-backed forces are battling to retake the city of raqqah. >> the u.n.ays more than 200,000 civilians have fled their homing around raqqah just since april. we go into the heart of that war-ravages city. >> reporter: the city of raqqah has known little but war for four years. it shows the scars of the battles fought here. first came the brutal dictatorship of the assad regime. then, isis. since this war of syrians have fled, into neighboring countries and further to europe. creating one of the biggest humanitarian crises of this century. and the exodus continues. and this is where families come for aid, homeless, hungry and afraid. >> reporter: just take a look at these people here. all of them have lost their homes. this is what they're left with. after days on the road, they have this to eat. tomatoes, chilies, a little bit of falafel. all of them, have a single bag of possessions. all of them, are angry, at years of occupation and oppression. what's your message to everyone fighting in this to the syrian regime? to isis? to the americans and the coali

raqqah.eration of that city from isis is imminent. the question becomes, what happens next? then what? let's bring in barbara starr and cnn investigative reporter for international affairs, michael weiss. barbara, you've talked repeat thi edly about this and it's imminent. if raqqah is freed, what does raqqah taking away from isis accomplish? how significant is it? they are still a potent force, even without raqqah. >> reporter: they are. they will remain a potent force. that's a risk to u.s. national security. the continuing ability of the isis. whether they have control of raqqah or not, to be able to inspire attacks, direct attacks, plot and plan. president trump's so-called isis strategy has been the same as president obama's. bomb, conduct combat operations, train local forces to go after them. you know. do more war, if you will. but that's not really going to solve the isis problem. if you get them out of raqqah, they've already moved southeast into the euphrates river valley. you can p

when mosul and raqqah fall, raqqah and syria, i think you're talking about the end of the physical territorialthe physical, territorial islamic state. this does not mean the end of isis. both in iraq and syria you have one year of hard battles in order to defeat isis militarily. and the bigger question, how do you cope? how do you deal with the aftermath? you're talking about probably thousands of isis fighters who have melted into local populations in iraq and syria and also return to their home countries in europe and the various middle eastern countries. >> that's the question, isn't it? and with so many countries involved in this syrian war has been, of course, so complicated. you talk about the physical territorial isis may be over. but how could they or could they, with all that the world has learned about isis, regroup? >> remember for your viewers, in 2006, 2007, al qaeda in iraq was almost defeated. in fact, when the american forces, military forces, left iraq in 2011, we estimate there were between 200 and 300 al qaeda members in iraq. 2011. 2014, al qaeda in iraq mutated into the so

we'll take raqqah. >> and we have more from raqqah. good morning to you.d, let alone to rebuild, seems a formidable challenge ahead there. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, dave. of course, yes, this has been a huge victory for the iraqis, recapturi recapturing mosul. a blow to the terror group in iraq. the tough task is still ahead for the iraqis when it comes to securing, stabilizing, and holding the territory that they've recaptured from isis, like mosul, rebuilding devastated cities, something that is probably going to cost billions of dollars. and it's unclear how iraq is going to manage to get those funds. then also probably the most daunting of all tasks is trying to rebuild trust in the community, to bridge the sectarian gaps between the she as and sunnis. the same sectarian divisions exploited by isis in the first place that allowed for the rise of that group. then you have several other towns, of course, not as major as mosul, that are still under the control of isis in iraq. they will have to drive them out of those cities with the concer

in rack -- when raqqah falls. >> no. in raqqah, we had a control room, almost a tv newsroom of operatives sitting at computers, laptops, phones, directing personnel, inspiring plots. that's not going to magically go away because isis has lost raqqah. it's a good thing. in my previous book, "the black widow," which dealt with this topic, my hero was very much for taking away his physical caliphate, turn him into losers. take away the caliphate. and it will -- it will go away eventually. but there's going to be some blow back before that happens. >> in previous books, you also dealt quite a lot with the russia of today and how sinister it is. and how absolutely -- in fact, the west lacks imagination about the nature of its enemies, whether it's iran, russia, or isis. that's why i wanted to talk to a novelist. you see the pictures of president putin and president trump yesterday sitting down. do you think the west, president trump, the people around him, have any idea how to deal with russia? how sinister it is? >> i mean,

