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(CNN)Former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez will need to keep his lawyers even after being convicted of murder and other charges in the death of Odin Lloyd. The 25-year-old potentially faces three more trials -- one criminal and two civil actions. Next up is another murder trial in which he is accused of killing two men and wounding another person near a Boston nightclub in July 2012. Prosecutors have said Hernandez fatally shot Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado when he fired into their 2003 BMW. Another passenger was wounded and two others were uninjured. Hernandez pleaded not guilty at his arraignment. The trial was originally slated for May 28, but Jake Wark, spokesman for the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, said Wednesday the trial had been postponed and no new date had been set. "We expect to select a new court date in the coming days and then set the amended trial track. The Suffolk indictments allege two counts of first-degree murder for the July 16, 2012, shooting deaths of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado in Boston's South End; three counts of armed assault with intent to murder and one count of assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon for shots fired at three surviving victims; and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm," he said. The families of de Abreu and Furtado filed civil suits against Hernandez, and a judge froze his $5 million in assets, pending the outcome of the double-murder trial. The freeze includes the disputed $3.3 million signing bonus payment Hernandez claims he is owed by the New England Patriots. Hernandez is also being sued by a man who claims Hernandez shot him while they were in a limousine in Miami in February 2013. Alexander Bradley claims the then-New England Patriot tight end wounded him after the two got into a fight at a Miami strip club. In a lawsuit filed four months later, Bradley said Hernandez fired at him during a limo ride after leaving the club and that Hernandez intentionally "possessed a gun which he was not legally licensed to have." Hernandez's lawyers have argued he couldn't defend himself properly while on trial in Massachusetts. There was no criminal charge in the case. And then there is the grievance over unpaid bonus money filed by the NFL players union on behalf of Hernandez, who signed a contract in 2012 that potentially was worth more than $40 million. If the grievance is heard by the league, Hernandez will be represented by the the National Football League Players' Association. Who was Odin Lloyd? CNN's Lawrence Crook contributed to this report.
Aaron Hernandez has been found guilty in Odin Lloyd's death, but his troubles are not over . He also faces murder charges in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, but trial was postponed . In addition, Hernandez will face two civil lawsuits; one is in relation to Suffolk County case .
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(CNN)SPOILER ALERT! It's not just women getting cloned. That was the big twist at the end of "Orphan Black's" second season. The kickoff to the new season leads the list of six things to watch in the week ahead. 1. "Orphan Black," 9 p.m. ET, Saturday, April 18, BBC America . The cloning cult sci-fi series remains one of the most critically acclaimed shows on TV, thanks in large part to the performance of Tatiana Maslany, who has taken on at least six roles on the show so far, including a newly introduced transgender clone. Maslany told reporters this week that we can expect even more impressive scenes with multiple clones. "We like to push the boundaries of what we're able to do and the limits of those clone scenes," she said. "So, yes, you'll definitely see more complex clone work this season and that's just because we're getting more comfortable with the technology and we're excited by getting to sort of further complicate things." And the introduction of a group of male clones will certainly increase the suspense. "There definitely is a shift towards the Castor clones that we get to explore them a little bit more," she said. The fans of the show, dubbed the "Clone Club" have a lot to look forward to when the show premieres on Saturday the 18th, and Maslany is blown away by the response to the series so far. "We've always been really humbled and really inspired by our fans and by their dedication to the show and their knowledge of the show, and just how it changes their own lives. It's incredible." 2. "Turn: Washington's Spies," 9 p.m. ET, Monday, AMC . The series about spies in the early days of the Revolutionary War returns with a new subtitle, "Washington's Spies," and a new Monday night time slot. Series star Jamie Bell told CNN what we can expect in the second season. "This year we have a lot more battles; we have the journey of [George] Washington and we're getting under his skin a little bit as well. We also introduce new characters like Benedict Arnold, a very infamous character in American history." Bell hopes the series might bring more recognition to the Culper spy ring and everything it did. "I think there should be a monument to all of the Culper ring somewhere. I was amazed that there is nothing [in Washington] about these people who did something extraordinary." 3. "Game of Thrones," 9 p.m. ET, Sunday, HBO . The world of Westeros returns for a fifth season in one of the biggest season premieres of the year. Click here for more on what to expect. 4. "Justified," 10 p.m. ET, Tuesday, FX . Timothy Olyphant's tour de force performance as Raylan Givens comes to an end Tuesday night, as the modern-day Western airs its season finale. We'll have to see how his final showdown with Boyd Crowder goes. 5. "Veep," 10:30 ET, Sunday, HBO . Hugh Laurie joins the cast and Julia Louis-Dreyfus is now the president of the United States on HBO's hit comedy. 6. "Nurse Jackie," 9 p.m. ET, Sunday, Showtime . The final season of Showtime's long-running melodrama begins.
Critically acclaimed series "Orphan Black" returns . "Turn: Washington's Spies" starts a second season . "Game of Thrones" is back for season five .
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(HLNtv)Actress Alyssa Milano had some angry tweets for Heathrow Airport authorities Thursday morning after workers there allegedly confiscated breast milk she'd pumped for her daughter while she was on a plane. Milano, who was on a trip with her husband that she described in an earlier tweet as a "romantic getaway," was furious. According to the Heathrow Airport guidelines on its website regarding baby food and/or milk, the airport asks that travelers carry only what they need for the flight. A blogger mom apparently experienced a similar issue at the airport in 2011 when her pumped milk was also confiscated. Per the UK Department of Transport, travelers can carry breast milk through security and are allowed quantities larger than 100ml if necessary. Milano, who has long been an outspoken advocate of breastfeeding, said the cooler the milk was in was also confiscated. See the original story at HLNtv.com.
Milano had pumped while on plane . Travelers are asked to carry only what they need .
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(CNN)Ten years ago, a prosecutor in Centre County, Pennsylvania, took a day off work and vanished. Since then, the case of Ray Gricar has become one of the most intriguing and talked about missing persons stories in the country. Investigators have taken dives to the bottom of lakes, dug up a grave, chased more than 300 reported sightings from Arizona to North Carolina, dropped fliers over Slovenia, consulted a psychic, interviewed a member of the Hell's Angels and enlisted NASA technology. But no one has been able to find the veteran district attorney, who was 59 when he disappeared. When he went missing that Friday morning on April 15, 2005, he left behind a live-in girlfriend, a beautiful and successful daughter and a bank account that was supposed to fund a fast-approaching retirement. His red Mini Cooper was found abandoned near a bridge on the Susquehanna River about 55 miles away from his home. Months later his county-issued laptop and hard drive were found -- separately -- on the banks of the river, too damaged to read. As far as hard evidence goes, that's about all police have. The best lead they got was the sighting of a woman who has not been identified, and information that he had searched online for ways to destroy a hard drive. What's left is theory, speculation and a case that's been cold almost from the beginning. "When a district attorney goes missing, you know, it's pretty big. It's going to catch people's attention. A lot of people don't have a large footprint. This guy had influential friends, he was well known," said Todd Matthews, director of communications and case management for the National Missing and Unidentified Person System, or NamUs. From the start, investigators have considered three possibilities: Gricar committed suicide, fell victim to foul play or deliberately walked away. The prevailing theories have been suicide or walk-away, especially since 2009, when a search of his Google history on his home computer found that someone had been searching "how to fry a hard drive" and "water damage to a notebook computer." Gricar, a private and quiet man, was spotted with a woman who was not his girlfriend the day he went missing, and cigarette ash was found near his car, even though he was not a smoker. Friends and colleagues recalled him being distant in the weeks that led up to his disappearance, and recounted his fascination with another law enforcement official from Ohio who vanished in 1985. Matthews said that NamUs has compared Gricar's DNA to unidentified bodies nine times since the database became available in 2009, but so far, none has been a match. "Even if he chose to make himself go missing, it sounds like something was terribly wrong that caused a drastic change in his life. There's something wrong if he's Googled how to fry a hard drive. Did he Google it? Did someone else Google it? Was he threatened? Did he do something and is trying to cover it up? It's not a normal thing to Google that." Matt Rickard, the former investigator who had been in charge of the investigation for several years, thinks that hard drive is the key to cracking the case. He said he's still holding out hope that someday technology will allow investigators to recover the damaged data. "I think there is something out there. Whether it's evidence or a person, there's something that could lead us to something," he said. "In all honesty, somebody destroyed the hard drive and there was a reason. We have very few solid leads and the biggest one could be contained on that hard drive." In 2011, when former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was arrested and charged with sexually abusing boys, it was revealed that it was Gricar who decided not to charge Sandusky when the first victim came forward in 1998. Gricar cited a lack of evidence. The intrigue already simmering in Gricar's case exploded. Sleuths desperately tried to find a link between the two cases, but investigators said there was no evidence that Gricar's disappearance had anything to do with Sandusky's crimes. But some have stuck to the homicide theory, suggesting that Gricar was an enemy of mob-like gangs in central Pennsylvania who were upset at his drug and corruption prosecutions. Cyril Wecht, a forensic pathologist, said he considered writing a book about Gricar, his ties to the Sandusky case, and whether it led to