much. make sure to follow me on twitter. that's it for "the lead." i'm jake tapper. i now turn you over to brianna keilar who's filling in for wolf blitzer next door in "the situation room." happening now, plan to defeat isis. as president obama gets ready to reveal his strategy, isis reveals shocking new images that may show what the u.s. and its allies are up against. hunting the isis executi executioner. are investigators getting closer to unmasking the killer of two americans. and we're learning how behind the scenes, bill clinton and george w. bush built mutual respect and a warm friendship. wolf blitzer is off today. i'm brianna keilar. you're in t"the situation room." americans are worried about isis and not convinced that the president is strong enough to do something about it.

we'll have full details of our new stunning poll ahead. but first, the president is getting ready to lay out his plan to destroy the terror group. he'll speak to the nation this week just ahead of the 9/11 anniversary as a reminder of what the united states and its new coalition must confront. isis has put out a new propaganda video showing savage fighting and heavy weapons including captured fighter jets. our correspondents and guests are standing by with complete coverage. we begin at the white house with cnn correspondent michelle kosins kosinski. any guess of what the president may propose on wednesday? >> reporter: it's hard to divine what exactly this big presidential address on wednesday will tell the american public about the overall isis plan, especially since it still seems like the bulk of the strategy, as the white house defines it, is still laying this groundwork for making a decision moving beyond iraq. so the white house says this will be a conversation with the

american people, following another conversation with congressional leadership tomorrow about what is the best way moving forward and what tools are at america's disposal. the white house brings president obama's speech to the country, the world on the isis threat who he will deliver on the eve of september 11th, like this. >> to make sure that people understand what the clear stake is for the american people and our nation in this ongoing violence we're seeing in iraq and syria. he also wants to describe what sort of tools are at the disposal of the american government. does that mean the president may have something new to say in the speech? he might. >> reporter: but will the u.s. strike in syria? >> i'll make a speech and describe what our game plans are going to be going forward. but this is not going to be an announcement about u.s. ground troops. this is not the equivalent of

the iraq war. what this is is similar to the kinds of counterterrorism campaigns that we've been engaging in consistently over the last five, six, seven years. >> reporter: a new cnn/orc poll shows 50% of the american public are ready and willing to use military force, up from 34% a year ago. when asked directly today has a decision been made yet on air strikes inside syria, the white house would say only the u.s. is willing to go wherever necessary to deal with the threat, comparing it to the decision to go after osama bin laden in pakistan and saying if that decision is coming, it would be the president who would announce it. what is becoming clear is that all of this is going to take a while. secretary of state kerry told the new international coalition against isis at the nato summit that it could take three years to defeat isis. also, this last week from the deputy national security

adviser -- >> it's going to take time and it will probably go beyond even this administration to get to the point of defeat. >> reporter: as of right now, the white house is keeping it something of a secret as to whether there will be news coming out of this address on wednesday. but in this latest poll, 67% of the respondents answered no when asked if they think president obama has a clear plan for dealing with isis. brianna? >> that is a big number. michelle kosinski at the white house, thank you. we are learning that investigators may be getting closer to unmasking the isis executioner who brutally beheaded american james foley. let's turn now to cnn justice correspondent pamela brown. how close are they to solidly identifying this person? >> well, according to sources i've been speaking with today, u.s. authorities as well as british authorities say they have a pretty good idea of who it may be. but it's not 100% yet. but they have a possible suspect of who they believe is this jihadi john, this man we see in the video, the masked man we saw in the execution video of james

foley, put a knife to the throat of james foley in that video. and this has been a top priority for officials to identify this person. we heard him in the video. appears he has a british accent. sources tell me they believe this man in the video is actually linked to a group of extremists based in london. officials are not yet naming the suspect publicly, citing the ongoing investigation because there's a lot to take into account. they want to figure out who else may be conspiring with this person, who else is within his network and take into account that isis has other american hostages right now as we speak. so, again, officials have a pretty good idea of who it is. they have been using human methods, technical means, analyzing the metadata on that video, using voice analysis to try to pin down who it is. >> there are unfortunately two videos, steven sotloff as well was killed by isis. is the thought that the executioner in that video the same as the one in the foley video?

>> well, i think that initially was what everyone thought because a lot of the mannerisms seemed very similar, the accents seemed the same. but i'm being told it's too premature to draw that connection. it's only been a week since that video was released. officials are still trying to figure out who the executioner is in that video as well. >> pamela brown, thank you so much. let's go in depth now, i'm joined by the vice chairman of the senate intelligence committee, republican saxby chambliss of georgia. thank you for being with us. we've heard, we shouldn't draw conclusions that the executioners in these two videos are necessarily the same person. it seems that u.s. officials are pretty confident that they're very close to making a positive id in the foley video. how close do you think the uk is to making an identification here? >> i think we're getting pretty close. technology is an amazing thing and i got an updated brief this

afternoon. and i'm very hopeful there's going to be some positive news on who these two awful criminals are within the next several days. but i don't know exactly when that's going to be. but we're getting close. >> okay, several days. we'll be waiting for that information. senator, we're obviously awaiting the president's plan, his strategy for how to deal with isis in syria. he'll be addressing the nation on wednesday. he said yesterday on "meet the press" that he will go wherever is necessary. what do you take that to mean? >> well, i hope it means exactly what he says. and i hope that on wednesday, first of all, we have an explanation to the american people as to why isil is a threat to the united states on domestic soil because it clearly is. and he's got to lay that out because a lot of people simply don't understand it. this is something that's happening in a faraway land. secondly, he's got to state what his goal is against isil.

what do we want to do? this maintaining them is not acceptable. we've got to destroy them. and thirdly, obviously he's got to lay out his strategy for how he's going to accomplish that goal. and who are going to be our allies in this? he cannot rule out ground troops. but we need our allies to support us with air strikes with boots on the ground. i hope all of that is being worked right now by the administration. in my conversations with him over the weekend, i think that is the case. but he's going to have to be very clear and very direct with the american people that this is a situation where if we don't destroy them, whether it's iraq, syria, or wherever they may run and hide, they're going to be an american soil and we're going to have to deal with them here. >> you said your conversations with him, with president obama over the weekend? >> no, with his staff that i talk with regularly and the intelligence world.

