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WASHINGTON, DC — President Trump’s travel ban, the Second Amendment, religious liberty versus LGBT issues, and even the possibility of Justice Anthony Kennedy’s retirement will be addressed, as all eyes are on the Supreme Court on Monday. The nation’s highest court should decide two major cases on Monday. The first is Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia v. Comer, where the Court will decide whether Blaine Amendments — constitutional provisions in some states that bar churches and faith-based organizations from receiving any taxpayer money, including for secular programs like children’s playground programs — violate the First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause. Another case that will be addressed is Hernandez v. Mesa, in which U.S. agents shot a Mexican national in a group of assailants on the Mexican side of the border. Agents said the assailants were throwing dangerous rocks at the agents. The issue is whether the slain foreigner’s family can sue the federal agents for a Fourth Amendment violation. A final word is also expected on whether the Court will take several major cases for next year. The first is the Trump v. International Refugee Assistance Project, the constitutional challenge to Executive Order 13,780, President Donald Trump’s travel-restriction order. It is almost inevitable that the Court will at least take that case, possibly on an accelerated basis. There are also two major Second Amendment cases, either one of which would be only the third such Supreme Court case in American history. The first is United States v. Binderup, concerning the constitutionality of the federal law making it a crime for convicted felons to own guns. The other is Peruta v. California, which explores whether the right to keep and bear arms extends beyond a person’s home to include places a person goes to in public. Another is a case pitting religious liberty against LGBT issues. The Court will decide whether the take the case of a Colorado baker who declined to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex wedding. But most consider the biggest question Monday to be whether there will be a Supreme Court retirement, which are often announced on the last day of the Court’s term. Specifically, the focus is on Justice Anthony Kennedy, who will turn 81 next month. It has long been expected that Justice Kennedy would retire if a Republican were elected president in 2016. The rumor mill is flying that he will leave the bench this year, although there is no way for anyone to know whether any of the rumors are based on private thoughts the justice has shared with close friends, versus how much is unfounded speculation. After June 26’s daily session, the Supreme Court will adjourn for the summer and is not expected to hold another public session until the first Monday in October — unless the Court holds a special hearing for President Trump’s executive order. Ken Klukowski is senior legal editor for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @kenklukowski. ||||| On Monday, the Supreme Court’s tumultuous 2016 term is scheduled to draw to an end. But will it? All of the briefing in the travel ban litigation has been filed, and the cases are ready for the Court’s ruling. There are (at least) six possible options for resolving this matter. 1. Hold a Special Session in July Two weeks ago, I wrote in the New York Times that the Court should hear arguments in the case over the summer. This option would bring finality to a significant national security matter. Further, by resolving the issue quickly, the Court could avoid any potential mootness issues that could arise if arguments are postponed until the fall. Alas, this option looks increasingly unlikely. If the Justices wanted immediate oral argument, they could have issued a scheduling order last week. As I understand the unwritten rules, five votes are required to expedite arguments. By waiting until Monday (or later) to even address the matter, a majority of the Court has signaled this case isn’t that urgent. 2. Hold a Special Session in September Another option would be to schedule a special session to hear arguments in September, prior to the traditional beginning of the term on the first Monday in October. There is precedent for this move. For example, in 2009 the Court held such a special session, to re-argue Citizens United v. FEC. In that case, a divided 5-4 decision was issued four months later in January 2010. The problem with this approach, as I and others have noted, is that the case arguably becomes moot by mid-September. Two weeks ago, the Ninth Circuit modified the injunction issued by the District Court in Hawaii. As result, the government can now take the full 90 days to consider how to revamp its vetting procedures. At that point, the stated justification for the travel ban vanishes. Perhaps, as I noted, delaying arguments is merely a stratagem to vacate the decisions of the Fourth and Ninth Circuits under the Munsingwear doctrine, without having to rule on the statutory and constitutional matters. Mark Tushnet called this an “easy out.” I would call it a naked punt. If the case is worth hearing in September, it is worth hearing in July. The Justices wouldn’t fool anybody paying close attention to this issue. 3. Hear the Case in January The Justices could also grant certiorari this week and schedule the case for late 2017. In the normal course, a petition for certiorari that is granted at the end of June would be scheduled for argument in November or December and there would likely not be a resolution until June 2018. It should not take a year to resolve this case. For example, the en banc Fourth Circuit managed to publish a 60-page opinion within three weeks of oral argument. The Justices have very smart law clerks. They can resolve the case with haste. If the Court takes this third approach, it would be an even more transparent effort to let the case moot itself before argument, at which point the petition could even be dismissed as improvidently granted. 4. Take No Action, and Relist the Case for the Long Conference In recent years, the Court has adopted a cautionary practice before granting review in a case: each petition would be “relisted” at least once to give all of the Justices and their law clerks an opportunity to scrutinize the pleadings and ensure there are no “vehicle problems.” If the Court decides to relist the travel ban petitions, the case would be held over for the so-called long conference on September 25, 2017. By that point, as noted earlier, the entire case may become moot. The petitions could simply be denied, and the judgments of the lower courts would stand as both judgments and binding circuit precedents. The travel ban would end not with a bang, but a whimper. 5. Deny Certiorari Now The Court could also simply cut to the chase. Because it takes four Justices to grant certiorari, if six Justices band together, the Court could deny review. Perhaps the sextet will reason that in the absence of a circuit split there is no reason to take the case. Or they will decide that since the case may become mooted in the fall, there is no reason to get involved. Or perhaps they would rather avoid this difficult case and not deal with President Trump’s unpopular action. Whatever the reason, it would take six Justices to deny review now. I predict such a denial would elicit one or more blistering dissents from denial of certiorari, and possibly even a response from the deniers. 6. Issue a Summary Reversal There is another possibility that I haven’t seen addressed elsewhere: the Court could issue a per curiam summary reversal of the Fourth and Ninth Circuits. Generally, summary reversals are employed for unargued cases where the lower court made plain errors. As I’ve contended at some length, there are many such errors in both IRAP and Hawaii v. Trump. If five Justices so choose, they could issue a per curiam decision—over one or more dissents—that the lower courts erred. For example, the cases could be reversed on any number of grounds: the Justices could determine the plaintiffs lack standing; that Presidential declarations under 8 U.S.C. § 1182(f) are not subject to judicial review or else are reviewed deferentially; that Kleindienst v. Mandel is limited to the facial validity of the policy, and courts that looked to the President’s statements erred; that Mandel is limited to the actual denial of a visas, and not an executive order; that the Establishment Clause does not apply to foreign policy decisions as it does in the domestic context; that denial of entry and issuance of visas are different doctrines; or that none of these claims are ripe because no one has been denied entry. In my view, the grounds for summary reversal are legion. This approach would allow the Justices to quickly resolve the case before it becomes moot, avoid the need to disrupt summer schedules to hold arguments, and bring finality to this difficult issue. *** This litigation has taken more twists and turns than I could have imagined when Trump issued his original executive order in February. During periods of regularity, an injunction barring the President’s signature national security policy would be an issue of the utmost importance for the Supreme Court. But these are not normal times. To reiterate a point I made in the Times, the issues in this appeal go far beyond the travel ban: Far beyond this interim order, all of President Trump’s foreign and domestic policies will be infected by these same critical disputes. The Supreme Court may be able to evade review here, but these issues are certain to repeat themselves. The nine justices cannot punt these complicated matters, hoping someone else deals with them. All of the issues are fully developed, and ready for resolution now. The buck stops here. ||||| The justices are expected to take the bench on Monday at 10 a.m. to issue opinions in argued cases. There are six decisions still outstanding, involving everything from cross-border shootings to the death penalty and public funding for playgrounds at religious preschools. To be sure, there is no guarantee that we will actually get opinions on the merits in all six of these cases: Three of the remaining cases were argued before Justice Neil Gorsuch took the bench in April, creating a not-insubstantial possibility that the justices are deadlocked. With Gorsuch now on the bench, the justices could order reargument in those three cases, which would presumably take place next fall. But we will know much more by the end of Monday morning. In any event, here is a brief summary of each of the six cases, organized by the sitting in which they were argued. December sitting (November 28 to December 7) Jennings v. Rodriguez: The question before the Supreme Court in this case is whether immigrants who are detained have a right to a bond hearing – that is, a chance to appear in front of an immigration judge and seek their release after making payments to ensure that they will appear at later proceedings in the case. The named plaintiff in the class action is Alejandro Rodriguez, who was held for more than three years without a hearing. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled that immigration judges must give immigrants who have been detained bond hearings at least every six months; at the hearing, the immigration judge must order an immigrant’s release unless the government can show convincingly that the immigrant is either a flight risk or a danger to public safety. When the case was argued on November 30, Kevin Johnson reported that the justices “appeared deeply divided.” The decision is likely to be written by either Chief Justice John Roberts or Justice Samuel Alito, because neither justice has written an opinion from the December sitting yet. (The justices try very hard to divide up the opinion-writing workload evenly, not only over the course of the term but also from sitting to sitting, which has the added benefit of allowing us to predict who might be writing the opinion with some degree of certainty.) January sitting (January 9 to 18) Sessions v. Dimaya: When someone who is not a citizen of the United States is convicted of a crime, he can be deported from the country if his crime was an “aggravated felony.” Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, an “aggravated felony” is defined to include a “crime of violence,” which is in turn defined as any felony that, “by its nature, involves a substantial risk that physical force against the person or property of another may be used in the course of committing the offense.” In 2015, the court ruled that the so-called “residual clause” in the Armed Career Criminal Act’s definition of “violent felony” – which was similar, although not identical, to the definition of a “crime of violence” – was so ambiguous that it violates the Constitution’s bar on vague criminal laws. The question is whether the same is true for the INA’s definition of a “crime of violence.” Justice Clarence Thomas is the only justice who has not yet written an opinion from the January sitting, so he is almost certainly writing this one. Thomas did not ask any questions at the January 17 oral argument, and he agreed with the result – but not the reasoning – in the court’s earlier ruling on the ACCA. In his separate opinion in that case, he indicated that he would have resolved the case based on the statute, rather than finding that the provision at issue violated the Constitution. He explained that he “would be wary of holding the residual clause to be unconstitutionally vague” because, in his view, “the vagueness doctrine shares an uncomfortably similar history with substantive due process, a judicially created doctrine lacking any basis in the Constitution.” February sitting (February 21 to March 1) Hernandez v. Mesa: In this case, the justices will decide what standard courts should use to determine whether the Fourth Amendment applies outside the United States. The case was brought by the family of Sergio Hernandez, a 15-year-old who was shot and killed by a U.S. Border Patrol agent, Jesus Mesa, as Hernandez played in a culvert on the Mexican side of the U.S.-Mexico border. The family’s lawsuit alleged (among other things) that the agent’s conduct violated the Fourth Amendment’s bar against excessive deadly force, but the lower court ruled that the protections of the Fourth Amendment do not extend to Mexican citizens like Hernandez, who lacked any real connection to the United States and who was in Mexico when he was shot. The justices also are considering two other questions: whether Mesa can be sued if he did not know at the time of the shooting that Hernandez was not a U.S. citizen; and whether Hernandez’s parents can rely on a 1971 case, Bivens v. Six Unknown Federal Narcotics Agents, which held that a violation of the Fourth Amendment by federal government officials could give rise to a lawsuit for damages. Two justices have not yet written any opinions from the February sitting: Alito and Justice Stephen Breyer. In a decision issued on Monday, the court – in an opinion by Justice Anthony Kennedy – ruled that Middle-Eastern men who were detained after the September 11 attacks could not rely on Bivens to sue high-level Department of Justice officials. Because Alito joined Kennedy’s opinion on Monday, and he had expressed concern at the February 21 argument about the family’s failure to provide what he regarded as a workable rule for determining when Bivens suits should be allowed, an Alito opinion would likely bode well for Mesa and poorly for Hernandez’s family. By contrast, Breyer took the rare step of dissenting from the bench on Monday to explain that he would have allowed the Bivens claims in those cases to go forward. And at the oral argument in this case, he suggested that the availability of a Bivens claim should be presumed unless there are special factors weighing against one. On the other hand, Breyer (like Alito) also pressed the lawyer for Hernandez’s family to articulate a clear and rational rule. So although a Breyer opinion would be better news for the Hernandez’s family than for Mesa, a favorable outcome would be far from certain for them. April sitting (April 17 to 26) California Public Employees’ Retirement System v. ANZ Securities, Inc.: In this case, the justices are considering questions related to the timeliness of individual securities fraud actions that are related to securities-fraud class actions – specifically, whether the filing of a would-be class action satisfies the statute of limitations for members of that class, or whether an individual class member would have to file his own complaint before the statute of limitations runs out. This is a key question whenever a class member decides that he wants to “opt out” of the class action and file a separate complaint. In this case, for example, CalPERS opted out of a settlement in a class action against underwriters of Lehman Brothers securities; although the class-action complaint had been filed on time, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit held that CalPERS’ individual complaint, which it filed after it opted out of the settlement, was too late. [Disclosure: Goldstein & Russell, P.C., whose attorneys contribute to this blog in various capacities, is among the counsel to the petitioner in this case.] Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Inc. v. Comer: In 2012, Trinity Lutheran Church applied for a state program that reimburses nonprofits for the purchase and installation of rubber playground surfaces made from recycled tires. Missouri’s Department of Natural Resources, which administers the playground program, ranked Trinity Lutheran’s application fifth out of the 44 that were submitted but nonetheless denied the church’s application, citing a provision of the state constitution which prohibits money from the state treasury from going “directly or indirectly, in aid of any church, sect, or denomination of religion.” The church went to court, arguing that the denial of its application violates the Constitution by discriminating against religious institutions. The state countered that the church members are free to exercise their religion, but the state does not have to pay for it. The state prevailed in the lower courts, but the Supreme Court agreed to weigh in last year, before Scalia’s death. The case remained on hold until April 2017, when the justices finally heard oral argument. At the oral argument, only Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor seemed to be squarely on the state’s side, with Justices Elena Kagan and Breyer perhaps leaning toward the church, making the delay in scheduling the case even harder to understand. Davila v. Davis: In 2012, the Supreme Court considered a case in which a defendant alleged that the lawyer who represented him in his state post-conviction proceedings provided inadequate assistance when he failed to properly raise the defendant’s claim of ineffective representation at his trial. In that case, Martinez v. Ryan, the court ruled that a defendant who receives inadequate representation from his lawyer in his post-conviction challenges is excused from having to present his underlying ineffective assistance claim adequately, so that a federal court can consider the merits of his original claim of ineffective assistance at trial. In this case, the question before the court is whether the same is true when the underlying ineffective assistance claim arises from the defendant’s appeal, rather than from the trial itself. There are three opinions still outstanding from April. Chief Justice John Roberts has not yet written for April, but it’s hard to know which one or how many of the three remaining decisions he will write. Ginsburg and Alito have each written two of the April opinions, so it is unlikely they will be writing again for that session. Recommended Citation: Amy Howe, And then there were six – the remaining cases, SCOTUSblog (Jun. 23, 2017, 3:30 PM), http://www.scotusblog.com/2017/06/six-remaining-cases/ ||||| Amid speculation that Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy may announce his retirement, presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway declined to say whether President Trump or the White House has heard from the justice about his plans. Interested in Supreme Court? Add Supreme Court as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Supreme Court news, video, and analysis from ABC News. Add Interest “I will never reveal a conversation between a sitting justice and the president or the White House,” Conway told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on “This Week” Sunday. The Supreme Court’s last day before summer recess is Monday, and there is speculation that any news out of the high court could come then. Conway said the White House is “paying very close attention” to decisions that may come down before the court adjourns for the summer. In the event of a vacancy, she said the president would look for a candidate with similar credentials to his previous nominee who was confirmed, Justice Neil Gorsuch. “I can tell you one thing just as the president did with Justice Neil Gorsuch, whenever there are vacancies, whenever that happens he will look for someone with the fidelity to the Constitution, who doesn’t make up the law as they go along,” Conway said. She added that she hopes Republicans can “get more than a handful of Democrat senators” to vote for our nominee. ||||| FILE - This Jan. 25, 2012, file photo, shows the U.S. Supreme Court Building in Washington. The Supreme Court enters its final week of work before a long summer hiatus with action expected on the Trump... (Associated Press) FILE - This Jan. 25, 2012, file photo, shows the U.S. Supreme Court Building in Washington. The Supreme Court enters its final week of work before a long summer hiatus with action expected on the Trump administration’s travel ban and a decision due in a separation of church and state case that arises... (Associated Press) FILE - This Jan. 25, 2012, file photo, shows the U.S. Supreme Court Building in Washington. The Supreme Court enters its final week of work before a long summer hiatus with action expected on the Trump administration’s travel ban and a decision due in a separation of church and state case that arises... (Associated Press) FILE - This Jan. 25, 2012, file photo, shows the U.S. Supreme Court Building in Washington. The Supreme Court enters its final week of work before a long summer hiatus with action expected on the Trump... (Associated Press) WASHINGTON (AP) — Before taking their long summer break, the Supreme Court justices are poised to act on the Trump administration's travel ban and a separation of church and state dispute involving a Missouri church playground. But something could overshadow rulings in those high-profile cases: If Justice Anthony Kennedy were to use the court's last public session on Monday to announce his retirement. Kennedy has given no public sign that he would step down this year and give President Donald Trump his second high court pick in the first months of his administration. Kennedy's departure would allow conservatives to take firm control of the court. But Kennedy turns 81 next month and has been on the court for nearly 30 years. Several of his former law clerks have said they think he is contemplating stepping down in the next year or so. Kennedy did not address the retirement rumors when he and his clerks gathered over the weekend for a reunion, according to three clerks who were there. The decision to push up the reunion by a year helped spark talk he might be leaving the court. The justices on Monday were expected to decide the case of Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Missouri, which was excluded from a state grant program to pay for soft surfaces on playgrounds run by not-for-profit groups. The case was being closely watched by advocates of school vouchers, who hope the court will make it easier to use state money to pay for private, religious schooling in states that now prohibit it. Missouri has since changed its policy under Republican Gov. Eric Greitens so that churches may now apply for the money. Also expected in the next few days, though there's no deadline by which the court must decide, was a ruling on whether to allow the administration to immediately enforce a 90-day ban on visitors from six mostly Muslim countries. Justice Neil Gorsuch, Trump's first Supreme Court nominee, could play a pivotal role in both the travel ban and church playground cases. In all, six cases that were argued between November and April remain undecided. Three of those, all involving immigrants or foreigners, were heard by an eight-justice court, before Gorsuch joined the bench in April. If the eight justices are evenly divided, those cases could be argued a second time in the fall, with Gorsuch available to provide the tie-breaking vote. ||||| Jonathan Ernst/Reuters The most important ruling of this Supreme Court term—by far—is likely to be the court’s decision in the travel ban case. The common assumption has been that the challenge to President Trump’s order barring entry into the United States for nationals from six countries will be the headline event next term. But that is very likely wrong: The court will most likely rule definitively on Trump’s action right now—by Monday or Tuesday morning at the latest. The appellate courts that have heard the challenges have held the president’s order to be invalid, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on statutory grounds and the 4th Circuit on constitutional grounds. Both courts upheld temporary injunctions against the enforcement of the visa ban, so it is not in effect at the moment. The government has asked the Supreme Court to grant review of the cases (with argument set for next October, when the court returns) and to issue a stay of the lower court injunctions against Trump’s ban. Advertisement The ban on entry from the six countries is set by the president’s order to last for 90 days. The stated purpose of the ban is to provide time for the president’s national security team to engage in an internal review of visa procedures from those six countries. The 9th Circuit has now held, however, that the internal review may proceed. Thus the internal review will be completed before the court returns next fall. What matters is what happens this summer, and that is what the court will announce in the next few days. The choices are (1) the Supreme Court can deny the government’s request and keep the temporary injunctions against the travel ban in place while the government does its internal review or (2) the Supreme Court can grant the government’s request and allow the Trump travel ban to go into effect (with potential chaos at airports all summer long) while that internal review is conducted. Again, whatever the court decides, the internal review will be finished by fall and the rationale for the existing travel ban (or travel “pause” as the administration likes to call it) will be extinguished. One caveat: The government suggested at one point that it would want to have a 90-day travel ban go into effect even after the internal review of visa procedures is complete. This argument, though, would keep the case alive while destroying the government’s original defense of the ban. Once decoupled from the period for internal review, a “free-floating” 90-day travel ban has lost its only articulated and even possibly legitimate rationale. (An extraordinary and indispensable set of writings on the case by professor Leah Litman of University of California–Irvine School of Law, Marty Lederman of Georgetown Law, and others can be found at this Take Care link. They merit reading in full.) Make no mistake: The travel ban cases are of immense importance even if the period that’s actually in question is essentially this summer. This is a signal moment for determining the scope of presidential powers over national security and the deference that should be accorded the president by the judiciary. When the first travel ban was announced, I thought that any judicial challenge would be difficult to sustain. Having served as an executive branch lawyer, my instinct was to believe that the complexities of national security render suspect any second-guessing of presidential determinations in this area. Advertisement The Trump administration, however, has made an unholy mess of the president’s authority over national security. Its irresponsible and preposterously pretextual arguments for deference to these travel bans threaten to weaken the national security authority of all future presidents. In thinking that the travel bans would present difficult cases for the courts, I assumed that there would of course be some reasoned executive branch process leading to a national security determination by the president. But when the first travel ban—adopted on the president’s seventh day in office—was subject to judicial review, it turns out the government was buck naked. The government’s lawyers had nothing. Nothing. It was an embarrassment for anyone who has served in administrations of either party to see there was nothing to counter the notion that this ban was in fact drafted by a couple of White House staffers with no national security experience and after no serious consultation with career officials at any of the relevant defense and national security departments. The second travel ban came with only a fig leaf of a simplistic and conclusory letter from the attorney general and the secretary of homeland security, a letter so thin the Department of Justice barely mentions it in its filings. What does it do for presidential credibility, now and in the future, if a solemn declaration of urgent national security necessity turns out to have been the work of two staffers named Steve? ||||| Ed. note : Please note the UPDATES I have added — and will continue to add — at the end of this story. Look, I love legal gossip as much as — actually, way more than — the next guy. I entered the world of legal media through the back door of judicial gossip, writing a blog called Underneath Their Robes under the pseudonym of “Article III Groupie” (because gossiping about judges by night while appearing before them by day, as a federal prosecutor, is not a good look). But to be a good gossip, you can’t just spread random rumors. You need to exercise discretion and discernment in what you disseminate — which brings me to the rampant rumors about Justice Anthony M. Kennedy’s supposedly imminent retirement, to be announced possibly as early as tomorrow. I won’t bury the lede, so here it is: based on reports I’ve received from former AMK clerks who attended his law clerk reunion dinner last night, it is highly unlikely that Justice Kennedy will announce his retirement tomorrow. But before getting into those reports, let me explain the origins of the latest speculation. Rumors of AMK retiring have been galloping around inside the Beltway for months now. On June 22, they gained momentum after Chris Hayes tweeted: Just a reminder: there's a chance Kennedy announces his retirement on Monday, paving the way for the end of Roe. — Christopher Hayes (@chrislhayes) June 22, 2017 Matt Drudge and the Drudge Report soon joined in the wishful thinking fun: The news cycle in 2017: I am now tweeting about a Drudge banner that links to a story about speculation that quotes one of my tweets. pic.twitter.com/qmigtvCyYW — Orin Kerr (@OrinKerr) June 24, 2017 Now, legal nerds and #appellatetwitter types might scoff at taking SCOTUS predictions from the likes of Hayes and Drudge. But Mark Sherman of the Associated Press and Ariane de Vogue of CNN, both highly respected Supreme Court correspondents, wrote stories yesterday flagging the speculation. From Sherman: The biggest news of all [from the Supreme Court] would be if Justice Anthony Kennedy were to use the court’s last public session on Monday to announce his retirement. To be sure, Kennedy has given no public sign that he will retire this year and give President Donald Trump his second high court pick in the first months of his administration…. But Kennedy turns 81 next month and has been on the court for nearly 30 years. Several of his former law clerks have said they think he is contemplating stepping down in the next year or so. Kennedy and his clerks were gathering over the weekend for a reunion that was pushed up a year and helped spark talk he might be leaving the court. From de Vogue: Will he stay or will he go? The rumors have swirled for months, and the 80-year-old justice has done nothing either personally or though intermediaries to set the record straight on whether he will step down. Adding fuel to the fire, this morning top Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway said on ABC’s “This Week” that she could not confirm or deny the AMK retirement talk: “I will never reveal a conversation between a sitting justice and the president or the White House.” Now, here’s my rebuttal. First, allow me to respectfully dissent from Ariane de Vogue’s comment that “the 80-year-old justice has done nothing either personally or though intermediaries to set the record straight.” Justice Kennedy, through the Court’s Public Information Office, previously has tried to dispel the rumors. Last November, I offered a detailed discussion of the AMK retirement rumors, identifying three factors fueling the rumors: (1) moving his law clerk reunion up a year, a departure from the customary schedule of every five years; (2) not teaching in summer 2016 at McGeorge Law’s Summer Program in Salzburg, suggesting a possible slowdown for Justice and Mrs. Kennedy; and (3) hiring just one law clerk for the upcoming Term, October Term 2017. (Active justices get four clerks, while retired justices get one clerk, and in the past, some justices have tipped their hands by hiring fewer clerks than usual.) If you’ve ever dealt with the Supreme Court Public Information Office, you know that the PIO likes to stay above the fray. It doesn’t chime in on every hiccup in the federal judiciary — it’s not Donald Trump’s Twitter feed, after all — and often it simply doesn’t comment on things. But the PIO did respond to my inquiry about Justice Kennedy, issuing this statement (presumably based on information received from the justice himself): Justice Kennedy is in the process of hiring clerks for 2017. The Justice didn’t go to Salzburg this past summer because it conflicted with some plans with his family, but he is scheduled to return to teach there in 2017. The reunion is scheduled for the end of this Term because the Justice’s law clerks wanted to hold it during the Justice’s 80th year to mark his birthday. Now, back when I shared this comment with my readers, I offered some caveats: Is it possible that Justice Kennedy actually is planning to retire next year, but doesn’t want the world to know just yet? Sure. Is it possible that he isn’t currently planning to retire next year, but then changes his mind later? Certainly. But, on balance, the PIO’s statement weighs in favor of AMK sticking around for a little while. Second, look at his law clerk hiring. In January 2017, a few weeks after the Public Information Office’s statement, Justice Kennedy hired his fourth and final clerk for the next Term. And wait, that’s not all. As I’ll mention in my next Supreme Court clerk hiring round-up, and as I’ve already tweeted via @SCOTUSambitions (which offers real-time SCOTUS clerk hiring news), Justice Kennedy recently hired one clerk for 2018: Clayton Kozinski (Yale 2017 / Kavanaugh), son of prominent Ninth Circuit judge Alex Kozinski (who clerked for Justice Kennedy back when he was Judge Kennedy of the Ninth Circuit, and who remains personally close to AMK). Now, hiring clerks for 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 is not dispositive evidence that a justice will remain on the bench. There’s a nice tradition at the Court of justices picking up “orphaned” hires of their colleagues (which is what happened with Justice Antonin Scalia’s displaced clerks), so the clerks aren’t necessarily left in the lurch. But as a matter of collegiality and consideration — and whether or not you like his jurisprudence, Justice Kennedy is collegial and considerate — it’s not nice to impose upon your colleagues by hiring clerks you know will never work for you, putting pressure on these colleagues to sacrifice their own hiring discretion to scoop up your leftovers (because of SCOTUS tradition). Finally, let’s turn to the dinner at the Kennedy law clerk reunion, which took place last night. As Kevin Daley noted over at the Daily Caller, Eliana Johnson of Politico and Lawrence Hurley of Reuters previously tweeted that AMK didn’t make a retirement announcement last night. I have more specifics of what he did say, which I’ll now share. I reached out to several AMK clerks who were in attendance, and those who got back to me all opined that they don’t think he will announce his retirement tomorrow. Here’s why (in addition to their “spidey sense” from his demeanor). First, Justice Kennedy generally made forward-looking rather than valedictory comments. For example, he talked about the three pairs of parent-child clerks he’s had — e.g., the Kozinskis — and how he hopes to have more in the future. This doesn’t sound like a justice who’s about to be slashing his clerk hiring to one a year (the allotment given to a retired justice). Second, Justice Kennedy made a joke about all the retirement buzz. At the end of his remarks, he said something along these lines: “There has been a lot of speculation about… a certain announcement from me tonight. And that announcement is: the bar will remain open after the end of the formal program!” Again — like the Supreme Court press office statement, and like the law clerk hiring — Justice Kennedy’s reunion remarks are not conclusive evidence of non-retirement. Indeed, a few of his former clerks have said — not in a mean way, just a matter-of-fact way — that AMK doesn’t care enough about his clerks to make the big announcement at the reunion. (Compare him to my former boss, Judge Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain of the Ninth Circuit, who announced his move to senior status at his law clerk reunion — right around the same time he told his colleagues on the bench, and in advance of the first news reports.) Let’s not mince words: as the so-called “swing justice” on the Supreme Court, Justice Kennedy is one of the most powerful people in the world, and nobody puts AMK in the corner. As both liberals and conservatives have discovered to their dismay over the years, he swings his gavel every which way. Trying to predict AMK’s actions is almost as challenging as, well, trying to predict the actions of the man who might appoint his successor. As one of my sources said, “I’d be shocked if he retired this Term after last night — but it wouldn’t be the first time he’s surprised me!” Truth be told, I would not be surprised if even Justice Kennedy himself hasn’t fully made up his mind (as another source of mine suggested to me). I would not be surprised if AMK has already drafted his letter to President Donald Trump, and if and when the spirit moves the justice, he’ll date it, print it, sign it, and have his chambers aide walk it over to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Kennedy, OUT! Liberals should hope and pray that the justice wakes up in a good mood tomorrow morning. Despite progressives’ issues with AMK — cough cough, Citizens United — he’s a heck of a lot better for them than any Trump pick, especially in a post-nuclear world. So anything is possible tomorrow when it comes to Justice Kennedy — but in terms of what’s probable, it’s highly unlikely that Associate Justice Anthony M. Kennedy will announce his departure from the Supreme Court of the United States. P.S. Despite these lawyerly caveats, I’m not betting both sides of the line; put me on record as saying AMK won’t retire tomorrow. If forced to assign a probability, I’d say there’s only a 10 percent chance of a retirement announcement. If Justice Kennedy does in fact retire, then yes, I’ll have a veritable three-egg omelet on my face. P.P.S. In terms of my own self-interest, I’m fervently hoping that Justice Kennedy doesn’t retire tomorrow morning. I’m in meetings or speaking engagements pretty much all day on Monday — come see me tomorrow night if you’re in Minneapolis — so I’ll be majorly annoyed if AMK drops the retirement bomb on a day when I’m mostly offline. UPDATE (6:40 p.m.): See also this earlier post by Adam Feldman, Why Justice Kennedy May Not Leave The Court Right Now, with which I agree. Some observers have suggested that AMK might not want to step down next year for fear of making himself an issue for the 2018 midterm elections. But with all due respect to the Supreme Court — and this is coming from me, a huge judicial junkie — there will be many, many other issues for the midterms besides SCOTUS. And, from the Democrats’ point of view, the American people’s indifference to what happened (or didn’t happen) to the Supreme Court nomination of Chief Judge Merrick Garland shows that the Court is not a major voting issue (or if it is, it motivates conservatives more than it motivates liberals and moderates). UPDATE (6:43 p.m.): A partial dissent from one source on the tone of Justice Kennedy’s speech: “there was a valedictory tone [to some of his comments], all the featured speakers were judges, and Justice Gorsuch was seated as ‘hand of the king’ [for the photo op]. Legacy-type stuff, in other words.” UPDATE (7:29 p.m.): Another attendee had this interesting observation: “note the two judges who did not give speeches: [D.C. Circuit Judge Brett M.] Kavanaugh and [Sixth Circuit Judge Raymond M.] Kethledge. Significance? Maybe nothing, but they are the AMK clerks most likely to get the nod if he retires, and speaking at his final banquet might be awkward.” So this point weighs in favor of a possible retirement (but not necessarily announced tomorrow, I’d argue, just a retirement during the Trump administration). UPDATE (7:46 p.m.): A good question from a reader: “Isn’t AMK’s hiring of one clerk for OT 2018 consistent with him retiring? Retired Justices frequently hire just one clerk, correct?” Answer: no, because Clayton Kozinski was a super-early hire for Justice Kennedy (but not surprising, given that AMK sometimes hires someone early from Judge Kozinski, to whom he’s very close). The justice typically hires in December or January for the following October Term. So if December 2017 or January 2018 rolls around and Clayton has no co-clerks, that would be a sign of possible retirement. UPDATE (6/26/2017, 7:47 a.m.): As reported by Jess Bravin of the Wall Street Journal (via SCOTUSblog), Justice Kennedy’s dinner remarks on Saturday addressed the following themes: The Supreme Court’s senior member–and frequently its deciding vote on cases involving gay rights, abortion access, capital punishment and other major issues–closed a private reunion of his law clerks with remarks touching on many of his longstanding concerns, according to several people who attended. He spoke of the impact of technological change, the need for civility in political discourse and the importance of public service plans. If AMK is concerned about “civility in political discourse,” then he should not create a SCOTUS vacancy at a moment in our history that’s this turbulent and politically charged. Just imagine the political armageddon that will immediately ensue if Justice Kennedy reveals his retirement this morning; it will make the Garland and Gorsuch battles look like sandbox squabbling. Sure, it’s possible that the state of our politics might not improve — but on the other hand, a lot can happen in a year. So even if I might raise my 10 percent estimate of a retirement announcement today to 20 or 30 percent (in light of some of the updates I’ve added here), I still think it’s far more likely that Justice Kennedy will retire next year as opposed to today. UPDATE (6/26/2017, 11:18 a.m.): Please allow me to take my victory lap. As I predicted, Justice Kennedy did not announce his retirement yesterday. Could Justice Kennedy announce his retirement later this summer — recall how Justice Sandra Day O’Connor announced her retirement on July 1, 2005, after the end of the Term — or later this year? It’s theoretically possible, but not probable. My guess is that AMK will not announce any retirement until around this time next year — i.e., the end of October Term 2017 — at the earliest. Big cases, retirement rumors as Supreme Court nears finish [Associated Press] Anthony Kennedy retirement watch at a fever pitch [CNN] Conway won’t confirm Justice Kennedy retirement rumors [The Hill] Why Justice Kennedy May Not Leave The Court Right Now [Empirical SCOTUS] Earlier: David Lat is the founder and managing editor of Above the Law and the author of Supreme Ambitions: A Novel. He previously worked as a federal prosecutor in Newark, New Jersey; a litigation associate at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz; and a law clerk to Judge Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. You can connect with David on Twitter (@DavidLat), LinkedIn, and Facebook, and you can reach him by email at dlat@abovethelaw.com.

– The Supreme Court gathers Monday for the last scheduled day of the current term, with decisions on six cases—including one on the separation of church and state—still to come. Overshadowing all that, however, is speculation about whether Justice Anthony Kennedy will announce his retirement after 30 years on the bench. Details: Kennedy: If the 81-year-old is indeed stepping down, he would have told President Trump by now. But Kellyanne Conway wasn't giving any hints: "I will never reveal a conversation between a sitting justice and the president or the White House,” she said on ABC News Sunday. Don't bet on it: David Lat of Above the Law assesses the Kennedy rumors and weighs in on the chances of retirement: "Highly unlikely." The six cases: ScotusBlog provides quick snapshots of the six cases on which decisions are pending. A big one is Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer, which involves a Missouri church that sought to use state funds designated for nonprofits to build a playground. Travel ban: One wild card is that the court also could make an announcement related to Trump's travel ban. A post at Lawfare runs through six possibilities, including the announcement of a special session in July to hear arguments. One key question expected to be answered as soon as Monday: Will the justices keep lower courts' temporary injunctions in place or allow the ban to take effect until a decision is reached? Slate assesses. Back to drawing board? Three of the six cases still pending, all of which involve immigrants or foreigners, were argued before Trump appointee Neil Gorsuch took the bench, notes the AP. It's possible the court could decide that some or all be re-argued before the nine-member court. Among them is Hernandez v. Mesa, on whether the family of a Mexican teen who was killed by a US border patrol agent can sue over a Fourth Amendment violation regarding the use of deadly force. Next term: The court also is expected to announce whether some high-profile cases will be on the docket next year. Two notable ones involve gun rights and the Second Amendment, and Breitbart has details.

Starting in 1996, Alexa Internet has been donating their crawl data to the Internet Archive. Flowing in every day, these data are added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period. ||||| “Extra’s” AJ Calloway caught up with Brad Pitt at the NYC premiere of “World War Z” and asked Pitt about comments singer Melissa Etheridge made on Angelina Jolie's double mastectomy. The singer, who is a breast cancer survivor, spoke with the Washington Blade and said, “I have to say I feel a little differently. I have that gene mutation too and it’s not something I would believe in for myself. I wouldn’t call it the brave choice. I actually think it’s the most fearful choice you can make when confronting anything with cancer.” Pitt, who had not heard the comments, responded, “Oh, I didn’t know, I haven’t seen her… Melissa is an old friend of mine, so I’ll have to give her a call.” The actor added that Jolie is doing great. Watch more of the red carpet interview! “World War Z” swarms into theaters Friday. ||||| Email Share +1 576 Shares Melissa Etheridge With guest Eric Hutchinson Tuesday 8 p.m. Wolf Trap Filene Center 1551 Trap Road Vienna, VA $35 (lawn)-$65 wolftrap.org When we talked to Melissa Etheridge last year the conversation turned — as one might expect in an election year — to politics. So this time we focused on music. The lesbian rocker plays Wolf Trap Tuesday night. Her comments have been slightly edited for length. WASHINGTON BLADE: Last time you were here you played the Strathmore, which is kind of stately, whereas Wolf Trap is outside and more earthy. Does the venue affect the kind of show you play? MELISSA ETHERIDGE: Yes, totally. One of the things I do before I even write out a set list is I go stand on stage and look out and really get a feel for what the venue is like. Is it indoors, outdoors, is the first row up close, will people be able to stand, are they soft seats, hard seats? I’ve been touring for 25 years so I’m very conscious of what kind of show can be produced at each place and it does make a difference in what songs I play. This will definitely be different from the Strathmore show. I love playing Wolf Trap and I don’t think I’ve ever sweated as much on stage as when I’ve played Wolf Trap. It was just so humid last time I was there, I was really soaked even before the show. But yeah, it’s gonna be much more rock and roll out there. BLADE: How do you manage to do those big rock money notes year after year? Rock singing, of course, often doesn’t use proper vocal technique that they teach you in classical singing and some singers get vocal cord nodules while others, like Tina Turner perhaps or many gospel singers, seem to be able to growl and howl for decades on end with no problem. Have you ever strained your voice letting it rip so to speak? ETHERIDGE: I learned a long time ago playing in bars how to make that growly rock and roll sound but not harm the vocal cords. It’s not really screaming, it’s like a stage scream. That and having a good understanding of how not to tax the voice too much in doing that style of singing, also helps. I usually don’t sing more than three night in a row. I can do four, but it will start to wear down after awhile and the shape of my voice is definitely related to everything. If I’m tired, if I haven’t eaten right, if I’m stressed, all those things affect it. But as long as I can eat right and sleep well, I can be on the road and do the rock and roll stuff out there every night. BLADE: How have you found the right balance throughout your career of knowing when to play up the all-out rock stuff versus having enough of a commercial, pop/AC vibe on your various projects to get some radio and mainstream exposure? Have you given much thought to those sorts of things as you’ve been writing and recording various records? ETHERIDGE: Yeah, it’s been a big part of understanding radio and the music business in general and then just when you kind of have a handle on it, of course it changes much like it did in the mid-‘90s when I was really at the pinnacle of it. As it should — young kids grow up and they have their own stuff and I get that. I stopped, I guess around the turn of the century, trying to make my music for radio because I think that would just have been selling myself out and I realized I had a strong live audience that was not going away and would still come see me play, so I really dedicated myself to making the music that I love and not trying to be so much pop. Which is fine — I mean, I love a good pop song like everybody else does, but I don’t limit myself to that anymore. The most important thing in my mind when I’m writing and recording is how is this going to translate to the live stage. That’s more the guideline. BLADE: And yet many veteran acts who have that loyal fan base have great numbers the first week out with a new album and like you said, do fine filling decent-size venues, yet without any radio traction, the albums can come and go so quickly it seems. Has there been any frustration with that at various times? Any sense of a diminishing return for all the hard work? ETHERIDGE: Well yeah, of course you always hope there’s maybe something there radio can hold on to a little and you would always like to make your record company a little money, that’s always nice. Yet I really have learned to let it go because I think the music does sort of manage to find its own way. I just stumbled on some online music site where these two rock critics were saying my last album “4th Street Falling,” that if it had been released by some up-and-coming singer, it would have really represented kind of the future of rock and roll or something so yes, there is sometimes an advantage to being not as established but I wouldn’t trade where I am at all to be up and coming. I’m very happy with where I am overall and I feel I have a great deal of industry respect and I’m fine with that. BLADE: You’ve been on Island your whole career, which is almost unheard of in this day and age. I’m sure the whole staff has changed since you started … ETHERIDGE: Not a single person is still there from then. BLADE: How have you navigated all the changeover? ETHERIDGE: It’s funny, there was a joke a few years ago there that everytime I had a new album out, “Oh, watch out, Melissa’s got a new one, there’s going to be a complete regime change.” Different times my options have been up we’ve looked around and, you know, Island and Def Jam and Universal — it’s one of the biggest labels there is. I always felt I had good relationships there so why not? The whole business has changed so much, it’s nice to stay someplace if you can. BLADE: Last time you played here, the album was just out. Do you feel freer to sing more of it live now that it’s been out awhile and people have had time to let it sink in or do you skew more hit-heavy for the summer shows? ETHERIDGE: Last fall I did kind of the “4th Street Falling” tour and I did a lot of new stuff but at that stage, I’m still listening to the new stuff, experimenting a bit and finding out which songs seem to pop more live. So I kind of play the new stuff and see which cuts were really fun for the audience and they tend to stay in the show. But yeah, it’s a summer show — we’re going to be doing all the hits too. We’ll be singing “Come To My Window” at the top of our lungs. BLADE: You had so many great TV duet shows over the years in terms of collaborations with other artists — Joan Osborne, Sophie B. Hawkins, Jewel, Dolly Parton. Any of those especially stand out in your mind? ETHERIDGE: Well singing with Bruce Springsteen was a dream come true. It was like, “Oh, please let time stop.” That one and singing with Dolly was just one of the greatest things that ever happened to me. I felt like our entertainment ethics were the same. She’s such a great entertainer and we kind of threw things back and forth. It felt like a good game of one on one. BLADE: One that I really remember was when you sang “You Can Sleep While I Drive” as a duet with Amy Grant. Here she was this gospel singer singing a sweet duet with you, which sort of gave it a lesbian undercurrent. It seemed kind of shocking at the time. Do you remember how that came about or if there was any hesitation in her camp to do it? ETHERIDGE: Trisha Yearwood had covered that song sometime in the ‘90s, so it had kind of been in the country world, then when Amy came in and we were talking about songs we could do, she said, “Well, I want to sing ‘You Can Sleep While I Drive.’” I’ve sang that with more people than any other song. It just kind of lends itself to that harmony duet feeling. I’ve known her for a long time. I met her in Europe back in ’88 and have been friends with Vince too. You know she kind of went through her own tabloid-y thing but she’s just so open and very very easygoing so that wasn’t even part of it. It was just like, “Let’s sing together and just enjoy it.” BLADE: How prolific have you been in the studio over the years? Did you overcut tracks for very many of your albums? Is there going to be a killer Melissa Etheridge box set of outtakes and rareties someday? ETHERIDGE: I can’t believe you asked that because yes, I’m working on that right now. The record company came to me and said, “You know, it’s been 25 years, let’s put out a box set.” But I didn’t want to just say, “OK, here’s my songs again.” I think my fans will enjoy some of these other things so I started going back into the vaults and into my storage space and found some tapes I hadn’t even remembered. So it’s going to be eight CDs and there’s live tracks, covers, solo demo tracks, a recording of me made when I was 14, everything that didn’t make it onto an album, pictures and videos. I even found a TV show I did back in 1982 in L.A. BLADE: ETA? ETHERIDGE: I don’t know the exact date right off, but it will be in November. BLADE: Where do you keep your Grammys, platinum albums and Oscar? ETHERIDGE: I have a lovely office I share with my gal, Linda. BLADE: You and Linda (Wallem) are still together? ETHERIDGE: Oh yes, yes, yes. I finally got it right. It’s a bunch of things. It’s a grown-up relationship. BLADE: As a breast cancer survivor yourself, what did you think of Angelina Jolie’s announcement? ETHERIDGE: I have to say I feel a little differently. I have that gene mutation too and it’s not something I would believe in for myself. I wouldn’t call it the brave choice. I actually think it’s the most fearful choice you can make when confronting anything with cancer. My belief is that cancer comes from inside you and so much of it has to do with the environment of your body. It’s the stress that will turn that gene on or not. Plenty of people have the gene mutation and everything but it never comes to cancer so I would say to anybody faced with that, that choice is way down the line on the spectrum of what you can do and to really consider the advancements we’ve made in things like nutrition and stress levels. I’ve been cancer free for nine years now and looking back, I completely understand why I got cancer. There was so much acidity in everything. I really encourage people to go a lot longer and further before coming to that conclusion.

– When Angelina Jolie revealed her choice to have a preventative double mastectomy, celebrities fell all over themselves in their rush to call her courageous—but not Melissa Etheridge. In an interview with the Washington Blade last week that apparently just got noticed by the celebrity media, Etheridge—a breast cancer survivor herself—says, "I wouldn't call it the brave choice. I actually think it's the most fearful choice you can make when confronting anything with cancer." She says she, too, carries the breast cancer gene mutation that caused Jolie to make her decision. "My belief is that cancer comes from inside you and so much of it has to do with the environment of your body," Etheridge continues. "It’s the stress that will turn that gene on or not. Plenty of people have the gene mutation and everything but it never comes to cancer." Of course, Extra got Brad Pitt's thoughts on the matter at the New York premiere of his new movie, World War Z. "Oh, I didn’t know, I haven’t seen her," he said when asked about Etheridge's comments. "Melissa is an old friend of mine, so I’ll have to give her a call." On the same red carpet, he told People Jolie is still "sexy as ever."

But "25," the follow-up to the hit "21," is all but certain to be a blockbuster. The first single, "Hello," sold a record 1.1 million copies in its first week of release, and its video has more than 415 million views. ||||| For Adele’s legions of fans, as well as for the music industry at large, a big question has hung over the release of “25,” her first album in nearly five years. The album is all but certain to be a gigantic hit, but would Adele make it available for streaming on services like Spotify and Apple Music? An answer emerged on Thursday, after weeks of speculation: No. With less than 24 hours before the release of the album on Friday, the major digital music services were informed that “25” would not be available for streaming, according to three people with direct knowledge of the plans. A spokesman for Adele declined to comment. Streaming has taken hold as the fastest-growing part of the music business and the format that record executives and technology mavens alike point to as the future of listening. But it remains controversial among many artists over royalty payments and issues of control. Most artists have no choice but to opt for streaming and accede to the terms set by the services. But Adele, along with Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, are viewed as among the very few superstar acts with enough leverage to set the terms for how they want their music to be consumed.

– Adele's 25, her first album in nearly five years, will soon be blasting from every commercial, shopping mall, and cellphone from here to Timbuktu. But there's one place you won't be hearing it: streaming online. The New York Times reports 25 will not be available on Spotify, Apple Music, or any other digital streaming service when it's released Friday, a decision streaming services weren't made aware of until Thursday. "We love and respect Adele, as do her 24 million fans on Spotify," the Los Angeles Times quotes a statement from Spotify. "We hope that she will give those fans the opportunity to enjoy 25 on Spotify alongside 19 and 21 very soon." 25 is expected to be a mega-hit for the music industry, with experts predicting 2.5 million copies sold in the first week, the New York Times reports. That would be the best first week since 'N Sync 15 years ago. Tyler Goldman, CEO of French streaming company Deezer, tells the Los Angeles Times keeping 25 off streaming services might help Adele's sales in the immediate future, but it won't slow down paid streaming services, which are pretty much the only growth area in the music industry. "It's not like users want to go back to downloads and CDs," he says.

He writes to The Stranger: Hi there, Having been recently alerted to the Victoria Liss story on your website [here and here], I cannot stand by and have my good name tarnished. As an Andrew Meyer who lives nowhere near the scene of the crime (I live in Fountain Valley, California), I am outraged by this situation. I would like to cover for the trouble that poor Victoria has had to go through on behalf of someone who should be ashamed of himself on so many levels. As a result, I'd like to send a 100% tip from the cost of the meal to Victoria. I will send $28.98 to her if you can arrange for that to happen. Please contact me via e-mail or at [redacted]. My "name" can't be shamed anymore. It was bad enough when this guy tried his part. I can stand my ground no more. Looking forward to hearing from you. Andrew Meyer ||||| Bad tippers be warned, there are servers out there in restaurants who may hunt you down if you don't deliver what they deem an appropriate tip. Servers like Victoria Liss, who has waged an all-out manhunt/smear campaign to make "yuppie scum" Andrew Meyers pay for what he left her. Meyers moseyed into Bimbo's Cantina in Seattle last Friday night with a lady friend where Liss had the "pleasure" of waiting on them. They had some chips, guac, a double-decker pork taco, and no apparent complaints. When the bill for $28.98 came, it was bad enough that Meyers put a big old zero on the tip line, but it's what he wrote at the bottom of the bill that really pissed Liss off: "P.S. You could stand to loose [sic] a few pounds." Oh, yes he did ... and in doing so raised the ire of Liss and subsequently mobs of Internet users after Liss set out to pay him back via public shaming. Advertisement

– A crazy story about a waitress getting gipped and insulted by a customer just may have a happy ending: The tale began last weekend when Seattle waitress Victoria Liss collected a bill from a customer who wrote in "0" on the tip line and added, "P.S. You could stand to loose (sic) a few pounds." An outraged Liss uploaded a photo of the bill to her Facebook page and identified him online. (He paid by credit card, making it easy.) Internet revenge ensued, with strangers, friends, and bloggers calling out the customer, Andrew Meyers. Which, of course, led to the wrong Andrew Meyers being pilloried in public. Now, however, yet another Andrew Meyers has come forward to the Stranger to offer Liss a 100% tip on the $29 bill, all in the name of clearing the Andrew Meyers name. The newspaper is putting him in touch with Liss. At the Stir blog, meanwhile, Julie Ryan Evans hopes the real culprit is "shaking in his scummy yuppie shoes."

I've never hit a golf ball. I've never set foot on a golf course. Everything I draw is from inside a 6-by-10 prison cell. The first course I ever drew was for warden James Conway. He would often stop by my cell to ask how my appeal was going and to see my drawings. Before he retired, the warden brought me a photograph of the 12th hole at Augusta National and asked if I could draw it for him. I spent 15 hours on it. The warden loved it, and it was gratifying to know my art would hang in his house. Something about the grass and sky was rejuvenating. I'd been getting bored with drawing animals and people and whatever I'd get out of National Geographic. After 19 years in Attica (N.Y.) Correctional Facility, the look of a golf hole spoke to me. It seemed peaceful. I imagine playing it would be a lot like fishing. There's an inmate here who subscribes to Golf Digest. He crosses his name out and loans me the issues, because you get a ticket if you're caught with something that has somebody else's name on it, just like you get tickets for draping sheets across your bars, or fighting. Some guys in here break the rules anyway, but life's better when you stay invisible. Except for that one drawing for the warden, I never copy holes exactly. I use a photograph as a starting point and then morph the image in my own way. Sometimes I'll find a tiny piece of reference material, like a tree on a stamp or mountains on a calendar, and then imagine my own golf course with it. I find the challenge of integrating these visions very rewarding. The past two years I've drawn more than 130 golf pictures with colored pencils and 6-by-8-inch sheets of paper I order through the mail. We're not allowed to have brushes and paints, but that's all right; I like pencils. When I was little, my mom and grandma used to slap my hand because of the unconventional way I gripped the pencil, until one day my aunt Gwen told them to stop and look at the comics I'd done from the newspaper. My mom didn't believe I'd done it without tracing, so she made me draw them again freehand as she watched. Growing up on the east side of Buffalo, my only sports were football and basketball. Talk about golf in our neighborhood and you'd probably get shot. Because of my art ability, I attended the performing-arts high school and stayed pretty clean until I graduated. Then I started dating a girl whose brothers were drug dealers, and before long I was in it, too. It's no excuse. It was what you did in my neighborhood if you wanted to make money. I became a mid-level cocaine dealer and pulled in enough to drive flashy cars and cover friends, but not much else. I rode with a weapon, same as everybody. I was out on bail for possession charges the night my life changed forever. I was 21 then. I'm 42 now. Pinterest Valentino Dixon in an Attica Correctional Facility visitation room. No one likes to hear how you're innocent. I get that, and I don't talk about my case to inmates or guards. Everyone's innocent, right? Truth is, there are a lot of bad folk in Attica who deserve to be locked up. They were animals even before they were treated as animals. Violent people who want to rape and cut you, and society is safer because they're in here. But there are also people who'd never hurt anybody, who deserve a second chance. And out of 2,200 inmates, you'd better believe there are a few innocents who got railroaded by the system. When you're young and black, it can happen, and it happened to me. It was 1:30 in the morning, and we were hanging out at a popular street corner. There were probably 70 people there when word came that the Jackson brothers were looking to get my friend Mario. It was over a girl. You never knew how seriously to take these threats in our neighborhood, but sure enough, I was in a store buying beer when I heard the shots: pow pow. I ran outside the store and grabbed my half-brother to flee. I didn't want any involvement. I was out on bail, and of all things, I wasn't going to let some romance drama among younger kids land me in prison. I drove home and went to bed. From what I saw, I didn't think anybody had died. The next day the cops pulled me over, and within minutes a tow truck was there to haul away my car. It wasn't until I got to the station that they said I was being charged with second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder and third-degree assault. I wasn't nervous because so many people had witnessed the shooting. But soon there I was, being paraded before television cameras in a white paper suit on my way to county lockup. Two days later, LaMarr Scott, a guy I knew but wasn't close to, gave a statement to WGRZ television confessing to be the shooter and turned himself in to the police. Because my dad drove LaMarr downtown, much was made that he had coerced LaMarr into confessing. For murder? Please. My half-brother had brought LaMarr to our dad to set everything straight, and LaMarr owned only a bicycle. Pinterest Dixon, 21, shortly before he was incarcerated. I now see LaMarr regularly. One year after I was convicted, LaMarr shot a teenager in the face after an armed robbery and made him a quadriplegic. I choose not to hold a grudge against LaMarr because psychologically, it would kill my spirit. LaMarr's eligible for parole in 2018; I'm not up until 2030. For the past 12 years I've lived in "honor block," which holds 145 inmates with the cleanest disciplinary records. We can shower every day, use the telephone, and our cells are mostly open so we can socialize and play cards and chess. There are hotplates we share to cook our food, and I buy a lot of rice, beans and pack-dried chicken from the commissary. Still, tension can brew in here. A guy will tell another guy to take it to the back, but mostly people want to stay here so they avoid trouble. Every two months I get to visit my family for two days in a trailer. My mom lives an hour away, and I have three daughters (my youngest can thank her existence to the family-reunion program) and a wife, Louise, who was recently deported to her native Australia. Louise encountered my drawings on the Internet and moved to the United States to help with my appeals. We were married in a brief ceremony in the visitation room. The light in my cell isn't great for drawing, but I do have an outlet to plug in my Walkman. When I draw I listen to cassettes to block out the noise of the other prisoners, which can get relentless, even in honor block. I also work as a barber, do push-ups, run in place and read. One of my favorites is Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl about his experiences in a concentration camp. You have to find meaning in your suffering, Frankl said. To that, I say I think God put me here to draw golf courses. Maybe one day I'll play. Some days I feel like giving up, it's true. I just want to turn nasty and bitter, but in a few hours, or maybe a few days, I'm reaching for the pencils again. It's possible I wouldn't have lived to this age if I'd stayed on the outside. When I was a young man I wasn't useful to society -- this I don't argue. But I'm not a murderer. That's the worst thing somebody can be, and I'm not that. I hope all you need to do is look at my drawings to know that. IS VALENTINO DIXON INNOCENT? It might be impossible to know exactly what happened in a beery east Buffalo parking lot on the early morning of Aug. 10, 1991, but it's worth trying to figure out: Someone's freedom is at stake. As many as 70 people were present when what started as a fistfight ended with gunfire. Four young black males were shot, and one, Torriano Jackson, was killed. Valentino Dixon is at Attica (N.Y.) Correctional Facility, having served 21 years of a life sentence, and still protests his innocence. Another Attica inmate, LaMarr Scott, has confessed to being the killer, but his words are not taken seriously. It's an extremely complex case. Across two decades, 15 eyewitnesses have testified in court or signed sworn statements. These witnesses pretty much shake out 7 to 3 in favor of Valentino Dixon's innocence, with the others saying everything happened too fast or their vantage wasn't clear. Nearly everyone there was a teenager, and many of the key participants didn't know, barely knew, just met, or claimed not to know other key participants. Clearly, some are telling the truth and some are not. Depending on how you mix, accept or deny the conflicting accounts, two versions emerge: (1) Known drug dealer Valentino Dixon, 21, stood over Torriano Jackson, 17, and emptied the clip of a 9-millimeter automatic. (2) LaMarr Scott, 18, struggled with the same automatic, and when he finally got the barrel under control, he settled its aim on Torriano Jackson, who had shot first. Minutes before the 1:30 a.m. shooting, a yellow Geo Storm pulled up and parked at the corner of Bailey and East Delavan avenues. From this car emerged Torriano Jackson and his older brother Aaron Jackson, 20, intent on confronting Mario Jarmon, 19, over an earlier dispute. They exchanged angry words. A crowd circled. Then, at the sound of gunshots, the crowd dispersed. The police arrived shortly. From the bloody pavement officers recovered a .32-caliber handgun with a single spent bullet in its cylinder, a .22-caliber bullet casing, and 27 spent 9-millimeter bullet casings -- same as what riddled Torriano Jackson. (This is significant because the prosecution would present Valentino Dixon as responsible for shooting all four people.) The murder weapon was never recovered. Christopher J. Belling, who prosecuted the case and is now the senior trial counsel of the Erie County District Attorney's Office, says the extra gun and bullet casings don't cause him to doubt that Dixon was the only gunman responsible. "Given the neighborhood and the chaos of the scene, they could've come from anywhere," Belling told Golf Digest in April 2012. "Whoever had the .32 probably decided they didn't want to have it in their hand anymore. They wanted it on the ground." As the wounded were taken to hospitals, the police interviewed people who lingered at the scene. Some of these records haven't survived, but the police did speak to the driver of the yellow Geo, Travis Powell, 22, who said he didn't recognize the shooter. Emil Adams, 18, made a sworn statement at the police station. He described two guys with guns; he knew neither. He said the smaller guy had a handgun and the "heavyset" guy had the automatic. That afternoon, Valentino Dixon, 5-foot-9 and 145 pounds, was arrested. His car and clothes were confiscated so they could be tested for gunpowder residue and blood. John Sullivan, 17, who'd been released from the hospital that morning after being treated for a gunshot wound to the leg, signed a statement with police 45 minutes after Dixon's arrest. He didn't see who'd shot him in the leg, but he named Valentino Dixon as the individual who killed Torriano Jackson. The next day the police visited Mario Jarmon (the person the Jackson brothers had been intent on fighting) in the hospital. In addition to being punched and kicked, Jarmon had been shot and couldn't speak because of a tracheal tube. The police report states: "He nodded his head to indicate that the guy that shot him was the dead guy. . . . [He] did not see [Valentino Dixon] with a gun." Two days after the shooting, the police visited Aaron Jackson in the hospital. (The brother of the deceased would spend weeks recovering from his bullet wound.) The detective showed Jackson six mugshots, and Jackson picked No. 4. The identity of No. 4 is absent from the detective's one-page report. Written on the bottom of the report is Jackson's quote: "But I can't be sure, it all happened so fast." That same night, LaMarr Scott confessed to a local TV reporter that he, not Valentino Dixon, had shot Torriano Jackson. According to Scott, the guys in the yellow Geo had made threats throughout the day, which prompted him to ride his bike home and retrieve his 9-millimeter, a gun he had recently bought with cash but hadn't yet fired. When the argument escalated at the parking lot, Scott said Torriano Jackson shot first. "I was scared," Scott told the TV reporter. "I didn't know whether he was gonna kill anybody or not, so I just opened fire back on him. I didn't have any control of the automatic weapon at all, and I panicked at the same time. That's why I kept shooting him as many times as I shot him." But this apparent good news for Valentino Dixon didn't last long. After meeting with the police and Belling, LaMarr Scott recanted what he'd told the TV reporter (and said Dixon's family put him up to the confession) and was not held or charged. Dixon remained in prison the rest of the year. Mario Jarmon recovered, and in January 1992 a grand jury investigated the shooting. In this hearing, Mario Jarmon and another eyewitness, Leonard Brown, 20, corroborated the story of LaMarr Scott shooting an armed Torriano Jackson. Belling charged them both with perjury. At this same hearing, LaMarr Scott testified, "[Torriano] pulled out a gun and shot Mario three times and then Valentino shot [Torriano]." Concerning Valentino Dixon's gun, Scott testified, "I guess he had it. I didn't see the gun with him at the time when we walked to the corner because we was all laughing and giggling and everything. I wasn't paying attention." In June 1992, 10 months after the fight, the murder trial began. Because Jarmon and Brown had been charged with perjury, they were not called as witnesses. "Even if I tried calling them to testify, their attorneys wouldn't have let them because it would've exposed them to additional perjury liability," Joseph Terranova, Valentino Dixon's court-appointed public defender, told Golf Digest in May 2012. "What Belling did was extremely clever, and the right thing to do as a prosecutor." "That sort of witness intimidation by the prosecution almost never happens," says attorney Don Thompson, who worked for a number of years on Dixon's appeal but is no longer involved. "If you're just engaged in a search for the truth, you let the jury have everything and let them sort it out. On the other hand, if you've already decided what the truth is, you try to eliminate any testimony you don't like that isn't consistent with your version." Thompson also believes the perjury indictment might have deterred other witnesses from coming forward. As for why he indicted Jarmon and Brown for perjury, Belling told Golf Digest in February 2012: "A lot of prosecutors would call it a brilliant stroke of tactical genius." Belling says Brown (Dixon's half-brother) and Jarmon (Dixon's friend) both lied to cover for Dixon, who had accidentally shot Jarmon with a stray round. Of the prosecution's six witnesses, three testified they saw Dixon firing a gun. Of the three, Aaron Jackson gave the most vivid account. He was there with his little brother, Torriano Jackson, punching and kicking Jarmon, when he heard shots and felt shells brush his body. Shot in the stomach, he crawled to the yellow Geo with the thought of starting it and running over the shooter. He said he then turned to see Dixon kill his brother. On cross-examination, Jackson was asked to reconcile his current certainty with his statement at the hospital 10 months earlier. Jackson responded, "My memory gets better with time." When questioned why he didn't volunteer Dixon's name (a man he knew) at the hospital, he said, "I don't remember," citing emotional and medical stress. Emil Adams testified he jumped behind a car when he heard gunshots. Consistent with what he'd told police hours after the shooting, he testified he saw two men walk up to the fight, each carrying guns. But unlike before, at trial Adams could give a description of only one: Dixon. In his police statement Adams had said, The "kind of skinny" guy had a handgun, and the "heavyset" guy had the automatic. At trial Dixon was asked to stand, and Adams agreed the defendant was not heavyset. LaMarr Scott, who is now 6-foot-2, 270 pounds, weighed 200 pounds when he was 18. There is controversy over the alleged interaction Emil Adams had with private investigator Roger Putnam in 2000. Working on behalf of Dixon's appeal team, Putnam says he visited Adams several times at a barbershop where Adams worked. Putnam said in an affidavit that Emil Adams indicated that his trial testimony had not been truthful and agreed to meet at Putnam's office to record a statement, but he never showed. (Adams has since sworn to police, "I do not know a Roger Putnam. I never talked to Putnam. I never lied in court or was coerced by the District Attorney's Office.") Bob Lonski is the administrator of the Erie County Bar Association Assigned Counsel Program, which gives public defense to people who cannot afford to retain counsel in criminal matters. In the 18 years Lonski has worked there, Roger Putnam has been a regular investigator for their attorneys. Says Lonski of Putnam: "I've never heard a single mark against his reputation. While some investigators are known as computer sleuths, he's known as a very experienced guy who has a lot of contacts on the streets." Prosecution Witness No. 3, John Sullivan, had a charge pending in Georgia when he was escorted to Buffalo under custody to testify. (He was convicted of sexual battery and simple assault.) Shot in the leg during the fight, Sullivan had fled to the steps of a church 86 yards away (as later measured) when he saw the killing. Sullivan admitted to smoking marijuana sprinkled with cocaine and drinking malt liquor earlier in the day, but he said he slept off the high and wasn't hindered by distance or the quality of the streetlights in identifying Dixon. Jospeh Terranova, Dixon's public defender, waived the opportunity to make an opening statement and called no witnesses. With Jarmon and Brown neutralized by perjury charges, "The witnesses we had left were not that strong," said Terranova after the trial. "If I'd called one or two weak witnesses, the jurors might have asked themselves: Is that all the defense has to offer? He must have done it." The first pages of the trial transcript detail Terranova relaying his client's request for an attorney other than himself. Valentino Dixon claimed Terranova had visited him only once in jail, was unprepared because there were witnesses he hadn't talked to, and was possibly aligned with the prosecution. Terranova says he was prepared. "When you're appointed by the court, it's not unusual that the client has a certain level of frustration and feeling of powerlessness. It's not unusual that they lash out at the only people capable of helping them." In the trial, Terranova tried to impeach the credibility of the prosecution witnesses. He stressed the absence of motive and rested on the fact there was no physical evidence linking Dixon to the victim, Torriano Jackson. The murder weapon was never recovered, and the test results of Dixon's clothes and car had produced nothing to submit. Carl Krahling, now 53, was the foreman and youngest member of the all-white jury that convicted Dixon of second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder and third-degree assault. To this day Krahling remains unsettled. "The first vote was 9-3, not guilty, and I was one of those [voting not guilty]," he says. As he remembers, one very vocal juror steadily persuaded the rest over 14 hours. But his most vivid memory is of their 11 p.m. police escort through the chaotic courtroom after the verdict, news cameras flashing and Dixon's mother wailing. On the way out, Krahling says, the judge called him into his chambers and asked, "What took so long?" Two decades later, Krahling's memory of what the judge said is this: "There's a lot you're not allowed to know. Just trust me, you did the right thing on this. The guy lied to the grand jury; he was involved with weapons charges and drive-by shootings, drug dealings. This guy is a menace and should be off the street. Sleep well tonight, you did the right thing." Judge Michael D'Amico says his recollection of the case is faint, but he is certain this never happened. "In the first place, I don't usually talk to individual jurors, and, secondly, I would never say something like that." "In retrospect I should've hung the jury," Krahling told Golf Digest. "All the people testifying seemed like shady characters. And if they were all members of a rival gang, who knows what happened?" Three months after Dixon was sentenced, Jarmon and Brown faced their perjury trial. A key line in the prosecution's opening remarks reads, "The proof in this case is going to show that only one person had a gun that night. That was Valentino Dixon." Jarmon and Brown were acquitted of three of four counts of perjury. In essence, the verdict decreed the two were not lying in saying Torriano Jackson had a gun, shot it, and shot it at Mario Jarmon. But the verdict says they were lying in saying LaMarr Scott was the person who shot back. Judge D'Amico presided over Jarmon and Brown's perjury trial as well as Valentino Dixon's murder trial. LaMarr Scott entered Attica on the heels of Valentino Dixon. He is serving 25 to 50 years for a 1993 shooting after an armed robbery that left his victim a quadriplegic. He has reverted to the original story he told the TV reporter, that he killed Torriano Jackson. Scott told Golf Digest in March 2012, "Each and every day it eats away at me that I allowed them to convince me to do the wrong thing." He's eligible for parole in 2018, so he risks more prison time if the responsibility for Torriano Jackson's murder is switched to him. As a reward for a clean disciplinary record, LaMarr Scott is also one of the 7 percent of Attica inmates who live in "honor block." He encounters Valentino Dixon regularly, and both say their relationship is cordial. "You can't think negative in here," Dixon says. "The more you resent your situation, the quicker you're going to start dying." LaMarr Scott says criminal justice personnel pressured him into changing his story by bringing his foster parents into the meeting room and threatening their well-being after they left. The earliest record of Scott re-confessing is a 1994 interview he had with Dixon's attorney. Again in 2002, Scott took responsibility for Torriano Jackson's death in a sworn statement, but this generated nothing of consequence. On confessing to police detectives two days after the shooting, Scott wrote in his 2002 statement, "I was told that they had who they wanted, and to leave the situation up to them." "No, it didn't happen," Christopher Belling says about pressuring Scott. "[Scott] had his own lawyer, and I don't remember any foster parents being there. . . . [Scott] came to the grand jury, and he told a different story. That was the story the grand jury heard, and that's the story they went with." Valentino Dixon's theory of the case -- and his conviction -- hasn't wavered. He believes criminal-justice personnel saw an opportunity to halt the ostentatious and rising criminality of his cocaine dealing, and seized it. He says he didn't have a gun that night. He believes the prosecution used Sullivan's pending charge as leverage to get him to testify a certain way. The night of the shooting Dixon had been out on bail for 10 months. When he heard shots, he says, he got out of there as fast as he could. Belling says that any criminal charges Sullivan faced had no connection or impact on Dixon's case. "Apples and oranges," says Belling. Besides dealing drugs, Dixon's worst mistake might have been cutting ties with distinguished attorney Don Thompson. "Appeal work goes very slowly. I understood his frustration, but it was a frustrating case for us, too," Thompson says. "Probably for good reasons of their own, the witnesses we were trying to track down didn't want to talk or be found." Of the handful of witnesses who have surfaced since the murder trial, the most compelling might be Tamara Frida, a social worker with a master's degree who was working in a lab at Buffalo General Hospital in 1991. She says she clearly saw LaMarr Scott shoot Torriano Jackson before she scrambled behind her car. That night a bullet punctured the radiator of her red Geo Tracker, and on the drive home it broke down. Fear of gangland retribution, she says, is what kept her quiet until 1998. "[Torriano] fell face down in the street, and LaMarr was behind him, shooting. They were headed right toward my car. It all happened maybe 10 yards away," Frida told Golf Digest in March 2012. A Buffalo police intra-departmental memo dated four days after the shooting documents a phone call from a female who refused to identify herself: "She said Valentino was not the shooter. . . .She was asked if she was the girl from the red Tracker, and she said yes. . . . She would not say if she could identify the shooter. . . . She would think about it and call back later." Tamara Frida says she was the one who made this phone call, but out of fear she didn't call back. There have been wrongful convictions in Erie County. In 2008, prosecutors dropped murder charges against Lynn DeJac of Buffalo after 13 years served. In 2010, Anthony Capozzi of Buffalo was awarded $4.25 million for 22 years served for rapes he didn't commit. New DNA evidence overturned both convictions. Unfortunately for Dixon, the particulars of his case make the chance of new DNA evidence virtually nil. The only "scientific" backing Dixon has is the results of a lie-detector test he passed. The administrator of the test, Malcolm Plummer, 75, a career private investigator who now teaches criminal justice at Onondaga Community College, says he is convinced of Dixon's innocence. As for appeals, Dixon has made three swings, all misses. The best explanation of why his conviction has been upheld is a 100-page report prepared by U.S. Magistrate Victor Bianchini in 2009. The report attempts to sort out which witnesses are telling the truth and which are not. On nearly every matter in dispute the report rules against the prisoner. The report says the statements of investigator Putnam (about Emil Adams) and Tamara Frida both lack "credibility." Magistrate Bianchini writes, "It is quite difficult to believe that [Frida] would stand by silently while Dixon, whom she purportedly knew to be an innocent man, was charged, convicted and imprisoned, based only upon her notion that she might be subject to retribution by persons unknown for reasons unknown." The only statement by LaMarr Scott "which appears to have any reliability, in this Court's opinion, is his sworn testimony before the grand jury, wherein he [said Dixon was the shooter]." For Jarmon and Brown, the report cites their indictment on four counts of perjury and later conviction, yet omits that each was acquitted on three of the counts. The possible implications of this outcome are not addressed. "The Magistrate erred in failing to hold a hearing [to hear new witnesses speak] on any issue in this complex case," wrote Jim Ostrowski in 2009, just one attorney who tried for Dixon. "Instead, he relied virtually verbatim on the highly dubious decision in the state court by Judge D'Amico... In the absence of a hearing where the credibility of witnesses could be judged, the Magistrate nevertheless made credibility judgments about witnesses." Magistrate Bianchini declined to comment with Golf Digest, citing the ethical problem of a judge commenting on a case that is pending. "A bureaucratic system is set up to protect itself, and so it's not in its interest to admit mistakes," says Ostrowski. Serving a 39 years-to-life sentence, Dixon will be eligible for parole in 2030, when he is 60. But he maintains hope he will be freed before then. The Exoneration Initiative, an organization that provides free legal assistance to wrongfully convicted persons in New York, has looked into his case. Of all Dixon's dreams, his most vivid is to a draw a golf course from real life. ||||| After 27 years in prison, a man who loves golf walked free today. Not only that, he was given back his innocence. Of course, the state can regift innocence about as capably as it can 27 years. Nevertheless, the Erie County District Court in Buffalo, N.Y., has vacated the murder conviction of Valentino Dixon, 48, who was serving a 39-years-to-life sentence—the bulk of it in the infamous Attica Correctional Facility—for the 1991 killing of Torriano Jackson. On that hot August night long ago, both were at a loud street party with underage drinking when a fistfight over a girl turned to gunfire. But before we dive into what really happened, a quick refresher on why golfers might care extra about Valentino Dixon. Six years ago, Golf Digest profiled this inmate who grinds colored pencils to their nubs drawing meticulously detailed golf-scapes. Although Dixon has never hit a ball or even stepped foot on a course, the game hooked him when a golfing warden brought in a photograph of Augusta National’s 12th hole for the inmate to render as a favor. In the din and darkness of his stone cell, the placid composition of grass, sky, water and trees spoke to Dixon. And the endless permutations of bunkers and contours gave him a subject he could play with. “The guys can’t understand,” Dixon has said. “They always say I don’t need to be drawing this golf stuff. I know it makes no sense, but for some reason my spirit is attuned to this game.” Pinterest A sampling of Dixon's golf illustrations. It took about a hundred drawings before Golf Digest noticed, but when we did, we also noticed his conviction seemed flimsy. So we investigated the case and raised the question of his innocence. The case is complicated, but on the surface it involves shoddy police work, zero physical evidence linking Dixon, conflicting testimony of unreliable witnesses, the videotaped confession to the crime by another man, a public defender who didn’t call a witness at trial, and perjury charges against those who said Dixon didn’t do it. All together, a fairly clear instance of local officials hastily railroading a young black man with a prior criminal record into jail. Dixon’s past wasn’t spotless, he had sold some cocaine, but that didn’t make him a murderer. Golf Digest’s 2012 article led to further national spotlights on the case by NBC/Golf Channel, CRTV.com, Fox Sports, the Georgetown University Prison Reform Project and others. Alongside this, Dixon’s daughter, Valentina, led a grassroots campaign to raise money for her father’s legal fees by selling his artwork online. Still, the gears of the legal system refused to turn. As of Christmas 2017, appeals exhausted, Dixon’s petitions for pardon or clemency drew no response from New York governor Andrew Cuomo’s office. But now suddenly, a vacated conviction—which means innocence—a far more lofty legal victory. Why now? It rises from a confluence of factors, according to Donald Thompson, who along with Alan Rosenthal, filed Dixon's latest motion (which included the Golf Digest article) pro bono. “Once a case crosses a certain threshold of media attention, it matters, even though it shouldn’t,” Thompson says. “It’s embarrassing for the legal system that for a long time the best presentation of the investigation was from a golf magazine.” Thompson says Golf Digest’s work eventually was eclipsed by the recent report filed by the Erie County district attorney’s wrongful convictions unit, which is a new type of department popping up in various districts these days. Their report was helped by the Georgetown University students, a group of undergraduates who have also created documentaries, websites and social-media campaigns around three other individuals thought to be wrongfully imprisoned, as part of a class. “They did a great job of speaking to witnesses who could still be located, as well as getting Chris Belling [who prosecuted Dixon] to say things at variance with positions he’s argued in the past.” Pinterest Dixon rubbed colored pencils to their nubs while drawing. Also not to be discounted is the value of fresh blood. Frank Sedita III, the longtime Erie County district attorney who’s said that society ought to be more concerned with “wrongful acquittals,” is out. The new man, John Flynn, has been in the job a year, and it’s basically due to his blessing that Dixon was released. Of course, one small matter to be addressed before a man’s guilt is absolved is to place it on someone else. Just before Dixon walked out of the courthouse, LaMarr Scott walked in and officially plead guilty to Jackson’s murder. Scott admitted responsibility the night of the shooting and has for decades since (including to Golf Digest), with the exception of a brief window of time when Belling pressured him to say otherwise. Scott is already serving a life sentence for a 1993 shooting in an armed robbery that left one victim a quadriplegic. Tacking on a concurrent sentence for Jackson’s murder doesn’t change his prospects, other than maybe making any future parole a slimmer possibility. Where’s Dixon heading after the courthouse? “I’m going to Red Lobster to celebrate with my family and my support team, then we’re going to go a park,” he said. The next day he’s going to visit his grandmother, and the day after that he’s going to buy a cellphone and register for a passport at the post office so he can visit his wife of 12 years, Louise, who lives in Australia. She has a golden heart, and the two met because she has spent her life seeking to help those she can. “So many times I’ve come close [to giving up], but God kept giving me the strength to keep on and now I know why," Dixon told me by phone, hours after learning of his impending freedom. The careers of the people who put Dixon away will not be impacted. All have either retired or moved to new positions. “The positive is that this case could serve as a shining example to wrongful convictions units elsewhere,” Thompson says. Lesser men would’ve broken. With his mind and body in tact, Dixon hopefully has some good years ahead. Maybe he’ll even take up golf. ||||| Valentino Dixon smiles outside Erie County Court in Buffalo, N.Y., on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018, following a hearing at which he was cleared of a murder charge that kept him in prison for 27 years. Family... (Associated Press) BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — A New York prison artist who never played golf but became known for drawings of lush courses he could only imagine was set free Wednesday after authorities agreed that another man committed the murder that put him behind bars for nearly three decades. Valentino Dixon walked out of Erie County Court into bright sunshine and hugs from his mother, daughter and a crowd of other relatives and friends, ready for a meal at Red Lobster and vowing to fight on behalf of others who are wrongly convicted. "I love y'all," Dixon shouted after trading the green prison uniform he wore in court for jeans and a T-shirt. "It feels great." Earlier Wednesday, a judge agreed to set aside Dixon's conviction in the 1991 shooting death of 17-year-old Torriano Jackson on a Buffalo street corner and accepted a guilty plea from another man who had confessed to the killing two days after it happened. "There was a fight. Shots were fired. I grabbed the gun from under the bench, switched it to automatic, all the bullets shot out. Unfortunately, Torriano ended up dying," Lamarr Scott, who has been in prison for 25 years for an unrelated attempted murder, told the court. "I dropped the gun and ran and it was over and done with." Scott said he had gotten the gun, a Tec-9 semi-automatic, from Dixon and the two men had driven together to the crowded corner where the fighting broke out. Scott was given a sentence of 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison, concurrent with his current term. Judge Susan Eagan let stand a count of criminal possession of a weapon against Dixon, and its 5- to 15-year sentence, which she said he had satisfied. "You are eligible for release today," the judge said, igniting applause and shouts from courtroom supporters. "Mr. Dixon is not an innocent man. Don't be misguided in that at all," Erie County District Attorney John Flynn told reporters after the hearing. He described Dixon as "an up-and-coming drug dealer in the city of Buffalo" at the time of the shooting and said Scott was Dixon's bodyguard. "Mr. Dixon is innocent of the shooting and of the murder for what he was found guilty of," he said, "but Mr. Dixon brought the gun to the fight. It was Mr. Dixon's gun." While behind bars, Dixon rekindled his childhood passion for drawing, often spending 10 hours a day creating vivid colored pencil landscapes, including of golf courses, while imagining freedom. Articles in Golf Digest and elsewhere have drawn public attention to Dixon's case, as well as a documentary produced by Georgetown University students as part of a prison reform course last spring. The class worked with Dixon's attorney, Donald Thompson, to have the conviction overturned. "It went so far beyond reasonable doubt that it's pretty outrageous that he would have been convicted and it would have been upheld," said Marc Howard, director of the university's Prisons and Justice Initiative. Howard taught the course with childhood friend, Marty Tankleff, who also spent years wrongfully imprisoned. Dixon said he will keep drawing, while working on behalf of other prisoners. "If you don't have any money in this system, it's hard to get justice because the system is not equipped or designed to give a poor person a fair trial," he said. "So we have a lot of work ahead of us." His daughter, Valentina Dixon, was a baby when her father went to prison. She brought her 14-month-old twins, Ava and Levi, to court from their Columbus, Ohio, home. "We're definitely going to go shopping and go explore life," she said. "I can't wait to get him a cellphone and teach him how to Snapchat." Dixon's mother, Barbara Dixon, said she was in shock after relying on her faith while fighting for his release. "We're going to Red Lobster," she said when asked what was next. "And everybody's invited."

– A New York inmate who has never golfed a game in his life is now a free man, with his innocence restored to him thanks to the game. Golf Digest has the incredible conclusion to the story of Valentino Dixon, a 48-year-old who caught the magazine's attention six years ago, when it profiled the detailed colored-pencil drawings he did of golf courses, a passion that began when a warden asked him to illustrate Augusta National’s 12th hole using a photograph. He spent as many as 10 hours a day drawing, and the magazine dove into his art as well as his story. It seemed off. He was serving a 39-years-to-life sentence for the August 1991 murder of 17-year-old Torriano Jackson at a Buffalo street party, reports the AP. What Golf Digest found when it started digging didn't exactly inspire confidence in the conviction: Though the gun was Dixon's, there was no physical evidence, unreliable witnesses, and another man's confession to the crime just two days after it occurred, among other things. Its 2012 article spurred national media coverage and interest from the Georgetown University Prison Reform Project, but as of 2017, things seemed at a dead end. The article explains the "confluence of factors" that went on to fuel Dixon's vacated conviction, which included the magazine's work and attention on the case from the Erie County district attorney’s wrongful convictions unit. After 27 years behind bars, Dixon was released on Wednesday. Read the full story for more on the man who has now admitted to the shooting and what Dixon plans to do now.

Breaking News National National In a world first, Australian surgeons have successfully transplanted "dead" hearts into patients at Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital. The procedure, using hearts that had stopped beating, has been described as a "paradigm shift" that will herald a major increase in the pool of hearts available for transplantation. It's predicted the breakthrough will save the lives of 30 per cent more heart transplant patients. Until now, transplant units have relied solely on still-beating donor hearts from brain-dead patients. Advertisement But the team at St Vincent's Hospital Heart Lung Transplant Unit announced on Friday they had transplanted three heart failure patients using donor hearts that had stopped beating for 20 minutes. Two of them have recovered well, while the third, who recently undertook the procedure, is still in intensive care. Cardiologist Prof Peter MacDonald said the donor hearts were housed in a portable console coined a "heart in a box". Here they were submerged in a ground breaking preservation solution jointly developed by the hospital and the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute. The hearts were then connected to a sterile circuit where they were kept beating and warm. Cardiothoracic surgeon Assoc Prof Kumud Dhital, who performed the transplants with hearts donated after circulatory death (DCD), said he "kicked the air" when the first surgery was successful. It was possible thanks to new technology, he said. "The incredible development of the preservation solution with this technology of being able to preserve the heart, resuscitate it and to assess the function of the heart has made this possible," he told a press conference on Friday. The first patient to have the surgery done was Michelle Gribilas. The 57-year-old Sydney woman was suffering from congenital heart failure and had surgery about two months ago. "I was very sick before I had it," she said. "Now I'm a different person altogether. "I feel like I'm 40 years old. I'm very lucky." The second patient, Jan Damen, 43, also suffered from congenital heart failure and had surgery about a fortnight ago. The father of three is still recovering at the hospital. "I feel amazing," he said. "I have to say I never thought I'd feel so privileged to wear the St Vincent's pyjamas. "I'm just looking forward to getting back out into the real world." The former carpenter said he often thinks about his donor. "I do think about it, because without the donor I might not be here," he said. "I'm not religious or spiritual but it's a wild thing to get your head around." Prof MacDonald, the director of the Hospital's Heart Lung Transplant Unit, said the team had been working on this project for 20 years and intensively for the past four. "We've been researching to see how long the heart can sustain this period in which it has stopped beating," he said. "We then developed a technique for reactivating the heart in a so-called heart in a box machine. "To do that we removed blood from the donor to prime the machine and then we take the heart out, connect it to the machine, warm it up and then it starts to beat." The donor hearts were each housed in this machine for about four hours before transplantation, he said. "Based on the performance of the heart on the machine we can then tell quite reliably whether this heart will work if we then go and transplant it. "In many respects this breakthrough represents a major inroad to reducing the shortage of donor organs," he said. ||||| Heart transplantation programs around the world face significant challenges in transplantation volume, patient outcomes, and overall cost of patient care. Progress in surmounting these challenges has been limited by the current cold storage heart preservation method. TransMedics developed the OCS™ HEART system to overcome these challenges. This portable, warm perfusion and monitoring system is designed to Increase transplantation volume Improve patient outcomes Reduce cost of patient care The OCS™ HEART is commercially available in Europe and Australia and is in clinical use in leading centers. The system is not available for commercial use in the U.S. It is under clinical investigation in the U.S. OCS™ HEART, a Breakthrough

– For 20 years, the heart transplant unit at Sydney's St. Vincent's Hospital has been working hard to figure out a way to transplant a dead heart into a live patient. Today doctors from the team announced their work had paid off: They have successfully completed three transplants using hearts that had stopped beating for 20 minutes—said to be the first such transplants in the world, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Two of the patients are already up and about, while the most recent recipient is still recovering in intensive care. Heart transplants typically rely on organs taken from brain-dead donors whose hearts are still beating; the Herald reports the new development could save 30% more lives. The surgeon who performed the operations says he "kicked the air" after he realized the first surgery had gone well. The secret to their success lies in cutting-edge technology and the preservation solution in which the nonbeating hearts are immersed. The heart is first placed in a special "heart in a box" machine that warms it up and keeps it beating for about four hours before the transplant operation. The preservation solution, which alone took 12 years to develop, minimizes damage to the organ after it has stopped beating and helps ensure it both survives the surgery and functions in the recipient's body, Sky News reports. Michelle Gribilas, a 57-year-old who had congestive heart failure, tells the Herald that she was "very sick" before having the operation two months ago, and "now I'm a different person altogether. I feel like I'm 40 years old." (This woman wants to live out her heart donor's bucket list.)

Protesters in Portland made it into a Wells Fargo Bank branch Thursday and managed to plant themselves there briefly before being hauled away by police -- the most visible incident in a noisy but largely peaceful march through the city's downtown bank district. Two street marches in Seattle, meanwhile, were poised to get underway in the afternoon near the University of Washington to protest state budget cuts that have chiseled jobs and strangled higher education. The mood in the Pacific Northwest -- a region with a deep tradition of street protest theater -- was raucous, celebratory and so far, except for a bit of shoving, lacking the kind of clashes with police that have erupted in recent days. FULL COVERAGE: Occupy protests around the nation Occupy Portland activists with drums and hand-scrawled signs paraded in tight circles outside the offices of Chase Bank, U.S. Bank and others, but many financial institutions appeared to have locked their doors and hired extra security to guard the windows. "Due to Occupy Portland the building has been locked down until further notice," said a sign on the door of Chase Bank. At one point, a U.S. flag was pulled down and re-raised upside down. "We shut down the banks today because they shut down our economy," a speaker at a rally at Portland's Waterfront Park said before at least several hundred marchers set off through the streets. Portland Police Bureau spokesman Sgt. Pete Simpson said 25 people were arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct earlier in the day when they refused to move off the east end of Steel Bridge. At the Wells Fargo Bank branch, he said, several people -- TV news reports put the number at about 10 -- were taken into custody when they managed to get inside the bank. "They sat down in some kind of protest, and refused to leave," Simpson said in an interview. He said police mainly were focusing on keeping marchers out of the street. "We're trying to contain it to the sidewalks as best we can and get people moving." In Seattle, some confusion arose as two separate marches were planned at mid-afternoon, one commencing from the remnants of the Occupy Seattle encampment at Seattle Central Community College and moving toward the University of Washington, one originating near the university under the auspices of local labor unions and the Washington Community Action Network. Occupy Seattle organizers said that, whatever the routes, the goal was a joint city-wide rally to highlight issues of importance to students. In both Northwest cities, rally organizers were emphasizing the need to avoid violence and keep peace with the police. One Portland activist addressed the appeal via Twitter to the Portland Police Bureau --which regularly tweets its own news of the protests. "Be patient," the post urged. "For no other reason than patience = overtime. Overtime = Awesome holiday shopping." ALSO: New Yorkers spearhead national day of protests New judge named in Penn State child sexual abuse case Devastating storms kill 6 in Southeast, months after earlier deaths -- Kim Murphy in Seattle Photo: Protesters outside a Wells Fargo Bank branch in Portland ,where several were arrested. Credit: Don Ryan / Associated Press ||||| Dow Jones Reprints: This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers, use the Order Reprints tool at the bottom of any article or visit www.djreprints.com PHILADELPHIA—Authorities have told Occupy Philly protesters to vacate their encampment next to City Hall to make way for a long-planned plaza renovation. The city posted official notices Wednesday at the site, saying the permit granted to protesters in early October expires at the start of the $50 million construction project, which is imminent, though no date was given. The city told people to vacate the plaza and remove all personal belongings immediately. The activists, who have protested against income disparity and were inspired by the Occupy Wall Street group in New York, have been ... ||||| Los Angeles police said Thursday night that 72 people had been arrested in protests downtown. Protesters were arrested on charges that included trespassing, remaining at an unlawful assembly and interfering with a peace officer, the Los Angeles Police Department said. PHOTOS: Day of protest The arrests were primarily made during a morning action on Figueroa Street and at an afternoon demonstration at the Bank of America Plaza on Hope Street. The protesters included members of the Service Employees International Union, the American Federation of Teachers, the group MoveOn.org, and Occupy L.A. ALSO: UCLA tells Occupy Wall Street protesters to take down tents West Hollywood officials disappointed by Proposition 8 ruling Faculty strike at Cal State Dominguez Hills, East Bay campuses — Robert J. Lopez twitter.com/LAJourno Photo: Protester is carried away by LAPD near 4th and Figueroa streets. Credit: Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times ||||| Kevin Hagen/New York Daily News Officers arrest another Wall St. protestor during day of marches in lower Manhattan. With their expulsion from Zuccotti Park and their numbers dwindling, the future of Occupy Wall Street seemed uneasy at best just two months after its birth. What will likely linger, no matter what happens to the demonstrators, is the anti-greed message they brought to the national agenda. “I sure hope it’s not the end of Occupy Wall Street,” said history professor Jay Moore, 59, who came down from Vermont to witness Thursday’s march on Wall Street. “It’s not just here in New York, it’s all over the place,” he said. “It will take a while to see where it all shakes out. This is history in the making right here.” Others suggested that two months was long enough for the protesters to wear out their Big Apple welcome. Mitchell Moss, NYU professor of urban policy and planning, said it’s time for the protesters to take their show on the road. “At this point, I think they should quickly migrate to the Washington Monument,” he said. “There’s ample space, and close proximity to the decision makers. “That should be the next stop on their magical mystery tour.” Moss said the protesters were successful in bringing attention to the issue of wealth distribution in the U.S. But he felt additional demonstrations like the one aimed at shutting down Wall Street would work against OWS. “New Yorkers are a work-oriented people, and there is only a limited amount of patience with people who want to disrupt the city,” he said. Tourist Bill Lett, 61, of Denver, thought Moss’ idea of a trip to the nation’s capital made sense. “I think Washington, D.C., is going to be the place where it ends up,” said the retiree. “That’s where the power is. The money flows in Washington.” Radio host and Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa suggested the group’s future was damaged by their Tuesday eviction from Zuccotti Park. “The lack of a place where people are gathered 24/7 is really going to hamper the movement,” he said. “Now they’re on the go, like Bedouins. “Why not go to Crotona Park in the Bronx?” he suggested. “Nobody’s going to evict you there. But the moment you leave the Wall Street area, things start to dissipate.” Newsstand owner John Suda, 50, watched the protesters Thursday and proclaimed the movement still had legs. “Just look at all the people,” he said. “Even with the rain pouring down, still all these people come out. This amount of people won’t just disappear.” Financial analyst Anthony Lyons, 39, offered a different take. “These characters are a joke,” he said. “All week we hear about how they were going to shut down Wall Street, and what do they do? They walk around in circles, chanting to themselves. “This isn’t a movement. It’s a fad.” Baruch College professor Douglas Muzzio said OWS could be finished in terms of bringing its message to the masses. He noted that on a visit to Thursday’s protest, the NYPD appeared to outnumber the demonstrators. But time, he said, would provide the real test for the movement and its message. “It has resonated,” said Muzzio. “The question is does this resonance lead to results? And I can’t say if it’s going to have long-lasting policy and political impact.” lmcshane@nydailynews.com ||||| Can Occupy Ditch Wall Street for New Tactics, Fresh Territory? ShareThis Counter Email After a volatile day of protests and nearly 300 arrests, Occupy Wall Street rang in its two-month anniversary with a show of force across lower Manhattan on Thursday. But it doesn’t change the essential fact that nobody will be sleeping in Zuccotti Park tonight, or perhaps ever again. The “Day of Action” saw Occupy Wall Street organizers trying new tactics: a roving protest model; continuous, decentralized direct action; and disruptions to New York City that reach beyond the boundaries of downtown’s financial district. The leading occupiers are spinning the eviction as creative destruction, a way to refresh and revitalize a movement that had grown stale and claustrophobic. Amid reports that the recent spate of police raids were nationally coordinated and federally planned, organizers hope to boost coordination themselves — from Oakland to Albuquerque. The new message: Leave the parks and take to the streets; occupy offices, bridges, subways, and Ivy League schools. Harrison Schultz, a central organizer of the protests, has been at the occupation since it was just a handful of people in used sleeping bags. Along with the AdBusters crew, he was among several early arrivals who laid the occupation’s foundations; now, they’re racing to rethink them. “Many of my colleagues and I do think that this is the beginning of a new phase for the occupy movement,” he told New York. “New tactics are in order to respond to a national effort against the occupy movement.” Jackie DiSalvo, a former member of SDS and English professor at Baruch College who has helped coordinate Occupy's dealings with the labor movement, said that unions will intensify their efforts outside of the park. “The labor movement is pretty angry,” she told me. “They're going to get their forces out.” More broadly, DiSalvo said, “things are spreading out.” As Brendan Burke, a security-minded occupier, told the Village Voice, it "doesn't have to be about holding ground anymore." The occupation’s presence will grow in Brooklyn and Harlem. Their motto: “Occupy the Hood.” In Harlem, a group of occupiers are planning on occupying old brownstones. And although many reports alleged that the occupation intends to “shut down” the subways, organizers say the real plan is to “recruit people on the trains.”

– What’s the future of an Occupy movement that doesn't have a space to occupy? Experts offer a range of suggestions for those who have been booted from Zuccotti Park: "At this point, I think they should quickly migrate to the Washington Monument," an NYU professor of urban policy tells the New York Daily News. "There’s ample space, and close proximity to the decision-makers." Efforts like yesterday’s to disrupt a city’s functioning won’t get much sympathy, he notes: "New Yorkers are a work-oriented people." A radio host suggests a location closer to home: "Why not go to Crotona Park in the Bronx? Nobody’s going to evict you there." Trouble is, he acknowledges that "the moment you leave the Wall Street area, things start to dissipate." Of course, the movement isn’t confined to New York: Some 72 protesters were arrested yesterday in Los Angeles for trespassing and staying at an unlawful assembly, the Times reports. In Portland, protesters briefly occupied a Wells Fargo Bank branch before getting arrested; other city banks took preemptive action and closed. Occupy Philly members, who have had a positive relationship with the city government, have been told to pack their bags for a new location ahead of planned construction work at City Hall, notes the Wall Street Journal. For more Occupy updates, head to Daily Intel—or check out how protesters managed to "take over" Manhattan's Verizon building.

Communications and Information Systems Able Seaman Andrew Bailey (L), Communications and Information Systems Seaman Georgina Brooks (C) and Gunner Richard Brown aboard the Australian Navy ship HMAS Perth look towards the HMAS Success during manoeuvres as they continue to... Gunner Richard Brown (L) of Transit Security Element looks through binoculars as he stands on lookout with other crew members aboard the Australian Navy ship HMAS Perth as they continue to search for missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 in this picture released by the... SYDNEY/PERTH, Australia A new acoustic signal was detected in the hunt for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 on Thursday, further boosting confidence that officials are zeroing in on the missing plane after weeks of searching. The signal, which could be from the plane's black box recorders, brings to five the number of "pings" detected in recent days within the search area in the Indian Ocean. The first four signals were detected by a U.S. Navy "Towed Pinger Locator" (TPL) aboard Australia's Ocean Shield vessel, while the latest was reported by an aircraft picking up transmissions from a listening device buoy laid near the ship on Wednesday. "Whilst conducting an acoustic search this afternoon a RAAF AP-3C Orion aircraft has detected a possible signal in the vicinity of the Australian Defence Vessel Ocean Shield," Angus Houston, head of the Australian agency co-ordinating the search, said in a statement. The data would require further analysis overnight but it showed the potential of being from a "man-made source", he said. The mystery of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which disappeared more than a month ago, has sparked the most expensive search and rescue operation in aviation history, but concrete information has proven frustratingly illusive. The black boxes record cockpit data and may provide answers about what happened to the plane, which was carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew when it vanished on March 8 and flew thousands of kilometres off its Kuala Lumpur-to-Beijing route. But the batteries in the black boxes have already reached the end of their 30-day expected life, making efforts to swiftly locate them on the murky ocean floor all the more critical. "We are still a long way to go, but things are more positive than they were some time ago," Martin Dolan, chief commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Board, which is involved in the search mission, told Reuters. NARROWING THE SEARCH AREA Up to 10 military aircraft, four civil aircraft and 13 ships are involved in the search effort that has proven fruitless in identifying any physical evidence of wreckage from the flight. Efforts are now focused on two areas - a larger one for aircraft and ships about 2,240 km (1,392 miles) northwest of Perth and a smaller area about 600 km (373 miles) closer to that west Australian city. The smaller zone is around where the Ocean Shield picked up the acoustic signals and where dozens of acoustic sonobuoys were dropped on Wednesday. Each of the sonobuoys is equipped with a listening device called a hydrophone, which is dangled about 1,000 ft below the surface and is capable of transmitting data to search aircraft via radio signals. "That does provide a lot of sensors in the vicinity of the Ocean Shield without having a ship there to produce the background noise," said Australian Navy Commodore Peter Leavy, operational head of the Australian search. But experts say the process of teasing out the signals from the cacophony of background noise in the sea is a slow and exhausting process. Operators must separate a ping lasting just 9.3 milliseconds - a tenth of the blink of a human eye - and repeated every 1.08 seconds from natural ocean sounds, as well as disturbances from search vessels. An autonomous underwater vehicle named Bluefin-21 is also onboard the Ocean Shield, and it could be deployed to look for wreckage on the sea floor once the final search area has been positively identified. As with so many things in this unprecedented search effort, experts say that will not be easy. "Working near the bottom of the ocean is very challenging because this is uncharted territory; nobody has been down there before," Erik van Sebille, an oceanographer at the University of New South Wales, told Reuters. (Editing by Lincoln Feast and Robert Birsel) ||||| Story highlights Search agency: The fifth signal is unlikely to be from the black boxes "There has been no major breakthrough," the head of the agency says Friday's search is focused on a smaller area A U.S. Navy supply ship is joining the search for the missing plane Elevated hopes that Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 might soon be found were tempered Friday, when the joint search agency said the latest signal probably isn't from the missing plane. The most recent acoustic signal detected by an Australian aircraft in the search Thursday is "unlikely to be related to the aircraft black boxes," Australian chief search coordinator Angus Houston said in a statement Friday. "On the information I have available to me, there has been no major breakthrough in the search for MH370," Houston said. "Further analysis continues to be undertaken by Australian Joint Acoustic Analysis Centre." But Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott told reporters in China on Friday that authorities are "very confident" the signals picked up by acoustic detectors are coming from the black box of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, CNN affiliate Sky News Australia reported. It's unclear whether Abbott was referring to four signals detected earlier this week. As planes and boats scoured the Indian Ocean for more signals and signs of wreckage, a senior Malaysian government official and another source involved in the investigation divulged details about the flight to CNN on Thursday, including new information about what radar detected, the last words from the cockpit and how high the plane was flying after it went off the grid. JUST WATCHED Sources: Malaysia plane dropped altitude Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Sources: Malaysia plane dropped altitude 01:21 JUST WATCHED CNN joins MH370 search over Indian Ocean Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH CNN joins MH370 search over Indian Ocean 02:45 JUST WATCHED Search area for Flight 370 shrinks Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Search area for Flight 370 shrinks 03:48 Photos: The search for MH370 Photos: The search for MH370 Two years after Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 went missing, a relative of one of the passengers burns incense in Beijing on March 8, 2016. Flight 370 vanished on March 8, 2014, as it flew from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing. There were 239 people on board. Hide Caption 1 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 On July 29, police carry a piece of debris on Reunion Island, a French territory in the Indian Ocean. A week later, authorities confirmed that the debris was from the missing flight. Hide Caption 2 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 Staff members with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau examine a piece of aircraft debris at their laboratory in Canberra, Australia, on July 20. The flap was found in June by residents on Pemba Island off the coast of Tanzania, and officials had said it was highly likely to have come from Flight 370. Experts at the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, which is heading up the search for the plane, confirmed that the part was indeed from the missing aircraft. Hide Caption 3 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 In late February, American tourist Blaine Gibson found a piece of plane debris off Mozambique, a discovery that renewed hope of solving the mystery of the missing flight. The piece measured 35 inches by 22 inches. A U.S. official said it was likely the wreckage came from a Boeing 777, which MH370 was. Hide Caption 4 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 Relatives of the flight's passengers console each other outside the Malaysia Airlines office in Subang, Malaysia, on February 12, 2015. Protesters had demanded that the airline withdraw the statement that all 239 people aboard the plane were dead. Hide Caption 5 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 A police officer watches a couple cry outside the airline's office building in Beijing after officials refused to meet with them on June 11, 2014. The couple's son was on the plane. Hide Caption 6 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 Members of the media scramble to speak with Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, director general of Malaysia's Civil Aviation Department, at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on May 27, 2014. Data from communications between satellites and the missing flight was released the day before, more than two months after relatives of passengers said they requested it be made public. Hide Caption 7 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 Operators aboard the Australian ship Ocean Shield move Bluefin-21, the U.S. Navy's autonomous underwater vehicle, into position to search for the jet on April 14, 2014. Hide Caption 8 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 A member of the Royal New Zealand Air Force looks out of a window while searching for debris off the coast of western Australia on April 13, 2014. Hide Caption 9 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 The HMS Echo, a vessel with the British Roya; Navy, moves through the waters of the southern Indian Ocean on April 12, 2014. Hide Caption 10 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 A Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion, on a mission to drop sonar buoys to assist in the search, flies past the Australian vessel Ocean Shield on April 9, 2014. Hide Caption 11 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 A relative of a missing passenger cries at a vigil in Beijing on April 8, 2014. Hide Caption 12 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 Australian Defense Force divers scan the water for debris in the southern Indian Ocean on April 7, 2014. Hide Caption 13 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 A towed pinger locator is readied to be deployed off the deck of the Australian vessel Ocean Shield on April 7, 2014. Hide Caption 14 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 A member of the Royal New Zealand Air Force looks at a flare in the Indian Ocean during search operations on April 4, 2014. Hide Caption 15 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 On March 30, 2014, a woman in Kuala Lumpur prepares for an event in honor of those aboard Flight 370. Hide Caption 16 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 The sole representative for the families of Flight 370 passengers leaves a conference at a Beijing hotel on March 28, 2014, after other relatives left en masse to protest the Malaysian government's response to their questions. Hide Caption 17 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 A member of the Royal Australian Air Force is silhouetted against the southern Indian Ocean during the search for the missing jet on March 27, 2014. Hide Caption 18 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 Flight Lt. Jayson Nichols looks at a map aboard a Royal Australian Air Force aircraft during a search on March 27, 2014. Hide Caption 19 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 People in Kuala Lumpur light candles during a ceremony held for the missing flight's passengers on March 27, 2014. Hide Caption 20 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, center, delivers a statement about the flight on March 24, 2014. Razak's announcement came after the airline sent a text message to relatives saying it "deeply regrets that we have to assume beyond any reasonable doubt that MH 370 has been lost and that none of those onboard survived." Hide Caption 21 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 Grieving relatives of missing passengers leave a hotel in Beijing on March 24, 2014. Hide Caption 22 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 A passenger views a weather map in the departures terminal of Kuala Lumpur International Airport on March 22, 2014. Hide Caption 23 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 A Chinese satellite captured this image, released on March 22, 2014, of a floating object in the Indian Ocean, according to China's State Administration of Science. It was a possible lead in the search for the missing plane. Surveillance planes were looking for two objects spotted by satellite imagery in remote, treacherous waters more than 1,400 miles from the west coast of Australia. Hide Caption 24 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 Satellite imagery provided by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority on March 20, 2014, showed debris in the southern Indian Ocean that could have been from Flight 370. The announcement by Australian officials raised hopes of a breakthrough in the frustrating search. Hide Caption 25 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 Another satellite shot provided by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority shows possible debris from the flight. Hide Caption 26 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 A distraught relative of a missing passenger breaks down while talking to reporters at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on March 19, 2014. Hide Caption 27 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 On March 18, 2014, a relative of a missing passenger tells reporters in Beijing about a hunger strike to protest authorities' handling of information about the missing jet. Hide Caption 28 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 U.S. Navy crew members assist in search-and-rescue operations in the Indian Ocean on March 16, 2014. Hide Caption 29 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 Members of the Chinese navy continue search operations on March 13, 2014. After starting in the sea between Malaysia and Vietnam, the plane's last confirmed location, search efforts expanded west into the Indian Ocean. Hide Caption 30 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 A Vietnamese military official looks out an aircraft window during search operations March 13, 2014. Hide Caption 31 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 Malaysian air force members look for debris near Kuala Lumpur on March 13, 2014. Hide Caption 32 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 Relatives of missing passengers wait for the latest news at a hotel in Beijing on March 12, 2014. Hide Caption 33 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 A member of the Vietnamese air force checks a map while searching for the missing plane on March 11, 2014. Hide Caption 34 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 A Vietnamese air force plane found traces of oil that authorities had suspected to be from the missing Malaysia Airlines plane, the Vietnamese government online newspaper reported on March 8, 2014. However, a sample from the slick showed it was bunker oil, typically used to power large cargo ships, Malaysia's state news agency, Bernama, reported on March 10, 2014. Hide Caption 35 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 A U.S. Navy Seahawk helicopter lands aboard the USS Pinckney to change crews on March 9, 2014, before returning to search for the missing plane in the Gulf of Thailand. Hide Caption 36 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 Buddhist monks at Kuala Lumpur International Airport offer a special prayer for the missing passengers on March 9, 2014. Hide Caption 37 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 Members of a Chinese emergency response team board a rescue vessel at the port of Sanya in China's Hainan province on March 9, 2014. Hide Caption 38 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 The rescue vessel sets out from Sanya in the South China Sea on March 9, 2014. Hide Caption 39 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, center, arrives to meet family members of missing passengers at the reception center at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on March 8, 2014. Hide Caption 40 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 A relative of two missing passengers reacts at their home in Kuala Lumpur on March 8, 2014. Hide Caption 41 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 Chinese police at the Beijing airport stand beside the arrival board showing delayed Flight 370 in red on March 8, 2014. Hide Caption 42 of 43 Photos: The search for MH370 Malaysia Airlines Group CEO Ahmad Juahari Yahya, front, speaks during a news conference at a hotel in Sepang on March 8, 2014. "We deeply regret that we have lost all contacts" with the jet, he said. Hide Caption 43 of 43 Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared from military radar for about 120 nautical miles after it crossed back over the Malay Peninsula, sources say. Based on available data, this means the plane must have dipped in altitude to between 4,000 and 5,000 feet, a senior Malaysian government official and a source involved in the investigation tell CNN. The dip could have been programmed into the computers controlling the plane as an emergency maneuver, said aviation expert David Soucie. "The real issue here is it looks like -- more and more -- somebody in the cockpit was directing this plane and directing it away from land," said CNN aviation analyst and former National Transportation Safety Board Managing Director Peter Goelz. "And it looks as though they were doing it to avoid any kind of detection." But former U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General Mary Schiavo was not convinced. She said the reported dip could have occurred in response to a loss of pressure, to reach a level where pressurization was not needed and those aboard the plane would have been able to breathe without oxygen, or to get out of the way of commercial traffic, which typically flies at higher altitudes. That would have been necessary had the plane's transponder been turned off and it lost communications. "If you don't have any communications, you need to get out of other traffic," Schiavo said. "We still don't have any motive and any evidence of a crime yet," she said, adding that most radar can track planes at altitudes below 4,000 feet, so the plane's descent may not have indicated any attempt by whoever was controlling it to hide. She held out hope that the black boxes hold the answers and that they will be found soon. New flight details revealed Malaysian sources told CNN that Flight 370's pilot, Capt. Zaharie Ahmad Shah, was the last person on the jet to speak to air-traffic controllers, telling them "Good night, Malaysian three-seven-zero." The sources said there was nothing unusual about his voice, which betrayed no indication that he was under stress. One of the sources, an official involved in the investigation, told CNN that police played the recording to five other Malaysia Airlines pilots who knew the pilot and copilot. "There were no third-party voices," the source said. The sources also told CNN that Malaysian air force search aircraft were scrambled about 8 a.m. March 8 to the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca, soon after Malaysia Airlines reported that its plane was missing. The aircraft took off before authorities corroborated data indicating that the plane turned back westward, a senior Malaysian government official told CNN. But the air force did not inform the Department of Civil Aviation or search and rescue operations until three days later, March 11, a source involved in the investigation told CNN. Possible signal raises hope The possible signal heard by a search plane was picked up through sonar buoys equipped to receive such electronic data and was detected near the Australian ship Ocean Shield, said the Joint Agency Coordination Centre The Australian Defense Force source said the signal detected was not at the 37.5 kHz frequency consistent with the pingers from flight data recorders but in a range that suggests strongly that it is from something that is man-made. Commodore Peter Leavy of the Royal Australian Navy said Wednesday in Perth that existing technology in RAAF P3 aircraft had been modified to allow the acoustic processor to pick up sounds in the frequency range. Using the technology in this way is experimental, according to the source. The source said four RAAF P3 Orions have been modified with this technology, with the sonar buoys expiring and sinking about eight hours after they are deployed from the aircraft. On Wednesday, Leavy said that each P3 is capable of deploying 84 buoys, laid in a pattern or grid coordinated with the Ocean Shield. Although Leavy said the buoys have sensors that can detect signals "at least" 1,000 feet below the surface, the source is confident that the technology has been tested at a "much deeper depth." Crews have been narrowing the search area in the Indian Ocean. Search areas shrinks Up to 12 military aircraft, three civil aircraft and 13 ships were assigned to assist in Friday's search for the Boeing 777-200ER, which was carrying 239 people when it vanished March 8 on a fight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing. There were no sightings reported by search aircraft or objects recovered by ships on Thursday, the Joint Agency Coordination Centre said. JUST WATCHED Titanic founder: Search crews are close Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Titanic founder: Search crews are close 04:07 JUST WATCHED See AUV used to scour ocean in search Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH See AUV used to scour ocean in search 02:18 JUST WATCHED MH370 passenger's husband speaks out Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH MH370 passenger's husband speaks out 03:40 Friday's search area was about 18,000 square miles (46,700 square kilometers), centered 1,436 miles (2,312 kilometers) northwest of Perth. That's far smaller than the search area's size a few weeks ago. "It's pretty incredible, if you look at where we started, which was virtually the entire Indian Ocean, now getting it down to what's essentially a couple hundred square miles (where the pings have been detected) is pretty miraculous," Marks said. The Ocean Shield first picked up two sets of underwater pulses on Saturday that were of a frequency close to that used by the locator beacons. It heard nothing more until Tuesday, when it reacquired the signals twice. The four signals were within 17 miles of one another. "I believe we are searching in the right area, but we need to visually identify wreckage before we can confirm with certainty that this is the final resting place of MH370," Houston said Wednesday. As the search continues, a U.S. Navy supply ship will help provide supplies and fuel to the ships that are looking for the missing plane. The USNS Cesar Chavez will help supply Australian naval ships involved in the search "in the coming days," the Navy said in a statement. That's likely a sign that search teams are preparing for a lengthy hunt, analysts said. "I think they're getting ready for the long haul," Goelz said. "Even if they do get four or five more pings, once they drop the side-scanning sonar device down, that is going to be painstaking and long. So I think they are settling in for the long search." Friday is Day 35 in the search. Time is of the essence: The batteries powering the flight recorders' locator beacons are certified to emit high-pitched signals for only 30 days after they get wet. "The signals are getting weaker," Houston said Wednesday, "which means we're either moving away from the search area or the pinger batteries are dying."

– An aircraft searching for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane picked up the fifth "ping" detected in recent days, bolstering hopes that searchers are indeed closing in on the plane's location, Reuters reports. The latest signal appears to be from a "man-made source," says the head of the Australian agency coordinating the search, meaning it could be from the airplane's black box recorders; it will be further analyzed overnight. It was picked up thanks to one of the dozens of "sonobuoys" dropped yesterday; they listen underwater and transmit data to aircraft. More reason to hope the plane will be found soon: CNN reports that the signals picked up over the weekend have been analyzed, and authorities say they likely did come from electronic equipment, not marine life, and they seem to be consistent with signals from a flight data recorder. Meanwhile, Malaysian sources have given CNN more details about the search and the plane's final moments. They say: Police played the recording of the final words spoken from the cockpit to air traffic controllers for five Malaysia Airlines pilots who knew the pilot and co-pilot of Flight 370, and those pilots confirmed it was in fact the captain speaking. "There were no third-party voices," one official source says. Sources add that there was no apparent stress, nor anything else unusual, in his voice. The plane vanished from military radar for about 120 nautical miles after crossing back over the Malaysian Peninsula, meaning it likely went as low as 4,000 feet.

The Republic | azcentral.com Fri Dec 27, 2013 12:05 PM The federal government deported 368,644 people last fiscal year, a 10 percent decrease from the previous year and the first time deportations dropped since President Barack Obama took office in 2008. The latest number includes 34,868 people deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s operations in Arizona, a nearly 12 percent drop from the year before. The decrease comes as Obama has been under growing pressure from immigration advocates and some members of Congress to ease up on record deportations. At the same time, the president has been trying to avoid appearing lax on enforcement in order to persuade Congress to pass reforms that include a pathway to citizenship for millions of immigrants in the country illegally. Immigrant advocates say, however, that the decrease isn’t enough and vow to continue fighting deportations, while enforcement proponents say Obama’s administration should be deporting more people, not fewer. One of the reasons Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported fewer people in 2013 is that the agency is focusing more attention on catching and removing serious criminals, whose cases take more time, ICE officials said. An increase in the percentage of Central Americans being apprehended at the border after crossing illegally also has reduced overall deportation numbers because they take more time to deport than Mexicans, ICE officials said. But ICE officials emphasized that 98 percent of the 368,644 people deported last fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, fit into the agency’s priorities of removing criminals, recent border crossers and repeat immigration violators. “These results clearly demonstrate that ICE is enforcing our nation’s laws in a smart and effective way,” acting ICE Director John Sandweg said in a recent conference call with reporters. For the first time, ICE released a statistical breakdown, showing that ICE deported 133,551 people who had been apprehended from the interior of the country. Of those, Sandweg said, 82 percent had been previously convicted of a criminal offense. The remaining 235,093 people deported last year were apprehended while attempting to enter the country illegally. Overall, nearly 60 percent of all the people deported by ICE last year were convicted of a criminal offense, he said. “We will continue our efforts to focus on the removal of criminals and recent border crossers, promoting public safety, border security and the integrity of the immigration system,’ Sandweg said. Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington, D.C., think tank that favors less immigration and more enforcement, challenged Sandweg’s claim that deportations are down because it takes longer to deport criminals. She said the main reason deportations decreased last year is because, under the Obama administration, ICE has chosen to deport fewer overall people. “Criminals don’t necessarily take longer,” Vaughan said. “In many cases, they are quicker” because, in many cases, they are already detained and so don’t have to be tracked down. What’s more, immigrants convicted of crimes are generally less likely to contest their deportation, because they do not usually qualify for legal status, she said. She noted that ICE has instituted policies in recent years that direct agents not to go after undocumented immigrants with children and other ties to the U.S. The Obama administration also has put in place policies that allow undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, known as “dreamers,” to apply for protection from deportation, further reducing the number of people who can be deported. “They have, by policy, exempted so many cases from their priority hierarchy that they are just looking the other way at the majority of the illegal aliens that their agents are encountering,” Vaughan said. Deportations have represented a political tightrope for Obama, who has made passing immigration reform a top domestic priority. But to do it needs the support of Republicans, many of whom remain unconvinced the president is committed to immigration enforcement despite record levels of deportations, which climbed to 409,849 in fiscal 2012 up from 369,221 in 2008. Earlier this month, at least 28 Democratic House members, including U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva of Arizona, signed a letter asking Obama to stop deporting people who might qualify for legal status and citizenship should an immigration-reform bill pass. A bipartisan bill that included a 13-year pathway to citizenship passed the Democratic-controlled Senate in June, but it remains stalled in the Republican-controlled House. In recent months, immigrant-advocacy groups also have blocked detention buses and staged sit-ins at immigration-enforcement facilities in more than a dozen cities, including Phoenix and Tucson. The protests are part of a national “Not One More Deportation” campaign to pressure Obama to halt deportations until Congress passes immigration reforms that provide a path to citizenship for many of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country. A survey by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center released this month indicated that 55 percent of Hispanics and 49 percent of Asian-Americans believe being able to live and work in the U.S. without the threat of deportation is more important than a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Despite the decrease in deportations, the latest numbers “are still astronomical,” said B. Loewe, a spokesman for the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, one of the groups organizing the protests. Loewe said the decrease shows that Obama’s administration has the power to stop deporting people but has instead chosen to deport record numbers of people in hopes of gaining support for immigration reform. “The theory is that deportation was a down payment for immigration reform to bolster his enforcement credentials, but that policy has absolutely failed,” Loewe said. Meanwhile, Loewe said, families continue to be separated. Loewe said his group plans to continue staging protests in the coming year to pressure Obama to ease up on deportations. “A 10 percent drop in already record-number deportations is little salve for the deep wound that his deportation policy has already caused,” Loewe said. ||||| In New Orleans, street sweeps by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents this year also led to a protest. On Nov. 14, nearly two dozen demonstrators, including 14 immigrants without legal status, tied up midday traffic at one of the city’s busiest intersections for nearly three hours until the local police arrested them. “Our people feel they can’t go to the store to buy food or walk their children to school,” said Santos Alvarado, 51, a Honduran construction worker who joined the protest here even though he has legal papers. “We couldn’t be quiet any longer.” Many immigrants here have been stunned by the arrests, in which some people seemed to be stopped based solely on their Latino appearance, because they had been living here uneventfully since they came in the chaotic days after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 to work on reconstruction. One of those workers, Jimmy Barraza, was unloading a carful of groceries on Aug. 16 when agents pulled up with pistols drawn, handcuffing him as well as his teenage son, a United States citizen. A mobile fingerprint check of Mr. Barraza, who is also Honduran, revealed an old court order for his deportation. Mr. Barraza, 28, won release from detention but is still fighting to remain. His wife is a longtime legal immigrant, and he has two other younger children who are American citizens. “If they deport me,” he said, “who will keep my son in line? Who will support my family?” Another Honduran, Irma Lemus, was packing fishing rods for a day on the bayou when cruising immigration agents spotted her family and stopped. A fingerprint check revealed that Ms. Lemus, too, had a deportation order. “They handcuffed me in front of my children,” she recalled, speaking of a son who is 2 and a daughter who is 4.

– Immigration officials sent 368,644 people packing in the last fiscal year, a 10% drop from the record 409,849 deported in 2012, the government announced last week. It's the lowest figure ever recorded under President Obama, who has seen deportations rise every year he's been in office, according to the Arizona Republic. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement says it's been deporting fewer people because it's focusing on the more labor-intense task of kicking out serious criminals, and because it's been catching more Central American border crossers, who take longer to deport than Mexicans. ICE says that 98% of those 368,644 were either criminals, had just crossed the border, or were repeat immigration violators. But immigration hawks say criminals should actually be easier to deport, and think Obama is purposely directing the agency to deport less. Immigration advocates, meanwhile, say the deportations are still tearing families apart—the New York Times last weekend ran a piece on the issue, highlighting one case of a man being hauled away from his girlfriend and the children he had helped raise as part of street sweeps in New Orleans. Obama administration officials told the paper that their hands are in part tied by a Congressional requirement that it detain at least 30,000 people a day.

If you want to survive a biological attack, you might want to look into buying a Tesla. The company just officially unveiled the Model X, and Elon Musk shared a rather unexpected feature during the unveiling: a "bioweapon defense mode" button. "This is a real button," said Musk, who was all too ready to have to defend the existence of the outrageous feature. He was in the middle of discussing how clean the Model X is when it comes to air quality both in and out of the car (the air cleanliness is "on the levels of a hospital room," he said) when things got dark. The Model X is 800 times better at filtering viruses than other cars The button should come in handy "if there’s ever an apocalyptic scenario of some kind," he said. All you apparently have to do is push the button and the Model X's air filter — which is about 10 times larger than a normal car's air filter — should be able to keep you safe. The company claims it's 300 times better at filtering bacteria, 500 times better at filtering allergens, 700 times better at filtering smog, and 800 times better at filtering viruses. "We’re trying to be a leader in apocalyptic defense scenarios," Musk continued. Because what else do you want from a futuristic, semi-autonomous, all-electric car that's as fast as a Porsche than the ability to survive biological warfare? ||||| Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share One of the most talked about features of the new Tesla X crossover electric car are the foldout “falcon wing doors” says USA TODAY’s Chris Woodyard. Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY Tesla is showing its radical new Model X, with an upward opening rear door (Photo: Chris Woodyard/USA TODAY) FREMONT, Calif. — Tesla unveiled its long-awaited electric crossover Tuesday night, a gull-winged beauty that will shake up the luxury vehicle market. The Model X was rolled out by CEO Elon Musk before hundreds of enthusiasts and media near the Tesla factory here, south of San Francisco. Six of the SUVs were being delivered to owners. Model X uses the same electric drivetrain as its hit Model S sedan, allowing similar breakneck acceleration times and about 250 miles of range per charge. It will be billed as the world's quickest SUV — 0 to 60 mph in as little as 3.2 seconds. But it also has the extra space of a crossover, and some key innovations like a windshield that lets you see the sky above you and one of the most sophisticated passenger air filters seen in a car. Top speed is 155 mph. Model X "sets a new bar for automotive engineering," Musk told reporters before the vehicle was formally unveiled. The new vehicle tests whether Tesla can compete against the likes of Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Lexus in a new space — crossovers. It's one of the hottest segments of the automotive market as consumer seek roomier, yet plush, vehicles. The price will be as breathtaking as its performance — $132,000 for the initial "signature" or "founders" version. Model X pushes the limits of its production system and designers. The company delayed the launch for months trying to perfect the vehicle's signature feature, its radical upward-opening "falcon doors" for the second row. They are meant to allow for graceful entries into the rear seats. More practically, they self adjust so they won't bang against the sides of other cars in parking lots. But more than anything, they make a statement that this is no ordinary crossover. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said he wanted to make sure the doors are just right, that they close properly and protect against all the elements. Besides it's novel doors, Tesla is touting other features about the Model X. For instance, it can tow 5,000 pounds. Its electric power gives it a lot of low-end torque, which helps with towing trailers or boats. It also comes with what Tesla describes as one of the largest windshields ever put on a vehicle. The windshield extends all the way past the top of the driver's head. Front passengers will get not only a panoramic view of the road, but of the trees and sky passing by. Tesla also promises that it will have many new safety features. With the batteries placed low in the vehicle, they say that it has low susceptibility to roll over. Tesla has to make sure it can make enough of the new Model X to meet demand. Right now, the wait for one to be delivered is up to 12 months. The company is going to make its Model S sedan and Model X crossover the same production line. It told investors recently that it intends to choose quality over production quotas and if suppliers' parts don't meet specifications or a complication is encountered on the line, it could slow output. Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1KKaV87 ||||| Tesla unveiled its new Model X SUV crossover Tuesday night at a massive gathering in Fremont, California. CEO Elon Musk gave a thorough presentation in which he described the many capabilities of the $132,000 electric crossover. Equipped with two electric motors and a 90-kWh battery pack, the Model X P90D equipped with Ludicrous Mode can reach 60 mph in just 3.2 seconds and reach a top speed of 155 mph. In addition, the 5,400-pound P90D can go 250 miles on a single charge. Musk outlined many of the Model X's standout features including its falcon-wing doors, panoramic windshield, intuitive automatic doors, and monopost seats. But the introduction of one surprising feature generated some of the biggest cheers of the night. View As: One Page Slides Musk opened the presentation by going over the practical features of the Model X such as side-impact protection. Eventually he moved on to the crossover's impressive cabin-air filtration system. Though the Model X's innovative air filters can virtually eliminate all harmful particulates and bacteria from the cabin, it didn't quite capture the imagination of the crowd. Then Musk introduced the air-filtration system's Bioweapon Defense Mode. At first the crowd filled with thousands of Tesla customers didn't know how to respond. Tesla is known for using over-the-top names — such as Ludicrous Mode — for some of its cars' features. But when the Tesla CEO confirmed that this was indeed an actual feature found in the car's ventilation system, the crowd erupted in some of the loudest cheers of the night. Tesla says the Model X features three filters capable of scrubbing the air to the cleanliness quality of a hospital operating room.

– USA Today says that Tesla's new electric crossover SUV "will shake up the luxury vehicle market." But what really impressed crowds at the $132,000 vehicle's unveiling Tuesday night in California is the Model X's apparent ability to shake out dangerous contaminants from the vehicle's cabin in case of a bioweapons attack, Business Insider reports. As CEO Elon Musk first introduced the air-filtration system's "Bioweapon Defense Mode," the audience wasn't quite sure what he was getting at, since Tesla "is known for using over-the-top names—such as Ludicrous Mode—for some of its cars' features," the site notes. But then Musk elaborated: The air filters are comprised of three layers of activated carbon to purge the cabin of acidic and alkaline gases and hydrocarbons, "scrubbing the air to the cleanliness quality of a hospital operating room," per Business Insider. "If there's ever sort of an apocalyptic scenario … hypothetically, you just press the Bioweapon Defense Mode button. This is a real button!" Musk said—to which the crowd simply kept cheering. Makes sense, observes the Verge, "because what else do you want from a futuristic, semi-autonomous, all-electric car that's as fast as a Porsche than the ability to survive biological warfare?" (A different Tesla vehicle recently "broke" the Consumer Reports testing scale.)

These crawls are part of an effort to archive pages as they are created and archive the pages that they refer to. That way, as the pages that are referenced are changed or taken from the web, a link to the version that was live when the page was written will be preserved.Then the Internet Archive hopes that references to these archived pages will be put in place of a link that would be otherwise be broken, or a companion link to allow people to see what was originally intended by a page's authors.The goal is to fix all broken links on the web . Crawls of supported "No More 404" sites. ||||| Mount Huashan Photograph by Vivian Lee Huashan National Park, China Best for: Pilgrims and daredevils Distance: 7.5 miles from the gate to the top of South Peak The path along rickety planks hanging out over the void on China’s Mount Huashan have become a viral video sensation, showing up on "Craziest Hikes" lists everywhere. But that moniker is a bit of a misconception. The perilous, die-if-you-fall hike that looks like it was built by Spanky and the Little Rascals is just one small path on the massive Huashan, which is the westernmost of China’s Five Great Mountains (each of which is named for the cardinal directions and a center peak), ancient imperial pilgrimage sites sacred to Taoists and still drawing spiritual travelers and tourists to the temples perched on them. Huashan is not a single summit but a complex of five major peaks, the highest of which is the 7,087-foot South Peak. The Chang Kong Zhan Dao (or Sky Plank Road) is the boldest way access to the South Peak (which itself consists of three subpeaks). It’s a loony, fun ride of ladders, foot-wide wooden boards, cables, and steps hacked into the cliff—all hanging in the sky. You can rent via ferrata-type gear to protect yourself as you navigate it. Ascending Huashan is a walk into the spiritual history of the mountain and China itself. For millennia—before the cable cars and hordes of tourists who swarm here now along many different paths—the way up Huashan was supposed to be difficult, testing the pilgrim who wished to find the way (or the Tao). Each of the granitic peaks can be accessed by a different hike (and two of them by cable car) or by a new loop trail at the top. Now, just because the Chang Kong Zhan Dao is not necessary to get to the top of all the summits doesn't mean that the other ways up are cozy. The hikes often require ridiculously steep stairs (some of which have been chained off) and holding on to chain railings, on which you may notice hundred of locks attached. These are charms left by couples and families as wishes for love and good luck. Thrill Factor: The Chang Kong Zhan Dao is truly dangerous, even with safety gear. The rest of the mountain is accessed by thousands of tourists (a record 47,000 visited the site in one day in 2013) in varying states of fitness, so you should be able to reach the top even if you don’t want to scare yourself. As of 2014, the Chinese government has also opened a new trail on the top of the peak to make it easier to visit all the peaks and just implemented an $8.3 million-command center so it can monitor the trails through video cameras and keep them from becoming over-congested. Take It Easy: Many visitors hike to the top of the East Peak in the dark to catch the sunrise. It’s not easy but nowhere near as crazy as the Chang Kong Zhan Dao. And of course, the easiest way to the top is to ride the cable car to the North Peak (Yuntai Feng or Cloud Terrace Peak) or, as of 2013, West Peak (Lian Hua Feng or Lotus Peak), from which you can access trails to explore the others, if you wish. ||||| El Caminito del Rey is opening next Saturday, on March 28th, after it went through refurbishment process funded by the County Council of Málaga that gave €5.5m for the boardwalks and its surroundings. County Council President Elías Bendodo have announced today that tomorrow, on February 24th, tickets will be available for booking. They are free, but compulsory to obtain at www.caminitodelrey.info. This web page is available in Spanish, English, French and German. You can choose date and hour of the visit, as well as, the access route, which can be from Ardales or Álora. Each user can obtain maximum 5 passes that will be valid for two months. Visits will be free while the county Council manages the trail, which will probably last for six months, and definitely not more than a year, Mr Bendodo assured. Together with the Mayors of Álora and Ardales, José Sánchez and Juan Calderón, the County Council President explained the regulations which are to be followed during the visit and the booking. The County Council agreed with Antonio Pascual, president of the electric power company Fundación Sevillana Endesa who was also present, on ornamental lightening with led lights of this natural beauty spot. Mr Bendodo said: ‘We have finally finished the project that had seemed impossible to carry out for more than twenty years. It has already become real thanks to the County Council sponsorship and the collaboration of other involved institutions’. The web page is going to be available for booking from tomorrow, 24th February, at 12 o’clock on. Active Tourism There is 6 kilometres distance between two control cabins at the end of each boardwalk in Álora and Ardales. It we take into account the distance between El Chorro Train Station and the King’s Chair, this distance is 8.5 kilometres. Mr Bendodo recommended visitors to come by train. As for the public space and safety regulations, visitors will receive a helmet at the entrance to the path. This hiking route is part of active tourism and certain physical effort is required as it takes few hours to get to the aim. The County Council president emphasized: ‘El Caminito del Rey is not dangerous at all, but it is necessary to be careful due to the characteristics of the spot.’ Adults and children under supervision, older than eight, can access the spot. They must come half an hour before the booked entrance time to the selected access point (Ardales or Álora). It is forbidden to carry children, big bags or backpacks; to light a fire, or to use umbrellas when it rains because the boardwalks are narrow and there is to occupy as less space as possible. As for the timetable, there are timetables for two different seasons. In winter time, from November 1st to March 31st, El Caminito del Rey Path opens from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., while, in summer time, from April 1st to October 31st, it is opened until 5 p.m. It closes on Mondays, on December 24th, 25th and 31st, and January 1st, as well as on days with winds of more than 35 km/h. Apart from individual tickets, from next week on, group visits with no more than 50 people can be planned thanks to the operators specialized in active tourism that co-operate with the County Council. Maximum 600 people a day The path will be able to hold 600 people a day. Fifty people will be able to access the path every half an hour. There will never be more than 400 people on the boardwalks at the same time. All these conditions are written in a Regulation Document that has been approved at a plenary meeting and will be controlled by a Monitoring Committee, which has two members from the County Council, two from Ardales and two from Álora. The Mayor of Ardales highlighted the importance of ‘generosity’ of all the involved institutions when it was about creating this project, and he thanked to the County Council for ‘its effort, dedication and efficiency.’ Mr Calderón believes that the path ‘will stimulate the area’s development, above all, in the case of Álora and Ardales, and the whole province will have benefits out of it.’ The mayor of Álora stressed that all the institutions involved in the project: ‘have done well. They have refurbished a spectacular area, so that companies can create employment inside the area.’ Mr Sánchez added that all of them ‘will help small and medium-sized enterprises to increase their profit’, and he informed in advance that his municipality will invest €300,000 for refurbishing El Chorro Train Station. Decoration with Lightening On the other hand, the Málaga County Council and the company Endesa are going to collaborate in the ornamental lightening of El Caminito del Rey Path. Mr Bendodo praised this agreement, and he pointed out that it ‘will make stronger this initiative which is meant to restore one part of the history of the province’, and it will stimulate economic activity in the Guadalhorce Valley area, and especially in the Towns of Ardales and Álora. Antonio Pascual reminded everybody that the company Fundación Sevillana Endesa is ‘closely connected to El Caminito del Rey’, considering that its property had once been owned by Hydroelectric Power Station, built at the beginning of the 20th century, which joined power stations, waterfalls of Gaitanejo and el Chorro Dam. These Málaga factories were obtained by Endesa Group, which was formerly Sevillana de Electricidad. Advanced techniques and materials are going to be used for ornamental illumination of the path and the tunnel in Ardales. Likewise, Fundación Sevillana Endesa company will place two bronze walls at each entrance point of the path where its refurbishment will be explained.

– The stunning cliffside walkway in Spain once known as one of the world's most dangerous is a lot safer now, authorities say—but still no place for the fainthearted. The recently reopened Caminito del Rey trail includes 2 miles of thin boardwalks that hang 300 feet over the Guadalhorce River gorge, reports the New York Daily News. The famous pathway was officially closed in 2000 after four people fell to their deaths, but authorities launched a major renovation project after daredevils continued to traverse the path, even though parts of it were completely gone and they had to get over big gaps, reports National Geographic, which lists it among the world's most thrilling trails. The trail's website says that after the $6 million renovation project, visitors "aren't risking their lives," but the boardwalks and hanging footbridge, "as well as steep walls, make many visitors feel inevitably dizzy," ABC News reports. It will be free to walk the renovated trail, which started out as a path for hydroelectric workers in 1921, the Daily News reports, but hiker numbers will be limited to 600 per day—and they'll be required to don helmets. (For those with a longer hike in mind, officials are making progress on the 1,000-mile Mountains-to-Sea Trail in North Carolina.)

Animal Welfare: kdaf-animal-cruelty-allegations-at-texas-farm-story The images are gruesome and graphic, sickening to even seasoned animal advocates who thought they had seen it all. "This is sadistic behavior that has got to be stopped. They are using pick axes and hammers to bash in their skulls," Eddie Garza with Mercy For Animals, said. The animal rights group with an office in Dallas, captured undercover video of employees at a West Texas dairy cattle ranch, bludgeoning sick and injured calves with pick axes and hammers. In the video, the calves are seen walling, as they are repeatedly struck. Officials say workers at the E6 Cattle Company in Hart, Texas beat the animals almost daily during a two week stretch in March. "Every day from March 2nd through March 18th, our investigator documented this cruelty." The advocacy group turned over its video evidence to the Castro County District Attorney's office, claiming that even the owner of the ranch knew about the bloody practice. On the video a man can be seen, approving of the use of hammers to kill the calves. Under Texas animal cruelty laws, livestock are considered a special category, according to officials. Authorities say that practices like castration or branding might seem offensive, but aren't illegal because they are considered standard practice in the industry. "This is not a normal livestock industry standard," James Bias, President of SPCA of Texas, said. Bias watched the video noting how employees were using blunt force on the calves instead of striking them with a killing blow. Bias says some ranchers use guns or a machine called a captive bolt to euthanize injured animals, but never farm tools. "There is no defense to prosecution in claiming that this is some kind of industry standard because no one would say that a pick axe is the best way to euthanize downed livestock." Garza's group is opposed to eating animals and advocates a vegetarian diet. He says Mercy For Animals wants consumers to know what happens to the meat before it hits a plate. But, most agree the images captured on video have little to do with lifestyle and everything to do with the law. Calls to the E6 Ranch and the Castro County District Attorney's Office were not returned. ||||| AUSTIN — Undercover footage that an animal advocacy group says reveals abuse, neglect and torture of calves at a dairy operation in a small Panhandle town has sparked a sheriff’s office inquiry. The Castro County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the dairy operation E6 Cattle Co. in Hart after Mercy for

– A tough-to-watch hidden camera video at a Texas dairy farm shows workers bludgeoning calves with pick axes and sledgehammers, reports KDAF-TV. The Castro County Sheriff's Department has opened an animal cruelty investigation after watching the video made at the E6 Cattle Company, notes the Dallas Morning News. The local district attorney also has the video, though no charges have yet been filed. (To see part of the video, click through to the KDAF-TV link.) "There is no defense to prosecution in claiming that this is some kind of industry standard because no one would say that a pick axe is the best way to euthanize downed livestock," said the president of the SPCA of Texas. The animals rights group that made the video, shot over more than two weeks by an investigator posing as a carpenter, goes further. It's "sadistic" and "constitutes torture," says a director of Mercy For Animals.

