your voices will be heard!♪ a big welcome to those of you watching in the states and around the world coming up this hour. with one full day of campaigning left and the historic vote of independence, live to ed in borrow and london. >> a man who was kidnapped speaks to cnn about the terrifying ordeal. >> i explained to him, steve, close your eyes or they will hurt you. they hurt me and said to me shut up. don't talk english. >> details about the captivity with isis that even the u.s.

government has not heard. >> after dire warnings from president obama and an ebola survivor, the u.s. military is sent in to contain this still growing epidemic. >> it is just past 8:00 a.m. in scotland where a vote that could bring an end to the united kingdom as we know it is now less than 24 hours away and it appears the under side of voters hold the key. >> these three new polls out show a narrow 4 percentage point lead for those who favor scotland and staying in the uk. they show as many as 14% of voters still have not made up their minds. they will decide whether or not this goes through. >> leaders of three main political parties are joining forces to keep scotland from breaking away and they are vowing to give a lot more power if the referendum is rejected.

>> the way to change is not to separate our scotland from the rest of the united kingdom, but to have a stronger parliament with the time table that is quick and will deliver swiftly to the people of scotland. we see the case for sharing and cooperating as part of the united kingdom. >> they are saying we will deliver more and they won't tell us what powers they are talking about. we are already seeing south of the border and they will block any more powers. >> there many facets to the story from a historical significance to the financial impact. even the military, live for us in london this morning. we begin with the scottish capital. no reporting is allowed on this. while we can, let's talk about

what we are expecting this and the latest polls are indicating in this very tight race. >> the polls have been consistent and the problem is consistent. they will admit in terms of all the underlying assumptions, they may have gotten it wrong. it's all the same thing. it's very, very tight with a no campaign slightly ahead. the scotsman has done a detailed poll. the no campaign is ahead, but the yes is catching up. i think the daily record said it nicely by today, keep the heat and carry on. that's the scottish version of campaigning. this is the last day of the date. the blackout on any discussion

around tomorrow when the polls open. it's one last push and extraordinary to think the end of a two-year campaign. the criticism is all those politicians left it just too late. coming up and finally realizing in the last moment there could be a yes vote. >> an extraordinary flurry. the undecided voters are key here. 14% or so. what's it going to take to make them decide at a late stage. they offered the extra perks. could that sway them? >> it does have an effect. gordon brown who really came up with the blueprint, the prime minister presented to the to the scottish people. that is important.

one will be the next prime minister. there will be the time table and if you vote no. that was a significant move. the problem is the politicians are unpopular here. the head of the labor party and the labor party is strong in scotland and they got mobbed by yes campaigners and had to cut short and abandon a walk about. that shows the disdain that many feel about scotland and about london and they do want to be rational and do the best for their children and grandchildren and a lot of that is around economics and involved with staying within the union. >> absolutely. of course it will be interesting to see that extra push, that extra offer of power to scotland. in taxes, spending and health. the critical areas. it will be interesting on see if that is enough to sway them.

talking to us there. let's turn to aaron in london. prime minister david cameron was interviewed by the london times published in the paper. what did he say? >> that's right, rosemary. he defended the referendum arrangements as the government came under criticism for the way all of this has been handled. the scottish voters have two choices on the ballot. either yes or a no. some suggested that there should have been a third option allowing them to vote for more powers to be given to scottish parliament, but the prime minister in the interview defending the arrangements. let me read to you a little bit bit of what he is quoted. you either say yes, you can have that referendum and here's what is making it legal, decisive and fair or take the approach of just putting my head in the stand and saying no, you can't

have a referendum. i think that actually scottish independence would be closer today if i had taken that approach than it is by having a proper legal fair and decisive referendum. he has been to scotland making impassioned pleas to vote. now many people are saying it's too little, too late. there has been an offer within the british government for more powers to scotland. people are saying too little too late. >> there was that letter, that open letter from the military leaders weighing in on the sense of security issues. that quickly covers that and what the reaction has been. >> as we get closer to the referendum which is the social, political and the security ramifications of the referendum

vote. 14 former army chiefs in an open letter saying a bit of that letter and at risk is the most successful alliance in history and one which you see men and women from all parts of the country play their part in securing liberties we now enjoy. the division may or may not be politically or economically sensible, but in military terms, we are clear. it will weaken us all. arguing for a no vote. there 50 defense sites in scotland. 10,500. 4,000 civilian workers no the to mention the nuclear submarines based in scottish waters. serious implications for the military should this referendum go through. rosemary? >> thanks to you from london as we were talking with him.

