1. OBAMA ACCEPTS NON-PRESCRIPTION DISTRIBUTION OF MORNING-AFTER PILL
The Obama administration is dropping its attempt to limit over-the-counter distribution of the best-known morning-after contraceptive pill. The Justice Department said late Monday that it would stop challenging recent court rulings calling for the Food and Drug Administration to clear the pill, Plan B One-Step, for non-prescription use without age restrictions. Women's reproductive rights groups had sued to increase access, and court challenges threatened to intensify debate on the politically sensitive issue. [New York Times]
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2. JOURNALIST PROMISES MORE REVELATIONS ON NSA SPYING
Federal agents are preparing to file possible charges against Edward Snowden, the former CIA contractor who outed himself as the person who leaked secret documents on National Security Agency surveillance programs to journalists at The Washington Post and The Guardian, a British newspaper. Meanwhile, Guardian columnist Glenn Greenwald says he has more articles coming on "extremely invasive" NSA spying programs exposed by Snowden, who is hiding in Hong Kong. [CNN]
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3. HILLARY CLINTON DEBUTS ON TWITTER
Hillary Clinton made her Twitter debut on Monday, triggering speculation that she was laying groundwork for a 2016 presidential run. Clinton's tiny, dense bio started with "wife" and "mom," echoing Michelle Obama's "mom-in-chief" identity, then jumped to a resume covering her stints as First Lady, U.S. senator, and Secretary of State. She included "pantsuit aficionado" and "glass ceiling cracker" — a nod to her feminist-icon status. The bio ended with a gossip-inducing "TBD." [Washington Post]
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4. SUICIDE BOMBERS KILL 14 IN SYRIA'S CAPITAL
Two suicide bombers blew themselves up in central Damascus on Tuesday, killing 14 people and injuring 30. Most of the victims appeared to be police — one of the bombers reportedly detonated his device inside a police station. The same area — the central Marjeh Square — was targeted in another suicide bombing that killed 13 people six weeks ago, before Syrian government forces began retaking rebel-held turf outside the capital and in the strategically important town of Qusair. [Reuters]
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5. POLICE PUSH DEMONSTRATORS OUT OF SQUARE IN TURKEY
Hundreds of Turkish police, firing tear gas canisters and rubber bullets, forced protesters out of Istanbul's Taksim Square early Tuesday. The crackdown came on the 12th day of protests that started as a call to save a green space on the square from development, and spread nationwide as a rejection of what many see as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's authoritarian and Islamist policies. [Associated Press]
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6. APARTMENT BUILDING COLLAPSE KILLS FOUR IN MUMBAI
Part of an apartment building collapsed in the Indian city of Mumbai on Monday night, killing at least four people. Rescuers continued to struggle to search for survivors who might still be trapped in the rubble early Tuesday. At least six people injured in the accident have been rescued, and local authorities believe another three or four remain inside. The tragedy came after heavy monsoon rains. [CNN]
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7. SENATE APPROVES FARM BILL
The Senate overwhelmingly approved a farm bill Monday that would expand farm subsidies and make small cuts to food stamps over five years. The food stamp program has nearly doubled in size since the last farm bill was passed five years ago. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), who has openly criticized the bill's generous farm subsidies, says the House will take up its version of the bill later this month. [Associated Press]
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8. MANDELA REMAINS IN INTENSIVE CARE
Former South African President Nelson Mandela continued to battle a lung infection in a Pretoria hospital on Tuesday, his fourth day in intensive care. Several family members have visited the 94-year-old anti-apartheid icon in the past 24 hours. Officially, President Jacob Zuma says Mandela's condition is serious but stable. However, South Africans have flocked to churches and monuments to pray for the revered former leader, fearing he was nearing the end of his life. [New York Times]
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9. CHINESE ASTRONAUTS LAUNCH INTO ORBIT
China launched three astronauts into orbit on Tuesday in the country's fifth manned space mission. The crew, which includes China's second female astronaut, will ride in their Shenzou 10 command module to the Tiangong 1 — "Heavenly Palace" — habitation module at China's prototype space station, where they will conduct experiments and a live broadcast to teach students what life is like in orbit. The astronauts are scheduled to dock later this week and return to Earth in two weeks. [CBS News]
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10. PATRIOTS SIGN TIM TEBOW
Quarterback Tim Tebow, who was cut by the New York Jets in April, has signed an undisclosed contract with the New England Patriots, ESPN reported Monday. The news came after a disappointing season in which the former first-round draft pick threw only eight passes, fueling questions about whether he would ever play in the NFL again. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick defended Tebow a week ago following a report claiming he "hated" the controversial football player. [ESPN]
