Obama: We have a deal

 

 

Pact still must be approved by the U.S. Congress

Two days before the deadline for a possible U.S. government default, President Barack Obama and congressional leaders reached agreement Sunday on a legislative package that would extend the federal debt ceiling while cutting spending and guaranteeing further deficit-reduction steps.

 

The proposed deal, which still requires congressional approval, brought some immediate relief to global markets closely watching the situation play out and to a nation filled with anger and frustration over partisan political wrangling that threatened further economic harm to an already struggling recovery.

However, there is no guarantee the plan will win enough support to pass both chambers of Congress.
Democratic and Republican leaders in both the House and Senate were briefing their caucuses about the agreement on Sunday night or Monday.
 

no "job-killing tax hikes" in the deficit redction

Boehner to GOP members: "There is nothing in this framework that violates our principles. It's all spending cuts."

 

This was Boehner's powerpoint to GOP members tonight: 

 

House approves revised Boehner debt ceiling plan

  

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives on Friday narrowly passed Speaker John Boehner's plan to raise the nation's the debt ceiling and slash government spending, sending the measure to Senate Democrats who have promised to immediately defeat it.


Boehner's proposal was approved by the House in a sharply polarized 218-210 vote that was delayed by a day while the speaker rounded up support from wary tea party conservatives.

Even if defeated in the Senate, the Boehner plan now is the Republican negotiating position for hammering out a deal with congressional Democrats and President Barack Obama to avert a possible government default next week.

Friday's vote was a critical test of Boehner's control over his tea party-infused GOP caucus. The speaker was forced to quell a right-wing revolt over the measure after a number of members complained that it doesn't do enough to shrink the size of government and stem the tide of Washington's red ink.

5 Minute Left until Debt Crisis Debate ends

Motion to suspend the Rules and just Pass the Bill has less than 5 minutes left with these results so far:

Measles Warning After Possible Exposure in Pa.

Someone infected in measles visited various locations in at least four counties causing the Pennsylvania Department of Health to issue a warning Tuesday.

State health officials issued the warning that a person infected with the measles visited locations in Berks, Bucks, Delaware and Lehigh Counties.

They say an un-vaccinated person was exposed to someone with the measles in Morgantown on July 11. The unidentified person then visited several locations including the Chick-fil-A on Perkiomen Avenue in Exeter Township on July 21, the Starbucks on Baltimore Pike in Media on July 22 and the Hot Spot Restaurant in Doylestown on July 22.

6-Alarm Fire in Fairfield, California

WATCH LIVE COVERAGE: http://www.kcra.com/video/28672648/detail.html

Shelter in place issued for residents within 1 mile radius of 6-alarm Fairfield fire. Stay inside, close all windows/doors.

Businesses in the area have been evacuated. Smoke can be seen from the Oakland hills. 

 

   

  

WATCH LIVE COVERAGE: http://www.kcra.com/video/28672648/detail.html

NFL timeline: Pinpointing how next few days will play out

For the past few months, football fans have had many questions. Over the next few days, they will begin to get their answers. Using the NFL's timeline for football operations, let's try to put some perspective on what's to come in this abbreviated walk-up to the 2011 season.

 

 Kevin Kolb's future in Philadelphia will be one of the first orders of business in a hectic post-lockout week... This is going to effect Fantasy Football in a huge way - Here's the Timeline break-down:

Monday, July 25

The NFL issued an official list of all free agents. This was simply protocol as teams have known which players will be free agents since February. If they need this list, then they really are in trouble.

Tuesday, July 26

Busy day. Let's take this bit-by-bit:
» At 10 a.m. ET, players will be allowed in team facilities, and trades may commence. For instance, if the Eagles deal Kevin Kolb, it seemingly would come together quickly. Whichever team acquires him -- and Arizona seems like the frontrunner -- it's also expected they'd need to sign him to a long-term deal since he's in the last year of his contract. That would have to be brokered right away because teams have to figure out their salary cap and be compliant to cap rules by the time the league year starts. Whichever team acquires him (Seattle could also figure in the mix) would want to get him acclimated to their schemes right away too.

The Eagles also would seemingly not want to drag things out for too long -- even though they could to garner ideal compensation -- because if they move Kolb, they'll have to get in the backup quarterback market. While that's not a premier need, they'd have to get a player -- Vince Young? (no way it's Brett Favre) -- so he could learn the system.

