defense secretary ash carter who made them in an exclusive interview with cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr. barbara what did the secretary of defense tell you? >> reporter: hi brianna. a piece of remark candor. take viewers behind the scenes because i asked the secretary one basic question -- what did he think about what had happened in ramadi and how the iraqi troops fought? listen to what he had to say. >> the iraqi forces just showed no will to fight. they were not outnumbered. in fact they vastly outnumbered the opposing force. and yet they failed to fight. they withdrew from the site, and that says to me, and i think to most of us that we have an issue with the will of the iraqis. >> reporter: now he is talking, really centering his comments, on the fall of ramadi and rapforces up and left even know not outnumbered by isis fighters. a lot of concern about all of this. a lot of controversy. i think the most telling thing, nobody is countering what the secretary said. brianna? >> very telling. tell us a little about what we're hearing from iraqi officials, and also from the obama admini

let's go straight to pentagon correspondent barbara starr. she broke the story. t blow to the terror group. tell us about this man, abu sayyaf. who is he how critical is he. >> reporter: i have to tell you

begin with our pentagon correspondent barbara starr learning more about the little tear anthrax shipments. barbara what are you finding out? >> reporter: i have to tell you, wolf there seems to be no other way to describe it than a major screw-up by the pentagon. they can't even tell us right now that all of the 22 shipments over the last year were actually carried out by fedex, though fedex was the contractor for this project. >> now, where are we? 22 shipments over the last year to nine states and the u.s. air force in south korea. but it was not until may 22nd, just last week, that one lab that received the shipment discovered it was live anthrax agent. it was supposed to be irradiated. essentially rendered dead before it was shipped for research purposes. one lab in maryland reports on the 22nd of may that they got live anthrax. but here's another question. it's not until five days later that if a safltfacilityiy in christine romans realizes what it has apparentlily because it puts 22 of its people on this's preventative care antibiotics and vaccinations. mystifying the pentagon can't

cnn's chief pentagon correspondent barbara starr is joining me now by phone. barbara, what's the latest from the pentagon on this? >> well we have been talking, michael, to a number of sources that will say to you are directly familiar with the operation on the ground in syria overnight. now, while this man, abu sayyaf was in charge of oil and gas operations there may be other reasons they went after him. we need to remember that the u.s. assessment was he was increasingly involved in isis day-to-day operations, command and control. this is the key thing that the u.s. wanted to get some insight into. two sources telling me that there is reason to believe he may have been in some level of contact with the isis leader. we don't have details on that. but the fact that two sources familiar with the operation on the ground are able to tell us at cnn that there's reason to believe he may have been in contact with badgdadi begins to shape the picture on why they were willing to risk u.s. troops to go get him. it wasn't just to get him, but his communication's equipmen

. >> let's bring in pentagon correspondent barbara starr, senior international correspondent nick paton walsh and national correspondent sunlen serfaty and cnn military analysts retired lieutenant general mark hertling and retired major general james spider marks. let's start with barbara starr, who broke the news this morning, tell us what we know. >> good morning, well it was a -- commando raid overnight, deep into syrian isis-held territory. u.s. army special operations forces and that means delta force, went in by helicopter under orders to try to capture this man. but apparently a firefight broke out, hand-to-hand combat. he resisted. he was killed in the firefight. along with other isis fighters there. his wife captured and taken back to iraq. the big question why this guy? why was it worth risking so many u.s. military lives to go after him? what we're being told is he was an isis leader if you will in their oil and gas operations. so that's very key because of the financial impact. the financial benefit to isis. but perhaps more serious, even there had been a sense by the u.s. t

straight out to barbara starr. o many of the air strikes, the drone strikes that have killed senior isis leaders. this was an operation to capture this senior leader and nick brings up the point of, was he worth the risk to u.s. special forces to go in and capture abu sayyaf and his wife, um sayyaf? >> well, you know, this is, this is the question that when the president signs off on an operation, he asks his commanders and i think we now know very much that the president did sign off on it because the statement from the secretary of defense begins with the words, at the direction of the commander in chief. so, we know the president signed off on this and the president would have been briefed by the pentagon, by the cia, by the intelligence community on what their goals were. why they thought it was worth the risk of u.s. military lives to go into syria. not just go for a drone strike but go in and capture him on the ground certainly with the anticipation that the u.s. forces would wind up getting into a firefight i

