fox's elizabeth prann is in washington with more on that story. >> reporter:. secretary of state john kerry made with owe lip sean president on sunday covering number of issues that the newly lecked leader including the political transition, the nation's security and its relationship with the us. yet some lawmakers say they want the administration to take a more aggressive foreign policy approach. >> i think the first thing he needs to do because to me this is not just about iraq. this is about syria, this is about egypt, this is about the and tire middle east. >> i do believe maliki has to go. i don't know if we have time to wait for maliki to go by then it may be too late. it is absolutely search that we stop isis. >> kerry is expected that travel no iraq soon we are learning sunny stream mist expanded their volatile offensive capturing a number of strategic towns some which share a border crossing with syria and another with jordan. each day it appears they're inching closer to baghdad. president obama hitting the air waves to talk about his intentiointentio

fox's elizabeth prann has the story now from washington. >> reporter: irs commissioner john remainedmant friday as he told congressional lawmakers the agency is not guilty according to him lois lerner's hard drive crashed before getting recycled and destroyed. back up e-mails were kept for six months and he reported to a report agency employees had actually improperly there was no evidence of political motivati motivation. >> i don't think an apology is owed. there's not a single e-mail has been lost since the start of this investigation. >> reporter: while the agency says hard drives belonging to several other staffs also crashed, a number of republicans dismiss the explanation. >> they have no credibility either i guess what's frustrating to have the commission irs say repeated that no e-mails have been lost since an investigation started, knowing that the targeting began before the investigation. >> committee chairman dave camp suggests special prosecutor to investigate the irs congressman paul ryan flat out told him i don't believe you, and other critics say it just means they mu

arthel, back to you. >> elizabeth prann, thanks. >>> they're getting ready. less than an hour or so away from the start of the 146th belmont stakes. as you know, ten of them are look to try and stop the west coast superstar, california chrome, from becoming the 12th horse in history to win the historic triple crown and the first one in 36 years. could that be possible? in 45 minutes or so, we'll bring you the results from the racetrack live. it's here on long island in queen, new york. history in the making, we could have that later on the newscast. >>> coming up, a big move that some business owners say could destroy jobs. one big city approving the highest minimum wage in the country. raising it to $15 an hour, but will other cities in the nation follow suit? how would it impact you, the taxpayer? we'll debate that in a fair and balanced way. >>> capitol hill, another security scare there that happened a few hours ago and it is being investigated. we'll tell you what happened. >>> plus, could being fat be a good thing? one doctor is now saying that might su

leland, back to you. >> elizabeth prann in washington, thanks. patti ann. >> reports that the epa will spend more than a million dollars on a conference now sparking some questions. the agency's contract with the renaissance hotel in arlington, virginia, for an environmental justice conference this fall. the epa is booking nearly 200 rooms for 24 days which this could cost between 200 and $400 each. >>> the supreme court meets for a final time monday before the justices take the summer off. the court will release decisions in two remaining cases that involve birth control coverage under president obama's health care law, and fees paid to labor unions representing government employees. meanwhile, the on line streaming service is temporarily closing down its operation, this comes three days after it was dealt an unfavorable ruling by the supreme court. >>> growing frustration over the irs scandal, now republican lawmakers are waiting to see a new report from the agency. could it help them recover the missing e-mails of lois lerner? >> and a fast-mo

. >> while elizabeth prann is following details of this story live in washington, she joins us now with the very latest in terms of the reaction to the acting v.a. secretary's findings. elizabeth? >> reporter: hi, kelly. well, on the heels of acting secretary sloan gibson's early findings, republican lawmakers say they're turning up the pressure on the administration. they say they'll continue to seek solutions for the alleged mismanagement, and change what appears to be a culture at the department of veterans' affairs. >> when we hear reports of mismanagement, every from dallas to dayton to chicago, we know this is not a storm that will just blow over. the underlying culture of corruption will still be there. >> reporter: meanwhile, lawmakers on the hill are nulling over legislation. kelly? >> what is the latest with the legislation? is there anything moving forward? >> reporter: we're seeing activity really in both chambers. on one hand, the house passed the department of affairs management accountability act of 2014, allowing the v.a. secretary to remove anybody who deems underperfor

elizabeth prann is following the latest for us. >> top protect doctor and vietnam doctor tobaccomy cosgrove has withdrawn his name as the cleveland executive acknowledging that the obama administration reached out to him, but he wants to stay put. releasing a statement on saturday reading in part, this has been an extraordinary difficult decision, but i have decided to withdraw from consideration due to the commitment i have made to the organization, our patients and the work that still needs to be done here. meanwhile, acting secretary gibson is moving ahead with improvements. just days ago he said more than a dozen veterans died awaiting care at the phoenix v.a. facility. >> in any instance where the i.g. was able to determine that the lay-in care may have contributed to the timing of their death, we will launch our institutional disclosure process where we go to meet with the survivors, explain the circumstances of what we know, extend our most sincere apologies and i committed that in any of the instances i will personally go to meet with that family to extend my apology and the v.a.'s

