comments and post video exclusives. we're back here next sunday morning, 11:00 and 5:00 eastern with the latest "buzz." a fox news alert. iraq's military continuing their counteroffensive to retake the northern city of tikrit from sunni militants, deploying tanks and helicopters against the terrorists after yesterday's initial assault met stiff resistance. hello, everyone. welcome to america's news headquarters. i'm arthel neville. >> i'm eric shawn. iraq now says it has received the first batch of military jets ordered from russia in order to help fight those militants who are still controlling tikrit. that, of course, the hometown of saddam hussein. connor powell has the latest from our middle east bureau. hi, connor. >> reporter: hi, eric.

it's not only the united states terrified about what's happening in iraq. also moscow is deeply concerned, and now they're getting involved, sending advanced military weapons to baghdad. iraqi officials announcing today that they just received the first of 12 secondhand russian-made fighter jets. the u.s. has long promised a shipment of f-16s to iraq, but baghdad reportedly turned to russia after continued delays with the american delivery. congress has been very reluctant to send any type of military aid to the maliki-led government. iraqi commanders are hoping these jets will help turn the tide against isis militants, and they say these planes will be operational within the next few days. this comes as iraq has launched a massive effort to retake the northern city of tikrit with the help of helicopters and commandos. iraqi soldiers reportedly control the roads in and out of tikrit. rebels have laid booby traps slowing the iraqi advance. special forces are on the ground

aiding the iraqi government. now, it also comes as both iran and russia are also aiding this iraqi government. of course, in neighboring syria, eric, the u.s. is supporting the sunni rebels against the assad-backed iranian and russian government there. it is a really strange bedfellows of people in the middle east right now. but the u.s. basically working alongside russia and iran trying to keep up this maliki government. the question is will maliki, the prime minister, eric, still be in power at the end of this week? we'll find out on tuesday when iraq's parliament meets to pick a new prime minister. >> all right, conor. and isis, of course, still pressing its advance. thanks so much. arthel? benghazi suspect khattala is now being held at a detention center after making his first appearance in u.s. court yesterday. khattala pleaded not guilty to a charge of conspiracy to provide support to terrorists. this after u.s. agents

interrogated him on the navy ship that brought him here from libya. but lawmakers are hoping his trial will provide further insight into the events of september 11th, 2012. >> he was not pushing back, but he was likely not providing information -- he could give even some details of some things, but not to the point where an fbi agent would say, hey, bingo. here we go. we've got something that would turn into actionable intelligence. and remember, this is the hard part of this. that first part of it, we want intelligence gathering to happen. and so, again -- >> you're saying ten days isn't enough. >> it's not enough. ten days isn't enough. >> the legal proceedings are getting under way nearly two days after the deadly aassault on the u.s. consulate in benghazi. that raid killed four americans including u.s. ambassador chris stevens. khattala is due back in court on wednesday. now to iran and its moves in iraq. this as the iranian resistance warns about tehran's ultimate intentions.

>> translator: it is abundantly clear that the mullah's regime and after the nuclear bomb. thus we are demanding an end to the nuclear program and saying this on behalf of the iranian resistance and on behalf of the iranian people. >> well, the leading iranian opposition group the national council of resistance of iran held a massive rally friday outside of paris calling for regime change in iran. tens of thousands gathers there also demanding that iran be stopped in trying to spread its brand of extreme fundamentalism in syria and iraq at the expense, they say, of the u.s. and our allies. and they also accuse iraqi prime minister nuri al maliki of acting on behalf of tehran. the leader of the group calls al maliki a, quote, iranian operative. she down for an exclusive fox news interview, her first american interview, and she tells us the upcoming nuclear deal on july 20th will allow iran to continue enriching

uranium. and she warns if iran is given that right next month, the result, she says, will be a nuclear bomb. >> translator: we hope that in these negotiations, the international community would succeed in halting the iranian regime's advances and ambitions because halting the bombmaking of the mullahs is what we, the iranian resistance, and the the iranian people want. regrettably, however, the direction of the talks does not show such a thing. >> well, iran claims it only wants nuclear capability for electricity. one official who appeared at the rally and is associated with the group ambassador, the former u.s. ambassador to the united nations, senior fellow at the american enterprise institute and a fox news contributor. ambassador, you know, president obama announced that the u.s. is giving the syrian opposition half a billion dollars. so why doesn't the administration do the same for the iranian opposition? >> well, given that obama is strategically completely at sea, it wouldn't surprise me if he were to ask for something like that. you know, he's requested this

