you rip some guy's bumper off. so, here are your choices: take the bus. or get liberty mutual insurance. for drivers with accident forgiveness, liberty mutual won't raise your rates due to your first accident. see car insurance in a whole new light. call liberty mutual insurance. hello. i'm wolf blitzer reporting. wherever you're watching from around the world, thanks very much for joining us. we have breaking news out of north korea. the american jeffrey fowle has been released. fowle had been detained since may after being arrested for leaving a bible in his hotel room in pyongyang. our global affairs correspondent elise labott is joining us from the state department as is our paula hancocks who's in seoul, south korea, as well as the north korea expert, gordon chang, he'll be joining us in a moment. paula, first to you, pretty

dramatic word pretty much of a surprise, out of the blue, all of a sudden, the north koreans allow a u.s. plane to come to pyongyang, pick up this american and fly him out on his way to guam right now. tell our viewers in the united states and around the world what we know. >> reporter: well, wolf, it's certainly surprising timing. it's 2:00 a.m. in the morning here in south and north korea. so just a few hours ago, we understand, that a u.s. plane did go and pick up jeffrey fowle, this american tourist who was arrested a number of months ago this year when he was accused of leaving that bible in a place where he was staying. now, he had been accused of hostile acts against the regime, certainly any unstate sponsored religious activities are banned in north korea and are come down on very heavily. we've seen it with at least one other american citizen as well in kenneth bae.

there's a diplomatic flurry of activity against north korea. the foreign minister has been traveling around the world and many different level -- high-level delegations traveling around the world. one coming here to seoul, which is effectively enemy territory. so this is the latest we are seeing in that flurry of diplomatic activity. so jeffrey fowle, we understand, when we spoke to him, cnn spoke to him at the beginning of september, he said that he was asking for help from the u.s. government, that he wanted them to get involved more to try and secure his release. this is what pyongyang wanted. they wanted the united states, they wanted washington to engage with them to talk about how they were going to get these three american citizens back, at least one we know has been released tonight. >> i know we're monitoring north korean state television media. has there been any official word. public word from new york as to why they let this american go?

>> no official word at this point. and it will be many hours before we expect -- north korea very rarely breaks in with breaking news as most other networks around the world do. they have very set times where they have their news bulletins and to be honest, it's about nine or ten hours until we're going to see another one of those news bulletins. they're not quick with reporting this kind of news. so it's very unlikely we'll get anything from pyongyang in the coming hours. >> i want you to stand by, paula. gordon chang is joining us, as well, he's an expert on north korea. gordon, what do you make of this very dramatic development? >> well, i expected jeffrey fowle to be released because he was the most sympathetic of the three americans in north korea. and north korea is on this charm offensive. so it was about time they were going to release one of the americans. and i think that fowle was probably the most likely to actually be freed.

>> what about the other two, matthew todd miller, kenneth bae, they're serving long sentences and are in hard baber right now? what are the prospects for them getting freed as well? >> i think they will both be freed. kenneth bae is in very poor physical condition. and actually his prison labor sentence is being carried out pretty leniently. kenneth bae, they probably want to keep for quite some time because he was actively trying to proselytize in north korea. they view that as a very severe crime. nonetheless, jeffrey fowle just left a bible. it was an offense but it wasn't one of those mortal offenses that the north korean regime takes great offense to. so this is, i think, predictable in one sense. we just didn't know the timing. and i'm a little surprised that it occurred so quickly. >> how does it play into the

mystery around what was for 40 days, we didn't see the leader of north korea, kim jong-un, and then they release still photos of him with a cane. how does that play into this, a high-level delegation a week ago was sent to south korea? >> i don't think anyone knows the connection between the release of this american and the reappearance of kim jong-un. that's one of those mysteries that are going to have to be solved later. but one of the things about this regime right now is that it's producing a lot of news. and that really means that something is going on. so in one way, all of these events will be connected. at this point we just don't know how. >> i want to bring in our global affairs correspondent, elise labott, who broke this story here on cnn just moments ago. all of a sudden, elise, you're reporting this american, jeffrey fowle, has been released. a u.s. plane flew to pyongyang, now bringing him to guam and eventually obviously back to the

