First Diagnosed Ebola Patient On American Soil Takes Turn For The Worst; Fighting Continues Around Kobani
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And it's so fun as the premiere of "SOMEBODY'S GOTTA DO IT" on Wednesday night at 9:00 Eastern right here on CNN. That's going to do it for me. Thanks for hanging out with me all day. I'm Fredricka Whitefield. The next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM begins now with Poppy Harlow in New York.</s>POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, everyone. Thanks for joining me. I'm Poppy Harlow. And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM. We are covering a lot of stories this hour. Let's begin with this. The head of the CDC is sounding a note of optimism about the U.S. government's ability to stop Ebola, in his words, in its trap. Dr. Tom Frieden says that while the CDC remains concern about those who came in direct contact with the Ebola patient in Dallas, he says that the ten or so people in this higher risk group are being monitored constantly.</s>TOM FRIEDEN, CDC DIRECTOR: We have no doubt we will stop it in its tracks in Texas. It's worth stepping back and saying how Ebola spreads. Ebola only spreads by direct contact with someone who's sick or with their body fluids. So the core of control is identifying everyone who might have had contact with them and making sure they are monitored 21-days if they develop symptoms immediately isolating them to break the chain of transmission.</s>HARLOW: Meantime, the Liberian national who arrived in Dallas on September 20th and later developed Ebola is fighting for his life. Thomas Eric Duncan's condition has been downgraded to critical. And an American patient treated for Ebola in Nebraska and then later released has been admitted to a Massachusetts hospital. Dr. Richard Sacra is believe to be suffering from a respiratory infection. But he, of course, is being kept in an isolation unit as a precaution. Let's take you live to Dallas, check in with our CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen. I know, Elizabeth, we have some news just in to CNN. Earlier today, they were looking for some of those people in Dallas. They have been watching for any signs of Ebola and they couldn't find them. But now, they have located them?</s>ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Now, they have located them, Poppy. So these were two contacts. They have their phone addresses, they have their phone numbers but they were not at home when authorities visited them. They weren't answering their phones. But now, I have just heard from a federal officials that these contacts have been found. So that means that all 48 contacts have been found. And the idea is to follow them for 21 days, take their temperatures twice a day. And also just ask them about symptoms and how are they doing. Although, these contacts, they are not reporting in their temperatures. They are actually giving visits from healthcare workers to make sure that it is done properly.</s>HARLOW: But it is great that they have been found. It brings up sort of the bigger issue of how do you close enough monitor these people even when they're low risk and whether, frankly, authorities have any say. I mean, they can't really take them into custody, can they? I mean, how do you keep an eye on these people so you don't lose them for a matter of hours when you need to test them?</s>COHEN: You know, Poppy, it is an interesting question. And actually, there are four family members who have been quarantined because authorities said they were having some challenges keeping track of them. So these contacts, I imagine, are being told in some pretty strict turns, we're going to visit you at this time and this time and you better be there because if you are not, then you can have the same situation that has happen to this family. And obviously, no one wants that because that would certainly be encouragement to show up when you're supposed to.</s>HARLOW: Also, this just developing in the last few hours. We heard from the CDC and the Obama administration telling here at CNN, they, right now, the Obama administration is considering further screening at some major U.S. airports to try to help prevent the spread of Ebola. Do we know if it is going to happen? And what would that springing (ph) look like?</s>COHEN: You know, it is interesting, Poppy. I have been, you know, talking about this, on and on for about the past week or so. Because I came back from Liberia just a week after Duncan did. And I will tell you that in Liberia, when I left, they were really vigilant. They took my temperature three times. They asked all sorts of questions. When I arrived in the U.S., I expected something sort of like that. But instead, there was basically nothing. No one takes your temperature. No one asked if you have been close to people with Ebola. And I left a note that I was a journalist coming from</s>L: Iberia who had been covering Ebola. And my two colleagues have the same experience. So I'm glad to see that they are thinking about taking more serious steps that might include taking temperatures of people who are returning from Ebola effected countries. And I expect to hear in the next few days what they're going to do and when they are going to do it.</s>HARLOW: Yes. We will be watching very closely. Elizabeth, you have been on this story for months. Thank you for your great reporting. We appreciate it. Also some news today on the extremist group ISIS and their aim to take over the entire Muslim world that they could. U.S.