we asked barbara starr to find out. >> reporter: the u.s.y prides itself on being ready to fight. whether it's a fire on the flight deck, like this drill on this ship or the ships bowls where they battle an unseen enemy, germs. >> serious outbreaks of ten or 20 individuals being sick are taken seriously and we attack those outbreaks. >> i, united states sailor -- with the 3,000 on board, you might think outbreaks of illness would be common. norovirus sickened those on a cruise ship. the navy never lets it get to thachlt when it breaks out, sailors are strictly isolated. >> we restrict them to medical or their quarters. they do not go to the food station, galleys and gym. >> reporter: ships are cleaned around the clock. >> we do a cleaning station of the ship. >> reporter: from stem to stern, they sweep, scrub and swab. >> cleaning overheeds to decks. >> keep it clean because cross contamination is a big factor of food born illness. >> reporter: outbreak or not, the galley is inspected by the ship's medical staff constantly looking for dirt t

let's get the very latest once again from our pentagon correspondent barbara starr. re you learning, barbara? >> wolf, nothing is more sensitive for the u.s. military than one of their own missing and captured, even his family today reacting to this latest news. >> release me, please, i'm begging you. >> the u.s. has be gone new talks to get sergeant bo bowe bergdahl back after four years in captivity. >> bring me home, please. >> most likely the per initial gulf nation of qatar, the u.s. is looking to see what it would cost to get bergdahl free. he apparently walked away from his base in eastern afghanistan in 2009. it's believed that the taliban network inside pakistan has him. the taliban in the past has demanded the release of five prisoners from guantanamo bay. >> we do have a long history of talking and dealing with all manner of bad guys. so if the united states can make progress on returning this soldier back to the united states, we need to do it. >> "the washington post" is reporting that the u.s. has now agreed to release all five taliban prisoners simultan

pentagon correspondent, barbara starr is live.e. >> carol, the "associated press" was the first to report that cnn has now confirmed that in the highest levels of the national security agencies and the united states military there is discussion about staging an operation to kill an american citizen overseas who is believed to be a member of al qaeda and may pose a threat to the united states. this all according to a senior u.s. official that cnn has spoken to. let's explain a bit more about what is going on. under the law, under the directives, the policy set up by president obama, the u.s. has the authority, has given itself the authority to kill american citizens overseas if they pose a terrorist threat to the united states and if there is no reasonable prospect of capturing them. so that's why we are seeing this discussion about a potential drone attack. by all accounts, this person in a country not disclosed. we don't know who the person is, where u.s. troops would not be permitted on the ground. they are looking at a drone at

barbara starr at the pentagon. appreciate it, barbara. thanks so much. >>> here's more of what we're working on for "around the world." a man who claims that he spent 13 months lost at sea, well, he is back in the hospital. and he is talking to the media. we're going to hear what this fisherman had to say about his whole ordeal. >> and president obama says the freedom of religion is under threat around the world. hear what else he had to say at today's national prayer breakfast. >> and he won the nobel peace prize 50 years ago. now dr. martin luther king's daughter says her siblings are trying to take it away from him. we're going to talk live with the reverend bernice king up ahead. when jake and i first set out on our own, we ate anything. but in time you realize the better you eat, the better you feel. these days we both eat smarter. and i give jake purina cat chow naturals. made with real chicken and salmon, it's high in protein like a cat's natural diet. and no added artificial flavors. we've come a long way. and whatever's ahead, we

barbara starr at the pentagon. let's bring in ivan watson live from sochi. ivan, the torch arrived six hours ago. here's what we know. president vladimir putin there in sochi, met with russian athletes at the welcome ceremony and flag-raising. at the same time, journalists in the city, tweeting about their experiences with the hotels here, some frustration. "chicago tribune" tweeting, water restored sort. on the bright side, now i know what dangerous face water looks like. that's after the hotel where she is staying warned that the water was too dangerous to wash your face. >> extraordinary stuff. yahoo! sports blogger -- people have asked me what surprised me the most here in sochi. it is this. without question, it is this, the sign reads, please do not flush toilet paper down the toilet but put in the bin provided. that is not uncommon in some parts of the world, of course. but just some examples of the tweets we're seeing for visitors from the united states that would be an unusual thing. tell us about whether the feeling is that russia is ready or some o

barbara starr is at the pentagon. ne amanpour is in london and phil black is covering this from kiev. barbara, what are u.s. diplomats saying? >> well, carol, we've been talking to our sources all morning here in washington. and their problem right now is to try and figure out exactly what the russians are up to. both russian capabilities and russian intentions. let's go to capabilities first. with those russian military exercises now on the ukraine border, what u.s. officials are telling us is, this has given vladimir putin the ability to position forces closer to ukraine and to, if he made that decision, move them into ukraine very quickly. that will be very difficult for the u.s. there will be very little warning time, we are told. u.s. intelligence, the u.s. military will find it very difficult to track any russian movements that quickly. it could all happen, and then the u.s. might notice it. that goes to capabilities. russian intentions, of course, the deeper question. at this point, they still do not believe tha