>> between what you're learning from them and also from this briefing, you were just saying you were in a briefing, what more can you tell us that you're learning? >> as far as the situation regarding the individuals that killed mr. foley and mr. sotloff, like i say, they are just exploring every single avenue that technology will allow. and they're going to get there. that's why i say it could be a matter of hours, it could be a matter of days. i don't know the exact time line. but we're going to get there. we're going to find out who these guys were. and they're going to be brought to justice. with respect to where isil may go, we don't know. these are a bunch of kourdz. as soon as we strike them at the heart of their operation center, their logistics center, they're going to run and hide somewhere else. and wherever they go, we're going to have to follow them. and if that leads into syria, then i hope the president has not taken that off the table.

if it leads elsewhere, we've got to be prepared to follow them. >> i want to ask you about congress' role in this. it seems that a lot of republicans are saying the president has the ability to go ahead without congressional approval, i.e., a vote approving either an authorization or something like that. the president has said that it's important for congress to have a buy-in. today we heard from the white house press secretary, he said the president is committed to what he called intensive consultation. but let's listen to what president obama said a year ago. >> while i believe i have the authority to carry out this military action without specific congressional authorization, i know that the country will be stronger if we take this course and our actions will be even more effective. we should have this debate. because the issues are too big for business as usual. >> now, that was the president when he was talking about pursuing congressional approval, a vote, for strikes against the

assad regime in syria for using chemical weapons against its own people. the sense that i get is we're not going to see a repeat of that. it does not appear that the president will be seeking congressional approval for this. >> well, that's when the president caved, if you'll recall, on his having drawn a red line with bashar al assad. we've lost that battle inside of syria today because he caved. we've got to recapture the battlefield. and we can't afford to allow isil to make any further progress. we're obviously having great success with our air strikes. otherwise, you wouldn't see the reaction that we're seeing from isil. but we have simply got to continue to pursue them, irrespective of where they go, because these are the nastiest people we've ever dealt with. when he talks about

counterterrorism, this goes beyond counterterrorism. this is an army that we're dealing with. they're in the thousands. we don't even know what the number is. so the president's got to be prepared to do more than what he was talking about against bashar al assad. >> but, senator, is congress being relegated to a consultant role here? >> well, i just got back from a trip to europe where i visited with a number of our nato friends. the constant message i got from those nato partners is, where is the united states that we have known forever and we signed up with? where is the leadership coming out of the united states on these serious national security issues? the president has an opportunity once again to lead. i hope he does it this time. he will be in consultation with congress. as i said, they talked to me over the weekend. i know they talked to other members of the leadership team, our leadership is going to the white house tomorrow to have a

conversation with the president. and based on what he's heard, i'm sure that's going to formulate his speech on wednesday. it's not like we're out of the game. believe me, we're back in session this week, you're going to hear an awful lot about isil, about what's been happening in other parts of the world from a national security perspective on the floor of the united states senate. >> we will be listening for that. senator saxby chambliss, vice chairman of the u.s. senate select committee on intelligence, thank you, sir. >> thank you, brianna. next, what the u.s. may be up against. isis shows off captured artillery, warplanes and aerial video taken by a drone. and the president says he'll go wherever necessary, his words, to defeat isis. does congress have to go along? i'll ask senator robert menen z menendez.

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as president obama gets ready to lay out his new plan to fight isis, the terror group has released a new propaganda video to show what the u.s. and its allies are up against. it shows savage fighting as isis scores a key battlefield victory and shows a stunning array of captured weapons. cnn's brian todd is here with a closer look. >> tonight, a u.s. official calls the capture of the air base depicted in this video significant. the official says each base isis overtakes gives them more equipment, like what you see here. it's not clear how isis is going to use the heavy weaponry it now has. but this video is a chilling indication of the battlefield gains the group is making. ♪ isis in combat, newly released

video from the battlefield and posted by isis shows what appears to be actual combat footage of isis fighters taking over a key air base in syria. we matched this drone video of the airfield to existing satellite images of the altab base overrun by isis last week. the images of heavy weaponry captured, even syrian fighter jets. >> whether they'll be able to use them to put them in the air, whether they can pilot them, refuel them, rearm them, repair them, that's still an open question. could there be former iraqi air force pilots, former syrian air force pilots that could fly this? perhaps. >> reporter: a u.s. official tells cnn the isis capture of this base completed the group's takeover of the region that currently serves as their stronghold. a captured tank is displayed, heavy artillery and a stash of weapons and ammo. >> the capture of a munitions

depot could be significant? >> you could find all types of explosives, all types of weapons. and the thing that would concern us most is if they've captured surface-to-air missiles that could be used somewhere else in the region. >> reporter: iraq war combat veteran douglas olavot says some of the fighting video may be staged because it doesn't show anyone firing back at isis. but the fact that isis fighters are dispersed shows good combat discipline and may be a reflection on syrian forces. >> it could be an indicator of a lack of leadership in the syrian army as well. if your leaders leave any kind of military organization, if the leaders aren't there sharing the toughness, sharing the combat and leave the soldiers up to their own devices without any leadership there, the soldiers will sometimes give up. >> there's also a question of whether some elite syrian forces may have been killed in that battle. at one point in the video, an

isis fighter displays this patch. our analyst could not find anything online, any real syrian commando badges which looked like this and any ids which looked like this one. he says that could mean that bashar al assad's regime is now creating new syrian commando units or he said it could mean what we see in these patches is an isis propaganda tool. >> there's video near the end of this of captured syrians being executed, many being shot as they lie on the ground, despite whatever sick propaganda isis gets from that, what they did there could have actually hurt them, right? >> that's right. some of the things they show in the video, they're so euphoric about the capture and the kill that they could have killed some that could help them.

>> thank you so much, brian. let's dig deeper on this now. joining me now, senator robert menendez of new jersey, also the chairman of the foreign relations committee in the senate. i think the big question here, senator menendez, is we heard it's pretty clear coming from the administration, no u.s. combat boots on the ground. so then the question becomes, if the u.s. continues and maybe amps up its military aid to moderate rebels, are these moderate syrian rebels going to be in a position strong enough to really take on isis? >> well, i think what we're going to have to hear the strategy as it unfolds but i get a sense of where we're headed. air strikes, drone strikes in the iraq context, having iraqi forces and kurdish/peshmerga forces, be able to follow on the ground and take advantage of

those strikes. and then in syria -- i presume we are going to hear about air strikes in syria. if you want to destroy isis, you have to go after them in syria as well. that strengthening the moderate vetted rebels in a robust way, which hasn't happened sufficiently enough, can be an opportunity for them on the ground to take advantage of the air strikes that will be coming from u.s. and other forces. >> you think that's going to be enough -- you've said you see a plan coming together. that would be air strikes coming from the u.s. and its allies. you think that's enough coupled with some aid to moderate rebels to really turn the tide against isis? >> we're going to have to listen to the military planners and advisers and hear what it takes to destroy isis. we have to be open-minded about what it takes. if we think that isis is a savage terrorist organization which we have to defeat before they have the operational capacity to perform a september 11th-like tragedy, then we have

to be willing to take various options to ultimately achieve our goal. and that has to be dictated by what the military leadership tells us will be necessary to achieve that goal. now, the prevailing belief is that that can be done by a combination of air, drone strikes and the use of other forces from these countries in the region, both in iraq and syria. that remains to be seen. >> will congress vote on this, senator? >> well, right now, i'm comfortable with the actions the president is taking as it relates to his strikes to protect u.s. personnel at our embassies and forces that remain in iraq. but if this is going to be a prolonged fight against isis, it seems to me that there is no way to avoid coming to the congress for an authorization for the use of military force, which comes before the senate foreign relations committee. we're not there yet. part of considering such an authorization will depend upon the strategy that the president outlines.