many points to consider. >> we will track all of that here on cnn as we approach this, this time tomorrow. we want to get you to this. the battle to try to contain isis. a man who was kidnapped with the american journalist said u.s. officials never questioned him about the incident. the fbi declined to comment, but they are investigating the be heading by isis militants. they spoke with him to find out how he fell into the hands of isis in the first place. >> as you wonder in, you see the mind floats back to the friend. he could not save the producer called fixer and the u.s. journalist that was kidnapped inside by isis gunman in august 2013. they never made it alive.

>> very, very angry. after that they countdown and i was very sorry. i tried to do my best to help him. my feeling is so sad. >> he told cnn he met him in 2012. he had a three-day-trip and had a surprised gift. when he picked him up at the border. >> you give me a small gift and he said to me, happy birthday. i said thank you. when i turn my face to the way in front of me, there was on the road. they kidnapped us. >> it was just 20 minutes into the drive to that. three cars were parked by the

highway. about 15 gunmen armed with assault rifle when is they saw them approach. >> they say to me, just shut up. >> they said the gunman covered their eyes. >> they can hit him and say close your face. in arabic. i explained to him close your eyes or they will hurt you. they hit me and said to me shut up. don't talk english. >> they fikts new travel. this trip like others in the past, he took trusted relatives for protection. >> i have a security with the guns. from my family and say to him, i have vehicles and he gave me permissions to cross. >> before working as a fixer he

spent a few months fighting. shortly after they were snatched, he said the gunman took them to a textile factory on the outskirts. >> he took us up to the floor inside the building and everybody in the room alone. after that he said to him take me and give me your password. he said to me, password. he gives him a password, i don't know. after that i didn't hear about that. >> his brother and cousins were held for 15 days. he did not see an american or british jihadis. i said i think you are isis.

they said yes, you are in an islamic state. should we kill you? you are working with america. with cia, we will leave you now because you have these papers. you are going to go now. but if we here, we will work with journalists again and we will kill you for sure. >> months after his release, he heard the journalist was moved from the factory to an industrial complex outside and later to the isis stronghold of raqqa. they worked safely with schools of other journalists before his abduction. reporters who knew him and were consulted said he was trustworthy. he believes a border guard may have tipped off isis. >> when they saw my car come,

they leave the cars. >> after he was freed, he said he was never interviewed by any officials or investigators. >> from the government of america, any officer didn't contact me and ask me about anything about how we kidnapped and take any information about my kidnappers. >> the rebel fighter turned fixer learned of the execution from the video posted on line, september 2nd. >> you don't have to send a message to the killer. the killer is a killer. but i send message to the world. to say it's not really islam. they area i liar. i say that to everybody. to all the people. i say they are not muslims.

they are the enemy. >> away from syria's battlefield, he found safe haven for now in turkey. he said he can never escape the memory of a journalist who lot of his friend. cnn, london. >> the u.s. president echoes the urgent warnings from public health officials on ebola. >> here's the hard truth. in west africa ebola is now an epidemic the likes of which we have not seen before. >> washington plans to respond back with that in a moment. eligible for medicare?r ] 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,

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>> president barack obama is beefing up the u.s. response to the ebola epidemic that is spiraling out of control. >> after a briefing at the centers for disease control and prevention here in atlanta, mr. obama announced plans to send up 3,000 more military personnel to west africa. they will build field hospitals and treatment centers as well as training up to 500 health care workers a day. and they survived it made them tuesday and thanked him for the expanded efforts.

