— From wire reports

Egypt turmoil — Egypt’s interim president named an economist as prime minister Tuesday, ending days of deadlock as the head of the military pressured political factions to speed along the process, warning them that “maneuvering” must not hold up the transition toward new elections after the ouster of President Mohammed Morsi. The appointment of Hazem el-Beblawi, along with the setting of a swift timetable for parliamentary and presidential elections early next year, underlined the military-backed leadership’s determination to push ahead in the face of Islamist protests.

Zimmerman trial — The trajectory of the bullet and gun powder on Trayvon Martin’s body support George Zimmerman’s account that the teen was on top of him when the defendant shot and killed Martin, an expert on gunshot wounds testified Tuesday as the defense approached the end of its case. Forensic pathologist Dr. Vincent DiMaio also used photographs of Zimmerman to point out where he appeared to have been struck during testimony that took up a significant portion of the day’s hearing. Defense attorneys, who said they may wrap up their case today, were hoping DiMaio’s testimony would help convince jurors of Zimmerman’s claims that he shot Martin in self-defense.

Firefighter deaths — On a day filled with speeches from dignitaries including the vice president, the words of the lone survivor of a fire crew overrun by flames resonated deepest in an arena packed with firefighters from around the nation. A stone-faced Brendan McDonough walked onto the stage at the end of the service and offered what’s called “The Hot Shot’s Prayer,” calmly reciting the words: “For if this day on the line I should answer death’s call, Lord, bless my Hotshot crew, my family, one and all.” McDonough spoke at a memorial for the 19 members of the Prescott, Ariz.-based Granite Mountain Hotshots who died June 30 when a wind-fueled, out-of-control fire overran them as they tried to protect a former gold-mining town from the inferno.

Missing troops — The Pentagon said Tuesday it will take a “second look” at how it goes about accounting for missing Americans on foreign battlefields, following the disclosure of an internal assessment that the work is “acutely dysfunctional” and at risk of failure. “We have a sacred obligation to perform this mission well,” Pentagon press secretary George Little told reporters, referring to the Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command, or JPAC, which is based in Hawaii and run by a two-star general.

FBI nominee — The Obama administration’s nominee to become the next FBI director, James Comey, told members of Congress on Tuesday that federal judges who oversee government intelligence programs are “anything but a rubber stamp.” But Comey also agreed to work with legislators to improve the laws governing surveillance activities. Comey said he wasn’t familiar with the details of the government’s phone and Internet surveillance programs that recently became public, but he said that collecting that type of information can be “a valuable tool in counterterrorism.”

Prison hunger strike — Nearly 30,000 of the 133,000 inmates in California prisons refused meals for the second day in support of inmates held in solitary confinement at Pelican Bay State Prison, corrections officials said Tuesday. The meals were refused on Monday and Tuesday as inmates announced what they said would be the third extended hunger strike in two years protesting conditions for the more than 4,500 gang members, gang associates and serious offenders held in the security housing units.

Illinois gun law — The last holdout on allowing the public possession of concealed guns, Illinois joined the rest of the nation Tuesday as lawmakers raced to beat a federal court deadline in adopting a carry law over Gov. Pat Quinn’s objections. Massive majorities in the House and Senate voted to override changes the Democratic governor made just a week ago in an amendatory veto. Some lawmakers feared failure to pass something would mean virtually unregulated weapons in Chicago, which has endured severe gun violence in recent months — including more than 70 shootings during the Independence Day weekend.

Syria conflict — Russia’s U.N. ambassador said Tuesday that Russian experts determined that Syrian rebels made sarin nerve gas and used it in a deadly chemical weapon attack outside Aleppo in March. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin blamed opposition fighters for the March 19 attack in the government-controlled Aleppo suburb of Khan al-Assal, which he said killed 26 people, including 16 military personnel.

Beirut bombing — A car bomb tore through a parking lot in the heart of Hezbollah territory in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Tuesday morning, a bold attack on Lebanon’s most powerful political and military player. The bombing increased fears that the spillover from the war in neighboring Syria was entering a dangerous new phase. The blast, in the Bir al-Abed district, injured 53 people, Lebanese officials said. No one was killed.