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Texas Nurse Tests Positive for Ebola; Will U.S. Military Turn Tide Against Ebola?; Will Baghdad Fall to ISIS Militants?; Is the U.S. Still Underestimating ISIS?; Boston Patient Exhibits Ebola Symptoms

Aired October 12, 2014 - 18:00   ET

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


ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR: The deadly Ebola virus appears to have been contracted by someone inside the United States for the first time, despite wearing protective gear. A nurse who had, quote, "extensive contact" with Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan has tested positive for the virus.

Meanwhile, the CDC says more cases are possible.

Coming up, a live report from Dallas. Plus, our panel of doctors are standing by to answer your questions on Ebola.

All in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM which begins right now.

Thanks for joining me in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Ana Cabrera.

This hour, we're fast forwarding to the week ahead. A look at all the stories you'll be talking about this week. And, of course, the two big stories in the headlines today, Ebola and ISIS, both deadly threats.

In Iraq, the coalition's air campaign hasn't stopped ISIS. Those terrorists are now just miles from Baghdad's airport. Could they take Iraq's capital?

While here at home, a new case of the Ebola virus. The CDC says there is no risk to most of us, but can we trust officials? Will we see more cases soon? Not everyone was reassured by what we heard today. See what you think.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDGE CLAY JENKINS, DALLAS COUNTY: We're here today to communicate about a health care worker who has contracted the Ebola virus.

DR. THOMAS FRIEDEN, CDC DIRECTOR: There was a breach in protocol, and that breach in protocol resulted in this infection.

The care of Ebola can be done safely, but it's hard to do it safely. It is possible in the coming days that we will see additional cases of Ebola. Breaking the links in the chain of transmission is the key to preventing further spread. That's how we will stop it in Dallas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: So, we begin with three questions for the week ahead about Ebola.

Question number one: will we see more Ebola cases this week?

A breach in protocol, that's what's believed to be the reason for the first known transmission of the Ebola virus on U.S. soil. That victim, a nurse, who had extensive contact on multiple occasions with Ebola victim Thomas Eric Duncan before he died. This as CNN now confirms doctors in Boston are assessing a patient with Ebola-like symptoms. The patient had recently been to Liberia.

Question number two: will the U.S. troops help turn the tide against the Ebola outbreak?

As many as 4,000 soldiers could be deployed to West Africa. Some are already there. We'll hear from the man in charge of the mission there and we will look at whether it's fair to send our servicemen and women into this hot zone.

Question number three: what are your concerns about Ebola?

We're taking your questions about Ebola and we're going to ask our panel of experts. So, tweet me your questions @AnaCabrera. And we're already getting lots of good ones. So, thank you. That we'll get to straight ahead.

Right now, let's get straight to Dallas for more on this case of Ebola. CNN's Ed Lavandera is joining me.

Ed, has the hospital giving more details on how exactly this nurse was infected?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the hospital simply saying at this point that they are investigating what they call a breach in protocol. This is a nurse who was responsible for being part of the team that took care of Thomas Eric Duncan before he died here at this hospital last week. And now, they're trying to figure out what went wrong here at this point.

The hospital officials did say she was infected despite wearing the protective mask, gloves, gowns, everything that was necessary. But somewhere along the way, something broke down and she was contaminated and infected with the Ebola virus.

Basically the most that hospital officials here have said here today, Ana, is that she has a low amount of virus in her system, at that point. From a treatment standpoint, that could be a very good sign. Medical experts say that the earlier you diagnose the virus, the better chance you have of surviving.

CABRERA: Given the fact that she contracted the Ebola virus, and was wearing all that protective gear, is the hospital prepared to treat her? LAVANDERA: Well, they basically brought her to the very same area

where Thomas Eric Duncan was treated and this is a large base, I believe a 24-bed area that has been quarantined while Thomas Eric Duncan was being treated here. She was brought to that same area. And one of the things that they say they want to do this time around is limit the number of health care workers who are exposed to this second patient until they figure out exactly what went wrong and how she was able to be become infected.

CABRERA: All right. Ed Lavandera, thanks for the update.

A very small risk of spreading, no need for concern. At least that's what we were told days ago. But now, a nurse who cared for Ebola victim Thomas Duncan has become infected with the deadly disease. How worried should we be?

