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Torrential Rain, Massive Mudslide Forces Evacuations At Minneapolis Area Hospital; Olympic Gold Medalist Hope Solo Arrested; ISIS Continues Killing Spree Across Iraq; U.S. Predicts Up To 80,000 Children From Central America Will Cross Mexican Border Without Parents

Aired June 21, 2014 - 15:00   ET

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

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, everyone. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Deborah Feyerick in today for Don Lemon.

Well, soon, that's the word. That's what defense officials keep telling us, soon, talking about the arrival of U.S. military advisers in Iraq. Not just yet, but almost. They're not going to be combat troops, but military advisers, eventually, about 300 of them. And their mission is to figure out what is going on on the ground and how best to stop Jihadi militants, these extremist from gaining even more territory than they already have.

The Iraqi government is subject to increased intelligence sharing, perhaps even air strikes.

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FEYERICK: And that is what the Iraqi armed forces are up against, the large and very well-organized Islamic militant group which calls itself ISIS. Already has taken control of many cities and towns in the north of Iraq and now their sights are set on Baghdad. So far, the Iraqi military hasn't been able to stop them.

Erin McPike at the White House for us. Erin, please clarify just what these U.S. troops are going to be doing when they get to Iraq?

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Deb, let me first take that point that they're going there soon and not just yet. And that's because the U.S. government is waiting for an agreement in writing from the Iraqi government to provide legal protections for U.S. military advisers. So that's why they're not going yet.

As far as what they're going to be doing, Admiral John Kirby, he is the Pentagon spokesman, was on "THE SITUATION ROOM" just yesterday and he addressed that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REAR ADM. JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: The mission right now is not to go after ISIL. One mission is really three for one; assess the state of the Iraqi security forces. Two, assess the security forces on the ground. We need to get better intelligence before the president can make any kind of kinetic decisions. And number three we need to address the advising mission itself. How many advisors total that we need, where do they need to go? And we have t stand up these two joint operations centers. So, the mission of these folks right now is really to do some good assessment and some advice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCPIKE: So as you heard there, assessment and advising, not combat, Deb.

FEYERICK: And just so we're clear about this, the one thing you said, are sending 300 -- is the U.S. sending 300 military advisers plus people to make sure they're safe, or is it just 300, period?

MCPIKE: Deb what we know, 300 military advisers and as yet they're coming from the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.

FEYERICK: OK. So let's talk now also about John Kerry. He is over in Europe in the Middle East. He's trying to wage sort of the diplomatic front to see if there is any sort of diplomatic solution. What are you hearing?

MCPIKE: Well, Deb, secretary of state John Kerry is head to get region this weekend. That's what we know so far. He's not yet left. He is going to be holding talks in the regain about the future of Iraq. And essentially, they want to send a message to Maliki that they want Sunnis and Kurds included in the government. That's the mission state, a more inclusive government before the U.S. will provide any additional help beyond what they're planning to do.

FEYERICK: Interesting. And it seems right now that U.S. is moving away from the prime minister to see whether there's somebody who can unify Iraq in a much better, more effective way.

Erin McPike, thank you, we appreciate it.

And President Obama said the U.S. military alone cannot fix Iraq. President Obama explained the situation in Iraq sitting down with CNN's "NEW DAY" Kate Bolduan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Part of the test is to see whether Iraqi leaders are prepared to rise above sectarian motivations, to come together, to compromise. If they can't, there's not going to be a military solution to this problem. There's no amount of American fire power that's going to be able to hold the country together. And I made that very clear to Mr. Maliki and all the other leadership inside of Iraq.

KATE BOLDUAN, CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: But by going into the country, to support this Iraq government. To support Iraqi forces now, there's a real risk that you will very well likely be seen as supporting the Shiite side. Isn't that inflaming the tension further? And thus, doing exactly what is wants?

OBAMA: Yes, actually not. Because the terms at which we're willing to go in as advisers, initially to do an assessment of do they still have a functioning chain of demand and is their military still capable, particularly in the northern and northwestern regions of the country.

