secretary of state said that there will be questions of chuck hagel about military preparations, what the pentagon is considering, and the king sees they're looking at. and where secretary hagel says the military assets by the united states are headed and the timeline. so with that, let's listen to the opal statement and the opening statement by secretary of defense, chuck hagel. >> in georgia, he was there, and then he was going to turkey and then he was coming back here, and then it's really great to have you here, mr. secretary, and i understand how busy you are, and how much you're traveling, and we really appreciate your time. what you, general dempsey and all of the men and women are doing to keep us safe from harm. just yesterday, the house passed an amendment to continued resolution at the president's request, which authorizes the secretary of defense to train and equip appropriate elements of the syrian opposition. we strengthened the proposal so congressional oversight for deposited reporting and requirements. though not everyone supported the agreement that isil is a threat

sanchez -- chuck hagel has announced that the united states is expanding the u.s. air strikes into syria. there have been no strikes yet. but the plans have been approved by the president, following a briefing the president received yesterday. here is exactly what makel said about that earlier this morning. >> sentcom's plan include targeted actions in syria, including command and control, logistics capabilities and infrastructure of isil. general austin as i noted briefed the plan to the president in tampa yesterday. >> and that could conceivably become more urgent given the news that in northern syria, islamic state fighter have captured 16 kurdish vil agency -- villages in the last 24 hours, raising fears that the kurds could now face retribution. >> the question is whether they are going to attack inside syria as well. but more aircraft in that region is going to be good. >> when the president and central command agree on a plan, and then they sent the sort of news coming in now that the islamic state is on the offensive. there may be a humanitarian issue devel

certainly to that point, i think we heard chuck hagel say as much. let's bring in jim.ked the key question of this briefing. break that down for us, jim. the response you got. >> i did not hear a walk-back frankly from general dempsey when i asked that question. he said the preference is for a local large ground force, when i pressed him whether he stands by his comments whether he needs to recommend a small contingent of u.s. troops to be forward deployed with units, more deployed than they are now, right you to they're back in joint operations center in irbil or baghdad, he said he would go to the president. secretary of defense hagel followed that up by saying as he did last week during testimony, that the president said to them repeatedly, listen, come to me when you have those recommendations, i'll listen to them. i didn't hear them walking that back or closing that door. i heard them holding to a line that they said last week in senate testimony, if we determine we need that step, we will recommend that step. they did say that the president told them as commanders

i cannot wait for this interview with defense secretary chuck hagel. a lot on his plate, as jim sciutto said. coming up next, hear from the mother of the first american beheaded by isis as she responds to the murder of steven sotloff. >>> plus, we will take a close look at these two videos and the clues that could help track down their killers. also isis wants a caliphate. it's a complete islamic state. what would that look like? we'll analyze that by taking a look at the terror group's leader. you're watching cnn's special live coverage. whenwork with equity experts who work with regional experts who work with portfolio management experts that's when expertise happens. mfs. because there is no expertise without collaboration. 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 th

trace, thanks. >> chuck hagel on the hill today. just ask him about american boots on the ground and the fight against isis. >>> plus, new information coming in on the search for a -- a man possibly following hannah graham in what may be the final moments before she vanished. h. heartbur. did someone say burn? try alka seltzer reliefchews. they work just as fast and are proven to taste better than tums smoothies assorted fruit. mmm. amazing. yeah, i get that a lot. alka seltzer heartburn reliefchews. enjoy the relief. >>> a jetblue flight making an emergency land ogt runway in austin. this happened in long beach, california. apparently this jet reporting an engine overheating problem on its way to austin, texas. it turned back shortly after takeoff. four passengers reportedly treated for injuries. one was released. one was taken to a local hospital. you can see right there the jet being pulled off the runway. the slide actually had to be deployed to get the passengers off. that plane, as i just said, being towed away now for a big m

bill: we'll pray chuck hagel's comments to our viewers once that gets underway.artha: the house select committee on benghazi is getting underway tomorrow. in is a report that top staffers of secretary of state hillary clinton took part in reviewing documents before they were turned over to the arb, the accountability review board. raymond maxwell says cheryl mills and jake sullivan were there in the room at one point and were both involved in the separating out of document that would be quote embarrass together 7th floor where hillary clinton's offices were. cheryl atkinson * has been breaking this story and here she explains what mr. maxwell tells her he saw. >> he heard people speaking of it so he decided to check it out for himself. he came in on a sunday underneath the jogger's entrance and asked the office director who technically works for him but he had not been consulted about her assignment and she said according to him we are to separate any documents that could be embarrassing to the 7th floor and the front office. that's being secretary of state hilla

