. >> i want to bring in cnn's pentagon correspondent barbara starr. barbara, the significance of this statement, coming from the secretary of defense. >> well, look at that, those images, fred. that's defense secretary james mattis standing at his side, general joseph dunford, four star chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. general dunford is president trump's chief military adviser. no washington politics in this one visible. this is a military message. there's politics behind all of it, of course, but the optics here are this is mattis and dunford, it is not politicians in the administration delivering the message. very interesting couple of points here. every word would have been carefully crafted, but secretary mattis said any threat by north korea to the u.s. or allies would be met with massive military response. north korea is already a threat. it is interesting why he didn't say any attack. he may not have wanted to put that word out there. he also was very specific in saying the u.s. was not looking for the total annihilation of north korea bu

let's quickly go to our pentagon correspondent barbara starr who is working this story for us. rbara, what are you learning? >> wolf, the south korean military announced a short time ago that north korea fired a projectile east out of north korea. the early indications are that this eastward trajectory may have taken this projectile over japan. that would be a serious provocation by the north koreans, not the first time they have done that to overfly japan. that is going to be very concerning in the region. one piece of news, if it did in fact go east, as the south koreans say, at least it didn't go south over guam. that would have been a direct provocation to the united states, something president trump said he would respond to if the north koreans were to threaten guam. so it looks at this point like this missile, this projectile, went east over japan. we are waiting for word on how long this flight of this projectile lasted and that will help everyone understand what it might have been and, in fact, if it was an intermediate range ballistic missile. japan, the sea out there,

thanks to barbara starr. the u.n. security council is set to meet in emergency session this morning in the wake of the latest test. it's the second meeting in just a week. past meetings have done little to stop north korea's provocations. earlier this morning, south korea's army and air force conducted a combined live-fire exercise in response to the north korean nuclear test. just moments ago, north korean state media blasted south korea for the drill saying it shows seoul is hellbent on escalating confrontation. the exercise came after president trump called out south korea on twitter, suggesting that seoul is appeasing the north koreans. cnn correspondent ian lee is live with us in seoul, south korea, with regional response. good morning. so what's south korea's approach to this latest test? >> reporter: well, you did have those exercises in the early morning hour. i should point out that those were designed to target north korean leadership in the event of a war, and their nuclear program. that is a strong show of

barbara starr is with us now. experts have said it's nearly impossible to verify with certainty north korea's claims that it detonated this hydrogen bomb. barbara, how would the u.s. go about trying to confirm it? >> reporter: well, one of the things they've typically done in the past is there are spy planes, u.s. military spy planes with very highly classified, technical sensors on board that basically do air sampling. it will happen a few days after the test, because the plume, if you will, if there's a radioactive plume, it has to move up into the atmosphere and be in international airspace where these planes can get to it. this is one of the key methods they've used in the past to determine what kind of explosion was conducted, because it helps them, when they get the air sample, they can then determine what radioactive material, what isotopes are really in the year. but, and this is a big "but," what we're learning is, today the prevailing winds in that area are headed north. that might carry any air samples

alexandra fields is in tokyo, barbara starr is at the pentagon with more on the possible u.s. military options. paula, i want to start with you. how is south korea reacting? >> reporter: well, ana, there's a little more reaction than we usually see from a nuclear test. south korea has an amazing ability to just carry on as though nothing has happened. certainly this time around, a sixth nuclear test has some concern, not just because of what kim jong-un has done and what he might do, but because of what the u.s. president, donald trump, might do. there's uncertainty on both sides at this point from the south korean perspective. we had a strong response from president from south korea saying this is an absurd strategic mistake from north korea that will further isolate the country. let's take a listen. >> translator: with the continued provocation of icbm missile launch, president moon ordered the most powerful response to condemn north korea along with international society and decided to seek diplomatic measures such as pushing ahead for unsc resolution to completely isolate

. >> barbara starr of the pentagon. we have a member of the armed services committee, reuben g giega. let me get your reaction, senator mccain essentially saying, no, i'm not on board once again with this health care effort that the republicans were hoping to come to fruition next week. it sounds like it's not going to happen unless somebody changes their mind among those undecided votes. >> as an arizonaen and american i'm proud of senator mccain making the decision he has stuck to his princeles. he is right. we need a deliberative process, there is no need to order one-sixth of the people off insurance or affecting their health insurance in a negative more than without actually talking to the public. you know, this bill. the grand passing bill has basically been introduced and the fact that they're trying to rush it tells me they are hiding something. they need to wait for the cbo score so americans know what they are getting. >> how remarkable is it to see john mccain essentially saving not once but a couple of times

