visit my family which means a lot to me. ♪ new ebola fears, a second case in texas. the big question this hour. how did a health worker in protective gear catch it? i'll talk to the former surgeon general of the united states. >> i'm hoping that he will somehow hear of this and of other conversations we've had or other times we've spoken in public. >> the family of an american hostage held by isis. hear their message and how he and others are being captured by the terror group. voting rights, how can we interpret a slew of moves by it have supreme court this past week that could affect how you vote next month. caught on camera, a subway thief who is apparently not interested in stealing anyone's money. you're going to see him as he makes his get away.

welcome to "weekends with alex witt." new alarm today. after a second patient has been positive in texas. the new patient is a health care worker who helped treat thomas eric duncan, the ebola patient who died last week. procedures weren't followed. >> clearly, there was a breach in protocol. we have the ability to prevent the spread of ebola by carrying safety for patients. >> in dallas, texas, of course, with more on this breaking story. tell us exactly what we know about this health care worker who got infected, and who is it? >> reporter: well, alex, we've learned this health care worker is a woman who in treating duncan had repeated close contact with him.

now, so far, she's not been able to identify specifically when this breach in protocol occur d occurred. she was 1 of 19 health care workers being asked to self-monitor signs or symptoms of possible exposure. she reported a fever on friday. within 90 minutes, she was inside the hospital, in isolation and being tested. those test results came back in, the preliminary test results last night positive for ebola. the cdc is working to confirm them right now. we have the results of those later today. >> okay. which means, you've got a second patient and potential for exposure to others. what's the hospital and the city of dallas doing about that? >> reporter: well, step number one is identifying anyone this person had contact with who may have possibly been exposed while they were symptommatic. only a person who is actively showing symptoms of ebola is infectious. right now, they think only one person was in contact with this health care worker while they had those symptoms. that person is in isolation

right now. they, themselves, are not showing any fever or any other possible signs of ebola exposure. the apartment believed to belong to this health care worker is being decontaminated right now. hazmat crews on the scene overnight and early this morning, they began notifying neighbors to what was going on. >> we have knocked on every door in that block and talked to every single person that came to the door. explained what has happened, and what we have done so they will not be afraid of the hazmat unit. >> crews have also decontaminated the health care worker's car which is here at the hospital. they're working on decontaminating any surfaces, railings, anything that might have been exposed. for now, the emergency room here not accepting patients, alex, as they focus on this new case. this second ebola patient here

at the hospital. >> sarah, is texas health presbyterian offering up an explanation as to how this happened? >> well, so far, no. no explanation. you heard there, the cdc saying it was a breach of protocol and they yet haven't identified exactly what that breach was. we know this health care worker was in full protective gear and supposedly following cdc protocols while treating mr. duncan. this is going to be key right here. how someone who was following the protocol and wearing the gear where this slip-up occurred that resulted in infection. >> thank you so much from dallas, texas. there's a bit more now from dr. daniel varga, the chief clinical officer as to how events unfolded in this latest case. >> the care giver notified the hospital of imminent arrival and was immediately admitted to the hospital's isolation room. we are also continuing to monitor all staff who had some relation to mr. duncan's care, even if they are not assumed to

be a significant risk of infection. >> dr. richard carmona joins me now. welcome back to the broadcast. the fact that the first person in the u.s. wit with ebola transmitted it to a health care worker who was wearing the protective gears. are those facts alarming to you? protocol was breached. >> well, good morning, and nice to be with you again, alex. my colleague, dr. frieden who runs the cdc is correct. in order for that person to be infected, the protocol must have been breached. there are a number of ways that happens. gloves weren't placed on correctly. a mask -- there wasn't eye protection, blood drawing. so what you have to do now is go back and look specifically at how that person interacted with anybody who was infected. and were those protocol -- where was the break in the protocol? otherwise, you can't get the infection. >> another alarming note from the cdc director. he told cbs, in fact, all of

thomas duncan's care givers -- how many might they be in contact with here? where does it stop? >> well, if anybody who is in contact with an ebola patient and takes to proper precautions, they are not at risk. but when the protocol has been broken, and i think probably dr. frieden's referring to if one nurse or one female person who was interacting with this patient got it. was there anybody else who didn't follow the propertocol? i think that has to be looked at carefully. >> when you talk about the circle of people. these health care workers, at least 19, i believe at one count, they've gone home to their family, they may have children, those kids go to school, they're with other children in classroom, parents pick the kids up, there's play dates. you go to the grocery store, the bank. there's a huge potential number of people that are affected. is this a virus that can

permeate all these different circles of contact? is it that strong? >> no. that's not the case. the fact is that studies have shown that if you have the proper personal protective equipment and follow the guidelines that cdc has put out that you will not be at risk. but you must adhere very, very specifically to these guidelines. even though all of those health care workers even though they are adhering to the guidelines are told that if you don't feel well, if you have a fever, you're to report to your physician right away. and they're being monitored. just to make sure. because they are a unique group of people that are exposed. but if they follow the proper protocols, they should not get ebola. >> you know, doctor. emmanuel wn the program. and he talked about a vulnerable time in his mind, when thomas eric duncan was -- is that a

place where you think there's a vulnerability? he suggested when you get to end of life as he clearly was, he may have crossed over that certain line from which he would not come back, that should not -- that particular procedure should not be followed in an ebola patient. >> well, it really depends. zeke is correct that is a high-risk procedure because there's a lot of mucous. hands are in the mouth trying to place a tube. but as far as the need for that, when a patient requires respiratory support, they need a tube. but there are policies and procedures in place to be able to do it seamlessly without exposing themselves if they follow the policies and procedures. >> if all of these health care workers followed protocol, but they're saying clearly someone must have not. is there a chance this virus could be airborne? >> well, the transmissability is

really through the exchange of fluids. and it's not like a common cold. so if somebody coughs in your face, if somebody is drawing blood and the blood gets on their body and they have cuts and they have bruises. they have open skin. that's a more likely way, which is why it's very important to follow the policies and procedures that eye protection is worn, body protection, gloves and all of this material is exposed, disposed of appropriately. there's a transition room when you change clothes and go to the outside, that nothing goes with you that was inside the room. it's really pretty detailed. and if they're followed, there really is no chance of getting ebola. >> the texas department of state health services says we knew a second case could be a reality. we are broadening our team in dallas and working with extreme diligence to prevent further spread. are there expectations of more people? especially those with whom thomas eric duncan was, perhaps,

staying or anyone else that came in contact with him? >> at this point, there's not any expectations. but certainly, the guard is up as my colleague dr. frieden has spoken about from cdc, that anybody that came in touch with mr. duncan after he was symptomatic, when he had a fever, they had to be looked at closely depending on the type of contact. and i know that work has been done. there's not an expectation, but we cannot become complacent because we know the incubation period could be as far out as three weeks. we must be able to observe those people in an isolated location to ensure they're not infected and have the potential of infecting someone else. >> dr. richard carmona, nice to see you. >> thanks, alex. nice be with you. new video has emerged today where kurdish fighters are battling against an isis assault. this footage released by a pro-isis group and not independent verified shows the

heavily armed militants fighting street to street and house to house. and afterwards, the destruction a city of rubble engulfed in flames. now, overhead, planes continued their bombing campaigns today as well as yesterday, conducting three air strikes. today, the situation is iraq's anbar province. an ied attack killed the province's police commander a day after officials there begged for international help. on this morning's "meet the press," susan rice was asked if the white house strategy is working. >> it can't be judged by one particular town or region. this is going to take time. and the american people need to understand that our aim here is long-term degradation. >> joining us now is nbc news chief correspondent richard engel. hello.

