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ISIS Claims American Hostage Killed By Jordanian Airstrike; Northeast Braces For More Brutal Winter Weather; Deadly California Crash Involving Bruce Jenner; Obama Criticized For "Crusades" Remark; NBC's Brian Williams Temporarily Steps Aside; Smith Considered Among The Greatest Coaches

Aired February 08, 2015 - 14:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Happening right now in the NEWSROOM, Ukraine in crisis, shelling continues as leaders plan new peace talks this week.

Plus things aren't getting any better for Brian Williams.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Now he's benched himself while NBC figures out what is true and what's not true.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And Bruce Jenner involved in a deadly car accident. Investigators now combing through cell phone records and searching for videos of the scene as they try to piece together what happened. The NEWSROOM starts right now.

Hello, everyone. Thanks so much for joining me in the NEWSROOM. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin in Ukraine, where artillery is raining down on the city of Donetsk. Pro-Russian rebels say that eight civilians were killed this weekend in fighting. Ukrainian forces say they lost 12 of their own soldiers and killed dozens of rebels.

But there may be a glimmer of hope for renewed peace. The leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine have all agreed to meet in Belarus on Wednesday. CNN's senior international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh joining us live now from Donetsk.

So, is there any sense of optimism now that we know that these leaders are planning to meet in a few days?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: (INAUDIBLE) there was before this meeting was announced, certainly it appeared that a visit to Moscow by Angela Merkel, the Germany Chancellor, the French president Francois Hollande have resulted to pretty much nothing apart from people saying that talks are being constructed now provided the property (ph) work in Berlin tomorrow and the day after goes well, those four leaders might end up in the same city and you can't imagine they would really attend a meeting like that without knowing pretty much what they are going to sign. But there's still plenty that could fall apart at this stage, particularly here, in (INAUDIBLE) territory what they call their capital of Donetsk.

We are still hearing shelling throughout the night who passed out again this morning. We went to see ourselves exactly what damage have been done to civilian areas because while it appears that sometimes these shells are aimed at separatist military targets. A lot of times they actually hit civilians home.

We saw one family whose mother had been injured and was in hospital. The children just escaped. The dog killed but the family life that torn apart by one shell. Another home in which one man, Vladimir had been killed on his own in a kitchen by another stray shell too.

Many homes damaged here, and a lot of anger amongst the people remaining in this city against the Ukrainian military, who they blame for the shelling, and frankly, disbelief too that they could suffer in this way and many people I think who really haven't had a political opinion about what's happening here, being sort of taken off the fence by the destruction cause by this shelling -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And despite the fact, is there much a peace agreement in place, it hasn't worked, if there is a most hope even if these countries do come to the table and meet?

WALSH: Well, there are two issues here and they're both really involved territory. Kiev has made it clear it doesn't want its territorial integrity changed. But at the same time, the separatists, obviously, want to take -- you hear another shell landing behind me there, the separatists themselves want to take more territory, care amount ambitions to hold all of the Donetsk region.

Now, they have done that at the moment. So there is potential in the days ahead for the fighting to escalate and that derail any peace agreement, too. It's going to come down to whether or not Kiev are willing to accept some kind of change states for the Donetsk region. And I think the issue is going to be whether the separatists themselves can accept a sort of watered down nature of their autonomy here. It's going to be hard to bridge that gap. We may have best end up with a pause and the fighting generated by another document sign (INAUDIBLE), even though the last one lasted a matter of days.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Alright, Nick Paton Walsh, thank so much in Donetsk.

All right, the U.S. says it supports peace talks set for Belarus this week. But there is a big note of caution that goes with that support.

Erin McPike is joining us now from Washington.

So, can we start with secretary of state John Kerry? He has been in Europe attending the security conference in Germany. What is he saying right now?

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, first, keep in mind that there are more diplomatic talks tomorrow in Berlin. And so Wednesday's summit could be contingent on how those talks go. But overall, here's how John Kerry couched how Ukrainian allies are approaching the situation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: This much I can assure you. No matter what the United States, France, Germany, and our allies and partners, no matter what, we will stand together in support of Ukraine in defense of a common understanding that international borders must not, cannot be changed by force in Europe or anywhere else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCPIKE: Now, there is some hope among part of this group that a deal could begin to come together. But keep in mind, as you were just talking about with Nick Paton Walsh, his deals have been reached before, but then they have been violated by pro-Russian separatists. So there's lingering doubts from foreign leaders that these talks and any agreement can have a lasting impact. And also, keep in mind that the Russians are looking for some concessions in order to come to the table, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. And now, Arizona senator John McCain supporting the peace talks, but he is also talking much tougher. He is actually talking about arming Ukraine, isn't he?

