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Countdown with 'Countdown'

Simultaneous 'Countdown' of the top news stories exclusively  at Countdown.msnbc.com
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Deadly flu scare — It killed millions of people in the 1950s, and tonight, there are fears it could kill again.  A around the world — most of them right here in the U.S.  Health officials are now scrambling to get the samples destroyed.  Fears quickly spread of a possible pandemic.  Though, health officials say it’s now under control...In other health news tonight, the FDA says yes, yes ladies you can go from  A to B to C or DD.    A Food and Drug Administration panel has recommended to allow the implants to return with restrictions after a 13-year ban.  The panel was apparently convinced by the Mentor Corporation's claim that its newer implants are safer and more durable.  What makes the decision even more surprising is that just yesterday the same panel rejected a similar request by a rival company.

Domestic terrorism — Eric Rudolph spent time in two courtrooms today, in two different states, winked at prosecutors, and .  The bomber turned survivalist who kept the FBI on the hunt for five years, survives once more as he escapes the death penalty. After a plea deal, he will serve four consecutive life terms without parole in return for his four blasts across the South that killed two people and wounded more than 120 people.  The killer cited ‘abortion on demand’ as the reason behind the bombings. 

Crime — From the otherwise sunny climes of Santa Maria, California tonight — more murkiness emerging from the underbelly of jurisprudence: head-licking, death threats, bribery and the Fifth Amendment — it could all only come from one place.  That’s right, the Michael Jackson trial. The — one which began with her invoking her Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination.  District Attorney Tom Sneddon told the jury during opening statements she would testify to accepting welfare payments to which she was not entitled.  (But as far as she's concerned, it's not coming from her). What they did hear in between several tearful outbursts was this:

  • During a flight from Miami to California, she witnessed Michael Jackson licking her sleeping son's head...
  • Associates of the pop star told her that her life and the lives of her children were in danger and in order to quote, "appease the killers" they needed to return to Neverland Ranch to participate in a pro-Jackson video.
  • She was offered hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, vacations and cars if she'd agree to interviews that would be flattering to the entertainer….

Moving from the strange, to the even stranger, and really gross...  The continuing saga of the human finger found in a bowl of Wendy's chili continues.  Last month, Anna Ayala, from Las Vegas, Nevada, visited a .  She ordered a bowl of chili, and started to chow down when she bit into something she described as " kind of hard, crunchy".  It was the tip of a human finger about an inch and half long.  Ayala filed a claim against the restaurant.  Though, court records were found, showing that she has a history of filing claims against corporations.  Now, Anna Ayala has dropped her claim against Wendy's.

Adoption photos — Hold onto your heart-strings everybody, 'cause we're about to give them a big tug.  There was a fantastic photo shoot that's not about promoting a movie or the latest CD dropping.  It's all about .  The numbers are hard to hear. Nearly one hundred thirty thousand children in the U.S. public welfare system are waiting to be adopted. Most are eight years old, or even older.  Now though, there is a new strategy to get them a home. With the help of some very talented photographers, these kids are getting a chance to show off their true colors.  This Heart Gallery exhibit is scheduled to open on June 12th, in New Jersey, but the children are available for adoption out-of-state. The Gallery has a website, which has already generated four million hits in just over three weeks, but they'd love a few more.

Momma Spears — The worst-kept secret, possibly in the history of tabloid journalism, is a secret no more tonight.  Anyone who has browsed the pages of the Enquirer or People magazine or In Touch Weekly while waiting in line at the supermarket knows exactly what we’re talking about.  Those extra inches on Mrs. Federline's mid-section are more than just a couple extra bags of Cheetos.  Top Forty mega star .  Her husband, Kevin Federline, is going for some kind of fatherhood record: baby number three in under three years.  The news of this less-than immaculate conception is barely 24-hours old tonight, yet hardly enough time to digest its magnitude.  Britney's life — and quite possibly ours — will never be the same again.