barbara starr, nathan, david, thank you. i want to head back out to westchest westchester. appointmemoment, hillary will make some comments. good morning, jeff. >> reporter: good morning, carol. hillary clinton is going to address reporters here in just a few moments before she travels to charlotte, north carolina. again, matters of national security are dominating the presidential campaign discussion this week. carol, it is all about judgment. secretary clinton trying to make the case that donald trump simply does not have the judgment. so she is going to reiterate some of her comments from the forum last night. but we're also getting new information from an interview that hillary clinton has done with channel 2 in israel. she is saying this. she said that the islamic state is rooting for donald trump's victory. so i also expect her to be asked and elaborate more on that carol. this is all the coming on the heels of a very much closer race here. heading into the final 60 something days of this campaign. secretary clinton trying to make the case to voters that donald trump

we have barbara starr's reporting on it though. what do you mean the markers are different, viewed differently from the sky when they decide to do the strike? what does that mean? >> when you have intelligence assets, drones or manned platforms or overhead imagery, syrian army has distinct signature, we know the equipment and formations and pretty much where they are. isis is totally different kind of army and equipment and tactics. they look different from the air. i'm surprised we would make this kind of error if in fact -- >> what about this area of deir ezzor, we know it's complicated in terms of who is on the ground, syrian forces, rebel groups and extremists like isis, complicates things does it not? >> it does. most of what we would call the antiregime, nonislamist rebels have been moved out of the area. isis is controlling most of the area, it's on the euphrates river, it's center of the oil, it's important for ice to maintain. syrian government controls the air base and little bit of the town surrounding it. and their unde

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barbara starr reporting from the pentagon.nk you. >>> let's talk a little more ar russia's involvement. mark toner is joining us from the state department. thanks for joining us. >> thanks. happy to be here. >> thank you. has secretary kerry, the russian foreign minister lavrov, have they spoken today? >> they did. they spoke earlier today, wolf. i don't have much more to report in terms of progress. as you know, secretary kerry made very clear over two days ago that we're at the limits of our ability to continue to have bilateral relations regarding syria with russia. we have seen no progress. and frankly, in the face of what's happening in and around aleppo as barbara just conveyed, it's hard to have or hold much hope out for a real credible cease-fire to get back into place. >> has there been a formal decision to suspend u.s./rush bilateral discussions, engagements, whatever you want to call it on this syria crisis. >> not yet. but as i said, we're very close. i think secretary kerry said it best the other day when he said

gordon chang, thank you so much and barbara starr, as well.>> more breaking news tonight, but on another foreign policy front. the united states and russia have reached a deal on the cease-fire in syria. john kerry and the russian foreign minister, and the pack calls for the syrian government and the opposition to respect a nationwide cease-fire starting at sundown on monday. if that truce holds for serve days and humanitarian aid can get in the u.s. has agreed to begin coordinated air strikes with russia against agreed terrorist targets in syria. just ahead, back to the campaign trail here at home where newly released photos how chummy bill clinton once was with donald trump and his then-girlfriend melania. that was back in 2000, she could be the next first lady. many questions are being asked about why she's keeping such a low profile since the republican convention when it's crunch time for her husband. ♪ [cheering] ♪ the highly advanced audi a4. ♪ i use what's already inside me to reach my goals. so i liked when my doctor told me i may rea

gordon chang, thank you so much and barbara starr, as well.ou so much. >>> more breaking news tonight, but on another foreign policy front. the united states and russia have reached a deal on the cease-fire in syria. john kerry and the russian foreign minister, and the pack calls for the syrian government and the opposition to respect a nationwide cease-fire starting at sundown on monday. if that truce holds for serve days and humanitarian aid can get in the u.s. has agreed to begin coordinated air strikes with russia against agreed terrorist targets in syria. just ahead, back to the campaign trail here at home where newly released photos how chummy bill clinton once was with donald trump and his then-girlfriend melania. that was back in 2000, she could be the next first lady. many questions are being asked about why she's keeping such a low profile since the republican convention when it's crunch time for her husband. (announcer vo) who says your desk phone always has to be at your desk? now, with one talk from verizon... hi, pete. i'm glad y

