said it was considering military operations to get the refugees on mount sinjar rescued. it seems now they sent a small assessment team to the area with 20 special forces. they said the situation is not as dire as originally thought. it was going to be a risky operation. at the moment the u.s. is not moving on that situation. >> reporter: these pictures taken from an iraqi military helicopter her yesterday show there are clearly refugees still on mount sinjar. the question is how many? the american team numbering about 20 has flown to the area. they believe there are far fewer than previously thought. it's thought they number in the thousands not the tens of thousands. those that remain are getting aids and are in better condition than previously thought. some have been evacuated by held koptd continuer in scenes like this. hundreds more are in the mountain in the darkness. a rescue mission is far less likely. islamic militants remain around the mountain. the iraqi armed forces appear to be firing on them in these pictures to obvious delight of people on board. refugees c

it's said fewer are stranded on mount sinjar than first thought. many are displaced. >> we broke the the siege of sinjar. we escahelped many. >> it's estimated 1.2 million iraqis have fled their homes. tens of thousands are in kurdistan. the only thing between them and fighters are from the islamic state are kurdish soldiers. they've appealed for help from the west. the uk government says it will look favorably on requests from the kurds to supply weapons. that would mark the uk's involvement in this developing cris crisis. later today, the u.n. is expected to pass a resolution to recruiting or funding for the islamic state. foreign ministers will hold an emergency meeting in brussels to discuss the joint response. eu states don't want to join the u.s. in carrying out strikes, they are aware strikes are needed. >> our correspond hent paul wood is at a refugee camp on the syria, iraqi border. he's returned and tells me what i saw. >> reporter: i stood on top and he pointed out the positions. he said the towns below, especially sinjar, are almost comp

their survivors of mount sinjar. this is the next step on their long journey. the youngest refugee was 10 days old when his mother carried him in her arms to safety on top of the mountain. his father said other newborns were slaughtered by islamist fighters. seven days and nights on mount sinjar. his mother says he is sickly now and needs medical help. are helping each other survive, but it is hard to explain to the youngest why they have been singled out for slaughter. they will probably never see their home again. this man is 95. she is almost blind and was lost in the chaos when her village was attacked. she has no idea if her family is still alive. herman next to her carried from the mountain down to safety. at last, some help from outside. there are now 35,000 refugees from the yazidi minority who have flooded into northern iraq in recent days and weeks. they are adding to the numbers already here. iraq holds one million displaced people, fleeing extremists from other parts of iraq. many survivors still haven't any shelter. there is still hope for her baby

their survivors of mount sinjar. this is the next step on their long journey. the youngest refugee was 10 days old when his mother carried him in her arms to safety on top of the mountain. his father said other newborns were slaughtered by islamist fighters. seven days and nights on mount sinjar. his mother says he is sickly now and needs medical help. are helping each other survive, but it is hard to explain to the youngest why they have been singled out for slaughter. they will probably never see their home again. this man is 95. she is almost blind and was lost in the chaos when her village was attacked. she has no idea if her family is still alive. herman next to her carried from the mountain down to safety. at last, some help from outside. there are now 35,000 refugees from the yazidi minority who have flooded into northern iraq in recent days and weeks. they are adding to the numbers already here. iraq holds one million displaced people, fleeing extremists from other parts of iraq. many survivors still haven't any shelter. there is still hope for her baby

the siege on mount sinjar siege has been ended. >> the situation on the mount has greatly improved, and americans should be very proud skill and professionalism of our military and the generosity of our people, we broke the isil siege of mount sinjar. we helped vulnerable people reach safety and we helped save men innocent lives. >> a drastic turn around from yesterday when pentagon officials were considering a rescue mission to save ya sid diz. the president said american troops inspected the scene and most of the scene will be leaving iraq soon. still, the president said the overall threat from the islamic state fighters across iraq is dire, his words. you can see on our wall the areas the militants now control, with a brutal hand. president obama said the united states will help people suffering as the terror group advances, but only in ways that do not put our u.s. troops into combat. joining us know is the pentagon press secretary, rear admiral john kirby. great to see you. >> thanks, shep. >> does not put our troops in a combat position. we now established a base from which we are

