Hello, again. Im fredricka whitfield. These stories are topping the news this hour. The owner of the nbas Atlanta Hawks says hes selling the team. The reason . An email he sent that he calls inappropriate and offensive. Well tell you what it said coming up. And president barack obama prepares to give a speech to the nation on the isis threat and what he plans to do about it. He gave a hint of his game plan today. Well have details this hour. And later, remembering a comic legend. Alist celebrities pack the funeral of the late joan rivers. Hear why friends and family say the service is exactly what the comedian would have wanted. We begin with a huge shock for the nba. Another one of its owners will lose his franchise because of comments involving race. Atlanta hawks controlling owner Bruce Levenson announced hes voluntarily selling his team after grappling with low attendance at hawks games, he says he sent an email in 2012 that sent unintentional and hurtful message that the hawks white fans are more valuable than black fans. And we have that email. Heres a transcription of part of what he said. I look around our arena during games and notice its 70 black, cheerleaders are black, music is hiphop. At the bars its 90 black. There are few fathers and sons at the games. My theory is the black crowd scared away the whites and theres not enough affluent black fans to build a significant season ticket base. Please dont get me wrong. There was nothing threatening going on in the arena back then. I never felt uncomfortable. I think southern whites simply were not comfortable being in an arena or at a bar where they were in the minority. Nba commissioner adam silver commended levenson for selfreporting this email to the league. Silver said in a statement i come mr. Levenson for selfreporting and being fully cooperative with the league and its independent investigator and for putting the best interest of the hawks, the Atlanta Community and nba first. So all of this was volunteered from the emails, sending it to the nba, asking the nba to further investigate but then, you know, he didnt wait for the final decision from the nba. He said i go ahead and remove myself from the equation. That seems to be what has played out. This email was sent in 2012 to two of his coowners. Theres a group of partners that own the Atlanta Hawks and hes one of seven. We believe he has controlling interest. We dont actually know what percentage his share is. This email was sent to two of his coowners. Two other partners like him were based outside of atlanta working in washington d. C. This summer in july in the wake of the Donald Sterling scandal, he then reports himself to it the nba and they decide to set up an independent investigation into this issue and before they even concluded, he said, well, im selling my stake in the team. And why do people believe that is the case . Well, that seems to be whats happened. Quite what his motive would be for why would he want to sell . Why would he want to report himself in this way . Remember, he was one of the most outspoken critics of Donald Sterling in the wake of the scandal towards the end of the last nba season. He even appeared on this network to say that he couldnt work with somebody like Donald Sterling and the other owners could vote me out if i was to behave in a similar way. So its very, very interesting that it played out in this way. I think the league is probably relieved that its not been dragged through the mud because it was an awful summer for the nba and its reputation and Donald Sterling did not go quietly. This one seems to be playing out very differently. Is there a way of knowing how long this kind of transaction would take . Im giving up my stake. How quickly would it go on sale . Do we know time line . I would imagine if he wants to put it up for sale, that process would begin immediately. I mean, with the lakers it dragged out over a couple of months but for a business deal involving 2 billion, that probably wasnt that long a period of time. That might have been done quicker had sterling not fought the nba on the issue. It remains to be seen what the hawks are worth and what his stakes are worth. Forbes says its one of the least valuable franchises in the nba. Depends on what his stake is. They estimated that the clippers were worth less than 600 million and they went for 2 billion. Remarkable. Thanks so much. Its just kind of the tip of the iceberg. It is very strange. Theres still lots of questions and we dont have them all all of the answers just yet. Appreciate it. Now to our other big story. A Major Development in the fight against isis. President Barack Obama Says hes prepared to outline his plans for defeating the terror group. In a speech on wednesday hell explain what he is calling his game plan on isis. This morning on meet the press the president gave a preview of what to expect. Were not looking at sending in hundred thousand american troops. We are going to be as part of an International Coalition carrying out air strikes in support of work on the ground by iraqi troops, kurdish troops. We are going to help to put together a plan for them so that they can start retaking territory that isil had taken over. What i want people to understand though is that over the course of months, we are going to be able to not just blunt the momentum of isil, we are going to systematically degrade their capabilities. Were going to shrink the territory that they control and ultimately were going to defeat them. Erin mcpike joining me live from the white house. Tell us more about what should be expected this week. How much detail will