eastern. set the dvr please. check us out on cnnmoney.com. if you are retiring, i have a check list you can't afford to miss. check it out. have a great weekend. ♪ >> you are in the cnn newsroom, i'm randy kay in new york. america's top diplomat overseas today selling the idea of u.s. military action against isis to as many arab leaders as will listen. according to the state department, john kerry is asking for support, and he's getting it. this is kerry, meeting with egypt's president today, also been in turkey and saudi arabia on the trip. kerry's message to the leaders is this, the fight against isis is not religious, and it's an effort that the entire world should get behind. >> the bottom line is that terrorists like isil have no

place in the modern world. it's up to the world to enforce that truth. >> our global affairs correspondent is in cairo for us right now. is that enough that the arab leaders agree fundamentally with u.s. plans to dry isis, or is john kerry asking for action for troops, bases, military resources? >> reporter: well, he's going to be asking for all that, randy. i think the western nations, maybe some of europe and elsewhere will be doing the bulk of the military action. i think it's true that the arab nations in terms of the military campaign is asking for rights and intelligence is very important, but a very important part of this also is the diplomatic angle and political angle, cutting off the flow of foreign funding to isis and the oil smuggling that goes to isis, and that's how it gets money and does recruiting and the flow of

foreign fighters from many of the countries into iraq and syria. here in egypt, for instance, u.s. officials were telling us that some of the foreign fighters transitting through egypt are stopping, sharing knowledge, and coaching some of the extremist groups in egypt in the sinai. that's why isis is not just a threat to iraq, syria, and neighboring countries, but really the entire region. that's why secretary kerry was here. he also wanted egypt's leaders to use their religious influence. i mean, as you know, egypt is the heart of the arab world, the intelligeectual center. he asked for the cleric to speak out against isis. the top cleric in egypt issued a statement condemning isis after the beheading of the two americas in the gruesome videos. the secretary would like to see more of that, and this is part of the global coalition to

hammer out next week in paris when all the coalition countries get together for a conference, and then at the u.n. general assembly the week after where, obviously, that's the top of the agenda with meetings on how to combat the group. >> when it comes to the coalition, kerry said he has talked about dividing up the responsibilities among arab nations in the fight against ie si ie sies. any word what that looks like? >> reporter: well, i think he's looking for different things from different people. i mean, some of the gulf countries, saudi arabia maybe, kuwait, bahrain, using basing, for instance. i don't think arab nations will take part militarilmilitarily. maybe jordan has special forces that could help out, but what they are saying is that, you know, no contribution is too small. don't forget, a lot of the countries are not all in agreement about what the fight should look like, who they are

fighting because, obviously, isis, the immediate threat, but if you look at what's happening in libya with all the militants fighting each other or in sinai and egypt, there's a difference among the nations about whether it should just be isis or a regional fact against terrorism. these are the type of things they are shaking out. they are not there yet. secretary kerry says it's premature to know who will do what. i think as the weeks go on, that there might be more clarity, but i think that the u.s. feels at least that this last few weeks, this lightning advance of isis over the months and these beheadings was a wakeup call for the region. some border iraq and syria, see the border change hands over the last few weeks. i don't think the u.s. is worried about a sense of urgency. it's just getting everybody on the same page, and a lot of people raise their hand, but the u.s. say now it has to coordinate who is best to do what. >> sounds like a lot of work

still to be done. thank you so much. >> reporter: absolutely. >> no word from washington on exactly when u.s. military action against isis in syria will start, but president obama said air strikes there are certainly on the table. we asked the former commissioner of forces in afghanistan how he sees the fight against isis going forward. >> i think the first thing is if you think about counterterrorism strike operations, targeting, what my organization focused primarily on, it's a tool. it's part of what you do. it does not solve the problem. we did that for years in iraq. very effectively. you really did not get full effect until late 2006 and 2007 when a change in the wider strategy in iraq changed the counter insurgency when the awakening started and president approved the surge. a number of things happened which allowed a holistic approach, so thele lesson drawn

from that and i feel strongly, still appropriate now is if you start to look for the simple, very surgical solution, it's an illusion. it's almost deceptive because it looks like you solved the problem, when in reality it's fundamental. >> in that sense, this whole -- air strikes, shock and awe out there, that's just a small step? >> it's part of a solution, but part in my view of what's required. >> aarlet's bring in cnn milita analy analyst, retired military colonel. your reaction to what general mcchrystal said? >> i think he's right. we have to have, you know, a well-rounded approach to this. it's not just one thing. we have to get the sunnis away from isis. that's very, very difficult. the president said he wants an

all-inclusive government in baghdad. very difficult to do. and, of course, the president says that will help us get the sunnis back into the fold. i think general mcchrystal is right. we have to take the militarmili side of this as well. you have to force isis out of there. we cannot just seed the western part of iraq, eastern part of syria to the people. they have territory. we have to take it away from them, otherwise they will present a threat to the united states that everybody's concerned about. >> all right. appreciate the analysis and you standing by. stay with us, colonel. ahead the colonel and rest of the expert panel digs into the fight against isis and why the white house can't make inits mind about whether or not it's a war. the last thing the nfl needed to end the week was another arrest of a player. more questions who was on the field and whether that's where they belong 37.

