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 britain?

and u.s. football star ray rice and his wife react to the media fire storm created after that shocking video showing him knocking her out. we'll investigate how the league is handling other cases of domestic violence. u.s. president barack obama will be going public later today with his strategy for defeating isis in iraq and possibly syria. >> and a senior administration official tells cnn mr. obama will outline the threat, his plans for an international coalition to fight it, and the third point being he'll make specific proposals, really get to the details about how he thinks he can get the job done. mr. obama told congressional leaders about his plan on tuesday. >> reporter: 90 minutes in the oval office, a bipartisan presidential huddle with the top four congressional leaders to discuss the growing threat from isis, a day before the president goes primetime to explain his strategy to the american people. his spokesman gave some hints. >> there's an important role for

the united states and the united states military to play in supporting the iraqis as they take the fight to isil in their country. >> isis, also known as isil, has spread to iraq, but it rooted inside syria, where the president has been reluctant to engage in the past, but perhaps less so now. >> that strategy will also include supporting the syrian opposition, as they take the fight to isil in their country. >> reporter: the president told congressional leaders he has authority to act without congress, but that won't stop a debate over weather congratulations should weigh in with a new authorization for use of force to confront the isis threat or money for a counterterrorism fund. one the president suggested earlier this year, but went nowhere in congress. >> if we appropriate the money as we are likely to do, they will say that congress has quite literally bought into the strategy. but i don't really think that's enough. >> reporter: authorizing force does have bipartisan support.

senate gop leader mitch mcconnell told cnn he would use this white house meeting to argue for a congressional vote. >> this is a matter of extreme importance to the country, to our national security. it would be to his advantage and all of our advantage for congress to be in effect, approving a plan for defeating isil. >> reporter: a new cnn orc poll said 8 in 10 americans believe isis is a threat, but there's still bipartisan reluctance to authorize military action. always a tough vote, especially two months before the mid term elections. last year the president asked for congressional approval for action in syria, but there was so much division, they never even took the vote. now democratic sources say, he would not ask for a vote he wouldn't get, or wouldn't ask for a votes that fellow democrats in tough reelection campaigns would rather not take.

cnn, capitol hill. >> and cnn will bring you live coverage of president obama's speech on isis, that's 9:00 p.m. wednesday in washington. 2:00 thursday morning in london. >> british program david cameron is trying to avert a constitutional crisis by heading to scotland to urge people there to vote against independence from the uk. the leader is skipping his weekly question session to make the trip, and he'll be joined by his deputy nick cleg, and opposition leader edmiliband, they're trying to boost the no campaign after a recent poll showed the yes vote pulling slightly ahead. and let's take a look at some of the arguments each side is making on this. >> yeah, the better together

campaign warns thousands of jobs would be at risk in scotland, from ship building for the royal navy to those in the financial sector. >> a separate scotland would see mortgage repayments and shopping bills rise. >> and that scotland would lose strength and security of the pound, as well as the bail-out protections offered by the bank of england. these are the things people are trying to throw up in the air. >> and the yes campaign say they would take action on rising energy bills. >> and provide security for the future. >> it also promises that retirees would see their state pension rise by at least 2.5%. esa suarez takes a look at what else could happen if yes wins. >> if scotland decides to break up its marriage with the uk, it could spark a bitter divorce battle, with dramatic change ahead. let's begin with the physical side of the country, and that is the land itself.

