governor sarah palin's shocking anounsment leaves people all along the political spectrum asking the same question. why is she quitting? opponents of president obama raise their voices on independence day. see how the second round of tea party protests is going. a july 4th tradition becomes one for the record books. we'll show how won the national hot dog eating contest. hi, you are watching hln on this july 4th. happy independence day to you. i'm natasha curry. political analysts are trying to get to the bottom of alaska governor sarah palin's decision to leave office more than a year early. the announcement caught even palin supporters by surprise, including the man who will

replace her when she steps down later this month. lieutenant governor sean parnell says once he spoke with palin he understood her decision. >> she told me what her decision was going to be up front and explained her rationale. i was very surprised at first, but as she began to explain why she was doing it, i began to see sarah palin was moving to put alaska's interests first. remember that basketball metaphor she used where she talked about the full-court press be an honor and how the it was time for her to pass the ball to a teammate so we could progress here in alaska with our agenda. i think that was an apt way of describe houg she perceives things. >> palin says she is leaving because she does not want to milk her lame-duck status for the next two years. her staff has been shooting down rumors she is leaving politics all together. palin's spokesman says she wants to continue to serve the public, leaving many to speculate that she may be gearing up for a

presidential run in 2012. thousands of americans are gathering in cities nationwide today to hold a second round of protests against many owe bapta's economic stimulus bill. the first round of so-called tea parties were held on april 15th. the demonstrations are based on the boston tea party, but this this case tea is an acronym for "tax enough already." >> reporter: right across the street in the u.s. capitol and you can see the crowd behind me. it's growing as the hours have passed. this is what the organizationers say is one of what they hope to up to maybe 1,500 rallies across the country today on independence day. this is the second round. if you remember, there were coast-to-coast rallies on april 15th, which is tax deadline day. that is what this is all about, the organizers say. tea stands for "tax enough already." the people feel just that. they are worried about the federal government involvement. they say too much involvement in the private sector. they point to the bailout of

wall street and point out to the federal government's involvement in the big auto companies like gm and chrysler. people here are also very concerned abt what they say is the exploding federal budget deficit. they are also upset about things like the federal stimulus, as well. take a listen. we spoke to some of the people in the crowd here. >> at the end of this is how you all portray us. we are regular citizens speaking up for our rights. that is part of taking personality responsibility for your life. >> really need to be more transparent than what everyone says they are going to be. read the documents to the american people. >> we hear a lot about the big legislation in front of congress like cap and trade. they are very much against that and have problems with the president's proposal for health care reform. what's next with the tea party activists? they say there could be another rally late they are month and they are also planning rallies across the country again on september 12th, date after the 9-11 anniversary.

paul steinhauser, cnn, washington. >> four people setting up a fireworks display are in critical condition and one person dead after an explosion on north carolina's outer banks. this photo comes from ireport.com. the dead and injured were setting up a display on an island accessible only by ferry when the fireworks exploded. one witness says it looked like 40 minutes worth of fireworks went off in about four seconds. this morning, north korea test fired at least seven missiles according to south korea's foreign ministry. a south korea news agency said there were scud missiles with the range of about 310 miles. the test could further escalate tensions in the region. north korea conducted a nuclear test in may and the u.s. is trying to get support for tougher penalties against the country. countless michael jackson fans are trying to get a chance to attend his memorial service. they are registering online by

the thousands to get tickets for tuesday's ceremony at the staples center in los angeles. 17,500 free tickets will be given out to the public. the rest will be for the family. 11,000 public tickets will be for the actual memorial in staples center, with the other 6,500 for the neighboring nokia theater where the service will be televised. a jackson family spokesman says 500,000 people registered in the first seven hours yesterday. you can register on the staples center website by tonight at 9:00 eastern. a computer will randomly choose the winners later tonight. we have hispanic coveragees michael jackson's life. the memorial service will be directed by jackson's creative partner kenny ortega. he was supposed to co-direct jackson's concert in london this

summer. a jackson family spokesman says no details about the memorial will be released in advance and plans are still in the works. ortega talked to our sister network cnn about a conversation he had with jackson just before he died. >> we always got together at the end of rehearsal. i walk him to his dressing room and helped put his jacket on. he said, are you happy? i said i'm happy and so proud of you. these last couple of nights have given everybody such confidence and courage and strength. and i said, how about you? he said i'm happy. i said is there anything you want to share with anyone? do you want to give anyone notes or thoughts about the lighting or staging or choreography, anything? the band? he said, no, i'll see you tomorrow. it was good. it was a good night. >> the doctor who tried to revive pop superstar michael jackson is not commenting on what, if any, medications he gave the singer. the doctor's lawyer says that is part of an agreement with investigators. the associated press reports

