victory lane. we'll show you what spotters do in our 3:00 eastern hour. 400 miles to the title. maybe the best driver and spotter will win. much more straight ahead in the newsroom, and it all starts right now. developing news. terrorists attack again. it appears isis has beheaded american aid worker peter kassig, but this video is different from other ones. if you are preparing to drive to your thanksgiving destination, there's good news.

why you'll save more money. hello. i'm fredericka whitfield. we begin with isis claims that american hostage peter kassig has been beheaded. now, u.s. intelligence is working to authenticate the video. the 26-year-old kassig was serving as a medical worker in syria when he was captured more than a year ago. the former u.s. army ranger and iraq war veteran converted to islam during his captivity. >> let's talk about this video because it's not like the other isis beheading videos. what specifically is different about it? >> first of all, this is a composite video.

it's made up of edited clips from a lot of different sources, and it runs at around 16 minutes, and that's almost three times as long as any of the previous hostage beheading videos. the video starts off with a brief history of isis. it then goes on to very graphic video showing the killing of men it claims are syrian government officers and pilots. that is shown in graphic detail and apparently carried out by men of various ethnicity, including the black clad britain who we have now known -- come to know as jihadi john. despite the apparent barbaracy of those videos, it's a ritualized execution. among ordinary syrians, there is little love lost for government pilots. remember, the government has long been bombing civilian wrarz and also dropping bombs on civilian neighborhoods of alleppo, for example. then the video moves to a different location, and it's there that we see short images of jihadi john claiming to stand

over the head of what he says is peter kassig. we don't see peter's body. the killer then says that kassig didn't have much to say for himself. there is no final message from peter kassig as there has been in previous beheading videos. is that simply an occasion that kassig refused to speak, he refused to search their propaganda purposes? after all, he was a former army ranger and could have been trained for just this kind of eventuality. the other thing that we're seeing here in this video for the first time as well is the locator of where the beheading supposedly took place, and it supposedly took place in the town that's northeast of the town of aleppo, and if that is correct, that's about 125 miles from the isis stronghold of raka, and that is the last location where intelligence sources believed all the hostages were being held

together. >> he is a u.s. military vet, so does it send a particular message? >> i think there are a number of messages in this video. some of the ones that jumped out to me, first of all, the man that we know the executioner, the killer that we now know as jihadi john, this man with a british accent, he describes kassig as the first american crusader and then goes on to say we eagerly await the rest of your army to arrive addressing himself to president obama who he called the king of rome or some such phrase there. it seems to me that what jihadi john is trying to do at a time when we know isis is you should pressure from coalition air strikes, but jihadi john is trying to go to the united states at a time when there is

growing debate about whether u.s. troops should be on the ground fighting isis head-to-head. also remember as well that peter kassig, according to husband family, during his team in captivity, did convert to islam, and asked to be known as abdul rahman, and the fact that jihadi john refers to him as a crusader, perhaps that's an indication that they did not buy the sincerity of his conversion. finally, another message from jihadi john. he threatens that before long isis fighters will be carrying out attacks on foreign soil in the united states in the united kingdom. >> carl penhall, thank you so much. kassig's family is asking for privacy while they wait for confirmation that the isis video is real and indeed shows the execution of their son. cnn alexander fields reports, it's been an emotional roller coaster for the kassig family. >> paula and ed kassig asking for privacy and their son peter

kassig to be remembered for his important work and the love he shared with friends and family. last month the parents publicly pleaded for mercy from kassig's cap tors. >> most of all know that we love you and our hearts ache for you to be granted your freedom. >> their 26-year-old son telling them in a letter i'm obviously pretty scared to die, but the hardest part is not knowing, wondering, hoping and wondering if i should even hope at all. >> i think he wanted to return back to the middle east and contribute in a very different way, in a more constructive way helping people directly. he didn't want to be another guy with a gun. >> the army ranger turned aid worker had reached far from syria and turkey's border. back home in indianapolis, he had graduated from north-central high school and later took classes at butler university. in a statement the school's president says if this morning's reports are confirmed, isis has accomplished nothing through this abhorrent act of violence. all it has done is taken away a

good person who want to help the syrian people. >> peter really believed that an individual can make a difference in the world. through their love and compassion and their intelligence and their willing to give back. that is the message i think peter would want me to convey. the world has lost a bright light and a compassionate heart and as we mourn him, i would hope that we all can recognize that the violence must end. >> on campus students held a vigil during kassig's captivity. in his hometown local muslim groups have embraced his parents. >> there are no words that somebody could put -- with so much courage that is willing to risk his life, risk everything. >> kassig took on the name abdul rahman. he had converted to islam. in the letter he says he is in a

