and this particular guy, doug mccain, apparently self radicalized. shooting at people that he felt he was on a jihad against. but it just takes one. september 11 is coming up and you just never know where these people are. >> the administration telegraphing inaction, limited action when it comes to syria and what is to come. we're standing by with air surveillance that could and seems to be poised -- set to really shift over to air strikes. but he said there will be no more boots on the ground because it may indeed cede extremist. >> he went to 1,000 advisors, to 100, to none. in iraq, now iraq. now possibly get not guilty syria. now we're talking about arming different factions on the ground. the president's message yesterday was perplexing. >> because he doesn't really have a plan, unfortunately. >>> eight minutes aftethe top of the hour. we have been detailing on this channel the scandal with the irs on how they had to apologize because they illegally targeted conservative groups and lois lerner famously about a year ago planted that question. now

that's why the story behind doug mccain is so troubling. to islam he traveled to syria reportedly fighting along side the isis army there, was killed in it doing so. they will come back to the united states to carry out the attack. >> this is one of those factors this idea of foreign fighters getting over there and becoming radicalized. we are not the only government concerned with this but it is on our mind. >> he promised there would be no combat troops on the ground in iraq saying it would only anger radicals. >> the answer is not to send in large military deployments that over stretch our military and lead for us occupying countries that lend to extremism. >> they were keeping something of an eye on mccain. they knew he was a potential player in all of this. with so many americans over there now it is difficult to keep track of all of them. >> time for "look who is talking. andrew mccarthy says the administration is not taking it slightly. >> they are not the only ones because this is our problem one we cannot delegate to the afghan arm

muslim convert doug mccain was not the first american to fight or die with the extremists in syria and analysts fear others like him who survive may come back to terrorize the u.s. our brian todd has more. >> reporter: douglas macarthur mccain a young american killed while fighting with isis. u.s. officials say they believe he died in syria. he's thought to have been killed in a ballot between rival extremist groups near aleppo according to a human rights group. his uncle telling cnn his death occurred this past weekend. >> it ratchets up concerns. an american killed fighting with isis. this had somebody who become a trained killer. >> they were investigating mccain for some time before his death. he was on a list of americans believed to have joined militant groups and who would be subject to additional scrutiny if they travel. a twitter account believed to be linked to him has one message supporting isis. u.s. officials have told cnn, more than 100 americans have gone to syria to fight with various jihadist group, a 22-year-old from florida blew himself up while fighting with the al

doug mccain grew up outside of minneapolis in a suburb. he was raised christian, but converted to islam a couple of years ago. an old friend remembers he was a nice, quiet kid, had a big heart, loved playing basketball. mccain had a few minor scrapes with the law. his family is stunned. >> it's mind-blowing. it's crazy. i don't understand it. i don't even believe it. i'm in shock. like, i don't even know how to feel. my cousin was not a terrorist. he is not a terrorist. >> so the family is in shock. but i want you to take a look at some of the tweets from mccain's account. his bio, islam over everything. his tweets, joining you guys soon. quote, i'm with the brothers now, increasingly sympathetic with isis when you read what he's put out there. and that put him squarely in the sights of u.s. intelligence. and now we're getting word in addition to mccain there is a second american who may have been killed along with mccain on that isis battlefield. cnn justice reporter, evan perez, is joining me with more on that newer report, evan. how cre

. >> for years, troy kastigar and doug mccain were the picture of the average teenage american boys.ketball and were in some ways inseparable. >> troy had, there's quite a few people who you would say they would say they were best friends. and doug was one of those really close friends. he spent a lot of time at our house. he went to family gatherings with us. they played basketball together. >> how did two respectful young men go from image to this? >> this is the real disneyland. come here and join us. >> this recruitment video was posted from the group al she bob. both kastigar and mccain ended up fighting for terrorists overseas. mccain killed in syria just days ago, kastigar killed in 2009 in somalia. his mother still trying to understand how it all happened. >> i'll never not have that pain. and that bitterness, but by trying to fill my life with joy and recognize the gifts and the beauty of the world, it makes it easier. >> kastigar's mother says he started having trouble at 16. he began using drugs and was searching for help and spiritual guidance. >> and he found comfort in