maybe defense secretary chuck hagel can better explain the u.s. strategy to fight isis if there is one yet. in an exclusive cnn interview. and the politics lead, while foreign affairs are grabbing the headlines, control of the u.s. senate hangs in the balance here at home. our surprising new poll on a race that is on track to be the most expensive senate race in history. ♪ ♪ ♪ -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> good afternoon, everyone. welcome to "the lead." i'm jake tapper. we'll begin with the world lead. president obama has not yet formulated or articulated a com tre hencive strategy to take on isis the jihadists running rampant, and he responded to the video isis released showing the second beheading of an innocent american by these terrorists in as many weeks. the president had just landed in estonia, the first stop on his four-day trip that will include a key nato conference in wales and just as the president did after isis executed american james foley, president obama sternly condemned isis over steven sotloff, the american beheade

defense secretary chuck hagel spoke about how there has been over 200 air strikes both in iraq and syria against isil, and he said no one is under any illusion that air strikes alone is enough to defeat isil. he said they are working-to-together to cut off isil's finances in order to weaken the group, and with the support of the u.s. congress the military is now ready to equip and train syrian opposition forces. he also ended by saying we're at the beginning, not the end to destroy isil, stressing of course, the long-term commitment to destroy the organization. let's get some reaction out of iraq. monica is joining us from bagdad. monica give us an idea of what has been the general reaction to these air strikes in iraq against isil. >> well, i can tell you that very interestingly today there was a sort of a new front in the war, if you will that was opened, because they bombed for the first time a very important border crossing between syria and iraq, and this is relevant because the iraqis have been saying we can fight isil here, but it is a big problem that they are going back to syria

we are minutes away from a briefing of chuck hagel and general martin demsey. and we'll have new information on the missing university student as the authorities begin the extradition process. as the man wanted for questioning was arrested in texas. uit. mmm. amazing. yeah, i get that a lot. alka seltzer heartburn reliefchews. enjoy the relief. decmp hurry in and sea food differently. >>> a fox news alert. a news briefing by the top officials in the pentagon set to get underway shortly. we are expecting to hear from martin dempsey, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and secretary of defense, chuck hagel and get an update on who is going on in syria and iraq. you will want to stay tuned for that. it is scheduled to begin any moment now. and when it begins, we'll take you there life. >> the suspect charged in the the disappearance of hannah graham could be extradited back to virginia today. jesse matthew appeared in court after being arrested on a beach in texas. even if the police have their man, the search for hannah is far from over. the 18-year-old has bee

and chuck hagel. ahead of the request to arm the syrian rebels. this is "outnumbered."day, harris faulkner, sandra smith, and today's hashtag one lucky guy, yes, iheis outnumbered. >> you have to broadcast before you go on air. >>

at a briefing today, chuck hagel could not name the head of the free syrian army, the so-called moderate syrian opposition that

chuck hagel says no our objective is to degrade and destroy.the way, he also said he didn't know the president said he wanted it reduced to a manageable problem. but i think he took a hard line. it's the toughest line the administration has taken more uniformly. he said it several times. and i think we have to now interpret that as being the official representation by the administration. unless the white house chooses to backtrack, that is the official interpretation, i believe. and it does have large implications, because to degrade and destroy is a very high objective. that means you really take away the caliphate from them. and hagel said something that was surprising today. and that is, isis now controls half -- >> half. >> we have always heard a third of iraq. half of syria. that's a big -- >> and half of iraq. >> that's a big control point. and half of iraq. and so what that means is, to destroy that capability, that is a big undertaking. >> i wrote that precise line down as well, david gergen, that jumped out at me. i had not heard half

both defense secretary chuck hagel and joint chiefs chairman martin dempsey went before the senate armed services committee to make the case for the u.s. strategy to deal with isis. >> thank you, would you please leave? would you please leave the room now? we're asking you nicely. we're asking you nicely to please leave the room. >> several times the hearing was interrupted by anti-war protesters. they were escorted from the room while loudly urging lawmakers not to go along with plans for war. what we know is the white house will ask congress for a half billion dollars to train, arm, and equip more than 5,000 moderate syrian rebels for one year. the house is expected to begin debate on the request today and vote on it tomorrow. about 40 countries have agreed to contribute in the fight against isis. iran, however, not one of them. calling it a ploy for the us to dominate the region. >> intelligence analysts estimate right now isis has slightly more than 30,000 fighters in the region. about half are foreigners, u.s. jets pounded an isis position about 20 miles outside of baghdad. this is

