Napolitano, just the third person to lead the 10-year-old department, told her senior staff Friday she would be leaving for California. She will become the president of the University of California system, which includes UCLA and the University of California, Berkeley, among other campuses. The University of California also announced Napolitano's nomination to be the 20th president of the statewide system.

"The opportunity to work with the dedicated men and women of the Department of Homeland Security, who serve on the front lines of our nation's efforts to protect our communities and families from harm, has been the highlight of my professional career," she said in a statement. "After four plus years of focusing on these challenges, I will be nominated as the next president of the University of California to play a role in educating our nation's next generation of leaders."

"I thank President Obama for the chance to serve our nation during this important chapter in our history," Napolitano said, "and I know the Department of Homeland Security will continue to perform its important duties with the honor and focus that the American public expects."

Obama issued a statement commending Napolitano for "her outstanding work on behalf of the American people over the last four years."

"At the Department of Homeland Security, Janet's portfolio has included some of the toughest challenges facing our country. She's worked around the clock to respond to natural disasters, from the Joplin tornado to Hurricane Sandy, helping Americans recover and rebuild," he said. Obama also said the American people "are safer and more secure thanks to Janet's leadership in protecting our homeland against terrorist attacks."

Napolitano, a former Arizona governor and attorney general, was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2008. She had led the department through a series of policy changes with respect to protecting the public safety, including a focus on enforcing immigration laws.

Under her tenure, DHS implemented a wide-spread policy of using prosecutorial discretion when arrested immigrants in the country without permission, saying her department needed to focus its scarce resources on criminals and those who posed a threat to public safety and national security. She also helped establish a plan to provide temporary relief from deportation for thousands of young immigrants who arrived in the United State illegally and who don't have legal status.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Gina McCarthy's embattled nomination to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency cleared a hurdle on Tuesday when one of her top Republican critics said he would not block a Senate vote on her appointment.

David Vitter of Louisiana, the ranking Republican on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said he would support a full Senate vote on McCarthy now that the EPA had agreed to a series of requests he made to address complaints about transparency at the agency.

"I've had very productive conversations with EPA over the last several weeks, and believe the agency has taken significant steps forward on our five transparency requests... I see no further reason to block Gina McCarthy's nomination," Vitter said in a statement on his website.

The decision from Vitter comes as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid signaled he may start the process for a full Senate vote on McCarthy's nomination this week.

McCarthy is currently the top air quality official at EPA. She was nominated by Obama on March 4.

Among other actions, Vitter said the EPA has agreed to re-train its employees regarding record keeping under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and to commission an independent review of the agency's economic modeling.

Republicans have accused the Obama administration of attempting to circumvent public records laws by using personal emails for official business.

Critics of EPA have also questioned the economic assumptions the agency has used to support controversial regulations.

The EPA has been a lightning rod during the Obama administration, with opponents accusing the agency of regulatory overreach aimed at shutting down the nation's coal plants and stifling U.S. businesses.

Republican anger over the administration's environmental policies grew after President Barack Obama last month called on the EPA to enact new greenhouse gas pollution restrictions on U.S. power plants, many of which are powered by coal.

Some obstacles remain to McCarthy's nomination.

U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, a Republican from Missouri, said Tuesday that his hold on the nomination is still in place as he seeks answers in a dispute over a river project in his state.

(Reporting by Ayesha Rascoe; Editing by Ros Krasny and Leslie Gevirtz)

PARIS, July 6 (Reuters) - World number nine Graeme McDowell and South African Richard Sterne will go into the French Open final round in a tie for the lead after taming the treacherous Le Golf National, venue of the 2018 Ryder Cup, on Saturday.

McDowell, winner of the 2010 U.S. Open, carded a one-under-par 70 while Sterne returned a 71 as the pair ended on five-under 208.

Austrian Bernd Wiesberger (68), David Howell of Britain (69) and Australia's Richard Green (70) shared third place on 209 while Dane Thomas Bjorn (74) was two strokes further back despite twice finding water off the tee on the back nine.