>> leaders are calling for urgent help. they say without more air strikes, without movement from perhaps even the iraqi army which has been able to do much against isis, that many more parts could fall to isis. and that would mean a large chunk of territory right on the doorstep of baghdad that is completely in the hands of isis. there are concerns that baghdad, the airport itself are once again in isis' crosshairs. in another part of this front against isis, the town of kobani. a small city under attack by isis. a u.n. official says that unless there is assistance given to the defenders of kobani could be overrode by isis. and hundreds perhaps more than

hundreds could be massacred. a u.n. envoy said unless something happens, there could be another -- was the massacre that was the worst massacre of civilians -- in europe since world war ii. an ominous threat, ominous warning. a war that so far is not impacting turkey. and turkey is the country that could have the biggest impact to potentially save kobani or turn the tide of the battle. turkish tanks and troops are a few hundred yards away from kobani, but not have been taking any action. >> thank you so much for that report. in the news now, a 21-month-old toddler has become the first person to die of virus d-68 in michigan. the children's hospital said madeline reid died on friday. a 4-year-old boy died of that virus last week in new jersey.

enterovirus has sickened people across 46 states, most of them children. tonight, new jersey will hold a vigil in support of the alleged victims in the town's high school football scandal. about 2,000 people have been invited to attend. the police department are investigating reports of sexual assaults in the locker room. seven players have been charged and arrested. the football schedule has been canceled for the season. attorneys for accused boston marathon bomber could be shaping a defense to prove he was bullied into the 2013 attack. they want to enter evidence proving that he knew his older brother was the killer in a 2011 triple homicide cold case. defense attorneys believe this evidence is critical to their claim. the late brother pressured him into the bombing. his trial begins in january. hundreds of air strikes later and isis continues to gain ground in iraq. ahead, i'll ask a retired army general if the u.s. strategy is

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the pentagon has just announced that american and british war planes have conducted five air strikes in iraq today and yesterday. several of the strikes hit isis targets in anbar province where officials issued a desperate plea just yesterday. in a new interview, martin dempsey was asked if isis is now within striking distance of baghdad. >> isis is blending in to parts of the disenfranchised sunni population. so for indirect fire, the answer's yes. heretofore, we've been successful, mostly the iraqis have been successful in keeping them out of range. but i have no doubt there will be days when they use indirect fire into baghdad. >> joining me now, retired

general montgomery megs who served in the first iraq war. good to see you, general, thanks for joining me. >> good to be here. >> baghdad, do you think it's in danger of falling? and if it does, how devastating is that. >> baghdad goes under the hand of isis. you have one of the historical and cultural capitals of the muslim world in the hands of a very nasty organization. but, remember, the majority of people in baghdad are shia, not sunni. and iran has a very strong interest in the shia population in iraq. if there's any threat of isis getting into baghdad, you will see the guard in a clandestine way. and they will be working with the organizations. i don't think isis is going to take that one on until they've done all the rest of the work to

tie up iraq. >> okay. so temporarily, then, you think it's okay at this point. let's talk about the u.s. it began its campaign a couple of months ago. conducted 265 strikes in that time. but today, officials in the anbar province say they are in danger of falling. isis has taken several army bases as you know. so the question is, is the u.s. strategy working? >> in the short-term, no. if isis could be allowed to attack with impunity and exploit success, your short-term losses may obviate the opportunity for long-term gain. and i'm going back to a statement by a government official earlier today. if it takes too long to get a coalition of nations that count, too long to contain isis, you will lose the sunni leadership in iraq who will have to start making deals so their tribes can survive. that is not success.

the u.s. is conducting 379 of 436 air strikes in syria, which is 80% of the strikes overall. does the u.s. want the partner countries to take on a bigger share of the fight? or is it a case of just trusting your own guys more to get the job done? >> no, i think it's been -- the president stated, you know, they want this 40-nation coalition to work. it's just that the deadline for that is way past the area of opportunity that isis enjoys now. so you want a strong international coalition. there's no doubt about that. it's just taking too long to put it together. and turkey's a special case because we need turkey in the coalition, but turkey's first priority is getting rid of assad. and the second priority is taking care of the kurds who, quite frankly, ran a very nasty insurgency in turkey, which included tricks like getting on buses, taking all the soldiers

off. there's got to be a way to approach turkey that makes it clear that's not going to happen again. who knows what arrangements we can make. >> you talk about turkey in a couple of perspectives there and their involvement and lack thereof. they don't seem to have a lot of friends insight. but you've got isis now knocking on their door, right there in kobani. but they have left their borders wide open to isis to transfer men, transfer guns, transfer oil. whose side is turkey really only. >> turkey's on turkey's side as they see it. this is the home of the empire. this is a long-term powerful force in the muslim/sunni era. they have strong interests in what happens in syria and what happens with the kurds. and to them, i think, that comes first and we need to get through that so we can actually enlist them in the campaign and have

them stop allowing the isis to sell oil at a profit for crying out loud. and the flow of foreign fighters into isis. they've got to stop that. >> general, something i know you're familiar with, the apache helicopters, the u.s. is using them in iraq. general martin dempsey said this morning said they were needed to defend the baghdad airports. first of all, how exposed are these apache helicopters? is this a necessary risk? >> well, i think it's a necessary risk. and the fact of the matter is, the apache is a very, very powerful platform when used with its operational safety zone with the systems that support it. we have to be very careful about that and where the apaches go home for home base, which i assume there is in the large international airport in baghdad. you heard general dempsey mention indirect fires. if isis can get long range fires

and put them on the airstrip, that's a major problem. >> all right. >> now, some of the bunkers still remain that saddam had that you could put the apaches in, that would alleviate things so much, but i think the air force did a job of cleaning those out. >> thanks much. >> good to be on the air with you, alex. the new york city subway system got creepier. what one man is stealing from women to sure to knock your socks off. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] united is rolling out global, satellite-fed wi-fi to connect you even 35,000 feet over the ocean. ♪ that's...wifi friendly. ♪

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sleep. add breathe right to your cold medicine. shut your mouth and sleep right. breathe right. welcome back to "weekends with alex witt." to california where a man has been arrested and charged with arson for allegedly starting a fire that destroyed 150 homes. 24-year-old ronald beau marshall will be held on $250,000 in connection with the september incident which became known as the bowls fire. in maine, one person is dead, 22 injured after a hay ride overturned saturday night. a 17-year-old girl was among two people who were badly hurt after the driver of the jeep pulling that flat bed missed a turn and then flipped down a steep hill. u.s. secretary of state john kerry announcing $212 million in additional aid to the reconstruction of gaza today. during a diplomatic meeting in cairo, kerry said the palestinian people need our help desperately. this brings the u.s.

