before we go, we want to bring you up to date on the breaking news. the search for the plane that went down near jamaica, they have located an oil slick but so far that's all. thanks for watching. thanks for watching. cnn tonight starts now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com good evening. i'm don lemon. >> i'm alisyn camerota. a week to go before the worst terror attack on american soil but 13 years after the tragedy, how worried should we be about a new terror threat, isis. >> with isis in iraq and syria,

conflicts in ukraine and gaza, president obama has a lot on his plate so which of those conflicts should take top priority? we'll get into that and hear from terror analysts who claim that isis is already in the u.s. if so, one texas sheriff says he's ready for them. we'll show you what he's doing. >> we'll talk about a small plane crashes hours after the pilot's last message and hundreds of miles off course. we'll have the latest on that mystery. >> we'll have the man tasked with investigating joan rivers' death. what he learned he'll share with us and suzanne summers will be here to remember the fearless and funny comedian. >> let's begin with president obama and a world in crisis. erin is live in london. we know the president as we just mentioned has a lot on his plate at today's nato summit. give us the headlines. >> that's right. president barack obama delivering one of the toughest

messages on isis. he's been criticized for mixed messaging but today, the president didn't mince any words, take a listen. >> you can't contain an organization that is running rough shot through that much territory causing that much havoc, displacing that many people, killing that many innocent, enslaving that many women. the goal has to be to dismantle them. >> the president also said that he's building a broad coalition, an anti isis coalition comprised of some ten countries and announced that u.s. secretary of state john kerry will travel to the middle east to secure some arab partnership for that coalition. ukraine also a top top pick today at the nato summit. the president reacting with some skepticism to the announced seize fire between pro-russian separatists and the ukrainian government saying quite simply

it needs to be tested. >> the president also announced some other major news and said that terror leader that was linked to al qaeda, al shabob was killed. what do we know about that? >> that's right, terror analysts saying this does send a message to terrorists around the world, especially isis. one was killed according to pentagon sources and during a u.s. air strike in southern somalia over the past weekend. they targeted his encampment. he was the leader of al shabaab. he had a $7 million bounty on his head since 2012 because she's seen as the driving force between -- of the u.s., the al shabaab aligning itself closely with an al qaeda agenda. he's seen as the master mind,

most notably in 2010 a dual suicide bombing in uganda and in 2013, al sal shabaab's highest profile. some terror analysts saying his death strikes a blow to the leadership but could potentially open up a window possibly for some sort of agreement between al shabaab and the somali government. >> there was an interesting tidbit today, this courtesy of the bbc, the supreme leader had authorized his top military commander to cooperate. >> that's right, an iranian official since denied that recording however iraq's president telling cnn christiane amanpour that the u.s. cooperated with iraqi forces on the ground as well as iranian

militia some days ago to help free an iraqi city from a siege, an isis siege. that corporation would obviously be significant. iran has been critical in the past of u.s. involvement in iraq, but isis, in corporation with isis perhaps in both country's best interest considering that isis poses a significant threat right on iran's boarder, alisyn. >> we want to bring in the cnn global affairs analyst and peter is a former aid to general david portrays. >> we're hearing from a tougher president obama saying he's lining up a coalition to defeat isis. take a look. >> we are going to degrade and defeat isil, the same way we have gone after al qaeda, the same way we've gone after the al

qaeda affiliate in somalia where we we leased today the fact we killed the leader al shabaab in somalia. >> are they closer to a strategy? >> it's interesting obama moved from using the language of the intelligence committee. they spoke to reporters and said they had to figure out a way to contain this group but he's using a language of the counterterrorism committee. officials i met talked about disrupting and degrading the network and eventually defeating the group. i also think what you're seeing, though, is president obama doubling down on his strategy. he's having a george bush iraq surge moment when bush went ahead with a surge in iraq

against everyone's advice. what obama is doing is saying this has got to be a coalition of many countries, in the just the u.s. moving forward and i don't care who tries to rush me, i'm going to do this in my own time. >> he's going to do it in his time and many wondered why he didn't do it here in the united states before leaving on this trip. when the president says i'll go after them like we did al qaeda, is he saying we'll go after their leadership or take him out or would they fall? >> they wouldn't fall. it would be an important moment to kill him but this is a group that's much more robust. i think he realizes that -- and this is going to be a much more broadly based campaign than the campaign to kill osama bin laden looking for regional partners,

turkey saudi a rarabia and miliy options he'll roll out. he has time to get it right. i think he was perhaps a little too candidate when he says he doesn't have a strategy yet. he's considering the available alternative strategies before deciding on one and make sure he gets it right up front. >> can i just ask you something, though, because evening is going and on the same page about isis right? isis is terrible. this is the worst terrorist organization we've seen, but i mean, is it as bad as everyone is portraying it to be, or is it as deeply rooted as everyone is portraying it to be? because it's been a year, as you said, the president doesn't have a strategy it's been a year. how do you develop that strong of a terrorist group within a year? >> this is the reincoronation of al qaeda and iraq which began in

