Transcripts For CNNW CNN Newsroom With Fredricka Whitfield 20140809

Flee. President obama reiterated today in his weekly address, american combat troops will not be returning to fight in iraq. Victor said, we expect to hear from him in 20 minutes and will take you there live when it happens. Aides say hes monitoring the situation, potential for more air strikes as he leaves today for vacation in Marthas Vineyard. Here add cnn covering all angles of the develops story with ivan watson there in erbil in the kurdish area of iraq. A former u. S. Ambassador to creak, Christopher Hill and cnn military anne lift Major General spider marks. Thanks for joining us. Start with ivan. I want to get reaction there from the ground. What are iraqis saying about this round of u. S. Air strikes . Reporter i think the kurds are very much relieved, victor. Some of those air strikes were hitting just about 20 minutes drive west of erbil, the capital of the kurdistan region where im standing just past the kurdishheld town which gives a sense of how close the isis militants had gotten to the kurdish safe haven, not only a place hundreds of thousands of iraqis have fled to within the last three days, also home to some 1 millionplus kurds who would presumably also join a mass exodus of people fleeing if isis was able to reach this place. So senior kurdish officials very grateful that the u. S. Has stepped in. Take a listen. Thats why we are most grateful and express our gratitude and deep, deep appreciation. For president obama and the u. S. Administration, and for the courageous u. S. Army and airmen who are now patrolling the skies of iraq and iraqi kurdistan. Of course, victor and christi, this isnt the first time its helped protect kurds of Northern Iraq pap nofly zone led by u. S. Air power for more than a decade lead ing up to th u. S. Invasion of iraq hedging protect this area from saddam hussein, and then the kurds worked closely with u. S. Special force, and air strikes when the u. S. Invasion began to push back the Iraqi Government forces that were facing this area. So were seeing a new version of that unfolding as we speak. Victor and christi . Ivan, now that the air strikes have been there, has that given the Kurdish Peshmerga a chance to kind of reformulate and get itself together . How equipped are they moving forward from your Vantage Point . Reporter well, its a good question. Heres what one senior kurdish official told me. When Kurdish Peshmerga try to shoot at the armored humvees that the isis militants captured from the iraqi army two months ago, their bullets literally bounce all of those vehicles. Those are vehicles that came from the u. S. Military arsenal provided to the iraqi army, which collapsed en masse and those weapons were then seized by the isis militants and now being used against the Kurdish Peshmerga very effectively, and at pinpoint locations along a front line that runs for some 900 miles. That gives you a sense how stretched thin the Kurdish Peshmerga are and why they need, they say they need, the u. S. Air power to help defend their front lines against those isis militants. Ivan watson, thank you so much. We appreciate that. Lets talk more about the u. S. Air strikes and military strategy in iraq. Wow, what a statement to realize that the u. S. Is dropping air strikes now on isis who have some of the u. S. Artillery and equipment in its own hands and using it against us. Beg as question, to the general. General, as we move forward here, i guess there has to be some hesitancy to even arm the kurds. Youve got to support them in a way that we dont see anymore of u. S. Resources getting into the hands of isis, beyond the air strikes. Whats the plan . Well, you know, victor, its almost like, where do we start in this conversation, visavis isis in iraq. There are so many levels to this challenge we have and it truly starts with a lack of strategy, but to your very question, clearly, the United States is going to back up the Iraqi Military, the kurds and peshmerga are an extremely competent fighting force, have been for years very reliable. Indicating to you and should indicate to anybody else that isis is immensely talented in terms of the training they have, the equipment that theyve been able to get from supporters as well as what theyve been able to steal from the Iraqi Security forces. So this is a very conventions military, not subscribing to any kinds of policy bounds or rules of engagement. So the United States is going to continue to engage to make sure they can achieve some space and some time so iraq can get its act together and try to go after isis. Right now we are looking at simply a matter of preservation. We cant afford to let maliki fall, if he goes in exile, ends up in tehran, well have total ungoved space in iraq and thats not an outcome any of us want. Ambassador hill, weve been hearing all morning isis was moving closer to erbil, even before that report there from ivan. Wondering, knowing there are several hundred u. S. Military and diplomatic personnel in erbil, are you leaning at all towards an evacuation for them . No. Im pretty confident, actually, that the peshmerga certainly combined with these u. S. Air strikes will be able to defend erbil. Theres a broader issue here at work. The kurds have for many years signaled their preference for independence and frankly the only reason they have not declared independence is that the United States has told them, we dont want them to do that. We want to keep iraq together. I think the consequence of not helping kurdistan in their true hour of need i think would be to change the equation for them, and where they decide, in fact, the u. S. Opinion in this matter shouldnt count as much as theyve counted it in the past. Its been very important for us to be engaged. As for evacuating u. S. Personnel, i mean, obviously, these are decisions that need to be made on the ground, but i do believe that with these air strikes and with, as general marks said, a very highly competent albeit lightly armed peshmerga, they should be able to defend kurdish lands. I think its important to understand that the withdrawal of Peshmerga Forces from around the dam and these other areas was not the same as the route of iraqi forces a few weeks ago. So im confident that if we stay with this, and if as general marks says we have a broader strategy, an understanding that this isis group got their training, they are battleready and got all of that from syria. Theres no solution to this problem without a solution in syria. Mr. Ambassador, i want to stay with you for a moment. Since the u. S. Withdrawal, there has been, on different levels, continued fighting between the suni and the shia there. Sunis from what we understand, killing more shia and in syria, add the alowits fighting between muslims, but not until hundreds of thousands of christians were under siege did we see air strikes from the u. S. And some military involvement. Is there any correlation here between now christians are being persecuted, snis when the u. S. Gets in . Essentially would the u. S. Be involved in this was still muslims coming muslims . I think kurdistan caused the u. S. To get engaged. Im pleased we stepped in with humanitarian assistance. Your observation has been noted in baghdad especially among the shia. They dont believe this is all about whether maliki engaged in enough suni outreach. The shia believe this is about a suni war against the shia. By the way, they have a lot of evidence for this over the years and before our invasion as well. So the shia look at this and sort of wonder why does the u. S. Only engage when there are christians at stake . So i think we need to bear that in mind, especially Going Forward on governance issues in baghdad. The issue is not just to find someone whos pleasing to the sunis. The issue frankly is, an understanding that malikis time has passed. But the shia need to be able to come up with a strong leader of their own, and frankly, every time theyve come up with a leader not named maliki, the sunis have accused that person of somehow being an iranian stooge. All right. Ambassador chris hill and general spider marks, so grateful for both of you gentlemen, and for your perspectives this morning. Thank you. Thanks, christi. Sure. A reminder, president obama set to speak in about 15 minutes fro from now. Expected to make a statement on this issue on iraq. Well bring you that live as soon as he steps up to the podium. Peace talks crumbled friday and gaza again become a bloody war zone. The other big story following in the middle east. Reports of five People Killed already this morning in rocket attacks. Headed to jerusalem for the latest. Man [ laughs ] those look like baby steps now. But they were some pretty good moves. And the best move of all . Having the right partner at my side. Its so much better that way. [ male announcer ] have the right partner at your side. Consider an aarp Medicare Supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. Go long. Insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. Good to you have back with us. Reminder in about ten minutes president obama is scheduled to speak about the situation in iraq there from the south lawn of the white house. Before e had leaves for his twoweek vacation in Marthas Vineyard. I will stand by for the comments and bring them to you live. Meanwhile, looking at more death and destruction in gaza in the wake of peace talks once again that fell apart in a day since the latest shortlived truce came to an end, ten palestinians have been killed. Three apparently died this morning when israeli rockets destroyed a mosque, two others killed in a separate strike. The Israeli Military went after a total of 30 targets in gaza today and say five rockets were fired from gaza into israel. For the latest we want to go to cnn jake tapper live in jerusalem. Jake, is there any more clarity on who was firing those rockets into israel as we know hamas denied doing so. Well, the Israeli Government says that regardless of who is firing these rockets from gaza, into israel, hamas since they control the west bank, control gaza, having been elected to do so in 2006, is responsible, it seems possible, if not likely, other groups in gaza are the ones firing rockets, whether the mujahadin brigades or Palestinian Islamic jihad or some other group, its not clear. But as far as the Israeli Government is concerned, hamas since they run gaza is primarily responsible. Israel says they wont even entertain any discussions in cairo. Those discussions about a ceasefire and perhaps a Peace Process beyond that, being run by the egyptian government. Israel wont entertain participating in them until the rocket attacks stop. We heard, of course, from the palestinians, primarily being led by hamas in the call for the israeli blockade against gaza to be lifted before any ceasefire talks commence or continue. So right now thats where we are. Two sides not blinking. The palestinians for now presenting a publicly unified front, even if behind the scenes different factions are pushing for a ceasefire, unconditionally. So we have actually a fairly quiet night from roughly 10 00 local until dawn, no palestinian rockets, no israeli air strikes, but then the sun rose and palestinian rockets began, and israel started hitting them again, and now we have more death on the palestinian side. Now lets go to my colleague, john vause, who is in gaza right now. John . Reporter hey, jake. It does seem to be as if were entering kind of a deescalation here if you like. The israeli air strikes continue but appear to be much more targeted attacks that hit that moscow area today. Three people died there including at least a member of hamas. A fighter with hamas. Whether or not a senior military commander is yet to be confirmed. Also that strike on militants riding motor bikes. So far today five people have been killed and the idea continues to hit targets around gaza. Not just here in gaza city as well. You mentions the rocket fire continues but at a much lower intensity than before the ceasefire. Certainly a lot lower intense think than at the height of the fighting. About half a dozen rockets i think have been fired into israel. Maybe one or two more in the last hour or so and were seeing that the rockets which are being fired are in fact the sort of locally made versions of these rockets. Less sophisticated, a shorter range, only going as far as southern israel. Seems militants here are either preserving their arsenal, or longer range 34i678s or rockets which can reach tel aviv or haifa and this is islamic jihad, a militant group taking responsibility for all of the rocket fire. We did hear a short time ago a lot of talk maybe the israelis were heading back to cairo once the jewish sabbath were over. Maybe the ceasefire negotiations would resume there. Israelis saying that will not happen. As for the palestinians they are staying to their core demand. They want this economic blockade lifted. Jake, talked about the political pressure, which Benjamin Netanyahu is facing in israel to continue with this military campaign. Well, it seems theres political pressure too, here for hamas. Set such a high bar for this military campaign that for their attacks on israel that they now need something to show for it. Back to you guys. All right. Jake there in jerusalem and john to you in gaza, thank you very much to both of you. Thank you both. Well, the president s decision to launch air strikes over iraq has drawn mixed reactions. Lets say that, back home. Americans who fought in the iraq war are sounding off on the new mission to bomb militants and were moments away. Just about six minutes now, from the scheduled time that president obama is expected to come out to the south lawn and make a few comments about the situation in iraq. Well have those for you live. Keep it here. So glad to you have with us here at new day. Any minute were expecting to hear from president obama on the situation in iraq. A live look at the white house. Expected to be on the south lawn shortly. Leaven for a twoweek stay at Martha Vineyard later this morning. At the white house now, erin, obviously hell speak about the situation in iraq. 23 any indication from the white house what we should expect to hear . Reporter we did hear from him in terms of his weekly address rationalizing the decision for food drops as well as the air strikes. So i expect we will hear from him about how those twopronged missions are going so far. But we also heard from josh earnest, the press secretary as well, he said there is no specific end date for when this mission will end. So we dont know how long it will go on and what it will look like. Maybe we get more of an indication on that from the president here shortly. I would think perhaps wed also get a gauge of just how successful or unsuccessful the strikes thus far have been. Yes . Reporter thats absolutely right, christi. We have been hearing a little bit from the pentagon so far on how this mission is going, but, yes, we do expect we will hear more from the president. Hes supposed to be giving a bit of a longer statement before he gets ready to go on vacation, but i should also point out that he will be returning to the white house next sunday, and he will be here for another couple of days before he then goes back on vacation later the following week, christi. Obviously, something the white house is very focused on right now. We have, erin, thank very much. We have Justice Department correspondent evan perez with us as well. Evan, give us the perspective from where you are, because weve heard from senator diane sign fe dianne feinstein, once they have areas not taken over in iraq, the necessary present danger, im parp ra phraaphrasie u. S. . Reporter yes. It controls territory in iraq and parts of syria. The concern from the u. S. National Security Apparatus is whether or not this is an area where people can come and get training, and then perhaps turn against u. S. Allies in the region, against european allies and eventually against the u. S. Remember, theres over 100 americans that have gone over there to the syrian war to join militant groups. Its not clear where they are exactly. Thats part of what scares american authorities, victor and christi. All right. Thank you. Well take a quick break as we watch the happenings in iraq and wait to hear from president obama. He should step up to the podium shortly. Well bring it to you live when it happens. Stay close. vo ours is a world of passengers. The redeyes. daughter im really tired. vo the transfers. Well, thats kid number three. vo the copilots. All sitting. Trusting. Waiting. For a safe arrival. Introducing the allnew subaru legacy. Designed to help the driver in you. Care for the passenger in them. The subaru legacy. Its not just a sedan. Its a subaru. Ugh. Heartburn. Did someone say burn . Try alka seltzer reliefchews. They work just as fast and are proven to taste better than tums smoothies assorted fruit. Mmm. Amazing. Yeah, i get that a lot. Alka seltzer heartburn reliefchews. Enjoy the relief. The u. S. And joining us, viewers from around the world. The lawn of the white house, marine one, president obama flying off to Andrews Air Force base and then beginning his vacation in Marthas Vineyard. The podium in the foreground, president obama first, expecting to hear comments on the situation in iraq. And how much more the u. S. May engage there. We do have with us erin mcpike, phil mudd, cnn counterterrorism a cia, and the president is walking up to the podium hopefully getting a gauge, we will, of what the two rounds of air strikes have already done to the isis militants there in iraq. And perhaps in the humanitarian efforts as well. The thousands of things that have been dropped on the mountain. Good morning. Over the past two days american pilots and crews have served with courage and skill in the skies over iraq. First American Forces have conducted targeted air strikes against terrorists forces outside the city of erbil, to prevent them from advancing on the city, and to protect our american diplomats and military personn personnel. So far these strikes have successfully destroyed arms and equipment that isis terrorists could have used against erbil. Moir, Kurdish Forces continue to defend the city and the United States and the Iraqi Government have stepped up our military assistance to Kurdish Forces as they wage their