if scotland goes it alone, the uk would lose 32% of its land. that would be comparable to the size of serbia and czech republic. the uk would only lose 8% of its population. queen elizabeth would remain head of state, but her former title would likely change. she might be queen of the united kingdom of england, wales, and northern ireland. however, many separatists favor a republic and that puts the future of the monarchy in doubt. even "god save the queen" may be scrapped as scotland's official national anthem. now the union flag may get a new look, with some suggesting that the government could ditch the blue and white across of st. andrews, for something that looks like this. now, in terms of travel, eligible citizens will be able

to apply for a scottish passport, with some saying the uk border agency may establish passport checks on all roads crossing the border. so after more than 300 years together, this could be one of the most costly divorces yet. we return now to our top story, the fight against isis. as the fighting continues on the ground, iraq's newly formed government is among those waiting to hear mr. obama's plan for defeating the juney militants. we're joined now live from baghdad. as we wait for this, we expect an naumt of the strategy by the u.s. president. we do think an international coalition is going to be a large part of what he suggests. but what do you the moderate sunnis in iraq think of their new government? are they convinced it will really represent them this time around, this group essential to

defeating isis? because in many parts of the country, moderate sunnis have supported the group. >> reporter: very good point, errol. it's not really what happened. yes, it was a tough task to bring this government together. but the real challenge is what comes ahead. that's why you have the sunni arabs and also the kurds really giving this a test period, let's say. they want to see if there's going to be any sort of change in policy, the change in the way the government functions, the way decisions are made, if they are included. if there's true power-sharing, then we can start seeing things change on the ground. so now, their representation, they're a part of the government. this is no different to anything we've seen over the past ten oro years. sunnis have been part of iraqi governments. they've been included in the political process. it's how effective that participation is, how much say they get to have in this government and what it does, and

how that really trickles down on the ground, down to the different sunni provinces. if they feel that they're no longer marginalized, not persecuted by the iraqi security forces, and this all really takes time. it's not going to happen overnight. but if you look at this government, errol, this is where the real concern is, it's the same faces, same politicians, same officials from governments past. and they're coming back together now with their same issues, the mistrust, real deep-rooted mistrust between the sunni, shia, curd and other officials. really divided along sectarian lines with their political views, so it's going to be a really tough task ahead. unless they are able to try to put their differences aside, realizing how serious and critical the situation is, and really change the policy and work together. that's when we'll start to see a

difference. so sunnis and kurds, everyone sitting and waiting to see how different this government is going to be. >> yeah, and you know, the frustrating reality is that as world leaders debate this, as the government there forms and people wait to see if it's really any different, the people of iraq continue to be terrorized by isis. i know that a town just north of baghdad was under siege by isis, came under this massive attack on monday. this is happening daily. but bring us up to speed on what happened there. >> you know, errol, we've covered over the past few months, we've covered these different towns, yazidis christians, turkmen under siege by isis. but the sunni militants have also besieged a sunni town. we spoke to residents there, they say they have been under siege by isis for more than two months now. that people in this town are

defending, like we've heard stories before of other towns, they've all picked up arms. they're defending their town, stopping isis from coming in. one resident we spoke to said, listen, we tried al qaeda in iraq, the predecessor of isis in 2006, and those were bitter days of horrors and massacres. we will not allow them to come into our town. if they come in here, it will be over our dead bodies. so they're really struggling there. they say they're not getting any support from the government. only support they're getting is from a shia town nearby. they also are calling for u.s. air strikes. they say isis is persistent, continuing to attack, clashes taking place on a daily basis and they need more support, making a plea to barack obama and the united states to come in and help them. >> we'll see what kind of answer the u.s. president has to that desperate call from iraqis for help. of course many feeling they wouldn't be in this situation if the u.s. didn't invade in the

first place 11 years ago. thank you very much. >> let's take a short break. just ahead, an official in india calls the flood damage in the kashmir region shocking, and it may get worse before it gets better. also more outrage from a domestic violence scandal involving u.s. football player ray rice, now there are calls for the league commissioner to step down. medicare? that's a good thing, but it doesn't cover everything. only about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. so consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans, they could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. call today to request a free decision guide. with these types of plans, you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients.

