you know i could talk to you forever. thanks for being on, richard quest. host of "quest means business" on cnn international and so much more. i'm flat out of time, but my colleague, wolf blitzer, gets going right away. thanks for joining us. he'll continue the breaking news. i'm ashleigh banfield. thanks for watching "legal view." this is cnn breaking news. >> i'm wolf blitzer reporting from washington. we're following important breaking news. a humanitarian crisis, a wave of violence in iraq unfolding right now. all of this, the result of a brutal march across iraq by terrorists associated with isis, the islamic state in iraq and syria. the group is targeting minority organizations, groups right now including iraqi christians as well as members of the yazidi minority. now the pentagon is considering emergency air drops to the thousands of stranded yazidis in the mountains of northern iraq. officials tell cnn the u.s. is considering, quote, other military options as well.

our correspondents are covering this story from all angles. a huge, huge development unfolding. let's begin, though, with our global affairs correspondent, elise labott, at the state department. if i interrupt you, it's because the white house press secretary will be making a statement on u.s. options in iraq right now. go ahead and tell us what some of those possible options are. >> that's right, wolf. well, the president has been meeting with his national security team, i'm told, a lot of meetings this morning across the administration on how to help this group. we're talking about some 40,000 christians and yazidis basically on a mountaintop surrounded by isis militants, and they're out of food and water. many people have already died because of the sweltering heat. and now we understand the administration, the pentagon is considering air drops of food, water, medicine. >> hold on a minute, elise. i want to go to josh earnest, the white house press secretary.

>> isis and sinjar and northern areas of iraq. these actions have exacerbated an already dire crisis, and the situation is nearing humanitarian catastrophe. tens of thousands of innocent civilians reported to have been displaced, fearing persecution, and we are gravely concerned for their health and safety including the vulnerable ethnic and religious minority communities who have been specifically targeted by isil. the cold and calculated manner in which they've targeted defenseless iraqis like the yazidis and christians solely because of their ethnic and religious identity demonstrates a callous disregard for human rights, and it is deeply disturbing. in particular, we're concerned about the welfare of the large community of iraqi yazidis who are stranded on mount sinjar without food, water or shelter. and the iraqi christians who have been forced to flee their villages in the region. we are deeply concerned about reports that isil has abducted

as many as several hundred girls from these vulnerable communities. we're working intensively with the government of iraq, the iraqi security forces and the kurdish authorities in the immediate area to support their efforts to address the humanitarian situation in sinjar. >> and in terms of what the u.s. might be able to do to stop this, is the president considering along the lines of humanitarian aid? might he consider going as far as airstrikes against isil to address this? >> well, josh, first and foremost, as i mentioned, iraqi authorities and kurdish authorities are focused on this very specific threat to the nation of iraq and to the vulnerable populations that live in these areas. so the united states government as well as the united states military is supporting the ongoing efforts of the iraqi officials and kurdish officials to address this urgent

humanitarian crisis that exists. it is a situation that we are deeply earn canned about and closely monitoring. >> and is the president in meeting with people about this recently? can you give us a little bit of detail about how he's addressing it and whether we may expect to hear anything more from him about it? >> well, you know, the president, as he often does, met with his national security team or members of his national security team this morning. i don't have a specific readout of that meeting. but american officials in iraq and american officials here in the u.s. are closely monitoring this situation. >> is that why he was late, by the way? was that right before the event? >> i don't have any updates for the president's schedule, but go ahead, josh. >> also, one other thing. the white house said that the president, in a departure in what had been released on his schedule for his trip to martha's vineyard will come back for a day or so. can you tell us a little bit