. >>> as the white house hammers out a strategy against isis, defense secretary chuck hagel is

chuck hagel said it's a hundred americans fighting with isis.ly takes one of them with an american passport to come back and cause huge problems for us. whether or not we're on top of that, whether or not isis really intends to strike us, these are all huge unknowns. and the administration has contributed to the confusion, bby putting out contradictory messages for more than a week, by signaling that they're doing a lot more with isis and then telling us they don't actually have a plan to do so. i think the confusion adds to the hysteria, which benefits isis, which makes its business on promoting confusion and hysteria. >> and this visceral reaction is coming from all corners, kevin. you know, when you interview the duck "duck dynasty" guy about national security, i think that's a little too much. listen to what happened on sean hannity's show. >> in this case, you either have to convert them, which i think is -- would be next to impossible. i'm not giving up on them, but i'm just saying, either convert them or kill them. one or the other. >> ok

this is all about the war on isis, and chuck hagel and chairman martin dempsey are set to testify. and joining us are jim sciutto and ryan cooper, and national correspondent of the week, and maria cardona and raj salan and contribu contributor to t"the national review," and james spider marks who is a cnn military analyst, and thank you all for being with me this morning. jim sciutto, i want to start with you. what do the senators hope the accomplish today? >> i think that dempsey and hague rl going to get it from both sides in effect, from the grahams and the mccains push in for more aggressive military action to the point that they have been pushing that you need boots on the ground. and then from the other side, you will get questions from senators who are skeptical of what is the end game here? what is the actual urgency and the immediacy of the isis threat to the u.s. homeland which is presumably what what has driven the administration to act more forcibly here follow iing the beheadings of james foley and steven sat loloff and that is critical, but what is the s support of th

that's coming from chuck hagel. that doesn't mean it happens in the next few days.t chuck hagel said is yesterday at central command in tampa, the president reviewed those plans and is taking a close look at that. so we're edging closer. number two, you have to pour a little cold water on the progress the president is talking about. he gets the approval from congress to move forward in training the rebels, but general dempsey told the associated press he thinks it will take up to a year to train the syrian rebels. so how quickly will this be a fighting force as you and brett were talking about. are you going to wait for those rebels to be trained, since it's such a key part of the president's strategy to have the syrianéçe&ñ rebels be the groun troops instead of u.s. ground troops, will you wait for that? and josh earnest said no. but whether it's days or weeks in terms of air strikes starting, we don't know thatí yet. >> now john bolton joins us. ambassador, nice to see you. and last night, the russian ambassador to the u.n. was here to go on the record, and he mad

chuck hagel says the goal is not to contain isis, but to destroy the militant group on the rise in iraq and syria. vice president biden in an emotional speech said the u.s. would follow isis to the gates of hell to hold them accountable. >> as a nation, we're united. when people harm americans, we don't retreat. we don't forget. we take care of those who are grieving, and when that's finished, they should know we'll follow them to the gates of hell until they are brought to justice because hell is where they will reside. hell is where they will reside. >> meanwhile, learning more about steven sotloff, second u.s. journalist to be beheaded by the militants. sotloff was an israeli citizen and israeli newspaper reports he faked being sick to fast on the jewish holiday of yom kippur. they challenged a debate on islam and gave a touching tribute to sotloff. >> steve had a gentle soul this world will be without, but his spirit will endure in our hearts. today, we grieve. this week, we mourn, but we'll emerge from this. our village is strong. we will not allow our enemies to hold us hostage wi

among those speaks are the joint chiefs of staff general dempsey and chuck hagel. >> while isil clearlyes an immediate threat, we also know that thousands of foreign fighters have travelled to syria with passports that give them relative freedom of movement, they can then plan, coordinate and carry out attacks against the united states and europe. >> the free syrian army units are attacked from the air by bashar al-assad, will we prevent fore attacks from taking place and take out bashar al-assad's arias sets, both helicopter and fixed wing that will be attacking the free syrian army units? >> well, we're first of all not there yet, but our focus is on isil, and that is the threat to our country and to our interests and to the people of the region. so what we are training these units for, yes, as a stabilizing force in syria as -- as an option, but the first focus is as i just said as the president laid out in his statement to the country -- >> i take it from your answer, that we are now recruiting these young men to go and fight in syria against isil, but if they are attacked by bashar

