disturbing. u.s. officials now put the number of isis insurgents inside iraq and syria as high as 10,000. their number is growing with each stunning and savage success on the battlefield. at the same time, the pentagon now says new u.s. troops have just arrived in iraq. their mission, to try to help iraq's military counter this isis terrorist threat. the latest battle is for control of iraq's biggest-refinery. it's not clear at all if iraqi air strikes will really make much of a difference. nic robertson and arwa damon are both standing by in iraq. i'll also speak with a key iraqi insider. let's begin with our pentagon correspondent barbara starr. what are you learning? >> would he have, the latest is the pentagon a short time ago announced u.s. military advisors are back on the ground inside iraq. about 130 of them now near the embassy in baghdad and working to set up a joint operation center in the baghdad region with the iraqis. that's 130 advisors there, and another 50 on the way in the coming days, all part of the president's plan to send up to 300 military advisors into iraq. their first job, they're going to stick around the baghdad area for a while. they will assess what the state of iraqi forces are, what the state of isis forces are. iraqi forces as we know up in the north and the west in some sense of disarray after isis has come through. what is the i.c.e. state of play? i.c.e. the latest estimate, there may be up to 10,000 insurgents in this region between syria and iraq. the border having virtually disappeared. people moving back and forth. weapons moving back and forth. isis on the march living off of its extortion schemes we are told. bringing in millions of dollars even as those isis forces are stretched over a very long distance and their supply lines are stretched, they are bringing in the money to keep themselves going. so if, if president obama were to order air strikes against these isis fighters, what might it look like? let's go to a map, wolf. there are now seven u.s. navy warships in the gulf. aircraft on board tom ma hawk missiles, 1,000 marines in the region. some on those ships, some already ashore. and perhaps the most interesting thing about 308 u.s. military missions over iraq every day now both manned aircraft and drones collecting interrogation about where isis is on the ground. 30 u.s. military flights over iraq every day. it has not been like this since 2011 when u.s. troops left, wolf. >> getting a lot of reconnaissance and surveillance, checking out what's going on. stand by. i want to go to iraq right now. our senior international correspondent nic robertson is joining us. i understand there's a lot of activity around the u.s. embassy in that so-called green zone in baghdad, nick. what are you seeing, what are you hearing? >> reporter: wolf, throughout today, we've seen a number of helicopters that normally are associated with the u.s. embassy here flying in and out of it appearing to come from the direction of the international airport and then this seening after dark, helicopters taking off from the vicinity where we believe is the u.s. embassy taking off from there and then when they're getting up in the air, dropping off flares before flying off again. we're not getting any indication on the ground where they're going precisely, who's on board. but it certainly does seem to come at a time when we know these additional 90 advisors have landed in the country at the moment. also this evening, another development on the state television. the iraqi army or air force at least shown landing helicopters at that the-refinery, baijii, the largest refinery in the country produces much of the country's gas for the cars here and also cooking gas. so the government clearly trying to show that it is back in control of some if not all of that-refinery. the government is really trying to get back on the front foot here and show it's making gains, wolf. >> nick, i understand you also made a dangerous trip outside of baghdad today. what did you see? >> wolf, what we wanted to do was get to the west of baghdad. we know the army has essentially drawn a line in the sand to stop the isis advance coming in from the west from al anbar province you know how they're using the highways they've got control of now linking to safe havens in syria. we're not able to get all the way out to the frontlines there. the security checkpoints become quite frequent, become quite frequent. we were told that it was too dangerous to go any further on. but what we are seeing surprisingly is not a lot of thanks, not a lot of heavy armor when you get ow out towards the west of the city. there are checkpoints. even they seem relatively thinly manned and not a lot of heavy military equipment which kind of raises the question, if i.c.e. fig -- isis fighters push beyond that further out on the edge of the city, seems they wouldn't meet a lot of resistance. we were beyond the city limits today, wouldn't meet a lot of resistance right at the city limits, wolf. >> nic robertson in baghdad for us. thank you. we'll check back with you a little bit later. the extent of the disaster in the iraq can be measured by the refugee crisis. it's a huge refugee crisis right now. the terrorists onslaught sent half a million people fleeing from mosul alone, pushing the total of displaced iraqis to more than a million. let's go live to senior international correspondent arwa damon in the northern iraqi city off erbil. tell us what you're seeing? >> wolf, are earlier in the day we went to one of these refugee camps that has sprung up following in isis offensive. it's about the say 45 minutes a half hour drive maybe north of mosul in the relatively safe autonomous region of iraqi kurdistan. a lot of families had been displaced more than once. a tattered doll their mother picked out of the trash and other bits and piece she scavenged are all the kids have for toys. it doesn't seem real. it's like a dream she says of the home they left behind. it's all gone. the family fled mosul in the middle of the night. but still, she and her husband couldn't spare their children the horrors. we saw isis and a car with three bodies and one had no arm. 7-year-old yaksin says. one had his arm cut off and two didn't have legs. her younger sister adds. the girls didn't sleep for days. it's all too much for her, haunted by the fear of the present and scars of the past. twice over the last ten years, her husband had a gun pointed to his head. they wanted to kill him because of his id. she can't hold back her tears. because of his sect. the second time was when