ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. hello and welcome to all our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm errol barnett. pleasure to have you with me. coming up, battle plan. uk president barack obama lays out his vision for fighting isis to members of congress. next, he addresses the american public. and all hands on deck. the british prime minister and other party leaders heading to scotland in an all out push to keep it in great britain. >> and growing pressure, a prominent women's rights group calling for the resignation of the nfl commissioner. also, back in the spotlight, apple gambles big with the introduction of a new smart watch. >> apple watch is the most personal device apple has ever

created. we begin this hour with the battle against isis. in a televised speech, barack obama will unveil his plan for defeating isis in syria. an official tells cnn this speech will hit three major points. mr. obama will outline the threat as he sees it, set forth plans for an international coalition to fight it, and specify proposals for getting this job done. he told congressional leaders about this tuesday. michelle kazzin ski has details for you. >> the president today, meeting with congressional leadership, what the white house again called consultation. one day before he lays out to the american people his plan against isis. >> the president will make his case based firmly on what he

believes is in the best interest of the united states. >> reporter: the white house says this week's formation of a more inclusive iraqi government now equals a turning point, a reason to map out what the plan is. not a minute too soon for republican leadership. >> he needs to identify military objectives and explain how those ends will be accomplished. >> until we know what the strategy is, we don't know what's going to be involved. so it's critically important that we take these and some organized steps. the first step is, what's the plan? >> where's the big disconnect there? why do you think congress still doesn't know what the plan is? >> well, i michelle, i won't speak to or try to assess the motivation of some critics of the president who may suggest he doesn't have a strategy. that will not deter this administration's commitment to consulting with members of congress and describing to them the strategy that the president is pursuing and has been

pursuing for some time to confront this threat. failing that, i assume that each of these members of congress has televisions. >> reporter: an address that will be one year to the day after this primetime address on syria's use of chemical weapons. >> i will not put american boots on the ground in syria. i will not pursue an open-ended action like iraq or afghanistan. i will not pursue a prolonged air campaign like libya, or kosovo. >> those air strikes never happened, but as to prolonged or open-ended in this situation now, the white house acknowledges the president will not be telling the nation how much approximately his plan will cost, or how long it will last. >> i wouldn't expect something that's quite that detailed. he'll talk about the risks that the united states faces. and he'll talk about the strategy that he has put together to confront those risks, to mitigate them, and ultimately to degrade and

destroy isil. >> michelle kazzin ski reporting there. president obama may have a lot of convincing to do, when he does publicly unveil his strategy later wednesday. that will be 9:00 p.m. eastern time. a new cnn opinion poll finds that mr. obama does have a lot of doubt among the american public. 67% don't believe he has a clear plan. that's what this speech is really all about. only 30% believe he already has a plan. the survey was taken between last friday and sunday. but the poll does show strong support for more u.s. air strikes against isis. take a look. 75% of respondents favor strikes in syria, while just 24% are opposed. this is critical. the survey found similar support for air strikes in iraq. >> again, president obama is to outline his plan to defeat isis in an address to the american people. scheduled to begin at 2:00 in

the morning, in london, that's 2:00 a.m. thursday. all of this happening in about 19 hours from now. and now to this, the leaders of all three british parties are taking an emergency trip to scotland to urge people to vote no to independence from the uk in next week's referendum. david cameron is pulling out of his weekly question session in parliament to make the trip and he'll be joined by two others. mr. cameron also ordered the scottish flag flown above number 10 downing street. all of this scottish love all of a sudden. the symbolism didn't turn out well. the flag well down just like that, when it was first hoisted. politicians appear to be in crisis mode after recent polls put the yes vote neck and neck

with the no vote for independence. nick robertson went to track the progress of those trying to convince voters that the countries are better together. here's what he found. >> thank you. >> reporter: pressure is on. get out the no vote. how worried are you that the yes vote is surging? >> very worried about it. it's prompted us to come along today. >> come along to hear from politicians they hope will save them from independence. >> this is a tight referendum race. it really is game on. >> reporter: big guns. wales first minister making a case to keep the country together. >> an independent wales would make me more welsh. >> most here, older, relatively well off, already buying the message. >> i think britain is much the strongest place to be. scotland will be a much stronger economysa part of the british economy. and i think being part of