suicide. But, Wecht said, he abandoned the book idea when it became clear there was not enough evidence. "I don't think it's a great stretch," Wecht said. "He was one of those guys with a very strong sense of justice and professional discipline and in light of what evolved and came to be disclosed -- I speak as a forensic pathologist who's done so many suicides over the years and what can bring someone to that point. It's pure conjecture, not based on any factual knowledge." Plus, Wecht said, if it was a suicide, "I don't understand how they never recovered the body." Bob Buehner, a former district attorney in Montour County, Pennsylvania, who was Gricar's friend, has never accepted a suicide or walk-away theory. He believes his colleague was killed. Buehner has doubts that, 10 years later, state police can recover from what he considers a bungled start to the case. "It didn't seem like there was any overall game plan that made sense in terms of a systematic investigation," Buehner said. "One of the things I'd asked them to do from the first couple weeks is now impossible to do -- to do a hotel-motel canvas looking for the mystery woman seen with Ray and then match the names with photo IDs which police have access to." Buehner said those records are now gone and his faith in finding Gricar is dwindling. "I give it a 50-50 at best and only because I'm an optimist and I hope that's what will happen," he said. "As a pessimist, maybe 1 in 10 that we'll find him." Despite fresh eyes on the investigation when it was handed over to state authorities last year, the mystery woman has not been found. "Pennsylvania State Police continue to chase down new leads and take a fresh look at old leads and we continue to hold out hope that something will break out in this case," said Centre County's District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller. "Everybody, regardless of what position they held, deserves this kind of attention. In any missing persons case, he's not the only one, we feel discouraged when we can't answer the questions for the family, but it doesn't change our dedication to the case." The case has gotten significant attention on the national level, appearing on several true-crime television shows, including HLN's "Nancy Grace." So it was strange to many in Pennsylvania that for years a case with such a high profile would be handled by the tiny Bellefonte Police Department, where one investigator was assigned to juggle Gricar's case along with several more. In 2014, the state police took over, but that was nine years after Gricar went missing and two years after he had been declared legally dead. Sources close to the investigation told CNN the case, as state police received it, was disorganized and porous. Evidence had been compromised in storage. Reports were missing. Evidence had been collecting dust in file cabinets. There was never a forensic audit of his finances. Today, some of Gricar's friends believe the case is damaged beyond repair. They have lost faith that there will ever be any answers. When asked if she thought things might change when state police got the case, Barbara Gray, his ex-wife and the mother of his daughter Lara, said no. "The evidence is the same," she said. Lara declined to comment, and investigators said they've had trouble reaching her. "There is always a remote possibility that we might never have an answer," said Lt. James Emigh, who leads the investigation for the Pennsylvania State Police after inheriting it last year. "We still hold out hope, and the state police will however continue to diligently follow up every possible lead and attempt to bring closure to the family and friends of Ray."
Prosecutor Ray Gricar has been missing for 10 years . His laptop and hard drive were found too damaged to read . Gricar has been declared legally dead .
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(CNN)As Americans mark the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's death this week, let us remember that he not only belongs to the ages, but also belongs, in a special way, to Illinois. Lincoln's two greatest legacies -- indivisible union and irreversible emancipation -- grew organically from his Midwestern roots. He knew firsthand that no defensible border shielded the land of corn from the land of cotton. The entire region from the Appalachians to the Rockies drained through the Mississippi River, enabling farmers in this vast basin to float their goods down to market through New Orleans and from there to the world. He thus could never allow a potentially hostile power to control this geostrategic chokepoint in particular, or Dixie more generally. The U.S. landmass, he insisted, "is well adapted to be the home of one national family; and it is not well adapted for two, or more" because "there is no line, straight or crooked, suitable for a national boundary upon which to divide." Lincoln supplemented his Midwestern geography lesson with a distinctly Midwestern claim about constitutional history: "The Union is older than any of the States; and in fact, it created them as States." Lincoln did not need to make this controversial claim to prove his case, and elsewhere he stressed the decisive legal point that the Constitution's text clearly prohibits unilateral secession. The Constitution is always and everywhere the supreme law of the land -- no matter what an individual state says. But Lincoln's additional assertion that the Union created the states, not vice versa, provoked strong disagreement in other parts of the country. Most Virginians, including Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, insisted that of course Virginia had come first! At the outbreak of the American Revolution, the Old Dominion was already a century and a half old. Generations of Lees had helped govern Virginia long before the United States was born. But if Lee was, first and always, a Virginian, Lincoln was an American. His father came from Virginia, his grandfather hailed from Pennsylvania, and before that, the family had probably lived in New England. Abe himself had been born in Kentucky and had moved as a boy to Indiana, and later, as a young man, to Illinois. These latter two Midwestern states had undeniably been formed by the Union itself. These places had begun as federal territory -- the common inheritance of all Americans -- and it was the federal government that had indeed brought these new states to life. When young Abe moved to Indiana, it was just becoming a state, thanks to federal governmental action. It was a wise set of federal policies -- proper land surveys and a commitment to public education -- that had drawn the Lincolns and countless other Kentuckians to leave the Bluegrass State for a brighter future in the Midwest. Retracing Lincoln's assassination 150 years later . That brighter future also involved freedom from slavery. The Old Northwest had always been free soil, as provided for by a Northwest Ordinance that predated the U.S. Constitution. The words of the 13th Amendment -- the only constitutional amendment that Lincoln would live to sign -- promised to end slavery everywhere in America and did so by borrowing verbatim from Article 6 of the Northwest Ordinance. True, geography is not inexorable destiny. Many other Midwesterners in Lincoln's era embraced slavery and secession. Hugo Black, the Supreme Court justice who did the most to make Lincoln's constitutional vision a reality over the next century, was born and raised in Alabama. But geographic variation has always been a large part of America's constitutional saga. In the 1860 election that brought him to power, Lincoln swept almost all the Northern states, but did miserably in the slaveholding south. John Wilkes Booth, the dastard who ended Lincoln's life 150 years ago this week, was an embittered extremist from a slave state. So was Lincoln's nemesis on the Supreme Court, Chief Justice Roger Taney. Taney's most infamous ruling, the pro-slavery Dred Scott decision in 1857, had emerged from a court dominated by the South; although slave states accounted for less a third of America's free population, this region held an absolute majority of the seats on the court. Remembering Lincoln's murder . In our era, given the fact that Republican appointees have held a majority of the court for the last 40 years, the court has been rather moderate. Much of this moderation has come courtesy of northern Republicans on the Court -- most notably, Minnesota's Harry Blackmun, Illinois' John Paul Stevens, and New Hampshire's David Souter. All nine of the current justices learned their law in liberal New England, at Harvard or Yale, and the Republican appointee most attentive to gay rights, Anthony Kennedy, grew up in northern California, a corner of the country renowned for its respect for alternative lifestyles. Which takes us back to Lincoln. When Anthony Kennedy was a lad in California's state capital, the governor, a friend of the Kennedy family, was a Lincoln Republican named Earl Warren -- a man who would later author the Court's iconic opinion in Brown v. Board of Education, vindicating the constitutional amendments enshrined by Lincoln and his allies. Today, both parties at their best claim Lincoln. Jeb Bush aims to appeal to the better angels of our nature and Rand Paul is a Kentuckian who professes interest in racial outreach. Hillary Clinton was born an Illinois Republican. And the leader of her adopted political party -- who also happens to be president -- is a lanky and brainy lawyer from Illinois who knows how to give a good speech, and who swept to power in 2008 by recreating Lincoln's geographic coalition, winning every state within a four-hour drive of Chicago. In the largest sense, then, all Americans, of both parties and all regions -- whether or not they have ever set foot in Illinois -- are living in the Land of Lincoln.
Akhil Amar: Lincoln's two biggest legacies, keeping union together and abolishing slavery, had Midwestern roots . Lincoln saw the federal government as pre-eminent and believed there was no logical border for dividing the U.S.
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(CNN)Justice may be blind, but it's easy to see that Marvel's "Daredevil" is already a hit with fans. The pitch-black-dark new series streamed its entire first season on Netflix on Friday morning, and the early word is quite good. Charlie Cox is perfectly cast as blind attorney Matt Murdock, whose nights are consumed with cleaning up the New York neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen while dressed in a black ninjaesque outfit. As the season unfolds, he heads toward a confrontation with Vincent D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. the Kingpin. Two love interests enter Murdock's life in the form of Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) and Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson). Oh, and there's that red suit. So what do critics think? Quite a lot, with 94% giving it positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. "Marvel's 'Daredevil,' Netflix's latest offering, is a well-scripted, beautifully acted superhero saga that is surprisingly impressive," said the Philadelphia Inquirer's Tirdad Derakhshani. "The series stays incredibly faithful to Daredevil's pulp roots and does something delightfully unexpected -- trust its fans enough to spare us a long, drawn-out origin story," said Sadie Gennis of TV Guide. Early risers on Twitter praised the show as well, especially Cox's performance, as well as a drawn-out, well-choreographed fight scene in episode 2. Does Netflix have a "House of Cards"-like hit on its hands? Time will tell.
