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Driver Hit, Killed; A New Cease-fire in Gaza; Striking Militants, Saving Refugees; Stewart Says He Can't Describe His Sadness; Christians Flee Mosul, Ninevah; Rain Delays Play At PGA Championship

Aired August 10, 2014 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. These are the stories topping our news at this hour.

A horrific tragedy in the car racing world. A young driver killed on the track last night after being hit by NASCAR star Tony Stewart in his vehicle. Stewart's team director spoke today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GREG ZIPADELLI, TONY STEWART'S TEAM DIRECTOR: It's just an unbelievable tragedy. Our hearts go out to obviously Kevin and his family. Thoughts and prayers. This is a very tough, very emotional time for everybody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: More reaction from Stewart's team and the stunning moments that led up to the crash straight ahead.

And in Iraq, a new round of U.S. airstrikes targeting militants today. After three days in a row of bombing, where do things stand in northern Iraq? We'll go there live.

Plus, a new cease-fire is hours away in Gaza. Both Israel and the Palestinians have agreed to it. What they hope to accomplish when the rockets stop flying coming up.

Hello, everyone. We begin with that tragic incident on the racetrack. A 20-year-old driver dead. Now NASCAR driver Tony Stewart is under investigation for hitting and killing Kevin Ward, Jr. during a dirt track race.

Joining me now right now is Nick Valencia.

So exactly what happened?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, this is truly the unimaginable and everyone's worst fear in terms of NASCAR racing. This is really just a very difficult day for those involved. Those who have seen the video have certainly strong opinions. But the investigation continues. And Tony Stewart, that NASCAR star, has not been charged with a crime. Of course the tragedy has turned the world of racing upside down. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALENCIA (voice-over): It's the race that shocked the sport and beyond. Saturday night famed NASCAR driver Tony Stewart was competing in a dirt track race in upstate New York. But on lap 14 of the 25-lap event, fellow driver Kevin Ward, Jr. seems to get cut off by Stewart, forcing him into the wall and spin out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's racing. You come out to the track, you jump on that track, you know, you expect the best -- expect the worst, hope for the best.

VALENCIA: But moments later, amateur video obtained by CNN shows Ward Jr. exiting his car and walking back onto the track, which had slowed for a yellow flag, pointing fingers and presumably in frustration at Stewart. It's then that Stewart's car struck and killed Ward Jr. He was pronounced dead a short time later at a local hospital.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is right now being investigated as an on- track crash. And I don't 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.

VALENCIA: Stewart, a three-time NASCAR champion, was questioned last night. Today he was scheduled to race in Watkins Glen, New York, but a short time ago, his race team made this announcement.

ZIPADELLI: It's just an unbelievable tragedy. Our hearts go out to obviously Kevin and his family, thoughts and prayers. This is a very tough, very emotional time for everybody. His family, our family at Stewart-Haas, Tony Stewart, so, you know, with that being said, we feel that as a group, Tony will not drive today.

VALENCIA: And reaction has been widespread. NASCAR today issued this statement.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends and fellow competitors of Kevin Ward, Jr. We support Tony Stewart's decision to miss today's race and we will continue to respect the process and timeline of the local authorities and will continue to monitor this situation moving forward."

The sport mourning the loss of one of its only while many questions still remain about its most famous.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VALENCIA: And for the first time since the incident we are hearing from Tony Stewart. This just in to CNN. I want to read this statement on the death of Kevin Ward, Jr. It says, from Tony Stewart, "There aren't words to describe the sadness I feel about the accident that took the life of Kevin Ward, Jr. It's a very emotional time for all involved and it is the reason I've decided not to participate in today's race at Watkins Glen. My thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and everyone affected by this tragedy." Fred.

WHITFIELD: It is tragic and clearly there are ripples being felt in the whole, you know, world of racing today as this sprint car series race. He, of course, you know, not going to be participating in that. But I would imagine that would, you know, a dark cloud is going to be hovering that race given what took place last night.

VALENCIA: Certainly. This is a young driver, just 20 years old. Really a rookie compared to the veteran, Tony Stewart, who's been, you know, one of the most famous characters, if not one of the most -- if not the most famous face of NASCAR.

Another thing that we should bring up, and a lot of people have talked about, is Tony Stewart's history of his temper, his frustration, throwing a helmet at a NASCAR driver, getting into physical altercations with other drivers. If that will factor into this investigation or not or how much, I should say, it will factor in.

