us. you can read his opinion piece, by the way, on cnn.com. remember to watch "weed 3" airs this sunday night, sunday night at 9:00 p.m. eastern right here on cnn. thanks so much for watching today. i'm randi kaye. wolf starts right now. hello, i'm wolf blitzer. 1:00 p.m. here in washington and wherever you're watching from around the world, thanks very much for joining us. >> this is cnn breaking news. >> we have breaking news here on cnn. details of yet another american now charged formally not yet formally indicted actually he has been formally indicted with trying to help isis and possibly commit terror acts here in the united states. let's get the details. walk us through what we have just learned. >> wolf his name is abdul

shaikh mohammed. 23 years old and lives in columbus ohio. he was arrested in february and charged with terrorism and money laundering charges. the federal government now has added its own charges. according to the justice department he left the united states last year in april 2014 to go join the front in syria. and, according to this indictment from the justice department. he got training in weapons and explosives and was sent back to the united states to carry out an attack here in the united states. now, that's the first time we've seen something that u.s. officials have been warning us a lot about, wolf which is the fear that these people who are traveling over to syria and iraq would come back here and try to carry out an attack. this is a case in which allegedly this is what this young man was planning to do. now, his brother who went by the name aden left the u.s. in may

of 2013. he died in 2013 while fighting over there. his brother went over there, talked to him online according to the justice department. says he wanted to join you in the high ranks, which is part of why he went over there last year. now, he became a u.s. citizen in february of 2014 wolf. and just two months later, went over there to join the fight. again, this is something that he looked at all the different militant groups over there, which one to join. isis and so on. >> it was interesting, if you read the indictment an interesting little nugget there. he actually bought a ticket to fly from the united states to greece with a stopover in istanbul turkey and then a connecting flight to athens greece. he never took the athens flight from istanbul. simply instead, went across the border to syria. >> he had it very well planned. according to this document from

the justice department. he had it very well planned and he knew exactly where he was going to go and who he was going to meet. a very fascinating map of how these people can get over there. >> he pretended to go to greece but went to turkey to cross into syria and join with terror groups. evan thanks very much. let's go to yemen right now where two major port cities are undersiege. cnn has confirmed al qaeda-linked fighters today overtook the airport, a major port city and capital of yemen's largest province. al qaeda had overrun the city earlier this month and overran troops protecting the airport. and in the port city of aden they are clashing for control. in a cnn exclusive, our senior international correspondent is joining us now live. she's on a boat off the coat of aden. just got back from a military hospital in aden where you visited with wounded military personnel and civilians. what was it like?

what did you see there? >> it was just extraordinarily desperate, wolf. this was what was purely a military hospital. but because of the way the front lines have crisscrossed aden into no go zones the major hospital for civilians. i spoke to one of the doctors and he said to me we've lost count. we simply don't know how many dead dying and wounded wev had to take in. when we were there, 5-year-old boy had been brought in to be treated for shrapnel wounds to his stomach. he had been hit inside his friend's home wolf. another little girl she had a minor surgical operation. the shelling was so violent that it split her stitches. her family said they hid in their homes for three days unable to head to the hospital while she bled. luckily she survived. but so many others haven't. dozens of children according to the u.n. have been killed. caught in the crossfire. that is what is so horrifying

about the conflict in aden. very few defying front lines and we were lucky because we were able to go to one of the smaller ports, but past a few streets in to that district. you start coming across streets that are completely deserted because of snipers and streets that no one can go down. all the while, there is essentially a siege going on. it is very very difficult to get any kind of aid or medical surprise. we visited a bakery where people have been killing around the clock. and it's running out. we went and saw the last reserves of flour and they looked at us and said, when this is gone there is nothing else wolf. >> nima i know the u.s. embassy was eeevacuated in yemen and all u.s. personnel and diplomats and all the u.s. contijant there. they abandoned yemen. but still hundreds if not a few thousand u.s. citizens stranded in yemen, mostly duel citizens.

