ASSOCIATED PRESS: Former Sen. Jesse Helms, who served 30 years in Congress, died on the Fourth of July, the Jesse Helms research center says. He was 86. The center, based at Wingate University in North Carolina, said Friday that he died at 1:15 a.m. Jimmy Broughton, Helms’ former chief of staff, says the former senator died of natural causes in Raleigh. Helms built a career along the fault lines of racial politics and battled liberals, Communists and the occasional fellow Republican during his decades in Congress. MORE

WIKIPEDIA: Helms was particularly vitriolic when speaking of gays and lesbians, blaming them for “the proliferation of AIDS,” and stating that he disliked using the word “gay” to refer to them since, “…there’s nothing gay about them.” Helms opposed the Martin Luther King Day bill in 1983 on grounds that King had two associates with communist ties, Stanley Levison and Jack O’Dell; as well, he voiced disapproval of King’s alleged philandering. Helms’ referred to the University of North Carolina (UNC) as the “University of Negroes and Communists.” (Charleston Gazette, 9/15/95) [2] At this time, his press secretary was Claude Allen, an African American. James Meredith, who earned fame as the first African American student admitted to the University of Mississippi, also served on Helms’ staff.[citation needed] While working on the 1950 campaign of Republican Willis Smith against Democrat Frank Porter Graham, Helms helped create an ad that read “White people, wake up before it is too late. Do you want Negroes working beside you, your wife and your daughters, in your mills and factories? Frank Graham favors mingling of the races.” Another ad featured photographs Helms himself had doctored to illustrate the allegation that Graham’s wife had danced with a black man. (FAIR 9/1/01, The News and Observer 8/26/01) MORE

RELATED: During the 1992 presidential campaign, conservative Republicans led by Senator Jesse Helms targeted federal funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Pat Buchanan, another conservative who was challenging President George Bush for the Republican presidential nomination, chastised Bush for allowing the NEA to fund “pornographic art” and called the endowment “the upholstered playpen of the arts and crafts auxiliary of the Eastern liberal establishment.” The White House forced John Frohnmayer, chairman of the NEA, to resign on February 29. Republican members of Congress attempted to eliminate these programs from the federal budget in 1992. MORE

(Details after the jump)

WHAT’S GOIN’ ON: From the city to the Shore, weather could be a mixed bag on Saturday and Sunday. A chance of thunderstorms threatens to rain on Independence Day parades. Forecasters say it’s still too early to tell if fireworks might be washed out. Keep your fingers crossed. Watch out for traffic gridlock. The Benjamin Franklin Parkway is playing host to the region’s biggest events this weekend, so if you’re planning to be anywhere near the Art Museum and on four-wheels, make sure it’s a skateboard. Capice? That goes for Thursday, too, when the Parkway is the stage for an all-day Latino celebration. MORE

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FRESH AIR

Before the Cuban Revolution, Havana was a playground for American gangsters, mafiosi and the debauched tourists who frequented their casinos. T.J. English’s new book Havana Nocturne provides a vision of the darker side of the city, focusing on gangland imperialism and the dirty dealings that happened in jazz clubs. In addition to Havana Nocturne, English has written a number of other true-crime works. His book Paddy Whacked concerns the Irish mob, and Born to Kill focuses on Vietnamese organized crime. English has also written episodes for the television dramas Homicide: Life on the Streets and NYPD Blue. He shared a Humanitas Prize with David Simon and Julie Martin for his screenwriting.

ALSO, according to Michael Sokolove’s book Warrior Girls, female athletes are more vulnerable to injury than their male counterparts. The statistics are alarming: women are eight times more likely to damage their ACLs, or anterior cruciate ligaments, than men. But with proper attention and training, women can reduce their risk, says the sportswriter. In addition to writing about women’s athletics, Sokolove has written about politics and sociological problems as a contributor to The New York Times Magazine and The Philadelphia Inquirer. Sokolove has written two books on baseball culture: The Ticket Out focuses on the promises made and opportunities denied to the boys of the Los Angeles inner-city neighborhood Crenshaw; Hustle chronicles the controversial career of Pete Rose.

