Ted Kennedy returned to the U.S. Senate today for the first time since he was diagnosed with brain cancer.

Among the hundreds of hand crews clearing brush and preventing a wide spread wildfire from expanding, 300 inmates from state and local prisons fill the ranks. The AP’s John Mone spoke to an all-women’s inmate fire fighting crew.

The tests occurred at a time of increased tension between Iran and Israel over Tehran’s disputed nuclear program, which the West fears is aimed at making bombs. Iran says its nuclear program is only for power generation.
State Press TV said the missiles tested by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards included a “new” Shahab 3 missile, which officials [...]

The Washington Times reports that a senior government official with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has expressed great interest in a so-called safety bracelet that would shock the customer worse than an electronic dog collar if he/she got out of line. According to this promotional video found at the Lamperd Less Lethal website, [...]

WatchMojo celebrates 1776’s Declaration of Independence of the United States of America on July 4th.

Video from a surveillance camera at a Brooklyn, New York, hospital shows a woman dying on the floor of a psychiatric emergency room while people nearby ignore her. Surveillance video shows a woman lying on the hospital floor for almost an hour before anyone helped her.
The video was released Monday by lawyers suing Kings County [...]

The Bush administration has launched a “significant escalation” of covert operations in Iran, sending U.S. Special Operation Units to spy on the country’s nuclear facilities and undermine the Iranian government, journalist Seymour Hersh said Sunday.