Don't expect Carson Palmer to get moved from Cincinnati. The main reason is because owner Mike Brown simply won't acquiesce to a player giving an ultimatum. Another thing to consider: Palmer could retain similar trade value after the season even if he doesn't play. Some teams are going to have quarterback issues after the season, and a fresh and hungry Palmer could be willing to restructure his hefty contract to consummate a trade. The Bengals might be willing to deal him before the 2012 draft.
» Teams can sign their rookies. The first ones under contract will be the top undrafted rookies like Mark Herzlich, Weslye Saunders and Pat Devlin. Several general managers said undrafted rookies should be signed in two or three hours. The drafted rookies are a priority, but depending on free agency needs, teams could address re-signing their own vets and other teams, as well as before addressing their draft picks. That could be a risky venture for some high picks.

Even though there is a new rookie wage scale, there is still room for negotiations and agents could hold some of their rookies out of team facilities until their players are signed. Agents know those teams who drafted quarterbacks really want those guys in the building as soon as possible, so coaches could really push the front office to get those players under contract.

» Teams also can negotiate with all free agents. In the deal owners ratified Thursday there was a pre-free agency period where teams could negotiate with their own free agents. Now, with teams free to negotiate with anyone, it could be somewhat tougher for teams to re-sign their own guys -- or at least at a lesser price tag if there's competition driving up the market.

» Players who were due bonuses in their existing contracts -- Jets tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson had a $750,000 workout bonus, for example -- have two days to take physicals in order to qualify for those bonuses.

Wednesday, July 27

The first day of camps open for 10 teams. Camps will open over the next three days. The odd part about this timing is teams can't waive players until Thursday, July 28. Technically, a player could show up for camp and get cut the next day. Teams likely would tell chopping-block players not to show up, but that might not always happen.

 

Friday, July 29

Free agents can be signed. Deals will be in place after days of negotiations, so this is a formality, but players might not be able to collect signing bonuses or practice immediately. There is a chance the league year doesn't start until Aug. 4 because of the steps needed to legally ratify the new collective bargaining agreement. Let's say Nnamdi Asomugha or Sidney Rice sign deals July 29, they can report and go through classroom sessions, but they can't participate in any physical activities until the league year officially begins. That could happen before Aug. 4, but still, there could be some lag time.

17 killed in Mexico prison riot

 

Seventeen people were killed and two injured in a prison riot in Mexico, broadcaster CNN reported Tuesday citing police.

A fight broke out between rival groups of inmates in the prison in Ciudad Juarez on Monday night.
City spokesman Manuel del Castillo told CNN that visits to the prison had been indefinitely suspended, but would provide no additional details.

Ciudad Juarez, which is across the border from the US city of El Paso, Texas, is regarded as the most violent city in Mexico.

Mexico, particularly its northern and north-eastern regions, has experienced a surge in violence linked to organized crime in recent years, with more than 15,000 people killed in 2010. An estimated 3,100 of those deaths were in Ciudad Juarez.

Morocco military plane crash kills 78

 


Seventy-eight people have been killed in a Moroccan military aircraft crash into a mountain in the south of the country, the army says. The army said three other people were severely wounded in the crash, in what is thought to be one of Morocco's deadliest air disasters in years.

The C-130 Hercules aircraft crashed near Guelmim, just north of the disputed Western Sahara territory. The army blames the accident on poor weather. A local resident told Reuters news agency there was thick fog at the time of the crash. The plane was travelling from Dakhla, in the Western Sahara, to Kinitra in northern Morocco.

It crashed at about 09:00 local time (08:00 GMT) as it was attempting to make a scheduled stop at a military air base some 10km (six miles) east of Guelmim.

It was carrying 81 people: nine crew members, 60 troops and 12 civilians. Forty-two bodies have been found. The search continues for the others. The mineral-rich, mainly desert territory of Western Sahara is the subject of a decades-long dispute between Morocco and the Algerian-backed Polisario Front.

Winehouse autopsy did not establish cause of death

A private family funeral for the singer will be held Tuesday 

Police say the autopsy performed on Amy Winehouse did not establish her cause of death. The Metropolitan Police said Monday that further toxicology tests are needed and the results are expected in two to four weeks.