fight. Second our humanitarian effort continues to help the men, women and children stranded on mount sinjar. American forces so far conducted two Successful Air drops delivering thousands of meals and gallons of water to these desperate men, women and children, and american aircraft are positioned to strike isis terroristed to help break the siege and rescue of those trapped there. Even as we deal with these immediate situations we will continue to pursue a broader strategy in iraq, protect our american citizens in iraq, whether theyre diplomats, civilians or military. If these terrorists threaten our facilities or our personnel, we will take action to protect our people. We will continue to provide military assistance, and advice to the Iraqi Government and Kurdish Forces as they battle these terrorists so that the terrorists cannot establish a permanent safe haven. We will continue to work with the International Community to deal with the growing humanitarian crisis in iraq. Even as our attention is focused on preventing an act of genocide in helping the men and women and children on the mountain, countless iraqis have been driven or fled from their homes including many christians. This morning i spoke with Prime Minister cameron of the United Kingdom and the president of france, hollande, and pleased both leaders express strong support for actions and agreed to join us in providing humanitarian assistance to iraqi swims suffering so much. Once again america is proud to act along side our closest friends and allies. More broadly, the United Nations in iraq is working urgently to help respond to the needs of iraqis fleeing under areas under threat. The u. N. Security council calmed on the International Community to do everything it can to provide food, water and shelter, and in my calls with allies and partners around the world, i will knt to urge them to join us in this humanitarian effort. Finally, we continue to call on iraqis to come together and form the inclusive government that iraq needs right now. Vice President Biden has been speaking to iraqi leaders and our team in baghdad is in close touch with the Iraqi Government. All iraqi communities are ultimately threatened by these barbaric terrorists and all iraqi communities need to unite to defend their country. Just as we are focused on the situation in the north, affecting kurds and the iraqi minorities, suni and shia suffered mightily at the hands of isis. Once an inclusive government is in place im confident it will be easier to mobilize all iraqis against isil and to mobilize greater support from our friends and allies. Ultimately, only iraqis can ensure the security and stability of iraq, and the United States cant do it for them, but we can and will be partners in that effort. One final thing as we go forward well continue to consult with congress and coordinate closely with our allies and partners and as americans will continue to show gratitude to our men and women in uniform who are conducting our operations there. When called, they were ready, as they always are. When given their mission, they perform whip distinction, as they always do, and when we see them serving with such honor and compassion, defending our fellow citizens and saving the lives of people theyve never met it makes us proud to be americans, as we always will be. So with that, let me take a couple questions. Mr. President. Yes. For how long a period of time do you see these air strikes continuing for, and is your goal there to contain isis or to destroy it . Im not going to give a particular timetable, because as ive said from the start, wherever and whenever u. S. Personnel and facilities are threatened, its my obligation, my responsibility at commander in chief, to make sure they are protected, and were not moving our embassy anytime soon. Were not moving our consulate anytime soon, and that means that given the challenging security environment, were going to maintain vigilance and ensure that our people are safe. Our initial goal is to not only make sure americans are protected, but also to deal with this humanitarian situation in spin jar we feel confident we can prevent isil from going up the mountain and slaughtering the people who are there, but the next step which is going to be complicated logistically is, how do we give safe passage for people down from the mountain and where can we ultimately relocate them so that they are safe . Thats the kind of coordination we need to do internationally. I was very pleased to get the cooperation of both Prime Minister cameron and president hollande in addressing some of the immediate needs in terms of air drops and some of the assets and Logistical Support that theyre providing, but theres a broader set of questions that our experts are now engaged in with the United Nations and our allies and partners, and that is how do we potentially create a safe corridor or some other mechanism so that these people can move . That may take some time, because our varying estimates of how many people are up there, but theyre in the thousand, and moving them is not simple. In this kind of security environment. Just to give people a sense, though, of a timetable that the most important timetable im focused now is the Iraqi Government getting formed and finalized, because in the absence of an Iraqi Government, it is very hard to get a unified effort by iraqis against isil. We can conduct air strikes but ultimateless not going to be an American Military solution to this problem. Theres going to have to be an iraqi solution that america and other countries and allies support. And that cant happen effectively until you have a legitimate Iraqi Government. So right now we have a president. We have a speaker. What we dont yet have is a Prime Minister and a cabinet that is formed that can go ahead and move forward and then start reaching out to all the various groups and factions inside of iraq, and can give confidence to populations in the suni areas that isil is not the only game in town. It also, then, allows us to take those Iraqi Security forces that are able and functional, and they understand who theyre reporting to and what theyre fighting for, and what the chain of command is, and it provide as structure in which, you know, better cooperation is taking place between the kurdish region and baghdad. So were going to be pushing very hard to encourage iraqis to get their government together. Until we do that, it is going to be hard to get the unity of effort that allows us to not just play defense but also engage in some offense. Mr. President , the United States has fought long wars in afghanistan and iraq without uncertainty outcomes. How do you assure the American People were not getting dragged into another war in iraq . Have you underestimated the poutder of isis and finally you said you involved international partner, in humanitarian efforts. Any thought to talking to International Partners in terms of military action to prevent the spread of isis . A couple of things i would say. Number one, ive been clear were nort going to have u. S. Combat troops in iraq again. And we are going to maintain that, because we should have learned a lesson from our long and immensely costly encourage in iraq. And that is, that our military is so effective, that we can keep a lid on problems, wherever we are. If we put enough, you know, personnel and resources into it, but it can only last if the people in these countries themselves are able to arrive at the kinds of political accommodations and compromise that any Civilized Society requires. And so it would be, i think, a big mistake for us to think that we can on the cheap simply go in, tamp everything down again, restart without some fundamental shift in attitudes among the various iraqi factions. Thats why it is so important to have an Iraqi Government on the ground that is taking responsibility, that we can help, that we can partner with, that has the capacity to get alliances in the region, and and once thats in place, then i think we end up being one of many countries that can Work Together to deal with the broader crisis that isil poses. What were your other questions . Did we underestimate . I think that there is no doubt that their advanced, their movement over the last several months, has been more rapid than the intelligence estimates and i think the expectations of policymakers, both in and out f of, outside of iraq. And part of that is, i think, not a full appreciation of the degree to which the Iraqi Security forces, when theyre far away from baghdad, did not have the incentive or the capacity to hold ground against an aggressive adversary. So thats one more reason why Iraqi Government formation is so important, because there has to be a rebuilding and an understanding of who it is that the Iraqi Security forces are reporting to. What they are fighting for, and there has to be some investment by soonies in pushing back against isil. I think were already seeing and we will see even further the degree to which those territories under isil control and alienate populations becaus operate. To the extent they reject, they have to feel theyre invested in a broader national government. And right now they dont feel that. So the upshot is that what weve seen over the last several months indicates the weaknesses in an Iraqi Government, but what weve also seen i think is a wakeup call for a lot of iraqis inside of baghdad, recognizing that were going to have to rethink how we do business, if were going to hold our country together, and hopefully that change in attitude supplemented by improved security efforts in which we can assist and help that can make a difference. Mr. President , youve just expressed confidence that the Iraqi Government can eventually provide safe haven but also sdried the Iraqi Government and sophistication of isil. Is it possible what youve described and your ambition theres could take years, not months . I dont think were going to solve this problem in weeks. If thats what you mean. I think this is going to take some time. The Iraqi Security forces in order to mount an offensive and be able to operate effectively with the support of pop lapgs u in suni areas are going to have to revamp, get resupplied, have a clear strategy. Thats all going to be dependent on a government that the iraqi people and the Iraqi Military have confidence in. We can help in all of those efforts. I think part of what were able to do right now is to preserve a space for them to do the hard work thats necessary. If they do that, the one thing that i also think has changed is that many of the suni countries in the region who have been generally suspicious or wary of the Iraqi Government are more likely to join in, in the fight against isis, and that can be extremely helpful. But this is going to be a longterm project. Part of what weve seen is that a minority suni population in iraq as well as a majority suni population in syria, has felt dissatisfied, and detached, and alienated from their respective governments, and that has been a ripe territory for these jihadists and extremists to operate, and rebuilding governance in those areas and legitimacy for stable, moderate governing in those areas is going to take, its going to take time. Now, there are some immediate concerns that we have to worry about. We have to make sure that isil is not engaging in the actions that could cripple a country permanently. Theres key infrastructure inside of iraq that we have to be concerned about. My team has been vigilant, even before isil went into mosul, about foreign fighters and jihadists gathering in syria and now in iraq who might potentially launch attacks outside of the region against western targets and u. S. Targets. So theres going to be a counterterrorism element that we are already preparing for, and have been working diligently on for a long time now. Theres going to be a, a military element in protecting our people, but the longterm campaign of changing that environment so that the millions of sunis who live in these areas feel connected to and wellserved by a national government, thats a longterm process, and thats something that the United States cannot do. Only the iraqi people themselves can do. We can help. Question advise. But we cant do it for them, and the u. S. Military cannot do it for them. So this goes back to the earlier question about u. S. Military involvement. The nature of this problem is not one that a u. S. Military can solve. We can assist, and our military obviously can play an extraordinarily Important Role in bolstering efforts of a iraqi partner, as they make the right steps to to keep their country together. But we cant do it for them. Okay . Last question. Mr. President spent 100 billion in iraq, do you antiacipate asking congress for additional funds to support the mission . Currently we are operating within the budget con straighst that we already have and well have to evaluate what happens over time. We already have a lot of assets in the region. We anticipate when we make our preliminary budgets that there may be things that come up, requiring us to engage, and right now, at least, i think we are okay. If and when we need additional dollars to make sure that american personnel and american fach facilities are protected, then we will certainly make that request, but right now thats not our primary concern. Last question . Mr. President , do you have any second thoughts about pulling all Ground Troops out of iraq and does it give you pause as a u. S. Well, is it doing the same thing in afghanistan . You know what . What i just find interesting is, the degree to which this issue keeps on coming up, as if this was my decision. Under the Previous Administration we had turned over the country to a sovereign democratically elected Iraqi Government. In order for us to maintain troops in iraq, we needed the invitation of the Iraqi Government and we needed assurances that our personnel would be immune from prosecution if, for example, they were protecting themselves and ended up getting in a firefight with iraqis, that they wouldnt be held before iraqi, an iraqi judicial system. And the Iraqi Government based on its political considerations, in part because iraqis were tired of a u. S. Occupation, declined to provide us those assurances, and on that basis, we left. We had offered to leave additional troops, so when you hear people say, do you regret, mr. President , not leaving more troops, that presupposes that i would have overridden this sovereign government, that we had turnished the keys back over to and said, you know what . Youre democratic, sovereign, except, if i decide that its good for you to keep 10,000 or 15,000 or 25,000 marines in your country, you dont have a choice. Which would have kind of run contrary to the entire argument we were making about turning the country back over to iraqis. An argument made not just by me but by the Previous Administration. Lets just be clear. The reason we did not have a followon force in iraq was because the iraqis were, a majority of iraqis did not want u. S. Troops there, and politically they could not pass the kind of laws that would be required to protect our troops. In iraq. Having said all of that, if, in fact, the Iraqi Government behaved the way it did over the last five, six years, where it failed to pass legislation that would reen corpora reincorporate sunis, targeted certain suni leaders and jailed them, alienated some of the suni tribes that we had brought back in during the socalled awakening, that helped us turn the tide in 2006, if theyd had done all of those things and wed had troops there, the country wouldnt be holding together, either. The om difference would be wed have a bunch of troops on the ground that would be vulnerable, and however many troops we had, we would have to now be reinforcing, id have to be protecting them and wed have a much bigger job, and probably we would end up having to go up again in terms of the number of Ground Troops to make sure that those forces were not vulnerable. So that entire analysis is bogus, and is wrong. But it gets frequently peddled around here by folks who oftentimes are trying to defend previous policies that they themselves made. Going forward with respect to afghanistan, we are leaving a followon force there. I think the lesson for afghanistan is not the fact that weve got a followon force that will be capable of training and supporting Afghan Security efforts. I think the real lesson in afghanistan is that if factions in a country after a long period of civil war do not find a way to come up way political accommodation, if they take maximalist positions and their attitude is, i want 100 of what i want, and the other side gets nothing, then the center doesnt hold, and the good news is, is that in part thanks to the excellent work of john kerry and others, we now are seeing the two candidates in the recent president ial election start coming together, and agreeing not only to move forward on the audit, to be able to finally certify a winner in the election, but also the kinds of political accom dagts modations are required to keep a government moving. Thats the lesson i think for afghanistan coming out of iraq. Its, if you want this thing to work, then whether its, you know, different ethnicity, different relations, different regions, theyve got to accommodate each other. Otherwise, you start tipping back into old patterns of violence and it doesnt matter how many u. S. Troops are there if that happens. You end up having a mess. All right . Thanks a lot, guys. All right. President obama speaking for almost 25 minutes there, really putting the onus still on iraq for the situation thats going on there, saying that the government has to be formed. They have to secure their forces and urging sunis to reject insurgents like isis who are coming in. Want to go to Senior International correspondent ivan watson with us as well as phil mudd. An analyst. What stood out to you. The conversation about the duration of this operation. If you look at these extremist agencies around the world, 20plus years of watching them in places like as far afield as the southern philippines, indonesia, yemen, somalia, algeria. Were talking about fairly limited operations now to protect civilians and to protect kurdistan. Groups like this, remember, forget about iraq. This group has been embedded acourse the board in in syria several years