this is the scene from nimrud.m the museum in mosul, of militants destroying statues and indeed other artifacts there with the jihadi group calling these objects non-islamic and deserving of destruction. also today, a provincial governor says iraqi forces are putting their offensive against islamic state group and expect to reach the outskirts of the militant-held city of tikrit soon. the iraqi army's offensive began earlier in the week but the advance has nonetheless been slowed somewhat by roadside bombs and booby traps. tikrit, itself is significant. it's the hometown of former president saddam hussein. the bigger and even tougher prize will be the city of mosul, iraq's second city a little bit further to the north. it is firmly under i.s. control. there is also inevitably growing concern for the plight of iraqi civilians in tikrit. the u.n. has sent convoys of relief for thousands of people who have been displaced from the besieged city. lise grande is a u.n. representative in iraq. she's been telling me about

give me a sense of how important a site nimrud is. what does it mean? >> well nimrud was a capital, one of the capitals of the empire assyrian which ruled the world. >> the assyrians, at the time dominated what we now call the middle east. >> well not the middle east but the known world then. the rest were nothing. >> and we're talking about a period, what -- >> 9th century. >> more than 3,000 years ago. >> yep. >> and what if we had been able to go there just before the i.s. militants moved in what would we have seen in today's nimrud? >> quite a lot. it's a big site. it being, you know, the capital of an empire and the most important is the palace. the palace which is 9th century bc around them. it's huge. it really is huge. and it was absolutely full of assyrian relieves. some of it is in the british museum, because it was discovered in the middle of the 19th century. >> we're talking about not just the most precious history of iraq but the history of the world. and i just wonder what your personal feelings are, as an iraqi archaeologist, when you co

nimrud is located on the two great river -- on the tigris river.in mosul, a week ago, militants released this video of them defacing priceless artifacts in the city's museum. according to the militants' interpretation of islam all idols and shrines must be destroyed. some of the smaller artifacts are thought to have been sold on the black market. archaeologists fear the next target will be a weird -- world heritage site that is more than 2000 years old. molly: kremlin critic -- has been released from the moscow detention center. he had been serving 15 days for handing out leaflets in moscow metro, this to promote a protest rally. his release follows the death of boris nemtsov, who was shot dead near the kremlin last friday. what is next than for navalny? what did he have to say? >> he made a number of fairly combative comments once he came out of detention. he says he labeled the boris nemtsov feeling as an act of terror. he says he has not achieved -- it has not achieved its goal because he and the opposition are not frightened. he was sentenced t

i would describe nimrud as one of the exciting sites in the near east. >> reporter: nimrud is not the first. in the past week i.s.i.s. vandals took hammers to ancient relics in the mosul museum. rare, huge beasts guarding city gates, gone. 2,000 years of statues, ancient art embod dig its east meets west culture. >> i believe what is very much at stake is the destruction of the fabric of this result ral diversity. >> reporter: a wave of cultural nihilism that is likely far from over. >> there's a lot more that can be damaged. it's one of the areas world that's been occupied by societies for very long periods of time. among the longest in the world. >> reporter: within weeks of overrunning mosul last summer isis began destroying local shrines. looting of artifacts has been rampant, too. but the past week mosul, now nimrud is an escalation. irreversible damage. cultural annihilation. nic robertson, cnn. >>> the chief of malaysia airlines is speaking out about losing two planes just months apart. you'll remember 370 vanished en route to beijing last march. and in july, a malaysia airline

meanwhile, reports the islamic state bulldozed the ancient city of nimrud in northern iraq drew condemnationhead of the u.n.'s cultural agency called it a "war crime", and archaeologists said if true, it was a major loss. >> there's nothing like nimrud. this is a site where we've had numerous discoveries that are unique, the queen's tombs, the ivories that have been found there, all these are very unique kinds of finds, so we know this is a site of substantial importance and uniqueness in the ancient near east, so any damage to it is of grave concern. >> woodruff: nimrud dates back almost 3,000 years and is considered one of the 20th century's most important archaeological finds. the department of justice is calling it the "largest data breach in the history of the internet" and today charged three people in an email hacking scheme. two are vietnamese citizens and one is canadian. between 2009 and 2012 they stole over a billion email addresses, sent spam marketing to them and made millions of dollars in profit. two of the men are in custody. one remains at large. the u.s. food and drug admin

