Student stay tuned for Fox News Channel with this. Good night from washington. On the record are greta is next. This is a fox news alert. Great actor and comedian Robin Williams has died. Williams was found dead in his house. An investigation into the cause of death is underway. And this is a fox news alert. New video showing panic in iraq. Military helicopters delivering humanitarian aid to thousands of desperate religious refugees, many of dying of thirst and hunger all trapped on a mountain dan top. The obamadministration for the first time bypassing the Iraqi Government and directly arming Kurdish Forces. Forces who are fighting for their lives against isis. The u. S. Also launching new air strikes at the vicious terror group isis advances. We have live on the record
team coverage across the globe from baghdad to the pentagon plus, representative former air force pilot Adam Kensinger and bob scales all here to go on the record. Tonight a bombshell from former secretary of state Hillary Clinton slamming president obamas Foreign Policy that professional relationship and friendship likely hit the skids publicly big time. We begin in iraq with grn reporter her miny whats the news. There bad day for Kurdish Forces driven out of a town mixed with sunnis and arabs. Todays defeat seems to be another contact exact of the kurds being massively outgunned. So the good news, very good news for the is todays announcement that the u. S. Will be sending them
weapons. U. S. Air strikes have also been helping to retake yesterday. After the militants retake it however, in the meantime, the islamic militants have already looted banks, destroyed mosques and government buildings. Hermine. Sorry, i was going to say the refugee crisis is ongoing. Thrp may be jumping way ahead with all troubles kurdistan is having with baghdad, and is president and the people of kurdistan, do they want to break away from baghdad and iraq and form their own country . Is that where we are headed . They declared a few weeks ago now president went to the kurdish and regional
parliament and requested that the particle men tearian start looking into the possibility of holding a referendum preparing for independence should that not happen. Todays new Prime Minister is probably sort of bittersweet for the kurds because it means they no longer have the option of disengaging from the country which they did have as long as Nouri Al Maliki was Prime Minister. Herminey thank you very much. Thank you. Sending arms to the Kurdish Forces. Jennifer griffin is live at the pentagon. Jennifer . Overseeing the shipment of weapons directly to the kurds and about face by the Obama Administration which, until now had resisted directly arming the kurdish. Carried out a total of 15 air strikes targeting isis targets and now flying a total of 50 to 60 reconnaissance sorts a day. 14 humanitarian air drops to thousands of stranded. Air drops have dropped 75,000 meals to stranded refugees trapped in the mountains and 16,000 gallons of fresh drinking water. The u. S. Is conducting air strikes with f18s off george f. W. Bush. President obama talked about setting up humanitarian corridor but the pentagon is having trouble mapping out corridor. Red line for the pentagon and white house right now. There are no plans to expand the operation to anything
other than defensive humanitarian assistance, according to the pentagon lt. General who briefed today. Kurdish leaders say that the left on the mountain are facing genocide. President obama welcomed the announcement by the new barack obama were by the president of iraq today. Political block decided to back not Nouri Al Maliki. Ordered troops and tanks to protect his office in the green zone and gave no indication he planned to step aside indication he may not go quietly. Lt. General William Mayville the pentagon chief of operations has said at the press conference shes strikes will not stop isis elsewhere. To the extent we do anything now immediately what about isis . Its clear what the pentagon is saying dont think that these air
strikes, again, only 15 total to this point which are designed to push isis back to protect the u. S. Consulate there and u. S. Workers there. And as part of this humanitarian mission. But, this is a very limited mission pentagon is stating that outright. Very limited in scope at this point in time. Greta . Jennifer, thank you. Isis is cruel, vicious beyond your wildest imagination. They even cut children in half. In fact, thats what isis did to a ayearold child who our next guest baptized. White annually can vicar in baghdad joins us. Good evening, sir. Good evening cannon white. Cannon white, did you can hear
me sir. Can i hear you fine. Good. Can you please tell me, this is a terrible story. You can hear me . 5yearold child, can you tell me what happened this w. This family that isis did this to this child . No response. Can you can hear me . Yes, can i hear you sir. What happened to w. This family and this child . Cannon, we will try to get back to you when we can get contact with you in baghdad. Were going to move on to republican representative Adam Kinzinger joins us. Congressman kinzinger what do you think is going on with the military action in iraq . Well, i always want to be, you know, very careful to not be the guy that