that will start tomorrow with congressional leadership. wednesday when he speaks to the country. next week, we have a hearing before the senate foreign relations committee. then we'll be able to move forward based upon what we hear. >> but we expect this to be something other than just a few months of work to try to push isis back. it seems that the expectations are being put out there by the white house, by the president, that this is something that will take years. so the expectation there would be that congress would need to have more than a consultant role here, that congress would have to have a vote on this. but do you think the american people would support something that could take that much time? >> well, i think you have to make the case to the american people of why isis is a threat to the united states of america, why it's a threat to our national security, both here at home and our interests abroad. and when you make that case to the american people, then i think even though there may be weariness about this reality, as

we commemorate the 13th anniversary of september 11th, we are reminded of what happens when, in fact, we don't stop terrorist organizations like this. the terrorists have to only get lucky once. we have to do it right 100% of the time. that's a tough challenge. and that's something we have to remind the nation. >> do you think that the president -- that the nation, that congress should be open to american combat boots on the ground? >> i think we have to listen to what the military advisers, the people who understand how to defeat a terrorist group like isis will need. and i don't think we should preempt what they have to say. we have to listen to that, make our judgments based upon what they say and then the congress will act accordingly based upon what the administration is asking for. we've never had an authorization for the use of military force that a president has not asked for. by the same token, it is unlikely that the administration, in my view, would not come to the congress

if we're talking about a long-term engagement. that means laying out the case to the american people. it also means clearly defining the strategy as to how we achieve the goal of defeating isis. >> senator menendez, thank you so much. really appreciate you joining us. >> thank you. next, we have a new poll. it shows a dramatic increase in the number of americans who want military action against isis. you're in "the situation room." (woman) the constipation and belly pain feel tight like a vise. how can i ease this pain? (man) when i can't go, it's like rocks piling up. i wish i could find some relief. (announcer) ask your doctor about linzess-- a once-daily capsule for adults with ibs with constipation or chronic idiopathic constipation. linzess is thought to help calm pain-sensing nerves and accelerate bowel movements. it helps you proactively manage your symptoms. do not give linzess to children under 6, and it should not be given to children 6 to 17. it may harm them.

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forget what you've heard about americans being war weary. an eye-opening new cnn poll shows people are angry and worried because of the threat from isis and they're very unhappy with president obama's response. cnn chief national correspondent john king has the numbers and we're also joined by cnn political commentator peter binart. first to you, john. you've been looking at the numbers and they're pretty stunning. >> it is. how quickly and profoundly about how americans' views about terrorism and using military force have changed. what's the most important issue facing the country? terrorism has jumped to number two at 14%. if you go back to september 2012 or september 2010, just 3% said terrorism was the number one issue. so clearly these barbaric videos have convinced the american people this is a serious threat.

look at this, 50% say the united states should be ready and willing to use military force. 48% say be very reluctant. but look at the jump from just one year ago, up from 34%. here's what's damning for the president as he prepares to give this speech wednesday night. 67% of the american people do not think the commander in chief has a clear plan to deal with isis. the president made some of that problem himself by saying he did not have a clear strategy. that's a number he has to turn around if he wants the support of the american people going forward. but if you look throughout this, should he ask for congressional approval, should congress give him that authority? the american people think he should ask congress and that congress should give it to him. >> it really is surprising. peter, this is something the white house, the congress is paying attention to. when you look just to a year ago, highlighting some of what john just spelled out there, people evenly split on whether the u.s. should do something. and a year ago, it was 2 to 1

against. you said it was the beheadings of two american journalists that turned the tide here in public opinion. >> absolutely. if you remember last year when we were talking about president obama intervening against bashar al assad's chemical weapons use, the debate was about the terrible things that bashar al assad was doing to thiz own people and about the humanitarian catastrophe in syrian. americans didn't necessarily think that was a threat to them. what's changed is those beheadings, those videos of americans has resurrected some of the spirit that we saw after 9/11, this fear that these are not just bad people doing terrible things in the middle east. but these people actually want to kill americans. really nothing could have been designed more to make americans willing to use military force than those horrific videos and they have dramatically changed the political climate in washington. >> certainly feeling more of a threat. i think that's the sense you get from people. john, we've been talking to --

we've talked to two senators in the last few minutes about where congress fits into this. a year ago, president obama made one of the biggest pitches to congress that i have seen of his presidency. and this time, it feels as if congress is being sort of relegated to a consultant role. >> you've had some members of congress say, mr. president, come ask for our authorization, constitutionally, it's the right thing to do and politically as well. but that's the minority. most members of congress, perhaps remembering the iraq vote. a lot of them would rather be in an advisory or consultant role. be interesting to watch which leaders in congress step up to say, let us vote and which leaders cajole or beg the president, not this year. just appropriating the money, non-binding resolutions, is another part of the dynamic.

will congress get ahead of the cart or behind it? >> do americans want congress to be involved here? >> in this poll, they do. 82% say congress should give the president authority. and 72% say the president should ask congress. i think, again, in part we've had these limited military actions over and over again where people say the president has the authority. but you have a rand paul, for example, a leading republican voice saying, no, the president should always ask congress. tim kaiean says he should have get it. >> you look at these polls where american public opinion has shifted so much. but you're seeing congress, particularly democrats, be reticent to wade into this. and republicans who are more hawkish on this issue overall, seem to be prepared to say, the president has the authority to just go ahead and they're not really demanding anything more

than what he's -- to provide them what he said, i guess the consultant role that we heard from the white house today. are you surprised -- i guess you're not surprised by what congress is doing. but do you think americans want congress for more involved? >> yes, i think americans would like congress to be involved. but this is a pattern throughout american history. when americans become more hawkish, the president gains power and congress tends to recede. and when you have a public mood like this, where there's support for public action and people are angry, it tends to empower the president and members of congress themselves, as john was saying, tend to basically say, it's okay, mr. president, you go and do it on your own authority, partly because they're afraid of standing against a public tide which is now moving strongly in support of war. so i think as john was saying, what we'll probably see is that congress will do something that gives the president some signal that they're on board. but the president won't risk a full vote in part because of the bitter memory of what happened

when he went that route last year and then had to pull the vote because he was going to lose. >> you look at this poll and something striking is that a lot of americans aren't feeling as good about the direction of the country in general as they were a year ago. >> so the president is facing this huge challenge and we are inevitably and politics come into play because we are eight weeks from an election. if you look at the poll, how are things going in the country right now? badly, 55%. up from april. that's a recipe for a big republican year. the president's poll numbers, stagnant in the 40s. the president's poll numbers are personally weak. people think the country is heading in the wrong direction. that's a recipe for a republican big ripple if not a wave coming in november. and as the president confronts global challenges, he has a very, very difficult -- and he's a weakened president in the domestic department. >> it's unclear if that's going to be enough to tip the balance in the favor of republicans. i want you guys to stay with us. we have to take a break. but i want to ask you about president obama's admission that it didn't look good for him to

play golf right after talking about the isis executions. and in the next hour, the deeply disturbing new video of an nfl star player punching his fiancee in the face and dragging her from an elevator. big day? ah, the usual. moved some new cars. hauled a bunch of steel. kept the supermarket shelves stocked. made sure everyone got their latest gadgets. what's up for the next shift? ah, nothing much. just keeping the lights on. (laugh) nice. doing the big things that move an economy. see you tomorrow, mac. see you tomorrow, sam. just another day at norfolk southern. 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.

