a prison worker arraigned and charged with helping two inmates escape a new york prison. the world health organization now downplaying fears of a pandemic as a 14th death is now confirmed in south korea's mers outbreak. and the jurassic movie franchise, it's out with another blockbuster. we'll show you what that's all about. from cnn world headquarters here in atlanta, i'm george howell. this is "cnn newsroom." welcome to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. we start this hour in dallas, texas. a developing story playing out this morning there. police say someone in an armored

van opened fire outside the dallas police headquarters. listen here. >> oh, my god. [ shots ] >> what appears to be gunshots in that video that was posted on twitter, this video that you see here. police say that they are in a standoff with the vehicle on a nearby interstate in the suburb of hutchins, texas. so far, there are no injuries reported. police say they don't know if explosives are involved. we will keep a very close eye on the situation and bring you any new developments from dallas as we get them and confirm them. now on to the manhunt for two escaped killers in upstate new york. it is now in its eighth day, and there's this. the woman who police accuse of helping the men to break out of prison now behind bars herself. joyce mitchell was arraigned late friday. our miguel marquez is on this story. >> reporter: well, it only took a few minutes, but joyce mitchell is now formally arraigned. two charges, a felony and a

misdemeanor. the felony is promoting prison contraband. the misdemeanor is criminal facilitation in the fourth degree. all of this for what authorities tell cnn is her hand in helping two convicted murderers escape from the clinton correctional facility, a maximum security prison, giving them drill bits, hacksaws and goggles with lights on them, perhaps providing other information and help to them. she had been assisting authorities all week after having second thoughts, she said, and then came the charges. she was in court for only a few minutes. she only spoke a few words. she looked absolutely terrified as she stood before the judge here in plattsburgh, new york, and only whispering the word "yes," as the judge asked her her name. her lawyer entered the plea of not guilty, at least provisionally. all of this now kicked over to

monday, when there will be a more proper arraignment with more formal charges, where she will enter a plea and everything will be -- all the ts will be crossed, the is will be dotted. and her lawyer that was present tonight will be assigned permanently, possibly, on monday. miguel marquez, cnn, plattsburgh, new york. now law enforcement sources are painting a much clearer picture of who joyce mitchell is and her alleged role in the escape. investigators are even taking a closer look at her husband. our brian todd has this story. >> reporter: joyce mitchell had a relationship with both of the escaped killers, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation. she provided hacksaw blades to richard matt and david sweat as well as eyeglasses with lights on them and drill bits, purchases that occurred in just the last few months, that from two law enforcement sources. a former prison warden tells us mitchell, who warniorked in the prison, would probably have had to go through metal detectors to

get to work but likely would not have been searched. how could she get those items through? >> through a lunch box, through a purse, equipment she may bring in to work within the tailor shop. >> reporter: and now the clinton county district attorney says mitchell's husband, lyle, worked in the maintenance department at the same prison tailoring shop where joyce mitchell worked with the two inmates. he tells cnn's randi kaye, lyle mitchell is being investigated in connection with the plot. >> we have information that's coming through, through interviews, just through our investigation, that he possibly could have been involved, or at least had knowledge of what was happening. >> reporter: joyce mitchell had previously been the subject of a complaint inside the clinton correctional facility for a relationship with one of the two escaped inmates, but it's not clear which inmate she favored, according to a source. mitchell told police inmate richard matt had made her feel special. her son and daughter-in-law denies she was involved in the escape and say she wouldn't have had an affair. her former brother-in-law told

us joyce mitchell, nicknamed tillie, cheated on her former husband and sought out danger. >> she likes the wild side of people, i guess, always looking for the ones that are, you know, a little bit troubled. >> reporter: psychiatrist daniel lieberman, who's worked with violent inmates, says killers like matt and sweat are masters of manipulation. >> they probably got her to talk about herself. they learned probably some of her deepest secrets. and they found her weaknesses. these are dangerous, violent human beings that everybody fears. when they come up to somebody and they smile at them and they say, you're our friend, that could be very seductive. >> reporter: the d.a. says for most of the week, joyce mitchell had been "extremely cooperative," had voluntarily sought officials out, had come in every day, providing critical information. that all could change now that she's been formally charged in the case. brian todd, cnn, washington. and we are getting some breaking news here into the cnn