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just devastating for people on the ground there. and a lot of complaints that the government's not doing very much, or not doing enough, at least. >> it's a very difficult place to gain access to. it really is when you consider the treacherous terrain across this region and showing you exactly where we're talking about guys. northwestern india, around the kashmir region, punjab, and eastern pakistan. this region, you have the hindu curb mountains, the western fringe of the himalayas. the roughest terrain in the world. 8600 meters high, that's the second highest point on our planet and the highest point in pakistan to the north on the border with china. but this is what it looks like in this region. very little to absolutely no rainfall forecast to come down. so that's good news and that's really the only piece of good news with what's expected to occur here in the next couple

days. downstream flooding, as the higher elevations to the north feed into the lower elevations that make their way to the arabian sea, you have that water flow down streams and lead to situations like this, and this is not even in the direct path of the flood zone. it's well to the south. but we have isolated thunderstorms in the past 24 hours. even the little amount of rainfall that comes down, causes major problem after what's happened here in recent days. 370 millimeters have come down in a six-day period. this is the jhelum river and the chenab river. the rivers have ballooned into what would be considered lakes for a lot of people. they're feeding into the barrage, which is like a dam. it backs up water and distributes water for irrigation and farming purposes. this time around, with the amount of water clogged into this region, the width of this region is now 20 kilometers

across or 12 miles across. that's wider than the average width of the grand canyon. so that's how expansive a region we're talking about, covered by water in this area. that's four times higher than what would typically be seen in this portion of pakistan. look downstream, the forecast calls for water levels to increase dramatically especially as we head into this weekend. this area is home to hundreds of millions of people and this is a concern because the river gauges, a lot of them looking like they see a major peak and begin to drop after the water moves through. but that leaves behind quite a bit of mess. >> yeah, that peak on its way. very frightening situation. >> thanks for keeping an eye on it. the fall-out continues from the indefinite suspension of u.s. football star ray rice. you may remember on tuesday he sent a text to cnn's rachel nichols -- you would remember this if you were watching cnn.

i remember, i was watching. the text read, quote, i'm just holding strong for my wife and kid. that's all i can do right now. >> meanwhile, critics are slamming the national football league for initially suspending rice for just two games, after he hit his fiancee knocking her unconscious. in an interview, the nfl commissioner said he issued that punishment long before the video of the incident came to light. take a listen. >> we had not seen any videotape of what occurred in the elevator. we assumed there was a video. we asked for video. but we were never granted that opportunity. >> the question becomes, did the nfl drop the ball, or was the nfl willfully ignorant about what was on this tape? >> 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. >> and there are many people who agree with that sentiment. the national organization for women, for example, is now reacting to all of this. its president released this statement, saying, quote, the only workable solution is that the man you were just listening to there, roger goodell, to resign and for his successor to appoint an independent investigator with full authority to gather factual data about domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stocking with within the nfl community and to recommend real and lasting reforms. >> the ray rice case is just one instance of domestic violence by u.s. professional football players. cnn's jean casarez looks at other cases. >> the disturbing events from inside that elevator when ray rice knocked out his fiancee may be seven months old, but the impact is still being felt.

i woke up this morning feeling like i had a horrible nightmare. feeling like i'm mourning the death of my closest friend. this was the instagram posted tuesday by palmer, who is now married to rice, blaming the media and the public for her husband's indefinite suspension by the nfl. rice's actions cost him his job with the baltimore ravens and possibly his football career, but his story isn't unique when it comes to the nfl. rice is one of several current players facing allegations of domestic abuse, but the others are still playing. >> the truth will come out. everybody knows what kind of person i am. >> ray mcdonald, a member of the san francisco 49ers, arrested for felony domestic violence, played last weekend. >> carolina panthers greg hardy also played, even though he's appealing a july 15th guilty verdict for assaulting his ex-girlfriend and threatening to kill her. both teams say they're waiting

