Midday Roundup: ISIS declares Islamic state in Iraq

Consolidating power. The Sunni Muslim group ISIS declared an Islamic state in territories it has seized in Iraq and Syria. The group calls the new state a caliphate, establishing it as a successor to the first Islamic state created by the Prophet Muhammad in the Arabian Peninsula 14 centuries ago. In an announcement Sunday, the group proclaimed its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to be the caliph and demanded all Muslims around the world pledge allegiance to him. Through brute force and meticulous planning, the Sunni extremist group—which said it was changing its name to just the Islamic State— has carved out a large chunk of territory that has effectively erased the border between Iraq and Syria.

Opt-out. The Supreme Court dealt a blow to public sector unions Monday, ruling thousands of home health workers in Illinois cannot be required to pay fees to cover a union’s costs for collective bargaining. The case involved about 26,000 Illinois workers who provide home care for disabled people and are paid with Medicaid funds administered by the state. In 2003, the state passed a measure deeming the workers state employees eligible for collective bargaining. A majority of the workers then selected a union to negotiate with the state to increase wages, improve health benefits, and set up training programs. Those workers who chose not to join the union had to pay proportional “fair share” fees to cover collective bargaining and other administration costs.

Emergency landing. The cabin of a United Airlines flight from Chicago to California became crowded Sunday after the evacuation slide inflated mid-flight. The cabin never lost pressure and no one was hurt as the slide, designed to deploy outside the aircraft in an emergency, filled up space inside the plane. The aircraft made an emergency landing in Wichita, Kan. Passengers initially panicked, but then calmed down and started snapping pictures with their cellphones. They were taken to their destination in Orange County, Calif., on a United flight this morning.

Cleared for trial. Oscar Pistorius knew the difference between right and wrong and was not mentally ill when he shot and killed his girlfriend last year, a panel of medical experts has concluded. Pistorius, a double amputee and Olympic runner, will return to trial for the murder of Reeva Steenkamp in his home country of South Africa. A judge put the case on hold for a month so Pistorius could undergo mental evaluations. Prosecutors say Pistorius shot Steenkamp through a bathroom door after they had an argument. Pistorius maintains he thought there was an intruder in the bathroom and was defending himself.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.