MARK RIBOT: Esclavo Triste

*

RADIO TIMES

Hour 1
The Department of Homeland Security is trying to get states to adopt the Real ID, a more secure driver’s license. The DHS says it is an important security measure. So states, however, are resisting implementation because of privacy and cost concerns. Our guests are JANICE KEPHART founder of 9/11 Security Solutions and PETER SWIRE professor at Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University. Listen to this show via Real Audio | mp3

Hour 2

After his mother died, writer Bob Morris was surprised by his widowed father’s eagerness to find love again – someone to just hold hands with. Together, the two of them launched a campaign to get the older Mr. Morris back in circulation. Their adventures are detailed in a new book, “Assisted Loving: True Tales of Double Dating with my Dad.” Morris talks with guest host Dave Davies. Listen to this show via Real Audio | mp3

[via MARRIED TO THE SEA]

INQUIRER: A man allegedly shot at a woman and then killed himself in Frankford early this morning, police said. The man, who was not identified, was pronounced dead by medics at 12:32 a.m. in the 5000 block of Saul Street. The woman, who also was not identified, reportedly suffered a graze wound to the head and was transported to Albert Einstein Medical Center.

The Colbert Report after the jump. Enjoy!

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PITCHFORK: Matching the Arcade Fire and one-upping all the other people who have supported Senator Barack Obama’s presidential candidacy, Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy is scheduled to play his second Obama benefit.Technically billed as “Jeff Tweedy & Friends,” the Chicago singer/songwriter will take the stage at his hometown’s Park West venue alongside Otis Clay on July 11 for a night of music benefiting the Obama Victory Fund. The Illinois senator will make an appearance as well, so if you’ve got a couple hundo to spare, head here to purchase a little piece of the future (and a ticket to a benefit concert). MORE

PR NEWSWIRE: NEW YORK, July 2 — An unforeseen and surprising beneficiary of the Economic Stimulus Plan, a plan that George Bush contends will “boost our economy and encourage job creation,” has surfaced this week. An independent market-research firm, AIMRCo (Adult Internet Market Research Company), has discovered that many websites focused on adult or erotic material have experienced an upswing in sales in the recent weeks since checks have appeared in millions of Americans’ mailboxes across the country.

According to Kirk Mishkin, Head Research Consultant for AIMRCo, “Many of the sites we surveyed have reported 20-30% growth in membership rates since mid-May when the checks were first sent out, and typically the summer is a slow period for this market.” Jillian Fox, spokeswoman for LSGmodels.com, one of the sites reporting figures to AIMRCo, added, “In a June 15, 2008 survey to our members, thirty two percent of respondents referenced the recent stimulus package as part of their decision to either become a new member, or renew an existing membership.”

The economic stimulus plan, which includes a check for up to $600 for individuals and $1200 for married couples (among other benefits), is the product of an agreement between House leaders and the Bush Administration, focused on reviving a struggling economy in the wake of a flagging economy. Fox also added, “Getting more people to buy porn was probably the last thing Bush had on his mind when he came up with his ’stimulus package,’ but we’ll take it.” MORE

BLOOMBERG NEWS: Colombian troops freed French- Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt and three U.S. citizens held by the country’s biggest guerrilla group, Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos said. “They are healthy and free,” Santos told reporters in Bogota today. “This is unprecedented, and will pass into history.” Troops freed a total of 15 hostages, some held for more than 10 years by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, after infiltrating the group’s leadership, Santos said. Colombian agents convinced leaders of the FARC, as the rebel group is known, to put all the hostages in a single location, where they were retaken from the guerrillas. The ex-hostages are in a helicopter bound for the southeastern city of San Jose de Guaviare. Betancourt, a presidential candidate, was kidnapped during the 2002 campaign. Keith Stansell, Thomas Howes and Marc Gonsalves, American employees of Northrop Grumman Corp., were captured after their single-engine plane crashed on a drug surveillance mission in February 2003. The other 11 hostages are members of Colombia’s armed forces, Santos said. The FARC still holds more than 700 hostages. MORE
WASHINGTON POST: Mission ImPossible
NEW YORK TIMES: ‘Like A Movie Plot’
RELATED: The Kidnapping Of Ingrid Betancourt

15th Anniversary Edition! Now playing on Phawker Radio!*

DEAR DIARY,

It’s been 15 years, but nothing’s really changed. It’s hopeless. I loved her then and I love her now for all the same wrong reasons: Because she’s a cunt in spring. Because I was a hero in a long line of heroes looking for something attractive to save. Because she gets away, almost every day with what the girls call, what the girls call, what the girls call murder. Because she writes with a number two pencil, she lives up to her potential and she’s clean as a whistle, baby. Because she wants to be my blowjob queen. Because she wants to be mesmerizing, too. Because she stole my lighter. Because she lost the map. Because she never said nothing. Because she used to pretend she was in a Galaxie 500 video. Because I wouldn’t get out of the business and it made her want to rough me up so badly. Because she was 5′2 instead of 6′1. Because she told me jump higher, go farther, measure the decades longer than you. Because I fall in bed too easily. Because she fucks and runs. Because the license said I had to stick around until she was dead. Because she’s alone, baby, she’s alone.

