our screen for viewers to read along with. erin mcpike in washington, thank you. >> of course. there's also a new threat and a new video from isis this morning. the terror group has released a propaganda video. you see it here, at least a still image of it. that's at least 21 captured kurdish peshmerga fighters in cages. at one point they were in those cages atop pickup trucks paraded across a private city street. ben wedeman has more from us from irbil, iraq. >> yes, christi, another video put out by isis. this one seems to show 21 peshmerga fighters, kurdish fighters. it appears they're south of kirkuk itself. you see them in the orange jump suits. their hands are chained. they're being led by what appear to be isis fighters. they are in cages at one point being interviewed by a militant -- a bearded militant

who's holding a microphone with an isis logo on it. they're asking what their names are, where they're from. they're basically prompted to say that they regret fighting for the peshmerga and they call upon their comrades to put down their arms and switch sides. now obviously these are statements made under duress. we don't know the faith of these fighters. later in the 9-minute video we see them in cages on the back of pickup trucks being paraded through we believe the towns of hawiga. now at one point in the video you see flashes showing the beheading of egyptian christians in libya last week but there's no indication that these fighters are actually killed. now the question is, is this going to have any impact on kurdish morale? from my experience on the front line with peshmerga fighters, i

don't think so. in fact, what we're hearing overnight, despite their propaganda efforts, isis isn't doing very well on the battlefield. overnight we're told that at least 50 of their fighters, including some foreign fighters were killed when they tried unsuccessfully to break through kurdish lines. apparently there were coalition aircraft in action over the area. so propaganda has one effect but actually fighting and being able to repel isis fighters seems to have more impact on kurdish morale then the propaganda video. >> ben wedeman, we appreciate it as always. let's put that question now to lieutenant colonel bob mcginnis. he's currently serving as a senior strategist at the pentagon. ben wedeman gave his thoughts on whether it will impact kurdish morale? what do you think about that?

>> victor, i think it will help the peshmerga because it will motivate them to understand that getting captured by isil is not a good idea. clearly they're facing ongoing incursions by the isis terrorists. of course, we've heard about the upcoming major operation in which they will be, you know, involved. so, you know, i just think that it's -- you know, it's what isis does. they try to instill fear. they try to promise to kill people. it's getting old. these peshmerga people are defending their homeland. they're patriotic. they're going to do whatever neglects to include die in defending their homeland. they're going to kill as many isil terrorists as they can. >> just hours after this they showed their capture of the iraqi post in anbar taking the ak-47s, humvees, and then we have this video of these 21

peshmerga fighters. obviously there's been some skepticism about the strength of the iraqi military. does this degrade the confidence of the u.s. in the peshmerga force? >> well, not the peshmerga, victor. i am concerned about the iraqi security forces because as everyone's heard, the u.s. central command's announcement the other day is there's going to be a major operation against mosul in april or may. i talked to a very senior current serving iraqi official who said, look, we're not really sure our iraqi security forces are ready for a major operation. in fact, u.s. central command said that they're going to train in the next few weeks a few of those brigades. having been an infantry trainer for many, many years, three, four weeks is insufficient to train people for a fallujah-like battle. keep in mind, mosul, they've taken down the bridges, they've put trenches, they booby trapped every house. they're going to stand behind every civilian and they're going

to have remotely activated ieds all over the place. these people are ready to dye. unfortunately you have to have hardened fighters like our marines to take back mosul and that's going to be a hard fight. >> i want to stay on this question. if there are five brigades being sent in initially, that's the number we're getting from officials, is the bench deep enough, to use metaphor, if those five brigades don't get it done? >> no, it's not. we've acknowledged that. the reality is we've committed to training 12 iraqi brigades and 3 peshmerga, and of course that takes time. and, oh, by the way, the syrians aren't going to be ready any time soon to join that fight. just like the iraqi official told me two nights ago, i don't believe that this timing, though it evades the terrible heat of the summer in mosul, i don't believe this rush to the battle

is well advised given, you know, the inexperience of some of these fighters. >> let me go back to the peshmerga because that's initially what prompted this conversation. do you believe that the u.s. has effectively and sufficiently equipped them with the tools they'll need to hold on to that region? >> no. i think they need modern weapons, more ammunition, and, you know, the communications equipment. of course, embedding our people with access to airstrikes is absolutely essential, but these people need a lot more than we've given them, and i hope that before any battle against mosul and isil, that we'll equip them and do it in a hurry. >> all right. thank you so much, lieutenant colonel bob mcginnis. always good to have you as part of the conversation. >> thank you, victor. secretary of state john kerry is in geneva, switzerland, today for another round of iran

