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President Confirms Death of U.S. Hostage; Top Marine Worried About Corps Readiness; New Audio Released in Ferguson Shooting; President Confirms Beheading Of U.S. Hostage; Kassig Family Reacts To Son's Death; Obama Versus GOP Congress On Immigration

Aired November 16, 2014 - 16:00   ET

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

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm going to read part of that statement to you.

The president goes on to say, "Abdul-Rahman was taken in an act of pure evil from a terrorist group that the world rightly associates with inhumanity. Like Jim Foley and Steven Sotloff before him, his life and deeds stand in stark contrast to everything that ISIL represents. While ISIL revels in the slaughter of innocents, including Muslims, and is bent only on sowing death and destruction, Abdul-Rahman was a humanitarian who worked to save the lives of Syrians injured and disposed by the Syrian conflict. ISIL's actions represent no faith, least of all the Muslim faith, which Abdul-Rahman adopted as his own."

Now, Fred, we also just got in a new statement from Secretary of State John Kerry, and I want to read part of that statement to you as well because he provides some new context to this. He says, during his time in captivity, his family and the entire government, including his home state Senator Joe Donnelly worked to avoid this tragic outcome. His mother's searing plea directed to his Captors is unforgettable.

You may remember that a month or so ago, his mother took to Twitter and really appealed to ISIS to not do this so that her son can could go on doing what he was doing overseas.

John Kerry goes on to say the fact her appeal went unheeded is only further testament to the wicked inhumanity of the ISIL terrorists who have taken her son from her. Just as we witnessed with Jim Foley and Steven Sotloff, the sincere efforts of so many to bring home innocent hostages have been met with blood and barbarity.

And, Fred, the last thing I would point out is that as you know, Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, have been in Iraq this morning, meeting with commanders, U.S. troops on the ground, as well as the prime minister in Iraq and he will be reporting to the president on his findings and whether he thinks that U.S. and coalition forces should do more in Iraq. That could be committing combat troops there. We will have to see over the coming weeks what he says to the president, Fred.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Erin McPike at the White House, thank you so much for that.

CNN's Karl Penhaul joins by phone now from Spain.

So, Karl, help us kind of best understand the messages from this video. It was done quite differently than what we've seen in the past.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It certainly was a very different format from the past, Fredricka. It was a much longer video than the previous videos. And we don't hear any final plea or any final message from Peter Kassig himself. In fact, the first time we see him is right towards the end of the video and we see the man clad in black speaking with a London accent, the man that the media has dubbed Jihadi John, standing over what appears to be Peter Kassig's head.

And at that point, Jihadi John points his characteristic knife and says to President Obama, describing the president as the dog of Rome, saying that Kassig is the first American crusader that ISIS is burying. Now, remember, according to his family, Kassig did convert to Islam during time in captivity. But the fact that Jihadi John refers to him as a crusader seems to be an indication that ISIS just simply did not buy the sincerity of that conversion.

Jihadi John then goes on to taunt the Americans, saying, "We eagerly await the rest of your army to arrive here", and that seems to be a taunt playing into the debate that now seems to be opening up in the United States as to whether U.S. ground troops should be sent in on the ground to fight ISIS head-on.

There also is another message from this man that we know as Jihadi John. He also says that he hopes once ISIS has fought American crusaders in Syria and in Iraq, then ISIS fighters will go on to fight on the streets of foreign countries including the United States and the United kingdom. That's certainly a threat there that ISIS could be readying to take its fight further afield. And certainly, all of this comes within the context of coalition air strikes on ISIS positions.

And the fact that for the first time, ISIS indicates this video was shot in a town called Dabouk (ph), that's northeast of Aleppo, seems to indicate that Peter Kassig, who we understood had been held near the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa had since been moved about 125 miles west to this point where he appears to have been executed, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Karl Penhaul, thank you so much for that.

Our next guest watched the video and thinks the focus is not the beheadings.

Jeremiah O'Keeffe joins me now from Dallas. He's a former White House Middle East adviser.

So, Jeremiah, explain that for me.

JEREMIAH O'KEEFFE, FORMER WHITE HOUSE MIDDLE EAST ADVISER: Good afternoon, Fredricka.

The video is approximately 16 minutes long, and only one minute of the video is the beheading of the American. The other 15 minutes is talking about the bay'ah (ph), which is the allegiance or alliance, I should say, that has been created with other jihadists in Sinai. What is not in it is the same alliance or bay'ah that was created in Lebanon this past week. It talks about North Africa.

