Transcripts For CNNW CNN Newsroom 20140810

In Ontario County, new york, from the sheriffs investigators there who will bring us up to date on the investigation now involving a tragic accident on a dirt track in new york involving nascar champion driver tony stewart behind the wheel as that vehicle crashed into a fellow driver, kevin ward, costing him his life. More on that tragic accident taking place last night. A 20yearold driver is dead. Nascar champion tony stewart now under investigation. First, a warning. We have frozen this video just before impact, but it still might be too graphic for some audiences. This is how it happened. At a dirt track race in upstate new york last night, nascar Champ Tony Stewart apparently clipping kevin ward jr. s car, knocking him out of the race. And then you see ward getting out of the vehicle, still on an active track there when stewarts car hit him. The 20yearold pronounced dead at a local hospital. Crystal cranmore joins me from watkins glen, just 20 miles away from where that dirt track was. Shes a reporter with Time Warner Cable news in syracuse. Crystal, give me an idea what the atmosphere is like there. Im sure a dark cloud hovering over the track there today in watkins glen. Reporter hi, fredericka. Thank you. Youre right. A lot of people are disappointed that tony stewart could not participate in the cheezit 355. A lot of people are sad. A lot of people were at the garage when they were preparing the car for his replacement. You know, again, very disappointed. At the same time, though, a lot of the fans say that they feel for the victims family. You know, they understand. By the way, this is Tony Stewarts second time missing the cheezit 355. So that only adds to the frustration. Fredericka . Crystal, we understand that the ontario Sheriffs Department will be holding a press conference momentarily. We dont know whats going to be said until it is said, but we know an investigation is under way. There have been no charges that have been filed as of yet as far as we know. We do know from the sheriff that stewart has been fully cooperative. Is it also true that spectators from the event last night are being asked to provide photos or videos . Are you hearing an update on that . Reporter yes, fredericka. You know, the Ontario County Sheriffs Department is asking people to send in their video to help, to provide those video accounts. You know, as you mentioned earlier today, there has been video circulating that is a little graphic. So any little bit helps is what the Ontario County Sheriffs Department is saying. Okay. Thank you so much, crystal cranmore, appreciate that. Keep us posted as you learn more information. Of course, when that press Conference Takes Place involving the Ontario County Sheriffs Office, well take you there live. All right. We do understand that things have gotten under way with that press conference. Lets look at a picture. And here we go. Lets see if we can hear anything. Since that time and continuing as we speak, an investigation is ongoing headed by this agency and reaching out to other organizations as appropriate to try and identify all the potential factors for this ontrack crash and subsequent death. Right now were less than 16 hours into this investigation. And it continues to be ongoing. Of particular interest at this time is forensic examination of any videos that exist of this crash that occurred last evening. Were also finishing a Law Enforcement reconstruction of the crash, interviews. Wow, sorry about that. An interruption in that press conference coming from the Sheriffs Office there in Ontario County. What we were able to hear there, just 16 hours into the investigation as to what happened, what preceded of the hit between the vehicle that nascar champion tony stewart was driving and kevin ward who was on foot after getting out of his vehicle after their two vehicles made contact. And then kevin ward, that costing him his life. You heard from the sheriff who said they are looking for any video from any of the spectators about what took place last night. We get more information, well bring it to you. All right, now, moving on to iraq where were getting new developments about u. S. Personnel working there. The u. S. State department has relocated some staff as violent militants threaten Northern Iraq. Aaron mcpike is live for us at the white house. What is the latest from the u. S. Government on the situation there, and what potentially is the strategy next . Reporter fredericka, the state department has issued a new travel warning to iraq for americans. And as you mentioned, they are relocating staffers from the embassy in baghdad as well as the consulate in erbil and moving them to a consulate in basra and another location in amman. I want to read part of that that explains it. They say the ability of the embassy to respond to situations in which u. S. Citizens face difficulty including arrests is extremely limited. U. S. Citizens in iraq remain at high risk for kidnapping and terrorist violence. Terrorist violence. Now, president obama said just yesterday that his Overall Mission here is to protect americans and american interests. So hell do whatever it takes to do that. And this may be a longterm mission. But along those lines is where were hearing some criticism in washington start to form more today. We hear from a number of