newsroom about that situation that is playing out in dallas, texas. you'll remember, we told you about a shoot-out that happened near the dpd, the dallas police department headquarters. and now we understand that explosives have been found in one of four suspicious bags near the dallas police department headquarters. this is according to the dallas police chief, david brown. again, you see this video. let's listen in, where you can hear gunshots. [ shots ] that video there was posted on twitter just a short time ago. according to police, they believe that there may have been multiple shooters who may have fired from different locations there near the police department, and there may be up to four suspects. all of this the latest from dallas police as we continue to monitor this story. again, a shoot-out that played out near the dallas police department, and investigators surrounding what seems to be an armored van and explosives found near the dallas police department. we'll continue to follow this story, of course. now on to south korea.

some promising news about the mers virus. the contagion appears to be slowing down, according to the world health organization. officials say the virus doesn't appear to be spreading among the general public in south korea, but more cases should be anticipated. this comes as the country's health ministry confirmed a 14th death. kathy novak is following this story from seoul and joins us now live with more. kathy, good to have you with us. what is the latest on the situation? seeing some promising news, but at the same time, officials are urging caution. >> urging caution, yes, george, because there still are so many people who are being monitored, more than 3,500 in quarantine. some of them do have suspicious symptoms and are going through testing. so, these experts who have been investigating the outbreak just can't say yet when it's likely to end. and as you said, we should be anticipating more cases. but the findings of this joint team of the world health organization working with korean

experts has found that it is unlikely to be spreading into the public. that had been the big fear. but this remains contained within hospitals. and the assistant director general of the w.h.o., dr. keiji fukuda, told cnn that it's about time they think about schools reopening. >> i think the appearance of this virus, you know, caught everybody by surprise, because i think that they weren't thinking that a virus that they'd heard about mainly in the middle east could appear in this country. but i think after that initial period aof surprise, they've really, again, taken a lot of steps to strengthen the hospitals, make sure that their infection prevention and communications are better. and i think that as the outbreak has gone on, it's become clear that this is a virus which is not being transmitted in schools. it's not a high-risk place. and so, i think that there has been a kind of social debate going on about opening the schools. but i think that, hopefully, they will begin to open pretty soon.

>> dr. fukuda talking to us just within the past hour. and george on friday, 2,700 schools were still closed, but now the superintendent of the schools here in seoul is saying that it will be left up to the individual schools now to make their own decisions. >> kathy, what more can you tell us about the situation there with hospitals to create safe hospitals, to, you know, essentially separate patients who are suspected of having mers from other patients? >> well, part of the findings of the world health organization team was that this virus did spread through hospitals and through overcrowded emergency rooms, and especially because the system here allows loved ones of patients to be spending the night in hospitals, to have close contact with patients. and oftentimes, the general wards are quite crowded, too. so, there was a lot of opportunity for infected patients to be exposing their visitors, to be exposing their medical staff before it became clear that this outbreak was going on.

now there have been tighter controls put in place at hospitals around the country to make sure that people who are coming in to be treated for anything at all are being screened. they're having their temperatures taken before they even set foot in the hospital. if they show any suspicious symptoms, they're taken aside for further testing. and anyone in those hospitals that is being treated for mers is being kept separated, in quarantine. the appropriate protections are put in place for the medical staff. so, right now, it is about making sure that there is no further exposure and that anyone who has been infected or anyone that could have been infected is kept isolated while they're being treated, george. >> all right. kathy novak live on the situation there in seoul, south korea. kathy, thank you, and we'll keep in touch with you as we continue to follow this mers outbreak there. thank you. australia's prime minister, tony abbott, he is facing growing pressure now to either confirm or deny allegations that government customs officials paid people smugglers to turn their boats around. reports say the captain and crew of a ship carrying 65 migrants