. >> reporter: for years troy kastigar and doug mccain were the picture of the average teenaged americanhey grew up in minneapolis, both loved playing back and were inseparable. >> there's quite a few people who you would say they would say they were best friends. and doug was one of those really close friends. he spent a lot of time at our house. he went to family gatherings with us. they played basketball together. >> reporter: how did two respectful young men go from this image to this? >> this is the real disneyland. you need to come here and join us. >> reporter: this recruitment video featuring kastigar was posted by al shabaab. they both ended up fighting for terrorists over seas. mccain killed in syria days ago. kastigar killed in 2009 in somalia. his mother still trying to understand how it all happened. >> i'll never not have that pain and that bitterness, but by trying to fill my life with joy and recognize the gifts and the beauty of the world, it makes it easier. >> reporter: kastigar's mother said he started having trouble at 16. he began using drugs and was searching for h

. >> and as you know, don, it turns out that kastigar was also friends with doug mccain, another young man it turns out who was killed just a few days ago. again, another man who had joined a terrorist organization, not in somalia, but in syria. and so a lot of questions about why these young men seem to be coming out of this particular community. >> you can hear just the heartbreak in her voice, jason. did she have any idea what her son was doing? i know she said he was taking a spiritual journey. did she know what he was doing? >> yeah. she did not. and initially, he had told her he was going to kenya to study the koran. that's what she thought. at least until fbi agents actually showed up at her door in july of '09 saying we believe that your son has joined a terrorist organization. she sent him an e-mail. there really had not been a element of communication at that time, that period between the two of them. she sent in a.m. an e-mail saying if you're in somalia, basically, please get out. it's dangerous. the next thing she had heard from him or heard about him was when once again f

like doug mccain who was reported killed this week in syria. as a student in suburban minneapolis in the late 1990s, mccain became friends with troy castigar, who also became a jihadist with the al qaeda affiliate in somalia. he encouraged in this video other americans to join him. >> this is the real disneyland. >> reporter: castigar was later killed in battle, like his friend, mccain. authorities say social media is a big part of the recruitment. and surprisingly, i.s.i.s. also uses rap music appeals to foreign fighters, despite their rejection of all things western. listen to this american voice. ♪ this goes out to all my soldiers, freedom fighters equalizers ♪ ♪ they slaughter us like animals now it's time for the beast to bite back ♪ ♪ black flags >> reporter: with increasing concern about the threat from the american recruits if they return home, the fbi in minnesota has issued a public plea in helping to identify them. >> a lot of times, these individuals are fairly adept at covering their tracks. >> reporter: now the recruitment has exp

. >> reporter: for years troy castagar and doug mccain were the picture of the average teenage american boys. they grew up in minneapolis. both loved playing basketball and were in some ways inseparable. >> troy had -- there's quite a few people who i think you would say -- they would say they were best friends. and doug was one of those really close friends. he spent a lot of time at our house. he went to family gatherings with us. they played basketball together. >> so how did two respectful young men go from this image to this? >> this is the real disneyland. you need to come here and join us. >> reporter: this recruitment video was posted from the militant group al shabaab. both castagar and mccain ended up fighting for terrorists overseas. mccain killed in syria just days ago. castagar killed in 2009 in somalia. his mother still trying to understand how it all happened. >> i'll never not have that pain and that bitterness, but by trying to fill my life with joy and recognize the gifts and the beauty of the world, it makes it easier. >> reporter: castagar's mother says he started ha