Marvel's long-awaited show "Daredevil" began streaming early Friday . Binge-watchers are already giving the series high marks .
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Polk City, Florida (CNN)If you drove by it, you wouldn't even know it's there. The Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation sits on 200 acres of land in rural central Florida, halfway between Orlando and Sarasota, off a nondescript country road. An armed security guard greets you at the entrance. After a short drive down a gravel road, you get the sense this is a special place. "You can walk around and you don't hear anything," said Kenneth Feld, who opened the center in 1995. "These elephants, they have these large feet and they travel silently through the fields. I think it's very peaceful." Twenty-nine elephants currently live here, and 13 more will join the group by 2018, after Ringling Bros. decided this year to stop using elephants in its traveling circus. "This was a decision that our family had discussed for quite some time," said Feld, chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment, the company that owns Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. The change comes after years of repeated criticism and lawsuits by animal rights groups. The ultimate decision to phase out the elephants, Feld said, is the result of the different laws regulating the use of the animals in each of the 115 cities the circus visits every year. "You can't operate any business, much less with animals, if you don't have consistency from city to city," Feld said. "It's a definite expense to be in litigation and to be fighting legislation, and there is a saying and it's been around for a long time: 'You can't fight city hall.' And we found that to be the case in this situation." The circus business has been a part of the Feld family since 1967, when Irvin Feld purchased Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. When Irvin died in 1984, his son, Kenneth, took over. "This is a whole family affair," he said. "It's a family affair for our family but also for all the elephants." When the center opened 20 years ago, it housed fewer than 10 elephants. "It was a place for elephants to retire," Feld said. Today, the center houses elephants of all ages. "We have lots of different elephants, meaning males and females, youth elephants, older elephants, so it is a great place to study behavior," he said. The center is also focused on breeding the animals. Wendy Kiso, a research and conservation scientist, spends her days at an onsite lab, trying to figure out how to keep the species from going extinct. Part of her lab includes several tanks that "cryo-preserve" elephant sperm at negative-196 degrees. "We process the semen and we extend it in such a way that we can freeze it," Kiso said. "This is a genetic resource bank for Asian elephants." Twenty-six elephants have been born here, Feld said. Mike, the newest pachyderm to join the group, was born at the center's birthing barn nearly two years ago. "We have the largest and only sustainable herd of Asian elephants in the Western Hemisphere," Feld said. Caring for the elephants is no small task. Trudy Williams and her husband, Jim, spend their time taking care of the animals' daily needs. It takes the couple hours to bathe, walk and feed the elephants every day. "First thing in the morning, we water them, and give them some treats and feed them some hay," Williams said. Each elephant eats about 150 pounds of food a day. Twenty-one tons of hay usually lasts only 10 days at the center. Exercise is also part of the daily routine, including stretching. "We just do that a few times on each leg with them, just to give them a good stretch," Williams said."We do some footwork with them. All of our elephants, generally once a month, get a pedicure, just to make sure their feet are in good condition." All of this care isn't cheap. "Each elephant costs over $65,000 a year, per year, over all the years of their life," Feld said. "We're fortunate we're for profit. We do make a profit and we're a privately owned family business, and so we've made a decision we want to devote a lot of resources here." It's a price Feld said he's willing to pay to keep this species -- some varieties of which in Asia and Africa are endangered -- alive for generations to come. "I always say, it's sort of like Jurassic Park with a happy ending," Feld said. "We knew that if we didn't do something, maybe my grandchildren would never have the opportunity to see these incredible animals." CNN's Javier de Diego contributed to this report.
29 elephants currently live at the circus sanctuary, and 13 more will join by 2018 . The expansion comes after Ringling Bros. said it would stop using elephants in circus . $65,000 worth of care annually includes pedicures, stretching and tons -- literally -- of food .
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(CNN)Two years ago, the storied Boston Marathon ended in terror and altered the lives of runners, spectators and those who tried to come to their rescue. Just last week, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was convicted on 30 charges related to the bombings at the race and the dramatic violence that dragged out for days afterward. The jury will begin deliberating his punishment next week. The death penalty is on the table. Dzhokhar and his brother Tamerlan, who was killed in a shootout with police, were intent on terrorizing not just Bostonians, but all Americans, prosecutors said. But the Tsarnaevs were not on the minds of most people in Boston on Wednesday. The injured victims and those who lost their lives were spoken of with reverence in somber ceremonies. Relatives of 8-year-old Martin Richard, the attack's youngest victim, and the family of Krystle Campbell stood with Gov. Charlie Baker and Mayor Martin Walsh. Bagpipes played and banners whipped in the wind on Boylston Street, the Boston Globe reported. Boston University graduate student Lingzi Lu also was killed in one of the two horrific blasts that brought chaos to the competitors and spectators near the race's finish line on April 15, 2013. Who were the victims? Many bombing survivors were in the crowd for Wednesday's events, the newspaper said. They wore white, blue and yellow pins celebrating "One Boston Day," which was created to recognize acts of valor and to encourage kindness among Bostonians. Many there and those who couldn't observe the day in person tweeted their respect and memories using #BostonDay. The marathon historically happens on a Monday. This year, runners will take on the 26.2 mile challenge April 20. "I think today will always be a little emotional for me -- Marathon Monday is my favorite day of the year, and will continue to be, despite these tragedies," Boston resident Lindsey Berkowitz told CNN. "I have so much respect and support for all of the survivors, and hope the city continues to come together on this day to embrace the strength and resilience of Boston, and the love we all have for this great city." Melanie DiVasta was working just a mile from the finish line in 2013 when one of the bombs set by the Tsarnaevs exploded. Several of her friends were waiting at the finish line. They were unharmed. "It was just an overwhelming feeling of shock to start hearing about it and seeing images," DiVasta said. "You couldn't help but cry and just ask why." What's next for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev? CNN's Jareen Imam contributed to this report.
Citizens gather to honor victims on One Boston Day, two years after the marathon bombings . "Today will always be a little emotional for me," one Bostonian tells CNN .
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Nairobi, Kenya (CNN)University of Nairobi students were terrified Sunday morning when they heard explosions -- caused by a faulty electrical cable -- and believed it was a terror attack, the school said. Students on the Kikuyu campus stampeded down the halls of the Kimberly dormitory, and some jumped from its fifth floor, the university said. Hundreds were injured and were taken to hospitals. One person died, according to the school. The confusion and panic came less than two weeks after Al-Shabaab slaughtered 147 people at a college in Garissa, Kenya. Kenyan teachers and students have said they fear being targeted by the Somalia-based terrorists. On Sunday, as many as 108 students from the University of Nairobi were admitted to Kenyatta National Hospital. Among them, at least 63 students have been discharged, and at least four are slated for surgery, the school said. Almost all of the 54 students being treated at PCEA Kikuyu Hospital have been released, the university said. Kenya Power authorities and its CEO are at the school and looking into the electrical issue. Normal power supply will resume after repairs, the university said. "As we mourn the unfortunate loss of the departed student, we are also praying for the quick recovery of those who were injured," said Vice Chancellor Peter M.F. Mbithi in a statement. He called on the students, staff and public to remain calm. CNN's Lillian Leposo reported from Nairobi and Ashley Fantz wrote this story in Atlanta.
Students stampeded; some jumped from a fifth story at a dorm; one student died, school officials say . The blasts were caused by faulty electrical cable, and Kenya Power is at the school . The panic came less than two weeks after terrorists attacked Kenya's Garissa University .
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(CNN)The Tulsa County reserve deputy who fatally shot a man instead of using his Taser turned himself in to authorities Tuesday at the Tulsa County Jail. Video shows Reserve Deputy Robert Bates announcing he is going to deploy his Taser after an undercover weapons sting on April 2 but then shooting Eric Courtney Harris in the back with a handgun. Bates was charged with second-degree manslaughter Monday. He surrendered Tuesday morning, accompanied by his attorney, Clark Brewster, and immediately posted bail of $25,000. As he exited the jailhouse, Bates paused in front of television cameras for a moment but did not speak. His attorney reiterated that he believes the charge against his client is unwarranted. The Tulsa County Sheriff's Office says a sting operation caught Harris illegally selling a gun. Harris ran when officers came in for the arrest. Authorities say Bates thought he pulled out his Taser but "inadvertently" fired his gun. Harris' brother, Andre Harris, told CNN that he is pleased District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler pressed charges. In his opinion, however, no type of force should have been used in the arrest of his brother. Watching the video of the shooting, Andre Harris said he can see that three or more officers were already on top of his brother. That manpower should have been enough to arrest him, he said. "It was a situation where I didn't necessarily think that a Taser should even be used," Andre Harris said. Scott Wood, another Bates' attorney, has said the shooting was an "excusable homicide." Investigators' efforts to defend Bates and the other deputies involved in the arrest have sparked a mounting chorus of criticism online. Harris' relatives are demanding an independent investigation of what they call unjustified brutality. They're also questioning why the 73-year-old Bates -- the CEO of an insurance company who volunteers as a certified reserve deputy -- was on the scene in such a sensitive and high-risk sting operation. Daniel Smolen, an attorney representing the Harris family, said Bates paid big money to play a cop in his spare time. Bates, who was a police officer for a year in the 1960s, had been a reserve deputy since 2008, with 300 hours of training and 1,100 hours of community policing experience, according to the sheriff's office. He was also a frequent contributor to the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office, including $2,500 to the re-election of Sheriff Stanley Glanz. The sheriff's office has said that Bates had law enforcement certification, but Smolen said he has not seen any field training records. "We're holding up all right at this point," Andre Harris said. "We're putting our faith in God that justice will be served, and we can get some closure in this situation." How easy is it to confuse a gun for a Taser? In a statement released Tuesday, Eric Harris' family members said they know there are many good deputies working in Tulsa County. "However, the treatment of Eric of April 2 clearly shows that there is a deep-seated problem within the TCSO," the statement said. The family said that the sheriff has not apologized and that the department has not shown remorse or indication it will change its policies. CNN's Jason Morris and Ed Lavandera contributed to this report.