united states. walk us through exactly what is going on from the sources that you're discussing this with. >> reporter: well, wolf, we heard from one of our sources in the region that a u.s. plane was in pyongyang this morning. and in asking around, it was very hush-hush here at the state department that we did find out that mr. fowle was on his way to guam. the state department asked us to wait until he landed to report it because he was very much -- they were worried about his security. but at the same time, they were able to report that he did land in guam. circumstances how this came to be, the negotiations very uncertain right now. if you remember very similar, that korean war veteran who was arrested for his activities in korea was in jail, all of a sudden the u.s. got this call, come pick him up. we have not been hearing about any negotiations going on between the u.s. and north

korea. but as gordon chang and as paula has said, a lot of activity and obviously north korea wanting to keep itself in the news. >> clearly north korea is doing this gesture for some reason, obviously they're not explaining. elise, i don't know where your microphone is, but you may want to move it a little closer. we're having a little trouble hearing what you're saying. but give us the sense over there, the reaction we're likely to get from u.s. officials. are they going to welcome this, say this is long overdue? clearly something is going on right now as far as north korea's relationship with south korea and indeed the rest of the world. and it comes in the wake of this mystery surrounding the leader, kim jong-un. he disappeared for 40 days. >> that's right. obviously they're going to welcome the release of mr. fowle. but as we've been talking about, there are two other u.s. citizens still being held by north korea. kenneth bae whose health seems to be in decline and is serving time in that north korean labor

camp and matthew todd miller. so very cognizant of the sensitivities regarding their families right now. i think what you're going to hear from marie harf and others, the state department today, is that the u.s. will not rest until those two are sent home. so obviously welcoming and trying to encourage the further release of those two other north koreans. but as you said, a lot going on with north korea. not necessarily between the u.s. and north korea or these kind of so-called multilateral six-party talks on the north korean nuclear issue, that's really on the back burner right now. but this has been a very unpredictable regime, this regime of the young leader, kim jong-un, has really been even more mecurial than that of his father. >> will ripley is joining us on the phone from tokyo right now.

a few weeks ago, you went to north korea, you were in pyongyang. they said, you could interview these three americans. you did back-to-back interviews with these three americans, including jeffrey fowle, who's now been released. i want to play a little clip from that interview in a mope. give us your sense -- you were just there in north korea. were you surprised by this all of a sudden decision by the north koreans to let mr. fowle go? >> reporter: wolf, as unfrom your trip to north korea, it's a very unpredictable country. i will say this. i got the sense after doing the interviews that the north korean government was pleased with how jeffrey fowle handled himself during the interview. you noticed that he kept referring to handwritten notes on the table. he had talking points. he was very, very apologetic about leaving the bible saying he didn't realize what he was doing was a treasonous act and violation of north korean law. i will say on the other hand,

matthew miller, the young man who was recently sentenced as you reported on your program on cnn right after it happened, they were not pleased with how he handled himself. his answers were short. he didn't answer a lot of my questions. he didn't seem remorseful. and one government official actually said to me, well, he certainly had a message, message delivered, talking about matthew miller. a much different, tone, though, about jeffrey fowle's interview. >> here's part of your interview with jeffrey fowle in pyongyang just a few weeks ago. >> i need to let people know that i'm getting desperate. i'm getting desperate for help. i understand there are three americans in detention here, which i think is the most since the pueblo incident. >> reporter: you have no communication with the others? >> no. i know kenneth bae has been here for the longest. i'm sure he's desperate to get back. >> he has now been released.

will, i know you didn't get a lot of opportunity to speak with these three americans privately. it was all very much clearly orchestrated by the north korean government. but in sort of the body language you got specifically from jeffrey fowle, give us your impressions of this man. >> reporter: well, first of all, from the moment we walked in the room, there was a sense of relief on his face. he was very happy to see an american crew from cnn in the same room with him. he essentially has been isolated during his time in pyongyang. treated well, staying in a hotel. but really only allowed out once or twice a day just to walk a little bit around the block and come back and sit in his hotel room the rest of the time. and so he was relieved to see us. he was also nervous because i think he knew how much was at stake. when north korea decided to give cnn that exclusive tv interview, they had an agenda. and their agenda was to send a