However, a coroner's official in London says there are no suspicious circumstances in the death of the 27-year-old singer, who was found dead in her bed on July 23.

Coroner's officer Sharon Duff told reporters Monday that "the scene was investigated by police and determined non-suspicious."

A family spokesman says a funeral will be held Tuesday for family and close friends. The spokesman says the time and place of the private funeral will not be made public.

THIS IS A VIDEO OF ON OF HER LAST PERFORMANCES ON June 18, 2011:

 

An inquest into Winehouse's death was opened and adjourned at London's St. Pancras Coroner's Court. During the two-minute hearing, an official read out the name, birth date and address of Winehouse, described as "a divorced lady living at Camden Square NW1."

"She was a singer songwriter at the time of her death and was identified by her family here at St. Pancras this morning," said coroner's officer Sharon Duff.

In Britain, inquests are held to establish the facts whenever someone dies violently or in unexplained circumstances. Assistant Deputy Coroner Suzanne Greenaway said Winehouse's inquest would not resume until Oct. 26.

Reports: No signs of drugs near Winehouse
 
Sources say the singer may have been dead for as long as six hours before a security guard found her just before 4 p.m. London time.

That contrasts with an earlier report that Winehouse was still alive when emergency personnel were called to her London flat, but died before she could be transported to the hospital.

A doctor had visited Winehouse the day before her death, The Sun reports, and "had no concerns."
Police sources say there was no sign of drugs in the home. Winehouse had been known to have addiction issues. Her last concert, on June 18 in Belgrade, Serbia, was a disastrous event where the singer slurred through her songs, was booed, and left the stage early, forcing her band to continue playing to meet its contractual obligations.

 

Obama to speak Live at 9pm EST tonight - US Deficit has new Debt Ceiling

 Why care about this issue? Well, If Congress fails to raise the $14.3 trillion debt limit by August 2, Americans could face rising interest rates and a declining dollar, among other problems. As the cost of borrowing rises, individual mortgages, car loans and student loans could become significantly more expensive.


(5:45pm Update: 'Boehner will respond to Obama after speech tonight')

Democratic and Republican congressional leaders unveiled new deficit reduction plans Monday as top officials scrambled to bridge a cavernous partisan divide and raise the federal government's debt ceiling before an unprecedented -- and potentially devastating -- national default.


Both plans provide a path to raise the debt ceiling through the end of 2012, but differ sharply in terms of their requirements for future congressional action and both tax and spending reform requirements.
President Barack Obama is scheduled to deliver remarks on the state of the negotiations at 9 p.m. ET, according to White House press secretary Jay Carney.

If Congress fails to raise the $14.3 trillion debt limit by August 2, Americans could face rising interest rates and a declining dollar, among other problems. As the cost of borrowing rises, individual mortgages, car loans and student loans could become significantly more expensive.

Officials also warn that, without an increase in the debt limit, the federal government will not be able to pay all its bills next month. Obama recently indicated he could not guarantee Social Security checks would be mailed out on time.

To defuse the crisis, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, outlined a blueprint calling for roughly $2.7 trillion in spending cuts over the next decade while raising the debt limit by $2.4 trillion -- an amount sufficient to fund the government through next year's election.

Reid's plan would not require any new tax hikes and would not mandate any reforms to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, politically popular entitlement programs that are facing skyrocketing growth in costs.

Specifically, Reid's plan includes $1.2 trillion in savings from various domestic and defense programs, along with $1 trillion in savings from winding down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It also generates $400 billion in interest savings on the debt, and another $40 billion by rooting out waste, fraud and abuse.

Reid's proposal would establish a congressional committee made up of 12 House and Senate members to consider additional options for debt reduction. The committee's proposals would be guaranteed a Senate vote with no amendments by the end of the year.

Obama immediately endorsed the Reid plan. Carney called it a "responsible compromise ... that should receive the support of both parties."

"I hope my colleagues on the other side will still know a good deal when they see it. I hope they'll remember how to say yes," Reid said. "Democrats have done more than just meet Republicans in the middle. We've met them all the way."

Reid stressed that his plan doesn't include tax hikes and cuts spending more than it increases the debt ceiling -- two key GOP demands.