And then what's fascinating is the map. They show Rome falling. They show the spread of ISIS throughout Europe. They show it to the United States. And then on the other side of the world, they show it spreads across into China.

So, what we've got here is actually -- the reason why there was no conclusion to it, it's more of a declaration of international war and unlike the other videos before, this one focuses an awful lot on Christianity. This is definitely a religious war now.

WHITFIELD: So, as you paint the picture there, speaking to the growth and the spread of its message, of its intent, clearly designed to spread fear but how seriously should Western countries, or even China as you mentioned, be taking this kind of message in terms of it being taken to be a real threat or is this just kind of fear-mongering?

O'KEEFFE: Listen, we've seen this movie before with al Qaeda out of a haven like Afghanistan. That is what we're facing right now. But unlike al Qaeda, ISIS has tremendous wealth from the oil fields it has captured and the routes of that product to the marketplace. So, it's sad in this day and age as we move along the timeline here, the possibility of ISIS acquiring weapons of mass destruction that would make 9/11 look like child's play gets closer every day.

WHITFIELD: So, how do countries that have a true anti-terrorism effort try to rout out ISIS by attacking them at the core of their financial face, because this money is helping to finance, you know, its philosophy and its reach, how does the U.S. or any other Western nation try to tackle that?

O'KEEFFE: This is going to be a multipronged strategy, if you will, and the sad point is, is that it's going to take years to solve this. We have a sectarian war that's occurring within Islam. That's something that has to be fleshed out on its own. It's much like the 30-year war in Europe that occurred centuries ago. But the United States cannot rely upon the players in the region.

WHITFIELD: What do you mean?

O'KEEFFE: I firmly believe -- well, I strongly believe that the Sunni nations like the Saudis are actually allowing is to do what it's doing, which is the dismantling the Shia nations that are aligned with Iran, the enemy of the Saudis. And that has not been talked about much if at all on the air or in writings. But I -- they welcome the dismantlement of Iraq, of Syria.

Like I said, ISIS now has created a bay'ah, alliance with jihadists in Lebanon, in the Sinai, and the Saudis might very well wait for this to play out --

WHITFIELD: OK.

O'KEEFFE: -- have Iran's position in the region weakened and then strike a deal with that new Islamic caliphate, the Saudi themselves.

WHITFIELD: All right.

O'KEEFFE: They're a lot smarter than ourselves. I mean, we've had two presidencies in a row that have made a mess of the region and, unfortunately, this problem is not going away for the next 10 to 20 years.

WHITFIELD: All super fascinating information you've given us today. Jeremiah O'Keeffe, thank you so much.

O'KEEFFE: You're welcome.

WHITFIELD: Still ahead, America's top Marine raising a red flag about the troops under his command. Why he says more than half of them are not ready.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A startling revelation from the commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, General Joseph Dunford says he doesn't have enough manpower or equipment and that half of the Marine forces stationed in the United States are not as ready as he wants them to be.

CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr is in Los Angeles after moderating a national security conference at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley.

So, Barbara, you spoke with General Dunford at the conference. This is rather alarming, isn't it?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: It was a very interesting revelation by the commandant, Fredricka. I just left that national security conference at the Ronald Reagan presidential library where top administration officials and military officials gathered.

And as you would expect, the war on is was a top issue but also how is the military faring during the budget crunch and these proposed mandatory spending cuts that may be coming from Congress. General Dunford has just been on the job heading up the Marine Corps for about a month. But he was has exceptionally blunt, what he had to say may surprise you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. JOSEPH DUNFORD, COMMANDANT, U.S. MARINE CORPS: In 50 percent of our units that are at home station today, they're at a degraded state of readiness, either equipment shortfalls or personnel shortfalls. And the reason is, because of the high operational tempo that we have today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: And that operational tempo, the number of things the Marine Corps has to do and the rest of the military as well, General Dunford says he doesn't see any of that going away, getting better anytime soon. He's got a lot of concerns about all this, Fred.

WHITFIELD: And I guess it's concerning to hear that being made public because it would seem -- it would make the United States that much more vulnerable. I know you also spoke with Homeland Secretary Jeh Johnson. Any comment from him about those comments or other things?