barbara starr, there have been questions through the last 24 or so hours about these armed individualsher they are russian troops or just allied with the russians. crimea, obviously, in southern ukraine is majority ethnic russian but what are you hearing? >> the u.s. does now believe that some number of these troops are indeed russian troops, that they have moved some of their forces. let's keep in mind, they have forces at that naval base nearby in self sevastopol and the big question is, has this been the russian takeover? this is the assessment that both the pentagon and white house and community is trying to come to this afternoon. they are very leery of talking about it in such absolute terms. they are still of the mind they don't want to escalate the situation further. make no mistake, you know better than anybody, putting president obama out there is putting, like i said before, some serious muscle power of the oval office behind the diplomatic rhetoric. this is a direct message to putin, we know what you're doing and cut it out. this -- the problem that the pentagon has, that t

let's go to barbara starr at the pentagon. is the president making it clear the longer they wait, the longer the u.s. presence will be. so what size are we talking about? >> well, wolf, the general thinking around the pentagon is something like 10,000 u.s. forces. plus, some nato forces if the afghans wait too long, they are leakly to disappear in the midst and the u.s. force is smaller. if they leave a smaller force th than 10,000, they will not be able to train, assist the forces and the u.s. troops are still trying to keep an eye on the taliban and al qaeda and be a base of operations from which to launch drones into pakistan, possibly, to go after al qaeda and taliban on that side of the border. all of that could go away. if they come down really dramatically below that 10,000, what forces are telling us, a couple of u.s. troops are staying much as they do at the u.s. embassy in baghdad and iraq. nobody thinks that is going to be very valuable. but look, if this agreement isn't signed and it isn't signed in time, there may

our pentagon correspondent barbara starr is "out front." k of the devastation that could have wreaked. do we know how it happened? >> reporter: we do, erin. the military says they conducted an investigation. thankfully no one was hurt or killed. apparently it happened because the air crew overhead that was dropping the bomb had the wrong gps coordinates somehow. the investigation determined that it was an accident. no one was held liable. no one was punished for it. it does happen, but rarely, and thankfully this time everyone was okay, but what a scene to see what happens when a 500 pound bomb lands on your head. >> barbara starr, thank you very much. shocking, incredible video. >>> tonight, ted nugent, the rock star turned political fire ram was supposed to be a guest on this show. he actually promoted it on his twitter account and we promoted it here on the air at cnn. just over two hours before our show nugent canceled. he said he was sick. here's why i wanted to talk to him. he campaigned with texas gubernatorial candidate greg abbott.

our pentagon correspondent barbara starr has the story for us. t we now know. >> well, the president announced -- the white house announced today there will be this awards ceremony. 24 men courage and valor beyond the call of duty. now the united states making it right for all of them. sergeant first class melvin morris was just 19 when he became a green beret. he volunteered to go to vietnam. in 1969, under heavy fire, hit multiple times, bleeding, he rescued dead and wounded troops. the army says he showed determination possessed by few men in his ability to lead has rarely been equaled. today at 272, with his wife of 51 years, mary, the pride, the dignity and now a wrong will be made right. morris is one of 24 veterans who, decades late, will receive the nation's highest military distinction, the medal of honor. it is a roll call of bravery and heroism above and beyond the call of duty for men who served in world war ii, cree and vietnam. only morris and two other vietnam veterans are still living. in 2002, congress ordered a review of jewish a

for more on the internal nsa document and what it says, let's bring in pentagon correspondent, barbara starr. barbara, what does it say? >> reporter: well, you know, brianna, you're absolutely right. snowden had been denying for months that he had tricked any fellow employees or stolen any of their security information or passwords. but that appears now not to be exactly true. our own joe johns has obtained this february 10th memo from the national security agency to members of congress, detailing to some great extent what they believe now has happened. and what they're saying to congress is there was an nsa civilian who snowden apparently got to enter his -- the civilian's password into computers snowden was using. the person did not know, of course, he says, that snowden was going to steal information from the nsa databases, enters his password, and snowden, unbeknownst to him, is able to capture that password and use it. that civilian, who is not identified now, has left the employment of the nsa. the nsa says that it has informed the justice department of all of this. no information abou