Get your garlic, crosses and stakes ready: a bloodsucking vampire is on the loose. In this Nov. 30, 2012 photo villager Mico Matic, displays garlic that he carries in his pockets, in the village of Zarozje, near the Serbian town of Bajina Basta. Get your garlic, wooden crosses and... (Associated Press) In this Nov. 30, 2012 photo is a grave of a villager in the village of Zarozje, near the Serbian town of Bajina Basta. Get your garlic, wooden crosses and stakes ready: a bloodsucking vampire is on the... (Associated Press) In this Nov. 30, 2012 photo a woman walks on the road, in the village of Zarozje, near the Serbian town of Bajina Basta. Get your garlic, wooden crosses and stakes ready: a bloodsucking vampire is on... (Associated Press) In this Nov. 30, 2012 photo Milka Prokic is seen at twilight with a garland of garlic and a wooden stake, in the village of Zarozje, near the Serbian town of Bajina Basta. Get your garlic, wooden crosses... (Associated Press) Or so say villagers in the tiny western Serbian hamlet of Zarozje, nestled between lush green mountain slopes and spooky thick forests. They say rumors that a legendary vampire ghost has awakened are spreading fear _ and a potential tourist opportunity _ through the remote village. A local council warned villagers to put garlic in their pockets and place wooden crosses in their rooms to ward off vampires, although it appeared designed more to attract visitors to the impoverished region bordering Bosnia. Many of the villagers are aware that Sava Savanovic, Serbia's most famous vampire, is a fairy tale. Still, they say, better to take it seriously than risk succumbing to the vampire's fangs. "The story of Sava Savanovic is a legend, but strange things did occur in these parts back in the old days," said 55-year-old housewife Milka Prokic, holding a string of garlic in one hand and a large wooden stake in another, as an appropriately moody mist rose above the surrounding hills. "We have inherited this legend from our ancestors, and we keep it alive for the younger generations." Vampire legends have played a prominent part in the Balkans for centuries _ most prominently Dracula from Romania's Transylvania region. In the 18th century, the legends sometimes triggered mass hysteria and even public executions of those accused of being vampires. Sava Savanovic, described by the Zarozje villagers as Serbia's first vampire, reputedly drank the blood of those who came to the small shack in the dense oak tree forest to mill their grain on the clear mountain Rogatica river. The wooden mill collapsed a few months ago _ allegedly angering the vampire, who is now looking for a new place to hang his cape. Some locals claim they can hear steps cracking dry forest leaves and strange sounds coming from the rocky mountain peaks where the vampire was purportedly killed with a sharp stake that pierced his heart _ but managed to survive in spirit as a butterfly. "One should always remain calm, it's important not to frighten him, you shouldn't make fun of him," said villager Mico Matic, 56, whose house is not far from the collapsed mill. "He is just one of the neighbors, you do your best to be on friendly terms with him," he said with a wry smile, displaying garlic from both of his trouser pockets. Some locals say it's easy for strangers to laugh at them, but they truly believe. "Five people have recently died one after another in our small community, one hanging himself," said Miodrag Vujetic, a local municipal council member. "This is not by accident." Vujetic, however, said that "whatever is true about Sava," locals should use the legend to promote tourism. "If Romanians could profit on the Dracula legend with the tourists visiting Transylvania, why can't we do the same with Sava?" Richard Sugg, a lecturer in Renaissance Studies at the U.K.'s University of Durham and an expert on the vampire legends, said the fear could be very real. Stress can bring on nightmares, which makes people's feelings of dread even worse. "The tourists think it is fun _ and the Serbian locals think it's terrifying," he said. ||||| North Korean historical institute 'declares it has discovered unicorn lair belonging to founder of ancient kingdom’ In yet another outlandish claim to come out of North Korea historians have allegedly announced that they have unearthed a unicorn lair. A report released by the History Institute of the DPRK Academy of Social Sciences claims that archaeologists discovered the lair of the mythical animal just outside a temple in the capital Pyongyang. And, unsurprisingly, the lair - according to the report - means that Pyongyang was the focal point of an ancient, united Korea. Odd: The unicorn lair has apparently been discovered just outside Yongmyong temple on Moran Hill, in the capital Pyongyang OTHER UNUSUAL CLAIMS TO COME OUT OF NORTH KOREA At the women's World Cup of football in 2011 the North Koreans put their poor performance down to being struck by lightning. Five of their players later tested positive for steroids. Most of the more unusual claims stem from former leader Kim Jong-il and his biographer. According to the book he reportedly warned the public in North Korea that he could control the weather with his mood. He also claimed his birth had been prophesied and was heralded with a double rainbow and a new star in the heavens. Years late Kim was apparently very busy during university writing no fewer than 1,500 books in three years and composing six operas. But it wasn't just the arts he took a keen interest in. Apparently, in his first and only ever round of golf he shot 38-under with 11 holes in one. Satisfied with his performance, he reportedly immediately declared his retirement from the sport. In what appears to be a suggestion of superiority over nearby enemies South Korea, the report says: 'The discovery of the unicorn lair, associated with legend about King Tongmyong, proves that Pyongyang was a capital city of Ancient Korea as well as Koguryo Kingdom.' The dubious report, released by the state news agency, says the lair clearly belonged to King Tongmyong, founder of the ancient Korean kingdom Koguryo . It goes on to say: 'A rectangular rock carved with words "Unicorn Lair" stands in front of the lair. 'The carved words are believed to date back to the period of Koryo Kingdom (918-1392) . 'The temple served as a relief palace for King Tongmyong, in which there is the lair of his unicorn.' Jo Hui Sung, director of the Institute, told KCNA, the state news agency, that the findings is in keeping with the country's history. He said: 'Korea’s history books deal with the unicorn, considered to be ridden by King Tongmyong, and its lair. 'The Sogyong (Pyongyang) chapter of the old book �?Koryo History’, said Ulmil Pavilion is on the top of Mt. Kumsu, with Yongmyong Temple, one of Pyongyang’s eight scenic spots, beneath it. 'The temple served as a relief palace for King Tongmyong, in which there is the lair of his unicorn.' The legend of unicorns is thought to have stemmed from European folklore, in which the animal resembles a white horse with a single horn. Until the 19th century the beast, considered a symbol of purity and grace, was still thought to exist - even by academics and theologians. But since then there has been little to suggest that there are lairs elsewhere in the world. Discovery: Archaeologists in North Korea have apparently discovered a unicorn lair in the heart of Pyongyang Bold claims: Former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il was at the centre of some other dubious claims before his death The unbelievable news does however follow a number of bizarre claims to come out of the country. It has been suggested, however, that the release of the story could be in retaliation against a spoof North Korea related story which tricked a newspaper in China.

– North Korea not only has a sexy leader—it also lays claim to a bona fide unicorn lair, the Daily Mail reports. The very serious-sounding History Institute of the DPRK Academy of Social Sciences released a report about it, saying the unicorn's refuge was outside a temple in Pyongyang. Conveniently, the report added that the lair—which is associated with an ancient legend—proves Pyongyang once played a key role in a united Korea. How did they spot the lair? It has "a rectangular rock carved with words 'Unicorn Lair'" sitting outside, the report said. North Koreans aren't the only ones dipping into old stories: Villagers in the Serbian town of Zarozje say a vampire has been stalking the area since its home, a grain mill, fell over a few months ago, the AP reports. Locals seem divided about whether it's real or just an attempt to boost tourism in an impoverished area, but the legend of blood-sucking Sava Savanovic does date back centuries. "If Romanians could profit on the Dracula legend with the tourists visiting Transylvania, why can't we do the same with Sava?" says a local council member.

A British International Olympic Committee member was sent home from the Winter Olympics on Thursday after an altercation with a security guard. Adam Pengilly, who is one of three British IOC members, was accused of injuring a guard when leaving his hotel in Pyeongchang earlier in the day. An IOC spokesperson confirmed: “The IOC wishes to apologise for the behaviour of one of its members, and feels extremely sorry for the incident caused by Mr Adam Pengilly. “Following an interview with the IOC Ethics and Compliance officer he will leave the Olympic Games and South Korea with immediate effect. “We would like to once again thank all the authorities and the police who are doing an excellent job and deserve all our thanks. “Mr Pengilly has expressed his apologies to the security man involved. His mandate as an IOC member will expire on 25 February.” ||||| Yun Sungbin of South Korea celebrates winning the gold medal during the men's skeleton final at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Friday, Feb. 16, 2018. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn) (Associated Press) Yun Sungbin of South Korea celebrates winning the gold medal during the men's skeleton final at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Friday, Feb. 16, 2018. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn) (Associated Press) PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AP) — It was a rough day in Pyeongchang for Mikaela Shiffrin and Nathan Chen. The 22-year-old Shiffrin finished fourth in the women's Olympic slalom on Friday, failing to win her second medal in as many days. She won gold in the giant slalom on Thursday. The fourth-place showing on Friday was a surprise considering the American standout won the Olympic slalom title four years ago in Sochi when she was only 18. Shiffrin struggled to describe what happened and why she wasn't attacking the course more. "I've been skiing aggressively in slalom all season long. I've been confident, comfortable," Shiffrin said. "Coming here and skiing the way I did, really conservative, was a huge disappointment. ... That's how life goes." Frida Hansdotter of Sweden won gold with a combined time of 1 minute, 38.63 seconds. In figure skating, Chen was anything but spot-on in the men's figure skating short program. The two-time U.S. champion missed on all his jumps, plummeting to 17th place with a tentative and passionless showing. "I've never been in this spot before," Chen said. "I mean, I thought I did everything right in terms of my general approach going into this. Things just didn't click together." Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan set an Olympic record with 111.68 points and is more than four points ahead of Spain's Javier Fernandez, who is in second. American skater Adam Rippon is in seventh. The men's free skating competition is on Saturday. MEN'S HOCKEY A pair of college players was instrumental in helping the United States secure an important 2-1 win over Slovakia in the preliminary round. Ryan Donato scored two power-play goals and Troy Terry dominated with his speed. They are two of four NCAA players on the no-NHL Olympic roster. "Life comes at you fast," Donato said. "Coming in I don't know if I saw myself in that role, but now that I'm here and kind of in that role, it's building up guys like me, Troy and Jordan, our confidence, and hopefully it'll continue to grow and hopefully help the team in a more major, impactful way." Goalie Ryan Zapolski made 21 saves for his first Olympic victory, which is crucial considering only the top four of 12 teams avoid the qualification round Monday. The regulation win means the U.S. vaults to the top of Group B with four points. Slovakia was second with three, followed by Slovenia and Russia. The U.S. faces Russia in each team's final preliminary-round game Saturday night. MEN'S ALPINE SKIING Matthias Mayer broke Norway's 16-year grip on the men's Olympic super-G title with his victory on another near-perfect clear and cold day for Alpine racing. The Austrian skier won the speed race by 0.13 seconds over Beat Feuz of Switzerland, who added the silver medal to his bronze from downhill a day earlier. Defending champion Kjetil Jansrud of Norway was third — 0.18 seconds behind Mayer — to earn his fifth career Olympic medal. SKELETON Yun Sungbin of South Korea earned a dominant win in men's skeleton with a four-run time of 3 minutes, 20.55 seconds — a staggering 1.63 seconds ahead of silver medalist Nikita Tregubov of Russia. It's the largest margin of victory in Olympic skeleton history, and the largest margin in any Olympic sliding event since 1972. The 23-year-old Yun said he felt no pressure to win, even with his home country hosting the Olympics. "There was no reason to feel any pressure," Yun said. "I mean, it's my home track. So I can really feel at home here. And I think that I always believed it would come out greatly if I do the same things I've always done." MORE MEDALS — Michela Moioli of Italy won the gold medal in women's snowboardcross, overtaking American rival Lindsey Jacobellis about halfway down the course. Jacobellis placed fourth, continuing her hard-luck career at the Olympics . The sport's most decorated rider, Jacobellis has failed to return to the podium since settling for silver after an ill-advised jump in 2006 while she was clear in the lead. Julia Pereira de Sousa Mablieau of France won silver. Defending champion Eva Samkova of the Czech Republic took bronze. — Dario Cologna of Switzerland became the first cross-country skier to win three Olympic gold medals in the same event by capturing the 15-kilometer freestyle. "Super Dario," as he's known, also won this race in Vancouver in 2010 and Sochi in 2014. The win also gave Switzerland its first gold medal of the Pyeongchang Olympics. ___ For more AP Olympic coverage: https://www.wintergames.ap.org

– The International Olympic Committee has sent one of its own members home from Pyeongchang after a clash with a hotel security guard. The Telegraph reports that British IOC member Adam Pengilly is leaving South Korea "in disgrace" after the incident. Pengilly—a skeleton slider for Britain in the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics—has apologized for the incident. He says he ran past the guard after the man blocked his path and demanded to see his accreditation, but denies that he fought or even touched him. In other Winter Olympics news: Tough day for Shiffrin. The AP reports that Friday wasn't a great day for one of the most high-profile American athletes in Pyeongchang. Mikaela Shiffrin, who had been hoping for back-to-back golds after Thursday's win in the giant slalom, came fourth in the women's Olympic slalom. The US men's hockey team however, scored an important 2-1 win over Slovakia in the preliminary round, bringing them to the top of Group B.

People are evacuated from Zaventem Airport in Brussels after an explosion on Tuesday, March 22, 2016. Explosions, at least one likely caused by a suicide bomber, rocked the Brussels airport and subway... (Associated Press) BRUSSELS (AP) — The Latest on explosions at Brussels airport and metro station (all times local): 6:20 p.m. Federal police in Belgium have issued a wanted notice for a suspect in the Brussels airport bombing that they are still trying to identify. A man wearing a thick light-colored jacket with a black hat and glasses is suspected of committing an attack at Zaventem airport on Tuesday morning. They are urging the public to call them if they recognize the man. ___ 6:15 p.m. Ralph Usbeck, 55, an electronics technician from Berlin, was checking his baggage for an American Airlines flight to Florida when the first blast struck in Brussels. He assumed it was a training exercise. He says "seconds later, a much more heavy, heavy detonation happened, some more distance (away) but much more heavy. This was the moment I realized this was a terrorist act." He says few people appeared worried after the first bomb went off but the second did spark panic and crying amid billows of "dirty dust, like from concrete." He says "it took a very, very long time till the ambulances came" — maybe 30 minutes. ___ 6 p.m. The British government is warning Britons against all but essential travel to Brussels in the wake of the bomb attacks. Prime Minister David Cameron's office said the travel advice was being changed in line with the advice issued by Belgium authorities. Belgium on Tuesday raised its terror threat to the highest level — denoting "a serious and imminent threat" — and told residents to stay where they were after Tuesday's bomb attacks on the city's main airport and a subway train. The city's transit network was shut down for several hours. Downing St. said a team of British police had been sent to Brussels to help with the investigation into the attacks that have killed at least 31 people and wounded nearly 190. ___ 5:50 p.m. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has pledged Belgium's prime minister her country's "full solidarity" following the Brussels attacks and says her Cabinet will discuss the bombings on Wednesday. Merkel spoke with Prime Minister Charles Michel and promised that "we will work in every way with his government and the Belgian security forces to find those responsible for today's crimes, detain and punish them." Merkel says "our strength lies in our unity, and our free societies will prove to be stronger than terrorism." ___ 5:45 p.m. Airport security has been boosted across Europe — and even across the Atlantic Ocean following the attacks in Brussels. Police and aviation officials in the Nordic countries boosted security at major airports in Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway. German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said security measures were increased at "critical infrastructure" in Germany and along its borders with France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Authorities also stepped up security around New York City even though there was no known link to the Brussels attacks that killed 31 people and left nearly 190 wounded. The Port Authority Police Department increased security at New York City's three area airports — John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty — and bridges, tunnels and the bus terminal. It placed anti-terrorist patrols throughout its trans-Hudson River system and the World Trade Center site. Additional bag checks also were being conducted at PATH stations. ___ 5:35 p.m. Florence Muls, a spokeswoman for the Brussels Airport, says a third bomb has been neutralized at the airport after two other bombs killed at least 10 people there Tuesday morning. Muls told The Associated Press the third bomb was dispensed of "with a controlled action" once the chaos of the first explosives had eased somewhat. Elsewhere in the Belgian capital, anti-bomb squads detonated suspicious objects in at least two locations — the Maelbeek subway station and close to Brussels University a few miles further away. Authorities said those two did not contain explosives. A U.S. official has told the AP the explosives in Brussels appear sophisticated, and investigators will examine them to see if they bear the same characteristics to those used in the Paris attacks last year. ___ 5:20 p.m. Russian President Vladimir Putin says the terror attacks in Brussels have underlined the need to pool global efforts for combating terrorism. Putin spoke in televised remarks Tuesday as he met with visiting Finnish President President Sauli Niinisto. Putin began by offering condolences to the families of the victims in Brussels. He added "we have repeatedly discussed the issues related to the fight against terrorism, and it's possible to efficiently combat it only by united efforts." Some other Russian officials and lawmakers have criticized Western reluctance to cooperate with Moscow on fighting terrorism amid the strain in Russia-West ties over the Ukrainian crisis. ___ 5:15 p.m. The White House says President Barack Obama has expressed his condolences to Belgium and its people during a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Charles Michel following deadly terrorist attacks at the airport and a subway station. Obama also offered assistance with the investigation and with bringing the perpetrators to justice. The White House says the president reiterated U.S. support for the people of Belgium, NATO and the European Union. And he pledged the full cooperation by the U.S. in efforts to end terrorism. Obama placed the call from Havana, where he was closing a historic three-day visit on Tuesday. ___ 6:05 p.m. The head of the Brussels Airport says the airport will remain closed at least through Wednesday. Airport CEO Arnaud Feist says two bombs ripped through the airport's departure hall, killing at least 10 people there and injuring scores. Feist said it was still too early to assess the damage to the terminal and indicated the airport could be closed even longer. He said thousands of passengers and personnel were at the airport during the morning rush hour when the attacks hit Tuesday. The exact number killed at the airport is still unclear. Regional governor Lodewijk De Witte says there are "more than 10 deaths" there. ___ 5:55 p.m. European Union leaders are pledging to tackle the terrorism threat with "all necessary means" after attacks on Brussels — the EU capital — that killed at least 31. The heads of state and government of the 28-nation union said in a statement that Tuesday's attack "only strengthens our resolve to defend European values and tolerance from the attacks of the intolerant." They pledged to be "united and firm in the fight against hatred, violent extremism and terrorism." The statement didn't elaborate on possible EU measures in response to the attacks. ___ 4:50 p.m. The Belgian federal prosecutor's office has made a new plea to the media not to spread any information about the investigation in the wake of the bombing attacks early Tuesday. Belgian authorities had already made a similar plea during the days following the Nov. 13 Paris attacks when they were certain an attack in Brussels was imminent. It was largely followed by the media. On Tuesday, the office again asked the media to immediately desist from spreading information from the ongoing investigation. ___ 4:40 p.m. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attacks in Brussels, saying its extremists opened fire in the airport and "several of them" detonated suicide belts. The posting in the group's Amaq news agency said another suicide attacker detonated in the metro. The posting claimed the attack was in response to Belgium's support of the international coalition arrayed against it. ___ 4:25 p.m. People can start moving around Brussels once more after being told to stay in place for hours after bombing attacks Tuesday morning at the airport and on a subway station. Peter Mertens of the Belgian crisis center says "the threat is still real and serious" of more attacks. But he says air traffic at Brussels' Zaventem airport "remains closed for the day under any circumstance" but people in the Belgian capital can start walking outside again and train stations are reopening. At least 31 people were killed and nearly 190 wounded Tuesday after bombs went off in Brussels airport. ___ 4:15 p.m. Florence Muls, the Brussels airport communications manager, is defending the security at the airport. She tells The Associated Press that the terminal zone is open. That means there are no checks on luggage or passengers at the entry to the terminal — and European rules do not require closing it off. She says the airport is does not have the ability or the mandate to impose controls at the airport terminal entry. ___ 4:05 p.m. An Iraqi intelligence official says sources in the Syrian city of Raqqa have told them that the Islamic State group has been planning terrorist attacks in Europe for two months which would "target airports and train stations." The official tells The Associated Press on Tuesday that Iraqi officials told European countries about the plans "but Brussels was not part of the plans" at the time. He says IS militants changed the operation and moved it to Brussels "because of the detention of Salah Abdeslam" — the Paris attacks suspect arrested Friday in Brussels. Another senior Iraqi intelligence official said "Daesh (IS) was behind this operation and it was planned in Raqqa two months ago and there are three suicide attackers who will carry out another attack." The officials spoke on condition of anonymity since the investigation was ongoing. — Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad ___ 3:45 p.m. A U.S. official says security officials believe at least one suitcase bomb was detonated at Brussels Airport on Tuesday morning. The official, who wasn't authorized to speak publicly on the early investigations, confirmed a statement by a Brussels official that there is also concrete evidence of one suicide bombing at the airport Tuesday as well. U.S. intelligence agencies had been on alert for possible attacks since Friday's arrest in Belgium of accused Paris attacks conspirator Salah Abdeslam. But the official said it was unclear if Tuesday's bombings were already planned and set in motion by his or another existing network, or if they were a direct response to Abdeslam's arrest. The official said the explosives seen in Brussels on Tuesday appear sophisticated. Investigators will examine them to see if they bear the same characteristics as those used in Paris last year. — Bradley Klapper in Washington. 3:30 p.m. Pope Francis has condemned the "blind violence" of the Brussels attacks and has offered prayers for the victims, their families and emergency responders. Francis' secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, sent a telegram of condolences Tuesday to the archbishop of Brussels, Mons. Jozef De Kesel. In it, Francis said he "condemns once again the blind violence that breeds so much suffering and implores the gift of peace from God" for all Belgians. ___ 3:20 p.m. Nations around Europe are declaring with solidarity with Brussels after three bombing attacks left at least 31 people dead in the Belgian capital. The French National Assembly opened its session on Tuesday with a minute of silence for the victims. Lawmakers in the Czech parliament in Prague and lawmakers in Spain also held a minute of silence. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and Belgium's ambassador plan a silent gathering Tuesday evening and the Eiffel Tower will be lit in the colors of the Belgian flag. In London, the British prime minister's office at Downing Street in London has also raised the Belgian flag in solidarity. ___ 3:10 p.m. Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka has expressed solidarity with the Belgian government and says: "The fight against terrorism is our common fight." Interior Minister Milan Chovanec says security has been boosted at Prague's international airport, the capital's subway network, at some foreign embassies, other airports and all across the country, including at the Temelin nuclear plant. Czech President Milos Zeman, who is known for his anti-Muslim rhetoric, says "we underestimate the threat of terrorism linked to the wave of migrants." No group has claimed responsibility for the three bombings Tuesday morning that killed at least 31 people and wounded nearly 200 in Brussels. ___ 3 p.m. A Belgian TV station is reporting that at least one of the bombs at the Brussels airport contained nails. Flemish language broadcaster VTM interviewed Marc Decramer of the Gasthuisberg hospital in Leuven, who says the hospital is treating 11 people with serious injuries, three of them in critical condition. Decramer says the wounded have fractures and deep cuts caused by flying glass and nails. Belgian officials say 31 people were killed Tuesday and 187 wounded in two explosions at the Belgium airport and one at a city subway station. ___ 2:45 p.m. Passenger Cedric Vanderswalm says a late train and a full elevator at Brussels airport probably saved his life. The 20-year-old from the coastal Belgian town of Knokke was at the Brussels airport on Tuesday planning to fly to London for his job as an animator. He says was heading to the airport's departures level but the elevator was full "so I didn't get in. I waited and I was about to step into the elevator when there was a big explosion." He says people started running, dropping their luggage. He says "if I had taken the previous elevator, I would have been right in the explosion. My train also had a 5 minute delay, so I was lucky." The explosion coated the left side of his face with soot and dust. ___ 2:30 p.m. The mayor of Brussels is raising the toll of dead and injured from a subway bombing. Mayor Yvan Majeur now says at least 20 people have died and 106 people were injured in the attack on the Maelbeek subway station, which is close to the European Union headquarters. Earlier, another top Belgian official said 11 people were killed and 81 have wounded in twin explosions at the Brussels airport. So in all, 31 people have been killed and 187 wounded in the three blasts. ___ 2:25 p.m. A minute of silence has been held outside the Spanish parliament and Madrid's town hall at noon in memory of the victims in Brussels. The Spanish government says the attacks Tuesday in Brussels show "the most brutal and inhumane side of those who know only the language of violence and terror." Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo linked the attacks to the Islamic State armed group. He says previous attacks in Paris claimed by IS militants had shown the assailants acting "like well-coordinated and militarily well-structured commandos" instead of lone wolves. Top Spanish officials were meeting later on the situation but the Interior Ministry said for now Spain is keeping its national security alert at one step below the maximum. ___ 2:10 p.m. A European security official in contact with Belgian police says least one and possibly two Kalashnikov rifles have been found in the departure lounge at the Brussels airport after the attacks. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the ongoing investigation. Shiraz Maher, a senior researcher at The International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence in London, calls the presence of guns in these attacks "quite significant." Maher says this "presents an incredible challenge to continental Europe, where guns are much more freely available as opposed to here in the United Kingdom." Maher says guns make it "much more difficult to secure soft targets like transport sites." — Paisley Dodds, Europe correspondent ___ 2 p.m. London police are appealing for images and video footage from Britons who may have witnessed the attacks in Belgium. The Metropolitan Police say they have "activated an online platform where images and videos can be uploaded which could provide important information for the investigating authorities." Earlier, British police stepped up security across the country, including transport hubs like London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports. London Mayor Boris Johnson says the increased police is to reassure the public "rather than because of any intelligence of an attack." Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley says his agency is working closely with Belgium authorities on anti-terror efforts. Britain's threat level remains at "severe," which means an attack is highly likely. It has been at that level since 2014. ___ 1:50 p.m. Police in the Netherlands say they have halted an international train from Brussels to Amsterdam at a station just one stop from the Dutch capital's busy Schiphol Airport as a precaution and are searching the train and its passengers. Local police said on Twitter that Hoofddorp station had been evacuated and will stay closed until the investigation is completed. Passengers were being put up in nearby hotels. There was no immediate word of any arrests and police did not say what prompted them to stop the train. The incident came just hours after deadly attacks on the Brussels airport and a city subway station. Photos spread on social media are showing armed police patrolling the Dutch train station. ___ 1:35 p.m. Hundreds of stranded passengers, some wheeling luggage carts from the Brussels airport, have gathered at a municipal sports hall in nearby town of Zaventem. Henry Dewespelaere, a 22-year-old butcher, was one of the local volunteers in fluorescent yellow vests compiling lists of the passengers' names and nationalities. He says the travelers would have the option of being taken to a hotel in Leuven by train. If people elect to stay in Zaventem, he says "we don't know yet what will happen, we're waiting for further instructions." The Brussels airport was shut down Tuesday after it was hit by two explosions. Another explosion hit a city subway station. In all, 26 people have been killed and over 130 have been wounded in the attacks. ___ 1:25 p.m. Belgian officials say the casualty toll from three explosions in the capital on Tuesday morning is 26 dead and at least 136 wounded. Belgian Health Minister Maggie de Block says 11 people are dead and 81 have been injured in twin explosions at the Brussels airport. A Brussels subway spokesman says 15 people have been killed and 55 were injured in an explosion at the Maelbeek train station. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, which come after a top suspect in the deadly Nov. 13 attacks in Paris was arrested Friday in a massive police raid in Brussels. ___ 1:15 p.m. The U.S. Embassy in Brussels is recommending that Americans in Belgium stay where they are and avoid public transportation. The embassy noted Tuesday that with the threat rating in Brussels at its highest alert, attacks can take place with little or no notice. It urged U.S. citizens to monitor media reports, follow instructions from the authorities, and "take the appropriate steps to bolster your personal security." ___ 1:10 p.m. More than 200 flights to Brussels have been diverted or canceled after three explosions that authorities are calling terror attacks, according to the flight tracking service Flightradar24. Scores of people are dead after two explosions hit Brussels airport Tuesday morning and a third hit the city's Maelbeek metro station. The Brussels airport has been shut down and airport security has been tightened across Europe. ___ 1 p.m. The European Union's top official says he's appalled by the attacks on Brussels' main airport and a metro near the EU's institutions and has offered Europe's support. EU Council President Donald Tusk says Tuesday "these attacks mark another low by the terrorists in the service of hatred and violence." He says the EU "will fulfill its role to help Brussels, Belgium and Europe as a whole counter the terror threat which we are all facing." Staff at the EU institutions near the Maelbeek metro station — where at least 15 people have been killed by a blast — been warned to stay in their offices or at home. ___ 12:45 p.m. French officials are condemning the Brussels attacks in the strongest terms. Prime Minister Manuel Valls, speaking after a crisis meeting called by the French president, says "we are at war. We have been subjected for the last few months in Europe to acts of war." President Francois Hollande says "terrorists struck Brussels but it was Europe that was targeted — and all the world that is concerned." Hollande also warned that "this war will be long" so sang froid and lucidity are needed. Paris says it will light the Eiffel Tower in the colors of the Belgian flag. The city's mayor, Anne Hidalgo, described it in a tweet as a measure of "solidarity with Brussels." ___ 12:35 p.m. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's chief of staff has called for solidarity with Belgium following the Brussels attacks that left scores dead. Peter Altmaier tweeted Tuesday: "Terrorists will never win." He added: "Our European values much stronger than hate, violence, terror!" ___ 12:30 p.m. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova says the West's politics of "double standards" have led to terrorist attacks and that frozen diplomatic relations between NATO and Russia have slowed the fight with terrorism. The Kremlin, meanwhile, has offered its condolences to Belgium and expressed solidarity after the attacks Tuesday that left scores dead. While Russia and the United States have brokered a fragile peace agreement in Syria, the two countries still disagree on how to tackle terrorist threats posed by the Islamic State group. Prominent Russian lawmaker Alexei Pushkov also had a jab at Europe and NATO following the Brussels attacks. Pushkov later offered his condolences, but said "it's time for Europe to understand where the genuine threat is coming from and join efforts with Russia." ___ 12:20 p.m. Facebook has activated its "safety check" system to help people check on friends and loved ones in the aftermath of the attacks in Brussels. The company says Tuesday the system was put in use within hours of the three explosions at the Brussels airport and a metro station. It says the system can provide an easy way for people to mark themselves as "safe" after a major disaster or crisis so that people searching for them will know they are unharmed. The system has been used recently to help people communicate after major floods and earthquakes as well as terrorist attacks. ___ 12:15 p.m. A Belgian subway official says there are 15 dead, 55 injured in the subway station attack. Spokesman Guy Sablon gave the toll to The Associated Press after two explosions hit the Brussels airport on Tuesday morning and a third hit the city's Maelbeek metro station. ___ 12:05 p.m. European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, fighting back tears, has stopped short a news conference in Jordan after saying that "today is a difficult day," in reference to the Brussels attacks. Mogherini was wrapping up her opening statement Tuesday at a joint news conference with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh when she was overcome by emotion. When Judeh resumed speaking, she walked over to him, said "sorry" and briefly embraced him. The two then walked off the stage. Mogherini and Judeh had been speaking for about 16 minutes when the news conference ended abruptly. In her opening remarks, she had talked about the importance of her visit to Jordan, praising the kingdom's stance against militant Islam. ___ 11:55 a.m. Belgian federal prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw is calling all three explosions in Brussels "terrorist attacks." Two of the explosions on Tuesday morning hit Brussels' Zavantem airport and the third struck in the city's Maelbeek metro station. Belgian media report that at least 13 are dead, and authorities are saying there are dead at both sites. Van Leeuw says "one attack was probably done by a suicide bomber." ___ 11:50 a.m. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel says "what we feared has happened" and says authorities are worried there will be more attacks. Speaking a news conference in Brussels, Michel says "there are many dead, many injured" from the attacks earlier Tuesday at the airport and a subway station. He says border controls have been reinforced. Michel says "we realize we face a tragic moment. We have to be calm and show solidarity." ___ 11:30 a.m. Brussels police spokesman Christian De Coninck says there were deaths at the Maelbeek police station near European Union headquarters. He says: "There are victims, serious injury, people have died. I have no idea yet on the numbers of injured or dead." ___ 11:25 a.m. France's top security official said the country is reinforcing security at airports, train stations and metros after Tuesday's attacks in Brussels. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said France immediately increased its vigilance after the attacks. France has been on highest alert since the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris that left 130 dead. ___ 11:05 a.m. Anthony Deloos, an employee of services company Swissport, said the first explosion took place near a counter where customers pay for overweight baggage. He and colleague said second blast was near the Starbucks. "Twenty meters (yards) from us we heard a big explosion," and shredded paper was flying through the air, Deloos said. He first thought a billboard had fallen down, but a colleague told him to run. "I jumped into a luggage chute to be safe," he said. ___ 11:00 a.m. In a statement marked "aanslagen" — terror attacks in Dutch — the prosecutor's office in Brussels has warned people to stay inside until the situation is cleared up. After a few hours of uncertainty on the explosion during morning rush hour, it was the first official indication that indeed, they were expected to be terror attacks. ___ 10:50 p.m. Eurostar has suspended high-speed rail service to Brussels-Midi station following the attacks at the airport and a metro station in Belgium The rail service links London with Brussels and Paris via the Channel Tunnel. ___ 10:45 a.m. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte says Belgium has "again been hit by cowardly and murderous attacks. Our hearts go out to the victims and next of kin. The Netherlands stands ready to help and support our southern neighbors in any possible way." Rutte says that "extra alertness is necessary, also in our country. We will take all necessary precautionary measures." Rutte called a meeting Tuesday of his government's Ministerial Crisis Committee to discuss the attacks. The Dutch anti-terror authority said the country's threat level was unchanged at "substantial." It said extra security measures would be in place at the country's airports and borders. ___ 10:40 a.m. British airports are increasing security and Prime Minister David Cameron is convening the government's emergency committee after the explosions at Brussels airport and on the city's subway system. Cameron said Britain would "do everything we can to help." Britain's official terrorist threat level stands at "severe," the second-highest level on a five-point scale, meaning an attack is highly likely. Gatwick airport said that "as a result of the terrible incidents in Brussels we have increased our security presence and patrols around the airport." Heathrow said it was working with police to provide a "high-visibility" presence on light of the attacks. ___ 10:35 a.m. Germany's justice minister says "today is a black day for Europe" following the attacks in Brussels. Heiko Maas said Tuesday on Twitter that "the horrible events in Brussels affect us all." He added: "We are steadfastly at the Belgians' side." ___ 10:20 a.m. French President Francois Hollande is holding an emergency meeting after explosions targeted Brussels airport and a metro station at morning rush hour. The blasts came days after the arrest of the top suspect in last year's Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, in Brussels. Hollande is meeting with Prime Minister Manuel Valls, Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve. France remains in a state of emergency after the Nov. 13 attacks, which killed 130 people. Several attackers were also killed. ___ 10:00 a.m. Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov tells Russian news agencies that authorities will re-evaluate security at Russian airports. In 2011, a suicide bombing at a Moscow airport killed 37 and injured many more. ___ 9:50 a.m. Zach Mouzoun, who arrived on a flight from Geneva about 10 minutes before the first blast, told France's BFM television that the second louder explosion brought down ceilings and ruptured pipes, mixing water with blood from victims. "It was atrocious. The ceilings collapsed," he said. "There was blood everywhere, injured people, bags everywhere." "We were walking in the debris. It was a war scene," ___ 9:40 a.m. An Associated Press reporter saw several people with facial injuries following an explosion in a Brussels metro station near European Union headquarters. At least two people were seen being moved on stretchers Alexandre Brans, 32, who was wiping blood from his face, said: "The metro was leaving Maelbeek station when there was a really loud explosion. It was panic everywhere. There were a lot of people in the metro." ___ 8:55 a.m. Police say that at least one person was killed when two explosions ripped through the departure hall at Brussels airport. "One person has died and perhaps there are several more," said a police official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the situation was developing. The official urged people to stay away from the airport. ___ 8:30 a.m. Two explosions ripped through Brussels airport Tuesday during the morning rush hour as hundreds of passengers were trying to check in. Airport authorities said the explosions caused several injuries. Airport spokeswoman Anke Fransen said: "There were two blasts in the departure hall. First aid team are in place for help." Passengers were led onto the tarmac and the crisis center urged people not to come to the airport. The explosions happened only days after the prime suspect in the Paris attacks Salah Abdeslam was arrested in Brussels. ||||| In this image provided by the Belgian Federal Police in Brussels on Tuesday, March 22, 2016, a man who is suspected of taking part in the attacks at Belgium's Zaventem Airport and is being sought by police.... (Associated Press) BRUSSELS (AP) — The Latest on the explosions Tuesday at Brussels airport and a subway station (all times local): 7:30 p.m. Belgian federal prosecutors say a house search in the Brussels neighborhood of Schaerbeek has "led to the discovery of an explosive device containing among other things nails." Investigators also found chemical products and an Islamic State flag. Their statement said the Islamic State group had claimed responsibility for the attacks in Brussels via a press agency but that this information still needs to be verified. Prosecutors say it's not possible at this stage to establish any links between the attacks Tuesday in Brussels and those in Paris on Nov. 13 that left 130 people dead. ___ 6:55 p.m. A Belgian prosecutor says police raids are happening around the country after two men "probably" staged suicide bombings at the Brussels airport and a third fled. Prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw said Tuesday that the third suspect is actively being sought by police. At least 31 people were killed and nearly 190 wounded in the two airport bombings and another in the Brussels subway system. Prime Minister Charles Michel said the country will tighten security at its borders. He declared three days of national mourning after what he says were probably the most tragic attacks the country has seen in peacetime. ___ 6:20 p.m. Federal police in Belgium have issued a wanted notice for a suspect in the Brussels airport bombing that they are still trying to identify. A man wearing a thick light-colored jacket with a black hat and glasses is suspected of committing an attack at Zaventem airport on Tuesday morning. They are urging the public to call them if they recognize the man. ___ 6:15 p.m. Ralph Usbeck, 55, an electronics technician from Berlin, was checking his baggage for an American Airlines flight to Florida when the first blast struck in Brussels. He assumed it was a training exercise. He says "seconds later, a much more heavy, heavy detonation happened, some more distance (away) but much more heavy. This was the moment I realized this was a terrorist act." He says few people appeared worried after the first bomb went off but the second did spark panic and crying amid billows of "dirty dust, like from concrete." He says "it took a very, very long time till the ambulances came" — maybe 30 minutes. ___ 6 p.m. The British government is warning Britons against all but essential travel to Brussels in the wake of the bomb attacks. Prime Minister David Cameron's office said the travel advice was being changed in line with the advice issued by Belgium authorities. Belgium on Tuesday raised its terror threat to the highest level — denoting "a serious and imminent threat" — and told residents to stay where they were after Tuesday's bomb attacks on the city's main airport and a subway train. The city's transit network was shut down for several hours. Downing St. said a team of British police had been sent to Brussels to help with the investigation into the attacks that have killed at least 31 people and wounded nearly 190. ___ 5:50 p.m. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has pledged Belgium's prime minister her country's "full solidarity" following the Brussels attacks and says her Cabinet will discuss the bombings on Wednesday. Merkel spoke with Prime Minister Charles Michel and promised that "we will work in every way with his government and the Belgian security forces to find those responsible for today's crimes, detain and punish them." Merkel says "our strength lies in our unity, and our free societies will prove to be stronger than terrorism." ___ 5:45 p.m. Airport security has been boosted across Europe — and even across the Atlantic Ocean following the attacks in Brussels. Police and aviation officials in the Nordic countries boosted security at major airports in Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway. German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said security measures were increased at "critical infrastructure" in Germany and along its borders with France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Authorities also stepped up security around New York City even though there was no known link to the Brussels attacks that killed 31 people and left nearly 190 wounded. The Port Authority Police Department increased security at New York City's three area airports — John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty — and bridges, tunnels and the bus terminal. It placed anti-terrorist patrols throughout its trans-Hudson River system and the World Trade Center site. Additional bag checks also were being conducted at PATH stations. ___ 5:35 p.m. Florence Muls, a spokeswoman for the Brussels Airport, says a third bomb has been neutralized at the airport after two other bombs killed at least 10 people there Tuesday morning. Muls told The Associated Press the third bomb was dispensed of "with a controlled action" once the chaos of the first explosives had eased somewhat. Elsewhere in the Belgian capital, anti-bomb squads detonated suspicious objects in at least two locations — the Maelbeek subway station and close to Brussels University a few miles further away. Authorities said those two did not contain explosives. A U.S. official has told the AP the explosives in Brussels appear sophisticated, and investigators will examine them to see if they bear the same characteristics to those used in the Paris attacks last year. ___ 5:20 p.m. Russian President Vladimir Putin says the terror attacks in Brussels have underlined the need to pool global efforts for combating terrorism. Putin spoke in televised remarks Tuesday as he met with visiting Finnish President President Sauli Niinisto. Putin began by offering condolences to the families of the victims in Brussels. He added "we have repeatedly discussed the issues related to the fight against terrorism, and it's possible to efficiently combat it only by united efforts." Some other Russian officials and lawmakers have criticized Western reluctance to cooperate with Moscow on fighting terrorism amid the strain in Russia-West ties over the Ukrainian crisis. ___ 5:15 p.m. The White House says President Barack Obama has expressed his condolences to Belgium and its people during a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Charles Michel following deadly terrorist attacks at the airport and a subway station. Obama also offered assistance with the investigation and with bringing the perpetrators to justice. The White House says the president reiterated U.S. support for the people of Belgium, NATO and the European Union. And he pledged the full cooperation by the U.S. in efforts to end terrorism. Obama placed the call from Havana, where he was closing a historic three-day visit on Tuesday. ___ 6:05 p.m. The head of the Brussels Airport says the airport will remain closed at least through Wednesday. Airport CEO Arnaud Feist says two bombs ripped through the airport's departure hall, killing at least 10 people there and injuring scores. Feist said it was still too early to assess the damage to the terminal and indicated the airport could be closed even longer. He said thousands of passengers and personnel were at the airport during the morning rush hour when the attacks hit Tuesday. The exact number killed at the airport is still unclear. Regional governor Lodewijk De Witte says there are "more than 10 deaths" there. ___ 5:55 p.m. European Union leaders are pledging to tackle the terrorism threat with "all necessary means" after attacks on Brussels — the EU capital — that killed at least 31. The heads of state and government of the 28-nation union said in a statement that Tuesday's attack "only strengthens our resolve to defend European values and tolerance from the attacks of the intolerant." They pledged to be "united and firm in the fight against hatred, violent extremism and terrorism." The statement didn't elaborate on possible EU measures in response to the attacks. ___ 4:50 p.m. The Belgian federal prosecutor's office has made a new plea to the media not to spread any information about the investigation in the wake of the bombing attacks early Tuesday. Belgian authorities had already made a similar plea during the days following the Nov. 13 Paris attacks when they were certain an attack in Brussels was imminent. It was largely followed by the media. On Tuesday, the office again asked the media to immediately desist from spreading information from the ongoing investigation. ___ 4:40 p.m. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attacks in Brussels, saying its extremists opened fire in the airport and "several of them" detonated suicide belts. The posting in the group's Amaq news agency said another suicide attacker detonated in the metro. The posting claimed the attack was in response to Belgium's support of the international coalition arrayed against it. ___ 4:25 p.m. People can start moving around Brussels once more after being told to stay in place for hours after bombing attacks Tuesday morning at the airport and on a subway station. Peter Mertens of the Belgian crisis center says "the threat is still real and serious" of more attacks. But he says air traffic at Brussels' Zaventem airport "remains closed for the day under any circumstance" but people in the Belgian capital can start walking outside again and train stations are reopening. At least 31 people were killed and nearly 190 wounded Tuesday after bombs went off in Brussels airport. ___ 4:15 p.m. Florence Muls, the Brussels airport communications manager, is defending the security at the airport. She tells The Associated Press that the terminal zone is open. That means there are no checks on luggage or passengers at the entry to the terminal — and European rules do not require closing it off. She says the airport is does not have the ability or the mandate to impose controls at the airport terminal entry. ___ 4:05 p.m. An Iraqi intelligence official says sources in the Syrian city of Raqqa have told them that the Islamic State group has been planning terrorist attacks in Europe for two months which would "target airports and train stations." The official tells The Associated Press on Tuesday that Iraqi officials told European countries about the plans "but Brussels was not part of the plans" at the time. He says IS militants changed the operation and moved it to Brussels "because of the detention of Salah Abdeslam" — the Paris attacks suspect arrested Friday in Brussels. Another senior Iraqi intelligence official said "Daesh (IS) was behind this operation and it was planned in Raqqa two months ago and there are three suicide attackers who will carry out another attack." The officials spoke on condition of anonymity since the investigation was ongoing. — Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad ___ 3:45 p.m. A U.S. official says security officials believe at least one suitcase bomb was detonated at Brussels Airport on Tuesday morning. The official, who wasn't authorized to speak publicly on the early investigations, confirmed a statement by a Brussels official that there is also concrete evidence of one suicide bombing at the airport Tuesday as well. U.S. intelligence agencies had been on alert for possible attacks since Friday's arrest in Belgium of accused Paris attacks conspirator Salah Abdeslam. But the official said it was unclear if Tuesday's bombings were already planned and set in motion by his or another existing network, or if they were a direct response to Abdeslam's arrest. The official said the explosives seen in Brussels on Tuesday appear sophisticated. Investigators will examine them to see if they bear the same characteristics as those used in Paris last year. — Bradley Klapper in Washington. 3:30 p.m. Pope Francis has condemned the "blind violence" of the Brussels attacks and has offered prayers for the victims, their families and emergency responders. Francis' secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, sent a telegram of condolences Tuesday to the archbishop of Brussels, Mons. Jozef De Kesel. In it, Francis said he "condemns once again the blind violence that breeds so much suffering and implores the gift of peace from God" for all Belgians. ___ 3:20 p.m. Nations around Europe are declaring with solidarity with Brussels after three bombing attacks left at least 31 people dead in the Belgian capital. The French National Assembly opened its session on Tuesday with a minute of silence for the victims. Lawmakers in the Czech parliament in Prague and lawmakers in Spain also held a minute of silence. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and Belgium's ambassador plan a silent gathering Tuesday evening and the Eiffel Tower will be lit in the colors of the Belgian flag. In London, the British prime minister's office at Downing Street in London has also raised the Belgian flag in solidarity. ___ 3:10 p.m. Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka has expressed solidarity with the Belgian government and says: "The fight against terrorism is our common fight." Interior Minister Milan Chovanec says security has been boosted at Prague's international airport, the capital's subway network, at some foreign embassies, other airports and all across the country, including at the Temelin nuclear plant. Czech President Milos Zeman, who is known for his anti-Muslim rhetoric, says "we underestimate the threat of terrorism linked to the wave of migrants." No group has claimed responsibility for the three bombings Tuesday morning that killed at least 31 people and wounded nearly 200 in Brussels. ___ 3 p.m. A Belgian TV station is reporting that at least one of the bombs at the Brussels airport contained nails. Flemish language broadcaster VTM interviewed Marc Decramer of the Gasthuisberg hospital in Leuven, who says the hospital is treating 11 people with serious injuries, three of them in critical condition. Decramer says the wounded have fractures and deep cuts caused by flying glass and nails. Belgian officials say 31 people were killed Tuesday and 187 wounded in two explosions at the Belgium airport and one at a city subway station. ___ 2:45 p.m. Passenger Cedric Vanderswalm says a late train and a full elevator at Brussels airport probably saved his life. The 20-year-old from the coastal Belgian town of Knokke was at the Brussels airport on Tuesday planning to fly to London for his job as an animator. He says was heading to the airport's departures level but the elevator was full "so I didn't get in. I waited and I was about to step into the elevator when there was a big explosion." He says people started running, dropping their luggage. He says "if I had taken the previous elevator, I would have been right in the explosion. My train also had a 5 minute delay, so I was lucky." The explosion coated the left side of his face with soot and dust. ___ 2:30 p.m. The mayor of Brussels is raising the toll of dead and injured from a subway bombing. Mayor Yvan Majeur now says at least 20 people have died and 106 people were injured in the attack on the Maelbeek subway station, which is close to the European Union headquarters. Earlier, another top Belgian official said 11 people were killed and 81 have wounded in twin explosions at the Brussels airport. So in all, 31 people have been killed and 187 wounded in the three blasts. ___ 2:25 p.m. A minute of silence has been held outside the Spanish parliament and Madrid's town hall at noon in memory of the victims in Brussels. The Spanish government says the attacks Tuesday in Brussels show "the most brutal and inhumane side of those who know only the language of violence and terror." Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo linked the attacks to the Islamic State armed group. He says previous attacks in Paris claimed by IS militants had shown the assailants acting "like well-coordinated and militarily well-structured commandos" instead of lone wolves. Top Spanish officials were meeting later on the situation but the Interior Ministry said for now Spain is keeping its national security alert at one step below the maximum. ___ 2:10 p.m. A European security official in contact with Belgian police says least one and possibly two Kalashnikov rifles have been found in the departure lounge at the Brussels airport after the attacks. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the ongoing investigation. Shiraz Maher, a senior researcher at The International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence in London, calls the presence of guns in these attacks "quite significant." Maher says this "presents an incredible challenge to continental Europe, where guns are much more freely available as opposed to here in the United Kingdom." Maher says guns make it "much more difficult to secure soft targets like transport sites." — Paisley Dodds, Europe correspondent ___ 2 p.m. London police are appealing for images and video footage from Britons who may have witnessed the attacks in Belgium. The Metropolitan Police say they have "activated an online platform where images and videos can be uploaded which could provide important information for the investigating authorities." Earlier, British police stepped up security across the country, including transport hubs like London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports. London Mayor Boris Johnson says the increased police is to reassure the public "rather than because of any intelligence of an attack." Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley says his agency is working closely with Belgium authorities on anti-terror efforts. Britain's threat level remains at "severe," which means an attack is highly likely. It has been at that level since 2014. ___ 1:50 p.m. Police in the Netherlands say they have halted an international train from Brussels to Amsterdam at a station just one stop from the Dutch capital's busy Schiphol Airport as a precaution and are searching the train and its passengers. Local police said on Twitter that Hoofddorp station had been evacuated and will stay closed until the investigation is completed. Passengers were being put up in nearby hotels. There was no immediate word of any arrests and police did not say what prompted them to stop the train. The incident came just hours after deadly attacks on the Brussels airport and a city subway station. Photos spread on social media are showing armed police patrolling the Dutch train station. ___ 1:35 p.m. Hundreds of stranded passengers, some wheeling luggage carts from the Brussels airport, have gathered at a municipal sports hall in nearby town of Zaventem. Henry Dewespelaere, a 22-year-old butcher, was one of the local volunteers in fluorescent yellow vests compiling lists of the passengers' names and nationalities. He says the travelers would have the option of being taken to a hotel in Leuven by train. If people elect to stay in Zaventem, he says "we don't know yet what will happen, we're waiting for further instructions." The Brussels airport was shut down Tuesday after it was hit by two explosions. Another explosion hit a city subway station. In all, 26 people have been killed and over 130 have been wounded in the attacks. ___ 1:25 p.m. Belgian officials say the casualty toll from three explosions in the capital on Tuesday morning is 26 dead and at least 136 wounded. Belgian Health Minister Maggie de Block says 11 people are dead and 81 have been injured in twin explosions at the Brussels airport. A Brussels subway spokesman says 15 people have been killed and 55 were injured in an explosion at the Maelbeek train station. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, which come after a top suspect in the deadly Nov. 13 attacks in Paris was arrested Friday in a massive police raid in Brussels. ___ 1:15 p.m. The U.S. Embassy in Brussels is recommending that Americans in Belgium stay where they are and avoid public transportation. The embassy noted Tuesday that with the threat rating in Brussels at its highest alert, attacks can take place with little or no notice. It urged U.S. citizens to monitor media reports, follow instructions from the authorities, and "take the appropriate steps to bolster your personal security." ___ 1:10 p.m. More than 200 flights to Brussels have been diverted or canceled after three explosions that authorities are calling terror attacks, according to the flight tracking service Flightradar24. Scores of people are dead after two explosions hit Brussels airport Tuesday morning and a third hit the city's Maelbeek metro station. The Brussels airport has been shut down and airport security has been tightened across Europe. ___ 1 p.m. The European Union's top official says he's appalled by the attacks on Brussels' main airport and a metro near the EU's institutions and has offered Europe's support. EU Council President Donald Tusk says Tuesday "these attacks mark another low by the terrorists in the service of hatred and violence." He says the EU "will fulfill its role to help Brussels, Belgium and Europe as a whole counter the terror threat which we are all facing." Staff at the EU institutions near the Maelbeek metro station — where at least 15 people have been killed by a blast — been warned to stay in their offices or at home. ___ 12:45 p.m. French officials are condemning the Brussels attacks in the strongest terms. Prime Minister Manuel Valls, speaking after a crisis meeting called by the French president, says "we are at war. We have been subjected for the last few months in Europe to acts of war." President Francois Hollande says "terrorists struck Brussels but it was Europe that was targeted — and all the world that is concerned." Hollande also warned that "this war will be long" so sang froid and lucidity are needed. Paris says it will light the Eiffel Tower in the colors of the Belgian flag. The city's mayor, Anne Hidalgo, described it in a tweet as a measure of "solidarity with Brussels." ___ 12:35 p.m. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's chief of staff has called for solidarity with Belgium following the Brussels attacks that left scores dead. Peter Altmaier tweeted Tuesday: "Terrorists will never win." He added: "Our European values much stronger than hate, violence, terror!" ___ 12:30 p.m. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova says the West's politics of "double standards" have led to terrorist attacks and that frozen diplomatic relations between NATO and Russia have slowed the fight with terrorism. The Kremlin, meanwhile, has offered its condolences to Belgium and expressed solidarity after the attacks Tuesday that left scores dead. While Russia and the United States have brokered a fragile peace agreement in Syria, the two countries still disagree on how to tackle terrorist threats posed by the Islamic State group. Prominent Russian lawmaker Alexei Pushkov also had a jab at Europe and NATO following the Brussels attacks. Pushkov later offered his condolences, but said "it's time for Europe to understand where the genuine threat is coming from and join efforts with Russia." ___ 12:20 p.m. Facebook has activated its "safety check" system to help people check on friends and loved ones in the aftermath of the attacks in Brussels. The company says Tuesday the system was put in use within hours of the three explosions at the Brussels airport and a metro station. It says the system can provide an easy way for people to mark themselves as "safe" after a major disaster or crisis so that people searching for them will know they are unharmed. The system has been used recently to help people communicate after major floods and earthquakes as well as terrorist attacks. ___ 12:15 p.m. A Belgian subway official says there are 15 dead, 55 injured in the subway station attack. Spokesman Guy Sablon gave the toll to The Associated Press after two explosions hit the Brussels airport on Tuesday morning and a third hit the city's Maelbeek metro station. ___ 12:05 p.m. European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, fighting back tears, has stopped short a news conference in Jordan after saying that "today is a difficult day," in reference to the Brussels attacks. Mogherini was wrapping up her opening statement Tuesday at a joint news conference with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh when she was overcome by emotion. When Judeh resumed speaking, she walked over to him, said "sorry" and briefly embraced him. The two then walked off the stage. Mogherini and Judeh had been speaking for about 16 minutes when the news conference ended abruptly. In her opening remarks, she had talked about the importance of her visit to Jordan, praising the kingdom's stance against militant Islam. ___ 11:55 a.m. Belgian federal prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw is calling all three explosions in Brussels "terrorist attacks." Two of the explosions on Tuesday morning hit Brussels' Zavantem airport and the third struck in the city's Maelbeek metro station. Belgian media report that at least 13 are dead, and authorities are saying there are dead at both sites. Van Leeuw says "one attack was probably done by a suicide bomber." ___ 11:50 a.m. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel says "what we feared has happened" and says authorities are worried there will be more attacks. Speaking a news conference in Brussels, Michel says "there are many dead, many injured" from the attacks earlier Tuesday at the airport and a subway station. He says border controls have been reinforced. Michel says "we realize we face a tragic moment. We have to be calm and show solidarity." ___ 11:30 a.m. Brussels police spokesman Christian De Coninck says there were deaths at the Maelbeek police station near European Union headquarters. He says: "There are victims, serious injury, people have died. I have no idea yet on the numbers of injured or dead." ___ 11:25 a.m. France's top security official said the country is reinforcing security at airports, train stations and metros after Tuesday's attacks in Brussels. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said France immediately increased its vigilance after the attacks. France has been on highest alert since the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris that left 130 dead. ___ 11:05 a.m. Anthony Deloos, an employee of services company Swissport, said the first explosion took place near a counter where customers pay for overweight baggage. He and colleague said second blast was near the Starbucks. "Twenty meters (yards) from us we heard a big explosion," and shredded paper was flying through the air, Deloos said. He first thought a billboard had fallen down, but a colleague told him to run. "I jumped into a luggage chute to be safe," he said. ___ 11:00 a.m. In a statement marked "aanslagen" — terror attacks in Dutch — the prosecutor's office in Brussels has warned people to stay inside until the situation is cleared up. After a few hours of uncertainty on the explosion during morning rush hour, it was the first official indication that indeed, they were expected to be terror attacks. ___ 10:50 p.m. Eurostar has suspended high-speed rail service to Brussels-Midi station following the attacks at the airport and a metro station in Belgium The rail service links London with Brussels and Paris via the Channel Tunnel. ___ 10:45 a.m. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte says Belgium has "again been hit by cowardly and murderous attacks. Our hearts go out to the victims and next of kin. The Netherlands stands ready to help and support our southern neighbors in any possible way." Rutte says that "extra alertness is necessary, also in our country. We will take all necessary precautionary measures." Rutte called a meeting Tuesday of his government's Ministerial Crisis Committee to discuss the attacks. The Dutch anti-terror authority said the country's threat level was unchanged at "substantial." It said extra security measures would be in place at the country's airports and borders. ___ 10:40 a.m. British airports are increasing security and Prime Minister David Cameron is convening the government's emergency committee after the explosions at Brussels airport and on the city's subway system. Cameron said Britain would "do everything we can to help." Britain's official terrorist threat level stands at "severe," the second-highest level on a five-point scale, meaning an attack is highly likely. Gatwick airport said that "as a result of the terrible incidents in Brussels we have increased our security presence and patrols around the airport." Heathrow said it was working with police to provide a "high-visibility" presence on light of the attacks. ___ 10:35 a.m. Germany's justice minister says "today is a black day for Europe" following the attacks in Brussels. Heiko Maas said Tuesday on Twitter that "the horrible events in Brussels affect us all." He added: "We are steadfastly at the Belgians' side." ___ 10:20 a.m. French President Francois Hollande is holding an emergency meeting after explosions targeted Brussels airport and a metro station at morning rush hour. The blasts came days after the arrest of the top suspect in last year's Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, in Brussels. Hollande is meeting with Prime Minister Manuel Valls, Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve. France remains in a state of emergency after the Nov. 13 attacks, which killed 130 people. Several attackers were also killed. ___ 10:00 a.m. Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov tells Russian news agencies that authorities will re-evaluate security at Russian airports. In 2011, a suicide bombing at a Moscow airport killed 37 and injured many more. ___ 9:50 a.m. Zach Mouzoun, who arrived on a flight from Geneva about 10 minutes before the first blast, told France's BFM television that the second louder explosion brought down ceilings and ruptured pipes, mixing water with blood from victims. "It was atrocious. The ceilings collapsed," he said. "There was blood everywhere, injured people, bags everywhere." "We were walking in the debris. It was a war scene," ___ 9:40 a.m. An Associated Press reporter saw several people with facial injuries following an explosion in a Brussels metro station near European Union headquarters. At least two people were seen being moved on stretchers Alexandre Brans, 32, who was wiping blood from his face, said: "The metro was leaving Maelbeek station when there was a really loud explosion. It was panic everywhere. There were a lot of people in the metro." ___ 8:55 a.m. Police say that at least one person was killed when two explosions ripped through the departure hall at Brussels airport. "One person has died and perhaps there are several more," said a police official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the situation was developing. The official urged people to stay away from the airport. ___ 8:30 a.m. Two explosions ripped through Brussels airport Tuesday during the morning rush hour as hundreds of passengers were trying to check in. Airport authorities said the explosions caused several injuries. Airport spokeswoman Anke Fransen said: "There were two blasts in the departure hall. First aid team are in place for help." Passengers were led onto the tarmac and the crisis center urged people not to come to the airport. The explosions happened only days after the prime suspect in the Paris attacks Salah Abdeslam was arrested in Brussels. ||||| A photo taken by a surveillance camera at Brussels Airport reportedly shows the men suspected of carrying out the bombings there, Belgium's police say. SEE ALSO: Why Brussels has become the center for terror Three men are seen pushing luggage carts in a surveillance photo taken at Brussels Airport on March 22, 2016. Belgium's police say they are the bombing suspects. Image: © Federal Police/Photo News S.A./Corbis In the photo — which was distributed for "internal use" before it was leaked to Belgian media outlets and later confirmed by a spokeswoman speaking to the AFP as central to the ongoing investigation — two men in black and another in white are seen pushing luggage carts through the departures area. These two men are believed to be the suicide bombers who targeted Brussels Airport. Image: © Federal Police/Photo News S.A./Corbis The men in black are each wearing a single black glove on their left hands. Police believe they may be the bombers; the Belgian newspaper La Libre said, citing sources, that each glove contained the explosive vest's trigger devices. The third man, in white and wearing a dark hat, is reportedly still at large and now at the center of an intense manhunt. A third man, in a hat, is reportedly still at large. It isn't immediately clear why he didn't blow himself up. Image: © Federal Police/Photo News S.A./Corbis Belgium police tweeted his photo on Tuesday afternoon and asked, "Do you recognize this man?" In that photo the man can be seen pushing a large, black duffel bag. In a corresponding Facebook post, police write, "He is suspected of having committed the attack at Zaventem Airport on Tuesday, 22 March 2016. If you recognize this individual or if you have any information regarding this attack, please contact the investigators via the free phone number 0800 30 300." They add: "Discretion assured." The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks on Tuesday. The attackers were armed with suicide belts and other devices, read the statement which also said Belgium had been targeted because of its participation in the international coalition to defeat ISIS. Belgian police said that a kalashnikov and an unexploded suicide belt was later found at the airport. Another unexploded device left at the scene was reportedly detonated by the authorities in the hours after the attack. See Mashable's live blog for the latest on the Brussels attacks, which killed more than 31 people and left more than one hundred injured in separate attacks on the airport and the subway. Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments. ||||| Sign up and get access to special features Connect to your Facebook or Twitter account and we'll fill in your registration information. Or simply fill in the form and Continue This will appear next to all of your comments This will NOT appear anywhere on Newser I am at least 13 years of age, and have read and agree to the terms of use. Already have an account? Login here

– Federal police in Belgium have issued a wanted notice for a suspect in the Brussels airport bombing that they are still trying to identify, the AP reports. A man wearing a thick light-colored jacket with a black hat and glasses is suspected of committing an attack at Zaventem airport on Tuesday morning. They are urging the public to call them if they recognize the man, who was pictured in a surveillance photo alongside two other men who, police say, were "probably" suicide bombers. The other men in the photo are "each wearing a single black glove," Mashable reports, and, per a local newspaper, sources say police believe the gloves contained the trigger devices for their explosive vests. In related news, a raid of a house in the Brussels neighborhood of Schaerbeek uncovered an explosive device containing nails, chemical products, and an ISIS flag, the AP reports.

Protect Your Bubble is saying farewell to the U.S. Effective August 1, 2016, we will no longer offer new protection plans to U.S. residents. However, we will continue to provide convenient claims and support services for customers with active plans. Please see our FAQs for additional information. For customers interested in purchasing new protection plans, please see the information below: Travel Insurance Customers (Travel, Flight & Rental Car) – for future travel needs, you can seek new coverage from Roam Right, a division of the Arch Insurance Company, a global travel insurance provider. Give them a call at 1-800-699-3845, or visit their website. (Travel, Flight & Rental Car) – for future travel needs, you can seek new coverage from Roam Right, a division of the Arch Insurance Company, a global travel insurance provider. Give them a call at 1-800-699-3845, or visit their website. Product Protection Plans – Protect Your Bubble customers seeking coverage for your phone, tablet or other electronic devices can seek coverage from other protection plan providers such as the manufacturer, retailer or carrier from which you purchased the device. If you have any questions about the status of your plan, log into MyBubble, or contact us: Travel, Flight & Rental Car Send a message or call: 1-855-792-8747 Product Protection Plans Send a message or call: 1-855-792-2355 Thank you for being a loyal customer. ||||| Protect Your Bubble iLOST MINE The most bizarre insurance claims for lost and damaged iPhones emerged yesterday (Tues) as 'I dropped it from a hot air balloon' and 'my dog chewed it'. Other unusual claims include 'I lost it while skydiving', 'I dropped it in a blender' and 'It fell into the kettle'. The weird and wonderful claims came to light in a study by gadget insurers www.protectyourbubble.com. It also emerged one in five iPhone users have made an insurance claim during the past 12 months. Most common claims were for cracked screens, lost or stolen iPhones and iPhones dropped in toilets or baths. The Apple smart phone - which launched in 2007 - sold more than 42 million units - and the iPhone 4 shifted a massive 1.7 million phones in the first three days on sale. A spokesman for www.protectyourbubble.com said: ''With so many people carrying an iPhone with them wherever they go, it's no surprise that they are being lost or damaged in a host of unusual ways. ''Most of us know someone who has managed to drop their iPhone in a pint of beer or down the toilet - but these bizarre claims we have uncovered must be one-offs. ''The amazing ways people manage to be separated from their iPhone goes to show that you never know what's around the corner - and it pays to get your iPhone insured.'' The study also found 45 per cent of claims for iPhones have been for accidental damage. One unlucky customer lost his iPhone after leaning over the side of a boat in Cyprus, to see it fall out of the rucksack and plop into the sea. Another claimed a clumsy pal spilled beer over his phone down their local. Another claimed he'd lost his phone when it flew out of the window from the dashboard of his car as he drove round a corner. Other insurance claims made by iPhone users include 'lost it under the wheels of a bus'. A coffee shop assistant was busy making an espresso for a customer, only to turn around and find he had walked off with his phone which was sitting on the side. Other more usual claims include losing internet connection, screen freeze, pets knocking the phone off a work surface and the fact the phone doesn't charge. TOP 10 MOST BIZARRE IPHONE CLAIMS 1. I dropped it from a hot air balloon 2. I lost it while sky diving 3. It broke when my son used it as a table tennis racket 4. I lost it while building a sand castle for the kids 5. I accidentally buried it in the garden 6. It fell into the kettle 7. I dropped it in a food blender 8. My dog mistook it for his favourite toy and chewed it to pieces 9. Juice from a defrosting piece of meat leaked into it 10. It flew out of the car window TOP 10 MOST COMMON IPHONE CLAIMS 1. Cracked screen 2. Stolen while texting 3. Couldn't hear the other person when making a call 4. Leaving phone on the car roof so it falls off when driving 5. Pet knocked the phone off the surface 6. Stolen from handbag 7. Internet connection completely broken 8. iPhone doesn't charge 9. Dropped in the bath / toilet 10. Screen freezes

– Most iPhone owners are so addicted, they take the gadgets everywhere—which may explain how so many get dropped into toilets or, you know, blenders. Yes, that’s how one guy claims his broke, but it’s not the most bizarre story insurance firms have ever heard. Online insurance company Protect Your Bubble, with OnePoll, compiled a list of the 10 strangest iPhone claims it’s received: Dropped from a hot air balloon. Lost while skydiving. Broke while being used as a table tennis racket. Accidentally buried in the garden. Ruined by leaked juice from defrosting meat. For the complete list, click here. Of course, some phones are simply stolen—to read about one unfortunate would-be thief, click here.

DENVER -- Authorities in suburban Denver were investigating what led a 37-year-old man to fire more than 100 rounds in his apartment on sheriff's deputies, killing one and injuring four others. Two civilians were also injured. The Douglas County coroner identified the suspect as Matthew Riehl. A YouTube user named Matthew Riehl posted a YouTube video Dec. 13, saying he wanted to replace Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock and railing against the sheriff and other officers in profane, highly personal terms. Douglas County Coroner confirms shooting suspect in #CopperCanyonOIS as Matthew Riehl DOB 9/09/80 (pictured). Investigation still ongoing and being investigated by @DA18th Critical Response Team. pic.twitter.com/H6wT0klSQv — DC Sheriff (@dcsheriff) January 1, 2018 The incident began around 5:15 a.m. at Copper Canyon Apartments, a landscaped apartment complex in Highland Ranch, 16 miles south of Denver. Authorities had left the home barely an hour earlier in response to a complaint of a "verbal disturbance" involving two men, the sheriff's office said. One of the men told them the suspect "was acting bizarre and might be having a mental breakdown" but the deputies found no evidence of a crime. When deputies were called back, a man who had left came by to give them a key and granted permission to enter the home, leaving again before shots were fired. "The suspect was just making a ton of noise and annoying everyone around him," Spurlock said. Spurlock said deputies came under fire almost immediately and were shot "very, very quickly" after entering the apartment and trying to talk with the suspect, who was holed up inside a bedroom. "They all went down almost within seconds of each other, so it was more of an ambush-type of attack on our officers," Spurlock said. "He knew we were coming and we obviously let him know that we were there." The wounded deputies tried to pull the fallen officer, Zackari Parrish, out of the line of further gunfire but were unable to because of their own injuries and only managed to "crawl to safety," Spurlock said. Four officers, including Parrish, were shot from a bedroom around 6 a.m., forcing the retreat. A SWAT team entered the apartment at about 7:30 a.m. in an exchange of gunfire that left the gunman dead and another officer injured. Vira Cover, who lives in a building about 50 yards away from the shooting, was woken up by a phone call from her fiance, Steve Silknitter, who warned her about what was happening and urged her to stay inside. Soon afterward she said she heard about 15 to 20 very loud shots fired over about 30 seconds or a minute. She sat on the couch with her cats and called Silknitter back before turning on the television to try to find out more about what was happening. "I couldn't believe this was happening in our backyard," she said. Silknitter heard the shots fired too but from about a half mile away, stopped at a police roadblock as he tried to get back home from work. Then he said he saw police in tactical gear speed past him in a pickup truck. Silknitter said he lived 2 miles away from the movie theater in Aurora, Colorado where 12 people were killed in a shooting in 2012. He said he never would have expected anything like this in his apartment complex, where the only noise you might normally hear is children running around upstairs. "Where do I move to where I don't have to worry about someone shooting us?" asked Silknitter, who is now considering getting a concealed weapons permit. The suspect was well-known to authorities in the Denver area but had no criminal record, said Spurlock, who declined to name him until his identity was confirmed. Riehl said in his Dec. 13 YouTube video, called "Fire Sheriff Spurlock," that he would run as a libertarian, ending with holiday greetings and a vow to "fire all these bums come early next year." Riehl is vague about his political beliefs and personal grievances, though his animosity clearly ran deep. He flashes the business card of an officer who, he says, shows up at homes after sunset with an attractive woman and "will then ambush you from behind the door." A video posted on Nov. 28 shows a traffic stop by a police officer in the city of Lone Tree - apparently taken inside the officer's car - that Riehl said was done illegally. He alleges the officer clocked the wrong driver, identifying the officer by name in the video and calling him "dirty." "Scumbag, dirtbag, liar," he says as the officer questions the driver. "He's the boss, huh? He's the Nazi in charge with the stripes on his shoulder and the fake badge." The sheriff did not release any details about the weapons and ammunition used except to say the suspect had a rifle. He also did not know if law enforcement had any prior knowledge of firearms being in the home but the possibility always weighs on deputies' minds. "We respond to every call anticipating that everyone has a gun. This is Colorado. Everybody has a gun," Spurlock said. Parrish, the slain officer, was 29 and a married father of two young children. He came to the department seven months ago after working as an officer for the nearby Castle Rock Police Department. Spurlock called him a "good kid" who was eager to work. "His wife told me today that he loved this job more than he had loved any job he ever had," the sheriff said. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family of Deputy Parrish. Officials with GoFundMe confirmed to CBS Denver that they are working with the organizer, Tyler Scott, all the money will go to the family. Gov. John Hickenlooper ordered flags on all public buildings immediately lowered to half-staff until Tuesday evening in Parrish's honor. The three deputies and one police officer injured were listed in stable condition. Authorities identified them as deputies Michael Doyle, 28; Taylor Davis, 30; Jeffrey Pelle, 32; and Castle Rock police officer Tom O'Donnell, 41. The two civilian injuries were not life-threatening. Pelle is the son of Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle. The sheriff shared a picture of him and two other family members by his son's hospital bed on his office Twitter account. All four, including Jeffrey Pelle, who underwent surgery, are smiling and giving a thumbs-up gesture. President Donald Trump expressed sorrow on Twitter. My deepest condolences to the victims of the terrible shooting in Douglas County @DCSheriff, and their families. We love our police and law enforcement - God Bless them all! #LESM — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2017 The shooting occurred on the final day of a year that saw the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history in Las Vegas. ||||| The man accused of killing a Douglas County deputy and wounding four more officers and two civilians is a former lawyer who recently had become enraged at police officers. The Douglas County coroner identified the shooter as Matthew Riehl, 37, according to a tweet from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. Riehl was killed in a shootout with SWAT officers. During an afternoon news conference, Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said the suspect was familiar to law enforcement but did not have a criminal record. Riehl began posting videos on YouTube in November expressing anger at Lone Tree Police Department officers, particularly one officer who appeared to have pulled him over in a traffic stop. The week before Christmas, Riehl posted a video of himself wearing an Iraqi Freedom Veteran cap where he announced he was running as a libertarian for Douglas County sheriff. He then went on a rambling rant about a specific deputy he accused of being a pimp, and he called Spurlock a clown. He did not threaten violence. In another video about Dodge vehicles, Riehl accuses “fake LEO,” an acronym for law enforcement officers, of following people in stolen Dodge cars. Riehl also had posted dozens of videos of himself playing video games and one of himself playing with a yo-yo. Riehl was an Army veteran and had worked at some point as a lawyer in Rawlins, Wyo. A spokeswoman with the National Guard confirmed to Denver7 that Riehl entered the Army Reserves in 2003 and served in the Wyoming National Guard starting in 2006. The spokeswoman said Riehl was deployed to Iraq in 2009 and was honorably discharged in 2012. It appears most of Riehl’s legal career was spent in Wyoming. At one point he worked with Macpherson Kelly & Thompson, but in 2014 he opened his own practice, according to a notice from the Rawlins-Carbon County Chamber of Commerce in Rawlins, Wyo. Riehl, as a legal intern, worked with the state of Wyoming on a case involving the appeal of a defendant named Blake Leavitt. Police in Afton, Wyo., in 2009 responded to reports of a man spinning his tires and then began a high-speed chase. The court found Leavitt attempted to run over an officer when his car was cornered. Riehl worked on the team representing the state of Wyoming, according to the website FindLaw. Another case he assisted with while an attorney at MacPherson Kelly & Thompson involved a general contractor who sued the town of Baggs, Wyo., over whether a payment was a “final payment.” Riehl was on the losing side in that civil case, FindLaw said. Riehl voluntarily withdrew his membership in the Wyoming State Bar in October 2016, said Sharon Wilkinson, a spokewoman for the group. “That was an indication that he was no longer interested in practicing law in Wyoming. Therefore, he is not licensed to practice in Wyoming,” she said. Caryn Ann Harlos, a spokeswoman for the Libertarian Party of Colorado, also said Riehl was not registered with the party and never one of its candidates. “We neither show him as a member nor even as anyone who made an inquiry,” she said. “We repudiate any kind of violent actions against the government.”

– The man who killed a deputy and wounded four other officers in an ambush in Colorado Sunday had no criminal record, police say—but he evidently had a grudge against the police in Douglas County. In videos posted on YouTube, 37-year-old Matthew Riehl ranted against police, singling out an officer who pulled him over, the Denver Post reports. In a video originally posted Dec. 13, Riehl, a veteran who worked as a lawyer in Wyoming after leaving the military, calls Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock a "clown" and says he plans to run for sheriff as a Libertarian. The Colorado Libertarian Party says Riehl was never a candidate or member of the party and they "repudiate any kind of violent actions against the government." Riehl—who wore an Iraqi Freedom veteran's cap in the Dec. 13 video—entered the Army Reserves in 2003, was deployed to Iraq with the Wyoming National Guard in 2009, and received an honorable discharge in 2012, a military spokeswoman says. He was shot dead early Sunday after firing more than 100 rounds at police responding to a domestic disturbance call at the Highlands Ranch apartment complex in suburban Denver. Police say that around an hour before the ambush, they responded to a complaint involving a man who "was acting bizarre and might be having a mental breakdown," but they left after finding no evidence of a crime, CBS News reports. A GoFundMe campaign has been started to help the wife and two young daughters of slain officer Zackari Parrish. The 29-year-old had joined the force just seven months ago,

President Donald Trump had been had been silent about now-former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon in the hours after chief of staff John Kelly formally fired him. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo Trump thanks Bannon for his 'service,' praises Breitbart return President Donald Trump on Saturday thanked Steve Bannon for his "service," a day after ousting him as the White House chief strategist. "I want to thank Steve Bannon for his service. He came to the campaign during my run against Crooked Hillary Clinton - it was great! Thanks S," Trump tweeted. Story Continued Below Trump later followed-up on his praise for Bannon, saying his former chief strategist will be a crucial force now that he has returned to Breitbart News, the populist right-wing news site he led prior to joining Trump's campaign, as their executive chairman. "Steve Bannon will be a tough and smart new voice at @BreitbartNews...maybe even better than ever before. Fake News needs the competition!," Trump wrote on Twitter. Trump had been silent about Bannon, his former campaign CEO, in the hours after chief of staff John Kelly formally fired him. Bannon, a populist firebrand, had grown increasingly isolated in the West Wing and Trump had grown tired of his behavior and tactics. The most reliable politics newsletter. Sign up for POLITICO Playbook and get the latest news, every morning — in your inbox. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. Earlier in the week, Trump had offered lukewarm words about the bomb-thrower, saying, “Mr. Bannon came on very late." When asked whether he still had confidence in his chief strategist, he added: “We'll see what happens with Mr. Bannon.” Bannon on Friday returned to Breitbart News as executive chairman, where he is expected to create havoc from the outside, though Bannon said he will work to further Trump's agenda at the conservative news site. ||||| Tweet with a location You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| President Trump on Saturday predicted his former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, who left the White House on Friday, will give the "fake news media" some much-needed rivalry. “Steve Bannon will be a tough and smart new voice at @BreitbartNews... maybe even better than ever before,” Trump tweeted. “Fake News needs the competition!” Bannon returned to work late Friday as executive chairman at Breitbart News and chaired its evening editorial meeting Friday, the site said. The former adviser, who had a rocky 12-month tenure with Trump, said he plans to go “to war” for the president in his outside role. “If there’s any confusion out there, let me clear it up: I’m leaving the White House and going to war for Trump against his opponents -- on Capitol Hill, in the media, and in corporate America,” Bannon told Bloomberg on Friday. Earlier Saturday, the president made his first public comments about Bannon’s departure from the White House. “I want to thank Steve Bannon for his service,” Trump tweeted Saturday morning. “He came to the campaign during my run against Crooked Hillary Clinton -- it was great! Thanks S.” To be sure, Bannon’s campaign message of economic nationalism, which promised more U.S. jobs and better international trade deals, helped Trump in the final months of his campaign defeat Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in a come-from-behind victory. However, Bannon apparently clashed with other administration officials and advisers -- including Trump daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner -- who purportedly pushed for a more global agenda. some critics have argued that Breitbart News is a platform for white nationalists. Speculation about Bannon’s departure escalated in recent weeks, as Trump’s national approval rating dropped. And calls for his departure appeared to increase after Trump said “both sides” were to blame for the violent clashes at a rally last weekend in Charlottesville, Va., that was organized by white supremacists and in which a counter-protester was killed. Trump has purportedly been upset for months about new stories saying Bannon was the brains and genius behind his improbable White House victory. Earlier this week, he declined to confirm that Bannon’s place in the administration was secure, despite acknowledging his importance. “We’ll see,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday. "I like Mr. Bannon. He's a friend of mine. … He's a good person and I think the press treats him, frankly, very unfairly." Trump, who last week also condemned white supremacism and neo Nazism, said Bannon was not a “racist,” and that he didn’t help him craft his responses to the deadly Charlottesville protests.

– "I want to thank Steve Bannon for his service. He came to the campaign during my run against Crooked Hillary Clinton - it was great! Thanks S," President Trump tweeted Saturday, commenting on his former chief strategist for the first time since the latter was removed from the White House. Politico notes that the tweet had a rosier tone than Trump took earlier this week when asked about Bannon's future, with the president saying, "Bannon came on very late" in the campaign, and, "We'll see what happens." In another Bannon tweet, the president wrote that Bannon "will be a tough and smart new voice at @BreitbartNews...maybe even better than ever before. Fake News needs the competition!" Fox News reports Trump had reportedly spent the past few months angered that Bannon was getting credit as the "brains" behind his political success. Meanwhile, Bannon has already returned to his former employer, Breitbart News, and vowed to go "to war for Trump."

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC's Stephen Evans in Berlin says that it's not yet clear what this will mean for German law on marriage Germany has become Europe's first country to allow babies with characteristics of both sexes to be registered as neither male nor female. Parents are now allowed to leave the gender blank on birth certificates, in effect creating a new category of "indeterminate sex". The move is aimed at removing pressure on parents to make quick decisions on sex assignment surgery for newborns. However, some campaigners say the new law does not go far enough. As many as one in 2,000 people have characteristics of both sexes. 'Bruised and scarred' Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Sarah Graham, intersex woman and counsellor: "This pink and blue thing is a nonsense" They are known as "intersex" people because they have a mixture of male and female chromosomes or even genitalia which have characteristics of both genders. The intense difficulty for parents is often that a gender has to be chosen very quickly so that the new child can be registered with the authorities, the BBC's Steve Evans in Berlin reports. Sometimes surgery is done on the baby to turn its physical characteristics as far as possible in one direction or the other, our correspondent says. The law in Germany has been changed following a review of cases which revealed great unhappiness. In one case, a person with no clear gender-defining genitalia was subjected to surgery. The person said many years later: "I am neither a man nor a woman. I will remain the patchwork created by doctors, bruised and scarred." German passports, which currently list the holder's sex as M for male or F for female, will have a third designation, X, for intersex holders, according to the interior ministry. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Silvan Agius, ILGA-Europe: "It does not address the surgeries... and that's not good" It remains unclear what impact the change will have on marriage and partnership laws in Germany. Current laws define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, and civil partnerships are reserved for same-sex couples. Silvan Agius of IGLA-Europe, which campaigns for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and intersex people, said the law needed to go further. "While on the one hand it has provided a lot of visibility about intersex issues... it does not address the surgeries and the medicalisation of intersex people and that's not good - that has to change," he told the BBC. While Germany is the first country in Europe to legally recognise a third gender, several other nations have already taken similar steps. Third gender recognition Australia - passport applications since 2011 Bangladesh - passport applications since 2011 Germany - on birth certificates from 2013 India - electoral roll since 2009 Nepal - census since 2007 New Zealand - passport applications since 2012 Australians have had the option of selecting "x" as their gender - meaning indeterminate, unspecified or intersex - on passport applications since 2011. A similar option was introduced for New Zealanders in 2012. In South Asia, Bangladesh has offered an "other" gender category on passport applications since 2011. Nepal began recognising a third gender on its census forms in 2007 while Pakistan made it an option on national identity cards in 2011. India added a third gender category to voter lists in 2009. While transgender or intersex people have long been accepted in Thailand and are officially recognised by the country's military, they do not have any separate legal status. ||||| Gender X: Germany to allow third indeterminate gender option at birth By Agence France-Presse Wednesday, October 30, 2013 10:46 EST Germany on Friday will become the first European country to allow babies born with characteristics of both sexes to be registered as neither male nor female. Parents will be allowed to leave the field for gender blank on birth certificates, effectively creating a category for indeterminate sex in the public register. “This will be the first time that the law acknowledges that there are human beings who are neither male nor female, or are both — people who do not fit into the traditional legal categories,” University of Bremen law professor Konstanze Plett told AFP. The change is intended to remove pressure on parents to quickly make a decision about controversial sex assignment surgeries for newborns. But even as the law takes effect November 1, there are questions about what it will mean to live with no legal gender. German passports, which currently bear an “M” for male or “F” for female, will soon be allowed to have an “X” in the gender field, according to a spokesman for the interior ministry. According to Plett, a specialist in human rights for intersex people, regulations for other personal documents will need to follow suit. “We will have fellow human beings with no sex registered,” Plett said. “They can’t be forced into either one of the traditional sexes in these other contexts.” Lawmakers have yet to make clear how the change will impact marriage and partnership laws. In Germany, marriage is reserved for a man and a woman, and civil partnerships are reserved for two people of the same sex. The law’s narrow focus is targeted at parents of newborns and “is not adequate to fully resolve the complex problems of intersex people”, including marriage and civil partnerships, according to the interior ministry spokesman. A more immediate concern for intersex advocates is how children “outed” at birth will fare in a world that operates largely on a gender binary. “Schools have toilets for boys and toilets for girls. Where will the intermediate child go?” said Silvan Agius, policy director at ILGA Europe, a lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex rights group. “There are separate sports activities for boys and for girls, and so many other things like this,” Agius said. “The law doesn’t change that. It does not immediately create a space for intersex people to be themselves.” Europe lags behind on gender identity rights, Agius said. Earlier this year Australia began allowing individuals to identify as intersex on personal documents, and added gender identity as a protected category under federal anti-discrimination laws. The German law follows a 2012 report by the Ethics Council, an independent body of experts, concluding that people with ‘Differences of Sex Development’ suffer in the face of “widespread societal ignorance” and “a lack of respect on the part of the medical profession.” Personal testimony from the report quoted a subject born in 1965 with no clear gender-defining genitalia who was castrated as an infant without parental consent. “I am neither a man nor a woman,” the person said. “I will remain the patchwork created by doctors, bruised and scarred.” Experts estimate the population of intersex people at one in 1,500 to 2,000 births. But advocates say the number is much larger partly due to difficulties in defining intersexuality physically or hormonally. The new law has already raised the profile of this small population, which could prompt increased awareness, but, some fear, could also trigger discrimination. “It is an absolute must that parents, teachers and doctors be educated about the lives of intersex people,” said Lucie Veith, head of an intersex support group in Germany. “The government must take measures to ensure that no children are discriminated against because of this new law.” ||||| Germany on Friday will become only the second country, after Australia, to allow parents to leave the gender blank on a child's birth certificate, as people born without a clear sex gain more rights and recognition, especially in Europe. The European Union cited so-called intersex people in June for the first time in its antidiscrimination guidelines. A month later, Australia adopted guidelines saying people filling out any official forms should be able to choose male, female or "X." Growing Recognition Rights being granted or raised: SCOTLAND: Outlaws violence due to bias against identity "not standard male or female. (June 2009) SWITZERLAND: Bioethics commission says gender equality "also applies to people whose sex cannot be unequivocally determined." (Nov. 2012) UNITED NATIONS: Special Rapporteur on Torture calls on nations to reject "forced genital-normalizing surgery." (Feb. 2013) FINLAND: National Ombudsman for Equality declares "not everyone can be unambiguously defined as a woman or a man." (June 2013) EUROPEAN UNION: Intersex people included in antidiscrimination guidelines. (June 2013) AUSTRALIA: People can choose male, female or X on official forms. (July 2013) GERMANY: Allows parents to leave sex blank on a newborn's birth certificate. (November 2013) Switzerland's bioethics commission last year said gender equality "also applies to people whose sex cannot be unequivocally determined." While the U.S. hasn't granted formal recognition, American surgeons, like their European counterparts, are increasingly holding off on some operations designed to immediately assign a gender to babies born with what doctors call ambiguous genitalia, opting to wait until the child can make a choice. That is the biggest demand of intersex activists, who scored what they considered a victory in February when the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture called on countries to reject "forced genital-normalizing surgery." Activists are less enthusiastic about the new German law, which they worry might backfire. An Interior Ministry spokesman in Berlin said the goal of the legislation, which passed the Bundestag unanimously in February, is "to take the pressure off parents to commit themselves to a gender immediately after birth," so that they don't feel compelled to seek surgery right away. But activists say the law appears to actually require parents to leave the gender blank if it is ambiguous. The law states that if a child "cannot be assigned to the female nor the male gender," the status "shall be entered without such information in the register of births." Activists say parents in that situation, fearing stigma, may actually pursue surgery more avidly. "Our main criticism is that this will increase the pressure on parents," said Markus Bauer, an activist based in Switzerland. The ministry spokesman didn't respond to a question about the criticism. The condition is fairly rare: Heino Meyer-Bahlburg, professor of clinical psychiatry and psychology at Columbia University, estimated that one person in 2,000 to 4,000 is born with ambiguous genitalia. About half of the cases result from an identifiable abnormality in the genetic makeup. Others have a murkier genetic foundation, or stem from another factor like drugs taken by the mother during pregnancy. The German government expects only a small number of people will be affected, so other statistics or calculations are unlikely to be affected, the ministry spokesman said. Almost everyone born with the condition is assigned a gender for official purposes at birth, based on the parents' and doctors' best calculation. While "surgeons have become more reluctant" to operate on mild cases, "in more severe cases, at a minimum because it looks very unusual, people are less likely to hold off," Dr. Meyer-Bahlburg said. Most people end up keeping the assigned gender, though some switch and a small number decline to identify with either gender at all. Laurence Baskin, chief of pediatric urology at Benioff Children's Hospital in San Francisco, said incidents in which surgeons guess wrong on a person's ultimate sexual identity are rare, but they are not unheard-of. "Physicians are human and not godly," Dr. Baskin said. "They do the best they can." Some people view the trend toward greater recognition of intersex status with alarm. "I think providing any option other than male or female is dehumanizing and medically inaccurate," said Rob Schwarzwalder, senior vice president of the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian group. Activists like Del LaGrace Volcano of Sweden, who lived as a female for 37 years but "came out" as intersex in 1995, reject such attitudes. "If you're not male or female, what are you? You're an 'it.' You remain a monstrosity," the activist said. "I overcame that." But for most of society, "there's a huge way to go." Write to Naftali Bendavid at naftali.bendavid@wsj.com

– Baby boy or baby girl? As of today, parents in Germany have the option of choosing neither, leaving the gender spot on their newborn's birth certificate blank if the baby's sex can't be determined. As many as one in 2,000 people are born with ambiguous genitalia, and the new law basically creates a third gender category for "indeterminate" or "intersex" people, the BBC reports. Currently, passport holders in the country are listed as either M (male) or F (female); with this change, a third option will be added: X (intersex). Individuals whose gender is left blank at birth can choose later to become male or female, or can remain intersex, Der Spiegel reports. Germany, the first European country to make such an allowance, reviewed cases of intersex babies and found that many who were subjected to sex assignment surgery at a young age ended up unhappy. The law is an attempt to relax the pressure on parents, who may feel forced to make a quick decision about gender and surgery. But the Wall Street Journal explains the law's wording could actually have the unplanned effect of pushing parents toward surgery. It reads that if a male or female gender can't be assigned, the child "shall be entered without such information in the register of births." Some fear that might lead stigma-wary parents to request surgery that would allow for a definitive determination of sex. Another fear: that intersex people won't have "a space ... to be themselves," as one LGBT activist points out to AFP, noting that schools separate things like bathrooms and sports activities by gender.

Reviving a 20-year debate over illnesses of veterans of the 1991 Persian Gulf war, a new scientific paper presents evidence that nerve agents released by the bombing of Iraqi chemical weapons depots just before the ground war began could have carried downwind and fallen on American troops staged in Saudi Arabia. The paper, published in the journal Neuroepidemiology, tries to rebut the longstanding Pentagon position, supported by many scientists, that neurotoxins, particularly sarin gas, could not have carried far enough to sicken American forces. The authors are James J. Tuite and Dr. Robert Haley, who has written several papers asserting links between chemical exposures and gulf war illnesses. They assembled data from meteorological and intelligence reports to support their thesis that American bombs were powerful enough to propel sarin from depots in Muthanna and Falluja high into the atmosphere, where winds whisked it hundreds of miles south to the Saudi border. Once over the American encampments, the toxic plume could have stalled and fallen back to the surface because of weather conditions, the paper says. Though troops would have been exposed to low levels of the agent, the authors assert that the exposures may have continued for several days, increasing their impact. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Though chemical weapons detectors sounded alarms in those encampments in the days after the January 1991 bombing raids, they were viewed as false by many troops, the authors report. ||||| Troops were told chemical alarms that went off at U.S. bases in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War were false alarms, but a new study indicates that sarin gas traveled hundreds of miles. Soldiers with the U.S. Army's 7th Corps huddle in a bunker in Eastern Saudi Arabia with gas masks and chemical suits following the start of the 1991 Persian Gulf War. (Photo: Peter Dejong, AP) Story Highlights Weather studies show dangerous nerve agent traveled hundreds of miles to reach U.S. troops. WASHINGTON -- U.S. bombings of Iraqi munitions factories in January 1991 released a plume of sarin gas that traveled more than 300 miles to affect American troops in Saudi Arabia, although military officials claimed at the time that chemical alarms triggered by the gas were false, a study released today shows. The Jan. 18, 1991, bombings of the munitions plants in Nasiriyah and Khamisiya blew a plume of sarin gas high above a layer of cold, still air -- also called the boundary level -- and into a swift wind stream that carried the gas to Saudi Arabia, said the study conducted by researchers Robert Haley and James Tuite and published in the journal Neuroepidemiology. The gas plumes, the researchers said, can be blamed for symptoms of Gulf War illness, the mysterious ailment that has affected more than 250,000 veterans of the war. The gas set off repeated chemical weapons alarms at U.S. troop points in Saudi Arabia, the report said, but commanders said they were false alarms, because if the troops had been hit with sarin gas, there would have been casualties. There were no casualties, although U.S., Czech and French systems all detected traces of sarin and mustard agent. Compounding the effects of the sarin were Scud missile attacks on the bases by Iraqi forces, Haley and Tuite reported, because the missiles would stir up the airborne toxic gases and force the sarin to drift back into the base level of air, which would set off the chemical alarms again. The two researchers investigated satellite images and weather charts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to determine the movements of the sarin plume. Haley is the chief of epidemiology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and Tuite is a former Secret Service senior agent who has worked as an investigator for the Pentagon and the Government Accountability Office. Their report shows satellite images depicting a yellow patch of gas in the air above where U.S. troops were based. "You can see it," Haley said. "This is simple. ... There it is. There's no doubt." Haley and Tuite paired the weather data with survey results from about 8,000 troops they polled with support from the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. They found a direct relationship between the number of times troops heard the chemical alarms and the severity of their Gulf War illness symptoms, their report said. The VA did not respond to a request for comment. The VA has previously challenged research attributing Gulf War illness to sarin, because there was no way to determine the amount of gas to which troops were exposed. Since no troops died at the time from exposure to the gas, and the munitions factories were so far away, U.S. forces and their commanders assumed something else had set off the chemical alarms, Haley said. In some cases, troops were told the alarms were activated by burning trash. "This is the dose," Haley said. "The more alarms you heard, the longer you were exposed to the gas." Veterans of suffering from Gulf War illness tend to fall in three categories: • Syndrome 1, or cognitive and depression problems. • Syndrome 2, or confusion ataxia, which is similar to early Alzheimer's disease. • Syndrome 3, or severe chronic body pain. Those with syndromes two and three had a highly significant correlation between alarms and symptoms, while Haley said Syndrome 1 does not appear to be connected. Haley called syndromes two and three "incapacitating," and said those veterans feel tired or just "not good" for no explainable reason. Recent research shows that Gulf War illness, the series of symptoms ranging from headaches to memory loss to chronic fatigue, is due to damage to the autonomic nervous systems. The autonomic nervous system controls automatic functions, such as breathing or a person's heartbeat. Troops say their exposure to the gases was compounded by their lack of chemical protection suits. Each person was equipped with two suits, which were good for only one wearing each. Many soldiers and Marines stopped bothering to put on their gas masks and suits, if they had any fresh ones left, after hearing several of the "false alarms." While scientists have pointed at achl-inhibitors, such as sarin, bug spray and anti-nerve agent pills as contributors to Gulf War illness, Haley he said the main cause is probably the sarin gas. "I think the other chemicals may have compounded it," he said, but scientists hadn't been looking at low-dose, long-term sarin exposure because they didn't know the cloud had traveled so far. The VA originally funded some of the Gulf War illness research but Veterans Affairs dropped their project in 2010 after being accused of wasting millions of dollars in research money. That came directly after a 2009 study from Haley showed that neurotoxins such as anti-nerve agent pills, insect repellent and the nerve agent sarin caused neurological changes to the brain, and that the changes seem to correlate with different symptoms. Haley and Tuite used their own money and time to complete the research before it was published in Neuroepidemiology, which only runs research after it is peer-reviewed by other scientists. Haley said the findings are important because it could help veterans gain benefits from VA, and because it gives researchers a starting point for a cure. It also could serve as a warning to countries such as Syria, which security experts fear plan to use chemical weapons against insurgents, because it's hard to determine where the chemicals will end up, he said. Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/UdpMvM

– A controversial new paper may shed light on Gulf War syndrome, a collection of symptoms seen in veterans of the 1991 conflict: Chemical weapons could be to blame. The researchers assert that when US troops bombed chemical weapons depots in Iraq, the neurotoxin sarin was sent into the atmosphere then carried by the wind all the way to American encampments 300 miles to the south. From there, weather conditions may have driven the toxin downward, potentially exposing troops to it for several days. Troops were told that chemical weapons alarms that blared at the time were false alarms, the New York Times reports. The theory has been raised before; the new paper supports it using intelligence and weather reports. The researchers also noted a correlation between the number of times troops say they heard the alarm and the severity of their symptoms. Satellite images in the report show yellow gas over the US encampments, USA Today adds. Almost half of 700,000 Gulf War veterans have made claims for disability, with many citing symptoms whose cause remains mysterious. The Pentagon has maintained that the gas couldn't have traveled far enough to present a threat, and other experts have agreed.

FILE - In this July 25, 2017 file photo, White House Senior Adviser and envoy, Jared Kushner, listens at right as President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri... (Associated Press) RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Presidential adviser Jared Kushner met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Thursday to try to jumpstart moribund peace talks, but after months without progress the Mideast envoy faces growing skepticism on the Palestinian side. With no clear vision for peace outlined by the administration and domestic issues distracting President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, expectations for the new peace push are low. The Palestinians initially welcomed Trump's election, but they have since grown impatient with what they say is a failure by the U.S. president to present a roadmap for peace. Specifically, they are seeking a halt to Israeli settlement construction on occupied lands, and an American commitment to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state as part of a peace deal with Israel. "If the U.S. team doesn't bring answers to our questions this time, we are going to look into our options because the status quo is not working for our interests," said Ahmad Majdalani, an aide to Abbas. It was not clear whether Kushner offered any clarity during his three-hour meeting with Abbas. Nabil Abu Rdeneh, Abbas' spokesman, called the meeting "positive," without discussing details, and said the Palestinian leader had reiterated his desire for an American commitment to a Palestinian state. The White House later said both sides agreed the U.S.-talks were the best step forward. "The Palestinian Authority and the U.S. delegation had a productive meeting focused on how to begin substantive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Both sides agreed to continue with the U.S.-led conversations as the best way to reach a comprehensive peace deal," the statement said. Abbas said ahead of the meeting the Palestinian side appreciated Trump's efforts. "We know things are difficult and complicated, but nothing is impossible with good intentions," he said. Trump took office with hopes of striking what he calls the "ultimate deal" between Israelis and Palestinians — a goal that has eluded administrations before his dogged by the same intractable issues. But he has since given few details of his vision for peace, managing to frustrate both sides. Kushner, Trump's chief Middle East adviser and his son-in-law, met Netanyahu in Tel Aviv earlier Thursday before traveling to Ramallah later in the day to meet with Abbas. Kushner is expected to return to the U.S. on Friday. Before his meeting with Kushner, Netanyahu spoke optimistically of the road ahead. "We have a lot of things to talk about, how to advance peace, stability and security in our region, prosperity too," Netanyahu said, standing alongside Kushner. "I think that all of them are within our reach." A statement from Netanyahu's office after the meeting said the talks were "substantive" but gave no details on progress or further steps. On the campaign trail, Trump took a staunchly pro-Israel line, energizing Netanyahu and hard-liners in his coalition. He promised to relocate the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem — a move welcomed by Israel and opposed by the Palestinians — and refused to endorse the Palestinian goal of independence. His platform played down the significance of Israeli settlements and he surrounded himself with advisers with deep ties to the settlement movement, including Kushner and the U.S. ambassador to Israel, David Friedman. But since taking office, Trump decided not to move the embassy and has urged Israel to restrain settlement construction. He has not come out in support of the two-state solution, a position backed by most of the international community and also his Republican and Democratic predecessors, indicating vaguely that he supports whichever solution the sides agree to. Disappointed Palestinian officials privately gripe that Trump's team has begun to support Israeli positions and ignore their concerns. Further complicating any hope for progress are internal troubles for all three leaders. Trump's administration has become preoccupied with a series of domestic crises, most recently the fallout from the deadly racially charged violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, earlier this month. Netanyahu, meanwhile, is facing a growing corruption investigation that could soon lead to an indictment against him. These legal troubles, along with Israeli concerns about a possible long-term Iranian presence in neighboring Syria, make it unlikely that he will agree to any major diplomatic initiative. After years of on-and-off peace efforts that have yielded no progress, Abbas is deeply unpopular at home. He also is stuck in a bitter rivalry with the Islamic militant group Hamas, which seized the Gaza Strip from his forces a decade ago and is now pursuing a reconciliation deal with Mohammed Dahlan, a former Abbas ally who has turned into his political nemesis. Since the collapse of U.S.-mediated peace talks three years ago, the sides have grown further apart and have been plagued by repeated rounds of violence, including a war between Israel and Hamas and recurring low-level violence sparked by tensions over a contested Jerusalem site holy to both Jews and Muslims. Israel, meanwhile, has increasingly shifted its sights toward a regional deal with certain Arab countries, rather than one focusing solely on the Palestinians, an approach Trump has expressed support for. "The time has come for a regional approach," Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely told Israel Radio. "That is the thinking guiding President Trump and the prime minister of Israel, and so our message to the Palestinians is that time is working against them." ___ Associated Press writer Fares Akram in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, contributed to this report. ||||| President Trump's adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel on Aug. 24, and said that Trump is committed to finding a solution "that will be able to bring prosperity and peace to all people in this area." (Reuters) President Trump's adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel on Aug. 24, and said that Trump is committed to finding a solution "that will be able to bring prosperity and peace to all people in this area." (Reuters) The Trump administration is exploring new approaches for easing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that build on talks with a budding Sunni Arab coalition of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Jordan. Jared Kushner, the White House senior adviser and presidential son-in-law, visited the leaders of all four countries during his Middle East trip this week. He was accompanied by special envoy Jason D. Greenblatt and deputy national security adviser Dina Powell. The group came away hopeful that the new generation of Arab leaders is a potential “game-changer,” said a senior administration official. Prince Khaled bin Salman, the Saudi ambassador to Washington, gave an upbeat account of the talks with Kushner. He said that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, his older brother, “is optimistic in light of the commitment of Donald Trump to achieve a just and lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians.” He said that this week’s visit “cemented Saudi and other Arab officials’ respect” for Kushner and his team, who organized Trump’s visit to the kingdom in May. A first step in the new Palestinian strategy involves Gaza, which, under Hamas, has been Israel’s most implacable adversary. The moderate Sunni coalition has tried to pull Hamas closer to Egypt and the UAE and increase Hamas’s distance from Qatar, which for years has been a major financial backer. The goal is to broker a reunification of Gaza with the Palestinian Authority, under the leadership of President Mahmoud Abbas, so that a united PA could represent all Palestinians. This would be a key step toward resuming broader negotiations. The Trump administration seems to envision an “outside-in” strategy for breaking the Palestinian-Israeli stalemate. The United States, it’s hoped, could eventually bring together Israelis and leaders of the major Arab states for a peace conference. Trump’s unusually close relations with both Israel and the Gulf Arabs are part of this strategy. The Gaza opening by the moderate Arabs is an unlikely offshoot of their bitter feud with Qatar, Turkey and other nations that support the Muslim Brotherhood militants who have long dominated Hamas. Mohammed Dahlan, a Gazan Palestinian now living in the UAE, has been the key intermediary. He has traveled to Gaza and organized UAE-financed humanitarian assistance there, working in collaboration with Yahya al-Sinwar, the head of Hamas inside Gaza. The plan is to provide economic and social support, through Egypt and with Israel’s blessing, that can weaken the hard-liners’ control. “We both realized it’s time to find a way out” in Gaza, Dahlan told the Associated Press last month after meeting with Sinwar, who was a childhood friend. Dahlan’s aid to Gaza is said to include about $15 million a month in food and social assistance for families, plus an unspecified additional amount for electricity and water, an Arab official told me. Israel has allowed fuel and other shipments to pass from Egypt through the border crossing at Rafah, signaling tacit support. Dahlan and his Emirati backers have bigger plans. He told the AP that the UAE has pledged to finance a $100 million electricity plant, to be built on the Egyptian side of the border, to help power Gaza. Although Dahlan is a long-time rival of Abbas, U.S. officials insist they don’t want to undermine the Palestinian Authority leader. Beyond the machinations in Gaza is a larger vision for restarting a Palestinian peace process drawing on the alliance of moderate Sunni leaders. Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Egypt’s President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi already have extensive, friendly relations with Israel. Mohammed bin Zayed, the crown prince and military leader of the UAE, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed don’t have formal ambassadorial contacts with Israel. But they share a common enemy in Iran. MBS, as the Saudi crown prince is known, has made some brash moves that have caused him trouble, including the war in Yemen. But he’s willing to take risks on the reform side, too, including challenging the kingdom’s religious establishment. Prince Khaled, the Saudi ambassador, said that MBS believes resolution of the Palestinian problem and peace with Israel are “crucial for the future of the Middle East.” “This young, dynamic leadership presents opportunities that may not have existed before,” said Yousef al-Otaiba, the UAE ambassador to Washington. The White House clearly shares that view. When it comes to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, 50 years of peacemaking history sadly warn us that a new initiative probably won’t work. And Trump’s domestic problems weaken his ability to deliver on Kushner’s advance work. But it must be said: The opportunities for trade, investment and security cooperation between Israel and the Arabs have never been greater. Read more from David Ignatius’s archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. ||||| President Trump's adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel on Aug. 24, and said that Trump is committed to finding a solution "that will be able to bring prosperity and peace to all people in this area." (Reuters) President Trump's adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel on Aug. 24, and said that Trump is committed to finding a solution "that will be able to bring prosperity and peace to all people in this area." (Reuters) The Trump administration is exploring new approaches for easing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that build on talks with a budding Sunni Arab coalition of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Jordan. Jared Kushner, the White House senior adviser and presidential son-in-law, visited the leaders of all four countries during his Middle East trip this week. He was accompanied by special envoy Jason D. Greenblatt and deputy national security adviser Dina Powell. The group came away hopeful that the new generation of Arab leaders is a potential “game-changer,” said a senior administration official. Prince Khaled bin Salman, the Saudi ambassador to Washington, gave an upbeat account of the talks with Kushner. He said that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, his older brother, “is optimistic in light of the commitment of Donald Trump to achieve a just and lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians.” He said that this week’s visit “cemented Saudi and other Arab officials’ respect” for Kushner and his team, who organized Trump’s visit to the kingdom in May. A first step in the new Palestinian strategy involves Gaza, which, under Hamas, has been Israel’s most implacable adversary. The moderate Sunni coalition has tried to pull Hamas closer to Egypt and the UAE and increase Hamas’s distance from Qatar, which for years has been a major financial backer. The goal is to broker a reunification of Gaza with the Palestinian Authority, under the leadership of President Mahmoud Abbas, so that a united PA could represent all Palestinians. This would be a key step toward resuming broader negotiations. The Trump administration seems to envision an “outside-in” strategy for breaking the Palestinian-Israeli stalemate. The United States, it’s hoped, could eventually bring together Israelis and leaders of the major Arab states for a peace conference. Trump’s unusually close relations with both Israel and the Gulf Arabs are part of this strategy. The Gaza opening by the moderate Arabs is an unlikely offshoot of their bitter feud with Qatar, Turkey and other nations that support the Muslim Brotherhood militants who have long dominated Hamas. Mohammed Dahlan, a Gazan Palestinian now living in the UAE, has been the key intermediary. He has traveled to Gaza and organized UAE-financed humanitarian assistance there, working in collaboration with Yahya al-Sinwar, the head of Hamas inside Gaza. The plan is to provide economic and social support, through Egypt and with Israel’s blessing, that can weaken the hard-liners’ control. “We both realized it’s time to find a way out” in Gaza, Dahlan told the Associated Press last month after meeting with Sinwar, who was a childhood friend. Dahlan’s aid to Gaza is said to include about $15 million a month in food and social assistance for families, plus an unspecified additional amount for electricity and water, an Arab official told me. Israel has allowed fuel and other shipments to pass from Egypt through the border crossing at Rafah, signaling tacit support. Dahlan and his Emirati backers have bigger plans. He told the AP that the UAE has pledged to finance a $100 million electricity plant, to be built on the Egyptian side of the border, to help power Gaza. Although Dahlan is a long-time rival of Abbas, U.S. officials insist they don’t want to undermine the Palestinian Authority leader. Beyond the machinations in Gaza is a larger vision for restarting a Palestinian peace process drawing on the alliance of moderate Sunni leaders. Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Egypt’s President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi already have extensive, friendly relations with Israel. Mohammed bin Zayed, the crown prince and military leader of the UAE, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed don’t have formal ambassadorial contacts with Israel. But they share a common enemy in Iran. MBS, as the Saudi crown prince is known, has made some brash moves that have caused him trouble, including the war in Yemen. But he’s willing to take risks on the reform side, too, including challenging the kingdom’s religious establishment. Prince Khaled, the Saudi ambassador, said that MBS believes resolution of the Palestinian problem and peace with Israel are “crucial for the future of the Middle East.” “This young, dynamic leadership presents opportunities that may not have existed before,” said Yousef al-Otaiba, the UAE ambassador to Washington. The White House clearly shares that view. When it comes to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, 50 years of peacemaking history sadly warn us that a new initiative probably won’t work. And Trump’s domestic problems weaken his ability to deliver on Kushner’s advance work. But it must be said: The opportunities for trade, investment and security cooperation between Israel and the Arabs have never been greater. Read more from David Ignatius’s archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.

– Jared Kushner continued his long-shot quest for Mideast peace on Thursday in meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, but as the AP account of the sessions notes, expectations are low and skepticism high. As they probably should be, writes David Ignatius in the Washington Post. Still, he finds a kernel of optimism in the changing dynamics of the region, particularly in "a budding Sunni Arab coalition of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Jordan." A key part of the new strategy revolves around getting Hamas, which controls Gaza, to move away from their hard-line backers in Qatar. (This is an "offshoot" of the current feud between Qatar and its moderate Arab neighbors, writes Ignatius.) This could bring Gaza back into the fold of the Palestinian Authority, and a newly united PA could speak for all Palestinians in future peace talks. "The Trump administration seems to envision an 'outside-in' strategy for breaking the Palestinian-Israeli stalemate," writes Ignatius. "The United States, it’s hoped, could eventually bring together Israelis and leaders of the major Arab states for a peace conference," and the president's close ties with Israel and Gulf Arabs could help on that front. The White House sees all this as a potential "game-changer," but Ignatius warns that 50 years of failed deal-making "sadly warn us that a new initiative probably won’t work." Plus, President Trump's troubles in the US won't help in the delivery of any promises. But, Ignatius concludes, "the opportunities for trade, investment and security cooperation between Israel and the Arabs have never been greater." Click for the full column.

Photo: REUTERS/Kena Betancur For the past six months, Jill Abramson walked the newsroom like a woman under siege. “She was feeling it and was exhausted,” one close colleague said. She sometimes mused to colleagues that her days as executive editor of the New York Times were numbered. “Jill had started to tell people she would step down after the election in 2016,” one Times staffer said. “She didn’t think she would be there until her 65th birthday,” another explained. Abramson, who is 60, didn’t make it to the midterms. Yesterday, at 2 p.m., Arthur Sulzberger Jr. summoned the paper’s senior editors to a meeting on the third floor of the newsroom to inform them that Abramson was being ousted and replaced by her No. 2, Dean Baquet. The unexpected news stunned the newsroom. She’d been a difficult boss by all accounts, but where the departure of Howell Raines a little more than a decade before had occasioned glee, now there were ambivalence and sadness and subterranean newsroom schisms. She’d promoted a generation of allies, many of them women, and made enemies, too. “I was shocked,” a high-level editor told me. “And anybody who says they knew it was coming is lying.” Sulzberger’s vague suggestion of “management” issues only intensified the vortex of speculation and a search for a single smoking gun — a conflict or breach so serious it would explain Sulzberger’s dismissal of his historic hire, which was even more surprising given the excellence of the paper she was producing. The pay disparity issue that Ken Auletta reported in The New Yorker was certainly one area of conflict — but the bucket was bigger. “The unbelievable thing is that there actually is no ‘cause’ for this — no single thing, nothing,” a colleague said. “It was just a lot of accumulated backbiting.” As in many matters involving the executive editor of the New York Times, the story is as much about Arthur Sulzberger Jr. as his employee. Abramson’s problems with Sulzberger began even before she was appointed. One Times person told me that, in the spring of 2010, Sulzberger openly embarrassed her in a meeting with top Times staff. Abramson was so livid about it she told Janet Robinson, the then Times CEO, that she was going to leave the paper. “Jill went to Janet and told Janet she had enough of Arthur and had an offer to go,” the source explained. “Janet patched things up.” When former executive editor Bill Keller informed Sulzberger he planned to step down, Sulzberger hesitated to appoint Abramson, who had seniority at the paper, where it’s important, to replace him. He toyed with choosing Baquet, whom many in the newsroom knew. “When Arthur picked Jill, it was by the slimmest margin,” a person close to the talks said. “He really wrestled with that decision.” Abramson’s appointment in June 2011 triggered a flurry of positive profiles — which seemed to bother Sulzberger. “He does not like people who promote themselves,” a person close to Sulzberger said. “There was a threshold that was crossed,” this person said. “It was an interview she did with Alec Baldwin.” At one point, Sulzberger went to the Times PR department and asked an executive when Abramson was going to stop doing interviews. Janet Robinson, another historic female appointment and an Abramson ally, was dismissed by Sulzberger in December 2011, partly, some Times people say, owing to her own carefully cultivated media footprint. After a prolonged search in which the Times was without a CEO, casting an uncomfortable spotlight on Sulzberger, he finally chose former BBC director general Mark Thompson. After Thompson had been hired for the job but before he’d started, Abramson sent Matthew Purdy, a hard-charging investigative reporter, to London to examine Thompson’s role in the Jimmy Savile scandal at the BBC. Abramson’s relationship with the two executives never recovered. “Mark Thompson was fucking pissed,” a source explained. “He was really angry with the Purdy stuff.” So was Sulzberger. “He was livid, in a very passive-aggressive way. These were a set of headaches Jill had created for Arthur.” Sulzberger had brought Thompson in to be a turnaround artist, rethinking the newspaper’s role in a media world evolving at hyperspeed. But Thompson’s role as house philosopher grated on Abramson. A particular flashpoint was Thompson’s emphasis on video. Abramson was skeptical. “Jill does not like video,” a person familiar with her thinking told me. “She thought there is nothing more boring than two print people talking in front of a camera about a story you can you read in a minute.” Although both have denied it in public, Thompson and Abramson’s relationship spiraled down over the past year, as Thompson pressed ahead with plans to move the Times into native advertising. “She was morally opposed to that,” an executive said. “She told me it would not happen on her watch.” “She conflicted directly with Thompson on numerous occasions,” an Abramson colleague said. As Abramson battled Thompson, she also squared off against her deputy, Dean Baquet. “Her relationship with Dean was never ideal,” a senior staffer said. The complicated relationship spilled into public when Politico published a controversial piece last April that detailed Baquet punching a wall in frustration after one encounter with Abramson — an outburst instigated by some front-page stories Baquet had approved, which Abramson critiqued with one word: “boring.” In recent months, Baquet let it be known in the newsroom that he was miserable in the job, a source told me. He was said to have been angered that Abramson was recruiting Guardian editor Janine Gibson to be in a co-managing editor position without consulting him (though one colleague said that both Thompson and Sulzberger had signed off on the decision itself), and his displeasure reached Sulzberger. And this spring, Baquet told colleagues that Bloomberg was recruiting him to oversee the news service’s Washington coverage. Though he was unlikely to leave, the loss of Baquet — well liked in the newsroom and well liked by Sulzberger, the heir apparent to the paper and another historic choice — would have been a blow. Whether this was the ultimate trigger leading to Sulzberger’s decision is impossible to know. But it is difficult not to view the situation as in some sense a choice of Baquet over Abramson, and a decision forced implicitly by Baquet. Other dynamics may have been in play, too. In the past six months, Arthur’s son, Arthur Gregg Sulzberger, has been leading a task force to prepare a report on the newsroom in the digital era, which was made public last week. It includes a panoply of mostly sensible suggestions — but the fact that the son of the publisher was interviewing Abramson’s employees at a time when their relationship was in turmoil cannot have helped the situation. And Sulzberger’s son, thought to be his probable successor, was by the end of his fact-finding intimately aware of feelings (and dysfunction) in the newsroom to an extent that has often eluded the Sulzbergers (most notably during the Raines era). Still, it was the cold abruptness of the firing that has the newsroom stunned. For now, Sulzberger, Thompson, and Abramson are remaining silent on the ultimate causes of her firing. But the awkward mercilessness of Abramson’s forced exit, echoing the departure of Janet Robinson, has become a hallmark of this era of the paper. “This is incredibly un-Times-ian,” one female staffer told me. “It’s an undignified, unceremonious way to handle this. There’s many people who feel that.” *This article appears in the May 19, 2014 issue of New York Magazine. ||||| Jill Abramson was fired from her post as executive editor of The New York Times. In her former position, she was among the top 20 most powerful women in the world. Abramson was succeeded by managing editor, Dean Baquet, according to an announcement today by Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. Speculation is rampant on what caused her ousting. Among the ensuing media maelstrom, one by The New Yorker's Ken Auletta is most compelling. "Abramson discovered that her pay and her pension benefits as both executive editor and, before that, as managing editor were considerably less than the pay and pension benefits of Bill Keller, the male editor whom she replaced in both jobs," Auletta writes. If true, Abramson's dismissal after confronting her management about this, ties neatly with another well-publicized criticism against her: She's pushy. Last July, Newsweek wrote a profile on her, "Good Jill, Bad Jill," noting her often "high-handed, impatient...and obstinate" nature. Sulzberger was quoted as calling Abramson "brusque" in that feature – one of the kinder words she's been called in the media. Unequal Pay for One Of Journalism's Most Powerful Women? If Auletta's article on her pay gap turns out to be true, it won't be a huge surprise. A study by Indiana University found female journalists made 82 cents to a male journalist's dollar in 2012. Close to 63% of journalists in America are male, the same survey found. To consider that Abramson may be exempt from wage discrimination because of her role, could very well be a rosy fantasy. Most media outlets still have a way to go with equal gender and racial representation in both, their editorial and business sides. It is worth noting that Baquet is now the first African-American executive editor of the Times. Auletta updated his article to add this: "A third associate told me, 'She found out that a former deputy managing editor”—a man—“made more money than she did” while she was managing editor. “She had a lawyer make polite inquiries about the pay and pension disparities, which set them off.'" Because the assertions here are hearsay, I don't want to jump to conclusions about her pay. Brusque? Bossy? What's more telling – and disturbing – are reports that emerged even before the firing, of Abramson's "pushy" personality. Auletta's post suggests that Abramson confronted "the top brass" about her alleged pay gap, which irked them. He says this fed into the Times' narrative of her "pushy" personality. That word – loaded and undeniably gendered – speaks to the deeper issues women face when they demand anything. Another assertion from Auletta that she "clashed" with Mark Thompson, the outlet's CEO, also reinforces this. Women continue to work in a world where they are expected to be demure and agreeable. Sulzberger Jr., for example, has been lauded for his tough and diligent stewardship of the Times, but the word "pushy" has never appeared next to his name. The speculation rages on and more journalists have jumped on to Auletta's claims, including NPR's media reporter David Folkenflik, who tweeted this: While still too early to conclude, it's clear that even the world's most powerful women are not safe from negative narrative if they are assertive. If the report is true, it's not the pay gap that irks me; those numbers can be fixed. But how do we even begin to fix deeply-ingrained attitudes about how women should behave to be successful? ||||| This post was updated at 10 P.M. At the annual City University Journalism School dinner, on Monday, Dean Baquet, the managing editor of the New York Times, was seated with Arthur Sulzberger, Jr., the paper’s publisher. At the time, I did not give a moment’s thought to why Jill Abramson, the paper’s executive editor, was not at their table. Then, at 2:36 P.M. on Wednesday, an announcement from the Times hit my e-mail, saying that Baquet would replace Abramson, less than three years after she was appointed the first woman in the top job. Baquet will be the first African-American to lead the Times. Fellow-journalists and others scrambled to find out what had happened. Sulzberger had fired Abramson, and he did not try to hide that. In a speech to the newsroom on Wednesday afternoon, he said, “I chose to appoint a new leader of our newsroom because I believe that new leadership will improve some aspects …” Abramson chose not to attend the announcement, and not to pretend that she had volunteered to step down. As with any such upheaval, there’s a history behind it. Several weeks ago, I’m told, Abramson discovered that her pay and her pension benefits as both executive editor and, before that, as managing editor were considerably less than the pay and pension benefits of Bill Keller, the male editor whom she replaced in both jobs. “She confronted the top brass,” one close associate said, and this may have fed into the management’s narrative that she was “pushy,” a characterization that, for many, has an inescapably gendered aspect. Sulzberger is known to believe that the Times, as a financially beleaguered newspaper, needed to retreat on some of its generous pay and pension benefits; Abramson, who spent much of her career at the Wall Street Journal, had been at the Times for far fewer years than Keller, which accounted for some of the pension disparity. Eileen Murphy, a spokeswoman for the Times, said that Jill Abramson’s total compensation as executive editor “was directly comparable to Bill Keller’s”—though it was not actually the same. I was also told by another friend of Abramson’s that the pay gap with Keller was only closed after she complained. But, to women at an institution that was once sued by its female employees for discriminatory practices, the question brings up ugly memories. [Update: On Thursday, Sulzberger gave his staff a memo on what he said was “misinformation” on the pay question. “It is simply not true that Jill’s compensation was significantly less than her predecessors,” he wrote. “Her pay is comparable to that of earlier executive editors.”] Whether Abramson was right or wrong, both sides were left unhappy. A third associate told me, “She found out that a former deputy managing editor”—a man—“made more money than she did” while she was managing editor. [Update: The man in question, John Geddes, was in fact the managing editor of news operations.] “She had a lawyer make polite inquiries about the pay and pension disparities, which set them off.” Sulzberger’s frustration with Abramson was growing. She had already clashed with the company’s C.E.O., Mark Thompson, over native advertising and the perceived intrusion of the business side into the newsroom. Publicly, Thompson and Abramson denied that there was any tension between them, as Sulzberger today declared that there was no church-state—that is, business-editorial—conflict at the Times. A politician who made such implausible claims might merit a front-page story in the Times. The two men and Abramson clearly did not get along. A third issue surfaced, too: Abramson was pushing to hire a deputy managing editor to oversee the digital side of the Times. She believed that she had the support of Sulzberger and Thompson to recruit this deputy, and her supporters say that the plan was for the person in this position to report to Baquet. Baquet is a popular and respected figure in the newsroom, and he had appeared, for the most part, to get along with Abramson. (I was told, however, that, at a recent dinner with Sulzberger, Baquet said he found her hard to work with.) He is also someone whom Sulzberger passed over when he chose Abramson. But Baquet apparently felt that he hadn’t been consulted, and, according to two sources, expressed his concerns to Sulzberger. He had also reportedly been approached by Bloomberg about a job there. (Baquet has not yet responded to a request for comment; neither has Abramson.) In a reflection of the fractious relationship that Baquet and others had with Abramson, the Times reported that Baquet, speaking to the newsroom after his appointment, “praised Ms. Abramson for teaching him ‘the value of great ambition’ and then added that John Carroll, whom he worked for at The Los Angeles Times, ‘told me that great editors can also be humane editors.’” These issues seemed to coalesce for Sulzberger and Thompson. The reason Sulzberger originally hesitated to appoint Abramson as executive editor was a worry about her sometimes brusque manner. As I wrote in my Profile of Abramson, others in the newsroom, including some women, had the same concern. But, although there are always complaints about the Times’ supposed “liberal” bias, or its preoccupation with certain stories, Abramson got high marks for the investigative stories that she championed. At a time when Bloomberg News pulled the plug on an investigation of corruption and the princelings in China, Abramson pushed the Times to do more, even after her reporters came under pressure in China. [Update: Bloomberg maintains that the investigation is still active and that it has published other stories on princelings. The story in question has been held since last fall, however, prompting the resignation of three journalists.] Even though she thought she was politely asking about the pay discrepancy and about the role of the business side, and that she had a green light from management to hire a deputy to Baquet, the decision to terminate her was made. Sulzberger met with her last Friday, and reportedly told her that it was time to make “a change.” Read Ken Auletta’s Profile of Abramson, from 2011, and watch a video of their conversation at last year’s New Yorker Festival. Photograph by Tim Knox/Eyevine/Redux. ||||| So far, accounts of why Jill Abramson, the first woman executive editor of The New York Times, was abruptly fired on Wednesday, don't leave us with a firm sense of what happened. What is firm is that her singularity as a woman at the top of a legendary institution means that her firing is freighted with outsized meaning, precisely because there are still so few women and people of color occupying positions that were once the exclusive domain of white men. There's already one account that, if true, would be shocking—even to an embittered shrew like me—in its ghoulishly retro implications. The New Yorker’s Ken Auletta, in a post published shortly after the news broke, suggested that Abramson had recently discovered that her pay and benefits package was lower than that of her predecessor, Bill Keller, and had pushed to rectify the discrepancy. According to Auletta, Abramson’s insistence on this parity amplified an already established (but unattributed) internal critique that the direct, ambitious Abramson was “brusque” and “pushy,” characteristics not often attributed to male bosses. Those characterizations—coupled with some internal politics surrounding hirings in the Times' expanding digital ventures—cemented Sulzberger’s decision to let her go, according to Auletta. Putting aside the unconfirmed and truly Paleolithic equal pay narrative for a moment, it is very possible that Abramson was canned because she wasn’t great at her job, or because her bosses didn’t think she was great at her job. There have certainly been reports—admittedly reports that pushed that gender-inflected “pushy” narrative—about her dimly-regarded management style. There is the fact that her paper didn’t collect its usual passel of Pulitzers this year. It’s also true that whatever the complaints about her personal style, Abramson worked to make the famously male paper’s masthead half female and that the paper has enjoyed startling growth in ad revenue in the midst of journalism’s darkest economic days. Whatever the (possibly caveman) calculations performed by Arthur Sulzberger Jr., the publisher and chairman of the Times, his dismissal of Abramson—and naming of Dean Baquet, the paper’s managing editor, to the top spot—should have been marked by something approximating respect.

– It's still not officially clear why Jill Abramson got abruptly booted as executive editor of the New York Times, but theories certainly abound: Abramson knew her days were numbered, sources tell Gabriel Sherman at Daily Intelligencer, but everyone was "shocked" at how quickly the end came, says one high-level editor. Everyone is speculating about what was behind the move—but "the unbelievable thing is that there actually is no ‘cause’ for this—no single thing, nothing," says one colleague. "It was just a lot of accumulated backbiting." She and Arthur Sulzberger Jr. didn't get along even before she became executive editor, sources say, and things only got worse after. Particularly problematic: Abramson's contentious relationship with new CEO Mark Thompson as well as the deputy who would eventually replace her, Dean Baquet. At the New Yorker, Ken Auletta thinks pay disparity was the big reason—Abramson recently learned her pay and pension benefits were less than those of Bill Keller, whom she replaced as both managing editor and, later, executive editor. "She confronted the top brass," and they didn't react well, says a source. But the Times itself denies that; a spokesperson tells Politico, "Jill's total compensation as executive editor was not less than Bill Keller's, so that is just incorrect." David Carr and Ravi Somaiya covered the story for the Times, and they also cite "serious tension" between Abramson and Sulzberger and "clashes" with Baquet, particularly over hiring decisions. But don't expect any official word from either Abramson or the Times; the article reports that a settlement prevents both sides from talking. A running theme through many articles on the matter is that Abramson was disliked for being "pushy." Ruchika Tulshyan addresses that in Forbes, noting, "That word—loaded and undeniably gendered—speaks to the deeper issues women face when they demand anything." At the New Republic, Rebecca Traister notes that it's possible Abramson was fired for performance issues—there have been rumblings that she was—but even so, the way it played out was "harsh and humiliating," and it "made me hope that eventually we will learn that she was stealing from the company cash register," Traister writes. "Because that’s pretty much the only crime I can think of that would merit as swift and brutal an exit."