dogmatically difficult situation but at peace with his belief. he tells his parents, "don't worry, dad. if i go down, i won't go thinking anything but what i know to be true. that you and mom love me more than the moon and the stars." alexandra joins me right now. right now the family is issing for privacy as they await confirmation, but it also sounds like they're asking for something else. what is that? >> that's right. we've seen this family just holding on to hope over these last weeks, month, the course of a year making these public appeals even taking to twitter, asking isis leaders to try to open up a line of communication. right now what we're hearing from ed and paula through a family spokesperson is that they want people to continue to pray every day at sunset for what they call the safe return of people who are being oppressed unjestst justly all over the world. beyond that the spokesperson wanted to express on baf of ed and paula just the gratitude that they had for the words of support and the prayers that they've received from people all over the world. fred. >> very sad day.

alex appeared are a field, thank you so much. in the meantime, president obama promised he wouldn't put boots on the ground to fight isis, but now he says there's something that would make him change his mind. plus, the president says the clock is ticking for house republicans to do something about immigration reform, but this fight could lead to another government shutdown. is it worth it? our political panel weighs in next. ♪

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we discovered that isil had gotten possession much a nuclear weapon, and we had to run an operation to get it out of their hands. then, yes, you can anticipate that not only would chairman dempsey recommend me sending u.s. ground troops to get that weapon out of their hands, but i would order it. >> while on his trip, president obama vowed to tackle immigration reform before the end of had year. he says if house republicans refuse to act, he will take action with an executive order. but the gop says they'll fight him tooth and nail. joining me right now are cnn political commentator. good to see both of you. could this immigration showdown lead to yet another government shutdown, maria? >> i think that is completely up to republicans because they are being pushed into a corner. one of the first things that mitch mcconnell said when he spoke to the country after he became majority leader is that there will be no government

shutdown, that there will be no fiscal cliffs anymore. now what we're seeing is that that's going to be tough for him to keep that promise as you're seeing the extreme conservative voices that are now coming into the senate and then the house as well essentially putting on the line that they want to do everything they can to stop president obama in his tracks on issues, frankly, that the country understands there needs to be a solution on and that up until now the gop has refused to solve those. if they want to avoid what the president is about to do on executive action, they can do it tomorrow, fred. john boehner can call a vote in the houshgs bring up the bill that has already been passed in the senate on emgregs reform and do it legislatively.

>> there are areas where there is a consensus among americans. there is a large number of americans that believe we should offer some kind of path to legal status for unauthorized immigrants. the bill does not just do that. it does a large number of other things as well that are actually very unpopular and very controversial. the fact that republicans are resisting passage of that particular legislation, actually makes a lot of sense. 68% of americans is quite a lot. i think in this we get new legislation that addresses the discreet problem where there is more of a consensus but doesn't do various other things, wronk

we're going to make progress, and we have equal branches. democrats, you know, when bush was in power also tried to use their funding authority in order to discipline the executive, and i think it's entirely appropriate. it's the nature of our system. >> all right. i want to ask you to stand by for a moment because we have to go to the white house for the latest information that pertains to this purported beheading of an american. let's go to aaron mcpike at the white house. there is an official statement, a response coming from the president now? we a long statement from the president given aboard air force one. it's a long statement, but i want to read it to you. he says "today we offer our prayers and condolences to the parents and family of abdul rahman kassig, also known to us as peter. we cannot begin to understand their anguish at this time. he was taken from us in an act of pure evil by a terrorist

group that the world associates with inhumanity. like jim foley and steve sotloff before him, his life stands in stark contrast to everything that isil represents. while isil revels in the slautd slaughter of innocents, including muslims, and has been hell bent on death and destruction, weather forecasted to save the lives of syrians dispossessed by the syrian conflict. while isil exploits the tragedy in syria to advance their own selfish ames, abdul rahman was so moved by the anguish and suffering of syrian civilian that is he traveled to lebanon to work in a hostile treating refugees. later he established an aid group to provide assistance to syrian refugees and displaced persons in lebanon and sear wra. these were the selfless acts of an individual that carried deeply about the plight of the syrian people. isil's actions represent no faith, least of all the muslim faith which abdul rahman adopted as his own. we than the spirit and good ands perseverance that burned so

brightly in kassig and which binds them together, ultimately is the light that will prevail over the darkness of isil. there is a long statement coming from the president. he is due to return back to the white house tonight around around 8:30. actually, a little earlier than he was supposed to be returning. a big week ahead, obviously, for this white house. >> all right. aaron mcpike at the white house. thank you for that. up next, our political panel returns, and we'll look at other big issues. the president will be facing when he does get home, like iran, climate change, and the keystone pipeline. you're driving along,

