brian todd is tracking that part of the story next. brian? >> good morning, carol. we've learned from intelligence sources isis has cells in europe and we're looking at the possibility they could develop cells in the united states. i'll have that story just after the break. that are acidic ... we all have risk of acid erosion. there's only so much enamel, and everybody needs to do something about it now if they want to preserve their teeth. i recommend pronamel. it helps strengthen the tooth and makes it more resistant to acid breakdown. help keep teeth clean and breath fresh. with beneful healthy smile snacks. with soft meaty centers and teeth cleaning texture,it's dental that tastes so good. beneful healthy smile food and snacks. over 20 million kids everyday in oulack access to healthy food. for the first time american kids are slated to live a shorter life span than their parents. it's a problem that we can turn around and change. revolution foods is a company we started to provide access to healthy, affordable, kid-inspired, chef-crafted food. we looked at what

for a moment and bring you in, brian todd. because we haven't known much about this person. we heard from the chief of ferguson police saying he's been a police officer for six years, four of which have been spent on the ferguson force. what else do we know? >> well, brooke, we're getting some information in bits and pieces about officer wilson. as you mentioned, he's 28 years old, he's been a police officer for six years, four of them on the ferguson police. i spoke to a friend of his who didn't want to be identified by name, a couple hours ago. this friend said he himself has been getting death frethreats. tells you how sensitive this situation is. this friend told me that officer wilson got divorced last year, he has a small child. when i asked if officer wilson has any racist tendencies at all, this friend said, quote, absolutely not. he gave no indications of having any racist tendencies in public or in private with friends. when i asked him, you know, have you spoken to officer wilson since the incident, he said he had,

brian todd, cnn, washington. >>> and much more to come here on cnn. hostilities are renewed between israel and hamas. >> both sides blame each other. cnn is live in jerusalem and gaza with your up tot minute reporting. >>> plus, an international health emergency. what the world health organization is doing to help kill the ebola outbreak in west africa. >>> gaza is say war zone once again as a new round of israeli air strikes killed at least five people friday according to palestinian officials. now israel does confirm it has targeted at least 90 locations since the end of the three-day cease-fire fighting. >> the military also says at least 67 rockets have fired into israel since that truce has ended. an israeli soldier and a civilian were wounded, according to authorities. >> all right. let's get the very latest from correspondents in the region. sara sidner is live in jerusalem and john vause in gaza. let's start now with sara to get the very latest on the israeli perspective. so, sara, the 72-hour cease-fire and the fighting resumed immediately. w

i want to bring in brian todd to help me do that.hat concerns both the united states and britain and the world frankly was that isis released another horrible propaganda tape which shows the execution of 200 syrian soldiers. it's just -- i couldn't even watch it, it was so brutal. also, we learn from the washington post that james foley when he was being held captive by isis was water boarded along with other hostages. what more can you tell us, brian? >> these were examples of how isis is one of most savvy terrorist organizations that we've seen getting its message out and using symbolism to strike fear. this video you've talk about, they are doing that to evoke images of guantanamo bay. the execution videos, these mass execution videos, they seem to put them out almost every week. they do that in a very calculated strategy. we're told that isis has incredible organization really from the top down. its leader baghdadi, one analyst told me, he wants to be bigger than osama bin laden. how does he get to this point? by putting out vide

brian todd, cnn, washington. >> yeah. just horrific images there. and with more now we are joined with rami chouri, the director at the isam faras institute for public policy and international affairs at the american university of beirut. he also won an international peace award for his efforts in the middle east. he joins us live now from beirut. rami khouri it is great to have you on. thank you for joining us. >> thank you. >> let's first talk about the u.s. military launching another round of air strikes there against isis in iraq. how effective do you think these air strikes will be on reversing or stopping isis's advance? >> well, in the short term in very localized areas they will of course be effective. but there's a group of 20 or 30 pickup trucks or small open military vehicles marching in the northern des oert or northern plains of iraq of course they can be hit from the area and they can be stopped. so air power can be effective in a very local way in a very short period of time for a particular practical purpose. but long term, air power

brian todd, cnn, washington. >>> a u.s. army sergeant who spent five years as a taliban prisoner will be questioned by an army investigator in the coming day. this is a new photo of bowe bergdahl we received from his attorney. the now 28-year-old has been undergoing counselling since his release in may and is back on regular duty at a base in texas. an army fact-finding investigation conducted in the months after his disappearance found that bergdahl left his post deliberately. but there was no definitive finding of desertion. bergdahl's attorneys say he expects today's meeting to be quote interesting and productive. >>> now, it's been a long time since we've discussed the search for mh 370. but still the search continues. and in fact it is now entering a new phase. coming up next, australian authorities make a major announcement about who will lead the mission. so i get invited to quite a few family gatherings. heck, i saved judith here a fortune with discounts like safe driver, multi-car, paperless. you make a mighty fine