britain creates an opportunity for scottish people to make their way in the world. >> better together has become a vote no campaign slogan. but it's proving a hard sell in some places. come paired to the yes camp's aspirational message of change, vote no has sounded negative and had difficulty conjuring a similar positive image. a few miles from the political big guns -- >> sorry, we're drawing a blank. >> grassroots campaigners pounding the streets, trying to reverse the yes surge. >> we appreciate your support. that's fantastic. thank you very much. you're on television in america. >> why are you voting no? >> i just think it's the right thing to do. it's for jobs and everything. >> not everyone agrees. across the street, a man drapes the scottish flag from the window. symbol of the yes camp, the campaigners ignore him but we

don't. >> why is that, why would you vote yes? >> because we want independence. >> most doors that opened to the campaigners around here -- >> here for the no campaign, on the scottish referendum. >> seen only by those already won over. >> do you want to put that out the window. that would be fantastic. >> the undecided, we found, almost giving us the cold shoulder. >> i'm sorry, i'm just one of the ones that are undecided. sorry. >> so they're saying you can vote no and get increased powers, does that attract you to the no vote? >> no, no. no. >> so you're an undecided yes. >> i am definitely undecided. i don't know which way to go. >> with just over a week to voting, reversing the surge to yes is going to be a challenge. all right, we turn our

attention to this now, frantic rescues under way in the kazmir region after the heaviest rainfall in a half century has now caused what's been described as epic flooding. hundreds of dead, almost 50,000 have fled, and thousands are trapped on rooftops. we just saw some dramatic rescue footage there. victims say india's government has been too slow to respond. now, cnn producer sophia savvy joins me on the phone from islamabad in pakistan, floods impacting northern india, northern pakistan. sophia, talk to us about the extent of this damage, the mounting death toll. i understand thousands of people have been rescued. give us an overall update on the severity of these widespread floods. >> reporter: well, the floods at the moment, they haven't been this extreme for at least a decade. thousands of people evacuated from their homes. we're being told the worst is

yet to come. we've seen most of pakistan being completely deluged by the water. and the river which originates in indian kazmir, is now flowing through most of pakistan. it's leaving a complete trail of devastation in its wake. we have close to 200 people dead. thousands of homes have been destroyed. this region is in an area where people depend on the land for the livelihood. and the fact it's been completely destroyed is very sobering at the moment. what we've been told, i spoke to the spokesperson of the national disaster management here in the capital, and you can hear it in their voice, because what's

going to happen -- [ indiscernible ] -- which means that the area surrounding them will be completely deluged. so you have cases which are leaving because the -- >> so sophia, considering this is so serious, it's impacting so many people and at the moment it looks as if things will get worse, is there any indication that india and pakistan will share resources, possibly? i know each side has had the military get involved. but of course these are countries with a fraught relationship. they each want to keep military secrets from one another. do you have any indication, any sign right now, that these two countries are willing to put that to the side in order to help all of those who need it so badly right now? >> reporter: at the moment, nothing has been exchanged

between the prime ministers of both countries. kind of saying that they are -- there have been words exchanged, saying that we're willing to help. but we have to see whether that's the directorate and whether there will actually be any help on the ground for the time being. >> and we're just watching some of this dramatic footage as people try and help as many people as possible via helicopters because all the roads are impassable. and many rescue boats out there right now. our producer connecting with us from islamabad in pakistan. as we've been discussing, the worst may be yet to come. even though the rains have passed, the waters still have down river to go where millions of people live. we've been watching this for the past week. you gave us a warning yesterday that things will get worse

before they improve in other places. >> yes. >> how do things like now? >> other more populated places as well. millions now in the path of this water that is moving downstream. and to answer your question, the conditions still not looking to improve yet. it looks like at least through the end of this week, early next week, we'll see cresting in a lot of very populated regions. it's a dire situation. this region well to the south, i wanted to share with you this photograph. this was not one of the areas hard hit with the flooding. but we had a stray thunderstorm in the past 24 hours. because of so much water on the ground, areas that are not being directly impacted by all the flooding, are now starting to buckle as well, because of the amount of water saturating the soil. here's the forecast and the only good thing about this forecast is little to no rainfall expected to come down in millimeters. about one millimeter of rainfall.