here in syria too, the broader question of what happens when raqqah is finally liberated of isis, whoot really answered satisfactorily. the u.s. have a plan to move in quickly and try to get things going but probably haven't got the budget or patience to stick it out to the end and the syrian regime is close by with an eye on getting back as much territory as it can. >> nick paton walsh reporting for us from outside raqqah in syria. is a lot to discuss with pentagon correspondent barbara starr. and michael weiss, co-author of "isis, inside the army of terror." barbara, if or when isis does lose control of raqqah and mosul, what kind of an effect will that have on its overall strength? >> well, look, it takes away one of its biggest propaganda values to radical people around the world, people who radicalize. it can no longer really claim it's an islamic state. it takes away their state. but they still have considerable propaganda value. people get inspired by them. they can still recruit overseas potentially. they can still inspire terrorist lone wolf attacks, if you will, in europe. w

look for more of that in raqqah in the coming months.hink mosul will wind down over the next several weeks if not the next month or so. >> and where does that leave us in iraq? >> it leaves us in a very good place in iraq. we should remember we have about 6,000 u.s. troops in iraq today that are supporting this effort. they are doing intelligence, cyber, operating drones, air strikes, training, mentoring these iraqi fighters. we are in a very good place, particularly, chris, compared to two years ago. when we saw the islamic state driving tank columns within 60 kilometers of baghdad, they've now been completely pushed out of that territory. mosul is kind of their last stand in iraq. once we're done with iraq, it's all hands on deck, turn to syria to get after raqqah. >> and then when we see that happen, give us a sense of where we are, how prepared we are, and what are the difficulties that we're going to see? >> two very different situations. in iraq, in mosul, the iraqi government has a reasonable plan to come into that zone. they're g

raqqah will need money, organization, and manpower.ut it's not likely the trump administration would supply that full effort. >> once raqqah is liberated, we believe it's critical for local officials from the area to take over responsibility and take over responsibility for post liberation security. but most importantly, governance down the road. >> but the fundamental question remains to what extent will the trump administration expand the u.s. effort to help rebuild these war-torn areas. barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. >> well, eight months of fierce battles in mosul, iraq could end any moment. iraqi troops close to completely ousting isis from the city. on monday the fighting was still raging. in the little yellow corridor. compare that to a year ago when all the territory in green was under isis control. it's believed there are just a few hundred militants left. reuters reports that iraqi forces expect to have full control of mosul by the end of the week. up in the skies a different mission to bring down the terror group is takin

analysts describing how they've vacated raqqah. >> and left fighters there. >> 400,000 civilians in raqqah among them and all of them certainly paying a heavy toll. >> in the end, isis as a force on the ground will not ultimately withstand both the iraqi troops and the syrian troops. >> it denpends on who you liste to. analysts are concerned that isis is going to stick around for a while, that they could, especially as they've pulled back to that desert area along the boarder, it's going to be very hard to dislodge them and that they will always remain a force capable of wreaking havoc. >> when you hear about the things that isis does, they'll get you for smoking a cigarette, listening to music, all sorts of things, one would assume the syrians would say they'll take the assad government. >> it seems shocking to us but there are people in syria who don't like bashar assad who feel his rule is the worst thing they've ever experienced. a lot is made about the sunni debate, but you have conservative sunis in that area of syria. the country has been flooded with foreign fighters and more extre

as you can hear the battle for raqqah is now raging. with u.s.-led coalition forces taking the fight on the ground. you can hear the sound, the crackle of gunfire every few minutes. and here right on the front line, a volunteer from california who has come here on his own as a sniper. >> this isn't really a mission of vengeance. that's a dirty word, but this is more like justice, you know? orlando, paris -- >> reporter: and he has bullets to prove it. engraved with terrorist attacks in america and europe. >> you know. what chance did they have, you know? none. so justice for them. >> reporter: he takes us to a makeshift mosque set up by isis. this is the flag of isis here. here we found evidence of drug abuse. you can see the needle there. a sign of the pressure the militants now face and how fiercely they fight. in the battle some now call the last stand of isis. for the going is slow, the battle could last for months, and the kind of attacks the american sniper says he is here to stop may never end. david. >> ian pannell and our team there in s