treasures, this time bulldozing the ancient assyrian city of nimrud in iraq.ou're seeing could be gone. this comes weeks after this happened. isis militants destroying artifacts in the mosul museum. >>> two suspects are in custody after a deadly shooting in mali. it happened in the capitol at a nightclub popular with westerners. at least five people were killed including someone working with the e.u. delegation to mali. >>> brazil's top court will investigate dozens of politicians in connection with a multi-billion dollar corruption scandal. the scam may have funneled money from state-run oil company to political parties. the heads of both chambers of congress are among the ones under investigation. >>> 50 years ago today hundreds of african-american civil rights marchers were beaten by police in selma, alabama, in what is now known as bloody sunday. they were demanding the right to vote when they were attacked. more than 100 members of the u.s. congress and president obama will be in selma for the anniversary and we'll be there, too. >>> the u.s. justice depa

now, we have yet to see any video posted by isis of what's going on in nimrud but i'm sure it's merely of time before they issue it. now, as far as the battle against isis in tikrit goes we were on the front lines, just about two miles south of the center of that city. we saw outgoing fire from iraqi forces forces that yes, include these iranian-backed military groups like -- otherwise known as the popular mobilization unit. we didn't see iranian advisers on the ground. i spoke to one member of the iraqi parliament who was highly critical of the american role or lack thereof as far as the battle of tikrit goes. he told me that on the other hand iranian assistance is practical and although they don't necessarily have boots on the ground there are at least 100 iraqi advisers one of the iraqi militias actually posted or provided us with video of iranian advisers looking over a map near one of the battlefields around tikrit. as far as the battle goes we heard from officers there that isis may be beginning to pull out of that city, just leaving behind a lot of ieds and snipers. john? >> not

. >>> the ancient syd of nimrud lies on the river tigress. it was founded in the 13th century bc and considered the jewel of. ancient statutes, gold jewelry and ornaments and precious stones have been found. many of the artifacts have been moved elsewhere in iraq, but a lot still remain in nimrud. >>> iraqis condemn the news, some calling it a crime against humanity. >> antiquities are not only for iraqis but the people as of the world as a whole. >> they are hooligans who have nothing to do with civilization, development or humanity. they are enemies of humanity. they view this as a normal act. >> manchester united very much for joining us on the program. i don't know about you but when i watch that video i female what many people feel, which is disgusted, upset but i suppose putting out that sort of footage, it has the affect it's supposed to have, right? >> yes, i think we all feel deeply disturbed and sad. it's part of us. it's rooted at a time when we began to become the individuals we would become in our society. so they're deeply desto

we also received reports that isis controlled mosques in mosul, saying that nimrud would be destroyedline with the actions of isis going back many months. only last week after all that isis proudly posted video of their people destroying ancient statues and artifacts from the museum in mosul. and, of course it is not just what isis is doing, because of unrest in places like libya, egypt, iraq and syria, there has been sort of a rampage against ancient archaeological sites, not just by isis but ordinary people desperate to make money by selling these antiquities on the black market. john? >> huge loss. ben wedeman, thanks so much. >>> how does 16 weeks paid maternity leave sound? 16 weeks? and being paid for full time work for six months after that even if you don't come back. >> that can't be happening in the united states. >> i'll tell you the company where it is happening next. ♪ turn around ♪ ♪ every now and then i get a little bit tired ♪ ♪ of craving something that i can't have ♪ ♪ turn around barbara ♪ ♪ i finally found the right snack ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ at mfs, we believe in the power of

