Reuters US

Despite high prices, farmers' markets still thrive
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Every year Chuck Geyer and his three children truck boxes upon boxes of their plump, juicy strawberries, raspberries and other produce to a bustling Saturday farmers market near Washington.

Massive wildfires threaten two California towns
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California firefighters made a desperate stand as darkness fell on Thursday to save more than 4,000 homes and other structures from a pair of out-of-control wildfires burning about 170 miles apart along the California coast.

New West Nile virus strain may worsen epidemic
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new strain of West Nile virus is spreading better and earlier across the United States, and may thrive in hot American summers, researchers said on Thursday.

A tomato by any other name? Experts set food rules
GENEVA (Reuters) - Food safety experts agreed for the first time on the qualities defining a tomato, in a first step toward an international code on preventing fruit and vegetable contamination.

Freed American hostages in "good condition"
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Reuters) - Three U.S. defense contractors freed after five years as rebel-held hostages in Colombia are in good health and could go home within a few days, U.S. Army doctors said Thursday.

Paparazzi feel the heat in California
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - For years Hollywood's paparazzi have hounded celebrities, but now -- with help from local politicians, a lawyer in the Monica Lewinsky case, and even Malibu surfers -- they are the ones feeling the heat.

Breast reconstruction can have lasting benefits
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Breast reconstruction after cancer surgery can have lasting benefits for women's psychological well-being and body image, a new study suggests.

Transgender "man" reportedly gives birth
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Thomas Beatie, who was born a woman but after surgery and hormone treatment lives as a man, has given birth to a girl at an Oregon hospital, People magazine reported on Thursday.

Marines to stay longer in southern Afghanistan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some 2,200 U.S. Marines battling insurgents in southern Afghanistan have had their tour of duty extended by 30 days, U.S. officials said on Thursday.

U.S. weak on preventing passport snooping
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department's system to prevent snooping into passport records has many weaknesses, according to a government investigation that was released on Thursday and was launched after workers improperly peeked into the files of three presidential candidates.

BBC Americas News

Betancourt joy at French return
French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt expresses her thanks as she lands in France, days after her release from captivity.
4 Jul 2008 at 11:08am

Ex-Senator Jesse Helms dies at 86
Former US Republican Senator Jesse Helms - a leading conservative politician - dies aged 86, officials say.
4 Jul 2008 at 11:06am

Fires lead to California exodus
Thousands of people are told to leave their homes as wildfires burn in large areas of the US state of California.
4 Jul 2008 at 2:50am

Bush to attend Olympic ceremony
US President George W Bush will attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, the White House says.
4 Jul 2008 at 1:08am

McCain urges more border security
White House hopeful John McCain tells Mexicans better border security must come before immigration reform.
4 Jul 2008 at 5:25am

Google must divulge YouTube log
Google must divulge the viewing habits of every user who has ever watched avideo on YouTube, says a US court.
3 Jul 2008 at 3:19pm

US loses 62,000 jobs during June
US firms cut jobs for a sixth month in June, stoking fears the world's largest economy is heading for a recession.
3 Jul 2008 at 9:11am

Five to face Concorde crash trial
A US airline and five people are to be tried for manslaughter over the 2000 Concorde crash, French judicial officials say.
3 Jul 2008 at 6:31am

Paulson admits regulatory errors
The system for regulating US banks should have performed better, US Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson admits.
3 Jul 2008 at 6:02am

The man who made Bozo the Clown a household name dies
Larry Harmon, the man who popularised the show business character Bozo the Clown, dies of heart failure aged 83.
3 Jul 2008 at 11:30pm

NY Times: National

Blazes in California Take a Toll on Fireworks
Wildfires have prompted some California towns and cities to impose a temporary ban on the use of fireworks.


by By JESSE McKINLEY
4 Jul 2008 at 2:32am

Two Subplots in Guantánamo?s Long Legal Story
The Bush administration?s effort to prosecute detainees at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, now has two fast-moving subplots, and either one could soon write something of a final chapter.


by By WILLIAM GLABERSON
4 Jul 2008 at 6:15am

Copying Issue Raises Hurdle for Bush Pick
For Michael E. O?Neill, who helped steer Supreme Court nominations through the confirmation process, there are signs his nomination to a federal district court might be difficult as well.


by By ADAM LIPTAK
4 Jul 2008 at 2:37am

Obama Fuels Pullout Debate With Remarks
Change in Iraq has posed a challenge for Barack Obama, who said he might ?refine? his policies but later held a news conference to clarify his statement.


by By MICHAEL COOPER and JEFF ZELENY
4 Jul 2008 at 8:05am

Outlook Darker as Jobs Are Lost
The unemployment rate held steady as 62,000 jobs disappeared in June, the Labor Department reported.


by By LOUIS UCHITELLE
4 Jul 2008 at 4:39am

2 Supervisors Are Arrested After Sweep at Meat Plant
Hundreds of illegal immigrants were rounded up in May at the kosher meatpacking plant in Iowa, and the two supervisors were arrested on criminal immigration charges.


by By JULIA PRESTON
3 Jul 2008 at 11:25pm

Governor of Florida Is Rebuffed on Gambling
The Florida Supreme Court ruled that Gov. Charlie Crist overstepped his authority in a deal that let the Seminole Tribe install slot machines and offer blackjack and baccarat at its casinos.


by By CHRISTINE JORDAN SEXTON
3 Jul 2008 at 11:31pm

Report Finds Far More Viewing of Celebrities? Passport Files
A report found that employees may have improperly peeked into the passport files of wealthy people and celebrities far more often than previously believed.


