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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President Obama campaign latest

Below is from FNC’s Kelly Chernenkoff:

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Waiting for the rest of the AF1 gaggle (being piped into WH live) but sending this now. Quotes are noted as such.

 

As we’ve reported, Obama will be in Chicago tomorrow. Radio intvus that he’s doing today will air tomorrow and he’ll possibly do more “get out the vote” radio throughout day. He will also likely uphold his tradition to play basketball on election day with friends. Additionally, the campaign says Obama will try to get out and thank campaign volunteers and neighborhood team leaders, but he has no plans to leave the state of Illinois.

 

Here’s an exchange/quotes re: Romney–

 

Q: Romney may go to Ohio Tuesday. Will President make stops in competitive states?

Psaki

President has no plans to leave state of Illinois. Don’t think that will change.

“I will say it’s no surprise that Mitt Romney is headed to Ohio– or, reportedly headed to Ohio tomorrow. Without that state, it’s a rocky road for them to victory. It’s an insurmountable road, I would say. We know that they have been playing a lot of head-faking games and going to states where they don’t have a ground game, they’ve never lead in a poll and we have massive voter registration advantages. Ohio remains a very difficult nut for them to crack and we feel we have a superior ground game and superior campaign in the state and we’re confident of victory there tomorrow.”

 

Q: if this is contested race, do you have a plan in place?

Psaki

We are not going to get into hypotheticals. Tied or leading in every single swing state. we’re ahead in early vote in almost every swing state. We feel great about where we are closing this race. We know there is a lot of “vanity”(?) talk from Romney team about # of electoral votes they think they are going to achieve. We’re not get into that kind of prediction. Only thing that matters is more vote for Obama. We’re confident of that.

 

Q — popular vote victory?

Confid more people in country will support this president when go to polls