contribution in gaza to more than $400 million. and in dallas, a nurse who cared for thomas eric duncan at the presbyterian hospital has tested positive for the ebola virus. reported a fever late friday, immediately isolated. anyone with contact with the worker will be monitored closely for symptoms. the positive results after a preliminary test and the cdc is conducting an exam. we'll get the results later on today. susan rice addressed the crisis in a new interview on this morning's meet the press. and joining me now, white house correspondent kristen welker. good day to you. the first case of ebola contracted inside the u.s. how is the white house reacting? >> reporter: well, alex, obama administration officials are echoing what we heard from the cdc. which they are incredibly concerned about this case of ebola. this second case, as you say, the first case to be transmitted inside the united states. we know that president obama was briefed by one of his top advisers earlier today. as you pointed out, national

security adviser susan rice addressed this crisis on "meet the press" with chuck todd. she said other countries need to do more to help fight ebola in west africa. take a listen to what she had to say. >> no, they haven't done enough. and we are pushing very hard for everybody to do more. this is going to take all hands on deck because the goal has to be to contain this epidemic in the three countries that we've seen in west africa to try to prevent its spread and to provide the appropriate care to those that need it. >> alex, i asked a senior administration official what specifically is the administration asking of other countries. that official wouldn't get into specifics about which countries they are talking to but said they're asking several countries for more help. providing things like help setting up treatment centers, supplies and, of course, health care officials. and we know that the united states has sent 3,200 u.s. forces over to west africa to help fight ebola there.

the administration says the key to ending this is to containing it in west africa and to dealing with the crisis there. the outbreak that has claimed so many lives. alex? >> kristen welker, thank you so much from the white house. new today, protesters in missouri demanding justice in the shooting death of michael brown are preparing for possible widespread arrests tomorrow with several demonstrators planning to engage in nonviolent civil disobedience. crowds are gathering for day three of what organizers are calling a weekend of resistance following another night of marches and standoff. two months after michael brown was fatally shot by a white police officer. >> we're marching all night long. we're young, we're strong, we're marching all night long. >> a few dozen protests outside busch stadium in st. louis. in the first game of the national league championship series. and joining me now from st.

louis. always good to see you. it is day three now of this weekend of resistance. talk about the scene right now and what's planned for today. >> today started with meeting of women, a woman's only caucus talking about the importance of women in movements like this. now there's also going to be a meeting where people are going to be trained for civil disobedience tomorrow. there's supposed to be multiple actions of civil disobedience. there's trainings going on, preparing people for that. there's also a concert with several hip hop artists. a local artist at the rally yesterday, hosting it. and there's also a large inner faith meeting. so people are kind of gearing up and talking about why they're here and talking about what they're doing here. >> right. everything gets underway, i think about an hour and a half from now. it's going to be a long day. there were a few protests last night. you were at the ferguson police department. what did you see happen? what are you hearing about what

happened any place else? >> there was a long march from where michael brown was shot to the ferguson police station. their people got into the faces of police officers. they were telling police officers kind of their frustrations. talking about police brutality. telling them they should stop killing people. that's kind of what happened at that police station. there was some dancing, also,nn. and i think a lot of people then got kind of angry. that's when you saw a few dozen protesters move over to the shaw neighborhood where myers was killed. and there i'm being told about 100 protesters sat down and wouldn't move. police are saying they threw rocks, but the organizers are saying the protesters did not throw rocks. what happened there, mace was used and protesters were dispersed by police in riot gear. >> organizers say they're anticipating these widespread intentional arrests tomorrow, the protesters are planned to engage in nonviolent civil

disobedience. what are you hearing about that? any word on what exactly is planned? >> reporter: it's all being kept kind of secret. it's really by design. they don't want to tip police off to what they're doing. they've only told me there are going to be multiple acts of civil disobedience all over the city. it's not just going to be in fergus ferguson, it's going to be all over the place. it's going to be a mixture. the faith group and the clergy and the young activists. it's up in the air. not for us, i think in the media, as to where we should be. but the activists are a good idea of what they want to accomplish tomorrow. >> okay. thank you so much as always. let's go from there to politics. vote 2014. and control of the senate hangs in the balance with several tight races getting even closer. let's bring in the washington bureau chief susan page. welcome, susan. >> hey, alex. >> when you look at the election

with the seasoned eye. what's at stake? >> well, control of the u.s. senate is i think the big prize on election night. and big consequences for president obama and the final two years of his term. if he ends up with a republican senate and republican house, that will change the dynamic in town or make it in some ways more difficult. maybe in some ways easier for him to get things done. >> you think there'll be policies overturned? >> well, i think he'll have to -- with a republican-controlled senate, which is what we now look like we will probably have. but likely we will have a republican senate. i think the congress will take up things like the keystone xl pipeline, for instance. pass them, president obama to veto or sign. also might happen with some policies involving the affordable care act. there have been a lot of things that the republican house has passed the last four years. the senate has bottled it up. president obama may no longer have that kind of protective shield after november. are. >> okay. i'm going to ask if you're a

betting woman at the end of this. you said probably. i'd love a number on that. i want to get specific with the states. you're right about the close senate race in north carolina. that's in the latest article. and in the "usa today" poll, shows kay hagan is leading by two points. and you've written that democrats are very disappointed because they thought senator hagan was beginning to pull away from the challenger. what's happened there? >> that's right. a couple of races that have gotten closer. some the republican have been leading. the race in iowa where the republicans, now looks like it's very close. the same thing has happened in north carolina and the other direction. some democrats said their own polling was showing. and not a really big lead, but five or six point lead for kay hagan. we didn't find that. found a race is essentially tied. those are the two states plus colorado where i think we're likely to see control of the senate colorado, iowa, north carolina, those are the three places to watch first and foremost, i think, on election night. >> i also want to take a look at kentucky with you.

that's a big one we're watching. allison grimes, she's been leading. but last week when she refused to answer whether she voted for president obama. many described it as a painful 40 seconds. this nonanswer, do you think it's going to affect the outcome in kentucky? >> welm, i think the questions about her campaign generally are affecting her are raising some questions about her seasoned -- whether she's seasoned as a candidate. there was that incident she a o also -- there have been some other things that have happened with her campaign that have raised some questions. what is amazing, though, this race is still contested at all. the senate republican leader we're talking about in a red state in a republican leading state if that race is still very close. if you were betting, you'd probably bet on mitch mcconnell. >> before i get to leon panetta's situation with his book, you said betting, probably the senate goes gop.

percentage, what's the likelihood do you think? >> well, i don't know. better than even. but not for sure. >> yeah. >> so that may not be very satisfying. perhaps you're trying to lay a bet on this. i'm not sure i can help you with that. >> i'm going to put you at 51%. that's a safe number to get with you right now. leon panetta, his criticism of president obama and his new book, the only person he really is not critical of is hillary clinton. so talk about what's behind that. and do you think it's driven by the election two years from now? >> well, it could be, leon panetta has been a supporter of the campaign the last time around. we would expect him to be a supporter in 2016 if she decides to run. that might be part of it. you also need to remember he and hillary clinton were aligned on a bunch of big issues against president obama. they didn't carry the day when the president made the decision on arming syrian rebels two years ago. but they were on the same side.

i think it's probably natural she comes off pretty well in his memoir just as he came off pretty well in her memoir. maybe something to keep in mind. >> okay. susan page, come see us again soon. >> thanks, alex. a heartbreaking message of the parents of a young american kept captive by isis. americans drink 48 billion bottles of water every year. that's enough plastic bottles to stretch around the earth 230 times. each brita filter can replace 300 of those. clean. clear. brita water. nothing is better.

