U.S. Celebrates 231st Birthday

Across the United States, Americans are marking the nation's 231st birthday with parades, cook-outs and fireworks.

In a gut-busting showdown, Californian Joey Chestnut emerged Wednesday as the world's hot dog eating champion, knocking off six-time winner Takeru Kobayashi in a rousing yet repulsive triumph.

Chestnut, the great red, white and blue hope in the annual Fourth of July competition at Nathan's in Coney Island, broke his own world record by inhaling 66 hot dogs in 12 minutes. That's a staggering one every 10.9 seconds.

"If I needed to eat another one right now, I could," he said after receiving the mustard yellow belt emblematic of hot dog eating supremacy.

Kobayashi, the Japanese eating machine, recently had a wisdom tooth extracted and received chiropractic treatment due to a sore jaw.

But the winner of every Nathan's hot dog competition from 2001 to 2006 showed no ill effects as he stayed with Chestnut frank-for-frank until the very end of the 12-minute competition.

Fireworks Curtailed In Some Spots

Dry weather curtailed some fireworks programs in the West. Breckenridge, Colo., canceled its show because of the high fire danger. In Washington state, private fireworks were banned in Seattle, Tacoma and parts of Spokane.

In the South, some cities across Georgia discussed canceling fireworks displays because of a drought, but two big shows stayed on the schedule for Atlanta, one downtown and one at Lenox Square in Buckhead.

Festivities got under way early in Atlanta with the Peachtree Road Race, which draws about 55,000 runners and is the largest 10K in the nation.

Warm Weather, Some Rain Expected

Holiday weather looks mixed. In the East, scattered showers and thunderstorms will develop over the Great Lakes, Northeast, and Ohio Valley as a low pressure system moves through the area.

Additional showers and thunderstorms will develop during the afternoon in the Southeast and along the Gulf Coast.

Skies will be partly cloudy over the Appalachians and Mid-Atlantic. Temperatures will rise to the 70's in the Northeast and Great Lakes; 80's in the Ohio Valley, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, and Deep South; with a few 90's in southern Florida.

Across the central region, a few severe thunderstorms will be possible, containing gusty winds and hail. Heavy rainfall will fall over the southern Plains, Texas, and along the Gulf Coast.

Further to the north, skies will be fair and dry in the northern Plains and Upper Midwest. Temperatures will rise to the 70's in the western Great Lakes and Upper Midwest; 80's in the Plains and Mississippi Valley; with a few 90's along the Gulf Coast.

Over the West, patchy fog along the Pacific coastline will give way to mostly clear skies. Afternoon showers and thunderstorms are expected along the Rockies and Front Range.

Temperatures will rise to the 70's in the northern and central Rockies; 80's in the Pacific Northwest; 80's and 90's in the Great Basin and over California; with 100's in the Desert Southwest.

Storm Threatens National Mall

Security officials evacuated thousands of revelers from the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in anticipation of a severe thunderstorm that had prompted tornado warnings as it moved through the Washington suburbs.

Police from several jurisdictions ordered tens of thousands of people to leave the mall and go into nearby buildings as the sky turned dark and winds picked up.

Families packed up their picnic gear and streamed off the grassy area that will host a concert by the National Symphony Orchestra and fireworks later in the evening.

Authorities said Wednesday evening's activities would continue as planned, and expected the crowds to be allowed back in at about 7:30 p.m.

The scene is almost a repeat of last year, when a severe storm hit the National Mall at approximately the same time and sent people fleeing for nearby buildings and museums.

Organizers are expecting a record crowd, and are trying to reassure the visitors following the recent attempted car bombings in Britain.

Security has been heightened. The mall is fenced off, and everyone has to go through security. Hundreds of emergency responders from about 20 law enforcement agencies are on duty, and a police helicopter will monitor crowds from above.

Crowds in Washington have reached 500,000 people or more in the past.

Gas Prices Drop

Travelers on the road for the holiday are finding that gasoline prices have gone down a bit, part of a continuing trend over the past few weeks.

AAA sayid in a statement that the national average for unleaded regular is now below $3 a gallon.

Analyst Doug MacIntyre, of the Energy Information Administration, said he expected a price rise in August and then possibly a big drop after Labor Day.

A lot could depend on whether there are any hurricane disruptions as there were with Hurricane Katrina two summers ago, he said.

The national average for gas peaked in late May at almost $3.23 a gallon.

President Addresses National Guard

President George W. Bush delivered a Fourth of July speech today to members of the West Virginia Air National Guard.

He told them he admires the valor of America's fighting men and women, and he said now is no time to leave Iraq.

Bush said Americans must support their troops and the Iraqi government, adding "we must defeat al-Qaida in Iraq."

The president defended the U.S.-led invasion in Iraq to a friendly audience that cheered his mentions of the toppling of Saddam Hussein and the troop buildup.

About 2,000 people, including Guard members and their families, were invited to the event.

588 Troops Re-Enlist

In Iraq, almost 600 U.S. troops opted to re-enlist on July 4 at Baghdad's Camp Victory.

The U.S. military also said that 161 troops were naturalized as U.S. citizens in the ceremony, which took place at the Al Faw Palace.

"This morning we pay tribute to the American ideals we all hold so dear in several significant ways," Army Gen. David Petraeus said before administering the oath of enlistment.

"First, by conducting what surely is the largest reenlistment event ever held in Iraq and perhaps in our Armed Forces’ history, then by celebrating the granting of American citizenship to a group of troopers who have already pledged their loyalty to our nation by putting their lives on the line for it, and finally by observing the 231st birthday of our great country," he said.

Security Tightened For Travelers

Special officers armed with weapons and dogs are on duty around airports, subways and bus stops for the holiday.

They are part of special Transportation Security Administration teams sent to protect mass transit sites. The "VIPER" teams are guarding facilities in major cities including Washington, New York, Boston and Philadelphia.

TSA spokeswoman Ellen Howe said they're intended to provide "a visible deterrent," but she added that there is "no credible, specific threat for the Fourth."

Since the 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S., the VIPER teams have regularly been sent out for special events with large crowds, including holidays, the Super Bowl and presidential funerals.