message to the united states government through these three detained americans, kenneth bae, matt miller and jeffrey fowle. he was very careful going down his talking points trying to make sure he got in everything he needed to say. >> i want you to stand by. all of our correspondents, our analysts to stand by. the breaking news, north korea has released an american, jeffrey fowle, that american is now in guam having been flown by a u.s. plane that went into pyongyang, brought jeffrey fowle out of north korea. he's in guam on his way back to the united states. a sudden, very surprising decision by the north koreans to let this american go. two other americans remain captive, remain prisoners in north korea right now. matthew todd miller and kenneth bae. much more of the breaking news and all the day's other news right after this.

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and start bidding today! there's another developing story we're following right now. it involves a killing of a soldier just miles from the u.s. border, killing may have been terror motivated. two canadian soldiers were hit by a car in quebec. one has died. police say they believe the man who hit the soldiers had been radicalized. deborah feyerick is following this for us. what authorities saying about what happened? >> reporter: they know he was a 25-year-old man, appears to have been recently radicalized. he's also a muslim convert. authorities had him on radar. the reason for that is because canadian national security say that he's been monitored because of what they call clear indications that, in fact, he had become radicalized. one official describes the attack as clearly linked to terrorist ideology. the two soldiers from the

canadian armed forces, one of them was wearing a uniform. they were in a mall parking lot yesterday midday when this man rammed his vehicle into them. one of the soldiers has died of his injuries. the other was also hurt. >> it is with a very heavy heart that i stand here today with the minister to tell you, vice premier of quebec, yesterday we received a regular update on the evolving situation that took place here. i am horrified by what took place here. this is a terrible act of violence against our country, against our military, against our value. this is a sobering reminder of the sacrifices and bravery of our men and women who serve our country. >> reporter: now, the suspect has been identified by canadian television as martin ruleau. he saw these two officers in that parking lot and that's when

he ran into them. police pursued him for about four miles. he rolled his car into a ditch. he exited the car, officers opened fire. he is dead. they are looking close ly at these rantings. it indicated he could potentially be a threat. but there's no known motive at this time. it's also unclear whether this was a crime of opportunity that he saw him and took his shot. >> we know, deb, that one soldier died. what's the condition of the other soldier? >> reporter: the other soldier does have injuries. the officials are being very careful about releasing any details. as a matter of fact, the officer who died, his family has asked that his name not be released. it's unclear why one was in uniform, one was not or what they were doing aside from simply a day out shopping, wolf. >> deb, thanks very much. deborah feyerick with the latest

on that story. still ahead, usaid flying in with a weapons drop. but take a look at this new video that claims to show the weapons falling right into the hands of the isis terrorists. a live report right after this. turn the trips you have to take, into one you'll never forget. earn points for every flight and every hotel. expedia plus rewards.

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three missing girls from colorado, american girls, they have now been found in germany. authorities say the girls actually became radicalized and were seriously thinking of joining isis. our evan perez is joining us now with more on what's going on.

what are your sources telling you, evan? >> reporter: wolf, these three girls are now back home. the fbi is talking to them. the fbi is doing an investigation to try to figure out where they were going, who they were trying to meet. all we know is these were three teenagers, two of them were somali -- of somali descent and the other was of sudanese descent. last friday, the family contacted police because they had gone missing. the fbi got into the picture. they flagged their travel documents and the girls were stopped in germany by the german police. they were sent back home over the weekend. now they're back home and talking to the fbi. we don't know exactly what their plans were. looks like the fbi believes that they didn't have much of a plan, wolf. looks like they were planning to go to turkey and then perhaps go across the border to syria and perhaps join one of these extremist groups. that is something the fbi is checking out. but this is one of those cases that really scares the

authorities because there was no sign that these girls were going to do this. and the fbi doesn't really know how to stop people like this who don't trip the wires that they normally set up for these types of cases, wolf. >> evan, do you know the ages of these three girls? >> reporter: they're 15 and 16 years old. that's going to be a big complication for the federal authorities because they didn't actually get anywhere. so it's not clear what kind of crime they could be charged, if at all. >> were they all traveling on u.s. passports? >> reporter: that's right. they're american citizens and their documents were flagged by the fbi before they can get to their destination in turkey. >> evan perez, thanks very much. another disturbing story we're following, we have other news, north korea has just freed an american. much more of the breaking news coming up right after this.