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you're in "the situation room." you're looking at live pictures from the state department. we're awaiting a statement from the secretary of state, john kerry. he will be coming out to speak and make comments on some

significant news coming out of iraq today that parliament has sworn in a new government. let's bring in our global affairs correspondent, elyse lavette who is there. what are we expecting the secretary to say? >> i think the secretary is going to say this is very good news. this is really the linchpin in the administration's strategy to combat isis. it felt that it first needed an iraqi government in power that would promise to be inclusive and bring along the sunnis who feel disaffected, which is really one of the reasons why isis was able to advance through the country. so now that secretary kerry can come out and say there's a new iraqi government, he'll be leaving tomorrow on a coalition-building tour, if you will, really trying to enlist sunni support for this new fledgling government. they're going to need military support. they're going to need arms, training, intelligence, money. but you're also going to need efforts to dry up the financing.

dry up the funding, close the borders to make sure that there are no foreign fighters coming across. this is the kind of support that secretary kerry will be looking for these gulf countries, leaders in the region. he'll be going first to saudi arabia and jordan to enlist that type of support as this iraqi government gets on its feet. >> but certainly he's looking positively at this more inclusive government which has been seen as a key part certainly of what the iraqi government needs to do to really combat isis. we'll be watching this with you when secretary kerry comes out. a dramatic new cnn poll shows that 90% of americans consider isis a serious threat while 59% disapprove of how president obama is responding. we are back now with cnn chief national correspondent john king and cnn political commentator peter bienart. many americans find that the

country is, i guess, on the wrong track, you would say. do you think that that is something that is -- it's certainly very bad when we're looking at a midterm election here. >> it means the president is going -- >> for democrats, i should say? >> bad for the democrats. talking about the president trying to deal with the isis threat. you could call them disconnected. wh increased fear of terrorism -- as peter noted the horrific reaction to these beheadings, puts people in a bit of a funk. if they're feeling down about the economy, you see something like this -- and you don't think the president has a clear plan to deal with it, you get in a funk. that helps the republicans and hurts the democrats in the election. and the president tries to get the country that's not really with him right now -- only 43% approval rating. president needs to look the country in the eye, forget about the election, ladies and gentlemen, and say this is a huge threat, it's going to take years to confront it. here are my first few steps.

i need your help and support. it's harder in a tough political environment. >> peter, i want to ask you what you think about the president talking about after his statement that he gave on the beheading of american journalist jim foley. he went and played golf, he caught a lot of flak for that. and he addressed this yesterday and said that he shouldn't obviously -- that that was something that he was sort of insensitive to the optics. what did you of his reaction to that? he sort of blamed it on the theater of politics. >> i think he said that he has to be more aware of the theater of politics. and he was right. it was a mistake. and i think it was a mistake that became larger because of the other p.r. mistakes that followed when he said he didn't have a strategy and then when it seemed like they couldn't decide whether they were going to try to destroy isis or simply manage it and shrink it. it all created the impression of an administration that really wasn't on top of this, maybe wasn't taking it seriously enough. i think they were caught a bit from behind in terms of the public and congressional

reaction in response to the beheadings. now i think they're a little bit more in control of it. but they're already in a very, very difficult political climate. and it's possible this is just another ingredient that will mobilize the republican electorate and also potentially help the republicans, vis-a-vis, women. very interesting to note if you go back to the 2004 issue, the terrorism issue helped george w. bush among women. that could be a particularly important element in the way this plays out politically. >> we'll be looking to see if that's the case. peter, john, thank you so much. let's go to the state department where john kerry is at the mike. >> good afternoon, everybody. tonight we mark what is unquestionably a major milestone for iraq in what president obama has made clear will be a cornerstone of our efforts against isil. just a few hours ago, overcoming the obstacle of ethnic and sectarian divides, the iraqi parliament approved a new and

inclusive government, one that has the potential to unite all of iraq's diverse communities for a strong iraq, a united iraq and to give those communities the chance to build the future that all iraqis desire and deserve. now is the time for iraq's leaders to govern their nation with the same vision and sense of purpose that helped to bring this new government together in the first place. and in that effort, they should know the united states will stand shoulder to shoulder with the iraqis as they implement their national plan to overcome the longstanding political and economic grievances that have for too long divided their country. tonight iraq has tonight, iraq has a unity government. tomorrow, i will travel to the middle east to continue to build the broadest possible coalition

of partners around the globe to confront, degrade, and ultimately defeat isil. on wednesday, president obama will lay out in even greater detail our coordinated global strategy against isil. as we build this coalition, i want to underscore that almost every single country on earth has a role to play in eliminating the isil threat. and the evil that it represents. for some that will mean military assistance. both direct and in the form of training, arming, in the form of advising and equipping. for some it will mean distributing to the desperately needed humanitarian effort. for some, it will mean helping identify, track and cut off isil's funding and prevent the flow of foreign fighters. for still others, it will mean demolishing the distortion of one of the world's great

peaceful religions and counteracting the propaganda isil uses to recruit new supporters. and for all, it will mean publicly supporting the new inclusive government in iraq. make no mistake, these are efforts that we and our partners around the global are already taking. in the middle east, saudi arabia and kuwait have poured millions into humanitarian assistance. the uae has agreed to take on isil support networks and beat back against its militant idealogical propaganda. but we also have canada sending over members of its military to help advise and assist kurdish forces. we have estonia and algainia providing military equipment. our close allies in france and the united kingdom are contributing in a number of important ways, including by providing military assistance

and humanitarian air drops. and well beyond the region in europe, we have partners in places like japan, australia, committing millions in humanitarian aid and australia agreeing to take in thousands of refugees from iraq and syria and to assist in our military efforts. our global coordinated campaign with a global coordinated coalition will be built not just in a matter of days or weeks, but it will be built to endure for the months and perhaps even te years to come. much more will be done at the u.n. general assembly later this month. but our work together will grow and it will coalesce beyond this month. what we're working to accomplish will require hard work, sustained commitment and unwavering focus from all of us.

but we are clear. president obama and i and the entire team, absolutely understand this is something we must achieve and we will be successful. thank you. >> secretary kerry there wrapping up at the state department. after this, he heads out overseas looking for a little help from his friends, from u.s. allies. is he going to get it? and what kind of help? >> i think he's going to get a lot of help. he talked about this global coalition, but it's these countries immediately surrounding iraq that isil poses the greatest threat to. so when he talks to the leaders from the gulf, from jordan, some are going to be helping with military support. the uae said it could help militarily. the saudis are seen as having the religious credibility in

that region and they're going to be looked to help dismantle and break out the isis ideology, to make sure sunni arabs know that isis is the enemy. so everybody is going to have to do their part. but clearly this is going to be a regional and global effort. i think that you've seen the arab league and other nations come together say that this is something that the region and the world really needs to come together and fight. i think secretary kerry has an open door there. >> john, key moment for president obama on wednesday. he addresses the nation. he makes his sell for how to take on isis in syria. what does he need to say? >> he needs to connect the dots to what secretary we ary just talked about, more military strikes in iraq, a possibility of air strikes in syria and also bring up this political piece. the point about why is this a five-year challenge, maybe a 15-year challenge because if you don't have a political environment on the ground that can snuff out the support for

isis inside syria and iraq, because of religious and tribal strife that goes back to the bible days, and because of the dysfunction of governments, the political part is just as important as the military part. coming up, president obama getting ready to reveal his strategy against isis. while the terror group reveals shocking new images that may show what the u.s. alallies are up against. and nfl star ray rice knocking out his future rice. his team and the league take very strong action. all the details ahead.