Let's get some perspective from Dr. Jorge Rodriguez.

Dr. Rodriguez, what are your thoughts about what's happening in Dallas?

DR. JORGE RODRIGUEZ, INTERNIST: Well, it's unfortunate. No doubt about that.

But unfortunately, it's also not unexpected. If you look at Ebola worldwide, this is a disease that seems to contaminate caregivers at a very high rate. So nurses, doctors, people that clean and even care, you know, for the sick are much more likely to get it. Right now, there is no need to panic. There isn't this treelike branching of contamination. So, this person hasn't contaminated anybody we know of.

But I think it's to be expected that even with these protective gears, you know, you are potentially going to get contaminated. I mean, you have to take them off. There's probably contagion on the gloves, on the suits. They may get in the eye, in the hands.

So, there's a small chance of it. And we may see it again.

CABRERA: And given what you just said, do you think there's a chance that we will see more health care workers, for example, maybe in Dallas, or in other areas like Nebraska or, you know, Emory Hospital in Atlanta that have treated the Ebola patients so far that have come to the U.S. or treated in the U.S., will we see more health care workers become infected?

RODRIGUEZ: You know what, it's hard to predict that, but in my sense of feeling, yes, I think we will. Look who's acquired Ebola. You know, in Spain, it was a nursing assistant. Here, it's a nurse. These are the people on the front lines, right there dealing with the contagion every day. So, unfortunately, I feel that, yes, we're going to see more health care workers come down with Ebola.

CABRERA: Some have suggested we're just focusing too much on Ebola, so I want to turn slightly to Enterovirus D68 for just a moment.

RODGRIGUEZ: Right.

CABRERA: This respiratory disease is now responsible for another death. We learn this was a 21-month-old girl who Michigan who just died. Enterovirus D68 has infected hundreds of children across country. Should people be more concerned perhaps about this virus rather than Ebola?

RODRIGUEZ: Yes, in short. I was talking to an infectious disease specialist, a friend of mine in Dallas, who discussing them. First of all, it's airborne. Secondly, it's affecting children that have respiratory diseases. That could be somehow ameliorated if these kids, you know, treated their asthma better, and it's now in almost all 50 states. So, we do have to pay very close attention to that.

It's two cases right now, but when the winter comes, it may be more. So, we do need to focus, I think, a little bit more on the Enterovirus infection that's going around.

CABRERA: All right. Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, thanks so much for your time.

Countries in West Africa, meantime, are coping with thousands of cases of Ebola and increasingly they're looking to the U.S. for help. American troops are in the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak. Is it fair to ask them to take up this mission? Can they do it? That's ahead.

Also, your questions of all things Ebola, as our fast forward look at the week ahead rolls on.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Welcome back.

As we fast forward to the week ahead, question two: is the U.S. military up to the job of helping countries like Liberia and Sierra Leone stop this huge outbreak of Ebola?

More and more, they are looking to the U.S. to help them turn the tide there. The burden is now falling on the American military. If they can't help West Africa beat Ebola, then it's possible no one can.

CNN's Nima Elbagir met the man leading that mission in Liberia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAJ. GEN. DARRYL WILLIAMS, CMDR., U.S. ARMY AFRICA: I'm a military soldier. I love to see military aircraft come in. So, absolutely, I'm excited. It's a great day.

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After weeks of preparation, the sound of aircrafts overhead signals a new phase in Major General Darryl Williams' mission.

WILLIAMS: The weather is tough. The terrain is tough. The infrastructure is challenging. And so, these tools that you see coming in will give us the ability to operate with confidence and strength.

ELBAGIR: Williams has the unenviable job of leading the fight against an invisible enemy.

WILLIAMS: We're glad you're here, man. Hoorah!

SOLDIER: Hoorah!

ELBAGIR: Tasked by President Obama to help stop the spread of Ebola.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, come on over.

ELBAGIR: And the clock is ticking.

WILLIAMS: Yes. So, this is how you make a hotel into an operational center.

ELBAGIR: Today, he's conducting what they call a battlefield circulation of his joint command forces.

WILLIAMS: This is how we ensure that we stay safe.

ELBAGIR: This battlefield requires a different kind of vigilance.