yemeni americans. many of them hundreds now trying to flee on foreign ships. we know the u.s. embassy nearby in jabodi is trying to help. what do you see as part of this story, americans trying to flee yemen right now? >> well we have met a few and we met them down at the port and they felt abandoned and they have seen and these are their words, wolf. seen other circumstances in which they felt that the u.s. government had gone over and above to try to go in and get their citizen ss out. why isn't it happening for them. so difficult to get in or out. it took us 40 hours to chart a secure route from djibouti and not very far away from each other. so many security potholes that you can fall in -- >> unfortunately, we just lost our connection with nima elbagir. she was in yemen earlier and now

just off the coast. bringing us that exclusive report. she was reporting on how american citizens still stranded in yemen right now feel abandoned that the u.s. government has not been able to go in as other governments have been able to gein and try to rescue them. they're trying to get out of that country as quickly and as desperately as they possibly can. from yemen, let's go to iraq where air strikes may be the difference today. it's stopping isis from sweeping into a very sensitive area in the anbar province. residencets under fire and air support to fight the advance of isis in ramadi and else where. arwar damon was right there in the middle of the chaos and now back in baghdad joining us. you were in that danger zone and i know you came under mortar attack. what is the latest that you're seeing and hearing because as of yesterday, it looked like isis

could take over that key city of ramadi. >> and, wolf overnight they did make significant advances from multiple fronts towards the city center. attempting to overtake the government complex there. now, iraq's security forces engaging in an hours' long gun battle diddage manage to prevent them from doing that. desperate pleas for air strikes for additional military assistance from a number of government officials still inside the city. the air strikes did finally materialize, according to one official that ewe were speaking to. happening on the outskirts of ramadi there in an attempt to try to targt and cut off the isis lugisticate supply routes. their ability to bring in reinforcements to boost up their fighters that are already inside the city. some strikes happening within ramadi in and of itself especially along those front

lines that isis is trying to push through to get closer to the government complex. what we're hearing right now that at least for the time being, those air strikes have served to stop the isis advance. but they have gained significant territory inside the city of ramadi eand that of course makes eventually trying to push them out all that more difficult. we're talking about a very dense city narrow alleyways, a lot of buildings that they can take shelter in. it will turn into the kind of street-to-street running gun battles that we have been seeing taking place in other parts of the country and then of course with isis and these built up residential areas with civilians still trapped in some of these areas using those air strikes becomes all the more difficult. the big question has been why has it taken this long for these air strikes to materialize? we put that to the head of the media office for iraq's ministry of defense. he said that the assault took them by surprise.

isis had already taken over the north and then they move under to the east. the iraqi security forces in the east decided to withdraw according to this defense ministry official because they did not want to put more civilian lives in jeopardy. they wanted to allow the civilians to move out before they begin engaging isis. this allowed isis to take over major parts of this city. this most certainly, wolf, by all accounts no matter how you look at it a very difficult, bloody and costly battle. >> presumably it's only going to get worse. as you noted yesterday, 150,000 people have already fled that area. you see lines after lines. tens of thousands of people simply trying to get out with their possessions. more refugees on the way. arwa be careful. one of our courageous journalists, as well. in the next hour by the way, the u.s. defense secretary ash carter will hold his first formal news conference since taking over at the pentagon. he's certain to face serious

questions about what is going on in ramadi the u.s. role in iraq. that is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. eastern for our northamerican viewers. cnn will have live coverage for you. coming up a male model with a promising career on the horizon trade it all for a machine gun, isis flag and eventually in the end a coffin. plus the pilot who caused panic at the u.s. capital gets ready to face a judge. how was he allowed to get so far in restricted air space especially when he made his plans known ahead of time? go get help, boy. go get help. go get help! right now! if you're a cat, you ignore people. it's what you do. if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance you switch to geico. it's what you do.

