earners and what they will do to dismantle efforts in the work place to have are a better living. good to have you with us. we'll follow the story for sure. that's "the ed show." "politics nation" with reverend al sharpton starts now. good evening. >> good evening, ed. thanks to you for tuning in. we begin with breaking news tonight. a humanitarian crisis and planning for a possible military action in iraq. nbc news reports president obama is now considering air strikes and humanitarian air drops to help tens of thousands of iraqi civilians who are under siege tonight by islamic terrorists. the militant group isis trapped up to 40,000 members of a small religious minority on a mountain top in northwestern iraq. >> they are unable to access food and water.

they don't have access to shelter. they have fled persecution and efforts to leave the mountain are blocked by forces vowing to kill them. >> the refugees are near the syrian border without food or water, surrounded by armed militants who threatened to kill them. an aid worker in the region says 40 children have already died with thousands more trapped. >> they are on the mountains, the sides of the mountain without cover, sleeping in the open. no food, water or medical supplies. >> president obama met with his national security team but the administration is not confirming or denying any decision that's been made. if the president offers air strikes to help the refugees, it

would be the first american combat action in iraq since troops pulled out in 2011. nbc's christian welker is live at the white house. kristen, what do we know at this hour? >> reporter: well, reverend al, president obama in addition to meeting with the national security team earlier today has been in meetings throughout the afternoon as he considers what actions he might take to deal with that humanitarian crisis you described in iraq. he's considering air strikes against extremist targets and air drops to provide food and water to tens of thousands of displaced religious minorities who are trapped on the mountain top. we asked the white house press secretary if president obama made a decision. he said no decision was made but reiterated the president isn't going to put u.s. boots on the ground. he reiterated the

administration's call for a government that's inclusive. the obama administration thinks that's at the root of the crisis. so they continue their calls for that. having said that, they do acknowledge this is a humanitarian crisis. there is a sense of urgency, a desire to deal with the situation to help those people trapped now. a way of thinking about this is the situation in libya. there was no appetite for boots on the ground in libya for significant u.s. intervention. but the obama administration believed they needed to take action there to deal with the crisis on the ground. that's similar to the thinking that's unraveling here at the white house right now. i am told any action that's taken will be limited in scope. so, again, meetings ongoing here behind the scenes at the white house. of course there is not a national appetite for military intervention. the polls tell us that. this is a different situation given the scope and scale of the humanitarian crisis. as many as 40,000 people

continue to be trapped on the mountain top without access to food or water. back to you. >> kristen, is there a timetable? has there been any set time deadline to make a decision on what to do. >> reporter: that's an important question. they are not giving us a specific timeline. based on my conversations here, i wouldn't be surprised if we got some type of announcement about the next 24 hours there is a sense of urgency, that something needs to be done shortly because, of course, as you said, children are dying. as many as 40 children have died already. there is a real sense that this catastrophe could escalate. one word used in the briefing earlier today was genocide. the possibility that this could become a genocide and does the administration not have a responsibility to prevent it from happening. so i think that's part of what's shaping the thinking behind the scenes and shaping

the sense of urgency here. >> kristen welker at the white house. thanks for your time. we will be looking for you to give us any updates if something different breaks. >> reporter: i will, thank you. >> let's bring in former democratic congressman patrick murphy who was the first iraq war vet elected to congress. what factors are the president considering as he thinks about the new crisis this iraq? >> sure, reverend. what the president is considering now is on the one hand you have humanitarian assistance. 40,000 religious minorities getting kweez squeezed off on the mountain top by isis, a radical group to the right of al qaeda. also potential military strikes against isis because they want

to free up the access roads. i will tell you on the first part of it, reverend, when you talk about humanitarian aid, and there is nothing to confirm the pentagon press secretary denied any air drops happening now. let's be clear. there are 40,000. there are at least 40 casualties, deaths from isis because of lack of food and especially water. i anticipate -- i'm not confirming it's happening. i anticipate there will be humanitarian aid driven by the united states of america's military to the 40,000 refugees on that mountain top within hours. >> congressman, they really can't do the food drops without some air strikes because of the reports they are surrounded by isis, correct?