STARR: Well, you know, Secretary Johnson, the head of Homeland Security, he is following very carefully the issue of ISIS, fighters that may be inspired by ISIS operating here in the United States. And he is saying that that type of lone wolf attack, someone inspired by ISIS in the United States, a lone wolf attack could hit with almost no warning.

I want to you listen at some length what he had to say about this point.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEH JOHNSON, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: The new phenomenon that I see that I'm very concerned about is somebody who has never met another member of that terrorist organization, never trained at one of the camps who is simply inspired by the social media for literature, the propaganda, the message to commit an act of violence in this country. And our government has become pretty good at detecting terrorist plots overseas against the homeland at the earliest stages.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: So, think about what he's saying there. This is not like, you know, al Qaeda in the old days going to training camps and then coming back and plotting and planning attacks. What he's talking about are fighters that could be inspired. They never have to step foot in an ISIS training camp. They could just simply be in this country inspired by ISIS and carry out an attack.

Secretary Johnson told me, as the holiday season is approaching, he thinks Americans should travel. They should go about their lives but as he always says, they should still be vigilant -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you so much, Barbara Starr in Los Angeles.

The attorney for Michael Brown's parents reacting to the latest revelations surrounding the shooting death of their son.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN CRUMP, MICHAEL BROWN'S FAMILY'S ATTORNEY: What are the local authorities trying to mislead this community?

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: So, how does the public reaction to this new information impact the grand jury potentially? We ask our attorney who has handled high-profile cases, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Ferguson, Missouri, is a town on edge in anticipation of a grand jury's decision on whether to indict Officer Darren Wilson for shooting and killing unarmed teenager Michael Brown.

Newly released police dispatch audio indicates the deadly encounter unfolded quickly and new surveillance video from just hours after the shooting shows Wilson leaving the police station.

Earlier, I talked to a Brown family attorney Benjamin Crump, what the new video and audio just might mean for this case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CRUMP: At the beginning, they said that the police officer suffered a orbital blow-out fracture to the eye and, obviously, when you look at this video, that seems to be a big exaggeration. Why would you exaggerate his injuries unless you were trying to justify the excessive force of the unarmed killing -- I'm sorry, the killing of this unarmed teenager.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Joining me right now: CNN legal analyst Mark O'Mara, who defended George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin murder trial.

Good to see you. So, I wonder, you know, will public reaction to these newly released materials have any impact on the grand jury? Because, clearly, the grand jury might have seen this material already. But is the public reaction to the release of this video that I wonder, is it influential?

MARK O'MARA, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, one, I presume that they have seen because I'm hoping that they've seen every piece of evidence that the prosecutor can bring to them. This shouldn't have any impact in them because I'm also hopeful they're not going to base any of their decision on potential community reaction or pressures being placed on them. I'm just continually frustrated once again that another sliver of information is coming out. Everybody wants to offer significance to it and trying to put into -- you know, a picture of a puzzle when we have no idea what the global view is going to be of all the evidence once it finally comes out.

WHITFIELD: And what is this all about, this -- you know, this trickle, trickle of information? And it seems particularly on the eve of what could be the release of a decision.

O'MARA: Well, my understanding is that this piece of information was leaked by us, by the media, because the local paper had gotten hold of it pursuant to a public records demand. When they got it, they let it out. But I'm frustrated that, you know, to a certain extent, the federal

government may have let some out. The local government let some out. Even media, though I understand their rights.

My frustration is that with such a national event that the Mike Brown case is, that if we're not careful to do this properly, it's going to be much worse than it otherwise would be.

WHITFIELD: And what do you suppose Officer Wilson's attorneys are doing right now? How are they preparing for a decision as to whether he would be indicted or not?

O'MARA: Well, I think they're preparing for a number of things. Indictment or not, Officer Wilson's life has completely changed. He will not be a police officer again, in my opinion, and he's going to have to live with the reality of having killed a young man no the matter what and, also, that man happened to be Mike Brown and a national focus on that.

So, in that sense, I think they're planning or prepping him for that. They're also prepping him are for the fact that he might get indicted and if he gets indicted, he's going to jail and for the next two years, he's going to have to be a criminal defendant with the nation's focus on him and him alone.

WHITFIELD: And then when you are preparing for a high-profile case, you were involved in the George Zimmerman-Trayvon Martin case, you're very involved in that territory, what does an attorney do differently in the preparation for an impending case?

