NATIONAL STORIES:
CNN: Landing gear on Southwest jet collapses, 10 hurt
Ten people suffered minor injuries Monday when the nose gear of a Southwest Airlines jetliner collapsed after landing at New York's LaGuardia Airport, the city's Port Authority reported. Southwest Flight 345 was landing at LaGuardia from Nashville about 5:40 p.m. when the accident occurred. The nose of the blue-and-orange jet came to rest on the ground after the aircraft came to a stop, and passengers evacuated the aircraft on emergency slides.
WATCH: VIDEO CNN's Anderson Cooper talks with Kathy Boles, a passenger on the Southwest flight that had its nose gear collapse.
CNN: "Whitey" Bulger trial: Pal describes his stepdaughter's killing, misidentifies drug dealer
The fireworks started early on day 26 of the James "Whitey" Bulger trial in Boston Monday when Stephen Flemmi, who mouthed an expletive at his alleged former partner-in-crime when he first took the stand last week, riled up a member of the gallery. Flemmi, in an apparent error, testified that Steve Davis, the brother of victim Debra Davis, was a drug dealer and an informant. Flemmi was actually referring to another Davis brother, Mickey, but the damage was done. Steve Davis, who has been a daily fixture in court, erupted. "That's a f-- lie," he shouted, his face turning red, his body shaking as he stood.
NYT: Hearing Set for Lawsuit Disputing Detroit’s Bankruptcy Filing
The legal squabbling over Detroit’s bankruptcy filing continued on Monday, and the federal judge overseeing the case said he would hold a hearing Wednesday to determine whether a lawsuit by retired public employees can block it. The judge, Steven Rhodes of United States Bankruptcy Court, agreed to the hearing requested by Detroit’s emergency manager in response to a Michigan judge’s ruling that the city’s Chapter 9 filing violated the state’s Constitution because it could cut city workers’ pensions. The emergency manager, Kevyn D. Orr, had filed a motion asking that the city be protected from litigation as it proceeds with its historic bankruptcy filing, made last week.
SEE ALSO:
Reuters: Bankrupt Detroit's downtown renaissance creates trickle of hope
FOX: Detroit bankruptcy raises concerns about other US cites under huge retiree debt
WSJ: Economic Casualties: 'Missing Households'
The number of Americans living in someone else's home for economic reasons rose in the past year despite an improving labor market, posing a challenge for the housing market and the broader recovery. The number of so-called missing households—representing adults who would be owning or renting their own home if household formation had stayed at normal rates since the recession—has increased 4% over the past year, according to an analysis for The Wall Street Journal.
SEE ALSO: USA Today: Fewer parents can pay college tuition
WHITE HOUSE:
CNN: Source: Obama to move forward with plan to arm Syrian rebels
President Barack Obama is in a position to move forward with a plan to arm Syrian rebels, an official said Monday, after concerns raised by Congress were resolved. The comments came a few hours after House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Michigan, seemed to clear the path for the plan to proceed. Some lawmakers had moved to stop the plan from being put into action, citing concerns over a lack of explanation on strategy and questions about how the groups receiving aid would be vetted.
CNN: Obama offers preview of economic message in speech to supporters
President Barack Obama gave some of his most active and rowdy former campaign supporters on Monday an early glimpse of his return to speaking about jobs and the economy as he prepares for a three-speech tour to refocus his administration's message. Speaking at an event sponsored by Organizing for Action, the political advocacy group formed from his campaign organization, the president urged his backers to help rally support for some of his second-term priorities, even as some of those issues languish in Congress.
CNN: Obama meets with celebs who want to promote Obamacare
President Barack Obama, hoping to pitch his signature health care law to younger Americans, will get some help from a cadre of Hollywood stars who have volunteered to help promote Obamacare's insurance exchanges that open on October 1. At a meeting at the White House Monday, a group that included singer Jennifer Hudson and actors Kal Penn and Amy Poehler heard Obama extol the benefits his health care law offers young people, whose participation in the exchanges is seen as essential for their long-term viability.