. >> catherine: 33 year-old doug mccain was killed in a battle between extremist groups. >> catherineephew converted from christianity to islam several years ago. >> catherine: we are in contact with the family, and are providing all possible consular assistance. as you know, there's typically a process that needs to be gone through before any confirmation can be made. >> and certainly, out of respect for the family, we're not going to be adding any more comment at this >> catherine: mcain's family maintains they had no knowledge he was going to join the fight in syria. >> pam: an unlimited ceasefire, now in place between israel and gaza. >> pam: the egyptian- brokered truce calls for an end to the violence with no expiration date. >> pam: the teams of the deal include-- israelis and palestinians will ease the blockade on gaza. open the boarder crossings for humanitarian and medical aid. >> pam: and, both sides will come back to cairo for more negotiations. the united nations reports 67 israelis, and more than 21-hundred palestinians have been killed in the conflict. >> pam: next at 6

. >> one man met mccain at as mo can and said 10-minute minutians in the community had been recruited to fight for isis in syria. >> doug mass mccain wasn't the first one and unfort funately h won't be the last. >> there could be another third terrorist. the syrian sniper shows the gunman wearing a sweatshirt saying cooper hawks. isis recruitment goes well beyond minnesota. the terror group has drawn mo people from more than 50 countries. >> thank you very much marianne rafferty. >> chilling threats in al qaeda in their english magazine hinting of a looming attack in america. how to make car bombs. how america is handling this latest threat. >> there is a scary hin the in an al qaeda magazine published in english that gives an attack date of being in the year 201 question mark. a strike this time or another year in the decade. it has military colleges, las vegas casinos and oil tankers as we near the 9-11 anniversary. they blame it on a lack of leadership. >> the president needs to tell the american people what our strategy is. they flal from one issue to another reacting rather than acting. >> the white house says isis

we have been told about a one-time friend of doug last mccain who died fighting for isis.was killed fighting for the al-shabaab terror group in somalia back in 2009. cnn spoke with his mother, who still, five years after her son's death is struggling with his loss. >> i don't easily talk about it with people. i don't want to have to defend him. my family is great and my friends are greacht. just in general, in the world, it is the hardest, the hardest loss that there is. and, i'm really grateful that i had him. and that i knew doug. >> isis is said to be recruiting people from the twin cities mainly because of the large somali population. terrorists are targeting young, disaffected people by using the recruitment videos. at least 100 americans have left the country to take up arms alongside militant extremists. >>> president obama pointing the finger at russia for the brazen action in ukraine saying they are responsible for fueling the civil war there. u.s. officials say russia sent in 1,000 soldiers so fight inside ukraine alongside those pro-russian separatists. the rebe

fighting in sewer crashes the washington times this morning, puts number closer to 300, as far as doug mccain the guy in question the most dangerous tool in his arsenal may have been his us passport. back story behind douglas macarthur mccain disturbing but hartley unique, convert to islam here in the united states, he was reportedly killed while fighting for isis in syria. but the real threat for us officials is someone like him, fighting for radicals hal, while holding a us passport, then return home to carry out an attack. >> when we speak about the the threat that poses, this is one of those factors, this idea of for infighters, going over there, getting radical, and potentially working their way back to their homeland. not the only government concerned about this, but certainly on our minds. >> american peter curtis meantime is back in the united states, after being held hostage by another extremist group in syria for almost two years. and we're now learning that isis forces are believed to be holding another american, a 26 year old woman, who was an aid work nerve syria. last week, the

