Iraq Mess:

-Political: A power struggle is developing between Iraqi president Fouad Massoum and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Massoum has nominated a replacement for Maliki and given him 30 days to form a new government. Maliki accused Massoum of attempting a coup and mobilized troops within the government center known as the Green Zone.

The Fight: Roughly 20,000 members of the Yazidi religious minority descended from their refuge on Mount Sinjar and crossed a bridge into Syria. Their rescue was made possible by American air strikes, and renewed efforts by Kurdish fighters to dislodge ISIS fighters. An unknown number of Yazidi are still on the mountain, displaced within Iraq, or living in territory occupied by the murderous ISIS Muslim extremists.

The government says at least 500 Yazidi have been executed, including some who were buried alive.

The plight of the Yazidi puts a spotlight on what appears to be the near-instant rise of ISIS and an angry, oil-rich Islamic state that calls itself The Caliphate. But the situation has been brewing for years. Patrick Cockburn writes in the London Review of Books, “Politicians and diplomats tend to treat ISIS as if it is a Bedouin raiding party that appears dramatically from the desert, wins spectacular victories and then retreats to its strongholds leaving the status quo little changed.” But he goes on; “Such a scenario is conceivable but is getting less and less likely as ISIS consolidates its hold on its new conquests in an area that may soon stretch from Iran to the Mediterranean.”

Back to the Table: Israel and Gaza began a second 72-hour ceasefire just after midnight local time and agreed to return to negotiations in Cairo. One minute after a similar ceasefire ended on Friday, Hamas resumed firing rockets and Israel returned to pounding Gaza. Attacks and return fire continued right up to the beginning of this latest ceasefire.

Unarmed and Dangerous: Protests turned to violence and looting yesterday over the police shooting of an unarmed teenager in Ferguson, MO. Michael Brown, 18, was shot Saturday by a St. Louis County police officer. Witnesses said Brown was shot with his hands up, running away. The police say Brown had pushed the officer back into his car and struggled with him inside, where a shot was fired. They said Brown then got out of the car and that’s when the officer shot him. Police have not said where in the body Brown was shot, or how many times.

Fore: Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy won the PGA Championship by one stroke in Louisville yesterday, joining the ranks of only five other players including Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus who have won five major championships at age 25 or less. This is McIlroy’s second PGA Championship and he also won the British Open this year.

The Longest Hour: To further satisfy the American need for instant gratification, a company called “L Condoms” is offering a one-hour condom delivery service. No glove? No trip to the drugstore. They’ll send a messenger … so far offered only in New York and San Francisco. Tick, tick, tick. So … uhhh … I like your apartment.

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