defense secretary jim isis is warning that north korea would face a quote massive military response if pyongyang ever used its nuclear weapons tensions have been running high on the korean peninsula the north conducted its sick nuclear test last month and tested missiles the regime claims are capable of reaching the u.s. mainland. thailand's new it kingma cohen has led a royal ceremony for the relics of his late father king on the king was joined by other members of the royal family i'm good asst monks in the throne hall of bangkok's grand palace the ceremony marks the fourth day of an elaborate five day funeral capping a year of mourning that the late king. arthur mahler's former president auto put as money in and his vice president will stand trial for corruption charges prosecutors say ring involving government officials customs agents and businesspeople to forwarded the state of millions of dollars in a alleged scheme to avoid a customs duty but you have denied the charges. saturday is when does the action cease to have gemini's best teams meet for the second time in four days is f

leaving a meeting with tribal leaders when they were ambushed by militants believed to be, linked to isis , jim and natasha, back to you. >>> meanwhile in other news republican and democratic senators are working together to craft a bill aimed at stabilizing health insurance markets for the next two years >> republican senator lemar alexander of tennessee and democratic senator patty murray of washington hope to present this bill to senate leadership by end of the week. president trump commended the bipartisan effort but added only long term solution is to repeal and replace obama care. >>> federal judge meantime has block trump administration's most recent travel ban, affecting people from five middle eastern countries, plus north korea, chad, and venezuela. ban was supposed to go in effect today but state of hawaii sued, arguing that the ban was an unlawful attempt to exclude muslims from the u.s. the white house is slamming the decision, they say it under cuts the president's effort to keep america safe. >>> with less than a month until new jersey voters select their new governor hear from t

going after boko haram and another organization have formed and gelled into this new group jim just said, isis in the sahal. what's interesting is when you talk about five or six or seven special service soldiers with company of fighters you're going to have confusion coming under fire with 50 insurgents with rocket propelled grenades. in iraq i had a soldier who went off in the bushes and wasn't found for six hours and he died. those are things when you talk about getting people out of there, retro grading trying to fight the enemy someone may get left behind. on october 5th african command started an investigation on this. 15-6 type investigation was started and all of that is taking place right now to look at the things jim mentioned, did they have the right support and conduct the right risk mitigation before they went out, did they have a good feel for intelligence. the kind of investigation that goes none an issue like that is unbelievable intense and always occurs when there's a death of an american. that is taking place right now. >> thank you all. we want to pay tribute to these four

isis. a brief by jim mattis about the ambush that left four american soldiers dead in niger. congress is bracing for a new front in the fight against isis. >> we don't want the next 9/11 to come from niger. >> reporter: senator lindsey graham calling for more congressional oversight, while warning americans about the changing battle field. >> the war is headed to africa. it's beginning to more morph. >> reporter: he sum is mondayed to capitol hill to tell how elite soldiers were taken by surprise. >> we can always improve on communication, and that's exactly what we'll do. >> reporter: the internal investigation gathers steam. the fbi lending forensic support looking into how a team of well-trained special forces was ambushed, the pentagon said, by a group of 50 isis-linked fighters. military officials say special forces who were meeting with the tribal elders before the attack may have been delayed intentionally, allowing isis to attack. and a senior congressional aide extensively briefed tells nbc news that the ambush that killed sergeant la david johnson and three other sol

troops in niger, by local isis forces. jim sciutto is working the story for us now, joining us from the pentagon. jim, you're learning new details from your sources about how this battle unfolded. >> reporter: that is right, a confusing battle we're learning. in the middle of the firefight, in this deadly ambush, the groups split up, one continuing on foot after their vehicle was destroyed in an attempt to counterattack, adding to the confusion they lost communication for a time between those troops. these are going to present many more questions to investigators. tonight, new details on the ambush in niger that left four u.s. soldiers dead, during a complex firefight with isis-affiliated fighters, the u.s. teams separated in two groups with an attempt to counterattack, with some of the soldiers leaving their vehicle on foot, multiple sources tell cnn at least one vehicle was disabled in the initial ambush. at one point, u.s. forces tried to out-flank their attackers. as the battle continued one group of american soldiers lost

