This is Saturday's edition of -- The Pulse.
Number five -- The TSA is removing controversial body scanners from airport security checkpoints. As of June 1, the TSA said there will be no more backscatter scanning machines which provided very revealing photos of travelers. TSA asked Rapiscan to fix their software so folks looked more like cartoons in those photos, but they could not. So, the company will be removing the $40-million worth of machines at their own expense.
Number four -- Nearly six months after the Aurora, Colorado theater tragedy, the movie theater is back open. Some folks are not happy about the decision as it was the scene where police say James Holmes killed 12 people. Holmes is now two months away from his arraignment hearing, and many in Aurora believe reopening the theater is the next step in the healing process.
Number three -- A days-long hostage standoff in Algeria appears to be over. Algerian state media reported a "final" push was under way against militants who took over a BP gas facility on Wednesday. Algerian state news says at least 23 people were killed in the hostage crisis and that another 32 "terrorists" also died. State media reports at least 685 Algerian workers and 107 foreigners have been freed, but British and Norwegian officials said several people are still unaccounted for.
Number two -- The first ever Gun Appreciation Day. Organizers of the day encouraged gun-rights supporters to send a message to President Obama by taking their guns to firing ranges and gun shows in support of their Second Amendment rights. In the wake of the school shooting tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, President Obama, democrats and some republicans have been looking to tighten gun control.
Number one -- National Day of Service. Ahead of his inauguration and the Dr. Martin Luther King holiday, President Barack Obama took part in the annual National Day of Service" today. First Lady Michelle Obama joined her husband and hundreds of volunteers to spruce up a local elementary school in the nation's capital. The day of service kicks off three days of inaugural celebrations in Washington. The President stressed the importance of giving back and called on Americans to commit to volunteer for a service project over the long Martin Luther King, Junior holiday weekend.