they were in a market. she was pregnant with one of the girls. the family is mixed both sunni and shia. they used to live in baghdad but had to flee the sectarian violence here. that's how they ended up in mosul. for more than a decade iraqis have been trying to keep themselves safe. this recent offensive has caused what aid organizations are calling the single largest mass movement of people in such a short period of time in recent history. around half a million people fled mosul over a few days. dispersed over areas like this one but others are stuck in more remote parts of iraq help can't reach. aid agencies buckling under the syrian refugee crisis had to divert emergency supplies is and desperately need more. warning, iraq and syria's flow of refugees will impact the region in ways we haven't seen. tears pouring down her face, she can't understand how she ended up like this. i swear my heart is burning. the low lives ruined our country and from where did they come? from here she says. iraqis betrayed themselves. wolf when you think what this country has been through over the last ten plus years, it's difficult if not impossible to comprehend the u.s.-led invasion, the sectarian civil war that broke out here dealing with the various insurgent groups and now isis, so many people that were meeting in these refugee camps are so desperate that the first question that they're asking us is can we get asylum anywhere outside of here? they'll talk about how much they love their country but then they'll say to you, our country has been so cruel to us now. we just want to leave. wolf? >> more than a million refugees in iraq alone. all right, arwa, thanks for that heart breaking report. as arwa just showed us the refugee crisis in iraq is exploding. specifically there are an estimated 1.1 million displaced people now in iraq close to half of them fleeing the isis onslaught in the city of mosul alone. and syria's bloody civil war in which isis has played a key role has driven many more from their homes, close to 3 million people in syria have left that country, mo are than 6 million are displaced and desperate within syria. the impact is felt regionwide as jordan, lebanon and turkey are grappling with an unflux of hundreds of thousands indeed millions of refugees. up next, is iraq destined to fall apart? can the insurgents be halted? i'll speak with a key insider insider, the former iraqi ambassador to the united states. and a very important election in mississippi under way today. it's another big test for the tea party. why are democrats voting for a republican? 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[ chainsaw buzzing ] humans. sometimes, life trips us up. sometimes, we trip ourselves up. and although the mistakes may seem to just keep coming at you, so do the solutions. like multi-policy discounts from liberty mutual insurance. save up to 10% just for combining your auto and home insurance. call liberty mutual insurance at... to speak with an insurance expert and ask about all the personalized savings available for when you get married, move into a new house, or add a car to your policy. personalized coverage and savings -- all the things humans need to make our world a little less imperfect. call... and ask about all the ways you could save. liberty mutual insurance -- responsibility. what's your policy? let's get back to our top story. isis militants battling iraqi troops for control of the country's largest-refinery. the united states now estimates that isis may have as many as 10,000 fighters in iraq and syria. this as about 100 or 130 u.s. military advisors are in iraq right now. let's get account latest on the crisis from a key insider. joining us, the former iraqi ambassador to the united states. he served as the iraqi interior minister. welcome back "the situation room." 100 or 150 or 200 u.s. military advisors helping the iraqi mirt realistically, is that going to make such of a difference? >> not in a military sense but i think they can start at least by establishing the real situation, get high quality information and as i see from your reports, there is a lot of aerial activity to survey the area and establish what's going on. so once you have facts then you can move to the next stage. >> do you think the u.s. also actually start bombing isis targets in iraq? >> the worst thing they can do and the iraqi military could do is to bomb indiscriminately, targeting the terrorists is fine. it should be done. they have to be contained. but we have to be careful not to make the populations in those areas suffer even more than they are suffering now. they are absolutely terrified. as you see from your report, many of them have fled. those who is could have fled. >> these isis terrorists have infiltrated within populated areas. it's not easy to go after them. you're going to hit civilian casualties. i think there's no doubt about that. >> that's right. but here we come back to they're necessary for a political solution. this not be solved in a military sense no way. the americans as i said the last interview, the americans had 170,000 boots on the ground and they could not exterminate. you've got to have a political solution. now is the time to do that. >> so it's really up to the iraqis themselves, the leadership in baghdad to get the job done. listen to what the secretary of state john kerry told jim sciutto today in an interview in iraq. listen to this. >> words are cheap. i fully -- i'm not taking anything i hear to the bank and saying wow, it's going to be solved. but i'm hearing things that indicate to me if they follow through on the things they're saying, there's a capacity to have a new government that could be a unity government that could reflect a greater capacity for success. >> you know, so i mean, you believe that nuri al maliki, the the current prime minister can really put together a unity government? >> three things characterized his rule over the last eight rules. sectarianism, corruption, and incompetent. >> so the answer is no, he can't put together a unity government. >> he's part of the problem. >> how do you get rid of him? >> we have a political process. i think this shock to the system that isis has brought about could be an opportunity, could be a wake-up call. >> don't you think the iranians, they're going to do everything they can to bolster him? >> but what interest do the iranians have in having a civil war an raging next door? i'm sure they will begin to see that he is more of a burden than an asset. i believe that the political process now has to be redesigned. i agree