the starting point about isis is if isis is a different name for al-qaeda in iraq. two sides of the same coin. it is a result of the invasion of iraq. if you asked me of all reasons you mentioned what is the most significant variable in the rise of al-qaeda in iraq i would say the u.s.-led invasion. why? it destroyed state institutions, it disbanded the army, it was seen as sunni arabs as the minorty and political mas masculation. the dominate narrative that iraq was offered on a silver platter to iran and the ruling elite brought by the americans. all of these factors contribu d contributed -- the u.s. invasion of iraq opened the gates of hell and created a rapture. if you ask me, and i know you are working on secretarianism and you are a book coming out but it widened the breadth of sunni and shiite people. they had fewer than a hundred fighters in 2003 even though he was in iraq almost before the u.s. invasion between 2003 and 2006 when he was killed by the americans he established support for thousands of fighters because many sunni arabs in iraq welcomed him no

the rise of isis. here too, your important question we have to take other factors into the equation other variables and here comes the deepening sectarianism in iraq of 2010, the president al-maliki as the prime minister the arab spring uprising and the derailment of the uprising the civil war in syria and basically iraq was able to basically blend itself with the religious sunni communities in iraq and in syria to have a security vacuum. you had sunni rebellions against the shiite dominated and alloway dominated areas so this spectacular surge of isis was a direct result of the creeping sectarianism comes the deepening sectarianism the civil war and al-nusra the security vacuum that exists in other states and the perception that somehow the arab spring belief -- peaceful collective action could not change the existing one. the leader of isis basically motto is change would calm not through the electoral box but through the battle and this is the motto of isis as it has tried to hijack the agency. >> h

. >> isis is honoring president obama. he is the founder of isis. he's the founder of isis. >> he was the founder, absolutely the founder. in fact, he gets the -- in sports they have awards. he gets the most valuable player award, him and hillary. >> you said the president was the founder of isis, i know you he meant, he created the vacuum and founded the peace. >> he was the most valuable player. i give him the most valuable player award. >> i call president obama and hillary clinton the founders of isis. they're the founders. barack obama and hillary clinton, these are the founders of isis. >> so cory, he's being roundly criticized by democrats and republicans, they say it makes him sound desperate. why does he keep saying this? >> i think it's very clear isis did not exist prior to this administration -- >> cory, let me stop you right there. isis did start prior to this administration. >> not -- not in a way that we have it today. >> let's talk about the truth for a second, don. >> let me -- cory -- >> the jv team is very different than what it i

. >> at that time isis was -- wasn't even heard of. and i said, "kayla, this is not your war and -- and these are not your people. you don't need to die for this." crossed into syria at this border checkpoint. at that time no other humanitarian aid worker had been kidnapped. it was august 3rd, 2013. and less than 24 hours after leaving here, kayla mueller would be plunged into what can only be described as a hell on earth. captured. imprisoned. tortured. raped. taken as a slave by the leader of isis. >> he was raping america. >> reporter: next, how this courageous young american from arizona remained strong in a place where others lost hope. >> know i am also fighting from my side and have a lot of fight left inside of me. >> reporter: as her parents faced the looming deadline to save her. >> every day to us is a critical time. every hour. >> reporter: kayla mueller was the girl left behind. as an emergency umbrella. to help feed a friend. a drum solo! i just use my backpack for books and stuff. embark backpacks. guaranteed for one yea

and the e-mails from isis had stopped. nothing had worked. >> i know that there are some what they were doing. i see no evidence of their voices in these e-mails. >> reporter: for example, says former fbi chief hostage negotiator chris voss, his former colleagues should have picked up on the use in the very first isis e-mail of the word guest, which has special meaning in the arab world. >> you have to protect and defend your guests with your life. this is something huge that they missed because they should have responded with, "no, she's not like a guest. she is a guest and she is your responsity muellers should have been told there was a legal way to pay ransom if the ransom money might help track down the terrorists. >> it's been done a number of times with the department of justice understanding. >> reporter: so in this case, the u.s. could have allowed the payment of ransom to isis for kayla under the exception that it would help track them down and be a lure or a bait? >> yes. absolutely. >> reporter: so they missed

