Obama summons GOP, says no to short-term debt deal

Obama summons GOP, says no to short-term debt deal

President Barack Obama makes a statement to reporters about debt ceiling negotiations, Tuesday, July 5, 2011, in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama prodded Congress Tuesday to reach a sweeping long-term deal within two weeks to raise the nation's borrowing limit rather than "kick the can down the road" with a makeshift, short-term solution to stave off a first-ever U.S. default. And he declared the agreement must include the tax hikes Republicans strongly oppose.

Obama said he was summoning leaders of both parties to the White House on Thursday to try to get it done and beat an Aug. 2 deadline to avert a financial crisis that could shake economic markets worldwide.

Republicans sounded entirely unimpressed with Obama's insistence that the effort include tax increases for the wealthy and narrowed loopholes for oil companies as well as big cuts in government spending.

"We're not dealing just with talking points about corporate jets or other `loopholes,'" said House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio. "The legislation the president has asked for - which would increase taxes on small businesses and destroy more American jobs - cannot pass the House, as I have stated repeatedly."

Boehner said he'd be happy to join discussions at the White House but predicted they "will be fruitless until the president recognizes economic and legislative reality."

Underscoring the differences, there was even brief discussion about Obama's claim that progress had been made over the weekend when, as he put it, "my team and I had a series of discussions with congressional leaders in both parties."

After quick denials from some Republican spokesmen, at first, a congressional official said Boehner and Obama had met Sunday at the White House. That official spoke only on condition of anonymity concerning the private meeting. Obama spokesman Jay Carney declined to provide any details

In his remarks Tuesday, Obama said he strongly opposes a stopgap, short-term debt-limit increase, as suggested by some lawmakers. But he stopped short of ruling out a limited extension, and spokesman Carney later declined to say whether the president would veto such a measure.

Obama renewed his stand that any deal must include not only spending cuts but also new revenue - tax increases vehemently ruled out by many Republicans in Congress.

"We need to come together over the next two weeks to reach a deal that reduces the deficit and upholds the full faith and credit of the United States government and the credit of the American people," Obama said at the White House.

"We've made progress, and I believe that greater progress is within sight, but I don't what to fool anybody - we still have to work through some real differences," the president said.

He said congressional leaders from the House and Senate, both Republicans and Democrats, were being invited to meet on the issue Thursday at the White House. That would bring the top eight lawmakers together with Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and top administration financial officials.

Obama spoke as the Aug. 2 deadline for raising the nation's borrowing limit came closer. Experts say lawmakers must waste no time in making a deal if they are to have any chance of getting it finalized and passed through both chambers of Congress in time.

Despite the president's optimism, it remained unclear where compromise could be found. Republicans are insisting they will note vote to raise the debt limit without major spending cuts; Democrats are refusing to sign off on cuts of such magnitude without at least some tax increases as well. Republicans say they won't sign off on any tax hikes at all, including those Obama wants targeting the wealthiest Americans or closing loopholes to corporations.

The president called on lawmakers to "leave their ultimatums at the door," but he stuck to his - that any deal must include new tax revenue. "We need to take on spending in the tax code, spending on certain tax breaks and deductions for the wealthiest of Americans," Obama said. The White House is proposing about $400 billion in increased tax revenues.

In the Senate on Tuesday, Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., postponed a test vote on a Libya resolution amid increasing opposition from Republican lawmakers who insisted they should be working on financial security not national security. Several Republican senators had indicated they would oppose using the week debating the Libya measure.

All told, lawmakers and the administration are seeking deficit cuts in the range of $2.4 trillion over the coming decade to balance a similar increase in the debt limit - enough to keep the government afloat past the November 2012 election. Currently the debt limit is $14.3 trillion.

The administration says that if the government's borrowing limit is not increased by Aug. 2, the U.S. will face its first default ever, potentially throwing financial markets into turmoil.

Many congressional Republicans indicate they're unconvinced that such scenarios would occur, and some administration officials worry that it could take a financial calamity before Congress acts.

With the deadline nearing, the Senate canceled its July Fourth recess planned for this week.

In discussions led by Vice President Joe Biden that broke off late last month, Republican and Democratic negotiators found more than $1 trillion in potential spending cuts over the coming decade, including reductions favored by both sides.

A Democratic official said last week that of those cuts, roughly $200 billion would come mainly from savings from Medicaid and Medicare, the government health insurance programs for the poor and elderly. Another $200 billion would come from cuts in other automatically paid benefit programs, including farm subsidies. Another large chunk would come from cuts in discretionary spending that Congress approves

Casey Anthony cleared of murdering young daughter

Casey Anthony cleared of murdering young daughter

Casey Anthony, center, is overcome with emotion following her acquittal of murder charges at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, July 5, 2011. Anthony had been charged with killing her daughter, Caylee.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Casey Anthony's eyes welled with tears and her lips trembled as the verdict was read once, twice and then a third time: "Not guilty" of killing her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee.

Outside the courthouse, many in the crowd of 500 reacted with anger, chanting, "Justice for Caylee!" One man yelled, "Baby killer!"

In one of the most divisive verdicts since O.J. Simpson was acquitted in 1995 of murdering his wife, Anthony was cleared Tuesday of murder, manslaughter and child-abuse charges after weeks of wall-to-wall TV coverage and armchair-lawyer punditry that one of her attorneys denounced as "media assassination."

Anthony, 25, was convicted only of four misdemeanor counts of lying to investigators who were looking into the child's June 2008 disappearance.

Anthony could get up to a year behind bars on each count when she is sentenced Thursday. But since she has been in jail for nearly three years already, she could walk free. Had she been convicted of murder, she could have gotten the death penalty.

After a trial of a month and a half, the Florida Ninth Judicial Circuit Court jury took less than 11 hours to reach a verdict in a case that had become a national cable TV sensation, with its CSI-style testimony about the smell of death inside a car trunk and its storyline about a seemingly self-centered, hard-partying young mother.

Prosecutors contended that Anthony - a single mother living with her parents - suffocated Caylee with duct tape because she wanted to be free to hit the nightclubs and spend time with her boyfriend.

Defense attorneys argued that the little girl accidentally drowned in the family swimming pool, and that Anthony panicked and concealed the death because of the traumatic effects of sexual abuse by her father.

State's Attorney Lawson Lamar said: "We're disappointed in the verdict today because we know the facts and we've put in absolutely every piece of evidence that existed." The prosecutor lamented the lack of hard evidence, saying, "This is a dry-bones case. Very, very difficult to prove. The delay in recovering little Caylee's remains worked to our considerable disadvantage."

Anthony failed to report Caylee's disappearance for a month. The child's decomposed body was eventually found in the woods near her grandparents' home six months after she was last seen. A medical examiner was never able to establish how she died, and prosecutors had only circumstantial evidence that Caylee had been killed.

The jurors - seven women, five men - would not talk to the media and their identities were kept secret by the court.

The case played out on national television almost from the moment Caylee was reported missing three years ago. HLN's Nancy Grace approached the case with the zeal of the hard-nosed prosecutor she once was, arguing that Anthony - or "the tot mom," as Grace routinely called her - was responsible for her daughter's death.

Anthony's attorney Cheney Mason lashed out at the media after the verdict.

"Well, I hope that this is a lesson to those of you having indulged in media assassination for three years, bias, prejudice and incompetent talking heads saying what would be and how to be," Mason said.