not much at all as far as weather is concerned across this region. but look at the perspective as far as the rivers are concerned. from the jhelum river to jan ab river, it's go from just a narrow channel, into essentially a lake at this hour, down to the south, there's a dam in place. in this region, they bottle water and distribute it to farming and irrigation. at this point, it's bottled up to 20 kilometers in width. or 12 miles across. the grand canyon in the u.s. state of arizona, the average width is about ten miles across. so this is wider than the average width of the grand canyon. and beginning to expand. will eventually funnel down to this river where tens of millions of people call home, that's later this weekend into monday. so this story has a long ways to go. and unfortunately, since 2010,

we've seen the top five flooding disasters in pakistan's history, all of them have happened since the year 2010. it's becoming a new norm for this region. >> and a lot of the folks impacted by this are agriculturally based. so when they get washed out, it has a long-lasting effect. thank you very much. we'll see you later this hour. there's been more fall-out from the suspension of u.s. football player ray rice. the victim in that elevator, his wife, has angry words for us in the media. plus dutch investigators provide details of the malaysia airlines crash. however, some key information is missing from their report.

welcome back. the wife of suspended u.s. football player ray rice is slamming the media and standing by her man a day after the national football league suspended rice for knocking janay rice unconscious on an elevator. she took to instagram and posted this. take a look. quote, if your intentions were to hurt us, embarrass us, make us feel alone, or take all happiness away, you've exceeded on so many levels, end quote. for now, ray rice is out of a job and some commentators say nfl commissioner roger goodell should be too. he's in charge of disciplining

players, and has rachel nickels reports, he initially gave rice a much more lenient punishment. >> one day after ray rice's contract was erm itinated by the baltimore ravens and the nfl suspended the running back indefinitely. those involved began speaking out. this afternoon, rice sent me this text message. i'm just holding strong for my wife and kid. that's all i can do right now. there was an instagram post from janay rice and finally roger goodell gave an interview, explaining to cbs what he knew when. >> we certainly didn't know what was on the tape, but we have been very open and honest. and i have also, from two weeks ago, when i acknowledged that we didn't get this right. that's my responsibility. and i'm accountable for that. >> reporter: the tape goodell was speaking about, was the video posted monday by celebrity gossip website tmz, showing rice knocking out his future wife inside an atlantic city hotel elevator.

goodell stressed, no nfl officials had seen the video before it was posted online. >> i don't know how tmz or any other website gets their information. we are particularly reliant on law enforcement, that's the most reliable. it's the most credible. >> but the since closed hotel and casino where the incident occurred, did give copies of the video to several parties, giving cnn this statement. we cooperated fully with the investigation, giving the tape to the atlantic city police, the atlantic county prosecutor's office and ray rice's own attorney. critics have charged the league shouldn't have needed the video to realize the severity of the incident. it was july when goodell suspended rice for two games. a lenient penalty compared to the league's discipline on gun or drug offenses. goodell has written a letter to the nfl's 32 owners, saying, quote, i didn't get it right. simply put, we have to do better.