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida health officials confirmed Thursday in their daily report that 84 pregnant women have tested positive for the Zika virus in the state. Doctors who spoke at a "Zeroing in on Zika: From the Front Lines" forum Thursday said they have asked each woman to go public about their diagnosis and discuss their concerns, but only one has agreed to do so. The University of Miami is taking a leading role in dealing with the Zika virus outbreak, launching the Zika Global Network. Doctors said they expect to see an influx of Florida babies born to mothers who contracted the virus in about five or six months. The forum came a day after doctors confirmed that a baby was born with microcephaly at Jackson Memorial Hospital. In total, 15 pregnant women who have delivered at the hospital have tested positive for the mosquito-borne virus, Dr. Christine Curry said. Those women are being monitored by doctors at the hospital. "Zika is a thing. Zika is real, and while we don't understand it fully, that is not a reason to dismiss its impact," Curry said Wednesday at a Miami Beach Commission meeting. So far, there have been 604 travel-related infections confirmed in the state and 56 locally acquired cases, with the majority being contracted in Miami-Dade County. Pregnant women who live in or have to traveled to South Florida are urged to wear insect repellent, long clothing and limit their time outdoors. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has urged doctors in Florida to test all pregnant women for the virus, and pregnant women can also contact their local county health department for a Zika risk assessment and testing hours and information. Health officials said they have monitoring pregnant women "with evidence of Zika regardless of (their) symptoms." Copyright 2016 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved. ||||| (CNN) A plane flying over Miami Beach on Friday conducted aerial spraying for mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus, despite concerns over possible effects that the insecticide naled may have on health and the environment. Since the mosquito that carries Zika is most active at predawn and at sunset, all spraying must take place at those times. So far, there have been 56 local transmissions of the Zika virus in Florida , which has 20.6 million residents. The state has seen 596 travel-related cases of Zika, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The virus can cause neurological disorders in unborn children Health officials have sprayed pesticide and larvicide on the ground in areas where they believe the mosquitoes may be, and are expanding those efforts with the aerial use of naled. The spraying was originally scheduled for Thursday, but was delayed for a day after concerned residents protested. Andres Blanco wasn't among those protesting. A valet at South Beach's landmark Clevelander Hotel, Blanco said he wasn't scared. "No way man, I think it's good!" The longtime Miami Beach resident said. "They've got to do something to kill those mosquitoes." Naled used since 1950s Experts say there's no reason to be concerned over the effects of the insecticide on human health and the environment. The amount of insecticide used is minimal -- two tablespoons per acre -- about the size of a football field, according to the CDC. JUST WATCHED Zika outbreak: Why some are saying no to Zika spraying Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Zika outbreak: Why some are saying no to Zika spraying 06:41 "Aerial spraying using Naled and other insecticides has been used in many populated areas of the continental United States, including Miami, Tampa and New Orleans to help control mosquitoes," the CDC said on its website The European Union, however, bans the the use of naled, calling it "a potential and unacceptable risk" to human health and the environment. Peter Beach, who describes himself as a closet anarchist, condemned the spraying. South Beach resident Peter Beach, 62, said he is really angry about the spraying. Beach, who described himself as a closet anarchist, voiced contempt for the EPA and CDC approval of naled, the main chemical in the insecticide Dibrom. "This is a toxic substance that kills everything," he said. "You think these tourists on the beach know they are lying on sand that was hit with a toxic carcinogenic hours earlier? No way." The US has used naled since the 1950s, and sprays it on about 16 million acres nationwide annually. Health officials use it to prevent mosquitoes after disasters such as hurricanes and floods, according to the CDC. Naled breaks down swiftly in water and sunlight, and its chemicals don't cause health problems in people or pets if used in small quantities, according to the CDC. #ZIKA: Protesters gathering for 2nd day at Miami Beach City Hall; upset about planned #Naled aerial spraying. @NBC6 pic.twitter.com/sDivk7mqc7 — Michael Spears NBC6 (@MikeSpearsNBC6) September 8, 2016 Sprayers produce fine droplets that are small enough to stay airborne and intercept mosquitoes in flight. It kills mosquitoes on contact. But while US health officials say it's safe, Europe has banned the use of agricultural products containing naled over safety concerns. New Yorker Tristan Mullings was determined to take his vacation but didn't bargain on the spraying. Tristan Mullings, 27, was visiting from Brooklyn. He was aware of the Zika outbreak before he came -- "I can't let no mosquito ruin my vacation" -- but unaware they would be spraying Friday morning. He voiced concern when he learned the chemicals had been linked by some to neurological disorders "Then I think the spraying is worse (than Zika)," he said. Janet McDonald, an English teacher in Mexico who was in Miami vacationing with a friend from Canada, said spraying was worth the risk compared to the risks posed by a mosquito-born disease. "Am I scared?" said McDonald, referring to naled. "No, I've had Dengue fever, that is scary." Rita Doto of Toronto (left) and Janet McDonald were in South Beach "for a girls weekend" and not worried about naled. "I don't know too much about (naled) said Doto, "I hear it's bad, but so is Zika." Growing fears The presence of Zika-carrying mosquitoes in Florida has sparked fears, especially after Gov. Rick Scott announced in July that the first local transmission of the virus in the continental United States occurred north of downtown Miami. A few days later, in an unprecedented move, the CDC announced a travel warning, advising pregnant women not to visit that area. Authorities launched aggressive mosquito-control measures, including spraying in the area. JUST WATCHED Mosquito samples test positive for Zika in Miami Beach Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Mosquito samples test positive for Zika in Miami Beach 01:01 Last month, the CDC advised pregnant women not to travel to an area of Miami Beach limited to 1½ square miles. Pregnant women are at greatest risk because the virus can have devastating consequences for an unborn baby, including the birth defect microcephaly and other neurological disorders, as well as miscarriage and stillbirth among women infected while pregnant. In addition to human health, critics say naled kills pollinators and wildlife, and is toxic to the environment. South Carolina beekeeper Juanita Stanley recently lost more than 3 million bees when Summerville officials aerially sprayed a small area of the town for Zika-carrying mosquitoes. "In the summertime, the bees are already out at dawn, when aerial spraying is recommended," said entomologist Jeffrey Harris, who runs the Honey Bee Extension and Research Program for Mississippi State University. "So spraying in the morning is the worst thing they can do for bees." ||||| Florida has 744 reported cases of the Zika virus, with 12 new cases involving people who contracted the disease outside of the state, the Florida Department of Health reported Thursday. There were no new cases of locally transmitted Zika, with 56 previously reported. Health officials have identified two areas in Miami-Dade County, including part of Miami Beach, where they believe local transmission is occurring. Investigations, including door-to-door surveys and targeted testing, are ongoing in Pinellas and Palm Beach counties and other areas of Miami-Dade County where people have contracted the virus locally. But health officials said the investigations have not identified additional "active transmission" zones. Four of the new travel-related cases involved pregnant women, which is a particular concern since Zika can lead to severe birth defects. Florida has identified a total of 84 pregnant women with the virus. There are another 604 cases of travel-related Zika, excluding the pregnant women, the Department of Health reported. The other new travel-related cases included three in Miami-Dade County, two in Alachua County and one each in Marion, Orange and Palm Beach counties. News Service of Florida ||||| Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. / Updated By Maggie Fox Small aircraft started predawn spraying of insecticide to kill Zika-carrying mosquitoes in Miami Beach Friday morning. The spraying had been delayed a day after worried and angry residents complained to city officials and organized a small protest outside City Hall. Hours after spraying ended, the mayor's office announced that a fresh pool of mosquitoes had tested positive for the virus. A map shows the mosquito spraying zone in Miami Beach. Miami-Dade County Officials assured residents the insecticide, called naled, is safe for people in the amounts being sprayed, and the pre-dawn application would minimize effects on beneficial insects such as bees. "The fact that a fourth Zika-positive mosquito pool has been identified in Miami Beach serves as further confirmation that we must continue our proactive and aggressive approach to controlling the mosquito population, including our recent decision to begin aerial spraying in combination with larvicide treatment by truck," Mayor Carlos Gimenez said. Related: What's Behind the Bogus Zika Rumors Miami-Dade County's Mosquito Control team flew small planes just off the beach, using winds to disperse the insecticide across the targeted area. They’ll spray again Sunday and the next two weekends, Gimenez said. “This schedule will minimize disruption to our school children and families,’ he said in a statement. Related: Should I Worry About Zika? Miami Beach is fighting a small outbreak of locally spread Zika virus, which is carried by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Florida’s got 56 confirmed local cases so far, and travelers are diagnosed with infections acquired overseas daily. At least 84 pregnant women in Florida have been diagnosed with Zika. “When applied according to label instructions, naled can be used for public health mosquito control programs without posing risks to people." There’s no doubt Zika virus causes brain damage and other birth defects in developing fetuses. The most notable is microcephaly – an abnormally small head caused when the developing brain is destroyed by the virus. Other, less obvious, damage has been seen, also. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Environmental Protection Agency and independent academic researchers say naled is safe to use to kill mosquitoes when it’s applied in such small amounts. Related: Zika Money is Running Out “When applied according to label instructions, naled can be used for public health mosquito control programs without posing risks to people. People aren’t likely to breathe or touch anything that has enough insecticide on it to harm them,” the CDC says. But a small and vocal group of protesters say they don’t believe the pesticide is safe and also question the links between Zika and birth defects. “Given the mounting evidence disproving a direct link between Zika and microcephaly, it’s time to stop the unnecessary aerial spraying of Naled,” a group calling itself “Floridians AGAINST spraying of Naled” says in an online petition that had gathered 7,900 signatures as of Friday. In fact, the opposite is true. Many studies have now confirmed that Zika virus directly infects developing brain cells, destroying them. The virus has been found in the brains and bodies of fetuses from women infected with Zika, and in the blood and urine of babies born with Zika-related syndromes. Related: Meet a Woman Who Lost her Baby to Zika CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden has been pushing to persuade communities the worst hit by Zika virus to use both pesticides such as naled and larvicides, which target the developing mosquitoes. The approach has helped control an outbreak of Zika in Miami's nearby Wynwood neighborhood, Frieden says. "What we have seen is a very dramatic reduction in populations of the Aedes mosquitos there," Frieden said. ||||| When people in a large area are getting sick or when large numbers of mosquitoes are found, airplanes can be used to treat very large areas with insecticides safely, quickly, and efficiently. This process is called aerial spraying. Below is more information on aerial spraying. Aerial Spraying and Mosquito Control Is aerial spraying an effective tool for killing mosquitoes? Aerial treatment of areas with products that rapidly reduce both adult mosquitoes and their larvae that carry the Zika virus can be effective. Repeated aerial applications of insecticide has reduced mosquito populations as a part of an integrated mosquito management program. Is aerial spraying alone the best way to control mosquitoes? Aerial spraying is only one part of the solution for controlling mosquitoes, but it is the one method that can rapidly reduce the number of mosquitoes spreading Zika in a large area. It is the most effective method when large areas must be treated quickly. Aerial spraying is used as part of an integrated mosquito control program to quickly reduce the number of mosquitoes responsible for infecting people with viruses like Zika, dengue, or chikungunya. An integrated mosquito control program includes Source reduction. Eliminating mosquito habitats, such as discarded containers and rain gutters. Structural barriers, such as screens and enclosed, air-conditioned spaces, if possible. Larval mosquito control using the appropriate methods for the habitat. Adult mosquito control using insecticides. Community education efforts related to preventing mosquito bites by wearing EPA-registered insect repellents and protective clothing (long-sleeved shirts and long pants). Aerial Spraying and Insecticides How is an insecticide chosen for use in aerial spraying? State and local officials make the decision on what insecticide(s) to use for aerial spraying. The decision is based on the results of insecticide resistance testing in the target area. Is aerial spraying experimental? Aerial spraying is not experimental. EPA-registered insecticides are used for aerial spraying. EPA-registered insecticides have been studied for their effectiveness and safety when used according to label instructions. Aerial spraying, using Naled and other insecticides, has been used in many populated areas of the continental United States, including Miami, Tampa, and New Orleans, to help control mosquitoes. In 2014, almost 6 million acres of land in Florida was aerial sprayed with Naled by mosquito control programs. Where has Naled been used? Naled has been extensively used since the 1950s and is currently applied by aerial and ground spraying to an average of approximately 16 million acres of the continental United States annually. It is also used for mosquito control following natural disasters, such as hurricanes and floods. (Human Exposure to Mosquito-Control Pesticides ― Mississippi, North Carolina, and Virginia, 2002 and 2003, CDC, 2005) In 2004 and 2005, it was used as part of the emergency responses to Hurricanes Charley, Jeanne, Frances, and Katrina. Naled is currently used in the United States by many local governments and mosquito control districts, including the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District, the Lee County Mosquito Control District, and Miami-Dade County. Historically, Naled has been used in Puerto Rico in attempts to control dengue. What happens to Naled once it is sprayed? Naled starts to degrade (break down) immediately on surfaces, in water, and in sunlight. The chemical dichlorvos (DDVP) can be created when Naled degrades. It also breaks down quickly. In small quantities DDVP has not been shown to cause health problems in people. DDVP does not build up in breast milk or breast tissue. What is Bti and how does it work? Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis (Bti) is a naturally occurring bacteria found in soils. Bti produces toxins that kill the larvae of mosquitoes and blackflies when swallowed. The toxins cause death by starvation and only begin working when swallowed by certain insects (larvae of mosquitoes, blackflies, and fungus gnats). There are several strains of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) that kill other insect larva like caterpillars and beetles. These are not the same as Bti. Can Bti only be applied through aerial spraying? No, Bti is often applied using methods that are not aerial spraying. Bti can be applied using truck-mounted or backpack spraying. It can also be found as dunks or briquettes that can be put in areas of standing water that cannot be emptied, such as fountains and ornamental ponds, septic tanks, and unchlorinated pools. Dunks are currently being distributed in Zika prevention kits. Aerial Spraying and Organic Farming Is Bti harmful to crops? Bti is not toxic to people. It has not been shown to make people sick. When used as directed, Bti can be applied safely to standing water where mosquitoes lay eggs without causing harm to food crops or water supplies. Bti is EPA-registered for use in residential, commercial, and agricultural settings. Organic farming operations use Bti. Aerial Spraying and Human Health Is aerial spraying of insecticides dangerous/harmful to human health? No, during aerial spraying, a small amount of insecticide is sprayed over an area, about 1 ounce (two tablespoons) per acre or about the size of a football field. This small amount does not pose a health risk to people or pets in the area that is sprayed. When aerial spraying is done correctly, it does not cause asthma attacks. There is a possibility that spraying of a larvicide, like Bti, can cause eye irritation if a person is outside and looking up when spraying takes place. EPA-registered products are used for aerial spraying. The label instructions are followed by a licensed professional. If people prefer to stay inside and close windows and doors when spraying takes place they can, but it is not necessary. Does aerial spraying cause asthma attacks? No, when aerial spraying is done correctly, it does not cause asthma attacks. When applied according to label instructions, EPA-registered insecticides do not pose a risk to human health or the environment. Research shows that ultra-low volume (ULV) application for mosquito control does not increase the risk of asthma for people living in treatment areas (Karpati et al. 2004, Currier et al. 2005, Duprey et al. 2008). Will Naled cause cancer? No, EPA has classified Naled as Group E “Evidence of Non-carcinogenicity for Humans,” meaning that there is no evidence that it causes cancer in people. During aerial spraying, a small amount of insecticide is sprayed over an area, about 1 ounce (two tablespoons) per acre or about the size of a football field. Droplets float in the air and kill adult mosquitoes on contact. Naled starts to degrade (break down) immediately on surfaces, in water, and in sunlight. EPA conducted risk assessments for Naled and calculated risks under different exposure scenarios. Because of the very small amount of active ingredient released per acre of ground during aerial spraying, EPA found that for all scenarios and exposures were hundreds or thousands of times below an amount that might pose a health concern. In an evaluation of thousands of people who conducted agricultural spraying using many types of insecticides, including organophosphates like Naled, no increased risk of any type of cancer was found during the 7-11 years of follow up (Schinasi & Leon, 2008). However, at high doses, for example if the person doing the spraying is exposed to Naled directly in amounts that are well above those for normal labeled uses, Naled and other organophosphates can overstimulate the nervous system, causing nausea, dizziness, or confusion. This is why it is very important that those who actually work with Naled strictly follow label instructions. Severe high-dose poisoning with any organophosphate can cause convulsions, respiratory paralysis, and death. It is extremely unlikely that any person would come into contact with this amount of Naled when it is applied by a licensed professional according to label instructions. Will Bti affect human health? Bti has not been found to pose a health risk to people or pets. There is a possibility that spraying larvicides, like Bti, can cause eye irritation if a person is outside when spraying takes place. Bti is an EPA-registered insecticide. EPA-registered insecticides have been studied for their effectiveness and safety when used according to label instructions. Existing residential and area-wide uses, like aerial or truck spraying, have been evaluated and found to be safe. Using Bti to kill mosquito larvae may reduce the risk of getting infected with Zika virus. If people prefer to stay inside when spraying takes place they can, but it is not necessary. Aerial Spraying and Animals Will aerial spraying hurt pets and other animals? No, when aerial spraying is done correctly, it does not harm animals. During aerial spraying, a small amount of insecticide is sprayed over an area, about 1 ounce (two tablespoons) per acre, or about the size of a football field. This small amount does not pose a health risk to people or pets in the area that is sprayed. EPA-registered products are used for aerial spraying. The label instructions are followed by a licensed professional. If people prefer to bring pets inside when spraying takes place they can, but it is not necessary. Aerial spraying will not harm fish or animals that live in the water. People do not need to cover fishponds when spraying takes place. If a larvicide is sprayed, it is better if ponds are not covered. Will aerial spraying kill bees? Aerial spraying can be done in ways that minimize risk to bees. Spraying Naled can kill bees outside of their hives at the time of spraying; therefore, spraying is limited to dawn or dusk when bees are inside their hives. Because Naled breaks down quickly, it does not pose a risk to the honey bee populations. Studies show that honey production between hives in treated and untreated sites did not show significantly different quantities of honey over the course of a season. For additional protection, urban bee keepers inside the spray zone can cover their hives when spraying occurs. Although significant exposure to bees would not occur with Naled application at dawn and dusk, beekeepers can reduce potential exposure to bee colonies even more by covering colonies and preventing bees from exiting during designated treatment periods or, if possible, relocating colonies to an untreated site. The spraying of mosquito larvicides will not impact bees. Will aerial spraying kill birds or other animals? No, when aerial spraying is done correctly, it does not harm birds or other animals. The insecticides used for aerial spraying do not pose risks to wildlife or the environment. Aerial spraying does not cause long-term harm to the environment or local ecosystem, even if spraying happens more than once. EPA-registered insecticides used for aerial spraying break down rapidly in the environment, and it displays low toxicity to birds and mammals. Aerial spraying will not harm coquis or fish or animals that live in the water. People do not need to cover fish ponds when spraying takes place. If a larvicide is sprayed, it is better if ponds are not covered. Will Bti affect animals or wildlife? No, Bti does not pose a risk to other mammals, birds, or aquatic life, including coqui frogs in Puerto Rico and USVI. The toxins it produces only begin working once swallowed by certain insects (larvae of mosquitoes, blackflies, and fungus gnats). Aerial Spraying and the Environment Will aerial spraying pollute water? No, when aerial spraying is done correctly, it does not pollute water. Research shows that, when applied according to label instructions, EPA-registered insecticides sprayed in low levels (about two tablespoons per acre [4,046 square meters]) does not cause long-term harm to the environment or local ecosystem, even if spraying happens more than once. Will chemicals from aerial spraying contaminate soil? No, when chemicals used in aerial spraying are used correctly, they will not contaminate soil. Aerial spraying does not cause harm to the environment or local ecosystem, even if spraying happens more than once. When applied according to label instructions, EPA-registered insecticides do not pose a risk to human health or the environment. More information can be found on the US Environmental Protection Agency’s website. Is Bti harmful to crops or water supplies? Bti is not toxic to people. It has not been shown to make people sick. When used as directed, Bti can be applied safely to standing water where mosquitoes lay eggs without causing harm to food crops or water supplies. Bti is EPA-registered for use in residential, commercial, and agricultural settings. Organic farming operations use Bti. Multiple Bti products are available for use. Some can be used by pest control professionals in certain drinking water storage containers (e.g., cisterns) while others are not EPA-registered for that use. Always follow label instructions. It is important to follow the label for any Bti product to ensure that the product is being used correctly.

– Not only are locally acquired Zika cases on the rise in Florida, but 84 pregnant women have tested positive for the virus in the state, including at least 15 who've already given birth, say health officials. It isn't clear how many of those pregnancies had complications, but doctors confirmed this week that a baby was born with microcephaly at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, reports WPLG. Details on the pregnancies weren't disclosed, so it was unclear how many of the cases, if any, were local versus travel-related. Excluding the pregnant women, officials say a total of 56 people have contracted the virus within Florida, mostly in Miami-Dade County, per WJXT. There are another 604 travel-related cases in the state. "Zika is a thing. Zika is real, and while we don't understand it fully, that is not a reason to dismiss its impact," says a local doctor. Meanwhile, controversial spraying of the pesticide Naled took place in the Miami area on Friday, reports CNN. The CDC insists it's safe, though protests by worried residents forced the state to push back the originally scheduled spraying on Thursday by a day. Another round is scheduled for Sunday and for the next weekends after that, reports NBC News. (In hard-hit areas elsewhere in the world, cases of Zika-related paralysis are another worry.)

In August 2017, just after Hurricane Harvey made landfall and inundated Houston with record rainfall and flooding, celebrity pastor Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church, which is based in the region, drew criticism for not making itself available to people affected by the storm. On 27 August, the church posted: Dear Houstonians! Lakewood Church is inaccessible due to severe flooding! We want to help make sure you are safe. Please see the list below for safe shelters around our city, and please share this with those in need! A day later, a post on Lakewood’s blog read, in part: Over the last couple of days, as the enormity of this storm was being realized, we have been working to organize relief efforts for the Houston area with our friend Franklin Graham and the disaster relief organization that he oversees, Samaritan’s Purse. Samaritan’s Purse has been, since it’s inception, organized to respond to situations just like Hurricane Harvey, and we are grateful to be able to partner with them to provide assistance to the Houston area. We know the need is great. That much is clear. We do not yet know all the ways we can help. The church reportedly seats more than 16,000 people. Osteen, whose own Houston home is worth a reported $10.5 million, has not made any comments regarding possible flooding near the church. A map of the area surrounding the church shows it is under a flood advisory, but not a warning. (Houston police told us that they have no pending calls from the area.) Several Twitter users have posted pictures questioning the church’s statement, including an image posted by writer Charles Clymer that was apparently taken from near the church showing no flooding near the building. Popular vlogger Keaton Milburn responded: maybe your anonymous source would like to see these photos. ones of the church actually flooding. know your facts first The caption on the photos, though, suggest that they were taken near the church, not inside the facility itself. Another Twitter user posted pictures of her own showing no apparent street flooding near the church: Clymer also posted pictures from a third user which purportedly showed no flooding near either the church’s near entrance or loading docks: Another local man, Jorge Colmenares, posted a video on Facebook showing a lack of flooding in a garage he identified as belonging to the church. The footage has received more than 70,000 views. He told us: I was doing recon around my surrondng area and checking up on my work location. Lakewood is always on my route. I was expecting to see flood in the garage area but it wasn’t at all. However, he added, “Lakewood and it’s surrounding area was legit flooded out” on 26 August 2017, shortly before the calls began for Osteen to make the church available. Colmenares said he had seen pictures online reflecting effects on the church: The church was flooded on the inside, garage level, basement level, not where the main floors are. It’s a huge place. We contacted the church seeking additional details about why it was inaccessible — for example, if there was possibly flooding nearby or damage to the building — but we have yet to receive a response. However, Osteen did put up the following tweet: Our hearts break as we see the damage and destruction in our city. Please join us in helping Houston recover. Visit https://t.co/jXMX5VB3qS pic.twitter.com/00HtzOmeQL — Joel Osteen (@JoelOsteen) August 28, 2017 The tweet linked to the following statement: Dear Lakewood Church family, We want to let you know that our hearts are with each of you and your families during this difficult time. We are praying for you and we are praying for our city, and for all of those affected by the devastating flooding and rains caused by Hurricane Harvey. We love you and we love this city. And we want to help. Over the last couple of days, as the enormity of this storm was being realized, we have been working to organize relief efforts for the Houston area with our friend Franklin Graham and the disaster relief organization that he oversees, Samaritan’s Purse. Samaritan’s Purse has been, since it’s inception, organized to respond to situations just like Hurricane Harvey, and we are grateful to be able to partner with them to provide assistance to the Houston area. We know the need is great. That much is clear. We do not yet know all the ways we can help. However if you would like to register to volunteer with us, please do so by clicking the link below. Or, if you would like to donate to our relief efforts, please do so here in this page. We are working just as fast as we can on this and will update you with more information as it becomes available. In the meantime, know that our prayers for strength and comfort for each of you will continue, as well as our prayers for God’s help as we navigate the upcoming days and months together. We love you. And we are praying. Together, we will make it through this difficult time. Osteen and the church later released a second statement: We have never closed our doors. We will continue to be a distribution center for those in need. We are prepared to house people once shelters reach capacity. Lakewood will be a value to the community in the aftermath of thris storm in helping our fellow citizens rebuild their lives. Clymer also posted a picture of what he described as “countless air mattresses” bought by the church, saying that it was “prepping to open its doors”. On 29 August 2017, the church confirmed on Twitter that it was open to evacuees and taking in supplies. Lakewood is receiving people who need shelter. We are also coordinating with the city as a collection site for distribution. Lakewood is also collecting diapers, baby formula, baby food and other supplies. Please bring these items to Lakewood at Circle Drive. ||||| Hurricane Harvey has dumped over 30 inches of rain throughout parts of southeast Texas since it made landfall Friday evening. The storm and ensuing flooding have left at least 300,000 people without power and roughly 30,000 displaced to temporary shelters. Thousands of people were still awaiting rescue as of Monday night. ||||| Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church answers why it isn't open as a shelter for Harvey flooding victims Photos provided to Chron.com show Lakewood on the brink of flooding following heavy rains from Tropical Storm Harvey this past weekend. Photos provided to Chron.com show Lakewood on the brink of flooding following heavy rains from Tropical Storm Harvey this past weekend. Photo: Lakewood Church Photo: Lakewood Church Image 1 of / 103 Caption Close Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church answers why it isn't open as a shelter for Harvey flooding victims 1 / 103 Back to Gallery UPDATE: As of noon Tuesday, Lakewood has formally opened its doors to people seeking shelter from Tropical Storm Harvey. See the story here. Following claims from around the internet that Lakewood Church, and its leader, Joel Osteen, weren't doing anything for the victims of Tropical Storm Harvey, the organization is speaking out Monday night to try and set the record straight. Two media giants, the New York Post and New York Daily News, gave credence to angry Twitter users and other media personalities questioning the megachurch for not opening its doors to people forced from their homes from flooding. Now Playing: Don Iloff, spokesman for Lakewood, told Chron.com late Monday night that the church has never been closed during Harvey and staff was instructed to aid anyone who came to their doors looking for help. WHERE TO GO: Here is the full list of shelters in the Houston area during Harvey "It's not our unwillingness, it's just practicality. It's been a safety issue for us," Iloff said, adding that Harvey's heavy rainfall almost spilled over Lakewood's floodgate this past weekend. "Lakewood Church has a heart for this city." Osteen echoed Iloff's comment Tuesday morning, claiming Lakewood never closed its doors and "will continue to be a distribution center for those in need" and is "prepared to house people once shelters reach capacity," according to the Associated Press. Later Tuesday morning, Lakewood said it is now "receiving people who need shelter. We are also coordinating with the city as a collection site for distribution," it said on Twitter. The church will be open Tuesday at noon to collect baby food, baby formula, baby diapers, and adult diapers on behalf of the city. Lakewood was in communication with the city today and said it would shelter Harvey victims once other shelters are full, Iloff said. As of noon Tuesday, Lakewood has formally opened its doors to people seeking shelter from Harvey. A photo appearing to show air mattresses lined up inside Lakewood went viral Monday night. It was provided to writer and Army veteran Charles Clymer by someone working for Lakewood, Cylmer told Chron.com. HELPING HAND: How you can help victims of Hurricane Harvey Iloff could not confirm Monday night if the mattresses belonged to the church but said Lakewood has already began preparing to host people displaced by Harvey. On Sunday evening, Lakewood Church, Joel and Victoria Osteen all tweeted to raise money toward Samaritan's Purse, an organization that raises funds to help communities in natural disasters like Harvey, but no word on whether they would open the church's doors. On the Lakewood Church website, a post was shared to promote the fundraising effort, saying in part: "Over the last couple of days, as the enormity of this storm was being realized, we have been working to organize relief efforts for the Houston area with our friend Franklin Graham and the disaster relief organization that he oversees, Samaritan's Purse. Samaritan's Purse has been, since its inception, organized to respond to situations just like Hurricane Harvey, and we are grateful to be able to partner with them to provide assistance to the Houston area." TRAGIC: Cajun Navy volunteers attacked in Houston while helping Harvey victims As Tropical Storm Harvey continues to dump historic levels of rain across Houston, thousands of residents have been displaced from their homes. The church, which was once Houston's Compaq Center, can house more than 16,000 people at a time. ||||| Droves of people stranded and displaced by deadly Hurricane Harvey are being transported to nearby evacuation centers and shelters around the Houston area. Interested in Hurricane Harvey? Add Hurricane Harvey as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Hurricane Harvey news, video, and analysis from ABC News. Add Interest As masses arrived on the back of city dump trucks -- by boat, by bus and some by foot to downtown Houston's George R. Brown Convention Center -- they were met with cots, blankets, towels, food and medical attention. The American Red Cross has set up stations inside the convention center to serve as an acting hospital, hotel and food court for those seeking refuge. The center had about 8,800 people inside as of early Tuesday morning, topping the original capacity of 5,000. #RedCross is providing shelter, meals & comfort to people impacted by #Harvey. To find a location: https://t.co/sizEp51qtg or 1-800-REDCROSS pic.twitter.com/jfewo2EJh0 — American Red Cross (@RedCross) August 28, 2017 ABC Houston station KTRK-TV has a full list of all designated multiservice centers in the surrounding areas. City officials announced that in the past 24 hours there have been 4,000 water-related incidents and 290 water rescues. Creating a sense of stability for survivors is the top priority for now, emergency administrator Brock Long of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said. "Once we move them we’re able to extract them from different areas; we've got to get them into shelters,” Long said in a news conference this morning. “This shelter rescue is going to be a very heavy lift. We're anticipating 30,000 people placed in shelters temporarily to basically stabilize the situation and provide for their care.” Texas asked for a presidential disaster declaration, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration director Louis Uccellini, which President Trump enacted to help mobilize all resources to help when the state's resources are depleted. "Underneath the president's disaster declaration, we have turned on what we call individual assistant programs,” Uccellini said. “We are expecting, based on this event, over 450,000 potential registers of disaster victims. That is a huge number but we are ready to go, process. We've already processed nearly 15,000 calls over the last 24 hours.” ABC News Karma Allen contributed to this report. ||||| Tweet with a location You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more

– Joel Osteen's Houston megachurch lives up to the "mega" part of its name: It's the former home to the NBA's Houston Rockets and boasts a seating capacity of more than 16,000—space that some feel would best serve as a shelter for Hurricane Harvey evacuees. ABC News reports that in response to these calls, the church issued the following statement Sunday on Facebook: "Lakewood Church is inaccessible due to severe flooding! We want to help make sure you are safe. Please see the list below for safe shelters around our city, and please share this with those in need!" The response didn't go over well, particularly after Houstonians started posting photos around the church that indicated it wasn't flooded. Snopes fact-checked the situation and found it a mixture of true and false. Snopes rounds up tweets that suggest the area was flooded earlier, and that roads around it might be experiencing flooding. HuffPost suggests something similar via reports from freelance reporter Ruth Graham, who says a rep told her the church wasn't flooded but nearby roads were, which would make accessing it challenging. Lakewood sent photos to ABC News that it says show flooding in and around its facility, and also a statement that reads in part, "We have never closed our doors. We will continue to be a distribution center for those in need. We are prepared to house people once shelters reach capacity." A rep for the church echoed that to the Chronicle, saying preparations are being made to host the displaced. A FEMA rep tells ABC it's expecting 30,000 will need shelter; the city's convention center is already 2,000 over its shelter capacity of 5,000.

The Federal Reserve will spend $45 billion a month to sustain an aggressive drive to keep long-term interest rates low. And it set a goal of keeping a key short-term rate near zero until unemployment drops below 6.5 percent. The policies are intended to help an economy that the Fed says is growing only modestly with 7.7 percent unemployment in November. The Fed says it will direct the money into long-term Treasurys to replace an expiring bond-purchase program. The new purchases will expand its investment portfolio, which has reached nearly $3 trillion. The central bank will continue buying $40 billion a month in mortgage bonds. All told, its monthly bond purchases will remain $85 billion. They are intended to reduce already record-low long-term rates to encourage borrowing and accelerate growth. ||||| The one dissenter in the Fed’s 11-1 decision monetary policy decision today was not a surprise: Jeffrey Lacker, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, has broken with his voting colleagues for the eighth time this year — out of eight meetings. Lacker “opposed the asset purchase program and the characterization of the conditions under which an exceptionally low range for the federal funds rate will be appropriate,” the Fed said in its post-meeting statement. Lacker’s seventh dissent, as we noted here in October, took him into Fed history: He has dissented in more votes as a Fed policymaker more often than he has joined the majority. After Wednesday’s decision, he now has 13 dissents to his name out of 24 votes as a member of the Federal Open Market Committee. (The next-closest dissenter is the Dallas Fed’s Richard Fisher, who opposed the majority in a third of his 22 votes.) With his streak of dissents throughout the year, Lacker matches the annual dissent record of former Kansas City Fed President Thomas Hoenig. Lacker could see the writing on the wall, and he didn’t like it one bit. Relying on a single indicator of the labor market, such as the unemployment rate, “can easily lead you astray,” he said last month. “It’s important to avoid spurious precision.” “Crisp numerical thresholds may work well in the classroom models used to illustrate policy principles, but one or two economic statistics do not always capture the rich array of policy-relevant information about the state of the economy,” he said.

– The Federal Reserve dropped a bombshell today, announcing that it would spend $45 billion a month on bond purchases to keep interest rates low, and that it would keep its short-term rates near zero as long as it takes to get unemployment below 6.5%. It will also keep up its current practice of spending $40 billion a month on mortgage bonds, the AP reports, bringing its total monthly spending to $85 billion, and growing its now almost $3 trillion portfolio. This is a "historic move" that "will change how we think about Fed policy, yet again," writes Sudeep Reddy at the Wall Street Journal. Instead of pegging its targets to specific time frames, the Fed is now tying its policies to specific economic outcomes. The policy is sometimes referred to as the "Evans rule," because Chicago Fed President Charles Evans has been pushing for it for months. The Fed is also sending a strong, loud signal that it's willing to allow inflation to rise if that's what it takes to reduce unemployment.

Actor and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger received a warning from German federal police on Friday after he was caught riding his bicycle through Munich's main railway station with a bodyguard, police said on Saturday. They said a policeman first noticed two cyclists "weaving their way among the many travelers more in the manner of a slalom than a speed race." The officer spoke to one of the men, who said he was "Arnold Schwarzenegger's bodyguard," which the police officer reportedly at first believed to be a joke - until the other cyclist approached and turned out indeed to be the Austrian-born actor. According to the police, Schwarzenegger accepted the warning that cycling through the station was not allowed, but explained "that he couldn't walk well" at the moment. He then offered the officer the opportunity for a selfie with him as a "small compensation." Schwarzenegger might be back in the station in future, but hopefully on foot this time The police report said that the "Terminator" star then left the station through its northern exit - presumably on foot. Munich is currently celebrating the final three days of its world-famous Oktoberfest, which Schwarzenegger officially visited on Tuesday. tj/jlw (AFP, dpa) ||||| In this Oct.1, 2016 photo provided by the Munich police former Californian state governor Arnold Schwarzenegger poses with police officer Stefan Schmitt for a selfie in the main train station in Munich,... (Associated Press) In this Oct.1, 2016 photo provided by the Munich police former Californian state governor Arnold Schwarzenegger poses with police officer Stefan Schmitt for a selfie in the main train station in Munich,... (Associated Press) BERLIN (AP) — A police officer in Germany got himself an unusual souvenir after finding none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger breaking the rules at Munich's main train station. Federal police say the officer stopped Schwarzenegger's bodyguard and then the movie star and former California governor himself riding bikes Friday along the station's platforms. Police said Saturday that Schwarzenegger apologized, explaining he was having trouble walking, and offered to take a picture with the officer. A police statement noted that "after brief small talk with the federal police officer, the 'Terminator' left the main station through the north entrance." It said Schwarzenegger walked away, pushing his bike.

– He'll be back...but next time he'll make sure he's walking his bicycle. Deutsche Welle reports a German police officer was shocked to discover the man he stopped for riding a bicycle through the main railway station in Munich was none other than the Terminator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger. On Friday, the officer noticed two people on bicycles "weaving their way among the many travelers more in the manner of a slalom than a speed race." That's verboten, so the officer stopped one of the men, who said he was "Arnold Schwarzenegger's bodyguard." The officer thought he was joking until the other cyclist stopped. Schwarzenegger apologized to the officer for breaking the rules and offered to take a picture with him as a "small compensation." He told the officer he "couldn't walk well," which was why he was riding the bicycle. "After brief small talk with the federal police officer, the Terminator left the main station through the north entrance," the AP quotes a statement from police as saying. Schwarzenegger was in town for Munich's famed Oktoberfest.

Getty Nothing funny about 'The Interview' Just when did assassination become a subject for American humor? This is a nation that still mourns Abraham Lincoln, John Kennedy and Martin Luther King — all assassinated. It is living through a period of renewed racial violence in which young black men have been killed by police and two New York City officers were assassinated in the past week. Story Continued Below But on Christmas Day no less, the big new movie release — “The Interview” — is a lampoon built around a plot to assassinate Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea. Kim is a real live person, mind you, portrayed as actually being the assassination subject in the movie. Nothing like “The Day of the Jackal,” the famous 1973 thriller that portrayed a failed assassination attempt against French President Charles de Gaulle — after de Gaulle had already died peacefully three years before. Nothing like the 1940 films of Charlie Chaplin or the Three Stooges mocking Adolf Hitler prior to the United States entering World War II. This is a distinction not lost on North Korea. The Pyongyang government is alleged by the U.S. to have mounted an unprecedented cyberattack that exposed hundreds of corporate documents within Sony Pictures, the maker of the movie. Unlike the real Korean War, no one is killed in this counteroffensive. Instead, the big revelations are: North Korea is more Internet-savvy than many thought and Hollywood more back-stabbing and even racist. President Barack Obama says Kim should lighten up and remember that the actors Seth Rogen and James Franco in “The Interview” pose no real danger. Respected critics cast the movie as one more about two aging American adolescent characters — the same Rogen and Franco — trapped in their own world just as the Korean dictator, played by Randall Park, is trapped in his. The pathos is really all about us Americans then, not Kim Jong Un after all? What a relief. But how about the killing? Suppose North Korea made a comedy about white racists plotting to assassinate Obama? They jump the fence and break into the White House only to find Obama drinking bourbon and listening to country music — whiter than they ever imagined. But they still kill him before the movie ends. Would America find that funny? No, killing makes a difference. All the more so in this period of madness where the U.S. faces enemies who slaughter children in Pakistan and then teach 8-year-olds in Syria how to behead their enemies. All the more so because this is North Korea, whose brutal record on human rights is so terrifying that even the United Nations is beginning to take notice. If America is to be a moral force, doesn’t it have to look inside itself as to what killing really is? Has it become so disconnected that it doesn’t understand how the rest of world might see our own penchant for violence? Killing is not a video game. Those killed are dead for a long time. Those who do the killing are never the same again. Just look at modern history. It used to be that there was a military draft in which American boys were regularly sent off to fight and kill for their country. World War II in the 1940s was followed by Korea in the 1950s and then Vietnam in the 1960s. By that point many young draftees in Vietnam, who had uncles or fathers in the earlier wars, felt this was almost part of growing up, becoming a man. This reporter lived through this period as an infantry medic in Vietnam in 1969. I had agreed to be drafted as a conscientious objector and carried no weapon. But there were no right answers in that war. I couldn’t escape being part of the fighting and killing any more than the rest of my platoon, boys like me whom I deeply loved. It’s a shadow on your soul that you carry forever. And one that came home again for many combat veterans in the debate in Congress over outlawing torture after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) took the lead in opposing torture as someone who had been a prisoner of war himself. For all their past tensions with McCain, veterans like Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) and Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) helped drive the bill through the House and Senate. A big part of this was an unstated code: You can ask me to kill for my country, but don’t ask me to be part of torture. In the years after Vietnam, the U.S. ended the draft and moved to a more professional, volunteer military. This worked well enough in the first Gulf War, the 1991 Desert Storm operation that was over in a matter of months. But the strain showed in prolonged engagements like Iraq and Afghanistan. The casualty rate never approached the losses in Vietnam. But the everyday American became more and more isolated from the killing, even as Army and Marine infantry were forced into repeated tours — something most draftees were spared during Vietnam. As if to punctuate this point, Clint Eastwood’s new film, “American Sniper,” about the late Navy SEAL veteran Chris Kyle, was released this past week almost alongside “The Interview.” Kyle, who served four tours in Iraq and was credited with 160 confirmed kills, was killed himself in February 2013, allegedly by a Marine veteran who is to go on trial this winter. Makes you wonder how Kyle would react to a Christmas Day comedy about assassination. Would Kyle think it was funny? ||||| The unplanned day-and-date release of The Interview raked in more than $15 million in online revenues through Saturday, Sony Pictures said in a release. The film, which just launched this morning on Apple’s huge iTunes Store, debuted Christmas Eve on YouTube Movies, the Google Play Store, Microsoft’s Xbox Live network and the stand-alone site SeeTheInterview.com. Sources said more than half the revenues came from the two Google-owned outlets, where the film was topping sales charts within a day of its online release. The film is not in the Top 30 on the iTunes store so far today. The initial offering was only in the United States, but was subsequently expanded to Canada. Sony said the $15 million in revenues comes from both sales and rentals for the first four days of the controversial comedy’s release. In all, Sony said the film had been rented or purchased 2 million times. The film cost $5.99 to stream as a rental, or $14.99 to download and own. Both versions were in HD. The film also was screened in 331 theaters, bringing in another $2.8 million beginning Christmas Day. The substantial online revenues for the film may fuel additional conversation and even controversy about day-and-date debuts for films online and in theaters. Most larger chains and some smaller ones refuse as a matter of policy to screen films that simultaneously are available online. That was one reason why the reinstated Interview ended up mostly in art houses, which already have been dealing with such day-and-date releases for some time now. Indeed, in the case of many specialty releases from indie distributors such as The Weinstein Company’s Radius unit, the VOD offering may arrive a month ahead of the theatrical debut. Having a big-budget film (The Interview cost a reported $44 million to create) get the day-and-date treatment, even in the extraordinary circumstances of the film, may encourage larger distributors to consider such an approach to maximize marketing dollars on the front end of a film’s release.

– In four days, The Interview pulled in $15 million, Sony Pictures says in a press release. That's in the period through Saturday, during which, Sony says, the film was rented or bought two million times online, deadline.com reports. But its success so far isn't something to be proud of, writes David Rogers at Politico. It's all about "a real live person" being assassinated, and that's not funny. "When did assassination become a subject for American humor?" Rogers wonders. "This is a nation that still mourns Abraham Lincoln, John Kennedy, and Martin Luther King." "If America is to be a moral force, doesn’t it have to look inside itself as to what killing really is?" he asks, questioning how we'd react if, for instance, "North Korea made a comedy about white racists plotting to assassinate Obama." As for the president's own comments on the movie: Obama may make light of the Seth Rogen effort, but killing, Rogers writes, is "a shadow on your soul that you carry forever." He compares the silly film to another recent movie, Clint Eastwood's American Sniper, which tells the story of former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle. Kyle was killed last year: Would he find The Interview funny? Rogers asks. Click for the full piece, or read another stance from a critic who calls the film "an insult to satire."

FILE - In this Dec. 16, 2015 file photo, professor Stephen Hawking listens to a news conference in London. The family of the late British physicist Stephen Hawking has opened a lottery for 1,000 tickets... (Associated Press) FILE - In this Dec. 16, 2015 file photo, professor Stephen Hawking listens to a news conference in London. The family of the late British physicist Stephen Hawking has opened a lottery for 1,000 tickets... (Associated Press) LONDON (AP) — The family of the late British physicist Stephen Hawking has opened a lottery for 1,000 tickets for a service of thanksgiving in his honor at Westminster Abbey. Hawking's ashes are to be interred June 15 at the London church between the graves of Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. The cosmologist's account of the mysteries of space, time and black holes in "A Brief History of Time" won him international acclaim. His work went on despite being diagnosed at age 21 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. In a nod to the public, Hawking's foundation will select 1,000 applicants at random to attend. The abbey will be open for free afterward for the public to pay their respects at his grave. Ticket applications can be made until May 15 by visiting www.stephenhawkinginterment.com . ||||| Stephen Hawking’s Interment at Westminster Abbey It was a wonderful day. The sun shone as guests streamed into Westminster Abbey in the heart of London. The service was a most beautiful occasion, with moving tributes from Professor Hawking’s family and friends. We will update this site with photos and film from the day as it becomes available, so please keep checking back to find out more. You can visit Westminster Abbey to see where the Professor’s ashes are interred. Find out more here: www.westminster-abbey.org/

– The family of the late British physicist Stephen Hawking has opened a lottery for 1,000 tickets for a service of thanksgiving in his honor at Westminster Abbey. Hawking's ashes are to be interred June 15 at the London church between the graves of Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. The cosmologist's account of the mysteries of space, time, and black holes in A Brief History of Time won him international acclaim. In a nod to the public, Hawking's foundation will select 1,000 applicants at random to attend, the AP reports. The abbey will be open for free afterward for the public to pay their respects at his grave. Ticket applications can be made until May 15 by visiting www.stephenhawkinginterment.com. (Hawking, who died March 14, was explicit about what he wanted on his tombstone.)

FRANKFURT/NEW YORK (Reuters) - T-Mobile USA, which plans to merge with MetroPCS, will have to overcome technology hurdles to be able to take on bigger rivals Verizon Wireless, AT&T Inc and Sprint Nextel Corp. Signage for a T-Mobile store is pictured in downtown Los Angeles, California in this August 31, 2011, file photo. REUTERS/Fred Prouser/Files MetroPCS and T-Mobile USA, a Deutsche Telekom unit, said on Wednesday they hope to set themselves up as the leading provider of wireless services to cost-conscious U.S. customers by combining their assets. But as their networks are incompatible, they will have to convince MetroPCS customers to move to T-Mobile’s network with the aim of shutting down the MetroPCS network by the end of 2015. And T-Mobile USA has to upgrade its network with high-speed services to catch up to bigger competitors, the companies said. “This all adds up to a hugely complex and challenging migration that will take significant time and investment, and which is a major risk for derailing the benefits of the deal,” said Mike Roberts, principal analyst at research firm Informa. MetroPCS shares, which rose 18 percent on Tuesday on reports that a deal was in the works, fell 9.8 percent to $12.24 as the reality of the challenges took hold. Uncertainty about the deal’s implied valuation for MetroPCS also did not help. One analyst calculated the value as low as $11 per share, while another put it at $19.51. The stock has more than doubled to since mid-July. T-Mobile USA parent Deutsche Telekom has been looking for a Plan B for the No.4 U.S. wireless network since its $39 billion attempt to sell T-Mobile USA to AT&T collapsed in late 2011 because of opposition from antitrust regulators. Deutsche Telekom said on Wednesday that it will take a 74 percent stake in the combined company, with the deal structured as a reverse merger in which smaller MetroPCS will buy T-Mobile USA. MetroPCS will declare a 1 for 2 reverse stock split and make a cash payment of $1.5 billion to its shareholders. The deal would allow Deutsche Telekom to maintain a presence in the U.S. market while unloading much of the financial strain of having to invest in T-Mobile USA, which has been losing customers. The public listing will also offer the potential for the new company to raise capital on its own if needed and it will also give Deutsche Telekom a more liquid asset it could sell if it wants to exit the U.S. market. The companies agreed on a broad framework for a deal during the summer and spent the last eight to 10 weeks putting the final agreement together, according to a source familiar with the situation, who asked not to be named due to a lack of authorization to speak to the media. Deutsche Telekom shares closed up 0.1 percent at 1438 GMT on Wednesday, in-line with a 0.2 percent stronger German blue chip index in thin trading due to a public holiday there. NETWORK CHALLENGES The merger marks the long-awaited consolidation in the U.S. market, which is dominated by Verizon and AT&T. Sprint and T-Mobile USA take distant third and fourth places, and also compete with smaller companies, including MetroPCS and Leap Wireless. Analysts say the deal, which awaits regulatory and shareholder approval, might force Sprint to put in a rival bid because it badly needs to grow its user base to continue to compete with Verizon and AT&T. Sprint has declined to comment. Sprint, which has also been struggling to stem customer losses, tried to buy MetroPCS in February, but balked at the deal at the last minute because its board worried about the expense. Sprint has never fully recovered from its 2005 purchase of Nextel, which was plagued by network integration problems and years of customer losses. It is finally planning to shut down Nextel’s network next year. T-Mobile USA Chief Executive John Legere said Sprint’s problems have given him a perfect guide for what not-to-do. “This is not a replay of a debacle that people have seen in the past. We will not smash together two networks with differing technology,” Legere, who will also head the new company, said on a call with analysts. The deal, which requires approval from MetroPCS shareholders and regulators, is expected to close in the first half of 2013. The combined company, which will retain the T-Mobile name, will have 42.5 million subscribers. If MetroPCS were to leave the deal, it would have to pay a $150 million break-up fee. Legere, who took the top job at T-Mobile USA just two weeks ago, expects minimal customer losses during the network migration. If necessary, the company will offer customers financial incentives to move towards the end of 2015, he said. While a stronger T-Mobile USA could pressure bigger providers to offer more competitive prices, Consumer Reports magazine said the elimination of MetroPCS could hurt competition for prepaid wireless services that are used by the country’s most price-sensitive customers. Once Deutsche Telekom’s strongest growth engine, T-Mobile USA has lagged behind competitors in upgrading to high-speed wireless services and has been unable to get a deal with Apple Inc to sell its popular iPhone. REVERSE MERGER The new company will start with $18.6 billion in debt, of which $2.5 billion comes from MetroPCS. Analysts said that this would be a heavy load for the company. T-Mobile USA was already set to spend $4 billion on upgrading its network. It will remain listed in New York, which analysts said would allow Deutsche Telekom to benefit from higher U.S. stock market valuations for what is effectively a T-Mobile USA spin-off. U.S. regulators must still approve the deal, although analysts said they did not expect any major regulatory problems. Braxton Carter, the current chief financial officer of MetroPCS, will become the CFO of the new company. Deutsche Telekom said cost synergies from the combined company would have a net present value of $6 billion to $7 billion and, after 2017 synergies, would be worth $1.2 billion to $1.5 billion annually. It added that it was targeting an earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) margin of 34 percent to 36 percent for the new company by 2017, compared with T-Mobile USA’s adjusted EBITDA margin of 27.7 percent in the second quarter of this year. Morgan Stanley and Lazard were financial advisers to Deutsche Telekom. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, K&L Gates, and Wiley Rein LLP were legal counsel. J.P. Morgan and Credit Suisse advised MetroPCS, while Evercore Partners and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP advised the special committee of the board of directors of MetroPCS. ||||| You need to enable Javascript to play media on Bloomberg.com Play (Corrects spelling of Chetan Sharma’s name in 20th paragraph.) Deutsche Telekom AG (DTE)’s plan to merge its T-Mobile USA division with MetroPCS (PCS) Communications Inc. is leaving Sprint Nextel Corp. (S) behind again. The agreement to combine the U.S. wireless businesses into one company will give Deutsche Telekom a 74 percent stake, and MetroPCS shareholders will retain the rest, the companies announced today, following a Bloomberg News report about the talks yesterday. While Sprint Chief Executive Officer Dan Hesse has said the third-largest U.S. mobile-phone carrier will play a role in industry consolidation, Stifel Financial Corp. says a tie-up between MetroPCS and T-Mobile USA will limit Sprint’s takeover options. Even with its 109 percent stock gain this year topping the MSCI World Telecommunication Services Index, Sprint is trading at a 58 percent discount to sales, the lowest in the group, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Sprint’s best remaining option to better compete with larger rivals AT&T Inc. (T) and Verizon Wireless may be to buy Leap Wireless (LEAP) International Inc., according to Wall Street Access. While Sprint won’t be forced to immediately do a deal, it could still try to merge with T-Mobile USA or buy spectrum from Dish Network Corp. (DISH) or Verizon Wireless, said Piper Jaffray Cos. “It certainly pushes them into a corner,” Tom Burnett, director of research and vice chairman at New York-based Wall Street Access, which specializes in mergers and event-driven research, said in a telephone interview. “You can’t be an orphan in this industry. You’ve got to try and save a place at the table, and there’s going to be some movement here.” Bill White, a spokesman for Overland Park, Kansas-based Sprint, declined to comment on its possible next steps. Gaining Scale The supervisory board of Bonn-based Deutsche Telekom and Richardson, Texas-based MetroPCS’s board of directors approved the transaction, the companies said in a statement today. MetroPCS shareholders will get $1.5 billion in cash as part of the deal, and the combined entity will retain the T-Mobile name. T-Mobile USA, the fourth-largest U.S. carrier, is seeking to stem client losses and gain scale to better compete in a market dominated by AT&T and Verizon Wireless, the joint venture between Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) and Vodafone Group Plc. (VOD) The wireless giants each had more than 105 million subscribers as of June 30, more than three times T-Mobile USA’s 33.2 million, according to data from Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. A combination with MetroPCS will give T-Mobile USA an additional 9.3 million prepaid customers, bringing it closer to No. 3 Sprint, which had 56.4 million subscribers, Bernstein data show. Market Reaction Shares of MetroPCS surged 18 percent yesterday to the highest level in 14 months after Bloomberg reported on the deal talks, increasing its market value to $4.9 billion. Sprint’s stock slumped 5.4 percent yesterday, pushing its capitalization down to $14.7 billion. Sprint’s two-day stock drop of 11 percent is now the steepest in almost a year. The carrier is in need of its own deal to bolster its subscriber base after the $36 billion takeover of Nextel Communications Inc. in 2005 left the company with incompatible networks, a shrinking customer base and five years of net losses. Sprint’s closing price yesterday of $4.90 is less than a quarter of its value five years ago. The company is trading at 0.42 times its revenue in the last 12 months, compared with a median price-sales multiple of 1.17 for the 47 companies in the MSCI World Telecommunication Services Index, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Left Out Even after Sprint boosted sales this year by offering the iPhone and began rolling out a faster network in a drive to return to profitability by 2014, CEO Hesse said in a Sept. 6 interview that the company is still “under-scaled.” He said consolidation “would be constructive” for the industry and that Sprint “will play a role in that some way.” A tie-up between T-Mobile USA and MetroPCS “does leave them out in the cold a little bit,” Christopher King, a Baltimore-based analyst with Stifel, said in a phone interview. The deal could put Sprint on the defensive, forcing the company to seek a deal with Leap in order to guard its position in the industry, Wall Street Access’s Burnett said. Shares of Leap rose as much as 17 percent yesterday, the biggest gain in almost four years, before finishing the day up 8.4 percent. Leap, with 5.9 million prepaid subscribers at the end of second the quarter, is a “logical orphan” for Sprint, Burnett said in a phone interview. “Those are going to be the two guys kind of left at the dance without a chair to sit on.” Greg Lund, a spokesman for San Diego-based Leap, declined to comment on whether the company would consider a takeover by Sprint. Spectrum Purchases Instead of seeking to buy a rival, Sprint could purchase radio waves, called spectrum, from companies such as Dish and Verizon Wireless to expand network coverage, said Chris Larsen, a New York-based analyst at Piper Jaffray. Bob Toevs, a spokesman for Englewood, Colorado-based Dish, declined to comment. Robin Nicola, a spokeswoman for Verizon Wireless, said the company’s spectrum sale announced in April “is an open process and any potential buyers may participate.” A marriage between T-Mobile USA and Sprint also can’t be ruled out as a possibility, even if T-Mobile USA goes ahead with a deal with MetroPCS, said Chetan Sharma, an independent wireless consultant who covers telecommunications from Issaquah, Washington. “It doesn’t take T-Mobile off the table for Sprint,” he said in a phone interview. “It just increases the price tag for them if they were to acquire them further down the road.” Deal Complications A completed deal would it make more complicated for Sprint to attempt to buy the combined entity, Stifel’s King said. “Even if they wanted to team up with T-Mobile and T-Mobile was an interested party, you’ve got a bigger T-Mobile now to swallow and you’re going to have to wait at least a year,” King said in a phone interview. Instead, Sprint could try to preempt a combination by making a rival offer for MetroPCS, said Wall Street Access’s Burnett. “Sprint might try to break up the party before it becomes a party,” Burnett said. Zack Shafran, a money manager at Waddell & Reed Financial Inc., which oversees more than $90 billion including Sprint shares, said that even without a deal, Sprint is improving operations by rolling out its new network and working towards a return to profit, which may help the company better compete. “The reason we’re investors in Sprint today and for the foreseeable future is the fact that they’re running the business better,” Shafran, who is based in Overland Park, Kansas, said in a phone interview. “Importantly, we think that’s their top priority.” Failed Deals Besides, deal talks in the telecommunications industry have a long history of not coming to fruition. Sprint abandoned plans earlier this year to buy MetroPCS after the board rejected the transaction, which may have cost as much as $8 billion including debt, two people familiar with the plan said in February. Sprint also held discussions with Deutsche Telekom about buying T-Mobile USA prior to the March 2011 announcement that AT&T offered to acquire the unit for $39 billion, people with knowledge of the matter said at the time. U.S. regulatory scrutiny forced AT&T to abandon its bid for T-Mobile USA in December. A deal with MetroPCS or Leap may not be enough to make either T-Mobile USA or Sprint a competitive threat to larger rivals, Piper Jaffray’s Larsen said. “The problems that Sprint and T-Mobile have are that they’re not as big as AT&T and Verizon,” Larsen said in a phone interview. “They don’t have the scale so therefore it’s harder to compete. Increasing your size 25 percent, it helps. But when you’re less than half as big as you’re rival, getting 25 percent bigger narrows the gap, but it doesn’t close the gap.” To contact the reporters on this story: Brooke Sutherland in New York at bsutherland7@bloomberg.net; Scott Moritz in New York at smoritz6@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Sarah Rabil at srabil@bloomberg.net; Nick Turner at nturner7@bloomberg.net

– Deutsche Telekom, the parent company of T-Mobile USA, has agreed to a merger with the smaller MetroPCS Communications, a move that inches the two struggling competitors closer to industry leaders Verizon and AT&T, reports Reuters. The company will retain the name T-Mobile, and Deutsche will hold 74% of the new business. The new company will now have 42.5 million subscribers—still a far cry from AT&T's 105 million and Verizon's 94 million. It's also trailing the No. 3 in the market, Sprint, which now finds itself in a tough position, reports Bloomberg. Sprint's CEO has said that the company was looking to take part in "industry consolidation," but with the new merger, there isn't much left for Sprint to gobble up. The move "pushes them into a corner," says one analyst. “You can’t be an orphan in this industry. You’ve got to try and save a place at the table, and there’s going to be some movement here.”

Michael Jordan's longtime personal residence in suburban Chicago is for sale for $29 million. (Click Prev or Next to continue viewing images.) ADVERTISEMENT (Click Prev or Next to continue viewing images.) FILE - This Jan. 8, 2002 aerial file photo shows the home of former Chicago Bulls player Michael Jordan. Jordan's longtime personal residence was put on the market Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012, for $29 million.... (Associated Press) The sprawling estate is in Highland Park, along Lake Michigan, and has more than 56,000 square feet of living space. That includes nine bedrooms, 15 baths and five fireplaces. There's also a three-bedroom guesthouse, pool area, outdoor tennis court and three climate-controlled multi-car garages. An indoor basketball complex features a full-size regulation court with specially cushioned hardwood flooring and competition-quality high intensity lighting. It has a sound system set up to provide perfect acoustics within the court space. The property was put on the market Wednesday by Katherine Chez-Malkin of Baird & Warner Real Estate.

– It would make a nice souvenir for any Chicago Bulls fan: Michael Jordan's estate along Lake Michigan in suburban Chicago is up for sale, reports AP. It's got the usual estate specs: 56,000 square feet, nine bedrooms, 15 bathrooms, five fireplaces, plus a few Jordan-esque touches: a regulation-size basketball court with "competition-quality" lighting, and a giant 23 on the estate's gates. All yours for just $29 million. The Wall Street Journal has a video tour here.

ARDMORE, Pa. (AP) — Authorities say a model found dead this week in the bedroom of her apartment in Philadelphia's affluent Main Line suburb was strangled. Lower Merion police say officers conducting a wellness check found 36-year-old Christina Carlin-Kraft around 9:15 p.m. Wednesday inside her first-floor unit at the Cambridge Square apartments in Ardmore. Her death has since been ruled a homicide. A motive for the slaying remains under investigation. But the Montgomery County District Attorney's office says there "doesn't appear to be any current concern" for area residents. Neighbors say Carlin-Kraft had just moved into her apartment last week. Her modeling profile lists her credits as photo shoots for Vanity Fair, Victoria's Secret, Playboy and Maxim. ||||| - Lower Merion police are investigating after a former Playboy model was found dead in an Ardmore condominium. Police tape stretches along a walkway at the Cambridge Square Condominium in Ardmore after the Wednesday discovery of model Christina Carlin-Kraft’s body. A law enforcement source tells FOX 29 video from the lobby of the building and use of the victim’s stolen credit card led Lower Merion police—working with city cops—to a home on Theodore Street in Southwest Philly earlier this week. It’s there where some of Kraft’s belongings were recovered from a burglary of the victim’s apartment she reported Saturday morning, according to the source. City police made two arrests, found drugs and guns but not the man they’re looking for. Police say one of the suspects they think is linked to the burglary is a local man named Andre Melton. Sources tell FOX 29 lobby cameras catch the model coming home early Wednesday morning with a man near her, but it’s unclear if they’re together. Also, it's unclear if the burglary and her death are linked. Land records show the condo is owned by a man whose parents still live in nearby Wynnewood. They sent FOX 29's Jeff Cole away Friday. FOX 29 confirms on Friday around 2 p.m., Upper Darby police got a license plate hit for a burgundy Kia station wagon linked to the burglary in this case. Cole reports police were unable to stop the vehicle. Anyone with information is asked to call the Lower Merion Police Department at 610-649-1000 or the Montgomery County Detective Bureau at 610-278-3368. ||||| Police in a Philadelphia suburb are investigating the killing of Christina Carlin-Kraft, a former Playboy model who was found strangled in her apartment Wednesday night, local outlet WTXF reports. Lower Merion authorities say they found the body of the 36 year-old in her bedroom at 9:15 pm on Wednesday during a welfare check following a call about a potential robbery in her Ardmore condominium on Saturday. It was not immediately clear of the possible robbery is linked to Carlin-Kraft’s death. Police spent most of Thursday searching her home, local residents told the Philadelphia Inquirer. The coroner for Montgomery County has since performed an autopsy. The death was ruled a homicide due to “ligature strangulation,” which suggests the killer used rope or a similar device as the weapon, according to the Inquirer. Former Playboy model Christina Carlin-Kraft was found strangled in her apartment Facebook Carlin-Kraft had just moved into the home, a woman in the complex told the Inquirer. Her last known residence, according to her Facebook page, was New York City. Christina Carlin-Kraft Facebook • Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. No suspect or motive has been publicly disclosed by authorities. However, according to CBS, authorities said there does not appear to be a current concern for area residents. Authorities requested anyone with information related to Carlin-Kraft’s death call Lower Marion Police Department at (610) 649-1000 or the Montgomery County Detective Bureau at (610) 278-3368.

– A 36-year-old who modeled for Playboy, Victoria's Secret, Maxim, and others has been strangled to death in her suburban Philadelphia apartment, reports local affiliate Fox 29. Police found Christina Carlin-Kraft—her Facebook page is here—in the bedroom of her condominium in Ardmore about 9:15pm Wednesday, reports the AP. Officers discovered her body while performing a welfare check, following up on an apparent robbery of her condo on Saturday, according to Fox. It wasn't immediately clear if the two crimes were related. Police have not speculated about a motive or mentioned any suspects, but the Montgomery County District Attorney's office said there "doesn't appear to be any current concern" for other residents of the neighborhood. Carlin-Kraft had reportedly just moved into her condo. An autopsy determined the cause of death to be "ligature strangulation," suggesting the killer used some kind of a rope, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.

President Donald Trump is returning from Asia to a political maelstrom in the United States — one that could force him to decide whether to push out Attorney General Jeff Sessions in a Hail Mary attempt to save the Alabama Senate seat Sessions once held. Trump spoke with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell from Asia last week, and the Senate leader made an urgent plea: Please help push Moore out of the contest. On Monday, as a new female accuser emerged, the Republican leader discussed the Alabama situation with White House chief of staff John Kelly and Vice President Mike Pence. The conversation centered on tax reform, but the Senate Republican leader also proposed a dramatic idea: that Sessions run as a write-in candidate or be appointed to the seat he held for two decades. Story Continued Below White House officials plan to convene a meeting to talk through their options soon, and Trump is widely expected to address the predicament publicly when he returns from abroad. In order for the president to get involved, some aides to the president say, he would need an airtight plan that limits his political exposure to any fallout. It’s a vexing call for Trump. If he tries to pressure Moore out of the race, as some people close to the White House expect him to do, there’s no guarantee that the candidate will oblige. During the GOP nomination battle, Trump aggressively backed Moore’s opponent, appointed Sen. Luther Strange. Moore, a former state Supreme Court justice who once defied a federal order to remove a monument of the Ten Commandments from a state judicial building, may feel that he owes the president little. Intervening in a race against the candidate backed by conservative activists could also be seen as at odds with Trump’s own insurgent campaign in 2016. Morning Score newsletter Your guide to the permanent campaign — weekday mornings, in your inbox. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. Some of the president’s most loyal backers in the conservative state were angered by his decision to get behind the establishment-friendly Strange and desperately want him to stay out of the race. “The establishment did everything they could to destroy Trump, and we the people stood with him. It would be very disappointing to see Trump believe these lies and turn on a rock-solid conservative like Roy Moore,” said GOP state Rep. Ed Henry. McConnell and his political team have other ideas. One option being batted around by the leader’s allies is having the state Republican Party withdraw Moore’s nomination and then have Sessions, an outsize figure in Alabama politics who served as senator for two decades, run as a write-in. Speaking at a Wall Street Journal/CEO Council event in Washington on Tuesday, McConnell was explicit that Moore would likely face expulsion proceedings if he were to win. As for the write-in possibility, McConnell said any candidate would have to be “totally well-known and extremely popular.” “The Alabamian who would fit that standard would be the attorney general,” McConnell said, referring to Sessions. Several Republican senators have appealed to Sessions in the recent days, asking him to save them from the prospect of a Democrat taking over his old seat. Sessions, however, has expressed a desire to stay on as attorney general, according to several people familiar with his thinking. And one White House official expressed concern that, in the event Moore would not withdraw, a Sessions bid would serve only to split the Republican vote and hand a win to Democratic candidate Doug Jones. But Sessions could have little choice in the matter if Trump pressures him to return to the Senate. Some Sessions allies believe that swooping in to save his old Senate seat would give him the chance to make a graceful exit from his current role, where his relationship with the president has soured. He has stood by as Trump has publicly derided him for recusing himself from the Justice Department’s Russia investigation. In recent days, Sessions has privately expressed dismay at how much of a mess the race for his old seat has become, said one person close to him. Appearing before the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, the attorney general said he trusted the accounts of Moore’s accusers. “I have no reason to doubt these young women,” he told the panel. Since the allegations surfaced on Thursday, the White House has been quietly examining its options. Counselor Kellyanne Conway has been in touch with Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey’s office to discuss possible paths forward. And political director Bill Stepien has spoken with Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel. On Tuesday, the RNC withdrew its support from Moore. There’s frustration with McConnell in some corners of the White House. Three administration officials said the leader erred by publicly calling for Moore to drop out, saying all it did was give the beleaguered candidate more grist to portray himself as a victim of a Republican Party establishment trying to run him out of the race. McConnell openly acknowledged Tuesday the jam he and other Republicans are in. A Moore loss would shrink the party’s already slim Senate majority. But a write-in candidacy would be a long shot, and expelling Moore once he’s seated could trigger an uprising on the right. “I’d like to save the seat, and it’s a heck of dilemma,” he said. “It’s a very tough situation.” ||||| If you live in Alabama and receive a call from someone calling himself Bernie Bernstein, tell him you'd rather hear from Woody Woodward and hang up — it's a scam. Pastor Al Moore from Creola shared with WKRG a strange voicemail message he recently received, left by a robocaller. "Hi, this is Bernie Bernstein, I'm a reporter for The Washington Post calling to find out if anyone at this address is a female between the ages of 54 to 57 years old willing to make damaging remarks about candidate Roy Moore for a reward of between $5,000 and $7,000," the person said, in what sounded like an exaggerated fake New York accent. "We will not be fully investigating these claims, however we will make a written report. I can be reached by email at albernstein@washingtonpost.com. Thank you." ||||| A pastor in Alabama said he received a voice mail Tuesday from a man falsely claiming to be a reporter with The Washington Post and seeking women “willing to make damaging remarks” about Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore in exchange for money. The call came days after The Post reported on allegations that Moore initiated a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old girl nearly four decades ago, sparking calls by leading Republicans for him to abandon his campaign for the U.S. Senate in a special election to be held Dec. 12. Pastor Al Moore of Creola, Ala., said he received the call on his cellphone a little after 7 a.m. Tuesday from a private number, which he did not answer. The caller, claiming to be “Bernie Bernstein,” left a 27-second voice mail, which Moore played for local CBS affiliate WKRG. “I’m a reporter for The Washington Post calling to find out if anyone at this address is a female between the ages of 54 to 57 years old, willing to make damaging remarks about candidate Roy Moore for a reward of between $5,000 and $7,000,” the caller said in the voice mail. The caller said he would not be “fully investigating these claims” but would make a written report. He said he could be reached by email at albernstein@washingtonpost.com. Moore, the pastor, said he mentioned the call to a couple members of his church and quickly realized that it didn’t add up. The caller first referred to himself as “Bernie” and then later gave his name as “Al.” There are no Washington Post reporters or editors named Bernie Bernstein or Al Bernstein. (Lenny Bernstein is a health reporter on the National desk, and Adam Bernstein is The Post’s obituary editor.) Moore also sent an email to the address left in the voice mail, and it bounced back. [Roy Moore says he’s a ‘witch hunt’ victim. Tell that to thousands of women killed in real ones.] Moore’s church, the Fountain Of Faith Baptist Church, posted on Facebook Tuesday morning about a call from an “Al Bernstein at The Washington Post. Hmmmm.” Martin Baron, The Post’s executive editor, said the caller’s reporting methods bear “no relationship to reality.” “The Post has just learned that at least one person in Alabama has received a call from someone falsely claiming to be from The Washington Post,” Baron said in a statement. “The call’s description of our reporting methods bears no relationship to reality. We are shocked and appalled that anyone would stoop to this level to discredit real journalism.” John Rogers, a spokesman for Roy Moore’s Senate campaign, could not be immediately reached by The Post. But he told WKRG reporter Bill Riales that he hadn’t previously heard about the call. Al Moore, the pastor, told Riales that he is in no way related to Roy Moore, though they share the same last name. The pastor said he thought the voice mail was from a robo-call meant to stir up an already divisive race, and he reached out to WKRG because “people are just going crazy with this.” “Let’s let the people who are investigating do their job and expose it if it’s real, and shut it if it’s not,” he said. [Roy Moore’s wife just posted a letter of support from evangelical pastors. It may be old.] In The Post’s investigation, published last week, Leigh Corfman alleged that Roy Moore initiated a sexual encounter with her in 1979, when she was 14 years old and he was 32. Three other women, all on the record, have said that Roy Moore pursued them when they were between 16 and 18 years old. A fifth woman came forward on Monday, saying Roy Moore sexually assaulted her in the 1970s when she was 16. Since The Post’s report, the fact-checking site Snopes debunked unsubstantiated rumors that The Post paid Corfman to go on the record and accuse Roy Moore of sexual misconduct. Post spokeswoman Molly Gannon Conway called the accusation “categorically false,” adding that The Post has “an explicit policy that prohibits paying sources.” Neither Corfman nor any of the other women sought out The Post. While reporting a story in Alabama about supporters of Moore’s Senate campaign, a Post reporter heard allegations that Moore had sought relationships with teenage girls. Over the ensuing three weeks, two Post reporters contacted and interviewed the four women. All were initially reluctant to speak publicly but chose to do so after multiple interviews, saying they thought it was important for people to know about their interactions with Moore. The women say they don’t know one another. [A short history of Roy Moore’s controversial interpretations of the Bible] Roy Moore has repeatedly denied the allegations and has showed no indication that he intends to bow out of the race. Speaking at Walker Springs Road Baptist Church in rural south Alabama on Tuesday evening, the Senate candidate said he knows he has “made a few people mad.” “I’m the only one who can unite Democrats and Republicans, because I’m opposed by both. They’ve done everything they could, and now they are together to try to keep me from going to Washington,” Moore said. Voters in Alabama told The Post that they feel torn about the allegations. Some evangelicals still consider Moore a champion of their faith — a politician willing to stand up for Christian values. But other evangelicals say the allegations force them to make an uncomfortable decision. Al Moore, the pastor, said he’s on the fence about whether to vote for the Republican candidate. “I’m a pastor and I’m conservative, and so is Roy Moore — but I’m not dumb,” he said. “I don’t know whether the guy is guilty or not. I’m on the fence until we know more.” Read more: Alabama state official defends Roy Moore, citing Joseph and Mary: ‘They became parents of Jesus’ National Republican move against Roy Moore grows — but key Alabama Republicans are not joining in Opinion: If Republicans believe Roy Moore’s accusers, why not Trump’s? ||||| UPDATE 3:31 p.m. (WKRG) — The Executive Editor, Marty Baron, of the Washington Post released the following statement: “The Post has just learned that at least one person in Alabama has received a call from someone falsely claiming to be from The Washington Post. The call’s description of our reporting methods bears no relationship to reality. We are shocked and appalled that anyone would stoop to this level to discredit real journalism.” LISTEN HERE: Robocalls Seeking “Damaging” Information on Roy Moore Facebook LIVE: Roy Moore speaks at a rally in Jackson, Alabama. Another development involving the U.S. Senate race in Alabama. At least one person in our viewing area received a robocall seeking more damaging information about Roy Moore. Here is the text of that voicemail message received by Pastor Al Moore in Creola. “Hi, this is Bernie Bernstein, I’m a reporter for the Washington Post calling to find out if anyone at this address is a female between the ages of 54 to 57 years old willing to make damaging remarks about candidate Roy Moore for a reward of between $5000 and $7000 dollars. We will not be fully investigating these claims however we will make a written report. I can be reached by email at albernstein@washingtonpost.com, thank you.” Pastor Moore says he’s baffled about who might be behind the message. He said he sent a response to the email address provided but it came back undeliverable. We also tried the email address with the same result. John Rogers with the Roy Moore campaign says it’s the first he’s heard of this type of robocall. We contacted the Washington Post but it would be highly unlikely that a newspaper would offer thousands of dollars for information, damaging or otherwise. We searched and could not find a record of a ‘Bernie’ or ‘Al Bernstein’ who works as a reporter at the Washington Post. If any of you have received the same call, please let us know at producers@wkrg.com ||||| Just when it seemed the Roy Moore sexual assault scandal couldn't get more unbelievable, someone went ahead and pretended to be a Washington Post reporter in a robocall. After Moore's wife's shared fake news on her Facebook page in a misguided attempt to bring down the accusers, it seems the senate candidate's defenders took her effort to the next level. SEE ALSO: So many politicians gave the same terrible response to the Roy Moore abuse allegations An apparent robocall going out to voters in Alabama claims to be from a Washington Post reporter named "Bernie Bernstein," who is seeking women to give "damaging remarks" about the candidate. But wait — there's more. This definitely real, not made-up Bernstein is offering $5,000 to $7,000 for any woman willing to participate. The paper is being targeted because it first reported that a woman claimed she had a sexual encounter with Moore when she was 14 and he was 32. Three other woman told the Washington Post about similar experiences with Moore when they were teens. The reporters spoke with 30 sources to confirm details from the four women's accounts. Since that story last week, another woman shared her account Monday of Moore attempting to sexually assault her when she was 16. Moore has denied all the allegations and gone above and beyond to try to discredit the Post's reporting. Here's the audio clip and transcript of the robocall, as reported by local news outlet WKRG. “Hi, this is Bernie Bernstein, I’m a reporter for the Washington Post calling to find out if anyone at this address is a female between the ages of 54 to 57 years old willing to make damaging remarks about candidate Roy Moore for a reward of between $5,000 and $7,000 dollars. We will not be fully investigating these claims, however we will make a written report. I can be reached by email at albernstein@washingtonpost.com. Thank you.” Where to even begin? First, Washington Post executive editor Marty Baron put out a statement saying the call "bears no relationship to reality." Here's his full statement: The Post has just learned that at least one person in Alabama has received a call from someone falsely claiming to be from The Washington Post. The call’s description of our reporting methods bears no relationship to reality. We are shocked and appalled that anyone would stoop to this level to discredit real journalism. Then there's the blatant anti-Semitism in the fake call, down to the accent and voice used in the message, and the over-the-top name. People definitely noticed and called it out on Twitter. Check out the nasal new york accent on this tape. It's practically a der sturmer cartoon in audio form. Naturally the Facebook commenters mostly assume it's legit. https://t.co/MKKneD4JDs — Adam Serwer 🍝 (@AdamSerwer) November 15, 2017 Bernie Bernstein is one of the best undercover globalist reporters WaPo has pic.twitter.com/jp1PlwQ2Cy — Heather Dockray (@Wear_a_helmet) November 15, 2017 “Hello. It is The Jews. We have money. We would like to eat your Christian candidate with our Passover matzo. Please telephone us.” https://t.co/VaR5eo86MK — Daniel Dale (@ddale8) November 14, 2017 Ah, anti-semitism. It’s been all of 12 seconds since you last reared your head. https://t.co/jz8CsTYpHK — Edward-Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) November 15, 2017 Why not just stick with Jewy McJew? — Emily Nussbaum (@emilynussbaum) November 14, 2017 The fact that Moore and his supporters would go to these lengths to bring down legitimate reporting shouldn't be shocking at this point. It's not yet clear who is behind the calls. ||||| This is a set of web collections curated by Mark Graham using the Archive-IT service of the Internet Archive. They include web captures of the ISKME.org website as well as captures from sites hosted by IGC.org.These web captures are available to the general public.For more information about this collection please feel free to contact Mark via Send Mail

– An apparent robocall claiming to seek dirt on embattled Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore might actually be an attack against the newspaper that aired his dirty laundry. WKRG reports a pastor in Alabama received a voicemail Tuesday from a man claiming to be a Washington Post reporter looking for women "willing to make damaging remarks" about Moore. The man—who used a private number and what appears to be an exaggerated accent, per the Week—said he would "not be fully investigating these claims" but would pay between $5,000 and $7,000. He gave his name as "Bernie Bernstein" and "Al Bernstein," but no one by either name works at the Post, an outlet Moore has vowed to sue. An email address provided also appears not to exist. A rep for Moore's campaign says he doesn't know who made the call, which Mashable calls an example of "blatant anti-Semitism." The Post's executive editor, meanwhile, says the paper is in no way involved and "shocked and appalled that anyone would stoop to this level to discredit real journalism." Last week, the Post reported that 70-year-old Moore had a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old girl when he was 32. Four other women have since made accusations against Moore, leading the Republican National Committee to withdraw its support in the Alabama Senate race. Politico reports the White House is now toying with the idea of Jeff Sessions running as a write-in candidate to avoid the risk of his old seat going to Democrat Doug Jones.

In this still image provided by IntelCenter on December 7, 2010, Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is shown as a prisoner of militants in Pakistan. AFP PHOTO / IntelCenter / FILES A new congressional report details what Republicans call a deception surrounding a controversial 2014 prisoner swap, suggesting the release of five Taliban prisoners in exchange for American captive Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl had an ulterior motive: helping President Obama get closer to his goal of shutting down the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. After a year-and-a-half-long investigation, the House Armed Services Committee’s Republican majority also renewed assertions that the decision to send the senior Taliban figures to Qatar, a move that took place just hours after Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was freed from Taliban captivity, without notifying Congress violated several laws. It also misled lawmakers in a way that “severely harmed” the administration’s ties with lawmakers, the report found. The prisoner exchange, which was pulled off under tight secrecy, ignited a storm of criticism whose effects are visible today, as the White House struggles to build congressional support for resettling some Guantanamo prisoners overseas and bringing others to the United States. While administration officials hope to help Obama deliver on his promise to close Guantanamo Bay before he leaves office, lawmakers appear unlikely to drop long-standing their opposition. [Disillusioned and self-deluded, Bowe Bergdahl vanished into brutal captivity] The controversy over the transfer was compounded by revelations that Bergdahl walked off his small Army outpost in southeast Afghanistan in 2009. Bergdahl, who was held under difficult conditions in Pakistan for five years, is now facing desertion charges in a military court. Cmdr. Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman, said the Obama administration only approves detainee transfers when officials conclude that security risks could be managed. “We determined that this standard has been satisfied here,” he said. During the investigation, committee staff reviewed over 4,000 pages of documents, including numerous emails between administration officials; conducted interviews; and visited Qatar, where government officials made arrangements to monitor the Afghans after their release. The Washington Post and several other news organizations obtained a copy of the report prior to its release. The report details internal communications regarding the transfer, focusing in part on what it depicts as administration efforts to conceal their plans from Congress and the press. By February 2014, the report said, the administration had already solicited a proof-of-life video of Bergdahl as a step toward a potential swap, and officials were advancing their discussions with their Qatari counterparts. News reports had surfaced suggesting that a renewed push to secure Bergdahl’s release had begun. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, left, and defense lead counsel Eugene Fidell, center, look on as Maj. Gen. Kenneth Dahl is questioned during a preliminary hearing to determine if Sgt. Bergdahl will be court-martialed, Friday, Sept. 18, 2015, at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Bergdahl, who left his post in Afghanistan and was held by the Taliban for five years, is charged with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. (AP Photo/Brigitte Woosley) “Yet, the Department did not convey any of the details to the Committee,” the report stated. “Indeed, [a Taliban statement to the Associated Press] contained more specifics about a prospective exchange than what was conveyed through official channels to the Committee and others in Congress at the time.” Around the same time, then-Pentagon General Counsel Stephen Preston was helping prepare then-Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel for budget testimony. According to the report, Preston proposed the following response if Hagel was asked about the subject: “As for recent reports, let me just say this: ‘We have not been involved in active negotiations with the Taliban recently, but SGT Bergdahl’s return is an issue we would like to discuss with the Taliban if and when such talks are restarted.'” Lt. Col. Joe Sowers, another Pentagon spokesman, said Preston’s suggested response for Hagel was “accurate and forthcoming.” He said the comments were appropriate for an unclassified setting and reflected the preliminary stage where the issue stood at that moment. “The request for proof of life was preliminary to any negotiations, to ensure there was a reason for the U.S. government to pursue discussions,” he said. Perhaps most problematic for the White House, committee Republicans contend that the transfer was at least partly motivated by a desire to clear out hardened detainees who could stand in the way of closing Guantanamo. [Bergdahl will require lifetime of care for injuries suffered in captivity] “This took … five very difficult and otherwise intractable cases off the table at a time when the administration is seeking to maximize the number of those that they transferred,” said one committee aide who, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the probe publicly. There are 107 detainees remaining at Guantanamo, 48 of whom have been approved to be released overseas. While the administration is seeking to resettle detainees who aren’t seen as a security risk, others may eventually be tried or simply detained indefinitely without trial. Committee officials acknowledged they did not uncover communication stating such an objective specifically. “While we do not have an email saying, ‘Do this because this is going to help with the president’s campaign promise,’ something as explicit as that, we draw the conclusion on the basis of the totality of what we have in front of us,” another aide said. A written dissent from the committee’s Democratic leaders called the report “an expression of shrill demagoguery, contrary to the interests of national security, and beneath the dignity of the House Armed Services Committee.” Rep. Adam Smith, the committee’s top Democrat, and Rep. Jackie Speier, another senior committee member, said that investigators appeared to have “cherry-picked” information used in the report. The prisoner exchange was originally envisioned as a confidence-building measures in hoped-for peace talks to end the war in Afghanistan. But when the possibility of peace talks receded, officials decided to proceed with the swap on its own. The sole point in the report that secured bipartisan support was what the Democratic dissent called the “unfortunate” fact that the administation failed to comply with rules requiring a 30-day notification to Congress before a detainee transfer. The report does not put to rest the debate about the legality of the transfer. After the transfer, the Government Accountability Office determined the administration violated the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act by failing to give 30-day notice and also the Anti-Deficiency Act because it used money for that purpose. A senior administration official said that notifying Congress could have endangered Bergdahl’s life. Since the Taliban swap took place, lawmakers have tightened rules governing those transfers, making it harder for the administration to empty out the prison. 1 of 33 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad × Taliban-held U.S. soldier released in exchange for Afghan detainees View Photos U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was handed over May 31 by members of the Taliban. Caption U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was handed over May 31 by members of the Taliban. U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is seen in this undated photo. Courtesy of Kim Harrison Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue. Dan Lamothe contributed to this report. Related content: Bergdahl’s former officer: ‘Absolute disbelief that I couldn’t find one of my men.’ In sparse prose, Bergdahl details his captivity for the first time Bowe Bergdahl vs. Donald Trump: Soldier’s lawyer says attacks have gone too far ||||| Washington (CNN) A House Armed Services Committee report set to be released Thursday accuses the Obama administration of misleading Congress and violating federal law during a controversial prisoner exchange. The report compiled by the GOP majority charges that the administration did so when it bypassed Congress in negotiating the exchange of five Taliban prisoners for U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was being held in Afghanistan. They suggested that the White House had put politics and expediency ahead of proper procedure in making the deal. The White House welcomed Bergdahl home to much fanfare 19 months ago, but has since been faced with recriminations over the way the exchange process was handled and for hailing the sergeant as a hero when many have accused him of desertion. Earlier this year he was charged with desertion, though the Army officer investigating the charges recommended against prison time in October. A dissent by Democrats on the committee blasts the Republicaan-authored report and calls it "a weighted and politically motivated document that makes no serious effort to fairly assess the Administration's perspective." The Obama administration has claimed that it side-stepped a mandated 30-day congressional notification period out of fear for Bergdahl's life, and that it had constitutional authority to do so. But the report finds the argument wanting. The committee slams the the White House's disregard for congressional oversight as "deeply disturbing" and rejected the administration's argument that the release of Guantanamo prisoners to secure the release of a captive American soldier was an "extraordinary situation" that justified keeping Congress out of the loop. The report further suggests that the administration quietly reached a deal to free the Guantanamo prisoners in exchange for Bergdahl in part to help fulfill President Barack Obama's pledge to close the Guantanamo detention facility by the end of his time in office. The Democratic dissent slams the report's link between shutting Guantanamo and the prisoner release as "conjectural and unsubstantiated," but did not argue with the contention that the Pentagon failed to keep Congress informed. Report claims political motives behind deal The freed detainees were part of a group of 48 prisoners that a panel commissioned by the Obama administration determined should not leave U.S. custody. The House report maintains that releasing them in order to free a U.S. prisoner of war was one of the best chances the Obama administration could have to release those detainees. "The effort to transfer the Taliban Five was not merely a mechanism to recover a captive U.S. servicemen," reads the report. "Doing so allowed the Administration to rid itself of five of the most dangerous and problematic detainees." The House Armed Services Committee, led by Texas Republican Mac Thornberry, reached that conclusion after an 18-month-long inquiry into the Department of Defense's role in the prisoner exchange, which revealed that the department's top officials charged with assessing the release of Guantanamo prisoners were not included in discussions about the Taliban militants' release until just a few weeks before the exchange. "This greatly increased the chance that the transfer would have dangerous consequences," the committee writes in one of its findings about the omission. Committee staff members said Wednesday thattn they were "confident" the political consideration of closing the Guantanamo facility was at play in the prisoner exchange, despite lacking a paper trail leading to the White House to confirm the assertion. "We were unable to find another explanation for why the experts who would have normally overseen and managed a transfer process were excluded from that transfer process, especially given that there had been an earlier determination that these five should not have been transferred," said one staffer, pointing to the administration's exclusion of the Defense Department's Office for Detainee Policy until three weeks before the prisoner exchange took place. For its part, Congress was not notified of the Taliban prisoners' release until two hours before it took place -- dramatically short of the 30-day requirement for notification of any Guantanamo detainee release laid out under the National Defense Authorization Act, which Obama signed in December 2013. The Taliban Five, the report notes, got two days' notice that they would be set free. JUST WATCHED Former Navy SEAL describes mission to save Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Former Navy SEAL describes mission to save Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl 06:16 Reached for comment on Wednesday, a senior administration official told CNN that the Obama administration acted to release the five Taliban detainees without a 30-day congressional notification because of the U.S.'s "unwavering commitment and patriotic duty to leave no man or woman in uniform behind on the battlefield." "We had a near-term opportunity to save Sgt. Bergdahl's life, and we were committed to using every tool at our disposal to secure his safe return," the official said. "Our policy is clear: We will not transfer any detainee from Guantanamo unless the threat the detainee may pose to the United States or U.S. persons or interests will be substantially mitigated. We determined that this standard has been satisfied here." The detainees, mid- to high-level officials in the Taliban regime, were released in Qatar in coordination with the Qatari government, which pledged to enforce a temporary travel ban and provided assurances the men would not pose a threat to the U.S. One of those five was later suspected of trying to return to militant activity, U.S. officials told CNN in January. Debate over press leaks Obama administration officials have cited the fear of leaks to the press about the sensitive exchange negotiations as part of the reason Congress didn't receive its due notification. But the report swatted away that argument, noting that the committee and its staff members regularly handle classified information of the most sensitive nature and insisted that the administration had a constitutional and legal duty to notify Congress of its plans. Beyond being kept in the dark, the committee wrote that administration officials misled the committee over the course of inquiries into the status and existence of negotiations to free Bergdahl, particularly when press reports emerged about ongoing negotiations. In one case, the deputy special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan jetted off to Qatar for negotiations over Bergdahl's fate one day after testifying before Congress that the Taliban had broken off "direct contact" with the U.S. when asked about Bergdahl. "The Committee staff's conversation with Department representatives, coupled with the White House's public demurral, left the Committee with the impression that recent news stories were wrong and no recent or relevant activities had taken place in connection with a potential swap," the committee wrote in its findings. Privately, Pentagon officials fretted about the press reports, leaving a trail of emails demonstrating that details about the talks were making their way to the public. Brig. Gen. Robert White, the director of Joint Staff's Pakistan-Afghanistan Coordination Cell, wrote in an email to a colleague involved in the prisoner exchange negotiations: "Who's leaking this very accurate info?" Other email exchanges the committee obtained reveal similar concerns about keeping the talks about the swap secret -- a worry shared by the Qataris serving as intermediaries. Asked whether the administration lied to the committee, a majority staff member gave a cautious response. "It was definitely intended to leave a specific impression that was not an accurate impression," the staff member said.

– The Obama administration broke the law and deceived Congress when it traded five Guantanamo detainees for Taliban captive Bowe Bergdahl last year, according to a House Armed Services Committee report seen by the New York Times and the Washington Post. The report from the committee's GOP majority, which will be released Thursday, slams the administration for violating a statute that says lawmakers must be informed of detainee transfers 30 days in advance, and accuses the White House of including the high-level detainees in the deal as part of its effort to fulfill Obama's promise to close Guantanamo Bay. The detainees were released to Qatar, which committee staff visited as part of the investigation. The 98-page report, which reveals new details about the Qatar-brokered negotiations, accuses the administration of acting recklessly and claims House members learned more from a Taliban statement on the exchange than from the Department of Defense, the Post reports. Dissenting Democrats on the committee called the report a "weighted and politically motivated document," CNN reports. In a statement, a Pentagon spokesman said the 30-day rule was sidestepped out of "unwavering commitment and patriotic duty to leave no man or woman in uniform behind on the battlefield." "We had a near-term opportunity to save Sgt. Bergdahl's life, and we were committed to using every tool at our disposal to secure his safe return," the spokesman said. (Donald Trump thinks Bergdahl should have been executed.)

Did you ever want to know the percentage of female Oscar winners who thank their moms (31 percent) or male winners who thank their dads (23 percent)? Have you wondered who is the most-thanked, non-God of all time? (It’s Harvey Weinstein, with twelve thanks.) Well, Georgia Tech grad student Rebecca Rolfe can answer those questions and so, so, so, so, so much more. As a way of studying how people express gratitude, she has studied every Best Actor/Actress, Supporting Actress/Actor, and Director Oscar acceptance speech and broke them down into how people behave. Her site, beyond listing a ton of fun facts (like that 47 percent of women clutch the statue, where only 21 percent of men do), allows you to easily sort through who did what and thanked whom in their speech. A step further, on the site, you can pick the speech components you’d use and it will build a speech for you and tell you what speeches it’s most similar to. Seriously, it’s a great way to kill all the hours until the Oscars. ||||| AFP / Getty Images Gwyenth Paltrow cries as she receives the Oscar for Best Actress for her role in "Shakespeare in Love" in 1999. It’s hard to say how many little Oscar speeches you’ve delivered in your head—and you sure ain’t telling—but it’s a cinch that there are at least a few. Odds are it was for one of the big awards—as long as you’re fantasizing, you may as well aim higher than sound editing in a documentary short. Odds are you’ve pictured at least a few people who snubbed you in high school who would be sitting home gnashing their teeth while they watched your golden moment. And odds are you looked fabulous. Academy Award speeches are the artistic equivalent of attending your own funeral: an event that’s wholly, utterly, solely about you and one that, for most of us at least, is a metaphysical impossibility. But the exclusivity of the thing doesn’t make it any less of a cultural touchstone and, like State of the Union Addresses and post-game press conferences by Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks, one that comes with its own set of tropes and traditions. This year’s awards ceremony will be the 85th since the private dinner at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in 1929 at which the films of both 1927 and 1928 were honored. That’s a whole lot of speeches, a whole lot of thank yous and a whole lot of sometimes convincing, sometimes actorly tears. Something with that kind of history deserves a little scholarly attention and finally, Academy Award speeches are getting it, thanks to a study by Rebecca Rolfe, a Georgia Institute of Technology graduate student conducting a research project on human gratitude and how it’s expressed. Gratitude is a hard thing to parse, both because it typically comes so swaddled in the crinoline of manners that all of the life is choked out of it, and because when it does emerge in its genuine form there is rarely a scientist around to see it. (MORE: Oscar Robbery: 10 Controversial Oscar Races) “A real statement of gratitude requires a comparatively deep relationship between the giver and receiver and that’s not possible to replicate in the lab,” Rolfe says. What’s more, we feel grateful for many different things—a loan, a gift, a kiss—each of which elicits its own valence of thanks. Oscar speeches solve all of these problems neatly. “You have 85 years of them, the setting is normalized—pretty much the same year after year—and it’s the only part of the ceremony that’s not scripted,” says Rolfe. To conduct her study, Rolfe began at 1953, which is as far back as the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences maintains reliable film records. To keep things manageable, she limited her speeches to what most people consider the Big Five awards for individual recipients: best actor and actress, best supporting actor and actress and best director. That should have come out to 300 speeches over 60 years, but the Academy doesn’t post them all, so she was limited to 207. Still, that’s a big enough number to reveal some robust trends. For one thing, Oscar winners talk a lot more than they used to. The average length of a thank-you speech was 44 seconds for men and 39 seconds for women from 1960 to 1969. It has since stretched to 1 min., 57 sec. for men and 1 min., 56 sec. for women. Over the entire span of the study, the average speech delivered without notes runs 1 min., 23 sec; with notes it’s 2 mins., 2 sec. (MORE: Swan Song: Celebrating the Oscar Fashion Disaster) The addresses, of course, are all about thanks—who gets included and, more gossip-worthy, who gets left out. (Think Chad Lowe—the ex-Mr. Hillary Swank—left standing at the thank-you altar when his wife copped gold in 2000 and somehow never mentioned his name.) Avoiding the gaffe of omission is one reason the speeches have gotten so long—especially in an era in which stars live their lives with a permanent scrum of managers, handlers and agents. That has led to a certain protocol not only for who gets thanked , but in what order. “They all start with some version of ‘I’m so happy to be here,'” says Rolfe. “Next, they mention their film and the people they worked with, sometimes including people from previous films. Then they go to the core team: the publicist and the other handlers. Finally they get to their families.” Not all of the recipients began increasing the size of their thank-you list at the same time. It was supporting actresses who first began thanking their agents, back in 1969; leading actresses came along last, not giving a nod to the 15-percenters until 1988. Children got mentioned first by a leading actress, in 1976. Supporting actors were last in that category, finally acknowledging the kids in 1995. (MORE: Oscars 2013: Richard Corliss Picks Best Actor) Crying is less common that you’d think: only 21% of actors and actresses choke up and a mere 3% of directors do. And it’s a relatively recent phenomenon: fully 71% of the tears have come since 1995. “This may be about social expectations,” Rolfe says. “The audience knows the award is important to you and they want to see you cry, so you give them that.” That doesn’t mean the tears aren’t real—at least for some—but it doesn’t mean we’ll ever know for sure, either. These are, Rolfe stresses, actors. Recipients handle their trophies differently too. Twenty-six percent of men practice the one-handed celebratory hoist over the head, while just 12% of women do. Forty-seven percent of women clutch the Oscar to them with both hands, compared to 21% of men. “The women hold it like it’s a baby,” says Rolfe. “It’s a don’t-take-this-away-from-me gesture.” Jack Palance, he of the famed one-armed push-up during his supporting-actor acceptance speech in 1992, did neither. “He was the only person who simply laid his flat on the podium while he talked,” says Rolfe. “I liked that.” Rolfe has posted all of her findings on an interactive website, which includes the text of most of the speeches and breaks down her findings by names, by years, by thanks, by tears—and is exactly as addictive as you’d think it would be. Ultimately, of course, there’s only so much to learn from an event with as much kabuki theater as the Oscars. But in the same way that other American trademarks with similar cultural penetrance—McDonalds, football, political conventions—can give us broad insights into how we like to eat or play or govern ourselves, so too can awards ceremonies reveal at least a bit about how we choose to honor and appreciate each other. Alas, however, no word about the gowns. MORE: Oscars 2013: Richard Corliss Picks Best Actress

– Itching to watch the Oscars Sunday and not sure how to kill time while you wait? Both Time and Vulture highly recommend you check out Thank the Academy, an addictive website from grad student Rebecca Rolfe, who analyzed 207 acceptance speeches from actors and directors in order to come up with pretty much everything you could ever want to know about thank-you speech trends. Highlights: Average speech length has skyrocketed to nearly two minutes. It used to be just 44 seconds for men, 39 seconds for women. And the speeches given with notes are longer (2 minutes, 2 seconds on average) than those given without (1 minute, 23 seconds on average). Just 3% of directors cry while accepting their awards, while 21% of actors do. The trend started recently, with 71% of the tears happening since 1995. As for what to do with the statuette while you're busy talking, 26% of men hoist it over their heads and 47% of women clutch it with both hands. Just one person, Jack Palance, laid his on the podium while speaking. And as for who to thank, 61% thank production reps; 48% thank family; and 40% thank the Academy. The most-thanked person (other than God) is Harvey Weinstein, who has a dozen thank-yous to his name. Find out much, much more at Rolfe's website.

A Port St. Lucie woman is under arrest in connection with a hit-and-run. Police responded to a hit-and-run in the 500 block of Northwest Prima Vista Boulevard on Monday afternoon. The victim, Anna Preston, said she was struck from behind by a black vehicle that took off. Preston was taken to the hospital with back injuries. Video: Call made to police from vehicle Around the same time, police dispatch got an automated call from a vehicle emergency system stating the owner of a Ford vehicle was involved in a crash and to press zero to speak with the occupants of the vehicle. The person in the vehicle, Cathy Bernstein, told dispatch there had been no accident, that someone pulled out in front of her and that she was going home. She said she had not been drinking and didn't know why her vehicle had called for help. Police went to Bernsteins's home on Northwest Foxworth Avenue and saw that her vehicle had extensive front-end damage and silver paint from Preston's vehicle on it. Bernstein's airbag had also been deployed. Police said Bernstein again denied hitting another vehicle, saying she had struck a tree. After further discussions, police said Bernstein admitted to the hit-and-run. She also admitted that she had talked to someone at Ford and told them she had not been in an accident. It was later discovered that Bernstein had been involved in another accident prior to the one with Preston and was fleeing from that incident. Bernstein was arrested and taken to the St. Lucie County Jail. ||||| A hit-and-run mystery was solved and a woman arrested in Florida after an unusual call to 911.It wasn't the driver who picked up the phone, but instead it was the car that called for help.Port St. Lucie police say a car safety feature helped them to track down 57-year-old Cathy Bernstein, who they say hit a truck and then lowed through a van on Prima Vista Boulevard.Bernstein allegedly fled the scene, but her car's emergency assistance feature didn't just make a record of the crash, it automatically contacted 911.Victim Anna Preston said Bernstein didn't just destroy her car, and that the crash ultimately ruined a Christmas surprise."I have a contemporary dance company and we're doing our Christmas party," she said. "And I went to get some presents."Instead of spreading cheer at her studio, Preston was rushed to the hospital -- the very same one where police put Bernstein."I saw her in the hospital," Preston said. "I just went by, and I'm assuming she had a worse night than I did."Police say once Bernstein was treated, they took her to jail. ||||| A Florida woman thought she got away from a hit-and-run, until her own car called the cops. Cathy Bernstein, 57, tried speeding off after hitting both a truck and a van near Northwest Prima Vista Boulevard, but her Ford cut her escape short, police said. FLA. DRIVER DISTRACTED BY ORAL SEX KILLED BICYCLIST The car's 911 Assist system SYNC, gave details to police, including her location, and put Bernstein on the phone with a dispatch. The system automatically calls police if the car's been involved in an accident that deploys a car's airbag, according to Ford's website. Cathy Bernstein was arrested after her attempt at a hit-and-run was cut short when her own car called the police. (Police Handout) While on the line, she denied that she had been in a car accident, telling the operator a car had only pulled out in front of her black Ford but didn't hit her. The operator seemed skeptical. "Your car wouldn't call us if someone pulled out in front of you unless there had been an accident," she said in the recording obtained by WPBF. Around the same time, police were investigating a hit-and-run report on Northwest Prima Vista Boulevard, after Anna Preston said a black Ford crashed into her van and ruined her Christmas presents, she told ABC7. When police went to Bernstein's house, they saw the Ford with a wrecked front-end, with silver paint from Preston's car still on it. The airbag was also deployed. She continued her lies, telling cops she had hit a tree, cops said. Anna Preston told reporters her Christmas presents were ruined by the hit-and-run. (ABC) She finally admitted to hitting a car and leaving the scene, and police learned she was actually fleeing from another crash before she rammed into Preston's car. Both Preston and Bernstein went to the same hospital after the accident. "I saw her in the hospital," Preston told reporters. "I just went by, and I'm assuming she had a worse night than I did." Bernstein was charged with a hit-and-run, and later released from St. Lucie County Jail. ||||| Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images From self-driving autopilot to fancy virtual assistants, new car technology is changing our relationship with the automobile. Cars can park for you, cue up your favorite music, and apparently, turn you into the police. On Monday, a Florida woman was arrested in a hit-and-run incident, according to local media. The woman, Cathy Burnstein, fled the scene after she allegedly rear-ended Anna Preston, who was taken to the hospital with back injuries. Shortly after Preston reported the accident to the police, a local 911 operator received an automated call from Burnstein’s Ford Focus’ crash-notification system. Burnstein continually denied being in an accident, but the dispatcher wasn’t buying it. Advertisement “I did not hit anyone,” Burnstein said during the 911 call. The dispatcher responded: “Well, why did your car call us saying that you’d been involved in an accident then?” Burnstein didn’t have a good answer for that, and ultimately, she admitted to the hit-and-run. The car system that helped implicate her is called 911 Assist, and it’s been integrated into most Ford vehicles since 2010. If an airbag is deployed, as Burnstein’s was, the system automatically calls 911 through the driver’s Bluetooth-paired phone. Burnstein would have had to set up the program herself—a choice she’s probably regretting now. Built-in cellular-connected systems aren’t new—GM launched OnStar nearly 20 years ago—but they’re becoming more ubiquitous. And they might even become a mandatory safety features in all U.S. cars soon, following the European Parliament’s decision in April requiring all cars to have an automated emergency service by 2018.

– A driver accused of hit-and-run insisted she hadn't been in an accident when confronted by both a 911 dispatcher and cops, but officials believed the testimony of a reliable witness: the woman's own car. Anna Preston was driving in Port St. Lucie, Fla., on the afternoon of Nov. 30 when she was rear-ended by a black car that zoomed off after hitting her, WPBF reports. As police took Preston's report at the scene, a 911 dispatcher received an automated call from a vehicle emergency system in certain Ford vehicles; a feature that calls 911 if a vehicle's air bags are deployed. "This is 911, you've been involved in an accident?" the dispatcher asks in the recording obtained by WPBF. After a pause, a woman on the other end of the line replies, "No," followed by an insistent "Everything's fine." "Your car wouldn't call us if somebody pulled out in front of you unless there had been an accident," the skeptical dispatcher notes. Cops traced the car to the home of Cathy Bernstein and noticed the car had sustained damage to its front, complete with silver paint matching that found on Preston's car, as well as a deployed air bag. At first Bernstein maintained she had hit a tree, but she eventually confessed to hitting Preston. Slate reports that Bernstein would have had to set up the emergency call-in feature in her Ford Focus herself—"a choice she's probably regretting now," the site notes. Preston, who suffered back injuries, tells ABC7 she saw Bernstein at the same hospital she was taken to. "I'm assuming she had a worse night than I did," Preston tells the station. Authorities discovered another twist: Bernstein had been rushing from another accident she was involved in when she hit Preston, per WPBF. Bernstein was taken to the St. Lucie County Jail after treatment, though the New York Daily News says she's been released. (San Francisco's "hot cop" was busted for hit-and-run.)

In many ways, the details of last night's arrest of Scout Willis, the 20-year-old daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, are refreshingly normal when compared to what we've come to expect from our nation's overentitled socialites/starlets/scions of famous people: What Scout Willis Was Busted For: Drinking in the Union Square subway station. What We've Come to Expect: Driving an SUV the wrong way down a highway while under the influence of alcohol and cocaine and Xanax. ||||| Scout Willis arrested: Demi Moore & Bruce Willis' daughter, 20, busted with beer at Union Square Court papers show the Brown University student gave cops a fake ID, then her real one Aspiring singer Scout Willis pictured in the East Village in April. Bruce Willis and Demi Moore’s middle daughter is having an identity crisis. Scout Willis, 20, was busted for giving cops a fake ID after she was caught with an open beer in the Union Square station, police said. After spending the night in the system, the Brown University student was released without bail Tuesday and ordered to return to Manhattan Criminal Court on July 31. The celebrity spawn was nabbed just before 7 p.m. Monday by a transit cop who spotted her with an 8-ounce “Pakistani beer,” according to court papers. She gave the officer a New York ID card with the name Katherine Kelly, but the cop didn’t fall for it, the criminal complaint said. After she was questioned further, Willis brought out her real California ID. “My name is Scout Willis,” she told the officer, according to the complaint. “The first ID isn’t mine. My friend gave it to me. I don’t know Katherine Kelly.” The aspiring singer was charged with criminal impersonation and breaking the open container law, both misdemeanors. If convicted, she would theoretically face up to a year in prison on the ID charge, though it’s unlikely she would get any time. The open container rap carries a $25 fine. Scout Willis’ lawyer, Stacey Richman, said she didn’t have any details about what her client was drinking; it appears Pakistan’s only brewery does not export to the U.S. But Richman denied Willis misled the police about her true identity. “She was honest about who she was. She is a very proper, very impressive, smart young woman,” Richman said. “She presented her own ID. . . . She did not know who the other person on the other ID is.” It’s unclear if the New York identification card was a phony or belonged to a real person. After leaving court with her desk appearance ticket, Willis spent the day holed up in her East Village apartment. “I’d rather not talk,” she told reporters. “That’s really invasive.” She later left her pad and strolled arm-in-arm with a bearded beau along First Ave. Her arrest comes a few months after Willis raised eyebrows with a Twitter feed that declared she hated her parents, had tried the designer drug MDMA and was hit on by photographer Terry Richardson. She later said the tweets were a “hoax” she created for a class at Brown, intended to show that the more outrageous your posts, the more followers you get. Reps for her famous parents had no comment. Her 49-year-old mother has had a tough year — breaking up with boy toy hubby Ashton Kutcher and winding up in rehab after seizures brought on by smoking “incense.” Bruce Willis, 57, became a dad for the fourth time this spring when his model wife, Emma Heming, gave birth to a baby girl. jfisher@nydailynews.com

– As the Daily Intel blog points out, this one isn't so bad in the grand scheme of celebrity offspring arrests: New York City cops say they caught 20-year-old Scout Willis—daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore—drinking a beer in Union Square, reports the Daily News. When an officer confronted her, Willis allegedly gave a fake ID, then fessed up a little later. She faces two misdemeanor charges, including the way-too-serious-sounding criminal impersonation. At least she didn't pull the tried-and-true "Do you know who I am?" defense, writes Dan Amira. Click for more.

Huge algae blooms discovered beneath Arctic ice WASHINGTON — A NASA mission to study the tiny algae vital to the ocean's food chain has turned up a massive amount of phytoplankton where scientists least expected it -- under the Arctic ice. In a project that uses both satellites and on-site measurements to study this important food source for many of the ocean's creatures, NASA sent a team to sample the ice pack off the Chukchi Sea along Alaska's coast. Researchers aboard the US Coast Guard icebreaker ship, Healy, sampled beneath the 0.8-1.3 meter (2.4-4.0 feet) thick sea ice and found phytoplankton biomass was "extremely high, about fourfold greater than in open water." The "massive under-ice bloom" also appeared to extend about 100 kilometers (60 miles) into the ice shelf, until "the waters literally looked like pea soup," mission leader Kevin Arrigo told reporters. "We were astonished. It was completely unexpected. It was literally the most intense phytoplankton bloom I have ever seen in my 25 years of doing this type of research," said Arrigo, a scientist at Stanford University in California. "Just like the tomatoes in your garden, these and all phytoplankton require light and they require nutrients to grow," Arrigo explained. "It has been presumed that there was very little light under the ice and we didn't expect to see much." Known formally as "Impacts of Climate on Ecosystems and Chemistry of the Arctic Pacific Environment," or ICESCAPE, mission scientists went on two expeditions in June-July of 2010 and 2011. The latest findings are published in the June 7 edition of the journal Science. Arrigo said the discovery caused "a fundamental shift in our understanding of the Arctic ecosystem," which was previously believed to be cold and desolate. Before, the tiny single-celled plants were not believed to grow until the ice melted. "If you rank all the phytoplankton blooms anywhere in the world by the amount of phytoplankton that is contained in them, the under-ice bloom that we saw during ICESCAPE would finish at the very top of the list," he added. "And it was growing beneath a layer of sea ice as thick as a five-year-old child is tall." Phytoplankton were scarcer and deeper in the open waters, and were "greatest at depths of 20 to 50 meters (66-164 feet) because of nutrient depletion near the surface," said the study. More research is needed to determine how these under-ice phytoplankton affect local ecosystems. Phytoplankton blooms in the Arctic have been observed to peak as many as 50 days earlier than they did a dozen years ago, a development that could have implications for the larger food web, scientists have said. "My concern is that if phytoplankton continue to develop and grow earlier and earlier in the year, it is going to become increasingly difficult for those animals that time their life cycle to be in the Arctic... to be there at the right time of year," Arrigo said. The microscopic organisms are the base of the food chain and drive the food and reproductive cycles of fish, seabirds and polar bears. How larger animals may react to phytoplankton changes remains unknown. Phytoplankton are also important because through the process of photosynthesis they remove about half of the harmful carbon dioxide produced by the burning of fossil fuels worldwide. Previous research has shown the microscopic organisms have been disappearing globally at a rate of one percent per year. Since 1950, phytoplankton mass has dropped by about 40 percent, most likely due to the accelerating impact of global warming, said a 2010 study in the journal Nature. Copyright © 2013 AFP. All rights reserved. More » ||||| The most intense phytoplankton bloom recorded on Earth occurred under the Arctic ice last summer — a finding that has stunned seasoned polar scientists. “The ice was over a metre thick,” says Kevin Arrigo at Stanford University, leader of the international team that reported Thursday finding the massive bright green algal bloom beneath the ice. [np-related] It turns out that first-year polar ice — long considered impenetrable to sunlight — can create ideal conditions for growing phytoplankton, the single-celled plants crucial to the Arctic food chain. “It’s like the perfect environment,” says Arrigo. The team was on a U.S. icebreaker smashing its way across the Chukchi Sea between Siberia and Alaska last July when equipment used to measure phytoplankton went “haywire.” “We thought there was something wrong with the instruments,” Arrigo told Postmedia News. Then the scientists made their first scheduled stop to take ice samples and got a good look at the ocean below. “The water was completely green,” Arrigo said. “It was like pea soup.” The farther they ventured into the ice-covered sea for their NASA-funded project to study ice, the more intense the under-ice algae bloom, says Arrigo, a veteran of many trips to the Arctic and Antarctic. “It was shocking,” he says. Phytoplankton were growing and multiplying at an extraordinary rate under an expanse of ice more than 100 kilometres across, the team reported Thursday in the journal Science. Arrigo says records indicate it was the “most intense” algal bloom ever seen anywhere on Earth. “We had incredibly high concentrations of algae all of the way down to 70 metres in some cases,” he said. First-year polar ice, which forms over just one winter, is becoming more common in the Arctic due to the recent retreat of much thicker multi-year ice. While first-year ice was thought to be impenetrable by sunlight, Arrigo says it can actually create optimal growing conditions for algae. Melt ponds tend to form on top of the ice as temperatures climb in June and July. And the shallow ponds act like lenses, allowing 50% of the light to penetrate through the ice into the water below. At the same time, the ice screens out UV radiation that can stunt algal growth, he says. Add the Arctic’s 24-hour summer sunshine, and phytoplankton populations under the ice can explode. Another factor at play is a “striking” change in some Arctic winds in recent years, says co-author Kent Moore at the University of Toronto. More persistent easterly winds are bringing up more nutrients in the Chukchi Sea, which appears to have fed the under-ice bloom. Thursday’s report deals with the bloom under the ice in the Chukchi Sea, but Arrigo suspects algae could be blooming under the ice in about 25% of the Arctic Ocean, including large parts of Canada’s North. Anywhere, he says, with shallow water, lots of nutrients and first-year ice. As the Arctic warms, the scientists say under-ice phytoplankton blooms could become increasingly common, occur early in the season and consume nutrients that would normally feed open-water blooms. “The real surprise is all these unanticipated consequences of global warming,” says Moore. The shift may benefit some creatures, the researchers say, but others may have difficulty adjusting. “If you’re a seabird planning to get to Chukchi Sea in mid-July to feed, you may be out of luck,” says Moore. Postmedia News

– Scientists studying algae for NASA have discovered it in the most unusual of places: beneath the Arctic ice, reports AFP. What's more, there's a lot of it, defying the conventional belief that it couldn't grow there because there was too little light. The discovery, outlined in the new edition of Science, could shake up the current understanding of the region's ecosystem. "We were astonished," says a Stanford University scientist in on the discovery off the Alaskan coast. "If you rank all the phytoplankton blooms anywhere in the world by the amount of phytoplankton that is contained in them, the under-ice bloom that we saw ... would finish at the very top of the list." The algae seems prevalent wherever first-year polar ice is present, and the National Post notes that such ice is becoming more common as thicker multi-year ice retreats.

Sad news from Russia's Foton-M4 satellite. The spacecraft on which a group of geckos spent a few weeks trying to get it on in microgravity returned to Earth, as planned, earlier today. The only problem? The lizards were frozen solid. As you might recall, there was some drama a few days after the space-bound gecko sex vessel was launched into orbit when Russia's mission control lost contact. Luckily, they eventually re-established a link and put the satellite into its proper orbit, allowing scientists to continue carrying out their research program. But today, when the Russians opened up the capsule, what they found was a bunch of dead geckos. PhysOrg reports: Advertisement "Unfortunately all the geckos died," said the Roskosmos space agency in a brief statement. Interfax news agency later quoted an expert that worked on the mission as saying "that according to preliminary data it is becoming clear that the geckos froze" after their heating system failed. Still the mission wasn't a complete failure. The fruit flies that accompanied the sex geckos survived and did manage to successfully reproduce in space. The invertebrates win again. ||||| Five geckos sent into orbit to test the effect of weightlessness on the small lizards' sex lives have all died, the Russian space agency says Five geckos sent into orbit to test the effect of weightlessness on the small lizards' sex lives have all died, the Russian space agency said on Monday. The Foton-M4 satellite on which the geckos spent the past month and a half returned to earth as planned on Monday and the various species travelling aboard were removed. "Unfortunately all the geckos died," said the Roskosmos space agency in a brief statement. Interfax news agency later quoted an expert that worked on the mission as saying "that according to preliminary data it is becoming clear that the geckos froze" after their heating system failed. The fruit flies that were also travelling on the satellite, however, survived and had reproduced, Roskosmos said. Roskosmos briefly lost control over the satellite following its launch, but was eventually able to restore contact and put the satellite in the proper orbit. Explore further: Space sex geckos at risk as Russia loses control of satellite

– Oops. A Russian space mission meant to test the effect of weightlessness on the gecko's reproductive system didn't quite go as planned. It's not (necessarily) that the geckos weren't mating, it's that all five of them came back dead. And they weren't killed by zero gravity, but rather the satellite's failed heating system. That's right, the one male and four female geckos Russia sent into space in July didn't come back sexually frigid, they came back totally frozen, reports PhysOrg. Only days after launch, the Russians suffered the embarrassment of losing communications with the gecko sex satellite before re-establishing contact and putting it back in its intended orbit, reports io9. Not surprisingly, they didn't have much to say on the latest problem. "Unfortunately, all the geckos died," came the curt Roskosmos space agency statement. And in another blow to vertebrates, the fruit flies that were also on the mission managed to survive the freezing temps—and mate while they were at it. (No word yet as to the mushrooms also on board.)

Four LaGrange teens were hired on the spot after they approached the head of the LaGrange Housing Authority and asked for jobs to stay out of trouble and away from gangs. (Photo: Provided, WXIA) LAGRANGE, Ga. -- When school is out for the summer months, it’s easy to understand how kids can get bored and look for things to keep them occupied. But for one local official, the reason behind a group of teens seeking out a way to stay busy made a big impact. On July 27, head of the LaGrange Housing Authority Zsa Zsa Heard was working in her office, as she has for the last two years, when she was approached by four young teens asking for jobs. When she asked why, she thought the boys would tell her they simply wanted to earn a few extra bucks for the summer. But, their actual answer shocked even her: “They revealed gang members were approaching them,” Heard said. All of the young teens are between the ages of 13 and 14. And when she asked if gang members had tried to speak to them before, she was floored when one of the boys told her they’re approached “all the time.” RELATED | APD investigates recent uptick in gang-related shootings She said she hired Dylik, Dennis, Deion and Jalen immediately on the spot, no questions. After, she took to Facebook as a way to “empower the young men” for making the decision to come to her. The post has now been shared more than 300 times. Heard said the four live on the housing authority property, and that this is not the first time the group has approached her about working for them, but she never understood why. Last year, around the time of Thanksgiving and Christmas break, Heard said the boys came to her to ask if there was any work they could help with. She paired them with a maintenance worker at the facility, who showed them basic carpentry skills. After the recent revelation, Heard said the group has stayed busy for the end of the summer – from helping in the community garden picking vegetables, tending to the community’s chicken coup or passing out mail and other deliveries. "They will do whatever you ask them to do. Whatever you need, they will do it." As payment, Heard said the boys each have a prepaid card where they earn a few dollars for the chores they do. And it appears the hands-on chores are already paying off – recently Heard said one expressed that after working in the garden, he’s become interested now in studying for a career working with livestock. As for the response to her post, Heard said it’s been overwhelmingly positive. “Several of their teachers (Facebook) inboxed me and told me what good kids they were,” she said. “They said if you give them the support they need, they are going to be successful.” And Heard said that she is more than willing to give that support to the young teens. "If they feel that they’re valuable, and if we show them how important they are, then we don’t risk losing them,” Heard told 11Alive News. "I don’t want them to seek the love and attention from the negative. I want them to find their value in other things." The teens go back to school August 10, but Heard said moving forward, they will continue to have work in the future as long as they want it – for Thanksgiving break and other breaks. In addition, the boys will be added to a teen leadership and mentorship program, which will keep up with them throughout the year. (© 2016 WXIA) ||||| Notice You must log in to continue. ||||| LAGRANGE, Ga. -- Jalen Parham, Dylik Smith, Deion Woodard and Demond Woodard are all teenage boys living in LaGrange. The four recently were hired by the LaGrange Housing Authority. They ended up at the housing authority for the same reason. "I don't want to be in jail," Smith said. They asked for jobs and were hired after they told their new bosses they wanted to work so they could stay out of gangs. They have been learning how to make maintenance repairs. They're also picking up trash, working in the community garden and cleaning the chicken coop. On Monday, they were being taught safety tips and learning about different tools before building picnic tables for the housing authority properties. PHOTOS: LaGrange teens ask for jobs to stay out of trouble PHOTOS: LaGrange teens <p><span style="font-size: 12px;">Four LaGrange teens were hired on the spot after they approached the head of the LaGrange Housing Authority and asked for jobs to stay out of trouble and away from gangs.</span></p> <p>The teens put together tools and learn about tool safety. They'll then build picnic tables for the housing authority property.</p> <p>The teens put together tools and learn about tool safety. They'll then build picnic tables for the housing authority property.</p> <p>The teens put together tools and learn about tool safety. They'll then build picnic tables for the housing authority property.</p> <p>The teens put together tools and learn about tool safety. They'll then build picnic tables for the housing authority property.</p> <p>The teens put together tools and learn about tool safety. They'll then build picnic tables for the housing authority property.</p> <p>The teens put together tools and learn about tool safety. They'll then build picnic tables for the housing authority property.</p> <p>Four LaGrange teens were hired on the spot after they approached the head of the LaGrange Housing Authority and asked for jobs to stay out of trouble and away from gangs.</p> All of them also live at housing authority properties. They decided to ask for jobs after a conversation earlier in July. "We were sitting out on his porch one day," Demond said while pointing at Parham. "We said, 'How can we stay out of trouble,' and we went to ask Pickett and he said we could get a job because we wanted to stay out of gangs." Sign up for the daily Speed Feed Newsletter Sign up for the daily Speed Feed Newsletter Something went wrong. This email will be delivered to your inbox once a day in the morning. Thank you for signing up for the Speed Feed Newsletter. Please try again later. Submit Earnest Pickett is the head of maintenance for the housing authority. He pointed the boys in the direction of the authority's CEO Zsa Zsa Heard. "This is a first since I've been here," Heard said of the boy's request. On July 27, Heard posted a picture on Facebook, which has now been shared hundreds of times. The picture was shared thousands of times after 11Alive posted it on Sunday. "What really concerned me is that I know their ages are 13 to 14," Heard said. "So I thought, 'people really asked you that?' That is when they said 'yes.'" Heard hired the group on the spot. Now the chairman of the housing authority wants the teens' new jobs to turn into stepping stones. "I hope that they will learn a lesson," chairman Michael Jackson said. "That it will make them our next doctors, teachers and then they will go out to tell other young ladies and men about what Ms. Heard is trying to implement here." Heard also wants to team the four up with mentors who can help them find paths toward future careers. "We want to put them to work not just to give them a job, because we can't be a Band-Aid," Heard said. "We have to do this and be long-term, so they can continue to work but put them in places where they can learn some other skills." The teenagers will soon head back to school, as fall classes begin in LaGrange. The boys plan to keep working when their school and sports schedule allows. As they keep working, they have one message for other teens in LaGrange and the rest of the area. "Stay out of trouble, don't get in gangs like other people. Try to do your own stuff," Deion Woodward said.

– When four teen boys, ages 13 and 14, approached the head of the LaGrange Housing Authority in Georgia asking for summer jobs, they weren't just hoping for pocket money. "I said why do you want a job? They said so we want get in trouble and we do not want to be in a gang! I said have people approached you about being in a gang they said yes'mam!" wrote Zsa Zsa Heard last week in a Facebook post that has since made headlines. "I hired them on the spot!" Heard tells KHOU the teens all live on housing authority property and have done odd jobs for her before, but until now, she didn't understand why. She says she'll continue to give them work during school breaks whenever they want it. "They will do whatever you ask them to do. Whatever you need, they will do it," she says. She adds that since she shared her Facebook post in an attempt to "empower" the boys, she's received much positive feedback. Some of the boys' teachers even contacted her to tell her "what good kids they [are]," she says. "They said if you give them the support they need, they are going to be successful." Heard agrees: "If they feel that they’re valuable, and if we show them how important they are, then we don’t risk losing them," she says. The boys will also be joining a year-round teen leadership and mentorship program. They tell 11Alive they don't want to end up in jail: "Stay out of trouble, don't get in gangs like other people," says one. "Try to do your own stuff."

Slideshow: Tornadoes ravage Plains Sue Ogrocki / AP A monster tornado hit Moore, Okla., Monday afternoon, leaving scores dead as the threat for more storms continues. Launch slideshow About 9.5 million people remained under the threat of more "large and devastating" tornadoes Tuesday as the storm system that devastated the suburbs of Oklahoma City moved east, forecasters warned. Weather Channel meteorologist Kevin Roth said early Tuesday that the threat area appeared to be east and south of Oklahoma City. "Tornadoes, damaging wind gusts and large hail are possible throughout the threat area," Roth said. More from weather.com The greatest tornado threat will exist in northeast Texas, far southeast Oklahoma, southwest Arkansas and northwest Louisiana. A few strong tornadoes are possible in those states. On Tuesday afternoon The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Bowie County, Texas, which borders Arkansas in the northeast part of the state. Michael Welch captures dramatic video of twister from a KFC parking lot in Newcastle, Oklahoma. Roth said that cities including Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, Shreveport, Texarkana and Little Rock were among the cities "close to the the larger tornado threat." A tornado watch was issued for Dallas-Fort Worth as well as all of north and central Texas until 8 p.m. ET. The Dallas zoo closed Tuesday afternoon due to the forecast. Strong wind gusts have been reported in the area but so far no tornadoes. Areas of Arkansas were under a tornado watch until 11 p.m. ET. "Another day of large and devastating tornadoes is possible this time from central/east Texas into central Arkansas," Roth said. "Severe threat continues farther to the east Wednesday, although the overall severity appears to be lower." Weather Channel forecaster Bill Karins told MSNBC that 9.5 million people lived in the area at most risk of more tornadoes. He said the likely pattern for twisters was the same as in recent days, with the biggest risk being in the late afternoon. The National Weather Service said storms were expected Tuesday "from the Great Lakes across the Mississippi River Valley and into central Texas." The agency issued a tornado watch late Monday for portions of east central Illinois, western and central Indiana, western Kentucky and southeast Missouri. The watch was in effect until 5 a.m. local time (6 a.m. ET). According to Roth, severe storms appeared possible from southeast New York to east Maryland on Thursday. He added: "An early look at Memorial Day Weekend shows that most of the country should be quiet. The stormiest weather appears to be across the Plains and Midwest with scattered showers and thunderstorms." Related: NBC's Andrew Rafferty contributed to this report This story was originally published on ||||| (CNN) -- The storm system behind Monday's Oklahoma twister brought strong rainstorms to parts of the South on Tuesday evening before heading toward the Great Lakes and the Tennessee Valley. Tornado watches continued for portions of Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. Those watches were set to expire by 10 p.m. CT Tuesday. What to know about tornadoes The threat of a few strong tornadoes, large hail and thunderstorm wind gusts remained in northeastern Texas, southwestern Arkansas, extreme southeastern Oklahoma and northwestern Louisiana, CNN Meteorologist Sean Morris said. "The threat for strong tornadoes will rapidly diminish in these areas after sunset, with the main threat becoming damaging straight line winds during the overnight hours," Morris said. "Isolated tornadoes will still be possible." Rainstorms pushed through the Dallas area on Tuesday afternoon. A ground stop at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport was later lifted. Storms are expected to move east on Wednesday and will extend from the Great Lakes south-southwestward into the Ohio River Valley and into the Deep South. Primary threats will be damaging winds and large hail, according to the National Weather Service. Isolated tornadoes also will be possible. Storms weren't restricted to the Great Plains and Midwest. The National Weather Service said weather spotters on Tuesday afternoon reported a possible tornado near Copake, New York, near the Massachusetts border. Track the severe weather Mobile tools to help you survive tornado season 10 deadliest U.S. tornadoes on record

– The tornado threat isn't over: "Large and devastating" storms could continue today, forecasters say. "We could have a Round 3," says a CNN meteorologist. "Hopefully, it won't be as bad." But "tornadoes, damaging wind gusts, and large hail" could hit areas east and south of Oklahoma City, with cities from Dallas to Little Rock also at risk, says a Weather Channel forecaster. Some 9.5 million people could face further major tornadoes, a forecaster tells MSNBC, while CNN says 53 million could see severe weather today. Areas from Dallas to Shreveport face the biggest danger "from mid-afternoon to late evening hours," says another CNN expert. Storms could also strike "from the Great Lakes across the Mississippi River Valley and into central Texas," according to the National Weather Service. The threat moves further eastward tomorrow, "although the overall severity appears to be lower," adds a Weather Channel expert. Click for more.

MIAMI — Bill Clinton isn’t holding back. And that’s mostly a good thing for Barack Obama. Text Size - + reset The former president was all fired up for his first real road test of the 2012 campaign, delivering a feisty recap of his much-praised keynote address at last week’s Democratic convention in Charlotte, N.C. — yet one that hinted at the inconsistency and lack of discipline that proved such a mixed blessing for his wife in 2008. Clinton, speaking at Florida International University for 41 minutes with lots of gusto — and no real script in sight — delivered the goods, and a few not-so-goods, offering a detailed defense of Obama’s policies linked to his own successes in the Oval Office. This is what Obama’s team in Chicago expected, Clinton being Clinton, a walking, talking, finger-wagging risk-vs.-reward calculation in bifocals and out of Chicago’s grasp. “People ask me from time to time … what are you most proud of,” a hoarse, ruddy Clinton told an audience of 2,300. “And I said, when I served, I’m glad we have more jobs, but the most stunning statistic is that we moved 100 times as many people out of poverty into the middle class than in the previous years. That means the American dream is alive and well.” He continued: “I believe with all my heart that a society that basically says, ‘You’re on your own,’ is never going to be as successful in a highly competitive and interdependent world as a society that says … we’re all in this together.” Obama dubbed Clinton his new “Secretary of Explaining Stuff” after Clinton made a methodical case for Obama’s economic policies in prime time last Wednesday night, but the argument lost a bit of punch and coherence on the road. “No one, not me, not anybody else, no one could have completely healed that and built a whole new economy and brought us back to full employment in just four years. It has never been done in the history of the world,” Clinton said. “The test is not whether you think everything is hunky-dory. If that were the test, the president would vote against himself,” he added, in a line that seemed ripe for an RNC email blast. While the speech contrasted Republican ideas negatively with Obama’s vision, Clinton didn’t blast Mitt Romney explicitly and mentioned the former Massachusetts governor by name once. That was, in part, a nod to the solemnity of the Sept. 11 anniversary, but it is also part of Clinton’s commitment to transcending what he views as a coarsening of the process that he, like Obama, had once vowed to elevate. Flawed surrogate that he is, Clinton remains the only game-changer in the 2012 race, outside the candidates themselves. ||||| MIAMI — President Barack Obama offered a few key edits to Bill Clinton’s convention speech — and Clinton agreed to them, the former president told POLITICO Tuesday night. Clinton said Obama made suggestions on the sections of his speech that dealt with Medicare and welfare reform, though the former president declined to say specifically what Obama advised him to modify. Clinton said he worked on the speech with National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling, who served in the same role during his administration, and that he showed Obama the full text for his prime-time speech that morning. Text Size - + reset (Also on POLITICO: Bill Clinton's DNC speech) Clinton offered his thoughts on the speech, dysfunction in Washington and golf to a POLITICO reporter and two other journalists, who ran into him in the lobby of the Biltmore Hotel as they were leaving after dinner and the former president was walking in. He spoke earlier in the evening at Miami’s Florida International University, where he delivered a more professorial version of the speech that drew rave reviews last week at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C. He is scheduled to campaign for Obama again in Orlando on Wednesday. Wearing white slacks, a white button-up shirt and a grey, black and white checkered blazer, Clinton told the reporters that Obama is “doing great” in the campaign. The two men speak when Obama calls him, but Clinton said he knows presidents, especially those in the midst of a campaign, are too busy to take unsolicited calls. “He knows where to find me,” Clinton said. He repeated a condensed version of his message on the economy from last week and earlier Tuesday, saying that “people have to know it couldn’t be fixed” so quickly. Clinton — toting a copy of Milica Z. Bookman’s new book about economics in the afterlife, “Do They Take Credit Cards in Heaven?” — spoke of recruiting presentations he’d attended at the local Mormon church while he was growing up in Hot Springs, Ark. Clinton, a Baptist, said he admires the church for its high ethical standards and belief in a celestial kingdom but said the idea of being in a heaven without his non-Mormon friends was too much to give up.

– Bill Clinton's speech last week may have been the high point for the Democratic National Convention, but the ex-president is happy to share the credit with the current one, reports Politico. Clinton said he showed his speech to Obama the morning of his presentation, and made changes regarding Medicare and welfare reform based on Obama's feedback (although Clinton refrained from saying what the exact changes were). Clinton also worked with Gene Sperling, director of the National Economic Council, who helped him on speeches back when Clinton was president. Clinton also gave another big speech for Obama yesterday, this time a relatively short 41 minutes at Florida International University, according to another Politico story. After Clinton's fiery and well-regarded speech at the Democrats' convention, Obama dubbed him the "Secretary of Explaining Stuff," a role Clinton appears to be relishing. But while Clinton seems to be enjoying his new status with the White House, he also showed some of the sloppiness that made him an occasional liability in the past. "The test is not whether you think everything is hunky-dory," he said yesterday. "If that were the test the president would vote against himself."

A Los Angeles-based artist claims she was punched in the face over the weekend because her drawing of GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump shows him with a small penis. Illma Gore, whose pastel "Make American Great Again" has been widely shared on social media, said a man attacked her Saturday near her LA home. The man drove up, got out of his black Honda Civic, hit her and yelled, "Trump 2016!" she wrote in an Instagram post with a photo showing her with a black eye. She said she wasn't seriously hurt. Gore reported the assault to police, and shared the police report with the New York Daily News. LA police couldn't immediately comment on the investigation. Gore asked anyone with information about the attack to contact authorities. Gore's nude portrait of Trump shows him with the wrinkles and folds befitting a 69-year-old man -- and a very small male sex organ. She said she debuted the drawing in February, before Trump defended his penis size at the March 3 Republican debate. Gore, 24, insists the portrait wasn't necessarily calling out Trump on the size of his genitalia. The work "was created to evoke a reaction from its audience, good or bad, about the significance we place on our physical selves," Gore wrote on her website. "One should not feel emasculated by their penis size or vagina, as it does not define who you are. Your genitals do not define your gender, your power, or your status. "Simply put, you can be a massive prick, despite what is in your pants." HuffPost's efforts to reach Gore have been unsuccessful. WARNING: The painting can be seen below, but it leaves little to the imagination. Illma Gore/The Maddox Gallery The print has been a popular attraction at London's Maddox Gallery since it went on display April 8. The work has also aroused Trump supporters, who Gore claims have sent her death threats, according to he Independent. She also said someone claiming to be from Trump's team threatened her with a lawsuit if she sold it. Gore said proceeds from the eventual sale of "Make America Great Again" will benefit Safe Place for Youth, a homeless shelter in Los Angeles, according to the Daily Dot. ||||| A woman who painted a nude portrait of Trump says a man punched her in the face and yelled “Trump 2016.” Robert Kovacik reports for the NBC4 News at 11 on Tuesday, May 3, 2016. (Published Wednesday, May 4, 2016) Artist Says She Was Punched Over Nude Portrait of Trump A 24-year-old Southern California artist who painted a portrait of Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump in the nude said she was punched in the face by an attacker who yelled "Trump 2016." The Los Angeles Police Department was investigating the assault Tuesday, but Illma Gore said the attack wasn't the first she has dealt with since painting Trump in a portrait depicting the GOP front-runner with small genitals. "I have received threats of violence and people say they were coming to kill me," Gore said. Southern California artist Illma Gore, 24, says she was accosted and punched over her drawing of a naked Donald Trump, which depicts the Republican front-runner with small genitals. Photo credit: Illma Gore On Friday, Gore was suddenly confronted by a violent, shirtless stranger in broad daylight. She was walking to an art supply store near La Cienega Boulevard at the time. "All I could hear was 'Trump 2016,'" Gore said. A group of men traveling in a black Honda Civic stopped beside her on the sidewalk, according to Gore. "He got out and punched me in the face and said 'Trump 2016' — then he drove off," Gore said. Gore went to the LAPD and immediately reported the assault. "She sustained severe injuries," said Mike Lopez of the LAPD. "We are aware of the incident and we are investigating." Gore's controversial pastel drawing of a naked Donald Trump — titled "Make America Great Again" — shows the Republican front-runner with small genitals because of how he was "boasting" about his endowment during the March presidential debate, she said. Highlights From the 2016 Campaign Trail "I have no regrets. I would do it all over again," Gore said. But it does make her concerned about free speech. "I am scared for America, and for the future for myself and for artists," Gore said. "Whoever hit me should take responsibility for their actions as well. It's cowardly not to." In an interview with police, Gore described the man who hit her as shirtless and wearing a red cap and red shorts. She estimated he was about 25 years old. The LAPD is looking into whether any surveillance from the area may help lead to an arrest. ||||| These crawls are part of an effort to archive pages as they are created and archive the pages that they refer to. That way, as the pages that are referenced are changed or taken from the web, a link to the version that was live when the page was written will be preserved.Then the Internet Archive hopes that references to these archived pages will be put in place of a link that would be otherwise be broken, or a companion link to allow people to see what was originally intended by a page's authors.The goal is to fix all broken links on the web . Crawls of supported "No More 404" sites.

– From death threats to an alleged attack: Artist Illma Gore, whose unflattering pastel drawing of Donald Trump in the buff is hanging in a gallery in London, says a Trump supporter punched her in the face on a Los Angeles street as she walked near her home on Friday. Gore, who had just returned from the UK, tells NBC4 that a shirtless man around 25 years old, wearing red shorts and a red cap, jumped out of a car, yelled "Trump 2016," hit her, and then laughed. An Instagram photo shows Gore with blood in her eye and plenty of bruising. "She sustained severe injuries," an LAPD rep says. "We are aware of the incident and we are investigating." "I am scared for America, and for the future for myself and for artists," Gore says. "I am sad that Trump, and many of his supporters, don't find words enough to express their opinions. They need walls, waterboarding, and punches," she adds on Instagram, calling on Trump to "stop glamorizing and perpetuating violence." She also asks for any witnesses to the attack to come forward, notes the Huffington Post. Despite all, Gore says she has no regrets about the Trump portrait. In fact, she just wrapped up a portrait of Ted Cruz in the nude, per the New York Daily News.