Without mentioning Grace by name, he added: "I'm disgusted by some of the lawyers that have done this, and I can tell you that my colleagues from coast to coast and border to border have condemned this whole process of lawyers getting on television and talking about cases that they don't know a damn thing about."

The defense team gathered after the verdict to celebrate at a restaurant across the street from the courthouse. At one point Mason was seen in the window extending his middle finger toward the crowd outside.

Grace said after the jury's decision: "There is no way that this is a verdict that speaks the truth."

Given the relative speed with which the jury came back, many court-watchers were expecting Anthony to be convicted and were stunned by the outcome.

Anthony's parents left court quickly after the verdict without hugging or saying anything to Anthony. As court broke up, she smiled broadly and tightly hugged her lawyers.

"While we're happy for Casey, there are no winners in this case," Anthony attorney Jose Baez said after the verdict. "Caylee has passed on far, far too soon, and what my driving force has been for the last three years has been always to make sure that there has been justice for Caylee and Casey because Casey did not murder Caylee. It's that simple. And today our system of justice has not dishonored her memory by a false conviction."

Because the case got so much media attention in Orlando, jurors were brought in from the Tampa Bay area and sequestered for the entire trial, during which they listened to more than 33 days of testimony and looked at 400 pieces of evidence. Anthony did not take the stand.

The case became a macabre tourist attraction in Orlando. People camped outside for seats in the courtroom, and scuffles broke out among those desperate to watch the drama unfold.

In closing arguments, prosecutor Linda Drane Burdick showed the jury two side-by-side images. One showed Anthony smiling and partying in a nightclub during the first month Caylee was missing. The other was the tattoo Anthony got a day before law enforcement learned of the child's disappearance: the Italian words for "beautiful life."

"At the end of this case, all you have to ask yourself is whose life was better without Caylee?" Burdick asked. "This is your answer."

Prosecutors also focused heavily on an odor in the trunk of Anthony's car, which forensics experts said was consistent with the smell of human decay. But the defense argued that the air analysis could not be duplicated, and that maggots in the trunk had come from a bag of trash.

Prosecutors hammered away at the lies Anthony told when the child was missing: She told her parents that she couldn't produce Caylee because the girl was with a nanny named Zanny - a woman who doesn't exist; that she and her daughter were spending time with a rich boyfriend who doesn't exist; and that Zanny had been hospitalized after an out-of-town traffic crash and that they were spending time with her.

Baez said during closing arguments that the prosecutors' case was so weak they tried to portray Anthony as "a lying, no-good slut" and that their forensic evidence was based on a "fantasy." He said Caylee's death was "an accident that snowballed out of control."

He contended that the toddler drowned and that when Anthony panicked, her father, a former police officer, decided to make the death look like a murder by putting duct tape on the girl's mouth and dumping the body in the woods a quarter-mile away. Anthony's father denied both the cover-up and abuse claims.

The verdict could divide people for years to come, just as the Simpson case did, with some believing Anthony got away with murder.

Ti McLeod, who lives near the Anthony family, said, "The justice system has failed Caylee." Jodie Ickes, who lives a mile away and goes to the same hairdresser as Anthony, said she is against the death penalty and was glad that Casey wasn't facing execution. "I'm comfortable with the outcome," she concluded.

Among the trial spectators was 51-year-old Robin Wilkie, who said she has spent $3,000 on hotels and food since arriving June 10 from Lake Minnetonka, Minn. She tallied more than 100 hours standing in line to wait for tickets and got into the courtroom 15 times to see Anthony.

"True crime has become a unique genre of entertainment," Wilkie said. "Her stories are so extreme and fantastic, it's hard to believe they're true, but that's what engrosses people. This case has sex, lies and videotapes - just like on reality TV."

Four Phillies Named To NL All-Star Team

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – At least four Phillies will help make up the National League roster at the 2011 All-Star Game in Phoenix on July 12.

Placido Polanco, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels were all named All-Stars when the majority of the rosters were announced on Sunday.

Polanco was chosen by the fans as the starting third baseman, an honor he barely missed earning last year after he was overtaken by the Mets’ David Wright in the final week of voting.

For full story go to:

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Big Party Underway On The Parkway

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Fourth of July in Philadelphia wouldn’t be complete without a variety of activities along the Ben Franklin Parkway.

There was a somewhat cloudy sky but that didn’t put a dark cloud over the festivities.

For many, like Connie Plitt from Northeast Philadelphia, celebrating the Fourth on the parkway is a tradition. She and her family staked out their spot along early, complete with red, white and blue chairs along with a matching blanket and garland.

For full story go to:

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Farrar gives US a win on July 4 at Tour de France

Farrar gives US a win on July 4 at Tour de France

Tyler Farrar of the US forms a "W'' as he crosses the finish line to win the third stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 198 kilometers (123 miles) starting in Olonne sur Mer, Vendee region, and finishing in Redon, Brittany, western France, Monday July 4, 2011. Farrar held up his hands to form a "W'' with his fingers and thumbs to honor his friend and training partner Wouter Weylandt, who died in a crash during the Giro d'Italia in May. Farrar had pulled out of the Giro after Weylandt, a 26-year-old Belgian, clipped a wall in a sharp descent, fell off his bike and slammed his head on the ground in the third stage of the race, dying almost instantly.

REDON, France (AP) -- Two months ago, Tyler Farrar was demoralized, sleeping 20 hours a day. He had even stopped riding, overcome by sorrow after his best friend died in a crash at the Giro d'Italia.

On Monday, Farrar became the first American to win a stage of the Tour de France on the Fourth of July. It was the first time he had won a stage in cycling's showcase race, and he dedicated the victory to the late Wouter Weylandt of Belgium.

After crossing the finish line, Farrar held up his hands to form a "W" with his fingers and thumbs in tribute to Weylandt.

"This has been a horrible last two months with everything that happened in the Giro," Farrar said. "I've had a lot of ups and downs. But in the end, I wanted to be able to come back, and do something special to pay tribute, and this is certainly the biggest stage in the world to do that."

Farrar, a sprint specialist from Wenatchee, Wash., who rides for Garmin-Cervelo, sped ahead in the last few hundred yards of the 123-mile course from Olonne-sur-Mer to Redon to win the third stage. He has now won a stage in each of cycling's three-week major tours - France, Italy and Spain.

The previous American to win a Tour de France stage was Levi Leipheimer, who in 2007 was first in the individual time trial in Angouleme.

"I certainly would have taken it on any day," Farrar said. "But as an American, winning on the Fourth of July, it's the icing on the cake. ... Lucky me."

Norway's Thor Hushovd kept the Tour de France's yellow jersey. Hushovd, however, is a sprint specialist and is not expected to hold his lead through the mountains in the second and third weeks.

The top of the standings didn't change much after the mostly flat trip into western Brittany that included a ride on a wind-swept suspension bridge over the famed Loire River.

It was during the third stage of another race - the Giro in Italy on May 9 - when Weylandt clipped a wall on a steep descent. He fell off his bike and slammed his head on the ground, dying almost instantly. It was the first death of a rider at one of the major tours in 16 years.

"It's a little bit unbelievable to me at the moment that it actually happened," said Farrar, who pulled out of the Giro after the accident.

Jonathan Vaughters, the Garmin-Cervelo team manager, said that from the time Farrar was 15 years old Weylandt was his best friend.

