1. SPAIN MOURNS TRAIN CRASH VICTIMS
Spain is mourning 80 people killed in a high-speed train crash near Santiago de Compostela. Spanish King Juan Carlos visited some of the 90 injured passengers who remained in hospitals on Thursday, a day after eight coaches derailed as the train rounded a bend at 120 miles per hour, twice the track's speed limit. The engine's black box recorded the driver, Francisco Jose Garzon, frantically telling controllers, "I f---ed up. I want to die." He is under investigation for speeding. [BBC News, Daily Mail]
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2. WEINER LOSES HIS POLLING EDGE IN NEW YORK
Anthony Weiner has lost his lead in New York's mayoral race, according to a poll released two days after he admitted that he continued to exchange lewd text messages with women a year after he resigned from Congress over a sexting scandal. City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has the support of 25 percent of Democratic primary voters, compared with 16 percent for Weiner, according to the NBC 4 New York/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll. Last month, Weiner had a five-point lead. [USA Today]
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3. MORSI FACES POSSIBLE CHARGES IN EGYPT
An Egyptian court has ordered deposed President Mohamed Morsi to be detained for 15 days on suspicion of crimes ranging from murder to espionage to conspiring with militants in the Palestinian group Hamas, the state news agency reported Friday. The news came as Egyptians were bracing for fresh clashes between Morsi's supporters and opponents, who were gathering for mass rallies. The military ousted Morsi, an Islamist elected last year, on July 3, and he has not appeared in public since. [Jerusalem Post]
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4. CASTRO CONSIDERS PLEA DEAL IN CLEVELAND KIDNAPPING
Ariel Castro is reportedly considering a plea deal that would spare him the death penalty but send him to prison for life, without parole, for the kidnapping and rape of three women held captive in his Cleveland home for a decade. Castro faces 977 charges, including aggravated murder for the death of a fetus one of the women allegedly miscarried after being beaten. A law enforcement source says no final agreement has been reached. A hearing to discuss the possible deal is scheduled for Friday. [CBS News]
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5. JUROR SAYS GEORGE ZIMMERMAN "GOT AWAY WITH MURDER"
The only minority member of the jury that acquitted George Zimmerman told ABC News on Thursday that the neighborhood watch volunteer, who shot and killed unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin last year, "got away with murder." The woman, identified only as Juror B29, said she felt she owed Martin's parents an apology. She said the evidence simply did not support a murder conviction. "You can't put the man in jail even though in our hearts we felt he was guilty," she said. [ABC News]
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6. ASSASSINATION SPARKS PROTESTS IN TUNISIA
Violent protests erupted in Tunisia on Thursday against the Islamist-led government after the assassination of secular opposition politician Mohamed Brahmi. He was the second leader of the Arab nationalist Popular Front party to be murdered this year. In February, the assassination of the party's then-leader, Chokri Belaid, touched off the country's worst violence since President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was pushed from power in 2011 early in the Arab Spring. [Reuters]
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7. POPE URGES BRAZILIANS TO FIGHT CORRUPTION
Pope Francis got out of his popemobile and walked through a notorious Rio de Janeiro slum on Thursday, urging young people to fight against corruption. The remarks, some of the most politically charged of his papacy, echoed grievances expressed in the South American country's recent wave of mass protests. "Do not grow accustomed to evil, but defeat it," Francis said. The pope, however, did not directly mention the demonstrations, and he praised the government for its anti-poverty programs. [New York Times ]
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8. MORE WOMEN ACCUSE SAN DIEGO MAYOR OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Four women came forward Thursday to say they had been subjected to unwanted sexual advances by San Diego Mayor Bob Filner. The latest accusers brought the tally of alleged sexual harassment victims to seven. The San Diego County Democratic Party Central Committee voted 34-6 to ask Filner, a former congressman and the city's first Democratic mayor in 20 years, to resign. Filner declined to comment, saying the accusations should go through legal channels. [Fox News]
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9. GROUNDBREAKING SEX RESEARCHER VIRGINIA JOHNSON DIES
Pioneering sex researcher Virginia Johnson died of natural causes this week. She was 88. Starting in the 1960s, Johnson and her longtime collaborator, Dr. William Masters, co-wrote several groundbreaking books on sexuality and treating sexual dysfunction. Their taboo-busting work paved the way for the sexual revolution and helped establish the field of modern sex therapy, making their team — Masters and Johnson — a household name. [New York Times]
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10. YANKEES REFUSE TO TAKE A-ROD OFF INJURED LIST
The New York Yankees rejected Alex Rodriguez's request to be activated from the disabled list on Thursday. The baseball star has been sidelined since hip surgery in January. He wanted to be activated for Friday's home stand opener against Tampa Bay, but the team said he needed further treatment and conditioning. Rodriguez's relationship with the team has grown strained as the league investigates him for links to a closed clinic suspected of dispensing banned drugs. [Associated Press]