with two more high profile domestic violence cases on the commissioner's desk right now, he'll have the opportunity to prove just how serious he is about that. >> everyone in the united states is watching this and has their own reaction and opinion. the national organization for women has just released a statement. its president saying this, quote, the only workable solution for roger goodell is for roger goodell to resign and for his successor to appoint an independent investigator with full authority to gather factual data about domestic violence. it's just one incident of domestic violence from other football players. we looked at other cases for players who are still on the field. >> we're not going to be talking about anything until afterwards. >> reporter: july this year, carolina panther, greg hardy on his way into court, facing charges of physically assaulting and threatening to kill his

ex-girlfriend. according to the charlotte observer, the woman testified that hardy dragged her room to room by her hair, putting his hands around her throat after a long night of drinking. a judge found him guilty. so where is hardy now? right here, still on the field. he's appealed the verdict and the panthers are reserving judgment. >> these are very serious allegations. at the same time, we also respect the fact that greg has appealed the decision and is entitled to a jury trial. >> hardy told reporters he hates that he's become a distraction for his team. remember this guy? chad ochocinco johnson, a six-time nfl pro bowler, charged with first-degree misdemeanor domestic battery. he and his wife were arguing over a receipt she found for a box of condoms.

>> he hit her. she's got a cut on her forehead. >> according to the arrest report, he grabbed his wife, headbutting her and causing a three-inch laceration on her forehead. ocho shinko was found guilty for the incident. he later spoke to espn. >> what happened was a mistake. that's what happened. a mistake that i'm continuously apologized for for the people that i've hurt, including my wife. >> the miami dolphins released him the day after the attack, but that doesn't stop him from playing football again. today he plays for the canadian football league's montreal alouettes. and just days ago, san francisco 49ers starting defensive end, ray mcdonald was arrested for domestic violence. >> the sacramento bee is reporting that mcdonald and his fiancee were celebrating mcdonald's upcoming birthday when they started fighting. he received bruises on her neck and arms. the bee also reports mcdonald's

fiancee was ten weeks pregnant. >> mcdonald was released on bail while police investigate. >> can't say too much about it right now. but the truth will come out. everybody knows what kind of person i am. >> with the case pending, the 49ers are talking tough. >> domestic violence is unacceptable. and certainly won't be tolerated. >> maybe so, but they're giving mcdonald the benefit of the doubt before now. he's still on the field. randi kaye, cnn, new york. still to come for you here on cnn, the first report on malaysia airlines flight 17 is out. what it does and doesn't say about the crash in eastern ukraine. where the reward was that what if tnew car smelledit card and the freedom of the open road? a card that gave you that "i'm 16 and just got my first car" feeling. presenting the buypower card from capital one. redeem earnings toward part or even all of a new chevrolet,

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welcome back. malaysia airlines flight 17 was hit by a large number of, quote, high energy objects as it broke

up in mid-air over eastern ukraine two months ago. that finding by the dutch safety board. but as richard quest tells us, the report doesn't answer the key question. who is responsible for the deadly crash? >> reporter: falling from the sky. malaysia airlines flight 17 crashed in the middle of a war zone in eastern ukraine. >> translator: i think with each new report of the unbiased investigation, we will be closer to the truth. >> reporter: the report by dutch investigators show it was a normal flight. after takeoff from amsterdam. the plane was flying legally in unrestricted airspace. it was following instructions. it was clearly identified as a boeing triple 7 by both russian and ukrainian air traffic control. but suddenly, the pilot stopped responding to radio calls.

the radar showed the plane started falling apart, and the flight recorders abruptly came to an end, no warnings, no maydays. >> no warnings or alert of aircraft system malfunctions was heard on the cockpit voice recording. >> the cereal numbers on the recorders found by the rebels matched the unique numbers given to the plane. it showed there was no sign of tampering. because of security concerns, dutch investigators have still not had coordinated access to the wreckage. the photographs taken by others do hold clues. the wide debris field indicates the plane broke apart in the air. below the pilot's seat the floor is riddled with holes. and more shrapnel damage around the cockpit window, and all of it indicating it came from

outside, penetrating into the plane. >> the aircraft was penetrated by a large number of -- [ indiscernible ] >> high energy objects, as described in the report. the word missile is never used. the reason? investigators are looking at the cause of the crash, not who is at fault. and so far, they don't have the final evidence to prove it was a missile. >> we are not involved in blame. we are not involved in liability. we have the sole purpose of trying to prevent similar occurrences. that was richard quest reporting. of course western nations and kiev say pro-russian rebels caused the crash. rebels say ukraine do you understand the plane.