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the guessing game in washington continues. which top obama official weighs in next on the, kwoequote, war isis. in the days following president obama's prime time speech, there's no shortage of conflicting accounts of whether the united states is technically at war. why the semantics here? let's bring in our former operative, bob, and robert mcfadden, special form egg agent in charge, and the soar your haven't, and nice to see you. listen to this. then we'll talk. >> our objective is clear. we will degrade and ultimately destroy isil through a comprehensive and sustained counterterrorism strategy. >> what we're doing is engaging in a very significant counterterrorism operation. it's going to go on for some period of time. if somebody wants to think about

of as being a war with isil, they can do so. fact is, it's a major counterterrorism operation. >> what i said was this was not the iraq war of 2002. but make no mistake, we are at war in the same way we continue to be at war with al cay da and its affiliates. >> we conclude that the united states is at war with isil in the same way we're at war with al qaeda and al qaeda affiliates around the globe. >> and this is not the kind of iraq war talked about in the past, and the world is joining us in the fight because of the threat they pose to countries in the regions. >> all right. if you are keeping track, five people, three government departments, less than a 48-hour time frame. how is the u.s. to carry out an operation gepsz isis when they can't figure out what to call it? all right, colonel, starting with you on this.

what do you think? >> i don't think it matters. when you're on the ground dropping dom dropping bombs and people shoot at you, you shoot back, you're in a war. you're in a conflict. you're in a very significant operation. it's all meaningless. it does not matter. the people we're fighting believe they are at war and think we're at war with them. that's what is important. >> bob, do you agree? >> i totally agree. keep in mind this state and it acts as a state has 20 million people under it, armor, surface to air missiles, an air force, doubt they can fly the airplanes, but it's looking like a state that's not going away. i think we're coming closer to a real war than ever against al qaeda, always a desperate group spread across the world. this is something entirely new. >> robert, what do you think? war, not war, does it matter? >> i agree with what rick and bob said, but this goes to the

supposition with terms and how the u.s. moves into the important phase of building the coalition. terms and words make a difference to that audience, so, again, maybe some internal debate within the administration as to how to characterize it, but former military members ourselves, we know from flying combat missions, that certainly is a look, feel, and act of being in battle. >> i guess, colonel, this is a war. why wouldn't the president use the term "war" the other night. it was always a counterterrorism effort. why not just say it. >> worried about the war-powers solution and what the legal ramifications are of using the term "war," is there a declaration of war, is there a resolution authorizing force, just a supplement for funding? i think these all have meanings in the legal realm. for the military, did department of defense, for those who did

this, i don't think m term matters. they are carrying out an operation, a mission, whatever. i know when you -- we talked to the allies, they regard this as a war. >> and, robert, we talk about the coalition. it's now in the process of being form against isis. who exactly are we talking about. why isn't everyone on board? >> well, that's a really good way to frame it. among the coalition of the ten that signed on the other day in turkey has not signed the resolution or proclamation, and then within the arab states, the follow-on that the secretary kerry -- isis no doubt and like groups for priority, but for most of the coalition, not a top priority. take turkey, for example. it has some national objectives important and delicate right now. 49 personnel held by isis, maybe in iraq where they were taken, but it also, too, turkey's been

consistent in the last three and a half years. they do not want to do anything that would in any way tip the balance to the regime. >> that makes sense. let's play another clip from president obama wednesday night. >> i will not involve american combat troops fighting on foreign soil. this counterterrorism campaign will be waged through a steady relentless effort to take out isil wherever they exist using our air power and support for partners, forces on the ground. this strategy of taking out terrorists who threaten us, supporting partners on the front lines is one we've successfully pursued in yemen and somalia for years. >> so there he is talking about yemen and somalia. bob, are yemen and somalia really success stories? >> no, they are not success stories at all, and we're talking about something entirely different here in which we don't hear enough about is iran.

what the white house is afraid is that somehow part of iraq will go to the sunni muslims and other half goes to iran, and we're looking at the elections in 2016 and the big question is who lost iraq? i have my own opinions, but it's the american public who ultimately decides. the stakes in this war absolutely enormous in what people don't want to talk about or what they can do, and putting a coalition together sounds good on pair, but i don't see it happening because saudi arabia in a sense supports the sunnis means, to a degree, isis. they are not going to fully commit themselves to a war, especially if iran were to be on the other side and win in some sense. he's really walking a fine line, and i don't -- i'm not sure i can improve on american policy, but the chances of an immediate, clear success are remote. >> all right. bob, robert, colonel, stay with us.

we'll talk more about this and the nfl playing defense since monday's release of the ray rice tape, but news of another player arrest made the league's for r crisis more of a nightmare. latest when we return.