"It's going to be phenomenal come 2018," McDowell told reporters. "The last four holes are as dramatic a risk-reward finish as you could imagine with a combination of a natural ampitheatre.

"The 15th and 18th are two phenomenal holes especially the pin position on 15 today. When the caddie in the group in front put the pin back in the hole I thought he'd missed the green with it - it looked like it was in the water."

World Match Play champion McDowell and Joburg Open winner Sterne are both aiming to record their second European Tour victories of the season.

McDowell has had a bizarre sequence of recent results. The Ryder Cup stalwart, who also won the U.S. Tour's RBC Heritage event in South Carolina in April, has either won or missed the cut in his last seven tournaments.

"I'm very pleased with my 71," said Sterne. "This course can bite you in a lot of places and the finish here is probably the toughest on the tour.

"There are a lot of guys bunched up. Someone can come from further back but hopefully I get off to a good start again tomorrow and keep it going."

Also in title contention on 210 are Briton Simon Dyson and Dane Soren Kjeldsen while Bjorn is one of eight players on 211. (Writing by Tony Jimenez; editing by Alison Wildey)

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Since the 2012 election, there hasn't been a lot of good news for Obama's liberal base. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi wasat Netroots Nation when she defended the NSA's spying. Obama's nominee to head the CIA was filibustered over the drone program, and he announced some changes that could allow some Guantanamo detainees to go home afterto include more half the people imprisoned there. (Some detainees are , and the strike is .) Environmentalists have frequently protested the Keystone XL pipeline in front of the White House. Obama's speech on Tuesday, in which he will not reveal his decision on the pipeline, will give them something to seize on.

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Obama's announcement comes at a time when his presidency is —  — being declared dead. Thanks to bad news and Washington gridlock, "Not yet six months into his second term, Barack Obama's presidency is in a dead zone," argues . This is because of "his own failure to use the traditional tools of the presidency to exert his will. Obama does not instill fear — one of the customary instruments of presidential power." Obama might be failing at deploying an intangible instrument of presidential power, but on Tuesday, he will use a real one. New Jersey Rep. Rob Andrews, a Democrat, tells Politico, "I don’t think he has chosen to use all the levers of power that he has at his disposal." Obama relies too much on the power of his speeches, Andrews says, instead of instilling fear. But analysis might give him reason to think fear wouldn't work either: "Eighty percent of the members are in a district where a primary challenge is their principal political vulnerability... If the president goes out and barnstorms, it works politically for that member to vote against the president. It has the opposite effect." Neither perks nor a reign of terror would change that electoral reality.

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Obama's piecemeal approach to slowing our descent into environmental calamity is a big change from 2008, when had big plans to stop global warming,  explains. But cap-and-trade failed in the Senate in 2010 — before the Tea Party wave later that year. Now he's going to use a piecemeal approach to slowing environmental calamity. Obama's turning to the Environmental Protection Agency, which the Supreme Court ruled in 2007 can regulate carbon dioxide. The EPA has proposed carbon standards for future plants, but it hasn't yet targeted existing plants, which release 40 percent of carbon emissions in the U.S. Obama's announcement changes that. How tough the EPA makes its new rules will determine whether the U.S. can meet its goal of cutting carbon emissions by 17 percent of the 2005 level by 2020.

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The pace at which the federal bureaucracy moves partially explains the timing. In May,  reported Obama's executive orders might go down like this, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council's Dan Lashof:

The agency will finish drafting its regulation scheme by the end of the year. It will then take about a year of public comments and revisions, at which point it will finalize its rule. That will be the end of 2014, just after the midterm elections. Another nine months to a year will be required to carry out the rule, which will get us to the end of 2015—and the international climate summit.

This isn't the first time the White House said it would turn to executive action to get things done. That happened only a year into Obama's first term. "The challenges we had to address in 2009 ensured that the center of action would be in Congress," White House aide Dan Pfeiffer toldin February 2010. "In 2010, executive actions will also play a key role in advancing the agenda." Baker's analysis of what problems that might pose is interesting given what's happened since then:

But Mr. Obama has to be careful how he proceeds because he has been critical of both Mr. Clinton’s penchant for expending presidential capital on small-bore initiatives, like school uniforms, and Mr. Bush’s expansive assertions of executive authority, like the secret program of wiretapping without warrants.

