brian todd has more. have been infatuated with 16-year old kidnap victim hannah anderson. now, chilling new detail on what could have been a disturbing influence on that behavior by james dimaggio: his own father. cnn affiliate k-f-m-b in san diego interviewed a woman who says dimaggio's father, james everett dimaggio, pursued her when she was a teenager. the woman, who didn't want to be identified, said this happened in the late-1980's. the senior dimaggio, she says, had dated her mother-- but broke up with the mother and told the then-teenager, he loved her. "he stuck around for me, and wanted to take from good he could take james dimaggio father broke into her house, carrying a sho and handc to kill h "asked him to, you know, please not kill us and he said ' be re t him." she says she asked to use the bathroom-- then escaped. dimaggio's father, she says, then ran off. public records show that james dimaggio's father was a defendant in a criminal case filed in 1989. but no specifics were im i asked fore

brian todd is outfront. >> reporter: u.s.ligence officials have said he could be the most dangerous terrorist america faces. ibrahim al asiri, only 31 years old, master bomb maker for the group al qaeda in the arabian peninsula. he could be involved in the current threat stream. a u.s. intelligence official tells cnn al asiri is the golden gos of that al qaeda affiliate. they're guarded about his communications, determined to protect him. cnn national security analyst peter bergen says that's for good reason. >> the ability to smuggle a potential lly undetectable bomb onto a plane or some other location, that's golden for al qaeda. >> reporter: western intelligence officials say al asiri is behind the foiled 2009 underwear bomb plot to bring down an airliner approaching detroit on christmas day and a 2010 plot to send bombs in printer cartridges in cargo planes bound for the u.s. both plots were foiled at the last minute. in 2009, al asiri even planted a bomb on his own brother in his underwear or a body cavity. the brother g

brian todd, cnn, washington. >> all right. breaking new details on the closures of 22 embassies and consulates. what is going on and who might this affect? stay right here. and didn't know where to start. a contractor before at angie's list, you'll find reviews on everything from home repair to healthcare written by people just like you. no company can pay to be on angie's list, so you can trust what you're reading. angie's list is like having thousands of close neighbors, where i can go ask for personal recommendations. that's the idea. before you have any work done, check angie's list. find out why more than two million members count on angie's list. angie's list -- reviews you can trust. i love you, angie. sorry, honey. these chevys are moving fast. i'll take that malibu. yeah excuse me, the equinox in atlantis blue is mine! i was here first, it's mine. i called about that one, it's mine. mine! mine. it's mine. it's mine. mine. mine. mine. mine. it's mine! no it's not, it's mine! better get going, it's chevy model year-end

brian todd, cnn, annapolis, maryland. >>> that's it for me. "cnn newsroom" continues.. >>> it's a country with no leader and no end to this out of control violence. and now the former dictator could walk free. does this essentially reverse the arab spring? i'm brooke baldwin. the news is now. a man armed for war walks into a school. >> thank god no one was hurt. no one. >> but some parents aren't satisfied. >>> dr. phil under fire today for a tweet about sex and drunk girls. >>> plus, another personal struggle for the vice president. >>> and after a baseball player is murdered, new calls to rethink visits to the u.s. >> i don't believe your second amendment provides for semiautomatics semiautomatics semiautomatics, automatics in the suh bushes. the suh bushes. >> we'll debate.

brian todd, cnn, washington. >>> the u.n. has no consensus on what to do in syria, but the u.s.t its forces are ready to go. we're going to take a look at the possible military options up next. n??tç7 as a trainer, i see a lot of people missing workouts because of sports injuries. runner's knee... ...it's right there. shin splints... ...it hurt right on this side. injuries like these can come from the pounding your feet take. but i found something that helps. dr. scholl's active series insoles with triple zone protection to help reduce pain from three sports injuries: runner's knee, shin splints, plantar fasciitis. i can feel the difference. i'm a believer. i'm back working out. i'm a believer. try dr. scholl's active series. i'm a believer. >>> the question is, if military action is taken, what would be the result and what would be the target? if we take a look at the potential for u.s. military targets in syria at the moment, you get an idea of the sort of things that they will be looking for. weapons delivery systems, michigan training camps, and command posts. very much avo