But what we have also said is, is that, in a joint operation that we may set up and any advising that we may do, if we don't see Sunni, Shi'a and Kurd representation in the military command structure, if we don't see Sunni, Shi'a and Kurd political support for what we're doing, then we won't do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: And coming up in 30 minutes you're going to hear more of CNN's revealing interview with President Obama.

Plus, we've also got an hour-long special devoted to helping you better understand the tense situation in Iraq and what it means for American interests. Our military and political experts will weigh in on how best to stop the terror group ISIS, as it wages its brutal killing spree across Iraq.

Well days of torrential rain and a massive mudslide are forcing evacuations at a hospital in Minneapolis. Parts of a bluff, take a look at that, came down crashing from the University of Minnesota's held center on Thursday. Employees were evacuated but the building that houses patients, fortunately, well, that safe.

Ana Cabrera is covering the story for us. She is live in Minneapolis.

And Ana, is the hospital being threatened with flooding?

ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Deb, right now the answer is no. In fact, you can see the work that is happening just across the river. You hear all that construction equipment up on the hills. I tried to mitigate further risks as well as d some clean ups. There's a road just below where that debris in mud washed down on. So, they're moving along that debris and working along the hillside.

Up above is where the hospital sits. And we that there have been experts up there doing a very thorough inspection. We're told that it appears right now, everything is stable, both the ground and the buildings themselves. So everybody is safe. That's the good news.

But they aren't taking any chances. That's why they put that tarp there, so water can run off. It will help to prevent further erosion, especially with more rain in the forecasts.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA (voice-over): Geologists and structural engineers are literally digging in this morning trying to determine the depth of the bedrock that's holding up this hospital along the banks of the Mississippi river in Minneapolis.

CAROLYN WILSON, CO-PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA HEALTH: And as we speak, basically, they're testing how deep that is. But they're assuring us that we can be here and care of patient safety.

CABRERA: And city officials agree saying it appears the buildings remain on solid ground. Part of the bluff came crashing down on the roadway along the river after days of intense rain in the upper Midwest left rain-swollen rivers and flooded home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've had landslides but nothing like this.

CABRERA: In Blakely, along the Minnesota River, there's just one road leading in and out of town. The reason -- the ground has slid away from the county highway and no trucks are allowed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's pretty bad. They can't even give us a time limit when we can get back. There's no electricity. They can't even get power lines up because it's so muddy.

CABRERA: The high water came rushing through parts of town, carrying mud and debris.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm one out of 12 kids and we've lived in a lot of places but I've never experienced anything like this in my life.

CABRERA: While some people struggled with the aftermath, others are prepared to deal with the high water. Work crews are building temporary levies along River Street in Delano, Minnesota. And residents at creek side are putting down sandbags around their property.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are some neighbors who have lived here for 40 years. They've never seen this high water level before.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: Governor Mark Dayton has declared a state of emergency, in fact in 35 counties. That's how widespread the flooding is. But primarily, it's affecting parklands, farmlands right now. There are a number of homes that do have flood damage. And unfortunately, the river is still rising. In fact, many of the waterways are still rising. So National Guard members have been deployed to help mitigate some of that to prevent the high water from doing any damage -- Deb.

FEYERICK: Looking at that destruction, it's remarkable.

Ana Cabrera for us there. Thank you. Keep us posted.

And coming up, the president has a new plan to help thousands of immigrant children who are illegally crossing the U.S. border each day.

Also, U.S. Olympian and soccer star, hope solo, she's been arrested. The details next, along with your World Cup update.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Well, we're learning new information about the arrest of Olympic gold medalist and soccer star Hope Solo. Police in Kirkland, Washington, tell CNN that Solo is being held without bail on two counts of domestic violence, assault. The former U.S. goalie is accused of hitting her sister and 17-year-old nephew at a party at their home. Officers say that both suffered visible injuries. No word yesterday on when the 32-year-old will be released.

And world cup fever is getting hotter by the second. Amazing new video shows Argentina's Lionel Messi scoring a stunning goal to beat Iran 1-0. The goal came during stoppage time. Argentina now advances to the round of 16.