MCPIKE: Well, Fred, that's right. McCain has been vocal about how he believes Russian president Vladimir Putin is not interested in the diplomatic solutions. And he is stressing that western allies should provide Ukraine with arms. Here he is explaining why he thinks that would work.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: If we help Ukrainians increase the military cost to the Russian forces that have invaded their country, how long can Putin sustain a war that he tells his people is not happening. That's why we must provide defensive arms to Ukraine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCPIKE: But there's a lot of debate going on between American and European leaders meeting in Munich right now about whether that might be counterproductive. So there's a lot of work to do during all of these talks this weekend. John Kerry, of course, has emphasizing that the group of allies is working closely together. But some of the commentary coming out of Munich shows that right now there's no clear solution, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Erin McPike, thanks so much in Washington. Appreciate it.

All right, meantime, back here at home, the northeast once again, this is a like a repeat for the third time now, bracing for another huge hit of snow, wind and brutally cold temperatures on a Sunday. A live look at the mayor of Boston addressing the city right know as they brace for another winter blast. Some six-and-a-half million people are now under winter storm warnings, stretching from New York all the way up to New Hampshire. Boston in particular, could get another 12 to 18 inches of snow before this latest storm moves through. And all of this, after Boston set a record this winter for the snowiest seven- day period in history with over 40 inches.

And CNN's Sarah Ganim can't seem to get away from that region. She is there once again in that very deep snow.

All right, so are people just beside themselves or are they saying, you know what hey, this is somewhat close to a typical winter for us Bostonians?

SARAH GAMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They're a little fed up, Fred. That's definitely a fair to say here. And let me show you why. It is these snow piles that are continuing to grow with storm after storm after storm and residents here really fear that with the budgets s tightening, the snow budget is tightening, that this snow might not be removed any time soon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GANIM (voice-over): A winter weary northeast is bracing for yet another round of snow. This coming after a series of back to back to back storms that have already unleashed record amounts of snow in the region. What's it been like in the last few week having back to back snow storm? What has been like for business?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Doesn't really flow. Like there have been days when we have sat around with literally nothing to do and all we do is at least the counters.

GANIM: And it is not just wearing down residents. City and state agencies across the northeast are close to bursting their budget in an effort to keep up. In Boston, mother nature has dumped more than 54 inches already on the ground. Not a record breaking year, but than average and enough to strain resources.

MAYOR MARTY WALSH, BOSTON: If we continue to get the snow we're going to get, we're going to shatter our budget for snow. Our budget for snow is roughly $18 million. We're not over the top yet with the 18 million. We still have money underneath the cap, but we are heading towards that.

GANIM: City officials across the state are also saying as they're approaching their snow removal budget for the year. In Worcester (ph), records are already broken. Seventy-seven inches have fallen and it's still February. And in New Hampshire, officials say they (INAUDIBLE) are dwindling. Some areas have seen 48 inches of snow in the last few weeks. Suppliers are having a hard time keeping up with those demands.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have about $1.2 million budget. We spent somewhere between 800,000 to 900,000. We spent the money over the past couple of weeks with the storms that we have had.

GANIM: And even more snow is still on the way, a frustrating prospect for residents who are having a hard time getting around.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know how much money the city has lost at this point from all this snow, but if we don't get rid of it and allow people to function normally and allow me and my co-workers like go to work normally and our customers to come in normally, then this could stem function.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: So Sarah, it's bad, but what is the forecast over the next few days? How are they preparing?

GANIM: So already this morning, Fred, and into early this afternoon, four new inches of snow have fallen in Boston. We expect a heavier part of the storm to come through tonight and Monday morning, through Monday during the day Monday. And then windchills tomorrow night that are just absolutely brutal into the negatives when you factor in the windchill, the temperature will be into the negatives. And this could go through Tuesday. And by Tuesday they could have up to two new feet of snow on top of all of this in the Boston area.