but ie chi da and iraq moved into syria, rebranded as isis. >> isis is the most successful terrorist organization we have in modern history. >> as our support for the tribes dried up and corrupt rack. isis laughed and danced on the tanks we gave. republicans blame the president for leaving iraq too soon. >> i believe history will judge this president's leadership with dedane that it deserved. >> is the united states at war with isis? it sounds from the president's speech we are. >> i think that's the wrong termin a very significant counter terrorism operation. >> but as isis took off and displayed acts of violence, the administration changed its tune. >> make no mistake, we know we are at war with isis. >> we are at war with i-s-i-l. >> that meant air strikes which have not gone as planned. that's why rx say we have to do more. >> we have to show much of much of of a drive than the president has shown thus far. >> this is john wilson's my view now. >> let's bring in john wilson. my view now. how well are we fighting the war on isis? >> our strategy has been a disaster from the beginn

isis with iraqi forces and u.s.-backed forces in syria, going to be hard going, none of it will be easy. how is isis reacting to all of this? we have seen over the last several months a number of attacks abroad in europe, in other places, in bangladesh, the airport in istanbul, turkey. isis reacting by trying to step up its overseas recruiting inspiring people in its way through social media to attack wherever they can that's something the military can't solve, that will be the long-term crux of the mather, h -- matter, how do you kill off the ideology? >> barbara, thank you, john, to y you. when i listen to barbara and she's talking about the information from u.s. intelligence, this is based upon countries, iraq, syria, libya, farther away. it seem what is mr. trump will outline is how to keep terror out of the u.s. stark difference, yes? >> no. you see, isis is already in the u.s. and what the vice president has failed to mention is the ideology and that's what's been missing for the past seven years. what trump s

he is the founder of isis. he's the founder of isis. okay? he's the founder. he founded isis. and i would say the co-founder would be crooked hillary clinton. >> reporter: whether or not he believes obama and clinton are the co-founders of isis, trump seems confident he's the expert on the terror group. >> i know more about isis than the generals do. believe me. >> reporter: if that's true, then why would he have said this? >> we don't even really know who the leader is. >> reporter: trump has suggested several different ways he'd handle the terror group. first warning isis their days are numbered. >> i would bomb the [ bleep ] out of them. [ applause ] i would just bomb those suckers. >> reporter: then another idea. he told cbs's "60 minutes" he'd let russia do away with isis. >> russia wants to get rid of isis. we want to get rid of isis. maybe let russia do it. let them get rid of isis. what the hell do we care? >> reporter: and what about the oil fields isis has taken control of? >> i would bomb the hell out of those oil fields. i wouldn't send many troops because you won'

this man really was isis before isis was isis. he spent time in an american prison in iraq with al baghdadi. this could be a significant victory for coalition forces in their continuing strikes against leadership of isis. he was number two commander. we know alicnumber three was targeted. they continue to target leadership. >> thanks. we're joining by terror analyst, this is a person influential in isis, having pledged support to abu al zarqawi, put out the edict saying kill people, westerners, if you have to use a rock or run them over with their car to incite terror and fear. isis backing up these reports. have we heard definitively how this death happened? >> we don't know definitively. it occurred while surveying military sites in aleppo province. aleppo the scene of pitched battles right now not just involving isis but mainstream syrian rebels, iran, hezbollah, syrian army, you name it. everyone going full force there right now. there are reports, rumors, not confirmed, he may have been killed in ab airstrike around the town

in march 2016, twice attacked by isis, about 22. the total number of affected civilians was 7000 because we know some of it will be -- after days and months and years, according to the report, we have 7000 civilian attacks, injured or affected by this. according to the official reports, official reports by the organization of chemical weapons, there was a conference, they declared it was mustard gas so it was genocide. today there wasn't action, some action was taking steps to send some people, there was no strategic plan to solve this or take care. >> what would the strategic plan look like? that is part of articulating how can we not only layout the scope of the problem but address means by which what would a response look like? >> before three days i had some news from iraq that isis attacked another city which is also in that province, 280 km north of baghdad. basis is prevalent in some areas away from civilian places. trying to get victory, to the north -- and inhabited by isis and affected for any time. in the cities, must pre

