On Wednesday greeted coolly President Obama’s challenge.

On Wednesday greeted coolly President Obama’s challenge that they deal immediately with raising the debt ceiling and related issues, with one key GOP senator urging Democrats to give up their Fourth of July break to work on the issue.

At his news conference, Obama called on Congress to pass a variety of economic measures -- free trade as well as patent reform.
The House’s top Republican immediately decried the position of the president and fellow Democrats, saying again that the GOP would not accept any tax hikes.

“The president's remarks today ignore legislative and economic reality and demonstrate remarkable irony,” Speaker John Boehner said in a prepared statement. “The president is sorely mistaken if he believes a bill to raise the debt ceiling and raise taxes would pass the House. The votes simply aren’t there -- and they aren’t going to be there.
“A debt-limit increase can only pass the House if it includes spending cuts larger than the debt-limit increase; includes reforms to hold down spending in the future; and is free from tax hikes," Boehner stated.
On the Senate side, where the GOP is in the minority, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama), the ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, criticized the majority Democrats, whom he blamed for failing to pass a budget or to deal with fiscal issues.
At his news conference, Obama recounted how his daughters, Malia and Sasha, managed to get their homework done in a timely fashion rather than waiting for the last moment before a deadline hit. If they can do it, so can Congress, he said, verbally twisting the political knife.

“I’ve been here," Obama told reporters. “I’ve been doing Afghanistan and [Osama] bin Laden and the Greek crisis.

dueling news conferences--Obama and mcconnell

dueling news conferences,On one side of Pennsylvania Avenue this morning, President Obama will be talking about a "balanced approach" to cutting the federal debt that includes new government revenues as well as program cuts.
Down the street, the Senate's top Republican -- Mitch McConnell of Kentucky -- will be proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, and bashing Democrats over raising taxes.Obama and McConnell both have scheduled news conferences at 11:30 a.m., the latest moves in the budget debate over increasing the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling while cutting federal spending.
"While the president will be calling for tax hikes on job creators, Republicans will be at the Capitol calling on Congress to balance its budget," said Don Stewart, a McConnell spokesman.

Obama and the Democrats say they are promoting a balanced approach to debt reduction.

They also note that, without an increase in the debt ceiling, the government risks a default that could well trigger another recession.
"Republicans should start accepting the hard truths we face and work with us to do the right thing for the middle class instead of protecting millionaires and big corporations at all costs," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Bank of America is nearing an $8.5 billion settlement.

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) is nearing an $8.5 billion settlement with high-profile investors over mortgage loans, according to people familiar with the matter.

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Pedestrians walk past a Bank of America sign on the street in New York

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Covers the leading players in the finance industry Sample

The group of more than 20 investors includes Pacific Investment Management Co., BlackRock Inc., MetLife Inc . and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The group had been pressuring the Charlotte, North Carolina-based bank to repurchase mortgages worth more than $40 billion, which the company's Countrywide unit sold to them in the form of bonds.

The investor group, which alleged that Bank of America has violated its obligations on at least $47 billion worth of home loans, holds over $80 billion in mortgage-backed securities in home loans from Bank of America, one of the nation's biggest bank by assets.

"Laborat"officials said, a wildfire rages nearby.

A nuclear science center near Sante Fe, New Mexico, will remain closed through at least Thursday as a wildfire rages nearby, officials said.

"Laboratory facilities will be closed for all activities and nonessential employees are directed to remain off site," the Los Alamos National Laboratory said in a statement.

It had consumed about 61,000 acres by early Wednesday, according to InciWeb, an online database that keeps track of natural disasters such as fires and floods.

All was under control at the facility regardless of a small fire that broke out Monday on the grounds and was quickly extinguished, said Charles McMillan, the laboratory's director.

The fire has raised concerns about whether hazardous matels at the site are being adequately guided.

McMillan said the materials are secure and any information important to the safety of the public would be announced.

The Las Conchas fire touches the south border of the lab's 40-square-mile facility, and comes close to the west border.

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez warned citizens to avoid using fireworks on July Fourth and the rest of the season.

DETROIT (AP) — Miguel Cabrera hit a go-ahead single and the Detroit Tigers scored seven runs with two outs in the eighth inning to beat the Arizona Di

DETROIT (AP) — Miguel Cabrera hit a go-ahead single and the Detroit Tigers scored seven runs with two outs in the eighth inning to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-3 yesterday. Arizona wasted a fine start by left-hander Joe Saunders, who allowed a run and four hits in seven innings. He struck out eight and walked one. Al Alburquerque pitched 1-and-a-third innings of scoreless relief for Detroit

NEW YORK (AP) — Eduardo Nunez hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the seventh after shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (too-loh-WIT'-skee) made an error, and Nick Swisher and Jorge Posada hit consecutive homers and the New York Yankees beat the Colorado Rockies 6-4 yesterday. Mark Teixeira (teh-SHEHR'-uh) homered for New York and Alex Rodriguez drove in a run for his sixth game in a row.