received $5,000 each to return to the indonesian waters. david lipson with sky news australia reports. >> reporter: the boats remains one of the government's clear successes, and the prime minister wants to insure it stays that way. >> we will do whatever we reasonably can, consistent with the principles of a decent and humane society, to insure that the boats stay stopped. >> reporter: but claims from indonesian police that australian customs officials paid people smugglers $5,000 each to turn their boatload of asylum-seekers back to indonesia have been labeled a dangerous development that could entice more boats. what kind of a factor is it to a people-smuggler, knowing that if they encounter an australian navy vessel, they will receive an australian taxpayer-funded check? >> it is quite possibly highly illegal. it's a crime to pay people to

traffic other individuals. >> reporter: this week, two ministers bluntly denied it had happened. >> no. >> reporter: but asked repeatedly, the prime minister wouldn't rule it out. >> we have stopped the boats. and we have used a whole range of measures to stop the boats, because that's what the australian people elected us to do. >> earlier, i spoke with david manne, a human rights lawyer in australia. he believes the prime minister's hardline stance on keeping migrant boats out could be what's behind the alleged payoff. >> in response to these very serious allegations that the government paid money to people smugglers, you know, people that traffic other human beings, that put other people's lives at r k risk -- essentially, the government at its highest ranks has said that when it comes to

asylum-seekers at sea, it will do whatever it takes, by hook or by crook, but this whatever it takes policy is an unacceptable position for a country that has signed up to the refugees convention. >> indonesian authorities are now launching an investigation into those claims. weeks after a russian warplane zoomed by a u.s. warship, a russian fighter jet came within feet of a u.s. air force surveillance plane. u.s. officials tell cnn it happened in international air space over the black sea. barbara starr has more from the pentagon. >> coming star board side. >> reporter: on the very day this russian jet flew close by a u.s. navy warship in the black sea -- a dangerous encounter in the skies just miles away. may 30th, 300 miles north of turkey, an armed russian skoi 27 confronts an air force rc-135

surveillance plane in international air space. the russian fighter came up underneath the american plane and then flew alongside, just ten feet away, making sure the americans saw its missiles under the wings. a pentagon official not allowed to speak publicly says russian pilots are acting like cowboys and show-offs. diplomats were more diplomatic. >> when there are unsafe incidents, we certainly address them. >> reporter: it's not the only recent close call. in the baltic sea to the north on april 7th, off the coast of lithuania, again in international air space, an armed russian fighter flew within feet of another rc-135. most u.s. military encounters with the russians are routine. they have all occurred in international waters and air space. u.s. military aircraft have been flying more often, probing for

russian intelligence. right now, 17 nato and allied nations are conducting a massive military exercise. nearly 50 ships and more than 60 aircraft are operating. its long-scheduled maneuvers, but still, a statement of military might in the face of russian aggression in ukraine, coming as ukraine officials visit washington, continuing to plead for u.s. arms. >> they are considering and contemplating this option. the reason is quite simple. they believe that this could escalate the situation in ukraine, but it's already escalated. russians supplied hundreds of tanks, hundreds of modern artillery. >> reporter: the obama administration continues to be unwilling to send arms to ukraine, saying it might escalate the situation. barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. you're watching "cnn newsroom." and next, a stunning defeat for president obama after u.s.

lawmakers struck down key parts of a free trade deal he was fighting to get passed. we'll have that story. plus, a washington state woman under fire for claiming to be african american. her parents say she's white. we'll explain, just ahead. lysol knows the soft places we love could be home to thousands of bacteria. but lysol disinfectant spray can help protect your family because it can also be used on soft surfaces. it kills 99.9% of illness causing bacteria won't stain and leaves your soft surfaces with a light fresh scent lysol the #1 pediatrician recommended brand.