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see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance. president obama may have taken a meeting, but he is forging ahead on policies that will impact his legacy. climate change. the u.s. signed a deal with china to curb emissions that require more renewable energy.

net neutrality obama is backing tougher rules being floated by the fcc to increase equal access to the internet. the keystone pipeline. on friday the house approved, it and the senate votes tuesday. the president promise aing veto. iran negotiators are quickly approaching a november 24th deadline to reach an agreement to freeze iran's nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions. gop lawmakers are threatening to kill the deal. all right. back with me now cnn political commenterses commentersesed. what does it say that the president is putting so much on his plate and trying to make some progress? >> well, i think it says something that he has frankly not made a secret of to the american people, and that is that he was voted into office twice by an american public that by and large supports what his policies have been all along. on climate change, on immigration, like we have talked about. the public wants our leaders

more than anything frederick wra to get things done. so this president having encountered a republican congress from the very beginning that has refused to work with him to get anything done is focused on trying to do right by the american people and using the tools at his disposal in order to do that. >> and one of those tools being executive order and so is this the president saying i'm going to put my foot down? you know, forget the whole notion of compromise? it's not going to happen whether it's at the end of this year or before the next congress is sworn in and so, you know, he is just going to get things through? >> one of the complications here is that actually when the president was pushing climate change legislation in his first term, it wasn't, in fact, defeated by republicans. it was defeated by democrats. reluctant democrats who didn't want to go along with proposal that is were very unpopular with their constituencies. the trouble is that the president is endangering many marginal members of his own

party. there were a lot of folks who would have won their elections last november, a lot of democrats who would have won had the president been more accommodating, had he shifted the way that bill clinton shifted early in his presidency after encountering formidable resistance from the american public. >> fact every of the matter is the majority of the american people, science understands. >> getting thing done is different from specific policies. specific courses of action sht necessarily popular. >> getting things done means progress. getting things done means progress. that's -- >> i disagree very much what that looks like. loo this is exactly what's happening inside the beltway. thank you so much. appreciate it.

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female narrator: the holidays can be an especially difficult time. everything's different now. sometimes i feel all alone. christmas used to be my favorite. i just don't expect anything. what if santa can't find me? female narrator: to help, sleep train is holding a secret santa toy drive. bring your gift to any sleep train, and help keep the spirit of the holidays alive. not everyone can be a foster parent... child: ...but anyone can help a foster child. >> this is cnn breaking news. president barack obama has

now confirmed the death of american hostage peter kassig. in a statement the president said, "today we offer our prayers and condole ens to the parents and family of abdul rahman kassig, also known to us as peter. we cannot begin to understand their anguish at this team. abdul rahman was taken from us in an act of pure evil by a terrorist group that the world rightly associates with inhumanity. isis released a new video today reportedly showing kassig's beheading. the fortunatelier u.s. ranger turned human aide worker. he was helping wounded syrians in lebanon back in 2012. that's when we caught up with him. >> the first time we met peter was during the summer of 2012. it was quite the sight. peter, a former army ranger, pale, tattooed, and though at the time speaking only a handful of arabic, tending to wounded

syrians with a compassion that transcended the language barrier. >> we each get one life, and that's it. we get one shot at this. >> we don't get any do-overs. it was time to put up or shut up. the way i saw it, i don't have a chos. this is what i of put here to do. eeg i'm just a hopeless romantic and i'm an idealist being and i believe in hopeless causes. mroo for peter doing something meant starting his own nonprofit. >> he was treat wrvrn. no one was exempt. he lived in the house with us. he was extremely kind. he was sad during our times of sorrow and happy for our times

of joy. >> he considers himself to be like any other person who was part of the syrian revolution. peter was kidnapped shortly afterwards in october 2013. at some point during his captivity, he converted to islam and took on the name abdul rahman. in this letter drafrted to his parents, he wrote, "if i do die, i figure that at least you and i can seek refuge and comfort in knowing that i went out as a result of trying to alleviate suffering. that is how peter will be remembered. for his humor, laughter, but mostly his drive and compassion, and the way he inspired us all more than he could ever imagine.