brian todd, thank you so much. >>> ahead for us "at this hour," they are the smallest victim, of thein gaza. the children and they're fighting for their lives as the race to treat their wounds begins. that's next. >>> but first, the biggest surge in undocumented children crossing into the united states is coming from central america, including guatemala. this week's cnn hero is a guatemalan who is tackling crime and helping kids find hope at home. >> my country's violent history has created a very violent present. gangs are everywhere. kids are exposed to drugs, to violence and to the lack of opportunities for them to improve their lives. i was a teacher in the same community where i grew up. my students were dealing with the same problems that i was dealing 20 years ago. i wanted to change that. the bet thist thing for me to d open my house doors and bring them here. eight years later, i'm still running the program in my family house. we provide classes so they can find their own passions. we give them a decent plate of food. children are powerful it just they don't know that yet. s

brian todd, thank you so much for that. do appreciate it, sir. >>> and there's another terrifying tactic that isis is using right now. and this is starting to really come to light. kids, mere children, being indock tindo indoctrina indoctrinated. take a look. up next, we'll show you how this terrorist organization finds this to be the new generation. and they don't find anything wrong with showing them beheadings and stonings. true story coming up. you'll hear from one of the children themselves. years of swedish experience in in perfecting the rich,150 never bitter taste of gevalia. we do it all for this very experience. that's good. i know right? gevalia. long way from the sandlot. first game in the majors? you don't know "aarp". because this family is enjoying a cross-country baseball stadium trip they planned online at aarp travel. it's where your journey begins with inspiration, planning, booking, and hot travel tips from real pros. if you don't think seize the trip when you think aarp, then you don't know "aarp". find

brian todd reporting live for us this morning. >>> this is cnn breaking news. >> all right. we're now getting word that president obama will meet with his national security team on isis today. michele kosinski is live at the white house to tell us more. good morning. >> this is interesting. i mean we knew that this meeting was going to happen soon. it's been rumored for days now that it could happen today or tomorrow. the white house added it to the schedule. a 4 p.m. meeting in the situation room. the president, his national security team and the vice president. we know that they will be talking about the isis threat. we know it's going to cover both iraq and syria. this is clearly a big deal at a critical time. however, we have been told by an official that we shouldn't expect any decisions examining out of this meeting, at least not today. now this goes along with some of the reporting out there, but keep in mind, the reporting has been contradictory at times. some are saying that president wants a decision on what to do in syria by the end of this week. others quoting ot

brian todd, cnn, washington. >> if you have questions about ferguson, the situation unfolding there,he tactics being used, anything, tweet us using the #fergusonqs. and we'll get questions to the panelists throughout the day. >>> meanwhile, as we've been talking about the rapid advancement of isis through iraq. it seems that the power behind them may just be too much for that area to be able to overpower. how much does the u.s. have to be involved here? we'll talk about that in a moment. th fresh with beneful healthy smile snacks. with soft meaty centers and teeth cleaning texture,it's dental that tastes so good. beneful healthy smile food and snacks. >>> 47 minutes past the hour and welcome to you. well, they are brutal. they are powerful, they're rich and they are growing. overnight, more u.s. air strikes targeted isis in iraq. the militant group, it really shocked the world by sweeping control of town after town in iraq and in syria. and a lot of people are wondering how have they had so much military success? how are they so well-armed? well, they may have the united states in pa

brian todd reports now. new details emerge from the chilling e-mails that were sent to james foley's family. >> reporter: his family says they received six e-mails from the captors during the year and a half he was held. they demanded $130 million for his release. according to global post. until last week, foley's family had heard nothing for almost a year. then an e-mail arrived saying he will be executed as a direct result of your transgressions towards us. his parents had sent multiple messages to the captors, hoping to engage them. the family appealed to the captors to show mercy, saying that he was a journalist and showed great empathy for the people. he had no control over the u.s. government. the family was right to engage the captors, one expert says. >> ask me to do something i can do. you're in charge. the decision what happens to james is completely your decision. give me something to do that i can do. and that is actually a great test to find out whether or not the other side is negotiating in go

brian todd cnn, washington. >> that's the man in charge of the political wing of hamas.nwhile, there is this news from the military wing of hamas. they just issued a message via text promising some sort of new attack against israel to quote them. they said, quote, just you wait, we will show you, unquote. a forboding warning. fredericka? >> forebode iboding, indeed. >>> a game of chicken with a russian jet. sounds like a movie plot, right? it's not. we'll tell you what happened. >>> but first, on today's travel insider, we're checking out some atlanta sites that you won't find in most travel brochures. >>> i'm richard blaze, chef, author, restauranteur. we're at a vintage old shop, it's one of the neat things here paris on ponce. they curate curators. you're in one shop, but you're in 50 shops. >> this is a cutting board and actually some reclaimed walnut wood here. this is going to be perfect for my restaurant. this is kind of neat, this fridge. the clam shell wind chime. you don't see that every day. this is a mortar and -- i can use this to make some great pesto maybe