O'MARA: Well, there are two cases. There is the case in the criminal courtroom and then there's the case in the court of public opinion. And now, in 2014, if you're not a good lawyer in both, Europe not serving your client well. So, they're going to have to get ready for a very intense criminal case. They're going to have to realize that every step they make and every potential misstep, every sentence that they say is going to be evaluated, analyzed and they could make easily a misstep if they're not very, very careful.

WHITFIELD: All right. Mark O'Mara, thanks so much for your time, from Orlando today.

O'MARA: Sure, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still ahead, it was supposed to be a vacation. Instead, it turned into a nightmare. Over 100 people sick at sea.

But, first, the fastest growing musical genre in the world, believe it or not, is electronic dance. This week, we continue our series "Ones to Watch" with the profile of one of the biggest names in the business.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REPORTER: The popular Dutch DJ Armin Van Buuren was voted the world's number one DJ, a record five times, produces his own songs and now owns his own record label.

ARMIN VAN BUUREN, DUTCH DJ: It is very difficult to break through because there are so many other deejays trying to be popular. Your quickest way to the top, ironically, is to make your own music. So, not the deejay, actually, but to make electronic dance.

REPORTER: His influence is such that he can boast 8 million Facebook friends, 1 million Spotify subscribers and over 1 million Twitter followers. Dressed in a t-shirt, jeans and trainers, you might not notice him walking down the street, but he commutes to work by private jet and can command a crowd by the mere raising of his arms.

VAN BUUREN: I have to pick two to "Ones to Watch". First of all, I chose Heatbeat, the duo from Argentina, who have their own distinct sound within the trance scene. They have a very energetic but me melodic sound.

The second artist I chose is Andrew Rayel. He's from Moldova. And he had this classical influence in his tracks. Andrew is just a really, really young, very talented guy who sits in his little studio creating his wonderful pieces of art.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: We now have confirmation of the beheading of U.S. hostage Peter Kassig at the hands of ISIS extremists.

President Obama released a statement a short time ago, saying in part, "Today, we offer our primaries and condolences to the parents and family of Abdul-Rahman Kassig, also known as Peter. We cannot imagine their anguish at this painful time. Abdul-Rahman was taken from us in an act of pure evil by a terrorist group that the world rightly associates with inhumanity."

ISIS released a new video that purportedly showed Kassig's beheading. The video shows the aftermath of a beheading and not the victim being clearly recognizable. Kassig was serving as a medical worker in Syria when he was captured more than a year ago. The former U.S. Army Ranger and Iraq war veteran converted to Islam during his captivity taking the name Abdul Rahman Kassig.

Kassig's parents now have the news that they certainly didn't want to hear.

CNN's Alexandra Field joining me now.

So, Alexandra, the Kassig family, are they issuing any new statements?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are being told by their spokesperson to expect another statement, which should be forthcoming at some point this evening. They did put out a statement earlier today expressing the importance, they said, to wait. They were well- aware, of course, of the reports that had come in but they really wanted to wait for confirmation from the U.S. government before saying anything further. Until then, they asked people to give them the space and the time that they clearly needed today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD (voice-over): Paula and Ed Kassig asking for privacy and asking for their son, Peter Kassig, to be remembered for his important work and the love he shared with friends and family. Last month the parents publicly pleaded for mercy from Kassig's captors.

PAULA KASSIG, MOTHER OF PETER KASSIG: Most of all know that we love you and our hearts ache that you be granted your freedom.

FIELD: Their 26-year-old son telling them in a letter, "I'm obviously pretty scared to die, but the hardest part is not knowing, wondering, hoping and wondering if I should even hope at all."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he wanted to return back to the Middle East and contribute in a very different way, in a more constructive way, helping people directly. He didn't want to be another guy with a gun.

FIELD: The Army Ranger turned aid worker had roots from far from Syria and Turkey's border. Back home in Indianapolis, he had graduated from North Central High School, and later took classes at Butler University. In a statement the school's president says ISIS has accomplished nothing through this abhorrent act of violence. All it has done is taking away a good person who wanted to help the Syrian people.

MARGARET BRABANT, KASSIG'S COLLEGE ADVISER: Peter really believed that an individual can make a difference in the world. Through their love and compassion and their intelligence and their willing to give back, that is the message I think Peter would want me to convey.

