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ISIS Fighters Step Up Their Assaults On Kobani; New Health Screening Protocols Underway At Five U.S. Airports; Supply Of ZMapp Has Run Out; U.S. Ambassador To Iraq Gets Urgent Request From Officials In Anbar Province For Immediate Intervention; Alleged al- Qaeda Member Complains About Treatment At Hands Of Delta Force

Aired October 11, 2014 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR: Good afternoon. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Ana Cabrera. Thank you so much for joining us.

We began with the situation now in Iraq where witnesses say at least three bombs went off today in Baghdad. Dozens of people are reportedly dead or injured and we're working our sources there in Baghdad for more details.

Meantime, we do know CNN teams, they are on the outskirts of the city, say Iraqi forces have beefed up their defenses in light of ISIS attacks on the capital. So far, ISIS militants have not made it inside Baghdad in significant numbers.

But elsewhere in Iraq, just west of Baghdad, leaders there want U.S. troops, boots on the ground, and they want them immediately. Their desperate plea is to stop the violence advance of ISIS in Anbar province.

Meanwhile, in Syria, ISIS fighters are stepping up their assault on the city of Kobani. That's on the border with Turkey. CNN spoke to a civilian there today in Kobani who says the situation there is more grave than ever. And everyone there is afraid for their lives.

Listen to this United Nations official, the special envoy to Syria, in what he believes will happen to the people of Kobani if ISIS is not stopped.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STAFFAN DE MITSURA, UNITED NATIONS SPECIAL ENVOY TO SYRIA: We know, we have seen it, what ISIL is capable of doing when they take over a city. We know what they are capable of doing with their own victims, with women, children, minorities and hostages. This is the last entry point or exit point which you have for the city. If this falls, the 12,000 people, civilians, apart from the fighters, will be most likely massacred.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Massacred he says. So far only Kurdish forces have been fighting ISIS in Kobani. No Turkish troops despite the location there right on the border. Now, Turkish officials are being pressured from inside and outside that country to get involved militarily.

Back to Baghdad first, our senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman is there. Ben, about those bombs today, there in Baghdad. What more can you tell us about what has happened and how many people may be dead or hurt?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the first bomb went off this morning and two more this evening with a total of probably more than 45 dead. Many more than that wounded. And this is really the pattern we've been seeing over the last few days.

Almost every day multiple car bombs. In no case is there any claim of responsibility for those car bombs, but this has been a persistent cause of concern for Iraqi security officials, that in addition to the looming threat of is on the outskirts of Baghdad and also taking over 80 percent of Anbar province, that ISIS is using sleeper cells within the city to essentially sow terror.

Now, as far as the situation outside of Baghdad goes, it still remains grave and seems to be getting worse. Today, we learned that one of the major towns on the Euphrates river to the northwest of here, El Haditha (ph), has been completely surrounded by ISIS, cut off from any form of supply or support by the Iraqi army.

What's also significant is that Haditha is at the head of a very large dam on the Euphrates. So that's another critical point that ISIS is in danger of taking over.

Earlier this summer, coalition aircraft did prevent ISIS from taking that dam. But as we've seen, these coalition strikes are of only limited utility. They don't seem to have stopped is from taking continuously large expanses of Anbar province which, of course, is Iraq's largest province.

CABRERA: So, Ben, just bring us up to speed because we've heard now 80 percent of Anbar province is in the hands of these ISIS fighters. How close to Baghdad? How far from city limits is that?

WEDEMAN: Well, Baghdad is a huge city, nine million people is a sort of conservative estimate. It's a sprawling city. For the most part ISIS is not anywhere near the center of the city. They are on the western outskirts, about 20 miles from here essentially.

They are only about eight miles, however, from Baghdad international airport. We have had the opportunity to go out to the defensive perimeter of Baghdad and see how Iraqi forces are operating in that area. Typically, they show you what they want you to see and what we saw was well-armed troops with fairly high morale but that was only the tip of the iceberg.

