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Terror Leaders May Be Alive; Brittany Maynard Seeks Death with Dignity; Giants Win Third World Series In Five Years

Aired October 30, 2014 - 09:30   ET

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

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CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.

Today there are major concerns in the U.S. intelligence community that two terror leaders may have survived initial U.S. air strikes in Syria. In fact, one intelligence source telling CNN, quote, "99.5 percent certain both men are still alive and possibly still planning -- plotting attacks against Americans." Both operatives are skilled bomb makers and are part of an al-Qaeda spin off group known as the Khorasan group.

So let's dig a little deeper on this topic with CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr. Good morning, Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

CNN's own Pamela Brown and myself are being told really exactly the same thing by our sources across the government, that they now believe both of these men survived the initial U.S. strikes in Syria back on September 22nd. Nobody knows if maybe they weren't even there when the U.S. Navy tomahawk missile struck. Maybe they survived and are wounded. Nobody knows where they exactly are right now. But the working assumption very much right now is that both men are still alive.

Why is this such a concern? These are not your run of the mill jihadis. These two are critical al Qaeda operatives. They are -- have the expertise in bomb making and the second man, David Drugeon, is a French jihadist, so he is able to run operatives back and forth between Syria and Europe and also possibly from Europe into the United States. The concern is this group they belong to, the Khorasan group, has the expertise in making bombs with little or no medal content. The type of bomb that the U.S. worries can get past airport screening. So this is why you're hearing still today, weeks after those strikes, that the Khorasan group is an imminent threat in the view of the U.S. and they very much want to know and find out where these two men are.

Carol.

COSTELLO: Any additional air strikes planned?

STARR: Well, that's what's so fascinating about all of this. Absolutely. You know, that first night, there were about 50 tomahawk missiles that went against a series of Khorasan targets inside Syria. And then everyone buttoned up. Nobody would talk about it anymore. They've never actually said publicly that they believe these men are alive, although that is now what we are being told. And they have never acknowledged whether or not there have been any additional strikes against the Khorasan group. One of the reasons we're told is that they are so concerned that any publicity about any of this will make these operatives go deeper underground, make them tougher to find, make it harder to intercept their communications and get any sense of where they are located. Since September 22nd, this is the one group you hear almost nothing about.

Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Barbara Starr reporting live from the Pentagon this morning, many thanks to you.

And again, just an update on what's happening in the state of Maine, the nurse, Kaci Hickox, leaving the home of her boyfriend with her boyfriend. Both went for a bike ride. They're defying the order from the state of Maine for Kaci Hickox to stay in a home, a private home, for 21 days. Of course, the state of Maine is expected to file a court order forcing Kaci Hickox to do just that. She says she is going to fight and by the looks of things this morning she is going to fight. We'll take you back to Maine a little later in the NEWSROOM.

Also still to come, Brittany Maynard opens up about one of the hardest days she's faced in her battle with terminal brain cancer.

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BRITTANY MAYNARD, TERMINALLY ILL WITH BRAIN CANCER: And I remember looking at my husband's face at one point and thinking, I know this is my husband, but I can't say his name. And ended up going to the hospital for that one.

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COSTELLO: The 29-year-old had said she might end her life on November 1st, but is she changing her mind? Her emotional video, next.

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COSTELLO: On Brittany Maynard's window sill, there is a plaque that reads, quote, "it's not the years in your life, it's the life in your years." The 29-year-old is living that slogan every single day. She's got terminal brain cancer. Maynard moved to Oregon in June with her husband, her mother and her stepfather so she could end her life under the state's death with dignity act.

In an emotional video released to CNN, Maynard says November 1st, the day she had planned to end her life, may be too soon, but she said she's also terrified she might wait too long. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYNARD: Well, if all my dreams came true, I would somehow survive this. But I most likely won't. So, beyond that, I'm having been an only child for my mother, I want her to recover from this and not break down, you know, not suffer from any kind of depression. And my husband is such a lovely man. I want him to - you know, I understand everyone needs to grieve, but I want him to be happy. So, I want him to have a family. And I know that might sound weird, but there's no part of me that wants him to live out the rest of his life just missing his wife. So I hope he moves on and becomes a father.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: You can check out the rest of Brittany's video on my FaceBook page. It's just -- it's moving and sometimes difficult to watch, I'll be honest with you.