now takes years to destroy. People talking about what happened last night, what happens today, can we save a few thousand civilians . The president is starting to draw a picture that says, we might have an engagement here based on history that lasts for months or years. Lets go now to ivan watson. Ivan, the president and i think the word that stood out to me was the initial goal, of course, begs the question, the initial goal here is to protect the americans there and these religious minorities. Also talked about that conversation with british Prime Minister cameron and president h hol hollande of france. No comment on military support to take out isis . Reporter what i found interesting, victor that hes clearly trying to offer balance here. Mentioning that he would consider using force to protect u. S. Personnel in baghdad and also recognizing that in sen tram and southern iraq, that the shiite communities have also suffered at the hands of the group that calms itself the islam imstate or isil or isis that he had because there have already come accusations from she yshia saying yuram canning to the aid. How about us . We need help, too. A balancing act. Very important to put emphasis on forming a unity government in iraq. Recognizing that u. S. Force on the ground alone cannot solve this problem, but that iraqis have to unite. It was not a resounding vote of confidence for the iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki, criticized from all different frontsds of pursuing a sectarian policy that ben fisted the shia majority here. As obama said left the suni arab mine ompty disaffected, thus leaving a ripe grounds for the isis militants to move nnd and take advantage of those angry people. Im hearing that from kurdish officials here nap isis alone with foreign fighters who have come from syria and other arab countries arent alone leading the military offensive. That a number of arab tribesmen have joined alongside them. President obama making it very clear that there needs to be a strong effort from the government in baghdad, from iraqis, to woo these disaffected suni arabs away from the hard linus laumist legions of isis and back towards some kind of an Iraqi Government. Otherwise, what the u. S. Is doing right now is just providing a little bit of space for the baghdad government and from the kurds, to protect their territory from the isis offensive. Phillip, you talked quickly about the broader picture of isis. What do you think if you look ahead theyre going to need from the u. S. . How far harry this go for the u. S. . Are air strikes really going to be enough in this immediate concern . I think this conversation about where the suni tribes end up is the real critical conversation. Not about American Military intervention. A very washington or u. S. Centric optic on this problem. If you look again at these problems around the world, which you have here, a choice for a suni tribesman between allying with isis or allying with a shia political leader, Nuri Al Maliki not viewed at representing suni interests. Sitting in a village in Anbar Province in western iraq what do i do . A government not interested in my needs and people who will behead me if i dont affiliate with them. Thats why the president said, i thought a little too politely. If Nuri Al Maliki cant figure how to organize a government regardless what we do with 500 pound bombs, this problem wont be resolved. Sunis will say i dont have a stake in the government. Im not going to fight these guys. Isnt that exactly what we heard from the other side when sunis were in control of the government . My question essentially is there one central leader . A new speaker of parliament and a new president there, but is there any leader can there possibly be a leader, that makes all sides happy and will feel included in the this new government . Im not sure that there is in the short term and expect to see a level of violence that might continue a period of time that makes us really uncomfortable. The reason is simple. Saddam hussein was a dictator in our eyes. He was a suni. Theyre a minority. 60 of the operation control government and looking around saying, we were repressed for years by a suni dictator. We own the turf. Well set the rules. Meanwhile, as weve seen, sunis and kurds say, wait a minute. Whats our stake . I think this transition from revolution away from a suni dictator to democracy led by a shia majority is going to take years. A lot of people are looking at this and wondering, though, what is the immediate threat to the u. S. From isis . What do you say to that . Theres a couple of threats. One stra teae strategic, one m c tactical. Strategic, seen attacks on the border of lebanon, fighting last week. A threat to jordan. We have to worry after weve seen the elimination of the border, erasure of the border between syria and iraq, worry about this infection spreading to places like lebanon and jordan. Seen islamic activity in the sinai in egypt. A broad problem spreading across the middle east. More tactically what i would worry about in my experience, i spent 25 years chasing these guys a the cia and the fooibi, have islamists with a global al qaeda sort of vision, we want from their perspective, to take over not only baghdad but we want to attack the held of the snake, the head of the snake for them is israel. Its the United States, its the United Kingdom. When they get a sense of what the president referred to as safe haven, start to feel comfortable in that yaerp of aunbar province, for example, theyll say, how do we organize cells with 1,000plus europeans and americans among us, how do we organize cells to attack the head of the make in new york, london, washington or paris . We have to worry about that. At some time theyre going to start to say, our problem is bigger than baghdad. Its washington and new york, and were going to try to create a car bomb in times square. Thats coming. Cnn counterterrorism analyst, hate to end on that note. But thank you so much for joining us. Phil mudd, saw in a moment ago, the first family walking there on to marine one. Heading off to Andrews Air Force base. Theyll be going off to Marthas Vineyard to begin their vacation for a couple of weeks. Phil mudd, thanks to you. Go to ivan watson who is still with us. Ivan, the president spoke for just a moment about the difficulty in now that these thousands of religious minorities, this religious Minority Group are on this mountain. They now have to get down and back to their homes. Air strikes from what you understand, also combined with the humanitarian corridor that the u. N. Is, would go on, whats the progress there building this corridor and will that, too, take months instead of weeks . Well, we know that the kurds say theyve successfully established some kind of evacuations, at the very least, thousands of these trapped yazidi kurds from the mountain, and that one of the directions theyve gone to evacuate these people is believe it or not, across the border to neighboring syria. To a kurdish enclave there thats coal ecrommed by a group known loosely at the Kurdistan Workers Party or pkk. Coordination between pkk, kurds of Northern Iraq. Its a confusing area. Its confusing. To help thousands of those yazidis escape by foot in some cases or by car across the border to syria. But there are still, hearing from kurdish officials, tens of thousands of people trapped on the mountain. Some of them are getting these emergency aid drops, but were also hearing horrific accounts of elderly, of children, dying their day after day, due to the immense the high temperatures and dehydration as well. So it is a crisis and in some cases sounds like those who want to escape, have to go out on foot, if youre already weakened, if youre young, if youre old, that is a very difficult prospect , especially in an Area Temperatures soar to 120 fahrenheit during the day. Ivan wants, thank you. Stay safe in erbil where hes coming to us. Well and that off to Fredricka Whitfield in a moment as you watch president obama and his family head off to their vacation. Wills up here from the south lawn of the white house. Marine one taking off in a moment. Well hand it off to Fredricka Whitfield to continuing the breaking news. The president saying he doesnt think there will be solves in weeks. It will likely take months. Stay with us. Well be right back. Good morning, everyone. Hello to our viewers around the world. From the cnn center in atlanta im Fredricka Whitfield. This is the cnn newsroom. President obama just spoke minutes ago about the u. S. Air strikes in iraq targeting militants who were threatening people in Northern Iraq. Heres what the president said about two rounds of strikes yesterday. So far these strikes have successfully destroyed arms and equipment that isil terrorist koss have used against serbia. Meanwhile, Kurdish Forces on the ground continue to defend the city and the United States and the Iraqi Government have stepped up our military assistance to Kurdish Forces as they wage their fight. Second, our humanitarian effort continues to help the men, women and children stranded on mount sinjar. American forces have so far conducted two Successful Air drops delivering thousands of meals and gallons of water to these desperate men, women and children. The president also said the u. S. Is ready for more strikes to help iraqi refugees get to safety. But he would not give a timetable as to how long this operation might take. On friday the u. S. Targeted this group in iraq and syria. The group is getting dangerously close to erbil. Forcing thousands to flee. A video of two 500 pound bombs. Later in the day a drone struck an isis mortar position and another round of air strike. Eight more bombs dropped on an isis convoy. During this, thousands trying to escape are strand, in limbo, hungry and thirsty. The president talked about the drops of food and water to the people in the mountains and said france and the United Kingdom have pledged to help. This incredible new video in from a kurdish station showing how desperate the people there are, surrounding a helicopter full of supplies also delivering aid as well as having reporters onboard, and a few of the people, the refugees, you see right there, managed to jump inside the helicopter and able to escape to safety. Some crying out of sheer joy to escape and big sadness on what theyre leaving behind and saying prayer onboard that flight. Erin mcpike joining us live from the white house. Erin what else did the president feel was very meaningful to address this morning just before he and the family heads off to a vacation in Marthas Vineyard. Fredricka, the big take away, of course, this particular mission is just beginning, and he did say over the past 48 hours there have been those air strikes that have destroyed some isis equipment and there have been those two successful food drops. The thing he pointed out was that everybody on this mission is still complicated, because they then have to coordinate with the International Community, the safe passage of those people stranded on the mountain. This particular mission is a problem, and still has many steps to go to get completely resolved, but then he made the larger point about how the Iraqi Government has to come together to fight isis to keep iraqis safe. And he said that the American Government and the American Military cant do that, that iraqis have to come together to do that. Now as far as the larger threat that isis poses, he essentially said they have progressed more rapidly than intelligence suggested. That is what were hearing from a number of politicians here in washington on both sides of the aisle. That they want to see what the broader strategy is for dealing with isis, and he hasnt articulated that just yet. He did say that there is no particular timetable, that this is going to be a long project, but that theyre not moving the embassy or the consulate anytime soon, fred. The president making it very clear that these air strishg ste in large part to protect the many american, dozens of americans on the ground, to help in various u. S. Facilities and ins stations as well. Erin mcpike, thanks so much. So in all of this, the president emphasized the u. S. Will not get dragged into another long drownout conflict. Joined by Christopher Hill, former u. S. Ambassador to iraq who served from 2009 to 2010. Ambassador, an operation in iraq that is prolonged. The president is making it clear while this is not a mission that will have overthnight success, might mean an investment in the next few months. Did you also hear from the president still on the table the u. S. Could be engaged in war later in iraq . I certainly got the impression that president understands that the politics of baghdad are still very dicey. Its going to take a while for the iraqis to sort that through, bumt he also made the point that this is a broader issue, and involves the neighbors of iraq. None of them has ever really accepted the proposition of a shialed iraq. I think all in all, hes correctly identified this as a longerterm issue and put down a clear marker that were not going to see troops on the ground. We didnt hear anything from the president that said there are commitments from allies about a military response but made it clear france and the uk will be supporting by offering humanitarian support, and that perhaps the u. N. Is also assisting and responding to the needs. How does this assist or help the u. S. In its commitment . Well, it obviously gives a certain multilateral to this, presumably actions in the u. N. Soon that will further solidify that, but i think the resounding silence were hearing is from the suni arab states who have not been very vociferous in any condemnation of isis and instead focused on another challenge, which is to get maliki to step down and get a more inclusive government. But i think we need a little of both. That is, we need movement on the governmental side in baghdad, but we also need to see suni arab states take a stand against an organization that would really come after them if they could. So then how worrisome is that to you there is that silence that you speak of . I find it very worrisome and i think this goes back to the original project of iraq. This notion that you could create a democracy in iraq that would somehow be shsome kind of shiny beacon to the rest of the world. The context where your sectarian identity is also your political identity, democracy in iraq meant shia ruled iraq and i dont think the rest of the arab world ever accepted that proposition. Theres an issue there and its no surprise that the president really has moved in with this humanitarian and military assistance to the kurds, because i think the kurds actually they have made very clear, theyve had it with maliki as well, in fact, have had it with being a part of iraq and the only reason they havent left iraq is u. S. Support. I think now that we have that u. S. Support in the last few days we can continue to keep that problem at bay, but this is going to be, as the president said, a longterm issue. Theres been a lot of expressed surprise that isis moved as quickly as it did, but perhaps it took advantage of the fact that the world was paying attention to what took place in ukraine with a commercial plane going down and with the crisis in the middle east. Is it your feeling that the u. S. Could have done anything, whether it be these air strikes launching these strikes sooner or anything else it could have done mill tearily to have intervened . I. Certainly understand and accept the point this is a political problem in baghdad that needs fixed. Clearly, mr. Maliki should not be going for a third term. Very bad idea on this part. So i certainly undersand the administrational rationale saying theyre not getting in deeper until they see some political change in baghdad, but i submit that this isis crowd really doesnt care which shia is in charge in baghdad. They simply do not accept the idea of shia, period, and frankly, when they meet them, they try to kill them. So i dont think its so much a question of suni outreach for them. The question is can the suni community in iraq come to understand with one side ignoring them as theyve accused maliki of doing, and the other side trying to take their heads off, as isis has tried to do, they might try to make a stand against the latter group that is against isis and were not seeing enough of that. All right. Chris hill. Thank you so much. Again, you heard from the president right there on the south lawn saying there is no military, American Military solution to this problem. Theres a great need for a legitimate Iraqi Government. Underscoring that exact point you just made, ambassador chris hill. Thanks so much. One of the big reasons the president really responded by launching these air strikes against isis is to prevent a genocide against the yazidi people who fled to the mountains. Near where tense of thousands of refugees are trying to escape, ivan watson what do we know about the latest food drops, how people are getting water . How are they able to survive . Reporter nobody seems to know the exact number of people trapped on this mountain. Sinjar plmountain. Exposed under the element ps temperatures soar to 120 degrees fahrenheit under the sun in washington, without access to really food or water. Kurdish officials ive talked to say that particularly children and the elderly are dying every day from exposure to the elements, and from dehydration. Now, those emergency aid drops provided by previously Iraqi Air Force, perhaps are helping, there have also been efforts by kurdish fighters to evacuate some of those people, in which case, from what i understand, the people have to walk some distance on foot. Theyre already weak and the most vulnerable, its very difficult for them to do. Several thousand reportedly managed to escape, of all places, across the border to syria. To a kurdish enclave there controlled by the Kurdistan Workers Party. There have been some that escaped but the situation is very dire, very urgent for those still trapped on that mountain, as we speak, fredricka. And so, ivan, we hear the president of the United States reiterate that the u. N. Has committed to humanitarian aid. What do we know about how that kind of u. N. Assistance or even humanitarian aid from other countries is being delivered . Well, let me spell it out as one senior kurdish official told me. Before this last week, there were already, in his words, about 1. 