so a lot of disagreement there. still to come, apple's latest innovation. a smart watch. it's new to apple, but is it different enough to shake up the market? stay with us.

a shout-out to you night owls watching in the united states. and of course thanks for watching wherever you are in the world. i'm errol barnett. here are the biggest stories we're following for you right now on cnn. a senior u.s. official tells us what president obama outlines his strej, his plan to combat isis. he told congressional leaders tuesday that he needs no further

authorization to execute his plan. flooding in india and pakistan has killed more than 400 people, creating a humanitarian crisis. some people have been pulled to safety, but thousands remain trapped and are just desperate for help at this hour. a break in the weather helped rescue crews tuesday, but the flooding is expected to get worse. british prime minister david cameron has pulled out of weekly question time to head to scotland to campaign against scottish independence. the visit ahead of next week's referendum pls a recent opinion poll showing the yes vote pulling ahead just slightly. >> and in the latest fall-out from the ray rice scandal in the u.s., the national organization for women is demanding that the national football league commissioner, robert goodell, that's him here, resign. the group is angry over the league's handling of several domestic violence scandals

involving players. the brutal tactics of isis include beheadings, crucifixions and mass killings of those who don't adopt their views. world leaders are joining the call for action before the threat can really spread further. we have reports for you now from frederick in berlin and matthew in moscow. but first this report from abu dhabi. >> there's a real rift in this region between countries like qatar and turkey that have becomed islamist political groups and saudi arabia and egypt who oppose such groups. but for now, they are unified on one thing. dealing with the threat posed by isis. now, the arab league, which includes saudi, qatar, and jordan, in its 22-member body, has come out with the strongest statement yet on the matter. so far calling for a comprehensive political and

military confrontation. it's also backed a u.n. security council resolution asking states to stem the flow of weapons and fighters into syria and into iraq. so very clear that sunni arab states view isis as a real threat and they seem prepared to get more involved in the fight against the group. >> the german public is normally reluctant to allow for foreign engagement of its military forces or any sort of weapons deliveries to foreign countries. however, in the fight against isis, that is very different. the german government, as well as the public, approve of sending weapons to the kurds. something that the germans have started this week. they're delivering assault rifles, m-wrap vehicles, as well as anti-tank missiles. the german public is for that. they don't want to see german boots on the ground and german air strikes. >> there are for few areas these

days where russia and the united states see eye to eye, but the emergence of isis has put them on the same side. moscow condemns the atrocities of the group as absolutely evil. for russia, however, that common interest has its limits. moscow has warned that u.s. air strikes against isis inside syria, a key russian ally, would be a colossal shock and escalation. >> and a reminder, the u.s. president barack obama will outline his plan to defeat isis in an address to the american people, scheduled to begin at 2:00 in the morning. in london, 9:00 p.m. eastern in new york. authorities have arrested two men suspected of terrorism. australian media say the men were arrested in a raid in an

islamic book store near brisbane. police say the men are suspected of being involved in recruiting, facilitating, and funding would-be fighters heading to syria, the heartland of the isis threat. the arrests come as authorities consider raising the nation's terror alert to its second highest level. isis is believed to have recruited some westerners to its cause. it's also attracted some female volunteers as well. the fear is that the number of women involved in isis may also be growing. >> guns and the koran, one day swopping recipes and shopping tips the next. this is the online world of the women of isis. from a once shy glasgow schoolgirl, now married to an isis fighter in syria, a blog believed to be written by her, reads as a how-to manual for any female recruits.

get your shots, a warm coat and plenty of full-body veils. to a british woman posing with a weapon, calling for the british prime minister's head on a spike. according to the terrorism research and analysis consortium, as many as 15% of isis foreign recruits are women, possibly 200 from 14 different countries. ♪ it's not the first time for women in a jihadist conflict. but it's the first time they've been recruited in such large numbers. but they're not expected to fight. she supports her husband at home, cooking, cleaning, and raising children. but the appeal of isis is the same for husband and wife, say those who track isis fighters online. >> they have the same goals, and the same ambitions once they get there. now, granted their roles may be much more limited to the 1950s housewife type of thing.