pentagon correspondent barbara starr is here in studio with more on the u.s. reaction. barbara, great to have you here. >> good morning. >> what are you hearing about what the u.s. will do? >> this time around it is much different. this is not about the words. this is not about the rhetoric. if, indeed, the north korean regime did test a nuclear warhead, this puts them a huge step closer to being able to actually put a warhead on a missile, shoot off that missile, and potentially some day be able to strike the united states. what my sources have been telling me for the last several weeks is there is increasing concern the north koreans are getting better at this step by step with every test. they're having successful missile tests. they're now having this warhead test. and they have developed a mobile capability, which means in time of war, they can put a nuclear missile potentially on a mobile launcher, move it around. u.s. satellites have to chase down where it may be. it's very interesting. the intelligence analysis in the last several weeks has really fundamentally b

our correspondent barbara starr has got the latest information. what are v yyou learned, barbar?e first reports from a u.s. official are indicating over the weekend, a provocation by iran again, two u.s. navy planes were flying in the northern end of the persian golf. they were near iranian airspace but not in it when they got a radio call from the iranians say you're getting close, back off or if you enter our airspace, you risk being shot down. there was no incident, we're told. the u.s. planes proceeded in international airspace over the gulf. iran, of course, several recent provocations. the other country that is causing the u.s. a lot of concern, north korea, and its effort to march toward a nuclear weapon. kim jong-un's largest nuclear weapons test ever soon may be followed by yet another test of a nuclear device, according to u.s. and south korean officials. an unprecedented action by the regime, it would be the sixth test overall and the third this year. south korea is getting ready for the worst-case scenario, says its defense minister. the more than 28,000 u.s. troops o

foreign policy, he wanted to take another opportunity to take some whacks at hillary clinton. >> barbara starr, you are at the pentagon. what did you make of trump's speech? >> there is a lot to break down, starting with his statement that hillary clinton likes to intervene. donald trump has called for u.s. troops to basically seize the oil fields in iraq. his speech had a lot in it. it started by talking about military readiness, which deals with where your troops and your equipment is today as we stand today. are they ready to go to war? he starts with that but the bulk of his speech is, of course, with the future of the u.s. military. let's put up a few numbers to show people. these are massive increases in the standing force of the u.s. military that donald trump called for in this speech. he is basically calling for of everything. tens of thousands of additional army forces, marine bat ttalion hundreds of navy ships and fighter jets. what's the cost? who is going to pay for it? you are going to have to get a republican or democratic or coalition type effort in congress to pay for all of t

. >> barbara starr reports that major show down with isis fighters could be coming soon. >> near mosulnorthern iraq, u.s. bombs hit this isis chemical weapons plant 50 times. >> intelligence indicated that they converted a pharmaceutical complex in to a chemical weapons productions capability. >> the fight to retake mosul could begin next month u.s. defense officials tell cnn. additional u.s. special operations forces may be sent in to help advise iraqi units moving on mosul. u.s. advisers are expected to be closer to mosul's front line, facing more danger several officials tell cnn. hundreds of u.s. military personnel are on site providing support for iraqi units. u.s. jets could soon be flying attack missions from there. timing of the mosul assault depends on how ready iraqi units are, and if they don't get bogged down in coming days. >> the big remaining piece is the city of mosul, which is where isil has tried to establish its so-called caliphate. that's the next front. >> reporter: the administration is optimistic on what may be the biggest test so far for iraq. >> the iraqis, wit

barbara starr is here to tell us more. >> good morning, carol. if in fact will this is a war head test by north korea, this takes everything to a new level, as will is saying, it gives them the ability to have a miniature war head to put on a missile that could some day potentially attack south korea, japan and the united states. the white house, very concerned about this this morning. the white house press secretary, josh ernest, iessuing a statement. the president has reiterated the unbreakable u.s. commitment to the security of our allies in asia and around the world. the president indicated he would continue to consult our allies and partners in the days ahead to ensure provocative actions from north core co- korea are m consequences. what will they be. there will be a united nations within the hour here in new york. there will be discussions of course of sanctions, as there always is. nothing seems to be deterring him right now. more and more tests. more missile tests, more nuclear tests. a greater record of success by the north korea. it is

