>> richard engel in istanbul for us. thank you, richard. >>> three service men were swept away by high waves in okinawa as

richard engel is in istanbul, turkey, with the very latest on that, and the fight against isis. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. the hostage's family has made a video message, stressing his humanitarian work and calling on isis to release him. isis is threatening to kill an american hostage next. peter kassig, former army ranger, who travelled to syria to help victims of war. his family said he converted to islam and changed his name. in a letter from captivity, he told his family he was, quote, pretty scared to die. isis is fighting a propaganda war but also making advances on battlefields. turkey this morning sent more tanks to its syrian border, taking up what appeared to be firing positions. this is why. isis militants are advancing quickly on the city of kobani on

richard engel has been following this in northern iraq. thank you so much. first off, a simple question, are these air strikes working? >> reporter: if you're inside kobani, yes, they are making a difference. they are working. a week ago, it looked like kobani was lost. that the militants from isis, all of the city. they control about a third of the city now. and the intensified air strikes have slowed the isis assault. according to the militants inside kobani, the defenders of the city, the kurdish forces are

richard engel who again just indicated he's having some trouble with his cell service there on the borderd's just fine. but just service with his cell phone. thank you for that reporting. let me come back to you for just some parting thoughts. what will be the practical effect of this vote in the turkish parliament that's happening today? >> well, look, i mean, it could conceivably allow the united states and other members of this coalition to use incirlik air base or other turkish facilities or cross turkish you know airspace or land in this fight against i'm sis. but i just want to make this separate point. i think it's interesting that just this week the pentagon has deployed this rapid reaction force of marines that's going to be based out of kuwait. 2,300 marines. done inbenghazi. they'll be like a 911 global force responding to conflicts in the middle east. >> thank you. again, richard engel for us as well, along the border there. israeli prime minister netanyahu says he is deeply skeptical of president obama's efforts to broker a deal with iran in an effort to restrict that country

. >>> we'll have more on the battle against isis with a live report with richard engel. are american air strikes doing enough to keep the terror group from taking a keep border town? we'll ask him next. (receptionist) gunderman group. gunderman group is growing. getting in a groove. growth is gratifying. goal is to grow. gotta get greater growth. i just talked to ups. they got expert advise, special discounts, new technologies. like smart pick ups. they'll only show up when you print a label and it's automatic. we save time and money. time? money? time and money. awesome. awesome! awesome! awesome! awesome! (all) awesome! i love logistics. when folks think about wthey think salmon and energy. but the energy bp produces up here creates something else as well: jobs all over america. engineering and innovation jobs. advanced safety systems & technology. shipping and manufacturing. across the united states, bp supports more than a quarter million jobs. when we set up operation in one part of the country, people in other parts go to work. that's not a coincidence. it's one mo

richard engel, turkey. >>> a new front line in the battle against ebola. today health screenings began at jfk international airport aimed at stopping the disease. on thursday stepped up screening will start at four other international airports. washington-dulles, chicago o'hare, hart field jackson and newark. the equipment they're using to screen for signs of illness, today passengers arriving from liberia, sierra leone and guinea had their temperature taken with no touch thermometers. though there are no flights direct from those three countries, officials say they can track them back to where their trips began. >> no matter how many of these procedures are put into placering with cannot get the risk to zero. that will not be the case. this additional layer should add a measure of security and insurance to the american public. >> fears of ebola have been growing since thomas eric duncan died after returning from liberia. yesterday a flight was quarantined after a passenger threw up. no ebola was detected. >>> the president was in town for a full day but h

nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel is in turkey. >> reporter: he's the latest american accused of trying to join isis, 19-year-old mohammed hamzah khan from suburban chicago. he was arrested saturday at o'hare, about to board a flight to istanbul. according to a federal criminal complaint, khan's residence was searched after his arrest and authorities found documents that express support for isil and disgust at western society, describing it as filth. also found, a three-page letter to his parents saying he was on his way to syria to join isis. first and foremost, please make sure to not tell the authorities, he wrote, according to the complaint. after days of fighting, isis militants stormed into the syrian city of kobani, so close to the turkish border, na when they raised their black flag, troops could see it. turkey says more tanks and troops to reinforce the border, but so far turkish troops have not crossed into syria. isis wants to widen the war, hoping it will become a quagmire that will swallow its enemies. >> nbc's richard engel reporting. >>> now, a major status chan

