Good morning.
As we've already reported, there's word from The Hague that former Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic made his first appearance before a U.N. war crimes court today. A defiant Mladic rejected what he said are the "obnoxious charges" against him. He's accused of ordering the deaths of thousands during the wars that ripped apart the former Yugoslavia in the '90s.
Also this morning, protests are building again in Syria — and it appears the government there has cut off access to the Internet, which will make it even harder for protesters to tell the world about what's happening.
The next major story of the day looks to be the May employment report from the . Due at 8:30 a.m. ET, it's expected to show weak growth in payroll employment — about 150,000 jobs, Reuters estimates — and a jobless rate little changed from April's 9 percent.
We'll post the employment news right after it's released.
Other stories making headlines include:
-- As E. Coli Outbreak Continues, German Asks For Blood Donors: "German clinics are appealing for blood donations as the number of people infected with a deadly strain of E. coli has risen above 1,730. So far 17 people have died from the bug in Germany, and it is suspected in another death. One also died in Sweden." ( BBC News)
Related headline from The Telegraph: "E. Coli Outbreak Spreads To 12 Countries As Britons Treated."
-- Floodwaters To Rise In South Dakota:"Floodwaters around the South Dakota capital of Pierre are rising and they're about to get much higher. The dams along the Missouri River can't hold back a massive surge of water spurred by record rains in Montana. The Army Corps of Engineers is about to open those dams to record flows. Residents are hoping that temporary levees will keep them from losing their homes and businesses." ( Morning Edition)
-- Cymotrichous Is The Word:Sukanya Roy, 14, won the National Spelling Bee last evening. The teen from South Abington Township, Pa., correctly spelled cymotrichous ("having wavy hair") to take the top honor. Our friend Linda Holmes over at Monkey See live-blogged the show.
-- Dallas Takes Game Two: The Dallas Mavericks pulled off an "unbelievable" comeback last night to take game two of the NBA finals. They beat the Heat, in Miami, 95-93. With seven minutes to go, the Heat was up by 15 points. Dallas then mounted a furious surge, outscoring Miami 22-5 in the closing minutes. Game three of the best-of-seven finals is Sunday in Dallas. ( ESPN.com)
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