Reserve Deputy Robert Bates surrenders to authorities, posts bail of $25,000 . Bates is charged with second-degree manslaughter in the killing of Eric Harris .
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(CNN)Laying down tracks for their debut album in the recording studio in Los Angeles, Iman Hashi, 25 and her sister Siham, 27 could not be further from their hometown of Mogadishu. The sisters were born in the Somali capital but were forced to flee after war broke out in 1991. Along with their parents, the girls relocated to Canada as refugees where during their teens they discovered a passion for music. Heading south to LA by way of Atlanta, the singing sisters with a bold flair for fashion are now embarking on a musical journey, gearing up to unleash their Afro-pop sound to the world. CNN's African Voices caught up with the sister act -- known collectively as Faarrow (combining the translation of their names into English -- Iman means "Faith" and Siham means "Arrow") to talk about music, aspirations and Somalia. CNN: Hi guys, thanks for chatting with me today. What are some of your musical influences? Iman: We love Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie -- stuff my mom would listen to and play -- and the Spice Girls. We used to die for the Spice Girls. I love new artists now but I don't know if it's a nostalgia, but I remember ... my mom used to pump whatever -- Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston. CNN: You are working on your debut album now -- how's that been? Siham: We've been working with Elijah Kelley -- he's actually an actor. He was in "Hairspray," "The Butler," and most recently he was in the George Lucas animation, "Strange Magic." That's what he's more known for but his first passion is music. He's an incredible producer, writer and singer. I just felt like he was always the missing piece. He brought everything together. CNN: So now that you've found your "missing piece," how would you describe your sound? Siham: Our music before was experimenting with Afrobeat sounds but now it's more of a fusion (of what) we are inspired by. It's pop with undertones of hip hop and rhythmic African percussion. It's a fusion of everything. CNN: And do you guys write the songs as well? Siham: The entire album was pretty much (written and produced) by me, my sister and Elijah. And when we signed we already had a lot of those songs already done. Warner Brothers Records is really great in that way that they already loved what we were doing and let us do our own thing. CNN: What are you listening to right now? Siham: Oh my God, there's so many! Iman: Sia with "Chandelier." Siham: I really love this new song -- I don't know if Iman is going to agree with me -- but his name's LunchMoney Lewis, it's called Bills; I love it. CNN: As well as your music, you both work with the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) -- how did you start your humanitarian work? Iman: Ever since we were kids we wanted to help Somalia, we always talked about it. But we were like "what can we physically do?" We were doing some research and we called our mom and she said 'You know you still have family over there. There's a refugee camp in Kenya and your great uncle and his kids live in a refugee camp.' And we did some research about Dadaab refugee camp, it's a massive camp that has taken in Sudanese refugees, Somali refugees, Rwandan refugees -- pretty much anywhere there was a conflict. Everybody fled to Dadaab. In the beginning (it was) pure advocacy talking about it on Twitter and Facebook. CNN: But then you decided to "up your game" as it were... Iman: Yes, then we started a non-profit and we'd do small benefit concerts in Toronto and in San Diego -- wherever there was a big Somali community we would do outreach but all we had was our singing, working with UNHCR in a capacity as a spokesperson. We headlined World Refugee Day at the Kennedy Center, as well as the Nansen Awards twice in Geneva. We felt like this platform of singing -- the bigger it gets, the more we can do. Siham: We obviously love fashion so we wanted to do our own socially conscious brand so we've been making these bracelets and necklaces called "Wish Creatively." Wish stands for "Women Internationally Selling Hope." We wanted to do a socially conscious brand where we sell these bracelets where it goes back to projects in Kenya or Somalia with women providing them with a sustainable income. CNN: So what's next for you two? Siham: We're actually in the mixing process right now. We still have a few (tracks) to finish up but the majority of the album is pretty much done. We want to turn it in as soon as possible so they can put together a rollout plan and get ready for the first single to drop. Iman: I don't feel like we ever lost that feeling like we're creative spokespersons for our generation as well as for Somalia. I feel like now because we followed our dreams it's like 'they're not just refugees anymore.' We don't have to become doctors so we can one day give back to Somalia and help rebuild -- it's such a beautiful dream but not ours. In our culture, anything creative is not really respected or appreciated. But I feel like now but even with our new deal we're still trucking along. I feel like we inspire people. Read this: Nigerian soul singer Nneka is back! Read this: Angelique Kidjo takes no prisoners . More from African Voices .
Somali sisters, Iman and Siham Hashi, make up Faarrow . A fusion of hip-hop, world pop and Afrobeats, they are currently finishing debut album .
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Baghdad, Iraq (CNN)Hundreds of additional Iraqi troops are being sent to reinforce colleagues who are trying to fend off ISIS' attempt to overrun Iraq's largest oil refinery, a key paramilitary force said Tuesday. The reinforcements come four days after ISIS began attacking northern Iraq's Baiji oil refinery, a key strategic resource that has long been a target because the facility refines much of the fuel used by Iraqis domestically. The additional troops came from Camp Speicher, a fortified Iraqi base near the city of Tikrit, according to the media office of the Hasd Al-Shaabi militia. The reinforcements include two federal police regiments, an Iraqi military quick reaction force battalion and a regiment from Hasd Al-Shaabi, which is a predominantly Shia militia that worked with the Iraqi military as well as Sunni fighters to liberate Tikrit from ISIS about two weeks ago. ISIS launched an assault on the Baiji oil refinery late Saturday. By Sunday, ISIS said its fighters were inside the refinery and controlled several buildings, but Iraqi government security officials denied that claim and insisted that Iraqi forces remained in full control. The Hasd Al-Shaabi media office said Tuesday that Iraqi troops already at the refinery were holding their ground, preparing to push ISIS out of the facility entirely. The attack could have a significant effect if it damages oil fields or machinery. The refinery is 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Tikrit. CNN's Hamdi Alkhshali reported from Baghdad. CNN's Jason Hanna wrote in Atlanta. CNN's Arwa Damon and Catherine E. Shoichet contributed to this report.
ISIS attacked the Baiji oil refinery Saturday . The refinery, Iraq's largest, has long been a lucrative target for militants .
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Tokyo (CNN)The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has given up trying to recover a robotic probe after it stopped moving inside one of the reactors. Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) deployed the remote-controlled robot on Friday inside one of the damaged reactors that had suffered a meltdown following a devastating earthquake and tsunami in 2011. It was the first time the probe had been used. The robot, set out to collect data on radiation levels and investigate the spread of debris, stalled after moving about 10 meters, according to a statement released by TEPCO. A newly released report and footage from the robot shows that a fallen object had blocked its path and left it stranded. TEPCO decided to cut off the cable connected to the device Sunday as it had already covered two-thirds of the originally planned route. It managed to collect data on radiation levels in 14 of the 18 targeted locations. Four years after the devastating nuclear crisis, the radiation levels inside the three damaged reactors are still extremely high and remain unsafe for people to enter. Decommissioning work is estimated to cost $50 billion and will take years to complete. TEPCO called the robotic probe an "unprecedented" experiment. CNN's Yoko Wakatsuki reported from Tokyo, Japan and Naomi Ng wrote from Hong Kong.
The operator of the Fukushima nuclear plant said it has abandoned a robotic probe inside one of the damaged reactors . A report stated that a fallen object has left the robot stranded . The robot collected data on radiation levels and investigated the spread of debris .