our barbara starr joins us from the pentagon with details on that.sources are going to be available to help. >> reporter: well, anderson, tonight the u.s. navy aircraft carrier, an aircraft carrier, "abraham lincoln" is steaming towards the impact zone. it is joining six other warships in the region. why an aircraft carrier? why these warships? because they'll have several dozen helicopters on board. they will be able to go sh ship-to-shore on continuous missions. they will be able to evacuate the ill and injured. they will be able to bring ashore aid and assistance. they will have fema people that will help potentially get ports and airports back up and running. one of them already is off the virgin islands tonight and is evacuating people who are medically unable to stay in that area. in addition, we are seeing the air force begin to assemble a fleet of large cargo planes as far away as illinois and california. these cargo plane also come in and bring in vehicles and other equipment that they can move in rough terrain. one of the big challenges wil

barbara starr at the pentagon for us. thank you so much.e now to discuss this more is the fodirector of intelligence, former fbi director james clapper. if you were advising the president right now, what would you tell him to do? >> well, i think both parties, the united states and north korea, we're each stuck on our narratives. i think it's going to be impossible for the north koreans to change their narrative. i think the united states needs to be the bigger brother, the bigger partner here, and change that narrative. what that means is, look for ways to negotiate as secretary of state rex tillerson has advocated. i really think that's realistic. i don't think north korea is begging for bwar, i think they'e begging for attention. we might want to ask ourselves, what is it they really want? well, one of the demands they made clear to me when i visited was to enter into discussions about a peace treaty between the united nations command or remnants of the korean war of 67 years ago. i don't find that unreasonable for them to want that, but

hello there i'm barbara starr in london these are the top stories on al-jazeera results have been announced in an independence referendum in the kurdish region of northern iraq with ninety two percent voting in favor of secession the turnout was seventy two percent now this is the scene in sort of a neo were people celebrated after the announcement was made but there is still strong regional and international opposition to the poll the central government in baghdad is the man then that the kurdish leadership hand over control of the airports in the region or face a suspension of international flights from friday and some airlines including fly dubai and royal jordanian have announced that they'll stop fly through the regional capital into being the transport minister for the iraqi kurdish region says the flight ban will have consequences. well you was about done with. its effects the diplomatic channels and the representatives that opposed to the kurdistan region to fix the organizations and the problems of the united nations in the kurdistan region it affects one way or another the militar

hello i'm barbara starr you're watching al-jazeera live from london also coming up on the program kurdish leader is a refused to back down this friday right supreme court suspending their independence and referendum syrian troops across the euphrates river right. being a stand off with u.s. backed rebels battling i saw on the other side. and we visit japan the men check cafe is the country breaks its own record for the number of people reaching the age of one hundred. welcome to the program u.s. president donald trump has made is they beat you at the united nations an organization that in the past he slated he repeated his previous criticism saying the world body is not living up to its potential because a bureaucracy and mismanagement however this time he promised the u.s. the u.s. would help reform the u.n. to make it stronger and more effective our diplomatic editor james bays reports out from new york diplomats were wary about this trumps first trip to the united nations as president. trump has railed against the u.n. many times in the past suggesting it's inefficient and bloated at t

hello i'm barbara starr in london and these are the top stories on al-jazeera u.s. president donald trump has made his debut at the united nations in new york where he pushed for reforms that would focus more on people and less on bureaucracy president trump says mismanagement in the u.n. means it hasn't reached its potential but he did promise the u.s. would partner with the organization to make it stronger and more effective. in recent years the united nations has not reached its full potential because of bureaucracy and mismanagement while the united nations on a regular budget has increased by one hundred forty percent and its staff has more than doubled since two thousand we are not seeing the results in line with this investment but i know that under the secretary general that's changing and it's changing fast kurdish leaders in iraq say they'll go ahead with an independence votes next week despite a ruling by iraq supreme court suspending the referendum the court ordered the poll be postponed until questions about its legality have been addressed the referend

cnn's barbara starr joins me live from the pentagon. barbara, what are these military options that general mcmaster referred to? and frankly, how devastating might they be for innocent civilians? >> reporter: jake, the pentagon will tell you that this is always the challenge. almost any u.s. military option against north korea that president trump might order could result in tens of thousands of deaths. sirens blair across japan. warning a north korean ballistic missile is overhead. a different kind of warning from u.s. officials. national security adviser h.r. mcmaster says time is running out for dealing with north korea. >> for those who have said and commenting about the lack of a military option. there is a military option. now, it's not what we would prefer to do. >> reporter: u.n. ambassador nikki haley acknowledging u.n. sanctions may not work. >> i have no problem kicking it to general mattis, because i think he has plenty of options. >> reporter: u.s. military planners are looking once again at how to quickly take out north kor

