a new reality for raqqa after islamic state. hello and welcome to bbc news. carles puigdemont, has made a televised address calling spain's government has dissolved the regional parliament and installed a new police chief after mr puigdemont declared independence. in madrid, several thousand people held a rally, waving spanish flags and calling for national unity. our correspondent james reynolds reports from barcelona. this is the first full day of direct rule from madrid. and no—one is yet sure quite what to make of it. catalan organisations have told people here to carry on as normal. right here, it is hard to tell that anything has changed one way or another. local catalan police officers still guard this, the catalan political headquarters. and separatist leaders, who have technically been sacked by madrid, are now trying to work out their next move. carles puigdemont, the catalan leader, featured on today's front pages, refuses to accept that he hasbeenig respecting people, symbols and opinions. many here are worried about what may come next. antonio

new flag waves in the former islamic capital of raqqa as u.s.-backed forces claim control of last urban strong hold, isis on the run, details next. [vo] when it comes to investing, looking from a fresh perspective can make all the difference. it can provide what we call an unlock: a realization that often reveals a better path forward. at wells fargo, it's our expertise in finding this kind of insight that has lead us to become one of the largest investment and wealth management firms in the country. discover how we can help find your unlock. ♪ ca♪ yes you can ♪ can i kick it? ♪ yes you can ♪ can i kick it? ♪ yes you can ♪ well i'm gone ♪ can i kick it? ♪ to all the people who can quest like a tribe does... ♪ retail. under pressure like never before. and it's connected technology that's moving companies forward fast. e-commerce. real time inventory. virtual changing rooms. that's why retailers rely on comcast business to deliver consistent network speed across multiple locations. every corporate office, warehouse and store ne

there are multiple reports that the isis capital raqqa has fallen. holly williams is there where u.s. backed forces are celebrating. >> the president promises to take action to stop the opioid epidemic following a 60 minutes washington post investigation. democrats are urging his nomination for drug czar. tom marino sponsored the legislation that weakened the dea and millions of women say me too online. former fox news anchor is in studio 57 with her play book to help women fight back. >> plus, dozens of cities are competing for amazon's new headquarters and up to 50,000 new jobs. the best chance of winning and why some cities say it's not worth the price. >> but we begin this morning with a look at today's you opener. -- eye opener. >> we're at least as i'm concerned closer than we've been before. >> i have a very good relationship with steve bannon. i like steve a lot. steve is doing what steve thinks is the right thing. >> and he's standing next to mitch mcconnell while he's saying it. >> winners make policy and losers go home. >> time is just abo

leaders of raqqa are still. they have been out of raqqa for some time. secondly i agree with what you just said. i do not see a strategy to deal with syria.in other words, the western part of syria, iran, russia and assad there is no way to do this without -- of the eastern part of syria should be oncontaining iran's ambitions to take full control of syria by taking the east. i do not see any strategy to stop that. and i think that is a strategic mistake on the party administration. >> that's right. i agree with you on that. now the kurds are saying, they were our fighters on the ground in clearing out isis in iraq. they are saying that we would like to keep this territory, we have a right to at least some autonomy here. can the us, how should we treat the kurds in their ambitions going qiforward? >> in iraq, the issue has always been the political and state. can the iraqis keep the country together with the sunnis and that she is in the kurds operating at least coexisting together. we knew that, the challenges

backed forces in the city of raqqa. where isis filmed itself celebrating when it rolled into raqqa three years ago, the table was turned. u.s.-backed forces in the same spot. there was some public cheering, too, but most people in this battered city are long gone. this was perhaps the most feared place on earth with frequent public executions. and it was a base for isis to plot terrorist attacks including intelligence services say on the theater in paris. the istanbul airport as well as to hold and murder hostages, including american james foley. this city was freed by mostly kurdish forces helped by u.s. special ops and coalition airstrikes. now with the loss of raqqa and the iraqi city of mosul this summer, isis territory has shrunk from the size of virginia to a few scattered areas. isis still maintains an ability to launch smaller-scale terrorist attacks. >> but i think their future as a large scale fighting force will largely end with the fall of raqqa. >> thanks to nbc's richard engel. >> the stock market is reach

spying operation inside raqqa last year. the bulb inside a motor bike headlight has been replaced by a camera. this an i.s. checkpoint. here, i.s. fighters leave a mosque. the streets are largely deserted, however, because people want to avoid the man questioning the motorist. they are the religious police, they spread terror inside raqqa while others plan to inflict terror abroad. for four years, raqqa has cast a long shadow stretching out over places like london, manchester, brussels and nice. it's hard not to think of all the innocent victims of i.s. the victims of the hatred and murderous instructions that emanated from right here. an hours drive outside the city, these are the latest residents of raqqa to escape and join many others already at the refugee camp. but at least they are safe. as winter approaches, the biggest battle they will face is with the elements. as for civilians deaths inside raqqa, the coalition says it does all it can to avoid them and that when they do happen, it's the fault of the islamic state f