Now, I just want to talk for a minute about this because this is not just inconveniently, but it's hard to get around here. It's also a safety problem. We're walking these streets become very narrow when you have these snow piles creeping into the streets. It is hard to drive, visibility, when you're going around the corner. We can attest to this. It's really hard to see who is coming.

We see a lot of people walking in the streets, pedestrian in the streets because the sidewalks are simply not passable. That's a hazard. And on top of all of that, city officials launched this tweeter campaign asking people to dig out their fire hydrants on their streets because you can see, these are cars under their snow piles, completely buried. It is a problem. And fire trucks can't find cars, if you can't find fire hydrants, that's a safety problem.

And so, they launched this twitter campaign asking people for help, Fred.

WHITFIELD: They (INAUDIBLE) right now talking about narrow street.

(CROSSTALK)

GANIM: We're actually in the street, this is exactly what we said not to do.

WHITFIELD: All right, well you try to --

GANIM: Yes. This is a problem here, Fred.

(CROSSTALK)

GANIM: And it's very tight.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And of course, like you mentioned, just with fire hydrants, it is tough for emergency workers to be able to get to any of those entrances to apartments if there is an emergency. So I'm sure that the community's help in any way possible is much appreciated.

All right, thanks so much Sarah Ganim. Stay safe. Stay out of the street.

All right, next, are coalition airstrikes bringing it closer to defeating ISIS or are matters being made worse?

And back here in the U.S., Bruce Jenner is involved in a fatal cash in Malibu. A woman is dead. We'll have the latest on the police investigation ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: As the U.S.-led coalition intensifies its airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria and Iraq, the debate over the United States end game is heating up.

Middle East expert Aaron David Miller writes in a "Los Angeles Times" op-ed piece that the fight against ISIS may be far from over. He writes quote "President Obama understandably talks about degrading and ultimately defeats the Islamic state. But the later seems highly unlikely. The war will be long and the fields of battle broaden to include places such as Yemen, Libya and as we have seen France, Belgium and other parts of Europe.

Miller who has served as a Middle East negotiator and Republican and Democratic administration is joining us now.

So Aaron good to see you. So in your article, you made the case that Jordan, entering the fight in the manner in which it has particularly over the last week, may not be much of a game changer in the long run, why not in your view?

AARON DAVID MILLER, MIDDLE EAST EXPERT: Well, we have to get away from this notion, Fredericka, that somehow these events are transformer of where they are going to fundamentally change the game. I mean, and it is tempting. I mean, ISIS created a new baseline for brutality and savagery, in burning Muath Al-Kassasbeh.

But the reality is in order to defeat ISIS is you essentially have to figure out a way to govern what is now ungovernable. I mean, ISIS is a response to fail their failing states in Syria and Iraq. And the reality is airstrikes alone is simply not going to answer the mail.

The alternative, which some have called for is a much more muscular robust policy on the part of the United States to take Assad, Bashar Assad out, create some new government structure and begin to piece together Syria as a county under some governing authority.

But that is so far beyond what the American public in this administrations, and probably the next, are going to be prepared to do. But it's a question, I think in the end ---

WHITFIELD: I'm sorry, I interrupt you because I'm wondering might that be the case if it were just the U.S. But now we're talking about more Middle Eastern countries that are showing, you know, a lot more muscle in the game. And taking out Assad that a might be something that a Middle Eastern neighbor maybe willing to do, but perhaps not the U.S. be willing to do. For bigger reasons, other than just to take out, you know, ISIS.

Do you see that that's still potentially in the purview of this coalition that with more Middle Eastern support, Arab state support that perhaps taking out Assad, being able to dismantle and destroy ISIS is actually possible.

MILLER: You know, I think the Saudis and Jordanians really do want to get rid of Assad, but both of them are persuaded that the only power that is capable of actually making a difference is us. And that's again, one of the paradoxes and anomalies here.

The Jordanians are great war fighters. And building a Sunni coalition to address a Sunni problem is really very important. But it's hard to see given Jordan's small air force. And even with the UAE's capacity, how in effect you're going to quote-unquote "destroy ISIS" simply from the air.

Look, one basic point, Fredericka, we are 14 years after 9/11. And if you asked any CIA intelligence analyst, what is the most imminent threat to the security of the continental United States they wouldn't say ISIS. They'd say Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

In short, we haven't even take --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Isn't that part of the problem that there is this feeling that it is an ideology that's the common thread here and just these names and organizations really may not matter?