generally with the secretary kerry that we need a unity government but we feed more than that. we need a national salvation government. the political process has to be redesigned. it cannot be business as usual. >> it sounds to me like the kurdish population, if you believe the kurdish president up in kurdistan, masoud barzani, he's beak given up and told christiane amanpour we cannot remain hostages for the unknown. the time is for the kurdistan people to determine their future and the decision of the people is what we are going to uphold. looks like the kurds have already decided there's going to be an independent kurdistan. they've got kirkuk, can the oil rich area and control it now. i don't think there's going to be any going back for them. >> i saw that interview and two months ago, i was sitting with president barzani and i had a one-on-one with him. let's give them the credit at least of their harboring hundreds of thousands of people from mosul from other areas. they have been trying also to get this political process to be moving, but it cannot unless everybody plays ball. at the moment, we need change in baghdad. >> and you believe that if the u.s. where is to launch air strikes, the iraqi air force is trying to launch some air strikes. if the u.s. were to do so, it wouldn't be enough just to do it inside iraq. you have to go after targets in syria, as well. >> even if they do that, it's not going to bring about the final solution. it cannot. >> and you know that people in baghdad, this is a city of what, 7 million people, the capital of iraq, they are terrified right now these isis elements could come the into the iraq be capital. >> absolutely. but not only the people in baghdad are terrified. the people who are under isis are terrified. some of them have fled and some of them don't know the where to turn. these isis, look, 10,000, you're talking about 10,000. and you are talking also about 35% of the territory of iraq? this 10,000 cannot adminster that territory. it's impossible. so you can imagine the chaos that's about to be set off. >> ambassador, thanks very much for coming in. weigh continue to check in with you. samir sue may da, the former iraqi ambassador to the united states. coming up, other news we're following including some political news. election night in america. why are democrats turning out to vote for a republican candidate in a closely watched senate runoff? plus sources are revealing new information about the pilot of that missing malaysian airlines plane. we have details what we're learning about his flight simulator. stay with us. at od, whatever business you're in, that's the business we're in with premium service like one of the best on-time delivery records and a low claims ratio, we do whatever it takes to make your business our business. od. helping the world keep promises. and cialis for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment is right. cialis is also the only daily ed tablet approved to treat symptoms of bph, 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two-thirds of it by outside groups showing the intense interest and in a strange twist, democrats playing a key role in this race. how could that be? our chief congressional correspondent dana bash is in jackson, mississippi. what is going on, dan fa? >> you know, wolf, traditionally in runoffs turnout is lower than on primary day or any other election, but we were at a polling station earlier where it was pretty clear that it was already double turnout was double what it was on republican primary day. it's not republicans voting. >> it may be a republican runoff between gop incumbent senator thad cochran and tea party challenger chris mcdaniel, but to these democrats allowed by law to vote in this gop race, party doesn't matter. >> i voted for thad cochran. >> have you ever voted in a republican primary before? >> i have not. >> who did you vote for? >> thad cochran. >> a lifelong registered democrat. >> so why do you like thad cochran so much? >> he's tested. and i just like what he's done for the state. >> thank you. >> this is all part of a concerted effort by establishment republicans to beat back the tea party. a pro cochrane super pac spending big bucks to get out democratic votes for cochrane, especially african-americans. >> i'm really committed to trying to represent the views and interests of all of the people of mississippi. >> but republicans nationwide ethis not just about mississippi. if this year's last big national fight for the heart and soul of the gop. >> if you win, the tea party movement is going to perhaps be back on its heels. if you don't, they're going to get a new lease on life. how much do you feel pressure personally about that? >> well, i feel that a vote for me is a vote for experienced representation in washington. >> nervous national republicans from around the country are all in for cochrane. john mccain was a closer. >> thad cochrane, a good and decent and honorable servant. >> the chamber of commerce hailing a hail mary tv ad with mississippi native brett favre. >> i encourage you to stand with a proven and respected leader, thad cochrane. >> but they're up against genuine anti-washington sentiment. fueled by a candidate who can be articulate grass-roots frustration. >> senator cochrane has been a liberal republican for years. he's confirming that now. he has abandoned conservatives in this state. >> national tea party groups already invested millions in mcdaniel as their best hope of defeating a senate gop incumbent and redoubled efforts, even sending in game show host chuck woolerry. mcdaniel told cnn cochrane courting democrats will fire up conservatives against him even more. >> we are conservatives in this state. if the republican party can't be a party of preys and courage, i question what it's doing at all. >> this was already the nastiest republican fight in the country and it continued even this week, wolf. thad cochran's daughter kate posted a rant against mcdaniel on her facebook page saying that he has lack of wisdom, he relies solely on jesus, the constitution, and common sense and then mcdaniels campaign posted something on his facebook page with that quote but then at the end it said, with #s thank you, kate and who's your daddy? wolf? >> dana, we'll be checking in with you obviously throughout the night as the results come in. dana bash in jackson, mississippi. let's dig deeper right now. joining us "the new york times" reporter ashleigh parker and national political reporter peter he ham. this is a big race for the tea party, the republican