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pennsylvania state police are now naming two officers who were ambushed outside police bararacks late last night.

kaj kikenson was killed, and the state police commissioner said the shooting cut the police community to the core. >> this attack was an ambush. our troopers were leaving the barracks and were shot without warning and really had no chance to defend themselves. it's a cowardly attack. it's an attack on us all in society and the people of pennsylvania. when people attack law enforcement in this cowardly way. this is unbelievably heart breaking to all of us. both were young troopers, and -- with family, and it's -- it's the only consolation we have right now is they are all working so hard we have not had a chance to deal with the emotions of the terrible act, but it is truly sad, and it's

going to reverberate throughout law enforcement. >> reporter: police are interviewing what is described as a person of interest, but so far, no arrests have been made. meanwhile, the off the field woes of the nfl continue with another indictment. minnesota vikings running back adrian peterson turned himself in today on a felony charge of child abuse, released on bond, but authorities are not releasing details. the lawyer said it involved using a switch to discipline his son, but that peterson never meant to harm him. they deact vated him for tomorrow's game while they gather more information, and fans, well, here's what they think. >> disappointed. >> he's great, obviously, a role model for herb, you know, all the young kids. to hear that, blows you away. >> he didn't do anything bad, jus disciplined his kid in a way that, you know, most people don't know what a switch is.

>> he did dumb things as a kid, and did i get a kick in the butt? yes, i did. should somebody be suspended for that? i don't know. i don't agree with what they did. meanwhile, former ravens' player, ray rice, showed up at a high school football game in new rochelle, new york this afternoon with the family in tow. we are there. tell us what the reaction was. >> reporter: listen, this is the field where ray rice's football career took off, and he returned here on the week where people say his career may have end ended. there were rumors he'd show up, and he did, arriving at about the start of the game, stood on the sidelines, closely circled by a group of close friends, his representatives, his wife was also on the sidelines, and at variety points, people stopped by to hug or shake his hand.

his coach also coming over here, talking to the press about what he thought of ray rice's decision to come out to the game today. we'll play that sound for you now. >> what having him here today means the world to me. i've known rice since in 8th grade, he had one misstep in the years that i've known him. >> reporter: the coach toll us he is telling his students, all these young members of the high school football team that looked up to rice, that the lesson here is that it is important to think before you act saying this is the important lesson to take away from the horrific videos of what happened inside the elevator that so many people saw. the school principal acknowledged this is ray rice's home, celebrated here for a long time, and say he continues to be welcomed here. that said, the picture was taken off the wall of fame this week, his ravens jersey removed from the wall of the gym here.

>> huh, wow, he show up there to get a warm welcome from the folks. thank you very much. so a lot of people are asking, did ray rice get suspended for hitting his then fiance or for embarrassing the league? which is it? that's ahead. we needed 30 new hires for our call center.

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nfl takes a huge hit this week with the cases of ray rice and peterson, but the question remains, is it just a few bad apples or the barrel. what does the nfl need to do about it right now? cnn legal analyst mel robins joining me now, so, mel, is there anything legally holding the nfl back from handing out tougher punishments, even firing some of the players? >> hey, good afternoon, and, no, there is nothing holing them back because the nfl very much like the nba all discussing the sterling debacle, has a

constitution and bylaw, and in the constitution and bylaws, there's specific player conduct code, and if you engage in any conduct that is detrimental or even risks the integrity of the nfl league, you violated the personal conduct policy, and you can be fired, and that goes for every employee. players and for the commissioner himself who is also an employee. there's nothing that is in the way within the current bylaws of constitution that prevent the nfl who fire anything involved in any of the instances. >> not just the rapvens, but th panthers, appealing conviction with a jury trial. you have ray mcdonald that are convicted, playing while he fights it and figures out what happened there while they gather information of the does that make sense to you? >> well, it does not make any

sense to me, and let me explain why. the truth is that the nfl is not equipped, and they never will be equipped or qualified to investigate any kind of domestic violence or violence case outside of the nfl. there's a simple reason for it. these are very psychologically complicated cases between, you know, a partner and their significant other or their child, and there's a roller coaster that happens in terms of how the investigation goes forward with the police, and more importantly, and i think this is the -- this is the point that everybody needs to remember. it is never in the best interest of the nfl to find the truth in these cases. what's in the best interest of the nfl whose sole purpose is to put on football games and make millions and billions even of dollars is to have these situations disappear quietly off the radar screen and have people focus back on football.