. >> reporter: mohamed knew doug lag mccain who also is from minneapolis and killed fighting for isisese images sent to mccain of to his family and passport. the minneapolis connection was investigated and says there's a pattern. >> there's clear and convincing evidence then that there was a pipeline from minneapolis to islamic jihad overseas and that people in the community knew about it. and people in the community were covering it up. >> reporter: while the defense department labeled the if the hood shooting workplace violence, the massacre killed 13 and injured more than 30 others at the texas army base. in this letter obtained exclusively by fox news the convicted shooter major nadal hasan tells the isis leader al baghdadi that he wants to be a citizen of the caliphate. "it would be an honor for any believer to be an obedient citizen soldier to its people and its leader who don't compromise the religion of the all mighty allah to get along with its leaders." more evidence of hasan's extreme belief. eric. >>> thank you. tonight, we turn our focus to terror in the heart land of ame

identity has not yet been revealed but reports suggests he died in the same firefight as american doug mccainho joined ranks with the terror group after crossing the border from turkey. >> let's get this right. another american goes to syria and joins isis and how does that end up? >> badly. >> they die. it's going to happen to you, okay? just stay in minnesota, okay? it's not going to end up well for you. when you go over there, we are going to kill you, right? don't join isis, okay? go to disney land. >>> by some accounts up to 100 u.s. citizens are fighting along the lamic extremist. the mother of another u.s. journalist being held hostage by isis is speaking out. shirley sotloff made a plea to the leader of the islamic state, the group that executed james foley. >> since steven's capture i've learned a lot about islam. i've learned that they teach that no individual should be held responsible for the sins of others. steven has no control over the actions of the u.s. government. he's an innocent journalist. i've always learned that you, the kaliff can grant amnesty. i ask you to please rel

a lot of questions still remaining about doug mccain. >>> all right.e israeli military has closed the area around its border crossing with syria after being seized by syria rebels backed by al qaeda linked fighters. it had within under control under the assad regime. this raises concerns about the conflict widening in the region. >>> the united nations security council has passed a resolution concerning the intense fighting in libya and is demanding an immediate cease-fire. the security council's resolution includes sanctions against those involved in the violence between rival militias. libya's ambassador to the u.n. called the resolution a milestone but has also warned of a full-blown civil war. >>> a search-and-rescue mission is under way for the pilot of a fighter jet that crashed yesterday in virginia. the air force national guard f-15 went down in a rugged area of the george washington national forest on wednesday morning. the plane was headed for massachusetts to louisiana when the pilot reportedsome sort of in-flight emergency. they are still l

. >> reporter: dozens of them are americans like doug lak dous mccain. >> my cousin is not a terrorist. and this is the first that i've heard that he was equity canned to the jihadi or whatever. >> reporter: the syrian observatory for human rights said 6,000 joined the islamic state group last month alone. it's extremely savvy using facebook and twitter. >> my brothers living in the west -- >> appealing mostly to men. the so-called jihadi coolidge promoted on line. >> they have a sense of wanting to belong to something. so a lot of the imagery that is used by the radical folks, the radical mullas is attractive to them. i think we all like the idea of being liked, being involved. and for whatever reason these folks feel very detached from society. >> reporter: a recent study found a surprising number of european recruits, 6% are new to islam. many are second or third generation immigrants. have no experience fighting. and no connection to syria. they're drawn by dueling images, both welcoming, posing with cats and also violent. >> social media and other types of evolving technologies al

mccain. >> good morning. doug lace mcarthur mccain is the first american to die while fighting for the islamic state group. a spokeswoman confirmed his death, saying the u.s. was aware he was in syria. according reports he died in a fire fight with the free syrian army. the question is why did this young man leave relative safety of the united states to go overseas and join a group labelled as the u.s. terrorist. >> 33-year-old grew up in the midwest, went to a high school and moved to san diego. it's unclear how we ended up fighting for the islamic state group. mccain liked rap music and basketball. his uncle reportedly said his nephew became radicalized. a picture posted on the facebook account in 2010 shows the flag of the islamic state group, and on twitter two months ago there was a retreat. pray for i.s.i.s. mccain's family was notified that he died over the weekend in syria. >> when i see him and hear him speak and he sounds like somalia, i didn't think that was my cousin. that's why i said he may have lost