WHITFIELD: And in fact, the Ontario County Sheriff says that Stewart is being fully cooperative. But I understand that spectators are also being asked to provide photographs and videos. What more do we know about that and how that might play into the investigation or the what's next?

VALENCIA: Well, the video of this incident was taken by a spectator. We were able to obtain that video. It's also on multiple news outlets and Web sites. It's gone viral for all the wrong reasons. We know that the authorities are asking spectators to submit these videos as part of the investigation. Definitely, this really underscores the tragedy -- the tragedy of what happened yesterday.

And we are, of course, Fred, showing the full, unedited version. It's just simply too graphic for us to show. This is last night. Again, you see Kevin Ward, Jr. getting out of his car after seemingly being pushed off the track by Tony Stewart. Stop the video right there. That's when the accident took place and Kevin Ward, Jr. was pronounced dead at the hospital. Now you see EMT emergency workers attending to Kevin Ward, Jr. Just a very sad day. As I mentioned, the unimaginable.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And you know, just shocking especially for all those spectators to see that.

VALENCIA: That's a great point.

WHITFIELD: To be there at that race last night. The conglomeration of -- you know, often the races are in concert with a conglomeration of races throughout the weekend.

VALENCIA: Right.

WHITFIELD: They're only two hours apart, these different racetracks, that track last night and the one today. But, you know, the viewing community, you know, is very tight knit. And people really feel like they know these drivers that they are fans of.

VALENCIA: Yes.

WHITFIELD: So it does hit close to home.

VALENCIA: These guys are big personalities. And they make a lot of public statements. They are very friendly with their fans. This is a close-knit community, as you say. Tony Stewart was never and has never been shy about making his sentiments and his feelings about other drivers known. In fact he's gotten in trouble about some of the statements he's made over the years. This is a big tragedy.

WHITFIELD: Yes. It is in part why he has a big fan base, too. And he is a three-time NASCAR champion. So he knows the culture of racing very well.

All right. Nick Valencia, thank you so much.

VALENCIA: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: We'll have more on this, of course, later on.

Now also overseas, straight ahead, a new cease-fire is set to take hold in the Middle East just hours from now. We'll take you to Jerusalem and Gaza City for the latest as the clock ticks down to a new truce?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A new Middle East cease-fire is set to take effect less than three hours from now. Both Israel and the Palestinians say they are accepting a new proposal by Egypt. This cease-fire would begin at midnight local time, which is 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. But even as a truce is just hours away, Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, warned earlier that the crisis may be far from over, saying, quote, now, "I said at the beginning of the operation and the whole way along, it will take time. If Hamas thinks it will break us down, they are mistaken," end quote.

Hamas had earlier delivered an ultimatum that Israel needed to return to talks or face an escalation of violence.

CNN's Saima Mohsin is following developments from Jerusalem now. And Martin Savidge is in Gaza City.

Saima, let's start with you. Previously Israel had walked away from talks in Egypt saying it wouldn't negotiate while mortars and rockets were still being fired. How did this cease-fire get worked out?

SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was certainly touch and go, Fredricka. Where we've had had comings and goings all weekend, hearing from various sides, giving an indication virtually speaking through the media, really, to one another. But in the last couple of hours and in the last hour in particular, a lot of movement. First we heard from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry saying we have put forward a proposal to both sides for a cease-fire starting at midnight, as you say. Then we heard from Israeli government officials confirming that they

had accepted the cease-fire. And quickly after that the Palestinian delegation saying they, too, have accepted the ceasefire.

A welcome relief, of course, for the people of Gaza and those people in Israel who live in southern Israel close to the Gaza Strip as well. 1,939 people killed in Gaza, 9,878 the latest figures injured that we have coming to us here in Jerusalem from the Gaza Ministry of Health. So welcome relief.

But as you say, we've heard some pretty stern comments from both sides. Prime Minister Netanyahu saying, look, at no stage have we said that the military operation or offensive is over at all. People need stamina. We're in it for the long haul. Hamas returning, saying well, we will not stop either until our proposals are accepted. They said they put those forward seven days ago.

Of course, they're referring to what should have been the last truce last weekend. That 72-hour cease-fire that broke down within an hour and a half. So we don't naturally know the terms and conditions. But we do know that a cease-fire has been agreed -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you so much, Saima.