Meanwhile, look at that, beautiful! Meanwhile, deep in the steamy Amazonian and jungle of Brazil, the U.S. takes on Portugal tomorrow for world's cup glory. The showdown is set for the city for the jungle city of Manaus, Brazil. Other world's cup teams have complained of heat crump while playing there.

Joining us from Rio, host of CNN International's "WORLD SPORTS," Laura Baldesarra.

Laura, how could this jungle heat affect the players during tomorrow's big matchup?

LAURA BARDESARRA, HOST, WORLD SPORT (via phone): Well, Deborah, this is going to be a question of true conditioning for these players. We're not just talking about heat. We're talking about playing in the Amazon rain forest. We're talking about horrible humidity that these players are going to have to deal with. It makes it almost incredibly difficult to breathe. Some people say it's almost like you're suffocating. You just can't get enough oxygen into your body. So these guys are going to have to go out there and run very hard for 90 minutes.

That it could just come down to conditioning between the USA and Portugal. Now, USA, they actually arrived, in Manaus, last night. They had one night and then all day today to sort of get used to the climate, get climatized. They held their late training classes at night. They don't want to wear themselves out. So, they are holding that at night. And then, of course, their game is tomorrow in evening. So, hopefully, the heat won't be as high as it would be a big game in the middle of the say.

FEYERICK: I've been to Brazil and it can really be suffocating there. Back to Argentina's Messi's stunning goal. And you look at just the skill and just how he did this. Is he arguably the best player in the world? And we are going to that. We can't still hear that sound. But is he arguably the best player right now?

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BALDESARRA: Lionel Messi, he is definitely one of the top players right now. I guess the argument is always between him and Cristiano Renaldo. Now, Messi is brilliant. So we just thought that you're looking at that goal. It's not just pure Messi magic are being that we're kind of used to seeing as we watch Messi play with his club. It's not very something though that we're very used to seeing from Messi, especially playing for his country. The criticism of Messi is always that he's able to perform for his club, but not necessarily his country. And in fact, the two goals that he scored in this world cup including the one that you're looking at, those are the only two world cup goals that he's scored and this is the third world cup he's played in.

FEYERICK: Right. And watching a goal like that, it's just like watching somebody's thread a needle with their feet. Just remarkable.

Laura, thank you so much. We appreciate it. Exciting to watch. And of course, we will be doing a lot of that.

Well, it is a problem that's been going along for months, children, as young as four, illegally crossing the U.S. border. They are scared and they are alone. Now the president is unveiling a plan he hopes will help solve this humanitarian crisis.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: This week's CNN hero wants families with autistic members to enjoy their lives out in the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Afternoon experiences with my son is a gamble. You are on edge all the time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Help.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just breathe.

When he's having a meltdown on the floor and the whole entire floor is looking at you like you're a bad mom, you just want to go and crawl under a rock. It's challenging.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I stay in sometimes, because it's easier for him to be around all of his toys. I'm afraid.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As a developmental pediatrician, I do a lost diagnosing of autism. When I heard that my families were afraid to go out, I felt like I needed to find a way to help them.

Everyday experiences like going to a baseball game can be a challenge for kids with autism. Music, lights, the noise, there's a lot of unexpected sensory things happening.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you ready to go?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I work to train all 3,000 people that work at the ballpark. Autism is a social disability, so it needs to be addressed in the community. We prepare the families with a storybook of experiences that may happen at the park. And then we provide support them experiences sort of like a safety net.

If you stop taking steps outside of your world, your world gets bigger and bigger.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's having fun. One success means more success.

It's about more than a game. It's about opportunity.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hopefully, there will be zoos in our future, and aquariums. The world is our oyster.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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FEYERICK: The U.S. predicts that up to 80,000 children from Central America will cross the Mexican border into the U.S. this year without their parents. American officials warn of an impending humanitarian crisis if this influx is not stopped quickly. The Obama administration hopes that cash will actually do the job.