isis. >> you just go into almost a catatonic state, i think. you just -- can't even stand up. >> reporter: karl owned an auto repair shop. marcia a former nurse. >> it broke my heart but i also saw her strength. she was very strong in what she said. >> reporter: nothing prepared the muellers for what was about to happen. >> this kind of thing tears people apart. >> reporter: kayla had crossed into syria at this border checkpoint. going along with a friend hired to install communications equipment for the humanitarian group doctors without borders. it was august 3rd, 2013. less than 24 hours after leaving described as a hell on earth. captured, imprisoned, tortured, raped. no one yet knew or could even imagine just how brutal isis could be to its hostages. >> fear. it's fear of unknown. you don't know what is going to happen. >> reporter: as her fellow female hostages describe it to abc news, isis was holding kayla in a 12 foot by 12 foot room with a single lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. >> there was light coming by this small vent. but tha

isis is honoring president obama. he is the founder of isis. he's the founder of isis. he's the founder. he founded isis. and would say the co-found er would be crooked hillary clinton, co-founder. >> so, if you counted, that was six references to either being a founder or co-founder. look, it's exciting in those campaign halls. it's energizing when those audience members cheer and fuel your energy. and maybe mr. trump who many times is not the most articulate of speakers, might have used that word in a hyperbolic way. that's what we wanted to know today. we heard hugh hewitt's interview this morning in which he was challenged myriad times by hugh hewitt about a conservative radio talk show host, come on, you don't really mean founded. wait until you hear their back and forth. have a listen. >> he's the founder of isis. i do. he's the most valuable player. i give him the most valuable player award. i give her, too, by the way. >> he's not sympathetic to them. he hates them. he's trying to kill them. >> he was the founder. the way he got out of iraq, that was the foundin

he's the founder of isis. he's the founder of isis, okay? he's the founder. he founded isis. >> reporter: trump has dismissed gop worries that such remarks could cost him the election with swing voters. >> all i do is tell the truth. i'm a truth teller. all i do is tell the truth, and if at the end of 90 tays i've fallen short because i'm politically correct, even though i'm supposed to be the smart one and supposed to have a lot of good ideas, it's okay. i go back to a very good way of life. >> reporter: speaking to pastors in orlando, trump warned of weak support in utah where mormons may a big part of republican politics and evan mcmullen, a former missionary, announced his run yesterday. >> utah is a different place, and i don't know -- is anybody here from utah? i didn't think so. we're having a problem, because, you know, look, it could cost us the supreme court. >> reporter: trump bashed clinton for the orlando nightclub shooter's attendance at her monday rally. but as trump spoke, seated behind him was the former congressman mark foley who resigned in

why isis is there today. why donald trump and orthers think isis is functioning today. but what he threw in about the mvp award, this was a device a form of political hyperbole if if he was going to make that point, he would not say that about mvp. >> isis started with the creation of al qaeda in iraq that happened because of the iraq war and president bush declaring war on iraq. and the there are any number of presidents that might also get an award under this and i think you would be o fechbdffended if a direct nominee suggested it. >> yaed and iraq was in ashes and from those ashs isis developed. i would say it is from the promises of president obama. we can debate the status clause agreement. but again i think it is very fair to say. a very fair political and diplomatic point to make that isis would not be the force it is today and it was created in the obama administration because al qaeda and iraq was destroyed by the end of 2008. >> when donald trump makes this comment in front of an audience whom many people think that president obama is a muslim is not a citize

listen to isis. it's isis lead ones that are broadcasting the success they've had in the west and their intentional effort, their strategy, their ideology to include isis infiltrators moving into the west. and they've actually said they're going to use the stream as a means of sort of pipeline if you will for getting immigrants into our country. >> and we know they succeeded in doing that. >> yes. they have. >> not specifically when they came to san bernardino but the woman, the widow there, one of the terrorists there who participated in that. anyway thank you so much, general. good to have you here, general scales. we are awaiting of course, everyone, donald trump who is going to be delivering a major speech on how to defeat isis. how to defeat radical islam once and foreall. trump is expected to prepare a lot of ideas, some you just heard from general scales. one might be a ban on issuing visas from people who come from countries with heavy terrorist footprints. seems like a no-brainer. a new ideo