police found a powerful operating room anesthetic called diprivan in his home. a nurse said he pleaded with her to supply the drug for his insomnia. she says she always refused. >> he asked me. he said, can you find me a doctor? i don't care how much money they want. i don't care what it is they want. i want this drug. i want this medication. he didn't say drug, he said medication, i want this medication to sleep. >> michael jackson's death investigation intensifies with sources making stunning claims the singer kept a personal mini clinic, including dangerous anesthetics. did this ultimately kill the king of pop? ex-wife debbie rowe claims she wants her kids. nancy grace has the latest developments at 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. eastern on hln. cnn confirmed former baltimore ravens quarter steve mcnair was found dead in

nashville today. local media say he was found shot to death in an apartment and that another person was also found dead at the scene. police have not released more details about the death. prior to his stint with the ravens, mcnair played with the houston oilers and moved with them to nashville when they became the tennessee titans. for the latest developments on this story, you can go to cnn.com. happy fourth of july. i'm reynolds wolf with a look at your forecast. we'll be seeing scattered showers and storms across parts of the midwest in places like st. louis, kansas before the day is out. we'll deal with high temperatures into the 100 for texas. dallas 101. 98 in houston. austin, san antonio, also into the triple digits. tampa and atlanta even miami into the 80s and 90s. for parts of central and south florida into the late afternoon you may be dealing with a few scattered showers. maybe a thunderstorm or two. farther to the north and new york and in boston, high temperatures in the 70s and 80s. coney island, if you are going

for the hol dog eating contest, temperatures there mainly to the upper 70s along the coast. 86 in d.c., 80 in kansas city. could see showers in denver later in the day. 6 in seattle. portland going up into the 90s. 69 in san francisco and 80 in los angeles. take a look at what else we are going to be seeing. comfortable water temperatures along much of the gulf coast and for the eastern seaboard until you get to the outer banks, north carolina. then those water temperatures cool to the 50s and 70s, especially 60s as you get to the jersey shore. that is a look at your forecast. ima reynolds wolf for hln. we are seeing a sight of new york that has been out of sight nearly a decade, the view from the newly reopened crown on top of the statue of liberty. pñpñpññ

it's an idea that went from the streets outside their college book store to the marketplace. these three aren't just using book smarts to make money, they are trying to do good, too. stephanie elam has today's "money and main street." >> we saw all the bookstores that the book store was saying, no, i don't want it. there is totally value in the books. you've got to get them on the internet and someone will buy them. >> reporter: building and maintaining a business in this environment is challenging. when they were in school, the book store wouldn't buy back their used text books. they tried selling them on half.com. it worked and the idea took on a whole new chapter. >> here are some great stuff in there. that i promise you. >> reporter: with more than 2 million books in this indiana warehouse, the owners of better

world books think they have a book for everyone. >> we bring a lot of stuff in, even in full truckloads. we'll bring in 50,000 pounds of book and put it up on the shelves. >> reporter: after funding the business themselves for the first five years, the founders got a small business administration backed credit line in 2004 following by a $2.4 million venture capital investment in 2008. all to build up the website and the better world books brand. they have seen their revenues grow from $4 million a year in 2005 to projected $31 million in 2009, and all the time helping others buy books at a cheap price. >> the cheapest they find would be $3.48 with free shipping. >> reporter: the books are donated by libraries, book stores and college campuses from across the country. every day, better world brings in 40,000 to 50,000 books sending just as many out. >> we've sold orders up to 5,000 books at once and sell a lot of

single-book order. our average is 3 or 4 world books. >> reporter: they built the company on the foundation of the the broke college student. >> what's cool about us, we price them at market level. you may be getting $100 book for $10. that happens every day here. >> reporter: better world books believes in giving back. it donates 5% to 10% of its revenue back into the hands of libraries and literacy programs around the world. stephanie elam, cnn, new york. tourists are climbing the 354 steps of the statue of liberty's crown again. it was closed for nearly eight years after the terrorist attacks on the world trade center. >> it's just breath taking. >> kind of gives me goosebumps. just breath taking coming in. we are so excited to be with the first group that's there. >> proud to be an american. proud to be a new yorker first after that. >> if you want to visit the crown you need to plan ahead. tickets are sold out for this