Vice president Biden was in Guatemala yesterday to confer with Central American leaders about the $250 million in emergency aid the U.S. is putting up.

CNN's Rosa Flores joins us from New York.

And Rosa, how is this money supposed to stop this flow of unaccompanied children into the United States?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, it's a very complicated issue. And from being in Honduras on the ground and talking to people about the roots of issue and the roots off the issue that run so deeply in this country, I find it difficult to believe that $250 million really are going to solve the issue. Because if you think about it, with this $250 million what they'd have to do, a, they'd have to provide jobs for people. There's a lot of poverty. Honduras itself, 65 percent of people there are in poverty. Two, there are infiltrated, these countries but the (INAUDIBLE) which in the U.S. we know them as the MS-13. You were very familiar, the gangs.

FEYERICK: The terrible gangs.

FLORES: Terrible gangs. People live in fear. I talked to a lot of people in these communities who would say, you know, you're sitting at home, all of a sudden, dozens of men rush into your house. They put a gun to your head, they take everything you have. And you don't have an option otherwise. They'll just shoot you if you even say a word. And so there's the violence as well.

And then the other thing that they tell me that runs even deeper is a culture of migration. So imagine this. Children grow up thinking, seeing that if you want to do something with your life, you've got to migrate north because there's nothing for you in your country.

So it's a change of mentality and a change of culture that would have to happen in order for people to think it's OK to stay in their country. FEYERICK: We talk about this $250 million. Is the government -- is

the U.S. government proposing that's a stipend that goes to these people? Are they talking about job creation? What are they planning to use the money for specifically?

FLORES: Yes. So there's a boost in the economy. They're helping people reintegrate into their communities. They're talking about crime prevention, safety. And so, it does go into some of these areas that need help. Do these $250 million solve the issue?

FEYERICK: Doesn't sound like it.

FLORES: Yes, from people I talked to who are there, they say, no. I mean, it would be great help. They say, you know, it's always great you receive this money and, you know, it's funneled into these areas who at-risk youth is also going add refuge, which is great. But will it solve the issue, probably not.

FEYERICK: Probably not.

But nobody has any sense that the ms-13, these gang members, will actually let these people keep this money. It's the easiest shakedown in the whole world.

FLORES: Well, that's the other thing. There is a lot of Russians as well.

FEYERICK: Exactly.

FLORES: So, it's a very complicated issue.

FEYERICK: Seems like a drop in the bucket. Goodwill, maybe charity, but certainly not enough to change the situation.

Rosa Flores, thank you so much. Really fascinating. We appreciate that.

FLORES: You are welcome.

FEYERICK: Well, U.S. advisers are set to land in Iraq soon. What if any action will they recommend that the U.S. take to resolve the situation?

And realistically, can anything be done to stop the fighting that's been going on there for centuries.

Our special coverage of the crisis in Iraq is going to begin after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Iraq on the brink. Our special coverage begins right now. And for the next hour, we're going to hear from military and political experts to help us break down the latest developments and help you and all of us better understand the very tense situation that's now unfolding in Iraq. Here's what we know right now. The first U.S. military advisers will

arrive in Iraq in the near future, as violence on the ground grows more dangerous by the hour. Iraqi security forces reportedly killed 15,000 terrorists in Fallujah, the city under control of ISIS militants. ISIS is on the verge of taking control of a key border crossing with Syria.

And bombings in Baghdad killed at least seven people and injured 22 others. Iraq's top Shiite cleric is being pressure on Prime Minister al-Maliki, the cleric says that it is time for al-Maliki to create a more inclusive government or simply get out of the way.

Finally, secretary of state John Kerry is heading to the Middle East tomorrow to talk with U.S. allies pondering what the right move in Iraq. Now, if you have not paid much attention to Iraq or maybe you were on vacation last week, since U.S. forces left, you missed pivotal things that have happened and kind of created the mess that we are seeing there now.

Lots of questions will be answers. Here's CNN's, the Michael Holmes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Question one, why is everyone fighting?

