literacy and the benefits of literacy. >> to see rebecca and her team transform a library, go to cnn heroes.com. that's it for us tonight. thanks for watching. the controversy that just won't go away. the white house chief of staff gets his facts wrong when lashing out you at a dkic lawmaker. the white house is defending him. catalonia's bid for independence, it hangs in the bag at this hour. the spanish government holds an emergency meeting that could impact the region's future. cnn is live in barcelona. plus, victory in raqqah. u.s.-backed militia declared the total liberation of the de facto capital of isis. live from cnn world headquarters in atlanta, welcome to our viewers here in the united states and all around the world. i'm george howell. "cnn newsroom" starts right now.

4:00 a.m. on the u.s. east coast. the u.s. president and the white house both standing by the chief of staff, john kelly, despite his false claims about a u.s. congresswoman. the press secretary even going as far as calling -- questioning kelly highly inappropriate. our sara murray has this report for us. >> 2 the president's response to a u.s. soldier in niger, developing into a political brawl. trump taking to twitter again to blast the congresswoman who accused him of being insensitive in a conference call when he told the widow of sergeant la david johnson that her husband knew what he got into when he signed up to serve. the fake news is going crazy with wacky congresswoman wilson who was secretly on a very personal call and gave a total lie on content.

now morphing into a political battle over how the commander in chief carries out his most solemn duty comforting the families of soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice. retire marine general ask white house chief of staff john kelly, a gold star father himself, he lamented that a call between a commander and chief and the widow of a fallen soldiers was being poll lit sized. >> it stuns me that a member of congress would have listeninged in to that conversation. i thought at least that was sacred. >> wilson says she's close with the family and was with them when the president called. but kelly went further in his criticism thursday, taking another swipe at the congresswoman. >> and the congresswoman stood up and in the long tradition of empty barrels making the most noise, stood up there in all of that and talked about how she

was instrumental in getting the funding for that building. and how she took care of her constituents because she got the money and she just called up president trump and on that phone call, he gave the money, the $20 million to build a building and she sat down and we were stunned, stunned that she's done it. even for someone that is that empty a barrel, we were stunned. >> wilson quickly took issue with how the chief of staff portrayed her appearance at the fbi building dedication. >> i was not even in congress in 2009 when the money for the building was secured. so that's a lie. how dare he. however, i named the building. at the behest of director comey with the help of speaker baynor working across party lines so he didn't tell the truth and he needs to stop telling lies on

me. >> a video of the 2015 dedication from the "sun sentinel" doesn't back up kelly's events. while the congresswoman tells about her naming the building, there's to discussion of her getting funding for the project. >> everyone says that's impossible. it takes at least 8 months to a year to complete the process, to house the senate and the president's office. i said, i'm a school principal and i said excuse my french, oh, hell no. we're going to get this done. >> and she takes pains to thank the law enforcement officials in attendance and praise the slain fbi agents being honored. >> most men and women in law enforcement leave their homes for work knowing that there is a possibility they may not return. will all men and women and first

responders who work in law enforcement stand up, stand up now so that we can applaud you and what you do. stand up. we are proud of you. we're proud of your courage. thank you. >> still, the white house is standing by kelly's criticism of the congresswoman. >> as general kelly pointed out, if you're able to make a sacred act like honoring american heros all about yourself, you're an empty barrel. if you don't understand that reference, i'll put it a little more simply. as we say in the south, all hat, no cattle. >> even going so far as to suggest general kelly's military background inoculates him from questioning. >> i think he's addressed that pretty thoroughly yesterday. >> no, he was wrong yesterday in talking about getting the money. the money was -- >> if you want to go after general kelly, that's up to you. if you want to get into a debate with a four-star marine general, i think that's something highly

inappropriate. >> amid all the political sniping, still few answers from the administration on what exactly happened during the mission in niger that went so badly awry. >> on friday, white house press secretary sarah sanders refused to engage in any questions about that mission in niger, instead saying the administration would wait until a full investigation into those events are completed. sara murray, cnn, the white house. >> sara, thank you for the report. white house press secretary sarah sanders has written a statement to cnn and it reads as follows. quote, of course, everyone can be questioned. but after witnessing general kelly's heartfelt and somber account, we shall all be able to agree that im puling his credible on how to best honor fallen heros is not appropriate. also, president trump had this to say in an interview on fox business.