brian todd, cnn, annapolis, maryland. >>> she survived two lung trans plates. she's getting ready to go home and talks exclusively with cnn to get those operations. that's next. weekdays are for rising to the challenge. they're the days to take care of business. when possibilities become reality. with centurylink as your trusted partner, our visionary cloud infrastructure and global broadband network free you to focus on what matters. with custom communications solutions and responsive, dedicated support, we constantly evolve to meet your needs. every day of the week. centurylink® your link to what's next. changed the rules for kids desperate for a transplant. now after undergoing two lung transplant surgeries 11-year-old sarah murnaghan is breathing without the help of an oxygen machine. jason carroll sat down with her and her family for their first exclusive interview since her transplant. >> reporter: fredericka, sarah has a very deep understanding in terms of just how sick she has been and for how long. and during her first interview since having not one bu

brian todd is joining us now. bashar al assad is, he's not as frightening as his younger brother, right? >> yes. he's very brutal and has a huge influence on bashar al assad. he is accused of some of the worst atrocities in this war and owns ghosts, that unit cracks down on who patrols syria's border. he's a very bad character. carol, he once actually shot his brother-in-law in an inner family dispute. you have a little bit of a soprano's situation going on here. >> it's just strange and it's just frightening, too, considering what is about to happen in syria. >> right. >> brian todd, thanks so much. tune in today at noon for cnn special live coverage on the crisis in syria. we're going to breakdown the military options and how the crisis impacts the markets and your money. that's today, noon eastern. >>> checking our top stories at 35 minutes past the hour, a massive wildfire is still growing inside yosemite national park. already 293 square miles have burned. over 100 structures, including 31 homes destroyed. a

brian todd has been looking into what's going -- this is historic, brian. this is huge.his goes through, you're going to see something like those nfl challenge flags, the coaches throw on the nfl, those may be on major league baseball fields next year. baseball wants to eliminate the human error calls that cost teams game. but the big question is will challenges make the fan experience worse? channelling my inner play-by-play announcer, top of the fourth, no score between the mets and padres, soft grounder to the shortstop, play at first base looks like the runner's out but he's called safe. the umpire rules the padres first baseman has his foot off the bag. but look at the replay of that play thursday night. >> oh, he's on the base. >> bad call. >> another runner scored. they went on to win 4-1. it's that kind of play managers may be able to challenge and get reversed next year when the expansion of baseball's instant replay system may kick in. right now umpires can only review on replay boundary calls, including whether a potential home run is fair or foul. under the n

brian todd has the story. >> reporter: server not found.reen designation that many new york times customers had to deal with for about 20 years, and one of the websites largest newspapers taken down, and a group called the syrian electronic army claimed responsibility. who are they are? >> they are a pro-assad hacking group, and it appears to be a loose collective of a few individuals. there has been some information put out on the internet that it could be even as young as 19-year-olds. >> a former hacker now with the cyber security firm called beyond trust has followed the group's attacks. this spring the syrian electronic army hacked the associated press twitter feed and put in a message, breaking, two explosions in the white house and obama injured. this is a group that makes plastering proregime propaganda on popular websites, but what they used this time is an exkaulation. the army would go after the direct managers of the websites they were hacking, using a phishing e-mail like this one that would try to give up their log in prudenti

>>> i'm brian todd.cape cod, massachusetts, where a top team of scientists and fishermen have launched an expedition aimed at tagging and tracking great white sharks. that story coming up. ♪ [ male announcer ] it's a golden opportunity to discover a hybrid from the luxury car company that understands that one type of hybrid isn't right for everyone. come to the lexus golden opportunity sales event and choose from one of five lexus hybrids that's right for you, including the lexus es and ct hybrids. ♪ this is the pursuit of perfection. it guides you to a number it guides you to a number that will change your life: your sleep number setting. it even knows you by name. now it's easier than ever to experience deep, restful sleep with the sleep number bed's dualair technology. at the touch of a button, the sleep number bed adjusts to each person's ideal comfort and support. and you'll only find it at a sleep number store. where right now our newest innovations are available with 48-month financing. sleep numb