2 million displaced iraqis who had fled the isis capture of the second largest city in iraq, mosul, in june. 1. 2. Iraqis who had come into the kurdistan region with its own population of about 4 million. Within the last week, add another perhaps half million iraqis who are fleeing. Theyre the yazidis up on the mountain top. They are more nthan 100,000 irai christians fleeing the militants. Other kurds, shiites, turkians, a mixed area of many different ethnic and religious groups. An enormous wave of humanity that the Kurdistan Regional government barely has resources to even begin to deal with, even as theyre fighting, isis militants, on a front line that runs some 900 miles and the Kurdish Peshmerga militia have taken heavy losses in the last couple of weeks, as a result of that war. So two simultaneous crises, a humanitarian crisis of millions of people on the run, and homeless, and then simultaneously fighting a war. They noeed help right now. Dire situation. Ivan watson, thanks from erbil. Well check back. Meantime, the threeday ceasefire in gaza is over and the bloodshed continues. Live from jerusalem, next. Ugh. Heartburn. Did someone say burn . Try alka seltzer reliefchews. They work just as fast and are proven to taste better than tums smoothies assorted fruit. Mmm. Amazing. Yeah, i get that a lot. Alka seltzer heartburn reliefchews. Enjoy the relief. Making sure you pay the right price for a new car just got a whole lot easier. Introducing the Kelley Blue Book price advisor. The powerful tool that shows you what should pay. It gives you a Fair Purchase Price thats based on what others recently for the same car and Kelley Blue Books trusted pricing expertise. It all adds up to the confidence that youll get a great deal. Thats just another way kbb. Com helps you make a smart new car decision. All right, now to the other major story were covering pt the collapse of a ceasefire if the middle east and the new destruction as israel and gaza return to firing on each other. Israel claims it hit 70 hamas targets yesterday. Another 20 dwroovernight. A mosque in central gaza was also hit. From gaza, hitting israel, hitting mostly open ground. Jake tapper is in jerusalem monitoring things on the ground there. Jake, looks placid behind you. Pictures can be deceiving. Whats happening there . Reporter im in jerusalem. Obviously, the rockets from gaza and the air strikes on gaza are several miles away. We actually had a period of quiet last night, from about 10 00 p. M. Local time to dawn. No rockets fired. No israeli strikes on gaza. And then dawn came and according to the Israeli Government, rockets were fired again from gaza. Its unclear if its hamas doing the firing or some other group, such as Palestinian Islamic jihad, mujahadin or some other group. The Israeli Government says it doesnt matter whos doing it since hamas was elected to run and control gaza they are a ultimately responsible. In any case, afterwards the idf conducted air strikes and word five or Six Palestinians have been killed today. Right now we still also have in cairo, egypt, palestinian delegates, working and meeting with egyptian intelligence officials, and there is still an attempt, still an effort, to have a ceasefire reinstated. Right now the two sites are entrenched in these two principles. The israelis saying were not talking about a ceasefire until the rockets stop being launched from gaza into israel and the palestinians united around the hamas principle, which is that we will not talk about a ceasefire until the economic blockade on gaza is lifted, and so far were waiting for either someone to blink or someone to take leadership or someone to offer one of the sides a fig leaf. Until that happens, it looks like we are in for, in this region, Something Like a war of attrition pap lowlevel, low intensity constant battle between these two sides, fredricka. Goodness. All right. Jake tapper from jerusalem. Thanks so much. Well check back with you later on. Nearly 1,000 deaths and counting. Health foyer Officials Say they two steps behind the Ebola Outbreak and simply cannot catch up. Inside the cdcs ebola war room as scientists fight this deadly disease, next. When you run a business, you cant settle for slow. Thats why i always choose the fastest intern. The fastest printer. The fastest lunch. Turkey club. The fastest pencil sharpener. The fastest elevator. The fastest speed dial. The Fastest Office plant. So why wouldnt i choose the fastest wifi . I would. Switch to comcast Business Internet and get the fastest wifi included. Comcast business. Built for business. Nearly 1,000 deaths and counting. The deadly Ebola Outbreak is getting worse by the day in west africa. Global Health Experts declared the epidemic and International Health emergency. Meanwhile, the two american whose contracted ebola helping nashts liberia are improving. Dr. Kent brantly and Nancy Writebol treated at the hospital in atlanta. Dr. Brantly release add statement saying hes growing stronger every day. The husband of the other american with ebola, Nancy Writebol, says shes not out of the woods yet, but is in very good hands. Earlier this week, the cdc issued its highest possible alert for response to the ebola crisis. Chief medical correspondent dr. Sanjay gupta was at the cdc when the change was made. Reporter fred, every time theres an Infectious Disease outbreak around the world theres a room at the cdc that gets a lot busier than usual. We got a rare look inside. This is the cdcs Emergency Operation center. Think of it as the nerve center of its response to the Ebola Outbreak. Justo a few minutes after i walked in, foebs and blackberries buzzed everywhere, while here the activation ledge went up to level one. Just in the last couple minutes. What does that mean . That means more people and more resources dedicated to the response. Reporter in that room, you could feel a quiet determination, and a sense of urgency. What youre looking at is what the cdc looks at. A map of the world. Trying to figure out what Infectious Diseases are happening and where. You might imagine, a lot of focus on ebola, tracking that also well realtime. Going it since march. Take a look in here, where this jumped out, midmay. Thought things were basically under control. Look what happens at the beginning of june. Everything takes off. This is on its way to becoming the worst Ebola Outbreak in history. Reporter doctor Stephen Monroe is helping tleeltd the cdcs ebomb bola. Is this worst than any other outbreak in histories . The initial event, lightning struck, in the remote part of each of these three countries and sprepd across the border. Reporter here in the United States, different questions. For example, if ebola is not airborne, why such extraordinary precautions taken for dr. Kent brantly and ms. Whitebowl . More an abundance of caution rather than a necessity. Were pretty confident that any large hospital could handle an ebola case if one were to show up at their doorstep, using traditional isolation rooms with negative pressure room and with traditional droplet and respiratory precautions. Reporter and while i suited up in multiple layers when in guinea earlier this year. Worn by health care workers. Reporter the cdc says a mask, goggles, face shield, a protective gown and gloves can provide all of the protection you need for most situations. Fred, i point out the World Health Organization also declaring this now a Public Health emergency of international concern. Thats going to have an impact on Airline Travel and screenings at airports and advising all nations where there is ebola currently to declare a state of emergency. Well bring them to you as they come to us. Thanks, sanjay. Right after this, the latest on the u. S. Air strikes in iraq. The impact theyre having on isis forces and what the president had to say about it just a short time ago. I make a lot of purchases for my business. And i get a lot in return with ink plus from chase. Like 50,000 bonus points when i spent 5,000 in the first 3 months after i opened my account. And i earn 5 times the rewards on internet, phone services and at Office Supply stores. With ink plus i can choose how to redeem my points. Travel, gift cards, even cash back. And my rewards points wont expire. So you can make owning a business even more rewarding. Ink from chase. So you can. 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. Thats not a coincidence. Its one more part of our commitment to america. Following the latest developments in iraq. President obama speaking a short time ago as he left the white house saying the u. S. Air strikes have successfully destroyed arms and equipment used by isis terrorists. Thats after a u. S. Fighter jet, and drones conducted a second round of air strikes. The president says france and britain agreed to join the u. S. In providing humanitarian aid to iraqis endangered by isis. Despite the air strikes, isis forces are copting to advance on kurdish territory. The president stressed the u. S. Will not become the de facto Iraqi Military. We can conduct air strikes but ultimately theres not going to be an American Military solution to this problem. Theres going have to be an iraqi solution that america and other countries and allies support. Joining me now to talk about this from washington, evan perez and lieutenant corner rick francona. Good to see you both. Good morning. Good morning. Colonel, first to you. The president clearly wants iraq to take a bigger responsibility for their own defense saying the u. S. Doesnt have all the answers militarily, but what does it mean for a current strategy and what might be next . Right now air strikes. Then potentially whats bemind to . A really good question. Right now committed to a limited number of air strikes. All told, maybe ten. A lot of reconnaissance and surveillance, actually putting bombs on target, thats very limited now and hes very much restricted it to that defensive erbil. Rather than blunting the isis offensive throughout Northern Iraq, hes just focused on this one sector. And hes also, of course, doing the humanitarian support out in the northwest. But this is very, very limited, and its not going to do much to blunt the isis offensive anywhere else. Maybe keep them out of erbil but not the front coming down the tigris valley towards baghdad. Evan, what are you hearing in terms of what constitutes very limited . What is d. O. D. Willing to say about the military commitment and to what extent it will go . Reporter fred, one of the most remarkable things that came out of that draeps address by t president just now, seeing aessentially an effort that wont just be weeks talking probably months, because theyre depending upon the reorganization of the Iraqi Military which is dependent upon the Iraqi Government being able to figure out how to bring sunis back into the fold, and perhaps get them to stop supporting isis. Sos that the prospect here were talking ak defending u. S. Personnel not only in erbil also he mentioned were not going to move the embassy, not going to move the consulate from erbil. He basically wants to play a defense here while he gives the Iraqi Government time to reform itself. And colonel francona, then to hear that, months, should alarm bells be going off . Talking about a warweary nation, it 0 could take months, arp strishgs or Something Else and the president underscored this is in large part to protect the americans. Dozens of americans who are on the ground. Is this in step in keeping with this u. S. Not engages in another war . Yeah. I think hes walking a fine line here and i think the American People will support him as long as he keeps it to air strikes. Its the boots on the ground that really upset the peel. People are willing to accept air operations. Remember, we conducted air operations over iraq prior to the 2003 invasion for a deac kade keeping the kurds say. Theres precedence for this. Evan made a good point. Hes trying to buy time for the Iraqi Government to stand up and also trying to buy time for the iraqi army to get its act back together, because in the end, this is going to be an iraqi solution, a military solution on the ground. And right now theyre not capable of conducting offensive operations. And we need to give them the time to stand back up. I hope thats all needs. I doubt youll ever see more u. S. Forces on the ground in iraq. Lieutenant colonel rick fran con n francona. Evan perez, thanks. And after three days, gaza and israel involved in a bloody war against. Live to gaza, next. Thats keeping you from the healthcare you deserve. At humana, we believe the gap will close when healthcare gets simpler. When frustration and paperwork decrease. When grandparents get to live at home instead of in a home. So lets do it. Lets simplify healthcare. Lets close the gap between people and care. Can you fix it, dad . Yeah, i can fix that. dad i wanted a car that could handle anything. I fixed it dad thats why i got a subaru legacy. vo symmetrical allwheel drive plus 36 mpg. I gotta break more toys. vo introducing the allnew subaru legacy. Its not just a sedan. Its a subaru. The blame game and rocket fire between israel and hamas is on again. Israel waited several hours friday before resuming attacks on gaza even after rockets began being fired at israel. Talks for the threeday ceasefire failed when hamas didnt see its key demands being met. With the return to fighting, the death toll is risesing again including a 10 yard gaza boy who died while playing with friends, and three more deaths when an israeli air strike hit a mosque in central gaza. Lets go now to gaza, where cnns Martin Savidge is monitoring developments on the ground there. Martin, israel says it hit 70 targets in gaza yesterday. Another 20 overnight. A mosque was hit. Whats the latest in terms of the efforts to try to retrieve bodies there, or help people who have been displaced . Reporter its difficult once again because of the ongoing conflict and going into those areas where the air strikes are taking place. This is the time of day. The sun is starting to set here, fredricka. Tends to be an active time. Both in the number of rockets headed off in the direction towards israel and of course with the retaliatory strikes. For us this morning, it began even at breakfast when we heard and israeli fighter jet streaking in across the sky. They make is distinctive noise and then a likewise explosion. Nocht that famp away. Not dangerously close, close enough. Ten minutes later, repeated again, and its been like that. Seems the israelis rely on air strikes ever since the seriousfire came to an end and they have been added in and around this neighborhood all day long. At least 50 strikes from the Israeli Air Force today. Also told that as many as 28 rockets went out. Now, just to point out, compared to before the ceasefire, this would be sort of defined as low intensity conflict. However, its a ridiculously out of out of mieuphymystic level. Thats troubling. Almost like that could become the status quo that certainly with some people they near. Also interesting, fred, outside right now on the streets is people strolling about. The stores are open. And theres traffic going around. You would think can was just another weekend evening and having explosions and blampts on the outstekirts of rockets goin into the people. Almost people saying, this could be the way it goes for a long time. People saying this is the new normal. Hearing horn in the backgrounds, people going about their business. Hear in coming fire, do they feel like those text warnings that we have spoken about over the past few weeks is helpful at all . Does it help people try to find safety at the last minute if they can . I think whats changed it somewhat is of course, its not as many explosions. Its not the heavy artillery that we had, so youre getting more of these pinpoint and again, its a uf mystic phrase, but youre getting these air strikes that hit specific targets. As a result of that, this area around us feels fairly safe even though we have seen strikes that come as close as maybe a mile away. So, i dont know whether people are just adjusting to it, whether they feel theyre immune or they sense there are certain neighborhoods you dont go to and there are others its fine to operate out of. So, its really difficult to define in this time, but it does not appear theres going to be any successful effort in se the next 24 hours to bring about a cease fire. Martin savidge, thanks so much for bringing that to us from gaza. At the center of a deadly Ebola Outbreak, sierra leone declared a deadly emergency. Up next, how the death of one of the countrys top doctors changed everything. He didnt die in vain. He didnt die in vain. You die for humanity. For this country. Sierra leone has been the epicenter of the deadly Ebola Outbreak with more than 700 people infected and nearly 300 dead. And some critics say the government didnt do enough to stop the spread of ebola until it killed the doctor who was leading the fight against the disease. David mckenzie sat down with the doctors family for an exclusive interview. Dr. Kahns family knew the risks. He was the countrys only ebola specialist. When the deadly virus first hit, his father pleaded with him to come home. So did his brother. This was a kid. This was, this was a young man who went to his work, he said im going to break its very difficult to talk about this. His death. Yes, of course it is. In retrospect, i wish i forcibly get him out, i mean, you could understand that. But in the ebola strickened region, dr. Kahn kept treating patients at the state hospital. More than 100 received his care and he promised his brother he would stay safe. Im a little bit angry. You just have to expect that from me because thats a lot, a lot of things the government should have done to mitigate this spread of this dreadful disease. Despite a crumbling health care system, the government says its doing everything it can. But dr. Kahn went from care giver to patient, from fighting the disease, he succombed to it. If you had to say one thing to your brother right now, what would it be . You didnt die in vain. You died for humanity. For this country. Thats true. He said his brother was alone in his fight, but in his death, a nation woke up to this outbreak. Still, much more to come on the news room. Stay with