. >> as you can hear the battle for raqqah is now raging. with u.s. fight on the ground. you can hear the sound, the crackle of gunfire, every few minutes. >> mr. kushner, do you regret that meeting at trump tower? >> let me be very clear. i did not collude with russia. nor did i know of anyone else in the campaign who did so. >> on the senate floor, mccain was welcomed back with a massive standing ovation. for 15 minutes, he railed against the dysfunction in washington. >> we're getting nothing done, my friends. we're getting nothing done. >> president trump's sudden and sweeping ban, using twitter to reveal it. tweeting he will ban transgender people from serving in the military in any capacity. >> what happens to transgender service members now? are they immediately thrown out of the military? >> that's something that the defense department and the white house will have to work together as implementation takes place and is done so lawfully. >> for now, the 2,400 transgender americans on active duty can serve and receive the medical care they're ent

we'll show you the conditions facing the fighters and residents there in raqqah, syria. >> it's all already here, welcome to our viewers, live in atlanta i'm natalie allen. >> and i'm george howell from cnn world headquarters, "newsroom" starts right now. >>> it's 5:01 on the u.s. east coast, the g20 summit is back under way. for the most part, all eyes on the u.s. president donald trump he met with the indonesian president. and he met with theresa may. listen. >> i'd like to thank theresa may for being with us. we've had tremendous talking. there's no country that could possibly be than our country for a long time. i just want to say thank you very much. for one thing, our trade deal, a very big deal, very powerful deal, great for both countries. and i think we'll have that done very, very quickly. we have all of our trade people, with have wilbur ross with us, all of the trade people, rex and i had a tremendous meeting yesterday with president putin. and we've really great meetings with a lot of people. but prime minister may and i have developed a very special relationship. and i think t

the move on raqqah is happening quite fast.we're seeing them in the their last footsteps in mosul. hundreds of meters left there, but being defended by suicide bombers using civilians as human shields. tough work for the iraqi special forces. they can taste victory, but the they're still potentially days away. the iraqi society has to heal somehow and get over the divide between the sunnis, who seemed to back isis to some degree, and the shia ethnic group, who are mostly in the government and military now. complex tasks now before they start reconstructing. and here in syria, the kurdish forces with arabs alongside them, that the u.s. is backing on the ground and in the air, they want to move in and kick isis out. but who comes in after them? that's not a clear answer to that question. at this point, the u.s. has a plan. the question is, the syrian regime, do they want that territory? what happens next for the innocent civilians in raqqah who have lived under isis and don't know much about their future? >> much more reporting f

abc's ian pannell from syria. >> let's go. >> reporter: tonight, on the run in raqqah. if you want to get to the front line here, there's just one way. run and zigzag to avoid isis snipers. we're moving forward. progress is slow and dangerous. we move to the old city where the war against isis rages. some 3,000 militants trying to hang onto raqqah, their de facto capital and last major stronghold. they have u.s. forces taking fire, and you hear the crackle of gunfire every few minutes. and here right on the front line, a volunteer from california who has come here on his own as a sniper. >> this isn't a mission of vengean vengeance. that's a did urrty word, but ths more like justice, you know? >> reporter: and he has bullets to prove it. engraved in terrorist attacks in america and europe. >> you know. what chance did they have, you know? none. so justice for them. >> reporter: he takes u makeshift mosque set up by isis. this is the flag of isis here. here we found evidence of drug abuse. you can see the needle there. a sign of the pressure the militants now face and ho

. >> inside the city walls of raqqah, the capital of isis declared caliphate where they make the final stand in syria and really the middle east. >> cnn's nick paton walsh inside the epicenter of the fight against isis in raqqah, syria. that's when we come back. >>> welcome back to "newsroom." as we mentioned earlier, the u.s. and russia and jordan reached a deal they are establishing a so-called deescalation zone in threesyria. the cease-fire set to take place sunday and noon local time. under the deal, u.s. and russia will ensure compliance in the zone. >> now let's take you to the heart of the battle against isis in certisyria. nick paton walsh is in the area. >> days ago, insurgents punched through the wall and nick was the first western journalist to get access. >> we are in the city walls of raqqah. the capital of isis self declared caliphate capital in the last final stand in syria and the middle east. the kurds and arabs control 200 meters inside of the old city. down that way, isis positioned. the forces here don't move around much in the daylight because of the risk of isis s

coalition forces made it into the heart of raqqah. on the front lines. >> reporter: we are now inside the old city walls of raqqah, the capital of isis's self-declared caliphate and the territory they'll make their final stand in syria and the middle east. the war, a key milestone for the coalition forces and the syrians and arabs who control 200 meters inside the old city. 200 meters there are isis's positions. the forces here don't move much in the daylight because of the risk of isis snipers. less so in these streets. it is night where the majority of the movement forward is, in fact, made. we've seen u.s. forces here not far from these positions, angst not to be filmed or noticed, fra frankly. it is them calling in the air strikes that is allowing the forces to move forward, frankly, so quickly. i've been surprised how little of the city isis apparently are in right now, an area possibly one and a half to three miles in terms of size. increasingly small in the terrain they hold. as we saw in mosul and iraq, civilians apparently he