we are at the beginning not the end of our efforts to degrade isil, that was from chuck hagel. i'll be back at 5:00 eastern with the situation room. "newsroom with don lemon" starts right now. >>> hello, everyone. this is cnn's special live coverage of the war against isis. you saw it on cnn, the top brass at the pentagon, defense secretary chuck hagel and updating us on kurdish fighters trying to halt a move by isis in an embattled syrian city. it's extraordinary footage. here's how it looked before the sunset. within the past two hours, that's isis there. isis fighters taking shots at syrian kurds positioned over that ridge. the battle has been raging for several hours now. just a short time ago a resident there told cnn the kurds are short on weapons, running out of ammo and people of the town are nervous that the people of isis will break that line of defense. no air strikes there yet. isis killed several hundred iraqi troops earlier this week. with us now is jake tapper. he's joining us from columbus, ohio, and also colonel peter mansour, cnn analyst as well. i want to tal

defense secretary chuck hagel says all options are on the table to fight isis, except a ground invasion in which the pretty big option to take off the table. >> exactly. and hagel says the islamic militants pose an imminent threat to the american interest and the u.s. is prepared to deal with that threat. he spoke with chief u.s. security correspondent jim sciutto. >> reporter: brutality of isis playing out on television screens across the world, defense secretary chuck hagel says there is only one u.s. end game. >> we're providing the president with those options to degrade and destroy isil's capability. >> that's the end game, end and destroy, not contain? >> it's exactly what the president said, destroy and degrade. >> you said isis is an imminent threat that we have and unlike any threat that we have ever seen. after your comments, the administration seemed to pull back somewhat. it's described as a regional threat, something that the president did later that week. is it an imminent threat to the u.s. homeland or to the region? >> first of all, i didn't say to u.s. homeland. i said

here's what defense secretary chuck hagel said about that this morning. >> d.o.d.ill work closely with the state department, the intelligence community and our partners in the region to screen and vet the forces we train and equip. we will monitor them closely to ensure that weapons do not fall into the hands of radical elements of the opposition. isil. the iran regime or other extremist groups. there will always be risks. there will always be risks in a program like this. but we believe that risk is justified by the imperative of destroying isil. and the necessity of having capable partners on the ground in syria. >> the house is expected to vote on aiding syrian rebels tomorrow. joined now by cnn military analyst colonel rick francona. i don't know where to begin. we've had countless conversations about who these people are, how one vets them in the middle of a situation where we can't even put boots on the ground and only have a moderate number of advisers. now we're hearing the mission's even changed. at this point, we're hearing from general dempsey that the m

secretary of defense chuck hagel just told congress moments ago that top military officials have now signed off on that plan for launching air strikes against isis targets inside syria. secretary hagel also said the president was briefed on those plans during his centcom visit on wednesday, but cnn's barbara starr is reporting the president has not yet signed off on those plans. stay tuned for that. in the meantime we're also following a big story out of australia where a grisly terror plot in the country's biggest city was foiled in the nick of time. a sobering reminder that isis could attack anywhere at any time. but is anything similar here in the works? here in the u.s., the danger isis poses to the united states is top priority right now on capitol hill. if you need proof of that, pictures on your screen right now. these are live pictures, the secretary of defense chuck hagel and the secretary of state john kerry have been briefing two different house committees about this war against isis. it's their second day on the hill fest testifying about this extremist group. australia h

i've seen the wisdom and advice of our leaders, such as chuck hagel, and general dempsey.senate and the house of representatives. as to how to prevail and to win when we go to battle, but also how to deter and to avoid where that is possible and consistent with our nation's interests. to deter and to avoid the battles which cause so much destruction but at times are so necessary. i've seen what american power can do. and the extraordinary achievements that american power can give us. but i've also learned the limits of our power and understand those limits. i've seen the loyalty of our men and women in uniform to each other as well as to this country. and to the determination that they have, that they will not leave a buddy behind. no matter what the circumstances, and even though that buddy may have done some things which appear to be less than what your standards are, it makes no difference. the loyalty or men and women have to each other is so fierce, that determination is so great, it should be an inspiration to every american. the courage of our wounded warriors, i've

. >>> defense secretary chuck hagel and martin dempsey warning members of congress today. decisions about putting these combat troops on the ground will need to come on a case-by-case basis as the white house continues to insist there will be no boots on the ground. and remember this, in the days following president obama's prime time speech, there was certainly no shortage of conflicting accounts about whether the united states is at war with isis. >> we will degrade and ultimately destroy isil. through a comprehensive and sustained counterterrorism strategy. >> the fact is, it's a major counterterrorism. >> but make no mistake. we know we are at war with isil. >> the united states is at war with isil in the same way we are at war with al qaeda and al qaeda affiliates all around the globe. >> that was a little mash-up for you. jake jake"the lead." jake tapper, today's ground forces development, do you see this? as mixed messages here. >> i think there are three reasons. one is, obviously this is complicated. the united states is about to engage in a military operation, we