Well, let's check in with Martin Savidge now in Gaza City. So is Hamas seeing this cease-fire as a victory since it had put this ultimatum on the table to Israel?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think they'll only see it as a victory if they can get some sort of concession out of Israel, and I'm not sure that's going to happen. So right now I think they'll go in there with a fairly skeptical attitude, just as many of us have seen. Sorry. Before they've tried these cease-fires and they haven't held. And let me show you something else. It's been a very active night, actually, here in Gaza. We're going to show you an airstrike that occurred very, very near to our position. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: I guess they got that house. That was actually the roof. And then there is the main explosion that came about seven minutes later. I'll just point out, this is about 250 -- that is about as close as we have had here. And the blast force alone -- thank goodness we had taken the glass out of the windows because it's quite likely they would have shattered and we would have been showered with shards of glass.

It was an extremely powerful blast. I mentioned the roof knock. The roof knock is the indicator that the real blast is coming. But the roof knock itself was enough to really send you diving to the floor and then comes the explosion. We could hear debris striking the building that we're in now.

The public apparently was also aware they had tried to keep the streets closed and keep people back. But there were two people injured. And that's the way it's been late this evening and later this afternoon. It was just one airstrike after another after another all around us. There was a chemical facility down by the beach, that was struck. There have been a number of areas and neighborhoods that have been struck.

So it would appear that Israel is wanting to make a statement even as they go into this cease-fire. Now we should also point out rockets have been outbound from Gaza, and that, of course, is an extreme concern for Israeli citizens. And it's been one of the reasons why Israel said it would not negotiate while it was under fire.

So I think step one is just get everyone to stop the firing. And that is what's supposed to happen at midnight tonight, which is a little less than three hours away. But we already know the past track record of cease-fires is not necessarily a good indicator how this one will go -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And then, Martin, here you are talking about the mortar fire, you know, the shelling back and forth and then just before you showed us that most recent tape where you had to, you know, hit the ground there from your vantage point. Just prior to that, there were what almost sounded more like gunshots, you know, in that same vicinity behind you. So there are lots of threats coming in lots of different ways and directions. It means a lot of people are very nervous.

SAVIDGE: They are. They're unsettled. I mean, you know, there's no question that people here are feeling extremely anxious. You know, a shot like that into a neighborhood where people had been on the street and walking about and going about their daily lives. I mean, that's one of the weird things of the past two, three days, has been even though the cease-fire ended, the war went on, but so did life.

Now with all the activity of the past few hours, that's sort of a realization about this is the real thing. And it once again has come home. Now there have been people killed. They're not the numbers we had seen prior to the cease-fire. So let's just say that all of us, and especially Palestinians, will probably be very glad when midnight comes.

WHITFIELD: Of course. OK. And let us hope that this go around, perhaps this cease-fire will work and have some longevity.

Martin Savidge in Gaza City and Saima Mohsin in Jerusalem, thank you to both of you.

All right. Meantime in this country, outrage in a St. Louis community today after an unarmed teen was shot and killed by police. Witnesses say 18-year-old Mike Brown was with a friend when he was stopped by police yesterday and told to walk on the sidewalk instead of in the middle of the street.

Well, after a heated verbal exchange apparently, Brown was shot even after he reportedly stopped and raised his hands in the air, according to eyewitnesses. Well, here's what investigators say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CHIEF JON BELMAR, ST. LOUIS COUNTY POLICE: Ferguson Police officer had an encounter with two individuals on the street. In fact, one of those individuals, at the time, came in -- as the officer was exiting his police car, allegedly pushed the police officer back into the car where he physically assaulted the police officer. It is our understanding at this point in the investigation that within the police car, there was a struggle over the officer's weapon.

There was at least one shot fired within the car. After that the officer went -- came back out of the car. He exited his vehicle. And there was a shooting that occurred where the officer, in fact, shot the subject and the subject -- they were fatal injuries.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Officials say it took hours to collect evidence at that site and remove Brown's body because of protests.

According to family and friends, Brown was spending the summer with his grandmother. He had just graduated from high school.

And we're getting reaction from social media now, too. The St. Louis County NAACP tweets this. "Rest assured that we are on the job to ensure that Mike Brown gets justice and that his killer does not get a free pass," end quote. And Reverend Al Sharpton tweets this. "I am in touch with activists in St. Louis about the police killing of a 17- year-old unarmed youth in Ferguson."