In reality, we understand that the Iraqi army suffers from a high level of absenteeism that many soldiers pay their commanding officers so they can go back home and not serve on the front lines. There's a lot of corruption and a lot of incompetence that seems to be undermining any sort of confidence among U.S. officials and among many Iraqis that the Iraqi army can actually put up a viable defense of Baghdad -- Ana?

CABRERA: Especially concerning considering no troops on the ground is still how the U.S. is proceeding.

Thank you so much, Ben Wedeman. Do stay safe out there.

Michael Daly is here. He is a special correspondent from "the Daily Beast." Also here, Robert McFadden, the interrogation expert with the Soufan group.

And I mentioned earlier, Turkey, so reluctant now to get into this fight it seems militarily and yet their location is striking (ph). They right there on the border. We're hearing these ISIS fighters taking over Kobani which means they could eventually control a huge chunk of the border. Why is Turkey, do you think, Robert, so reluctant to get involved?

ROBERT MCFADDEN, INTERROGATION EXPERT, SOUFAN GROUP: Well, first, there's three things anchors (ph) has been consistent in saying it needs to get involved across border. One is a buffer zone on the Syrian side of the border and a parallel no fly zone and then arming and equipping and the training that the so-called moderate rebel elements. There's another part of it, though, too, very complicated political landscape. The most effective elements on the Syrian side is the PKK which is implacably opposed and, you know, at odds with the Turkish government. So those things are tending to keep the Turks on their side of the border.

CABRERA: Right, because Kobani we know is predominantly Kurdish and there's been the internal fight in Turkey between the Kurdish party and the Turkish government about, you know, who controls what so forth. So there's some internal dynamic happening, but what leverage does Turkey have at this point, Michael, for not, you know, getting boots on the ground to defend their territory?

MICHAEL DALY, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, THE DAILY BEAT: From their point of view, first of all, as he was saying, I don't think there's a Kurd fan club in the Turkish government, you know. And they've been banging at each other for a long time and it probably doesn't break the hearts of some people in the Turkish army to see these guys getting a bloody nose from ISIS. And from their point of view, I mean, they are defending their territory. I mean, their tanks are on Turkish territory. Their tanks, you know, they may feel that, listen, we don't have to go into Syria and they may look at ISIS and look at Syria and Iraq and figure, you know, that's one mess we don't have to be on as long as we keep ourselves secure.

If there was something going on in Mexico, you know, we'd probably be at the Rio Grande. But we wouldn't necessarily feel constrained to go down in Guadalajara or something.

CABRERA: I have to wonder, though, we talked here a couple of weeks ago about the Turkish hostages that were released by ISIS. Do you think, Robert, that this could have something to do with the hostage release and has Turkey made a deal with ISIS not to do something more? MCFADDEN: There's an awful lot of speculation about that. We don't

know the details whatever the arrangement was. The way the Turkish government characterized it, it was an intelligence operation, 49 diplomatic personnel released from the Turkish side. But reports of 180 or more of ISIS fighters may have been released.

There may have also been speculation some kind of quid pro quo about Turkey which still hasn't officially signed up to be a member of the coalition, although there is some agreement, you know, in support. So this speaks to another really big part of what's going on right now.

The coalition at large priorities really are different depending on which country you're talking about and how it feels vis-a-vis ISIS. Turkey is a real big example of that. Its priority all along is the al-Assad regime going not so much right now at least ISIS.

CABRERA: And yet ISIS seems to continuing to gain strength, Michael, not only is Turkey at risk, the border with Turkey and Syria, but now we're talking about Baghdad and Iraq, potentially being at risk, the fact that Anbar province is being taken over by ISIS, now controlling 80 percent of that and we've heard reports that is has instructed some 10,000 of its fighters to go into Anbar. So, what does that say about is' strength and ISIS is having an upper hand at this point against the international coalition.