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happening now, isis fighters boast about their victories and their carnage, as president obama prepares to reveal a plan to attack the terrorists. we have new information about his strategy. plus, baltimore ravens star ray rice is fired after shocking video surfaces of him punching his future rice. is the nfl doing enough to punish players for domestic violence? a new witness comes forward about the shooting death of michael brown, explaining why the teenager's body was left on a street in ferguson, missouri for hours. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. wolf blitzer is offer today. i'm breanna keeler. you're in "the situation room." first this hour, a brazen taunt by some of the most savage terrorists in the world. sit a newly released video of isis fighters in combat. most of it is too gruesome to

show you. it comes as president obama is about to announce his plan to defeat isis in iraq and syria and protect americans from a possible attack. we have correspondents, analysts standing by on new details. let's go to our chief national security correspondent jim sciutto. we've seen his message evolve over time. >> no question. we've come a long way from ice sis the jv team. the president now preparing the public for a sustained years-long campaign to defeat isis, one that will involve a broad coalition of nations as more of them come to see isis as a direct threat. a new isis video shows the terror group's threat in alarming detail. filming from their own drones in the sky, isis takes a syrian air base with military precision.

[ gunfire ] fearing the same success against the haditha dam in iraq, the u.s. launched another air campaign to halt their progress. now president obama will outline on wednesday a longer term battle plan lasting u.s. officials tell cnn as long as three years. >> we are going to be able to not just blunt the momentum of isil. we are going to systematically degrade their capabilities. we're going to shrink the territory that they control, and ultimately we're going to defeat them. >> reporter: phase one, air strikes in iraq against isis targets, a campaign already under way. phase two, train and equip iraqi and kurdish forces to defeat isis on the ground. phase three, eliminate isis save

havens in syria. and the u.s. will build a strong coalition in the region. secretary kerry is visiting there this week to recruit allies in the fight. canada, like the u.s., is sending military advisers to assist kurdish forces. the uk, germany and italy is sending weapons to the kurds. together, it is an unprecedented campaign, even unlike the assault on al qaeda, which is at 13 years and counting. >> isis is different. they have a military structure and organization, so they present more of a target. the question arises what will happen after the military targets are destroyed? after the tanks are gone and the armored personnel carriers are gone, where do we take the campaign from there? >> reporter: a new cnn poll shows american public support building for attacks against

isis. 90% of americans see isis as a threat to the u.s. it's that public support that may help president obama pursue more aggressive action. one question that's still open is what level of congressional support the president will ask for. the president said this weekend he believes he has the authority he needs to protect the american people. but today listening to the white house spokesperson, the president said throughout this they want buy-in from congress, but they have yet to define what that is. is it just consultation, will there be a vote? that depends on what steps the president takes. >> the white house kept it very foggy today. we did just hear from secretary kerry. he's on his way overseas to get a little help from his friends.

he talked about significant news out of iraq that a new government has been put in place. what did he say? >> he called it a major milestone. in fact, there is a new government. you have a new prime minister, one that all sides seem to be happy with. now he's picked most of the post. but unfortunately, the defense minister and interior minister, one a sunni, the other a shia, these are the negotiations that have stymied previous governments. so not to have decided on those yet shows they have a long way to go to get the government the president wants to move forward with, with military action. >> this is a definitely part of the strategy for president obama. more now on the challenges that the president faces when he unveils his isis battle plan on wednesday. let's talk now to our white house correspondent. michelle the >> we just saw this poll come out today that showed 67% of

respondents answered no when asked does president obama have a clear plan on defeating isis. the white house knows there's been confusion out there. they've been dealing with, is there a strategy or not for about two weeks now. so it's possible why they're doing this presidential address on wednesday, to lay out a plan clearly again. but even today after a lot of tough questioning, it was hard to see what exactly would come out of this, because we've seen the white house repeatedly lay out its strategy, and the string is, a big part of that strategy right now, at least in terms of moving beyond iraq, still involves laying the ground work for making a decision. the white house was asked directly today, has a decision been made on air strikes in syria? and they answered only, well, the u.s. is willing to go wherever necessary to deal with is isis. and the white house said this address would be a conversation with the american people.

that's how they framed it, to talk about what is the best way forward and what tools are at america's disposal. we just heard john kerry say it would be a chance for the president to lay out this global strategy. >> what is the outreach that the white house is doing with congress? >> we've been seeing there's been support for certain elements of the president's plan, at least what we know of it so far. there's support for having a tough stance on isis and the threat that many say it does pose to the united states. but then there's all this criticism that the plan needs to be tougher or that it needs to be laid out better. just today in fact, we saw a senate democrat, we saw a house republican put out their own legislation pre-emptively for authorizing force in syria. the white house was asked repeatedly again today, what role is congress going to play? can you give us some sort of

theoreticals or specifics? is the president going to ask for congress' authorization or permission moving beyond iraq? they would only go so far as to frame it as close consultation with congress. >> michelle, thank you. i want to bring our panel in. retired lieutenant general mark hurdling, a cnn military analyst. and robert bair, former cia operative, and a senior ald visor to the syrian opposition coalition. general, the idea of a series of air strikes, a prolonged cam pair of air strikes against isis, is that going to be enough to degrade and destroy isis as the president says he wants to do? >> well, i think the president said four things that as a military guy i wanted to hear him say. he said he wanted to blunt the momentum of isis, degrade their

capability, shrink their territory and defeat them of the all of those things will take on added dimension. i don't think we want to telegraph all the things he wants to do. we see the secretary of state getting multinational partners together to contribute to those areas. again, as a soldier too, the american people support it today. will they support it a year or two years from now? this is going to be a very long campaign. >> you think more than air strikes or air strikes are sufficient? >> well, no, i don't think air strikes are sufficient at all. but i think they will contribute certainly to what we're trying to do. there will be many more ways to approach this. the secretary talked about other nations contributing. it could be the contributions of intelligence and humanitarian aid. there will be a lot of things going into this fight and air strikes, both from the united states and possibly from some other countries, are going to be

part of that. >> the general was talking about this. how are the american people going to feel in a year or two? "the new york times" citing a senior administration official that says the isis mission could take at least three years. what is your thought representing syrian rebels? >> well, absolutely there's no question that the fight, the campaign against isis doesn't really begin until air strikes against isis positions in syria begin that's the core of isis. until the u.s. launches a campaign including supporting the ground forces existing in syria today that are fighting isis, we haven't begun the fight to degrade isis. >> how long does it take? does it take three years to destroy isis? >> it will take a long time. it will be a long campaign. the sooner that the u.s. starts by launching air strikes, the