WILLIAMS: Hey, carry on. How's everybody doing? All right. Take your seat.

ELBAGIR: In a crowded conference room in a Liberian hotel, the operations nerve center. They're about to hit the ground running fitting in where they can. Conscious that delays cost lives.

This will be the site of the Monrovia medical unit, a facility specifically for health workers to be run by U.S. health teams. As a tent goes up, another hard-won victory against the elements.

Outside, Liberians have come to watch. They've been coming every day, we're told. Watching and waiting.

WILLIAMS: We'll do a lot of tangible things. We'll build this hospital. We'll build these Ebola treatment units. We'll provide these labs and a lot of these tangible things.

But there's a lot of intangible nature to this fight. And you want to give people the resiliency, the hope, that they can fight this see this through.

ELBAGIR (on camera): And that they're not alone.

WILLIAMS: And they're not alone. So, what you see over here are the building blocks of where our soldiers and our airmen and marines will live as they coordinate this effort.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): President Obama has pledged up to 4,000 troops, pre-packed and ready to roll out. There's space here for 600, but more still will need to be found. Another task on a very long list.

The general's optimism, though, is filtering down to his men. What did you think when they asked you to come out here?

JEREMY GOULD, MILITARY CONSTRUCTION UNIT: I thought, let's do it, let's go. I was ready to go. In 24 hours, we were here.

ELBAGIR: There is no getting away from the magnitude of the task ahead. Torrential rains, ravaged infrastructure, a disease that's now a pandemic. A mission like none they've undertaken.

WILLIAMS: We were brought in to provide our unique capabilities and fill the gaps. The United States military, the Department of Defense is here to see this mission through.

ELBAGIR (on camera): However long it takes?

WILLIAMS: For however long it takes.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): Nima Elbagir, CNN, Monrovia, Liberia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: Such brave men and women.

So, how much is too much to ask of our troops? Fighting wars, that's part of the job. Fighting disease, that's an entirely difficult mission.

Retired Marine Corps General James Williams is joining me now from Dallas.

General, good to see you.

GEN. JAMES WILLIAMS (RET), FORMER CMDR., 4TH MARINE DIVISION, U.S. MARINE CORPS: Hello, Ana. How are you?

CABRERA: Good. Thank you.

Is this mission creep, tackling an outbreak of a deadly disease? Is this why men and women enlist in the military?

WILLIAMS: No, not at all. Bad guys or bad viruses, the U.S. military has been in these fights before.

I mean, you know, we have specialized units within the military that deal with some of these outbreaks, whether its at Fort Detrick at the (INAUDIBLE) operations there. Certainly the CDC which is very apt at dealing with these, along with marine units, have done decontaminations in the past.

And so, you know, you have General Williams out there with his troops working on developing a hospital, setting that up. I'm sure they'll have decontamination areas. They know how to handle that.

Is this a little more serious than they have had in the past? Absolutely. But, you know, how often do you have pandemics that cause these types of problems? CABRERA: There's been so much alarm today because we now know of the

first U.S. transmission of the Ebola virus involving a health care worker in the U.S. who was wearing all the protective clothing and was going, you know, following through on protocols. So, are you confident that these military men and women are getting the resources that they need and are prepared adequately to do the job there?

WILLIAMS: Oh, absolutely. You know, if you -- as Dr. Frieden said many times in his interviews from the CDC, you know, when you follow the protocol, then you're going to be OK. If you breach the protocol, which means you probably didn't decontaminate properly, which means there's probably some fluid on maybe gloves or maybe on the gowns that did not become sterilized, and haven't been disposed of properly, that could lead to a breach in protocol. So, you know, we'll know more about that as they go through their investigation.

But if you follow those protocols, and, by the way, the CDC protocols are followed by everybody over the world. And so if you decide not to follow them, then you could likely have an infection and a contamination break out as probably has happened in this case.

So, it's absolutely essential for people to follow those rules because it will keep them safe.

CABRERA: In your opinion, is the U.S. military there in West Africa because this is a humanitarian crisis or because it's a threat to America?

WILLIAMS: I think it's both. I mean, look, you know, you just can't allow humans to just die at will because of something that may be endemic to their area, when we have the capability to do something about it. But at the same time, it's about protecting America as much as it's about protecting the rest of the world. You know, let me use an example, you know, we were discussing the last couple of days here in Dallas about should the Dallas-Ft. Worth Airport be part of the screening process?