DALY: You know, a lot more about it than me, but I have to say from an outsider looking at it from Brooklyn. I mean, you got to -- they are very motivated. They have military leadership thanks to the former Saddam Hussein guys. They've been at war for a dozen years now. And before that they were fighting with Iran. So I mean, these are people that know something about shooting people.

CABRERA: Any thoughts?

MCFADDEN: Absolutely agree with that completely. But there's a big development this week, though, the kind of relatively Kobani reporting was a little bit more back page news. But ISIS for the first time really kind of went after a hard area within Anbar province where it would expect a fight. It actually hit and has done operations in (INAUDIBLE) which is the very heart of the Sunni heartland within Anbar province with a Sunni awakening was actually took place.

So, there's some indications that it's going for areas where before it would hit softer underbellies and vulnerable spots. But now, it's showing an inclination to go after harder targets.

CABRERA: Not just Shias, but now Sunnis as well.

MCFADDEN: It will continue to do that, but it was probing in areas where before it was avoiding areas where it would likely get a hard fight, not right now.

CABRERA: Interesting.

Well, thank you to you both for coming in. We will continue our conversation. And, again, this is a developing situation still this afternoon. Thanks to both of you.

Coming up in an effort to keep Ebola, our other big international crisis right now, out of the general public JFK airport here in New York today became the first in the U.S. to begin screening passengers coming from three West African countries. We will take you there live.

Plus, a weekend of resistance as hundreds of protesters gather in St. Louis. Their goal next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Officer who killed Michael Brown in Ferguson, an unarmed teenager, prosecuted. We'll look deeper at these protests, plus, what appears to be a deteriorating relationship with police in minority communities not just here in St. Louis, in Ferguson, but really around the country. That's all coming up at 4:00 eastern right here on CNN.

Right now let's talk more about Ebola. Experts, they're not taking any chances with this deadly outbreak it's just too dangerous. So today, new health screening protocols are under way at JFK airport here in New York and four other major international airports in Washington, Atlanta, Chicago and Newark will start the same procedures next week. The goal is to stop the virus from spreading into the U.S. from what's now being called the Ebola zone in West Africa.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. MARTIN CETRON, DIRECTOR, CDC DIVISION OF GLOBAL MIGRATION AND QUARANTINE: This new entry screening procedure is just one part of a multilayered approach.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: As part of that approach, hundreds of U.S. troops are starting their work in West Africa, building treatment clinics, aiming to stop the problem over there. According to the world health organization more than 4,000 people have already died from Ebola, more than 8,000 have been stricken with the disease.

Let's get more on these new protocols at JFK airport. CNN's Alison Kosik is there.

Alison, fill us in on the new procedures and how they are going over.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, customs and border protection is actually playing a big role in this new protocol and they released some still pictures we want to show you. Well, I tell you about what is happening here.

What's interesting is it really does seem like a normal day. One thing to keep in mind only 150 passengers total usually fly from that Ebola hot zones, those countries Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia only 150 per day fly from there to the U.S. So CDC officials say it's really not disruptive to have these screenings at the airport, that most people may not even notice, Ana. CABRERA: All right, Alison Kosik. And remind us before I let you go,

what exactly is happening as part of those procedures that they are now undergoing.

KOSIK: So any passengers that come from those countries that I just mentioned are going to be screened. So what's going to happen is they will be taken to a designated area. Their temperatures are going to be taken. They're going to be asked questions about their travel. Did they have any contact with someone who may have been sick with Ebola? If all checks out they'll be asked to leave their contact information. And also, they'll be asked to log their temperatures themselves on the honor system for 21 days. And if there are any red flags, they'll go ahead and take them to a quarantine area and have a CDC official look more closely at that passenger.