Politico: Obama donors keep sending those checks
They send checks, a hundred dollars at a time, to President Barack Obama’s reelection bid — and they’re not stopping just because the election is over. Some want to stick it to conservatives. Some are dedicated volunteers who didn’t realize Obama’s new tax-exempt group Organizing for Action took over fundraising from Obama for America. And some don’t remember sending Obama money at all.
CAPITOL HILL:
Reuters: Senators cancel immigration meeting with lobbyists amid backlash
Architects of the Senate's immigration bill on Monday canceled a meeting that had been planned with business groups and other supporters to try to rally momentum for the legislation, in a sign of how difficult it will be to enact the reforms. Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, Republican Senator John McCain and other members of the "Gang of Eight" that shepherded a sweeping immigration bill through the Senate want to enlist business, labor and religious groups to help persuade members of the House of Representatives to back reform.
WX Post: Panel to vote on bills that target federal workers
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is a busy place. It has been examining the Internal Revenue Service, postal reform, border security and other high-profile issues. Now Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) turns the committee’s attention to a series of federal employee-related bills that have fallen into the legislative hopper by flying far below the public’s radar. Federal employee groups wish some of the measures would crash before takeoff.
BuzzFeed: Meet The Most Powerful Junior Republican In The House Of Representatives
While he may not be close to becoming Speaker of the House, Justin Amash has slowly but surely become one of the more prominent Republicans in the rebellious wing of the House conference, as evidenced Monday when he effectively forced the actual Speaker of the House, John Boehner, to allow a vote on his amendment to partially defund the National Security Agency as part of the Department of Defense appropriations process. The revelations that the NSA had been collecting the phone and Internet data of millions of Americans en masse has given Amash a prime opportunity to move forward with some of his most important priorities.
WSJ: Heritage Foundation Becomes a Handful for the GOP
For four decades, the Heritage Foundation was a stately think tank that sought to define conservative thinking for Republicans. Now, in one of the more significant transformations in the capital's intellectual firmament, it has become an activist political operation trying to alter the course of conservative thinking. It now challenges establishment Republican leaders as much as it informs them, making waves in the process.
HuffPost: Elizabeth Warren Questions 'Stand Your Ground' Laws
Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and the recently sworn in Ed Markey (D-Mass.) suggested on Monday that state "Stand Your Ground" self-defense laws should be reviewed in the wake of the George Zimmerman trial. Speaking at a joint appearance in South Boston, Warren said the jury's decision to acquit Zimmerman in the 2012 killing of unarmed Florida teen Trayvon Martin should be accepted. But she said that there was reasonable criticism of "Stand Your Ground" statutes, which eliminate the "duty to retreat" and allow perceived victims to use deadly force if they reasonably fear for their lives or great bodily harm.
WX Post: Illegal immigrant workers ask not to be deported while Congress debates
Marta Espinoza Lopez, 62, spent the past decade bent over a sewing machine in Arizona, stitching men’s work jackets and vests. In February, Lopez said, immigration agents swept through the factory and arrested her and other workers who are in the country illegally. This week, a few days after being released, Lopez drove to Washington to tell her story and ask President Obama to stop deporting people like her until Congress settles the issue of immigration reform.
POLITICAL:
CNN: Spitzer in new ad: 'I failed big time'
Eliot Spitzer isn't shying away from the topic on everyone's minds as he makes a political comeback bid for New York City comptroller. The former New York governor, who resigned in 2008 after admitting to paying prostitutes for sex, begins his new television ad admitting to his past mistakes.
CNN: Democrat jumps into Georgia Senate race
Michelle Nunn, chief executive of the volunteer organization Points of Light who is also the daughter of former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn, announced in an interview published Monday she intends to run for Senate in Georgia. Nunn, a Democrat, was widely expected to jump into the race. She'll run for the seat currently held by Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss, who is not seeking re-election.
CNN: San Diego mayor sued, called unfit for office
San Diego Mayor Bob Filner's former spokeswoman sued him for sexual harassment Monday, calling Filner unfit "to hold any public office" and adding a new dimension to the scandal he faces. Irene McCormack Jackson said she and other women were subjected to "crude and disgusting" comments and inappropriate touching by Filner. She said she resigned as Filner's communications director in June after deciding that the mayor would not change his behavior.