there's no doubt in my mind there's been 5 la lot of people talking about did the commissioner lie saying that now he was misled in the meeting he had with ray rice and his wife. you know who i'm talking about, the meeting they had in july. well, i don't think he's lying. i think that the incident happened in february. now, five months later in july, the couple's gone through counciling. they want it behind us. i'm sure that they made it seem clear like it was a big misunderstanding. yes, ray said he hit her, but she probably said she hit the elevator, probably like the owners of the ravens said with the feeling like there was mutual accountability. that's the story the ravens want. >> there's certainly a difference between saying we didn't have the information and we did have the information according to what goodell has said. we don't know what he knew or what he was told at this point. let me ask you about ray rice because we saw images of him

before the break before we came to you. there he is at a high school football game in new rochelle new york. is this damage control mode for him? >> a hundred percent. i'm going to tell you right now, as certain as i'm standing here talking to you, he'll be back next year. if the narrative continues to be he made a mistake, he's not had anything else happen, his wife has forgiven him, they moved on, and he's done some things this year like show up and volunteer at his high school, talk to men about battering, and he's gone down the road of redeeming himself, america loves a comeback story. i certainly think he shouldn't be banned from the game if he does clean up his act and he tows the line. somebody like hardy, this, to me, the guy on the panthers committed of felony domestic violence agencies this summer, the fact he's on the field is a total disgrace.

>> yeah. he was convicted given probation and jail time, but he is still on the field, as you said, greg hardy we're talking about. mel robins, thank you very much, appreciate it. >> great to talk to you. back to the fight against isis. are they the only threat to the nation in the middle east, or could we beat them only to meet somebody more deadly in the future?

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isis is one enemy, but there are several militant groups making power grabs in the middle east and threatening the u.s. radical islamists take territory and hostages threatening and killing locals, and upsetting the fragile balance of power. secretary kerry emphasized how terrorist threats not just isis bleed across borders in the region. >> the fact is that in today's globalized world, it's only a matter of time before the threat of terrorism anywhere becomes a threat of terrorism everywhere. that is certainly been proven true in the case of isil. >> let me bring back the cnn national security animal cyst and former cia operative. bob, you heard it there. is it realistic to expect a coalition against isis can be formed from countries in the

region? >> we don't have a choice. we need countries like egypt. don't forget they have a dire threat on their border, and that's libya. the libyan jihads are well-armed, surface to air missiles, a lot of ammunitions and guns training egyptian militants to cross the border. you have the sinai with a lot of militan militants, and in africa, the form of isis, and so what you have to do is get the whole region detour against radical islam, and it's not pretty. you know, egypt, there's a kud data there, shooting people in the streets, but this is what it takes to stop the virus, prairie fire, whatever you call it, and they don't have to be unified to be a threat to us. >> yeah. >> it's just -- it's serious. >> you know, we talk about isis, but isis really is not the only

group that wants to see the u.s. destroyed. who else do we need to worry about right now? >> well, you know, isis -- you know, in particular, trying to pit islam against the united states. of course, that's not what's happening, but it's in the constituency it's believed to be the case. you have groups like isis and muslim brotherhood look at saudi arabia and gulf arabs as targets. you have the emirates involved in the war because they are worried about this. this is a cataclysmic change in the middle east, and you got on the other side as i've been talking about, iran, which is essentially alied with the united states. this is a sectarian war like i've never seen, and i've been in the middle east for nearly 40 years. >> i guess looking at the big picture, looks like isis is just one front really of a much bigger fight? >> isis is something the cia

just described to me as a manifestation of a militant sunni uprising just covering north africa and the middle east, and nobody can predict where it's going or it would take over as they did months ago, and no one is in the position to predict where they have enough influence in a place like saudi arabia to do damage. they are worried at this point, talking about putting american trainers inside the kingdom, a huge step for them, and it's an indication of what this threat is. the threat is much more important to the homeland right now because as long as militants asend, they try to move in the middle east rather than hit us in europe or the united states. >> all right, bob, appreciate the insight as always. thank you. if we're going to focus on isis, what's the right strategy for going after the terrorists? ground troops to wipe them out? we'll talk about the best way to win straight ahead.

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we talked earlier about whether the obama administration is splitting hairs when it comes to calling the operation against isis a war, but semantics aside, the president is embarking on a sustained military operation without an end date, price tag, or clear definition of victory, and in what might be the quote of the week, michael hayden made quite the comparison when it comes to air strikes in iraq. listen. >> the strategic level, air power has all the attraction of casual sex. it offers gratification, but with limited commitment. >> all right. well, let's bring in former

retired colonel. you heard it right there. is hayden right? is this a fling? should we treat it like a marriage? >> i'll have to thank my former boss for that phrase. i've been talking about this for a couple days now. he's right. it sounds sexy, the air power. it's clean. it's sterile. it can be done from a distance. we're not going to get our hands dirty, but it's not just not going solve the problem. if you are going to remove an organization like isis, you cannot do it from the air. you can hurt them from the air. you can ball them up from the air, but when it comes down to the end of it, to degrade and destroy, what the president wants done. >> nose are his words. >> then you need boots on the ground. question is, whose boots are going to do this? >> more about that in a second, but in the president's strategy, we've seen both criticism and support for it. what would you do? what would be your perfect