isis attack? this is for you, jim. point, john mccain, who is the chairman of the senate armed services committee, what does he want to know? >> he said in so many words that the administration hasn't been upfront in addition to being a republican senator and a veteran himself and a form r p.o.w. is on the senate armed services committee, they have a responsibility to this and he said they have not been given the information they need. that's real question, why did these troops die? did they have the support they needed? this is an outpost of the american military? how many knew they were in niger? not very many. why are they there? there are affiliates of isis battling there. a group that carried out the attack is a group that's the islamic state inno hara, regardless. it's a real threat, do they have the support they need? there was question whether search and rescue were required after this. they were relying on french assets, they were relying on a private contractor for evacuation as was reported by barbara starr.

isis. wolf? >> yeah, we don't often hear from the head of mi5 along those lines. jimyou also have some exclusive new reporting on a different story. the russian troll farms that interfered in the u.s. presidential election. who was behind them? >> reporter: cnn has learned that the president of a russian oligarch, dubbed sometimes chef to president vladimir putin by the russian press, that he financed a troll factory that used social media to spread fake news during the 2016 u.s. presidential campaign. this according to multiple officials briefed on the investigation. he's one of the kremlin's inner circle. putin even had him cater birthday parties. his company is believed to be the main backer of the st. petersburg-based internet research agency, known as the ira, a secret technology firm that created and distributed fake news. he was sanctioned by the u.s. treasury department in december of 2016 for providing financial support to russia's military occupation of ukraine. and one of his companies, including his catering business, also sanctioned by the u.s. treasury t

isis attack? >> well, you know, i can understand what jim mattis is feeling right now because you lose four people in battle and you wonder what the hell happened and you want to find out and so i'm glad they are doing an investigation here. the fact is, we have special forces operating out of african, in that part of the world. they are fighting terrorism, whether it's boko haram oral shabab or isis. and in this case, it was isis. but the fact is, these are dangerous areas and there's no question in my mind that there was an intelligence breakdown. they did not know that there was isis in the area and there turned out to be 50 of them who opened fire on forces and were told that everything was okay. and so i do think an investigation needs to happen with the intelligence and why was it that this one individual was, for whatever reason, left behind. and thirdly, why do we not have our own u.s. air power covering our forces. i think when you're operating in those regions, you need to have u.s. air cover and air protection. >> well, you know, because it is really -- i'm a former pentagon corresponde

jim had to say. you are going to have the presence of isis and/or other radical islamist extremist groups there. you never know which is worse than the other. the other side of the coin is, without presence of troops not in the concentrations that maybe they need to be in in order to protect themselves, and protect american interests, that's going to continue to lead to incidents like this. we really have to -- part of the what the fbi will do, the agency does as well, will be gathering intelligence while we're there to determine if there is some way to plug into accomplishing what our goals and objectives are. >> thank you. i appreciate it. see you next time. >>> what i want to talk about five former presidents, carter, george h.w. bush, george w. bush, bill clinton and barack obama. teaming up tomorrow. guess who won't be joining them? the current occupant of the white house. here to discuss cnn presidential historian, douglas brinkley, julia kiam and alice stewart. hello, everyone, welcome to the program. good evening. doug, tomorrow, all five living former presidents, both bushes, clinton, c

now, today, president trump declared isis has lost its self-proclaimed capital of raqqa in syria, calling it a breakthrough. but yesterday, when defense secretary jim mattis briefed senators john mccain and lindsey graham on the niger incident, graham said the war is headed to africa. reena. >> ninan: thank you very much, errol. well, president trump said today that he has no plans to block the release of classified files on the assassination of president john f. kennedy. under a 1992 act, the government has until next thursday to disclose the remaining 3,000 documents. mr. trump says, unless he receives further information, he will allow the secret j.f.k. files to be opened. five former presidents are together in texas tonight for a concert benefiting the victims of recent hurricanes. democrats barack obama, bill clinton, and jimmy carter, and republicans george h.w. bush, and george w. bush, last gathered four years ago. president trump is appearing in a video message. in tampa, florida, this week, three people were shot to death in the same neighborhood. police think that it could be the work of a serial killer. here's tony dokoupil. >> reporter