much to get to on that story but first our barbara starr with the breaking news that isis possibly usedmical weapons on american troops. and barbara, this is an extremely significant and of course terrifying development. >> it is indeed. good evening. this happened in northern iraq at an air base where u.s. and iraqi forces are located. the belief now is isis is responsible for a shell fired into the base. when u.s. troops looked it a they noticed something suspicious. they tested it. i tested positive the first time for mustard agent. this is a chemical isis has used in the past against civilians and kurds but the first time they have used it against a location where u.s. troops are. it is not a very effective chemical weapon but nunlsz a chemical weapon. so it is causing a good deal of concern. the u.s. has been using over time air strikes against isis. chemical weapons facilities. they will be looking for this where this one may have come from and their ability to strike back at it. if there is good news in all of this, erin, it is that no u.s. troops were injured. but the belief is

clinton supporter julia kay em, former assistant secretary of homeland security and barbara starr, pentagonondent. barbara, this is pretty stunning that it was double the size of what they were able to test earlier this year. it is -- there's major concern here. >> tonight, really across the world,ier irn because the north koreans are saying and they are claiming that they tested a nuclear warhead. if that is true then that is a stunning development because it begins to put them much more firmly on the path. a missile, a warhead on the front of that missile and the possibility that they could put it all together and put it on a mobile launcher and it is very hard to keep track of in times of war and have a range to hold south korea, japan and even parts of the united states at risk. it's unprecedented. >> it is unprecedented and it truly is terrifying, mike, when you put this in context. when you heard about the size you heard will ripley talking about it as smaller than the hiroshima bomb. this is something that could kill what you're talking about depending on the metro area you hit milli

let's bring in cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr, gordon chang, the author of "nuclear showdownrth korea takes on the world" and also a columnist with the daily beast. barbara, lay out what happened here. >> well the north koreans are saying they tested a nuclear warhead. if they are telling the truth, it just doesn't get more serious, because this is the critical component they need, a miniaturized nuclear warhead, to put on a missile, to put on a launcher, that would be able some day to attack the united states, let alone japan and south korea. we are seeing reaction across the pacific. we are seeing a very interesting reaction from the white house. a short time ago, a statement, a very lengthy detailed statement from president obama. i just want to read one part of it, where he says the commitment to provide extended deterrents guaranteed by the full spectrum of u.s. defense capabilities is going to be maintained. the full spectrum of u.s. defense capabilities. my sorurces are telling me this morning that means what you call strategic deterrents and strategic deterrents means

back to you guys. >> barbara starr, thank you so much. we'll keep an eye on that.keep our eye on politics. brand-new pushback this morning from bill clinton over the transparency of the clinton foundation. and claims that donors received special access while secretary chin be wnen was secretary of s. >> we have been as transparent as we can be and we've been more transparent than any other foundation. more transparent than any foundation has been asked to be. certainly more transparent than anybody else in this line of work is. >> reports he's not personally donated to it since 2008. executive director of the new york state democratic party. also harlan hill, a former bernie sanders supporter. thank you for being here. >> let the hazing begin. >> exactly, now we will haze you. hillary clinton has come under a lot of fire. you heard bill clinton responding to it right there, transparency and accounting for it over the years. why isn't it fair to ask about donald trump and his foundation and the fact he hasn't given money to it since 2008 and where the money's coming

barbara starr is at the pentagon to tell us more. where did this happen?hat chemical agent was used and how are the troops doing? >> reporter: cnn is the first to report this development. the most important thing, no u.s. troops hurt. some did go through decontamination as a precaution. it happened an tuesday, but now, as we speak, this chemical shell is being tested by the u.s. military to see exactly what was in it. it landed on an air base in iraq where u.s. and iraqi troops are getting ready to fight to try to take mosul back from isis. the shell landed. u.s. troops went out to look at the shell. they saw something suspicious. they tested it and the test came back for mustard agent. they're testing it further. isis is up in that area and they're desperate to hold on to mosul. they wanted to prove to the world that they have, in their view, a caliphate, an islamic state. isis has used this type of agent before against civilians. a lot of concern about what is happening here. u.s. troops do have and have had protective gear against this type of attack. a

cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr has more on this.rning. >> reporter: good morning, carol. this has been under discussion for some weeks between the u.s. and the iraqis. president obama and iraqi prime minister now finally coming to that agreement that could send up to an additional 500 troops to northern iraq in the coming weeks, if not sooner. this is all about sending more military advisers and trainers to iraq to help the iraqi forces and the kurds retake the northern iraqi city of mosul. this is the isis stronghold in iraq. this is the center of isis' so-called caliphate in iraq. it's a very important military target for the iraqis to get back. iraq's second largest city. so everyone agrees they need more help doing it. this is supposed to be the last plus-up of u.s. troops in iraq. there are about 4500 there now on deployment orders. this again will bring it somewhat over 5,000. so if it works and there is a battle for mosul in the coming weeks and they get mosul back, it will be an important military victory against isis but wi