I would say, absolutely, because if I was flying from Monrovia and I stop in Dubai, for example, I can take a direct flight from Dubai to Dallas through the emirates flight. We have direct flights there every day. So, I would say any port of entry, any transfer point that comes from Africa, and there's a transfer point, there ought to be screenings. So, I'm in agreement that some of our airports should probably be on there that are not on there now, but, you know, this is the debate for the health care workers and politicians to sort out.

CABRERA: Well, we really appreciate your thoughts. And thanks for spending the time with me, General James Williams. We appreciate it.

WILLIAMS: Thank you.

CABRERA: Coming up, your questions about the Ebola outbreak, like, how do we know the virus isn't airborne? That's coming up.

And then, ISIS militants are closing in on Baghdad. Could Iraq's capital fall into their hands? Would we swoop in to save Iraq's government?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK

CABRERA: We've spent a lot of time talking today about the spread of Ebola and latest case involving a nurse in Texas.

So, let me bring back a panel to help answer some of your questions. Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, Dr. Celine Gounder, and Dr. Alexander Garza. Our first question is from a viewer who asks, there are several strains of the Ebola virus. So, do we know if mutations can cause them to spread differently?

Dr. Rodriguez, you want to take that one?

RODRIGUEZ: Well, mutations affect viruses in many different ways. Remember that a mutation can as easily make a virus less dangerous as it can a little bit more dangerous.

So, we do know that there are many different types of strains of viruses, and some actually are much more dangerous than others. This one is -- has a morality of 50 percent. There's another type that has mortality of 90 percent. So, the answer to the question is yes, and we don't exactly know how that is going to be affected by mutations.

CABRERA: And Kathy also asks, "Is there proof that Ebola is not airborne?" And I think that is a question so many people want to know because it's spreading seemingly so rapidly.

Dr. Gounder, what do you say?

DR. CELINE GOUNDER, INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND PUBLIC HEALTH SPECIALIST: Well, it's important to understand a disease can spread rapidly even if it's not airborne. And in Liberia, that's essentially what you're dealing with, a situation where you don't have enough health care workers, supplies and so on.

In terms of whether there's proof of it not being airborne, there have been a number of studies looking at this issue, and it does not appear to be airborne, however, droplets of saliva, nasal secretions and so on, if you're in very close contact with those secretions, those could transmit. So, for example, if I sneezed on you, Ana, and I had Ebola, that could potentially transmit.

CABRERA: Or if somebody coughed or if there was fluid of some sort that came out that way.

GOUNDER: Exactly.

CABRERA: OK. That makes sense.

Dr. Garza, another asks, if health care workers did not break protocol, does this potentially mean the virus is more easily spread than previously thought?

DR. ALEXANDER GARZA, FORMER ASST. SECY. FOR HEALTH AFFAIRS, HOMELAND SECURITY DEPT.: Yes, and that's a good question. There's been some attention to this in the media. As far as we know, it's not easier -- more easier spread than we thought of before. But I think really the important point to focus on is following really strict protocol, and as was mentioned in the last hour, a devotion to training to make sure that people understand the protocols and have that educational support.

CABRERA: Is this just media hype, or is this as serious as it seems to be?

Dr. Garza, you want to start with that one?

GARZA: Sure. I think it's a little bit of both. And so, any time we're confronted with something that is unusual, and something that is lethal, I think it's always going to be, you know, a little bit anxiety provoking in the American public. We've seen it before with H1N1. We saw it before with the Fukushima disaster and radioactive material. It's not unexpected for the public to become very concerned with this and that's where your communications piece comes in. It's very critical so people understand the risks and common sense things and what they can do to protect themselves.

CABRERA: I want to ask a question from Rachel who tweets, are recovered patients still potentially contagious? Dr. Rodriguez?

RODRIGUEZ: By and large, patients that have recovered from Ebola are not that contagious. However, there are studies that have shown that you can find Ebola, for example, in semen up to sometimes 90 days after someone has convalesced. So, there is a special for spread but a much lower degree than when a patient is very, very sick.