Your Pal,

JONATHAN VALANIA

PS Please don’t ever show this to anyone or post it on the Internet. Thanks in advance, knew I could trust you.

*This is how we would have sequenced the album

FRESH AIR

Avant-garde composer and cabaret singer Theo Bleckmann has been a mainstay on the New York music scene for 15 years. This summer, he will be touring the United States and Europe in support of his new album Berlin: Songs Of Love & War, Peace & Exile. The album is a tribute to Bleckmann’s native Germany and contains a collection of Bertolt Brecht songs, reimagined. Pianist Fumio Yasuda arranged the work, and Philip Glass’ muse Wendy Sutter plays the cello on the album. Bleckmann has collaborated with John Zorn, Meredith Monk, Laurie Anderson and Anthony Braxton. He is on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music, where he specializes in jazz vocals. He has performed at Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House.

WIKIPEDIA: Bertolt Brecht (born Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (February 10, 1898–August 14, 1956) was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director. An influential theatre practitioner of the twentieth century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the Berliner Ensemble—the post-war theatre company operated by Brecht and his wife and long-time collaborator, the actress Helene Weigel—with its internationally acclaimed productions.

ALSO, bankruptcy expert Elizabeth Warren returns to Fresh Air to talk about how and why credit-card debt is becoming more costly due to increased fees and interest rates. Yesterday, Warren discussed credit reports and the importance of maintaining a high credit rating. Warren is a professor at Harvard Law School, where she specializes in bankruptcy and contract law. She has appeared before the Senate Banking Committee to discuss the abusive lending practices by credit card companies. Warren considers the interest charges and late fees imposed by credit card companies to be a hidden tax on cardholders. Warren has also written extensively on money management for middle-class families. She is the author of The Two-Income Trap: Why Middle Class Mothers and Fathers Are Going Broke and co-author of All Your Worth: The Ultimate Lifetime Money Plan, which she wrote with her daughter.

RADIO TIMES

In this heated campaign season, both the republican and democratic candidates have increasingly been called upon to define patriotism and explain their devotion to America. Our guests ERIC LIU and NICK HANAUER say that patriotism has been hijacked by the right and abandoned by the left. They’ve collaborated on a new The True Patriot, they offer a set of standards for what patriotism entails. Listen to this show via Real Audio | mp3

THIS AMERICAN LIFE
358: Social Engineering
Tim White used to be a gang leader in Chicago, but now he’s a “violence interrupter” for a program called CeaseFire. Host Ira Glass talks to Tim about his work, and why he thinks it can keep young gang members from killing each other. We learned about Tim from TAL contributor Alex Kotlowitz, who wrote about CeaseFire for The New York Times Magazine. (8 minutes)…Gregory Deloatch and Daniel Canada dreamed of being writers, but normal life—marriage, jobs, paying the rent—always got in the way. To pursue their dream, the two friends embarked on an unusual experiment. Lu Olkowski tells the story of how it turned out….Check out Hobo Bob’s and Obsidian’s blogs, and learn more about their event, The Shout Out. (28 minutes)…When Dave Dickerson was 12, he got a new bike, and his father decided to use the occasion to teach Dave a lesson. But the lesson Dave learned wasn’t the one his father intended. (9 minutes)…When Amy Silverman’s daughter was born with Down syndrome, she followed the advice of all the parents she met: she signed her daughter up for “early intervention” therapy. But her daughter’s progress had unexpected consequences, forcing Amy to make a choice she’d never predicted. (9 minutes)Governments are always looking for ways to change behavior—stopping people from driving drunk, or encouraging them to recycle. This week, we have stories of social engineering on a smaller scale. In one story, a man convinces his friend to try something new, turn his back on a good paying salary and an apartment…and become homeless. LISTEN

WORLD CAFE

Eli “Paperboy” Reed
Eli “Paperboy” Reed drops by the World Café with host David Dye. Reed and his band The True Loves, have released their second album, Roll With You. Just 23 years old, Reed honed his musical chops at age 18 playing the blues in the Mississippi delta. Along with their youthful, raw energy comes the talent of seasoned veterans as they play timeless gospel, soul, and rhythm and blues.

ELI ‘PAPERBOY’ REED: It’s Easier