us. Over 20 million kids everyday in our country lack access to healthy food. For the first time American Kids are slated to live a shorter life span than their parents. Its a problem that we can turn around and change. Revolution foods is a company we started to provide access to healthy, affordable, kidinspired, chefcrafted food. We looked at what are the aspects of food that will help set up kids for success . Making sure foods are made with high Quality Ingredients and prepared fresh everyday. Our collaboration with citi has helped us really accelerate the expansion of our business in terms of how many communities we can serve. Working with citi has also helped to fuel our innovation process and the speed at which we can bring new products into the grocery stores. We are employing 1,000 people across 27 urban areas and today, serve over 1 million meals a week. Until every kid has built those lifelong eating habits, well keep working. Captions by vitac www. Vitac. Com youre in the cnn news room. Our top story, president barack obama said this morning the u. S. Military will take action in iraq to protect americans and iraqis running for their lives. He said a series of strikes against the militant group isis were successful yesterday and more could be coming if needed. So far, these strikes have successfully destroyed arms and equipment that isis could have used against erbil. The United States and Iraqi Government have stepped up our military assistance the to Kurdish Forces. We will protect our american citizens in iraq, diplomats, citizens or military. If these terrorists threaten our facilities or per nell, we will take action to protect our people. The president said the u. S. Is dropping food and water to people who have fled to mount sinjar to escape isis. The u. K. And france have pledged their support and new video from a kurdish television station reveals extraordinary images showing just how much of those supplies are needed. Look at the thousands of people there who have fled for safety and now, they need help. A lot of these people swarmed a helicopter that had supplies on it and weve heard reports of people actually dying from dee hydration there in that mountainous region as the temperatures soar above 100 degrees. Some managed to escape by getting on to the helicopter. Leaders in the region say the american strikes are a huge help in slowing down isis. Kurdish fighters were struggling to fight the militant group. Ivan watson has been in the city of erbil and has more now on how the people are coping. Some of these american air strikes are hitting suspected isis targets located only about 20 minute drive, maybe 20 miles west of erbil, the city where im standing now, this kurdish controlled city. The kurdish leadership is greatly relieved, delighted to see this assistance when the isis militants were coming quite close to the gates of this city which has been a safe haven for hundreds of thousands of desperate iraqis fleeing the isis onslaugt. Thats why we are most grateful express our gratitude and deep, deep appreciation for president obama and the u. S. Administration. For their courageous u. S. Army and airmen who are now patrolling the skies of iraq and iraqi. Heres why the kurds are so worried. They say when they shoot bullets at the armored humvees, those quite literally bounce off those vehicles, which were supplied by the u. S. Government to the iraqi army, which folded last june and those vehicles have been captured by the isis militants and are now being used against the kurdish front lines. Thats why the kurds say they need this u. S. Air power to help protect them and this city that im in right now is full of desperate, newly homeless iraqis coming from the iraqi christian minority, from the ethnic turk kurdish, shiite minorities. They have fled as the isis militants have advanced. They are living in churches, schools, community centers, unfinished construction sites in very hot temperatures in the summer. And there is no way that the authorities here can even begin to feed all these people, provide them shelter and water. They say they desperately need International Help to deal not only with the humanitarian crisis thats unfolding as we speak, but also with the conflict that is ranging on front lines only about 30 miles away from where im standing. Extraordinary, thank you so much. So, when much of the u. S. Army and combat troops left iraq nearly three years ago, a large contingent of operatives stayed behind. Much of the cia station is is housed in the huge embassy in baghdad and is one of the largest facilities outside of the u. S. Agents have been worked with u. S. Military advisers and Iraqi Security forces and as the u. S. Begins its new air strikes mission to beat back isis militants, the cias role becomes even more relevant. Bob bayer is cnns security analyst and former cia officer who worked in the middle east for years and knows the lay of the land, so bob, good to see you. What role is the cia play iing, particularly in these air strikes underway now . What theyll be doing now is backing up the Kurdish Forces. The peshmerga with for instance, satellite photography. Intercepts, picking up chatter from isis, which will be very important to see where theyre going next. The kurds cant do this on their own. I worked with them for years. They dont have the sophisticated intelligence service, so the cia is really going to be able to back them up in all sorts of ways and in background, the same thing backing up malikis government. The problem though is the sunni part of iraq, Anbar Province, mosul, simply because were blind there, especially isis having taken over. So, thats going to be a really tough assignment to figure out what isis is doing next. Because one of the obstacles, i mean, clearly, you know, cia operatives on the ground there would have to develop alliances, trust with people and people are afraid for they their lives to talk, say anything about isis. What they identify, what kind of movements, so, is is that one of the big obstacles why the operatives might have a hard time trying to track isis . Some of the sunni leaders are friends of mine in anbar and i tried to get them to talk to the state department in washington. Theyre too scared. Their families would be killed by isis. Theyre afraid to take them on. Their tribal areas have been overrun as well, too, so, they are deferring to isis and in some cases, the Second Generation sunni tribal members are working with isis, so you see a divided Sunni Community and if i were in the cia right now, id find a way to draw a wedge between isis and the other sunnis in anbar and really exploit it. Do you think thats the root as to how isis has been able to you know, gain ground there in a, in a very secretive manner because of the fear because people are afraid to say what they hear and they know that if they say anything, their lives or family lives will be taken. You know, its certainly fear plays a a big part in it, but also, former saddam officers, combat trained, experienced, joined isis in this attack on mosul and now, the attack on the kurdish enclave, so you have military expertise and the fact that isis overran spiker and got very sophisticated weapons. Armored personnel carriers, night vision goggles. So, theyre better armed than the kurds and in some cases, bet e armed than malikis army. So, its a combination of problems. What it means its a very potent force which could go in any direction. The president has called in air strikes to protect erbil. There are thousands of americans there. We couldnt let this happen. So, intelligence has clearly played a role in air strikes. In what other way do you see intelligence on the ground assisting whatever next military action there might be . Even though the president says this is not going to be solved, diplomacy is going to be the key, but until that happens, the u. S. Does have a certain commitment there. I think we do. What we should do, frank ly, is arm the kurds to defend themselves. They need antitank weapons. They need helicopters. And whether this is done covertly by the cio or directly by the u. S. Military, either way, we have to let the kurds defend themselves. Right now, they dont have enough weapons because maliki refused to give them to them the last four, five years. We have to change the balance of power. We dont want to do this with our own troops. It would take a million of them for 100 years to fix iraq. So let the kurds defend themselves. Thanks so much. Good to see you. A tense quiet for now between israel and hamas. Can the two sides reach another cease fire agreement that might hold . Plus i am declaring the current outbroke of ebola virus disease a Public Health emergency of international concern. The deadly ebola virus continues to spread. Today, guinea closes it borders in an effort to contain the outbreak. Were live in west africa, next. [ female announcer ] we help make secure financial tomorrows a reality for over 19 million people. [ mom ] with life insurance, were not just insuring our lives. Were helping protect his. [ female announcer ] everyone has a moment when tomorrow becomes real. Transamerica. Transform tomorrow. Transamerica. Wouldnt it be great if hiring plumbers, carpenters shopping online is as easy as it gets. And even piano tuners were just as simple . Thanks to angies list, now it is. Weve made hiring anyone from a handyman to a dog walker as simple as a few clicks. Buy their services directly at angieslist. Com no more calling around. No more hassles. Start shopping from a list of toprated providers today. Angies list is revolutionizing local service again. Visit angieslist. Com today. When i had my first migraine, i was lucky. That sounds crazy, i know. But my mom got migraines, so she knew this would help. Excedrin migraine starts to relieve my pain in 30 minutes. Plus, sensitivity to light and sound, even nausea. Excedrin migraine works. Dovisit tripadvisor new york. With millions of reviews, tripadvisor makes any destination better. Back to the middle east where theres been more fighting after the collapse of a cease fire between israel and hamas. Its been a full day since this latest truce fell apart. Several more deaths are reported in gaza. Israel says it struck 70 gaza targets yesterday and another 20 overnight. Israel also says more than 60 rockets were fired from gaza toward israel with most of those hitting open ground. One israeli civilian has been wounded and one soldier received mine wounds. I want to bring in two members of our team on the ground, jake tapper from jerusalem, Martin Savidge in gaza city. First, to you, jake. It has been very busy since the collapse of the cease fire, but has anything let up . Any signs of some progress, some peace . Reporter well, there are a few signs of potential progress. One is that the palestinian delegation has not yet left kye owe, where the egyptians as you recall, were trying to hold an organized cease fire negotiations. The palestinians still there, so they have not walked away from the table. The israels are not, but right now, the big face off is over what needs to happen for a cease fire to resume. The israelis demand that the rockets stop before theyll come to any sort of table, meet with the egyptians about the palestinian view. The palestinians are for now, in public, unified, arguing that the blockade of gaza, which makes the lives of so many palestinians miserable, which is israelis say they need to do for security reasons, that needs to be lifted before theres any conversation. Today, there were casualties, five palestinians were killed and two alleged militants on a motorcycle. The spokesman for the Israel Defense forces talked about that strike earlier today. Just before i came on and we did strike a group of terrorists on a motorcycle in southern ga sta strip, something we carried out a targeted strike. I know that happened. What happened since the cease fire broke down, when hamas decided that the cease fire is no longer good for them is that the Israel Defense forces was forced into responding to that aggression. Reporter three other individuals actually were killed when the israeli Defense Forces struck a mosque. Israel says it only strikes mosques if they are being used to hide weapons. We have no independent confirmation there were weapons in that mosque. And lets check in with Martin Savidge now in gaza city. What are you seeing and hearing there . Is it consistent with what is being experienced in jerusalem . Reporter well, similar i guess not the intensity of the conflict so much, jerusalem not feeling it quite the same way as they do here, but i would say the description is pretty accurate. Its sunset here, so this tends to be the time you see increased activity, both when it comes to rockets being fired towards israel, then the retaliatory strikes that come and israels been fairly busy today. It seems most of the retaliation, unlike before the cease fires being conducted, can be more accurate. Theres been about 50 of them according to the idf that had taken place today and there have been about 26 rockets that have gone on, so it is a lower level intensity of conflict. Of course, it doesnt mean anything if its your house or street that strikes where the bomb falls. The unusual thing about this, the lower death toll is welcomed, but still horrible because were at almost 1900 People Killed overall, but the noise behind us, i mean,s its just another weekend night here. People are out on the streets, the stores are open. Theyre in the parks, strolling with their families and yet on a regular basis, you get these very loud blasts, hydrogen columns of gray and black smoke going into the air to indicate theres been another significant air strike. We were having breakfast this morning, sitting there by the water, the f16 rolls in, its israeli, then wham, the drop of the bomb. People have grown almost accustomed to this, which is a problem if you hope either side is going to go back to the negotiating table. Jake, the latest round of cease fire talks were in cairo involving various delegations. This cease fire did not hold and that there is this you know, status quo going on with rockets being fired on both ends, what is the latest commitment to more talks, whether it be in cairo or elsewhere, about trying to come agent i truce and what would be different this go around . Reporter well, the Israeli Government says that they are willing to participate in those talks. Theyre still going on in cairo, but the palestinians in gaza need to stop firing rockets. Thats the condition and absent that, they are not going to participate. The palestinians as i mentioned, are demanding that the blockade be lifted. So, right now, theyre in a Holding Pattern and i have to say, its not difficult to imagine this Holding Pattern remaining in perpetuity because there is a history in this region of what is called a war of attrition. There was one from 1967 to 1970 between israel and egypt. Just a low level with fits and starts of high intensity, military action, because neither side sees any advantage to making any compromises. Neither side feels like they have to do with what the other one is demanding. In some ways, its hard to escape the conclusion that for many of the leaders here, its easier to fight than to try to make peace. All right. Its fredricka, but thanks so much, jake tapper. Were all in the same family. Its all right. Reporter i havent slept in a week. Forgive. Its all right. Shes my friend as she is yours, its okay. You all be safe. Thanks so much. Parts of hawaii are socked with at least a foot of rain and rushing flood waters in the wake of Tropical Storm iselle. And a hurricane is right behind that. What threat does that pose . [ radio chatter ] [ male announcer ] andrew. Rita. Sandy. Meet chris jackie joe. Minor damage, or major disaster, when you need us most, were there. State farm. Were a force of nature, too. Were a force of nature, too it can help your business save money. False. The truth is when you compare our Fastest Internet to the fastest dsl from the phone company, comcast business gives you more for your money. Why pay more for less . Call today for a low price on speeds up to 150mbps. And find out more about our twoyear price guarantee. Comcast business. Built for business. Hawaii residents are cleaning up after Tropical Storm and bracing for a brush with a hurricane. Ise iselle pounded some areas with more than a foot of rain. The storm also downed several trees and forced residents and tourists to find shelter. Next in line is hurricane julio, expected to pass just north of the hawaiian islands. Dont really hear hawaii and hurricanes together. This is unprecedented. Theyve never had a direct hit. The big island. Hawaiis had three direct hits. Big island, never. And so, this is unprecedented. We are going to see a very close call with julio, but it is going to pass just to the north, so we are going to see a close brush, but not a direct impact. We are going to get maybe some high surf, high waves, things like that, but nothing more than. 100 mile per hour winds, gusts up to 120. It is a category 2, but it is expected to weaken considerably in the coming days. Decreasing to a category 1 and then on to a Tropical Storm. So, we are going to see say a flood watch or warning, advisories in effect. Dont have any Tropical Storm warnings, no hurricane watches or warnings, so it is going to get close, but we dont see anything like we saw with iselle. Closer to the lower 48, we are going to see scattered showers and storms this afternoon. We have that stationary front in place. It is going to cause some showers to the southeast and i do want to mention before i toss it back the you, all the folks close to home, you love gazing at the skies, keep in mind tonight that supermoon is going to be out. If you have a cloud free conditions tonight, 14 larger in appearance. 