the breaking news that we've been following, north korea suddenly has freed an american, jeffrey fowle, the american who left a bible in his hotel room before trying to leave pyongyang suddenly has been freed. a u.s. government plane arrived in pyongyang and took jeffrey fowle out of the country and they're actually in guam right now on their way back to the united states. two other americans, matthew todd miller, kenneth bae, remain in north korea at least for you. jeffrey fowle, american citizen who had been detained in north korea, has been freed and he is now on his way back to the

united states. he's in guam right now. the white house, by the way, just issued a statement. we'll have that for you momentarily. let's go to other breaking news we're following. a very troubling development in the fight against isis in syria. new video that has been posted by jihadi media groups purporting to show isis intercepting a package of u.s. aid designed to help the people in the city of kobani along the border between syria and turkey. all of this was meant to help turkish fighters in their battle against the militants. but looks like, at least this cargo is in the hands of isis right now. ivan watson has been on the syrian/turkish border. he joins us now. does it look like this video is real? how much of the u.s. aid that may have been designed to go into the hands of these kurdish fighters actually has wound up in the hands of isis? what are you hearing? >> reporter: here's what's confusing, wolf. the pentagon said that one of the aid drops, the parachute

bundles that was dropped early monday morning did drift off course and that a u.s. warplane had to destroy it to keep it from getting into isis hands. and then this video emerges on social media. we've looked at it very closely. it does seen to match the topography of the area around this besieged town of kobani. it's very clearly a parachute with a bundle of boxes next to it and then crates that appear to contain hand grenades and mortar rounds. so this does look like, one of these bundles, at least for a time got into the hands of isis militants, precisely the people the u.s. military is trying to kill. we watched at least three suspected air strikes on that town of kobani throughout the day today. we also got, wolf, exclusive video coming out of some of that aid reaching the right people. a doctor who tells us that he received precious medicine,

antibiotics, anesthetics. and he was thanking the people who delivered them. but clearly it is a difficult mission to try to get aid to the defenders of kobani. you see what could have gone wrong there, and what makes it all the more strange is kobani is so close to where we were standing. it's less than a mile and right next to turkish tanks and troops who are nato allies and still the u.s. had to resort to parachutes to try to get weapons, ammunition and medicine to the defenders of that besieged town. >> this has been one of the great fears that the u.s. has had, providing weapons to forces that are fighting isis. but those weapons could wind up in the hands of isis. we know that a lot of u.s. tanks, armored personnel carriers, anti-aircraft missiles, all sorts of sophisticated weaponry that was provided to the iraqi military is now in the hands of isis forces in iraq. and the iraqis apparently are moving a lot of that equipment

to syria as well. this has been a serious problem all along. you've been covering it from the beginning, ivan. give us your analysis. >> reporter: well, that's right. i don't think that one bundle from a parachute of weapons is going to completely transform the battlefield. but what it does highlight is the strange position that two nato allies are in, where the u.s. is arming one faction in syria, these kurdish militants, and turkey clearly doesn't want the u.s. to be doing that. oth otherwise, they would just let it be handed over by turkish troops who are right next to where those kurdish militants are. right next to them, across the border fence from them. the reason is turkey considers those kurdish militants to be terrorists, it considers them equal to isis, both terrorist organizations. as a result, the u.s. has had to resort to this. turkey's own policy, very confusing, wolf, because on the one hand, it says, we can't give guns to those kurdish defenders

of the town of kobani. but on the other hand, the turkish government announced on monday it will allow iraqi kurdish fighters to cross through turkish territory to reinforce these very same kurdish militants that it calls terrorists. so turkey's policy is all over the place and it's complicating the u.s. efforts on the ground just across the border from its nato ally, turkey. >> i can tell you and our viewers, u.s. officials, i know this, are deeply irritated that the turks won't even allow the u.s. to use turkish air bases, turkish air bases, nato air base, like at incirlik, so the u.s. can use those f-15 fighter jets to launch air strikes against targets in iraq and syria from nearby turkey. and there's deep irritation of that as well. we'll stay on top of this story. ivan, stay with us. a lot more of the breaking news coming up. we'll take a quick break. i'm angela, and i quit smoking with chantix. people who know me, to this day they say,