faster that we can all conclude this joint mission to destroy isis. >> bob, when you look at this, there are some folks out there who think even though we're hearing no u.s. combat boots on the ground, that ultimately that's what this will necessitate. many people say that's not going to happen. but do you think this mission would eventually lead to that? >> i think it will lead to it if isis strikes the united states, especially within our boarders or even american targets in europe. but what we're not looking at is very important is a unity government in baghdad. i've been talking to the sunnis almost every day, and they see the negotiations in baghdad occurring today as irrelevant. they said they're not coming back with a government there. they want complete changes in laws. they want the same status as the kurdish area. i think what we need to do is drive a wedge between isis in

iraq and the sunni population, which is nearly 2 million people, which we don't have an obvious solution for. at the end of the day, there are 20 million sunnis leaving between aleppo and mosul and we have to turn them against isis. i think they will do that one day anyhow, but i would like to speed this up, so it's a combination of a political solution and air strikes. >> general, the president said he would go wherever is necessary. today we heard from the white house press secretary. when asked this question, what does that mean, is this going to be air strikes inside of syria, he wouldn't quite commit to an answer but cited examples saying the u.s. wasn't afraid to go into pakistan and get osama bin laden. so should we just read that as the u.s. will be conducting air strikes in syria, this is definitely going to snap >> i don't think we should read that as such, but thankfully, he didn't say anything. because again, i go back to --

we do not want to telegraph every one of our moves. there's an element of surprise. there's an element of overwhelming force that are all going to contribute to the fight against isis wherever they might be. again, i go back to what the white house has said, the campaign strategy is going to be from a soldier's perspective, i like it. i can deal with it. and this is going to be a long campaign. he would like it to start in syria. that might not be the best place to start. but i think the fact that we are actually executing a campaign is critically important. >> we see a video today coming out from isis. we see that isis fighters have obtained a lot of weapons. they have seized weapons. how do -- if the u.s. is arming syrian rebels, how do they prevent isis from just taking over those weapons being given from the u.s.? >> that's a very important question.

the balance sheet is in the favor of isis. they've captured tons of military equipment from iraqi military bases and syrian regime military bases. so the way that you ensure that vetted and trained moderate free syrian army rebels are able to utilize american military aid is by assuring that aid goes to the forces on the front lines fighting isis. 100% of the u.s. origin with these anti-tank guided missiles have been used effectively in the field. none of those advanced american military systems have fallen into the wrong hands. >> thank you so much to all of you. now this just in. the fbi confirms it's looking into an attack in which a usair

marshal at the airport was assaulted with syringe containing to an unknown substance. after a screening this morning, was taking to a hospital for further tests. an fbi statement says none of the testing indicates any danger to other passengers and the air marshal shows no sign of illness. still ahead, the shocking violence that cost nfl player ray rice his job. did the nfl look the other way until this video? and an owner of the atlanta hawks spoke out about the donald sterling scandal. now he admits he made racially charged remarks. sports and controversy, after the break.

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dramatic fallout from shocking new video showing nfl running back ray rice punching his future wife and knocking her out. this prompted the ravens to terminate rice's contract and the nfl to suspend him indefinitely. a warning to our viewers, the video is hard to watch. the grainy video shows the vicious attack by the baltimore ravens' star on his then fiance. the footage reveals in graphic, hard-to-watch detail the brutal attack unfolding. even before getting on the elevator, the running back and his now wife seem to be arguing here at the top of the green. then even before the doors close, he's in her face. once the doors close, a brutal punch. she's knocked out cold. when the doors reopen, rice drags her out. hours after the video is released, the ravens fired rice and the nfl suspended him indefinitely. but the league and team are under fire for not acting

sooner, before seeing the new footage today. >> a lot of people are mad at the nfl and the ravens. i'm mad at the judicial system that failed this woman and society at large. here you have clearly an act of violence. clearly an act of violence. to give him a slap on the wrist, an opportunity to even have this wiped from his record, tells you how powerful money, fame and sports is in society. >> the incident first came to light back in february, when released footage only had shown palmer lying on the floor outside the elevator. rice was charged with third degree aggravated assault but never faced jailtime. in july, rice held a price conference with palmer by his side. >> sometimes in life you will fail. you know, but i won't call myself a failure. failure is not getting knocked down, it's not getting up. >> tonight the ravens -- that

tweet has now been deleted. and let's get more now with jeffy toobin, cnn's rachel nichols, and don lemon. rachel, we see rice was just suspended. this has been seven months, and it only happened after this video surfaced. it makes you wonder if the ravens shouldn't offer more of an explanation or apology here. >> we're expecting to hear from the head coach john harbaugh been the next hour and we'll see what he has to say. but yeah, if tmz -- tmz hadn't released this video, ray rice would still be a raven. tmz should not be doing the nfl or the ravens' job. the nfl came out and said hey, we asked for the video and no one gave it to us, i don't know if that's true. there's been some questioning of the veracity of that. but let's say that is true.

okay, couldn't you have done the same thing that tmz did or ray rice, as a defendant in a legal case was entitled to discovery. the evidence in the case, when ray rice came into the nfl offices, they certainly could have said to ray rice and your lawyers, you better bring that tape with you, because we want to see it before we let you back on the field. there's a lot of ways they could have gotten to see that tape. they didn't do any of those, and that's frankly just as bad as if they had seen the tape and ignored it. >> don, one of the things that surprised people is how swifty the ravens and the nfl responded. >> you mean today? >> i think it was -- today they responded quickly and we've seen them -- even roger goodell said he didn't get it right initially with rice. >> i was surprised it took so long after that video came out.

i was having a discussion with my executive producer. we talked about it this morning and came to the conclusion this morning that ray rice would no longer be in the nfl within a couple of hours. it didn't happen until i think about 2:00 this afternoon. i called and said, you were right, jonathan. same thing, i'm surprised it took so long. this is simple for me. ray rice should be fired for what happened there. the nfl responded inappropriately for what happened. it's as simple as that. you know what? i know we're on television news and everyone thinks it's great video. i hate seeing that video of that woman getting pummelled on that elevator. it just disgusts me. >> i mean, it's definitely disgusting. i don't know, i think people feel so many emotions, especially women who are -- i should point out 45% of the fan base that you're talking about in the nfl. >> anyone with common sense -- >> you don't have to be a woman.