listen. >> he was so offended. because he was in the room when i made the call and so were other people. and the call was a very nice call. he was so offended that a woman would be -- that somebody would be listening to that call, he was -- he actually couldn't believe it. actually, he said to me, sir, this is not acceptable. this is really not -- and he knew i -- i was so nice. look, i've called many people and i would think that every one of them appreciated it. i was very surprised to see this, to be honest with you. >> let's talk more about this with steven erlinger, chief diplomatic koercht for the "new york times" live for us if in brussels via skype. it's good to have you with us, steven. in defense of general kelly, the white house press secretary suggested first to a reporter that it's simply inappropriate to question a four-star general in a statement. she seemed to walk that back the in that comment that you just heard e-mailed to cnn.

but let's not lose focus here. the question was raised about general kelly, about the fact that he put out there and those facts were simply inaccurate, they were wrong. as you saw in sara's story, the video proves it. still no one at the white house taking responsibility for these incorrect statements. >> it's a very sad story. look, a guy died. i died serving his country. the president of the united states tried in a very difficult way to make a consoling phone call. i'm sure he meant it to be that way. you don't make that kind of call in order to get into a fight with the mother of a slain american soldier. and it's all gone wrong. and it's sad. and part of the reason it's so sad is that this white house can't seem to avoid getting into fights with people it doesn't have to fight with. all the president had to say was i'm really sorry that my

comments were were misinterpreted. they were meant to be consoling and i'm sorry that they were misinterpreted and, you know, we mourn the death of sergeant johnson and then it would have ended. and then kelly, who is a guy from boston, you know, gets into his own fight with a congresswoman who he clearly doesn't respect and that raises all kinds of questions all over again about the trump white house and its relationship with african-americans and whether, you know, they're insensitive to racial issues and all kinds of things. it was all incredibly unavoidable. -- incredibly avoidable, i'm sorry. and all kelly has to do now is say, you know, i misremembered. that's not the way i remembered it. i'm sorry. let's move on. >> and when it comes to these facts that have been proven inaccurate, the statements that were put out there by the -- by

mr. kelly, again, no accountability from this white house at this point. >> well, this is true. i mean, this is absolutely true. he's not god and the president is not god. we have a country full of strong opinions and people have the right to say them and officials have the right to be questioned. mr. kelly is now mr. kelly. he's not general kelly and he's not leading people into battle. he is a political aide to a political president. all presidents are political as well as being president. and so there's no problem question withing him. and i think he should simply do the right thing and say, i had misremembered. i got my facts wrong. >> it is interesting you point that out, though, that the chief of staff now in more of a political light, he has been seen as the person who would bring a military mind-set is to be above politics. but given this back and forth

certainly cast into a political light, i'd like to shift for a moment, steven, to talk about the president's former chief strategist steve ban b out now promising a war against establishment republicans and on stage in the oois state of california at a gop convention, we heard him sharpen his focus. listen. >> there has not been a more destructive presidency than george bush's. the rise of china started with the clintons and bush. when they had this great theory that you let them into the world trade organization and give them most favorite nations that they're going to become a liberal democracy as they get bigger and they're going to become more free market capitalists. >> let's not forget former president bush was just in the news a short time ago talking on stage in comments that were perceived by many as a veiled swipe at the trump

administration. but here is the question. will steve bannon's attack on former presidents like bush, will it be an attractive sale to republicans with trump's base or is this a losing strategy? >> he did it before the california republicans who have is all kinds of problems and they won't solve their problems by going to the par right. steve bannon is a blustery guy. he's a bit self-taught. he's the kind of person that on the far right passes for an intellectual. but one thing he is is after establishment republicans and george bush and george bush's father are by definition establishment republicans. bannon sees himself as an incendiary figure trying to destroy republican party as it is and rebuild something else. he's perfectly entitled to do that. but i really don't personally think that's the way the republicans will keep power in

the white house or let alone take back california. >> steven erlanger, we appreciate your insight today live for us in brussels. thank you. >> thank you. steven mentioned this, the investigation into the deaths of those four u.s. soldiers, the soldiers who died in niger. u.s. lawmakers are demanding answers. the men were killed more than two weeks ago after they were killed by mill at that points. barbara starr reports one of the victims was separated from his conrads and his body was found a disturbing distance away. >> sergeant la david johnson was found nearly a mile away from the central scene of the ambush, according to four administration officials familiar with the early assessment. they all caution this is the early picture and the investigationen continues. the pentagon is still looking at the exact circumstances of how he became separated from his unit.