on their flight over the isis front lines that is surrounded mount sinjar are machine gunners. they went to town. they were strafing the ground beneath us is, strafing targets. they say they are fired at every time they fly to and from mount sinjar though we didn't see evidence of that. they certainly burned through a lot of ammunition. when they get to the mountain itself, that's where you start to see the people trap add up there. i would estimate that i saw the hundreds in some cases they were clustered in a number of shacks and kind of half built houses that seemed to have been protected by barbed wire. in other cases, i saw them clustered under trees in the shade and there were huge conglomerations of parked cars kind of at the base of the mountain which looked like they were the vehicles that people used when they fled their hometowns in sinjar, when they fled the advance of isis militants. jake, the distribution of the aid was very chaotic. the iraqi air force crew were quite literally hurling these boxes and bottles out of the door of the helicopter at heights up to 50

. >> then -- american troops have made it off mount sinjar. they say thousands of iraqis trapped there have now been saved. >> is the siege of mount sinjar by isis really over? >> the u.s. now backing off a military operation to save the rest. >> as you can see on the other side of the road, hundreds of tents are being erected. >> so what's next for the thousands of refugees? >> plus, speaking from quarantine, an american aide worker whose wife is in effected with ebola talks about his first contact with her. >> i patted her just to let her know that i was there, that i loved her. >> we've got the latest on her condition. let's talk live in the "cnn newsroom." >>> and good morning. i'm carol costello. thank you so much for joining me. we start this hour in iraq and maybe a glimmer of good news. a possibles u.s. evacuation of thousands of refugees stranded by isis militants may not be necessary after all. that's because the pentagon says the air strikes have worked and the terror siege on mount sinjar is over. on top of that, an assessment by u

military personnel went to mount sinjar wednesday to assess the situation. earlier, deputy national security advisor ben rhodes said the u.s. had been working on a plan to rescue the yazidis if need be. >> you look at different ways to move people to a safer position. >> u.s. officials say several thousand rackee refugees still remain on the mountain, but the pentagon said the numbers are smaller than expected and that refugees appear to be in better condition than originally thought. hagel says the u.s. humanitarian air drop of food and water have helped keep them alive. military airstrikes on islamic state targets allowed many of the displaced to flee the mountain. britain's prime minister pledged his countries support for the mission in iraq. >> britain will play a role just as we did with british aid help to go keep these people alive in a really desperate situation. >> the u.s. will keep bombing the islamic state group militants as long as they pose a threat to the yazidis and to u.s. personnel. the administration insists it will not put combat troops b

landed in mount sinjar iraq time. greg with the very latest. greg?h, a lot of action in this part of the wo

on the top of mount sinjar with the kurdish commander.e was saying the towns below, especially sinjar are almost completely empty except for those deliberately left behind by the islamic state. family members say they have been arrest add -- arrested and taken to a prison. we heard stories from men who had been detained by islamic state fighters. a gun was put to their head, and they were told convert and die. they think if people are kept back, it's part of the effort to force people to convert to islam under pain of death. >> you say people are crying out for help. what kind of international aid is there on the ground where you are? >> we were on mount sinjar yesterday in terrible conditions. people had come down this one road which kurdish fors were able to open pushing back fighters. a woman told me it was her job to look at people dying, people that collapsed from exhaustion, lack of water and from heat. we found a small camp made from tents dropped by the british royal air force. it said from the people of britain stamped on it. the

says it was considering conducting military operations to help rescue those refugees stuck on mount sinjar. we were told many of those refugees that there were tens of ho thousands up there without food and water. the u.s. sent a team of 20 special forces to assess the situation. they said it's not as dire as originally feared and there are just a few thousand not the tens of thousands they initially suspected. today in irbil, it's 46 degrees, extremely hot. for those still stuck up there, i can't imagine how bad the situation still is. for the moment though, the u.s. says it's not conducting any rescue operation. our world affairs correspondent reports on shifting priorities of getting much needed aid to refugees. >> reporter: helicopters arrived last night before being used for operations in northern iraq. it looks as if there could be a shift of priorities with the new u.s. on the ground assessment that fewer are trapped on mount sinjar than thought and they're in better condition than expected. this is after the succession of air drops of relief supplies to those that fled to the mount