cnn's brian todd is following the developments on this one for us today. you have seen this video. what are some of the specific threats that he's making? >> reporter: well, this is chilling when you consider this guy's background. born and raised in southern california, he is now calling on wealthy muslims in the middle east and elsewhere to offer rewards for killing american ambassadors in the middle east, saying quote, these prizes have a great effect in instilling fear in the hearts of our cowardly enemies, end quote. his latest video posted and analyzed in recent days by the site intelligence group, a terrorist monitoring service, speaking in arabic, he also has lavish praise for the militants who killed u.s. ambassador to libya, chris stevens last year in benghazi. take a listen. >> translator: the american ambassador in libya and three of his colleagues were killed to avenge the honor of the prophet. peace and prayers of the law be upon him and to avenge the blood of hundreds of thousands of america's victims worldwide, including thousands of innoce

brian todd, thank you for that. ian's report on "the situation room with wolf blitzer" at 6:00 p.m. eastern time. >>> former house speaker newt gingrich is calling on the house for this. before bombing syria over the regime's latest crimes, we should stand back and ask, and then what? gingrich writes that iran is a far bigger threat to the united states' interests given its purported nuclear weapons programs. joining us now from new york to talk about this, cnn political commentator will cane here in washington, donna brazile, a cnn commentator. let me start with you, will. what do you make of what gingrich is saying? is there any way for considering that the u.s. has said this is a red line for there not to be a response here? >> that's the problem, brianna. we have created a situation where we're damned if we do, damned if we don't. the obama administration put itself in this position. any kind of military action in syria makes absolutely no sense. what do we do? we lob a few missiles over there to create a symbol

you can see more of brian todd about this tonight on the situation room. >>> here is nor what we're workingalls deeper into violence the question intensifies what should the u.s. do? we'll look at the actions. stay with us. jackie: there are plenty of things i prefer to do on my own. but when it comes to investing, i just think it's better to work with someone. someone you feel you can really partner with. unfortunately, i've found that some brokerage firms don't always encourage that kind of relationship. that's why i stopped working at the old brokerage, and started working for charles schwab. avo: what kind of financial consultant are you looking for? talk to us today. pcentury link provides reliable yit services like multi-layered security solution to keep your information safe & secure. century link. your link with what's next. ingeniously uses radar to alert you to possible collision threats. and in certain situations it can apply the brakes. introducing the all-new 2014 chevrolet impala with available crash imminent braking. always looking forward. while watching your back. that's am

brian todd has been combing through some of the strongest images, he put together a cold, hard look atout of cairo. we cannot show viewers, it's so grisly. we're giving you the most raw images we can. along with a brutally honest take on what's happened from an analyst who has been there through some of the worst unrest. we start with the video of a protester who was cut down in an instant. as these protesters peel back, watch the man in the white hat and purple shirt. in seconds he'll be at the very least near death. in this video from cairo, from the website, liveleak, you see the man standing. after gunfire erupts, the camera jostles. thi then there's a crowd around him that carries him as he bleeds. this is egypt's violence laid blair, the most raw images we feel we can show from you social media. >> it's the most deadly day since the 2011 uprising. so i mean that's a good reason to expect it's a game-changer. >> a game-changer says analyst aaron trager because the egyptian military is clearly escalating against the muslim brotherhood. moving in to clear protesters who support oust

brian todd has been looking boo the possibility of a cyber war. what kind of companies would be at risk here? >> brooke, so far it's been mostly media companies in the u.s. that have been at risk. as we know now, this group the syrian electronic army, a group of young hackers that supports the assad regime essentially took down "the new york times" website and twitter's website a couple of days ago, shutting "the new york times" website down for more than 20 hours. by the way, this morning a lot of users still couldn't get on the times website. mostly, brooke, they have targeted media websites. they've done a pretty effective job of doing that over the past couple years. this past spring, this group hacked into the associated press website and put out a fake message about explosions at the white house that president obama was injured. that caused a bit of a panic. it caused stocks to tumble. they're very effective at doing that. so far they have only hit at websites. and a u.s. official just told me, he described this group as a murky underground

brian todd has collected some of the strongest images over the last couple of days.you are seeing. >> wolf, the images are so powerful and such heavy volume that we've had to comb through them again to comb more of these pictures and videos. we start with a scene like we've seen, a crowd is moving from a confrontation and a person is cut down in a split second. watch closely moving left to right, a veiled woman videotaping the protests in cairo. as she moves backward, the sounds of gunfire. in an instant, as the camera repositions, she's on the ground. in this video posted on the website liveleak, you see the crowd around her dragging her away. she appears to be seriously wounded. her eyes wide open. we don't know who shot her. what kind of chaos is this when either side could shoot down a harmless woman in the street? >> they believe that they are engaged in a struggle that is an all or nothing struggle. so there is no room for compromise. >> egypt's binge of violence plays out on social media. these are the most graphic videos we feel we can show you. on twitter, a