2004. so it's not a new organization. it's just had a rebirth after its defeat during the surge in 2007, 2008. it went across the boarder into syria. it used the chaos of the civil war to gain adherence, formed in alliance forced across the boarder and came back stronger than ever. this is -- this group are modern day bar barrens and go into villages and kill the men and enslave the women and children. this is nothing more than the goths or vandals or mongals of the modern age. they are worse left unchecked they will destabilize the entire middle east and come after the rest of the world in terms of launching terror attacks. >> bob, you heard the report that there was a bbc report that said that iran's supreme leader approved corporation with the

united states on fighting isis. would the u.s. ever collaborate or coordinate with iran? >> oh, i think there is coordination right now, if indirect. you know, baghdad is surrounded by isis in a sense, at least to the north of it and taking back with the help of government militia close. that corporation exists. the problem is that what you face in iraq is a civil war. i mean, it's a failed state and you're facing a civil war and if we take sides with iran and shia muslims and country, it worries me. i see why we're cooperating with iran. they are more rational and easier to deal with. you have sunnis because isis is not a small colt. it's got support from the sunnis. we have to address their

grievances, separate them from isis and get them to fight isis. and right now, i don't see that strategy being at least aired about in washington and i think we have to think about the day after the bombing, what do we get and what do we do then? >> we were talking about how full the president's plate is at this nato summit. it's isis and iraq. it's isis in syria. he has to deal with iran and ukraine and russia. he has to deal with gaza and israel. do we have any sense of how administration is prioritizing these things? >> well, they did talk about taking the first day of the summit to identify these problems and then the second day addressing the problems and these world leaders don't get together without having this stuff worked out in advance. i think that's why we're seeing the announcement of a nato quick reaction force going to any nato member or possibly ally that feels threatened as a message to russia, don't think you can get

away with what you do in ukraine anywhere else. they also talked about afghanistan and the plan there to slowly draw down troops. basically saying the plan we have is working. we'll get back to you later. the most dynamic part is on isis and i think what they are trying to do is build a kind of coalition that they had before the u.s. was part of the 1991 gulf invasion that arab coalition that gave the u.s. in one sense cover to operate but in another sense, they are very conscious of the arab street. they have got to -- they don't want to be seen as invaders and to help isis recruit more followers. >> thank you, kimberly. bob bear and peter, appreciate that. i want to update you on this because investigators have an aviation mystery. what caused a single engine plane to fly hundreds of miles

off course after the last message? will an oil slick off the northern coast of jamaica is the only sign after the plane flew past the florida designation and crossed cuban air space this afternoon. the aircraft took off from rodchester new york before 9:00 this morning and when contact with the plane was lost, two f-16 fighter jets set out to investigate. the plane may have crashed after running out of fuel. a prominent rodchester couple was believed to be on board. what caused them to be unresponsive is unknown. >> there seems to be more aviation mysteries where we don't know what's gone wrong. we'll keep an eye on this one. is isis here in the united states? we'll talk to a texas sheriff who says if they are, he's ready for them. >> the latest into the investigation into the death of joan rivers and later, her friend suzanne summers will help us remember the wickly funny rivers. uh, hi. i'm here to drop off my resume.

password? i'm sorry, i'm just here to what's the password. uh,synergy? datafication! gamification! university of phoenix has had alumni at every fortune 100 company... ...so we can help open the door to your future. go to phoenix.edu to get started today.