brian todd, cnn, washington. >> all right, brian, thank you so much. keep you posted on what's happening there as well. >>> one of the best basketball players in the world suffered a gruesome leg injury last night. >> this is disturbing. >> it was a team usa scrimmage game. it came to an abrupt end when all-star paul george snapped his lower right leg in a block attempt gone wrong. >> the leg literally ben the some 90 degrees in the wrong direction. >> poor guy. real milk? right. real milk. but it won't cause me discomfort. exactly, because it's milk without the lactose. and it tastes? it's real milk! come on, would i lie about this? [ female announcer ] lactaid. 100% real milk. no discomfort. come on, would i lie about this? frommy family and is to love ice cream. however some of us can't enjoy it without discomfort. so we use lactaid® ice cream. it's 100% real ice cream just without the lactose. so now we all can enjoy this favorite treat. fancy feast broths. they're irresistabowl... completely unbelievabowl... totally delectabowl. real silky smooth

so let's go to brian todd. ould point out, we don't know if anything from the defense department was actually used the day that 18-year-old michael brown was shot by police. just to be precise on that. but when we talk about this equipment from the dod, what exactly are we talking about? >> well, brooke, a good thing to point out. we don't know how some of that equipment was used in ferguson. and according to a defense official who i spoke to, the city of ferguson in the past couple years has only gotten a couple humvees, a generator and trailer from the defense department. but what you're looking at in ferguson is a lot of different law enforcement agencies from around missouri are helping the ferguson police. that's a small police force. so some of the equipment you're seeing on the ground there isn't just for the ferguson police. it's for st. louis and other jurisdictions. and what we're told, the state of missouri, police departments in missouri, total, have gotten about 20 mraps, mine-resistant protective v

brian todd, cnn, washington. >>> how do parents explain to their children what happened in ferguson,uri? [ male announcer ] if you're taking multiple medications, does your mouth often feel dry? a dry mouth can be a side effect of many medications but it can also lead to tooth decay and bad breath. that's why there's biotene. available as an oral rinse, toothpaste, spray or gel, biotene can provide soothing relief, and it helps keep your mouth healthy, too. remember, while your medication is doing you good, a dry mouth isn't. biotene -- for people who suffer from dry mouth. dunk,eady to crack,n't. dip... it's crabfest at red lobster! the year's largest variety of crab! like new! crab lover's trio! or try new! jumbo lump crab over wood-grilled salmon. crabfest is now... but ends soon! so hurry in and sea food differently! "easy like monday morning."s sundays are the warrior's day to unplug and recharge. what if this feeling could last all week? with centurylink as your trusted partner, it can. our visionary cloud infrastructure and global broadband network free you to focus on what ma

brian todd, cnn, washington. >> and fredericka, that's it for me.u with this closing thought. it was a strange moment when i saw that the gaza health ministry had downgraded the number of individuals had been killed since this conflict began in the gaza strip down to 1,803. good news, i thought, presuming that many of them were civilians. turns out the reason behind it is so horrifying as we talked earlier today because of the body parts being mutilated and being sent to different hospitals, there was an overcount. it's kind of a bad news/horrific news situation. >> terrible. very horrible. all right. thank you so much, jake tapper, good reporting there from jerusalem. we'll see you there throughout the week. and we'll be right back. when folks think about what they get from alaska, they think salmon and energy. but the energy bp produces up here creates something else as well: jobs all over america. engineering and innovation jobs. advanced safety systems & technology. shipping and manufacturing. across the united states, bp supports more than a qu

brian todd joining me live now from washington. brian, what more do we know about that situation? >> reporter: fredericka, we have this just in from the state department. the department has relocated a number of staff members from the u.s. embassy in baghdad and the u.s. consulate general's office in erbil because of security concerns. the state department says u.s. citizens in iraq remain at high risk, it says, for kidnapping and terrorist violence, specifically this notice from the state department warns about the possibility of roadside bombs, ieds placed on vehicles, mines, mortars, rockets and small arms fire. the state department says despite the relocation of some personnel, the embassy in baghdad and the consulate general's office in erbil will remain open and operating. so they're just moving some staff members out temporarily. now, this comes, fredericka, as we've seen perhaps the heaviest round of airstrikes since they began on friday in a five-hour period, strikes carried out against five targets. we've got the timetabl

i go now to brian todd. 's done a great story on the militarization of police departments across the country, and why this might not be such a good idea. good morning, brian. >> good morning, carol. you are seeing military-grade weapons all over america's streets these days. they are getting into the hands of more and more police, many of whom are not trained properly in how or when to use them. men in kevlar vests and helmets, camouflaged, carrying automatic rifles, moving intactical armored vehicles, these aren't american troops on the battlefield but police in ferguson. one observer says he thought he saw police in an mrap. >> it's a vehicle built to withstand armor piercing bombs. this is not something that we need in american communities. >> reporter: but kara dansky of the aclu says more than 500 mraps have made their way from afghanistan and iraq to local police forces in america over the past couple years, part of what the aclu called the excessive militarizization of american policing. police in the