The 400-mile event was rescheduled for Sunday at noon.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start on the pole in a Chevy alongside Carl Edwards' Ford.

It was the circuit's first postponement since last year's season-opening Daytona 500. The marquee event ran the following night for the first time in its history.

Sunday's rescheduling creates the first day Cup race for the 1.5-mile oval after two events at night.

Showers were forecast all day around the state, which arrived around mid-afternoon with a heavy downpour followed by sporadic rain. NASCAR delayed the start and held out hope for a late start with jet driers on the track, but another band of rain led officials to postpone the race just after 9 p.m.

"We knew it would be touch-and-go and from early in the morning we were tracking the weather," NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said. "We dispatched the driers and they stayed out ahead of it, but the weather cells never did move out of the area and they looked like they would linger.

"It's a 90-minute to two-hour window with the best of conditions, and once it reached around 9 p.m. and it was still raining and in the forecast, we made the decision we thought was best."

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Steve Carell has inhabited many different roles, from a 40-year-old virgin, a bumbling office manager and a Vegas magician, but it is an evil villain in animated film "Despicable Me 2" where he finds a close connection as a real-life dad.

Carell, 50, who appears again as Gru in "Despicable Me 2," and as a dysfunctional dad in independent comedy "The Way, Way Back," both out in theaters this week, is also exploring new challenges in his career with the hopes of more dramatic roles.

The actor talked to Reuters about his similarities to Gru, not getting pigeon-holed and donning suits for "Anchorman 2."

Q: Now that he's a dad, was there any fear that Gru wasn't going to be quite as despicable as the first film?

A: I feel like you still see that dark side of him and when push comes to shove, he is an evil mastermind and he always will be. He's reformed, he can't be that anymore because he has kids. His career has to change but his sense of self doesn't really.

Q: Which part of Gru's story did you relate to in this film?

A: I have two little kids so I don't really relate to him as a super spy, but I do relate to him as a dad for sure, and the fact that he has a daughter that's getting to the age that she's interested in boys and dating, I have a daughter that is just on the verge of that age, so I think I related to that most of all.

Q: Are your priorities changing in your career now that you're getting older and your kids are getting older?

A: I've been doing some more dramatic work, I'm writing something now and eventually I might direct something. I've got some other things in the fire, but that's just to keep it interesting and exciting.

It's interesting how this movie mirrors what a lot of parents go through when they have kids, because initially, when you have kids, the focus becomes the kids. I know that became the case with my wife and I, almost at the expense of everything else, it became all about our kids. Which is fine, but within that, you can't lose your sense of self, you can't lose your career and what motivates you and what nourishes you. I think that's the character of Gru, he's at odds with himself, so he needs to find something that's not being a villain but is equally satisfying.

Q: Were you ever concerned you could get pigeonholed into a certain character from your comedy roles?

A: I've done big commercial movies and little independent movies, and I've played jerks and suicidal Proust scholars, and I feel like I've been really lucky to play all the different types of characters I play, so no, I don't worry about that. If I do get pigeonholed, it's nothing I can really control.

Q: You recently returned to "The Office" for the finale in May, was it difficult saying goodbye second time round?

"I feel like I really said goodbye to it the first time. When I came back, it was primarily to honor the show and out of respect for all of my friends and the people who created it, I just wanted it to be a simple tip of the hat to the show and not to take away from the goodbye and the farewell that all of those people were having, because I felt like I already had mine and I didn't want to step on their moments."

Q: Your upcoming film "Anchorman 2" has been getting a lot of attention. How is it getting back into the suits?

A: So much fun. It felt the same. The first time around, none of us knew what we were doing or whether it would be funny. We thought it would be funny, but you never know...if it's going to work or why it works necessarily, but that one we all felt like it could be really funny, and this, we have the same feeling about. It was just fun to do, it was ridiculous, we laughed until we cried everyday.

Q: How do you pay homage to the first film and also take the storyline forward with a sequel?