half a billion dollars from congress. who knows when it will be appropriated or when the resources might actually start to flow to the opposition. but the circumstances are very confused. and i must say, as much as we worry and with good reason about isis and its terrorist capabilities, we need also to worry about in any respect strengthening iran or its surrogates, the al maliki regime in iran or the assad regime in syria. so i wouldn't provide these forces any assistance one way or the other because we can't tell whether the weapons we might give to moderate syrians would end up in the hands of isis or the aid that we would give to the al maliki government in iraq might ultimately benefit the iranians. >> and speaking of the al mallomaliki government, she says that he's running a puppet government on behalf of tehran. do you think that's true? >> well, i think he's clearly under the influence of tehran

and has been for some time. and let's be clear. one of the reasons this sectarian fighting is going on in iraq today is because of the oppression of the al maliki government against the sunnis. and i think that's another reason we have to be cautious about assuming that the people who are fighting against al maliki are all isis terrorists. i think sunni tribal forces are in the field. i think ex-baath party elements are in the field. sunnis that fought with us in the surge just eight years ago. so this is a very complicated environment inside iraq, and it's made more complicated by the fact that our forces withdrew three years ago. our intelligence is minimal. that's really what these 300 american advisers, so-called, are being sent in, to find out what is going on on the ground. >> and i think -- go ahead, i'm sorry. >> sorry. the key point is not to aid iran in its continuing efforts, to

maintain hegemony in the al maliki regime or whoever succeeds him. >> i was going to mention while we're fighting that explosive front, july 20th, the nuclear agreement, do you think her concern that giving iran the right to enrich uranium is extremely troublesome and that could lead to a nuclear bomb? >> well, it was a concession made by the five permanent members of the security council in germany in the interim agreement that, in effect, iran has the right to continue uranium enrichment for a purely peaceful program. i don't think you can trust thi allowing them to continue the capability to enrich uranium means it's only a question of when iran actually develops a nuclear weapon. that's a regime i wouldn't trust with a spare electron let alone a uranium enrichment program. >> what do you think will happen on july 20th? >> i think right now maliki's in trouble. but it's the old saying here, you can't beat somebody with nobody. no alternative candidate has

emerged. so i think either he gets a third term or you could have a prolonged period of disagreement which, of course, will further destabilize things in iraq. >> that's tuesday, the parliament, but what about the ultimate iranian nuclear issue? >> well, i think in july when the perm 5 meet again with iran, the pressure that obama will bring to make concessions so you can have a deal is going to be very intense. and that's a point i fear from the u.s. point of view. we've already made catastrophic concessions, munichlike concessions. the president may well make more. and i think in tehran, of course, they would only welcome that. >> ambassador john bolton, good to see you always every sunday. thank you very much for your insight and analysis today. >> u this. meantime, fox news is taking a deeper look at the complicated diplomacy between iran and iraq. chris wallace sat down with former vice president dick cheney to discuss baghdad getting that possible help from tehran. >> how do you feel about

bringing iran into the discussion about iraq? >> bad idea. the iranians are in many respects the common endy for a lot of our friends out there. the idea that we're going to welcome iran into solving the the problem in iraq is like bringing the russians in to solve the problem in ukraine. >> and for more in-depth analysis and insight, it is fox news reporting "iraq and the rise of a terrorist state" tonight at 9:00 p.m. eastern time right here on the fox news channel. arthel? minneapolis bracing for even more rain. the city already seeing its worst flooding in 30 years. we're going to take a look at when people there might get some relief. and lois lerner pleading the fifth, but her lawyers say the former irs official has no memory of those missing e-mails. all that up in ex-. up next.

thit's not the "limit yoursh hard earned cash back" card . it's not the "confused by rotating categories" card. it's the no-category-gaming, no-look-passing, clear-the-lane-i'm- going-up-strong, backboard-breaking, cash back card. this is the quicksilver cash back card from capital one. unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every single day. i'll ask again... what's in your wallet?

explaining my moderate to severe so there i was again, chronic plaque psoas to another new stylist. it was a total earrassment. and t the kind of attention wanted. so i had a serus talk with my dermatologt about my treatment options. this time, she prescribed humira-adalimumab. humira helps tclear the surface of my skin by actuallrking inside my body. in clinical trials, most adults with moderatekin to severe plaque psoriasis saw 75% skin clearance. and the majority of people were clear or almost clear in just 4 months. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reaions, and new or worsening heart failure have occurred.

