Global Alert: The US has issued a global travel alert, citing a threat of Al Qaeda attacks in the Middle East or North Africa. The State Department bulletin says, “Current information suggests that Al Qaeda and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks both in the region and beyond” through the month of August.

National: Employers added 162,000 jobs in July, fewer than expected, but it was the 34^th straight month of job growth. The unemployment rate dropped slightly to 7.4% as people got jobs or stopped looking.

• The Republican-controlled House voted for the 40^th time Friday to repeal the Affordable Healthcare Act known as Obamacare. Then they went home for summer vacation. The bill, called the “Keep the IRS Off Your Health Care Act of 2013,” will never get past the Senate or the President.

World: Taiwanese legislators got into fist fights and threw water at each other during a debate about whether to build a fourth nuclear power plant for the island country of 23 million people.

Irish Omerta: Boston Mobster Whitey Bulger will not take the stand in his own defense in his trial for murder and racketeering. In court he said he made the decision “involuntarily”, but didn’t explain further. Bulger claimed he had been given immunity by the Justice Department and that his trial was a “sham”. At the heart of the case is whether Bulger had turned government witness even while he was an active criminal. He seemed to be saying in his statement that he was in fact a witness. But two things make him even madder; the suggestion that he was a “rat” and that he ever killed women.

Gluten: The FDA has set a standard for what may be labeled “gluten free” foods. Previously “gluten free” didn’t actually have to be gluten free. From now on foods labeled gluten free can contain no more than 20 parts per million of gluten.

The Obit Page: Michael Ansara, the veteran actor who made his mark playing the Klingon “Kang” in the Star Trek series has died at age 91. He was born in Syria, but spent several years playing an American Indian.

Ink, Inc: The NY Times has agreed to sell the Boston Globe to the owner of the Boston Red Sox for $70 million. The Times paid $1.1 billion in 1993.

Tube News: Time Warner cable has dropped the CBS network from its feed in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and several other cities in a contract dispute. About 3 million customers have also lost TMC, Flix and Showtime. TWC decided to shoot the customers to get its way.

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