. >>> we've reconnected with barbara starr. barbara, are you getting a sense of how credible u.s. the olympics is? >> reporter: anderson, right now that's what they're trying to figure out. going to have to work very closely with the russians on it. both sides are going to be looking, we are told, at communications intercepts, looking at just basic facts like do they know where the bombmakers are these days. who is out there that would know how to do this? whether they are involved in it directly or may have trained chechens or people in the region to carry out this kind of thing. there's a lot of information on the internet that bombmakers may have looked for. but to stuff a toothpaste tube full of explosives is just the beginning of what you have to do. this would have to be a device that would be fairly ex ne engineered. there would have to be a workable detonator type of device, something that will make it go off and cause damage. and so they're going to look at where is the capability to do that. and in the coming days as they start to piece that together, that's going to giv

barbara starr at the pentagon. barbara the tsa issuing this ban today. obviously the u.s. taking this latest threat seriously. >> reporter: absolutely, anderson. good evening, the department of homeland security issuing this ban as they would say out of an abundance of caution. but the reality is now the u.s. and the russians are tracking several threats against the sochi games. and the challenge for intelligence services in both countries is to determine which of these threats are specific, which are credible, who would have the capability to really assemble some of these devices and carry off an attack. and they are far from understanding that at this point. so still a lot of intelligence gathering going on, a lot of focus on this toothpaste threat. but the focus is spreading to other threats as well. >> and ivan, there have been reports that despite temporary russian ban on liquids in carry on luggage people have actually been getting onto flights with those restricted items in their carry luggage. do officials have an explanation for that? >> reporter: well, i intervie

barbara starr is joining me on the phone now. barbra, let's get right to it. iranian ships are heading to the news. >> well, don, i have to tell you, i talked to u.s. military officials all weekend long. and they tell us they have no information, no intelligence at this point that shows them, that iran has warships headed to the u.s., towards that 12-mile offshore limit where international waters begin. iran made this claim back in 1 2011 before saying they were going to do it, but can they really send their ships thousands of miles away towards the u.s. for an extended period of time? that's a pretty complex operation. it takes a lot. there's very few indication that is the iranian navy would be capable of such a deployment. and u.s. officials make the point, international waters, as long as they stayed 12 miles offshore, just like the u.s. navy, legally, they could go anywhere they want if they could get there. don? >> barbara starr reporting, thank you very much. >>> question number four, will michael dunn learn his fate this week? testimony has been tense

our correspondent, barbara starr standing by. learly the president, barbara, running out of patience with hamid karzai, the after afghanistan leader, and he's making a direct threat to afghanistan right now. >> the stakes don't get any higher at this point, wolf. the president spoke to his afghan counterpart, hamid karzai, earlier today on the phone. and in short order, both the white house and the pentagon issued statements so they were ready to go, saying that the president is ordering the u.s. military to begin planning for a full withdrawal from afghanistan. the reason, they say, is that karzai appears very unwilling at this point to sign that essential security agreement that would provide the legal framework for u.s. troops to stay after the end of this year. if he doesn't sign, u.s. troops can't stay. and the president is running out of patience, and has basically said to the pentagon, okay, start planning for the full withdraw withdrawal. maybe we'll get this agreement after the april elections in gaen afghanistan. maybe w

let's go to our correspondent barbara starr. right now forces are active along the border with ukraine. is there real serious fear russia could potentially cross the line into ukraine? >> well, wolf, let's get right to defense secretary chuck hagel because there is an extraordinary optic out there. earlier today at nato headquarters in brussels secretary hagel issued a warning to moscow. and how many years has it been since a u.s. defense secretary had to do that? i want you to listen to what he had to say. >> i'm closely watching russia's military exercises along the ukrainian border, which they announced as you know yesterday. i expect russia to be transparent about these activities. and i urge them not to take any steps that could be misinterpreted or lead to m miscalculation during a very delicate time, a time of great tension. >> a direct warning from the u.s. to the russian military. so what is going on along that border? well, russian forces now on alert conducting those exercises. the big worry, wolf, is as they move clo

barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. >> congratulations to them.h, a quick look at your headlines. rescue crews evacuated a building at a resort hotel in maine after some guests were overcome by carbon monoxide. crews say they treated 20 people at the end season resort in algonquin. seven were taken to the hospital. none of the injuries was considered serious. the fire chief says co readings in the basement were nearly ten times more than normal levels. >>> a short time ago federal prosecutors confirm they'll seek the extradition of mexican drug lord el chapo. joaquin guzman, the world's most wanted drug kingpin was captured yesterday in a resort town in mexico. his attorney in brooklyn announced he'll try to bring guzman to the u.s. to face charges. but since el chapo faces charges in his own country as well as across the united states, it is not clear which jurisdiction will take priority. >>> here's our rosa flores with a look at some of the big stories coming up this week. >> with your weekly five, i'm rosa flores. another "saturday night live"

our pentagon correspondent, barba barbara starr, is working this story for us. what exactly is al qaeda trying to do? >> reporter: wolf, there's some very dangerous new wrinkles emerging. intelligence has been gathered by the united states that shows al qaeda elements, al qaeda operatives in syria, may be specifically trying to target americans and other westerners with western passports coming to syria to fight in the war there. we know they have been trying to recruit outsiders to come fight in that ongoing civil war in syria. but now al qaeda, we are told by several sources, targeting americans, targeting westerners, and then when they get to syria, taking them or attempting, rather, to take them to special training so they can be trained on how to return to their home countries and carry out terrorist attacks. of course, the big worry is there are al qaeda operatives in syria, the u.s. believes, from al qaeda in yemen. and that is the group, of course, that poses the most direct threat to the united states with that master bomb-maker named al aseary, the guy