-backed rebels in the group's defacto capital of raqqah, syria. international correspondent nick paton walsh is the first journalist to get through the wall encircling raqqah and into its old city. he files this exclusive report. >> we are now inside the old city walls of raqqah, the capital of isis' self-declared caliphate in the territory in which they will make their final stand in syria and really the middle east. the wall, a key milestone for coalition forces and the syrian kurds and arabs who control fully about 200 to 300 meters inside the old city. down that way 200 meters are isis' positions. the forces here don't move round much in the daylight because of the risk of isis snipers, less so in these streets. it's at night where the majority of the movement forward is in fact made. we've seen u.s. forces here, not far from these positions, anxious not to be filmed or even noticed, frankly. but we understand it's them calling in the air strikes, not from the artillery that's allowing the forces to move forward frankly so quickly. i've been s

and raqqah is now surrounded on all sides. defeating the islamic state is perhaps the biggest accomplishment of american foreign policy in years. but there were no big announcements from the white house, no mission accomplished moment. if you watched our reports from here, you already know that iraqi troops did most of the ground fighting. the same iraqi army that once fled from isis stood up, fought hard, and won. but make no mistake. that only happened because american troops were deeply involved in this battle at every stage. as we will show you tonight, american fire power cleared the path for iraqi soldiers, and the americans provided a constant stream of intelligence, logistics, and planning. it wouldn't have happened without us. the question we will try to answer tonight is whether the end of isis in mosul brings us any closer to ending our commitment here or will it draw us deeper into a failed state? we left iraq once before. in 2012 when u.s. troops pulled out, the american people were promised that the iraqi army an

and raqqah is now surrounded on all sides. defeating the islamic state is perhaps the biggest accomplishment of american foreign policy in years. but there were no big announcements from the white house, no mission accomplished moment. if you watched our reports from here, you already know that iraqi troops did most of the ground fighting. the same iraqi army that once fled from isis stood up, fought hard, and won. but make no mistake. that only happened because american troops were deeply involved in this battle at every stage. as we will show you tonight, american firepower cleared the path for iraqi soldiers, and the americans provided a constant stream of intelligence, logistics, and planning. it wouldn't have happened without us. the question we will try to answer tonight is whether the end of isis in mosul brings us any closer to ending our commitment here or will it draw us deeper into a failed state? we left iraq once before. in 2012 when u.s. troops pulled out, the american people were promised that the iraqi army and

with isis defeat in mosul, the battle shifts now to raqqah and syria the capital of the caliphate.o far among those rounded up, sympathizers women who married into the terror group. now, they have not been charged with anything and authorities are not sure exactly what to do with them. for now they have been jailed and segregated inside a refugee camp telling nick paton walsh the isis life even what they thought it would be. >> reporter: don't kid yourself, they saw the videos. girls, mothers, some who married into isis who knew what they were about but still came. now jailed in a refugee camp, is you can stuck in limbo trying to go home. they want your pity and that you believe he them when they say it was all, all of it, a huge mistake. they use women for sex? >> yeah. very disgusting. >> reporter: three indonesian sisters say they paid thousands to get here, lured by the false promise of free health care and schools but paid thousands to get smuggled out. it wasn't pure caloriphate as ty expected. >> they say that they want jihad, but what they want is only for the sake of ala b

. >>> overseas, the intensifying battles for mosul, and raqqah in syria. mosul's liberation appears immine imminent. backed up by american air and artillery support close in. and syrian democrat forces also backed by the u.s. have surrounded embattled raqqah. >>> and we have an update tonight on that plane that crashed on to the l.a. freeway, exploding into a ball of fire. new details emerging now about the heroic movements when drivers launched into action. saving the pilot and his passengers. here's abc's marci gonzalez. >> reporter: tonight, ntsb investigators trying to figure out caused this plane to plummet from the sky. crashing just 43 seconds after it was cleared for takeoff. >> hey, we got a mayday. wife, both now in stable condition. after frantic radioing in on as the plane went down. >> i lost my right engine. >> reporter: the twin-engine registered to a private company in florida, slamming on to the busy 405 freeway. >> it's a plane. >> reporter: the plane and its carts clipping three vehicles before bursting into flames. >> his wing came acro

