but a police officer was staking out the location by the time maxwell, starr, and another friend left in the friend's truck. >> next thing you know, he's like what the hell is behind us? i looked and there was about 30 cops, and feds. i'm just so mad and so upset that this has happened like this. because this was probably the only chance that i'd ever have. finally, when i got out of the truck, i'm not complying very well. i just turned around and took off. they shot me with a bean bag and tased me with a taser, and then they set the dog on me. when it was all said and done, you know, i'm like, i mean -- i'm like, man, you guys -- i don't know how you done it but you guys are good. i got to give you that. if i'd have made it this time, i just was wanting to be somebody else. and just be a citizen. i figured that if i had stole a few years now, as much time as possible, who knows. if i could go out there and live a citizen's life, get one more chance at it, that if i did get caught later on down the line, i would still have been able to look back on my life and see that i had a little

he even set up a profile for his dog, as barbara starr mentioned. so he's out from other ambassadors but i remember when i was working for cnn. i was doing a live interview with an american ambassador and somebody, a south korean tried to attack him but our driver was trained in martial arts and then continued. but these things happen. they get carried away. >> a good driver to have there, mike chinoy. dan bongino as well. colonel reese. since details are unfolding, we'll keep you updated throughout the hour. anything new on whether the ambassador gets out of surgery. >>> up next the pattern of police racism and many protesters in ferguson were marching about. the results of a justice department investigation. so,as my personal financial psychic, i'm sure you know what this meeting is about. yes, a raise. i'm letting you go. i knew that. you see, this is my amerivest managed... balances. no. portfolio. and if doesn't perform well for two consecutive gold. quarters. quarters...yup. then amerivest gives me back their advisory... stocks. fees. fees. fe

barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. >> many thanks to our barbara starr for that. >>> the united statescocks is joining us live from seoul. so paula, these drills happen every single year and every single year we hear pyongyang's rhetoric of intimidation and revenge. given how routine this rhetoric has become does seoul even take them seriously anymore? >> reporter: well i think seoul and of course washington have to take the rhetoric seriously, whether or not it happens every year or not. remember just a couple of years ago, tensions were very high on the peninsula, higher than they have been for years. so there is always the potential for a miscalculation or a misunderstanding of course when there are military drills going on fatherly lyfairly close to the border. we have exclusive access to look at what the u.s. and south korean militaries are doing and how they're preparing to make sure they're ready to fight side by side. [ gunfire ] firing at an unseen enemy. tanks move closer to the threats to defend their position. under tank cover, the infantry mobilize to take out targets on a

house committee, senate committee, not just ken starr, and ken starr.t happened to all of this em? ken starr lost his opportunity to be on the supreme court and disgraced. al demato lost his seat. lots of the impeachment committee members lost their seats, including the speaker of the house. >> so, look -- >> clinton was elected to the u.s. senate and became secretary of state. >> it was bill clinton ultimately who survived in 1990s. right now we're talking about hillary clinton. she's not won a national election yet. she just watched her numbers jump, is there something she should be worried about? >> first of all, i think americans look at not necessarily we think hillary clinton did something wrong, it's i would never get away with that. i think if you really were to analyze that poll, 51% of the people says how come she is gets away with that? that's what i think they believe. second, i think when you look at how do you keep extending the benghazi hearings in time immemoriam, what you do is parse out the part of the e-mail story that can live on and

barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. >> many thanks to our barbara starr for that report. >>> u.s. republicans are side-stepping the president again. benjamin netanyahu addressed congress at the invitation of the house speaker. now mr. netanyahu said a deal would speed iran's progress toward a nuclear bomb. >> in an open letter to iranian leaders, 47 senators warned any agreement signed now would expire the day president obama leaves office. >> the president has already said that a deal could have as little as a ten-year sunset on it. his national security adviser has said thatiran could have nuclear developments. it makes it unacceptable for the u.s. and the world because it behaves the way for iran to get a nuclear weapon. >> i think it's somewhat ironic to see some members of congress wanting to make common cause with the hardliners in iran. it's an unusual coalition. i think what we're going to focus on right now is actually seeing whether we can get a deal or not. >> iran's foreign minister has called the letter a propaganda ploy. still to come here on cnn, dramatic video of t

barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. >> barbara, thank you very much for that.rgeant bowe bergdahl has been controversy frshl the start. some demanding to know how a swap with five gan taun mow bay detainees was possible. the administration and others quick to defend that trade. >> we saw an opportunity and took it. i make no apologyies for it. >> one of our analogies is we bring everybody home off the battlefield as best we can. it doesn't matter how they ended up in a prisoner of war situation. >> as a prisoner of war, bowe bergdahl deserved and we had the obligation and the commander in chief had the obligation to do what was necessary to bring him home. >> let's bring back in congressman ed royce, republican chairman of the committee -- the house foreign affairs committee. thanks for being with me again, sir. let's talk about this. if we do see a guilty verdict in the case of deer issings and misbehavior before the enemy for sergeant bowe bergdahl, what do you think a punishment should be? >> well i'm going to let the army decide. it's their responsibility t

actually i'm being told now, i have got barbara starr at the pentagon. you'd be perfect on this. can you take us all back to june of 2009 and remind us what we know happened then. >> well to you, brooke this is going to be very fundamental to the army's case of assembling enough evidence to secure what they hope is obviously, conviction on a charge of desertion and misbehavior with the enemy. let me jump in and say at this hour congress is also being notified of exactly what ed has just reported that sergeant bowe bergdahl will be charged with desertion and this charge of misbehavior with the enemy. he goes missing from his base in july 2009 in eastern afghanistan. there is no indication ever that the taliban came aboard the base and captured him. for some reason he left the base. now, a charge of desertion requires that you are able to prove the person had no intent to ever return to military service, to return to that base. so in order for the army to bring a charge like that they would have to have what they believe is enough evidence to make that charge and to have a reasonab

>> barbara starr's with me now at the pentagon.bara, to david rohde's point, can you take us back to june summer of 2009 when reportedly he walked away. what were some of the members since this news has broken since he's been swapped and returned home members of his platoon have spoken out. what have they said about him? >> some have made statements and the contentions that some soldiers were killed in action while searching for bergdahl. and that they never would have been killed if they weren't out there looking for bergdahl. i have to tell you, the pentagon says it's never been able to establish a direct link. soldiers went on patrols that were scheduled. they were told bergdahl's missing, keep your eyes open and sadly and tragically they lost their lives in combat. but the pentagon says it could not establish a direct link to bergdahl. i want to go back to what david was just saying. because i think that one of the common themes that we have heard for months and we're certainly hearing today is that bowe bergdahl does need to b

let's go to barbara starr. she has the breaking news. what is he saying?t made public by his civilian lawyer. several pages where the lawyer lays out the case that he will attempt to make if and when this goes to trial. at the end of this lengthy document several pages from bowe bergdahl himself in his own words, what he went through. let me just start with one quote from sergeant bergdahl. he says i was kept in constant isolation for the entire five years, with little to no understanding of time told i was going to be executed told i would have my ears and nose cut off. some of the other details that sergeant bergdahl offers for the- first time he says he was chained to a bed, spread eagle and blindfolded. that he had eight to 12 open wounds on each wrist under his hand shackles. he described graphically how he would attempt to drain those wounds himself. beaten with a copper cable. over the years he tried to escape several times. he said once he was able to be gone for nine days. he was held in various conditions at various points. he became quite ill he

we're interrupting this because of an important question asked about cnn's barbara starr. will we send in ground troops to this fight against isis. listen. >> seems to be the only two options given the physics of the situation. >> we again have -- it's a situation we have foreseen and it's not a situation that where decisions have been made exactly how we would react. it would depend on the situation and the circumstance. >> on iraq, you -- you, everybody talks about iran and the potential for sectarian violence. the two questions are, your specific concerns about iraq essentially becoming an iranian state at this point given the fact that iran's involvement seem to the be quite welcome. and it's not really hypothetical. you've raised the issue of sectarian violence. the question is what would you do about it if they were to engage in this? you said it's not acceptable, but what can you do to stop it? >> well, we have been working with the prime minister on a political approach and a manner of governing that is -- tries to reverse some of the sectarian trends of recent yea

the next steps may be very difficult to predict. >> barbara starr for us at the pentagon.hank you. outfront former nato commander wesley clark. how concerned are you about the fight with isis. >> it will be difficult to turn back. let's make this simple. we overturned a sunni regime that's hussein. iraq is 65% roughly, give or take shia. iraqi leadership is now in trouble. that's isis. the iraqis go next door to the iranians and say we need help come on in. they now have provided that help. the likelihood in coming years it will back away from this integration is limited. >> general clark, it begs the rule that as the u.s. is involved here how does this complicate things for the u.s. and how should the u.s. relate to iran when it comes to iraq? >> in the first place we're in there to try to contain, stop to destroy isis. in that case we're right now making common clause with iraq. we didn't participate in the tikrit offensive. the commander, iranian air strike iranian artillery were in there. we stayed out of that. this is a complication as phil said. as the offensive move