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the u.s. capitol. he was influencing the big money in politics when he flew unchallenged into highly restricted air space and landed his gyrocopter on the u.s. capitol yesterday. letters urging campaign finance laws. but no matter the intentions the flight is raising serious security questions. joins us now currently intelligence analyst at the central california intelligence center. andre, you spent eight years here in washington were you surprised something like this could happen? >> i was more surprised that a gyrocopter made it that far in, but in eight years at the u.s. capital you come to expect the unexpected. we had ricin attacks and we had the infamous anthrax letters and recently at the white house a drone land on the white house lawn.

capitol capital police have to be ready for everything that you don't get trained for in the academy. >> was it the possibility that the pilot a 66-year-old mailman some described as a flying bicycle. as he was coming in u.s. capital police could have just shot him because they didn't know what he had on board? >> that's a tough call to make. use of force continuum is based on threats to yourself and those around you. and it really doesn't prepare you for the approach of a gyrocopter. the police officers did a great job. they know that they're accountable for every shot that comes out of their weapon. they made an assessment. they also know that depending on where the approach was, those rounds could have hit any number of parks. it could have hit the mall. it could have hit the congressional house office buildings.

so they were prudent in not taking that shot. you have to consider -- >> certainly with hindsight they were prudent because this guy was trying to make a political statement. as he was coming over the capitol and coming in over the restrictive air space and up to the mall and u.s. capitol, you don't know what he's got. you don't know if he has a missile, anthrax, you don't know what he has, do you? >> no. they were forced to make a quick assessment and i think they took a look at the closer he got, the better of a view they had. i think they were prudent in their actions. >> better to well certainly with hindsight, what we know now they were prudent. what do they need to do to make sure this doesn't happen again? >> that's difficult. without putting a net over the city it's tough. law enforcement has been focused so much on drone issues and the kind of havoc they can wreak.

not even for nefarious purposes but just for a nuisance. now we have a gyrocopter problem. i don't see that as being continuous continuous but this could have been prevented. there were people that knew a ahead of time and i don't think there was a timely notification that was made to either u.s. secret service or the intelligence arm for the capital police. >> andre, thanks very much for joining us. i know they're investigating a major investigation is under way right now. we'll see what happens. what lessons are learned. appreciate it very much. still ahead that gyrocopter raising near the capitol is raising serious, serious questions. we'll get the question from the senator of the homeland committee. senator ron johnson standing by live. i grew up in louisiana. i went to school here. i've been with bp ever since. today, i lead a team that sets our global safety standards. after the spill we made two commitments.

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let's get back to the breaking news on cnn. details of yet another american charged with trying to help terror groups in syria. this from the justice department here in washington. naturalized u.s. citizen, an individual 23 years old named abdirchman sheik mohammad and he traveled to syria and went through terror training with a terror organization. was ordered to return to the, was ordered to return to the united states by that terror organization and to carry out an act of terror in the u.s. federal officials announced the indictm just a little while ago. let's bring in my next guest, republican senator ron johnson from wisconsin. chairman of the committee on

homeland security and government affairs. senator, thanks very much for joining us. like you, just learning more about this, but this seems to be happening now every week. an american citizen, this particular case a naturalized u.s. citizen arrested on these terror charges. it looks like this problem is intensifying but i'm anxious to get your analysis. >> it is wolf. very concerned. we had a man in madison in wisconsin that was just arrested as well trying to travel over to the middle east to join isis. this is very concerning and it's one of the reasons i have been talking about the fact that we have got to actually accomplish what president obama laid out as a goal. degrade and defeat isis because as long as isis remains and as long as they're not defeated and as long as they're perceived at not losing continue to inspire individuals like that to go join the jihad and train and come back and pose a threat to western america. >> unfortunately, not just isis