before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a regionhere certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had t hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as feve fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. make the most of every moment. ask your dermatologist about humira, today. clearer skin is possible. when folks think about wthey think salmon and energy. but the energy bp produces up here creates something else as well: jobs all over america. engineering and innovation jobs. advanced safety systems & technology. shipping and manufacturing. across the united states, bp supports more than a quarter million jobs. when we set up operation in one part of the country, people in other parts go to work. that's not a coincidence. it's one more part of our commitment to america.

the supreme court expected to hand down a highly anticipated ruling tomorrow deciding whether dozens of companies including the arts and crafts chain hobby lobby have to prove or provide birth control coverage for employees under obamacare. now, this despite their objections for religious reasons. steve zintani live in d.c.

this is a hotbed issue for sure. >> reporter: yeah, it is. it looks like the high court saved the most controversial case for last, announcing a ruling just before the justices take a break for the summer. there are two similar cases pending before the court now. one involves hobby lobby, an oklahoma-based chain of more than 600 arts and crafts stores, another is a pennsylvania furniture maker. both companies claim that providing birth control under obamacare violates their religious freedom. >> in that case, i think the statute itself, as interpreted by the president, violates the first amendment of the constitution. and i'm hoping the court will uphold the rights of individuals for their expression of their religious freedoms. >> during oral arguments, some justices did express skepticism about the health care law and its mandate for birth control coverage, but the obama administration says insurance coverage for birth control is important for women's health and

that supporters of the affordable care act worry that if the court rules in favor of hobby lobby, it would amount to legal discrimination against women. >> the government will not violate anyone's religious beliefs, but no one has the right to discriminate against a woman because of her own beliefs. and i believe that the supreme court will find that. no business should be allowed to discriminate against women. >> now, the court has never before recognized the religious rights of a company that operates for profit. this could very well be an historic first, and we'll find out tomorrow. arthel? >> we will look forward to that. thanks a lot, steve. and on this sunday, there are dangerous storms threatening a large part of the central united states. tornadoes, they say, are possible in the central plains. and more rain is heading toward the rivers and streams that are already overflowing. as you can see. meteorologist from the fox extreme weather center. janice, how bad could it be? >> we've already seen incredible

amounts of rain in the memphis area. you mentioned severe weather. we're going to see the potential for that across areas of kansas, nebraska, missouri and iowa this afternoon. and memphis really just over the past few hours, we have seen over six inches. flooding is imminent. and west of the area is where we've seen close to a foot of rainfall just within the last several hours and into the overnight. we're going to unfortunately see pictures coming in in this area, more heavy rain in the forecast for the next couple of days. so flash flooding is occurring right now in and around the memphis area. keeping a close eye on you. the severe threat including tornadoes later on this afternoon into the evening. again for areas of the midwest towards the great lakes tomorrow with that emphasis on nebraska into iowa, kansas and missouri. tomorrow's threat stretches into the great lakes, down through the southern plains. and then we're going to see the heat expanding across the southern u.s. 90s across the board here for many of you.

109 in phoenix. 87 in raleigh. 82 in new york. and real quick, we're getting into that season. we are watching this disturbance across the southeast. the atlantic here that could develop over the next couple of days. let's take a look at the tropical models. as we head into the fourth of july weekend, keeping a very close eye on this potential depression, maybe a tropical storm. don't think it's going to be a hurricane. but eric, we will be watching it. back to you. >> all right, janice. talk about depression. add another tropical storm, that's for sure. >> i know. i'll keep you updated. >> arthel? very true. coming up, growing frustration on capitol hill over e-mails. some lawmakers questioning if anyone will ever get to the bottom of this. oking with chant. as a police officer, i've helped many people in the last 23 years. but i needed help in quitting smoking. along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking.

chantix reduced the urge for me to smoke. it actually caught me by surprise. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop chantix and see your doctor right away as some could be life threatening. tell your doctor if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, or if you develop new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. i did not know what it was like to be a non-smoker. but i do now. ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. geicmoney for over 75 years.save they've really stood the test of time. much like these majestic rocky mountains. which must be named after the... that would be rocky the flying squirrel, mr. gecko sir. obviously!

ahh come on bullwinkle, they're named after... ...first president george rockington! that doesn't even make any sense...mr...uhh...winkle. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. cshe is the greatest thing ever. one little smile. one little laugh. honey bunny... (laughter) we would do anything for her. my name is kim bryant and my husband and i made a will on legalzoom. it was really easy to do. (baby noise...laughter) we created legalzoom to help you take care of the ones you love. go to legalzoom.com today and complete your will in minutes. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side.