let's go to our pentagon correspondent barbara starr. mp and top members of his team are making clear that military action is still on the table. >> absolutely, wolf. but the problem remains unchanged. any military option ordered by president trump could result in tens of thousands of casualties. sirens blare across japan warning a north korean ballistic missile is overhead. a different kind of warning from u.s. officials. national security advisor h.r. mcmaster says, time is running out for dealing with north korea. >> for those who have said and have been commenting about the lack of a military option, there is a military option. now, it's not what we prefer to do. >> reporter: u.n. ambassador nikki haley i have no problem taking it to general mattis because i think he has plenty of options. >> u.s. military planners are looking once again and how to quickly take out north korean weapons just north of the dmz before kim could counterattack into seoul. >> there are literally thousands of tubes of artillery along the demilitarized zone ai

joining me now to discuss this, cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr. ara, what's the pentagon view? >> well, the pentagon, the state department and white house all saying no, this is not a declaration of war against north korea. let's be clear, as the rhetoric ramps up from the trump administration, the north koreans turning up their own rhetoric. it's what you would expect them to do. you know, them -- they are very clear that they are very unhappy with the u.s. and unhappy with that flight of u.s. bomber aircraft over the weekend in international waters, in international air space off the korean peninsula and threatening to shoot down u.s. planes even if they are in the international arena. the pentagon responding to that specifically saying that it will maintain its right to fly or sail in international air space and international waters. the rhetoric continuing to ratchet up and why it's important miscalculation. if it gets to the point either side miscalculates what the rhetoric means, miscalculates the verbal threats it could lead to real problems

we'll get to the white house in just a moment, but let's begin with cnn pentagon korncorrespon barbara starr. barbara, general mattis warned there could be a massive military response. what exact sdoes that mean? >> what general mattis is doing is warning kim jong-un that a massive military action would not be a pinprick. this life fire exercise by south korean forces a direct military response to the north's largest nuclear test. army and air forces simulating an attack on north korea's nuclear test site. even as north korean state media issued new threats to the u.s., including guam, one editorial saying, every time the u.s. goes crazy talking about sanctions and war, our will of vengeance about become hundred and thousand times stronger. u.n. ambassador nikki haley very much in the hard line mode back at kim. >> his abusive use of missiles and nuclear threats show he is begging for war. war is never something the united states wants. we don't want it now. >> reporter: rising tensions pushing defense secretary james mattis to exactly where he never wants to be: center stage at the white ho

let's check in with our pentagon krt barbara starr. barbara, how is the u.s. military responding?ght now, wolf, nobody is engaging in very much cool, calm, collected talk about all of this. there's a lot of rhetoric from washington all the way to pyongyang. right now hard to see how this all ends. >>> new live fire drills by south korea's navy as tensions continue to rise. several war ships sending a message to kim jong-un south korea will hit back against any provocation. president trump sending his own message, tweeting, i am allowing japan and south korea to buy a substantially increased amount of highly sophisticated military equipment from the united states. >>> the u.s. has already agreed to allow south korea to buy more powerful missiles. pyongyang may be getting ready to fire a third inter-continental ballistic missile, according to south korea. two u.s. war ships armed with the aegis missile defense system are in the region. other missile defense systems are ready in japan and south korea. u.s. air force b-1 bombers could conduct an air drill over the east china sea and p

our pentagon correspondent barbara starr has been doing some serious digging. t some new reporting. what are you learning, barbara? >> reporter: hi, wolf. you know, up to $25 million on baghdadi's head. we are learning there was a drone strike over the summer. u.s. forces striking believing they had a location that might have been their best chance that baghdadi was on the ground. they conduct the mission. the problem was, we have learned, after the drone strike there was no confirming intelligence. no chatter on isis social media accounts, no intercepted phone conversations or internet chatter so they could never confirm in that summer drone strike that they actually did get him. there was another mission we've now learned about, a ground mission was planned. they had somebody at a location that they believe had the name baghda baghdadi, but that mission was called off because there was too much concern of collateral damage, civilians on the ground. that never happened. there have been drone strikes. right now the working assumption is that he is alive because

let's go to pentagon correspondent barbara starr. barbara, what are you learning about this dramatic escalation in the rhetoric? >> one of the key things the north korean said, wolf, is this mounted, as far as they were concerned, to a declaration of war by the united states. the state department rapidly pushing back saying there is no declaration of war on north korea by the trump administration. the pentagon also taking the opportunity to one more time trying to impress upon the north koreans, if they can, that there are options for dealing with them and their weapons program. the pentagon chief spokesman, colonel robert manning, saying, and i quote, the military will take all options to make sure that we safeguard our allies, our partners and our homeland so that if north korea does not stop their provocative actions, we will make sure we provide options to the president to deal with north korea. again sending that message that there are options. the u the u.s. military can take those options if the north koreans continue down this

