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Horses stampede at parade kills 1
An Independence Day parade in Iowa descended into chaos when two horses went out of control and took their wagon with them, running into crowds of celebrants and leaving more than 20 people injured, according to authorities.
A woman injured in the incident died Sunday evening, police said.
It happened at the Bellevue Heritage Day Celebration Parade in Bellevue, Iowa, on the state's eastern border with Illinois. Fire Chief Chris Rowling said two horses pulling a wagon went out of control along the parade route, running with the wagon for about six blocks and hitting numerous children and adults.
A total of 24 people were taken to hospitals in the area with injuries that ranged from abrasions to fractures to collapsed lungs, he said.
More Gulf waters closed to fishing
Federal authorities closed a new section of the Gulf of Mexico to fishing on Sunday due to the worst oil spill in U.S. history, extending the restricted zone westward along the Louisiana coast.
The latest order from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration adds nearly 1,100 square miles of federal waters off Louisiana's Vermilion Bay to the off-limits zone. The new closure brings the portion of the Gulf closed to fishing due to the massive BP spill off Louisiana to 33.2 percent, NOAA reported.
A ruptured BP well has been spewing tens of thousands of barrels of crude oil into the Gulf every day since late April. The Coast Guard reported earlier Sunday that a shift in weather patterns could send more oil toward sensitive shores in Mississippi and Louisiana.
JFK airport terminal reopened after bomb scare
A terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York was evacuated Sunday evening for about two hours after a caller phoned in a threat, according to a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
John Kelly of the Port Authority said a female caller claimed there was a bomb in Terminal One in a call about 5:40 p.m.
"Using the utmost due diligence, we evacuated the terminal," Kelly said. About 300 people were inside at the time, he said.
Once the terminal had been searched, the evacuation was ended shortly after 8 p.m., Kelly said.
Kelly said an earlier, unrelated incident at the same terminal occurred when a Port Authority officer noticed an unattended bag. That bag was examined and cleared, he said.
Mortars hit Green Zone during Biden visit
Three mortar rounds struck harmlessly inside Baghdad's "Green Zone" on Sunday night during a weekend visit by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. and Iraqi officials said.
No damage or injuries were reported from the bombardment, which occurred about 10:30 p.m. Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET). The district, formally known as the International Zone, houses Iraqi government offices and the U.S. Embassy.
Biden landed in Iraq on Saturday to celebrate the U.S. Independence Day holiday with American troops and meet with Iraqi political leaders. A similar attack struck the Green Zone during a Biden visit in September.
Former hot dog eating champ arrested
He didn't compete for the hot dog eating title this year, but he did cause a scene at the contest.
Takeru Kobayashi was arrested at Coney Island after his rival, Joey Chestnut, won the annual Nathan's International Hot Dog Eating Contest.
The six-time champion of the contest was trying to make his way on stage after this year's event, a representative for Kobayashi and a New York police officer at the Brooklyn precinct booking desk said.
This year's competition had already caused a stir after word that Kobayashi - who took home the title every year from 2001 to 2006 - would not be participating because of a contract dispute with Major League Eating. He watched from the stands.
Large-scale skimmer continues testing in Gulf
A ship billed as the world's largest skimming vessel will continue testing its abilities in the Gulf of Mexico Sunday.
If A Whale's tests in a 5-by-5-mile area north of the underwater gusher are successful, the massive ship could play a key role in oil cleanup efforts
The boat, which swallows water with oil then separates it, can skim about 21 million gallons of oil a day. That's at least 250 times the amount that modified fishing vessels currently conducting skimming operations have been able to contain, according to Taiwanese company TMT shipping, which owns the vessel.
Fourth of July celebrations abound
From sea to shining sea, as the song goes, Americans are celebrating Independence Day in a variety of ways Sunday, from the traditional barbeque to a decades-old hot dog eating contest at New York's Coney Island.
There will be fireworks, of course, and a patriotic dose of music, too.
In Washington, the 30th annual concert on the National Mall, which precedes the fireworks show, will include performances from David Archuleta, Lang Lang, Gladys Knight, Darius Rucker and Reba McEntire.
Republicans on opposite sides over Steele controversy
Republicans lined up on opposite sides Sunday over comments by the chairman of the Republican National Committee that the Afghanistan war launched by former President George W. Bush was "of (President Barack) Obama's choosing" and may be unwinnable.
Speaking from Afghanistan, GOP Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina lambasted Michael Steele for the comments, which McCain called "wildly inaccurate" and Graham characterized as "uninformed, unnecessary, unwise, untimely."
However, conservative GOP Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, in a statement to CNN, supported Steele and said the RNC chairman's characterization of the war was correct.
Chestnut wins 4th straight hot dog eating contest
Joey Chestnut won his fourth straight Coney Island hot dog eating contest Sunday afternoon, eating 54 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, nine better than the second-place finisher.
Chestnut failed to get to close to the contest record, set by him last year, of 68.
Japanese competitor Takeru Kobayashi, who was Chestnut's toughest competitor in recent years, did not participate this year.
Supply ship docks with space station
A Russian supply space ship has successfully docked with the international space station after missing its docking attempt Friday, NASA officials said Sunday.
The Progress cargo vessel, a resupply craft, was trying to dock with the space station Friday when a technical problem occurred about 20 minutes before the scheduled docking time, NASA spokeswoman Lynette Madison has said.
The vessel flew about two miles past the space station.
NY man blows off arm with fireworks
Like fireworks, it has become an Independence Day weekend tradition unto itself: fireworks-related injury.
On Saturday, a man lighting fireworks outside his Long Island home became the latest victim when he completely severed his left arm from his shoulder, Suffolk County police said.
Eric Smith, 36, was using a three-foot-long metal tube to shoot mortars near his Islip Terrace home on Saturday evening. One of the explosives shot out and struck him in the left arm, taking it off, said police.
Critics press Obama on Afghanistan withdrawal deadline
The July 2011 deadline to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan is unrealistic and unhelpful, Afghan Ambassador Said Tayeb Jawad told CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday.
"First, if you over emphasize a deadline that is not realistic, you are making the enemy a lot more bold," Jawad said. "You are prolonging the war. That deadline should be realistic. The line should be based on the reality on the ground and we should give a clear message to the enemy, to the terrorists who are a threat to everyone, that the United States, NATO, Afghans are there to finish this job."
President Obama and Gen. David Petraeus, who has replaced Gen. Stanley McChrystal as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, have said they would begin withdrawal in July 2011 depending on conditions on the ground.
Mexicans head to polls with security in mind
Polls opened in Mexico on Sunday in an election that could provide a boost for the opposition party amid concerns over escalating violence.
Elections were underway in 15 states, where 12 new governors and dozens of mayors and local lawmakers will be elected.
Security remained a key issue around the country as drug cartel violence made its mark on the elections. Last week, unknown gunmen killed Rodolfo Torre Cantu, the gubernatorial candidate for the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in Tamaulipas state in an ambush that killed three others.
It was arguably the most high-profile killing of a candidate since the 1994 assassination of presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio.
Man hit, killed by subway in Washington
A Washington man who was stuck by a subway train died in the hospital, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority said.
The 28-year-old man, whose name was not released, was hit at about 2:55 a.m. Sunday at the Minnesota Avenue Metrorail station.
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