>>. >> not necessarily. it's a two pronged measure. there are access roads obviously to that area. at the end of the day, it's a tragic situation what's going on now. >> you're talking about children. e.j., today the white house press secretary also seemed to be -- he did set limits on u.s. action in iraq. watch this. >> these problems can only be solved. the president made clear that american military action in iraq

would not include combat boots on the ground. >> would this be an isolated operation or could we we wind up being involved in iraq in a bigger way? >> well, i don't think we will. i don't think we should send troops back to iraq. i do think air strikes would be appropriate in this case. i have a feeling that's where the administration is going when you heard kristen's report about the administration using the word "genocide." that's a signal that they clearly think there is a responsibility to protect the refugees. when you look at the situation as it is now, isis is a dangerous group. the kurds have been long-time u.s. allies. this isn't something of convenience all of the sudden. they have been getting beaten on the battlefield lately. this is a genuine refugee crisis. 40,000 people. members of religious minorities. lord knows what would happen to them if they had to surrender to

isis. so i think there is a logic that leads america to intervene with air strikes. a lot of people say everything is a slippery slope. i don't think this would be a slip ary slope. we are, even without more military there, we are engaged with the iraqi government right now. we do have military advisers there. i have a strong hunch without know -- no one has told me. but given the signals they are sending we'll get to the a strike and i think that's appropriate. >> but an nbc poll last month showed americans regret the iraq war. an overwhelming majority of americans -- 71%. they said the iraq war wasn't worth it. just 22% said it was. with this kind of humanitarian crisis, would americans support

some kind of response? >> there's been a lot of attention to the fact that christians face persecution now. a lot of american christians would say can we just let those people go? it's the kind of reaction we should have to people who aren't necessarily christians. i think that will give the president support he wouldn't have, if he does go for military force. i was not for the war. i think the war with was a mistake. but you have to deal with the world as it is, not the world you wish you had at the risk of sounding like donald rumsfeld here. the president inherited a mess, got our troops out. there is a new problem now with isis. i think it's in the interest of the united states to contain at least contain isis. it's a humanitarian obligation to use our power.

we have already affected the balance of power by earlier intervention in iraq whether we like it or not. >> congressman, the white house says there is no military solution to this. what's the purely political diplomatic way forward in iraq, given that? >> reverend, that's the end game. the political solution. as they said today from the white house, the military solution, whether it's through the humanitarian aid which i anticipate, through the strategic air strikes to break up access roads, so we can get supplies for the 40,000 refugees. i anticipate it as well. that doesn't give you the end game. the end game is malaki, a shia leader going to reach out to the sunnis. the moderate sunnis in the region that were on our side to kick out al qaeda many years ago. will he do his job as president

of iraq? it's his responsibility. we can encourage him. until iraqi leaders show leadership and show they want to govern as one and not just as shia leaders, that's the solution. that's what everyone should be hopeful for. that's the end game. >> all right. i'll have to leave it there. congressman fur murphy and e.j. dione, stay with us. we are watching breaking news from the white house. president obama considering air strikes in iraq. we'll bring updates throughout the show. also ahead, today's other big story. the porch shooter found guilty of murder in the renish a mcbride case. what this could mean for self-defense laws. also, a rare event. president obama signs a bipartisan bill into law. as he was signing it, some republicans were talking impeachment. stay with us. i was just looking at your credit report site.

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live pictures from the white house where tonight president obama is considering air strikes and humanitarian aid to help tens of thousands of iraqi civilians, those civilians under siege by islamic militants. we are monitoring events there at the white house and we'll bring you updates throughout the hour. up next, the so-called porch shooter found guilty in the murder of renisha mcbride. what impact might this have on self-defense claims around the country? that's next. take them on the way you always have. live healthy and take one a day men's 50+. a complete multivitamin with 7 antioxidants to support cell health. age? who cares.

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guilty on all counts. theodore wafer was found guilty of manslaughter and felony firearm in the killing of renisha mcbride. 19-year-old renisha mcbride was intoxicated and crashed her car into a parked vehicle around 1:00 a.m. a few hours later, drunk but unarmed, she ended up on wafer's porch. her family said she was looking for help. but the 55-year-old shot mcbride in the face through a closed door. at this trial, wafer took the stand in his own defense. emotionally claiming he shot in

self-defense, but today's verdict shows the jury didn't find his claim credible. >> we the jury find the defendant theodore wafer as follows. count one, murder in the second degree, guilty of murder this the second degree. count two, manslaughter. guilty of statutory manslaughter. count three, felony firearm, guilty of felony firearm. >> guilty of murder in the second degree. guilty of statutory manslaughter. guilty of felony firearm. wafer sat emotionless as the jury read the verdict. he was taken into police custody and will be sentenced in just over two weeks. renisha's friends and family cried as the verdict was read. her mother praised prosecutors after the verdict. >> i kept the faith. i stayed positive.