And we'll get a live report from Missouri in the next hour so please stick around for that.

All right. More U.S. aircraft flying over Iraq today, dropping bombs on militants. What they hit and what's being done to rescue people trying to get away from the armed extremists next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. We're following major developments in Iraq today. We just learned the U.S. State Department has relocated some staff from the consulate in Irbil in northern Iraq. That's the region where the U.S. dropped a round of airstrikes today.

It's the third day in a row of U.S. strikes, in fact, on ISIS, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. And the heaviest today so far.

Also today, 20,000 Yazidi Iraqis who had been stranded in the Sinjar Mountains have now been rescued. They fled into the mountains to escape ISIS. And they have been stuck there with no food or water in blistering heat. Iraqi officials said today Kurdish forces fought back ISIS enough to get many of those refugees to safety. But there are still thousands left.

All right. Now let's get more details on the U.S. consulate in Irbil. Brian Todd joining me live now from Washington.

So, Brian, what more do we know about that situation? BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, we have this just in from

the State Department. The department has relocated a number of staff members from the U.S. embassy in Baghdad and the U.S. Consulate General's Office in Irbil because of security concerns. The State Department says U.S. citizens in Iraq remain at high risk, it says, for kidnapping and terrorist violence. Specifically this notice from the State Department warns about the possibility of roadside bombs, IEDs placed on vehicles, mines, mortars, rockets and small arms fire.

The State Department says despite the relocation of some personnel, the embassy in Baghdad and the Consulate General's Office in Irbil will remain open and operating. So they're just moving some staff members out temporarily.

Now this comes, Fredricka, as we've seen perhaps the heaviest round of airstrikes since they began on Friday. In a five-hour period, strikes carried out against five targets. We've got the timetable for you here. At 2:15 a.m. Eastern Time today, that's about 9:15 a.m. local time in Iraq, a U.S. aircraft struck and destroyed an ISIS armored truck that was firing on Kurdish forces. That was near the approaches to the city of Irbil.

At 2:45 a.m. Eastern Time after monitoring a second truck near that same area, a U.S. aircraft struck and destroyed that. 3:45 a.m. Eastern Time, American planes hit an ISIS mortar position, destroying it and damaging a nearby -- armed truck belonging to ISIS. 5:45 a.m. Eastern Time, U.S. aircraft struck and destroyed another ISIS armed truck. And at 7:25 a.m. Eastern Time, U.S. aircraft struck an ISIS armed vehicle and damaged that.

So, Fredricka, a lot of activity today. The heaviest round of activity we have seen from U.S. warplanes in that region since the airstrikes began on Friday.

WHITFIELD: All right. Brian Todd, thanks so much from Washington.

Let's find out now what kind of impact has been made through this kind of activity in Irbil. Let's go to Anna Coren, she's joining me there live now.

So what is the latest, and how are those airstrikes and those targets -- how is it being impacted?

ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, Fredericka, those airstrikes have been extremely effective. They've allowed the Kurdish forces, the Peshmerga, to take over two towns that the ISIS militants had claimed several days ago. So certainly good news for the Turkish forces. And it really has boosted morale, if you like, and confidence here that they can fight the militants if they have that U.S. air support.

I spoke to the chief of staff of the Kurdish president a bit earlier today , Fredricka, and, you know, he said other than weapons, they need better weapons to fight these militants. They also need more airstrikes. So they are calling on the United States to continue this campaign, for them to be more frequent. And perhaps that's why we saw far more aggressive series of airstrikes over that five-hour period today. But those forces have managed to take over those two towns.

We're also hearing about the humanitarian crisis on Mount Sinjar where those 20,000 Yazidis have managed to get off the mountain. Now that has taken place also because of the forces being backed up by the United States -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still huge assistance needed there in the way of humanitarian aid.

Anna Coren, thank you so much.

Also straight ahead, back in this country, a race car driver is hit and killed on a dirt track. Now police are investigating NASCAR star Tony Stewart. We're live with the very latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Bottom of the hour now. Welcome back. I'm Fredericka Whitfield. Ahead, more on Iraq and the Middle East. But first, a look at other big stories we're following. We begin with Ebola and this statement from Liberia's president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF, LIBERIAN PRESIDENT: If we haven't done enough so far, I have come here to apologize to you for that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: That's Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf apologizing for the toll the Ebola virus has taken on her country. She says the epidemic has overwhelmed her nation's 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 getting treatment in the U.S.