after recent success against mosul, iraq, an advancement in raqqah, syria. the capital. arab and kurdish fighters have broken through the historic wall around raqqah's old city. isis militants had taken up fighting positions along that wall. the u.s. is providing close air support. >>> back home, there is growing retis answer the to trump's growing election integrity. most people say they are unwilling to turn over personal voter information, including names, birth dates, voting history and the last four digits of social security numbers. some are concerned that centralizing all that data will make it more vulnerable to misuse. after claiming without providing evidence that millions had voted illegally in the 2016 presidential election. >>> next to the warning when fireworks or part of the holiday festivities. police are of the inning the possibility of illegal fireworks in the blast that levelled this home. and this year, the tinderboxlike conditions out west are causing wildfires to quickly grow out of control. abc's clayton sandell is there tonight. >> reporter: they'

is backing are moving into raqqah, encountering a lot of opposition.will be back under their control. but already the planning going on for what happens next and the what happens next is really the big problem. you could get raqqah back from isis presumably. it's going to take a while. but can you restore civilian control. these fighters that are doing this, mainly arab, kurdish, and that's going to be a problem. there's the beginning if you will of a reconstruction council, people to install hopefully to run a civilian government. but this is still syria. it's still bashar al assad's country and he is backed by the russians. if these fighters manage to get raqqah back, what happens when syrian forces backed by the russians also with some iranian influence begin to move back into these areas? will these people be -- could isis move back in? what about the money that it's going to cost? these are all questions that the trump administration has yet really to answer. and there is another complication. turkey, a close u.s. ally just to the north, turkey no

-backed rebels have breached the walls surrounding raqqah. been under isis control for more than three years now, using the old city wall as a fighting position. cnn's senior international correspondent nick paton walsh joining me live in erbil with the latest. >> reporter: it is a key moment according to the coalition statement, got through the outer old city walls swiftly. they appear to have broached two substantial holes in the wall and that enabled the syrian, kurdish and arab forces surrounding ground and air support to get in and around that old city a lot faster,xpassing a lot of booby traps and defensive positions laid out by isis to slow them down. that puts them about three kilometers from the city center. that's pretty quick going, frankly, given this only started about a month ago now, and we've seen a lot of progress on the ground. it's unclear really how long this will take, but it does look like it's going to be faster than the eight months onslaught that was required to liberate the iraqi city of mosul. there are potentially

raqqah became the effective isis capital in 2014. now, syrian forces are moving in and abc's ian pannell has gone deeper into raqqah and the battle against isis than any other u.s. broadcaster and he joins us now from that region. good morning, ian. >> reporter: robin, with mosul pretty much done, raqqah in syria is where isis is making its last stand. don't underestimate how important this is. we're talking the capital of isis and the outcome matters to america, europe and the people who live here. raqqah, syria, ground zero in the war against isis, with u.s.-backed forces locked in a fight to the death. isis snipers who killed many here are moving quickly, the only option. we moved up to the front line with local fighters. the going is as slow as it is dangerous in this battle. as you can hear, the battle for raqqah is ongoing. you've got local forces backed by the united states taking the battle to isis militants who hear the sounds of gunfire and drones overhead and coalition air strikes every few minutes and here we met an ameri

you can hear the battle for raqqah is ongoing. you've got local forces backed by the united states taking the battle to them. sounds of gunfire and drones overhead and coalition air strikes every few minutes and here we met an american sniper on the front line. a young volunteer from california. >> if a member of isis was in this room right now with all of us, what chance would he give you or you or me? none. >> no part of you that's scared, nervous, anxious at this point? >> no, not really. i came here for this, you know. i've been waiting for years for this. this is the final stand-up fight between us and them. after them, you know, that's it. >> reporter: for many this is a calling. a chance to reclaim the streets from isis for good. >> that's enough for today. >> reporter: privately coalition commanders admit this battle could drag on for months. no doubt local forces are committed but underequipped to fight isis and as we saw last week america's allies are suffering heavy casualties. >> you can see more of ian's front line re