barbara starr, thank you very much. lieutenant colonel james reece, springboarding off of barbara's point when she talks about imagine you're on this huey, after midnight, it's dark mountainous, as she was pointing out. communication can be a challenge. can you walk through and -- and if these reports accurate they could be worried about fuel -- just the challenges there. what you would be thinking as the pilot? >> sure. right now, that altitude where these guys are flying is challenging, not for the pilots but the aircraft themselves. it's burning a lot more fuel. it's challenging aircraft's capability. one of the things, if they had a fuel problem, the pilots know how to put them down safely. can be a hard landing, but nay know how to put it down safely. if there's injuries, they'll they have with the injuries. if they're not, if they can get to high ground get communications up. the best thing is to stay with the aircraft, with everything they have there until a search party can come out and continue to look for them

let's bring in cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr. barbara, i don't know if you remember cassidy and the sundance kid, but who are these guys? >> there is the question michael. what is going to happen to them? look, these are a number of top-level taliban operatives. they have been held at guantanamo bay until they were traded for that release last year to get bowe bergdahl back into u.s. hands. the titles these guys have. chief of intelligence ministry of interrier and top taliban official in communications. these are the kind of titles if you will that they are associated with. look clearly, they were top taliban operatives. the u.s. a lot of controversy about that. but people will tell you that they were going to be due for transfer out of guantanamo bay anyhow. these are not the top, top tier. these are not, you know the top guys responsible for the 9/11 attacks. these are the kind of people that the u.s. is planning to transfer out anyhow so they did it in return for bowe bergdahl. very controversial. not insignificant players. bu

so barbara starr, she's the one who got the interview with the defense secretary. let me just begin with that interview and tell me more about what he shared with you, barbara. >> he was talking a good deal about the situation in ramadi as you pointed out. one of the things that secretary of defense is coping with right now is a lot of political pressure from the republicans in washington to make a commitment to put troops on the ground. so he apparently wanted to spell out in detail his views about the capability of those iraqi troops that the u.s. forces would have to deal with on the ground. listen to what he had to say. >> the iraqi forces just showed no will to fight. they were not outnumbered. in fact they last i have outnumbered the opposing force. yet they failed to fight. they withdrew from the site. and that says to me and i think to most of us that we have an issue with the will of the iraqis. >> the will of the iraqis to fight, especially in ramadi. he's really focusing on that because the fall of ramadi is so serious. it's a major city in iraq. brings

let's bring in cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr. 't know if you remember butch cassidy and the sundance kid, but here's my question. who are these guys. >> there's the question michael. and what is going to happen to them? well look, these are a number of top-level taliban operatives. of course they had been held at guantanamo bay until they were traded for that release last year for bowe bergdahl to get him back into u.s. hands. now, the titles that these guys have is things like chief of intelligence intelligence, minister of interior, top taliban official in communications. these are the kind of titles, if you will, that they are associated with. look clearly, they were top taliban operatives. the u.s. took them off the battlefield. a lot of the controversy about that. but people will tell you that they were going to be due for transfer out of guantanamo bay anyhow. these are not the top, top tier. these are not, you know, the top guys responsible for the 9/11 attacks. these are the kinds of people that the u.s. is planning to tra

right to cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr. pentagon officials and sources in the intelligence community outright dismissing these reports, baghdadi was injured in a coalition strike. what makes them so confident he's fine? >> reporter: you know it can always change but right now it is based on the intelligence that they do have and it is what they believe is happening right now on the ground. u.s. intelligence believes isis leader abubakar al baghdadi for now remains firmly in charge no intelligence indicating he's been injured in a recent coalition air strike, despite press reports. the u.s. has already identified these men as potential successors to the isis leadership putting millions of dollars of reward on each of their heads. there's no shortage of supporters on the ground or online. >> we're very definitely in a new phase in the global terrorist threat, where the so-called lone wolf could strike at any moment. >> reporter: those attacks are toughest to detect especially when the internet can so easily recruit isis sympa

let's bring in cnn's pentagon correspondent barbara starr.reporter: good morning, carol. it may be known as the saddest acre in america but right here right now today this is a place full of love and memories and remembrance. this i must tell you, is where history of brothers in arms is written for wars in iraq and afghanistan but also so many other conflicts in the nation's history. we are seeing just dozens and dozens of families relatives, battle buddies turning up here to pay respects to their loved ones. so many people coming here on this memorial day to pause and remember. a short time ago we spoke to a young mother and her son. she lost her marine corps husband after he served several tours in both iraq and afghanistan. >> it's wonderful that people are coming out here and these people aren't forgotten. sacrifices aren't forgotten. >> i love you, daddy. i hope for you to be here and i know you will be here and i love you. >> so sweet. >> he always watching over me. >> 4-year-old chris jacobs talking about his father who served in iraq