so let's get the latest from the pentagon and barbara starr. porter: good morning. from the pentagon to the state department, to the white house and the cia, all of washington looking at those very pictures of these men at these airports in ukraine wondering who they are and what they are up to and what may come next. what we are hearing from our sources is the u.s. does not believe that russia is planning any invasion of ukraine. nobody really thinks that's on the table. the concern is as we see these pictures of perhaps russian backed militias going these various locations in the ukraine is this the emerging russian strategy to secure various individual locations and exert their influence that way. what the u.s. believes right now is vladimir putin is using all of this, the exercises, the uncertainty, the security troops to flex his muscle to show the world that russia still has the capability, not a full scale invasion but certainly the muscle and the influence to try and control events in ukraine. the u.s. keeping an eye on this around the c

our barbara starr's monitoring the fast moving developments at the pentagon. ara, look, there's a lot of intelligence we get in many different ways that tell us many different things about what the russians are actually up to. and it feels like, at least it seems like and correct me if i'm wrong, this is a lot of saber rattling possibly? >> well, that's what the u.s. certainly hopes and that is what they think is going on at the moment, ashleigh. that the russians are sending a message to the world, they could decide to move in, they have the capability to move in, but there's no indication so far according to officials that they really have the intention to do it. the intelligence isn't there right now that they -- that putin -- vladimir putin, would order them in. but he's certainly sending a message to the world. and, look, washington is sending a message back. how many years has it been since a u.s. defense secretary stood up at nato at the headquarters of the alliance and warned the russians, warned what followed from the soviet union? that's a real cold w

pentagon correspondent barbara starr is following all of this. s., i think, wants to keep about 10,000 u.s. troops in 2015-2016. karzai is causing all sorts of headaches for the obama administration. now there's reports he's talking to the taliban. what's going on? >> reporter: well, you know, wolf, it wouldn't be the first time the karzai administration has talked to the taliban, or at least tried to. several efforts in the past, and they really haven't gone anywhere. why might karzai be doing this now? well, he's about 60 days away from the next presidential election in afghanistan. he is not able to run again. but he has got legacy issues, he wants to make sure he's getting the best deal he can, many people say, before he leaves office. and he wants to ensure at a minimum, his own security, one can only suppose, in the next regime. senator john mccain is someone you talked to all of the time, has been very adamant in his criticism of karzai and his criticism of karzai and the u.s. not coming to it an agreement to let those troops stay. i want y

barbara starr has our details. >> reporter: the video is truly remarkable. it was a predawn raid last october in libya. in this dramatic, newly released security camera footage obtained by the "washington post," a van pulls up next to a vehicle on the streets of tripoli. watch as u.s. army delta force commandos jump out and grab abu al libi, an alleged al qaeda operative. the suspect tries to reach for his gun, but he is captured. al libi was wanted for his alleged role in the 1998 al qaeda bombings of u.s. embassies in kenya and tanzania in east africa. within days of the capture, he was brought to federal court in new york where he pled not guilty to terrorism charges. as you look at the tape, people quickly gathered on that street, shocked at what they had seen, but it was all over in seconds. michaela, george? >> barbara starr, thank you for that. >>> new this morning, we are finding out the possible motive behind a series of cyber attacks on the nation's biggest retailers. a new government report says the hackers were not trying to take down the u.s. ec

they want to bring him home. >> barbara starr reporting live.ange? it is real and we, in part, are to blame. why are there so many climate change deniers out there. we'll talk about that next. [ male announcer ] whether it takes 200,000 parts, ♪ 800,000 hours of supercomputing time, 3 million lines of code, 40,000 sets of eyes, or a million sleepless nights. whether it's building the world's most advanced satellite, the space station, or the next leap in unmanned systems. at boeing, one thing never changes. our passion to make it real. ♪ you want everything.orks our passion to make it real. an expert ford technician knows your car's health depends on a full, complete checkup. the works. because when it comes to feeling safe behind the wheel, going the distance and saving at the pump you want it all. get our multi-point inspection with a a synthetic blend oil change, tire rotation, brake inspection and more for $29.95 or less. get a complete vehicle checkup. only at your ford dealer. which will cause me to miss the end of the game. the x1 enterta

let's go straight to barbara starr. she has the latest. barbara? >> wolf, the question is, how bad is it? consider this. al qaeda is still there and possibly heading for u.s. shores. chemical weapons are still there and civilians are being killed by the hundreds. the horror for syria does not stop. punishing air raids by bashar al assad's forces on to the city of aleppo. two dozen people killed on monday. another 90 people killed over the weekend, ard coulding ccord another group. syria now operating at will. >> this must kethis is a challee to his authority and a very serious challenge to the future of the organization he has spent so much time trying to build. >> the group, the islamic stayed in iraq has been disowned by zawarhi's plan to lead his feet in syria, leaving the rogue group potentially even more dangerous. >> it's killed civilians, it's beheaded individuals, it's alienated a local population. this is a nightmare for the syrian oppositions. >> it's absolutely necessary to press for a negotiated political resolution to this conflict. th