in the meantime, a shocking tale of moment grown terror regarding isis, we told you about doug las mccainerson from california born if illinois who turned against his country and died by isis overseas. mccain grew up in minnesota near a high school area in the twin cities just like abder rominijaheen him one of mccain high school buddies became a terrorist. he was killed in 2009 in somalia. ainsley ehrhardt is actually live outside the high school where they grooup grew up and went to school. ainsley, what are group saying there? >> reporter: oh, gosh, 1250e6rks they're so shocked. a lot of these neighbors didn't foe these guys live among them. let me go through their personalities. the first one is castagar. we have a picture of him. he has been arrested twice. traffic investigations an credit card fraud. his mom says he converted to islam. it made him bright again she says. it was a path that was wonderful for him, she says. then she talked about his best friend. mccain. she said he was funny, goofy, polite. he was always respectful. she was shocked this happened. he was always in troub

doug ducey. we haven't mentioned senator mccain or senator jeff flake. because neither senator has endorsed a candidate in this primary. they've stayed out of it, almost afraid of getting involved in the raucous nature of arizona primary politics. go daddy executive christine jones flew under the radar for weeks before using a surge of ads and outside money to get back in the race. she's also been pushing the campaign to the right a bit. final note, by the way, in turnout for both of these races. neither state broke -- turnout is not expected to get better this time. you have to wonder if an august primary is the best way to engage voters, particularly when both states have so many snow birds who haven't even gotten there yet. on florida, a dispute over congressional maps right up until last friday before a judge agreed to let the mid terms operate under those redrawn maps. so the controversy that democrats thought was going to help them perhaps pick up a few morehouse seats may be subsided for now. joining me now to talk more about today's primary day,

mccain was impressed that chase was serving with the air force and make something of his life and wanted to do the same. >> it don't make no sense. the doug i know is a good person. >> reporter: several months ago, mccain told family members he was traveling to turkey. what they did not know is that from there he made his way into syria, to isis strongholds, to fight and die for their cause. and you can bet that u.s. intelligence authorities will be combing into every aspect of mccain's life, which could hopefully lead them to other americans serving in isis or those sympathetic to its cause. dan simon, cnn, san diego. >> and i want to talk more about the staggering task of tracking western jihadis with cnn military analyst and retired u.s. army general "spider" marks and also mark baker. spid spider, let me start with you. the notion that americans may consider bombing other american citizens yet again on foreign soil because of this ideological war that's being fought, is this the best way to go about trying to tamp down this threat of them returning to the united states by actually bombing them in country? or would it be perhaps more p

he says mccain was impressed that chase was serving with the air force in iraq, and making something of his life and wanted to do the same. >> it don't make no sense. the doug i know is a good person and i wouldn't even think he would ever do anything like that. >> reporter: several months ago mccain told family members he was traveling to turkey. what they did not know is from there he made his way into syria to isis strongholds to fight and die for their cause. and you can bet that american intelligence authorities are looking into every aspect of mccain's past, which could hopefully lead them to other americans serving in isis for those sympathetic to its cause. carol? >> dan simon reporting live for us this morning, thanks so much. >>> the united states is edging toward military action in syria. state department spokeswoman says president obama has been given a range of planning options on how to take on isis. mr. obama has already authorized reconnaissance flights over syria, a spy mission that could begin at any time. the big question now, will he go one step farther and give the okay to conduct air is tristrik syria to target isis militants on the gr

a 33-year-old american, doug the lass mcarthur mccain joined isis and died on sunday in syria. a battle captured on camera as isis fighters attacked a checkpoint held by a syrian opposition group. but he died in this battle. nbc news viewed photos too graphic to show with his body with his distinctive tattoo. his u.s. passport in his pocket when he died. the white house confirmed his death late tuesday noting we were aware of u.s. citizen douglas mcauthur mcc3 c3 su pasaporte en su bolsillo. he converted to islam 10 years ago, eventually moving to san diego, taking the name duale the slave of allah in june, mccain wrote an isis member to say we will see you soon. >> you hear this american going to the middle east, joining forces with isis and dying alongside them. first of all, is isis actively recruiting americans and westerners, or are these americans people like this mccain actively going out to try to find their way to isis? >> a little bit of both. a year ago isis was actively calling on people, americans, europeans, to come and join the fight. it took over large portions