our pentagon correspondent barbara starr is working this story for us.ilities are crumbling. >> they really are, wolf. it's pretty shocking. nothing is more important than america's nuclear security and today we saw a look at the reality. >> whether it's donald trump or hillary clinton, the next commander in chief is going to inherit a major nuclear national security nightmare, crumbling nuclear weapons plants. some facilities dating back to the manhattan project. >> because it's more difficult today to bring new facilities online, we must continue to operate existing facilities longer than we had anticipated than when they were originally built. >> they're still in operation. photos show a leaking ceiling, crumbling conk ret and rotting floors at some of the nation's most critical nuclear sites at the y-12 uranium facility officials acknowledge there is crumbling concrete and poorly maintained facilities. at the pentax in amarillo, texas, rotting ceilings and walls and at the los alamos nuclear laboratory in new mexico, tarps are catching water from a l

barbara starr is at the pentagon. and we're learning that the u.s.e another top isis leader. what can you tell us about that? >> reporter: and not just any top leader, but this man was the chief of propaganda and someone who had frequent access to al baghdadi, direct access that is very rare. this is someone that they wanted very badly. as you say, the pace of the fight for u.s. troops is picking up and that means they are looking for every piece of innovative technology they can. more special operations forces may head to iraq and syria to advise local forces in upcoming battles to retake mosul and raqqah cnn has learned. as troops move closer to the front line danger hers, they need every advantage. to get that advantage, students, professors and military personnelhers, they need every advantage. to get that advantage, students, professors and military personnelers, they need every advantage. to get that advantage, students, professors and military personnelrs, they need every advantage. to get that advantage, students, professors and military pers

let's get to barbara starr with more details on this. what are you learning?is this happened on sunday, word just coming now. a u.s. patrol craft was in the persian gulf when he was essentially swarmed by seven iranian revolutionary guard small boats. one of those boats came within 100 yards right in front of the u.s. navy ship and came to a dead stop in the water, significantly raising the risk of a collision between the u.s. navy ship and the iranians. the u.s. navy had to make a sharp turn, steer out of the way and came within 100 yards of this iranian ship that stopped dead in the water right in front of it. there have been a series of these incidents. they're raising a good deal of concern at the pentagon. consider the numbers of increased incidents. so far this year in 2016, 31 unsafe encounters with the iranians in those waters. all of last year, 23. so the iranians in the view of the u.s. navy stepping up their unsafe actions in these waters and there is a good deal of concern that this could lead to a potentially deadly encounter, something the u.s. s

cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr joins us now. what is the status of the syria discussions? >> well, you might think of it this way, the other two entity that are candid, blunt and business-like are the state department and the pentagon. the pentagon very skeptical of the state department's diplomatic efforts to get this agreement with the russians. why is it so important? well, of course, the humanitarian disaster in syria. if it can get so-called cessation of hostilities, maybe you can get some humanitarian aid in, maybe some relief for the tens of thousands besieged in syria. but the pentagon really wants the russians to make a verifiable commitment. that if this happens, they will turn to fighting isis. that's the u.s. goal of course, get rid of isis, you know, reduce the threat of another terror attack. the russians on the other hand very much still supporting bass shar al assad and their air strikes really have been pounding the people in northwest syria, very much aimed at getting after the opposition groups to assad, while the u.s. wants to get after isis. that may b

anderson. >> barbara starr, thank you very much. back with the panel. it was interesting to hear him kind of go full bore on this thing, on the generals in general, i'm not sure who he was talking about or if he knows specific generals he was talking about. >> this is a perfect illustration of what sometimes frustrates me in our discussions about trump. we try to analyze, and barbara did a wonderful job of trying to make sense of a stray comment he makes here. my guess is, frankly, he doesn't know what he is talking about. i think it is very unlikely he had any thought-through idea. you know, rapid fire format, matt lauer puts a question to him, he gets flummoxed so he comes back with something. i think it is nonsensical. obama's first national security adviser was a general. obama has promoted lots of generals, he listens to them all the time. there's no great dissatisfaction, you know, they've not been reduced to rubble. there's no way to understand this other than to think he is winging it as he does with so many of these things, and then we in the m