here this other terror group in syria, could be al qaeda and could be al qaeda in the arabian peninsula. a lot of groups that are spreading and for some bizarre reason attracting not only europeans, but americans, as well. right? >> wolf we have to face reality. my concern this administration you know dating way back but, i mean let's talk about when president obama referred to isis as jb team. i don't know if you're listening to the former head of the intelligence agency basically talking about how we pretty much shut down the analysis of the treasure-trove that we obtained in the obama bin laden raid. this administration basing a strategy on willful ignorance. just a denial of reality. we need to face these harsh realities and robust monitoring and oversight by congress no doubt about it. but intelligence gathering is

our best line of defense and, fortunately, in a couple of these instances we're watchcatching these people and how many are slipping through and plotting against america? it is a real concern. >> what i hear you saying you're concerned the u.s. intelligence community is not up to the job right now? >> i'm concerned that this administration is not up to the job. i'm concerned this administration is not willing to face reality that they're diluting themselves and diluting the american public. they are not facing the threats as seriously and in as robust fashion showing the strength that we need to defeat this type of threat. >> senator, let me shift gears and talk about that man who flew this gyrocopter through highly restricted air space here in the nation's capitol. actually landed on the lawn of u.s. capitol, not very far from where you are right now. a lot of security questions. you would think an incident like this couldn't happen in washington. since 9/11 antiaircraft missile

systems all across this country and what does this say to counter, this guy wanted to make a political statement about campaign fund-raising but if he had been a terrorist, it could have been a disaster. >> let's face it there are vulnerabilities and i'm certainly launching a preliminary investigation talking to the agencies and i want to understand the protocols. i want to understand the decisions that were made meaning hindsight, we're talking about hindsight, i'm glad we didn't take this gyrocopter out of the air. because in the end all is well that ends well. we need to prosecute this individual and i need to find out exactly, like you said what those protocols are and what those decisions are and we need to do what we can to strengthen those defenses. >> literally, we were told flies underneath beneath the radar. the radar capability of what is going on. arguably the most restricted air space in the united states between the white house, the mall and capitol hill. i guess they're going to have to

come up with some new technology right? >> again, what i don't want to talk about is what our exact capabilities are. we don't want people to fully know that. i am concerned about, you know a stunt like this inspiring other types of action. but this is very concerning. there is no doubt about it. that's why i'm starting to talk to these agencies and do my own preliminary investigation. i'm not sure we can hold hearings on this because, again, in the end i don't want to reveal everything that we are around the capital. in hindsight, i'm glad we didn't take this guy out because we need to prosecute him, set a very strong example. we don't want any more strong stunts like this. we are only taking action against people who are trying to do us real harm. >> this guy is lucky to be alive right now. u.s. capital police could have easily shot him. they didn't know he had a box full of letters to be delivered to members of congress. he could have had explosives he could have had weapons or whatever. he is obviously, very lucky man

right now to be alive. senator, thanks very much for joining us. >> have a great day. >> thank you, ron johnson the chairman of the homeland security government affairs committee in the senate. up next the lure of isis. we have a story of a promising male model and deejay who threw it all away. threw those prospects away for the syrian battlefield to join up with isis. we'll tell you what happened. stay with us.

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welcome back to our viewers in the united states and around the world. the fwreeving family in australia shocked by the news that their son was killed in syria, equally surprised that their son was fighting for isis. our amy lapo arert on the inspiring model and the lure of young people around the world. i like to play sports i'm very active. >> reporter: his future looked bright but somewhere along the way he chose the life on the battlefield instead of life on the cat walk. the latest australian believed to have been killed fighting alongside isis militants. his parents, learning of their son's death, via a text message and a phone call. they told australian media he

left his home last year telling his parents he was going camping when he traveled to fallujah iraq. where he served with isis. a far cry from the life he lived in australia as a popular deejay/model. he was part of a plan and all thrown off track when he had joined isis and had to part ways. a tearful and heart wrenching moment for everyone involved. >> reporter: the australian government said it can't confirm his death but used it as a warning for would-be jihadists. >> i have a very simple message to anyone who might be thinking to go overseas to join these terrorist groups. don't, don't. it is just as likely to be your death. >> reporter: since the bloody rise of isis he joined some 20

other australians who have been killed in the conflict. but the faith of some 90 more australians still out there on the battlefield remains unclear. amy laport, cnn, atlanta. up next a closer look at the fight against isis in iraq and whether the new iraqi government is a proper partner for the united states. stay with us.