isis was the main topic. but i suspect that anything on the mind of these military and civilian leaders was probably hashed out today. after all, the president doesn't come over here to the pentagon very often or lightly. so i'm sure discussions here on isis and just about everything else that's on their plate currently was hashed out today, as i said. >> jim, looks like he is just about ready to come in the room. we will let you go in due time. is this a mixture of the press corps from normally from the white house and the folks you work with at the pentagon? >> absolutely. both white house and pentagon reports are here p as i look out, i feel like maybe the white house has outnumbered us. but i feel we will get an equal number of questions. at least that what we hope for. >> you have to do that all the time. watch them every second. thank you. we will let you sit down on the wide picture we are able to see. can you see the press corps in the foreground. door in the background. sw so we are expecting the pre

confirmed on the war on isis. perhaps the biggest breakthrough yet. adnani was considered one of the key deputies of al baghdadi. it was adnani who announced it even before al baghdadi. he is the operative responsible for overviewing the attacks in istanbul and elsewhere, where intelligence officials believe were approved by him. so, a very, very dangerous individual indeed. and perhaps even more than abaghdadi, the one that the western security forces wanted to take off the battlefield. he was also somebody that inspired a wave of terrorism in the west through audiotapes that he put out in the last couple of years calling for isis followers around the world to launch attacks in isis' name by any means necessary. and we saw, for example, that shooting in orlando, over the summer, from one of those audiotapes. >> so, again, this key official under abu al baghdadi suspected to be killed in the strike. also, what more are we hearing about the new reports about isis stepping up its efforts to attack the uk, paul? >> s

the fight will not be limited to isis. we will decimate al qaeda and we will seek to starve funding. [applause] for iran-backed hamas and hezbollah. [applause] so important. we can use existing u.n. security council resolutions to apply new and even stronger sanctions. military, cyber, and financial warfare will all be necessary to dismantle islamic terrorism. but we must use ideological warfare as well, very important. and they use it on us. better than we have ever even thought of using it on them. but that will change. just as we won -- the -- just as we won the cold war in part by exposing the evils of communism and the virtues of free markets, so, too, must we take on the ideology of radical islam. while my opponent accepted millions of dollars in foundation donations from countries where being gay is an offense, punishable by prison or death, my administration will speak out against the oppression of women, gays, and people of different beliefs. [applause] our administration will be a friend to all moderate muslim re

isis controls large origins of territory. a refugee crisis now threatens europe and the united states. egypt, terrorists have gained a foothold in the sinai desert near the suez canal, one of the most essential waterways of the world. iraq is in chaos, and isis is on the loose. isis has spread across the middle east and into the west. in 2014, isis was operating in seven nations. they were in seven patients. terrible but that's what it was. today they are fully operational in 18 countries with aspiring branches in six more for a total of 20 more, and many believe that number is actually 28-30 countries. they don't even know. a situation is likely worse than the public has any idea. a new congressional report reveals that the administration has downplayed the growth of isis with 40% of analysts saying that experienced efforts to manipulate their findings. they are trying to make it look much better than india's. it's a bad. at the same time, isis is trying to infiltrate refugee flows into europe and to the united states. iran,

but isis was formed. and -- >> aren't those statements inflammatory when you say something like that? >> i tell the truth. i tell the truth. actually a lot of people like that i said it. he is the founder of isis. and hillary clinton is right there with him. the president has been trying to play down isis like it's not that big of a deal. like they're not as powerful. we should knock them out. we should knock the hell out of them. he's not willing to do that. as far as i'm concerned and i'll say it to anybody that wants to listen, he is a founder of isis. they must love him. because without him you wouldn't have the threat, the horrible situation going on around the world if he would have kept a relatively small force, he probably could have prevented isis from forming. okay? and now you look at what's going on with isis where they're spreading. and they're probably spreading into our country. when we allow that many people to come in from that region. they're probably spreading into our country. >> well,

we have to get isis. we will defeat isis. we have to knock out isis. >> reporter: his most recent comments included this suggestion linking both president barack obama and hillary clinton to the birth of isis. >> isis is honoring president obama. he is the founder of isis. he's the founder of isis. he's the founder. he founded isis. and i would say the co-founder would be crooked hillary clinton. >> reporter: whether or not he believes obama and clinton are the co-founders of isis, trump seems confident he's the expert on the group. >> i know more about isis than the generals do. believe me. >> reporter: if that's true, then why would he have said this? >> we don't really even know who the leader is. >> reporter: trump has suggested several different ways he'd handle the terror group. first warning isis their days are num wered. >> i would bomb the [ bleep ] out of them. i would just bomb those suckers. >> reporter: then another idea. he told cbs' "60 minutes" he'd let russia do away with isis. >> russia wants to get away wit