>> reporter: but in february, isis formed an all women battalion with about 60 members, all of them believed to be under the age of 25. they now have their own media channel with propaganda videos like this. the battalion has two roles. manning checkpoints and expect inspecting all women that pass, enforcing isis strict morality code. they are reports they flog women who are not fully veiled. but many women have expressed clear ambitions to be on the front line. >> this is obviously rapidly changing as we speak. they're being trained in weaponry, how to clean the weapon, how to fire the weapon. and granted, these are just basic boot camp skills, they have the means to defend themselves. >> whether it's cleaning an a.k. 47 or whipping up a chocolatey treat for their jihadi husbands, the goal is the same for these women, to serve the extremist ideals of isis.

cnn, london. all right, changing gears completely now, apple has done what so many other tech companies have already been doing for so long. it's introduced a smart watch. but there were updates to the iphone which has grown in size once again. but apple saved its biggest news until last when tim cook revealed the apple watch. dan simon was in california for the big unveil. >> reporter: well, apple needed to show it could still be an innovative company. for the most part, it met expectations today. came out with two new iphones today. measuring 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches respectively. the current phone is four inches. it has all the things you'd expect, a better camera, better graphics, faster, eakt. the next thing is mobile payments. apple entering this space, the idea that you can go to a

merchandi merchant, and use your phone to pay instead of your credit card. and finally, the rumored apple watch is no longer a rumor. it's now a reality. tim cook introducing it on the stage today. >> we have one more thing. [ cheers and applause ] apple watch is the most personal device we've ever created. we set out to make the best watch in the world. one that is precise. it's synchronized with a universal time standard, and it's accurate within plus or minus 50 mill seconds. it's incredibly customizable, so you can find one that reflects your personal style and taste. because you wear it, we invented

new intimate ways to connect and communicate directly from your wrist. and it works seamlessly with iphone. and it's also a comprehensive health and fitness device. >> that was tim cook delivering on his promise to get the company involved in a new category of device. it will begin selling in early 2015. as for the iphones, they go on sale next week. dan simon, cnn, cupertino, california. >> all right, jenny jard an joins us now after apple's big announcement. jenny, tell me what really stood out to you. because as we break down the announcement of the iwatch which does exist, you have quite an interesting take on why you think this is so important. i know you were diagnosed with

cancer in 2011. steve jobs suffered with cancer before he passed away. this really is the last device he was a part of. why is this announcement so important? >> yeah, you know, it's interesting in the walter isaacson biography of steve jobs, he talks about how much the late apple ceo loathed the design of devices inside hospitals. those little monitors that they put on your finger to measure blood, oxygen and masks. i can relate. it's like everything that has to do with health and clunky and was designed in the '70s or before. and with this device, apple promises -- or tim cook today was saying that every major new product they release, promises a breakthrough in interface design. a breakthrough in user experience. that's what they're promising. unfortunately we'll have to wait until 2015, january 2015, i think, to see if they deliver. i and other journalists and guests there today got a

hands-on with the device, with the apple watch. and it is beautiful. but we didn't really get a chance to put it through its paces. >> outside of the iwatch, we see the iphone 6, essentially an upgraded device with a larger screen, and near-field communication payments. what was a bigger stand-out to you? >> well, it may not be the sexiest thing that was revealed in cupertino today, but the apple pay that tim cook talked about, the apple ceo promised to revolutionize the wallet. they wanted to redesign the way that we pay for things, the way that we go about commerce. so instead of having that happen over credit cards, you would just be able to touch one of these devices to the payment station, whether you're at a macy's or a mcdonald's or a whole foods market, any number of merchants that will accept

