Stormy 4^th: The East Coast from Georgia to Nova Scotia is under hurricane warning as Tropical Storm Arthur gathers strength and moves northeast. The storm is expected to be over the Outer Banks of North Carolina by tomorrow. Thousands of holiday visitors have been urged to leave ahead of the dangerous weather. Gov. Pat McCrory said, “I want to reiterate, don’t put your stupid hat on.”

The center of the storm is on track to be off New Jersey Friday night and blowing along the New England coast Saturday. It could be a wet and windy 4^th for much of the East.

Econ 101: The economy added 288,000 jobs in June, and the jobless rate fell to 6.2 percent, evidence that the economy is accelerating, some analysts say. That’s the lowest unemployment rate since the economy tanked in 2008. The Dow Jones rose above 17,000 for the first time this morning on the news.

NIMBY: Protesters in Murrieta, CA. say they will show up again tomorrow if Homeland Security makes another attempt to deliver busloads of illegal immigrants to a federal processing center there. On Tuesday demonstrators waving American flags and holding signs that said, “Return to Sender” and “Stop Illegal Immigration,” blocked buses carrying 140 immigrants. The buses were diverted to San Diego.

Some protesters, including a congressman, said the immigrants taken into custody crossing the Texas border should be processed in Texas. The border patrol is dealing with a surge of immigrants, many of them from Central America and thousands of them unaccompanied children, and the agency’s facilities are swamped.

The immigrants are processed, released, and ordered to report back in 15 days. Few of them do.

Gunbeat: The Target discount store chain announced that it wants to keep guns out of the clothing aisle, housewares, and even hardware. The company said it wants customers to leave their guns at home, even in “open carry” states where it’s legal to take them shopping. Target CEO John Mulligan said in a statement, “Starting today we will also respectfully request that guests not bring firearms to Target – even in communities where it is permitted by law. He said guns are “at odds with family-friendly shopping.”

Target is not expected to ask gun toters to leave the store because, after all, they’re carrying a gun.

Terrorbeat: Homeland Security announced stepped-up security at some foreign airports with direct flights to the US, England among them. DHS didn’t say which airports are involved, or what caused their ears to perk up. The assumption is that Al Qaeda is always working on making less detectable bombs to put on passengers jets.

Right from Wrong: One of the 12-year-old Wisconsin girls accused of stabbing a classmate to please the Internet horror character “Slenderman” has been ruled incompetent to stand trial. Two girls are accused of attempted murder and are being prosecuted as adults, facing up to 60 years in prison. Police say the girls planned to kill their friend then walk to Slenderman’s mansion in Wisconsin’s Nicolet National Forest. Slenderman is a fictional character on the website “Creepypasta.”

All Hat, No Cattle: The NY Times reports that Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who might make another run for president, no longer wears cowboy boots because they aggravate his back problems and make him look like he comes from Texas.

-30-