Source: USA TODAY

LONDON — “You people will never be safe.”

The United Kingdom woke up Thursday with the words of the man suspected of carrying out the first fatal terrorist attack on home soil since the July 7, 2005 bombings ringing in its ears.

Britain has a well-trodden reputation for stoicism in the face of adversity.

But the circumstances of Wednesday’s brutal and macabre killing of a British soldier have moved the needle of atrocity far beyond what the stiff upper lips thought possible on an ordinary south-east London street.

Counter-terrorism officials here have foiled a couple of jihadist-inspired plots against British soldiers in recent years, including one in which the aim was to behead a British Muslim soldier.

However, the nation has never been so directly and brashly confronted with bloodied hands, a meat cleaver and a camera-ready message.

“We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you,” the alleged attacked said, speaking in a British accent. “This British soldier is an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”

Britain is in shock, and not withstanding the we-won’t-be-cowed rhetoric from Prime Minister David Cameron and others, it is cowed.

“If there’s many more people like him around than we are all in trouble,” said Gary Weatherill, referring to the suspect, whose image and words are on every front page today.

“It shouldn’t happen on our streets. I’m petrified.”

Weatherill, a design engineer who was have coffee at a rest-stop just outside London on his way to work, is from Woolwich and lives not far from where the victim was viciously struck down in broad daylight.

Britain is licking a deep psychological wound as details of this horrific attack continue to emerge.

It’s a gloriously sunny day, which is adding to the cognitive dissonance.

A couple of miles away from where the “chopping and cutting” took place, the world’s largest flower show is underway in Chelsea.

Directly next to The Sunday Express newspaper’s “Terror fanatics behead soldier” headline, another image of not-so-ordinary British life is conjured:

“Pregnant Kate is just so chirpy in canary yellow.”

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Source: USA TODAY

Tens of millions of Americans are going to get away this Memorial Day weekend, but not as many as last year.

According to the auto club AAA, 34.8 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home for the unofficial start of the summer travel season, a 0.9% dip from 2012.

As usual, most will make their getaway by car, with roughly 31.2 million expected to hit the road, AAA says. That’s a slight uptick from 2012, and comes even as AAA predicts that Memorial Day gas prices may be their highest in two years. Nationally, a gallon of gas on average cost $3.66 on Wednesday.

Still, AAA expects fewer people to take to the air, predicting that 2.3 million Americans will fly, an 8% dip compared to last year. Dissatisfaction with the airlines, along with the fluctuating economy are key reasons for the predicted drop in Memorial Day weekend travelers, AAA says.

“American travelers are experiencing fee fatigue and frustration with everything from higher fares to airport security,” AAA President and CEO Robert Darbelnet said in a statement. “As a result, many are choosing road travel in higher numbers due to the lower cost and convenience it offers. “

For those looking beyond Memorial Day toward their summer vacations, a trip may be more affordable with airline and other travel experts expecting gas prices to drop and airfares to remain roughly the same as last year.

“We are actually seeing more people flying, not fewer, and that’s because airlines are delivering strong on-time performance and airfare remains a true bargain,” says Victoria Day, of the industry trade group Airlines for America, countering the viewpoint of AAA. The organization predicts U.S. carriers will ferry nearly 209 million fliers globally from June through August, 1% more than last summer, and the most summertime passengers in five years.

Rick Seaney, co-founder of the price-tracking site FareCompare.com, says summertime fares, including those for Memorial Day weekend, are basically flat compared to 2012. But last year’s fares were the highest since the summer of 2003, he adds, so flying won’t necessarily feel like a bargain.

“They’re pretty steep,” Seaney says of fares. But airlines, eager to fly full planes, may be hesitant to boost ticket prices much further Seaney says. He added that there might even be a few summertime deals for flights on slower travel days like Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday.

Vincent Greenlee, a computer consultant who lives in Chicago, says he took one look at the $4.20 he would have to pay for a gallon of gas in his hometown and decided that flying over Memorial Day weekend was the better choice.