this, and bam, you're done. >> but do you think the american market is ready for that? we've seen the celebrity nude image hack via the icloud and other home depot, a major retailer in north america, it's been hacked. do you think people, customers really want to be able to now have another mobile device that they can use to potentially get hacked again? >> they addressed the security and privacy issues during the keynote. and they were talking about how information would be stored under different layers of encryption at different steps of the way. but obviously, that's going to be the holy grail for hackers, when they do release that. so it will be probed, it will be tested and it remains to be seen whether they can live up to that promise. >> if you missed it's event, you can see apple's new iphones condensed into a watchable 60

seconds. just head to cnn money.com. still to come for you here on cnn, after dozens of witnesses, testimony, and delays that stretched out over six months, a verdict is near in the oscar pistorius murder trial. hey get , they think salmon and energy. but the energy bp produces up here creates something else as well: jobs all over america. engineering and innovation jobs. advanced safety systems & technology. shipping and manufacturing. across the united states, bp supports more than a quarter million jobs. when we set up operation in one part of the country, people in other parts go to work. that's not a coincidence. it's one more part of our commitment to america.

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welcome back, nearly 2,300 people have died in the ebola outbreak in west africa. these are the latest figures from the world health

organization. and alarmingly they show a spike of 200 deaths in a single day. the number could also be higher as it only includes the total up to saturday. meantime, in the u.s., an american who contracted ebola in sierra leone, arrived here in atlanta on tuesday. we'll be treated in an isolation facility at a university hospital. now, the long awaited verdict in the oscar pistorius murder trial should come this week. court resumes on thursday. but it could take the judge days to make her decision as she revisits testimony from dozens of witnesses. we take a look back at the long gruelling trial that's finally nearing an end. >> he was south africa's track hero. she was a beautiful up and coming model. they seemed to have it all. until valentine's day in 2013 when oscar pistorius said he awoke when he heard noises and thought there was an intruder.

he fired four shots through a closed bathroom door, killing his girlfriend, reeva steenkamp. what followed was a landmark trial, broadcast to the world. >> you're arguing the case -- >> lawyers argued whether it was a tragic mistake like pistorius claims. >> is the state saying that within two minutes in the state's version of the shooting, or five minutes on our version, in a traumatized state of mind, he worked out this grand scheme. doesn't make sense, my lady. it doesn't jibe with his emotions, his reactions, his desperate attempts to save her. >> reporter: or according to the state, nothing less than premeditated murder. >> when you got up, you had an argument, that's why she ran away screaming. >> my lady, just after 3:00, i woke up -- >> 39 days of testimony. >> well, he does look exhausted. >> that saw nearly 40 witnesses

take the stand, including an emotional pistorius. >> reporter: and now this week, the verdict and a judge's decision that will close a long and crucial case that's captivated south africa and the world. robyn curnow, cnn, johannesburg. just two days after monsoons soaked parts of the southwestern u.s., another potential storm may be brewing in the region. now the full forecast. i had some friends there in arizona bragging about the fact that i've got an suv, i can handle the floods. will they be bragging next week? >> i hope they're not bragging about something like that. it was pretty serious. it was scary. >> you're absolutely right. >> looks like potential for another round of heavy rainfall, around say, monday and tuesday. i want to share with you, right off the top, some video coming out of nevada. just over the past 24 hours, brand new video to share with you. this is about an hour's drive from las vegas on interstate 15,

where we know parts of the ohio, officials telling us the highway will be closed for the next three to four days because of the significant amount of damage on the highway. i believe the speed limit here is somewhere around 70, 75 miles per hour. that's the speed limit on this highway and then you see what's going on with the damage that's taking place across that region. but here's the perspective right now with the next storm system we're talking about. high probability it will form. it's stiting off the coast of acapulco at this hour. purityo vie yarta looks next. by day five early next week, it will work its way into the sea of cortez, and eventually pour moisture into southern arizona, just like who tropical storm nor bert did in the past couple days. the southwest, still rather quiet. it's across the mid western portion of the united states

