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early choices for 7/23 Oakland Press print edition
Early budgets of stories in the works that we will consider for the Saturday Oakland Press
If you have thoughts about what you would like to see in print, share them below and we will add them to our debate about content
Michigan at noon.
TOP STORIES:
CENTERPIECE: MICHIGAN RIVER-OIL SPILL
MARSHALL — A year after one of the largest oil spills in the history of the Midwest, cleanup crews still toil along the Kalamazoo River in southern Michigan — and it won’t surprise some regulators and residents if they remain working in a more limited capacity next summer and beyond. Less than 10 percent of the more than 800,000 gallons that Enbridge Inc. confirmed was leaking from one of its pipelines on July 26, 2010 — although 911 calls from residents complained of gas smells the night before — remains uncollected. AP Photos.
US SENATE-2012-MICHIGAN — Charter school executive Clark Durant says he’s still considering joining other Republicans running to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow in 2012 even though former U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra just got into the race. Durant said Friday during the taping of public television’s “Off the Record” program that he plans to announce a decision between mid-August and Labor Day.
DETROIT POLICE-GROPING — A frustrated federal judge in Port Huron backs off and gives the Detroit City Council two extra days to approve a $50,000 settlement in a lawsuit that claims male officers groped two men. Judge Lawrence Zatkoff had ordered the entire council to travel 60 miles to court next week to explain why it’s taken months to approve the deal.
BUS-SEMI CRASH — A bus carrying 52 passengers across central New York early Friday was pulling back onto a highway when it was struck in the rear by a tractor-trailer, touching off a fiery crash that demolished both vehicles, killed the truck driver and injured about 30 people, state police said. State Police Trooper Mark O’Donnell said many of the injuries were minor, though two people were taken to the hospital by helicopter with serious injuries. Truck driver Timothy Hume, 59, of Dryden, Mich., was killed.AP Photos NYDD101-107.
BORDERS-LIQUIDATION SALES
NEW YORK — Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Borders Group begins liquidation sales at all of its 399 stores as the 40-year-old chain winds down operations. A liquidation company that is part of the process said late Thursday that the sales will be held starting Friday at all 259 Borders superstores, 114 Borders Express and Waldenbooks, and 26 Borders airport stores.
With:
— BORDERS-LIQUIDATION SALES-GLANCE
SPORTS:
BBA--TIGERS-TWINS
MINNEAPOLIS — The Detroit Tigers play a road game Friday night against the Minnesota Twins. Game starts at 8:10 p.m.
AP Photos.
FOR USE SUNDAY, JULY 24, AND THEREAFTER:
CENTERPIECE: MICHIGAN ECONOMY
LANSING — Gov. Rick Snyder is positive the business tax cuts taking effect in 2012 will give a huge boost to Michigan’s economy. But the Republican governor also pushed through changes that will put a significantly larger tax burden on retirees and other individual taxpayers, which could hurt consumer spending and offset the economic boost, according to a report by the nonpartisan Citizens Research Council. By Kathy Barks Hoffman.
Eds: This week’s Capital Focus and a Michigan AP Centerpiece. Moving Friday.
With:
— MICHIGAN ECONOMY-GLANCE
EXCHANGE-PLANES FIT TO FLY
BATTLE CREEK — As a plane leaves a hangar, powers up its engines, rolls down the runway and thunders into the sky, the people happiest about it could be the mechanics left behind on the ground. At Duncan Aviation’s Battle Creek facility, a host of technicians under the direction of Rod Christensen make sure that the airframes on those planes are in good working order. By Andy Fitzpatrick.
AP Photos pursuing.
Eds: An AP Member Exchange from the Battle Creek Enquirer. Also moved Thursday.
EXCHANGE-GLIDER MUSEUM
IRON MOUNTAIN — The wait is finally over. After going through about six years of work and restoration, Menominee Range Historical Foundation members and volunteers recently celebrated the grand opening of the World War II Glider and Military Museum in Iron Mountain. By Nikki Younk.
AP Photos pursuing.
Eds: An AP Member Exchange from The Daily News. Also moved Thursday.
FOR USE MONDAY, JULY 25, AND THEREAFTER:
EXCHANGE-MINIATURE HORSE SHOW
COLEMAN — Becky and Jim McKeith believe that, in order to earn respect from an animal, they have to give respect. That’s the philosophy Jim keeps in mind when he trains miniature horses at the couple’s home, Snowberry Farm, in Coleman. By Susan Field.
AP Photos pursuing.
Eds: An AP Member Exchange from the Morning Sun (Mount Pleasant). Also moved Thursday.
EXCHANGE-SHIPWRECK ADVENTURE
ALPENA — Cody Frost still has dreams about searching for shipwrecks in Lake Huron, near the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Alpena. Frost, a 17-year-old senior at Arthur Hill High School, was among a group of four other students from the school who searched the seas for shipwrecks through “Project Shiphunt.” By Eric Dresden.