about why he'll be returning? >> the president wanted to take advantage of the little time not next week but the week after to do a day or two of in-person meetings here at the white house. this is not in relation to an emergent situation. it's obvious because these meetings are being scheduled a couple weeks in advance, but this is an opportunity for the president to do in-person meetings here at the white house just for a day or two before he returns to martha's vineyard. >> do you know who those in-person meetings might be with? >> not at this time. roberta? >> you said that the u.s. is supporting the ongoing efforts of the iraqi and kurdish officials on the threats on the humanitarian situation. how is the u.s. supporting that? >> well, there are a couple of different ways, roberta. the first is there is a longstanding military-to-military relationship between the united states and iraqi security forces. and so there is -- there is training and resources and supplies that have regularly provided from the united states

military to iraq security forces. as you also know, there are a couple of joint operation centers that have been established in iraq in the last few weeks, both in erbil and baghdad where close military coordination and cooperation can occur. that includes, again, american military personnel as well as some kurdish security forces and some iraq security forces, that all of this is integrated in those two places. the final thing is there are also, as you know, the president announced a few weeks ago american military personnel who are on the ground in iraq to provide an assessment of the situation on the ground and an assessment of the capability of iraq's security forces. and those individuals are obviously working closely with iraq security forces and kurdish security forces to evaluate that situation. >> so beyond those things that have already been announced, they said today that it's ready

to take action in addressing that humanitarian situation that you described earlier. is the u.s. military considering specific action to support france or support the situation in that way? >> well, i don't have anything to announce from here. the american military personnel in iraq are conducting an assessment at the direction of the president about the capability of iraqi security forces and of conditions on the ground. that sort of assessment is done after and in conjunction with careful coordination and cooperation with iraqi security forces. so if there are specific needs that need to be met in terms of enhancing iraq's security forces capability, then we will look to provide it. again, this is a longstanding military-to-military relationship that has existed for a long time. and we can operate through those

channels to provide assistance to the iraqis as they confront this very difficult and tragic situation in their own country. jim. >> just to get a really straight answer, is the u.s. considering airstrikes among these options to make sure that humanitarian assistance is provided to those oppressed minority populations in northern iraq? are airstrikes on the table? >> well, jim, i'm not in a position to pull things on the table or off the table in this context. what i can tell you is reiterate a principle that the president himself has articulated a couple of times. there are many problems in iraq. this one that we're talking about right now has a particular ly -- is a particularly acute one in that the stakes are very high. we're seeing innocent populations be persecuted just because of their religious or ethnic identity. the humanitarian situation is deeply disturbing there. and it's one that we are following closely.

that said, it's important for everyone to understand -- and the president has made this clear -- that there are no american military solutions to the problems in iraq. we can't solve these problems for them. these problems can only be solved with iraqi political solutions. that is the core of our thinking as we confront these kinds of situations. now, the president has, at the same time, demonstrated his clear willingness to take the kind of military action that's required to protect core american interests. those interests include things like protecting american personnel around the globe. he's taken actions like that in other countries. the president has also made clear that american military action in iraq would not include combat boots on the ground. that is a principle that the president laid out at the

beginning, and that continues to be tree today. true today. >> and so it sounds like what you're saying is that this is under consideration? >> i'm not in a position to shed light about the president's thinking at this point. he's been pretty clear about the broader problems and the broader challenges that are facing the people of iraq right now. what is clear is that there are no american military solutions to those problems. those solutions are only going to come about through the kinds of political reforms that only the iraqis themselves can undertake. >> it sounds as though, to deliver this humanitarian aid, something may have to be done militarily to soften isil, isis in that area so those supplies can go in. is that a correct read of the situation? >> well, i'm not in a position to provide you a tactical assessment of the situation on the ground. what i can do is i can give you some insight into the president's thinking in general about the kinds of principles that would apply to contemplated military action. that would include no combat