the president likely reveal . There are a couple of Big Questions that still loom very large over this speech. The first one is will president obama seek congressional authorization on whatever it is that he plans to do . At this point hes said that he wants lawmakers involved. He wants their input. He wants their support but that could simply mean that he wants lawmakers to be basically ambassadors of his message and not necessarily put it to a vote and of course some members of congress may not want to be on the record for a vote on this. Just a couple months before the midterm elections. I want you to listen to that part of the interview where he talks about that. What im going to be asking the American People to understand is number one, this is a serious threat. Number two, we had the capacity to deal with it. Heres how were going to deal with it. I am going to be asking congress to make sure that they understand and support what our plan is. And its going to require some resources i suspect above what we are currently doing. Reporter whether or not he puts it to a vote will be a big controversial issue either way Going Forward throughout the week. Now, the thing he said at the top of that clip was he wants americans to understand why this is a serious threat but i would point out that we dont really know what the American Public thinks about this because theres been virtually no polling. He has to make his case and we dont know what the fine print of this strategy is going to look like. Will there be air strikes inside syria . We already know there will be no boots on the ground but what will that strategy look like . We hope that this speech will answer those questions, fred. We do indeed. Thank you so much. Erin mcpike. That speech on wednesday. And now, the funeral for legendary comic joan rivers. Family and friends bid a final farewell to the 80yearold comedian today in new york. We go to the jewish temple where the private service was held. Reporter a star studded ceremony to remember joan rivers, a comedy legend. Her friends say it was exactly the kind of service that she would have wanted and in many respects it was the kind of service that she had really planned. It was filled with famous faces. The new York City Police departments bagpipes and drums came out saluting joan rivers by playing new york, new york and give my regards to broadway. Plenty of friends from hollywood filled this temple. Howard stern was cracking jokes inside during the ceremony and dear friends like Deborah Norville who spoke about rivers inside and also speaking columnist cindy adams, a long time friend of joan rivers. People inside by invitation only say that the ceremony was upbeat and that it was uplifting and there was plenty of opportunities to laugh and that that is really the way to honor joan rivers. Joan went through life believing that people who laugh are happy. Her mission in life was to make people happy. I got to tell you, i dont know how many blocks it goes down here but she would be so thrilled to see how many blocks are filled with people who wish her well. Shes up there loving every minute of it. Reporter another request of hers had been that hugh jack hajackman would perform at her funeral and he did perform smile something that put a smile on everyones face during what would have been a sad occasion but a time to remember a great comedy legend. In new york, alexandria field. We saw the comedian had many Close Friends in hollywood including Carol Burnett. I got the chance to talk to Carol Burnett about her friend joan rivers. I asked her about the last time that she was in touch with rivers. The last time i spoke with her and this will tell you that joan off stage, she was the opposite of the persona that she presented. I had to put my little pet cat down. She was 15 years old and it was awful when you have to lose a pet. Its like losing part of your family. Thats your child. She said i had to put one of my dogs down and what saved my life is i got another Little Critter to love. Thats what you need. You need another Little Critter to love. They shared a lot of laughs together. Well have more on rivers amazing Ground Breaking career later on this hour. Could the u. S. And iran Work Together as allies . The battle against isis could actually make that happen. You start at point a and spend your time working hard to get to point b. And b could be here. Or even here. But for you, b is not the end. Capella university will help take you further, because our competencybased curriculum is designed for your profession, to move you forward to where you want to be. Your point c. Capella university. Start your journey at capella. Edu. As we heard, president barack obama saying earlier today that the u. S. Will continue to use air strikes against isis. The latest round was launched near the haditha dam, iraqs second largest. Defense secretary chuck hagel talked about why the dam is so critical. If that dam would fall into isils hands or if that dam would be destroyed, the damage that would cause would be very significant and it would put a significant additional and big risk into the mix in iraq, which would also risk our interests as well. This is not the first attempt by isis to take control of the dam but iraqi forces have been in control the whole time. The fight to put down the isis insurgents created strange allies on the battlefield. The u. S. And iran have been enemies over many issues but now they are coming together over a common enemy. Brian todd explains. Reporter in the northern iraqi town amerli, iraqs president acknowledges a combination of u. S. Air