“We found fares for $230 round trip,” says Greenlee, who with his wife Kristin, and sons Malcolm and Lincoln, is traveling to Fort Myers, Fla. to visit relatives. “For that price, why deal with the driving and high gas prices?”

But Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst with GasBuddy and the Oil Price Information Service says that in much of the Midwest, where gas is costing more than $4 a gallon, prices should start to drop, possibly as soon as this weekend.

If you “have a half tank of gas, your patience will be rewarded with lower prices by Sunday,” Kloza says.

That relief should soon be felt in other pricey areas as well, like California and the Pacific Northwest. “You will see prices drop appreciably, perhaps, 20, 30 or 40 cents between now and let’s say July 4,” Kloza says. “Nationwide we’ll see prices average between $3.40 and $3.80 (a gallon) during the summer,” similar to what motorists paid last year.

Meanwhile, industry watchers predict it will cost a bit more to rent a car or stay in a hotel over the Memorial Day weekend.

AAA expects car rental rates to average $43 per day, a 19% jump over last year, and the steepest Memorial Day rate in four years.

And R. Mark Woodworth, president of PKF Hospitality Research, predicts the average hotel room rate to be up by 4% this holiday weekend compared to last year. He expects rates to be between 3.5% and 4% higher than 2012 for the overall summer travel period.

Contributing: Gary Strauss and Nancy Trejos

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Source: USA TODAY

The nation’s big cities are riding out the first years of the post-downturn era with plenty of company — boosting their population via a youth movement.

Census Bureau data released Thursday show that 48 of the 50 most populous U.S. cities have grown since 2010, compared with only 40 of the top 50 in the first two years after the 2000 Census. Of the top 100, 93 have grown since 2010, compared with just 72 a decade ago.

Many of the biggest — New York, Houston, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Diego and Dallas, among others — are outpacing the nation’s 1.7% growth rate since 2010.

“Urban America is recovering faster than more remote, more rural places,” said Robert Lang, a professor of urban affairs at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.

Lang said urban areas appeal to Millennials (those born from about 1982 to 2001) “in part because they haven’t seen cities in crisis. They missed the riots of the 1960s, the urban decline of the 1970s and the crack epidemic of the 1980s. “If you’re a kid born in 1993 or 1992 and you’re in college now, you’re looking around the country thinking about where you want to move … you’ve seen fairly … tranquil cities, in relative terms to what their history was.”

Only two big cities — Detroit and Cleveland — lost population between 2010 and 2012, according to the population estimates from July 1, 2012.

The urban resurgence is led by mid-sized cities including Austin and Fort Worth and Charlotte. Austin grew 6.6% in two years, leapfrogging Jacksonville, Indianapolis and San Francisco to become the USA’s 11th-largest city. In 2000, it was No. 17.

Other trends:

• New York City, by far the USA’s most populous city, grew 2%, adding about 161,500 residents since 2010. Since 2000, about 328,000 more people have called themselves New Yorkers, a group bigger than the entire population of St. Louis;

•New Orleans continues to recover from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, growing 7.4% since 2010 to top 369,000 — more than 80% of its pre-Katrina population but shy of its Census 2000 population of 485,000.

• Government budget crunches have put state capitals in a bind: Nine have shrunk since 2010; half are lagging the growth rate of their regions.

Perhaps the biggest exception to the capital crunch is Austin, which has grown more than 26% since 2000. Brookings Institution demographer William Frey says Austin enjoys a “trifecta” of qualities that make it attractive: It’s hip, it’s a high-tech city with a flagship state university, and it’s in Texas, a magnet for newcomers. “In some ways it’s a prototype of what other cities would like to become,” he says.

“Our city is strong, getting stronger every day,” says Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell. “Our growth and economic success are not accidental.”

Frey notes that Charlotte, which grew 5.4% since 2010 has grown into a high-tech and financial center whose industries do business not just with those in other U.S. cities but with the rest of the world.

Many cities actually grew faster in 2012 than in 2011, even as the housing crisis eased and city dwellers had a chance to move to the suburbs, Frey says. Those who were forced to stay put during the recession because of troubled mortgages or job losses may be “taking a second look” at cities.