by By NEIL A. LEWIS
4 Jul 2008 at 4:10am

Google Told to Turn Over User Data of YouTube
The order raised concerns that the online video viewing habits of tens of millions of people could be exposed.


by By MIGUEL HELFT
3 Jul 2008 at 11:30pm

California Fire Creeps Closer to Homes in Big Sur
Residents of the scenic Big Sur Valley watched anxiously as authorities ordered more coastal residents to evacuate.


by By JESSE McKINLEY
3 Jul 2008 at 11:35pm

Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Former Republican N.C. Sen. Jesse Helms dies at 86
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Former Sen. Jesse Helms, who built a career along the fault lines of racial politics and battled liberals, Communists and the occasional fellow Republican during 30 conservative years in Congress, died on the Fourth of July. He was 86.
4 Jul 2008 at 11:30am

Jesse Helms quotes on life and politics
Some quotes of Jesse Helms, who died on the Fourth of July at age 86:
4 Jul 2008 at 10:18am

4 people dead in Milwaukee shooting; no arrests
MILWAUKEE -- At least one gunman fired into a crowd of more than 100 people partying in the street early Friday, killing four of them, police said.
4 Jul 2008 at 10:44am

Chestnut wins hot dog contest after eat-off
NEW YORK -- Joey Chestnut has reclaimed the top spot as winner of the annual hot dog eating contest in Coney Island after first tying with archrival Takeru Kobayashi in a 10-minute chow-down and then beating him in a five-dog eat-off.
4 Jul 2008 at 12:14pm

Guerrilla gardeners dig in to beautify Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES -- More than a dozen people, some wearing orange protective gear, pulled rakes and shovels from a dingy shopping cart and started working on a parched patch of land along a busy off-ramp of the Hollywood Freeway.
4 Jul 2008 at 11:38am

Wildfire chases July 4th visitors from Big Sur
BIG SUR, Calif. -- Independence Day is normally a booming time for tourism at Big Sur, with visitors settling into cliffside vacation homes or trekking out to campgrounds nestled among the redwoods. But this year, the only out-of-towners in Big Sur are firefighters working around the clock to save the storied community from flames.
4 Jul 2008 at 10:59am

Tension builds over Coney Island rebuilding plan
NEW YORK -- The Fourth of July weekend has always been one of the most exciting times of the year for Coney Island: Crowds line the boardwalk to watch the hot-dog eating contest, visitors take terrifying roller coaster rides, and beachgoers frolic in the sand and surf.
4 Jul 2008 at 10:35am

Freed US hostages, families reuniting in Texas
FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas -- Back on U.S. soil, three American hostages rescued from Colombia rebels are now in the process of reintegrating into a society they've been absent from for more than five years.
4 Jul 2008 at 4:07am

Crazy cat that frightened neighborhood mends ways
FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- A combative cat named Lewis who frightened the neighbors and got his owner into legal trouble two years ago has done so well under house arrest that the case has now been scratched.
4 Jul 2008 at 12:11pm

Larry Harmon, longtime Bozo the Clown, dead at 83
LOS ANGELES -- Larry Harmon wasn't the original Bozo the Clown, but he was the real one. Harmon, who portrayed the wing-haired clown for more than half a century, died Thursday of congestive heart failure, said his publicist, Jerry Digney. He was 83.
4 Jul 2008 at 11:36am

Chicago Tribune

'Switcheroonie' on anthem spurs outrage
Rene Marie's unexpected choice at a mayor's event where she was asked to sing the more traditional song has prompted a chorus of criticism.

Rene Marie's unexpected version of the national anthem—substituting the lyrics to "The Star-Spangled Banner" with the black national anthem—has stirred an angry chorus, prompting even the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee to comment. Includes video of Marie's performance.

Ex-N.C. Sen. Jesse Helms dead at 86
Former Sen. Jesse Helms, who built a career along the fault lines of racial politics and battled liberals, Communists and the occasional fellow Republican during 30 conservative years in Congress, died on the Fourth of July.

Jesse Helms quotes on life and politics
Some quotes of Jesse Helms, who died on the Fourth of July at age 86:

How Colombia pulled off brazen hostage rescue
The elaborate ruse that saved 15 hostages from FARC rebels in the jungles of Colombia entailed a fake humanitarian organization, U.S. surveillance and a rebel turncoat angry at his commander.

Freed Betancourt gets hero's welcome in France
Freed from captivity and humiliation in the jungles of Colombia, Ingrid Betancourt returns to her beloved France and a hero's welcome Friday in the gilded halls of the presidential palace.

Wildlife refuges pay price for protection
Study: National parks in developing nations are attracting the human encroachment and the conflict they were meant to be shielded from

The execution-style killing last year of a gorilla family in Congo may portend future conflicts as humans encroach on resource-rich national parks in developing countries, according to a new study. The Tribune's Tim De Chant reports.

Pentagon extends tour of Marines in Afghanistan
The Pentagon has extended the tour of 2,200 Marines in Afghanistan, after insisting for months the unit would come home on time.

Snooping into celebrity passport files may be widespread
A State Department probe finds that in a sample of 150 famous Americans, most of their files had been viewed in the last six years; nine had been opened more than 100 times.

A federal investigation of unauthorized snooping into government passport files has found evidence that such breaches may be far more common than previously disclosed, and the State Department inspector general is calling for an overhaul of the program's management.

Nebraska Beef Ltd. recall expands to 5.3 million pounds
Nebraska Beef Ltd. is expanding a recall announced earlier this week to include all 5.3 million pounds of meat it produced for ground beef between May 16 and June 26.