richard engel reports the latest. >>> and debate season with only 27 days until election day. it's time for the candidates to answer the tough questions. >> to you senator warner, is harry reid the best to lead the senate? >> i think we could do better in both parties. >> i'll take that as a no. >> i like mitch mcconnell. >> good day, i'm andrea mitchell in washington. the first patient to be diagn e diagnosdiagnos diagnosed with ebola in the united states has died. confirmed his death this morning, issuing a statement saying in part, mr. duncan succumbed to an insidious disease, ebola, he fought courageously in this battle. ron mott is outside the hospital in dallas. senior health writer maggie fox is going to be in new york. and kate snow in omaha, nebraska, where, of course, ashoka mukpo is being treated as well. he was in a coma, on a dialysis machine. >> this is shocking news, obviously. it's a deadly virus killed more than 3,000 people in west africa. and all of us here on the ground here in dallas was pulling for mr. duncan to pull through. encouraging signs over the we

more on all of this tonight from our chief foreign correspondent, richard engel. he's on the border between turkey and syria. richard, other than the loss of life, what's been accomplished here? what's isis trying to accomplish with these executions? >> reporter: good evening, brian. by executing this british aide worker and threatening an american next, that soldier who went to syria to help provide some humanitarian relief. isis is trying to provoke a response. isis wants to get the u.s. more deeply involved in this conflict, which isis firmly believes will be a quagmire for the united states and any other country. look what isis is doing on the ground, on the battlefield. right now isis is focusing on the city of kobani. kobani is right on the turkish border. there are many other towns and cities inside syria that isis could be attacking. but it wants to attack kobani right under the noses of turkish soldiers. now turkey is considering getting more militarily involved. that's the isis strategy, expand the war. >> richard engel on the turkey/syria border for us t

our own richard engel has watched it all unfold. he joins us tonight from southern turkey. richard, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. the administration set a very ambitious goal. but if isis can take kobani, it can do the same to other cities, which raises questions about the american strategy. at the syrian border today supporters of kobani flashed victory signs still hopeful that fighters in the city will repel isis militants. but there's no victory in kobani. isis has already seized two neighborhoods in street-to-street fighting. reportedly committing atrocities as they advance. idris nasan, just back from the battlefield, briefed his men. the news isn't good. they need heavier weapons. >> we need something more effective. than normal weaponry. >> reporter: so you're outgunned. isis is better armed? >> of course. >> reporter: back on the border supporters of kobani remain hopeful, but many here feel abandoned. they say promises of u.s. help against isis have been lies. people here say what they've seen from the u.s. so far is mostly symbolic, a few scattere

richard engel telling us isis is advancing.y for you senator john mccain, who says that if we're serious about this ground troops are inevitable. take a listen. >> i say you may have to have american special forces and -- >> the white house says no. the white house says no. >> well, he has said no to almost everything lindsey graham and i have called for every step of the way. eventually, he will have to do it. >> eventually he will have to do it. what everyone's opinions on senator mccain on these issues, we are increasingly hearing people in this field that you work saying, if we're serious about stopping isis, eventually we will have to have ground troops. is that right? >> i think that's true. turkey is dragging its feet right now just on kobani, for domestic political reasons, as well as international reasons and their disposition with syria. but if we think we're going to train up 5,000 forces in 18 months to have engage with isis and that they're going to be successful, i think that's a bridge too far. i think at some po

we get our report tonight from our chief foreign correspondent, richard engel. >> reporter: the u.s.ilitary is trying to save kobani and show it's serious about stopping isis. the military is now using c-130s to air-drop guns, ammunition and medical supplies. >> it would be irresponsible of us, as well as morally very difficult, to turn your back on community fighting isil as hard as it is. >> reporter: for over a month kobani has faced an onslaught by isis militants. at first u.s. officials weren't especially interested in saving the city, saying they had other priorities in the fight against isis. but the resilience of kobani defenders got the world's attention and shamed it into action. more than 140 u.s. air strikes there so far. kobani has become a test case. let it fall and isis wins. help kobani fight back and the world sees isis can be defeated. u.s. officials warn kobani still could fall. but they're banking on turning a potential tragedy into a very public isis defeat. richard engel, nbc news, istanbul. >>> and still ahead on our monday broadcast, the names we -- the name f