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here's our barbara starr with more. >> reporter: vladimir putin reappeared for the first time in tenght of his absence, saying it would be boring without gossip. gossip that captured world attention, not seen since cold war days when ousted soviet leaders suddenly failed to appear. did this russian leader have the flu? back trouble? even reports he went to switzerland to be with his girlfriend for the birth of his baby. publicly russia and the u.s. making light of it all. >> was the president pleased to see vladimir putin resurface? >> reporter: behind the scenes the u.s. says it believes putin was ill but always in charge. not so fast say some experts. >> in a normal country, had you had this type of situation they would have had a photo op with the president. why didn't they do that with putin. >> reporter: is putin always wanting to be seen at strong man in a weakened political position? >> i think there may be something going on in the kremlin that we don't fully understand. >> reporter: what we do know putin has been under fire by his opponents after the murder of boris nemtsov.

we're looking at live pictures and we want to bring in pentagon correspondent barbara starr. the afghan president already got what he wanted here. he wanted the u.s. to keep its troop level at 10,000 for the remainder of the year. the president announced that's what's going to happen. >> that's right. president ashraf ghani on a bit of a charm offensive across washington. thanking the troops here at the pentagon when he came here at the white house thanking the american people, the american taxpayers. quite a different sort of personality than the previous president, hamid karzai, who is often confrontational. ghani wants the american troops there. he wants to keep those 10,000 or so u.s. troops there. they will now stay there through the end of this year and the plan now is to reassess, if you will, what happens in 2016. u.s. troops out ultimately by 2017. ones that are staying no longer in a direct combat role except for counterterrorism missions. much more in the role of advising and assisting afghan forces because that now is the bottom line for afghan security to get the

we believe any interference in yemen will simply lead to further loss of life. >> reporter: barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. >> for more insight and analysis, let's bring in lieutenant colonel rick francona. sir, thank you so much. we always enjoy your insight here. many are asking the question, how involved is the united states? >> well, if you look at the air forces that are conducting these bombing raids, they're good flyers, but they don't have the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities necessary to develop the target sets that they're going after. i looked at the targets they struck last night and the targets they're striking right now. these are the key targets in the yemeni military establishment. this is what you would want to hit. this has been a well-planned and well-executed two nights of operations. that intelligence support had to come from the united states. we have the capability to do that, and i'm sure we're working closely with our saudi allies. >> saudi arabia here stepping in to push back iranian influence, but, again, there are some really import

barbara starr is out. this is a horrific story. the attackers posing as disabled to get in there and detonating explosives. >> indeed. good evening. the u.s. still looking at that claim that isis made on websites that it was behind the attack. u.s. officials telling me they cannot verify or authenticate those claims at this point. al qaeda operates there. that's an al qaeda affiliate that's vowed to attack the united states. shiite sects that came under attack at these mosques have taken over the central government. the very government that was fighting the al qaeda affiliate that the u.s. is so concerned about. you really have just a very toxic mix of terrorist activity in a place where again, like so many other countries across east and north africa there is either no central government or very weak central government. if in fact this is isis in yemen, the concern is have opened up a new front, another country where they're able to operate with impunity. it couldn't be more critical. >> we talk about how they were disguising the

barbara starr has more. >> defending against putin's military aggression is about to get harder.he head of norad, the north american aerospace command warning a new generation of russia cruise missiles could strike critical military radars and miffs inside the united states. >> the development of the cruz missiles that they have that have a very long range, that from the russian, from eastern russia they can range critical infrastructure in alaska and canada that we rely on for hope land defense mission. >> this is the k hp-101 the missile. it's a nonnuclear long-range cruz missile now in the final stages of russian development. its 2,000-mile plus range gives the russians the ability to fire from near their own coastline. it's highly precise, fly ooze low and is difficult to detect. >> if we don't have the ability to detect it, we can't defend against it. >> that means not just alaska is at risk. but even the eastern united states. from potential missile launches in the atlantic. gortney telling congress over time norad will face increased risk in our ability to defend north ame

brooke. >> barbara starr, thank you so much. barbara mentioned what we've been reporting on this massacre at this museum in tunisia and chilling threat of isis as it is claiming responsibility not just as we were reporting the suicide bombings at the mosques in the yemeni capital but the deadly siege at that museum in the capital of tunisia. a siege that killed dozens. many were western tourists and today we are learning more about the suspects there. those gunmen. cnn's phil black is in that capital city of tunis where officials say two of the suspected gunmen trained in camps in nearby libya. phil what do you know? >> reporter: the government says the two gunmen crossed into libya, were trained in a camp near benghazi. the concern here of course is isis. that's territory that isis is known to have camps. the idea that elements from isis could now continue to threat the stability of this country in an ongoing way is very much a concern. we've been inside some of the hospitals here in tunis and seen how hard medical and administ