if you would like to help the syrian refugees log on. here are other top stories we're following for you. two bold terror attacks near the baghdad international airport in iraq. isis is claiming responsibility for one of them. a suicide car bombing. the terror group says the attack was meant for americans leaving the airport and claimed several people were killed and wounded. police have not released any information on the casualties. other explosion hit a u.s. convoy. it's as it was leaving for the green zone. no one was killed or injured. >> the chemical is used to odorize natural gas for safety purposes. neighbors reported smelling the chemical, but the company says it disbursed in the air and it

doesn't pose a risk. the cause of the leak is under investigation. new dramatic amateur video, meantime, obtained by a russian tabloid purports to show the immediate aftermath of the crash. two-thirds of the victims were from netter land. it's been hard for investigators to access the area because it is controlled by pro-russian separatists. back in this country gas prices are dropping to some of the lowest levels we've seen in years. that means more money in your pocket. why are the prices falling now? cnn money chief business correspondent christine romans

explains. why is is that happening? the u.s. is produce aing whole lot of oil. nine million barrels per day. the highest output since 1986. the rest of the world is consuming a little bit less than usual. saudi arabia actually giving some big discounts on its oil to keep its market share. what does that mean for you? well, more money in your pocket. about $400 a year more by some estimates. businesses are hoping that translates into more holiday spending, and it serm means cheaper winter heating bills. the only loser here? energy companies. energy stocks getting hammered recently and prices are still

falling. christine romans, cnn, new york. and growing concern about the latest ebola patient to arrive in america. our senior medical correspondent weighs in next. [ male announcer ] this is the cat that drank the milk... [ meows ] ...and let in the dog that woke the man who drove to the control room [ woman ] driverless mode engaged. find parking space. [ woman ] parking space found. [ male announcer ] ...that secured the data that directed the turbines that powered the farm that made the milk that went to the store that reminded the man to buy the milk

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but he is a legal permanent resident of the u.s. he arrived in omaha from sierra leone yesterday. this video showing him being taken from the plane on a stretcher aided by workers wearing yellow protective suits there. cnn's senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen is on the phone with us right now. since his situation is particularly urgent, what can and will doctors do to treat him? >> this is really in many ways sort of a two-phase treatment. you know, first they want to fight the virus. they're going to do for him what they've done for other patients, i assume. they're not telling us. this is what you expect. an experimental virus has become the anti-viral of choice of late, and the blood traps fusion, if he matches the donors, their donors being ebola survivors, but then sadly, because it appears that he is so ill, they would also need to be looking at keeping his organs

going. for example, if his kidneys are doing very poorly, they would be thinking about giving him dyalysis. >> unfortunately, it sounds like with this doctor they're going to have to consider those issues. >> and since this nebraska medical center has already cared for two other ebola patients in the case of the doctor here, might it be the case that the ebola virus is so much more accelerate the in his body upon arrival to the states? >> right. at the stage of which you catch this infection is really critical, and that was the issue with thomas eric duncan. the only person to die in the united states of ebola.

it was just caught so late that will really wasn't enough that they could do for him. that's the situation that appears to we have here, that it was caught have i late. hopefully it wasn't caught as late. hopefully they will be able to handle this. the big difference is the hospital that treated thomas eric duncan had no experience treating ebola. this hospital, as you said, it's their third patient. that makes a big difference. having an experienced staff and a trained staff is a huge difference, and there are all sorts of little things that go into the care of a patient where experience and training make a big difference. we're all praying and all crossing our finger that is they will be able to save the doctor. >> all right. thank you so much, elizabeth cohen. appreciate that. we know his wife lives in maryland, and last we checked she was making her way to nebraska as well. what you didn't see when bill cosby remained silent during a question about rape allegations.

we hear from the radio journalist who talked to the comedian. next.

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bill cosby is scheduled take the stage teent in erie, pennsylvania.

his attorney saying this. "over the last several weeks decades-old allegations have resurfaced. the fact that they are being repeated does not make them true. mr. cosby does not intend to dig nigh these allegations with any comment. the statement comes after cosby refused to address accusations during a national public radio interview. there have been serious allegations raised about you in recent days. you're shaking your head no. all right. i'm in the news business. i have to ask the question. do you have any response to those charges? shaking your head no. there are people who love you who might like to hear from you about this. i want to give you the chance. all right. fwloo so many people want to know why the comedian was

silent. was cosby under a gag order? that's what npr interviewer scott simon was asked this morning when he appeared on cnn's "new day." >> no. we got none that, and it has to be noted that the woman, barbara bowen, who has been on cnn a lot more than i have and a lot more than you have in the past few days, that there's not that kind of agreement where she's concerned. >> they said you guys are so classy that you don't dip into the muck and the mud like other people do. nobody indicated that what happened would happen. i thought there was a good chance the interview would be

canceled. obviously it wasn't, and i think we can probably fairly safely say that they had a strategy in place for when the question was asked, which maybe they thought we couldn't use silence on the radio. coming up, cars slip and sliding as mother nature blankets half of the country with freezing tempings in some places. snow even. things aren't warming up just yet. a look at your forecast next. but, first, how we pay for goods and services has changed dramatically in the past ten years. as we usher in the era of mobile payments and the virtual wallet, that's the topic this week in our special series "tomorrow transformed" with richard quest.