>> richard engel watching it all from turkey tonight. richard, thanks. >>> in this country the u.s. secret service has a new boss, at least for now. joe clancy was sworn-in today as interim director five days after julia pierson stepped down as the head of the agency after a series of security lapses. this is a return engagement for clancy who was a ubiquitous presence at the president's side as head of the presidential protection detail before his retirement in 2011. >>> michael phelps, the most decorated olympian in history, will not be able to swim competitively until march of next year. he's been suspended from the sport for six months after a second arrest for dui in baltimore last week. over the weekend phelps announced he would enter a six-week treatment program. >>> still ahead for us on a monday night, news about a mysterious virus striking so many children. it's now taken the life of a 4-year-old boy. tonight, the advice for parents. >>> and later, an unbelievable crash and equally unbelievable outcome. >>> it's a virus raising concern throughout the nation, but it's not e

richard engel, nbc news, istanbul. >>> there are new developments tonight and efforts to combat ebola fears. while some have been calling for an outright ban on travel to the u.s. from western africa, the obama administration chose not to go that far. instead, opting to funnel passengers from that part of the world into certain u.s. airports. we get our report on that tonight from jacob rascon. >> reporter: ebola is changing the way we travel -- again. the department of homeland security announcing today every person traveling from one of the three ebola-stricken countries into this country must now fly into one of five u.s. airports with enhanced screening, where temperatures and travel history are taken. and today we learned of the 562 travelers who have been screened since the extra measures began a week and a half ago, four were taken to a medical facility as a precaution, none tested positive for ebola. >> the past three weeks have taught us that treating infectious disease like ebola is not just a theoretical problem. >> reporter: and in texas governor rick perry announced the h

we need help and to go home, he said. >> reporter: richard engel, nbc news on the turkish-syrian border. >>> in japan, a powerful typhoon. this shows the enormous of the storm moving toward the main land after hitting the island of okinawa and sweeping away american servicemen who were taking pictures of the waves. jim is in tokyo tonight. >> reporter: in 13 hours, tokyo will take a direct hit. typhoon phanfone is bearing down with wind gusts of 100 to 150 miles per hour and dumping a foot and a half of rain in its path. there were orders to stay indoors, which is not he's he's -- not easy on a work day. and one tragic in okinawa when u.s. airmen based nearby were taking photos of other servicemen in front of breaking waves when they were swept away. one clinged to rocks and another one drowned and two more are missing. and they thought the worst of the storm had passed. >> thank you. >>> in washington a new interrupt director of the secret service takes over tomorrow. joseph clancy is a 30-year veteran of the service who has protected presidents back to bill clinton. now with the agenc

richard engel, nbc news. >>> in japan tonight they are bracing for impact. the most powerful storm we have seen produced anywhere on the planet so far this year is heading for that country. it's called typhoon vongfong. winds topping 150 miles per hour. this is what it looked like from the international space station on an overpass. it is a sprawling monster. u.s. military facilities and personnel in okinawa are on alert and have taken precautions. >>> it would be a crowning achievement at any age, but for a 17-year-old to win the nobel peace prize, that was completely unheard of that is until today. malala yousafzia who at age 14 was nearly assassinated by the taliban for the crime of wanting to go to school to learn just made history on the world stage. and we get our report tonight from nbc's keir simmons. >> reporter: acknowledging her award today, malala yousafzia had to stand on a box. >> the podium is usually taller than me. >> reporter: at 17 she's the youngest nobel winner in history. >> this award is for all those children who are voiceless, whose

nbc's richard engel is next with a live report for us. also in the news today, bogus billing. at&t will now return millions of dollars to customers to settle claims of unlawful charges. how people can get their refund, and more importantly, details on what at&t did to some of those customers. >>> and this. do you recognize that, besides seeing the words on the screen? this is a lull a by version of wait for it, blurred lines. yes. that's real. coming up, i'll talk with the woman turning famous rock and rap anthems into lull a byes for babies. this is a real thing, and pretty cool. we will show you more of that. born in the usa, and they take out the swear words for the babies. find me on facebook and twitter and instagram. tigers, both of you. tigers? don't be modest. i see how you've been investing. setting long term goals. diversifying. dip! you got our attention. we did? of course. you're type e* well, i have been researching retirement strategies. well that's what type e*s do. welcome home. taking control of your retirement? e*trade gives you the tools and resources to get

i want to go to richard engel who is in northern iraq basically unofficially ku kurdistan.re 65 days in. is isis being degraded or are they moving forward? >> reporter: they do not seem to be degraded at all. at first, isis was moving toward baghdad when this crisis began earlier this summer. then they shifted gears, moved to where i am. they started to attack kurdistan. the bombing campaign began. now isis is once again focused on baghdad. it is having an impact in that it has forced isis to change their target somewhat. but it's certainly not slowing down the group. >> the issue it seems to be in two fronts in iraq and in syria where it seems as if ground troops are what's missing. are the iraqi forces not able to fight isis the way the u.s. had hoped? and who is filling the vacuum in syria? >> reporter: there are enormous contradictions in the u.s. strategy that are becoming more apparent every day. let's start with iraq. even though this is one conflict that has no border between it, we are artificially putting this border between iraq and syria. let's start with iraq.