NEW YORK, Nov. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Euro RSCG Worldwide launches its largest-ever trend tome, discussing what to expect in 2012. "The Big Little Book of Nexts: Trendspotting for 2012" features trend sightings for the new year in areas ranging from advertising and parenting to home furnishings, men, lifestage marketing, and politics. Marian Salzman, CEO of Euro RSCG Worldwide PR, North America, and one of the world's leading trendspotters, curates this annual exercise that's intended to flag shifts in attitudes, beliefs, values, and media preferences, as well as the broader geopolitical shifts that together are rewriting the landscape for brands, business, and newsmaking. "We're in the business of generating awareness for our clients—to promote good will, consumption, and, ultimately, loyalty—and the best way to serve them most effectively is by anticipating the density and velocity of the changes on the near horizon," Salzman explains. "When a multinational brand gets ahead of a trend and can own it, and ride its wave, the benefits are long-lasting—recognizing, of course, that one of the trends in recent years is the speed of change, as well as the fickleness of leading-edge consumers who embrace what's new one day and move on to another new the next." Here's a sneak peek at 12 trends for 2012 from Euro RSCG Worldwide's new report on what's next, now: The U.S. State of Mind. We will see big business leaders speak out against the way things are going and pave the way for the future, as our confidence in politicians and their ilk falters amid the constant partisan fight-club atmosphere. Politics will reach a boiling point with more protests, most likely organized and cross-promoted on social media. The Prime Crisis/Education Correlation. Studies have tied home equity gains to dramatic increases in college attendance, meaning today's reduced housing prices and sinking home equity will finally affect the college roster. As a result, panicked universities will go to greater lengths to attract students, offering outside-the-classroom options in the form of online classes. Out-of-work boomers will join the new student body, as they supplement their skill sets by going back to school, albeit digitally. Re-feathering the Empty Nest. More empty nests are full once again as recent college grads, the biggest casualty of the dire job market, look for Mom and Dad to come to the rescue. Likewise, senior citizens reluctant to retreat to a rocking chair at the senior center will choose instead to move in with their grown children. The Always-Ticking Millennial. Generation Y (which we call millennials) will upend the traditional workday, as the digital generation works anywhere, anytime. Look for 2012 to be the beginning of an era in which notions of time are divided differently, especially when we all know work nowadays is a 24/7/365 proposition. All hands on deck, but at different times. Transportation in Tip-Top Shape. During the Great Depression, Americans broke their backs building roads and train tracks. With all this talk about our collapsing infrastructure, look for champions of improvement to step forward and propose a way to get America working again, among fears of the rapid deterioration of our highways, bridges and tunnels. Hyperlocal vs. Universal. Although there's certainly something to the hyperlocal movement, clever brands will transcend geography and home in on universal truths when looking to market to the (global) masses; especially as we try to swallow the collective lump in our throats, it makes sense to speak to all of us, as one world. Be Private, Be Present. Experiencing full-blown information overload, many will rediscover their need for privacy. We will still expect our leaders and businesses to be transparent, but in our personal lives look for a retreat en masse from TMI. Also speaking to our overtaxed lives is the "in the moment" movement, which for many people will be the only way to stomach the harsh realities of life in 2012. iWars. With Steve Jobs gone, Apple will be looking over its iShoulder. From new music-sharing superstar Spotify, which has partnered with Facebook, to Amazon, whose new tablet, the Kindle Fire, has set the tablet wars raging, competitors are gunning for one of the most valuable brands on the planet. Double-Dip Frugality. Look for 2012 to be the year of essentials only. As numerous institutions heralded the end of the recession, wallets opened, but some people now regret buying unnecessary items. Pop-up stores will continue to soothe by offering one-off items without the sticker shock, and with the success of Missoni at Target and a new zigzag zeitgeist, other brands will look to partner up and co-produce products and lines that give a one-two punch in what is shaping up to be a tepid holiday season. The Focused Foodie. Organic and artisanal foods will dominate the dinner plate as GMO madness seizes conversations at tables from Tallahassee to Topeka. This relates to the economy, too, as we continue to shop local to support our communities. Likewise, our obsession with farmers markets and farm-to-table will endure. Semi-Scientific Voodoo Medicine. Instead of the communicable diseases of yesteryear, people will grapple with excess weight and its related ailments, as well as cancers and cardiovascular, autoimmune and degenerative diseases. As the Internet provides access to medical information, the effect across markets is a fragmented mix of semi-scientific voodoo, full of contradictory and complementary elements—folk remedies (e.g., gargling with salt water) and alternative beliefs (e.g., homeopathy) alongside pharmaceuticals and supplements. Look for wellness to be the buzzword du jour. Retreat from Reality. With reality TV falling out of favor and viewers looking for new ways to escape, you'll find TV fans embracing the next generation of scripted shows. Standouts include "Modern Family," "The Middle," "Up All Night," and Zooey Deschanel 's "New Girl." Next year welcomes a full-on push for TV on the Internet. YouTube will launch scheduled programming in 2012, with shows on everything from fashion to sports, while Google TV will debut as well, surely redefining the realm of the couch potato. To review and download the full report, please go to www.eurorscg.com. For more information and some of Salzman's past annual forecasts, please go to the Brainfood tab at www.eurorscgpr.com. About Euro RSCG Worldwide Euro RSCG Worldwide is a leading integrated marketing communications agency and was the first agency to be named Global Agency of the Year by both Advertising Age and Campaign in the same year. Euro RSCG is made up of 233 offices in 75 countries and provides advertising, marketing, corporate communications, and digital and social media solutions to clients including Air France, Charles Schwab, Citigroup, Danone Group, IBM, Kraft Foods, Lacoste, L'Oreal, Merck, PSA Peugeot Citroen, Reckitt Benckiser, Sanofi and Volvo. Euro RSCG Worldwide is the largest unit of Havas, a world leader in communications (Euronext: HAV.PA) (Paris: HAV.PA). About Euro RSCG Worldwide PR We call ourselves @erwwpr; we're the North American earned-media and buzz boutique (#bethenews) within French holding company Havas. Headquartered in New York City, with Pittsburgh and Chicago offices, we've seen 25 percent growth in the last two years and become one of the most-awarded PR agencies of our size for work including #wyclefforpresident (global scope), @theywinulose (Campaign Money Watch; against big money in elections), the first-ever teenage girl SoMe lab (The Sisterhood; industry innovation) and Ford's Warriors in Pink (#welovecause). We're grounded in media, strategy, client service and community to ensure we message in straight talk and real time. For more information: www.eurorscgpr.com. Contact: Lisa Gruber Global Communications Manager Euro RSCG Worldwide 212-886-2018 lisa.gruber@eurorscg.com SOURCE Euro RSCG Worldwide ||||| The traditional eight-hour workday may soon be the exception rather than the rule. New evidence shows that we’re reaching a tipping point in terms of workplace flexibility, with businesses seeing the wisdom of allowing employees — young ones especially — to work odd hours, telecommute and otherwise tweak the usual 9-to-5 grind. One of the top 12 trends for 2012 as named by the communications firm Euro RSCG Worldwide is that employees in the Gen Y, or millennial, demographic — those born between roughly 1982 and 1993 — are overturning the traditional workday. The Business and Professional Women’s Foundation estimates that by 2025, 75% of the global workforce will be Gen Y. As early as next year, this group of younger Americans will comprise 60% of the employees at companies like Ernst & Young. And increasingly, companies are creating workplace-flexibility programs because it makes good business sense, not in the least because that’s what their employees are demanding. (GALLERY: 9 Jobs of of the (Near) Future) Gen Y-ers are spearheading this change because they don’t want the same work environment their parents had. Between new technology and global workplace dynamics, companies are implementing flexible work arrangements for everyone, inclusive of Gen Y. A recent Vodafone U.K. survey illustrates that 90% of employers enable work flexibility instead of sticking to traditional hours. Leading the charge in the shift toward allowing employees to work anywhere around the world, at any time they want, are companies such as Ernst & Young, Aflac and MITRE, which all realize that they need to accommodate employees’ personal lives if they want to retain them. “This notion of an eight-hour day is rapidly disappearing, simply because we work so virtually and globally,” says Maryella Gockel, Ernst & Young’s flexibility-strategy leader. By understanding Gen Y-ers’ need for workplace flexibility, companies are better able to recruit and grow young talent for the future. Aside from the early adopters of workplace-flexibility programs, many other companies are hesitant because of the traditional “command and control” approach laid out for older generations. The challenge these companies face is letting go and trusting their young employees — even when they are telecommuting or using Facebook regularly at work. (LIST: 10 Money Moves to Make Before 2012) Many companies fear that, without structure, employees will be distracted, not as engaged and less productive. In fact, the opposite is often true. A trusting work environment breeds more-loyal employees and increases efficiency. Here are three reasons for companies to embrace workplace-flexibility programs: 1. Gen Y workers won’t accept jobs where they can’t access Facebook. Cisco’s “Connected World Technology” report shows that more than half of Gen Y employees prioritize social-media freedom over a higher salary when evaluating a job offer. Furthermore, more than half say the Internet is an integral part of their lives. Gen Y-ers wants to be connected to their friends and families, not just their co-workers, throughout the day. Although some companies ban social media at work, other companies have embraced it as long as employees use it professionally. “We do want people to use social networks in order to keep in touch with their colleagues and contacts,” explains Gockel, whose company has no formal social-media guidelines or policies. (MORE: The Blackberry Moral, Or: The Trouble With Too Many Options) 2. Gen Y-ers value workplace flexibility over more money. More than one-third (37%) of Gen Y workers would take a pay cut if it meant more flexibility on the job, reports a study by Mom Corps. Flexibility motivates these workers to be more productive and loyal to their companies because they feel like they are respected. An employer that allows flexibility in the workplace also demonstrates that it understands the evolving modern-day work environment, which bodes well for the future. 3. Gen Y workers are always connected to jobs through technology. Technology has made the traditional 9-to-5 model blurry — for all workers, of all generations, really. No one is ever out of touch or off the clock. When workers go home, they’re still working because who they are personally and professionally have become one and the same. Workers are always representing the company, and more and more, it seems, work e-mail doesn’t stop for anything or anyone. By no means does time away from the office equal less work getting done. Schawbel is the managing partner of Millennial Branding LLC, a full-service personal-branding agency. He is the author of Me 2.0: 4 Steps to Building Your Future, founder of the blog Personal Branding and publisher of Personal Branding magazine.

– Show of hands, how many people are still clocking in at 9 and out at 5 every day? Well, you might be in the minority soon. In its annual list of top trends, communications firm Euro RSCG Worldwide is predicting that “Generation Y will upend the traditional workday, as the digital generation works anywhere, anytime.” Time agrees, predicting that telecommuting and flexible schedules with strange hours could soon be the norm. For backup, Time cites this study, which shows that young professionals demand Internet access, and another showing that some 37% of them would take a pay cut in exchange for workplace flexibility. It also points out that technology is blurring the line between home and work—thanks to email, “no one is ever out of touch or off the clock.”

Wisconsin presidential primary voters shunned front-runners from both the Democratic and Republican parties on April 5. Here are key moments from the victory speeches of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post) The Wisconsin primary is in the books. Ted Cruz and Bernie Sanders won solid victories even while Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton remain the clear delegate leaders heading into New York’s primary on April 19. Below are my winners and losers from Wisconsin. Winners How Bernie Sanders won Wisconsin, in less than 60 seconds (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post) *Bernie Sanders: Bernie Sanders is a 74-year-old, avowed socialist from Vermont. When he announced his presidential candidacy last year, no one — up to and including Bernie Sanders — thought he would win one state, much less the 15 he has now won. No, his win in Wisconsin won’t fundamentally alter Sanders's delegate math problem; to solve that issue, Sanders needs to win big states by very big margins. But, Sanders’s ability to win — and keep winning — in head-to-head match-ups against Clinton means that he has and will continue to have a major voice within the party. What Sanders wants to do with that voice — whether in the two remaining months of the primary process or at the national convention this summer — is the key question he has to decide on. And that Clinton has to worry about. * Ted Cruz: Give the Texas senator credit: When he needs to win, he wins. If Cruz had lost Wisconsin, pressure would have ramped up on him to bow to the political reality of Trump as the nominee. Now, he can make the case that Wisconsin fundamentally changed the trajectory of the 2016 race (I don’t buy it). "Tonight is a turning point. It is a rallying cry," Cruz says in Wisconsin — Katie Zezima (@katiezez) April 6, 2016 How Ted Cruz won the Wisconsin GOP primary, in 60 seconds (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post) Cruz gets 18 delegates for winning the statewide vote in Wisconsin and if his margins hold up, he looks well positioned to take the lion’s share of the remaining 24 delegates, importantly keeping most of them from Trump. For Cruz, the rest of the primary calendar is all about two things: (1) Keeping Trump under the 1,237 delegates needed to formally clinch the nomination and (2) Positioning himself as the clear/only Trump alternative. Cruz took a big step in the right direction on both fronts on Tuesday night. * New York: Not that the state — and especially New York City — need much ego-bolstering, but, holy cow, the next two weeks are going to put the Empire State in the political limelight. That will be something new-ish for New York since the presidential nominations are almost always foregone conclusions before they get to the state. But the Clinton-Sanders fight to lay claim to the title of New York’s favorite Democrat will be epic. And Trump’s attempt to reassert himself as the likely GOP nominee in the state where he has made his name and his fortune should be great theater too. Take it away, Billy! * Charlie Sykes: Outside of Wisconsin, almost no one had heard of Sykes two weeks ago. But, after his pointed interview with Trump, Sykes suddenly became a known national commodity. (He was doing a sitdown with Chris Matthews on MSNBC on Tuesday night!) Good on you, Charlie! * Political junkies: An open Republican convention is more likely today than it was yesterday. I — and every other political junkie — never thought we would see one (in either party) in our lifetime. Now, it looks like a 50-50 proposition (or maybe even a bit better). This is me, when thinking of the idea of covering an open convention in Cleveland this summer: Losers * Donald Trump: Polling done in February showed the real estate mogul with a comfortable lead. He lost convincingly on Tuesday to Cruz. Why? Self-inflicted errors — from being totally unprepared for an interview with Sykes to his fumbling of questions about his stance on abortion. Want a stat that epitomizes Trump’s problems in Wisconsin? More than one in three (35 percent) of Wisconsin Republicans said that the prospect of a Trump presidency “scared” them. There’s no other way to put it: Trump blew a chance in Wisconsin to take a major symbolic step toward the Republican nomination. The next two weeks will now be filled with questions of whether or not Trump’s hold on the nomination is slipping — not exactly the best run-up to the New York primary. Trump remains a favorite in the Empire State primary — and in the mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states set to vote in the coming month — but if he comes up short of the 1,237 delegates he needs to be the nominee, Wisconsin will count as a major regret for the billionaire. * Hillary Clinton: Yes, the former secretary of state has a commanding — and close to insurmountable — delegate lead over Sanders. Even after Wisconsin. And, yes, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where Sanders passes Clinton in pledged delegates (never mind her massive superdelegate edge). BUT (all caps intentional!) Clinton has now lost seven of the last eight votes in this race to Sanders. That’s a remarkable thing when you consider everything I wrote above. Everyone expects — and has long expected — Clinton to be the nominee. The delegate math is close to conclusive for Clinton. And yet, Sanders not only keeps winning but for the third straight month the Vermont socialist outraised Clinton. New York becomes even more important for Clinton now as, if she loses it, the “she’s limping to the nomination” storyline will take over, which is very dangerous to her attempts at building momentum for the general election. * John Kasich: Remember when Kasich’s claim to relevance in this presidential race was that he was the Republican who could win in the industrial Midwest? The Ohio governor never even got into the conversation in Wisconsin, remarkable given that Cruz isn’t an obvious fit for the state. Kasich will keep on running — he and his campaign have made that abundantly clear over the last 48 hours. And that is obviously his right. But, how do you make a case that you should be the nominee if/when the only state you won in the presidential nomination fight is the one you currently represent? * Primary night speeches: No Clinton or Trump speeches on a primary night? Color me disappointed. If I need to stay up until all hours to cover these votes, the least the remaining five candidates can do is throw me a bone and give a victory/defeat speech. Come on, man. What are we even doing out there, man? ||||| Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., waves to the crowd with his wife, Jane Sanders, by his side during a campaign rally Tuesday evening in the Arts and Sciences Auditorium at... (Associated Press) Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., waves to the crowd with his wife, Jane Sanders, by his side during a campaign rally Tuesday evening in the Arts and Sciences Auditorium at the University of Wyoming campus on April 5, 2016, in Laramie, Wyo. Sanders won the Democratic presidential... (Associated Press) NEW YORK (AP) — Republican Donald Trump emerged from Wisconsin as a damaged front-runner following a crushing loss to rival Ted Cruz, deepening questions about the billionaire businessman's presidential qualifications and pushing the GOP toward a rare contested convention fight. Democrat Bernie Sanders also scored a sweeping victory in Wisconsin's primary that gives him a fresh incentive to keep challenging Hillary Clinton. But Sanders still lags Clinton significantly in the delegate count. Both parties are turning their sights toward New York, which offers a massive delegate prize in its April 19 contests. It marks a homecoming of sorts for several candidates, with Trump, Clinton and Sanders all touting roots in the state. Trump, who has dominated the Republican race for months, suddenly finds himself on the defensive as the campaign moves east. He's struggled through a series of missteps, including his campaign manager's legal issues after an altercation with a female reporter and his own awkward explanation of his position on abortion. Exit polls in Wisconsin highlighted the deep worries about Trump surging through some corners of the Republican Party. A majority of GOP voters said they're either concerned about or scared of a potential Trump presidency, according to surveys conducted by Edison Research for The Associated Press and television networks. Cruz has stepped forward as the candidate best positioned to block Trump, though it would likely take a convention battle to accomplish that goal. A Texas senator with a complicated relationship with Republican leaders, Cruz cast his Wisconsin victory as a "turning point" in the race and urged the party to rally around his candidacy. "We've got the full spectrum of the Republican Party coming together and uniting behind this campaign," he said. Trump was unbowed in his defeat. His campaign put out a biting statement accusing Cruz of being "worse than a puppet — he is a Trojan horse, being used by the party bosses attempting to steal the nomination from Mr. Trump." Sanders still trails Clinton in the pledged delegate count and has so far been unable to persuade superdelegates— the party officials who can back any candidate — to drop their allegiance to the former secretary of state and back his campaign. At a raucous rally in Wyoming, Sanders cast his victory as a sign of mounting momentum for his campaign. "With our victory tonight in Wisconsin, we have now won 7 out of 8 of the last caucuses and primaries," he declared. With an overwhelming white electorate and liberal pockets of voters, Wisconsin was favorable territory for Sanders. In a sign of Clinton's low expectations in the Midwestern state, she spent Tuesday night at a fundraiser with top donors in New York City. Clinton congratulated Sanders on Twitter and thanked her supporters in Wisconsin. "To all the voters and volunteers who poured your hearts into this campaign: Forward!" she wrote. Sanders' win will net him a handful of additional delegates, but he'll still lag Clinton significantly. With 86 delegates at stake in Wisconsin, Sanders will pick up at least 45 and Clinton will gain at least 31. That means Sanders must still win 67 percent of the remaining delegates and uncommitted superdelegates in order to win the Democratic nomination. Clinton's campaign has cast her overall lead as nearly insurmountable. Yet Sanders' continued presence in the race has become an irritant for Clinton, keeping her from turning her attention to the general election. In the Republican race, Cruz was poised to collect most of Wisconsin's 42 Republican delegates. Trump still has a narrow path to claim the nomination by the end of the primaries on June 7. But by losing Wisconsin, the real estate mogul has little room for error in upcoming contests. Complicating the primary landscape for both Cruz and Trump is the continuing candidacy of John Kasich. The Ohio governor's only victory has come in his home state, but he's still picking up delegates that would otherwise help Trump inch closer to the nomination or help Cruz catch up. To win a prolonged convention fight, a candidate would need support from the individuals selected as delegates. The process of selecting those delegates is tedious, and will test the mettle of Trump's slim campaign operation. Cruz prevailed in an early organizational test in North Dakota, scooping up endorsements from delegates who were selected at the party's state convention over the weekend. While all 28 go to the national convention as free agents, 10 said in interviews they were committed to Cruz. None has so far endorsed Trump. Despite the concern among some Wisconsin Republicans about Trump becoming president, nearly 6 in 10 GOP voters there said the party should nominate the candidate with the most support in the primaries, which so far would be Trump. Even among voters who favored Cruz, 4 in 10 said the candidate with the most support going into the convention should be the party's nominee. ___ Pace reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Hope Yen, Stephen Ohlemacher and Emily Swanson contributed to this report. ___ Follow Julie Pace on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jpaceDC ||||| Watch CNN and NY1's Democratic debate, moderated by Wolf Blitzer, Thursday, April 14 at 9 p.m. ET. Milwaukee (CNN) Ted Cruz's win over Donald Trump in Wisconsin means a contested GOP convention is not only possible, but may be probable. And Bernie Sanders reminded Hillary Clinton that the Democratic race isn't over yet. Wisconsin was a must-win for both Cruz and Sanders as the 2016 race shifts to New York , where both front-runners will try to regain their footing in the state they call home. Both did just that -- and they racked up big margins of victory, with Cruz besting Trump by 15 percentage points and Sanders ahead of Clinton by 13 points. Here are five takeaways from Tuesday's contests: A contested convention is more likely For Trump, getting the delegate math to add up to 1,237 before the Republican National Convention in Cleveland was always a tall task. Photos: Who's running for president? Photos: Who's running for president? Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, John Kasich, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, Hide Caption 1 of 6 Photos: Who's running for president? "So, ladies and gentlemen, I am officially running for president of the United States, and we are going to make our country great again," Trump told the crowd at his announcement. Businessman Donald Trump announced June 16 at his Trump Tower in New York City that he is seeking the Republican presidential nomination. This ends more than two decades of flirting with the idea of running for the White House."So, ladies and gentlemen, I am officially running for president of the United States, and we are going to make our country great again," Trump told the crowd at his announcement. Hide Caption 2 of 6 Photos: Who's running for president? "These are all of our stories," Cruz told the audience at Liberty University in Virginia. "These are who we are as Americans. And yet for so many Americans, the promise of America seems more and more distant." Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has made a name for himself in the Senate, solidifying his brand as a conservative firebrand willing to take on the GOP's establishment. He announced he was seeking the Republican presidential nomination in a speech on March 23."These are all of our stories," Cruz told the audience at Liberty University in Virginia. "These are who we are as Americans. And yet for so many Americans, the promise of America seems more and more distant." Hide Caption 3 of 6 Photos: Who's running for president? Ohio Gov. John Kasich joined the Republican field July 21 as he formally announced his White House bid. "I am here to ask you for your prayers, for your support ... because I have decided to run for president of the United States," Kasich told his kickoff rally at the Ohio State University. Hide Caption 4 of 6 Photos: Who's running for president? "Everyday Americans need a champion, and I want to be that champion -- so you can do more than just get by -- you can get ahead. And stay ahead," she said in her announcement video. "Because when families are strong, America is strong. So I'm hitting the road to earn your vote, because it's your time. And I hope you'll join me on this journey." Hillary Clinton launched her presidential bid on April 12 through a video message on social media. The former first lady, senator and secretary of state is considered the front-runner among possible Democratic candidates."Everyday Americans need a champion, and I want to be that champion -- so you can do more than just get by -- you can get ahead. And stay ahead," she said in her announcement video. "Because when families are strong, America is strong. So I'm hitting the road to earn your vote, because it's your time. And I hope you'll join me on this journey." Hide Caption 5 of 6 Photos: Who's running for president? "This great nation and its government belong to all of the people and not to a handful of billionaires, their super PACs and their lobbyists," Sanders said at a rally in Vermont on May 26. Sen. Bernie Sanders , an independent from Vermont who caucuses with Democrats, announced his run in an email to supporters on April 30. He has said the United States needs a "political revolution" of working-class Americans to take back control of the government from billionaires."This great nation and its government belong to all of the people and not to a handful of billionaires, their super PACs and their lobbyists," Sanders said at a rally in Vermont on May 26. Hide Caption 6 of 6 It just got much more difficult. Cruz's big Wisconsin win raises the possibility that Trump romps in the Northeast, wins California and still comes up just short, throwing the nominating battle into a contested convention. Cruz tried again to consolidate the anti-Trump movement , touting in a Milwaukee speech the $2 million he said his campaign has raised Tuesday alone. JUST WATCHED What is a brokered convention? Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH What is a brokered convention? 01:35 He also made a play to unify Republicans, dropping his usual attacks on Trump and instead taking aim at Clinton in his victory speech. "Either before Cleveland or at the convention in Cleveland, together, we will win a majority of the delegates, and together, we will beat Hillary Clinton in November," Cruz said. The Texas senator's supporters -- and Republicans allied with anybody whose name isn't Trump -- crowed that Wisconsin marked a turning point in the race, especially as Trump watches delegates slip away in states he's already won because his campaign hasn't mastered the contest's procedural intricacies. "GOP voters in Wisconsin rejected Donald Trump just like the entire Republican base will do in Cleveland this summer," Katie Packer, a Republican strategist who helms the anti-Trump Our Principles PAC, said in a statement. Trump has to regroup The good news for Trump: The next stop is New York, where the billionaire calls home and is up in the polls. But Wisconsin shows he has some brand maintenance to do. Coming off perhaps the worst week of his campaign , Trump -- who'd claimed as recently as Tuesday morning that he thought he'd win the Badger State -- fell far short. He split the vote with Cruz of Republicans who said they wanted a candidate who could bring change. He was blown away by those worried about electability. One especially concerning figure for Trump: He was blown out by 22 percentage points by Cruz in suburban areas and 13 points in urban areas, compared to just 3 points in rural areas. That's bad news as the race moves to the densely-populated east coast. That all explains why Trump lost, and lays out the challenges he confronts: Now he has to face down adversity and appear, in his own words, "more presidential." The only silver lining might have been that there was no significant gender gap -- an indication Trump's two stumbles and subsequent reversals over abortion didn't depress his support from women. Bern-ing hot headed into New York Sanders got an affirmation of his momentum, with six wins in the last seven contests. He will need that momentum to stay strong if he's going to truly knock Clinton off her heels To keep his streak going, Sanders will need to beat her out east -- in New York on April 19, and then in some combination of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Delaware the following week. In those states, Sanders will be competing without his typical advantages. In Wisconsin, loyal Democrats split 50-50, but Sanders won independents 71-29. The east coast races, though, are closed contests -- which means only registered Democrats can participate, limiting his ability to bring new, young voters into the process. What Wisconsin gives Sanders is the ability to keep raising big dollars, and keep his supporters energized in states where organizational work will be especially important. He has outraised Clinton, $109 million to $75 million, in the last three months. Before heading east, Sanders made a stop in Laramie, Wyoming, where he'll try to make it seven out of eight states when that state holds its caucuses Saturday. "I was told that about 5,000 people participated in the last Wyoming caucus. It looks like all of them are here tonight," he joked as he started his speech, leaning hard into one buzzword: "Momentum." "I know a little bit about New York because I spent the first 18 years of my life in Brooklyn, New York. Now please keep this a secret -- do not tell Secretary Clinton; she's getting a little nervous and I don't want her to get more nervous -- but I believe we've got an excellent chance to win New York and a lot of delegates in that state," he said. Clinton waiting for Sanders Wisconsin was the kind of state -- overwhelmingly white, and independents are allowed into party primaries -- that Sanders had to win. And he did: He crushed Clinton among voters 18-29 by his standard margin of 82% to 18%, and won those 30-44, two to one. He won white voters, 59% to 41%. That number was flipped among non-whites, but in Wisconsin, 83% of the Democratic electorate was white. States like New York that are far more diverse have proven to be Clinton country. And the former secretary of state is wasting no time welcoming Sanders back to the state where he grew up. JUST WATCHED Bernie Sanders feeling media heat after new interview Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Bernie Sanders feeling media heat after new interview 01:23 Readers of The New York Daily News will see a front-page story Wednesday denouncing "Bernie's Sandy Hook shame." Sanders Tuesday faced blistering criticism over his interview with the newspaper's editorial board , where he seemed unable to go beyond top-level talking points on his core policy issues, like breaking up the big banks. In an unusual move, Clinton's campaign sent out the entire Sanders transcript as part of a fundraising email. "We've said for a long time that this primary is about who's really going to be able to get things done. And from reading this interview, you get the impression Senator Sanders hasn't thought very much about that. In fact, even on his signature issue of breaking up the banks, he's unable to answer basic questions about how he'd go about doing it, and even seems uncertain whether a president does or doesn't already have that authority under existing law," Clinton aide Christina Reynolds wrote. The GOP's battleground woes If Gov. Scott Walker's experience of three statewide wins in four years shows anything, it's that Republicans can win in Wisconsin. But Cruz and Trump may have an uphill climb in November. Exit polls showed that only 62% of Republicans said they'd vote for Trump in the fall. Another 10% said if he's the nominee, they'd support Clinton, while 17% said they'd back a third-party candidate and 8% said they wouldn't vote at all. For Cruz, the numbers were similar: 66% said they'd vote for him, while 6% said they'd back Clinton. But 18% said they'd pick a third-party candidate, and another 6% would stay home. It's an ominous sign for the fall. Wisconsin isn't a must-win state for a Republican in the general election -- but it is winnable, and, like Illinois, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire, it's home to a vulnerable senator (Ron Johnson) who the GOP hopes will be part of a governing majority next year. Those exit poll numbers are, in theory, good for John Kasich , because they bolster his argument that he's the only electable Republican left standing. But the Ohio governor has his own problems. The same factors that hurt Trump -- Wisconsin is highly educated and less angry -- should have helped Kasich. Yet he finished a distant third, once again failing to lend any credibility to his case for staying in the race.

– Wisconsin has handed big victories to Bernie Sanders and Ted Cruz—and to political junkies hoping to see the first contested convention in 40 years. The Badger State results are a stinging setback to front-runners Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, though the delegate math remains in their favor. A roundup of coverage: The big story isn't how badly Trump did, but how well Cruz did, according to Nate Silver at FiveThirtyEight. Silver notes that with 49% of the vote, Cruz did far better in Wisconsin than he did in neighboring states, and he won among demographic groups, including non-evangelicals, that didn't warm to him in the past. Trump—whose campaign blasted Cruz as "a Trojan horse, being used by the party bosses attempting to steal the nomination"—now needs a big win in New York on April 19 to regain momentum, and polls suggest that he's likely to get one, the AP reports. When Sanders first launched his campaign, nobody thought he would win a single state, but he has now won 15, including six of the last seven to vote (plus the category of "Democrats abroad"), notes Chris Cillizza at the Washington Post. Clinton's lead may still be impossible for Sanders to overcome, he writes, but Sanders has guaranteed himself a voice in the party, and if Clinton fails to win New York, she will be seen as "limping to the nomination." A contested GOP convention is looking more likely all the time, according to Eric Bradner at CNN. Trump is still the only candidate with a realistic chance of getting the necessary 1,237 delegates to wrap up the nomination before the convention, but the Wisconsin loss makes that task a lot more difficult. Exit polls in Wisconsin should worry both Trump and the GOP, the New York Times reports. Only 29% of those who made their decision late picked Trump, and 37% of GOP primary voters said they would vote for Clinton, a third-party candidate, or nobody if he became the party's nominee. Sanders is going to need more nights like Tuesday to have a realistic shot at the nomination, notes Harry Enten at FiveThirtyEight. He will have to score similar wins in states such as New York and Pennsylvania, Enten writes, and will have to do more to win over black voters, a group that he lost to Clinton by more than 40% in Wisconsin.

Vantage Energy operates the natural gas drilling site on the grounds of Lake Arlington Baptist Church. (Photo: WFAA) ARLINGTON — Two months ago, 100 homes in Arlington had to be evacuated as fracking fluid spilled out of a drilling site onto the city streets. Now we know officially what happened, why it happened, and why Arlington officials are blaming the drilling company for "unacceptable behavior." A series of video recordings obtained by News 8 shows the scene behind the walls of a fracking site 600 feet from a cluster of homes in the state's seventh largest city. In the incident, 42,800 gallons of fracking fluid — boiling up from thousands of feet underground — spewed into the streets and into Arlington storm sewers and streams. WFAA obtained this video that shows a leak of fracking fluid from an Arlington drilling site (Photo: WFAA) Four attempts and 24 hours later, experts were finally able to plug the natural gas well. Nearby residents and Arlington officials feared the worst. Now, two months later, fire officials have concluded their investigation. "Clearly there was a release of unpermitted materials into the stormwater system," said Arlington Fire Chief Don Crowson as he addressed Arlington City Council members on Tuesday. The good news, according to Crowson: Despite numerous toxic substances being released into the environment, tests show it was not in amounts that did significant damage to the environment. The bad news? He said the drilling company mishandled the spill. "For my concerns, the main issue I articulated to you a few months ago was the delayed notification of 911," Crowson said. "It's not acceptable." According to the report, Vantage Energy first contacted 911 nearly two hours after fracking water first started to spill. What's more, the call to 911 came not from the site, but from corporate headquarters in Pennsylvania. "This is unacceptable behavior," said City Council member Robert Rivera. "The citizens of Arlington do not appreciate the lack of ability to control the site." LABC gas well leak (Photo: WFAA) The official causeof the spill at a site adjacent to Lake Arlington Baptist Church is listed as equipment failure. Vantage Energy was issued a citation and has agreed to reimburse the city $84,000. But this was not included in the city's report: Records uncovered by News 8 of another 1,500-gallon spill at the same site one month earlier. Despite numerous toxic substances being released into the environment, tests show it was not in amounts that did significant damage to the environment. Arlington Resident Kim Feil said the two incidents one month apart reinforce her fears that drilling so close to homes is not safe. "I just assumed this was a residential area and it would be free from industrial hazardous operations," Feil said. "Now we see it's not." In the meantime, drilling operations remain shut down and will not resume until the city does a final inspection and the folks across the street and those affected are given official notification. Read or Share this story: http://on.wfaa.com/1MJMRSg ||||| Arlington fire officials indicated the site of a gas well that leaked thousands of gallons of fracking fluid back in April could be close to reopening. (Published Tuesday, June 16, 2015) An Arlington gas well site that leaked thousands of gallons of fracking fluid in April could soon resume drilling. All operations at Vantage Energy's Lake Arlington Baptist Church site along Little Road have been suspended since that leak occurred. The company said a well head component malfunctioned, causing a back flow of fracking fluid to spill out. No natural gas leaked from the well, but the incident forced dozens of families in the area to evacuate their homes. On Tuesday, Arlington Fire Chief Don Crowson gave the City Council an update on the cleanup efforts. 92-Year-Old Woman Arrested in Denton Fracking Protest A 92-year-old mother and son were the latest arrests in Denton’s fracking protests Tuesday; only that mother also happens to be a great grandmother. (Published Tuesday, June 16, 2015) ( Tue Jun 16 16:40:54 PDT 2015 $__output ) "I will give Vantage credit for this," said Crowson. "They've owned it. They've owned the responsibility for it." Through the course of their investigation, fire officials determined more than 42,000 gallons of fracking fluid escaped into the city's storm water system. They don't believe the city's water supply or the public are in any danger. "Arlington Environmental, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the EPA tested the water and soil samples in several locations and found pollutant material below levels that will require further remediation," said Assistant Fire Chief Jim Self. Crowson said Vantage has identified the faulty component that caused the well head to malfunction and has taken steps to fix the problem on that well and others. The company has also paid the city more than $82,000 to reimburse taxpayers for the response to the leak. That doesn't include additional fines Vantage had to pay for three citations the city issued following the incident. "Our relationship with Vantage has been very good historically," said Crowson. Crowson did not mince words, though, when he discussed Vantage's decision to wait nearly two hours before reporting the leak to 911. He called the company's actions "unacceptable" and said he's met with Vantage and other energy companies to make sure they understand that. "Call the fire department immediately," said Crowson. "That's been carefully and directly communicated." In an email to NBC 5, a spokesperson for Vantage said, "We've worked collaboratively with the fire department on revised notification procedures." Crowson said the site has to pass one last inspection before drilling can resume. When that happens, he said the public will be notified. ||||| The Fire Department has taken a gas well operator to task and imposed rules to make sure a leak like the one that occurred in southwest Arlington on April 11 doesn’t happen again, top fire officials told the City Council at an afternoon work session Tuesday. A pipe sprung a softball-size hole at the Vantage Energy well site at 3016 Little Road, allowing nearly 43,000 gallons of fracking water and chemicals to gush into the city storm-water system and sparking fears that natural gas would follow, Assistant Fire Chief Jim Self said. More than 100 families living within 1/8 mile were evacuated as a precaution. “Some were displaced as long as 21 hours,” Self said. Never miss a local story. Sign up today for a free 30 day free trial of unlimited digital access. SUBSCRIBE NOW No gas leaked, but Vantage employees, trying to fix the problem themselves, waited two hours to call 911. “That’s unacceptable behavior,” Councilman Robert Rivera said. Self and Fire Chief Don Crowson assured the council that they have taken steps to clarify the city’s expectations in such emergencies. Step 1: Call 911 before doing anything else. “We’re not kidding around about the 911 issue,” Crowson said during a break. “It was a very serious situation. It could have ended in a bad outcome. Two hours’ advance notice could have helped alot. Luckily, we were prepared and we worked well with [Vantage], and we were able to resolve the issue.” The pipe began leaking about 1 p.m. It was carrying water and solvents that had been used, under high pressure, to fracture shale and release its natural gas. At any moment, the frack-water leak could have become a gas leak. Stopping the leak took almost 24 hours. City officials praised Vantage officials for their cooperation. City Manager Trey Yelverton said Vantage hasn’t been the only focus. The city’s expectations have been communicated to all drilling operators in Arlington. In other business, the council told parks officials to work both a senior center and a “multigenerational” activities center into the ongoing update of the parks master plan. Parks Director Lemuel Randolph estimated the senior center’s cost at $25 million and the all-ages facility at $40 million. He said the master plan was virtually finished in November when a new senior center became a priority. About 25 older residents in red T-shirts attended the afternoon session to lend silent support for a stand-alone senior center. Then at the evening council meeting, they weren’t so silent. Several walked to the lectern at the end of the meeting to lobby. Elva Roy, head of Age-Friendly Arlington Action Brigade, asked that the city dedicate the last quarter-cent available in the city sales tax to raising money for a senior center, and put the issue on the November election ballot. Seniors now use portions of two aging activities center, called Eunice and New York. The seniors want something like the Summit, the $23 million 50-and-over senior center in Grand Prairie that opened in 2010, Roy said. “When you walk into the Summit, it’s just so tranquil,” she said.

– A massive leak of fracking fluid poured into the streets of Arlington, Texas, two months ago and forced the evacuation of a hundred homes. Now city officials have taken Vantage Energy to task for its "unacceptable" handling of the 43,000-gallon spill, WFAA reports. During a city council meeting yesterday, it emerged that Vantage had taken nearly two hours to call 911 despite the risk of a gas leak. "This is unacceptable behavior," says an Arlington city council member. According to Fire Chief Don Crowson, the two-hour delay was no joke: "We’re not kidding around about the 911 issue," he tells the Star-Telegram during a break in city council. "It could have ended in a bad outcome. Two hours’ advance notice could have helped a lot." Still, officials say the environmental damage was not extensive and Vantage has been cooperative. So what happened, exactly? According to the city's report, a Vantage well site sprung a leak on April 11, which allowed fracking water and chemicals to boil up into Arlington's streets, storm sewers, and streams. Because the fracking fluid had been fracturing shale and freeing gas under high pressure, natural gas could have leaked at any time. Now WFAA says a 1,500-gallon spill occurred at the same location a month before, and NBC-Dallas/Fort Worth reports that the site is close to reopening. "I just assumed this was a residential area and it would be free from industrial hazardous operations," says a resident after hearing about the earlier spill. "Now we see it's not."

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard apology video 'like auditioning for the Godfather': Barnaby Joyce Updated Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has likened an apology video from Johnny Depp and wife Amber Heard over smuggling their dogs Boo and Pistol into Australia to an audition "for the Godfather". Heard was handed a one-month good behaviour bond with no conviction recorded after smuggling her two Yorkshire terriers into Australia last year while visiting her husband. Mr Joyce said he hoped the video released by Depp and his wife would help reinforce the message that Australia's biosecurity laws were not "a joke". When he was asked whether making the two stars record a video apology by the courts was a "bit of a slap on the wrist", Mr Joyce said he did not determine the punishment of the courts. "The court determines the punishment of the court, so I'm not going to start being in contempt of court," Mr Joyce told AM. "What I can say is although I don't think he'll get an Academy Award for his performance, the fact that he did it … he looked like he was auditioning for the Godfather. "At the end of it we've got a message that is going all around the world right now, it's going off like a frog in a sock telling people that if you come into this nation and you don't obey our laws, you're in trouble. "That's what this is about, it's making sure we keep this nation, protect our flora, our fauna and protect our biosecurity laws. "Because it's something, no matter which side of the political fence you're on, in this nation, in our nation we take this seriously." He also told Channel Seven's Sunrise he could have done a better job directing the video, saying Depp should "rise to the camera". "As far as me directing this atrocious movie, no, even I could have done a little better than that," he said. "Do it again Johnny, do it with gusto mate, a little gusto." Topics: joyce-barnaby, federal-government, australia First posted ||||| 4 months ago 10,976,789 views People go on cruise ship to have a good holiday but sometimes things can get rough. In this video you will see cruise ships in bad weather and big waves and storm. As you see these monster waves a... ||||| Watch Queue Queue Watch Queue Queue Remove all Disconnect ||||| If you watch one thing this year, this should be it. Johnny Depp and Amber Heard have been forced to make a straight-faced apology video by the Australian government for breaching biosecurity laws in the country. The duo smuggled their dogs, Pistol and Boo, into the country in May. Heard faced court on Monday, where she was given a A$1000 good behaviour bond, for her total disregard of Australian law. The unbelievable video, which looks like the couple have been held hostage in North Korea, was played to court on Monday as Heard and Depp were in attendance. It was later released by their No. 1 enemy, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, on his Facebook page. "Australia is free of many pests and diseases that are commonplace around the world. That is why Australia has to have such strong biosecurity laws,” Heard said. "Australians are just as unique, both warm and direct. When you disrespect Australian law, they will tell you firmly,” Depp continued. Heard said she was "truly sorry" about bringing her dogs into Australia. "Declare everything when you enter Australia," Depp said, echoing the monotones of an airport Customs message. Heard and Depp, teaching the world quarantine lessons since 2016. ||||| Play Facebook Twitter Google Plus Embed Australian Lawmaker Pans Depp's Apology Performance 0:56 autoplay autoplay Copy this code to your website or blog The Australian politician who threatened to kill Johnny Depp's dogs said Tuesday the actor's grim display of contrition wouldn't win an Academy Award and needed more "gusto." Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, who is known for his colorful personality, said Depp looked like he was "auditioning for 'The Godfather.'" Depp and wife Amber Heard's apology for smuggling their pet Yorkshire terriers into Australia quickly went viral Monday, with many joking it looked like a hostage video. Some even went so far as to suggest Joyce was standing behind the camera, holding the Yorkies at gunpoint. But Joyce said he didn't help direct "that atrocious movie." "No, even I could have done it a little bit better than that," Joyce told NBC News' Australian partner Channel 7. Joyce said he would have implored Depp to dig deeper had he been behind the camera. "Do it again Johnny — do it with gusto!" He added: "Rise to the camera, old trout!" Play Facebook Twitter Google Plus Embed Depp, Heard Issue Apology in 'Hostage' Video 0:39 autoplay autoplay Copy this code to your website or blog Joyce admitted Monday that the couple were reluctant participants in the video, but said they were spreading an important message about Australia's biosecurity laws. "At the end of it we've got a message that is going all around the world right now," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "It's going off like a frog in a sock telling people that if you come into this nation and you don't obey our laws, you're in trouble." Related: Depp, Heard End 'War on Terrier' With Bizarre Apology Heard was given a one-month good behavior bond after illegally sneaking Pistol and Boo into Australia in May last year. Her lawyer put the incident down to jet lag and a miscommunication with Heard's assistants. "I am truly sorry that Pistol and Boo were not declared," Heard said in the video. "Protecting Australia is important."

– Color him unimpressed: Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, described by Mashable as Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's "No. 1 enemy," gave his assessment Tuesday of the couple's much-discussed apology video. NBC News reports Joyce is the politician who threatened to put down dogs Pistol and Boo unless they were removed from the country, which they had entered illegally. In speaking with NBC News' Australian partner, Channel 7, Joyce colorfully said he had no role in directing "that atrocious movie" that could have been "a little bit better." It seems he just expected more from Mr. Depp, who Joyce felt seemed to be "auditioning for The Godfather" and should have done it with more "gusto. ... Rise to the camera, old trout!" So was Depp's performance truly subpar? Guardian film critic Peter Bradshaw weighed in and bestowed just a single star. Depp and Heard's attempt at satire just doesn't work in his view, and as for Depp's acting prowess, "When [he] speaks, it is with a weird fake-sincere breathiness. 'Declare everything when you go to Australia...' he murmurs, almost inaudibly." Joyce, though, seems pleased overall. "At the end of it we've got a message that is going all around the world right now, it's going off like a frog in a sock telling people that if you come into this nation and you don't obey our laws, you're in trouble." Both Stephen Colbert (watch) and Jimmy Kimmel (watch) had plenty of fun with the video Monday night.

This article is over 6 months old One of Japan’s most prominent bloggers has been stabbed to death minutes after giving a seminar on how to resolve personal disputes on the internet. Media reports said Kenichiro Okamoto, better known by his blogger name Hagex, died on Sunday evening after reportedly being attacked by a man he had argued with online. The suspect, Hidemitsu Matsumoto, allegedly followed Okamoto into the toilets after he had ended his talk at a venue in the south-western city of Fukuoka. Okamoto was stabbed several times before staggering out of the toilets after his assailant, who fled on a bicycle, according to the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper. Okamoto, who sustained stab wounds to the chest and neck, was taken to hospital where he was confirmed dead. His attacker reportedly handed himself in almost three hours after the attack. Moments before the fatal stabbing, the 41-year-old had shared advice at a public event on how to deal with online disputes. According to reports, the suspect had posted messages containing personal abuse directed at Okamoto and other commenters on the blog. The Mainichi quoted a source as saying that Okamoto “had got into trouble before with internet users over the content of the blog”. In a message purportedly written immediately after the stabbing, Matsumoto said he had continued to abuse Okamoto by opening a new account every time his existing account was deleted. He added: “I am going to go now to my neighborhood police box to voluntarily surrender and take responsibility for my actions.” Matsumoto, 42, reportedly confessed to stabbing Okamoto, telling police he had grown to “hate” the celebrity blogger and wanted to kill him. Regarded as a leading expert on cybercrime and the dark web, Okamoto worked for an IT security consulting firm and made regular TV appearances. Japanese Twitter users paid tribute to the blogger, with many voicing disbelief over the violent nature of his death. “Rest in peace, Hagex,” one user wrote. The IT journalist Daisuke Tsuda said he was shocked to learn of Okamoto’s death. “How could this have happened?” he wrote. Online personalities and journalists are often victims of online abuse in Japan, where attempts are being made to crack down on hate speech. ||||| A well-known Japanese blogger and expert on the “dark web” was stabbed to death by an internet user he had clashed with online shortly after delivering a lecture on how to manage online disputes. Kenichiro Okamoto was reportedly followed to the toilets in the lecture centre in the Chuo district of Fukuoka city, in south-west Japan, at around 8pm on Sunday evening. Mr Okamoto, a 41-year-old employee of a cyber security consultancy who was better known by his online name Hagex, was found with multiple stab wounds to his chest and neck. He was confirmed dead at a local hospital a short while later. According to national broadcaster NHK, a man in his 40s surrendered to police about three hours later, telling officers that he “hated” Okamoto and adding: “I am responsible for the murder in Chuo Ward”. A blood-stained knife was found in the bag carried by the man, identified in other media as a 42-year-old from Fukuoka. Reports have described the suspect as a “hikikomori”, one of the estimated half-a-million Japanese who have shut themselves off from society and only communicate through their computers. The suspect reportedly had a history of becoming embroiled in disputes in cyberspace and it is believed that he had argued with Mr Okamoto prior to the incident. ||||| A prominent Japanese blogger has been allegedly murdered by a troll who regularly stalked and attacked him online. Kenichiro Okamoto, known to web users as "hagex," was reportedly stabbed multiple times on Sunday in a public restroom after delivering a talk on how to manage online disputes. The 41-year-old blogger aimed to "share his experiences about quarrels online and how to deal with them,” according to a description of the event share on his blog, Channel News Asia reported. Authorities in Japan have detained 42-year-old suspect Hidemitsu Matsumoto, who reportedly confessed to the murder after turning himself in, saying he “hated” the blogger. According to Japanese daily The Mainichi, Matsumoto had previously posted abusive comments on Okamoto’s blog. Although he was blocked, he would simply open new accounts to continue attacking the popular blogger. Shortly after the murder, the suspect reportedly posted online saying: “I am going to go now to my neighborhood police box to voluntarily surrender and take responsibility for my actions.” Matsumoto turned himself into police saying: "I am responsible for the murder,” the Japanese newspaper reported. According to police, Matsumoto had built up resentment against the blogger due to their exchanges online. The suspect planned the attack in advance, and went to Okamoto’s seminar with a 6.5-inch knife, planning to kill him. A 20-year-old who was at the scene told The Mainichi that he was about to enter a restaurant when he “heard someone running.” "When I turned around, I saw a man had collapsed. There was a puddle of blood, and someone nearby yelled, 'Call an ambulance.' I thought it might be a street slasher, so I ran into the restaurant,” the man said. Okamoto was considered to be one of Japan’s leading experts on the dark web and cybercrime. He regularly appeared on television and worked for an IT security consulting firm, according to The Guardian. Online abuse of internet celebrities and journalist is a noted issue in Japan, and authorities are attempting to crack down on the problem. Japanese fans posted on Twitter to share their shock and condolences following Okamoto’s murder. “Rest in Peace hagex,” Twitter user DJ Souchou wrote. “How could this have happened?” IT journalist Daisuke Tsuda wrote. Japan has one of the lowest homicide rates in the world, with only 0.3 murders taking place annually for every 100,000 people, according to data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Comparatively, the U.S. has about 4.9 murders for every 100,000 people.

– Kenichiro Okamoto had just finished giving a seminar on resolving online disputes Sunday night when the well-known Japanese blogger was stabbed to death by a man he'd argued with online, the Guardian reports. Hidemitsu Matsumoto allegedly followed Okamoto into the bathroom at the event venue in Fukuoka and stabbed him multiple times in the chest and neck; Okamoto was able to leave the bathroom, but was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. Matsumoto escaped the scene on a bicycle, but turned himself in to authorities three hours later. Okamoto, 41—better known by his screen name, Hagex—had allegedly received abusive messages from Matsumoto, 42, who reportedly admitted to opening a new account every time his was deleted so that he could continue to send messages. He allegedly told police he hated Okamoto, an expert on cybercrime and the dark web who was also regularly seen on TV, and wanted him dead. Citing local reports, the Telegraph says Matsumoto has been described as a "hikikomori," someone who has retreated from society and communicates only online; Newsweek describes him as a troll. He allegedly has a history of cyber disputes. (This app turns the tables on internet trolls.)

Law enforcement officers gather near where a body was found north of Laredo, Tex. (Danny Zaragoza/Laredo Morning Times/AP) The woman in the white pickup was feeling increasingly uneasy about the driver, whom she knew only as “David.” Two fellow sex workers in Laredo, Tex., had been recently killed, and one was her friend Melissa. The man and the woman had already been at his house, where she had discussed Melissa. He had reacted strangely, she later told authorities, and the situation had grown so tense that she vomited in the front yard before they left for a gas station. The woman’s mind lingered on Melissa. She wanted to keep talking about her. He produced a gun in response and grabbed hold of her shirt. She managed to jump out of the truck and into the night, her shirt torn from her body. He fled, and she found a state trooper fueling up nearby. She told the trooper where the man lived. That information led officers to Juan David Ortiz, a supervisory Border Patrol agent. He had been hiding in a hotel parking lot after fleeing from officers and was arrested at 2:30 a.m., according to an affidavit provided to The Washington Post by county prosecutors. Ortiz, 35, confessed to the two September murders, according to the document. But he had other confessions to make. He had killed two more women early Saturday morning in the five hours between the assault on the escaped woman and his capture. Juan David Ortiz is accused in the killing of at least four sex workers in Laredo, Tex., where he is a supervisor with Border Patrol. (Webb County Sheriff’s Office/AP) “We consider this man to be a serial killer who was preying on one victim after another,” Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar said. Webb County-Zapata County District Attorney Isidro Alaniz said he believed Ortiz acted alone in the murders while off duty. He is a 10-year veteran of the agency and worked in intelligence, authorities said. He is being held on $2.5 million bond. Ortiz was charged with four counts of murder, aggravated assault and unlawful restraint, Alaniz told The Post on Sunday. All the women involved were sex workers, including the woman who escaped, the district attorney said, and there are signs that at least some of them were not chosen at random. “Evidence points to him having knowledge and contacts within the [sex worker] community,” Alaniz said, including Melissa Ramirez, the first woman Ortiz said he killed. But Ortiz does not appear to have known the last two victims, he said. Alaniz is also overseeing another case involving a Border Patrol agent in Laredo, a man accused of killing his lover and their 1-year-old son. The victims in the Ortiz case were killed or left for dead in rural parts of Webb County, which borders the Rio Grande. Laredo is about 150 miles southwest of San Antonio. The first two were U.S. citizens, but Alaniz said authorities have not released details on the last two. The Post is withholding the name of the woman who escaped. The Texas Rangers and the Webb County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the murders, authorities said. In a statement, Customs and Border Protection said it was cooperating with investigators. “While it is CBP policy to not comment on the details of an ongoing investigation, criminal action by our employees is not, and will not be tolerated,” said Andrew Meehan, a spokesman for the agency. “Our sincerest condolences go out to the victims’ family and friends.” [Shark attacks and kills a man who was boogie-boarding at a Cape Cod beach] The National Border Patrol Council did not return a request for comment about hiring and screening standards for agents. The arrest record recounts the brutal symmetry of the execution-style killings, along with the alarm that spread within the seemingly tightknit community of sex workers after the first two slayings. Ortiz told investigators that he picked up Ramirez on Sept. 3. They drove about 30 miles from town, and she got out of his vehicle to urinate off a country road cutting through dense shrub land. Then he shot her in the head multiple times, the affidavit says. She was later found dead. Ramirez was a mother of two young children, the Laredo Morning Times reported. “I hurt a lot. All I want is justice. I want that guy to die in jail for taking the life of my daughter,” her mother, Maria Cristina Benavides, told the paper. Ten days later, investigators said, Ortiz drove Claudine Ann Luera outside the city a few miles from where he said he killed Ramirez. He told investigators that she accused him of being the last person to see Ramirez alive. Ortiz said that she got out and that he shot her in the head, the document says. Luera was found alive and died of her wounds at a hospital. The next two killings occurred in the hours after the woman escaped early Saturday, authorities said. Ortiz told investigators that he picked up an unknown woman whom the document identifies only as “Jane Doe.” He told her to exit the vehicle along Highway 35 outside Laredo, then shot her multiple times in the head, according to the document. He then went back to the city. While in Laredo, he picked up another person — whom Alaniz described as a transgender woman — and took her five miles from the site of the earlier killing. Ortiz said he shot her once in the back of the head and told investigators where they could find the body. They discovered it behind gravel pits, near a single shell casing, the document says. Alaniz lauded the woman who escaped and said perhaps Ortiz would have killed more people had she not demonstrated such bravery. He declined to discuss any potential motives, citing the investigation. Purported Facebook messages by Juan David Ortiz. (Webb County-Zapata County District Attorney's Office) At some point after the woman escaped, prosecutors say, Ortiz left cryptic messages on Facebook for his family, according to images provided to The Post. “To my wife and kids, I love u,” one reads. The other: “Doc Ortiz checks out. Farewell.” Ortiz served as a Navy corpsman, Alaniz said. They commonly go by “Doc” in the service. Ortiz was defiant and uncooperative under questioning, at least at the start. Detectives asked him to do “the right thing,” Alaniz said. Ortiz asked for the handcuffs to come off, and the circumstances behind the murders began to trickle out, the district attorney said. One woman shot in the face. Another shot from his vehicle. There were no tears. “This guy is cold,” Alaniz said. Read more: In horrifying detail, women accuse U.S. customs officers of invasive body searches U.S. is denying passports to Americans along the border, throwing their citizenship into question The Border Patrol tries to win over Hispanic communities — by singing love songs in Spanish California professor, writer of confidential Brett Kavanaugh letter, speaks out about her allegation of sexual assault ||||| CLOSE Here are the top stories for Sunday, September 16th: U.S. Coast Guard members rescue flood victims; U.S. Border Patrol supervisor charged in killing four women; Typhoon barrels into southern China; Jane Austen fans gather in Bath, England. AP Juan David Ortiz (Photo: Webb County Sheriff's Office) The arrest of a veteran Border Patrol agent as a serial murder suspect in the shooting deaths of four people has rocked the border community of Laredo, Texas. Laredo is often seen as a relatively small community, but its population has surged over the past 27 years, from 125,787 in the 1990 U.S. Census to 260,654 in 2017. Webb County District Attorney Isidro R. “Chilo” Alaniz sought to drive that point home during an impromptu press conference Saturday following the arrest of 35-year-old Juan David Ortiz on multiple counts of murder and other charges. "Laredo's not the sleepy town that we all grew up in," Alaniz said. "These are crimes that are consistent with bigger cities – Laredo is a big city. We're seeing more and more serious crimes, (so) it can happen. People need to be careful. We need to look out for each other." More: Updated: Border Patrol agent charged with murder Ortiz, a 10-year veteran of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, is being held on four counts of murder, as well as one count each of evading arrest or detention, unlawful restraint – expose to serious bodily injury, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to online jail records. His bond is set at $2.5 million. Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar, during Saturday's press conference, said an attempted kidnapping Friday is what led authorities to Ortiz. His arrest capped what had been a 10-day period during which authorities found the bodies of four people who each had been shot to death. Law enforcement officers gather near the scene where the body of a woman was found near Interstate 35 north of Laredo, Texas on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018. (Photo: AP) A fifth person – a woman named Erika Pena – was nearly kidnapped on Friday but was able to run from Ortiz and flag down a state trooper at a nearby gas station, according to an affidavit provided by the Webb County District Attorney's Office. "Apparently, the suspect pulled out a gun on her, and she was able to escape," Cuellar said during Saturday's press conference. The affidavit identified two of the deceased as 42-year-old Claudine Ann Luera and 29-year-old Melissa Ramirez. Ramirez's body was the first found, discovered on Sept. 4. She had been shot multiple times in the head, according to the affidavit. Ortiz reportedly told investigators that he picked Ramirez up in the area of San Bernardo Avenue on Sept. 3, then drove outside the city limits, according to the affidavit. When they arrived at the location, Ramirez got out of the vehicle to urinate, at which point Ortiz used a handgun to shoot her multiple times in the head before driving away, according to the affidavit. A motive for the killing was not given. Ramirez is survived by her two children, her mother and two siblings. According to the affidavit, Pena said Ortiz had picked her up on San Bernardo Avenue and took her to his home. Pena said that when she mentioned Ramirez's murder the week before, Ortiz "began to act weird," according to the affidavit. The Laredo, Texas, home of 35-year-old Juan David Ortiz, center. Ortiz, a 10-year-veteran of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, was arrested Sept. 15 for the murder of four women. (Photo: Eleanor Dearman/Caller-Times) When the two went to a nearby gas station, they began talking again about Ramirez's murder when Ortiz pulled a black pistol on Pena and pointed it at her, according to the affidavit. When she tried to get out of the pickup, Ortiz grabbed her shirt – but Pena was able to pull it off and run away, fleeing toward a state trooper who was refueling his patrol vehicle, according to the affidavit. Luera was found Sept. 13 shot and left on the side of a road but still alive. She died at a hospital later in the day, according to the affidavit. Ortiz reportedly told police that after picking up Luera on San Bernardo Avenue, they drove outside the city limits. Ortiz stated that he pulled over after Luera "became nervous" and began accusing Ortiz of being the last person seen with Ramirez. When Luera got out of the vehicle, according to the affidavit, Ortiz also exited and used a handgun to shoot Luera multiple times in the head before leaving the area. A truck driver later found Luera's body, and she was transported to a local hospital where she died. . According to the affidavit, after Pena escaped Ortiz's vehicle at the gas station, he went on to kill two more people that same evening. The identities of the other two victims have not been released by law enforcement officials. Those two individuals were only identified in the affidavit as "Jane Doe" and "John Doe," but both had been shot to death. The Texas Tribune reported that one of the victims was a transgender woman. A single spent casing was found near the body, according to the affidavit. Texas Rangers and investigators with the sheriff's department went to Ortiz's home and searched it, but Ortiz was not home. He was found just after 1 a.m. at a gas station near San Bernardo Avenue and Jefferson Street but fled on foot when approached by state troopers, according to the affidavit. He was found at about 2:30 a.m. Saturday hiding in a pickup at a hotel parking garage, according to the affidavit. Ortiz provided a "voluntary verbal confession" to all four murders and Pena's attempted kidnapping and aggravated assault, according to the affidavit. "The county and city can rest assured that we have a serial killer in custody," Cuellar said. Christina Ayala, 29, was at H-E-B grocery store shopping on Sunday night in Laredo, and said she and her family had heard about the killings. The news was especially shocking to her because a Border Patrol agent is the one accused. "That's somebody that you would actually go to for help or something," she said. Ayala has lived in the South Texas city her entire life, and said she didn't expect something like the serial murders to happen there. "It's not a big city like San Antonio, Houston, where you see that a lot," she said. Laredo population growth 1990: 125,787 2010: 236,057 2017: 260,654 Source: U.S. Census Bureau Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2xlUT3X

– Police say a woman who escaped from an accused serial killer in Laredo, Texas, likely saved lives. Authorities were still piecing together the details of the case of veteran Border Patrol agent Juan David Ortiz, who allegedly killed four people and attempted to kidnap a fifth before his arrest over the weekend. The woman who escaped, a sex worker, told police that Ortiz, 35, picked her up on the street and took her to his home, reports the Corpus Christi Caller Times. She said he began acting "weird" when she kept talking about the recent murder of two other sex workers, one of them a friend. They left his home, and the woman, by now afraid for her life, made a break for it at a gas station, according to the police affidavit. Ortiz allegedly pulled a gun on her in his pickup truck, and she leaped out of the vehicle as he tried to grab her shirt. She then ran to a trooper at the gas station. Police arrested Ortiz hours later, at 2:30am, in a hotel parking lot, but they say he had killed two more women, also sex workers, in the interim, reports the Washington Post. One of the latter victims was transgender. Ortiz reportedly told investigators that he shot his first victim by the side of the road on Sept. 3 after a sexual encounter and the second after she accused him of being the last person to see the first victim alive. "This guy is cold," says Webb County-Zapata County District Attorney Isidro Alaniz. Ortiz is a 10-year veteran of the US Customs and Border Protection, and authorities say he committed the murders while off duty. He is being held on $2.5 million bond. "It's not a big city like San Antonio, Houston, where you see that a lot," says one Laredo resident of the killing spree.

The Obama administration Monday lifted a veil of secrecy surrounding the status of the detainees at Guantánamo, for the first time publicly naming the four dozen captives it defined as indefinite detainees — men too dangerous to transfer but who cannot be tried in a court of law. The names had been a closely held secret since a multi-agency task force sifted through the files of the Guantánamo detainees in 2009 trying to achieve President Barack Obama’s executive order to close the detention center. In January 2010, the task force revealed that it classified 48 Guantánamo captives as dangerous but ineligible for trial because of a lack of evidence, or because the evidence was too tainted. They became so-called “indefinite detainees,” a form of war prisoner held under Congress’ 2001 “Authorization for Use of Military Force.” The Defense Department released the list to The Miami Herald, which, with the assistance of Yale Law School students, had sued for it in federal court in Washington, D.C. The Pentagon also sent the list to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees on Monday, a Defense Department official said. According to the list, the men designated for indefinite detention are 26 Yemenis, 12 Afghans, 3 Saudis, 2 Kuwaitis, 2 Libyans, a Kenyan, a Moroccan and a Somali. Human rights groups denounced the existence of such a list. Amnesty International’s Zeke Johnson called “fundamentally flawed” the notion of classifying captives as indefinite detainees. “Under international human rights law,” he said, “all of the detainees should either be charged and fairly tried in federal court, or released.” Human Rights First’s Dixon Osburn hailed release of the list through the Freedom of Information Act: “It is fundamental to democracy that the public know the identities of the people our nation is depriving of liberty and why they are being detained.” Some of the men on the list are among the prisoners currently on hunger strike and being force-fed at the prison, for example, Kuwaitis Fawzi al Odah, 36, and Fayez al Kandari, 35, and Yemeni Abdal Malik al Wahab, about 43, who in March, according to his lawyer David Remes, vowed to fast until he got out of the prison “either dead or alive.” Two men on the list are deceased. Both Afghans, one committed suicide with a bedsheet in a recreation yard at Guantánamo’s Camp 6 for cooperative captives and the other died of a heart attack, also in Camp 6. So now the 166 captives at Guantánamo actually include 46 indefinite detainees. Two former CIA captives, held apart from the majority of Guantánamo’s prisoners as “high-value detainees” are also listed as indefinite detainees: Mohammed Rahim, an Afghan man, and Somali Hassan Guleed. All the other ex-CIA captives were designated for trial. Those include accused al-Qaida kingpin Khalid Sheik Mohammed, 48, and four alleged fellow conspirators in the hijackings that killed nearly 3,000 people on Sept. 11, 2001, who were in pretrial hearings at the war court this week. Also designated for trial was Abd al Rahim al Nashiri, 48, accused in the 2000 USS Cole attack that killed 17 American sailors, and, like Mohammed, facing a death-penalty tribunal. Administration officials have through the years described a variety of reasons why the men could not face trial: Evidence against some of the indefinite detainees was too tainted by CIA or other interrogation torture or abuse to be admissible in a court; insufficient evidence to prove an individual detainee had committed a crime; or military intelligence opinions that certain captives had undertaken suicide or other type of terrorist training, and had vowed to engage in an attack on release. In all, the list identifies 34 candidates for prosecution. Army Brig. Gen. Mark Martins, the Pentagon’s chief war crimes prosecutor, said Sunday night that fewer than those 34 men will be prosecuted because of federal court rulings that disqualified “providing material support for terror” as a war crime in most if not all Guantánamo cases. At Human Rights Watch, senior counterterrorism counsel Andrea Prasow called the list “a fascinating window into the Obama administration’s thinking circa January 2010” but both flawed and somewhat irrelevant today. “Many of the detainees designated for prosecution can only be prosecuted in civilian court,” she said. “So unless Congress lifts the restrictions banning their transfer they are effectively ‘indefinite detainees.’ ” She also noted that, since the list was drawn up, the Obama administration was reportedly considering transferring five Afghan Taliban to custody of the Qatari government in exchange for the release of U.S. POW Bowe Bergdahl. The Wall Street Journal named the five men and all appear on the list released Monday as indefinite detainees: Mullah Mohammad Fazl, Mullah Norullah Noori, Mohammed Nabi, Khairullah Khairkhwa, and Abdul Haq Wasiq. One man categorized in 2010 as a possible candidate for prosecution was Saudi Arabian Mohammed Qahtani, 37, once suspected of being the absent “20th hijacker” in the Sept. 11 plot. He was so brutally interrogated at Guantánamo that a senior Pentagon official excluded him from the Bush-era 9/11 war crimes charge sheet. That official, Susan Crawford, told The Washington Post’s Bob Woodward that Qahtani’s treatment amounted to torture. The Miami Herald’s Carol Rosenberg, with the assistance of the Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic at the Yale Law School, filed suit in federal court in Washington D.C., in March for the list under the Freedom of Information Act. The students, in collaboration with Washington attorney Jay Brown, represented Rosenberg in a lawsuit that specifically sought the names of the 46 surviving prisoners. Monday, hours before the release of the names, U.S. District Court Judge Gladys Kessler had set a July 8 deadline for the government to update the court on its classification review. The Justice Department gave the list to Brown, who in turn gave it to Rosenberg. ||||| A list released by the U.S. government Monday identifies several dozen Guantanamo Bay prisoners who have been designated as too dangerous to release but who can't be prosecuted. A sign is seen outside the Courthouse One Expeditionary Legal Complex at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Monday, June 17, 2013, as Military Commission preliminary hearings reconvened in the case against... (Associated Press) A sign is seen outside the Courthouse One Expeditionary Legal Complex at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Monday, June 17, 2013, as Military Commission preliminary hearings reconvened in the case against... (Associated Press) Those on the list are prisoners who have been held without charge under the Authorized Use of Military Force act passed by Congress and signed by President George W. Bush in 2001, said a spokesman for the Pentagon, Army Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale. The names of all Guantanamo prisoners have been public for years. But the administration of President Barack Obama had declined to disclose which detainees had been designated for indefinite detention in 2010 by an inter-agency review panel, even though the identity of many of them was widely known through their lawyers. The government released the list after The Miami Herald sued for the document under the Freedom of Information Act. Most of the 48 on the list are from Yemen and Afghanistan. Two are now dead _ one by suicide, the other by heart attack. The list also names nearly two dozen prisoners who have been recommended for prosecution, including Khalid Sheikh Mohmmed, who is already on trial for his alleged role in the Sept. 11 attack, and Hambali, an alleged Indonesian terrorist leader. There are a total of 166 prisoners at Guantanamo. The government has said it wants to release or transfer the remaining prisoners to their homelands or other countries pending adequate security safeguards to prevent the men from attacking the U.S. or its allies.

– The names of Guantanamo's dozens of "indefinite detainees" deemed too dangerous to release even if the detention center is closed have been disclosed for the first time. In response to a lawsuit from the Miami Herald, the federal government released a list of prisoners including 26 Yemenis, 12 Afghans, three Saudis, two Kuwaitis, two Libyans, a Kenyan, a Moroccan, and a Somali it says cannot be tried in court but cannot be transferred or released. Two of the Afghans have died—one from suicide and one from a heart attack—since a task force produced the list in 2010, so there are now 46 indefinite detainees among Guantanamo's 166 inmates. The men, many of whom are among the more than 100 Guantanamo hunger strikers, are being held under the Authorized Use of Military Force signed by George W. Bush in 2001. Officials have given a variety of reasons why they cannot stand trial, including tainted evidence, the AP reports. An Amnesty International spokesman says the notion of keeping captives as "indefinite detainees" is "fundamentally flawed." Under international human rights law, "all of the detainees should either be charged and fairly tried in federal court, or released," he says.

Published: January 2011 Cahokia By Glenn Hodges Photographs by Don Burmeister and Ira Block If they ever build a Wal-Mart at Machu Picchu, I will think of Collinsville Road. I'm standing at the center of what was once the greatest civilization between the deserts of Mexico and the North American Arctic—America's first city and arguably American Indians' finest achievement—and I just can't get past the four-lane gash that cuts through this historic site. Instead of imagining the thousands of people who once teemed on the grand plaza here, I keep returning to the fact that Cahokia Mounds in Illinois is one of only eight cultural World Heritage sites in the United States, and it's got a billboard for Joe's Carpet King smack in the middle of it. But I suppose Cahokia is lucky. Less than ten miles to the west, the ancient Indian mounds that gave St. Louis the nickname Mound City in the 1800s were almost completely leveled by the turn of the century. Today only one survives, along with some photographs and a little dogleg road named Mound Street. The relentless development of the 20th century took its own toll on Cahokia: Horseradish farmers razed its second biggest mound for fill in 1931, and the site has variously been home to a gambling hall, a housing subdivision, an airfield, and (adding insult to injury) a pornographic drive-in. But most of its central features survived, and nearly all of those survivors are now protected. Cahokia Mounds may not be aesthetically pristine, but at 4,000 acres (2,200 of which are preserved as a state historic site), it is the largest archaeological site in the United States, and it has changed our picture of what Indian life was like on this continent before Europeans arrived. ||||| by Kelly April Tyrrell A painting of Cahokia Mounds State Historic site by William R. Iseminger. Horseshoe Lake, where core sediments give a timeline of flooding from the Mississippi River, can be seen in the upper left. Courtesy of William R. Iseminger As with rivers, civilizations across the world rise and fall. Sometimes, the rise and fall of rivers has something to do with it. At Cahokia, the largest prehistoric settlement in the Americas north of Mexico, new evidence suggests that major flood events in the Mississippi River valley are tied to the cultural center’s emergence and ultimately, to its decline. Publishing May 4 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a research team led by UW-Madison geographers Samuel Munoz and Jack Williams provides this evidence, hidden beneath two lakes in the Mississippi floodplain. Sediment cores from these lakes, dating back nearly 2,000 years, provide evidence of at least eight major flood events in the central Mississippi River valley that could help explain the enigmatic rise and fall of Cahokia, near present-day St. Louis. While the region saw frequent flood events before A.D. 600 and after A.D. 1200, Cahokia rose to prominence during a relatively arid and flood-free period and flourished in the years before a major flood in 1200, the study reveals. That was also a time of political instability and population decline. Two hundred years later, Cahokia was completely abandoned. A modeled map of Cahokia and present-day St. Louis after the historic 1844 flood of the Mississippi River. Courtesy of Samuel Munoz View larger While drought has traditionally been implicated as one of several factors leading to the decline of many early agricultural societies in North America and around the world, the findings of this study present new ideas and avenues for archaeologists and anthropologists to explore. “We are not arguing against the role of drought in Cahokia’s decline but this presents another piece of information,” says Munoz, a Ph.D. candidate in geography and the study’s lead author. “It also provides new information about the flood history of the Mississippi River, which may be useful to agencies and townships interested in reducing the exposure of current landowners and townships to flood risk,” says Williams, a professor of geography and director of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies Center for Climatic Research. Munoz didn’t set out intending to study flooding. His findings were “kind of an accident,” he says. Originally, Munoz was looking for the signals of prehistoric land use on ancient forests. He chose to study Cahokia because it was such a large site and is famous for its large earthen mounds. At one point, tens of thousands of people lived in and around Cahokia. If there was anywhere that ancient peoples would have altered the landscapes of the past, it was Cahokia. The team went to Horseshoe Lake, near the six-square-mile city’s center, and collected cores of lake mud — all the stuff that settles to the bottom — to look for pollen and other fossils that document environmental change. Lakes are “sediment traps” that can capture and record past environmental changes, much like the rings of a tree. At Cahokia, Monk’s Mound, the largest earthwork built north of Mexico prior to the arrival of Europeans. Photo: Sissel Schroeder “We had these really strange layers in the core that didn’t have any pollen and they had a really odd texture,” Munoz says. “In fact, one of the students working with us called it ‘lake butter.’” They asked around, talked to colleagues, and checked the published literature. The late Jim Knox, who spent his 43-year career as a geography professor at UW-Madison, suggested to Munoz that he think about flooding, which can disrupt the normal deposition of material on lake bottoms and leave a distinct signature. The team used radiocarbon dating of plant remains and charcoal within the core to create a timeline extending back nearly two millennia. In so doing, they established a record of eight major flood events at Horseshoe Lake during this time, including the fingerprint left by a known major flood in 1844. To validate the findings, the team also collected sediments from Grassy Lake, roughly 120 miles downstream from Cahokia, and found the same flood signatures (Grassy Lake is younger than Horseshoe Lake, so its sediments captured only the five most recent flood events). The new findings show that floods were common in the region between A.D. 300 and 600. Meanwhile, the earliest evidence of more agricultural settlement appears along the higher elevation slopes at the edge of the central Mississippi River floodplain around the year 400. But by 600, when flooding diminished and the climate became more arid, archaeological evidence shows that people had moved down into the floodplain and begun to increase in population and farm more intensively. Samuel Munoz “Rarely do you get such fortuitous opportunities where you have these nice sedimentary records next to an archaeological site that’s so well studied,” says Munoz. Early on in the study, Munoz and Williams enlisted the help of Sissel Schroeder, a UW-Madison professor of anthropology whose doctoral studies focused on the Cahokia area. Schroeder accompanied the Geography Department scientists out in the field and helped provide historical and archaeological context. She explains that while there has been little archaeological evidence to suggest flooding at Cahokia, it can’t be ruled out. It’s possible, she says, that researchers have simply missed the signals. For example, archaeologists know that around the year 900, people in the area began to cultivate maize and their population exploded, shown by the number and size of buildings and structures that sprang up in the region. Archaeologists often think of Cahokia as a chiefdom, with a hierarchy of smaller settlements that spread out from the city, much like the small county seats that surround the major government centers we’re familiar with today, Schroeder explains. But around 1200, coinciding with a major flood fingerprint in Munoz’s sediments, the population began to decline along with other shifts in the archaeological record. “We see some important changes in the archaeology of the site at this time, including a wooden wall that is built around the central precinct of Cahokia,” says Schroeder. “There are shifts in craft production, house size and shape, and other signals in material production that indicate political, social and economic changes that may be associated with social unrest.” Sissel Schroeder Cahokia appears to have fractured and its people began to migrate to other parts of North America. By 1400, after the arid conditions that suppressed large floods and favored Cahokia’s rise had passed, it was deserted. While many factors likely contributed to Cahokia’s decline — from extreme events like droughts or floods, to the inherent instability archaeologists and anthropologists have documented in other chiefdom societies — a major flooding event could have been the proverbial last straw. “It would have had a particularly destabilizing effect after hundreds of years without large floods,” Schroeder says. In order to deposit sediments into Horseshoe and Grassy Lakes, the Mississippi River would have had to rise 10 meters (about 33 feet) above its base elevation at St. Louis, according to models run in the study. This substantial flood would have inundated the region’s crops, impacted essential food stores, and created agricultural shortfalls. Food and other essential resources would have been currency in a civilization like Cahokia and could have been leveraged for political gains following a flood of the scale documented in the study. “We hope archaeologists can start integrating these flood records into their ideas of what happened at Cahokia and check for evidence of flooding,” says Munoz, who plans to continue studying flood records in lakes around the country once he graduates this year. Jack Williams The study also provides new information about the river’s behavior in the central Mississippi Valley, Williams says. Relatively little is currently known about its prehistoric flood cycle but the study suggests that major floods like those in 1844 or 1993 happened every century or two prior to European settlement and intervention, with the exception of the unusually arid years that facilitated Cahokia’s growth. “We have managed the river so much to prevent floods from happening, we don’t have a good baseline for how the river behaves without human modification,” he says. “This may help us understand not only how it once behaved, but how it may behave in the future.” The study was supported by the National Science Foundation, the National Geographic Society, the National Lacustrine Core Facility, The Geological Society of America, and through a Packard Foundation fellowship to study co-author David Fike at Washington University in St. Louis. Kristine Gruley and Ashtin Massie, both at UW-Madison, also co-authored the study. ||||| View Images Once the largest prehistoric settlement north of Mexico, Cahokia became a ghost town whose earthen mounds mystified European settlers. Photograph by Ira Block, National Geographic Creative Researchers have long debated the reasons behind the rapid rise and swift disappearance of Cahokia , a sprawling, ancient city-state near the modern city of St. Louis. Now an analysis of sediment cores reveals that the city’s ups and downs correspond to the timing of Mississippi River megafloods, according to a recent study . Archaeological data show that agricultural settlements first appeared in the area around A.D. 400. Around A.D. 1050 there was a veritable boom at Cahokia, which became a major political and cultural center with a population in the tens of thousands. But by 1350—a span of only three centuries—Cahokia was gone. ( Discover Cahokia .) To uncover clues to the city’s fate, a research team led by University of Wisconsin-Madison geographers Samuel Munoz and Jack Williams performed laser diffraction particle size analysis on sediment samples from Horseshoe Lake, an oxbow lake near Cahokia. The samples yielded evidence of eight separate flood events over the past 2,000 years. America'sforgotten city At its peak in the mid-12th century, Cahokia was by far the largest native community in North America. Smaller settlements shared similar features, including platform mounds, large plazas, and protective stockades. Mississippian culture Area of influence Town or mound center MINN. WIS. IOWA ILL. UNITED STATES IND. MO. Cahokia VA. KY. Mississippi River N.C. TENN. OKLA. ARK. S.C. GA. MISS. ALA. TEX. LA. Gulf of Mexico FLA. 200 mi 200 km Cahokia Creek Woodhenge North Plaza Canteen Creek Monks Mound Grand Plaza Stockade Borrow pit Area where earth was extracted to build the mounds Mound 72 Distance from Monks Mound to Mound 72 is about 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometers). JEROME N. COOKSON, NG STAFFArt: Greg HarlinSources: Bill Iseminger and Mark Esarey, Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site; John Kelly, Washington University in St. Louis The researchers discovered that changes in the magnitude and frequency of the newly identified floods correspond with archaeological evidence for changes in population, land use, and settlement over the full history of Cahokia. A flood-free period begins around A.D. 600, a time when settlements moved from higher slopes along the edges of the Mississippi floodplain down to the floodplain proper. Crops were cultivated more intensely and the population began to grow. In time Cahokia would become the largest prehistoric settlement in the United States . So what caused the city’s downfall? Drought, overexploitation of resources, and human conflict have all been proposed as reasons behind the end of Cahokia. But an earlier study of sediments from Horseshoe Lake suggested that major flooding had occurred in the area around 1200. Munoz and his team analyzed sediments from another oxbow lake 120 miles (190 km) downstream of Horseshoe Lake and found confirming evidence of the catastrophic flood. The Mississippi River rose more than 33 feet (10 meters) and played a critical role in the total abandonment of Cahokia within 150 years. Munoz, whose research was funded in part by a Young Explorers Grant from the National Geographic Society, hopes the findings encourage archaeologists to add prehistoric flood records, when available, to their toolkit. “It’s always great when we can integrate geoarchaeology into traditional archaeology,” he says.

– For Native Americans living in the 12th century, Cahokia was the place to be. Now researchers think they've uncovered a major reason why the hub located near what is now St. Louis disappeared—massive flooding of the Mississippi River. Researchers dug up soil samples from two local lakes and found telltale evidence of catastrophic flooding around the time that Cahokia was flourishing. “We’re talking big floods, once a century,” a researcher from the University of Wisconsin-Madison tells the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. It seems that the region enjoyed an unusually flood-free period from roughly 600AD to 1200AD. In that time, people flocked to the fertile region, turning Cahokia into what National Geographic calls the "largest prehistoric settlement in the United States." (Another National Geographic piece frames it as "America's first city.") But they may have gotten too complacent. People began moving from higher elevations into what we now know to be a flood plain, and the population boomed with the cultivation of maize. It peaked around the mid-12th century, but the resumption of regular floods appeared to begin taking a toll. By about 1350, the city had been abandoned. Previous theories on its demise have focused on deforestation, overhunting, political volatility, and, especially, drought. “We are not arguing against the role of drought in Cahokia’s decline, but this presents another piece of information,” says the lead author of the study at the university. Another researcher suggests the flooding could have been the final straw. “It would have had a particularly destabilizing effect after hundreds of years without large floods." (Maybe an ancient brewery would have helped?)

China has signed a $400 billion natural gas supply deal with Russia, giving it a new source of clean fuel and Moscow a new market at a key time. (Reuters) China has signed a $400 billion natural gas supply deal with Russia, giving it a new source of clean fuel and Moscow a new market at a key time. (Reuters) China signed a huge, long-awaited deal on Wednesday to buy Russian natural gas, giving Beijing a new source of clean energy and Moscow a diplomatic boost as it faces international sanctions for its aggressive actions in Ukraine. With the stroke of a pen, Russia significantly shifted its economic relations with its neighbors, creating a major new export market to the east and reducing its reliance on European customers at a time when its relations with the West are at their lowest point since the Cold War. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the deal a “watershed event” and said implementation would start “tomorrow.” The 30-year deal was announced after meetings in Shanghai between Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. It is worth an estimated $400 billion, Alexei Miller, chief executive of the Russian energy giant Gazprom, told Russian reporters. The deal marked a new partnership between two countries that have at times mistrusted each other but have also sought to counter U.S. influence in global affairs. View Graphic How Russia may move its liquid natural gas to China China’s booming economy has created a growing need for energy, especially cleaner sources of power, given its reliance on coal, which has produced major pollution problems. The agreement allows Russia to diversify its gas exports at a time when the crisis in Ukraine has accelerated calls in Europe to rely less on energy supplies from Russia. Europe gets about 30 percent of its gas from Russia. U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew appealed to China in a visit last week to avoid actions that might limit the impact of recent Western sanctions against Russia. But a U.S. official, who was not authorized to speak by name, said the United States would distinguish between deals that have long been in the works — such as this one — and new agreements that seek to fill space left by U.S. and European Union sanctions. The deal will involve developing natural gas fields in Russia and building pipelines from Russia to China. The cost of building the infrastructure alone is expected to top $70 billion, said Mikhail Krutikhin, an energy and oil analyst at RusEnergy, a Moscow think tank. The agreement was 10 years in the making, and price had long been the stumbling block. On Wednesday, the final per-unit price of the gas remained a mystery. The $400 billion figure quoted by Gazprom’s Miller is probably the result of a formula that could include other costs — such as construction, transportation of the gas and other fees — making it difficult to work backward to the price per unit. Miller called the price a “commercial secret.” Analysts at IHS Energy — who have tracked the deal’s progress — said in a written analysis that they believe the final price was “closer to what Russia wanted than what China was initially prepared to pay.” “This is Gazprom’s biggest contract. We don’t have a contract like this with any other company,” said Miller in Shanghai, according to Russia’s Interfax news agency. The agreement met with approval from many people in Russia, which has been swept by rising nationalism and anti-Western rhetoric related to the crisis in Ukraine. One caller to the Ekho Moskvy radio station declared the gas deal “another victory for Putin because he managed to sell gas for European prices,” while another listener suggested the new level of ­Russian-Chinese cooperation must be a “nightmare for America.” Suspicions about price Putin said that the gas prices in the deal were pegged to the price of oil and petroleum products. That represents a win for Russia, analysts said, since oil prices are expected to remain high. European customers have been fighting for years to have natural gas prices float, based on market demand. “This is the largest contract in the history of the gas industry of the former USSR and the Russian Federation,” Putin told reporters in Shanghai. The infrastructure costs to develop the natural gas fields needed to supply China will top those of the Sochi Games — which are believed to have been in the tens of billions of dollars, officials said. But the missing price details raised the suspicions of some Russians, who suspect Putin dropped the price of gas significantly for China in a desperate maneuver to ensure a steady cash flow for Gazprom in the face of sinking revenue and Western sanctions. “There’s something fishy in the contract,” said Krutikhin, the think-tank analyst, suggesting that Russia got a bad bargain. Erica S. Downs, a China energy expert at the Washington-based Brookings Institution, cited other possible reasons for the secrecy. “Too high a price could anger China’s current suppliers in Central Asia,” she said. “Too low a price could affect Russia’s European buyers. And there’s the optics of the deal. If nobody knows the price, then no one can say who came out better or worse.” Gazprom charged European customers on average about $380 per 1,000 cubic meters in 2013. Unnamed individuals quoted in Russian media estimated the price in the China deal at $350 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas, based on earlier projections of a long-term price tag of $400 billion. But if the actual figure was much less than that, the deal is not as profitable as the Kremlin is making it out to be, Krutikhin said. Gazprom is already losing out to American and European competition; gas demand in Europe has been stagnant; and the threat of mounting Western sanctions over Ukraine is “making Mr. Putin jittery,” he added. Russian officials on Wednesday also hinted at a possible “prepayment” totaling $25 billion. An online notice posted on China National Petroleum’s Web site said that under the deal, Russia would begin supplying China with 38 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year beginning in 2018. Russia will be responsible for building processing plants, doing field development and constructing pipelines on its side, and China will be responsible for the pipeline construction within its own borders. Hauslohner reported from Moscow. Xu Yangjingjing and Gu Jinglu in Beijing and Michael Birnbaum in Kiev also contributed to this report. ||||| Russia's President Vladimir Putin, and China's President Xi Jinping, right, smile during signing ceremony in Shanghai, China on Wednesday, May 21, 2014. China signed a long-awaited, 30-year deal Wednesday... (Associated Press) SHANGHAI (AP) — China signed a landmark deal Wednesday to buy Russian natural gas worth about $400 billion, giving a boost to diplomatically isolated President Vladimir Putin and expanding Moscow's ties with Asia. Price negotiations on the 30-year deal continued into the final hours of a two-day visit by Putin to China, during which both sides had said they hoped to sign an agreement. Putin was in Shanghai for an Asian security conference where China's president called for a new model of Asian security cooperation based on a regional group that includes Russia and Iran and excludes the United States. The gas deal gives Moscow an economic boost at a time when Washington and the European Union have imposed visa bans and asset freezes on dozens of Russian officials and several companies over Ukraine. It allows Russia to diversify its markets for gas, which now goes mostly to Europe. The agreement "opened the door for Russia to enter into Asia's gas market," said Keun-Wook Paik, senior research fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. Politically, the deal has provided "a breathing space for Russia," Paik said. "Russia, and Putin, can demonstrate it's not completely isolated because of the Ukraine crisis. Russia has demonstrated that they have a very reliable strategic partnership with China." Russia's economy has been bruised by its dispute with the West over Ukraine's tilt toward the European Union, a shift that inflamed Moscow's insecurities about declining influence and sparked its annexation of Crimea in March. The supplies will help to ease gas shortages in China, the world's second-largest economy, and curb reliance on coal. The agreement calls for Russian government-controlled Gazprom to supply state-owned China National Petroleum Corp. with 38 billion cubic meters of gas annually, Gazprom spokesman Sergey Kupriyanov told The Associated Press. That would represent about a quarter of China's current annual gas consumption of nearly 150 billion cubic meters. The contract is worth a total of $400 billion, Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller told Russian news agencies. That figure is greater than the GDP of South Africa. Gas is due to begin flowing to China as early as 2018. The U.S. treasury secretary, Jacob Lew, appealed to China during a visit last week to avoid taking steps that might offset sanctions. However, American officials have acknowledged China's pressing need for energy. The contract "particularly important" at a time when Europe has threatened to cut gas imports and reduce its dependence on Russia because of the Ukraine crisis, said Alexander Lukin, a deputy head of the Russian Diplomatic Academy under the country's Foreign Ministry, quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency. "We will be able to show to Europe that we have other customers," Lukin said. Alexei Pushkov, a Kremlin ally who is head of the international affairs committee of the Russian parliament's lower house, said on Twitter: "The 30-year gas contract with China is of strategic significance. Obama should give up the policy of isolating Russia: It will not work." CNPC announced it had signed a deal but it gave no details. Putin met Tuesday with Chinese President Xi Jinping while gas negotiations continued in private. The Russian leader's visit is a "major step toward a strategic partnership of the two nations," said Mikhail Margelov, head of the foreign affairs committee in the upper house of the Russian parliament, according to RIA Novosti. The Ukraine crisis and Western sanctions on Russia had raised expectations Moscow would compromise to secure the gas deal. The price appears to be closer to the level Russia wanted, according to analyst Xizhou Zhou of IHS Energy. In exchange, the two sides dropped a requirement for prepayment that was a feature of Chinese purchases of Russian oil, he said. "This higher price level reflects China's willingness to pay more for cleaner fuel," said Zhou in a report. China and Russia have been negotiating the deal for more than a decade but had been hung up over the gas price. "Gazprom is under increasing geopolitical and competitive pressure to diversify its market toward the East, while China's gas market remains supply constrained as demand continues to surge," said Zhou. Russia will invest $55 billion in fulfilling the contract while China will invest at least $20 billion, Putin told Russian reporters in Shanghai. He said the gas price would be based on a formula linked to that of oil and oil products. Plans call for building a pipeline to link China's northeast to a line that carries gas from western Siberia to the Pacific port of Vladivostok. The development of a gas center on the Pacific will allow Russia to export to prosperous markets in Japan and South Korea. "Without any overstatement, it will be the world's biggest construction project for the next four years," Putin said. ___ Isachenkov reported from Moscow. ||||| CLOSE China and Russia signed off on a huge gas deal worth as much as $400 billion over 30 years. The deal has been in talks for about a decade, but experts see the timing of the final agreement as a move by Russia to avoid sanctions from the West. VPC Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend the fourth Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia summit in Shanghai on Wednesday. (Photo: Aly Song, AFP/Getty Images) BEIJING — China and Russia signed off on a huge gas deal worth as much as $400 billion Wednesday that heralds a pivot east for Russian business amid ongoing tensions with the West over Ukraine, though few details of the deal were made public. The 30-year gas-export contract, seen as a move by Russian President Vladimir Putin to aggressively shift the country's commercial interests east amid mounting sanctions from the United States and Europe, was signed as the Russian leader has enjoyed a warm welcome in China, where the two countries have inked a raft of agreements during his ongoing, two-day visit. The price China is paying for Russia's gas was not disclosed but the value of the agreement is thought to be somewhere near $400 billion. The deal, which will see Gazprom gas flow to China from a pipeline in Siberia, was confirmed by China's state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation. The price is believed to be closer to what Russia wanted than what China was initially prepared to pay, said Thane Gustafson, a Georgetown University political science professor specializing in Russia. He said a prepayment for the gas, similar to what was agreed in oil deals, was dropped. "This higher price level reflects China's willingness to pay more for cleaner fuel," Gustafson said. The eleventh-hour deal represents "good news for both countries," said Shi Yinhong, an international relations expert at People's University of China, in Beijing. "The political requirements on both sides are so powerful they can overcome the concerns on price," he said. "This is a political action by both sides." Talks for the deal had been going on for more than a decade and will see Russia export up to 38 billion cubic meters of gas per year, for 30 years, starting in 2018. The export agreement is significant because it will permit Russia to diversify the market for its gas away from Europe, which has threatened sanctions over Russia's incursion into Ukraine. China's neutrality over Ukraine has begun "tilting" toward Russia, said Shi, but this deal will not fundamentally change a relationship he called "a convenient coalition, not an alliance." The agreement is an example of "selective cooperation, due to the situation in Eastern Europe, the Western Pacific and East Asia at this period," but on some issues their concerns remain incompatible, he said. "It's a demonstration of the fact that Russia always has and always will have other options to develop relations elsewhere. The threat of isolation coming from the West will not be complete," said Sergei Utkin, political expert at the Russian Academy of Sciences. Plans already announced by the two nations include building the first railway bridge over their long border, and manufacturing Chinese cars in Russia. The neighbors, whose relationship has long been strained by distrust, promised Tuesday to increase bilateral trade to $200 billion by 2020, up from $90 billion last year. Ahead of his visit to Asia's largest economy, Putin told Chinese media that China is a "reliable friend." The Russian leader, now spurned in the West for his annexation of Crimea in eastern Ukraine, received reliably positive news media coverage Wednesday in China, where he enjoys personal popularity as a strong leader with a macho charisma unfamiliar in China's straitlaced political system. Photos and comments highlighting Putin's masculine charm dominated social media sites, although some Internet users expressed pride that the portly Xi Jinping, China's leader, is at least taller than Putin. Both countries consider the other a useful counterpoint to difficult relations with the United States. While in China, Putin traveled to Shanghai to attend a two-day session of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, a little-known Asian security group that includes Iran and several Central Asian states but not the U.S. or Japan, China's longtime rival in East Asia, and one of several maritime neighbors currently embroiled in disputes over territory with China. On Wednesday, Xi told the summit that China is committed to peacefully resolving territorial disputes. Arutunyan reported from Moscow. Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1gO2q0y ||||| Agreement reached after a decade of negotiations; deal will supply quarter of what China consumes in a year. FORTUNE -- Russian gas may soon be flowing into China, the latest move in a raw game of energy power politics being played between Moscow and the European Union. The move allows energy Gazprom (OGZPY), and Russia in general, to expand its trade with Asia, a hugely symbolic move that breaks with its long tradition of sending its gas westwards to Europe. As such, it could reduce Russia's vulnerability to EU moves to reduce its own dependence on Moscow in the wake of the crisis in Ukraine. Gazprom currently supplies 30% of Europe's gas, according to the Journal report, half of which flows through Ukraine. The recent crisis in that country has led to fears of a disruption in gas flow to the Continent. After a decade of negotiations, Russia and China finally signed an agreement Tuesday for Gazprom to pump 38 billion cubic meters of gas into China per year, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. That's about a quarter of what China currently consumes in a year, but its gas demand is growing so fast that the Russian deal only represent a much smaller fraction of future consumption. MORE: Target's profit stung by losses in Canada There's no arguing over the size of the deal, but it is far from clear who will make how much money from it. Russian news agencies quoted Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller as putting a $400 billion tag on the overall value of the contract, which will run for 30 years. However, he said the pricing of the deal "is a commercial secret." A rough calculation dividing $400 billion over 30 years of supplies would give a price of around $350 per 1,000 cubic meters, fractionally below the $360 that Europe paid on average last year, according to the newspaper Vedomosti. However, the big difference is that Gazprom will first have to build a new pipeline from its fields in eastern Siberia, which Vedomosti said could cost $30 billion. Russia and China have haggled for years over price, and even late Tuesday, the Financial Times was quoting an official from Chinese energy company Petrochina as saying that the company is already losing money on imported gas because of low prices at home. Mr. Miller said the sides envisaged a "preferential" tax regime for the gas exports, suggesting that Russia will have limited room to use the contract to fill its own treasury. Most of Russia's budget revenues still come from oil and gas exports.

– China today signed a landmark agreement with Russia that will see it buying a reported $400 billion in natural gas over 30 years. The decade-in-the-making deal will have Gazprom supply China's state-owned gas company with up to 38 billion cubic meters of gas each year starting in 2018, reports USA Today. That's about 25% of what China consumes annually, the AP notes. The news is largely being painted as an important easing of Russia's economic reliance on the West. Currently, most of its gas goes to Europe, and with this agreement, "we will be able to show to Europe that we have other customers," says one Russian official. And while the signing of the deal was trumpeted, many of its details were kept secret. The $400 billion figure is what Gazprom's CEO cited to Russian media, but he also said the price of the gas "is a commercial secret." And the Washington Post reports that the true price tag "remained a mystery hours after the signing, raising suspicion for some of the Kremlin’s skeptics that it had dropped the price significantly for China in a desperate maneuver to shore up a steady cash flow." As Forbes notes, "it is far from clear who will make how much money from it." Based on the $400 billion figure, Forbes calculates China will pay roughly $350 per 1,000 cubic meters, about on par with the $360 average Europe is reported to have paid last year. But in this case, Gazprom will first have to build a new oil pipeline, at a rumored $30 billion cost.

Article Excerpt President Barack Obama holds an edge over Mitt Romney in Florida and Ohio, the two largest battlegrounds in determining who will win the White House on Tuesday, new polls show. The Wall Street Journal/NBC News/Marist Poll surveys of likely voters released Friday show Mr. Obama maintaining a foothold little changed from four weeks ago, when the Journal surveyed voters in both states just after Mr. Romney's strong debate performance in Denver. The surveys found the two battling neck-and-neck in Florida, with Mr. Obama drawing 49% support among likely voters to Mr. Romney's 47%. Mr. Obama held a firmer lead in ... ||||| Reaching for the finish line, Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama embarked Saturday on the final 72-hour haul of their long, grinding quest for victory, swatting at one another over what should motivate Americans to vote and making closing arguments that offer dueling pictures of what the next four years can and should bring. President Barack Obama is seen boarding Air Force One before his departure from Andrews Air Force Base, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012. Obama traveling for the campaign events in Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa and Virginia... (Associated Press) The crowd cheers as Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and wife Ann Romney campaign at Portsmouth International Airport, in Newington, N.H., Saturday, Nov. 3,... (Associated Press) Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney carries one of his grandsons as he steps off his campaign plane at Pease International Airport in Portsmouth, N.H., early Saturday,... (Associated Press) President Barack Obama visits the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for an update on the recovery from Hurricane Sandy that hit New York and New Jersey especially hard earlier this week, Saturday... (Associated Press) Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney picks up Levi Vandenberg, five months, of Dover, N.H., as he greets a ropeline of supporters as he campaigns at Portsmouth International... (Associated Press) Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and wife Ann Romney wave to the crowd as they campaign at Portsmouth International Airport, in Newington, N.H., Saturday, Nov.... (Associated Press) Romney opened a three-state campaign day in New Hampshire by faulting Obama for telling supporters a day earlier that voting would be their "best revenge" "Vote for revenge?" the GOP candidate asked, oozing incredulity. "I'd like to tell him what I'd tell you: Vote for love of country. It's time to lead America to a better place." The GOP nominee released a TV ad carrying the same message Obama tended to presidential business before politics as he led a briefing at the government's disaster relief agency on the federal response to Superstorm Sandy. He said the recovery effort still has a long way to go but pledging a "120 percent effort" by all those involved. Then he began his own three-state campaign day in Ohio, the biggest battleground of Campaign 2012. After holding mostly small and midsize rallies for much of the campaign, Obama's team is planning a series of larger events this weekend aimed at drawing big crowds in battleground states. Still, the campaign isn't expecting to draw the massive audiences Obama had in the closing days of the 2008 race, when his rallies drew more than 50,000. Obama's closing weekend also includes two joint events with former President Bill Clinton: a rally Saturday night in Virginia and an event Sunday in New Hampshire. The two presidents had planned to campaign together across three states earlier this week, but that trip was called off because of Sandy. And, of course, there is always Ohio. In a whiff of 2008 nostalgia, some of Obama's traveling companions from his campaign four years ago were planning to join him on the road for the final days of his last campaign. Among them are Robert Gibbs, who served as Obama's first White House press secretary, and Reggie Love, Obama's former personal aide who left the White House earlier this year. Likewise, virtually Romney's entire senior team has left the campaign's Boston headquarters to travel with Romney for the contest's final three days. Most will connect with Romney at his Saturday morning New Hampshire event. Their presence for the campaign's waning hours is an admission that the strategy and planning is largely complete. His schedule has been set, the ads have been placed, and Romney's message has been decided. The tight inner circle that has worked with him for several years in most cases plan to enjoy the final moments on the campaign trail as Romney's side. "It's been a long road," Ann Romney told reporters aboard the campaign plane, offering breakfast pastries to Secret Service agents and reporters alike. After campaigning on her own for the past month, she hooked up with her husband for the final swing. Romney hosted a massive rally Friday night in West Chester, Ohio, drawing more than 10,000 people to the Cincinnati area for an event that featured rock stars, sports celebrities and dozens of Republican officials. It was a high-energy event on a cold night designed to kick off his own sprint to the finish. Romney arrived in New Hampshire close to midnight on Friday after an 18-hour day on the campaign trail that took him from Virginia to Wisconsin to Ohio. After his morning rally on the New Hampshire seacoast, he was making an afternoon appearance in Iowa, and two more in Colorado. He shifted an original plan to campaign in Nevada on Sunday in favor of a schedule likely to bring him back to Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. On Saturday, Obama's first stop was in Mentor, Ohio, then he was campaigning in Milwaukee and Dubuque, Iowa, and ending the day in Bristow, Va. On Sunday, he was taking his campaign to New Hampshire, Florida, Colorado and, yes, Ohio. Polling shows the race remains a toss-up heading into the final days. But Romney still has the tougher path; he must win more of the nine most-contested states to reach 270 electoral votes: Ohio, Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, Colorado, Nevada, Wisconsin, Iowa and New Hampshire. Romney has added Pennsylvania to the mix, hoping to end a streak of five presidential contests where the Democratic candidate prevailed in the state. Obama won Pennsylvania by more than 10 percentage points in 2008; the latest polls in the state give him a 4- to 5-point margin. Romney will campaign in the Philadelphia suburbs on Sunday. Obama aides scoff at the Romney incursion, but they are carefully adding television spending in the state and are sending Clinton to campaign there Monday. In crucial early voting, Obama holds an apparent lead over Romney in key states. But Obama's advantage isn't as big as the one he had over John McCain four years ago, giving Romney hope that he could make up that gap in Tuesday's election. About 25 million people already have voted in 34 states and the District of Columbia. No votes will be counted until Election Day, but several battleground states are releasing the party affiliation of people who have voted early. So far, Democratic voters outnumber Republicans in Florida, Iowa, Nevada, North Carolina and Ohio. Republicans have the edge in Colorado. ___ Kuhnhenn reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Julie Pace and Stephen Ohlemacher in Washington and Kasie Hunt in New Hampshire contributed to this report. Follow Jim Kuhnhenn on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/jkuhnhenn ||||| “I will lead America to a better place, where confidence in the future is assured, not questioned,” the GOP challenger told an ebullient crowd at the Wisconsin state fairgrounds here. “This is not a time for America to settle. We’re four days away from a fresh start, four days away from the first day of a new beginning.” From the start, the two campaigns have had different theories of the race — Romney’s being that it would be a referendum on Obama; Obama’s that it would be a comparative choice between the two candidates. But in the final days, both sides appear to have realized that this election is both. The challenger seeking to unseat an incumbent must make a case for himself. The incumbent seeking to hold on to his office must convince voters not only that the alternative would be worse but also that he has earned the right to another term. So Obama found himself heading into Election Day in the traditional posture for an incumbent under siege — the fighter, not the conciliator, wiser for the experience. “I’m a very nice guy, people will tell you. I really am,” Obama said. But if “the price of peace in Washington” means cutting deals to slash student financial aid or give health insurance companies more power, “I’m not going to make that deal,” the president said at a high school gym in Springfield, Ohio, at the second of three rallies Friday in that crucial state. He added: “I am a long ways away from giving up on this fight. I got a lot of fight left in me. I don’t get tired. I don’t grow weary. I hope you aren’t tired either, Ohio.” Though the polls show the race to be close, it is not because the voters lack a contrast, and both candidates are using their last hours of frenzied campaigning to highlight that choice. Romney ended the day in West Chester, a suburb of Cincinnati, where he came together with his wife, Ann; their five sons; his running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.); and more than 40 top surrogates for a huge rally before they fanned separately across battleground states for the three-day sprint to Election Day. Of them all, Ohio looms largest. “Your state is the one I’m counting on, by the way. This is the one we have to win,” Romney told the energetic crowd of more than 18,000, the biggest of his campaign. From there, Romney set off on a swing from New Hampshire to Iowa to Colorado and, on Sunday, to Pennsylvania. Romney is making an eleventh-hour gamble to contest the Keystone State, which leans Democratic but, with 20 electoral votes, could give him an alternate path to victory. Meanwhile, he is dispatching Ryan to Minnesota, another leaning-Democratic state that Romney is trying to snatch away from Obama. Obama is setting off on a whirlwind tour of his own, with plans to stump on Saturday in Iowa, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin and on Sunday in a slew of other states. At various stops, he will be joined by former president Bill Clinton and singers Katy Perry, Dave Matthews and John Mellencamp. ||||| The seed for this crawl was a list of every host in the Wayback Machine This crawl was run at a level 1 (URLs including their embeds, plus the URLs of all outbound links including their embeds) The WARC files associated with this crawl are not currently available to the general public.

– Quick, rattle off as many of the "battleground states" as you can. Points for Ohio, Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, Colorado, Nevada, Wisconsin, Iowa, and New Hampshire. Partial credit for Pennsylvania, where Mitt Romney is still hoping for an upset, reports AP. And now you have a good idea where President Obama and Romney will be spending the final three days of the campaign—expect them to hit three or four states a day and to change schedules on the fly. Other tidbits: Ohio, Florida: A Wall Street Journal/NBC poll has Obama up by 51-45 in Ohio and by a scant 49-47 in Florida. The latter state is especially important to Romney's chances, so he might take heart in knowing that a Tampa Bay Times poll has way better Florida numbers for him: He's up 51-45 in that one. Themes: The Washington Post sums up how the campaign strategies have crystallized, that it's no longer enough to make it about the other guy. "The challenger seeking to unseat an incumbent must make a case for himself. The incumbent seeking to hold on to his office must convince voters not only that the alternative would be worse but also that he has earned the right to another term." No more: If you just can't take any more politics, you can always do this.

These crawls are part of an effort to archive pages as they are created and archive the pages that they refer to. That way, as the pages that are referenced are changed or taken from the web, a link to the version that was live when the page was written will be preserved.Then the Internet Archive hopes that references to these archived pages will be put in place of a link that would be otherwise be broken, or a companion link to allow people to see what was originally intended by a page's authors.The goal is to fix all broken links on the web . Crawls of supported "No More 404" sites. ||||| Starting in 1996, Alexa Internet has been donating their crawl data to the Internet Archive. Flowing in every day, these data are added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period.

– Check your cupboards: Cans of Bush's Best Baked Beans with a best-by date of June 2019 have been recalled because of "potentially defective side seams on the cans." The recall affects 28-ounce cans of Brown Sugar Hickory Baked Beans (with lot code 6097S GF or 6097P GF), Country Style Baked Beans (6077S RR, 6087S RR, 6077P RR or 6087P RR) and Original Baked Beans (6057S LC or 6057P LC), reports the Los Angeles Times. Though no "illnesses or other adverse consequences" have been reported, Bush Brothers & Co. of Knoxville, Tenn., is urging consumers to throw out all affected cans even if they look fine.

Julian Barnes won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction last night for “The Sense of an Ending,” a slim novel whose narrator must grapple with the fallibility of his memory and sense of self when a friend’s long-ago suicide returns to haunt him. This is the 65-year-old Barnes’s first time winning the U.K.’s most prestigious literary award, which comes with 50,000 pounds ($78,400), though three of his previous novels were shortlisted. As he accepted the prize at a black-tie dinner in London’s medieval Guildhall, he said, “Borges, when asked as he continually was why he had never won the Nobel Prize, always used to reply that in Sweden there was a small cottage industry solely devoted to not giving Borges the Nobel Prize. “At times over the last years in occasional moments of mild paranoia I’ve wondered whether there wasn’t perhaps some similar sister organization operating over here,” he said. “So I am as much relieved as I am delighted to receive the 2011 Booker Prize.” Barnes famously dismissed the Booker as “posh bingo” back in 1987. After winning it, he clarified: “The Booker Prize has a tendency to drive writers a bit mad with lust and greed and expectation,” he said at the post- ceremony press conference. “I was saying that the best way to stay sane is to treat it as ‘posh bingo.’ That means unless and until you win it, when you realize that the judges are the wisest heads in literary Christendom.” Photographer: Alan Edwards/Colman Getty Consultancy via Bloomberg Author Julian Barnes won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction for "The Sense of an Ending." Close Author Julian Barnes won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction for "The Sense of an Ending." Close Open Photographer: Alan Edwards/Colman Getty Consultancy via Bloomberg Author Julian Barnes won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction for "The Sense of an Ending." Bookies’ Favorite Barnes emerged early as the bookies’ favorite, beating five lesser-known finalists. The judges praised the beauty and concision of his prose, as well as the universality of the novel’s appeal. “We thought it was a book that spoke to humankind in the 21st century,” said the chairman of the judges, author and former MI5 spy chief Stella Rimington. “The Sense of an Ending” (Cape/Knopf) tells the story of Tony Webster, a divorced retiree whose uneventful middle age is disturbed by a mysterious bequest from the mother of his college girlfriend, Veronica. Along with 500 pounds, Tony receives a diary belonging to his brilliant school friend, Adrian, who took up with Veronica after she and Tony split and later committed suicide. This charged legacy is the catalyst for a meditation on friendship, aging and the slipperiness of memory, which along the way reveals just how little we truly know ourselves. Pat Kavanagh Dedicated to Barnes’s late wife, the literary agent Pat Kavanagh, “The Sense of an Ending” is just 150 pages long, making it one of the briefest winners in the prize’s history. “We thought that it was a book which, though short, was incredibly concentrated, and crammed in to a very short space a great deal of information which you don’t get out of a first read,” Rimington said. Runners-up for the prize included two debut novels: “Pigeon English” (Bloomsbury/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), Stephen Kelman’s tale of an 11-year-old Ghanaian immigrant caught in the fallout of a London knifing, and “Snowdrops” (Atlantic/Doubleday), A.D. Miller’s thriller-like account of an Englishman whose moral compass drifts in Moscow. The other finalists were Carol Birch’s “Jamrach’s Menagerie” (Canongate/Doubleday), about a boy who leaves London’s Victorian slums for the South Seas in search of a mythical dragon; Patrick deWitt’s “The Sisters Brothers” (Granta/Ecco), about sibling assassins in California during the Gold Rush; and Esi Edugyan’s “Half Blood Blues” (Serpent’s Tail), a novel of betrayal set among a mixed-race jazz group in WWII-era Paris and 1990s Germany. Rival Award This year’s prize has caused its share of controversy, with literary commentators questioning the judges’ credentials and bemoaning a “dumbed-down” shortlist. A group of authors and publishers is even gathering around the idea of a rival award. While sticking by her previous use of the term “readability,” Rimington said the judges had been looking for quality, too. “You can have more than one adjective when you’re talking about books,” she said. Now in its 43rd year, the prize continues to promise an almost certain sales boost -- and this latest shortlist is the best selling since records began. Each of the six finalists, including the winner, receives 2,500 pounds ($3,900) and an edition of his or her own book in a unique designer binding. The contest is designed to celebrate the best novel of the year written by a citizen of the British Commonwealth, the Republic of Ireland or Zimbabwe. Established in 1968 by food wholesaler Booker Plc, the prize has been sponsored since 2002 by Man Group Plc (EMG), the world’s largest publicly traded hedge-fund manager. Jon R. Aisbitt, the chairman of Man Group, announced before the ceremony that Man has signed an agreement to sponsor the prize for 10 more years. To contact the writer on the story: Hephzibah Anderson in London at hephzibah_anderson@hotmail.com. To contact the editor responsible for this story: Manuela Hoelterhoff at mhoelterhoff@bloomberg.net. ||||| He is the author who described the Booker Prize as “posh bingo”. Last night, at the fourth time of trying, Julian Barnes’s numbers finally came up. The 65-year-old writer won for The Sense of an Ending, a 150-page novella about a middle-aged man looking back on his younger days. His win was also one in the eye for critics who have derided this year’s shortlist as too low-brow. Dame Stella Rimington, chairman of the judging panel, outraged the literary establishment when she declared that she was looking for “readability”, so much so that a rival prize was announced last week to champion more high-minded fare. The shortlist included a Western and a debut novel based on the death of Damilola Taylor, but there was no place for heavyweight authors Alan Hollinghurst or Graham Swift. However, Barnes’s elegant prose was the bookmakers’ favourite throughout, and the judges took just 31 minutes to reach their decision. Explaining why The Sense of an Ending won out, Dame Stella said: “We thought it was a beautifully written book, and a book that spoke to humankind in the 21st century.” She said the book “has the markings of a classic of English Literature”, describing it as “exquisitely written, subtly plotted and revealing new depths with each reading”. The protagonist, Tony Webster, is a divorcee who lives an ordered and humdrum existence, but finds his life unravelling after a lawyer’s letter causes him to revisit his school days. Julian Barnes won for The Sense of an Ending “It is a book about somebody who appears to be at first blush a rather boring bloke, and you think, ‘Why are we reading about a very boring bloke?’ But gradually, as the book goes on, he’s revealed to be far from that,” said Dame Stella. “What this book does is unravel for us this person and who he really is, and it shows that his memory of what happened and his understanding of himself is actually quite wrong.” As for the controversy over the ‘dumbing down’ of the prize, Dame Stella appeared to have taken it in her stride. The former head of MI5, now a spy novelist, said: “I’ve had a long life in varied, different careers and I’ve been through many crises of one kind or another, against which this one pales.” Accepting the award, Barnes said: “I would like to thank the judges – who I won’t hear a word against – for their wisdom, and the sponsors for their cheque.” He declared himself “as much relieved as I am delighted” and likened himself to Jorge Luis Borges, the Argentinian writer who was considered by the Nobel Prize committee year after year but always overlooked. Barnes said: “When asked, as he continually was, why he had never won the Nobel Prize, Borges used to reply that there was a cottage industry devoted to not giving Borges the Nobel Prize. "Over the last years, in occasional moments of mild paranoia, I have wondered whether there wasn’t some similar, sinister organisation operating over here.” Winning the award, he joked, had made him realise that the judges “are the wisest heads in literary Christendom”. Barnes triumphed 27 years after his first Booker nomination. He was shortlisted in 1984 for Flaubert’s Parrot but lost to Anita Brookner for Hotel Du Lac. England, England was nominated in 1998 but beaten by Ian McEwan’s Amsterdam. Barnes was shortlisted in 1984 for Flaubert's Parrot. England, England was nominated in 1998 His 2005 novel, Arthur and George, was strongly fancied but John Banville took the prize for The Sea. His appearance at the Guildhall ceremony to accept the £50,000 prize was a rare one – Barnes has avoided Booker-related publicity, perhaps on account of his infamous remark about the prize. “The only sensible attitude to the Booker is to treat it as posh bingo,” he said. “It drives publishers mad with hope, booksellers mad with greed, judges mad with power, winners mad with pride, and losers (the unsuccessful short-listees plus every other novelist in the country) mad with envy and disappointment.”

– Julian Barnes once described the Man Booker Prize as “posh bingo,” but he won that game of bingo this week. Barnes won the 2011 prize for his 150-page novella, The Sense of an Ending, in a decision that took the judges just 31 minutes to reach, the Telegraph reports. The novella concerns a seemingly boring middle-aged man who revisits his younger years and questions his memories after receiving the diary of an old friend who committed suicide. Barnes, who was also nominated in 1984, 1998, and 2005, joked while accepting the award that he used to wonder if there was a “sinister organization” devoted to not giving him the prize. He also clarified his infamous 1987 comments about the prize (see them in full at left), Bloomberg reports: “The Booker Prize has a tendency to drive writers a bit mad with lust and greed and expectation. I was saying that the best way to stay sane is to treat it as ‘posh bingo.’ That means unless and until you win it, when you realize that the judges are the wisest heads in literary Christendom.”

New York Police Department officers mark off the area surrounding the scene of a multiple shooting crime scene on Maujer Street in Brooklyn. UPDATED | A 29-year-old musician who had a dispute with members of an American-based Iranian rock group shot and killed two band members and a singer associated with the group before killing himself, officials said. Ali Akbar Mohammadi Rafie, 29 years old, used a .308 caliber rifle on his victims, who were all shot inside a three-story building in the East Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York Police Department Spokesman John McCarthy said. Shortly after, Mr. Rafie shot himself on the rooftop, police said. The rifle—which was likely transported to the home in a guitar case—was on top of his body and two shell casings were nearby, police said. ||||| The bass player who gunned down three other musicians in their Brooklyn crash pad and then killed himself carried the murder weapon in a guitar case. The .308-caliber assault rifle was found on a rooftop and next to the body of Raefe Akhbar, 29, who capped off his deadly rampage with a blast to the chin, police said. Members of the band The Yellow Dogs left Iran where they attracted too much heat from Islamist hardliners and decamped for Brooklyn. (Danny Krug) Two of the murdered musicians were brothers who belonged to The Yellow Dogs, an indie band that fled repressive Iran in pursuit of a rock ’n’ roll dream — only to land in a bloody Brooklyn nightmare. Reported gunman Raefe Akhbar played the bass but was not a member of the band. (Danny Krug ) Band manager Ali Salehezadeh had to call Tehran and explain to the family of Soroush (Looloosh) Farazmand, 27, and Arash (Sina) Farazmand, 28, what happened to their sons. Vocalist Ali Eskandarian was the first victim; he was shot in the head through a window. (Miikka Skaffari) They arrived in the U.S. in 2010 and just recently were granted political asylum, sources said. Drummer Arash Farazmand was the second to die. Akhbar shot him when he climed into the apartment through a window. (AP Photo/Danny Krug) “People don’t own guns in Iran,” the manager said. “We don’t have this problem there.” Guitarist Soroush Farazmand, Arash's brother, was shot in chest as he lay in bed. (AP Photo/Danny Krug) Also killed was Ali Eskandarian, a 35-year-old musician who played with another band, police said. The Yellow Dogs formed in Tehran and claimed The Kinks and Joy Division as influences. (Facebook) A fourth man, 22-year-old Sasan Sadeghpourosko, was shot twice in his right arm and survived the massacre. An artist who is friends with the band members, said Sadeghpourosko was listed in stable condition at Elmhurst Hospital. An unidentified woman mourns near the East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, scene where purported gunman Raefe Akhbar, who had close ties to Iranian-American indie rock band The Yellow Dogs, killed three people before going to the roof and shooting himself. (Anthony DelMundo/New York Daily News) Salehezadeh denied reports that the rampage erupted because Akhbar was furious at being kicked out of the band after he was caught selling off their equipment. A pool of blood is left on the roof Monday after gunman killed himself at Maujer St. (Anthony DelMundo/New York Daily News) Akhbar played bass guitar for another rock band from Iran called the Free Keys, the manager said. He said the victims had not spoken to him for several months because of a “very petty conflict.” A rifle similar to this Century Arms .308 caliber rifle, also called Century Arms Sporter, was used in the slaying of three Iranian rock musicians in Brooklyn early Monday. Police said Akhbar had been kicked out of Free Keys last year for stealing band earnings. He did not have a local arrest record. An example of an elliptical ogive (.44 caliber pistol bullet on left) versus a tangential ogive (.308 caliber rifle bullet on right). Bullets are made of copper alloys. (2013/Daily News, L.P. (New York)) “He’d been trying to get back into the band,” a police source said. “He’d been showing up at shows to try to convince them to let him back in.” Police investigate the scene after a bloody shooting spree just after midnight. (Anthony DelMundo/New York Daily News) Akhbar, who lived in Ridgewood, Queens, with a roommate, arrived in the U.S. two years ago on a temporary work visa. His weapon was purchased before 2006 from a now defunct gun dealer in New City, Rockland County, sources said. Friend of the band Ali Eskandarian performs in 2008 at Joe's Pub's 10th Anniversary Gala and tribute to Judy Collins at the Public Theater in New York. (Henny Ray Abrams/AP) “We believe it was manufactured outside the U.S.,” Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. Police say the gunman shot the men and then headed to the roof where he turned the .308-caliber rifle on himself. (Anthony DelMundo/New York Daily News) Bushwick music maven Danny Krug said Akhbar was nothing like the members of The Yellow Dogs, who often hung out with members of Free Keys. Brothers Soroush (l.) and Arash Farazmand (r.) of the band The Yellow Dogs were found dead Monday morning. (Facebook) “I never thought he was violent, but he was weird,” Krug said. Police converged on the East Williamsburg building after receiving reports of a man with a firearm. (Anthony DelMundo/New York Daily News) The Yellow Dogs’ lead singer, Siavash (Obash) Karampour, 24, was tending bar at the Ding Dong Lounge on the Upper West Side while his bandmates were being killed, sources said. Cops said a gunman shot and killed band members, seen in an undated photo, in an East Williamsburg. (Danny Krug) The fourth member of the band is 26-year-old bass guitarist Koory Mirzeai, who was with a girlfriend at the time of the massacre. Police investigate a shooting involving members of an Iranian indie rock band, The Yellow Dogs, in East Williamsburg on Monday. (Anthony DelMundo/New York Daily News) The slaughter started shortly after midnight at 318 Maujer St. Akhbar reached the building by hopping from roof to roof and then scaling down the side to a third-floor terrace where he claimed his first victim, Eskandarian, by shooting him in the head through a window, police said. Then the gunman climbed inside through the window and shot Arash Farazmand dead before descending to the second floor and shooting his brother in the chest. Soroush Farazmand was lying in bed, but engrossed in his laptop, which may explain why he didn’t hear the initial shots, officials said. Akhbar crossed over to another room and wounded Sadeghpourosko, whose brother made the first call to 911 at 12:04 a.m. Then Akhbar marched back upstairs, where a man and woman — both members of the U.S. Coast Guard from Puerto Rico who were in town for Veterans Day events — had been renting a room, said NYPD Deputy Commissioner John McCarthy. When the man heard Akhbar heading back up to the third floor, he hopped into the shower with his girlfriend and both cowered in a bathtub, McCarthy said. Meanwhile, Akhbar confronted a former Free Keys bandmate named Pooya Hosseini who had been hiding in a closet and tried to “convince him not to shoot,” said McCarthy. Hosseini started off by “begging for his life,” a source said. But when Akhbar fired, he grabbed the gun, and as they struggled it discharged several more times, McCarthy said. When the clip suddenly fell off, Akhbar fled to the roof with the gun and shot himself. By the time cops arrived, the building had been transformed into a shooting gallery with blood and shell casings from around 16 shots scattered across two floors. The Yellow Dogs were formed in Tehran, influenced by bands ranging from The Kinks to Joy Division. The quartet was featured in a documentary about the Tehran scene called “No One Knows About Persian Cats” that went on to win a prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009. But that made Iran too hot for The Yellow Dogs, who fled to Brooklyn. “You can’t be a rock star in Iran,” Salehezadeh said. The band thrived, landing gigs at hipster havens like The Knitting Factory in Williamsburg and the Bushwick venue Shea Stadium. "You don't feel like a foreigner in New York City at all," lead singer Obash said in April 2012 interivew. Martin Greenman, 63, who works around the corner at 406 Maujer St., said he'd seen the band members as recently as Friday. "I see them almost every day," Greenman said. "It's just unbelievable. To see somebody on Friday and on Monday you're telling me there dead." "They seem like really nice guys," he added. "They didn't seem to be in anyway to be violent guys. They weren't rabble rousers or anything like that." With Ryan Sit, Philip Caulfied, Joe Kemp and Chelsea Rose Marcius csiemaszko@nydailynews.com On a mobile device? Click here to watch the video. Sign up for BREAKING NEWS Emails privacy policy Thanks for subscribing! ||||| Raw content UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ISTANBUL 000461 SENSITIVE SIPDIS LONDON FOR MURRAY; BERLIN FOR ROSENSTOCK-STILLER; BAKU FOR MCCRENSKY; BAGHDAD FOR POPAL AND HUBAH; ASHGABAT FOR TANGBORN; DUBAI FOR IRPO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV, PINS, SOCI, TU, IR SUBJECT: IRAN/CULTURE: SO YOU WANT TO BE A ROCK AND ROLL STAR 1. (SBU) Summary: An Iranian rock band described to us on December 8-9 Tehran's "small but crazy" underground club scene, where drugs are cheap and easy to find, creative expression is at its most free, and participants are among Iran's most tech-savvy citizens. They said the regime's fierce post-election political clamp-down has not impacted the underground music scene, as the regime remains too preoccupied with political protests to go after cultural targets like rock music. The band members, though not active with the Green Movement, dismiss the regime as out of touch and certain to fall, though they also told us that a majority of Iranians remain "stuck" in a conservative, traditional, inward-looking worldview. As a result they assess that political change will only come slowly. Comment: These musicians -- astute, well-informed, and resourceful 20-somethings -- offered up an insightful glimpse into a vibrant but mostly hidden sub-culture in Iran. Their views reinforced the impression that Iranian society spans a far broader and more complex spectrum than many outside observers realize, and underscored the possibility that the regime -- though radicalizing -- remains calculating and sensible enough not to pick unnecessary fights on social issues, at least while it is engaged so desperately in trying to counter more immediate political threats. End comment. The Ayatollahs of Rock and Rolla ----------------------------- 2. SBU) ConGen Istanbul's NEA Iran Watcher and other colleagues met December 8-9, 2009 in Istanbul with an Iranian "underground" alternative rock band (please protect) called the "Yellow Dogs," after they applied to the Consulate for visas to perform a concert tour in the United States. The four band members, who enjoy a growing local and internet following, shared their perspective about life as rock musicians in an Iran beset by growing pressure on political oppositionists and widening fractures within Iranian society. What can a poor boy do but sing for a rock and roll band? --------------------------------------------- ------- 3. (SBU) The four musicians, in their early twenties, were first inspired by rock music that they heard as pre-teens during the more socially tolerant Khatami presidency. They said that rock music, despite its English-language lyrics, spoke to them more viscerally about conditions they faced in Iran than traditional Persian music did. With the support of their (well-educated, professional) parents, they decided to forego more traditional Iranian academic pursuits like engineering to pursue music full-time. The self-taught musicians began performing in high-school, quickly discovering Tehran's "small but crazy" underground music scene, a scene that one band member insisted grew significantly in size and creativity after Ahmadinejad's 2005 election. They estimated that several thousand Tehran youths are die-hard alternative- and hard-rock fans who regularly risk fines and detention to attend underground concerts and clubs, and that there are similar followings in Esfahan, Shiraz, and Tabriz. Comfortably numb ------------ 4. (SBU) The band members acknowledged that many participants in the underground scene regularly use illegal drugs (but denied any use themselves). They said drugs such as heroin and opium are easy to find and inexpensive, but are being eclipsed in popularity by amphetamines typically produced in local home-labs. They acknowledged that despite the regime's increasing radicalization in most other aspects of politics and social policy, the GoI continues to follow a progressive approach to treating drug use and abuse, for example by referring users to treatment clinics and medication rather than jail sentences. Almost cut my hair ---------------- 5. (SBU) Though their music is not overtly political or oppositionist the Yellow Dogs described the risks of playing any kind of rock and roll in Iran, recounting several occasions in 2007-8 when police raided closed-door concerts they were holding (typically in sound-proofed basements or warehouses in isolated neighborhoods). One raid led to the detention of one band member under official charges of "Satan worship". A combination of bribes and parental pleading got him released after two weeks in detention. All the band members recounted run-ins with police and Basijis over "style and clothing immoralities" including one band member's afro-style hair, which the police forced him to cut off by ISTANBUL 00000461 002 OF 004 seizing his driver's license until he did so. (He did, but grew it back again.) 6. (SBU) One band-member described the underground scene as a community that offers "the most free expression" in Iran, where all political, cultural, and religious views are tolerated, and where there is a lively exchange not only of music, but art, books, photos, and other forms of artistic expression. "Even Ahmadinajed's people can come listen to our music," one told us, though he admitted few do. He added that most of his peers spend their days (when not working or playing music) just like western youth do, playing video games on Macintosh computers and Xbox game platforms, buying clothes from the Gap or Benetton, watching online TV ("Lost" and Oprah are current favorites with Iran's youth), and blogging. They told us with bemusement that they regularly play "Guitar Hero" online and beat players from the US or Europe. When they tell their online competitors that they are from Iran, the other players express shock that Iranians are allowed to use the internet -- and that they are so good at video games. 7. (SBU) The band members told us the social crackdowns on that community ebb and flow depending on whether the regime is feeling self-confident or vulnerable, as well as the degree to which the regime thinks the targeted community will comply or resist. One band member described the police as being more selective now about who they detain. Currently, he said, the regime is totally focused on trying to squash election-related protests. As one musician speculated, either the regime does not have the time to go after non-protesting young Iranians for crimes as mundane as clothing violations or loud music, or it has made a conscious decision not to do so, in order not to make more enemies than necessary among Iran's youth. Nowhere Man ----------- 8. (SBU) The musicians described Iranian society as two main communities that are worlds apart in values and orientation. One side is made up of urban dwellers who tend to be well-educated, well-versed not only in Persian poetry and classics but literary and artistic works from other cultures, have some informed knowledge of the outside world through television and personal travel, and want Iran to be more integrated into that world. On the other side is perhaps a majority of Iranians who are deeply religious and conservative, predominantly rural, not educated beyond high-school, tend to have read little beyond the Koran and local newspapers, and are unaware of global developments or modern technologies. "Many of them have never left Iran or even their own province; they never used a computer, never watched a foreign film, and never heard of the Beatles." 9. (SBU) This traditional community, because its worldview is so limited, is an easy target for the regime's anti-western, adversarial, black-and-white rhetoric. The band members acknowledged that most of these voters probably voted for Ahmadinejad, and agreed that even though Mousavi probably won the elections Ahmadinejad retains great popularity with this group. Moreover, they cautioned, if any foreign country ever attacks Iran the entire conservative community will rally behind the regime, and would probably be joined by a significant part of the more urban, westernized Iranian community too. There's Something Happening Here ------------------------------ 10. (SBU) Three of the four band members said they have not participated in the post-election protests though they sympathize with the protesters, goals. The lead singer has marched several times, explaining he could not stay home while his parents marched. The band agrees that the size and energy of the November 4 and December 7 protests confirm that the Green Movement -- though not cohesive and lacking in strong leadership -- has become a self-sustaining national movement. "The government needs to find a way to deal with these people in a peaceful way." They predicted that in coming years a new generation of leaders would emerge, university students and 20-somethings who are already campus and neighborhood leaders below the radar of national attention or security force scrutiny. Same as the Old Boss ------------------- 11. (SBU) The band members described former PM Mousavi as "really no different" than Ahmadinejad. They argued if ISTANBUL 00000461 003 OF 004 Mousavi had been elected and allowed to take office it would have been the worst outcome for the Green Movement. They explained that Mousavi would have most likely been a team player, falling in line to support Khamenei's authority and "same old" politics, leaving the young activists of the Green Movement feeling as disappointed under a Mousavi Presidency as they had been under Khatami. 12. (SBU) Instead, the election fraud and Khamenei's backing of Ahmadinejad have given the Green Movement a reason to exist. "Mousavi isn't the leader anymore and it's not about elections now. They stopped asking for their votes to be counted. Now they're asking for bigger things like real freedom." Khamenei's intervention to quash election challenges also spelled the end of what had previously been a genuine acceptance by the Iranian population of the Supreme Leader's neutrality and authority. "Now most Iranians just see him as a selfish politician who only cares about staying in power." On the Road Again --------------- 13. (SBU) Following the group's U.S. concert tour next spring they plan to go to Europe to promote a film in which they played an Iranian rock band: "No One Knows about Persian Cats" by Iranian film-maker Bahman Ghobadi, with a screen-play co-written by American-Iranian journalist Roxane Saberi (which she finished just before she was arrested by Iranian security services in January 2009). 14. (SBU) We asked if the band's popularity -- helped by a CNN interview in April 2009 and the Ghobadi film winning a Cannes Festival award in May 2009, and likely to get a boost from their forthcoming US concert tour -- might put them at greater risk when they return to Iran. They assessed not, as long as they keep their music focused on social issues rather than using it to attack the regime. They said that as long as they sing in English the regime will believe they are only singing to attract foreign audiences, and not singing to Iran's youth. How Do You Keep the Music Playing -------------------------- 15. (SBU) The band members said they never buy music or movies anymore, given the ease of free downloads. Keeping internet connectivity is a constant challenge, however, and requires the use of proxy servers, virtual private networks, and filter-breaking software like "Freegate" -- which many Iranians visiting Turkey make a point of downloading while here rather than try to download such sensitive software from inside Iran. "We are always trying to stay connected and almost always we can." Wary of the regime's efforts to use technology to track its perceived enemies, however, the band members no longer use Facebook or other social networking sites, but still rely on Skype and carefully-worded text messages. 16. (SBU) The band members said they and everyone they know get news from two sources: BBC's and VOA's Persian broadcasts. But the regime is stepping up efforts to block satellite signals, they claimed, by installing massive microwave towers in several areas of Tehran and using microwave bursts to disrupt the signals. Local authorities claim the towers are for cell-phone transmission, but the musicians told us anytime they go near the towers they feel "sudden shocks", nausea and dizziness, and said most Iranians (especially pregnant women and the elderly) have learned to stay away from the towers. Comment: These Songs of Freedom -------------------- 17. (SBU) These astute, well-informed, and resourceful 20-something musicians offered up an insightful glimpse -- which we find credible -- into a vibrant but mostly hidden sub-culture in Iran, reinforcing the impression that Iranian society spans a far broader and more complex spectrum than many outside observers realize. We also find credible their description of the regime's treatment of their lifestyle and activities and their general conclusion that the regime is currently too overloaded trying to squash overt political protests and opposition to care about less-political, counter-culture "threats" like rock music. Despite its radicalization, the regime appears still calculating and sensible enough not to pick domestic, social fights it doesn't have to, at least while it is engaged so desperately in fighting more immediate political threats. In such an environment, the band is optimistic that the underground rock ISTANBUL 00000461 004 OF 004 scene in Iran -- and the niche arena of free, creative expression it provides -- will keep growing. End comment. WIENER ||||| Supported by their well-educated, professional-class parents, the young men pursued popular music despite official prohibitions. They told American officials that they were drawn to American music because it “spoke to them more viscerally about conditions they faced in Iran than traditional Persian music did.” They began performing publicly in high school, and there were several occasions, they told the Americans, when the police raided their closed concerts, which were held in soundproof basements or warehouses. The Free Keys were part of the same scene: Both bands played “strictly forbidden underground gigs” together in a Tehran parking lot where young men and women moshed together, according to several websites. American consular officials who interviewed the Yellow Dogs in Istanbul, where they applied for short-term visas to travel to the United States with the goal of emigrating permanently, said the men, who sing in English, were “astute, well-informed and resourceful 20-somethings” conversant in American popular culture and skillful at video games. By 2009, they had been interviewed on CNN; not long after, they appeared in “No One Knows About Persian Cats,” a film about Iran’s underground music scene. A State Department official who helped the musicians leave Iran said they had originally applied for a short-term visa to play at South by Southwest, the music festival in Austin, Tex. Arriving in the United States in January 2010, they moved to Brooklyn and applied for political asylum, citing their lack of freedom for political expression. They were granted asylum last year. In Iran, they felt “a lot of pressure, a lot of heat,” said the official, who, not being authorized to speak publicly, spoke anonymously. Image Credit The New York Times The Free Keys, which Mr. Rafie had joined as a bassist, left Iran to join their friends in the Yellow Dogs in 2011. At 318 Maujer Street, the Yellow Dogs occupied the lower apartment, and a rotating group of Iranian friends and acquaintances, including Mr. Eskandarian, lived in the upstairs apartment. The residents saw themselves as an artists’ collective, holding house parties with of-the-moment music and cheap beer for musician friends and hosting exhibitions of friends’ artwork. Mr. Sadeghpourosko’s artwork covered the walls of the living room, which the Yellow Dogs used as a practice space. They were a familiar sight on their quiet street, where small apartment buildings abut warehouses, often skateboarding or biking around with a dog. Neighbors noted their long hair and tight jeans, the young people of mixed ethnicities streaming into the building for parties, and the music that poured out.

– The bloodshed in Brooklyn early yesterday brought a horrific end to the career of a band that was huge in Tehran's thriving underground rock scene—and a rising star in the US. Yellow Dogs members Arash and Soroush Farazmand were shot dead along with occasional vocalist Ali Eskandarian by a gunman later identified as Raefe Akhbar, who killed himself after the rampage, the Wall Street Journal reports. Contrary to earlier reports, police say Akhbar had not been thrown out of the Yellow Dogs, but was a former member of the Free Keys, another Iranian rock band that was closely associated with the Yellow Dogs. He tried to shoot a Free Keys member during the attack but the singer survived after a struggle in which the magazine of Akhbar's gun fell out. The Yellow Dogs—described as astute, well-informed, and resourceful 20-somethings in a State Department cable released by WikiLeaks—arrived in the US in 2010 and had recently been granted political asylum, the New York Times reports. The Free Keys arrived a year later and stayed for a time at the house shared by the other band, which had become a hub for fellow musicians, several of whom were present when Akhbar began his rampage, climbing down from a neighboring roof carrying a rifle in a guitar case. Two Yellow Dogs members were away and survived the attack, which the band's rep says was sparked by a "very petty conflict," the New York Daily News reports. Police say Akhbar was kicked out of the Free Keys last year for allegedly stealing earnings and had been turning up at shows, pestering former bandmates to let him back in.