Also a new generation of young urbanites may be less willing to move to the suburbs, even as their kids enter school. “I think the jury is still out a little bit as to whether that’s going to ease up when the housing market gets better,” Frey said. As the recession recedes further, he said, “they may follow in the footsteps of many generations before them out to the suburbs.”

But Kenneth M. Johnson, senior demographer at the University of New Hampshire’s Carsey Institute, says that as young city dwellers enter their 30s and 40s, a shortage of high-quality public schools could be “a deal breaker.”

“It’s going to take a little bit more than a couple of years of growth for the cities to convince me that there’s some generational change going on,” he said. “Maybe this generation is more attracted to the cities than the last two or three generations have been. I think it’s too early to tell.”

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Source: USA TODAY

The nation’s big cities are riding out the first years of the post-downturn era with plenty of company — boosting their population via a youth movement.

Census Bureau data released Thursday show that 48 of the 50 most populous U.S. cities have grown since 2010, compared with only 40 of the top 50 in the first two years after the 2000 Census. Of the top 100, 93 have grown since 2010, compared with just 72 a decade ago.

Many of the biggest — New York, Houston, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Diego and Dallas, among others — are outpacing the nation’s 1.7% growth rate since 2010.

“Urban America is recovering faster than more remote, more rural places,” said Robert Lang, a professor of urban affairs at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.

Lang said urban areas appeal to Millennials (those born from about 1982 to 2001) “in part because they haven’t seen cities in crisis. They missed the riots of the 1960s, the urban decline of the 1970s and the crack epidemic of the 1980s. “If you’re a kid born in 1993 or 1992 and you’re in college now, you’re looking around the country thinking about where you want to move … you’ve seen fairly … tranquil cities, in relative terms to what their history was.”

Only two big cities — Detroit and Cleveland — lost population between 2010 and 2012, according to the population estimates from July 1, 2012.

The urban resurgence is led by mid-sized cities including Austin and Fort Worth and Charlotte. Austin grew 6.6% in two years, leapfrogging Jacksonville, Indianapolis and San Francisco to become the USA’s 11th-largest city. In 2000, it was No. 17.

Other trends:

• New York City, by far the USA’s most populous city, grew 2%, adding about 161,500 residents since 2010. Since 2000, about 328,000 more people have called themselves New Yorkers, a group bigger than the entire population of St. Louis;

•New Orleans continues to recover from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, growing 7.4% since 2010 to top 369,000 — more than 80% of its pre-Katrina population but shy of its Census 2000 population of 485,000.

• Government budget crunches have put state capitals in a bind: Nine have shrunk since 2010; half are lagging the growth rate of their regions.

Perhaps the biggest exception to the capital crunch is Austin, which has grown more than 26% since 2000. Brookings Institution demographer William Frey says Austin enjoys a “trifecta” of qualities that make it attractive: It’s hip, it’s a high-tech city with a flagship state university, and it’s in Texas, a magnet for newcomers. “In some ways it’s a prototype of what other cities would like to become,” he says.

“Our city is strong, getting stronger every day,” says Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell. “Our growth and economic success are not accidental.”

Frey notes that Charlotte, which grew 5.4% since 2010 has grown into a high-tech and financial center whose industries do business not just with those in other U.S. cities but with the rest of the world.

Many cities actually grew faster in 2012 than in 2011, even as the housing crisis eased and city dwellers had a chance to move to the suburbs, Frey says. Those who were forced to stay put during the recession because of troubled mortgages or job losses may be “taking a second look” at cities.

Also a new generation of young urbanites may be less willing to move to the suburbs, even as their kids enter school. “I think the jury is still out a little bit as to whether that’s going to ease up when the housing market gets better,” Frey said. As the recession recedes further, he said, “they may follow in the footsteps of many generations before them out to the suburbs.”

But Kenneth M. Johnson, senior demographer at the University of New Hampshire’s Carsey Institute, says that as young city dwellers enter their 30s and 40s, a shortage of high-quality public schools could be “a deal breaker.”