"He was almost two weeks without riding his bike at all, and sleeping 20 hours every day, and just totally, totally, totally demoralized," he said. "But then he started training."

Farrar rode in the weeklong Dauphine Libere in France and the lesser-known Ster ZLM Tour in June. Vaughters said that was a "bit of a risk."

"It was probably the heaviest racing program of any sprinter," he said. "But we had to do it as an emergency to get him going because he had taken so much time off, which was understandable. But it got him in shape."

Vaughters said he wasn't going to push Farrar to ride again, adding that he would have understood if the 27-year-old American decided to wait until next year to race again.

"I simply said: 'Tyler when you are ready, we are ready to support you.'" he said. "That simple, really."

Farrar gave Garmin-Cervelo a second straight victory following a win in Sunday's time trial that left Hushovd with the yellow shirt.

Overall, Hushovd leads teammate David Millar of Britain, in second, by a split second. Cadel Evans of Australia of BMC is third, a second back. Three-time Tour champion Alberto Contador, who lost time Saturday after becoming entangled in a crash, is 69th - 1:42 behind the Norwegian.

Others looking to contend for the title on the Champs-Elysees on July 24 include 2010 runner-up Andy Schleck of Luxembourg and Bradley Wiggins of Britain. Schleck is eighth overall and Wiggins is 10th, each four seconds off the lead.

In Monday's final dash, the HTC-Highroad team of British sprint star Mark Cavendish lined up near the 2.4-mile mark to escort him to the finish line. But by the last few hundred yards, Hushovd and Farrar had zoomed ahead.

"To have the world champion and yellow jersey work for you to launch the sprint, it's crazy," Farrar said.

The American nosed ahead of France's Romain Feillu, who was second, and Spain's Jose Joaquin Rojas, who was third. Farrar and a pack all had the same time: 4 hours, 40 minutes, 21 seconds.

Five breakaway riders jumped out early in the stage from the coastal town of Olonne-sur-Mer, building a lead of as much as 8 minutes, 5 seconds by the 46-mile mark. The fast-moving pack reeled them all in with 5.5 miles to go.

The 2-mile blustery ride over the Loire River temporarily broke up the pack. Another challenge was a sprint at Saint-Hilaire-de-Chaleons, about halfway through the stage.

There, Cavendish's hopes of winning the green jersey - awarded to the best sprinter - took a bad turn. Hushovd cut ahead of him and Cavendish responded by burrowing his head into the Norwegian's back.

Race officials penalized both men by docking them to the last places in the pack for the intermediate sprint, costing them crucial points for the green jersey. Cavendish says winning it is a goal this year. Hushovd has won that jersey twice, and says he's not aiming for it this year.

Hushovd could be pressured for the lead as soon as Tuesday when the pack travels 107 miles from Lorient to Mur de Bretagne with a super-steep, 1.2-mile uphill finish.

For now, Garmin is reveling in two straight days of success on the Tour.

"Just keep drinking champagne, as long as my liver can handle it," Vaughters said.

And about the Independence Day win?

"Yeah, an American winning on Fourth of July, that's pretty good - I just thought of that," he said. "We're going to have to read the Constitution in the bus or something."

Jury begins deliberating in Casey Anthony trial

Jury begins deliberating in Casey Anthony trial

Casey Anthony with her attorney Dorothy Clay Sims on the last day of arguments in Anthony's murder trial at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Fla. on Monday, July 4, 2011. Anthony has plead not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee, and could face the death penalty if convicted of that charge.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Jurors began deliberating Monday in the Casey Anthony murder trial after hearing prosecutors argue the woman killed her 2-year-old daughter Caylee because the toddler interrupted her carefree partying and love life.

Prosecutors in their rebuttal closing argument earlier Monday said the defense's assertion that Caylee's death was an accident made no sense.

Anthony's attorneys say the girl drowned in the family's pool. They have said Anthony panicked and that her father, a former police officer, decided to make the death look like a homicide by placing duct tape over the child's mouth and dumping the body in some nearby woods. George Anthony has denied that.

Prosecutor Jeff Ashton told the jurors no one makes an innocent accident look like murder.

"That's absurd. Nothing has been presented to you to make that any less absurd," Ashton said. He also spent significant time reminding jurors about forensic evidence that he said links Anthony to her daughter's death, including the smell and chemical signature of decomposition in her car.

Anthony is charged with first-degree murder and six other charges. If convicted of first-degree murder, she could be sentenced to death or life in prison. The seven women and five men of the jury were chosen from the Tampa Bay area because of pretrial media coverage and have been sequestered in an Orlando hotel. They have listened to 33 days of testimony and another two days of closing arguments.

Lead prosecutor Linda Drane Burdick followed Ashton, telling the jurors that prosecutors presented every piece of evidence they promised in May during opening statements. Without saying it, she was pointing out that defense attorneys never presented direct evidence backing up their contentions that the child drowned.

She then hammered on the lies Casey Anthony, then 22, told from June 16, 2008, when her daughter last seen, and a month later when sheriff's investigators were notified. Those include the single mother telling her parents that she couldn't produce Caylee because the girl was with a nanny named Zanny, a woman who doesn't exist; that she and her daughter were spending time in Jacksonville with a rich boyfriend who doesn't exist; and that Zanny had been hospitalized after an out-of-town traffic crash and that they were spending time with her.

"Responses to grief are as varied as the day is long, but responses to guilt are oh, so predictable," Drane Burdick said. "What do guilty people do? They lie. They avoid. They run. They mislead, not just to their family, but the police. They divert attention away from themselves and they act like nothing is wrong. That's why you heard about what happened in those 31 days."

Burdick concluded the state's case by showing the jury two side-by-side images. One showed Casey Anthony smiling and partying in a nightclub during the month Caylee was missing. The other was of the "beautiful life" tattoo she got a day before her family and law enforcement first learned of the child's disappearance.

"At the end of this case, all you have to ask yourself is whose life was better without Caylee?" Burdick asked. "This is your answer."

Anthony sat stone faced during much of the prosecutors' arguments, but occasionally shook her head in disagreement and spoke under her breath.

Defense attorneys contend Anthony's lies and erratic behavior were brought on by her grief over her dead child and the sexual abuse she suffered as a child from her father. George Anthony has denied that allegation, and the judge said no evidence has been presented to support it.

Defense attorney Jose Baez said during his closing argument Sunday that the prosecutors' case was so weak they tried to portray Anthony as "a lying, no-good slut" and that their forensic evidence was based on a "fantasy." He said Caylee's death was "an accident that snowballed out of control."

Baez began his closing argument Sunday with his biggest question: How did Caylee die? Neither prosecutors nor the defense have offered firm proof.

He attacked the prosecution's forensic evidence. He said air analysis of the trunk of Anthony's car, which allegedly showed air molecules consistent with decomposition, could not be duplicated. No one could prove a stain found in the trunk was caused by Caylee's body decomposing there. And witnesses showed maggots found in the trunk came from a bag of trash that was found there, he said.

"They throw enough against the wall and see what sticks. That is what they're doing ... right down to the cause of death," Baez said. He conceded his client had told elaborate lies and invented imaginary friends and even a fake father for Caylee, but he said that doesn't mean she killed her daughter.

Baez also attacked George Anthony as unreliable. He said a suicide note that George Anthony wrote in January 2009 that claimed no knowledge of what happened to Caylee was self-serving and the attempt was a fraud. He said George Anthony claimed he was going to kill himself with a six-pack of beer and some high-blood pressure medicine.

