The White House says the goal of President Obama's speech later this week is to clearly lay out why fighting the Islamic State matters.
President Obama has not ruled out increased military action, but he has promised that American troops will not be figting on the ground in Iraq or Syria.
Our Washington correspondent Priscilla Huff reports:
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The U.S. military confirms it has now conducted 148 airstrikes in Iraq, the most recent around the Hadita dam and one by Irbil.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest says right now President Obama has all the authorization he needs for U.S. Central Command to continue its operations.
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White House spokesman Josh Earneset says President Obama does want the people's representatives, the U.S. Congress, to weigh in on the crisis in Iraq and Syria.
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