AP Photos pursuing
Eds: An AP Member Exchange from The Saginaw News. Also moved Thursday.
The world at 7 a.m. Times in EDT.
NEW & DEVELOPING
— UN-EAST AFRICA-AID — U.N. ramps up food deliveries to East Africa as Somalia famine threatens to spread. Will be updated.
— ASIA SECURITY TALKS— Background briefing scheduled for 7:20 a.m.
— JETS-EDWARDS-DWI — NFL receiver Braylon Edwards’ court appearance scheduled for 9:30 a.m.
— STATE UNEMPLOYMENT — Government reports on state and regional unemployment for June at 10 a.m.
— DEBT SHOWDOWN— Senate vote scheduled for 10 a.m.
— RECRUITERS SHOT — Testimony resumes at 10:15 a.m.
— OBAMA — Town hall begins at 11 a.m.
— FACEBOOK STALKER — Hearing starts at 11:30 a.m.
— PHONEHENGE WEST — Will be updated from hearing set for 11:30 a.m.
TOP STORIES
DEBT SHOWDOWN
WASHINGTON — The Senate is moving to cast away a budget cutting plan passed by the Republican-controlled House, clearing the way for increasingly urgent government talks over raising the nation’s debt ceiling. President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner search once more for an ambitious $4 trillion grand bargain, but officials say wide differences remained. By Jim Kuhnhenn
AP photos, video.
BRITAIN-PHONE HACKING
LONDON — A British lawmaker says he will ask police to investigate a claim contradicting James Murdoch’s testimony he was not aware of evidence that the eavesdropping at one of his newspapers went beyond a jailed rogue reporter. By Jill Lawless and Cassandra Vinograd.
AP photos.
— AUSTRALIA-MURDOCH’S MONOPOLY — Australian anti-competition body frowns on Murdoch company bid to buy rival in pay TV.
HEAT WAVE
NEW YORK — Northeasterners are bracing themselves for another day of searing temperatures, as the heat wave that has cooked the central and eastern parts of the country for days lingers on. Temperatures are expected to hit triple digits in many states. By Tom McElroy.
AP photos.
— FOOD AND FARM-HEAT WAVE — At fairs, on farms and at the racing track, animals take shelter from the heat. AP photos.
ASIA SECURITY TALKS
BALI, Indonesia — Asian nations move to defuse two critical points of tension in the Pacific, in preliminary steps welcomed by the Obama administration, which is trying to reassert U.S. influence in the region. By Matthew Lee and Robin McDowell.
AP photos.
— ASIA SECURITY-NORTH KOREA — North says both Koreas agree to work together to resume stalled nuclear talks, report says. AP photos.
— ASIA SECURITY-MYANMAR — Clinton says Myanmar needs to earn trust of the international community. AP photos.
Multimedia: An interactive featuring a map of recently broken U.S. heat records will have an updated photo gallery of people enjoying the sun and those dealing with the heat.
CRIMINAL IMMIGRANTS
WASHINGTON — Huge increases in deportations of people after they were arrested for breaking traffic or immigration laws or driving drunk helped the Obama administration set a record last year for the number of criminal immigrants forced to leave the country, documents show. By Suzanne Gamboa.
Multimedia: An interactive detailing U.S. deportation by crime is available.
NFL LABOR
COLLEGE PARK, Ga. — NFL owners chatted much of the day, polished off a couple of meals, then overwhelmingly approved a deal to end the lockout. Only one problem: The players aren’t ready to join them at the table just yet. So America’s most popular sports remains in labor limbo a bit longer. By National Writer Paul Newberry.
AP photos, videos.
MORE ON DEBT SHOWDOWN
DEBT SHOWDOWN-HUNTING FOR VOTES
WASHINGTON — The House’s Republican freshmen and tea partyers have loudly refused to cut a deal as the GOP battles Obama over the government’s debt. Yet when it’s time for Boehner to hunt votes for whatever accord he reaches with the White House, the House speaker will have a large pool of veteran GOP lawmakers to target. By Alan Fram.
— BROKEN BUDGETS-DEBT SHOWDOWN — Debt-limit debate creates uncertainty for state governments; some could pay more to borrow.
INTERNATIONAL
SERBIA-WAR CRIMES-HADZIC
BELGRADE, Serbia — The last Balkan war-crimes suspect is extradited to the U.N. tribunal for prosecution after being allowed last-minute visits with relatives, including his sick mother. By Jovana Gec.
AP photos.
SYRIA
KNAYSEH, Lebanon — Syrian military and security forces deploy heavily in the capital, detaining dozens of people and setting up checkpoints as the opposition called for national unity during planned protests against President Bashar Assad’s rule. By Bassem Mroue and Zeina Karam.
AP photos.