You know, even the CDC as it starts these screening procedures here in this country, even the CDC says this process is not foolproof. Here's what one official said earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CETRON: No matter how many of these procedures are put into place, we can't get the risk to zero. That will not be the case. But this additional layer should add a measure of security and assurance to the American public. This entry screening procedure, for example, would not necessarily have caught the patient in Dallas as indicated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: And just by having these screenings at the five U.S. airports the other four, by the way, will begin on Thursday, but just by having these screenings, Ana, the CDC hopes to be able to screen at least 94 percent of those who travel from the Ebola hot zone here to the U.S. -- Ana?

CABRERA: All right. Thank you, Alison Kosik at JFK airport this afternoon.

Of course, ZMapp has been talked a lot about the fight against Ebola. It is the experimental treatment credited with saving the lives of the two Americans who had Ebola. So, why didn't Thomas Duncan get it ZMapp before he died?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Some have called it a miracle drug. The experimental treatment that was shown to be successful in two Ebola patients earlier this summer. But why wasn't it used in Dallas patient Thomas Duncan?

CNN's Randi Kaye explains the complexities of making ZMapp.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There is no federally approved treatment and no vaccine for Ebola. So the world is pinning its hopes on a drug cocktail called ZMapp.

ZMapp had only been tested successfully on monkeys before being used to save the lives of two American missionaries this summer. The experimental treatment is the result of a collaboration between San Diego-based Mapp biopharmaceutical and two other companies.

Here's how ZMapp is made. First a genetically engineered virus is injected in a tobacco plant. The plant then produces antibodies. Unlike earlier attempts in mice (ph), the tobacco plant can produce enough antibodies for dozens of doses. The ZMapp given to the missionaries in August was apparently made from tobacco leaves at a facility in Kentucky.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As the plant starts turning yellow because it's going to die from the viral infection, once you see that the plant has gotten to that point the guys in Kentucky harvest the leaf material.

KAYE: Cloned humanized antibodies are separated from the plant. Purified and turned into doses. In a patient, those antibodies attach themselves to Ebola's harmful cells and destroy the virus.

The trouble is the whole process takes time as long as six months per dose. And there's another reason the supply of ZMapp has already run dry. Lack of funding for government agencies focused on bio-defense. Last year the CDC lost $13 million in bio-defense budget cuts. And the budget for the national institute of health was reduced by five percent.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: They're right now manufacturing additional lots. It probably won't be ready now until maybe a month and a half to two months.

KAYE: Help is on the way now. Just this year, the U.S. department of health and human services provided nearly $25 million in funding to ZMapp's manufacturer. But for those who need it now, there's fear it had been too little, too late.

Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: And because ZMapp isn't widely available so far Ebola patients outside of Africa are now being treated with a variety of methods. Everything from what people are hoping to be miracle drugs to the blood of Ebola survivors.

Thomas Duncan was treated with a drug not specifically designed for Ebola and he ultimately died. The freelance photographer in Omaha is also getting that same non-Ebola drug along with a blood transfusion from Dr. Ken Brantly, an Ebola survivor.

Meantime, the Ebola patient in Spain, we are hearing, is being treated with a different drug, but again has not specifically formulated to treat Ebola. Unfortunately, we really have seen her condition worsen at least as the week has gone on. We are all holding out hope in that case.

Let me bring back infectious disease and public health specialist Dr. Celine Gounder.

Dr. Gounder, what do you think in your opinion, is the smartest choice? To go with a drug that may work in other viruses and hope that it is going to work with Ebola, that we know it's pretty safe for people or go with something that hasn't been widely tested in humans, but is designed for Ebola?

DR. CELINE GOUNDER, INFECTIOUS DISEASE AND PUBLIC HEALTH SPECIALIST: Well, that depends to some degree on the specific scenario, specific patient decision as well as the treating medical team. A couple things I would say, however, is that in addition to what you and Randi have explained, there's another drug called TKM Ebola that was also given to Richard Sacra and why that Ebola-specific drug, granted it's experimental, but it's also a promising drug like ZMapp. Why that was not offered to Thomas Eric Duncan, that to me is perplexing.