where we have tremendous rainfall. in the past 60 minutes, some 1,200 lightning strikes across this region. do the math, 23 million people live in the region, impacted by flash flood watches in place, severe weather. about 300,000 people underneath a tornado watch, including kansas city because of a very warm ug my air mass in place for the central and southern states while cold air begins to move into the northwestern of the united states. around, say, the bitter tooth -- bitter root mountain ranges of montana. snow accumulations upwards of a foot in this region. calgary, canada, with five inches from monday to tuesday. so tripling their monthly average for september. and this is what it looked like, summer snow in canada. >> what? >> about ten days left in the summer season, but our friends in canada now opening the door to autumn and it looks like in

the united states, similar scenes out of colorado and montana, possibly wyoming too in the next couple days. >> simply say boo to that. thank you very much. just ahead, how far would you go for the perfect shot? how about 400 meters into a volcano? stay student. tuned. student. tuned. tudent. tuned. udent. tuned. dent. tuned. ent. tuned. nt. tuned. t. tuned. . tuned. tuned. tuned.

to get the best shot, you have to go where others cannot

or won't go. take a look at this for proof. jeanne moos spoke to a man who did just that. >> did you ever feel the urge? to climb down into a volcano? me neither. but this guy did. >> you cannot physically get any closer to this lava without swiming in it. >> that's george in the heat-resistant suit along with his accompany in adventure. george is the figure at the bottom of a volcano pit in the south pacific. >> also one of the most dangerous to get to. >> they rappel down 1200 feet, a depth equal to the empire state building. it took two hours to descend or about 50 feet above the churning lava. even wearing a fire resistant suit he could only stand there a couple of minutes at a time. really hot? are you sweating in there? >> oh, yeah, absolutely. the heat from the volcano is sapping the energy out of you. >> they used a laser thermometer

to measure the temperature of flying rocks. look out for the lava. >> parts of it actually splashed me and melted my jacket. >> and the noise? >> i call it the sound of satan's washing machine. just churning, bubbling, gurgling. >> george said it was unlikely the volcano would erupt. they were more worried about the edge of the crater crumbling and raining rocks on them. george doesn't just rappel into volcanoes, he got married on one. >> awesome. >> wait until the lava bombs start falling within ten feets. >> to the sounds of a conch shell and periodic eruptions of mount yasser. they exchanged vows back in 2006. >> my supporter, my wall, my rock. >> reporter: michelle may have melted his heart, but it took this he set it down on a rock.

he'll never get over that mesmerizing orange glow. >> to me, it doesn't even look real, and i'm the guy that's in the shot. >> but boys will be boys. even deep in the mouth of a volcano. why settle for a selfie when you can horse around with a rubber mask, as long as it doesn't melt? jeanne moos, cnn, new york. >> absolutely love it. now quickly to a surprise endorsement from a controversial supporter. rob ford, who has admitted smoking crack cocaine, he was endorsed by none other than retired boxing champ and former convict, mike tyson. the pair appeared together in toronto where the exboxer is hosting a one-man show. tyson said both he and the mayor have overcome adversity. ford said he's always idolized tyson. that does it for us for now. the u.s. president lays out his

vision for fighting isis later today. we'll bring you the world's biggest stories after this short break. stay with us. 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. an unprecedented program arting busithat partners businesses with universities across the state. for better access to talent, cutting edge research, and state of the art facilities. and you pay no taxes for ten years. from biotech in brooklyn, to next gen energy in binghamton, to manufacturing in buffalo... startup-ny has new businesses popping up across the state. see how startup-ny can help your business grow at startup.ny.gov

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...eyes designed to warn when yours wander... bring the ls to a complete stop. all help make the unseen... ...seen. and make the ls perhaps the most visionary vehicle on the road. this is the pursuit of perfection. hello, everyone, and thanks for joining us for cnn's special coverage. i'm rosemary church. >> good to have you. i'm errol barnett. welcome to those of you in the united states and all around the world. coming up this hour, president obama prepares to make his case to the american people and the world what should be done to stop isis. we'll take a closer look at whether congress and his international partners will stand behind him. plus, what would a yes vote mean? details on how things would change if scotland decides to break free of