boots being put on the ground in iraq. the president's been clear about that, and that principle continues to hold. the president's also been clear that any sort of military action that would be taken in iraq would be very limited in scope and very specific to addressing a core american objective. >> he laid out earlier this summer, that remains the case now. >> yes. and that would include things like protecting american personnel or confronting counterterrorism threats. the other thing that we've been also very clear about is that in these sort of american military action would have to be closely tied to iraqi political reforms that are long overdue. now, the good news on that is that we have seen in recent weeks some steps taken by iraq's political leaders to form a government on a time line that's much more -- much faster than they've made these kinds of decisions in the past. so just in the last couple of weeks, we've seen the election

of a new iraqi president who's a kurd. we've seen the appointment of a new iraqi speaker who is sunni. and the appointment of two deputy speakers, one of whom is a kurd and one of whom is shia. what continues -- the work that remains to be done in terms of those political reforms is the -- is the election of a new iraqi prime minister and a cohesive government that is committed to leading that country in a way that reflects iraq's diversion population, and it gives confidence to the citizens of iraq that the government is looking out for the interests and well-being of every citizen in iraq. >> last night, there was a report that said that the chairman of the joint chiefs was here, the president in the oval office. did this matter come up in their discussions? >> i don't have a readout of that meeting.

i think the report noted that chairman dempsey traveled with the president at the state department at the conclusion of the african leaders summit back to the white house. the chairman did wrride in the r with the president on the way ba back. >> they didn't discuss national security matters? >> move around a little bit. anita. >> would you respond to some of the criticism from members of the senate intelligence committee, democrats, senator -- led by the chairwoman senator feinstein about the interrogation tactics after 9/11. what is the administration doing, and has the president spoken to the chairwoman yet? >> i don't know of any conversations. at least i don't have any to read out to you. >> so there you have the news. there's major breaking news. you heard the white house press secretary josh earnest say the u.s. is considering some options right now. the president meeting with his national security advisers earlier in the day. clearly there's a huge crisis in iraq right now. isis, the islamic state in iraq and syria, the white house calls

it isil, the islamic state in iraq. isis terrorists in northern iraq, they are going after christian and other minorities in iraq right now. this is a major, major problem. and there are some reports out there that the united states is considering not only humanitarian air drops to try to save these people but also maybe airstrikes. we were very precise in listening to what the white house press secretary had to say. he certainly did not confirm that the u.s. is considering airstrikes. he only said the u.s. has a dpood military-to-military relationship with the government of iraq and considering various options. elise labott is our global affairs correspondent. specifically in addition to the iraqi christians now being threatened and many of them have already been killed by isis terrorists, the yazidis, another minority group of iraqis, about 40,000 of them have now climbed a mountain in northern iraq, but

they are without food. they're without water. and they are being threatened with starvation, if you will, because of the isis terrorists who have taken over major parts of northern iraq right now, even setting back some of the peshmerga kurdish fighters who are supposed to be pretty good. so what are you hearing, elise, from your sources? will the u.s. begin a humanitarian air drop to save these persecuted minorities, the yazidis and the christians? will the u.s. go so far as to launch airstrikes? the u.s. does have fighter jets z=u9qie9ñ >> wolf, as i think as josh earnest had had said, right now the president is meeting with his national security team and getting various options. and he also said, look, there are a lot of problems in iraq right now, but this is a very acute one and one i think they know they need to deal with right away. i think immediately what they're going to try to do is the iraqi government is already taking on air drops.

so they can help coordinate that. these people need food. they need water. they need medicine. they need shelter. people have died from the sweltering heat there, wolf. so i think the immediate need is to make sure that they get some replenishments. and then the question is will the u.s. help rescue these people, help some kind of humanitarian corridor to free them? that's going to take u.s. -- obviously some type of air support, whether that's airstrikes or airlift, we're not really clear right now. but clearly they do not have a very good intelligence picture of what's going on on the ground, and that's why josh earnest said that they need to make various assessments on how they could help. right now iraqi central government in baghdad and the kurdish forces are in the lead. i think whatever the u.s. would do would be in support of that, wolf. >> well, it seems to me that the iraqi military, the government of nuri al maliki is doing very little to save -- try to save iraqi christians or these

