breaking news coverage continues. turn it over to chris for cuomo "prime time." >> it's midnight in the east. now daylight in the middle east. where military can get a clear view of the damage from iran's retaliation strike on two bases that house u.s. forces in iraq. the early good word from the pentagon and this president. is that there is no word of any u.s. casualty. we now know a big reason why. there was early warning to the u.s. troops attack was coming. how about hope for deescalation. language from this president and high official in iran that gives

the possibility of just that. so let's get into this special edition of "prime time." all right. the latest word is u.s. military official tells cnn troops that they did have enough early warning of the ballistic missile launches to sound alarms at the al assad bases in iraq. so, what does that mean? those in harms way were arable able to get to bunkers and safety and hunker down. if true and all are safe that is a true blessing and also the best indication that this situation may not escalate. the president of the united states tweeted a few hours ago. quote all is well. so far so good. now, that is an interesting characterization of being bombed

in two different base. the ultimate analysis is were the casualties. was there loss. was there clear reason for another step towards escalation? the problem here is the president's practicality vs. his tweets in the past. he laid out a red line. that iran clearly crossed with its bombing. is that the point of action. so far it isn't. the president says he'll make a statement wednesday morning. we wait that. iran put out a statement by foreign minister who tweeted his country took proportionate measures in self-defense. here's the important part. does not seek escalation or war but will defend against any aggression. we have global team coverage of course. let's begin in washington with cnn white house correspondent. now late obviously on the east coast. what is the latest word and the indication of what comes

tomorrow? >> that tweet from the president that you mentioned is what we're hearing from the white house. that is the latest word that we're getting. all is well. so far so good. far from the fire and brimstone that we were hearing from the president just a couple days ago. as the united states waited to see how iran would retaliate. we know how they have indeed retaliated with the missiles fired at iraq bases. housing u.s. troops in iraq. the president is sounding a cautiously optimistic tone. and making very clear that the thing he has his eye on over night and prepare to see whether or not the president of the united states will respond with his own military response is this casualties. that is what the president is keeping his eye on. he says assessment of casualties and damages taking place now. so far so good. as you mention, the president set this red line a couple days

ago and clearly that red line has been crossed. remember the president didn't just talk about attacks that would kill american troops he talked about attacks on u.s. interest as well. and if iraq base housing american troops is not a u.s. interest, i'm not sure what else would be. >> hopefully the tweet won't rule with all the other circumstances and counsel he's getting. we'll see. thank you very much. let's go to cnn in berut. what do you make of what iran did as retaliation? >> i have to say this is not necessarily a move that was designed to create the max amount of american casualties. i don't know the exact lay out of the air base. normally this time of night you would expect troops to be sleeping in large numbers in a tent. surrounded by concrete to

protect themselves from a blast in the event they didn't get a warning. unless you a direct hit upon the sleeping facilities you won't get that much casualties. the missile technology is not necessarily able to deliver that pinpoint attack. we have a dozen missiles fired. but the u.s. million tear op a high state of alert with significant and sophisticated antimissile systems. some may have been already this morning. the calculation by iran's leaders must have been not particularly well to grasp what the missiles were able to do or possibly thinking if they fire in the night like this it might make a loud bang or statement of military force. that they want to. but not necessarily kill enough americans to a u.s. response. there's something from this of an off ramp. that iran gets to say we have done our bit. america did its bit and everybody moves on tomorrow.

it's so hard to necessarily predict quite how the trump administration will react to something like this. it appears to cross the red line. certainly in terms of attack against u.s. interest. you have to look at this in terms of how it makes iran loolk in the region. they were making noise about forcing the united states out. the supreme leader has been reported to suggest he wanted to see iran military attack against the u.s. military. he's got that. it didn't occur in any way which thus far appears to have been that effective. many when they heard it thought it was the strangest way for iran to respond. a military military confrontation between teheran and washington. the pentagon would win in that. they thought proxies and other ways of harming the united states if they chose to do that. >> right. of course called for it to come from main line iranian military.