the entire team, led by green ba rays, has been interviewed officials say about when they last saw johnson. the u.s. teamed had stopped in a town on the niger border so the nigerian eps they were working with could pick up supplies. investigators believe the ambush may have begun with the u.s. soldiers were back in their vehicles, with possibly even driving. as those killed are laid to rest with, defense secretary james mattis on capitol hill briefed senator john mccain one day after mccain, chairman of the armed services committee, threatened subpoenas if the pentagon doesn't start telling congress what it knows. >> i felt that we were not getting a sufficient amount of information and we are clearing a lot of that up now. >> mattis refusing to publicly comment why the fbi is now involved in gathering intelligence on the suspected isis militant that ambushed the

u.s. forces. >> the fbi would have jurisdiction to investigate and bring back the perpetrators to the u.s. if it can be done. >> the b pressure is mounting for a public explanation. what did happen to sergeant johnson? >> he was abandon for two days, for 48 hours. why? why didn't they pick him up and put him on their shoulders like they did the other fallenen comrades? and put him on a helicopter and take him to safety.? he could have still been alive. center but that is. >> but mattis is fiercely adamant they did that. >> i would ask that you not question the actions of the troops who were caught in the fire fight and question whether or not they did everything they could in order to bring everyone out at once been. >> and taking pains to point out

all troops face risks, top brass bushing back hard. >> i'll tell you categorically that from the moment of contact, no one was left behind, either u.s., our partner nigerian forces or french forces were on the ground actively searching for the soldier. >> in the first 48 hours when johnson was still missing, cnn was one of the news organizations that agreed not to report an active search was under way for him because no news organization that is responsible would interfere with an active operation if it was even possible a soldier was still alive out there. barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. barbara, thank you. if in spain's catalonia region, rain can't dampen the spirits of protesters who want independence there. but we'll find out what the government is trying to do to crush that movement. stay with us. ohn's disease. you're more than just a bathroom disease. you're a life of unpredictable symptoms. crohn's, you've tried to own us. but now it's our turn to take control with stelara®

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central rule and to force new elections. erin mclaughlin is following the this for us this hour. what can we expect from the prime minister today? >> hi, george. there's a real sense of apprehension here. catalonia has been an unchartered territory ever since the catalan government held an independence referendum earlier in the month, a referendum which the spanish constitutional court deemed to be illegal. now, ever since two deadlines passed, mandated by madrid for the catalan president to response to clarify the situation, now rahoya has decided to take emergency action in the spanish constitution which would give them extraordinary powers over this region.

article 155 has never been invoked before. it is veemly vague. so what's expected to happen this hour is a meeting of his cabinet ministers to go over a range of measures. media reports as well as opposition speculating that that measure could include a forcing snap election owes this region in january. but that has yet to be announced. so all of this at this point extremely uncertain in terms of the situation. i've been speaking to people here in barcelona and they're basically blaming both sides for mishandling the situation. take a listen to what some people had to say that i spoke to earlier today. >> translator: this is not a good situation. first, they need to talk and understand what is really happening here. applying article 155 without asking us, without knowing what is really happening here, they have to sit down and mow what is really happening, to listen to us. >> for me, the 155, it's like,

let me say what i want. let me do what i want. so 155 is like -- i don't know, return to the history. >> reporter: to get a real sense of just how nervous people are, now, out of today's cabinet meeting, we are expecting a press conference from the spanish prime minister sort of outlining next steps to outline what sort of measures they plan on implementing. from there, those measures go to senate for approval with, but worth noeth that rahoy's party has majority in the senate, so whatever is decided at today's ministerial meeting is expected to pass, george. >> erin, thank you today. let's bring in our guest, david endete. he is a managing newspaper editor live for us in madrid at this hour. good to have you with us today

been we just got a sense of the mood in barcelona, one person saying if article 155 is applied here, it's as if it's been done so without the government really talking, without enough communication. what are your thoughts on that? >> well, you have to consider that there cannot be a negotiation between the central government and the catalan government because that would mean that the central government and mr. rahoy are recognizing that there has been independence, that they are dealing with an equal. so that call for dialogue is very tricky. yes, there needs to be a negotiation, but this negotiation needs to take part after the law has been restored and one of the testimonies in the piece that you just showed said that this is going back to the franco years. it's something very common that has been said in barcelona these days, but it could not be far from the truth. the article 155 is in the

