♪ there is a heart ♪ . >> if john stamos has his way, he'll be back as uncle jesse. we'll see if we can talk to the olesons. martha: thanks, guys. allies joo fight isis? that's the question as the u.s. works behind the scenes to get countries to help kill his terrorist group. can the administration pull this off and will the airstrikes happen at all? sean: i'm eric shawn in more bill hemmer. as the white house mulls possible military action, we are learn being that american who was killed who was killed fighting with a terrorist group. friend of douglas mcarthur

cain say he was a normal kid who went overseas to fight with isis. martha: i want to start by playing a quick piece of sound when the president spoke yesterday. >> in times of crisis no other nation can rally a broad coalition to stand up for peace. in times of disaster no other nation has the ability to deliver so much so quickly. martha: not even a year ago not even great britain would be on our side when considering airstrikes in syria. >> that was before isis. doesn't that sounds like something we have heard before, an american president trying to

marshal allies for airstrikes in iraq. the president is talking to old friends like britain, australia, jordan, saudi arabia to increase airstrikes in iraq and surveillance in syria. it appears u.s. actions are going to escalate in iraq. martha: when you look at the complexities of getting these folks on board and the complex nature of the uae who some folks think have been funding isis. when you dig deeper, it's not necessarily so that's folks would want to get on board. >> this has turned out to be a complicated mess. but i think what you are going to see is the administration's rationale for action seems to be expanding. remember when the president said

we are only going to go off there to protect americans and save the yazidis trapped on the top of the mountain. now if you listen to the speech it sounds like he's trying to roll back isis for generally. it appears thed a menustration's rationale for action is widening by the day. martha: the president was roundly cite sighed for being on vacation. but he did have a lot of discussions with foreign leaders over the phone as far as we know. how do you think this is going. >> we have known for quite a while isis is this big threat. one thing that's important is we have seen some democrats in washington say that the up s. need to take more action. this is something that's very politically fraught for the

president. he became president because of his opposition to the war in iraq and his pledge to remove all up s. forces from iraq, which he did. i think as a bipartisan consensus begins -- by the way, there is talk about the president seeking authorization for greater military force in iraq. as that cop census grows, i think the effort to widen the ally grows, too. martha: the administration has to be looking back at how the exit from iraq was handled. history will be the jump. byron, thank you very much. does president obama need to go to congress to get permission for these air strikes? john barrasso says it's a must. >> i don't think you ought to congress off the hook. this is the way you interface with voters at home.

but the president need to make the case, what is he going to do to face the threat? martha: here is another question. what is senator john mccain think? he has been very outspoken about fighting isis. does he believe the president need to get the approval of congress for even an initial attack on this group? we'll find out what he thinks in a few minutes. eric: there are new details about the young american fighting alongside isis. the pentagon confirming douglas mccain was killed inside syria. there are. and there are 500 british passport holders that are believed to have joined isis.

>> when we speak about the immediacy of the threat isil poses, this is one of the factors. it's an ironic strange name. douglas mcarthur mccain reflects two american warp heroes. >> reporter: the mccain friday says they talked to him friday and those was in turkey. but they just got. >> message from the state department that he wa was killen syria. he grew up in new hope, minnesota. it's not clear when he left the states for syria. but social media accounts reveal the radical beliefs he was willing to share with the world. including a june 26 retweet that

features the line "pray for isis." and mccain was watching the movie "the help" and it was starting to make him hate white people. the "new york times" says as a kid mccain liked to root for the chicago bulls and neighbors remember seeing mccain play basketball with other kid in the apartment complex. >> reporter: there is an american woman held hostage. there was james foley, what do we know about the young american woman. reporter: she is years old and hails from the west coast of the united states but the rest of her identity is being kept secret for her safety. she was working with three humanitarian groups when she was kidnapped last year and she is the third american known to have been held by isis militants.

they publicly claim they are holding americans to get even for airstrikes in iraq but privately they are reportedly demanding $6.6 mill fo.6 millior return. martha: the american journalist who was just released after being held captive for two years is finally back home with his mother. this is at hogan in boss not airport yesterday. an islamist group affiliated with al qaeda captured him in 2012 in syria. he was let go on sunday. the government in qatar were working to secure his release. after weeks of war, a cause for celebration in the streets of

gaza yesterday. watch this. jubilation for now as israel and hamas agree to an open-ended ceasefire, despite hamas remaining in control of the area. so far the ceasefire appears to be holding. what is the atmosphere like there today? >> reporter: it's a muchisit's a much different atmosphere. airstrikes and explosions, there is a pool party going on at the hotel pool. children and their families. even compared to the other ceasefires that fell apart and some lasted for a couple days, there is a much greater optimism this is the end of the war and the ceasefire will continue. having said that, the relief

evident started immediately this morning. we went down south to the rafah crossing, the southernmost point of the today today strip. we saw truck after truck after truck coming in from egypt and israel bringing in relief supplies. were talking about food, we are talking about water. all the essentials. we also saw bus loads of people leaving gaza and returning. folks trapped in gaza during the last five weeks of fighting and folks returning home to to gaza because they couldn't get home to gaza because the war. >> this truck is among many that we have seen coming and going throughout the day. this one in particular carrying cartons of u.s. aid that says punished the by the people of the united states of america

carrying chunks of tuna, beef, chicken, tea, beans, sugar. >> reporter: more is expected to come in the days and coming weeks. if the ceasefire hold both sides, israel and hamas will return to cairo, egypt. i talked to a senior spokes poarn for hamas and asked will hamas be willing to disarm and he said point blank no. so is this a band-aid fiction to a much greater wound? eric: new details on that american fighting inside the ranks of isis. there are new records even more u.s. citizens are overseas and on the radical front lines.