cnn's brian todd has more for you. >> reporter: he's california born and raised.d at least one pair of jewish grandparents. now as one of al qaeda's top propagan propagandaists, he lavishes prays on those that killed the ambassador to libya. >> translator: he was killed to enrage the criminals. >> reporter: the latest video from adam gadahn was posted by a global intelligence company. he calls for more attacks on u.s. ambassadors in the middle east urging wealthy muslims to offer rewards for killing him. gadahn has a $1 million bounty on his head. the video indicates it was produced in march of this year. did it have any bearing on the recent decision to close american embassies in the middle east, an administration official says the video wasn't specifically a factor but gadahn has made a journey from what family members call a teenager obsessed with heavy metal music to a role as al qaeda's most visible figure. raised and homeschooled on this goat farm, he converted at this nearby mosque but fell in with hardline islamist group there and had a run-in with the mo

brian todd has been looking into this for us. ame is rachel poitrus who has originally traveled to some of the world's most dangerous places. she -- with the retaliation we're told she's received, she now works deeply in the shadows. we recognize this as the video that revealed edward snowden to the world. >> the public needs to decide whether these policies are right or wrong. >> reporter: glen greenwald interviewed the leaker. but the person who got them together is an independent film maker not widely known. her name is laura poitrus and she's part of "the new york times" magazine. she spoke last year at duke university. >> i'm working on things that are really sensitive. so i have to at times not send e-mails about it. >> reporter: after snowden contacted her, they exchanged encrypted communications. then they met in that hong kong hotel room. she dictated all of that, greenwald quoted about her. there's a reason she's good at that. poitrus has made articles about the war in iraq. she's been on a travel watch list for several

. >> brian todd, cnn, off the coast of cape cod. >> all right, coming up in the next hour, this hourld say, oprah winfrey claims that she was the victim of racism. ininvolves a% that costs more than a car. hear what happened. >>> we are just one month away now from the nautica triathlon. six of out of viewers, along with me, are going to be swimming a half mile in the ocean, biking 18 miles and running four miles on the beach. the culmination of seven months of intensive training. i can also tell you they're happy and healthy. if you're looking for a way to get fit, but aren't ready to commit to a triathlon, let me give you a quick tip. just try getting more sleep. not only does it give you the emergency you need, but the will power to not reach for that bag of potato chips the next day. a new study finds less sleep means less activity in your frontal cortex. that's the part that helps you make decisions about what to eat. you don't get enough sleep r, don't have the good judgment to make wise food choices. i hope you will join us next month for the race and until then, stay healthy.

brian todd is following the story. >> reporter: they're among the most resilient and beloved creatureslook it! >> reporter: but something in the water is killing bottle nose dolphins aloss the east coast of the u.s. and at the moment, it's a mystery. >> we're seeing lesions in their respiratory systems. we're seeing animals having joint problems. we are not seeing animals that are feeding normally. a lot of them are thin. >> reporter: and dead by the time marine authorities find them. more than 200 dead bottle nose dolphins have washed ashore from new york to virginia this summer. this virginia the count is around 80 for this month alone. mostly along the chesapeake bay shoreline. the average number of virginia in august? seven. pollution or bacteria could be possible causes of this die off. at the national aquarium in baltimore i asked veterinarian brett whitaker. >> we don't know exactly what's causing it. we expect it might be a virus called morbili virus. >> a pathogen that's been deadly before. it killed over 700 dolphins between new york and florida between 1987 and '88. in human

here is brian todd. >> reporter: server not found.een designation that many new york times website customers had to deal with for 20 hours. the website of one of the largest newspapers taiken down. who are they? >> a pro-assad hacking group. it appears to be a loose collective of a few individuals. there's been some information put out on the internet that it could be even as young as 19. >> reporter: if the u.s. conducts military strikes on syria will the hacks get worse as the pentagon once warned. >> if they did work with some of their allies with iran. if they were to get some support from china and russia, then, yes the game changes quickly. >> reporter: the targets for america's cyber ennys, the u.s. electrical grid, government computer systems. experts say the syrian electronic army isn't d sophisticated enough to do damage but with irans help or china or russia they could get there. >> is u.s. infrastructure in danger of attack? i'm going to put that to my panel. they're waiting, next. designed for men's health concerns as we

