10 things you need to know today: August 13, 2014

1. White House sends 130 more advisers to Iraq

The U.S. has deployed 130 Marines and Special Operations forces to northern Iraq to help assess ways to rescue thousands of members of the Yazidi religious group taking refuge on Mount Sinjar, U.S. officials said late Tuesday. Those military advisers will not have a combat role, but the Defense Department left open the possibility that U.S. troops could soon help create a safe passage for the Yazidi off Mount Sinjar. That would likely put U.S. troops in direct combat with the ISIS militants trying to kill the Yazidi — a proposition President Obama has not signed off on, but one the military advisers are exploring.

CBS The New York Times

2. Ukraine vows to stop Russian-supply convoy unless conditions are met

Wary that the Russians may be trying to move military supplies into their country to aid pro-Moscow separatists, Ukrainian officials said they would not allow a convoy of 280 Russian trucks to cross the border unless the Red Cross took over the delivery. The cargo, which Russia says is humanitarian aid, must be loaded onto other vehicles by the Red Cross, Ukraine says. It will take the trucks about two days to make the 620 mile trip from Moscow to eastern Ukraine.

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Reuters

3. Iran endorses Maliki's replacement

The U.S. and Iran don't agree on much, but it appears the two countries are backing Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's replacement, Haider al-Abadi. Iran's endorsement on Tuesday means that Maliki, who has indicated he won't go quietly, will have an even harder time holding onto his position. The United States and its allies hope that replacing Maliki, who alienated the Sunnis of Iraq, will undermine support for the militant group the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The Washington Post

4. Lauren Bacall dies at the age of 89

Lauren Bacall, a star from the golden age of Hollywood, died on Tuesday at her home in New York at the age of 89. Her career spanned seven decades and included several classic films like Murder on the Orient Express, How to Marry a Millionaire, and The Big Sleep. Bacall earned a honorary Oscar, two Tonys, and a National Book Award for her autobiography.

The Guardian

5. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo rebuffs Palestinian invitation

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is heading to Israel on an official state delegation, but the politician, who is said to be mulling a 2016 run at the White House, declined an invitation to meet with Palestinian leaders. Cuomo and a handful of New York lawmakers are calling their trip a unity mission to express solidarity with Israel. "Our message is simple and is clear," the governor said. "We stand with Israel, and we support Israel's right to defend itself in this conflict."

The New York Times

6. Former Microsoft CEO officially buys the LA Clippers

Steve Ballmer, the former chief executive officer of Microsoft, officially purchased the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday for the tidy sum of $2 billion. The team went up for sale after its previous owner, Donald Sterling, was recorded making racist comments to a companion. Sterling, who bought the team for $12 million in 1981, lost a lawsuit to retain possession of the team and has been banned from the NBA for life.

CNN

7. Details of Robin Williams' death emerge

Marin County officials announced on Tuesday that Robin Williams' death was a suicide by hanging. The Oscar-winning actor was found by his assistant who became concerned about him after he didn't respond to her knocking on his door. Williams also had a few shallow cuts on his left wrist, according to authorities.

USA Today

8. Maryam Mirzakhani becomes the first woman to win major math prize

A woman has won the prestigious Fields Medal for the first time. Maryam Mirzakhani, a professor at Stanford University, won the award, which has been described as the Nobel Prize for Mathematics, for her contributions to "the dynamics and geometry of Riemann surfaces and their moduli spaces."

Time

9. Toxic algae threatens the Florida coast

Microscopic toxic algea are blooming near the coast of Florida, creating a red tide effect that is threatening local wildlife. Though it is still 20 miles off the coast, the size of the tide — 60 miles wide, by 90 miles long, by 100 feet deep — has authorities concerned that it could kill off millions of fish and potentially disrupt the lucrative tourist season. Officials say they haven't seem a bloom this large in nine years.

NBC

10. Haiti captures high-profile fugitive Clifford Brandt

Haitian authorities captured Clifford Brandt, a notorious fugitive who admitted to kidnapping the children of a rival businessman, Haiti's Prime Minister announced on Tuesday. Brandt broke free with 328 other inmates on Sunday when a gang attacked the jail where he was incarcerated. He was found trying to cross the border into the Dominican Republic.

Miami Herald