There are a lot of reasons but here's a big one. Sunnis are a minority in Iraq and they are fed up, mainly because Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki a Shiite, promised to open up his government to boast ethnic groups.

Well since the U.S. left in 2011, he's worked instead to strengthen Shiite control of ministry than the military. That made him popular in Iran where Shiites are also a majority, not so much in part of Iraq.

ISIS is exploiting that anger to fuel its rebellion. So it's Sunnis versus Shiites with more or less with some politics throwing in. And here is a wildcard as well, the Kurds in the north, they are mainly Sunni, but rule in autonomous region, Kurdistan, which is Iraq's most stable area right now. Many Kurds have wanted their own station for years. If there's a winner in this so far, it's them. They've got turf, they've got oil and they've got muscle.

So, who is ISIS? Well, they used to be known as al Qaeda in Iraq. But in 2006, they rebranded as the Islamic state in Iraq and Syria. The U.S. surge in Iraq did set them back, but after the U.S. withdrew, ISIS grew in strength.

Al Qaeda distanced itself with is because they are so extreme and wouldn't take orders. ISIS is infamous for its brutality. And this is what Iraqi is up against. Why not split up Iraq? Shiites in the south, Kurds in the north, Sunnis in the west and north, simply drawing lines on a map could lead to massive bloodshed. And don't forget the oil fields around the country. Who gets what? On top of that, ISIS dreams of creating a (INAUDIBLE), giant Islamic

state spanning Iraq and Syria, but much more than just there. Will it settle for a slice of Iraq? The answer is no.

So we have to worry about Syria, too. Well, yes, we do. The civil war there gave ISIS access to more fighters to weapons and money, toxic combination. And the border, remember, between Syria and Iraq, basically doesn't exist right now, tamping out ISIS in one country but not the other, probably impossible. So, what do we do? Air strikes, combat troops, nothing? Right now, no good or simple answer. And this is what makes this war so hard to end.

Michael Holmes, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: And you just heard it, no simple answers for Iraq. Now, here's the current plan of action. U.S. military advisers will arrive to assess Iraq's military forces. Talk about deja vu.

The U.S. military spent years training the Iraqi armed forces giving them advice and millions of dollars of high-tech equipment.

Well, I want to bring in our special panel, CNN military analyst and retired lieutenant colonel Rick Francona, former NCIS special agent Robert McFadden in the middle, and Julian Zelizer, a Princeton University historian and professor.

Colonel, I want to start with you. The U.S. is sending in 300 advisers, you have called this equivalent to stepping into a hornet's nest. How come?

LT. COL. RICK FRANCONA (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, 300 advisers, the first cadre is going to in there, probably three or four dozen. They're going to go in there. And the first job is to assess the status, not of ISIS, but the Iraqi military. How much has this combat eroded for three years. Without us there providing assistance, we've seen a change in command structure, all the Sunni talent was there is gone. It's all Shi'a and it's all very political now. These guys have not proven themselves able to fight. They collapsed in the face of the ISIS forces coming down the Euphrates Valley. So the first thing we need to find out is how bad are they? What do they need? And can we do this?

FEYERICK: And a couple of points that I want to clarify. The first is, is that first of all, the Sunni leadership, there was a military. They got kicked out because of al-Maliki, basically putting his owned guys in. So they left.

Also, you talk about the forces that crumbled, part of it was, there's no Sunni support or there are little Sunni support, I should say up in the north. And that affected it. The Iraqi armed troops had no friends in that area.

So Robert, let me you, is there enough of the special operations team of Iraqis who can actually turn this back in their favor to support the existing Iraqi government?

ROBERT MCFADDEN, FORMER NCIS SPECIAL AGENT: Well, first things first, is going to be defending and being back the movement of ISIS as it tries to chip away at Baghdad in the suburban areas. Now, there is certainly capability that trained by U.S. forced for all the time spent in Iraq.

The tricky thing, though, is the alliances that are happening and shifting alliances coalitions that are happening behind lines with the Sunni tribes and Anbar and with the Kurds up north and in the east.