they appeared before the committee describing what ebola patients endure. >> on july 23rd, i fell ill. three days later, i learned i tested positive for ebola virus disease and i to understand what my patients had suffered. i was isolated and unsure if i would see my family again. even though i knew my care givers, i could see nothing but their eyes when they came to treat me. i experienced the humiliation of losing control of my bodily functions and i faced the horror of vomidding blood, a sign of internal bleeding that could have led to my death. >> it's difficult to listen to, but a vivit description there. the officials have been exceeding if are a stronger global response. we will bring in reaction to this u.s. initiative. bright to see you this morning. we listened to kept brantley

there describing humiliation and horror when he was diagnosed. he's one of the lucky few. are health services overwhelmed in if so, won't the u.s. help be needed outside of liberia at the moment? that's where the offers are being contained. >> what makes the testimony more poignant when he was receiving the best possible health care. his description is so evokative and painful to hear. you can imagine what it's like for those people who are not in that position. they are going into government facilities that are overwhelmed and under supported. that is where it is most needed. it's in that training app of local capacity. it's in the expanding of the treatment center up to 1700 beds. to give you a sense of how huge that is, the current facility

they have is the largest ever ebola treatment facility that ever existed and been needed. that is oversubscribed and 400 beds and still only just a start. a great start, but that is in liberia. what about the rest of the region and the needs. without a coordinated response that will allow more aid workers to get in quickly to build up buffer and that capacity on the ground that allows for the basics. airlines going in on a consistent basis and we took three days to get from one side of africa from ni robe to west africa. imagine if you are small and you are responding to that crisis. when you speak to people, they are really happy to hear this. they also keep saying this is just the beginning. there has been so much fear and paranoia and loss of life. we need to see more from the

world. >> that's a good point you make about traveling the continent. it's not as easy to go from one country to another and have direct roots and communication between west africa and most countries. improvement is desperately needed. it is the start that the use will add. it's the hope that whatever happens, this policy and plan could possibly be replicated.a is much more firm. what's the hope here? you have the health organization and the west african states working together. what's the prospect? >> the hope is we start seeing actual leadership on an international level. president obama said this was part of his initiative. hopefully others would fall in

line. we haven't has yet seen a coordinated response. they are coming out strongly over the last weeks of testifying at the un twice. we're overwhelmed and this is the only organization that has the capacity to respond. if they are saying listen, we can't handle this, we need to get the world behind this. they haven't put together that sense. someone is steering the ship and that's what it is looking for. the union has not come out strongly enough. the european union has not come out strongly enough. this is five months on. you mentioned the needs in guinea. those suffers from ebola are children. that doesn't seem to allow us to overcome the impediment of paranoia and fear that the world grapples with in terms of a

coordinated response. >> at the beginning of our conversation, we listened to dr. kent brantley describing what he has been through, he is one of the lucky few. many people had fewer resources to work with and not as optimistic prospects. we appreciate you helping us to shine a light on this issue. joining us from the london bureau past 8:24 in the morning there. we will be back after this short break about the day's biggest stories. bl sheesh, i feel like i'm being interrogated over here. she's onto us. dump her. (phone ringing) ...hello? oh, man. that never gets old. no it does not. not all credit report sites are equal. experian.com members get personalized help and an experian credit report. join now at experian.com with enrollment in experian credit tracker sm.

>> welcome back. wildfires threaten hundreds of homes. joining us from the cnn weather center and some hopes have been lot of, haven't they? >> hundreds of structures. you have northern california fires and fires at the south. it has been incredible. we continue with weather conditions that will not be favorable. now upwards of 13,000 acres that are burned. this is the king fire about 50 miles east of sacramento. if you head out of the valley and go towards the el dorado national forest, this is what we are talking about. the fire is climbing up the ridges. very fast as a result of the dry conditions and the fuel.

that's ongoing there. not going to run out any time soon unfortunately. we continue to see evacuations and schools close. we only have 5% contained with 500 homes at risk as well. up to the north close to oregon, that continues to be a problem. the area of low pressure bringing in moisture and not going to do that much except for a few thunderstorms. that could be a problem with lightning. a chuck of dry air and east is where we have the action. a very heavy downpour that continues. the rain has begun. we talk about arizona and new mexico. there is moisture from tropical storm odile. we have another system we will get to that in a second. the tropical storm begins to fizzle as well as organization out of the gulf. that won't fizzle.