“It’s going to take a little bit more than a couple of years of growth for the cities to convince me that there’s some generational change going on,” he said. “Maybe this generation is more attracted to the cities than the last two or three generations have been. I think it’s too early to tell.”

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Source: USA TODAY

MIAMI — Put the ball in the hands of the world’s best player. Win or lose with four-time NBA MVP LeBron James trying to make a play.

That’s exactly what Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra did, and James, as he does more and more as his career unfolds, delivered, scoring the Heat’s final four points, including the winning layup as time expired in overtime for a 103-102 victory against the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.

It didn’t a take brilliant coach to get James the ball. But it did take a solid play call from Spoelstra on the final play of the game, questionable coaching decisions by Pacers coach Frank Vogel — namely Roy Hibbert’s curious absence on Miami’s final two possessions — and an MVP move and finish from James.

After Pacers forward Paul George made three fouls shots — Dwayne Wade fouled him with 2.2 seconds remaining — James took an in-bounds pass from Shane Battier at the top of the three-point line, spun slightly past George, took one dribble and made a left-handed layup with no one in front of him for the win.

“Shane definitely gave me a great pass,” James said. “I peeked over my left shoulder. I saw Paul George was a little out of place. Once I got the ball, I was the only option at that point, especially with only being two-plus seconds left. As unselfish as a player I am, I cannot in no way try to make a pass at that point.”

James, who posted his ninth career playoff triple-double with 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, downplayed the winning shot.

“Spo drew a good play to put me in position to be successful,” he said. “It’s my job to go out there and make it happen. I mean, I made a layup. It’s not like I made something from halfcourt. I made a layup. I’ve been doing that since I was 8 years old.

“I understand the circumstances a little bit. It happened to have been in the Eastern Conference finals. When you practice something over and over and over, it’s just second nature to you.”

As James let go of the ball, Wade, who fouled out, was already jumping in celebration.

The shot was memorable for what James did and who wasn’t there to defend James — Hibbert, Indiana’s noted 7-2 rim protector and shot blocker.

Vogel took Hibbert out of the game with 2.2 seconds left after George’s three free throws gave Indiana a 102-101 lead.

It was a substitution that Vogel will re-think several times and one that deserves scrutiny.

“Obviously, with the way it worked out, it would have been better to have Roy in the game,” Vogel said.

Hibbert was not on the court for James’ layup with 10 seconds left in overtime, giving Miami a 101-99 lead, and wished he would have tried convincing Vogel to let him stay on the court for the final play.

“LeBron’s layup was one that I think I could have gotten because he served it up,” Hibbert said.

Asked what would have happened had Hibbert been in the game, James said, “I don’t know. Do any of us know that? … You can’t say what would have been different. … I was on the attack when Hibbert was in the game. I was on the attack when Hibbert wasn’t in the game. That’s not for us to worry about.”

George, the NBA’s 2012-13 Most Improved Player, took responsibility for his defense on James on the play.

“I slipped up. I just slipped up at the end,” he said. “At this point, every possession counts. And that’s what we’ve got to understand, myself included. … The margin of error is so small at this level.

“I have to understand, you have to make LeBron shoot a jumper at that point. … That’s what we wanted. We wanted LeBron to shoot a jumper.”

The game’s final play overshadowed so many other huge plays and shots. George went from a first-half dud (two points) to a second-half stud and was the main reason why Indiana had a chance to win the game in the first place.

He finished with a team-high 27 points, making a 32-foot three-pointer with 0.7 seconds left in regulation, tying the score at 92-92. George converted a three-point play with 2:10 left in overtime, giving the Pacers a 99-96 lead.

“I grabbed him after the game and told him to quickly forget about the last play,” Vogel said. “He’s a third-year player, and he’s playing the best player in the world, someone who is going to go down as arguably one of the best players in the history of the game. He’s playing him toe-to-toe and just competing his tail off and doing a great job.

“I’m very, very proud of his whole effort, his whole game in the first half defensively, and the way he made big shot after big shot down the stretch, and particularly those three free throws. Those are pressure free throws and big-time plays.”