two years ago isis was racing isis looked invincible. since then in iraq isis has lost, the dam, at tikrit, at sin jar, at ramadi, and flew fallujah. in syria, isis lost co-ban any, and the dam and al sha dad. isis has lost territory across transit routes and in both iraq and syria isis has not been able to claim any significant material they have lost. so i want to repeat. isis has not had a major successful offensive operation in either syria or iraq in a full year. even isis leaders know they are going to keep losing. in their message to followers lose them. we'll keep hitting them and driving back and pushing them out until they do. isis turns out not to be invincible, they are in fact inevitably going to be defeated. but we do recognize at the same time, that the situation is complex. and this cannot be solved by military force alone. that is why, last month, the united states and countries around the world pledged more than $2 billion in new funds to help iraqis stabilize and rebuild their communities. it is why we are iraq so that

he is the founder of isis. he's the founder of isis. he's the founder. he founded isis. i would say the co-founder would be crooked hillary clinton. he was the founder, absolutely the founder. in fact, he gets the -- in sports they have awards. he gets the most valuable player award. he and hillary. >> last night you said the president was the founder of isis. i know what you meant. >> i meant he's the founder of isis. i give him the most valuable player award. >> barack obama and hillary clinton, these are the founders of isis. these are the founders of isis because of bad judgment. these are founders. >> gloria, why is he doing this? >> he's trying to appeal to his base. he's trying to get out the base voters who don't like president obama. who were not in favor of the war in iraq. he knows the gop voters vote on the terror issue. it's either at the top of their list or number two on their list. he wants to remind people that isis is still around. even when hugh said i understand you created the vacuum and that's what you're talking about. he said no, no. i'm talking a

he is the founder of isis. >> last night you said the president was the founder of isis. i know what you meant, you meant he created the vacuum. >> i give him the most valuable player award. >> barack obama and hillary clinton, these are the founders of isis. these are the founders of isis. >> but not long ago right here on cnn, trump had a very different opinion about who created isis. >> but here's the problem. so, we make all bad deals. the war in iraq started the whole destabilization of the middle east. it started isis. that, of course, a clear indictment of george w. bush. we begin our coverage of jim acosta who is at the trump rally and trump is not backing down from these attacks on president obama tonight. >> reporter: no, he is not, erin. he used that accusation last night and he used it this morning and this afternoon and we expect him to do it at this rally in kissimmee, florida, he'll be out here in a few minutes and that accusation that barack obama and hillary clinton are the founders of isis and it creates criticism that he's being hypocritical. it's fast

take a listen. >> isis is honoring president obama. he is the founder of isis. he's the founder of isis. >> i call president obama and hillary clinton the founders of isis. they're the founders. isis will hand her the most valuable player award. her only competition is barack obama. trish: some tweeting this morning that his comments were obviously sarcasm, and he went on to say isis gained tremendous strength during hillary clinton's term as secretary of state. when will the dishonest media report the facts? kind of has a point. i mean isis did rise up under this administration. and the administration in which she was secretary of state. that said, people are taking issue with all of this. so i just wonder why is it that no one got upset when hillary clinton said this: now, keep in mind this is taped from september. she's talking about trump. watch. >> he is becoming isis's best recruiter. they are going to people showing videos of donald trump insulting islam and muslims in order to recruit. trish: she just said trump is isis's recruiter. where is the outrage

of is isis. we'll give hillary clinton the mvp. isis will hand her the most valuable player award. her only competition is barrack obamaful between the two of them. >> oh, boy is isis hoping for her. >> they just sat back and waited and when we left, basically isis was formed and he calls it isil and the reason is he likes to bother everybody. he's like the only one, still calling it isil. isis was formed. >> aren't those statements inflammatory when you say something like that. >> i tell the truth. a lot of people like that i said it. and hillary clinton is right there with him. >> >> they have been trying to play down isis like they're not as powerful. we should knock him out. he's not willing to do that. i'll say it to anybody that wants to listen. he is a founder of isis. they must love him because without him you wouldn't have the threat, the horrible situation going on around the world. >> if he would have kept a relatively small force he probably could have prevented isis from forming, oka