weekend and for the next several months, as well. if you book tickets now though, they won't be good until this fall. it was like old times as american lance armstrong staked an early lead in the tour de france. the seven-time champion posted a strong performance in the first stage of his comeback race, but it did not hold up. a swiss cyclist posted the best time of the day and claimed the leader's yellow jersey. the race began on the coast of monaco today and ends in paris on july 26th. serena williams has clinched her third wimbledon singles title beating her sister and defending champion venus williams. it's the first time that she's taken the title in six years. today's match was the fourth all-williams final at wimbledon and the third time serena has beaten her older sister. venus was hoping to become the first woman since steffy graph to win wimbledon three years in a row. tomorrow the sisters play in the

women's doubles finals. several historical items are missing from the national archives. some of the more valuable items include a telegram written by president abraham lincoln to his wife. 150 civil war documents like this letter from confederate soldier james brown stewart and an announcement sent to soldiers about lincoln's death. also missing are the patent files of the wright brothers' flying machine last seen in 1980. and atomic maps for the bomb missions on hiroshima and nakasni, japan. >> the search for a jetliner that crashed is finally getting results.

divers are finally finding the pieces of the airliner that crashed into the indian ocean tuesday. part of the airbus 310 fuselage has been recovered. officials are also listening to the recordings of a yemeni airliner's radio communication. a 13-year-old girl is the only one among the 153 people on board the plane to survive the crash. a 15-year-old girl is the latest person to die in what south carolina authorities are calling a serial killing spree. this is a composite sketch of the man police say fatally shot

five people in south carolina. the girl who died was wounded when her father was fatally shot. the death of three other people, including an 83-year-old woman and her daughter, are linked to the same suspect. the same town was terrorized in 1958 by a moon wan who strangler women before he was caught. he was later killed in jail. this amtrak train was involved in two deadly incidents in a single day. it hit and killed someone near a train station in berkeley, california, yesterday. a new crew took over the train, but it hit another person about two hours later in oakland. police and amtrak are investigating the incident. president obama is calling on the unyielding spirit of americans to meet the challenges facing the nation. he struck a fourth of july theme in his weekly radio address. he recalled the dedication of the country's founders as he sought to rally support for his

agenda from reviving the economy to overhauling the health care system. >> we're not a people who fear the future. we are a people who make it. on this july 4th, we need to summon that spirit once more. we need to summon the same spirit that inhabited independence hall 233 years ago today. that's how this generation of americans will make its mark on history. that's how we will make the most of this extraordinary moment. that's how we willrite the next great chapter in the great american story. >> the first family is back at the white house after celebrating daughter malia's 11th birthday at camp david. this evening the obamas host a barbecue for military families. senator john mccain sees parallels between the fight for american independence and what is happening today in iran. in the republican party's weekly address he says americans share a kinship of ideals for those who stand up for free do.

he pressed obama to show a more forceful show of support. >> there are those among us who warned a strong declaration of moral support for the iranians would be used by the cruel and regime power there to convince the subject people that the united states is behind the civil unrest they have attempted to hide from the world. but the regime will make that claim no matter what we say or do. >> former iranian president met with families and demonstrators detained by police during the protests and said the courts should uphold their civil rights and set them free. everybody wants to save more and spend less and we've got just the guy to help you out. join hln money expert "clark howard" 4:00 p.m. eastern. he'll show you ways to save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off. right here on hln. "knight rider," "batman,"

james bond, they have cool cars. real-life cops are on their way to getting some nifty gizmos. ni james bond, they have cool cars. real-life cops are on their way to getting some nifty gizmos.

with summertime, we have lots of opportunities for fun, but some of that fun has a little danger associated with it. welcome to comcast local edition, i'm donna richardson. my guest today is joe zurolo deputy state fire marshall to talk about fire safety. welcome, joe. it's good to have yoe you here. >> thank you very much. >> as i was saying, summertime we are known for outdoor barbecues and fire work displays. i wanted to go into grilling and what is safe and not safe when we have propane tanks and charcoal grills and so close to the house. >> well, they really shouldn't be. especially propane grills.