WX Post: Super PACs, other independent political groups already setting pace for 2016 presidential race
The Democrats have established their 2016 war room in a glassy new building in downtown Washington. The Republicans are setting up shop across the Potomac River in the Northern Virginia suburbs. Long before any candidates announce their presidential bids, the next race for the White House is unofficially underway. Political operatives for two independent groups — American Bridge 21st Century on the left and America Rising on the right — are already tracking potential contenders, aiming to build robust research files that can be used against the opposition.
Bloomberg: McConnell Primary Challenge Curbs Deal-Making Instincts
Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, bracing for a primary challenge backed by anti-tax Tea Party activists, is shrinking from his longtime role as a broker of high-stakes congressional deals to tend to his own political survival. Matt Bevin, an investment adviser and political novice, is set to announce his candidacy tomorrow in the state capital of Frankfort, aide Sarah Durand said in a press advisory yesterday that outlined plans for an eight-stop campaign roll-out across Kentucky this week.
NATIONAL SECURITY:
CNN: Dempsey: Syria intervention is "act of war" that could cost billions
United States military involvement in Syria would likely cost billions of dollars and carry a range of risks for the forces involved, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey said in a letter released Monday. "I know that the decision to use force is not one that any of us takes lightly," Dempsey wrote in the letter to Sen. Carl Levin,D-Michigan, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "It is no less than an act of war." Dempsey's letter was in response to a request by Levin and Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, to provide his assessments of possible scenarios for future involvement in the Syrian civil war. But it also came with a warning for a military now in a second decade at war.
CNN: Official: Snowden did not get 'crown jewels'
U.S. intelligence now believes Edward Snowden did not gain access to the "crown jewels" of National Security Agency programs that secretly intercept and monitor conversations around the world, CNN has learned. The Obama administration is reviewing what the admitted leaker of classified information actually got his hands on and what damage he may have caused. The ongoing damage assessment indicates he did not gain access to what is called ECI or "extremely compartmentalized information," according to a U.S. official familiar with the review.
NPR: Lack Of Leaders Puts Strain On Homeland Security Department
Janet Napolitano's announcement that she'll be stepping down as Department of Homeland Security secretary after four years on the job leaves an opening at the top of the key Cabinet agency. But it's not the only job opening at Homeland Security. Fifteen top posts at DHS, including secretary, are now vacant or soon will be. Many are being filled on a temporary basis, and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle want the Obama administration to get busy filling those jobs, too.
Bloomberg: Kerry’s Day-and-Night Pursuit Reaps Fragile Mideast Talks
When John Kerry stepped onto his plane in Amman, Jordan, after announcing he had brokered a preliminary deal to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, his staff broke into applause. The U.S. secretary of state has invested his prestige and much of his time, through day-and-night shuttle diplomacy in six trips over six months, in reviving negotiations that broke off in September 2010. The immediate goal is for Israeli and Palestinian negotiators to meet in Washington “within the next week or so,” Kerry told reporters on July 19.
SEE ALSO: BuzzFeed: Jimmy Carter: Peace Now Could Be More Difficult Than When I Was President
WSJ: Pentagon Offers Compromise on Spectrum Sought by Wireless Carriers
The Defense Department has offered to compromise with wireless carriers in a fight over valuable spectrum now used for purposes like training pilots in the Pentagon's drone program. At issue is the government's first substantial auction of airwave rights in half a decade. Carriers have been pressing regulators to include spectrum in the 1755 to 1780 megahertz bands in the coming auction. In a letter to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration filed with the Federal Communications Commission, the military said it can largely relocate out of those bands "while ensuring no loss of critical DOD capabilities."
TRANSPORTATION, REGULATION and JUSTICE:
CNN: Feds take evidence related to Zimmerman trial, including gun
Florida authorities have delivered all evidence related to the George Zimmerman investigation to federal officials, who are weighing whether to pursue a civil rights case. The Sanford Police Department said it turned over all evidence, including a gun, to the Department of Justice on Monday. Justice officials are investigating whether Zimmerman violated Trayvon Martin's civil rights when he shot the African-American teenager.
