1. CHAOS REIGNS IN EGYPT
Activists in Egypt are calling for protests Friday after the Supreme Constitutional Court declared the country's parliament, and the constitutional articles regulating parliamentary elections, invalid, raising fears that Egypt's interim military rulers are plotting to keep their hold on power. The ruling came just ahead of this weekend's presidential runoff election. Egyptians have a choice between two extremes: Ahmed Shafik, a former prime minister under Mubarak, and Mohamed Morsi, a conservative Islamist backed by the Muslim Brotherhood. Despite parliament being dissolved, military leaders say the elections will still take place this weekend. Without a parliament or constitution, some fear that whoever is elected president will have emperor-like power. [CNN]
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2. ROMNEY EMBARKS ON BUS TOUR
Mitt Romney kicks off a five-day, six-state bus tour dubbed "Every Town Counts" on Friday. It's seen as his first traditional campaign jaunt as the presumptive nominee. The tour starts in New Hampshire and ends in Michigan, with stops in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Romney is skipping solidly blue states like New York and Connecticut and focusing on potential battleground states. [CBS News]
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3. PENTAGON TO SALUTE GAY TROOPS
Nine months after the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell," the Pentagon is planning its first event to recognize gay and lesbian soldiers and mark June as gay pride month. It will follow a long tradition of the armed forces marking celebrations honoring minority groups, like Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month and Black History Month, and celebrating diversity in the ranks. [Associated Press]
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4. U.N. OBSERVERS FIND CHARRED SYRIAN GHOST TOWN
United Nations observers were finally able to enter Syria's embattled western town of Haffah on Thursday. This week, state-run media said the town had been "cleansed" of "terrorists," and observers found deserted streets, charred buildings, and "the stench of death" after a week of heavy fighting as regime forces sought to root out rebels. [Los Angeles Times]
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5. POLICE ARREST FUGITIVE FROM 1995 TOKYO ATTACK
Tokyo police have arrested the last remaining fugitive suspected of taking part in the nerve gas attack on the city's subways that left 13 dead and thousands injured 17 years ago. The captured fugitive, Katsuya Takahashi, is the former bodyguard of the leader of the doomsday cult that was behind the attack. Hundreds of cult members have been convicted in the attacks, and more than a dozen are on death row. [Associated Press]
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6. CHINA TO SEND ITS FIRST WOMAN INTO SPACE
In what's being hailed as a "landmark event," China plans to send its first woman, along with two male astronauts, into space on Saturday. The three astronauts are set to toil away on a temporary space station for a week, as China works to join the ranks of Russia and the United States, thus far the only countries to have a permanent base in orbit. [Associated Press]
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7. GERMAN POLICE: 'FOREST BOY' IS A FAKE
Police in Germany say the young man who claimed to be a teenager who had lived in the German woods for years is actually a 20-year-old Dutch man who never lived in the forest. The man had said he knew only his name, his parents' first names, and his birthday, and authorities had been struggling to establish his identity. [CNN]
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8. BALDWIN LOSES LAWSUIT AGAINST COSTNER
A jury has sided with actor Kevin Costner Thursday in a lawsuit brought forth by fellow actor Stephen Baldwin. Both actors had invested in a company marketing oil-cleanup devices. Baldwin claimed Costner had cheated him out of a multimillion-dollar deal to sell the devices to BP after the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. [Reuters]
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9. MAN TO ATTEMPT NIAGARA FALLS TIGHTROPE WALK
High-wire artist Nik Wallenda will attempt to walk across Niagara Falls on Friday night to become the first person since 1896 to walk across the great falls on a wire. ABC, which is televising the event, has insisted he wear a harness, lest TV audiences witness a man fall to his death. [New York Times]
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10. WOODS HAS STRONG U.S. OPEN START
Tiger Woods hit a one-under-par 69 in the first round of the U.S. Open Thursday, putting him in a five-way tie for second place behind Michael Thompson and invoking thoughts of his former greatness. Woods hasn't won a major since his personal life imploded in 2009 with the revelation of his numerous infidelities, but he's been on the upswing with recent wins at the Memorial and Bay Hill. [Los Angeles Times, Boston Herald]
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