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[♪] and in the restless depths of human hearts... [♪] the voice of the wild within. [♪] the fight against isis in iraq is taking a new turn with new air strikes. coalition strikes are advancing isis fighters near ramadi as those militant forces move closer and closer to capturing that key city. joining us now from phoenix, arizona, retired colonel general reese and former delta force commander and from irvine

california a cnn intelligence and former cia operative. thanks for joining us. you heard arwa damon who is back in baghdad now saying despite those air strikes, it still looks very gramim for the people of anbar province. maybe 150 civilians have been forced to flee their homes and they're trying to get out of there and the iraqi military says they can't get the job done until the area is free of civilians because they're afraid of casualties. colonel reese, you spent a month there in iraq. does that make any sense to you? that the iraqi military can't take on these isis fighters in ruhoddy? >> wolf what it does is it just makes it harder because you have the possibility of collateral damage when the civilians are there. you know e for the last six months an economy of force operation for the iraqis. just trying to keep everything in place until they could finish

tak tikrit and isis knows this and the iraqis know it and, unfortunately, the civilian population of the iraqis are caught in the middle of this aspect especially with isis who really has from fallujah and east ramadi and the iraqis who are out to the west with the u.s. military and with where the iraqi military is. you kind of got this island in the middle of no where with the iraqi civilians. >> do you think, bob, it makes sense for the u.s. right now, the obama administration with the support of congress to go ahead and provide hundreds of millions of dollars in additional economic and military assistance to this iraqi government right now, including some work military equipment, apache helicopters, armored vehicles, stuff like that? >> >> well wolf the problem with iraq we could put billions of dollars more into it and we

could train the army but the problem is it's a country so divided that we don't have a political solution for it. we don't understand it well enough. even the iraqis don't. the sunnis keep telling me they're not coming back. they're not going to let it into an albar. they will fight alongside the islamic state. not that they like it but they simply don't trust the government in baghdad and they don't believe the true prime minister. they still see malaki behind every corner. pouring more money into iraq isn't going to do it. >> you know colonel, further complicating all this the latest statements by the visiting iraqi prime minister is here in washington for meetings and really going after the saudis saying the saudi air strikes in

yemen could spark a larger war raising the possibility and the saudi ambassador here in washington really responded sharply to hire. these two so-called u.s. allies saudi arabia and iraq one sunni led and one shiite led the iraqis who have a lot of backing from the iranians who are supporting obviously, the shiite in yemen. looks like they're getting into a little fight of their own. this is very disturbing isn't it? >> yeah, wolf it is. i mean here's my perspective. if i'm the iraqi prime minister right now, i'm worried aboutiraq and not really worried about what is going on in the iranian peninsula because i have enough of my own issues and all the possibilities are going on because my country could be you know, on the edge of collapse. and, so i really want to focus on this. the saudis have their issues down there and i would tell you, though from an american perspective, i think and i

believe it's good that we finally have all these different major countries that are starting to talk and even if they're bickering between each other, at least we're not the ones in the middle trying to do this. we can sit back and watch where this goes. so, i like to see, though these, you know these arab countries getting involved and stepping up to the plate and take care of their own backyard. >> colonel reese, thanks very much. bob, thanks to you, as well. obviously, a very dangerous, complicated situation. just ahead, a potential rival sizes up hillary clinton's effort to connect with everyday americans. i'll speak live with vermont senator bernie sanders about hillary clinton's campaign and i'll ask him when will he get into this presidential contest? ♪ ♪ ♪

