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CNN NEWSROOM
FBI Investigates Beheading in Oklahoma; Police Trace Suspected Cop-Killer Thru Phone Call; U.K. Started Offensive against ISIS in Iraq; Coalition Targets ISIS Oil Fields; Aboard USS George H.W. Bush; How Safe are Vital FAA Facilities?; Ebola Poses Global Security Issue; Anti-ISIS Coalition Expanding; Live Under ISIS in Syria; George Clooney to Marry in Italy
Aired September 27, 2014 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: We'll bring you more pictures as we get them because we can't wait to see it, right? The bride, what's she going to be wearing, who is she wearing?
(LAUGHTER)
And here's a little something else. All of the guests have had these special, like, emblems on their bags, on their jackets. All to say that they are special guests of George Clooney and Amal, and apparently they are all going to have like a chip, some sort of chip that's embedded either in their clothes or their handbags, so that when they go through security, it's legit. They are invited guests. So that's all I know. That's all I've got for you. But happy marriage day for George Clooney and Amal.
All right. Hello, again, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here are the top stories we're following in the CNN NEWSROOM right now.
All right. No end yet to a travel nightmare. More flight cancellations leaving passengers stranded. This as we learn more about the man police say set fire in an air traffic control center.
Plus, more airstrikes on ISIS terrorists today. The U.S.-led coalition to destroy them is growing. British fighter jets joining the mission with planes flying over Iraq.
Now to a murder in Oklahoma that's stirring up fears of homegrown terror. The FBI is on the case after authorities say a man who had just lost his job beheaded one coworker and injured another before being shot and wounded.
The suspect, Alton Nolan, is no stranger to police, apparently. He was just released from prison in March. One state trooper recalled a run-in with Nolan at a traffic stop four years ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. BETSY RANDOLPH, OKLAHOMA HIGHWAY PATROL: In a split second, he exploded out of the car, hit me in the chest, and pushed me back. I lifted my hand up, thinking my finger was gone, it hurt so bad. My fingers had gotten tied up in the chains. I wish I'd have killed him, you know -- I never -- I was never afraid of him, or I would have.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Nick Valencia joining me now.
So police say Nolan tried to convert his coworkers to Islam, but is that at the root of what took place, the beheading?
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we don't -- we don't know that for a fact. That hasn't been an official line from police. But we did just hear back from local authorities in Moore, Oklahoma, who confirmed to us the images that we're about to show you are from the suspect's Facebook page.
Now this is the suspect. He goes by a different alias on his Facebook page. But these images and messages, Fred, appear to show support for Islamic radicals. Some show violence and gore. We're choosing not to show those images to you. But in other posts, he ridicules Christianity.
Now just because of the sheer barbaric nature of the attacks, some as you mentioned,. Fred, have speculated that this could be tied to something larger, perhaps influenced by radical extremists, Muslim extremists. We don't know that. When I spoke to the governor's office earlier, she urged caution in going down that road. She says the investigation needs to be complete.
The FBI, we do know, is looking into his past as well as his social media footprint. I spent the last hour looking at his Facebook page. It is graphic, to say the least. And he talks about judgment day. He goes through the history of Islam, posts some quotes on there, scripture from the Quran. We believe to be scripture from the Quran, but it's very dramatic stuff to find all those posts there, and just the change, the dramatic change from Alton Nolan in the last six months.
He goes from posting about Jesus and football to posting about judgment day and radical extremism.
WHITFIELD: Is there interaction? Are there others postings anything or responding to what he's saying on the page?
VALENCIA: There are likes, there are people who agree with what he's saying. I've reached out to some of those people on his Facebook page to see if perhaps they're willing to talk about Alton Nolan. He goes by Hakim Israel in his Facebook page, so we believe he might have changed his name recently.
But yes, authorities are looking at everything to see if this may be connected to something larger. Right now, though, we don't know that officially -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: What kind of questioning, if any, has happened?