US celebrates July 4th with parades, barbecues

US celebrates July 4th with parades, barbecues

Spectators wave flags as the USS Constitution fires its cannons off Castle Island in Boston on its annual 4th of July turn around in Boston Harbor, Monday, July 4, 2011.

NEW YORK (AP) -- The U.S. marked the 235th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence with parades, fireworks, barbecues - plus presidential campaigning, a White House birthday and competitive eating.

Thousands were showing up near the Washington Monument to eagerly await the annual fireworks show on the National Mall, while others were throwing on Hawaiian shirts and shorts to ski the still-snowy slopes at resorts from California to Colorado.

In Boston, the annual Boston Pops concert was a must. In Akron, Ohio, the Rib, White & Blue Food Festival was enticing. And then, there were Nevada's casinos, which promised a pyrotechnics extravaganza that could be a gambler's best bet.

On New York's Coney Island, the annual Nathan's Famous July Fourth hot dog-eating contest brought out the biggest names in competitive eating for a clash that was short in timespan but high in calories.

Joey "Jaws" Chestnut, of San Jose, Calif., wolfed down 62 hot dogs and buns during the 10-minute contest, winning his fifth straight title. Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas chowed her way to victory in the first-ever women-only contest, eating 40 hot dogs, one shy of her 2009 total.

For 28-year-old New Yorker Matthew Penberg, the holiday is a day off from his job as a bus boy.

"I get to take a break and go to the beach," he said. "And today is the day people, Americans, demanded their rights. I don't think we're there yet. I think we should have a right to a job, but a lot of people have to look for it."

At the mountaintop home to Thomas Jefferson in Charlottesville, Va., officials continued a nearly five-decade-old tradition of swearing in new U.S. citizens. Seventy-seven people took their oaths during a naturalization ceremony at Monticello.

The holiday is celebrated as the nation's birthday, but it also was Malia Obama's 13th birthday. The president's eldest daughter had to share her parents with hundreds of others as Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama invited troops and their families to attend a special barbecue and USO concert on the South Lawn.

Some of the Republicans hoping to replace Obama in the White House spent part of the day campaigning in states where presidential politics are as much a part of the holiday as fireworks and barbecues

U.S. Rep. Michelle Bachmann, of Minnesota, marched in a parade in Clear Lake, Iowa. In New Hampshire, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman both marched in the Amherst parade. Businessman and GOP hopeful Herman Cain skipped the parades but threw out the first pitch at a minor league baseball game in Manchester, N.H.

"Aside from the politicking and the handshaking and the enthusiasm that our campaign is determined to generate in this state, we're going to reflect on what it means to be an American," Huntsman told reporters. "To share inalienable rights, to share our Constitutional privileges."

In New York, where fireworks are banned on city streets, residents were waiting for a massive display over the Hudson River set to music.

Resident Karina Suriano, 23, wore patriotic colors and bright red feather earrings as she sold beach supplies in Brooklyn. For her, the holiday is a cash cow.

"It means money to me," she said with a grin.

She sold a water gun to the mother of 8-year-old Dejairah Mooreland. What does the holiday signify to her?

"Indepencendy!" the little girl exclaimed, not quite getting the holiday's name right. "Freedom! America!"

Chavez's future uncertain after cancer surgery

Chavez's future uncertain after cancer surgery

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez raises a fist as he holds a copy of a Venezuelan newspaper at the Maiquetia Airport near Caracas, Venezuela, Monday July 4, 2011. Chavez returned to Venezuela from Cuba on Monday morning, stepping off a plane hours before dawn and saying he is feeling better as he recovers from surgery that removed a cancerous tumor.

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Hugo Chavez's surprise return from Cuba after cancer treatment was a classic maneuver for a president who excels at showmanship. It's also likely to give him a political boost as supporters rally around their ailing leader.

The 56-year-old president projected a strong, vibrant image as he stepped off a plane early Monday. Smiling, he hugged his vice president, broke into song and later raised a fist in triumph.

"It's the beginning of my return!" he declared.

Despite the confident image, doubts about his future re-emerged as he suggested later in the day that he still isn't ready for a full comeback.

He told state television by telephone that he doesn't expect to attend celebrations Tuesday marking the 200th anniversary of Venezuela's independence from Spain. Normally, Chavez would be front and center at the patriotic event.

Still, for a president who knows how to command attention, his surprise return was signature Chavez and sent a powerful message that he remains in control. During nearly a month in Cuba, uncertainty has swirled in Venezuela, both about how sick he is and what would happen if cancer were to force him from power.

The long-term political impacts of fighting cancer for a leader who thrives on the spotlight remain unclear. But Chavez will likely play up his plight to rally his movement as he looks ahead to 2012 elections, in which his allies say they are convinced he will still be their candidate.

Unanswered questions about Chavez's health abound. He has said he underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor, and his foreign minister said it was extracted from the same part of the "pelvic region" where Chavez had an abscess removed in Cuba on June 11. Chavez hasn't said what type of cancer is involved nor whether he is receiving chemotherapy, radiation or another treatment.

Based on Chavez's account, medical experts said it's most likely he has colorectal cancer, but Chavez has not confirmed that.

Many Chavez supporters were thrilled just to have him back Monday, and hundreds celebrated in the Plaza Bolivar in downtown Caracas, holding pictures of the president and chanting "Viva Chavez!" and "He's back!"

Elsa Gonzalez, a 61-year-old building maintenance worker, said she had stopped cooking breakfast when she saw Chavez on TV at the Caracas airport.

"I shouted with excitement," she said, teary-eyed as she joined the revelers in the plaza. "God is going to lay his hands on his body and is going to heal him completely."

Vice President Elias Jaua denied that Chavez's socialist-inspired Bolivarian Revolution movement is threatened and said Chavez was back in the presidential palace. He was scheduled to address supporters from the balcony later in the day.

"He doesn't need to go to the hospital at this time," Jaua said.

Chavez's opponents have criticized the lack of details about his illness.

Leading opposition lawmaker Alfonso Marquina said Chavez's return puts an end to the "irregular situation" of having a president governing from Cuba, but he said much has yet to be explained.

"We don't know exactly what the president's illness is, what treatment he needs and what consequences this treatment will bring," Marquina told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "What we demand is greater responsibility, no only on the president's part but by all of those high in the government to inform the Venezuelan people properly about the president's real situation."

Chavez has been dominant in Venezuela during more than 12 years in office, and his absence created a void that he clearly wanted to fill.

Ever the political survivor, Chavez's many returns have historically helped him energize his base. Nearly a decade ago, Chavez bounced back in triumph after a 2002 coup briefly ousted him. A decade earlier, when he led his own failed coup in 1992, he said his objectives had not been reached "for now" - a hint of the come-from-behind presidential bid that would sweep him to power.

Chavez returned Monday to a city of freshly painted murals bearing his face and those of the country's 19th-century independence heroes. Yellow, blue and red Venezuelan flags were everywhere downtown, fluttering from lamp posts and over doorways under sunny skies.

The mood among Chavez's supporters was festive. Some acknowledged Chavez faces an uncertain future but said they felt hopeful and relieved, especially after seeing him looking much healthier than he did on TV several days ago.

"If that illness is attacked in time, people get through it," said Xioraima Garcia, a 56-year-old lawyer who came to the plaza to celebrate with the crowd.