yazidis and other persecuted minority right now. are you getting any indication that the iraqi military which the u.s. has trained over this past decade plus or so is doing anything to try to beat back the isis terrorists? >> well, we've seen over the last couple of months that the iraqi central government forces have really buckled under isis. and one of the reasons is because they really don't have a lot of, you know, skin in the game, if you will, in the north. you know, obviously, the kurds have a lot of control over the north, and they've used this opportunity to gain even more control over kirkuk and other oil-rich areas. so i think the kurds will be the ones taking the lead. and this kind of feeds into these long-held disputes between the central government, the kurdish in the north and this whole issue that josh earnest was talking about, about the need for the central a kurdish president and a kurdish speaker of parliament, perhaps the kurds

will have more say of what's going on in the north. but clearly, i think you're going to see the kurds feelinly

threat from the isis militants. they do not have a plan. these people are going to be sleeping in this place alone. there are probably about 100 people. and there are dozens of other sites like this in the near vicinity. they're going to be sleeping on cement tonight. cement tonight. they've been given some water by

increasing not only a major military battle right now, but also a grow iing humanitarian crisis at the same time. and that's not even taking into account of the thousands of yazidis trapped on that mountain surrounded by isis militants and by the kurdish authorities' accounts, dying from exposure to the elements. no fresh water, no food and temperatures soaring above 100 degrees fahrenheit in august in iraq. >> ivan, is there any evidence at all that the military of iraq, that the government of nuri al maliki and that military, the hundreds of thousands of security and military forces that the u.s. paid for, trained over the past decade including an air force, including helicopters, fighter jets, tanks, armored personnel

carriers, is there any evidence that they are at all visible in dealing with these isis terrorists right now or threatening to slaughter tens of thousands of christians, yazidis, shiite iraqis as well? these are sunni militants, as you well know. any evidence the iraqi military is doing anything? >> reporter: the kurdish authorities say they are now coordinating with the iraqi air force to try to hold back the isis offensive here in the north of iraq. as far as ground troops, the problem is is that the isis militants, when the iraqi army collapsed around mosul, they captured vast stocks of weapons, weaponry and armored vehicles that the u.s. military supplied the iraqi army. those same weapons now, kurdish authorities are telling me, are being againsted the mesh merg ga. they say one strategy that's been used is for isis to attack

in wide convoys of armored humvees, the types that the u.s. government gave the iraqi army, attack towns and villages controlled by the

ammunition and weapons he says could very quickly change the situation on the battlefield. but for now what i'm seeing here is a growing humanitarian crisis where you have thousands of civilians coming out, packing all their goods, whatever blankets they have, and some food and their families into cars, into trucks. in some cases walking, hitchhiking, trying to pick up taxis to flee their homes and have no plan of where to go. and people will be sleeping in this open, unfinished construction site tonight and many construction sites like this in the parking lots of gas stations tonight in erbil. that is the reality on the ground right now in erbil, this kurdish city. wolf? >> a whole country of iraq seemingly falling apart right now. this was not the way it was supposed to be after president obama announced that all u.s. forces would be leaving. he was hoping obviously, that there would be some peaceful transition there. certainly was not what former

president george w. bush envisioned when he removed saddam hussein from power and landed on the "usa abraham lincoln" with that banner that said "mission accomplished." iraq right now falling apart and tens of thousands of minorities, christians and yazidis and others, iraqi shiites, are being endangered as we speak right now. we're going to continue the breaking news coverage right after this. or just 2 aleve for all day relief. honey, you did it! baby laughs!