CABRERA: A lot of people are asking this next question. How long does the Ebola virus live on surfaces? Say, protective gear, airplanes, bathrooms? What do you know about that, Dr. Gounder?

GOUNDER: Right, so it has been shown that Ebola can live on surfaces in ideal conditions, so that means cold temperature, in the dark, moist, humid conditions, for up to six days. However, that's not the typical hospital room. You're at room temperature with light. You know, bodily fluids will dry out. So, you're really not looking at six days that Ebola would be living on a hospital bed rail or counter.

CABRERA: So, that would be the longest duration.

GOUNDER: Precisely.

CABRERA: That's possible, but not likely.

GOUNDER: Right.

CABRERA: Also, we've heard about pets being involved in cases. In Spain, there was a dog that was euthanized. We now know there's a pet involved in this Dallas case, too. And we don't know yet what's going to become of that dog or cat, whatever the pet is.

What do we know about the transmission from animals to people, and vice versa, and beyond animals, technically, what about insects? Dr. Garza?

GARZA: Right, so most of the studies on Ebola have shown a couple of mammals act as reservoirs or actively have the disease. And of those, they're usually nonhuman primates. So, chimpanzees, monkeys, over in Africa, as well as the fruit bat over in Africa which is why the disease is mostly constrained to that typical area.

Now, there has been anecdotal and some case reports of finding antibodies to the virus in other animals such as dogs, but there's been no documented case of transmission of disease from these animals.

CABRERA: Here we are in the U.S. now seeing more Ebola cases. Dr. Gounder, can a different climate cause the disease, the virus to adapt or to mutate in some way?

GOUNDER: Well, the climate that causes that kind of mutation is essentially the human immune system which puts pressure on the virus to mutate. So, for example, the seasonal flu. We need to get a flu shot every year because our immune systems react to the flu and select for flu viruses that will evade our immune system. So that's one important piece of the climate question.

The other pieces are if you have drugs that are effective or vaccines that are effective, those could also start to select for Ebola strains that could evade those approaches to treatment and prevention.

CABRERA: All right. Dr. Gounder, Dr. Garza, Dr. Rodriguez, thanks to all of you. Great answers. Great information.

RODRIGUEZ: You're welcome.

CABRERA: Baghdad is under Iraqi control, for now. Will it stay that way? We're looking at questions for the week ahead regarding ISIS. A big one: could ISIS take the Iraqi capital? That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Welcome back. I'm Ana Cabrera. This hour we are fast forwarding to the week ahead and shifting gears just a little bit now to a deadlier threat than Ebola. ISIS. Bloodthirsty, ruthless, creeping closer to Baghdad. That's coming up.

And at the top on the next hour, what happened to a missing Malaysia airliner? And will we ever find it? Watch "VANISHED: THE MYSTERY OF MALAYSIA AIRLINES FLIGHT 370", that's coming up at 7:00 Eastern.

OK. We're going to talk about the fight against the ISIS now and address the questions you'll be asking in the coming days. And question number one, will the city of Baghdad fall to these Islamic militant?

Look at this map. And that line of ISIS-controlled areas. It starts in Syria. Cuts through Iraq's Anbar Province now and is aimed right at the capital.

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says flat-out Iraqi troops are fully in control of Baghdad.

We've got to ask for how long?

Question number two, President Obama has already admitted to downplaying ISIS calling them the JV team at one point, but is the U.S. still underestimating the threat these militants really pose?

And question number three, if the U.S. keeps dropping bombs and ISIS keeps advancing, taking more cities, maybe even Baghdad, what will the U.S. do?

Here we go. The first question is about Baghdad. ISIS militants, just a few miles from the airport and the city limits. So far they've run pretty much roughshod over everywhere they've wanted to go.

CNN military analyst, retired Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona, is here. Also with me retired Marine Corps Major General James Williams who commanded troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Colonel Francona, yes or no, is Baghdad in trouble?

LT. COL. RICK FRANCONA (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, Baghdad is in trouble but it's not ready to fall. There are going to be the continued car bombings, truck bombings, suicide bombings. There will be indirect fire into the green zone, mortar fire, artillery fire, and there will be a threat to the airport, but the actual city itself, I don't -- I don't think it's in danger of falling, it's just too big for ISIS to take on right now.