FEYERICK: OK. So Julian, this goes to the issue. You talk about ISIS which is the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, Syria. And how can you resolve what ultimately is the religious situation, this sort of restoration of the Callafet (ph) by the Sunni forces. How do you make that political? Can you do that with such a heavy religious component? They don't care about borders. They don't care about what Iraq looks like or Syria looks like. They just want this sort of Islamic vision. He's even said he's a, you know, a direct descendant of the prophet Muhammad.

JULIAN ZELIZER, PROFESSOR, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: Well, some would say through the years of force is the only way to find a resolution. Others would say that you can't ultimately negotiate with anyone. And self-interest is a powerful force. And if you can carve out something satisfactory, that could work.

Ultimately, President Obama also has to deal on the U.S. side with what's possible here. He's sending 300 advisers. And the question is can he send anything more at this point. So his hands are tied in many ways.

FEYERICK: So let's talk about these advisers and the role they're going to play. From everything I've sort of gathered through various interviews that is really America's had limited intelligence gathering capabilities on ground in Iraq because the government simply didn't want it.

Is this an opportunity for the United States to up the amount of intelligence it can gather realtime. Or have they been doing it, they just haven't be sharing it with the Iraqi government, Colonel?

FRANCONA: Well, there's a whole range there. First of all, we are collecting a lot of intelligence, but its selection -- we're standing off and using airborne sensors drones, aircraft manned and unmanned to collect all of this. But there's nothing like having people on ground, putting American eyeballs on what we're trying to do. That said, on the sharing side, we're expecting to get Intel against from the Iraqis and, of course, the Iraqis are expecting us to give them intelligence. But right now there's a lot of mistrust of the Iraqis because of their closeness to the range. And we figured anything we give to the Iraqis is going to find its way to tear Iran. And we are so afraid of giving up sources and methods.

FEYERICK: OK. Julian, I want o ask you. In terms of the situation there, look, there's been fighting that is going on that region from that time in memorial, can it be resolved now? And if so, will it be resolve in a way where we can see peace as it were?

ZELIZER: Well, it can be resolved and it might not be in a way that's satisfactory to the United States and its interests. It may turn a different way and this rebellion that is taking place might succeed. And the map you just showed might be the ultimate resolution.

I don't know what kind of commitment President Obama ultimately could get to escalating U.S. involvement once again, can you have air strikes? Can you have drone strikes? And ultimately what he's left off the table now is can you bring troops back in the region?

Politically, that seems incredibly difficult at this point. But that might be the key to some workable solution that U.S. allies flipped this up.

FEYERICK: And it would be a complete reversal of the president's position right now.

I have so much more to talk to you all. Robert, you are going to get my next question.

But right now, ISIS in Iraq, they are the terror group sparking this violence in the region -- brutal, extreme. They kill anyone who gets in their way. But they are recruiting fighters in every single city they conquer, an interesting aspect. Stay with us next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the land of jihad and the land of Hiya (ph), the land of living. We have brothers from Bangladesh, from Iraq, from Cambodia, Australia, UK. We have nothing has gathered us except to make a lot with the Hayas (ph). That's all we came for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: Ruthless, savage and terrifying. That's how experts and people who have come face-to-face with ISIS describe these trained killers. ISIS is how they're organized. They're cash-rich, having robbed banks and hundreds of millions of dollars. They are growing larger due in part to videos like the one that you just saw. And maybe it when didn't go unnoticed that he spoke English very well which urge the Muslims to join jihad.

Our panel is back.

Robert, I want to start with you. One of the reasons the U.S. seems to be getting involved is because U.S. interest, either domestically or overseas in the Middle East could be affected. You hear people speaking English. And we think about the attack of the Jewish museum in Brussels. That was done by a number of ISIS. Could we see real attacks on U.S. soil or against U.S. interest from this group just to make a statement? MCFADDEN: Well, there are number of points there that needed. The

first most important is it possible, absolutely. And it will remain concern of U.S. allies, intelligence and security services. You had the Jewish museum in Belgium.