The world has lost a bright light and a compassionate heart. And as we mourn him, I would hope that we all can recognize that the violence must end.

FIELD: On campus, students held a vigil during Kassig's captivity. In his hometown local Muslim community groups embraced his parents.

NORA BASHA, SYRIAN-AMERICAN COUNCIL: There are no words for somebody with so much courage that was willing to risk his life, risk everything.

FIELD: Kassig took on the name Abdul-Rahman. He had converted to Islam months before his captivity, his parents say. In the letter he says he's in a dogmatically complicated situation but at peace with his belief.

He tells his parents, "Don't worry, Dad, if I go down, I won't go thinking anything, but what I know to be true that you and mom love me more than the moon and the stars."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD: Speaking on behalf of Paula and Ed Kassig, the Kassig family spokesperson says the parents are grateful for the words of support and the prayers that they continue to receive from people all over the world -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Alexandra, thank you so much. And now some of the other headlines that we are following, there were two rare terror attacks near Baghdad International Airport today, ISIS claiming responsibility for one of them.

A suicide car bombing saying it was meant to hit Americans leaving the airport. Iraqi police have not released details on possible casualties. And another explosion hit a U.N. convoy, rather, as it was leaving the airport headed for the green zone. No one hurt.

New amateur video shows the immediate aftermath of the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. It was obtained by a Russian tabloid. The aircraft was shot down back in July in an area of Eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists.

Dutch officials are finally collecting the wreckage today. It will be shipped to the Netherlands for investigation. CNN's Phil Black spoke to me earlier from Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): The section they were actually collecting today is from the area there that you are witnessing burning on that tape as it took place around four months ago -- Fredricka.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All 298 people onboard were killed.

One hundred seventy passengers were sickened by norovirus on a nearly month-long Crown Princess Cruise from Los Angeles to Hawaii and Tahiti. The ship docked in L.A. this morning where it was disinfected using protocols from the CDC.

The CDC is sending a specialist onboard to do an environmental health assessment. More than 4,000 passengers and crew were onboard that cruise.

Students at West Virginia University are mourning the loss of their friend, 18-year-old Nolan Birch. He was found unconscious in a fraternity house Wednesday. He died Friday at a local hospital. Now the university has suspended all the Greek activities on campus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This doesn't define at all whatever happened. It does not define him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Officials are not giving out details about the incident as they continue to investigate. All right, health care, Obamacare may still be a point of controversy, but healthcare.gov is running much more smoothly than this time last year. The 2015 open enrollment kicked off bright and early Saturday morning.

Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell says about 23,000 people applied in the first eight hours, and 1.2 million people shopped for plans over the past week.

All right, next, an American doctor who recovered from Ebola is now back home. But the fight over the cost of his treatment is not over. Wait until you hear what one lawmaker is demanding in pay back.

But first, once our veterans return home from the battlefield, a lot of them face a different and very private fight. According to the VA, an average of at least 22 veterans commits suicide every single day. Now former Marine, Mike Scottie, is trying to change that number in "Impact Your World."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE SCOTTIE, FORMER MARINE: My name is Mike Scottie and I'm a former Marine, who fought as part of the initial invasion in Iraq in 2003. I just happened to have a video camera with me and I just need to tape the kind of what was going on.

The car ran the roadblock and the Marines had no choice but to light it up. It turned out to be a father and his baby girl. When I first got home I just went down a hole. I started spiraling down and just wept almost all the way.

The first couple of months were garden variety depression and then I started to get angry. You're angry that your friends are getting killed or wounded over there. Angry that the country sacrificed for sometimes seems to forget that it's fighting a war.

You start having thoughts, what are you going to do? Am I going to kill myself? Am I going to join up and go on active duty and go back to the war and try to get myself killed?

When it started to come together as a film, it was a rough cut and I saw other veterans see it and I watched them watch it. It really started to click for me that this wasn't just my story. This was, you know, everybody's story, every veteran's story.

You feel it's impossible. You live in a sort of limbo where everything gravitates towards the certainty, chaos and disorder.

I realized that there was a lot of people out there who were sad or suffering or keeping these feelings inside of them. The advice I would give to veterans, call your buddies. Write about it. Do something creative. If you think you need help, ask for it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, the president just moments ago confirming the beheading of an American, and now a statement from the Kassig family, let's go straight to Alexandra Field with more on this -- Alexandra.