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your goals, our technology. introducing synchrony financial, bringing new meaning to the word partnership. banking. loyalty. analytics. synchrony financial. enagage with us. the parents of isis hostage have come forward today. he was seized by isis in eastern syria a year ago this month while delivering food and medical aid. today, his parents ed and paula have a simple message of hope and love for their only son whose mission they say has always been to serve others. >> i'm hoping that he will somehow hear of this and of other conversations we've had or other times we've spoken in public.

that way he'll know that we haven't forgotten him. we haven't abandoned him, and we certainly do love him. >> joining me now is tom portias of human rights watch. it's so hard to listen to these parents. and short of some miraculous rescue mission, can anything be done to free kassig and the other hostages? >> that is a tragic message. and judging by recent events, i think it's going to be very difficult. there was an effort to free the hostages back in the summer. and as we know, that failed. and now, isis is executing the hostages it holds one by one in a very deliberate way in order to promote their propaganda. it's very tragic. >> how are most of these western hostages captured, tom? are they betrayed by fixers? do they just run into the wrong road block?

i mean, are they tracked from the start? >> well, it's a combination of those things. it's very dangerous. and i think that media organizations and humanitarian organizations have a responsibility to their staff to do all they can to keep them safe. let's not forget, it's not just western journalists and aid workers who are being targeted, it's anyone whom isis doesn't like. and, of course, they use the western ones to maximum effect for their propaganda when they capture them. but what needs to be done is for humanitarian organizations and media organizations to really have a plan whenever they send their staff anywhere where, you know, there's danger. one of the risks. how do you mitigate them? and so on. and if it's too dangerous, they shouldn't go. >> do they think any of these groups can operate safely in syria at this point? >> well, i think that certain people are more vulnerable than others. obviously westerners are more vulnerable. but that's not to say that local

people aren't vulnerable, as well. local hostages and journalists. 67 journalists have been killed in syria since the beginning of the war in 2011 in the course of doing their job. many of those are locals. but, of course, some are foreigners. and it's not just isis that is responsible. my -- my former friend and colleague was killed by -- in 2012 by indiscriminate attacks by the syrian government forces. >> yep. we ran over that and we're sorry for that loss. is the u.s. doing enough to try to free the hostages, in your opinion? >> really, i don't know. we don't know where they're being held. they did make this one attempt. it's very difficult. and now, of course, probably with air strikes going on, it's even more difficult to determine where they're being held and so on. i can't answer that question. >> okay. how about this, paying ransom, what is human rights watch's

stance on that? >> you know, we don't really have a stance on paying ransom. i mean, clearly if it's the case that paying a ransom is simply going to make it more dangerous for other journalists and aid workers, that is a problem that needs to be taken into account. but i think the main responsibility lies with the organizations themselves. media organizations and humanitarian organizations to do whatever they can to keep their staff as safe as possible. but, i mean, you know, these are risky jobs. and what i find encouraging is the determination on the part of humanitarian workers and journalists to really re-double their efforts and do their job. it's always been dangerous to do this kind of thing in war zones. and, you know, i salute the courage of my colleagues and journalists and humanitarian workers who actually do put

their lives onli the line in orr to help people. >> very brave, bold and accomplished people. thank you very much. tom, we appreciate your time from human rights watch. >> thank you. >> all of you can see much more of the interview with peter kassig's parents tomorrow on the "today" show. the voting rights battle rages on. the supreme court issued a slew of decisions that could affect you on voting day. hey! morning hank. for people who don't have allergies every day, just on allergy days. (sneeze) new qlearquil. the powerfully effective, take it only when you need it, so you can be you again, allergy medicine. boo! haha. all right, see you buddy! and introducing qlearquil nighttime, the new allergy medicine for night. qlearquil, powerful sinus and allergy medicine from the makers of vicks nyquil and dayquil.

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texas appears to be the latest battleground in the fight over voter i.d. laws. in a ruling just yesterday, a federal judge in corpus christi once again stopped texas from enforcing a strict voter i.d. law ahead of the november election. the ruling could mean some 13.6 million registered texas voters won't be needing 1 of 7 kinds of photo i.d.s to vote. the supreme court delivered a slew of rulings that could be interpreted as mixed. for ohio, the supreme court blocked a lower court ruling

that had restored a week of early voting there. so no early voting. for north carolina, the high court blocked a ruling that would've brought back that state's same-day voter registration. don't go to the polls expecting to register. then for wisconsin, the supreme court blocked a lower court ruling that put a voter i.d. law in immediate effect. meaning come november, you will not have to present an i.d. to vote. so for voting rights activists, apparent wins in texas and wisconsin, apparent losses in ohio and north carolina. joining me now to make sense of it now, an attorney who has argued before the supreme court. amy, welcome back to the broadcast. would any of these rulings overall favor or harm voting rights? >> well, i think that the voter i.d. cases in particular were the ones that the supreme court appears most concerned about. there's a principal. the supreme court doesn't want to step in and make changes too

close to an election. and i think it felt the wisconsin voter i.d. law which is going to be too much of a change too close. so you had in that order which allowed -- ruled in favor of the challengers and blocked the voter i.d. law from going into effect. you had a one paragraph descent from three of the court's most conservative justices. and even they acknowledged there was a basis for the court's decision to block the voter i.d. law. given how close it was to the election. in particular, they said absentee ballots have already gone out in wisconsin to voters that don't say anything about needing to submit proof of i.d. and so that went too far for the court. apparently, the others in ohio and north carolina didn't go too far, weren't too much of a change that close to an election. >> for anyone not following the change, they don't want to put it out there so close because it confuses people. >> exactly. >> and, remember, they're not

weighing in on the merits of any of these laws. they're just -- these are emergency requests to block the lower court decisions. >> right. >> they're not going to step in and make these changes. >> right. it basically made no overall judgments about voting rights. it had to do with keeping rules in place until november, right? >> that's right. you do get a sense that in each case of probably roughly a majority of the court would view these laws given that you need five votes to block the lower court's decision to put the stay into effect. but it's just a hint. it's not a judgment. >> so all of these voter i.d. laws, ultimately, will they keep coming down to the states and who is in charge of the legislature there? >> there are not any voter i.d. cases on the docket so far. you know, certainly, the wisconsin case and possibly the texas case could be at the court quite soon. but it does boil down to who is

making the laws, and in each of these cases, you had republican-controlled legislatures making these laws. in north carolina, they were -- it was a law that the legislature passed after the court's 2013 decision in shelby county versus holder, the voting rights decision act. so before shelby county, north carolina would've had to go to the federal government and get preapproval to make these kind of changes. but because of the court's 2013 decision, it didn't have to. >> the other big item from the supreme court this week was the decision to pass on same sex marriage cases. did that surprise you, amy? and how do you interpret that? >> well, yes and no. i was on your show last week y saying they are going to take these cases. but on the other hand, said last month don't take for granted we're going to take same-sex marriage right now. there are no conflicting decisions among the courts of appeals right now.

and that's something the supreme court looks for when it decides whether or not to take up a case on the merits. certainly a lot of us were surprised. you know, i think we expected the supreme court to take one or more of these cases and ultimately weigh in on whether or not there's a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. instead, you've got these lower court decisions that were five different states striking down those state's bans on same-sex marriage. and now the lower court decisions have go into effect and you've got same-sex marriage happening all over the country and in some of the states located in the same geographic areas. you've got, for example, north carolina and virginia also had bans, they were in the same region as virginia. so when the decision striking down virginia's same-sex marriage ban went into effect, north carolina and west virginia state officials just gave up and are starting to issue licenses to same-sex couples. >> all right. well, thank you so much. good to see you.