Asked how she thinks the situation will affect Chavez politically, she said: "What he's going through has strengthened him more."

Jaua, Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro and other confidants have stepped up their appearances in Chavez's absence, insisting they remained unified. Chavez's elder brother, Adan, also has taken on a higher profile, at one point threatening armed struggle to continue the president's socialist revolution.

With his return, Chavez has the potential to fill that gap, but political observers will be watching closely to see how often he appears in public, whether he has the stamina to keep up a full schedule, and whether he might be quietly making plans to throw his support behind any of his allies and potential heirs.

Adam Isacson, an analyst at the think tank the Washington Office on Latin America, said Chavez should enjoy a boost for now.

"Hugo Chavez's illness will generate a lot of sympathy for him," Isacson said, adding that it's similar to what Argentine President Cristina Fernandez enjoyed in her poll ratings after her husband's death.

"It is already moving Venezuela's political debate away from themes that don't work to the president's advantage, like crime, power shortages, the economy, and concentration of power in the presidency," Isacson said. "On the other hand, it also moves the debate in directions that Chavez would not want to see it go. For the first time in years, Venezuelans are thinking about what a post-Chavez era might look like. This raises concerns about the lack of an heir-apparent."

Chavez appeared eager to counter such doubts.

"Here I am, at home and very happy!" Chavez said in a message on Twitter sent Monday morning. "Good morning, my beloved Venezuela!"

He went to Cuba on June 8 for what ostensibly was a previously scheduled visit. Chavez has said he underwent an initial operation June 11 to have a pelvic abscess removed.

After an 18-day silence, a video was shown Thursday in which a thinner, visibly weakened Chavez said he had undergone a second surgery to remove a cancerous, abscessed tumor.

While Chavez sang and embraced well-wishers at Caracas' airport about 2 a.m. local time (2:30 a.m. EDT; 0630 GMT), he was not shown ascending the airplane's stairs in Cuba or descending them in Venezuela.

At the Caracas airport, he raised a fist as he held up a newspaper showing the Venezuelan soccer team's better-than-expected performance Sunday against Brazil.

He later told Venezuela state television he didn't plan to attend widely anticipated bicentennial celebrations Tuesday, which include a military parade.

"I don't think I can accompany you in the official acts tomorrow, but I am here and will be with all of you from my command post in the heart of Caracas," Chavez said.

He added that he planned to consult with doctors before meeting with his government.

"I just finished checking the medical schedule, before anything," Chavez said. He said his medical care would come "before anything."

Lee Stumbles In Eighth, Phillies Lose To Blue Jays

TORONTO (AP) — All but untouchable in June, Cliff Lee’s streak of success came to a stunning halt in his first July start.

Jose Bautista hit his major league-leading 27th home run, one of three Toronto homers in a four-run eighth, and the Blue Jays snapped Lee’s scoreless innings streak at 34 with a 7-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday to avoid a three-game sweep.

For full story go to:

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Wawa Welcome America Festivities Kick In To High Gear Over Next Two Days

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The Welcome America bandwagon keeps rolling. Sunday’s events promise to satisfy almost any appetite.

The fun didn’t end with last night’s fireworks over the Delaware. Penn’s Landing’s the place to be today for treats for the eyes and ears. The Super Scooper All-You-Can-Eat Ice Cream Festival dishes up frozen treats from more than 20 vendors for just $7. Proceeds benefit efforts to lick pediatric leukemia.

For full story go to: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Four Under Age 18 Die In Chester County Car Crash

COATESVILLE, Pa. (CBS/AP) – Authorities say four people under the age of 18 have died in a car crash in suburban Philadelphia.

Police say the single-vehicle crash occurred just before 1 a.m. Sunday in West Brandywine Township in Chester County.

For full story go to:

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Toddler, Man Dead, 3 Others Critically Wounded In Douglass Township Shooting, Gunman Remains At Large

DA Kevin Steele

DOUGLASS TOWNSHIP, Pa. (CBS/AP) – Authorities say a shooting at a rural home in suburban Philadelphia killed a 5-year-old boy and a man and critically injured three other people. A manhunt is under way for the shooter.

People who live near Renninger Road and Hoffmansville Road in the Bechtelsville section of Douglass Township were told to stay inside their homes, as police from more than a half-dozen municipalities investigated a multiple shooting that left this Montgomery County community on edge.

For full story go to:

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

New No. 1 Djokovic beats Nadal for Wimbledon title

New No. 1 Djokovic beats Nadal for Wimbledon title

Serbia's Novak Djokovic lifts the trophy after defeating Spain's Rafael Nadal in the men's singles final at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon, Sunday, July 3, 2011.

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Until Sunday, Novak Djokovic never managed to win a grass-court tournament of any sort, let alone Wimbledon.

Until Sunday, Djokovic never was able to beat Rafael Nadal in a Grand Slam match, let alone a final.

Until this marvelous - and nearly perfect - year, Djokovic was very good. Now he's great.

After outrunning, outswinging and, for stretches, dominating defending champion Nadal, winning 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 for his first title at the All England Club and third major championship overall, Djokovic crouched on Center Court, reached down, plucked some blades of grass and shoved them in his mouth.

"I felt like an animal. I wanted to see how it tastes. It tastes good," Djokovic said later, his eyes wide and his smile contagious. "It came spontaneously, really. I didn't plan to do it. I didn't know what to do for my excitement and joy."

Putting together one of the best seasons by any athlete in any sport in recent memory, Djokovic is 48-1 with eight titles in 2011, including major trophies from the Australian Open and Wimbledon. On Monday, he will rise from No. 2 to No. 1 in the ATP rankings, overtaking Nadal, a switch that was guaranteed by virtue of Djokovic's victory in the semifinals Friday.

"I want to win more Grand Slams," said Djokovic, the first man since Andre Agassi in 1992 to win his first grass title at Wimbledon. "I will not definitely stop here, even though I have achieved (the) two biggest things in my life in three days."

Which, perhaps, is why he engaged in such a lengthy and original celebration, even tossing several rackets into the stands, the sort of crowd-pleasing gesture for which Djokovic (it's pronounced JOE-ko-vich) long has been known.

Indeed, early in his career, Djokovic stood out less for his shot-making than for his showmanship - check out his spot-on impersonations of other pros, including Nadal, on YouTube - and a hard-to-explain propensity for losing, or even quitting during, late-round matches at majors.

Right now, though, the 24-year-old from Serbia is the total package, with the bona fides to prove it.

He credits a handful of factors with helping him truly excel recently: more maturity; confidence from helping Serbia win its first Davis Cup title in December; and a gluten-free diet he doesn't like to discuss in any detail.

Djokovic's only loss all season came against 16-time major champion Roger Federer in the French Open semifinals a month ago, Djokovic's seventh exit from a Grand Slam tournament in the final four.

For so many years, Federer and Nadal ruled tennis. One or the other was No. 1 every week since February 2004. One or the other won 22 of the last 26 Grand Slam tournaments, including Nadal's 10 titles.

But now Djokovic owns three of the other four trophies in that span - 2009 U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro has the other - and finally elbowed his way past that pair in the rankings.

"We all know the careers of Nadal and Federer. ... They have been the two most dominant players in the world the last five years. They have won most of the majors," Djokovic said. "So sometimes it did feel a little bit frustrating when you kind of get to the later stages of a Grand Slam - meaning last four, last eight - and then you have to meet them. They always come up with their best tennis when it matters the most. ... I always believed that I have (enough) quality to beat those two guys."