welcome back to "cnn newsroom." i'm george howell. a major free trade deal involving the u.s. and pacific nations has suffered a serious

setback at the hands of lawmakers in washington, d.c. their concern is that too many u.s. jobs would go overseas. the no vote is a huge defeat to president obama, who had made the trade deal one of his biggest priorities. cnn's jim acosta has more. >> the ayes are 126. the nays are 302. the motion is not adopted. >> reporter: it was a massive defeat as president obama's trade agenda suffered a major blow, mainly at the hands of his fellow democrats, including their leader in the house, nancy pelosi. >> but we have to slow down. >> mr. president -- >> reporter: despite the president's last-minute trip up to capitol hill for one final, emotional appeal behind closed doors -- >> i don't think you ever nail anything down around here. it's always moving. >> reporter: -- many house democrats were simply turned off. >> the president tried to both guilt people and then impune their integrity, and i don't think it was a very effective tactic. there are a number of us who were insulted.

>> reporter: as democratic congressman keith ellison tweeted, "now president obama wants to talk?" [ cheers and applause ] it was an indictment at the president's weak relations with congress. consider his trip to the congressional baseball game thursday night aimed at pitching his trade deal. he was there for just 20 minutes. >> what do you say to people in this town who believe that's just too little, too late? >> the fact is, the president held -- the president personally had dozens of conversations with democrats in the house and in the senate to make the case for this proposal. >> reporter: the president was pushing for two measures on trade, one to help workers who'd lose their jobs to outsourcing, the other to give them authority to negotiate trade deals on his own, power to cut a massive pacific trade agreement. but liberals complain the deals, dating back to nafta, just shift american jobs overseas, as ross perot put it back in the '90s. >> there will be a job-sucking

sound going south. >> reporter: facing similar complaints this time around, the president miscalculated, slamming his democratic critics instead of wooing them. >> don't just throw out a bunch of stuff, making accusations about it. >> reporter: add to that hillary clinton's near silence on the issue, despite supporting the president's trade agenda in the past. >> any trade deal has to produce jobs and raise wages and increase prosperity and protect our security. >> reporter: all of that forced the white house to turn to house speaker john boehner to rally republicans to no avail. >> and when we don't lead, we're allowing, and effectively, essentially, inviting china to go right on setting the rules of the world economy. a decades-old tradition in u.s. politics has come to an end. iowa's republican party voted to cancel the state's straw poll on friday. that event held at the end of the summer raised money for the republican party and typically helped to narrow down the

presidential field. but gop candidates, including jeb bush and marco rubio, have said they would not spend money to compete in the event this time around. >> my job is to roll out the welcome mat. they made a decision. i think a good decision would have been to come to the straw poll. they disagreed. my job now, after they have disagreed with the state committee, my job now is to roll out that red carpet again. and another presidential candidate this round, democratic contender hillary clinton, she is preparing for her biggest campaign event yet in new york city later today. and her husband will be at her side. jake tapper sat down with the former president, bill clinton, in a cnn exclusive interview, and got him to open up about something he rarely does, his relationship with his wife. listen. >> there are polls that show that fewer and fewer americans think that your wife is honest and trustworthy. and this has happened at the same time as these questions about the foundation, questions

about her e-mail. and that must really bother you. >> yeah, but i mean, we're used to it. and the only thing i would say about this is, number one, i'm glad it's happening now, because i trust the american people and i trust her with my life and have on more that be one occasion. she was always, whenever i had trouble, she was a rock in our family. i was the youngest former governor in american history in 1980 on election night. i got killed in the reagan landslide. and people i had appointed to office would walk across the street, they were so afraid of the new regime in arkansas, not shake hands with me. my career prospects were not particularly bright. and she never blinked. she just said, hey, it will turn

around. i believe in you. you've got to. and we built a life together based on, you know, the things we cared about and the things that we loved, and we were blessed with a daughter who turned out pretty well, i'd say. >> and for more of jake's interview with bill clinton, you can watch cnn "state of the union." it all begins this sunday morning at 9:00 eastern. that exclusive interview only on cnn. all right, we're talking weather extremes that are playing out in two separate parts of the united states. some areas are bracing for flooding and others face a scorching heat wave. our meteorologist, derek van dam, is at the world weather center to make sense of it all. derek? >> george, here we go again. the same areas that received the flooding have the possibility of more flooding rains today and through the weekend. this is oklahoma, kansas and northern texas, right along the red river. in fact, the national weather service just canceled a flash flood warning for the greater oklahoma city region as this band of rainfall moved through