republicans on some sunday shows including cnns state of the union where john mccain was a guest. And he said that obamas actions dont really amount to a strategy at all, that what he is doing is ineffective and it is not going to effectively dismantle the socalled Islamic State. We also heard today from House Homeland Security chairman peter king, a republican as well as republican senator lindsey graham. And they both warned that we could see attacks on american soil at this point from isis, fred. All right. Erin mcpike at the white house, thanks so much. All right. At first, the public felt sorry for the parents of a georgia toddler who died in a hot car this summer. But reactions quickly changed to hate and scorn as investigators charge the father, ross harris, with murder. His wife, leeanna, has avoided the spotlight until now. Well hear from her next. I make a lot of purchases for my business. And i get a lot in return with ink plus from chase. Like 50,000 bonus points when i spent 5,000 in the first 3 months after i opened my account. And i earn 5 times the rewards on internet, phone services and at Office Supply stores. With ink plus i can choose how to redeem my points. Travel, gift cards, even cash back. And my rewards points wont expire. So you can make owning a business even more rewarding. Ink from chase. So you can. Man [ laughs ] those look like baby steps now. But they were some pretty good moves. And the best move of all . Having the right partner at my side. Its so much better that way. [ male announcer ] have the right partner at your side. Consider an aarp Medicare Supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare Insurance Company. Go long. Insured by unitedhealthcare Insurance Company. Its the trusted resource. And now, kbb. Com has a whole new way to help you decide on your next new car by showing you what really matters. Use 5year cost to own to compare the long term cost of maintenance, insurance and gas. Read reviews. Woman gas milage is awesome. From actual owners and Kelley Blue Book experts. And get the full picture on what its like to own the cars youre considering kbb. Com ross harris remains in jail facing murder and Child Cruelty charges for leaving his toddler in a hot car. But for the first time were hearing his wifes side of the story. Her attorney spoke with cnns victor blackwell. Reporter the death of my son is still unreal. I now live a tortured existence. The emotional first words from leeanna harris since a georgia judge denied bond for her husband, justin. Hes pleaded not guilty for the death of their 22monthold son, cooper. Cooper died in june after being left in this sweltering suv for seven hours. Both parents say it was an accident. However, in this victim impact questionnaire sent to leeanna harris by the District Attorney and released by her attorney, harris listed herself as the victim. Shes a victim of shes lost a child. Shes a victim of public perception, thinking that she had something to do with it. Reporter in a Network Exclusive interview, Lawrence Zimmerman says accusations that she plotted to kill her son that are based on her perceived lack of emotion have left harris with no confidence in society. Shes supposed to be publicly emotional . Is that how people are supposed to react to tragedy in their life . I dont think theres a right way to react to tragedy. Reporter and what about the testimony from cobb county detective Phillip Stoddard during his husbands probable cause hearing . In front of several witnesses, all of a sudden she states ross must have left him in the car. She had him sit down. And he starts going through this. Sch s she looks at him and she says, did you say too much . Reporter in a statement she writes ross was a wonderful father and he loved cooper with all his heart. Because i know how i treasured that little boy for 22 months, i know he would have never allowed any harm to come to our son. I want to you know what a loving father he was to cooper. Then there are those accusations ross was sending sexually explicit messages while cooper suffered in the heat. He was having up to six different conversations with different women. The most common term would be sexting. There are photos of his exposed penis, erect penis, being sent. Reporter leeann tha writes whatever transpired in our marriage is between god and us for he will judge those moral sins. Eventually there will be the right time and the right place for her to possibly speak publicly, if thats what she wants to do. But certainly not yet. Reporter is it something she wants to do . Does she want to speak out and say heres the truth . I think anybody who is being cast in a false light or a negative light, maybe thats the better word, would always want to defend themselves. If someone called you out on something, youd want to defend yourself. But because she is in the public eye this way, you know, its hard for her to do that. Reporter why is it difficult . Why isnt now the time . If the truth is the truth today, it will be the truth during a trial or after trial, why not come out and tell the truth now . Because she is not only dealing with the loss of her child, her husband and grieving and trying to get her life back in order, shes also concerned that the District Attorneys office may try to level a charge against her. Reporter does your client expect charges . I think we