Djokovic was 0-5 against Nadal at Grand Slam tournaments entering Sunday - including retirements from a 2006 French Open quarterfinal and 2007 Wimbledon semifinal.

A more significant head-to-head record, though, is one both men acknowledged played a role Sunday: Remarkably, Djokovic is 5-0 against Nadal this year, all in tournament finals, two on hard courts, two on clay courts, and now one on grass.

"When one player beat you five times, (it's) because today my game don't bother him a lot," Nadal said after his 20-match Wimbledon winning streak ended. "Probably, the mental part is little bit dangerous for me."

That showed at the first key point, 40 minutes into the final. Djokovic led 5-4, but neither player was having the least bit of trouble holding serve. Nadal went up 30-love in that 10th game, but Djokovic then won four consecutive points to claim the first set.

"Rafael was too nervous at that big moment," said Toni Nadal, the player's coach and uncle.

Djokovic ran away with the second set, by doing precisely what Nadal has to so many opponents: sprinting to chase down apparent winners and get them back over the net, extending the point. According to the AP's tally, Djokovic won 18 of the match's 28 points that lasted 10 strokes or more.

"When you play against these players, and they are playing unbelievable, the normal thing is (to) lose," said Nadal, who punched his racket after missing one forehand in the last game.

Djokovic's forehand was mostly on-target. He hit 22 winners and only four unforced errors through two sets, and never faced a break point - or even was taken to deuce - on his serve during that span.

But there was no way it could continue to be that easy, both because Djokovic simply couldn't sustain that level of spectacular play forever, and because the resilient Nadal wasn't likely to pack it in.

As gray clouds began to gather overhead, shutting out the azure sky, Nadal picked up his game, and Djokovic finally faltered somewhat, saying later: "I relaxed a little bit too much in the start of the third set. I wasn't focused."

Nadal broke twice in that set, the second time when Djokovic contributed his lone double-fault of the afternoon, and suddenly it appeared that things were more competitive. As it turned out, the third set was merely a half-hour aberration during a 2 1/2-hour coronation, because Djokovic regained the upper hand.

He led 4-3 in the fourth set when Nadal played a shaky game, double-faulting, pushing a backhand wide, then slapping a forehand into the net on an 11-stroke point that Djokovic kept alive by sliding into position and nearly doing the splits while hitting a backhand.

That gave Djokovic three break points, and on the second, Nadal missed a backhand on the 15th stroke.

Now with a chance to serve it out, Djokovic was cool and composed - and even a little crafty, playing serve-and-volley for only the third time all match. His backhand volley gave him a championship point, and Djokovic converted it when Nadal sent a backhand long.

As Djokovic reveled in his newfound status as Wimbledon winner, Nadal was left to contemplate his first loss to someone other than Federer in a Grand Slam final.

During this tournament, Djokovic recalled watching Wimbledon two decades ago as a kid in war-torn Serbia and thinking that he'd love to play tennis. On Sunday, there he was, on the most famous court in the world, with Serbian President Boris Tadic up in the Royal Box.

Djokovic already was the first man from Serbia to win any Grand Slam title. Now he's the first to win Wimbledon and the first to earn the No. 1 ranking, and he'll be feted at a downtown square in Belgrade on Monday.

Whatever Djokovic had to overcome - a lack of self-belief and fitness issues, among them - the biggest obstacles might very well have been a couple of guys named Federer and Nadal.

"It's very hard for four years to be No. 3, you know? You cannot (make this) step, this one step to move on. Now he did it, so this is the most important thing," Djokovic's mother, Dijana, said Sunday evening.

When a reporter began a question by saying, "For years, it's been Rafa, Roger, Rafa, Roger," Mom interrupted to clarify: "Yeah, now it's Novak, Novak, Novak."

Casey Anthony weeps as prosecutor calls her a liar

Casey Anthony weeps as prosecutor calls her a liar

Casey Anthony reacts while listening to the state's closing arguments in her murder trial in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, July 3, 2011. Anthony has plead not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee, and could face the death penalty, if convicted.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Casey Anthony briefly wept Sunday as prosecutors told jurors during closing arguments that she murdered her 2-year-old daughter Caylee to reclaim the carefree life she had before the girl was born.

Prosecutors portrayed Anthony as a young mother who killed her daughter because she got in the way of her love life.

"Something needed to be sacrificed, that something was either the life she wanted or the life thrust upon her. She chose to sacrifice her child," prosecutor Jeff Ashton said during his 90-minute argument.

Defense attorney Jose Baez said the prosecutors' case was so weak they tried to portray Anthony as "a lying, no-good slut" and that their forensic evidence was based on a "fantasy." He said Caylee's death was "an accident that snowballed out of control."

Prosecutors contend Caylee was suffocated with duct tape by her mother, who then crafted elaborate lies to mislead investigators and her parents. Defense attorneys countered that the toddler accidentally drowned in the family swimming pool, and that Casey in fact was hiding emotional distress caused by alleged sexual abuse from her father. Her father has denied that claim.

Judge Belvin Perry ruled Sunday morning that there was no evidence of such abuse and that the defense could not allude to it in closing arguments. Jury deliberations are now expected to begin Monday after the prosecution gives its rebuttal arguments.

Baez began his closing argument by telling jurors they have more questions than answers, including the biggest: How did Caylee die? Neither prosecutors nor the defense have offered firm proof of how Caylee died.

"It can never be proven," he said.

Baez spent most of his four-hour argument attacking the prosecution's forensic evidence. He said the prosecution's air analysis of the trunk of Anthony's car, which allegedly showed air molecules consistent with decomposition, could not be duplicated. He said no one could prove a stain found in the trunk was caused by Caylee's body decomposing there. And witnesses showed maggots found in the trunk came from a bag of trash that was found there, he said.

"They throw enough against the wall and see what sticks. That is what they're doing ... right down to the cause of death," Baez said. He later conceded his client had told elaborate lies and invented imaginary friends and even a fake father for Caylee, but he said that doesn't mean she killed her daughter.

He also attacked Anthony's father, George Anthony, as unreliable. He said that a suicide note that George Anthony wrote in January 2009 that claimed no knowledge of what happened to Caylee was self-serving and that the attempt was a fraud. He said George Anthony claimed he was going to kill himself with a six-pack of beer and some high-blood pressure medicine.

Earlier during prosecution's closing argument, Casey Anthony appeared mostly stone-faced for about the first 45 minutes, but she began to cry when Ashton said the story that Caylee drowned was also false.

Ashton, the prosecutor, said Caylee's death wasn't an accident because three pieces of duct tape were placed on her face - one on the mouth, one on the nose and one over those to be "thorough."

The case has played out on national TV since Caylee's disappearance in the summer of 2008 and continued through her mother's trial, with spectators traveling from all over the U.S. to jockey for coveted seats in the courtroom gallery. Anthony, a single mother, was 22 when her daughter died. No one has come forward as the father of Caylee.

Ashton began his closing argument by showing a video of Anthony playing with Caylee, causing Anthony to apparently choke back tears. But she quickly regained her composure.

He then told the jury that Anthony worried Caylee was getting to the age where she would have told Anthony's parents that the woman was spending her days and nights with her boyfriend - not going to work and leaving Caylee with a nanny.

"Casey is very bright," Ashton said. "Her lies are very detailed. ... But when Casey wants to do what Casey wants to do, she finds a way."