also defense secretary chuck hagel.sking questions now, a member of the arms services committee senator claire mccaskell, a democrat from missouri. let's listen. >> the point i'm trying to make is it's a much different situation now in terms of getting maliki to step down. iran was very concerned about isil taking over iraq and what that meant. clearly there was pressure being exerted for maliki to step down by iran. so us getting -- i think for us to take credit for getting maliki to step down is unrealistic in light of what the geopolitical forces were in their neck of the woods at that point in time. >> i was -- i was here on this episode and i can tell you that it wasn't the united states that pushed maliki out. it was his own people iran being part of that. so it wasn't the united states dictating that maliki stay or not stay. let's not forget that iraq is a sovereign nation. it has elections. we may not like the outcomes, but it is a sovereign country. that was the entire point when general -- when president bush

and defense secretary chuck hagel and the joint chiefs chairman general martin dempsey warned congress today about the threat posed by isis. both hagel and dempsey testified before the senate armed services committee. did the joint chiefs chairman open the possibility to ground forces in this fight against isis. listen to what general dempsey had to say -- >> our military advisers will help the iraqis conduct campaign planning arranged for enabler and logistic support and coordinate our coalition activities. if we reach the point where i believe our advisers should accompany iraq troops on attacks against specific isil targets, i'll recommend that to the president. >> certainly sounded like he was opening that door. let's bring in jim sciutto. is there a contradiction emerging now, be it slight, between what the pentagon is saying about combat forces on the ground as opposed to the president? >> maybe in semantic serterms. but if this was doubt whether it's general dempsey or the pentagon freelancing the president doesn't want -- general dempsey went on to say in questioning that the p

he spoke exclusively with chuck hagel.ur viewers what he told you. >> you saw the defense secretary hagel speaking today very frankly and directly on hard questions that have hounded the administration so far. one, the end game to make it a more manageable threat or destroy it. he says to destroy it. is isis a threat to the u.s. homeland somewhere down the line or today? he says it's a threat today. in those words and warnings, you're hearing from the defense secretary preparing the american public for what's going to be a long, difficult fight against isis. >> reporter: with the brutality of isis playing out on television screens across the world, defense secretary chuck hagel says there's only one u.s. end game. >> we're providing the president with those options to degrade their capability. >> that's the end game? >> no, it's not contain. it's exactly what the president said. degrade and destroy. >> there have been mixed signals as to how severe that threat is. two weeks ago you sadiid isis i an eminent threat. the admi

defense secretary chuck hagel also took his seat.e also seeing a number of anti war protesters as well. this has become somewhat customary in hearings like this and all the protesters have taken their seats. there's michigan senator carl levin getting set to make opening remarks. let's listen in for just a bit. >> on the threat posed by the islamic state of iraq, known as isis or isil, and on the president's strategy for addressing this threat, secretary hagel and general dempsey, we welcome you both. we look forward to your testimony. isis has terrorized the iraqi and syrian people. engaging in kidnappings, killings,s p s pepersecutions o religious minorities and attacking schools, hospitals and cultural sites. isis has brought home its barbaridy with the brutal beheading of american journalists, while isis is currently focused on building an islamic caliphate in the middle east, it's hostile, not only to the region but the world. and there's real risk the area it controls could be a launching pad for future terrorist attacks in the

. >> secretary of defense chuck hagel and chairman of the joint chiefs of staff martin dempsey. >> to explain the president's strategy to wage war against isis. >> this will not be easy or brief. >> this will require a sustained effort. >> the problem is, how do you remove this group? >> congress appears to be on the verge of green lighting a plan to arm syrian rebels. >> we know there is a lot of factions to the free syrian army. >> different forces we cannot control are at play. >> who is the free syrian army we would be training? >> you have questions about the plan. >> it's a mistake to arm them. most of the arms we've given to them have wound up in the hands of isis because isis takes it from them. >> would air power be enough? >> the u.s. is expanding the air assault in iraq. >> the number of u.s. air strikes in iraq now numbering over 160. the question is, what do we do in syria? >> who exactly would we be training? >> is this a war of necessity or choice. >> we are where we are where we are. >> we've got a generational problem which is to say a 20-year problem. >> these are th

defense secretary chuck hagel says all options are on the table except a ground intervention. and the u.s. is prepared to deal with the threat. he spoke to jim sciutto. >> reporter: with the brutality of isis playing out on television screens across the world, defense secretary chuck hagel said there is only one u.s. end game. >> we're providing the president with those options to degrade and destroy isil's capability. >> reporter: that's the end game, contain and destroy. >> no, it's not contain. it's degrade and destroy. >> reporter: there have been mixed signals from the administration as to how imminent and severe that threat is. two weeks ago you sadie sis is an imminent threat to everything we have. after your comments, the administration seemed to pull back somewhat. you had the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff describe it as a regional threat. is it an imminent threat to the u.s. homeland or to the region? >> first of all, i didn't say homeland. i said to u.s. interests. >> reporter: you said an imminent threat to every interest we have. >> i didn't say homeland.

