Good morning.

The day's big story, at least at this hour, is President Obama's address to the nation tonight in which he'll lay out his plan for drawing down the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Our latest preview is posted here.

Other stories making headlines include:

-- Flooding In The Heartland:

Frederick W. Kagan is a contributing editor to The Weekly Standard, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, and director of its Critical Threats Project. Kimberly Kagan is president of the Institute for the Study of War.

A Bahraini court sentenced at least eight Shiite activists and opposition leaders to life in prison Wednesday and issued stiff terms for 13 others in the latest blow by authorities waging a crackdown against protesters seeking greater rights in the Gulf kingdom.

The men were accused of plotting to overthrow the country's monarchy during mass demonstrations earlier this year. Fourteen of the 21 convicted are in custody while the rest were sentenced in absentia.

Molly Holder was almost 90 when a Scottish man in his early 80s caught her eye on Match.com. When she began messaging with Edward Nisbet, they discovered a common love for poetry and grammar. The pair met for the first time in January and tied the knot earlier this month.

As we wait to hear from President Obama tonight about the pace and size of troop reductions in Afghanistan, here are some of the latest stories about what he's expected to say and the U.S. military effort in Afghanistan:

Back in the 1960s, Robert F. Kennedy was leading investigations of the Mafia. A folder from that era contained information and mug shots of men like Carlo Gambino and Meyer Lansky. In the 1990s, somebody accidentally left the file in a New York City taxi. It's up for auction now, with an estimated sale price of $10,000.

The Lexington Divisions of Fire and Building Inspection are busy leading up to the July 4th holiday.

This time last year, businesses applied for around 12-15 permits to operate fireworks stands in Lexington. Now thanks to a new state law, that number has more than doubled. Marshall Griggs is a battalion chief with the Lexington fire department.

"We're going out every day inspecting fireworks establishments and tents, making sure that everything that they're selling is legal."

Peter Feaver is the director of the Triangle Institute for Security Studies and the Duke Program in American Grand Strategy. He was special advisor for strategic planning and institutional reform on the National Security Council staff at the White House from 2005-2007.

Billions of dollars are at stake this summer as the leagues for professional football and basketball try to negotiate new contracts with their players' unions.

NATO's secretary general says since defense budgets are being cut as governments struggle with deficits, one answer is to have more bilateral cooperation among member states. The British are trying to patch up the holes created by their 8 percent military spending cuts by working more closely with the French.