The prosecutor then described the lies Anthony told her parents, George and Cindy Anthony, about why she couldn't come home and why she couldn't produce Caylee after the toddler was last seen June 16, 2008: that she was with a nanny named Zanny, a woman who doesn't exist; that Anthony and her daughter were spending time in Jacksonville with a rich boyfriend who doesn't exist; and that Zanny had been hospitalized after an out-of-town traffic accident and that they were spending time with her.

It only fell apart, Ashton said, a month later when a junk yard told George and Cindy Anthony their daughter's car had been towed. When they picked it up, they discovered a foul odor - George Anthony, a former police officer, and the tow yard operator said it smelled like human decomposition.

Cindy Anthony then tracked down her daughter. When she couldn't produce Caylee, her parents called police. Casey Anthony then told investigators she worked at Universal Studios theme park as an event planner. She went so far as to take them there, talk her way past security, take them to an office building. She gave up the lie as she was walking down the hall.

Ashton then attacked the defense contention that Caylee drowned and that George Anthony helped Casey Anthony cover it up. No one faced with an accidental drowning would do that instead of calling 911, Ashton said.

"It is a trip down a rabbit hole into a bizarre world where men who love their granddaughters find them drowned and do nothing," Ashton said. "Where men who love their granddaughters take an accident, a completely innocent act, and make it look like a murder for no reason. A world where a man who buries his pets will take the granddaughter who was the love of his life and throw her in a swamp."

Baez conceded that Anthony told elaborate lies, but he said those inventions should have signaled to investigators that "there's something wrong with this girl."

"Instead, they had a murder case, and that was it. That was all they were interested in was evidence of murder. There's nothing sexy about a drowning," Baez said.

Judge Perry angrily stopped Baez's closing arguments after he referred to Ashton as "this laughing guy." Television showed Ashton smiling behind his hand at Baez's contention that the prosecution's forensic evidence was based on fantasy. One of Perry's written orders is that the attorneys not show emotion to the other side's statements.

Ashton apologized and said he tried to hide his expressions. Baez also apologized. Perry warned all of the attorneys that any other incidents would result in that attorney's removal from the trial.

Casey Anthony has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. She could face a possible death sentence or life in prison if convicted of that charge.

Anthony also is charged with aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter of a child and four counts of providing false information to law enforcement. The child abuse and manslaughter charges each carry a 30-year prison term if convicted.

Mock NBA Draft: 76ers Meet My Cousins Thomasine “Angel” And Morris Twins. By Van Stone frontpagenews1@yahoo.com (267) 293-9201

Mock NBA Draft: 76ers Meet My Cousins Thomasine “Angel” And Morris Twins.By Van Stone frontpagenews1@yahoo.com (267) 293-9201

Morris Twins: Markieff Morris, Number 21 and Marcus Morris, Number 22. Their mother, Thomasine "Angel" Morris guided them to represent the hometown Philadelphia, Pa.

“Miss Angel," Thomasine “Angel” Morris from Philadelphia, PA that is, as the players affectionately call her, is the unofficial mother of the Kansas Jayhawks. She is also the unofficial mom of the many children who have survived the mean streets of North, parts of Southwest and even South Philly. And did I mention that she is Van Stone’s cousin?

On Sept. 2, 1989, Markieff Morris and Marcus Morris, (my cousins), were born seven minutes apart in North Philadelphia. On June 23, 2011, the twin brothers and former University of Kansas standouts were chosen back-to-back, just seven minutes and 13 seconds apart, in the 2011 NBA draft, in Newark, N.J., about two hours away from their place of birth. Both Twins were the Kansas and Prep Charter products from Philly.

The twin brother Markieff, a 6-9 ½, 245-pound power forward who led the Big 12 in rebounding (8.3) and shooting percentage (58.9 percent), went to the Phoenix Suns with the 13th selection in the first round of this year's entry draft. Minutes later, the Houston Rockets chose Marcus with the 14th pick in the first round.

“Angel” Morris, mom of twins Markieff and Marcus Morris, learned early the value of family, academics, achievement, graduation, and determination. She first discovered her twin sons love for basketball in high school where the twins announced their ambition to become proud sports club players. The twins would rise in basketball and with decent grades went through Prep Charter School, which is located at 1928 Point Breeze Ave., Philadelphia, PA. Eventually they went to Kansas University. It took only 5 years, (2 years in City High School sports and 3 years in the Southwest Regional NCAA college basketball) for the twins to find themselves on their way to the National Basketball Association (NBA). Angel’s skillfully watched over her twins in to the 2011 NBA Draft.

It's a great story that of Angel and her sons, who left Philadelphia when Markieff and Marcus moved to the city of Lawrence, Kansas to attend college. She returned to Philadelphia as a most inspirational story of motherhood. Miss Angel has taught youth a special love of family. She has helped the youth of our town see that their world and ideas are really important. When her sons became a bigger part of the Kansas Jayhawks program, so did Miss Angel.

Coaches, players, and critics have been captivated by Angel’s parental guidance and the Morris Twins’ explosive play as well as their steady secondary education in the NCAA.

Angel, Markeiff, and Marcus devoted themselves to schooling as their method for coping with tragic incidents (they were victims of a house fire), crime (they survived a gun-violence neighborhood), and troubled environmental district (they dealt with energy waste, dilapidated buildings and homes, bullying, and low-income) in Philly. Education and hard work were keys to their achievements.

The Morris Twins and their mother Miss Angel used athletics and self-esteem as treatment tools to serve Philadelphia society though the excellence of their achievements. They are from part of the rich history of black women, men, and youth in Philadelphia. They rose from difficulties to success in the field of human endeavor, athletics, education, and helping to improve the quality of life. This makes their story very special and worth honoring.

Sayyed Muhammad Of Philadelphia Latest Addition To Phila. Front Page News As Entertainment Staff Writer.

Sayyed Muhammad Of Philadelphia Latest Addition To Phila. Front Page News, www.fpnnews.us, As Entertainment Staff Writer.


Sayyed Muhammad at left.

Sayyed Muhammad, writer/filmmaker, currently a student at Temple University in Communications, is a native of North Philadelphia. He is a former retail executive and has been a filmmaker since 2003. In 2007 he became well known as a TV Producer with his hit international show "IN THE ZONE" which was a music video show for Indie artists in Hip Hop and R&B, and was created by Independent artists for Independent artists. Then in 2009 he produced a popular short film for 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson) titled "Black Cease in Crime Wave". He has produced other TV shows such as "Entertainment Talk Show with Mr. All Business" and several popular Youtube shows, such as "The Industry" promoting independent art. He also co-created www.isetv.net a web site where artists of any genre can register for free and display their work and promote it and or sell it. Visitors to the site may also immerse themselves in the community of other artist members of the site. Sayyed is the founder of JMF Video Production Internship located at Temple University for senior students and graduates at Temple, Rowan University, Pitt, UDel, Syracuse University and UArts. In 2008 Sayyed wrote "Nicetown" a horror story for Warner Brothers Pictures.

Howard’s 2-Run Single Lifts Phillies By Blue Jays

TORONTO (AP) – Ryan Howard hit a go-ahead two-run single in the ninth inning and the Philadelphia Phillies rallied past the Toronto Blue Jays 7-6 Friday.