BRAZIL-KILLER COPS
RIO DE JANEIRO — The last time Juan Moraes’ mother saw him alive, the 11-year-old left home with his older brother on an errand. On their way back, the siblings were hit by police gunfire. Even in a city where police shootings are routine, Juan’s death touched a nerve. Rio has one of the deadliest police forces in the world — killing on average 3 1/2 people a day, according to an Associated Press analysis. By Juliana Barbassa.
AP photos, graphic.
VENEZUELA-CHAVEZ ON TWITTER
CARACAS, Venezuela — Twitter has become an essential tool for President Hugo Chavez as he gets cancer treatment in Cuba. In more than 40 messages this week he has approved money for a trash collection project, praised plans for a new park and cheered on the national soccer team. By Ian James.
KOREAS-JOINT ORCHESTRA
SEOUL, South Korea — Philadelphia Orchestra chief conductor Charles Dutoit was a longtime friend of Isang Yun, a composer jailed and then exiled by his native South Korea for visiting the North. Now, 16 years after Yun’s death, the 75-year-old Dutoit is working to realize a dream inspired by his friend: an inter-Korean youth orchestra. By Hyung-jin Kim.
AP photos.
NATIONAL
VIDEOTAPED EXECUTION
ATLANTA — A court decision to allow the first videotaped execution in almost two decades could clear the way for a flurry of filings calling for more public access to secretive death row chambers, capital punishment experts say. Defense lawyers for another inmate sought the recording to document the effects of a new death chamber drug, but the Georgia Attorney General’s office warns of a troubling precedent: “Executions in this state are not public, and the potential for sensationalism and abuse of a videotape of an execution is a great concern.” By Greg Bluestein.
AP photo.
— EXECUTION DRUG SHORTAGE-ARKANSAS — Arkansas turns over execution drug to feds amid legal questions over how it got it.
— GIANTS FAN ATTACKED — Police: Two new suspects arrested in Giants fan beating, initial suspect may be exonerated. AP photos, video.
— BUS-SEMI CRASH — One dead, at least 20 hurt after tour bus, tractor-trailer crash, catch fire in upstate New York.
— NAACP CONVENTION — NAACP tackles broader issues to reach more diverse audience in bid to regain prominence.
— TEXAS SCHOOLS-EVOLUTION — Texas Education Board voting on new science materials, fight over teaching evolution fizzles. AP photos.
— GAY MARRIAGE-BACHELOR PARTIES — In New York, some gay bachelors and bachelorettes throw bashes that buck heterosexual tradition. AP photos, video.
— PHONEHENGE WEST — The self-taught builder who created an eccentric little village out of old scrap materials is headed to court to face sentencing on a dozen misdemeanor building code violations.
BUSINESS
EUROPE-FINANCIAL CRISIS
BRUSSELS — Fitch ratings agency says it will put a default rating on Greece’s government bonds as a result of the eurozone’s new plan to get banks to share the burden of helping the country. By David McHugh.
ENTERTAINMENT
COMIC-CON-CONDON
SAN DIEGO — One person who’s not sweating over the poor reviews of the first three “Twilight” movies is the guy directing the final two. Bill Condon has gotten used to critical acclaim with his own last three films, “Dreamgirls,” “Kinsey” and “Gods and Monsters.” But if the final “Breaking Dawn” installments of the “Twilight” movies follow the pattern of the previous tales, he may find critics a tough crowd to please. “I don’t think you can ever anticipate that,” Condon says at the Comic-Con fan convention. By Movie Writer David Germain.
AP photos.
GETTING ATTENTION
— SERVICE DOG FRACAS — McDonald’s manager in Atlanta area accused of punching woman after she brought a service dog inside restaurant.
— GAYS IN MILITARY — AP sources: Defense chief Panetta to certify the end of the ban on gay military service. AP photo, video.
— YOUTUBE-MUSIC FESTIVALS — YouTube to live stream Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits as festivals continue online push. AP photo.
— CALIFORNIA MILK-PMS CAMPAIGN — California milk board alters ad campaign that portrayed men as victims of women’s PMS symptoms.
— AUSTRALIA-WINE TRAGEDY — Forklift drops wine container, smashing Australian shiraz worth $1 million.
———
Online:
http://www.apexchange.com
Business Editors:
Among the stories for Friday from The Associated Press:
RESTAURANT SUPER FANS
NEW YORK — Call it insanity or plain old dedication, but one Iowa woman has traveled cross-country to 119 Chipotle restaurants, while a North Carolinian man loves Chick-fil-A so much that the chain’s mascot cow will be a best man in his wedding. These are the customers every chain dreams of — restaurant groupies. No numbers track this enthusiastic group, but it’s increasingly valuable to struggling restaurants at a time when a Twitter post can change the opinions of thousands. By AP Business Writer Christina Rexrode. AP Photo.