A: I think if you like the first one, you'll like this one as much. I don't want to oversell it, I don't want to hype it too much, I haven't seen it, I've just shot it. But based on what we've filmed, it seems like it's going to be a truly funny movie.

(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy, editing by Paul Casciato)

[More from BGR: ]

In its press release,revealed that iTunes users have now downloaded more than 1 billion TV episodes and 380 million movies at a rate of more than 800,000 TV episodes and 350,000 movies per day. Earlier this month, the company announced that iTunes is now home to more than 575 million users. The companys marketplace remains extremely popular, .

[More from BGR: ]

HBO GO and WatchESPN are some of the most popular iOS apps and are sure to be huge hits on Apple TV, said Eddy Cue, Apples senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. We continue to offer Apple TV users great new programming options, combined with access to all of the incredible content they can purchase from the iTunes Store.

Apples full press release follows below.

HBO GO & WatchESPN Come to Apple TV

iTunes Viewers Now Purchasing Over 800,000 TV Episodes & Over 350,000 Movies Per Day

CUPERTINO, Calif.(BUSINESS WIRE)Apple today announced that HBO GO and WatchESPN are now available directly on Apple TV joining the great lineup of programming offered to customers. iTunes users have downloaded more than one billion TV episodes and 380 million movies from iTunes to date, and they are purchasing over 800,000 TV episodes and over 350,000 movies per day.

HBO GO and WatchESPN are some of the most popular iOS apps and are sure to be huge hits on Apple TV, said Eddy Cue, Apples senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. We continue to offer Apple TV users great new programming options, combined with access to all of the incredible content they can purchase from the iTunes Store.

Apple TV users can choose from an incredible selection of programming including over 60,000 movies and over 230,000 TV episodes, as well as the worlds largest collection of music on the iTunes Store. Apple TV also offers great content from Hulu Plus, Netflixs streaming catalog, live sports from MLB, NBA and NHL as well as Internet content from Vimeo, YouTube and Flickr.*

In addition to HBO GO and WatchESPN, three new content providers* are also available today on Apple TV including Sky News, Crunchyroll and Qello offering live news, sports and current TV programming.

HBO GO users get unlimited access to their favorite HBO shows, including HBO original programming, hit movies, sports, documentaries, comedy specials and more. This includes full seasons of the best of HBO, plus bonus features and special behind-the-scenes extras. HBO GO on Apple TV requires a subscription to HBO through participating television providers.

WatchESPN on Apple TV delivers a one-stop video destination for sports fans with live access to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3 and ESPN Buzzer Beater/Goal Line to those who receive ESPNs networks as part of their video subscription from affiliated providers. Popular sports and fan-favorite shows include college football and basketball, Monday Night Football, MLB, NBA, major golf tournaments, all four Grand Slam tennis events, SportsCenter, PTI and more. Additionally, curated on-demand video featuring the most recent and relevant contentincluding highlights and news clips fromESPN.comas well as short-form segments from programs such as E:60, Outside The Lines, SC Featured, Sport Science and otherswill be accessible through WatchESPN for the first time via Apple TV to all users.

Sky News on Apple TV delivers a live 24/7 news feed to users in the US, UK and Ireland, including breaking news and headlines from business, politics, entertainment and more. In addition to the live feed, users can catch up on specific stories at any time via the extensive on-demand news library.

Crunchyroll, the leading global video service for Japanese Anime and Asian media, will allow subscribers worldwide to watch the latest HD shows one hour after they air in Japan. Qello, a leading on-demand streaming service for HD concerts and music documentaries, offers free or paid subscriptions to music fans worldwide. New users can sign up for Crunchyroll and Qello instantly on Apple TV.