Trailing 6-5 heading into the ninth against Blue Jays closer Frank Francisco, Placido Polanco led off with a walk and Chase Utley followed with a fly to left that Juan Rivera misplayed into a double, putting runners at second and third. Howard followed with a two-run single to center, giving Francisco (1-4) his fourth blown save in 13 chances.

For full story go to:

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Jury Hears Opening Arguments In Danieal Kelly Wrongful Death Case

Danieal Kelly in undated family photo.

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A Philadelphia jury has now heard opening statements in the case against three people, the father and two social service agency workers, charged in connection with the neglect and starvation death of Danieal Kelly, 14, who weighed just 42 lbs. when she died. All three defendants have pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutor Jennifer Selber has told the jury Daniel Kelly was a cruel, abusive neglectful father. He did not want to care for his profoundly disabled daughter, did not want to see her again and ultimately abandoned her to her unfit mother, who watched Danieal die and later pleaded guilty to murder and is now serving a 20-40 year sentence.

For full story go to: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Philadelphia Flyers Sign Jaromir Jagr To 1-Year, $3.3M Contract

Jaromir Jagr

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Free-agent forward Jaromir Jagr on Friday surprised many around the league, signing a one-year contract with the Flyers.

Jagr, 39, the former NHL MVP who has spent the past three seasons playing in Russia, this week mulled over a one-year offer to rejoin the Penguins, his original team, before ultimately deciding to play on the other end of Pennsylvania.

For full story go to:

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Nadal beats Murray to reach Wimbledon final

Nadal beats Murray to reach Wimbledon final

Spain's Rafael Nadal reacts during his men's semifinal match against Britain's Andy Murray at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon, Friday, July 1, 2011.

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Defending champion Rafael Nadal reached the Wimbledon final for the fifth time with a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 win over Andy Murray on Friday.

After Murray won a close first set, the match turned dramatically in Nadal's favor early in the second set. The fourth-seeded Briton was leading 2-1 and over-hit an easy forehand that would have given him two break points.

Instead, Nadal won the next seven games before easing to victory and a place in Sunday's final against second-seeded Novak Djokovic.

Murray appeared to be slowed by a hip problem as he tried to become the first British man since 1938 to reach the final.

Nadal, who himself has a left foot injury, is unbeaten in 20 matches at Wimbledon since losing to Roger Federer in the 2007 final.

Vulnerable feel the pinch of Minn. gov't shutdown

Vulnerable feel the pinch of Minn. gov't shutdown

Barriers were in place on the road in front of the Minnesota State Capitol Friday, July 1, 2011 in St. Paul, Minn., after negotiations over the state budget between Republican lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton broke down and the government shutdown at midnight.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- The blind are losing reading services. A help line for the elderly has gone silent. And poor families are scrambling after the state stopped child care subsidies.

Hours after a political impasse forced a widespread government shutdown, Minnesota's most vulnerable residents and about 22,000 laid-off state employees began feeling the effects on Friday. With no immediate end in sight to a dispute over taxes and spending, political leaders spent the day blaming each other for their failure to pass a budget that solves the state's $5 billion deficit.

Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton and GOP legislative leaders said they had no plans to talk over the holiday weekend, guaranteeing the shutdown will linger at least well into next week. Dayton said he thought lawmakers should spend time in their districts talking to constituents.

In the absence of talks, the shutdown was rippling into the lives of people like Sonya Mills, a 39-year-old mother of eight facing the loss of about $3,600 a month in state child care subsidies. Until the government closure, Mills had been focused on recovering from a May 22 tornado that displaced her from a rented home in Minneapolis. Now she's adding a new problem to her list.

"It just starts to have a snowball effect. It's like you are still in the wind of the tornado," said Mills, who works at a temp agency and was allowed to take time off as she gets back on her feet - but after the shutdown also has to care for her six youngest children, ages 3 through 14, because she lost state funding for their daycare and other programs.

Minnesota is the only state to have its government shut down this year, even though nearly all states have severe budget problems and some have divided governments. Dayton was determined to raise taxes on the top earners to help erase a $5 billion deficit, while the Republican Legislature refused to go along with that - or any new spending above the amount the state is projected to collect.

Here, as in 21 other states, there's no way to keep government operating past the end of a budget period without legislative action. Even so, only four other states - Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Tennessee - have had shutdowns in the past decade, some lasting mere hours.

The shutdown halted non-emergency road construction and closed the state zoo and Capitol. More than 40 state boards and agencies went dark, though critical functions such as state troopers, prison guards, the courts and disaster responses will continue.

On Friday, former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz started the court-appointed job of sifting through appeals from groups arguing in favor of continued government funding for particular programs.

Nonprofit groups helping the state's poor have already been hit hard. Some closed their doors immediately, while others continued services, at least for now. Some were looking at layoffs, said Sarah Caruso, president and CEO of Greater Twin Cities United Way, which funds 400 programs serving poor people. She said the impact will depend on how long the shutdown lasts.

"If we go well beyond that two-week window, I think then we will start seeing much more significant closure of programs to support the vulnerable, and the long-term financial viability of some of these agencies will really be called into question," she said.

So far, 30 agencies had accepted United Way's offer of advances on their grants, seeking cash to stay up and running.

The stoppage suspended some programs for the blind and visually impaired, including a radio reading service run by volunteers and training for blind people who are learning to walk with a cane. Bonnie Elsey, director of the state's Workforce Development Division, said a vocational rehabilitation program that places people with disabilities in jobs or school was halted.

Minnesota food pantries scurried to make sure they would still get 700,000 pounds of food - about 30 percent of their total volume - in the next two months through a federal program. Nearly a million pounds already in warehouses were also put on hold by the shutdown. Colleen Moriarty, executive director of Hunger Solutions Minnesota, said the federal program's operation depended on a single state employee working in a data management system. Later Friday, Moriarty said the employee had been called back to work.

The shutdown also idled a state hotline set up to help seniors and their caregivers find services, housing options, help with Medicaid and Medicare insurance and more. A call to the 800 number Friday got a recording saying callers could leave a message.

The political stalemate meant instant layoffs for 22,000 state workers, including Paul Bissen, a road and bridge inspector for more than 26 years. Bissen said he cut back on spending last month. He figured he could go a couple of months without worrying, but on the first day of the shutdown, he said it looked like his washing machine had died - adding another expense.

"I want to work. I've got road construction projects to build, to try to make them safe and make them smooth so people can get back to forth to their work," Bissen said.

Fearful of voter anger, both parties blasted each other for Minnesota's second shutdown in six years.

GOP Chairman Tony Sutton called Dayton a "piece of work" and accused him of inflicting "maximum pain" for political reasons.

Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chairman Ken Martin laid the blame on Republicans, saying they drove the state to a shutdown to protect millionaires from tax increases sought by Dayton.

The Alliance for a Better Minnesota, a left-leaning group supportive of Dayton, plans to run weekend radio ads in three popular vacation areas blaming Republicans for the impact of the shutdown, including closed state parks. The group also debuted a "shutdown shame" website.

The shutdown has been a slow-motion disaster, with a new Democratic governor and new Republican legislative majorities at odds for months over how to eliminate the state budget deficit. Dayton has been determined to raise taxes on high-earners to close the deficit, while Republicans insisted that it be closed only by cuts to state spending.

Even after the shutdown looked like a certainty, Dayton and Republicans did not soften their conflicting principles. Dayton said he campaigned and was elected on a promise not to make spending cuts to a level he called "draconian."