VALENCIA: Well, that's a good question. Because up until late last night, he was sedated in a hospital. He was shot by one of those owners of the store before he was going to continue on his rampage. Police say that it could have been much worse had it not been for the CEO who shot and stopped him. But we don't know if police have questioned him yet. Up until last night he was still sedated but he is in the hospital. We do expect police to talk to him eventually, perhaps even today. Who knows? It could be going on right now.
WHITFIELD: All right. Very disturbing.
Nick Valencia, thanks so much.
VALENCIA: You bet.
WHITFIELD: All right. Now to get you updated on the manhunt for a suspected cop killer in Pennsylvania. Police in heavy body armor are still searching for Eric Frein. Investigators say they believe they are close to finding him and it may all have to do with a cell phone call Eric made to his parents.
Alexandra Field joining us live now from Monroe County, Pennsylvania.
So, Alexandra, what, you know, kind of signals were they able to pick up on that phone call?
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that cell phone call, we're now learning, is really what led investigators to this area because for two weeks now, they've been telling us they're confident he is in this area.
We're now learning from a law enforcement official that Frein called his parents last week, he let the phone ring once and then he hung up. That was long enough for law enforcement to trace him to this area.
At this point, they haven't found him, but they have found some evidence of tampering with various structures that are in the woods here. They're talking about mostly empty and abandoned structures. That's one reason they have to believe that he's still out here.
Also, there have been a number of reported sightings. That's another reason why they believe he is still out here. Police are continuing to tell us that they feel confident that they will close in on him and capture him, but they are acknowledging that they believe that Eric Frein is playing some kind of game with them that he had planned for quite some time.
Here's what the police said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. COL. GEORGE BIVENS, PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE: I suspect he wants to have a fight with the state police, but I think that involves hiding and running, since that seems to be the way he operates. He is -- he is probably not going to come out and have a face-to-face confrontation. I expect that he'll be hiding and try to take a shot from some distance, from a place of concealment, as he has done in the past.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FIELD: A thousand officers have been out here, looking for Eric Frein. They tell us that a lot of the difficulty has to do with the terrain out here. We're talking about very densely wooded area, an area that it could be easy to hide in. There are a number of caves in the area as well as those abandoned structures that we mentioned. So all these things are adding to the difficulty. But they have found some belongings that they believe were with Frein at some point in the last couple of weeks. Now that includes an AK-47.
But, Fred, they say they still certainly consider the suspect to be armed and dangerous. They believe that he has a rifle with him.
WHITFIELD: And is it the case that investigators even suspect there could be booby traps that he may have set?
FIELD: Yes. And this is what's also making this so difficult. Because they want to search aggressively. This has dragged on a lot longer that anyone would want it to. But they are telling all the officers who were involved here to proceed with caution. There's a parallel investigation going on right now. People are trying to learn more about Eric Frein.
And Fred, one of the things that they have learned is that he had been experimenting with homemade explosives and that's certainly reason enough for all officers here to be aware of the possibility that they could be stepping into a booby trap.
WHITFIELD: All right. Alexandra Field, thanks so much.
All right, overseas, more airstrikes rain down on ISIS targets in Syria and Iraq, as more nations join the coalition against the terror group. The Pentagon says a total of 10 airstrikes have taken place in Iraq and Syria today and Friday. Among the areas hit in Syria, the Kobani border crossing by Turkey. That's near a spot where CNN cameras captured exclusive footage of ISIS in action taking fire from Syrian Kurds.
Well, today, Britain started its offensive against the extremists, sending its tornado fighter jets over Iraq.
Let's turn now to CNN's Karl Penhaul in London.
Karl, let's focus on the missions over Iraq and these British fighter jets are able to do.
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, absolutely, Fredricka. And you say Iraq, because that is the only political and military mandate Britain's fighter jets have. Parliament did not authorize them to engage in any operations over Syria for now, at least.