Video of the huge crowd gathered in Oslo to pay their respects to the victims of the Norway tragedy

Car Crashes Into Philadelphia B urger King Injuring 6

 

 

Six people were hurt Monday afternoon when a car crashed into the front of a Center Burger King.

The crash happened shortly before 3 p.m. at the restaurant at 8th and Market -- across the street from Market East.

Six people were hurt -- three were sent to Hahnemann Hospital and another three to Jefferson, according to Philadelphia Police.

No conditions were released.

The maroon sedan that crashed through the front of the restaurant had handicap plates. An older man could be seen being helped from the vehicle, going into the trunk to get his walker and walking away from the scene.

He was later sitting outside the scene of the wreck.

No word was given on a cause of the crash.

 

 

Magnitude 5.9 Earthquake - LUZON, PHILIPPINES

 

Earthquake Details

• This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.

Magnitude: 5.9

Date-Time: Monday, July 25, 2011 at 17:15:41 UTC /

Tuesday, July 26, 2011 at 01:15:41AM at epicenter

Location:    14.970°N, 120.119°E

Further Details: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/usc00053yd.php

Most parts of Luzon were hit by a reported 5.9 earthquake at around 1:15 a.m. as reported by United States Geological Survey (USGS). The Epicenter was said to be near Olongapo and 101 kilometers from Metro Manila.

The actual strength of the quake has yet to be made official since PHIVOLCS reports that it was a magnitude 6.2 earthquake. The quake was felt in practically all parts of Luzon, as shared by people over at Facebook and Twitter. People who were still up shared and tweeted that they felt the quake in Cavite, Greenhills, Pangasinan, Marikina, Pasig, Las Pinas, Taguig, Sta. Rita, Pampanga, Malabon, Quezon City and Tarlac. No alerts or reports of casualties have been reported for now. Moments before the earthquake hit, Congresswoman Gloria-Macapagal Arroyo was reportedly rushed to the St. Lukes Medical Center in Global City. There is no official word yet on her condition and why she was rushed to the hospital.

Dear NFL, Welcome Back!

Players have approved deal with owners to end NFL lockout

 Representatives from the NFL's 32 teams voted unanimously to approve a new collective bargaining agreement after a lengthy conference call Monday afternoon.

The player reps approved the 10-year agreement after the executive committee, which met at the NFL Players Association headquarters, gave its approval. The CBA can’t fully be ratified until the NFLPA recertifies as a union, which will likely take place by Wednesday.

Starting Tuesday, however, teams will be able to sign their rookies and start negotiating with free agents. However, no free agents can be signed until Friday.

“Big smile! Footballs back, footballs back,” Domonique Foxworth, a member of the NFLPA's executive committee, posted on Twitter.

Owners decided in 2008 to opt out of the league's old labor contract, which expired March 11. That's when the owners locked out the players, creating the NFL's first work stoppage since 1987.

NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith stepped outside of the group's headquarters in Washington at about 2 p.m. ET Monday to announce that players approved the pact.

"I know it has been a very long process since the day we stood here that night in March," Smith said. "But our guys stood together when nobody thought we would. And football is back because of it."


Moments later, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell walked into the building, joined by owners Bob Kraft of the Patriots, John Mara of the New York Giants and Jerry Richardson of the Carolina Panthers.

"I believe it's important that we talk about the future of football as a partnership," Smith said.
Under the proposed schedule, training camps would open for 10 of the 32 teams on Wednesday, 10 more on Thursday, another 10 on Friday, and the last two on Sunday.

Both sides set up informational conference calls for Monday afternoon to go over the details of the agreement. The NFLPA told player agents they would be coached in particular on the guidelines and schedule for signing free agents and rookies; the NFL alerted general managers and coaches they would be briefed in separate calls.

Norway gunman 'has accomplices'

Seventy-six people have died in twin terror attacks on Norway - the worst peacetime massacre in the country's modern history. A massive bomb blast shattered buildings in the capital Oslo, killing at least eight people. Then a gunman rampaged through an island youth camp run by the ruling Labour Party, killing at least 68 people. Suspect Anders Behring Breivik, 32, has admitted carrying out both attacks. How did events unfold? 