establishment. a lot's at stake tonight. give us your early assessment. >> if you talk to cochrane's campaign, they report today what dana is reporting which is they are seeing an increase in turnout in certain precincts including african-american precincts. campaigns always say that on election day. it's impossible to tell. look, if cochrane does win, the outreach that the cochrane campaign made with targeted calls, mail, door to door stuff in african-american communities will become part of the narrative and i kind of think that's kind of amazing if african-american voters in mississippi voted for a republican in a republican primary and helped him over the top. i still think you have to think mcdaniel has the advantage heading into this evening. i think that's what the betting line is right now. >> you're just back, ashleigh, from a week in mississippi doing serious reporting there. give us a little flavor. what do you think? >> what's interesting when you talked to the african-american voters, a lot of them almost everyone. mississippi universally likes thad cochran. they think he's a good guy. among black voters part of it was a vote for thad cochrane and part a vote against chris mcdaniel. they don't like what he stands or for and some of his comments and want to make sure he doesn't win the nomination. >> if chris mcdonnell were to win in mississippi, the democratic candidate for senate from mississippi, travis childers, would he realistically have a chance? we've seen tea party republicans win in other states, delaware a few years ago, nevada, indiana, then lose to a democrat more moderate mainstream democrat. is that realistic at all in mississippi? >> i think the democrats certainly think he would have a better chance. mcdaniel was a radio talk show host and some of his comments have come out already. you can guarantee they're going back and mining so see what other offensive things he has possibly said. they would love to have an eken moment. childers doesn't necessarily wa they think would be good for the democratic brand nationally because they can point to mcdaniel to tarnish the republican brand. >> you know the democrats are looking for more stuff on mcdaniel. >> that's right. mississippi has i think the largest african-american voting population in the country. >> they do. >> this may backfire for the cochrane folks, sorry for republicans if they end up engaging a lot of african-american voters, you know, and then mcdaniel wins and these people show up in big numbers. but one of mcdan's big vublts is on the race issue given past comments. he has supporters who have been tied to the kkk and things like that. that's going to be exploited by democrats. >> some other politics we're talking about, bill clinton giving an interview today and strongly coming to the defense of his wife who said some politically awkward words about their wealth and being broke and all that stuff. listen to the former president defending hillary clinton. >> she's not out of touch. and she advocated and worked as a senator for things that were good for ordinary people. and before that, all her life, are and the people asking her questions should put this into some sort of context. you get to decide what's fair. you get to decide. we've got the first amendment. what i'm saying is, the debate is the wrong debate. >> he's obviously a very strong supporter of his wife. she's gotten herself in a little political hot water. he's coming to her defense big-time. >> the best part of his answer to david gregory was when he said i don't think american voters resent people for being wealthy or successful. i think he's probably right on that. the problem is that hillary clinton you know, fumbled the ball in trying to articulate that and explain her agenda versus her personal wealth. that's where democrats think they have an advantage. i think the bigger picture here when you talk about the long-term is not that any of these comments that hillary clinton has made during the book tour specifically will hurt her in the general election. it's that the this tour revealed the distance between the idea of hillary clinton as a candidate and the actuality of her as a candidate. she isn't as good as she's made out to be. she is mistake prone. she isn't a natural campaigner as her husband. i think you're going to see republicans and perhaps some other democrats look at her and say she isn't as invincable as we thought. remember in 2007, the minute other democrats sensed blood in the water was that driver's license moment in that debate. she immediately average in the plos. other people started to attack her. when she stumbles, other people pounce. we're starting to see that. >> what do you think, ashleigh? >> wealth is a tricky issue for any candidate. i covered romney's presidential bid for a year and a half. i saw firsthand how tough it is to articulate. voters don't actually resent someone's personal success. that's a message you hear on republican and democratic side. when you're a candidate, you want to appeal to the average voter and being wildly wealthy creates a barrier between you that can be tricky to explain. >> it's not just the wealth. it's the bubble. hillary clinton said she hasn't driven a car since 1996. that more than the wealth perhaps might be the issue, the out of touch question. that's going to be part of the narrative. >> we know joe viden loves driving cars. >> uncle joe is a real populist. >> peter and ashleigh, thanks for coming in. throughout the night, we'll bring you the first results from this republican senate contest in mississippi. all the other primary races, as well. i'll be working late together with our political team. coming up, devastating news for the flight 370 families. officials are voicing new doubts about one of the best clues they had to the malaysian planes disappearance. up next, a year after her extraordinary filibuster, wendy davis is now a rising star in texas. but the democratic candidate for governor faces an uphill struggle. gloria borger was in texas with wendy davis. gloria's back in washington. stand by. she's next. >> i believe that people are -- ♪ (train horn) vo: wherever our trains go, the economy comes to life. norfolk southern. one line, infinite possibilities. when folks think about wthey think salmon and energy. but the energy bp produces up here creates something else as well: jobs all over america. engineering and innovation jobs. advanced safety systems & technology. shipping and manufacturing. across the united states, bp supports more than a quarter million jobs. when we set up operation in one part of the country, people in other parts go to work. that's not a coincidence. it's one more part of our commitment to america. humans. even when we cross our t's and dot our i's, we still run into problems. namely, other humans. which is why at liberty mutual insurance, auto policies come with new car replacement and accident forgiveness if you qualify. see what else comes standard at libertymutual.com. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? a year ago, wendy davis pulled off an extraordinary one-woman filibuster which made her a democratic star on the rise in texas. but the candidate for governor faces a tough road ahead. critics have poked a few who else in her very, very compelling life story. our chief political analyst gloria borger just back from texas with a little profile of what's going on. gloria, she's a fascinating woman. >> she is. it's hard enough being a democrat in the very red state of texas, wolf but it's been a very long year since wendy davis talked herself right onto the national stage. >> i could hear literally the capitol roar. >> wendy davis knew it might be the longest day of her life. >> you're recognized. >> i intend to speak for an extended period of time on the bill. >> what she didn't nope was that her fight against an anti-abortion bill would go viral. >> wendy davis. >> and make her a democratic phenom. >> democratic state senator wendy davis almost killed the vote single handily. >> a lot of people knew the name. >> even her pink sneakers would become iconic. >> i almost didn't wear them. at the last minute i ran back in and grabbed my running shoes. >> can you hear me? >> it was war. >> davis was the target. and opponents maneuvered mightily to shut her down. >> were you angry when you saw what was going on? >> i started becoming angry, yes. that anger strengthened my resolve quite honestly. it helped me to be able to really focus on the issue that we were fighting for. >> davis's fight was about stopping a bill that would end late term abortions and impose stricter guidelines that could close clinics. she won. >> when you brought the house down. >> the victory was short-lived. republicans undid it a month later. >> but davis herself had been launched as a potential governor. like another famous texas democrat who took on good old boys, ann richards. davis has none of richards bravado. >> poor george. he was born with a silver foot in his mouth. >> davis is a careful lawyer. >> i'll also share observations. >> but she does share some of richard's grand ambitions. >> i wish had she were still with us because i would have her on speed dial. >> because richards was the last democratic governor in the state of texas. >> i've yearned for her advice actually because i know obviously, be she went through a really tough race and she was subjected to some very unfair scrutiny. but she survived it. >> i am proud to announce my candidacy. >> davis's plan? not running on what made her famous, but on her memorable life story told by her daughter in this campaign video. >> she was raised by a single mother with a sixth grade education. she married young and by 19 was divorced and raising me as a single mother. >> davis and her people had figured that the best way to introduce her was as the sort of quintessential texas boot strapping story of a young woman who by dint of hard work had moved from the trailer park of fort worth all the way up to cum laude of harvard law school while raising two daughters on the side. >> journalist robert draper is a long time observe ser of texas politics. all of that happened to be truth but not the full truth. >> they found the errors raising questions just how much help davis got in footing the bill for harvard or the exact age at which she got divorced which was 21. >> by 19, was divorced. >> would you just say there were mistakes, they were oversight? >> yeah, most women and i've had so many women say this to me, the date of their divorce is the date they ceased to live together as man and wife with their husband. i was a struggling single on my way to being a single mom when i was only 19. >> what do you say to those who say you were shading the record to play into your overall narrative? >> what i say is that i'm proud of my story. my story is my story. >> another part of the story is the struggle of a young mother whose children were in fort worth as she commuted east to law school. >> it was very difficult. as i was commuting back and forth from school. there were some pretty tough nights leaving my girls. but i was doing what i felt was best for them and for me. >> is there some undercurrent here about a woman's appropriate role reparticularly as a mother? >> i think were i a man, this would not even be a topic of conversation. >> davis's battle is uphill. her opponent, attorney general greg abbott, has a double digit lead in the plos. >> our path to victory. >> trying to turn out her voters and turn a bright red state blue makes representedy davis a guarded candidate. >> she can't be too liberal. she can't be too feminist. she can't be too conservative. >> yeah, it's extremely difficult. she must, as well, however, speak to suburban mothers and to single women and these are people who routinely when they voted have voted republican. >> what if you don't win? >> i just don't think like that, gloria. i bent into this race believing that i would win it. and i have been accustomed to being counted out before. but i would imagine a lot of folks would have counted me out way back when i was living in that trailer on my own. wondering how i was going to survive. i'm a fighter. >> thank you for standing up for me truly. >> and gloria, that's an excellent piece. i guess the bottom line question you were just in texas. you spent some time with her. got a feeling what's going on. can she win? >> it's very tough. she's behind by double digits. the last time there was a democratic governor in the state was ann richards. 