cnn's brian todd is here and he's been taking a closer look at the younger brother.> he's a key player in some of the most vicious fighting in this civil war. we know he has a crucial role to advising his brother and between the two of them maher is not the one you would want to come across in a dark alley. we want to alert you some of the images in this story may be disturbing to some viewers. >> reporter: many decisions on the brute force inside the syrian regime are connected not only to president bashar al assad but also to a man a couple of years youngerer were often by the president's side, often in the shadows, his brother maher. >> maher is the kneecaper. he's the charge of securing, keeping the regime in power. >> reporter: considered more brutal than his brother, the muscle in the family, maher al assad commands the 4th division and the republican guard, elite syrian military duties composed of mostly of muslims of the assad clan. but he's got something else in his portfolio. >> they've come to control the ghosts there, the paramilitary forces. >> reporter:

brian todd jones confirmed wednesday as the new director of the atf.some last-minute drama on capitol hill. democrats were two votes shy of the 60 they needed to end the debate. they managed to convince lisa murkowski to switch her vote. then had to wait for heitkamp to fly in for her vote. the nra chose not to score the vote. and that is how they got democrats united on this. they found their gang of six there. >>> same-sex marriage became legal in minnesota and rhode island. the first taking place just as the clock struck 12:00. they are the 12th and 13th states to legalize same-sex marriage. >>> our deep dive is next. even with the motor city stalled. a surprising number of people still want to take the wheel -- well, at least sit in the back seat while somebody else runs the city. is the new mayor really going to be able to do much with that title? first, the white house soup of the day. it's white chicken chili. don't have much commentary on it. other than the old debate, is chili a soup? we'll be right back. having a heart attack. the emts gave m

brian todd spoke to someone who once worked for the syrian first lady. >> she is photographed consoling families of deceased soldiers and she visits victims of the war her husband fights so ruthlessly. in a glowing profile vogue magazine called her a rose in the desert and abruptly pulled the piece off the web. these are the contradictions of asma al-assad, married for a dozen years to syria's embattled dictator. >> how does she rationalize this? >> i think it would be very hard for her to do that. i think she is standing by her man. she threw her lot in with bashar a long time ago. >> he knows asma al-assad and worked with her at a charity syria and believes she understands the gravity of what's going on there. in an interview with cnn two years before it started, she spoke about the condition of palestinians in gaza. >> think about when you put your children to bed at night and this is something i think about on a daily basis. you put your children to bed at night and you expect to see them in the morning. that's a luxury people in gaza do not have. what would it be like for you havin

brian todd reports. >> reporter: jesse jackson's in a new civil rights battle, and this time he's taking> florida is today a very toxic place. >> reporter: in the wake of the george zimmerman verdict, jackson has joined protesters in florida's capital calling for the stand your ground law to be wiped out, but if that was all jackson was doing, he might not have angered governor rick scott so much. speaking to me on the phone from overseas, jackson addressed a provocative remark he made which got the governor's blood boiling. >> do you believe it's an apartheid state and if so why? >> you look when you use the word apartheid, segregation or disparity, look at the health care disparity. for the blacks in that state there are two sets of rules. >> reporter: the governor called on jackson to apologize. he refused and told me florida's leaders should apologize for disenfranchising minority voters. jackson is calling on travelers and investors to boycott florida. in an e-mail to cnn, scott's office called jackson's remarks divisive and reckless, but jackson is also getting a bit personal compa

brian todd, cnn washington bay area hospitals are being told to be on alert after a woman tried to pass as a nurse at a san jose medical center. 29 year old crystal cook was found in scrubs and wearing a stethoscope and a fake nurses badge at valley medical center. sheriff's deputies arrested cook, who has no medical background, on suspicion of a pair of misdemeanors. she's since been released. it does not appear cook got access to any secure areas like the e-r and there's no sign she treated anyone. a traveling hospital technician accused of infecting dozens of patients with hepatitis c through needles tainted with his own blood has reached an agreement. david kwiatkowski could get a sentence of as little as 30 years instead of the nearly 100 he could have faced if convicted in a trial. kwiatkowski is accused of stealing painkiller syringes from an exeter hospital lab in new hampshire and replacing them with blood- tainted saline. thirty-two patients in new hampshire have been diagnosed with kwiatkowski's strain of hepatitis c. there have been seven cases in maryland, six in kansas and