barbara starr is getting some information over at the pentagon as well. barbara, a lot of rus very familiar with other efforts to try to blow up a plane including the so-called underwear bomber. what are you hearing? >> reporter: wolf, that's right. what the u.s. government will be doing now clearly is looking at known bomb makers, where are they, where have they been, what training and capability might they have spread to these elements in southern russia. it is al qaeda and yemen, there are bomb makers there that have considerable expertise in this very issue of putting hard-to-detect explosives into devices. we saw in 2009 with the attempt of so-called underwear bomber to bring down a u.s. plane on christmas over the united states. we saw wit that the same bomb-making circles put explosives inside printer cart riblgs. there -- cartridges. there's a lot of information available on website, chat rooms. this is the type of bomb making information that has truly spread across these jihadists and fundamentalist circles. no question about it. and what's so in

this is the late nest a series of developments on gay rights ish pups our barbara starr joins us with more on this. barbara? >> reporter: fred, as you know currently same-sex marriage is permitted by law in 17 states and the district of columbia. but if some court decisions are a barometer, look for more. gay rights supporters are savoring a victory in virginia from a federal judge just struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage as unconstitutional. tony london and his partner of 25 years challenged the ban after being denied a marriage license. >> we are no ditch than anybody else out here. we just want the opportunity to be recognized the same way everyone else is and to have the same benefits that married couples have. >> reporter: the ruling comes amid a flurry of activity in the courts, legislators and executive branch over the question of what rights same-sex couples should have. just this week, the kansas house voted to protect people and businesses who deny services to same-sex couples on religious grounds. in kentucky, a federal judge ruled the state must recognize same

to be heavily protected but outside that may be something that nobody can protect against. >> barbara starrssian president arrived today shortly before news broke of the letter threatening two athletes. nick paton walsh is in sochi. >> wolf, we have barely three days before the opening ceremony here and still the background noise is about security. no matter how relaxed, environmentally friendly vladimir putin tried to look when he arrived for the games. despite new serious threats to athletes includinging two austrians the image was soft and furry tuesday. vladimir putin and a snow leopard, the mascot of the world's most expensive games along side their creator unafraid of one of nature's most savage. still the staft threats wouldn't stop. this time two athletes threatened by a letter in german. >> we have two security people here. and if they -- if the threat is confirmed we will give additional security to the athletes. >> reporter: putin always the strong man ad home in the wild and at least kept his shirt on today has pledged to keep everyone safe here. this will be a spectacle indeed.

barbara starr is getting more information at the pentagon. what are you hearing, barbara? >> diana is absolutely right, of course. the intelligence is very sketchy for the united states at the moment. these are assessments that the u.s. is coming to. they do absolutely believe it's russian military forces that landed in crimea. how many, their intentions, what their operational orders are at this point, this is something that the u.s. is still trying to figure out. i can tell you, all of this began in washington early today with top level meetings with the intelligence community trying to come to some understanding of what the russians are up to and trying to cope with the fact that the intelligence is very sketchy and the u.s. intelligence committee is watching this unfold on television just as we are. for all they know, more planes could land at any minute. there is not the kind of real-time intelligence that they need so the information still tentative. russian military troops, how many, their intentions are still to be determined. >> barbara, stand by. everyone stand b

barbara starr is working the story for us. what happened, barbara?w a memo from the nsa to congress looking at the damage and how it might have happened. how did snowden carry this thing off? well, it looks like he did trick a co-worker, another civilian employee at the nsa, into giving him his password. this memo details this and says, i want to quote part of it. it says that the employee was tricked into putting this password into snowden's computer and then, quote, mr. snowden was able to capture the password, allowing him even greater access to classified information. the memo says the civilian employee had no idea what snowden was going to do, but nonetheless, it is a serious violation of nsa security protocols to give up this kind of passboard information. the employee has left the nsa. the nsa says it's informed the justice department about all of this. no word if the justice department is going to proceed against this person, and maybe most tantalizing, the memo says there is also an active duty military member and a contractor involved in al

our pentagon correspondent barbara starr has new information. what are you learning, barbara?, a bit of a mixed intelligence picture. let's start with secretary homeland security jay johnson who has just said that the warning to the airlines was routine and that shoe bomb threats have been out there for years but some other parts of the government may disagree. a u.s. official says it's a credible threat tied to al qaeda which has never given up its intent to attack the u.s. again. there's no specific target but the assessment is al qaeda will try to place a shoe bomb on an airplane bound for the u.s. one suspect, al qaeda in the arabian peninsula, headquartered in yemen. >> al qaeda and yemen have a master bomb-maker ibrahim al asiri who was involved for attempts on the aversan the af aviation. >> while some in the administration describe the threat as spir rational, a desire to attack this u.s. official tells cnn the tsa would not have taken the steps to warn the airlines that the threat was real. the official telling cnn, this threat may represent a renewed effort and it's

