The U.S. is now flying armed drones over Baghdad, but the Pentagon says they are for the protecting the embassy, and are not an advance step on the way to air strikes. The news comes as Shiite leaders meet in the capital city to decide the country’s next prime minister, the first hint that Prime Minister Maliki’s grip may be weakening. Iraq’s top Shiite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, said on Friday that political leaders should agree on the next prime minister before the new parliament is formed next week.