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can get the real answers you need. start building your confident retirement today. breaking news today. a new case of ebola. a dallas hospital worker who treated thomas duncan falls ill. and the cdc says other health workers there may be at risk. isis fire power despite coalition air strikes islamic state militants are moving even closer now to baghdad. what will it take to stop them? weekend of resistance, a day of disobedience for protesters. and house call. selling a home for an iphone plus? who gets the better of this deal? hey there, everyone, welcome to "weekends with alex witt." here's what's happening.

today, there's news about a second ebola patient. it is igniting new concerns about a further spread of the virus. the patient is a health care worker who helped treat thomas eric duncan. of course, the ebola patient who died on wednesday. the cdc says there may be more workers at risk. >> it is possible in the coming days that we will see additional cases of ebola. this is because the health care workers who cared for this individual may have had a breach of the same nature of the individual who appears now to have preliminary positive tests. >> more with this developing story. let's go through the chain of events here. how did this patient, former health care worker get admitted into isolation? >> reporter: well, alex, the patient had had repeated close contact with duncan during his care. part of a group being asked to self-monitor. when she came down with a fever on friday, she followed

protocols that had been set into place in case of a situation like this. >> the individual was self-monitoring and immediately on developing symptoms as appropriate. she contacted the health care system. and when she came in, she was promptly isolated. the level of her symptoms and indications from the test itself suggest that the level of virus that she had was low. >> reporter: this health care worker was in the hospital in isolation and being tested within 90 minutes of contacting health care workers. an apartment about 15 minutes away from here that is believed to be hers is in a process of being decontaminated. neighbors in that area were notified as early as 5:30 this morning as to what was going on via door to door visits and reverse 911 calls. alex. >> that's her residence. what about where she works at the hospital? what are the next steps there?

>> well, the key here is really identifying where this breach of protocol occurred. health officials are now monitoring all people who treated duncan. the thought process behind that is if one person was exposed even though it appeared all protocols were being followed, that if one person was exposed and got ebola, more people could have been exposed, as well. now, until they identify this source of infection, the cdc is recommending to the hospital that the number of health care workers treating potential ebola patients be kept to a minimum as they are also recommending that any medical procedures, any unnecessary blood draws be eliminated, as well. those procedures kept to a minimum. >> thank you very much from dallas. residents who live in the same dallas neighborhood as that health care worker are reacting today. >> i think it's kind of crazy because it's so close. i'm not super concerned or scared, i think that they're

going to take the right precautions. >> it was a little scary. we saw, you know, the hazmat crew and everything. >> yeah. >> out here and so, it was just a little bit uneasy. >> i'm going to stay at my sister who lives in lake highlands area. but i'm not sure. >> residents say police knocked on the doors around 5:30 this morning, handing out flyers to alert them someone in the neighborhood had tested positive. u.s. airports are on the front lines in america's campaign to combat the virus. and chris dahlgren is here with the latest on that. >> reporter: well, air travelers from three west african countries can expect intensified screenings now. the new procedures are already in play at jfk international airport. with four additional airports scheduled to begin on thursday. these new american measures are the latest offensive from a ban of countries launching preventive efforts to stop the deadly disease from spreading.

>> just been feeling unwell -- >> in england, a frightening scene. medics in full biocontainment suits. this too just an actor, testing if they're ready for the real thing. this was not drill. customs and border protection agents in gloves and face masks talked to passengers arriving from west africa. the coast guard took their temperatures, looking for a fever or any sign of sickness. a reassuring step for many concerned travelers passing through jfk. >> it's my life. who wants to have some type of illness? especially something like ebola, you know. >> the screening will expand to newark, washington, atlanta, and chicago this week. but even officials dmis it is far from full proof. >> this screening procedure, for example, would not necessarily have caught the patient in dallas as indicated. >> thomas eric duncan who died in dallas last week may not have shown obvious signs of ebola

when he traveled into the country. duncan's body and personal effects have been cremated to prevent further spread. new supplies have arrived in sierra leone. but officials say it is still not enough. the united nations is appealing for $1 billion in aid but has only gotten a quarter of that. while in a nebraska hospital, one bright spot. the father of nbc freelance camera man ashoka mukpo is turning a corner. >> in the u.s. and around the world, continuing to add the layers of protection, alex. but obviously, especially with today's news, a lot of people very concerned. >> you can about imagine. okay. thank you for that. to the developing news from the middle east now. coalition war planes continue to bomb in kobani today. but in the city center, the fighting continues. and in iraq, a day of bloodshed, isis suicide bombers attacked a kurdish military base in the east while the fighting rages in

anbar province where officials have issued a desperate plea for ground troops. joining me now from london. a good day to you. i know so much of the focus has been on konbani recently. but the iraqi front appears to be deteriorating now. what's the situation there today? >> doesn't look good, alex. bombs killed more than two dozen. those bombings including the police chief west of baghdad. isis controls a number of towns in anbar including most of fallujah. the situation is so dire, one leader is calling for international help and warning that the entire province could fall to isis if they don't get it. the terror group still making gains around iraq. in a lot of places, it appears isis has managed to cut off supply lines to iraqi forces. today, the u.s. dropped food, water and ammunition to iraqi soldiers near saddam hussein's birthplace. they're desperately trying to fend off isis, but they don't

have the supplies to do it. alex? >> okay. let's talk about the pentagon's report, saying u.s. strikes are continuing around kobani today. has there been any measurable success in pushing back isis? >> well, it's hard to tell, alex. at least nine air strikes in and around kobani and northern syria today. there was fighting this morning in the south and east of that city. more signs of air strikes this afternoon. it appears that kurdish fighters have managed to push isis back a bit with the help of those air strikes. the question, alex is for how long. you've seen this propaganda video now released by a pro isis group on friday. now, we can't independent verify where or when it was shot. but it supposedly shows isis fighters in kobani. and you can see they have heavy weapons. and that's what kurdish fighters say they need. more heavy weapons, alex, more ammunition to defend kobani. they still say air strikes alone

are not enough for them to defeat isis. >> okay. thank you for that. continuing the conversation now, gjoining me now is steven clemens. good to see you. >> good to see you, alex. >> americans have conducted 87% of all the air strikes in iraq and syria, that's 87%. any real expectation that the regional partners that amount to some 40 countries would take a greater share of the burden? >> well, look, it's great from, you know, a pr perspective to have a lot of countries involved. i met with a french minister of defense last week who is deeply concerned not only about isis here, but about signals that we're beginning to see of attempts to coordinate, mimic and communicate with other groups throughout africa and whatnot. so, you know, the world is turned on to the problem. what we're not seeing is the robust involvement of other arab

partners in this beyond the sort of headlines that we're getting. and sort of big swaths that the u.s. takes. i think it's very, very important to, you know, look at this and realize that what you see in anbar, what you see with the executions and beheadings we've just read about in northern iraq, what we see in the tragedy that's unfolding in kobani in the turkish/syria border is that the allies, the cousins, the tribes tied to these thus far have not fully deployed themselves to protect these places in dire need. and that's a real problem. >> so we've got the air strikes underway, certainly. but where are the arab ground troops that were such a critical part of president obama's strategy? >> well, they're not there yet -- particularly in iraq, and one has to wonder. when you look at the success, the command and control success of isis and you see the iraqi soldiers in military saying, you know, they will not -- they will forfeit their weapons, abandon their posts if the united states doesn't come in.