elizabeth prann, we thank you very much.ou got the v.a. thing, the bergdahl-taliban swap. suddenly -- this is going to be a big story. the bad guys are on the verge of taking over baghdad. how many americans lost their lives to liberate that nation and now it turns out al-maliki, the prime minister, reached out to the president, to the vice president, and has simply asked for help. send us some drones. could we please have some drones? that would help me a lot. and our government has said no. repeatedly, we won't give them the drones that they say they could use to hit the staging areas that the insurgents are using and now they're marching on baghdad and it looks like the u.s. embassy is in the process of thinking about evacuating. >> pentagon saying ultimately this is for the iraqi service forces and iraqi forces to deal with on their own. >> that's the same philosophy that got us pulling out in 2011. he never talked to him until he picked up the phone in 2011 and said we're leaving. he called and said what are we going to

back to you. >> elizabeth prann in washington, thanks. >>> there is fresh violence in ukraine just a day after the government signed a deal for closer ties with the european union. at least one soldier was reportedly killed in the eastern part of that country. the free trade deal is angering pro-russian separatists as well as the kremlin in moscow. moscow, for its part, is accusing the united states of encouraging ukraine to challenge are russia. meanwhile, ukraine's new president is extending the week-long cease-fire for now three more days. >>> despite new health concerns, pope francis resuming his busy schedule, meeting with the president of madagascar this morning, all smiles but appearing tired. the pontiff skipped a visit to rome to a hospital there. this the third time he has canceled or postponed an event this month. the vatican said the pope has an unexpected illness but is otherwise okay. >>> severe thunderstorms are forming across much of the plains for this weekend, potentially packing large hail, damaging winds, and even some isolated tornadoes. that same storm system al

elizabeth prann is here in washington. >> john kerry has seen the talks in the middle east as he announces he is sending health advisors to help the military. the green beret will focus on backing up security means they will be working as strategic buyers not in a combat roll. >> it can play a constructive role if they join the u.s. in calling for an inclusive iraqi bovtment. here's the president. >> american forces will not be returning to combat in iraq. it will help iraqis. we always have to guard against mission crews. let me repeat what i have said in the past. american combat troops are not going to be fighting in iraq again. >> at the president's request i will take the next step in the diplomatic effort. traveling to europe in the middle east next week to consult with our partners face to face. law americas say the government isn't doing too much. >> i hope that's not the oement thing he intends to do. i hope is it's the first step in a multi process to take seriously and put in place a significant counter-terrorism response to this rift. >> it is always a mistake to say x is off t

. >> elizabeth prann live for us in washington this morning. that takes us to our look who is talking. while the administration decide what to do about iraq the main stay media is busy blaming president bush and dick cheney. maybe listening to chain nae on iraq isn't a good idea. he kroet this there's not a single person in america who has been more wrong and more shamelessly dishonest on the topic of iraq than dick cheney. the former vice president responding saying this about what happened after george w. bush left the white house. >> i think when we left office we had a situation in iraq that was very positive. we made progress as a result of president bush's decision to go on a surge in kuwait there had been a dramatic reduction in violence in the country. they were prepared for negotiations that would lead to a stay behind force of american trainers technical people, intelligence logistics capability so they could de fentd their own territory. barack obama came into office and instead of a stay behind agreement he basically walked away fro

. >> thank you elizabeth prann live for us. >> a new break in the benghazi case.multiple sources u.s. spy agencies they actually heard terrorists talking on state department cell phones during the attack which left of course four americans dead including ambassador chris stevens. it is more proof the obama administration they knew early on the attack was not a spontaneous protest over a video. >>> after they left the consulate in benghazi and went to the state house they were getting reports that cell phones, consulate cell phones were being used to make calls to the attacker's higher ups. >> security teams on the grounds in benghazi received that intel in real time. desperate iraqi leaders now asking the u.s. for drone air strikes to target militants that have taken over three cities in just a matter of days. more than 500,000 iraqis fled to escape the fighting. the latest city militants have taken control over is tikrit that's sadam hussein's home town. the insurgent said to be so evil even al qaeda distanced themselves from them. they have condemned the surge o

elizabeth prann is life from washington with breaking development. >> during a two-hour private meetingl administration officials tried to assure raw lawmakers the tal began would stay away from the field. they are also not satisfied with the justification to leave congress out of the decision making. >> they will soon return to the fight against america and our interests around the world. we have now created an incentive for the enemies of the united states to try to capture american men and women in uniform. >> i am more disturbed now than i was before i came in about some of the logic. there's a theory if we were to release these five taliban it would enhance the chance of peace in afghanistan. >> perhaps there was a second option. they confirmed a cash option was discussed as late as december.

