Midday Roundup: Iraqi army has ISIS on the run

Trouncing terrorists. Iraqi security forces, with help from Iranian-backed militias, are close to ousting Islamic State militants from Tikrit. The army launched its campaign to retake the city last week. “The forces entered Tikrit general hospital,” an official at the main military operation command center said. “There is heavy fighting going on near the presidential palaces, next to the hospital complex.” Once Tikrit is back under Baghdad’s control, government forces will make a move on Mosul, the biggest city held by the militants. The latest offensive, combined with military victories near the Syrian border, offers hope that Islamic State fighters aren’t as invincible as they first seemed, when they blazed through Iraq and Syria to take over about one-third of each country with little opposition.

In mourning. An Army National Guard helicopter crashed during a training exercise in Florida Tuesday night, presumably killing 11 service members. The seven Marines and four soldiers were flying over the Florida Panhandle coastline between Pensacola and Destin. Although witnesses report some bodies have washed ashore, the military still considers the response a search-and-rescue mission. The Marines belonged to a special operations unit based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., and the soldiers were from a National Guard unit based in Hammond, La.

Easy road? Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday broke her silence over her exclusive use of a private email address for government business. She flouted government rules because it made life easier for her. “I opted for convenience to use my personal email account, which was allowed by the State Department, because I thought it would be easier to carry one device for my work and for my personal emails instead of two,” she told reporters during an afternoon news conference. Clinton said she has turned over all “work-related” emails to the State Department. She added that she never discussed classified information via email and that she never deleted any work-related messages from her server. But she has no plans to allow an independent inspection of her server to verify those claims.“The server contains personal communications from my husband and me,” she said. “I believe I have met all of my responsibilities. And the server will remain private.” Earlier in the day, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said public release of Clinton’s emails would take months. Meanwhile, The Associated Press filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court today against the State Department demanding the release of emails and official documents during Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state.

Death option. Utah lawmakers voted last night to bring back firing squads as an alternative to lethal injections, if the state cannot get access to the drugs used in executions. When drug companies started refusing to sell the drugs to death penalty states, officials began using compounding pharmacies to make a different cocktail of lethal drugs. But in several states, including Oklahoma and Arizona, problems with the drugs have led to botched procedures. “We would love to get the lethal injection worked out so we can continue with that. But if not, now we have a backup plan,” state Rep. Paul Ray told The Associated Press. Utah stopped offering the firing squad as an option for condemned prisoners in 2004, but it last used the method in 2010. If the governor approves the measure, Utah will be the only state to have a firing squad option.

Rip-off. A Los Angeles jury awarded the late Marvin Gaye’s family $7.3 million after finding pop stars Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke ripped off one of his songs. After Williams and Thicke released their 2013 hit “Blurred Lines,”the Gaye family complained of similarities to the 1977 classic “Got to Give It Up.”Williams and Thicke preemptively sued the family, who counter-sued. “They started this fight, and we ended it,” Gaye family attorney Richard Busch told reporters. “The jury saw through everything, and we’re very pleased.” Williams testified he grew up listening to Gaye’s music but didn’t base “Blurred Lines” on any specific song. His attorney said he wasn’t sure whether they would appeal the ruling. Busch has filed an injunction to stop all sales of “Blurred Lines.”

WORLD Radio’s Mary Reichard contributed to this report.