1. OBAMA SEEKS EXTENSION OF SOME BUSH-ERA TAX CUTS
In an address from the Rose Garden on Monday, President Obama will call for a one-year extension of the Bush-era tax cuts for those making less than $250,000 a year, according to senior administration officials. House Republicans are set to vote later this month to permanently extend all of the Bush-era tax cuts, not just those for the middle class. Obama is seeking to emphasize the contrast between himself and Mitt Romney; last week, he said his challenger for the presidency would "give $5 trillion of new tax cuts on top of the Bush tax cuts, most of them going to the wealthiest Americans." The proposal also puts Obama in conflict with fellow Democrats; Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) are in favor of extending the tax cuts for those earning up to $1 million. [New York Times]
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2. EGYPT'S MORSI ORDERS PARLIAMENT TO RECONVENE
Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's newly elected Islamist president, has called for the country's dissolved parliament to reconvene, putting him at odds with Egypt's ruling generals, who assumed legislative power in June after Egypt's highest court declared the parliamentary elections invalid. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces is planning to hold an emergency meeting to discuss Morsi's defiant move and "its repercussions," per a council spokesman. The Muslim Brotherhood is expected to support Morsi's decision; it won the most seats in the parliamentary elections. [CNN]
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3. FEDERER WINS SEVENTH WIMBLEDON TITLE
Roger Federer beat Andy Murray on Centre Court on Sunday to win his seventh Wimbledon title, tying a record first set in 1880 by William Renshaw and reached by Pete Sampras in 2000. It had been more than two years since the aging great had won a Grand Slam title. Now the 30-year-old is ranked No. 1 for the first time since June of 2010, tying another Sampras record for having spent 286 weeks at No. 1. In just a few weeks, Federer will be back at Wimbledon, playing to win his first Olympic singles gold medal. [Associated Press] ………………………………………………………………………………
4. RUSSIA MOURNS FLOOD VICTIMS
Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared Monday a day of national mourning for victims of the devastating floods that have ravaged the southern part of the country. Late Sunday, Russian officials reported that the death toll from the floods had risen to 171. Hundreds more have sought medical treatment. [CNN]
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5. LIBERALS AHEAD IN LIBYA ELECTIONS
Preliminary results from Libya's parliamentary elections have a coalition headed by a Western-educated political scientist in the lead. While official results from Saturday's vote won't be released for days, Mahmoud Jibril's lead strikes a blow to the Muslim Brotherhood and could mean a break in the "Islamist wave that swept across neighboring Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco in the aftermath of the Arab Spring uprisings." [New York Times]
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6. SIX U.S. TROOPS DIE IN AFGHANISTAN BOMBING
NATO has confirmed that all six soldiers that were killed in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan on Sunday were Americans. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the deaths. Another American NATO service member was killed in a separate attack elsewhere in Afghanistan on Sunday. [Associated Press]
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7. ERNEST BORGNINE DIES AT 95
The acting great, who won an Oscar for Marty and lent his "barrel-chested, bulldog looks" to films such as From Here to Eternity, passed away on Sunday. At 95, he had been the oldest living winner of the Academy Award for best actor. [Reuters]
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8. MYSTERY ILLNESS KILLS CAMBODIAN KIDS
In the last three months, at least 64 children in Cambodia have been killed by a fast-acting mystery illness. Many of the sick children have come from southern Cambodia, but officials have not been able to determine a specific area where the sick are coming from. In lab tests, 15 of 24 samples have come back positive for an Enterovirus linked to hand, foot, and mouth disease. While the most recent outbreaks of the disease were reported in Asia, there were no previous reports of it in Cambodia. [CNN]
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9. ROMNEY'S HAMPTONS FUNDRAISING DRAWS PROTESTS
On Sunday, activists took to the streets and beach to protest a fundraising dinner for Mitt Romney at the Southampton home of billionaire David Koch. Protesters have decried the enormous amounts of money that uber-wealthy private donors like Koch have been pumping into the Romney campaign because, they argue, billionaires and corporations could essentially buy the November election. The $50,000-per-person dinner at the Koch home, in addition to two other Sunday events, are expected to bring in $3 million for Romney. [Bloomberg]
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10. SPIDER-MAN WINS THE WEEKEND
The Amazing Spider-Man was the weekend-box-office winner, beating out Oliver Stones' Savages and the documentary Katy Perry: A Part of Me. Since opening last Tuesday, Spider-Man has grossed $140 million, beating the opening numbers for previous superhero reboots like Batman and Superman. [E! Online]
