A.M. Links: Rand Paul Doesn’t Blame Obama For Unrest in Iraq, John Kerry Arrives in Baghdad, U.S. Ties Portugal in World Cup Group Play

Sen.
Rand Paul (R-Ky.) says he doesn’t blame President Obama for the
situation in Iraq but that he does blame the unrest in the Middle
East on the Iraq War. Former Vice President Dick Cheney dismissed
Paul as an “isolationist” and said U.S. meddling in the region was
“essential.” Meanwhile, Israel has launched retaliatory strikes in

Syria after a missile attack launched from that country killed
an Israeli teenager and injured his father, the
Islamic State in Iraq and Syria continues to make territorial
gains along Iraq’s border with Syria and Jordan, and U.S. Secretary
of State
John Kerry arrived in Baghdad to urge the Iraqi prime
minister to form an “inclusive” government.
Incoming House Majority Leader
Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said he believed the Export-Import
Bank, the federal government’s export credit agency, was an example
of crony capitalism and that its charter should be allowed to
expire in September. Former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor
(R-Va.) was one of its biggest supporters in Congress.
Several journalists in
Egypt were sentenced to life in prison on terrorism charges a
day after
John Kerry came to the country to announce the resumption of
U.S. military aid.
Russian President
Vladimir Putin says he wants “genuine dialogue” between the
government of Ukraine and pro-Russia rebels in the east.
Portugal tied with the
United States in World Cup play yesterday on the latest scored
goal in the history of the tournament.
Researchers from the
University of California-Davis suggest free will could be the
result of background noise in the brain.