CABRERA: General Williams, you've operated all over Baghdad. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today that apache helicopter were launched from that airport, pushed ISIS fighters back from the airport but the airport apparently was threatened at some point.

So tell us how risky this is, how vulnerable the airport really is and how tough it is to defend the city of Baghdad.

MAJ. GEN. JAMES WILLIAMS (RET.), FORMER COMMANDER, 4TH MARINE DIVISION: Well, I think if ISIS isolates the airport and if they're -- if they have any success at controlling any of the flights that come in and out, because that's where all the commercial flights come into, that could pose a great danger.

You know, as Colonel Francona said, they may not be able to take all of Baghdad, but they only need to take strategic positions in Baghdad. The airport is one of them. And so even though the U.S. forces may be defending there, the question is, do we have enough to defend the airport and hold off their advance?

CABRERA: Your response?

FRANCONA: Yes, that's a really key point. The general talks about the -- do we have enough force there? And what we've seen is ISIS is very adept at marshaling the forces where they need them, when they need them. People say, they only have 30,000 troops, how can they possibly defend themselves against the 200,000 man Iraqi Security Forces?

It's because the Iraqis are spread out everywhere. ISIS only has to bring their forces where they need them. And if they bring enough force down and go after the airport, it's going to put that airport at risk. And I think there are about 200 American troops there plus some apache helicopters, but that's not enough to defend it.

CABRERA: Colonel Francona, we were talking earlier and you mentioned that now ISIS has, you know, taken over Kobani almost, it's taken over Anbar Province. It's really finding a way to really forcefully come in and take some pretty big areas. Are we still just talking about 30,000 fighters?

FRANCONA: Well, it's hard to know what the numbers really are, but it's kind of amazing to watch this because they're controlling forces that are 400 miles apart. This is an organization we thought was kind of a rag tag asymmetric warfare group but what we're seeing is very effective command and control.

CABRERA: General Williams, what are your thoughts about, if ISIS does indeed come in and get to the airport? How big of a blow is that going to be in the fight against ISIS?

WILLIAMS: I think that's going to be certainly a psychological blow. It's also an operational and tactical blow because, for example, if you're in a big jumbo jet trying to land at Baghdad International, and somebody has a surface-to-air missile, you know, they could certainly create great havoc. And if they do that, you know, no airline is going to fly in there and it's basically only going to be military personnel trying to defend that airfield and trying to give order to chaos there.

But I think we have a real decision here, and I think it rests in Washington, D.C., and I think I can -- knowing General Dempsey, I can sort of hear his tension in his voice in terms of what is the next thing that he really needs to do? And he may be feeling that he's handcuffed by the president and the National Security Council from doing what he really needs to do as the military commander.

CABRERA: Do you think boots on the ground, U.S. boots, would be inevitable?

WILLIAMS: Well, I have advocated for that from the beginning of our discussion some weeks ago, and, you know, I think any general worth their salt in Washington, D.C., or anywhere around the world would not take that option off the table because it gives them no flexibility. By saying you're not going to do that, I think it's given ISIS the license to run all over Iraq. And I think that's exactly what they're doing.

CABRERA: Last word.

FRANCONA: Perfect, I mean, that's exactly right. By taking it off the table, you've told ISIS that there's a capability that they're not going to have to address. So it gives them a much freer hand in doing what they're doing. They know they're going to fight the Iraqis and they know that they've got much greater capability than they're going to need if they had to face us.

CABRERA: Colonel Rick Francona, General James Williams, thanks so much.

Now every White House tries to spin the news, as we know, but when are aides crossing the line? Playing down the threat from Ebola, to ISIS, saying Baghdad is under control, or there's no risk from Ebola. Are officials misleading us?

We'll look at whether we can take them at their word, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: The U.S.-led coalition unleashing more airstrikes on ISIS targets. Nine of them this weekend alone. But ISIS is still advancing. The terror group tightening its grip on Anbar Province. And we just learned from Joint Chiefs chairman, General Martin Dempsey, that ISIS almost reached Baghdad airport. And so apache helicopters had to be brought in to protect it. But the White House insists Iraqi forces can defend the Iraqi capital.

David Gergen, CNN senior political analyst, is joining me now.