what do we do with the isis threat? and can our fellow americans who join the enemy come back and attack us at home? martha: he was hailed a hero. a u.s.c. football star saying he was injured when he saved his nephew from drowning. now the college is saying they are hearing different stories on how this happened. does this story check out? eric: why was lois lerner's blackberry wiped clean after congressional lawmakers began asking their questions? did they try to hide the evidence or was it business as usual? >> it looks suspicion when you follow the timeline. this entire ordeal all kind of suspicious and ridiculous things take place when you look at the time lines. us. at the next job, next adventure or at the next exit,

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martha: intelligence officials believe at least 300 american citizens are fighting side by side with isis militants in iraq and syria. all of this as president obama weighs a decision to launch new airstrikes that would target the islamic state on the syrian side of the borderer. john mccain joins us now. what do you make of that shocking report that 300 mayor cap passport holders are

fighting alongside isis right now. >> it's not surprising and there will be more and the thing that's more disturbing is there are thousands of europeans. the europeans can travel to the united states on a passport. they don't require a visa. there is no doubt that the threat is dramatically increasing. it was predicted and predictable. unless the president comes up with a strategy articulating what his goal is, then i think we'll continue to nails and you will continue to see isis maintain and expand their influence both there and throughout the region. martha: we have this shocking example of this man douglas mcarthur mccain ironically who was killed on the battlefield in syria. we hear from her cousin who says

she can't believe he would be involved in anything like this. but this is bun individual. we see a portrait of potentially so many more. what do you make of it? >> i make of it decisions have consequences. this is a feckless foreign policy that aloud this situation to deteriorate. you can go back to our failure to leave a residual force behind which we could have no matter what is now being said by the administration. decision not attack syria after the chemical weapons usage. by the way, there is evidence of chlorine gas usage by bashar al-asaad. we need to have airstrikes, we need to help the free syrian army, when need to help the kurds and assist a re canadian sill yaition went sunni and the new fast.

the president needs to tell us what the strategy is. two interesting events took place this week. one was the ceasefire between israel and hamas. no american involvement. attacks by uae in egypt, air attacks against the islamists in libya without even telling the united states of america. when the president said the united states was going to attack syria because of the chemical weapons issue and didn't, believe me these countries decided they would have to foe their own way. martha: i think people will look back at that moment as a turning point in the way the u.s. is perceived around the globe. we may be experiencing the result of that. the president when he spoke to the american legion, he said something that may go back to his reasoning for pulling out of

these countries in the the first place. he said troops on the ground can feed extremism in these areas. i'm curious what you think about that comment. >> i don't understand a lot of it. i understand why he became president because of his opposition to the war in iraq. but every president has made mistakes. george w. bush in 2006 fired rumsfeld and brought in some smart people and we developed the surge. bill clinton went to bosnia. even jimmy carter after the russian invasion of afghanistan. this president doesn't seem to learn and understand that you can adjust to new realities. and he's not leading in the. and that has created vacuums. i would like to see the president of the united states talk to the american people, talk to congress. what are our goals, and what's the strategy to achieve it.

that's what's missing here and it's a vacuum being filled by bad people. there will be more threats to the united states of america because of this growing isis capability which is attracting radical young men particularly from all over the world. martha: given the killing, the execution of james foley, does the president have the right to act before going to congress? do you believe under the war powers act? how much does congress need to sign off on how much he will do at this point? >> what the president should do is go on national television and describe to the american people the threat and describe what we need to do and why we need to do it. with an overall strategy and say i'm going go to congress and ask for authorization and i hope you will support me. if he speaks directly to the american people:this threat i'm confident the american people

will support action. i'm not talking about massive troops on the ground or invasion of syria. but please help the free syrian army. i'm heartbroken knowing these people that i met with that are now dead pause we would not help them. martha: you have been talking about the carnage in syria for two years now and what's going on there. we watched the evolution of this threat as it unfolded today. senator john mccain always a pleasure speaking to you. eric: the star football player who claimed he hurt himself doing an heroic act but there are questions about that story and whether it checks out.

martha: this just crossing moments ago.

theo curtis, the reporter who was just released and reunited with his mom at logan airport in boston. we expect to hear him make the first statement. that's coming live from cambridge, massachusetts at the top of the hour and we'll take you there live. eric: many people have been hailing joshua shaw as a hero after word got out he injured his ankles after jumping off a balcony to save his nephew from drowning. but people are questioning whether the steery is true. >> reporter: usc officials say they received self phone calls that contradicts shaw's version of the story. he's ones of usc's best

defensive players. he told usc he was in his hometown of palmdale when he saw his nephew drowning so he jumped from the second story of the complex to save the 7-year-old and saved the boy. he said i would do it again for of what kid it was. it didn't have to be my nephew. but the head coach backtracked yesterday. >> we are going to continue to vet it. we are looking at it. beyond that i only know what i know. josh is adamant with what occurred and we'll continue to vet some of the other stories that have come across our desk and across our phones. >> reporter: yesterday afternoon los angeles police department, a spokesperson said a man named joshua shaw was mentioned but not as a suspect in a report about a break-in the day night 60 membership us away

from where he said he rescued his nephew. add it up and there are a lot of questions as usc continue to the vet with its investigation. eric: do you think shaw will be available to the media to answer these questions? the first big season starts saturday. will he play? >> reporter: so far he has not been made available to the media. what we do know for sure is he did suffer two high aimle sprain. he's out indefinitely. that's an injury that takes self weeks, maybe a month or more to come back from. they have their first game against fresno state. i can tell you that regardless of how this investigation plays out, it looks like because of the injuries that shaw won't be available for either of those first two games.