MARKETS & ECONOMY:
DEBT SHOWDOWN
WASHINGTON — The Senate is moving to cast away a budget cutting plan passed by the Republican-controlled House, clearing the way for increasingly urgent government talks over raising the nation’s debt ceiling. President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner searched once more for an ambitious $4 trillion grand bargain, but officials said wide differences remained. By Jim Kuhnhenn.
STATE UNEMPLOYMENT
WASHINGTON — Unemployment rates rose in more than half of U.S. states in June, evidence that slower hiring is affecting many parts of the country. The Labor Department says the unemployment rates in 28 states and Washington, D.C., increased. By Chris Rugaber.
WALL STREET
NEW YORK — Stocks are opening lower on weak results from Caterpillar Inc. That offset earnings gains from McDonald’s and Schlumberger. By Daniel Wagner.
— OIL PRICES — Oil prices hovered above $99 a barrel after European leaders reached an aid deal aimed at stanching Greece’s financial crisis.
EARNINGS:
EARNS-GENERAL ELECTRIC
NEW YORK — General Electric earnings grew 21 percent in the second quarter as its GE Capital lending arm continued to recover from the recession. By Chris Kahn.
EARNS-MCDONALD’S
McDonald’s Corp. says its net income rose 15 percent in the second quarter to $1.4 billion on rising sales around the world. By Christina Rexrode.
EARNS-CATERPILLAR
Caterpillar’s second-quarter profit grew 44 percent and with strong demand for its heavy equipment, the company bumped up its outlook for the entire year. But profits fell just shy of Wall Street estimates and shares tumbled. By Josh Funk.
— EARNS-REYNOLDS AMERICAN — Cigarette maker Reynolds American Inc. said its second-quarter profit fell almost 11 percent, chiefly on charges related to a legal case.
— EARNS-SCHLUMBERGER — Schlumberger Ltd. says second-quarter profits jumped 64 percent on a surge in North American oil drilling.
TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA:
EARNS-VERIZON
NEW YORK — Verizon Communications Inc. is seeing a big boost from the iPhone, adding more new subscribers on contracts in the second quarter than it has in two and half years. Verizon also said Chief Operating Officer Lowell McAdam will take over from long-time CEO Ivan Seidenberg, 64, on Aug. 1. By Peter Svensson.
BRITAIN-PHONE HACKING
LONDON — James Murdoch was under pressure over claims he misled lawmakers about Britain’s phone hacking scandal, as a lawmaker called for a police investigation and Prime Minister David Cameron insisted the media scion had “questions to answer” about what he knew and when he knew it. By Jill Lawless And Cassandra Vinograd.
WITH:
— AUSTRALIA-MURDOCH’S MONOPOLY— Australia’s competition watchdog expressed concern at a bid by Rupert Murdoch’s cable television operation to buy out a rival, saying it would create “a near monopoly” of pay TV service in the country.
— YOUTUBE-MUSIC FESTIVALS — YouTube will live stream Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits, two of the summer’s largest music festivals, in the video site’s continuing push to bring the festivals to digital screens.
— NETHERLANDS-EARNS-TOMTOM — TomTom NV, Europe’s largest maker of navigation devices, reported a $705 million loss in the second quarter as demand for its consumer products worsened.
INTERNATIONAL:
EUROPE-FINANCIAL CRISIS
BRUSSELS— Greece will be ruled in default on its debt as a result of a new eurozone plan asking investors to take losses on the country’s bonds, Fitch ratings agency said. However, the move is unlikely to trigger payment of bond insurance, easing a key concern for Greek and European leaders seeking to contain the continent’s debt crisis. By David McHugh.
WITH:
— GERMANY-FINANCIAL CRISIS — German Chancellor Angela Merkel said it is Berlin’s duty to support the euro currency as she praised the new eurozone agreement on a second bailout for Greece.
— GREECE-FINANCIAL CRISIS — Greece’s finance minister expressed relief for the second European bailout of Greece.
— SPAIN-FINANCIAL CRISIS — Investors are easing pressure on Spanish markets in reaction to the European Union’s new deal to help Greece with another bailout.
CHINA-BRIBERY
BEIJING — A former deputy chairman of state-owned China Mobile Ltd., the world’s biggest phone company by subscribers, was convicted of taking bribes and sentenced to prison.
— GERMANY-ECONOMY — German business confidence declined more than expected this month amid jitters over Europe’s debt crisis, a survey showed. But the overall picture remains positive.
— POLAND-EURO — Poland’s finance minister says he doubts his country will adopt the euro in the next few years. Polish leaders have repeatedly delayed a switch to the euro.
— EARNS-VOLVO — Swedish truck maker Volvo AB’s second-quarter profit surged 63 percent as sales returned to levels last seen before the financial crisis.
— AUSTRALIA-WINE TRAGEDY — An unsteady forklift dropped a container full of fine Australian wine worth more than $1 million, smashing most of the bottles. The winemaker says he’s “gut-wrenched, shocked and numb” after the loss of his flagship shiraz.