MILLER: I think it is a huge problem, this kind of jihadi terror and it flows essentially from no governance in Syria or bad governance in Iraq or no governance in Libya and again no governance in Yemen.

As long as you have ungoverned spaces, as long as you have money and as long as you have sectarian differences, you're going to end up creating, it's a witch's brew out of which ISIS and similar groups are going to thrive and that's the real problem that we face.

WHITFIELD: All right, Aaron David Miller, thanks so much. Always frank, appreciate it.

And we'll be back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, there's no indication that paparazzi played a role in that deadly California crash involving Bruce Jenner. That word from the Los Angeles county sheriff's department. Investigators say Jenner's SUV rear ended a Lexus, sending it into oncoming traffic on the Pacific Coast highway where it was hit by a hummer. The driver of the Lexus was killed.

We're joined now by CNN's Stephanie Elam. So she's at the sheriff's station in California there.

So Stephanie, the paparazzi was not the cause? Initially there was some rumblings that maybe, you know, Bruce Jenner was being chased by paparazzi, but that has been ruled out now.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, that has been ruled out at this point, Fred. And when you take a look at what happened, there was an incident between four cars, really. There was the first car that, that white Lexus, had an incident with. And then, what we are hearing from the sheriff's department is that he SUV that Jenner was driving, rear ended that Lexus, which then forced the car into oncoming traffic and was hit by that hummer.

That's what happened there. The woman that died in that Lexus, we can tell you that she's 69 years old, but they're still not releasing her name until they notify the next of kin.

At this point, the sheriff says that they are investigating this as a traffic accident with a fatality and nothing more than that. They're continuing to look at that. They're continuing their investigation. But this was a major accident that shut down the pacific coast highway, which you may have heard about, it's one of the most beautiful drives in the country. It runs along the Pacific Ocean and it rides along the coast of California. It's very beautiful, but it is curvy. It is dangerous. But it's two lanes on each side for most of it. And it can be a place where you have to keep your eyes on the road, otherwise, things can change very quickly there, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, keep us posted on this investigation. Thanks so much, Stephanie Elam.

All right, still ahead on the CNN NEWSROOM, new information about the American hostage that ISIS claims has been killed. What people in Kayla Mueller's hometown are saying now, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, hello, again, everyone. Thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitefield.

We're learning more about the American hostage held by ISIS who the terror group claims has been killed. Friends and family members are speaking out about who 26-year-old Kayla Mueller is. It has been a year and a half since she was kidnapped by ISIS militants. Her parents are pleading with ISIS to contact them. And despite the terrorists claimed that she was killed last week, U.S. and Jordan officials say there is still no evidence that she is dead.

CNN's Kyung Lah is in Prescott, Arizona with more on what Kayla Mueller's hometown is saying.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The signs of anguish remain quiet but palpable at Prescott, Arizona, an idyllic town oceans away from the savagery of Syria.

26-year-old Kayla Mueller, an ISIS hostage for more than a year. But to those who know her in Prescott, even as a teenager, she was a defender of social justice especially for those who cannot fight. Northern Arizona professor Carol Thompson taught, advise, and then be friend of Mueller.

CAROL THOMPSON, PROFESSOR OF KAYLA MUELLER: She profoundly understood that peace will not come without justice. And it is useless to have peace without justice.

LAH: Professor Thompson teaches here in Arizona, we spoke by telephone because she's on sabbatical in Zimbabwe helping farmers. Kayla Mueller thought she might follow Thompson's footsteps and work in Africa.

(voice-over): But it's this conflict, Syria, and it's nearly four million refugees that captured her heart. She posted in video supporting refugees in 2011.

KAYLA MUELLER: I am in solidarity with the Syrian people. I reject the brutality and killing that the Syrian authorities are committing against the Syrian people.

LAH: By the following here, she would make her first trip to the Syrian-Turkish border. Professor Thompson says they spoke often and at length about social justice versus personal risk.

PROFESSOR CAROL THOMPSON, NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY ((via telephone): Kayla went beyond me, her professor to join in the suffering and yes, she knew very profoundly the risks of that and that was her choice.

