1. CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS REJECT OBAMA'S TAX AND JOBS PROPOSAL
In a speech in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Tuesday, President Obama backed a cut in corporate tax rates in return for a pledge from Republicans to invest in more programs to generate middle-class jobs. The proposal came as Obama and his congressional opposition head toward a showdown in the fall over taxes and spending. Congressional Republicans quickly refused the offer. [Forbes, The New York Times]
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2. MANNING CONVICTION MAKES PROSECUTION OF ASSANGE SEEM MORE LIKELY
Civil liberties groups and Bradley Manning's attorney believe his conviction on espionage charges makes it increasingly likely that the U.S. will prosecute WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange as a co-conspirator. Military prosecutors in the court-martial portrayed Assange as an "information anarchist" who encouraged Manning to leak classified documents. [The Washington Post]
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3. EGYPT ALLOWS TOP EU OFFICIAL TO SEE MORSI
Europe's top diplomat had a "friendly" meeting with deposed Islamist President Mohamed Morsi this week. Catherine Ashton, the EU's foreign policy chief, was the first outsider to see Morsi in his unknown whereabouts since he was deposed by the army on July 3. His fate has raised global anxiety about a possible bid to crush his Muslim Brotherhood. [Reuters]
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4. DRIVER IN DEADLY SPANISH TRAIN CRASH WAS ON THE PHONE
Francisco Jose Garzon Amo, the driver of a train that derailed in Spain last week, killing 79 people, was on the phone to a co-worker at the time of the accident, while the train was racing at nearly twice the speed limit. Garzon, who admitted to recklessly speeding, was also consulting a map at the time of the accident. [CBS News]
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5. NYC APPEALS COURT RULES BIG SODA BAN UNCONSTITUTIONAL
A state appeals court ruled Tuesday that New York City's Board of Health exceeded its legal authority when it voted last year to put a 16-ounce size limit on high-calorie soft drinks served in restaurants, theaters, stadiums, sidewalk food carts, and many other places. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the driving force behind the regulation, promised a quick appeal. [NPR]
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6. ZIMBABWEANS VOTE FOR PRESIDENT
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, 89, said he will step down after 33 years in power if he and his Zanu-PF party lose the election in his country today. People are waiting in long lines to vote in the fiercely contested elections, which have already been hit by fraud allegations. Mugabe's opponent is Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. [BBC]
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7. SAN DIEGO CITY COUNCIL TO SUE MAYOR
San Diego's City Council voted Tuesday to sue Mayor Bob Filner to recover costs the city may incur over the sexual harassment lawsuit filed by his former communications director, as an eighth woman publicly accused the mayor of unwanted advances. The unanimous vote came hours before the council took up Filner's request to have city taxpayers pay his legal fees. [USA Today]
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8. STUDENT FORGOTTEN IN DEA CELL SETTLES WITH FEDS
A University of California San Diego student left unmonitored in a holding cell for five days by the DEA settled a lawsuit for $4.1 million, his attorney said Tuesday. Daniel Chong, 25, drank his own urine to survive and even wrote a farewell note to his mother before authorities discovered him severely dehydrated after a 2012 drug raid in San Diego. [CNN]
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9. MICROSOFT RELEASES DISAPPOINTING SURFACE NUMBERS
Microsoft released its first revenue report for its Surface tablets on Tuesday, revealing a disappointing $853 million sales figure. The number, for the year ended June 30, was a smaller amount than the $900 million charge that Microsoft recently took on on the product line. The company started selling Surface last October. [The Wall Street Journal]
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10. ACTRESS EILEEN BRENNAN DIES
Eileen Brennan, a Broadway actress who also starred in movies such as Private Benjamin and Clue, died Sunday in Burbank, Calif. She was 80. Brennan's managers said she died at home after a battle with bladder cancer. [People]
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