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they say to get your family tree done the fastest run for political office. case in point, presidential candidate hillary clinton during a conversation on immigration reform on wednesday. the former secretary of state said this. >> all my grandparents came over here and my grandfather went to work in a lace mill in scranton pennsylvania, and worked there until he retired at 65. started when he was a teenager and just kept going. >> after a check of public census and other records, the reality is only one of secretary clinton's grandparents immigrated her paternal grandfather was born in england.

the clinton camp issued a response. her grandparents always spoke about the immigrant experience and as a result she and her grandfather was an immigrant and appears hillary clfs grandmother was important shortly after her parents and siblings arrived in the united states in the early 1880s. certainly sounded like an announcement that he is running for president in an interview on cnn's "new day" the former rhode island governor said the words "i'm running. he was responding to a question about his criticism of hillary clinton over the war in iraq. listen to this. >> you were criticizing her saying a vote she took in the senate when you were in the senate was disqualifying for the democratic nomination. >> that's why i'm running. because i feel strongly about where we're going as a country. not only that vote but also her actions as secretary of state. >> but a spokeswoman for chafee later said he did not declare himself as a candidate.

she says we're still in the exploratory committee phase. another name on the list is senator bernie sanders of vermont. he has also been one of hillary clinton's vocal critics, at least on certain issues. the senator is here with us in our studio right now. thanks very much for joining us. >> don't ask me about my immigrant parents. >> or grandparents. >> or grandparents. >> we won't get into that. let's talk about your presidential ambitions. you would like to be president of the united states right? >> look wolf we have a situation where our country today has more serious problems than since the great depression. the reality is the middle class is disappearing and horrendous income in wealth and the top 0.1%. 99% of all new income is going to the top 9 per. do you think this is an issue we should deal with? i do. >> do you think hillary clinton is dealing with it? >> i happen to like hillary

clinton very much. i happened to know her for many many years. let's be clear about that. but what we need in this country and i mean this sincerely is a political revolution by which millions of people come together working people say enough is enough you know. this country belongs to all of us. not other billionaires. and we need a government that works for us. what does that mean? >> can she lead that revolution? >> that's something for the american people to decide. >> what do you think? >> as i said she's far preferable to the republican candidates. but the challenge now is the rally millions of americans to stand up and people will have to determine whether or past record puts her in that position. >> you're seriously thinking of running for president. >> very seriously. i'll tell you given the problems facing this country, given the record that i have in my life as mayor of burlington, senator from the state of vermont. i think we have a proven track record. the issue that i have to deal with is not just for bernie sanders, in today's campaign

finance climate where billionaires supporting huge sums of money into politics where they will take $2 billion to become president of the united states. can a candidate who does not have that kind of support who represents working families run a strong and credible campaign? >> you know ee there's no you know there's no way fundraising wise you can compete with hillary clinton? . >> that's the point. >> you can't even come close to that. >> that's correct. >> does that mean you're not going to run? >> it has to be a credible campaign not just for my ego, but because all of the issues we're talking about, raising the minimum wage to a living wage dealing with climate change dealing with citizens united not having us in a perpetual war in the middle east. all of those issues millions of people believe in i have to carry that banner. >> so when are you going to decide? >> very shortly. >> what does that mean? >> in a couple weeks. >> within two weeks? >> within a couple weeks. don't pin me down on the day. >> well couple weeks. those were your words. couple is two, right? >> yeah. >> so by the end of this month,

we should know whether bernie sanders will seek the democratic presidential nomination. you're an independent. >> i am very proudly. thanks to the people of the state of vermont, i'm the longest serving member. i'm very proud of that. >> what do you think of lincoln chafee? >> don't know lincoln very well. >> haven't studied his record? >> no. >> what about governor o'malley former governor of maryland? >> met him once. jim webb i do know. i like him very very much. >> you lime any of these people more than hillary clinton? >> it's not a question of liking them. it's not liking. we got to get away from personalities. >> substantive policy issues. what's your biggest concern about hillary clinton? all the polls show her overwhelming -- >> we're doing pretty good in new hampshire. watch those polls in new hampshire. there's one major issue. and the major issue is how do we create a situation where we take on the billionaire class? let me give you an example.