LAH: A choice friends say her parents supported. This weekend, they remain surrounded by spiritual counsel, family and friends, as they have since her capture, awaiting the truth about their daughter.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAH: We have spoken with friends who are in touch with the family right now, they say the worst part of all this, Fredricka, is simply not knowing what the truth is.

WHITFIELD: All right, I know this is very painful for that family and of course, that entire community. Thanks so much, Kyung Lah.

President Barack Obama is getting criticism for comments that he made during the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday. Some conservative Christians are furious after the president invoked Christianity when explaining how some used religion to justify doing evil things.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Humanity has been grappling about these questions throughout human history. Unless we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place, remember that during the inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ. In our home country, slavery and Jim Crowe all too often was justified in the name of Christ.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Let's bring in two voices now to talk more about this, the Reverend Susan Johnson Cook is a former U.S. ambassador for International Religious Freedom, and Dr. Zuhdi Jasser is the founder and president of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy. Good to see both of you.

And also, I'm sorry, Dr. Zuhdi Jasser is also the author of "A Battle For The Soul Of Islam, An American-Muslim Patriots Fight to Save His Faith."

All right, so Ambassador to you first, what did the president mean in your view?

REV. SUSAN JOHNSON COOK, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR FOR INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM: He meant exactly what he said that there have been those in our own history that have used religion to the terrible, evil things, as a descendant of those who are enslaved, slavery and Jim Crowe were not easy to live with.

And as a descendant, you're talking about generations that follow that are still feeling the terrorism that happened on our own shores. We can't deny history, yes, we have to look forward in terms of what is happening now, but we cannot deny history and that's very much a part of the American history.

WHITFIELD: And so Dr. Jasser, what was the interpretation particularly in the Muslim-American community?

DR. ZUHDI JASSER, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN ISLAMIC FORUM FOR DEMOCRACY: Well, I think it depends on which part of the community. We're a diverse ideological community. And from those of us who are reformers, I will tell you that, you know, today we need the help of those Christians, communities, and leaders.

Like the leader of the free world, who is leading a country that is post liberty and freedom that fought against theocracy to help lift us up on the horse of liberty, away from Jihad. The Jihadists of ISIS don't come out of thin air.

They are being produced by countries like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and all the radical Islamist governments that infuse these ideas, so instead of telling the Muslims that they need to reform, they're giving them a pass and it makes reformers very difficult to have a seat at the table.

WHITFIELD: And then Ambassador Cook, you know, the president's words and actions are being scrutinized in a new different ways from that breakfast. I mean, Chinese are mad that the fact that the president met with the Dalai Lama and then these comments about the struggle within the Islamic community. Can he please everyone?

COOK: No, he cannot please everyone. I think one of the things that as ambassador for three years in the Obama administration, international religious freedom was my portfolio and I had all 199 countries. There are problems throughout the world.

And most of them stem from not just non-governed countries as we talked about earlier in the show. We don't know the extent because one of the things with extremism, as you said to your point, it's an ideology.

So we don't know all the places where it's developing, some are in non-governed places and in governs places, so we have places here in U.S. where people are being recruited for extremism. Some do it in the name of religion, but to kill others and to hurt others and to terrorize others.

WHITFIELD: So Dr. Jasser, you know, is this a case that while it may be bold to try to appeal to everyone, the president speaking about Christianity trying to decipher what some are try to do to Islam.

You know, is that provocative in a good way or do you believe that, you know, for the president of the United States, it's just too risky? Should he have not gone there or is it necessary in order to provoke thought and discussions like this?

JASSER: Well, I think it's too dismissive, it's dismissing Muslims almost as not relevant and telling Christians to get off their high horse when in fact it's backwards. We need to focus and have an intervention passed the denial.

I mean, to hear Secretary Kerry today not mention Islam and say violent extremism, it gives a pass to the political ideologies, the theopolitical ideologies of all Islamic, all theocrats that create this, and then you don't enable the very reform movement that need to be enabled by President Obama and Secretary Kerry.

And instead it becomes sort of dismissive while we had our problems, don't worry, it really infantilizes Muslims rather than telling us you're adults, let's reform and gather those who want liberty.

COOK: Doctor, where do we come together? I mean, there's extremism in every faith and if he says nothing, then he would have been criticized, but because he said something which is historically accurate, he's also criticized so where do you suggest that we come to the table together?