in the overnight period. it's now starting to clear, but there is clearly more precipitation in this forecast. our computer models indicating anywhere between 4 and 6 inches near the wichita falls area, 1 to 2 inches near oklahoma city. additional rainfall expected for wichita, kansas city and houston as well. this on top of the wettest may ever recorded across the contiguous united states. if you average it out, all locations around the u.s. received around 4 1/2 inches. of course, there's some anomalies and exceptions to that, but certainly a very wet month recorded. so, any rain on top of that could lead to the possibility of more flooding. and we've been talking about heat wave conditions, especially over the eastern u.s. look at the six to ten-day outlook right over the southeast. above-average temperatures. and that extends into the new england coastline. so, philadelphia, pittsburgh, as well as new york city and atlanta, where the cnn world weather center is located. we won't break any records today for baltimore or the nation's

capital, but it will be close. look at those daytime highs, upper 80s and lower 90s. so, if you had that information, you knew how hot it was going to be as you traveled to a destination, well, what would you feel about this particular contraption? this is a very, very clever thing in the stockholm airports. this is a weather pod or a climate portal, per se. take a look at some of the footage from this particular model. this thing allows travelers to sample the weather at their final destinations before they actually fly there. so, they use temperature controls, wind generators and audio-visual clues to kind of re-enact the hot and dry and even wet conditions for travelers as they travel from stockholm to their final destination. what do you think about that, george? could you handle that? >> a climate portal. >> a climate portal. >> only if it's not scorching hot, like it's going to be here in atlanta. >> it would remind you to buy that extra pair of sunglasses.

>> i guess it would, derek. thank you so much. >> thanks, george. heavy rains have been complicating the search for two fugitives in the state of new york. just ahead, we'll see how the tools police are using are helping to catch these killers. plus, shia fighters are headed to fallujah to fight isis, but they're worried that they're not properly equipped for that mission. we'll have that story as this broadcast continues worldwide on cnn international and cnn usa. if your purse is starting to look more like a tissue box... you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® for powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin®. because it starts working faster on the first day you take it. zyrtec®. muddle no more™ .

welcome back to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. you are watching "cnn newsroom." glad to have you with us this

hour. i'm george howell. the headlines we're following. a prison worker in new york is in prison, now arraigned on charges that she helped two convicted killers to escape. authorities say joyce mitchell gave the men saw blades, a drill bit and lighted eyeglasses. her attorney entered a not guilty plea to the felony and misdemeanor charges that she now faces. the world health organization says the mers virus doesn't appear to be spreading outside hospitals in south korea but that more cases should be anticipated. this comes as the country's health ministry confirmed a 14th death. the world health organization wants the government to remain vigilant and to continue the disease surveillance. authorities in indonesia are investigating claims the australian customs officials there paid human smugglers to turn back a boat carrying 65 migrants. the prime minister, tony abbott, refused to comment on the claims but said his country will do whatever is needed to stop the boats. a french court has acquitted the former head of the imf of

aggravated pimping. a prosecutor says there was not enough evidence to convict dominique strauss-kahn. he did not deny participating in sex parties across the world but said he did not know that the women were prostitutes. now to an update on a story that we're following, a developing situation in dallas, texas. police there say they have found explosives outside the city's police headquarters. the incident started when an armored van opened fire outside the building just after midnight. police then gave chase and last reported that they had the van surrounded on a nearby interstate. and now they say there may be as many as four suspects. let's turn to an eyewitness, rick burt, who is now on the phone joining from us dallas, texas. rick, thank you for taking time to be with us and also, thank you for bringing us some of the video that we're seeing here. just talk to us, if you could, about the situation, how it p y played out, we understand just after 12:30 your time.