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we cover all the stories breaking right now. >>> first, let's go to our pentagon correspondent barbara starrarbara barbara? >> wolf on this anthrax mistake, the pentagon is insisting it doesn't know of anybody who is sick but the scope of this mistake is growing by the hour. here's how it all started last friday at the dugway proving ground in utah an army facility. a batch of anthrax was shipped out for research purposes. it went to nine states. it was supposed to be dead agent. not live anthrax. a lab in maryland reports they got live agent from the pentagon. now they are looking at the samples across eight states. agent also went to korea, u.s. forces in korea. they already have destroyed the sample they got because they believe it was likely to be live agent by mistake. anthrax on the korean peninsula, not the message the pentagon wants to send. and one of the things that is so concerning about this dugway the place that sent it out, has now gone back through the leftover that they had from the shipment and determined what they have back in their own facility. it too is live agent. so wh

pentagon correspondent barbara starr reports. >> reporter: isis gaining ground not only in ramadi miles from baghdad in libya tunisia and syria. >> reporter: hundred may have been killed. >> one of the horrific aspects. as isis fighters want through the town they massacred children, wives of the townspeople. >> reporter: less than 70 miles from baghdad, ramadi extend isis' influence. some iraqi troops had to be air lifted out of the city. >> the iraqi army didn't have a good sense what was happening. the islamic state was making inroads over weeks and months. and ramadi was rotting from within. >> reporter: shia militiamen are gathering for possible counterattack. sunni tribes are asking for arms. despite ramadi, the white house is insisting they're making progress. >> reporter: trending in the wrong direction, there is no reliable partner to help fight isis on the ground. >> barbara starr reporting. now so far there is no timetable for iraq's plan to try to retake ramadi. cnn's correspondent joins us live from amman, jordan, with more on this developing story. and, for all of the fear

as barbara starr reports they believe isis is showing growing signs of strength, particularly when it comes to cyberspace. >> reporter: u.s. intelligence believes isis leader baghdadi remains firmly in charge. there's no intelligence indicating he's been injured in a recent coalition airstrike despite press reports. the u.s. has already identified these menace potential successors to the isis leadership, put being millions of dollars of reward on each of their heads. there's no shortage of supporters on the ground or online. the latest, this video from a fringe, pro-isis hacking group threatening a seeker attack is coming. >> the thing i always look for is at what point do groups decide that they need to move from viewing the internet as a source of recruitment as a way to spread ideology, do we see it more of greater concern, as viewing it as a potential weapon system. >> reporter: those attacks are toughest to detect, especially when the internet can so easily recruit isis sympathizerisympat. >> you have a lot of people springing up in various areas of the world that are all interes

pentagon correspondent barbara starr shows us these isis advances are major blows to coalition forcester: isis solidified control around ancient syrian city of palmyra friday. in iraq it pushed east of ramadi, taking the town of husayba. iraqi security officials tell cnn. a desperate situation as residents continue to flee ramadi and other towns in anbar province. and for the u.s., presidential rhetoric may be sorely outdated. >> in iraq, in syria, american leadership including our military power is stopping isil's advance. >> reporter: president obama says the u.s. isn't losing to isis. but senior u.s. military officials privately acknowledge the terror group's takeever of ramadi is showing a key flaw the pentagon had long worried about. air strikes alone can't defeat isis. unless iraqi forces step up and fight. and in ramadi, that did not happen. and there could be political fallout. >> they have had now a fairly serious defeat in ramadi for which the prime minister and defense minister are taking the blame. this was not a particularly stable government before that. we should be con

>> barbara starr for us at arlington national cemetery. bara points out, this is a day without politics. a day without cynicism. a day only with gratitude. i want to bring in a retired brigadier general who served no many years including iraq where i covered what he was doing over there. general, as someone who has led so many young men and women in battle, today is a particularly poignant heartfelt day. >> it really is. while barbara is with the most recent of those that have fallen in combat over the years, we have to remember in arlington there are those that have served all of the way back through the civil war. the reason there aren't large crowds in the section that houses the civil war or world war ii or korea veterans is quite simply those comrades are laying next to those comrades that fell so this is one of those days as you say is not about politics. it's not about parties. it's not about elections. it's about america coming and recognizing those that have fallen, some not chosen or voluntarily served who were drafted who served

pentagon correspondent barbara starr reports. >> reporter: ramadi residents continue fleeing the city as isis consolidates its position. across the border in syria, the ancient city of palmyra with artisfacts dating back thousand of years in the hand of isis. experts fear scenes of look this in iraq when isis destroyed museum antiquities. >> caught in the cross fire for some time. the pentagon insists its anti-isis strategy is not changing. it will train iraqi troops, there will be no u.s. force in comb battle on the ground. >> what this looks like, in fact on the ground is containment. that's not what president obama says his policy is. that's not what he is selling to the american people. >> after several day saying the loss of ramadi was just a set back. u.s. officials increasingly are acknowledging behind the scenes how serious the situation is, and are watching for signs of what may happen next. if iranian backed shia militias move in could there be a new sectarian bloodbath? will isis expand into shia areas beyond the traditional power base in sunni dominated regions. a u.s. int