SEE ALSO: CNN: Zimmerman helps family out of overturned SUV
CNN: Justice Department sues Puerto Rico police, alleging racial bias
The U.S. Justice Department said Monday it is suing Puerto Rico's police department for discrimination, alleging a female officer suffered three years of harassment for her race, color and religion. The allegations are the latest in a series of claims against the commonwealth's troubled police force, and they follow an agreement last week between the Justice Department and Puerto Rico to reform the island's 17,000-strong force.
WX Post: TSA opens faster screening options to general public
Laptops out, belts off, shoes in the bin — and don’t forget to pack carry-on liquids in a see-through plastic bag. Passenger-screening rules became stricter and more time-consuming at U.S. airports after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, but that’s slowly changing, at least for some. The Transportation Security Administration is relaxing its screening guidelines for frequent fliers and some international travelers willing to submit to pre-screenings.
REGIONAL HEADLINES:
New Jersey Star-Ledger: Will he or won't he? Christie, Buono trade barbs as governor's race heats up over debates question
Judging by the preliminaries, the main event should be something to see. Gov. Chris Christie hasn’t said whether he will debate his Democratic challenger, Barbara Buono. And if he refuses, Buono said that makes him a coward.
San Francisco Chronicle: Small victory: BART, unions both negotiating
With a possible second BART strike just 13 days away, the transit agency and its labor unions still seemed far apart on Monday but did agree on one thing: Both sides said they want to knuckle down at the bargaining table and work out a deal.
Des Moines Register: Register Exclusive: Armstrong says Iowans have been supportive
Returning to the seat of a bicycle under the broiling glare of a July sun in Iowa created a pedal-powered litmus test for cycling icon Lance Armstrong. Would people forgive doping charges that led to one of the world’s most prominent athletes being stripped of seven Tour de France titles? Did the tangle of lies and intimidation meant to protect those secrets paint his legacy irreversibly in the eyes of others? What would people say? What would they think? Armstrong found part of his answer Monday, mile by warming mile, as he zig-zagged from Harlan to Perry with an estimated 20,000 others on the second day of the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa.
The State: How Vincent Sheheen hopes to change the result in 2014 governor’s race
State Sen. Vincent Sheheen was speaking to a group of local business owners here last week when a man raised his hand and asked a question. “How close was your last election?” The question is part of a larger one Sheheen must answer leading up to the 2014 election and his much-anticipated rematch with Republican Nikki Haley: If Sheheen lost the 2010 governor’s race by 4.5 percentage points to a then little-known Lexington state representative, fighting severe ethics questions, what makes him think next year will be any different?
Portland Press Herald: Portland's cruise industry growing
The city is expected to see an increase in cruise passengers in 2013, but there won't be as many ships bringing them in. In this September 2012 file photo, a Segway tour passes in front of the Carnival Glory cruise ship in Portland. The city is seeing an increase in cruise-ship visitors in 2013. The Port of Portland, which opened a longer, deeper-water pier in 2011 to accommodate larger cruise ships, is expecting 71,255 passengers on 58 ships this year, a 3.5 percent increase. By contrast, 68,861 cruise ship passengers visited Portland on 59 ships in 2012. The increase in passengers coupled with fewer ships mirrors a trend in the industry toward both ends of the scale: bigger ships that carry thousands and come with family-friendly amenities such as water parks, and smaller, more luxurious ships that carry only a couple of hundred passengers.
INTERNATIONAL:
CNN: World awaits first glimpse of Kate and William's royal baby boy
All eyes are glued Tuesday to the hospital where Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and husband Prince William welcomed their first child, as a joyful public waits for its first glimpse of the new royal heir. The baby boy was born at 4:24 p.m. on Monday, weighing 8 pounds, 6 ounces. A name has not yet been announced for the child, who is third in line to the throne. The royal couple remained in the private Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital in London overnight but hopes were high that they'd make an appearance as early as Tuesday.
SEE ALSO: CNN: Obamas congratulate William and Kate on birth of son
WATCH: VIDEO CNN: A new waiting game begins in Britain, as the world is guessing what Will and Kate will name their son.