also did renisha's father. he kept telling me, it's going to happen. i'm very pleased. i'm astonished. with we know as parents how we raised her. she was not violent. she was a regular teenager. she was well raised and brought up with loving family. her life mattered. we showed that. i didn't have anger. i didn't have grudge. i wasn't passing judgment. that's god's job. i just wanted justice. >> this case has drawn attention to the self-defense laws in states all over this country. the laws are open to interpretation and allow people to act with a shoot first, ask questions later mentality. perhaps the verdict will get people to think twice before opening fire.

joining me now, faith jenkins. thank you for being here tonight. >> thanks, rev. >> eric, you expected a hung jury. >> i did. >> your reaction. >> i was shocked we got a verdict, especially today. i thought it would be either late tomorrow or first thing monday when they went home and thought about it. with this jury makeup and the charges as well as the evidence, i didn't think we'd reach a verdict at all. >> i'm stunned. absolutely stunned, rev. i thought perhaps a hung jury. then maybe manslaughter. absolutely no homicide. it's not justified here. if you look at the charge, the prosecution relied on the section where he knowingly created a high risk of death or great bodily harm. knowingly. that's the crux of their

argument and my dissension here. because everyone agrees it was 4:30 in the morning. he woke up. he was alarmed. he was asleep. we don't know if he was actually fully awake. i would have liked -- >> we don't know he wasn't either. >> i will tell you why. because the defense should have called an expert. a sleep expert to show that physiologically and there is science to prove he was in between rem and awake cycle. we don't know. >> before we rebut, your reaction to the verdict. >> it was the right thing to do based on the law. he shot her in the face. >> the ultimate question is whether self-defense should have been evoked. whether he believed he was in imminent fear for his life and

was he reasonable in that belief. you have someone knocking and pounding on the door. he opens the door and there is a closed and locked screen door between them. that's not an imminent threat against you that you are about to be killed or harmed. the jury got it right. >> it has implications around the country, as i said. very clearly outlining a person's duty to retreat to avoid using deadly force. the instructions say if the defendant honestly and reasonably believed that it was immediately necessary to use deadly force to protect himself, herself from an imminent threat of death or serious injury, the law doesn't require him/her to retreat. he may stand his ground and use the amount of force he believes necessary to protect himself.

obviously this jury does not believe he was in that position. >> he was in his home. somebody is pounding on the door. find your phone, call the police. don't open the door spsh. >> he was asleep. he was asleep! >> that's not what he testified to. >> he testified that he was woken up at 4:30 many the morning. he was asleep. so we agree upon that. therefore, we don't know what stage he was in. did he really have his faculties together? >> he didn't identify that. when he testified he didn't say he was asleep. did he sleep walk to find the gun? >> he was woken up. >> how do we know he did? >> he couldn't find a cell phone. >> that's my bigger issue. now why do we get the verdict?

perhaps because the defense didn't testify. >> how much did he testify. >> i don't think he had a choice but to testify. >> how much did it help or hurt him? >> i don't think it helped or hurt necessarily. >> it hurt him. >> in this case, he had to explain some things. he gave statements which are really what hurt him when he said initially it was an accident. that's what really hurt him. he didn't know the gun was loaded. in my opinion that hurt him more than anything else in the trial. >> we haven't heard from the jury. hopefully one day soon we'll find out. eric and seema, you both side wafer taking the stand in his defense was a flash point. listen to him make his case for self-defense. >> i can feel the floor vibrating. windows rattling.