Illinois' largest high school district violated federal law by barring a transgender student from using the girls' locker room, authorities concluded Monday. The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights spent nearly two years investigating Palatine-based Township High School District 211 and found "a preponderance of evidence" that school officials did not comply with Title IX, the federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex. The student, who has identified as a girl for a number of years, filed a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights in late 2013 after she was denied unrestricted access to the girls' locker room. District and federal officials negotiated for months, and a solution appeared imminent as recently as last week, when the district put up privacy curtains in the locker room. But talks stalled after school officials said the student would be required to use the private area, as opposed to offering her a choice to use it. Although the student said she intends to use the private area or a locker room bathroom stall to change, the stipulation constitutes "blatant discrimination," said John Knight, director of the LGBT and AIDS Project at ACLU of Illinois, which is representing the student. "It's not voluntary, it's mandatory for her," Knight said. "It's one thing to say to all the girls, 'You can choose if you want some extra privacy,' but it's another thing to say, 'You, and you alone, must use them.' That sends a pretty strong signal to her that she's not accepted and the district does not see her as girl." For the student at the center of the federal complaint and all other transgender students at the district's five high schools, the staff changes their names, genders and pronouns on school records. Transgender students also are allowed to use the bathrooms of their identified gender and play on the sports team of that gender, school officials said. But officials drew the line at the locker room, citing the privacy rights of the other 12,000-plus students in the district. As a compromise, the district installed four privacy curtains in unused areas of the locker room and another one around the shower, but because the district would compel the student to use them, federal officials deemed the solution insufficient. The dispute highlights a controversy that a growing number of school districts face as they struggle with an issue that few parents of today's teens encountered. The Department of Education has settled two similar allegations of discrimination of transgender students in California, with both districts eventually agreeing to allow the students to use female-designated facilities. The student's family first contacted District 211 when she was still in eighth grade and was told by the superintendent at the time that she would not be allowed to use a restroom stall in the girls' locker room, according the Office for Civil Rights' investigation. Instead, the student had to use a separate, single-occupancy restroom for physical education, swimming class and sports. "Student A has not only received an unequal opportunity to benefit from the District's educational program, but has also experienced an ongoing sense of isolation and ostracism throughout her high school enrollment at the school," according to the letter from the Office for Civil Rights. The student told federal authorities that she takes a circuitous route to get to the gym to avoid standing out. She said she was once the only person in a gym uniform because she was not with the rest of the class when the teacher informed the students they did not need to change. Another time, the student, who plays for the school on a girls' sports team, said she broke down in tears after her coaches reprimanded her for using the locker room to change. The coach told her some students felt uncomfortable dressing in front of her. "All students deserve the opportunity to participate equally in school programs and activities — this is a basic civil right," Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine Lhamon said in a statement. "Unfortunately, Township High School District 211 is not following the law because the district continues to deny a female student the right to use the girls' locker room." Superintendent Daniel Cates remains adamant that the district is not in violation of the law and warned that the Obama administration's position "is a serious overreach with precedent-setting implications." "The students in our schools are teenagers, not adults, and one's gender is not the same as one's anatomy," Cates said in a statement. "Boys and girls are in separate locker rooms — where there are open changing areas and open shower facilities — for a reason." He went on to emphasize that the district's position should not be seen as discriminatory, saying, "We celebrate and honor differences among all students and we condemn any vitriolic messages that disparage transgender identity or transgender students in any way." The federal response came as no surprise to district officials, who held a news conference three weeks ago to get ahead of the announcement. At the time, Cates said he hoped to "work collaboratively with the OCR and (that) reasonableness will prevail." The district has 30 days to reach an agreement with authorities or risk having their federal educational funding suspended or even terminated. The case also could be referred to the Department of Justice. The student, whom the ACLU said does not want to be identified for privacy reasons, said in a statement that the federal ruling "makes clear that what my school did was wrong." "This decision makes me extremely happy — because of what it means for me, personally, and for countless others," she said. "The district's policy stigmatized me, often making me feel like I was not a 'normal person.'" deldeib@tribpub.com Twitter @deldeib ||||| Feds find Dist. 211 transgender policy discriminatory hello Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 is violating the anti-discriminatory Title IX law by denying a transgender student who identifies as female unrestricted access to a girls' locker room, the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights ruled Monday. The OCR issued a letter informing District 211 that it has 30 days to conform with the office's understanding of Title IX requirements or face enforcement action. "All students deserve the opportunity to participate equally in school programs and activities -- this is a basic civil right," Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine Lhamon said in a written statement. "Unfortunately, Township High School District 211 is not following the law because the district continues to deny a female student the right to use the girls' locker room. The district can provide access to this student while also respecting all students' privacy. We encourage the district to comply with the law and resolve this case." The exact nature of an enforcement action was not immediately clear Monday, but school officials admit their position could cost the district some or all of its Title IX funding. Last year, the district received $6 million in Title IX money. Under its policy, District 211 is providing a separate changing area for transgender students within the locker rooms of the gender with which they identify. District 211 released a written statement Monday disputing the OCR ruling and stating confidence in the legality of its policies. "The policy that OCR seeks to impose on District 211 is a serious overreach with precedent-setting implications," the statement reads. "District 211 continues to believe that what we offer is reasonable and honors every student's dignity. While the district will continue what have been productive settlement negotiations with OCR, the district is prepared to engage in all avenues of due process to determine whether our position of honoring the rights of all the students is within the law. "We celebrate and honor differences among all students and we condemn any vitriolic messages that disparage transgender identity or transgender students in any way," the district's statement continues. "We believe that this particular moment can be one of unification as we strive to create environments that ensure sensitivity, inclusiveness and dignity for ALL students." The OCR became involved last year when a District 211 student who has identified as female for several years filed a complaint about the district limiting her access to locker rooms. Through her representatives with the American Civil Liberties Union, the student said the OCR ruling made Monday a good day for all students. "This decision makes me extremely happy -- because of what it means for me, personally, and for countless others," the statement reads. "The district's policy stigmatized me, often making me feel like I was not a 'normal' person. "The Department of Education's decision makes clear that what my school did was wrong," the student continued. "I hope no other student, anywhere, is forced to confront this indignity. It is a good day for all students, but especially those who are transgender all across the nation." John Knight, director of the LGBT & HIV Project of the ACLU of Illinois, said the student only wants to be treated like any other student. "The district's insistence on separating my client from other students is blatant discrimination," Knight said in a written statement. "Rather than approaching this issue with sensitivity and dignity, the district has attempted to justify its conduct by challenging my client's identity as a girl." Knight said very few students fully undress in locker rooms these days, and that even when changing into or out of bathing suits there are measures that can be taken -- as with a towel -- to protect their privacy without having to be in an entirely separated space. ||||| A northwest suburban school district has 30 days to allow a transgender high school student use of the girls’ locker room or face legal action by the U.S. Department of Education. The Education Department on Monday released a copy of a letter to Township High School District 211 in Palatine from the department’s Office of Civil Rights in a case that has drawn a national spotlight due to implications for schools nationwide. “All students deserve the opportunity to participate equally in school programs and activities – this is a basic civil right. Unfortunately, Township High School District 211 is not following the law because the district continues to deny a female student the right to use the girls’ locker room,” Catherine Lhamon, the department’s assistant secretary for civil rights, said in a statement. District 211 has maintained that complying with the ruling — stemming from a federal complaint filed in December 2013 by the student’s family — would violate the privacy rights of other students. The Office of Civil Rights has called the district’s position discriminatory, threatening litigation and enforcement action, including potential loss of federal education funding. District 211 received $6 million in federal funding last year. The district says it has offered the transgender student access to the girls’ locker room if she agrees to use private space within that locker room for changing or showering during physical education classes and after-school activities. The student’s family rejects that option. Neither the student — a male who is transitioning to female — nor the high school the student attends, are being identified. The Office of Civil Rights, in its letter on Monday, reveals that the transgender student has agreed to use the private space if granted unrestricted access to the locker room. “The district can provide access to this student while also respecting all students’ privacy. We encourage the district to comply with the law and resolve this case,” said Lhamon. The sticking point is that the district cannot require the student to use that private space. And after months of back and forth, the Office of Civil Rights has now given the district 30 days to comply. On Monday, the district dug in its heels. “We do not agree … and remain strong in our belief that the district’s course of action, including private changing stations in our locker rooms, appropriately serves the dignity and privacy of all students,” district administration said in a statement. “We recognize that this is an emerging and critical matter for school districts nationwide,” the statement continued. “The policy that OCR seeks to impose on District 211 is a serious overreach with precedent-setting implications. The district is prepared to engage in all avenues of due process to determine whether our position of honoring the rights of all the students is within the law.” Headquartered in Palatine, District 211 serves nearly 12,500 students from Palatine, Hoffman Estates, Inverness and Schaumburg, and parts of seven other northwestern suburbs, in five high schools and two alternative high schools. The significance of the outcome has led both the district and Education Department to take their cases to the media, first with District 211 Supt. Daniel E. Cates holding a press conference with local and national media about the case on Oct. 12; then the Education Department, which initially declined to discuss the case, now arguing it publicly. “OCR has engaged in extensive negotiations with the district to resolve the Title IX violation in this case,” states the letter, which is signed by Education Department Regional Director Adele Rapport. “The evidence establishes that, for more than two school years, the district has denied Student A access to the girls’ locker rooms at the school, and offered only separate facilities to change clothes for her PE classes and athletics activities. The district has asserted its interests in balancing the rights of all students, including the constitutional privacy interests of high school students. … The school’s students have a reasonable expectation of privacy in a locker room setting,” the letter continues. “Student A has consistently made clear that she would use the privacy curtains to change if allowed access to the girls’ locker rooms,” Rapport writes. “Thus, the evidence establishes that, given Student A’s stated intention to change privately, the district could afford equal access to its locker rooms. If an agreement is not reached within 30 calendar days … OCR must follow … the issuance of a Letter of Impending Enforcement Action.”

– A Chicago-area high school district that wouldn't let a transgender student use the girls locker room violated her civil rights and federal law, according to the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights. The department has told Township High School District 211 that it has 30 days to comply with anti-discrimination law Title IX and allow the student, who identifies as a girl, to use the locker room, reports the Chicago Sun-Times, which notes that the long-running case has attracted a lot of attention because of its implications for school districts across the country. The school district maintains that allowing the student to use the girls locker room would violate the privacy rights of other students. The civil rights complaint was filed two years ago and a deal was almost reached last week, when the district used curtains to create a private area in the locker room, reports the Chicago Tribune. The student agreed to use the area to change, but a spokesman for the ACLU of Illinois, which is representing her, tells the Tribune that the case went ahead because the district made it clear that the student would be required to use the private area, which amounts to "blatant discrimination"—and sends the message that she is not accepted. In a statement, the student said she had been "stigmatized" and the ruling made Monday a "good day for all students, but especially those who are transgender all across the nation," reports the Daily Herald. (The White House now has a transgender official.)

Three weeks before 18-year-old Jay Gallagher took his own life, a worried friend who lived in Colorado sent an email to his school counselor at Potomac Falls High in Potomac Falls, Va., telling the counselor that Jay was saying things “with suicidal content,” according to a lawsuit filed in Loudoun County Circuit Court on Friday. “He’s usually crying alone in his room because he doesn’t seem to have a good relationship with his parents,” the girl wrote. The counselor, Richard Bader, met with Gallagher, sending the girl a reassuring response: “Talked with him today. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.” But should Bader have notified Gallagher’s parents? That question is at the center of a $5 million wrongful-death lawsuit Jay’s parents, Erin and Timothy Gallagher, filed against Bader. The lawsuit accuses the school counselor of negligence and ignoring school guidelines that direct counselors to notify parents if their children express suicidal thoughts. Jay Gallagher, 18, took his life in February. His parents have filed a $5 million lawsuit. (Courtesy of the Gallagher Family) But Julia Judkins, Bader’s attorney, said the lawsuit does not tell the full story. Judkins said that the teen told Bader not to talk to his parents about their meeting and denied he was suicidal. “They’ve left out the fact that this young man was 18 years old and he had the right to tell Mr. Bader, ‘Please don’t tell my parents,’ ” Judkins said. Robert Hall, an attorney for the Gallaghers, said they had no idea their son was in trouble and believe they could have saved his life had they known he was suicidal. The parental notification guidelines “need to be enforced,” Hall said. “This was Jay Gallagher’s only opportunity to be saved.” According to Hall and to the lawsuit, Jay Gallagher was a stellar student and had been admitted to Virginia Tech. But his parents did not know he had put intense pressure on himself to perform well in school and had been under extreme stress. Jay’s father found his son dead in his room Feb. 3. After his death, one of Jay’s friends, a young woman who had moved to Colorado from Loudoun County, reached out to his parents to tell them she had emailed Jay’s school counselor to tell him of her concerns in the weeks before Jay’s death. “Last night was the most concerning due to the suicidal thoughts and the self harm,” the girl wrote in an email to the counselor in mid-January, adding that she did not believe his parents were “open to discussing issues or emotions.” “I wanna say stress stems from busy schedule, lacking self worth and various expectations.” Bader met with Gallagher but never filled out the suicide screening form and never notified his parents. Hall argues that the school’s Suicide Prevention Action Plan required Bader to follow those steps. Judkins disagrees. “Mr. Bader didn’t do anything wrong,” Judkins said, adding that their conversation did not meet the threshold for a suicide screening or parental notification. “It wasn’t applicable given the communications between Mr. Bader and young Jay Gallagher.” The lawsuit is a culmination of months of failed talks between school officials and the Gallaghers. Hall said the parents sought to clarify the guidelines or policies that outline when a counselor should contact parents and to ensure that all counselors are trained on the guidelines. The Gallaghers wrote in a post on a Facebook page they created in their son’s memory that they filed the lawsuit “with a great deal of reluctance” and merely hoped to push the school system to improve its procedures. Hall said that he asked school lawyers to meet for a confidential mediation session with a retired judge and that the school system refused. But Judkins said the mediation session stalled because the family asked the school board’s insurance company to be present and did not lay out their specific requests ahead of time. ||||| Leesburg, VA (20175) Today Some clouds. Low 26F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Some clouds. Low 26F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.

– Erin and Timothy Gallagher were heartbroken by their son's suicide on Feb. 3, but their pain only grew when they discovered his school counselor knew he'd had suicidal thoughts and "kept it a secret from us." That's the claim made in a $5 million wrongful-death lawsuit against Loudoun County Public Schools in Virginia. The couple says Jay Gallagher's friend told counselor Richard Bader at Potomac Falls High that Gallagher was having "suicidal thoughts," harming himself, "lacking self-worth," and "crying alone in his room because he doesn't seem to have a good relationship with his parents," three weeks before his death. Bader met with Gallagher, but didn't report the behavior to his parents, the suit states, per the Washington Post. That was a clear violation of the school's Suicide Prevention Action Plan, which also required Bader to fill out a suicide screening form, the suit states. Yet "the schools system's position on the matter has been, essentially, 'If your child is suicidal and we know it, we may or may not tell you,'" the Gallaghers say, per the Loudoun Times-Mirror. "That's an unstated and intolerable policy. It defies both the LCPS Suicide Prevention Procedures and all common sense." The couple's lawyer adds, "This was Jay Gallagher's only opportunity to be saved." However, Bader's lawyer says Gallagher told Bader he was not suicidal and asked him not to speak to his parents about their meeting. As Gallagher was 18 years old and had that right, "Bader didn't do anything wrong." (A beautiful gesture followed a girl's suicide.)

The International Aids Conference in South Africa might have ended last week, but activists and experts are warning the international community that the world is losing the fight against Aids. The United Nations has so far set a target of 2030 to eradicate the disease, but in an interview published today by British newspaper The Guardian, Peter Piot, the first executive director of UNAIDS... warned that that goal will be hard to reach. RFI takes a look at the topic. Is the world really losing the fight against AIDS? That's a tough question, but it does look like the death toll, still at 1.5 million people a year, could begin to rise again. It also appears that some 2.5 million people are still becoming infected with HIV every year. This means the number of new infections have plateaued after a steep dip from the peak rate of 3.3 million in 1997. “We agree that reaching a goal of less than 500.000 new infections by 2020 is completely unreachable,” says Gitau Mburu, a senior advisor with the International Aids/HIV alliance. “The reason why, is that there’s not enough investment and efforts going to HIV prevention. Part of the reason for that we have seen reduction in the amount of funding.” Is funding really decreasing? Absolutely, a recent study by UNAIDS said there had been a billion dollar drop in donor government funding from 8.6 billion in 2014 to 7.5 billion last year. Another study, released by the Global AIDS Fund, warned of 21 million preventable Aids deaths and 28 million new HIV infections over the next six years it did not get 13 billion dollars. There's also a sense amongst activists and scientists that people and world people fail to see Aids as a threat now. But among the 37 million people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS, only 17 million are currently receiving treatment. Is this problem a worldwide issue? While most new cases are located in Sub-Saharan Africa, some countries, especially in Eastern and Central Europe, have seen a rise in infections. Some groups of population, including gay men, sex workers and drug users are more at risk of becoming infected. “The groups affected by the HIV epidemic, including in Europe, are generally stigmatized and marginalised,” says Gitau Mburu. “We need to do more that we reach those groups. For example, drug users and sex workers are often not very well treated and viewed by the general population. We need to do better. Stigma needs to be addressed more directly.” Could drug resistance of the HIV become an issue? It is already an issue. A report published by the World Health Organisation, says there is a 40% resistance to one of the crucial drugs given to people in less developed countries. According to the Guardian, NGO Médecins Sans Frontières says 10% of the people it treats are drug resistant. “If everyone is treated very effectively, then the risk of drug resistance developing is low,” says Deenan Pillay, a professor of Virology, and Director of the Africa Centre for Health and Population Studies. “But in reality, we have a number of things that get in the way of this. First of all, people don’t take all their drugs, all the time, exactly when they’re meant to, throughout their lives. The second thing is that in many areas of the world, the supply chain needs to be maintained. Those, as we call them, stock out risk leading to drug resistance. Now, when it develops, it means that individual progresses in its own disease, but he can also transmit it to others.” Dealing with this is actually possible: in Europe and North America, people are moved on to newer drug combinations. But those are more expensive, and often not available in less developed countries. Which bring us to our first point: the lack of funding in the fight against AIDS. ||||| Efforts to combat Aids in Africa are seriously faltering, with drugs beginning to lose their power, the number of infections rising and funding declining, raising the prospect of the epidemic once more spiralling out of control, experts have warned. Think the Aids epidemic is over? Far from it – it could be getting worse | Sarah Boseley Read more The UN has set a target of 2030 for “the end of Aids”, which has been endorsed by donor governments including the US, where the president, Barack Obama, said the end was in sight last month. But the reality on the ground, especially in the developing world, looks very different. Many experts believe that the epidemic will continue to spread and the Aids death toll, still at 1.5 million people a year, could begin to soar again. Prof Peter Piot, the first executive director of UNAIDS and director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told the Guardian: “I don’t believe the slogan ‘the end of Aids by 2030’ is realistic and it could be counterproductive. It could suggest that it’s fine, it’s all over and we can move to something else. No. Aids is still one of the biggest killers in the world.” At the recent International Aids Conference in Durban, South Africa, Bill Gates, a self-proclaimed optimist whose foundation has invested heavily in combatting HIV, warned of trouble ahead. “If we only do as well as we have been doing, the number of people with HIV will go up even beyond its previous peak,” Gates said. “We have to do an incredible amount to reduce the incidence of the number of people getting the infection. To start writing the story of the end of Aids, new ways of thinking about treatment and prevention are essential.” Those fighting the epidemic face a devastating combination of problems: Every year, around the world, nearly 2 million people, 60% of them girls and young women, become newly infected with the virus, despite prevention efforts. In developing countries, HIV is becoming resistant to the drugs used to treat people and keep them well, which means they will increasingly need other drugs that are currently unaffordable. Donor countries are cutting back on funding. Globally, 38 million people are living with HIV, 17 million of whom are now on drugs that stop them transmitting the virus to others. But the rise in infections appears inexorable. Piot said: “It is as if we’re rowing in a boat with a big hole and we are just trying to take the water out. We’re in a big crisis with this continuing number of infections and that’s not a matter of just doing a few interventions.” Facebook Twitter Pinterest A woman walks past Aids information on the wall of the Redemption hospital in New Kru Town near Monrovia, Liberia. Photograph: Ahmed Jallanzo/EPA There had been hope that treating people would stop the spread, but studies are beginning to show that “test and treat” – putting people on drugs as soon as they test positive for HIV to prevent them being infectious – may not work. Many people do not want to take medication until they become ill. Piot believes that drugs will not stop Aids and that cultural change, which is far harder to bring about, will be necessary. “We will not end HIV as an epidemic just by medical means,” he said. “People are not robots. Sex happens in a context. It is about power. Southern African girls and young women are infected by men who are much older than themselves. It’s about poverty. It’s also about a culture of machismo. There are also gay men all over the world who are discriminated against and underground, and there’s no way you can prevent infections if something is underground.” Gates said the number of young people at risk in Africa is set to rise markedly. In a few decades, 40% of the world’s youth will live on the continent. It isn't lack of drugs preventing us eradicating Aids, but inequality | Lilianne Ploumen Read more “The largest generation in history is entering an age where they are most at risk … In 1990, there were 94 million people between the ages of 15 and 24. Already, that number has doubled. By 2030, [there will be] more than 280 million young people. The vulnerable age group will be three times as large in 2030 as it was back in 1990,” he said. Drug resistance is only now beginning to be monitored in Africa, but there are clear signs that it is growing. Médecins Sans Frontières has found 10% resistance in its projects. A World Health Organisation report tells of 40% resistance to one of the crucial drugs in the basic cocktail given to people in less economically developed countries. Resistance is widespread in Europe and North America, but people with HIV are moved on to newer drug combinations that are vastly more expensive. The basic regime in Africa costs $100 (£75) a year. Drug treatments in the US cost more than $20,000 a year. The report shows that more than one-third (35.7%) of nearly 1,200 clinics reported regularly running out of at least one drug over the course of a year. If antiretroviral drugs are not taken consistently, the virus mutates, resistance develops and the drug will no longer work. It also found that one in five patients was lost to followup, so nobody knows whether they are being successfully treated. Funding for HIV is declining, in response to austerity measures, financial crises and the assumption that the epidemic is under control. A recent report from the Kaiser Family Foundation and UNAIDS said funding from donor governments fell last year for the first time in five years, from $8.6bn in 2014 to $7.5bn.

– AIDS isn't a wounded enemy on the brink of defeat, it "is still one of the biggest killers in the world" and the target of ending the epidemic by 2030 now looks completely unrealistic, warns the chief of the United Nations program on HIV and AIDS. Former UNAIDS director Peter Piot tells the Guardian that "it is as if we're rowing in a boat with a big hole and we are just trying to take the water out. We're in a big crisis with this continuing number of infections and that’s not a matter of just doing a few interventions." There are still almost 2 million new infections every year—60% of them among women and girls—and the HIV virus is becoming resistant to drugs currently used to keep infected people healthy, leaving expensive new drug combinations as the only alternative. "We will not end HIV as an epidemic just by medical means," warns Piot, who notes that many African girls are infected by much older men and that gay men still face severe discrimination in many countries. “People are not robots. Sex happens in a context. It is about power," he says. RFI reports that out of around 37 million people infected worldwide, only around 17 million are receiving any kind of treatment, meaning that the AIDS death toll, which has been holding steady at around 1.5 million a year, could start rising again. Piot and other experts say progress—and, someday, victory—is still possible, but the fight has been slowed down by a shortage of funding, which has been partly because donor countries no longer see the epidemic as a major or urgent problem. (In the US, there are "stark differences" between the infection rates of different groups.)

Tweet with a location You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| There are some places that feel very safe. Like your bed. Or a corner booth at your favorite diner. Or Mom's kitchen table. There are some places that feel very unsafe. Like in a commercial airliner in the middle of one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded. But that's where 173 Delta passengers, plus flight crew, found themselves Wednesday afternoon. Delta Flight 302, the last commercial airplane to fly out of San Juan before the airport shut down amid 185 mile-per-hour winds, rocketed out of Puerto Rico's San Juan Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in between bands of Category 5 Hurricane Irma. The flight safely made it to New York's JFK International Airport less than three and half hours later. FlightRadar24 Sounds terrifying, but according to flying experts, it’s NBD. Sure, there are a few tricks to piloting a Boeing 737-900ER around a devastating hurricane, “but it’s not that much different from flying through the Midwest in the summertime with thunderstorms,” says Douglas M. Moss, a commercial pilot and aviation consultant with AeroPacific Consulting. “It’s the same techniques, the same tools, the same procedures you use for avoiding thunderstorms.” In fact, the real daredevil work happened before takeoff—and even before the plane landed in San Juan. As the Delta flight chugged toward Puerto Rico for its scheduled landing at 12:08 pm, Delta’s meteorology team and the folks at its sophisticated command center opted not to turn back to a safer clime—Miami, perhaps?—and decided to steer toward the storm. “They took a hard look at the weather data and the track of the storm and worked with the flight crew and dispatcher to agree it was safe to operate the flight," Erik Snell, who oversees Delta's operations and command center, said in a statement. (Delta notes the wind gusts in the area were up to 31 knots, "well below operating limits for the 737-900ER.") Once the plane landed in San Juan, the alternative—leaving the plane on the tarmac or in a hangar—would probably have destroyed the airplane. “It’s awful hard to keep an airplane that big down to the ground permanently, so it doesn’t move and doesn’t move into other airplanes or into the terminal,” says Pete Field, a former Navy test pilot. “Even a Boeing 737 could be wrenched around.” If the plane had gotten stuck, Delta probably could have gotten the humans out safely. But it almost certainly would have lost a plane. To get Delta Flight 302 into Puerto Rico and out again before Irma’s full force hit the airport, the airline had to carefully orchestrate a plan. The pilots are important here, but so is the ground personnel. Air traffic control had to stay on the scene, as did the fueling equipment and ground support staff. The flight crew had to get passengers off and then on. And you thought the crew hurried you onto your last flight. Looks like it was a nip and tuck thing. They got out before it got too hateful. In fact, it was that in-between time on the ground—a mere 40 minutes—that was probably most dangerous for the Delta pilots. “When you rush things is when you make mistakes,” says Moss. “I bet their adrenaline was pumped up.” Once the airline decided to take off, though, the actual process would have been de rigeur. Moss estimates the Delta pilots would have used maximum takeoff thrust, which is harder on the engine, uses more fuel, and is louder than normal, but also helps the plane accelerate faster and makes it easier for it to climb out and into the sky. That, along with a lower wing flap setting, are standard moves for taking off amidst wind shear—abrupt changes in wind speed and direction over a short distance. In other words: what you might expect from a storm. From there, the Delta pilots would have used their team on the ground and their on-board radar setup to avoid heavy pockets of rain and wind. (That’s the scary stuff in red). Based on the radar readings, the plane had plenty of time to navigate and reach clear skies at around 20,000 feet. “Looks like it was a nip and tuck thing,” says Field. “They got out before it got too hateful.” The flight might have been bumpy for about 15 minutes, a bit rainy and a bit dark. For the seasoned traveler, conditions like that are probably NBD. ||||| Delta flight races Hurricane Irma to Puerto Rico and back -- and wins CLOSE Heavy rain and historic, 185 miles per hour winds lashed Puerto Rico's northeast coast Wednesday as Hurricane Irma roared through the Caribbean islands on its way to a possible devastating hit on Florida. (Sept. 6) AP Delta Air Lines prides itself on its completion factor, but a Wednesday flight literally dodged a hurricane. Flight 431 pushed away from the gate New York’s JFK airport at 8:12 a.m. in a race to San Juan ahead of Hurricane Irma, according to FlightAware.com, the online tracking service. The Boeing 737-900ER was headed toward a Category 5 storm has 185 mph winds – the second-strongest ever recorded – as it crawled across the Caribbean toward Florida. But the plane taxied for 27 minutes before taking off at 8:39 a.m., according to FlightAware. A few flights attempted to squeak into @AeropuertoSJU ahead of Hurricane #Irma Too late. 2x @JetBlue & 1 @AmericanAir flight turning around pic.twitter.com/ssGLh5EFCp — Jason Rabinowitz (@AirlineFlyer) September 6, 2017 The three-hour and 49-minute flight become more thrilling than a movie on the seat-back screen, as aviation fans -- such as Jason Rabinowitz (@AirlineFlyer) -- monitored the flight’s progress through online tracking services. As the pilots aimed for the island, the red-yellow-and-green mess of Irma sprawled in front of the plane on weather radar. Delta’s proprietary flight weather viewer app, which pilots use to help predict turbulence, was another tool that helped make the final San Juan flights as smooth as possible, Thomas said. The timing proved auspicious. The flight landed at 12:01 p.m. in light rain with nine miles of visibility, with wind gusts to 31 knots, which is well within operating limits for the aircraft to fly safely, according to Michael Thomas, a Delta spokesman. “Our meteorology team is the best in the business,” said Erik Snell, Delta's vice president for operations and customer center. “They took a hard look at the weather data and the track of the storm and worked with the flight crew and dispatcher to agree it was safe to operate the flight. And our flight and ground crews were incredible in their effort to turn the aircraft quickly and safely so the flight could depart well before the hurricane threat.” Landing was only half the challenge. After a speedy, 40-minute turn, return flight 302 pushed away from the gate 24 minutes early in San Juan, on its way back to JFK, according to FlightAware. Well, that's the end of that story. DL302 is reaching the edge of #Irma's outer bands. Guess the flight crew serves lunch now...? pic.twitter.com/IDTV3WuLd5 — Jason Rabinowitz (@AirlineFlyer) September 6, 2017 The plane with 173 customers arrived back at JFK early, in time for dinner at 4:22 p.m. Just another day at the office. We have fantastic pilots, flight crew, ground crews, meteorologists and dispatchers to help get people out of San Juan. *CAE — Delta (@Delta) September 6, 2017 Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2xPGY5v

– A Delta Air Lines flight managed to make it from New York to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and back Wednesday by navigating through Hurricane Irma. The flight took off from JFK International Airport at 8:12am, heading toward the rapidly approaching Category 5 storm, reports USA Today. After making a smooth landing in San Juan at 12:01pm despite strengthening winds and decreasing visibility, it was able to take off again after a mere 40 minutes on the ground with 173 passengers and crew. As the last commercial flight out of San Juan before the airport closed, it had to make its way to safety between the outer bands of the hurricane, Wired reports. Aviation analyst Jason Rabinowitz was among those closely watching the flight. "Now DL302 has to climb out of SJU, and they're doing so between the outer band of #Irma and the core of the storm," he tweeted. "Amazing stuff." Delta says flight and ground crews made an incredible effort to turn the aircraft around in the face of the hurricane. "Our meteorology team is the best in the business," says a Delta VP, per USA Today. "They took a hard look at the weather data and the track of the storm and worked with the flight crew and dispatcher to agree it was safe to operate the flight."

It may look like leftover burnt scraps of a late-summer barbecue, stuffed with melted tyre fillings, but this bizarre black combination is just Burger King’s latest menu option for Japan. The incinerated-looking buns are darkened with bamboo charcoal, and the same has been used to give the poisonous-looking cheese its melted-tar look. The beef burgers, meanwhile, have added black pepper, and are topped with an onion and garlic sauce mixed with squid ink. The international chain says it is the third time it has released a goth-like burger (the others had black buns and black ketchup) and diners have so far given them a “favourable reception.” Strange as they seem, however, Burger King’s Kuro Pearl and Kuro Diamond are not the first black burgers around. The Spanish dish arroz negre, a rice casserole made with squid ink. Photograph: Alamy Opso in London does a fish burger and squid ink bun, while French burger chain Quick created a black bun – named Dark Vador – in 2012 to mark the release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace in 3D. Then there are the regional dishes that prove black foods are more than a gimmick, from the Spanish Arros Negre (a cuttlefish and rice dish) to squid ink risotto, black pasta – and, of course, black pudding. Black pasta. Photograph: Alamy While in 2009, jelly-makers Bompas and Parr held an all-black banquet using, among other things, black truffles, blackberries and caviar. The idea, according to Sam Bompas, was based around the fact that “black food is actually a luxury, a way of laughing at death to overcome it”. It may be an extravagant claim for the purveyors of fast food, but it certainly adds a dash of danger to your burger. ||||| These crawls are part of an effort to archive pages as they are created and archive the pages that they refer to. That way, as the pages that are referenced are changed or taken from the web, a link to the version that was live when the page was written will be preserved.Then the Internet Archive hopes that references to these archived pages will be put in place of a link that would be otherwise be broken, or a companion link to allow people to see what was originally intended by a page's authors.The goal is to fix all broken links on the web . Crawls of supported "No More 404" sites. ||||| These crawls are part of an effort to archive pages as they are created and archive the pages that they refer to. That way, as the pages that are referenced are changed or taken from the web, a link to the version that was live when the page was written will be preserved.Then the Internet Archive hopes that references to these archived pages will be put in place of a link that would be otherwise be broken, or a companion link to allow people to see what was originally intended by a page's authors.The goal is to fix all broken links on the web . Crawls of supported "No More 404" sites. ||||| These crawls are part of an effort to archive pages as they are created and archive the pages that they refer to. That way, as the pages that are referenced are changed or taken from the web, a link to the version that was live when the page was written will be preserved.Then the Internet Archive hopes that references to these archived pages will be put in place of a link that would be otherwise be broken, or a companion link to allow people to see what was originally intended by a page's authors.The goal is to fix all broken links on the web . Crawls of supported "No More 404" sites. ||||| Kotaku East East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am. The black buns? We've seen those before. But why, Burger King, why black cheese? Why? NariNari reports that Burger King Japan is rolling out another "Kuro Burger" ("Black Burger"), with buns made from bamboo charcoal, an onion and garlic sauce made with squid ink, beef patties made with black pepper, and black cheese, which is also apparently made with bamboo charcoal. I don't think I've ever seen black cheese in my entire life. This could be a first for me. Advertisement [Burger King Japan/Facebook] There are two types of burgers: the Kuro (Black) Pearl and the Kuro (Black) Diamond with all the fixings. The burgers go on sale later this month in Japan for a limited time only. チーズまで黒い「黒バーガー」、今年は「Pearl」と「Diamond」の2種類 [NariNari] To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft. Advertisement ||||| These crawls are part of an effort to archive pages as they are created and archive the pages that they refer to. That way, as the pages that are referenced are changed or taken from the web, a link to the version that was live when the page was written will be preserved.Then the Internet Archive hopes that references to these archived pages will be put in place of a link that would be otherwise be broken, or a companion link to allow people to see what was originally intended by a page's authors.The goal is to fix all broken links on the web . Crawls of supported "No More 404" sites.

– Who knows how many cheeseburger-noshing rules will be broken by this new sandwich from Burger King, but hey—anything's better than meat-scented perfume, right? BK Japan's "Kuro Burger" (or "Black Burger") is apparently hitting restaurants there on Sept. 19, according to promotional images shown on the restaurant's Facebook page. The "goth-like" burger, as the Guardian calls it, will feature beef patties coated in black pepper, black cheese and buns made with bamboo charcoal, and an onion-garlic topping made with (wait for it) squid ink, Narinari.com reports via Kotaku. The chain says it's the third time it has released black-themed burgers and that consumers have generally given them a "favorable reception" in the past, notes the Guardian. Advance buzz on Twitter seems split: Reaction ranges from mildly curious ("hmm id like to try this") and overly excited ("Holy crap! Give me seven of them!") to creeped out ("A very eerie burger, like the grim reaper ordered it") and flat-out disgusted ("Has Burger King created the least appetizing menu item ever?"). The burgers will—perhaps predictably—only be around for a limited time, notes Kotaku.

Federal officials said Wednesday that the new Indiana law cutting Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood violates Medicaid rules — a determination that could cost the state millions and possibly even billions of dollars. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services informed state officials by letter that it was denying Indiana’s new Medicaid plan because states can’t pick and choose where recipients receive health-care services. What happens next is, at best, a guess. But almost certain is that it will add fuel to a legal and political battle likely to be watched closely across the nation. An HHS official would not comment on what happens if Indiana does not change its law, though one possible ramification would be withholding funding. Indiana relies on about $4million in federal Medicaid family planning funds and more than $4 billion in total Medicaid dollars. The state Family and Social Services Administration — caught between state and federal law — said it would seek guidance from Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller. “For now, our lawyers advise us that we must continue to follow the law the Indiana General Assembly passed,” said FSSA spokesman Marcus Barlow. Zoeller spokesman Bryan Corbin said that the office is working with the FSSA to determine its options, “but we will continue to defend the statute.” Gov. Mitch Daniels, who signed the bill into law, declined to comment Wednesday. There also is the matter of the courts. The law, which took effect May 10, is being challenged in federal court by Planned Parenthood on various grounds. The next court date is scheduled for Monday. The law made Indiana the first state to cut off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood and ended roughly $1.3 million in annual payments to the health provider. Planned Parenthood of Indiana, which has been scraping together donations over the past few weeks in an effort to keep serving its 9,300 Medicaid patients, welcomed Wednesday’s letter. “It is incredibly gratifying to have the federal government confirm what we’ve been saying all along, that (House Enrolled Act) 1210 violates federal law,” said Betty Cockrum, president of Planned Parenthood of Indiana. (Page 2 of 3) Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, called the letter “a strong rebuke to Indiana” and said it “serves as a warning to other states that attempts to bar federal funding for Planned Parenthood violate Medicaid law.” State Rep. Eric Turner, R-Cicero, who helped lead the effort in the legislature to defund Planned Parenthood, was disappointed. “We believe we represented the public’s opinion on this, and we’ll see what happens,” he said. “It’s another example of the federal government trying to tell states what to do. I think states are very capable of deciding their own fate and running their own ship.” Anti-abortion activists challenged the Obama administration’s interpretation of federal Medicaid policy, saying they believe states do have authority to defund Planned Parenthood and called the letter a strong-arm tactic. “We’re not surprised by it,” said Indiana Right to Life Legislative Director Sue Swayze. “This is the most pro-abortion president we’ve ever had. It almost feels like they’re bullying the state of Indiana over the wishes of our legislative branch.” President Marjorie Dannenfelser of the Susan B. Anthony List, an anti-abortion group, said, “(HHS) Secretary (Kathleen) Sebelius is strong-arming states like Indiana to protect the administration’s powerful ally Planned Parenthood.” House Bill 1210 was approved overwhelmingly by the House and Senate. Supporters of the law said they did not want their tax dollars going to an organization that provides abortions — even though the procedure is not paid for with tax dollars. Opponents said the law could leave 9,300 Medicaid patients, who receive services such as birth control, cancer screenings and sexually transmitted disease tests, without reproductive health care. The law took effect immediately after Daniels signed it, giving FSSA little time to apply for federal approval for the changes until after funding had already been cut off. The application went out May 12. The letter received Wednesday was the federal government’s response rejecting that application. ||||| WASHINGTON — The Obama administration prohibited the State of Indiana on Wednesday from carrying out a new state law that cuts off money for Planned Parenthood clinics providing health care to low-income women on Medicaid. The state law penalized Planned Parenthood because some of its clinics also perform abortions. Dr. Donald M. Berwick, administrator of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said the state law imposed impermissible restrictions on the freedom of Medicaid beneficiaries to choose health care providers. The freedom of choice, he said, is generally guaranteed by the federal Medicaid law. But state officials said Wednesday that they intended to continue enforcing the state law, which took effect on May 10, when it was signed by Gov. Mitch Daniels, a Republican. In a letter to Indiana officials, Dr. Berwick said the state law “would eliminate the ability of Medicaid beneficiaries to receive services from specific providers for reasons not related to their qualifications to provide such services.” Advertisement Continue reading the main story For years, federal law has banned the use of Medicaid money to pay for abortion except in certain cases.

– The White House has—as promised—moved to block an Indiana law that strips Planned Parenthood of Medicaid funds. State officials have been notified that the law, which cuts off funding to Planned Parenthood because some clinics perform abortion services, violates Medicaid rules because states aren't allowed to choose where recipients receive health care services, reports the New York Times. State officials say they plan to continue enforcing the law, which was signed by Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels last month. The federal government's move is "a strong rebuke to Indiana” that should serve as a warning to other states seeking to defund Planned Parenthood," the president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America tells the Indianapolis Star. Medicaid officials have signaled that the state could lose $4 billion in federal funding if it refuses to comply with the administration's decision.

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– The Charlottesville resident who organized last weekend's alt-right rally appears to have insulted victim Heather Heyer in crude language. A tweet (no longer accessible) from the account of Jason Kessler Friday said this: "Heather Heyer was a fat, disgusting Communist. Communists have killed 94 million. Looks like it was payback time." It linked to a story in the neo-Nazi site Daily Stormer that used similar language about the 32-year-old Heyer. (That story resulted in the loss of internet privileges for the website.) The tweet from Kessler—assuming his account wasn't hacked—has quickly drawn condemnation from well-known figures on the alt-right, reports the Los Angeles Times. Richard Spencer, for example, declared: "I will no longer associate w/ Jason Kessler; no one should. Heyer's death was deeply saddening. 'Payback' is a morally reprehensible idea." Another prominent figure in the movement, Tim Gionet, aka Baked Alaska, called the Kessler tweet "terribly wrong and vile." Kessler's hometown newspaper, meanwhile, the Daily Progress, interviews people who know, or knew, the 33-year-old and say he held liberal beliefs as recently as a few years ago. Perhaps the most eye-popping interview comes with a former girlfriend, who describes herself as a progressive Democrat and says that Kessler knew about her Jewish heritage and wasn't bothered by it. She says she dated him for several months in 2013 and says he dumped her because she wasn't "liberal enough." Kessler, for his part, has said that he leaned left until being "red-pilled" about three years ago, a reference to the Matrix. That was when he began to identify with the white nationalist movement, he says.

Remember Pluto? Tiny lonely rock orbiting the sun at the edge of the solar system? And then, in 2006, researchers summarily defrocked the little world of its status as a planet. Poof! Gone. This kind of thing has happened before. Many decades ago, paleontologists similarly decided that there wasn't enough evidence to support the existence of the beloved Brontosaurus. Instead, they said that the noble thunder lizard was just an Apatosaurus. Poof. But mourn the Brontosaurus no longer! A team of heroes may have rescued it from paleontological purgatory. By cross-referencing the digitized bones from hundreds of long-necked cousins, a team of European scientists now says that they've identified enough unique anatomical details to reinstate the Brontosaurus at the head of its own genus. That's not all. "The real importance of this paper is this is the first time that this group of sauropods have been analyzed in a big fashion," says Mark Norell, the top paleontologist at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Apatosaurus and (the off again, on again) Brontosaurus are both Diplodocidae, a family of dinos characterized by long necks, short legs, and thin, whip-like tails. As with all long-extinct creatures, piecing together their family tree is a pain in the ass. And owing to size, the diplodocids are especially hard to study. Paleontologists build their taxonomies by looking for subtle clues in fossil bones—a neck bone with a slightly different ratio of length to width, or a shoulder blade that's a slightly more square shaped. Based on the percentage of these similarities and differences, scientists can determine taxonomy—which fossils are different individuals of the same species, which are species in the same genus, and which are distinct genera within the same family. "Essentially we have been trying to figure out these damn dinosaurs since the first carcass was pulled out of Colorado in 1877," says Matthew Mossbrucker, at the Morrison Natural History Museum in Colorado. Indeed, that era of fossil hunting was known as the "Bone Wars." Great paleontologists with great egos fiercely battled to pull the most, the biggest, and the best bones out of the ground. In addition to attacking the cement-like rocks with picks and shovels, the paleontological teams battled each other with theft, bribery, sabotage, and constant smear campaigns. The first Apatosaurus was a major victory. A few years later, the same team dug up a second, similar sauropod skeleton. But it was different enough to earn a new genus: Brontosaurus, the thunder lizard. The great de-bronto-ing came in 1903, when a paleontologist named Elmer Riggs said this classification was wrong-headed. The mistake, he said, was in the number of sacrum bones (where the tail attaches to the spinal cord). The Apatosaurus sacrum was made of three bones, while the Brontosaurus had five. Rather than being different species, Riggs contended the Brontosaurus was just a younger version of the Apatosaurus, and the sacrum bones would have fused together as the dinosaur aged (bone fusing happens in many species, including humans). According to Riggs, the two skeletons were the same species. And scientific decorum dictated that older name should stick. Bye, bye Brontosaurus. The skeleton-formerly-known-as-Brontosaurus was reinstated as a unique species many decades later—albeit as a subspecies of Apatosaurus—but the thunder lizard never got its awesome name back. Until now. Digital libraries contain high-res scans of every diplodocid bone ever dug up. These span the earliest bones ever dug up all the way to brand new specimens from a museum in Switzerland, near where one of the co-authors grew up. In fact, it was these bones that inspired Emanuel Tschopp to undertake the huge reclassification. "I grew up very close to the museum and the people working there, so I had easy access to the bones and could study them in deep detail," he says. He and his co-authors used algorithms to compare over 500 different anatomical traits. If more than 20 percent of the traits were different, then the authors put the bones into its own genus. "The border between different species and different individuals within a species were progressively much lower," Tschopp says. The main purpose was to re-examine this family tree of long necked dinosaurs, he says. "We were very surprised when we got these results that Brontosaurus was valid again." So surprised in fact, that they called in another researcher, Roger Benson, an Oxford University expert in using statistical analyses to verify speciation, to check their results. His answers said the same thing. "It was a number of small differences that were important, but probably the most obvious features that would help distinguish the two is that the Apatosaurus has an extremely wide neck, where Brontosaurus' is more high than wide." Surprisingly, none of these experts are sparring over whether to reinstate the Brontosaurus. But that doesn't mean everything is hunky dory. At issue are some details in the methodology, specifically whether the fossils should be organized by relative age, rather than morphological differences alone. (The counterargument being that evolution is not linear, so time doesn't really matter when figuring out how things are related). But overall, this is a paltry disagreement compared to the massive paleontological quarrels in the 1800s. “That’s how it is with paleontology. Family trees like these are models. They’re not handed down on tablets,” says Mossbrucker. The important thing, which they all agree on, is that papers like this allow for more and better anatomical comparisons in the future. That’s great for paleontology, but let’s be honest: All the rest of us really care about is that Brontosaurus is back. And if we’re lucky, good ole Pluto might not be far behind. ||||| Although well known as one of the most iconic dinosaurs, Brontosaurus (the 'thunder lizard') has long been considered misclassified. Since 1903, the scientific community has believed that the genus Brontosaurus was in fact the Apatosaurus. Now, an exhaustive new study by palaeontologists from Portugal and the UK provides conclusive evidence that Brontosaurus is distinct from Apatosaurus and as such can now be reinstated as its own unique genus. Brontosaurus is one of the most charismatic dinosaurs of all time, inspiring generations of children thanks to its size and evocative name. However, as every armchair palaeontologist knows, Brontosaurus was in fact a misnomer, and it should be correctly referred to as Apatosaurus. At least, this is what scientists have believed since 1903, when it was decided that the differences between Brontosaurus excelsus and Apatosaurus were so minor that it was better to put them both in the same genus. Because Apatosaurus was named first, it was the one that was used under the rules of scientific naming. In fact, of course, the Brontosaurus was never really gone - it was simply treated as a species of the genus Apatosaurus: Apatosaurus excelsus. So, while scientists thought the genus Brontosaurus was the same as Apatosaurus, they always agreed that the species excelsus was different from other Apatosaurus species. Now, palaeontologists Emanuel Tschopp, Octávio Mateus, and Roger Benson say that Brontosaurus was a unique genus all along. But let's start from the beginning. The history of Brontosaurus is complex, and one of the most intriguing stories in science. In the 1870s, the Western United States formed the location for dozens of new finds of fossil species, most notably of dinosaurs. Field crews excavated numerous new skeletons mostly for the famous and influential palaeontologists Marsh and Cope. During that period, Marsh's team discovered two enormous, partial skeletons of long-necked dinosaurs and shipped them to the Yale Peabody Museum in New Haven, where Marsh worked. Marsh described the first of these skeletons as Apatosaurus ajax, the "deceptive lizard" after the Greek hero Ajax. Two years later, he named the second skeleton Brontosaurus excelsus, the "noble thunder lizard". However, because neither of the skeletons were found with a skull, Marsh reconstructed one for Brontosaurus excelsus. Brontosaurus was a massive animal, like Apatosaurus, and like another long-necked dinosaur from the Western United States, Camarasaurus. Because of this similarity, it seemed logical at the time that Brontosaurus had a similarly stout, box-like skull to that of Camarasaurus. However, this reconstruction was later found to be wrong. Shortly after Marsh's death, a team from the Field Museum of Chicago found another skeleton similar to both Apatosaurus ajax and Brontosaurus excelsus. In fact, this skeleton was intermediate in shape in many aspects. Therefore, palaeontologists thought that Brontosaurus excelsus was actually so similar to Apatosaurus ajax that it would be more correct to treat them as two different species of the same genus. It was the second extinction of Brontosaurus - a scientific one: from now on, Brontosaurus excelsus became known as Apatosaurus excelsus and the name Brontosaurus was not considered scientifically valid any more. The final blow to "Brontosaurus" happened in the 1970s, when researchers showed that Apatosaurus was not closely related to Camarasaurus, but to yet another dinosaur from the same area: Diplodocus. Because Diplodocus had a slender, horse-like skull, Apatosaurus and thus also "Brontosaurus" must have had a skull more similar to Diplodocus instead of to Camarasaurus - and so the popular, but untrue myth about "Brontosaurus" being an Apatosaurus with the wrong head was born. But now, in a new study published in the peer reviewed open access journal PeerJ and consisting of almost 300 pages of evidence, a team of scientists from Portugal and the UK have shown that Brontosaurus was distinct from Apatosaurus after all - the thunder lizard is back! How can a single study overthrow more than a century of research? "Our research would not have been possible at this level of detail 15 or more years ago", explains Emanuel Tschopp, a Swiss national who led the study during his PhD at Universidade Nova de Lisboa in Portugal, "in fact, until very recently, the claim that Brontosaurus was the same as Apatosaurus was completely reasonable, based on the knowledge we had." It is only with numerous new findings of dinosaurs similar to Apatosaurus and Brontosaurus in recent years that it has become possible to undertake a detailed reinvestigation of how different they actually were. In science, the distinction between species and genera is without clear rules. Does this mean that the decision to resurrect Brontosaurus is just a matter of personal preference? "Not at all", explains Tschopp, "we tried to be as objective as possible whenever making a decision which would differentiate between species and genus". The researchers applied statistical approaches to calculate the differences between other species and genera of diplodocid dinosaurs, and were surprised by the result. "The differences we found between Brontosaurus and Apatosaurus were at least as numerous as the ones between other closely related genera, and much more than what you normally find between species," explained Roger Benson, a co-author from the University of Oxford. Therefore, Tschopp and colleagues have concluded that it is now possible to resurrect Brontosaurus as a genus distinct from Apatosaurus. "It's the classic example of how science works", said Professor Mateus, a collaborator on the research. "Especially when hypotheses are based on fragmentary fossils, it is possible for new finds to overthrow years of research." Science is a process, always moving towards a clearer picture of the world around us. Sometimes this also means that we have to step backwards a bit before we continue to advance. That's what keeps the curiosity going. Hence, it is fitting that the Brontosaurus which sparked the curiosity of millions of people worldwide has now returned to do so again. ### Images: Note: Full size versions of these images, plus additional images, are available here (http://goo. gl/ gPqfpi ) Life restoration: "Brontosaurus as researchers see it today - with a Diplodocus-like head" Credit: Davide Bonadonna, Milan, Italy. Creative commons license CC- BY NC SA. Infographic: "The history of Brontosaurus - one of the greatest stories in paleontology" License: CC BY 4.0. Designers: StudioAM Full resolution PDFs of these infographics are available at: http://static. peerj. com/ press/ previews/ 2015/ 04/ 857_infographic_no_text. pdf and: http://static. peerj. com/ press/ previews/ 2015/ 04/ 857_infographic_with_text. pdf Historic image: "A reconstruction of the skeleton of Brontosaurus excelsus with the wrong, Camarasaurus-like skull". Published by OC Marsh, 1896, now in public domain, available here: http://www. copyrightexpired. com/ earlyimage/ bones/ display_marsh_brontosaurus. htm Historic life restoration: "Brontosaurus as researchers imagined it in the late 1800s: aquatic, and with a large, robust skull". Artist unknown, image in public domain, available here: http://www. copyrightexpired. com/ earlyimage/ bones/ large/ display_daiguebelle_brontosaurus. htm Additional images are available here: http://goo. gl/ gPqfpi EMBARGOED until April 7th 2015: 7 am EDT; 11 am UTC (i.e. the date of publication) PDF of this Press Release: http://static. peerj. com/ pressReleases/ 2015/ PressReleasePeerJ_Tschopp.pdf Link to the Press Preview of the Original Article (this link should only be used BEFORE the embargo ends): http://static. peerj. com/ press/ previews/ 2015/ 04/ 857. pdf (300 DPI resolution, 23Mb file). Note: this is an author proof and so may change slightly before publication. Link to the Published Version of the article (quote this link in your story - the link will ONLY work after the embargo lifts): https:/ / peerj. com/ articles/ 857 - your readers will be able to freely access this article at this URL. Citation to the article: Tschopp et al. (2015), A specimen-level phylogenetic analysis and taxonomic revision of Diplodocidae (Dinosauria, Sauropoda). PeerJ 3:e857; DOI 10.7717/peerj.857 Peer-Review Information: The article was peer reviewed by Andy Farke (the Academic Editor, of the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology), Philip Mannion (Imperial College London), and John Whitlock (Mount Aloysius College). The full peer-review history will be made available alongside the published article, and journalists may request it in advance of publication (by emailing press@peerj.com). About PeerJ PeerJ is an Open Access publisher of peer reviewed articles, which offers researchers a lifetime publication plan, for a single low price, providing them with the ability to openly publish all future articles for free. PeerJ is based in San Francisco, CA and London, UK and can be accessed at https:/ / peerj. com/ . PeerJ's mission is to help the world efficiently publish its knowledge. All works published in PeerJ are Open Access and published using a Creative Commons license (CC-BY 4.0). Everything is immediately available--to read, download, redistribute, include in databases and otherwise use--without cost to anyone, anywhere, subject only to the condition that the original authors and source are properly attributed. PeerJ has an Editorial Board of almost 1,000 respected academics, including 5 Nobel Laureates. PeerJ was the recipient of the 2013 ALPSP Award for Publishing Innovation. PeerJ Media Resources (including logos) can be found at: https:/ / peerj. com/ about/ press/ Media Contacts Note: If you would like to join the PeerJ Press Release list, visit: http://bit. ly/ PressList For the authors: Lead author: Emanuel Tschopp, Tel: +351 91 203 83 51 (Portugal, until April 1), +39 342 631 4421 (Italy, always); tschopp.e@gmail.com (in German, English, Italian) Collaborators: Octávio Mateus, Tel: +351 918 381 501; omateus@fct.unl.pt (in Portuguese, English) & Roger Benson, Tel: +44 (1865) 272000 (UK); roger.benson@earth.ox.ac.uk (in English) For PeerJ: email: press@peerj.com , https:/ / peerj. com/ about/ press/ External experts, who know the work and have agreed to be consulted: Dr. Philipp Mannion (UK), +44 (0)20 7594 6404 ; philipdmannion@gmail.com Dr. John Whitlock (USA), +1 814.886.6536 ; jwhitlock@mtaloy.edu Dr. Paul Upchurch (UK), +44 (0) 207 679 7947 ; p.upchurch@ucl.ac.uk Dr Mike Taylor (UK), Skype: Sauropoda ; sauropoda@gmail.com Prof. Martin Sander (Germany), +49 228 73 31 05 ; martin.sander@uni-bonn.de Prof. Louis Jacbos (USA) ; +1 214 768 2425; jacobs@smu.edu Dr. Fidel Torcida (Spain) ; fideltorcida@hotmail.com Abstract (from the article): Diplodocidae are among the best known sauropod dinosaurs. Several species were described in the late 1800s or early 1900s from the Morrison Formation of North America. Since then, numerous additional specimens were recovered in the USA, Tanzania, Portugal, and Argentina, as well as possibly Spain, England, Georgia, Zimbabwe, and Asia. To date, the clade includes about 12 to 15 nominal species, some of them with questionable taxonomic status (e.g., 'Diplodocus' hayi or Dyslocosaurus polyonychius), and ranging in age from Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous. However, intrageneric relationships of the iconic, multi-species genera Apatosaurus and Diplodocus are still poorly known. The way to resolve this issue is a specimen-based phylogenetic analysis, which has been previously implemented for Apatosaurus, but is here performed for the first time for the entire clade of Diplodocidae. The analysis includes 81 operational taxonomic units, 49 of which belong to Diplodocidae. The set of OTUs includes all name-bearing type specimens previously proposed to belong to Diplodocidae, alongside a set of relatively complete referred specimens, that increase the amount of anatomically overlapping material. Non-diplodocid outgroups were selected to test the affinities of potential diplodocid specimens that have subsequently been suggested to belong outside the clade. The specimens were scored for 477 morphological characters, representing one of the most extensive phylogenetic analyses of sauropod dinosaurs. Character states were figured and tables given in the case of numerical characters. The resulting cladogram recovers the classical arrangement of diplodocid relationships. Two numerical approaches were used to increase reproducibility in our taxonomic delimitation of species and genera. This resulted in the proposal that some species previously included in well-known genera like Apatosaurus and Diplodocus are generically distinct. Of particular note is that the famous genus Brontosaurus is considered valid by our quantitative approach. Furthermore, "Diplodocus" hayi represents a unique genus, which will herein be called Galeamopus gen. nov. On the other hand, these numerical approaches imply synonymization of "Dinheirosaurus" from the Late Jurassic of Portugal with the Morrison Formation genus Supersaurus. Our use of a specimen-, rather than species-based approach increases knowledge of intraspecific and intrageneric variation in diplodocids, and the study demonstrates how specimen-based phylogenetic analysis is a valuable tool in sauropod taxonomy, and potentially in paleontology and taxonomy as a whole. ||||| The largest animals to ever walk the Earth were the long-necked, long-tailed dinosaurs known as the sauropods, and the most famous of these giants is probably Brontosaurus, the "thunder lizard." However, as deeply rooted as this titan is in the popular imagination, for more than a century scientists thought it never existed. The first Brontosaurus was named in 1879 by famed paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh. The specimen still stands on display in the Great Hall of the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History. However, in 1903, paleontologist Elmer Riggs found that Brontosaurus was apparently the same as Apatosaurus, which Marsh first described in 1877. In such cases, the rules of scientific nomenclature state that the oldest name has priority, dooming Brontosaurus to another extinction. Now a new study suggests resurrecting Brontosaurus. Turns out the original Apatosaurus and Brontosaurus fossils appear different enough to belong to separate groups after all. "Generally, Brontosaurus can be distinguished from Apatosaurus most easily by its neck, which is higher and less wide," says lead study author Emanuel Tschopp, a vertebrate paleontologist at the New University of Lisbon in Portugal. "So, although both are very massive and robust animals, Apatosaurus is even more extreme than Brontosaurus." The nearly 300-page study analyzed 477 different physical features of 81 sauropod specimens, involving five years of research and numerous visits to museum collections in Europe and the United States. The initial goal of the research was to clarify the relationships among the species making up the family of sauropods known as the diplodocids, which includes Diplodocus, Apatosaurus and now Brontosaurus. The scientists conclude that three known species of Brontosaurus exist — Brontosaurus excelsus, the first discovered, as well as Brontosaurus parvus and Brontosaurus yahnahpin. Tschopp and his colleagues Octávio Mateus and Roger Benson detailed their findings online April 7 in the journal PeerJ. "We're delighted that Brontosaurus is back," says Jacques Gauthier, curator of vertebrate paleontology and vertebrate zoology at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, who did not participate in this study. "I grew up knowing about Brontosaurus — what a great name, 'thunder lizard' — and never did like that it sank into Apatosaurus." For vertebrate paleontologist Mike Taylor at the University of Bristol in England, who did not take part in this research, the most exciting thing about this study is "the magnificent comprehensiveness of the work this group has done, the beautifully detailed and informative illustrations, and the degree of care taken to make all their work reproducible and verifiable. It really sets a new standard. I am in awe of the authors." Vertebrate paleontologist Mathew Wedel at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, Calif., who also did not collaborate on this paper, agrees, saying "the incredible amount of work here is what other research is going to be building on for decades." Tschopp notes their research would have been impossible at this level of detail 15 or more years ago. It was only with many recent findings of dinosaurs similar to Apatosaurus and Brontosaurus that it became possible to reexamine how different they actually were and breathe new life into Brontosaurus, he says. However, while Kenneth Carpenter, director and curator of paleontology at Utah State University Eastern's Prehistoric Museum, finds this study impressive, he notes the fossil on which Apatosaurus is based has never been described in detail, and suggests the researchers should have done so if they wanted to compare it to Brontosaurus. "So is Brontosaurus valid after all?" he asks. "Maybe. But I think the verdict is still out." All in all, these findings emphasize "that sauropods were much more diverse and fascinating than we've realized," Taylor says. Indeed, the recognition of Brontosaurus as separate from Apatosaurus is "only the tip of the iceberg," Taylor adds. "The big mounted apatosaur at the American Museum of Natural History is probably something different again, yet to be named. Yet another nice complete apatosaur, which is in a museum in Tokyo, is probably yet another new and distinct dinosaur." This diversity of sauropods emphasizes "that the Late Jurassic of North America in which they lived may have been a weird time," Wedel says. "You basically had an explosion of these things in what could be harsh environments, which raises the question of how they could have found enough food to have supported them all." In other words, research that helped resurrect Brontosaurus may have birthed new mysteries as well. ||||| It may be one of the most famous dinosaurs of all time. The trouble is that shortly after being discovered, the Jurassic creature fell into an identity crisis. The name for the long-necked, heavy-bodied herbivore Brontosaurus excelsus—the great “thunder lizard”—was tossed into the scientific wastebasket when it was discovered that the dinosaur wasn't different enough from other specimens to deserve its own distinct genus. But now, in a paleontological twist, Brontosaurus just might be back. A new analysis of dinosaur skeletons across multiple related species suggests that the original thunder lizard is actually unique enough to resurrect the beloved moniker, according to researchers in the U.K. and Portugal. “We didn’t expect this at all at the beginning,” says study co-author Emmanuel Tschopp of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa. At first, Tschopp had been working only with Octávio Mateus of the Museu da Lourinhã to update the family tree of diplodocid dinosaurs. But when it started looking like Brontosaurus might be real after all, they asked Roger Benson at the University of Oxford to join their team and run a statistical analysis on their findings. “Roger’s calculations gave the same results,” Tschopp says. “Brontosaurus should be valid.” The name Brontosaurus excelsus was coined by Yale paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh, who described the species in an 1879 paper with the mundane title “Notice of New Jurassic Reptiles.” His description is based on an enormous partial skeleton exhumed from the 150-million-year-old rock of Como Bluff, Wyoming. This “monster” of a dinosaur added to Marsh’s rapidly growing fossil collection, which already included similar species. Just two years earlier, Marsh had named Apatosaurus ajax—the “deceptive lizard”—from a partial skeleton found in the Jurassic rock of Colorado. Brontosaurus quickly gained fame because it was among the first dinosaurs the public encountered. An illustration of its skeleton “was the first dinosaur restoration to get a wide circulation,” points out North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences historian Paul Brinkman. This “helped spread the popularity of Brontosaurus in an era before dinosaurs proliferated widely in natural history museums.” And once museums started to put up skeletons of Brontosaurus—the first was assembled in New York City in 1905—the dinosaur’s popularity only grew. But as anyone who has strolled through an up-to-date museum hall knows, the name Brontosaurus was eventually abandoned. In 1903, paleontologist Elmer Riggs found that most of the traits that seemed to distinguish Marsh's two specimens had to do with differences in growth, and it was more likely that the skeletons belonged to the same genus. Since it was named first, Apatosaurus had priority over Brontosaurus. Despite the extreme similarity between Marsh’s skeletons, Riggs recognized that they differed just enough to be regarded as different species. Therefore Apatosaurus ajax would remain in place, and Brontosaurus was changed to Apatosaurus excelsus. It took a while for museums to follow suit, but by the 1970s everyone finally got on board with the shift. Bringing Brontosaurus back from scientific obsolescence would be the equivalent of restoring Pluto to the status of planet. And much like the drawn-out debate over the extraterrestrial body, the status of Brontosaurus relies on definitions and the philosophy of how scientists go about making divisions in a messy natural world. To navigate the ever-growing number of dinosaur species, paleontologists look to a discipline called cladistics. In short, scientists pore over dinosaur skeletons to score a set of subtle characteristics, such as the way a flange of bone is oriented. Computer programs sort through those traits to create a family tree based upon who shares which characteristics. However, different researchers might pick different characteristics and score them in different ways, so any single result is a hypothesis that requires verification from other researchers independently generating the same results. Here’s where Brontosaurus stomps in. Tschopp and colleagues had set out to create a revised family tree of diplodocid dinosaurs—huge sauropods found from the western United States to Portugal—with a special emphasis on sorting out how many species of Diplodocus and Apatosaurus there were. The researchers scored 477 anatomical landmarks across 81 individual dinosaurs. While the general shape of the tree supported what other paleontologists had previously proposed, there was a surprise in store: The bones Marsh originally called Brontosaurus seem to stand apart from the two Apatosaurus species, the team reports today in PeerJ. Most of the differences the researchers identified were subtle anatomical features, but there are some broader traits, Tschopp says. “The most obvious and visual feature would be that Apatosaurus has a wider neck than Brontosaurus,” he says, adding that despite the title “thunder lizard,” Brontosaurus was not quite as robust as Apatosaurus. These results came from two Brontosaurus skeletons: the one Marsh used to coin the name, and a second that could confidently be referred to as the same species. There are more possible Brontosaurus bones out there, and Tschopp studied many of them in preparation for the current study. But because the skeletons were incomplete, the bones popped up in various positions on the family tree. Now, with the new diplodocid tree in hand, Tschopp says he plans to take a second look at these bones to see whether they truly group with Brontosaurus or something else. What remains unclear is whether Brontosaurus is here to stay. Southern Methodist University paleontologist Louis Jacobs praises the new study. “Numerous new sauropods have been discovered and named in the last couple of decades, new techniques have been developed, and we simply have a more sophisticated understanding of sauropods now,” he says. The potential resurrection comes out of this burgeoning understanding. In short, Jacobs says, “good for them, and bully for Brontosaurus!” John Whitlock of Mount Aloysius College is more reserved. “For me the issue is how you want to define genera and species in dinosaur paleontology,” Whitlock says. Some researchers will look at this study and conclude that Brontosaurus should still be an Apatosaurus because of their close relationship, forming what paleontologists call a monophyletic group, while others will emphasize the diversity. There’s no standard rule for how such decisions should be made. “I think we are going to start seeing discussion about not only how much change is enough to split a monophyletic group but, more importantly, how do we compare characters and character states?” Whitlock says. “That's going to be a fun debate to be a part of, and I'm excited about it.” The fate of Brontosaurus now relies upon whether other paleontologists will be able to replicate the results, as well as what those researchers think about the threshold for when dinosaurs merit different names. Other dinosaurs are held in the same taxonomic tension. While some researchers recognize the slender tyrannosaur Gorgosaurus libratus as a unique genus, for example, others see it as a species of Albertosaurus. But the battle for Brontosaurus stands apart. The name has become a totem of the extinct creatures that continue to ignite our imaginations with scenes of Jurassic titans ambling over fern-carpeted floodplains. We’ve kept the name Brontosaurus alive because the hefty herbivore is an emissary to a past we can never visit, but that we can still connect to through the dinosaur’s magnificent bones. Protocol will ultimately dictate the dinosaur’s title, but in spirit if not in science, those old bones will always be Brontosaurus.

– It's big news, quite literally. New research indicates that the Brontosaurus really did exist, some 112 years after scientists declared the opposite was true. The backstory: Paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh and his team discovered the fossils of two long-necked dinosaurs in the Western US in the 1870s and had them shipped to the Yale Peabody Museum. There, in 1877, Marsh described the first as Apatosaurus ajax; in 1879, he dubbed the second Brontosaurus excelsus. But then came the blow: In 1903, paleontologists, having found a third similar "intermediary" skeleton, asserted that the Brontosaurus and the Apatosaurus belonged to the same genus. Since the Apatosaurus was named first, it lived on, and the Brontosaurus became Apatosaurus excelsus. Until now. After what a press release describes as an "exhaustive" study, British and Portuguese paleontologists say the Brontosaurus merits its own genus. Scientific American reports that in its quest to reconstruct the diplodocids' family tree (Apatosaurus is a diplodocid, which is in the sauropod family), the team analyzed 477 unique anatomical features of 81 sauropod specimens. Wired explains how nuanced the analysis was, describing a search for "a neck bone with a slightly different ratio of length to width, or a shoulder blade that’s a slightly more square [shape]." Explains researcher Emanuel Tschopp, "Our research would not have been possible at this level of detail 15 or more years ago." Those specimens who passed the 20% threshold in terms of differences were considered a unique genus, and Marsh's specimen qualified. Smithsonian reports most of the distinctions are "subtle" but quotes Tschopp as saying, "The most obvious and visual feature would be that Apatosaurus has a wider neck than Brontosaurus."

"There are no words to describe it when you walk in and see her on a ventilator and you just wonder if she's gonna wake up from her coma." Lindsey said. "It's been absolutely awful for our family. To go on vacation in Hawaii for the first time and go straight from an airplane to a hospital, and wondering if she's gonna make it through." ||||| Hi... My name is Lindsey Van Briesen and I am Wendi's sister in law. :-)July21: I have been getting lots of emails wanting to know about food donations and gift card donations. At this time we are requesting gift cards only for the people who do not directly know our family, due to health and dietary concerns.If you would like to donate a gift card to the family I would be happy to provide you with an address where they can be sent.( we are currently in the process of having a P.O. Box set up)Thank you all again more then words express!!!-LindseyJuly 19 2014: UPDATE-It's with a heavy heart that I must say Wendi went to be with The Lord this morning. Thank you all for your amazing donations, prayers, thoughts, and calls to our family.Please think about sharing our gofundme site as we need to make this family worry just a little less.We love you all!-Lindsey Van BriesenAs you all know Wendi was involved in a horrible freak accident while vacationing with her family in Maui, Hawaii. Wendi, Aaron, Tanner and McKenna were all at McKenna beach in Maui. Wendi and Tanner were out in the ocean body surfing when unexpectly a larger wave came In. Tanner managed to escape the wave and come out unharmed while his mom Wendi was not so lucky. The wave knocked Wendi unconscious. Aaron saw her right away floating in the ocean. He ran in pulled her out and immediately began CPR and rescue breathing.Wendi fractured her C1 and C2 and is currently in a coma on life support.Let's help this amazing family by first praying!Second let's help by easing some of the financial burden they are going to endure through this horrible time!Any amount will be greatly appreciated!Thank you all for everything you have done so far and by the prayers you are sending. ||||| Gilbert mother dies after bodysurfing accident in Maui MAUI, Hawaii -- A week ago, the Van Briesen family departed Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport for their first-ever trip to Hawaii. But their summer vacation took a tragic turn Saturday when the mother died following a freak accident in the ocean. Wendi Van Briesen, a Southwest flight attendant, was bodysurfing with her 13-year-old son when a wave took her under. "I don't know if she hit her head or it was whiplash. Nobody knows what happened under that wave," sister-in-law Lindsey Van Briesen told 3TV via Skype Saturday. Aaron Van Briesen, Wendi's husband and a Gilbert school teacher, quickly pulled her out of the water and began CPR. She was rushed to a hospital, and extended family members arriving in Maui that day went straight to her bedside. She never regained consciousness. "She broke her C1 and C2 vertebrae. She was in a coma and on life support until this morning when she passed away," Lindsey Van Briesen said. The mother's 13-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter saw the accident. "It's been awful. Luckily, they are so strong," Lindsey Van Briesen said. The family was supposed to head to Kaui Sunday for the rest of their vacation but instead booked flights home to Gilbert to plan the funeral. "You go to Hawaii on a family vacation for the first time and you don't expect to leave not whole," Lindsey Van Briesen said. "We come with everybody and we're leaving one behind. It's been hard for everybody." A GoFundMe page that was created while Wendi Van Briesen was on life support has raised more than $34,000. "She was friends with everybody," Lindsey Van Briesen said. "She had the biggest smile on her face, always laughing, dancing, and just having a great time. She loved her children."

– Flight attendant Wendi Van Briesen was bodysurfing with 13-year-old son Tanner in Maui when a huge wave turned the family's first vacation to Hawaii tragic, knocking her unconscious, shattering two of her vertebrae, and putting her into a coma. Van Briesen's husband, Aaron, and 11-year-old daughter, McKenna, witnessed the accident from the beach, and Aaron, a schoolteacher, pulled her out of the water and performed CPR. A week later, the Arizona native died while on life support, reports Arizona's 3TV. "There are no words to describe it when you walk in and see her on a ventilator," her sister-in-law told Hawaii News Now. "It's been absolutely awful for our family—to go on vacation in Hawaii for the first time and go straight from an airplane to a hospital." The family had planned to fly to Kauai for the remainder of their vacation, but are instead flying home to Gilbert, Ariz., to plan the funeral. A GoFundMe page created when Wendi Van Briesen was still on life support has raised more than $42,000 to help with family expenses. (Another woman recently died in Maui while ziplining.)

Tweet with a location You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| CLOSE ABC pulls the plug on 'Roseanne' after racist tweet Josmar Taveras, USA TODAY Roseanne Barr in October 2017. (Photo: Richard Shotwell, Invision/AP) That didn't last long. Roseanne Barr is back on Twitter hours after her racist tweet about former Obama White House adviser Valerie Jarrett led to the cancellation of her hit ABC show Roseanne. On Tuesday night, Barr retweeted followers who called ABC's decision to ax her show hypocritical, and replied that she thought that the target of her tweet was "Saudi" and didn't realize the racist implications of her post. At one point, she defended herself by tweeting: "yes, I mistakenly thought (Jarrett) was white." "Don't feel sorry for me, guys!!" she wrote in a separate post. "I just want to apologize to the hundreds of people, and wonderful writers (all liberal) and talented actors who lost their jobs on my show due to my stupid tweet." She even offered an explanation as to what caused her to tweet. "It was 2 in the morning and I was ambien tweeting-it was memorial day too-i went 2 far & do not want it defended-it was egregious Indefensible," Barr tweeted. "I made a mistake I wish I hadn't but...don't defend it please. ty." guys I did something unforgiveable so do not defend me. It was 2 in the morning and I was ambien tweeting-it was memorial day too-i went 2 far & do not want it defended-it was egregious Indefensible. I made a mistake I wish I hadn't but...don't defend it please. ty — Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 30, 2018 She also issued an additional apology to Jarrett, tagging her in a tweet. "@ValerieJarrett i don't know if u saw it, but I wanted2 apologize to u 4 hurting and upsetting u with an insensitive & tasteless tweet," Barr wrote. "I am truly sorry-my whole life has been about fighting racism. I made a terrible mistake wh caused hundreds of ppl 2 lose their jobs. so sorry!" @ValerieJarrett i don't know if u saw it, but I wanted2 apologize to u 4 hurting and upsetting u with an insensitive & tasteless tweet. I am truly sorry-my whole life has been about fighting racism. I made a terrible mistake wh caused hundreds of ppl 2 lose their jobs. so sorry! — Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 30, 2018 Barr's tweet spree began several hours after Channing Dungey, president of ABC Entertainment, issued a statement to USA TODAY denouncing Barr's original tweet, after the star's apology failed to halt a backlash that included the show's consulting producer, Wanda Sykes. "Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show," Dungey's statement read. Barr's comment, which has now been deleted, was sent in response to a tweet that accused Jarrett of helping "hide" misdeeds for the Obama administration. "muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj,” Barr wrote, using Jarrett's initials. Jarrett, 61, is African American and worked for Obama from 2009 to 2017. Barr apologized for the tweet, describing it as "a bad joke." I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans. I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks. I should have known better. Forgive me-my joke was in bad taste. — Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 29, 2018 "I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans. I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks," Barr said. "I should have known better. Forgive me — my joke was in bad taste." Barr's agency, ICM Partners, said in a statement Tuesday that Barr's tweet was "disgraceful," ''unacceptable" and "antithetical to our core values." The talent representative says it has ended its relationship with Barr "effective immediately." Viacom cable networks Paramount Network, TV Land and CMT will be pulling all Roseanne reruns from their schedules beginning Wednesday. And Hulu yanked episodes of the series. Jarrett responded Tuesday during a previously scheduled appearance on the MSNBC special Everyday Racism in America. "I think we have to turn it into a teaching moment," she said. On the program, which airs Tuesday night, Jarrett added, "I’m fine. I’m worried about all the people out there who don’t have a circle of friends and followers coming to their defense." Roseanne comedy returned to ABC in March, two decades after it ended its first run from 1988 to 1997, reuniting the original cast including John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf and Sara Gilbert. The much-awaited 10th season's two-episode opener attracted 18.2 million viewers in preliminary Nielsen ratings, making it the season's top premiere. The return was large enough to prompt ABC to quickly order another season. But the show has been beset by controversy. Dealing with hot-button issues such as health care, social security and opioid addiction, the reboot received backlash for some of its pointed jokes, including jabs at minority-led series Black-ish and Fresh Off the Boat. Most of the dissent has been focused on the show's star. Barr only recently returned to Twitter after taking a break from the social media site following a December feud with people who responded harshly to her tweets praising President Trump and criticizing Hillary Clinton. More: Inside Roseanne Barr’s history of offensive tweets While Barr received a congratulatory call from Trump after the heated exchange, even then, fellow comedians were left with mixed feelings. On Tuesday, Sykes was the first to announce she'd pull out of the show with a short and simple message of disapproval. "I will not be returning to @RoseanneOnABC," she wrote on Twitter. Gilbert, who plays Darlene Conner on the show, also denounced Barr's comments. Roseanne’s recent comments about Valerie Jarrett, and so much more, are abhorrent and do not reflect the beliefs of our cast and crew or anyone associated with our show. I am disappointed in her actions to say the least. — sara gilbert (@THEsaragilbert) May 29, 2018 "Roseanne’s recent comments about Valerie Jarrett, and so much more, are abhorrent and do not reflect the beliefs of our cast and crew or anyone associated with our show," she tweeted. "I am disappointed in her actions to say the least." Emma Kenney, who plays Darlene's eldest child, Harris Conner-Healy, shared her disapproval. "I am hurt, embarrassed, and disappointed. The racist and distasteful comments from Roseanne are inexcusable," she wrote. Writer Danny Zuker also tweeted his disapproval. "I wrote on the original "Roseanne" where we used to denounce nativism, racism & homophobia. Nauseating to see what she's become," he wrote. "Looking forward to continue not watching this show." Actor Don Cheadle called out the apparent racism in Barr's tweets. you can take @RoseanneOnABC out of racism but you can’t take the racism out of @therealroseanne ... https://t.co/sJs7Hn5zrn — Don Cheadle (@DonCheadle) May 29, 2018 "you can take @RoseanneOnABC out of racism but you can’t take the racism out of @therealroseanne," he said. Actress Patricia Arquette also spoke up. I am repulsed that Valerie Jarret had that racist and bigoted "joke" made at her expense and I am sickened that any Black or Muslim person has to keep hearing this sickness in 2018. — Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) May 29, 2018 "I am repulsed that Valerie Jarret had that racist and bigoted "joke" made at her expense and I am sickened that any Black or Muslim person has to keep hearing this sickness in 2018," she wrote. Some tweeted their support for the actress, including British media personality Katie Hopkins. "Never apologise @therealroseanne It only encourages the (expletive). Stand Strong," she wrote with the hashtag #MAGA. Rosie O'Donnell called Barr's tweets "racist" and "childish" but overall seemed to accept the actress' apology. i love roseanne quite a bit the comment roseanne tweeted was racist and childish and beneath her best self she has apologized twitter is a dangerous place — ROSIE (@Rosie) May 29, 2018 Actor Tom Arnold, Barr's ex-husband, who played Arnie Thomas in the original Roseanne series, also weighed in. Anyone who worked on "Roseanne" 88'-94' knows there's a 50% chance Rosey calls me today & tells me to go fire Donald Trump. They also know there's 100% chance I'd show up at the White House, give him 5 mins to say goodbye & get his crap before I through him & it out the window. — Tom Arnold (@TomArnold) May 29, 2018 "Anyone who worked on 'Roseanne' 88'-94' knows there's a 50% chance Rosey calls me today & tells me to go fire Donald Trump," he wrote. "They also know there's 100% chance I'd show up at the White House, give him 5 mins to say goodbye & get his crap before I through him & it out the window." Contributing: Carly Mallenbaum, Andrea Mandell, Erin Jensen More: Roseanne Barr defends her Trump support with F-bomb on 'Tonight Show' More: 'Late Night with Seth Meyers' writer Amber Ruffin destroys 'racist' 'Roseanne' Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2ITInkM ||||| ‘Roseanne’ canceled after star’s racist tweet ABC canceled the relaunched “Roseanne” program on Tuesday amid an uproar over a racist tweet by Roseanne Barr, the show’s lead actor, about Valerie Jarrett, a longtime adviser and close friend of former President Barack Obama‘s. “Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show,” ABC Entertainment’s president, Channing Dungey, said in a statement. Story Continued Below Facing a fevered backlash over social media, Barr apologized on Tuesday for making the comment about Jarrett. Over Twitter, the edgy star of the newly relaunched ABC sitcom sparked a firestorm by writing of Jarrett: “muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj.” Jarrett was born in Iran and is African-American. Morning Media Your guide to the media circus — weekday mornings, in your inbox. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. Barr initially responded to criticism suggesting the remark was a “joke.” But as calls quickly grew for both ABC and sponsors to drop the sitcom, she later offered a full-throated apology. “I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans,” Barr wrote. “I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks. I should have known better. Forgive me — my joke was in bad taste.” I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans. I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks. I should have known better. Forgive me-my joke was in bad taste. — Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 29, 2018 Jarrett, now a senior fellow at the University of Chicago Law School, told MSNBC during a pre-taped town hall-style program on racism set to air Tuesday night that she was “fine“ in the wake of Barr‘s remarks. But she added that the controversy should serve as a “teaching moment“ on the pervasiveness of everyday racism. “I think we have to turn it into a teaching moment,“ Jarrett said, according to a clip released by the network. “I‘m fine. I'm worried about all the people out there who don't have a circle of friends and followers who come right to their defense.“ According to the network, the former Obama adviser added that the Walt Disney Company’s chairman and CEO, Robert Iger, whose company owns ABC, called her before announcing the cancellation of the program. After the program was dropped, Iger tweeted: “There was only one thing to do here, and that was the right thing.” From Channing Dungey, President of ABC Entertainment: "Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show." There was only one thing to do here, and that was the right thing. — Robert Iger (@RobertIger) May 29, 2018 The cancellation signals a victory for critics of the show, who scrutinized ABC’s decision to revive the popular 1990s sitcom despite lingering concerns over Barr’s incendiary comments online. It also marks the end of a show that drew praise from President Donald Trump, who was supported by both Barr and her fictional TV character. After the premiere of the “Roseanne” reboot drew nearly 20 million viewers in March, Trump celebrated its ratings success during a rally in Ohio. “Look at her ratings! Look at her ratings!” Trump told the crowd, attributing the figures partly to himself and his supporters. Trump has long touted ratings as a barometer of sorts for success, both as the former face of NBC’s “The Apprentice” and as a politician. And the popularity of Barr’s program was widely seen as linked to the populist surge that helped Trump clinch the presidency in 2016. Asked about Barr’s comments and the subsequent cancellation, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Tuesday that Trump's focus lay elsewhere. She told reporters aboard Air Force One that “the president is focused on North Korea. He’s focused on trade deals. And he’s focused on rebuilding our military, the economy. And that’s what he’s spending his time on, not responding to other things.“ Trump himself made no mention of the controversy on Tuesday night during a rally for a Senate candidate in Nashville, Tennessee. ABC’s decision to drop the show was celebrated by several legislators. “Thank you, @ABCNetwork. You did the right thing,” tweeted Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), a civil rights icon who marched alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960s. “There is not any room in our society for racism or bigotry.” Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), the first formerly undocumented immigrant to serve in Congress, tweeted: “Thank you @ABC for standing up to reaffirm that racism and bigotry will NOT be tolerated.” In response to the TV star’s remarks, David Axelrod, a longtime Jarrett friend and White House colleague, took aim at Barr earlier on Tuesday. “I’m proud of Valerie and the extraordinary life and contributions she’s made,” Axelrod said in an email Tuesday. “Can anyone say the same about that tweet? It brands itself.” It appears the original tweet was since taken down. Prior to the show’s cancellation, Wanda Sykes, who described herself as a consulting producer for the program, tweeted that she “will not be returning” to “Roseanne.” And Sara Gilbert, who plays the daughter to Barr’s character, Roseanne Conner, on the show, expressed disappointment over the “abhorrent” remarks on social media. I will not be returning to @RoseanneOnABC. — Wanda Sykes (@iamwandasykes) May 29, 2018 “Roseanne’s recent comments about Valerie Jarrett, and so much more, are abhorrent and do not reflect the beliefs of our cast and crew or anyone associated with our show,” Gilbert tweeted. “I am disappointed in her actions to say the least.” She added: “This is incredibly sad and difficult for all of us, as we’ve created a show that we believe in, are proud of, and that audiences love — one that is separate and apart from the opinions and words of one cast member.” Roseanne’s recent comments about Valerie Jarrett, and so much more, are abhorrent and do not reflect the beliefs of our cast and crew or anyone associated with our show. I am disappointed in her actions to say the least. — sara gilbert (@THEsaragilbert) May 29, 2018 The network had faced renewed pressure on Tuesday to address incendiary public remarks from Barr, who has sparked controversy by propagating unsubstantiated conspiracy theories online. Her remarks on Jarrett prompted a fresh round of calls for companies to drop their ads on the program. In a separate Twitter screed earlier on Tuesday, Barr took aim at Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as well as at George Soros, the billionaire political donor who started the the grantmaking network Open Society Foundations. Barr, who is Jewish, accused Soros of being “a nazi who turned in his fellow Jews 2 be murdered in German concentration camps,” and suggested that Chelsea Clinton is married to a member of his family, tweeting: “Chelsea Soros Clinton.” Good morning Roseanne - my given middle name is Victoria. I imagine George Soros’s nephews are lovely people. I’m just not married to one. I am grateful for the important work @OpenSociety does in the world. Have a great day! https://t.co/mXokiTEwN7 — Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) May 29, 2018 Two of the messages were retweeted by Donald Trump Jr., the president’s oldest son. A representative for him did not respond to a request for comment on the remarks or the “Roseanne” cancellation. Chelsea Soros Clinton — Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 29, 2018 Sorry to have tweeted incorrect info about you!I Please forgive me! By the way, George Soros is a nazi who turned in his fellow Jews 2 be murdered in German concentration camps & stole their wealth-were you aware of that? But, we all make mistakes, right Chelsea? — Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 29, 2018 Clinton and a representative for Soros refuted Barr’s incendiary remarks. “Good morning Roseanne — my given middle name is Victoria,” Clinton tweeted. “I imagine George Soros’s nephews are lovely people. I’m just not married to one. I am grateful for the important work @OpenSociety does in the world. Have a great day!” In an email, a spokesperson for Soros blasted Barr’s allegations: “He did not collaborate with the Nazis. He did not help round up people. He did not confiscate anybody’s property. Such false allegations are insulting to the victims of the Holocaust, to all Jewish people, and to anyone who honors the truth. They are an affront to Mr. Soros and his family, who against the odds managed to survive one of the darkest moments in our history.” ||||| Roseanne’s recent comments about Valerie Jarrett, and so much more, are abhorrent and do not reflect the beliefs of our cast and crew or anyone associated with our show. I am disappointed in her actions to say the least. ||||| Wanda Sykes has had enough of Roseanne. The actress and comedian is credited as a consulting producer on the hit ABC sitcom. But Sykes, whose credits also include on-camera roles on ABC’s black-ish and HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, just tweeted this: I will not be returning to @RoseanneOnABC. — Wanda Sykes (@iamwandasykes) May 29, 2018 The statement comes after Barr made a racist tweet Tuesday attacking former President Obama senior advisor Valerie Jarrett. Barr used Jarrett’s initials and said “Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby.” Later the ABC prime-time star issued a full-fledged apology: I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans. I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks. I should have known better. Forgive me-my joke was in bad taste. — Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 29, 2018 Barr recently finished the first season of her rebooted sitcom, which ranked as one of the most-watched shows of the TV season. Ironically, Barr’s joke comes after her show drew some degree of praise for an episode that had the Connors meeting their new Muslim neighbors. ABC renewed the series for a second season which will debut this fall. ABC has not yet commented. UPDATE: ABC has canceled Roseanne (!). ||||| Tweet with a location You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more

– A racist joke on Twitter has cost Roseanne Barr her show. ABC on Tuesday canceled the reboot of Roseanne amid a storm of criticism directed at its star, reports CNN. The move came after Barr apologized not once but twice on Tuesday for a jarring insult directed at former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett. In a since-deleted tweet, Barr wrote, "muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj." As the post began getting traction Tuesday, Barr took to Twitter again. "I apologize. I am now leaving Twitter," she wrote. And then came a lengthier mea culpa: "I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans. I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks. I should have known better. Forgive me-my joke was in bad taste." Related coverage: ABC: "Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show," says the network's statement, per USA Today. Jarrett: Now a senior fellow at the University of Chicago Law School, she declined to comment through a spokesperson, reports Politico. Jarrett is black, and she was born in Iran to American parents. Sykes bailed: Before ABC's move, African-American comedian Wanda Sykes, credited as a consulting producer on Roseanne, tweeted that she would not be returning to the show, reports Entertainment Weekly. Sara Gilbert: The Roseanne star, who was instrumental in the show's reboot, also distanced herself early. The comments "are abhorrent and do not reflect the beliefs of our cast and crew or anyone associated with our show," she tweeted. "I am disappointed in her actions to say the least."

Death has this much to be said for it: You don’t have to get out of bed for it. Wherever you happen to be They bring it to you—free. —Kingsley Amis Pointed threats, they bluff with scorn Suicide remarks are torn From the fool’s gold mouthpiece the hollow horn Plays wasted words, proves to warn That he not busy being born is busy dying. —Bob Dylan, “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” When it came to it, and old Kingsley suffered from a demoralizing and disorienting fall, he did take to his bed and eventually turned his face to the wall. It wasn’t all reclining and waiting for hospital room service after that—“Kill me, you fucking fool!” he once alarmingly exclaimed to his son Philip—but essentially he waited passively for the end. It duly came, without much fuss and with no charge. Mr. Robert Zimmerman of Hibbing, Minnesota, has had at least one very close encounter with death, more than one update and revision of his relationship with the Almighty and the Four Last Things, and looks set to go on demonstrating that there are many different ways of proving that one is alive. After all, considering the alternatives … Before I was diagnosed with esophageal cancer a year and a half ago, I rather jauntily told the readers of my memoirs that when faced with extinction I wanted to be fully conscious and awake, in order to “do” death in the active and not the passive sense. And I do, still, try to nurture that little flame of curiosity and defiance: willing to play out the string to the end and wishing to be spared nothing that properly belongs to a life span. However, one thing that grave illness does is to make you examine familiar principles and seemingly reliable sayings. And there’s one that I find I am not saying with quite the same conviction as I once used to: In particular, I have slightly stopped issuing the announcement that “Whatever doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.” In fact, I now sometimes wonder why I ever thought it profound. It is usually attributed to Friedrich Nietzsche: Was mich nicht umbringt macht mich stärker. In German it reads and sounds more like poetry, which is why it seems probable to me that Nietzsche borrowed it from Goethe, who was writing a century earlier. But does the rhyme suggest a reason? Perhaps it does, or can, in matters of the emotions. I can remember thinking, of testing moments involving love and hate, that I had, so to speak, come out of them ahead, with some strength accrued from the experience that I couldn’t have acquired any other way. And then once or twice, walking away from a car wreck or a close encounter with mayhem while doing foreign reporting, I experienced a rather fatuous feeling of having been toughened by the encounter. But really, that’s to say no more than “There but for the grace of god go I,” which in turn is to say no more than “The grace of god has happily embraced me and skipped that unfortunate other man.” In the brute physical world, and the one encompassed by medicine, there are all too many things that could kill you, don’t kill you, and then leave you considerably weaker. Nietzsche was destined to find this out in the hardest possible way, which makes it additionally perplexing that he chose to include the maxim in his 1889 anthology Twilight of the Idols. (In German this is rendered as Götzen-Dämmerung, which contains a clear echo of Wagner’s epic. Possibly his great quarrel with the composer, in which he recoiled with horror from Wagner’s repudiation of the classics in favor of German blood myths and legends, was one of the things that did lend Nietzsche moral strength and fortitude. Certainly the book’s subtitle—“How to Philosophize with a Hammer”—has plenty of bravado.) In the remainder of his life, however, Nietzsche seems to have caught an early dose of syphilis, very probably during his first-ever sexual encounter, which gave him crushing migraine headaches and attacks of blindness and metastasized into dementia and paralysis. This, while it did not kill him right away, certainly contributed to his death and cannot possibly, in the meanwhile, be said to have made him stronger. In the course of his mental decline, he became convinced that the most important possible cultural feat would be to prove that the plays of Shakespeare had been written by Bacon. This is an unfailing sign of advanced intellectual and mental prostration. (I take a slight interest in this, because not long ago I was invited onto a Christian radio station in deepest Dixie to debate religion. My interviewer maintained a careful southern courtesy throughout, always allowing me enough time to make my points, and then surprised me by inquiring if I regarded myself as in any sense a Nietzschean. I replied in the negative, saying that I had agreed with some arguments put forward by the great man but didn’t owe any large insight to him and found his contempt for democracy to be somewhat off-putting. H. L. Mencken and others, I tried to add, had also used him to argue some crude social-Darwinist points about the pointlessness of aiding the “unfit.” And his frightful sister, Elisabeth, had exploited his decline to misuse his work as if it had been written in support of the German anti-Semitic nationalist movement. This had perhaps given Nietzsche an undeserved posthumous reputation as a fanatic. The questioner pressed on, asking if I knew that much of Nietzsche’s work had been produced while he was decaying from terminal syphilis. I again responded that I had heard this and knew of no reason to doubt it, though knew of no confirmation either. Just as it became too late, and I heard the strains of music and the words that this would be all we would have time for, my host stole a march and said he wondered how much of my own writing on god had perhaps been influenced by a similar malady! I should have seen this “gotcha” coming, but was left wordless.) Eventually, and in miserable circumstances in the Italian city of Turin, Nietzsche was overwhelmed at the sight of a horse being cruelly beaten in the street. Rushing to throw his arms around the animal’s neck, he suffered some terrible seizure and seems for the rest of his pain-racked and haunted life to have been under the care of his mother and sister. The date of the Turin trauma is potentially interesting. It occurred in 1889, and we know that in 1887 Nietzsche had been powerfully influenced by his discovery of the works of Dostoyevsky. There appears to be an almost eerie correspondence between the episode in the street and the awful graphic dream experienced by Raskolnikov on the night before he commits the decisive murders in Crime and Punishment. The nightmare, which is quite impossible to forget once you have read it, involves the terribly prolonged beating to death of a horse. Its owner scourges it across the eyes, smashes its spine with a pole, calls on bystanders to help with the flogging … we are spared nothing. If the gruesome coincidence was enough to bring about Nietzsche’s final unhingement, then he must have been tremendously weakened, or made appallingly vulnerable, by his other, unrelated sufferings. These, then, by no means served to make him stronger. The most he could have meant, I now think, is that he made the most of his few intervals from pain and madness to set down his collections of penetrating aphorism and paradox. This may have given him the euphoric impression that he was triumphing, and making use of the Will to Power. Twilight of the Idols was actually published almost simultaneously with the horror in Turin, so the coincidence was pushed as far as it could reasonably go. Or take an example from an altogether different and more temperate philosopher, nearer to our own time. The late Professor Sidney Hook was a famous materialist and pragmatist, who wrote sophisticated treatises that synthesized the work of John Dewey and Karl Marx. He too was an unrelenting atheist. Toward the end of his long life he became seriously ill and began to reflect on the paradox that—based as he was in the medical mecca of Stanford, California—he was able to avail himself of a historically unprecedented level of care, while at the same time being exposed to a degree of suffering that previous generations might not have been able to afford. Reasoning on this after one especially horrible experience from which he had eventually recovered, he decided that he would after all rather have died: I lay at the point of death. A congestive heart failure was treated for diagnostic purposes by an angiogram that triggered a stroke. Violent and painful hiccups, uninterrupted for several days and nights, prevented the ingestion of food. My left side and one of my vocal cords became paralyzed. Some form of pleurisy set in, and I felt I was drowning in a sea of slime In one of my lucid intervals during those days of agony, I asked my physician to discontinue all life-supporting services or show me how to do it. The physician denied this plea, rather loftily assuring Hook that “someday I would appreciate the unwisdom of my request.” But the stoic philosopher, from the vantage point of continued life, still insisted that he wished he had been permitted to expire. He gave three reasons. Another agonizing stroke could hit him, forcing him to suffer it all over again. His family was being put through a hellish experience. Medical resources were being pointlessly expended. In the course of his essay, he used a potent phrase to describe the position of others who suffer like this, referring to them as lying on “mattress graves.” ||||| A final memoir by the late author and polemicist Christopher Hitchens will be released early next year, his publisher said this morning. Hitchens, who died yesterday aged 62, wrote a series of columns for Vanity Fair about his battle with oesophageal cancer, chronicling how he moved "from the country of the well across the stark frontier that marks off the land of malady". The forthcoming memoir will be based on the essays, said Atlantic Books, and will be called Mortality. The book had been planned for some time, said a spokesperson. "Before I was diagnosed with esophageal cancer a year and a half ago, I rather jauntily told the readers of my memoirs that when faced with extinction I wanted to be fully conscious and awake, in order to 'do' death in the active and not the passive sense," Hitchens wrote in his final column for Vanity Fair. "However, one thing that grave illness does is to make you examine familiar principles and seemingly reliable sayings. And there's one that I find I am not saying with quite the same conviction as I once used to: In particular, I have slightly stopped issuing the announcement that 'Whatever doesn't kill me makes me stronger'." Atlantic Books also publishes Hitchens' bestselling title God is Not Great, his memoir Hitch-22 and this autumn's comprehensive essay collection, Arguably. Toby Mundy, chief executive, called it "an honour" to have been Hitchens' publisher for the last seven years. "There is no-one like Christopher Hitchens. He was the most brilliant and versatile non-fiction writer of modern times, whose prodigious output was of stunningly high quality, a showcase for his vast range, deep knowledge and fierce wit. When he was diagnosed with cancer, he faced it with characteristic honesty, courage and rigour," said Mundy. "He is, quite simply, irreplaceable."

– For fans of Christopher Hitchens, one final book. A memoir entitled Mortality will be released in early 2012; it's based on a series of articles the journalist wrote for Vanity Fair describing his battle with esophageal cancer, reports the Guardian. A spokesman noted that the book had been in the works for some time. Hitchens asserted in his final column for Vanity Fair, "Before I was diagnosed with esophageal cancer a year and a half ago, I rather jauntily told the readers of my memoirs that when faced with extinction I wanted to be fully conscious and awake, in order to 'do' death in the active and not the passive sense."

INDIANAPOLIS -- A former employee with the City of Indianapolis is suing the city after she was fired for her actions related to a co-worker who had "obnoxious chronic body odor," according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed by Amber Bridges in December with the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Indiana. Reports about the lawsuit were first filed by the Indianapolis Star Tuesday morning. Bridges, a former lead staff member in the Marion County Magistrate Court, claims she was fired unfairly in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act after her actions with a co-worker. The co-worker suffered from an "obnoxious chronic body odor" condition that distracted other employees from doing their work, the lawsuit states. After notifying her supervisor of the distractions and complaints, the lawsuit states that in Nov. 2016, Bridges bought and installed air fresheners around the office "to improve the overall quality of air in the office." The lawsuit states that Bridges' supervisor was aware that she installed the air fresheners. It also stated that other staff members also put air fresheners in the office. In May 2017, Bridges was notified about complaints about the air fresheners to Bridges' supervisor and the human resources director, the lawsuit said. Bridges was fired that same month. She is now suing under the ADA, saying the city regarded the co-worker's body odor as a disability protected under the ADA. The association provision of the ADA protects people who have a relationship or association with somebody who has a disability. Bridges' supervisor and the HR director claimed her behavior "distracted from the overall professional demeanor at and productivity of the Magistrate Court," according to the lawsuit, but Bridges alleges these reasons are false. "The City's conduct was outrageous and malicious, was intended to injure Bridges, and was done with reckless indifference to Bridges' protected civil rights, entitling her to an aware of punitive damages," the lawsuit states. MORE TOP STORIES | Couple mysteriously disappears after visiting family in Indy, car found abandoned in Madison Co. | Photos: The faces of 2017's homicide victims | Identities released of elderly couple, son found dead in Hamilton County home on Christmas Day | 9-year-old with pellet gun stops man from stealing pickup truck in Kokomo | In pictures posted to social media, young homicide victims showed off guns, cash Top Trending Videos ||||| Body odor can be considered a disability, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says. (Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto) Chronic body odor is the focus of a lawsuit filed against the city of Indianapolis. Amber Bridges, a former lead staff in the magistrate court, says her efforts to remedy complaints about an individual with chronic body odor got her fired. In November 2016, according to the Dec. 21 complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, employees and staff members began to complain about a coworker's "chronic body odor." As lead staff, Bridges notified her supervisor about the complaints and later bought and installed air fresheners throughout the work area to "improve the overall quality of air in the office." More: Hotel owner says she gets death threats after guest was charged $350 for posting negative review More: Ex-IPS counselor faces federal lawsuit over sex abuse with students That prompted other staff, clerks and employees of the magistrate court to install air fresheners in their work area, according to the complaint. In May 2017, Bridges was notified that the worker with the body odor made complaints with the human resources department about the use of air fresheners. Bridges' supervisor told her that she had created a hostile work environment toward the worker, and Bridges was terminated. Bridges, who had worked there since 2010, claims her firing was unlawful, per her association with an individual with a disability. She claims that the worker's "obnoxious chronic body odor" is a disability protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in some cases considers body odor a protected disability. She had an "exemplary and unblemished employment record," according to the complaint. The ADA prohibits discrimination based on relationship or association with a disabled person. The EEOC's website states the law exists in order to protect individuals from actions based on unfounded assumptions that their relationship to a person with a disability would affect their job performance. Bridges' attorney, Robert Oakley of Dilley & Oakley P.C. in Carmel, declined to comment on the lawsuit. The city's attorney, Donald Morgan, declined to comment on the matter "out of respect for the judicial process." Kevin Betz, an employment attorney at Downtown law firm Betz and Blevins, said it is fairly common for individuals to sue an employer based on an association with a disability. Betz said there "are cases in which a fellow coworker or even a family member or friend takes protective actions or even is simply associated with the individual who is disabled" and " they receive an adverse action at the workplace." "That is fairly common set of facts in civil rights lawsuits," Betz said. Betz said that people may have body odor for various reasons, including disability. If body odor results from a disability, employers should consider whether reasonable accommodation is appropriate, according to the Job Accommodation Network, a service of the U.S. Labor Department. Accommodations could include allowing flexible restroom breaks, providing a private office with an air-purification system or reassigning the person to a position that does not involve direct contact with the public. Call IndyStar reporter Fatima Hussein at (317) 444-6209. Follow her on Twitter: @fatimathefatima. Read or Share this story: http://indy.st/2lGjNFI

– A bizarre lawsuit out of Indianapolis revolves around life at the office and body odor. As IndyStar reports, the mess began when workers in the city's magistrate court complained about a co-worker's chronic body odor. That prompted Amber Bridges, as part of her role as lead staff, to place air fresheners around the office. Soon, others did the same, and the co-worker with the body-odor problem eventually complained to human resources. Bridges then got fired, the explanation being that she had created a hostile work environment. Now she is suing the city, arguing that her firing violates the American With Disabilities Act. The lawsuit makes a two-part argument: the co-worker's body odor is a protected disability, and, thus, Bridges cannot be fired because of her association with the co-worker. The case hinges on a part of the ADA that states "persons discriminated against because they have a known association or relationship with a disabled individual also are protected." The reason for the body odor is not specified, but an employment attorney not connected to the case tells IndyStar that body odor can indeed qualify as a disability under certain circumstances. Attorneys for Bridges and the city declined to comment, but the lawsuit says the city's "conduct was outrageous and malicious, was intended to injure Bridges, and was done with reckless indifference to Bridges' protected civil rights, entitling her to an award of punitive damages," per the IndyChannel.

FILE- In this March 2, 2015 file photo, Rachel Dolezal, president of the Spokane chapter of the NAACP, poses for a photo in her Spokane, Wash. home. Dolezal is facing questions about whether she lied... (Associated Press) FILE- In this March 2, 2015 file photo, Rachel Dolezal, president of the Spokane chapter of the NAACP, poses for a photo in her Spokane, Wash. home. Dolezal is facing questions about whether she lied... (Associated Press) SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — The Spokane NAACP has postponed a meeting Monday where its president, Rachel Dolezal, was expected to speak about the furor sparked after her parents said she has falsely portrayed herself as black for years though she is actually white. The chapter said Sunday on Facebook that the meeting would be rescheduled "due to the need to continue discussion with regional and national NAACP leaders." In an email to The Associated Press, the chapter confirmed the meeting was postponed but declined to be interviewed further. According to KHQ-TV in Spokane, Dolezal had earlier sent a message to NAACP members saying she would address the situation at a group meeting Monday night. The city of Spokane is investigating whether she lied about her ethnicity when she applied to be on the police board. ||||| It was 2012, and Rachel Dolezal had a warning for her adopted brother as she prepared for a new life in Spokane, Washington. "She just told me, 'Over here, I'm going to be considered black, and I have a black father. Don't blow my cover,'" Ezra Dolezal, 22, told BuzzFeed News in an interview. Rachel also told him to tell people that he and her other adopted brother were her "blood brothers," he said. His sister did not offer "any logical explanation" for why she was changing her identity, and Ezra never confronted her about it. But it was the next stage after growing apart from her parents, Ruthanne and Larry Dolezal, and leaving their home in Montana. "She wanted to make a new life for herself but she took it to the ultimate extreme," Ezra said. "Not only did she move out to Spokane, but she created a whole new identity for herself." That life as the president of the Spokane chapter of the NAACP and a city police oversight commissioner erupted in controversy this week after her parents told local media she is actually white, and passing off her younger adopted black brother as her own son. Ezra first began noticing a change in his sister around six years ago, including a lot of hair products when he visited her in Spokane. "My younger sister Esther is fully African-American and Rachel used to do her hair a lot. She really enjoyed it, so she already knew a lot about hair products and started applying them to herself," Ezra said. Then, starting in 2011, Rachel began applying makeup to her face to appear "darker and darker" and perming her naturally straight, blonde hair, Ezra said. While the change in her physical appearance was gradual, her decision to officially identify as black was sudden, he added. Ezra believes the only reason his sister would change her identity was due to the racism she claimed to have encountered at Howard University, where she graduated with her master's degree in fine art in 2002. Rachel, he added, would often complain that she was treated poorly as one of only a few white students on a mostly black campus. "She used to tell us that teachers treated her differently than other people and a lot of them acted like they didn't want her there," Ezra said. "Because of her work in African-American art, they thought she was a black student during her application, but they ended up with a white person." He said that the experience made her angry, and it was then that Rachel started being "hateful to white people." "It's like what psychologists call self-hating," Ezra said. "She had no reason not to like herself being white. She was an awesome artist and she could have accomplished everything she did, if she had stayed exactly the same." Ezra said Rachel also brainwashed their other adopted brother, Izaiah, into hating white people and told him that their parents were racist. Rachel obtained legal custody of Izaiah in 2010, and calls the now-21-year-old her birth son.

– Looks like Rachel Dolezal won't speak out publicly just yet after all. The president of the Spokane, Wash., chapter of the NAACP—whose parents say she's white but pretends to be black—will not address the furor around her racial identity tomorrow as planned, the AP reports. On Facebook, the Spokane NAACP says it will reschedule tomorrow's meeting "due to the need to continue discussion with regional and national NAACP leaders." Plus, Spokane officials are investigating whether Dolezal lied about being black when she agreed to join the city's police board. And there's more: Dolezal changed her racial identity when starting a new chapter of her life in Spokane, according to her adopted brother, Ezra Dolezal. "Don't blow my cover," he quotes her as saying. Ezra, 22, tells Buzzfeed that she claimed he was her son and told people her father was black. Ezra figures she changed her racial identity after encountering racism at Howard University, where she was a white art student in a mostly black school. She got angry and became "hateful to white people," he says. "It’s like what psychologists call self-hating." Ezra also denies Rachel's claim that their parents abused them. "She made herself into a martyr on purpose for people to feel sorry for her and to help her," he says. While teaching a class at Eastern Washington University, Rachel reportedly refused to let a student take part in a class on race and culture: "Rachel said I didn’t look Hispanic," the student tells Buzzfeed. The student is light-skinned but speaks Spanish and identifies as Hispanic. Click to read about Rachel's life at Howard University or what the NAACP is saying about her.

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - WATCH LIVE: News conference on Allentown car explosion investigation A source tells 69 News that on Wednesday, the Allentown Police Department and family members of Jacob Schmoyer received letters from him dated September 29, the same day of the explosion that killed Schmoyer, his two-year-old son J.J., and friend David Hallman. An ATF spokesperson said Thursday morning authorities will discuss the letters and their content at a news conference at 11:30 a.m. Watch it live on 69 News, here at WFMZ.com, on our app or Facebook page. Schmoyer's grandmother, Kathleen Pond, told 69 News she received a letter. She did not detail its contents, but said, "I really did believe he would never do this, maybe in my heart I knew he would do it to himself, but never to JJ," A spokesperson for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives confirmed Wednesday that it had recreated the blast scene to pinpoint where the explosive was in the vehicle when it detonated and which direction it propelled. The agency is expected to reveal those findings at Thursday's press conference. The cause and circumstances surrounding the explosion have been under review by dozens of investigators from several agencies. In addition to killing three people, the blast also destroyed property and broke windows in the 700 block of Turner Street. The blast zone has remained closed since Saturday for the investigation and to be cleaned. Allentown police said the road reopened to all traffic and residents Thursday morning. At prior news briefings, federal investigators did not say whether the incident was intentional or accidental, but officials have assured it was "isolated." The Lehigh County coroner said all three people died of traumatic injuries. A manner of death (whether homicide, accident, natural, etc.) was not ruled on pending the results of further investigation. In an interview with 69 News on Monday, Schmoyer's grandmother, Kathleen Pond, said the incident must have been accidental. "I don't believe he would harm anybody," she said. Pond said her grandson was fascinated by how fireworks and rockets worked, but would never intentionally harm anyone, especially his own son. At a news conference the day after the explosion, Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin called it a "criminal incident" and said he was confident the person responsible was probably killed in the incident. It's not clear why Hallman and Schmoyer were meeting. However, according to investigators, 66-year-old Hallman and 26-year-old Schmoyer were friends. Family told 69 News they may have met through work. According to the ATF, the car blew up seconds after Hallman got in. Video of the aftermath has circulated social media, and even made national headlines. Hallman lived near the blast site. His Jack Russell Terrier, Skippy, was with him during the time of the blast. Hallman's family tells 69 News the dog survived and is now with family after getting treatment at a local animal hospital. On Tuesday, a memorial of stuffed animals was placed at the steps where neighbors say Schmoyer, J.J., J.J.'s mother, and Schmoyer's father lived. That home in the 300 block of Lumber Street is a few blocks from the blast site. Federal agents were seen going in and out of the home during the course of the investigation. ||||| The four letters he mailed set out facts both chilling and pathetic. Jacob Schmoyer was miserable. Ashamed. Angry. Haunted by past deeds and seething with hate. He wanted out of the world, but he didn’t intend to go alone. So he built a bomb, put his toddler son in the back seat of his car, lured an acquaintance into the front seat and set off the explosion that shattered an Allentown city block and sent families and friends reeling in shock. That, broadly, is the story sketched out Thursday by federal agents who spent nearly six days piecing together — literally and figuratively — the events that led to Saturday night’s car blast on Turner Street in Center City. Schmoyer, 26, is accused of killing himself, 2-year-old Jonathan Schmoyer — known as JJ — and 66-year-old David Hallman, a man whose relationship with Schmoyer remains murky. The means was a homemade bomb made of two legally obtainable chemicals. The motive, so far as it can be known, was laid out in letters mailed by Schmoyer on the day of the explosion, which reached their recipients — family members and the Allentown Police Department — on Tuesday and Wednesday. “The crux of the letters, he was very unhappy with his life, described himself in some negative terms, admitted to a number of other criminal acts, from petty thefts to burglaries,” said Special Agent Don Robinson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “He indicated a desire not to stick around and unfortunately … his intent to take Mr. Hallman and his son with him. “He was miserable. … There was a lot of hatred there, some directed at Mr. Hallman and some at his son,” Robinson said. Because of the letters, interviews with family, friends and witnesses, and a massive forensic reconstruction of the incident, Robinson said, “It is the collective assessment and opinion of the entire investigative team that this was an intentional act … by Jacob Schmoyer.” The explosion scattered body parts and car parts over most of a city block. It displaced residents of Turner Street between Seventh and Eighth streets and damaged several buildings to the point where they are uninhabitable. Rick Kintzel / The Morning Call An image taken from a monitor during Thursday's news conference shows Jacob Schmoyer's reconstructed car post-explosion. An image taken from a monitor during Thursday's news conference shows Jacob Schmoyer's reconstructed car post-explosion. (Rick Kintzel / The Morning Call) Rick Kintzel / The Morning Call An interior view of Jacob Schmoyer's reconstructed car. An interior view of Jacob Schmoyer's reconstructed car. (Rick Kintzel / The Morning Call) Assistant U.S. Attorney John Gallagher called the crime scene a “nightmare” where emergency staff worked around the clock for five days. “We asked our police officers to make sense of what was really a war zone,” he said. No one was walking past the car when it exploded, though the Center City street is only two blocks from a downtown typically crowded with diners, drinkers and eventgoers on a Saturday night. “It’s a miracle no other bystanders were seriously injured or wounded in this,” Gallagher said. Some members of Schmoyer’s family who spoke to The Morning Call in the days after the explosion said he was kind, fun-loving and would never do anything to hurt his son. In a Facebook message sent after the news conference, Schmoyer’s younger sister, Tina Schmoyer, wrote: “A wonderful Father, Brother, Son, Boyfriend, Cousin, Nephew, Grandson, Great Grandson, and soon would be Uncle as well. Someone who’s heart was always for others and would give the shirt off his back to anyone in need.” Schmoyer’s grandmother, Kathleen Pond of Washington Township, Lehigh County, received one of the letters Tuesday. On her Facebook page, she recounted the tumult of the past few days. “Sunday morning my life changed for the worst, Tuesday evening upon returning home it changed once again,” she wrote. “Now, the news conference, will change it once more. It is like riding a roller coaster and we will stay on together until that ride is over ... Jacob I am still here with you!” The deaths of Schmoyer’s son and Hallman were Allentown’s ninth and 10th homicides of 2018. Some of Schmoyer’s family members said they did not think he knew anything about explosives. But in a 2010 Facebook post, Schmoyer referenced thermite, a compound often found in online bomb instructions. “omg got a pound of thermite and enough magnesium to roast an entire cow,” reads the post from Sept. 2, 2010. Robinson would not elaborate on why Schmoyer decided to kill his son or why he targeted Hallman. He said Schmoyer “lured” Hallman to the car. Parents who kill their children are rare, according to academic research. A 2005 study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law said that 40 to 60 percent of fathers who kill their offspring also commit suicide. The study examined 30 documented cases of what is known as “filicide-suicide,” and none involved the use of explosives, with three-quarters relying upon guns. Shannon Rehrig — the sister of JJ’s mother, Jasmine Kerecz — said the letters Kerecz read offered one hint about Schmoyer’s intentions regarding his son. “There are letters stating he had something against autism, which he suspected JJ had,” Rehrig said. “He murdered an innocent child. That is evil.” Kerecz wanted to believe Schmoyer wasn’t capable of harming his son but reading the letter changed her mind. “She always announced herself as Jake’s wife and today she said she is not his wife,” Rehrig said. She added that her family can’t understand why Schmoyer didn’t reach out for help “if he had a problem and something was going on mentally and he had a breakdown.” On Thursday, Rehrig and her family were not only processing news of what happened, but also planning JJ’s funeral. Riley Yates / The Morning Call A memorial at the North Lumber Street, Allentown, home where 2-year-old Jonathan Schmoyer lived with his father, Jacob G. Schmoyer, and mother. A memorial at the North Lumber Street, Allentown, home where 2-year-old Jonathan Schmoyer lived with his father, Jacob G. Schmoyer, and mother. (Riley Yates / The Morning Call) Christine Erdman, Hallman’s niece, said she is bewildered by the idea that Schmoyer targeted him. While some of Schmoyer’s relatives insisted the men didn’t know each other, Erdman said they were friends. “I didn’t know Jacob but as far as I know they worked together, [Hallman] has been there for him, given him things,” she said. “And obviously that’s what he was meeting him for, thinking he was going to help him again.” Surveillance video viewed by The Morning Call on Wednesday showed Hallman, who lived just doors from the scene, getting into Schmoyer’s car. About two seconds after he shuts the door, the Nissan explodes into a fireball. The investigation showed the device, composed of two explosives Robinson would not identify, was either in the center console of the vehicle or near the passenger seat. Schmoyer was in the driver’s seat, Hallman in the front passenger seat and JJ strapped in a baby carrier in the rear seat, according to the ATF reconstruction. Asked about Schmoyer’s familiarity with bombs, Robinson said how-to information on making the devices is widely available. PHOTO GALLERY: A car explosion in Allentown on Turner Street killed three people Saturday night, Sept. 29, 2018. Scenes from the blast aftermath and the ongoing investigation. “There's a lot of freedom of information. A lot of information out there. Now with the click of a mouse, you can get it,” he said. ||||| Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. Oct. 4, 2018, 4:22 PM GMT / Updated Oct. 4, 2018, 9:46 PM GMT By Doha Madani The deadly car explosion in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Saturday that killed three people, including a toddler, was a targeted murder-suicide by a depressed father, authorities said early Thursday. Jacob Schmoyer killed his 2-year-old son, Jonathan, and friend David Halman, 66, when he used a homemade explosive device inside his car on Saturday. A spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said in a press conference that Schmoyer sent letters to the Allentown Police Department outlining his plans to kill both Halman and his son. "He was miserable. Basically, the four letters describe a miserable life, he was unhappy himself," Don Robinson, the special agent in charge at the ATF Philadelphia field division told reporters Thursday. "I don't know if shame is too strong of a word because of what he did later, but he admitted to a lot of criminal acts, he didn't think it was going to get any better. There was a lot of hatred there, and obviously, some directed at Mr. Halman and his son." Jacob Schmoyer and his son, Jonathan. via Facebook The Allentown Police Department first received a letter from Schmoyer, 26, on Tuesday, after the explosion and then received another three the following day. Robinson told reporters Thursday Schmoyer's letters outlined the materials and construction of the device he intended to use as well as his decision to kill Halman and his son. Schmoyer's letters were dated on September 29, the day of the explosion and detailed other crimes he committed in the past, such as petty theft and burglaries. Authorities are still working to confirm the authenticity of the letters but are confident they are all from Schmoyer. Robinson did not describe the relationship between Schmoyer and Halman, but did say the pair knew each other and were in contact in the hour leading up to the explosion. Family members told NBC News they informed federal officials that Schmoyer had a history of schizophrenia and had previously received treatment. Robinson initially said at the press conference Thursday he was unaware of a history of any mental illness, but later told NBC News that the ATF had only been told Schmoyer had a history with depression. Schmoyer's father, Glenn, said in a statement to NBC News earlier this week that he was "traumatized" by what happened and that he was extremely close to Jacob. "He always played with his son and I just have so many good memories of them two together," Glenn Schmoyer's statement said. "My son was a very good man and he would give the shirt off his back to help someone in need. He was never selfish. Things meant nothing to him, people did." Authorities determined all three victims were inside the car at the time of the explosion. Halman was seated in the passenger seat and Schmoyer's toddler son was in a car seat behind him on the driver's side of the vehicle. "We're pretty confident that the device was placed either on the center console or near the center console front passenger seat," Robinson told reporters Thursday. Authorities did not say where Schmoyer constructed the device but were certain there are no more devices based on the description in the letter, the crime scene, and in searches since the explosion. ||||| Questions raised when a car exploded Saturday night on an Allentown street were answered this week when family and police received letters from Jacob Schmoyer detailing his planned murder-suicide via a homemade explosive device. Four letters were sent by Schmoyer, and they indicated he planned to kill himself, his two-year-old son Jonathan and a friend, David Hallman, authorities said at a Thursday news conference. Three letters were sent to family members of Schmoyer and the mother of his son, and one to Allentown police. Authorities have not identified the child's mother, and did not identify the family members that received the letters. The first letter was received on Tuesday, one was received Wednesday during the day, and two were collected Wednesday night. Officials said they were not going to detail what was written in the letters. Officials: Dad killed his 2-year-old son and friend in murder-suicide The letter to Allentown police department did include details on the components and materials used to make the homemade explosive device, and its construction, Robinson said. "All the letters indicated that Mr. Schmoyer was to blame, he took blame for (the explosion)," said Donald Robinson, the ATF special agent in charge. In the first two letters, Schmoyer wrote that he targeted Hallman. In one of the other letters, he wrote "he intended to take his son." "There was a lot of anger, a lot of vitriol in the letters. He was meticulous about wanting to make sure we knew how he put this thing together," Robinson said. "It's a sad day, a sad day for the family," Robinson said. "There's really no way to describe what runs through somebody's mind when they're doing this. But we are confident we've determined who is involved, who is responsible, and that is Jacob Schmoyer." Asked about what the letters specifically looked liked, Robinson said they were confident the letters were written by Schmoyer. "He was very unhappy with his life. He described himself in some negative terms," Robinson said. The letters included confessions to crimes, ranging from petty theft to burglaries to "other criminal acts." "He indicated a desire not to stick around and, unfortunately, in these letters, his intent to take Mr. Hallman and (Schmoyer's) son with him," Robinson said. A warzone Authorities said the blast was an isolated incident, and Schmoyer was not working with another group when he committed the crime. It was an usual and difficult crime scene that John Gallagher, chief of the Allentown branch of the U.S. Attorney's office, likened to a war zone with flames and shrapnel. The ATF, FBI, investigators, first responders, and law enforcement worked around the clock over the last five days. "What happened here in Allentown on Saturday night was nothing short of a nightmare," Gallagher said. "This was an individual who intentionally set out to commit suicide, and do it in the most violent and destructive way that he could conjure up." Gallagher said Schmoyer knew he was putting more people at risk, with busy Hamilton Street only two blocks away and people going to a hockey game at the nearby PPL Center. "It's a miracle no other bystanders were injured or killed," Gallagher said. Videos showed people near the vehicle just prior to the blast, but they were not close when the device exploded, Robinson said. The affected vehicles were removed from Turner Street, and investigators pieced together what they could of Schmoyer's car. Authorities released two photos of the wreckage. A homemade explosive Bomb technicians and explosive specialists are confident the homemade explosive was placed on or near the center console of the car. Video showed Hallman getting into the car, and then second later the car exploding. Schmoyer was sitting in the driver's seat, Hallman in the front passenger seat and the toddler was in a car seat behind the driver's seat. The ATF believes it has accounted for the amount of explosives used, based on Schmoyer's description of the device he made. The 700 block of Turner Street reopened Thursday, which led to residents cleaning up and construction crews working on damaged buildings. A number of buildings near the intersection of Turner and Hall streets, where the blast occurred, had boarded up windows and notices from the city of being unsafe structures. A mangle iron fence, charred tree and what looked like evidence markings on the sidewalk were the only signs left of the blast. Authorities said if anyone finds items that might be related to the blast, to not touch the item and immediately call Allentown police at 610-437-7751. Even with a confession and motive, the ATF is still investigating. Final lab results are still outstanding on the explosives Schmoyer used, but authorities said preliminary results included a couple different compounds. Robinson noted components of homemade explosives are not illegal products. Robinson said there's "a lot of information out there" that people can access on how to make an explosive device. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

– It was the 26-year-old father who set off the "crazy" explosion that killed his 2-year-old son and a 66-year-old friend in Allentown, Pa., Saturday night, police say. Jacob Schmoyer allegedly used a homemade explosive device inside his car; the ensuing blast killed Schmoyer, his son, Jonathan, and his friend, David Hallman. Since the explosion, the Allentown Police Department has received four letters from Schmoyer detailing his plans to kill Hallman and his son as well as how the bomb would be made. Why? "He was miserable. Basically, the four letters describe a miserable life, he was unhappy himself," an ATF special agent told reporters Thursday, per NBC News. "He admitted to a lot of criminal acts, he didn't think it was going to get any better. There was a lot of hatred there, and obviously, some directed at Mr. Hallman and his son." Authorities say the letters indicate Schmoyer was targeting Hallman, but also planned to take his own life and "take his son along with him," per the Allentown Morning Call. They say he "lured" Hallman out on the night of his death; surveillance video shows Hallman, who lived doors down from the location of the explosion, entering Schmoyer's car. When the explosive went off just two seconds later, Schmoyer was in the driver's seat, Hallman was in the front passenger seat, and the toddler was in a car seat in the back seat, per Lehigh Valley Live. The sister of the little boy's mom says Schmoyer also sent letters to his family before the explosion, and that they "[stated] he had something against autism, which he suspected JJ [Jonathan Schmoyer] had." Even so, Schmoyer's grandmother tells WFMZ, "I really did believe he would never do this, maybe in my heart I knew he would do it to himself, but never to JJ."

A Lake Elsinore, California, man is recovering from a snake bite on his hand after a photo op gone wrong. Alex Gomez, 36, found a 4-foot rattlesnake in a lot near his home Monday and decided to pick it up and take photos with it. He managed to snap a picture with the rattler around his neck, but when he tried to adjust it for a different pose it bit him on the thumb. "I was going to take it off my neck and do something else with it, but it turned sideways, and it sunk its one tooth into my hand," Gomez told Los Angeles TV station KTLA in an interview from his sickbed. Credit: KTLA Alex Gomez says he's learned his lesson: "Don't mess with snakes." Gomez dropped the snake and ran to a neighbor's house. He was rushed to a local hospital and received anti-venom treatment en route. His mother said her son could have died over a "stupid" stunt. “I’m shocked he would have that thing around his neck,” Debra Gomez told CBS Los Angeles. “It could’ve bit his neck and that would’ve been it.” It's possible Gomez will lose his thumb or never regain full use of his right hand. Gomez says he's learned a valuable lesson: "Don't mess with snakes. Leave them alone." In July, a San Diego man also tried to take a selfie with a rattlesnake. He wound up in the hospital with a bite on his arm and a $153,000 medical bill to show for it. ||||| Police officers in Connecticut arrested two twentysomethings on Sunday for making bad choices after going to a KFC/Taco Bell. The intruders boarded a boat named the “Dolce Vita,” which is basically Italian for YOLO, at a marina in Norwalk. The pair later told police, according to The Hour, that they had never “been on a boat, and had wanted to take some selfies.” The boat they had picked, however, was already occupied by a sleeping family of five that quickly woke up when a flash started going off at 2 a.m. on Sunday. When a sleepy and likely perturbed person let the intruders know they could be stopped even though they were on a boat, they ran away, leaving behind a still-warm bag of food from a KFC/Taco Bell — and a receipt that had one of the intruders’ information on it. At least two other crimes involving selfies or Taco Bell took place in the past week. ||||| A thrill-obsessed subculture claimed another life this week. A 17-year-old named Xenia Ignatyeva fell 30 feet to her death from a railway bridge in the Krasnogvardeysky district of Saint Petersburg, Russia. Following a new trend that has Russian youths climbing any tall structure they can to snap a victorious selfie at the top, Ignatyeva had hoped for a nighttime shot with the train tracks stretching away behind her. According to her devastated grandmother, Olga, she wanted “the most dramatic effect.” As Ignatyeva lost her balance, she frantically grabbed a live wire that sent 1,500 volts of electricity coursing through her body. Oksana Zhankova, a friend of the same age who had been waiting on the ground, was found by emergency services crouched near her friend’s body in a state of shock. It’s possible Ignatyeva was alive for a few moments after hitting the concrete, they said. An anonymous call about kids playing on the bridge had brought police to the scene of the tragedy, but too late. “We need to look at the deeper meaning of photos taken on railway tracks,” said Martin Voigt, a psychologist with Munich University. “The photo is not so much about the theme of it, but the component behind it—they play with danger.” The comment is a stark reminder that for every hilarious kick in the head, some poor adventurous kid is not so lucky. H/T International Business Times | Photo by inyucho/Flickr (CC BY 2.0) ||||| Photo: Harris County Jail Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close Image 1 of 15 Dorian Walker-Gaines, 20, (pictured) and Dillian Thompson, 22, have each pleaded guilty to felony charges in connection with the theft of a large amount of cash and electronic devices from a truck. Dorian Walker-Gaines, 20, (pictured) and Dillian Thompson, 22, have each pleaded guilty to felony charges in connection with the theft of a large amount of cash and electronic devices from a truck. Photo: Harris County Jail Image 2 of 15 Dorian Walker-Gaines, 20, (pictured) and Dillian Thompson, 22, have each pleaded guilty to felony charges in connection with the theft of a large amount of cash and electronic devices from a truck. Dorian Walker-Gaines, 20, (pictured) and Dillian Thompson, 22, have each pleaded guilty to felony charges in connection with the theft of a large amount of cash and electronic devices from a truck. Photo: Harris County Jail Image 3 of 15 Dorian Walker-Gaines, 20, (pictured) and Dillian Thompson, 22, have each pleaded guilty to felony charges in connection with the theft of a large amount of cash and electronic devices from a truck. Dorian Walker-Gaines, 20, (pictured) and Dillian Thompson, 22, have each pleaded guilty to felony charges in connection with the theft of a large amount of cash and electronic devices from a truck. Photo: Harris County Jail Image 4 of 15 Dorian Walker-Gaines, 20, (pictured) and Dillian Thompson, 22, have each pleaded guilty to felony charges in connection with the theft of a large amount of cash and electronic devices from a truck. Dorian Walker-Gaines, 20, (pictured) and Dillian Thompson, 22, have each pleaded guilty to felony charges in connection with the theft of a large amount of cash and electronic devices from a truck. Photo: Harris County Jail Image 5 of 15 Dorian Walker-Gaines, 20, (pictured) and Dillian Thompson, 22, have each pleaded guilty to felony charges in connection with the theft of a large amount of cash and electronic devices from a truck. Dorian Walker-Gaines, 20, (pictured) and Dillian Thompson, 22, have each pleaded guilty to felony charges in connection with the theft of a large amount of cash and electronic devices from a truck. Photo: Harris County Jail Image 6 of 15 Dorian Walker-Gaines, 20, (pictured) and Dillian Thompson, 22, have each pleaded guilty to felony charges in connection with the theft of a large amount of cash and electronic devices from a truck. Dorian Walker-Gaines, 20, (pictured) and Dillian Thompson, 22, have each pleaded guilty to felony charges in connection with the theft of a large amount of cash and electronic devices from a truck. Photo: Harris County Jail Image 7 of 15 Dorian Walker-Gaines, 20, (pictured) and Dillian Thompson, 22, have each pleaded guilty to felony charges in connection with the theft of a large amount of cash and electronic devices from a truck. Dorian Walker-Gaines, 20, (pictured) and Dillian Thompson, 22, have each pleaded guilty to felony charges in connection with the theft of a large amount of cash and electronic devices from a truck. Photo: Harris County Jail Image 8 of 15 Dorian Walker-Gaines, 20, and Dillian Thompson, 22, (pictured) have each pleaded guilty to felony charges in connection with the theft of a large amount of cash and electronic devices from a truck. Dorian Walker-Gaines, 20, and Dillian Thompson, 22, (pictured) have each pleaded guilty to felony charges in connection with the theft of a large amount of cash and electronic devices from a truck. Photo: Harris County Jail Image 9 of 15 Dorian Walker-Gaines, 20, and Dillian Thompson, 22, (pictured) have each pleaded guilty to felony charges in connection with the theft of a large amount of cash and electronic devices from a truck. Dorian Walker-Gaines, 20, and Dillian Thompson, 22, (pictured) have each pleaded guilty to felony charges in connection with the theft of a large amount of cash and electronic devices from a truck. Photo: Harris County Jail Image 10 of 15 Dorian Walker-Gaines, 20, (pictured) and Dillian Thompson, 22, have each pleaded guilty to felony charges in connection with the theft of a large amount of cash and electronic devices from a truck. Dorian Walker-Gaines, 20, (pictured) and Dillian Thompson, 22, have each pleaded guilty to felony charges in connection with the theft of a large amount of cash and electronic devices from a truck. Photo: Harris County Jail Image 11 of 15 Dorian Walker-Gaines, 20, and Dillian Thompson, 22, (pictured) have each pleaded guilty to felony charges in connection with the theft of a large amount of cash and electronic devices from a truck. Dorian Walker-Gaines, 20, and Dillian Thompson, 22, (pictured) have each pleaded guilty to felony charges in connection with the theft of a large amount of cash and electronic devices from a truck. Photo: Harris County Jail Image 12 of 15 Dorian Walker-Gaines, 20, (pictured) and Dillian Thompson, 22, have each pleaded guilty to felony charges in connection with the theft of a large amount of cash and electronic devices from a truck. Dorian Walker-Gaines, 20, (pictured) and Dillian Thompson, 22, have each pleaded guilty to felony charges in connection with the theft of a large amount of cash and electronic devices from a truck. Photo: Harris County Jail Image 13 of 15 A copy of Dorian Walker-Gaines' court orders in Harris County court. A copy of Dorian Walker-Gaines' court orders in Harris County court. Photo: Harris County District Clerk's Office Image 14 of 15 A copy of Dorian Walker-Gaines' court orders in Harris County court. A copy of Dorian Walker-Gaines' court orders in Harris County court. Photo: Harris County District Clerk's Office ||||| Sign up using Facebook we won't post anything without permission or fill out the form below Email Username Password Verify password Birthday Male Female Other Gender

– From documenting their crimes to taking photos in dangerous locales, there is something about a trying to capture the perfect selfie that apparently causes some people to abandon their common sense. Below are 7 selfies that did not end well: It's not a good idea to take selfies while driving, especially if you have seven passengers in your car. A Maine man learned this lesson the hard way when, mid-selfie, his car veered off the road and slammed into a tree, injuring several of his friends. A word of advice: Rattlesnakes are not always willing to cooperate and pose for selfies with you. Two twentysomethings with the KFC/Taco Bell munchies decided to follow up their fast food binge by climbing on board a boat harbored in a Connecticut marina and taking some selfies. Unfortunately for them, the flashes from the camera woke up the family asleep on the boat, and the alleged intruders ran away, leaving their fast food bag and receipt behind as evidence. They were later arrested. A 19-year-old Texas man was taking selfies with a loaded gun when he fatally shot himself in the throat by accident. If you're going to (allegedly) rob a church, you probably shouldn't leave your phone behind at the crime scene, especially if there are selfies on it that the police can use to identify you. Likewise, taking selfies with the $5,000 you allegedly stole from a truck, using the victim's stolen iPad to take the photos, is basically the equivalent of turning yourself in, claims one Reddit user in a thread that helped track the thieves down. The incriminating photos were posted to the alleged victim's own iCloud account. A Russian teen plunged to her death from the top of a railway bridge after snapping a selfie in a seeming attempt to impress her friends. Click-through for 30 animals that could teach people a thing or two about taking a good selfie.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter took a jab at presidential candidate Mitt Romney Wednesday by teasingly comparing him to an adult film star. “The Republican Party has moved so far to the right, you can’t recognize Mitt Romney. What Mitt Romney will appear in October? Mitt Romney has changed positions more often than a pornographic movie queen,” joked Specter on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” Text Size - + reset “I did not say that … the great senator from the state of Pennsylvania said that,” responded Donny Deutsch, a panelist on the show. Specter cited “Bill Ross” as the person who first came up with that joke — he meant comedian Bill Maher. The former senator, who famously switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party in 2009 before being defeated for the Democratic nomination in 2010, has been performing stand-up comedy in Philadelphia nightclubs over the past few months. ||||| Former Pennsylvania senator Arlen Specter, currently on a comedy tour for his own amusement or in promotion of his new memoir, Life Among Cannibals, apparently offers much more than anecdotes about government dysfunction. An excerpt obtained by the Washington Post's Al Kamen suggests that in addition to some self-aggrandizement, and stories from Specter's long career in politics, the book might also be part steamy erotic novel. Here's the excerpt, from page 156, in which Specter recounts a ride on McCain's campaign bus in 2008 when he sat next to Sarah Palin (Kaman's words included): “She was a total charmer, very friendly,” Specter writes. “The few things she said were intelligent.” He doesn’t mention what they were, maybe because he was distracted.

– If Arlen Specter told a joke in the woods and there were no one there to hear it, well, at least there would be a lot fewer of us holding our heads and groaning. The former senator, who's spent his voter-mandated retirement ostensibly dabbling as a comedian, is now cracking wise on Mitt Romney, reports Politico. “The Republican Party has moved so far to the right, you can’t recognize Mitt Romney. What Mitt Romney will appear in October? Mitt Romney has changed positions more often than a pornographic movie queen,” Specter cracked on MSNBC this morning. Specter later 'fessed up that the originator of that line was really "Bill Ross," or "Bill Maher," as he's more commonly known outside of Specter's head. But wait! There's more! Daily Intel picks up on another racy Specter-ism, this from the tome he's currently hawking, Life Among Cannibals. In it, Specter describes a ride on John McCain's 2008 campaign bus, in which he sat next to Sarah Palin: “We were sitting virtually knee to knee in the cramped bus. She radiated sensuality. Her skirt rode above her knees—not exactly short, but close.” Whew.