JASSER: Ambassador, you're 100 percent correct that we have to meet halfway, which is to say that we can't demonize all Islam because you'll alienate Muslims like me.

However, we also need to engage and realize that we have a problem and name it because it's an ideology that's going to be a long war. And you can't engage in a long cold war against radical Islam and political Islam unless we own up to where we meet halfway.

WHITFIELD: All right, Dr. Zuhdi Jasser and Ambassador Susan Johnson Cook, thanks to both of you. Appreciate it.

COOK: Thank you for having us.

JASSER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Coming up, what did Brian Williams say that has gotten him into so much trouble? Well, you'll see how his story about a trip to Iraq has changed throughout the years.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: You won't see Brian Williams on NBC's "Nightly News" for the next few days. The long-time anchor is temporarily stepping aside voluntarily over the scandal surrounding his inaccurate accounts of one of his Iraq war missions.

In a memo to staff Williams writes this, quote, "It has become painfully apparent to me that I am presently too much a part of the news due to my actions," end quote. Our Brian Stelter has more on the sequence of events and the controversy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The first report was broadcast just a week or so after the beginning of the Iraq war. In a segment for NBC's "Dateline," Brian Williams recounted a harrowing incident under fire, the date, March 26th, 2003.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our colleague, Brian Williams, was back in Kuwait City tonight after a close call in the skies over Iraq.

STELTER: In his report, Williams said he was traveling with a group of four army helicopters based in Kuwait, large ones called Chinooks. They can carry troops and in this case equipment to build bridges in Iraq so motorized units could cross a river.

BRIAN WILLIAMS, NBC: On the ground, we learned the Chinook ahead of us was almost blown out of the sky. That hole was made by a rocket propelled grenade or RPG.

STELTER: After that attack, all four choppers landed. In a sand storm grounded all of them for three days and two nights. The army sent soldiers to guard the soldiers as well as Williams and his team.

In that initial report, he makes no further mention of the RPG attack or that his helicopter took fire. He does say soldiers told him they spotted four Iraqis with what looked like an RPG during their first night in the desert.

WILLIAMS: What we didn't know was we were north of the invasion. We were the northern most Americans in Iraq.

STELTER: Fast forward ten years. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our good friend, Brian Williams.

STELTER: Ten years later to the day, March 26, 2013. Brian Williams told that story to David Letterman except this time saying he was on one of two army choppers that were hit both by RPGs and small arms fire.

WILLIAMS: Two of our four helicopters were hit by ground fire including the one I was in --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No kidding.

WILLIAMS: -- RPG and AK-47.

STELTER: The question, of course, is what exactly happened in those ten years to make Williams change his story as with all war stories, it's complicated and Williams' version slowly evolved. A few months after the helicopter incident, NBC News published this book, "Operation Iraqi Freedom" in it his account is vague.

No mention of which helicopter was attacked or where exactly it took place. The story didn't really resurfaced until a few years later when Williams returned to Iraq.

In a blog post in 2007, Williams celebrated the life of Wayne Downing, a retired army general, who was an NBC News military analyst, who was in that helicopter with Williams that day in 2003.

Williams referenced the Iraq incident again, some men on the ground fired an RPG through the tail rotor of the chopper flying in front of ours, William's wrote. There was small arms fire. A chopper pilot took a bullet through the ear lobe.

All four choppers dropped their heavy loads and landed quickly in horror on the desert floor. William's obituary for Downing began with the incident and the obituary left the impression that Williams and the general were forced down by enemy fire. WILLIAMS: When the Chinook helicopters we were traveling in at the

start of the Iraq war were fired on and forced down for three days in a stretch of hostile desert.

STELTER: In 2008, in a different blog post, Williams added a new detail, this time all four choppers took fire. He wrote all four of our low flying Chinooks took fire. We were forced down and stayed down.

Then in 2013, to mark the 10th anniversary of the start of the Iraq war, Williams went on the Letterman show, and he also talked to Alec Baldwin about it for a radio broadcast. Now he's telling the story of bullets fired into helicopter.

WILLIAMS: I've done some ridiculously stupid things like being in a helicopter I had no business being in in Iraq with arms fire coming into the airframe.