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about 40,000 iraqi yazidis are stranded on top of a mountain right now. but they are without food, without water. the u.s. now considering various steps to try to help out, whether an airlift could be possible. some consideration. we're also told maybe airstrikes might be necessary to try to beat back the isis terrorists. let's go to athena jones over at the white house for us. elise labott is over at the state department. athena, the white house press secretary was dodging specific answers about what the u.s. is about to do other than saying the president's considering various options but has completely ruled out what they are calling boots on the ground. no u.s. troops will go in to try to save these people who are now being endangered. >> reporter: that's right, wolf. and you know, that talk of no american boots on the ground, it's what they've been saying for a month, so it's not really knee. what we are seeking clarity on is whether the u.s. is considering airstrikes. and all that josh earnest would say is he's not in a position to

rule things on the table or off the table, he's not in a position to shed light on the president's thinking, and he said he cannot provide a tactical assessment of the situation on the ground. so they are not confirming that that is under consideration. but one thing they are saying is that the situation in iraq with the yazidis, this minority group with christians, with kurds, other minority groups is reaching a nearly humanitarian catastrophe is how josh earnest put it. he said it is something they are gravely concerned about. and we've heard in the last couple of days from an iraqi member of parliament who is from that yazidi group, the only yazidi member of parliament who said over 500 men have been slaughtered. 500 yazidi men. she said mr. speaker, our women are being killed or sold as slaves. there is a collective attempt to exterminate the yazidi people. this is what the white house is watching. they've also spoken about how isis is targeting these minorities. and i should mention that right now just outside the white house gates, just in front of the white house, there is a group of

about 100 people, a pretty sizeable protest for this area. now calling on obama to intervene in the iraqi humanitarian situation. they're saying things like "obama, save our kids." "obama, stop isis now." so this is something that seems to be spinning out of control. it's certainly getting a lot of attention both here right outside the white house and within the white house. we know the president has been meeting with his advisers on this. wolf? >> athena, stand by. i want to go to the state department, elise labott is standing by over there. what else are you learning, elise? because this is potentially a real calamity. if those 40,000 yazidis stranded on that mountain are slaughtered or die from starvation, the world will be watching right now. not only them, but tens of thousands of iraqi christians, many of them have already fled because of the persecution, but now they are endangered. iraqi shiites are endangered. the central government of nuri al maliki, that military doing

virtually nothing to protect these people in iraq. what are you hearing at the state department? >> reporter: well, wolf, obviously, this is something that they need to deal with right away. when you heard josh earnest say iraq has a lot of problems, this one is particularly acute. the administration has been very reluctant to get involvedle in the iraqi government sorted out its political chaos. as you know, the iraqis still have to have a prime minister. they still have to have a government that can make decisions, a cabinet. they have made some progress on a president, on a speaker of parliament. but what earnest was saying is that the work remains to get some of these political reforms, that anything the u.s. has to do, they want that to be hand in hand with this. but they know that this is an immediate crisis. wolf, this is going to take the kind of quick, decisive action that really has not been a hallmark of this administration, whether it be on iraq or some of the other myriad of foreign policy issues that we've seen, they need to act quick. and i think that's the

recognition in the administration that they don't want to go whole hog in iraq right now, but clearly these yazidis and other minorities they'd help. >> let's talk a little bit about that, elise. stand by. athena, stand by as well. as you know, one of the groups being targeted by these isis militants in iraq, this group is called the yazidis. who are the yazidis? our michael holmes has more now on their fight for survival. >> reporter: islamic state militants have wreaked havoc across iraq, leaving many iraqis dead, others displaced, and religious minorities like the yazidi begging for help.

>> reporter: the yazidi are descendants of kurds but consider themselves distinct. they follow an ancient religion derived, making themmen especially vulnerable target of islamic state militants, forcing islam or death throughout the areas it overtakes. >> translator: we heard sounds of mortars. and in the morning the islamic militants entered sinjar. we fled to the mountains and those who are there are suffering from watthirst. they have no water. >> reporter: their plight doesn't stop there. the thousands who fled to the neighboring mountains are now stranded without food or water in the summer heat. >> translator: they have blocked the road to the mountains and

the road down the mountains. there is no water, and people are now dying from thirst. children are dying and are being buried under the rocks. >> reporter: with no relief in sight, the yazidi hope their plea for help does not fall on deaf ears. michael holmes, cnn, atlanta. >> it's a real international crisis unfolding in northern iraq right now. we'll have much more on what's going on. what can the united states do? what should the united states do? our own gloria borger is here. she's got some thoughts on that. also, with the clock clearly running out on that cease-fire in gaza, we're going to take a closer look at what's being discussed in those peace talks in cairo. can the three-day cease-fire, we're only hours away from ending, can it be extended? the stakes there are enormous.