15:26 - Explosion rocks Osl

A massive blast shook the centre of Oslo at 15:26 (13:26 GMT) on Friday, blowing out the windows of the prime minister's offices and damaging the finance and oil ministries. At least eight people were killed.

Rubble and glass littered the streets and smoke from the fires drifted across the city from the devastated area - the heart of the Labour Party government. Witnesses described the scene as like a war zone.

Police set up cordons and evacuated buildings while ambulances took dozens of injured people to hospital.

Police confirmed on Saturday that the blast was caused by a car bomb, and that undetonated explosives remained in the area. The bomb was reported to be a mixture of fertiliser and fuel, like the one that destroyed a US federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995.

16:57 - Gunman arrives at lake

 

 The small island of Utoeya is just a few hundred metres from the mainland

At about 16:57 a ferryman was asked to transport a policeman to the island of Utoeya, located in a lake about 35km (20 miles) north-west of Oslo, Norway's NTB news agency reported.

The uniformed man was said to have been armed with a pistol and an automatic rifle. He had described how he was there to "do research in connection with the bomb blasts"," NRK journalist Ole Torp told the BBC.

But the policeman turned out to be a gunman, and he went on to shoot and kill scores of young people staying at the island camp. Although initial reports on Friday said about 10 people had been killed, overnight the figure soared, as horrific details emerged.

 

17:40 - SWAT team dispatched

After the first reports of the shootings, at 17:26, a specialist police SWAT team was despatched from Oslo to Utoeya at 17:40.

Meanwhile, the gunman continued his killing spree undisturbed, randomly shooting victims, according to eyewitness reports.

Eyewitness, Emma: "I could smell the gunpowder"

Survivors described chaotic scenes as teenagers fled from the gunman, some plunging into the water to swim to safety. He shot at those who tried to swim away. Others hid in the undergrowth, cowering in fear.

Chilling descriptions have emerged of how the man - described as tall, blond and Nordic-looking - had called campers to him as if to offer help, only to open fire on them.

But the gunman did not take every chance to kill. A survivor, Adrian Pracon, told the BBC how he spared a 10-year-old boy who told him that his father was already gone and that he didn't want to die. Mr Pracon also survived after pleading for his life.

18:09 - SWAT team arrives at lake

 Local police officers arrived at the pier across from the island at 17:52, but had to wait for a "suitable boat" to take them across the water.

 

Police have been criticised for the time it took them to get to the island

 

The specially-equipped police officers from Oslo arrived shortly after at 18:09, but also had difficulty making the crossing.

Local police chief Erik Berga said a police boat intended to transport the armed unit nearly sank.
"When so many people and equipment were put into it, the boat started to take on water, so that the motor stopped," he told Reuters news agency. "The boat was way too small and way too poor."
Officers eventually arrived on the island at 18:25 after recreational boats were commandeered for the crossing.

Police have also defended their decision to drive to the lake, explaining that they believed it would have been quicker than scrambling a police helicopter, which was based in the south of the country.

18:27 - Gunman surrenders

Police arrived on the island at 18:25 and two minutes later the gunman surrendered without a fight. His shooting spree had lasted more than an hour.

Officers revealed on Sunday that he still had "a considerable amount" of ammunition for both his guns - a pistol and an automatic rifle - when he surrendered.

Hospital sources said he had used dum-dum bullets, designed to disintegrate inside the body and cause maximum internal damage.

Police have said they are not searching for a second attacker, but have not ruled out more people being involved, after eyewitness reports suggested a possible second shooter.

76 Dead in Norway Attack

 
Anders Behring Breivik, the man accused of a killing spree and bomb attack in Norway, sits in the rear of a vehicle as he is transported in a police convoy in Oslo.


The first atrocity was the car bombing. Then, two hours later, came the attack on the island.
A 32-year-old Norwegian man named Anders Behring Breivik is the prime suspect in the murderous rampage.

Police told reporters that Breivik's targets of his anger were government officials and children associated with the governing Labor Party, not immigrants. It has been reported that the car bomb exploded near the office of the prime minister, who had planned to attend on Saturday the youth camp his party sponsored.

Breivik was reportedly dressed as a policeman and told the youth group he had come there as part of a security detail to protect them. Police told reporters that the suspect had never been a member of the police force but had served time in the army.