cnn pentagon reporter barbara starr, former cia official philip mudd, reporter for "the new york times," alex burns, and cnn political analyst and host of the david gregory show podcast, david gregory. great to have all of you here. we have a lot to talk about. let's start with what the president said moments ago. he's in laos. he was asked about the presidential election back here at home. he weighed in on donald trump. what did you hear? >> well, i think what's striking is the president has repeated he doesn't think donald trump is qualified to be president based on his most recent comments that vladimir putin is a strong leader, is more qualified than president obama. i think that anybody who has covered the presidency, anybody who is a student of foreign affairs knows that donald trump speaking about vladimir putin in such glowing terms betrays a great lack of preparedness on his part with regard to foreign policy. you have vladimir putin, who has essentially played two presidents and confounded their trust, both president bush and president obama. i think that donald trump could h

let's get the latest from barbara starr. >> wolf, russia, iran and north korea's military all tauntinglitary. it may be turning into a significant strategic threat. tonight, fresh reason for concern following the close encounter of a russian jet and a u.s. reconnaissance plane. the russians coming within ten feet of the u.s. deck. just the latest in russian provocations directed at the u.s. military in the air and at sea this year. defense secretary ashe carter warning the russian government that the u.s. is watching and is ready to act. >> make no mistake, we will defend our allies, the international order and the future it affords us. >> with russian aggression not decreasing, some see a deliberate strategy at work. >> the fact they are engaging the u.s. in such a dramatic fashion indicates they are willing to challenge the u.s. at every step of the way. >> russia is hardly the only count country attempting to provoke the u.s. military. iran continues to harass u.s. ships with dangerous approaches like this that u.s. military officials have deemed unsafe. some coming within 100 yards

barbara starr is learning new information. >> reporter: this is the big question tonight, wolf.. striking a site that killed over 60 syrian troops. the russians, the syrians, furious about all of it. the u.s. now believes it is possible -- and this is just a working theory that they have -- that what they struck were syrian troops who were some sort of detainees or prisoners of the regime who had been put out in this area in the field where the u.s. did not expect them. they were looking at the intelligence, and there were three things they saw that led them to believe it was isis, not syrian forces. these people were not in regular uniforms. that is one tick mark on the wall. they were not associated, they didn't have regular military weapons that the syrian regime might have. second tick mark on the wall. and the third, they were basically in a location where the u.s. had never seen syrian forces before. they had seen isis, however. so they thought they were striking a large formation of isis troops. that is the working theory right now. it is all under investigation. but as y

cnn's barbara starr with the latest. >> reporter: john and christine.s expected, president obama approved sending additional 615 u.s. troops to northern iraq to help the iraqi forces there get ready for the fight to retake mosul. iraq's second largest city and its main claim to having a caliphate in iraq. the u.s. troops will be helping on a range of topics. they will work as military advisers to the iraqis as well. being out in the field with them, but not at the frontlines. the fight for mosul may go on for some time. the u.s. assistance with being in the field and with air support and intelligence really is considered vital. if the iraqis along with help from kurdish forces can get mosul back and push isis out once and for all, that will be a military victory against isis. but nobody is betting at this point it will be the end of the so-called islamic state. john and christine. >> barbara, thank you. >>> the fbi reveals more attempted elections cyber attacks. two law enforcement officials think russia is behind the attacks on voter registration sites

first, i take you to the pentagon and barbara starr. dozens of troops are dead because of an air strike that appears to be a mistake made by the united states. >> events moving very rapidly this evening in several world capitals. just a short time ago we received a statement from a senior administration official about this event, this u.s. air strike that killed a number of syrian government troops in eastern syria earlier today. the u.s. administration saying, and let me quote in full "the united states relayed our regret through the russian federation through the unintentional loss of life for syrian forces fighting i.s.i.l. we will continue to pursue compliance to the cessation of hostilities as we continue military action against isil. the u.s. did conduct an air strike earlier today in eastern syria. and about 25 minutes into the series of air strikes they got a call from the russians saying stop it, you're hitting syrian forces. the u.s. withdrew, no more air strikes in that area. now, as bad as that is, the additional impact of t