Now Britain has decided it's going to contribute six fighter jets to the coalition effort to strike ISIS positions inside of Iraq. Putting that in perspective, countries like Jordan, Denmark, and Holland have contributed more or the same amount as Britain. So many analysts here are suggesting what Britain is doing is making a politically significant gesture to rebuild a European consensus on what to do with ISIS. But not really a militarily significant gesture that will change the game against ISIS.
Now, today, for the first time that British fighter jets were in action over skies of Iraq, their Defense Ministry here has told us that two tornado fighter jets were flying. They were armed with missiles and laser-guided bombs, but did not engage in any attacks. That because the Defense Ministry says they found no targets worth hitting. And that, of course, is one of the problems going forward, both for the Britons and for other members of this coalition, to really find targets worth hitting, that will really make significant damage to ISIS forces -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And the United States remains the only Western nation to take on ISIS in Syria. Any idea or sign whether Great Britain will reconsider it and commit itself to the Syrian airstrikes as well?
PENHAUL: Not for now. And the reason, really, behind that lies in a parliamentary vote that took place back in 2013. Remember, when President Obama was looking for Britain's key support to attack the Assad regime after the chemical weapons attacks on his own population, and there was a divide in parliament here in Britain. And there was a no vote. There was no British support for airstrikes on the Assad regime.
And so British parliament now is very mindful of that. The prime minister, David Cameron, is very mindful of his defeat last year. He wants to rebuild political consensus here in Britain, bit by bit. And so there is appetite to go after ISIS in Iraq. The way that David Cameron has sold that to the country is because the Iraqi government has expressly asked Britain to provide that kind of air support.
But so far, Britain doesn't see that it either has a political or military mandate to go after ISIS targets inside of Syria. That could change over the coming weeks and months, possibly, but only if that kind of tactic gains popularity among a British public that, of course, has been very weary of these expeditionary wars, whether it be Afghanistan, Iraq, and now Syria -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Karl Penhaul, thanks so much, from London.
A big target of those airstrikes has been ISIS oil facilities. And CNN global affairs correspondent Elise Labott is joining us now from New York.
So, Elise, we know that ISIS fighters are in the crosshairs of the U.S. and coalition members, but what's behind the targeting of these oil fields and refineries, which, you know, provide a lot of finance, a lot of money for ISIS?
ELISE LABOTT, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS REPORTER: Well, Fred, you've heard President Obama and Secretary Kerry say, this is not just a military campaign going after the flow of foreign fighters and finances that ISIS is awash with cash is really the lifeblood of this group. And going after that is just as important. And that's why the first strikes in Syria went right after the ISIS pocketbook. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LABOTT (voice-over): ISIS is not just one of the world's most dangerous organizations. It's also a ruthless terror corporation, earning millions of dollars every day from this -- oil crude pulled from beneath the sands of Iraq and Syria and sold on the black market at a discount.
LUBT AL-KHATTEEB, VISITING FELLOW, BROOKINGS DOHA CENTER: They use this financing to expand their recruitment operations.
LABOTT: Experts say ISIS intentionally focused on seizing large swathes of the most oil-rich areas in the region and now controls as much as 60 percent of production in Syria, along with seven oil fields in Iraq.
U.S. government sources tell CNN ISIS takes some of that crude out of the ground and refines it for their own use, to fuel its trucks and tanks.
Overnight, the U.S. hit some of the organization's mobile refineries. What's more concerning, sources say, is the rest of that oil, which is now being smuggled out of Syria, not through pipelines, but by more than 200 ISIS tanker trucks driven along secret routes mostly in Turkey's southern corridor.
What's still not clear is just who is buying all of it. Sources tell CNN ISIS crude oil appears to be sold by middlemen, intermediaries who sell the oil to legitimate refineries in the region.
AL-KHATEEB: There are a number of tribes, local tribes, local families. They tend to handle these volumes and basically they smuggle the oil and eventually, basically, they either trade it to neighboring territories.