We've conducted some research recently paper released. The info has been over 12,000 fighters not in there right now, but at least since 2011 into Syria and Iraq. So that will remain a concern. ISIS has the lead-in showed it's been masterful in manipulating and leveraging social media.

FEYERICK: It seems which is incredible, actually, to hear him speaking, really, so fluently. He's got an understanding of the western thought and the western culture.

Julian, I want to ask you, when we talk about advisers, 300 military advisers, that conjures up a lot for I think all it. Is it only going to be 300 if the president now reversing himself, Julian?

ZELIZER: Well, the worrying is always mission creek and that is the idea that we starts small but you lose control ultimately. And you feel pressure both from the war front and also from the home front to increase involvement. Something happens to the advisers, there's pressure to increase military presence. The situation gets worse there and you've already committed to solving it. And you need to send more troops.

Vietnam started with advisers. And people from that generation, when they hear this, do remember very clearly that Kennedy had just sent some advisers into a war that greatly escalated. So mission creek is on the mind of this president and all of the military and they're watching closely as these people go overseas.

FEYERICK: And so, gentlemen, I know Vietnam is something that you're familiar with. Do you think the 300 is going to lead to ultimately to more? What do you think?

FRANCONA: Well, I would say no, just based on the political calculations at home here. I think the president is boxed into that 300 number. And it would take an incredible amount of political capital for him to go back and say well 500 would be better or 1,000 would be better.

I guess it hinges on what the advisers say when they go there. If they say we can do this, but we need more. And there we go -- and that's what starts mission creek.

FEYERICK: So Bob, in terms of air strikes, because that is another huge part of this. Everybody is talking about the possibility of air strikes. Maybe, if I read correctly, "the Wall Street Journal" today reporting that President Obama had wanted to create these fusion centers for intelligence gathering with the possibility of using air strikes to take out ISIS desert camps, basically, are we going to see more air strikes perhaps happening? Advisers saying we've got a mass of 1,000 here, 500 here, is that a possibility? MCFADDEN: Well, the White House has been consistent in the last few

days in saying that, look, it's an incremental approach. The amount of advisers that would go there and it's a fact-finding mission. It is a deep dive into what's needed? What kind of intelligence sources methods sensors are there? What did the Iraqis need?

So, I would that all the steps would be predicated and air strikes certainly one of those on what the advisers would find. Now, there's one other aspect of there too, for the Middle East. Very delicate balance when it comes to perception, as to the biggest country like the U.S. and where it is and what it's going to be doing. So that will also be a very important part in dealing with the Maliki government, coalition and perceptions.

FEYERICK: All right. We're going to talk about that on the other side. I also want to know exactly who these advisers are. Gentlemen, stay tuned.

ISIS, they kill, they capture but they're hailed as furors in any parts of Iraq. Why? That's coming up in the break.

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FEYERICK: Iraqi security forces continue to fight militants for control of the Syrian border. But is this terrorists move through towns in Iraq, we are seeing video showing them being treated like heroes.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The kid is giving the ISIS fighter a kiss.

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FEYERICK: So why are these ISIS fighters being treated so favorably by some Iraqis?

I want in bring in senior international correspondent Arwa Damon live in Erbil, Iraq.

And Arwa, it's incredible to me because one of the reasons the armed forces crumbled so quickly is because they had a lot of Sunnis in these areas greeting ISIS with open arms.

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right.

But one actually has to look to what happened a few years back to really understand what's happening here. The Sunni population had been launching its own uprising against the government of Shiite prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki. The vast majority of those demonstrations form it by a fairly heavy hand by the Iraqi security forces. The Sunni population was continuously complaining about mass detentions that were taking place, feeling as if they were being deliberately targeted by this Shi'a government. That aggravated tensions here and also caused the insurgency to gain more ammunition as it grew in strength and power, ISIS emerging in the arena here as well. And then because of this growing Sunni anger when ISIS initially moved

into the various different areas, they were welcomed to a certain degree by the predominantly Sunni population who viewed them as being liberators from the government of Shiite prime minister, Nouri al- Maliki.