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a new reality for raqqa after islamic state. hello and welcome to bbc news. the sacked leader of the spanish region of catalonia, carles puigdemont, has made a televised address calling for peaceful resistance to madrid imposing direct rule on the region. spain's government has dissolved the regional parliament and installed a new police chief, after mr puigdemont declared independence. in madrid, several thousand people held a rally, waving spanish flags and calling for national unity. spain has gripped by its biggest political crisis for a0 years. the stand—off is escalating. 0n political crisis for a0 years. the stand—off is escalating. on friday, catalonia declared independence from spain. madrid responded by imposing direct rule and sacking the entire cata la n direct rule and sacking the entire catalan government. but it is deposed leader says he is not going anywhere. translation: we do not deviate. we continue persevering in the only way that can make us winners, without violence, without insults, in an inclusive way. and that has left catalans wo

but now they are holding —— but now the hold on raqqa is about to end. this is the centre of the city and as you can see and hear the fighter —— fighting is still ongoing. the majority of the city is empty, as us backed forces have pushed is towards a last stand. the militants are now surrounded and desperate. air strikes and heavy shelling have left the city broken. hundreds, possibly thousands of civilians, have been reportedly killed. there is growing fearfor reportedly killed. there is growing fear for those still trapped in the city. the commander told me there is a mixture of is families and human shields remaining. translation: islamic state fighters are still here in the city, but they are using civilians as human shields. that's why we aren't sure of the numbers, but we believe one to 5000 civilians are still trapped here. the bbc has learnt that local leaders have made a deal to allow the safe passage of the remaining is fighters left in the remaining is fighters left in the city. in return, the militants will release all the civilians bein

holly williams got a rare look inside raqqa. >> reporter: under the gate to raqqa's old city the bodies of five dead isis fighters rot in the desert heat. they were killed a week ago according to these american-backed militiamen, one of them still wearing a suicide belt. the stench of death is everywhere in raqqa, and so is fear. this is how you get to the front line, at break neck speed to avoid isis snipers. there is this thud of u.s. coalition air strikes. but we saw only spore fighting because isis with as few as 250 fighters remaining in the city is pinned down. >> we're about less than a hundred yards from the hospital. >> that is what is left of the main hospital and other buildings close by. and they have human shields. in this broken city, it's thought there are still around 2,000 civilians. america's allies on the ground are out for revenge. many have lost family members to isis. and with them is an american volunteer, mike hogan from phoenix, arizona, who was a waiter before he came here six months ago. have you killed any isis fighters during the action that you have seen? >

. >> reporter: isis is on its last legs in raqqa. the city that was once the so called capitol of the islamic state stretching from syria and into iraq. u.s.-backed forces already control around 90% of raqqa and local leaders say that 275 isis fighters were evacuated from the city today in buses, along with roughly 400 civilians. on friday and saturday, another 100 isis fighters also surrendered according to u.s.-backed forces taking around 500 civilians with them. now that is probably an indication of just how desperate those isis gunmen have become during a four month long seige by the u.s.-led coalition, in many other places we've seen isis fight to the death. the remaining isis fighters in raqqa are holed up around what was the city's sport stadium. isis seized raqqa in early 2014 and then terrorized its people for over three years with public beheadings and a half interpretation of islamic law that is unrecognizable to most muslims. elaine. >> quijano: holly williams reporting, holly, thank you. >> more than 275 people are dead

backed forces pushed the last isis fighters from raqqa. today the militias declared victories in city isis considered its capital. holly reports it came at a terrible price. >> reporter: we walked into the heart of raqqa today, once the pride of the so-called islamic state. now, reclaimed after a four month battle by these u.s. backed fighters. who took us to the circle. it is a place where isis showcased its this photo of a jihadi's young son captures depravity. what isis did here in el nahim serk circle was designed to terrorize, not only witnessed in person but an where people saw photos and videos on the internet. to get rid of the extremists they have destroyed the city. leaving hardly a building unscathed. u.s. coalition air strikes have flattened many of them and inadd v killed civilians according to survivors. buried beneath the rubble we may never know for sure how many died here. the commander raqqa offensive. and amazingly told us this city will be rebuilt. but the extremists did damage that can never be repaired. he escaped raq