strategy? >> well, i like the fact that there's no end instigadate on t because when you put dates certain on operations, you compromised your goal. we've done this twice now. we've done in -- we did it in iraq and doing it in afghanistan. when you tell the enemy when you're leaving or when the operation is over or when you're going to begin to withdrawal troops, you've given them the end date and them a goal line. the president did not do that this time. i think that's wise. we've also, on the other hand, told them what we're beginning to do. we're going to have air strikes in iraq and syria. with iraq, we knew that. everybody was awaiting the announcement about syria. >> you wouldn't do done that? >> i wouldn't have done that, attack isis, go with that, but to say conduct air strikes in syria, we have a problem now. we boxed ourselves in. now we have to conduct air strikes in syria or credibility is on the line. you also -- we'll see isis redeploy assets because they know the syria part of this is

going to be very difficult for us. if i was isis, i would move my assets back across that line. they don't recognize that border, but we do. >> getting back to the boots on the groiund. if the coalition forces do not step up or the governments and don't put boots on the ground, how is this going to work, right? >> that's a realm problem. i know the secretary of state is busy trying to get commitment from other arab states to help with us, but i just don't see anyone ponying up the resources to do this. i don't see the saudis sending troops to fight in syria to destroy isis. if they come to saudi arabia, of course they fight. if they are in jordan, of course they fight. what's the interest in sending troops to syria? that does not make sense. they don't want to be on the ground fighting other arabs. does not play well for them domestically. what boots on the ground? well, if the president is correct and assessment of the u.s. intelligence community is that isis is a threat to the

national interest of the united states or a threat to the united states itself, then we're going to have to take the initiative and put our own boots on the ground. that's politically difficult for any politician to do. the united states, people are weary of war. they don't want involved in another war in the middle east, but at some point, you have to address the threat. if it is a threat, and i'll let the intelligence community make that determination, if it is a threat, boots on the ground are going to have to be american. as we talked, you can't outsource your own security. >> let me ask you about president obama's choice about general allen to manage the coalition effort. what's that choice tell you? >> this is interesting. allen's retired, and he's going to be in charge of coordinating all of the coalition contributions. that's -- that's good because that takes the -- kind of the handling of the allies out, and

allows that to be done as a separate issue because this is going to be very, very diplomatically difficult, and he's going to have to go around and convince these arab leaders that they have invested interest in this, very, very difficult job. >> all right. thank you very much as always. >> sure. in the fight against isis, there probably won't be a surrender or treaty like in some wars. these are terrorists, and ahead, we'll look at what strivictory s like in the war against those militants. ie's heart attack didt come with a warning. today her doctor has her on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk of another one. if you've had a heart attack be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen.

just like his predecessors, president obama has been drawn back into iraq but while the president may be setting out on a very different type of mission there vowing the united states wouldn't get dragged into another ground war he's nonetheless setting his successor on to carry on the mission. let me bring back in robert mcfadden special agent in charge at ncis and, robert, to you on this one, what does victory against isis look like really? when we talk about victory, what is it? >> well, using al qaeda, the al qaeda core that existed around the time of 9/11 up until now, it's been degraded, not destroyed but greatly diminished. okay, if you have that same frame of reference for this thing called the islamic state, no doubt it will be mitigated,

neutralized and maybe destroyed. but, see, when you're talking about the physical entity of a hardcore extremist group like this, there are others that could take its place if the incubators of what makes an isis aren't addressed and taken care of. so this is really a very long-term prospect when you talk about not just isis but some of the other pockets where you have this type of extremism that really must be dealt with regionally and locally. >> and what about a political solution. i mean, don't we need that, too, besides just charging in there to destroy isis? doesn't a victory have to include some type of political solution, too? we'll be right back in there. >> no doubt. that's the problem with the long-term addressing the problem and starting right now with iraq. some positive steps have been made in recent days with the new iraqi government forming up and ministers being named. very big step but that kind of

political reconciliation in a country like iraq where your three biggest ethnic groups have to form some kind of unity to do away with the alternative of extremism that fills the void. >> let's talk about one of the most famous images, this banner, this mission accomplished, banner during the bush years. can you achieve victory and can you have mission accomplished without actually occupying the country? i mean, if we just maybe send in, you know, some air strikes and maybe a few boots on the ground, who knows, but unless you actually occupy a country, is there a victory? >> that gets back to the idea of the physical entity of a terrorist group. the u.s. allies have had great success over the last 13 years but it's the ideology, though, that's the part mission accomplished if ever would actually be accomplished unless those things that feed that type of fire for extremism, violent extremism, not just religion extremism, other types of eck

streamism as well. it's really tempering expectations what a victory would look like if those other incubators aren't taken care of. >> how critical is it to get support from these other countries, certainly the arab countries, to achieve victory? >> a vital component as the president said and the secretary of state the last few days, that's where the longer, difficult work will go on. the ten partners including the surrounding states, jordan, the king of saudi arabia, essentii, financing, stopping their sons from going back and forth across the borders. turkey, for example, choking off the black market oil that helps feed isis. those kind of things among the coalition are vital. >> yeah. it's interesting to see the secretary of state working so hard to get that coalition support. and as you said, seems to be coming together slowly but there are steps.