However, they do for the time being have the support of the Sunni tribes, although, the goal at the end is not the same. And the Sunni tribes and the various other Sunnis surgeon groups that are fighting with the same aim in mind as ISIS for the time being do realized that the day will come when they are going to have to eventually turn on ISIS.

We were speaking with a very prominent Sunni tribal leader who are saying, look can, the U.S. needs to understand a few things as it is going to get even more involved in the situation in Iraq right now. And that is that one is Maliki needs to go. There's no way that they believed that he can actually form the kind of inclusive government, make the political changes that need to take place for the Sunni fighters to stop fighting. I'm not talking about is at this stage. Then when it comes to actually fighting is, the U.S. also needs to realize that this is not going to be accomplished without the help of the Sunni tribal leaders.

So at this stage, yes, the Sunni population maybe seeming to supporting, ISIS but there's a realization that this not going to last and the dynamics here as we know only too well from the history of Iraq over the last decade plus are very complicated.

FEYERICK: And also, some of the military leaders that reached the top ranks and were trained by U.S. forces were Sunnis who were ultimately kicked out of the armed forces. But for this to be sort of a successful outcome for United States interests, essentially the U.S. has to help establish a new government without Maliki as prime minister and then they also have to defeat or at least displace ISIS. They've got to work this on two fronts. How do they do that with 300 military advisers?

DAMON: Well, they're going to have to rely very heavily on the Iraqi security forces obviously. But this is something of a replay of what we saw happening here in 2006 to 2008 where the U.S. was with the help of the troop surge trying to drive this wedge between what then was Al Qaeda in Iraq or the Islamic state of Iraq and what the U.S. was loosely calling the Sunni nationalists.

The Sunni nationalists where the insurgents whom had Iraq's interest as to the very core reason why they were fighting Americans (INAUDIBLE) who are Sunni insurgents, Sunni tribal leaders who are at the end of the day could be brought into some sort of a political fold.

The situation right now is much more complicated because ISIS is more powerful than al Qaeda ever was, has more foreign fighters, more suicide bombers, more money than al Qaeda in Iraq or the Islamist state of Iraq ever did. And then it is facing a much weaker force in the Iraqi security forces. But at the end of the day the United States needs to try to put

forward some sort of a policy that is going to allow for, on the one hand, on the political track, an inclusive government so that they can drive this wedge between the Sunni tribal leaders and the Sunni insurgency and ISIS. But it is very complicated and America's track record in Iraq is not really all that great at this stage.

FEYERICK: Exactly. All right. Well, we're going to have so much more on all of this coming up. Where does this group get its money? What if I told you that it could be coming from the U.S.? I will explain next.

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FEYERICK: Right now the terror group ISIS continues its killing spree across Iraq, beheadings, public executions, men being forced to dig their own greaves. That is just an example of the brutality, the blood lust of this group and here's something just as alarming. This video showcases the arsenal of weapons that is has collected as they continue their march towards Baghdad. They're vowing to use it against anyone who stands in their way. But who, who is paying for this, who is funding this group? Where are they getting the big money that would like to launch these types of attacks in Iraq and Syria? What if I told you it was coming from a major U.S. ally but the government is absolutely powerless to stop it?

Here's CNN's Erin Burnett.

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ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST, OUTFRONT: The richest country on earth sitting on the third largest reserves of natural gas. There are only 250,000 citizens of Qatar making it home to the world's largest concentration of millionaires. General Jim Jones is a former national U.S. security adviser.

GEN. JIM JONES (RET.), FORMER NATIONAL U.S. SECURITY ADVISER: Qatar has emerged the (INAUDIBLE) from being a relatively obscure minor player to a position of preeminence.

BURNETT: Doha Skyline is proof of Qatar's ambition. It is big. It is modern and it is new.

Fifteen years ago, almost none of them was here. And that growth attacks some of America's biggest companies. Energy giants like Exxon, of course, but also companies like Boeing. The company just sold 50 777s to a consortium including Qatar Airways.

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