elizabeth prann is live in washington with the latest. hi, elizabeth. >> reporter: hi. you're right, congressional lawmakers say this latest news is unacceptable. chairman of the house oversight committee darrell issa is accusing the internal revenue service of, quote, playing games. but the irs says it has already and is in the process of producing more than 67,000 e-mails from the account of lois lerner who, as you know, headed the irs division that processed applications for tax exempt status. the agency says there are a number of untold e-mails sent and received by lerner, which may be lost due to a computer crash. in a letter to congress on friday, irs officials say some of lerner's e-mails between january of '09 and april of 2011 had been wiped out years ago writing in part, in the course of collecting and producing ms. lerner's e-mails, the irs determined her hard drive crashed in 2011. at the time, ms. lerner asked irs i.t. professionals to restore her hard drive, but they were unable to do so. orrin hatch has trouble the agency didn't notify congress when they

elizabeth prann with more from washington. >> reporter: the irs was and is in the process of producing00 e-mails from the account of lo is learner, the agency said there are e-mails sent and received which may be lost due to a computer crash. some of her e-mails between january of '09 and app of 2011 had been wrieped out years ago. writing, the irs determined her hard drive crashed in 2011. at the time, mrs. learner asked irs i.t. professionals to restore her hard drive and they have been unable to do so. they are upset that congress was not noticed earlier, and darrell issa is accusing the irs of playing games. others sounding off saying the lawmakers should not take the agency at its word. >> this is the most obtuse administration when it comes to being honest and forth right. i think the fbi could probably go back and retrieve the e-mails because in many cases things that you think are deleted, they really aren't. >> democrat ron wyden who is looking into the targeting accusations said we are working with the irs to determine if any relevant documents were not provided and continue

elizabeth prann has the latest on that. >> despite the departure of eric shinseki, republican lawmakersre continuing to pressure the administration over the mismanagement of the department of veterans affairs. >> this is the biggest health care scandal in the v.a. history. and america deserves to know whether the president is committed to doing whatever it takes to make things right. you deserve to know whether he will personally step in and see this through. >> this, while legislation sits in both chambers. it passed the management accountability act of 2014 last month, allowing the v.a. secretary to remove anybody he deems under performing. the senate is working on a similar piece of legislation with added protections and a section granting veterans more access to alternative facilities. sackeding secretary -- acting secretary sloan gibson is moving ahead prior to any legislation. >> we will be revising and enhancing or scheduling and the directing and policy. all of these things designed to begin the process of earning back trust of veterans. veterans have to feel safe when they come

right, elizabeth prann? >> right.did he know and when did he know it and why didn't he tell us? he was right on the edge of perjury when he told our committee that in fact it could take up to two years to get this data when he knew at that point it could take up to forever. >> reporter: those e-mails may have crucial details. while critics are finding it hard to believe, he's continuing to blame technology. we're hearing the same from some lawmakers who say they may need an upgrade. the irs says it has gone to great lengths to cooperate, spending thousands to produce documents and says this week it lost e mails from six more employees allegedly involved in targeting scandals. steve, back to you. >> he's got of explain to go do and they'll see it live right here on fox. thank you. >>> coming up next, boys ii men with their big performance. so stick around for that. we got a big crowd and they're next. hi, everybody. the lowest price book any flight or hotel and if you find it for less, we'll match it and give you 50 do

elizabeth prann is live in dc with the details on whether he's been read his miranda rights or not. >pprehended abu khattala and now the u.s. navy is bringing him back to u.s. soil, although we don't know exactly when. reports are he is being interrogated along the way. >> united states has taken khattala to a secure location outside libya. he will be brought to the united states stand trial in a court of law. >> reporter: when he arrives, he will appear in court in washington. his captured sparked an ongoing debate. many republican leaders feel he should be sent to gitmo. senator marco rubio is one of them. feds a statement he should immediately be transferred to guantanamo bay for, quote, detention and interrogation. but administration officials say their policy is clear on this issue, there will not be a single person sent to that detention facility. the president instead is focusing on the message of his capture. >> it's important for us to send a message to the world that when americans are attacked, no matter how long it takes, we will find those responsible and we will bring th

. >> elizabeth prann has the latest. >> reporter: we know president obama met with congressional leaderso move forward, he will update lawmakers of any possible involvement. the administration says it's not ruling out anything at this point. >> any time you say, as the president has on many occasions, that he's not ruling out and never does the use of military force in a circumstance like this, that's not ruling in or saying there is a certain use of military force. >> reporter: this as military officials say the iraqi government requested air support encountering sunni rebels, but it may not be as easy as it looks. the pentagon's top leaders warn there are heavy risks that come with launching a bombing campaign, especially since target for now cannot be clear. there is an effort to gather more intelligence so the u.s. is flying an f-18 surveillance mission. this could be more of a show of intimidation than anything else. but some on the hill say the future is unpredictable and criticize the president and his handling of foreign policy. >> this president's foreign policy is making the wo