The Latest

(Undated)  --  Here are the latest stories making news this hour:  U.S. troops are assaulting the Helmand River Valley area in Afghanistan.  North Korea is not backing down from its provocative military moves. The jobless rate rose slightly in June as employers cut 467-thousand jobs from their payrolls.   The likelihood that Michael Jackson's funeral will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles is growing.  And, the state of California is set to begin issuing IOUs today to creditors, private businesses and county governments.

>>Choppers, Marines Attack Valley In Afghanistan

(Undated)  --  U.S. helicopters and Marines are leading an assault on the Helmand River Valley area in Afghanistan.  The region is known for its opium fields and is primarily controlled by the Taliban.  U.S. and NATO commanders want to seize the territory in time for Afghanistan's presidential election on August 20th.  The area that is being attacked produces the bulk of Afghanistan's opium crop.  Meantime, CBS News reports an American soldier is being held by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

>>North Korea Launches More Short Range Missiles

(Seoul)  --  North Korea is not backing down from its provocative military moves.  A fourth short-range missile was fired by the communist nation today.  Just hours earlier, South Korea reported Pyongyang launched three surface-to-ship missiles off its east coast.  Recent reports have indicated that it's believed North Korea is preparing to fire a long-range missile, possibly towards Hawaii.  A U.S. envoy has been sent to China to get Beijing's help in getting tough with North Korea.

>>Jobless Rate Increases In June

(Washington, DC)  --  The jobless rate rose slightly in June as employers cut 467-thousand jobs from their payrolls.  The new data from the Labor Department is over 100-thousand more job losses than what analysts had forecast for last month.  The unemployment rate has risen to nine-and-a-half-percent.  That is the highest since August 1983.  May's unemployment rate was nine-point-four percent.

>>Jackson Funeral May Be Held At Staples Center

(Undated)  --  The likelihood that Michael Jackson's funeral will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles is growing.  The "Los Angeles Times" reports the service might take place Tuesday morning.  The pop star's family issued a statement yesterday about the Staples Center venue after rejecting the idea of a public or private viewing at his Neverland Ranch in central California.  Federal officials are now getting involved in the investigation into Jackson's death.  The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency is teaming up with the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office and the LAPD.  Speculation has centered around prescription drugs playing a role in Jackson's death last week.

>>CA To Roll Out Billions In IOUs

(Sacramento, CA)  -- The state of California is set to begin issuing IOUs today to creditors, private businesses and county governments.  The state Controller says he expects to send out more than three-billion dollars in IOUs and nearly eleven-billion dollars in regular payments this month.  State officials say issuing the IOUs won't affect most low-income people, the elderly and the disabled.  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a fiscal emergency yesterday after legislators failed to pass a budget package before the new fiscal year began.

>>Glassed-In Ledges Open At Sears Tower Today

(Chicago, IL)  --  A new attraction is open to the public this morning at Chicago's famed Sears Tower.  Visitors can see the Windy City from a series of glassed-in ledges on the 103rd floor.  The ledges jut over Chicago's main thoroughfare and the Chicago River, allowing people an unobstructed view of the skyline and perhaps more than a little vertigo.  The Sears Tower is the nation's tallest skyscraper.  Skydeck Chicago general manager Randy Stancik says the new ledges will add better views to the towering building.

>>Excitement Builds For New "Harry Potter" Film

(Los Angeles, CA)  --  Harry Potter mania is underway as fans get set for the latest film.  Fandango.com says "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" is accounting for 28-percent of tickets sold through the site, and the movie doesn't open for another two weeks.  Of the nearly two-thousand respondents planning to see the film, 83-percent note they've seen all the other "Harry Potter" movies on the big screen and 86-percent have read all seven "Harry Potter" books.  "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" opens in theaters on July 15th.