strikes and iranian shiites on the ground drove isis away. Is there any cooperation or coordination between the u. S. And iran against ice snsiisis . An iranian official deny as report that irans Supreme Leader approved cooperation between his forces and the americans against isis. Specifically the report says he sanctioned a general, the shadowy head of the revolutionary guard to work with u. S. Forces. He may look like george clooney. Hes a mild mannered man but he has done a very effective job at organizing the most brutal thugs that Islamic Republic has. Reporter this photo posted on twitter by a group called digital resistance is him on the ground in amerli among the time of the siege. As soon as you sit down with him, youre sitting down with someone who has the blood of americans on his hands. Reporter u. S. Officials believe during the iraq war, his units provided iraqi insurgents with a Lethal Weapon against american troops. His force provided these vast explosive devices that penetrated the armor on american vehicles and as a result killed an awful lot of americans. Reporter despite their hatred of isis, other reasons why an alliance may not work . Lets remember we want Bashar Al Assad out. We want a more inclusive government in baghdad. Iran would prefer a shia government. Reporter theres also the matter of the dangerous reach beyond the middle east. He was involved in a plot on american soil. Overseeing officers who in 2011 tried and failed to assassinate saudi arabias ambassador to the United States right here at washingtons upscale cafe. Brian todd, cnn, washington. All right. Thanks so much. Next week you probably have heard about the cnn fit nation led by our dr. Sanjay gupta. A big triathlon in malibu. Im going to be along the ride on this big challenge. Swimming, biking. Ill tell you more coming up next. [ female announcer ] you get sick, you cant breathe through your nose. Suddenly youre a mouthbreather. Well, put on a breathe right strip and instantly open your nose up to 38 more than cold medicines alone. So you can breathe and sleep. Shut your mouth and sleep right. Breathe right. Were changing the way we do business, with startup ny. So you can breathe and sleep. 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. 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Biking hundreds of miles and running farther than they ever thought possible. Today were going to do a 400yard swim in the ocean. Reporter with hard work comes rewards. Theyre healthier physically and mentally. Connies breakthrough, its not all about the scale. If weight loss would have been my only goal this year, i may have quit within the first few weeks. This experience has given me so much more than weight loss. Its given me strength. Confidence, endurance, new friends, new sports, lots of spandex and a great tan. Mike learned how to balance his new healthy lifestyle. The structure i have in my life now is amazing. I plan my meals a week ahead of time. Karen now makes herself a priority. I have learned to listen and take care of my body with proper sleep and nutrition. Ron learned that age really is just a number. Age does not define who i am or what i can do. Its simply a mile post along the journey of my life. He beat cancer and he got his confidence back. Im capable of the same things they may take me longer. The sooner i made peace with the new normal, easier i was on myself. Last but not least its important to have your family and friends onboard. Their involvement is critical to your success. Shes right. Getting the support of those around you is an absolute must. All right. And they are indeed all inspirations and so are you, sanjay. I took him up on the challenge to join the group, the cnn fit nation team. Ill be in malibu next weekend hoping that my swimming, biking and running training allows me to at least keep up. My only expectation is that i finish. I cant promise you what kind of shape ill be in when i cross that finish line. But i will see you at the beach and well be right back. This is kathleen. Setting up the perfect wedding day begins with arthritis pain and two pills. Afternoon arrives and feeling good, but her knee pain returns. Thats two more pills. The evenings event brings laughter, joy, and more pain. When jamie says. Whats that like six pills today . Yeah. I can take 2 aleve for all day relief. Really, and. And thats it. This is kathleen. For my arthritis pain, i now choose aleve. Get all day arthritis pain relief with an easyopen cap. Eenie. Meenie. Miney. Go. More adventures await in the sevenpassenger lexus gx. See your lexus dealer. Bottom of the hour. Im fredricka whitfield. Here are some of the top stories were following. Bruce levenson announced hes voluntarily selling his controlling interest in the nba team. Levenston says his decision is based in part on inappropriate and offensive comments in an email he wrote back in 2012. Levenson said he made assumptions about fans and nba should have no tolerance for racism. He says hes embarrassed and apologized to the team and its fans. The u. S. Coast guard called off Recovery Efforts for a private plane which crashed off ja jamaica. A debris field was found but unable to find survivors. The aircraft plunged into the caribbean on friday hours after air Traffic Controllers could not make contact with the pilot. The plane was flying from new york to florida. Intense flooding in south asia left more than 250 people dead and dozens more injured or missing. One of the hardest hit countries is india where 2,000 villages have been affected. Officials say homes are destroyed. Bridges and roads have been