CNN: Prisons, army, mosque targeted in Iraq; nearly 50 dead
Violence exploded in Iraq over the past 24 hours near Baghdad and in Mosul, leaving nearly 50 people dead and hundreds of al Qaeda-linked militants free in a massive jailbreak, authorities said Monday. Security forces battled militants outside two major penitentiaries near the Iraqi capital of Baghdad and thwarted prison breaks, the Justice Ministry said Monday. The incidents occurred Sunday night at Abu Ghraib, west of Baghdad, and al-Taji prison, north of the capital. The Justice Ministry said well-armed "terrorist groups" attacked the prisons simultaneously using mortars.
CNN: Biggest-ever foreign turnout expected for North Korea mass games
Acrobats, dancers and singers - under normal circumstances, a festival featuring such tried and true attractions might not send you rushing to the Internet to book travel. But when more than 120,000 gymnasts gather in one of the world's most secretive nations to perform a highly synchronized, 90-minute spectacle of song, dance and Cold War-style propaganda, it's something worth looking into.
BBC: Brazil crowds greet Pope Francis in Rio de Janeiro
Pope Francis has been greeted by tens of thousands of Brazilian pilgrims as he began his first trip abroad since becoming head of the Catholic Church. The first Latin American Pope toured Rio de Janeiro in an open car and then met President Dilma Rousseff at the state governor's palace. After he left, police fired tear gas to disperse anti-government protesters.
Bloomberg: Mandela’s Wealth-Sharing Dream Fades in South Africa
As former President Nelson Mandela enters his 96th year recovering in a Pretoria hospital, his dream of widely distributing the country’s riches has faded. Discontent is mounting 19 years after his election over how a tiny elite with ties to the ruling African National Congress benefitted from more than 600 billion rand ($61 billion) in so-called black economic empowerment deals.
NYT: Pakistan Battles Polio, and Its People’s Mistrust
Anger like his over American foreign policy has led to a disastrous setback for the global effort against polio. In December, nine vaccinators were shot dead [in Pakistan], and two Taliban commanders banned vaccination in their areas, saying the vaccinations could resume only if drone strikes ended. In January, 10 vaccinators were killed in Nigeria’s Muslim-dominated north.
BUSINESS:
CNNMoney: Netflix's 'Arrested Development' grows subscribers – but not enough
Netflix brought "Arrested Development" back to life this spring, and the comedy series helped boost the online video company's subscriber numbers - just not by enough. Netflix's video streaming service netted about 630,000 new American subscribers in the second quarter. That's pretty good, considering that Netflix typically expects second-quarter subscriber numbers to sink year-over year. The subscriber additions were also on the high end of Netflix's outlook for the period: In April, Netflix said it expected to gain between 230,000 and 880,000 new domestic subscribers in the quarter.
CNNMoney: Toyota wrongful death trial kicks off in California
Toyota is preparing for a closely watched legal battle that could help determine damages owed to car owners and their families across the country. Jury selection began Monday for a case in which the family of a deceased California woman claims the 2009 crash that killed her resulted from her Toyota Camry's sudden and uncontrollable acceleration.
CNNMoney: Investor pushes TheStreet for a sale
One investor wants to put TheStreet in play and is setting itself up as one of the bidders. Private equity firm Spear Point, which holds a 2% stake in the company, wants TheStreet to hire an outside financial adviser to weigh a number of options. Spear Point, based in New Orleans, also said it will make a bid for the company, though it declined to say how much it would be willing to pay. TheStreet declined to comment.
WSJ: As Banks Retreat, Hedge Funds Smell Profit
Private investment funds, facing diminished returns in some other areas, have piled into the business of lending to struggling companies, part of a so-called shadow-lending system that operates under different rules than commercial banks. Hedge funds D.E. Shaw Group and Oaktree Capital Management, for example, recently set up funds to lend to small and midsize businesses, including distressed ones. Such loans typically are secured by claims against a borrower's assets.
CNBC: Investors are moving out of housing. Here's why
Current homeowners are now driving the housing market, as even investor traffic fell in June for the fourth straight month, according to Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance. That could mean slower sales going forward, as still tight inventory keeps move-up buyers in place. That, and negative home equity.