20 years ago. what they're trying to do is register voters who will vote democratic. and it's battleground texas, taking a page from barack obama's book. for example, 60% of eligible hispanic voters are not registered. so they're trying to get them on the rolls, rem sistering african-americans and suburban women. and if they could do that, they can make inroads whether it will be in enough time for 2014 or potentially for 2016 to make sexs in play, we just don't know the. >> we'll cover it. we'll watch it. already this year we've seen major surprises. >> we have. >> you can't rule anything out. >> that's right. >> thanks very much. good work. gloria borger just back from texas. up next, disturbing new information about the search for malaysia flight 370. plus what our sources are at thing us now about the pilot's flight simulator. and the secretary of state john kerry talks about the crisis in iraq with our jim sciutto. as a battle rages for control of one of that country's most important-refineries. if you have moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, like me, and you're talking to your rheumatologist about a biologic... this is humira. this is humira helping to relieve my pain. this is humira helping me lay the groundwork. this is humira helping to protect my joints from further damage. doctors have been prescribing humira for ten years. humira works by targeting and helping to block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to ra symptoms. humira is proven to help relieve pain and stop further joint damage in many adults. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, have happened. blood, liver and nervous 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missing plane dramatically changed altitudes, flying as high as 45,000 feet and diving as low as 4,000. turns out, that may have been wrong. >> it's very unreliable when it comes to altitude. you just can't trust it. >> if flight 370 did not fly the erratic pattern some once believed, that critically changes how much fuel it burned and ultimately how far the plane could have flown. the head of the australian safety board tells cnn, they will not rely on radar when determining the new search zone. the hunt for the missing plane will move hundreds of miles south where the blue fin 21 searched. that's in the direction an independent group of experts call the most favorable. >> the most likely scenario is that the airplane continue owned a straight heading at about 470 knot. and that's where you end up. >> the focus remains along the southern arc in the indian ocean where the plane made its final satellite connection. the ability to make those hourly connections meant it is unlikely the plane was badly damaged. it was in tact and flying. >> if the plane had broken up or was breaking up, the transmissions would have been ditch re dif /* different. they want have picked them up. >> meanwhile, a renewed focused on the captain's simulator saying he practiced flying over the indian ocean. but the data from the hard drive showed he did not practice a particular route. >> we were told to expect an announcement of the new search area tomorrow. but australians say they first have to get the green light from the malaysians. they have been reanalyzing data and it is pointing them in a different direction. meantime, in a new interview, one of the malaysian airlines executives asked about the search and how it's moving forward. and he is quoted, reportedly, as saying he thought the hunt for flight 370 will go on for decades. >> i heard that. decades. coming up, iraq under attack. more american advisors as the battle against militant isis escalates. plus, the bite seen around the world. or was it? the details after world cup shocker. this is the first power plant in the country to combine solar and natural gas at the same location. during the day, we generate as much electricity as we can using solar. at night and when it's cloudy, we use more natural gas. this ensures we can produce clean electricity whenever our customers need it. ♪ humans. we are beautifully imperfect creatures living in an imperfect world. that's why liberty mutual insurance has your back, offering exclusive products like optional better car replacement, where if your car is totaled, we give you the money to buy one a model year newer. call... and ask an insurance expert about all our benefits today, like our 24/7 support and service, because at liberty mutual insurance, we believe our customers do their best out there in the world, so we do everything we can to be there for them when they need us. plus, you could save hundreds when you switch, up to $423. call... today. liberty mutual insurance -- responsibility. what's your policy? happening now. a growing threat. isis terrorists recruiting thousands in iraq. stand by for a disturbing assessment. as more american boots hit the ground. another key u.s. ally at risk. we are taking a closer look into rising fears that isis is now taking its fight beyond iraq's borders into jordan. and a biting moment in a world cup. did a player with a history of baring his teeth do it again? welcome our viewers from the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >> flames shooting from a critical oil refinery in iraq. you're looking at video after fierce battle under way right now. government forces firing back at isis terrorists. they claim they are holding on to the facility. the government claims that as the fight for iraq rages. the united states is stepping up its presence in the country. another 90 american military advisors have just landed there in baghdad. secretary of state john kerry just wrapped up his second trip to iraq in two days. our correspondents are covering all of the urgent new development in the crisis. first, let's go to our chief national security correspondent. he interviewed secretary kerry in iraq today. he is now joining us. jim? >> reporter: spending these last few days with secretary kerry, i do not get a sense that he or this administration is chomping at the bit for military action from iraq. they are far from certain that iraqi leaders will deliver it. secretary kerry says the most powerful driving force, frankly, is the dire situation in iraq. >> the iraqi military battled isis in fallujah today. as the country eair force targeted militants claiming control over a key military refinery. who is against this backdrop that secretary john kerry travelled to iraq to press the divided leaders to join together. or lose any chance of defeating isis and saving their country. >> in your time here, have you seen any hard evidence of any of the parties involved willing to make compromises? >> words are cheap. i fuelly, you know, i'm not taking anything i hear to the bank and saying, wow, it's going to be solved. but i'm hearing things that indicate that if they follow through on what they say, there is a capacity to have a new government, that could be a unity government. >> the president said my team is working around the clock on options to respond. during 12 days since, isis captured an additional 11 cities and towns. hasn't the delay in the administration's response here on the ground, military action, strengthened