Apple TV makes it easy to enjoy iTunes video and music right on your HD TV. Coming this fall, iTunes Radio will offer you an incredibly personalized music experience directly on Apple TV based on your listening history and past purchases from iTunes. And with iCloud, you can buy movies and TV shows on Apple TV and watch them on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC. iCloud also stores photos and pushes them wirelessly to all your devices including your Apple TV. iCloud is an incredibly easy way to get instant access to all of your content, no matter which device is being used.

iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users can use AirPlay to stream music, photos and videos from their devices directly to their HD TV with Apple TV. iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPad, iPad mini, fifth generation iPod touch and Mac users can use AirPlay Mirroring to show the screen of their device right on their HD TV, allowing them to stream web pages, spreadsheets or even games.**

Pricing & Availability

Apple TV requires iTunes 10.5 or later. Apple TV requires an 802.11g/n Wi-Fi network or Ethernet network, a broadband Internet connection and a HD TV capable of 1080p or 720p and an HDMI cable that is sold separately. iTunes movie and TV show availability varies by country. Third generation Apple TV hardware is required to play 1080p video. HBO GO, Watch ESPN, SkyNews, Crunchyroll and Qello require Apple TV software version 5.3 available as a free software update for second and third generation Apple TV users.

This article was

The unanimous decision came in a case involving patents protecting genes with certain genetic mutations that scientists say can signal a higher risk of breast and ovarian cancer in women.

The genetic testing issue has been in the news recently with the disclosure that actress Angelina Jolie consented to a double mastectomy after undergoing a genetic test from the same company involved in the Supreme Court case that showed she had a high risk of ovarian and breast cancer.

In invalidating patents held by the genetic testing and research firm, , the high court said that while the companys discovery concerning the genetic mutations was an important breakthrough, it did not amount to a patentable invention.

The decision raises doubts about the validity of some 4,000 other patents currently held on human genes. But the high court noted that synthetically created complimentary DNA, also called cDNA, which is used widely in research, remains eligible for a patent because it is not naturally occurring. This was seen by analysts as tempering the potential impact of the high courts decision.

Writing for the court,compared Myriads discovery with a similar case before the Supreme Court in 1980. In that case, a scientist had found a way to induce bacteria to consume and break down crude oil through a natural process. (This was seen as an important advance, given the danger of massive oil spills.) Justice Thomas said the resulting oil-eating bacterium was new with markedly different characteristics from any found in nature.

In this case, by contrast, Myriad did not create anything, Thomas said. To be sure, it found an important and useful gene, but separating that gene from its surrounding genetic material is not an act of invention.

Myriad uncovered the precise location and genetic sequence of the mutations that researchers associate with a higher risk of breast and ovarian cancers. But that alone did not create anything new or invent any new thing, Thomas said.

Myriad applied for and received patents protecting its discovery. The company used the patents to force other researches to stop certain lines of scientific inquiry. The company also used its patents to prevent others from developing cheaper, more efficient ways to screen women for the identified genetic mutations.

A group of researchers and medical patients filed a lawsuit challenging the validity of Myriads patents. On Thursday, they claimed victory.

Today, the court struck down a major barrier to patient care and medical innovation, said Sandra Park, a lawyer with the ACLUs Womens Rights Project. Myriad did not invent the [mutated] genes and should not control them.

Because of this ruling, patients will have greater access to genetic testing and scientists can engage in research on these genes without fear of being sued [by Myriad], Ms. Park said.

One of the plaintiffs in the case was Harry Ostrer, a genetic researcher and professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University in New York. He predicted the decision would expand access to genetic testing and reduce the cost of such testing.

We will see a much more even playing field with regard to genetic testing going forward, he said in a teleconference with reporters. It will drive down costs and improve quality.

Another plaintiff, breast cancer survivor Lisbeth Ceriani, said she is relieved by the ruling. We are just glad that our genes are not being held hostage by a private corporation anymore, she said.

Ms. Ceriani faced having to pay more than $4,000 for Myriads test to discover whether she carries the genetic mutation signaling a higher risk of ovarian cancer. She faced that cost because the company refused to enter into a contract with Cerianis insurance company.

Ceriani had to wait 18 months to get the test after receiving a grant. The test showed she does carry the mutated gene.

Im relieved that no other women will have to go through what I went through, she said. Im so glad that the Supreme Court agrees that women deserve full access to vital information from their own bodies.

In a statement, Myriad president and CEO Peter Meldrum focused on the portion of the ruling most favorable to Myriad.

