Iraq: President Obama is sending 300 military advisors to stiffen the spine of the Iraqi army that’s collapsing before advancing Sunni Islamist rebels. Although the presence of “advisors” is often the first step to entering combat, Obama said American soldiers will not be pulling triggers. The president is still holding fire on airstrikes. Obama dissed Iraq’s Shiite prime minister saying, “only leaders that can govern with an inclusive agenda are going to be able to truly bring the Iraqi people together and help them through this crisis.” He said Iraq must have a government that includes all the various ethic and religious factions of the country.

Fighting over Iraq’s biggest oil refinery appears to continue.

Ukraine: The government claims 300 pro-Russia separatists have been killed in heavy fighting over the last two days. The number is unverified, but the separatists admit to big losses. Seven Ukrainian soldiers also were killed in the fighting that resumed only two days after Ukraine’s president proposed a ceasefire. Pro-Russian separatists are using tanks, which the Ukraine government believes were supplied by Russia. And NATO reports that Russia might be once again building up troops on the border.

Nation: House Republicans picked California Rep. Kevin McCarthy to be the new majority leader to replace Eric Cantor, who lost his Congressional seat in the Virginia primary. McCarthy has had a meteoric political rise, starting in the California legislature. He comes from an agricultural district and has supported having some kind of legal status for migrant field workers, but that’s a touchy issue in the Republican Party.

MOH: Marine Cpl. Kyle Carpenter was awarded the Medal of Honor yesterday for taking the blast of a grenade and saving the life of his best friend in Afghanistan. Fellow Marines said Carpenter was wounded from head to toe and his body was smoking when they got to him. Carpenter is in college now and told President Obama the girls kind of like his facial scars. Obama said, “So he’s kind of — he’s working an angle on this thing.”

The Obit Page: Gerry Goffin, the prolific composer of popular hits who was once married to his songwriting partner Carole King, has died at age 75. You might not know his name, but you know his songs. Just a few: “Take Good Care of My Baby,” ”Up on the Roof,” “Crying in the Rain,” and “On Broadway.” His lyric from “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?”: “Tonight with words unspoken/You say that I’m the only one/But will my heart be broken?/When the night meets the morning sun?”

The High and Mighty: New York State is headed toward legalizing medical marijuana after Gov. Andrew Cuomo reached a deal with pro Mary Jane legislators. In Wisconsin, legal documents released yesterday reveal that prosecutors believe Gov. Scott Walker was part of an illegal nationwide fundraising scheme that included Republican operative Karl Rove.

My Phone is Dead: Google and Microsoft are adding a “kill switch” to their new smartphones to discourage theft. The owner can kill the phone remotely, making it useless. More than three million smartphones were reported stolen in the US last year. Now all three major makers will have kill switches.

Really: Construction was stopped on a new road in Iceland after some worried citizens said it would disturb the lives of elves living in the path of the highway. About half of Icelanders believe in the existence of the Huludufolk, human-sized invisible elves. You laugh, but nearly half of America doesn’t believe the theory of evolution.

-30-