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the nigerian government remains hopeful that more than 200 kidnapped schoolgirls could be released this week after an announcement last week that a cease-fire was signed with the islamic extremist group boko haram. but despite word of a truce, that's still fighting between militants and nigerian fighters. isha sesay joins us. the release of the girls is imminent based on what you're hearing. what's going on? >> reporter: there is still a large amount of confidence being expressed by nigerian government officials speaking to the senior special assistant to the president on public affairs. just yesterday, he was very, very confident, optimistic saying that these girls will be released imminently, going as far as to saying by wednesday to

expect some significant moves. the talks, however, are still going on in nearby chad. these are talks going on with the help of the chadian president. it's our understanding they're still trying to thrash out the details of any kind of cease-fire and the eventual release of the girls. this is by no means done. but the nigerian government is saying now, according to the senior official, they are willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that these girls are released in the coming days. wolf? >> i know a lot of nigerians have been very skeptical about a cease-fire, especially after boko haram launched bloody attacks on two villages over the weekend. has there been any comment at all from boko haram? >> reporter: no, no comment from boko haram. and we know this is a group that isn't shy of using videos, putting videos out in the immediate aftermath of the abduction of the girls back in

april. we got two videos from boko haram. one with its purported leader talking about having the girls, saying he would sell them in a market for human flesh. then, of course, we saw that other video that showed some of the girls gathered together, reciting koranic verses. this is not a group that's afraid to use media. yet we haven't heard from them. that's caused many people on the ground to question the validity of any kind of deal, that added to the fact that we have seen continued violence from boko haram in the aftermath of these reports has left many people greeting this news with what has been widely described as cautious optimism. wolf? >> let's hope these girls are released right away. they've been held captive way, way too long. isha sesay in abuja in nigeria, thank you. back to the other breaking news, north korea has released an american, jeffrey fowle, that's the american who left a bible in his hotel room. there you see him with will

ripley, our correspondt, who enough interviewed him and two other americans, matthew todd miller and kenneth bae. fowle was flown out by a u.s. government plane that landed in pyongyang and flew to guam. on his way back to the united states. here's the announcement from the white house press secretary josh earnest. >> i am in a position to confirm that jeffrey fowle has been allowed to depart the dprk and is on his way home to rejoin his family. we certainly welcome the decision from the dprk to release him. while this is a positive decision, we remain focused on the continued detention of kenneth bae and matthew miller and again call on the dpkr to immediately release them. >> the dprc, the democratic people's republic of korea. there you have the announcement from the white house. no official word from north korea yet. but in this particular case, actions speak louder than words.

this american has been freed, once again, though, two other americans still being held prisoner in north korea. we'll stay on top of this story and get you the latest. obviously a dramatic development, especially in the aftermath of the mystery surrounding kim jong-un, his disappearance for about 40 days. but he has been seen with still photos with a cane over the past few days. we'll try to unravel more of the mystery from north korea. much more of that coming up. also, isis striking back with a vengeance. the terror group making 15 simultaneous coordinated attacks on monday. you'll hear from the former director of the national counterterrorism center on how the u.s.-led coalition needs to respond to this growing isis threat. wouldn't it be great if hiring plumbers, carpenters shopping online is as easy as it gets. and even piano tuners were just as simple? thanks to angie's list, now it is. we've made hiring anyone from a handyman to a dog walker as simple as a few clicks.

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following developments in the war against isis right now. the militant group launching about 15 nearly simultaneous attacks on kurdish forces in northern iraq. it's also launched new attacks against that dam, a very important dam in mosul in iraq. a strategic target they've been battling for months to try to capture. jim sciutto is in washington and joins us now with more on this war against isis. our cnn global affairs analyst, lieutenant colonel james reese, retired delta force u.s. army officer joining us as well. jim, first to you. you've just spoken with matt olsen, the former director of the u.s. counterterrorism center. what did he tell you about the