>> that's correct. it was actually 12:24 central time, and my wife was on the computer. i was getting ready for bed. and we heard loud noises. my wife asked if i thought they were shots. i was in the marine corps, so she thought i would be an expert on that. and i said it sounded more like a jackhammer but at a lower frequency and it was hard to tell with the windows down. so, i went over to the windows and put one of them up, and we heard more shots being fired, and i turned to my wife and said, yeah, that's definitely gunfire, because i could hear the snaps. so, she went further into the apartment and i got my iphone out and started taking some video. >> rick, we're looking at that video. you see one of the tallest skyscrapers in dallas lit up there in the background. and in the foreground, you can hear, i believe, from time to time the gunshots.

you understand, we just learned from police that explosives have been found in one of four suspicious bags. i'm curious, did police give you guys any instructions? because you're pretty close to all of pi tthis. to take precautions and get out of the way? >> that's correct. our apartment is west-facing. it's actually directly across from the police headquarters parking lot, and that's where they found the explosives. so, they had all of us evacuate. so, we're down on the ground floor of our apartment building right now. and they actually just did a controlled detonation at 4:27. >> from what you heard -- >> we just heard -- heard that go off. >> yeah. are you hearing something right now? >> negative. >> okay. >> it was at approximately 4:27 central. >> police believe that there may be up to four people, four suspects.

and they believe that there may have been multiple shooters from different locations. from what you heard and from what you saw, does that all seem to make sense? >> most definitely. the shots being fired, you could hear that they were from different angles. there were several shots that sounded very loud because of the echo. and we didn't hear any snaps overhead, but then there were several shots that didn't have that echo but were snapping over our heads. so, you could tell that the shots were coming from all aspects. >> what's the feeling in the neighborhood right now? you know, obviously, you have taken precautions, but do you get a sense that, you know, you will be able to get back to your home any time soon or is this still sort of an active situation? >> it's definitely an active situation and there are several police officers about 20 feet from me, and they've instructed

us that this may be -- we may be out of our home for a while. >> okay. thank you for letting us know about that. and certainly, if you're watching this broadcast in the dallas area, just to know what's happening there near the dallas police department. rick, stay on the line with us. i just want to update our viewers to what's happening. again, this is a situation that started just after, or around, as rick says, 12:30 central time, a situation where police say there was a shoot-out near the dallas police department. and we're hearing from rick byrd on the phone, an eyewitness who tells us now that himself and other neighbors have been told to essentially get out of the way and to take, you know, find safe shelter as police deal with this situation. rick, we'll be back with you, i'm sure, as we follow this situation in dallas. thank you for being with us. and for our viewers around the world, we'll stay on top of this story and bring you any information as we get it. now more on the manhunt for those escaped killers in new york state. at least 800 federal, state and

local law enforcement officers are looking for richard matt and david sweat. police say they are following up on more than 700 leads in the case and they're deploying the latest technology to catch these fugitives. our kyung lah reports. >> area in the dispatch? >> we just got a call of shots fired. >> reporter: l.a. sheriff's deputies john rocks and richard thompson. >> we're a police crew up in the sky, you know? >> reporter: flying to their first call of the night as we quickly learn they're not just any air support. >> looks like a black-and-white image, but that's not xexactly right. >> it's a picture that's generated by measuring differences in heat. the lighter the color, the hotter the temperature. >> reporter: you're looking at video from a thermal imaging camera. it's the same sort of technology being used to hunt for the escaped killers in upstate new york, richard matt and david sweat. under where we're sitting, a 360 view of los angeles in the dead

of night, able to spot anything warm. >> you're seeing the heat from the engines. like this car here is very hot. it's been parked probably the last 15 minutes in that driveway. >> reporter: even in a dense area. >> you're going to see just a large black area, and that's a park. we've got a little critter running around on the ground. looks like a little possum. >> oh, that thing in the center? >> yes. >> how far away are we? >> three-tenths of a mile. here's a person that's walking on a sidewalk next to the park. we've got a couple -- we've got another jogger. >> you can tell that was a woman. >> yeah, yeah. >> you can see her hair. a fugitive trying to crawl away, you would be able to pick it up. >> yes. >> how essential is the technology like this? >> especially at night, you can't do it without it, especially not that wooded area. >> reporter: one of the most striking examples, the arrest of dzhokhar tsarnaev. who could forget this image? an infrared camera saw him hiding in a resident's backyard in a boat under a tarp before