i want to go live now to cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr, with the latest. barbara?you bree -- bree jana brianna, the question is how much are they gaining? intense fighting near the 2,000-year-old roots,ecutions are under way. the ancient city of palmyra in the firm grip of isis. the world holding its breath worrying isis may destroy these priceless ruins. it's already destroyed artifacts in iraq. isis controls 50% of syrian territory, an activist group says. the state department and the u.s. intelligence community now focusing on how to get ramadi back and save anbar province in iraq a key approach to bagbaghdad. pressure is mounting after the administration's earlier somewhat unconcerned views on the fall of ramadi. >> i am absolutely confident in the days ahead that will be reversed. >> are we going to -- to light our hair on fire every time there is is a set wac? >> reporter: congressional republicans heavily disagree. >> isil gives it an appearance of strength and 3w50679s its ability to recruit nor fighters. >> reporter: u.s. intelligence officials are looking

barbara starr is at the pentagon and has more for us.d morning. >> right now the pentagon says there are no signs anybody is ill but they are moving to take the actions you just described. what we do know is the military contracted with fedex sometime ago to undertake these shipments, but that may be about all we know. this morning the pentagon really scrambling to come up with a set of facts about what happened here. this morning fear up to 22 personnel may have been exposed to anthrax in an air base in south korea, and an investigation underway after an army lab in utah shipped live an anthrax samples to them and nine states over the last few days. 22 people being monitored in south korea join four workers in the u.s. who received preventive post exposure treatment, and a lab in maryland was the first to report receiving the live bacteria after handling the samples, and the question now is how could this have happened? >> that's a great question. that's why we brought in the center for disease control and their investigators. >> the ce

>> barbara starr reporting for us. thank you. >>> bring in our chief national security correspondent jim sciutto also would go the story for us and learning new information. how often to these alerts go into place, jim? >> reporter: not often, wolf. a handful of times. look here. force protection bravo in the middle of the scale, yellow increased and predictable threat. that is key. alpha and charlie, and look at the timeline here for when we've seen these threats on u.s. bases in the past. one february 2003. to be clear at that time not just u.s. military bases under threat. there was a broader department of homeland security threat because generalized tied to al qaeda. in the holidays december 2003 bases but also general areas around the country that were under threat. not specific to u.s. military bases. we saw force protection bravo come up again just after the benjamin netanyahu raid inbnin laden raid in2011. remember the color-coded scale and rail travel not specific just to bases. finally again the last time we

let's go straktight to the pentagon to our correspondent there, barbara starr.ials. how did they explain this to you? >> good afternoon. we're beginning to fill in the blanks about what the concerns are that led the military to sign this order last night raising security levels at u.s. military bases across the country. there have been several things that have caught their notice and concern. just this week a known jihadist apparently tweeted the home address of a very significant u.s. military official his home address. this military official is involved in the u.s. program to train syrian rebels. obviously we're not going to say his name his address, or any further details about that. but this also -- this british jihadist that apparently tweeted this was tied to the attack in garland, texas, said to be inspired by isis. this is causing a lot of consternation, a lot of notice. this comes after several weeks ago also tweets of personal information, home addresses of nearly 100 military officials. so this kind of information is getting out there and causing conc

. >> barbara starr reports. >> isis gaining ground, not only in the key city of ramadi just miles from baghdad, but in libya, tunisia .syria. tens of thousands are now on the run in iraq, fleeing ramadi from isis's brutal takeover. hundreds may have already been killed. >> one of the most horrific aspects of this, of course, is as these isis fighters went through the town, they massacred children, wives of the towns people -- >> less than 70 miles from baghdad, ramadi extends isis's influence. some iraqi troops had to be air lifted out of the city. >> police are abandoning positions one area after another. >> reporter: in the end, there was no help from the central government in baghdad. >> the iraqi army didn't have a good sense of what was happening in the city. clearly, the islamic state had been making inroads over the preceding weeks and months and ramadi was a foundation rotting from within. >> shia militia men are gathering outside of ramadi for a possible counterattack. sunni tribes are asking for arms. despite ramadi, the white house is insisting they are making progress. >> a