threat from isis and the various affiliated groups? >> reporter: i asked him, i began by asking him what he considers the greatest terror threat to the u.s. today. he named two groups. they were aqap in yemen, the group that's attempted to get explosive devices on airliners, the underwear bomber, et cetera, and, two, al khorasan group. the group we heard of the night that air strikes started in syria, a group of former senior leaders from al qaeda now based in syria. but the most concerning thing that he said to me about this group is that the threat from al khorasan is still imminent and that the air strikes that took place that night, a number of cruise missiles, other strikes, have not diminished that threat to the u.s. have a listen to how he described it. >> by everything i've seen, i think the threat is still in the same place it was before. and that is, this group was in a

position to train without any sort of interference. they were able to recruit operatives. we saw that they were looking to test explosives. so they were in the advanced stages of plotting. again, they had both that intent and what we saw was that capability that put them into this nearing an execution phase of an attack. >> reporter: the threat from the al khorasan group, as he said there, in the same place as it was before those air strikes started. that's a great concern because, remember, that was one of the main justifications for the start of the air strikes in syria. he did tell me, however, that there was evidence that those strikes killed senior leaders from the khorasan group. still, though, a threat to the u.s. but i tell you, it's interesting, i asked him about the threat from isis as well. he said that compared to aqap and the khorasan group, not as severe a threat to the u.s. homeland. but he said a growing threat and one, again, another group that's taking advantage of a safe haven

of syria to plot, recruit and plan attacks against u.s. targets, both on the homeland and overseas. >> so at least for now, i think it's fair to say, at least according to matt olsen, the man you just interviewed, the former head of the counterterrorism operation in the united states, isis focused mostly on building its caliphate in iraq and syria and potentially elsewhere in the middle east, but khorasan and aqap, al qaeda in the arabian peninsula based in yemen, they are deliberately focusing a lot of their attention on the u.s. homeland. is that the message he's delivering? >> reporter: that's right. and it's both focus and capability. the khorasan group and aqap, not only have the intention of attacking the u.s. but they have the ability to do so. and they very nearly succeeded in recent years. he says that isis may have the intention and the leader of isis has said that war with the u.s. is inevitable. but at this point, they haven't developed the specific

capability. i will tell you, though, another point he made -- remember, this is the guy who briefs the president on counterterror issues often on a daily basis as the head of the national counterterrorism center. he said the most likely attack to take place in the u.s. is from a lone wolf, someone who is self-radicalized, who may have contact or may read about isis online and because of that make a decision to carry out on attack themselves like the boston bombers, for instance. he says that while the most severe threats come from aqap and the khorasan group, that the most likely attack is a relatively small scale but still deadly attack from a lone wolf. >> that's a good point. colonel reese, what's your analysis of what isis is now trying to to do in iraq? these 15 nearly simultaneous assaults that are under way right now. my sense is they're trying to really threaten baghdad, if you will, although u.s. officials maintain baghdad at least for

now, a city of 7 million people, remains security. >> what you see right now is isis trying to show the world, especially the iraqis and the syrians, that they have the ability to do near simultaneous attacks. it goes to show their command and control capability. they're able to do some planning. they have great field commanders out there, a great communications plan out there. and they probably set that off at an operational time to give everyone an aspect that isis still has an operational, tactical and strategic ability throughout the lavant there in syria and iraq to do these attacks. >> trying to establish their caliphate in iraq and syria. but to include lebanon, jordan, palestine, israel, turkey. that's their goal. we'll see how far they get. they are making headway in iraq and syria, to be sure. colonel reese, thanks very much. jim sciutto, thank you.

meanwhile, other news we're following. hard to believe but suspected nazi war criminals have been collecting millions of dollars in u.s. social security funds. that's right. social security payments continue to flow to suspected criminals including guards at auschwitz. how is that happening? a congresswoman is outraged and we'll get her analysis on what is going on. the setting is perfect. you know what? plenty of guys have this issue, not just getting an erection, but keeping it. well, viagra helps guys with ed get and keep an erection. and you only take it when you need it. good to know, right? if ed is stopping what you started... ask you doctor about viagra. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain;

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this next story has touched a nerve, especially with a lot of members of the greatest generation. suspected nazi war criminals, including some guards at concentration camps, death camps, have collected millions of dollars in u.s. social security benefits through a legal loophole. that according to an associated press investigation.