thank you so much, robert, appreciate it. robert mcfadden for us. you are in the "cnn newsroo newsroom". hello, everyone, i'm randi kaye in new york. john kerry said destroying isis has nothing to do with religion and everything to do with wiping out a violent group fueled by hate. the secretary of state is through a swing of arab states right now, turkey, saudi arabia, and egypt. he went there with a very specific request, join the growing coalition against isis. and the leaders of arab napss are signing on. so far ten of them including egypt home to a quarter of the world's arabs. >> isil claims to be fighting on behalf of islam. but it actually has nothing to do with islam. it is increasingly clear that its message of hate is rejected by the overwhelming majority of muslims all around the world.

>> let's go live now to far northern iraq and our anna coren, it's about to get very, very busy where you, the city of irbil, and tell us how news of this growing coalition is being received where you are. >> reporter: look, certainly here in northern iraq, randi, the news is very much welcomed. they are looking for a partnership, a commitment from the united states, and they got that, and some. obviously president obama outlining his strategy to fight isis not just here in iraq but also in syria, really welcome news to those who live up here. because at the end of the day, these are the forces that are taking the fight directly to isis. it's the kurds, as well as the iraqi forces who are going to be the boots on the ground. president obama making it perfectly clear there will be no

u.s. combat forces. but in saying that, they are an additional 475 u.s. soldiers who will be flown in. they will be assisting, advising, training, helping with intelligence gathering, that takes the total number of u.s. forces to 1,700 here in iraq. and that role is critical. that leadership role has been lacking in the past few months as iraq tries to fight isis. isis, we have to remember, now controls one-third of this country. and whilst obviously the u.s. air strikes have really helped contain isis, it hasn't defeated them. they aren't retreating back to their strongholds. so that's why under the u.s. leadership it's home that the iraqis and the kurds will come together and be able to be a far more effective force on the ground, randi. >> certainly. tell us what you've seen in recent hours of the kurdish forces fighting isis around irbil, has the tempo of that fight changed since the president revealed his strategy

to defeat isis? >> reporter: look, i think it's fair to say that definitely everyone's feeling a lot more motivated about the mission ahead. there is a great deal of fighting happening not far from us here in irbil as they try to push back and clean out many towns and villages that isis has taken control of. mosul is the big problem. that just falls outside of kurdistan's border and whilst that's not the responsibility of them, speaking to senior officials here, we do not want isis as a neighbor. there are talks that they are prepared to work with the iraqis to try and i guess tackle mosul. but at the end of the day, as we all know, u.s. air strikes, in which there have now been 160 today according to u.s. central command, we got that update a short time ago, u.s. air strikes

will be completely ineffective up there, this will be urban warfare. if you send in shias or kurds to fight up there in a sunni city, it will be a sectarian bloodbath, so that is where this sunni uprising is required to really tackle isis in many of these towns and cities that they now control, randi. >> anna coren, thank you very much. appreciate your reporting there. cnn spoke to the u.s. american general that once commanded all the forces in iraq. stanley mcchrystal talked about his former commander in chief and he told us as the world changes, president's change, too. >> has he changed? >> i think every president changes in office and i think president obama has established a record of being willing to do a number of counterterrorist

operations around the world. i think that what we are now, though, we are facing a big problem that may not be as easy to solve with what people want to say are very clean, surgical operations. it may well take more. and then the nation will have to decide. >> general mccress tall appeared on cnn's "out front" there with erin burnett. pennsylvania's governor ordered flags to fly half-staff in honor of an officer killed in a shooting late last night. corporal byron k. dickinson was killed outside the barracks. the state police commissioner says the shooting has cut the police community to their core. >> this is unbelievably heartbreaking to all of us. both of them were young troopers. and the families and it's -- the

only consolation we have right now is we are all working so hard we haven't had a chance really to deal with the emotions of this terrible act. but it is truly sad. and it's going to reverberate throughout law enforcement. >> police are interviewing what is described as a person of interest, but so far no arrests have been made. scandals continue to rock the nfl. minnesota vikings running back adrian peterson was released on bond today after being charged with child cruelty. business lawyer said peterson used a switch to discipline his son but he never meant to harm the boy. the texas attorney general says it was done with criminal negligence. the vikings deactivated peterson for tomorrow's game while the team gets more information. meanwhile former baltimore ravens player ray rice, you see him there, at a high school football game in new rochelle, new york, this afternoon. you see him with the whole family in tow. his former high school coach came to his defense and said

rice made a mistake and new rochelle high school will always be his home. few world leaders have been as outspoken against isis than pope francis. and you've heard about the people joining isis but who is actually recruiting them? we'll talk about that next. [ female announcer ] you change your style. why not your eye color? new air optix® colors prescription contact lenses enhance your eye color for a naturally beautiful look with consistent comfort. find your perfect color and get a free trial offer at airoptixcolors.com. find your perfect color and get a free trial offer denturthan real teeth.erent they're about ten times softer and have surface