Witnesses say the suspect called on the children on the island, aged between 14 and 18, to gather around him. Then he opened fire. Police said he used automatic weapons and a handgun.
The gunman then moved across the small, wooded island of Utoeya firing at young people who scattered in panic or tried to swim to safety.

The death toll is now reported as the worst in Europe since the 2004 Madrid train bombings, the work of Islamic terrorists that killed 191 people.

At a news conference, Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said Norway is a quiet nation of 4.8 million.
"A paradise island has been transformed into a hell," he told reporters.

A local newspaper reported that Bishop Laila Riksaasen Dahl of the Church of Norway diocese in Tunsberg, along with other clergy, met with survivors and relatives of those slain by the gunman.
Riksaasen Dahl told the Norwegian daily Aftenposten that many of the young people had seen close friends gunned down, or had themselves been victims of the shooting.

"The scope of this nightmarish story is so unbelievable," Riksaasen Dahl told the newspaper.
Churches across the country planned to remain open all day Saturday to offer prayers and comfort, Riksaasen Dahl said. "Every death notice is tragic, but when there are so many who are affected, it's overwhelming to take in."

Some prayer services were broadcast live over Norwegian radio Saturday.

A BBC reporter said today that emotions were running high at the lake and many survivors were hostile toward the media for intruding on their grief.

Police say they are sifting through the life details of Breivik to find answers as to his motives behind the murders.

Philadelphia Duck Boat Incident, 2010

tug boat pilot Matt Devlin has pleaded guilty to one count of misconduct in the Duck Boat crash that killed 2 tourists in Philadelphia.

http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/news/local_news/Duck_Boat_Fatal_Crash_071411

Enjoy an "All-American Meal" with NASA's Atlantis Today

 

"We thought it would be fun to have a typical summer meal often enjoyed in our backyards with friends and family," said Michele Perchonok, a NASA food scientist and manager of the shuttle food system.

While most of the food the astronauts will be eating will come in thermostabilized pouches, Earthbound picnickers can put together their own meals based on NASA recipes, which are posted on the space agency's website.

  

\

The appetizer course for the orbital picnic will consist of crackers, brie and sausage. The entree features grilled chicken or beef brisket, Southwestern corn and baked beans. Dessert is apple pie.
To add to the virtual experience, the crew's meal will be shown on NASA TV, which can be found on many cable and satellite systems or streamed online at NASA.gov/ntv.

Atlantis is docked at the International Space Station on its final mission, which is scheduled to conclude July 21.

At Least 17 Reportedly Dead After Explosions Rock Mumbai, India Markets

17 killed, hundreds injured and a decapitated head found...

 

 

 

Three separate explosions tore through a business district in India’s Mumbai Wednesday, leaving at least 17 people dead and 141 injured, authorities said. Less than an hour after the series of blasts, its Home Ministry confirmed a terrorist attack and placed the entire city on high alert.

Although no group claimed responsibility, the explosions hit locations where a terror siege nearly three years ago killed 166 people. Wednesday also coincided with the birthday of the lone surviving gunman of the 2008 attack.

Arup Patnaik, a top police officer, said the attackers used improvised explosive devices in the attack, hidden in an umbrella in the Jhaveri Bazaar jewelry market and kept in a car in the business district of Opera House.

Indian officials say they believe the responsibility of Wednesday's attack rests with the Indian Mujahideen, a group that works closely with Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Lashkar-e-Taiba is the group suspected to be behind the 2008 attack. 

All three blasts happened from 6:50 p.m. to 7 p.m., when all the neighborhoods would have been packed with office workers and commuters.

The blasts hit the crowded Dadar neighborhood at rush hour, the famed jewelry market Jhaveri Bazaar and the busy business district of Opera House, an official at the city's Police Control Room said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of office policy.

The explosions happened around 7 p.m., when all the neighborhoods would have been packed with office workers and commuters.

Authorities say an early indicator of a terror strike was the close timing of the string of explosions.

President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton condemned the attack in a statement and said the U.S. is monitoring the situation.

Obama walks out on tense debt talks, but leaves with a warning

The president abruptly leaves a meeting, reportedly warning that Americans won't be happy if both sides keep posturing and benefit checks and other bills aren't paid.