this coming thursday will mark 16 years since the f terrorist attacks since 2001 and some are worried a bloody attack could happen on u.s. soil. there is reason to be concerned. >> this isis group is smarter. >> i am concerned but don't think we can gauge where it will be or when. >> the fact that we are still in an active time of war, i think you have to be careful. >> reporter: with less than one week of the 9/11 attacks, is the u.s. in a position to prevent another attack? >> the fbi has 80 officers outside the united states. they are in constant contact with counter parts in trying to see if anybody, anywhere is picking up anything about a possible attack. >> reporter: one potential threat, the seemingly increasing

number of terrorists now with western passports, but according to exeperts, there is a greater concern. want to be terrorists could be here in the u.s. people that don't have to get on a plane but just read an online terror magazine in english that includes how-to guides to build bombs and makes threats against cities like washington dc, new york, chicago, los angeles and big vents happening now like the u.s. open. when mit graduate al qaeda suspect was arrested in 2008, investigators found handwritten notes in her purse referring to mass casualty attacks at locations in new york including the empire state building, statute of liberty and brooklyn bridge where security was recently breached when its u.s. flags were replaced by bleached white flags. even though isis has never

carried out an attack in the west, some experts believe it would not tread on al qaeda's 9/11 date because the leader wouldn't want to. >> he's very narcissistic and many believe he won't want to do an attack on 9/11's anniversary because of being in competition with osama bin laden. he wants to be regarpded as the biggest, baddest for rorest. >> reporter: that doesn't mean l locations aren't vulnerable now, especially those who draw large crowds because the ideology is like a germ. >> you can't quarantine an idea that is spread over websites, youtube and others on the internet. there is no real ability to prevent that message from being spread. >> reporter: that kind of ideology won't stop americans, either. >> are we safe anywhere? i don't know. i can't live my life like that.

i want my children to feel safe in school and at the u.s. open and in the park. >> there is risk every day you walk out the door. you have to some degree have faith your tax money helps protect you. >> if you live here in new york or been in the subway system, the rail passages are warned, if you see something, say something. every one of us has to be on our toes and one texas sheriff is ready for isis. we're joined by gary painter of midland county, texas. good evening, sheriff. >> good evening, how are you? >> i'm great. i hope you're great as well. you want to be ready in case of an attack by isis or any terror group. what is your concern? >> the fact they are already here. i worked the boarders for about eight years. there is places on the boarder that you can walk across up river. there is no water in the river.

there is no fences. there is nothing to keep you out. we've got, what, ten to 15 million that are undocumented aliens in the united states now and there is no doubt there have been people come in and should not be here that are from places other than mexico or hispanic states. >> you said they are already here. why do you believe they are already here. you believe isis is already here? >> i believe they have sails here, they have people here, they have people that are here that are going to throw in with them. i believe you have home grown people that will get mixed-up and we've seen them in syria where they have been killed and identified as being from the united states. so i think it would be naive to say that they are not here. >> governor rick perry said individuals from isis or terrorists states could come across the boarder but says there is no information that leads us to believe isis was

crossing at the u.s. mexico boarder. are you concerned at all that you might be scaring your own z citizens because you're saying they are already here. >> i think our citizens are aware there is a strong possibility they are here there is not positive proof, but how many people knew there was 10 to 15 million? how do you prove that? we have people in the united states on visas, student visas, work visas. they have no one to identify they are here illegally until they get stocked by law enforcement. >> do you believe you're scarring your sscaring your citizens? >> no, i think there may be people that get scared and i'm sorry for that. the reality is we're looking at it square in the face. >> sheriff, you have a department there with 100

deputies. how does a department in midland, texas prepare for isis? >> we go through emergency management training twice a year and different scenarios we go through and get involved with other agencies, state, federal and other local agencies, as well as agencies from the outside and work with hospitals, emergency management groups, ambulances, all kinds of people and we get prepared for different kinds of scenarios. law enforcement, you have to work with each other. there is no way that you can do your job without depending on the public, without depending on each other. we always work and go hand and hand with trying to help each other out. >> we also understand that you received an intelligence briefing about isis. what specifically did it tell you? >> just that information came in about three or four days ago that there was a suspected sails of isis from mexico, they were

moving through the country and there was activity going on and warned us to be on the lookout and expect something and be careful with law enforcement officers around the boarder and within close proximity to the boarder. >> what is your message to if there are isis fighters that may be in the united states or in your area who crossed the boarder? is your message to them? >> well, if they rear their ugly head, we'll send them to hell. >> that puts the top on it, sheriff. >> thanks. >> you've heard what the sheriff thinks, but are isis terrorists here in the united states? we'll get answers from the experts. 'cause red lobster's one and only endless shrimp is now! endless choices! endless variety! kick it up with our spicy new wood-grilled sriracha shrimp and it's back:

parmesan crusted shrimp scampi! the year's largest variety of shrimp flavors! so many to explore! as much as you like, any way you like! endless shrimp is here! but not for long. so hurry in and sea food differently. so what we're looking for is a way to "plus" our accounting firm's mobile plan. and "minus" our expenses. perfect timing. we're offering our best-ever pricing on mobile plans for business. run the numbers on that. well, unlimited talk and text, and ten gigs of data for the five of you would be... one-seventy-five a month. good calculating kyle. good job kyle. you just made partner. our best-ever pricing on mobile share value plans for business. now with a $100 bill credit for every business line you add.