of they should be a safe distance away from your home from 10 feet and above. this right here, should something occur it would mainly be confined to the grill and wouldn't spread to your home. we have so many people that go out and buy gas grills, they either put them on their decks up against the house, apartment complex and put their them on their balconiyss. and the tanks and grills are left outside during inclement weather. over time leaks do occur. >> right. >> and can occur. we would not want someone's home to be destroyed in a fire caused by a gas grill. >> thank you. i know the fourth of july is coming, great fireworks displays. but we need to keep the

professionals providing the show, mot the residents. >> that's correct. >> how many injuries have we experience immediate maryland over the years because people are having their own fireworks displays? >> we have had countless injuries. most injuries involve children under the age of 15. and we have the adults who also end up becoming injured because they mixed alcohol with setting off illegal fire works. >> every year we have an awareness campaign and it is starting now. and some people are saying well, you know, we have legal fire works and illegal. are there really legal fireworks here for the state of maryland? >> yes, there are. a few years ago maryland changed the law to allow some fireworks which are known to be called

sparkling devices that are legal to possess in maryland. for a lot of your people out there, potential starts showing up, if they for grocery stores or seven 11 stores they have display of ground-based sparkling devices that are legal. >> you have an example of a legal one. >> this is a legal ground-based sparkling device. what happens is fireworks companies outside the state of maryland. if they want to sell their product inside maryland, they have to send samples of it and our bomb squad tests each and every piece that is sent to us to ensure that it complies with the laws of the state of maryland. on the bottom of it is states you have to put these on a flat

surface and ground-based sparkling devices emitshowers of sparks. that's why they are legal to have here in the state. >> you also have an example of an illegal one. we have less than a minute. i'll take some of those and you can show the illegal ones. >> this is an illegal fire work. this has a mortar tube and fire work that is dropped inside the tiewp -- tube and you light it is and it goes into the air and bursts. >> bottom line, leave it to the professionals so we are safe and watch the many fireworks displays. >> correct. there are countless legal fireworks displays that go on starting from july 2 all the way through 4th of judge. >> i appreciate that. my guest has been joe zurolo, deputy state fire marshall. if you are interested in what comcast is doing in your area,

go to on demand and click get local. i'm donna richardson.

governor sarah palin's shocking announcement leaves people all along the political spectrum asking the same question. why is she quitting? opponents of president obama raise their voices on independence day. see how the second round of tea party protests is going. a july 4th tradition becomes one for the record books. we'll show you who won the national hot dog eating contest. hi, you are watching hln on this july 4th. happy independence day to you. i'm natasha curry. political analysts are trying to get to the bottom of alaska governor sarah palin's decision to leave office more than a year early. the announcement caught even palin supporters by surprise, including the man who will replace her when she steps down later this month.

lieutenant governor sean parnell says once he spoke with palin he understood her decision. >> she told me what her decision was going to be up front and explained her rationale. i was very surprised at first, but as she began to explain why she was doing it, i began to see sarah palin was moving to put alaska's interests first. remember that basketball metaphor she used where she talked about the full-court press be an honor and how the it was time for her to pass the ball to a teammate so we could progress here in alaska with our agenda. i think that was an apt way of describing how she perceives things. >> palin says she is leaving because she does not want to milk her lame-duck status for the next two years. her staff has been shooting down rumors she is leaving politics all together. palin's spokesman says she wants to continue to serve the public, leaving many to speculate that she may be gearing up for a presidential run in 2012.

thousands of americans are gathering in cities nationwide today to hold a second round of protests against many obama's economic stimulus bill. the first round of so-called tea parties were held on april 15th. the demonstrations are based on the boston tea party, but this this case tea is an acronym for "tax enough already." paul steinhauser is keeping an eye on these rallies. >> reporter: right across the street in the u.s. capitol and you can see the crowd behind me. it's growing as the hours have passed. this is what the organizers say is one of what they hope to up to maybe 1,500 rallies across the country today on independence day. this is the second round. if you remember, there were coast-to-coast rallies on april 15th, which is tax deadline day. that is what this is all about, the organizers say. tea stands for "tax enough already." the people feel just that. they are worried about the federal government involvement. they say too much involvement in the private sector. they point to the bailout of

wall street and point out to the federal government's involvement in the big auto companies like gm and chrysler. people here are also very concerned about what they say is the exploding federal budget deficit. they are also upset about things like the federal stimulus, as well. take a listen. we spoke to some of the people in the crowd here. here what is they had to say. >> we'll see at the end of this how you all portray us. we are regular citizens speaking up for our rights. that is part of taking personality responsibility for your life. >> really need to be more transparent than what they once said they were going to be. read the documents and explain what's going on inside the documents to the american people. >> we hear a lot about the big legislation in front of congress like cap and trade. it is part of the clean energy bill. they are very much against that and have problems with the president's proposal for health care reform. what's next with the tea party activists? they say there could be another rally later this month, and they are also planning rallies across the country again on september 12th, date after the 9-11 anniversary.