We believe the Court appropriately upheld our claims on cDNA, and underscored the patent eligibility of our method claims, ensuring strong intellectual property protection for our [gene mutation] test moving forward, he said.

He noted that more than 250,000 women rely on the companys cancer screening process each year. We remain focused on saving and improving peoples lives and lowering overall health-care costs, Mr. Meldrum said.

The case was Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics Inc. (12-398).

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They've both been No. 1 picks in the NHL draft.

The Colorado Avalanche made the 17-year-old MacKinnon the first pick of the draft on Sunday at the Prudential Center.

The Avalanche won the draft lottery for the first time in team history and Joe Sakic, the man put in charge of Colorado's rebuilding project, had made it clear that MacKinnon was going to be the top pick. He was the first player drafted No. 1 overall out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League since the Pittsburgh Penguins selected Crosby in 2005.

MacKinnon and Crosby are both from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia.

"I love Sid. He's my favorite player," MacKinnon said. "I guess he's still my favorite player. I don't really know what to say now since I'm going to be in the same league as him. I don't know if I should dislike him or not."

MacKinnon, a 6-foot, 182-pound center, said it all with a laugh. But he's serious about making the big club this season with Colorado.

"Hopefully, I can make the team and stick there," MacKinnon said. "I feel like I can be a contributor next year."

MacKinnon is a solid two-way presence with strong hands and stick-handling and skating skills. He is considered a natural scorer and an excellent distributor. Sakic, a former Avalanche captain who is now the executive vice president of hockey operations, ended the guessing game in the final week when he said MacKinnon would be their pick.

"They said it in the media but I didn't really get my hopes up," MacKinnon said. "I was definitely more nervous than I expected to be a couple of minutes before the draft."

He played for the Halifax Mooseheads and led them to the Memorial Cup championship. MacKinnon, who turns 18 on Sept. 1, was named tournament MVP after scoring 13 points.

Next stop, Colorado?

"So proud to be part of the @Avalanche organization!!!" he tweeted to more than 45,000 followers.

That was just the start of a busy day at the home of the New Jersey Devils, who gave a jam-packed crowd a reason to cheer when the announced they acquired goaltender Cory Schneider from Vancouver. Schneider seems in line to be the eventual successor to Martin Brodeur in net.

The rest of the teams were busy planning their future through the draft.

The Florida Panthers made center Aleksander Barkov, the top-ranked European skater, the second overall pick.

Tampa Bay took forward Jonathan Drouin, also out of Halifax, with the third overall pick.

The Nashville Predators pounced on defenseman Seth Jones with the fourth overall pick. Jones, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound defenseman, was widely considered the top prospect in the draft. He was the top-ranked player on the NHL Central Scouting's final list of North American skaters.

He is the son of former NBA forward Popeye Jones. Popeye Jones paced the floor of the Prudential Center and said Seth slept great and was calm in the final hours leading up to the draft.

But that had to change just a bit when Jones, who played for Portland of the Western Hockey League last season, slipped to fourth.

Carolina selected Elias Lindholm, who played in Sweden, fifth and the Calgary Flames followed with center Sean Monahan from Ottawa of the Ontario Hockey League.

After picking first the last three years, the Edmonton Oilers took defenseman Darnell Nurse, of Saulte Ste. Marie in the OHL, with the seventh choice. Nurse is the nephew of former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb. McNabb posted a picture on Twitter of the two of them smiling together a couple of hours before the draft.

The NHL had two black players picked in the top seven with Jones and Nurse.

McNabb was famously booed by Eagles fans in the 1999 draft and was hurt for years by the reaction. Nurse heard polite applause in Newark.

"We're even, because he went higher than me," Nurse said, "but I didn't get booed at my draft."

The Buffalo Sabres took Finnish defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen with the eighth overall pick.

The New Jersey Devils and the Prudential Center are hosting the draft for the first time. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was drowned out by boos each time he took the podium. But he finally heard cheers when he announced the Devils were on the clock. It became louder when Bettman announced the Devils traded the ninth pick to Vancouver for Schneider.