you begin wondering what did we spend billions of dollars on. what sorts of training, supply, and why was it so ineffective? when you look at what isis has been able to do. folks coming in from all over the world and using incumbent forces they have. their ability to turn this -- the forces that we trained aren't able to stand up thus far and haven't been performing as well across the board. there are some cases where there was some real heroism and success in fighting isis. so far, particularly on the iraqi side, it's been an incredible disappointment, and i think it's leaving in peril huge swaths of iraq, and throughout the region. so it's those fighters, but also combined the fact that when you look at bahrain, look at kuwait, the uae and particularly saudi arabia, jordan and others. each of these nations have troop

that are not present on the ground taking up this cause. and that's a real problem. >> and as we look at syria. you've got the united nations warning of an imminent massacre there in the city of kobani. we see footage all weekend long of turkish tanks. they're sitting idly on a hillside there above the fray. the u.s. war planes are the ones circling above, dropping the bombs on the outskirts of the city. it kind of sums up the whole situation, steven. do you see a scenario where turkey crosses that border and engages isis. what would be the catalyst for that? >> something has to break. you've got folks in kurdistan that want to move their fighters and forces to help further defend the kurds in kobani and thus far turkey has not been allowing them free passage through. why you do have the forces, essentially, just watching with binoculars what's going on very clearly from the hill above while isis comes in from another

side. so, it is a -- it is a terrible tragedy unfolding. hopefully forces will come in and begin trying to take other steps. certainly, this is a nightmare situation which the world is observing and the right places are not pulling in. and u.s. fighters alone seem unable, as richard engel said in a powerful piece this morning on chuck todd's show on this morning that he hasn't seen isis really be degraded in the north, in the west, or in the place with kobani. that what we keep talking about degradation or susan rice the national security adviser this morning saying we have to fasten our seat belts for a long-term degradation. long-term means that places like kobani are going to go up in flames, be captured and we'll see some of the worst horrors of this century. >> does the u.s. have any leverage to get turkey and other regional partners to become more

enga engaged? >> of course we have leverage. we can't force or compel them to. i think they need to be looking into the abyss of what a nightmare this is if this group doesn't roll back at some point. that's going to be a multiprong strategy. that means stopping them forcefully with turkish power. turkey is a nato member. this is on the edge of turkey and we ought to be talking more broadly about the forced dimensions of it. at the same time, jim risen in the "new york times" today outlines the billions of dollars that went into iraq before much of that money disappeared perhaps into a lebanon bunker. one wonders if cash like that flowing around becomes an asset for isis down the road. and look at how you peel off sunni tribes that seem to be acquiescing and colluding with isis to some degree in parts of iraq. this has a multi-pronged strategy. we're talking about bombing campaigns when, in fact, this is a complex system that has to

have 17 different strategies at the same time to unplug it. and it has to be done fast. there's no long-term strategy that's going to save these towns and cities. >> steven clemens, your insights are appreciated. see you again soon, thanks. >> thank you, alex. the battle for control of congress, how can president obama help the democrats win? that's next. people. [ alex ] transamerica helped provide a lifetime of retirement income. so i can focus on what matters most. [ female announcer ] everyone has a moment when tomorrow becomes real. transamerica. [ female announcer ] everyone has a moment when tomorrow becomes real. introducing a pm pain reliever that dares to work all the way until the am. new aleve pm the only one with a sleep aid. plus the 12 hour strength of aleve. i have $40,ney do you have in your pocket right now? $21. could something that small make an impact on something as big as your retirement? i don't think so. well if you start putting that towards your retirement every week and let it grow over time,

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20 past with a live look at the white house. the flag at half staff. in recognition of national fallen firefighters memorial weekend. sadly, 107 names were added to the memorial. during a service earlier today in maryland. a bomb explosion today in iraq has killed the police chief in anbar province a major blow to the efforts to fight isis. now, at the same time, isis militants have made it within eight miles or so of the baghdad airport.

and martin dempsey revealing new details today about what life is like for cities under isis control that includes fallujah and mosul. >> strict interpretations of sharia law. >> that's still going on all the time. >> and hundreds of years. yeah. but isil's also clever to give the enemy its due. they are also providing basic goods and services. they seek to reach out to children to influence the next generation. >> joining me now is matt cartwright of pennsylvania. thanks for joining me. so -- >> my pleasure, alex, how are you? >> i'm well, thanks. despite these air strikes, they are drawing closer to baghdad. they're appealing for help, trying to stop isis from advancing, obviously. are the air strikes working? >> well, i think it's too soon

to tell yes, we've had something like 385 air strikes. but the idea is to degrade the strength of isis over time. the idea is this is an enemy that is advancing. i mean, military strategists will tell you when you're dealing with an enemy on the advance that is on the offense, they are out in the open more. and air strikes are more effective against enemies like that as opposed to enemies that are dug in and standing still. sitting down and more protective from air strikes. so, my approach is let's take our time. there are those calling for boots on the ground in a hurry. i think the president is taking the right approach. let's not be in a hurry to do that. to put young american men and women in harm's way. right away. let's see how this plays out. for example, you take kobani

along the northern border between syria and turkey. who is doing the boots on the ground fighting there? we're talking about the kurds. the kurds are kind of holding their own against isis. and they're right up against the turkish border. to me, i think what we want to see is a diplomatic offensive to try to persuade the president to open up that border. there are all kinds of additional kurdish fighters that want to jump in and join that fight. >> all right. thanks for weighing in on all that's going on overseas. back state side regarding politics. there are some democrats who do not want president obama campaigning on their behalf. that would include alison grimes in kentucky. she wouldn't answer whether she even voted for president obama in the last election. you've got senator jeanne shaheen saying president obama

would not be helpful for her campaign. why are some democrats running from the president? >> well, i know alison grimes, she is a fantastic candidate. she has a good chance of toppling mitch mcconnell. and, you know, as for why she was hemming and hawing about that, look, what you have to realize is that every campaign is its own creation. every campaign has lots of different moving parts, and you have to judge each candidate on his or her own merits, rather than strapping them to the president. look, let's face it, it's no great surprise that in the sixth year of an eight-year presidency, the bloom is off the rose. and that happens with every president. they want to strap the democratic candidate to the democratic president and vice versa. so, i don't think we can be too

hard on alison grimes for taking that approach. what she might have said is, what did you think, i was going to vote for mitt romney who was ready to write off 40% of good americans as unworthy takers on our society? >> how would president obama play your re-election campaign in your home district? >> you've got a lot of other things to do. i won't blame him -- he's welcome here. >> he is. okay. >> he'd be very welcome. and i support so much of what he's done. you know, leon panetta comes out with a critical book about him. but, remember, leon panetta is also highly critical of republicans. he lays it right at the feet of speaker boehner for why there's gridlock in washington. you know, the republican held house has done everything it can do to gum up the works of government and create this gridlock. leon panetta himself makes that point. and people shouldn't focus so

much on his criticisms of the president. >> but his are not the only ones, as you well know. former presidents bill clinton, jimmy carter, robert gates, all criticizing this president. i mean, your reaction as a member of the president's own party. is any of this criticism warranted? >> of course. alex. everybody's got their strengths and weaknesses. the president, leon panetta gave a lot of credit to the president for making the tough call to go after osama bin laden. and it was a risky move. it was a tough call, but he made it, and he was right. so panetta gives credit where credit is due. he does have some criticisms. and so have other leaders. but, you have -- look, you let yourself in for that when you run for public office, alex. people are allowed to criticize you and they do. >> you know, they criticize tv news anchors, too. i'll let you in on that. thank you very much for your time. up next, weekend of