i don't know what's happening. scared. >> have you ever felt this scared in your life? >> no. i didn't know where this was going. i thought somebody was coming through the door at any time. >> why did you pull the trigger? >> to protect myself, defend myself. it was them or me. at that moment. >> was it that they didn't believe him or that it wasn't enough for them to believe it warranted the action? >> i think it wasn't enough for them to believe him. because when you have this case and different statements, that's what can kill it. that can eliminate the defense in that issue. if you believe part or all of

the testimony, i believe that's what they did. >> for instance perhaps he was trying to just scare them off. perhaps he was trying to fire a warning shot. and this wasn't presented to the jury. again with the screen door. we still don't know how the damage occurred. rev, i'm saying to you and i hope that everyone at the table will agree with me. he does seem remorseful. in the dozens of homicides i have tried clients are not often remorseful for taking someone's life, even when it is justified. >> a lot of defendants are remorseful after they do what they do. it's about how he felt in that moment when he shot and killed renisha mcbride in the face. >> he called 911. >> after he shot her in the face. >> there were conversations tonight with the police that were a turning point in the case. let's listen to the statements.

>> i open up the door kind of like who is this and the gun discharged. i didn't know there was a round in there. it discharged and it -- unfortunately you know, that person was standing right there. just like that she went off. i didn't expect it to go off. >> he lied that night after he shot her. a 12-gauge shotgun doesn't just go off. the prosecution presented evidence about the number of steps it takes for someone to fire a 12-gauge shotgun. the night of the incident he said, oh, it was an accident. this accidentally happened. it just went off. at some point he comes up with the self-defense claim. smart jurors realized at some point he didn't tell the truth and came up with this. >> he sends a little over two weeks. what do you predict he gets? life? >> i think there are mitigating

circumstances here. he didn't put himself in this situation. it's presented. >> so a long sentence. for second degree murder. >> he could get up to life. >> manslaughter, 15 years, felony, two years. >> minimum 15 years. >> more than 15. >> i think it's 15 to 20. >> all right. you can tell from the panel it's a hot trial but it's over. thank you for your time. we'll watch the sentencing. still ahead, watching breaking news from the white house. president obama is considering air strikes in iraq. the white house just released this photo of the president meeting with his national security team in the situation room. earlier today. more on this developing story next. [ female announcer ] we help make secure financial tomorrows a reality

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we are following breaking news. the white house just released this photo of president obama today meeting with national security advisers on the crisis in iraq. he's considering air strikes and humanitarian aid to help thousands of iraqi civilians who are under attack by islamic militants. we are monitoring developments and we'll bring them to you as they happen.

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these days -- a bill signing. president obama talked about reforming the veterans' affairs department including the new v.a. bill. >> in a few minutes we'll take another step forward. when i sign into law the v.a. reform bill passed overwhelmingly with bipartisan majorities. that doesn't happen often in congress. it's a good deal. [ applause ] >> it doesn't happen often. so it's big news when it does. the bill provides over a billion dollars for 27 new v.a. clinics. 5 billion dollars to hire medical staff. and $10 billion to ensure timely care for veterans. at today's signing there was just one little question. >> do you remember how to sign these things? >> just barely. i don't get enough practice. i want more. i want more. i told folks after we signed the

work force training bill. i said, this feels good, doesn't it? you know, we should do it more often. >> passing bills is now so hard it's a joke. that's the cost of the gop's gridlock and extremism. today, tea party groups announced impeachment rallies. accusing the president of bald-faced lying. bizarre and erratic behavior. supporting al qaeda. it's ridiculous. yet, impeachment is gaining traction in the right-wing media. here's mike huckabee. >> there is no doubt he's done plenty of things worthy of impeachment. we don't have order because we have a president who has put the border agents 40 miles are from the border. the government will have to secure the border. there is a big difference between what we owe god and what we owe caesar. right now we have caesar acting like god. >> caesar acting like god?

elected republicans should denounce this stuff. instead, some are actually embracing it. >> if you were to ask many folks in the house, has the president violated the law and would he be worthy of oh impeachment, i think a fair number of people would say yes. >> worthy of impeachment? a member of congress echoing a phrase used by far right pundits. it's not worthy of our politics or this country. if republicans would put it aside, we would make real progress as today's bill signing showed. back with me now is the washington post e.j. dionne. his new article about the grid lock in washington titled "plain van la bipartisanship." and krystal ball. thank you for being here. >> thanks for having us.