"I think you guys are gonna want to hear this," Bettman told the crowd.

Schneider was on the market once the Canucks were unable to dump high-priced goalie Roberto Luongo. Vancouver then selected center Bo Horvat, of London (OHL), with the ninth pick. The Dallas Stars selected forward Valeri Nichushkin, of Russia, with the 10th pick.

The Flyers bucked tradition with the 11th pick and drafted a defenseman, 6-foot-6, 203-pound Samuel Morin. He played for Rimouski of the QMJHL.

The Stanley Cup-champion Chicago Blackhawks ended the first round by picking forward Ryan Hartman, of Plymouth (OHL), with the 30th pick.

Jones, who lived in Colorado as a youth and seemed a perfect fit for the Avalanche, has ties to Tennessee, as well. Popeye Jones owns a house there, and there is still family throughout the state.

"It's a perfect spot for him," Popeye Jones said, proudly. "He'll be motivated there, and ready to go."

Sakic gave Jones some advice on getting Seth more interested in hockey when they both played in Denver more than a decade ago. Popeye Jones later developed a friendship with Colorado goalie, and now coach, Patrick Roy.

The draft storyline that had Jones joining the franchise that encouraged his push into hockey went bust on the very first pick.

"It definitely sounded too good to be true. It turned out that way," Seth Jones said. "But not really. I mean, I'm not unhappy that they didn't choose me. It was their decision, and that's what they thought would be best for their organization.

"You've got to respect that."

Signs along the route read, "Thank you, Edie" celebrating Windsor for her successful challenge of a provision of the Defense of Marriage Act that defined marriage as between a man and a woman.

"If somebody had told me 50 years ago that I would be the marshal of New York City's gay pride parade in 2013, at the age of 84, I wouldn't have believed it."

Mayor Michael Bloomberg joined hundreds of bikers whose motorcycles roared to life at noon to kick off the celebration, a colorful cavalcade of activists and others who marched down Fifth Avenue 44 years after the city's first pride march.

A color guard, a cadre of gay police officers and longtime couples all took part in the procession on a route where a rainbow of balloons arched overhead. Half of one couple carried a sign reading "Just Married Today" while the other tossed flowers into the crowd.

Longtime LGBT activist Cathy Renna said Windsor's suit and the Supreme Court's favorable ruling in a challenge to Proposition 8, the California gay marriage ban, made this year's celebration special.

"It is an especially thrilling year to march this year," she said. "I have seen more real progress in the past three years than the nearly two decades of activism before it."

But, she added, "we must remain vigilant; hate crimes, discrimination and family rejection loom in our lives still."

A spate of recent hate crimes in New York provide a stark reminder of work left to be done. In one case last month, police said a gunman used homophobic slurs before firing a fatal shot into a man's face on a Manhattan street alive with a weekend midnight crowd. The city's police commissioner called it an anti-gay hate crime.

A. Carlos Cardinas, a native of Colombia who lives in Queens, is a transvestite who dressed up in festive attire for the day: a green sequined top with a salmon-colored flower ringing the waist.

"We are so happy to live free in America," said Cardinas, a hairdresser who is engaged to be married to his boyfriend.

Carl Siciliano, who heads the Ali Forney drop-in center for homeless gay youth in Harlem, said he's happy about the court decision. But he said the humanitarian fight is not over.

"Now that our adults have won this wonderful victory, it is time for us to begin to build a safety net for the more than 200,000 homeless LGBT youth who are stranded on America's streets without shelter," said Siciliano.

Windsor said she long enjoyed the parade with her late wife, Thea Spyer, whom she married in Canada as Spyer was dying in 2007.

In 2009, she suffered a heart attack a month after Spyer's death. While recovering, Windsor faced a hefty bill for inheritance taxes more than $363,000, because Spyer was, legally, just a friend.

On Sunday, Windsor was one of three grand marshals, joining musician and activist Harry Belafonte and Earl Fowlkes, head of the Center for Black Equity.

"I have marched in the parade for the last several years carrying a huge rainbow flag," she said. "Last year, I was so elated that I danced my way down the whole street, for the entire route of the parade."