CABRERA: Well, and that's not the same drug being offered either to the photographer still battling the illness in Nebraska. But it was Dr. Sacra in Nebraska where he was being treated when he got that treatment. Is that one at this point also just not available do you think?

GOUNDER: No. That I have not heard any reports of TKM Ebola not being available. And so, part of what I'm getting at some have questioned did Thomas Eric Duncan get a lower level of medical care because he was Liberian, because he didn't have health insurance. And I would argue that's not really the case at least with respect to experimental drugs. Ashoka Mukpo is not getting TKM Ebola either.

CABRERA: All right, real quick before I let you go from this segment. Obviously, there are a lot of questions regarding Ebola, so many people are talking about it. But just to kind of wrap up the treatment side of things with ZMapp, as Randi mentioned in her piece, funding is an issue. Do you think that's going to change?

GOUNDER: Well, even if you inject a lot of funding into development and production of ZMapp now, it still takes time to ramp up. So one of the things that people need to understand when you cut funding for the NIH or other kinds of research and development, it takes a long time to recover from that because you have to reinvest, re-recruit people, develop the systems and it's not something that happens overnight.

CABRERA: Unfortunately, all right, Dr. Gounder, thanks so much. Stick around with us so we can chat more about Ebola later.

And now, back to Iraq and Syria. Despite the nearly 400 air strikes against ISIS, the terrorist group is still advancing into the city of Kobani in Syria and edging closer to Baghdad in Iraq. Ahead we will look at the situation in both cities. And the Iraq's government plea for help from U.S. forces.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CABRERA: The U.S. ambassador to Iraq has received now an urgent request from Iraqi officials in Anbar province for immediate intervention. Ambassador Stuart Jones promised weapons and training, but he made no commitment on U.S. ground forces.

CNN national security correspondent Jim Sciutto looks at the dire situation both in Kobani, Syria, as well as Iraq's Anbar province near Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): ISIS militants now in the very center of Kobani. Undeterred by the U.S.-led air campaign ISIS fighters are advancing and now control almost half of the city. Even as coalition warplanes unleashed another day of punishing airstrikes, making Kobani now the second most bombed target in Syria or Iraq, U.S. officials continue to warn that Kobani and many other cities may still fall.

TONY BLINKEN, DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: There will be situations that are tragic like Kobani. There are other Kobanis in Syria and in Iraq as we speak. Kobani is getting a lot of focus because it's on the border. The world can see it. What we can do is bring to bear our air power with other countries, intelligence, training and quicken these forces but they have to be the ones on the ground.

SCIUTTO: Kobani say U.S. officials very visible but not very important strategically. Anbar province just to the west of Baghdad in Iraq is the opposite. Largely invisible to outsiders but crucial to the safety of the capital. There, Iraqi forces are on the defensive backed up against the wall said one senior defense official with some units now in danger of being cut off. And ISIS said another defense official continues to make gains.

Traveling in south America the secretary of defense said the Anbar situation is concerning.

CHUCK HAGEL, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Anbar province is in trouble. We know that. The United States and coalition partners are helping and assisting the Iraqi security forces, the Peshmerga, the Kurds. As I have said, the president has said, all of our senior officials have said, this is a difficult effort. It is going to take time. It won't be easy. So, yes, there is a lot of uncertainty in Anbar right now.

SCIUTTO: With the campaign facing grave early challenges, the U.S.- led coalition today gained a crucial ally. Turkey announced it will help train and equip the moderate Syrian rebels. An agreement reached with the U.S. after days of very public divisions between the two NATO allies.

Turkey is also considering the possibility of deploying ground troops. One crucial piece still missing from the broader campaign against ISIS.

MARIE HARF, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESWOMAN: I know they talked about ground troops. We're having a conversation with them about what that might look like and what role they can play broadly including that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: Our Jim Sciutto, thanks to you.

Let's head to Turkey now and Jamie Dettmer of "the Daily Beast" is there.