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developing now, protesters in missouri demanding justice in the shooting death of michael brown. they are preparing for possible widespread arrests tomorrow with several demonstrators planning to engage in what they're saying nonviolent civil disobedience. now, police and protesters faced off in ferguson last night two nights months after michael brown was fatally shot by a police officer. a little bit of technical difficulty there. but nonetheless, a few dozen protesters rallied outside of busch stadium in st. louis. that was the photo we were showing you. today's bombshell on ebola raises questions about how it could happen. a leading expert from the harvard public school -- school of public health joins me next. . they're about 10 times softer

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welcome back to "weekends with alex witt." a new case of ebola is fueling fears about the virus spreading. a health care worker has ebola. she was on the team that treated thomas eric duncan who died on wednesday. the director of the harvard global health institute is joining me now. welcome back to the broadcast. can you give me some educated speculation as to what you think happened to cause this latest case of ebola? >> yeah, so, alex, this is obviously a very unfortunate situation. and i think first and foremost, we're all going to pray she gets better quickly and that none of the other health care workers who were involved in taking care of mr. duncan get sick. so that, of course, then raises the question of what happened, how did this happen? this is a hospital, you know, it's in dallas, it's got all the right equipment to take of an ebola patient. clear through there was a breach of protocol somewhere. there was a very specific protocol that needs to be followed perfectly in order to

make sure people do not get infected, health care workers do not get infected. and what we know is something somewhere went awry. do we yet know what it is? no. my best guess is that it was probably at the time of disrobing. that's where a lot of health care workers get into trouble. so they put on their suit, they go in, take care of the patient, when they come out and take all the contaminated stuff off, that's usually the highest risk moment. and that's where a lot of health care workers have gotten into trouble. >> what about as was suggested earlier on mhp, dr. zeke emanuel said that thomas eric duncan, he made the suggestion that when you have a patient who is critically ill like him that the risk of it, as you know, all sorts of bodily fluids can come out. it's a messy process. blood, mucous, anything else.

he said that maybe should not be done for fear of something spreading. it should be considered very, very carefully. whether you take that step. >> yeah. >> your thoughts? >> so, first and foremost, you don't ever do that lightly. i think the idea somehow we would just not offer ventilator support for somebody who is an ebola patient doesn't make any sense to me. take this nurse, for instance, we hope she recovers very quickly, but if she were to get sick and if she required that, absolutely we should do it. now, what you need is very careful precautions. and you need the full suit, you need to do this very carefully. but there are a lot of things we do to sick patients which expose people to bodily fluids. i think if doctors and nurses are carefully and effectively gowned and gloved, it should still be safe. >> but, if they are trained and

well-educated into what's going on, it sounds like the problem is human error. >> yep. >> that's frightening. >> it is frightening. and alex, the issue is, we all make mistakes, right? and so, if what you really need to do is not just make sure that people have equipment and are told what to do, but they need to drill, they need to practice, they need to figure out how to be able to put on the suit, take off the suit effectively and safely. people need lots of practice at this. my best guess is that the staff as texas presbyterian just didn't have enough training, weren't drilled effectively enough in how to do this. and that's why a mistake was made. >> you've got to worry if that's going to be the case, almost a domino effect across this country. you'll have people coming into this country. there will be, say a community hospital that may not have that same level of training and expertise, you know, among their doctors and nurses.

something like that could happen, too. you could have a place exposed on those levels. >> yeah. so there's a good chance if and/or when we get another ebola patient, absolutely, that person might go to a community hospital, primary care doctor's office. >> right. >> this is an important moment for all of us. are we adequately trained? are we adequately practiced at doing this? and that is something i think not enough doctors and not enough hospitals have spent enough time and energy on. >> what about the concern of e the -- like the concentric circle groups around this one health care worker? now, this is one of, i believe, the number 19 has been put out there. number of people who had potential exposure. so you've got this one health care worker, she goes home, let's say she has a family, let's say she has children. those kids may have been exposed. they go to school. she goes to the bank, she goes to grocery shopping, think about the enormous number of people this one person may have been exposed to let alone everybody else. >> yeah. so, first and foremost, we have

to remember that when she did not have symptoms, she was not infectious. she could've gone home, to the grocery store. unless she was having fevers, symptoms, she was not infectious. even when she was, people would have to be exposed to bodily fluids in order to catch ebola. so hopefully when she became infectious, she didn't go to the grocery store. but even if she did, she would not have posed a meaningful risk to other people around. i think it's not quite as scary as that. i think the issue is, we do have to be careful about monitoring every one of these people. >> if you could put something else into place, is there something you can do to stop the spread of ebola in the states? >> yeah. actually, the thing we care about most is stopping ebola in america and protecting the american public. the thing we have to do is stop the infection in west africa. as long as that infection continues to spread, americans will remain at risk. the whole world will remain at risk. that's where we have to put our primary efforts. i think the bigger question here is how do we make sure doctors

and nurses get trained effectively so they can manage ebola patients without risking their own lives? >> something tells me you guys at the harvard health institute are looking into that. >> we are. >> thank you for your time with us. >> thanks for having me. now to the other big story of the day. new video has emerged from kobani, syria, where kurdish fighters are battling against an isis assault. this footage was released by a pro isis group. it has not been verified, though shows fighting street to street, house to house, and afterwards, the destruction, a city of rubble and engulfed in flames. overhead, u.s. and partner war planes continued their bombing campaign today and yesterday. conducting three air strikes. today, the situation in iraq's anbar province is worsening. just a day after officials there begged for international help. on this morning's "meet the press," national security adviser susan rice was asked if

the white house strategy is working. >> this is going to take time. so it can't be judged by merely what happens in one particular town or in one particular region. this is going to take time and the american people need to understand that our aim here is long-term degradation and building the capacity of our partners. >> joining me now, the former director of the national counterterrorism center. >> so this weekend, as you know, the state department issued this worldwide alert warning citizens of a heightened risk of kidnappings. do you have any specific threats that drew this alert? >> not really, alex. this is a fairly routine precaution whenever you have an engagement with the u.s. overseas, with the group as potent as isis is. so i don't think there's really anything specific, although, you're always in these situations seeing these groups, talking about how can we take some easy or american western