isis during time. >> i think the real question, jim sb is not sort of what happened in these days. the question is, what can happen going forward to have a strategy that's going to work. >> more than two years ago bb you were advocating for moderate rebel groups inside syria. when the president was considering military action in syria, some say you gave the speech of your life advocating for that action, explaining for it. of course, it doesn't happen. since then, the war and again we have to speak across border, syria and iraq, has deteriorated. i wonder if you're personally frustrated to watch that. >> no. let's be crystal clear, jim, the reason that the decision to strike syria didn't happen was because we ultimately came up with the better solution after the president made his decision to strike. >> on chemical weapons. but that's not the boots on the ground -- >> but the purpose on the strike was to send a message to assad, don't use chemical weapons. an strike that was calculated to end the regime or to get involved in the war directly tp to end the use of chemical weapons. we found a better solution. we got all of the chemical weapons out. >> but isis has only grown as a threat. >> you're absolutely right. i g. >> secretary kerry raised question to christiane amanpour that curtis is ready for self determination and the response was whatever curtis dance -- that is a consistent message that secretary kerry delivered to sunnis, shias and kurds alike pt the question now is, will they listen. >> thanks very much. we are getting new information about the size and the strength of isis fighting forces in iraq right now. barbara starr is joining us. you've been talking, barbara, to pentagon officials, other u.s. officials. what are you hearing? >> wolf, lots of diplomacy but hard military facts on the ground at this hour. here is where we are. the u.s. estimates that isis has up to 10,000 fighters under its command in that region between sir why and iraq going back and forth across the border, being in both countries. heavily armed and engaging in extortion to raise funds to continue its march. no estimate precisely how many are inside iraq at the moment. because the boreder with syria essentially is gone. people are moving back and forth. so that is what iraq is facing. up to 10,000 militant in its own country. now, u.s. military advisors on the ground, about 130 now on the ground innite rack, another a coming in the next several days. this is the effort to try and assess both the ability of iraq to fight for itself and the ability to counter isis. so what happens if, if it comes to u.s. airstrikes? let's put a map up and show you what the military facts are about what u.s. has at its disposal. right now, there are seven u.s. navy warships in the gulf. dozens of helicopters. about a thousand marines, tomahawk missiles, they would be able to engage in any airstrike option the president were to order. but here perhaps, wolf, is one of the most interesting facts. right now, military wise, the u.s. is flying 30 sorties a day over iraq to collect additional intelligence. reconnaissance and surveillance missions over iraq both unmanned droned and manned aircraft, pilot in the cockpit. it hasn't been like this since 2011 when u.s. troops left, wolf. >> barbara starr at the pentagon, thank you. the u.s. military on alert. isis may be making good on its threat to spread the battle beyond syria and iraq into jordan. jordan very important in the united states. brian is digging in this part of the story. brian, what are you learning? >> wolf, we've been speaking with u.s. and jordanian officials about all of this and they are getting increasingly concerned. we all know about these cities and towns in northern and western iraq captured by isis. but the fear tonight is that isis with the newly recruited fighters, organization and tactical momentum could push as far west as lebanon. and we are told jordan is under more immediate threat. new concerns about the chaotic fight in iraq spilling over into neighboring jordan. one official tells cnn, the push by isis to the boreder with jordan is especially worrisome. and a propaganda video shows the group's event to this key american ally. >> we go to jordan with no problems. >> a former u.s. military intelligence officer who advised general david petraeus in iraq believes isis is getting ready to go up against king abdullah. >> they are opening up another front for the isis campaign. >> there are deep concerns about three refugee camps inside jordan. house morgue than 100,000 refugees. the fear is they will become recruiting ground for terrorists. >> almost certainly going into refugee camps, finding displaced syrianes who have grievances against the assad government and therefore these are easy to translate into grievances against the iraqi government or just into the entire status quo of the region in general. >> reporter: a jordanian official tells cnn they are concerned but is confident their intelligence units will keep isis out. the jordanian prime minister told cnn they have control of their borders. >> in terms of stability and security, it is quite fine. >> u.s. and jordanian officials tell us they see no evidence of organized groups of isis fghters crossing into jordan towards refugee camps or anywhere else. harvey says you may not see that, but the danger is there. >> they will do this in a clandestine way. they will subvert, infiltrate, recruit and set up an underground base. p. >> analysts say they will be patient, moving in pockets inside jordan where they see citizens upset with the economic situation and they will exploit that. their end goal, push all wait into the mediterranean, lebanon and possibly beyond. the israelis have to be worried a little bit. >> as far as the leadership is concerned, i'm sure isis's goal is to take them out. >> that's right. they view jordan's king abdullah. leadership in remember no one and leadership in cairo all as illegitimate. they won't overthrow all of the regimes but say isis is willing to be patient, take ten years or more to challenge as many regimes as they can, wolf. isis for years will make these regimes miserable. >> very worrisome developments, thank you. still ahead, other news wore following, including the irs. the scandal widening to the white house, is it? cnn is asking tough questions. wait until you hear the exchange at today's briefing. and a controversy you can sink your teeth into, even if you don't follow the world cup. a player may have sealed the team's victory by biting an opponent. ♪ [ girl ] my mom, she makes underwater fans that are powered by the moon. ♪ she can print amazing things, right from her computer. 