for now, raqqa is close to uninhabitable. with many buildings destroyed, and large parts of the city off—limits due to fear of unexploded ord nances. hundreds were killed in the fighting, and many residents are still searching for missing family members. for the wedding guests, the celebration is a glimmer of hope for the future. david campanale, bbc news. the pakistani cricket team are preparing to host sri lanka on sunday, the first time since they were attacked by militants nine years ago. eight people were killed when gunmen opened fire on the sri lankan team bus, and ever since then, pakistan have been forced to play their home games in the gulf because other teams have been too concerned about security. as heralding the return of international cricket to the country. secunder kermani reports from lahore. this empty plot of land is host to three simultaneous games of cricket. but the match everyone is talking about will take place a few kilometres away, when pakistan take on sri lanka at the gaddafi stadium. translatio

they won't be able to go back home at least if we look at raqqa. leadership there says it is going to take three to four months to clear the city of rubble. even when it is cleared, there is not really anything left per se to these families to go back to. so the cycle does continue. arwa, real quick, where is the regime leader of bashar al-assad fits into this here? >> reporter: for now, regime is quite content to let the coalition back and syrian forces taking over raqqa, what they are doing is potentially going to be much more complicated because you have the regime advancing on one front and you have the syrian forces advancing. bashar al-assad is fairly confidence in his own position. he's managed to take control from other rebel opposition groups and fighters and he has solid backing when it comes to the russians and iranians. what's interesting talking to syrian democratic forces fighter is they are looking at what's happening in iraq and how the u.s. did not stand behind iraq of the conflicts happening there of baghdad. they are worried that

the battle for raqqa came to an end last week. jac have been very much involved in that common part of a four— man sniper team working involved in that common part of a four—man sniper team working to liberate raqqa for weeks. someone was then going on to make the place safe perhaps for civilians to come back. is has left behind trucks and landmines and we understand it was during one of these landmine clearing operations that jac was killed. very few details coming at the moment. a few details have been received from people the bbc spoke to last night, and those are the circumstances as we understand it. a cruel twist because jac had been there for nearly three years, had fought to be very end in raqqa and sadly lost his life just yesterday. hospitals in england could carry out 280,000 extra operations a year just by making better use of operating theatres. analysis by the watchdog nhs improvement, due out later this week, suggests that an average of two hours a day are lost in operating theatres because of late starts and ot

this week with the fall of raqqa, the dream of a medieval style caliphate is in ruins. but does not mean the group is finished, farfrom it. their elusive leader is still issuing tastes and inciting violence as recently as last week. —— issuing tapes. there are active franchises in in iraq, syria, afghanistan, libya, yemen and africa. we are aqua we we re libya, yemen and africa. we are aqua we were in 2014, syria is at war, iraq is as divided as ever, the united states, russia, turkey and iran have their own interests in the region. we speak the former defence secretary william cohen. thank you for joining secretary william cohen. thank you forjoining us. do you agree with this notion that we are back where we we re this notion that we are back where we were before isis took over those large swathes of land so suddenly in syria and iraq? i think it is too early to claim victory here over isis. isis is like mercury on a mirror, you press down in iraq and are mirror, you press down in iraq and a re successful mirror, you press down in iraq and are successful in raqqa

. >> raqqa, syria, it has been reduced to rubble. what's next for the city now that isis has been defeated there? we'll go live to our reporter, live in raqqa. next. i'm an outdoorsman. so i've asked chase sapphire reserve cardmembers to find my next vacation. chile, what's going on? i'm at the el tatio geysers. geezer. geyser. geezer. geyser. enough. geezer. whoaa, wooooo. dude, be careful. i think you should come camping. why would i camp in the atacama desert? oh... 3x points on travel and restaurants on every continent. sapphire reserve, from chase. make more of what's yours. he's a nascar champion who's she's a world-class swimmer who's stared down the best in her sport. but for both of them, the most challenging opponent was... pe blood clots in my lung. it was really scary. a dvt in my leg. i had to learn all i could to help protect myself. my doctor and i choose xarelto® xarelto®... to help keep me protected. xarelto® is a latest-generation blood thinner... ...that's proven to treat and reduce the risk of dvt and pe blood