Jamie, describe the situation on the ground there, right now.

JAMIE DETTMER CORRESPONDENT, THE DAILY BEAST: Around Kobani where I've spent most of the day, it's actually quiet today partly because there was a sandstorm shrouding the city. So we didn't have anywhere near as many airstrikes today as we had yesterday. There were some this morning and again this evening.

What was interesting, really, was yesterday night all hell let loose. We heard a complete (INAUDIBLE) of gunfire, automatic, heavy automatic weaponry. The attacks by the U.S. as well. It was a real noise. And a lot of us thought the city was going to fall last night.

They lost government buildings the Kurdish defenders in the center of town. But they are hanging on today. What I hear from sources inside is that really they are only controlling the Kurdish defenders about a third of the town. They really are backed up in the west central area and towards the Turkish border to the north and ISIS is pushing them hard.

There was a lot of gunfire this evening. But, again, as I said, not as much as we saw yesterday and there is certainly some confidence amongst some of the Turkish (INAUDIBLE) and Kobani refugees who are looking to see that they can somehow hang on. We find that, most observers, hard to believe.

And one European diplomat said to me last night as far as he's concerned in effect, Kobani is already lost. One very interesting thing to note today, the Turkish emergency agency AFD really has withdrawn most of their people from the main border entry point as though they are expecting no one else to come across.

CABRERA: So, are they worried that that's going to happen?

DETTMER: Sorry, who is worried?

CABRERA: Is Turkey worried that these ISIS fighters are going to cross the border into Turkey?

DETTMER: No, I don't think they are. And another very noticeable thing is there are a lot less Turkish soldiers around on the border now. The riot police have all gone because they're trying to control Kurdish protests across southeast Turkey.

And one major thing to note about all these tanks about 30 on one hill and about 40, 50 Turkish tanks around here, they've not no logistical backup. They can't move. There's no refueling tankers around. There is no armored infantry to back them up if they move forward. So you know, they're not in a posture that one would say is a defensive one because they think ISIS is coming across the border.

CABRERA: What an interesting dynamic there. Jamie Dettmer, do stay safe. And thanks for filling us in.

DETTMER: Pleasure.

CABRERA: An Al-Qaeda operative believed to be responsible for the death of 200 people in several American embassy bombings is finally facing a judge here in America. But not to answer for his crimes. Instead, to complain about his treatment when he was captured by U.S. forces in Libya. The details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Now, if you happens to be on the sides of the U.S. army special forces unit known as Delta Force, you might expect to be in for a world of hurt. You might not be surprised, then, that alleged Al-Qaeda member Abu Anas al-libi is complaining about his treatment at the hands of Delta Force. He was captured for his alleged role in the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. But it is the nature of his complaints that is now raising some eyebrows.

Joining us to discuss Michael Daly who is special correspondent for "the Daily Beast" who wrote the article about al-libi who is being tried now in a New York civilian court. Also with us is former delta army officer lieutenant colonel James Reese.

So, let's begin with you, Michael, tell us a little bit more about the unusual complaints of al-libi.

DALY: Well, he's filed an affidavit in Manhattan federal court where he's presently facing charges for complicity in the embassy bombings in Africa. He's basically saying that the poor guy, he didn't have a bed. He had to knock on the door to use the toilet. He didn't even have a dining nook. He had to like to eat in his cell. They kept asking him questions. I got to say you read it and the one thing that comes out to you is that -- and in court the judge at one point said as I understand no one laid on the hand on this man from the time he got grabbed until the time he appeared in court. And that's true.

CABRERA: So he's not complaining about excessive force being used or being tortured.

DALY: Yes. He basically is saying I didn't get all the rights I thought I was supposed to get from America. This is the guy who has declared us the great Satan.

CABRERA: (INAUDIBLE).