for over 19 million 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. but now that we have the tempadjustable base,ile, when tomorrow becomes real. it's even better. [evie] i go up...heeeeyyy... [announcer] discover how tempur-pedic can move you. and now through september 7th,save up to $500 on a tempur-pedic mattress and adjustable base.

with so much focus on how the white house will deal with isis and iraq and syria, is isis already here in the u.s.? joining us to talk about this is elih lake, correspondent for the daily beast. thanks for being here. elih, do we have any sense if there are americans or people with u.s. passports that trained overseas with isis and here in

the homeland of the u.s.? >> well, matt olson, the out going director said this week that the u.s. intelligence agencies did not think there were any active isis cells inside the united states. what we do know is that in the past there are americans who have traveled overseas, returned home and then traveled overseas back to syria and so the concern is is that why weren't they -- wasn't the past in that one incident detected and there are isis related attacks in europe, a horrific event at a museum in belgium this year. >> rita, your concern is they don't have to go overseas to train, that they can sprout up here. >> exactly and, you know, i really -- it's -- you're absolutely right. i think that the most troubling thing is the fact that a, we all heard that a lot of americans have joined isis but what about the other ones that didn't join

isis? we know at least 100 and more have made their way out. that doesn't mean that these are all the individuals that supported isis. i have absolutely no doubt that if they were able to recruit at least 100 or more in the u.s., there are many more that are in this country that will be very happy to follow the online instructions and carry out attacks. >> i mean, you're talking about self-radicalized loan wolf type people, rita? >> exactly. if we look at the attacks since 9/11, there were about 50 plots for attacks in the u.s. among those that succeeded, look at the boston marathon bombing, the individuals were inspired by al qaeda publications. they followed the manual from the inspired magazine online and executed the bomb.

you look at the fort hood shooting, again, in 2009 by a military psychology or even the attack on the failed attack in new york times square with a car bomb. i mean, i really have to say that just three weeks ago, al qaeda and the arab peninsula issued a magazine calling on americans, american supporters, sleeper cells to execute car bombs in the united states. and the details step by step of instructions of how you execute these attacks are all online with the message of let's copy the car bombs from iraq to the united states. >> you're talking about -- >> and one last sentence -- >> you're talking about terrorists. specifically i want to stick with isis here because that is the immediate concern.

you heard the sheriff down in texas saying listen, if they come here or are here, we'll send them straight to hell. elih, do you think there is isis, proisis fighters here in the united states already? >> well, to answer the question, i can go on what u.s. intelligence officials say and at this point, the assessment is there are no active isis cells in the united states. there are the baseline figure is that 12 americans have joined isis. we know that there were two such americans that died recently in syria on the battle field and it's -- as i said, i think that number 12 is a baseline in what i wrote about today, it's a very thorning problem because the united states doesn't have great visibility or human intelligence in syria and it's difficult because even though the nsa and fbi do try to track

radicalization particularly online, you can't open a case on somebody for going through the initial steps of self-radicalization, whether going online to certain websites, growing a beard and it's not illegal to travel to europe and take a bus pass to turkey and meet somebody at the boarder. it's very difficult to try to open a case on someone before effectively they join the organization and are materially supporting the terrorist group. >> rita, given the problems with tracking them here and abroad, what is the answer? >> the answer is that we really need to be aware of the fact that we are still at war. that doesn't mean that we have to be concerned and change our life. let's not forget that part of al qaeda and isis media campaign against the united states is the intimidation and calls for attacks are flooding the internet not only from isis but