barbara starr is live another the pentagon.t sound like a joke but the governor of texas is not treating it like one. >> not a joke at all. governor abbott says he and texas respect the military troops. but make no mistake, he wants his people to keep an eye on what they are doing. >> by directing the state guard to monetary the operations -- >> don't mess with texas is republican governor greg abbott's message to the pentagon. abbott called out his state guard to keep an eye on u.s. special operations forces. the governor says he wants to make sure that text san's constitutional rights with private property rights and civil liberties will not be infringed during an upcoming military war game called jade help 15. 1200 personnel army agree berets navy sales and air force troops will train across seven states this summer. do texans have to worry their own freedom is at risk? >> there's no texas takeover. the united states government already controls -- >> stewart even broadcasts attempts. >> it is a preparation for marshal law. >

barbara starr? >> this happened five hours ago, and we are told by u.s.ls the reports are that the cargo vessel was transiting in international waters when it was approached by the five essentially gun boats from iran believed to be from their revolutionary guard corp. navy. the iranians firing shots across the bow of that cargo vessel and we don't know if any of the shots hit the cargo ship. we are told the next thing that happened -- and there is a lot of drama, here -- the cargo ship turned and made its escape into the uae, a very strong u.s. persian gulf ally and they went into uae waters and the uae sent out three of its own patrol boats to help out the cargo ship and the iranians obviously turning back and not taking the risk of entering another country's waters as they were firing shots. a lot of turmoil here and a lot of uncertainty about what the iranians are really up to. this is not the first incident in recent weeks, of course and it comes as president obama hear in washington is meeting with the persian gulf leaders, and iran one of the subje

barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. >> now, will sayyaf's death leave a void in isis? let's ask. jamana, tell us more about what we know about this abu sayyaf and what it would mean that he no longer, apparently, is leading these operations of isis. how significant is it? >> well, that's the big question. up until yesterday, people who have covered isis for a very long time, isis experts in the region, you and i, who have reported on the names of the isis leadership we have heard over the past couple of years have not heard of abu sayyaf until that announcement. so there are lots of questions about who he is. very little that is known. oil and gas used to be, up until the start of the u.s.-led coalition air campaign against isis, one of their main sources of revenue, not so much any more. i think we're going to have to wait and see what more information comes out about abu sayyaf. now this is believed to be his -- or possibly he has a son tra translates into father of sayyaf into arabic. there's been some second lagz from isis experts in the region and elsewhere saying that possi

our pentagon correspondent barbara starr has this story. >> reporter: an intense fighting near these 2000 year old rooms, activists say executions are already under way. the ancient city of palmira now firmly in the grip of isis, the world holding its breath, worrying isis may destroy these priceless ruins. it's already destroyed artifacts in iraq. isis now controls 50% of syrian territory. an activist group says. the state department and the u.s. intelligence community now focusing on how to get ramadi back and save anbar province in iraq, a key approach to baghdad. pressure is mounting after the administration's earlier somewhat unconcerned views on the fall of ramadi. >> i am absolutely confident in the days ahead that will be reversed. >> are we going to light our hair on fire every time that is there a setback? >> congressional republicans heavily disagree. >> isil's victory gives it the appearance of strength and boosts its ability to recruit more fighters. >> u.s. intelligence officials are looking for any new indications isis could attempt to assault baghdad. >> we have to do

and barbara starr joins us live from the pentagon and barbara, i have to say, i was taken aback by theom the defense secretary. how are iraqis taking his harsh words? >> reporter: now john we're beginning to hear from iraqi opposition politicians who are also weighing in perhaps expectedly on their dismay about the performance of the iraqi military in that battle for ramadi. whatever did or did not happen in ramadi, it has set off a seemingly un-ending controversy. a chaotic firefight just before ramadi fell. filmed on a cell phone by an iraqi soldier. the strategic city now in the hands of isis and the u.s. defense secretary not mincing words in an exclusive interview with cnn. >> what apparently happened was that the iraqi forces just showed no will to fight. they were not outnumbered. in fact, they vastly outnumbered the opposing force, and yet they failed to fight. they withdrew from the site. >> reporter: a comment that set off its own firestorm. vice president joe biden calmed called the iraqi prime minister pledging more training and equipment, countering the defense secretary,

barbara starr has more on this. >> good morning, carol.ven there is no indication the police officer on the street in garland who opened fire on the attackers knew anything about them and what they were up to. now federal law enforcement officials are saying simpson, in fact, did have contact with known isis overseas and are they inspired by isis or directed by isis? it may not make much difference anymore with so much online activity going on. and comby had this to say. i want to read it directly. the fbi director saying quote, i know there are other elton simpson's out there, and it's like there's a devil sitting on their shoulder saying kill kill kill kill all day long. they are recruiting and tasking at the same time. militants, many of them isis adherents doing just that, and they are trying to get activity going that leads to attacks. later today, in fact state and local officials will have a private phone call with federal officials about some of this. comby. it's supposed to be about this and you can sure bet this entire issue is g