talks. he's meeting with his iranian counterpart today and tomorrow. they're joining other world powers that have been in talks since last wednesday. a deal could bring an end to tough sanctions against tehran and possibly a warming of relations with the west. meanwhile, defense secretary ash carter on his second and final day of a surprise visit to afghanistan. he's seeing troops in kandahar and headed to kuwait. just days after his confirmation he says he made the trip to afghanistan to assess the security situation personally. and he said yesterday the united states is considering slowing a planned withdrawal of u.s. troops from the country to ensure that progress sticks. homeland security security jeh johnson is speaking with cnn about the concerns that have been raised by this new video that's been released by al shabaab about attacks potentially in the u.s. you're going to hear his conversation with gloria borger

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11 minutes after the hour. let's take a look at developing stories. police say now at least 29 people including many women and children have died after passenger ferry capsized on a river in bangladesh. the boat was packed with at least 100 people when it overturned in the river north of

the capitol. police say the ferry collided with a cargo ship and it's feared that the death toll will rise because people are still missing. minneapolis police officer who was shot after responding to a burglary is doing well this morning. this is breaking news yesterday. the police chief says he's now in fair condition. officials say the officer was not targeted personally but he says that this person was shot simply because he's a police officer. a suspect has been arrested in connection with the burglary and authorities are investigating whether there is a link to the shooting. federal authorities are moving about 3,000 texas inmates from the county facility to a prison after a riot broke out leaving the facility uninhabitable. prisoners busted out of their housing unit setting fire to three of them and then made their way to the prison yard. no one breached the gate so no one left the perimeter.

officers used nonlethal force to regain control of the facility and only minor injuries were reported. gordon, the boyfriend of bobbi kristina brown lashes out after he says he has not been able to visit her. the brown family says gordon could visit but he had to meet certain conditions. they did not say what those conditions were. the 21-year-old bobbi kristina is being treated at an atlanta hospital. she's been in that coma since being found face down in her bathtub last month. take a look at this video from the xfinity race yesterday. nascar driver kyle busch slamming into an interior concrete wall. he suffered a compound fracture on his right leg which means he will not be able to race in today's season opening 500. the president of the track took partial responsibility saying the speedway failed by not having soft walls and starting next week he's going to have them installed on every inch of the property. kurt busch, kyle's brother, will

also miss the race after nascar suspended him indefinitely for the accusation -- for being accused of domestic violence against his girlfriend. all right. look at this. you might be able to look out your window and see something like this for heaven's sakes. this arctic blast is pounding cities across the country and the death toll is climbing. at least 26 people now have died as a result of this winter weather, and we've just learned nearly 600 flights are canceled just for today. so make a call if you are heading to the airport before you head out. . the bad weather isn't affecting the skies either. the road conditions are so terrible. snow is contributing to treacherous conditions particularly in maryland. a large crack on a highway in tennessee. let's bring in cnn's ivan

cabrera. i mean, good heavens, when is this going to end for them? >> this is why we tell people not to drive out there when things are treacherous. most of the deaths occur on roads. we have the deep freeze and that's also why we tell people to check on the elderly and other folks that may need a little extra help this winter season. it's been unbelievable. this is not a nor'easter, not a coastal low, this is a frontal boundary pushing in. boston will see light snow. that will be done by the time we get into evening hours. then our transition towards the west. this is where the action is. a lot of snow falling across kansas and heading into denver. colorado getting the bull's eye. that is welcome news for them. they've been in a snow drought so far this season. the ski resorts are going to love this. the folks that are not going to love the forecast are in north texas and louisiana. it will be below freezing at the

surface. what that means for you and me as we get in the car, frozen highways and roads. black ice likely to greet you on your monday morning commute. then we'll pull this low out of the way and we'll be done as far as that storm system. it is not going to head up to the northeast. what will are the current temperatures you're seeing my goodness still at this hour between minus 25 and minus 35 degrees. that cold air, that arctic air and plunge will head off to the northeast. by the time we get to monday and tuesday, once again the northeast, christi, will be talking about temperatures from 15 to 20 below zero. there are no snowstorms on the way for the northeast. what you will deal with is sunshine but you have to contend with arctic air. >> obviously, 20 below. thank you so much. we'll be right back. stay put. my name is daniel i have diabetic nerve pain. the pain felt like my feet were on fire. i had these very burning,