there, they ended up in a massive fire fight. >> jim, what more are you learning about the nature of this mission to gather intelligence on a high-value isise region? >> reporter: these teams go out all the time to survey the scene, often to meet with local leaders, village elders, et cetera. on this particular trip, they were asked to stop in an encampment where it was believed that a known isis leader had been -- had been before. not at that moment, but had been before to see what intelligence they could gather. we've been told explicitly they were not sent on a mission to kill or capture that isis leader. in part because he wasn't there, but also this is not the team that would do it. it was not a team either equipped to to or backed up with the resources to carry out such a mission. >> david, the head of african command is calling for more resources in the region? >> reporter: well, that's right. that happened six months ago, jake. the head of the africa command speaking to the senate armed services committee, say they're underresourced. many of the missions they wanted to complete they couldn't because of the lack of resources. and pe

after leaving that meeting an estimated 50 jihadist supporters of isis ambushed the soldiers leading to a gun fight. defense secretary jimtis denies there was an intelligence failure. >> in the specific case contact was considered unlikely but there's a reason we have u.s. army soldiers there and not the peace corps because we carry guns and so it's a reality. >> pentagon officials say they initially were reluctant to put out statements about the attack because one of the victims, sergeant la david johnso they feared he had been kidnapped. they feared giving out too much information might put his life in danger. sergeant johnson's body was found nearly 48 hours later. >> really difficult story here this morning. 84 under aged boys and girls forced into prostitution. they're now safe after a nationwide fbi sting. the fbi's operation cross country led to the arrests of 120 human traffickers. one trafficker was arrested after making a teal with an undercover agent to sell a three month old girl. and her five-year-old sister for sex. >> a way for them to make money they can turn them into prostitutes and it can be a lucrativ

jim scuitto. >> reporter: dave and christine, we are learning this u.s. army team was on a mission to collect intelligence on a known isis leader that was operating in the same area. to be clear, they were not on a mission to kill or capture this leader but to gather intelligence on him. after they complete thad mission, they went to another village and it was in that village that they believe someone tipped off isis in the area that u.s. forces were there. as they left the vij village, they were attacked in an elaborate ambush that included mortars, heavy machine guns, rpgs as well, those four soldiers died. we are also learning that that team was new to the area. it was perhaps their first or second mission, though the larger unit had done dozens of missions to that area without incident. this one of the many issues that they continue to investigate, along with why sergeant le david johnson's body was found some mile away from where that first ambush took place, but a military official that i spoke with today said that this was a vicious battle. sometimes in battle, troops get separated from their unit. dave, christine

isis terrorists in airstrikes over human. rob: what does this mean in the war on terror? us army special forces veteran jim you for coming on this morning. we have the soldiers giving up, we got the leaders on the run, this is wonderful news. tell us how important this is. >> donald trump's focus on crushing isis. as a guy who wrote a book on a plane to defeat isis i couldn't be happier for it to be obsolete. this is a huge win. raqqa was their capital, the black flag is in the dirt in raqqa and they are running everywhere we can find them, running for the border and looking for any safe haven they can run and hide. jillian: a huge run for donald trump. a blow to the image of isis. how do they go about other terror tactics at this point? >> there caliphate is gone. that was the big thing isis did. they actually ran their flag up and held territory. that is a huge defeat for their recruiting efforts worldwide. a time for them to look at what they are actually about. they are no longer a somewhat nationstate and that is good news for everyone. rob: it is getting some coverage in network media, it is a big st