And a wildfire in Northern California grows and several communities are forced to evacuate. The 8500-acre fire is only 30 percent contained. At least 11 people have been injured including several firefighters.

And if you're up tonight, take a look toward the sky. Another supermoon chance on tap this evening. A supermoon is when the moon is at its closest point to the earth. It's 12 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than usual. And if that's not enough, you can actually catch the Perseid Meteor shower on Wednesday.

All right, now to the sport story that has the world of race car driving grieving and reeling. Tony Stewart under investigation after hitting and killing a fellow driver on a dirt track. First a warning. We're about to show you video that freezes just before the impact in that accident. But it may still be too graphic for some of you to watch. So here it is. 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, as you see right there. And then Ward jumping out of his vehicle to confront Stewart. The cars are still going, as you see there.

And then Stewart's car swerves and we stop the video right there. This is what happens. There was impact between Stewart's car and Ward. The 20-year-old was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Joining us right now is CNN sports, Laura Rutledge. So this is a tragedy on so many levels. It's hard to explain exactly what happened.

LAURA RUTLEDGE, CNN SPORTS: Right.

WHITFIELD: But what is next in this investigation? What is the focus of the investigation, what they're trying to sort out?

RUTLEDGE: Well, at this point, they're just trying to figure out why this happened and where they go from here, like you said, what's next. And you know, we will not know how this affects NASCAR and how this affects the racing community until this entire investigation has played out.

But it's a situation where the NASCAR community, the racing community is deeply saddened by this. And Tony Stewart released a statement saying his sadness, of course, and his apologies and devastation at the whole event. But at this point, we just don't know exactly why this happened or, you know, could it have been avoided? Obviously it could have been.

WHITFIELD: Now, what's interesting is the dynamics of the two people in particular who are involved here. We're talking about a NASCAR three-time champion, Tony Stewart, very experienced on this track and other tracks.

Some find it quite remarkable that he's even on the dirt track when usually you've got folks who are either less experienced or perhaps they are returning to the dirt track after spending many years on a different kind of track.

And then you've got this young man, 20-year-old Kevin Ward Jr. He's been go-cart racing since the age of 4. It has been his life and somehow in a tragic way, these two lives, you know, collide. Did they know each other?

What was the exchange between them? Is there any history between them? Anything like that that we can try to get a better understanding of?

RUTLEDGE: Well, I'm sure that's part of what they're investigating. And at this point we don't know, was there a history there between these two. But what I can say is that part of Tony Stewart's personality is that he loves to be out there racing more than anything in the world. Other drivers go home and you know, see their wife, and see their kids. For Tony Stewart, it's racing. He's a multimillionaire, but he loves these dirt track races. Even though the purses are less than $3,000, it's a chance for him to get out there and race.

And he races against varying levels of competition, which of course, is why he would have even been at this dirt track. The interesting thing, too, this was four days after the one-year anniversary where Tony Stewart suffered a broken leg in a race. So he really hadn't been in the racing scene for a while. He's been coming back and --

WHITFIELD: Yes, like a comeback.

RUTLEDGE: Right, exactly. You know, it's just such a complicated thing on so many levels. But the fact that he was there is sort of appalling to a lot of fans, unless you know Tony Stewart.

WHITFIELD: Appalling because he's so experienced?

RUTLEDGE: Why would he be out there? Because a lot of people are saying, you know, he doesn't need to do this. He's a multimillionaire. Why is he there? But it's because he loves the sport. He loves to race. He loves to be in his car no matter where that may be.

WHITFIELD: Is there anything to say about the culture of dirt car racing? Is it because it's a little bit more intimate setting that a driver such as Kevin Ward would be compelled to get out of the vehicle? We know that, you know, it's commonplace for drivers to get upset with one another, you know, trade paint, throw a helmet, yell at each other.

But it's another thing to get out of the vehicle on a live track. Is there something about the culture of dirt, you know, racing that we need to know about to have a better understanding about what happened?

RUTLEDGE: Well, as far as I know, you know, dirt car racing does have that little bit more of a grass-roots culture about it. It has more of that feel to. That's why I think Tony Stewart likes it. He has to be a spokesman on so many levels in NASCAR, but he likes to be down there in the grass-roots effort that is the dirt car racing.