barbara starr has the story. >> reporter: the latest u.s. military intelligence assessment most of the fighters here are iranian backed shia militia with iranian weapons fighting to reclaim the city of tikrit. signs of iran's influence everywhere, field commanders review their plans. the pentagon watching iran with a close eye. happy to have the iranians doing the bulk of the ground fighting. but worried it could again open up a cauldron of shia versus sunni violence. >> for the sunni and shia sectarianism that has happened for thousands of years, it could be strategically disastrous. >> reporter: u.s. officials also worry the fragile iraqi government in the long run will become a client state of tehran with the u.s. spending millions to train iraqi units, the risk is it all falls into iranian hands. >> in terms of insuring our resources don't migrate to shia militia, there's no easy way to be absolutely certain that kaenlt happen. >> reporter: inu.s. want the prime minister to guarantee a government and military with sunni representation. v

barbara starr is monitoring the situation. what do we know about the extent of the damage to this ancient city that's been bulldozed with all these historic artifacts? >> reporter: i have to tell you, the information very sketchy coming out of the iraqi government. they are saying that isis went there and did bulldoze nimrod in northern iraq. this is a priceless site. these are artifacts, an ancient city that dates between 900 b.c. and 600 b.c. if you look at the existing photos -- images you begin to get a sense of the great historic and cultural treasure that this location is. the iraqis say that it has been virtually destroyed. and of course the world awaiting more information about what exactly did transpire here. it would not be the first time isis has done this. in northern iraq in mosul several days ago ithey went there and destroyed another priceless set of artifacts at a museum in mosul. the united nations speaking out about this saying that it cannot remain silent. the world cannot remain silent. that this is just ut

. >> let's bring in our pentagon correspondent, barbara starr. barbara, what are the main concerns that lawmakers have right now about the president's authorization for the use of military force, that request, the aumf as it's called? >> reporter: what the senators are talking about is one of their biggest concerns is could a new authorization open the door to the administration being able to send a large number of ground combat forces into iraq. what we're talking about are those traditional military units, large battalions brigades, formations truly in combat. a lot of concerns if they vote for this, this is where it could all lead. secretary of state john kerry says absolutely not and he offers some very interesting reasoning about why the u.s. will not send ground troops into the region. have a listen to what he had to say. >> the implications of that would be actually to aid in the recruitment, to create a bigger problem than we face today. and in answer to the question asked earlier, why do these guys like taking us on because if it's just

barbara starr has more on who is helping and who isn't and why the next few days are crucial.ter: iraqi soldiers and shia militias fight isis near tikrit some of the action captured on a helmet-mounted camera. many are iran's shia forces. what isn't here? the u.s. no coalition bombs are falling. iraq's shia government instead, turning to tehran. >> iranian forces are also involved. and we have said interest the beginning that the united states will not coordinate militarily with the iranians. >> reporter: as the u.s. spends more than $8 million a day to fight isis this battle now a potentially dire litmus test of iraq's sectarian divide. shia fighters liberating a sunni town. >> sectarianism is one of the things that concerns me very much. and of course it's the root of the iranian presence in iraq. there's a strong likelihood as they move into tikrit and perhaps mosul that you could have a total disintegration of the entire country. this is why we need to watch very carefully what's going on in tikrit. >> reporter: the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff warning. if tikrit

here's our barbara starr with more. >> reporter: sergeant bowe bergdahl released by the taliban afterng held captive for five years, could face imprisonment at home. the army now charging him with desertion, and "misbehavior before the enemy. two of the most serious counts in the military justice system. bergdahl will now face a so-called article 32 proceeding. the military equivalent of a grand jury. the next step could be a full trial. >> possible confinement for life. >> reporter: but securing a desertion conviction could be tough. desertion requires evidence he never intended to return. >> desertion would imply that he would actually be working with the enemy and that he had a preconceived plan to go and join enemy forces. so that's going to be a lot more difficult to prove. >> reporter: especially difficult, given what national security adviser susan rice said after bergdahl was traded for five senior taliban prisoners who were held at guantanamo bay. >> he served the united states with honor and distinction, and we'll have the opportunity to learn what has transpired. >> i miss