worse yet, the government set up the system to encourage them to take the money and leave the country. became known as nazi dumping. he was an s.s. guard at poland's notorious death camp in auschwi auschwitz. after leaving in ohio in 1989, still collecting benefits in germany. his son confirmed it to the "a.p." and says he deserves the benefits. this revelation compelled the new york congresswoman to introduce a bill to cut off the benefits. congresswoman maloney is joining us. are you outraged that the united states is actually paying suspected war criminals social security benefits? i assume the answer is yes. >> absolutely. i think i join every american taxpayer in being outraged that our dollars are being spent to support known nazi war criminals and guards. it was against the law. we passed laws saying they should get no benefits and leave the country. but there's a loophole.

the law said they had to be deported. and some were denaturalized, some left of their own accord. they have continued to receive benefits. i have written the justice department, the social security department to give a full accounting of how much was spent, how much is being spent, how much is going to widows of these criminals, and i find it an outrage. i think this is something that we can all agree on. and congress is not known for a lot of areas that we agree. but i -- everyone i talk to is outraged across the country. the response is very strong. >> so what is the reaction you're getting from the justice department and from the social security administration? >> well, they haven't gotten back to me yet, but we'll keep calling, and we'll keep trying. and they certainly should respond. the transparency is the hallmark of this administration and the sunshine is the best disinfectant. and they should come back with as much information or all the information that really respects

our privacy laws, but there's no reason that they can't give numbers of how much has been spent and where. these are known nazi war criminals. and it's an outrage. >> i take it the -- getting them go back to their countries, they would continue receiving these social security benefits and the argument that the justice department initially made was since they couldn't really be effectively tried in the united states, you had to expel them back to their home countries. and this was the tradeoff. is that a correct analysis? >> we have called various organizations that the government has claimed, supported, this continuing three of them. one has gotten back to us saying it's totally untrue. and to stop any payment of taxpayer dollars to these known nazi war criminals. we'll look into it, and i'll

keep you posted. thank you for your interest. but a nazi war criminal is a nazi war criminal. the intent of the law was to deport them and deprive them of american benefits. and that's what the bill that i'm introducing when we get back, november 12th, will do. >> we know millions of dollars have been included in this so-called deal. do you have any idea how many millions of u.s. taxpayer dollars went to providing social security benefits to these suspected nazi war criminals? >> well, many of them weren't even suspected. they had the proof that they were nazi war criminals. and i have asked for that information of who received it, how much, how much of a period of time. and also the widows in the event they died. their widows will continue to receive social security benefits. so we need to get these numbers and see the span of it. a.p. reported criminals are receiving funds they were able to locate. but i have asked the justice department and the social security department to get back

to me with the appropriate information. and i trust they will. >> and i know you're also investigating other u.s. taxpayer dollars, maybe even winding up in the hands of isis. is that what your concern is? >> well, i think that the determination now shows that we will never forget that we will remember and we will enforce and we will hold people accountable. and i think we should have similar legislation on terrorists and cut off any benefits that they may have. it's reported they're going over there to serve. i don't think they should be permitted back in the united states. and i think any benefit that they receive should be terminated. >> carolyn maloney, the democratic congresswoman from new york. we'll stay in close touch with you. let us know what you hear when you get a response from the social security administration and the justice department. appreciate it very much. in this programming note. for our viewers here in the united states and north america, you can see the florida governor's debate later tonight on cnn begins at 7:00 p.m. eastern.

it'll be moderated by our own jake tapper. please be sure to join us thursday night. i'll be moderating the new hampshire senatorial debate between the democratic senator jean shaheen and former massa!ab)ee5uu!lican senator scott brown. that's it for me, thanks very much for watching. see you back here in the "situation room" 5:00 p.m. eastern. for our international viewers, amanpour is next, "newsroom" starts right now. mr. blitzer, thank you so much. great to be with all of you, i'm brooke baldwin. let's get to it. huge, huge news. breaking news here at cnn. finally free from the clutches of north korea's communists. the 56-year-old tourist detained since may has landed in guam aboard a u.s. government airplane. north korea, listen to this. they freed him in the dark of night without saying why as it stil