i want to begin with cnn's barbara starr at the pentagon because barbara, that statement we just heard from defense secretary mattis was both extraordinary and very carefully worded. >> indeed, ana. extraordinary because it was him out there in front of tv cameras standing at his side, of course, general joseph dunford, general of the joint chiefs and the chief military adviser to the president of the united states and neither of those men particularly cared for appearing in television news cameras so the fact that they came out was very noteworthy. the message, very detailed and pretty specific saying that the u.s. would support its allies' iron-clad commitment that the u.s. would, if threatened, if attacked the u.s., its allies and guam that it would respond with massive military power, but what does this all mean? this is still the key question because we have heard this before. the military options, none of them are good, we all know that. any attack on north korea could lead them to a quick counterattack on seoul leading to tens of thousands of people killed and it would be brutal

barbara starr is there. you have south korea talking about, carrying out these additional drills, saying their intelligence is showing them that north korea is preparing for another icbm test. what are you hearing in terms of preparations from the united states, given those words from defense secretary mattis yesterday? >> well, you know, the defense secretary said two things, that the u.s. would be prepared if there was an attack. he said the u.s. would be prepared if there was a threat. what the threshold may be for some u.s. military option probably remains deliberately, publicly unclear. they want kim to believe that they would respond with that overwhelming mass of force if he was to threaten or attack. you know, everything is in place that would ever be needed to carry out most of these options. the discussion, i think, right now is whether or not you want to send additional military assets to the region in some kind of so-called show of force. does it make a difference if you send an aircraft carrier?

>> barbara starr, thank you. i want to go out front to daniel, the deputy director firefighter fema. daniel, i appreciate your time. i know you said none of your aid has been held up. you have been able to get your aid where it needs to go. you have delivered 1 million meals, obviously not a enough. there are americans in puerto rico without food and water. who is responsible for helping them right now, daniel? >> first of all, this is a tremendously challenging response. we were hampered early on in the first step of getting all of that aid to the island. being 1500 miles away from here, i assure you is not the same as in the continental u.s. it is more challenging to ship via air and via ship. second of all, the fact that the air traffic control tower went down and is slowly ramping up thanks to herculean efforts by the department of defense to get online, it's like pushing a bowling ball through, quite frankly. this is a logistics challenge from the beginning. now, we are facing, ironically, you have all those

>> barbara starr for us at the pentagon. thank you so much. democratic congressman jerry conley is a member of the house foreign affairs committee. thank you for being with us. ambassador nickly haley says that kim jong-un is begging for war. do you think that's the case? >> well, it's certainly a risk that he's taking. but you know, backing up a little bit, i don't think her comments or those of donald trump are helpful at all. in fact, clearly they are backfiring. they are pushing kim jong-un to accelerate his nuclear and missile development programs. we need a different strategy. inflammatory rhetoric, fire and fury, looks today more like fecklessness and failure. i just don't -- i'm stunned at how inept the diplomatic effort has been thus far in the trump administration. although maybe i shouldn't be, since barely any diplomacy capability left from the state department. >> so what should have nikki haley said today? what words should she have used that she didn't use? >> i think we have to have a whole bunch -- the threat certainly stays o

barbara starr, thank you so much. >>> so coming up, 36,000 and counting now. back in the states. rescues by federal responders from the devastating flood brought on by hurricane harvey. we'll take you live to texas where the death toll now stands at 53. >>> august 2016, devastating hurricane harvey hit texas. families lost everything. final impact, not yet known. but you can help. go to cnn.com/impact for information and to find links to chairability organizations and resour resources. your donations can make a difference. stay with cnn for continuing coverage of hurricane harvey's aftermath and impact your world. people confuse nice and kind but they're different. it's nice to remove artificial ingredients. kind never had to. we choose real ingredients like almonds, peanuts and a drizzle of dark chocolate. give kind a try. ♪ i mwell, what are youe to take care odoing tomorrow -10am? staff meeting. noon? eating. 3:45? uh, compliance training. 6:30? sam's baseball practice. 8:30? tai chi. yeah, so sounds relaxing. alright, 9:53? i usually make their lunches then, and i have a litt

barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. >>> cnn has reporters covering this story around the globe.eoul. alexander field is live in tokyo. let's go to ian first. another show of force this morning. more live fire drills in south korea. what is seoul trying to prove? >> reporter: this is just a show of force to the north koreans. this time that show of force coming from the eastern seas where they have this naval warships demonstrating their readiness in the event of a war. now we've seen the air force. we've seen the amy and the navy getting involved. south korea saying that they're ready for any acts aggressive by the north koreans. we had that very important phone call between president moon and president trump. this phone call coming well after 24 hours after that nucle nuclear test. in that same time period, president trump spoke with president abe twice. that didn't go unnoticed in seoul. in that phone conversation they did come to some agreement as far as further military operation and as you pointed out earlier, limiting the limit on the payload that the ballistic missiles ca

