NEW YORK (AP) – Allison Guarino understands the controversy over new rules allowing 15-year-olds to buy the morning-after pill without a prescription. But as someone who teaches pregnancy prevention to ninth-graders in Boston, she thinks lowering the age will "help the girls who need the help the most."

"Some girls might not have a good relationship with their parents," she said, "or they had unprotected sex and they don't know what to do."

On the other side of the issue are folks like Brenda Velasco Ross, who says the new rules infringe on her rights as a parent.

(USA TODAY) -- President Obama said on Friday he does not foresee a situation in which deploying U.S. troops to Syria would be helpful.

"As a general rule, I don't rule things out as commander-in-chief, because circumstances change," Obama told reporters during his visit to Costa Rica on Friday. "Having said that I do not foresee a scenario in which boots on the ground in Syria - American boots on the ground in Syria - would be good for America but would also be good for Syria."

Obama's comments come a little more than a week after the White House said it is very likely that Syrian President Bashar Assad had used chemical weapons against his people. The president had previously set use or transfer of chemical weapons by Assad as a "red line" that would elicit an unspecified response from the Obama administration.

Obama, however, has cautioned that more proof is needed before the United States escalates its involvement in Syria.

WASHINGTON (WUSA9) -- You can be sure security experts are looking over the safety plans for our Fourth of July celebration.

The U.S. Park Police says they've been extremely vigilant about security since 9-11 and will continue to be.  All bags will be subject to search and to get on the mall you'll have  to go through checkpoints. 

There are changes to this year's Independence Day celebration that you will notice: cutbacks due to sequestration. 

The concert that the National Park Service puts on near the Washington Monument costs about $240,000.  It's getting the axe. 

The fireworks cost about $260,000, but escaped the budget axe.