can you give us a significance of the sites found at nimrud and what we have lot lost? >> it is a tragic loss to the people of iraq, not just the people of iraq but to the people of the entire world indeed. >> can you -- this -- this has been deliberate destruction. i mean, the significance -- how big is this loss compared to other attacks other wars, where things like this have happened? >> boy, that's a very tough question. because every site is different. and every site has something to contribute. so it's really a case of comparing apples and oranges. i think this ranks up there amongst the highest this particular site at nimrud was one of the capitals of the assyrian empire, spans hundreds of years called the cradle of western civilization because the assyrian empire was where the initial efforts into science and civil society really flourished. and it's where the -- one of the earliest forms of writing the cuneiform style of writing was born where the early efforts in medicine and astronomy and agriculture took root and flourished. and then such aspects of civil s

week after video showed isis militants smashing priceless statues at the mosul museum, northwest of nimrud. further south, meanwhile, iraqi forces and iranian-backed militias are continuing their bid to retake the city of tikrit from isil. the militants have set oil wells ablaze northwest of the city in a bid to slow the offensive. the united nations reports nearly half a million people were displaced from the darfur region of western sudan last year, the largest amount in a decade. the u.n. blames the uptick in violence on the sudanese government and government allied forces, which have ways to campaign against rebels and are for instance 2003. an estimated 300,000 people have been killed since 2003, when the sudanese president omar al-bashir has faced accusations of genocide and crimes against humanity, but the international criminal court suspended its probe in december. bashir seeks re-election next month to extend his 25-year rule. liberia has finished treating its last ebola patient, as the world health organization announced the country has gone a week without any new cases, for the

and now word isis bulldozers have flattened iraq's city of nimrud. this is what the iraqi army is up against, all over iraq. from the north, where they are now waging their largest anti-isis offensive yet. to just west of baghdad, where we traveled to meet iraqi troops and watched their artillery pound isis strongholds. i'm standing right on the front line. iraqi security forces on this side, isis fighters on the other. perched on top of these berms, an iraqi sniper. can you spot isis from your scope? >> yes. >> reporter: iraq's defense minister with us on the front lines himself today, telling us they can fight on the ground without american troops. all around us, eager iraqi soldiers chanting and vowing to wipe out isis. but isis remains a formidable foe. david, even though americans are not involved in ground combat here, there are thousands of americans training the iraqi forces, in a fight that has huge consequences for america and the region. david? >> martha thank you. >>> back here at home now. chilling new 911 calls after a home invasion in

then reports the militants have bulldozed the ancient city of nimrud and today iraqi officials say milis are destroying the 2,000-year-old city of hatra. >> my reaction was anger first and foremost. and rejection and condemnation of this appalling act of what we call a cultural cleansing. >> reporter: isis is trying to destroy any sign of a civilization other than its own interpretation of sunni islam. iran has its own goal to fight isis while at the same time expand its influence in iraq. richard engel, nbc news istanbul. >>> two suspects have been detained over the murder of russian opposition leader boris nemtsov. he was gunned down late last week in of red square. he was one of president putin's most outspoken critics. the kremlin denies any role in his death. >>> back in this country some of the gop's top president rnl contenders have descended upon iowa to court voters in the all important bellwether state. they're taking p in an agriculture summit but in many ways this is about planting seeds nor a 2016 run. nbc's kelly o'donnell is in des moines for us tonight. kelly, good evenin

today's report says is bulldozing the ancient city of nimrud in northern iran.hese are file pictures. no video has surfaced. called a war crime, deliberate destruction of humanity's culture heritage. >>> albert maysles has died. films include rolling stones and give me shelter. beatles in 1964 arrival in america, behind the scenes and e edith bouvier. focused on life as it ha and captured it on film. albert maysles was 88. >>> when we come since the turning poin of our country's gre struggles. curling up in bed with a favorite book is nice. but i think women would ratherk women would rather curl up with their favorite man. but here's the thing: about half of men over 40 have some degree of erectile dysfunction. well, viagra helps guys with ed get and keep an erection. and remember, you only take it when you need it. ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain; it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects include headache, flushing, upset stomach and abnormal vision. to avoid long-

