The Threat Level: The Al Qaeda threat that brought the closure of US embassies in the Middle East this weekend is the most serious in years according to Sen. Saxby Chambliss. He told NBC News, “there is an awful lot of chatter out there,” meaning the US had intercepted electronic communications suggesting  possible attacks. Chambliss compared the intelligence to intercepts shortly before 9/11.

World: Faced with doubts that the Keystone XL pipeline from western Canada to the Gulf of Mexico will ever get built, the TransCanada pipeline company said it would proceed to build a  $12 billion pipeline to eastern Canada instead. President Obama has said he will approve the Keystone line only if it does not significantly add to carbon in the atmosphere. The pipe would move 1.1 million barrels a day from Canada’s oil sands fields.

• Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has been elected to a 7^th term with 61% of the vote. His opponent, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai got 34% and claims he is the victim of election fraud. Both the US and UK say the vote does not appear to reflect the will of the people.   

National: A hit and run driver mowed down a dozen people last night on a Venice Beach boardwalk, killing one. Another person was critically injured. Security video shows the driver standing by his car, then getting in and purposely driving onto the walkway as pedestrians scrambled. Police say they have identified a suspect.

• President Obama turned 52 today.

The Obit Page: Long time NBC anchor and reporter John Palmer has died in Washington at age 77. In his 40-year career, Palmer was posted in Chicago, Paris, Beirut and ultimately at the White House. He broke the news about the failed 1980 commando raid to rescue the American hostages in Iran.

Take Me Out: The NY Daily News reports that Major League Baseball will hand Alex Rodriguez a 214 game suspension tomorrow for using performance-enhancing drugs. MLB teams play 162 games a season.

• A minor leaguer with the Midland Rockhounds accomplished a unique feat in baseball by striking out on one pitch from the Corpus Christi Hooks. Vinnie Catricala took the first pitch, but the ump called it a strike. Unhappy with the call, Catricala stepped out of the box and took too much time, so the ump called a second strike. Words were exchanged until the ump called a third strike and the batter was thrown out of the game. The PA system played a clip of Tom Hanks saying, “There’s no crying in baseball!”

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