martha: anger and distrust growing towards the irs. >> there is a reason why ted kennedy had his brother, attorney general, there is a reason why nixon had his campaign manager as attorney general. it's a highly political office. eric: there is a new star. the tennis sensation who is only 15 years old. (car starting) great. this is the last thing i need. seriously? the last thing you need is some guy giving you a new catalytic converter when all you got is a loose gas cap. what? it is that simple sometimes. thanks. now let's take this puppy over to midas

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martha: we are back and we received word that peter theo curtis, the mayor cap journalist who was held in syria for two

years, is going to make a public statement at 10:00 this morning. as soon as that gets underway we'll take you there live. eric: did you hear about that bombshell in the irs targeting scandal. lois lerner's blackberry was purposely wiped clean after the congressional investigation was underway. the irs testified those emails were lost, never to be found again. >> the irs is most intrusive and potentially punitive institution of the federal government and it is a law enforcement institution. and it is off the rails and it is now thoroughly corrupted. eric: can we trust the irs in the targeting scandal? alan colmes and blood brakeman.

welcome. good to see you. >> possible evidence god, destroyed, removed. what does that tell you? >> it tells me the coverup is complete. when the president said is there not a smidgen of corruption at the irs the president could not be more wrong. what more evidence does the president need. lost emails that are now he reefable. targeting of conservative groups undeniable. the american people know the irs is rife with corruption and incompetence. the congress need to get to the bottom of this even though the stonewalling of the justice department continues. they note liability they are up to. >> we don't know lois lerner is

the guilty party mere. one other thing that need to be prominently put out there is lois lerner's computer crashed on june 13. it was 16 days later she found out there was irs targeting. unless she was psychic and knew ahead of time. the time line doesn't match up with some of the criticism she is getting. eric: how with the fact the blackberry was wiped clean? doesn't that disturb you? remember the third-rate burglary during watergate? >> as i said, we have to know if it was wiped clean. was it lois lerner's decision to do it? was it someone above her? how did that happen? we need to know the answer to those questions. eric: brad, how do you think it happened?

>> the way i think it happened is lois lerner targeted these people and what happened like you said, eric, pane amall i to watergate, the coverup starts. people try within the ir storkse irs to hide that which is illegal. nobody takes the fifth as a government employee unless they leave they have done something wrong. have criminal liability. she is a lawyer. they tried to stonewall congress hoping this would go away. they had the complicity of the white house and the justice department. >> it's based on probable cause. that's what it's based on. >> the computer crashed on july 13. >> ask the irs. can the commissioner testify before congress the emails are lost when we know they are not.

>> the crew dust watch did not -- the judicial watch did not properly interpret that conversation. >> how were the emails wiped clean? how did that happen? don't you think we need a special prosecutor? >> let's be clear about the real issue. we don't know that lois lerner is guilty. and -- >> it's called probable cause. eric: could this be obstruction of justice? >> it could be. >> we have to find out who was the obstructor if there was obstruction of justice. lois lerner has been targeted as the fall person by conservatives. i don't know that that's true. if there was obstruction let's

find out at whose direction that took place. >> she called republicans crazies and a-holes. >> i object to that kind of language. i would not characterize republicans that way, but that doesn't mean she is guilty of a crime. >> she has a predisposition against conservative groups. look at the verbiage she used in describing them. the fact is after that conservatives were targeted. after that she takes the fifth. compton, 2 plus 2 equals 4. >> maybe you like to try somebody in the media. when a conservative is tried in the media, that's never a good thing. >> we need to know information who is targeting whom and who is responsible. >> those are the questions, thank you so much.

the blackberry meanwhile is just gone. >> a win for the ages. the young ages literally. watch. unbelievable. she is 15. her name is catherine bellis. she is known as cici. she became the youngest player to win at the u.s. open. she unseated her fifth seed opponent. she went off and said yay to her family. they were very excited. she was ranged 1,20th going into this match. she won the 18 and under in the young naonal tennis league. that's what got her into the u.s. open. maybe we have a chrisy everett in this young lady.

she was born around the time serena williams won her first open. just to give you an idea. eric: someone else is in trouble. she has been in trouble self times for sneaking on to airplanes. fess what. she has done it again. another trip to jail for a serial so away *. martha: burger king is defending the deal the buy canadian coffee chain tim hortons. ♪ have it your way at burger king ♪ new fiber one streusel.

eric: a hostage's story. we are about to hear it for the first time.

peter theo curtis who was held for two years by the al qaeda-linked terrorist group. he's back home in massachusetts. he was brought home for an emotional home coming with his mother nancy. peter curtis. martha: it's a whopper of a deal that's got a lot of people fired up. burger king defending the move of their headquarters. they are going from miami up north of the border in canada where the corporate tax rate is a whole lot lower. the fast food giant will buy this tim hortons coffee company. that's how they did the inversion. it's a deal backed by billionaire warren buffet. burger king released a statement this is not a tax-driven deal. it's about growth and creating value through accelerated

expansion. steve, welcome. boy, people are all over the map on their take on this. what's your take? >> it's easy to demagogue this. the fact is burger king makes a profit in the u.s. they pay up s. corporate thanks rates. does not that change. both of those companies wants to expand in canada. it makes it easier to have expansion money to expand around the world. burger king is big in brazil. the u.s. is the only civilized country in the world that taxes profit in the u.s. and taxes from other countries. it's just changing the mailing address. for tax purposes it goes to canada. it does not deprive the u.s. on any taxes earned in the u.s.