that's what seems to have happened here. according to the intelligence report. and their good at that they saw them setting them up and tracked them. we'll see what comes next. very interesting observations i appreciate you for them. stay safe. thank you. let's go to teheran. thank you for joining me. first, what do you make of this notion that maybe iran's plan was to make a show of force, show they could have done worse, but not cause a lot of deadly impact. do you believe they have that kind of sensitive capability and have that kind of sensitivity? >> yes, actually, they have already said that. sp made the point that just we want to have a tit for tat. the game is over. and that will be the end of the

game of violation. and iran said that we will have a harsh response. if you like. and en after harsh response, we want our assured that peace will presail and everything will be okay. actually from early morning. we can see the video of jubilation sometimes. run by the agency. so the people are happy for the victory. that means the victory for peace and to end the war or to deescalate. so from their point of view, the narrative is that we did or tit for tat. and the game is over. >> that would be great. but let's take one more step down the road of analysis. because if soleimani meant as much to the iranian government and culture as suggested by the

display of memorial and what has been said by the leadership, how is sending bombs assuming they had capability and intention to come close but not hurt anybody. which is hard to believe. how is that an appropriate response to losing your number two? not that i wish anything worse. but why would that appease people within the hard line? >> appease people because people don't like war. and although they are angry and show their anger in the rally when they pay respect for soleimani. their beloved commander. it doesn't mean they love war and want to see the war between america. that is also -- the least thing a risk and that's the way the war is not sold here. supreme leader said over and over there won't be a war.

there won't be a negotiation either. so the top leadership in iran doesn't want to seek war. reiterate over and over. and at the same time to appease people. and use the blog of their command beloved commander who unified the country. to unify a divided society. so actually soleimani's blood has served a purposes of the ruling theocracy. now the harsh response according to the narrative has happened. let's go back to our the routine. >> i appreciate that perspective and i hope it's accurate. that would be great if this is the end of the violence and we can move onto something else. a bizarre event that happened tonight that we don't believe had anything to do with hostility between iron and the

united states. what a bizarre twist. after the bombing this video coming out. locally. of a boeing 737, 180 passengers on board. crashing just after taking off from teheran. preliminary reports suggest the plane was in route to kiev. ukraine. obviously a big player in american politics. the word i understand it please you tell me, from teheran is this was not anything to do with any kind of retailuation. this was a mechanical problem. what a bizarre thing to happen on this night. >> yes. it is the worst scenario that could happen. catastrophe. in terms of human casualty. and people are shocked and unfortunately it was not top news because the top news was harsh response to american base in iraq. and so it was ignored almost.

because the top news over shadowed anything else. actually the head of the iran navigation organization confirmed that yes, there's no chance for any survival and all on board died. now collecting anything they can. just to find out what's going on. what happened. and to looking for the black box to understand the investigation. but it was very bad. catastrophe in a very unrightful time. it was a tragedy. that of course is not rare in this part of the country. especially for ukrainian and russian planes. but it's a catastrophe. unfortunately nobody survived.

>> 180 lives lost. on a night we have been watching for loss of life. thank you so much for what is going on there. what may happen next and share this bizarre circumstances that cost so much life tonight unremitted to what we have been following. we'll hear later on wednesday morning from the president. that's what we're told. question is what are we going to hear? more importantly what will we hear from congress? i had the top republican in charge of our security on tonight and he said he doesn't think the president has to consult with congress about any of this. can that be? have they learned nothing from what's happened over the last few days chl we'll bring in a house armed services committee member. next. [sneeze and sniffles]

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at booking.com trumpand total disaster.mplete let obamacare implode. nurse: these wild attacks on healthcare hurt the patients i care for. i've been a nurse in new york for thirty years. i know the difference leadership can make because i saw what mike bloomberg did as mayor. vo: mayor bloomberg helped lower the number of uninsured by 40%, covering 700,000 more new yorkers, life expectancy increased. he helped expand health coverage to 200,000 more kids and upgraded pediatric care--- infant mortality rates dropped to record lows. and as mayor, mike bloomberg always championed reproductive health for women. so when you hear mike bloomberg on health care... mrb: this is america. we can certainly afford to make sure that everybody that needs to see a doctor can see a doctor, everybody that needs medicines to stay healthy can get those medicines. nurse: you should know, he did it as mayor, he'll get it done as president. mrb: i'm mike bloomberg