those who made it from mount sinjar to this camp make up the majority of the 15,000 refugees here, three times the number it was designed to hold. for now, there's enough food and water to go around. women make bread and cook potatoes on open fires. they've escaped the fighting but now face an uncertain future. ali told us the only thing he's sure of is he can never take his family back home. >> we want to get out. we don't have a future here. we don't hope, everybody are feeling a bad feeling. >> reporter: aid workers we spoke to today said there is a humanitarian crisis here, scott, but there's no agreement on how many people remain on that mountain. one thing everybody agrees on is that isis remains a huge threat. >> pelley: and president obama said today the overall situation in iraq remains dire. charlie d'agata reporting for us tonight. thank you, charlie. an aid convoy from russia bound for ukraine is being held up tonight, evidence of the growing hostility between those two countries. more than 200 trucks have stopped just short of the border. the russians insist they're filled w

and professionalism of our military and the generosity of our people we broke the isil siege of mount sinjarvulnerable people reach safety and we helped save many innocent lives. because these efforts we do not expect there could be additional operation to evacuate people off the mountain and it is unlikely that we're going to need continue humanitarian airdrops on the mountain. the majority of the military personnel who conducted the assessment will be leaving iraq in the coming days. i just want to say as commander-in-chief i could not be prouder of the men and women of our military who carried out this humanitarian operation almost flawlessly. i'm very grateful to them and i though that those who were trapped on that mountain are extraordinarily grateful as well. now the situation remains dire for iraqis subject to isil's terror throughout the country and this includes minorities like yazidis and iraqi christians. it also includes many sunnis, shia and kurds. we're going to be working with our international partners to provide humanitarian assistance to those who are suffering in northern

one of their beliefs is mount sinjar, where the refugees are trapped, is where noah's ark came to rest. some yazidis refugees have escaped the mountains and holly williams has their story. >> reporter: stranded on a banner mountaintop and surrounded by violent islamic extremists, thousands of yazidis have spent 10 days looking death in the face. those that have made it to safety tell harrowing stories of men being slaughtered and young women taken away by the militants. isis began its rampage across northern iraq two months ago. they call the land they seized an islamic state and they've targeted anyone who isn't a sunni muslim. but the yazidis have been singled oit because the militants believe they're devil worshipers. >> theyworshipers. >> reporter: atheel al nujaifi is the governor of nineveh province, home to the yazidis. who was forced to flee the capital, mosul when isis captured it in june. is this a potential genocide? >> i think yes. they want even kill the yazidis or they change their religion. >> reporter: they're trying to force them to convert to islam. >> yeah, they come

nearly half of the strikes we mountted were around sinjar.it was the strikes that encourage them to lee. i do not want to discount the work of the peshmerga forces. we all believed it was a legitimate fear of genocide. they are up against some pretty brutal people here, beheading young kids, chasing down innocent women and children and slaughtering them. and i would also say the threat that isil poses is not over. it is not like we are breathing a sigh of relief because everything is better, or things look to be better. that therel mindful may yet be humanitarian needs elsewhere in iraq and we will continue to look at that. are they still in large enough conference rations having -- concentrations, that the military can check them with air power? or are they so diffuse that it does not make sense to try to supply them with airdrops or protect them in the same way? >> we are going to look at that night, and we do not have answers. they are fairly displaced. some have decided to move into syria. some will disperse to other areas in iraq. we do

saying there were far fewer refugees stranded on mount sinjar than anticipated.y of defense chuck hagel said the u.s. humanitarian airdrops with critical aid that made a difference, under the military, isis targets many no escape. a team of 129 marines and special forces arrive if iraq to discuss the situation on mount sinjar. >> you look at different wayes it move people who are in a very dangerous place on that mountain it a safer position. >> today britain's prime minister says his country will offer support for whatever comes less. >> britain will play a role just as we played a rl with british planes and british aid helping to keep these people alive in a desperate situation. >> despite the clear risks with such a rescue mission, the obama administration insisted. >> the role of the u.s. air force is not one of reentering combat on the ground but how to provide humanitarian assistance to the effected population. >> on wednesday night, the u.s. military conducted a seven humanitarian aid drop on the mountain range. inside days, the u.s. military delivered mor