>> how do we get to the point it is almost a surprise that a bill to help veterans get through congress for the president to sign. >> it's a sad statement here. of course the numbers show that it is in reality a surprise. we are on track to have the worst congress in modern history in terms of getting things done. a lot of it, you're right the to point to the extreme right wing of the party that's really taken control of the republican party. now the leadership loves to say, it's really democrats pushing this idea of impeachment. we are not talking about it. they're just using it as a political trick for fund raising and their own purposes. in fact, when you have members of congress, former presidential candidates like mike huckabee. when you have sarah palin who was, of course, once their vice presidential nominee coming out saying this president is lawless and should be impeached, that's something we can't just ignore. also, you have to talk about the fact that the leadership here has done nothing to tamp down

that sort of discussion. they have allowed the conspiracy theories that the president is, for example, actually want it is undocumented children to come here. wants the nation overrun with illegal immigrants. they allowed that talk to go forward and do nothing to tamp it down. >> you know, e.j., in your new column you list so-called plain van la items, things republicans used to or should support given their ideology. like extending the earned income tax credit, refundable child tax credit, infrastructure bill, minimum wage raise, pre-k expansion, paid family leave, no rules for flexible work schedules. what do conservatives say when you ask them about ideas like these. why isn't there support? >> i think i divided my list in two. there are already conservatives on the record on the child tax credit, they talk about it all the time.

although the house passed a bill recently that cut it off over the long run for low income families which is not a good idea. they like that. paul ryan has formally supported extending the earned income tax credit to people without kids. there are a lot of working people there who need help if they work full-time just to get even toward the poverty line. infrastructure, everybody used to support rebuilding our country. i quote in the column, steve latorette, who said he left congress when they couldn't even pass a transportation bill anymore. on some of the others which they used to support like the minimum wage increase, they just have embraced right winger arguments that say this is a job killer when there are studies that show that that's not what happens

because minimum wage increase gives people purchasing power to spend in the economy. >> they used to vote for minimum wage hikes. a new poll shows something they did vote for. most americans don't approve. that's speaker boehner's lawsuit. just 15% of democrats approve. 36% of independents approve. republicans are the only group that support it. 66%. should this serve as a warning to any republican, considering even going further than that with impeachment? >> right. well, they backed themselves into a corner here, right? in 2010 when they had the successful electoral wave and took over a lot of state houses they redrew congressional districts to be super favorable for republicans making them deep red. >> and far right republicans. >> making them as deep red as possible. now we see they only care about the far right.

while they can't move on policy that would move the country forward including immigration reform which their own autopsy said they must get done, since they can't move on that, the one thing they can do is anything to oppose this president. they think in order to tamp down the impeachment talk, the way to do it is through a lawsuit. they don't realize because of the rhetoric they have engaged in calling the president lawless, the base will never be satisfied with a lawsuit. if the president is lawless, the base thinks, why not impeach him? that's what they are looking for. this is an attempt to try to get away from impeachment, i suppose. we all can see where this is headed. they will never be satisfied. >> e.j., some republicans who called for impeachment are now accusing the president of hyping it. listen to what michele bachmann said this week versus two weeks ago. >> please, go ahead and impeach me. impeach me.

because the president knows if the republicans do that, that will help their electoral chances this fall. he's trying to egg that on. what our president has done is commit impeachable offenses soer if a. he's committed them in terms of his lawless acts. it is up to congress to make the case and explain to the people why we have to impeach. >> is this a new gop tactic to throw out something, hype it up and then turned around and accuse the president and the democrats of pushing it? >> some of these republicans act as if they don't realize that recording equipment has been invented. so you can compare what they say. >> we can hear you michele bachmann. there's been talk about impre h impreaching the president for years. the democrat wils will talk bec

it mobilizes people because these -- the republicans have been talking about it over and over again. i think crystal made an important point. if you look at the logic they are using to justify the lawsuit, it is exactly the same logic you would use to justify impeachment. if you keep saying that president obama is lawless then why aren't you impeaching him? >> right. >> so, you know, it's crazy. when speaker boehner said democrats are inventing this, i guess he, too, forgot that recording equipment had been invented. you could spend this whole show just showing footage of republicans calling for impeachment. >> the recording equipment not only gets it, it retains it. e.j. dionne and krystal ball, thank you for your time. >> thank you. >> watch krystal on "the cycle" weekdays at 3:00 p.m. eastern on

msnbc. coming up, a new report on voter suppression should be a big wake-up call for democrats this fall. more on tonight's breaking news, nbc news reporting the humanitarian mission in iraq has begun to bring aid to tens of thousands of refugees. president obama also considering air strikes. more on that ahead. ♪ [ woman ] if you have moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis like me, and you're talking to your rheumatologist about a biologic... this is humira. this is humira helping to relieve my pain. this is humira helping me lay the groundwork. this is humira helping to protect my joints

