James Foley's Mom Rips US Over Son's Death

James Foley's mother has some blistering words for the US government in how it handled her son's abduction. In an interview with Anderson Cooper that airs tonight on CNN, Diane Foley says she is "embarrassed and appalled" at how American officials acted. Officials threatened family members with prosecution if they paid a ransom, told them not to talk to the media, and made it clear they would not exchange prisoners or use military action to try to free her son, she says. (US special forces reportedly did try to rescue Foley in Syria, but the mission failed.)

"We were just told to trust that he would be freed somehow, miraculously," she says. "And he wasn't, was he?" She says her son, a journalist who had previously been held captive in Libya, "believed, til the end, that his country would come to (his) aid." She adds that she hopes the US learns from its "mistakes" in how to deal with future American hostages. The family of Steven Sotloff, also beheaded by ISIS, currently has "very strained" relations with the White House as well. (More James Foley stories.)