the last few weeks, the extremist groups has destroyed museums and sites at nimrud and hatra. general ban ki-moon called the destruction a war crime. >>> president obama is promiseing to walk away from the nuclear deal with iran unless he has tighter instructions. within weeks to outline the deal the president thinks an agreement can happen. cnn's erin mcpike has more from the white house. >> reporter: john and christine, the president has offered iran a deal and explained to cbs this weekend why he is optimistic. >> i think it is fair to say there is a urgency because we now have been negotiating for well over a year and the good news is that during the period iran has abided by the terms of the agreement. we know what's happening on the ground in iraq. they have not advanced the nuclear program. we have been able to rollback the 20% enriched eded uranium at this time. we are not losing anything through the talks. >> reporter: he also conceded there are some gaps in the negotiations negotiations. he will know in some time if iran is willing to accept the deal. secretary of st

s cultural agency described the bulldozing of the ancient city of nimrud as a war crime. >> another ancient city destroyed. this one hatra 100 kilometers south of mosul it was on the list of heritage sides because a confluence of greg greco-roman remains. and even those who don't follow archaeology, many know the city because of the film "the exorcist." scenes were shot there. the fight against isil is proving difficult. iraqi military forces backed by shia militias still have yet to reach the city of tikrit days after declaring a major offensive. they've cleared towns and villages along the way but they're not yet into the city. in western anbar the u.s. military said it and it's iraqi partners have taken back the town offal al baghdadi. it is close to a military base where the u.s. and other coalition members operate. but sources on the ground there including provincial and local politicians tell us it has not been entirely freed. that there is still fighting going on around al baghdadi. that is all due to be discussed by general martin dempsey the top military officials who comes here fo

there has been an international effort to protect hatra and nineveh and nimrud.is proving difficult. they have still have yet to reach tikrit. they cleared towns and villages along the way but they're not quite into the city. they want say that they and iraqi partners have taken back the town al baghdadi. it is close to a military base where the u.s. and other coalition members operate. but sources on the ground there including provincial and local politicians say it is around al baghdadi. as we've seen in tikrit, iran are back in the lead, but the u.s. has made clear that it has and wants to remain a key partner in this fight particularly in places like western anbar. >> isil tonight stepping up its attack on christian villages. they say they launched a new assault near hasaka where isil kidnapped hundreds of assyrian as last months last month. we'll look at the deepening crisis in syria tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. 5:30 p.m. a fifth explosion from outside of the city wounded a soldier and members of a defense unit. >> in northern nigerian these are victims of the late

ministry of antiques says the terror group has bulldozed the site of the ancient assyrian city of nimrudexcavations of the ruins in 2001. just last week isis released videos of militants destroying artifacts in a mosul museum. the city dates back as far as 1300 b.c. >>> iraqi forces are in the fifth tay of their push to recapture tikrit. a cnn team was able to get close to the front lines. ben wedeman has this story. [ gunfire ] >> reporter: tikrit is the target. heavy rounds fired into a city now the focus of iraq's biggest yet offensive against isis. the group overran the city last june. there are no signs of life there. many civilians have already fled, as well as some isis fighters, according to the soldiers here. we're at a base just two miles or 3.2 kilometers from tikrit. isis is just on the other side. that was an outgoing round. our visit was organized by a shia paramilitary force, created when the iraqi army nearly collapsed during last summer's isis onslaught. increasingly they're playing a central role in the fight against isis. one of the commanders has learned a lot over th