>> barbara starr for us at the pentagon. barbara, thanks so much. >>> happening now, fbi director christopher wray on capitol hill. he is testifying pbefore a senae panel on threats to the homeland. director of national counterterrorism is also expected to address the committee. we'll continue to monitor this hearing and bring you all of the developments. >>> supplies are arriving in puerto rico right now, but bureaucracy and an old shipping law, are they slowing things down? >>> plus, a cnn exclusive. the irs sharing information with special counsel robert mueller in the russia probe. and the president writing today that players will stand for country, but could fans soon be joining the protest? when you say you need a heart transplant... that's a whole different ballgame. i was in shock. i am very proud of the development of drugs that can prevent the rejection and prevent the recurrence of the original disease. i never felt i was going to die. we know so much about transplantation. and we're living longer. you cannot help

cnn's barbara starr live at the pentagon with the latest. barbara, good morning to you. the defense secretary very stern, very rarely speaks out directly to the cameras. what do you make of his reaction? >> good morning, dave. the question now still unanswered. what would the trump administration do next? no wrd yet if they will, in fact, send an aircraft carrier of bomber aircraft as the south koreans suggesting. in fact, president trump continuing to try to pull the lever of trade to pressure other countries to move against north korea. the president tweeting, and i quote, the united states is considering, in addition to other options, stopping all trade with any country doing business with north korea. that would have fairly significant global implications. as you say, defense secretary mattis coming out of the white house, reaffirming the ironclad commitment to south korea, if they are nervous about it, also very much on the military page. have a listen. >> any threat to the united states or its territory including guam or our allies will be met with a massive milita

let's turn to cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr. barbara, all of this tough talk, it sure is easier said than done. but here we go again. >> reporter: easier said than done, but interestingly, secretary of defense james mattis is making clear if it comes to it, it will not be a pin rick that the u.s. administers. this live fire exercise by south korean forces, a direct military response to the north's largest nuclear test. army and air forces simulating an attack on north korea's nuclear test site. even as north korean state media issued new threats to the u.s., including guam, one editorial saying, every time the u.s. goes crazy talking about sanctions and war, our will of vengeance will become hundred and thousand times stronger. u.n. ambassador nikki haley very much in the hard line mode backing kim. >> his abusive use of missiles and his nuclear threats show that he is begging for war. war is never something the united states wants. we don't want it now. >> reporter: rising tensions pushing defense secretary james mattis to exact

>> cnn's barbara starr joins me now. north korea continues to ratchet up the rhetoric.s the latest? >> reporter: the threat continues to destroy the united states. scary sounding stuff, but the north koreans probably making some relevant statements even than that, saying today that they would never put their nuclear weapons on the negotiating table. and that's an important marker. what it means is what the u.s., what the trump administration wants, is for them to give up their nuclear weapons, is the one thing they're not going to give up. they're not giving up that weapons program, because the thinking is that kim jong-un is looking for attention. he's looking for what he believes is international respect. and he wants to be at the international table as a nuclear power. >> what more does the united states know about whether the north is preparing for another missile test in>> reporter: the intelligence may not be solid but it will be at some point, because they will launch more missiles, no question about it. it's really a question of when, not if. that is the u.s. vi

hello there barbara starr in london are these at the top stories on al-jazeera the united nations is describing the treatment of the range of minority myanmar as nothing short of ethnic cleansing bangladesh's government says three thousand have been killed in recent weeks prompting an exodus of refugees across the border meanwhile their villages are either burned to the ground or are still in flames if you go palin reports sorry we seem to have an issue with that report we'll try and bring it to you now apologies let me just bring you some of the day's other news cuba says at least ten people have been killed by hurrican after it battered the country over the weekend at least thirty eight people are now know that have died across the caribbean cuban authorities say that some were killed after ignoring evacuation orders in several provinces erm eyes now crossing into the u.s. state of georgia from florida and has been downgraded to a tropical storm. the u.n. security council is preparing to vote on new sanctions against north korea the u.s. had to water down its draft resolution with

joining us now at the pentagon, cnn's barbara starr and here in new york cnn global affairs analyst elise labott. barbara, first to you, a hydrogen bomb test on are over the pacific seems like an extremely provocative move. >> very provocative. good morning to both of you. the question, of course, is what would the u.s. do about it, could the trump administration or pentagon even detect a test like that before it happens. if kim was to put a hydrogen bomb warhead on a missile and launch it it is possible, officials tell us, they would not know that warhead was essentially a hydrogen bomb. there's a lot of concern about what kim is threatening, what he is doing. this threat coming from the north korean foreign minister saying there might be a hydrogen bomb test on or over the pacific. this after all this exchange of rhetoric between both leaders saying kim jong-un firing his own rhetorical shots in language perhaps only he can use, and let me read some of what he had to say to everyone, kim saying to he, president trump, he is unfit to hold the prerogative of supreme command of a country a