barbara starr is live at the pentagon with more. good morning, barbara. >> good morning, carroll. if you are at an airport right now waiting to board a flight you may see additional screening measures from airport security personnel. new concern terrorists may target direct flights from overseas heading to the u.s. the department of homeland security is warning airlines that terrorists may attempt to hide explosives in shoes, cosmetics and liquids. according to one industry source, the advisory mentioned more than two dozen cities overseas, including johannesburg, paris, london, cairo and some additional cities in the middle east. >> dhs warning is nonspecific but the universe of people who have desire and capability is not large. it's al qaeda and al qaeda in the arabian peninsula. >> reporter: this demonstration shows the potential devastation of a shoe bomb. sources say intelligence indicates terror groups have been working on a new shoe bomb design. and it's not the first time they've tried to blow up a plane that way. shortly after 9/11, passengers on an american airlines fli

barbara starr are, cnn washington >> hello again. these stories are topping the news this hour.y an avalanche. just a dangerous disaster this winter. michael dunn convicted in the loud music mur der trial. did prosecutors forget a crucial lesson from the travon martin case. one athlete found a new quest. saving strays in the streets.

barbara starr are, cnn washington >> hello again. these stories are topping the news this hour. two skiers killed by an avalanche. just a dangerous disaster this winter. michael dunn convicted in the loud music mur der trial. did prosecutors forget a crucial lesson from the travon martin case. one athlete found a new quest. saving strays in the streets. >>> in colorado the bodies of two sear e y skiers have been l. searchers have located beacons from the two before the bodies were located. stephanie, what is the latest in the recovery operation? >> reporter: they are racing against the clock today. once the sun goes down, they won't be able to do anything to recover the bodies. this winter it has been a deadly one when it comes to avalanches:baavalanches. we are in the midst of a his tore yik avalanche cycle. >> we are going to continue our mitigation efforts. those have come with tragic circumstances. sunday afternoon, search and rescue workers found two bodies under the snow. the two were part of a team of seven that triggered an aft avalanc avalanche. the ground crew was able

. >> let's bring in our pentagon correspondent barbara starr. barbara, the obama administration, the pentagon, they say these are dangerous insurgents, these were terrorists who killed american and nato troops. you're talking to officials over there. how dangerous are these prisoners, dozens of them, who were released by hamid karzai? >> well, the most dangerous. and even deeper if it's at all possible, a deeper problem than that, wolf, you know this very well. relations with karzai are at a possible all-time low. he is weeks away from an election. he'll be leaving office. the u.s. can't get him to sign a security agreement that would keep u.s. troops there to help his country after 2014. they believe they had an agreement with karzai that these people would not be released. how mad is the u.s. military? they are calling this a breach of trust. i have 23 pages of u.s. military evidence against these people. the u.s. military very happy to provide it. that's how furious they are about this because they believe they had an agreement. and just a cou

our pentagon correspondent, barbara starr, is joining us. barbara, when did this supposedly happen? what is the pentagon saying about it? >> well, wolf, this apparently happened back in september 2012 in eastern afghanistan. we were told, thankfully, none of the troops on the ground were hit. but their outpost nearly took a direct hit from that 500-pound bomb. you see the destruction all around them. i think you can understand these young troops' profanity and shock. but actually, they all moved very quickly to check on each other, to make sure everyone was okay and that nobody got hurt. apparently what happened is the u.s. air force plane was given the wrong coordinates for the 500-pound bomb. they were given the coordinates for the outpost rather than coordinates for expected taliban formation that was moving through the hillsides a short distance away. that is the target they were supposed to hit. there was a full investigation. everyone was cleared. it was an accident, they say. but you can only imagine that this might have turned out very differently, and very tragically for th

barbara starr at the pentagon with more.ment that karzai won't sign is vital, essential. it has to get signed for u.s. troops to be able to legally stay in afghanistan. defense secretary, chuck hagel, arrived in brussels for a defense minister's meeting. this is expected to be topic number one. the pakistanis are already pointing out that this could be a regional security crisis. their feeling is that there could be civil war in afghanistan. 30% of afghan troops could defect if the u.s. goes. this will be a crisis because it will give the u.s. very limited ability to keep an eye on al qaeda and the taliban and the concern for u.s. security for all of us. this could become a safe haven again for those militant groups. the u.s. won't be able to keep an eye on the other side of the border in pakistan. which al qaeda still basically calls its home. a lot at stake. karzai will be leading off later this year. there are new elections. the hope is a new afghan president may see it differently. the pentagon making clear the clock is