>> they will be making a lot of money in this country and they will pay the regular rate on that money. 35% in the united states, 15% in canada. corporations have been telling the u.s. government for years, you have got to lower the tax rate if you want to give us an incentive to stay here. >> it's job killer and hurts foreign investment. even france has a lower tax rate than the united states. that's a disgrace. canada has been lowering their corporate thanks rates since the mid-1990s which started under a liberal government not a conservative one. and bring deign taken which also is doing much better in terms of growth. they lowered their corporate tax rates down to 20%. when will we get the --

>> martha: they say let's get together and make it impossible for companies to do this. >> it's called shooting the brains out because this is a brain dead way of approaching things. it hurts job creation in the united states. capital goes where it's welcome and well treated. we are in theth year of recovery and we still have job labor pr tase pace rates going back to the 1970s and 80s. martha: steve jobs' book, he's caulking to president obama says to him, when are you going to bring these jobs back that you have overseas. he said honestly, never. not under this environment. because it makes to sense for my company. phil mickelson said he might leave california and move to arizona because it's better

tax-wise. he had to come out and apologize. should they be standing up and talking that talk while they walk the walk? >> this is all about politics. it's all about the 2014 elections. it's nothing to do with actual job creation and making the u.s. economy stronger. the fact that even the republicans are fearful because it's so easy to demagogue this issue making it sound like burger king is taking all its franchises to canada. martha: why don't they stand up and said if for you, burger king. you are setting a marker thatter countries in congress should think about. >> reporter: corporations are very, very sensitive. anyone who criticized them. they don't want to offend anybody. expect them to take the lead, it's not going to happen. on the political side republicans should get their voices ready. wait until 2016 rolls around.

ronald reagan would have figured out to do it. martha: steve forbes, good to see you as always. eric, back off to you. eric: the medal of honor is being bestowed on a great officer 150 years later. why the heroics of a civil war officer are now just being recognized. martha: tense moments at wal-mart. what did this guy do to force the police to take him down? >> i saw the kid walking around scratching their head what's going on. i'm thinking thank god i didn't bring my family.

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martha: a woman with a history of trying to sneak on board passenger planes has been

arrested. this time it happened in phoenix. 62-year-old marilyn jean hartman was taken into custody on suspicion of criminal trespassing. she was released in l.a. because of overcrowding. authorities are asking that her mental health be evaluated. eric: a civil war hero is about to receive the congressional medal of honor. 150 years after his death he will be award the medal of honor for his courage and sacrifice. david lee miller is in the newsroom with the details on this. what a wonderful remembrance about the sacrifices made to preserve the union. >> the folks in curbing's hometown in wisconsin have been

waging a campaign for decades to give the fallen union sole dearth recognition he deserves. an act of congress is -- the campaign started a quarter century ago. it was initiated by a 9 4-d-year-old granddaughter of another union soldier. the campaign gained mow 10 actual winning the support of congress. and president obama will award the medal. he helped the union win the war and now those who wants him to win the consciousal medal of honor -- the congressional medal of honor will see himself the medal. curbingkushing critically woundd

continued to fight. he refused to evacuate despite his wounds. he continued to fire in the face of the enemy. rebels within 100 yard of his position, he was shot and killed during this hero i shall stand. his actions made it possible for the union army to repel the advancing confederate soldiers. he was buried with full honors at west point where he had gone to school. eric: i would urge anybody, go to gettysburg. martha: good for the people who fought so long and hard for krurk -- long andhard for cushi.

the hair kwan journalist who was released in syria will be making a public statement. eric: we are getting new reports on who finally could be joining us in the fight against isis. it mayeem strange, but people re can love their laxative.

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two years in captivity in syria being held by this rebel group. he flew from tel aviv on to logan national airport where he was greeted by his mother nancy curtain. he said in a statement yesterday that he's been so touched and moved by the people who come up to me, strangers on the airplane, the flight attendants and most all my family to say welcome home. he says he's deeply indebted to the united states officials who worked on his case and he wants to thank the government of qatar for intervening on his behalf. he's believed to have been kidnapped in 2012. their feelings are tempered this morning. they acknowledge the beheading of james foley and the death of this other journalist and the fact there are other americans still in captivity. theo's mother says she is overwhelmed with relief that

this day has come. she says this is a sober occasion and her heart goes out to the families who are also suffering. we'll bring you back here to the streets of cambridge when peter theo curtis steps up to the microphones to share with you what he has been through and his thoughts this morning. martha: do we know if he's going to take any questions? >> reporter: they have not said if he will be taking questions. but the family is seeking a sense of privacy. they say he will come out and he will make a statement, then they are asking for time to reunite. they haven't seen each other for quite some time and it's been quite an ordeal waiting for his release. one they weren't sure would actually come. martha: molly, thank you, we'll swing back to you as soon as that get underway. the president may decide on possible airstrikes in syria. the white house is trying to get

