To the Point
Iraq Continues to Crumble: What Are the Options?
As fighters led by ISIS move closer to Baghdad, the Iraqi government says it's deploying more troops. President Obama is weighing "selective military action."
By Sara Terry • • 50m ListenIn Iraq, fighters led by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria continue to move closer to Baghdad, where the government says it's deploying more troops. In Washington, President Obama says the US won't send troops, but that he's still weighing "selective military action." Also, the White House is weighing potential safety rules for trains carrying barrels of explosive crude oil across the country every day. Oil train crashes have sparked a wave of protests and activism. Sara Terry guest hosts.
Banner image: Fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) stand guard at a checkpoint in the northern Iraq city of Mosul, June 11, 2014. Photo: Stringer/Reuters
In this episode
2 storiesObama Addresses Iraq, Rules Out Boots on the Ground
In Iraq, volunteers are heading to defend the capital today, as the nation's top Shiite leaders used Friday prayers to call on the faithful to take up arms against radical Sunni Muslim insurgents. As the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria continues to move closer to Baghdad, the government says it's deploying more troops.
Read the story23 minThe Crude Business of Moving Oil in America
US oil production and energy independence have reached a 28-year high, thanks mainly to fracking in North Dakota. But with no pipelines to move the oil, barrels of crude are now traveling the US on trains – an estimated million barrels a day. Last July, a train carrying barrels of explosive crude oil derailed in Canada.
Read the story27 min