constitution and it was voted by all the spaniards in the democratic reign. >> it is important to point out that nuance that you say it can't seem like the two are equals, but at the same time, many are questioning, you know, is there enough communication between these two sides? so, look. if article 155 is impose dollars, if we do see the government imposed direct rule, is there a chance that this could back fire? >> of course. of course. i mean, this is a really bad outcome. it comes from the central government not negotiating, not negotiating enough when they had the chance to actually listen to the ka ta lan leaders about what was going on in catalonia. maybe they wanted more autonomy in government. that's able to be done. now we see auto dead lock in which they are going to take control. it's a serious measure. but if the only measure they can take is the only measure in the

constitution through which they can actually -- and this is according to our sources, what they are going to do, we just learned that they are going to take away their government, the premier and the full regional government and they are going to bring in a new figure that will run catalonia until we have elections, maybe, most likely in january. >> since october 1st, pressure has been mounting, but let's talk about the pressure on prime minister rahoy. how much pressure is on him to bring some sort of order to this situation? >> well, there are two types of the pressure here. one is international pressure and one could say that he's most staunch supporters have been theresa may from the united kingdom, jean claude junker and angela merkel from germany. in the international level, there has been no pressure whatsoever. within spain, he has pressure

from the main.opposition party, especially the socialist party to find common ground and negotiate. but, you know, while rahoy is not a man to take strong measures in a fast pace web likes to take his time, he usually tends to take him time when taking measures, you know, this situation has been going on and on and on and is on until the catalan premier has been in a situation in which he's breaking the law, about declaring independence, organizing a referendum. so one could claim replying to your question that be from the yesh has been internal. but, you know, at the end, you've seen the socialist party and other opposition parties supporting rahoy because it's the only option that they have right now. it's the only option. there's not another option. we have to go there, restore the law and from there restore elections. >> david alande the te, thank you so much for your time today.

you're watching "cnn newsroom." still ahead, they fought for years to rid their country of isis. why the kurds are now under attack in northern iraq. in the meantime, in syria there are celebrations as rebel forces claim a major victory over isis fighters. what's next for raqqah, syria? cnn live from atlanta, georgia, this hour. simulcast on both cnn usa and cnn international worldwide this hour. stay with us. these days families want to be connected 24/7.

that's why at comcast we're continuing to make our services more reliable than ever. like technology that can update itself. an advanced fiber-network infrustructure. new, more reliable equipment for your home. and a new culture built around customer service. it all adds up to our most reliable network ever. one that keeps you connected to what matters most. welcome back to viewers here in the united states and all around the world. you're watching "cnn newsroom." it is good to have you with us. i'm george howell with the headlines we're following for you this hour.

the white house is clarifying statements regarding chief of staff john kelly. pretty secretary sarah sanders tells cnn anyone can be questioned after saying it was inappropriate to debate with kelly given that he's a four-star general. this comes after kelly made false claims about a democratic congresswoman on thursday. the pentagon is now investigating why one of the four soldiers killed had in niger was separated from his unit. sergeant la david johnson was found about 1.5 clom the ters, that's nearly a mile away, from where militants attacked them. the british regional government says it is welcoming talkes and a cease-fire with baghdad in disputed areas. baghdad has almost seized kirkuk from kurdish control. cnn's ben wedeman was there during the fighting on tri. he joins us live. ben, if you could, explain to

our viewers what you witnessed, what you saw. >> well, what we saw is really the most serious outbreak of fighting between iraqi forces and the kurdish peschmarga that's taking place since the beginning of the week when iraqi forces took the oil-rich town of kirkuk. since then, we've seen tensions ratcheting up, unprecedented really since the days of saddam hussein. overnight, we understand the guns have gone silent, but only for now. weapons once fired at isis now fired at an ally turned enemy. early friday, iraqi troops including armed shia paramilitaries entered the town north of kirkuk pushing kurdish forces ever further back. this is the most serious

fighting yet for the two sides and doesn't bode well for a country that after 3 1/2 years of bitter combat has come close to defeating isis. this is the beginninging of a war betwe kurdistan and baghdad. we won't allow them to take our land. sporadic mortar and ar tilg fti fire echos in the distance. as the day wore on, more rushed to the front. according to an old adage, the kurds have no friends but the mountains, their traditional refuge. and today with the united states officially neutral in this conflict, there's a sense among these fighters that indeed only the mountains are their friends. we were one hand with the americans, says harem. but unfortunately, unfortunately, unfortunately today the americans have sold us