backed militia say they completely liberated the city of raqqa. tillerson also had this warning. >> certainly iranian militias that are in iraq now that the fight against icesis coming to a close, those militias need to go home. any foreign fighters in iraq need to go home and allow the people to regain control of areas that had been overtaken by isis that have been liberated. allow the people to rebuild their lives with the help of their neighbors. >> cnn's arwa damon takes us to raqqa, seyria and shows us what is left. >> reporter: it is hard to find traces of the life that was or imagine what the streets looked like when they were full of people with children laughing and playing. one of the battle commanders here. >> it was a 15-day battle just to try to retake this particular square and every roof top was lined with snipers. this was one of the main squares where isis would carry out the public beheadings and executions and they would place the heads of their victims on these spikes as a gruesome reminder to others of what their fate might be

we seem to be entering the final phase. —— heard a lot about raqqa. the surrey and democratic forces said there has been a lot of negotiation with militants who are holding out, about 275 of them surrendered, gave up the fight effect of lee and about 3000 civilians who they had been holding as human shields were also freed but the syrian democratic forces say 300 foreign fighters had refused to surrender and they continue to hold out with some of their family members in a small area in the centre of raqqa and the sdf has announced it has launched what it calls the final offensive, the last drive against this group is that our holding out and it says it will continue until they had been cleared away. it's impossible to know quite how long that might take on it could be hours, days, slightly longer at its really just a be hours, days, slightly longer at its reallyjust a matter of time. what does it mean to the wider so—called islamic state movement, people say if raqqa is taken they may well hold them back elsewhere or will they simply move somewhere

today is the 26th september and daesh attacked behind our lines in raqqa. syria wasn't his country and he wasn't a soldier, but jack holmes from bournemouth made the battle against the so—called islamic state his own. he said the fight against is was everyone‘s war. i met him just over a month ago before raqqa fell. it was to be his last television interview. is were a threat to the world, he said. they are a barbaric, fascist terrorist organisation who essentially want to take over the world and, if you don't comply by their rules, they will kill you. you worked in it, right, in bournemouth? yeah, a long time ago. yeah, a long time ago now, but why is that your fight? originally, ijust feel like it was something that i wanted to do, i had to do it and i knew i could do it, which i think a lot of people can't. he commanded a sniper unit of foreign fighters. today, his comrades in arms hailed him as a hero, full of kindness. in the wreckage of raqqa's buildings, he would sit for hours waiting for a kill. and it was in these streets that he died, attempti

at the heart of raqqa, they're giddy with victory. the syrian democratic forces controlled the city that the so—called islamic state hailed as its capital. paradise circle, it's called, and here they beheaded people. their hatred crossed continents. three years ago, is did victory laps here. but there caliphate is now in ruins and they're on the run. it was arab and kurdish fighters, men and women, who did a jig, celebrating the islamic state's retreat. the sdf fought in sandals and the most basic of weapons but they had a killer advantage. coalition air power. that helped drive is out, but it also emptied the city of a quarter of a million people. hundreds of civilians may have died in the western bombardment. younus 0mar and his family, though, survived. they've onlyjust managed to escape. is used them and thousands of others as human shields. his wife says, "they shot at my family but allah is stronger than them." younus says, "it was a horror, i tried to leave twice but i couldn't. they were shooting at me. they said, ‘you're

what about raqqa? >> the official versions, the coalition version is that there are civilians and people from raqqa and arabs that will take control there and the security force that are supposed to be stepping in to control it. in reality it's the predominantly kurdish and the u.s. support and the fighter who is kicked them out right now. the question is do those kurds want to hang on to a city that has not been kurdish. it is mostly arab. there is a potential to the regime who are miles away with a lot of russian military support. they may have ambitions and this is an important question. they have those who say the u.s. didn't want to put them in with the kurds. they fall back to the more persistent opponents to the war interest. a key question, 245i probably don't want it. they may want to hang on to it. the regime certainly does. they have the firepower to take it and across iraq and syria. what happens after isis and who takes on the territory that used to control as proving a messy question to a