for the legal process to play out before considering action. >> the problem is, there really hasn't been a policy. we have precise policies when it comes to marijuana, alcohol abuse, and yet nothing for something that's a major societal problem. >> that's the culture of football, says legendary sports agent leigh steinberg. drugs and alcohol can affect a game. arizona cardinals daryl washington suspended for the entire 2014 season for violating the nfl's substance abuse policy. yet no nfl or team punishment was handed down after he pleaded guilty to assaulting the mother of his child in march of this year. according to usa today, the nfl has about 1,700 players. in the last four years, 20 have been arrested for domestic abuse. but the statistics may not tell the whole story, which may be part of the problem. >> domestic violence is sort of

swept under the rug. it doesn't get the focus that it needs. the women get victimized once again by the process. >> reporter: jean casarez, cnn, new york. >> well, janay palmer still married ray rice after he knocked her out in the elevator. and many are asking why she continues to stand by her husband. >> yeah, many people asking that question. it's baffling to those of us watching this. actress robin givens had a troubled marriage to boxer mike tyson. she spoke with cnn earlier about why people stay in abusive relationships. >> you really feel like you want to help. you really feel like you've done something wrong. you really feel like you can control what's happening, and then one day, you realize you cannot control this. but this is something that happens quite often, and i think for us to see this visual is -- i don't want to say it's

important, but you and i are having this conversation and the world gets to have this conversation. so in that respect it's become very important to us all. >> robin givens talking to cnn earlier. if you would like to help victims of domestic violence, we've compiled a list of organizations that do just that. find it at the impact your world section of our website at cnn.com/impact. still ahead, from the battlefield, to the tv studio, the conflict in eastern ukraine gets some new voices to spread the rebels' message.

welcome back. dutch investigators say malaysia airlines flight 17 was hit by a large number of, quote, high energy objects, then broke up in mid-air over eastern ukraine. that's one of the main findings in a preliminary report on the july 15th crash. there are no indications of any mechanical malfunctions or errors by the pilots. >> the white house says the information is consistent with its initial finding that pro-russian rebels likely shot down that plane, but the report does not assign blame for the crash or mention the word "missile." >> objects penetrated the aircraft. we tried to find elements of the objects. and in the bodies of the crew, we found metal elements which

are investigated at the moment. we have to be sure that those aren't parts of the aircraft, and then we can further identify the objects which caused the crash. >> now, investigators do hope to revisit the crash site, but despite at recently declared ceasefire, the area is just still to dangerous. >> our diana magnay is on the ground in eastern ukraine. she explains why it may be a long time before the plane's wreckage is recovered. >> this really does feel like a god forsaken place. it's not two months since mh17 was shot down from the sky and the wreckage is still strewn across these fields, alongside fresh craters from morter fire and rockets. the ceasefire doesn't feel like a ceasefire here. just as in many other areas of eastern ukraine, you can still hear the artillery shelling in the distance. when you speak to the locals, you ask them about the ceasefire, they laugh in your

face and say, what ceasefire? this is a pro-rebel area, so when you ask them who they think is responsible for this, they give you within answer. >> ukraine. >> reporter: in the days immediately after the crash, ukrainian investigators were able to access the site to make their assessment of the scene. but since then, because of the security situation, no one from the international investigation team, under the auspices of the dutch safety board, have been able to visit this site. for the people's republic of donetsk who control this area, mh17, this wreckage was not and has never been a priority. so this wreckage is here to stay for at least the duration of this war, which seems depressingly far from being over. diana magnay, cnn, at the crash site, ukraine. the conflict in eastern ukraine is causing fall-out no

one could have anticipated. >> yeah, the self-pro claimed republics of donetsk and la hanst agreed to marriage and create their own federation, creating unusual job opportunities and political maneuvering. >> reporter: in a make shift television studio in eastern ukraine. camouflage-clad militia men operate the cameras, as a room full of eager young women wait for their shot at local television stardom. the coveted prize for this audition, a job as a new report for new russia tv in english. the new network named after what some are calling the rebel-held russian-speaking region in southeastern ukraine. no experience necessary here, says the ad help on. only passion and energy. it's the rebels' way of telling

