Iraq: With Sunni militants advancing toward Baghdad, Iraq’s most influential Shiite cleric issued a call to arms for the defense of the nation’s capital. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have fled their homes to escape the fighting.

President Obama says he will not send American ground troops back to Iraq to stop a potential takeover by Islamic militiamen. The president said, “we’re not going to allow ourselves to be dragged back into a situation in which, while we’re there, we’re keeping a lid on things.” He said he’s considering other options … probably air strikes.

Ukraine: Rebels forces shot down a large government transport plane as it was landing in Luhansk, killing 49 people on board, most of them military personnel, according to the Ukraine government. It’s the single biggest loss of life so far in what is becoming civil war.

The State Department confirms that Russia sent three T-64 tanks, several “Grad” multiple rocket launchers and other military equipment into eastern Ukraine. The Ukraine army claims it destroyed two of the three tanks and several other vehicles in a fight to re-take the port city of Mariupol. The T-64 is obsolete and no longer used by the Russian army, but is still a deadly weapon. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said, “This is unacceptable. A failure by Russia to de-escalate this situation will lead to additional costs.” President Obama has said that further provocations by Russia would result in additional costs.

Palms on Ice: With a hometown crowd chanting “We want the cup!, we want the cup!”, the Los Angeles Kings beat the NY Rangers in double overtime to win their second Stanley Cup in three years. The Kings came from behind to force a third overtime game in this series, beating the Rangers 3-2. Facing a long plane ride and return to New York for a sixth game, the Kings played the overtime all out, missing multiple scoring opportunities, until they finally put it away.

Wedding News: The same judge who struck down Wisconsin’s ban on same-sex marriages blocked those marriage pending appeal of her ruling. US District Judge Barbara Crabb said she had to follow federal precedent but wrote in her decision, “After seeing the expressions of joy on the faces of so many newly wedded couples featured in media reports, I find it difficult to impose a stay on the event that is responsible for eliciting that emotion, even if the stay is only temporary.” Same sex marriage is legal now in 19 states.

The Obit Page: Dr. Richard Rockefeller, great grandson of John D. Rockefeller, who built the Standard Oil Company into a family fortune, was killed yesterday piloting his small plane. Dr. Rockefeller, 65, had just taken off from the Westchester County Airport in New York in rain and fog and crashed into trees about a mile away. He was going home after visiting his father David for his 99^th birthday. Dr. Rockefeller was a family physician in Falmouth, Me.

Nation: Former President George HW Bush made a parachute jump from 6,000 feet yesterday to celebrate his 90^th birthday. Bush, who can no longer use his legs, jumped in a tandem harness with a former member of the Army’s Golden Knights parachute team. What went up came down.

Deep Blue: Earth has an underground reservoir of water three times the volume of all the oceans, according to a theory published in the journal Science. The water is locked into a mineral called ringwoodite about 400 miles below Earth’s surface, according to the report. Scientists believe the water is driven to the surface by geological activity, challenging the theory that water may have been deposited on Earth by icy comets.

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