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okay. technically it's not even winter yet, but cold air hitting much of the u.s. is causing some pretty hazardous conditions just like that. crews are working to clear wrecks in oklahoma after slick roads led to accidents there. so is the weather going to warm up anytime soon? let's turn to cnn meteorologist jennifer gray. fred, that very cold air is going to continue as we go through the upcoming week. some areas have below freezing for a week solid. we could see temperatures stay below freezing for another weak. some cities, yes, on about a two-week spread of temperatures below freezing. so we expect snow from chicago all the way down to the texas

panhandle, possibly, and that's going to push to the east and you notice a lot of rain into south and southeast will continue to push into the northeast tomorrow and then lake effect snow will continue all the way through tuesday. we've gotten quite a bit of snow across the great lakes area. some folks already reaching what they normally should see in november. a long way to go here. look at this. all these winter weather advisories. from cleveland down to albut n albuquerq albuquerque. another cluster through minneapolis, the dakotas included as well. temperatures dipping quickly once the sun goes down. look at these impressive snowfall totals. we go through sunday, through tuesday, also 8-10 across portion it is of michigan, the upper peninsula could see 4-8 inches. also lacking at rain in the southeast, not big-time rain but 1-2 inches across the south.

2-4 outside new orleans and also look for the very slight possibility of a severe storm down there. we'll be looking for that as well. here are your high temperatures over the next couple of days. it's brutal, folks. 18 degrees in minneapolis today. barely getting out of the teens on wednesday. rapid city will stay in the teens and 20s. 38 degrees, though, that's your warm day as we go through the middle part of the week. atlanta even seeing a high temperature of 36 degrees on tuesday. fred? >> brr. bundle up this week. today's nascar race in homestead, florida, will decide who wins this year's championship. four drivers are competing for the top spot and whoever has the best finish today are will get the title. kevin harvick, joey low begloga denny hamlin and ryan newman. they will rely from a teammate with a view from above to tell them where the competition is on

the track. those teammates are called spotters. this is what they do. >> one car works in the middle, one on the top. >> the trust factor between a spotter and driver is a very important thing to have. >> a spotter is someone who is the eyes and ears of the driver. >> green, green, green. >> our biggest key is to keep the driver safe. we look ahead for wrecks that the driver can't see and we can also tell them what's going on behind him and around him so he can focus on getting the best lap time out of the car. >> you can see mostly out of the front. as far as on each sides of you, it's hard 0 to see a whole lot. you depend on that guy telling you what's going on on the right side of your are car. >> back to the 43, has the 41, to the bottom. the top third. >> clear, all clear.

you have three up top. inside tight with the 40. outside 1. >> clear by five. double wide. >> i think every driver looks for a spotter that can be consistent and have somebody that can calm you down when you need to be calmed down and pump you up when you need to be pumped up. >> clear, clear, clear. we'll get it back. >> all right. fascinating to see. it takes a team. 400 miles to the title. may the best driver and the spotter win. developing news, president obama now confirming the death of american hostage peter kassig. brand-new he details on the brutal slaying straight ahead. and a frightening new admission about america's military might. a marine says more than half his troops are not ready. wait until you hear why.

plus, dr. craig spencer is back home after recovering from ebola. wait until you hear why one lawmaker is demanding $20 million in payback. hello again, everyone. em fredricka. we start this hour with confirmation of the death of hostage peter kassig at the hands of isis extremists. apparently beheaded by the terrorist group. tell us more about what the president a's remarks were all about. >> reporter: well, fredricka, the president did confirm that peter kassig is the one in the end of this brutal 15-minute isis video, has confirmed that he was, indeed, beheaded. in a new statement president obama offered on air force one today, he offers his condolences to the kassig family. i'm going to read part of that statement to you.

the president goes on to say abdul-rahman was taken in an act of pure evil from a terrorist group that the world rightly associates with inhumanity. like those before him, his life indeed stands in stark contrast to everything isil represents. while isil revels in the slaughter of innocence including muslims and is bent only on sewing death and destruction, abdul-rahman worked to save those injured. isil's actions represent no faith, least of all the muslim faith, which abdul-rahman adopted as his own. fred, we also just got in a new statement from secretary of state john kerry, and i want to read part that have statement to you as well because he provides some new context to this. he says during his time in captivity his family and the entire government including his home state senator joe donnelly worked to avoid this tragic outcome. his mother's searing plea directed to his ka