From protests in Egypt to a jail cell in South Africa, here are some of the top stories from the weekend:
- In Egypt, millions of protesters flooded Tahrir Square to demand the removal of the country's first elected head of state, President Mohamed Morsi. Supporters and opponents also clashed over Morsi's leadership in several cities across the country. (Among those killed was an American student, who was reportedly stabbed by a protester.) Tahrir Square was the setting for the 2011 Egyptian Revolution that saw the removal of former president Hosni Mubarak, as well as the place where crowds cheered the election of Morsi in 2012. (New York Times)
- A devastating wildfire in Arizona has claimed the lives of 19 firemen. (NBC News)
- Edward Snowden can't leave Moscow. It appears Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa is ready to welcome the 29-year-old NSA leaker into his country, but Correa said it looks like Snowden doesn't have permission from Russia to leave. "He doesn't have a passport," Correa told the AP. "I don't know the Russian laws, I don't know if he can leave the airport, but I understand that he can't." (Associated Press)
- President Obama and the first family was in South Africa this past weekend, and made a visit to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in jail. (BuzzFeed)
- Make way for marriage! Following the Supreme Court's decision regarding Proposition 8, a federal appeals court cleared the way for same-sex couples to marry in California immediately. (NBC News)
- The New Yorker unveiled its cover art for its July 8 and 15 double issue to celebrate the Supreme Court's ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act, which "shows Bert and Ernie cuddling in front of an old-fashioned TV set broadcasting an image of the assembled Supreme Court justices." Although, this doesn't reveal any truths about the muppets—the cover art was done exclusively for the New Yorker and has no affiliation with Sesame Street. (Los Angeles Times)
- Jennifer Lopez performed in Turkmenistan, a place the Human Rights Watch once called "one of the world's most repressive countries." You can probably guess J.Lo's visit didn't go over too well with the rest of the world. (The Guardian)
- Lawmakers missed the deadline to save students planning to take out federal loans from having their rates doubled. Sure, they can retroactively fix the rates, but that would mean some cooperation and compromise on both sides in both the Senate and the House. (Washington Post)
- And speaking of the House... What's more unproductive and unpopular than the 112th Congress? The answer could soon be the 113th Congress. (NBC First Read)