targets? how can we get them, where can we get them? and kidnapping people overseas is a lot easier than attacking here on the homeland. >> the focus on kidnappings and this alert. really ever since the death of daniel pearl, i think, everyone has known that kidnappings are a threat in countries like pakistan, iraq, certainly syria. but is there any indication it is now a threat outside the traditional hot spots? >> i think a little bit. although, i wouldn't say that it's a rally changed circumstance. and that's because as we've seen in other countries in north africa, isis is attempting to inspire other groups to pick up the isis flag and kidnap individuals and use them for propaganda purposes. so in that sense, this is about a broader area than just where people might traditionally think about kidnappings. you have people occasionally who are trekking in the mountains in north africa, in tunisia and morocco. and these are places where probably not the highest risk, but it's difficult to detect

where people might be inspired by isis given how much they're really pushing. >> i'm sure you're aware of this new interview this week. and it's from the london mayor who says they're monitoring in that city. do you think that number's realistic? where would you put the threat level in london? >> that doesn't give a real accurate picture of it. the british officials are always looking at 5, 10, 15 relatively high profile and high priority groups. and potentially some plotting. so my expectation is that's certainly increased since the conflict in syria and iraq. but the real challenge for them is picking out of all the ones they could watch, which ones are the most important in that instant? and keeping on those and actually accepting that you're not going to watch everyone. and that's a problem not just for the brits but the fbi and homeland security here. prioritizing correctly and making sure that the ones you

deprioritize don't actually start to bubble up and become threats. >> as you know, the anbar province appears to be deteriorating rapidly over the past couple of days. several army bases have been seized by isis. if ramadi falls, isis has a grasp of territory that stretches from northern syria to the outskirts after baghdad. how critical would that scenario be? >> anbar province is where we really have to keep focused right now. because as you said, the fall of ramadi would be a significant strategic win for isis. not just in controlling that region of iraq, but particularly close to baghdad and very important water and dam supplies and critical infrastructure that could affect the rest of the country. and anbar is going to be where we have to get the sunni moderate to actually motivate and fight against isis. so if we have trouble aligning ourselves and getting that support on the ground in anbar

province, that means we're going to have even worse troubles elsewhere in the region. so this is a critical place to watch. >> and may i ask you, let's say that isis does take baghdad. this is the site of the largest u.s. embassy in the world. does that mean u.s. boots on the ground? >> well, if baghdad were to fall, i think we've got a total game changer. i tend to think, though, that baghdad remains relatively secure. for no other reason, baghdad is a predominantly shia city. and the shias in all of our experience will fight to the death against isis. so in my view, isis may move towards baghdad, may make life more difficult in baghdad, but i don't think baghdad will actually fall. now, again, if they were starting to make real incursions into the city, i think the president would have to really deeply reevaluate the strategy. >> okay. thanks for weighing in, appreciate it. >> thanks, alex. straight ahead, sales call, selling a home for an iphone. yeah.

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time for your fast five headlines. we begin in india where a cyclone is blasting that country's eastern sea board with winds of more than 120 miles an hour. at least five people are dead after the storm torn buildings and uprooted countless trees. a storm of greater strength is battling japan with winds up to 146 miles an hour. the typhoon walloped okinawa earlier today, injuring 40 people. four of the main islands could get up to 20 inches of rain when the typhoon hits land tomorrow. in hong kong, pro democracy demonstrators are standing their ground for a third week. students battle with riot police. and back state side, one person is dead, 22 others injured after a hay ride overturned at a halloween-themed carnival in maine last night. the 17-year-old girl was among two people badly hurt after the driver of the jeep pulling the flat bed missed a turn and then flipped down a steep hill.

and in saylorville, new jersey, a prayer vigil in support of the victims of the high school football team's hazing. seven students are facing juvenile charges for the sexual assaults. and those are your those are the fast five headlines. what does it say about a hosing market when someone sells his house for an iphone? that's next. business. and i get a lot in return with ink plus from chase. like 70,000 bonus points when i spent $5,000 in the first 3 months after i opened my account. and i earn 5 times the rewards on internet, phone services and at office supply stores. with ink plus i can choose how to redeem my points. travel, gift cards even cash back. and my rewards points won't expire. so you can make owning a business even more rewarding. ink from chase. so you can. today, more and more people with type 2 diabetes are learning about long-acting levemir®, an injectable insulin that can give you blood sugar control for up to 24 hours. and levemir® helps lower your a1c.

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so it's $3,000 asking price was too steep for most buyers. when a detroit homeowner offered to swap the house for an iphone 6 the phone started ringing. he has a deal in place for the three bedroom home. what will it take to resurrect detroit's housing market? that's a problem siri might have problems with. joining me is the realtor that helped broker the interesting iphone house swap. welcome. >> hi. thanks for having me. >> the buyer had to pay $#,000 in back taxes on the home. how much did he get along with the iphone?

>> actually, the home ended up trading for cash, less than $1,000. but the seller is happy with being able to sell his home. the buyer is excited. he lives a block away and is ready to rehab the home after closing in two weeks. >> this is a home that needs big time rehab. i understand it had no windows, no doors, had been burned out oh, right? it looked like it would have been a wash. as many other homes on that block were. people just up and left, right is this. >> right. like i said, the buyer lived a block away. he has a smoke restoration company. >> oh. >> he's in a position where he'll turn the house around. >> okay. after the client offered the iphone apparently others reached out to you. what else were sellers asking you to sell houses for? >> i can say that there is a thu deal in place for a different house for an iphone that's in

contract. there are sellers looking to trade houses for cars and other things. i have buyers looking to trade cars or different items as well. >> can you tell me what the neighborhood used to look like? >> when i talk about this location with people that are familiar with detroit, they told me this neighborhood was once thriving. >> thriving? families? kids going to school and all that? i have to say, i have relatives in the area nearby. we have driven by and there seems to be a specific line of demarcation between areas that look like what we are showing the viewers now that are clearly dilapidated and beautiful areas -- like a block apart. >> exactly. that's true. detroit is disht's important to be in the right subdivisions. as detroit redevelops its political structure and the

money comes in to detroit for redevelopment. >> money like dan gilbert's. he was obviously the owner of the cleveland cavs and founder of quicken loans. he owns $1 billion of real estate in detroit and wants more. why do you think this residential real estate there hasn't caught on? >> dan believes in detroit and put a lot of money downtown. there's been a lot of activity in the detroit housing market. it's tril only market in the country you can get a home for under $50,000 that has a rental income between $700 and $1,000 or more per month. >> which was this house. it was an austrian man who bought it for $41,000. that's what he hoped would happen. it would be rental income. >> that's right. when you buy rental homes you have to be particular about the neighborhood. this neighborhood was nice not long ago. since, it has gone downhill because people have left the more populated neighborhoods.

>> larry, thank you so much. interesting business. appreciate it. >> thank you so much. >> that's a wrap of "weekends with alex witt." up next, "meet the press." see you next weekend. the setting is perfect. you know what? plenty of guys have this issue, not just getting an erection, but keeping it. well, viagra helps guys with ed get and keep an erection. and you only take it when you need it. good to know, right? if ed is stopping what you started... ask you doctor about viagra. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain; it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects include headache, flushing, upset stomach and abnormal vision. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away

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