other groups, as well. we have to be aware that this is happening. authorities, i would say, should not think that there are no terrorists cells or no isis operatives because how do you define operative today is it someone who went to training in al qaeda's training camp and had a membership there? it's definitely not because we have seen based on recent attacks in the united states and other countries that all you needed is a computer and studying online what needs to be done. >> thanks so much for your expertise. >> we come right back. the comedy world mourns the loss of one of the greats. s suzanne summers joins us next. >> these are all my jokes. these are jokes over the last 30 years. these are just -- every time i write a joke, i try to remember

to get it on card. why should a woman cook? so a husband can say my wife makes a delicious cake to some hooker? and you're wondering why i'm still working at this age. rent. this is so ridiculous. we're going to manage your entire repair process from paperwork to pickup, okay, little tiny baby? your car is ready, and your repairs are guaranteed for as long as you own it. the progressive service center -- a real place, where we really manage your claim from start to finish. really. ♪ easy as easy can be bye! and we're here in detroit with our amazing team members. the best part about working with quicken loans, is that you have a mortgage expert on the other line that's always gonna find out the best possible solution. we just don't treat you as a loan number. we wanna make sure that we help you out. we're people just like them. ya know, and we know that they have jobs, they have kids,

they have soccer. their home is where their heart is. so we wanna make sure that we take care of them. call quicken loans today for a mortgage experience that's engineered to amaze! ♪ create a better website at squarespace.com start your free trial today.

welcome back, everyone. earlier today the medical ex examin examiner's office said an autopsy performed on joan rivers was inconclusive. joining me now the president of the american association of

accreditation of ambulatory associations. did i say that right? >> you said that well. >> when you mourn joan rivers, you can't help but smile. it's a celebration of her life for most of the coverage we've been having here. dr. keys, you're overseeing one of the three investigations where joan rivers was being treated. what will you look for in this investigation? >> i should say i'm president of the organization or association. there is an investigative committee that will actually devil into the actual circumstances of her demise but that's the way it happens. an inspector goes in and takes a look how the facility is adhering to the standards, the acronym for the organization, how they adhere to the standards and all of those are brought back and then it's analyzed.

this is a routine inspection done any time there is this type of problem that occurs. >> let's talk about the procedure. what do you know about the procedure she had and sedation used? >> well, i know that she had endoscopy performed and propofol, which is a strong medication that puts you interest a twilight type of sleep and allows most of these procedures to be performed. >> so she's -- endoscopy which is fairly routine. she seemed healthy. she was working up until the last minute. she was 81 years old. given her age, should she have been treated at an outpatient facility or at a hospital? >> the age itself is not a limiting factor to whether you have out patient surgery. it's the general health and the status as evaluated by the anesthesiologist and doctor

whether it's safe to do in an outpatient basis. that's not a problem. >> for the -- >> she apparently was quite healthy. >> anyone having endoscopy, what are the stats? i don't know the people going in to have one, most of them, 99% of them go well but there is always a one chance -- do you know what the success rate is? >> small percentage but actually the accrediting association accredits all specialties and what you want to look at is incidents of mortality in outpatient procedures for all specialties. this particular procedure is pretty routine. it's diagnostic. it's not actually a surgical procedure, although when they do small biopsies you might consider that. it's really a diagnose ntic loog down the esophagus into the stomach and areas slightly beyond there, but in general,

outpatient surgery of this nature is very safe. the incident of mortality is probably 1 in 50,000. most mortalities are not directly related to the surgery but em bollist m or patients have deaths occurring after the surgery because of their medical status. >> i have to run here but i'm going to ask you, would you investigate if it wasn't a celebrity? >> of course. any death that has to be reported to our association within five business days and an inspector is sent in and investigative committee is sent in. >> thank you. >> thank you. we know joan rivers was a hard worker. at age 81 she hosted her show on e, had a web series and own line on qvc ask wrote 12 best selling books and performing standup comedy until the end.

joining us on the phone is a woman who knew her for years, suzanne summers. nice to talk to you. >> hi, alisyn , how are you doing. >> good. how did you know joan rivers? >> it's an unofficial club, those of us who worked on the road and i worked in nightclubs for 25 years, and there were several times where joan and i co-headlines together. we co-headlined in las vegas at cesars palace. i interacted with her in and out of my career all those years and she's always been great, always been hysterical, always been so funny but what was always interesting to me is off stage, back stage, you know, in the dressing room she was -- i remember one time being in a stressing room thinking she's so like a little grandmother sitting in a dressing room and puts on the eyelashes and lips