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hollywood's biggest night brought to you by the jaguar innovation lab. plan you're scape. let's push forward now on the developing story this morning. this new threat that's raising concerns across the country. the group al shabaab calling on people here in the u.s. to attack malls here in the u.s. also across other areas of the west. homeland security secretary jeh johnson just spoke about that with gloria borger.

she's hosting "state of the fto uni union" today. what did the secretary tell you? >> it's very clear that they're taking this threat quite seriously. take a listen to what he said at the very top of our show. >> this latest statement from al shabaab reflects the new phase we've evolved to in global terrorist threat in that you have groups such as al shabaab, isil, publicly calling for independent actors in their home lands to carry out attacks. we're beyond the days now where these groups would send foreign operatives into countries after being trained someplace. we're now at a stage where it is all the more important in our counter terrorism efforts that we have a whole government approach. >> victor, what he's effectively saying is you don't need people to travel into this country anymore, that there's sort of a call to arms to do what you can if you already live here.

i went on to ask him then particularly about the mall of america. i said, what do people do who plan on taking their families to the mall of america today? and he said to me, and i quote, i would say that any -- if anyone was planning on going to the mall of america today, they have to be particularly careful, so that's kind of chilling. >> it is. we heard from our chief cnn law enforcement analyst. there are no guarantees, that you do whatever you can. but the freedom that comes with being able to go to the mall, you have to be ready for just what the secretary said. >> yeah. and, you know, the secretary also makes the point that what we're in the middle of now is essentially a competition between these terror groups like isil, for example, or al shabaab for recruits and so the groups

that look like they're performing the best, i.e.,, killing more people will get more recruits. so this thing seems to be racheting up as they each try and get more members inside this country. so there's a very, very troubling situation, victor. >> gloria, thank you so much. we look forward to seeing more of that interview. "state of the union" starts at the top of the hour at 9:00 a.m. eastern. quick break. we'll be right back. we use natural gas throughout the airport - for heating the entire terminal, generating electricity on-site, and fueling hundreds of vehicles. we're very focused on reducing our environmental impact. and natural gas is a big part of that commitment.

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okay, movie lovers. ready for the glitz and glamor of tonight? well, final preps this morning for 87th annual academy awards are in place. don't get too disappointed if your favorite films don't win because you know the best picture doesn't always win best picture. that of course is subjective, but the simple reason some say is because of oscar campaigning.

cnn's brian stelter joining me now for this. okay, what is this -- what is this campaigning and does it really work? >> reporter: well, the studios spend millions of dollars, tens of millions of dollars on ads. some movies we think are the best never win the prize. "wizard of oz," "star wars", "raging psycho." none of them won the prize. i talked to janiceman ea man, e. what are the surprises? >> this will be a tough oscar because a lot of independent films are in it. americans will be watching this saying, what movie is this? who is that? who is that cumberbatch person? >> does that help "american sniper?" >> no, voters are voting purely

on artistic merit so, you know, you might think -- you might think everyone in your world has seen "imitation game" but most people have not. >> right. >> that's when you get into that echo chamber of media and hollywood. >> so that's a good reality check that i'm going to have more for janice on "reliable sources" later this morning. monique who won the oscar for "precious." she didn't campaign and she feels it hurt her. she talked about how the director lee daniels said to her a number of months ago, monique, you've been blackballed. i said, why have i been blackballed? he said, because you didn't play the game and i said, why is that? he gave me no response. one of these games is people are expected to go to the parties, expected to show up for all the oscar affairs. if they don't, sometimes as she's saying, they get hurt by that in their futures. that's just some of the drama involving the oscars that's

always there every year. it wouldn't be the oscars without drama. >> isn't that the truth. thank you so much, brian stelter. we appreciate it. thank you for sharing your morning with us. >> "inside politics" with john king starts right now. president obama vows to defeat isis but says this is critical. >> we are not at war with islam. we are at war with people who have perverted islam. >> critics say the commander in chief doesn't get the threat. >> we definitely no longer inspire fear in our enemies. >> but what can they do differently? and it's deadline week in the showdown over funding the department of homeland security. republicans are trying to block the president's immigration policies. >> we don't have the votes to pasz it in the senate. >> so will they blink or risk an agency shutdown? "inside politics" the biggest stories sourced by the best