If you have thoughts about what you would like to see in print, share them below and we will add them to our debate about content
Michigan at noon.
TOP STORIES:
CENTERPIECE: MICHIGAN RIVER-OIL SPILL
MARSHALL — A year after one of the largest oil spills in the history of the Midwest, cleanup crews still toil along the Kalamazoo River in southern Michigan — and it won’t surprise some regulators and residents if they remain working in a more limited capacity next summer and beyond. Less than 10 percent of the more than 800,000 gallons that Enbridge Inc. confirmed was leaking from one of its pipelines on July 26, 2010 — although 911 calls from residents complained of gas smells the night before — remains uncollected. AP Photos.
US SENATE-2012-MICHIGAN — Charter school executive Clark Durant says he’s still considering joining other Republicans running to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow in 2012 even though former U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra just got into the race. Durant said Friday during the taping of public television’s “Off the Record” program that he plans to announce a decision between mid-August and Labor Day.
DETROIT POLICE-GROPING — A frustrated federal judge in Port Huron backs off and gives the Detroit City Council two extra days to approve a $50,000 settlement in a lawsuit that claims male officers groped two men. Judge Lawrence Zatkoff had ordered the entire council to travel 60 miles to court next week to explain why it’s taken months to approve the deal.
BUS-SEMI CRASH — A bus carrying 52 passengers across central New York early Friday was pulling back onto a highway when it was struck in the rear by a tractor-trailer, touching off a fiery crash that demolished both vehicles, killed the truck driver and injured about 30 people, state police said. State Police Trooper Mark O’Donnell said many of the injuries were minor, though two people were taken to the hospital by helicopter with serious injuries. Truck driver Timothy Hume, 59, of Dryden, Mich., was killed.AP Photos NYDD101-107.
BORDERS-LIQUIDATION SALES
NEW YORK — Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Borders Group begins liquidation sales at all of its 399 stores as the 40-year-old chain winds down operations. A liquidation company that is part of the process said late Thursday that the sales will be held starting Friday at all 259 Borders superstores, 114 Borders Express and Waldenbooks, and 26 Borders airport stores.
With:
— BORDERS-LIQUIDATION SALES-GLANCE
SPORTS:
BBA--TIGERS-TWINS
MINNEAPOLIS — The Detroit Tigers play a road game Friday night against the Minnesota Twins. Game starts at 8:10 p.m.
AP Photos.
FOR USE SUNDAY, JULY 24, AND THEREAFTER:
CENTERPIECE: MICHIGAN ECONOMY
LANSING — Gov. Rick Snyder is positive the business tax cuts taking effect in 2012 will give a huge boost to Michigan’s economy. But the Republican governor also pushed through changes that will put a significantly larger tax burden on retirees and other individual taxpayers, which could hurt consumer spending and offset the economic boost, according to a report by the nonpartisan Citizens Research Council. By Kathy Barks Hoffman.
Eds: This week’s Capital Focus and a Michigan AP Centerpiece. Moving Friday.
With:
— MICHIGAN ECONOMY-GLANCE
EXCHANGE-PLANES FIT TO FLY
BATTLE CREEK — As a plane leaves a hangar, powers up its engines, rolls down the runway and thunders into the sky, the people happiest about it could be the mechanics left behind on the ground. At Duncan Aviation’s Battle Creek facility, a host of technicians under the direction of Rod Christensen make sure that the airframes on those planes are in good working order. By Andy Fitzpatrick.
AP Photos pursuing.
Eds: An AP Member Exchange from the Battle Creek Enquirer. Also moved Thursday.
EXCHANGE-GLIDER MUSEUM
IRON MOUNTAIN — The wait is finally over. After going through about six years of work and restoration, Menominee Range Historical Foundation members and volunteers recently celebrated the grand opening of the World War II Glider and Military Museum in Iron Mountain. By Nikki Younk.
AP Photos pursuing.
Eds: An AP Member Exchange from The Daily News. Also moved Thursday.
FOR USE MONDAY, JULY 25, AND THEREAFTER:
EXCHANGE-MINIATURE HORSE SHOW
COLEMAN — Becky and Jim McKeith believe that, in order to earn respect from an animal, they have to give respect. That’s the philosophy Jim keeps in mind when he trains miniature horses at the couple’s home, Snowberry Farm, in Coleman. By Susan Field.
AP Photos pursuing.
Eds: An AP Member Exchange from the Morning Sun (Mount Pleasant). Also moved Thursday.
EXCHANGE-SHIPWRECK ADVENTURE
ALPENA — Cody Frost still has dreams about searching for shipwrecks in Lake Huron, near the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Alpena. Frost, a 17-year-old senior at Arthur Hill High School, was among a group of four other students from the school who searched the seas for shipwrecks through “Project Shiphunt.” By Eric Dresden.