paul steinhauser, cnn, washington. cnn confirmed former baltimore ravens quarter steve mcnair was found dead in nashville today. local media say he was found shot to death in an apartment and that another person was also found dead at the scene. police have not released more details about the death. prior to his stint with the ravens, mcnair played with the houston oilers and moved with them to nashville when they became the tennessee titans. for the latest developments on this story, you can go to cnn.com. four people setting up a fireworks display are in critical condition and one dead after an explosion on north carolina's outer banks. the dead and injured were setting up a display on an island accessible only by ferry when the fireworks exploded. one witness says it looked like 40 minutes worth of fireworks went off in about four seconds.

a south korean news agency said there were scud missiles with a range of about 310 miles. the tests could further escalate tensions in the region. north korea conducted a nuclear test in may and the u.s. is trying to get support for tougher penalties against the country. countless michael jackson fans are trying to get a chance to attend his memorial service. they are registering online by the thousands to get tickets for tuesday's ceremony at the staples center in los angeles. 17,500 free tickets will be given out to the public. the rest will be for the family. 11,000 public tickets will be for the actual memorial in staples center, with the other 6,500 for the neighboring nokia theater where the service will be televised. a jackson family spokesman says 500,000 people registered in the first seven hours yesterday. you can register on the staples center website by tonight at

9:00 eastern. a computer will randomly choose the winners later tonight. the memorial service will be directed by jackson's creative partner kenny ortega. he was supposed to co-direct jackson's concert in london this summer. a jackson family spokesman says no details about the memorial will be released in advance and plans are still in the works. ortega talked to our sister network cnn about a conversatioñ he had with jackson just before he died. >> we always got together at the end of rehearsal. i walk him to his dressing room and helped put his jacket on. then walked him out. he said, are you happy? i said i'm happy and so proud of you. these last couple of nights have given everybody such confidence and courage and strength. and i said, how about you? he said i'm happy. i said is there anything you want to share with anyone? do you want to give anyone notes or thoughts about the lighting or staging or choreography, anything? the band? he said, no, i'll see you tomorrow.

it was good. it was a good night. >> michael jackson's death investigation intensifies with sources making stunning claims the singer kept a personal mini clinic including dangerous anesthetics. did the drugs ultimately kill the king of pop? now ex-wife debbie rowe claims she wants her kids. nancy grace has the developments. >> we are seeing the sight we haven't seen in nearly a decade.

cnn "vital signs" looks at the world of medicine around the world. today dr. sanjay gupta goes from california to china for a look at the treatment of spina bifida. >> did you always want to have kids, nicole? >> yes. >> when did you think you wanted to have kids? >> when i met boris. >> boris kadzo and his wife live a hollywood fairytale. there is another part of their story. they have a 4-year-old daughter stovy who has spina bifida. it occurs early in pregnancy when the tissue surrounding the spinal cord of a fetus doesn't close properly. half a world away in china, another mother is hoping the cards will fall on the side of potential gain for her 9-year-old son. she's brought him to union hospital where the chief

urologist prepares him for the procedure he created. >> we have 500,000 of cases for spina bifida. >> the procedure involves rerouting nerves from the leg. for more on exciting advances in medicine go to cnn.com/vitalsigns. one of new york's tourist signatures has been out for years. >> reporter: for generations of immigrants, the statue of liberty was the first glimpse of america, for returning soldiers and sailors, it was a reassuring welcome home. for generations of tourists, it had a breath taking view of america's biggest city. >> it's not new york until you see her. >> reporter: in the early years, visitors could go all the way up to the statue's torch, using a staircase in lady liberty's arm

in. 1916 with world war i raging in europe, they blew up an ammunition depot on the nearby jersey shore. officials feared the force of the blast weakened the statue's arm. they closed the arm to the general public and visitors could climb only as high as the statue's crown. that was the way things stayed for 85 years until another nearby attack that had an even bigger impact. the 2001 attack on new york's world trade center raised fears lady liberty could be the target of a similar assault. liberty island was closed for three months. the statue itself was closed for three years. finally, in august of 2004, visitors were re-admitted, but only to the statue's pedestal. officials said even if the threat eased, the spiral staircase leading up to the crown was unsafe for crowds. new york mayor michael bloomberg claimed the view from the pedestal object surf try is