LABOTT: And that, sources say, means some of ISIS oil may actually be making it into the world market undetected.
Before the U.S.-led airstrikes started this week, the Iraq Energy Institute estimated ISIS produced about 30,000 barrels a day in Iraq and 50,000 more each day in Syria. At about $40 a barrel on the black market, that would fetch up to $3 million in profit each day.
Tonight, the U.S. government says it hopes it can take out ISIS ability to move and sell all of that oil, crippling a key profit center for this terror corporation.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LABOTT: And Fred, even as the U.S. tries to expand the military coalition, it is going to be looking to Turkey and those other neighboring countries to crack down on those black market routes, those shadowy networks that are handling the sales to deny ISIS the cash to keep fueling the terrorist activity. That's a key part of this coalition and that's one of the things former General John Allen, the envoy to this globe coalition, will be discussing when he heads to the region next week -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Elise Labott, thanks so much for that.
All right. The first American jets to hit ISIS targets came from the USS George H.W. Bush. The massive aircraft carrier moved into the Persian Gulf more than a month ago.
And CNN's Becky Anderson is aboard that ships and tells us what she's seeing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What you're seeing behind me is the last of the fighter jets and helicopters coming back from their armed sorties. The F-18 hit the deck at 150 knots, in what is known as an arrested landing. And those traps effectively pull them back. As you can see the end of the aircraft carrier with the white lights, just below me here.
This is four and a half acres of vessel, but just a very, very small area in which these pilots must land.
It's 10:00 at night and it feels a lot more peaceful on what is a 24/7 operation. But believe me, earlier on in the day, it was hectic out here. And by tomorrow morning, as the sun rises, they'll be doing it all again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Becky Anderson, thanks so much on the USS George H.W. Bush.
Straight ahead, thousands of airline passengers are still stranded after a fire at an air traffic control center took place in Chicago. How much longer will they have to wait?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, flights in and out of Chicago are still a mess after a man allegedly intentionally set fire to a major air traffic control center. The ripple effect canceled about 2,000 flights yesterday, 600 more today. The FAA is struggling to resume normal flight schedules. Passengers are trying to take it all in stride.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARDOU MERTILUS, FLIGHT CANCELED: I'm frustrated, but what can I do? It's not like I can drive to Miami.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: You're just waiting, just like everybody else, right?
MERTILUS: Yes, I'm going to make the best of it. I'm going to have a really nice dinner tonight and enjoy my additional night here in Chicago.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: FBI agents searched the home of an FAA employee, 36-year- old Brian Howard. They have charged him with setting the fire. Agents say Howard allegedly sent a private Facebook message to a relative before setting the fire, threatening to, quote, "take out the FAA center."
So what happened in Illinois should sound warning bells throughout the FAA. If one man can do that much damage with a fire, just how safe is our air traffic system?
Let's bring in CNN safety analyst David Soucie. He's joining us now from Denver.
All right. Good to see you. So, David, how concern --
DAVID SOUCIE, CNN SAFETY ANALYST: Hello, how are you?
WHITFIELD: I'm good. How concerned are you about the safeguarding of FAA facilities just like that one?
SOUCIE: Well, you know, the safeguarding I don't think is the primary question. The question here is again the mental status of the employee at the facility. And the FAA has fought with this for many years now, not only at these facilities but also in the cockpit itself. So this is -- this is an issue and there needs to be more done on this psychological testing of employees.
WHITFIELD: So like what? You mean these psychological tests should come more periodically? I mean, aren't there -- aren't they even executed initially when someone is hired?
SOUCIE: Well, they are, but unfortunately, when they do that, there's not an expert separate analysis done. What's done is -- and this is the same with the pilots. The pilots are asked the question, has there been anything emotionally or has there been something going on with you or are you taking any drugs for depression, things like that. And they're left up to their own discretion, to disclose that in their medical and in that sort of arrangement.