and joan rivers appears. so she had an ability to slip in and out of it in a very attractive way. >> and you know, we're watching old clips of her suzanne and she first went on johnny carson's show in 1965 and one of the most remarkable things about joan rivers is her longevity, her career. all of her contemporaries she started with, richard prior, rodney danger field, she out lasted them. she was working every day. how did she do it? >> well, just one correction, not don rickles is still out there, can you believe it? he's still doing clubs but she did out last him. what she did was make ageing aspirational, as long as you keep on keeping on and reinventing yourself, there is no reason to have to retire. i remember being with one doctor i interviewed for one of my

books and he said when my executives retire, they usually die within five years, so i think that comment she made shortly before her death, she said i'm going to work until i die was -- there she was the night before. when i announced on larry king that i had breast cancer and it was -- i was young to have breast cancer and it was shocking news and she was on the same show, so we were in the green room before and i didn't mention to her why i was going on because i was so nervous about talking about it but it was revealed and leaked and i wanted to set the record straight. so i come back after this very emotional interview with larry king and for a moment, she was very dear and then she made this lopsided face like that's how my breasts look now and the two of us started laughing. and i thought, you can even take breast cancer and make you laugh about it and honestly i left

larry king's show that night uplifted rather than bummed out. so i think she's an incredible person and she was unique and she was -- no one was like her. she wasn't a copy cat. no one will ever be like her, either. you can't be joan rivers. joan rivers was joan rivers. >> and it was all an act. anyone that knew her like you say she was so classy and in her person life, she lived in an eloquent apartment and it was an act. >> it was. and also what people don't realize, she had amazing taste. she has the most incredible wardrobe whether your kind of clothes or not, they are the highest quality and made for her and really, if you think about the clothes that she wore over the years, always awesome. >> that is why she's the fashion police. >> that is why she joked she

wore oscar. >> i hope she is going to wear that valintino gown. >> that is one of her final wishes. >> and a fan so her hair can blow like beyonce. >> thanks, bye bye. when we come back, someone else lucky enough to be mentored by joan rivers. judy tinuda. >> we'll talk her in a minute. works differently to lower blood sugar? imagine, loving your numbers. introducing once-daily invokana®. it's the first of a new kind of prescription medicine that's used along with diet and exercise to lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. invokana® is a once-daily pill that works around the clock to help lower a1c. here's how: the kidneys allow sugar to be absorbed

back into the body. invokana® reduces the amount of sugar allowed back in, and sends some sugar out through the process of urination. and while it's not for weight loss, it may help you lose some weight. invokana® can cause important side effects, including dehydration, which may cause some people to have loss of body water and salt. this may also cause you to feel dizzy, faint, lightheaded, or weak especially when you stand up. other side effects may include kidney problems, genital yeast infections, urinary tract infections, changes in urination, high potassium in the blood, or increases in cholesterol. do not take invokana® if you have severe kidney problems or are on dialysis or if allergic to invokana® or its ingredients. symptoms of allergic reaction may include rash, swelling, difficulty breathing or swallowing. if you experience any of these symptoms, stop taking invokana® and call your doctor right away or go to the nearest hospital. tell your doctor about any medical conditions,

medications you are taking, and if you have kidney or liver problems. using invokana® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase risk of low blood sugar. it's time. lower your blood sugar with invokana®. imagine loving your numbers. ask your doctor about invokana®.

i want my funeral to be -- to be a huge showbiz affair with lights and cameras and action. i want craft services. i want paparazzi. i want publicists making a scene. i want it to be hollywood all the way. don't give me some rabbi rambling on. i want meryl streep crying in five different accents. >> she says she wanted a toe tag by harry winston, and she wanted a fan so her hair could blow like beyonce. >> in a dress from valentino. she might get all of that. >> joan rivers paved the way for so many great comics, including our next guest, and that's judy tenuta. hi, judy. how are you doing? >> hi. oh, i'm great. how are you? considering. >> yeah, considering. so when you got the news? >> oh, well, the first night that i heard what happened, i

just thought oh, it's joan rivers. she cannot be brought down, you know. so i just thought oh, well, they'll just take their the hospital, and she'll be fine. and then the next thing you hear is that she is on life support. and i'm oh. you know, like everyone else, just praying and with baited breath and, you know, hoping that she gets angry enough to get out of there, you know. you know. >> she mentored you. what did you learn from her? >> oh, well, you know the greatest -- 1986, she had her own late night talk show, "the joan rivers show" on fox. and she -- she invited me on. and i had a great time. and she was like come back any time, you know. she was just great, very supportive. and then i continued to be on her shows. she had some morning chat shows