could help your business didavoid hours of delaynd test caused by slow internet from the phone company? that's enough time to record a memo. idea for sales giveaway. return a call. sign a contract. pick a tie. take a break with mr. duck. practice up for the business trip. fly to florida. win an award. close a deal. hire an intern. and still have time to spare. check your speed. see how fast your internet can be. switch now and add voice and tv for $34.90. comcast business. built for business.

new reaction to the irs targeting scandal. republican congressman darrell issa weighing in on those missing lois lerner e-mails and whether lawmakers will ever get to the bottom of what really happened. >> we'll probably never know that the drive is physically gone. what we do know from the discovery we have gotten from e-mails that we've gotten from u multiple sources is she broke some regulations. she knew under the federal records act that she had an obligation for these e-mails to be preserved, and to not have print to paper, which is the policy that she had to know, is pretty hard to believe that there aren't paper copies. >> let's talk about it now with daniel helper, the online editor for the weekly standard. good to see you this sunday morning. >> great to see you. thank you. >> okay. let's look at some of those laws that congressman issa pointed out, saying that lois lerner broke and how she broke them. you know, the paperwork act is

what he's referring to, saying that she broke that by not keeping hard copies. take it away. >> that's correct. actually, lois lerner's lawyer was on another network this morning, and he confirmed what darrell issa said in saying that the e-mails had not been taken properly. they had not been printed off, and they had not all been kept properly. so president obama earlier this year told bill o'reilly that there's not a smidgen of corruption in regard to the irs scandal. we know now that at least there is a smidgen of something of some impropriety that both sides can agree on. the question is how far this went and whether or not there's something more nefarious at work here. >> if, in fact, there is something more nefarious at work here, will it be difficult to prove and pinpoint lerner, and is prosecution possible? >> yeah, it's possible, but it's impossible to pinpoint what went wrong when not all sides are cooperating. president obama has not given the justice department the authority to look into this. he has not created an independent council, somebody

who isn't answering to eric holder or to president obama to look into this and to use the authority of a prosecutor to subpoena and whatnot. and i think that's important in getting to the bottom of this. of course, if we don't try, we never will. it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. >> i mean, so if the -- if they discover that these e-mails were destroyed, didn't just disappear, might miss lerner finally speak under oath in a criminal court possibly, daniel? >> she should. i mean, keep in mind, this is how this all came to this point. she was brought -- she was asked to come to congress to testify, and she pled the fifth amendment. i can't say whether or not she'll waive that amendment and come clean. of course, as this continues, it looks less and less likely that she wants to talk about this. she fears obviously something, whether or not it's embarrassment or whether or not she did something wrong, we just don't know. >> let's say if lois lerner is ultimately untouchable, any other possible penalties inside the irs, daniel?

or is the end game to try to connect the dots to the white house and get answers directly from the top? >> i don't think that's the end game. i think most people agree that political groups were targeted. now, president obama's lawyer was on nbc this morning, and she said that -- she attributed it to political tone deafness. i don't know what's political tone deaf about that. but it seems weird. so i think the question is is if we can all agree that conservatives were targeted, don't we want to know why conservatives of all people were targeted by an irs that's led by a treasury secretary that's pointed by president obama? i think -- i mean, i think we'd have to be incredulous not to want to look into at least why these groups were targeted. >> perhaps not just conservative groups but definitely seems to be disproportionately targeted. ultimately, give me 30 seconds here. what's going to happen this week? are we going to see some sort of forward movement with this? >> i'm not so sure. i would suggest that president obama take hillary clinton's advice and hillary clinton said that obama should keep on

investigating and look into it, and she's invite. why not? i think the irs is so invasive and such an important institution that americans have a right to know what went on. >> the american people want to know. they're, like, listen. you guys make sure that we provide all the information that's necessary to keep records and track of what we're doing, so we want to hear from you as well. daniel halper, i have to go. thank you so much. see you. well, have you seen them, the cdc is releasing some of its most shocking anti-smoking ads we have ever seen. coming up, we'll take a look at some new ways that can help make you quit. and why some research says smoking now is even more deadly than it was 50 years ago. plus, bacteria on the cell phones.

hello. good to see you. i'm arthel neville. time for "sunday house call." >> i'm eric shawn. joining us is professor of medicine at nyu's medical center and author of "the inner pulse: unlocking the code of sickness and health." >> and chairman and professor of urology at linux hill hospital and chief of robotics surgery. >> good to see you. >> i want to start here, though, a stark new warning about smoking. okay, there is a new report suggesting lighting up is actually more dangerous than it was 50 years ago.