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missiles at two bases that hold u.s. troops. the reason he has any basis to say that is because so far no report of any casualty. lest get reaction from a member of the house. california democrat, good to have you back on "prime time" very interesting the state of play now iran launched missiles whether it was any way intentional or just in incompetence. at this point it doesn't seem they spilled any american blood. that would still cross the red line the president set in a tweet. do you see that as a real guideline? or is there an actual window to let hostility pass. >> i think there's a word that has been said by the secretary of defense and a similar word in a tweet from the foreign minister of iran. that is deescalate. it appears as though both sides want to deescalate.

that is excellent. wonderful, terrific news. if there is a tit for tat or retaliation now on the part of the united states that won't take place. it's time for everybody to stop for a moment and take a deep breath. let this deescalate. and see if we can get back to where we were prior to this rocket attacks and the rocket attacks that killed the american. and the killing of soleimani. so, if it doesn't happen that way, then it is not an issue of the americans defending themselves from an attack. it is an attack by america into iran. that is the requirement for congress to pass a resolution and act of war. which we must do before the president takes any other step. >> let me ask you something about that. before tonight, that is with

congress being boxed out of any discussion about what the president was doing under the guideline of imminent threat. that the secretary of state nor any other member of the administration including the president has been able to explain to anybody satisfaction. except the die hard supporters. isn't that jr. job already? yet another example of congress its power to provide statutory or declaration powers to a president? >> depends upon the word imminent. we can dance around that word or try to number the angels dancing on the head of a pin. the reality is the president has the power to protect americans, military and otherwise, from an imminent threat. now where we are today is that there is no apparent imminent threat if in fact iran is

sending a signal that is doesn't intend to do more than intends to deescalate. the next move is up to the united states. >> he could argue he really doesn't need you. they were just bombed. if he wants to do something he has a justification. >> i think not. because that is then moving into an ongoing war situation. not an imminent threat of attack but rather a full blown let's go to war. in which case it is up to congress to take that and up really the responsibility of the president. to come before congress and in a joint session say we need to attack or continue to attack iran. so they don't do this or that to us. >> you think anything further would require congress but you don't think talking out soleimani required congress? >> i think that, yes, congress should have been notified ahead of time. however, i don't see much use in

debating the word imminent at this point. going forward there is as we know it today, no imminent threat of an attack. clearly iran signalled it was going to attack. we knew that those missiles were being readied. if we wanted to deal with an imminent attack, we could have attacked those missiles before they were launched. if we see a situation in which the missiles are being rolled out and ready to fire. and yes we have an imminent attack. we're in a situation now where it's up to the president to make a decision. deescalate if he intends to escalate this then in my view he must come to congress and ask for a declaration of war and it's up to us to say yes or no depending on the argument and circumstances. from my point of view there is

no declaration of war that is justified nor is there an imminent attack that we know of at this moment. >> congressman, i appreciate you very much. on a very important night. >> all right. this is the foreign policy test that may define this administration. he threatened a disproportionate military response if iran attacked again. and now it has. this isn't about baiting the president. this is about holding his words up to scrutiny. two state department veterans are here to help understand where things could go, what the tweet should mean or not mean. next. i can. the two words whispered at the start of every race. every new job. and attempt to parallel park. (electrical current buzzing) each new draft of every novel. (typing clicks)

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we don't want to be overly optimistic in the situation. it does seem at this point that iran sees the missile launches that it did today and this evening. as retaliation. as this is it. that seems to be the message from the iranian foreign minister. and so far, as far as we know. now that daylight comes in the middle east and they can assess in the u.s. base. there are no casualties to report at this point. as i said iran foreign minister tweeted that the attacks were concluded in what he called proportionate measures his country is not seeking escalation. that seems to suggest in a plain reading that tlair not going to do anything else. two questions. does that mean that we're in a period of deescalation? entering of diplomatic

situation. that's farfetched. or did they already cross a red line for the president and now when he speak to the country tomorrow morning he will address that. foreign relations experts join me now. it's good to have you both. first, can you give me your take quickly on whether or not do either of you believe that iran has the capabilities o guide missiles well enough to come close, cause physical destruction. but not do maximum deadly damage. and that's what they did. do you believe they have the capability. >> they had an opportunity to be more targeted if they wanted or could have hit civilian sights. they knew they were targeting bases and military personnel had enough opportunity to seek safe haven. i think they could have been much worse. if what they were looking for was shock and awe it wouldn't be

