Happy Fourth Of July!!

By Paddy


It's bound to be a slow news day, so expect "holiday hours" from TPC today. Any interesting plans for today?

Dozens injured in bomb blast at Belarus concert

NY researcher: `Yankee Doodle' turns 250 - maybe

Australian teens taking on American accents

NY Times: Looking for Liberty
ACCORDING to the film “National Treasure,” the Declaration of Independence is a document of such far-seeing sagacity that it has secret codes and treasure maps hidden in the parchment. You just have to know how to look for them. But that poses the question: which document, precisely, is the Declaration of Independence?

Ben Franklin, Betsy Ross actors wed in Philly (see pic- Awwww, that's so cute!)

7 Illinoisans born overseas named citizens after losing their lives as members of the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan

Bloomberg: Condoleezza Rice Says She's `Proud' of Decision to Invade Iraq
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she's "proud" of the U.S. decision to wage the Iraq war and insisted that the world is not more dangerous than it was when George W. Bush took office.

Auction house seeks to sell Rosa Parks collection

British 'super-spy' in coma amid fears of poisoning by Russian assassin

AP: Overseas contract loophole is closing
A multibillion-dollar loophole that would have let contractors escape reporting abuse of taxpayer dollars spent abroad is being closed. The loophole was quietly inserted last fall into Justice Department plans to crack down on government contract fraud and waste. It exempted overseas contracts, however, despite more than $102 billion spent on taxpayer-funded projects in Iraq and Afghanistan alone since 2003.