the central government in kiev, we don't need you. ever since february's revolution toppled ukraine's president, separatists in the southeast have demanded independence, introducing their own flag, positioning checkpoints at their self-pro claimed borders and introducing the death penalty against anyone convicted of treason. other peculiar moves have followed. the self-pro claimed republic of donetsk governor, a 31-year-old activist who was formerly a santa claus for hire. a woman whose foreign policy experience was a scant as her attire in pictures that later surfaced on the internet. and now news anchor tryouts for pro-russian rebel tv. all outcomes of a conflict that's divided a nation with

often bizarre consequences. >> a short break now, but coming up, the battle against isis. taking out the man in charge, may become part of the plan. but first, they'll have to find him.

thanks for staying with us on cnn. >> let's check the headlines for you this hour. u.s. president barack obama told congressional leader tuesday that he has all the authorize he needs to defeat isis in iraq and possibly syria. but he would like lawmakers' support. mr. obama will unveil his much anticipated plan in a speech from the white house later today. >> an american man who

contracted ebola in sierra leone flew back to the u.s. on tuesday. he's now being treated at emory university hospital in atlanta. the world health organization says the outbreak has killed 2,300 people in west africa. flood rescue cruise are resuming operations in the kashmir region. flooding has killed 400 people and it's creating a humanitarian crisis. some people have been pulled to safety, but thousands remain traps, desperate for help. >> now, defeating isis will be the objective, but what specifically is barack obama's plan to accomplish that goal? >> yeah, that's the big question. we should find out later today when the u.s. president lays out, at least to some degree his degree. earlier john vause spoke with aaron david miller for some insight. >> the president has already committed himself in iraq. he's going to give a big speech

tomorrow night. and he'll probably lay the basis, the foundation for the prospects of an expanded war. once the intel is right, once we develop a firmer set of elements on the ground to work with, and once they do their target sets, to figure out how to strike the isis leadership, which i think however difficult may be is really critical. so we're talking about a long movie. it ain't going to be over by the time barack obama leaves the white house. but if he does it sensibley, smartly, and avoids some kind of trillion-dollar social science project, like we ended up with in iraq. you know, i think he'll have a reasonable chance to weaken and undermine -- forget destroy for the moment -- >> when we come to the goals which are being set out by the united states to degrade and to defeat, define defeat. >> this is what i call the

hollywood ending. you're talking about defeating, which means, in a military sense, total victory. that means, essentially decimating and eliminating al qaeda fighters and the leadership, and more importantly, finding a way to clean up the environment. so that, in effect, you have good governance on both sides of the iraqi-syrian border so that the complaints, the frustrations of the sunni communities in syria and iraq are somehow dissipated so isis doesn't thrive or isil doesn't thrive and feed on sunni discontent. you're talking frankly about a decade or more of a project here. and frankly, the chances of getting iraq -- a cohesive iraq, they may be better than putting the humpty dumpty in syria back together again. but i'm not sure even with the

new iraqi government that there's all that much there. we have to focus on two things, john. number one, keeping the continental united states secure, and number two, trying to help minimize the threat from isil to our allies. that means essentially, and immediately, finding a way to brunt, undermine, and con strain isis advances, and over time, through attrition, through attacking its leaders, and its material support, decimating it. and then hopefully, trying to figure out what you're going to do with the iraqi and syrian humpty dumpty. but this really is a long-term project, and whether it's a democrat or a republican next time around in washington, they're going to be still working on it. >> as aaron david miller