an herbally empty military base. >> i think that's right. they had intel on the base. they knew that we would detect well before launch. there was ample time to clear out personnel. when you launch 12 missiles 800 miles, i'm not sure we're not talking about precision guided. there was some risk. they tried to thread the needle and have given the united states an opportunity now tow respond in kind. >> i think you have to be skeptical. we're not used to iran having benign intentions. but the good news is they missed. one way or another. this window for did escalation the president tweeted you do anything you cross the line and i'm coming big time. is that dismissed as trump talk and there could be a better plan? >> usually presidential credibility is you mean what you

say you say what you mean. and the gap between ret rihetord failing to act. i think we need arudent and wise commander in chief. who is ready to acknowledge there is space here and at least for this round to deconflict. i suspect he'll play the statesman. i'm hoping. with the the next 48 hours. >> on that score, what we have going for us is not a fan of the moves. it was a little shocking that he did something this provocative when he criticized any move anything like it in president's past of both parties. >> drawing back troops from the middle east. so starting a war a ground war with iran would go against the campaign promise and what the majority of americans are looking for. he has itchy twitter fingers and

a thin skin. iran coming at him hard and strong with the rhetoric. got under his skin. he was trying to be responsive to the fact a u.s. contractor was killed and iran has a broad net work of terrorist activity. clearly this was an escalation and the united states making itself heard. what the ironens have responded with is we heard the message. we're giving our public a reason to stand strong and save face. i thought it was important that the foreign minister said he concluded proportionate strikes. the conclusion and the proportion means that's the response. we're not looking to escalate. there's an opportunity and window for diplomacy if the president of the united states chooses that path. >> pompeo says you can't believe this foreign minister. he's bs. and lies all the time. can he be taken as a word of authority in the administration? or wait for the supreme leader. >> he's a very seasoned diplomat. he knows how to work with

european allies and decades of american diplomats. prior to the administration. i would say of the two secretary pompeo has been the one to be in the rhetoric. to be antagonistic. i would be curious to see how our nations lead diplomat changes tone. the department of defense secretary was far more reserved in his comments when he said we're looking to deescalate. we're not looking to start a war. we're looking to end it. that's what we need to hear going forward. hopefully from the president of the united states. >> i lean on you heavily for perspective on and off camera. and thousand make sense of the situations for the audience. in terms of electability and what this can mean. what's a calculus from your experience that this president should keep in mind about what iran could represent? >> i think it's like dancing with a bear. the only problem is you can't let go.

the reality is we're going to back to a competitive slog. the missile programs will continue. they'll ramp up within certain parameters. and the aspirations for regional influence will continue. we'll have a choice to make. we cannot bring this regime down. that's foolish. economic sanctions will not make them bend to the president's will. you saw what happened when we launch into a connective activity with them. had we preempted those missile strikes or decided to retaliate against iran, they could launch against dubai. the magnitude is quite remarkable. we may get a deconfliction. i doubt it. the notion the supreme leader the president will come together in some sort of effort to find come ground i think will have to

wait. and well wait until the result of the november election. >> the real risk is if they decide to do something else close to the election. to have max effect. we all know i'm out of time. we'll hear from the president tomorrow morning. we have to listen for his own perception of how this played. was this a win for him? did he come out on top of this? that seems to be his understanding that's the best sign that it's over at least for now. thank you so much. appreciate it. especially at night. thank you. iran now threatening to strike back inside our borders. there's a huge if. they were saying that as if you come at iran we will target these other places and we are thinking about inside the united states as well. does that still stand now? what does that mean here?

how would they do that here? we'll ask andrew mccabe about the risk and readiness. our part here at home. i can. the two words whispered at the start of every race. every new job. and attempt to parallel park. (electrical current buzzing) each new draft of every novel. (typing clicks) the finishing touch on every masterpiece. (newborn cries) it is humanity's official two-word war cry. words that move us all forward. the same two words that capital group believes have the power to improve lives. and that, for over 85 years, have inspired us to help people achieve their financial goals.

talk to your advisor or consultant for investment risks and information. motor? nope. not motor? it's pronounced "motaur." for those who were born to ride, there's progressive. for those who were born to ride, if you listen to the political it sounds like we have a failed society. but nothing could be further from the truth. americans are compassionate and hardworking. we aren't failing. our politicians are failing. that's why i'm running for president. to end the corporate takeover of the government. and give more power to the american people. that's how we'll win healthcare, fair wages, and clean air and water as a right.