better than the view from the crown. >> this also offers visitors to the statue the kind of sweeping panoramic views of new york harbor that were not accessible from the narrow appetures of the statue's crown. >> reporter: visitors still wanted to go up to the crown. months ago they decided to open it up again with tight crowd restrictions. >> we will limit the number of visitors in the crown at any one time to about ten. >> reporter: visitors may never regain access to lady liberty's torch, but now that they can visit the crown again, parents and grandparents can share memories with their children and grandchildren. >> when i was late girl i went all the way up to the crown. it was great. >> reporter: reservations are only on a first come-first serve basis. it's one of the the hottest tickets in town. >> one of the first tourists to reach the crown today immediately dropped to one knee

and proposed to his girlfriend. she did say yes. now that the statue of liberty reopened to the public, our website is offering a very unique view of the american icon. it's an interactive mosaic of photographs submitted by i-reporters. you can kroll your mouse and see who took the picture and read through their inspirational thoughts. you can find that at cnn.com/living. it was like old times as american lance armstrong staked an early lead in the tour de france. the seven-time champion posted a strong performance in the first stage of his comeback race, but it did not hold up. a swiss cyclist posted the best time of the day and claimed the leader's yellow jersey. the 2,100 mile race began on the coast of monaco today and ends in paris on july 26th. serena williams has clinched her third wimbledon singles title beating her sister and

defending champion venus williams. it's the first time that she's taken the title in six years. today's match was the fourth all-williams final at wimbledon and the third time serena has beaten her older sister. venus was hoping to become the first woman since steffi graf to win wimbledon three years in a row. tomorrow the sisters play in the women's doubles finals. >> the search for a jetliner that crashed is finally getting results. what divers have recovered from the indian ocean.

divers are finally finding the pieces of the airliner that crashed into the indian ocean tuesday. an investigating committee says part of the airbus 310 fuselage has been recovered. officials are also listening to the recordings of a yemeni airliner's radio communication. a 13-year-old girl is the only one among the 153 people on board the plane to survive the crash. a 15-year-old girl is the latest person to die in what south carolina authorities are calling a serial killing spree. this is a composite sketch of the man police say fatally shot

five people in south carolina. the girl who died was wounded when her father was fatally shot. the death of three other people, including an 83-year-old woman and her daughter, are linked to the same suspect. the same town was terrorized in 1958 by a man who strangled four women before he was caught. he was later killed in jail. this amtrak train was involved in two deadly incidents in a single day. amtrak officials say first it hit and killed someone near a train station in berkeley, california, yesterday. a new crew took over the train, but it hit another person about two hours later in oakland. police and amtrak are investigating the incidents. two soldiers died in fighting in eastern afghanistan today. in another part of afghanistan, u.s. forces continue their

offensive against taliban militants. the fight is taking place in an area where opium poppies are grown. the taliban rely heavily on opium production to finance their operation. president obama is calling on the unyielding spirit of americans to meet the challenges facing the nation. he struck a fourth of july theme in his weekly radio address. he recalled the dedication of the country's founders as he sought to rally support for his agenda from reviving the economy to overhauling the health care system. >> we're not a people who fear the future. we are a people who make it. on this july 4th, we need to summon that spirit once more. we need to summon the same spirit that inhabited independence hall 233 years ago today. that's how this generation of americans will make its mark on history. that's how we will make the most of this extraordinary moment. that's how we will write the next great chapter in the great american story. >> the first family is back at the white house after celebrating daughter malia's

11th birthday at camp david. this evening the obamas host a barbecue for military families. senator john mccain sees parallels between the fight for american independence and what is happening today in iran. in the republican party's weekly address, he says americans share a kinship of ideals for those who stand up for freedom. he pressed obama to show a more forceful show of support. >> there are those among us who warned a strong declaration of moral support for the iranians would be used by the cruel and regime power there to convince the subject people that the united states is behind the civil unrest they have attempted to hide from the world. but the regime will make that claim no matter what we say or do. >> former iranian president met with families and demonstrators detained by police during the protests and said the courts should uphold their civil rights and set them free.

everybody wants to save more and spend less and we've got just the guy to help you out. join hln money expert clark howard 4:00 p.m. eastern. he'll show you ways to save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off. "the clark howard show" 4:00 p.m. eastern on hln. several historical items are missing from the national archives. several letters written by abrahab abraham lincoln to his wife. and the war department announcement telling soldiers about lincoln's death. also missing are the patent files of the wright brothers' flying machine last seen in 1980. target maps for the atomic bomb missions on hiroshima. they have been missing since 1962.

"night rider," "batman," james bond, they have cool cars. it's not just fiction. real-life cops are on their way to getting some nifty gizmos. y8b