AP Photos pursuing
Eds: An AP Member Exchange from The Saginaw News. Also moved Thursday.
The world at 7 a.m. Times in EDT.
NEW & DEVELOPING
— UN-EAST AFRICA-AID — U.N. ramps up food deliveries to East Africa as Somalia famine threatens to spread. Will be updated.
— ASIA SECURITY TALKS— Background briefing scheduled for 7:20 a.m.
— JETS-EDWARDS-DWI — NFL receiver Braylon Edwards’ court appearance scheduled for 9:30 a.m.
— STATE UNEMPLOYMENT — Government reports on state and regional unemployment for June at 10 a.m.
— DEBT SHOWDOWN— Senate vote scheduled for 10 a.m.
— RECRUITERS SHOT — Testimony resumes at 10:15 a.m.
— OBAMA — Town hall begins at 11 a.m.
— FACEBOOK STALKER — Hearing starts at 11:30 a.m.
— PHONEHENGE WEST — Will be updated from hearing set for 11:30 a.m.
TOP STORIES
DEBT SHOWDOWN
WASHINGTON — The Senate is moving to cast away a budget cutting plan passed by the Republican-controlled House, clearing the way for increasingly urgent government talks over raising the nation’s debt ceiling. President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner search once more for an ambitious $4 trillion grand bargain, but officials say wide differences remained. By Jim Kuhnhenn
AP photos, video.
BRITAIN-PHONE HACKING
LONDON — A British lawmaker says he will ask police to investigate a claim contradicting James Murdoch’s testimony he was not aware of evidence that the eavesdropping at one of his newspapers went beyond a jailed rogue reporter. By Jill Lawless and Cassandra Vinograd.
AP photos.
— AUSTRALIA-MURDOCH’S MONOPOLY — Australian anti-competition body frowns on Murdoch company bid to buy rival in pay TV.
HEAT WAVE
NEW YORK — Northeasterners are bracing themselves for another day of searing temperatures, as the heat wave that has cooked the central and eastern parts of the country for days lingers on. Temperatures are expected to hit triple digits in many states. By Tom McElroy.
AP photos.
— FOOD AND FARM-HEAT WAVE — At fairs, on farms and at the racing track, animals take shelter from the heat. AP photos.
ASIA SECURITY TALKS
BALI, Indonesia — Asian nations move to defuse two critical points of tension in the Pacific, in preliminary steps welcomed by the Obama administration, which is trying to reassert U.S. influence in the region. By Matthew Lee and Robin McDowell.
AP photos.
— ASIA SECURITY-NORTH KOREA — North says both Koreas agree to work together to resume stalled nuclear talks, report says. AP photos.
— ASIA SECURITY-MYANMAR — Clinton says Myanmar needs to earn trust of the international community. AP photos.
Multimedia: An interactive featuring a map of recently broken U.S. heat records will have an updated photo gallery of people enjoying the sun and those dealing with the heat.
CRIMINAL IMMIGRANTS
WASHINGTON — Huge increases in deportations of people after they were arrested for breaking traffic or immigration laws or driving drunk helped the Obama administration set a record last year for the number of criminal immigrants forced to leave the country, documents show. By Suzanne Gamboa.
Multimedia: An interactive detailing U.S. deportation by crime is available.
NFL LABOR
COLLEGE PARK, Ga. — NFL owners chatted much of the day, polished off a couple of meals, then overwhelmingly approved a deal to end the lockout. Only one problem: The players aren’t ready to join them at the table just yet. So America’s most popular sports remains in labor limbo a bit longer. By National Writer Paul Newberry.
AP photos, videos.
MORE ON DEBT SHOWDOWN
DEBT SHOWDOWN-HUNTING FOR VOTES
WASHINGTON — The House’s Republican freshmen and tea partyers have loudly refused to cut a deal as the GOP battles Obama over the government’s debt. Yet when it’s time for Boehner to hunt votes for whatever accord he reaches with the White House, the House speaker will have a large pool of veteran GOP lawmakers to target. By Alan Fram.
— BROKEN BUDGETS-DEBT SHOWDOWN — Debt-limit debate creates uncertainty for state governments; some could pay more to borrow.
INTERNATIONAL
SERBIA-WAR CRIMES-HADZIC
BELGRADE, Serbia — The last Balkan war-crimes suspect is extradited to the U.N. tribunal for prosecution after being allowed last-minute visits with relatives, including his sick mother. By Jovana Gec.
AP photos.
SYRIA
KNAYSEH, Lebanon — Syrian military and security forces deploy heavily in the capital, detaining dozens of people and setting up checkpoints as the opposition called for national unity during planned protests against President Bashar Assad’s rule. By Bassem Mroue and Zeina Karam.
AP photos.