any grounds officers approached. but there are limitations in a search like a prison break. >> it isn't x-ray vision. can't see through the trees or leaves. it just gives you that edge over the bad guys. i've seen them hiding thinking, okay, they can't see me, they can't see me, and we're looking right at them. >> reporter: with their high-tech eye in the sky. kyung lah, cnn, flying above downtown los angeles at night. in iraq, shia fighters trying to drive isis out of ramadi are now focusing their efforts on fallujah, but they need better supplies and they need those supplies quickly. cnn's senior international correspondent ben wedeman joins us now live from baghdad. ben, good to have you with us. fallujah certainly has been at the center of these battles since the u.s.-led war in iraq. >> reporter: yes, indeed, george. most recently, of course, it was fallujah that was the first city in iraq that isis was able to take control of, and that was

back in january 2014. so, what we understand from paramilitary commanders on the ground just outside of fallujah is that their plan is to essentially refocus their efforts from ramadi, which fell to isis on the 17th of may, to fallujah itself. motors rev. the fighters are ready to move out in the desert of anbar province. they're with the shia-led paramilitary popular mobilization units. for weeks now, the focus has been to drive isis out of ramadi, the capital of anbar. now senior commanders say they're changing direction, preparing instead to cut off the city of fallujah. under isis control since january of last year, it's just an hour and a half drive from baghdad.

the fighters are iraqi, but they're getting help from france next door. this is a 106-millimeter recoilist rifle. it's used to stop vehicles, oftentimes humvees captured by isis, which they packed full of explosives, and it's one of their main tactics in the fight against pro-iraqi government forces. what's significant about this, among other things, is that it's made in iran. while the u.s. provides training and weapons to the iraqi army and spear-heads international coalition air strikes against isis, it keeps shia paramilitary groups at arms length. iran embraces them. "the difference between iran and other countries," says this commander, "is that iran delivers weapons quickly, sometimes before we even pay for them."

this is a senior commander who spent years in exile in iran while saddam hussein was in power. "the iranian advisers," he tells me, "have expertise and experience. they are the best ones to provide advice to the fighters on the ground." and does he think additional u.s. trainers will make a difference? "will 400 win the battle," he as as as asks. "no, it's unbelievable." they filled the vacuum left by an iraqi army that collapsed a year ago when isis went on the offensive. the u.s. is trying to help the army regain the lead, but the fall of ramadi last month was a blow to that effort.

a husht logistics unit delivers food and supplies provided by private donors to one of their front-line outposts in anbar. the iraqi army is nowhere to be seen. and of course, any attempt to retake fallujah could be very bloody. we understand that at the moment, there are as many as 100,000 civilians still in that city. now, irlsie officials have appealed to isis to let them leave, but isis is more likely to use them as human shields. george? >> ben wedeman live in baghdad. ben, we appreciate your insight and efforts to bring us the reporting from that region. thank you. you are watching "cnn newsroom." ahead, a group of hikers learn their fate in a malaysian courtroom after being arrested for their naked photo shoot atop a sacred mountain. you wouldn't take medicine without checking the side effects. hey honey.