The key to kitty longevity is staying indoors. Owning a cat not only is a major privilege, it's also a serious commitment and responsibility. After all, these fluffy beauties are living, breathing creatures. They require a lot of care that ranges from frequent feedings to scheduling of veterinary appointments. Indoor cats generally have longer lifespans than outdoor cats do. Typical Indoor Cat Lifespan If a cat resides indoors exclusively, the typical lifespan ranges somewhere between 13 and 17 years, according to the ASPCA. However, it isn't uncommon for indoor cats to live to at least 20. The lifespan always depends on the individual cat. Some cats pass away well before 13, while others live long past 17. A lot of factors go into how long a cat will live. Longevity Benefits of Indoor Cats The "normal" life expectancy for an indoor cat is significantly longer than that of felines who live outside full-time or part-time. A cat who stays inside all the time is protected from a lot of dangers. For example, she won't be run over by a car. She won't get into a fight with a neighborhood cat. Hazardous weather won't imperil her. She won't be snatched up by a stranger. She probably won't catch an infectious disease -- such as rabies or the feline leukemia virus -- from a stray or feral cat. Typical Outdoor Cat Lifespan The typical outdoor cat lifespan is nowhere near as long. According to the Willamette Humane Society in Oregon, cats who go outside usually live only 3 to 5 years. Outdoor is full of threats to cats, such as rock salts during the winter, and creatures ranging from skunks to coyotes. Considerations Keeping an indoor cat healthy and happy for a long time depends on a lot of factors other than simply keeping her inside. A nutritious and balanced cat diet has a lot to do with it. Don't feed your cat table scraps, and never let her eat anything toxic to cats. Grapes and chocolate are just a few of the many everyday foods that are extremely harmful to pets. Frequent brain and body stimulation, in the forms of interactive games and physical fitness sessions, also works wonders. And routine veterinary checkups are a must, from the kitten months into the geriatric years. ||||| Not quite four months ago, Betsy Boyd spent 41 percent of her annual salary on a kidney transplant for her ailing 17-year-old cat, Stanley. As a condition of the $19,000 surgery, she also adopted the kidney donor, a 2-year-old tabby named Jay, bringing the total number of felines in her household to six. Both cats are thriving post-surgery — but if Stanley were tragically to die tomorrow, Boyd said, she would have no regrets. “He’s on immunosuppressant drugs, so he could get an infection,” she said. “Anything could happen. If Stan did pass away sooner rather than later, I’d know I had done what I could for him. We’ve already had a few really good weeks. He’s really happy, and that alone is worth the price.” Boyd isn’t independently wealthy. As a part-time member of the University of Baltimore’s creative writing faculty, she earns about $46,000 a year. Her husband, Michael Yockel is a freelance journalist and stay-at-home father who cares for the couple’s twin sons, 3-year-old Texas and Miner. The couple bought their home in Baltimore’s Belair-Edson neighborhood for $95,000 — and paid cash. “I’m smart with money,” Boyd, 44, said. “I’m very frugal. I drive a used car and wear clothing from consignment stores, and I have no debt at all. The message I’d like to get across is that if you save your money carefully, you can spend $19,000 on something that moves you.” And there’s no question that Stanley matters to her, and matters a lot. “Stanley is the only human cat,” she said. “I love all my cats, but Stanley is the only one who acts like a human being trapped in a cat’s body. He’s so vocal and communicative. He maintains eye contact better than any cat I’ve ever known. When I’m at work, he waits at the window or front door for me to come home, just like a dog.” She began considering the transplant after Stanley was diagnosed with renal insufficiency in November 2016, and a specialist gave the handsome black and white kitty just three months to live. When Nancy Kauder, Boyd’s vet at Belvedere Veterinary Center mentioned that a former classmate did kidney transplants at the University of Pennsylvania’s Ryan Veterinary Hospital in Philadelphia, Boyd began to investigate. When Boyd told friends she was exploring surgery for Stanley, she experienced some pushback. They urged her not to spend what to them seemed an astronomical sum on a cat of Stanley’s advanced age — and so, initially, did Ryan’s renal specialist. (According to the ASPCA, indoor cats live on average between 13 and 17 years.) But, Boyd was undeterred, especially since Yockel supported her decision. And after examining Stanley, the veterinarians at Ryan reconsidered. Apart from his kidneys, this kitty was in robust health. He ate well when he was on medication. He just seemed to want to live. The message I’d like to get across is that if you save your money carefully, you can spend $19,000 on something that moves you. — Betsy Boyd “If he had seemed weak or frightened, I wouldn’t have pursued this,” Boyd said. “But, he never seemed daunted by all the vet visits, and there was something about his purr. I could feel his spirit really strongly.” Both cats made it through the Nov. 28 surgery, and it wasn’t long before Stanley was showing renewed vigor. After his mandated one-month confinement to a dog crate had ended, he returned happily to his old routines, which include walks alongside Boyd at the end of a purple leash. Though Boyd realizes there are no guarantees, she’s counting the days until May 28, when Stanley will pass the six-month post-surgical milestone. At that point, his odds of long-term survival improve dramatically. “Knowing Stanley as I do,” she said, “I think he’s one of those cats who could make it to age 25.” CAPTION The actress talks "Downton Abbey" among other roles onstage at Maryland Hall on the last day of Annapolis Film Festival. The actress talks "Downton Abbey" among other roles onstage at Maryland Hall on the last day of Annapolis Film Festival. CAPTION Jon Favreau played a role in the animated series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.” He is also in the upcoming “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” set to open May 25. Jon Favreau played a role in the animated series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.” He is also in the upcoming “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” set to open May 25. mmccauley@baltsun.com twitter.com/mcmccauley ||||| What would you do with $19,000? Buy a car or a new house? Pay off overdue bills? A University of Baltimore professor used the money to save the life of her senior cat, and she said every penny was worth it. If cats come with nine lives, Stanley is now living off of nine more. Advertisement "He's seen me through the worst moments of my life," Stanley's owner, Betsy Boyd, said. "He's an old cat. He doesn't run around as much as he used to." When the frisky feline wasn't feeling well because of kidney problems, Boyd didn't think twice about making him purrfect again. "He seems almost human to me," she explained. "He's a friend, and I believe that this friend wanted to live, so I paid for the surgery." The price tag for a new kitty kidney? Try nearly $20,000. Boyd said she and her husband paid for the surgery out of their limited savings. They had to ditch plans for a new car. The mother of two wrote about her choice online. Her story quickly took off. While there has been some support, not everybody agrees with her. "People who have commented online in some cases have been tacky and cruel. That's their right," Boyd said. She said saving Stan has given her a new perspective on money and life. She said she would do it again, as she's still focused on the one she called her soulmate. Betsy Boyd via AP This November 2017 photo provided by Betsy Boyd shows Stanley, left, recovering in Baltimore following his $19,000 kidney transplant alongside his kidney donor, Jay. Both cats are thriving post-surgery. "He purrs all the time. He begs for poultry. He wakes me up at 4 a.m. for a snack. He's happy and we're still very good friends," she said. On the road to recovery, Stanley celebrated his 18th birthday Saturday. "Happy birthday, Stanley. You don't look a day over five, but you're 18 today," Boyd exclaimed. She now hopes this cool cat will stick around a bit longer -- a present Boyd and her family said comes without a price tag. "Twenty-five would be great. I had always hoped for 30," she said. The family also adopted the 2-year-old donor cat that provided Stan's kidney. Boyd said she still spends hundreds of dollars on drugs and blood work to make sure his body doesn't reject his new kidney. Did this story get your cat curiosity going? See the video above for an explanation regarding one of our feline friends' more odd behaviors. ||||| Because unless your pet is a tortoise, it’s something you’ll have to consider. Before my kids woke up, I drove my sick, ancient cat, Stan, from Baltimore to Philadelphia in my junky Rav4. I assumed we’d arrive at his clinical interview, meet the surgeon and her grad students and be gently turned away. Who gets a kidney transplant for a 17-year-old cat? I’d already spoken by phone more than once with the no-nonsense renal transplant nurse/coordinator, Lynn, who had made notes on Stan’s stage 4 renal failure and tried to dissuade me from pursuing the possibility based on his advanced age. “Is it fair to the donor cat?” Lynn asked me. “That’s one thing we have to consider.” “I feel like Stanley wants to live,” I told Lynn when we first spoke. But then I asked her, “How much does this cost?” Stan’s wonderful Baltimore vet, Nancy, had estimated about $10K. “Anywhere from 20 to 25 thousand,” Lynn said, and I asked myself if I could make such an exorbitant sacrifice for my best friend. Even though I’m a college writing professor and freelance editor — and my paychecks reflect as much — even though my semiretired freelance journalist husband and I have twin sons, age 3, a voice inside said, “You can, and you must — this is Stanley.” Stanley came into my life when he was 8 weeks old and I was 27. My longtime boyfriend named him Stanley after filmmaker Stanley Kubrick, and he proved to be equally brilliant, in cat terms. He walked on a purple leash. He talked on command, answering mewling questions about tuna, turkey and chicken. He knew stuff. More importantly, he stuck by me through a very bad breakup; he nursed my left earlobe when I cried; he loved me and only me. Dr. Aronson told me how her own brother joked, “Why not just do a collar transplant?” “Wow, he looks great for 17,” said Dr. Aronson, a University of Pennsylvania small animal surgeon celebrated in the best vet circles for her pioneering work with feline kidney transplants. Stan, a long, slim tuxedo, eyed her knowingly. “He’s smart,” she noted. “Right?” I said. “Hey, there, handsome,” cooed the formerly tough-talking Lynn. Dr. Aronson ordered an ultrasound, reviewed Stan’s other health stats and decided that his health was excellent aside from the shit with his kidneys. As Lynn looked on dubiously, Dr. Aronson said, “If you want to do it, I think we can.” “Seriously?” I asked. “Seriously.” “What would you do?” I asked her. She wouldn’t answer — she smiled halfway. Cue my own psychobabble, edited for length. “I mean, I’d rather save him than buy a crappy Kia, not that my close friends don’t think I’m insane,” I told Dr. A., but inside I was wondering if those friends were right. Dr. Aronson told me how her own brother joked, “Why not just do a collar transplant?” Thank God I didn’t have to decide right then, because not only was I having massive anxiety about breaking into my small savings, more than that I was worried about the fact that Stan would have to take immunosuppressant drugs every 12 hours for the rest of his life if I elected to put him through the surgery — if he survived it. These antirejection drugs could lead to all sorts of problems: weight loss, infections, tumors. But if he lasted six months postsurgery, according to statistics, he’d have a chance at several years of good health. He might live well into his 20s. What were the odds? No one could say. But without intervention, he’d die soon — the only guarantee. I couldn’t decide. I’d find Stan collapsed on a chair and half-hope he’d died in his sleep. He hadn’t. I was elated. While I pumped Stan with subcutaneous fluids to keep his body hydrated and anti-nausea drugs to keep him from feeling like death from the renal trouble, I thought and thought about what to do. One close friend told me she wanted to do an intervention to stop me from spending my “sons’ tuition money,” so I stopped telling friends. I talked to my easygoing husband, who said, “Up to you, babe.” Then I talked to Stanley. I explained how much I wanted him to live but said I didn’t know what I should do. I watched how he responded to the needle-stabbing treatment I administered at home and the low-key but regular vet visits that were merely meant to keep him alive a bit longer. He purred a lot. He wanted to live, I believed. But he wouldn’t, couldn’t — not with a bum couple of shriveled kidneys. Still, I couldn’t decide. I’d find Stan collapsed on a chair and half-hope he’d died in his sleep. He hadn’t. I was elated. “The sooner you get him a new kidney, if that’s what you decide to do, the longer he’ll get to have a chance to enjoy it,” our local vet said to me by phone while I paced the backyard. Somehow, once Nancy gave her blessing, I became fearless. The morning of the surgery, Dr. Aronson stepped into Lynn’s office where I was holding Stan, petting him and saying my potential goodbye. She wore green scrubs that swallowed her petite frame and old white Keds, and she looked pale. “I’ll do my best,” she said, “but I can’t make any promises.” My husband, kids and I spent the day at a popular children’s museum while Stanley received a kidney from a formerly homeless cat named for Jay Leno. Uber-friendly Jay, age 2, would become my family’s cat whether Stan lived or not. All day I felt tense but brave. I got a call around 5 p.m. that things had gone well. I cried euphorically in the hotel hallway. My sons asked if Stanley was all right, and I said he was better than ever — I hoped that was true. Less than a week later, I returned to pick up both Kubrick and Leno from U Penn in the old Rav4 and to pay my remaining balance. Grand total came in lower than expected: just under $17,000. Lynn rolled the kitties out on a cart, put her emergency cell number in my phone and hugged me goodbye. Three months post-op, despite one nasty bout with an upper respiratory infection, Stanley is thriving. His kidney values are golden. He requests food more than ever, frequently in the middle of the night, which is a pain in the butt. He hisses at Jay Leno. Jay Leno, for his part, seems to love us all. But Stanley loves only me. ||||| Stanley the cat was on the last of his nine lives — at 17 years old, he was in end-stage kidney failure and the veterinarian said the only way to save the black-and-white feline was a kidney transplant, if he even qualified for the surgery. Another condition: Stanley’s owner would be required to adopt the donor cat as well. Get push notifications with news, features and more. Though Betsy Boyd earns just $46,000 annually as a part-time writing professor, she didn’t hesitate to pay about $19,000 in transplant-related costs, even as friends tried talking her out of spending money they said could have gone toward college savings for her 3-year-old twins, Texas and Miner. “Stanley loves me as much as any human being has ever loved me and I love him the same way,” she tells PEOPLE. “I want him around.” Courtesy Betsy Boyd Stanley underwent the procedure in November and is now back home in Baltimore, along with Jay, a formerly homeless 2-year-old cat who served as the kidney donor. “Stan is thriving and I’m relieved that this pet, who means at least as much to me as my siblings, still has a pulse,” Boyd says. “There’s a great chance Stan will now live to 20 at the very least.” Kitty’s Behavior Became Alarming Boyd, 44, adopted Stanley as an eight-week-old kitten and he’s been by her side through ups and downs including breakups, marriage to husband Michael (a freelance journalist and stay-at-home dad), fertility struggles and pregnancy. He even was the inspiration for the cat character in her new book. “Stanley is like my spirit animal,” she says. “He’s the friend who has witnessed my trials and tribulations.” In November 2016, however, Boyd noticed that, “he didn’t have as much of that Stanley spark,” losing interest in eating, chasing other kitty friends or going outside for walks on his purple leash. Boyd’s regular vet suspected kidney disease, a diagnosis confirmed by a specialist who gave Stanley three months to live. “I started sobbing,” Boyd says. “I freaked out.” Transplant Program Requires Adoption of Donor But instead of preparing to lose her furry best friend, Boyd contacted the feline renal transplant program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Ryan Veterinary Hospital, one of only three in the country performing such procedures. RELATED: Couple Adopts Cat To Save Pet With $15,000 Kidney Transplant Like other potential patients, Stanley first had to be evaluated to ensure he didn’t have other significant medical conditions, says Dr. Lillian Aronson, a surgery professor at the university’s Veterinary Medicine school who started the transplant program in 1998. “Clinically, he looked great,” Aronson tells PEOPLE. Donor cats suffer no ill effects from giving up one of their two kidneys and their life expectancy is not impacted, she says. Indoor cats live on average about 14 to 16 years. Courtesy Betsy Boyd “We are just as concerned with the life of the donor as the recipient,” Aronson says, adding that patients’ families must agree to adopt the donor. “They are saving another animal’s life and we owe it to them to save their life and give them a good home.” The procedure costs about $12,000 to $16,000 for surgeries on both cats, hospital recovery, testing, medications and monitoring, a cost well worth it for some, she says. “For many people, their pets are truly part of the family,” Aronson says. “This is what they’re passionate about.” Courtesy Betsy Boyd Boyd’s total out-of-pocket cost was around $19,000, which included the transplant fees and weekly post-op blood tests, as well as payment to a local emergency vet after Stanley suffered a complication, she says. New Car or Healthy Cat? Answer is Obvious Though the price tag was hefty, Boyd says she’s built up savings through frugal living and is compensating by cutting back on expenses, including forgoing a new car to replace her 2009 Toyota. Boyd has no regrets; Jay — who came from a shelter, as do many other kitty donors — has already become a beloved member of the family with his “friendly, happy-go-lucky” personality, while the spring has returned to Stanley’s step. “He’s my muse and my best friend,” Boyd says. “He’s here purring. I know I did the right thing.”

– When Stanley needed a potentially lifesaving kidney transplant, Betsy Boyd didn't blink at coughing up the $19,000 needed to pay for it. What has the generosity of this Baltimore mother of two making headlines, per the Baltimore Sun: That amount is more than 40% of her annual salary, and Stanley is her 17-year-old cat. Boyd says Stanley (named after filmmaker Stanley Kubrick, per her Ozy post) was diagnosed with renal insufficiency in November and given only three months to live. But despite the protests of friends and even a renal specialist—Stanley is already at the top end of the ASPCA's average lifespan for indoor cats—the 44-year-old Boyd, a part-time member of the University of Baltimore's creative writing department, decided to pay for his transplant. Her husband, a freelance journalist and stay-at-home dad to their 3-year-old twins, gave her the thumbs-up to do so. "I'm very frugal," Boyd tells the Sun. "I drive a used car and wear clothing from consignment stores, and I have no debt at all. The message I'd like to get across is that if you save your money carefully, you can spend $19,000 on something that moves you." As for those who are wondering why Boyd would risk all that dough on a cat, Boyd says, "I love all my [six] cats, but Stanley is the only one who acts like a human being trapped in a cat's body." She adds to People that Stan, whom she calls her "muse," "means at least as much to me as my siblings." She predicts Stanley could make it to age 25. He just turned 18 on Saturday, per WMUR. Boyd has also taken in Stanley's organ donor, a young tabby named Jay. Read her own words here. (Good news for cat owners.)

Former lottery computer programmer Eddie Tipton, center, speaks during his sentencing hearing, Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017, at the Polk County Courthouse in Des Moines, Iowa. Judge Brad McCall sentenced Tipton... (Associated Press) DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A former lottery computer programmer who admitted to rigging computers to enable him to pick winning numbers and cheat four states out of $2.2 million in several lottery games over six years was sentenced to up to 25 years in prison in Iowa on Tuesday. "I regret my actions and I'm sorry for the people I hurt," said Eddie Tipton, 54, the former information technology manager for the Multi-State Lottery Association, a central Iowa organization that provides number-picking computers for lotteries in 33 states the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Tipton's voice quivered when asked by Judge Brad McCall to speak during the sentencing hearing. After McCall issued the sentence, Tipton was handcuffed and taken away by sheriff's deputies. Under Iowa law, Tipton is likely to serve far less than 25 years — probably between three and five years, said Iowa Assistant Attorney General Rob Sand, who prosecuted the case. The Iowa Board of Parole will ultimately determine how long he's behind bars. "I think when you're an insider who abuses your position of trust and privilege you should expect to see the inside of a jail cell," Sand said. Tipton's attorney asked McCall to give Tipton probation in Iowa, arguing his client was unfairly being treated far more harshly than other people involved in the scheme. As part of his plea deal, Tipton also admitted to committing theft by fraud and a computer crime in Wisconsin, where he'll be sentenced Sept. 18. The agreement allows him to serve his Wisconsin sentence — likely to be three to four years — at the same time he serves the Iowa prison sentence. Tipton also agreed to repay the $2.2 million to the four states from which he rigged games and jackpots were paid, but he told McCall it's unclear how he will get the money. He said he hopes to study ministry and get a job in that field after prison. "Hopefully you're going to get rid of that greed and gain a little common sense during your prison stay," McCall said. Tipton helped write the computer code behind several U.S. lottery games, including some of its biggest including Powerball, Mega Millions and Hot Lotto. He worked for the lottery association from 2003 until 2015 and was its computer information security director for his last two years there. Tipton admitted in June to installing code that prompted the computers to produce predictable numbers only on certain days. Tipton said he gave the numbers to his brother, Tommy Tipton, and longtime friend Robert Rhodes and others to play and often split the winnings with them. Tommy Tipton is serving a 75-day jail sentence in Texas after pleading guilty to a theft charge. Rhodes is expected to get probation when he's sentenced on Aug. 25 for a computer crime charge. The games Eddie Tipton fixed included Colorado Lotto in November 2005, Megabucks in Wisconsin in December 2007, 2by2 in Kansas and Hot Lotto in Iowa in December 2010, and Hot Lotto in Oklahoma in November 2011. Iowa Lottery officials became suspicious and never paid the jackpot when Tipton and Rhodes tried to cash a $14 million Iowa Hot Lotto ticket bought in 2010. "Eddie Tipton had the keys to the kingdom and those are the things we changed immediately to make sure any equipment he touched was removed and we continue to look ahead and make sure we have those checks and balances as we proceed," Iowa Lottery CEO Terry Rich said. ___ Follow David Pitt on Twitter at https://twitter.com/davepitt ___ Sign up for the AP's weekly newsletter showcasing our best reporting from the Midwest and Texas: http://apne.ws/2u1RMfv ||||| CLOSE Eddie Tipton apologizes for his role in an Iowa Lottery scam before being sentenced to 25 years in prison. Michael Zamora/The Register Buy Photo Eddie Tipton at his sentencing Aug. 22, 2017 in Polk County on charges of lottery fraud. (Photo: Michael Zamora/The Register)Buy Photo Eddie Tipton, the Iowa security chief who masterminded a multi-state lottery fraud that shook the industry, will spend up to 25 years in prison for rigging “random” drawing jackpots. "I certainly regret" what happened, Tipton said in Polk County District Court before his sentencing, where some of his former coworkers sat in the courtroom. "It’s difficult even saying that with all the people I know behind me that I hurt, and I regret it. I’m sorry." It's uncertain how many years Tipton will actually spend in prison. He could be paroled within three or four years, his attorneys noted. District Court Judge Brad McCall told Tipton before handing down the sentence that he has no doubt about the former Iowa Lottery employee's intelligence. He advised Tipton to use his prison time to reflect on his actions. “It is indeed unfortunate that you did not use that intelligence to prosper by legal means," District Court Judge Brad McCall said. "Instead you chose an illegal path." Tipton, 54, was a longtime computer programmer in the Iowa offices of the Multi-State Lottery Association who installed software that allowed him to manipulate winning numbers in some of the nation’s most popular lottery drawings. His scam began to unravel following unsuccessful attempts to anonymously collect a $16.5 million Hot Lotto ticket that was purchased at a Des Moines convenience store in 2010. In addition to Iowa, Tipton admitted to fixing games in Colorado, Wisconsin, Kansas and Oklahoma with the help of his brother and former Texas judge Tommy Tipton and Texas businessman Robert Rhodes. Register investigation: Iowa Lottery takes a pass on fixes to stop cheaters. Blame the money, critics say After years of investigation, Eddie Tipton was arrested in 2015 and ultimately pleaded guilty in June to three felony charges related to the crimes. As part of a plea deal, the Tipton brothers are to pay back $3 million in restitution. After his first illegal win in 2005, Tipton launched construction on a 4,800-square-foot home outside of Des Moines that contained a movie theater and gym, overlooked a pond and sat on 22 acres, court documents show. The scam spread to at least six more games across five states, netting more than $2 million, investigators alleged. Tipton admitted his role as part of a plea deal to resolve charges in all the states. CLOSE Since 1985, the Iowa Lottery has generated more than $1.7 billion in profits. Here's a look at some key statistics and how it works in Iowa. Wochit His attorney, Dean Stowers, argued his Iowa sentence should be suspended because Eddie Tipton still stands to be sentenced in Wisconsin under an agreement in which he will spend three or four years in prison. In the end, the Iowa sentence was inconsequential since the terms will be served concurrently, Stowers said. Tommy Tipton is serving a 75-day jail sentence in Texas after he pleaded guilty in June to conspiracy to commit theft by deception. Rhodes, of Sugar Land, Texas, pleaded guilty to a computer crime and will be sentenced Friday. Stowers said he doesn't believe sufficient safeguards have been put into place to prevent similar types of lottery fraud. He blamed lottery investigators for going years without identifying the fraud committed by his client. "… the lack of interest in actually examining the program being used to pick these numbers is kind of alarming, really," Stowers said. Police and prosecution will always be criticized, Assistant Iowa Attorney General Rob Sand, the prosecutor on the case said following Tuesday's sentencing. "The criticism is fine," Sand said. "…We kept working. We didn't get discouraged when we hit roadblocks. Right now we're at the end of the day and we got our man." A Register investigation of the Iowa Lottery earlier this year found that some of the system's most frequent winners are retail employees who sell tickets, with one winning prizes of $600 or more at least 53 times since 2012. The Register also documented multiple cases where people convicted of lottery fraud were allowed to keep their winnings, sometimes amounting to tens of thousands of dollars. While the Iowa Lottery has taken steps to make fixes recommended by the Iowa Ombudsman, some key issues remain. That includes a recommended ban against retail lottery employees playing the lottery in stores where they work and prohibiting those convicted of fraud from winning in the future. As the law stands now, Eddie Tipton could claim future Iowa Lottery prizes, even though the winnings would be highly scrutinized by investigators, lottery officials acknowledged Tuesday. Iowa Lottery CEO Terry Rich credits his staff for calling the alert to the Hot Lotto scam when they refused to pay the $16.5 million ticket won in 2010. Players recognize the Iowa Lottery's commitment to player integrity, he said. "Our sales have continued to grow and be record breaking across the board, and part of that I think is the transparency," Rich said. Read or Share this story: http://dmreg.co/2xpH1Eh ||||| A former lottery worker was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Tuesday for rigging the system in several states so he could collect the jackpots. Eddie Tipton, former security director of the Multistate Lottery Association, received the maximum sentence from an Iowa judge, who mentioned Tipton's "greed" in his sentencing. "I certainly regret my actions," Tipton told the court. "It's difficult even saying that with all the people that I know behind me that I hurt." Tipton pleaded guilty in June to a charge of ongoing criminal conduct for a scheme involving seven lottery tickets in five states, according to court documents. He admitted to rigging computer codes to produce winning numbers -- netting Tipton and his accomplices millions of dollars. Tipton has agreed to pay about $2.2 million in restitution, including $1.1 million to the Colorado lottery, $644,000 to the Oklahoma lottery, $391,000 to the Wisconsin lottery and $30,000 to the Kansas lottery. Related: Powerball jackpot hits $700 million When Judge Brad McCall asked him on Tuesday how he intended to repay the money, Tipton said, "Initially, I really don't know." Tipton's lawyer said he expects his client will serve three to four years before being released. "Mr. Tipton is pleased get this chapter behind him and to move on with his life," Dean Stowers said in an email to CNNMoney. He had asked the judge for a suspended sentence. Tipton was formerly a programmer with the Multistate Lottery Association, the agency that administers state lotteries. He designed and maintained software "for computerized random number generators used to select winning lottery numbers in many states across the country," according to the office of Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller. Tipton, who lives in Texas, is accused of buying lottery tickets in various states, including Iowa, and selecting numbers that he knew would win, since he designed the program that generated the winning numbers. Tipton then gave these tickets to third parties who agreed to cash them and split the money with him. Related: Biggest lottery jackpots in U.S. history One of these accomplices was his brother, Tommy Tipton, authorities said. The investigation against the Tipton brothers began in 2010, with a suspicious claim for a $14.3 million Hot Lotto jackpot in Iowa that lottery officials refused to pay. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation traced Tipton's scheme to other states as well. Eddie Tipton made a deal with prosecutors in June, in which he pleaded guilty to the Iowa charge of ongoing criminal conduct. Prosecutors dropped a charge of money laundering. He will be allowed to serve the Iowa sentence concurrently with a sentence of up to five-and-a-half years in Wisconsin, where he pleaded guilty to theft by fraud and computer crime. Iowa Assistant Attorney General Robert Sand said in a news conference after the sentencing that investigators were certain they had uncovered all Tipton's rigged jackpots. "The fact that he's going to spend years of his life in prison is appropriate," he said. Tipton's brother Tommy Tipton, a former judge in Texas, is currently serving a 75-day sentence in Texas for a misdemeanor theft charge and deferred judgment on a felony charge of conspiracy to commit theft. The Tiptons' friend Robert Rhodes, who also lives in Texas, was the one who attempted to redeem the $14.3 million jackpot. He has pleaded guilty to fraud and will be sentenced on Friday.

– An ex-lottery computer programmer who rigged the system in several states to enable himself to win $2.2 million in jackpots is going to prison. An Iowa judge sentenced Eddie Tipton, 54, to up to 25 years in prison on Tuesday, though the Des Moines Register reports he could be paroled in as few as three due to Iowa law. "I certainly regret" what happened, Tipton told Judge Brad McCall, who cited Tipton's "greed" in handing down the maximum sentence. As part of the deal, Tipton agreed to pay $2.2 million in restitution to state lotteries in Colorado, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and Kansas; he was also accused of fixing games in Iowa, where he tried and failed to cash in a $16.5 million Hot Lotto ticket in 2010. When the judge asked him how he intended to pay the money back, Tipton said, per CNN, "Initially, I really don't know." As the information technology manager of the Multi-State Lottery Association, Tipton had access to computers that picked winning numbers in lotteries such as Powerball and Mega Millions in more than 30 states and US territories. He pleaded guilty in June to writing computer code that produced winning numbers on certain days; he then fed those numbers to accomplices, including his brother, who bought lottery tickets. The team then split the winnings. Tipton "had the keys to the kingdom," the Iowa lottery CEO tells the AP, noting that "checks and balances" have been added to secure the drawings. (This man traveled 1,000 miles to claim winnings in a lottery scam.)

SHOW More than 16 million kids in the United States are at risk for hunger each day. Fortunately, you can help. Visit Feeding America to find your local food bank. And, help Dr. Phil raise enough money for 10 million meals. Donate today! The murder of JonBenet Ramsey is one of America’s most infamous unsolved mysteries. Two decades after the 6-year-old beauty queen’s murder, only one person who was known to be in the house on the night of the murder has never spoken. Today, in an interview 20 years in the making, JonBenet’s brother Burke finally breaks his silence. ||||| These crawls are part of an effort to archive pages as they are created and archive the pages that they refer to. That way, as the pages that are referenced are changed or taken from the web, a link to the version that was live when the page was written will be preserved.Then the Internet Archive hopes that references to these archived pages will be put in place of a link that would be otherwise be broken, or a companion link to allow people to see what was originally intended by a page's authors.The goal is to fix all broken links on the web . Crawls of supported "No More 404" sites. ||||| Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter FT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – The case of JonBenet Ramsey is one of America’s most famous and mysterious cold cases. Now, 20 years after her murder, Jonbenet’s brother Burke Ramsey is breaking his silence and giving his first interview ever to Dr. Phil which will air Monday, September 12th, on CBS4 at 3 p.m. JonBenet Ramsey was a 6-year-old child beauty queen when she was brutally murdered inside her family’s Colorado mansion on Christmas. Burke, who was nine-years-old when his sister died, told Dr. Phil he felt it was time to talk about her death two decades after the media first swarmed onto that quite street in Boulder, Colorado. “For a long time the media basically made our lives crazy. It’s hard to miss the cameras and news trucks in your front yard and we go to the supermarket sometimes and there would be a tabloid with my picture, Jonbenet’s picture plastered on the front or they would follow us around,” said Ramsey. “Seeing that as a little kid is just kind of a chaotic nightmare, so I was pretty skeptical of any sort of media, it just made me a very private person. As to what I’m doing now it’s the 20th anniversary and apparently still a lot of tension around it, I guess I kind of wanted to make it about remembering her and not just another news story.” Despite being cleared by DNA evidence, many people still speculate that JonBenet’s parents or her brother Burke, the only ones in the home that night, could be responsible for the little girl’s death. Burke admitted “I know people think I did it; that my parents did it.” For the first time he revealed what he says happened the day his sister was found dead in their basement. The Ramseys said they searched the entire house for their daughter and one of the officers suggested they do it again. They started in the basement and that’s when they found Jonbenet’s body on the floor. “Did you know she was dead,” Dr. Phil asked Jonbenet’s father John. “No, not at that point. I mean I had this rush of thank God I found her. There was this overwhelming sense of joy that I found my child, and her hands were tied over her head and tape over her mouth. I immediately took the tape off,” said Ramsey. A three page ranson note written on a note pad belonging to the Ramseys with one of their pens was found by Jonbenet’s mother Patsey. “There’s a lot of suspicion around the note. If someone’s going to kidnap somebody, by the way you bring the ransom note already written, you don’t write it inside the house,” said Lawrence Schiller, author of “Perfect Murder, Perfect Town.” Ramsey’s interview is part of a 3-part series airing on “Dr. Phil” on September 12th, 13th, and 19th. JonBenet’s father John Ramsey also speaks to Dr. Phil in what he says will be his final interview and the very last time he comment publicly on his daughter’s murder.

– JonBenet Ramsey's brother, Burke, has given his first-ever interview to Dr. Phil McGraw; the first segment aired Monday, and it will continue airing Tuesday and next Monday. Burke, 29 and now a computer security analyst, was 9 when his 6-year-old sister was murdered in 1996, and he says his life became a "chaotic nightmare" after the still-unsolved crime, with the media making his and his parents' lives "crazy." That's why, he explains, he hasn't done any interviews until now. CBS notes that "many people still speculate" Burke or his parents could have been involved in JonBenet's death, even though they've been cleared by DNA evidence. McGraw, meanwhile, spoke to Today about interviewing Burke. "This is a very socially awkward young man," he says. "He is smiling," he adds. "People are going to see this throughout the entire interview, [a] really unusual affect, either smiling or laughing," even while discussing disturbing topics. One of those topics: Burke remembers waking up in the wee hours of the morning his sister went missing, and says, "The first thing I remember is my mom bursting in my room, really frantic ... running around my room looking for JonBenet." He didn't leave his room despite the hubbub, People reports, and he explained to McGraw that he "felt safer there." JonBenet's father, John, also spoke to McGraw, and he says that when he first saw his little girl lying in the basement, he didn't realize she was dead. "I had this rush of thank God I found her," he says. (In an old police interview, Burke recounted the day of JonBenet's murder.)

DÜSSELDORF, Germany — Andreas Lubitz, who was flying the Germanwings jetliner that slammed into a mountain in the French Alps on Tuesday, sought treatment for vision problems that may have jeopardized his ability to continue working as a pilot, two officials with knowledge of the investigation said Saturday. The revelation of the possible trouble with his eyes added a new element to the emerging portrait of the 27-year-old German pilot, who the authorities say was also being treated for psychological issues and had hidden aspects of his medical condition from his employer. The police found antidepressants during a search of his apartment here on Thursday, an official said Saturday. It is not clear how severe his eye problems were or how they might have been related to his psychological condition. One person with knowledge of the investigation said the authorities had not ruled out the possibility that the vision problem could have been psychosomatic. Mr. Lubitz, the co-pilot, was alone in the cockpit of the Airbus A320 jetliner on the flight from Barcelona to Düsseldorf, ignoring demands from the captain to be let back in, when the plane crashed. The French prosecutor in the case, drawing from cockpit voice recordings and other data about the flight, has said that Mr. Lubitz deliberately guided the plane, with another 149 people on board, into the mountains. Since then investigators in Germany and France, airline regulators, political leaders and the families of the victims have sought answers about what might have led Mr. Lubitz to do what he did. The information available so far about a possible motive remains sketchy, and it is not yet clear whether his apparent decision to crash the plane was triggered by a particular development in his life. Investigators and journalists continue to search for clues from every period and corner of his life, including his relationship with a longtime girlfriend and a report in a German newspaper on Saturday that another woman with whom he had a relationship had described him as unstable. ||||| Image copyright AFP Image caption The German tabloid Bild carried an interview with the ex-girlfriend of Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz (pictured) The Germanwings co-pilot thought to have deliberately crashed his Airbus in the French Alps, killing 150 people, predicted "one day everyone will know my name", his ex-girlfriend says. In an interview with Germany's Bild newspaper, she recalled a comment Andreas Lubitz made last year. "One day I'm going to do something that will change the whole system, and everyone will know my name and remember," he told her. Flight 4U 9525 crashed on Tuesday. The woman, a 26-year-old flight attendant who flew with Lubitz for five months last year, was "very shocked" when she heard the news, the paper says. She is referred to only as Maria W. Image copyright AP Image caption Memorial services for those onboard flight 4U 9525 have been taking place in Germany and in Spain If Lubitz deliberately brought down the plane, "it is because he understood that because of his health problems, his big dream of a job at Lufthansa, as captain and as a long-haul pilot was practically impossible," she told Bild. Meanwhile, German newspaper Die Welt said that investigators had found evidence of a serious "psychosomatic illness", and that Lubitz had been "treated by several neurologists and psychiatrists". Several medicines used to treat mental illnesses were found at his home, but there were no signs of drug or alcohol addiction, the newspaper, citing an unnamed investigator, said. Separately, the New York Times, citing officials, reported that Lubitz had sought treatment for eye problems. Briton's father in plea to airlines 'Too much pressure' French investigator Jean-Pierre Michel also told the AFP news agency that the pilot's personality was "a serious lead [in the investigation] but... can't be the only one". "We're going to try to understand what in his life could have left him to carry out the act," Mr Michel said, adding that investigators had not discovered any "particular element" so far. The black box voice recorder indicates that Lubitz locked his captain out of the cockpit on Tuesday and crashed the plane into a mountainside in what appears to have been a suicide and mass killing. Image copyright AFP Image caption Lufthansa and Germanwings took out full-page condolence notices in German newspapers German prosecutors say they found medical documents at Lubitz's house suggesting an existing illness and evidence of medical treatment. They found torn-up sick notes, one of them for the day of the crash. They say he seems to have concealed his illness from his employers. His former girlfriend told Bild they separated, "because it became increasingly clear that he had a problem". Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Ex-girlfriend: "He sometimes tended to be aggressive" She said he was plagued by nightmares and would at times wake up screaming "we're going down". She added that he became stressed when they spoke about work: "He became upset about the conditions we worked under: too little money, fear of losing the contract, too much pressure." A hospital in the German city of Duesseldorf has confirmed Lubitz was a patient there recently but it denied media reports that he had been treated for depression. Lubitz's employers insisted that he had only been allowed to resume training after his suitability was "re-established". Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Andreas Lubitz running a half-marathon in Frankfurt in March 2010 Lubitz's health timeline 2009 : Breaks off pilot training while still in his early twenties after suffering "depressions and anxiety attacks", the German tabloid Bild reports, quoting Lufthansa medical files. Resumes training after 18 months of treatment, according to Bild : Breaks off pilot training while still in his early twenties after suffering "depressions and anxiety attacks", the German tabloid Bild reports, quoting Lufthansa medical files. Resumes training after 18 months of treatment, according to Bild 2013 : Qualifies "with flying colours" as pilot, according to Lufthansa : Qualifies "with flying colours" as pilot, according to Lufthansa 2013-2015 : Medical file quoted by Bild marks him as requiring "specific regular medical examination" but no details are given : Medical file quoted by Bild marks him as requiring "specific regular medical examination" but no details are given February 2015 : Undergoes diagnosis at Duesseldorf University Clinic for an unspecified illness; clinic has clarified the illness was not depression : Undergoes diagnosis at Duesseldorf University Clinic for an unspecified illness; clinic has clarified the illness was not depression 10 March 2015 : Again attends Duesseldorf University Clinic : Again attends Duesseldorf University Clinic 24 March 2015 :Is believed to have deliberately crashed airliner, killing himself and 149 others :Is believed to have deliberately crashed airliner, killing himself and 149 others 26 March 2015: Prosecutors announce that two sick notes have been found torn up at his addresses in Germany Unanswered questions What drives people to murder-suicide? Who was Andreas Lubitz? 'Unfathomable loss' A fellow member of the flight school where Andreas Lubitz took lessons told the BBC the co-pilot had known the area of the French Alps where the plane crashed from going there on gliding holidays. A French newspaper, Metro News, reported (in French) that Lubitz had holidayed with his parents at a flying club nearby. French police say the search for passenger remains and debris on the mountain slopes could take another two weeks. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Relatives have been visiting the site of the Alps plane crash Relatives of some of the passengers and crew who died, including the family of the captain, have visited Seyne-les-Alpes, near the crash site. In the aftermath of the crash, the EU's aviation regulator, the European Aviation Safety Agency, has urged airlines to adopt new safety rules. In future, it says, two crew members should be present in the cockpit at all times. Lufthansa and Germanwings have taken out full-page notices in German newspapers, expressing their "deepest sympathy" and condolences for "the unfathomable loss of 150 lives". What is depression? Depression is more than just feeling a bit down for a few days. It is an illness which, at its most severe, can leave people feeling that life is no longer worth living. It can cause physical symptoms such as headaches, sleeplessness and constant tiredness which may last for months and months. People with depression can also feel anxious, irritable and agitated on a daily basis but it affects everyone differently and only in rare cases is it a reason for violence against others. If people admit their symptoms and talk to someone about their feelings, depression can usually be treated but the biggest barrier to getting help is often stigma and the fear of disclosing mental health problems. German media examine 'depression' reports Headlines add to stigma for sufferers More on depression Other incidents thought to be caused by deliberate pilot action 29 November 2013: A flight between Mozambique and Angola crashed in Namibia, killing 33 people. Initial investigation results suggested the accident was deliberately carried out by the captain shortly after the first officer (also known as the co-pilot) had left the flight deck. A flight between Mozambique and Angola crashed in Namibia, killing 33 people. Initial investigation results suggested the accident was deliberately carried out by the captain shortly after the first officer (also known as the co-pilot) had left the flight deck. 31 October 1999: An EgyptAir Boeing 767 went into a rapid descent 30 minutes after taking off from New York, killing 217 people. An investigation suggested that the crash was caused deliberately by the relief first officer but the evidence was not conclusive. An EgyptAir Boeing 767 went into a rapid descent 30 minutes after taking off from New York, killing 217 people. An investigation suggested that the crash was caused deliberately by the relief first officer but the evidence was not conclusive. 19 December 1997: More than 100 people were killed when a Boeing 737 travelling from Indonesia to Singapore crashed. The pilot - suffering from "multiple work-related difficulties" - was suspected of switching off the flight recorders and intentionally putting the plane into a dive. Source: Aviation Safety Network

– The troubling details about Germanwings pilot Andreas Lubitz keep piling up: The New York Times reports that he sought treatment for an unspecified vision problem that had the potential to end his career. As with his psychological problems, the 27-year-old apparently did not reveal the vision trouble to his employer, says the newspaper, which cites two anonymous investigation officials for the scoop. It's also possible that all of Lubitz's problems were related: One of those officials says the vision trouble, whose details aren't specified, might have been psychosomatic. The BBC, meanwhile, picks up on a report in a German newspaper that interviewed Lubitz's ex-girlfriend. She quotes him as saying last year, "One day I'm going to do something that will change the whole system, and everyone will know my name and remember." The woman is a flight attendant identified only as Maria W. If he did bring down the plane, she said, "it is because he understood that because of his health problems, his big dream of a job at Lufthansa, as captain, and as a long-haul pilot was practically impossible."

In this photo provided by the Syrian Civil Defense group known as the White Helmets, Syrians inspect damaged buildings after airstrikes by government helicopters on the rebel-held Aleppo neighborhood... (Associated Press) In this photo provided by the Syrian Civil Defense group known as the White Helmets, Syrians inspect damaged buildings after airstrikes by government helicopters on the rebel-held Aleppo neighborhood of Mashhad, Syria, Tuesday Sept. 27, 2016. With diplomacy in tatters and a month left to go before U.S.... (Associated Press) In this photo provided by the Syrian Civil Defense group known as the White Helmets, Syrians inspect damaged buildings after airstrikes by government helicopters on the rebel-held Aleppo neighborhood of Mashhad, Syria, Tuesday Sept. 27, 2016. With diplomacy in tatters and a month left to go before U.S.... (Associated Press) In this photo provided by the Syrian Civil Defense group known as the White Helmets, Syrians inspect damaged buildings after airstrikes by government helicopters on the rebel-held Aleppo neighborhood... (Associated Press) BEIRUT (AP) — The Latest on the civil war in Syria (all times local): 6:45 p.m. U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon says the situation in rebel-held parts of Aleppo is worse than a "slaughterhouse" and implicitly accuses Syria and Russia of committing war crimes. He spoke to a U.N. Security Council meeting Wednesday on health care in armed conflict as two more hospitals were struck in the city's besieged east. Without naming countries, Ban said "those using ever more destructive weapons know exactly what they are doing — they know they are committing war crimes." The Syrian government announced the offensive to retake rebel-held eastern Aleppo, and the only countries carrying out airstrikes are Syria and Russia. Ban said "hospitals, clinics, ambulances and medical staff in Aleppo are under attack around the clock." He said there must be "action," and "accountability," saying "international law is clear. Medical workers, facilities and transport must be protected. The wounded and sick, civilians and fighters alike, must be spared. Deliberate attacks on hospitals are war crimes." ___ 6:15 p.m. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is threatening to cut off all contacts with Moscow over Syria, unless Russian and Syrian government attacks on Aleppo end. The State Department says Kerry issued the ultimatum in a Wednesday telephone call to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Kerry's spokesman, John Kirby, says Kerry expressed grave concern over Russian and Syrian government attacks on hospitals, water supplies and other civilian infrastructure in Aleppo. He says Kerry told Lavrov that the U.S. holds Russia responsible for the use of incendiary and bunker-buster bombs in an urban area. Kerry told Lavrov the U.S. was preparing to "suspend U.S.-Russia bilateral engagement on Syria," including on a proposed counterterrorism partnership, "unless Russia takes immediate steps to end the assault on Aleppo" and restore a cease-fire. ___ 3:45 p.m. An international relief NGO says bombardment is the leading cause of forced displacement in Syria. In a study published Wednesday, France-based Handicap International called the widespread use of shelling, rocket fire, and bombardment the "overriding factor" behind the tidal wave of displacement that has characterized the Syrian war. The report cited interviews with refugees and patterns of bombardment and fatalities. The U.N. says the 5 ½-year war has driven some 11 million Syrians from their homes. Handicap International says many are fleeing the fear of injury and death, destruction to their homes and businesses, and infrastructure collapse. It attributes over 60 percent of the civilian fatalities in Syria to explosive weapons. ___ 11:45 a.m. Pope Francis has decried the assault on the Syrian city of Aleppo, saying those responsible for the bombing must answer to God. Francis said at his public audience Wednesday in St. Peter's Square that he's "united in suffering through prayer and spiritual closeness" to Aleppo's people. He expressed "deep pain and strong worry for what's happening," saying "children and elderly ... everyone is dying." He called for utmost efforts to protect civilians in Syria's civil war, raging since 2011. Francis said: "I appeal to the consciences of those responsible for the bombing that they must give a reckoning to God" for their actions. The Syrian government and its Russian allies have unleashed a major assault on the ancient city. ___ 11:30 a.m. Medical officials say airstrikes have severely damaged two hospitals in eastern rebel-held Aleppo, leading to the death of two seriously ill patients. The airstrikes early Wednesday hit the M2 and M10 hospitals, knocking out generators and cutting off water supplies, putting them temporarily out of service. Mohammed Abu Rajab, head of M10 hospital, the largest of eight hospitals in eastern Aleppo, says two patients died because they could not be kept alive. He says the intensive care unit was severely damaged. Adham Sahloul, of the Syrian American Medical Society, based in Gaziantep, Turkey, confirmed the strikes and described them as deliberate. He says government forces know the location of both facilities. The closures leave eastern Aleppo with six functioning hospitals, only three of which are capable of dealing with emergencies

– Secretary of State John Kerry is threatening to cut off all contact with Moscow over Syria, unless Russian and Syrian government attacks on Aleppo end, the AP reports. The State Department says Kerry issued the ultimatum in a Wednesday telephone call to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Kerry's spokesperson, John Kirby, says Kerry expressed grave concern over Russian and Syrian government attacks on hospitals, water supplies, and other civilian infrastructure in Aleppo. He says Kerry told Lavrov the US holds Russia responsible for the use of incendiary and bunker-buster bombs in an urban area. Kerry told Lavrov the US was preparing to "suspend US-Russia bilateral engagement on Syria," including on a proposed counterterrorism partnership, "unless Russia takes immediate steps to end the assault on Aleppo" and restore a ceasefire. UN chief Ban Ki-moon says the situation in rebel-held parts of Aleppo is worse than a "slaughterhouse" and implicitly accuses Syria and Russia of committing war crimes, the AP reports. Without naming countries, Ban said Wednesday that "those using ever more destructive weapons know exactly what they are doing—they know they are committing war crimes." The Syrian government announced the offensive to retake rebel-held eastern Aleppo, and the only countries carrying out airstrikes are Syria and Russia. Ban said "hospitals, clinics, ambulances, and medical staff in Aleppo are under attack around the clock." "International law is clear," he said. "Medical workers, facilities and transport must be protected. The wounded and sick, civilians and fighters alike, must be spared. Deliberate attacks on hospitals are war crimes."

More than 2,000 people plan to participate in a protest against campus carry by bringing dildos to the first day of fall semester classes next year, on Aug. 24. UT alumna Jessica Jin organized the Facebook event “Campus (Dildo) Carry” on Friday. She said on the event page that students should protest campus carry by “strapping gigantic swinging dildos to our backpacks.” Jin said she was inspired to create the Facebook event after listening to a radio discussion about the school shootings Oct. 9 at Texas Southern University, Northern Arizona University and an elementary in Upland, California. She said she felt a lot of frustration toward the people who continued to defend gun ownership while families mourned the loss of their children. “I did little research on the rules surrounding dildos in classrooms,” Jin said. “When I discovered that it is indeed against UT policy to wave dildos around campus, I just couldn’t help myself.” Jin said that although Texas has elected to allow concealed weapons on campus, there is a state penal code and a University rule which ban displaying or distributing obscene materials. The crime is a misdemeanor that can be punishable by up to a $500 fine. Campus carry was signed into law on June 1 and allows license holders to carry a concealed handgun throughout university campuses. The law goes into effect Aug. 1, 2016. The law, however, allows public universities to designate certain areas of campus gun-free zones, but not the entire campus. In August, UT President Gregory Fenves formed a working group to recommend implementation policies for the campus carry law by early December. Using the hashtag #CocksNotGlocks, Jin said the state’s campus carry law and Texas penal code means people would receive a citation for taking a dildo to class before getting in trouble for bringing a gun. Jin said support for the event has caught on quickly because it resonates with people, but the satirical use of dildos has also sparked more serious conversations on topics such as the perception of safety, the intersection of guns and sexuality and campus sexual assault. “There’s a lot of arguing going on, but the consensus is: We’re all just trying to not get killed,” Jin said. Jin said she chose dildos because the dildo has provided commentary on what society does and doesn’t consider to be obscene. She said the narratives surrounding guns and sexuality are intertwined and have the power to affect one another. “Some shootings in this past year can even be traced straight back to sexual repression,” Jin said. “Dildos and guns are in it together for the long haul.” Allison Peregory, chairman of the Young Conservatives of Texas UT Chapter and student representative of Students for Concealed Carry, said she believes the protest is childish, bizarre and highlights the ignorance of far left politics. “I don’t know what [people] plan to do with a dildo against an assailant,” Peregory said. “But as a woman, and I know other Texas women agree with me, we’re going to take concealed carry over a dildo to protect us any day.” Jasmin Sheth, Plan II and public health senior, said she decided to participate in the event and said it’s ironic that American society is okay with young people being exposed to violence through media but not okay with them seeing nudity. “It’s strange that we place a taboo on our bodies and sexuality and prioritize guns,” Sheth said. “As a society, we become less empathetic.” Jin said if the nation continues in the direction it is headed then everyone will eventually have to carry in order to protect any semblance of freedom or equality. “I need this proliferation of dildos to offer people a visual representation of what it would be like if we all carried guns. It should look ridiculous to you. That is the point,” Jin said. “We’re going to need a lot of dildos.” ||||| 'People want me dead for a dildo:' UT alumna behind 'Cocks not Glocks' protest UT-Austin students will hold a "strap in" protest against campus carry on Aug. 24, 2016 by carrying dildos to class in violation of the campus' obscenity policy. UT-Austin students will hold a "strap in" protest against campus carry on Aug. 24, 2016 by carrying dildos to class in violation of the campus' obscenity policy. Photo: Campus (DILDO) Carry Facebook Group University of Texas at El Paso professor David Smith-Soto hung this "gun free zone" sign outside his multimedia journalism classroom after Gov. Greg Abbott signed campus carry into law in June 2015. University of Texas at El Paso professor David Smith-Soto hung this "gun free zone" sign outside his multimedia journalism classroom after Gov. Greg Abbott signed campus carry into law in June 2015. Photo: David Smith-Soto Blog window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-3', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 3', target_type: 'mix' }); _taboola.push({flush: true}); Photo: Campus (DILDO) Carry Facebook Group Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close 'People want me dead for a dildo:' UT alumna behind 'Cocks not Glocks' protest 1 / 3 Back to Gallery Update: By Monday morning, more than 4,100 people had RSVP'd to Jin's event. AUSTIN - Strap yourselves in, Longhorns, because Jessica Jin's #CocksnotGlocks protest has officially gone viral. Less than 36 hours after the UT alumna created the event's Facebook page, more than 1,700 people have pledged to attend the protest against a recently passed Texas law that will allow more guns on college campuses. The event has also brought Jin some unwanted attention, including threats that prompted her to contact the Austin Police Department. The Houston Chronicle caught up with Jin, a 24-year-old San Antonio native who lives in Austin, via Facebook and asked what inspired her to set up "Campus (DILDO) Carry"? (Note: This Q+A was copied from a Facebook message thread between McGaughy and Jin. No answers have been changed or abridged). Q: How did you think this all up? A: I was sitting in traffic yesterday listening to a discussion on public radio about the morning's school shootings. I felt a lot of frustration at those who were still trying to explain-away, or make excuses for this repeated pattern of violence and said to myself, "Man, these people are such dildos." I couldn't believe that people could still sit there and defend their own personal gun ownership while watching families mourn the loss of their children. The dildo concept began as a reaction in jest to this week's shooting events. One joke led to another, and I did a little research on the rules surrounding dildos in classrooms. When I discovered that it is indeed against UT policy to wave dildos around campus, I just couldn't help myself. Q: What feedback have you gotten so far on your proposed protest? Has there been any backlash? A: You know how internet comments can be. It has been absolutely fascinating that some folks seemingly feel threatened or angered at the thought of people carrying dildos around with them. They're incredibly offended! So much outrage! They're calling for my head. People want me dead for a dildo. It's the type of reaction that we could only hope to see from them when they hear of a child being gunned down in a classroom. It's a little scary and absurd, but it still sounds like progress to me. Otherwise, most people are super supportive. I think it has caught on quickly because it resonates with them in a multitude of ways. The gun puns and the humor have been remarkable, but this satirical employment of dildos has also sparked more serious conversations on topics like the perception of safety, the intersection of guns and sexuality, and even campus sexual assault. Others are simply seeing it as quite a literal f*** you to the people and forces that led us into this divisive nationwide deadlock in the first place. There's a lot of arguing going on, but the consensus is: we're all just trying to not get killed. Q: Why dildos of all things? A: Firstly, it is just plain funny. A campus bobbing with dildos is the stuff of every prankster's dreams. It's also self aware. We're all a bunch of dildos for allowing this debate to go on for so long. Another thing: it spotlights the masturbatory nature of the power which people derive from gun ownership, and the self aggrandizing "I'm one of the good ones, I'll protect you" arguments we're so often expected to simply trust. Additionally, the dildo has proven itself to be interesting fodder for commentary on what our society does and does not consider "obscene." The narratives surrounding sexuality (or just dildos, in this case) and guns are more intertwined than one would expect, and more similarities seem to unfold every minute. They each have the power to instantly masculate or emasculate at a moment's notice. Some shootings in this past year can even be traced straight back to sexual repression. Dildos and guns are in it together for the long haul. Q: What's the ideal outcome? A: I need this proliferation of dildos to offer people a visual representation of what it would be like if we all carried guns. It should look ridiculous to you. That is the point. This is America; if guns and bloodshed don't wake people up, a public celebration of sexuality may just do the trick. We're going to need a lot of dildos. If our country continues in the direction it's headed, everyone will eventually have to carry in order to protect any semblance of freedom or equality. We clearly already can't trust each other, and that mistrust is perpetuating a self-defeating escalation of gun ownership in America. Life in a fully armed society resembles something more like a fear-based hellhole than the land of the free, if you ask me. There are endless reasons to oppose concealed carry, and it doesn't matter which logical path you follow - everyone who is opposed should be given opportunities to throw their weight behind change and be heard. This is just one of the many opportunities to participate. Q: More than 1,700 people have signed up. Did you ever think the event would go viral? A: I thought it would be very hit or miss. It'd either be passed off as a silly joke, or perhaps people would see more in it and latch on. Q: What's your general background? Do you consider yourself an activist? A: I am a UT alumni and I graduated with a violin performance degree last year. I am the typical millennial with too much access to information, too strong of a sense of morality, and too dry of a sense of humor. I'd never before considered myself an activist, more than a concerned citizen. This began as a satirical knee-jerk reaction to current events, but the popularity of these sentiments, and the strength of the reactions it has provoked, has said volumes about what a crisis our country has reached over gun control. ||||| Students at University of Texas at Austin are hoping to keep guns off their campus with a good ol' fashion dildo protest. A Facebook event for Campus (DILDO) Carry has been organized to protest the campus carry bill that was recently signed into law by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. The law will allow students with concealed carry permits to walk around public campuses with guns starting in August 2016. Participants in the protest are planning to strap dildos to their backpacks on Aug. 24, 2016, the first day of classes for the semester. Jessica Jin, the organizer of the event, writes in the event's description: The State of Texas has decided that it is not at all obnoxious to allow deadly concealed weapons in classrooms, however it DOES have strict rules about free sexual expression, to protect your innocence. You would receive a citation for taking a DILDO to class before you would get in trouble for taking a gun to class. Heaven forbid the penis. In terms of the citation, Jin refers to a UT Austin rule that prohibits being in public with something deemed "obscene." Jin invites anybody to partake in the protest, from alumni to non-UT students, as well as people outside of Texas, in a show of sex-toy solidarity against the law. As of Sunday evening, there were already more than 2,000 people RSVP'd as attending. The event also has a hashtag, #CocksNotGlocks. The Houston Chronicle points out that the event was created the same day as a shooting at Texas Southern University, which left one student dead and another wounded. Shootings in Oregon and Arizona added to the tally of deaths by gun on college campuses. Sadly, as Jin's event has gone viral over the weekend, she's started to get threats online. She told the Chronicle on Sunday: It has been absolutely fascinating that some folks seemingly feel threatened or angered at the thought of people carrying dildos around with them. They're incredibly offended! So much outrage! They're calling for my head. People want me dead for a dildo. Aware that dildos can be costly, Jin noted on Facebook that she'll look into a supplier sponsorship if there are enough participants for the protest. Maybe the ones hanging around Portland earlier this year can be shipped over to Texas. H/T Chron | Photo via Jeff Gunn/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

– University of Texas at Austin students opposed to a new "campus carry" gun law plan to protest with open carry—of sex toys. Organizer Jessica Jin says she finds it absurd that as of next August, license holders will be able to carry weapons inside university buildings while obscenity laws make it illegal to wave a dildo around, the Daily Dot reports. The Facebook event page for "Campus (DILDO) Carry" says protesters will be "strapping gigantic swinging dildos to our backpacks." So far, more than 3,700 people have signed up for the event, which will be held on the first day of classes next August—and uses a risque hashtag. Jin tells the Daily Texan that guns and sexuality are intertwined and she wants to put the spotlight on what society considers obscene. "Some shootings in this past year can even be traced straight back to sexual repression," she says. "Dildos and guns are in it together for the long haul." She tells the Houston Chronicle that she has been receiving threats since creating the event. "People want me dead for a dildo," she says, but "most people are super supportive." The event was created the day of a fatal shooting on a Texas campus, the Chronicle notes, and the issue has a particular resonance on the UT-Austin campus: In 1966, student Charles Whitman opened fire from the university's clock tower in what was the first campus mass shooting in American history and the deadliest until 2007's Virginia Tech massacre. (A professor worried that the new law raises the risk of classroom shootings resigned last week.)

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Hollywood star Sean Penn lied when he reported that Mexican kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman told him he is the world’s foremost drugs trafficker, and he should be called to testify, one of Guzman’s lawyers said on Wednesday. Juan Pablo Badillo, a lawyer representing drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, attends an interview with Reuters in Mexico City, January 13, 2016. REUTERS/Tomas Bravo Guzman was recaptured on Friday, six months after staging a spectacular prison break through a tunnel in his cell floor. While on the run, Guzman met secretly with Penn at a jungle hideout - a move the government says was “essential” to his capture. Penn published an article in Rolling Stone magazine on Saturday in which he quotes Guzman boasting about his drug shipments and laundering money through major Mexican and foreign companies. (rol.st/1PXKv56) “Its a lie, absurd speculation from Mr Penn,” Juan Pablo Badillo, one of a team of Guzman lawyers, told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday. “In a way, yes, it does complicate it (his defense). Mr Penn should be called to testify to respond about the stupidities he has said,” Badillo added. He said that based on years of working Guzman, he was certain he would not make such a self-incriminating statement. “He (Guzman) could not have made these claims... Mr Guzman is a very serious man, very intelligent,” Badillo said. “Where’s the proof? Where’s the audio?” Neither Penn’s publicist nor Rolling Stone replied to requests for comment on Wednesday. In the article, Penn said he was not allowed to record his in-person conversation with Guzman. The Mexican fugitive later sent Penn a 17-minute video of answers after security issues stymied plans to hold a follow-up interview in person, and it does not contain the reported comments. Penn, who met Guzman along with Mexican actress Kate del Castillo, wrote that Guzman proudly volunteered information on his illegal activities. “I supply more heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana than anybody else in the world. I have a fleet of submarines, airplanes, trucks and boats,” Penn quoted Guzman as saying. A government spokesman said on Tuesday that Mexico was not directly investigating Penn or del Castillo but rather the circumstances around the meeting. Instant messages among Guzman, one of his lawyers and del Castillo published by local paper Milenio on Wednesday show that the kingpin initially had no idea who Penn was. They also show Guzman and del Castillo flirting. BID TO AVOID SOLITARY CONFINEMENT Badillo said he was poised to file a legal challenge on behalf of Guzman, whom he has represented since 1993, against his being held in isolation. He rejected the government’s assertion that Guzman was being moved regularly from cell to cell as a security precaution. The legal challenge is not a new tactic for Guzman’s lawyers. Badillo filed seven previously during Guzman’s incarceration and after his escape. Badillo successfully filed a challenge while Guzman was on the run seeking to bar security forces from killing him as they sought to capture him. He declined to elaborate on his wider legal defense strategy, which is aimed at avoiding Guzman’s extradition to the United States, where he is wanted on an array of charges. Slideshow (5 Images) Mexican daily Milenio late on Tuesday published alleged private messages between del Castillo and Guzman. Badillo said he believed reports about them having a close relationship were “pure speculation.” Badillo said he saw no conflict in accepting payment for legal services from a wanted drug trafficker, saying all Mexican’s have a right to a defense in court. He declined to say how much Guzman pays him. ||||| Text messages between several parties surrounding the drug baron about the fateful interview also show Penn described as ‘the most famous actor in the US’ Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán appears not to have heard of Sean Penn until a week before the fugitive cartel capo’s encounter with the Hollywood star, according to intercepted text messages leaked to a Mexican newspaper. Transcripts published in Milieno on Wednesday appear to show a string of text message conversations between several people presumed to include Guzmán, his lawyers and Kate del Castillo, the actress who served as Penn’s contact and guide. The intercepted messages were presumably leaked by Mexican security officials monitoring Guzmán’s lawyer in the operation that eventually led to the drug baron’s arrest on Friday. Most were sent between 25 September and 9 November 2015, with a period of inactivity in the middle, during which Penn and Del Castillo met El Chapo in an encounter which Penn later wrote about for Rolling Stone. The messages are littered with typos, apparently the result of overzealous autocorrect settings, said Carlos Marín, director of Milenio, in an accompanying editorial. Several parties were involved, all of whom were identified by pseudonyms, but they appear to include Del Castillo (codenamed “Guapa” – Spanish for beautiful – and “Ermosza” – a play on hermosa, another Spanish word for beautiful), Guzmán (codenamed “Papá”) and two lawyers. “Tell him, that the actor Sean Penn has a very relevant message for him,” says one message. “This actor, as an interesting fact, is the most famous in the US.” In another exchange, Papá asks “What’s this actor called?” prompting a discussion of the Hollywood veteran’s career: M: Sean Penn. The one who made the movie 21 Grams. Papá: 21 Grams. What year was that made? M: I’m checking so I can give you the exact date. Papá: OK. M: 21 grams came out in 2003. Apart from that he’s a political activist. He’s been very critical of the Bush administration. Papá: That was his most recent film? M: Nowadays he hardly does any acting. Now he produces. And he knows almost all the directors and producers in Hollywood. Papá: What was the most recent film he produced? At times, the messages strike a flirty tone, with Guzmán commonly calling Del Castillo amiga, and ending exchanges with the words te quiero – “I love you” – a commonly used expression of affection among friends. “How beautiful you are, amiga, in all aspects,” Guzmán wrote late on 26 September – a week before the 2 October encounter. “I confess that I feel protected for the first time,” Del Castillo responded. “You will know my story when we have the time to talk, but for some reason I feel safe and know that you know who I am, not as an actress or a public person.” Del Castillo offers to bring her brand of tequila to Guzmán, who says that although he doesn’t drink he would toast with her. “Tell Kate when she comes we’ll drink tequila and dance,” Guzmán said in a message to his lawyer. In the messages Guzmán does not display much technical expertise, but pays particular attention to the model of mobile phone his team give to Del Castillo before their meeting. “Which is the one will look most beautiful?” he asks. When told the only colours available for a possible phone were black and grey, he responds: “There’s no pink? Because if there is no pink, buy a silver one.” After a lengthy discussion of various models, they eventually settle on a black BlackBerry, despite Guzmán’s initial instructions to look for a “woman’s colour” . Details on the hunt for El Chapo have leaked steadily since his arrest, often in publications perceived as friendly to the Peña Nieto administration. On Tuesday, the newspaper El Universal published surveillance photos from Mexican intelligence showing Penn and Del Castillo’s arrival in Guadalajara ahead of their early October encounter with El Chapo. El Chapo, Hollywood and the lure of the mob movie Read more Mexican authorities say El Chapo wanted to make a biopic on his life and instructed his lawyers to enlist the help of Del Castillo – best known for her portrayal of a cartel boss in the hit series La Reina del Sur (Queen of the South). Planning for the vanity project alerted the authorities to El Chapo’s whereabouts and eventually forced him to flee his stronghold in the impenetrable Sierra Madre mountains. Guillermo Valdés, former director of Mexico’s intelligence agency, wrote in Milenio that Guzmán got sloppy and helped alert officials to his whereabouts by returning to his old haunts in Sinaloa and sticking with the same inner circle of lawyers, associates and family. All were well known to the authorities. “Inviting two actors two artists to show off his life to them added to the stupidity,” Valdés wrote. Valdés also insinuated Guzmán tried to “satisfy his vanity through a movie and in passing tried to romantically win her over”. In one of the first of the text messages after the meeting, Guzmán wrote to Del Castillo: “I’m telling you that I am more excited about you than the story.” ||||| Disclosure: Some names have had to be changed, locations not named, and an understanding was brokered with the subject that this piece would be submitted for the subject’s approval before publication. The subject did not ask for any changes. "The laws of conscience, which we pretend to be derived from nature, proceed from custom." —Montaigne It's September 28th, 2015. My head is swimming, labeling TracPhones (burners), one per contact, one per day, destroy, burn, buy, balancing levels of encryption, mirroring through Blackphones, anonymous e-mail addresses, unsent messages accessed in draft form. It's a clandestine horror show for the single most technologically illiterate man left standing. At 55 years old, I've never learned to use a laptop. Do they still make laptops? No fucking idea! It's 4:00 in the afternoon. Another gorgeous fall day in New York City. The streets are abuzz with the lights and sirens of diplomatic movement, heads of state, U.N. officials, Secret Service details, the NYPD. It's the week of the U.N. General Assembly. Pope Francis blazed a trail and left town two days before. I'm sitting in my room at the St. Regis Hotel with my colleague and brother in arms, Espinoza. Related Watch El Chapo’s Exclusive Interview in Its Entirety Kingpin videotaped responses to Sean Penn's questions while still in hiding Espinoza and I have traveled many roads together, but none as unpredictable as the one we are now approaching. Espinoza is the owl who flies among falcons. Whether he's standing in the midst of a slum, a jungle or a battlefield, his idiosyncratic elegance, mischievous smile and self-effacing charm have a way of defusing threat. His bald head demands your attention to his twinkling eyes. He's a man fascinated and engaged. We whisper to each other in code. Finally a respite from the cyber technology that's been sizzling my brain and soul. We sit within quietude of fortified walls that are old New York hotel construction, when walls were walls, and telephones were usable without a Ph.D. We quietly make our plans, sensitive to the paradox that also in our hotel is President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico. Espinoza and I leave the room to get outside the hotel, breathe in the fall air and walk the five blocks to a Japanese restaurant, where we'll meet up with our colleague El Alto Garcia. As we exit onto 55th Street, the sidewalk is lined with the armored SUVs that will transport the president of Mexico to the General Assembly. Paradoxical indeed, as one among his detail asks if I will take a selfie with him. Flash frame: myself and a six-foot, ear-pieced Mexican security operator. Flash frame: Why is this a paradox? It's paradoxical because today's Mexico has, in effect, two presidents. And among those two presidents, it is not Peña Nieto who Espinoza and I were planning to see as we'd spoken in whispered code upstairs. It is not he who necessitated weeks of clandestine planning. Instead, it's a man of about my age, though absent any human calculus that may provide us a sense of anchored commonality. At four years old, in '64, I was digging for imaginary treasures, unneeded, in my parents' middleclass American backyard while he was hand-drawing fantasy pesos that, if real, might be the only path for he and his family to dream beyond peasant farming. And while I was surfing the waves of Malibu at age nine, he was already working in the marijuana and poppy fields of the remote mountains of Sinaloa, Mexico. Today, he runs the biggest international drug cartel the world has ever known, exceeding even that of Pablo Escobar. He shops and ships by some estimates more than half of all the cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana that come into the United States. They call him El Chapo. Or "Shorty." Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera. The same El Chapo Guzman who only two months earlier had humiliated the Peña Nieto government and stunned the world with his extraordinary escape from Altiplano maximum-security prison through an impeccably engineered mile-long tunnel. Watch two minutes of El Chapo's exclusive first-ever interview below. This would be the second prison escape of the world's most notorious drug lord, the first being 13 years earlier, from Puente Grande prison, where he was smuggled out under the sheets of a laundry cart. Since he joined the drug trade as a teenager, Chapo swiftly rose through the ranks, building an almost mythic reputation: First, as a cold pragmatist known to deliver a single shot to the head for any mistakes made in a shipment, and later, as he began to establish the Sinaloa cartel, as a Robin Hood-like figure who provided much-needed services in the Sinaloa mountains, funding everything from food and roads to medical relief. By the time of his second escape from federal prison, he had become a figure entrenched in Mexican folklore. In 1989, El Chapo dug the first subterranean passage beneath the border from Tijuana to San Diego, and pioneered the use of tunnels to transport his products and to evade capture. I will discover that his already accomplished engineers had been flown to Germany last year for three months of extensive additional training necessary to deal with the low-lying water table beneath the prison. A tunnel equipped with a pipe-track-guided motorcycle with an engine modified to function in the minimally oxygenized space, allowing El Chapo to drop through a hole in his cell's shower floor, into its saddle and ride to freedom. It was this president of Mexico who had agreed to see us. I take no pride in keeping secrets that may be perceived as protecting criminals, nor do I have any gloating arrogance at posing for selfies with unknowing security men. But I'm in my rhythm. Everything I say to everyone must be true. As true as it is compartmentalized. The trust that El Chapo had extended to us was not to be fucked with. This will be the first interview El Chapo had ever granted outside an interrogation room, leaving me no precedent by which to measure the hazards. I'd seen plenty of video and graphic photography of those beheaded, exploded, dismembered or bullet-riddled innocents, activists, courageous journalists and cartel enemies alike. I was highly aware of committed DEA and other law-enforcement officers and soldiers, both Mexican and American, who had lost their lives executing the policies of the War on Drugs. The families decimated, and institutions corrupted. I took some comfort in a unique aspect of El Chapo's reputation among the heads of drug cartels in Mexico: that, unlike many of his counterparts who engage in gratuitous kidnapping and murder, El Chapo is a businessman first, and only resorts to violence when he deems it advantageous to himself or his business interests. It was on the strength of the Sinaloa cartel's seemingly more calculated strategies (a cartel whose famous face is El Chapo, but also includes the co-leadership of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada) that Sinaloa had become dominant among Mexico's criminal syndicates, extending far beyond the rural northwestern state, with significant inroads to all principal border areas between the United States and Mexico – Juarez, Mexicali, Tijuana, and reaching as far as Los Cabos. Related A Timeline of El Chapo's Close Calls and Narrow Escapes Mexican drug kingpin once came so close to being caught that his coffee was reportedly still warm when authorities arrived As an American citizen, I'm drawn to explore what may be inconsistent with the portrayals our government and media brand upon their declared enemies. Not since Osama bin Laden has the pursuit of a fugitive so occupied the public imagination. But unlike bin Laden, who had posed the ludicrous premise that a country's entire population is defined by – and therefore complicit in – its leadership's policies, with the world's most wanted drug lord, are we, the American public, not indeed complicit in what we demonize? We are the consumers, and as such, we are complicit in every murder, and in every corruption of an institution's ability to protect the quality of life for citizens of Mexico and the United States that comes as a result of our insatiable appetite for illicit narcotics. As much as anything, it's a question of relative morality. What of the tens of thousands of sick and suffering chemically addicted Americans, barbarically imprisoned for the crime of their illness? Locked down in facilities where unspeakable acts of dehumanization and violence are inescapable, and murder a looming threat. Are we saying that what's systemic in our culture, and out of our direct hands and view, shares no moral equivalency to those abominations that may rival narco assassinations in Juarez? Or, is that a distinction for the passive self-righteous? There is little dispute that the War on Drugs has failed: as many as 27,000 drug-related homicides in Mexico alone in a single year, and opiate addiction on the rise in the U.S. Working in the emergency and development field in Haiti, I have countless times been proposed theoretical solutions to that country's ailments by bureaucratic agencies unfamiliar with the culture and incongruities on the ground. Perhaps in the tunnel vision of our puritanical and prosecutorial culture that has designed the War on Drugs, we have similarly lost sight of practice, and given over our souls to theory. At an American taxpayer cost of $25 billion per year, this war's policies have significantly served to kill our children, drain our economies, overwhelm our cops and courts, pick our pockets, crowd our prisons and punch the clock. Another day's fight is lost. And lost with it, any possible vision of reform, or recognition of the proven benefits in so many other countries achieved through the regulated legalization of recreational drugs. Now on 50th Street, Espinoza and I enter the Japanese restaurant. El Alto sits alone in a quiet corner, beneath a slow-turning ceiling fan that circulates the scent of raw fish. He's a big man, quiet and graceful, rarely speaking above a whisper. He'd been helpful to me on many previous excursions. He's worldly, well connected and liked. Espinoza, speaking in Spanish, fills him in on our plans and itinerary. El Alto listens intently, squeezing edamame beans one at a time between his teeth. We considered this meeting our point of no return. We were either all in, or we would abandon the journey. We had weighed the risks, but I felt confident and said so. I'd offered myself to experiences beyond my control in numerous countries of war, terror, corruption and disaster. Places where what can go wrong will go wrong, had gone wrong, and yet in the end, had delivered me in one piece with a deepening situational awareness (though not a perfect science) of available cautions within the design in chaos. It was agreed that I would go to L.A. the next day to coordinate with our principal point of contact to El Chapo. We ordered sake and indulged the kind of operating-room humor that might displace our imperfectly scientific concerns. Outside the restaurant windows, a chanting march of Mexican-Americans flowed by in protest against the Peña Nieto government's asserted violations of human rights, having allowed their country of origin to fall prey to a narco regime. Uriel Santana In January 2012, the Mexican film and television star Kate del Castillo, who famously played a drug lordess in Mexico's popular soap opera La Reina del Sur, used Twitter to express her mistrust of the Mexican government. She stated that in a question of trust between governments and cartels, hers would go to El Chapo. And in that tweet, she expressed a dream, perhaps an encouragement to El Chapo himself: "Mr. Chapo, wouldn't it be cool that you started trafficking with love? With cures for diseases, with food for the homeless children, with alcohol for the retirement homes that don't let the elderly spend the rest of the days doing whatever the fuck they want. Imagine trafficking with corrupt politicians instead of women and children who end up as slaves. Why don't you burn all those whorehouses where women are worth less than a pack of cigarettes. Without offer, there's no demand. Come on, Don! You would be the hero of heroes. Let's traffic with love. You know how to. Life is a business and the only thing that changes is the merchandise. Don't you agree?" While she was ostracized by many, Kate's sentiment is widely shared in Mexico. It can be heard in the narco corrido ballads so popular throughout the country. But her views, unlike those folkloric lionizations, are rather a continuity of her history of brave expression and optimistic dreams for her homeland. She had been outspoken on politics, sex and religion and is among the courageous independent spirits that democracies are built to protect and cannot exist without. Her courage is further demonstrated in her willingness to be named in this article. There are both brutal and corrupt forces within the Mexican government who oppose her (and indeed, according to Kate, high-ranking officials have responded to her public statement with private intimidations), and hence, a responsibility of the greater public to shepherd those who make their voices heard. It perhaps should have come as no surprise that this homegrown icon of entertainment would catch the interest of a singular fan and fugitive from Sinaloa. After reading Kate's statement on Twitter, a lawyer representing El Chapo Guzmán contacted Kate. He said El Señor wanted to send her flowers in gratitude. She nervously offered her address, but with the gypsy movements of an actress, the flowers did not find her. Two years later, in February 2014, a detachment of Mexican marines captured El Chapo in a Mazatlán hotel following a 13-year manhunt. The images of that arrest were flashed across the world's televisions. While he was incarcerated at Altiplano prison, El Chapo's attorneys were flooded with overtures from Hollywood studios. With his dramatic capture, and, perhaps, the illusion of safe dealings now that El Chapo was locked up, the gringos were scrambling to tell his story. The seed was planted, and El Chapo, awakened to the prospect, made plans of his own. He was interested in seeing the story of his life told on film, but would entrust its telling only to Kate. The same lawyer again tracked her down, this time through the Mexican equivalent of the Screen Actors Guild, and the imprisoned drug lord and the actress began to correspond in handwritten letters and BBM messages. It was at a social event in Los Angeles when Kate met Espinoza. She learned he was well connected to financial sources, including those that funded film projects, and she proposed a partnership to make a film about El Chapo. This was when Espinoza included our mutual colleague and friend El Alto. I learned of their intention to make the film, but I did not know Kate or have any involvement with the project. The three of them met with El Chapo's lawyer to explore their approach, but it was ultimately determined that direct access to El Chapo would still be too restricted for their authorized pursuit to rise above competitive "Chapo" projects that Hollywood would pursue with or without his participation. Then came July 2015. El Chapo's prison break. The world, and particularly Mexico and the United States, was up in arms. How could this happen?! The DEA and the Justice Department were furious. The fact that Mexican Interior Secretary Miguel Ángel Osorio Chong had refused El Chapo's extradition to the United States, then allowed his escape, positioned Chong and the Peña Nieto administration as global pariahs. I followed the news of El Chapo's escape and reached out to Espinoza. We met in the courtyard of a boutique hotel in Paris in late August. He told me about Kate and that she had been intermittently receiving contact from Chapo even after the escape. It was then that I posed the idea of a magazine story. Espinoza's smile of mischief arose, indicating he would arrange for me to meet Kate back in Los Angeles. At a Santa Monica restaurant, I made my case, and Kate agreed to make the bridge, sending our names for vetting across the border. When word came back a week or so later that Chapo had indeed agreed to meet with us, I called Jann Wenner at Rolling Stone. Myself, Espinoza and El Alto were given the assignment. And with a letter from Jann officiating it, we would join Kate, who was our ticket to El Chapo's trust, then put ourselves in the hands of representatives of the Sinaloa cartel to coordinate our journey. It had been a month in the planning by the time Espinoza and I were breathing the New York air that late-September day on 55th Street. See footage from El Chapo's July prison escape below: Four days later, on October 2nd, El Alto, Espinoza, Kate and I board a self-financed charter flight from a Los Angeles-area airport to a city in mid-Mexico. Upon landing, a hotel driver takes us by minivan to the hotel we had been instructed to book. Suspicious of every living or inanimate thing, I scan cars and drivers, mothers papoosing infants, grandmothers, peasants on the street, building tops, curtained windows. I search the skies for helicopters. There is no question in my mind but that the DEA and the Mexican government are tracking our movements. From the moment Kate had gone out on a limb with her tweet of January 2012 through the beginning of our encrypted negotiations to meet El Chapo, I had been bewildered by his willingness to risk our visit. If Kate was being surveilled, so must those named on any shared flight manifest. I see no spying eyes, but I assume they are there. Through the windshield as we approach the hotel, I see a casually dressed man in his forties appear on the sidewalk, simultaneously directing our driver to the entryway while dialing a number on his cellphone. This is Alonzo, who, I'm about to learn, is an associate of El Chapo. We grab our bags and exit the minivan. Almost immediately, the traffic around the designated pickup point diminishes. Out of my view, someone is blocking the neighboring streets. Then, a lone convoy of "up-armor" SUVs appears in front of our hotel. Alonzo asks us to surrender our electronics and leave them behind – cellphones, computers, etc. I had left mine in Los Angeles, anticipating this requirement. My colleagues surrender theirs to the hotel desk. We are whisked into the vehicles. Alonzo rides shotgun, my colleagues and I in the back. Alonzo and the driver are speaking quick and quiet Spanish. My own Spanish is weak at best. By day, and put on the spot, I'm pretty restricted to hola and adios. By night, with perhaps a few beers, I can get by, speaking and listening slowly. The conversation in the front seat seems unthreatening, just a cooperative exchange of logistics in the facilitation of our journey. Throughout the hour-and-a-half drive away from the city and across farmlands, both men receive frequent BBM messages – perhaps updates on our route to keep our convoy safe. With each message received, the needle on the speedometer rises; we are cruising at well over 100 miles per hour. I like speed. But not without my own hands on the wheel. To calm myself, I pretend I have any reason to memorize the route of our journey. It's that upon which I concentrate, and not the exchanges between the two strangers leading our pursuit. We arrive at a dirt airfield. Security men in tailored suits stand beside two six-seat single-engine prop planes. It isn't until boarding one of the two planes that I realize that our driver had been the 29-yearold son of El Chapo, Alfredo Guzmán. He boards beside me, designated among our personal escorts to see his father. He's handsome, lean and smartly dressed, with a wristwatch that might be of more value than the money housed by the central banks of most nation-states. He's got one hell of a wristwatch. The planes take off, and we travel a couple of hours. Two bouncing birds side by side through the thermals over the mountainous jungle. It once again occurs to me all the risks that are being taken by El Chapo in receiving us. We had not been blindfolded, and any experienced traveler might have been able to collect a series of triangulated landmarks to re-navigate the journey. But through his faith in Kate, whom he'd only ever known through letters or BBM, are we enjoying an unusual trust. I ask Alfredo how he can be sure we are not being followed or surveilled. He smiles (I note he doesn't blink much) and points out a red scrambler switch below the cockpit controls. "That switch blocks ground radar," he says. He adds that they have an inside man who provides notification when the military's high-altitude surveillance plane has been deployed. He has great confidence that there are no unwanted eyes on us. With Kate helping along in translations, we chat throughout the flight. I'm mindful not to say anything that may alienate his father's welcome before we've even arrived. It's been about two hours of flight, when we descend from above the lush peaks to ward a sea-level field. The pilot, using his encrypted cellphone, talks to the ground. I sense that the military is beefing up operations in its search area. Our original landing zone has suddenly been deemed insecure. After quite a bit of chatter from ground to air, and some unnervingly low altitude circling, we find an alternate dirt patch where two SUVs wait in the shade of an adjacent tree line, and land. The flight had been just bumpy enough that each of us had taken a few swigs off a bottle of Honor tequila, a new brand that Kate is marketing. I step from plane to earth, ever so slightly sobering my bearings, and move toward the beckoning waves of waiting drivers. I throw my satchel into the open back of one of the SUVs, and lumber over to the tree line to take a piss. Dick in hand, I do consider it among my body parts vulnerable to the knives of irrational narco types, and take a fond last look, before tucking it back into my pants. Espinoza had recently undergone back surgery. He stretched, readjusted his surgical corset, exposing it. It dawns on me that one of our greeters might mistake the corset for a device that contains a wire, a chip, a tracker. With all their eyes on him, Espinoza methodically adjusts the Velcro toward his belly, slowly looks up, sharing his trademark smile with the suspicious eyes around him. Then, "Cirugia de espalda [back surgery]," he says. Situation defused. We embark into the dense, mountainous jungle in a two-truck convoy, crossing through river after river for seven long hours. Espinoza and El Alto, with a driver in the front vehicle, myself and Kate with Alonzo and Alfredo in the rear. At times the jungle opens up to farmland, then closes again into forest. As the elevation begins to climb, road signage announces approaching townships. And then, as it seems we are at the entrance of Oz, the highest peak visibly within reach, we arrive at a military checkpoint. Two uniformed government soldiers, weapons at the ready, approach our vehicle. Alfredo lowers his passenger window; the soldiers back away, looking embarrassed, and wave us through. Wow. So it is, the power of a Guzman face. And the corruption of an institution. Did this mean we were nearing the man? It was still several hours into the jungle before any sign we were getting closer. Then, strangers appear as if from nowhere, onto the dirt track, checking in with our drivers and exchanging hand radios. We move on. Small villages materialize from the jungle; protective peasant eyes relax at the wave of a familiar driver. Cellphones are of no use here, so I imagine there are radio repeaters on topographical high points facilitating their internal communications. We'd left Los Angeles at 7 a.m. By 9 p.m. on the dash clock we arrive at a clearing where several SUVs are parked. A small crew of men hover. On a knoll above, I see a few weathered bungalows. I get out of the truck, search the faces of the crew for approval that I may walk to the trunk to secure my bag. Nods follow. I move. And, when I do...there he is. Right beside the truck. The world's most famous fugitive: El Chapo. My mind is an instant flip book to the hundreds of pictures and news reports I had scoured. There is no doubt this is the real deal. He's wearing a casual patterned silk shirt, pressed black jeans, and he appears remarkably well-groomed and healthy for a man on the run. He opens Kate's door and greets her like a daughter returning from college. It seems important to him to express the warm affection in person that, until now, he'd only had occasion to communicate from afar. After greeting her, he turns to me with a hospitable smile, putting out his outstretched hand. I take it. He pulls me into a "compadre" hug, looks me in the eyes and speaks a lengthy greeting in Spanish too fast for my ears. I gather up the presence of mind to explain to him in broken Spanish that I would depend on Kate to translate as the night went on. Only then does he realize his greeting had not been understood. He jokes to his crew, laughing at his own assumption that I speak Spanish and at my momentary disorientation that I've let him go on at such length in his greeting. Courtesy of Sean Penn We are brought up some steps to a flat area on the knoll beside the bungalows. A local family caters a buffet of tacos, enchiladas, chicken, rice, beans, fresh salsa and . . . carne asada. "Carne Asada," an oft-used cartel term describing the decimated bodies in cities like Juarez after mass narco executions. Hence, I go for the tacos. He walks us to a picnic table; we are offered drinks. We sit in the low illumination of some string lights, but the perimeter falls into abrupt darkness. I see no more than 30 or 35 people. (El Chapo later confided to El Alto that, out of sight, another hundred of his soldiers were present in the immediate area.) There are no long-barrel weapons in sight. No Danny Trejo types. My impression of his crew is more in sync with what one would imagine of students at a Mexico City university. Clean-cut, well-dressed and mannered. Not a smoker in the bunch. Only two or three of the guys wear small shoulder bags that hang low beside their waists, where I assume small arms are carried. Our host, it seems to me, is concerned that Kate, as the lone female among us, not face intimidating visions of force. This assumption would be borne out several hours later. As we sit at the picnic table, introductions are made. To my left, Alonzo. Alonzo is, as it turns out, one among El Chapo's lawyers. When speaking of El Chapo's lawyers, it gets a little murky. During his imprisonment, the only visits allowed were with "lawyers." Evidently, some who would be more accurately described as lieutenants had been dubbed or perhaps certified by the expedition of power as part of his legal team. Alonzo visited El Chapo at Altiplano just two hours before his audacious escape. According to Alonzo, he was unaware of the escape plan. But he notes that did not spare him a brutal beating by interrogators afterward. To my right, Rodrigo. Rodrigo is godfather to Chapo's twin four-year-old girls by his 26-year-old beauty-queen wife, Emma Coronel. Rodrigo is the one who has me concerned. The look in his eye is far away, but locked dead on me. My speculation goes audio. I hear chain saws. I feel splatter. I am Sean's dubitable paranoia. My eyes are compelled to drift to Rodrigo's right. There is Ivan, Chapo's eldest son. At 32, he is considered the heir to the Sinaloa cartel. He's attentive with a calm maturity. Like his brother, he boasts a fabulous wristwatch. And directly across from me, our host, with Kate to his right. Beside Alonzo, Alfredo. El Alto sits at the end of the table. Espinoza, still standing, apologizes to Chapo and asks if he may lay down for an hour to rest his back. Espinoza's funny this way. It's as if we had spent these endless grueling hours hiking a vertical volcanic summit to the cone, and now, just three steps from viewing the ring fault of the caldera, he says, "I'm gonna take a nap. I'll look into the hole later." With Kate translating, I begin to explain my intentions. I felt increasingly that I had arrived as a curiosity to him. The lone gringo among my colleagues, who'd ridden on the coattails of El Chapo's faith in Kate. I felt his amusement as I put my cards on the table. He asks about my relationship with the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez with what seems to be a probing of my willingness to be vilified through associations. I speak to our friendship in a way that seems to pass an intuitive litmus test measuring the independence of my perspective. I tell him, up front, that I had a family member who worked with the Drug Enforcement Agency, that through my work in Haiti (I'm CEO of J/P HRO, a nongovernmental organization based in Port-au-Prince) I had many relationships inside the United States government. I assure him that those relationships were by no means related to my interest in him. My only interest was to ask questions and deliver his responses, to be weighed by readers, whether in balance or contempt. I tell him that I understood that in the mainstream narrative of narcos, the undersung hypocrisy is in the complicity of buyers. I could not sell him on a bait-and-switch, and I knew that in the writing of any piece, my only genuine cards to play were to expose myself as one fascinated and willing to suspend judgment. I understood that whatever else might be said of him, it was clear to me he was not a tourist in our big world. Throughout my introduction, Chapo smiles a warm smile. In fact, in what would be a seven-hour sit-down, I saw him without that smile only in brief flashes. As has been said of many notorious men, he has an indisputable charisma. When I ask about his dynamic with the Mexican government, he pauses. "Talking about politicians, I keep my opinion to myself. They go do their thing and I do mine." See footage of El Chapo after his recapture below: Beneath his smile, there is a doubtlessness to his facial expression. A question comes to mind as I observe his face. Both as he speaks as while he listens. What is it that removes all doubt from a man's eyes? Is it power? Admirable clarity? Or soullessness? Soullessness...wasn't it that that my moral conditioning was obliged to recognize in him? Wasn't it soullessness that I must perceive in him for myself to be perceived here as other than a Pollyanna? An apologist? I tried hard, folks. I really did. And reminded myself over and over of the incredible life loss, the devastation existing in all corners of the narco world. "I don't want to be portrayed as a nun," El Chapo says. Though this portrayal had not occurred to me. This simple man from a simple place, surrounded by the simple affections of his sons to their father, and his toward them, does not initially strike me as the big bad wolf of lore. His presence conjures questions of cultural complexity and context, of survivalists and capitalists, farmers and technocrats, clever entrepreneurs of every ilk, some say silver, and others lead. A server delivers a bottle of tequila. El Chapo pours each of us three fingers. In toast, he looks to Kate. "I don't usually drink," he says, "but I want to drink with you." After a raise of the glass, I take a polite sip. He asks me if many people in the United States know about him. "Oh, yeah," I say, and inform him that the night before leaving for Mexico, I had seen that the Fusion Channel was repeating its special-edition Chasing El Chapo. He seems to delight in the absurdity of this, and as he and his cohorts share a chuckle, I look to the sky and wonder how funny it would be if there were a weaponized drone above us. We are in a clearing, sitting right out in the open. I down the tequila, and the drone goes away. I give in to the sense of security offered by the calm of Chapo and his men. There is the pervasive feeling that if there were a threat, they would know it. We eat, drink, and talk for hours. He is interested in the movie business and how it works. He's unimpressed with its financial yield. The P&L high side doesn't add up to the downside risk for him. He suggests to us that we consider switching our career paths to the oil business. He says he would aspire to the energy sector, but that his funds, being illicit, restrict his investment opportunities. He cites (but asks me not to name in print) a host of corrupt major corporations, both within Mexico and abroad. He notes with delighted disdain several through which his money has been laundered, and who take their own cynical slice of the narco pie. "How much money will you make writing this article?" he asks. I answer that when I do journalism, I take no payment. I could see that, to him, the idea of doing any kind of work without payment is a fool's game. Unlike the gangsters we're used to, the John Gotti's who claimed to be simple businessmen hiding behind numerous international front companies, El Chapo sticks to an illicit game, proudly volunteering, "I supply more heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana than anybody else in the world. I have a fleet of submarines, airplanes, trucks and boats." He is entirely unapologetic. Against the challenges of doing business in such a clandestine industry he has ––built an empire. I am reminded of press accounts alleging a hundred-million-dollar bounty the man across from me is said to have put on Donald Trump's life. I mention Trump. El Chapo smiles, ironically saying, "Ah! Mi amigo!" His unguarded will to speak freely, his comfort with his station in life and ownership of extraordinary justifications, conjure Tony Montana in Oliver Stone's Scarface. It's the dinner scene where Elvira, played by Michelle Pfeiffer, walks out on Al Pacino's Tony Montana, loudly assailing him in a public place. The patrons at the restaurant stare at him, but rather than hide in humiliation, he stands and lectures them. "You're all a bunch of fucking assholes. You know why? You don't have the guts to be what you wanna be. You need people like me. You need people like me. So you can point your fucking fingers and say, 'That's the bad guy.' So what's that make you? Good? You're not good. You just know how to hide...how to lie. Me? I don't have that problem. Me?! I always tell the truth even when I lie. So say good night to the bad guy. C'mon. Last time you're gonna see a bad guy like this again, lemme tell ya!" USDOJ I'm curious, in the current pandemonium of the Middle East, what impact those frenzied opiate economies may have on his business. I ask him, "Of all the countries and cultures with whom you do business, which is the most difficult?" Smiling, he shakes his head and says an unequivocal "None." There is no politician who could answer the same question so clearly or successfully, but then again, the challenges are quite different for a global power broker who simply removes any obstacle to "difficulties." Having explained my intention, I ask if he would grant two days for a formal interview. My colleagues would be leaving in the morning but I offer to stay behind to record our conversations. He pauses before responding. He says, "I just met you. I will do it in eight days. Can you come back in eight days?" I say I can. I ask to take a photograph together so that I could verify to my editors at Rolling Stone that the planned meeting had taken place. "Adelante," he says. We all rise from the table as a group and follow Chapo into one of the bungalows. Once inside, we see the first sign of heavy arms. An M16 lies on a couch opposite the neutral white wall against which we would take the photograph. I explain that, for authentication purposes, it would be best if we are shaking hands, looking into the camera, but not smiling. He obliges. The picture is taken on Alfredo's cellphone. It would be sent to me at a later date. When we return to the picnic table, it seems to me that we accomplished what we came to do. We had come to agreement that he would submit to a two-day interview upon my return. As thoughts of surveillance drones and military raids come back into my head, I re-engage the tequila and scan 360 degrees for where I and my colleagues may lay flat and find cover should we have been followed and a raid initiated. In the darkness, it was difficult to imagine a safe place, and El Chapo's world is anything but. As Espinoza returns from his slumber, Kate, succumbing to the exhausting day's journey and the solace of a few tequilas, accepts the escort of El Chapo to her sleeping quarters. As he walks her alone toward the dimly lit bungalow, I can't help but have a primal moment of concern. I consider offering to accompany them, though the circumstances would certainly prove any protective action futile. Before my adrenal rush of paranoia can inspire insult or injury, Chapo has returned. But there is a change. With Kate tucked cozily into bed, his crew and he are fast and furious into body armor, strapping long-barrel weapons and hip-clipped grenades. The battle-ready army of jungle guerrillas who had been standing down earlier in the night on her behalf are now returning to what I assume is a more typical posture. El Chapo, too, is strapped and ready to command. Following this Clark Kent-into-Superman extravaganza, Chapo returns to the table. His demeanor, casual. His battle gear, anything but. Espinoza and El Alto share translation duties. We compare notes on cultures. We ask lighthearted questions, though the environment has gotten far less lighthearted. Despite that, I'm feeling frustrated at having to wait eight days to get him in a corner – to ask everything I think the world wants to know. I feel naked without pen and paper. So I only ask questions one couldn't forget the answers to. Did you know Pablo Escobar? Chapo answers, "Yes, I met him once at his house. Big house." He smiles. See your mother much? "All the time. I hoped we would meet at my ranch and you could meet my mother. She knows me better than I do. But something came up and we had to change the plan." I assume he was insinuating inside information that the ranch had again come under observation by authorities. It has been several hours, and El Alto and I share a nod indicating our mutual sense: the core of soldiers around El Chapo are getting fidgety. A clock of some kind is ticking in them. It must have been about four a.m. by this time. El Chapo stands, concluding the night, thanking us for our visit. We follow him to where the family who had cooked our dinner stands dutifully behind a serving table. He takes each of them by the hand graciously; giving them thanks, and with a look, he invites us to do the same. He walks us back toward the same bungalow where he had earlier escorted Kate. In a narrow, dark passage between ours and an adjacent bungalow, Chapo puts his arm over my shoulder and renews his request that I see him in eight days. "I'll be saying goodbye now," he says. At this moment, I expel a minor traveler's flatulence (sorry), and with it, I experience the same chivalry he'd offered when putting Kate to bed, as he pretends not to notice. We escape its subtle brume, and I join my colleagues inside the bungalow. There are two beds and one couch a short distance from where Kate can be seen sleeping on a third bed behind a privacy divider. Espinoza returns to the bed he'd claimed upon our arrival. Now it is down to El Alto and I looking at each other. His six-foot-three frame towers above me, knowing he is inadvertently caught with proximity to the five-foot-three couch, and that I, at five feet nine, am left standing only inches from a king-size bed. It's a Mexican standoff. We'd both traveled hard that day, both slightly medicated by tequila through the night. I only know that if I was going to take the short couch, it would be at gunpoint. I negotiate. "Listen, man. You don't have to sleep on that couch. The bed's big. We can talk and cuddle." With this prospect, I win the negotiation. In his grace and discretion, El Alto makes his choice: "I'll go with the couch." As I collapse onto the bed, I hear El Chapo's convoy drive away into the night jungle. Not two hours later, we are abruptly awakened by Alonzo. "A storm is coming!" he says. "We have to move!" The dirt tracks of the jungle are difficult to navigate when monsoon rains saturate them. We'd have to beat the rain to the tarmac road. At daybreak, we just make it to pavement as the ocean falls from the sky and great bolts of lightning illuminate the inside of our vehicle like flash-bang grenades. Alonzo asks Kate to drive. She jumps at the chance to break the monotony, and takes the wheel like a trouper. Meanwhile, El Alto hops into the open flatbed, his sleep-starved brain so hungry for oxygen that he's oblivious to the pouring rain. In the backseat, Alonzo whispers to me that there are multiple military checkpoints along these roads, and they tend to wave by vehicles driven by women. In this case, the rain falls hard enough that soldiers have abandoned their posts for cover. Mercifully, we are stopped by no one. Rather than risk being vaporized in a small aircraft by a lightning storm, we opted for the eight-hour drive back to the city where we'd started. Espinoza reclines in the passenger seat to rest his back. By the time we hit the city, the weather has cleared. We shower in the rooms we'd booked. Twenty minutes later, Kate, Espinoza and I, along with Alonzo, get into two taxicabs and head to the airport. El Alto, who'd spent his two hours' sleep the night before on a firm couch a full foot shorter than he, then waterlogged himself in the flatbed, elects to stay behind in the comfort of the hotel bed for the night and leave the following day. Alonzo heads to Mexico City. Espinoza to Europe. So Kate and I board the charter back to Los Angeles. Our heads are spinning. Had we really just been where we were? With whom we'd been? It seemed such a strange dream. Somehow, with all the planning and the travel, I still hadn't believed that we'd actually gotten to El Chapo. I'd imagined us arriving to a gentle apology, that for some unexplained security reason the visit could not take place, and we'd be going home to Los Angeles empty-handed. But that's not what happened. PGR When we land back on home turf, Kate and I part ways. I am picked up by a car service. In the backseat, my L.A.-based assistant had left a manila envelope with my cellphone in it. I turn on the phone to the explosion of a two-day backlog of e-mails and text messages. Ignoring them, I hit my browser for updates. What I didn't know, and what was not yet being reported, was that from the time the weather cleared, a military siege on Sinaloa was imminent. Evidently, El Chapo and his men, after leaving us the night before, had skirted through the jungle back to a ranch property. According to media reports that didn't come until days later, a cellphone among his crew had been tracked. From the time the military and the DEA moved in on them, the reports of what happened are conflicted. A source familiar with the cartel informed me on October 3rd that the initial siege had begun. That source and another on the ground in Sinaloa reported that over the next several days, two military helicopters were shot down and Mexican marine ground troops laid siege to several ranch properties. There were additional reports that 13 Sinaloa communities had been ravaged with gunfire during simultaneous raids. La Comision Nacional de los Derechos Humanos (the National Commission for Human Rights) struggled to enter the area but were prohibited. Villagers protested their treatment by the military. By the time news agencies broadcast the story in the United States, the mayhem throughout Sinaloa in those days had been essentially reduced to a nearly successful raid that had surgically targeted only Chapo and his men, and claimed he had been injured in flight with face and leg wounds. El Chapo's own account would later be shared with me, through a BBM exchange he had with Kate. "On October 6th, there was an operation....Two helicopters and 6 BlackHawks began a confrontation upon their arrival. The marines dispersed throughout the farms. The families had to escape and abandon their homes with the fear of being killed. We still don't know how many dead in total." When asked about the reports of his own injuries, Chapo responded, "Not like they said. I only hurt my leg a little bit." Four days later, I fly from Los Angeles to Lima, Peru, to participate in a World Bank panel discussion. After a few days in Lima, and an overnight in Managua, Nicaragua, to visit an old friend, it's October 11th – the day El Chapo and I had agreed to meet. Understandably, he and his crew had gone dark during the raids. Nonetheless, I board an available flight to a nearby Mexican city, and leave a message for Alonzo that I would wait in that Mexican airport for several hours, to make sure they know that I had honored my commitment to return on the eighth day. I land in the late afternoon, then sit around the airport until the evening hours, hoping a stranger will tap me on the shoulder and tell me he is a friend of Alonzo's and that I should leave with him. It also occurs to me, once again, that I might be under the eyes of Mexican intelligence or the DEA. In either case, no contact is made. So I board a flight later that evening on my own, and return to Los Angeles. In the weeks that follow, I continue to make attempts to contact El Chapo. In that time, massive sweeps by military and law enforcement lead to hundreds of arrests, seizures and several extraditions of cartel personnel to the United States. Reports that a rising drug gang, the CJNG (Jalisco New Generation Cartel), may have been involved with El Chapo's prison escape and that CJNG may become, in effect, the paramilitary wing of the Sinaloa cartel, have added to governmental concerns. In other words, with the water boiling, our cartel intermediaries had gone principally off radar, or possibly been arrested, or killed. Finally, Kate is able to re-establish contact through a web of BBM devices. But the heat of enforcement and surveillance had become extreme. I even received a credible tip that the DEA had indeed become aware of our journey to Mexico. Booking any flight to Mexico now would surely raise red flags. I make a plan to hide myself in the trunk of a friend's car and be driven to a waiting rental vehicle. I would then drive the rental from L.A. to Yuma, Arizona, then cross the border at Algodones. I'm familiar with this crossing – papers are not checked, and vehicles are waved through without scrutiny. I'd then drive the 80-some-odd miles from the border to the Grande Desierto, and the village of El Golfo de Santa Clara, rendezvousing with a cartel plane that could take me to El Chapo. But Kate is insistent that if I am to make that journey, she would have to come with me. The route is relatively safe, but there are some narco-controlled areas, including a few that are not friendly to the Sinaloa cartel. There were also two military checkpoints the last time I had driven that route. The idea of a gringo driving with a Mexican film star would likely draw too much attention, but Kate would have it no other way. It becomes apparent that the risks outweigh the benefits on all sides, and we decide that, instead, I will send my questions to El Chapo by BBM. He agrees that he will record his responses on videotape. Without being present, I could neither control the questioning nor prod for elaborations to his responses. In addition, every question sent first had to be translated into Spanish. Remarkably, while Chapo has access to hundreds of soldiers and associates at all times, apparently not one speaks English. At the end of each day that passed without receipt of the video, Kate would reassure me that it was only one more day away. But each night, El Chapo contacted her with more delays and apparent doubts. Not about my inquiries, but seemingly about how to make a tape of himself. "Kate, let me get this straight. The guy runs a multibillion-dollar business with a network of at least 50 countries, and there's not one fucker down there in the jungle with him who speaks a word of friggin' English? Now tonight, you're telling me his BBM went on the blink, that he's got hardly any access to a goddamn computer?! Are you saying he doesn't have the technical capability to make a self-video and smuggle it into the United States?" I ask myself, How in the fuck does anyone run a business that way?! I go Full-Trump-Gringo on Kate, battering her daily by phone, text and encrypted email. In the end, the delay had nothing to do with technical incompetence. Big surprise. Whatever villainy is attributable to this man, and his indisputable street genius, he is also a humble, rural Mexican, whose perception of his place in the world offers a window into an extraordinary riddle of cultural disparity. It became evident that the peasant-farmer-turned-billionaire-drug-lord seemed to be overwhelmed and somewhat bewildered at the notion that he may be of interest to the world beyond the mountains. And the day-after-day delays might reveal an insecurity in him, like an awkward teenager bashful to go unguided before the camera. Or had all of this been an orchestrated performance? When those hoops had finally been jumped through, mostly by Kate but at my relentless direction, the only retaliation I was left fearing during my engagement with El Chapo Guzmán and the Sinaloa cartel was the potential wrath of a Mexican actress toward an American actor who had single-mindedly abused his friendship with her to retrieve the needed video. And then an encrypted message came from Kate: "Got it!" I nearly hit the ceiling with excitement as Kate's follow-up dinged on my phone, "...you pushy motherfucker." I'd earned that. Evidently, a courier for El Chapo had delivered her the video. Kate and I met up, I made my apologies, and she transferred the video from her device to mine. At home, I turned down the lights, sat with an English transcription provided by Kate, which began with her note: "The video runs for 17 minutes. Press play." He sits in a turquoise-and-navy paisley long-sleeve button-down shirt and clean black slacks on a randomly placed stool. The signature mustache that he wore in our last meeting, now gone. His trademark black trucker's hat, absent. His hair combed, or perhaps cap-matted, conjuring the vision of a wide-eyed schoolboy unsure of his teacher's summons. His hands folded across each other, a self-soothing thumb crossing the knuckle of the other. Beside him, a short white brick wall topped by a chain-link fence. Behind that, a white 4x4 pickup truck. The location appears as a large, ranch-like property with low-lying mountains far in the distance and the intermittent cockadoodledoo of farm roosters serving as the Greek chorus to the interview. Throughout the video, we see farm workers and paramilitaries crossing behind him. A German shepherd sniffs the dirt and wanders out of frame. He begins: "I want to make clear that this interview is for the exclusive use of Miss Kate del Castillo and Mister Sean Penn." The image goes black. When it returns, so has he to the comfort of his trucker hat. Of the many questions I'd sent El Chapo, a cameraman out of frame asks a few of them directly, paraphrases others, softens many and skips some altogether. How was your childhood? I remember from the time I was six until now, my parents, a very humble family, very poor, I remember how my mom made bread to support the family. I would sell it, I sold oranges, I sold soft drinks, I sold candy. My mom, she was a hard worker, she worked a lot. We grew corn, beans. I took care of my grandmother's cattle and chopped wood. And how did you get involved in the drug business? Well, from the time I was 15 and after, where I come from, which is the municipality of Badiraguato, I was raised in a ranch named La Tuna, in that area, and up until today, there are no job opportunities. The only way to have money to buy food, to survive, is to grow poppy, marijuana, and at that age, I began to grow it, to cultivate it and to sell it. That is what I can tell you. How did you leave there? How did it all expand? From there, from my ranch, I started to leave at 18 and went to Culiacan, then after to Guadalajara, but never without visiting my ranch, even up until today, because my mom, thanks to God, is still alive, out there in our ranch, which is La Tuna, and so, that is how things have been. How has your family life changed from then to now? Very good – my children, my brothers, my nephews. We all get along well, very normal. Very good. And now that you are free, how has it affected you? Well, as for being free – happy, because freedom is really nice, and pressure, well, for me it's normal, because I've had to be careful for a few years now in certain cities, and, no, I don't feel anything that hurts my health or my mind. I feel good. Is it true what they say that drugs destroy humanity and bring harm? Well, it's a reality that drugs destroy. Unfortunately, as I said, where I grew up there was no other way and there still isn't a way to survive, no way to work in our economy to be able to make a living. Do you think it is true you are responsible for the high level of drug addiction in the world? No, that is false, because the day I don't exist, it's not going to decrease in any way at all. Drug trafficking? That's false. Did your drug business grow and expand when you were in jail? From what I can tell, and what I know, everything is the same. Nothing has decreased. Nothing has increased. What about the violence attached to this type of activity? In part, it is because already some people already grow up with problems, and there is some envy and they have information against someone else. That is what creates violence. Do you consider yourself a violent person? No, sir. Are you prone to violence, or do you use it as a last resort? Look, all I do is defend myself, nothing more. But do I start trouble? Never. What is your opinion about the situation in Mexico, what is the outlook for Mexico? Well, drug trafficking is already part of a culture that originated from the ancestors. And not only in Mexico. This is worldwide. Do you consider your activity, your organization, a cartel? No, sir, not at all. Because people who dedicate their lives to this activity do not depend on me. How has this business evolved from the time you started up until today? Big difference. Today there are lots of drugs, and back then, the only ones we knew were marijuana and poppy. What is the difference in people now compared to back then? Big difference, because now, day after day, villages are getting bigger, and there's more of us, and lots of different ways of thinking. What is the outlook for the business? Do you think it will disappear? Will it grow instead? No, it will not end because as time goes by, we are more people, and this will never end. Do you think terrorism activities in the Middle East will, in any way, impact the future of drug trafficking? No, sir. It doesn't make a difference at all. You saw how the final days of Escobar were. How do you see your final days with respect to this business? I know one day I will die. I hope it's of natural causes. The U.S. government thinks that the Mexican government does not want to arrest you. What they want to do is to kill you. What do you think? No, I think that if they find me, they'll arrest me, of course. With respect to your activities, what do you think the impact on Mexico is? Do you think there is a substantial impact? Not at all. Not at all. Why? Because drug trafficking does not depend on just one person. It depends on a lot of people. What is your opinion about who is to blame here, those who sell drugs, or the people who use drugs and create a demand for them? What is the relationship between production, sale and consumption? If there was no consumption, there would be no sales. It is true that consumption, day after day, becomes bigger and bigger. So it sells and sells. We hear avocado is good for you, lime is good for you, guanabana is good for you. But we never hear anyone doing any publicity with respect to drugs. Have you done anything to induce the public to consume more drugs? Not at all. That attracts attention. People, in a way, want to know how it feels or how it tastes. And then the addiction gets bigger. Do you have any dreams? Do you dream? Whatever is normal. But dreaming daily? No. But you must have some dreams, some hopes for your life? I want to live with my family the days God gives me. If you could change the world, would you? For me, the way things are, I'm happy. How is your relationship with your mom? My relationship? Perfect. Very well. Is it one of respect? Yes, sir, respect, affection and love. How do you see the future for your sons and daughters? Very well. They get along right. The family is tight. How about your life? How has your life changed, how have you lived it since you escaped? Lots of happiness – because of my freedom. Did you ever use drugs? No, sir. Many years ago, yes, I did try them. But an addict? No. How long ago? I haven't done any drugs in the last 20 years. Did it not worry you that you might be putting your family at risk with your escape? Yes, sir. For your recent escape, did you pursue your freedom at any cost, at the expense of anybody? I never thought of hurting anyone. All I did was ask God, and things worked out. Everything was perfect. I am here, thank God. The two times you escaped, it is worth mentioning, there was no violence. With me, it did not come to that. In other situations, what's been seen, things occur differently, but here, we did not use any violence. Bearing in mind what has been written about you, what one can see on TV, things are said about you in Mexico, what kind of message would you like to convey to the people of Mexico? Well, I can say it's normal that people have mixed feelings because some people know me and others don't. That is the reason I say it is normal. Because those who do not know me can have their doubts about saying if, in this case, I'm a good person or not. If I ask you to define yourself as a person, if I ask you to pretend you are not Joaquín, instead you are the person who knows him better than anybody else in the world, how would you define yourself? Well, if I knew him – with respect, and from my point of view, it's a person who's not looking for problems in any way. In any way. Since our late-night visit in the Mexican mountains, raids on ranches there have been relentless. A war zone. Navy helicopters waging air assaults and inserting troops. Helos shot down by Sinaloa cartel gunmen. Marines killed. Cartel fighters killed. Campasinos killed or displaced. Rumors spread that El Chapo escaped to Guatemala, or even further, into South America. But no. He was right there where he was born and raised. On Friday, January 8th, 2016, it happened. El Chapo was captured and arrested – alive. I think of that night, of that calm before the storm, and the otherworldly experience of sitting with a man so seemingly serene, despite his living a reality so surreal. I had not gotten the kind of in-depth interview I'd hoped to achieve. Not challenged checkers with chess, nor vice versa. But perhaps, at least, retrieved a glimpse from the other side, and what is for me an affirmation of the dumb-show of demonization that has demanded such an extraordinary focus of assets toward the capture or killing of any one individual black hat. Still, today, there are little boys in Sinaloa who draw play-money pesos, whose fathers and grandfathers before them harvested the only product they'd ever known to morph those play pesos into real dollars. They wonder at our outrage as we, our children, friends, neighbors, bosses, banks, brothers and sisters finance the whole damn thing. Without a paradigm shift, understanding the economics and illness of addiction, parents in Mexico and the U.S. will increasingly risk replacing that standard parting question to their teens off for a social evening – from "Where are you going tonight?" to "Where are you dying tonight?" El Chapo? It won't be long, I'm sure, before the Sinaloa cartel's next shipment into the United States is the man himself. ||||| Ciudad de México Hace poco más de tres meses y medio, el gobierno mexicano interceptó un intercambio de mensajes a tres manos en el celular del abogado Andrés Granados con la primera conversación entre Joaquín Guzmán Loera y Kate del Castillo. El diálogo empezó a las 8:10 de la noche y terminó dos minutos antes de las 12, el 25 de septiembre de 2015. Para efectos de identificación y en pláticas que de manera intermitente continuaron hasta el 9 de noviembre del año pasado, el enlace, su jefe y la actriz utilizaron los motes Olvidado, Papá, M, Lic Oscar, M.Guapa, 1 y Ermoza. Los textos, plagados de faltas ortográficas y dedazos (casi seguramente a causa del "corrector" automático), se publican corregidos: 25 DE SEPTIEMBRE 8:10:38 PM.- M:Olvidado: Ya está conmigo, señor. 8:15:26 PM.- Papá: Hola, amiga, qué gusto saludarte aunque sea por este medio. ¿Cómo has estado? 8:17:25 PM.- M:Olvidado: Muy bien, ¿y tú? 8:19:14 PM.- Papá:Olvidado: Bien, gracias, con muchas ganas de saludarte personalmente, amiga. ¿Cuántos días estarás por acá? 8:22:06 PM.- M:Olvidado: Pues yo también, la verdad, y poder platicarle en persona de nuestro proyecto. 8:24:03 PM.- Papá:Olvidado: Sí, amiga, ¿por cuántos días vienes de vacaciones? 8:26:45 PM.- M:Olvidado: No son vacaciones exactamente, ¡aunque me encantaría! Tengo mi regreso el domingo. 8:32:44 PM.- Papá:Olvidado: Amiga, bien rápido: yo estoy en Sinaloa, no te va a alcanzar el tiempo, apenas que tuvieras vuelo a Mazatlán porque aquí nada más en las mañanas se puede llegar a mi rancho, ya que está lloviendo todos los días. Qué mala onda. Haz un campito luego y te vienes a Mazatlán. Te vas al hotel y a las 7 de la mañana pasan por ti y te esperaré a desayunar, y te regresas hasta otro día a Mazatlán. Necesitas tres días para convivir 24 horas para que alcance el tiempo, amiga. 9:55:16 PM.- Papá:Olvidado: Amiga, entonces si tú traes el vino, yo tomaré también del tuyo, ya que a mí me gusta el tequila y el Bucana, pero tomaré del tequila que traerás y champaña. Te cuento que no soy tomador, pero como va a ser tu presencia algo hermoso, ya que tengo muchas ganas de conocerte y llegar a ser muy buenos amigos. Eres lo mejor de este mundo. Seremos muy buenos amigos. Tú ponte de acuerdo cuándo puedes regresar. Ojalá que sea pronto, vale más esperarnos a que todo lo prepare con una semana. Yo te tendré súper todo para que no vayas a tener ningún detalle, que me sentiría muy mal. Ten fe en que estarás a gusto. Te cuidaré más que a mis ojos. 10:11:41 PM.- M:Olvidado: Me mueve demasiado que me digas que me cuidas, jamás nadie me ha cuidado, ¡gracias! ¡Y tengo libre el siguiente fin de semana! 10:15:38 PM.- M:Olvidado: Amigo, tengo una reunión. Me gustaría seguir en contacto. 10:16:42 PM.- Papá:Olvidado: Tienes reunión ahorita. 10:18:17 PM.- Papá:Olvidado: Muy bien, amiga, que estés bien. ({}) 10:20:50 PM.- M:Olvidado: Sí, tengo ahorita que irme, ¡pero recuerda que el siguiente fin de semana estoy libre! Déjame saber si nos podemos conocer entonces. 10:33:50 PM.- Papá:Olvidado: Ya se fue a su compromiso Kati. 10:35:56 PM.- M:Olvidado: Sí señor, ya está con su compromiso ella. 10:36:28 PM.- Papá:Olvidado: ¿Qué te comenta? 10:37:40 PM.- M:Olvidado: Muy emocionada. Sorprendida. 10:37:54 PM.- M:Olvidado: No la creía. 10:38:12 PM.- Papá:Olvidado: ¿Quiénes son los demás? 10:38:34 PM.- Papá:Olvidado: ¿Qué te comenta?, explícame. 10:39:44 PM.- M:Olvidado: Los compañeros de trabajo de ella, los mechudos. 10:43:41 PM.- Papá:Olvidado: También vienen los mechudos... 10:46:56 PM.- M:Olvidado: No, oiga, los mechudos no vinieron. 10:48:48 PM.- Papá:Olvidado: Ah, como mencionas a los mechudos... 10:49:21 PM.- M:Olvidado: Pero ella quiere traer al actor Sean Penn. 10:49:45 PM.- M:Olvidado: Uno de los actores por Hollywood más reconocidos. 10:54:56 PM.- M:Olvidado: Dice que el actor Sean Penn tiene un recado muy relevante y quiere comentárselo personalmente. Este actor, como dato curioso, es el más reconocido en EU. 10:56:35 PM.- Papá:Olvidado: Que lo traiga la semana que entra para organizar yo bien la venida hasta acá conmigo. 10:58:33 PM.- M:Olvidado: ¿Entonces sí que traiga la muchacha al actor? 11:02:49 PM.- Papá:Olvidado: Que traiga al actor, y si ella ve que se necesita traer a más personas, que las traiga, como guste ella. 11:06:46 PM.- M:Olvidado: Muy bien. Yo creo que de acuerdo a la plática de ahorita sí la van acompañar. Por lo menos ella y dos más. La dama está fascinada. 11:08:06 PM.- Papá:Olvidado: Ya que se desocupe hablan con ella. ¿Ya llegó Óscar? 11:09:23 PM.- M:Olvidado: Ya está aquí Óscar. 11:10:24 PM.- Papá:Olvidado: Pásamelo. 11:11:15 PM.- M:Olvidado: A la dama la acompañamos a su reunión y se ve que va para largo. La estaba esperando una mesa de como 20 personas, y mañana tiene otra reunión con ellos. A ver si nos da un espacio para que nos atienda. 11:12:19 PM.- M:Olvidado: Buenas noches, a sus órdenes. 11:14:03 PM.- Papá:Lic Oscar: Buenas noches. Ya te tocó saludar a Kati. 11:17:31 PM.- Papá:Oscar: Es para el Olvidado, o mándale directo al licenciado Oscar, a ver si te contesta. 11:17:53 PM.- Papá:Olvidado: Dale prioridad al licenciado Oscar. 11:18:06 PM.- M:Olvidado: Acaba de responder, ahí le va. 11:20:05 PM.- M:Olvidado: Sí, ahí estuve con ella como una hora y media platicando, y diciendo que tienen muy buenos proyectos sus amigos y que a uno de ellos se le cae la baba por venir a platicar con el G, y que aparte tiene otras cosas superbuenas, pero eso nada más al G, y que el actor y la Kate lo van a saber porque dice que son unas supercosas buenísimas. 11:23:22 PM.- Papá:Oscar: Pónganse bien de acuerdo con ella para que vengan las personas esas. ¿Entonces los mechudos ya no? 11:29:17 PM.- M:Olvidado: Sí, también los mechudos junto con el actor Sean Penn. Ese es supera-migo del mechudo argentino. El martes estuvieron la dama, el mechudo y ese Sean Penn. Que éste último ha hecho muy buenas películas, y a éste es al que se le cae la baba por venir. 11:30:12 PM.- Papá:Olvidado: ¿Cómo se llama ese actor? 11:34:39 PM.- M:Olvidado: Sean Penn. 11:35:23 PM.- M:Olvidado: El que hizo la película de 21 gramos. 11:36:20 PM.- Papá:Olvidado: 21 gramos, ¿en qué año la hizo? 11:41:23 PM.- M:Olvidado: Estoy checando el dato para darle el dato exacto. 11:41:40 PM.- Papá:Olvidado: Ok. 11:47:47 PM.- M:Olvidado: En el 2003 fue la de 21 gramos. 11:48:29 PM.- M:Olvidado: Aparte es un activista político. 11:49:45 PM.- M:Olvidado: Que ha sido crítico de la administración de los Bush. 11:50:37 PM.- Papá:Olvidado: Esa película es la más reciente. 11:50:44 PM.- M:Olvidado: Él en la actualidad ya casi no actúa. Ahora produce películas. 11:51:20 PM.- M:Olvidado: Y conoce a casi todos los directores y productores de Hollywood. 11:51:27 PM.- Papá:Olvidado: ¿Cuál será la más nueva que ha producido? 11:53:30 PM.- Papa:Olvidado: Está bien que venga para hablar personalmente, licenciado. Los acompañan ustedes pero convenzan a la dama de que sea el otro fin de semana. 11:53:57 PM.- Papá:Olvidado: O entre semana, no importa el día. Díganle. 11:54:07 PM.- Papá: Para Olvidado. 11:56:53 PM.- M:Olvidado: Creo que fue la última porque ahora ya las produce. Pasó de actor a productor. Está bien, nos vamos a poner de acuerdo con la dama. 11:59:59 PM.- Papá:Olvidado: Se pusieron de acuerdo con ella. Desayunarán para seguir hablando de cuáles son los mejor Black. Cuánto valen los más bonitos para mandarte temprano para que se lo des y chatear con ella. 26 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2015 0:03:54 AM.- Papá:Olvidado: ¿Cuáles son los que andan de moda? 0:05:58 AM.- M:Olvidado: Debutó como productor en la película The indian runner en 1991, después da The clousing guard, en 1995, y The pledge en el 2001. Ambas protagonizadas por Jack Nicholson. 0:08:46 AM.- M:Olvidado: Se lo estoy checando, permítame por favor, en lo que le mando el dato de la Blackberry. 0:10:27 AM.- Papá:Olvidado: O iPhone o tablet, un teléfono nuevo tablet pero es iPhone. 0:18:47 AM.- M:Olvidado: Blackberry Leap es la más reciente, y es del tamaño de una minilap. Su sistema es lo más sofisticado en el área empresarial. Su batería garantiza 25 horas de duración. El iPhone 6 Plus es el mejor y el más reciente. 0:21:12 AM.- M:Olvidado: El Samsung 6 Edge es lo más sofisticado de todas las plataformas en telefonía. Su sistema es Android y cuenta con lo más reciente en tecnología. 0:21:28 AM.- M:Olvidado: Sus costos del Black no me aparecen. 0:22:44 AM.- M:Olvidado: El del iPhone 6 es de $14 a $16 mil, dependiendo la capacidad. 0:23:23 AM.- M:Olvidado: El Samsung 5 Edge cuesta como $16 mil. 0:23:28 AM.- Papá:Olvidado: ¿Y el Galaxi? 0:24:19 AM.- Papá:Olvidado: ¿Cuál será el que a la vista es más bonito? 0:24:29 AM.- Papá: Para Olvidado. 0:26:46 AM.- M:Olvidado: El Galaxi ya fue, en su momento fue uno de los mejores. A mi humilde opinión, el Samsung 6 Edge. 0:27:05 AM.- Papá:Olvidado: ¿Y mañana a qué horas la mirarán? Me imagino que a la hora de la comida, ya que quién sabe a qué horas se acueste Kate. 0:28:13 AM.- M:Olvidado: Pero si usted va tener enlace yo digo que mejor el Blackberry Leap. Pero como usted ordene. 0:28:57 AM.- Papá:Olvidado: Ese Black, ¿cuánto vale? 0:32:18 AM. M:Olvidado: No sé a qué hora se desocupe porque tenía una misa como a las 11 am, y de ahí una comida. Y no tengo el dato del precio del Blackberry. Pero mañana se la cotizamos en Telcel. 0:37:07 AM.- Papá:Olvidado: Descansen, y a las 9 me pasas el precio por favor. Ya se lo entregas. Ya que lo compres. Mejor hay que dárselo de sorpresa porque si se le dice antes no vaya a decir que después, y así la convences ya que lo lleves contigo. Hay que ver qué colores hay para comprar un color de mujer. Que descansen, hasta en la mañana. Por otro lado, tú que tienes experiencia, ¿qué crees, cómo resolverá el unitario? 11:29:47 AM.- Papá:Lic:Olvidado/o Lic Óscar: Buenos días, ¿cómo están? 11:30:06 AM.- Papá:Preferencia a los lic... 11:32:17 AM.- M:Lic. Óscar: Buenos días. Aquí andamos, buscando un buen equipo. 11:39:11 AM.- Papa:Lic. Óscar: Muy bien. El dinero, ¿a qué número que te lo pongan para que lo compres ahorita? La dama, ya hoy no la han visto, ¿qué les dijo? ¿Cuándo se vuelven a ver? 11:44:00 AM.- M:Lic. Óscar: Sí, hoy. En eso estamos, y ahorita le damos el número de cuenta. 11:44:39 AM.- Papá:Lic. Óscar: Muy bien. 11:45:01 AM.- Papá:Lic. Óscar: Pero no me distes respuesta de la dama... 11:45:13 AM.- Papá: Respuesta 11:47:09 AM.- M:Lic. Óscar: La dama está descansando. Se acostó como a las 6 de la mañana. Mandó un pin, que apenas se iba a retirar a descansar. 11:51:06 AM.- M:Lic. Óscar: 5204 1646 9276 3094. Banamex, a nombre de Javier Granados Flores. $13,000. 11:54:13 AM.- Papá:Lic. Óscar: ¿Qué Black se comprará? 11:55:49 AM.- M:Lic. Óscar: BB Z30. 11:56:24 AM.- Papá:Lic. Óscar: Es el más moderno. 12:31:13 PM.- Papá:Lic Óscar: ¿Cuánto te cuesta para depositarte en estos momentos? 12:31:26 PM.- Papá:Lic. Oscar: ¿Qué color hay? 12:33:11 PM.- M:Lic. Óscar: Cuesta 13 mil pesos. Hay nada más negros y grises. 12:34:24 PM.- Papá:Lic. Óscar: ¿Rosita no hay?, porque si no hay rosita, lo compras plateado. 12:39:23 PM.- M:Lic. Óscar: No, rositas no hay, oiga. 12:46:35 PM.- Papá:Lic. Óscar: Cómpralo gris, si no hay rosita. Pregunta en esa tienda en qué colores salieron, y si hay otros colores busca en otra tienda por favor. Ya que lo compres me pasas el pin para que lo entregues ya conectado. 12:52:51 PM.- Papá:Lic. Óscar: Platicas a la comadre que es muy querida. Que la aprecio mucho, y al esposo, pero que no le comente que nos vamos a ver, ya que a ella la DEA le tiene todos los aparatos intervenidos, y en la casa tiene cámaras de la DEA para ver quién la visita. Ahí tú le haces el comentario. 12:53:59 PM.- M:Lic. Óscar: Ya preguntamos en cuatro centros de atención a clientes, y únicamente salieron en negro y gris. Porque a éstas se les ponen protectores y cambian de color. 12:57:15 PM.- M:Lic. Oscar: Muy bien. Oiga, yo ahorita le digo a la del Oxxo. 12:57:28 PM.- Papá:Lic. Oscar: Muy bien. En 15 que cheque el Olvidado para que saque el dinero. 12:58:09 PM.- Papá:Lic. Óscar: Es para Kati, no para la del Oxxo. 1:15:06 PM.- M:Lic. Óscar: Muy bien. En un rato más le informo eso a la del Oxxo. Ahorita ya vamos rumbo con la dama K, porque ya despertó y vamos a entregarle la BB gris. 1:16:24 PM.- Papá:Lic. Óscar: Pásame el número de pin para que lo entregues ya conectado. 2:25:17 PM.- M:Lic. Óscar: Ya se retiró la dama. 2:26:16 PM.-M:Lic. Óscar: Que a lo mejor se desocupa hoy mismo por la noche, y se regresaría mañana a su lugar de origen. 2:26:24 PM.- Papá:Lic. Óscar: ¿A la misa? 2:27:18 PM.- Papá:Lic. Óscar: ¿Y se le entregó el Black? 2:31:31 PM.- M:Lic. Óscar: Pues creo que va ya a una comida, y de ahí no sabe, pero creo que hoy mismo queda desocupada. Sí se la llevo, nada más que no trae carga la pila, y mientras platicaba la estuvo cargando pero se ocupa un 20 por ciento de la pila y apenas lleva el 14 por ciento, pero la iba a cargar en el camino a la comida y en cuanto tenga esa cantidad lo va a aceptar. 2:41:02 PM.- Papá:Lic. Óscar: Está bien, para mandar la invitación. Y también no se te pase decirle lo de la mujer de Chente. 2:48:36 PM.- M:Lic. Óscar: Ya le comenté y dice que sí, que no hay cuidado, que de todos modos ella no creía conveniente platicar porque cuando fue la travesura la dama estaba con unas amistades y se salió y se fue con su comadre, y que empezó a tomar tequila la comadre y ella, y empezaron a bailar las dos. 2:51:07 PM.- Papá:Lic. Óscar: La comadre es alegre. 2:52:54 PM.- Papá:Lic. Óscar: Ya que agarre la carga que dices, avisas para mandarle la invitación. Le dices a la dama que en qué horario le voy a poder mandar mensaje ya que no quiero mandar mensaje sin que ella autorice la hora. 2:59:48 PM.-Papá:Lic. Óscar: Dile a Kate que cuando venga tomaremos tequila y bailaremos, así coméntale. 3:53:02 PM.- M:Lic. Óscar: La dama dice que el día 2 está disponible para arrimarse. Son dos más y ella, 3. 3:57:44 PM.- Papá:Lic. Óscar: Que muy bien. Dile que con mucho gusto estaré esperándola. 3:59:42 PM.- M:Lic. Óscar: Ok, pendientes. Yo informo. 4:00:16 PM.- Papá:Lic. Óscar: ¿Cómo se llama el director que vendrá con la dama? 4:02:44 PM.- M:Lic. Óscar: Sean Penn, y el argentino se llama José. 4:09:55 PM.- Papá:Lic. Óscar: Aquí estoy viendo en internet a Sean Penn... 4:14:46 PM.- M:Lic. Óscar: Sí, ese señor antes creo era actor, y ahora es escritor y productor. Dice la dama que es más chingón que el que hizo la de El padrino. 4:14:59 PM.- M:Lic. Óscar: Ok. Deje le pregunto. 4:15:50 PM.- Papá:Lic Óscar: Está bien. 8:08:36 PM.- M:Lic. Óscar: Oiga, otra cosa: la dama... van a ir los dos mechudos, el Penn y ella, en total son 4. Para que esté enterado, y llegan a la farmacia el día 2, que es viernes. 10:20:29 PM.- M:Lic. Óscar: A la dama ya no la vamos a ver, oiga, porque cuando se despidió ya se fue a ver sus compromisos, y si salía temprano iba a cambiar su vuelo para irse lo más pronto posible para arreglar sus cosas pendientes porque después nos comentó que ya la estaban esperando sus amigos para planear la venida, y que es el próximo viernes. 10:23:12 PM.- M:Lic. Óscar: Ella ya se despidió de nosotros como a eso de las 2 de la tarde. 10:25:06 PM.- Papá:Lic. Óscar: Muy bien. El viernes le darás el Black. Tú te regresas a tu casa hoy. 10:36:38 PM.- M:Lic. Óscar: Sí, ya andamos por aquí. Oiga, el berry ya lo trae ella. Ya tiene carga. Si gusta vuelva a mandar la invitación. 10:36:58 PM.- M:Lic. Óscar: Ya la envíe de nuevo, oiga, y me aparece que sí la recibió, solo falta que acepte. 10:38:24 PM.- Papá:Lic. Óscar: Solo falta que acepte la invitación, ya la recibió. 10:52:33 PM.- Papá:Lic. Óscar: Cuando acepte la guapa me avisas para chatear con ella. 10:52:46 PM.- M: Afirma, oiga. 10:54:05 PM.- M: Ya aceptó, oiga. 10:54:13 PM.- M: Ya aceptó. KATE DIRECTAMENTE 11:00:36 PM.- Papá:Guapa: Hola, amiga, ¿cómo estás? Qué gusto poder saludarte, aunque sea por este medio. 11:06:11 PM.- M:Guapa: Finalmente. No podía conectarme. ¡Gracias por mandarme este aparato taaan moderno! ¿Cómo estás? 11:08:46 PM.- Papá:Guapa: Bien amiga, gracias. Qué bueno que te gustó. Me dicen los licenciados que te despediste de ellos, que estarás el viernes con tus amigos. Qué bueno, me da mucho gusto poder saludarte personalmente. Por fin se me hará. Gracias, amiga. 11:10:11 PM.- Papá: Dale preferencia a Guapa. 11:23:44 PM.- M:Guapa: Gracias a ti voy a conocerte, y no sabes la emoción que siento. Gracias por tu confianza. He estado tratando de hacer un equipo importante con gente real, respetada en Hollywood. Quiero que los escuches... Pero independientemente de nuestro proyecto, me da mucha ilusión poder verte a los ojos, en persona. GRACIAS. Para mí lo más importante es que tú te sientas cómodo, sin ningún compromiso de nada, y que me digas a mí lo que piensas después de nuestra reunión. Supongo que recibiré instrucciones para saber a dónde viajar y todos los detalles. 11:28:57 PM.- Papá:Guapa: Amiga, irás a Sinaloa. Ten confianza en que todo está bien, si no, no te invitaría. Yo te cuidaré, eso tú lo verás cuando vengas, me tocará tomar tu tequila contigo. Como te comenté, yo no soy tomador, pero contigo tomaré por el gusto de estar conviviendo contigo. Muchas gracias por ser tan fina persona. Qué linda eres, amiga, en todos los aspectos. 11:46:52 PM.- M:Guapa: Te confieso que me siento protegida por primera vez. Ya sabrás mi historia cuando tengamos tiempo de platicar, pero por alguna razón me siento segura y sé que sabes quién soy, no como actriz o persona pública sino como mujer, como persona. Llevaré mi tequila para compartirlo contigo, porque es un sueño que ya me tocaba cumplir. Y gracias a ti. Nos veremos pronto, amigo. Bendiciones. 11:51:38 PM.- Papá:Guapa: Gracias, amiga. Una pregunta: por favor dime en qué horario te puedo mandar mensaje para no distraerte de tu horario que tienes ocupado. Por favor tú dime, quiero que no te sientas mal, yo sé de compromisos, por eso tú dime en que horario no te interrumpo. 27 DE SEPTIEMBRE de 2015 12:13:23 AM.- M:Guapa: Yo salgo mañana a Los Ángeles a las 9:00 am y estaré todo el día sola en mi casa. Tú puedes escribirme cuando quieras, después de las 11 am, hora de LA, que son dos horas menos que México. A esa hora estaré aterrizando, pero ya tranquila y sola. En la semana estoy muy tranquila también. Excepto el día 1 de octubre, que estaré filmando todo el día. Si tú me escribes y no contesto pronto, seguro es porque estoy en algo, pero contestaré en cuanto pueda. 12:18:23 AM.-Papá:Guapa: Gracias amiga, así será. Yo te marcaré en el horario que me dices, amiga. Gracias por ser tan buena persona. Te deseo un buen viaje. Que estés bien hoy y siempre. Hasta pronto amiga. 12:38:13 AM.- M:Guapa: Hasta pronto ;) 10 DE OCTUBRE DE 2015 10:25:59 Am.- 1: Buenos días, amiga, disculpa, estaba dormido. Buen viaje, te deseo de todo corazón. Estamos pendientes. Te quiero. 3:54:07 PM.- Ermoza: muy cansada, pero ya acá, trabajando :) 3:54:34 PM.- Ermoza: ¿tú, cómo te encuentras? 4:15:44 PM.- 1: Muy bien, amiga, entonces no llegaste a descansar, descansa, amiga. 4:18:37 PM.- Ermoza: jajaja, me encantaría, pero hay que comer ='( . 4:22:00 PM.- Ermoza: y no duermo mucho desde que te vi, estoy emocionada con nuestra historia... Es la verdad. Es en lo único que pienso... 4:29:42 PM.- 1: Te cuento que yo estoy más emocionado en ti que en la historia, amiga. 4:35:07 PM.- Ermoza: jajaja, me encanta saberlo. 4:54:19 PM.- Ermoza: me chiveaste, amigo ;) . 5:10:18 PM.- 1: Es la verdad, amiga. ¿Qué me cuentas de tus socios? ¿Qué están haciendo esos hombres? 5:27:51 PM.- Ermoza: ¡están emocionados!, en espera de lo que siga, ¡igual que yo! 5:40:25 PM.- Ermoza: ya me terminaron de maquillar, ahora ya me voy a abrir un festival de cine acá... No quiero llevarte conmigo porque me parece riesgoso, ya que mi otro aparato lo tengo que tener prendido... Por si ves que me desaparezco. 5:40:53 PM.- Ermoza: espero no terminar tan tarde hoy... 5:41:10 PM.- 1: Acá te espero cuando gusten. Me comentaste que la primera semana de noviembre, acá estaré al pendiente para recibirlos y tendré el tequila listo para tomarlo, amiga, que me va a dar mucho gusto poder atenderlos, amiga. 5:45:28 PM.- Ermoza: sí, eso queremos, pero primero mi acompañante quiere ir a Washington y a Nueva York con lo que me vas a mandar para traer noticias. 5:54:38 PM.- Ermoza: te escribo si no es muy noche cuando regrese =-* 6:03:26 PM.- 1: Ya veremos cómo hacerlas llegar esta semana. Tú vas a trabajar, ya que te desocupes chateamos, amiga. Que estés bien. 23 DE OCTUBRE DE 2015 11:41:27 AM.- 1: V buenos días. Feliz cumpleaños te desea quien te aprecia y te quiere: tu amigo. Espero que te la estés pasando de maravilla en compañía de los tuyos. Te deseo lo mejor hoy y siempre. 3:46:20 PM.-Ermoza: ¡¡¡qué buen regalo de cumpleaños!!! ¡Gracias! Ya nos abrazaremos muy pronto. 24 DE OCTUBRE DE 2015 1:58:45 PM.- 1: Buenas tardes, ¿cómo está la mujer más buena de este mundo y la más inteligente, que admiro mucho? Te paso el teléfono del licenciado para que hables con él para que le digas a quién le entrega la memoria de las fotos, amiga. Este es el teléfono 5565173626. 2:03:10 PM.- Ermoza: jajaja, ¡¡¡gracias!!! Hola, amigo bello, yo le llamo, va a ser de un número de USA, ¡le llamo hoy mismo! ¡Cuídate mucho! Y gracias =-* 2:10:32 PM.- 1: Gracias, amiga, por tus buenos deseos. Que estés bien. Tu amigo te quiere. Bye. 2:13:59 PM.- Ermoza: yo quiero a mi amigo, bye. 29 DE OCTUBRE DE 2015 10:15:23 PM.- 1: Amiga, hay que vernos. Todo estará tranquilo, si no estuviera seguro no te invitaría. Quiero que entrevistes a señores y señoras de mi rancho. Te cuento que mi mamá quiere conocerte. Le comenté de ti. No te desanimes, que no pasa nada. Todo lo tendré al 100. 31 DE OCTUBRE DE 2015 3:44:16 PM.- Ermoza: un abogado que pondrían pro bono de una firma grande en caso de que lo que te propuso mi acompañante se pueda hacer, él en eso está y creo que regresa el miércoles. 4:04:30 PM.- 1: Yo te escucho y si tú me dices que así es mejor, adelante, yo tengo toda la confianza en ti y lo que tú me asesores sé que es lo correcto. 4:13:20 PM.- Ermoza: gracias por la confianza, ¡espero que esta segunda propuesta se pueda hacer! Yo te voy avisando. 4:19:26 PM.- 1: Está muy bien. Entonces el miércoles ya sabrás algo de tu amigo, tanto de la firma como lo que fue a ver con la memoria que te hice llegar. Ahí me dices cómo le fue, por fa. 4:23:31 PM.- Ermoza: ¡Claro! Si sé algo antes te lo haré saber, ¿ok? 4:34:45 PM.- 1: Gracias amiga. Ojalá vengas luego para atenderte, para que me digas qué te gustaría comer para tenerte listo, para atender a mi amiga, la más buena de este mundo y la más hermosa. Estamos pendientes. Te quiero y te admiro. Bye. 5 DE NOVIEMBRE DE 2015 2:43:01 PM.- Ermoza: hola, amigo. 9:53:02 PM.- Ermoza: ¡muy bien! ¿Y tú? ¡Tengo muy buenas noticias! Estoy muy feliz. ¡Mi acompañante logró algo súper! El licenciado no me contesta, pero quiero que busque este nombre: Joshua Dratel, este señor ¡¡¡aceptó representarte sin cobro, pro bono!!! 10:07:16 PM.- 1: Qué bueno amiga. Esa noticia es muy buena para mí y mis hijos. ¿Para cuándo estarán conmigo? Cuéntame, ya dense la vuelta para hablar personalmente. 10:09:21 PM.- Ermoza: ¡Sí! Necesitamos un número donde este señor pueda comunicarse con quien tú digas, el licenciado o alguien más, y darle para adelante :) 10:24:02 PM.- 1: Sí, mañana ya hablaré con un licenciado para mandártelo, para que hablen personalmente. Ojalá ustedes vengan ya para que el licenciado esté conmigo para hablar personalmente, amiga. Ya vénganse, que tengo demasiadas ganas de atenderte como debe ser, amiga. Eres lo mejor de este mundo. No tengo con qué pagarte lo que estás haciendo por mí y mis hijos. 9 DE NOVIEMBRE DE 2015 8:57:21 PM.- Ermoza: ¿o tal vez si le tomo con esta Blackberry foto al artículo y te lo mando por aquí? Dime qué opinas de todo esto, por favor. 8:57:21 PM.- Ermoza: el acompañante ya escribió el artículo y tiene asegurada la portada que hablamos, ¡solo tienes que aprobarlo tú antes de que se publique! Voy a ver la manera de mandarlo a México con alguien junto con varias preguntas que queremos contestes y que te grabes diciendo lo que quieres que sepa el mundo, tenemos que empezar así hasta que veamos cómo se arregla lo de la segunda parte, ¡por eso urge el número! 8:57:21 PM.- Ermoza: mi acompañante me dijo que me tienen bien pinchada y esperan que yo los lleve a ti. No te puedo arriesgar ahora, es demasiado peligroso, por más que los dos queremos verte y cumplir con la misión que me encargaste. 8:57:21 PM.- Ermoza: amigo, es muy importante, la persona que te va a ayudar necesita un número en México.