after being briefed by defense secretary jim mattis about the is bracing if for a new front in the fight against isis. >> we don't want the next 9/1 1 to come from niger. >> reporter: warning americans about the changing battlefield. >> the war is headed to africa. it is beginning to mormorph. as we suppress the enemy, they'll move. >> you can always improve on communication. that's exactly what we'll do. >> reporter: public explanations coming as the internal investigation gathers steam. the fbi lending forensic support, looking into how a team of well-trained special forces was ambushed, the pentagon says, by a group of 50 isis-linked fighters. military officials say special forces who were meeting with the brial elders before attack may have been delayed intentionally, allowing isis to attack. a senior aide tells nbc news that the ambush that killed part, from a, quote, massive intelligence failure. but the pentagon warns such conclusions are premature. there are urgent questions about why the team was exposed without drone support directly overhead. earlier this year, the u.s. commander for afric

jim, first to you. what are you learning? >> this team sent on a mission to gather intelligence on a isis leader known to be operating in the areaission. on their way back to base, they stopped at another village to meet with local leaders. it's during that stop there that the u.s. military believes that someone or some people in that village tipped off isis nightfis that nigerian forces were there and then attacked. it involved heavy machine guns, mortars, rpgs and it was in that fire fight where they lost their liv lives. still a lot of unanswered questions but one thing we know, as well in combat situations like this, it's often confusing and oftentimes soldiers do get separated from their units. kate? >> absolutely. david, you're on the grounds there. talk to me about the challenges that u.s. troops are up against. >> reporter: well, look, many senators or several have expressed shock that many according to them, 800 or so soldiers are here in the theater in niger. flying into this country, you really get a sense of the challenges they face, the vast sahil, the desert area where the u.s. is helping to do investigation gather

isis does operate. they do take advantage of vulnerable populations and there are plenty of them in this area. >> jim sciutto, back to you. you heard president trump talking about whether he authorized the mission. what do you make of this response? is he absolving himself of responsibility for the loss of the four shoulders? >> well, it's interesting. you may remember a raid some months ago in yemen where a u.s. special operator was killed and at the time the president took criticism for using the phrase they lost them him, they meaning the military commanders and not saying i as commander in chief accept ultimate responsibility. here perhaps not quite as much separation. the president is factual when he's saying that he did not approve of this particular raid. and it is true that the president has loosened up the sort of chain of command for some of these raids, allowing the commanders on the ground, whether in africa, afghanistan or elsewhere, to make those decisions. that's true. but it does still seem putting some separation between himself and this. although he did go on to say that these are dangerous

jim mattis said, war is war. i don't think anyone knew we were at war in niger. and the fact of the matter is, isis has now splintered -- isis groups or hqim have splintered in no, ma'am groups in so many places you can imagine a scenario where u.s. forces are actively fighting and being shot at in 60, 100 countries around the globe. >> i believe the number is 146 countries around the globe, we're carrying out military training missions or special operations assistance missions. what you're looking at in the sahel region, between the saharan desert and the transsahara is, is a training operation that's been going on for years called flint lock. the french have been carrying out combat operations as part of "operation burkani." what we've done is put assistance forces, special forces odas, a drone base in niger has been there for some time, a $100 million expansion of a base, and we have been assisting these nations to stop the formulation of al qaeda in the islamic maghreb and some of these fledgling groups that are splintering off from boko haram and isis coming out of libya. these missions have b

jim sciutto is "outfront." you're learning more tonight. >> that's right, erin. we're told they were tasked on a mission to gather intelligence on a known isishe area. to be clear, as you said, they were not there to kill or capture him. but on return from that mission, they stopped in another village, it is believed, we're told by a u.s. defense official, that while they were in that village, that someone there tipped off their presence to isis. isis then came and they set up an elaborate ambush with heavy machine guns, mortars, rpgs. that's when they attacked u.s. forces there, of course, leading to the four deaths. i should note as well, while the larger unit had had dozens of patrols in that same area, this particular green berets team had only been there on one or two missions before, one or two patrols before, so not as experienced as the larger unit. a lot of questions to be answered and the military looking into the question as to why la david johnson was found a mile away from others, some 48 hours later. >> jim sciutto, thanks very much. "outfront" now, a former member of the skroijoint chiefs of sta frederick leighton. this is one