landed in mount sinjar iraq time. greg with the very latest. greg? >> greta, yeah, a lot of action in this part of the world. those extra troops that have come here to northern iraq are based in this city not too far from where we are and we believe those special force operators that spent that time, you were talking with on mount sinjar to the left of this location this space as well. a lot of action over there as you noted their mission was to assess a possible evacuation route for those ethic minority. it is confirmed by fox news that those special operators, some 20 of them are now safely off of that mountain. the battle is by no means over. centcom is also confirming today yet another missile strike against isis positions nearby mount sinjar, trying to clear that whole area of militants and making any rescue operation that could be planned that could be led by the united states a safe one. that is never a sure bet. no, it is not just these people being targeted by the isis militants it is a another of other religions and ethnic group including c

this is a much broader issue than just the military fighting around mount sinjar.wouldn't even say it is proto-state, it is a state. >> it is a state? do you agree with that? still feel more like it is a movement but it definitely has infrastructure and -- >> command and control? >> not just command and control, but a civilian infrastructure in many ways. for all the brutality that they have committed and all the massacres they have done, they have also shown remarkable practical strength both in syria thato some extent in iraq has allowed them to keep control of these areas. >> i couldn't agree more. they are governing the areas they have taken. they have the fighting ability of al qaeda but the political ability of hezbollah. they have hospitals, courts, schools. they have a judicial system. they are collecting taxes. they are issuing title deeds for property. they are exercising all the governance functions you would expect of a state. they controlled the territory and that territory is expanding. functionally, they are dramatically more dangerous than al qaeda

military team that said most of the refugees made their own way off mount sinjar. nouri maliki dug in as iraq's prime minister and then agreed to step down. days of violent protests over the shooting death of a black teenager in ferguson, missouri prompt ad presidential response. >> we're united in common values and that includes belief in the quality under the law, basic respect for public order, and the right to peaceful public protest. >> reporter: hillary clinton showed up here for a book signing and reportedly made up with mr. obama for suggesting his low pressure philosophy amounted to don't do stupid stuff. one aide told me privately the president's return to washington is not the great mystery you guys think it is. he said mr. obama feels two weeks is too long for him to go without face to face meetings without his advisors. >> we'll see what the panel has to say about that, thank you very much. german news media reported that the country's security service intercept ad phone call involving then secretary of state hillary clinton by accident. relations betw

but on mount sinjar, a stunning turn of events.few days ago, concerns about genocide and an urgent need for action. >> we're working with international partners to develop options to bring them to safety. >> but within hours of a u.s. special forces team returning from the mountain, their assess the was accepted by the white house. the u.s. says now, it does not need to mount a massive rescue effort for what was said to be tens of thousands of yazidis trapped there. >> we broke the sisal siege of mount sinjar. we helped vulnerable people reach safety. and we helped save many innocent lives. >> reporter: the pentagon says air strikes will continue if the u.s. sees isis begin to attack. u.s. officials say they were prepared for the worst case no scenario, a massive rescue effort based on seeing news reports including cnn footage of des per participation on the mountain as well as their own drone footage. but now that u.s. troops have seen for themselves the conclusioning is only a few thousand people are left and the air strikes have

they have fled their homes in mount sinjar to the mountain.tnessing atrocities, seeing their loved ones decapitated in front of them. they have then spent days on top of the mountain without food or water, without shelter. thanks to the peshmerga, they have gained safe passage, able to evacuate the mountain and here. speaking to the refugees, they don't want to stay. the yazidis don't want to be in iraq. they don't feel safe. they are calling on the international community to give them asylum in other countries. >> that's a great point. whatever siege may have been broken on mount sinjar, whatever immediate crisis is stemmed by the kurdish bombing, there's a grog humanitarian crisis with tens of thousands of people who want some way to exist in that country. anna bringing us such important words and images, apprecie it. >>> more on the isis fighters waging war in iraq. they are using oil. many estimate it kidnaps, smuggles and extorts and steals oil and sells it on the black market. all told, estimated $3 million a day in oil sales. $1 million