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>> what i didn't hear in that was, an apology. >> i don't think an apology is owed. >> reporter: amid the outrage and accusation, there he sat, he is he is veen /* serene as a saint. >> and making jokes. >> i didn't say that they would disappear. if you have a way for them to magically disappear, i would ask about it. >> trained in physics at duke and law at yale, he work ford anew york mayor, connecticut senator and deputy mayor of washington, d.c. during financial crisis. what he likes most, however, are seemingly lost causes. bringing the cup to the u.s. in '94 when most americans hadn't seen a match. and clinton with the y2k break down. >> quite frankly we asked for all the e-mails. >> you're going to get hundreds of thousands of pages. >> no, no. >> and now with the irs under heavy fire, once he again in the middle of the fray. >> to say this is the most corrupt irs in history, overlooks a lot of history. and there a classic problem which we are dealing with. >> he reacts to it as calm as asking about the weather. when asked about the computer where all of the e-mails were lost. >> do you know where the hard drive is that was lost in 2011? >> after it was determined that was not functional and by experts no other e-mail could be retrieved, was destroyed in the regular process. >> was it physically destroyed is. >> to my understanding. >> he seems maddingly unflappable. >> it is true in administrative hearings, criminal hearings. >> i practiced law once 45 years ago, gave it up for lent and never went back. >> he comes back hard and fast. when asked why his agency didn't better protect the records. >> isn't that in fact a priority that should have allowed for fullry tension. >> we we had more resources we would have. >> i had no evidence whether she beat her dog, whether she beat children. have you no evidence after whole series of things. >> and he is not above giving his opinion whenever he thinks someone need it. >> i have a long career. that is the first time anyone said they don't believe me. >> i don't believe you. >> that's fine. >> maybe the reason that's fine is his personal wealth is estimated about $27 million. somewhere there. maybe a little less. but still a lot of money. the soccer stadium at duke is name aefd him. the truth is, he doesn't need the job nort headaches. he just seems to like it. that is giving republicans fits right now. >> thanks for the insight. a lost people are talking about this guy. thanks very much. just ahead, world cup officials are deciding whether to take action against a player who apparently bit, yes, bit, his opponent. we're going to have details on controversy getting a lot of fans all riled up. millions and millions of people here in the united states and indeed around the world following the world cup competition and new controversy unfolding right now. a player with the history of biting, biting his opponents appears to have done it again. rachel nichols is joining us now with more on what's going on. what is going on over here, rachel? >> well, when this guy played in holland, they nicknamed him the hannibal. he is uruguay's best player. but look what happened today. this is the third time that he's been accused of biting, biting an opponent. this is to a defender in italy and you know, the italians lost this game shortly afterwards. they are up in arms about this. a lot of controversy. and it'll be interesting to see whether he plays the rest of the world cup. there is a lot of people who want him banned the rest of the way. >> who makes that decision? how long does it take? >> fifa officials make that decision. they don't have a real process. which is part of the controversy. there are some people who feel they will let this go under the rug. italy is going home. >> i will read a tweet for you from evander holyfield. a lot of us remember that incident he had with mike tyson. when tyson bit off a piece of his ear. he tweeted this, i guess any part of the body is up for eating. i guess that's a little history there. >> i was at the fight. when tyson bit off holyfield's ear. i can tell you, it was very jarring in that moment for me covering it and just as jarring today. people around twitter have been having fun with this today. the mcdonald's account in uruguay, their twitter account tweeted after the match, if you're still hungry, come by for a bite of a big mac afterwards. i can assure you, the italians don't see this as any laughing matter. >> we are all anticipating thursday's big game between team usa and germany. there are a lot of cross-over connections between the germans and americans. american coach from germany, used to coach the germans. this is an important game on thursday. >> absolutely. and the united states is in an advantageous win, lose or draw competition. they can still make it in if there are losses in other matches. but there is some controversy going into the match. the u.s. coach used to coach the germ al national team. used to play for the german national team. he mentored the current coach of germany. there are five german-americans on the u.s. team. because both germany and the u.s. can move forward into the next round if they draw. if they tie. there is suggestion that maybe the coaches might call up each other and say, hey old friend, maybe we should just play defensively and play to a 0-0 or 1-1 tie and we will all just move through. that is not because anyone is saying that he is that kind of guy but it has happened before, with germany. back then, west germany with aust treea to move forward in the world cup. because there is this history be there's been these whispers and the german team and u.s. team denied there is any impropriety going on. but people will be watching. >> i just hope team usa wins. let's talk about basketball. lebron james exercising a termination clause in his contract on july 1st. to become a free agent. you interviewed him for your show. give us a sense of what this means. >> it doesn't mean something astounding. this doesn't mean that lebron will never play for the miami heat again. it just means he put the team on notice to say hey, i have the option to listen to other teams and sign with them and i am going to do that listening. it tells miami you better get a better roster going because they clearly didn't have the roster to beat the spurs in the finals. and it tells other teams, hey, we expt

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