for more context, barbara starr joins me live from the pentagon. and barbara, this is a big deal. the president obama calling karzai's bluff here? >> well, you know, you might wonder that. you might think that he's plague sort of a game, but let's remember, the president of the united states' statement about all of this, seen and heard by al qaeda, by the taliban, by the taliban over in pakistan, in that safe haven. it doesn't get more serious than this. what is going on is hamid karzai has made clear, publicly, he will not sign the essential security agreement that the u.s. needs to see in place to keep troops there after 2014. without that security agreement, without that legal framework, there is no choice. u.s. troops have to leave at the end of 2014. the president of the united states, out of patience with karzai today, after talking to him, seeing that he's not going to side, the white house was ready to go with a press conference, saying, okay, now the president is ordering the pentagon to plan for that zero option. no security agreement, no legal framework. the u.s. has no

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barbara starr is joining us now. barbara, is the u.s. actually offering a new prisoner swap for bergda bergdahl? >> reporter: wolf, i have to tell you, this is some of the most delicate information held by the administration at this point, obviously. a young soldier's fate is at stake here. what we do know here at cnn, there are new discussions with intermediate areas in the region. most likely the qataris, to get in touch with the taliban and see what room there may be for discussions to get bergdahl back. in the past, the taliban have wanted the release of five prisoners being held at guantanamo bay. the u.s. has not agreed to that in the past. whether there is some new formulation to make that happen remains to be seen. but what we do know is discussions are under way with intermediaries in the region trying to see if there is a way to bring this young man home, wolf. >> barbara, last month we reported the u.s. did receive what's called proof of life on bergdahl that came nearly three years after silence. does that play into these neg

barbara starr joining us from washington with more details on this. >> reporter: well, you know, evensia earlier today in men's hockey, the white house started playing its olympics politics card calling out the russians for continues to support the syrian regime. there are a lot of growing worries those peace talks in geneva may be about to collapse. a senior administration official briefing reportr saying the russians, quote, can't have it both ways. they can't say they're in favor of negotiations in geneva and have a happy olympics and then be part and parcel of supporting this regime as it kills people in the most brutal way. president obama in california meeting with jordan's king abdullah also calling for stepped up action. have a listen. >> there will be some intermediate steps we can take to apply more pressure to the assad regime. and we're going to be continuing to work with all the parties concerned to try to move forward on a diplomatic solution. >> reporter: no real indication, you know, of what the president's talking about. no indication of u.s. military support at this

our pentagon correspondent, barbara starr, is working her sources on this. so what do we know who this person is, where this person may be and what country right now, and in short, what do we know about all of this, barbara? >> well, the precise two questions, wolf, that no one is going to answer right now. who is this person, and where are they located? nobody is talking about that. but we have confirmed, and associated press reported it initially, that indeed for the last period of days or weeks, there have been high-level discussions in the obama administration about another strike against an american citizen located outside of the united states, someone who is said to be with al qaeda, the al-qaeda affiliates, and involved in planning, plotting, being a threat to the united states. those are the ground rules under which the u.s. can go after an american citizen abroad. they have done it before. we're told the discussions are very high-level. the u.s. military weighing in, and it centers right now around how important this individual is, how important is

cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr is with us by phone right now from washington. rbara, thank you so much for being with us. what message is iran sending? >> reporter: well, good morning. they may be sending a message, but by all accounts, the u.s. doesn't think they're sending their ships. i just want to bring you up to date. i've spoken to a u.s. military official who says there's no operational information, in his words, that any iranian warships are steaming towards the united states. the iranians made this statement basically, the u.s. believes, as a statement of their political power, their military power. they've often said they're not happy about the u.s. navy having ships in the persian gulf. so they'll send ships towards the u.s. but the actual facts are, it might be something very tough for them to carry out. it's pretty complicated to send ships for very long distances, for long periods of time, supplying the crew, supplying the ship. right now, the u.s. doesn't seem to think that the iranians are about to do it. they do think it's a statement, but not

let's go to barbara starr working the story for us. what is the latest on the u.s.verseas? >> reporter: u.s. intelligence has this person under surveillance in pakistan. that is where this american citizen is said to be located. one of the key questions we don't know the answer to yet, what is the imminent threat he poses? is it a threat to the u.s. homeland? is he is a threat to u.s. forces in afghanistan? is he plotting to attack u.s. forces? and the key question on the table is what to do about it. pakistan is resentful of the drone strikes. the u.s. has to decide if it wants to anchor more or is it better to keep an eye on this person and see where he goes and see if he links them to bigger fish. >> the u.s. now saying hamid karzai is about to release highly dangerous detainees from custody, men who have already killed american troops in afghanistan. this obviously a huge concern to the united states. >> the u.s. is furious about it. it is expected on thursday, actually. 65 of 88 detainees being held by afghanistan will be released. the u.s. says this is in abso