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when it comes to the midterm election this is november we need you to be as hungry as you were in twoul and 2012. you need to be more passionate and more hungry to get democrats elected to congress. >> first lady michelle obama on how democrats need to get out and vote this year. a wake-up call in the washington post today. the democratic base has the blahs. with a new poll showing key groups of democratic supporters are much less enthusiastic about voting than usual. but now is not the time to relax. because voter suppression is very much a reality. this week marks the 49th anniversary since president lyndon johnson signed the voting rights act. a new report out today on the state of voting finds voting discrimination is a frequent and

ongoing problem in the united states. with hundreds of instances of voting suppression just since 1995. this is a problem that isn't going away and the fight is more important than ever. since last year the supreme court struck down crucial portions of the voting rights act. we can't under estimate the importance of this year's election or the importance of the right to vote. joining me now is the president of the lawyers committee for civil right which is put out this new report. first of all, thank you for being here. >> thank you for having me and covering this very important issue. >> barbara, you found voter discrimination is still rampant. what stood out to you? >> it's very awful. i mean what stood out was the number of new voters laws passed, the number of lawsuits. 332 the successful lawsuits against states and jurisdictions

for voting discrimination since 1995. so many other things. really what worries me is the finding in the report that the federal government, the department of justice because of the supreme court ruling will not be sending federal observers to the states to monitor elections to make sure they are being conducted in a fair and racially nondiscriminatory manner. >> the report found five states have the worst records on voting discrimination. >> that's right. >> texas, georgia, louisiana, mississippi, and south carolina. they were all previously covered by section five on the voting rights act. doesn't this show how much we needed the protection? >> the whole report shows that the supreme court got it wrong last year in the shelby decision. what we did was went out and held 25 hearings all over the country. over 400 witnesses. people came and testified. arab americans, native

americans, asians, latinos. african-americans all testified. people with disabilities testified about the many barriers to being able to vote. what came out of the report was that we are living here in 2014 in an age where our democracy is threatened because of rampant voterer suppression and rampant voter denial. >>. >> i have been out to alabama and other places with national action network. we see voter suppression justified by talking about voter fraud. a new report in the washington post found that since 2000 there have only been 31 alleged voter fraud cases that might have been prevented by voter i.d. laws. 31. that's out of more than 1 billion votes cast. >> right. >> so the rate of alleged voter

fraud cases that might have been sprented by voter i.d. laws is .00000000031%. they are looking for a solution to a problem that doesn't exist, barbara. >> that's because what they think the real problem is that people of color are voting. we've got to understand these laws are really not designed to fight voter fraud. they are actually designed to keep people from voter. that's why the lawyers committee and your organization, the national action network, all the naacp and so many of us will be out at the polls with election protection. you have the right to vote. we will be there. we'll be protecting people's votes. if people have a problem they can call the hotline during early voting. 866-our-vote hotline so people can get help. people can make sure the jurisdictions are following the law and we are going to make

sure people can vote so they can be sure the laws are fair. >> we'll be watching this one. >> absolutely. >> nonpartisan. no matter who you are going to vote for, you do not, in my opinion, you do not in any way need to be impair ped from voting. thank you for your time tonight. >> thank you so much. >> and for your report. >> thank you. still ahead, more on the breaking news from the white house. a humanitarian mission in iraq to help tens of thousands of civilians surrounded by islamic militants is under way. the president also considering air strikes. stay with us. tackle so many messes, that mr. clean once wrote a book about them. not only do they clean everyday dirt, they clean a lot of unexpected stuff too. like scuffed up shoes, tough stuck-on sticker gunk, and lots more. in fact, his book got so full... he made a website instead.

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watched. because many of us have taken issue with the stand your ground and the castle laws we feel could lead to people doing what is wrong to innocent people. this verdict was important to say let's pause and look at these laws. thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton. "hardball" starts right now. back to iraq. let's play "hardball." good evening. i'm chris matthews in washington. let me start with the u.s. military action right now over iraq. this evening, washington time, president obama sent u.s. planes into northern iraq in order to drop water and food supplies to those trapped or threatened by the relentless