  

President Obama abruptly left debt negotiations with congressional leaders Wednesday at the White House when a top Republican said there was no longer time to engage in the large-scale deficit reduction discussions the White House is now seeking as part of a vote to raise the nation's debt ceiling.

The flare-up came at the end of the nearly two-hour session during which House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) told the president that Congress should instead consider a series of debt ceiling votes based on spending cuts that already have been identified. Talks could then continue to identify additional cuts for subsequent votes, he said.

Republicans have refused Democrats' call for taxes on the wealthy. The president responded by ending the meeting, sources said.

"I suggested we were so far apart I didn't see in the time before us how we get to where he wants us to be," Cantor told reporters after the meeting.

Obama warned Cantor not to set such an ultimatum, and according to congressional and administration aides repeated his vow to veto legislation that would extend the debt ceiling only for a short period.

"The president told me, 'Eric, don't call my bluff. I'm going to take this to the American people,' " Cantor said.

Aides described it as the tensest meeting yet in the months of discussions, with the president at one point accusing both sides of posturing.

Democratic officials, however, denied reports that Obama had "walked out" of the meeting. "Left abruptly is perfectly fair," one official said. "But the meeting was over — in no sense did he walk out on it."

Toward the end of the meeting, before he left, Obama said: "This process is confirming what the American people think is the worst about Washington: that everyone is more interested in posturing, political position and protecting their base than solving real problems," according to a second Democratic official familiar with the talks. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the nature of the discussions.

Comcast-Spectacor Sells the Philadelphia 76ers

An agreement to sell the Philadelphia 76ers has been reached and is awaiting approval by the NBA, the team's current owners said Wednesday.

Comcast-Spectacor said it has agreed to sell the Sixers to an investment group led by Joshua Harris, the co-founder of Apollo Global Management.




--Pictured above - Joshua Harris--

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Forbes previously reported that Comcast-Spectacor would sell the team for between $300-330 million, with the price likely to be closer to $300 million.

The sale is expected to close later this year.

Harris, who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania's prestigious Wharton School of Business, said in a statement that his group was honored by the opportunity to own the Sixers.

"As a basketball fan who attended college in Philadelphia, and with family roots here, I have always felt a strong connection to this city and the 76ers," he said.

Comcast-Spectacor listed the other members of the new ownership group as David Blitzer, a senior managing director of The Blackstone Group; and Art Wrubel and Jason Levien.

It said the members of the group are making personal investments to buy the team. The companies employing Harris and Blitzer are not involved.

"We are excited to become associated with this iconic team and to have the chance to serve the great city of Philadelphia and its loyal basketball fans," Blitzer said in a statement.

The sale does not include the Wells Fargo Center or the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers, which are also owned by Comcast-Spectacor. The Sixers will remain in the Wells Fargo Center and will have a long-term broadcast deal with Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia.

Comcast-Spectacor, led by chairman Ed Snider, bought the Sixers from Harold Katz in 1996.

The Sixers have lost their last four playoff series and have just one postseason series victory since Allen Iverson led the team to the NBA Finals in 2001.

Jamichael Johnson - Now that's a 'big' baby

Weighing in at 16 pounds, 1 ounce, and measuring 24 inches long, he was delivered Friday at the Good Shepherd Medical Center, in Longview, Texas,  by caesarean section.

Tiger Woods to make announcement Monday morning on Golf Channel

Tiger Woods has scheduled an announcement on Golf Channel for Monday morning at 11 a.m. Eastern. He will be on the air with Kelly Tilghman, an anchor for the network.

The topic was not disclosed. Woods has had a disappointing season, re-injuring his left knee at the Masters, withdrawing from the Players Championship after shooting 42 on nine holes, and skipping last month's U.S. Open and this week's British Open.

Dr. Anthony Galea, a Canadian sports doctor who has worked with Woods in the past, pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to bringing unapproved drugs into the U.S.

Final Atlantis Lift-off

 


A man was flying to Miami and took this awesome picture of the shuttle from his window seat

MySpace defaces in value BIGTIME

 

In 2005, News Corp. bought MySpace.com for $580 million from its original owners, and recently it just sold for a mere $35 million to an Ad Network, which Justin Timberlake has part ownership in.