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(CNN)More than 500 Houthi rebels have been killed since the start of Saudi-led military operations against Yemeni Shia fighters, a Saudi Defense Ministry official said Saturday, according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency. A Saudi general said Saturday the nine-nation coalition has undertaken 1,200 airstrikes since they began on March 26. Gen. Ahmed Asiri added that the raids aim to keep the rebels from moving toward southern Yemen, according to the SPA. Clashes took place Friday near the Saudi-Yemeni border, in the Najran region. Saudi forces responded to mortar rounds fired by Houthis on a Saudi border site. Three Saudi military officers were killed and two others were wounded in the shelling, a defense official said, according to SPA. A Saudi source also confirmed to CNN's Nic Robertson that three Saudi soldiers were killed in the shelling. The Yemeni Health Ministry on Saturday said 385 civilians have been killed and 342 others have been wounded. The World Health Organization has put higher figure on both tolls -- 648 killed and 2,191 wounded -- but includes militant casualties in the totals. Yemen has been descending into chaos in the weeks since Houthi rebels -- minority Shiites who have long complained of being marginalized in the majority Sunni country -- forced Yemeni President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi from power in January. And even before the crisis escalated with the Saudi airstrikes, most of the 25 million people in Yemen required humanitarian assistance to meet their most basic needs, the United Nations said Friday. CNN's Pierre Meilhan and Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report.
Saudi general says more than 1,200 airstrikes since campaign began March 26 . Three Saudis were killed in attack on border position, source tells CNN .
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Hong Kong (CNN)There's a booming black market in Hong Kong, but it's not for fake Apple Watches, or the iPhone. Instead, people are going crazy for tins of butter cookies. Tourists and locals line up around the block for several hours just to get their hands on Jenny's cookies -- at $9 a tin. Its popularity has spurred bakeries to make and sell knockoffs, and the original store has signs warning against buying 'fake' Jenny's cookies. The tiny shop, located in Tsim Sha Tsui, one of the city's main shopping districts, is swarming with people handing over wads of cash for the "little bear cookies" as they are known across Asia. People are even hired to stand in line to buy the goods and are later resold at a 70% mark-up yards away, something the bakery also tries to discourage. A few meters away from the long cookie line, old ladies hold up paper signs advertising the cookies for sale. But when they see cameras approaching, they scurry away, only to reappear on another street corner. The frenzy in Hong Kong over the buttery treats is by no means an isolated example. In other parts of the world, food mania has erupted, swiftly winning people's hearts and stomachs, only to fizzle out in a few months. From cronuts to ramen burgers, here are some foods that people around the world have spent hours of their lives waiting for. Were they worth it?
Tourists and locals queue for several hours to get their hands on Jenny's butter cookies . People are even hired to stand in line to buy the cookies, which are later sold at an up-to-70% mark-up . Food frenzies have also taken place in other parts of the world .
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Kano, Nigeria (CNN)An explosion late Thursday outside a bus station in the northeast Nigerian city of Gombe ‎killed at least five people and injured more than a dozen others, witnesses said. The explosion outside the Bauchi Motor Park‎ happened around 8:30 p.m. after a woman left her explosives-laden handbag near a bus filling up with passengers. The bus was heading to the central Nigerian city of Jos, 125 kilometers away. "There has been an explosion just outside the motor park and five people have been killed while more than 12 others have been seriously injured," said Adamu Saidu, an employee at the bus station. "Some of the injured have had their limbs blown off‎ and one of them has had his eye gouged out," said Saidu, who was involved in the evacuation of the victims to a hospital. The woman pretended to be going to Jos and lingered around the bus, which was ‎waiting to fill up with passengers, according to Falalu Tasiu, a grocer near the bus station. "The woman kept talking on the phone and dropped her bag beside the bus, pretending to be waiting for the bus to fill up," Tasiu said. "She moved towards shops overlooking the bus station as if she was going to buy something and disappeared. Moments later the bag exploded and set the bus on fire, killing five people and inujuring around 15 others," Tasiu said. Although no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, Boko Haram Islamists have repeatedly carried out suicide and bombing attacks on bus stations and markets in Gombe and other northern cities, making the group the main suspect. Boko Haram has in recent months been under sustained pressure from sweeping offensives from a four-nation regional alliance of Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon. The regional offensives have considerably weakened Boko Haram's capabilities, which has prompted the Islamists to resort to attacks on soft targets such as bus stations, markets and schools. The explosion was the first attack since Nigeria held its presidential election at the weekend, which was won by opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari, who vowed to crush Boko Haram when he assumes office in late May.
Woman leaves explosives-laden handbag beside bus during boarding . No group has claimed responsibility, but Boko Haram is suspected .
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Washington (CNN)ISIS is a problem that is "off the charts historically" and has sent the United States into "uncharted territory" when it comes to putting down the terror group, the Obama administration's point man in the fight recently told CNN. The comments, which Brett McGurk made in an exclusive interview, were some of the administration's strongest to date in describing the challenge the United States and its allies face in battling ISIS. "This is a problem that is off the charts historically," he said, referring to the more than 20,000 foreign fighters who have gone into Syria. "Just put that into perspective: It's about twice the number that went into Afghanistan in the 1980s over a 10-year period to fight the Soviet Union, and those came really from only a handful of countries." He concluded, "We're in unchartered territory here." McGurk just returned from an urgent summit of coalition nations held in Jordan. Last week, Canada became the latest nation to conduct airstrikes against ISIS over Syria. The United States now lists 62 countries in the coalition. As the U.S.-led coalition has focused attention on Iraq and Syria, ISIS has expanded its reach to Libya, Egypt and Yemen, often with existing extremist groups pledging allegiance to the militants. McGurk did not rule out expanding U.S. military action beyond Iraq and Syria to combat the increasing regional threat. "We have a lot of tools to protect ourselves and our national security interests, some of which are military tools," he said. "Of course we apply those tools when the president determines and our chain of command makes the recommendation that that is the right thing to do." The United States has also been stepping up efforts to involve Sunni groups in the fight against ISIS. To date, that involvement has been extremely limited as Sunni tribes see Shiite militias, many with horrendous human rights records, take the lead. But McGurk said that Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is making progress getting Sunni tribes to support a planned Iraqi offensive against ISIS in Anbar province in the coming weeks. He stressed the importance of working with al-Abadi, noting that the Iraqi leader was in Anbar province last week handing out more than 1,000 AK-47s to tribal fighters who are going to join the Iraqi security forces. "We are helping to enable and train (them) as they begin to go on the offensive over the coming weeks and months in Anbar," McGurk said. "They put out this very perverse, twisted vision, and it's very attractive to a lot of young men around the world," he acknowledged. "But in fact, what the foreign fighters are finding in Syria and Iraq is that they're more likely to get killed in Iraq and Syria, and in fact, instead of getting a slave bride as ISIS leaders promise them, they're more likely to get killed by a female Peshmerga fighter in the streets of Kobani." That bottom line, he assessed, could turn the tide: "The foreign fighters are learning the reality of what it's like when they go to join this twisted version of a caliphate, and I think we're going to see those networks begin to dry up."
Obama's point man in ISIS fight doesn't rule out U.S. military action beyond Iraq and Syria . Brett McGurk: Iraqi leader making progress with Sunni tribes in planned Anbar offensive .
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(CNN)The first trailer for a documentary on the life and music of late British singer Amy Winehouse was released Thursday. The teaser for "Amy: The Girl Behind the Name," set for UK release on July 3, features early footage of Winehouse talking about how her music career was born and where she believed she was headed. "Singing has always been important to me, but I never thought, 'I'll end up singing' or 'I'll be a singer,' " Winehouse said. "I felt like I had nothing new that was coming out at the time that really represented me or the way I felt, so, you know, I just started writing." Winehouse, known for her bluesy voice, bouffant hairdo and numerous tattoos, struggled publicly with drugs and alcohol during a career in which she recorded two albums and won six Grammys (one posthumous). She died from alcohol poisoning at the age of 27 on July 23, 2011. Her biggest hit, "Rehab," chronicled the efforts of those around her to get her to submit to substance abuse treatment. "Amy" seeks to "truly capture not just the great artist that she was, but also the funny and loving person that most people didn't get a chance to know," the filmmakers said on Facebook after announcing the film in 2013. Amy Winehouse documentary gets UK release date . The trailer conveys Winehouse's ambivalence about fame. "I'm not a girl trying to be a star or trying to be anything other than a musician," she says. "I don't think I'm gonna be at all famous," Winehouse tells an interviewer early in her career. "I don't think I could handle it. I would probably go mad. Do you know what I mean? I would go mad." A life cut short: Remembering the tragedy of Amy Winehouse . Unlike an earlier look at the singer's life, 2013's "Fallen Star," the documentary has been endorsed by Winehouse's family. It will feature "extensive unseen archive footage and previously unheard tracks," Deadline reported. The team behind the new film includes Asif Kapadia, director of the documentary "Senna," on the life of Brazilian Formula 1 racer Ayrton Senna. The film won two BAFTA awards. "The award-winning producers of Senna presented a vision that would look at Amy's story sensitively, honestly and without sensationalising her," the family statement said. "We want this to be a tribute to her musical legacy."' A U.S. release date for the film has yet to be announced. CNN's Michael Pearson contributed to this report.
