Iraq Crisis: As American jets and drones continued to strike targets in Iraq yesterday, President Obama said the bombing could continue for months. Shortly before he took off for a family vacation in Martha’s Vineyard the president told reporters, “I don’t think we’re going to solve this problem in weeks,” The Pentagon said the US took out four ISIS armored vehicles and a weapons truck yesterday. Two-dozen ISIS fighters were reported killed and 30 wounded. The strikes may have at least temporarily opened a path of escape for Yazidi ethnic refugees trapped on a mountain under attack by ISIS extremists. The US continues to drop food and water, 52,000 meals and nearly 11,000 gallons of fresh water so far.

Ukraine: The army has pounded the city of Donetsk with artillery causing widespread damage and reportedly leaving rebel forces in disarray. The population has been left without power and food supplies. A military spokesman said, “A large number of enemy hardware and personnel was destroyed. Panic and chaos have been noted among the terrorists,” he said.

Disasterbeat: An Iranian passenger jet crashed on takeoff from Tehran, killing 39 people and injuring nine. In Tibet a tour bus careened off a mountain highway, plunging 30 feet and killing 44 people.

Crater: Scientists ruminating over the sudden appearance of a 100-foot crater that suddenly appeared in Siberia believe they have an explanation. It’s not aliens and it’s not good. The theory is that global warming caused a thaw in the permafrost, releasing methane gas trapped in the ground and resulting in a blowout that left the crater. Scientists say you can hear running water deep in the crater as its walls continue to collapse.

Motorsports: NASCAR champion Tony Stewart announced he will not race at Watkins Glen in New York today after hitting and killing a fellow driver during a dirt track race last night. The sprint car driven by 20-year-old Kevin Ward Jr. spun out and Ward got out of the car, appearing to point a finger of blame at Stewart. Ward edged into the racing lane and Stewart hit him as he came back around the short track. Police are investigating and say Stewart is cooperating.

You Might Also Like:Internet retailer Amazon, which sells everything from books to power tools, is trying to enlist authors in its fight to lower the cost of electronic books released by publishing giant Hachette.

  While Hachette argues that lower prices will cheapen the currency of literature, Amazon says in a letter to its own self-published authors that this is like the fight over the introduction of paperbacks. Amazon says, “Just as paperbacks did not destroy book culture despite being ten times cheaper, neither will e-books. On the contrary, paperbacks ended up rejuvenating the book industry and making it stronger. The same will happen with e-books.”

  Fighting back against Amazon is a list of successful Hachette authors led by thriller writer Douglas Preston. Among them: Pulitzer winner Jennifer Egan, Stephen King, Donna Tartt, Paul Auster, James Patterson and John Grisham.

  A full-page ad taken out by the group and signed by hundreds of writers in today’s New York Times accuses Amazon of suppressing the sales of Hachette books to leverage contract negotiations. The ad says, “None of us, neither readers nor authors, benefit when books are taken hostage.” We’ll see whether Amazon can win a war of words with writers.

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