secretary chuck hagel today said that airstrikes in syria are on the table. correspondent catherine herridge is at the pentagon tonight with our report. proactive defense secretary chuck hagel said the military objective is clear. >> to degrade and destroy the capability of isil, to come after u.s. interests all over the world and our allies. reporter: he insisted that there had been a strategy with airstrikes in syria under consideration. reporter: he asked us for different options and we have prepared him for not these on analysis of the execution videos and obvious details such as facial hair, the state department says that steven sotloff and james foley were murdered on different days. >> the videos were not shot at the same time is what we are determining, with a video of steven sotloff being shown after the james foley video. reporter: social media fuels isis recruitment. they spread their propaganda at lightning speed. >> they are the dominant force of influence four the nation's top official says that they now control territory the size of great brita

bill: chuck hagel says there are 100 americans joining that fight, or more, we don't know. why would it be so difficult not knowing now. >> because you have people who have just gone the middle east in what appears to be legitimate travel. puff people who have gone to europe and worked their way down into syria. it's not always clear who is fighting and who is not. they could be there on a family vacation. bill: i guess the best answer is there is no real way of knowing that. >> the best intelligence we can. infair gait people. but in that case there will be more intelligence assets on the ground in syria. the fbi, the cia. defense intelligence, homeland surety, all of them are doing all that they can. it will put us in a stronger position if the president showed leedership. what we are doing now is playing defense. we have to be more aggressive and go into their comarnld and control centers in syria. we can't allow isis -- bill: what is your expectation now of the nato summit? do you expect much? >> i think there has to be more. i'm now reasonably confident, you combine da

signed, chuck hagel, secretary of defense.uished public service awarded to the honorable howard p. "buck" mckeon for distinguished public service as a member of the united states house of representatives from january 1993 to january 2015. and as chairman, ranking member and member of the house armed services committee from january 1995 to january 2015. with uncommon devotion and steadfast leadership, congressman mckeon was an unwavering proponent for national defense and dedicated champion for the members of armed services deeply committed to protecting the nation's security. he led the committee's efforts to fund critical military operations worldwide and initiated the first overhaul of acquisition in years which helped shape the force to more capably meet the complex challenges of the threats of the 21st century. congress matching mckeon' -- congressman mckeon's onyielding dedication to support and protect key readiness programs and provide enhancements to troop force protection equipment is without peer. an aggressive suppo

at a briefing today, chuck hagel could not name the head of the free syrian army, the so-called moderateian opposition that the united states is now backing. >> who is the head of the free syrian opposition that you're planning to train? >> first of all, we are in the process of setting up the system for those that we will begin to train moderate opposition with syrian fighters. lou: congress has approved capital in dollars to train the group and the pentagon has been opaline training these members in jordan for the past year and a half. the cia has been doing the same thing for nearly two years. joining us now is a member of both the house veterans affairs and arms services committee. also serving as combat search and in iraq. good to have you with us, commerce and brad wenstrup. >> thank you. lou: are you shocked at the defense secretary could not name the head of the group that the administration is now defending his boots on the ground, as they put it? >> i would think that we would have a few names to see who is going to be in charge and that is one of the things we have a concern a

hill continues today with secretary kerry testifying to the house foreign affairs committee and chuck hagel appearing before the senate committee. >>> and hasan ruhani says the killing of the people is a shame for them and concern for all mankind. he did have plenty of criticism for the u.s. plan, particularly the reluctance of the american ground troops. >>> syrian president bashar al assad stepped up his campaign to destroy the so-called moderate syrian rebels that the united states will count on to battle isis on the ground in syria. anti-assad fighters are hit with a new wave of air strikes and assassinations. the obama administration says it will not coordinate with the assad regime in the night against isis. on the ground in iraq, isis has control of the second largest city. mosul. the militant group is ordering schools to open with a ban on history and geography and l literatu literature. now kurdish peshmerga forces say they are not strong enough to change that situation to retake mosul or help at least. the top kurdish leader says peshmerga fighters need international help and lots