and british drops have divided aid -- provided aid. >> we have broke the siege at mount sinjar, we haveped people to safety and save many innocent lives. >> he did not expect stop arise any evacuation operations and it is unlikely that the humanitarian aid drops will continue. the iraqi prime minister announced his resignation today. his replacement will form a new government. americanst-ranking soldier killed in combat since vietnam was laid to rest today in arlington cemetery. [military trumpets] wasr general harold greene given military honors. he was killed last night when a gunman opened fire at his academy. andived in falls church to is survived by a wife and two adult children. nascar driver tony stewart says he will not race on sunday. , since the second time he hit and killed a racer. out of the car, he walked onto the track. services were held today. stewart has not been charged. a consumer alert. some bad news for coffee lovers. prices of the product by 9%. is currently a direct response to a rise in coffee prices. >> will that slow anyone down? beautiful all morning. tomorro

for the people on mount sinjar, it's a mess. bring us up to speed about what's going on in iraq. >> reporter: the issue is what exactly does nuri al maliki see in the days ahead. clearly in the eyes of the west -- [ inaudible ] they wanted to see him away from nuri al maliki. they may allow him to bolster military aid. nuri al maliki is talking ability constitutional challenges. it's not clear where it lies on the issue. the issue is going to be a matter of power with the greatest sense of authority. nuri al maliki may have enough sway for the hold on power. on the streets just yet. step back -- former allies turning their back on him and particularly the obstacle getting more in the fight against isis. >> nick paton walsh for us. the next move is nuri al maliki's. thanks. >>> 42 minutes after the hour. angry crowds protesting the police shooting of an unarmed teenager whachlt the teen's mother is say sg next. q. >>> we are getting reaction this morning from every corner of the country to the death of oscar winning actor, robin

isil positions that are laying siege to mount sinjar.here are no plans to expand the current air campaign beyond the current self-defense activities. >> it's been reported the u.s. government is directly arming the kurds. is the dod playing a role in that operation or will it at some point? >> yeah, i saw that report in the media and an open source as well. over the weekend it was the government of iraq and iraqi security forces that actually provided immediate resupplies to kurdish forces. we are looking at how we can help them and studying the challenges that they have. with the team that we have in baghdad providing some assistance, we are looking at plans at how we can expand that support. >> general, over the weekend president obama said that he was considering creating some kind of safe corridor to assist those, some 15,000, i guess, yazidi refugees on top of the mountains there at sinjar. he said he talked to the british and the french about that possibility. he also called it complicated. just how complicated would it be, would i

they were in the mount sinjar region. u.s.hicles, a number of areas where the isis fighters have been hanging out. very interesting they're going after check points. it makes you wonder if the u.s. is preparing with the international community for some type of over land evacuation out of there. that may be a possibility. we've seen president obama twice now refer to the effort to try to get the international community to find a way to get the people off the mountain. >> barbara, stand by pi i want to get more on the intense power struggle happening right in the middle of baghdad pitting the country's president against now supposed to be the former prime minister. our global affairs correspondent elise is working this part of the story. we heard from the president of the united states. he said he called the new prime minister but this is not a done deal yet. >> no. it with as glimmer of hope with the appointment of a new prime minister but the old one is clinging to power in a dangerous political showdown. iraq's political powe

north of here, back on mount sinjar, there's no end in site. the u.s. dropping water and food may help save some from starvation. a lifeline in the face of isis cruelty. they kidnapped our girls. they killed many people, this woman says. why some die, he was just 2 years old. american bombs may stop isis from advancing, but they want to return home, safely. for now, many of those refugees are here in erbil. at one point, isis fighters were within miles of the city. that could have put the u.s. consulate in danger. lester? >> thank you. he talked about iraq, president obama acknowledged that american intelligence underestimated the advance of isis militants. kris jansing is traveling with the president on martha's vineyard. kris, is the administration playing catch up here? >> reporter: well, they would argue they are not. they did acknowledge this advance happened much more quickly than they expected. in addition, they acknowledge that the administration and the intelligence underestimated the ability of iraqi security forces to hold off isis as they go