the republicans on the behalf of the billionaire class just repealed the estate tax, which means a $200 million tax break over ten years for the wealthiest two-tenths of 1% of americans. at the same time, they're raising taxes for lower income and working-class americans. it only makes sense because the big-money interests fund those campaigns. how do we take on the billionaire class? who has control over media, in all due respect? how what enormous power over wall street? >> do you have concerns hillary clinton is not up to the job? >> it's not a question of being up to the job. this is tough stuff. i don't know who is up to the job. but that's what the challenge is and i think we need a president who's prepared to do that. >> lincoln chafee goes after her because she supported the authorization to go to war against saddam hussein in iraq. you never liked that war to begin with. is that an issue that should disqualify her?

>> no. i helped lead the effort of going to war in iraq. i think history will prove i was right. the war in iraq is probably the most disastrous foreign policy blunder in the modern history of america leading to what we're seeing today. and i am very worried that i have a number of republican colleagues who seem to be itching for another war in the middle east, maybe in syria, maybe in iran. i think that would be a disaster. by the way, i strongly support what the president is trying to do and that is to make sure iran does not have a nuclear weapon and we do it through negotiations not through war. >> one final question a social issue. samt same-sex marriage where do you stand? >> the state of vermont has led the nation on that. i voted against the doma thing way back in the '90s. obviously i'm strongly supportive of people being able to get married regardless of sexual preference. >> hillary clinton totally supports it as well. >> it's the right point of view. >> bernie sanders, within two weeks, you said it here we'll

know. >> as long as you don't check my immigrants. >> we won't talk about your immigrant grandparents or great grandparents. thank you for joining us. coming up the senate is moving toward a vote to confirm loretta lynch as the next united states attorney general. or is the senate doing that? the talks could potentially resolve her long-stalled nomination. she was nominated six months ago, still hasn't had a vote. we'll give you the latest information. stay with us.

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we're following an important developing story up on capitol hill. after months and months of delay, the senate finally may be close to an agreement that would allow a vote on confirming loretta lynch as the nation's first african-american female attorney general. let's get to dana bash. what's the latest? >> well the latest is first of all to keep in mind what has been holding up loretta lynch. it's not because she lacks the votes. by our count, she has the 51 votes needed to be confirmed by the u.s. senate. but still, she has been delayed as the white house repeats over and over again, longer than any attorney general nominee since the reagan years, about three decades ago, and even twice as long as any other nominee i think since the past seven between her committee approval which was done and the senate floor vote. so the question is so what's

the hold up? it's actually on something completely unrelated. a human trafficking bill which also has very broad bipartisan support, that has been mired in differences over abortion language restrictions on abortion and federal money being used for that. so that is why -- the whole reason why loretta lynch has been held up. the majority leader won't let her nomination go before human trafficking is agreed to. today we're told by democratic and republican sources they're closing in on a deal to get human trafficking done. so once that gets done then you could actually see a vote on the attorney general nominee loretta lynch, which again has been held up for a very long time. wolf? >> all right. let's see what happens. thanks very much dana for that. we leave you with this note. israelis pause today as sirens pierced the air this morning marking holocaust remembrance day. [ sirens ] drivers stopped, stepped out of

their cars. they and others bowed their heads as the nation came to a two-minute standstill to remember the 6 billion jews killed during the holocaust and the end of world war ii. that's it for me. thanks for watching. the news continues next on cnn. all right. here we go. breaking news on cnn. i'm brooke baldwin. let's begin with what we're learning here. this american man has just been charged with propping up a terror organization. we're learning that this man is a 23-year-old from columbus ohio. reportedly traveled to syria where he went through terror training with the al nusra front. it was there he was told to turn to the states and carry out an act of terrorism. and we are now watching what