our allies to support a military mission. i'm martha maccallum. eric: i'm eric shawn in for bill hemmer this morning. this comes as a united nations panel accuses isis of war crimes. accusations that may bolster any case for expanding the air campaign. martha: ed henry joins us now. what's the latest in terms of where the president is on the issue of a broader involvement on the part of the united states and syria? >> there are conflicting signals. he appears to be edging closer to expanding those airstrikes into syria. he had a meeting late yesterday with secretary of state john kerry. a year ago this very wierkt was secretary of state kerry who went out publicly and made the case for intervention in syria

back then over chemical weapons. now secretary kerry a forceful advocate for doing airstrikes inside syria. but a year ago the president went up to the line and pulled back. the other interesting element is there is a lot of speculation about what's happening in northern iraq. you will remember the mission where this all started a few weeks back to deal with the religious minorities stuck on the mountain. the humanitarian mission. now the white house may be looking at a new humanitarian mission. other minorities being targeted inside iraq. they may have to deal with iraq as well because that's not finished, martha. martha: the turk men group say we may give humanitarian aid to as well. >> reporter: it puts more

pressure on the president. yesterday in this american legion speech in charlotte, north carolina we were listening for clues. is the president going to lay out a full strategy for dealing with isis in iraq, syria and potentially other countries such as jordan where isis is tryingt to spread out. we heard the president say i'm going to protect americans around the globe, i'm going to seek justice for the beheading of james foley. but he's not spelling out for the world, not just americans, what are the next steps in this strategy. there is pressure on him. martha: everybody waiting to see what action will or will not be taken. thank you so much. eric: i'm joined by lieutenant colonel ralph peters.

it seems the president is focused on protecting narrow american interests. >> i think the president is focused on narrowly protecting his rep case, what's left of it and i'm furious. we have no strategy. we have nothing that even pretend to be a strategy. there is no interest grated concept of how to deal with isis. the administration continues to see everything in terms of political advantage. classic case. we should not know that there are surveillance drones over syria. but the administration purposely leaked to it journalists because they wants to say we are doing something. by telling people and telling isis that we are surveilling them with drones says get ready. hide your vehicles. disperse. get the human shield ready. it flies in the face of all military common sense and decency.

what's the big difference between this administration leaking stuff and ed snowden at this point. it's disgraceful. eric: we know where the training bases are and the why haven't what he taken them out already? >> because the president is a minimalist. he always wants to do the minimum he can get away with. he's not a doer. he's a talker. he's a timid man, a hamlet forever to be or not to be. he will go down in history as the great procrastinator. it's a lie that the white house hasn't warned. the intelligence community has been watching these guys for well over a year. tried to brief the president on it. white house didn't want to hear it. oh, it's an intelligence failure. no, it's a failure of leadership in the white house. is very without any hyperbole or

exaggeration. islamic state this emerging caliphate is a far graver threat of bigger, richer, more powerful threat that al qaeda ever was. eric: what is the result of what you call procrastination. defenders would say he kept us out of a car and is narrowly defining the interests for the united states. when we have douglas mcarthur mccain born in illinois and goes off embracing isis and is killed fighting over there. >> the president himself used the word cancer to describe the islamic state and the threat it poses. cancer doesn't get better on its own. first he tried for over a year to ignore this cancer. now he wants to shave some of pieces of the tumor. but it's a malignant tumor and it's growing fast. he didn't keep us out of war.

he delayed our entry into a war. left us unprepared. cutting our military while the islamic state and other islamist terrorist friewsms grow ever stronger. it's no longer a classic terrorist web of cells. the islamic state is a caliphate with an army well equipped and well organized and well trained and veteran and they are running all off everybody else on the ground, and the president different seems like the only decision that guy is willing to make is which golf club to use. eric: we'll leave it at that. we have breaking news. martha: we understand theo curtis is about to make a statement outside his mother's home. he's an american writer and journalist held nearly two years in syria. he was taken -- they believe he was kidnapped roughly 22 months ago.

his mother has fought for his release. she went to turkey to speak to people about trying to broker his release. qatar eventually was the country that was able to secure his release. he said in a statement he's truly grate full to everyone who coordinated to help free this man. now were getting our first look this morning at peter theo curtis as he walks out of his mother's home, having spent his first night in a normal bed in two years most likely and he will speak to the media momentarily. let's give him a moment. eric: can you imagine what he went through? martha: here he is. peter theo curtis, american writer and journalist now free. >> i want to thank you all for coming out here on this beautiful wednesday morning. in the days following my release sunday, i have learned bit by bit that there have been

hundreds of people brave, determined and big hearted people all over the world working for my release. they have been working for two years on this. i had no idea when i was in prison. i had no idea so much evident was being suspended on my behalf. -- now i'm overwhelmed by emotion. i'm overwhelmed that total strangers are coming up to me saying we are glad you are back, glad you are safe. great to see you. so i suddenly remember how good the american people are and what kindness they have in their hearts. and to all those people i say, a huge thank you from my heart. from the bottom of my heart. and now i am so grateful that you are expressing interest in me. at the same time i have to bond with my mother and family now.