There isn't really anything ongoing. Some airlines do have programs that do that, provide some kind of psychological analysis for the pilots. But it really doesn't extend down to this level of employee, which is a very vulnerable position.
WHITFIELD: And then what about access? I mean, even if there are more evaluations, is it your feeling that perhaps, I guess, vital areas of an air traffic control center shouldn't be accessible to anyone? Should more measures be put in place to try and beef up security or try to prevent something like this from happening again?
SOUCIE: Well, I don't think that would have helped in this case, because of the fact that this employee actually worked in this area. He was a communications expert. He worked on the communications, the radios, every kind of communication that goes on between the pilots, between the controllers. All of that type of thing. That was his job and that's where he was supposed to be.
So at best, I think that there could have been a possibility of having supervision in that area and not letting someone be alone in those particular areas that are hypercritical for the safety of the system itself.
WHITFIELD: Does this incident shed light on a gaping hole in security -- securities, in your view, at control centers, or is it just simply an anomaly?
SOUCIE: No -- well, it is a little bit, but I think with security, it's such a broad scope, but with security, you also have to look at the efficiency, look at the ability to supervise within the control center itself. So security is much more than just putting up gates and cameras and what we typically think of as security. Security talks about the vulnerabilities and what needs to be done to protect those.
So, yes, security does need to be improved, but this is much more detailed, this is much more into the works of how this system works entirely.
WHITFIELD: All right. David Soucie, always appreciate your expertise. Thanks so much, from Denver.
SOUCIE: All right. Thank you.
WHITFIELD: A dire prediction about the Ebola epidemic. Health experts say more than a million people could contract the deadly virus by January.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. President Obama is putting a spotlight on the Ebola epidemic. He met with health officials from dozens of countries to rally them to come up with a stronger response to the outbreak in West Africa. He did that at the White House on Friday.
Well, the World Health Organization says there are more than 6,000 cases and nearly 3,000 deaths. The CDC says in Liberia and Sierra Leone, the case count could rise to more than one million by January if nothing is done. A point the president made at the United Nations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are not moving fast enough. We are not doing enough. Right now, everybody has the best of intentions, but people are not putting in the kinds of resources that are necessary to put a stop to this epidemic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right, joining me now is Stephen Morse, professor of epidemiology at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.
Good to see you. STEPHEN MORSE, PROFESSOR OF EPIDEMIOLOGY, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: Good
to see you again, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: So you heard the president saying, there has been a lot of lip service from countries on committing resources, but it seems to be slow in coming. So what will slow the death toll in West Africa from reaching that potential million people by January?
MORSE: The quicker we can get people on the ground, and of course, have facilities, beds or tents in hospitals for isolation, appropriate personnel who can take care of the sick when they are isolated, and of course, that means a range of personnel, and others who can trace down the contact, that's going to take a lot of people and a lot of effort. And so far, after six months, you know, we haven't seen that kind of commitment yet.
WHITFIELD: And so sanitation, personnel, infrastructure, as you point out, all big reasons why Ebola has spread so quickly. But, you know, these are fixes that don't come overnight. And maybe even more than just months. You spelled out in six months, not enough has been done. So is this something that we need to be looking at in terms of years?
MORSE: I hope not. I think that it has taken quite a while, really, to ramp this up. But I think it is possible. I mean, we do this, you know, obviously when we have some sort of conflict in humanitarian emergencies. One complication, of course, is that this can be spread from person to person through close contact. The people who are taking care of the patients, obviously, have to be very careful to observe various infection control measures.
It so makes it a little more complicated. But it's still, you know, largely a logistical matter, and having very experienced, appropriate personnel.
WHITFIELD: But then we are a transient world, aren't we? You know, is one of the big contributors to a potential global spread travelers who might inadvertently, you know, carry and spread Ebola?