But I do think that drivers will see this video, take notice of this and say we know that we're putting ourselves at risk every time we go out there and get in these cars, but there's no reason that we should be in the middle of the track pointing at someone, putting ourselves in that type of danger.

WHITFIELD: Even though it's caution flag.

RUTLEDGE: It is.

WHITFIELD: Slow down.

RUTLEDGE: But how fast were those cars moving? And I think that's where we come into the situation of if this were to happen again and a driver, yes, it gets heated. It's a very competitive sport, that's what makes it so compelling.

Maybe next time drivers will take a little more caution in a situation like that and say, OK, I'm still going to be angry, but I'm going to stay closer to my car so I'm not in the middle of the track where, you know, anybody could hit me. Try to keep yourself in that safety zone.

WHITFIELD: All right. I know lots of questions you're being asked today. Investigation still going forward as of now. No charges that we know of.

RUTLEDGE: Exactly.

WHITFIELD: All right. Laura Rutledge, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

RUTLEDGE: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: All right. Pope Francis is expressing his concern over the fate of religious minorities in Northern Iraq. What he's hoping a peace envoy can achieve.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Back now to the battle against a brutal militant group in Iraq. Forces around Iraqi Kurdistan are digging in quite literally, they're building fortifications to protect themselves against ISIS militants hiding out only a short distance away.

CNN's Ivan Watson went to a Kurdish front line in Northern Iraq to see the situation firsthand.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Kurds are digging in after the Peshmerga militias suffered defeats and retreated on Wednesday and Thursday. We can see at this front-line position how they've regrouped and how they are quite literally digging earthwork fortifications using construction equipment to dig trenches as well.

And they're trying to protect themselves from the ISIS militants who I'm told control villages within sight of where I am right now, perhaps a 10-minute jog on foot away from here. They say that the militants are equipped with many of these vehicles, which you may recognize.

These are armored Humvees, the kinds used by the U.S. Military, the kinds that were given in large numbers to the Iraqi army. Of course, when ISIS burst on to the scene in Iraq in June and captured the second largest Iraqi city of Mosul, many of these vehicles were captured, and they are now being used against the Kurdish Peshmerga.

They are also using, I'm told, vehicles as mobile suicide bombs to break through Kurdish fortifications. And that's part of the problem. That's one of the real dangers the Peshmerga are fighting against. There is, of course, the terrible humanitarian component to this crisis.

This tent city, as of last Wednesday, was full of thousands of Iraqi civilians who fled the ISIS capture of Mosul last June. When ISIS once again went on the offensive and moved in this direction, all of those people had to pick up and leave with whatever possessions they had originally been able to bring.

And they join a much larger wave of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, many of them from minority religious and ethnic groups who have all fled north to the fragile safe haven of Kurdistan. Ivan Watson, CNN, reporting from the Kurdish front lines in Northern Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And as religious minorities flee from being massacred by ISIS militants in Iraq, Pope Francis prayed for peace at the Vatican this morning. He also talked about the plight of Christians in Iraq. Our international desk editor, Azaden Ansari, is with us now. What exactly did the pope say?

AZADEN ANSARI, CNN INTERNATIONAL DESK EDITOR: Well, Fred, I just want to backtrack a little bit here to reference Ivan's reporting. And the pope has been very critical not just of the Christian plight here but also of all minorities. And today at the Vatican, he had these strong words to say. And I'll read here a quote.

"The news out of Iraq leaves incredulous and displayed. All of this gravely offends God and humanity. Hatred is not carried in the name of god. No war is made in the name of God."

And from the get-go, since ISIS made this advance from the eastern fronts of Syria to the western and northern fronts of Iraq, the pope has really been outspoken and condemns all these violent acts.

So much so that on Monday, he's sending his own special envoy to go in a show of solidarity with the minority groups specific the Christians in this case to show that we stand by you, we're going to back this up and be right by your side.

WHITFIELD: And this is -- this has historical, you know, reference to, you know, biblical times in this province. And that in one way expresses how important it is to preserve this area, to preserve the people there. But what does it mean on the grand scale of what ISIS is trying to do?

ANSARI: Well, ISIS is trying to enforce their own form of Sunni Islamic law. Now, they're not just targeting the Christians here. They're also targeting other minority groups, specifically the Shias. But any time you move a people, any time they have to dislocate, you change the narrative.