brian todd has a closer look at officer wilson and the deadly confrontation that has ignited so much outrage. good morning, brian >> good morning, carol. we have gotten some new information about this man, we have learned that before the shooting, the past year had seen a mixture of professional success and personal setbacks, in officer wilson's life, and we're now hearing his own account of the shooting through other parties. a source with detailed knowledge of the investigation tellsen "the account of a caller to radio station kftk is accurate and matches what wilson has told investigators." the caller said michael brown punched officer wilson in the face as wilson tried to get out of his squad car to address brown, and that brown tried to grab the officer's gun, that they struggled, wilson's gun went off, brown turned and ran, and that when officer wilson yelled at brown to freeze, brown turned and started taunting the officer. >> and then he said all of a sudden he just started to bum-rush him, he started coming at him full speed and so he just started shooting and he just kept co

and as brian todd reports, there are fears that threat could soon be felt on american soil. >> reporterments before beheading jamesoley his executioner, an isis terrorist, warns of more attacks on americans. >> any attempt by you, obama, to deny the muslims their rights of living in safety under the islamic khalifate will result in the bloodshed of your people. >> tonight, more indications isis could harm more americans and others in the west. a u.s. intelligence official tells cnn they have indications of isis cells in europe which could attack u.s. embassies and other american interests. the official says it's not clear if those terrorists were ordered by isis or if they went on their own. an isis fighter threatened the west, telling reuters, "we have also penetrated them with those who look like them." does isis have cells in america? former cia officer bob baer believes they do. >> i have been told with no uncertainty there are isis sleeper cells in this country. >> reporter: but two u.s. officials tell cnn they have no indications of isis cells inside america right now. still, they

brian todd, cnn, washington. >> a lot of people here will say if they see nation the guard that will exacerbate the situation. the question is what to do now, what to do tonight. general russell made it clear, clo clo loud and clear what not to do. >> put those weapons down. i'm not going to tell you again. get those god [ bleep ] weapons down. >> general honorary captain spike lee's documentary when the levees broke and the general honorary joins us now. i spoke to spike lee in the last hour. he said he spoke to you today. he said you're the man for the job here. i'm wondering as you watch what happened here, what you feel about, for instance, the police tactics, how they are operating. i understand you feel like they are operating through a narrative, rather than addressing concerns of the people. explain what you mean by that. >> yeah, i think the people have clarified narrative that's basically saying we want better justice, we want fairness in that process and we want less aggressive police. that's what i keep hearing from watching this on television for eight, ten hours a day.

we turn to our very own brian todd in washington for that. what have we learned about the officer? >> since friday when his name was revealed we've learned a few bits and pieces. he is 18 years old. a six-year police officer. four of those years with the ferguson police. he according to a friend, who we spoke to on the friend, the friend did not want to be named because this friend says he's been getting death threats, but this friend told us officer wilson got divorced last year. that he has a child from that marriage. but when i asked if officer wilson has any racist tendencies, if he'd ever displayed anything like that, this friend said, quote, absolutely not, he's not the type of person who would do that in public or in private with friends. there you have a picture from a facebook page of officer wilson getting a commendation there with the police department. this friend told me that he had spoken to officer wilson briefly since the shooting of michael brown. i asked about officer wilson's disposition. the friend would only say, quote, he's struggle, but he is safe. that's wha

brian todd reports the isis leader is coming out of the showers to strengthen his power in the regionssibly beyond. >> reporter: clad in a black turbin with the humble bearing the most respected eed emany ma appeared in an ornate mosque. but this was no man of peace. you should take up jihad to please god and fight in his name. this video from early july purportedly shows al baghdadi, the mysterious leader of isis, declaring a new caliphate, an islamic state in iraq. his grandiosity was striking. >> everything about the caliph's outfit is meant to evoke the earliest islamic empire. he didn't just come out to say hello to his followers. he came out to say, i am the new leader of the entire muslim world. >> reporter: this from a man who kept such a low pril he was known as the invasionable sheikh. >> there are rumors this is a guy who used to cover his face even when meeting with some of his own people, someone who took extraordinary precautions when it came to his own security. >> reporter: al baghdadi was thought of as little more than a local thug when he was captured by u.s. forces

brian todd, cnn, washington. >> we'll talk more about the officer in a moment. back to our news. the only commotion we've seen within the last couple hours. i want to get to ed lavendera. do we know what happened? >> reporter: it is what we've seen several times through course of the last few hours. these are people, the key tonight is what authorities are telling people. that they need to deem moving. they need to keep moving in a circle around the street here. and people who are not, and standing around too long are basically being arrested for failure to disperse. so i've seen that about three times tonight. we just spoke with captain ron johnson who is trying, he will us he didn't have the exact numbers on how many people had been arrested so far. i've seen two or three. >> he is getting an earful from people. >> we were trying to ask some questions and it didn't take too long. before we were surrounded by a group of demonstrators, kind of overshouting our questions. and again, captain ron johnson passionately defending the way the police are handling this situation. it was i

