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Anchored by Jake Tapper, The Lead airs at 4 p.m. ET on CNN.
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money lead
Coke fizzles out with new ad
Coca-Cola, the iconic American soda company, is on the defensive with a new ad campaign assuring consumers that diet soda with artificial sweeteners like aspartame is safe.
"Here you have perhaps the most epic brand in the world, but they have a problem, their product is now being known as unhealthy," said branding consultant Dan Baum.
Sales are down across the board as consumers seek alternatives to sugary drinks. Even diet drinks are taking a hit.
CNN's Erin McPike reports.
world lead
What deadly clashes in Egypt mean for the U.S.
Military raids on protest camps and vicious battles that followed left scores dead Wednesday in Cairo, starting a new turn in the tumultuous cycle that has rocked Egypt for more than two years.
Secretary of State John Kerry immediately condemned the violence, calling for a prompt transition to a civilian-led democracy.
"The promise of the 2011 revolution has simply never been fully realized. And the final outcome of that revolution is not decided. It will be shaped in the hours ahead. In the days ahead. It will be shaped by the decisions which all of Egypt's political leaders make now and in these days ahead," Kerry said Wednesday.
"The Obama administration has enormous questions to face in the next few days, in terms of what it does with the $1.5 billion in aid, particularly military aid that it provides to Egypt, and joint exercises, (and) the nature of relations," said Robin Wright, Middle East analyst at The Woodrow Wilson Center.
FULL POST
world lead
Bloodiest day since revolution marks new 'beginning' for Egypt
Cairo (CNN) - Military raids on protest camps and vicious battles that followed left scores dead Wednesday in Cairo, starting a new turn in the tumultuous cycle that has rocked Egypt for more than two years.
Clashes between Egyptian security forces and supporters of oustedPresident Mohamed Morsy made it the country's bloodiest single day since the 2011 revolution that ousted the previous president, longtime strongman Hosni Mubarak.
"It's an open war," said one protester who managed to escape one of the two protest camps.
At least 278 people were killed in Wednesday's violence, including 235 dead civilians, state TV reported, citing an Egyptian emergency official. Additionally, interim Interior Minister Gen. Mohammed Ibrahim said that 43 police officers were killed.
national lead
Bradley Manning apologizes, tells court he must pay price
During the sentencing phase of his court-martial Wednesday, Army Pfc. Bradley Manning apologized for stealing and disseminating sensitive documents.
"I understood what I was doing was wrong but I didn't appreciate the broader effects of my actions," he said at the proceedings at Maryland's Fort Meade. "I only wanted to help people, not hurt people."
Manning said he recognizes he has to pay a price for what he did.
Manning's defense team showed the court a picture of Manning with a woman's wig on, trying to hammer home the idea that he had gender identity issues, and should never have been deployed to Iraq.
CNN's Chris Lawrence reports.