Joining me now, George Eighmey. He's a board member of the Death with Dignity National Center. Also joining me, Dr. Jeff Gardere. He's a clinical and forensic psychological, and CNN religious commentator Father Edward Beck.

Welcome to all of you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

COSTELLO: So, Jeff, I want to start with you. You watched the entire video.

JEFF GARDERE, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: I did.

COSTELLO: How do you perceive Brittany's mental state?

GARDERE: Well, she certainly is competent, and that is part of the issue for her. She still wants to be empowered. She wants to make sure that she doesn't wait too long and then goes into a vegetative state and then it's just about her advanced directives and people making decisions on what she's left behind. She wants to do this in a way that there can be happiness, of course sadness at the same time, but that she dies with dignity and not a horrible death.

COSTELLO: Because, George, I asked Dr. Jeff that because, you know, at first listen, it seems as if she's sort of changing her mind, but is this the case in your mind?

GEORGE EIGHMEY, BOARD MEMBER, DEATH WITH DIGNITY NATIONAL CENTER: No. People take it differently. If she does change her mind, that's fine. I can tell you that of the almost 450 people who I worked with, who took the medicine, set the dates at various times and only one of those individuals decided to wait another week. Those people who set their times and waited too long had the medicine by their bedside, but waited too long. It was still comforting for them though. And I think if she changes her mind, I think that's OK with everyone. It's -- we all want them to live as long as possible. I'm sure she's getting comfort knowing though that she has this option available to her.

COSTELLO: Father Beck, a lot of people sadly can relate to Brittany's struggle. And God enters the picture for so many of them. So how should we honor God in this kind of struggle?

FATHER EDWARD BECK, CNN RELIGIOUS COMMENTATOR: Well, Carol, as you know, people of faith believe that God has something to do with life, is the author of life, the giver and sustainer of life. So most religious traditions would say that only God can therefore take that life. It's not in our purview to make those kinds of decisions.

Now, this is heartbreaking. And for those of us who have had family members who have gone through something similar, as I did with my mother with lung cancer, I mean we stood in a hospital room and they were basically saying, if we give your mother more morphine, it will slow down her breath, she'll die quicker. Well, I mean, who wants to have a family member die quicker? But is it the more merciful thing to do?

Interestingly, the church teaches that that kind of palliative care, even if it results in death, is OK because it's not the primary reason for the care. The primary reason is palliative, death is secondary. They're hard decisions, but it's the whole question of life. Who controls life? And do we overstep our boundary when we try to control it?

COSTELLO: Well, I'm sure that Brittany has soul searched, Dr. Jeff, and maybe her family has, too. But I would think for her family the questions like - that - question like that would linger, how does God perceive what we're about to do? And I don't know their religious backgrounds at all.

GARDERE: Sure. Sure. Absolutely. Well, it seems, from everything we can see, that Brittany has had these conversations with her family and they support her 100 percent. So even if they do have some issue as to whether this is God's way or your way as a human, now they've said, we will do whatever you want us to do, we just want to enjoy the quality days with you. That's what it's about for them.

COSTELLO: And George, I know that Brittany has chosen to make her story public so she can help others make such decisions. So she's gone to Oregon, what has been the reaction?

EIGHMEY: Basically, it's very supportive of her in Oregon and throughout the nation. This is a very young woman, very touching that she has been telling her story, but it's also very sad. She's so young and attractive, articulate, intelligent.

And yet, it has had an impact across the country because people throughout the nation, at least the feedback I'm receiving, are talking about the end of life, are talking about how do they expect to die if they get a terminal diagnosis, would they choose this option.

Most people want the option, but they may not necessarily choose the option and I think that is what gives people comfort and it's the same for Brittany. She has done a tremendous job and bravery of coming forward like she has to further the cause.

COSTELLO: All right. And Father Beck, I want a last comment from you. How would you counsel the family in this case? BECK: It depends. Christian perspective is that suffering is part of life. It's a Buddhist perspective, too. I mean, all the religious traditions so the paschal mystery as we call it, that's why Jesus suffered and died, to say we're not alone in it.