30 brighter. The moon is going to look amazing. So make sure you get out and check it out. Given im here in atlanta as are you, do we feel theres going to be a clear view . Kind of overcast. Its going to be a maybe here in atlanta. Its clearing out this afternoon. Hopefully it will stay that way. I am looking forward to it and im so glad you reminded me just as i was told last night. Thanks. The discovery being called a miracle from god. A girl thought to be dead, swept away nearly a decade away from the indian ocean tsunami, remember that . Guess what . Has been found alive. According to a german newspaper, the then 4yearold girl was rescued by a fishermen and then raised by one of his relatives. Her long lost brother spotted her on the street in june. The now 14yearold is back with her biological family. Amazing. All right. Could isis be a threat to the u. S. Home land . Ill tell you why u. S. Intelligence is concerned about that very possibility. Peoi go to angies listt for all kinds of reasons. To gauge whether or not the projects will be done in a timely fashion and within budget. Angies list members can tell you which provider is the best in town. Youll find reviews on everything from home repair to healthcare. Now that were expecting, i like the fact i can go onto angies list and look for pediatricians. The Service Providers that ive found on angies list actually have blown me away. Find out why more than two million members count on angies list. Angies list reviews you can trust. And spend your time working hard to get to point b. And b could be here. Or even here. But for you, b is not the end. Capella university will help take you further, because our competencybased curriculum is designed for your profession, to move you forward to where you want to be. Your point c. Capella university. Start your journey at capella. Edu. Welcome back. Beyond the threat to iraqis, the u. S. Military and intelligence fear isis fighters from the west could work their way back to the west and conduct terror operations. This is a key part of the obama administrations rationale to intervene in Northern Iraq. This is iraqi isis positions just from the middle of june and in the six weeks since then, their territory has grown and u. S. Officials tell me that the Iraqi Military really has no ability to gain back that territory. The only question now, can they keep isis from advancing and they havent been able to do that. Thats an open question for the administration. How do they help the Iraqi Military not just stop their advances, but to gain some of this territory back. Thats a threat not only to iraq, syria, but the u. S. I speak to u. S. Officials who say a grave concern is this. There are many foreign fighters fighting with isis. More than 100 of them american. It is believed theyre being trained and encouraged to carry out terror attacks when they return home, including the americans. Thats the threat Going Forward. Isis not just a threat here in the region, but also to the American Home land. All right, so, how do we assess the full threat that isis presents . Let me bring in general marx, cnns military analyst and a former senior military adviser in the u. S. Army. So far, the u. S. Has struck isis convoys, artillery units. President obama saying earlier, the air strikes were successful and so was the humanitarian effort and all that continues as long as there is a threat, particularly to americans there on the ground and humanitarian need the there. What do you worry or expect might be around the corner for the u. S. As it engages in this kind of military involvement . Thats really the question. You view this on several levels. First of all, on the very tactical level, what we see today is the iraqi army has the requirement the to maintain peace and security in its own country and they have completely failed this that, obviously, so, you have to give them time to get bolstered and to prepare themselves and to get better so they can maintain their job number one. That is not going to happen in any immediate amount of time. So United States is giving the Iraqi Military support in order to do that. So these air strikes have been effective, but this will not be the only requirement thats necessary in order to provide the iraqis space. At the strategic level, certainly, our lack of strategy in the region has contributed to this. The isis forces have demonstrated that they are an incredibly capable, very well trained, very well equipped military. Theyre not a bunch of thugs. This is a well run with a very strong command and control type architecture and they are beginning to own this space they occupy. Theyre beginning to set up governorer nance. Theres the big concern. What we would call ungoverned space, they are trying to govern. The fact there might be u. S. Citizens fighting with isis is less the issue. Certainly, they could return home to the United States, but the real issue is that isis should not view itself and they dont view themselves as being geographically bounded to achieve this fate they want to achieve. Theres no reason why they wouldnt try to strike the United States and try to do that repeatedly. There are multiple levels to your question. Thats the big concern. And there has been great concern about isis not just its organization as you put it, but its strategy and earlier in the week had been said they had taken control of this dam in mosul and now, cnn has just received new images that show a black flag that has been planted at that mosul dam there. Presumably by isis. I think we have confirmation of this right now. How concerning is it to you there is now this kind of confirmation that isis has secured this mosul dam in. There are really two ways to look at it. One, if they were to destroy the dam, there might be, might be, and there are estimates on both sides, but some flooding problems to put a number of cities and families at risk. The other point is they want to maintain that dam and its Power Generation capability because they want to generate power. They want to establish government. They want to be able to be able to do what they need to do. Or turn off power. Or turn off power to further indim tim date or control people. Use it as a weapon, absolutely. They want to use it to their advantage, disadvantage others, so theyve got to preserve it in order to have that capability. You had just mentioned they are very well organized. Was this kind of organization under estimateded or is the feeling that the u. S. Couldnt have imposed any kind of air strikes or intervene in that way any sooner than it just did on friday morning. Now, yeah, thats the point. Intelligence is the art and the science of persistence, gathering information and then you have to ask the question, what are you going to do about that intelligence. Isis did not spring out of the ground yesterday. Theyve been in place for quite some time, but the United States has not had an ability to do anything about it until now. Weve chosen, excuse me, not to do anything about it because its roots took place in syria and now, the migration to iraq. So the u. S. Now is acting and the president is correct to act right now. Im disheartened that the president has stated out priority that hes going to take options off the table. I. E, the use of boots op the ground. Whether he does or doesnt, you never tell your enemies what youre not going to do. That probably is more of a reassurance to the American People. Absolutely. Thats right. Its where, its how hes wired and hes talking to his constituency. When really, the message should be to his enemies, im not going to tell you what im not going to do, what im going to do. Im going to keep you messing. Thank you so much. You can read more about the u. S. Operations on iraq on cnn. Com, including a great piece on why the u. S. Should intervene to help the kurds. It has killed nearly 1,000 people and left many more gravely ill. The ebola epidemic. Coming up, an american couple working in liberia just as the disease started spreading in west africa. Theyll tell us how they got out and what they saw along the way. Avo waves dont care what age you are. 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When we set up operation in one part of the country, people in other parts go to work. Thats not a coincidence. Its one more part of our commitment to america. Several developments this morning in the west african ebola crisis. Againy is closing their borders hoping to halt the spread of the deadly virus. The global Health Experts have declared the epidemic an International Health crisis. Nearly 1,000 people have died from ebola and that number is rising. David, what are the latest measures to try to contain this outbreak . Reporter well, the latest measures are to create a blockade within these countries and from without. Guinea is saying its going to close its borders to extend the flow back and forth with this virus to people who might be carrying it without realizing it to try to stop this. And people feel like that is going to be effective or is it too little too late . Well, i think thats a good question. Certainly, this outbreak was first announced in march in guinea, then spread to all these coun countries in africa and beyond. I spoke to the World Health Organization and asked them were they prepared to face this epidemic. Unprepared for the level of this outbreak . I think one can say we were unprepareded for the level of the outbreak. We anticipated we were using best practices in the region. The previous outbreaks have had 200 at most, 300 cases. This one is unprecedented. Could this have been avoided . This situation were in now . The Current Situation in terms of the outbreak status, i think can be contained. Hindsight is 20 20 disturbing latest news is that several hospitals here appear to have ground to a halt. One wellknown physician has also contracted the virus here in freetown and some Health Workers refusing to check into work because they say they dont have the right equipment. Doctors without borders are boots on the ground and lodgistics and support as soon as possible so this thing can be put out of some control because its certainly not there right now. Very alarming. Thank you so much. In sierra leone. So, its one thing to watch whats happening in west africa from afar, on television, perhaps, but as the ebola epidemic unfolds, its Something Else to see it firsthand. Brant and anna nightheart are aid workers who just got back to the u. S. After working with liber liberian communities to build an or f or fannage. Good to see you. Good to be with you. So, anna, i understand you all knew about the outbreak as you were making your way to liberia, so what kind of precautions were you needing to take, what kind of worries did you have . Well, really wasnt much of a concern because it was really in the neighboring communities there, not anywhere near where we were going to be staying, so we werent really concerned at all when we were there. But then did that change, brant, while you were there . Yeah, i mean, serply was in the news while we were there and there had been reports about ebola in the bush, in the area, but well removed from monororov where we were. But it was in the news and people were talking about it and it game a growing concern and seemed as soon as we returned home, it really exploded. Did you ber act with anyone, were there other aid workers you talked to who talked about their experience being in the villages, where ebola had spread more readily than right there in the capital . Sure. At that point, we did have not any contact with aid workers who had been in contact with patients, but we did meet dr. Debbie there from sim and shes now on the front lines of this fight. In monrovia and really, thats where our heart goes. I mean, these are no longer numbers for us. We see peoples faces. We see the doctor at the local medical clinic. Jeremiah and his efforts to protect the children who he cares for and thats were so encouraged by samaritans purse and Doctors Without Borders being on the front lines. Clearly, it has spread, particularly in villages in the more rural areas, where supplies and sanitation are just not accessible, but now, you are learning about the two americans who were doing the work with samaritans purse as you just mentioned, back in the u. S. What are you concerns about the people that you interacted with in liberia who have been left behind, what were there, who have to deal with the spread of this virus and whether youre hoping the treatment of the two americans will perhaps open the door to possibilities for the treatment of those in liberia. We are very concerned for the people we love and know at home because its a very high risk that they could get this virus. Were very hopeful for this experimental drug, but at the same time, we dont know how fast theyre going to be able to give this out to people and so, i think that we cant really count on that right now as a source of you know, protection or healing for the disease. Right. Okay, brant and anna, thanks so much for your time. Thanks so much. All right, do you think College Athletes deserve to get paid . A judge has ruled in their favor saying the ncaa has been catching it for years, using their names and likenesses. Well break it all down for you, next. Thought, wow, how is there no way to tell the good from the bad . So we gave people the power of the review. And now angies list is revolutionizing local service again. You can easily buy and Schedule Services from toprated providers. Conveniently stay up to date on progress. And effortlessly turn your photos into finished projects with our snapfix app. Visit angieslist. Com today. train horn vo wherever our trains go, the economy comes to life. Norfolk southern. One line, infinite possibilities. Thats why i always choose the fastest intern. R slow. The fastest printer. The fastest lunch. Turkey club. The fastest pencil sharpener. The fastest elevator. The fastest speed dial. The Fastest Office plant. So why wouldnt i choose the fastest wifi . I would. Switch to comcast Business Internet and get the fastest wifi included. Comcast business. Built for business. All right, we might start seeing College Athletes getting paid. Thats because a judge says the ncaa violated antitrust laws by forces schools not to pay athletes. The judge says the players likenesses, names and images were being used to make money for the schools and the ncaa. And students got no benefits. Sarah gannon is joining us now from new york. What is the ncaa saying about all of this . Good afternoon. Well, the ncaa is almost likely going to appeal. Everyone recognizes this may well change the landscape of college sports. Gone could be the days of the Johnny Manziels of the world gettinging into trouble for selling this new autographs for a little cash. I talked to the attorneys for the players last night. They are very happy, but i want to show you what the National College Players Association has to say about this. They said this is a big win, the ruling says the ncaa was operating illegally and College Athletes to have rights, even if you label them student rights, it doesnt give the ncaa the right to deny them the rights other americans deserve. Now, its important to state here that this ruling doesnt say that the ncaa or the universities have to pay athletes. The rules says they can if they want to. That the ncaa can no longer have a rule against it. And that could lead to a lot of things because if some universities decide to pay, others dont, will they play each other, will it lead to bidding wars . Its important to know there is a cap on this. Its not like were going to be looking at Million Dollar contracts in college sports. Were looking at 5,000 per athlete, per year. Wow. Thats extraordinary. So, what kind of reaction is coming from some of the colleges, the athletes perhaps . The athletes are elated. The ones that have been advocating for years and this lawsuit was filed five years ago. By former ucla basketball player, ed o bannan. He was sitting in a friends living room, the friends kid was playing a video game, he said, hey, im in that game and i dont get a check for that. He ended up suing and this is the result of that. This has been five years going, so this has morphed over time from being just about video games to being about television contracts and gjejerseys and whether or not the schools can sell playing wards and all sorts of pathings. The judge is saying you guys make millions off corporate sponsorships, television contracts and when she says you guys, she means the universities and the athletes, they should get a cut of that, too. Are they going to get a cut of that this season . Not this season. It takes effect before it begins in 2016. Interesting, i mentioned the appeal. We all know that the ncaa is going to appeal and appeals can take a long time, but the judge specifically said she will not state her ruling in light of an appeal, so even if they appeal and are going through that process, they will still begin to get paid if the universities choose to pay them, they can start to get paid in 2016. Thats something for them to look forward to. I still am wincing at the fact i said got no benefits. Thanks so much. Appreciate it. A Police Department describes a suspect as a dark skinned negro. What the police chief says about it might surprise you. When i had my first migraine, i was lucky. That sounds crazy, i know. But my mom got migraines, so she knew this would help. Excedrin migraine starts to relieve my pain in 30 minutes. Plus, sensitivity to light and sound, even nausea. Excedrin migraine works. For over 19 million people. [ susan ] my promotion allowed me to start investing for my retirement. Transamerica made it easy. [ female announcer ] everyone has a moment when tomorrow becomes real. Transamerica. Transform tomorrow. Before those little pieces would get in between my dentures and my gum and it was uncomfortable. [ male announcer ] just a few dabs is clinically proven to seal out more food particles. [ corrine ] super poligrip is part of my life now. Civil rights activists are outraged that the Police Department of lockport, new york, theyve just Learned Police described a shooting suspect as quote, dark skinned negro. Next to the line labeled complex, the 19yearold is listed as negro. Foe lowed by the letters da, which means dark. They use a menu to list the suspects complex. It has 12 options that include light and dark negro. The police chief said they didnt realize the impact of this. That type of terminology can be offensive. To blacks. I didnt know it until i talked to you just now. I dont ever use that term, but i didnt think it was an offensive term regardless. The chief says he will change the software to change the complex language. He says the Police Department, which has never had a black officer on its force, will be receiving diversity training in the next few