co hraeugz-backed syrian democratic forces handing over control of the city of raqqa to the raqqa civilian council. these people to under take the enormous task of trying to rebuild this utterly devastated city. you can see right across the field the sandbags that lead down into the lower levels of this stadium. this is where isis bunched through the walls between the various rooms creating one for themselves. they have a fairly complex tunnel system that may still have mines. no one has gone down there yet. and it's where isis handled a number of prisoners. it is believed to be the largest prison in raqqa. surrounding this stadium is what you were talking about. ensuring not just is the city rebuilt but also the fab rubbing of the society here that also has been utterly destroyed, alisyn. >> it is incredible to have you on the ground with all of that reporting. it is impossible to get our minds around how the city is and the fabric of that culture can ever be rebuilt. thank you so much for being in raqqa with us. one month after hurricane maria hit, puerto rico is also in ruins. a live re

three years ago, those barbarians celebrated in their self-declared capital of raqqa. they raised their black flags across the region as they began to perpetrate their unspeakable violence on innocent civilians. but thanks to the armed forces of the united states of america, those black flags do not fly in raqqa anymore. [applause] v.p. pence: just last week, american and allied forces liberated raqqa, and you guys were part of the historic victory. the great men and women of minot took the fight to isis in the air and on the ground, and i came to say thanks to the team here at minot for a job well done. [applause] v.p. pence: the b-52s of the fifth wing responsible for 700 danger close strikes to support our coalition for freedom in the region. i know all of you know you could not have achieved those missions without the skill and hard work of your maintainers who kept the jets in the air day after day without interruption. so let me take a moment to thank all of you who just returned from that desert mission. the crews and maintainers and the families and loved ones

let's start on daesh, the taking back of raqqa, as is a lwa ys the taking back of raqqa, as is always the case, it takes so long to do it. even now i see they are still saying there are a few is militants holding up in there? roughly 90% of holding up in there? roughly 9096 of the people have been cleared out who we re the people have been cleared out who were working with daesh. they're still 100 fighters within the city but it looks like the city will properly fall in the coming days but eve ryo ne properly fall in the coming days but everyone is wondering what that will mean, notjust everyone is wondering what that will mean, not just for terrorism everyone is wondering what that will mean, notjust for terrorism but what it will mean for the region, it seems once the city has fallen the syrian government will be able to turn its fire on the people who have taken the city back, the turks are looking to come back in and push back the kurds. it seems more regional forces will be pulled back the kurds. it seems more regionalforces will be pulled in. it's only one phase, isn't it? this

the flags of an anti—islamic state militia have been flying over raqqa, after it retook the syrian city from the jihadists following four months of heavy fighting. the us says there are around 100 militants still in the city. the us author george saunders has won this year's man booker prize, a british literary award. he won for his first full novel, lincoln in the bardo, which follows the us president's grief over the death of his son. now it is time for world business report. it has become the world's factory production line, but now the chinese communist party is trying to reshape the country into an economy fit for entrepreneurs. can this man be simultaneously president and an international business owner? that question will be posed in a federal court today. welcome to world business report. i'm jamie robertson. china is the world's second—biggest economy, and whilst it is still some way behind the united states, what happens there matters to all of us. the communist party congress is where the shape of china and its economy is set for the next five years. in the first half of th

military spokesman told reporters 90% of of raqqa s been captured. >> the fight in raqqa is more about a fight against ieds and explosive senate is against isis. >> colonel ryan dillon set a u.s. backed syrian commander was killed by a roadside bomb while walking in raqqa yesterday. 350 isis fighters have surrendered in the past week but the pending fall of the isis capital doesn't mean the end devices yet. the colonel said the fight will move to eastern syria. in iraq, isis controls 3% of the country, including a pocket along the syrian border. overall about 6500 isis fighters remain in syria and iraq. today marks exactly three years since the u.s.-led coalition formed to fight isis. when isis fighters took raqqa there were iconic images of them parading in the streets. today u.s. backed fighters re-created the scene by doing their own doughnuts to celebrate. officials more that isis will likely go underground to countries like yemen where the pentagon says for the first time u.s. aircraft bombed two isis training camps yesterday. the pentagon is concerned about what happens the day a

our correspondent feras kilani has gained access to raqqa, and sent this report. this is what is left of the so—called islamic state capital. the empire is over. can we now say that racket is completely free of so—called islamic state? almost 99%. other any areas still under is control? no. the empire, it has taken four months for the fighters to clear the area. the fighting has damaged almost every building in the city. the stadium was the hub of the islamic state intelligence operations here in raqqa. a huge battle was expected to retake it. but when they arrived it was cleared. islamic state fighters and the families had some safe passage out of the city. the bbc witnessed hundreds of is members here in raqqa under the cover of darkness. these experienced militarist survived another day. is may have fled the city but hundreds of explosives littered the streets. the city has been left broken without any population. the militants may have been defeated but the fight against is continues. she was malta's most famous investigative journalist — a woman who was