chuck hagel will be grilled on iraq and syria. the administration is seeking authority to train and arm moderate syrian rebels. >> we heard members of congress talk about how important this effort is and they should put their vote where their words are. holding this off until the mid-term elections would set this back further. >> the justice department launching a program to fight isis at home as well as religious leaders and police will be enlisted to combat recruitment. >>> could switzerland be famous for neutrality be home for edward snowden? swiss prosecutors say he may be granted safe haven if he helps with the investigation into the u.s. spying there. they said snowden would be safe from extradition to the united states. it is unlikely he would be granted asylum. officials say this is hypothetical. he was granted three years in russia last month. >>> and new effort to contain the ebola outbreak in west africa. the plan includes the deployment up to 3,000 u.s. military personnel and addition of 1,700 beds for treating patient

. >> defense secretary chuck hagel testified hes approved plans for air strikes in syria and target isisd same time secretary kerry is working for a second straight day to sell congress and clear up what one law makers said is mixed messages. hi, mike, what can you tell us? >> reporter: secretary of state kerry has gotten questions of how committed our allies are to defeating isis. and others questioning how well vetted the syrian opposition is that we are about to train and arm. and others are wondering how the administration will measure success or failure. one key republican questioned about the president's strategy. >> we know that top and former military leaders said a sometime may come when boots will be on the ground to supplement the kurds or iraqi forces and this is rebuffed by the president. our allies in the gulf need to make substantative investments for the coalition. should the need a rise, it will be willing to send its own troops on the ground in syria. >> one member questioned if we are looking at another vietnam if the united states doesn't get it right, heather. >> i w

. >>> chuck hagel is back on capitol hill, telling the house armed services committee na the u.s. is ready to strike i.s.i.l. in syria. mike viqueira has the latest. >> that's right. chuck hagel recounting the president's meeting, going to tampa, the air force base, the home in charge of operations, the president signed off on what the military is developing, going after oil christopher gibson, command and control -- i.s.i.l., command and control. the senate is passing, on its way to the president, the measure, the authorisation that the president needed. he doesn't need it further authoritiesation for the larger air strikes, but if he offers overt aid to the syrian rebels, they'll be training in saudi territory. that is so interesting. you listen to the debate over the course of the afternoon, everyone is standing up and raising objections to what the president wants to do. many think he's going too far. a lot like john mccain says he's not going far enough, here is comes, the measure is passed, and here it comms to the president. a major hurdle here, a lot of skepticism, and som

chuck hagel, secretary of defense, testifies before congress tomorrow. >> thank you. the u.s. estimates dozens of americans are fighting for i.s.i.l. attorney general eric holder announced plans to stement the flow at a-- stem the flow at a crass roots level. >> the programme brings together a group of people to improve local engagement, to counter violent extremism and build a broad network of community partnerships to keep the nation safe. >> the u.s. and european nations worry foreign fighters will return home after learning how to fight with i.s.i.l. the united kingdom is considering seizing suspects of those suspected of fighting in iraq and syria. >>> a moment of silence for the british aid worker beheaded by i.s.i.l. david haines, the third publicly killed. european oficials say it highlights the dangers aid workers face. 450 convoys have been attacked. his death set off anger across the u.k. phil ittner is in london for us. >> yes, you are spot on. the anger felt from the unveiling of it beheading video on the weekend is felt keenly here in the u.k. prime minister davi

chuck hagel and martin dempsey told the senate armed services committee that u.s. ground forces may be necessary in the fight against islamic state in iraq or isil, they agreed to take on isil. but general devin see added that many would recommend that u.s. troops get involved directly on the ground if the international coalition formed proves ineffective. and the campaign against the militants last name be easy or brief. a group of 20,000 militants taking on one of the world's biggest super powers might sound ridiculous, but it's possible that isil's leaders want a confrontation with the united states and consider it a plus for their long-term prospects. jerry, for those out there, they should read your column on this to get a sense of your anything, but you've argued that this might play right into isil's hands, why. >> well, its hard to say because i'm sure that our logic should be applied from our thinking. but it's entirely possible that from the islamic state, the islamic organizations, we're the ones who have taken the proper path here to try to attract supp

chuck hagel has been asking for a better understanding of the relationship between the u.s. military and the nfl. this is not a formal review, but it looks like hagel wants more information about how the military supports the nfl with fly overs and the singing of the national anthem and the like. we are asking you to team up against domestic abuse. join the 16 women senators who wrote a letter to commissioner roger goodell calling if are a zero tolerance policy in the nfl. if you agree, head to our website to sign your name or tweet us with the hash tag to let us know what you think so far. more than 1200 of you have signed our petition. keep up the good work. janine said please keep up the pressure on the nfl. they have to stop being perpetuated by the league and they can keep playing and making money for the league. on twitter, jose said there should be zero tolerance for violence wherever it happens. our country is sweeping criminal activities under the rug. coming up, the coalition is coming together. the united states is now not the only foreign country conducting air s