weeks. Zblncht we have much more straight ahead and it starts straight ahead and it starts right now. Captions by vitac www. Vitac. Com hello, again, everyone. Here are the big stories were following. Our top story, president Barack Obama Says that the u. S. Air strikes in iraq were successful in destroying militant weapons. On friday, the u. S. Dropped a series of bombs targeting ice isis. The group is threatening the city of erbil, forcing thousands to flee. The u. S. Military released this video of two 500 pound laser guided bombs hitting an isis artillery unit yesterday morning. Later in the day, eight more bombs were dropped on an isis convoy. The u. S. And iraq have also dropped food and Water Supplies to people who fled isis and are now stranded. The president said today the u. S. Military will take more action as needed, but ultimately, isis needs to rather unit to fight iraqis rather need to unite to fight isis. Says we are focused on the situation in the north affecting kurds and the iraqi minorities. Sunni and shia have suffered. Once government is place, im confident it will easier to mobilize all iraqis against isil and to mobilize greater support from our friends and allies. Ultimately, only iraqis can ensure the security and stability of iraq. United states cant do it for them, but we can and will be partners in that effort. The attacks from isis have led to a humanitarian crisis. People have fled to the mountains to escape and have been stuck without water or food in blistering heat. New video from a kurdish television station shows refugees surrounding a helicopter full of supplies and a few actually jumped inside the helicopter and managed to escape safely. Ivan watson is live for us now in erbil. What have you seen as people have been in desperate situations . Reporter well, you have that critical situation on sinjar mountain, where the u. S. Air force, the Iraqi Air Force have been delivering aid. Thousands of the believed to be tens of thousands of kurds trapped on the mountain have successfully escaped with the help of kurdish fighters on the ground, some running to syria, but more dying there every day due to exposure to the elements. The situation here in erbil, this kurdish city and in other kurdish cities, less critical, but a major, major challenge and crisis because hundreds of thousands of iraqis, many of them Iraqi Christians, have fled the isis military advances this week and come here and they have nowhere else to go and this kurdish safe haven is very close to the isis front lines. Take a look at this report. Hundreds of Iraqi Christians taking shelter in a place of worship. Sleeping amid the pews of st. Josephs church. These frightened people have come here because theres simply no place else to go. Theyre part of a wave of hundreds of thousands of iraqis who fled their homes to escape islamist militants. People are running for their lives and according to the patriarch of the cal dean community, among the exodus are more than 100,000 christians who tell us theyve been give p a choice by the militants from the Islamic States of iraq and syria, either convert to their brand of violent, harsh islam or face the sword. The kurdish leadership is struggling to deal with this wave of humanity. The governor of erbil, a muslim, working with a christian priest to provide aid to these homeless families. The archbishop says iraqs ancient Christian Community is basically being cleanseded from its home land. This is another kind because there are losing any kind of connection with iran if killed, their history the exodus includes the other minorities from the mosaic, including but kurdish officials fear isis militants may try to attack erbil, a city that has become a fragile kurdish safe haven. Is erbil in danger . Of course. Theres little protection so, its very important to be quick and to start attack the kurdish leadership says its grateful for u. S. Air strikes now helping protect erbil. But these desperate iraqi civilians just dont know what to do. What we do . What we do now . We want solutions to this problem. All these people. To be like other people in other countries. The u. S. Government, free, we the iraqi people to be free. Thats freedom, impossible. Thats the feeling. All these people suddenly homeless. Looking to a higher power for some kind of help. If the isis militants were able to break through these front lines that are in some cases only 20, 30 miles away from where im standing, these scenes of displaced, b frightened people, its just a drop in the bucket from what we would likely see here in erbil, a city of a million kurds. T rather hard to even imagine the number of people who would then be on the run if that scenario was to unfold here. Thank you so much. Appreciate that. What is next for iraq and what is americas role going to be for the future . Here to help answer some of those questions is ali, a former Senior Adviser to several u. S. Generals, ambassadors in iraq. Hes joining us from dubai. In a recent oped for the washington post, you said quote, the crisis now gripping iraq and the middle east was not only predictable, but predicted and preventable. By looking the other way and unconditionally supporting and arming Prime Minister al maliki, president obama has only lengthened and expanded the conflict president bush unwisely niche waited. America is likely to emerge as one o the biggest losers of the new sunni shiite holy war with allies collapsing and radicals plotting another 9 11. Those are your words from the washington post. So, you blame this administration for making matters worse . I do and the reason why is because while president bush unwisely initiated the invasion of iraq by the end of his administration and through the surge, we basically had reduced violence 90 and iraq was back on the right path. Through supporting what do you mean by that . Back on the right path . Well, so after you recall the mosque bombing in 2006, you recall that as a result, violence spiked and thousands of iraqis were killed every month, but through the surge, both troops and diplomatic efforts in 2007, 8, the United States was able to reduce violence by 90 across iraq with our iraqi allies and the entire plan that ambassador crocker and general petraeus had at the time were down to 2014 you got to fast forward to 2014. Were talking about the action now of this administration and what it is doing in terms of imposing these air strikes to assist in the humanitarian aid as well as protect the americans on the ground and you heard the president earlier today who said the reason why the u. S. Has not been more involved br now is because the Iraqi Government asked the iraqi people asked the u. S. To not have a significant presence in this country, so now give me your thoughts in the present day, in the present circumstances with iraq and how this administration is intervening this this way. Well, im thrilled beyond words, really, at the president s comments today and at the recent comments of the White House Press secretary because i think after six years after being poorly advised by their iraq team, clearly, the president now is getting sage advice, new advice and his words today were absolutely perfect. His recent actions with were absolutely perfect. He is targeting unreconcilable isis elements with these surgical, but limited american strikes. He is conditioning american support for the Iraqi Government in baghdad on maliki stepping down and more importantly, on the formation of a new Inclusive National government that will fairly represent all iraqis and hes recognizing for the First Time Ever really that the only way you can stabilize and rebuild iraq is when all the iraqis have a stake in their future as opposed to whats happened in their future, under maliki. So, when the president says no American Military solution is available to this problem, there needs to be a legitimate Iraqi Government, do you see that this all inclusive government that you say would be ideal is really something thats achievable in this country . Of iraq. Again, the president is exactly right to have emphasized that point and again, after six years, its really about time he do so. The question is moving forward number one, will maliki step down without a fight and it doesnt look look it so far. Number two, who most importantly is going to succeed him . Will it be somebody from malikis party who will continue with his devicive policies even with just a few face or will he really need a new, inclusive government that represents all iraqis. If that does not happen, what the United States needs to do is pivot away from our relationship in baghdad and toward our iraq the kurds and at this point, what we need to do is directly arm them, directly support them as iraq would defend further and further swoo a civil war. Thank you so much from dubai. Iraq war vet raps rans are speaking out on the strikes in iraq. Alexandria field sat down with several of them to get their opinions. A sevenyear mission in iraq, troops gone two years after withdrawal, a new mission. I authorize two operations in iraq. Targeted air strikes to protect our american personnel. And a humanitarian effort to help save thousands of iraqi civilians. All summer, americans who serve there have been watching the violence in iraq erupt. We agree that the iraqis deserve peace. We sat down with some of them back in june when the u. S. Took its first step to quell the violence. Sending in military advisers. I think any intervention needs to be limited in scope. What do you want to hear the president say right now . I want to hear president obama acknowledge that america has a moral obligation to that country. Two months later, the u. S. Launches air strikes. I think the United States is a bit slow in reacting to the situation in iraq. Andrew severed there in 2009 with the marine corps. He said the u. S. Has a commitment to maintain. Its a humanitarian crisis. If we have the ability to do so and we might be the only power with the ability to do so, were obligated to intervene. The white house is making assurances that this intervention wont look like the last one. It will not involve american troops returning to iraq. Ross believes he should have never been on the ground. Today, he says he cant support military action from the air. I think that as americans, we need to first come to terms with what weve done during the occupation to iraq because i think its our misunderstanding of the past thats skewing our understanding of whats going on in iraq today, so we need to educate ourselves on that level before we make further decisions about any future course of action in iraq. So, you expect there would be opposite views among those who fought in iraq, but do these veterans have any Common Ground on what should be done, what kind of role the u. S. Should be playing here . The only Common Ground we heard when we speak to these veterans is the desire for peace. Something these veterans have shared for many, many years now. Were hearing two Different Things from them. Some who say they went there and said they felt they were able to make positive improvements and those who say that the u. S. Intervention left them vulnerable. Its those two schools of thoughts that are inforling perceptions about how the u. S. Should move forward today, fred. Thanks so much in new york. In a moment, well head to the border between israel and ga a sa. A tense quiet for now. How long will this last . Ugh. Heartburn. Did someone say burn . Try alka seltzer reliefchews. They work just as fast and are proven to taste better than tums smoothies assorted fruit. Mmm. Amazing. Yeah, i get that a lot. Alka seltzer heartburn reliefchews. Enjoy the relief. Wouldnt it be great if hiring plumbers, carpenters shopping online is as easy as it gets. And even piano tuners were just as simple . Thanks to angies list, now it is. Weve made hiring anyone from a handyman to a dog walker as simple as a few clicks. Buy their services directly at angieslist. Com no more calling around. No more hassles. Start shopping from a list of toprated providers today. Angies list is revolutionizing local service again. Visit angieslist. Com today. Youd do that for me . Really . Yeah, id like that. Who are you talking to . Uh, its jake from state farm. Sounds like a really good deal. Jake from state farm at three in the morning. Who is this . Its jake from state farm. What are you wearing, jake from state farm . [ jake ] uh. Khakis. She sounds hideous. Well shes a guy, so. [ male announcer ] another reason more people stay with state farm. Get to a better state. Now to the collapse of a cease fire in the middle east and the new destruction as israel and gaza return to firing on each other. Israel claims it hit 70 hamas targets yesterday. Another 20 overnight. A mosque in central gaza was also hit. From gaza, more than 60 rockets flew at israel, hitting mostly open ground. I want to bring in Martin Savidge from gaza city. Paint the picture for us. How is it this evening now that its nightfall . Saturday night in gaza and you know, if you hear the sounds behind me, it sounds like it might be a typical saturday night. You would also note its not very bright behind me, thats because of the electricity problem. Only about 10 of the electricity has been restored here. And then theres the conflict itself. Let me show you some video we collected today. These are israeli air strikes. It seems not only the retaliation after they were fired, they were 26 today, b that israel responds with air strikes. One we had add breakfast. That was the view you had with the camera rushing out the doorway. Theres no way to escape it here. I suppose if you wanted to say there was any positive. It seems that the air strikes are more selective in their targets as opposed to what we saw previously where there was more use of artillery and tank fire. Five people have been killed today and there have been at least 50 air strikes that israel has conducted. We continue to hear jets overhead and we continue to hear the drones that are used for part of targeting. So, the back and forth has gone on and it seems that so does life in some respect and that just, i got to tell you, seems rather weird and maybe tran tragically describeses how this conflict may go forward from here. And then, too, maybe its hopeful and i wonder how hopeful people might be of continuing talks that carry on in cairo over this whole conflict. Well of course, thats what we would like to see. The cease fire we thought 72 hours, it would have been easy to extend it another 72 hours. Apparently, the sides are are so far apart and there is so much acrimony, they could not even agree to extend the cease fire, so thats a bad sign. Palestinian negotiating team remains, but the israeli team has left, so that doesnt bode well for any sort of quick response. I think that the problem here is that hamas feels its not getting israel to Pay Attention to itself and israel believes it has no reason to want to negotiate at all when rockets are being fired at. So, i dont see much of reason why both sides would want to get together other than were approaching a death toll of nearly 1900 people and i believe you had 64 israeli soldiers. Its the deaths that probably everyone would like to see stop. Extraordinary numbers. Thank you so much. President obama addressed u. S. Air strikes in iraq as he left the white house this morning. What he says iraqis need to do to help defend themselves. Thats keeping you from the healthcare you deserve. At humana, we believe the gap will close when healthcare changes. When frustration and paperwork decrease. When healthcare becomes simpler. So lets do it. Lets simplify healthcare. Lets close the gap between people and care. President obama left the white house earlier today, heading out on a summer break with his first family, his family, and on the way out, he stopped to address the crisis in iraq and the u. S. Mission there. The president said u. S. Forces in iraq were successful in destroyinging militant weapons and providing humanitarian relief and took a few questions from the media. For how long a period of time do you see these air strikes continuing for and is your goal there to contain isis or to destroy it . Im not going to give a particular timetable because as ive said from the start, where ever and when ever u. S. Personnel and facilities are threatened, its my obligation, my responsibility as commander in chief, to make sure they are protected and were not moving our embassy anytime soon. Were not moving our consulate anytime soon and that means that given the challenging security environment, were going to maintain vigilance and ensure that our people are safe. Our initial goal is to not only make sure americans are protected, but also to deal with this humanitarian situation in sinjar. We feel confident that we can prevent isil from going up a mountain and slaughtering the people who are there, but the next step, which is going to be complicated lodgistically, is how do we give safe passage for people down from the mountain and where can we ultimately relocate them so that they are safe. Thats the kind of coordination we need to do internationally. I was very pleased to get the cooperation of both Prime Minister cameron and the president in addressing some of the immediate needs in terms of air drops and some of the assets theyre providing, but theres a broader set of questions our experts are now engaged in with the United Nations and our allies and partners and that is how do we create a safe corridor or some other mechanism so these people can move. That may take some time because there are varying estimates of how many are up there, but theyre in the thousands and moving them is not simple. In this kind of security environment. Just to give people a sense though of a timetable, the most important timetable that im focused on right now is the Iraqi Government getting formed and finalized because in the absence of an Iraqi Government, it is very hard to get a unified effort by iraqis against isil. We can connect air strikes, but ultimately, theres not going to be an American Military solution to this problem. Theres going to have to be an iraqi solution that america and other countries and allies support. All right, the president this morning, hell p vacationing with the family in Marthas Vineyard. Next, the shelling continues between gaza and israel and im going to