are hoping that the District Attorneys office is looking at her as a victim of a crime since she lost her child, that thats a sign that theyre not going to charge her. Reporter but in a statement to cnn, a cobb county spokeswoman writes, we are required by the crime victims bill of rights to send those forms to all victims or victims next of kin, and it is standard procedure in the cobb county District Attorneys office to do so. Regardless of charges, zimmerman says leeanna harris is holding on to at least one longterm plan. I know she wanted to have another child. I think anybody who loves children would want more children. Reporter victor blackwell, cnn, atlanta. Soon College Athletes might actually profit from playing. A federal judges ruling could change College Sports as we know it. Well explain. In new york state, were changing the way we do business, with startup ny. Weve created tax free zones throughout the state. And startup ny companies will be investing hundreds of millions of dollars in jobs and infrastructure. Thanks to startup ny, businesses can operate tax free for 10 years. No property tax. No business tax. And no sales tax. Which means more growth for your business, and more jobs. Its not just business as usual. See how new york can help your business grow, at startup. Ny. Gov so nice, so niiice sweet, sweet st. Thomas nice so nice, so niiice st. Croix, full of pure vibes so nice, so niiice st. John, a real paradise so nice, so niiice proud to be from the Virgin Islands and the whole place nice to experience your Virgin Islands nice, book one of our summer packages today. College athletes are a step closer to getting paid. On friday, a federal judge ruled that they deserve to profit from their schools use of their names and images. But this morning on abcs this week, the ncaa president said he plans to appeal. Heres cnns sara gannon. I love the fact that student athletes are standing up for themselves. Reporter the landmark case started with ed obannon, a former ucla basketball player, who sued after he was surprised to see himself in a video game. I just said to myself, you know, somethings got to how why why wasnt he asked, you know . They used my face. They used my likeness. Reporter but they didnt pay him for it. Now the ncaa can no longer ban universities from paying players for the rights to their images. That could really help athletes like tyrone prothrow who often struggle while universities make unions. Hes the former wide receiver who caught this amazing hail mary pass seconds before halftime in a game with his arms outstretched around the helmet of a defender. It became the play of the year in 2005, shown over and over again on tv. Even, you know, eight, nine years later, its still the catch. Thats how famous it is. You probably could go to several schools and ask a random person about the catch, and theyll probably give you a little story about it. Reporter just three games later, this was prothro. His leg was shattered and so were his chances of ever playing in the pros. He graduated, but he struggled financially. Just, you know, been working in the Bank Industry and did a little, you know, pest control sales and then ended up at my job that im at now, and thats cocacola refreshments. To him, it felt like everyone made money off the play except him. Thats changing. Starting in 2016, universities will be allowed to pay players up to 5,000 a year for use of their image. The money will be held in a trust fund until they leave the school. Everybody, basically everybody made money except the kid who gave them the opportunity to make the money on what he did. Reporter Sonny Vaccaro is the former nike executive who basically invented athlete endorsements. Hes also the driving force behind the obannon lawsuit. Theres no television sports. Theres no marketing of tshirts and gatorades and Everything Else without the athlete. Reporter the ncaa has argued that this will ruin College Sports, but the judge rejected that argument saying that fans come for tradition, not for amateurism. I wanted to stand up and say no, this isnt right. And so far, you know, mission accomplished. Reporter sara gannon, cnn, new york. So what now for this case . Joining me via skype is keith reed, sports Business Analyst and former espn senior editor. Keith, good to see you. Great to see you. Thanks. So today the ncaa says they will appeal perhaps for barely 24 hours. There are a lot of College Athletes who consider that federal court ruling a victory. But then now what . What will the ncaas argument continue to be besides, as we saw in saras piece, that this would ruin College Sports . What more will they say in this appeal . Theyre going to continue to argue that these student athletes are just that theyre students first, athletes second. And that ncaa football, basketball, these large programs in division i represent amateurism. The problem that they have is that this is now the second decision this year. Earlier in the year there was a National Labor Relations Board decision in a case that allowed some student athletes, Football Players at Northwestern University to unionize. The law has really not shown itself to be on the side of the ncaa in its arguments that College Athletics is really, at least at the division i level, is about amateurism. Thats a problem theyre going to have. It seems like an uphill climb for