DALY: To me it was a great measure of where we are now because I think we were so enraged and hurt by what happened at the trade center that we kind of forgot ourselves a little bit for a while. And I think that, you know, this guy was not tortured, he was not abused, he was not water boarded, he was not taken to some secret place. He was tried as a criminal. He is going to be tried as a criminal and he was treated as a guy who got a arrested for a crime. And you know, the Delta guys, they grabbed him, let him sat on (INAUDIBLE) and nobody hurt him.

CABRERA: Let's bring in Colonel Reese who was a Delta Force member. What is the protocol for delta force when capturing a target like al- Libi?

LT. COL. JAMES REESE (RET.), FORMER SPECIAL FORCES COMMANDER: Sure. Just like Michael said, he wrote Delta is the masters and the best in the world at doing this. Al-Libi should pray to God and thank God that he got captured by Delta. Because if not he probably would have been killed by any other force that came in.

CABRERA: Colonel Reese, you listen to what his complaints are and some may think, God, he was treated pretty darn good considering what he's accused doing.

REESE: Yes. Well, the Delta, this is what they do. They do this around the world. They are the Jason Bournes of the U.S. They come in. They snatch this guy. We call it a capture, kill mission. And we want to capture these guys for their intelligence. Then we move them out very quickly. We don't want to do collateral damage, again, like being a ghost. They go in, they go out, and they snatch them. Once they get him to some type of holding platform and this one was a ship, he got to the ship and we know through the years of doing this now that these guys are trained, Al-Qaeda, ISIS, any of these folks especially senior leadership, they are trained in deception.

So, we don't want to make them comfortable, but at the same time it's our job now to work with the interrogators, with the FBI, with the CIA, to let them do their job and then our job is finished.

CABRERA: And when you talk about the delta force, I had to ask during the break so what exactly is the Delta Force? Is it essentially the Navy's SEAL team 6 equivalent but with the army?

REESE: Well, it is of the nation's tier one counterterrorism force that started out of desert one, that was the first counterterrorism force and then as time moved on and SEAL team 6 came about and now you have the two tier one forces. But the reason you don't hear that much about them is that's how good they are.

CABRERA: Well, good to hear about that. Michael Daly, before I let you go. What happens next in the case of al-Libi?

DALY: You know, he will appear in court. He'll be tried. A jury will listen to the charges and he'll be treated just the way he should be treated in the -- it's America at its best. It really is. These delta guys are America's best when they do what they do and the way the criminal justice system is going to handle him is America at its best. It really is.

CABRERA: Good way to end the segment. Michael Daly and Colonel Reese, thank you very much for joining me.

Now just this week the first person diagnosed with Ebola here in the U.S. died in a Dallas hospital, the same hospital that sent him home when he first showed up complaining of Ebola-like symptoms. Can his family take legal action? We'll discuss that. But, first a sneak peek of the upcoming episode of "PARTS UNKNOWN"

where Anthony Bourdain finds a hangover cure in Paraguay.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY BOURDAIN, CNN HOST, PARTS UNKNOWN: So, I'm hungry. I'm really hungry.

You know you want it. It's late, you've had a few. No, you've had a lot. You want something greasy, savory, juicy and nasty. This is it the legendary meal.

Right. That's what today's people eat in the streets.

And egg a little runny. A meat-like beef patty thing. Throw on your lettuce and tomato. Two sauces. No idea what they are and frankly don't care. Soy sauce, I think too, of course, because it has layer like it like the ruins of ancient troy, egg on top of cheese on top of meat. Now, get in my stomach now!

Sandwich is awesome. Awesome good. Good awesome. All my greasy meat dreams have come true. That's good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: In the wake of the death of Thomas Duncan the first person diagnosed with Ebola here in the United States questions are being raised whether the hospital could have done more and whether it could face legal action from Duncan's family.

Let me bring in criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor Holly Hughes. Also joining us once again infectious diseases and public health specialist Dr. Celine Gounder.

Holy to you, first. What would the family in this case need to prove to have a case against the hospital regarding Duncan's treatment and ultimately his death?