BRAZIL-KILLER COPS
RIO DE JANEIRO — The last time Juan Moraes’ mother saw him alive, the 11-year-old left home with his older brother on an errand. On their way back, the siblings were hit by police gunfire. Even in a city where police shootings are routine, Juan’s death touched a nerve. Rio has one of the deadliest police forces in the world — killing on average 3 1/2 people a day, according to an Associated Press analysis. By Juliana Barbassa.
AP photos, graphic.
VENEZUELA-CHAVEZ ON TWITTER
CARACAS, Venezuela — Twitter has become an essential tool for President Hugo Chavez as he gets cancer treatment in Cuba. In more than 40 messages this week he has approved money for a trash collection project, praised plans for a new park and cheered on the national soccer team. By Ian James.
KOREAS-JOINT ORCHESTRA
SEOUL, South Korea — Philadelphia Orchestra chief conductor Charles Dutoit was a longtime friend of Isang Yun, a composer jailed and then exiled by his native South Korea for visiting the North. Now, 16 years after Yun’s death, the 75-year-old Dutoit is working to realize a dream inspired by his friend: an inter-Korean youth orchestra. By Hyung-jin Kim.
AP photos.
NATIONAL
VIDEOTAPED EXECUTION
ATLANTA — A court decision to allow the first videotaped execution in almost two decades could clear the way for a flurry of filings calling for more public access to secretive death row chambers, capital punishment experts say. Defense lawyers for another inmate sought the recording to document the effects of a new death chamber drug, but the Georgia Attorney General’s office warns of a troubling precedent: “Executions in this state are not public, and the potential for sensationalism and abuse of a videotape of an execution is a great concern.” By Greg Bluestein.
AP photo.
— EXECUTION DRUG SHORTAGE-ARKANSAS — Arkansas turns over execution drug to feds amid legal questions over how it got it.
— GIANTS FAN ATTACKED — Police: Two new suspects arrested in Giants fan beating, initial suspect may be exonerated. AP photos, video.
— BUS-SEMI CRASH — One dead, at least 20 hurt after tour bus, tractor-trailer crash, catch fire in upstate New York.
— NAACP CONVENTION — NAACP tackles broader issues to reach more diverse audience in bid to regain prominence.
— TEXAS SCHOOLS-EVOLUTION — Texas Education Board voting on new science materials, fight over teaching evolution fizzles. AP photos.
— GAY MARRIAGE-BACHELOR PARTIES — In New York, some gay bachelors and bachelorettes throw bashes that buck heterosexual tradition. AP photos, video.
— PHONEHENGE WEST — The self-taught builder who created an eccentric little village out of old scrap materials is headed to court to face sentencing on a dozen misdemeanor building code violations.
BUSINESS
EUROPE-FINANCIAL CRISIS
BRUSSELS — Fitch ratings agency says it will put a default rating on Greece’s government bonds as a result of the eurozone’s new plan to get banks to share the burden of helping the country. By David McHugh.
ENTERTAINMENT
COMIC-CON-CONDON
SAN DIEGO — One person who’s not sweating over the poor reviews of the first three “Twilight” movies is the guy directing the final two. Bill Condon has gotten used to critical acclaim with his own last three films, “Dreamgirls,” “Kinsey” and “Gods and Monsters.” But if the final “Breaking Dawn” installments of the “Twilight” movies follow the pattern of the previous tales, he may find critics a tough crowd to please. “I don’t think you can ever anticipate that,” Condon says at the Comic-Con fan convention. By Movie Writer David Germain.
AP photos.
GETTING ATTENTION
— SERVICE DOG FRACAS — McDonald’s manager in Atlanta area accused of punching woman after she brought a service dog inside restaurant.
— GAYS IN MILITARY — AP sources: Defense chief Panetta to certify the end of the ban on gay military service. AP photo, video.
— YOUTUBE-MUSIC FESTIVALS — YouTube to live stream Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits as festivals continue online push. AP photo.
— CALIFORNIA MILK-PMS CAMPAIGN — California milk board alters ad campaign that portrayed men as victims of women’s PMS symptoms.
— AUSTRALIA-WINE TRAGEDY — Forklift drops wine container, smashing Australian shiraz worth $1 million.
———
Online:
http://www.apexchange.com
Business Editors:
Among the stories for Friday from The Associated Press:
RESTAURANT SUPER FANS
NEW YORK — Call it insanity or plain old dedication, but one Iowa woman has traveled cross-country to 119 Chipotle restaurants, while a North Carolinian man loves Chick-fil-A so much that the chain’s mascot cow will be a best man in his wedding. These are the customers every chain dreams of — restaurant groupies. No numbers track this enthusiastic group, but it’s increasingly valuable to struggling restaurants at a time when a Twitter post can change the opinions of thousands. By AP Business Writer Christina Rexrode. AP Photo.
MARKETS & ECONOMY:
DEBT SHOWDOWN
WASHINGTON — The Senate is moving to cast away a budget cutting plan passed by the Republican-controlled House, clearing the way for increasingly urgent government talks over raising the nation’s debt ceiling. President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner searched once more for an ambitious $4 trillion grand bargain, but officials said wide differences remained. By Jim Kuhnhenn.