let's go to brian todd here in "the situation room" first with more on what has unfolded, and it is aeally is, wolf. castro was as disturbing to watch today as anyone we have seen in a high-profile crime case. even as he was about to be slapped with a sentence of life plus 1,000 years, castro tried to debate the judge, and he attempted to turn perceptions around and portray himself as a victim. despite the 937 counts against him, ariel castro was defiant, almost rebellious in court, claiming he never beat or tortured the three women he held captive for a decade. >> i am not a monster. i'm just sick. i had an addiction, just like an alcoholic has an addiction. >> reporter: an addiction to sex, castro said, the result, he claimed, of having been a victim himself of sex acts as a child. in one of the more breathtaking moments at his sentence 'the man who pleaded guilty to multiple counts of rape said this about his victims. >> most of the sex that went on in the house, practically all of it, was consensual. these allegations about being forceful on them, that is totally wrong, because th

. >> brian todd thank you so much.the killing of an australia student in oklahoma because the teenage suspects had nothing better to do. one australia newspaper showed the picture of the suspects with the headline faces of evil. some australians are urging a boycott of the u.s. suggests foreign visitors aren't safe in america. >>> there is murder mayhem on main street usa. every day of the week. but you hide from that. you don't face up to that. you let your congressman and senators escape and dance around the bush when it's a very real circumstance supported by the nra. >> the state department says the u.s. respects the rights of australians to express their views on any issue including this one. the administration is calling the shooting senseless and tragic. we're join now by michael vincent a correspondent for the australian broadcasting corporation. he just returned from oklahoma where he was covering chris lane's death. first of all, when you watch reports like the one we've just aired about school safety, about

. >> brian todd, thanks very much. let's go a little bit deeper right now with andrew tabler.the washington institute for near east policy. also the author of the book "in the lion's den: an eyewitness account of the battle with syria." who is more brutal? the son bashar al assad or the father? because we remember what happened in the early '80s when 20 or 30,000 fellow syrians were slaughtered within a matter of a few days. >> i think they're equally brutal historically. but bashar al assad much more unpredictable than his father. his father was once he said yes to something, you can take that to the bank and build around it. bashar would say yes to everything and turn around and do the opposite. i think that was some of the logic behind the earlier interview we saw there concerning the decision making in killing over 100,000 syrians. >> is he that intelligent, that sophisticated? we know he got the job because of his father. but is he a brilliant guy? or just an average guy that happens to be in this powerful position? >> i think he has average intelligence. i think he's cra

brian todd is joining us now. he's been looking into this individual. what are you finding out?s. intelligence officials about this man, he is the top bomb maker for al qaeda in the arabian peninsula. u.s. officials tell us he's hiding out in yemen. he's on the run. he's a high-value target for american drones. but he is as much of a threat to american interest as any member of al qaeda. u.s. intelligence officials have said he could be the most dangerous terrorist america faces. ibrahim al a u.s. intel he is the golden goose of that al qaeda lflt. they're guarded with his communications. peter bergen says that's for good reason. >> the ability to smuggle a essentially undetectable bomb onto a plane or some other location, i mean that's golden for al qaeda. >> reporter: western intelligence officials say he is behind the foiled 2009 underwear bomb plot to bring down an airliner approaching detroit on christmas day and a 2010 plot to send bombs in printer cart riris in planes bound for the u.s. both plots were foiled at the last minute. in 2009 he even planted a bomb on his own b

brian todd reports. >> reporter: america's outrage over the alleged syrian atrocity goes right to thesome. >> reporter: but at one time, a key u.s. ally used chemical weapons on the battlefield. in the 190s, saddam hussein got support from u.s. intelligence in his war against iran. specifically help in pinpointing iranian positions. according to a new report in foreign policy magazine, saddam's forces fired shells containing nerve agents on iranian troops in a key series of battles in southern iraq in 1988. retired air force 1988. retired air force colonel, a u.s. military liaison to iraq at the time says the foreign policy article got it wrong quoting him saying that u.s. officials new in advance that saddam was going to do that. >> we did not know that the i a iraqis were going to use in advance. >> reporter: he said he didn't know until he found the invectors he said the this iranians used. he said he confronted his iraq counter parts. >> what was their response? >> their answer was we used a lot of smoke. maisch they were confuse which is, you know, just a deflective answer. >> re