brian todd, cnn, washington. >> now, a u.s. state department spokesman tells cnn president obama has been presented with a host of military options in syria but he's yet to make a decision. a u.s. official says mr. obama has already authorized spy flights over syria possibly as preparation for air strikes. our barbara starr has more. >> reporter: from president obama a threat and a promise. >> justice will be done. we have proved time and time again, we will do what is necessary to capture those who harm americans. and we'll defend our homeland. >> reporter: but as the u.s. prepares to potentially militarily confront isis, the pentagon will say little about the reconnaissance flights president obama authorized over syria. >> i am not going to talk about intelligence matters. >> reporter: an administration official tells cnn that drones have flown over iraq near the border with syria to pick up whatever intelligence they can about isis troops, convoys, weapons and training camps just inside syria. anything on targets that could

cnn's brian todd reports on the other subtle clues that authorities are picking apart in the pursuitf foley's killer. >> reporter: intelligence officials are on the cusp of identifying the man who may have killed james foley. >> we are close. but forgive me if i can't go much further than that. >> reporter: is it the man seen in this video? one british official tell us they're picking apart the video, looking at the background, the terrain, and of course his voice. >> any attempt by you, obama, to deny the muslims their rights of living in safety under the islamic caliphate will result in the bloodshed of your people. >> reporter: cnn has had language and voice analysts examine that audio. some believe because the way he speaks generally about muslims he could be a convert to it's lap, possibly from east london. >> he comes across as very well educated and from what you would loosely call a middle class professional background. the voice seems to me to be somebody under the age of 30. >> reporter: but matthew levet, former counterterrorism analyst with the fbi, says intelligence offi

>> i am brian todd mr.. good to have you with us. the new five-year leadership. bucket challenge gaza-style. .ne palestinians protest our pitching of premieres to movies at this years festival. we begin this program with news coming in from brussels where eu leaders were meeting for a summit on a range of issues including ukraine. the 28th nation bloc announced new leadership. the appointed the polish prime minister donald tusk as the european council president. he has led poland since 2007. italian foreign minister federica mogherini is the new foreign-policy chief. europeanshe federica mogherini a mogherini very catherine ashton. says she represents a new generation of europeans committed. thatorrespondent is at subject and joins us live. choosing the polish prime minister to replace him certainly sends a real clear message to moscow about you priorities. is a toughinly response for what russia is doing in ukraine. this is sort of the beauty of the european compromise. have donald oscar was tough russia and in the representative for foreign policy was criticize

brian todd, cnn, washington. >>> let's talk more about what you just saw there in that piece. know, josh rogan, cnn, senior political analyst and senior correspondent for the daily beast. we just heard -- it's frightening, the assessment of the potential threat from isis to america. but just broadening out, i'm sure you were watching as we were live on cnn, ben rhodes, from the white house speaking from the vineyard, suggesting that even if isis were not to attack the u.s. main land, it still poses this grave threat us here in the u.s. >> sure. >> how, exactly? >> we have heard administration officials say for months that isis had aspirations to attack the homeland. what's changed in the last few days, now we have general dempsey, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, saying their an imminent threat to u.s. interests. ben rhodes saying we would go after them without regard for borders, inside syria. chuck hagel, making very strong statements about the group. we have seen the huge change in rhetoric, which reflects' recognition inside the administration this threat is real

. >>> back to our main story now, i brant want to bring in cnn's brian todd now. he is watching developments in iraq. brian, we have heard something from the state department reacting now to this apparent muscle flexing by the prime minister of iraq, nouri al malaki. what are we hearing from us officials now? >> jim, things moving fast in washington as well. we have this just in. brett mcgurk, the state department's pointman on iraq, deputy secretary of state for near eastern affairs, sent this tweet a short time ago. "fully support president of #iraq as guarantor of the constitution and a prime minister nominee who can build a national consensus." jim, a strong indication that the administration is very frustrated with prime minister nou nouri al malaki and actively trying to build support for another alternative candidate. this comes as two iraqi police officials tell cnn that significantly more iraqi troops and security forces are being deployed in and around the green zone, major brings, which link east to west, baghdad have been closed. so, nouri al mall lack

brian todd reports from washington. >> reporter: a somali community leader in minneapolis says a manamed ab der rahman mohammed is the second american killed while fighting with isis in syria. omar jamal says he's close with mohammed's family. >> he's married. he's got a lot of kids. he's got nine kids and a wife. he was a family person. >> reporter: a u.s. official says abder rahman mohammed is a name they're checking to determine if he was killed in the fighting last weekend along with american douglas mccain. a 29-year-old man with the same name was profiled on minnesota public radio in june. that man told the radio station in facebook messages that he was fighting with isis in syria. the report described him as having nine children and more than one wife. a law enforcement official says a handful of young somali americans from the minneapolis area, less than a dozen, have gone to syria to fight with jihadists there. sources tell cnn there's been a recent increase in recruiting for isis which easily lures new jihadists with promises of cash. >> i would expect that when we get the