MORSE: Oh, yes. And we saw that already, even early on, when Patrick Sire went from Liberia to Legos, Nigeria, and there was a lot of concern that maybe there'd be a major outbreak in a major city like Legos, which could of course cause many cases and perhaps have people turning up in emergency departments all over the world.
But in most parts of the world, Ebola is not going to be able to establish itself and most places in the U.S., for example, in Western Europe, we'll be able to handle it. They do have the appropriate infection control, we do here, and people obviously are very aware of the problem. So it's in Africa, especially, where Ebola already exists, that it could spread further, and could very easily claim many more cases.
WHITFIELD: Are you optimistic that Ebola will be contained, and perhaps will not -- you know, we won't make it to that milestone in January of a million people? MORSE: I am optimistic, but I think it's important to couple that
optimism with some real action. If we act the way that President Obama, for example, suggested, we could -- I think we can contain it. If we know how to do that, and it's simply a matter of getting the people and resources on the ground quickly. So I am optimistic about that, but we obviously need to follow that up with action.
WHITFIELD: Yes. All right. Professor Stephen Morse, thank you so much, from New York.
MORSE: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Coming up, in Syria, there are at least three sides to this civil war. The Syrian regime, those against the regime, and ISIS. So can the U.S.-led coalition take down ISIS without building up President Bashar al-Assad?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Bottom of the hour now. Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. And here are the top stories cross the CNN news desk right now.
Four students are dead after an 18-wheeler crashed into their bus on Interstate 35 in Oklahoma. The North Central Texas College women's softball team was heading back to campus after a game when investigators say the semi swerved, crossed the median, and slammed into the bus. Eleven others, including the truck driver, were hospitalized.
And a former Montana High School teacher convicted of raping a student was resentenced Friday to nearly 10 years in prison. You might recall the original judge came under fire for only giving Stacy Ramboldt a 31-day sentence and making it seem like the victim, a student in Ramboldt's class, was to blame for the attack. The victim later committed suicide.
To Japan now and a thick cloud of volcanic ash. This is Mount Ontake. It's about 155 miles west of Tokyo. It erupted early today as 150 hikers were trying to run for cover. Up to 20 inches of ash now cover the ground. At least three people were injured in a nearby village. Many people living near the volcano are refusing to leave their homes.
And a battle is on right now for golf's Ryder Cup. The U.S. faces Europe every two years in one of golf's few team events and right now Europe leads the U.S. 10-6. But the U.S. still has a shot at winning. The matches conclude tomorrow afternoon at the Gleneagles Resort in Scotland.
Two British jets flew over Iraq today, a day after approving airstrikes on ISIS targets. Denmark and Belgium have also signed on to the coalition, which now numbers more than 50 countries. And includes five Arab countries. U.S. military officials say Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia took part in the most recent airstrikes. Fawaz Gerges is a Middle East scholar at the London School of
Economics and the author of a book called "The New Middle East." He's joining me right now from Rome.
Good to see.
FAWAZ GERGES, AUTHOR, "THE NEW MIDDLE EAST": Same thing here.
WHITFIELD: So is the U.S. running the risk of helping Syria's President Bashar al-Assad when it takes on ISIS along with the coalition forces?
GERGES: Well, the sitting government has welcomed the airstrikes against the so-called Islamic State and other militants, but it has complained that the United States has not coordinated the airstrikes with Damascus. There's also anxiety in Damascus that this particular coalition would turn its guns against the Assad regime.
Remember, American strategy has two major objectives. The official objective is to degrade and defeat the so-called Islamic State or ISIS or ISIL, whatever we call it. But the second objective is to train a large component, a large contingent, Free Syrian Army rebels, and create conditions on the ground in Syria for a diplomatic solution.
So, Fredricka, translation, what the United States would like to do is to change the balance of power on the ground inside Syria and force Assad to sign a deal with the opposition in the next one or two years. So, yes, the Syrian government is happy to have the American airstrikes, but, no, they're terrified that this particular coalition could easily bring about to downfall of the Assad government in two or three years.