SAO PAULO (AP) — Denver Nuggets center Nene (neh-NAY') will not join Brazil's national team at the FIBA Americas Championship.

arrest warrants on Monday for Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi

Judges at the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on Monday for Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

The decision came after ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo had asked for arrest warrants for Mr. Gadhafi, his son Seif al-Islam and the head of Libyan intelligence, Abdullah al-Senussi.

Meanwhile, witnesses in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, say they have heard two loud explosions and could see smoke rising from the area near Gadhafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound Monday.

Opposition commanders said fighting on the outskirts of Bair al-Ghanam follows weeks of intense clashes in the Nafusa Mountains that have pushed government troops steadily back toward the capital.

The town is significant because it is 30 kilometers from Zawiya, a key western gateway to Tripoli and home to a crucial oil refinery. Opposition forces seized Zawiya in March before pro-Gadhafi fighters retook th

Arizona wildfires creeping towards New Mexico

A wildfire looms in the hills above Los Alamos National Labs Sunday.

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Raging wildfires in New Mexico forced the evacuation of the famed nuclear lab at Los Alamos Monday, though officials insist that radioactive material is secure.

Fires have burned as close as one mile from the government lab - attacking buildings, power lines and gas lines, officials said.

"Lab emergency crews have been dispatched across the lab to protect key facilities and materials," said lab spokesman Jeff Berger.

"Protected areas include all hazardous and radioactive facilities and our proton accelerator and super-computing centers."

About 100 non-essential personnel were cleared from the area around the lab, where the first atomic bomb was built.

Gov. Susanna Martinez toured the lab's emergency operations center late Sunday and ordered the state National Guard to the area.



Fire crews have been battling wildfires all across the Southwest and Texas, with 41 large-scale blazes torching more than 1.4 million areas.
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pride perade of gay

Crowds gathered for the 42nd Annual LGBT Pride March on Christopher Street in the West Village on Sunday, June 26. New York City's annual Pride March began in 1970 as a commemoration of the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. The March has since grown to become the oldest and one of the world's largest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) events.



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/galleries/gay_pride_parade_2011/gay_pride_parade_2011.html#ixzz1QSKp9De7
Crowds gathered for the 42nd Annual LGBT Pride March on Christopher road in the West Village on Sunday, June 26. New York City's annual Pride March began in 1970 as a commemoration of the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. The March has since grown to become the oldest and one of the world's largest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) events.



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/galleries/gay_pride_parade_2011/gay_pride_parade_2011.html#ixzz1QSKp9De7

pride perade of gay 2011

Crowds gathered for the 42nd Annual LGBT Pride March on Christopher road in the West Village on Sunday, June 26. New York City's annual Pride March began in 1970 as a commemoration of the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. The March has since grown to become the oldest and one of the world's largest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) events.



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/galleries/gay_pride_parade_2011/gay_pride_parade_2011.html#ixzz1QSKp9De7

Daniel Craig put his James Bond spy skills to good use this week . 0626_d

Daniel Craig put his James Bond spy skills to good use this week -- because he and Rachel Weisz got married on the hush-hush in New York City.

0626_daniel_craig_reachel_weiss_getty_bn
Only a handful of people attended the shindig Wednesday -- including Craig's 18-year-old daughter, Ella, and Weisz's 4-year-old son, Henry.

As TMZ first reported, Weisz and Craig began seeing each other on the set of a movie they did together ... and Weisz split from long-time partner director Darren Aronofsky, shortly thereafter.

See also

Rachel Weisz Shares a Bond with Daniel Craig
Darren Aronofsky, Rachel Weisz Split After 9 Years

california train crash

in the Nevada Amtrak crash involving a train that had departed from Chicago.

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Investigators say a truck driver tried to stop before crashing into the train Friday morning near Trinity, Nevada, which is approximately 70 miles east of Reno.

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The Amtrak route originated in Chicago, headed for the San Francisco Bay Area.

At a press conference late Saturday night, the National Transportation Safety Board laid out its plan to find out the cause behind the accident.

Investigators said they would comb over every aspect of the tractor trailer that slammed into the California Zephyr, including the driver's records. However they also said they did not to expect any quick answers. They said they were prepared to remain on the scene seven to 10 days, dividing their work into v

the high desert of nevada

— At least six people were killed when a big rig truck hauling gravel slammed into the side of a California-bound passenger train in the high desert of Nevada, officials said late on Saturday.

Those killed included the truck driver and a train crew member, officials with the Amtrak train company and the local sheriff's development said.

The death toll was not final, however, with National Transportation Safety Board Member (NTSB) Earl Weener telling reporters that some 24 people were still missing from the train's 210-person manifest.

The delay in reaching a death toll was due in part to the severe fire damage to two of the the train cars, and fear that the damaged cars could topple.

"If you look at the amount of hamper to the train, you can understand why we don't know yet how many people died," an NTSB official told The Los Angeles Times.

Rescuers did not feel safe combing through the cars until some 14 hours after the accident, which took place around 11:25 am (1825 GMT) Friday.

Complicating the investigation, some of the passengers on the train manifest may not have boarded at all, while others may have left the train at an earlier stop, Weener said.

The "California Zephyr" train was carrying passengers and crew from Chicago to Emeryville, California when the truck ignored the signal lights and gates at a highway intersection some 112 kilometers (70 miles) east of the city of Reno.