despite our success at irbil and mount sinjar, isis has freedom of movement and has the initiative. they are attacking right now as we speak inside iraq. north, south and west of baghdad with ied explosive. also attacking in syria and also attacking in remember gone none. this is an organization that's usually ambitious, has competent leadership. martha: since 2011, do you think we are in the most dangerous points of that war ever? >> i believe that post 9/11. they are destabilizing the middle east. we have vital interests there for this country. and all he they are a threat to the american security and the american people. i believe the president has got to come clean with all of this and talk straight to the american people about why this is important and why we'll have to make a significant commitment. martha: you talk about the politics of it. the president wanted to get us out of iraq. but the number one job of the president is protecting the country. it seems to me people on all side of the equation here believe this is a huge threat to the west. the vatican is on the list. th

that is in question is mount sinjar. it extended over to this area. >> where are the airstrikes so far? and what have they accomplished in ought irstrikes went in the area to stop potential assault targeting mortars and artillery, et cetera, and the last two airstrikes on saturday and, also, today, are taking place in the area of mount sinjar targeting the isis capability and truck convoys,eth. >> we are just taking out individual artillery mortars or artillery. >> that critical. this is defensive air-strike campaign designed to protect the united states presence and irbil and the refugees on the mount. it is not taking away isis freedom of movement. there are five attacks taking place as we speak right now by isis with total freedom of movement we. there have been two attacks north of baghdad 80 miles to the north in tikrit and 20 miles to the north and 25 miles south of baghdad in new sophia. >> they have freedom of movement and they have the initiative except in irbil. >> yes, and mount sinjar. >> we are we rolling ba

. >> president obama crediting the military for stopping isis's advance on mount sinjar where thousandsreligious minorities were trapped. thousands of military supplies and airstrikes were effective. >> because of thee efforts we do not expect there to be an additional effort to evacuate off the mountain and it's likely we'll have to continue air drops on the mountain. >> the pentagon was preparing a massive relief operation that could have put hundreds of boots on the ground. the green berets said less than 5,000 people on the mountain wanted to come down. several who made it down tell a different story. >> what was it like on the mountain? >> the mountain is not good. we don't have water. we don't have food. the people there is very tired. >> reporter: the united nations says the humanitarian crisis on mount sinjar is not over. while the situation there is not clear, there seems to be a threat by the people there. >> the threat is not over. it's not like we're breathing a sigh of relief because things look to be better on the mountain. >> reporter: and the united nations appears ready

hearing from the pentagon, they are saying that to break the siege at mount sinjar could take weeks. they need the ground forces to go in, the kurdish forces to create a corridor, if you like, off that mountain. the kurds will tell us, they need the air strikes to continue so they have that support to back them up. >> thanks, anna. >>> from one hot spot to another to another now, there is a cease-fire, again, in gaza. the israelis and palestinians agree to stop fighting for 72 hours with israel showing up in the last hour for peace talks in egypt. we want to get straight to the negotiations, the latest round. reza sayah is live. the israelis are there again, reza. >> reporter: there are reports they are here. we are working to confirm that, john. the israelis and palestinians are trying to give this another shot and much of the world anxious to see if this time things will be different. obviously, they didn't get anywhere last week when they tried it with a cease-fire. the palestinian delegation is already here. they have been here for more than a week. they never left, even after th