HOLLY HUGHES, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: They would have to prove gross negligence and that the hospital violated a basic standard of care. When you are talking about experts who had specialized knowledge with doctors, nurses, lawyers in some instances, they are held to a higher standard. But what's going to be become really important, Ana, is what did they know and when did they know it.

So while we may see a lawsuit filed, I don't believe they're going to be successful because I think the hospital will be able to prove that they took every reasonable standard of care that was expected of them.

CABRERA: I want to read the hospital's response to all of this, the Dallas hospital that treated Duncan does maintain it did everything it could to treat him and so their statement to CNN reads. Texas health Presbyterian hospital Dallas continues to closely review and evaluate the chain of events related to the first Ebola virus diagnosis in the United States. At the same time we have made changes to our intake process as well as other procedures to better screen for all critical indicators of Ebola virus.

So Dr. Gounder, we know that there may have been some mistakes made, for example, they sent him home when he first came to the hospital despite the fact he had a fever, despite the fact that he apparently told the health care professionals who were seeing him that he had been from Liberia or was in West Africa and then, you know, he wasn't treated right away. His family argues with any kind of blood transfusion, never got that. Wasn't given a drug of some experimental type for several days after he was in the hospital. Did the hospital set itself up for potential legal action?

GOUNDER: Well, I think the key mistake here was the delay in his diagnosis and treatment. With Ebola timing is everything. You really need to start treatment as soon as possible. And I think that's one of the reasons Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol who were aware of their exposures and knew what symptoms to look out for and sought medical attention immediately upon developing symptoms. They had better outcomes so that was a key error in this case.

With respect to blood transfusions Kent Brantly donated blood to Richard Sacra as well as Ashoka Mukpo. That was not an option because you have match blood type and he was not a match to Thomas Eric Duncan.

CABRERA: Yes. I saw just yesterday his nephew arguing, you know, they are flying people back from Africa, from West Africa, couldn't they have flown blood back from West Africa to treat this individual?

GOUNDER: Yes, there's other issues at stake there. You also have to screen the blood for HIV, hepatitis "b" and "c" and other blood-borne diseases. So it's not quite such a simple procedure.

CABRERA: All right, Dr. Gounder and Holly Hughes, thanks to both of you.

A weekend of resistance as hundreds of protesters gather in St. Louis. What's the goal here? And do they have a point? We'll discuss next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Welcome back. Each week we are shining a spotlight on the top ten CNN heroes of 2014 as you vote for the one who inspires you. Now meet Ned Norton, see if he'll get your vote.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NED NORTON, CNN HERO: When I'm running, I feel limitless. Being in motion makes me feel free. When you're really pushing yourself, that's when you really feel alive.

But there are millions of people around the world that are facing severe physical limitations. They can't be independent. They can't live their lives. I spent years training Olympic athletes, football players, body

builders. One day a young guy, newly spinal-cord injured, came to the gym, asking for help.

At first, I didn't know what to do. But just worked together, he made tremendous progress.

Take a breath, reach out, reach out. Bring it back.

Before I knew it, my phone rang off the hook, people asking for help. So I opened a gym designed to fit their needs.

Ready to go to work?

For the past 25 years, I've provided strength and conditioning training for people with disabilities.

Push, stretch up, nice job.

People come to me when they're at their lowest.

Up, up, up, up. Hold it, rack it.

You come to the gym and all of a sudden you have a natural support network.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In 1971, I broke my back, and I've been in a wheelchair ever since.

NORTON: That's it, Tom.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks to Ned, I keep my upper body strength at a maximum. I've been able to live a full life.

NORTON: I never worry about what they can't do. I worry about what they can do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can do it, Ned.

NORTON: Yes, you can. Good job.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I did up to 10.

NORTON: I'm building them up, building them stronger, so they can go out and live life like they're supposed to.

(END VIDEOTAPE)