"Amy" features archival footage of the singer and original music tracks . "Amy" seeks to "truly capture not just the great artist that she was," filmmakers say . Winehouse, who died at 27, said fame would probably drive her "mad"
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Boston (CNN)The Boston Marathon is traditionally an event in which people in and around the Massachusetts capital come together, celebrate and enjoy. But not in 2013, when three people died and over 200 were injured when a pair of bombs went off within 12 seconds of each other at the finish line. And not this year -- at least not if you're a member of the jury that convicted Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the bombings. That's what federal Judge George A. O'Toole told jurors Tuesday, stressing the importance of avoiding anything that could be prejudicial in the trial's sentencing phase. That begins April 21, a day after this year's edition of the landmark race. "Do not attend the Boston Marathon or any events or gatherings related to the anniversary or the current running of the Boston Marathon," O'Toole said in court. The judge spoke for less than 10 minutes, and stressed the seriousness of his warnings. The first phase of Tsarnaev's trial began March 4, after which federal prosecutors called 92 witnesses, and the defense just four. Timeline of the bombings, manhunt and aftermath . Tsarnaev's lawyers never disputed that their client was at the scene of the bombings and part of the days-long mayhem that followed. Tsarnaev lawyer Judy Clarke acknowledged in opening arguments that: "It was him." But Clarke argued that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev only took part in the plot under the influence of his brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who died after the bombings, but before his brother was captured in a boat parked in a Watertown backyard, . That argument wasn't enough to sway the jury, though. Rather, they convicted Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on all 30 counts he faced -- including using weapons of mass destruction, bombing a place of public use, conspiracy and aiding and abetting. A look at all of the charges . The only question now, short of a successful appeal of that verdict, is what price he'll now pay. The maximum penalty for several of the charges is death. Talking to the jury on Tuesday, O'Toole predicted that the sentencing phase will last four weeks before cautioning that forecasting a specific timetable is less reliable than guessing the weather. The plan is for the court to be in session for four days a week, as long as the process takes. Until then, O'Toole told the jurors, "Please put the case out of your minds. Enjoy the warm weather." What's next for Tsarnaev? CNN's Ann O'Neill reported from Boston. CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet, Alexandra Field, Aaron Cooper, Kevin Conlon, Jason Hanna and Steve Almasy contributed to this report.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was found guilty of all 30 counts, may face death penalty . The sentencing phase starts April 21; a judge predicts it will last four weeks . He warns jurors not to do anything that could be prejudicial to the case .
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(CNN)A former U.S. Army enlistee who posted on Facebook about "the adrenaline rush" of dying in jihad was arrested Friday and charged with trying to detonate a car bomb at Fort Riley military base in Kansas, authorities said. A second man, who allegedly knew about the bomb plot but didn't call authorities, was charged with failing to report a felony. John T. Booker Jr. of Topeka, an American citizen also known as Mohammed Abdullah Hassan, was taken into custody near Manhattan, Kansas, in a van that contained what he thought was a bomb, the criminal complaint said. The "bomb" had actually been put together by two confidential informants with nonexplosive materials, the complaint said. Fort Riley's security was never breached and no people were in danger, the U.S. Justice Department said in a press release. Booker enlisted in the Army last year and was due to ship out to basic training April 7, 2014, said Army spokesman Wayne Hall. The criminal complaint said the FBI questioned him March 24, 2014 about comments posted on Facebook, such as, "Getting ready to be killed in jihad is a HUGE adrenaline rush. I am so nervous. NOT because I'm scare to die but I am eager to meet my lord." Booker waived his Miranda rights and told the agents he enlisted to commit an insider attack against American soldiers like Maj. Nidal Hassan had done at Fort Hood, Texas, the complaint said. Hassan opened fire in a building in November 2009, killing 13 people and wounding more than 30. His enlistment was terminated March 24, 2014, at the request of Army Criminal Investigation Command, Hall said. Booker began communicating with a confidential informant later in 2014, the complaint said, and often talked about his plans to engage in violent jihad in support of ISIS. He and the informant watched ISIS videos together, the complaint said, and Booker talked about how he wanted to go to Iraq and turn his weapon on American soldiers when ordered to shoot the enemy. On March 9, Booker said he believed ISIS wanted him to commit a truck bombing in the United States and thought a good target would be nearby Fort Riley, a large Army base that's home to the 1st Infantry Division, known as "The Big Red One." Booker said "that detonating a suicide bomb is his No. 1 aspiration because he couldn't be captured, all evidence would be destroyed and he would be guaranteed to hit his target," the criminal complaint said. He made a video with a Fort Riley airfield in the background and said ISIS was coming to kill American soldiers, both abroad and in the United States, the complaint said. Booker acquired components for a bomb and rented a storage locker to store the components, the complaint said. The plan was for confidential informants to build a bomb and for Booker to drive to Fort Riley and detonate it, the complaint said. But the bomb was built with "inert" parts and would never explode, the complaint said. On Friday, the informants and Booker drove to what Booker thought was a little-used utility gate near Fort Riley, the complaint said. While Booker was making final connections on the "bomb," the FBI arrested him, the complaint said. He was charged with one count of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, one count of attempting to damage property by means of an explosive and one count of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq, a designated foreign terrorist organization. If convicted, he could face life in prison. Alexander E. Blair, 28, of Topeka was taken into custody Friday and charged with failing to report a felony. The FBI said agents interviewed Blair after Booker's arrest. Blair said he shared some of Booker's views, knew of his plans to detonate a vehicle bomb at Fort Riley and loaned him money to rent storage space, according to the FBI's criminal complaint. He said he thought Booker would carry out his plan but did not contact authorities, the complaint said. If convicted, Blair faces a maximum of three years in prison.
Alexander Blair, 28, of Topeka accused of knowing about bomb plot but not contacting authorities . Fort Riley's security was never breached and the device was "inert" and not a threat, authorities say . John T. Booker Jr., 20, of Topeka had acquired bomb parts and made a propaganda video, the Justice Department says .
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(CNN)Gwyneth Paltrow, the actress turned lifestyle guru, is known for promoting detoxes and health cleanses on her site, Goop.com. But she's now bringing awareness to the difficulties of life on food stamps. In a tweet Friday, Paltrow showcased an array of leafy greens, dried beans and rice, purchased for the amount a person living on food stamps is allotted each week, she explained. The amount of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits a person can get is based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Thrifty Food Plan. The plan estimates how much it costs to buy food, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. In this case, Paltrow will be spending just under $30 for groceries. Her participation is part of the #FoodBankNYCChallenge. Celebrity chef Mario Batali, a close friend of the star's, nominated Paltrow and musicians Sting and Deborah Harry for the challenge through a video. The challenge urges participants to use only $29 for all the food a person eats for seven days. "For one week, walk in someone else's shoes," Batali is quoted saying on the Food Bank for New York City's website. "By truly understanding what our friends and neighbors are going through, we will be better equipped to find solutions." The #FoodBankNYCChallenge is an attempt to live on a food stamp budget for one week, which translates to $1.38 per meal, according to the site. The effort is in response to recent cuts to food stamps. "Congress cut food stamps twice since 2013, and soup kitchens and food pantries saw an immediate increase in visitors," the site explains. Organizers hope the challenge will raise public awareness of the struggles for families to afford food while on food stamps.
Actress Gwyneth Paltrow is trying to live on $29 worth of food for one week . It's a part of the #FoodBankNYCChallenge, which is bringing awareness to food poverty . Paltrow was nominated by her friend chef Mario Batali .
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(CNN)It was a typical practice day for the Washington University of rowing team, but then danger came from beneath. The scene was Creve Coeur Lake outside of St. Louis early Friday morning. The team's boat got near the dock, when suddenly a swarm of Asian carp emerged from the water and went on the attack, some even going into the boat. Team member Devin Patel described the moment of terror: "The fish was flopping on my legs. It was so slippery that I couldn't get a grip on it." Patel screamed at teammate Yoni David, "Yoni, get it off me!" Thankfully, no rowers were injured during the ordeal, but the strong smell of fish lingered in the moments afterward. Watch iReporter Benjamin Rosenbaum's video above.
Rowing team at Washington University attacked by flying carp . Member of the team caught the attack on video .