STELTER: And this just about ten days ago, when Williams was at New York Rangers hockey game and appeared with an army sergeant major who was in Iraq and with the helicopter unit at that time. The soldier had helped protect Williams and his team, now a big change in the story. This is how he told it on next NBC "Nightly News."

WILLIAMS: The story actually started with a terrible moment a dozen years back during the invasion of Iraq, when the helicopter we were traveling in was forced down after being hit by an RPG.

STELTER: The previous version had evolved to all four choppers being fired upon. This latest one added the RPG. Some soldiers who were also there began speaking out saying on Facebook. They had no memory of Williams being on the one chopper that did take a rocket propelled grenade.

And were all the choppers told to land because they had been fired upon or was it because of that sandstorm? Truth is a tricky thing in war.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STELTER: We do know that NBC investigators have contacted at least two of the soldiers that were on these missions. They are basically trying to get to the bottom of it, figuring out what the facts are or are not before NBC makes any decision about when or whether to have Brian Williams come back to his chair. Fred, back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Brain. And in the next hour we will be hearing from two pilots who were with Williams in Iraq when that helicopter was hit. And we'll be right back after this.

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WHITFIELD: Legendary University of North Carolina head basketball coach, Dean Smith, has died. He was 83 years old. Smith's 11 NCAA final four appearances, two championships and 36-year career at Chapel Hill represented a fraction of who Coach Dean Smith was. You can tell by all the memories and the statements on Twitter.

Kobe Bryant who considered playing for Smith tweeted this. "Rest in peace to one of the greatest teachers of our beautiful game of basketball has ever seen, Dean Smith."

And Michael Jordan, who won a college hoops championship under Smith in 1982 sent us this statement saying, "Other than my parents, no one had a bigger influence on my life than Coach Smith. He was more than a coach. He was my mentor, my teacher, my second father."

That's pretty huge. On the phone with us right now is CNN's Sports, Rachel Nichols. So Rachel, you know, this clearly is someone remembered for using sport to help mentor and build character, is it the case that players who learned from him feel like he was more than a coach to them?

RACHEL NICHOLS, CNN SPORTS, (via telephone): He was one of the giants of the sport. You can't just get past that. He literally changed the way the game is played. He's just an enormous part of basketball. Basketball has this shot clock, but that's because of Dean Smith.

He didn't give the other team a fighting chance so his innovation led them to put a block above the basket. When you see a player makes the basket. You see him point to the one who got the ball. Getting guys to physically recognize team work of their teammates and that's Carolina way that he preached so much.

That's probably his greatest gift to those he touched, he taught team work, loyalty, dedication at every turn both on and off the court, 96 percent of the letterman who went through his program graduated. He was more proud of that than any championship or record that he held.

WHITFIELD: Wow. So he was also known as a social activist, wasn't he? Kind of, you know, he was ahead of the times in so many ways.

NICHOLS: Absolutely. He recruited Charlie Stut, the first African- American basketball player in North Carolina. He went in and integrated a restaurant in Chapel Hill, sitting with an African- American divinity student and a minister and forcing the restaurant and many businesses to change.

He participated in marches. He was an active voice. He had no qualms about doing the right thing instead of doing the popular thing. He was very heavily involved in a church that he helped grow from a tiny church to a 600 member, 700 member community.

And he was making sure that church was a leader, not just in integration, but they inducted a gay minister, they got kicked out of the Baptist Congress for that and he said no problem and they just went ahead and made the church bigger.

He was outspoken on equal rights, whether it was for gay, straight, black, white, he was a strong voice against the death penalty, he was a strong voice against nuclear weapons.

He had no problem making his voice heard, and sometimes it would hurt him in recruiting and sometimes it would hurt him in the community, but he had no problem with that.

WHITFIELD: Wow, what a legacy, what a man. All right, Rachel Nichols, thank you so much. Coach Dean Smith, dead at the age of 83.

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WHITFIELD: Happening right now in the NEWSROOM --

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How long can Putin sustain a war that he tells his people is not happening.

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WHITFIELD: The u.s. will send more aid to Ukraine as world leaders plan new talks this week. And snow, snow and more snow.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we continue to get the snow we're going to get, we're going to shatter our budget for snow.

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WHITFIELD: The northeast bracing for yet another storm. Plus, police trying to figure out what led to a deadly car crash involving Bruce Jenner. The NEWSROOM starts right now.