the ncaa at this point. So if the ncaa will be arguing that paying College Students would be a distraction, are they also going to be arguing that colleges have the right to make money off these student athletes by using their images if theyre current players or even if theyre former College Players . Well, yeah, thats been the Business Model of the ncaa. I mean, the big problem for them with this decision is that it almost takes away the ncaas i mean, their entire reason for being the ncaa is to regulate College Athletics as a system of amateurism. With these students that come and theyre compensated via receiving a College Education and they move on, but theyre really not doing it for the money. Theyre doing it for the sport. At the same time, the ncaa and all of the institutions are making money to the tune of tens of millions per institution and billions as an industry per year. The only people who havent been able to benefit to this point have been the student athletes. And so theyre going to keep trying to argue this. Its a little funny to hear to hear the ncaa say theyre going to argue that paying the athletes becomes a distraction when we already know all the distractions that students have at this point. We know that about all of the student athletes who have been suspended, we know about the student athletes who have faced sanctions who have been investigated, et cetera, for receiving some kind of compensation, whether it came from the ncaa or somewhere else in these instances to say now were going to pay them and cap it at 20,000, thats going to be a distraction . I dont think so. So why is it that in the Sports Community there are some who argue that this federal court ruling is the demise you kneow, leads to the dehis mo of the ncaa . This kind of regulation is just one of many things that the ncaa would regulate, or does this ruling mean that the ncaa, if this ruling were to hold, would be in trouble . As an institution as a governing body, i should say . Yeah, it opens up a whole lot of questions for the ncaa. If youre no longer able to regulate whether or not students go et paid and are no longer able to stipulate whether or not theyre actually amateur athletes or not, then you have some conferences, the power of five, for example, do they walk away from the ncaa and do their own thing where they dont have to be governed by the ncaa . Does it then gut their ability to regulate some of the other things . If you change the Business Models, then you change the amount of money that the schools are able to bring in and hold on to for themselves. So can they even fight future lawsuits like this . I mean, this really, really puts them in a difficult position in that it has the potential, the potential, to change the Business Models for College Sports and thus for the ncaa itself. All right. Fascinating issue. And its not over yet. Its still the beginning stages, it seems. Keith reed, thanks so much. Thank you. Next, an unarmed teen is shot by police while walking with his friend in the st. Louis area. We wasnt causing any harm to nobody. We had no weapons on us at all. And thats the eyewitness account. The Sheriffs Department sees it differently. Bottom line, the community is outraged. What officials are saying may have led to the shooting. Were live in missouri next. Youre driving along, having a perfectly nice day, when out of nowhere a pickup truck slams into your brand new car. One second it wasnt there and the next second. Boom youve had your first accident. Now you have to make your first claim. So you talk to your Insurance Company and. Boom youre blindsided for a second time. They wont give you enough money to replace your brand new car. Dont those people know youre already shaken up . Liberty mutuals new car replacement will pay for the entire value of your car plus depreciation. Call and for drivers with accident forgiveness, Liberty Mutual wont raise your rates due to your first accident. Switch to Liberty Mutual insurance and you could save up to 423 dollars. Call Liberty Mutual for a free quote today at see Car Insurance in a whole new light. Liberty mutual insurance. Bottom of the hour now. Welcome back. Im fredericka whitfield. Ahead, more on iraq and the middle east. First, a look at other big stories were following. We begin with ebola and this statement from liberias president. If we havent done enough so far, ive come here to apologize to you for that. Liberian president Ellen Johnson sirleaf apologizing for the toll the ebola virus has taken on her country. She says the epidemic has overwhelmed her Nations Health care system. A state of emergency is in effect, and military troops have set up checkpoints to try to contain the virus. Sirleaf says her country is building a crematorium and wants the u. S. To conduct Clinical Trials in liberia. Of the drug used on two infected american aid workers now receiving treatment in the u. S. And a wildfire in Northern California grows and several communities are forced to evacuate. The 8500acre fire is only 30 contained. At least 11 people have been injured including several firefighters. And its tough to play golf when it looks like this. The final round of the pga championship was suspended this afternoon as heavy rain hit the course in louisville, kentucky. Its the final major tournament of the year. But guess what . Now play has resumed. And