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Lagos, Nigeria (CNN)A day after winning Nigeria's presidency, Muhammadu Buhari told CNN's Christiane Amanpour that he plans to aggressively fight corruption that has long plagued Nigeria and go after the root of the nation's unrest. Buhari said he'll "rapidly give attention" to curbing violence in the northeast part of Nigeria, where the terrorist group Boko Haram operates. By cooperating with neighboring nations Chad, Cameroon and Niger, he said his administration is confident it will be able to thwart criminals and others contributing to Nigeria's instability. For the first time in Nigeria's history, the opposition defeated the ruling party in democratic elections. Buhari defeated incumbent Goodluck Jonathan by about 2 million votes, according to Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission. The win comes after a long history of military rule, coups and botched attempts at democracy in Africa's most populous nation. In an exclusive live interview from Abuja, Buhari told Amanpour he was not concerned about reconciling the nation after a divisive campaign. He said now that he has been elected he will turn his focus to Boko Haram and "plug holes" in the "corruption infrastructure" in the country. "A new day and a new Nigeria are upon us," Buhari said after his win Tuesday. "The victory is yours, and the glory is that of our nation." Earlier, Jonathan phoned Buhari to concede defeat. The outgoing president also offered a written statement to his nation. "I thank all Nigerians once again for the great opportunity I was given to lead this country, and assure you that I will continue to do my best at the helm of national affairs until the end of my tenure," Jonathan said. "I promised the country free and fair elections. I have kept my word." Buhari, 72, will be sworn in on May 29. He will take the helm at a critical time, as Nigeria grapples with Boko Haram, serious economic woes and corruption. This isn't Buhari's first time leading Nigeria, but it's his first time in nearly 30 years. A military coup brought Buhari to power in late 1983, closing a brief period of popular rule by Shehu Shagari. But Buhari himself was ousted by another military coup in August 1985. Read more: Who is Nigeria's Muhammadu Buhari? His presidential win is the result of his fourth attempt to lead the country since he was ousted 30 years ago. Buhari is a Sunni Muslim from Nigeria's poorer North, while Jonathan comes from a Christian and animist South that is rich with oil. Buhari praised voters for exercising their right peacefully. "Your vote affirms that you believe Nigeria's future can be better than what it is today," he said in his statement. "You voted for change, and now change has come." Buhari campaigned as a born-again democrat to allay fears about his strict military regime. He stressed that Nigeria's security needs to be the next government's focus. His campaign was also fiercely anti-corruption. He ran under the slogan of "new broom," and his supporters were often pictured holding brooms in the lead-up to the vote. Despite years of democracy, analysts say, corruption has hindered Nigeria from building a stable economy. One of Buhari's biggest challenges will be Boko Haram, which has been terrorizing Nigeria as it tries to institute a strict version of Sharia law in the country. In the past few years, the terror group has bombed churches and mosques, killed hundreds of people and kidnapped more than 200 teenage girls from a boarding school. Even the presidential vote had to be postponed because of the radical militants. The election was originally scheduled for February 14, but was delayed six weeks because the military needed more time to secure areas controlled by Boko Haram. Yet the violence persisted. On Saturday, residents in the northeastern state of Gombe said at least 11 people were killed in attacks at polling stations, apparently by Boko Haram extremists. Jonathan had been criticized for not doing enough to combat Boko Haram. Before the election, African affairs analyst Ayo Johnson said the vote would come down to who could make Nigeria feel safe. "Many Nigerians will not forget (Buhari) was a military leader during a dictatorship," Johnson said. "Or maybe they will feel that they need a military leader to address fundamental problems such as terrorism." Boko Haram isn't the only obstacle facing the new president. The economy is another major issue. Nigeria overtook South Africa last year as the region's largest economy. Nigeria is one of Africa's largest oil producers and is a major supplier of crude oil to the United States. It also hosts many international oil companies and workers. But many complain that the country's vast wealth from oil exports doesn't trickle down to the average citizen. As many as 70% of Nigerians live below the poverty line, surviving on less than a dollar a day. Christian Purefoy reported from Lagos; Holly Yan reported and wrote from Atlanta. CNN's Stephanie Busari, Faith Karimi and Susannah Cullinane contributed to this report.
Muhammadu Buhari tells CNN's Christiane Amanpour that he will fight corruption in Nigeria . Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and is grappling with violent Boko Haram extremists . Nigeria is also Africa's biggest economy, but up to 70% of Nigerians live on less than a dollar a day .
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West of Baghdad, Iraq (CNN)The call from Faleh Essawi, the deputy chief of the provincial council, who we were supposed to be meeting up with, came just as we were about to hit the bridge -- the only safe route from Baghdad to neighboring Anbar province. "ISIS has taken the east of the city, it's not accessible," he says, sounding frantic, rapidly rattling off the neighborhoods and areas ISIS fighters had just stormed into. Moments later, we see the impact: An endless stream of humanity, shell shocked, and exhausted. Parents cradle babies in blankets, some struggle under the weight of their belongings, some carry small plastic bags, while others nothing but the children clutching at their hands. Cars are not permitted to cross this bridge across the Euphrates. The government feels that restricting vehicles will decrease the likelihood of explosives making their way into Iraq's capital. Those too young or too tired to walk pile into metal carts pushed by boys or young men, normally used to carry produce to markets. An elderly woman sits in one, a child in her arms, a worn down plastic doll in her hand. Many don't want to talk, at least not for long. What they just went through is too raw, too painful. One man we encounter describes how ISIS fighters commandeered his house. "We heard clashes in the early morning, and we couldn't see the security forces anywhere," he recalls. "We saw the ISIS fighters, they just came into the house, they didn't say a word. They just sent a sniper to the roof. I grabbed my children and ran." His wife bursts into tears, prompting him to apologize for not being able to talk anymore -- they just want to keep going. Another older woman, sitting in one of the carts surrounded by her grandchildren, starts sobbing the moment we approach her. "They took our homes and kicked us out," she cries. Over the weekend ISIS moved into towns just to the north of Ramadi, which lies 68 miles (110km) west of Baghdad, sending thousands fleeing on foot into the city. ISIS had already blocked off access from the south months ago, and the west was contested territory. The east, until now, was not just a relatively safe zone but the only viable entrance and exit. At a hospital in Amriyat al-Falluja, about a 15-minute drive away, a wounded local fighter winces in pain. He was shot by a sniper in Ramadi that morning as ISIS fighters advanced -- the bullet barely missed his heart. "We had been warning we could see their movements," he tells us. "But we just didn't have the force to hold them off. We didn't leave a single person we didn't call and ask for back up." But none came. Hours after our morning conversation we speak to Essawi again by phone. "Security is collapsing in the city," he screams. "This is what we warned Baghdad would happen. Where is Baghdad? Where is al-Abadi? "Just God knows if we will survive this," he says and hangs up. Amriyat al-Falluja regularly comes under attack from rockets and mortars from ISIS positions nearby. The hospital's façade is scarred by shrapnel. The wards are full of people injured during these attacks. Fifteen-year-old Mustafa Ahmed has bandages on his neck, leg, and other parts of his body. "A mortar fell on our street, one of my neighbors was wounded," he explains. "We went out to help him and the second one fell on us." His friend died, he says. In the next room Amal Ahmed speaks softly. "I was in the garden and a rocket hit and the shrapnel sliced me open," she says, as tears roll down her face. "Something fell out of me and I grabbed it and I put it back in and I lay down." She starts to cry harder. Her husband was killed by U.S. forces in Fallujah -- another city in Anbar -- in 2003. Her children have all moved away except her youngest, who broke his arm in the same attack. "When I see the situation I don't have hope, it's just getting worse." A few moments later, we hear two massive explosions from another of the hospital's buildings. They think it's an ISIS rocket or mortar attack so we take cover along with the Iraqi forces we are with in the hallway, away from the windows. More explosions go off in the distance. Then another actually shakes our building. "Anyone want tea?" one of the policemen with us asks, laughing as he pours. "This happens all the time, we're used to it." The police chief, Major Aref al-Janabi, radios to his men to respond. Al-Janabi, like so many others, is frustrated with the lack of support from Baghdad. Earlier, he had taken us to the front lines, a long berm that stretches along the northern and western parts of the town that is dotted with fighting positions. He says he regularly provides the joint command center with coordinates for ISIS positions, but so far there have been no significant air strikes or reinforcements. More explosions follow in the distance. We're quickly moved out and leave the town, heading back towards the bridge and the long, snaking lines of refugees. An ambulance passes us, trying to force its way through the crowds. The swell of people fleeing has grown considerably in the last hours -- not surprising given Essawi's dire assessment and warning. "Ramadi is under siege from all sides," he'd told us earlier, anger mixed with an air of resignation. "I consider the city to have fallen." He claimed that 150,000 have fled, scoffing at statements from Iraqi officials in Baghdad that reinforcements have been sent to Ramadi. He has yet to see them.
Families flee parts of western Iraq amid continuing onslaught from ISIS fighters . Officials there say the Iraqi government is failing to protect them . Thousands have been forced to grab what they can and head east toward the capital .
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Obock, Djibouti (CNN)Amina Ali Qassim is sitting with her youngest grandchild on her lap, wiping away tears with her headscarf. Only a few months old, this is the baby girl whose ears she desperately tried to cover the night the aerial bombardment started. She lay awake, she says, in a village mosque on the Yemeni island of Birim, counting explosions as the baby cried. It could have been worse though. They could have still been in their house when the first missile landed. "Our neighbor shouted to my husband 'you have to leave, they're coming.' And we just ran. As soon as we left the house, the first missile fell right by it and then a second on it. It burned everything to the ground," Qassim tells us. Qassim and her family fled Birim at first light, piling in with three other families. Twenty-five of them squeezed into one boat setting sail through the Bab al-Mandab Strait to Djibouti. Bab al-Mandab is one of the busiest waterways in the world, a thoroughfare for oil tankers and cargo ships. It's now being crossed by desperate Yemenis in rickety fishing boats seeking refuge from the conflict threatening to engulf their country. Qassim's son Mohamed describes the families' journey across this part of the Red Sea as "a window into hell." "The women were violently ill," he tells us. "It was a catastrophe." It took them five hours to cross into the north of Djibouti, where the government is providing the refugees with temporary shelter in this unfinished orphanage here in Obock. And the U.N. says thousands more refugees are expected. Qassim and her family will soon have to move to the plastic tents that have been prepared for them on the dusty outskirts of the town, taking with them only the collection of plastic mats and pots neatly stacked in the corner. It's all that remains of everything they once owned. Her two daughters are trapped back in Yemen, in Taiz. She hasn't been able to reach them and the worry she says is almost unbearable. I ask her how many days it was after the Saudi aerial bombardment began that they left. She looks at me and laughs, "How many days would you have stayed?" Then she goes quiet, looking down at the granddaughter in her lap. Finally she tells me, "I thought she would never be able to stop screaming. That the fear would stay with her forever." "May God please have mercy on Yemen."