barbara starr, how do you think this is going to be received where you are? also, is the state of the union on the military as donald trump just laid out accurate? >> well, you know, trump has been putting that message out in his view that the u.s. military is broken, if you will, that it is too small. there isn't enough capability. i was listening. in some cases, he goes back to what the u.s. military was in 1915. let's be clear. the u.s. military can be much smaller than it was. the weapons, the capabilities are tens of orders, if not hundreds of orders of magnitude more capable. it doesn't need by any measure what it used to have decades ago. military commanders always want more. they have been pushing for more on capitol hill. there is some reality checks here. think of it this way, ashley. the u.s. military is essentially a manpowered heavy high-tech enterprise. if you are going to continue to expand that, you are going to have fixed costs. you are going to have to maintain all those weapons. you may or may not use them. you are going to have to pay peop

for more on the horror unfolding in syria, let's go to our pentagon correspondent barbara starr.n you look at the city of aleppo, it was 2014 when an obama administration official warned if you think what's happening with the yazidi stuck on a mountain is terrible, wait until aleppo falls. now we're just days away from that and 300,000 people trapped. >> you know, the people of aleppo are desperate not for the weeping for them but for action, something to save their lives and right now it does not appear to be coming the russians, the syrians leading the offensive against women, children, and babies, the civilians, the people of aleppo, they say they are attacking terrorists and yet we see babies pulled from the rubble. right now according to the u.s. assessment, according to officials i'm speaking to, there may be thousands, up to 10,000 syrian-led troops in and around aleppo, syrian forces, kurds backing the regime, iranian militia backing the regime all continuing to pound away at the people of aleppo. backed up by the russians. the russians say they're hitting terrorists, the

senior writer michael wise, lieutenant colonel rirk francona an cnn pentag pentagon correspondent barbara starr the military is just a little different. these people don't disappear on election day. they are confirmed by the u.s. senate to a term of office, three years generally. in fact, on election day, the current chairman of the joint chiefs, joe dunford, will be in office with the job of being the president of the united states' senior military adviser. if trump wants to fire them all, first of all, he's going to have to get their retirement approved by congress. if he wants to put in all of his own generals that he likes better, he's going to have to get their appointment confirmed by congress. this is how the legislative process works. the military reports to the civilian leadership and it is all confirmed by the senate. it would be an extraordinary thing if he would do a wholesale house cleaning. then he has to live with it. any president would have to live with it. you have to consider the implications for whoever is left in the military in high positions. you have to make the assumpti

barbara starr, walk us through what happened here. >> we do want to start by warning everyone the languageilippine leader is graphic. he issued a direct challenge to president obama and president obama not taking kindly to any of it. >> who is he? >> philippine president amping up his vulgar language, urging president obama to not bring up the alleged killed suspect during planned meeting of southeast asian leaders in louse. >> i'm a president after sovereign state. and we have long ceased to be a colony. >> dueterte warning anyone who asked him about the killings some 2,000 since may. >> you must be respectful. >> switching to native language to make his position even more clear. >> translator: son of a bitch, i'll curse you in front of everybody. >> now, the white house says president obama will not meet with dueterte, but if it were to happen, he plans to push for due process. >> if and when we have a meeting, this is something that will be brought up. >> duterte's hard line ward on drugs was part of his campaign earlier this year. his comments about president obama just the latest u.s.

first, let's go to barbara starr with the latest. >> tonight north korea's nuclear weapons program increasingly appears to be successful. the question is what is kim really up to? does he really want to attack the united states? north korean tv announcing the state's fifth nuclear test, the second test this year. potentially its most powerful yet. they claim they tested a nuclear warhead that would be mounted on a missile that could someday hit the u.s. >> the international community, united nation security council and especially the other six-party powers must hold north korea accountable for this latest act and heighten the pressure on north korea. >> reporter: a u.s. officials tells cnn north korea has emb k embarked on a rapidly and increasingly successful nuclear missile test program. this time more than just worldwide condemnation. in tokyo patriot missiles continue to sit outside ready to shoot down any possible north korean missile. the south korean government gathered as president park called kim jong-un's regime reckless. >> translator: this is a significant threat to world piece a pe