mentioned, if u.s.-led forces are to defeat isis, they'll probably have to take out its top leaders. >> despite numerous air strikes over the past several weeks, the head of the terror organization has yet to be targeted. >> reporter: he's considered the new bin laden, the man behind the isis tactics of beheadings, mass executions, kidnapping. but so far al baghdadi has not been in the sights of american warplanes. a pentagon spokesman saying, quote, we have not conducted any targeted air strikes on specific isil leaders. pentagon officials say air strikes are authorized to protect u.s. personnel and facilities, support humanitarian efforts and support iraqi forces. a policy that has critics fuming. >> we need to be targeting the top isis military and strategic leadership. our policy up to now hasn't been good enough. it's a day late and a dollar short, and that's why isis is a

threat to the united states. >> the military could recommend a drone or air strike on baghdadi, but any mission to kill him would have to be approved by president obama. >> when the president gives the word, there will be a formidable capability that will launch against this organization and perhaps against him. >> reporter: why hasn't the president given the order yet? the white house said they needed time to build the intelligence. >> i would anticipate that as our intelligence improves and crystallizes, that our military capabilities will expand accordingly. >> so far, has there been any intelligence good enough to authorize an air strike on baghdadi? >> i'm quite certain isis is staying off the phone and nobody around baghdadi would have a cell phone, for instance, or any sort of communications. we are not well positioned to do this. >> reporter: but a u.s. official tells cnn the intelligence on isis leaders is good and there's a track record of success.

osama bin laden in pakistan, anwar alalackey in yemen and al zarqawi in iraq. some analysts say killing baghdadi won't be effective, because someone else will take his place. others disagree saying leaders like baghdadi bring special skills. >> what he brings to them is really a different image and mentality, mind-set. and we see this playing out through the group's aggressive use of tactics, its rhetoric, ideology. even the twitter campaign and things like this are all centrally planned and organized. >> baghdadi also survived the u.s. surge in iraq. he's been in and out of u.s. custody there and is obsessed with staying in the shadows. >> the threat from baghdadi and his commander is relatively recent. a u.s. official says, quote, it's a real cat and mouse game. and in this game, the cat is an experienced hunter.

brian todd, cnn, washington. we do not know yet if the u.s. will launch air strikes on isis targets in syria. it's a massive question. we'll see what the u.s. president announces wednesday. but russia is already warning of the consequences. russia's foreign minister says an american attack impacting the assad regime would be a, quote, colossal shock and escalation of the conflict. >> but despite differences in other areas, world leaders are united in calling for action against isis. for more, reza has iran's stance. but first, here's max foster from london. >> reporter: the uk has supplied military equipment in the fight against isis within iraq. but so far hasn't committed to air strikes, even though a recent poll suggested that the public would support that. david cameron is acting very cautiously. a year ago, he tried to take military action in syria and parliament blocked it. he doesn't want to make the same

mistake again. so the phrase you keep hearing in downing street ais that ther won't be a knee-jerk reaction, but air strikes remain an option. >> iran's official position is it's against military intervention in iraq. it's often used that policy to criticize past western intervention in places like iraq and afghanistan, suggesting that the crisis in these countries only started after western military intervention. however, what makes the current crisis in iraq different is the fact that the so-called islamic state poses a threat to iran. its population is mostly shia. the islamic state targets shias and it's right across the border from iran. there's been a lot of speculation that tehran and washington can team up against the islamic state. iran has rejected those claims, but the fact that they've

remained relatively silent about u.s. air strikes in iran suggests there's tacit approval in iran for some kind of intervention. >> in paris, the french have made it very clear they want to stop the islamic extremists who've taken over large parts of iraq. a spokesman said a program to deliver humanitarian aid and military equipment to the iraqi government will be expanded in the coming weeks. the president says any military action will be taken only in conjunction with the allies and only with the accord of the iraqi government. he did not say what kind of military action might be contemplated, but sources here indicate that will probably be limited to air operations and stop short of putting boots on the ground. >> and let's keep our focus in france. the french president is calling for an international conference on iraq's security crisis next monday in paris. this is to coordinate efforts to

fight the insurgents, help with iraq's new government, and provide humanitarian aid. in a show of support ahead of the conference he's scheduled to visit iraq on friday. in australia, authorities say they've arrested two men suspected of terrorism. the raid happened at an islamic center south of brisbane. police say the men are suspected of recruiting, facilitating and funding fighters heading to syria, the heartland of the isis threat. the arrests come as authorities consider raising the nation's terror alert from medium to high, which means an attack is likely. and this just in, according to reuters, u.s. secretary of state john kerry has arrived in baghdad, as he began his plan -- his tour, i should say, of the middle east, to build that military, political, and financial support, that coalition that he needs and wants for the united states to defeat isis militants.