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another instance today of the world's catholic leaders stepping into the conversation over threats from isis. pope francis made some strong comments while on a visit to italy's largest war memorial. he warned of a third world war citing the potential for crimes, massacres, and destruction. >> translator: war ruins everything. even the bonds between brothers. war is irrational. its only plan is to bring destruction. it seeks to grow by destroying. >> the vatican has yet to officially confirm reports the pope will travel to turkey and the iraqi border in the coming months. reports of young men joining the fight with isis continue to pour in, but now we know more about who may actually be recruiting them. cnn's brian todd reports.

>> reporter: he's a 30-year-old with dangerous networking skills. said to be a key recruiter for isis. he's a french national. just handed over to the french by turkish officials. >> translator: this dangerous terrorist is known by our services and was on the ground during jihadist operations from july 2013 to this august. >> reporter: in an interview in february he talked about the people he lured to jihad. ten young ones from straussburg, two young ones from toulouse, the 16-year-old girl and many others. how do they get teenagers to join groups like isis? >> they look for teenagers who are unsatisfied with their life. and they're unsatisfied with their prospects. they offer a sense of belonging. the whole idea that you are a jihadist, that you are part of this heroic jihadi community. >> reporter: a cia source says more than 15,000 foreign fighters from more than 80

countries have joined various jihadist groups. well, produced, polished videos showing other westerners who have joined is a powerful draw. this recent isis recruiting video shows a man identified as an american saying join the fight. >> please all believers come who can make it come, come to share as soon as possible. >> reporter: intelligence officials tell cnn isis starting disgruntle sunni muslims pushed to the sidelines in their countries and kids from poor neighborhoods. are they paid to fight? >> after you pass their vetting and they are convinced you are a really genuine recruit, then you formally become a member of isis and you do get a salary. >> reporter: once in the fold part of the experience can be oddly civilized. one told that he would pick up foreign recruits like a

chauffeur. >> and they would pick them up and drive him down to the border. >> reporter: analysts say one reason groups like isis have slick, advanced recruiting tactics because they have a hard time holding on to foreign recruits. many of them end up leaving. a key reason experts say? they get worn down by the infighting between jihadist groups. brian todd, cnn, washington. obviously a war against isis includes some pretty huge risks, so does the threat at home justify war abroad? and is that threat here in the u.s. growing? and about a quarter hour from now "sanjay gupta, m.d." is live from los angeles. what you got coming up for us, an jay? >> we got a pretty full show, randi. we'll explain the entero-virus making kids sick across the country. what is it? what can you do about it, all at the bottom of the hour.

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with the help of highly produced pictures and video and social media spreading the message isis is making a terrifying march across iraq and syria but are they a threat to americans here at home? stanley mcchrystal talked to cnn's erin burnett about what he thinks about the biggest threat to america. >> the number of foreigners, typically people of middle eastern descent that have gone from europe or the united states to other places back into syria or iraq to join isis creates a pool of people likely to go home. that's one. that's the most obvious, the ability to go back in to strike america or other parts of the

world. i think that's a very real problem. >> let me bring back in robert mcfadden former special agent in charge at ncis and an interrogation expert and cnn military analyst and former u.s. military attache in syria, retired general rick fran cone that. you heard what general mcchrystal said. do you agree, are the battle hardened fighters returning to the u.s. one of the biggest problems? >> yes. that's going to be the biggest concern where you have the individuals going over and getting those kind of skills even if it's really rudimentary skills and the incullation of extremism will continue to be a threat for us in north america as well as europe, absolutely. >> if the threat to americans at home is so great, is it enough of a reason, though, for the president to justify this war as now it's being called on isis? >> that's a big political problem for him. if you look at the military, i

mean, they'll carry out whatever mission they're given, that's not the question. the question is, are they really a threat. and this is what the intelligence community has to grapple with is, you know, the intentions and capabilities. normally, you know, we worked in this field for a long time. you generally know the capabilities and you have to figure out the intentions. with these terrorist groups it's a little bit different, you know the intension. you know what they want to do. you have to figure out the capability. what bob says is absolutely right, you have to worry about these people coming back and with no control on their entry -- re-entry into the states and it goes beyond that. many of these europeans don't need a visa to come into the u.s. and they can fly into jfk and get off the plane and they're here. this is a big issue. does that justify taking military action in iraq and syria? that is the big question. i really don't have a good answer for that, other than i'm glad i'm not the president right now. >> what about the idea, you know, that we hear over and hear there isn't any credible threat?