You can't necessarily escape it. It's part of life. You don't want to make it any worse, but sometimes, going through these experiences, as hard as they are, there's a beauty and maturity of spirit that no other experience can provide.

So I would encourage them even in the suffering to try to find meaning. I know it's not always easy when you're in it.

COSTELLO: That's true. Father Beck, Dr. Jeff, George Eighmey, thanks to all of you for being here. I really appreciate it. I'll be right back.

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COSTELLO: Checking top stories for you at 51 minutes past the hour. NATO says it's concerned over unusual flights involving Russian military jets. Russian aircraft entered European air space 19 times in just the past 24 hours. The planes included military bombers and tankers. None of the flights made any radio contact or filed flight plans with civilian air officials.

In Hawaii, the lava flow is now within 100 feet of homes in the town of Pahoa on the Big Island. It's moving at about 30 feet an hour. About 20 families living in the flow's path have been told to evacuate. The National Guard is patrolling the area this morning.

NASA investigators are assessing the damage and looking for what caused an unmanned NASA rocket to explode Tuesday in Virginia. Officials are urging the public to stay away from any rocket debris as it contains hazardous materials. NASA says there is a possibility some of that debris could wash up on nearby beaches.

Thanks to an epic performance by a guy they called "Mad Bum," the San Francisco Giants are World Series champs for the third time in five years. Here is how the celebrations blasted off in the Giants' clubhouse.

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COSTELLO: I love when they do that. Guess who was in the line of fire of that champagne explosion? CNN sports guru, Andy Scholes. I hope you had your goggles on.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS: You know what, Carol. I didn't have any goggles on. I did the poncho but no goggles. And sure enough, right when they started popping bottles off, I got champagne right in my eyes. If you've never had champagne in your eyes, it burns. It was not pleasant.

But it was such a fun night. Game seven, we really couldn't have asked for anything more. It was such a great game. The Kansas City fans, they were on their feet the entire time. Of course, they were looking for that first World Series championship in 29 years.

But one man, as you said, put an end to those hopes and dreams, Madison Bumgarner. I told you yesterday, Carol, he was the Giants' ace in the hole. He was going to come into this game pitching staff ran into trouble. He came in in the fifth and just shut the door, five shutout innings.

This was on two days' rest after pitching a shutout in game five. He pitched more innings in postseason than any pitcher in postseason history, 52 innings. He has the lowest ERA of any pitcher in World Series history.

Just what can you say about the guy? He was just amazing, World Series MVP and very deservedly so, we probably won't see a performance like this again for a very long time.

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MADISON BUMGARNER, SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS PITCHER: Obviously it hadn't sank in yet. There's not been near enough time to think about it. We're -- this is as good as it gets. World Series game seven.

BUSTER POSEY, SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS CATCHER: For me it would be hard- pressed to top a performance like this. It's got to be one of very few in the history of baseball. What he did tonight was incredible.

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SCHOLES: Carol, the party for the Giants has shifted from Kansas City back to San Francisco. They arrived there earlier this morning, and it's going to be a fun Halloween in San Fran. They're going to hold a victory parade tomorrow morning.

COSTELLO: I bet that will be interesting, right? We have to touch on Kansas City for just a bit because everybody loves an underdog. A lot of people were rooting for K.C. They had a great season, right?

SCHOLES: They certainly did. No one expected this out of this team. They won 89 games during the regular season. They got the AL wildcard. When they got to the postseason, they won a record eight straight games to start the postseason. No one saw this coming, not even the fans.

Of course, they did fall one game short of their ultimate goal of winning the World Series, but the fans still very happy with this team. Of course, they were sat sad last night, but still very proud of what this team was able to accomplish.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can't even believe it. It's just -- we're just happy to have been here. It's pretty surreal.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was great to get here, but heartbroken. I wish we could have seen the win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Carol, the skies have just opened up. I guess they're crying the day after the World Series. It's raining right now. They're going to hold a rally for the team here at 11:00 Central at the stadium celebrating their great season. Hopefully it stops raining because this is sad and gloomy right now.

COSTELLO: Yes, I know exactly how K.C. fans feel. Trust me, as do you, Andy Scholes.

SCHOLES: Yes.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Andy. I appreciate it. The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM after a break.

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