and of course we'll hear more about that and of course the plan to defeat isis on wednesday from president barack obama. when court resumes tomorrow in the oscar pistorius murder trial, all eyes will be on the judge. >> that's right. they will revisit testimony from dozens of witnesses before announcing the verdict. robyn curnow looks back at the long gruelling trial that's finally nearing an end. >> reporter: 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, on 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? it doesn't make sense, my lady. it doesn't go 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 three, i woke up -- >> reporter: 39 days of testimony. >> well, he does look exhausted. >> reporter: that saw 40 witnesses take the stand, including an emotional pistorius. 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. still to come, apple's latest innovation, a smart watch. it's new to apple, but will it be insanely great? edit report s. do you guys have identity theft protection? [ male voice ] i'm sorry, did you say identity distribution? no. protection. identity theft protection. you have selected identity distribution. your identity will now be shared with everyone. thank you. no, no, no -- [ click, dial tone ] [ female announcer ] not all credit report sites are equal. [ male voice ] we're good in here, howie. yeah, have a good night, brother. experian.com members get personalized help plus identity theft protection. join now at experian.com. with enrollment in experian credit tracker.

♪ fabulous. apple was full of surprises tuesday, including a live performance from u 2. the band released its new album, and right now, itunes customers can get the album for free. >> cool stuff. after a couple of lackluster products, product launches anyway, according to some, many say apple has its mojo back. at that glitzy presentation in california, ceo tim cook unveiled two, let's say, bigger,

faster iphones with better battery life. the iphone six and the iphone 6-plus. >> they also showed off the smart watch which can do far more than its rivals, including directing you across town and opening your hotel door with a swipe of your wrist and in true apple form, it's a fashion statement with six different wrist bands. >> but that wasn't all, though. there was much more, right? >> yeah, apple wants you to use your iphone or apple watch to pay for your shopping. here's a look at how the new payment system works. >> it's so cool! we've created an entirely new payment process. and we call it apple pay. >> your total is $23.78. >> that's it!

>> you use your iphone camera, we take a picture of the card, gather all the information, go to your bank and verify that's your card, and we add it right to pass book. and each time you pay, we use a one-time payment number, along with the dynamic security code. so you no longer have the static code on the back of your plastic card. apple doesn't know what you bought, where you bought it, or how much you paid for it. the transaction is between you, the merchant, and your bank. and that's just some of the many retailers that are adding apple pay in all of their locations. we're starting in the u.s. with credit cards and debit cards from the three major networks. what about online? you got these long forms to fill out for each and every app that you shop in. well, with apple pay, one-touch check-out. no need to enter your credit card, expiration date, your security code. not even your shipping or billing address. apple pay will work with apple

watch. [ cheers and applause ] >> as ever, when it comes to credit card details, security is a key concern. >> yeah, i mean, as it should be. analysts have been quick to question apple security, especially as the apple pay announcement comes hot on the heals of that icloud celebrity photo leak, and this makes people wonder. all the technology is great, but if you can't keep my information secure, what is it worth? >> it is a big worry. >> you heard the reaction of the crowd. they love the announcement, and it draws excitement. >> would you do a watch? >> i'm all about new technology. but as the analyst told us, they only got to see a brief video demo. >> and they're so tiny. i was saying in the last couple of hours, i don't wear a watch anymore because i have an iphone. and if people have trouble