and i can't give an interview and i can't give you talk back and forth. all i can say to you. but in the future i promise i will respond to your emails and i'll help you guys do your job. i'm one of you and i know what you are going through. i want to help you guys and i will be there and respond. but i can't do it now. >> welcome back! martha: nothing is more honest and heartfelt than that. he's a writer and journalist. he knows way it's like for the reporters to want to hear from him. an emotional statement from peter theo curtis. you picture what it must be like to be in a cell and be held by these vision terrorist groups. we don't know yet how he was treated. he just volunteered the that an interview will come.

to not know there are hundreds of people and not know the extent to which your mother is traveling the world and working on your behalf and how much everybody wants you to come home. he talked about how it restores his faith in the american people and understanding how, you know, without even knowing him, they were welcoming him back to the country and how pleased everybody is. it's not lost on anybody that we have watched another american citizen who did not have the joyful moment that peter theo curtis is now enjoying and how much the foley family would have wanted to have that moment and that's not lost on him either because it's tempered i what we witnessed from the foley family. thank god this family has their loved one back and peter theo curtis is with them again. there are others out there who need to get back. there are literally hundreds of people who miss them and want to secure their safety as well.

eric: steve sought love is still being held and the 26-year-old american said worker. and curtis' mother went to turkey. the love of a mother. martha: the former chairman of the 9/11 commission says he's appalled how little we knew about isis. tom keen meeting with intelligence officials admitting he was blind sided by this group's rise. he will tell us how far we have come since 9/11 and how far we haven't. (male announcer) it's happening.

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martha: there are growing concerns about the threat isis militants pose to us at home. the the co-chairman of the 9/11 commission recently met with top intelligence officials and he said it was you a paulin -- he s appalling how little we knew about isis. >> this is the first time since 9/11 where possibly terrorists could train, prepare the kind of attack they delivered on 9/11. they haven't had the space to do that until now. this potentially will give enemies with terrorist intentions someplace to train and prepare that larger attack that we should be very worried

about. martha: lee hamilton was the vice chairman of that 9/11 commission. it was put together to try to figure out how to solve the issues that led to that attack on our country. he's a man who knows a lot about these things. mr. hamilton, good to have you here. you spent more than the last decade dedicating your life to figuring out what happened and how to prevents it from happening. are you surprised at how little we under about isis -- about how little we understood about isis? >> yes, but this entire region is in enormous turmoil. syria, iraq, the middle east peace process, egypt. american interests are involved at every point. you have an intelligence community in the united states with enormous capabilities, very

highly professional. but they can't focus on everything all the time. it's undoubtedly the fact that isis kind of snuck up on us in a way and became a much more powerful actor in that region of the world than we had previously thought. but a lot of things surprise nut middle east, and this region has all kind of divisions and warlords and ethnic divides, sectarian divides, religious divides. it's hard to keep your finger on evening and we did not keep our finger on is * all the way. martha: there have been people warn being this group the past couple years and talking about the fact that the free syrian army was an element that could have helped us to start beating this group down and back. we did not support them at that moment. was that a mistake?

>> it's hard to judge. people talk about a free syrian army without much knowledge of their capabilities. there are hundreds and hundreds of groups within the country of what used to be syria. some good, some bad. some in the middle. you give some arms. they can turn around and shoot you. you have got some genuine liberal democrats in that region. it's just a very complex matter. it's an easy thing to say if we arm the rebels we could have solved this problem or bench farther count road. that's by no means clear that's the case. martha: the issue of passports in terms of homeland security. that's our major concern. the intelligence exists to keep us safe at home. we are hearing 100 at least u.s. passports being held by these isis fighters and hundreds of european passports. what did we learn from 9/11 to

prevent the flow back and forth of these back in and out of our country? >> the first thing to recognize is the fbi said they do not think isis is a threat to the homeland of the united states right now. it could become so if the potential is there. what you are referring to of course is indeed a serious problem. and that is the jihadist training that has been given to a number of europeans and a few americans and now those people, many of them have passports, they do not require a visa to cop into the united states, they represent a genuine threat to this country. we don't know the numbers, we don't know all the people for sure but it is a threat. martha: you made a lot of recommendations to prevent this problem. to track them down. do you think we are in a better position now on that? then i have got to go quickly.

>> there is no doubt we are in a much better position than we were 10, 15 years ago. we have a long way to go. there is a threat and it's a dangerous threat. for a while...

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on a tempur-pedic mattress with adjustable base while supplies last at sleep train. >> president obama about to go to it alone on climate change. it says the administration is working on a proposal to forge a sweeping international climate change agreement telling other nations to cut their carbon pollutions all without rational approval. so what does this mean? a fox news political editor joins us as he does frequently at this time. what congress, i+ñ=ñ don't needo stinking congress. what is going on? >> they say the united states

will voluntarily under this thesis the united states would voluntarily crack down further on industry here to comply with new, increase global warming standards, and then through a process the article refers to as naming and shaming identify other companies like russia and china that don't comply with these new regulations. it is phony baloney, unenforceable, ball at perry. what it represents is a president who list this as one of his most important issues, he has talked about this, john kerry has compared it to terrorism, it is world's greatest weapon of mass destruction, but they are afraid to take on senate democrats whoo have pushed back and said we are not interested in having painful

votes in an election year, so they will do something that will create some optics, that will look good for president trying to build a legacy on this issue. >> the same time, you're right, look at china and india vast more carbon output then we have, can they be named and shamed into changing their behavior? >> maybe he will challenge him to an ice bucket challenge. the shaming, people who invade people are unlikely, it would seem to be shamed by list of climate noncompliance. it is folk him. west virginia may not looking good for democrats but there are races where they have contention in states where this is a deadly issue. talking about gas taxes.