, but the majority of them, we assess, were killed in the battle at raqqa. raqqa, as an example, was a place where isis could freely plot, organise, resource, launch and export their terror. they can't do that any more, and there are so few places now. as a matter of fact, 95% of the territory that isis once held is now underneath partner controls. what about returning jihadists? now the caliphate is almost extinguished, some may be trying to get home. there are many possible routes, from turkey to iran, lebanon or other neighbours. how likely are returnees to get back undetected? i think that the uk agencies are probably going to be operating on the presumption that they can't be confident, that they will do their best but there can be no certainty that they are going to identify and detain all those who might merit that. how much of a threat are they? there are difficultjudgments for the security service. since some of them may have realised the folly of their ways, and of course the summer's attacks in the uk didn't involve anyone known to have been in sy

for now, raqqa is close to uninhabitable. with many buildings destroyed, and large parts of the city off—limits due to fear of unexploded ord nances. hundreds were killed in the fighting, and many residents are still searching for missing family members. but, for the wedding guests, the celebration is a glimmer of hope for the future. david campanale, bbc news. the fourth and final challenge of the bbc 100 women season finished in rio on saturday. a group of influential women in brazil were tasked with coming up with ways to tackle sexism in sport. they have spent a week coming up with innovative ways of including more girls and women into sporting activities. julia carneiro reports from rio. it's finally the big day. after a week debating how to tackle sexism in football, we've come to a school in bahia to present the solutions our experts came up with, and to try them out on the pitch. so first, let's go over here to meet some of the experts and find out what they have been up to. you advise a former brazilian internation

you opened up at the top discussing the liberation of raqqa. so my question for you is, how does the president envision future u.s. involvement in both syria and iraq post isis? >> we want to continue to work with our coalition forces to completely destroy and defeat isis. right now that's the priority, and that's the focus. and that's where we're going to continue to be focused on at this time. thank you guys so much for today and we'll see you tomorrow. >> thank you, sarah. >>> c-span, where history unfolds daily. in 1979, c-span was created as a public service by america's cable television companies. and is brought to you today by your cable or satellite provider. >>> senator al franken says attorney general jeff sessions is moving the goal posts in denying his interactions with the russian ambassador. the minnesota democrat confronted the attorney general about his january testimony during this morning's oversight hearing with the senate judiciary committee. here's the exchange. >> senator franken. >> thank you, mr. chairman. attorney gener

now, raqqa was a place where isis revelled in its own brutality. carrying out public beheadings and revealing its leaders to be blood thirsty killers. it is a twisted version of islam that is unrecognizable to most muslims. the loss of raqqa is obviously symbolic because it was the so-called isis capital. but along with the loss of other towns and cities in syria and iraq, it may also weaken the group's ability to carry out terror attacks here in the middle east and elsewhere. elaine. >> holly williams. thanks. >>> the fourth u.s. service member killed in west africa last week identified. army special forces sergeant ladavid johnson. 25, was from miami gardens, florida. he was killed along with three green berets. two other soldiers were wounded. the americans were ambushed on wednesday during a counterterrorism patrol in niger. al qaeda is suspected but other militant groups in the area. >> political crisis unfolding in spain, catalonia region expected to declare independence this week. many complain that they live a lot more to the spanner govern

holly williams is in northern syria. >> isis is on its last legs in raqqa. the city that was once the so-called capital of the islamic state. stretching from syria and into iraq. u.s. backed forces already control around 90% of raqqa and local leaders say that 275 isis fighters were evacuated from the city today in buses. along with roughly 400 civilians. on friday and saturday another 100 isis fighters also surrendered according to u.s. backed forces, taking around 500 civilians with them. now that is probably an indication of just how desperate those isis gunmen have become. during a four month long siege by the u.s.-led coalition. in other places we have seen isis fight to the death. remaining isis fighters in raqqa are holed up around the city's sports stadium. isis seized raqqa in early 2014 and terrorized its people for over three years. with public beheadings and a harsh interpretation of islamic law that is unrecognizable to most muslims. elaine. >> holly, thank you. >>> there were new developments this weekend in the harvey weinstein scandal. oscars