STATE UNEMPLOYMENT
WASHINGTON — Unemployment rates rose in more than half of U.S. states in June, evidence that slower hiring is affecting many parts of the country. The Labor Department says the unemployment rates in 28 states and Washington, D.C., increased. By Chris Rugaber.
WALL STREET
NEW YORK — Stocks are opening lower on weak results from Caterpillar Inc. That offset earnings gains from McDonald’s and Schlumberger. By Daniel Wagner.
— OIL PRICES — Oil prices hovered above $99 a barrel after European leaders reached an aid deal aimed at stanching Greece’s financial crisis.
EARNINGS:
EARNS-GENERAL ELECTRIC
NEW YORK — General Electric earnings grew 21 percent in the second quarter as its GE Capital lending arm continued to recover from the recession. By Chris Kahn.
EARNS-MCDONALD’S
McDonald’s Corp. says its net income rose 15 percent in the second quarter to $1.4 billion on rising sales around the world. By Christina Rexrode.
EARNS-CATERPILLAR
Caterpillar’s second-quarter profit grew 44 percent and with strong demand for its heavy equipment, the company bumped up its outlook for the entire year. But profits fell just shy of Wall Street estimates and shares tumbled. By Josh Funk.
— EARNS-REYNOLDS AMERICAN — Cigarette maker Reynolds American Inc. said its second-quarter profit fell almost 11 percent, chiefly on charges related to a legal case.
— EARNS-SCHLUMBERGER — Schlumberger Ltd. says second-quarter profits jumped 64 percent on a surge in North American oil drilling.
TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA:
EARNS-VERIZON
NEW YORK — Verizon Communications Inc. is seeing a big boost from the iPhone, adding more new subscribers on contracts in the second quarter than it has in two and half years. Verizon also said Chief Operating Officer Lowell McAdam will take over from long-time CEO Ivan Seidenberg, 64, on Aug. 1. By Peter Svensson.
BRITAIN-PHONE HACKING
LONDON — James Murdoch was under pressure over claims he misled lawmakers about Britain’s phone hacking scandal, as a lawmaker called for a police investigation and Prime Minister David Cameron insisted the media scion had “questions to answer” about what he knew and when he knew it. By Jill Lawless And Cassandra Vinograd.
WITH:
— AUSTRALIA-MURDOCH’S MONOPOLY— Australia’s competition watchdog expressed concern at a bid by Rupert Murdoch’s cable television operation to buy out a rival, saying it would create “a near monopoly” of pay TV service in the country.
— YOUTUBE-MUSIC FESTIVALS — YouTube will live stream Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits, two of the summer’s largest music festivals, in the video site’s continuing push to bring the festivals to digital screens.
— NETHERLANDS-EARNS-TOMTOM — TomTom NV, Europe’s largest maker of navigation devices, reported a $705 million loss in the second quarter as demand for its consumer products worsened.
INTERNATIONAL:
EUROPE-FINANCIAL CRISIS
BRUSSELS— Greece will be ruled in default on its debt as a result of a new eurozone plan asking investors to take losses on the country’s bonds, Fitch ratings agency said. However, the move is unlikely to trigger payment of bond insurance, easing a key concern for Greek and European leaders seeking to contain the continent’s debt crisis. By David McHugh.
WITH:
— GERMANY-FINANCIAL CRISIS — German Chancellor Angela Merkel said it is Berlin’s duty to support the euro currency as she praised the new eurozone agreement on a second bailout for Greece.
— GREECE-FINANCIAL CRISIS — Greece’s finance minister expressed relief for the second European bailout of Greece.
— SPAIN-FINANCIAL CRISIS — Investors are easing pressure on Spanish markets in reaction to the European Union’s new deal to help Greece with another bailout.
CHINA-BRIBERY
BEIJING — A former deputy chairman of state-owned China Mobile Ltd., the world’s biggest phone company by subscribers, was convicted of taking bribes and sentenced to prison.
— GERMANY-ECONOMY — German business confidence declined more than expected this month amid jitters over Europe’s debt crisis, a survey showed. But the overall picture remains positive.
— POLAND-EURO — Poland’s finance minister says he doubts his country will adopt the euro in the next few years. Polish leaders have repeatedly delayed a switch to the euro.
— EARNS-VOLVO — Swedish truck maker Volvo AB’s second-quarter profit surged 63 percent as sales returned to levels last seen before the financial crisis.
— AUSTRALIA-WINE TRAGEDY — An unsteady forklift dropped a container full of fine Australian wine worth more than $1 million, smashing most of the bottles. The winemaker says he’s “gut-wrenched, shocked and numb” after the loss of his flagship shiraz.
posted by Roger Wingelaar at
8:43 AM
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