And as we saw, last month they planted explosives and they blew up the tomb of Jonah. Those people aren't there to preserve their own history. And so in this case we had with the Iraqis specifically an estimate of 1 million Iraqi Christians had lived in Iraq at large. Now that number is down to 300,000, and that's according to estimates from the State Department, nongovernmental agencies and Christian leaders.

WHITFIELD: That's a huge impact. All right, Azaden Ansari, thank you so much.

ANSARI: You're very welcome.

WHITFIELD: Appreciate it.

All right. It is a Sunday shootout at the PGA championship and it promises to be a thriller despite all the rain. We'll go live to Louisville next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: It's a rainy start to the PGA final round in Louisville. Shane O'Donoghue joins us live from Louisville right now. Has rain impacted play there?

SHANE O'DONOGHUE, HOST, CNN'S "LIVING GOLF": It most certainly has, Fredericka. We've had a two-hour delay. Torrential downpours. It's resembled Glastonbury in '69. Not that I was around back then, but it's been very soggy underfoot. They've been working very hard over the last couple of hours just to try and get the course playable.

And thankfully in the last 10 minutes, they have resumed play in this final round. Hopefully we're going to get it done tonight. We'll keep the fingers crossed on that one. But the play has just begun again, thankfully.

WHITFIELD: OK, Rory McIlroy, he's trying to win his second major in a row. What are his chances once, you know, the weather cooperates?

O'DONOGHUE: Very good, I think. And look, if you look at his record, he's won two of his majors in Valhalla and the congressional at the U.S. Open and PGA in 2011 and 2012 in very soft conditions as well where there was heavy rain. It certainly does favor him. Rory is just one shot, though, here.

And as you mentioned, quite correctly, it's a very crowded leader board. Some great names up there. Rory will be teeing off now at 4:19 local time, 4:19 Eastern Time. And he'll be getting his final round under way alongside the Austrian sensation "Vizberger."

The likes of Jason Day has come close. Also Rickie Fowler who's been sensational in the majors so far this year and Phil Mickelson at 44 years of age looking for his sixth major. He's just a couple of shots back.

WHITFIELD: Still in it. He's amazing! All right. Shane O'Donoghue, thank you so much. Enjoy out there.

Still ahead, a case of lost and found with a rather bizarre twist. A woman finds a purple heart. Can one help her find the owner? (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up next hour, a U.S. district judge ruled against the NCAA in the case over the rights to college athletes' name, images and likenesses. What the NCAA's response is now.

But first, a lost and found case with a twist. A West Virginia fined in the case of a purple heart. And the person is now looking for the rightful owner. But where this woman found it has surprised so many people.

Reporter Chris Williams from our affiliate station WCHS has more.

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CHRIS WILLIAMS, REPORTER, WCHS (voice-over): Carrie Myers likes purses. She was shopping at the corner store in Ripley, found one she liked and bought it. But when she looked through the purse at home, she found out she got much more than she bargained for. Inside was a purple heart and a picture.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just awestruck.

WILLIAMS: The back of the medal is inscribed with the name James F. Snead. Myers started looking for Snead's family on Facebook, but she didn't have any luck there.

CARRIE MYERS, FOUND PURPLE HEART IN A PURSE: I've tried, you know, going locally through the phone book and through, you know, personal and nobody seems to know.

WILLIAMS: Myers has had the medal for about two years now and has had no luck finding its owner for his family. Now she's hoping getting the story out combined with the power of Facebook will help. Myers says it's a mission she's determined to accomplish because many members of her family have been in the military including her cousin, Jessica Lynch who also has a Purple Heart.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They would put their life on the line for somebody like me for my family, for my kids to be able to live their life, to be able to live freely.

MYERS: The Department of Veterans assistance says getting a hold of them is the best thing to do because they can look up the person and possibly find a family member.

HEATHER RANSOM, WEST VIRGINIA: Even with a name, it's not a guarantee, but it's a much better chance. So it's a positive -- definitely a positive outlook there.

PAUL: Myers says it's extremely upsetting to know that Snead doesn't have his medal anymore, but she isn't going to give up until the medal is back where it belongs.

MYERS: It will be great just to know that I was able to help. It will mean something to me to know it's back where it belongs.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Best of luck to Carrie Myers. And thanks to our affiliate, WCHS and reporter, Chris Williams.

We have so much straight ahead in the NEWSROOM and it all starts right now.