Just as Indiana needed George, the Heat needed a strong performance from an unlikely reserve: forward Chris Andersen. If James was Miami’s best player on the court, Andersen was the second best.

He finished with 16 points, five rebounds and three blocks and worked in concert with James, either scoring off James’ passes or scoring off shots James missed.

“The contribution we got from Bird tonight was unbelievable,” James said.

It was exciting as it was unusual. David West had 26 points, and Hibbert had 19 points and nine rebounds for Indiana.

The Heat made just 16-for-25 free throws, and Indiana hit just 4-for-14 three-pointers. Heat guard Ray Allen, a career 88.5% free throw shooter in the playoffs, made just 1-for-2 with 17.7 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Had he made both, he would have put Miami up 93-89. Instead, he left the door open for George’s overtime-forcing 3.

Chris Bosh finished with 17 points, but he didn’t have a rebound through three quarters. Yet, he made Miami’s biggest offensive rebound: a tip-in where he was fouled. He made the free throw and tied the score at 99-99 with 49.9 seconds left in overtime.

In the first half, 22 fouls were called, the teams combined for 25 turnovers, and Bosh and West spent the final minutes of the second quarter on the bench with three fouls. James had two fouls in the first quarter, a rarity for him.

Indeed, an odd game.

“Back and forth the whole way,” Spoelstra said. “Trying to manage playing well, playing inefficient, playing poorly. But in the end, it just came down to finding a way even if it wasn’t pretty. Glad to get that one.”

Game 2 is Friday in Miami (8:30 p.m. ET, TNT), and if the start of the series is any indication, another competitive contest is expected.

“It was a terrific basketball game,” Vogel said. “Two great teams just throwing punch for punch. Our spirit is very high, very confident. We know we can play with this basketball team.

“We’ve got to play better. We can’t have 20 turnovers and give up 24 second-chance points and miss eight free throws. You have to play a near-perfect game to beat this team. We played a very good basketball game, but we have to play better.”

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Source: USA TODAY

MIAMI — Put the ball in the hands of the world’s best player. Win or lose with four-time NBA MVP LeBron James trying to make a play.

That’s exactly what Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra did, and James, as he does more and more as his career unfolds, delivered, scoring the Heat’s final four points, including the winning layup as time expired in overtime for a 103-102 victory against the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.

It didn’t a take brilliant coach to get James the ball. But it did take a solid play call from Spoelstra on the final play of the game, questionable coaching decisions by Pacers coach Frank Vogel — namely Roy Hibbert’s curious absence on Miami’s final two possessions — and an MVP move and finish from James.

After Pacers forward Paul George made three fouls shots — Dwayne Wade fouled him with 2.2 seconds remaining — James took an in-bounds pass from Shane Battier at the top of the three-point line, spun slightly past George, took one dribble and made a left-handed layup with no one in front of him for the win.

“Shane definitely gave me a great pass,” James said. “I peeked over my left shoulder. I saw Paul George was a little out of place. Once I got the ball, I was the only option at that point, especially with only being two-plus seconds left. As unselfish as a player I am, I cannot in no way try to make a pass at that point.”

James, who posted his ninth career playoff triple-double with 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, downplayed the winning shot.

“Spo drew a good play to put me in position to be successful,” he said. “It’s my job to go out there and make it happen. I mean, I made a layup. It’s not like I made something from halfcourt. I made a layup. I’ve been doing that since I was 8 years old.

“I understand the circumstances a little bit. It happened to have been in the Eastern Conference finals. When you practice something over and over and over, it’s just second nature to you.”

As James let go of the ball, Wade, who fouled out, was already jumping in celebration.

The shot was memorable for what James did and who wasn’t there to defend James — Hibbert, Indiana’s noted 7-2 rim protector and shot blocker.

Vogel took Hibbert out of the game with 2.2 seconds left after George’s three free throws gave Indiana a 102-101 lead.

It was a substitution that Vogel will re-think several times and one that deserves scrutiny.

“Obviously, with the way it worked out, it would have been better to have Roy in the game,” Vogel said.

