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Anchored by Jake Tapper, The Lead airs at 4 p.m. ET on CNN.
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national lead
Former NTSB chair: Don't fear flying
The pilot and co-pilot of a UPS cargo plane did not issue a distress call prior to crashing while on approach Wednesday to Birmingham's airport, a National Transportation Safety Board official said.
The plane, an Airbus A300-600F, broke into pieces, spreading the majority of the debris over an area of about 300 yards, said Robert Sumwalt of the NTSB. A photograph provided by city officials shows the crumpled front portion of the plane resting in a debris-strewn field.
The crash comes on the heels of the Asiana plane crash in San Francisco last month.
But Mark Rosenker, former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said people who fly regularly should not be concerned.
"Up until July 6th when the Asiana plane crashed there were nearly 50 million flights in the United States without incident or accident," said Rosenker.
For more of our interview with Mark Rosenker, check out the video above.
politics lead
Analysis: Hillary Clinton's new office
She's already joined the family business. But what does Hillary Clinton's bigger role in the newly-named "Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton Foundation" mean for her possible political ambitions?
FULL POST
world lead
Activist: Asking Muslim Brotherhood role in violence is like 'blaming the victim'
Violence erupted in Cairo Wednesday, pitting Egypt's military and current government against backers of deposed President Mohamed Morsy, though others also were caught up in the fray.
A member of the pro-Morsy national coup alliance said the Egyptian state TV is lying about the number of people killed in the violent clashes, saying it is much higher than the 211 reported.
"This is the worst crime committed against the Egyptian people, this is state terrorism, this is a crime against humanity," said Abdul Mawgoud Dardery, spokesperson for the Anti-Coup Pro-Democracy National Alliance.
"You cannot kill peaceful protesters who believe in democracy, who believe in the ballot, and you kill them by the bullet," said Dardery.
FULL POST
pop lead
Why fans flock to 'Duck Dynasty'
Fifty years ago "The Beverly Hillbillies" endeared America to the idea of a back country clan sticking to their roots after striking it rich.
But the Clampetts could never have imagined a dynasty like this.
"Duck Dynasty" broke records last season with nearly 10 million viewers tuning in for the finale. That's more than 700 times the population of the family's hometown of West Monroe, Louisiana.
"What the show is, is it's a very effective sitcom," said Brian Lowry, TV critic with Variety. "They've managed to create a patina of authenticity around a show that is very carefully shaped into a very familiar sitcom format."
FULL POST
money lead
Media critic: New Coke ad is 'awkward'
Coca Cola released a new advertisement, showing a mother and daughter sharing a coke with the headline, "Quality products you can always feel good about," and a short article explaining how artificial sweeteners like aspartame are safe.
"Are there times when you want to get down with your mom and get real about aspartame? This is so awkward-looking," said advertising expert and media critic with MediaPost.com Barbara Lippert.
The iconic soda company is known for advertisements that sparked imaginations and told great stories about refreshment and happiness, said Lippert.
That is a far cry from the latest campaign.
"This looks like something in health class in eighth grade that was covering up something they didn't want to talk about," said Lippert. "It looks like it's more for asbestos than Coke, and managing a crisis I didn't know they were having."
Though there has been a backlash against sugar-laden drinks of late, "nobody was mentioning aspartame, nobody knows how to pronounce it. If you were worried, this ad is not going to persuade you," said Lippert.
The new advertisement appears only in print, and, for the moment, is only being published in Atlanta and Chicago.
"It's more of a political ad," said Lippert.
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