our pentagon correspondent barbara starr is joining us. what are you learning, barbara?appened on sunday, but word of this coming to light earlier today from the u.s. navy. the uss firebolt, a small patrol craft was operating in the persian gulf on sunday when it was suddenly swarmed, if you will, by seven iranian fast-attack craft, but then it got even more dangerous. one of the iranian boats actually came to a dead stop in the water right in front of the u.s. navy ship. it does not get more dangerous than that for the risk of a collision. the u.s. navy ship making a very sudden, sharp turn, but coming within 100 yards of that iranian attack aircraft. the iranians are upping their game in the persian gulf. 31 instances so far this year. >> very disturbing, indeed. the u.s. relationship with iran is just one of the many challenges facing the next commander in chief. tonight donald trump is touting a new show of support by 88 retired generals and admirals. you've been looking into this battle for national security endorsements. what are you finding? >> the candidates very

barbara starr, how did the mission go? >> they did not succeed in getting them back. after the two men were kidnapped from the university last month. u.s. special operations, seal team 6, went on this mission. we have had the information for several days and withheld it on request of the pentagon. today the pentagon put out a public statement about all of this says "unfortunately the hostages were not at the location we expected." by the time seal team 6 got there the men had never been there or they were moved, you can expect to hear a lot of chatter about where did they move them. we are told by several sources that the navy seal team moved in very, very quickly. they developed all of the intelligence they could possible by. this is the location they went to thinking the men were there and they were not. a fire fight ensued. u.s. navy seals killing seven expected insurgents. no u.s. personnel wounded or killed. hostage rescue is some of the toughest most dangerous jobs. they go to the locations, the intelligence is never perfect and they do the best they can. people

they said that earlier to our barbara starr, and also the white house said the same thing as well. the only thing that could possibly be -- it doesn't seem russia would have incentive to do something like that deliberately. there could have been a mistake in targeting, there could have been a mistake in information. there's many reasons why something like that could have happened by accident. we have to keep in mind, for instance, the u.s. coalition appears to have bombed syrian government locations by accident. it is a messy battlefield, a complicated battlefield out there. so really unclear to see what anybody would have to gain from something like this. we've been looking into exactly what happened there on the ground. let's have a look at that. >> this is the house of the -- >> reporter: and aid convoy near aleppo completely destroyed. 18 trucks and a warehouse struck in a direct attack. some 20 people killed, and a seven-day ceasefire negotiated by the u.s. and russia almost literary burned to the ground. >> the refugee -- >> reporter: in this social media video a rescue worke

barbara starr is out front. >> reporter: north korea's march towards a nuclear weapon that could attackgence concerns for the next president of the united states. >> these are things that the new national security team. the new president and his or her advisors are going to have to deal with from day one. >> his extraordinary interview with erin burnett, cia director john brennan revealed the spy agency already is identifying a number of immediate threats the next president is likely to confront. >> from the very beginning, the north korean young leader is going to try and do things that will cause turmoil in a new administration. >> north korea tops the list. the u.s. doesn't know what kim jong un will do. a new president must be prepared for a sunday move from kim, even within hours of taking office. >> that is something that the new team and the current team is looking at very very closely and will need to be addressed. >> hillary clinton and donald trump already have received initial intelligence briefs and have teams preparing for transition. the morning after the election the new

. >> joining me now, pentagon correspondent barbara starr. the comments about the briefings.are you learning? >> those are extraordinary. that the president did not follow what the community was recommending is something that trump would not have been told in one of these briefings. he would have been given analysis of problems like iraq, russia, iran, syria. we know this over the last several weeks. i've talked directly to experts in the intelligence community who know how these briefings were set up. they know how they were going to work. fwhar analysis. they are not about recommendations. they are from some of the most senior professionals, civilian, career people in the intelligence community. not about politics at all. so i think it remains to be seen, perhaps most charitibly, what he thought he was hearing, what he thought the body language was. very clearly, he was not told intelligence community recommendations. that would not have happened. i think the other really fascinating point that he made. he talked about the generals very broadly being, in his words, reduced

barbara starr is working her sources. good morning. >> good morning, alisyn. they're not talking about it, but believe me, they're listening to every word, saying he deserves to be commander in chief, key points, the u.s. military should take the oil from iraq, he spoke about that old clichÉ to the victor goes the spoil. you might consider that is a war crime. that's not something the u.s. military is going to do. he talked about sexual assault. a tweet he had made several months back. that implied sexual assault in the military may be a result of women being in the service, of course, which had been in the u.s. military for -- since the beginning of this country. that's something female service members as well as men may be looking at very closely, his view on sexual assault. about vladimir putin, he praised putin, he praised his leadership. u.s. military officials will tell you that they are watching the russian support the bombing campaign against aleppo where hundreds of men, women and children, civilians have been killed at the behest of the russian milit