FIELD: Fredricka, that statement coming in right now. We'll read it for you. This is from Ed and Paula Kassig. They say, "We are heartbroken to learn that our son, Abdul-Rahman, Peter Kassig, has lost his life as a result of his love for the Syrian people and his desire to ease their suffering.

Our heart also goes out to the families of the Syrians who lost their lives along with our son. Fed by a strong desire to use his life to save the lives of others, Abdul-Rahman was drawn to the camps that are filled with displaced families and to understaffed hospitals inside Syria.

We know he found his home amongst the Syrian people and he hurt when they were hurting. As he wrote in March 2012 in a letter announcing he was taking a leave of absence from Butler University to serve the Syrian people.

Quote, "Here in this land I have found my calling. I do not know much. Every day that I am here, I have more questions and less answers, but what I do know is that I have a chance to do something here, to take a stand, to make a difference."

The statement goes on to say, "We are incredibly proud of our son for living his life according to his humanitarian calling. We will work every day to keep his legacy alive as best we can. We remain heartbroken also for the families of the other captives who did not make it home safely.

The families of James Foley, Steven Sotloft, David Haynes and Allen Henning remain in our daily thoughts and prayers, and we pray for the safe return of all remaining captives held by all sides of the Syrian civil war.

We remain eternally grateful for the many, many words of support and prayers from all over the world on our son's behalf. We ask people to continue to pray for the safe return of all captives being held unjustly and all people being oppressed around the world and especially for the people of Syria, a land our son loved."

Heartbreaking words right now, Fredricka, from the family of Peter Kassig. Obviously, they had learned this news today. They had waited for the confirmed reports from the U.S. government to come forward and make this statement.

We do at this point know that we will hear from Paula and Ed Kassig tomorrow. They are planning to go on camera, to make a statement. We're told they won't be answering questions, but they do want to come forward and speak.

WHITFIELD: All right, prayers going out to them indeed. Thank you so much, Alexandra.

Doctors say a surgeon being treated for Ebola in the U.S. is extremely ill. They say Dr. Martin Salia may be the sickest Ebola patient the U.S. has seen. He was flown in from Sierra Leone yesterday. He is being treated in Nebraska where two other Ebola patients were successfully treated.

So far ten people have been treated for Ebola in the U.S. One of them was this man, Dr. Craig Spencer from New York, right there. Senator Chuck Schumer spoke out today about the huge cost of that doctor's treatment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SENATOR CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: Now as everyone knows, the president requested $6 billion in funding for Ebola. Well, I think Congress can afford to send $20 million plus future expenses to New York City and other localities who are on the front lines in protecting the citizens of this region and the citizens of the country against Ebola because what New York City does not only action our city but helps protect the whole country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Schumer says Bellevue Hospital where Dr. Spencer was quarantined should be included in that compensation.

All right, this is your last weekend to vote for your CNN Hero of the Year. The family of this week's honoree ran a mortuary business that has been a staple of her Baltimore community for three generations. Now she helps those in grief focus on getting past the trauma. Meet Annette March-Grier.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Chicken nuggets, French fries, ketchup and mustard and a milk shake. My daddy ordered the same thing as me. That is my daddy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My son's father, he was murdered. Their bond, it was just a bond that a lot of kids don't have with their father.

ANNETTE MARCH-GRIER, CNN HERO: I love my city. I have lived here all of my life. But people here are having crisis after crisis. I believe that the violence in this city and grief are directly connected.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: I feel sad that somebody hurt my dad.

GRIER: A child's grief can be very different from adults. They can easily lose their identity and their security, and that can be very dangerous.

There you go. Write your feelings. How you feeling today? Our program provides that safe place for a child to recover. Our volunteers help the children explore their feelings. Why did you choose red?

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: I was angry when my dad passed away.

GRIER: And talk about healthy ways of coping. Get that anger out! We teach our children that it's OK to cry.

His brother died. So he's feeling very sad. Grief is truly a public health problem. We have got to begin to address it.

Coping is how we deal with our feelings. We're giving families a sense of hope. We're helping to heal wounds and bring families back together again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, still ahead the president arrives back in Washington later on tonight. But he's flying into a political headwind. Can he avoid becoming a lame duck?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: President Obama is heading home after his weeklong trip to Asia. When he lands back in Washington, he'll have a number of battles awaiting him from fighting ISIS, dueling with Congress, to getting a nuclear arms deal with Iran.