citizens and to reduce the siege as well as protect those aircraft that are providing support to mount sinjar. >> and john late word this evening from cen centcom, add 1, 3 and 4:30 eastern daylight time according to u.s. jets, attacks on multiple checkpoints in defense of the internally displaced yazidi people on mt. sinjar, according to centcom, all aircraft returned safely to control. >> a look at are baghdad and washington, how u.s. involvement in iraq has contributed to the current crisis. >>> in the st. louis area tonight police and protesters are squaring off again. a police officer ordering one of the many news trucks in the area to get out. there are reports and social media photographs of riot police and residents in stlowz ar st. e outraged. diane eastabrook has more. diane. >> the st. louis county police department reports that police shot tear gas into a quick minute you mart in the town of ferguson where all the rioting happened last night. this quick trip mini mart was a business that had been burned last night in the riots. people had been assembling there all day today, it ha

in this case, one of these flights, one of these choppers went down on mount sinjar.led. a number of the other people on that helicopter were injured. including a new york times journalist. there was a photographer, friend of mine, who was on board as well and published a photo in time n "time" magazine. i'm told he is okay. what burdens the helicopters, aging russian helicopters are taking when they are overloaded with refugees, bringing them off of that mountain. and also, how much the iraqis and kurds need help for this dangerous even delicate operation. >> we heard from the "new york times," the experienced war correspondent had her wrist broken, concussion. she's been air lifted out. she's in the hospital. together with several of the other people who were on that helicopter. ivan watson doing amazing work for all of us. thank you so much for your reporting. >>> complicating all of this, a major power struggle in baghdad where a new prime minister has been designated but the indu incumbent is vowing to raise serious concerns of a possible military coup. mr. adam

. >> a helicopter carrying supplies swoops over mount sinjar. people are still desperate for relief and rescue. it pulls away for fear of being overwhelmed with this young woman terrified in the door way. a new british air drop. britain is sending tornado jets to the region that could be used to support the humanitarian operation. the air drops itself are a major challenge for the crews. zb >> it's important to take the situation serious in the air and on the ground. it's important to get this job done safely. >> meanwhile a key development in baghdad. this man nominated as iraq's prime minister designate to take over for malaki, widely blamed for the country's politics. president obama called the move promising. >> the new iraqi leadership has a difficult task. it has to regain citizens. united states standing ready to support a government that addresses the needs and grievances of all iraqi people. >> mr. maliki and people say the move is illegitimate. according to the united states, many from the deck of this aircraft carrier, have slowed sun

so this is a much broader issue than just, you know, the military fighting around mount sinjar. i wasn't even say it is a protest state t is a state at this point. >> rose: it is a state. >> yeah. >> rose: do you agree with that? >> well, they're certainly crossing borders. i still feel more like it's a movement. but it definitely has an infrastructure. and it is definitely able -- >> command and control. >> not just command and control militarily but a kind of civilian infrastructure in many ways. and for all the-- for the brutality that they've committed and for all the massacres they have done, they have also showed a kind of remarkable practical streak both in sir why and to some extent in iraq that has allowed them to keep control of these areas in a lot of ways. >> i would say, i couldn't agree more. they're governing the areas that they've taken in a very state-like way. they have the fighting ability of al qaeda but the political and administrative ability of hezbollah. they have hospitals. they have courts. they have schools, they have a judicial system. they are collec

. >> the type on mount sinjar is he is personally harrowing. >> urging the community to do more for islamic fleeing -- pleaing islamic state fighters. i am laura kyle, this is al jazerra live from doha. also ahead on the program. u.s. president barack obama calls for calm from st. louis following unrest following a police shooting a black teenager, lauren bacall a star from hollywood's golden era has died at the age of 89. >> you know how to whistle, don't you, steve? you just put your lips together and blow. ♪ ♪ >>> at least two dozen people were killed in two separate bombings in the iraqi capital. in one of them, a suicide bomber set off explosive at a checkpoints near the home owned by the newly-appointed prime minister. outgoing prime minister is rejecting the new prime minister and rejecting calls for him to step aside. maliki has ordered the armed force to his stay out of this political crisis but iraqi insiders say his stand against the newly-appointed prime minister is still plunging the war-torn country in to political chaos. >> i think he will try very hard. he has many supporter