rory mcilroy leads. Youll remember tiger woods didnt make the cut. In this tournament. Hey, so if youre up tonight, take a look toward the sky. Another supermoon is on tap this evening. A supermoon is when the moon is at its closest point to the earth. It is 12 bigger and 30 brighter than usual. And if thats not enough, you can catch the Perseid Meteor Shower on wednesday. A community in the st. Louis area is outraged after police shot an unarmed teen yesterday afternoon. The victim is just 18 years old, Michael Brown. His mother says he didnt deserve it. My son just turned 18 and graduated from high school. He dont bother nobody. They told me how many times my son was shot. Eight. But police say shots were fired after there might have been a physical altercation with the police officer. Grant basell with affiliate ksdk joins us from st. Louis. Police held a press conference this morning. What was said about the sequence of events that led up to the shooting . Because it differs from what many eyewitnesses have said. Reporter it is very different, in fact. The police say that Michael Brown assaulted an officer. There was a struggle within the officers vehicle for the Police Officers weapon and that the officer fired one shot inside the vehicle and then got out of the vehicle and fired multiple other shots, shooting and killing Michael Brown. Witnesses say he was aggressor. He approached them. Michael brown being one of them, of course, and told them they needed to be on the sidewalk. Told them that they were basically bothering people. There was a little bit of disagreement apparently between them. And they say the officer reached through the win, grabbed Michael Brown and was struggling with him and then shot him. They say they ran away and that Michael Brown was shot while he was running and then again while he was surrendering. Clearly two different stories in this case. And we have yet to learn exactly what led to this shooting. So grant, what more do we know about Michael Brown . We heard from the mother there in that sound bite who says, you know, he wasnt bothering anybody. He just graduated from high school. And we also know that whhe was staying with his grandmother for the summer. And this is the neighborhood where his grandmother lives . Reporter yes, yes. Thats what weve been told, that he was on his way back to his grandmothers home, walking back from a Grocery Store with a friend. As far as what we know about Michael Brown, again, you know, it sounds from witnesses as though he was a good, respectable kid, had graduated this past spring from high school and was set to begin college tomorrow, actually. Obviously, that will not happen because his life was taken far too young. But from all accounts, he was not a troublemaking young man at all. All right. Grant bissell, thank you so much from our affiliate ksdk. All right. Coming up, the latest on the crash that killed race car driver kevin ward jr. What are investigators saying . [ female announcer ] we help make secure financial tomorrows a reality for over 19 million people. 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Nascar driver tony stewart is under investigation for hitting and killing another driver during a dirt track race. The incident happened last night at a sprint car race in upstate new york. Weve edited this footage, but it is still maybe too graphic for some. Witnesses say stewart spun out fellow driver kevin ward jr. Kevin ward then got out of his car and then was hit by stewarts car. We see him walking on the track there. Then the impact happens shortly thereafter, sending him sliding down the track. Ontario county new york sheriff says an ambulance took ward to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. Kevin ward jr. Was 20 years old. Stewart was questioned and released after the incident. The sheriff says stewart is, quote, very upset and has been fully cooperative with the investigation. This is right now being investigated as an ontrack crash. And i dont want to infer that there are criminal charges pending. I would only say that the investigation, once completed, we will sit down with the District Attorney and review it. But i want to make it very clear there are no criminal charges pending at this time. This is an ongoing investigation. Tony stewarts spokesman released a statement to cnn early this morning. It reads a tragic accident took place last night during a sprint car race in which tony stewart was participating. Tony was unhurt, but a fellow competitor lost his life. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. Were still attempting to sort through all of the details, and we appreciate your understanding during this difficult time. Tony stewart only returned to racing last month almost a year after breaking his leg in a crash in iowa. He didnt return to racing in any form until february, and that was to get ready for the daytona 500. Stewart is a threetime nascar champion and is coowner of the stewarthaas racing team. The sheriff is asking for people with video to contact their office so copies can be entered into the investigation. Rashan ali, thanks so much. A big story well continue to follow. Also still ahead, as the crisis in iraq intensifies, why are isis militants trying to recruit women . Man [ laughs ] those look like baby steps now. But they were some pretty good moves. And the best