– In Rolling Stone, Sean Penn quotes Joaquin Guzman as saying: "I supply more heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana than anybody else in the world." Now Guzman's lawyer wants Penn to "testify to respond about the stupidities he has said," arguing the actor made up that quote and others in which Guzman boasts of laundering money. "It's a lie, absurd speculation from Mr. Penn," Juan Pablo Badillo tells Reuters, noting Guzman is "a very serious man, very intelligent" and knows better than to incriminate himself. "He could not have made these claims," Badillo says. "Where's the proof? Where's the audio?" Penn, in his article, notes he was not allowed to record the interview. He was later supplied with 17 minutes of video responses, but such comments aren't included. According to leaked text messages, Guzman had no idea who Penn was until a week before their meeting. "Tell him, that the actor Sean Penn has a very relevant message for him," reads one text to Guzman, per Milenio and the Guardian. "This actor, as an interesting fact, is the most famous in the US." Later, Guzman asks, "What's this actor called?" A lawyer responds: "Sean Penn. The one who made the movie 21 Grams." Guzman was, however, very familiar with Penn's contact, Mexican actress Kate del Castillo. "Tell Kate when she comes we'll drink tequila and dance," he texted his lawyer. "I'm telling you that I am more excited about you than the story," he added to del Castillo. "How beautiful you are, amiga, in all aspects." He ended their conversations with te quiero, a phrase commonly used among friends, meaning "I love you."

Washington (CNN) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday it's "highly likely" the Senate intelligence committee will investigate former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's discussions with the Russian ambassador. "I think the fundamental question for us is what is our involvement in it, and who ought to look at it," the Kentucky Republican said. "And the intelligence committee is already looking at Russian involvement in our election. As Sen. (Roy) Blunt has already indicated, it is highly likely they will want to take look at this episode as well. They have the broad jurisdiction to do it." The Senate's second-ranking Republican and other GOP senators have called for an investigation into the episode, building on a string of investigations underway on Russian interference in the US elections. Sen. John Cornyn told reporters Tuesday that the Senate standing committees with oversight of intelligence needs to investigate. Asked by CNN if he wanted the Senate's committees to investigate Flynn, Cornyn replied: "Yes." But Cornyn, the Senate majority whip, was not ready to say Flynn should testify before Congress. "I think it's symbolic of somebody with a distinguished military career making a bad mistake," Cornyn said of Flynn. Flynn resigned from his position as national security adviser Monday following reports that the Justice Department warned the Trump administration last month that he misled administration officials about the nature of his conversations with the Russian ambassador and whether they addressed the issue of sanctions. The conversations occurred before he was an official government employee, causing some to fear that he was potentially vulnerable to blackmail by the Russians for covering up details of the exchanges. It is illegal for unauthorized private citizens to negotiate with foreign governments on behalf of the US. Vice President Mike Pence -- who was pushed into the center of the story after he defended Flynn on TV one month ago -- did not respond to shouted questions as he left the Capitol Tuesday. Pence has yet to say how he feels about Flynn's actions. Pence met with Senate Republicans Tuesday at the Capitol for their weekly lunch and discussed Flynn's resignation, although senators in attendance said he did not discuss his personal feelings. Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican who used to serve with Pence in the House of Representatives, said that Pence thanked Flynn for his service and explained that "when discrepancies arose, they realized they had to do something." "And obviously the president made the call," Cassidy added. "Folks understand that Gen. Flynn served at the discretion of the president, and the president decided to make a change." Pence told senators they are looking at three names to replace Flynn, Sen. Bob Corker told reporters. And Sen. John McCain suggested the White House consider David Petraeus or Stanley McChrystal for the position. Lawmakers from both the House and Senate spent much of the day Tuesday answering questions of how they would respond to Flynn's resignation and reports of his calls with the Russian ambassador. Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican, said that Trump should be asked if he directed Flynn to talk with Russian officials, "I think that should be asked to the president. To the question of executive privilege as to the president should discuss you know what he knows." Sen. Roy Blunt, a member of the Senate intelligence committee, told KTRS radio he wanted to speak with Flynn. Blunt told KTRS radio that an investigation "needs" to happen. "I think everybody needs that investigation to happen," he said. "And the Senate intelligence committee, again that I serve on, has been given the principle responsibility to look into this, and I think that we should look into it exhaustively so that at the end of this process, nobody wonders whether there was a stone left unturned, and shouldn't reach conclusions before you have the information that you need to have to make those conclusions." Blunt said lawmakers need to talk to Flynn "very soon." "I would think that we should talk to Gen. Flynn very soon and that should answer a lot of questions. What did he know? What did he do? And is there any reason to believe that anybody knew that and didn't take the kind of action they should have taken," he asked. Cornyn said that he had not been briefed on the transcripts of calls between Flynn and the Russian ambassador to the US, but expects the issue to come up with members of the Senate intelligence committee meet later Tuesday. "I think there's an orderly process to make sure we get accurate information and we can the appropriate oversight and that's what we ought to do," the Texas senator said. Sen. Lindsey Graham also said he wants an investigation into Flynn's conversations with a Russian ambassador about sanctions. "I think Congress needs to be informed of what actually Gen. Flynn said to the Russian ambassador about lifting sanctions," the South Carolina Republican told CNN's Kate Bolduan on "At This Hour." "And I want to know, did Gen. Flynn do this by himself or was he directed by somebody to do it?" Sen. Richard Burr, chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, told reporters he hadn't made a decision yet on whether Flynn should testify. Other Republicans have called for an investigation into the leaks over the information related to Flynn, instead of into the actions of the former national security adviser himself. The top Democrat on the committee, Sen. Mark Warner of Virgnia, told CNN the American public "deserves" to know more about Michael Flynn's resignation and the events leading up to it. "I think it would be appropriate for Mr. Flynn, now that he has resigned, to testify," Warner said. "I think we need to know what he knows. Not just in terms of these conversations. Clearly he indicated by his own admission that he did not fully disclose information to the vice president. I think there is more to come on this subject." Flynn had conversations with the Russian ambassador to the United States before he was a government employee causing some to fear that he was potentially vulnerable to blackmail by the Russians. ||||| White House says Trump asked for Flynn's resignation after erosion of 'trust' Trump's aides had earlier said that Flynn’s departure came of his own volition. President Donald Trump lost trust in his national security adviser, prompting the commander in chief to request Michael Flynn’s resignation, the White House said Tuesday. Breaking with counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway’s explanation for Flynn’s departure, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Trump asked Flynn to hand in his resignation after the president’s trust in his adviser was irreparably damaged. Story Continued Below Trump for weeks had known that Flynn misled Vice President Mike Pence and other administration officials about the contents of his conversation with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. during the transition period, according to Spicer, who blamed the Justice Department for the pace of events. “We’ve been reviewing and evaluating this issue with respect to General Flynn on a daily basis for a few weeks trying to ascertain the truth. We got to a point not based on a legal issue but based on a trust issue where the level of trust between the president and General Flynn had eroded to the point where he felt he had to make a change,” Spicer told reporters. “The president must have complete and unwavering trust for the person in that position,” he continued. “The evolving and eroding level of trust as a result of this situation in a series of other questionable instances is what led the president to ask for General Flynn’s resignation.” Spicer, however, refused to elaborate on any of the “other questionable instances.” Rather, he detailed the timeline of events that ultimately led to Flynn’s dismissal and was adamant throughout the daily briefing that Flynn violated Trump’s trust, not any law. He also suggested that the DOJ sat on its information for nearly two weeks, allowing Pence to convey false information in a Jan. 15 TV interview before informing the White House about Flynn’s misstatements on Jan. 26. “It would be unbelievably shortsighted and wrong to go in and dismiss someone immediately,” Spicer said, explaining the White House's delayed reaction. “In fact, what the president did was take decisive action to make sure that the White House counsel thoroughly reviewed and vetted the situation. He took immediate, decisive action.” White House counsel Don McGahn briefed Trump and a small group of advisers “immediately after” the DOJ notified McGahn’s office that Flynn potentially misled administration officials and was possibly susceptible to Russian blackmail, Spicer said, noting that the counsel’s office conducted an “extensive review” of the legality of Flynn’s call before Trump “evaluated the truth aspect of it.” “The issue here was that the president got to the point where General Flynn’s misleading the vice president and others or the possibility that he had forgotten critical details of this important conversation had created a critical mass and an unsustainable situation,” he added. “That’s why the president decided to ask for his resignation, and he got it. The irony of this entire situation is that the president has been incredibly tough on Russia.” Trump himself had cast Flynn’s resignation as a distraction, tweeting Tuesday morning that the “real story” is the amount of leaks about his administration. His attempt to change the subject came as reports have mushroomed of a West Wing in chaos. The president has careened from one crisis to another during the first few weeks of his administration, as he’s churned out controversial executive orders, battled with foreign leaders and sought to fight back against accounts of vicious infighting among his aides. In the most recent crisis, Trump accepted Flynn’s resignation Monday evening after the retired lieutenant general and former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency misled Pence and other administration officials on the details of his conversation with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. Flynn had reportedly discussed with the emissary a reprieve of sanctions the Obama administration imposed on the Kremlin in December for conducting cyberattacks during the presidential election, potentially breaking the law, as he was at the time a private citizen. Flynn acknowledged communicating with the ambassador but denied that sanctions were discussed, and Pence defended him on a Sunday public affairs show based off their conversation. In an interview with the conservative news outlet Daily Caller conducted on Monday and published on Tuesday, Flynn maintained that he crossed “no lines.” “If I did, believe me, the FBI would be down my throat. My clearances would be pulled. There were no lines crossed,” he said. Flynn admitted to discussing the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats — which was one component of the Obama administration's sanctions — but argued that “it wasn’t about sanctions.” “It was about the 35 guys who were thrown out,” Flynn said. “So that’s what it turned out to be. It was basically: ‘Look, I know this happened. We’ll review everything.’ I never said anything such as, ‘We’re going to review sanctions,’ or anything like that.” The Washington Post reported Monday that Trump administration officials were briefed by a top Justice Department official last month on Flynn’s misstatements, and the embattled adviser resigned soon after. But Trump signaled that the Flynn narrative is merely a diversion. “The real story here is why are there so many illegal leaks coming out of Washington?” he tweeted, in what appeared to be a subtle jab at the intelligence community. “Will these leaks be happening as I deal on N.Korea etc?” Trump has struggled to contain leaks during his weeks-old administration. Reporters have unearthed extraordinary details from inside the White House, including the contentious calls with foreign leaders and the president’s displeasure with a woman lampooning his press secretary on “Saturday Night Live.” He also blamed the intelligence community last month for allegedly leaking information about an unsubstantiated Russian dossier containing compromising and salacious information about him, which BuzzFeed had published in full. A White House aide told POLITICO last week that the administration has launched an investigation into leaks coming out of Washington. In another blow delivered to Trump's White House on Tuesday, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz has given White House chief of staff Reince Priebus two weeks to respond to questions about the administration's security practices following reports Monday that sensitive information was discussed while among Mar-a-Lago members. Other lawmakers also appeared to add to Trump's headaches. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters it’s “highly likely” that the chamber’s Intelligence Committee will investigate whether Flynn talked about sanctions with the Russian ambassador. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham speculated that perhaps Flynn “went rogue,” expressing skepticism that Flynn would talk sanctions with the Russian ambassador unbeknownst to the White House. He added that Americans have the right to know whether he spoke for the Trump administration or the call was a “rogue maneuver.” “Now I may be wrong,” he told CNN. “Maybe he did this in a rogue fashion. Maybe General Flynn went rogue.” Trump’s tweet Tuesday appeared to echo dialogue from Conway’s interview on “Fox & Friends.” Conway, a counselor to the president, thanked co-host Steve Doocy for highlighting what he called “troubling” leaks out of Washington about Flynn’s conversations that may have come directly from the intelligence community. “You may be the only outlet talking about that this morning so thank you for shining a light there,” Conway said. “Look, leaks are always disturbing. I think the president of the United States has made that very clear. And leaks when it has to do with security intelligence information are that much more concerning just hypothetically.” Trump’s allies conveyed mixed messages concerning the details of Flynn’s resignation, exposing an apparent rift among Trump’s top aides. Spicer, the official spokesman for the administration, said repeatedly that Trump asked for Flynn’s resignation, breaking with Conway’s position that Flynn resigned on his own but aligning somewhat with House Speaker Paul Ryan. “I think it’s really important that as soon as they realized that they were being misled by their national security adviser, they asked for his resignation,” Ryan said, although Spicer later indicated that the White House spent “weeks” reviewing Flynn’s behavior. Conway, on the other hand, insisted that Flynn’s departure came of his own volition. She argued that Flynn’s dialogue with the Russian ambassador wasn’t at issue, instead contending that Flynn’s mischaracterization of that discussion to the vice president and others is what became “unsustainable.” “In this particular case, there was an incident or so that just became unsustainable for him to carry on in that role,” she said. “And that was a decision he made, and the president accepted his resignation and is moving on.” Conway and Spicer, at the president’s request, both referenced a statement during their TV appearances that Charles Krauthammer made Monday night — which suggests Trump was aware that Flynn had discussed sanctions with Russia. Krauthammer, who Trump tweeted “has zero” credibility on this day last year, told Fox News’ Bret Baier that the Flynn controversy was a “a cover-up without a crime.” “The idea that one should be all aghast because the incoming national security adviser spoke with the Russian ambassador and spoke about sanctions seems to me to be perfectly reasonable,” he said. “The idea that it was illegal is preposterous.” On Tuesday, Spicer and Conway were both adamant that Flynn didn't break the law. For her part, Conway said it wasn’t “a particular contact or incident by itself” that led to Flynn’s demise. “It’s really the cumulative effect of that leading to incomplete or misleading, forgetful information, frankly,” she said. “And completely misleading information, that really was the key here.” Conway initially said Monday that Flynn had Trump’s “full confidence.” In a separate interview Tuesday on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” the White House aide conceded that she doesn’t “know all the details” but argued that it was “a very fluid situation.” “General Flynn assured Vice President Pence of something that turned out to not be true, and that’s really the key here,” she said. “I think that General Flynn in the end decided he was a lightning rod. He did not want to be a distraction and he tendered his resignation last night because what he had provided the vice president either was a product of misleading information or forgetfulness, and neither one was sustainable long term.” Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg will serve as acting national security adviser and head of the National Security Council in the interim as Trump looks for Flynn’s successor. “The president is currently evaluating a group of very strong candidates that will be considered to fill the national security adviser position permanently and is confident in the ability of General Kellogg, a decorated and distinguished veteran of the United States Army, until that person is ultimately chosen,” Spicer said. Flynn, however, will likely stay in the headlines for a while. Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker told reporters on Tuesday that Flynn may be asked to testify as part of a larger probe into Russia’s alleged election-season hacking. “I think there needs to be fulsome investigation on all angles relative to nefarious activities that were taking place with Russia, beginning in March but even going back before that time,” Corker said, adding that “an element of that” may be Flynn testifying. ||||| Get the latest from TODAY Sign up for our newsletter / Updated / Source: TODAY By Eun Kyung Kim National security adviser Michael Flynn abruptly resigned late Monday after acknowledging “he had become a lightning rod” over his dealings with Russia, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said Tuesday. Flynn’s departure comes after he misled Vice President Mike Pence and other senior White House officials about information he shared with the Russian ambassador to the United States. “In the end, it was misleading the vice president that made the situation unsustainable,” Conway told TODAY’s Matt Lauer. “The incomplete information or the inability to completely recall what did or did not happen as reflected in his debriefing of particular phone calls — that really is what happened here,” she said. RELATED: If Michael Flynn misled VP, that could be a ‘fireable offense,’ Chuck Todd says Flynn’s departure comes less than a month into the job and follows revelations about information he shared with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak over American sanctions against Russia in late December, weeks before Trump took office. "He knew he had become a lightening rod and he made that decision," Conway said. NBC NEWS: Flynn quits as national security adviser over talks with Russia Flynn initially told the the vice president he did not discuss sanctions imposed on Russia, a claim Pence repeatedly widely during media interviews. In his resignation letter, Flynn addressed the issue. "Unfortunately, because of the fast pace of events, I inadvertently briefed the Vice President Elect and others with incomplete information regarding my phone calls with the Russian Ambassador. I have sincerely apologized to the President and the Vice President, and they have accepted my apology," Flynn wrote in the letter. On TODAY, Conway was asked repeatedly why, despite reports that the Justice Department told the White House last month that Flynn had misled them and even put himself at risk for blackmail, he continued to retain the president's full trust. “That’s one characterization," Conway said. "But the fact is that General Flynn continued in that position and was in the presidential daily briefings, was part of the leader calls as recently as (Monday) … and as time wore on, obviously the situation had become unsustainable.” Conway added that the president accepted Flynn's resignation and "wishes him well, and we're moving on," noting three "very strong candidates" the administration is considering to replace him. ||||| With Breanne Deppisch THE BIG IDEA: President Trump should thank his lucky stars that Republicans control both chambers of Congress, because Democrats would be announcing a Benghazi-style inquest today if they could. Michael Flynn lost his job as national security adviser after just 24 days — less because he offered potentially illegal secret assurances to Russia’s ambassador, an adversary of the United States, than because he gave a false accounting of those conversations to his colleagues in the White House, particularly Vice President Pence. This imbroglio will make it politically untenable for Trump to scale back sanctions on Moscow now. The blowback from hawkish Republicans in the Senate would be too intense, hobbling the rest of the president’s agenda. The episode will probably give added momentum to Sen. John McCain’s effort to codify existing sanctions into law so that the administration cannot unilaterally unwind them. But there is much we still do not know. Here are 10 questions that have become critical in the wake of last night’s news: Trump, Mike Pence, and Reince Priebus walk on the south lawn of the White House. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) 1. What, if anything, did Trump authorize Flynn to tell the Russians before his inauguration? 2. Why was Trump planning to stand by Flynn? “One senior White House official said that Trump did not fire Flynn; rather, Flynn made the decision to resign on his own late Monday evening because of what this official said was ‘the cumulative effect’ of damaging news coverage about his conversations with the Russian envoy,” Greg Miller and Philip Rucker report. “This official, who requested anonymity to speak candidly about the situation, said Trump does not relish firing people — despite his television persona on ‘The Apprentice’ — and had intended to wait several more days before deciding whether to seek Flynn’s resignation. ‘There obviously were a lot of issues, but the president was hanging in there,’ this official said.” Don McGahn leaves the Four Seasons Hotel. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) 3. What did White House counsel Donald McGahn do after the then-acting attorney general notified him last month that Flynn was potentially vulnerable to Russian blackmail? “In the waning days of the Obama administration, James R. Clapper Jr., who was the director of national intelligence, and John Brennan, the CIA director at the time, shared [Sally] Yates’s concerns and concurred with her recommendation to inform the Trump White House,” Adam Entous, Ellen Nakashima and Philip Rucker report. “They feared that ‘Flynn had put himself in a compromising position’ and thought that Pence had a right to know that he had been misled. … Yates, then the deputy attorney general, considered Flynn’s comments in the intercepted call to be ‘highly significant’ and ‘potentially illegal,’ according to an official familiar with her thinking. … A senior Trump administration official said before Flynn’s resignation that the White House was aware of the matter, adding that ‘we’ve been working on this for weeks.’” Yates was accompanied by a senior career national security official when she alerted McGahn. What we don’t know is who McGahn subsequently shared that information with and what he did after the meeting. He didn’t respond to a request for comment last night from my colleagues. “It’s unimaginable that the White House general counsel would sit on it [and] not tell anybody else in the White House,” said David Gergen, who worked in the Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton administrations. “In every White House I’ve ever been in, this would go to the president like that,” he added during an interview on CNN, snapping his fingers. If McGahn did indeed tell others, especially the president, how come Flynn kept his job until last night? Trump shakes hands with James Comey at the White House last month. (Andrew Harrer/EPA) 4. What is the status of the FBI investigation into possible contacts between Trump associates and Russia? FBI Director James B. Comey initially opposed Yates notifying McGahn, citing concerns that it could complicate the bureau’s ongoing investigation. “A turning point came after Jan. 23, when [Sean] Spicer, in his first official media briefing, again was asked about Flynn’s communications with [Ambassador Sergey] Kislyak,” Adam, Ellen and Phil report. “Spicer said that he had talked to Flynn about the issue ‘again last night.’ There was just ‘one call,’ Spicer said. And it covered four subjects: a plane crash that claimed the lives of a Russian military choir; Christmas greetings; Russian-led talks over the Syrian civil war; and the logistics of setting up a call between Putin and Trump. Spicer said that was the extent of the conversation. Yates again raised the issue with Comey, who now backed away from his opposition to informing the White House.” Yates then spoke to McGahn. Sean Spicer continues to be on the defensive in the briefing room. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) 5. Will Spicer and Pence apologize for making false statements to the American people? There is no doubt that both men would have called on their counterparts in the Obama administration to do so if the shoe was on the other foot, even if the falsehoods were unintentional. Their future credibility depends on coming clean and being contrite. In his resignation letter, Flynn noted that he apologized to Pence and others: “Because of the fast pace of events, I inadvertently briefed the Vice President Elect and others with incomplete information regarding my phone calls with the Russian Ambassador. I have sincerely apologized to the President and the Vice President, and they have accepted my apology.” Will those he apologized to pay it forward to the rest of us? (Read Flynn’s one-page letter here.) Sally Yates in her office at the Justice Department before she got fired. (Evelyn Hockstein/For The Washington Post) 6. Will Flynn face prosecution under the Logan Act? Yates and other intelligence officials suspected that Flynn could be in violation of the obscure 1799 statute, which bars U.S. citizens from interfering in diplomatic disputes with another country. But no one has ever been prosecuted under that law, so it is very, very unlikely. Another mitigating factor: Jeff Sessions got confirmed as attorney general despite refusing to commit to recuse himself from DOJ inquiries into Trump and other administration officials. Marco Rubio at the Capitol. (Zach Gibson/AP) 7. What will the Senate Intelligence Committee uncover about contacts Flynn and others affiliated with Trump had with Russia before the election? U.S. intelligence reports during the 2016 campaign showed that Kislyak was in touch with Flynn, several sources have said. Communications between the two continued after Nov. 8. The Russian ambassador has even confirmed having contacts with Flynn before and after the election, though he declined to say what was discussed. The committee led by Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) is continuing to explore Russian efforts to interfere with the election, including the intelligence community’s assessment that the Kremlin was attempting to tilt the election to Trump. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), a member of the committee, told reporters a few hours before Flynn resigned that his contacts with the Russian ambassador are part of the bipartisan inquiry. “This and anything else that involves the Russians,” Rubio said, per Kelsey Snell. “We’re going to go wherever the truth leads us.” Trump and Keith Kellogg, right, listen as Jeff Sessions speaks during a campaign event at Trump Tower last October. (Evan Vucci/AP) 8. Who replaces Flynn? Trump has named Keith Kellogg, a decorated retired Army lieutenant general, as acting national security adviser. Sources say that he is one of three candidates Trump is considering as a permanent replacement. The others are former CIA director David H. Petraeus and Vice Adm. Robert Harward, a former deputy commander of the U.S. Central Command. Two White House sources tell Bob Costa that Harward emerged overnight as the front-runner to get the post. (Pence is leading the discussions.) He is seen as a safe and steady, low-profile consensus pick, which is appealing after the tumult that swirled around Flynn. Harward worked on the NSC during George W. Bush’s presidency, focused on counterterrorism strategy. He’s from Rhode Island and attended the Naval Academy in Annapolis. He’s worked on SEAL teams and was a commander in Afghanistan and Iraq. If Trump settles on Harward — always an “if” with Trump — that’s a huge win for Jim Mattis. Harward served under the secretary of defense back when he was at Central Command and remains both an ally and friend. Harward has been under consideration as a possible undersecretary of defense for intelligence. K.T. McFarland in the Oval Office last week. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) 9. Who else leaves the White House because Flynn is gone? Flynn’s departure means that the people he brought with him are likely to go too. The new national security adviser will want his own loyalists. Kellogg is considered a Flynn guy, the New York Times notes, as is K.T. McFarland, the deputy national security adviser. She is expected to leave soon. Reince Priebus, Mike Pence, Steve Bannon, Sean Spicer and Michael Flynn listen as Trump speaks by phone with Vladimir Putin on Jan. 28. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) 10. Who exactly is in charge at the White House? Yesterday was just the latest illustration of the chaos and dysfunction that plague the infant administration. Officials found themselves in an uncomfortable holding pattern for much of Monday, unsure about whether to defend Flynn and privately grumbling about the president’s indecisiveness. “After Trump made it through a joint news conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau without being asked about Flynn, a group of reporters gathered outside Spicer’s office for more than 80 minutes,” Ashley Parker and Philip Rucker report. “Spicer twice declined to answer questions about Flynn. When chief of staff Reince Priebus walked by, he was asked whether the president still had confidence in Flynn. Priebus gave no answer. Then, a few minutes later, Kellyanne Conway, the counselor to the president, declared on MSNBC that Trump had ‘full confidence’ in Flynn. Yet a few minutes later after that, Spicer issued an official — and conflicting — statement, saying Trump was ‘evaluating the situation.’” A few hours after that, Flynn was gone. Conservative columnist Michael Gerson, a veteran of George W. Bush’s White House, opens his column today with a damning anecdote: Last month, House Speaker Paul Ryan met with a delegation from the president-elect on tax reform. Attending were Priebus, Conway, Stephen K. Bannon, Jared Kushner and Stephen Miller. As the meeting began, Ryan pointedly asked, “Who’s in charge?” There was silence. “It is still the right question,” Michael writes. “Former officials with deep knowledge of the presidency describe Trump’s White House staff as top-heavy, with five or six power centers and little vertical structure. ‘The desire to be a big shot is overrunning any sense of team,’ says one experienced Republican. ‘This will cause terrible dysfunction, distraction, disloyalty and leaks.’” Michael Flynn gestures as he arrives with his son, Michael Jr., at Trump Tower during the transition. (Carolyn Kaster/AP) THREE NOTABLE REACTIONS — From the Clintons: You might recall that Flynn led the crowd at the Republican National Convention in chants of “ Lock her up” last summer. “If I did a tenth of what she did, I would be in jail today,” he said, referring to Hillary Clinton. The former secretary of state has certainly not forgotten. Philippe Reines, a longtime Clinton adviser who played the role of Trump in debate prep, noted that Michael Jr. has been an unapologetic purveyor of conspiracy theories: Dear Mike Flynn & Mike Flynn Jr., What goes around COMETS around. And given your pizza obsession...https://t.co/rmyO7wyJKX xo Philippe — Philippe Reines (@PhilippeReines) February 14, 2017 Clinton herself retweeted the post with this message: Philippe's got his own way of saying things, but he has a point about the real consequences of fake news... https://t.co/a02sXiaHfp — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) February 14, 2017 From the Russians: One of the Kremlin’s propaganda arms, Russia Today, reported that Flynn chose to “retire." From Kurt Bardella: The former spokesman for Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) when he chaired the House Oversight Committee acknowledged the obvious: if the first four weeks of the #Obama presidency were like this when I worked at #oversight we'd have issued so many subpoenas by now — Kurt Bardella (@kurtbardella) February 14, 2017 Welcome to the Daily 202, PowerPost's morning newsletter. Sign up to receive the newsletter. WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING: Kim Jong Nam travels in 2001. (AFP/Getty Images) -- South Korean outlets are reporting that the older half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been killed in Malaysia by two female agents with “poison needles.” Anna Fifield reports: “The reports — which could not immediately be verified — said Kim’s half-brother Kim Jong Nam was attacked at Kuala Lumpur airport Monday night by two women who fled the scene. … He died on the way to hospital, [the reports] said, citing an unidentified government source. South Korea’s state-run Yonhap News Agency reported similar details. There was no such report on North Korea’s tightly controlled media. But, if true, it would make another surprising twist in the tales of North Korea’s leadership.” Syrian refugee Baraa Haj Khalaf arrives at O'Hare Airport in Chicago. (Joshua Lott/AFP/Getty Images) -- A federal judge in Virginia issued a preliminary injunction against Trump’s travel ban, citing a likely violation of the First Amendment’s protections for freedom of religion. Rachel Weiner reports: In her opinion, Judge Leonie M. Brinkema wrote that the Commonwealth of Virginia “has produced unrebutted evidence” that the order “was not motivated by rational national security concerns” but “religious prejudice” toward Muslims. She cited Trump’s statements before taking office, as well as an interview in which former New York City mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani (R) said that the president wanted a “Muslim ban.” The order applies only to Virginia residents and students, but comes as another legal blow to the White House. -- Immigration authorities arrested 680 people last week who were in the United States illegally, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said last night, following a wave of immigration raids in at least a dozen states. Abigail Hauslohner and Sandhya Somashekhar report: “DHS … said that approximately 75 percent of those arrested were ‘criminal aliens,’ including some who had been convicted of crimes such as homicide, sexual assault of a minor and drug trafficking. Asked to provide further clarification, a DHS official confirmed that the term ‘criminal aliens’ includes anyone who had entered the United States illegally, overstayed or violated the terms of a visa. There are an estimated 11 million people in the United States who fit that profile. ICE has characterized the raids as routine, but immigrant rights groups said the actions were out of the ordinary and that most of those swept up were not dangerous. They said ICE also handled the detentions — which activists described as playing out in homes, on the side of the road and outside workplaces — differently from how the agency had in the latter years of the Obama administration.” -- The Virginia Senate advanced a bill that would require jails and prisons in the state to detain inmates up to two days beyond their sentence to give federal immigration authorities time to pick them up. The measure is part of a flurry of Republican-backed legislation meant to crack down on illegal immigration. (Laura Vozzella) -- America’s top universities, including Stanford and all eight Ivy League schools, added their support to a legal challenge to Trump’s executive order, arguing that it hinders their global mission and harms some individuals directly. Trump has caused significant hardship for scholars: Six students and scholars at Princeton University were outside the country and unable to return when the ban was put in place, for example, and an additional 45 were unable to leave the United States. And there are future harms: 150 applicants to graduate programs at Princeton are from the seven countries listed in the order. Read the full 33-page amicus brief here. (Susan Svrluga) Steven Mnuchin recites the oath of office during a swearing-in ceremony inside the Oval Office last night. (Kevin Dietsch/Pool via Bloomberg) -- The Senate confirmed Steven Mnuchin as treasury secretary in a 53-47 vote, capping a contentious and protracted debate while adding another former banker to Trump’s roster of advisers. Max Ehrenfreund reports: “Mnuchin ran a bank, OneWest, that foreclosed on tens of thousands of Americans following the financial crisis, and Democrats argued that he would not represent the financial interests of ordinary Americans in office.” Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) was the only Democrat to vote in his favor. -- Senators also unanimously voted to confirm David Shulkin to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, making him the sole holdover from the Obama administration to serve in Trump’s Cabinet. Lisa Rein reports: “The 57-year-old Pennsylvania native will now run the second-largest federal agency after serving 18 months as undersecretary for health in charge of VA’s sprawling medical system. … After a long search for a leader who could turn around a system Trump denounced on the campaign trail as a tragic failure, the president surprised critics by turning inside rather than outside for a VA leader. No senators dissented on Shulkin’s nomination in a rare show of bipartisanship.... Shulkin’s approval makes him the 11th high-ranking Trump official to be confirmed by the Senate." -- Now, Democrats are training their fire on labor secretary nominee Andrew Puzder. At least four Republican senators are on the fence about whether to support him, ramping up pressure on the fast-food CEO to win over members of Trump’s own party ahead of his confirmation vote. Ed O’Keefe reports: “The four Republicans are all members of the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, where Puzder is set to appear Thursday to answer questions. Among the skeptics is Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who said … she has reviewed footage of an ‘Oprah Winfrey Show’ interview with Puzder’s ex-wife, who once appeared in disguise on the program to discuss the multiple times she says that Puzder physically assaulted her in the 1980s. [She recently retracted the allegations]. In addition to Collins, Sens. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.) are withholding judgment.” Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) talks Monday with Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) before a meeting at the Rayburn Office Building. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post) -- The House Oversight Committee voted 22 to 14 to block a D.C. law that would legalize assisted suicide. The move opens a new front in the conflict between congressional Republicans and the overwhelmingly Democratic city of Washington, Peter Jamison and Aaron C. Davis report: “It was one of only a handful of times in the four-decade history of D.C. home rule that members of Congress have tried to use their constitutional power to overturn a city law, and the first attempt since the GOP took control of both Congress and the White House in January. The vote was largely along party lines … In a split-screen moment, as the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform was voting, more than 700 District residents and elected leaders jammed into the Atlas Performing Arts Center about a mile away for a ‘Hands Off D.C.’ brainstorming session focused on ways to stop Congress from intervening in D.C. affairs.” Jeffrey Sandusky's mugshot (Centre County Correctional Facility via AP) GET SMART FAST:​​ The 41-year-old son of disgraced child molester and former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky has been arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a child. The charges against Jeffrey Sandusky stem from an investigation that began last fall and involve two underage children of a woman he had been dating. (Cindy Boren and Des Bieler) The Trump administration sanctioned Venezuela’s new vice president, accusing him of being a drug kingpin and helping to facilitate drug shipments bound for Mexico and the United States. The sanctions against Tareck El Aissami — currently in line to succeed the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro — will significantly erode already strained relations between the two governments. (Carol Morello) Twelve current and former TSA agents and airport employees were indicted by a federal grand jury in Puerto Rico for their alleged involvement in a conspiracy to smuggle tons of cocaine through the airport in San Juan. U.S. attorneys believe 20 tons of drugs were smuggled from 1998 to 2016, passing through the TSA security system in checked luggage. (Ashley Halsey III) Six New England Patriots players have now announced they will skip out on the traditional post-Super Bowl trip to the White House, citing problems with the man who currently occupies the Oval Office. (Cindy Boren) A new analysis found that the number of retirement-age adults in the United States taking at least three psychiatric drugs has more than doubled since 2004, even though almost half of patients had no mental health diagnosis on record. The study suggests inappropriate prescribing to older people is more common than previously thought. (New York Times) The National Weather Service suffered a “catastrophic” outage for nearly three hours yesterday, which temporarily shut down the country’s primary weather alert system on a day that saw both blizzards on one side of the map and dire flooding threats on the other. (Jason Samenow) Disney severed ties with YouTube star PewDiePie after he posted a series of videos that featured anti-Semitic jokes and Nazi imagery, including footage of Hitler. One video on the 27-year-old’s page featured two Indian men laughing and holding a sign reading, “Death to all Jews.” He reportedly paid them to hold it for the video. (Wall Street Journal) A new study finds that a small number of “superspreaders” accounted for a majority of the Ebola cases during the 2014-2015 epidemic. In fact, researchers estimate just three percent of people were responsible for infecting about 61 percent of cases, showing that the “superspreading” phenomenon was a more important factor in driving the epidemic than previously realized. (Lena H Sun) Hamas named a hard-liner and top militia commander, Yehiya Sinwar, as its new leader in Gaza, appointing a man branded as a “terrorist” by Israel. He was previously sentenced to multiple life terms in prison for his role as the mastermind in the abduction and killing of two Israeli soldiers. (Hazam Balousha and William Booth) A suicide bomber killed at least 13 people and left 80 others injured after detonating at a protest in Pakistan, where hundreds of pharmacists and drug company officials were gathered to hold a peaceful demonstration. (Pamela Constable and Shaiq Hussain) Five Pakistani bloggers known for voicing their left-leaning political views online were each abducted, then returned, over a several-day period last month — but each has each remained mysteriously silent about their experiences. Their similar, oddly timed captures have prompted fears that the kidnappings are being carried out by Pakistan’s intelligence agencies, which have long since been accused of using “enforced disappearances” for punishing dissidents. (Pamela Constable) A convicted sex offender who was just released from prison has been charged with the rape and murder of Ohio State Universty student Reagan Tokes, a 21-year-old who was just months away from graduating. Her body was found at a park near the university. (Kristine Guerra) The wife and stepson of a Ku Klux Klan leader who was found dead in a river in rural Missouri last weekend have been charged with his murder. (Amy B Wang) A brutal obituary went viral after it remembered a 74-year-old Texas man as living “29 years longer than expected and much longer than he deserved.” “With Leslie’s passing he will be missed only for what he never did; being a loving husband, father and good friend,” it read. "No services will be held, there will be no prayers for eternal peace.… Leslie’s passing proves that evil does in fact die and hopefully marks a time of healing and safety for all.” The obituary was posted by the man’s daughter, who says she has no regrets. (Sarah Larimer) A woman in south-central Texas is suing a Popeyes restaurant for more than $1 million, claiming an entrée from the restaurant contained flesh-eating screwworms that began eating her “from the inside out.” The restaurant chain and scientists say such a scenario is not possible, however — and some have suggested her suffering has been caused by a rare psychological condition instead. (Lindsey Bever) An updated questionnaire from the dating app OK Cupid now features several political questions, such as “Is climate change real?” and “Do you feel there should be a ban on immigrants from predominantly Muslim countries entering the U.S.?” One simply asks, “Trump?” (The Verge) Richard DeAgazio's post on Facebook. PALM BEACH INTRIGUE: -- David Fahrenthold has the latest details on how Trump turned the terrace of his Mar-a-Lago club into an open-air situation room: “As a Mar-a-Lago member, [Richard] DeAgazio already had remarkable access to a president that day. He had earlier snapped pictures of Trump and Abe golfing. … Now, as a national-security crisis broke out in front of him, DeAgazio continued snapping pictures — and posting them on Facebook. ‘The President receiving the news about the Missile incident from North Korea on Japan with the Prime Minister sitting next to him,’ DeAgazio wrote as the caption for a photo he posted on Facebook [on Saturday evening]. Later, he posted other photos of Trump and Abe’s discussion, including some that seemed to have been taken from just a few feet away. Those photos have now been seen around the world, providing photographic proof of this unusual moment. 'HOLY MOLY!!!’ DeAgazio wrote later, when he posted those closer-up photos. ‘It was fascinating to watch the flurry of activity at dinner when the news came that North Korea had launched a missile in the direction of Japan. … Wow.....the center of the action!!!’ Security experts have said this casual approach to national security discussions was very risky: "The two leaders could have discussed classified documents within earshot of waiters and club patrons. Those cellphones-turned-flashlights might also have been a problem: If one of them had been hacked by a foreign power, the phone’s camera could have provided a view of what the documents said.” But DeAgazio, for his part, said he was impressed that Trump had not moved to seek a more private place for his conversations. 'He chooses to be out on the terrace, with the members. It just shows that he’s a man of the people,' DeAgazio said." -- One photo sounding alarm bells shows DeAgazio throwing an arm around the Army officer responsible for handling the “nuclear football," a leather briefcase carrying the material needed to launch a nuclear weapon in the event of an emergency. While it’s unlikely that the photo broke any Defense Department regulations, analysts say it is unusual for an aide to agree to be photographed with a civilian — and circulation of the now-viral photo has put the Pentagon in an awkward situation. (Dan Lamothe) -- Trump is going back to Mar-a-Lago next weekend for a third straight weekend. (The Hill) Omarosa Manigault waits for an event to start in the White House yesterday. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP) WEST WING INTRIGUE: -- Is the White House keeping secret dossiers on journalists? Paul Farhi reports: “Conflict and controversy seem to follow Omarosa Manigault, who stirred up plenty of both as a reality-TV star and a longtime associate of President Trump. Manigault, who is now a communications official in the Trump administration, got into a heated argument with a White House reporter just steps from the Oval Office last week, according to witnesses. The reporter, April Ryan, said Manigault ‘physically intimidated’ her in a manner that could have warranted intervention by the Secret Service.… Ryan, a veteran White House correspondent for the American Urban Radio Networks, used the same phrase repeatedly in an interview. ‘She stood right in my face like she was going to hit me,’ Ryan said. ‘I said, ‘You better back up.’ . . . She thought I would be bullied. I won’t be.’’ “During their altercation, Ryan said Manigault told her that she was among several African American journalists who were the subject of White House ‘dossiers.’ Manigault has previously said that Trump is keeping 'a list' of opponents, though at the time she was referring to Republicans who voted against Trump." Manigault has previously said that Trump is keeping 'a list' of opponents, though at the time she was referring to Republicans who voted against Trump." “The argument apparently stemmed from emails that Manigault sent to Ryan during the presidential campaign. In October, Manigault sent Ryan an email raising questions about whether Ryan was being paid by Hillary Clinton’s campaign — a claim Ryan vigorously denies.” In October, Manigault sent Ryan an email raising questions about whether Ryan was being paid by Hillary Clinton’s campaign — a claim Ryan vigorously denies.” “Manigault, a onetime friend of Ryan’s, declined to address Ryan’s accusations on the record, offering only this emailed statement: ‘My comment: Fake news!’ She did not specify what she considered false.” -- Trump scrapped yet another trip to the Midwest. This time he canceled a visit to Ohio, nixing plans to sign a resolution that would get rid of a "Stream Protection Rule” enacted by the Obama administration. The rule was intended to keep coal mines from dumping waste into streams. White House officials have not yet given a reason for the abrupt change in plans, but it seems like it would be terrible optics to have an event highlight a rollback of environmental protections. (Cleveland Plain Dealer) Steve Bannon and Chief of Staff Reince Priebus listen during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) -- Five more nuggets from Ashley Parker and Phil Rucker’s piece on the dysfunctional White House, based on interviews with a dozen White House officials and other Republicans: “Trump — distracted by political brushfires, often of his own making — has failed to fill such key posts as White House communications director, while sub-Cabinet positions across agencies and scores of ambassadorships around the globe still sit empty.” Staffers, meanwhile, are so fearful of being accused of talking to the media that some have resorted to a secret chat app — Confide — that erases messages as soon as they’re read. Some senior officials are worried about their own standing with the president, who through his casual conversations with friends and associates sometimes seems to hint that a shake-up could come at a moment’s notice. Aides said they strive to avoid appearing “weak” or “low energy” — two of Trump’s least favorite attributes. Staffers buzz privately about who is up and who is down: “Aides said Trump was especially upset by a sketch that cast (Steve) Bannon as the Grim Reaper manipulating the president — who was ultimately relegated to a miniature desk, playing dolefully with an expandable toy. In an administration where proximity to Trump is power, aides, advisers and visitors often mill about in the West Wing, lingering long after their scheduled appointments have ended. Visitors take photos during a tour of the White House in 2015 after Michelle Obama lifted a 40-year-old ban on taking photos during public tours of the executive mansion. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) -- The White House has remained closed for public tours since Trump took office – an unusually long lull as the new administration moves to fill positions and get the operation running. The delay has prompted complaints from at least two dozen members of Congress, who penned a letter urging the swift reopening of the office that handles tours. They’re responsible for organizing constituent trips to the White House, and many say the number of backlogged requests is now in the hundreds. (Emily Heil) But when guests are allowed back on the premises, many will be pleased to see at least one mainstay of the Obama White House has endured: the vegetable garden. A spokesman for Melania Trump confirmed that the gardens – once referred to by Michelle Obama as her “baby” – will remain in place under the new White House inhabitants. “As a mother and as the First Lady of this country, Mrs. Trump is committed to the preservation and continuation of the White House Gardens, specifically the First Lady’s Kitchen Garden and the Rose Garden,” Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, senior adviser to the first lady, said in a statement. (Peter Holley) Trump listens during a news conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) TRUMP'S WORLD: -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Trump urged him to seek closer ties with Moscow. “President Trump understands Japan’s (policy) to promote dialogue with [Putin] to resolve the territorial issue,” Abe told a TV program after returning from the United States. Abe also said that he agreed with Trump on the need to engage in dialogue with Putin to resolve outstanding global issues, including Syria and Ukraine. (The Japan Times) -- EU lawyers are preparing a legal challenge against Trump's contentious border tax proposals – ramping up what could be the biggest case in World Trade Organization history. “If someone is behaving against our interests or against international rules in trade then we have our own mechanisms to react,” said European Commission Vice President Jyrki Katainen. He added that the EU was seeking to avoid a potential trade war with the United States as it would be "disastrous" for the global economy. (The Telegraph) -- POTUS hosted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday afternoon, appearing remarkably presidential as he stood next to the Canadian leader at a joint press conference. Jenna Johnson takes note of how Trump’s behavior changes in the presence of foreign leaders: “As Trudeau took his turn speaking, Trump stood stoically, gazing out at the reporters assembled in the White House’s lavish East Room. ‘Prime Minister Trudeau, on behalf of all Americans, I thank you for being with us today,’ Trump said flatly, without looking at his fellow world leader. ‘It is my honor to host such a great friend, neighbor and ally at the White House — A. Very. Special. Place.’ For a man who has long been fascinated by celebrities, the opportunity to share a stage with another world leader is the ultimate reminder of just how far he has unexpectedly come. His demeanor is remarkably different in these moments. It appears as though he has been cast by a Hollywood director to play the very serious role of President of the United States... "Monday’s news conference with Trudeau was different because the prime minister flawlessly switched between French and English, composing long, warm sentences in both languages. Trump repeatedly put in and took out earpieces to hear a translation, but finally just flung them onto the lectern with a flick of personality that had been missing up until that moment." -- Reporters were mad after Trump made it through another press conference with a visiting foreign dignitary without answering serious questions from the White House press corps. From CNN’s Dylan Byers: “In a joint appearance with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday, Trump took just two questions from U.S. reporters -- one from the conservative Daily Caller and the other from a D.C. television station owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, both of which are widely viewed as favorable to Trump. None of the questions pertained to Flynn. Reporters and media personalities expressed outrage on Twitter, and accused the White House of foul play: ‘No questions about Flynn's status even though it is leading every newscast?? Are these planted questions on the Washington side?’ Fox News National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin asked on Twitter.” Paul Ryan speaks during a news conference. (Michael Reynolds/EPA) CONGRESS: -- House conservatives — anxious that the GOP effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act is getting sidelined amid fights over what a replacement should look like — are plotting a major push to repeal the law immediately without simultaneously approving an alternative. Politico’s Rachel Bade reports: “The House Freedom Caucus and a number of Republican Study Committee members this week will urge [Paul Ryan] and his lieutenants to forego their plan to add replacement provisions to a repeal bill, dubbed ‘repeal-plus.’ Instead, they want to approve the same standalone repeal bill that Congress sent to [Obama] in 2016. The stand by several dozen hardliners comes as House GOP leaders were planning to outline the main planks of a replacement blueprint at a series of informational sessions with rank and file member Tuesday and Thursday …”The position is at odds with GOP leadership’s latest strategy to load up a spring repeal bill — which could pass both chambers on party lines using a reconciliation tool – and highlights the stark division among Republicans as they grabble with how to replace Obamacare.” A sign is seen submerged by flowing water near Oroville, California, yesterday. Almost 200,000 people are under evacuation orders in northern California after a threat of catastrophic failure at the United States' tallest dam. The dam is 75 miles north of San Francisco. (Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images) WAPO HIGHLIGHT: -- “Officials were warned the Oroville Dam emergency spillway wasn’t safe. They didn’t listen,” by Kristine Guerra: “In 2005, three environmental groups warned state and federal officials about what they believed was a problem with the Oroville Dam’s emergency spillway, which was at risk of collapsing over the weekend in California as recent storms caused the adjacent massive reservoir to swell. Their concern, which seemed to have fallen on deaf ears: The emergency spillway is not really a spillway. Rather, it’s a 1,700-foot-long concrete weir that empties into a dirt hillside. That means in the event of severe flooding, water would erode that hillside and flood nearby communities, the groups said then. That nearly happened Sunday, when a hole on the emergency spillway threatened to flood the surrounding area and prompted officials to evacuate thousands of residents who remained displaced as of Monday afternoon.” Now, some say none of this would have happen had officials listened to concerns and 12 years ago and agreed to build a proper emergency spillway. SOCIAL MEDIA SPEED READ: Joe Scarborough ripped Stephen Miller for saying on the Sunday shows that the president's national security actions "will not be questioned:" I hope the president is talking about The Steve Miller Band and not that kid who embarrassed the White House this morning. #SweatsLikeMarco https://t.co/IqHiOXtE3V — Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) February 13, 2017 VIDEO: Stephen Miller’s performance this weekend made Susan Rice’s the day after Benghazi look smooth. https://t.co/ES0FATmrXo pic.twitter.com/35qdBNxge3 — Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) February 13, 2017 Who said this: "The president's powers are not to be questioned." — Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) February 13, 2017 "The president's power will not be questioned." --Stephen Miller pic.twitter.com/y5bNAGvYUT — Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) February 14, 2017 Ripped from the pages of 1984: The powers of the president will not be questioned. pic.twitter.com/Uq3drqo3ii — Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) February 14, 2017 And he went after Flynn: What happens if you don't cave in to every demand? Asking for a friend. https://t.co/gQElFJ4d7a — Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) February 14, 2017 An east wind is coming. — Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) February 14, 2017 Fox's Sean Hannity, a staunch Trump defender, pushed back: Joe why don't you focus on getting your horrific ratings up. They totally suck. And I'll take Steve Miller on my team over u any day. https://t.co/9FKBvpYRXp — Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) February 13, 2017 Steve Miller works 18 hour days serving the country and the @POTUS What do you do? Basically talk to yourself & @morningmika Nobody watches! https://t.co/9FKBvpYRXp — Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) February 13, 2017 Joe What an elitist snob. Obviously Steve was talking about enumerated constitutional powers of the POTUS being commander in chief. https://t.co/rRAnHl5MmK — Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) February 13, 2017 Let's make a deal. You leave Steven Miller alone (as you know he cannot respond) and I'll ignore you like most of America does. https://t.co/yv0mtEDSbD — Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) February 13, 2017 White House social media director Dan Scavino weighed in: Hannity owns jealous Joe😡 https://t.co/hyoMgNAQgd — Dan Scavino Jr. (@DanScavino) February 13, 2017 The scene in the House cloakroom last night: Amateur hour: Trump’s official inauguration portrait on sale at the Library of Congress had an obvious error in it. The quote on the 8-inch-by-10-inch print misspelled “too” as “to.” “No dream is too big, no challenge is to great. Nothing we want for the future is beyond our reach,” it reads. Get'cher official Trump print from the Library of Congress. Extra "o" in "too" available separately. pic.twitter.com/Q7OTqpCPjN — Stephen Lautens (@stephenlautens) February 12, 2017 Former Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau compared the infamous Situation Room photo during the Bin Laden raid to the scene at Mar-a-Lago over the weekend: Social media buzzed about Richard DeAgazio's pictures from the weekend: Trump's paying members at Mar-a-Lago also get access to Bannon. pic.twitter.com/orzQx3Zv2O — Samuel Oakford (@samueloakford) February 13, 2017 Mar-a-Lago member who pays Trump hundreds of thousands of dollars posts pics of - and identifies - US official carrying nuclear football. pic.twitter.com/oyAfY0E9Fj — Samuel Oakford (@samueloakford) February 13, 2017 "Trump ran a campaign based on intelligence security" is a bad premise but holy cow this post https://t.co/6h1psYm7a1 pic.twitter.com/PPSiPXvJwc — Ana Marie Cox (@anamariecox) February 13, 2017 A Texas congressman wondered whether waiters at Mar-A-Lago have security clearance: Does the wait staff at Mar-a-Lago have security clearance? Serious question. pic.twitter.com/CceYlJubag — Joaquin Castro (@JoaquinCastrotx) February 13, 2017 Former White House photographer Pete Souza has been trolling Trump by publishing photos that underscore Trump's missteps (this one shows Obama receiving important information in a secure setting): So Pete Souza is definitely throwing shade at Trump here pic.twitter.com/xyo69iC8Kn — Olivia Messer (@OliviaMesser) February 13, 2017 Here's one of Obama with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who visited Trump yesterday: Regarding the RNC's tweet of that Lincoln "quote:" Which is still making the rounds on Twitter (this is a GOP operative): For my money still the best Lincoln quote. pic.twitter.com/QYRDmy39Gg — Patrick Ruffini (@PatrickRuffini) February 13, 2017 With Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who spent the weekend at Mar-a-Lago with Trump: Democratic lawmakers are not amused: Help Wanted: White House Security Director. — Martin Heinrich (@MartinHeinrich) February 13, 2017 Kris Kobach takes issue with CNN calling out Trump's voter fraud claims as false: This image shows proof of @CNN bias. They run text below my picture claiming my statements are false. So much for letting the viewer decide. pic.twitter.com/vXslvF7oKk — Kris W. Kobach (@KrisKobach1787) February 13, 2017 Golf Digest puts a price tag on Trump's golf club: Donald Trump appeared to use his $3,755 gold driver in golf match with Japan Prime Minister: https://t.co/h7fKF4Dvux pic.twitter.com/TXL7r6KKFE — Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) February 13, 2017 Lots of commentary about the infighting in the Trump White House: White House currently has maybe 20 key staffers and 10 of them spend the day telling media why the other 10 should be fired. It's week four. — Rory Cooper (@rorycooper) February 13, 2017 Days until a president's job *disapproval* hit 55%: George W Bush: 1,678 days Barack Obama: 950 days Donald Trump: 23 days pic.twitter.com/JULxn9egt6 — Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) February 12, 2017 One take on Trump's meeting with Trudeau: when u realize how easy it is to reject toxic masculinity pic.twitter.com/yld5PVmJqT — ann friedman (@annfriedman) February 13, 2017 Trump's own take: And from Trudeau: Heading back to Ottawa after a busy day. Thanks to President @realDonaldTrump for some good work focused on creating jobs & growth. 🇨🇦 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/JdTUGVK4Rq — Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) February 13, 2017 Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) visited some special people: GOOD READS FROM ELSEWHERE: -- Foreign Policy, “The Kremlin Is Starting to Worry About Trump,” by Ivan Krastev and Stephen Holmes: “There is no way of knowing if Russian interference contributed decisively to Trump’s upset victory. But it’s fair to say that the Kremlin viewed the outcome as a divine gift … Now that Trump is in power, [however] political elites in Moscow have stopped cheering. They recognize that Russia’s position has become abruptly and agonizingly complex. It’s true that Trump’s accession opens up the possibility of ‘normalizing’ Russia’s relations with the West … But Trump’s revolution is also ushering in a period of turmoil and uncertainty, including the likelihood of self-defeating trade wars. With Trump in the White House, moreover, Putin has lost his monopoly over geopolitical unpredictability. The Kremlin’s ability to shock the world by taking the initiative and trashing ordinary international rules and customs has allowed Russia to play an oversized international role and to punch above its weight. Putin now has to share the capacity to keep the world off balance … What the Kremlin fears most today is that Trump may be ousted or even killed. Oddly, therefore, Putin has become a hostage to Trump’s survival and success.” -- Wall Street Journal, “The Rise and Fall of a K Street Renegade,” by Brody Mullins: “Few outside Washington had ever heard of Evan Morris. Yet in the capital of wheeling and dealing, he was one of its most gifted operators. From his start as an intern in the Clinton White House, he made powerful friends and at age 27 became a top Washington lobbyist for Roche Holding AG of Switzerland … As head of the company's Washington office, Mr. Morris oversaw a budget that over a decade ballooned to about $50 million a year and supported hundreds of lobbyists and consultants. His apparent success afforded luxuries including $2,000 bottles of wine, a $3 million waterfront vacation home, a $300,000 mahogany speedboat and four Porsches. He belonged to eight private golf courses and hired top chefs to cook for dinner parties at his home. … Government investigators now suspect Mr. Morris embezzled millions of dollars from his company over a decade in a kickback scheme involving Washington consultants he did business with.” (Read the whole thing.) -- Variety cover story, “Scott Pelley, Lester Holt, David Muir: The Unprecedented Joint Interview,” by Brian Steinberg: “For this week’s cover story, David Muir, Scott Pelley, and Lester Holt sat down last week in New York with Variety senior TV editor Brian Steinberg for a candid conversation about the news business.” Scott Pelley: “We’re not in this business to close minds, we’re in this business to open them. That can be a very painful experience sometimes.” (Read the interview in its entirety here.) HOT ON THE LEFT: “A Dangerous Troll Is Now Reporting From The White House,” from Media Matters for America: “The internet’s most hapless political blogger now has his own White House correspondent -- a regular contributor with little reporting experience but ample ties to ‘alt-right’ harassment -- sitting in the White House press briefing room. At the January 19 ‘Deploraball’ event … Gateway Pundit founder … Jim Hoft announced that his outlet would have a White House correspondent with the Trump administration, and that Lucian Wintrich would fill the position. On February 13, Hoft posted a ‘reader alert’ that Hoft and Wintrich will be attending the day's White House press briefing. Hours later, Hoft tweeted a photo of himself and Wintrich standing behind the lectern in the White House press briefing room, displaying a hand signal associated with the racist ‘Pepe’ meme. The tweet itself also included the hashtag ‘Pepe’ and a frog emoji, commonly understood to invoke the hate symbol.” HOT ON THE RIGHT: Trump ties to Upper East Side school stirs moms, from Page Six: “Upper East Side moms are having a spirited online debate over whether to boycott a school where a grandchild of President Trump is a student. One of the anonymous contributors to UrbanBaby.com said her son had gotten into Buckley [School], but she didn’t want to send him there because a son of Donald Trump Jr.’s (likely 4-year-old Spencer Frederick) is said to be going to kindergarten there in the fall. “They will be in the same classroom and I don’t think I can deal with this. Birthday parties, etc.,” the mother wrote. [Another mother responded]: ‘You almost have to decline. It sounds like it will drive you crazy … You want to spend nine years worried that DS [darling son] is getting infected with Trumpism?’” DAYBOOK: At the White House: Trump will participate in a “parent-teacher conference listening session” and have lunch with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and his wife. He will then sign H.J. Res. 41. Later in the afternoon, Trump will meet with Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly and the Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Mike Pence will speak with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson by phone before joining Trump for the parent-teacher listening session. Later, he will travel to Capitol Hill to participate in the Tuesday Group Lunch and the Senate Republican Policy Lunch and participate in the Tuesday Group Lunch and the swearing-in of Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. David Shulkin before joining Trump’s meeting with Kelly and Sessions. On Capitol Hill: The Senate will convene at 10:00 a.m., and will hold full floor votes on Linda McMahon’s nomination for SBA administrator. Washington Capitals left wing Andre Burakovsky (65) pushes away a St. Louis Blues player during a game last year. (Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post) NEWS YOU CAN USE IF YOU LIVE IN D.C.: -- Capitals forward Andre Burakovsky got a free ride home from a fan this weekend after he mistook him for an Uber driver. The star then convinced the fan to give him a ride home anyways. “Do you know who I am?” Burakovsky reportedly said, before providing photos for proof. The fan then agreed and took a selfie with him. (Scott Allen) -- Mostly sunny with (thankfully) almost none of yesterday’s aggressive windiness. The Capital Weather Gang forecasts: “Skies are cloudy this morning but we should see gradual clearing this afternoon. Temperatures will also be slightly higher than yesterday, ranging from the upper 40s to the lower 50s with a light breeze from the south.” -- A Prince George’s County Council member has requested a jury trial on drunken driving and related traffic charges stemming from a November crash that inured two people and wrecked a government vehicle. The lawmaker, Mel Franklin, was slated to appear in court yesterday, but his request moves the case to the county’s circuit court, where he will receive a trial date. (Lynh Bui) -- Three minority-based legislative caucuses in Maryland are uniting around a bill that would limit the state’s cooperation with deportation authorities, aligning with so-called “sanctuary” policies that have been adopted by cities and counties across the nation. (Josh Hicks) -- The Wizards beat the Thunder. -- A VERY UNLUCKY GUY, via Peter Hermann: “Police started chasing a black Jeep Cherokee because it fit the description of a vehicle taken in a carjacking about 90 minutes earlier in which the driver had been shot and left lying on a road in Northeast Washington. But when police finally caught up with the Jeep and its driver Friday night at the Maryland Live Casino just off I-295 in Anne Arundel County, Md., they quickly realized that they had chased the wrong vehicle. Still, they say its driver fled from police, and on Monday authorities revealed a possible reason. Police in Anne Arundel County charged Larry P. Browne Jr., 43, of Northeast Washington, with possession with intent to distribute drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia. He faces up to six years in prison. Meanwhile, police said on Monday the Jeep Cherokee taken in the carjacking and shooting in the District had been found burned. Nobody has been arrested in that case.” VIDEOS OF THE DAY: John Oliver on Trump vs. The Truth: Stephen Colbert takes on Stephen Miller: Highlights from the Trump-Trudeau presser: We rounded up all the political moments from the Grammy's: ||||| WASHINGTON — President Trump was informed more than two weeks ago that his national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, had not told the truth about his interactions with Russia’s ambassador, and the president eventually asked for Mr. Flynn’s resignation after concluding he could not be trusted, a White House official said on Tuesday. Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, said the president’s team had been “reviewing and evaluating this issue with respect to General Flynn on a daily basis for a few weeks trying to ascertain the truth.” While Mr. Trump and his advisers ultimately concluded that there was no violation of law, the president decided Mr. Flynn could no longer serve in his position. “The evolving and eroding level of trust as a result of this situation and a series of other questionable instances is what led the president to ask for General Flynn’s resignation,” Mr. Spicer said at his daily briefing. He did not elaborate on the “other questionable instances.” As leaders of both parties indicated that Congress would investigate, Mr. Spicer’s comments were the first public confirmation by the White House that Mr. Trump was aware of the allegations against Mr. Flynn before they were reported last week. They also contradicted the previous description of the national security adviser’s abrupt departure on Monday night, attributing the decision to Mr. Trump rather than Mr. Flynn. ||||| On Monday evening, President Trump lost his national security adviser, Michael Flynn, who resigned amid a swarm of questions about whether he misled top White House officials and the FBI over a December phone call with the Russian ambassador to the US. But in the process, Trump may have also suffered another major loss: his best and easiest shot at warming ties with Russia, by lifting sanctions on the country. The Trump administration has been struck by a hurricane of controversy stemming from Flynn’s resignation, including questions over whether Flynn potentially illegally discussed lifting sanctions on Russia during his communications with the Russian diplomat, and a continuing FBI probe into those communications, which could lead to criminal prosecutions. Additionally, the Army is looking into whether Flynn received money from the Russian government for a trip to Moscow in 2015, which could be a violation of the emoluments clause of the Constitution. There are also questions over how much Trump or top White House officials actually knew about Flynn’s call — including whether Trump may have authorized it in the first place. The unprecedented scrutiny of ties between the Trump administration and Moscow is in and of itself politically damaging for the White House. But it also might rob Trump of his ability to lift sanctions on Russia, one of his most widely anticipated maneuvers designed to reset Washington’s relationship with the Kremlin. Foreign policy observers had long anticipated that Trump would lift sanctions on Russia as his opening gambit to signal his commitment to improving US-Russian ties. After Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said earlier in February that sanctions against Russia for its annexation of part of Ukraine in 2014 were expected to remain in place, the most obvious set of sanctions to lift became the ones Obama slapped on Moscow’s intelligence establishment in December for using cyberattacks to interfere with the US presidential election. Since those sanctions were imposed by executive order, Trump could overturn them on his own — without having to drag legislation through a Congress that up until very recently held deeply bipartisan animosity toward Putin. While that set of sanctions was largely symbolic, lifting them would instantly thaw some of the tensions between Washington and Moscow and open up a conversation on potential cooperation in pursuing shared interests. Prior to Flynn’s resignation, that move would have been controversial but doable. Now it’s looking like it would blow up in Trump’s face. Flynn’s ouster is raising the political costs of lifting sanctions. The press and advocates are going to pursue investigation of Trump’s ties to Russia with even more vigor. Democratic lawmakers are already ramping up their calls for independent congressional investigations (which top Republicans are refusing to consider for now). And the intelligence community is poring over Trump administration records for evidence of wrongdoing. That’s not enough to say Trump won’t lift sanctions anyway — but he and his advisers likely know that it would be foolish not to delay lifting them until wide concern over Russia’s meddling in Washington fades. That could be a while. Is all of this actually going to prevent Trump from lifting sanctions? At first glance, it might be hard to see why Trump would feel hamstrung by the Russia controversies engulfing his administration. Trump thrives off catering to his base through polarizing policies that cause enormous uproar from critics, like his ban restricting travel from seven Muslim-majority countries. But there are a few other factors to consider here. One is that being nice to Russia isn’t something the GOP base actually wants; it’s just something they’ve grown more receptive to because Trump has talked about it so frequently that their negative views of the Kremlin have become less intense. So while the share of Republicans who consider Russia a major threat has decreased in the past year or so, more than 40 percent of them still consider Russia a major threat, according to Pew data from January. It’s safe to say there aren’t huge rewards to be reaped from warming ties with Russia. On the other hand, lifting sanctions is something that would likely cause a huge outcry among those left of center — and from some members of the GOP, like Sens. Lindsey Graham, John McCain, and Marco Rubio, who have repeatedly expressed discomfort with Trump’s affection for Vladimir Putin. It could very well breathe even more energy into the emerging anti-Trump protest movement, and it could intensify the intelligence community’s scrutiny of Trump’s administration. Finally, there is the possibility that Trump will at some point actually grow concerned about the increased prominence of narratives suggesting that he doesn’t control his own policy and that he’s at the beck and call of a foreign leader. After reports earlier in February that his chief strategist, Steve Bannon, was the true mastermind at the White House — and some jokes from Saturday Night Live driving home the point — Trump took to Twitter to promise the public, “I call my own shots.” Trump doesn’t have a great deal to gain from lifting sanctions on Russia, but he does stand to lose quite a bit from it at this moment. His much-anticipated olive branch to Moscow is likely to be delayed as a result of it.

– More than 12 hours after President Trump's national security adviser suddenly resigned, and the story looks poised to continue dominating headlines and the goings-on in Washington for the foreseeable future. Here are some of the latest updates on the ongoing Michael Flynn situation: On Tuesday morning, Kellyanne Conway told Today that Flynn decided to resign because he "knew he had become a lightning rod." But during a press briefing a few hours later, White House spokesperson Sean Spicer said Trump asked Flynn to resign due to an "eroding level of trust," the New York Times reports. Spicer also insisted that Flynn hadn't broken the law. Regardless, even Republican senators—including Senate majority whip John Cornyn—are now calling for an investigation into Flynn and his talks with the Russian ambassador, though Cornyn wouldn't go so far as to say Flynn should testify, according to CNN. Meanwhile, Trump insists leaks, not Flynn's resignation, are the "real story." "Why are there so many illegal leaks coming out?" Politico quotes the president as saying. The Washington Post has a list of 10 questions about Flynn's actions and resignation that still haven't been answered, including if Flynn will face prosecution or if Spicer or the vice president will apologize to America for lying, deliberately or otherwise. Finally, Vox reports that before the Flynn situation, lifting Russian sanctions would be "controversial but doable" for Trump. But to do so now "would blow up in Trump's face."

(CNN) U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez has apologized for an ethnically touchy gaffe that was caught on cell phone video. The Democrat, who is running to replace California's retiring Sen. Barabara Boxer, would otherwise seem like a paragon of diversity. But when she let out a stereotypical Native American "war cry" over the weekend, it marred that image and sent her running. Literally -- away from a reporter trying to chase her down for comment on the gaffe that many found racially offensive. But late Sunday, she spoke about the slip-up. Native Americans know she's watching out for them, she said at a Democratic Party convention in Anaheim, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. "And they know what many of you don't know — that like so many Mexican Americans, I am proudly Native American on my mother's side," Sanchez said. Sanchez apologized Sunday at the state convention, saying "in this crazy and exciting rush of meetings yesterday, I said something offensive and for that, I sincerely apologize," according to video from CNN affiliate KCAL KCBS. Sanchez was ad-libbing at a California Democratic party convention in Anaheim, when she made a stereotypical Native American "war cry." Raising her hand to her lips, she let out about two seconds of it. "I'm going to his office, thinkin' that I'm gonna go meet with woo-woo-woo-woo, right? 'Cause he said 'Indian American,'" she said, using the gesture to try to discern between Indian Americans -- with ancestry from India's subcontinent -- and Native Americans. Audience discomfort Many in the audience at the Indian American caucus reacted with silence. Uduak-Joe Ntuk was recording Sanchez's stump on his cell phone camera and shared the video with CNN affiliate KCRA . Many in the room found the gesture offensive, Ntuk said, including him. "I was shocked and appalled that she would make the disparaging comments about Native Americans that way," he said. "It's just very undemocratic." CNN is trying to contact Sanchez for comment on her gesture. A reporter told Sanchez's opponent, Kamala Harris, also a Democrat, about the gesture. "I don't know what to say to that," she laughed, "except that...that's shocking. That's shocking." Ethnic diversity It might feel less so, coming from a politician with a different background and thrust. Sanchez is a career politician who has served in Congress since 1997, and is no stranger to public speaking. And she highlights diversity in her carrier and in her concerns on her Facebook page, Twitter feed and website. She is a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and speaks Spanish during campaign appearances. She has criticized the plight of Vietnamese dissidents, participated in marches commemorating the Armenian genocide, demanded equal pay for equal work for women. On her website, Sanchez encourages immigrants applying for legal status to contact her office, if they need help. Big on homeland security But she is also a strong proponent of conservative aspects of the immigration issue and at times displays a stricter side. She is a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Committee on Homeland Security, and she says immigration reform must be viewed "through the lens of national security." "To that end, she strongly supports full funding of the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP), a cost-effective measure designed to identify and remove criminal aliens in the United States," according to her House of Representatives website. SCAAP is a program to expedite the expulsion of undocumented immigrants who get in trouble with the law. It also helps fund local law enforcement agencies involved in apprehending and processing them. Sanchez's district is in Orange County, which has a reputation for being conservative. Politically incorrect moments The "war cry" was not her first brush with political incorrectness, according to reports in California's press. In 2010, she let loose on Spanish-language TV that the Vietnamese community was teaming up with Republicans to take her congressional seat. She called her opponent, Republican Van Tran, "very anti-immigrant and very anti-Hispanic," the Sacramento Bee reported. Tran called the comments racist. A decade earlier, Sanchez arranged for a fundraiser at the Playboy Mansion, and fellow Democrats were displeased with the potentially sexist scenery. After Saturday's gaffe, the congresswoman sprinted past a reporter asking her if she wanted to take back the "war cry" gesture. Waving her hands in the air, she cried, "We don't have time today. Sorry." Then she ducked into a nearby building. ||||| NEWS ANALYSIS Bunnygate: And the Winner Is . . . Democrats crowned their candidate, but Sanchez stole the convention limelight. Democratic National Committee Chairman Joe Andrew of Indiana threatened sanctions, hinting that her party co-chair post was in jeopardy. State Democratic Party Chairman Art Torres and convention Co-chairwoman Gloria Molina, a Los Angeles County supervisor, accused her of insulting the values of the Latino community by holding an event at such a notorious venue. By now, the details of Bunnygate should be familiar: Sanchez said no when Democratic leaders insisted she move a bipartisan fund-raiser from the mansion--or else. She was yanked from a coveted convention speaking role. She relented--but handed back her time slot anyway, saying she didn't want people to think that was why she'd changed her mind. In an odd twist, it may be that the congresswoman from Garden Grove got more of a bounce from the convention than the leader of the political party that sought to quash her Playboy Mansion fund-raiser plans. The Democratic National Convention that ended in Los Angeles this past week likely will be remembered for two things: the nomination of Al Gore and the scolding of Rep. Loretta Sanchez. It was the most attention drawn to Sanchez since she defeated conservative firebrand Rep. Robert K. Dornan in 1996. When the dust settled, however, Sanchez was still standing. Her relocated fund-raiser at CityWalk in Universal City raised more than $500,000 for Latino voter registration efforts. She found herself surrounded by supporters defending her free speech rights, while her critics pondered how she'd managed to turn a planning misstep into a rallying cry for political independence. "I've talked to all my members and they're saying she's gutsy and she came out looking very good," said Manuel Pena of Santa Ana, who represents a dozen minority chambers of commerce in Orange County. "It's the old 'Si se puede' [Yes you can]. She said more with fewer words to the constituency she wanted to reach than being on the agenda." Party leaders patched things up publicly, expressing relief that she'd moved her party as asked. "We're looking forward to working with her for the fall election," spokeswoman Jenny Backus said. Political observers said Sanchez is too well-known a national Latino symbol and too good a fund-raiser for the party to distance itself. And as the sole Democratic member of Congress from Republican-rich Orange County, she's the only game in town in an election year when Democrats are within striking distance of gaining a legislative majority. Besides, if Democrats ended up looking bad, many observers said, it wasn't Sanchez's doing but overreaction by party officials. 'They Like the Fighter Shaking Things Up' "They want to embrace the laissez faire liberal attitudes they think attract independent-minded voters, and at the same time become paragons of morality," Republican consultant Stu Mollrich of Newport Beach said. "All they've done is shine a spotlight on a real problem they have." Party officials who worked overtime crafting the image and messages of the convention--including Torres and Molina--were upset that Sanchez didn't toe the line, said longtime Democratic activist George Urch, a Sanchez constituent. But that kind of insider pique doesn't play well in her district, he said. "People in this district like representatives who are independent and take on the establishment," Urch said. "That's why they loved Bob [Dornan]. They like the fighter shaking things up. Their reaction is: 'They're not going to jam this down her throat and tell her what to do.' " Randy Smith, a Republican and local lobbyist, said Sanchez showed "a lot of class and guts" by standing up to campaign staffers for Gore, who denounced the event's original location. "I'm sure she scored points with Latinos and her constituency," Smith said. "I just wish she were [still] a Republican," he added, alluding to Sanchez's change in party affiliation in 1992. That Sanchez didn't read from a prepared script shouldn't have surprised national leaders, her supporters said. ||||| "The question now is whether Loretta Sanchez survives this serious misstep," said Rose Kapolczynski, a former Boxer campaign advisor who is unaligned in the 2016 Senate race. "Because she is largely unknown, this could be a character-defining moment and preempt her chance to run an insurgent campaign," Kapolczynski said. ||||| SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — California Rep. Loretta Sanchez announced Thursday she is running for U.S. Senate, setting up a multimillion-dollar clash of two prominent Democrats that will highlight the state's diversity and divisions. California Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Santa Ana, center right, gets a hug from a supporter after announcing her candidacy for U.S. Senate at a news conference, Thursday, May 14, 2015, at the Santa Ana Regional... (Associated Press) California Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Santa Ana, announces her candidacy for U.S. Senate during a news conference, Thursday, May 14, 2015, at the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center in Santa Ana, Calif.... (Associated Press) California Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Santa Ana, announces her candidacy for U.S. Senate during a news conference, Thursday, May 14, 2015, at the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center in Santa Ana, Calif.... (Associated Press) California Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Santa Ana, announces her candidacy for U.S. Senate during a news conference, Thursday, May 14, 2015, at the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center in Santa Ana, Calif.... (Associated Press) California Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Santa Ana, announces her candidacy for U.S. Senate during a news conference, Thursday, May 14, 2015, at the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center in Santa Ana, Calif.... (Associated Press) California Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D- Santa Ana, right, gets a hug from her mother Maria Macias as Sanchez announces her candidacy for U.S. Senate at a news conference, Thursday, May 14, 2015, at the Santa... (Associated Press) The announcement in her home district in Orange County dramatically reshapes a 2016 race that was developing into a runaway for state Attorney General Kamala Harris, another Democrat who has had the Senate field virtually to herself for months. The contest will have geographic, racial and political dimensions that could highlight rifts within the Democratic Party, which dominates California politics. Sanchez, 55, is Hispanic with a background in national defense issues and roots in Southern California. Over the years, she belonged to a faction of moderate Democrats known as the Blue Dog Coalition. Harris, 50, is a favorite of the party's left wing. She is a career prosecutor from the San Francisco Bay Area whose father is black and mother is Indian. Sanchez seized on the contrasts, repeatedly referring to her experience in foreign and military affairs on Capitol Hill. That resume includes trips to Iraq and other world conflict zones, meetings with senior military leaders and soldiers, and her service on the House Armed Services and Homeland Security committees. "I know what needs to be done to ensure our nation is secure and our troops are equipped and ready," Sanchez said. That experience, she added, is essential "in these perilous times," implying the state had no time for a senator who needed on-the-job training. A statement issued by Harris' campaign suggested Sanchez's tenure on Capitol Hill could be a liability in the race. Harris "looks forward to a lively discussion about who is best equipped to help change the culture of dysfunction in Washington, D.C., and make a difference in the lives of Californians," it said. Democrats are strongly favored to hold the seat, which is being vacated by retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer. The party controls every statewide office and both chambers of the Legislature. Sanchez enters the race an underdog — unlike Harris, she has never been tested by a statewide campaign. She also starts out well behind the attorney general in financial firepower. Sanchez had about $540,000 in the bank at the end of March for her House race; Harris, who announced in mid-January, already had $2.2 million on hand. Allan Hoffenblum, publisher of the California Target Book, an almanac of state elections, described Sanchez as a "scrapper and a proven candidate" who would pose a challenge for Harris. Sanchez will get extensive coverage on Spanish-language media and could attract moderates and independents by running to Harris' political right, he said. Under California's unusual election rules, voters can choose candidates from any political party in a primary election. "You go to Southern California and they don't know who Kamala Harris is. Why would they?" Hoffenblum asked. Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, who this week declined to enter the Senate race, said there is a "big opportunity for a candidate from Southern California, and I think there's a great hunger in the Latino community for a candidate as well." Hispanics now account for about two of every 10 voters in the state, a mark that has risen gradually for years. Sanchez made the announcement surrounded by her mother, husband and other supporters, after two days of mixed signals about her intentions. On Tuesday, she and a top adviser said she remained undecided about the contest after a mistakenly distributed email from her said she would enter the race. Asked about the mix-up, she said she needed more time to reach a decision. Sanchez is serving her 10th term in the House. She came to Congress in 1996 by upsetting Republican incumbent Bob Dornan, an outspoken opponent of abortion and gun control. Two little-known Republicans have entered the contest: state Assemblyman Rocky Chavez and former state GOP chairman Tom Del Beccaro. Sanchez is known for a lively, some might say quirky, personality. Her annual and sometimes racy Christmas cards have a dedicated following. She scheduled a fundraiser during the 2000 Democratic National Convention at Hugh Hefner's Playboy mansion and changed the location only after fellow Democrats protested. She voted against authorizing the war in Iraq in 2002 and has pushed the Pentagon to allow women to participate in direct combat operations. ___ Freking reported from Washington. ||||| U.S. Senate candidate Loretta Sanchez apologized Sunday after a videotape surfaced showing her making a whooping cry in reference to Native Americans that brought her a cascade of reprimands from fellow Democrats to posts on Twitter. Speaking to party activists at a state Democratic convention Sunday, Sanchez described herself as a longtime champion of civil and human rights who has Native American blood in her mother's family. She said she had a hectic day of speeches and handshaking at the convention Saturday and was not the type of politician routinely managed or sheltered by "handlers." "It's hard to put yourself out there and to do what leaders need to do — day in and day out — and yes, sooner or later we make mistakes," she told the delegates. "In this crazy and exciting rush of meetings yesterday, I said something offensive and for that I sincerely apologize." The video, which was shared on social media, shows Sanchez tapping her hand over her open mouth and making a whooping sound while speaking to a group of delegates Saturday. She appeared to be making a joke about the difference between Indian-Americans and Native Americans. Her chief rival in the Senate race, Attorney General Kamala Harris, called the gesture shocking. It was the second round of unwelcome publicity for her campaign, which formally launched Thursday. Earlier in the week, a misfired email announced she was running for Senate, which was later recalled. That led to confusion about her intentions, although she ended up announcing her candidacy at the same time and place listed on the errant email. The 10-term congresswoman told reporters she would leave the convention with momentum for her campaign, and her contrite words were greeted with a burst of applause. But it was clear her caricature at an event that highlights diversity and inclusion unsettled many activists, who said the video had become the buzz of the convention. A flood of negative comments about the video were posted on Twitter. Delegate Amparo Diaz from San Jose, who said she was in the room at the time, said "everyone was just shocked. We looked around to reassure each other we had just seen the same thing. Did it really happen?" "Offensive, absolutely," Diaz added. She said Sanchez's actions would make her look cautiously at her candidacy. The Indian caricature "seemed a step back in what this convention is about." That was echoed by Dinah Frieden, a delegate who lives in Irvine, in Sanchez's congressional district, who called the taped caricature "incredibly insensitive." "That was the kind of behavior you'd expect to see at a preschool." said Frieden, who said she is leaning toward Harris in the race. But Marni Magda, a Laguna Beach delegate who has volunteered for Sanchez and supports her Senate bid, said she was confident the congresswoman "would never be racist against anyone. She embraces all diversity." "I think she thought she was being funny and didn't realize there were people who would be offended," Magda said. Sanchez is known for a colorful personality and style that has sometimes brought her unwanted attention. She scheduled a fundraiser during the 2000 Democratic National Convention at Hugh Hefner's Playboy mansion and changed the location only after fellow Democrats protested. California State University, San Francisco, political scientist David Lee, who is also a party delegate, said the episode would leave voters questioning her judgment. Lee noted that Harris, who entered the race in mid-January, has over $2 million on hand and has lined up a string of endorsements, including from Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a favorite of the party's left wing. Compared to Harris, Sanchez "came in late to the game. This is the launch of her campaign. It's like watching a rocket go up and sputter right on takeoff," Lee said. Harris, whose mother was an immigrant from India, said in a statement Saturday that "there is no place for that in our public discourse." The two Democrats are the leading candidates for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer. Asked if she could change direction and file for her House seat, she said, "Let me be very clear, I am running for the United States Senate." "We have found so much energy in this great convention," Sanchez said. Earlier, Harris defended her qualifications on foreign affairs and national defense after Sanchez had suggested she doesn’t have the skills for the job in Washington. Harris told reporters that voters next year will determine who is qualified for the Senate seat, and her experience as a two-term attorney general and a former local prosecutor gave her the background she would need on Capitol Hill. “I feel certainly equipped to have a sense of what California needs and wants as it relates to many issues,” Harris said. As a career prosecutor, “I know the stuff they do in Washington actually impacts California.” Sanchez, who entered the race Thursday, spent the day dashing to and from convention meetings, shaking dozens of hands and posing for snapshots. When she entered the race last week, said that her long experience in defense and foreign affairs on Capitol Hill was essential in “perilous times,” drawing a contrast with Harris. Harris, in her speech to delegates, twice referred to dysfunction on Capitol Hill. She never mentioned Sanchez, but the statements appeared to suggest that the congresswoman was part of the problem. Harris said that everywhere she travels as a candidate she is asked how she can “possibly expect to get anything done” in paralyzed Beltway politics. Speaking later with reporters, Harris pointed to her work along the U.S.-Mexico border on drug trafficking as state attorney general. The contest between the two high-profile Democrats has geographic, racial and political dimensions. Sanchez, 55, is Hispanic with a background in national defense issues and roots in Southern California. Over the years, she has belonged to a faction of moderate Democrats known as the Blue Dog Coalition. Harris, 50, a favorite of the party’s left wing, is a career prosecutor from the San Francisco Bay Area whose father is black and mother is Indian. Sanchez, speaking to members of the party’s Chicano Latino Caucus, said she wanted to appeal across the state’s diverse population. “We will win, and we will win with a fabric of everybody,” she said. ||||| One of the first questions to arise when Loretta Sanchez floated her name as a potential U.S. Senate candidate was whether the Orange County congresswoman's flamboyant personality might keep her from being taken seriously in a run for statewide office. Her playful and uncensored manner can be a refreshing trait in an era when politicians keep constant guard against smartphone-captured gaffes. But three days after the launch of her Senate candidacy, that style is already threatening to undercut Sanchez's campaign. On Sunday, Sanchez apologized at the state Democratic convention in Anaheim for tapping her hand to her mouth in imitation of an ululating Native American "war cry" in remarks to a group of party activists the day before. Bracketed by giant video screens, Sanchez told delegates spread across the vast convention floor that it was hard for political figures who open their hearts and don't hide behind handlers "to put yourself out there and to do what leaders need to do." "And yes, sooner or later, we make mistakes, because you know what? We're all humans," she told the crowd in a speech that, by necessity, became a squandered opportunity to frame her campaign to succeed Democrat Barbara Boxer. The world can't be changed, Sanchez continued, "from behind a desk. So in this crazy and exciting rush of meetings yesterday, I said something offensive, and for that I sincerely apologize." The scene couldn't have played out better for Sanchez's chief Senate rival, state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, a fellow Democrat who had denounced the congresswoman's hand gesture as "shocking" and unfit for public discourse. Less than 24 hours earlier, Harris had been awash in cheers from the same delegates as she outlined a federal agenda that ran the gamut of the party faithful's priorities, including civil rights and a higher minimum wage. Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times Rep. Loretta Sanchez addresses California Democrats Sunday at the party's state convention in Anaheim. Rep. Loretta Sanchez addresses California Democrats Sunday at the party's state convention in Anaheim. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times) It mattered little that Uduak-Joe Ntuk, a Long Beach delegate who shot and circulated video of Sanchez's misstep, had raised money for the Harris campaign — or that Sanchez was warmly applauded by the audience. The damage was done. One of the clearest signs of that was Sanchez's refusal to rule out the possibility of switching to a run for reelection to the House if her Senate campaign is in trouble by the time candidacy filing papers are due next March. "I am running for the United States Senate," Sanchez said more than once when the question arose Sunday at a news conference. Sanchez's stumble Saturday occurred at a restaurant gathering of Indian American Democrats. She was joking with the group about an occasion when she confused a Native American with an Indian American. The political backlash soured the mood of her "mambo and margaritas" reception later in the day. The dust-up came as little surprise to those who recalled Sanchez's racy Christmas cards or the furor over her plan, later abandoned, to throw a party at the Playboy Mansion during the Democratic National Convention in 2000. For Sanchez, a 10-term congresswoman who has never run for statewide office, the main problem now will be less with voters than with potential donors. Her campaign could require $20 million or more, all of it in donations of no more than $2,700, the federal limit. Harris, who romped to reelection in November, has a head start in fundraising and endorsements, along with the experience of running twice for statewide office — all of which effectively makes her an early front-runner, said Rose Kapolczynski, who managed Boxer's four Senate campaigns. "There's a flow in a primary," said Kapolczynski, who is unaligned in next year's Senate contest. "As the front-runner gains support, support begets support. Support begets money. Money begets money. And Loretta needs to disrupt that dynamic in order to have a chance." Pechanga Tribal Chairman Mark Macarro hinted Sunday that Sanchez's remark had harmed her longstanding ties with Native Americans, a major source of money in state and federal campaigns. "She knows better, and we are very disappointed," he said in an emailed statement. In her contrition statement, Sanchez told delegates that Native Americans "know that I have always had their backs. And they know what many of you don't know — that like so many Mexican Americans, I am proudly Native American on my mother's side." In the absence of policy contrasts between Sanchez and Harris, both liberals, personality and biography will, by default, play a large part in what voters decide in the June 2016 primary. Regardless of party, the candidates who finish first and second will compete in a November runoff. While Harris and Sanchez are the most prominent candidates now, the field could grow in the months ahead, and the dynamics will shift. Republicans already in the race include state Assemblyman Rocky Chavez of Oceanside and former state party chairman Tom Del Beccaro. Democrats who might still run include Rep. Xavier Becerra of Los Angeles. Bill Carrick, a Sanchez advisor, said that with a candidate so free-speaking, "you're going to have a little turbulence now and then." But he suggested that could ultimately prove more appealing to voters than Harris, a tightly disciplined candidate who has shunned all but the most controlled public settings. "It's clearly an asset that [Sanchez] is willing to be open and talk to voters, activists and the media," he said. "Clearly, there's another whole theory of politics, which is the less exposure you have to the media and the public, the better off you are going to be." michael.finnegan@latimes.com Twitter: @finneganLAT Times staff writers Peter Jamison and David Zahniser contributed to this report. ||||| She's only been in the race for three days now, but Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez is making waves for what she said and what she has now done. Did Congresswoman make a questionable comment about... When Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez spoke to a group at the Democratic convention in Anaheim about a previous meeting she made this comment and gesture that is raising some questions. More Go here to watch her comments and gesture The candidate was explaining how she recently received an invitation from someone with the Indian American caucus. Watch report: Congresswoman dodges questions about Native American remark, gesture "I'm going to his office, thinking I'm going to meet with ... " Sanchez said on video just before clapping her hand in front of her mouth and making a whooping cry sound. She appeared to be making a joke about the difference between Indian-Americans and Native Americans. Questioned later by reporters, Sanchez said American Indians have "a great presence in our country and many of them are supporting our election." The man who filmed Sanchez said several people in the room described the comments as insensitive and undemocratic. "I was shocked and appalled that she'd make the disparaging comments about Native Americans that way," said Uduak-Joe Ntuke of Long Beach. Sanchez's opponent, California Attorney General Kamala Harris, said she was also shocked. "You know, I don't know what to say to that," Harris said. "That's shocking." "I think making comment like that in a meeting is just disrespectful, disrespectful of the diversity which makes our country so great," said Ken Johnson, a delegate from Manteca. When KCRA 3's David Bienick approached Sanchez for comment about the gesture, she ran away and slipped into a building. Earlier in the day, Sanchez, the Democratic representative from Santa Ana, claimed she was a victim of pressure tactics from Democrats who didn't want her to run for the U.S. Senate seat. "Let's just say there were plenty of phone calls asking me not to," Sanchez said prior to being asked about her comment. "There were plenty of sort of threatening things," she said. Sanchez also declined to name any names in regards to the threats.

– She jump-started her campaign for a US Senate seat just days ago, but Loretta Sanchez has already put her foot in her mouth—by putting her hand to her mouth. The California congresswoman was talking with a group of Indian Americans at her state's Democratic convention Saturday night when she was caught making an unsavory gesture and statement on camera, the Los Angeles Times reports. "I'm going to his office, thinkin' that I'm gonna go meet with woo-woo-woo-woo, right? 'Cause he said 'Indian American,'" she said, tapping her hand to her mouth in a stereotypical Native American "war cry," CNN notes. One San Jose delegate who claimed she was in the room said, per the Orange County Register, "Everyone was just shocked," while an Irvine delegate noted, "[It] was the kind of behavior you'd expect to see at a preschool." California AG Kamala Harris, Sanchez's opponent, added, per KCRA, "You know, I don't know what to say to that. That's shocking." Meanwhile, the Pechanga Tribal Chairman emailed a statement to the Times that "she knows better, and we are very disappointed." It's not Sanchez's first time raising eyebrows. Among her other cringeworthy feats, per CNN: setting up a 2000 fundraiser at the Playboy Mansion and accusing a Vietnamese Republican challenger in 2010 of being "very anti-immigrant and very anti-Hispanic." Sanchez started the apology trail on Sunday, saying that her actions came amid a whirlwind of a "crazy and exciting rush of meetings" and that politicians "who don't hide behind handlers" sometimes err, the Sacramento Bee reports; she also defended her support of human and minority rights, saying that Native American tribes "know that I have always had their backs." Plus this: "And they know what many of you don't know. Like so many Mexican Americans, I am proudly part Native American—on my mother's side." (Native Americans didn't put up with Adam Sandler's latest movie, either.)

What to Know Hate crimes are up 35 percent in NYC year over year, with a 45 percent uptick in arrests, officials said Monday Bias incidents have spiked 115 percent since Election Day, with 43 cases reported in NYC vs. 20 in the same time period last year There have been similar cases reported across the U.S. in the aftermath of the election A Muslim MTA worker was called a terrorist and pushed down the stairs at Grand Central Terminal on Monday, the latest in a string of alleged bias attacks sweeping the region, authorities said. The woman, wearing her New York City transit uniform, was on her way to work and had just gotten off the 7 train when the suspect shoved her, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office. She hurt her ankle and knee in the fall and was taken to NYU Langone Hospital for treatment. The attack comes amid a spate of apparent instances of bias crime and hateful language throughout the region following the presidential election. Messages of Hate Found in Mineola Neighborhood Swastikas and hateful messages found painted on a sidewalk outside a home in Mineola. Greg Cergol reports. (Published Monday, Dec. 5, 2016) Swastikas were painted inside a 1 train on Saturday, and KKK recruitment materials were distributed in two Long Island Railroad stations. In New York City, hate crime has spiked 115 percent since Election Day, with 43 cases reported compared with 20 cases in the same period in 2015, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce. Bias against Muslims has doubled, with four cases reported since Election Day compared with two reported in the same time period last year. Overall, hate crimes are up 35 percent year over year, with a 45 percent uptick in arrests, Boyce said. Discrimination has also been reported in schools. Suffolk County officials sent a letter to each of its school districts in recent weeks offering to help deal with race-based bullying, and in at least one instance students chanted "build a wall" in the hallways. There have been similar reports of bias across the U.S. in the wake of the presidential election. Most of the cases appear to involve graffiti or violence directed at racial or ethnic minorities and in some reports the perpetrators indicated support for President-elect Donald Trump. Most recently, a Muslim woman wearing a hijab was harassed in the 23rd Street subway station by three men who allegedly called her a terrorist, chanted "Donald Trump" to her and told her to get out of the country, officials said. And in the Mineola village of Long Island, police were investigating after someone spray-painted a red swastika along with the words "Make America White Again" on a Washington Avenue home last Wednesday, along with racist remarks against African American and Middle Eastern people. Similar words were spray painted on a sidewalk on Elm Place. During a "60 Minutes" interview in November, Trump looked at the camera and said that any supporters of his who are harassing people or destroying property should "stop it." Shortly after the election, Cuomo announced a hotline for New Yorkers to report instances of discrimination. Anyone who wants to report an instance of bias or discrimination can call 888-392-3644 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. New Yorkers who want to report a crime or fear their safety should still call 911. ||||| A Muslim woman wearing a religious headscarf was harassed on the subway by three men who allegedly called her a terrorist and chanted "Donald Trump" to her, police say. Police are searching for those men, who allegedly targeted the Long Island woman on the 23rd Street subway station serving the 6 line at about 10 p.m. Thursday. The suspect walked up to the woman, who was wearing a hijab, and began chanting, "Donald Trump! Donald Trump! F****** terrorist, get out of this country, you don't belong here," according to police. The men got on the northbound 6 train with the woman when it pulled into the station, and the woman moved to the back of the train, police said. The men eventually moved toward her, again yelling "terrorist, get out of this country." One of the men grabbed the woman's bag, breaking one of the straps, police said. The woman told police she responded to the men, "What the f*** do you want?" and moved away again. When she got off the train at Grand Central, the men yelled after her, "Get the f****** hijab off your head!," according to police. The woman reported the incident to police at Grand Central. She told them the men, who were white, appeared intoxicated. There was no other immediate description of the suspects, and police are canvassing for surveillance video. In a Facebook post late Friday night, the victim spoke out about the attack. "It breaks my heart that so many individuals chose to be bystanders while watching me get harassed (sic) verbally and physically by these disgusting pigs," she wrote. The NYPD said last week that bias incidents in New York City have spiked 400 percent in the two weeks since Trump was elected president compared to the same period last year. NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill, however, stopped short of saying that Trump's victory played a role in what he described as a troubling trend. Demonstrators outraged over the recent attacks gathered in Jackson Heights Friday night, calling it a "hate-free zone." "We're horrified by the incident in and of itself," Afaf Nasher of the Council on American Islamic Relations said of the subway harassment of the Muslim woman. "Anyone going through some kind of attack is absolutely unacceptable. But then you feel this overwhelming empathy because we know that this is not the only person who has been assaulted in mass transit, but also on streets." There are "swastikas showing up, people who are dressed wearing religious garb being targeted," said Nasher. "We're seeing it on every level from young kids in school to adults in the streets." Stefan Holt contributed to this report ||||| NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A Muslim employee of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority was attacked in Grand Central Station on her way to work Monday morning, police said. The assault took place at around 7 a.m. as the victim — Soha Salama, 45 — was heading to work on the 7 train. She was wearing an MTA uniform and a hijab at the time. The suspect followed her off the train and shoved her down the stairs, police said. Salama was taken to the hospital for treatment of leg injuries. She said she is in a lot of pain, but does not have any broken bones. Late Monday, Salama was nursing a twisted knee and a swollen ankle following the attack. “He called me terrorist, I shouldn’t work here, go back to country,” she said. Salama told CBS2’s Valerie Castro said she was not able to say anything to the man. “I wasn’t able to say anything. I was running for my life,” she said. “I was afraid he was going to throw me down the tracks or do more bad to me than he already did. He was like pushing me down.” Salama has lived in New York for more than 20 years, and said she has never experienced such hate. While she said the incident has scared her, it hasn’t been enough to change the way she treats others. “I will continue loving people. It doesn’t affect me as a person,” Salama said. “I will continue to love and care for everybody.” Gov. Andrew Cuomo was furious following the attack. “This is the great state of New York – we welcome people of all cultures, customs and creeds with open arms. We do not allow intolerance or fear to divide us because we know diversity is our strength and we are at our best when we stand united,” Cuomo said. TWU Local 100 President John Samuelsen issued this statement regarding the reported attack on a transit worker at Grand Central Terminal: “Real New Yorkers don’t go after people because of their race or creed. Only ignorant, racist hate-filled fools do that. They don’t realize that our diversity is our strength and is what makes New Yorkers the greatest. We call for an increased police presence in the transit system to ensure the safety of all workers and riders.” Cuomo said he has asked the MTA, State Police and Division of Human Rights to work with the NYPD to investigate the incident, along with a recent string of other hate crimes in the transit system. Last week, swastikas were found scrawled inside a 1 train, and KKK fliers were recently distributed at the Patchogue and Hampton Bay LIRR stations, Cuomo’s office said. “The work of the Hate Crimes Task Force has never been more urgent and we will continue to crack down on this type of criminal behavior. I wish a speedy recovery for the victim, and want to let her know we are seeking justice for her and for all New Yorkers,” Cuomo said. Cuomo’s announcement comes on the same day Mayor Bill de Blasio decried the alleged harassment of a Muslim NYPD officer. “I was sick to my stomach when I heard that one of our officers was subjected to threats and taunting simply because of her faith,” de Blasio said. Officer Aml Elsokary found a man shoving and yelling at her son, police said. When she intervened, the man yelled at her “ISIS (expletive), I will cut your throat, go back to your country!” according to police. Elsokary said Monday that she became a cop to help all New Yorkers, regardless of their beliefs. “I’m born and raised here and I’m here to protect you and I know that my department and my city is here to protect me,” she said. “I became a police officer to show the positive side of a New Yorker, Muslim woman that can do the job, that is non-bias, that I can help everybody no matter what’s your religion.” The accused, 36-year-old Christopher Nelson of Bay Ridge, was arrested on charges including menacing as a hate crime and second-degree aggravated harassment, authorities said. He was arraigned Monday and bail was set at $50,000. Another Muslim woman was targeted on the subway last week. On Thursday, an 18-year-old Muslim woman, Yasmin Seweid, says a group of men berated her on the subway. “They were surrounding me from behind and they were like, ‘Oh look, it’s an f-ing terrorist,” she said. U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) has denounced the growing trend of attacks, pushing for increased federal funding to protect places of worship and non-profits from threats. ||||| NEW YORK (AP) — Reports of hate crimes have spiked in New York City and the city's mayor says he believes heated rhetoric by President-elect Donald Trump is a factor. At a news conference Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio spoke about allegations that an off-duty Muslim police officer was threatened by a man who told her to "go back to her country." Asked if he thought Trump was to blame for an increase in similar incidents, the mayor said "It's obviously more complicated than that. It is not linear." But he accused Trump of using "hate speech" and saying "horrible things" about Muslims. Police in New York have logged 43 possible hate crimes since Trump's election, double the number during the same period last year. Trump has denied that his proposals on immigration and restrictions on Muslims entering the U.S. amounted to hate speech.

– A Muslim transit worker was called a "terrorist" and pushed down a flight of stairs in New York City on Monday, two days after police say a man threatened to slit the throat of a Muslim NYPD officer. Soha Salama, 45, suffered a twisted knee and swollen ankle. She says she was riding a train to work while wearing her Metropolitan Transportation Authority uniform and a head covering when a man confronted her, reports NBC New York. "He kept telling me I should go back to my country. He said, 'You're a terrorist. You shouldn't work here.'" Police say he followed her into Grand Central Terminal and pushed her down the flight of stairs, per CBS New York. The NYPD says reports of hate crimes have spiked since the election—the department has logged 43 cases, compared to 20 during the same period in 2015. Of the new ones, four have involved Muslim victims. In a case similar to Monday's incident, police say two men harassed a Muslim woman on the subway on Thursday, calling her a "f---ing terrorist," per NBC New York. Asked Monday whether he blamed Donald Trump for the uptick, Mayor de Blasio said: "It's obviously more complicated than that. It is not linear." But, notes the AP, he accused Trump of "hate speech" and saying "horrible things" about Muslims.

SInger Jennifer Lopez's pumps sparkled at the "American Idol XIII 2014 Finale" in Los Angeles on Wednesday. (Reuters/Danny Moloshok) On Wednesday I wrote about how women are way behind men in putting money away for retirement. Even though women are equally likely to contribute some amount to an individual retirement account, they lag in overall savings. A study from the Employee Benefit Research Institute showed that women make smaller contributions, on average, when compared to men, but researchers couldn't fully explain why. Many readers commenting on the article on Twitter agreed with one of the possible explanations I posed in the article -- that women may have a harder time making equally large contributions because they still make a lot less money, on average, than men do. But some readers offered up another culprit for why women are trailing behind men in retirement savings that surprised me a little: shoes. One reader blamed both pay disparity and footwear, commenting that women have "typically had less to save and more shoes to buy." Another blamed the lesser savings on lifestyle differences, noting that women have to deal with "dry cleaning, hair, clothes and makeup," while men wear khakis, a white shirt and a blue blazer every day. Surely, many of these comments were sarcastic, but it still made me wonder: Are women really that much more likely than men to spend their money on shoes? (I also couldn't help thinking of that episode of "Sex and the City" where Carrie Bradshaw says she can't afford to buy her apartment because she spent all of her money on Manolo Blahniks.) Apparently, there is some truth to the idea, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. spend an average $1,039 a year on apparel and services, including an average $160 a year on shoes alone, according to BLS. Single men spend an average $817 a year on apparel and services, including $143 spent each year on shoes. So, the data suggests, women spend an average of $17 more per year on shoes. Women outspend men much more dramatically -- $534 a year compared with $205 a year -- when it comes to personal care and services, a category that includes hair cuts. Interestingly enough, the tables are turned when it comes to alcohol -- on which single men spend an average of $508 a year compared with the average $234 a year spent by single women. So, there is a sizable difference in the amounts that men and women spend on things like clothing and shoes. But is that really the reason why men have such a lead in saving toward retirement? Probably not. The savings gap likely has a lot less to do with women's shopping habits and a lot more to do with the fact that women still earn 77 cents for every dollar that men earn. ||||| Credit: http://401kcalculator.org Women are just as likely to put away some money for retirement as men — but they are still way behind their male counterparts in total retirement savings, a new study shows. Men had an average of $139,467 in their individual retirement accounts as of 2012, compared with the average of $81,700 that women had stashed in their IRAs, according to a report released Wednesday by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, a Washington-based research institute that focuses on health, savings and retirement issues. As the chart below shows, women moved money to their IRAs just as often as men did. This was true for IRAs overall, which saw contributions for 10.9 percent of accounts held by women and 10.8 percent of accounts held by men; for Roth IRAs, which require people to contribute with after-tax dollars; and for traditional IRAs, which can include tax-deductible contributions. Women are just as likely to contribute to individual retirement accounts as men. So women with IRAs are just as likely to add to the accounts as men. But women, however, tend to make smaller contributions on average than men. In 2012, female IRA account holders contributed an average $3,995, compared with the average contribution of $4,023 made by men, according to the institute. The difference is slight, but that pattern held true for most age groups, according to the study. A couple of factors could explain those smaller contribution amounts, says Craig Copeland, senior research associate with the Employee Benefit Research Institute. Some married women may be making joint IRA contributions with their spouses, and those accounts may be under their husband's name, he says. But the most likely factor keeping women from saving as robustly as men is probably not that surprising: Women still make less, on average, when compared with men. Women earned roughly 77 cents for every dollar earned by men in 2012, according to the latest data from the Census Bureau. That was unchanged from the year before and not much higher than the 61 cents women made for every dollar earned by men in 1960. That said, the wage gap is still smaller than the nearly 40 percent gap in total retirement savings balances seen between men and women, hinting that there must be something else at play. Some women may be limited in how much they can put away for retirement because of other financial responsibilities. Maybe they are single mothers delaying retirement savings to cover more immediate bills related to child care. Some women may think it's more important to set aside money for a home. Average and median IRA balances according to gender. Investing habits may also play a role in determining why women have smaller balances overall, but there isn't enough evidence on gender-based investing preferences in retirement accounts to show decisively that women are more conservative with their investment choices than men. In fact, Copeland says, some studies show that some women may be just as aggressive with their investments as men with similar means. A look at asset allocations in IRAs in 2011 showed that men and women had nearly identical allocations in bonds, stocks and cash. However, women had more money allocated to balanced funds, which invest in both stocks and bonds, while men were more likely to invest in other asset classes. What makes the savings gap especially troublesome is that women generally need more savings than men to cover health-care expenses because they tend to live longer than men do. That longer life expectancy could partly explain a shift that happens later in life, says Copeland. In 2012, men made bigger average contributions to IRAs for all age groups except for savers older than 70, when the average contribution of $4,644 made by women topped the average contribution of $4,632 made by men. That change could be a sign that women are more able to work and contribute to their retirement accounts in old age than men are, Copeland says. Still, he is optimistic that women can catch up. "I would think, as women continue to become a larger percentage of the labor force and have higher incomes, that you would expect that this gender difference would go away," Copeland says. ||||| It’s long been known that women aren’t always entirely honest when it comes to their spending habits, regularly fibbing to their husbands and significant others about just how much they’ve spent on their wardrobes. And a new survey conducted by ShoeBuy.com confirms what has long been expected: many women straight-up lie to men when it comes to their shoe purchases. According to a survey of 1,000 women conducted this April, one out of every two women (yes, half) are willing to lie to their significant others about the price they paid for a new pair of shoes or other accessory. Additionally, 20% of women surveyed admitted to being “more turned on” by a new pair of shoes than by their romantic partners. Yikes! Additionally, and perhaps less surprisingly, 25% of women refuse to remove their shoes no matter how painful they are. No surprise there, except perhaps that the number is so low. Check out more fascinating shoe stats in the infographic below! Have you ever lied to your significant other about how much you paid for a pair of shoes? Vote in the poll below! ||||| It should come as no surprise that many women love shoes. Really, really love them. But now there’s proof. In a recent national survey of women ages 35 to 44, online retailer Shoebuy.com reveals that of those surveyed 1 in 5 women admit to being more turned on by a pair of new shoes than by their significant others. Women also confess to faking it. And, yes, we’re still talking about shoes. Some 82 percent of those surveyed confess to owning knock-off shoes or accessories. Oh, but the revelations keep coming. One in 2 respondents say they are willing to be less than truthful to those in their lives about the price they really pay for shoes and accessories. But it is true that some women are willing to put up with a little pain in the name of fashion. The survey reveals 1 in 4 women will not take off their heels no matter how much their feet hurt, even if t means popping a pill to help relieve the pain. Ten percent of respondents say they would take aspirin to stay on top of their heels. And here’s a stinger: Nearly 50 percent of those surveyed admit to having judged someone else based on their shoes. Of that number, 1 in 2 has negatively judged a person solely on their footwear. Ouch. More survey findings:

– Women see shoes as purely utilitarian accessories that help them get around town ... right? Uh, not exactly. The online retailer Shoebuy.com has confirmed in a nationwide survey that women really do love their shoes—in ways that are a little surprising, the Oklahoman reports. The findings are from 1,000 women ages 35-44, says Stylecaster: 20% admit they're more aroused by new shoes than by their significant others. Half admit to judging someone based on their shoes (among those, 50% were negative). One in four won't take heels off, no matter the pain (even if it means popping a pill for relief). Nearly a third of women buy four to seven pairs of shoes annually, meaning they'll buy 500 in all. Half are willing to lie about what they really paid for their shoes. So is this why women save far less for retirement than men—because they're buying shoes? Some readers said so after Jonnelle Marte wrote about women's lack of savings at the Washington Post, and research shows that women do outspend men $534 to $205 on personal care and services (shoes included). But men spend more on alcohol, so women likely save less because they earn 77 cents for every dollar earned by men, writes Marte. (For more, see why wedding Uggs may be "the worst idea ever," and why some women resort to surgery for designer heels.)

Same-sex couples in Maryland were greeted with cheers and noisemakers held over from New Year's Eve parties, as gay marriage became legal in the first southern state on New Year's Day. Darcia Anthony, left, and her partner, Danielle Williams, chat before participating in a marriage ceremony at City Hall in Baltimore, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013. Same-sex couples in Maryland are now legally... (Associated Press) James Scales, left, and William Tasker react after participating in a wedding ceremony at City Hall in Baltimore, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013. Same-sex couples in Maryland are now legally permitted to marry... (Associated Press) James Scales, 68, who has worked for the Baltimore mayor's office for 25 years, was married to William Tasker, 60, on Tuesday shortly after midnight by Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake inside City Hall. "It's just so hard to believe it's happening," Scales said shortly before marrying his partner of 35 years. Six other same-sex couples also were being married at City Hall. Ceremonies were taking place in other parts of the state as well. The ceremonies follow a legislative fight that pitted Gov. Martin O'Malley against leaders of his Catholic faith. Voters in the state, founded by Catholics in the 17th century, sealed the change by approving a November ballot question. "There is no human institution more sacred than that of the one that you are about to form," Rawlings-Blake said during the brief ceremony. "True marriage, true marriage, is the dearest of all earthly relationships." Brigitte Ronnett, who also got married, said she hopes one day to see full federal recognition of same-sex marriage. Maryland, Maine and Washington state were the first states to approve same-sex marriage by popular vote, in November, a development Ronnett said was significant. "I think it's a great sign when you see that popular opinion is now in favor of this," said Ronnett, 51, who married Lisa Walther, 51, at City Hall. Same-sex couples in Maryland have been able to get marriage licenses since Dec. 6, but they did not take effect until Tuesday. In 2011, same-sex marriage legislation passed in the state Senate but stalled in the House of Delegates. O'Malley hadn't made the issue a key part of his 2011 legislative agenda, but indicated that summer that he was considering backing a measure similar to New York's law, which includes exemptions for religious organizations. Shortly after, Archbishop Edwin O'Brien of Baltimore wrote to O'Malley that same-sex marriage went against the governor's faith. "As advocates for the truths we are compelled to uphold, we speak with equal intensity and urgency in opposition to your promoting a goal that so deeply conflicts with your faith, not to mention the best interests of our society," wrote O'Brien, who served as archbishop of the nation's first diocese from October 2007 to August 2011. The governor was not persuaded. He held a news conference in July 2011 to announce that he would make same-sex marriage a priority in the 2012 legislative session. He wrote back to the archbishop that "when shortcomings in our laws bring about a result that is unjust, I have a public obligation to try to change that injustice." The measure, with exemptions for religious organizations that choose not to marry gay couples, passed the House of Delegates in February in a close vote. O'Malley signed it in March. Opponents then gathered enough signatures to put the bill to a statewide vote, and it passed with 52 percent in favor. In total, nine states and the District of Columbia have approved same-sex marriage. The other states are Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. ||||| In the 17 years since Katie Cleary and Sharon Dongarra locked eyes in the kitchen of an Arby's restaurant, they have shared a first, tentative kiss, traded letters across continents, set up a home, exchanged vows before family and friends, signed a host of legal documents and nurtured a young daughter.The couple has shared nearly every experience that can bond two people, except for one. Until today.But just after midnight, the two women pledged themselves to each other yet again in their Towson home, becoming one of the first same-sex couples to be legally married in Maryland."After 17 years, we might as well do it the very moment we can," said Sharon Dongarra, 37, a chiropractor. New Year's Day marks the culmination of years of work by gay and lesbian Marylanders and their allies to persuade state legislators, and later voters, to support full marriage rights for same-sex couples. The General Assembly approved same-sex marriage in 2012, only to have opponents petition it onto the ballot in the November election.The Dongarras — Katie legally changed her last name to Sharon's a couple years ago — were exuberant when Maryland, along with Maine and Washington, became the first states in which voters approved extending marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples.The next day, Sharon Dongarra recalled, she got teary-eyed watching Katie help their daughter, Lucy, into the car. "I remember thinking, 'She will not remember a time when her moms were considered second-class citizens in Maryland,' " she said.The couple was one of dozens planning a New Year's Day wedding ceremony. Partners of 29 years exchanged vows on the roof of their Harborview home as fireworks rocketed over the Inner Harbor . The doors of Baltimore's City Hall opened just after midnight to host the weddings of seven couples. And an Eastern Shore inn was preparing to host 50 weddings throughout the day — including one for the inn's owners.John Kyle and Pete Satten planned to mark their 23rd anniversary as a couple with an intimate wedding at a Brewers Hill restaurant. The pair had posted a sign in support of Question 6 — the ballot question that authorized same-sex marriage — in front of their stone house in Bolton Hill months ago and planned to affix a "Just Married" sticker on it after the ceremony.Even as couples were arranging flowers and cupcakes for their ceremonies, others were planning protests. The ultra-conservative Westboro Baptist Church, known for picketing high-profile funerals with signs saying "God hates" gay people, has received permits to rally in front of courthouses in Towson and Annapolis on Wednesday, police said.Meanwhile, parishioners of St. Anne's, the 300-year-old Episcopal church across from the Annapolis courthouse, were planning a counter-protest the same day to "bear witness to the good news of God's unconditional love.""We will not engage them. But we will speak our message of love more loudly," Joe Pagano, the associate rector of St. Anne's, wrote to parishioners. "Come and join us and let us show the world that the love of Jesus is more powerful than hate."For those who came of age during earlier eras, the fact that same-sex marriage could be legal in Maryland — and nine other states — seems nearly too good to be true.When Michael Williams, 53, and Clifton Scott, 61, met on Feb. 4, 1984, the two men never dreamed that they would one day marry — or that they would be together 29 years later. Williams and Scott were at a bar in Indianapolis when Michael Jackson's "Thriller" — the year's top song — began to play.Scott asked Williams to dance, and the two men instantly felt a powerful bond."I knew as soon as I met him," said Scott, a human resources director. "Did we even date? We were very committed from the beginning."Williams, a neurologist, said the couple's exuberance was tempered by his family's reluctance to accept that he was gay."My parents came down to Indianapolis the summer after we met," he said. "It was very hard for them. My mother cried. My dad got mad and stayed mad for a couple years."But in time, Williams' parents grew to embrace Scott. The couple attended holiday gatherings and family vacations together. Their nieces and nephews, born after the men fell in love, think of them as inseparable.

– New Year's Eve parties overlapped with Maryland's first same-sex marriage parties as 2013 began in the first state south of the Mason-Dixon line to legalize gay marriage. Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake married 68-year-old mayor's office employee James Scales to his male partner of 35 years shortly after midnight, when the law came into effect, the AP reports. "There is no human institution more sacred than that of the one that you are about to form," she said during the brief ceremony. "True marriage, true marriage, is the dearest of all earthly relationships." In November, Maryland, Maine, and Washington became the first states to approve gay marriage by popular vote. Dozens more same-sex weddings are due to take place across the state today, although protests against gay marriage are also planned, the Baltimore Sun reports. The Westboro Baptist Church has received permission to protest outside the courthouse in Annapolis, but the Episcopal church across the street plans a counter-protest to "bear witness to the good news of God's unconditional love."

Officials in Liberia have found 17 patients infected with the ebola virus who fled a quarantine centre in Monrovia. The patients escaped after rock-throwing protesters broke into the West Point clinic and stole blood-stained mattresses and sheets while claiming the ebola outbreak was a government hoax to secure foreign aid. Some 29 patients were housed in an isolation unit at the centre and health officials feared the missing patients could spread the virus if they were not tracked down. Information Minister Lewis Brown said the missing patients had now been transferred to another clinic. Officials began a desperate search for the patients after they fled He said: "We are glad to confirm that all of the 17 individuals have been accounted for and have now been transferred to JFK ebola specialist treatment centre. "All those hooligans who looted the centre are now probable carriers of the disease. They took mattresses and bedding that were soaked with fluids from the patients." 1 / 9 Gallery: Mob Raids Ebola Isolation Unit In Liberia A mob overruns an Ebola isolation centre in the West Point slum of Monrovia, claiming there is no ebola in the city. Several hundred people took part in the raid. Families are encouraged to leave the isolation unit. A family inside the unit considers whether to join the mob. The mob breaks open the doors at the centre. Those in the crowd claimed the Liberian president was "broke" and that ebola was a hoax. Nearly 30 ebola sufferers are believed to have fled one quarantine centre in Monrovia after protests. Protesters take a peek inside the unit. The ebola epidemic has killed more than 1,000 people in four West African countries, with Liberia now having the most deaths. Wilmont Johnson, head of a youth association that helped search for the patients, said witnesses reported seeing some of them disappear into "other communities". West Point is home to some 75,000 people and is one of Monrovia's most densely populated townships. Comprised mostly of slums, its inhabitants suffer from a lack of clean water and poor sanitation. Police are waiting to be given protective equipment before they can re-open the clinic. Mr Brown added that three infected African doctors who had received the experimental ebola drug Zmapp were showing "remarkable signs of improvement", quoting an assessment by the doctor overseeing their treatment. Latest figures from the World Health Organisation (WHO) reveal there have been 2,240 confirmed cases of ebola in West Africa, including 1,229 deaths in the latest outbreak. Some 84 people have died in the last three days alone. A total of 413 of these cases have been in Liberia, more than any other country and despite a state of emergency being declared. 1 / 8 Gallery: August: Ebola Victims In Isolation A sick man staggers through a makeshift ebola isolation ward in Liberia. The images released in August illustrate the scale of the difficulties in treating sufferers The sick are often left to die in the makeshift wards, sometimes former classrooms A woman tries to help her sick husband who trips and falls in one of the wards Liberia is struggling to contain the outbreak and the sick face dying in terrible isolation The wife of a sick man despairs as her husband lies on the floor after falling A child lies sick in an isolation ward in Liberia A medical worker with a young family in an isolation ward A sick woman lies in a classroom now used as an ebola isolation ward WHO officials warned that measures to restrict travel in heavily infected areas, including quarantines of whole villages and counties, are limiting access to food in many cases. It comes after an ebola alert in Spain has been removed after a young Nigerian man who was admitted to a hospital in Alicante with fever and vomiting tested negative for the disease. ||||| Image copyright Getty Images Image caption This man carried a young girl out of the West Point health facility There are conflicting reports over the fate of 17 suspected Ebola patients who vanished after a quarantine centre in the Liberian capital was looted. An angry mob attacked the centre in Monrovia's densely populated West Point township on Saturday evening. A senior health official said all of the patients had been moved to another medical facility. But a reporter told the BBC that 17 had escaped while 10 others were taken away by their families. More than 400 people are known to have died from the virus in Liberia, out of a total of 1,145 deaths recorded in West Africa by the World Health Organization this year. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Police fired warning shots but failed to disperse several hundred people around the Ebola centre Assistant Health Minister Tolbert Nyenswah said protesters had been unhappy that patients were being brought in from other parts of the capital. Other reports suggested the protesters had believed Ebola was a hoax and wanted to force the quarantine centre to close. The attack at the Monrovia centre is seen as a major setback in the struggle to halt the outbreak, says the BBC's Will Ross, reporting from Lagos. Health experts say that the key to ending the Ebola outbreak is to stop it spreading in Liberia, where ignorance about the virus is high and many people are reluctant to cooperate with medical staff. 'All gone' Mr Nyenswah said after the attack that 29 patients at the centre were being relocated and readmitted to an Ebola treatment centre located in the facility of the country's John F Kennedy Memorial Medical Center. However, Jina Moore, a journalist for Buzzfeed who is in Monrovia, told the BBC that 10 people had been freed by their relatives on Friday night and 17 had escaped during the looting the next day. Rebecca Wesseh, who witnessed the attack, told the AFP news agency: "They broke down the door and looted the place. The patients have all gone." Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The crowd were reportedly angry that an Ebola isolation centre had been set up in their neighbourhood Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Health workers wear protective clothing when handling the bodies of Ebola victims The attackers, mostly young men armed with clubs, shouted insults about President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and yelled "there's no Ebola", she said, adding that nurses had also fled the centre. The head of the Health Workers Association of Liberia, George Williams, said the unit had housed 29 patients who "had all tested positive for Ebola" and were receiving preliminary treatment. Confirming that 17 had escaped, he said that only three had been taken by their relatives, the other nine having died four days earlier. However, Mr Nyenswah said it was not confirmed that the patients had Ebola. Fallah Boima's son was admitted to the ward four days ago, and seemed to be doing well, but when the distraught father arrived for his daily visit on Sunday his son was nowhere to be seen, AFP adds. "I don't know where he is and I am very confused," he said. "He has not called me since he left the camp. Now that the nurses have all left, how will I know where my son is?" 'Stupidest thing' Ebola is spread by contact with an infected person's bodily fluids, such as sweat and blood, and no cure or vaccine is currently available. Blood-stained mattresses, bedding and medical equipment were taken from the centre, a senior police officer told BBC News, on condition of anonymity. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The current outbreak is the deadliest since Ebola was discovered in 1976 "This is one of the stupidest things I have ever seen in my life," he said. "All between the houses you could see people fleeing with items looted from the patients." The looting spree, he added, could spread the virus to the whole of the West Point area. Described as a slum, there are an estimated 50,000 people in the West Point neighbourhood. The Ebola epidemic began in Guinea in February and has since spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. One Nigerian doctor has survived the disease and was sent home on Saturday night, said Health Minister Onyebuchi Chukwu in a statement. Mr Chukwu said five other people infected with Ebola had almost fully recovered. On Friday, the death toll rose to 1,145 after the WHO said 76 new deaths had been reported in the two days to 13 August. There have been 2,127 cases reported in total. Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) Image copyright Science Photo Library

– The 17 Ebola patients who fled a health center during a riot Saturday in Liberia have been found—however, health officials there fear the damage has already been done. The patients apparently turned themselves in after being traced, and are now at a hospital elsewhere in Monrovia, the country's information minister tells the BBC. "All those hooligans who looted the center are now probable carriers of the disease. They took mattresses and bedding that were soaked with fluids from the patients," he says, as per Sky News. Witnesses saw the patients "disappear" into the community after the riot, says one source; and health experts fear the incident could stymie efforts to contain the outbreak. Monrovia's West Point township alone is densely populated and lacks clean water or proper sanitation, Sky adds. It's not clear what sparked the riot, though there are troubling reports that protesters believed Ebola is a hoax perpetrated by the government to get foreign aid, reports Sky. They wanted to close the health center, and so far it's still shuttered; police are waiting for protective equipment before they will open its doors. The UN said today that Ebola has now killed 1,229 people this year. Meanwhile, a small bit of good news: the experimental drug Zmapp has helped three Liberian doctors infected with Ebola, BBC adds.

A federal jury on Thursday awarded more than $50 million in damages to neighbors of an industrial hog operation found responsible for intense smells, noise and other disturbances so bad people couldn't enjoy their rural homes. Jurors on Thursday awarded the 10 neighbors of a 15,000-head swine operation a total of $750,000 in compensation, plus $50 million in damages designed to punish the corporation that owns the animals. Lawyers didn't sue the Bladen County farm's owner, instead targeting the hog-production division of Virginia-based Smithfield Foods. The Chinese-owned company uses strict contracts to dictate how farm operators raise livestock that Smithfield owns. The decision is the first in dozens of lawsuits filed by more than 500 neighbors complaining about hog operations. Jurors decided that “the defendant owed them (neighbors) a standard of care in terms of trying to minimize the odors and other undesirable fallout from their processes,” said Wake Forest University law professor Sidney Shapiro, who has followed the cases. “Apparently the jury decided they (Smithfield) knew about and disregarded all this fallout even though they could do something positive to reduce it.” Rural residents have complained about smells, clouds of flies and excessive spraying for decades. But local and state politicians have either supported or backed down in the face of a politically powerful industry. North Carolina legislators last year changed state law to make it much more difficult to replicate the string of nuisance lawsuits targeting hog operations like the one decided Thursday. Smithfield Foods said it would appeal the decision. “The lawsuits are a serious threat to a major industry, to North Carolina's entire economy and to the jobs and livelihoods of tens of thousands of North Carolinians,” Senior Vice President Keira Lombardo said in a statement. Smithfield Foods hasn't changed the locally dominant method of hog waste disposal since intensive hog operations multiplied in North Carolina in the 1980s and `90s. The practice involves housing thousands of hogs together, flushing their waste into holding pits, allowing bacteria to break down the material, then spraying the effluent onto fields with agricultural spray guns. Neighbors say the spraying sends the smells and animal waste airborne, allowing it to drift into their homes and sometimes coat outdoor surfaces on their properties. “We are pleased with the verdict. These cases are about North Carolina family property rights and a clean environment,” said Mona Lisa Wallace, a Salisbury attorney whose firm teamed with two Texas-based firms to prepare the series of trials covering similar ground. “We are now preparing for the next, which is scheduled for the end of May.” This case, presenting with the plaintiffs and the specific farm, was chosen by suing attorneys. Although the size of the jury award is large, the result of the next trial could be more telling since the parties were chosen by Smithfield's attorneys, said Drew Kershen, an emeritus law professor at the University of Oklahoma and a past president of the American Agricultural Law Association. “If you got a second test case, chosen by the defense attorney, which turns out to have damages like this, then you would really have to say, my goodness these are really significant claims against the industry in North Carolina,” he said. ||||| A North Carolina jury on Thursday reached an unanimous verdict against pork producer Murphy-Brown LLC in a landmark case that could pave the way for more nuisance lawsuits against large-scale livestock operations. The company plans to appeal. In all, jurors awarded more than $50 million to 10 plaintiffs who live near the hog farm, setting... ||||| The case involved ten plaintiffs in North Carolina who are unlucky enough to live near a major industrial hog operation. That operation, Kinlaw Farms, is not the target of the lawsuit; Kinlaw is ultimately beholden to Smithfield Foods, theh company for which they raise hogs. The plaintiffs alleged that the use of anaerobic lagoons – literally huge pits of hog feces – has negatively affected their quality of life thanks to putrid odors, buzzards, and swarms of insects. (For more info on the case, check out our earlier coverage.) A federal jury, after a two-day deliberation, awarded over $50 million to the plaintiffs: $75,000 each in compensatory damages and $5 million each in punitive damages. Interestingly, and disturbingly, even if the case survives on appeal, the plaintiffs may not be able to secure the latter money. In the past four years, since the suit was filed, lawmakers with financial ties to the lucrative hog industry have attempted to put a hard cap on the amount of money a plaintiff can receive in this kind of lawsuit. Despite a veto from the North Carolina’s governor, that hard cap passed, which limits the amount of damages to three times the compensatory damages, which would be only $225,000, far less than the amount the jury ruled the plaintiffs are entitled to. Smithfield released a statement calling the verdict “an outrageous attack on animal agriculture, rural North Carolina and thousands of independent family farmers who own and operate contract farms.” (The Office of the Inspector General recently declared that contract farmers are so thoroughly controlled by their corporate clients that they can’t be considered independent. And Kinlaw Farms, the “independent” family farm in this case, wasn’t even a defendant.) In the statement, Smithfield vowed to appeal the decision.

– The 10 North Carolina plaintiffs who say a pork farm near their homes is endangering their health by, among other things, spraying hog urine and feces onto nearby fields, have won a big victory. A federal jury has awarded each plaintiff $5 million in punitive damages and $75,000 in compensatory damages, Modern Farmer reports. The more than $50 million in awards is to be paid by Smithfield Foods—the company for which the North Carolina hog operation, Kinlaw Farms, raises the animals. In their lawsuit, the plaintiffs complained of large pits holding hog feces that, in addition to causing horrible smells, attracted buzzards and insects. They say the sprayed feces sometimes even ends up in their homes, the Daily Press reports. Smithfield says it will appeal. The case, the ham giant says in a statement, is "an outrageous attack on animal agriculture" and that this and dozens of similar lawsuits—involving more than 500 neighbors in total—"are a serious threat to a major industry, to North Carolina's entire economy, and to the jobs and livelihoods of tens of thousands of North Carolinians." Modern Farmer points out that even if Smithfield loses its appeal, lawmakers with ties to the hog industry successfully put a limit on the amount of money plaintiffs can receive in this type of lawsuit, so the plaintiffs may ultimately only be able to collect $250,000 in punitive damages. The Wall Street Journal says it's unclear whether the new state law will apply in this case.