>> exactly. it's gross. it's disgusting. and it should not be tolerated. >> one of the things, jeffrey, when you're talking legally about this, janay palmer did not pursue charges, she married ray rice and she's not going to pursue charges. could ray rice be charged? >> he has been charged. this ask a misunderstanding that i think it's very important to make clear. when someone is a victim of domestic violence, it is not up to them to press charges. a crime of domestic violence is a crime against the community, not just against the victim. the victim doesn't have the right to decide not to press charges. what's especially disgraceful about this case is that alana county, the county of atlantic city, did pursue the case, then gave ray rice an appallingly sweet deal. he didn't even have to plead

guilty to anything. >> a grand jury indicted him on aggravated assault charges, and they put him on a diversionary program. >> that's right, which is the kind of program that kids get if they're caught like graffitiing the high school they're in. it is a tiny penalty that is a disgrace. and they, the d.a.'s office, doesn't have the excuse that oh, we didn't see the video. they're the government! they can see anything they want. the d.a. embarrassed the country, embarrassed themselves, and roger goodell did an appalling job then for the nfl. but the law enforcement was horrendous here. >> and the thing too rachel that strikes me, this is not just one incident. i mean, we saw a 49ers player, ray mcdonald, arrested last week. he denies this. you want to say he should get

the benefit of the doubt. he did pay a $25,000 bond to get bailed to get out of jail. then he goes ahead and is allowed to play in the season opener a week later. what message does that send? >> it sends a terrible message. the line when you need a football player, we're going to give him his due process. in any other line of work in this country, if you are arrested on felony domestic violence charges, you're sat down. you're suspended in most places, especially public companies and places that are public facing. and they certainly could say we're still going to pay them. under their rights they could deactivate him. they don't have to wait for the nfl. they could do the right thing here and they are not doing it. it is crystal clear to me at least. greg hardy from the carolina panthers is in the same situation. this was last week. this was while the ray rice situation was still simmering. he was on the field and even

today after the video came out, jim harbaugh, who is john harbaugh, coach of the ravens' brother, who is coaching the 49ers and ray mcdonald's coach. after that video came out and everybody was outraged about it, jim harbaugh stood up at a news conference and said hey, we're status quo with greg mcdonald. i don't think they're going to feel obligated to sit him. and that's a disgrace to me. felony charges. he has been arrested. >> this is a league that suspends players for a year for smoking pot. >> for marijuana. we saw that. >> for smoking pot, which is legal in some of the states where they play football. who beat up women. >> even michael vick is involved in this dogfighting ring, and he is back playing. certainly he had a story of i guess forgiveness or something.

but the idea being he faced a stiff penalty. >> people still hate him to this day. >> they do. but it is very sad when we talk about the abuse of dogs. but do dogs rank above women when it comes to punishment in the nfl? >> no, no. >> this is the slippery slope discussion we got into with donald sterling. i keep hearing this argument in nfl circles that unless somebody has gone through the entire legal process, they've been convicted of crime, we can't do anything. that is not true. if the police find enough evidence to arrest and charge you with felony level charges, that is specific. that is not hey, gee, we're get thing out of thin air. that is enough to say hey, there's a situation here that needs to be attended to. >> and keep an eye on this. ray rice has had his contract suspended. his status ask vague. this guy will be back in the nfl. that's how the system works.

he's a 27-year-old running back who has been a super bowl champion. he's a superstar. >> i don't know about that. >> you don't think so, don? >> i don't. >> he'll go to therapy. he'll have his wife sitting by his side. >> people are questioning why should she marry a guy that does that. but i think that if enough women and enough decent people speak out and keep their feet to the fire, i don't think that he will be back. i think that you will see another situation, you're going to see harbaugh, there's going to be changing when it comes to the harbaugh situation, as well. people are so outraged with this video, you may not see him back. >> you are more optimistic than me, my friend. i am jaded by the system and i don't see it coming. >> you said if they can play, they get to play. we'll see if that's the truth in this case. thanks to all of you. >> thank you. just ahead, a witness to the

shooting of michael brown speaks about what he saw for the first time. does it shed new light on the controversial police killing? breaking news, record rainfall triggering flash flooding and a state of emergency. (vo) if you have type 2 diabetes,

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we're learning new details

of the very tense first hours after the shooting death of unarmed black teenager michael brown by a ferguson, missouri police officer. the man who removed brown's body from the scene is now speaking publicly for the first time. cnn senior washington correspondent joe johns here with that story. what is he saying? >> one of the things that really poured fuel on the fire form of anger is the image of michael brown's body dead in the middle of the street for hours in front of everyone. >> where's the ambulance? why ain't nobody helping him? >> reporter: for the first time, the funeral director in charge of removing michael brown's body is talking about why it took so long. >> there was times where we feared for our lives. >> reporter: rage spread through the crowd. >> they've just got him laying here. >> reporter: the aim j of brown's body left in the middle of the street brought the crowd to the boiling point. >> people that were just all

over the place, the police could not control the crowd. >> reporter: calvin whittaker, a licensed funeral director, got the call to take brown's body to the medical examine's office. >> we could not do our job. it was unsafe to be here. >> reporter: here's how he says it played out. the shooting is first reported just after noon. three minutes later, the first ambulance arrives. paramedics find no pulse. eight minutes in, other officers arrive and partially cover his body with a white sheet. it's almost 2:30 when calvin whittaker arrives to remove the body, just 20 minutes after being contacted. >> a police officer came over and said, stay in your vehicle. there is gunshots while we were there. we do not have any bullet proof vests or anything like that. >> reporter: he said the gunshots he heard terrified him, but there was no way out. his vehicle was stuck inside the

crowd of people. >> the family of mr. brown was out there, and they were pleading with people, the crowd, they were pleading with them, saying, please, please step back. they will not pick up my son. they are not safe. they do not feel safe. please step back and let them pick up my son. >> reporter: finally, more than two hours after the shooting, whittaker delivers brown's body to the morgue. that four-hour period when brown's body lay in the street helped fuel the fires for days and weeks. also in the search for supposedly impartial witnesses, the st. louis post dispatch reports that investigators have now interviewed a man from another county who was working at the scene at if time of the shooting. the witness said police officer darren wilson chased michael brown on foot and fired a shot and brown stopped, turned around, put his hands up and the officer killed brown in a

barrage of gunfire. >> let's get more now with jeffrey toobin, tom fuentes and patricia byne. patricia, what is your reaction to this st. louis dispatch witness account that officer wilson fired at brown while he was running away and then when he turned around he was shot multiple times? >> first, i'm glad that more people are -- more witnesses are coming forward with giving their accounts of what they've seen. we really just want the truth to come out. this really corroborates the other witness statements that said they have seen the same thing. even what gives it more credibility is that he's not from the area. so it lends a voice to say this is what happened in this case. >> is that true, jeffrey?

so because this is someone who is not from the area, there may be more credibility? >> there might be. but i really think it's important that we give the investigators time to assimilate all the information. if this is the only witness and if this witness is born out to be true, this sounds like cold blooded murder. but there are other witnesses, there are scientific tests that need to be done. it is potentially a very damaging piece of evidence. but again, there are going to be lots of eyewitnesss. we need to see it all pull together before we or certainly any jury makes a judgment. >> if you, tom, as an investigator, are interviewing witnesses, what are you trying to do to really figure out what happened and are you thinking that you may not actually find out what happened? >> well, it's true that you might not figure it out, but you want to know exactly what they heard, when they heard it, and have them take it through one second at a time during this

vent. now, i've read today the accounts of what these two new witnesses have told to the st. louis post dispatch. we don't know if that's the same thing they told the fbi and the other police investigators. but what they told the reporters said that they heard a shot, they weren't watching, they heard a shot apparently from the car. when they looked up, they saw the officer chasing brown on the street. one of the witnesses also said that when brown stopped and turned around, then there's a little bit of confusion about what brown did exactly at that point. but they said the officer was back peddling as he shot, which would indicate if the officer wanted to just stand his ground and shoot him dead, why would he back peddle? that's part of the confusion here. we still don't know what happened at the car. we still don't know exactly what happened when brown raised his arms and either surrendered.