he useto raqqa and claimed to have killed dozens of isis extremists. he took us to see a long-dead corpse. the only signs of life in most neighborhoods, apart from the fighters, are stray cats. they're trying to stay alive, like everyone else in this beleaguered city. u.s.-backed forces continue to say that they are just days away from victory in raqqa. but they've already opened up a new front further to the south, where isis is being squeezed into a shrinking area in the desert so the fighting will continue. anthony. >> mason: holly williams in northern syria. the associated press has obtained what it says it a recording of the acoustic attack on u.s. diplomats in cuba. at least 22 were hurt. some searched brain injuries. here is a bit of that sound. the cuban government denies it was behind the new york city police said today they're searching their files for any explaints against hollywood producer harvey weinstein. at least 32 women accused him of sexual harassment or assault. jericka duncan is following the case. >> this has been part of our worl

as well as the damage inflicted by thousands of bombs dropped on r raqqa. reducing entire neighborhohoods to o rubble. was stadium w which w w can see hehere w was usedd as an arp ofof and also. used as a prison by the jijihadists. and it s s in thatt stadium at tododay's press cononfere wawas held we cacan listen t what a spokespspson for the syrian at democratic forces. to say. do you know. we will hand over control of the city of raqqa in its rural areas for the rockets civil council. and along with it the protection of the city and its rural areas. while the stf will continue to protect the borders of the province against all external threats. we confirm that the future of the rock a government will be decided by it's own people within the framework of a decentralized. federal and democratic syria where the people of the governorate govern their own issues. a spokesperson of the syrian a democratic forces declaring victory in the city of raqqa. now it's been a dramatic week in iraq quicker edition government forces have been facing often also exchanging

. >> american and allied forces liberated raqqa and across syria and iraq, the caliphate is crumbling. you can be assured, we will not rest, we will not relent until we hunt down and destroy isis at

also tonight the battle for raqqa. syrian forces backed by the u.s. military, make the final push to drive out isis. >> and one week after the las vegas massacre, the handwritten note found in the sniper's nest, calculations aimed at maximizing the carnage. ♪ the country star on stage when shots rang out, pays tribute to the victims. ♪ and i won't back down >> one of the 58 killed was a wife, mother and kindergarten teacher. >> she was the best teacher and i'm sorry. ♪ >>> welcome to the "overnight news." i'm elaine quijano. for the fourth time in six weeks, americans are mopping up after a hurricane. this time, it's nate. the storm made landfall in louisiana saturday night and again sunday morning in mississippi. this morning, nate's deflating and rolling north, still bringing heavy rain and strong gusts. the storm killed more than 30 last week in central america. but the deep south was spared that level of rudectflstn.ded.io and many are without power. mark strassmann is in biloxi. >> nate's sprint into biloxi was second landfall in three hour

i want to start here in raqqa. i mean, it's certainly good news that -- but it doesn't mean the slate is clean in raqqa. if you would, walk us through the residual effects, the aftermath. what happens there now? >> thanks, arthel. well, it was almost two years ago next month that then-president obama sent 50 special forces advisers to northern syria to knock down the first domino. raqqa is certainly one of the dominoes, the big one for the strategic and propaganda victory in eastern syria, but the euphrates river valley southeast of raqqa all the way to the anbar province, the border with iraq, is still infested with isis. and our troops are still going to be advising our kurdish and arab allies to continue to eradicate leftover isis pockets in that part of the country. and iraq is still fighting isis in their own, in parts of their country as well. arthel: uh-huh. and then you have, you know, senator graham saying, listen, don't be surprised if a lot of this, this fighting with isis ends up in africa. so how does

at the heart of raqqa, they're giddy with victory. the syrian democratic forces controlled the city that the so—called islamic state hailed as its capital. paradise circle, it's called, and here they beheaded people. their hatred crossed continents. three years ago, is did victory laps here. but there caliphate is now in ruins and they're on the run. it was arab and kurdish fighters, men and women, who did a jig, celebrating the islamic state's retreat. the sdf fought in sandals and the most basic of weapons but they had a killer advantage. coalition air power. that helped drive is out, but it also emptied the city of a quarter of a million people. hundreds of civilians may have died in the western bombardment. younus omar and his family, though, survived. they've onlyjust managed to escape. is used them and thousands of others as human shields. his wife says, "they shot at my family but allah is stronger than them." younus says, "it was a horror, i tried to leave twice but i couldn't. they were shooting at me. they said, ‘you're