pouring into arizona. remember it does not take much to cause flooding. if we get the predicted 3 to six inches, this is going to be a significant event if not catastrophic. flood watches abound from california to new mexico. this is the other storm i was talking about. tropical storm polo. this one also looks to be hugging the coast and going close to baja, california. if you can believe that in about 72 hours's time and winds of 170 kilometers per hour. guys? >> thanks for the details. >> scotland's vote on independence really could change the face of europe. some are excited, but there naysayers as well. live in london to speak with one organizer who said let's stay together. >> the head said there will be

no american boots on the ground, but he is not so sure. a live report from baghdad coming up next.

. thanks for staying with us. we want to check the headlines at this point. it's still too close to call. less than one day before scotland votes on whether to break away from the united kingdom. several polls show a slight lead for those who support staying in the uk. voters are considering a pledge from london to give scotland more say over their affairs. >> a man abducted in syria last year said u.s. officials never questioned him about the incident. he said the kidnappers told him they were with isis, the group that represently beheaded him and two other captors. they said the murder is still being investigated. after reinstating him monday, the minnesota vikings announced

in the past few hours that adrian peter is banned from all team activities until legal issues are resolved. he was indicted on a child abuse charge and will return to court in october. he admitted to hitting his 4-year-old son with a small tree branch as a form of discipline. more now on the top story. the scottish vote polling shows a tight race that will be decided by the undecideds. >> the referendum is unique and the first to allow voters 16 and older to cast ballots. how might that impact the ballot? they created the largest ever electorate. >> the people will determine the fate. >> some brits are hoping to tug at the heart strings with symbolic displays like this one. about 100,000 stones from this mound.

>> people from across the uk have been adding to the past placing in a town on the england and scotland border. this is where english couples would go to tie the knot. the issue of independence is causing a divide within families and just within two siblings. take a listen. >> to me the arguments are entirely selfish. i care about the united kingdom's place. it will be diminished. that's what would happen. the scotts are failing to appreciate the damage they would do to the united kingdom. >> you are speaking a capitalistic term and that's not what scotland is about. that's what has been set up in westminster.

i would hope we can get something different together. i'm voting for change. >> this is tearing families apart although they are respectful in their disagreement. let's talk more about this and the cultural campaign to keep the uk intact. he helped organize the let's stay together letter gathering 109,000 signatures as well as a rally in the square. thanks so much for joining us this morning. you want scotland to stay. if they had done more to make scotts feel welcome, you wouldn't be in the situation anyway. >> yes. i'm sure that's true n. terms of the likelihood of scotland going independent, we face the perfect storm. we have a left leaning government in scotland and that generates tensions. more than anything, we as

everyone in the world has been are in the wake of an economic aneurysm. the collapse of 2007, 2008. we know from past history that when you go through periods of economic turbulence, people who are suffering tend to look for someone to blame. in scotland, they are blaming westminster as in large parts of england they are blaming brussels. the problems that we face have nothing to do with governments in either westminster or brussels. these are historic shifts and shifts. i am convinced that scotland and ireland are better working together as we have done over the past 300 years. >> you have said that england and scotland are similar in how historically speaking and how they brought groups to form a state. of course there economic factors here, but would you agree that the current arrangement is not

really mutually beneficial when you consider oil revenue and the like? >> it is beneficial as it has been for the past 300 years. you talked about the context and it's right to bear that in mind. in the medieval period, england and scotland were rivals. over the course of the 17th century, the inability of the british crown to fuse the two of england and scotland which were being ruled by british monarchs and led to scottish troops and invading scotland. i'm not saying this will happen if scottland gains independence, but the habits and working together that over the past 300 years, they forged the enlightenment and the industrial revolution to feed fascism set