Hibbert was not on the court for James’ layup with 10 seconds left in overtime, giving Miami a 101-99 lead, and wished he would have tried convincing Vogel to let him stay on the court for the final play.

“LeBron’s layup was one that I think I could have gotten because he served it up,” Hibbert said.

Asked what would have happened had Hibbert been in the game, James said, “I don’t know. Do any of us know that? … You can’t say what would have been different. … I was on the attack when Hibbert was in the game. I was on the attack when Hibbert wasn’t in the game. That’s not for us to worry about.”

George, the NBA’s 2012-13 Most Improved Player, took responsibility for his defense on James on the play.

“I slipped up. I just slipped up at the end,” he said. “At this point, every possession counts. And that’s what we’ve got to understand, myself included. … The margin of error is so small at this level.

“I have to understand, you have to make LeBron shoot a jumper at that point. … That’s what we wanted. We wanted LeBron to shoot a jumper.”

The game’s final play overshadowed so many other huge plays and shots. George went from a first-half dud (two points) to a second-half stud and was the main reason why Indiana had a chance to win the game in the first place.

He finished with a team-high 27 points, making a 32-foot three-pointer with 0.7 seconds left in regulation, tying the score at 92-92. George converted a three-point play with 2:10 left in overtime, giving the Pacers a 99-96 lead.

“I grabbed him after the game and told him to quickly forget about the last play,” Vogel said. “He’s a third-year player, and he’s playing the best player in the world, someone who is going to go down as arguably one of the best players in the history of the game. He’s playing him toe-to-toe and just competing his tail off and doing a great job.

“I’m very, very proud of his whole effort, his whole game in the first half defensively, and the way he made big shot after big shot down the stretch, and particularly those three free throws. Those are pressure free throws and big-time plays.”

Just as Indiana needed George, the Heat needed a strong performance from an unlikely reserve: forward Chris Andersen. If James was Miami’s best player on the court, Andersen was the second best.

He finished with 16 points, five rebounds and three blocks and worked in concert with James, either scoring off James’ passes or scoring off shots James missed.

“The contribution we got from Bird tonight was unbelievable,” James said.

It was exciting as it was unusual. David West had 26 points, and Hibbert had 19 points and nine rebounds for Indiana.

The Heat made just 16-for-25 free throws, and Indiana hit just 4-for-14 three-pointers. Heat guard Ray Allen, a career 88.5% free throw shooter in the playoffs, made just 1-for-2 with 17.7 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Had he made both, he would have put Miami up 93-89. Instead, he left the door open for George’s overtime-forcing 3.

Chris Bosh finished with 17 points, but he didn’t have a rebound through three quarters. Yet, he made Miami’s biggest offensive rebound: a tip-in where he was fouled. He made the free throw and tied the score at 99-99 with 49.9 seconds left in overtime.

In the first half, 22 fouls were called, the teams combined for 25 turnovers, and Bosh and West spent the final minutes of the second quarter on the bench with three fouls. James had two fouls in the first quarter, a rarity for him.

Indeed, an odd game.

“Back and forth the whole way,” Spoelstra said. “Trying to manage playing well, playing inefficient, playing poorly. But in the end, it just came down to finding a way even if it wasn’t pretty. Glad to get that one.”

Game 2 is Friday in Miami (8:30 p.m. ET, TNT), and if the start of the series is any indication, another competitive contest is expected.

“It was a terrific basketball game,” Vogel said. “Two great teams just throwing punch for punch. Our spirit is very high, very confident. We know we can play with this basketball team.

“We’ve got to play better. We can’t have 20 turnovers and give up 24 second-chance points and miss eight free throws. You have to play a near-perfect game to beat this team. We played a very good basketball game, but we have to play better.”

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Source: USA TODAY

LONDON — “You people will never be safe.”

The United Kingdom woke up Thursday with the words of the man suspected of carrying out the first fatal terrorist attack on home soil since the July 7, 2005 bombings ringing in its ears.

Britain has a well-trodden reputation for stoicism in the face of adversity.