to the shia and the iranians. the new american president, once aer doored by the kurds, now the object of their anger. we celebrated for trump, says aram. but trump betrayed us. after isis stormed across iraq in the summer of 2014, the u.s. made defeat of the terror group its.top priority and it worked. but in victory, there's little to savor. a year ago, iraqi and kurdish forces were fighting side by side with the support of the u.s.-led international coalition to drive isis out of mosul. today, that grand alliance is collapsing. and collapsing with it, perhaps, iraqi itself. iraqi commanders and leaders now say that this is as far as iraqi forces will go, that they plan

to go no further. but what has happened is what little trust existed between the kurdish leaders and the government in baghdad seems to have collapsed and, therefore, there's not a lot of confidence, at least among the kurds that this is the end of the story. george. >> is there any sense, ben, that there could be some communication, some mending of trust in this situation? >> well, certainly what we've seen is statements from both baghdad and the kurdish leaders that they do intend to open a dialogue, that they do want to restore sort of a warm level of communications. and i think both sides are looking to the americans to sort of sponsor that restoration of ties between the two. but kurds are very worried about the influence of iran on the government in baghdad and feel that the iranians aren't so keen

on any sort of american intervention when it comes to rather involvement in negotiations when it comes to the resolution of this conflict. so it's very complicated at this point and in a sense there's a feeling both in baghdad in here and the kurdish areas that this is a problem that is in a sense heavily influenced by outside players, by the americans, by the iranians, and others. george. >> the reporting in context from our senior international correspondent ben wedeman live for us in erbil. thank you for the report today, ben. u.s.-backed fighters in syria are celebrating a major victory over isis. that's the scene there in raqqah, syria, on friday. that city declared totally liberated from isis. forces danced there at the

stadium where isis fighters made their last stand just a few days earlier. raqqah was the de facto capital for isis for more than three years. the terror group isn't completely finished, though, in iraq and syria. but its grip is crumbling. this map shows the territory that it held back in 2014 compared now to what it holds presently. that stadium we showed you you was also an isis headquarters. the terror group used it to plan attacks and also to hold prisoners. our nick paton walsh has an inside look at the prison there and the ruin that isis brock to raqqah. >> reporter: isis usually leaves places looking like this and their self-declared capital was no different, one with exception. where are the people inspect hardly a soul here. the victors swarming around isis's old hq, the stadium. it's extraordinary to stand exactly where i am, it's just a matter of weeks or months ago may, in fact, have been plotting

attacks against the west. this, the stadium, one of the symbols of their presence here. it was underground where this place mattered most, torture, im prisonment, even their own. even graffiti, some of it explaining to b prisoners why they were here. one says if you're reading this, there's four main reasons why you're here. you did the crime and you were caught red happened. using gps locations, ie, you need your amir's permission, which you didn't do. be patient, be patient, be patient. the enemy of the satan will do every whispering while you stare at the wall or the floor. further down still, the hazard that still remains. a city beset by tunnels that run deep. the main fight may be over, by the flame that isis's sick ideas

flickers worldwide online. the global fight here for its volunteers, though, is over. >> how was it? you enjoyed it? >> yeah. like -- >> john is on his way back to colorado. >> how close to isis did you get? >> like seven meters. you could see them running in the street. >> is this kind of a thrill four? >> it's better than sitting in a desert doing nothing and drinking chai. >> i was doing customer support and fixing computers and stuff. i don't know what i'm going to do. >> probably not that. >> probably not that. >> life can return here for the only building not eviscerated is a hospital where isis held human shields. this is the only isis fighter we saw. the bodies cleaned up fast. in the dust of the refugee camp where many have fled he are

these new sparkling tents, home to 200 isis fighters and their families who surrendered after a negotiated deal. we weren't allowed to talk to them. they once lived on and in fear, yet fear drove them to surrender and their future uncertain now haunts their nights under the cold canopies here. nick paton walsh, region, raqqah, syria. in afghanistan, suicide attacks killed more than 50 people the at two mosques on friday. one blast struck a shiite most in kabul. at least 39 people were killed, this when the attacker detonated his vest inside the building. the other attack targeted a sunni mosque west. at least 20 people were killed in that blast. still ahead here on news room, no party, no water, though