ben, tell us more about the extent of damage to those cultural artifacts in the city of nimrud? >> reporter: yeah ana, at this point it's not all together clear how much of it has been destroyed. the iraqi ministry of tourism and antiquities put out this statement last night but isis has yet to post any video or make any claims. we haven't seen any still photographs. when you speak to people in mosul, clearly it's not easy to go down there. at this point it's only the word of the iraqi government. of course we wouldn't be surprised if this was the case given that what we saw happening in mosul museum last week. what we've seen time and time again in a variety of shrines and religious places around iraq isis has destroyed them in their drive to destroy all signs of any other religion were any other faith that does not coincide with their very very narrow interpretation of islam. ana? >> ben wedeman, thank you. >>> now i want to show you exclusive video we have of isis killer jihadi john seen as a teenager playing ball with his friends. if you look closely here at this video you c

the group has used bulldozers to flatten a 3,000-year-old city of nim nimrud in iraq and tikrit, a hugerway with iranian-backed militias teaming up with the iraqi government troops to try to push isis militants out of that city. a top u.s. army general martin dempsey said american-led air strikes cleared the way for the offensive against the forces holding that city. >>> new evidence that prosecutors say links former new england patriots football say aaron hernandez to the scene of the murder that he is charged with. on friday, a crime lab scientist testified hernandez's dna matched that found on a marijuana cigarette butt found near where odin lloyd was murdered. the scientist testified the dna was someone else's is more than 1 in 1 quadrillion, 1 with 15 zeros after it. >>> and talk about fairway frustration. the world's top ranked golfer, rory mcelroy, you're going to see the video here, hitting a ball into the water which all of us except rob has done at some point if we play golf. >> the only place i hit the ball. >> what he does next -- there he goes. 3 iron into the water. he did

the attacks spread next to ancient assyrian city of nimrud which dates back more than 3000 years. recently have come reports that isis has destroyed ancient relics in the city of hatra, declared a world heritage site in 1987. isis claims to be enforcing an islamic in junction against religious idolatry. an interpretation rejected by mainstream religious authorities unesco the u.n. organization for education, science and culture is condemning the attacks as, in its words, cultural cleansing. u.n. secretary general ban ki-moon is going so far to declare the militant's rampage a war crime. none which street likely to dissuade a terrorist group which has already showed such little regard for the law and human life. too soon to know what the future holds for people living under the so-called islamic state. but it's clear they already have lost a great deal of their past. still to come. monarchs. by the millions. ♪ but next, hip-hop hamilton. hey, you forgot the milk! that's lactaid®. right. 100% real milk just without the lactose. so you can drink all you want... ...with no discomfort?

armory worked hard to preserve the city of nimrud. the artifacts go back to 700 and 800 b.c. ruled the middle east. the royal tombs were discovered in the 1980s. you can see there in the videos they put out destroying any site in their mind isn't islamic enough regardless to its significance to the rest of the world and history as well. martha: what about the battle for tikrit? how is that shaping up? >> reporter: last report isis still controls the airport in tikrit. they have started setting oil wells on fire to create a smoke screen. isis has been using sale of cruise oil blowing up these wells make that impossible. it could be they decided their strategic position is threatened and it's better to turn over the wells burning. the iraqis blew up the oil wells in kuwait and it took months to extinguish those fires. bill: so the deadline fast approaching for a nuclear deal with iran. are the tuft concessions from tehran really that tough after all? martha: it's a mess in kentucky. two days of snow. some people couldn't even open their car doors to get out of them because they

terrorists bulldozed the site of the ancient assyrian city of nimrud which flourished in the ninth century. letting isis go without punishment will encourage them to destroy more priceless treasures, officials say. last week video emerged of them taking sledgehammers to relics. >>> the attorney for michael brown's family says they will file a wrongful death suit and soon. this comes after the justice department cleared officer darren wilson for killing brown and the ferguson police chief dodges questions about his police department and future in a cnn exclusive. here's a look at that interview. >> i'm going to analyze the report and take action where necessary. >> does that mean you're going to stay around? >> i'm going to take action where necessary. thank you. >> harrison ford living out of a scene out of one of his movies escaping death after crashing his plane in venice california. not the first time we're going to be talking about ford's skills as a pilot and his passion for flying. we'll talk with someone who knows him an of his aviation expertise. sometimes i struggle to sleep at ni