you know, we heard that before 9/11, too, robert, how concerned should we be that we're missing something? >> well, a couple differentsarios and context, actually in the lead-up to 9/11, roughly that six-month period, having been in the intel community at the time, there very definitely was a threat brewing. and, in fact, within the u.s. intelligence community security apparatus there were quite a number of warnings discussions, hey, these al qaeda guys over in afghanistan really mean what they say. okay, now, if you look at presently, though, and the director of the national counterterrorism center just within the last few days said the biggest threat to the united states interests when it comes to terrorism with regard to this thing called the islamic state is in iraq. because of our assets on the ground in irbil and other places so, you know, take that with a very, very good, high degree of good faith that that is the threat. it's just that extraordinarily

difficulty as rick mentioned is tracking the back and forth because it's so easily legitimately to get into syria and iraq through turkey and other places. perspective, though, resiliency and keeping things in the right context i think are really important right now. >> and every time i hear that phrase no credible threat, i get just a little nervous. because you know there's chatter out there and there's a lot of chatter right now and we're hearing that from different people. they say, yeah, there's a lot out there but nothing we can really put our finger on. so i get nervous when i hear that and to hear the administration officials saying there's no credible threat, there's no credible threat, to me that sounds like a warning. >> right, right. what about, though, this idea that hundreds of westerners are fighting with isis, you know, many of them or at least some of them americans, perhaps a dozen or more, how much does that concern you? >> well, it concerns me a lot. unfortunately it's hard to do anything about it.

because you can legitimately travel, you can't restrict the travel before they do it unless you've been somehow figured out where they are going. >> then when they do something it's too late in many cases. >> exactly. >> so what's the answer? >> well, i mean, you know, putting it in the right perspective and i have to say as a former within the law enforcement intelligence community, i cross my fingers when i say this, the historical record is something that we can't help but to go by is good in that respect, that such a small percentage, though, lethal like, for example, the jewish museum in belgium where an individual from syria went and probably on his own killed the four people. that's going to continue to be a threat. but typically, though, and right now going by the information the intelligence to speak of, that number should say low. but it's something we're going to be dealing with for a long time. >> and it only takes one or two -- >> yeah. >> -- to create that significant emotional event. and i think we're starting to

see a lot of that right now is -- we were talking a little bit earlier about this mass -- almost a mandate that the president has right now. if you look at the polls how many people are demanding he take action -- >> right. >> -- against isis. >> right. >> and it's in the absence of this credible threat. >> absolutely. well, it's, you know, you see the americans get beheaded and that's certainly part of it. thank you, both, colonel and robert mcfadden, appreciate it. a new threat from space. what it is and what it could mean to you? coming up next. ♪ [music] jackie's heart attack didn't come with a warning. today her doctor has her on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk of another one. if you've had a heart attack be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. ♪ eenie. meenie. miney. go.

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all right. so this isn't exactly the kind of storm you'll need an umbrella for. huge solar storms coming from the sun are heading for earth today. prompting the space weather prediction center to issue a strong geomagnetic storm watch. yes, it's called a geomagnetic storm watch. but don't worry, we are safe, we're told. but it could affect power grids, radios and satellites. cnn meteorologist chad myers explains how this phenomenon happens. >> there's always been the sun and solar winds and solar flares but now that we are so dependent on satellites and gps and the power grid, now we're worried what the sun is doing out there. well, the solar flare comes out very quickly and it can really disrupt radio communications especially high latitude radio

communications. but a mass ejection it is sending plasma, electrons, protons the big solar wind that will energyize the atmosphere and possibly even the earth itself and that's what we're concerned about. solar flares and cmes have been hitting the earth for billions of years but we have now the technology in mace that can be damaged by these cmes, the satellites and the power grids in place. with a big cme we could lose the power grid. we could lose satellites, we could certainly lose gps. we think of geomagnetic storms as being fun because we get to see the northern lights, the aurora borealis, it can make brown-outs in our electrical grid and turn our satellites off and maybe we have to manually turn them off if there is too much energy coming at them. think of a world temporarily without satellites or gps or communication a lot of things could shut down with a big cme earth directed.

>> pretty interesting stuff there. i'm randi kaye in new york. "cnn newsroom" continues at the top of the hour, but right now keep it here for "sanjay gupta, m.d." live today from los angeles. all right, randi, thank you so much. we are live from l.a., and i'll tell you i'm here because of the cnn fit nation team. we got a big triathlon this weekend. i'll tell you a lot more about it in a little bit. but the past few months have been a remarkable experience for all of us. but, first, i want to talk about something else i think is very important. you've heard me talk a lot about medical marijuana over the past fw years. the potential benefits of it and also the obstacles to doing more research. well, as we investigated this, we found that there's another group of outlawed drugs out there that are also generating new interest among a growing number of doctors. some of these drugs include things like mdma also known as ecstasy, also lsd. take a look.