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so, shortly after iran launched itself attacks its elite military wing known as the islamic revolutionary guard core also threatened to attack inside america. however, there was an if. if it said the u.s. responds. now just how big a threat does iran mean to our homeland and how ready are we for it? mccabe is here. thank you especially burning the midnight oil. obviously we're sensitive to our fighting men and women and allies abroad. especially with more being sent to the region. so many there. that seems to have been an escape for us so far tonight. there's going to be sensitivity to anything happening here. the idea of an actual attack how realistic? >> it's very real. it's something that all intelligence and law enforcement agents who are focussed on

protecting the homeland have to be thinking about the potential threat from the operatives and as you know the terrorist organization from lebanon that was created by the rigc in the 1980s for the purpose of perpetuating iranian driven terrorist activity around the globe. directed at americans and israel. >> the idea of the foreign minister saying this was proportionate we're good. is he to be trusted and does that mean what it sounds like which is that that isn't a big threat. >> we can hope that he means what he says. and it would be a logical calculation. that iran is trying to avoid an overwhelming u.s. response. maybe they take the step they took this evening. and maybe just call it even at that. however, because we know that the they looked at staging

terrorist operations in the united states in the past. we know through the proxies prepared for this for many years. stockpiling explosives around the globe. sending covert operatives to foreign countries including the united states. to putting to packages. stockpiling explosives. we have to be concerned about whether or not iran and maintain the capacity in the united states today. >> obviously when we think attack. our mind goes to bloodshed. and rightly so. but it seems the biggest threat is cyber. and iran is not often spoken about in the regular dialogue in the media. they are known to have extraordinary capability in that regard. >> very true. that is probably the bigger threat if you can consider bigger being most common. iran targets and attacks us

through the cyber realm every day. they have been doing it since as early as 2011 when they staged the massive denial of service attacks on the financial institution. they have developed into using mall wear. like viruss. mall ware. in 2012. that destroyed the computing capability and the data with it. they're very adept. they diversified over the years and one of the cyber threats we cathedral need this think about. >> what could that look like? >> the attack the infiltration attack they staged on the dam in new york. a few years ago. they got into the industrial control system. so the electronic system that controls the workings of the dam. that tells us they are thinking about infrastructure. thinking about the capability of

incapacitating infrastructure in the united states. that's a big concern. and then the standard attacks that we see in terms of attacking institutions, destroying computing capability. stealing and destroying data. they can shut down entire sectors of industries by inflicting economic damage on our private sector. >> of course we have given lt world a great example of how effective messing with our election can be and divide us along party lines. thank you very much. appreciate it. at the moment we are fortunate not to have any reports of american casualties. i'm always slow on these types of assessments. there's daylight in the middle east in iraq where the two bombings took place. so it's easier to assess it. so far there have been no

reports of casualties. that's really important in terms of controlling what happens next. you have to believe it will be much more difficult for this president in particular to resist the voices around him saying what looks strong and what looks weak if there were american bloodshed. so, how to our military and the commander in chief respond now if it stays this way with no casualties. two of our specialists on all things armed forces, next. my moderate to severe crohn's disease. then i realized something was missing... me. my symptoms were keeping me from being there. so, i talked to my doctor and learned humira is for people who still have symptoms of crohn's disease after trying other medications. and the majority of people on humira saw significant symptom relief and many achieved remission in as little as 4 weeks. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis.

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trumpand total disaster.mplete let obamacare implode. nurse: these wild attacks on healthcare hurt the patients i care for. i've been a nurse in new york for thirty years. i know the difference leadership can make because i saw what mike bloomberg did as mayor. vo: mayor bloomberg helped lower the number of uninsured by 40%, covering 700,000 more new yorkers, life expectancy increased. he helped expand health coverage to 200,000 more kids and upgraded pediatric care--- infant mortality rates dropped to record lows. and as mayor, mike bloomberg always championed reproductive health for women. so when you hear mike bloomberg on health care... mrb: this is america. we can certainly afford to make sure that everybody that needs to see a doctor can see a doctor, everybody that needs medicines to stay healthy can get those medicines. nurse: you should know, he did it as mayor, he'll get it done as president. mrb: i'm mike bloomberg and i approve this message.