up a welfare state. that will at fee and we will be less qualified for the problems we all face. we will be squabbling over who gets the cd collection. this will be a waste of the opportunities and we will be distracted from paying attention to the problems within great britain and yund in ukraine and the middle east most obviously. >> it's interesting to listen to you speak because there is the historic argument and economic argument. speaking of the more romantic argument, i have seen it watching this happen. have you been surprised that your own emotional response to this referendum because it seems as though people are increasingly passionate as you approach the day of the vote. >> that's on the sidelines. i never have been involved in any political campaign. to that i feel embarrassed that

i have to be arguing for the benefits of the union. that's not really a really british thing to do. it would be britain, it's okay rather than it's great. i think okay is good enough. >> great conversation with you. we will urge that line. good to stand on the sidelines and appreciate your perspective there. live from london this morning. thanks very much. the polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. local to 5:00 p.m. local time. we will have live coverage of the results as soon as they come in. all of this begins at 10:00 p.m. london time tomorrow. >> president obama has said there will be no u.s. boots on the ground in the war against isis, but his top general said it may have to come to that. >> martin temp see told lawmakers he would recommend a role if he felt advisers should

accompany iraqi troops in specific attacks. he was speaking hypothetically when he made the remarks. >> my view at this point is that this coalition is the appropriate way forward. i believe that will prove true. if it fails to be true and there threats to the united states, i of course would go back to the president and make a recommendation that includes the u.s. of ground forces. >> with the u.s. air power backing them up, the kurdish forces seized control along with several villages that were being held by isis fighters. war planes have hit targets southwest of baghdad for a second day as part of washington's expanded air campaign. let's check the latest developments in iraq. joining us now from baghdad,

what has been the reaction to the united states top general talking about the possibility of american boots on the ground in iraq? >> rosemary, even prior to general dempsey's comments, we heard officials say they need more support and that includes having more trainers and advisers for the iraqi military. they need training and equipment and arming. as we saw earlier this year, they collapsed in the face of the real test, the real threats with the advances from isis. no one is under the illusion that the forces can do this alone. of course adding to the complexity here is not just the iraqi government. we are hearing also from the iranian shia militia here. these militias in the military's presence in iraq were responsible for many attacks

targeting soldiers whether kidnappings and killings and the deadly explosive attacks using efps and other devices. there is a lot of concern, for example, one of the top leaders is and you are back and we will be back too. these militias in the past when the campaign began, they had no issues with the u.s. air power and air support. we are seeing similar rhetoric to what we are hearing from iran. this is the united states and using isis as a pretext to occupy the country again. this is a dangerous situation. this is something one expert on these jihadist groups spoke to a few years ago. this is the risk of sidelines iran here and not involveing it

in this coalition at least publicly trying to bring it closer to this fight. this is going to be -- there is going to be a price to pay. this will be a huge mistake. it does control the shia militias here. these powerful groups. we could see it try to hinder operations here and try to play a damaging role in the lo just cal support for the troops and targeting advisers on the ground. that is where the concern is. >> that is a critical part of the story. >> we reported on the u.s. air strikes. how secure do people feel in the capital in the wake of those strikes? >> it's a reminder how close this is to baghdad. if you remember back in june, there was all this concern that there was going to be an advance by isis into the capital.

since then there was a mobilization of these powerful shay militias along with security forces and they have been securing the capital with the air strikes. this really changes things. there is not really that fear that isis is going to innovate like there was a couple of months ago when the advances were unstoppable. there is always that concern. isis is a very adaptable and sophisticated organization and it could use other tactics when it comes to baghdad. there is this concern that we will see a return to previous tactics used by the predecessor with spectacular -- what used to be described as the big bombs that would strike targets in baghdad. something we haven't seen in a while. there is dharn while the u.s. and iraq shift tactics, isis

will do the same. >> thanks. reporting there live from baghdad. >> for decades, peace keepers watched over an uneasy truce, but they pulled out completely. we will show you why after this short break.