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let's get back to the breaking news. the u.s. now considering what are being described as various military options to help minorities who are trapped in iraq right now. iraqi christians, yazidis, another minority group, iraqi shiites, the isis terrorist organization taking over major, major parts of northern iraq right now. and the iraqi military, the military supported by the u.s. government over the past decade, largely trained by the u.s. military itself basically m.i.a., missing in action, as these tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of iraqi minorities are being threatened

with extinction as we speak. gloria borger is with us. she's our chief political analyst. you know the president of the united states, he's going to be blamed by his republican critics for this disaster that's unfolding in iraq right now. they're going to say mr. president, if you would have kept a residual u.s. military presence in iraq instead of pulling out all u.s. troops, maybe this wouldn't be happening. >> right. and the president will respond by saying he couldn't get a guarantee of immunity for american troops, and they're going to respond by saying you should have done that. look -- >> should have tried harder. >> you should have tried harder. >> john mccain/lindsey graham. >> exactly. and i think what you're seeing now, wolf, is an administration that didn't want to do anything against isis until you saw a new government in iraq. they were kind of biding their time. they wanted to see what was going to happen in iraq. maliki gone. and now this has really forced their hand, this humanitarian crisis. and the the presidepresident's

put in a position which he's not used to which is that he's going to have to be forced to do something. i'm sure you'll hear from polit politics, particularly lindsey graham and john mccain saying this is a humanitarian crisis, you need it address it, but you need to address it in a broader scope here rather than just a pinprick. >> you heard ivan watson, our correspondent, there saying the last couple, three months, 1.5 million iraqis have been forced to flee their homes because these isis terrorists, they came in from syria. they've taken over major parts of northern iraq. >> that's right. >> they're even moving closer towards baghdad. and the iraqi military have not been able to deal with them. >> not doing anything. >> and the isis troops basically forces, they've captured a lot of u.s.-supplied weaponry that the u.s. gave to the iraqi military. the iraqi military fled those warehouses. they abandoned those bases. and the isis militants or terrorists, whatever you want to call them, took that weaponry and are now slaughtering these

minorities. >> right. and you can imagine the sort of exquisite irony for this president whose narrative has been killed osama bin laden, withdrew from iraq, afghanistan, ended these wars, and now suddenly he has to make this decision because he's up against a wall here. this is a serious humanitarian crisis which, by the way, is not a surprise to anybody. and he's got to reassure americans who don't want to put boots on the ground there anymore. so he's on their side with that, but he's got to do something for this humanitarian crisis. so he's got to reassure americans we're not re-entering into any kind of military combat involvement, but we do need to do something. don't forget also, wolf, this is a president by my count who has at least six front-burner, very important strategic foreign policy issues on his plate right now. and the problem he's got is that they're all interconnected. you know.

he wants to get an iranian nuclear deal. the russians could help him with that, but he's fighting the russians on ukraine. so in isis, iran might be of help to him, but he's got problems with them, major problems with them in other ways -- in iraq, i mean. so i think, you know, this is people are saying wait a minute. isn't this spiraling a little bit out of control. >> libya, the u.s. spent $1 billion launching tomahawk cruise missiles to get rid of gadhafi. it was supposed to be peaceful and nice after that. libya is falling apart. iraq, we know what's going on in syria. >> the president wasn't for, you know, the war in iraq, obviously. that was one of the reasons he became president. so now imagine that he -- which he clearly, clearly has always wanted to avoid. >> yeah. all right, gloria, thanks very much. we're going to stay on top of the story. we're going to see what's going

on. the other breaking news we're following is the cease-fire in gaza. will it be extended? we're getting important new information. we're going to cairo when we come back. ups is a global company, but most of our employees live in the same communities that we serve. people here know that our operations have an impact locally. we're using more natural gas vehicles than ever before. the trucks are reliable, that's good for business. but they also reduce emissions, and that's good for everyone. it makes me feel very good about the future of our company. ♪

