Pentagon: "There's no mission creep" in Iraq
U.S. officials are trying to quiet fears of mission creep in Iraq after yesterday's announcement that even more U.S. troops are headed there.
A Pentagon official insisted today, "there's no mission creep," adding that "the missions haven't changed."
But the chaos and turmoil in Iraq continues.
The first session of Iraq's new parliament involved a heated exchanged between elected officials. Many of them stormed out, never to return, thwarting plans to call for Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's replacement.
This comes on the same day the United Nations reported at least 2,400 Iraqis were killed in June - the death toll more than double the number of deaths from May and, by far, the deadliest month in Iraq in years.
To help breakdown what these additional troops mean for American involvement in Iraq, CNN Military Analyst Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona.
Deaths prompt Colorado regulators to push for restrictions on pot edibles
Colorado's pot market is about to get a lot bigger.
Starting Tuesday, anyone can apply for a license to open a recreational marijuana business.
For the past six months, only medical marijuana shops could apply to sell pot to the masses.
As the pot industry expands, there are growing concerns about public safety, especially when it comes to edible products. A pot brownie or cookie may contain nearly a dozen doses of marijuana.
Officials are trying to push restrictions because, in some cases, the consequences can be deadly. CNN's Ana Cabrera has more.
Are extra-strong "edibles" packaged in a single bar putting users –and kids – at risk? @AnaCabrera is #OutFront. @CNN pic.twitter.com/rPSvnbSGGA
— OutFrontCNN (@OutFrontCNN) July 1, 2014
DIY plastic surgery leads to limb amputations and nearly kills woman
Los Angeles (CNN) - She's not gonna make it. We give her 24 hours.
Apryl Brown remembers lying on the hospital bed as the doctor uttered those words. A sense of relief came over her.
"I didn't think about losing my children. I didn't think about leaving my mother," she said. She thought instead of how death would feel. "Although I will be dead, I will not be in pain anymore."
That searing pain came from an unimaginable source: a silicone filler, like the one Brown assumed plastic surgeons use daily. Hers was injected into her buttocks, with the hope of improving her appearance.
Brown never predicted the injections would land her here - dying in a hospital bed in June 2010.
Her body was shutting down from a staph infection that doctors said was connected to the silicone injections. Her limbs were curling and turning black, the visible signs of necrosis. Brown recalled seeing her hands in the hospital, thinking, "Oh, my God. I am going to lose my hands. I looked at my feet ,and they were dead, too."
Doctors had no choice. To save Brown's life, they amputated her hands, feet and the flesh around her buttocks and hips in 27 surgeries. Somehow, she survived.
Brown is still embarrassed as she talks about the vanity that nearly cost her everything.
Israel's Amb. to the U.S.: Hamas is behind this "heinous act"
Violence in the Middle East is escalating as Israel and Hamas are trading threats and warnings following the murder of three Israeli teens.
Thousands of Israelis gathered Tuesday to mourn the three teens who were kidnapped two weeks ago on their way home from school in the West Bank.
Israel's Netanyahu says of slain teens: 'May God avenge their blood'
Israel says Hamas is responsible for their deaths - a claim Hamas denies.
Overnight, Israel stepped up its strikes against Hamas terror sites in Gaza, hitting 34 targets. Those strikes were in response to the 18 rockets fired into Israel from Gaza since Sunday.
OutFront, Israel's Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer.
Pregnant Olympic runner responds to critics
Running an 800-meter race in a time of 2 minutes, 32 seconds is pretty good. Especially if you're 8-and a-half months pregnant. Five-time national champion Alysia Montano managed to do it.
But now she's facing backlash from people who say she shouldn't have run the race that far into her pregnancy. Our Sara Sidner has the story.
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