>> barbara starr at the pentagon for us. >>> more breaking news.o longer sell cigarettes and tobacco products nationwide. the move takes effect in more than 7600 stores. christine romans has more. >> it's big news. big pharmacy chain. this company says selling cigarettes and tobacco products not what it does as a health care chain. the ceo says ending the sale of tobacco products is the right thing for this company to do for its customers, to pep hem on to a better path of health. to put smimly the sale of tobacco products is inconsistent with our purpose. that's larry merlo who runs the company. the president of the united states a former smoker coming out and saying good work cvs, good work larry merlo and he hopes more people follow suit. >> also the purpose of his company is to make money. how much of a hit will it? >> they will say no thank you to $2 billion from smokers who buy tobacco products from cvs pharmacies. that's a smaller and smaller customer base every year. in 196542% americans were smokers. today it's 19%. you can see the growth

our pentagon correspondent barbara starr is covering these new developments. what's the latest, barbara? >> wolf, let's get right to it. we're getting a very inside look at how the u.s. is going after some of the most critical terrorists facing the united states. in this dramatic newly released security camera footage obtained by "the washington post," a van pulls up next to a vehicle on the streets of tripoli, libya, last october. watch as u.s. army delta force commanders jump out and grab an alleged al qaeda operative. in seconds, the suspect is captured. the usual option, drone strikes. right now inside the obama administration, discussions are under way about launching a military drone to kill a specific american citizen overseas affiliated with al qaeda who the u.s. believes is a threat. the story was first reported by the associated press. no one will say who the person is or where they are hiding. >> the administration's argument is that this is an individual that is playing an important role in an armed group could be ducting hostilities and limited to

let's go to our pentagon correspondent barbara starr. urbing story for us. what's the very latest, barbara? >> reporter: look, wolf, the majority of u.s. troops, of course, serve very honorably, but some of the top brass are not. and that is leading to fundamental questions about whether the military has a problem with ethics. defense secretary chuck hagel says it's time to figure out just how bad the bad behavior is in the ranks. >> some of our people are falling short of these high standards and expectations. ethics and character are absolute values that we cannot take for granted. >> reporter: the pentagon has been deeply embarrassed by more than a dozen senior generals and admirals who have behaved so badly in the last 15 months, they have come under investigation. >> i think we need to find out is there a deep, wide problem. if there is, then what's the scope of that problem? how did this occur? >> reporter: the majority of military personnel are upstanding, but some wonder if the military has lost ethical discipline after more than

our pentagon correspondent barbara starr is working this part of the story for us. what are you picking up, barbara? >> wolf, it the worse does happen, it will be the state department that will be in charge. but behind the scenes, classified plans are being put in place across the government. if there is an attack at the olympics that kills or injures americans, the u.s. will activate an extensive response plan. >> if something does happen, you're going to see the information systems of the united states government light up. >> it begins here in sochi and at a u.s. operations center where dozens of security personnel are on the ground. agents will accompany american athletes to every venue. but if terrorists strike, they will shift gears. fbi agents will gather information and evidence, intelligence personnel will try to find out what the russians know. in any aftermath, communications from sochi to the u.s. embassy in moscow will be around the clock. they will make arrangements helping any americans who need it. but the u.s. will have to defer to moscow. >> this is

let's go to our pentagon correspondent barbara starr. are we really talking about here? the pentagon had planned to get by this year on $541 billion. now, they're going to try and do it with 496. defense secretary chuck hagel made one thing clear -- nearly 13 years of war footing the over. >> after iraq and afghanistan, we are no longer sizing the military to conduct long and large stability operations. >> reporter: the pentagon will now focus more on special operations, cyber war and high tech weapons. >> the military must be ready and capable to respond quickly to all contingencies and decisively defeat any opponent should deterrents fail. >> reporter: but hagel knows it's a tough sell. some will object on national security grounds. >> you have fewer ship, fewer troops, fewer planes. readiness is not the same standard. of course there's going to be risk. >> reporter: governors are already reacting to proposed cuts in their national guard forces. om of those troops are combat veterans from war. >> we think they're very important to the

our pentagon correspondent barbara starr has got some of the dramatic video. r what is you're finding out, barbara. >> well, wolf, this is absolutely bone chilling to watch. thankfully, there was a happy ending. >> reporter: soldiers watch as a u.s. aircraft is about to drop a 500-pound bomb on what the air cue thinks is a group of taliban fighters. >> there it is. >> yep. >> reporter: but in a rare mistake the bomb hits the u.s. outpost instead. >> [ bleep ]! >> what the [ bleep ]! >> reporter: video has just come to light of this september 2012 incident in eastern afghanistan. another reminder of the uncertainty of combat. >> this was a major mistake from a targeting perspective. the way targeting works is you have to get the coordinates right. >> reporter: an investigation determined the aircrew had the wrong coordinates. >> oh my [ bleep ]! >> unfortunately in wars this does happen, but with precision-guided munitions it's a much rarer occurrence than it used to be. >> reporter: everyone quickly moves to check on each other. >> you guys all right? >> [ blee