Cheat Sheet

An attack in Afghanistan's easter Paktika province, near the Pakistan border, resulted in two American soldiers' deaths on July 4. The Associated Press reports that Taliban militants fired rockets and mortar shells at an American base and a suicide bomber drove a truck bomb towards the base's entrance. American troops resorted to airstrikes and blew up the truck before it reached the compound. An American military spokesman said that, in addition to the two deaths, seven American soldiers and two Afghan soldiers were wounded. The number of Taliban dead remains contested: NATO, which the American forces were fighting under, said at least 10 insurgent died, whereas an official for the Afghan province's governor said more than 30 insurgents were killed. The attack occurs in the midst of the U.S. military's biggest operation in Afghanistan since 2001, a 4000-marine surge in the southern region of the nation.

Nothing like a media scandal to get the fingers pointing. Last week Politico slapped down an ill-advised Washington Post initiative to sell $25,000 tickets to lobbyists for access to "salons" featuring Congressman, reporters, and White House officials. WaPo took their invitations back—but not before New York Times business columnist David Carr could note "you can't buy Washington Post reporters, but you can rent them." In a July 4 column, Carr says the blame lies with Katharine Weymouth, the Post's "relatively new publisher" and granddaughter of legendary Post publisher Katharine Graham. Carr writes that not only has Weymouth spit into the face of the Post's history of uncovering and combatting moneyed corruption in DC, but worse: Weymouth as "a tin ear to newsroom dynamics." Carr details how Weymouth insults and alienates her newsroom regularly, apparently unaware that "the newsroom remains a paper's biggest asset. And you cannot afford to lose them." That Politico broke the story of WaPo's ethics breach is insult to injury, says Carr: "Started by two former Post reporters, Politico has become a serious competitor... much of the remaining competitive edge for the [old] legacy media derives from a perception that they adhere to more rigorous publishing standards. Oops."

Katsumi Kasahara / AP Photo

It seems the US is not the only country setting off fireworks today. In an act of defiance on Independence Day, North Korea fired seven ballistic missiles off its eastern coast on Saturday, South Korean officials have announced. The launch, which came two days after the test-firing of four short-range missiles into the sea earlier this week, is a direct violation of UN sanctions. While a South Korean news service reported that the missiles fired were Scuds, government sources in Japan and South Korea say that they are Nodong missiles. Tensions are building in Japan, where officials said the launch was a "serious act of provocation against the security of neighboring countries."

While the diplomatic situation in Iran and North Korea may be worsening by the day, President Obama is poised to score a big victory in Russia, where the government has agreed to let American military planes fly over Russian territory en route to Afghanistan. According to the New York Times, the deal will be announced next week when Obama visits Russia. The move provides a key supply route for military in Afghanistan, giving Obama one of his most concrete foreign policy successes so far. There are still plenty of outstanding issues, however, including differences between the two governments over a missile defense, trade, and a nuclear arms agreement.

Joey "Jaws" Chestnut is on a roll. He picked up his third consecutive first-place finish in today's annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, Brooklyn, setting a new world record of swallowing 68 frankfurters in ten minutes. "After the second minute, I knew my body was cooperating," said the 218-pound reigning champion after it was over. He maintained an early lead over his chief rival, six-time titleholder Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi of Japan. For his win, Chestnut will take home $20,000 and the coveted Mustard Belt.

Disturbing news from Iran today where, according to Iranian leaders, a number of leading reformers have confessed to participating in a foreign-backed conspiracy to take down the government with a "velvet" revolution. According to human rights groups, these kinds of confessions are almost always a product of threats and torture against detained Iranians. An Iranian news site lists one of the Iranian reformers implicated in the inquisition as Mohammad Ali Abtahi, who served as vice president under President Mohammed Khatami. A former spokesman for Khatami, Iran's last reformer president, is also being detained.

J.D. Pooley / Getty Images

No gaffes this time, but Vice President Joe Biden pulled no punches in speaking with Iraqi officials on Friday. Biden warned against falling back into sectarian violence once the US pulls out, saying that American troops and resources would not be there to rescue the country from a repeat of its 2006 civil war. According to the Washington Post, one administration official quoted Biden as saying that there  "wasn't any appetite to put Humpty Dumpty back together again if, by the action of people in Iraq, it fell apart." American troops pulled out of Iraqi cities on June 30 and many observers are concerned that sectarian divisions could reemerge without them there to act as peacemakers.

July 4th celebrations will be muted in Gaffney, South Carolina, where a reported serial killer has many residents terrified and staying indoors. A man has gunned down four people in three different incidents in the small town over several days, creating a panic. One victim was shot in his living room, and a father and his 15-year-old daughter were shot in a store. In a town that saw only six homicides last year, the killer reminds old timers of the "Gaffney Strangler," who killed four women over 10 days in the 1960s. The police have released a sketch of the suspect -- a caucasian male in a baseball hat -- and say that he may be driving an SUV, but have not yet explained how the murders are linked. The Gaffney sherriff said that "there is real fear in the country," and, according to state Sen. Harvey Peeler, "People are locking their doors, even in broad daylight."

Celebrities like to promote their personal brands, but when it comes to celebrity-athletes, there's such a thing as going too far.  Video games featuring the likenesses of N.C.A.A players are prompting college athletes to sue, saying that they are being used for profit without compensation. These amateur athletes say that unauthorized video games violate their right of publicitiy, which protects against the use of someone's likeness without their consent. Sam Keller, a quaterback for Arizona State, for example, used to love watching his likeness run the field in a game by Electronic Arts, but has now filed a class-action suit against the company and the N.C.A.A, claiming he's been exploited by the game. The N.C.A.A. says that the video games don't violate their own rules, and has suggested a new plan: that a student can give his or her consent to be portrayed in a game, but would not be paid, which is a violation of N.C.A.A rules.

AP Photo

What do you give the girl who has everything? When Malia Obama turns 11 on July 4th, the White House pastry chef will probably bake her birthday cake, the U.S. Marine Band will likely serenade her with "Happy Birthday," and she'll be able to celebrate with the thousands of Americans celebrating Independence Day on the front lawn. So far, 20 of her friends have descended on Camp David for Malia's birthday. Said President Obama: "There are 24 double-X chromosomes up in Camp David as we speak. It's a little intimidating."