pentagon chief jim mattis arrived in the philippines monday for an annual meeting of regional defense ministers, as the philippines government declared victory in its months-long battle to dislodge isis-allied militants in the city of f marawi. human rights groups say the fighting displaced over 200,000 people and left more than a thousand civilians dead. over the summer, the pentagonn confirmed u.s. troops assisted the fight with training, aerial surveillance, and electronic eavesdropping. newly released video shows the minute agents with the u.s. drug enforcement administstration opened firire on a boat t in honduras in 2012, killing four civilians, including two pregnant women. the video, obtained by the pew look up -- propublica and "the new york times," appears to show the civilians did not open fire on dea agents, as the agency has long claimed in public statements and in congressional testimony. the video's release followed a scathing report by the inspectors general of the justice and state departments who say the dea repeatatedly lid about the incident. the agents were part of a now-shuttered task force known as t the foreieign-deploloyed ay supppport teamam, or fasast, whs

being briefed by defense secretary jim mattis about the ambush that left four american soldiers dead in niger, congress is bracing for a new front in the fight against isis. >> we don't want the next 9/11 to come from niger. >> reporter: senator lindsey graham calling for more congressional oversight while warning americans about the changing battlefield. >> the war is headed to africa. it's beginning to morph. as we suppress the enemy in the mideast, they're going to move. >> reporter: mattis summoned to capitol hill to explain how elite soldiers were taken by surprise. >> we can always improve on communication and that's exactly what we'll do. >> reporter: public explanations coming as the internal investigation gathers steam. the fbi lending forensic support, looking into how a team of well trained special forces was ambushed, the pentagon says, by a group of 50 isis-linked fighters. military officials now say the special forces who were meeting with the tribal elders before the attack may have been delayed intentionally, allowing isis to attack. and a senior congressional aide extensively briefed tells nbc news that the ambush that killed sergeant la

isis is on the run. >> he's right. >> bill: 9:29. awaiting attorney general jeff sessions who will be in the center seat getting tough questions from the senate judiciary committee. jim comey's handling of the clinton investigation is expected to be front and center for republicans. >> sandra: president trump says his tax plan will bring new jobs and put more money in each american family's pocket. will republicans get this passed? that's next. >> president trump: our tax plan will ensure companies stay in america, grow in america and hire in america. ♪ hey grandpa. hey, kid. really good to see you. you too. you tell grandma you were going fishing again? maybe. (vo) the best things in life keep going. that's why i got a subaru, too. introducing the all-new crosstrek. love is out there. find it in a subaru crosstrek. what maheart-healthyle salad the california walnuts.ver? the best simple pasta ever? california walnuts. the best simple dinner ever? great tasting, heart-healthy california walnuts. so simple, so good. get the recipes at walnuts.org. >> bill: look at this now, 114 points at the open for the dow. we touched on dow 23,000 yesterday. it tried to close above

jim mattis defended the law yesterday and they're pushing for a more permanent solution. >> the 2001aumf authorizes necessary and appropriate force to defend u.s. coalition and partner forces engaged in the campaign to defeat isisyria. >> war is fundamentally unpredictable. we cannot put a firm timeline on conflict against adaptive enemy who would hope that we haven't -- we are more likely to end this fight sooner if we don't tell adversary the day we intend to stop fighting. maria: joining me right now general jack keane, good to see you this morning. thanks so much for being here. >> good morning, maria. maria: your thoughts on this debate? jack: first of all, we should be having a debate, the operation was designed for afghanistan and also for iraq, 2001 and 2002 respect i -- respectively. the current authorization gives the president wide latitude to use forces as necessary. i think that actually is good guidance. others, want to restrict it in terms of the scope, in terms of numbers of forces, where they should operate geographically and put a sunset clause or time constraint, that's the basic disagreement. others think it's too limiting and others think that the current authorization is not restrictive en