in the meantime cnn's barbara starr joins us to get a sense of what the administration is saying. barbara? >> well, you know, we haven't really heard substantively from the white house yet about all of this. the secretary of state, the official out the most on this subject, and he issued a statement last night, going into some detail. while he's speaking let's go back and just review what he said last night and i want to quote secretary tillerson. he said, these touchdown provocations only deepen north korea's diplomatic and economic isolation. united nations security council resolutions, including the most recent unanimous sanctions resolution, represent the floor, not the ceiling, of the actions we should take. we call on all nations to take new measures against the kim regime, china and russia must indicate their intolerance for these reckless missile launches by taking direct actions of their own. putting the onus right again on china and russia to try and pressure them to pressure north korea. but look, the bottom line remains unchanged, it does not appear at this point that t

ian lee and barbara starr, thanks to both of you the '. we will continue to follow this latest development. the u.s. will wait for a reaction from the officials here as well as south korea. we'll bring you more on this breaking news as we get more information. meantime we're also following the big news out of texas and louisiana, and the impact of hurricane harvey. these are images of the president visiting that area earlier today. and getting a side of the president that public rarely sees. more personal, more compassionate side, embracing his role as consoler and chief. he was on the ground in storm-ravaged parts of both texas and louisiana, he was giving hugs, you saw him kissing children, even took a lot of selfies with the victims, with the first responders of tropical storm harvey. images like these of the president giving out food and loading up supplies, all the more striking since it was days ago that he was criticized for his lack of empathy. the white house now seeking nearly $8 billion in relief funds as the death toll from the

barbara starr at the pentagon.et's listen to governor scott. >> you just pray that everybody is alive. we're still having -- i've been talking to people down there, we're still having in the keys issues with getting the water started back up, sewage, and their power back up. we've been sending the department of transportation down in the keys to inspect all the bridges because even though you can see that people are traveling, you're not sure on the bridges they can take any significant weight. and so our department of transportation is working on that and -- but we've got to get people their power back down there. we've got to get the sewage system back working. we're doing all these things. so today i had the opportunity with the mayor to tour the flood damage here and there's so many areas that you would never have thought would have flooded have flooded. so you -- you know, i talked to people, i came to a shelter last night with tim tebow and you talk to the people and one, they're very appreciative. i've been

. >> our coverage begins this morning with cnn's barbara starr at the pentagon. >> reporter: secretary of defense mattis and general joe dunford, the chairman of the joint chiefs, making that extraordinary appearance in front of the white house. mattis delivering a very carefully worded message, saying that the u.s. does have military options. that any threat from north korea to the u.s. or its allies would be met with a massive military response. he was very clear the u.s. isn't looking for total annihilation of north korea, but make no mistake, they are looking to send this very stern, grim message to kim jong-un that if he does not give up his nuclear weapons, if he threatens or attacks, the u.s. would take him out. the u.s. strategy at the moment if there is a military strategy is to try and convince kim jong-un that he himself and his regime could not survive if they were to attack south korea, japan, guam, or the united states. on the other hand, it's a message we've heard before. none of it has worked to change kim's mind. and by all accounts, this latest underground nuclear tes

here's cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr. >> reporter: this live fire exercise by south korean response to the north's largest nuclear test. army and air forces simulating an attack on north korea's nuclear test site. even as north korean state media/ed new threats to the u.s. including guam, one editorial saying every time the u.s. goes crazy talking about sanctions and war our will of vengeance will become hundred and thousand times stronger. u.s. ambassador nikki haley very much in the hardline mode back at kim. >> his abusive use of missiles and his nuclear threats show that he is begging for war. war is never something the united states wants. we don't want it now. >> reporter: intentions pushing defense secretary james mattis to exactly where he never wants to be -- center stage at the white house. >> any threat to the united states or its territories, including guam or our allies, will be met with a massive military response, a response both effective and overwhelming. >> reporter: but are there credible military options without thousands of casualties? >> but i think se

hello i'm barbara starr in london these are the top stories on al-jazeera the u.n. says more than half a million range of refugees have now fled to bangladesh since violence broke out in myanmar as rakhine state last month hospitals are struggling to cope with the influx of people we have received bone chilling accounts from those who fled mainly women children and the elderly these testimonies points to excessive violence and serious violations of human rights including indiscriminate firing of weapons the presence of landmines and sexual violence this is unacceptable and must stand immediately russian president vladimir putin has been discussing syria and iraq in talks with this turkish counterparts russia typer the one in ankara at the dallas cress that turkey is concerned about the referendum held this week by the kurdistan regional government which produced a strong vote in favor of secession from iraq. if. the region is becoming more and more fragile the referendum has no legitimacy in terms of international law unfortunately the regional government despite al

hello there i'm barbara starr in london and these are the top stories on al-jazeera the united nations is describing the treatment of the range of minority myanmar as nothing short of ethnic cleansing bangladesh's government says three thousand.

