, it is not going to be enough to defeat isil in the battlefield. we have to prevent it from radicallizing, recruiting, and inspires others in the first place. and this means dpeeting their ideology. ideologies are not defeated with guns, they are defeated with better ideas. building on our white house summit earlier this year, we're moving ahead together in several areas. we're stepping up efforts to stop isil's propaganda. especially online. and [ inaudible ] center is exposing isil for what it is. we're working to lift up the voices of muslim scholars, and

others, including isil defectors who standing up to isil and others. rerecognize we have to confront the economic grievances that exist in some of the areas that isil seeks to exploit. poverty does not cause terrorism, but as we have seen, when people, especially young people are impoverished and hopeless and feel humiliating that can fuel resentments that terrorists exploit, which is why sustainable development, creating opportunity and dignity, particularly for youth, is part of countering violent extremism. we recognize we also have to address the political grievances that isil exploits. i have said this before, when human rights are denied and citizens have no opportunity to redress their grievances peacefully, it feeds propaganda

that justifies violence. so the real path to lasting stability and progress is not less democracy, i believe it is more democracy in terms of free speech and freedom of religion, rule of law, strong civil societies, all of that has to play a part in countering violent extremism. and finally, we recognize that our best partners in protecting vulnerable people from succumbing to violent extremist eye deegies are the community themselves, family, friends, leaders, clerics, faith leaders who young and care for these young people. violent extremism is not unique to any one faith. so no one should be profiled or targeted simply because of their faith. yet we have to recognize that isil is targeting muslim communities around the world,

especially individuals who may be confused or wrestling with their identities. and we have to continue to build true partnership with muslim communities based on trust and cooperation so they can help protect their loved ones from becoming radicalized. and that is up to all of us. we have to commit ourselves to build i diverse, tolerant, inclusive societies that reject anti-muslim and bigotry that creates this fear and resentments upon which extremists can pray. i'm pleased that here at this summit, businesses, including high-tech companies are investing funds, training and technological expertise to support efforts to push back on violent extremism. researchers are partnering to share best practices, knowing what works, and what we can do

better, and as we saw yesterday, young people from around the world are participating in their own summit, and these young people, many of them muslim, are coming together, and using their talents and technology to push back on isil's propaganda, especially online, and to protect their brothers and sisters from recruitment. these young people are an inspiration and give us hope. and i would ask everyone to join me in thanking all of the young people who are here today. [ applause ] >> so to conclude, we face a grave challenge. we have to be clear eyed about the fact that this is very hard work. we have individuals here like prime minister abadi and president buhari who are on the front lines, and this is not going to be turned around overnight. because it is not just a

military campaign that we are involved in. there are profound changes taking place in the middle east and north africa. there are problems that have built up over decades that are expressing themselves and man feszing themselves in organizations like isil. even if we were to wipe out the entire cod ray of isil leadership, we should still have some of these forces at work. but ultimately i am optimistic. in iraq and in syria, isil is surrounded by communities, countries, and a brood international coalition committed to itself destruction. we have seen that isil can be dpeeted on the battlefield where there is sound organization, and a government and military that is coordinating with this coalition and with