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i would. switch to comcast business internet and get the fastest wifi included. comcast business. built for business. fragile cease-fire between israel and hamas now hanging in the balance. we're just a little bit more than 60 hours into the temporary 72-hour truce. so far there has been no breakthrough on efforts to extend it. but talks in cairo are continuing. egypt exacting as the intermediary between the israeli and palestinian delegations. the cease-fire expires less than 12 hours from now. israel says it's willing to extend the truce. there has been some progress in the talks, but the circumstances are still very much unclear. let's go to cairo, cnn is following all the latest

developments. so what are you hearing, reza? i'm hearing that the israelis are ready to extend the palestinian authority led by mahmoud abbas, the president ready to extend, but hamas, maybe not. what are you hearing? >> reporter: that seems to be the sticking point at this hour, but the talks are continuing. and i suspect for a lot of these negotiators, it's getting to the nervous time because the clock is ticking. a little bit more than 11 hours to go before we reach 8:00 a.m. friday morning. that, of course, is the official end of the cease-fire. so the tension, the suspense is building here in cairo. and one thing that's adding to the tension and the suspense are some comments made by some of the delegates here that could be perceived as provocative, as failed warnings, perhaps their ploy to pile on pressure. among those comments, one coming from a senior palestinian official who told cnn, if israel

doesn't respond to the demands of the palestinian people, if israel evades its responsibilities, the resistance can resume its activities. now, this official didn't tell us that hamas plans to start fighting again tomorrow morning, firing rockets. but when you hear a statement like that, it starts to get you thinking, you start wondering what's going to happen tomorrow morning if this cease-fire ends. and there is no agreement. the palestinian official telling us that they're meeting with egyptians tonight to hear a response from are the israelis. and depending on what that response is, wolf, shortly after 10:00 p.m., and that's roughly an hour and a half from now, they may have an announcement. again, the palestinian delegation could have an announcement tonight. >> let's hope they announce the cease-fire as being extended. israeli officials have already said to me, if rockets and missiles start coming in from gaza tomorrow morning, 8:00 a.m. local time back into israel,

they say that hamas will be responsible for all the palestinians who will die when the israelis respond to those rockets and missiles. so this is an extremely tense moment right now. reza will stay very close. religious minorities being forced from their homes in iraq right now. isis terrorists are moving in. we have new information on the other breaking news we're following. a humanitarian disaster unfolding, and tens of thousands of christians, other religious minorities, are endangered as we speak right now. a card that gave you that "i'm 16 and just got my first car" feeling. presenting the buypower card from capital one. redeem earnings toward part or even all of a new chevrolet, buick, gmc or cadillac - with no limits. so every time you use it, you're not just shopping for goods. you're shopping for something great.

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you could even get a discount when you add a car. call liberty mutual for a free quote today at see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance. this is cnn breaking news. >>. pope francis now calling on the international community to mobilize in iraq to protect christians and other religious minorities from being forced from their homes and eventually slaughtered by isis forces. the u.s. now contemplating what it described as some military options beyond air drops to help trap members of the iziti minority as well as tens of thousands of iraqi christians. our arwa damon has more on the plight of the christians in light of the fire from the isis terrorists. >> reporter: on a dusty street