cnn's brian todd joins me now from washington. hello, brian. an attack here on u.s. soil? >> don, there is increasing concern of an isis attack on american soil. a u.s. intelligence official tells us they have indications of isis cells in europe which could attack u.s. embassies and other american interests. security and intelligence analysts say there is growing concern that isis could also develop sleeper cells inside the united states. now, intelligence officials here will not go as far as saying they are here in the united states now. but it is possible, and isis clearly, as you've seen in that video with james foley, has the motivation to attack american targets given the u.s. air strikes against them in iraq. and one analyst says the isis leader, al baghdadi, what this analyst calls a narcis icissist psychopath. that could be in their plans in the future. >> british prime minister david cameron confirmed that foley's executioner is british. are there americans among the ranks of isis, brian? >> we're being told, don, it's very likely ther

let's bring in brian todd.ut this group, because they are brutal. >> brutal, and a senior official tells me isis is now the strongest it has been in years. why is it so dangerous on the batt battlefield now? accord to intelligence, it's the training, tactics and weapons that sets them apart now from traditional terrorist militant forces who have engaged in battle with iraqi and western forces. they shoot better than terrorist forces have in the past. they maneuver in disciplined formations on the battlefield, with militant and terrorist forces did not do in the past. the weapons they have seized, very impressive. an official told ivan watson today they're firing at them with m-1 abrams tanks. those are american tanks stolen from the iraqi forces. a senior u.s. intelligence official told us they seized anti-aircraft guns. the training is also something we need to talk about. experts are telling us that fighters from the chechen and bosnian conflicts have been mentors to these isis forces. those are experiences f

brian todd, cnn, washington. >> now, one thing brian mentioned there, building its infamy online hascentral to isis recruitment tactics. the military group spread that gruesome video we remember showing the beheading of the american journalist james foley on various social media outlets. >> yeah, it's a move that sparked anger over how such violent content gets posted in the first place. especially when there is technology available that can stop it. samuel burk reports. >> reporter: there's already technology to stop copyrighted songs, sporting event videos and child pornography from being uploaded to social media. a digital fingerprint identifies a piece of content and allows social networks to proactively find repeat instances from being published to their platforms. analysts say this very same technology, however, is not being used to stop the spread of videos and photos from groups like isis on the world's largest social networks. >> especially in the early stages of distribution basically what we're talking about is the same file being uploaded 500 different times. so it seems

correspondent brian todd is looking in to why women are joining isis. >> reporter: the terrorists ofd in black armed, and some have observed them wearing burke kas, human rights observers say women have joined the ranks of isis. we're told there's one group of women that operates in the isis stronghold in syria. >> if your daughter will serve in this brigade, that's something that will protect you, will protect your family. >> reporter: he's a former spokesman for the free syrian army a rebel group which is a rival to isils. he said friends of his have had female relatives pushed into isis. observers from the u.n. and amnesty international tells cnn isis uses women primarily in a policing role, patrolling the streets and cracking down on other women who are not wearing conservative enough clothing. they also help at checkpoints where their male comrades are not allowed to touch women coming through. >> they are very useful because they will be able to check any woman coming through and be able to detect any sort of enemy combatant coming through the checkpoint. >> reporter: including

our brian todd is joining us now with more on this part of the story. brian, what are you learning? calling this the most dangerous moment in the conflict, a cease-fire broken, more killed and now the abduction of an israeli soldier. hamas says it doesn't know about the capture. the fear on both sides that the next shoot drop could make what's come before look tame. while destroying tunnels in gaza, israeli officials say 23-year-old lieutenant hadar goldin was captured by palestinian militants. an israeli official tells cnn that the idf is exhausting every means to find lieutenant goldin. the soldier's father is counting on that. >> translator: we're certain that the army will not stop under any circumstance. >> israeli combat veterans tell us that include going house to house. >> there is also intelligence gathering that is taking place now, both with the many hamas terrorists that have been captured as well as with the intelligent assets that have been in place within gaza for a long time. >> idf soldiers say palestinian militants moving through tunnelance battlefield areas are eq

as brian todd reports, some of them have no choice in the matter. >> reporter: the terrorists of isisressed in black, armed and now some observed them wearing ha jabs and bier kas. they say women have joined the ranks of isis. one group of women operate in the isis stronghold of raqqah in syria. >> if your daughter will serve in the brigade, that will protect you and your family. >> reporter: louay is a spokesperson for the free syrian army. friends of his had female relatives pushed into isis. cnn could not verify the accounts. they tell cnn isis uses women, primarily in a policing role patrolling the weeks and cracking down on women not wearing conservative enough clothing. militants held at check points where the male comrades are not allowed to touch women coming through. >> they are useful. they will be able to check any woman coming through and be able to defect any enemy coming through the check point. >> including men trying to sneak through dressed as women. isis women go on house raids. >> they need them to search inside the bedrooms and they do body-check for the women. >>