Hall of Fame baseball manager Dick Williams dies (1929-2011)

 

 

 

Dick Williams, the fiercely competitive, sharp-tongued Hall of Fame manager who led the Oakland Athletics to World Series titles in 1972 and 1973, died today at his Las Vegas home from what was believed to be a brain aneurysm. He was 82.

Williams, who retired to Las Vegas in 1991, is the only manager in major-league history to win pennants with three different teams -- the Boston Red Sox, Athletics and San Diego Padres. He had a 21-year major league managing record of 1,571-1,421 (.520).

Williams was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008 following his election by the Veterans Committee.

 

 

Atlantis' Final Launch Ever

Atlantis Final space shuttle launch threatened by storms

Cape Canaveral downpours could postpone shuttle's final mission by up to 10 days, warns Nasa weather expert

 



Space shuttle Atlantis appears ready to blast off as scheduled Friday morning on the final voyage of the 30-year shuttle program, though thunderstorms threaten to scrub the launch.


The event is expected to draw as many as one million spectators to the Cape Canaveral area, all angling to catch a glimpse of a historic moment. "The anticipation has been really high," said Rob Varley, executive director of the Space Coast Office of Tourism.

Yet "the weather is not looking good for launch," said shuttle weather officer Kathy Winters at a news briefing on Thursday morning. She put the chance of favorable conditions for the 11:26 a.m. launch time at only 30%. Among the concerns are heavy clouds, showers and lightning.

If the liftoff is delayed, officials at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration say they have until Sunday, or perhaps Monday, to try again. Otherwise, Atlantis will have to wait until the following weekend, due to a scheduled rocket launch at the space center. The likelihood of favorable weather is expected to improve through the weekend, reaching 60% on Sunday, said Ms. Winters.
Tourists were already pouring into the region on Thursday. Prime vantage points like Space View Park in Titusville were filling up with cars and mobile homes. Virtually every hotel within 25 miles was booked solid. At the visitor complex here, the entrance was choked with people.

UCLA pays $865,500 to settle celebrity medical record snooping case

UCLA Health System has agreed to pay $865,500 as part of a settlement with federal regulators Wednesday after two celebrity patients alleged hospital employees broke the law and reviewed their medical records without authorization.


Federal and hospital officials declined to identify the celebrities involved. The complaints cover 2005 to 2009, a time during which hospital employees were repeatedly caught and fired for peeping at the medical records of dozens of celebrities, including Britney Spears, Farrah Fawcett and former California First Lady Maria Shriver.

5.6 Quake Near Fukushima Nuclear Plant

Magnitude 5.6 quake rattles Honshu, Japan, near Fukushima nuke disaster site; no immediate damage - AP

 

 

Sources: Deron Williams to play in Turkey if NBA Lockout continues

  

New Jersey Nets guard Deron Williams is planning to play in Turkey in the fall if the NBA lockout has not yet been settled, according to sources with knowledge of Williams' thinking.
Sources on Thursday confirmed a report from the Turkey-based sports outlet NTV Spor that Williams has struck an agreement in principal to play for Besiktas, which is the club that briefly employed Allen Iverson last season.

Sources say Williams will not be required to report to the Turkish club before the end of August or early September and that his deal with them will include an immediate out that allows him to return to the NBA as soon as the work stoppage ends.

Williams has two years left on his contract with the Nets but is expected to opt out the final season, valued at nearly $18 million, to become a free agent in the summer of 2012.

Players under contract like Williams would typically need a letter of clearance from FIBA -- the sport's world governing body -- to play anywhere else.

But the NBA Players Association has privately maintained for months that it intends to legally challenge any attempt by the NBA or FIBA to block a player such as Williams from playing elsewhere while the NBA has imposed a work stoppage.

This sunday will be last issue of News of the World

 

News of the World to close on Sunday

• News International closes paper in wake of scandal
• Government announcement on BSkyB will take several weeks
• News of the World paid £100,000 bribes to Met police officers
• Miliband questions Cameron's 'close relationships with NI
• Met police going through 11,000 pages containing 4,000 names

 

James Murdoch Statement, moments ago: "Having consulted senior colleagues, I have decided that we must take further decisive action with respect to the paper. This Sunday will be the last issue of the News of the World." 


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