WHITFIELD: Well, that's interesting, because even if the U.S., the goal is, you know, to degrade, take out, dismantle ISIS, does it not, inadvertently -- if it succeeds in doing that, does it not inadvertently also empower the Assad regime, even if, as you were saying, the U.S. goal is to also change the balance of power in Syria? Because ISIS has been an enemy of the Assad regime. So if the U.S. takes out one of those enemies, then does that not assist the Assad regime?
GERGES: I think you're raising a very important point. Initially, that was a major fear behind the reluctance of the Obama administration and some of its allies. European allies and Middle Eastern allies. But most of the bombings are taking place far away from the areas where the Assad regime control. In the Raqqa, in the Azure, in the countryside of Aleppo, on the Syrian and Turkish borders. The Syrian government has lost these areas almost two years ago.
What the American administration is trying to do for your own viewers is to basically degrade and paralyze and basically weaken the forces of the Islamic State and train Free Syrian Army forces, the so-called moderate Free Syrian Army, in order to fill the vacuum and basically have them reoccupy the areas in -- the nerve center of the so-called Islamic State. But this is all theoretical. You're absolutely correct. The question is, will this particular
coalition succeed in paralyzing and defeating the forces of the Islamic State and other militant groups. The so-called Islamic State is not the only extremist group in Syria. Secondly, will the United States succeed in training and strengthens the forces of the Free Syrian Army, because they are the weakest link in the chain of the armed factions inside Syria.
So there are many ifs. In the meantime, the Syrian government is consolidating its position, is basically speeding up its attacks against all armed groups inside Syria, and there is a probability that the Syrian government would benefit greatly from the American airstrikes against the so-called Islamic State and al-Nusra Front in Syria.
WHITFIELD: All right, Fawaz Gerges, thank you so much, from Rome today. Appreciate it.
GERGES: A pleasure.
WHITFIELD: All right, straight ahead, hidden cameras capture what life is like under ISIS control. Why a woman risked her life to shoot this video.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Right now to a rare look at civilian life inside Raqqa, Syria, the ISIS stronghold bombed by the U.S. and its allies. Risking her own life, a woman secretively filmed video while roaming the streets of the city.
Here's our Jim Clancy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: With a hidden camera, recording as she walked, the Syrian woman risked arrest or worse to document the scene inside Raqqa, Syria, the so-called capital of the Islamic caliphate. The video was taken in March of this year.
Walking through the heart of that north central Syrian city completely under the control of ISIS she showed how the city had changed. The ISIS flags, the spray-painted slogans, and even incidents where people were forced into public prayer. She went out of her way to interact with ISIS militants, showing women in conservative dress, one carrying an AK-47, and even her own experience being stopped.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come over here. You have to behave better when you're in public.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We see your face.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Really? I am truly sorry. My niqab might be a bit transparent. I'm sorry. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have to pay attention by covering up. God
loves women who are covered.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Understood. OK.
CLANCY: What some might find astonishing is the enthusiasm some women have for life under ISIS. Her visit to an Internet center revealed how women speaking fluent French interacted with concerned family members in their home countries.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (Through Translator): I don't want to come back because I feel good here. It's not a question of coming back or not. If I want, I can come back. I just don't want to come back because I feel good here.
CLANCY: Clearly, this family member was not convinced and was pleading for this young woman to come home from Syria.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (Through Translator): Stop it, it doesn't help me if you're scared or if you cry. Do you hear me? I'm telling you, there is not a point to you crying or being scared. What you see on TV is wrong. Do you understand? They are exaggerating everything on TV. They amplify everything, everything, everything.
CLANCY: That was in March. Fully six months ago. Today, the situation has changed. In the wake of U.S. airstrikes on Raqqa, activists told CNN many ISIS leaders had fled the city. Many civilians, including women and children, were also moving out. Others were keeping a low profile.