seeing something as small as that, you'd go for the six-plus. >> just the iphone six-plus here. >> strap it on and you'll be set. >> the most expensive video game ever made is now out. destiny is a futuristic multi-player online adventure from the company that created the halo games and from the publisher of the call of duty franchise. >> highly successful, those franchises. the estimated cost for this, $500 million. it became available for xbox and sony playstation systems on tuesday. no word if or when it will be available for pcs. anyone remember those things? their publisher says it's the most preordered video game in interactive play history. >> it's all moving terribly fast. >> it's a lot happening in the technology world all at once. parts of the southwest u.s.

are finally picking up after the historic floods earlier this week. more wet weather may be headed for this region. we have all the details on this. >> this could be another storm system similar to what we saw as far as rainfall in the region that was hard hit a couple days ago with a video we shared out of las vegas, phoenix, and also tucson, in the state of arizona. but look at the perspective. this is new video on interstate 15, about an hour's drive outside of las vegas. officials out there saying the highways are so badly damaged, at least the southbound lanes have to remain closed for three to four days as they clean up. the concern, when you look at the weather pattern, some changes beginning to develop out here, across portions of the eastern pacific. here's the imagery. an area near acapulco, models indicate this will be a tropical

storm. the track will take it up north towards the sea of cortez. a high probability for it to do so. and norbert came up the coast and made landfall across northern mexico and that enhance said monsoons leading to the mess you saw across portions of the southwest. that's something we're watching for early next week. we believe heavy rainfall is possible in arizona and nevada and the next week or so. how about this hour across the central united states? about 23 million this hour underneath a flash flood watch across this region. a tornado watch for portions of kansas city as well. with very wet weather expected ahead of this. behind it, all cold air, snow showers in montana and canada. a photograph here courtesy of an astronaut across portions of the iss on board the international

space station. this is what norbert looked like a couple days ago. above california, looking down towards the baja, california region of mexico. and you see the perspective, of the storm that helped lead them to the mess that we saw in the southwest. and something similar to this could be in the works in the next couple days. >> that's really extensive. >> astronauts take the best pictures. >> they're the best to follow on twitter. >> thank you very much, pedram. >> how far would you go for the perfect photograph? space? how about 400 meters into the crater of a volcano. stay tuned for this. [ male announcer ] eligible for medicare? that's a good thing, but it doesn't cover everything. only about 80%

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sometimes to get the best picture you have to venture where others cannot or will not go. >> like the edge of a volcano perhaps. jeanne moos spoke to a man who did just that. >> reporter: 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 the lava without swimming in it. >> that's george in the heat resistant suit alongside with his accomplice in adventure. george is the teeny figure at the bottom of a volcano pit in the south pacific. >> it's also one of the most dangerous and difficult to get to. they rappel down 1200 feet, a depth equal to the height of the empire state building. it took two hours to descend to

about 50 feet above the churning lava. even wearing a fire-resistant suit, george 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. >> reporter: 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. >> reporter: and the noise? >> i call it the sound of satan's washing machine. just churning, publicing, gurgling. >> george said it was unlikely the volcano would erupt. they were more worried about the edge of the crater crumbling and raining rocks down on them. george doesn't just rappel into volcanoes. he got married on one. >> enough messing around, it's time to get married. >> awesome. >> wait until the lava bombs start falling within ten feet of her. >> 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. >> caller: michelle may have melted his heart, but it took this volcano to melt his camera when 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. >> he found love in a volcano. what's my problem? >> yeah. >> thanks for watching. >> we'll see you tomorrow.

♪ president obama ready to take on isis. tonight, stet to reveal his pla to fight syria and iraq. strategy expected to include diplomacy, aid and force. but is it too little too late as isis fighters continue to gain ground. live team coverage begins now. good morning, welcome to "early start." i'm christine romans. >> good morning, it's wednesday, 4:00 a.m. in