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Which players and games to watch? We break it down, 8C

By Amy Sancetta, AP

Women kick off Sunday

Letting the lyrics flow

Jill Scott takes a fresh approach with new album, 5D

Abby Wambach: Plays for USA.

Gomillion & Leopold Studios

More college athletes fail postseason pot tests

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 2011

Number of those snagged at NCAA championships nearly tripled across all divisions, 1C

Newsline

WARNING
In a new, controversial push against smoking, the FDA will require graphic photos on cigarette packs

By Jose Luis Magana, AP

Sotomayor inspires children, speaks of living with diabetes

She recalls hiding from hospital staff as a child, learning discipline, 4A

Low home prices, potential rentals entice cash buyers

All-cash buyers accounted for 30% of existing home sales last month. Activity helps curb price drops, but price increases have yet to follow. 1B.

Coalition blames 85% of Afghan casualties on the insurgents

By Jim Michaels USA TODAY WASHINGTON Insurgents are now responsible for about 85% of civilian casualties in the Afghanistan War, an increase from last year and a sign that efforts by the United States and its allies to limit their firepower are succeeding, a coalition assessment provided to USA TODAY shows. The casualty trend, which could help shift Afghan public opinion toward the coalition, comes as President Obama tells the nation in an address tonight his plans for reducing U.S. troops in Afghanistan. There are about 100,000 now. The Taliban continues to use civilians as human shields and employ suicide attacks and roadside bombs indiscriminately, coalition officials say. uDrawdown The vast majority of ci- plan stirs vilian casualties are caused speculation, 5A by the Taliban, said Air Force Brig. Gen. Timothy Zadalis, who is part of a joint Afghan-coalition team that investigates reports of civilian casualties. The coalition includes NATO members and other U.S. allies. The coalitions figures on responsibility for civilian deaths approximate an earlier independent estimate by the United Nations. A U.N. report blamed the Taliban for 75% of 2,777 deaths and 78% of 4,343 injuries in 2010. The coalition report that attributes 85% of civilian deaths and injuries to the Taliban is based on figures from January to May of this year. The command did not release the number of civilians killed or injured during that time. The coalition for the past several years has attempted to limit airstrikes and other firepower to reduce civilian casualties. Independent analysts agree with the trend cited by the coalition. John Nagl, a retired Army officer and president of the Center for a New American Security, a think tank, said the coalition has become more precise in its targeting. NATO airstrikes that mistakenly hit civilians undermine support for coalition efforts among the Afghan public, the Pentagon has said. The Taliban regularly accuses the coalition of killing and injuring civilians. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has also rebuked the coalition for causing civilian casualties. Nagl said the Taliban only hurts its cause by attacking non-military targets, such as assassinating Afghan government officials. Theyre targeting in most cases civilians who have done a decent job of supporting the people, Nagl said. That comes at a price in credibility. Winning over public opinion is a central goal of the coalitions war strategy. The Afghan news media are beginning to seek both sides of an incident, said Marine 1st Lt. Tyler Balzer, a coalition spokesman. Weve seen a significant shift from them just reporting what the Taliban says. They have come to trust us a lot more and the Taliban a lot less.

Taliban behind civilian deaths

Drugs Victrelis and Incivek greatly raise the cure rate. FDA says treatment is significant improvement over the current standard of care. 3A.

Two new drugs help people win fight against hepatitis C

Tales from the trip: Business travel turns into a nightmare

Readers share harrowing experiences plane fires, disease, sleepless night in a parking lot. 3B.

Signs of progress on NFL deal

Owners briefed on latest labor deal proposals; elements of agreement begin to emerge. 1, 6C.
FDA

Download the Microsoft TagReader app at http://gettag.mobi and capture a photo of todays tag.

See news photos of the day on your smartphone

By Gary Strauss USA TODAY Will graphic images of corpses, cancer-ridden lungs and a guy exhaling smoke through a tracheotomy hole in his neck stub out cigarette consumption? The Food and Drug Administration which has chosen nine such images to be placed prominently on cigarette packs sold in the USA after September 2012 hopes theyll provide ample shock value. In the most sweeping anti-tobacco effort since the surgeon generals warning became mandatory on cigarette packaging in 1965, the FDA said Tuesday it will begin requiring tobacco marketers to cover the top half of cigarette boxes and 20% of tobacco advertisements with nine bluntly graphic antismoking images. The goal: Slash consumption among the nations 43 million smokers and prevent millions more, especially teens, from ever starting. The FDA selected the grisly images, which include pictures of rotting teeth and gums, from 36 proposed last year. Cigarette marketers also will be required to place 1-800-QUIT-NOW numbers on new packaging. These labels are frank, honest and powerful depictions of the

Americans who smoke

All adults
42.4%

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Petroleum

COPYRIGHT 2011 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co., Inc.

Crossword, Sudoku 5B Editorial/Forum 6-7A Market scoreboard 4B Marketplace Today 5B State-by-state 7A TV listings 5D

20.6%

Subscriptions, customer service 1-800-USA-0001 www.usatodayservice.com

1965 1965 Men 2009 Men Women

2009

USA TODAY Snapshots

51.9%

Women 33.9%

Sources of U.S. energy consumption

Fossil fuels provide about 83% of energy in the USA.

23.5% 17.9%

37%
All renewable1 8% ble Nuclear Nuclear Nuclear Natural Nat

Among kids
2009 Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11 Grade 12

9% 21% 21%

25% Gas

13.5% 18.3% 22.3% 25.2%

1 Includes wind, solar, hydropower, biofuels and waste-to-energy Source: 2009 data from U.S. Energy fr .S. Ener Information Administ Administration nist
By Anne R. Carey and Paul Trap, USA TODAY A TODAY

Coal l

Sources: CDC, American Lung Association By Julie Snider, USA TODAY

health risks of smoking, said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. With these warnings, every person who picks up a pack of cigarettes is going to know exactly what risk theyre taking. The images are the biggest change to cigarette warning labels since 1984, when the government began requiring that cigarette packs and tobacco ads carry several health warnings. Cigarette consumption has dropped from COVER about 42% of the pop- STORY ulation since the mid-1960s but has remained at about 21% since 2003, or about one in five adults, despite federal and state excise tax increases that have boosted prices to more than $5 a pack. Anti-smoking laws restrict or ban smoking in 35 states and 3,270 municipalities, according to the American Nonsmokers Rights Foundation, an advocacy group based in Berkeley, Calif. The government hopes to cut the percentage of smokers across the USA to 12% by 2020 and reduce the number of deaths tied to tobacco use, now at about 443,000 a year. The FDAs move which faces a See COVER STORY next page u

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