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welcome back. a 2016 meeting in trump tower in new york is getting more attention now as u.s. lawmakers interview several russians. the senate intelligence committee is strike to determine if will there was collusion between the trump campaign and moscow. we have details from capitol hill. we're now learning that several of these russians have, in fact, met with the senate intelligence committee. this is the first time that we are now learning that those russians who did attend that 016 meeting with donald trump jr., with paul manafort, with jared kushner have, in fact, discussed what happened there with people on capitol hill investigating the potential of any collusion that occurred with the russians and trump associates.

now this is significant in several ways. one, this is a part of what investigators are trying to determine, whether or not there was any inappropriate contact with trump officials and russians and also it's a sign that trump himself may came to the intelligence committee. the intelligence committee chairman confirming that several russians did, in fact, meet with the senate intelligence committee. they want to sequence it so they can talk to everybody who was in the room first before donald trump jr. we don't know exactly which of these russians did, in fact, meet with the senate intelligence committee. burr was not comment on that. neither would other senate intelligence officials. we do know there were four russians in that meeting. there was a russian translator and a person tied to a russian

oll oligarch. clearly this is a key area of focus going forward. the question is does it move them any closer to that notion of possibly collusion, possible coordination with the trump administration and the russians. manu raju, cnn, capitol hill. now to puerto rico. it's been a month now since hurricane maria left much of that island in ruins. since the storm, people there have been struggling to survive. many people without water, without power or basic supplies. our polo sandoval reports when schools are out of session there, no one can feel normal. >> this schoolyard should be bullsing with activity at the height of the fall semester. not today. not sense hurricane maria threatened the island of puerto rico. schools to this high school have been closed since september

18th. today, the only signs of life are on the other end of the campus. room 204 serves as a temporary home. this grand b mother of 11 tells me from one moment to another, she lost her house and everything in it. her grandson led up the mountainside to show what's left of his family homes. there isn't much else he can do these days. like most of the students on this island, a return to class may provide a welcome escape from reality. he says the first thing he'll do when he gets back to class is hug his friends. he doesn't know when that will be, as long as displaced families like his are using shelters, classes can't resume. schools on the island would reopen on tuesday according to

some announcements, but teachers at this school say that won't.happen here. >> we have a lot of work to do says radasma, a drama teacher. while there is optimism with, there is no realtime line for when students will walk down these halls again. even if displaced families are resettled, there are still plenty of b obstacles. classrooms are in disrepair, roads are nearly impassable because of mudslides and is there is still no running water in the town leaving families to struggle to survive. she is staying strong and wants to see her grandchildren back in a classroom. just not this one. a new exhibition is dazzling visitors to the british library in london. the magical memories on display just ahead here. 't do only half of your daily routine,

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potter book. it features some rare memorabilia as well as some historic artifacts referenced in the popper lular series. >> the boy who lived voldimort and quiddich began 20 years ago when j.k. rowling released harry potter and the sorcerer's stone. on the two decade anniversary, the british library has conjured to life row withling's world in an exhibition. >> this will have things like the stones, won't need any explanation for them, mandrake roots, for the philosopher's stone. >> visitors can mix portions, or look into the swimming depths of the crystal ball, brought to life by arts and culture.

but perhaps a selling point, a rare opportunity to view r on you wling's arts and sketches early. >> i think it's fascinating to see how the author views her own characters along side which we have some of our notes and plans for writing the fifth book in the series, "the order of the phoenix". the scratched out page are a window into rowling's mind as she began writing some of the best selling books of all time. regular muggels can revel in a treasure trove of wizardry artifacts. >> those of you who aren't fans, it does explore ideas relate to go early magic, early science and belief. >> an 800 b.c. caldron retrieved

from the river thames or a 15th century tombstone of nicholas flome will he will he, a alchemist. >> strange and usually alchemical imagery telling you how to make the philosopher's stone, people were working on this for centuries to try and create the elixir of eternal life. >> this is a short walk from king's cross station are where wizards and witch withes can hop off at platform 9 3/4. robin creole, cnn. >> thank you for being with us for "cnn newsroom." i'm george howell. the news continues here on cnn right after the break. i'm only in my 60's.

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♪ the u.s. president chief of staff got his facts wrong. but the white house is standing behind john kelly. criticism over a democratic congresswoman. also -- is madrid about to strip catalonia's separatist movement of its powers? a cabinet meeting is under way right now in the spanish capital. and a new clash between kurdish forces and iraqi troops but there's also a hint at macy talks. live in cnn world headquarters in atlanta, we want to welcome our viewers here in the united states and all around the world. i'm george howell. "cnn newsroom" starts right now.