first let's get to reporting from our pentagon correspondent, barbara starr. also joining me i have retired lieutenant colonel rick francona. barbara, first to you. looking at the clock here knowing it's near midnight in nepal. what do we know about this helicopter? >> reporter: brooke this is a u.s. marine corps uh-1 huey. there were six marines on board, two them -- two nepalese. it's missing, a search underway. we're facing a difficult situation. we know military families may be watching, and there just are no answers now. it is possible that the helicopter simply ran into some trouble and put down in a remote mountain area, and they're having trouble locating it. we do not know on the other hand if this is a crash situation. what we are told is another helicopter from the indian military was flying in the area at the time. it picked up radio chatter from the american crew that they had run into some sort of fuel problem. we do not know what that fuel problem was. we don't know if the pilot, the american marine corps pilot was simply able to set his helicopt

barbara starr has the latest. we know him by abu sayyaf. what's his real name barbara? just a short time ago a u.s. official gave cnn what they now believe is the real name of the isis commander they killed over the weekend. let me read it to everybody. we'll talk about it. according to the obama administration the real name of this man is something that means to most of us this guy had a number of aliases, a number of names of war that he used but after looking at all of this, these aliases for the last several days they believe this is now his real name. this is the name they settled on. it's been a very sensitive matter for the intelligence community because, remember this guy not very well known outside of isis and perhaps u.s. intelligence circles so how they came by the name appears to be quite a sensitive matter. let's be clear. we still only really know what the administration has been telling us that this man is a top commander in the isis organization was in syria until he was killed. was in charge of oil and gas financing. had taken on an increasing role in i

let's get right to cnn's barbara starr at the pentagon. this is one of the deadliest pathogens in existence and it was just sent out for delivery like anything else? how did this happen? >> reporter: that is the question, jake, at this hour. that the centers for disease control and the pentagon are trying to answer. here's what happened apparently last friday. some anthrax was shipd. it was supposed to essentially be dead spores shipped under less stringent circumstances for research programs than what the pentagon ships live spores. this time the lab receiving it reported it wasn't dead it was live. and it was shipped in these circumstances, it wasn't supposed to be. it was supposed to be dead. it was shipped from utah to private commercial labs in eight states. wisconsin, delaware new york texas, maryland new jersey tennessee, california and virginia. now the cdc is collecting up all the samples that the military shipped, looking at all of them to make sure it wasn't just this one lab, that there are no other live samples out there that

let's go to barbara starr. the canadian government is appealing the decision. could we see the u.s.try to intervene? >> not at this time. it doesn't appear so because, of course it was the u.s. that agreed to the arrangement to ship him to canada in the first place. at this time it's the canadian government objecting to the judge's ruling. the judge apparently feeling he didn't pose a danger to society. he is out on bail while all of this is being appealed. there are restrictions on him. he will have to have a -- he stays with his lawyer. he will have to have a curfew between 10:00 at night and 7:00 in the morning. he will be subject to electronic monitoring. his communications will be monitored. look he now until this gets a final resolution essentially is a free man. canadian press is reporting there have been a number of instances where he has gotten support from people in canada some students trying to visit him, help him with his education, help him socialize if he is going to be back in the general population of canadian society. remember he was captured at the age of 15. he i

barbara starr, back to you at the pentagon.let's talk more about the importance of ramadi and what has happened including the participation of iranian backed shiite militias the u.s. backed coalition air power, lots at stake. ramadi sits at the west of baghdad, to the west of fallujah also under isis control. the anbar province the site of the most deadly battles for u.s. troops during the war in iraq more than 1,000 american military personnel were killed in the battle for anbar province. joining us now is our global affairs analyst retired colonel james reese, former delta force commander. from toerntto mubean sheikh former terror operative. give your quick analysis ramadi a city of half a million people 120,000 of them have already fled. it looks like a disaster that's unfolding right now. what's going on? >> yeah wolf. i mean it is a setback, no question. the coalition have been doing pretty good bombing out there, but you have to be able to follow it up with ground forces to seize that terrain. i think one thing you will w

our pentagon correspondent barbara starr is there this morning with more. ood morning, carol. i am here at section 60. more than 900 of the nation's fallen on the battlefields of iraq and afghanistan, this is their final resting place. and on this memorial day, as every memorial day, and so many days throughout the year families and friends have gathered here to pay their respects. i want you to see, we have -- we have seen small children running around. we have seen parents, grandparents battle buddies, many active duty members of the military. many veterans are here to pay their respects and say hello to their fallen friends. this place is really a place where you see the brotherhood of arms live on. the duty and sacrifice that so many have made over the years. and that their families continue to make. you know what can we say? if you're headed to the beach. if you're headed to the mall. if you're headed to the barbecue, please pause and remember in your town in your city the sacrifice that so many military members have made over the years. and of course h

barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. >> and that is a fascinating report, barbara.et's talk about it with bob baer former operative, and kimberly dozier, and cnn analyst and contributor the daily beast. bob, is the government good and strong at combat ingting the dark web? >> well, the national security agency, and they have private kon trak contractors who are all brilliant, but the problem is, poppy, the islamic state is moving as fast as the federal government, and for instance they started to communicate with the satellites hot spot and deliver a message from one part of the world and then take it down and it will have disappeared and you can't really combat that. they are doing other things like using the odd languages like uzbek or chechen to communicate, and using the sites and apps that are difficult like wicker and it cannot be tracked. >> kimberly, there is a big difference between finding the true isis sympathizer and sn who someone who is trying to act, and someone who is just spout ing it online, and how does the u.s. government differentiate who is goi

barbara starr has more on that. good morning. >> good morning, carol. now we see u.s. military bases at a higher state of alert. we see more concern about lone wolf attacks in the united states. we see the fbi and federal law enforcement trying to find ways to track down more closely. hundreds if not thousands of people who may be following isis online. this is social media gone viral with isis. a lot of concern about people acting online. i want you to listen to more about what jeh johnson, the secretary of homeland security had to say about all of this. >> we're definitely in a new phase of the global terrorist threat where the so-called lone wolf could strike at any moment which is why the fbi in my judgment has done an excellent job of interdicting those who are attempting to travel to syria who commit overt acts and provide material support to terrorism. it's a new environment. we are not discouraging americans from doing things they do on a daily basis. >> so here's the problem with this trend on social media. we used to talk about our attacks inspired by isis or

in an exclusive interview with c-n-n's barbara starr, carter blamed the weak state of iraq's militarye major reason for >> : : "the iraqi forces just showed no will to fight. they were not outnumbered. in fact, they vastly outnumbered the opposing force. and yet, they failed to fight. they withdrew from the site, and that says to me, and i think to most of us that we have an issue with the will of the iraqis to fight isil and defend themselves." >> reporter: in the wake of isis advances, some have called for more iraq. three-thousand u-s military personnel training iraqi forces areas. isis has steadily been gaining ground in iraq. they captured ramadi a week ago. and also claimed a major victor in syria.gaining control of the historic city of palmyra. isis is now pushing east towards a military base in habbaniya.and iraqi troops have launched a counter-offensive to stop their advance. c-n-n's arwa damon is in baghdad where fear set in of a possible isis occupation. >> : the shop promotes its expertise in encapsualting joyous moments but its been nearly two months since such a job has

barbara starr is out front from the pentagon. >> isis gaining ground. not only in the key city of ramadi just miles from baghdad, but in libya, tunisia, and syria. tens of thousands are now on the run in iraq. fleeing ramadi from isis' brutal takeover. hundreds may have already been killed. >> one of the most horrific aspects of this of course is as these isis fighters went through the town they massacred children wives of the townspeople. >> less than 70 miles from baghdad, ramadi extends isis' influence. former defense secretary bob gates. >> i think that it is a serious loss. >> some iraqi troops had to be air lifted out of the city. >> police are abandoned positions one area after another. >> in the end, there was no help from the central government in baghdad. >> the iraqi army didn't have a good sense of what was happening in the city. clearly, the islamic state had been making inroads over the proceeding weeks and months and ramadi was a foundation rotting from within. >> shia militiamen are gathering outside of ramadi for a possible counterattac

right to barbara starr at the pentagon. the iraqi government now dispatching two brigades to reinforce troops on the outskirts of the city. is there any real hope now of retaking ramadi anytime soon? >> reporter: you know jake the u.s. spent billions of dollars trying to prop up the iraqi forces. but the question now that ramadi has fallen is a military question. can the iraqis move back in and retake the city before isis gets too dug in and too heavily fortified? out-gunned by isis faced with waves of fighters -- and suicide car bombs, iraqi forces in ramadi and thousands of residents with no choice but to flee. the pentagon called it a setback. the obama administration, trying to downplay the loss. >> i am absolutely confident in the days ahead that will be reversed. >> reporter: but isis did what the u.s. said it could not do. field a large-scale military attack. >> there are fierce battles taking place in neighborhoods in the city and popular mobilization units ordered by the prime minister to move in anbar. >> reporter