-led airstrikes have all but stop the militants in Iraq, but in Syria that is definitely another story. Take a look at this map. The Syrian city of Kobani sits right on the border with Turkey. Today our sources who are there say ISIS fighters have now entered the city. This is a very key strategic city. They are fighting with Kurds forces in the streets of Kobani as we speak, we are told. We are also told that the city of Kobani is surrounded by ISIS on the Syrian side. Lieutenant Rick Fancona is here. He is our military analyst. You have been following this very closely. We all have this just broke at the last hour that Kobani had been partially infiltrated now by ISIS. This battle to keep them away from Kobani has been going on for weeks, what is this mean?</s>LT. COL. RICK FRANCONA, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: I don't think they are going to be able to save Kobani. It is surrounded the Kurds that are trying to defend it or vastly outnumbered, outgunned. Most of the civilians that have lived there have left. So you have got a small skeleton force trying to slow down the advance, but I think it's just a matter of time before ISIS takes it over. What I would hope is that the Kurds that are defending are able to get out themselves because they don't want to fall into the hands of ISIS. So that puts Kobani in ISIS hands. And that pretty much secures a lot of that border for ISIS. And what I think we will see next is that moving further toward the west as they moved toward Aleppo trying to expand their zone of control in Syria.</s>HARLOW: And we know, and you have said before, you don't think that they're not going actually cross over into Turkey because of how strong Turkey's military is. At the same time, Turkey is such an important partner and ally for the Unites States. And the vice president did not make the president, President Erdogan, of Turkey very happy this week.</s>FRANCONA: No. He said some statements and he has had to walk back. And I don't think we want to get into a political battle with the Turks right now. We are relying of the Turks to provide some very unique capabilities. If you look at the geography, Turkey is their basis on minutes from the combat zone. Whereas right now, we are having to fly sometimes an hour, even two hours from take off to actually target. Now, if we can use Turkey's air bases, we can be there in minute to respond much quicker to situations just like we are seeing in Kobani.</s>HARLOW: Well, it is interesting, vice president Joe Biden apologized in to the Turkish president, also calling the head of the UAE today about basically saying comments made earlier this week at Harvard University about whether or not those Arab nations and allies of ours were inadvertently helping ISIS by allowing us across through their borders to help ISIS -- that that was not what he intended to say/</s>FRANCONA: Yes. And the UAE has been a strong ally of our for decades. And they are letting use their air bases, they always have. They are participating. So I think that we need to be careful what we say. I think we need to draw distinction between the governments of these countries and citizens of these countries. Now, there is money that go into charities that fund many of these Islamic groups. But those are private individuals. It is not the government.</s>HARLOW: At the same time, a few weeks ago, you and I were talking about when is Turkey going to take action. Do you think at this point in time, given where ISIS is and Kobani now on that Turkish border, the threat that it poses to Turkey the region, is Turkey doing enough yet?</s>FRANCONA: Well, we always like to see the Turks actually intervene. I think the Turks are figuring out what they are going to do, at what level they are going to intervene. It would be nice to see Turks airstrikes as well. But the -- I hope we will. The big gorilla would be if we see Turkish ground forces move into the northern Syria to set up like up for zone. The Turks are far superior to anything ISIS can put in the field.</s>HARLOW: And they have very, very strong forces if they use them o the ground and in the air.</s>FRANCONA: They are excellent troops.</s>HARLOW: Thank you, Colonel. We appreciate it. We will be with you a little bit later in the show. Also, deadline day is arriving for protesters in Hong Kong. Right now it is about 5:00 a.m. Monday morning in Hong Kong and crowds of protesters remain on the streets. Hong Kong's leaders ordered protesters to clear the streets by Monday morning. As you can see they have not gone. Authorities want to try to reopens schools, reopen the government. That is a key business district in Hong Kong. Pro-democracy demonstrators have been blocking those major highways and all the access to government offices for a week now. They want China government to allow Hong Kong voters to select fully independently their own candidate for the next election in 2017. China, though, is insisting those candidates have to be vetted by Beijing first. And while the Ebola epidemic rages in west Africa, scientists are looking for a vaccine. It could save countless lives and while many have been asking why doesn't one exist yet. There is a question about how much they cost to develop and is big Pharma willing to do that? We'll talk about it next.