brian todd is taking a closer look at the history of what they have done and what they want to do. ian, what have you found out? >> wolf, u.s. intelligence officials are telling me they have growing concern that isis is going to expand its threat beyond the territory is controls now, far beyond it, to include possible attacks on western and u.s. interests. this comes as chilling new images have surfaced showing what could be the future of the militant group's threat. a chilling image of what could be the future of the islamic state's threat. in a new propaganda video, this man identified as al-trinidadi is referred to by isis as an american. he calls on mrns american to fight. the senior u.s. official is tracking this man and cannot confirm he's american. another man in the video identifies himself as british. the concern is could grow. the more immediate threat to europe, and what is called an eventual threat to the u.s. homeland. intelligence officials say over the past few months, people associated with isis have been arrested in spab -- spain and france for plotting attacks and

brian todd is joining us. >> wolf, u.s.cials telling ming tonight they have growing concern the islamic state also known as isis will expand its capability, expand what it's doing in the territory it holds right now and possibly direct attacks towards the west important,ly eventually towards u.s. interests. this comes as chilling new images surface of the potential of this group's threat. in a new propaganda video this man is referred toby isis as an american. he calls on muslims to join the fight. >> please all believers come. come as soon as possible. >> reporter: a senior u.s. intelligence official says the intelligence community is tracking this man but cannot confirm he's an american. another man in the video identified himself as british. ing tonight there is growing concern among u.s. intelligence officials that the threat from isis could expand beyond the areas it controls now to include attacks on western and u.s. interests. the more immediate concern is about the isis threat to europe and what that might mean for

as brian todd reports, while some call on police to demilitarize, others say law enforcement officers need to payable to protect themselves. >> reporter: many of their armored vehicles and machine guns came from washington. now some of washington's power players want to take them back. in the wake of the shooting death of michael brown in ferguson, senator rand paul is calling for the demilitarization of police. the 2016 presidential hopeful writes that the pentagon's dolling out of military grade equipment to police temperatude has created essentially small armies. >> you don't have to police while in an armored vehicle. it's not conducive to you being able to serve the people and protect the people. it sevens as an opportunity for you to impose your will on people. >> reporter: johnson, paul and makaskill are all on homeland security committees and johnson is pushing a bill to turn that pentagon spigot police off. >> it's not military, it's tactical operations, s.w.a.t. teams. that's who is out there. we're doing this in blue. >> that represents such a deep disconnect, with the poli

cnn's brian todd explains how local police ended up with equipment from the pentagon. >> reporter: men in kevlar vests and weapons, carrying automatic weapons, moving in tactical armored weapons. these aren't men on the front lines. these are ferguson police. >> mwrap is made to withstand armor-piercing bombs. >> reporter: cara dansky says more than a dozen have made their way from iraq to police departments in the usa. what the aclu calls the overpolicing. indication of that are all over ferguson. police in these towns are getting combat equipment free of charge from the pentagon. the defense department says in 2014 nearly $450 million of military equipment was given to law enforcement. a defense official says ferguson police only got a humvee and a couple of trailers. police departments throughout st. louis got 20 mwraps and m-16s. some say when police get these weapons, their attitudes change. >> increasingly the police are trained to view the people in the communities they're supposed to be protecting and serving as enemies. >> reporter: it's not just their possession of all this e

brian todd, a very good question. maybe we'll find out in the days to come. we've now seen the results of one autopsy and heard officer darren wilson's side of the story. let's get reaction from gabe crocker, the president of the st. louis county police association. gabe, thanks for being with us. i know that you haven't spoken directly with officer wilson but you've been in touch with certainly some people who are in touch with officer wilson. how is he doing? >> well, you know, i think he's going through a very rough time right now. there's an incredible amount of pressure on him. and his family. it can't obviously can't be easy for this officer to be going through this. and he's under a tremendous amount of pressure right now. >> we're hearing the story coming out from one of his friends on a local radio station. we've heard sources familiar with officer wilson's accounting of the events of that day and they tell us that this is very much in line with what he thinks. when are we going to get his side of the story officially from him, do you think? >> i'm h

brian todd, cnn, washington. >>> in the meantime, the u.s. has been presented with a host of military options in confronting syria, he's yet to make a decision. a u.s. official says mr. obama has already authorized five flights over syria, possibly as preparation for air strikes. >> from president obama, a threat and a promise. >> justice will be done, we have proved time and time again, we will do what's necessary to capture those who harm americans. we'll take direct action where needed to protect our people and defend our homeland. >> as the u.s. prepares to potentially miltly confront isis, the pentagon will say little about the reconnaissance flights president obama authorized over syria. >> i'm not going to talk about military decisions. >> reporter: any targets that could be hit to disrupt their brutal campaign of murder and intimidation. satellites have already gathered some information. isis communications are being monitored, but now the u.s. needs to get realtime intelligence, it will be tough. one of the type of drones being used