cnn's brian todd joins me outside of julius west middle school in maryland.officials doing to prepare? here we are, you know, starting school once again. how are they keeping classrooms safe? >> reporter: well, brooke, a lot of measures being instituted in places like this, julius west middle school here in rockville, maryland. elsewhere in montgomery county. prince georges county, in the d.c. area. these new measures instituted in the wake of newtown and because of newtown. a lot of them as i'll illustrate here, they focus on the entrance ways of school. maryland getting about $25 million in new funding for security measures. and here at julius west, the head of the montgomery county security for montgomery county schools, he took me through what they're going to be doing at places like this. they're going to start with the entrance ways and have what they call electronic access. you have to be buzzed in. the doors are locked. you've got to be buzzed in. once you get in, there's actually going to be another barrier at many of the schools here in montgomery c

cnn's brian todd is here with a wrap on what has been going on from this flood damage.ty extreme. >> very extreme, wolf. you know, over the past couple of days, the south has been absolutely pummeled by very sudden, very heavy, sometimes even violent rain. we are zigzagging through the region with some of the most dramatic images. the really telling part of this story in so many places, swiftwater rescues had to take place, responders grabbing people sometimes with just seconds to spare. in nashville, first responders in waist-deep water carry an infant to safety in a car seat. scenes like this played out all over the southern u.s. as torrential rains slammed the region, causing flash floods and dozens of swift water rescues. these residents in nashville waited to be picked up on their roofs. in another area of the city, one survivor's chest deep in the water while another swims past him to get to a car. this girl got a piggyback ride. this was a widely traveling set of storm bands, northwest of nashville. in hollister, missouri, a local fire chief says more than a doze

cnn's brian todd is here.tails about a very eerie similarity. >> eerie is the word, wolf. an eerie similarity between what authorities say james dimaggio did in this case and some behavior his own father allegedly exhibited more than 20 years ago toward a teenage girl. he was said to have been infatuated with 16-year-old kidnap victim hannah anderson. now chilling new detail on what could have been a disturbing influence on that behavior by james dimaggio. his own father. cnn affiliate kfmb in san diego interviewed a woman who says dimaggio's father james everett dimaggio pursued her when she was a teenager. the woman who didn't want to be identified said this happened in the late 1980s. the senior dimaggio, she says, had dated her mother but broke up with the mother and told the then teenager he loved her. >> stuck around for me and wanted to take me away from my mom and give me a good life, a better life. he could take care of me. >> reporter: she says after she refused, james dimaggio's father broke into he

let's bring in brian todd who has been reporting on what's going on. what are you learning?e by the syrian electronic army, wanting to send a message ahead of a possible u.s. strike on syria and it was sparked concern about a broader cyberwar bringing in other enemies if the u.s. does strike. server not found, a screen designation that manitimes website customers had to deal with for about 20 hours. the website of one of the nation's largest newspapers taken down. a group called the syrian electronic army claimed responsibility. who are they? >> the syrian electronic army is a pro-assad hacking group. it appears to be a loose collective of a few individuals. there's been some information put out on the internet that it could be even as young as 19-year-olds. >> reporter: a former hacker now with the cybersecurity firm called beyond trust has followed this group's attacks. this spring the syrian electronic army hacked the associated press twitter feed, put in fake message saying breaking, two explosions in the white house and barack obama is injured. a u.s. official tells us

brian todd joins us with much, much more. absolutely. >> we got a chance to tag along with these guys. we are at the height of the season for the migration of the great white sharks. these are a vulnerable species. on the research vessel, a team of scientists and fish ermen hae launched one of the most vicious projects to tag and track great chi white sharks. the way they do it will make your heart stop. >> this summer the movie "sha "sharknado" is drawing us back in. how's this for a scare? you're inches away from a great white shark. it's on the lift of this vessel. it's been baited, hooked and walked on to this platform. fishing master brett mcbride jumps in, risking everything to guide the beast in. he's got to steady it, put a blanket over the eyes to calm it, put a line around its tail. one mistake, the shark wins. what are you telling your family you're doing here? >> this is my life being around animals like, this being in the ocean, reading fish, except they know i'm safe. >> a team of scientists has 15 minutes to ta