the last thing the democrats wants to be talking about is further crackdown on industry. kentucky, this is the best thing for mitch mcconnell to hold his seat, and it goes on and on through the list of where these democrats are that are trying to hold on and win. they have serious reliance on cheap electricity through coal and other things like that, just a bad play for the democrats domestically and politically. jon: thanks as always. martha: and it was the irs targeting scandal. lois lerner's e-mails were lost for good, not recoverable he says the now we are learning that is likely not actually the case, so what now? >> kids, don't try this at home, these folks flying 55 feet into the air. we will show you the components.

martha: nicely done. ♪

>> just a few moments ago we heard from peter thiel curtis released two weeks ago from the militant group held hostage for nearly two years. now peter's home with his family, his mother nancy in cambridge, massachusetts, and he walked out into the office morning sunlight with heartfelt gratitude. >> first i want to thank you all for coming out here this beautiful wednesday morning. in the days following my release on sunday i have learned there have been literally hundreds of people, brave, determined and bighearted people all around the world working for my release. they have been working for two years on this. i had no idea when i was in

prison or that so much effort was being expended on my behalf now having found out, i am overwhelmed with emotion. and by one other thing, total strangers have been coming up to me to say we are glad you are home, glad you are back, glad you are safe, great to see you. i suddenly remember how great the american people are and what kindness they have in their heart. i say a huge thank you from the bottom of my heart. now, look, i'm so grateful you are expressing all this interest in me. at the same time i had to bond with my mother and my family now and i can't give you an interview and i can't give you talk back and forth. all i can say to you, in the

future i promise i will respond to e-mails and be present, i know what you guys are going through, i want to help you guys and i will be there and respond, but i can't do it now. martha: he knows what they want, but he is not ready yet, so they will wait and give them time obviously. everybody glad theo curtis is back home. so, fox news getting and look at a new analysis of isis and military intelligence. katherine harris in washington with some insight into what is in this report. reporter: fox news has obtained advanced copy from west point which is an independent private of the funded group and one of the nation's leading counterterrorism journal.

concluding isis took a systematic and deliberate approach to gaining equipment. it reads isil did not become effective in june of 2014, it had been steadily strengthening and actively shaping the future operating environment for four years. according to the article published today, it included shattering security forces with what are described as close quarter assassinations of troops manning checkpoints and car bombs targeting key leaders. it warns isis or isil is a military power in the region because of the weaknesses and unpreparedness of the operation and warns the group runs the risk of overreach struggling if it is attacked from multiple points. martha: thank you, very interesting report. >> new questions of congressional testimony from irs chief about lois lerner's

missing e-mails. june 20 testifying before the house oversight committee. >> the actual hard drive effort was determined it was dysfunctional and with no e-mails retrieved was recycled and destroyed in the normal process. >> was it physically destroyed? >> that is my understanding. >> they claim computer records are saved on a massive government backup system but there are some conflicting claims on if that applies to her e-mails. >> every time he comes in front of the committee she says something and was ultimately learned with that being straight with us or clear with us or being straightforward. >> is that the case? joining us on the committee. you heard the testimony, is he being straight and truthful or is he misinformed? >> another story comes out, the

american people fail to understand. my good friend said what would a defendant do if they changed their story many times, what would they be called? as the irs has changed there's and his answer was the american people fail to have trust, we have to get to the bottom of it and it has to start with the irs commissioner. this testimony is very troubli troubling. >> what troubles you the most about what he has said? >> we have had four irs commissioners, yet here we are, he confirmed they were not fair, now we are hearing from other sources indeed they could be there or they are difficult to retrieve. we also learned a blackberry that could have been a backup source of some of those e-mails, that was destroyed in june of 2012, it is time for special

prosecutor, we get an independent source to restore the integrity so the american people can again start to trust their government. >> it is lois lerner's blackberry they say was destroyed after the congressional committee investigators started questioning what was going on with the target situation, what does it tell you what it is potentially destroyed while there is an investigation of it? >> your point is right on, it wasn't just investigation that we started, they did their own internal investigation, a flurry of activity happening in may and june of 2012 and yet we somehow think it is prudent to get rid of a particular device that may have information?

we know it is concerning for the american people, and it doesn't promote an element of trust. >> sometimes the mainstream media and elsewhere, don't dump that thing, don't throw it out, could have information and could be perjury, obstruction of justice, obstruction of other charges, keep this thing to a special court master or something. >> you and i would do that, if there was an investigation and nothing to hide, let's don't get rid of it, and that is what so many are troubled with, they said they would come up with a report in the middle part of july, and yet we have yet to see anything in the middle of augu august. this time the american people get the truth. >> another one of the blackberries, hopefully it is in

a safe someplace. thank you for joining us this morning. >> appreciated. martha: he has said repeatedly he is not going to run again but is mitt romney going to leave the door open a tiny crack? >> poli's tasting a in walmart, was it justified? >> next thing you know this guy came flying by me, literally my clothes could feel the wind from him running.