and chuck hagel. ahead of the request to arm the syrian rebels. this is "outnumbered." here today, harris faulkner, sandra smith, and today's hashtag one lucky guy, yes, iheis outnumbered. >> you have to broadcast before you go on air. >> nothing like a good scrum. i usually like to tape my ears back. >> what? >> the fight against isis front and center. the measure passed in the house yesterday, this a has lawmakersn both sides express deep reservations of the presidents plan and accused the administration of sending mixed messages on whether u.s. ground troops will be necessary. the president insisting america will not be dragged into another ground war. president obama: i will not commit you and the rest of our armed forces to fighting another ground war in iraq. after a decade of massive ground deployments it is more effective to use the unique capabilities and supportive partners on the ground to secure their own countries futures. the only solution that was feet over the long-term. >> but some have a different opinion on that with some current and former u.s. gener

defense secretary chuck hagel told cnn that it will take more than u.s. air strike to deal with isis. >> air strikes alone won't fulfill, accomplish what the mission is. this is why i go back to an earlier answer i gave on this is a larger dimension of many pieces. one is a functioning, credible inclusive iraqi government that's being formed now. coalition partners building coalitions in that area so everybody has a role. >> secretary of state john kerry now scheduled to travel to the middle east to talk to the allies about build up to coalition to fight isis. barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. >> now following bash la ra's reporting, let's bring in our live guest, a terrorism expert and director of international security for the asia. you heard the plan that's being laid out by the u.s. president to support moderate sunni groups and to form a coalition of nations. but will that work in your opinion? >> well, the problem is that there needs to be cooperation on the ground with iraq's neighbors. so countries like iran, saudi arabia, turkey and then also som

secretary of defense chuck hagel said they're aware of the situation, aware of the threat, they are talking with coalition partners including turkey about what they could do to come to their aid if possible. the other thing i pressed him on, it was only last money when secretary hagel and martin democra dempsey were testifying on capitol hill and they were asked will they request u.s. troops to take up fights against isis. he said if i feel that that is needed, i will make a wreck dis. for ten days we had denials of that. i asked him again that question today. listen to how he answered. >> i'm not talking about a large presence, but, for instance, helping in targeting air strikes or forward deployed advisers. are those specific missions that you might ask the president for u.s. forces? >> i just stand by the statement. i will make a recommendation. the president gave me a mission. destroy isil. and i will recommend to him what it takes to destroy isil. >> you heard that, don. no walking back of his vow, if he feels necessary to accomplish that mission he was describing, if he feels it neces

in case anyone had doubts, defense secretary chuck hagel said we were at war with i.s.i.l. general martin dempsey said he will ask the president on a case-by-case basis to send in troops, special operators. sounds like we have gone from mission creep to gallop and it hasn't been a week. >> to be fair to the chairman, i think he said if the conditions warranted he'd go back and ask the president for troops. that's the military advisor's responsibility. general martin dempsey is the military advisor to the president, not the political advisor to the president. sending u.s. troops to iraq remains politically impossible. it's not politically popular in iraq. we still have many politicians in iraq saying they'd oppose the return of u.s. troops to iraq, even in the dire circumstances. >> the reality is - isn't it semantition, we have 16 hunt troops there. >> they are there, but in embassies, in onsolutes. no one is troubled with u.s. troops. obviously if you start to put brigades worth of troops, or even a couple of hundred special forces advisors on the front lines they are more

defense secretary chuck hagel says the u.s. is spending $10 million a day and likely to request more money. >>> time for an early start on money. asian stocks are lower. pro democracy protests are rattling the hang seng. the last day of january. >> january? >> september. >> living in the past. christine romans. >>> fiery words for hamas and isis. benjamin netanyahu warning the united nations the two organization he says are branches of the same poisonous tree bent on world domination and terror. >> when it comes to the ultimate goals, hamas is isis and isis is hamas. and what they share in common, all militant islamists share in common. >> the prime minister went on to tell the united nations that israel's fight against hamas and u.s. fight against isis are part of the same cause. >>> the united states and afghanistan allowing nearly 10,000 american troops to remain in that country beyond the end of the year. officials from both countries agreed to the deal. they agreed to it a year ago. the former president hamid karzai refuse