(On camera): Many are in fear civilians will be caught in these intense airstrikes. Some ISIS fighters we were told had moved into civilian areas effectively making the local population human shields in what is expected to be a long fight for survival.
Jim Clancy, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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WHITFIELD: All right. The southwest is bracing for more heavy rain and the possibility of severe storms and even flash floods.
Jennifer Gray joins us now with more from the Severe Weather Center.
Wow, what a mess.
JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. We have seen already so much rain in portions of Arizona and we are continuing to see it this morning. We have lightning strikes, also severe thunderstorm watches in effect for those areas. And this is going to stretch all the way up to Salt Lake City. So much rain has fallen in this area over the last month or two, any additional rain is going to be a problem. So be careful. That moisture from the Gulf of California pulling in, combining with a
cold front, it's going to produce a slight risk of severe storms as we go through the afternoon today, so just be on the lookout. We also have a flooding threat right there, flash flood watches and warnings already in effect.
What are we going to expect through today and tomorrow? We could see an additional one to three inches, just to the north of Phoenix. We could see one to three inches on the south side of Grand Junction and also two to four inches in Salt Lake City.
I want to mention, though, Northern California received quite a bit of rain yesterday. Napa, four to six inches of rain received yesterday and even some hail. You can see that hail core, some areas reported up to six inches of hail.
And look at this video, Fred, it looks more like snow in Napa. People were making hail angels instead of snow angels out there. Scary situation. It's a rare occurrence for this area. But the rain was definitely much needed.
WHITFIELD: Wow, that's incredible stuff.
GRAY: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Well, I'm glad they finally got a little bit.
(LAUGHTER)
GRAY: Me too.
WHITFIELD: Of the rain. Thanks so much, Jennifer.
All right, Chelsea Clinton announces the birth of her new baby girl with this tweet. Saying this, "Marc," her husband, Marc Mezvinsky, "and I are full of love, awe, and gratitude as we celebrate the birth of our daughter, Charlotte Clinton Mezvinsky."
New grandparents, Bill and Hillary Clinton, also releasing a statement saying this, "We are blessed, grateful, and so happy to be the grandparents of a beautiful girl, Charlotte Clinton Mezvinsky. Chelsea is well and glowing, Marc is bursting with pride. Charlotte's life is off to a good start."
Congrats to everybody.
All right, still to come, Venice is all abuzz with wedding news. George Clooney is about to say "I do" to his beautiful lady, Amal.
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WHITFIELD: All right. There he is. Maybe the last moments of the world's most eligible bachelor, because now he's in a water taxi, his dad is there, too. George Clooney, about to take his vows today. Marrying Amal Alamuddin there in Venice and a beautiful weekend. And why not? (LAUGHTER)
To have all the paparazzi and the other water taxis alongside. We have not seen a picture of the bride, however, but we do know that good friend, Giorgio Armani did the special tux for the groom, George Clooney.
So CNN's Erin McLaughlin is reporting from Venice where Clooney's wedding is drawing some of Hollywood's biggest stars.
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hollywood couldn't have scripted it better. George Clooney and human rights lawyer, Amal Alamuddin, are here in Venice to get married. An a whole host of A-list celebrities are in town for the four-day celebration.
That's one of the best hotels in Venice. You can see preparations well underway. It's a hive of activity. People stopping outside to take photos, paparazzi camped outside. You can also see them lurking around the city's canals on speedboat. This city is buzzing.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I guess Venice is the land of hope.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, my heart is broken, but I'm excited.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCLAUGHLIN: City officials put out a notice that they'll be closing the Grand Canal for the Clooney wedding, leading to speculation that he's having a civil ceremony in a town hall just over that way. Perhaps a perfect end to a fairytale wedding in one of the most romantic cities in the world.
Erin McLaughlin, CNN, Venice, Italy.
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