move of all . Having the right partner at my side. Its so much better that way. [ male announcer ] have the right partner at your side. Consider an aarp Medicare Supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare Insurance Company. Go long. All right. Lets get a sense now just how bad the situation is for thousands of religious minorities on the run in iraq. And in order to do so, you have to go there. Cnns ivan watson has. He shows us the desperation of the people who are literally running for their lives to escape the brutality of isis militants. Reporter desperation on a mountaintop. Kurdish civilians, some clearly wounded, baking in the august sun. This little girl crying i lost my sister and brother. Where is my mother . With every passing day, kurdish Officials Say more people die here of dehydration and exposure to the extreme august heat. Kurdish Officials Say tens of thousands of people from the yazidi religious minority fled to this Mountain Ridge to escape isis militants who recently captured the nearby town of sinjar. Isis have the yazidis surrounded. The trapped people relying on air drops of vital water and food delivered by the u. S. And iraqi air forces. Kurdish tv released this footage of a helicopter delivering assistance to the same area. A lucky few make it on board the flight to safety. Their faces pretty much say it all. Not far away, isis militants have been celebrating their latest advances, showing off their control of the mosul dam, a strategic piece of iraqi infrastructure. If it breaks, it could flood all the way down to the capital, baghdad. Further east, u. S. Airstrikes appear to have slowed the isis advance. Bombing suspected isis positions just west of the river, just 20 minutes drive away from erbil. Kurdish officials relieved and thankful for the u. S. Intervention. We are most grateful and express our gratitude and deep, deep appreciation for president obama and the u. S. Administration and for the courageous u. S. Army and airmen who are now patrolling the skies of iraq and iraqi kurdistan. Reporter u. S. Air power has given the Kurdish Administration in erbil the opportunity to bolster its defenses around this fragile sanctuary in the north where hundreds of thousands of iraqis fled to escape the isis advance. Ivan watson, cnn, erbil in iraqi kurdistan. Erbil is just about an hours drive east of mosul. And mosul is another key city in Northern Iraq that isis militants have overrun and seized. And one group of family members right here in atlanta is very worried because they have relatives in the middle of all of this chaos. Nick valencia spoke with them today. So nick, their greatest fears are what . Well, not being able to see their family again. They havent been able to get in touch with them. And theyre really scared for their safety. They have more than 30 family members. These are cousins, aunts, uncles, all unaccounted for this they live in mosul or surrounding area. In fact, the fear is so real that its paralyzed them here, so much so that they dont want to use their real names. I spoke to one of the sisters earlier who talked to me about her reaction in seeing the images of those caught up in the conflict. Help, please. All the humanitarian agencies ignore. Please take them to a safe haven. Your familys there as well. When we left the country, it was war. I was born in a war. Left, it was a war. And we came here. And look at the situation. She went on to say that there is a generation now living in iraq that will nothing else but war. She said she had a message for the leaders in iraq saying that it needs to come change needs to come from within. Its going to take more than International Intervention to change this. Shes just very worried about her family members. They havent been able to get in touch with them, fred. So before this moment where, you know, theyre unable to have contact, in the earlier discussions, was there ever an expression of fear or worry that something was imminent, that these militants were on the way to mosul . That it posed a threat . I asked them specifically about that. We heard president obama say that there was, you know, intelligence, the intelligence estimate on the ground there and here as well just didnt see this or how quickly they would advance. Well, neither according to her, neither did her family. They were caught off guard by this. And now the fear is that they will end up losing their lives in this, fred. Its terribly sad. Thank you so much. You bet. Of course, were hoping the best for that family and the thousands of other iraqis facing this. Thousand to the middle east. In a little more than an hour, a ceasefire between israel and hamas is expected to start. Both sides have agreed to a 72hour truce. It begins at 5 00 p. M. Eastern time which is midnight gaza time. Were back in a minute. The u. S. Has relocated some state department staffings working in two iraq cities nchl travel warping the state Department Says some workers in the embassy in baghdad and erbil have been relocated. Both locations are, however, still open. The Islamic State in iraq and syria and the heaviest bombings so far. The u. S. Said it hit armed trucks and more positions in five strikes today. Also today 20,000 yezidi iraqis who had been stranded in the sinjar mountains have been rescued. They had fled to the mountains to escape isis and they had