criticizes the president all the time. I do commend him on beginning this humanitarian operation. The story of the mountain is very tragic. The problem is if we dont have a larger crush isis in iraq and in syria, we are going to be careening literalfully this kind of crisis to the next one to the next one. I know the president is worried about getting reencaged in iraq and i frankly understand that and American People are worried about it. This is a moment that secretary hagel said today they are a major threat and almost existential threat in many cases to our way of life. The earlier you can crush this movement, he they went from a few thousand people, not that many months ago, to some estimates of 18,000 today. They are growing. I called for air strikes back in january, and i think if we would have actually done that we wouldnt be talking about isis today. But every day that goes by without, i think further air power and air strikes to stop their movement, he they are only going to get bigger
and the problem is going to get larger and be something we have to deal with in a really big way. Do you have the sense is the president talking to congress at all . Is he going all alone on this with the pentagon . I realize he doesnt have to get an authorization from c ng to do. This but is there any sort of talk with leaders in the house and the senate about whats going on . Im sure there are to an extent. I havent talked to the speaker or anyone along that line what kind of coordination they are having with the president. I hope he is the president , i think, will see a congress thats willing to go along with his objectives here. The president has to make this case to the American People. I thought he did a good job of making the case about rescuing these thousands of people trapped on a mountain, but he always, in every speech, talks about what were not going to do. Were not going to put boots on the ground. Thats fine. You never really actually want to say that and we are not going to expand this to anything bigger. He has to be more tough and bring the American Peoplewith him. Is he a leader. Congressman, thank you, sir. You bet. Thank you. This is a fox news alert. Actor Robin Williams found dead in california. Lets go to fox news Trace Gallagher for the very latest. Trace . Yeah, greta. We are just getting information crossing right now. Robin williams apparently was found this morning in continue enter ron, california, thats his hometown. The 911 call came in around 11 55 just before noon west coast time. Apparently there was a male who was unconscious. The Sheriffs Department says it appears the cause of death may have been asphyxiation. Of course, an autopsy has not been done yet. We are apparently just now getting a statement from the family. The statement from the family does not confirm this was a possible suicide, greta. But they do go in and say he has been suffering severe depression in recent weeks. Were going to pull that statement up for you right now. Everybody knows, of course, Robin Williams 363 years old. Known, of course, for his primary role in the movies,
the morning and mindy Television Show rather and good morning vietnam, the dead poets society. He won an Academy Award for Goodwill Hunting as best supporting actor. Also nominated for three other Academy Awards. Heres the statement from his family. It says, quote Robin Williams passed away this morning. He had been battling severe depression of late. This is is a tragic and sudden loss. The family respectfully asks for their privacy as they grieve during this very difficult time. Again it, goes on to say, quoting here, from Robin Williams wife, this morning i lost my husband and my best friend. While the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings, im utter itly heart broken. On behalf of robins family we are asking four privacy during time of profound grief as he is remembered, it is our hope the focus will not be on robins death but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions. He did give joy and laughter
to millions, greta. Again, this happened just before noon west coast time today. Found inside his home in tillable enter continue tiberon. Again, asphyxiation is what the sheriff believes the cause of death was. That has not yet been confirmed. Suicide is being speculated about. The family wont confirm that but they are, of course, saying that in recent weeks he was suffering severe depression. Were working now to get more information about the death of Robin Williams at 63 years old. Greta . Trace, i imagine listening to this. Everyone feels like he or she knows Robin Williams. We have been entertained for some years for decades. Mrs. Doubt fire was another one that wasnt in the list which some people loved. And, yet, you know, many people did know that he suffered from, you know, he he had a drinking problem or
a drug problem. He had gone into rehab. So, you know, it deeply disconcerning to so many fans to see his face up there and to think that we are not going to see any more of his new performances at least. In terms of recently, do we know, you know, what he has been doing recently . Has he been on the road doing standup . Has he been doing movies or struggling with problems . Whats he been doing lately . We know, greta, that he was working actually, you talked about mrs. Doubt fire, one of his most beloved roles. He was working or at least signed to do a sequel to mrs. Doubt fire of course starring in that role with Dustin Hoffman that was where he of course played the woman trying to get back or played a woman trying to get back his kids after a divorce and he had apparently resigned to play that again. Robin williams was involved in another tv show, i forget the name of it last fall. That show, i believe, was cancelled at some point last