we'll take raqqah. >> jomana with us. a significant and symbolic victory. >> reporter: absolutely. a major blow to isis and a major victory for the iraqis. as you mention, really tough task ahead for the iraqi government. they need to make sure they secure, stabilize, and hold the territory they recaptured from isis including mosul. they have a phenomenal reconstruction effort ahead. not clear where they're going to get the money for that, estimated in the billions perhaps after the devastation of the fighting. perhaps the most daunting challenge ahead for them is to try and rebuild trust amongst iraqis within the community to make sure they try and amend the sectarian divide, that same divide that allowed isis to exploit it and rise in the first place. they still have some territory in iraq, not as major as mosul, of course, to try and recapture from isis and the concern is that the group now will return back to its roots as an insurgent group and start carrying out attacks in urban areas like baghdad. and as you heard, the coalition will be focusing on sy

as you can hear the battle for raqqah is now raging with u.s.ed coalition forces taking the fight on the ground, you can hear the sound, the crackle of gunfire every few minutes. >> reporter: here on the frontline, a volunteer from california. who has come here on his own as a sniper. >> this isn't really a mission of vengeance. that's a dirty word but this is more like justice. you know? orlando, paris. >> reporter: and he has bullets to prove it. engraved with terrorist attacks in america and europe. >> you know, what chance did they have, you knows? none. so justice for them. >> reporter: he takes us to a makeshift mosque set up by isis. >> this is the flag of isis here. >> reporter: here we found evidence of drug abuse. you can see the needle there. a sign of the pressure the militants now face and how fiercely they fight. in the battle, some now call the last stand of isis. but the going is slow. the battle could last for months. and the kind of attacks the american sniper says he's here to stop may never end. abc news in northern iraq. >>

. >> coming up, a cnn exclusive, the last stand for isis in raqqah. u.s.forces fighting to retake the group's de facto capital in syria, a rare look from the front line next. where are we? about to see progressive's new home quote explorer. where you can compare multiple quote options online and choose what's right for you. woah. flo and jamie here to see hqx. flo and jamie request entry. slovakia. triceratops. tapioca. racquetball. staccato. me llamo jamie. pumpernickel. pudding. employee: hey, guys! home quote explorer. it's home insurance made easy. password was "hey guys." >>> want to take you to the heart of the battle against syria. they are getting closer to retaking mosul. nick paton walsh got rare access to the front line there and has this exclusive report. >> reporter: we are now inside the old city walls of raqqah, the capital of isis, self declared caliphate in which they will make their final stand in syria and really the middle east. that wall a key milestone for coalition forces and the syrian kurds and arabs who now control fully 200 or 30

and there is a major offensive under way in syria against the isis capital there, the city of raqqah. >> richard engel in iraq. thank you. >>> now to a developing story out of hawaii. an active duty u.s. soldier has been arrested and charged with planning to provide support to isis. officials say the 34-year-old swore allegiance to isis and swore to provide documents and training to the group. he was not plotting attacks in the u.s. and acting on his own. >>> there are new details on the hazing case. in court today, prosecutors presented tex messages which they say showed the panic among fraternity members. gabe gutierrez was in the courtroom. >> reporter: today with former penn state fraternity brothers back in court, prosecutors revealed new text messages after tim piazza stumbled drunk in the beta theta pi house. make sure the pledges keep quiet about last night and the situation. he looked expletive, dead. also, a google search. how will nine drinks in an hour affect a 200-pound guy. in the courtroom today, piazza's parents. >> the text messages were devastating. the piazzas find

and raqqah is now surrounded on all sides. state is perhaps the biggest accomplishment of american foreign policy in years.

marine died in syria. 25-year-old david taylor was killed on july 16th in raqqah. his father confirmed his death to the associated press. taylor is one of three americans killed this month fighting with kurdish forces. >>> there are disturbing new details on an alleged terror plot in oakland, california. federal officials say a 22-year-old who was arrested last year conspired to kill 10,000 people across the bay area. he's accused of plotting to blow up gay clubs in san francisco, plant bombs at the university of brkly, set fire to the berkeley hills and sell cocaine laced with rat poison. he also planned to join islamic state fighters abroad. the lawyer for the young man said he does not support isis. >>> katie ledecky took her straight third win and nabbing her 12th win to pass messy franklin in swimming championship. she won her semi-final about 45 minutes after this race. bragging rights she's got right there. >> so talented. only 20 years old. >>> now to some weather. in china some incredible flash flooding that forced 600 to evacuate. ine las vegas commuters