been stuck there with no food or water in blistering heat. Iraqi officials said today Kurdish Forces fought back isis enough to bring to refugees some safety. But there are still thousands left. Its not an independent state but the kurdish region of iraq has played an Important Role in stabilized iraq and its neighboring areas and as the kurds try to fight isis, theres a great deal hanging in the balance. Heres cnns richard roth. Reporter americas air strikes in iraq highlights the report of washingtons relationship with the kurds. The kurds are the very best friends we have in the middle east. Theyve always been there second only to israel. We have no better friends there. Reporter now the friends are facing their toughest enemies in two decades in the form of isis, also known as the Islamic State, the extremists who are terrorizing their way through iraq. We can and should support moderate force os who can brijs stability to iraq. Reporter over the years the United States has been a strong alie to the kurds and the president barzani. Im very grateful for the welcome from him. Reporter they dont have their own country but have autonomy in a region called kurdistan, the most stable part of iraq while the rest has deteriorated. The kurdish fighters have a good reputation but ammunition is rubbing low. If the kurds fall it could lead to a domino effect. This is a terrorist organization that has ambition not only with iraq, syria, and the region, but also regionally and therefore it could pose a threat ultimately to the United States. Reporter americas support for the kurds soared after hundreds of thousands of people were brutalized under the rule of saddam hussein. In such a conflict filled region, the kurds have long made overtures even to iran forging alliances on all sides but especially with the United States. I think that has created a not so much a dependent but a certain mutual loyalty which helps explain why the United States is getting involved right now and why the u. S. Wasnt involved a week ago. Reporter now two decades later the kurds are an ally the u. S. Cant afford to lose and may be critical in the effort to stop isis. Richard roth, cnn, new york. Iraqi officials tell cnn isis is ramping up its recruiting efforts. While their primary target is young sunni men isis is also trying to get western women to join the fight and not just for martyrdom but for marriage. Cnns Stephanie Elam has more. Reporter theres leaning in and then theres arming up. The idea that women can be involved in jihad is something that people still dont take as seriously as they should. Women around the world are now taking part in jihad. In nigeria, syria, and now in america. The number of women willing to give their lives to terrorists and extremists experts say have increased over the last 15 years. We see western women going to jihad and syria for about a year and half now. Reporter why now . Experts believe terrorists count only them to get past terrorist intelligence agencies. Theyre western women that come with their passports. Theyre going to fall under the radar screen. The majority of the women are going to go there to be traditional wives. Reporter but thats not always the case. Take american shannon conley. The 19yearold is charged with providing material support. Was allegedly was on her way to join him in syria before officials picked her up in april. She was interviewed no fewer than nine times before her arrest by the fbi because she was scoping out a local church. Reporter her attorney had no comment. Many of these women are radicalized at home, seduced on the internet. How are they appealing to the western women . You dont have to convince that many. If somebody spams millions of people, you ontario need a certain number that are going to respond to that. Reporter the scariest of prospects are the lone wolveses, the people who act on their own. The College Student dropped out just before her graduation and tried to assassinate a member of the British Parliament for supporting the war. She secretly by herself downloaded a hundred sermons. Reporter women fairly unknown are also using twitter to recruit them from the midwest. Like one of the premiere jihadees. Shes british and shes the one that keeps calling to women around the world, especially women in the western countries to come and join the global jihad. They think that theyre doing something good for their community or their people. Reporter a darker side of the fairer sex now wanted around the world. Stephanie elam, cnn, los angeles. Captions by vitac www. Vitac. Com hello, again, everyone. Im fredericka whitfield. We start with tragic accident in car racing. It has its brightest star under examination. Here now is alexandra field. Tony stewart appears to cut off a fellow driver, kevin ward jr. It happens on lap 14 of a 24lap race in upstate new york. Ward forced toward the wall spins out. Its racing. You get to the track, you jump on the track, you hope for the expect the worst, hope for the best. Reporter amateur video obtained by cn shows what happened next. Ward gets out of his car pointing fingers, presumably frustrated by stewart. A yellow flag on the course lets drivers know ho slow down. Several cars pass him and stewart hits him. The 20yearold driver hits him. The driver, killed. This is now being investigated as an on track crash. I dont want to