>> a military jet crash in virginia in western virginia, just west of charlottesville in the mountains near deerfield virginia. there were reports of smoke in the mountains, state police at the scene, we don't know if the pilot was able to eject safely,

any fatalities. a military jet has crashed in the western part of virginia. he will get details as soon as we can. martha: the meantime former presidential nominee mitt romney leaving the door open for another white house run? he has said no repeatedly, staying out of the race, but during an interview yesterday he suggested there is always a possibility. >> this is something we gave a lot of thought to, again i have had the chance of running, i did not win. somebody else is a better chance than i do, that is what we believe and that is why i am not running. circumstances can change, but i will not let my had to go there. martha: a republican expert and

managing partner, campaign director at the center for american progress action fund. welcome to both of you. when you look back at this whole interview, first used the phrase circumstances can change, he was pushing this the third or fourth try, circumstances can change. do you think he is seriously considering it? >> his image in the polling surrounding him is sky high, it is higher than it has ever been and he is in a position now he is getting encouragement from republicans on all sides of the republican establishment and conservatives and tea partiers who are not happy with i would e candidates that we have to offer

because beating hillary clinton is going to take quite the candidate and i think he could be it. >martha: he would not be running against barack obama again. a lot of things he could say i was right about that, this time around it could be hillary clinton. she is tough to beat. >> she definitely is tough to beat. for him to jump back in for a third time, he would be nuts. the fundamental problems mitt romney had was he had trouble actually playing to a basin primary. the biggest problem for him is he just came off of relatable to most people, people do not feel he understood what they were

going through. he can spend the next four years trying to stake out more conservative positions. he will have trouble that he was coming out to raise the minimum wage, but becoming unavailable, that is simple. martha: in the rest of this interview he talks about what needs to happen. not good on that front, that is essential, he talks about a faster counterpunch which was also talked about in terms of what they did not do, but also says no, we need a newer, younger person who can catch fire with the party, catch fire with independents, that is what he seems to be holding out for. we have seen him with paul ryan, what do you make of that comment? >> he really has the best interest of the republican party

and he really has that sort of desire to see the republican party choose the right candidate, but he is facing a situation where all the would be candidates that would be floated, not a single one of them, that is hard for me to say as a republican. circumstances can change. martha: the big money folks are talking to him, trying to encourage him to take another crack at it, so we will see. it was 47-51%. mitt romney had 47% of that vo vote. will he run, and could he win? >> he was a real family decision

in 2006, 2012 to run, although i will say after the 2008 primary, mitt romney said never again. maybe. martha: can he run, will he win? >> i think he could really bring a competitive race against hillary clinton, but i don't think he will run. martha: we will see who is rig right. >> i look at what is happening next on "happening now." jon: the growing threat of homegrown terror in the united states, we will look into it. plus no information on the irs targeting scandal. a closer look at the hospitals and how they handle the earthquake victims, what can we

learn, and new evidence comes to light in the ferguson case. plus, taking on last night's vote, how the midterms look to be shaping up on "happening no "happening now." >> a group of daredevils taking their summer fun to a whole new level. an amazing highflying stunts, you have to see it to believe it. we will have that straight ahe ahead.

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north, coming from the ap in deerfield virginia. we will continue to keep you posted on what you learned about the crash. eric: out west, california drivers may have to dig deeper into their wallet thanks to a new gas tax. live with the details in l.a. reporter: eric, $4.09 not enou enough. the price increase calls for a state law to reduce pollution, higher prices or consumption, cleaner air, not happier drive drivers. >> i think it is terrible, the economy with jobs and everything is crazy. reporter: $0.68 per gallon, they pay the second highest gas tax. in january it goes up again. >> gas prices go up, my social income goes down. reporter: who is to blame, the middle east, wall street?

it is the state imposing a tax on oil refiners as part of the climate change law. the cost ultimately paid for by consumers. >> that equates to 12 to $0.15 per gallon depending on the price of carbon credits. posted rice so we could be looking at 50-$0.60 even a dollar per gallon. >> supporters say it will help the environment in the long run. >> we will tackle 40% of the greenhouse gas emissions in the state that are emitted mostly through transportation through oil and gas. reporter: california banks a billion dollars by taxing carb carbon. they have promised to use the revenue to clean the air. so far has paid for affordable housing, hig high-speed rail and environment a project that helps some, not the majority who pay the tax. >> i have to say i'm going to increase my prices and didn't

think it would be any good for any of us. >> 's why do you care what people pay for gasoline in california? i will tell you why, they are drafting language to squeeze more carbon from your diet as well and those take place, your gas prices will go up too b. martha: new information coming into america stil newsroom of te american killed fighting isis in syria. so how many more out there? what? it is that simple sometimes. thanks. now let's take this puppy over to midas and get you some of the good 'ol midas touch. hey you know what? i'll drive! and i have no feet... i really didn't think this through. trust the midas touch.

for brakes, tires, oil, everything. (whistling)

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guard base in westfield massachusetts, a training flight to new orleans, so that is latest on that. eric, thank you for being with us and i will see you at 2:00. "happening now" starts right n now. jon: chilling news of an american killed fighting for the enemy in syria, growing concern of u.s. citizens and other westerners crossing the line to join the terrorists. jenna: the pentagon confirming 33-year-old douglas macarthur was born and raised in the midwest and eventually moved to california before disappeared overseas when he was killed fighting for isis in syria. that news underscore in the report out that 300 u.s. citizens are believed to be fighting side-by-side with islamic terrorists