pentagon reporter barbara starr is joining us now. it is an interesting read, and tell us more about what sergeant bowe bergdahl said. >> well don, this came this evening along with a letter from the civilian defense attorney, a lengthy document where the attorney tries to make the case that bergdahl is already not guilty of the charges of which he is the army has presented him with and this is followed up from several pages from bowe bergdahl himself h, detailing brutality, and torture. and let me go through a few pieces of this. he says quote, i was kept on constant isolation for the five years with little understanding of time. i was told they was going to be be executed. he was chained to a bead, spread-eagle and blindfolded he said. he had at one point 8 to 12 open wounds from the hand shack lts. he was beaten with a copper cable, and he goes on the say that at some points his health did improve, and that he tried to escape a dozen times. one of the times he was a waiway for nine days before he was caught. he was out in essential

pentagon correspondent barbara starr has more on how the u.s. may get involved. >> reporter: in yemen's capital, devastating air strikes from saudi arabia. a new offensive to drive out iranian backed rebels, who seized control of the capital and key military sites. officials say the saudi campaign was quickly planned, catching top u.s. military commanders off guard. >> general, when were you told by the saudis that they were going to take military action in yemen? >> sir, i had a conversation right before they took action, shortly before. >> right before they took action? >> yes, sir. >> reporter: the white house has already committed significant assistance. the u.s. military is helping the saudis plan bombing missions over yemen, providing targeting intelligence from satellites overhead, and making awacs surveillance planes and aerial refueling aircraft available, as well. the general says he doesn't know if it will all work. >> i don't currently know the specific goals and objectives of the saudi campaign, and i have to know that to be able to

>> barbara starr at the pentagon. i want to bring in retired lieutenant colonel rick francone to get his analysis. a lot of military analysts i've spoken to say when all is said and done it doesn't make any difference if the u.s. pulls out this year next year or early 2017. afghanistan's going to be a disaster for the time being given the taliban there, al qaeda there, now isis moving in. the historic tensions that have been going on for decades, maybe for centuries. if the u.s. completely pulls out at some point, afghanistan is going to wind up like iraq is right now. your analysis? >> that could be the case. however, i think it's important that the u.s. troops stay there as long as they need to. i'm very disturbed by this date certain that the president seems to have put on this. he wants everybody out of there by the end of 2016. we had this problem before. we did it in iraq. we did it in afghanistan. we tell the bad guys when we're leaving. that just emboldens them or makes them sit down hunker down wait until the

barbara starr live with more on iran's part in this crisis. good morning. >> good morning, carol. let's be clear. iran has been deeply involved in iraq for many years trying to influence the various governments that have been in power there. so that is nothing new. they have their own motives for doing that. they are doing a good deal of the heavy lifting and the fight against isis. that's a very sensitive matter and our own ben wedeman in iraq on the ground talked to iraqi legislators about all of this. >> translator: the iranian support is much greater than american support. unfortunately, says this spokesman, we've seen no effort by the international coalition here and that really doesn't reflect well on them. the iraqi government said it didn't request help. if the operation is successful these fighters and iran will take the credit. >> if successful on the ground in tikrit the u.s. view is that's a good thing. it pushes isis out. again, the deeper more fundamental u.s. security concerns are iran extending its influence even deeper into iraq and how much the iraqi government w

the with an interview with barbara starr, the monitor of the international program said iran could get if any country that would try today to hide a nuclear test explosion, we have more than 90% chance of detecting it. >> that would be past the point of preventing them of getting a bomb which is the key here. with the hours ticking down to the deadline house speaker boehner is leading a delegation of republicans in israel tomorrow. the speaker is set to meet israeli prime minister netanyahu. you will remember that the speaker invited the prime minister to speak to congress while netanyahu was campaigning for re-election in israel. i want to bring in cnn's oren liebermann live in jerusalem. oren what is the reaction to the last-minute rounds of negotiations? >> reporter: we heard a lot from prime minister netanyahu today and over the last few days. we expect that to continue with house speaker boehner here. it is a big day here in israel. the swearing in of the kinesset. iran talked about what the deal would mean for israel. he says it is not the threat for israel but the moderate count

let's bring in pentagon correspondent barbara starr. sober words from the norad chief. we drifting closer to a new cold war? is that the assessment over there? >> reporter: i think that's definitely the worry, wolf. admiral gortney is a pretty cool, calm customer. he doesn't speak unless he knows what he's talking about. and what he's really saying here, is you think you're worried about these russian air patrols. marry that thought up with the fact that the russians are also modernizing the weapons that they are going to be carrying in the coming months and years on their aircraft an their submarines and surface warships. admiral gortney talking in detail about these advanced long-range cruise missiles that the russians are developing and talking about, those air patrols and what it all means. i want you to have a little listen to what he had to say. >> the long-range aviation by the russians it's a pretty significant increase in numbers. and what concerns me more are two things it's the -- where they're flying even down the english channel, it's where they're flying t