and of their own barbara starr you're watching al-jazeera live from london also coming up on the program chilling testimony from a hinge of muslims. as the u.n. no warns of increasing reports of sexual violence we go deep into the amazon where members of isolated tribes were reportedly massacred last month plus. on your page you're watching from the sound that we're getting an animation a strike of. the calling for president jacob zuma to step down. the results are in ninety two percent of kurds voted yes in the controversial kurdish referendum on monday but there is still strong opposition to the poll the government in baghdad is called. the kurdish leadership to relinquish control of airports in the region and several airlines are suspending flights to kurdish cities stratford has more now from. celebrations on the streets of appeal up to ninety two percent of voters said yes to secession from the kurdish region of northern iraq. the referendum is very important it will form our future and i hope at least that baghdad will support us eventually to be independent. with the federal gover

hello there i'm barbara starr in london these are the top stories on al-jazeera results have been announced in an independence referendum in the kurdish region of northern iraq.

barbara starr at the pentagon for us. barbara, exactly what went down here? >> let's start with the most important thing, john. secretary mattis had actually left the airport when this rocket attack happened. some 40 rounds hitting the airport. the taliban claiming they were behind it and claiming they were after mattis, but he was long gone. he's on a trip to afghanistan visiting troops and talking to commanders about the security situation there. 40 rounds hitting the airport. what does this really mean? what it does show us is the taliban still has the capability to move munitions in and out of the capital despite the security presence of government and coalition forces. the government is always a tough piece of real state to land commercial aircraft or military. secretary mattis, we are told, going ahead with his schedule, and going ahead with his meetings about another 3,000 or so u.s. troops actually on their way to afghanistan, and they are going to join other troops there to try and help improve the security situation. the assessment by u.s. officials

let's bring in our barbara starr. barbara, the words of the president, when americans are in need, americans pull together as one country and isaac is just one of so many heroes that day that continue to serve this nation. barbara. >> we see sergeant isaac around the pentagon all the time. he's still on duty. he mans various security checkpoints. let me be the one to say it's 16 years the pentagon police force are remarkable people. they move 20,000 plus people in and out of this building safely every day and we are all grateful to them. there are names and faces. this is not just the foggy history in these hallways. i can tell you standing out there as i was 16 years ago, you know it's tough to look at it because that building, that side of the building was rebuilt within one year. it was very important, a very important symbol that defense secretary donald rumsfeld personally oversaw. he wanted this place back in tiptop shape, back whole and i think it's really important every year to remember on that morning amidst

barbara starr you're watching al-jazeera live from london also coming up on the program north korea threatens retaliation as the u.n. prepares to vote on sanctions which have already been watered down huber says at least ten people were killed as hurricane earl tore across the island. david michael barclay matthew barnes. other. new york remembers the victims of the nine eleven attacks six years ago. thank you for joining us the united nations is describing the treatment of the range of minority in myanmar as nothing short of ethnic cleansing the bangladesh government says at least three thousand been killed in recent weeks from thing an exodus of refugees across the border their villages of either burned to the ground or are still on fire and as the figure pollen reports now from camp large number of refugees arriving daily is putting a major strain on resources the un human rights chief has condemned the violence against the range of muslims. hussein is demanding an end to me and mars' military operation situation remains or seems a textbook textbook example of ethnic cleansing. the myanmar

barbara starr you're watching al-jazeera live from london also coming up on the program once follows now friends turkey and russia agree to work together to end the war in syria a british charity warns that war ravaged yemen could not stop its millions case of cholera by november. and student voices joined a growing chorus in support of catalonia independence referendum. thank you for joining us we begin the program with a crackdown against in myanmar's rakhine state which the un chief as described as a humanitarian nightmare speaking at the u.n. security council's first public meeting on the crisis and warned that the violence has spiraled into the world's fastest developing refugee emergency he said if we on mars government did not act the violence could spread to central rakhine putting a further two hundred fifty thousand people at risk of this placement the current crisis is a steadily the two they did since the august twenty five attacks by the un are comed role in your salvation army on the myanmar security forces i repeat my condemnation of those attacks today since then the