day of intense fighting played out in raqqah. just a day after u.s.-backed syrian opposition forces breached the 1300-year old old city wall. the u.s. military said war planes hit two small portions of the wall to allow kurdish allies to push through. isis fighters, however, have been for thefying their positions, even booby trapping portions of the old wall to protect their defactor capital in syria. >>> a bipartisan delegation of senators visiting troops in afghanistan is calling on president trump to come up with a coherent strategy to combat the taliban. john mcquacain and elizabeth wan were part of the group. they said it will take more than dropping bombs to win america's longest war, now in the 16th year. >> we need a new strategy, and that means to win. the strategy before was, quote, don't lose. and we lost some brave, young young afghans, we need a strategy to win. the strongest nation on earth should be able to win this conflict. >> the senators are also urging the president to fill vacant state department positions, including naming a perm

together to try to resolve the long-term political issues in syria as isis begins to be defeated in raqqah. trying to set the table, put meat on the bones for another issue to try to explain that there is a real reason to be meeting with vladimir putin. and to -- if the president does avoid talking about the u.s. elections, at least that they are accomplishing an important goal there. keir simmons, anytime there is a g-20, there is globalization protesters, not just donald -- any donald trump protesters, but we have seen it over the decades, anytime there is a big global meeting and especially in germany where a lot of the protests are generated. and so today, you're out there, front and center and the crowds were out last night and out tomorrow as well. >> yeah, they really are. they are growing. behind me you can see the sizable police presence that there is now to match, if you like, the crowd that if we just pan the camera over, and contrast with those scenes in poland where the president was cheered, this picture is of thousands gathering to oppose the g-20 itself. g-20, welcome to he

doing a remarkable job of coordinating and helping direct syrian democratic forces to try to take raqqaheir instructions beyond taking out isis are incomplete when it comes to policy towards the assad regime. and this is going to lead shortly after success in raqqah to a confrontation in the middle of the euphrates valley and we have to have a policy. senator mccain once again is sounding the alarm, demanding there be a policy, and he's right, i think, in saying that it has to be one where assad eventually leaves. he's going to malign force in his own country. again, the impression i had coming out that there was not yet a clear policy towards the assad regime, and we're certainly trying to -- but we have to have that policy in place. >> jack reed, thank you for joining us on a busy day from capitol hill. i appreciate it. and we'll have much more from the aspen security conference coming up. stay with us. and stay tuned, of course, for the parole hearings for o.j. him s simpson. we're looking at the prison where the former football hall of fame player has spent nearly nine years. and the

we know that raqqah is being surrounded and will fall. you spoke very strongly about the battle against isis and the fact that it is slowly being as i think secretary mattis said being annihilated in cities in iraq and syria, what about the as are we prepared to work with our european allies and others to -- because inevitably isis, the islamic state, will come after us through terrorism and through other scheme to damage the west and to damage the united states. >> so three tasks. not only are we prepared to work with our european allies, we've been doing it. i spoke with one of my european counterparts just today. i've worked closely with him in the first six months. the team's been doing that for much longer than i've been the director. we'll work closely with them to try to help them secure their countries against homeland threats as well. but look, mission one, you talked about the diaspara, first mission kill as many as you can because it is the case that they'll continue to fight. second, we need to make sure that we baseline adequ

and raqqah is now surrounded on all sides. state is perhaps the biggest accomplishment of american foreign policy in years. but there were no big announcements from the white house, no mission accomplished moment. if you watched our reports from here, you already know that iraqi troops did most of the ground fighting. the same iraqi army that once fled from isis stood up, fought hard, and won. but make no mistake. that only happened because american troops were deeply involved in this battle at every stage. as we will show you tonight, american firepower cleared the

-backed syrian opposition forces breached the 1300-year-old city wall in raqqah. isis forces have been digging in even booby trapping portions of the old wall to hang on to their de facto capital. >>> an extreme heat wave and 30 large wildfires burning there in 14 states. nearly a quarter of a million acres consumed overnight. a brush fire is threatening homes in the section of los california. two of the biggest fires in the west are in northern nevada, one of those doubled in size just yesterday afternoon. >>> now for a look at your weather. >>> good morning, fire hazards in the west still a big priority and kern. silver dollar fire, brian head, schaefer fire and truckee fire. afternoon and evening breezes combined with near record heat from wednesday going into saturday, the fire threat rises and abnormally hot conditions in idaho. 100-degree temperatures there and one teens in the southwest. i'm paul williams with your accuweather forecast. >>> and the fireworks show at hershey park ended early last night. >> that's because there was a brush fire in a once the