too in the early '90s. >> right. >> so she invited me on those. oh, we just had so much fun. and the thing about joan is when she would do her own schick, she would be very like a machine gun. but when she is talking to you, when she is interviewing you, she makes you feel like you're, you know, special. >> i want to ask you, because you mentioned her, she had a talk show i remember in the '90s, a daytime talk show, right? and then she had the nighttime talk show. that failed. her husband committed suicide. she really went into bankruptcy because they had so much debt. people forget how she climbed out of debt by going on qvc, selling things, and through that talk show, that daytime talk show. she got out of that debt and built her wealth back again. >> oh, i don't even know she was in debt. she never said to me i need $5. i never knew. i never knew that. but i just -- because, you know, when you see joan, she is so

elegant, and she has the furs. in her honor, i wanted to wear my boa today, you know. we should all celebrate with wearing a boa today. >> well, very glamorous, judy. you look great. and speaking of her style and her flare, you know, it's not easy to be a woman in showbiz. >> no. >> and one who got to be 81 years old, still working. she was famous for all her plastic surgeries, but she felt very strongly that she had to stay looking young and attractive to have the career that she did. >> and she paved the way for myself and every female comic, you know. there is a lot of great female comics because of her, you know. kathy griffin, richard simmons -- no, i'm just kidding. >> come on! come on. >> ba bump bump. >> he is funny. no, but seriously, yeah, she

paved the way for everyone. and what i learned from her you originally asked me was that she was fearless. she would stop at nothing. i mean, she -- did you notice she had no edit button. she would say anything. right? >> yeah. >> that's what i loved about her. >> us too. >> she said they've fired me, done everything to me, my husband killed himself. what else can they do? >> judy, thank you so much for sharing your memories. it's great to see you. >> oh, thank you. and i love joan. and thank you so much. >> thanks for being here with your boa. >> oh, it could happen. it could happen. >> stay with cnn for much more on the life and times of joan rivers. our cnn spotlight airs tonight at 10:00 eastern. >> she would be happy that people are laughing, right? >> absolutely. that's what she wanted. >> we'll be right back.

nexium®,is now available, without a prescription for frequent heartburn. get complete protection. because the best moments in life aren't experienced from the sidelines. now there's nothing holding you back. this is nexium level protection™. the #1 prescribed acid-blocking brand. now without a prescription for frequent heartburn. get complete protection. nexium level protection™. for over 19 million people. [ susan ] my promotion allowed me to start investing for my retirement.

transamerica made it easy. [ female announcer ] everyone has a moment when tomorrow becomes real. transamerica. transform tomorrow. but now that we have the tempadjustable base,ile, it's even better. [evie] i go up...heeeeyyy... [announcer] discover how tempur-pedic can move you. and now through september 7th,save up to $500 on a tempur-pedic mattress and adjustable base.

from the experts in feminine protection. introducing dance-all-you-want bladder leak protection new always discreet underwear for sensitive bladders. only always discreet underwear has soft dual leakguard barriers to help stop leaks where they happen most. plus a discreet fit that hugs your curves. you barely feel it. new always discreet. now bladder leaks can feel like no big deal. because hey, pee happens. visit alwaysdiscreet.com for coupons and your free sample.

it's really hard to believe that it's been 13 years, right, since 9/11. >> yeah. >> and it's upon us. >> it's right upon us. we're in this great city of ours, and we'll be watching that of course we're going to be watching joan rivers, right? her funeral is this weekend. >> yes. her funeral obviously will be

star-studded. we hope she gets all the wishes she laid out. the valentino dress, the hair blowing like beyonce. >> i thought it was great she wanted a toe tag by harry winston, which means she wanted a diamond studded toe tag. >> that's it for us. thank you so much for watching. cnn spotlight joan rivers starts right now. >> good night. will you welcome, please, joan rivers. >> for 50 years, -- >> you are not the one to interview one who does humor. sorry. >> fearless. >> are we fearless? >> no big deal to have a woman in the white house. john f. kennedy had a thousand of them. >> and funny. >> no man could ever put his hands up a woman's dress with a library card. >> rebounding. >> you laugh at it, you can deal with it. >> and reinventing. >> you want brutal honesty? >> on the red carpet. >> i'm not going to say anything nasty. she came in a