barbara starr is live. what are they saying, barbara? >> reporter: good morning, alyson. we have yet to hear directly from president trump since this missile firing took place. but secretary of state rex tillerson issuing a statement. the secretary saying, "these continued provocations only deepen's north korea' diplomatic and economic use hraeisolation. united nations security council resolutions represent the floor not tot ceiling, of the actions we should take. we call on all nations to take new measures against the regime. china and russia must indicate their intolerance for these reckless missile launches by taking direct actions of their own. trying to put the chinese and russians under pressure. no indication it is is going to work better this time than the previous calls for this. the question really is kim john un's motivation. most analysts, a key administration officials will tell you kim has no intention of giving up his program. he believes his nuclear program can threaten the west to the negotiating table. alyson, chris? >> barbara, thank you very much. the

barbara starr, thank you so much. want to bring in cnn global affairs analysts, david rowe. a hydrogen bomb test in or on the pacific. how provocative would that be and would that demand a response beyond diplomacy? >> i think it would be extremely provocative. it could demand a response beyond diplomacy, because we are testing the trump doctrine here. he said barack obama was too weak and so trump has been very tough, sabre rattling and name calling and kim jong-un is calling names back and it's escalating. i don't think the trump approach is working and it's an extraordinary dangerous situation. >> what is interesting, though, the president, choosing yesterday to say at one of the photo ops at the u.n. general assembly whether a dialogue was still possible with north korea, his response, "why not," and he also tweeted talking is not the answer. is there a shift in his thinking here? >> it's hard to know from such a brief answer. the problem may be is there a shift in kim jong-un's thinking. keu kim is all about keeping in power and keeping his tpapfamil power, and what he

i want to bring in barbara starr. she joins me now on the line. barbara, good to have you with us. the japanese government saying this was indeed a nuclear test. what can you tell us from the u.s. side of things. what are you hearing? >> so far the trump trump administration very early here in washington sunday morning, of course, has not spoken publicly about this. the president tweeting a short time ago when he got back to the white house from the hurricane relief operations in texas about that. so he's awake, but not tweeting about this. one can only suspect he is being briefed at this hour. they do not have firm confirmation from the u.s. point of view about what happened. but look, they're saying there's every reason to believe this is a man made seismic event. that means there's an underground nuclear test by the north koreans. this really puts the president in a bit of a box about what to do next. he said he thought maybe the north korean leader was beginning to respect the united stat states. and since then what you have seen is north korea fly a missile over japan's territ

. >> we will come back in a moment, but i want to go to the pentagon and barbara starr. we talked about how the military needed to shoulder the burden. there is word just in that seems to be happening. >> indeed. we are now learning that a three-star army general whose name is lieutenant general jeffrey buchanan has been appointed to lead the military relief efforts for the hurricane in puerto rico. he is expected to land in puerto rico in the coming hours. he already has a one-star deputy on the ground. both of these generals are veterans of multiple combat deploy ams and wde ploymen deployments. they know how to get supplies and get material from point a to point b quickly. the focus for much of the effort is on getting that network much improve and up and running and getting it functioning across puerto rico. trucks and drivers and getting the airports open. getting communications networks up. so more airplanes and helicopters and trucks and more distribution of aid more rapidly. why hasn't this happened before, a lot of people are asking. there are laws here. the mil

barbara starr has more. what you have learned?approximately 40 rounds hit at the kabul international airport earlier today. this was after defense secretary james mattis has left the airport. he was not there at the time. he is on a trip in afghanistan talking to the president there and the nato secretary general about u.s. troops, the security situation in afghanistan. about 40 rounds hitting the south side of the airport, that is mainly where civilian traffic comes in. afghan forces moved in quickly in the aftermath looking for the perpetrators. one of the constant security issues at this airport for civilian and military traffic there is it's near neighborhoods and hillsides and that makes perfect launch points for attacks, and the taliban claiming they were attacking mattis even though he was long gone and he's continuing with the situation there. this event today shows the taliban, they may be trying for a show of force on their own, and they may not be successful, but they can still move plenty of firepower in and around the

barbara starr is with us. the president was potentially open to dialogue with kim jong-un. >> well, the question is could north korea really launch a hydrogen bomb attempt against the u.s. and what could the u.s. do about it? north korea is already getting ready for next launch according to officials. possibly a missile that could hit the u.s. kim jong-un now threatening the highest level of hard line counter measure in history following president trump's speech at the u.n. north korea's foreign minister stuging the regime may launch potential devastation. >> translator: i think this could probably mean the strongest every ever hydrogen bomb test on or above the pacific ocean. >> reporter: this could change everything. >> what you are looking at from a radio active standpoint is it large areas of east asia, the western pacific, all the way potentially to the west coast of the united states being blanketed by radiation. >> reporter: the u.s. intelligence community will now watch for very particular signs. >> so