SECY OF STATE JOHN KERRY SAYS ISRAEL'S GOVT SHOULD PREVENT FURTHER SETTLEMENT CONSTRUCTION WHERE POSSIBLE TO HELP REVITALIZE MIDEAST PEACE TALKS *

BUT KERRY ISN'T CALLING FOR A COMPLETE SETTLEMENT FREEZE *

HE SAYS THE FOCUS SHOULD BE ON RESTARTING DIRECT ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN NEGOTIATIONS, WHICH COULD SET BORDERS FOR A TWO-STATE DEAL AND RESOLVE THE SETTLEMENT ISSUE *

KERRY MADE THE REMARKS TO REPORTERS IN ISRAEL *

SECY OF STATE JOHN KERRY BLASTS IRAN'S GUARDIAN COUNCIL FOR ELIMINATING HUNDREDS OF PRES CANDIDATES FROM THE JUNE 14 ELECTION *

KERRY SAYS VOTE CAN'T BE FREE, FAIR AND TRANSPARENT WHEN AN UNELECTED BODY CHOOSES CANDIDATES BASED "SOLELY ON WHO REPRESENTS THE REGIME'S INTERESTS" *

IRAN'S GUARDIAN COUNCIL HAS DISQUALIFIED SCORES OF CANDIDATES, INCLUDING FMR PRES AKBAR HASHEMI RAFSANJANI *

KERRY ALSO NOTED THERE ARE "TROUBLE SIGNS" THAT TEHRAN IS MEDDLING WITH IRAN'S INTERNET *

WA STATE OFFICIAL SAYS LAST NIGHT'S I-5 BRIDGE COLLAPSE INTO THE SKAGIT RIVER WAS CAUSED BY AN OVERSIZED TRUCK *

STATE PATROL CHIEF JOHN BATISTE SAYS THE TRUCK HIT AN OVERHEAD SPAN *

TWO OTHER VEHICLES WENT INTO THE WATER... THREE PEOPLE WERE RESCUED AND ARE RECOVERING *

FIVE CLIMBERS ARE MISSING AND FEARED DEAD ON THE WORLD'S THIRD-LARGEST MOUNTAIN *

THE FIVE DISAPPEARED MON ON NEPAL'S MOUNT KANCHENJUNGA *

BAD WEATHER HAS PREVENTED RESCUE EFFORTS *

THE CLIMBERS WERE LAST SEEN DESCENDING FROM THE SUMMIT AT AROUND 25,900 FT... KANCHENJUNGA IS 28,162 FEET HIGH *

LARGE EXPLOSION SHAKES AFGHAN CAPITAL OF KABUL *

BLAST COLLAPSED A BUILDING WALL, BUT IT'S UNCLEAR IF THERE WERE ANY CASUALTIES *

IT'S THE SECOND EXPLOSION TO HIT KABUL IN JUST OVER A WEEK *

EGYPTIAN SECURITY OFFICIAL SAYS 10 MALE RELATIVES KILLED A MOTHER AND HER TWO DAUGHTERS IN "HONOR KILLINGS" *

THE MEN SUSPECTED THE WOMEN OF HAVING AFFAIRS AND KILLED THEM TO PROTECT THE FAMILY'S HONOR *

THE THREE BODIES WERE FOUND IN THE NILE RIVER NEAR THE CITY OF LUXOR *

NJ GOV CHRIS CHRISTIE CUTS A RIBBON TO SYMBOLICALLY REOPEN THE JERSEY SHORE FOR THE SUMMER SEASON, SEVEN MONTHS AFTER IT WAS DEVASTATED BY MONSTER STORM SANDY *

CHRISTIE CUT THE FIVE MILE-LONG RIBBON IN SEASIDE HEIGHTS *

SANDY DID AN ESTIMATED $37 BIL WORTH OF DAMAGE IN NJ *

BRITISH SECURITY OFFICIAL SAYS SITUATION INVOLVING A PAKISTANI AIRPLANE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE TERROR-RELATED, ALTHOUGH IT'S STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION *

BRITAIN SCRAMBLED FIGHTER JETS TO INTERCEPT A COMMERCIAL AIRLINER CARRYING SOME 300 PASSENGERS FROM LAHORE, PAKISTAN TO MANCHESTER *

PLANE WAS DIVERTED TO STANDSTED AIRPORT, OUTSIDE OF LONDON, AND TWO PEOPLE WERE ARRESTED ON SUSPICION OF ENDANGERING THE AIRCRAFT *

POWERFUL 8.3 EARTHQUAKE HITS EASTERN RUSSIA, WITH TREMORS FELT AS FAR AWAY AS MOSCOW, ABOUT 4,400 MILES WEST OF THE EPICENTER *

NO REPORTS OF CASUALTIES OR DAMAGE *

THE QUAKE WAS CENTERED IN THE KURIL-KAMCHATKA ARC, ONE OF THE MOST SEISMICALLY ACTIVE REGIONS IN THE WORLD *

SYRIAN GOVT AGREES TO ATTEND A CONFERENCE PROPOSED BY THE U.S. AND RUSSIA TO END SYRIA'S CIVIL WAR *

PRES BASHAR ASSAD'S GOVT HAS NOT ISSUED A DEFINITIVE STATEMENT ON PROPOSED TALKS, BUT A SYRIAN LAWMAKER SAYS THE GOVT PLANS TO ATTEND *

CONFERENCE IS EXPECTED TO BE HELD IN GENEVA NEXT MONTH *

FRENCH SPECIAL FORCES AND NIGER TROOPS FATALLY SHOOT THE LAST TWO TERRORISTS INVOLVED IN YESTERDAY'S TWIN ATTACK ON A MILITARY BASE AND FRENCH URANIUM MINE IN NIGER *

CREDIT FOR ATTACKS WAS CLAIMED BY AL QAEDA-LINKED MOKHTAR BELMOKHTAR, WHO COORDINATED THEM WITH MUJWA MILITANT GROUP *

NIGER HAS EMERGED AS A FIRM ALLY OF FRANCE AND THE U.S. IN THE FIGHT AGAINST AL QAEDA-LINKED GROUPS *

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JUST IN! THIS STATEMENT BY SENATOR HARRY REID ABOUT GOVERNOR ROMNEY!

This was just emailed to me by FNC’s Mike Emanuel:

REID STATEMENT ON ROMNEY’S TAX RETURNS

 

Senator Reid released the following statement tonight on Governor Mitt Romney’s tax returns:

 

“There is a controversy because the Republican presidential nominee, Governor Mitt Romney, refuses to release his tax returns. As I said before, I was told by an extremely credible source that Romney has not paid taxes for ten years. People who make as much money as Mitt Romney have many tricks at their disposal to avoid paying taxes. We already know that Romney has exploited many of these loopholes, stashing his money in secret, overseas accounts in places like Switzerland and the Cayman Islands.

 

“Last weekend, Governor Romney promised that he would check his tax returns and let the American people know whether he ever paid a rate lower than 13.9 percent. One day later, his campaign raced to say he had no intention of putting out any further information.

 

“When it comes to answering the legitimate questions the American people have about whether he avoided paying his fair share in taxes or why he opened a Swiss bank account, Romney has shut up. But as a presidential candidate, it’s his obligation to put up, and release several years’ worth of tax returns just like nominees of both parties have done for decades.

 

“It’s clear Romney is hiding something, and the American people deserve to know what it is. Whatever Romney’s hiding probably speaks volumes about how he would approach issues that directly impact middle-class families, like tax reform and the economy. When you are running for president, you should be an open book.

 

“I understand Romney is concerned that many people, Democrats and Republicans, have been calling on him to release his tax returns. He has so far refused. There is only one thing he can do to clear this up, and that’s release his tax returns.”

 

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Adam Jentleson

Communications Director, Senator Harry Reid