David, is the White House, do you think, so determined to put out fires politically that they may be misleading the American public about the real threat of ISIS?

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: I think that they have had a record of underestimating ISIS for a long time. You know right back from the beginning to when, you know, the president called it a JV team. You know, and I'm sure he did that thinking that he was right and that's what the intelligence showed, but it was faulty intelligence. It's rooted way back in the failure to leave forces there which we could have anticipated more of this had we left moderate forces there.

I don't think the White House is intentionally misleading the country, but I do think they put a gloss on it at times which sounds more like cheerleading than it does like, you know, just tell us the facts and we can figure it out.

ISIS is clearly a much more dangerous threat to the stability of Iraq, you know, to be so close to the Baghdad airport just indicates how vulnerable it continues to be. And we've got the situation in Syria which is even more, I think -- it's more concerning, more distressing. I think what -- I think the message has been from the administration and is that the bombing cannot defeat ISIS, it cannot destroy ISIS, but it can contain ISIS.

What we have now seen is that ISIS is not contained by the bombing. It is continuing to advance both in northern Syria and around Baghdad and places around Ramadi in Iraq.

CABRERA: Right.

GERGEN: So I think they've got to be very, very careful to be straight with the country from now on out because this can be a long, drawn-out process and if people lose faith in what they're hearing just what we did about body bags in Vietnam years and years ago, then support for this operation will just -- will collapse.

CABRERA: The president certainly doesn't seem to be garnering any fans. Obama's strategy on ISIS ripped by not one, but two of his former defense secretaries, Leon Panetta, this week, Robert Gates previously. Even Jimmy Carter got his claws out on this policy this week. Of course, these are all pretty big players. What do you make of this criticism?

GERGEN: Well, the White House naturally has been very concerned, upset, angry about the criticisms coming from people who work for the president, coming at a time when he's still in office. So they've lashed back, and that's raised all sorts of questions of whether it was appropriate for Secretary Gates, Panetta, and others to criticize this way. And I think that's a -- I think that's the wrong show. It's a sideshow. That's not the real issue here.

The serious message is in these books and what we ought to be thinking about is whether, in fact, as all of these people say, the same theme emerges from all these books. There's too much power centralized in the White House on these national security issues. The departments and agencies which have a lot of personnel, a lot of experts, and are normally brought in have been too marginalized.

And furthermore, that some of the decisions seem to have gone through a political lens, or being seen through a political lens in the White House about what it does for re-election before the recent elections, you know, presidential elections and what it might do to the president's popularity. And I think that is -- that's very distressing, too. And it does seem to me there are messages in these books that the president should take to heart.

These are people who wish him well, basically, you know, Gates and Panetta. They write other things about him that are very positive. You know, so I think they'll take that message to heart, and there are now stories coming out about the president may want to shake up his team after the midterm elections.

I think he needs to consider that. And whether he needs some fresh blood and -- but I think particularly the issue is, is John Kerry and his team at the State Department sufficiently empowered to carry out their work? Does Chuck Hagel, the defense secretary, and his team, especially the Joint Chiefs and the military, are their sufficiently empowered? Or is everything decided at the White House?

And I think that's a mistake. The White House needs to decide policy, but it's really up to the departments and agencies to execute that policy under White House supervision.

CABRERA: All right. We'll have to leave it there.

David Gergen, thanks for your time and your insight.

Still ahead, we are learning new information about new Ebola cases here in the U.S. We have the one in Dallas and now reports of other potential Ebola cases. We have new information when we come back.

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CABRERA: We mentioned earlier, a new possible Ebola case in suburban Boston. A patient recently back from Liberia, exhibiting some symptoms, raising more concerns about whether the case in Dallas isn't the only one in the U.S. right now.

Here's more from our affiliate WCVB.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: A frightening scene at the Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates and Braintree after a patient who traveled to Liberia arrived with a headache and muscle aches. In a statement the chief of infectious disease said out of an abundance of caution we notified authorities and moved the patient out of the building. That patient was then taken to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

As for the rest of the patients many were told to stay in place in the facility for hours. This seven-month pregnant woman finally decided to leave.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We didn't even get to wash our hands, we didn't get to do anything. And no one has really told us what to do. They just said, take a shower and check your temperature for the next 21 days.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The patient of concern's SUV was towed from the parking lot with orange biohazard stickers all over it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: So we don't know just yet whether this is a confirmed case of Ebola. They're still working to confirm aye or nay. But I want to bring in Dr. Celine Gounder again with me to discuss what we're now hearing as possible case in Massachusetts.