ask a palestinian journalist why she thinks a longterm cease fire hasnt taken hold. Fill their bowl with the meaty tastes theyre looking for, with friskies grillers. Tender meaty pieces and crunchy bites. In delicious chicken, beef, turkey, and garden veggie flavors. Friskies grillers. For an update on mortgages, rates dropped this week. Take a look. Ben well, that was close you aint lying let quicken loans help you save your money. With a mortgage thats engineered to amaze for over 19 million people. [ susan ] my promotion allowed me to start investing for my retirement. Transamerica made it easy. [ female announcer ] everyone has a moment when tomorrow becomes real. Transamerica. Transform tomorrow. Transamerica. When i had my first migraine, i was lucky. That sounds crazy, i know. But my mom got migraines, so she knew this would help. Excedrin migraine starts to relieve my pain in 30 minutes. Plus, sensitivity to light and sound, even nausea. Excedrin migraine works. Wouldnt it be great if hiring plumbers, carpenters shopping online is as easy as it gets. And even piano tuners were just as simple . Thanks to angies list, now it is. Weve made hiring anyone from a handyman to a dog walker as simple as a few clicks. Buy their services directly at angieslist. Com no more calling around. No more hassles. Start shopping from a list of toprated providers today. Angies list is revolutionizing local service again. Visit angieslist. Com today. The violence in gaza is back today after another cease fire ended. Attempts to extend this weeks cease fire failed. Today, a mosque was hit according to the Palestinian Health ministry and israel says more than 60 rockets for fired from gaza. Earlier, jake tapper asked a spokesman for Benjamin Netanyahu, if this on and off again fighting will ever stop. Is that what is the new normal now, that its just going to be israel waits for palestinian rockets and then israel hits gaza and then just resumes indefinitely . We cant allow hamas to have initiative to shoot us when theyre comfortable to do so and to hold fire when its comfortable for them to do so. We have to have a situation where the border is quiet. Weve said over and over again, our goal in the military operation has been the same. Its to create a sustained period of quiet without rocket fire. Without thats our goal. Im joined by Foreign Policy analyst and Italian Journalist from new york. Good to see you again. So, in your view, why are these cease fires not holding . Because the demands are so far apart and because it seems like the israelis and it seems their policies only a military one and its not working. This is the third war in gaza and after 2,000 People Killed there, there are not putting on the table another policy or another approach. What every head of mow sad, the Israeli Secret Service has been calling on the government to do is talking to the palestinians and addressing the demand of the palestinians, especially the authority, the moderate side of the Palestinian Authority and now that theres a United Government and theres a reconciliation with hamas, its actually an opportunity to bring hamas in, let them not only recognize all the three conditions that they accepted the Palestinian Authority, renouncing violence and above all, subscribing to all the previous accords. That means now theres a window to actually bring hamas to the table, demilitaryize them, but in change, you have to give them the end of the occupation. That really is the lynch pin right there. The what in exchange for demilitarization, in exexchange for ending the occupation and israel is not agreeing, but youre saying if the palestinians feel like the occupation would end, if hamas feels like the occupation would end, then the two could live in peace . Is that whats at the cord here . Absolutely, yes. And look, theres if you look at what happened historically with other conflicts, the ira signed a Peace Agreement where they laid down the arms and that was brokered by americans and the brits and that brought piece to the northern ireland. Today, we have an opportunity in the middle east, but politicians are too concerned about the next election and not the next generation. The question here, how many people needs to die before both sides understand that only politics can solve this issue. Theres no military solution that will guarantee the security of israel or will even give palestinians their rights. Sorry, but it does seem like the numbers are high right now. Were talking about 1900 people, palestinians alone, if these numbers dont seem to make members of both sides come to terms, then i mean, surely, is it your feeling that the numbers have to you know, be far greater than this in order for the two sides to find Common Ground . Look, i think now and what was happening that the israelis are not challenged on their talking points as if theres a monologue, not a dialogue, as if were not breaking down. Im talking about all us reporters and jack did a great job in challenging the israeli spokesperson and asking him what other policies are on the table . What are you doing . Whats next . This is what we are not challenging, you know, the israelis with and another thing that when we talk about palestinian victims, were talking about it and most of the question are as if its a pr issue for israel and this is part of the tragedy. Look, we have an opportunity today, more than ever because of social media and independent media, to have from the ground, firsthand accounts and proof of whats going on and fortunately for the first time, theres a huge debate about among Young Americans that they are challenging israeli narrative and especially their policy. Is it policy that will guarantee in the long run israel as democratic state, safe state, i dont think so. Thank you so much. From south hampton, new york. Appreciate it. They are Young African visionaries and are sharpening their skills at u. S. Universities. A look at this Dynamic Program that put them in the company of two american president s. What super poligrip does for me is it keeps the food out. Before those little pieces would get in between my dentures and my gum and it was uncomfortable. [ male announcer ] just a few dabs is clinically proven to seal out more food particles. [ corrine ] super poligrip is part of my life now. To seal out more food particles. Nexium®,is now available, without a prescription for frequent heartburn. Get complete protection. Because the best moments in life arent experienced from the sidelines. Now theres Nothing Holding you back. This is nexium level protection™. The 1 prescribed acidblocking brand. Now without a prescription for frequent heartburn. Get complete protection. Nexium level protection™. 500 African Leaders were in the United States this summer participating in a program that president obama introduced to help them develop their skills. These Young Leaders are underdoing training at 20 top universities across the country. President obama first announced the washington fellowship for Young African leaders in 2013. He wants to help africans ages 25 to 35, who are already entrepreneurs, College Grads or Business Leaders in their communities, but need a little help getting to the next level. Were launching a new program thats going to give thousands of promising Young Africans like you, to opportunity to come to the United States and develop your skills at some of our best colleges and universities. My name is im 28 years old, from ethiopia. Im james from szimbabwe. There were more than 50,000 applicants. Only 500 were selected, including, sava, james and valerie. Sava led a Construction Company for five years, but couldnt find enough skilled workers. She hopes this will give her the tools to start a Training Facility teaching ethiopians how to be skilled workers. A Contracting Agency once i get back, thats what im trying to gasp from this program. James is the managing director for a Financial Services Company Providing Financial Literacy to rural communities. The niche with various lenders who may have an objective to develop communities. Valerie is on a mission to bring clean commodes to villages that dont have them. We provide in house toilets to these households, we provide the toilet for free and actually run a Service Model around managing the toilet. These fellows are getting their mentoring and training at Clark Atlanta in georgia. One of the top u. S. Colleges and universities hosting these leaders of tomorrow. Weve been an International Institution for most of our existence, so it was important to us, the international faculty, that we become major participants in this program. While at Clark Atlanta, the fellows were introduced to executives of fortune 500 companies. And got to know the city, particularly the underserved communities, but helping to restore pride by planting and unifying. And sorting donated clothes for those who need it most. But perhaps the biggest highlight of this fellowship, meeting two u. S. President s. Former president jimmy carter and the sitting president who made all of this happen. President obama, he has sewed the seed. Three promising leaders, one amazing sixweek journey in america. Now back in africa, feeling better equipped to change lives there. And with the blessing of the mandela family, president obama announced that the program will now be called the Mandela Washington fellowship. Now, our fit nation challenge. If you cant get motivated to exercise, dr. Sanjay gupta has a few suggestions that might help you get off the sofa and maybe get into the gym. Fred, the number one excuse for not exercising is i dont have time. But a lot of people tell me that exercise is boring. I get it. Sometimes, ill focus on a specific problem letting a run, letting my mind mull it over. I also love using technology to see if im Getting Better at my runs. Clara does something i havent seen before. She uses the gps on her nike running app to draw aliens. One morning, she decided to run slimer from ghost busters. Pretty impressive. I would be remiss if i didnt tell you that a lot to have the drawings we simply cant show you on television, but add a Little Something extra to your exercise, youll be far more likely to do it on a regular basis. Fred . This is bill. His doubleheader day at the park starts with back pain. And a choice. Take 4 advil in a day or just 2 aleve for all day relief. Peanuts peanuts crowd cheers what if it were more than something to share . What if a photo could build that shelf youve always wanted . Or fix a leaky faucet . Or even give you your saturday back . The new snapfix app revolutionizes local service. Just snap a photo and angies list coordinates a toprated provider to do the work on your schedule. The app makes it easy. The power of angies list makes it work. Download snapfix for free. So factors like diet can negatively impact good bacteria . Even if youre healthy and active. Phillips Digestive Health support is a duoprobiotic that helps supplement good bacteria found in two parts of your digestive tract. Im doubly impressed phillips Digestive Health. A daily probiotic. New video paints a terrible picture of whats happening in iraq, people rushing towards a helicopter as you see right here, begging for food and water. They are hungry, dehydrated. They have left their homes, fleeing as militants who threaten to kill them get even closer. And several countries including the u. S. Are trying to get relief supplies to them. 40,000 desperate yazidis are hiding in scorching summer neat the iraqi mountains. Weve seen reports of dozens of deaths because of dehydration already. Meteorologist Jennifer Gray is in the cnn weather center. Help people understand where is this, you know, mt. Sinjar, what are the conditions, what can they equate it to . Its incredibly sad. You can equate it to the Southwest Region of the United States. Middle of the summer, triple digits, putting somebody in the middle of a a, new mexico, middle of the day, triple digits, no food, no water. Were talking about temperatures 104. You factor in the heat index, its going to feel like 110, 115. And youre not even going to get any relief at night. Overnight temperatures only drop down to around 90 degrees. This is the hottest time of the year, august is the hottest month of the year. You ear not going to get any rain, and were not even going to get any clouds. So were basically going to be looking at pure sunshine all day long and you can see not even any clouds. This is a satellite picture that would normally pick um clouds. We would also even see some rain on the radar. Not even going to see that. So, fred, this is going to be continue to see very hot conditions, very dry conditions, not going to see any rain anytime soon. Running temperatures 5 to 10 degrees above normal for the next week or so. Unbearable conditions for thousands of people there. Thank you so much, jennifer. Meantime, back in this country, the danger of gun violence isnt letting up in chicago. More shootings reported overnight. Has anything changed since our series chicagoland exposed . Were trying our best annto be role models. Rmodels. We dont jump at the sound of the opening bell, because were trying to make the school bell. Corner booth beats Corner Office any day. We make the most out of our time. And our money. The chevrolet malibu. The highest ranked midsize car in initial quality. The car for the richest guys on earth. It can help your business save money. False. The truth is when you compare our Fastest Internet to the fastest dsl from the phone company, comcast business gives you more for your money. Why pay more for less . Call today for a low price on speeds up to 150mbps. And find out more about our twoyear price guarantee. Comcast business. Built for business. All right. Welcome back. Im Fredricka Whitfield. Here are the top stories crossing the cnn news desk right now. An allclear for the hawaiian islands. All storm warnings and watches have been canceled. Tropical storm iselle hit the big island yesterday morning. This is what it looked like at landfall. Some areas got more than a foot of rain. A second storm, hurricane julio, will miss the islands. And a landmark ruling against the ncaa. A federal judge ruling in favor of former ucla College Basketball star e obannon, who sued to end the ncaas control over the rights to athletes names, images, and likenesses. The decision means athletes could share revenues with schools. The judge did say the ncaa could set a cap on payouts to student athletes. The death of former White House Press secretary james brady earlier this week now ruled a homicide. A virginia medical examiner says his death was directly related to the wound he suffered on the assassination attempt on president reagan. He spent the rest of his life advocating against gun violence. Its unclear if John Hinckley jr. Will face murder charges. Another weekend of gun violence in chicago. Local tv stations reporting five people were wounded in shootings overnight. A week ago, one of the young menifee chured in our series chicagoland was shot twice in the leg. Now 40 Illinois State troopers are partnering with Chicago Police and hitting the streets to try to curb the relentless violence. Since our series chicagoland last aired in april, have things changed at all for the better . Heres George Howell with a look. When a young Chicago High School student featured in chicagoland was recently shot, it suffered as a reminder how difficult it is for the young men and women trying to escape violence on the citys south side. 20yearold lee mccollums story depicted the challenges showing a student trying to make the transition from gang member to High School Graduate at finger academy where liz dozier is the principal. With the start of the new school year less than three weeks away and with the murder rate in chicago on pace to be lower than it was last year, i recently caught up with dozier and, among other things, talked about whether she has seen positive change since chicagoland aired on cnn. Listen. Is it as simple as saying it comes down to one or the other, get a job, get into a program, a summer program, or get into gang life . Yeah. Unfortunately, i think it is that simple. I think that if children often times are not engaged, other forces on the outside that are not as positive will engage them. And so for us at finger high school, its critical to make sure our students are engaged in summer programming, whether that means connecting with a job at a Fast Food Agency or a Corporation Downtown or a mentoring program. For us its critical to get them connected because we dont want them to have to make that choice. We want to provide them with a healthy alternative to the other things theyre faced with on a daily basis. Reporter youre on the ground here, in a school, dealing with students. What has to happen to make things change . I think people have to take ownership. I think parents have to stand up and take responsibility for their children. I think as a community we need to take responsibility for our children as a whole. Reporter is that happening . I think in isolated pockets its happening. I dont think its happening systematically, because if it was we wouldnt see the amount of violence and the amount of situations that have occurred over the course of this last several years. Reporter when it gets hot and people start coming outside, do you get worried . The summer is never usual lay good time for me. I always worry. We all know how the incidents oftentimes increase in the summer exponentially, and so our biggest role i think as a school is to make sure all of our kids are connected to programs, to job opportunities. On september 2nd, 400,000 students return to classrooms in the countrys Third Largest Public School system. Meanwhile, lee mccollum, who graduated from finger academy with a honors and still hopes to attend college will be recovering from a gunshot wound. George howell, cnn, atlanta. Thanks so much, george, for bringing that to us. Hello again, everyone. Im Fredricka Whitfield. Our top story, president obama said this morning usair strikes in iraq were successful in destroying militant weapons. On friday, the u. S. Dropped a series of bombs targeting isis or the Islamic State in iraq and syria. The group is threatening the city of erbil, forcing thousands of people to flee. The u. S. Military released this video of two 500pound laserguided bombs hitting