corner, yusuf and his friends try to pretend that things are normal. that isis fighters aren't potentially moments away from slaughtering them. we all have our bags ready if anything happens, we'll leave, he cea says. mosul is right next door. in 2005, there were a series of attacks against churches in baghdad, and after that, the young men, the youth here, decided to band together and form their own civilian defense units. that's been going on pretty much of since. but neither efforts have really intensified. they don't want to spill their check points or other measures they have put into place, especially not with isis just a ten-minute drive away. most shops are closed. their owners either fled or don't bother opening. business is down, power is out. and not everyone can afford generators. it's a grim existence in a nation that has already suffered so much. this brother and sister were killed in an explosion in

baghdad in 2008. her heart, she says, sears with the pain of the past, and fear of the future. here is my son, every day he pulls a 12-hour guard duty, she tells us. it's hard. it's very hard. if it stays like this, there won't be an iraqi left in the country. for most, there is little to do but wait. outside the church we meet these women. it's fine, what are they going to do, kill us? they try to joke. i might be the only girl left here. everyone will go. but i will stay. 22-year-old marriona says. i won't leave my country. her mother remembers the days when they felt they had a future. but the moment there is a glimmer of hope in iraq, it's stolen. i remember coming here when i was this big.

father ben proudly points out the new renovations at his church. the granite archways and floor he always want wanted to build. what are we supposed to do, he wonders. this is our land, our church, that our ancestors built. this evil can't continue a day will come when people will come to their senses. a hope, a dream, in a country hijacked by violence few can understand. arwa damon, cnn, bartilla, iraq. >> we're going to stay on top of that story, humanitarian crisis in iraq right now. up next, the ebola outbreak. the head of the cdc heads to capitol hill right now to testify about the biggest ebola outbreak in history. it's estimated that 30% of the traffic in a city is caused by people looking for parking. that's remarkable that so much energy is, is wasted. streetline has looked at the problem of parking,

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in just a few minutes, top health officials, including the head of the cdc, due to testify here in washington on capitol hill about the threat posed by the deadly ebola virus. let's go to atlanta, our chief medical correspondent, dr. sanjay gupta is there. the house foreign affairs subcommittee called back from recess to hold this emergency hearing. what do we expect to hear from the head of the cdc, dr. tom frieden? >> i think there is going to be obviously an acknowledgment that this is the worst ebola outbreak in history. we've never seen anything quite like this. but i think it's going to more specific questions about, you know, was it dealt with adequately initially? were there any lapses? were there any mistakes made? what were the factors that led it to become this very big outbreak? i think there's also going to be questions, wolf, about these two americans who were medically

evacuated out of monrovia, liberia, back to the united states and at emory university hospital. how does that work, exactly? were there approvals necessary? what was the cdc's role in that? and i think along those lines, as well, you know, wolf we have talked about this experimental serum, this experimental treatment. it had never been used in a human being before. i don't know how much dr. freedom freedom frieden is going to say about that, but what it means going forward, these are all potential questions he might get asked. >> and huge, huge interest. people want to learn about this. obviously, there is not only concern here in the united states, there is concern all over the world. and i anticipate a lot of these questions will be coming up. sanjay, you'll be back with us later today in "the situation room," as well. extensive coverage of this. tom frieden, the head of the cdc, centers for disease control

and prevention, my guest, 5:00 p.m. eastern later today in "the situation room." that's it for me. thanks very much for watching. i'm wolf blitzer in washington. "newsroom" with brooke baldwin starts right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com this is cnn breaking news. >> you're watching cnn, i'm brach baldwin. news out of iraq, as we come to you right now live. the big question at this hour, is the u.s. about to conduct air strikes on iraq? the pentagon is confirming to us, it is considering making emergency air drops. these humanitarian air drops, to be precise, food, water, for people of northern iraq. but a state department source tells cnn, it is also keeping the door open to quote, unquote, other military options. what does that mean? the white house has yet to be more specific. we'll get into that in a moment. here's the backdrop, what you need to know. all of