i'll talk to richard engel about whether turkey is going to put boots on the ground there.mbo. we'll be right back. they think . but the energy bp produces up here they think . creates something else as well: jobs all over america. engineering and innovation jobs. advanced safety systems & technology. shipping and manufacturing. across the united states, bp supports more than a quarter million jobs. when we set up operation in one part of the country, people in other parts go to work. that's not a coincidence. it's one more part of our commitment to america. [♪] great rates and safety working in harmony. open an optimizer +plus account from synchrony bank. visit myoptimizerplus.com to open an account. service. security. savings. synchrony bank engage with us. the ultimate arena for business. hour after hour of diving deep, touching base, and putting ducks in rows. the only problem with conference calls: eventually they have to end. unless you have the comcast business voiceedge mobile app. it lets you switch seamlessly from your desk phone to your mobile with no interruptio

richard engel, nbc news on the turkish border outside kobani. >>> there was a heartbreaking scene today to our north in hamilton, ontario, canada, the funeral for corporate nathan cirillo, the soldier shot and killed at canada's national war memorial. before that attack on parliament last week. thousands of people lined the streets to view the procession of soldiers carrying cirillo's coffin to the church. his 5-year-old son marcus followed just behind wearing the same red and white glengarry hat worn by his dad's military regiment. >>> another somewhat surprising theological statement from the head of the catholic church to report on. it now appears pope francis is open to the theories of evolution and the big bang. he told a vatican audience that neither idea conflicts with the idea of creation. he also said, quote, god is not a magician with a magic wand. >>> in this country, just one week from tonight, they'll be counting the votes. we'll be here and on the air calling the races, and when it's all said and done, we could be looking at a very different balance of power in this countr

we'll hear from richard engel and it ain't working. >> helene, very quickly. west africa, how desperate? >> it's bad. it's probably one of the most intense reporting experiences i have had. the people are -- there are so many stories going on oh about how you're not seeing quite as much people turned away. but these are places. liberi liberia, sierra leone and guinea just were starting to come back from decades of civil war. you see what it's like to deal with two cases here. imagine 4,000. >> 8,000 cases. 4,000 deaths. >> yes. these countries need help. >> tremendous reporting. thanks for going into that war zone essentially. a different kind of war zone. coming up,the fight against isis. despite a two-month u.s. bombing campaign, isis is continuing to gain ground. i'm going to ask the president's national security adviser susan rice whether the u.s. strategy does need retooling and whether combat troops will be a part of round two. >> announcer: "meet the press" is brought to you by boeing where the drive to build something better inspires us every day. that

richard engel is here with more on the u.s. aide worker being held by isis militants in syria. >> peter kassig, a former soldier who went to syria to help victims of war, converted to islam and changed his name his parents offered a desperate plea for his release. >> we implore those holding you to show mercy and use their power to let you go. >> reporter: but isis is showing no mercy. they want to escalate this conflict and draw in other nations, especially turkey. after days of fighting, isis militants stormed into the syrian city of kobani. so close to the turkish border, that when they raised their black flag, turkish groups could see it. today they sent more tanks and troupes to reinforce the border. so far the troops have not crossed into syria. isis wants to widen this war. they are hoping it will become a quagmire to swallow its enemies. >> that was richard engel reporting. turkey's president says the syrian border town of kobani is about to fall to psi sis. officials say aerial attacks may not be enough to stop the mil

nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel reports. >> reporter: this is the fourth execution of western hostages by isis in syria in just the last several months. in this case, it was a british aide worker allen henning. he is shown in the orange suit very similar to other hot tajs killed by isis. henning was a taxi driver who was kidnapped by isis whether he was driving an ambulance in noo syria. the group also threatened to execute an american hostage next, a former american soldier who went to syria to help provide medical assistance to the syrian people. in these videos, isis is clearly trying to score propaganda points. but it also is trying to provoke a reaction from the u.s. it seems to want to draw the u.s. deeper into this conflict which isis firmly believes will be a quagmire for the united states and any other country that gets more involved. right now isis is closing in on the city of kobani. it sits right on the turkish border. there are plenty of other towns and cities inside syria that isis could attack, but it wants to attack kobani right under the noses of turki