But the circumstances of Wednesday’s brutal and macabre killing of a likely British soldier have moved the needle of atrocity far beyond what the stiff upper lips thought possible on an ordinary south-east London street.

Counter-terrorism officials here have foiled a couple of jihadist-inspired plots against British soldiers in recent years, including one in which the aim was to behead a British Muslim soldier.

However, the nation has never been so directly and brashly confronted with bloodied hands, a meat cleaver and a camera-ready message.

“We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you,” the alleged attacked said, speaking in a British accent. “This British soldier is an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”

Britain is in shock, and not withstanding the we-won’t-be-cowed rhetoric from Prime Minister David Cameron and others, it is cowed.

“If there’s many more people like him around than we are all in trouble,” said Gary Weatherill, referring to the suspect, whose image and words are on every front page today.

“It shouldn’t happen on our streets. I’m petrified.”

Weatherill, a design engineer who was have coffee at a rest-stop just outside London on his way to work , is from Woolwich and lives not far from where the victim was viciously struck down in broad daylight.

Britain is licking a deep psychological wound as details of this horrific attack continue to emerge.

It’s a gloriously sunny day, which is adding to the cognitive dissonance.

A couple of miles away from where the “chopping and cutting” took place, the world’s largest flower show is underway in Chelsea.

Directly next to The Sunday Express newspaper’s “Terror fanatics behead soldier” headline, another image of not-so-ordinary British life is conjured:

“Pregnant Kate is just so chirpy in canary yellow.”

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Source: USA TODAY

What: President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama hosted a Wednesday night concert in the East Room to salute singer/songwriter Carole King, the latest in their popular In Performance at the White House series. King, the first woman to win the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, follows in the footsteps of past recipients Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney and Burt Bacharach and Hal David.

Who: King’s greatest hits were performed by Billy Joel, Gloria Estefan, Emeli Sande, James Taylor, Jesse McCartney and Trisha Yearwood.

The night before: The Library of Congress hosted a Tuesday tribute show for King, with performances by Michael Feinstein, Siedah Garrett, Louise Goffin, Shelby Lynne, Gian Marco, Arturo Sandoval, Patti Austin and Colbie Caillat. The honoree herself rounded out that night’s set list with performances of Now and Forever and You’ve Got a Friend, playing to a packed political audience that included House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Attorney General Eric Holder.

Fashion standout: Back at the White House, the first lady rocked a polished little black dress, with her face-framing bangs back in full force.

The woman of the night: The crowd warmly welcomed a smiling King, who sat down at the piano and launched into Beautiful.

A terrific trio: Estefan, Yearwood, and Sande kicked off with Will You Love Me Tomorrow, girl-group style. Estefan led the first verse, clad in a floral dress. Sande topped off her black and white ensemble with red lips and a blond pompadour. Yearwood wore a metallic mini and stood at the center of the group, towering over the other ladies. The three did synchronized dance moves, making hearts with their hands and swaying side to side. Afterward, King blew them kisses.

Inside jokes: In between songs, Obama and Vice President Biden chatted with King, who sat between them, making her laugh with unheard jokes.

Old friends: “She put music in all of their mouths,” said James Taylor of his “generation” of musicians, naming The Drifters, the Everly Brothers and The Beatles. As for the hit song that King wrote for him, You’ve Got a Friend, “that song has carried me around the world and to the White House tonight,” he said. He then performed an acoustic rendition of Up On the Roof, completely re-arranging the song’s original R&B/pop mentality.

Crowd-pleaser: Joel was a clear favorite with his old-school Loco-Motion.

A natural choice: Sande did the honors on (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, which she sang in a deep, soulful vibrato.

Fast learner: The president took the stage before bringing King back on, joking that when his name was announced, “My mother-in-law said ‘Oh, shoot.’ True story.” (She was really into the music.)

He noted that King wrote her first No. 1 at 18. “At this point, all of you are feeling like underachievers.”