Candy Crowley is chief political correspondent and anchor of "STATE OF THE UNION." So the president's signed a climate change deal with China, is pushing trade with Asian countries, Candy, and forging ahead with his domestic agenda. Is it too early to call Barack Obama lame duck president?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": Well, technically if it a lame duck is someone who is not going to take office the next time that office is open, he's a lame duck, but I think you answered the questions in the intro.

I sort of while waiting for you wrote down what the president has done since the elections. He's decided to send 1,500 more troops to help train in Iraq. He has come out and pushed the FCC for net neutrality to deal with the internet and the internet servers.

He is putting the final touches on executive order about immigration. He is refusing to back down on the Keystone pipeline, a bill he is likely to get and then will veto.

He got business done in China, went to Myanmar and he went to Australia. So he may be a lame duck, but he's running pretty fast.

WHITFIELD: He sure is. Let's touch a little bit more on immigration. You mentioned immigration reform among those things on his plate. The president says he is going it alone, but you spoke with the number two man in the Senate on your show today, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin. What's the sentiment about Obama using executive action from his point of view? CROWLEY: Well, from Durbin's point of view he thinks it's fine. Number one, you know the Republicans have said this is going to place in the well. He shouldn't do it so, so much for the air of bipartisanship.

But Senator Durbin, he said, look, this is neither fast nor is the president alone because Durbin, among many Democrats, supports him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. DICK DURBIN (D), ILLINOIS: The Republicans can't have it both ways. For over a year and a half we have left on their table in the House of Representatives a bipartisan immigration reform bill to address our broken immigration system. They refuse to call the bill or any aspect relating to the bill.

Now they say to the president, we don't want to you lift a finger to solve the problem. This president is not going to go gently into his last two years. He's going to lead as he is expected to as our president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CROWLEY: So there's a little bit of room here, Fred. I've talked to a couple of people who said maybe there's some time in there if the House would say we will deal with this by date certain, perhaps the president would back off of this.

But right now it really seems set that this president is going to go ahead and issue that executive order.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll see how the week pans out, Candy. Thanks so much. The president back overnight and we can always watch you every Sunday morning on "STATE OF THE UNION."

CROWLEY: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. One high school senior applied to 56 different colleges to make sure that she got accepted, and she's not alone. "The New York Times" reports that anxious seniors are applying to more schools than ever because they are worried about the competition.

And then there's the cost of college which keeps going up. But there's one program that actually pays students to go to school while training them for manufacturing jobs. Here's chief business correspondent, Christine Romans.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Some universities are starting to look like resorts with pricey amenities like spas, rock walls, and swimming pools. And they're passing along the bill to students.

Tuition expenses have risen more than 1,200 percent since 1978. But Blackburn College in Illinois is keeping tuition costs low thanks to a little thrift.

(on camera): Blackburn College is expanding. This is a $2.5 million renovation project, but a novel way to pay for it, student work crews. We can see where students for years have been literally laying the bricks.

STEVEN ROTMAN, PRESIDENT, AMERITECH: We do maintain a pretty lean organizational staffing structure, and that is done with using students to supplement those labor needs.

ROMANS (voice-over): And it's not just construction jobs, 90 percent of the student body works ten hours per week on campus in everything from gardening to security to administrative positions. In exchange they get tuition credit.

(on camera): What do you say to parents who say I don't want my kid to go to school to work, I don't want them to be distracted. I want them to go to spend four years to learn.

ROTMAN: We do have that. We have parents that question that piece of it. What we explain to them this is an enhancement, an enhancement to their overall portfolio that will make them more marketable upon graduation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you grab me 431?

ROMANS (voice-over): Sophomore Joan Esperaza manages Blackburn's motor vehicle fleet.

(on camera): They call your generation, generation debt, does that are worry you at all?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With the decisions I've made, not really. Going to Blackburn, I know I'm saving money. With baseball and school and a job I wouldn't have time to get distracted by video games or going out to parties. I actually went to Michigan State University. They had big pools, nice buildings, newer dorms, but it was a distraction. I'm here for an education.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. You can see more about the cost of college at the broadcast premiere of "Ivory Tower" this Thursday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern only on CNN.

Thanks so much for being with me this afternoon. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The news continues right after this break with Poppy Harlow.

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