us—backed forces who are battling to capture the syrian city of raqqa say they have launched their final assault on the city. local forces began the offensive on sunday — after a number of so—called islamic state fighters and their families left the city. nice to see you. thank you for coming in. how likely is it that this is a tipping point because we hear about final assaults and they are never as final as you think. hear about final assaults and they are never as final as you thinkm will be the final assault but what you might get based on what has happened in mosul is pockets left behind, desperate people who want to do suicide attacks, hiding in buildings or tunnels to attack the occupying forces, we might get a few of those from time to time but in terms of clearing the city it does peer bogey appear it's the final stages but it will take a long time for normality to resume, the city has been devastated. it's hard to tell the exact figure, over the several years this conflict has been raging thousands, hundreds of thousands have left in this recent evacuation, thousands evacuat

. >>> celebrating the defeat of isis in raqqa. raqqa was used as the defacto capital for the terrorist group. it could take months before raqqa is cleared of all the explosives that were laid by the terror group. more than 3,000 people were reportedly killed during the 5 month battle for the city. >>> the pilot of the worst hot air balloon crash in united states history was deeply impaired by drugs. that's the report by the ntsd. 16 people died in that crash. investigators say alfred skip nickels flew with enough benadryl in his system to have the equivalent of a blood alcohol level of a drunken driver. plus, they say he had been taking sedatives, and decision making. he ignored warnings about clouds in the area, and nickels had at least four drunken driving convictions. >>> dozens of families facing eviction from their mobile home park in manassas, are relieved they're getting to stay. the move allows a charity called catholics for housing to take over management of the property. sewage problems have been plaguing the park since

today is the 26th september and daesh attacked behind our lines in raqqa. syria wasn't his country and he wasn't a soldier, but jack holmes from bournemouth made the battle against the so—called islamic state his own. he said the fight against is was everyone's war. i met him just over a month ago before raqqa fell. it was to be his last television interview. is were a threat to the world, he said. they are a barbaric, fascist terrorist organisation who essentially want to take over the world and, if you don't comply by their rules, they will kill you. you worked in it, right, in bournemouth? yeah, a long time ago. yeah, a long time ago now, but why is that your fight? 0riginally, ijust feel like it was something that i wanted to do, i had to do it and i knew i could do it, which i think a lot of people can't. he commanded a sniper unit of foreign fighters. today, his comrades in arms hailed him as a hero, full of kindness. in the wreckage of raqqa's buildings, he would sit for hours waiting for a kill. and it was in these streets that he died, attempting

and raqqa's women embraced their female liberators, and shed subjugation. but there's a lot of work left. and the very political and regional conditions that helped launched this war, still exist. for the pbs newshour, i'm nick schifrin. >> sreenivasan: stay with us. coming up on the newshour: in california, finding a place to live after so much has burned. mark shields and david brooks analyze the week's political news. chinese artist ai weiwei's newest project. but first, what life is like in the u.s. virgin islands one month after hurricane maria struck. william brangham has an update. >> brangham: given what happened when recent hurricanes hit texas, florida and puerto rico, it's easy to lose sight of the u.s. virgin islands where 100,000 american citizens live. they were hit by two category-5 storms in the span of two weeks. progress is being made, but there's a long way to go. on st. john, for example, power is largely still out for everyone. electricity is quite limited on st. thomas and st. croix, too. many structures, including two hospitals, schoo

the town of raqqa near the iraq border in eastern syria. the terror group's capital going back to 2014. breaking news this morning on a tuesday. i'm bill hemmer. good morning. welcome to "america's newsroom." sandra, hello. >> sandra: good morning, bill. i'm sandra smith, a commander with the troops says isis has been defeated and they're sweeping the city for any final threats. this after reclaiming the city's hospital which was doubling as an isis command center. >> bill: senior foreign affairs correspondent greg palkot in london with more details. what are we learning, greg? confirmed or not? >> it is looking like we're at a major turning point, a story that we and the whole world have been watching for the past three years plus now. we're talking about the syrian city of raqqa, the capital of the caliphate of the so-called islamic state, or isis, that has fallen to the combined forces of kurdish and arabic fighters. according to the forces a u.s. official telling fox news a few minutes ago circumspect, 90% of the city has been recapture