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welcome back to "cnn newsroom." i'm george howell. four western tourists are expected to leave malaysia for home today after serving jail time for stripping naked and posting photos on top of a sacred malaysian mountaintop. all four backpackers pled guilty to obscenity charges. the court fined them about $1,300 and then freed them, taking into consideration the three days that they had already served. local residents said their behavior caused an earthquake earlier this month, an earthquake that killed 16 people. there is a controversy brewing in spokane, washington, where authorities are looking into claims that a local naacp president has been

misrepresenting her race. the woman claims that she is african american. her parents say she's white. stephanie elam reports. >> reporter: it seems like an easy question -- >> are your parents -- >> i'm not -- >> are they white? >> reporter: but for rachel dolezal, it was enough to make her run from a local reporter. dolezal's president of the spokane chapter of the naacp and professor of africana studies at eastern washington university. for years, the 37-year-old has claimed she's black, reinforcing that belief by posting pictures like this one from the spokane naacp facebook page. the caption underneath says her father, presumably this black man, will be a special guest at one of their events. but this is the birth certificate cnn obtained from rachel's parents. this is her biological mother and this is her father, proving that rachel dolezal is white. the couple says their daughter has never claimed to be black in their presence, though due to a legal dispute, they haven't

talked to her in years. >> it's at her request. that's because rachel has chosen to distance herself from the family and be hostile toward us. she doesn't want to be seen with us because it ruins her image. >> reporter: an image the dolezals, who adopted four black children, say came about gradually around 2007. >> rachel has always been interested in ethnicity and diversity, and we had many friends of different ethnicities when she was growing up. >> reporter: so interested in black culture that dolezal left montana to go to college in jackson, mississippi, before earning a masters degree from howard university, a historically black institution, in 2002. throughout her career, she's fought for racial equality. here she is with baltimore prosecutor marylin mosby. >> we're going to carry on the meeting. >> reporter: dolezal was also appointed to oversee equality in the police department. on her application, however, she indicated that she is white, black and native american.

now the city is checking to see if this new revelation has violated any policies. >> the truth here is that she is a white woman, is exercising extraordinary privilege to try on blackness, and some people say to try on everything but the burden, tuned decide when and how she wants to be this thing that she can always walk away from. >> reporter: cnn tried unsuccessfully to reach dolezal for comment. as for the naacp, they are standing behind dolezal, saying "we encourage americans of all stripes to become members and serve as leaders in our organization." it's worth pointing out that you don't have to be black to be a leader in the naacp and you don't have to be black to go to howard university. but what's puzzling so many people is that rachel dolezal has been known to be an effective leader when it comes to race relations, and many people don't understand why she felt the need to lie because they believe she could have done that whether she was black or white. stephanie elam, cnn, los angeles. you're watching "cnn newsroom." and just after the break, we continue to follow this developing story in dallas,

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welcome back. we want to update you on this breaking situation that we are following in dallas, texas. this is a shoot-out that happened just in front of the dallas police department headquarters just before 12:30 central standard time. in this video, you can hear some of the gunshots. let's listen in. [ shots ] >> this is video that was sent in to us from rick burt there in dallas. rick spoke with us earlier. he has a condo near the dallas police department headquarters. and he said that he heard this around 12:24 this morning. again, rick says that it basically sounded like a jackhammer at a low frequency. he was told to leave the condo along with other residents to seek shelter somewhere else, to evacuate that area. and i asked him if the situation was still ongoing.

he said that it is still an active situation. here's what we know so far, confirmed from the police department. again, there were explosives that were found in one of four suspicious bags near the dallas police department headquarters. this is according to the dallas police chief, david brown. police also believe there may have been multiple shooters in this incident, multiple shooters at different locations. and police believe there may be up to at least four suspects. again, that's the situation there in dallas, texas. we will continue to monitor this and we'll bring you any more information as we get it here on cnn. we thank you for joining us for the last two hours of continuing coverage on "cnn newsroom." i'm george howell at the cnn center in atlanta. for our viewers in the united states and around the world, "cnn new day" is next, following "cnn new day" is next, following that situation in dallas, texas. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

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this is cnn breaking news. two breaking news stories this morning. the first pictures of joyce mitch, the prison seamstress who helped two ruthless killers allegedly escape and she is waking up in jail after her late night arraignment. all this while texas authorities are issuing a bulletin to look out for those murderers. also breaking this morning. >> a shoot-out and standoff in dallas after an armored van tries on plow through a police cruiser there. you see it here. ofci