>> barbara starr, thank you so much.ning me now live from capitol hill is democratic senator barbara boxer from california, senior member of the foreign relations committee. senator boxer, thanks for being here. democrats and their supporters are using a lot of strong words to describe this letter from republicans. there's treason, traitor, hash tag 47 traitors is trending. i want to get your reaction to what former secretary of state hillary clinton had to say about it late this afternoon. >> one has to ask, what was the purpose of this letter? there appear to be two logical answers. either these senators were trying to be helpful to the iranians or harmful to the commander in chief in the midst of high-stakes international diplomacy. either answer does discredit to the letter's signaturories. >> isn't there a third option senator? that the senators genuinely believe this is a bad deal and they don't want it to happen? >> well there's nothing inconsistent. yes, they think it's a bad deal. a, they haven't seen it. but wh

that's pretty standard from a range of these groups. >> barbara starr reporting.ping out history. i want you to take a look at this. this is in iraq. few people have ever traveled to this ancient site to see history up close. how about once the picturesque back drop for this city's photo-op. the city stood the test of time for 2,000 years but both sites reduced to rubble by isis. the sites are among a growing list of attacks. to talk about the significance of the destruction, i'm joined by the a professor at the university of toronto and curate curator curator. welcome, sir. >> thank you. >> tell us about the importance of these sites. >> well i mean imagine that the coliseum in rome or the pyramids in egypt were flattened by bulldozers. that's the way it feels to us. it was the first important capital of the syrian empire. the syrian empire was political formation that started at its heyday from egypt to western iran and in this palace in this capital, there were magnificent palaces by one of the kings of syria, which was decorated with official battle scenes tha

barbara starr has this report. >> reporter: the blood is still there. tunisian security forces on high alert looking for at least three suspects in the attack that has now killed 23 people and injured three dozen. isis claiming responsibility for the attack warning this is just the start if an unverified audio message. >> this is the latest example of extremist terror, and we have to fight it with everything we have. >> reporter: growing u.s. worries about the spread of isis and where it could lead. >> a terrorism attack like this one on a soft target in tunisia promises there will be more terrorism in europe and eventually will wash up on the shores of the united states. >> reporter: for now, the u.s. doesn't doubt the isis claim of responsibility. but officials caution al qaeda affiliates in north africa also are very active in tunisia. these attackers perhaps inspired by isis rather than directly ordered to attack. violent as it was, u.s. officials say the tactics appeared haphazard, not a typical terrorist plot. tunisian authorities announced nine p

charges filed but skeeter says the abuse came when she became the adoptive granddare of the minister starr scott. outside the church during palm sunday services dozens of former members say she was not alone. they described the church as akin to a cult. >> if you leave -- we can't make you stay about but if you leave, you forfeit authority over your wife and son. i told him that's absurd. just what? >> reporter: he left. his former wife stayed. michael says church leaders broke up his marriage. they would search my bible, search my clothes. they treated my like a criminal. >> samantha spearheaded the protest. she's never been a member. >> personally i am a christian. i think what they are teaching is not biblical but it goes even above and beyond. there's a huge moral problem in this church. >> reporter: we reached out to the pastor. we got no response but i did speak to a member who says he's been a member for 17 years and hasn't experience anything like the protesters say they have experienced. >> reporter: some current members waved, others ignored them. passers-by -- i say we have pcst

let's go to barbara starr, our pentagon correspondent.e bergdahl is and what we're anticipating. >> reporter: this is a case that has garnered worldwide attention and really tied the army up in knots for years now. sergeant bowe bergdahl left his base in afghanistan in july 2009 was very quickly captured by insurgents in afghanistan, held for five years. and it was just last year that president obama made the decision to trade bergdahl in captivity. you see the rescue mission there to bring him back home in exchange for releasing taliban militants from guantanamo bay. hugely political, hugely controversial. the president making the decision to get bowe bergdahl back. but what everyone's been waiting for is what we are going to learn at 3:30, the next step in this case. because bergdahl by all accounts left that base in afghanistan voluntarily. by all accounts he walked away of his own free will. he was not captured on base. he was captured outside. he went outside the wire. so at 3:30 today in fort bragg, north carolina, the army will ann

barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. >>> this month marks four years since the start of the war in syriaunited nations a failing grade for its response to the syrian crisis this past year. the u.n. called for all parties to cease attacks against civilians. instead, at least 76,000 civilians were killed in 2014 including thousands of children. >> the u.n. called on all parties to lift seizure of populated areas, but 212,000 people are still besieged and millions live in areas hard to reach. the u.n. also called on all parties in the conflict to work towards a political solution but peace talks collapsed in february of 2014. >>> okay. we're going to take a short break. when we come back a look at how fans of jeremy clarkson are backing him as his tv career hangs in the balance. >>> travelers around the world are leaving their foot prints but not in a good way. we'll tell you about tourists behaving badly. that's coming up. thrives on the unexpected. ha-ha! shall we dine? [ chuckle ] you wouldn't expect an insurance company to show you their rates and their competitors' rates but that's pre

barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. >>> a letter sent to the white house is being tested for cyanide. the secret service says the envelope was received at the white house mail facility on monday. initial tests came back negative but on tuesday chemical testing showed a possible presence of cyanide. a law enforcement official says there were no injuries or exposure concerns for the person who opened that letter. >>> we'll take a short break now. coming up next, the u.s. responds to claims that one of its drones has been shot down by syrian forces. well, a mortgage shouldn't be a problem your credit is in pretty good shape. >>pretty good? i know i have a 798 fico score thanks to the tools and help on experian.com. kaboom... well, i just have a few other questions. >>chuck, the only other question you need to ask is, "what else can you do for me?" i'll just take a water... get your credit swagger on. become a member of experian credit tracker and find out your fico score powered by experian. fico scores are used in 90% of credit decisions. bring us your baffling. bring us your audacious.

>> barbara starr at the pentagon thank you so much. let's bring in cnn counter terrorism analyst phil mudd. he used to track terrorists for the cia. phil good to see you. looks like iranian development -- involvement here runs pretty deep. if you were still with the cia, how concerned would you be about the iranians being involved in these operations especially in the leadership role they're playing? >> you've got to be concerned because going back years after the iranian revolution in 1979 when we have seen power vacuums across the middle east lebanon, fast forwarding to iraq remember we talked about the houthis, backed by iran in yemen. bh when there is a power vacuum the iranians will move in. in this case you have a country on their border that is two-thirds shia. we forget that. not surprising the vacuum after the u.s. departure the iranians are there in force. >> what can we expect? the bottom line is -- look i understand the iranians are state sponsor of terror but if isis is this enemy and the other arab countries, saudi arabia

cnn's pentagon correspondent barbara starr has more on how the u.s.ay get involved. >> reporter: in yemen's capital devastating air strikes from saudi arabia. a new offensive to drive out iranian-backed rebels who seized control of the capital and key military sites. officials say the saudi campaign was quickly planned, catching top u.s. military commanders off guard. >> general, when were you told by the saudis that they were going to take military action in yemen? >> sir, i had a conversation with achad right before they took action. so shortly before. >> right before they took action. >> yes, sir. >> that's very interesting. >> reporter: the white house has already committed significant assistance. the u.s. military is helping the saudis plan bombing missions over yemen, providing targeting intelligence from satellites overhead and making awac surveillance planes and aerial refueling aircraft available as well. the general says he doesn't know if it will all work. >> i don't currently know the specific goals and objectives of the saudi campaign. an

cnn's barbara starr is at the pentagon. barbara, explain to us what they have what this means and what comes next. >> reporter: well let's start with what happened today. as you say, the army now saying it is charging bowe bergdahl with one count of desertion, one count of what they call misbehavior before the enemy, shamefully in the words of the army code of justice, shamefully leaving his post. now this will move to an article 32 proceeding. that is the equivalent in our civilian world of a grand jury proceeding. an officer will be appointed to again hear all the evidence talk to witnesses, cross examine witnesses and have to decide if there is sufficient evidence to then be referring all of this to essentially a general court martial. is there enough evidence for a reasonable chance of conviction. there are several options there. it could go to a general court-marcourt- martial martial. it could go to a lesser type of proceeding. you could have discipline. you could have absolutely nothing. the army general in charge af

want to go right to cnn's barbara starr live from the pentagon. barbara, the u.s.e. both countries fighting isis in iraq on opposite sides in yemen. tough situation between the u.s. and iran here. >> reporter: very difficult. good afternoon. what this is really coming down to as you say is the u.s. engaging in military actions several places not so quietly trying to blunt iran's growing power. a second day of air strikes inside yemen by saudi jets bombing iranian backed houthi shia militias which have taken control of the country. the top u.s. commander for the middle east worries about what could be tehran's bid for super power status. >> iran has been enabling the activity of the houthis as they have done what they have done. i would go further to say that iran's desire is to be a hedgemon in this region. >> reporter: the u.s. trying to stop iran's march on several fronts. >> as it seeks to increase its influence in various countries, it does so through the reach of the shia populations. >> reporter: in the yemen war, the u.s. is giving the saudis military satell