. >> isis is honoring president obama. he is the founder of isis. he's the founder of isis. he's the founder. he founded isis. and i would say the co-founder would be crooked hillary clinton. co-founder. crooked hillary clinton. >> now, obviously, when the republican nominee for president of the united states calls the sitting president the founder of a major terrorist group, it's going to get a lot of attention. it was such an outlandish claim the media hasn't been sure exactly what to do with it. several out. s have gone the straight forward route of fact checking the claim, giving it a pants on fire rating for instance, that seems like it misses the point. donald trump is doing something here besides a simple missed statement of fact. this is much bigger what he's doing here. it's hard to imagine donald trump is consciously creating an alternate history in which president obama held an informal meeting saying we are creating a terror group isis. trump is representing a main stream republican argument about the culpability in the rise of isis. one can make a reasonable arg

we had a moment with isis and obama being the founder of isis. and this morning, that almost expected pull back. donald trump sage it was a sarcastic comment, but not being able to help himself, he says i wasn't being sarcastic there. is this a futile exercise to pin down what he was saying? >> i think so, but it is certainly something we have to continue to do. i think what makes this particular situation different from the other i don't know half a dozen or more times he said something, he god blow back and then he said just kidding, what made this different is the interview he did yesterday with hugh hewitt who gave him, to use your word, a lifeline, actually two. didn't you really mean was that the peace was there, and by pulling the troops out that isis was created. he left a vacuum. in so many ways, and trump is no no no, what i mean is they were the founders of isis. >> i meant it literally. >> in this case, it is even more perplexing that he is saying nevermind i was being sarcastic. >> this matters, does it not? this is a life or death i

of isis. i have been all over this country. we have the greatest people anywhere in the world. the greatest people. >> a big part of the system is the press itself. >> the media -- >> nafta is a disaster. >> syrian refugees, people have no idea who they are. they could be isis. they're being put next to you in your neighborhood. >> hillary clinton will be worse than obama. >> crooked hillary clinton. she's going to raise taxes. >> we have to get -- >> i don't like herbreak. >> i don't like her temperament. her temperament is the temperament of a loser. >> wow. >> yeah. on this friday morning. >> that's a look there at the different tones between trump after hours from our friends at bloomberg politics. >> i got a look at exposed brick behind you. >> bob costas said we could use his flat in new york. >> for the record we're not. >> we're in bobs -- >> reminds me of the coffee shop you used to go to in des moines. >> java joes. >> good morning. we're limping to the weekend here. you had quite a

, if he was tougher with isis, isis wouldn't exist. thus, he's part of the founding of isis -- leslie: charlie, sorry. >> this is really good stuff -- sandra: all right, let leslie speak, please. leslie: first of all, you saw what he did there, okay? he said obama created isis. they applaud. it feeds the beast and the ego, and he says it again and again and again -- >> so whatsome. leslie: because they applaud more. the reality is that is not what the truth is. isis was created over 20 years ago -- >> right, but -- leslie: -- by a madman, by a fanatic. it was not created by bush or obama or hillary -- >> so obama -- sandra: hold on, charlie. leslie: he can't be held accountable for that. and at that time we, in 2003, we disbanded the iraqi military. >> right. leslie: and when the iraqi army had no need, had no money -- and i'm not suggesting it's a good thing to sign up for terrorism -- but if you're starving and satan hands you a sandwich, you might think about -- sandra: hold on, but charlie -- . [inaudible conversations] doesn't tru

isis is honoring president obama. he is the founder of isis. he's the founder of isis. okay? he's the founder. he founded isis and i would say the co-founder would be crooked hillary clinton. >> you can see there he's losing. for a long time you're watching republicans and independents have been tracking together. this is where he's gone a little bit too far. republicans gave him a c, independents a d and democrats an f. one respondent said it best, he needs to stay on point. he might be correct in thinking about it but he needs to focus on the policies. he's going too far with the other stuff. he doubled down on his statements. i don't think it's resonating. he's got to watch it because he's going to need those independent voters and now it's not looking good. >> let's talk about hillary clinton. she talked yesterday and rolled out her economic plan. here she is talking about small business. >> i believe in small business, that's why i want to be a small business president. that's a big contrast with donald trump who has spent his career stiffing small businesses, refusing t