richard engel joins us live by phone along the turkey board we are syria. let me get your reaction to yet again another american accused of trying to go over and join forces, isis forces in this battle. you talk with people who have children, for example, in europe as well who tried to do this. so still an attractive target for some of the young people. >> yes, it is still attractive for some people who get recruited online. they watch the isis propaganda videos, they become believers. it was written that a caliphate has been established and the islamic state and it's their duty to join the battle that isis sometimes tries to portray as romantics, historic battle, it's a religious battle. we're not talking very large numbers. maybe a dozen or so of americans who are actually fighting with isis, but those are the ones we know about. and the numbers of europeans citizens are much higher. with the latest report they arrested at chicago o'hare airport a man trying to come to turkey and make his way down to where i am now along the syrian border. i think it wasn

our own richard engel has watched it all unfold. joins us tonight from southern turkey. richard, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. the administration set a very ambitious goal. but if isis can take kobani, it can do the same to other cities, which raises questions about the american strategy. at the syrian border today supporters of kobani flashed victory signs still hopeful that fighters in the city will repel isis militants. but there's no victory in kobani. isis has already seized two neighborhoods in reet-to-street fighting. reportedly committing atrocities as they advance. this man just back from the battlefield briefed his men. the news isn't good. they need heavier weapons. >> we need something more effective. >> reporter: so you're outgunned. isis is better armed? >> of course. >> reporter: back on the border supporters of kobani remain hopeful, but many here feel abandoned. they say promises of u.s. help against isis have been lies. people here say what they've seen from the u.s. so far is mostly symbolic, a few scattered air strikes, which haven't

nbc's richard engel reports the latest from there. >> reporter: u.s. air strikes around the city of kobani do appear to be making a difference. defenders of the city and their representatives tell us that they are much more confident now that they can hold on to the city and they say that the air strikes have given them breathing room. it still could change, isis is still trying to launch attacks, but they are in a much better position now than a week ago. but the longer this conflict continues, the more clearly it becomes that this is a sectarian fight. it is not just a united campaign led by the u.s. against a bunch of islamic extremists. this is a sectarian war, sunni versus shiite in syria and iraq. in baghdad, militants are just on the edge of baghdad and they've been carrying out car bombings inside baghdad itself. the city is protected by a ring of iraqi soldiers, the iraqi army forms the outer perimeter around baghdad, but the inner core, defending neighborhoods in baghdad is made up of a variety of shiite militia groups and it's not surprising

nbc's richard engel has the latest. >> reporter: despite a flurry of air strikes, the situation is not improving. isis fighters are still in the city and they are advancing in the city and reportedly have between 40 and 60% of kobani in their hands. there are still hundreds of fighters resisting the isis onslaught. they say they can hold out, but it's unclear for how much longer they can hold out. the u.s. has been intensifying its air strikes, but only around the edges of kobani over the last 48 hours or so. that helps prevent isis from bringing in more fighters, bringing in more weapons and supplies into kobani, but the u.s. has not been attacking inside kobani itself, so the isis fighters already in the city are free to continue taking the city. but this is just one city that isis is focusing on right now. another is baghdad. after earlier this summer, isis militants tried to attack baghdad, then the militants shifted gears, focused on northern iraq, tried to attack the city of irbil. that city is now considered safe after u.s. military intervention. now once again the militants are

richard engel is in northern iraq for us. richard?> reporter: there are multiple active fronts in the war against isis starting in iraq. leaders are calling for american intervention, for international air strikes to set back isis. without them, the leaders are saying many more parts of the province could fall giving isis a large swath of territory but pringing them to the edge of the capital and close to the baghdad international airport. the turkish border is under siege. today it's been under attack in street to street fighting and with heavy artillery from the south and east. fighters in kobani say they need international help and without it the city could be overrun. there could be a massacre on the scale of cheberditsa, the worst since world war ii. there are perhaps a thousand people in kobani and if nothing is done the u.n. worries they could be killeded. so far no real action has been taken. the u.s. has carried out air strikes. turkey, a few hundred yards away has tanks, troops in the area. so far, not acted to save the city

nbc's richard engel reports. >> reporter: another american accused of trying to join isis from suburban chicago, called before a federal court after being arrested saturday at o'hare. he was about to board a flight to istanbul. his house was searched after his arrest and according to a federal criminal complaint, authorities found documents that expressed support for isil and discussed with western society, describing it as filth. according to the complaint, he felt it was his duty to join the self proclaimed islamic state, which is continuing to expand, despite a u.s.-led war against them. isis stormed into the syrian city of kobani overnight and raised their black flag right on the turkish border. turk ish troops just a few hundred yards away didn't enter syria, didn't intervene. the u.s.-led coalition had mostly been watching the city fall. the reaction in parts of turkey, riots in solidarity with kobani. the city has become something of a test case for the american strategy against isis and it shows that the rebels the u.s. is depending upon can't stand up to isis without significan