cnn's barbara starr live for us at the pentagon with the latest.forces are apparently getting some assistance from really what some people might consider to be an unlikely ally, right? >> reporter: and that ally is iran. what kind of assistance or perhaps interference are they providing? that's a big question right now. iraqi's prime minister says the fight to take back tikrit is on. saddam hussein's hometown fell to isis eight months ago. the battle is a crucial test of the willingness of iraqi troops to fight after months of u.s. training. easier terrain in tikrit than trying to recapture the biggest prize, mosul. >> the key thing in my mind is proximity to baghdad. it's closer to baghdad. mosul is another 200 kilometers another many miles to the north from tikrit. >> reporter: the iraqi forces attacking from several directions in the effort to retake tikrit, engaging with isis north of the city and south. isis has its own images and version of events claiming to show it is fighting back against the 30,000 man force iraq says it is fielding here.

cnn's barbara starr joins us at the pentagon with the latest.re have been several attempts before to recapture tikrit. it fell to isis last summer. is this coalition making any progress? >> reporter: this new, very interesting coalition. well right now all the indications are any progress in tikrit is a bit mixed, if you will but it's interesting because for the first time today, the white house openly acknowledged that iran is helping. iraqi soldiers and shia militias fight isis near tikrit. some of the action captured on a helmet-mounted camera. many here are iran's shia forces. what isn't here the u.s. no coalition bombs are falling. iraq's shia government did not want american help. as the u.s. spends more than $8 million a day to fight isis this battle now a potentially dire litmus test of iraq's sectarian divide. shia fighters liberating a sunni town. >> sectarianism is one of the things that concerns me very much and of course it's the root of the iranian presence in iraq. >> there's a strong likelihood as they move on tikrit and perhaps

barbara starr joins us now live from the pentagon with more on this. barbara?ll, it can't be said often enough. all of this will be a matter for the military justice system to decide. there will be continued proceedings against bowe bergdahl. what we now know is that the initial army investigation report has a claim from bergdahl. it may be the beginning of his defense, that he intended not to desert, but he was going to walk to the nearest military outpost in afghanistan. remember, this is insurgent territory, back in july 2009, he was going to walk to the nearest outpost to report what he believed was wrong doing, poor leadership, order and discipline problems at his base, that he didn't feel he could stay and report it at his base, perhaps not trusting the leadership there. all of this in the army investigator's report. it is bergdahl's justification, his intent, his defense, the beginning of seeing his defense. two u.s. officials have confirmed to me, these are the essential details that are in that report that has flot been released to the public. the army

barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. >>> coming up on cnn the deadline is getting closer for agreement ons nuclear program. a live report ahead on where those negotiations stand. >>> plus passengers on the united airlines flight jumped into action after a man charged the cockpit shouting "jihad! " ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ if you can clear a table without lifting a finger... you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® for powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin. because it starts working faster on the first day you take it. zyrtec®. muddle no more™. . >>> just reached the halfway point. welcome back to our viewers in the united states and around the world. you're watching "cnn newsroom." i'm john vause. >> i'm rosemary church. in headlines, there have been will have clashes if frankfurt, germany, between anti-austerity democrat strars and riot police. the alliance of groups call has organized a day of protest to coincide with opening the opening of the european central bank's new headquarters. fires have been set, and water cannons have been used. riot police could be seen ru

barbara starr live for us at the pentagon, thank you. i want to get some analysis on this terror attack in tunisia. let's bring in republican congressman mike mccall, chairman of the house homeland security committee. he is live on the -- on capitol hill for us. mr. chairman thanks so much for being with us. we are just learning now it seems that seven polish nationals were killed in this attack. what can you tell us or what are you learning about who may be behind this? >> well i think there are three groups possibly behind it. ansar al sharia the same terrorist group that hit benghazi. these guys were in tunisia. it was reported 3,000 tunisians have traveled to iraq and syria to join the fight with isis so the foreign fighter aspect from the isis threat is a very real possibility. aq in the maghreb will be the third choice. most likely ansar al sharia or isis plot behind it. it's a western target. tunisia has been -- it was the birthplace of the arab spring really the beacon of hope for democracy in the region the only one. i think tha

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