refugees recued from mount sinjar as a die advicive leader finally agrees to step down. back at home, a little recreational hillary watching. >> are you going to hug it out with the president? >> absolutely. >> is she really trying to distance herself from the president she once served. covering the week. carrie johnson, justice correspondent for n.p.r., yochi dreazen, managing editor of foreign policy magazine, and jeff zeleny, senior washington orrespondent for abc news. >> award winning reporting and analysis covering history as it happens. live from our nations capitol. this is "washington week with gwen ifill." corporate funding for washington week is provided >> we asked people a question. how much money do you think you'll need when you retire? then we gave each person a ribbon to show how many years that amount would last. >> a little further. >> got me to 70 years old. i have to rethink this thing. >> it's hard to imagine how much we need for a retirement that lasts 30 years or more. maybe we need to approach things differently if we want to be ready for a longe

completed its 7th air drop of humanitarian aid on mount sinjar. the pentagon says it will keep providing humanitarian assistance to displaced iraqis as needed. >>> and it's 4:41. robin williams' daughter zelda, she is attacked on social media. why she says she had no choice but to do something drastic. >> and we want to know what's cool about your school or summer camp. email your nominations here to coolschools@kpix.com and we may come and feature your school on the show. we'll be right back. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, eastern washington. a driver captured this >>> massive dust storm blocked down half of skies that swept across eastern washington. take a look. a driver captured the haboob about 15 miles southwest of spokane. on tuesday, the storms are formed when air is forced down and pushed forward by a thunderstorm front. they can pack winds up to 60 miles an hour to stir up the dust and all the sand but quite a sight up in washington on tuesday. >> yeah. >>> well, tonight is the swan song for san francisco's candlestick park. >> 14th of august, candlesti

the president may be right that the situation on mount sinjar is improving, but the rest of iraq, it looks awful. >> he opened a door pretty widely. he declared somewhat of a vibt ri say iing that situation is greatly improved. he said americans should be proud of what the u.s. did. but more broadly in iraq, the situation remains dire. he lists all the ethnic groups that could be under threat from isis. the christians, sunnis, shias, the kurds. you just described the entire p population of iraq. there are folks who have fled and those who haven't who still may be under threat. we have a great urge to provide humanitarian relief to them. that portends a number of operations like this, possibly with airstrikes and air drops. that may involve more american forces on the ground, if not combat troops, but helping with that aid. the u.s. is going to be here for some time and active for some time and the president opening the door to that. >> let's check in with nick paton walsh. what is the very latest there? we know the past couple days, there have been car bombings galore going on in bag

to talk to reporters that perhaps the president might authorize some sort of rescue mission on mount sinjar to try to retrieve the refugees who have been huddled there for days. we know from hearing from barbara starr and others that that appears to be off the table. the u.s. military appears to have made some decent progress in suppressing the isis targets and relieving that situation. we expect to hear the president talk about that as well. we haven't heard as to whether or not we don't expect him to take any questions, but we haven't heard for sure one way or another. but he's been known to say beforehand through officials there wonlt wouldn't be questions and then did. he's on vacation now, but this is his second on-camera statement in four days. that's almost a pace that we don't see back in washington at the white house. social security a working vacation more than an actual vacation. >> the president is never really 100% on vacation. any president has national security advisers, top domestic advisers. the attorney general, he's there supposedly on vacation as well? susan rice the nat

for those people stuck on that mountain, mount sinjar, it is dire. yes, 20,000 people have managed to get off there, the yazidis, the religious and ethnic minority. and that is thanks to those u.s. air strikes allowing the kurdish forces to get in and create the safe passage. there are still tens of thousands who are trapped on that mountain surrounded by these isis militants. carol, we spoke to representatives of the kurdish regional government here and they said they need the united states to conduct more air strikes. they need this to be a prolonged campaign so their forces can get on ground, claim back the towns that isis have taken. they were able to do that yesterday. within 20 miles of us here in erbil. but certainly they need that to continue so they can rescue the rest of those people stuck on mount sinjar, carol. >> all right, anna coren reporting live from erbil, iraq. >>> still to come in the "newsroom," tragedy on a new york dirt track as tony stewart hits and kills a fellow competitor. cnn's alexander field is following the investigatio