year. Robin williams getting back into television, which is where he started. You know, you go back and you remember that the mork role began as parttime role on laverne and shirley years and years ago and spun off into its own television series. We are still waiting for comments from people who knew and loved him. The twitter sphere as a you can imagine is on fire now. Pam dauber costar she lives in this area with mark harmon. This is a shock to anyone who has ever been entertained and loved. And this was you talk about the drug problems. Late 70s, greta, the early 80s he was addicted to codeign. The death of a friend and the birth of a son prompted him to quit drugs, he said, and then back in august of 2006, williams checked himself into rehab for alcoholism after 20 years of sobriety and then he was hospitalized again back in 2009 due to heart problems. He had this great bond with the old comedian Jonathan Winters. He said they shared the very same track. Jonathan winters well known for his bouts with depression over the years. And Robin Williams as he was coming up into the entertainment world struck up a kinship with Jonathan Winters and said they would spend hours and hours up in Jonathan Winters attic and pick up toys and do impromptu adlib comedy strips. Thats where he became great at going on and on for hours and doing these different comedy routines. Of course, Robin Williams suffered very much the same track that Jonathan Winters did. Robin williams, of course, rallied many times, made great moses, was a great contributor to the world of television. He was also a genuine human being. We lived in tiberan when we started working for Fox News Channel many years ago. You would run across him and others. He was always very gracious to everybody who came across
his path. I didnt know him. He didnt know me. But, still a very gracious individual and, again, Robin Williams, were being told died of asphyxiation. Wont say suicide the family says he was suffering depression. The Sheriffs Office says it appears to be a case of suicide just before noon today here on the west coast. Greta. You know, trace. When these people entertain you so much and they make you laugh, he made all of us laugh. Its sort of hard to think of being a depressed guy in the sense that its so stunning and almost more difficult to understand his death assuming that it is by suicide and certainly the indications are at least from what we are hearing so far is suicide. That he was so busy making all of us feel good and at the same time, he was feeling really bad. I suppose that the drugs, the alcohol didnt help it, but, you know, its very difficult to look at this vibrant man on our screen right now. All this tape, smiling, laughing, making all of us laugh and now, suddenly, we
discover that that he is dead. Its very difficult, isnt it . It is. And, you know, you go back to the show inside the actors studio. Im not sure if its still on anymore. Robin williams was on there one time. He was very open about his addictions and expression and the fact that you know, comedy sometimes comes out of severe depression. And sometimes he said you have to laugh just not to cry. So Robin Williams wasnt trying to hide the fact that he grew up. He struggled with depression for years and years as a youth. Said that he was often bull idea as a child but he overcame that because he could make people laugh. He could make his friends laugh. Because of that he became who he is. But, you negotiation the drugs and then you go off and you are sober for 20 years and then something triggers and you get back. In you are back drinking again and get back into rehab. Its one of those things that you can never ever congress core. He was conquer. He was truly a pioneer in comedy because you could sit and watch him. And when mork and mindy first hit the air, the directors and producers and a lot of the stuff that you saw that actually became part of the show was adlibbed. Robin williams going off. That led him to have this phenomenal status as the king of the adlib. The king of a guy who could just do these improvised skits for hours on end and would entertain his friends and when he would go to these parties, which he shied away from. He would go in there and he would do these very funny adlib skits and could talk about anything for hours. And as you say, greta, it is shocking to think that someone with Robin Williams talent and his money and all of his success could be at the depths of depression to a point where he may have taken his own life. Greta . I once met him with my
husband. I dont know if he is watching. He called my husband mr. Van susteren and giving me trouble about being a little bossy. So i always thought that he was sort of i always liked him a lot. Let me read his wifes statement again in case people are just tuning in to the news about Robin Williams dying. His wife suive snyder writes this, this morning i lost my husband and best friend while the world lost one of the most beloved artist and beautiful human beings. Im utterly heart broken. On behalf of robins family we are asking for privacy during our time of profound brief. Its our home the focus will not be on robins death but on the countless moments of joy and. [ laughter ] joy and laughter he gave to millions. I suspect this is going to shake up hollywood and lots of statements coming out tonight, trace . They are already coming out, greta. You go on twitter, can you see that people are are just shocked. It took us a while because when the Sheriffs Department released this
press release, it had Robin Williams name in there. The age matched. Of course the name matched of the it didnt say Robin Williams the actor. Just a Robin Williams had been found inside his home. Of course when we confirmed that it was in fact Robin Williams, you could just feel the internet exploding. We have Lance Armstrong who rereleased this quote