welcome back. for 40 years, overseeing an uneasy truce. >> that smoldering tension has been overtaken by intense fighting. syrian versus syrian. the bloodshed has driven the un observers away. >> on the heights, good fences make, well, good fences. fighting is raged for weeks on the other controlled side of the fence as rebels have rested control from the assad regime. video posted on you tube shows a fighter from a group affiliated with al qaeda smashing a picture, his father and predecessor. another clip shows the fighters announcing their take over of the crossing between israeli and syrian controlled territory. this is the main crossing in the

heights and now it's tightly shut. israeli forces don't appear to be here. the un has more or less evacuated from the syrian side. the syrian state forces, government forces gone from this area. on the other side, occasionally through the fence, we can see rebels. the signs of what passed for normal for those who might venture into syria now at a place. i tried to engage the rebels in conversation. >> they are not answering us. >> since 1974, the un disengagement force oversaw the truce between israel and syria. the mission and the uneasy piece seriously in doubt. monday the un pulled out all troops from the syrian side due

to the fighting. just days after the front released 45 peace keepers after holding them for weeks. and tell me, how many people do you have inside? >> this un officer said he didn't know, but he thinks still a few are inside. near the fence, he and his wife are biz with the apple harvest. they consider themselves syrians under israeli occupation, but with the chaos on the other side, it's peace that really matters. where we have peace of mind, we are happy, he told me. whether here or there in syria. now there is a wary peace on one side, war and chaos on the other. cnn on the heights. >> coming up next, a belgian court could be setting a precedent for the death sentence. we look at the unusual case of this brussels inmate after the break.

welcome back. a convicted murderer and rapist has been granted the right to die in belgium. a country which has banned the death penalty. >> he is 30 years into a life sentence and argued before a brussels court that he wasn't getting adequate therapy to combat his violence impulses and wants to die to end years of

mental anguish. they explained the grounds for the medically assisted suicide. >> translator: quite a number of doctors said he has been suffering for a long time and there no ways to soften his pain that is linked to psychiatric illness. he meads the conditions for the law to be applied. >> he is belgium's first prisoner to be granted the right to euthanasia. it's not clear when it will happen, but it will be done in a hospital. they worry other inmates may follow suit and ask to die. >> southeast asia is dealing with heavy rain as the remnants offa i typhoon pounds the region. we have details on what's happening. >> we may have another one east of the philippines over the next few days. it is typhoon season and one may

develop triple landfalls. into vietnam with heavy rainfall. let's show you pictures on the ground. 90,000 people have evacuated out of china as a result of this typhoon. as it was bearing down on flood-prone areas, they were taken to higher ground as you can see why. incredible with the waves crashing into shore there. over the last 24 to 48 hours. it began as a big rain storm across the philippines with torrential downpours. those similar totals have been received as well across portions of china and there it is. our typhoon no more. you will be able to see the highest wind gusts. 151 kilometers per hour. almost a cat two. china between 200 and 300 millimeters. as much as a foot is what that

is. 300. my goodness. terrible rains will continue over the next few days. getting funneled in and we will have more on the way of flooding. this as i mentioned, the joint typhoon warning center monitoring the advisories. the most organized looking systems and we don't have a depression. models insisting this will develop off to the north and west. this looks to be further north of the philippines. nevertheless close enough where the rains will be involved because we are saturated here from the last storm. it won't take much to bring us more rainfall. in europe we have rain coming in with the now fall storms that will be making their presence known. look at the moisture fanning up into the uk. in the southeast we will show you pictures out of romania with heavy rainfall. the issue here is we continue with heavy downpours.

a blocking pattern here with a high in the middle and the two lows. one on the west and one on the east. that's what you are seeing. that will spin in place over the next few days and bring more heavy rain to an area that cannot take another drop. we will have a lot more on that. >> look at that. unbelievable. >> compelling stuff. thanks for the update. >> that are does it for this hour of cnn. i'm rosemary church. >> for those of you watching in the u.s., early start is next. for the rest of you we go to london on the history making referendum on scottish independence. enjoy your day.

fighting isis with boots on the ground. could american troops be returning to a acombat role in iraq? one u.s. general's warning of what may be required to take down the terrorists. as skepticism grows can syrian rebels be trusted? we're live in iraq with the big story. and breaking news this morning. the nfl drowning in controversy. the vikings banning adrian peterson from all team activities. reversing course after reversing ur