and cnn's brian todd is here with more on that.as we'd been reporting, since thanksgiving day of 2012 when according to an fbi notice at the time on the internet, he was taken by an organized gang in syria. according to the fbi he was kidnapped after leaving an internet cafe there. he had a translator at the time but the translator was later released. james foley's family made a televised appeal, a couple to his captors. they talked about the precautions he had taken and the kind of journalist he was. >> he is an objective reporter who has been working as a freelance journalist in syria for over a year. he's passionate about giving life to stories of people within conflict areas. >> he's taken every precaution, you know, possible, you know, traveling -- trying to travel with the rye folks. he's been through risk training. he had a locator devices, you know, everything you can imagine. >> those, of course, televised appeals from james foley's family in january of 2013. that last one was from his brother michael foley. various report

brian todd, cnn, washington. >> by the way, there are far more gruesome and disturbing images in thosen we even showed you. i want to bring in now cnn terrorism analyst paul cruickshank. paul, we blurred some of those images, obviously. but you can see in the raw footage them just executing their victims, execution-style, there in the head. what is the point of them releasing these videos? >> well, some of these images are truly horrendous. and the point is to terrorize their enemies, to terrorize the iraqi military, to terrorize the peshmerga kurdish forces. and this gives them a big advantage on the battlefield, because we have seen many of these forces actually turn and run before actually confronting isis. so this tactic of fear and terror has beavan more effective than all the armor that they have captured and all the weapons they have captured, alisyn. >> of course. who could blame their victims for turning and running after they see things like this. but then i want to contrast that sickening and hideous video we just showed with another propaganda film that they put out that is

thanks for that, very much, brian todd.e'll have more information to share with you and he'll be jumping on twit tore answer your questions about the growth and capability of isis and tweet your question. use the hash tag sit room. let's go to ed royce of california, the chairman of the house foreign affairs committee. thanks for joining us. how powerful is isis? >> isis is powerful, but any group like this it needs sanctuary and a base in order to resupply and one of the questions is can can you remove that sanctuary? i think it's powerful in the sense that half of those fighters, 5,000 of them are from outside of the region. many from europe, from off tau a australia, from the united states and central asia and the great concern, of course, for other governments is that these individuals might return with the skill set that they learned on the battlefield. >> so they represent a real danger upon. they represent a potential feature to the american homeland and there are about 100 fighters with u.s. passports and as you hea

brian todd is looking into this.oing snon. >> wolf, you are seeing military-grade weapons all over the streets these days. they are getting into the hands of more and more police, many of whom are not trained properly about how or when to use them. >> reporter: men in kef kevlar vests moving in armored vehicles. >> a mine resistant ambush protected vehicle, it's meant to be protected by bombs. >> reporter: but the aclu says more than 500 emracks have been reported in the u.s. indications of that are everywhere in ferguson. police in these towns are getting combat equipment free of charge from the pentagon. the defense department says just in 2013, nearly $450 million worth of military equipment was given to law enforcement. a defense official says ferguson police only got a couple of humvees and a trailer. but police departments got hundreds of m-16 rifles in recent years. often when they get these weapons, policemen's attitudes change. >> increasingly the police are trained to view the people in the communities that

brian todd in washington. >>> so dwlou defeat a force that is so broot tall, terrifying and determined syria and how long could it take? is it week, months, years? is the u.s. about to get dragged back into a bloody ground war in iraq? we'll try to answer those questions after this. this is kathleen. setting up the perfect wedding day begins with arthritis pain and two pills. afternoon arrives and feeling good, but her knee pain returns... that's two more pills. the evening's event brings laughter, joy, and more pain... when jamie says... what's that like six pills today? yeah... i can take 2 aleve for all day relief. really, and... and that's it. this is kathleen... for my arthritis pain, i now choose aleve. get all day arthritis pain relief with an easy-open cap. having a perfectly nice day, when out of nowhere a pick-up truck slams into your brand new car. one second it wasn't there and the next second... boom! you've had your first accident. now you have to make your first claim. so you talk to your insurance company and... boom! you're blindsided for a second time. they won't give

brian todd, cnn washington. >>> we turn now to iraq, and nuri al maliki's decision to step down. >> heess than a month to form a new unity government and try to bridge the sectarian divide that's pulling iraq apart. it's a job many say al malaki failed to do. >> nick paton walsh has more for us from baghdad. >> reporter: nuri al maliki, the prime minister for eight years said on a speech on state television, that he will be stepping down in favor of the man he called his brother. let's talk about what he said and why he said it. the speech containing many self-justifications in which he said his body wasn't able to endure any more wounds. many here noting he's holed up in the green zone with a lot of loyal firepower saying he had wanted the federal courts to rule on the legality of his successor being nominated. many think perhaps the final moments of stepping down came from many western powers suggesting he should step aside. many shiite allies and shiite religious leaders suggesting he was part of political history. many think he was holding out for the past few days, because he want