doug econmade an interesting point, a former -- melissa: cbo. >> cbo chief, and worked with john mccain during the campaign. he said we had an increase in gdp because of inventories. unexpected -- melissa: oh, surge in inventory. >> unexpected but coming out of nowhere, left field surge in inventories, that's interesting in the context of this. melissa: it is, it is. >> that makes you think it was a fluke. melissa: taking it to the bank, donald trump is urging barclays not to settle with the lightweight, new york attorney general eric schneiderman. that's ballsy, it seems like something charlie gasparino would do. >> i would not say that. melissa: even you would not call the attorney general a lightweight, begging him. >> let's give a little context here. donald trump is in a battle with eric schneiderman, sued him over trump university. melissa: a for profit investment school. >> donald says it's not. they hate each other. donald hates him, obviously, and barclays knows this, just to give the viewer a little context here. the new york attorney general is one of the most powerful posts

doug, thank you. >> chuck said ugly bed fellows. in the meantime, we have eye-opening details about the americans who died fighting isis in syria. the pentagon confirming douglas mccain was killed in battle in syria there was a potential threat to the home land here. mccain was born in illinois and grew up in minnesota and spent time in california before heading to syria to fight along the terror group after converting to islam. the u.s. officials were aware of what he was doing. mccain was reportedly killed in the northern syria city after carrying out an attack. isis is fighting for control of that area for the past several weeks. >>> a senior official said 5,000 foreign fighter are a part of isis and that could include 100 americans. of course, this is not the first time americans have joined terror groups. alwacky was behind several bomb attacks. and the american born terrorist was killed in yemen by a drone strike. and you remember remember john walker lindh. and in may, a 22-year-old guy travelled to syria to join a terror group and he died in a suicide attack earlier this year. >> we are hearing from an american journalist freed from captivity. curtis was held

mccain on the right was killed in syria fighting for icize. troy cast at the guard while fighting al shabaab. >> reporter: for years, troy and doug were the picturee teenage american boys. they grew up in minneapolis, both loved playing basketball, and were in some ways inseparable. >> troy had, there's quite a few people would say they were best friends and doug was one of those really close friends. he spent a lot of time at our house, went to family gatherings with us. they played basketball together. >> reporter: how did two respectful young men go from this image to this. >> this is a real disneyland, need to come and join us. >> reporter: this recruitment video was posted by al shabaab. both of them ended up fighting for terrorists overseas. mccain killed in syria days ago, troy killed in 2009 in somalia. his mother still trying to understand how it all happened. >> i'll never not have that pain and that bitterness, but by trying to fill my life with joy and recognize the gifts and the beauty of the world, it makes it easier. >> reporter: his mother says he started to have trouble at 16, began using drugs, was searching for help and spiritu

he says mccain was impressed that chase was serving with the air force in iraq and making something of his life and wanted to do the same. >> don't make no sense. the dougs a good person, and i wouldn't even think that he would ever do anything like that. >> reporter: several months ago mccain told family members he was traveling to turkey. what they did not know is from there he made his way into syria to isis strongholds to fight and die for their cause. and you can bet that american intelligence officials are looking into every aspect of mccain's life that will hopefully identify or lead them to other americans serving in isis or sympathetic to its cause alisyn. >> yes, that would be very helpful. dan simon, thank you. it must be so confounding to his friends and family who thought that they knew him. >> of course, the issues, how was he recruited and who recruited whom? president obama weighing his options on countering the growing isis threats in syria. drones already flying near the syrian border to gather intelligence, and cnn has learned the united states is trying to keep up with terrorists using satellite images and realtime imagery in a possi