As NPR weathered a storm of criticism Thursday for its decision to fire news analyst Juan Williams for his comments about Muslims, Fox News moved aggressively to turn the controversy to its advantage by signing Williams to an expanded role at the cable news network.Fox News Chief Executive Roger Ailes handed Williams a new three-year contract Thursday morning, in a deal that amounts to nearly $2 million, a considerable bump up from his previous salary, the Tribune Washington Bureau has learned. The Fox News contributor will now appear exclusively and more frequently on the cable news network and have a regular column on FoxNews.com."Juan has been a staunch defender of liberal viewpoints since his tenure began at Fox News in 1997," Ailes said in a statement, adding a jab at NPR: “He’s an honest man whose freedom of speech is protected by Fox News on a daily basis.”Meanwhile, conservative leaders lambasted NPR for firing Williams and called for cutting public funding for the media organization. By midafternoon Thursday, more than 4,900 comments had been posted on NPR.org, including many from people who said the media organization was bowing to political correctness and unfairly punishing Williams for expressing his personal opinions."In one arrogant move the NPR exposed itself for the leftist thought police they really are,” read one typical post. “After this November elections I hope one of the first things the new Congress does is to defund this poor excuse for public radio.”The controversy kicked off Monday night when Williams, a Fox News contributor, made an appearance on “The O’Reilly Factor.” In a conversation with host Bill O’Reilly about how fear of terrorism affects perceptions of Muslims, Williams noted that he harbored some anxieties, even as an author of books about the civil rights movement."I mean, look, Bill, I'm not a bigot….But when I get on a plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they're identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous," Williams said.He also noted that it was not fair to cast all Muslims as extremists.On Wednesday, NPR told Williams it was terminating his contract, saying his remarks “were inconsistent with our editorial standards and practices, and undermined his credibility as a news analyst with NPR.”The abrupt break came after years in which Williams’ role at Fox News caused internal tension at the public radio organization. Many NPR listeners registered complaints about comments he made on the cable news channel, particularly remarks last year in which he described First Lady Michelle Obama as having “this Stokely Carmichael in a designer dress thing going” and saying she could become “an albatross."In response, NPR executives asked Williams to request Fox News not identify him as an NPR analyst when he appeared on “The O’Reilly Factor.”Dana Davis Rehm, NPR’s senior vice president for communications, said in an interview that Williams’ comments violated internal ethics policies that prohibit NPR journalists from going on other media and expressing “views they would not air in their role as an NPR journalist.” The guidelines also prohibit NPR journalists from participating in programs “that encourage punditry and speculation rather than fact-based analysis.”Rehm said Williams had been warned several times in the past about making personal comments that violated the policy.“This wasn’t the first time where we felt Juan crossed the line in terms of what’s permitted for NPR analysts and journalists as a whole,” she said. “We felt we really didn’t have an alternative. And it was not without regret, and it was not a decision that was made lightly by any means. We do appreciate the work he has done.”Williams told Fox News on Thursday that he was let go over the phone and taken aback that he wasn’t given a chance to defend himself."It's not a bigoted statement,” he told Fox News in an interview the cable news network ran throughout the day. “In fact, in the course of this conversation with Bill O'Reilly, I said we have an obligation as Americans to be careful to protect the constitutional rights of everyone in our country and to make sure that we don't have any outbreak of bigotry. But that there's a reality. You cannot ignore what happened on 9/11, and you cannot ignore the connection to Islamic radicalism, and you can't ignore the fact of what has even recently been said in court with regard to this is the first drop of blood in a Muslim war in America."Fox News made the most of the incident, rerunning a package about the controversy throughout the day. Williams was scheduled to appear on “The O’Reilly Factor” Thursday night to further address the issue and will guest host the program Friday.In the meantime, NPR was slammed by conservative leaders such as Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin, who tweeted, “NPR defends 1st Amendment Right, but will fire u if u exercise it. Juan Williams: u got taste of Left's hypocrisy, they screwed up firing you."Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who hosts a show on Fox News, said he now plans to boycott NPR and decline its interview requests."NPR has discredited itself as a forum for free speech and a protection of the First Amendment rights of all and has solidified itself as the purveyor of politically correct pabulum and protector of views that lean left,” Huckabee wrote on his blog, adding: "It is time for the taxpayers to start making cuts to federal spending, and I encourage the new Congress to start with NPR."NPR receives no direct federal funding for its operations, but between 1% and 3% of its $160-million budget comes from competitive grants awarded by publicly funded entities such as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the National Endowment for the Arts. Since 2009, NPR has received $8 million in competitive grants from the CPB for technology development and journalism initiatives. It also received a one-time grant of $78 million between 2007 and 2009 to upgrade satellite technology.Local NPR stations receive $90 million in annual appropriations from the CPB that amount to about 10% of their revenue, on average.Rehm said it was inappropriate for politicians to interject the issue of federal funding into an editorial decision, adding that she hoped the controversy would not affect financial support for public radio. “Stations are in fund-raising season, so it is unfortunate that this occurred at this time,” she said. ||||| UPDATE: Fox News announced Thursday that it had signed Juan Williams to a new, multi-year contract, which the Los Angeles Times reported was worth $2 million. Among other things, Williams will now write columns for FoxNews.com, the first of which appeared on Thursday afternoon. In the column, Williams excoriated NPR and its leadership for the decision to fire him. He said he was let go for "telling the truth" about his feelings of nervousness when he sees people he thinks are clearly Muslim on airplanes. He called his debate with Bill O'Reilly -- where he also told the Fox News host to be careful about painting all Muslims as extremists -- an "honest, sensitive" one "in the best American tradition of a fair, full-throated and honest discourse about the issues of the day." Williams said that NPR's move to fire him was a "a chilling assault on free speech" that came about due to "political correctness and ideological orthodoxy" by the "self-righteous ideological, left-wing leadership at NPR." He also recounted the years of tension between him and his bosses at NPR that resulted from his association with Fox. Williams concluded by comparing himself to Daniel Schorr, the longtime NPR contributor who found himself on Richard Nixon's enemies list. "I can only imagine Dan's revulsion to realize that today NPR treats a journalist who has worked for them for ten years with less regard, less respect for the value of independence of thought and embrace of real debate across political lines, than Nixon ever displayed," he wrote. ORIGINAL POST: Juan Williams appeared on Fox News' "Happening Now" Thursday morning to discuss his firing from NPR over his comments about Muslims on Monday's "O'Reilly Factor." (h/t Johnny Dollar.) Williams said that he received a message from Ellen Weiss, NPR's senior vice president for news, telling him to call her. When he did, he said, she asked him to clarify his comments that he gets "nervous" when he sees Muslims on an airplane. "I said, 'I said what I meant to say,'" Williams told Fox News, "which is that it is an honest experience that when I'm in an airport and I see people in Muslim garb who identify themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I do a double take. I have a moment of anxiety or fear given what happened on 9/11. That's just a reality." Weiss, he said, told him that he had crossed the line. When he asked what line that was, she said that his statement had been bigoted. Williams said he had pointed out that he had gone on to tell O'Reilly that America had "an obligation to protect the constitutional rights of everyone in the country" and to prevent bigotry, but that "you cannot ignore what happened on 9/11 and you cannot ignore the connection to Islamic radicalism." In response, Williams said, Weiss told him that the decision to fire him had already been taken. "I said, 'I don't even get the chance to come in and we do this eyeball to eyeball, person to person?'" he continued. "She said, 'there's nothing you can say that will change my mind, this has been decided above me and we're terminating your contract.'" NPR President Vivian Schiller also spoke out about the firing on Thursday. According to the Associated Press, Schiller appeared at the Atlanta Press Club, where she defended the decision, saying that Williams had violated NPR's guidelines barring its analysts from making personal or controversial statements. She also said that he should keep his feelings about Muslims between himself and "his psychiatrist or his publicist." (UPDATE: Schiller apologized for that comment on Thursday afternoon, saying in a statement that "I spoke hastily and I apologize to Juan and others for my thoughtless remark.") In addition, Schiller released a statement about the firing to NPR member stations on Thursday. In it, she wrote that "this isn't the first time we have had serious concerns about some of Juan's public comments. Despite many conversations and warnings over the years, Juan has continued to violate this principle." Schiller also wrote that Williams had violated NPR's code of ethics by expressing views that he would not have expressed on NPR. "Unfortunately, Juan's comments on Fox violated our standards as well as our values and offended many in doing so," she said. Williams will appear on "The O'Reilly Factor" Thursday night to discuss the firing as well.

– Getting fired from NPR is working out pretty well for Juan Williams. Fox News has offered the analyst a new three-year, $2 million contract, the Los Angeles Times reports. Williams—canned for telling Fox's O'Reilly Factor that people in Muslim garb on planes make him nervous—will have an expanded role at the Fox network and will write a column for FoxNews.com. Williams, who was already a Fox News contributor, stands by his remarks. "Juan has been a staunch defender of liberal viewpoints since his tenure began at Fox News in 1997," Fox chief executive Roger Ailes said, adding a not-too-subtle dig at NPR: “He’s an honest man whose freedom of speech is protected by Fox News on a daily basis." Conservatives including Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, and Mike Huckabee have attacked NPR over the controversy, with Gingrich saying the government should pull its funding of NPR. Williams is furious about the firing. He called it a "chilling assault on free speech" and said that NPR's actions were worse than Richard Nixon's treatment of the press. For more on that, click here.

“Pirates of the Caribbean” star Johnny Depp has split from French singer and actress Vanessa Paradis after 14 years. “Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis have amicably separated. Please respect their privacy and, more importantly, the privacy of their children,” Depp’s publicist, Robin Baum, said in a statement. Speaking of privacy, there have been rumors in Los Angeles of Depp spending time with Baum. In January, In Touch magazine ran a picture of Depp apparently kissing a woman it claimed to be Baum, who didn’t respond to us for comment last night. And Depp, 49, and Paradis, 39, have been living separate lives for a while — they haven’t appeared together on a red carpet in more than a year. It was also reported that he enjoyed a trip to Las Vegas with his bisexual “The Rum Diary” co-star, Amber Heard, in late April. They were pictured boarding a private plane as he was promoting “Dark Shadows.” But following reports of problems between him and Paradis, Depp said in May, “The rumors are not true. They are absolutely not true. No matter what I say about this, people believe the opposite. I can’t say enough about it not being over.” Depp and Paradis, who got together in 1998 but never married, have two children, Lily-Rose, 13, and Jack, 10, and have homes in France, Los Angeles and the Caribbean. ||||| Starting in 1996, Alexa Internet has been donating their crawl data to the Internet Archive. Flowing in every day, these data are added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period. ||||| Moving on and moving out: Vanessa Paradis spotted looking at Beverly Hills homes just weeks before split from Johnny Depp confirmed By Sarah Fitzmaurice | Spokesperson confirmed split ending 14 year relationship yesterday French star looked at series of properties in Beverly Hills on May 23 Johnny was seen boarding a jet to New Mexico alone two weeks ago They were said to have been living separate lives from months before it was finally confirmed that Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis had split. And while the break up was only confirmed yesterday it seems that the French singer was preparing to move on and move out weeks ago. Vanessa, 39, was seen house hunting at a number of plush properties in Beverly Hills at the end of May. Scroll down for video Looking glum: Vanessa Paradis was spotted house hunting in Beverly Hills on May 23, just weeks before her split from Johnny Depp was confirmed The Café de Flore star visited a number of properties with price tags of between $7million and $11million. Vanessa appeared glum as she looked around the properties on May 23 and there was no mistaking the strain of the relationship breakdown has taken its toll. The actress, singer and model was dressed in a floppy hat and had a blue and red printed kaftan over a grey blouse. Life without Johnny: The 39-year-old singer, actress and model was casually dressed as she looked at the expensive properties Lush home: The French star was seen looking at a number of properties in Malibu and Beverly Hills including this seven bedroom home which is listed at $7,995,000 She was also wearing a pair of loose-fitting grey trousers which were rolled up. The French star was seen looking at a number of properties in Malibu and Beverly Hills including a seven bedroom home which is listed at $7,995,000. The home boasts 7,580 square feet, eight separate bathrooms, media and game rooms, a wet and a dry saunas, a pool and spa. Vanessa was also seen looking at a six bedroom home which cost a cool $10,995,000. The master bedroom offers two separate baths, two terraces and a study and the property also has a separate guest house. With Johnny visit: The actress is now starting a new life without her former partner Depp after their 14-year relationship ended Who lives in a house like this: Vanessa has been looking for a home that she can share with the couple's two children Lily-Rose, 13, and Jack, nine. Will this $7,495,000 pad fit the bill? The actress will no doubt be wanting to make sure any property she moves in to is suitable for her children with De pp - Lily-Rose, 13, and Jack, nine. Two weeks ago, Depp,49, was seen cutting a lonely figure as he hopped onto a jet on his way to New Mexico. As late as last month the Pirates of the Caribbean star had denied there was any rift between himself and Vanessa, despite reports stating that they were living separate lives dating back to January. A source told The Sun last night: 'It’s so sad. Johnny and Vanessa gambled that they could move to California and be on long stays on film locations for his career. Flying solo: Johnny Depp was seen boarding a private jet to New Mexico two weeks ago. He and Vanessa are said to have been living separate lives for months Tough time: Johnny has not been seen at a public event with Vanessa since 2010 'They bet that things would continue there as they had in the south of France. They lost that bet. JOHNNY DEPP AND VANESSA PARADIS: A TIMELINE 1998 - Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis start dating after meeting at the Costes Hotel in Paris May 1999 - The couple welcome their first child together, daughter Lily-Rose April 2002 - Depp and Paradis extend their family when son Jack is born 2003 - Depp says in an interview he wants his children to grow up in France, not Los Angeles, so they can 'have a life' 2004 - Depp says he wants to 'have 100 children with Vanessa', and reveals fatherhood has given their partnership 'a real foundation' 2007 - Lily-Rose admitted to hospital after suffering from E.coli food poisoning. Reports claim their daughter's illness has 'spurred' Depp and Paradis to consider marrying March 2010 - Claims suggest Paradis asked Depp to quit movie The Tourist because of his sex scene with co-star Angelina Jolie 2010 - Paradis says in an interview that the pair's relationship works because they 'give each other space' January 2012 - Reports emerge that the pair are 'heading for a split' and are 'living sad and separate lives' April 2012 - Depp romantically linked to The Rum Diaries co-star Amber Heard May 2012 - Depp publicly denies split 19th June 2012 - Depp and Paradis' publicist confirms they have split 'She went seven years between albums and films, while he became Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates films.' Reasons for the split have ranged from career obligations pulling them apart to claims Depp had a fling with his Rum Diaries co-star Amber Heard. The blonde bombshell, who came out as bi-sexual in 2010, was seen boarding Johnny's private jet to Las Vegas in April, fuelling rumours of a relationship between the co-stars. Yesterday Depp's publicist confirmed the split in a statement that read: 'Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis have amicably separated. Please respect their privacy and, more importantly, the privacy of their children.' The news Johnny Depp is now single will spark hope in many females across the globe, hoping they can have a shot with the Hollywood heartthrob. Lily Cooper, nee Allen, took to Twitter and posted: 'FFS , Johnny Depp is single, and i’m married ? *calls divorce lawyer*' She added: 'only joking I love my husband more than words can say.” Depp, 48, and Vanessa, 39, got together in 1998 when they met in the Costes Hotel in Paris while he was filming the Roman Polanski film The Ninth Gate. He had had a high-profile engagement to Winona Ryder and a long-term relationship with Kate Moss and she had just come out of a relationship with French-Slovenian actor Stanislas Merhar, having been reportedly previously engaged to singer Lenny Kravitz. A year after they got together, Depp and Paradis's first child, daughter Lily-Rose Melody, was born, followed by their son John 'Jack' Christopher in 2002. In 2007, the family were in London when Lily-Rose fell ill with a serious E.coli infection that caused her kidneys to start shutting down and she was rushed to Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital. So grateful was Depp for the care and attention the staff gave his daughter that in November 2007 he visited in his Pirates of the Caribbean character Jack Sparrow to visit the patients and the following year he donated £1million to the hospital. Depp is worth an estimated $300million and the family have divided their time between their homes in Meudon, in the suburbs of Paris, two in Los Angeles, an island he bought in The Bahamas and their villa in Le Plan-de-la-Tour, a small town 20 km from Saint-Tropez, in the south of France. In happier times: Vanessa and Johnny at a Chanel Party in May 2010

– Johnny Depp's publicist, Robin Baum, was the one to confirm the end of Depp's relationship with Vanessa Paradis yesterday—but is Baum actually to blame for the break-up? The New York Post notes that In Touch ran a picture of Depp appearing to kiss a woman it said was Baum back in January; Baum wouldn't comment when asked about the claims last night. The Post also recalls that Depp reportedly went to Las Vegas with Rum Diary co-star Amber Heard in April, though Paradis vehemently denied rumors of a split in May. But in May Paradis was also looking at properties in Beverly Hills, the Daily Mail adds, noting that she looked "glum." A source tells the Sun things started going sour when the couple moved to California: "They bet that things would continue there as they had in the south of France. They lost that bet," the source says, as Depp's star rose while Paradis went seven years between albums. All the papers seem to agree the two have been living separate lives for months now, having not been spotted together on the red carpet in more than a year, but a source tells People they "tried for months to save the relationship" to keep their family together.

Production firm admits health and safety breaches over incident that saw actor pinned by door while filming The Force Awakens Harrison Ford could have been killed when he was crushed by a hydraulic door on the set of the Millennium Falcon spaceship while filming the most recent Star Wars film, a court has heard. Ford was reprising his role as Han Solo in Star Wars: The Force Awakens in June 2014 when he was knocked to the ground and crushed beneath the heavy door of the Millennium Falcon while filming at Pinewood Studios in London. The company responsible, Foodles Production, pleaded guilty to two breaches under health and safety legislation. The 71-year-old actor sustained severe injuries from the accident, including a broken left leg, after he walked on to the set not believing it to be live. However, Milton Keynes magistrates court heard how the hydraulic spaceship door was operated by another person and that as the actor passed beneath it, he was hit hard in the pelvis and pinned to the floor. Ford was then airlifted to hospital in Oxford. Andrew Marshall, prosecuting, said the breaches had caused a “risk of death” and that if the emergency stop had not been pressed in time, it could have been a very different outcome for Ford. “It could have killed somebody. The fact that it didn’t was because an emergency stop was activated,” he said. A health and safety executive described the weight of the Millennium Falcon door as comparable to that of a small car. Speaking about the injury to talk-show host Jonathan Ross in December, Ford said the hydraulics involved in the Millennium Falcon had considerably developed since 1977 when the doors were controlled with a pulley operated by hand. Ford said: “Now we had lots of money and technology and so they built a fucking great hydraulic door which closed at light speed and somebody said, ‘Ooh I wonder what this is?’ “And the door came down and hit me on my left hip because I was turned to my right. And then it flung my left leg up and it dislocated my ankle and as it drove me down to the floor, my legs slapped on the ramp up to the Millennium Falcon and broke both bones in my left leg.” Foodles pleaded guilty to one count under section two of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, which related to a breach of duty in relation to employees, and a second under section three, a breach over people not employed by the company. Angus Withington, defending, said that while Foodles pleaded guilty, it would contest the level of risk involved. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) welcomed the guilty plea but said it had been a foreseeable incident. A spokesman said: “The British film industry has a world-renowned reputation for making exceptional films. Managing on-set risks in a sensible and proportionate way for all actors and staff – regardless of their celebrity status – is vital to protecting both on-screen and off-screen talent, as well as protecting the reputation of the industry.” Foodles, which is owned by Disney, is due to be sentenced on 22 August at Aylesbury crown court. A spokeswoman said the company had cooperated fully with the HSE investigation. “The safety of our cast and crew was always a top priority throughout the production,” it said. Ford recovered from the injuries in time to complete his portrayal of Han Solo in the film, which was set 30 years after the events in 1983’s Return of the Jedi and directed to much critical acclaim by JJ Abrams. It was the most successful film ever at the UK box office and has taken more than $2bn (£1.5bn) worldwide. Abrams later spoke about how much Ford’s injury had “bonded” the crew on set and said when the actor had returned he was “better and stronger than ever, I can’t overstate that. There was a fire in his eyes that you see in the movie.” Production of Star Wars: Episode VIII has got under way at Pinewood and the film is due for release in December 2017. ||||| LONDON – A British production company owned by Disney pleaded guilty Tuesday to two health and safety violations on the set of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” in connection with an incident during filming that resulted in a broken leg for Harrison Ford. Ford, reprising his role as Han Solo, was walking through the spaceship Millennium Falcon when a hydraulically operated door knocked him over and pinned him to the floor. Although he suffered only a broken left leg in the June 2014 accident, the force of the blow could have killed him, prosecutors said. London-based Foodles Production acknowledged that it broke the law on the Pinewood Studios set. It pleaded guilty to two charges of failing to ensure workplace safety. Two other charges were dropped. Sentencing is expected to take place next month. Ford, then 71, was airlifted to a hospital in Oxfordshire for treatment. He eventually completed filming on the J.J. Abrams-directed blockbuster. He has said that he did not believe the set to be live when he and Abrams stood conferring on the Millennium Falcon. Someone pressed a button that caused the door to close on him with what health and safety regulators say was a force comparable to the weight of a small car. Related Everything We Know About L3-37, Breakout Star of ‘Solo’ Nick Redman, Documentary Filmmaker and Soundtrack Producer, Dies at 63 “This was a foreseeable incident. Foodles Production Ltd. has accepted it failed to protect actors and staff,” Britain’s Health and Safety Executive said in a statement. “The British film industry has a world-renowned reputation for making exceptional films. Managing on-set risks in a sensible and proportionate way for all actors and staff – regardless of their celebrity status – is vital to protecting both on-screen and off-screen talent, as well as protecting the reputation of the industry.” Ford joked about the accident on a British talk show last December, blaming his injury on modern-day technology. “In the original film, the door…would have been closed with a pulley and a stagehand just closing it,” Ford said. “But now we had lots of money and technology and so they built a f—ing great hydraulic door which closed at light speed.”

– Harrison Ford got crushed by a hydraulic door and pinned to the ground while filming Star Wars: The Force Awakens in London, and though he recovered in time to finish the movie, a court heard this week that he could have been killed in the incident, the Guardian reports. Ford walked onto the Millennium Falcon set in June 2014 not knowing it was live, and as he passed underneath the door—which weighs as much as a small car—it "came down and hit me on my left hip because I was turned to my right," Ford explained to talk show host Jonathan Ross in December. "And then it flung my left leg up and it dislocated my ankle and as it drove me down to the floor, my legs slapped on the ramp up to the Millennium Falcon and broke both bones in my left leg." It's not clear exactly how the incident happened, but someone was operating the door at the time. Variety says that "someone pressed a button that caused the door to close on him." Per Ford in December, "They built a f---ing great hydraulic door which closed at light speed and somebody said, ‘Ooh I wonder what this is?’" Foodles Production, the company responsible, pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety regulations, and during court proceedings, a prosecutor said the breaches caused a "risk of death" and that Ford could have died had the emergency stop not been pressed in time. The defense acknowledged that the production company was pleading guilty, but denied the level of risk that was said to be involved.

The BlackBerry KeyOne (Photo: Edward C. Baig, for USA TODAY) BARCELONA — TCL launched the smartphone that it is counting on to revitalize the diminished BlackBerry brand. It’s called the BlackBerry KeyOne, and is being marketed as the most secure Android phone in the world. KeyOne goes on sale in the U.S. in April for $549. Speaking at a Mobile World Congress press event here, TCL Communication CEO Nicolas Zibell said the phone represents the “beginning of a new story” for BlackBerry. The old story is well known of course. How the once-powerhouse Canadian based-smartphone maker fell on hard times after the iPhone came along. BlackBerry’s market share dwindled down to practically nothing. Under a recent licensing agreement, Hong Kong-based TCL is now responsible for the hardware branded under BlackBerry Mobile. BlackBerry in Canada still supplies the security and software smarts. The KeyOne is the first BlackBerry handset to come out under TCL’s watch. The new phone certainly looks like a traditional BlackBerry, what with a Qwerty keyboard that reminds you of the popular BlackBerry keyboards of yesteryear. But this is a modernized version, with programmable keys that can provide up to 52 shortcuts. For example, you can press the “I” key for quick access to your inbox, or the “m” key for a maps shortcut. The gesture-responsive keyboard also doubles as a trackpad. Staple BlackBerry features on the device include the BlackBerry Hub repository for all your various communications, and DTEK security software. Indeed, the KeyOne remains an enterprise play, but one BlackBerry hopes will eventually appeal to consumers. The KeyOne is supposed to have an all-day battery with fast charging. It runs off a Qualcomm 625 processor and has a modern USB-C connector. It runs the Nougat 7.1 version of Android. KeyOne goes on sale in the U.S. in April for $549. (Photo: Edward C. Baig, for USA TODAY) Other specs: the phone has a 4.5-inch display (resolution 1620 x 1080), with a 12-megapixel rear camera and 8mp front camera. It comes with 32GB of internal storage, which can be expanded via microSD. It also has a fingerprint sensor but is not water resistant like other premium devices. Ken Hyers, the director of emerging device strategies at Strategy Analytics’ global wireless practice, believes that TCL’s ambition this year to stabilize the brand’s share is doable, especially given BlackBerry’s tiny volumes. The more difficult challenge for TCL, he says, will be to return BlackBerry to growth. “They intend to do that as part of an integrated portfolio strategy in which they go to operators with a range of devices for all customers," Hyers says. "There’s some merit to the strategy, but ultimately it will come down to features and price, as the BlackBerry brand doesn’t retain a strong following anymore, even in the enterprise.” Consumer tech analyst Carolina Milanesi of Creative Strategies thinks the price is a bit high, though she added in a tweet that TCL “should not go so low and devalue (the) BlackBerry brand.” On Sunday at MWC, we hear from another fallen phone brand Nokia, itself pitting hopes on the comeback trail. Email: ebaig@usatoday.com; Follow USA TODAY Personal Tech Columnist @edbaig on Twitter Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2mqdgP3 ||||| TCL's president of North America, Steve Cistulli, told CNBC that the company's plan is to market this device to the enterprise market, as part of a broader strategy to recapture the hearts of consumers, and challenge mobile behemoths Samsung and Apple. "We can compete with Apple and Samsung directly in the enterprise market," Cistulli said in an interview on Saturday. "We are going to use this device, to break the armor and it's our way in, once you have a way in you can get the mind share and hearts of those people." BlackBerry was once one of the most dominant brands in the mobile phone world, but quickly fell from the top of the heap shortly after Apple introduced the iPhone. The latter quickly seized the imagination of gadget geeks and devoured market share, leaving BlackBerry in the dust. The Canadian firm lost more ground once Samsung also bulldozed its way into the smartphone market, but tried to stage a comeback as its market share languished in the single digits. BlackBerry's efforts included releasing new units like the Leap and Android-powered PRIV, all of which fell flat as smartphone users flocked to iPhones and Galaxy devices. After licensing its brand to TCL to make devices with the BlackBerry name, BlackBerry has increased its focus on software. Meanwhile TCL is hoping that it can use BlackBerry's once strong brand to win back consumers that have since moved on. The TCL executive also revealed that there will be more BlackBerry products coming to target the consumer market. But with Apple, Samsung and Huawei dominating the high-end smartphone market, analysts said it could be a tough time for TCL's BlackBerry devices. "TCL will be hoping that by licensing the BlackBerry brand it can extend its market reach beyond the low margin consumer segment (which it currently targets via the Alcatel brand) to the higher margin enterprise devices space," Ben Wood, chief of research at CCS Insight, told CNBC by email. "However, the jury is out on how relevant the BlackBerry brand remains to that segment," he added. In recent years, BlackBerry's operating system struggled to compete against Android and Apple's iOS, both of which dominate the market. However, Cistulli said this time it is different and is setting ambitious goals for TCL. The executive said the company, which also makes the Alcatel brand of mobile phones, is aiming to be the number three player in North America by 2020, and near the top five globally.

– A comeback for BlackBerry? Chinese firm TCL launched its first smartphone since a licensing agreement allowed the company to take over the hardware for the BlackBerry brand, introducing the KEYone, which is billed as the most secure Android phone anywhere. CEO Nicolas Zibell tells USA Today the KEYone is the "beginning of a new story" for the once-dominant BlackBerry brand, which saw its market share gobbled up by Apple and Samsung. The smartphone, aimed at the enterprise market, comes loaded with Google's latest Android 7 operating system and security software called DTEK produced by BlackBerry Canada. It will be sold in the US for $549 starting in April. Unveiled at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Saturday, the KEYone keeps BlackBerry's trademark QWERTY keyboard and adds programmable keys; it also adds touch gestures that recall the old BlackBerry trackpad, per CNBC. Other features include: A 4.5-inch touch screen display A charger that powers up to 50% in 36 minutes A 12-megapixel camera plus an 8-megapixel camera facing forward for selfies A rep at the Hong Hong-based company says more BlackBerry products are coming aimed at consumers, per CNBC.

Originally Posted by esplanade91 Originally Posted by Do you know why though? First president Lee was a former confederate general and every building built under his supervision of the school had the stars and bars lining the roof. Most buildings have been rebricked or raised like McCain, but Lloyd Ricks isn't the only building like that one still. It's not necessarily something they tell you during orientation because Lee's reasoning was pretty bad. As far as stuff less known, I don't really know. McComas, the performing arts building looks like a grand piano from the sky? I think everyone knows that. MSU owns more acreage (not on campus) than any university in the US? We're getting a 2nd cafeteria where the current tennis courts are located? There is/was a penthouse apartment ontop of Swalm? They're adding a floor to the library? I feel like everyone knows that stuff. I've got nothing. ||||| The contents of this article have been modified since its original posting. A Mississippi State University student died after falling at least 20 feet from one of Davis Wade Stadium's video boards early Saturday. MSU Chief Communications Officer Sid Salter confirmed junior environmental economics and management major Andrew Scott Demboski, 21, of Ocean Springs, died near the M-Club building. Coroner Michael Hunt said the incident occurred after Demboski fell from the video board located on the side of the stadium adjacent to the Junction. Demboski fell from the structure onto a breezeway, he said, and the location of the incident hampered efforts to reach the victim. Starkville Fire Chief Charles Yarbrough said firefighters used high-angle rescue techniques to reach Demboski since the victim was located out of a ladder truck's 100-foot reach. Hunt said Demboski was pronounced dead at the scene. "Everything was done that could have been done," Hunt said. "It's a very unfortunate and tragic incident. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family." Salter said MSU and county officials are investigating the incident and would provide no additional comment on the matter until Monday. "Our campus is saddened by this loss on the day of Spring Commencement, and we all mourn Andrew's passing and are keeping his family in our prayers." ||||| This is a photo taken of Mississippi State University student Andrew Demboski's public Facebook profile picture. Demboski died early Saturday morning after a fall from the scoreboard in Wade Davis Stadium. (Photo: Jacob Threadgill / The Clarion-Ledger) A 21-year-old Mississippi State student died during an apparent accidental fall from the football stadium scoreboard early Saturday morning. The university confirmed Andrew Scott Demboski of Ocean Springs, a junior environmental economics and management major, died. Oktibbeha County Coroner Michael Hunt said Demboski fell 18 feet after walking on a metal awning on top of the scoreboard. Two other male students were with Demboski when emergency crews were called at 1:30 a.m. "What he was walking on was not designed to be walked on," Hunt said. "We're lucky all three of them didn't get hurt." Hunt said Demboski suffered cardiac arrest after hitting his head during the fall. A high-angle rescue team was dispatched to rescue Demboski while paramedics worked on his body for an hour to regain a pulse. "Andrew was a very talented student. Our campus is saddened by this loss on the day of Spring Commencement, and we all mourn Andrew’s passing and are keeping his family in our prayers," said MSU Chief Communications Officer Sid Salter. In a Facebook post, Marissa Gonzalez, his girlfriend as indicated on Facebook, said he was "a very simplistic guy who made you laugh under any circumstance ... I love him more than words can say. I'm praying for him and his family for peace. His family lost a brother, son, grandchild, and cousin." Salter said the investigation into Demboski's death is ongoing by university and county officials. He said the university would not have further comment until Monday. Hunt said Demboski's body has been sent to Pearl for an autopsy and toxicology report. Access to the scoreboard inside Davis Wade stadium has been a public topic among Mississippi State fans. A 2013 post on the popular Mississippi State fan message board Six Pack Speak from user Hugh Jazz said access to the highest point on campus atop the Jumbotron can be done "fairly easily." The post explained in detail how one could gain access through a door that was usually unlocked and then climb multiple sets of ladders to the top. Michael Bonner contributed to this report. Contact Jacob Threadgill at 601-961-7192 or jthreadgil@gannett.com. Follow Jacob on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Read or Share this story: http://on.thec-l.com/1T45q8e ||||| STARKVILLE, Miss. (WTVA) -- A 21-year-old Mississippi State University junior from Ocean Springs dies in a fall from the top of the Jumbotron video system on the south end of Davis Wade stadium on the MSU campus. Oktibbeha County Coroner Michael Hunt says Andrew Scott Demboski went into cardiac arrest and apparently died from head injuries following the fall at about 1:30 a.m. Saturday. He and two other male students apparently climbed to the top of the huge video board, and he slipped and fell from a wide sheet metal awning that spans the top of the device. "It appears to be a tragic accident," Hunt said. He fell about 18 feet onto a platform, landing on his head, Hunt said. The Starkville Fire Department had to use rescue techniques to get him down from the platform. Emergency responders worked on Demboski for about an hour while he was being removed to the ground level but could not save him, Hunt said. A helicopter was waiting outside the stadium to take him to a hospital. An autopsy will be performed, Hunt said. It's unclear how he and the other two students got inside the stadium and to the video display device. MSU Police Chief Vance Rice referred any comments about the incident to university public relations. However, sources tell WTVA the university has had problems before with students accessing and climbing the facility as dares or for excitement and to get a view of the entire campus. The accident occurred on the night of the university's graduation and the baseball team's win over Missouri. Below is a statement released by MSU Public Relations director Sid Salter: "MSU can confirm the death of a student in an apparent accidental fall in the early morning hours today on the MSU campus near the M-Club building. The student is Andrew Scott Demboski, 21, of Ocean Springs. He was a junior Environmental Economics and Management major in the MSU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Andrew was a very talented student. Our campus is saddened by this loss on the day of Spring Commencement and we all mourn Andrew's passing and are keeping his family in our prayers. An investigation into this incident is ongoing by MSU and county officials. MSU will have no additional comment on this matter until noon on Monday, May 9."

– Sad news from Mississippi State University: A 21-year-old junior died falling from the football stadium Jumbotron early Saturday morning, WTVA reports. Seems the student, Andrew Scott Demboski, climbed up on the scoreboard with two friends and fell roughly 18 feet from a metal awning, landing head-first on a platform and going into cardiac arrest. Responding firefighters removed him from the platform but his landing place made him hard to reach, the Dispatch reports. Paramedics tried restoring Demboski's pulse for about an hour while he was moved, but couldn't save him. "What he was walking on was not designed to be walked on," Oktibbeha County Coroner Michael Hunt tells the Clarion-Ledger. "We're lucky all three of them didn't get hurt." County officials and MSU are investigating, but easy access to the Davis Wade Stadium scoreboard has already been discussed on an MSU message board. The university released a statement saying Demboski was a "very talented" Environmental Economics and Management major, while Marissa Gonzalez, described as Demboski's girlfriend on Facebook, wrote a post about his death. Demboski was "a very simplistic guy who made you laugh under any circumstance," she writes. "I love him more than words can say. I'm praying for him and his family for peace."

We've detected that JavaScript is disabled in your browser. Would you like to proceed to legacy Twitter? Yes ||||| Amy Schumer dropped a lot of Benjamins with a $1,000 tip for the bartenders at "Hamilton" on Saturday night. The “Trainwreck” star’s generous tip for a $77 bill left Broadway hit “Hamilton’s” bar staff speechless, Madeleine DeJohn, an aspiring actor and bartender at the theater, told the Daily News. The $1,000 tip Amy Schumer left for the "Hamilton" bar staff. (madeleinedejohn via Instagram) “I was very touched, it was just something so generous and so kind that you don’t see every day,” she said. The mega-tip wasn’t Schumer’s first helping hand for the bar staff at “Hamilton,” DeJohn said. The last time the comedian showed up at the bar, she gave an $80 tip for a $40 bill, the bartender told The News. 'HAMILTON' WINS BEST MUSICAL THEATER ALBUM AT GRAMMYS When DeJohn thanked the actress then for the generosity, Schumer told her, “I’ve been there, I get it,” the bartender recalled. Amy Schumer in the audience for Broadway's hit musical "Hamilton." (@amyschumer via Instagram) Amy Schumer also took a photo with the cast when she went to see "Hamilton." (@amyschumer via Instagram) Schumer, who waited tables and worked as a bartender in New York City before her career took off, gave the “Hamilton” bar staff the biggest tip they had ever seen before, the employee said. Schumer, who used to be a bartender and waitress, left the largest tip these bartenders have ever seen. (Ben Gabbe/Getty Images) There had been plenty of celebrities in the audience for “Hamilton” before, including Beyonce, Jay Z, Kanye West and Michelle Obama, but none had left a tip as high as Schumer did, she said. “I’d like to think if I become that successful, that I can do the same,” DeJohn said. “She’s been one of us. She reminded me that there’s still a lot of good in the world.” AMY SCHUMER AND HER LITTLE SISTER ARE INSEPARABLE The $1,000 tip was split up among the six staffers who were working the bar that night, all who are also aspiring actors. DeJohn said she hopes Schumer returns to the theater to see “Hamilton” again — not for a repeat of the massive tip, but so she can thank the comedian in person.

– Amy Schumer took in a Broadway play and bought a few drinks Saturday night—and she left an ample tip to thank the bartenders for a fun night out. The comedian placed a $1,000 gratuity on top of her $77 bar bill at a showing of Hamilton, leaving the wait staff "touched" at Schumer's generosity, one of the bartenders tells the New York Daily News. Madeleine DeJohn adds that the last time Schumer showed up there, she left an $80 tip on a $40 tab. Not even other high-profile guests such as Jay Z or Michelle Obama have tipped as well as Schumer, says DeJohn, who posted a pic on Instagram of the receipt with Schumer's big tip. "I'd like to think if I become that successful, that I can do the same," DeJohn notes. "She’s been one of us. She reminded me that there's still a lot of good in the world." (The Daily News points out Schumer used to bartend and wait tables in the Big Apple before hitting it big.) The six bartenders working that night, who will divvy up the tip among themselves, posted a message to Schumer on Twitter, thanking her for "making our night." Schumer noted in her own tweet: "lots of love to my fellow bartenders and artists. I'm grateful to them and the cast and crew for another great night." (Schumer is also a fierce gun-control advocate.)

A handout photo made available by NASA early Thursday morning shows Hurricane Florence seen from a camera outside the International Space Station. (Photo: NASA) Hurricane Florence weakened late Wednesday night to a Category 2 storm. This hurricane, though, is far from weak. Even in downgrading Florence, which is expected to crash into the Carolinas late Thursday night or early Friday, the National Hurricane Center predicted “life-threatening storm surge,” “catastrophic flash flooding and prolonged significant river flooding,” and “damaging hurricane-force winds.” Here’s why the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale shouldn’t be the only measure of Florence’s strength: This is a big hurricane Hurricane Florence is bigger than the state of North Carolina and four times larger than Ohio. It would swallow the smaller New England states. As of Wednesday night, Florence’s tropical-storm-force winds were nearly 400 miles wide – or the roughly the equivalent of driving from Washington, D.C, to Charlotte, North Carolina; or from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to St. Louis; or from Los Angeles to San Francisco. The hurricane’s immensity is why about 10 million people across North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia are under storm watches and warnings, with meteorologists projecting Florence could become the most powerful storm to hit this part of the United States in at least 25 years. Harvey-level rain The National Weather Service is predicting “excessive” rainfall totals, potentially up to 40 inches in isolated areas, as Florence comes to crawl off the coast of the Carolinas before making landfall somewhere near the border of the two states. From Thursday night through Sunday morning, CNN reported that Florence would travel only 150 miles, or slower than the average walking pace of 2-3 mph. Florence could threaten the largest rainfall event in U.S. history, Hurricane Harvey, the 2017 whirlwind that settled over Texas and dropped more than 60 inches of rain, turning roadways into rivers, destroying homes and buildings and killing nearly 90 people. It was estimated that Harvey dropped the equivalent of 19 trillion to 21 trillion gallons of water in the greater Houston area, or, as The Washington Post reported a year ago, enough water to fill Utah’s Great Salt Lake four times. Monster waves The NHC measured wave heights of up to 83 feet – the equivalent of a seven-story building – as Florence churned in the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday. The waves will meet resistance as Florence approaches landfall, but storm surges up to 13 feet are expected in some areas of North Carolina, according to the weather service. “The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast in areas of onshore winds, where the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves,” the NWS report said. The deadliest and most destructive element of any hurricane, the storm surge from Florence could flood tens of thousands of structures, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said. Power outages Duke Energy, a primary power supplier in the Carolinas, already is warning that up to 75 percent of its 4 million customers could lose power – and not just for a few hours. “We’re talking about days, potentially weeks,” Duke Energy spokesman Jeff Brooks said Wednesday night on CNN. Bye-bye Florence? Not every hurricane has its name retired – and there’s already a buzz that Florence will join the likes of Hazel (1954), Hugo (1989), Fran (1996) and Isabel (2003), the four most destructive hurricanes to strike the southeastern United States. Names are retired only “if a storm is so deadly or costly that the future use of its name on a different storm would be inappropriate,” according to the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration website. Doesn’t sound like a weak hurricane, does it? CLOSE It’s bad enough if a hurricane is headed towards you. Here’s why it’s even worse if the hurricane is moving slowly. ACCUWEATHER Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2CREGtm ||||| Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Why do people ignore hurricane warnings? Hurricane Florence has been downgraded to a category two storm as it approaches the US but officials still warn of a "disaster at the doorstep". Florence's winds may have dropped to 110mph (175km/h) but its slow-moving nature could mean it lingers for days, bringing catastrophic flooding. Some 10 million people are now under some form of storm watch. Florence may now be heading further south, and Georgia is the latest state to declare an emergency. It joins North and South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC. Where is the hurricane now? As of 05:00 Eastern Daylight Time on Thursday (09:00 GMT), Florence was 205 miles (330km) south-east of Wilmington in North Carolina, the latest National Hurricane Centre advisory says. Forecasters have adjusted the predicted path of Florence. It is now expected to make landfall a little further south, on the Carolinas border on Thursday. The hurricane's wind speeds have fallen from a category 3 level of 111-129 mph to a category 2 level of 96-110 mph. However, they are not expected to weaken further and the forward speed of the hurricane is also dropping, meaning it could linger near the coastline through to Saturday. This means that torrential rainfall could last for significant periods and cause catastrophic flooding, including in inland areas such as Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said: "The time to prepare is almost over, Disaster is at the doorstep and it's coming in." Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption People have left homes and taken precautions ahead of the hurricane Up to 1.7 million people have been ordered to evacuate across South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. Some 5.25 million people are under hurricane warning or watch, and another 4.9 million people are under storm warning or watch, Associated Press reported. What makes Florence so dangerous? The biggest danger to life could be from storm surges, which are still predicted to be as high as 13ft (4m) between Cape Fear and Cape Lookout in North Carolina, areas that could also see up to 40in (101cm) of rain. There will be hurricane-force winds up to 80 miles from the centre of the storm, meteorologists say. President Donald Trump issued a video message saying: "This is going to be one of the biggest ones to ever hit our country... Protection of life is the absolute highest priority." A National Weather Service forecaster said: "This will likely be the storm of a lifetime for portions of the Carolina coast. "And that's saying a lot given the impacts we've seen from Hurricanes Diana, Hugo, Fran, Bonnie, Floyd and Matthew. "I can't emphasise enough the potential for unbelievable damage from wind, storm surge and inland flooding with this storm." Jeff Byard, of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said: "This is going to be a Mike Tyson punch to the Carolina coast." What damage could it cause? Florence could wreak more than $170bn (£130bn) of havoc and damage nearly 759,000 homes and businesses, says analytics firm CoreLogic. Ask a question Energy companies warned Florence could knock out power in some areas for weeks Waves 83ft (25m) tall were recorded at sea on Wednesday morning. European astronaut Alexander Gerst shared images of Florence's eye wall from space, calling the storm a "no-kidding nightmare". Is anyone refusing to evacuate? But while many coastal residents have complied with mandatory evacuation orders, others are boarding up their homes and vowing to ride out the storm. Delicatessen owner in Wilmington, Brad Corpening, told Reuters he would stay, saying: "I'm not approaching Florence from fear or panic. It's going to happen. We just need to figure out how to make it through." Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The US Air Force team was gathering information about the storm Restaurant owner in the town, Solange Iliou Thompson, told AFP news agency: "I'm staying. The building's solid and Buddha will protect us. "What can you do? You can't stop Mother Nature." Hurricanes A guide to the world's deadliest storms Hurricanes are violent storms that can bring devastation to coastal areas, threatening lives, homes and businesses. Hurricanes develop from thunderstorms, fuelled by warm, moist air as they cross sub-tropical waters. Warm air rises into the storm. Air swirls in to fill the low pressure in the storm, sucking air in and upwards, reinforcing the low pressure. The storm rotates due to the spin of the earth and energy from the warm ocean increases wind speeds as it builds. When winds reach 119km/h (74mph), it is known as a hurricane - in the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific - or a typhoon in the Western Pacific. "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face. Well, we're about to get punched in the face." Florida Mayor Bob Buckhorn, ahead of Hurricane Irma (2017) The central eye of calmer weather is surrounded by a wall of rainstorms. This eyewall has the fastest winds below it and violent currents of air rising through it. A mound of water piles up below the eye which is unleashed as the storm reaches land. These storm surges can cause more damage from flooding than the winds. "Urgent warning about the rapid rise of water on the SW FL coast with the passage of #Irma's eye. MOVE AWAY FROM THE WATER!" Tweet from the National Hurricane Center The size of hurricanes is mainly measured by the Saffir-Simpson scale - other scales are used in Asia Pacific and Australia. Winds 119-153km/h Some minor flooding, little structural damage. Storm surge +1.2m-1.5m Winds 154-177km/h Roofs and trees could be damaged. Storm surge +1.8m-2.4m Winds 178-208km/h Houses suffer damage, severe flooding Storm surge +2.7m-3.7m Hurricane Sandy (2012) caused $71bn damage in the Caribbean and New York Winds 209-251km/h Some roofs destroyed and major structural damage to houses. Storm surge +4m-5.5m Hurricane Ike (2008) hit Caribbean islands and Louisiana and was blamed for at least 195 deaths Winds 252km/h+ Serious damage to buildings, severe flooding further inland. Storm surge +5.5m Hurricane Irma (2017) caused devastation in Caribbean islands, leaving thousands homeless "For everyone thinking they can ride this storm out, I have news for you: that will be one of the biggest mistakes you can make in your life." Mayor of New Orleans Ray Nagin ahead of Hurricane Gustav, 2008 Click arrow to proceed Loading ... Swipe to progress Go back to start Is global warming to blame? The relationship between climate change and hurricanes is a complex one. Warmer seas power hurricanes. So as the temperature of ocean water goes up, we might expect the intensity of hurricanes to increase in future. A hotter atmosphere can also hold more water, so this should allow hurricanes to dump more water on affected areas. But there are so many factors that contribute to these rare events, it has been difficult to tease out clear trends from the data. Are you in the area? How are you preparing for the hurricane? Let us know by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: ||||| Tweet with a location You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| Are you affected by Hurricane Florence? When it's safe, text, iMessage or WhatsApp your videos, photos and stories to CNN: +1 347-322-0415 (CNN) The rain turned sideways Thursday, rivers swelled and floodwaters began to fill streets, as massive Hurricane Florence trudged toward North Carolina. Florence is now a Category 1 storm with a 10-foot storm surge, according to the National Weather Service. The storm's outer bands lashed towns on the barrier islands and on some of the Tar Heel State's rivers, as the center of the cyclone moved to make a probable Friday landfall. In Morehead City, the rain and surf pounded the shoreline and took aim at the few boats still in the water. In New Bern, on the Neuse River, a CNN team had to keep shifting position in a park as the water kept rising until it was too dangerous to stay in the area. A weather station in Atlantic Beach recorded a total of 12.73 inches for a 24-hour period. Farther south, in Carolina Beach, the northern end of the town was being swamped as water crashed over the dunes. Some areas also saw the first of the hurricane-force winds. At Cape Lookout there were sustained winds of 83 mph and gusts of 106. "With this storm, it's a (Category 1) but the storm surge and the flooding is going to be that of a category 4," CNN Meteorologist Jennifer Gray said Thursday night. She said the momentum the storm has generated on its long trip across the Atlantic won't go away just "because the winds decrease a couple miles an hour." While wind speeds dropped Thursday, forecasters reminded people that what makes Florence extremely dangerous are the potentially deadly storm surges, the expected mammoth coastal flooding and historic rainfall. Florence is expected to go move slowly as it approaches North and South Carolina, whipping hurricane-force winds and dumping relentless rain at least through Saturday. "It's not going to take much in a lot of these areas to saturate the soil, so trees are going to come down really easily" and knock down power lines, said Ken Graham, director of the National Hurricane Center. Latest developments • Florence is getting closer: As of 2 a.m. ET Friday, the center of Florence was about 35 miles east-southeast of Wilmington, North Carolina. The storm's forward speed had slowed to 6 mph, and forecasters were concerned it might have stalled. • When is landfall? Florence's center will approach the North and South Carolina coasts late Thursday and Friday. The actual landfall -- when the center of the eye reaches land -- will be Friday afternoon at the earliest, said Neil Jacobs of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. • Widespread power outages: More than 102,000 homes and businesses are without power, the North Carolina Emergency Management agency said. • River rising: A gauge in the Neuse River near the town of Oriental indicated the water was 4 feet over flood stage and more than 5 feet above normal levels. • Many flights are canceled: More than 1,300 flights along the US East Coast have been canceled through Friday. More than 1,300 flights along the US East Coast have been canceled through Friday. Millions either flee or prepare for mayhem The tropical cyclone is expected to unload 10 trillion gallons of rainfall in North Carolina, weather.us meteorologist Ryan Maue said. That's enough to fill more than 15 million Olympic-size swimming pools. In the North Carolina town of Rodanthe, on Hatteras Island, Rebecca Well Hooper shot video of the pier early Thursday afternoon. "There is some damage ... but it is still standing strong. There is overwash but nothing we are not used to," she said. Despite days of warnings to evacuate, some residents are staying put -- even if they don't want to. Cheryl Browning lives with her husband and son, who has terminal cancer, in Richlands, North Carolina. They also have three dogs and three parrots. Browning's choice to stay in the hurricane warning zone wasn't easy, she said, but she "could not find anywhere to go." "Either no (hotel) rooms are available, or we are denied because the breed or size of dogs," she said. "Many that will accept them only allow one per room. And since we have three dogs and three parrots, they're requesting us to purchase two to six rooms." And there's no way her family could afford that -- or the $1,728 per room another hotel quoted. Other residents have told CNN they're not evacuating because emergency shelters won't accept pets. "Since my husband retired and my health declined, we have his retirement as an income. He is the only caregiver to me and my son," Browning said. "So since we can't find anything within our means ... we've opted to stay." Her neighbors gave her the key to their house, which is two stories and might be safer from flooding, she said. It's a kind gesture but doesn't alleviate Browning's fear. "I'm not going to lie: I'm scared," she said. "But I think it'll be OK." Browning said she had started a GoFundMe campaign in case repairs are needed for the family home. Thousands bunk in shelters More than 1 million people have been ordered to evacuate and authorities urged them to get going before the streets become inundated. "Inland flooding kills a lot of people. ... Please keep that in mind," and consider leaving soon, Brock Long, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said midmorning Thursday. In North Carolina, Florence is expected to dump up to 40 inches of rain and storm surge will be high. "Catastrophic effects will be felt outside the center of the storm due to storm surge," North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said Thursday morning. "Tens of thousands of structures are expected to be flooded, and many more by rising rivers and creeks." In Murrell's Inlet, South Carolina, Mikey Zalloum of Uncle Mikey's Brick Oven Pizza sweated as he worked feverishly to make pies Thursday night. His bustling pizza restaurant is one of the few businesses open in the evacuated town. Why is he open when the town is mostly evacuated? He said he has been through this many times in his 15 years in the Myrtle Beach area and that "nothing is going to happen." Mikey Zalloum makes pizza Thursday night at his Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, restaurant. He said he usually doesn't make the pizzas himself, but he was on Thursday because "everybody is scared," including most of his staff. Emergencies declared in several states Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Maura Walbourne sits in the front of a canoe as she looks inside her flooded home in Conway, South Carolina, on Sunday, September 23. Hide Caption 1 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath A home in Conway, South Carolina, is inundated by floodwaters on Wednesday, September 26, one week after Hurricane Florence. Hide Caption 2 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Taylor James navigates floodwaters in a boat in front of Trinity United Methodist Church in Conway, South Carolina on Wednesday, September 26. Hide Caption 3 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Floodwaters from the Neuse River cover part of Kinston, North Carolina, on Monday, September 24. Hide Caption 4 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Brian Terry looks at the floodwaters outside his home in Brittons Neck, South Carolina, on Saturday, September 22. Hide Caption 5 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath An officer with the South Carolina State Highway Patrol marks the water level of Highway 22 on Saturday. Hide Caption 6 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Avery Singleton takes a boat to Pine Grove Baptist Church in Brittons Neck, South Carolina, on Saturday. Hide Caption 7 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath President Donald Trump hands out food at Temple Baptist Church, where food and other supplies were being distributed Wednesday, September 19, as part of Hurricane Florence recovery efforts in New Bern, North Carolina. Hide Caption 8 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Trump shakes hands as he visits the New Bern church on Wednesday. Hide Caption 9 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath A woman in Currie, North Carolina, sits on a damaged road surrounded by floodwaters on Tuesday, September 18. Hide Caption 10 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Ronnie Gainey pulls an electric guitar from his flooded home in Darlington, South Carolina. Hide Caption 11 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Two people near Wallace, South Carolina, sit on the top of a vehicle that was caught in flooding on Monday, September 17. Hide Caption 12 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Rescue personnel help people evacuate a flooded area in Spring Lake, North Carolina. Hide Caption 13 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Floodwaters surround a trailer in Pollocksville, North Carolina, on September 17. Hide Caption 14 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Pollocksville resident Willie Schubert cradles his dog, Lucky, atop a stranded van as they await help from the US Coast Guard on September 17. Hide Caption 15 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Floodwaters are seen on North Carolina's Emerald Isle on Sunday, September 16. Hide Caption 16 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Chicken farm buildings are inundated with floodwaters near Trenton, North Carolina, on September 16. Hide Caption 17 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Panicked dogs left caged by their owner are rescued by volunteer Ryan Nichols in Leland, North Carolina, on September 16. Hide Caption 18 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath A church is partially submerged in Richlands, North Carolina, on September 16. Hide Caption 19 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Coast Guard member Blake Gwinn helps Josephine Horne escape her flooded home in Columbus County, North Carolina, on September 16. Hide Caption 20 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath A large tree lies on top of a mobile home in Newport, North Carolina, on September 16. Hide Caption 21 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath John Hendren leads horses to safety after the US Coast Guard helped cut up a fallen tree that had trapped the animals in a flooded field in Lumberton, North Carolina. Hide Caption 22 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Tony Thompson stands in the wreckage of his mobile home as Florence moved inland over Newport, North Carolina, on September 16. Hide Caption 23 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath A woman and a young girl walk down a flooded road in Pollocksville on September 16. Hide Caption 24 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Floodwaters inundate parts of Trenton, North Carolina, on September 16. Hide Caption 25 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Members of the Coast Guard help a stranded motorist in floodwaters in Lumberton, North Carolina, on September 16. Hide Caption 26 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath A man peers from his flooded home in Lumberton on September 16. Hide Caption 27 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Members of a search-and-rescue team help an elderly resident onto a bus as they evacuate an assisted living facility in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on Saturday, September 15. Hide Caption 28 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath A member of the US Coast Guard checks on homes after Florence hit Newport, North Carolina, on September 15 . Hide Caption 29 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath A neighbor takes photos of a boat smashed against a car garage near the Neuse River in New Bern on Saturday. Hide Caption 30 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath A truck is submerged in floodwaters in Jacksonville, North Carolina, on Saturday. Hide Caption 31 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Joseph Eudi surveys debris and storm damage at a home in New Bern, North Carolina, on September 15. Hide Caption 32 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath A woman calls for help at her flooded residence as Florence brought large amounts of rain and floodwaters to Lumberton, North Carolina, on Saturday. Hide Caption 33 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath People wait in line to fill gas cans at a gas station that was damaged when Florence hit Wilmington, North Carolina, on Saturday. Hide Caption 34 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath A baseball field on Mill Creek Road is filled with floodwater after Florence hit Newport, North Carolina, on Saturday. Hide Caption 35 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Mike Pollack searches for a drain in the yard of his flooded waterfront home in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Saturday. Hide Caption 36 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Floodwaters from Florence inundate the town of Engelhard, North Carolina, on Saturday. Hide Caption 37 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Ray Baca of Wilmington, North Carolina, checks his phone as he sits on a bench. Hide Caption 38 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath A sailboat lifted by storm surge leans against a building at Bridgepointe Marina in New Bern, North Carolina, on Saturday, a day after Florence's landfall. Hide Caption 39 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Kim Adams wades through floodwaters surrounding her home in Southport, North Carolina, on September 15. Hide Caption 40 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Volunteers help rescue three children from a flooded home in James City, North Carolina, on Friday, September 14. Hide Caption 41 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Russ Lewis covers his eyes from wind and sand in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on September 14. Hide Caption 42 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Volunteers help rescue people from their flooded homes in New Bern on September 14. Hide Caption 43 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Waves crash into the Second Avenue Pier in Myrtle Beach on September 14. Hide Caption 44 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath The storm leaves a tree toppled in New Bern on September 14. Hide Caption 45 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Soldiers from the North Carolina National Guard reinforce a low-lying area with sandbags in Lumberton, North Carolina, on September 14. Hide Caption 46 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Robert Simmons Jr. and his kitten are rescued from floodwaters in New Bern on September 14. Hide Caption 47 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Teddie Davis checks on one of the New Bern's signature bear statues toppled by the storm on September 14. Another one of the bears, in the background, ended up in the middle of a downtown street. Hide Caption 48 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Rising waters threaten downtown Washington, North Carolina, as the Pamlico River overruns its banks on September 14. Hide Caption 49 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath An abandoned van sits on a flooded road near New Bern on September 14. Hide Caption 50 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath A boat sits wedged in trees in Oriental, North Carolina, near New Bern, on September 14. Hide Caption 51 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Members of a Federal Emergency Management Agency team from California search a flooded neighborhood in Fairfield Harbour, North Carolina, on September 14. Hide Caption 52 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Rescue workers attempt to remove a giant tree that fell onto a house in Wilmington, North Carolina, on September 14. Two people died when the tree collapsed -- among the first storm-related deaths due to Hurricane Florence. Hide Caption 53 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Electric poles that snapped in half sway from their wires in Wilmington on September 14. Hide Caption 54 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Lee Casteen, left, and Try Hinton use a chainsaw to clear a tree blocking a road in Wilmington on September 14. Hide Caption 55 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Rescue workers help a woman and her dog from a flooded house in James City on September 14. Hide Caption 56 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Michael Nelson floats in a boat fashioned from a metal tub and fishing floats after the Neuse River flooded September 13 in New Bern. Hide Caption 57 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Powerful winds and waves destroy portions of a boat dock and boardwalk in Atlantic Beach on September 13. Hide Caption 58 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Residents wade through streets flooded by the Neuse River in New Bern on September 13. Hide Caption 59 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Astronaut Alexander Gerst posted this photo on Twitter of Hurricane Florence saying, "It's chilling, even from space." Gerst is aboard the International Space Station. Hide Caption 60 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Evacuees take refuge at Burgaw Middle School in Burgaw, North Carolina, on September 12. Hide Caption 61 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Marge Brown says goodbye to her father, George Brown, before his evacuation from a health care home in Morehead City, North Carolina, on September 12. Hide Caption 62 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Workers take boats out of the water in Wanchese Harbor in Wanchese, North Carolina, on September 12 as the Outer Banks prepares for Florence. Hide Caption 63 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Astronaut Gerst also posted this photo to Twitter on September 12, saying, "Watch out, America! #HurricaneFlorence is so enormous, we could only capture her with a super wide-angle lens from the @Space_Station, 400 km directly above the eye. Get prepared on the East Coast, this is a no-kidding nightmare coming for you." Hide Caption 64 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Jeff Bryant, left, and James Evans board the windows of a business in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Tuesday, September 11. Hide Caption 65 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath People fill sandbags in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, on September 11. Hide Caption 66 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Both lanes of Interstate 26 flow westbound in North Charleston, South Carolina, toward Columbia as people evacuate inland on September 11. Hide Caption 67 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Laura Gretch holds Frances, a Chihuahua mix, as she helps unload cats and dogs arriving at the Humane Rescue Alliance in Washington from Norfolk, Virginia, on September 11. Hide Caption 68 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Veronica Gallardo and Robert Kelly place a plastic tarp over an American flag inside the Casemate Museum at Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia, on September 11. Hide Caption 69 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath A man eyes a store's bare bread shelves as people stock up on food in Myrtle Beach on September 11. Hide Caption 70 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Chuck Ledford, left, watches cartoons on a phone with his daughter Misty as they seek shelter at Emma B. Trask Middle School in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Tuesday, September 11. Hide Caption 71 of 72 Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Florence and its aftermath Scott Fleenor, bottom, and Jeremiah Trendell board over the windows of a business in Myrtle Beach. Hide Caption 72 of 72 Officials in several states have declared states of emergency, including in the Carolinas, Georgia, Virginia and Maryland, where coastal areas are still recovering from summer storms. Florence is one of four named storms in the Atlantic. Tropical Storm Isaac is forecast to approach the Lesser Antilles Islands on Thursday. Hurricane Helene is veering toward Ireland and Great Britain. And newly formed Subtropical Storm Joyce is not expected to threaten land soon. ||||| North Carolina’s coastal communities began feeling the wrath of Hurricane Florence on Thursday, a storm that could be the worst to hit the region in a generation. The assault of wind and rain is expected to last through the weekend and well into next week. The storm is packing powerful winds of up to 90 miles per hour as it approaches the coast, driving a storm surge that could reach 11 feet in places. Inland residents are bracing for rainfall that is being forecast in feet, not inches, with the potential for catastrophic flash flooding. Here are the latest developments: • The center of the storm was about 30 miles east of Wilmington, N.C., at 4 a.m. Friday, with tropical-storm-force winds spreading across the Outer Banks and the southeastern coast of North Carolina. The National Hurricane Center said the storm, which has begun to slow and is now a Category 1 hurricane, was likely to maintain its intensity until its eye made landfall early Friday. • The cloud coverage from the storm, an indication of its size, is as large as the Carolinas. • The storm is forecast to crawl inland, drenching a wide area with extremely heavy rains — 20, 30 or even 40 inches of rainfall are predicted in some spots on the Carolina coast. Places as far inland as Charlotte, about 150 miles from the coast, could receive more than 10 inches of rain. Learn more about why slow-moving hurricanes are so dangerous. ||||| We've detected that JavaScript is disabled in your browser. Would you like to proceed to legacy Twitter? Yes

– Hurricane Florence has lost a bit of steam, but that doesn't mean the Carolinas are out of the woods. The BBC reports that wind speeds have come down to 110mph, reslotting the hurricane into the Category 2 category from a Category 3, per a National Hurricane Center advisory on Thursday morning. But the winds aren't expected to die down further, and Florence's forward speed toward the coast is starting to slow, meaning once it makes landfall somewhere along the coast of the Carolinas—right now expected for late Thursday into Friday, per CNN—it will likely linger, without much motion, near the coastline, which could prove disastrous for those in its path. That's because the relentless rain may not let up for some time, leading to heavy flooding, even further inland. Huge storm surges of up to 13 feet are also feared. "Do not focus on the wind speed category," the National Weather Service warned in an early Thursday tweet. "This is going to be a Mike Tyson punch to the Carolina coast," a FEMA official says, per the BBC. European astronaut Alexander Gerst shared pictures of Florence—which USA Today says is bigger than the state of North Carolina—from space, calling the storm a "no-kidding nightmare." In addition to North and South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and Maryland are also in the storm's sights. The Carolinas' main power supplier warns it could take weeks to restore power to the millions expected to lose it, per the New York Times. "The time to prepare is almost over. Disaster is at the doorstep, and it's coming in," North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said.

Exxon and Russian oil giant Rosneft entered a joint venture in 2012 to develop offshore reserves in the Arctic Kara Sea and the Black Sea, as well as onshore assets in Siberia. Those deals, which represent a big part of Exxon's potential future production growth, were halted by U.S. sanctions. Exxon said in a filing after the sanctions were put in place that its "maximum before-tax exposure to loss from these joint ventures" totaled $1 billion through the end of 2015. The U.S. energy giant is concerned that European competitors still operating in Russia will gain an advantage in the Black Sea, a source briefed on its waiver application told The Wall Street Journal this week. The company also faces a contractual deadline to make an oil discovery there by the end of the year, the paper reported. Exxon said in a statement on Friday: "We understand the statement today by Secretary Mnuchin in consultation with President Trump. Our 2015 application for a license under the provisions outlined in the U.S. sanctions was made to enable our company to meet its contractual obligations under a joint venture agreement in Russia, where competitor companies are authorized to undertake such work under European sanctions." The news of Exxon's effort to re-enter Russia drew swift criticism from both sides of the aisle. Sen. John McCain, Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, linked to the Journal story on Exxon's waiver application in a tweet and asked, "Are they crazy?" In a statement to CNBC on Friday, Sen. Marco Rubio said, "While a waiver to allow business with prohibited Russian entities may be in Exxon-Mobil's interest, it would clearly not be in America's national security interest." Sen. Ben Cardin, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Friday said the deals that Exxon sought "would put money in the pockets of Russian oligarchs and the Russian treasury, guaranteed to be used against America, our interests, and our allies." ||||| Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a press release “the Treasury Department will not be issuing waivers to U.S. companies, including Exxon.” | Getty Treasury denies Exxon waiver from Russian sanctions The Trump administration said Friday that it would not grant a waiver from Russian sanctions to Exxon Mobil or any other energy companies. The Treasury Department announcement follows reports that Exxon had been seeking such a waiver to drill in the Black Sea. It comes as the FBI and congressional intelligence committees investigate Russian hacking aimed at disrupting the last election and potential contact with members of President Donald Trump's campaign. Story Continued Below Exxon had a partnership with Russia’s state-owned Rosneft dating back to 2011 that started to yield oil just before the Obama administration set the sanctions in 2014 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Former Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson now heads the State Department, but had promised to step aside from decisions involving his previous employer. The company had sought waivers since 2015 and received permission to maintain a small office in Russia to ensure it did not lose drilling rights under the partnership. Current and former officials at the State Department had said it was unclear whether the oil major was still pushing to expand its activities there. “In consultation with President Donald J. Trump, the Treasury Department will not be issuing waivers to U.S. companies, including Exxon, authorizing drilling prohibited by current Russian sanctions,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in the one-sentence press release Friday. Pursuing the waiver would have been politically sensitive and possibly have had more potential cons for Exxon and the Trump administration than pros, said Jim Krane, fellow in energy geopolitics at Rice University's Baker Institute. Morning Money Political intelligence on Washington and Wall Street — weekday mornings, in your inbox. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. “There seems to be very little upside to singling out Exxon Mobil and Russia for special treatment,” Krane said. “It would give Russia political and commercial leverage over one of America’s biggest and most politically connected companies, which implies heightened Russian influence in the Trump administration. A Trump administration approval of a waiver would thus reek of conflict of interest.” While Tillerson has recused himself from matters involving Exxon, the State Department along with the Treasury Department would be responsible for granting any waiver for the energy company to operate in Russia while sanctions are in place. ||||| United States and European sanctions were first imposed on Russia in March 2014 in response to Moscow’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. Exxon Mobil signed an expansion of its joint venture projects anyway, even after Igor I. Sechin, Rosneft’s chief executive, was personally blacklisted in connection with the sanctions. The deal was legal, but Exxon Mobil was more fully constrained when tighter sanctions were imposed after Russia was implicated that summer in the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine. It has become increasingly clear in recent days that relations between the United States and Russia are unlikely to improve any time soon. Mr. Tillerson has used increasingly tough talk to highlight the Trump administration’s differences with Russia over its alliance with the Syrian government. He has not suggested that any sanctions be lifted, and the administration has affirmed its commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and European security. Exxon Mobil’s hopes to produce new oil in Arctic waters and in Siberian shale fields were delayed indefinitely by the toughened sanctions, which prohibited transfers of drilling technology capable of reaching oil in fields that previously had been virtually inaccessible. The company received a few exceptions to the sanctions, including a waiver in late 2014 that allowed it complete drilling of one exploration well in the frigid Kara Sea that it said would be unsafe to leave half finished. A big oil field was confirmed, but no new oil was produced and exported. Exxon Mobil has long argued that it was being put at a disadvantage against some of its European competitors operating in Russia. ENI, the Italian oil giant, plans to drill this year in the Black Sea, a largely untapped area with enormous oil reserve potential. European sanctions are somewhat weaker than those imposed by the United States since they exempted some contracts signed before the sanctions were put in place. The American sanctions drew a harder line. Exxon Mobil’s drilling rights in the Black Sea were part of a sweeping strategic partnership Exxon Mobil developed with Rosneft in 2011 while Mr. Tillerson was in charge of the American company. The agreement came at a time when the Obama administration was seeking to improve relations with Russia, and several Western oil companies expanded their operations.

– The US government won't be granting Exxon Mobil a waiver from Russian sanctions, Politico reports. It had been reported this week that the oil and gas company was seeking a waiver to allow it to drill in the Black Sea. The refusal of that waiver came Friday in the form of a one-sentence press release from Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who added that no US companies will be given a waiver from Russian sanctions. The sanctions were put in place in 2014 by the Obama administration after Russia invaded Ukraine. They interrupted a partnership between Exxon and Russia's state-owned Rosneft. Exxon's apparent request for a waiver was condemned by Republicans and Democrats alike, CNBC reports. For example, John McCain's response was a succinct, "Are they crazy?" It also put the Trump administration in a tough spot between continuing reports of ties between Russia and the Trump campaign and former Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson's new gig as Secretary of State, according to the New York Times. An expert in energy geopolitics says had the waiver been granted, it may have ended up being bad, at least in terms of optics, for both the Trump administration and Exxon. The denial of the waiver comes with Trump apparently cooling on Russia and its president.

Finally Revealed: Jeb Bush's Secret Guacamole Recipe Enlarge this image toggle caption Meg Kelly/NPR Meg Kelly/NPR It all started with a question about food labeling at the Iowa Agriculture Summit earlier this year and Jeb Bush's not-so-humble brag: "When I go to Publix in Coral Gables after church to go prepare for Sunday Funday in my house ... I'll probably make a really good guacamole and I want to know where that avocado is from and I want to know where the onions are from and the cilantro and all the secret stuff I put in it." Then, Bush sold molcajetes (aka mortar and pestle) — stone devices used to crush or grind food — in his campaign shop. They're listed as "Guaca Bowles" and cost $75 (that's even more than the Sur La Table molcajete shaped like a pig). Twitter had a field day with it. So did Stephen Colbert. "Jeb and Columba love whipping up guacamole on Sunday Funday," the page on his online shop reads. "Now, you can get in on the act with this 'Guaca Bowle.' Jeb's secret guacamole recipe not included ... yet." Enlarge this image toggle caption Kayana Szymczak for NPR Kayana Szymczak for NPR Bush hadn't given up that recipe ... until now. In an interview with NPR's Steve Inskeep (the bulk of which was about the 2016 presidential campaign, national security and immigration), he said it's the first time he's shared the secret to his "mighty fine" guac — though he added he "didn't give enough specifics" so "it's still secret squirrel enough." If you're settling in for a bowl game or cozy New Year's Eve here it is: Jeb Bush's Guacamole Avocados "Make sure they're not too ripe, but they gotta be ripe enough." Cilantro Onions Jalapeño "rather than chile serrano" Garlic "not too much" Enlarge this image toggle caption Meg Kelly/NPR Meg Kelly/NPR Notes: No lemon and no tomatoes. And don't go making this in a bowl. "You gotta use a molcajete," Bush said. One final note ... judging from Obama's preferred guacamole, it appears this recipe might include a pinch of bipartisanship: ||||| Hello, this is a shock and an honor: we have finally secured the recipe to Sr. Heb Boosh’s famous guacamole, the very same guacamole that sits inside this $75 Guaca Bowle for sale on his campaign website. In a recent interview with NPR, Jeb revealed a broad outline of this guacamole recipe we have heard so much about, leaving out some specifics to keep it “secret squirrel enough.” (I don’t know what that means.) Avocados “Make sure they’re not too ripe, but they gotta be ripe enough.” Cilantro Onions Jalapeño “rather than chile serrano” Garlic “not too much” Notes: No lemon and no tomatoes. And don’t go making this in a bowl. “You gotta use amolcajete,” Bush said. F yeah, you gotta! Advertisement Advertisement Bush left some ingredients out, obviously, because of the secret squirrels, but I thiiiink I’ve watched enough Top Chef to fill in the blanks here, you guys! In order to make your guacamole taste exactly like Jeb’s guacamole, you’ll probably need to add the following: 1 cup of shredded $100 bills 6 dozen sidelong glances of pain 1/2 teaspoon of upper lip sweat A pinch of regret 5 cups of visible discomfort, finely chopped 4 tablespoons of hair ripped out in the middle of the night while dreaming of a lost legacy Salt to taste Muy good! Contact the author at ellie@jezebel.com. Advertisement Advertisement

– As Jezebel points out, Jeb Bush likes to talk about his supposedly famous, "secret" guacamole recipe. On Bush's campaign website, you can even buy a Made-in-America "Guaca Bowle" for $75. (The description notes, "Jeb and Columba love whipping up guacamole on Sunday Funday.") Now, in a new interview with NPR, Bush finally reveals his recipe publicly for the first time ... or at least, most of it: Avocados that are "not too ripe, but they gotta be ripe enough" Cilantro Onions Jalapeno "rather than chile serrano," Bush points out Garlic, but "not too much" Do not, however, include any lemon or tomatoes, Bush says Bush notes that he did not include all the "specifics," so as to keep the recipe somewhat "secret squirrel" Other headline-making guacamole recipes: the NYT's, Chipotle's, and Jack White's.

Image copyright Andrey Atuchin Image caption The new predator was on the same evolutionary line as T. rex A new super-predator dinosaur that roamed the Earth 80 million years ago has been discovered in southern Utah. It was closely related to its slightly larger relative, Tyrannosaurus rex, but lived earlier, making it the largest living land predator of its time. Growing to about 30ft (9m) long, the predator has been named Lythronax argestes which means "king of gore". The research, published in the journal Plos One, highlights once more that the age of discovery is far from over. The team also hopes this new find will help uncover what the climate was like towards the end of the age of dinosaurs. "It's always exciting to find new species but what's really significant is what these species tell us about their ancient world," said Randall Irmis, co-author of the study at the Natural History Museum of Utah, US. "This was a very different place 80 million years ago. It was a very lush, wet, tropical environment and there were no polar ice caps at the time." Tyrannosaurid dinosaurs Image copyright Lukas Panzarin Image caption The new predator was on the same evolutionary line as T-Rex Lythronax belongs to a group of carnivorous dinosaurs called Tyrannosaurids, the same group as the T. rex belongs to a group of carnivorous dinosaurs called Tyrannosaurids, the same group as the They are the greatest carnivores - though not the largest - to have walked the Earth Lived in the Late Cretaceous Period, between 95-70 million years ago The new find lived on a strip of land called Laramidia in western North America This same area was home to a range of species such as the the horned and duck billed dinosaurs Recently an unusual new species of horned dinosaur with a big nose was also discovered in the area BBC Nature - Dinosaurs videos, news and facts Short snout First discovered in 2009, the partial skeleton included a number of bones from the skull and some from the rest of the body. The fossils were then excavated and studied in the lab. The new discovery was closely related to T. rex and shows that similar features evolved 10 million years earlier than previously thought. Lythronax had a short and narrow snout and forward slanting eyes. Like its evolutionary relative, it had a head full of sharp teeth and was a ferocious predator, the largest of its ecosystem. The team also uncovered the most complete fossils of another named species of Tyrannosaur - Teratophoneus curriei. It was previously only known from a few skull bones but the team now have more than 70% of its skeleton. "There's a whole diversity of different branches of the Tyrannosaur family tree that are waiting to be found out there," Dr Irmis told BBC News. It was previously unclear why there were so many different Tyrannosaurid species present in a similar area, as the animals were able to move around freely. The palaeontologists believe this was due to a changing of sea level. "We think that when the sea level was high it was isolating areas in western North America that caused different species to evolve in isolation and that's why we're finding so many different species," added Dr Irmis. He explained that the creature had been named the "King of Gore" because of its super-predator status. The second part of its name "argestes" comes from Greek poet Homer's naming of a south-westerly wind. Image copyright Mark Loewen Image caption Lythronax had binocular vision which made it a ferocious hunter "Tyrannosaurids were the really large predators in their ecosystem. It's fairly certain based on what we can see on their skull, teeth and body size they probably ate whatever they could fit in their mouths," added Dr Irmis. Apex predator Another research member of the team, Joseph Sertich of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, US, explained that the back of its skull was very wide which gave it good hunting eyes. "One of the things that makes T. rex different from other dinosaurs is that it is able to look forward, it has binocular vision. Lythronax had that feature as well, its field of view could overlap which probably made it a better hunter," Dr Sertich told BBC News. "It was the apex predator of its time. It was the oldest advanced Tyrannosaur of its group, which is quite surprising. "This is the tip of the iceberg. It's amazing what we're finding in southern Utah right now. You can walk over some of the hills and find fossils littering the sides of the slopes," he added. Mike Benton at the University of Bristol, UK, who was not involved with the study, said the new find was important for understanding patterns of evolution of the Tyrannosaurids. "Previously, Tyrannosauri origins were uncertain, whether in Asia or North America, and the new find tends to suggest a mainly North American evolution for the group." ||||| Paleontologists have announced the discovery of a new dinosaur, the closest known relative of T. rex, in a find that divulges new information about the evolution of the greatest tyrant lizard king of them all. The "king of gore" joins a family tree that already includes “frightful,” “fierce” and “alarming” kings, as well as a “monstrous murderer.” This new dinosaur’s name, if subservient to the true “tyrant king,” is formidable in its own right: “the king of gore.” Paleontologists have announced the find of a new royal in T. rex’s dynastic lineage, a family tree that already includes “frightful,” “fierce” and “alarming” kings, as well as a “monstrous murderer.” The new dinosaur, called Lythronax argestes, or “the king of gore from the southwest,” ruled its ecosystem some 11 million years before T. rex’s reign. The uncovered dinosaur, described in PLOS ONE, is at some 80 million years old the most ancient of T. rex’s closest relatives. But, in a perhaps counterintuitive point, Lythronax also appears to be T. rex’s closest known common ancestor, more related to the tyrant than is any other member of the group of T. rex relatives, called tyrannosaurids. The find suggests that the features that would go on to appear in the greatest tyrant of them all evolved much earlier than paleontologists had thought. “We rewrote the family tree of T. rex,” says Mark Loewen, a paleontologist at the Natural History Museum of Utah and the lead author on the paper. “We’ve provided new evidence about where T. rex comes from.” Lythronax, unearthed in 2009 in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, in Utah, lived in what is known as Laramidia, the island that existed from about 95 to 70 million years ago, when elevated sea levels cut what is now North America into separate islands. The long slice of land, ranging from Alaska to Mexico, was a booming kingdom of dinosaurs – a kingdom in which Lythronax, for at least a couple million years, was the king of its own realm in the territory’s southern coastal region. And its reign was far from benevolent. “Lythronax, like all tyrannosaurids, was the apex predator in its world,” says Joe Sertich, a paleontologist at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and a co-author on the paper, “hunting anything it wanted including duckbilled dinosaurs and horned dinosaurs like Diabloceratops.” Like most T. rex relatives, Lythronax was big, weighing 2.5 tons and at 24 feet long, with a mouth full of treacherous teeth. But Lythronax also had some unexpected features: a short, narrow snout but a wide skull, with forward-oriented eyes. These features gave it what the authors call “binocular vision,” a trait that this king shares with just two other dinosaurs in the T. rex's lineage of close relatives. Those are Tarbosaurus bataar, a 70-million-year-old T. rex cousin, and the 69-million-year-old T. rex itself. Researchers had thought that such a face appeared in the T. rex lineage not before 70 million years ago, when Tarbosaurus, the “alarming” king, took control over its little swath of Asia. Lythronax, though, now pushes the evolution of those features back some 10 million years. This means that the tyrannosaurids had diversified into separate tyrannosaurid species as of 80 million years ago. The researchers propose that high sea levels between about 85 and 72 million years ago might be responsible for this early diversification, splicing Laramidia into separate sectors where dinosaur species evolved in isolation from each other. “Fluctuating sea levels during the Late Cretaceous period likely played a major role in the distribution and evolution of the group,” says Dr. Sertich, "eventually culminating in the appearance of the true tyrant king, T. rex at the end of the age of dinosaurs." The early diversification of the tyrannosaurid group suggests that there are likely to be as of yet undiscovered other members of T. rex’s lineages, each of which once reigned over their small section of land in Laramidia, cruel fiefdoms of the prehistoric world, says Randall Irmi, a paleontologist at the Natural History Museum of Utah and a co-author on the paper. “There's a slew of new tyrannosaurs waiting to be discovered out there,” he says. “We are just beginning to understand this 80-million-year-old ecosystem.” ||||| Paleontologists on Wednesday unveiled a new dinosaur discovered four years ago in southern Utah that proves giant tyrant dinosaurs like the Tyrannosaurus rex were around 10 million years earlier than previously believed. Realistic model derived from actual skull bones of a new species of tyrannosaur unearthed in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah is revealed at the Utah Museum of Natural History... (Associated Press) A new species of tyrannosaur unearthed in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah is revealed at the Utah Museum of Natural History Museum in Salt Lake City by Dr. Mark Loewen and... (Associated Press) A new species of tyrannosaur unearthed in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah is revealed at the Utah Museum of Natural History Museum in Salt Lake City, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013.... (Associated Press) A new species of tyrannosaur unearthed in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah is revealed at the Utah Museum of Natural History Museum in Salt Lake City by Dr. Mark Loewen, Wednesday,... (Associated Press) This photo released by the Natural History Museum of Utah, shows a front view of the skull of the fossilized skeleton of a newly-discovered dinosaur, Lythronax argestes, which was found in southern Utah,... (Associated Press) Skull with original bones of a new species of tyrannosaur unearthed in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah is revealed at the Utah Museum of Natural History Museum in Salt Lake... (Associated Press) CORRECTS TO NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF UTAH, NOT NATIONAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF UTAH - This photo released by the Natural History Museum of Utah, shows the cliff in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument... (Associated Press) This photo released by the Natural History Museum of Utah shows the fossilized skeleton of a newly-discovered dinosaur, Lythronax argestes, which was found in southern Utah, on the display at the museum... (Associated Press) CORRECTS TO NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF UTAH, NOT NATIONAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF UTAH - This photo released by the Natural History Museum of Utah shows paleontologist Mark Loewen with the fossilized skeleton... (Associated Press) This image released by the Natural History Museum of Utah shows a model of a newly-discovered dinosaur, Lythronax argestes, whose fossils have been found in southern Utah. Paleontologists say the bone-crushing... (Associated Press) This artist's rendering released by the Natural History Museum of Utah, shows a newly-discovered dinosaur, Lythronax argestes, whose fossils have been found in southern Utah. Paleontologists say this... (Associated Press) A full skeletal replica of the carnivore _ the equivalent of the great uncle of the T. rex _ was on display at the Natural History Museum of Utah alongside a 3-D model of the head and a large painted mural of the dinosaur roaming a shoreline. It was the public's first glimpse at the new species, which researchers named Lythronax argestes (LY'-throw-nax ar-GES'-tees). The first part of the name means "king of gore," and the second part is derived from poet Homer's southwest wind. The fossils were found in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in November 2009, and a team of paleontologists spent the past four years digging them up and traveling the world to confirm they were a new species. Paleontologists believe the dinosaur lived 80 million years ago in the late Cretaceous Period on a landmass in the flooded central region of North America. The discovery offers valuable new insight into the evolution of the ferocious tyrannosaurs that have been made famous in movies and captured the awe of school children and adults alike, said Thomas Holtz Jr., a vertebrate paleontologist at the University of Maryland department of geology. "This shows that these big, banana-tooth bruisers go back to the very first days of the giant tyrant dinosaurs," said Holtz, who reviewed the findings. "This one is the first example of these kind of dinosaurs being the ruler of the land." The new dinosaur likely was a bit smaller than the Tyrannosaurus rex but was otherwise similar, said Mark Loewen, a University of Utah paleontologist who co-authored a journal article about the discovery with fellow University of Utah paleontologist Randall Irmis. It was 24 feet long and 8 feet tall at the hip, and was covered in scales and feathers, Loewen said. Asked what the carnivorous dinosaur ate, Loewen responded: "Whatever it wants." "That skull is designed for grabbing something, shaking it to death and tearing it apart," he said. The fossils were found by a seasonal paleontologist technician for the Bureau of Land Management who climbed up two cliffs and stopped at the base of a third in the national monument. "I realized I was standing with bone all around me," said Scott Richardson, who called his boss, Alan Titus, to let him know about the fossils. Loewen and others spent three years traveling the world to compare the fossils to other dinosaurs to be absolutely sure it was a new species. The findings are being published in the journal PLOS One. The fossils were found in a southern Utah rock formation that also has produced the oldest-known triceratops, named "Diabloceratops," and other dome-headed and armored dinosaurs. There are about 1 million acres of cretaceous rocks that could be holding other new species of dinosaurs, said Titus, the BLM paleontologist who oversees the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Only about 10 percent of the rock formation has been scoured, he said. Twelve other new dinosaurs found there are waiting to be named. "We are just getting started," Titus said. "We have a really big sandbox to play in." Holtz said the finding is a testament to the bounty of fossils lying in the earth in North America. He predicts more discoveries in Utah. "It shows we don't have to go to Egypt or Mongolia or China to find new dinosaurs," Holtz said. "It's just a matter of getting the field teams out." ___ Follow Brady McCombs at https://twitter.com/BradyMcCombs

– Tyrannosaurus rex may have ruled the land in its day, but a newly discovered species, its closest known relative, was the top dog some 10 million years earlier. Lythronax argestes—which translates to "the king of gore from the southwest"—lived 80 million years ago in the central region of North America, and with a skull "designed for grabbing something, shaking it to death, and tearing it apart," the feathery, scaly beast ate whatever it fancied, researchers tell the AP. Fossils of the new species were found in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah in 2009 but it took paleontologists four years to dig them up and confirm they belonged to an undiscovered dinosaur. "This shows that these big, banana-tooth bruisers go back to the very first days of the giant tyrant dinosaurs," says one paleontologist. "This one is the first example of these kind of dinosaurs being the ruler of the land." With a short, narrow snout and eyes that slanted forward for an overlapping field of vision, it had the view of a hunter, the BBC reports, though at 24 feet long and 8 feet tall at the hip, it would have been smaller than T. rex. But the Lythronax probably won't be the last T. rex ancestor to be found. "There's a slew of new tyrannosaurs waiting to be discovered out there," a paleontologist tells the Christian Science Monitor. "We are just beginning to understand this 80-million-year-old ecosystem." Click for another fascinating fossil find: a "platypus-zilla."

WASHINGTON—U.S. intelligence officials are investigating indications that al Qaeda's North African affiliate is connected with militants involved in the attack on a U.S. consulate in Libya, the top U.S. counterterrorism official said, providing the first public acknowledgment of the extremist movement's possible involvement in the deadly assault. The Sept. 11 attack in Benghazi, Libya, came as protests erupted there and in Egypt, before spreading throughout the Middle East and to Europe and Southeast Asia after word circulated... ||||| Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Pakistani demonstrators beat an effigy of Florida pastor Terry Jones during a protest against an anti-Islam film in Lahore on Monday, September 24. More than 50 people have died around the world in violence linked to protests against the low-budget movie, which mocks Islam and the Prophet Mohammed, since the first demonstrations erupted on September 11. See more of CNN's best photography Hide Caption 1 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Philippine Muslims gather coins they collected from the provinces to be used to pay for filing a petition before the Philippine Supreme Court in Manila on Monday asking for local authorities to ban the controversial "Innocence of Muslims" film from being posted on the Internet. Hundreds of Muslim protesters in the Philippines called for a ban on the film before the U.S. Embassy. Hide Caption 2 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – A woman speaks on a megaphone prior to filing a petiion before the Philippine Supreme Court in Manila on Monday. Hide Caption 3 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – On Monday Pakistani Muslim demonstrators shout anti-US slogans during a protest in Quetta. Hide Caption 4 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Sri Lankan Muslims shout slogans against U.S President Barack Obama at a protest in Colombo on Monday. Hide Caption 5 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Muslim students protest in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Monday. Hide Caption 6 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Muslim protesters pray in Omonia Square in central Athens, Greece, during a demonstration on Sunday. Clashes broke out as Muslims staged a demonstration in the square, to be followed by a march to the U.S. Embassy, in protest of the film. Hide Caption 7 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Protesters smashed the windows of a store during a demonstration in central Athens. Hide Caption 8 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Riot police clash with demonstrators in Athens, Greece, on Sunday, September 23. Hide Caption 9 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – A Muslim protester throws a shoe at police during a rally in central Athens on Sunday. Hide Caption 10 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Riot police try to disperse Muslim protesters in Athens on Sunday. Hide Caption 11 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – A Kashmiri Muslim student participates in a protest march organized by a Muslim school on Saturday, September 22, against an independently produced anti-Islam film that has ignited anger in the Muslim world. Hide Caption 12 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – A family in Kashmir watches as students protest on Saturday. Hide Caption 13 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – A worker inspects his damaged shop following violent protests in Peshawar, Pakistan, on Saturday. Hide Caption 14 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Pakistani Muslim demonstrators clash with police Friday during a protest near the U.S. consulate in Islamabad. Hide Caption 15 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Pakistani Muslim demonstrators topple a freight container that was placed by police to block a street during a protest on Friday. Hide Caption 16 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – A demonstrator kicks a tear gas shell in Karachi, Pakistan, on Friday. Hide Caption 17 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Pakistani policemen help an injured comrade Friday in Karachi. Hide Caption 18 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Protesters gather to demonstrate against a French magazine that published nude cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed outside the French Embassy in London on Friday. Hide Caption 19 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Pakistani police detain a demonstrator in Lahore on Friday during a protest against the film "Innocence of Muslims." Hide Caption 20 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – A Pakistani demonstrator throws a tear gas shell toward riot police during a protest against an anti-Islam film in Islamabad on Friday, September 21. Angry demonstrators set fire to two movie theaters in Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar as many braced for intensified protests Friday, officials said. Hide Caption 21 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Malaysian Muslim demonstrators march toward the U.S. Embassy after a Friday mass prayer in Kuala Lumpur. Hide Caption 22 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Protesters take part in a march in Benghazi, Libya, on Friday. The march was in support of democracy and against the Islamist militias that Washington blames for an attack on the U.S. consulate last week that killed four Americans including the ambassador. Hide Caption 23 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – A Pakistani police officer fires an automatic weapon toward demonstrators during a protest Friday in Islamabad. Hide Caption 24 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Pakistani riot police chase demonstrators Friday in Islamabad. Hide Caption 25 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – A Kashmiri activist shouts anti-U.S. slogans during a protest Friday in Srinagar, India. Hide Caption 26 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Pakistani protesters walk near a burning police bunker as demonstrators attempt to reach the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad on Thursday, September 20. Hide Caption 27 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – A Pakistani protester throws a tear gas shell back toward police on Thursday. Hide Caption 28 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Pakistani demonstrators carry an injured person on Thursday. Hide Caption 29 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Pakistani riot policemen hold back lawyers shouting anti-U.S. slogans as they attempt to reach the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad on Wednesday, September 19. More than 30 people have been killed around the world during more than a week of attacks and violent protests linked to a controversial film seen as insulting to the Prophet Mohammed. Hide Caption 30 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – A Pakistani lawyer wraps a U.S. flag onto his shoe in Islamabad on Wednesday. Hide Caption 31 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Police try to stop Pakistani lawyers crawling under a barrier as they try to reach the U.S. Embassy in the diplomatic enclave during a protest against an anti-Islam movie in Islamabad on Wednesday. Hide Caption 32 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Pakistani Muslims shout anti-U.S. slogans during a protest against an anti-Islam movie in Karachi on Wednesday. The Pakistan government has declared Friday a national holiday in honor of the Prophet Mohammed and called for peaceful protests against the film. Hide Caption 33 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Pakistani police stand guard on a blocked street in front of the U.S. Consulate during a protest in Lahore on Wednesday. Hide Caption 34 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Pakistani activists of the hard line Sunni party Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) offer prayers near the U.S. Consulate on Wednesday in Lahore. Hide Caption 35 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Lebanese army soldiers secure the area around the French ambassador's residence in Beirut on Wednesday. France has ordered special security measures around its embassies and schools because of fears of a hostile reaction to a magazine's publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, the foreign ministry said. Hide Caption 36 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Supporters of Hezbollah hold a picture depicting Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and chant the slogan "God is Great" during a mass rally in Tyre, Lebanon, on Wednesday. Thousands of Lebanon's Hezbollah followers protested against the United States and France for a film and cartoons mocking the Prophet Mohammed. Hide Caption 37 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Members of Justice and Prosperous Party attend a protest outside the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Wednesday. Hide Caption 38 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – An Indian Muslim student hits a burning effigy of U.S. President Barack Obama during a protest in Kolkata on Wednesday. Hide Caption 39 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Masked Palestinians are seen during clashes with Israeli security forces in Shuafat refugee camp, Jerusalem, on Tuesday, September 18. Hide Caption 40 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Indian Muslims burn an American flag with a picture of U.S. President Barack Obama as they protest against a U.S.-made anti-Islam film on Tuesday, September 18, near the U.S. Consulate in Chennai. About 5,000 people have gathered in front of the building. Google India has already blocked access to the film, which the government has condemned as "offensive." Hide Caption 41 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Pakistani Sunni Muslims march during a protest against the anti-Islam movie in Peshawar on Tuesday. Police used tear gas to disperse a crowd of more than 2,000 protesters trying to reach the U.S. Consulate in northwest Pakistan. Hide Caption 42 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Palestinian protesters throw stones at Israeli security forces during clashes that erupted after a demonstration against an amateur anti-Islam film in Shuafat refugee camp, Jerusalem, on Tuesday. Hundreds of Palestinians protesting against the movie clashed with Israeli border police in East Jerusalem, hurling stones and firebombs at a checkpoint, the military and reporters said. Hide Caption 43 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Israeli border policemen fire tear gas toward Palestinian protesters on Tuesday. Hide Caption 44 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Kashmiri Muslim demonstrators shout anti-U.S. and Israeli slogans before a clash with Indian police during a protest and one-day strike called by several religious and political organizations in Srinagar on Tuesday. Hide Caption 45 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Firefighters attempt to extinguish the flames in an Indian police vehicle as protesters clash with police during a protest and in Srinagar, Kashmir, on Tuesday. Hide Caption 46 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – A Kashmiri Muslim boy jumps over a burning tire set up as a roadblock during Tuesday's demonstration Srinagar. Hide Caption 47 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Kashmiri Muslims throw stones at Indian police during a protest on Tuesday in Srinagar. Hide Caption 48 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Muslim women shout Islamic slogans in Srinagar on Tuesday. Hide Caption 49 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Thai Muslims shout slogans during a protest in Bangkok, Thailand, on Tuesday. Hide Caption 50 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Supporters of Lebanon's Hezbollah group march during a rally in southern Beirut to denounce the film mocking Islam on Monday, September 17. Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, who made a rare public appearance at the rally, has called for a week of protests across the country over the film, describing it as the "worst attack ever on Islam." Hide Caption 51 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Sunni Muslims burn a U.S. flag during a protest in Lahore, Pakistan, on Monday. Protests entered their second week, with demonstrators taking to the streets in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Indonesia and Lebanon. Hide Caption 52 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Pakistani Shiite Muslims shout anti-American slogans Monday in Lahore. Hide Caption 53 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Afghan riot police are reflected through a window during an anti-U.S. protest Monday in Kabul, Afghanistan. Protesters attacked police along a road leading to the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. Hide Caption 54 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Afghan police leave Jalalabad Road following an anti-U.S. protest Monday in Kabul. Hide Caption 55 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Barricades of tires burn Monday in Kabul. Hide Caption 56 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Indonesian anti-riot police arrest a protester Monday outside the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta. Monday's demonstrations come nearly a week after protests erupted in Egypt and Libya, spreading to more than 20 nations. Hide Caption 57 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – An Indonesian protester runs through smoke Monday outside the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta. Hide Caption 58 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Pakistani lawyers shout anti-American slogans as they march Monday in Lahore. Hide Caption 59 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Pakistani activists shout slogans in Islamabad on Sunday, September 16. Hide Caption 60 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Pakistani protestors hold banners and shout anti-U.S. slogans in Karachi on Sunday. Hide Caption 61 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Pakistani paramilitary soldiers stand near a burning police van during an anti-U.S. protest organized by Pakistani Shiite Muslims in Karachi on Sunday. Hide Caption 62 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Supporters of Pakistan's outlawed Islamic hard-line group Jamaat ud Dawa shout anti-U.S. slogans during a rally against an anti-Islam movie in Lahore, Pakistan, on Sunday. Hide Caption 63 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – A protester climbs on a gate of the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, on Sunday. Hide Caption 64 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Pakistani protesters march toward the U.S. Consulate in Karachi on Sunday. Hide Caption 65 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Protesters attack a police van outside the U.S. Consulate in Karachi on Sunday. Hide Caption 66 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Pakistani police fire tear gas shells toward the protesters in Karachi on Sunday. Hide Caption 67 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – An Afghan youth shouts slogans during an anti-U.S. protest in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Sunday. Hide Caption 68 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, head of Pakistan's outlawed Islamic hard-line group Jamaat ud Dawa, addresses supporters in Lahore on Sunday. Hide Caption 69 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – A protester hits a policeman with a pole in Sydney's central business district on Saturday, September 15. Anger over an anti-Islam video, "The Innocence of Muslims," spread to Australia on Saturday, and protesters took to the streets of the country's capital. Hide Caption 70 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – A man assists a young protester after capsicum spray was used by police near the U.S. Consulate General in central Sydney on Saturday. Hide Caption 71 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide – A policeman, injured by protesters, is assisted by colleagues in central Sydney on Saturday. Hide Caption 72 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Muslims hold demonstrations worldwide – A Tunisian firefighter works inside a destroyed school building in the grounds of the American school in Tunis, Tunisia, on Saturday. Four people were killed and almost 50 injured in an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Tunis the day before by protesters angry over an anti-Islam film, the health ministry said. Hide Caption 73 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Muslims hold demonstrations worldwide – A burned bus sits in the grounds of the American school in Tunis on Saturday. Hide Caption 74 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Muslims hold demonstrations worldwide – A woman collects books from a classroom in the American school in Tunis on Saturday. Hide Caption 75 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Muslims hold demonstrations worldwide – Muslim protesters holding shoes and brooms shout anti-U.S. slogans on Saturday during a protest against the film they consider blasphemous to Islam near the U.S. Consulate-General in Chennai, India. Hide Caption 76 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Muslims hold demonstrations worldwide – Supporters of Islamic political party Jamaat-e-Islami shout slogans during a protest on Saturday in Khyber Agency, Pakistan. The Pakistani parliament passed a resolution on Thursday condemning "The Innocence of Muslims" and urged the U.S. to take appropriate action. Hide Caption 77 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Muslims hold demonstrations worldwide – Supporters of Islamic political party Jamaat-e-Islami shout slogans during a protest in Khyber Agency on Saturday. Hide Caption 78 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Muslims hold demonstrations worldwide – Pakistani Muslims burn a U.S. flag during a protest rally in Islamabad on Saturday. The Pakistani Taliban on Saturday issued a call to young Muslims worldwide and within the country to rise up against an anti-Islam movie. Hide Caption 79 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Muslims hold demonstrations worldwide – Mourners shout slogans during the funeral of a protester who was killed two days ago during clashes with security forces at the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa, Yemen, on Saturday . According to media reports, at least four people were killed when hundreds of Yemeni protesters stormed the embassy on Wednesday. Hide Caption 80 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Muslims hold demonstrations worldwide – Smoke billows from the burning German Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, as a policeman stands next to a man preparing to extinguish the fire caused by protesters the anti-Islam film. Around 5,000 protesters in the Sudanese capital stormed the embassies of Britain and Germany, which were torched and badly damaged. Hide Caption 81 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Muslims hold demonstrations worldwide – A Sudanese protester, right, takes off his clothes to show policemen that he is unarmed during a protest in Khartoum on Friday. Two protesters were killed as security forces used tear gas against thousands of demonstrators trying to approach the U.S. mission after storming the British and German embassies. Hide Caption 82 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Muslims hold demonstrations worldwide – A Jordanian protester holds an Islamic book near the U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan, on Friday. Hundreds of members of Jordanian Salafi Movement gathered after Friday noon prayers in protest of a controversial anti-Islam film. Hide Caption 83 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Police stand guard near protesters near the U.S. Consulate General in Sydney on Saturday, September 15. Hide Caption 84 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Protesters clash with police on a street in Sydney's central business district on Saturday. Hide Caption 85 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Indian policemen walk past smashed windows of the U.S. Consulate building, caused by a mob of demonstrators protesting against an anti-Islam film, in Chennai, India, on Friday, September 14. Hide Caption 86 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Tunisian protesters try to storm the U.S. Embassy in Tunis on Friday. Hide Caption 87 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – A Tunisian protester holds an Al-Qaeda affiliated flag amid the smoke coming from the tear gas fired by riot police outside the U.S. Embassy in Tunis on Friday. Hide Caption 88 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Yemeni riot policemen stand guard at a crossroad leading to the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa on Friday. Hide Caption 89 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Yemeni protesters burn a U.S. flag on a street leading to the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa on Friday, September 14. Hide Caption 90 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Yemeni protesters shout during a demonstration near the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa on Friday. Hide Caption 91 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Yemeni protesters run for cover from tear gas fired by riot police in Sanaa on Friday. Hide Caption 92 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Jordanian protesters burn a U.S. flag near the U.S. Embassy in Amman on Friday. Hide Caption 93 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Jordanian protesters shout in Amman on Friday. Hide Caption 94 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Israeli police officers stand behind their shields during clashes with stone-throwing Palestinian protesters in a demonstration against an anti-Islam film in front of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem's Old City on Friday. Hide Caption 95 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Israeli police arrest a Palestinian protester on Friday. Hide Caption 96 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Boys inspect fast food chains Hardee's and KFC after they were torched during a protest in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli on Friday. Hide Caption 97 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Bangladeshi Muslims attempt to break a police barricade during a protest in Dhaka on Friday. Hide Caption 98 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Supporters of Jamat ud Dawa shout during a protest against an anti-Islam video in Peshawar, Pakistan, on Friday. Hide Caption 99 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – A Muslim protester defaces a mural on a wall of the U.S. Consulate in the southern Indian city of Chennai on Friday. Hide Caption 100 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Muslim protesters burn a U.S. flag outside the U.S. Consulate in the southern Indian city of Chennai on Friday. Hide Caption 101 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Muslim protesters shout outside the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Friday. Hide Caption 102 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Pakistani soldiers hold back protesters attempting to reach the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad on Friday. Hide Caption 103 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – An Egyptian protester throws a tear gas canister toward riot police during clashes near the U.S. Embassy in Cairo on Friday. Hide Caption 104 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – A Sudanese demonstrator burns a German flag after torching the German Embassy in Khartoum on Friday. Hide Caption 105 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Protesters throw stones toward riot police during clashes along a road leading to the U.S. Embassy near Tahrir Square in Cairo on Friday, September 14. Hide Caption 106 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – A riot police officer shouts a warning during clashes in Cairo on Friday. Hide Caption 107 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Protesters chant during a march to the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa, Yemen, on Thursday, September 13. One protester was killed in clashes when Yemeni security forces dispersed hundreds of demonstrators who gathered around and inside the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa. Hide Caption 108 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – A protester shouts after sustaining injuries in a confrontation with riot police who fired tear gas outside the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa on Thursday. Hide Caption 109 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Protesters carry flags that read "There is no God but Allah, Mohammed is Allah's messenger" and chant during a protest in Tripoli, Lebanon, on Thursday. Hide Caption 110 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Palestinians protest the movie "Innocence of Muslims" in front of the Legislative Council in Gaza City on Thursday. Hide Caption 111 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Iranian demonstrators chant anti-American slogans during a demonstration on Thursday in front of the Swiss Embassy, which serves as the U.S. interests section in Iran, in Tehran. Hide Caption 112 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – An Iranian police officer shows a victory sign during Thursday's demonstration in Tehran. Hide Caption 113 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Supporters of Sunni Muslim Salafist leader Ahmad al-Assir burn Israeli and U.S. flags during a protest in Sidon, Lebanon, on Thursday. Hide Caption 114 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Kuwaiti police stand guard as hundreds of demonstrators protest near the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait City on Thursday. Hide Caption 115 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Arab-Israeli men wave green Islamic flags with the Muslim profession of belief: "There is no God but God and Mohammed is the prophet of God" during a protest in front of the U.S. Embassy on Thursday in Tel Aviv, Israel. Hide Caption 116 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Egyptian protesters throw stones at riot police during clashes near the U.S. Embassy in Cairo on Thursday. Hide Caption 117 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Riot police take cover from stones thrown by protesters on Thursday. Hide Caption 118 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Egyptian protesters help a man who inhaled tear gas during clashes at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo on Thursday. Hide Caption 119 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – A burned-out pickup sits between Egyptian protesters and riot police in Cairo on Thursday. Hide Caption 120 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Egyptian protesters take cover during clashes with riot police on Thursday. Hide Caption 121 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – An Egyptian protester wears a makeshift mask and helmet for protection while fighting riot police on Thursday. Hide Caption 122 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Egyptian protesters run for cover from tear gas fired by riot police during clashes on Thursday. Hide Caption 123 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – An Egyptian riot police officer fires tear gas toward protesters during clashes Thursday with police near the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. Hide Caption 124 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Iraqi protesters burn Israeli and U.S. flags during a protest Thursday. The U.S. ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens, and three others were killed during a protest outside the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on Tuesday. Hide Caption 125 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Egyptian protesters clash with riot police Thursday near the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. Hide Caption 126 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Iranians protest against a film mocking Islam near the Swiss Embassy in Tehran on Thursday. Up to 500 people chanted "Death to America!" and death to the director of the movie, which was made in the United States. The demonstration ended peacefully in two hours. Hide Caption 127 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – An Egyptian protester throws a tear gas canister at riot police Thursday during clashes near the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. Hide Caption 128 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Police use tear gas on crowds protesting Thursday outside the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. Hide Caption 129 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – The U.S. Consulate in Benghazi is seen in flames Tuesday, September 11. Hide Caption 130 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – A vehicle and the surrounding area are engulfed in flames after it was set on fire inside the compound on Tuesday. Hide Caption 131 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – A protester reacts as the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi is seen in flames Tuesday night. Hide Caption 132 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Yemeni protesters gather around a fire Thursday during a demonstration outside the U.S. Embassy in the capital of Sanaa. Yemeni forces fired warning shots to disperse the thousands of protesters approaching the main gate of the mission. Hide Caption 133 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Yemeni protesters try to break the security camera at the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa on Thursday. Hide Caption 134 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Egyptians shout slogans during a protest in front of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. Hide Caption 135 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Egyptian protesters gather in front of the U.S. Embassy the morning after it was vandalized by protesters during a demonstration on Wednesday in Cairo. Hide Caption 136 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Protesters shout outside the U.S. Embassy in Tunis, Tunisia, on Wednesday, September 12. Hide Caption 137 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – A group of protesters attend a demonstration outside the U.S. Embassy in Tunis on Wednesday. Hide Caption 138 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – A demonstrator walks on a U.S. flag during a Wednesday's demonstration at the U.S. Embassy in Tunis. Hide Caption 139 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – People inspect the damage at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on Wednesday, the day after four people were killed. Hide Caption 140 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Egyptian demonstrators continue to stake out the U.S. Embassy in Cairo on Wednesday. Hide Caption 141 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Police confront protesters praying in front of the U.S. Embassy in Casablanca, Morocco, during a rally against the anti-Islam film on Wednesday. Hide Caption 142 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Moroccan women gather near the U.S. Embassy in Casablanca on Wednesday. Hide Caption 143 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – A Palestinian man holds a placard praising Islam's prophet Mohammed during a demonstration against the film on Wednesday in front of the United Nations headquarters in Gaza City. Hide Caption 144 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Palestinian men burn the American flag during Wednesday's demonstration in Gaza City. Hide Caption 145 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – A man waves his rifle as buildings and cars are engulfed in flames inside the U.S. Consulate compound in Benghazi, Libya, late on Tuesday, September 11. Hide Caption 146 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – The U.S. Consulate in Benghazi is set on fire during a protest. Armed gunmen attacked the compound on Tuesday evening, clashing with Libyan security forces before the latter withdrew as they came under heavy fire. Hide Caption 147 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Protesters destroy an American flag pulled down from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt. Hide Caption 148 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – People stand around a drawing that says "Remember your black day 11 September" during the protest in Cairo. Hide Caption 149 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – People shout and light flares in front of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. Hide Caption 150 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – People shout in front of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. Hide Caption 151 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Protesters pull down a U.S. flag. Hide Caption 152 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Thousands were angered by the controversial film. Hide Caption 153 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Demonstrators yell outside the U.S. Embassy. Hide Caption 154 of 157 Photos: Anti-U.S. demonstrations worldwide Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings – Egyptian riot police stand guard as protesters climb down from the wall. Hide Caption 155 of 157 ||||| Intelligence sources tell Fox News they are convinced the deadly attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was directly tied to Al Qaeda -- with a former Guantanamo detainee involved. That revelation comes on the same day a top Obama administration official called last week's deadly assault a "terrorist attack" -- the first time the attack has been described that way by the administration after claims it had been a "spontaneous" act. "Yes, they were killed in the course of a terrorist attack on our embassy," Matt Olsen, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, said during a Senate hearing Wednesday. Olsen echoed administration colleagues in saying U.S. officials have no specific intelligence about "significant advanced planning or coordination" for the attack. However, his statement goes beyond White House Press Secretary Jay Carney and Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, saying the Sept. 11 attack on the consulate was spontaneous. He is the first top administration official to call the strike an act of terrorism. Sufyan Ben Qumu is thought to have been involved and even may have led the attack, Fox News' intelligence sources said. Qumu, a Libyan, was released from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in 2007 and transferred into Libyan custody on the condition he be kept in jail. He was released by the Qaddafi regime as part of its reconciliation effort with Islamists in 2008. His Guantanamo files also show he has ties to the financiers behind the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The declassified files also point to ties with the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, a known Al Qaeda affiliate. Olsen, repeating Wednesday that the FBI is handling the Benghazi investigation, also acknowledged the attack could lead back to Al Qaeda and its affiliates. "We are looking at indications that individuals involved in the attack may have had connections to Al Qaeda or Al Qaeda's affiliates, in particular Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb," he said at the Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing. Still, Olsen said "the facts that we have now indicate that this was an opportunistic attack on our embassy, the attack began and evolved and escalated over several hours," Olsen said. Carney said hours earlier that there still is "no evidence of a preplanned or pre-meditated attack," which occurred on the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. "I made that clear last week, Ambassador Rice made that clear Sunday," Carney said at the daily White House press briefing. Rice appeared on "Fox News Sunday" and four other morning talk shows to say the attack in Benghazi, Libya, that killed U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans was "spontaneous" and sparked by an early protest that day outside the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt, over an anti-Islamic video. "It was a reaction to a video that had nothing to do with the United States," Rice told Fox News. "The best information and the best assessment we have today is that this was not a pre-planned, pre-meditated attack. What happened initially was that it was a spontaneous reaction to what had just transpired in Cairo." However, that account clashed with claims by the Libyan president that the attack was in fact premeditated. Other sources, including an intelligence source in Libya who spoke to Fox News, have echoed those claims. The intelligence source even said that, contrary to the suggestion by the Obama administration, there was no major protest in Benghazi before the deadly attack which killed four Americans. A U.S. official did not dispute the claim. In the face of these conflicting accounts, Carney on Tuesday deferred to the ongoing investigation and opened the door to the possibility of other explanations. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, called Wednesday for an independent review of the attack. "A State Department Accountability Review Board to look into the Benghazi attack is not sufficient," Collins said. "Given the loss of the lives of four Americans who were serving their country and the serious questions that have been raised about the security at our Consulate in Benghazi, it is imperative that a non-political, no-holds-barred examination be conducted." Fox News' Bret Baier contributed to this report.

– As investigators look into the likelihood that al-Qaeda was behind the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi last week, CNN reports that Chris Stevens, the US ambassador killed in the attack, believed he was on an al-Qaeda hit list. A source says Stevens had become increasingly worried about security in Benghazi and al-Qaeda's growing influence in Libya. And intelligence sources tell Fox News investigators do believe al-Qaeda was behind the attack—specifically Sufyan Ben Qumu, a former Guantanamo detainee, who was involved and may even have led the attack. Qumu was returned to his native Libya in 2007 on the condition that he be kept in custody, but was released by the Gadhafi regime the following year. Counterterrorism officials also tell the Wall Street Journal they are probing possible al-Qaeda links to the attack. "We are looking at indications that individuals involved in the attack may have had connections to al-Qaeda or al-Qaeda's affiliates, in particular, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb," the director of the National Counterterrorism Center testified before a Senate committee yesterday, calling the assault "a terrorist attack." He described the attack as an "opportunistic attack" that "evolved and escalated over several hours," but said there is no specific intelligence that there was "significant advanced planning or coordination for this attack." Libya's president says the attack was planned by foreigners who had entered Libya months earlier.

Newt Gingrich stepped up his attack against President Barack Obama as he campaigned in Florida Monday, accusing the Democratic administration of declaring a “war against Christianity” with a new regulation requiring employers to cover birth control in their health policies. Newt Gingrich greets supporters at a rally on Monday, Jan. 30, 2012, at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront hotel in Jacksonville, Fla. (Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images) At airport rallies in Pensacola and Fort Myers, Mr. Gingrich added a new pledge in his stump speeches, saying he would sign an executive order overturning all “anti-religious” federal policies on his first day in office. Mr. Gingrich, a Catholic convert, also sought to drag his main rival Mitt Romney into the controversy, saying that as governor, Mr. Romney had imposed a similar requirement on Catholic hospitals. Mr. Gingrich appeared to be referring to abortion provisions in the state health-care overhaul law passed in Massachusetts. The Catholic Church opposes abortion and the use of contraception. Mr. Gingrich also accused Mr. Romney of cutting kosher meals to elderly Medicaid recipients in Massachusetts in a cost-saving effort. “He has no understanding of the importance of conscience or the importance of religious liberty in this country,” said Mr. Gingrich of Mr. Romney, who is a Mormon. “I will make religious liberty your right, to go with God with no government interference.” Andrea Saul, a Romney spokeswoman, said that it was “sad to see Speaker Gingrich lashing out in a desperate attempt to try and save his floundering campaign. ” Mr. Gingrich said that the regulation had been condemned in a letter from church leaders that was read as he attended Mass Sunday night at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Jacksonville with wife, Callista. Religious leaders have been rallying against the new requirement since it was announced 10n days ago. ______________________________________________________ 2016 Election Calendar | WSJ/NBC Polls | 2016 Poll Standings Politics Alerts: Get email alerts on breaking news and big scoops. Capital Journal Daybreak Newsletter: Sign up to get the latest on politics, policy and defense delivered to your inbox every morning. For the latest Washington news, follow @wsjpolitics For outside analysis, follow @wsjthinktank ||||| (Image Credit: Charles Dharapak/AP Photo) The most recent showdown between Roman Catholic Church leaders and the Obama administration over contraceptive services threatens to alienate the president's liberal religious supporters at a time when discontent with Washington is surging. In letters read to parishioners Sunday, Catholic Church leaders across the country openly denounced the administration's recent decision mandating faith-based hospitals, charities and schools to provide birth control and reproductive services in health insurance plans. The Catholic Church had lobbied against the new requirement, which will go into effect January 2013. The wording in the letters, penned by individual clergy, varied widely but the theme was distinctly anti-Washington. Bishop Alexander K. Sample of Marquette, Mich., for example, accused the administration of casting aside the First Amendment, "denying to Catholics our nation's first and most fundamental freedom, that of religious liberty" and treating people of faith as second-class citizens. Others threatened to not comply with the new rule, which provides exemption to churches and "religious employers." The mandate is particularly worrisome to supporters of President Obama, who had coalesced behind him despite his liberal views on abortion and reproductive rights. "This has hurt the case that some Catholics have made that voting for Obama in some ways is a vote for Catholic social teaching," said Mathew N. Schmalz, a professor of religion and comparative studies at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reportedly based its decision on an Institute of Medicine study, which concluded that birth control is medically necessary to "ensure women's health and well being." The independent, nonprofit organization recommended in a July report that contraception, sterilization and reproductive services, including the controversial "morning-after" pill, should be available to all women under health insurance plans, echoing similar recommendations by other medical organizations such as the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Public Health Association. Among Catholics, birth control is relatively popular and most are against Church leaders' intervening in that decision. Ninety-five percent of Catholic women used contraceptives, per a report by the Catholic University of America. Eighty-five percent of all Catholics support expanding access to birth control for women who cannot afford it, higher than the 82 percent of the general population who favors this, according to a survey by the Public Religion Research Institute in Washington, D.C. "Rank-and-file Catholics also have some reservation about how prominently they want the bishops to be involved in politics," said Robert P. Jones, chief executive and founder of the institute, which found that more than half of Catholics are against their religious leaders' pressuring politicians. "There's some possibility that some Catholics could perceive this as overreaching." At the same time, some Catholics also feel the same way about the federal government and that it is stepping on religious liberties. "For a majority of Catholics who don't necessarily follow Church teaching in this area, its significance is more symbolic in the sense that the broader issue is not just, say, contraception or providing health case for contraception, but creating a space within civil society for the expression of religion conscience," professor Schmalz said. Religious groups, particularly Catholics, have had a mixed relationship with the president. Obama, who had Joe Biden, a Catholic, as his running mate, won a majority of the Catholic vote in 2008, thanks to support from Hispanics. Seventy-one percent of Catholics of color voted for the senator from Illinois, according to an analysis of exit poll data by Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life. But he lost among white Catholics with only 47 percent support, becoming the first candidate since 1976 to lose white Catholics but win the presidency. Democrats courted the religious bloc, including Catholics, heavily in 2008. Candidate Obama spoke openly and candidly about his faith, often linking to his views on issues such as executive pay. But even then, religious groups were wary of Obama because of his abortion-rights stance. The most recent showdown isn't the first for this administration. The administration took much heat in December for rejecting the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' request for a grant to help victims of sex trafficking, because it doesn't provide full gynecological services such as family planning, contraception and abortion. The conference, which got the second-highest rating from an independent review panel, received the same five-year grant in 2006. It's too soon to tell how the recent kerfuffles will come to play in November but, religious experts say, it doesn't bode well for Obama. Even if he keeps his liberal base, he will have a hard time reaching out to the group at large. "I don't think Catholic liberals are en masse going to leave Obama but they are disappointed," Schmalz said. "High-profile Catholics who have supported Obama are put in a more difficult position because of this."

– Newt Gingrich's latest campaign pledge is to overturn all "anti-religious" policies on his first day in office. On the campaign trail in Florida yesterday, the candidate—a prominent opponent of the so-called Ground Zero Mosque—portrayed himself as the candidate of religious freedom, the Wall Street Journal reports. He accused Obama of declaring "war on Christianity" with a regulation requiring employers to cover birth control in their health policies. The Catholic Church, which Gingrich joined in 2009, denounced the policy in a letter read to parishioners across the country Sunday, ABC notes. Gingrich also slammed Romney for a similar policy introduced while he was governor of Massachusetts—and accused him of cutting off funds for kosher meals for elderly Jews on Medicare. Romney "has no understanding of the importance of conscience or the importance of religious liberty in this country,” Gingrich said. “I will make religious liberty your right, to go with God with no government interference."

About a quarter of American adults (24%) say they haven’t read a book in whole or in part in the past year, whether in print, electronic or audio form. Who are these non-book readers? Several demographic traits correlate with non-book reading, Pew Research Center surveys have found. For instance, adults with a high school degree or less are about five times as likely as college graduates (37% vs. 7%) to report not reading books in any format in the past year. Adults with lower levels of educational attainment are also among the least likely to own smartphones, even as e-book reading on these devices has increased substantially since 2011. (College-educated adults are more likely to own these devices and use them to read e-books.) Adults with annual household incomes of $30,000 or less are about three times as likely as the most affluent adults to be non-book readers (36% vs. 13%). Hispanic adults are about twice as likely as whites (38% vs. 20%) to report not having read a book in the past 12 months. But there are differences between Hispanics born inside and outside the U.S.: Roughly half (51%) of foreign-born Hispanics report not having read a book, compared with 22% of Hispanics born in the U.S. Older Americans are a bit more likely than their younger counterparts not to have read a book. Some 28% of adults ages 50 and older have not read a book in the past year, compared with 20% of adults under 50. There are modest differences when looking at gender and whether people live in urban, suburban or rural areas. The share of Americans who report not reading any books in the past 12 months has bounced around a bit since 2011, when Pew Research Center first began conducting surveys about book-reading habits. That year, 19% of adults reported not reading any books. The share of non-book readers hit a high point of 27% in 2015. The same demographic traits that characterize non-book readers also often apply to those who have never been to a library. In a 2016 survey, we found that Hispanics, older adults, those living in households earning less than $30,000 and those who have a high school diploma or did not graduate from high school are the most likely to report they have never been to a public library. Note: This is an update of a post originally published on Nov. 23, 2016. Topics: Education, Demographics, Libraries, Leisure Activities ||||| Prompted by some recent stats from the Pew Research Center about how many books Americans read, Jimmy Kimmel decided to do some investigating. SEE ALSO: Celebrities reading texts from their moms is hilariously awkward According to the study, about one in four Americans didn't read a book last year. Kimmel wagered that that figure was actually too high, and sent his team to ask pedestrians to name literally any book. A lot of people blanked entirely, or gave answers like The Lion King. To be fair, it is a weirdly broad question. ||||| Published on May 17, 2018 According to a recent study from the Pew Research Center, almost one in four Americans has not read a book in the past year. So to find out if that is true, we sent a team to the street to ask pedestrians to name a book, and here are the very sad results. Diane Keaton Kisses Jimmy Kimmel https://youtu.be/Vzb53v28z_Q SUBSCRIBE to get the latest #KIMMEL: http://bit.ly/JKLSubscribe Watch Mean Tweets: http://bit.ly/KimmelMT10 Connect with Jimmy Kimmel Live Online: Visit the Jimmy Kimmel Live WEBSITE: http://bit.ly/JKLWebsite Like Jimmy Kimmel on FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/KimmelFB Like Jimmy Kimmel Live on FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/JKLFacebook Follow @JimmyKimmel on TWITTER: http://bit.ly/KimmelTW Follow Jimmy Kimmel Live on TWITTER: http://bit.ly/JKLTwitter Follow Jimmy Kimmel Live on INSTAGRAM: http://bit.ly/JKLInstagram About Jimmy Kimmel Live: Jimmy Kimmel serves as host and executive producer of Emmy-winning "Jimmy Kimmel Live," ABC's late-night talk show. "Jimmy Kimmel Live" is well known for its huge viral video successes with 5.6 billion views on YouTube alone. Some of Kimmel's most popular comedy bits include - Mean Tweets, Lie Witness News, Jimmy's Twerk Fail Prank, Unnecessary Censorship, YouTube Challenge, The Baby Bachelor, Movie: The Movie, Handsome Men's Club, Jimmy Kimmel Lie Detective and music videos like "I (Wanna) Channing All Over Your Tatum" and a Blurred Lines parody with Robin Thicke, Pharrell, Jimmy and his security guard Guillermo. Now in its sixteenth season, Kimmel's guests have included: Johnny Depp, Meryl Streep, Tom Cruise, Halle Berry, Harrison Ford, Jennifer Aniston, Will Ferrell, Katy Perry, Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, George Clooney, Larry David, Charlize Theron, Mark Wahlberg, Kobe Bryant, Steve Carell, Hugh Jackman, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Bridges, Jennifer Garner, Ryan Gosling, Bryan Cranston, Jamie Foxx, Amy Poehler, Ben Affleck, Robert Downey Jr., Jake Gyllenhaal, Oprah, and unfortunately Matt Damon. Can You Name a Book? ANY Book??? https://youtu.be/wJdNrCeUdhc ||||| These crawls are part of an effort to archive pages as they are created and archive the pages that they refer to. That way, as the pages that are referenced are changed or taken from the web, a link to the version that was live when the page was written will be preserved.Then the Internet Archive hopes that references to these archived pages will be put in place of a link that would be otherwise be broken, or a companion link to allow people to see what was originally intended by a page's authors.The goal is to fix all broken links on the web . Crawls of supported "No More 404" sites.

– Jimmy Kimmel is taking issue with a recent study claiming 24% of Americans haven't read a book in the past year. He thinks the figure should be higher and, on his show Thursday, offered some corroboration in interviews with people on the street. Asked to name any book—the Bible would've been acceptable—plenty of people, even a former librarian, drew blanks. One man claimed to have read a book titled Horse by a guy named Moby Dick. Another answered, The Lion King. Asked one woman, "Do magazines count?" In their defense, "it is a weirdly broad question," Mashable notes. The segment ends with a clip from a 1990s NBA commercial. "When you know how to read, adventures come to you," says Shaquille O'Neal. "That's right. Thank you, Shaq," Kimmel concludes.

Share Tweet Share Send Link A quote that greets visitors at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City has been causing headaches for the center’s planners after it was revealed that it refers to a pair of ancient mythological figures who killed scores of people. But another nugget missed by fact-checkers is that these men were also intergenerational lovers. The line “No day shall erase you from the memory of time,” which sits on a wall separating guests from the remains of the unidentified individuals who died in the 2001 attacks, seemed like a fitting sentiment to honor the almost 3,000 who lost their lives at the site; but its inclusion has left some considering its appropriateness ahead of the memorial’s formal inauguration on May 21. The quote is taken from Roman poet Virgil’s Aeneid, an epic 12-volume poem written around 19 B.C. that many scholars consider to be the greatest work written in any language. In the Aeneid, soldiers Nisus and Euryalus exact revenge on an enemy army by murdering their captains while they sleep. The duo are eventually captured and killed. Virgil’s famous line rewards the bravery—and foolish bravado—of Nisus and Euryalus, and suggests that his poem will ensure their immortality. Considering its origin, the quote is an odd choice for the 9/11 memorial, seeing as it honors two men who have killed many. Share Tweet Full Screen Enlarge The 9/11 Memorial, as seen from the 90th story of One World Trade Center. (Reuters/Lucas Jackson) “The quotation is more applicable to the aggressors in the 9/11 tragedy than to those honored by the memorial,” Helen Morales, a classics professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara, tells The New York Times. “So my first reaction is that the quotation is shockingly inappropriate for the U.S. victims of the 9/11 attack.” Though she does add that a more nuanced reading (which the memorial’s director Alice M. Greenwald indirectly admits wasn’t her primary intention) could encourage contemplation regarding, “as might Virgil’s readers have wondered of Nisus and Euryalus, what drives young men to commit such atrocities.” The only way that the message ties into the more topical event to which it has been applied is if we see it directed at the men and women who returned to try and save those in peril during the New York attacks. In Aeneid, Euryalus was initially captured by members of the enemy’s army. Nisus, upon fleeing, realized his partner was in danger and returned to try and save him; both perished as a result. But even this would be a stretch. It’s not a stranger that Nisus tries to save or even a fellow solider, but his younger lover. In Louis Crompton’s Homosexuality and Civilization, he describes how Virgil uses devices found in erotic poetry when describing the pair’s bond. Due to this implication and references to their disparate ages, scholars deduced that it was a sexual relationship common to Ancient Grecian warriors, where the older partner—Nisus—grooms, mentors and savors a young man of his choosing—Euryalus. The most famous (mythological) couple, of course, was Achilles and Patroclus. But sexual relationships linked to formal combat pairings between older, experienced soldiers and far younger men were common in the real life Greco-Roman culture of two millennia past. Was a quote that canonizes the devotion and love specific to an older man and his barely pubescent lover, who together killed scores of men in their sleep, the most fitting choice to honor the lives lost in New York? Or is a suitably heroic line stripped of its context—or seen, loosely, as a meditation on sacrifice—perfectly acceptable? Management is hoping for the latter, having since removed the word “Aeneid” from the wall. Banner image by artist Tom Joyce. ||||| Who are “you”? When the National September 11 Memorial Museum opens next month at the World Trade Center, visitors will find a stark wall separating them from a repository containing about 8,000 unidentified human remains from the 2001 terrorist attack. On the wall is a 60-foot-long inscription, in 15-inch letters made from the steel of the twin towers: “No day shall erase you from the memory of time. Virgil.” It sounds fitting — except in the context of Book 9 of the “Aeneid,” from which it is translated. There, a reader learns who “you” are. “You” are not nameless. You are Nisus and Euryalus. “You” do not number in the thousands. You are two.

– The words, with no context beyond location, seem appropriate enough: "No day shall erase you from the memory of time. Virgil." So reads a 60-foot-long inscription appearing along a wall at the soon-to-open National September 11 Memorial Museum. Behind the wall sit the 8,000 human remains that could not be identified. And behind the quote sits a story that doesn't exactly jibe with the setting, the New York Times finds. The line is pulled from Book 9 of the Aeneid, and the "you" it refers to are Nisus and Euryalus—two men who happen to be Trojan soldiers, and whose story is described thusly by David Dunlap for the Times: "Your deaths are not unprovoked. You have just slaughtered the enemy in an orgy of violence, skewering soldiers whom you ambushed in their sleep. For this, the enemy has killed you and impaled your heads on spears." As Dunlap points out, Nisus and Euryalus aren't exactly a stand-in for the 9/11 victims. A classics professor calls the inscription "shockingly inappropriate" on first blush, and better suited for those who carried out the attacks, though she concedes the quote could prod visitors to consider "what drives young men to commit such atrocities." Further, Vocativ points out that, based on the devices Virgil uses to explain their relationship, scholars classify the two men as lovers. Museum officials have long been aware of the contention surrounding the line, and dropped the word "Aeneid" from it, perhaps to insert more distance between the statement and its source.

Susie Goodall was taking part in Golden Globe round-the-world race when her boat overturned and lost its mast A major rescue operation is under way in the Southern Ocean after a British solo yachtswoman was injured and and her boat “destroyed” in a fierce storm on day 157 of a circumnavigation. Susie Goodall, the youngest competitor and only woman in the 30,000-mile Golden Globe round-the-world race, is at least two days from help after her boat overturned and lost its mast. Water also filled the hull and Goodall, 29, from Falmouth in Cornwall, initially thought her 11m (35ft) boat, DHL Starlight, had been holed. But she has confirmed the hull is intact, the boat managed to right itself, and she has told race control that she does not need immediate assistance. However, her position – about 2,000 miles west of Cape Horn – is remote and the nearest vessel that could help is 480 miles – two days – away. Her plight is made more difficult by the nature of the race – a back-to-basics event to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston’s historic first solo non-stop circumnavigation. The 18 skippers taking part are in boats similar to those sailed by Knox-Johnston, which are not equipped with modern technology or satellite-based navigation aids. Goodall was lying in 4th place at the time, fighting for a podium finish but riding out a ferocious storm with 60-knot winds and massive seas. In a text message to race control at 8.29am on Wednesday, she reported: “Taking a hammering! Wondering what on Earth I’m doing out here!” At 11am a distress signal was picked up from her yacht by Falmouth coastguards, who alerted race control and the Chilean maritime search and rescue, which is responsible for the sector of the South Pacific she is in. At 12.23pm she wrote: “Dismasted, hull okay. No form of jury rig [makeshift repairs], total loss” and gave the co-ordinates for her position. After three attempts, race HQ was able to raise Goodall on her emergency satellite phone when she confirmed: “I have been dismasted. Thought I had holed the hull because the boat filled with water, but the hull is not holed. The hull is okay. The boat is destroyed. I can’t make up a jury rig. The only thing left is the hull and deck which remain intact. “We were pitchpoled [rolled end over end] and I was thrown across the cabin and knocked out for a while.” Race organisers said Goodall was speaking with emotion but appeared in control. She confirmed that she had secured all hatches, portholes and safety equipment, and insisted she did not need immediate assistance. Goodall also said that before the incident she had been enjoying the tough conditions but her self-steering device malfunctioned and she was forced to trail a sea anchor and take down the mainsail. She was below decks when the boat was pitchpoled. The skipper said she had been “beaten up and badly bruised’ with cuts and scratches and had a big bump on her head. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Goodall’s yacht DHL Starlight. Photograph: Susie Goodall Racing/PPL/GGR Race HQ has been working out how to rescue Goodall. The nearest competitor is Estonian Uku Randmaa, 400 miles from Goodall and about to face the same storm conditions, so it has been judged impractical for him to try to reach her. It was decided that the American/Hungarian Istvan Kopar, 780 miles to the west of her, could try to intercept Goodall. But Kopar would take six days to reach her. The Chilean authorities have contacted a ship 480 miles south-west of Goodall’s position and requested assistance. Her captain expects to take two days to get to the area. Goodall had already been hit by a spectacular storm in the Southern Ocean. Speaking before the current emergency, she said: “That was brutal – it took me a week to recover. The seas were coming from four directions and I kept being knocked down.” Goodall was introduced to the sport aged three and is an offshore and ocean sailing instructor. Explaining why she wanted to take part in the Golden Globe Race, she said: “When I was little I heard about these people who sailed around the world on their own, for fun, and I knew I wanted to do that one day too. So when I first heard there was going to be a re-run of the Golden Globe Race, my mind was made up and I was going to be on that start line.” Off Tasmania she had cleared barnacles clinging to the bottom of her yacht and managed to briefly chat with family and supporters in the UK. Asked if the ocean was a friend or foe, she replied: “The ocean is a friend who turns on me now and again.” She said her most useful gadget was a portable cassette player and that she missed fresh food, her iPod and Kindle. ||||| Tweet with a location You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| A rescue operation has been launched to save a 29-year-old woman from Cornwall whose yacht was capsized and dismasted in a storm in the south Pacific. Susie Goodall, from Falmouth , was taking part in the arduous Golden Globe Race – a single-handed non-stop race around the world. Disaster struck when her yacht was wrecked 2,000 miles west of the southern tip of South America after it was pitch-poled – turned end-over-end – by a huge wave. Coastguards in Falmouth received news of the activation of her emergency beacon and a rescue operation, coordinated by the authorities in Chile, is now under way. Susie tweeted that she had banged her head but was otherwise uninjured. However her yacht DHL Starlight has been smashed up and she reported she was “clinging to her bunk” awaiting for rescue. Her position is so remote that the nearest rescue vessel, a Hong Kong-registered cargo ship, was not expected to arrive at her location until two days later. The ship was expected to arrive around 5am (UK time) on Friday but will have to wait several hours for daylight. Speaking to race HQ she said: “I have been dismasted. Thought I had holed the hull because the boat filled with water, but the hull is NOT holed. The hull is ok. The boat is destroyed. I can’t make up a jury rig. “The only thing left is the hull and deck which remain intact. We were pitchpoled and I was thrown across the cabin and knocked out for a while.” We will bring you updates on the rescue below. ||||| Tweet with a location You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| Susie Goodall is the only female contestant in the 2018 Golden Globe Race English yachtswoman Susie Goodall will have to wait two days to be rescued having pulled out of the Golden Globe Race after losing her mast. Goodall - the youngest competitor in the non-stop solo round-the-world race - was about 2,000 miles west of Cape Horn in the southern Pacific Ocean. The sailor, 29, was in fourth place but sustained damage during a ferocious storm with 60-knot winds. She tweeted she was "totally and utterly gutted". Goodall's distress signal was first picked up by Falmouth Coastguards. They alerted race control and the Chilean Maritime Search and Rescue authorities, who are responsible for that sector of the Pacific. Race controllers have contacted her and said she was safe and secure on board, but she could not make up another set of rigging. She told them she was injured when the boat rolled over end-to-end, knocking her out and giving her a "nasty head bang". The nearest vessel has been alerted but is about two days away. ||||| UPDATE all Entrants #GGR2018 Jean Luc and Mark Slats decision time,,,!, what will it be??? Tapio Lehtinen Sailing is enjoying his sail south, deeper into the Southern Ocean toward Cape Horn but GGR have now alerted him to make east immediately as another storm is approaching from the SW in a few days and it may pass under him if he stays above 50 south Latitude. he is making 3.7kts and is 1500 miles still to run to the Cape Horn. His Auto Tuning unit for the HF SSB Radio is currently not working which means no radio traffic for now and he is trying to fix it so he can get weather reports that will be very important in the future. Istvan Kopar Solo Circumnavigator is sailing north fast and this will continue as the moderate SW wind builds into some very strong West winds. this will again let him make ground on UKU and in the next two days he could be just 250 miles behind on the track to the finish. Then he will enter a large head wind zone that could go on for weeks? that may give the game back to UKU Uku Randmaa Golden Globe Race 2018 is really struggling and very frustrated with the light headwinds and lack of progress over the past week that has seen ISTVAN catch up so much. He is working hard to grab every opportunity to sail north and wishes he was back in the southern ocean maybe where at least the wind was consistent! He wants to get home to see family but also because he has only just enough food to get to the finish line in late February! so his race is very real. Mark Slats is facing a real challenge now and there is no easy answer. what ever he does now will not give any advantage in the short term he had held his course high sailing to windward for days rather than take the western route around the Azores HIGH , maybe with the intention to go to the east. But the center is now blocking his way. He must decide now! Today! Is it WEST or EAST? If he does nothing he may be stuck in a no wind zone for a few days which is not good so expect to see a move today. Light head winds to the east is shortest track. Go west for faster sailing and it is a longer track?? He cannot talk to anyone about weather but he can listen in to the same weather forecast twice a day that JL VDH receives. One decision at a time and one step toward the finish but which is the right decision? I have no idea? Jean Luc Van Den Heede is benefiting from a clear game plan. He is where he always wanted to be riding the top of the Azores high. He has done this route many times before and now he has a few days of good fast sailing toward the finish. But will it last?. If he goes too far East probably not? as in two days things become light and variable which will require some delicate decisions on where next. But if he turns North tomorrow and goes through the Azores fast enough, a huge ladder to the North then NE may open for nearly a week of favorable winds and he could simply FLY AWAY from Mark slats? Will he take that?? Will the weather forecast be correct? Who knows but the game continues!!! If he gets that right and the ladder falls before MARK SLATS gets to it, JL VDH could create a sizable lead just one week from the finish. It may all hang on the next 48 hrs??? but the ETA for who ever is the winner looks like 1st FEB with a storm on the horizon for that last week? and that could change everything again! ... See MoreSee Less ||||| Tweet with a location You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more

– The only woman in a 30,000-mile solo race around the globe saw the "total loss" of her boat—with help two days away. One of 18 skippers, Brit Susie Goodall was in the 4th place 157 days into the Golden Globe Race when her 35-foot vessel was pitchpoled (meaning turned end-over-end) and lost its mast during a storm, leaving her stranded 2,000 miles west of South America's Cape Horn. "I was thrown across the cabin and knocked out for a while," Goodall explained via satellite phone after noting the boat had righted itself, per the Guardian. "The only thing left is the hull and deck which remain intact." The 29-year-old Cornwall woman activated her emergency beacon around 11am Wednesday but told race authorities she was not in need of immediate assistance. Which is a good thing, because the Hong Kong-registered cargo ship dispatched to retrieve her is some 500 miles away. It's expected to reach Goodall Friday morning in a rescue operation coordinated by Chilean authorities, per Cornwall Live. Estonion racer Uku Randmaa is technically nearer Goodall, about 400 miles away, but he's expected to confront the same stormy seas. Goodall's misfortune actually came after she'd emerged from another storm. "The seas were coming from four directions and I kept being knocked down," she said at the time, noting "it took me a week to recover." "TOTALLY AND UTTERLY GUTTED," "CLINGING ON IN MY BUNK," "IN NEED OF A GOOD CUPPA TEA," read her recent tweets, per the BBC. (This is the longest sailable straight line.)