Music will bring us together: “I’ve seen Republicans and Democrats hold hands for the exact length of You’ve Got a Friend,” King joked, launching into a medley of Jazzman, I Believe in Loving You, I Feel the Earth Move (Michelle sang along) and You’ve Got A Friend.

Catch it on TV: PBS will air the concert May 28 (8 p.m. ET/PT, times may vary).

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Source: USA TODAY

What: President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama hosted a Wednesday night concert in the East Room to salute singer/songwriter Carole King, the latest in their popular In Performance at the White House series. King, the first woman to win the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, follows in the footsteps of past recipients Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney and Burt Bacharach and Hal David.

Who: King’s greatest hits were performed by Billy Joel, Gloria Estefan, Emeli Sande, James Taylor, Jesse McCartney and Trisha Yearwood.

The night before: The Library of Congress hosted a Tuesday tribute show for King, with performances by Michael Feinstein, Siedah Garrett, Louise Goffin, Shelby Lynne, Gian Marco, Arturo Sandoval, Patti Austin and Colbie Caillat. The honoree herself rounded out that night’s set list with performances of Now and Forever and You’ve Got a Friend, playing to a packed political audience that included House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Attorney General Eric Holder.

Fashion standout: Back at the White House, the first lady rocked a polished little black dress, with her face-framing bangs back in full force.

The woman of the night: The crowd warmly welcomed a smiling King, who sat down at the piano and launched into Beautiful.

A terrific trio: Estefan, Yearwood, and Sande kicked off with Will You Love Me Tomorrow, girl-group style. Estefan led the first verse, clad in a floral dress. Sande topped off her black and white ensemble with red lips and a blond pompadour. Yearwood wore a metallic mini and stood at the center of the group, towering over the other ladies. The three did synchronized dance moves, making hearts with their hands and swaying side to side. Afterward, King blew them kisses.

Inside jokes: In between songs, Obama and Vice President Biden chatted with King, who sat between them, making her laugh with unheard jokes.

Old friends: “She put music in all of their mouths,” said James Taylor of his “generation” of musicians, naming The Drifters, the Everly Brothers and The Beatles. As for the hit song that King wrote for him, You’ve Got a Friend, “that song has carried me around the world and to the White House tonight,” he said. He then performed an acoustic rendition of Up On the Roof, completely re-arranging the song’s original R&B/pop mentality.

Crowd-pleaser: Joel was a clear favorite with his old-school Loco-Motion.

A natural choice: Sande did the honors on (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, which she sang in a deep, soulful vibrato.

Fast learner: The president took the stage before bringing King back on, joking that when his name was announced, “My mother-in-law said ‘Oh, shoot.’ True story.” (She was really into the music.)

He noted that King wrote her first No. 1 at 18. “At this point, all of you are feeling like underachievers.”

Music will bring us together: “I’ve seen Republicans and Democrats hold hands for the exact length of You’ve Got a Friend,” King joked, launching into a medley of Jazzman, I Believe in Loving You, I Feel the Earth Move (Michelle sang along) and You’ve Got A Friend.

Catch it on TV: PBS will air the concert May 28 (8 p.m. ET/PT, times may vary).

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Source: USA TODAY

The teen birthrate in 2011 set another new record low, according to the latest federal data, released Thursday. The numbers reflect a continued trend downward for teens having babies.

The new rate, 31.3 births per 1,000 women ages 15-19, is about half the 1991 rate of 61.8 births per 1,000 teens, which was an all-time high, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

The teen birthrate has been dropping steadily since the 1991 peak, save for blips in 2006 and 2007. The new report shows particularly steep drops, with a 25% decline in the overall teen birthrate just since 2007.

During 2007-11, teen birthrates fell at least 15% for all but two states — North Dakota and West Virginia. Rates fell 30% or more in seven states, with the largest drops — 35% each — in Arizona and Utah.

In that same period, the three largest population groups all experienced declines in their teen birthrates, with Hispanic teens dropping the most at 34%, followed by declines of 24% among blacks and 20% for whites.

The new federal data also show a drop in the overall number of teen births. The 329,797 babies born to mothers ages 15-19 reflects a 26% decline since 2007.

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.