we need the forensic work to be done, and compare it to all of the eyewitness accounts and try to, with all of the evidence, determine step by step what occurred. >> right now the grand jury is still hearing evidence. what is likely happening behind closed doors? >> what the prosecutor has said is he's going to put absolutely every piece of evidence before the grand jury. and that is what's going on. but ultimately, a grand jury is a way for prosecutors to hide. the prosecuting attorney is going to have to decide whether he thinks this is a crime that can be prosecuted in state court. and then the fbi, along with the u.s. attorney's office, is going to have to make a judgment about whether they think any federal crime took place. i'm sure the evidence collection process is still going on. the forensic tests are still being completed. but ultimately, this is going to be up to the prosecutors and the

d.a.'s -- and the prosecuting attorney's office and if u.s. attorney's office. >> to you, committee woman, i wonder what things are like in ferguson. we're hearing reports that protesters may be closing down a highway to protest on wednesday. what can you tell us about that? >> there is a planned demonstration to take place. while things have physically calmed down, tensions are still high. this is a very tension community issue. and people want to make sure that their demands are being heard and there's no momentum lost during this case. the community doesn't want this to be another shooting that makes it to the news and goes away. people are doing everything, the activists are doing what they do. and it's my job to help mobilize the community to move forward in

refo reforming. and that's what we're doing right now. >> do you feel there can be a better relationship between the people in the community and this police department moving forward? >> i do. i do, i honestly do. because with the department of justice looking into the ferguson police department, and also into st. louis county, i think that in the future we are going to get somewhere, where the issues are laid out on the table. the findings are put out, because there may or may not be issues. but there's obviously cause that's making our investigators go and look into these claims. so one way or the other, we're going to get there. people just want the truth to come out. that's what the community cry is about, for truth to come out and justice to be done. >> committee woman, thank you for being with us, thanks to you three. record breaking rain and the

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see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance. we're following breaking news. a state of emergency in effect right now in arizona, where record rainfall is triggering deadly flash flooding. let's bring in cnn meteorologist and severe weather expert chad myers. he's looking at all of this for us. this looks very bad, chad. >> this could go on for a few more days. more heavy rainfall days because of a tropical system that died in the pacific ocean, that ran over mexico and right into the southwest. phoenix, over 6 inches of rain. half of foot of rain in 24 hours. and this is what it looked like

by the time it all ended. there was flooding, and a problem with this, was that it happened in the dark. it happened before the sunlight and people were driving into it, and officially getting washed away in some spots here across parts of phoenix this morning. out of their cars, cars flooded up to the roof, in some spots here around phoenix, picking up that six inches of rainfall, do. those lowest elevations around the city. no more rain in phoenix right now. but i think that could change tonight into tomorrow. the big story right now is the breaking news happening around las vegas. yes, it flooded a little bit in vegas. the big story is up here in the valley. they picked up between four and six inches of rainfall in the past two hours and there are reports on i-15 of cars floating down the roadway. floating down the interstate. we don't have pictures of that yet. we have crews and affiliates on the way but difficult to get there if all the roadways are

closed in many directions. i-15 closed in many directions as well. this is a breaking news story of the night. remember, the water will go downhill. it will go on to moapa valley, eventually into lake mead. >> water is needed but not this much water. >> it certainly. is lake mead is 100 feet below where it should be. less than 50% fulfill we can use the water. but people are in the way. this is a life threatening situation up there in moapa valley before the water eventually gets into lake mead. it will be a few more hours before that water recedes. >> and people will need to take precautions. we urge that and we will be watching as this progresses. just ahead, a presidential odd couple talking about their friendship and the photo opportunities they can't avoid. if you want to make things that move, move better, just talk to one of our scientists. they'll show you a special glue we've developed

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raising some eyebrows for a remark about rich kids while speaking to african-american high school students in atlanta today. listen to her comments about education during a pep rally. >> are you all still fired up? are you listening to me? do you hear what i'm telling you? because i'm giving you some insight that a lot of rich kids all over the country, they know this stuff. and i want you to know it too. because you have got to go and get your education. you've got to. >> mrs. obama spoke at the booker t. washington high school. it was the first public high school for african-americans in georgia.

and as political odd couples go, when former presidents bill clinton and george w. bush get together, you might expect things to be sort of awkward, right? but as national correspondent suzanne malveaux shows us, that was not the case today. >> reporter: two form he presidents, numbers 42 and 43 appear to be best buddies these days. >> first of all, he is an awesome communicator. >> asked to explain how their friendship helped launch their scholarship program. it was classic george w. bush. >> hi, mom! because we got a lot to offer. >> it was a surprising light-hearted love fest between presidents bill clinton and bush, that had the audience made up of mostly staffers rolling. when asked what the two former presidents admired about each other most -- >> you always want to be underestimated by your advers y adversari adversaries. >> you two have great empathy for people of is that enough?

>> and both joked about how they spend their free time. >> taking selfies with people. >> at least they're still asking you. >> that's right. >> gone are pictures like these. when the clintons and bushes offered cold shoulders. after all, it was clinton who turned george h.w. bush into a one termer. but clinton and bush senior later became close, publicly goat tsunami relief and post hurricane katrina as i witnessed firsthand. >> that i believe they ought not to be as upset but i can understand why they are. >> what they kept quiet was clinton's growing closeness to the son, george w. >> he used to call me twice a year in his second term just to walk. >> now bush is offering insight into what makes a president. >> we're just normal people who got caught up in the ambition and drive and circumstance and ended up being president. man, these guys can do it, i can do it. >> when clinton responded, he

was interrupted by a call. >> there's only one -- yeah. only two people have this number and they're both related to me. i hope -- i'm not being told i'm about to back pre mature grandfather. >> on that, bush gave this advice. >> be prepared to fall completely in love again. >> also noteworthy, in the audience was the former straight hillary clinton who laughed when someone laughed, how about another clinton-bush match-up in 2016 referring to her and former governor jeb bush. it was a joke that the first one didn't turn out so well. cnn, washington. great story. remember you can follow us on twitter. just weather the the show at cnn sit room. and you can watch us alive or dvr the show so you won't miss a

moment. thanks so much for watching. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com breaking news, u.s. officials say they may know the masked man in the james foley execution. plus, nfl player ray rice suspend in the definitely after video surfaced of him knocking out his future wife. we're standing by for a live news conference. and finally, six months since mh 370 disappeared. still without a trace. investigators looking at 1,000 possible flight paths. that's stunning. let's go "outfront." good evening. i'm erin burnett. we begin "outfront" with the news. new details on the man believed to have beheaded american james