Thursday Miscellany!

• Saudi Arabia is building up troops on the border with Iraq in hopes of preventing an invasion by ISIS. Whether they can keep ISIS out is an open question.


• NBC News yanked their reporter Ayman Mohyeldin out of Gaza just before the ground invasion started, citing "security concerns." However, they sent in two other reporters at the same time. So...what's going on here? It's worth noting that Mr. Mohyeldin took a slightly pro-Palestinian slant in his reporting.


• The Kurds have started pumping oil from Kirkuk in defiance of both ISIS and the Iraqi government. (More background here.)


• Yes, the new executive order of sanctions against Russia include Russian weapons manufacturers. No, this isn't a ban on the AK-pattern rifle. More here.