barbara starr is out front. >> donald trump doubling down on his praise of russian president vladimire an 82% approval rating according to the different pollsters. >> insisting that russia's harassment of the u.s. military will stop under his presidency. like this one from april and another one wednesday over the black sea that caught donald trump's attention. >> take a look at what happened with their fighter jets circling one of our aircraft in it a very dangerous manner. somebody said less than ten feet away. this is hostility. >> yet that hostility from russia isn't stopping trump from extolling what he sees as putin's virtues. >> it's a very different system. i don't happen to like the system, but certainly in that system he's been a leader. far more than our president has been a leader. >> trump says he'd have a a better relationship with putin and russia than president obama. >> the beautiful part of getting along russia wants to defeat isis as badly as we do. >> but u.s. officials say that isn't the case. that russia is propping up assad, not hitting isis. >> russia with its s

let's go to barbara starr who's joining us now. what are you hearing? >> it's a preliminary conclusion by the pentagon and the obama administration that the russians were responsible for this terrible attack against the syrian red crescent facility and aid convoy near aleppo. a horrific attack. what is the u.s. basing this on? they've looked at the aerial intelligence, some of the radar, some of the planes they had up and satellites and other things they had up in the area looking at all the data that they could gather and what they saw is that there were only russian warplanes in the sky at the time of the attack. the u.n. secretary general is calling this attack sickening and deliberate. it's lead to the suspension of aid into aleppo, not that much was getting in anyhow, and a good deal of anger at the perpetrators. the u.s. now very much believing the russians were behind it. here's the wrinkle. this is based on classified military technical intelligence that the u.s. has gathered plus reports on the ground. how much will the technical intelligence,

and barbara starr is saying that is the preliminary inclusion by u.s. officials, as they study this. i just went to ask you, director, as a starter, is there anything you can share about this? or, just in general, how you are looking at this kind of issue, this very complex tug of war on the battlefield? mr. clapper: i think you have a few phrases that characterize the job we have. you know, the classical situation there is always the fog of war, which this is not. syria is unbelievably complex. and to be specific and directly respond to your question, i have not, myself, gotten into the specifics of whatever evidence you may or may not have about who was responsible. that is being worked as we speak, but i cannot speak to it here right now. david: so, the other issue that is obviously in the news and on our minds -- mr. clapper: per your introduction. david: exactly. it is the terrorist attacks on new york city, the area, by ahmad khan rahami. and i think we are all looking at that, asking a couple of questions. the first one i put to you is whether th

barbara starr is saying that's the preliminary conclusion. i want to ask if there's anything you can share about this or just in general how you're looking at this kind of issue in this very complex fog of war battlefield. >> i think your last few phrases kind of characterize the challenge that we have. in a classical situation, there's always the fog of war. a classical combat situation, which this is not. it is unbelievably complex. to be specific and respond to your question, i have not myself gotten into the specifics of whatever evidence we may or may not have about who is responsible. that's being worked as we speak, but i can't speak to it here right now. >> the other issue that's in the news and in the headlines -- >> per your introduction. >> exactly -- is the terrorist attacks in the new york city area by ahmad. i think we're all looking at that and asking a couple questions. and the first one i'd put to you is whether there's any evidence that you've found of connections that he had to terror networks, direction or inspiration, any

and barbara starr this thing that. the preliminary conclusion of you is specials as the study does. i do want to ask you, director clapper, as a starter, whether there's anything you can share about this, just in general how you're looking at this kind of issue in this very complex battlefield? >> i think your last few phrases kind of characterized the challenge we have is, hostile situation there's always the fault of war, a classical combat situation which is not a series of unbelievably complex. to be specific and directly respond to your question, i have not myself gotten into the specifics of whatever evidence we may or may not have a who was responsible. that is being worked as we speak but i can't speak to it here right now. >> the other issue obviously that's in the news about our minds -- >> per your introduction. >> exactly. is the terrorist attacks in new york city area by ahmad khan rahami. i think we are all looking at that and ask a couple of questions. the first one i would put to you is whether there's any evidence that you found of connections that he had to tear ne