senator barbara starr calls them personal charges. guess there are personal charges and personal charges here. it pains me you had to write a law to stop this. what's the cost, senator, to u.s. taxpayers here in how are we paying for this sort of embarrassing accounting? >> well, first of all, the charge card is a government document. whether it's paid back or not, they are using government official, let's say, kidy card to get it done. it says official business only at the bottom of the card. everybody knows you don't use prostitutes or gambling for it. we used to get this information from whistleblowers. hopefully a lot less abuse now than there was 10 years ago when we first brought it up. the purpose was inspector general and official ride herd on this. he's going to issue the report. we're going to have to read the report to know whether further action has to be taken. this sort of shenanigan should stop because every federal employee knows common sense you don't use a government credit card to pay for prostitution. >> every gove

let's bring in our pentagon correspondent barbara starr. explain what prompted this decision specifically is it based on a specific threat? >> wolf orders were signed last night by the four-star admiral in charge of the u.s. northern command which oversees bases in the united states. not because there was a specific and credible threat meaning no information about an attack coming at a point the time in a particular place, but as one official said the temperature has been raised. growing concern in the u.s. military intelligence community, and law enforcement, about home grown violent radical extremism. we saw it this week in garland, texas. this has been something that has been growing in kidnapperconcern. james comey said there may be thousands of people in the united states on-line with groups like isis being radicalized joining militant ideologies. this is all a huge concern. i have to tell you we've been told the military had this order in the works for some time as it was monitoring on-line communications as it was monitoring social m

>> barbara starr, thank you so much. >> sure. >>> let's move on.hour you're watching cnn. i'm brooke baldwin. got to start with texas. the full scope of the texas flooding tragedy is really emerging today when you see just the pictures here as more threats, by the way, of future storms also loom. these are images of the aftermath. they show just exactly how treacherous these flash floods were. you see cars submerged all throughout swaths of texas. there's still a massive search and rescue under way for potential victims or survivors. authorities are discovering more bodies as the water has begun to recede. the death toll now stands at six. two people are missing. we have standing by live cnn's rosa flores and meteorologist jennifer gray. i also have chad myers here with me to walk through all this as well. first, roesarosa let's go to you. you're in houston watching this whole cleanup process. as you're talking to all these people how many people actually have flood insurance? >> reporter: you know it's tough for folks here. there's about 1400 stru

>> barbara starr, thank you very much. that is a true story, folks.e right back. and are proven to taste better than tums smoothies assorted fruit. mmm... amazing. yeah, i get that a lot. alka seltzer heartburn reliefchews. enjoy the relief. >> thanks for watching. record "outfront" so you can watch any time. be sure to watch anderson right now. >> and was this the first isis attack in america? and we have new information about possible isis recruits. isis claims credit for the attack which the white house called an attempted attack by isis but stopped short of saying they ordered it. pamela brown has the latest. >> cnn has learned that there was an order on this account, believed to belong to an

ash carter talking to our barbara starr, and he reacts to the huge loss by iraqi forces in ramadi. that's coming up next. big day? ah, the usual. moved some new cars. hauled a bunch of steel. kept the supermarket shelves stocked. made sure everyone got their latest gadgets. what's up for the next shift? ah, nothing much. just keeping the lights on. (laugh) nice. doing the big things that move an economy. see you tomorrow, mac. see you tomorrow, sam. just another day at norfolk southern. new flonase allergy relief nasal spray. this changes everything. flonase is the 24 hour relief that outperforms a leading allergy pill. when we breathe in allergens our bodies react by over-producing six key we will have second ash carter ramadi. ubstances that cause our symptoms. most allergy pills only control one substance, flonase controls six. and 6 is greater than 1. so go ahead, inhale life, excite your senses, seize the day and the night. new flonase. 6 is greater than 1. this changes everything. when a moment spontaneously turns romantic why pause to take a pill? and why stop what you're do

let's play a little bit more of what he had to say in the exclusive interview with barbara starr. >> what apparently happened was that the iraqi forces just showed no will to fight. they were not outnumbered. in fact, they vastly outnumbered the opposing force. they failed to fight, they withdrew from the site, and that says to me and i think to most of us that we have an issue with the will of the iraqis to fight isil and defend themselves. now, we can give them training we can give them equipment, we obviously can't give them the will to fight. but if we give them training we give them equipment, and give them support and give them some time i hope they will develop the will to fight because only if they fight can isil remain defeated. >> and so there you secretary carterimately up to iraqi forces in line with what the administration has been arguing all along it's going to be up to the iraqis themselves with the help from the u.s., coalition, people involved in the air strikes but they're going to have to ultimately fight isis defeat isis and hold on to the territory they retake p