all right. the sun is up on a new day in iraq. more than one way. since the fall of saddam hussein. forces have been fighting terror celling and proxy fors all along. let's bring in retired rear

admiral. for where things stand now. thank you both. so, whether it was intentional or whatever, we got lucky. no reports of what does this mean to you in terms of a way forward? >> it's good news for now. looks like we have a pause, but tomorrow is a new day, and anything can happen. these air bases get rocket attacks all the time. this is a whole new level, but they're in a dangerous place. everybody in the military is wondering what happens next. if it does escalate, we could see more trips to the middle east, more mobilization of the national guard, air troops, and even here at home. but they're prepared for anything. >> john, so, the idea of what

the foreign minister for iran said, put out a tweet saying basically, okay, we're good. you know, this was proportionate. no more. is he to be trusted? secretary of state pompeo says no. >> i have to agree with the secretary, no. the tweet is a good signal that they're not interested in taking this further. but iran, it has internal divisions. the government is divided. it's not also monolithic there. and it is entirely possible that militias or even the revolutionary guards could take that is uncoordinated. and we need to be cautious to see what the next step is by iran. to see if this really is the

end. and i suspect the military leaders in the pentagon are counseling the president in the same way. let's see what happens. >> pompeo and co were the same people pressuring the president for some time to go after soleimani. and we heard from the president tonight, in a tweet, he seemed to be where you are. all right, it's a time for patience. so, p.j., that's tonight. and our president said if you do anything, iran, that's a red line. i don't know why he said red line. but they certainly crossed it but any definition. even though they missed, right? so what do you do if you're him? does he have to honor his word? or is this a great opportunity to -- >> we don't know. donald trump is unpredictable,

his attitude could completely change. but tonight, he did de-escalate. he wasn't firing away on twitter, and looks like both sides are bringing the tensions down, that's what the world needs. >> he takes people out of syria, then he sends them in here? >> i'm not going to try to explain it. i've called him president mayhem in the past, and frequently the military tries to catch up to his tweets, with this action, or the trans ban, or with the kurds. at a time like this, we need restraint, and need to prepare for the worst course of action. nobody is asking the secretary of veterans affairs if he's ready for increase of action. and what about the tsa, what if

they get deployed, how do we fill those roles? the cascading effects are enormous. that's what we're so concerned about, throughout the middle east, and places like kenya, where we lost an american soldier this weekend, and most people have forgotten about it. >> john, the president signaled he doesn't need an exit strategy. he says he's better than all the generals, but you have to take that with a grain of salt. which way do the voices around him take him? >> i was worried about that, he has shown restraint tonight, we don't know what he will say tomorrow. but i was worried earlier, if the hawks, particularly some

hawks from fox news who do have influence on him, if they hit at this decision, if they criticize him for this restraint, will he change? to paul's excellent point, he is chaotic and unpredictable on twitter. i wouldn't put it past him to change his mind and show less restraint if he gets pressure from the hard right, the hardliners on the right that may think he's showing weakness. >> over there, they're always saying how much they love the troops. everybody says it, but you have too much experience with people who don't stand behind their words. look at the media, playing pr for tehran, enough is enough, let make things better. what is the upside of pushing for a more aggressive stance with iran. where is the win for the united states there? >> there is no win for the united states. it could pour into israel, into the middle east.

and soleimani, he's symbolically very important. he can't control the reaction now that he's gone. iran can't control the reaction. people in cells around the world want to take a shot at america because soleimani has been killed. you can't control the forces around the world. that's why it's important for the president to keep the moral high ground. we have a little bit of that, treasure it, use it, be the good guy. that's the place we want to be in, so everybody can move forward and have a win. >> thank you to both of you. and thank all of you for watching. please stay with cnn through the night. we will have the latest on this breaking story.

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this is cnn breaking news. >> hello, and welcome to our viewers in the united states and all around the world. i'm michael holmes. continuing the breaking news coverage of the iranian missile strikes on u.s. forces in iraq. let's get to what we know. the pentagon says iran launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles at bases housing u.s. troops. missiles hit the al assad air base and also a b