We already have been talking about the case in Dallas. We know of the photographer who's in Nebraska still being treated. So we're seeing Ebola cases potentially popped up all over the place. We heard from that pregnant woman who says now she's going to have to monitor herself for the next 21 days.

What do you make of all this?

DR. CELINE GOUNDER, INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND PUBLIC HEALTH SPECIALIST: Well, I think it's important to remember that as long as the epidemic is out of control in West Africa, we are going to see more exported cases here in the U.S., and if we really want to deal with this, we have to go to the root of the problem.

Now in terms of the response in Boston, I think this is exactly how things should work. We have a high index of suspicion so, you know, if somebody comes in with symptoms, has a travel history, we get that information and we act on it right away. And that's what seems to have happened in this case in contrast to what happened in Dallas.

CABRERA: We know this man was in Liberia, and so that, again, brings up the question of why not cut off the flights to and from those countries in West Africa that are affected? But a lot of medical experts say that won't solve the problem.

GOUNDER: A travel ban will not solve the problem. And that's for a number of reasons. We're already having problems getting doctors, nurses and other aid workers into Liberia to address the problem. As I was saying earlier, you have to deal with the root of the problem.

In addition, when you do something like instituting a travel ban, what you really do is you reduce transparency, you drive people underground. If someone wants to come over to the U.S., they will. And this will just make it harder to detect those people and they'll be more afraid to come forward for medical services if they do develop symptoms.

CABRERA: When we heard the press conference this morning with the CDC about this new case in Dallas, you mentioned getting to the root of the problem. And we heard from the CDC director said the key to preventing further spread is to break the links, the chains of transmission and that requires properly diagnosed cases, isolation, identify the contact, actively monitor contacts for symptoms for up to 21 days.

Why not quarantine those potential contacts? I mean, in this case, the woman in Dallas who now has Ebola wasn't quarantined.

GOUNDER: Now, remember, for one thing, we don't know if she's had direct contact with this suspected case. In addition, you're not infectious to other people until you have symptoms. So that's why if you can trust somebody to monitor their temperature and for other symptoms for 21 days, that can be safely done.

CABRERA: All right. Dr. Celine Gounder, thanks so much for the information.

GOUNDER: My pleasure.

CABRERA: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Now just a quick check of the headlines. A breach in protocol is believed to be the reason for the first known transmission of the Ebola virus on U.S. soil. That victim, a nurse, who had extensive contact on multiple occasions with Ebola victim Thomas Duncan before he died. The nurse, a woman, is said to be in stable condition.

This as CNN now confirms doctors in Boston are assessing a patient there with Ebola-like symptoms. This patient had recently been to Liberia. He went to a hospital complaining of a headache and muscle aches. We'll have more details on that as we get them. Meantime, Oscar Pistorius, he heads back to court in South Africa on

Monday. The disgraced Olympic track star will find out his fate after being convinced of culpable -- excuse me, convicted of culpable homicide in the death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. He could be sentenced up to 15 years in jail or serve no time at all.

Personal belongings from the plane shot down over Ukraine will soon be recovered and returned to the Netherlands. A Dutch government spokesman tells CNN that Ukrainian Emergency Services is being allowed access to the MH-17 crash site and crews will gather belongings from the site and from local residents who've also been storing some of them.

And while that has begun, the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 goes on. "VANISHED: THE MYSTERY OF MALAYSIA AIRLINES FLIGHT 370" is next here on CNN.

Also later tonight the premiere of a new "PARTS UNKNOWN" with Anthony Bourdain, visiting Paraguay and unraveling a Bourdain family mystery. That's coming up at 9:00 Eastern.

And then at 10:00 p.m., meet the progeny of a so-called sperm bank on "THIS IS LIFE WITH LISA LING." Lots of good stuff tonight.

Stay with CNN and CNN.com for news any time.

Thanks so much for joining me. I'm Ana Cabrera.