Amina Ali Qassim's family sought shelter in a mosque before fleeing Yemen . Thousands like them are boarding boats to sail to Djibouti . Saudi Arabia has been pounding Yemen in a bid to defeat Houthi rebels .
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(CNN)The Coxes can rest more comfortably living in Georgia now that their 5-year-old daughter can get the marijuana extract she needs. "This means the world to us," said Haleigh Cox's mother, Janea Cox. Gov. Nathan Deal signed a bill Thursday that will legalize low-THC cannabis oil for certain "medication-resistant epilepsies," while creating an infrastructure, registration process and research program for the drug. (THC is the primary psychoactive substance in marijuana.) The bill is dubbed Haleigh's Hope Act. Haleigh, who has been the face of the bill, was having hundreds of seizures a day and the five potent drugs meant to control them weren't making life better for the little girl. Janea Cox said in a March 2014 interview that she made the difficult decision to move her daughter to Colorado, where medical marijuana is legal, in hopes of saving her life. "She was maxed out," Cox said. "She'd quit breathing several times a day, and the doctors blamed it on the seizure medications." 10 diseases marijuana could affect . Cox had heard that a form of medical marijuana might help, but it wasn't available in Georgia. So a week after hearing a doctor's diagnosis that Haleigh might not live another three months, she and Haleigh packed up and moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado. There, Haleigh began a regimen of cannabis oil: four times a day and once at night. "Every time she smiled I knew we did the right thing, because we hadn't seen her smile in three years," Cox said. "Now she's thriving, she's healthy, she's happy, and they're absolutely shocked at the difference. So I think we've turned some nonbelievers into believers of cannabis oil." Deal is apparently one of those believers, signing HB1 on Thursday and opening the door for the use of cannabis oil to treat certain medical conditions. The bill will benefit not only people who suffer from chronic seizure disorders, but it also will allow patients to receive in-state treatment. To obtain a license in Georgia, you will need to have a specific covered condition, such as acute seizures. "For the families enduring separation and patients suffering pain, the wait is finally over," Deal said Thursday. "... Now, Georgia children and their families may return home while continuing to receive much-needed care." For Cox, it's a blessing "to be able to come back home, and with Haleigh's medicine, it's done wonders for her -- going from 200-plus seizures a day and on her deathbed to a smiling, happy girl who says words now and looks us in the eye and lets us know she's in there." She added, "Colorado has been good to us, but Georgia's home. Georgia's definitely home." With medical marijuana legal in nearly half the states, doctors are increasingly studying what effect the drug has on various ailments. While Georgia's law is specific to a handful of conditions, medical marijuana laws in states such as California permit marijuana use for an array of ailments. But as states rewrite their regulations, federal law remains the same: Marijuana is illegal to grow, sell or use for any purpose. Under the Controlled Substances Act, marijuana is listed on Schedule 1, meaning it has "no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse." To backers of reform, it presents a Catch-22: Marijuana is restricted, in large part, because there is scant research to support medical uses, yet research is difficult to conduct because of tight restrictions.
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal signs a medical marijuana bill . The bill is inspired by Haleigh Cox, a 5-year-old whose seizures threatened her life .
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(CNN)The Cuba that photographer Carolina Sandretto captures is a world away from the images of neon 1950s American cars and postcard-worthy white sand beaches that most visitors to the island bring back home. Instead Sandretto focuses on "solares," the crumbling buildings that many Cubans divide and cohabitate, often with several generations and separate families sharing one dwelling. "This situation of bringing into your house your husband or your wife and living with your own parents in your late 30s and 40s, I always thought is really interesting and different than the U.S. but similar to my country since that's the way it was 50 years ago," said Sandretto, who is from Italy. Following Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution, houses and apartments were redistributed throughout Cuba and the government promised that everyone would have a home in the new socialist utopia. But building did not keep pace with the population, and Cubans were forced to adapt by dividing and re-dividing up homes to make room. "It ends up to be a very interesting habitat," Sandretto said. "Because there (are) so many different layers of people. It creates a whole community, even if neighbors really don't like each other." Sandretto said she first visited Cuba three years ago and was instantly hooked. "I stayed and went back and back because it's a very unique place and people are really beautiful and amazing and with interesting stories," she said. Gaining entrance to the maze-like solares was a constant negotiation, Sandretto said, and plenty of times she was turned away. "I always try to explain what I do, why I am there, why I am interested in where they live, the aim of my project," she said. Toting a 30-year-old Hasselblad 500cm camera, Sandretto found it was a good way to strike up a conversation with her subjects. Social media . Follow @CNNPhotos on Twitter to join the conversation about photography. "They get curious when see someone going around with a bulky old camera," she said. "I talk a lot. I am Italian. I speak Spanish, which helps but not a lot because you have to speak 'Cuban,' which is another language." Her persistence allowed her to capture intimate moments of Cubans resting in the sweltering heat, crowding around a communal TV or just going about life despite their disintegrating surroundings. There are no modern appliances or conveniences in her photographs. The people in these solares aren't the fortunate Cubans who have relatives visiting from Miami with flat-screens and smartphones in tow. Instead, there is the sense of time being whittled away -- one game of dominoes or one TV soap opera a time. Sandretto said she hopes to continue to document the changes on the island that occur as the United States and Cuba work to restore diplomatic relations and an inevitable influx of American visitors arrive. The thawing in relations could even change life in Cuba's solares. "People want to travel, have access to the Internet and improve their economic situation," she said. "I hope that's what happens." Carolina Sandretto is an Italian photographer based in New York. You can follow her on Twitter.
Carolina Sandretto focuses on the crumbling buildings many Cubans live in together . The maze-like "solares" often include separate families under one roof .
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(CNN)The White House insists it doesn't need congressional approval for the Iran nuclear deal announced this month. But while historical precedent suggests the President might indeed have the authority to move forward without Congress, the Obama administration should probably learn another lesson from history: Getting Congress' signature might be worth the effort. True, the fight for congressional approval would be politically bruising and consume a huge amount of energy. But it would still be a mistake to move forward with the deal as an executive-based agreement rather than obtaining the consent of the legislative branch -- a diplomatic breakthrough of this magnitude would be far more enduring with the imprimatur of Congress. The President and his advisers have avoided using the term "treaty," instead explaining that it would be a "nonbinding agreement." According to Secretary of State John Kerry: "We've been very clear from the beginning. We're not negotiating a 'legally binding plan.' We're negotiating a plan that will have in it a capacity for enforcement." On "Meet the Press," Kerry said, "What we're looking for is not to have Congress interfere with our ability, inappropriately, by stepping on the prerogatives of the executive department of the President." There is a big legal argument that will play out over these definitional issues, with the potential for court challenges. But outside of the legal debate, there are also significant political questions, and those are a different beast altogether. For a start, there is growing pressure on Capitol Hill -- from members of both parties -- to pass legislation that would give Congress the right to review the deal and make a decision about lifting sanctions. On Tuesday, a deal was reached on legislation proposed by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker that would require President Barack Obama to submit the final deal to Congress, giving it 52 days to review and approve the agreement. Corker told MSNBC on Tuesday that negotiators had reached a "bipartisan agreement that keeps the congressional review process absolutely intact, full of integrity." What's in the Iran bill and why all the fuss? There is good reason for Obama to avoid calling this a treaty. After all, given the contentious political environment on Capitol Hill, where legislators struggle to pass even a routine budget, the notion that they would move on a treaty of this importance seems dubious at best. But there is also a history of Congress causing significant trouble for important international treaties. In the late 1970s, for example, President Jimmy Carter tried to obtain consent for the SALT II treaties, but conservatives argued the agreement was evidence that Carter was weak on defense. Carter pushed for the treaties as essential to international peace but to no avail. After Iranians took American hostages and the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, the treaties died in the Senate. Yet there are other examples where even in a contentious congressional environment, presidents successfully pushed for the ratification of treaties that they knew would cost them important political capital, and even once the White House exited the struggle bruised and battered, the historic treaties endured. Top GOP, Dem senators say Iran compromise reached . This was the case with another treaty that Carter asked the Senate to ratify: the Panama Canal Treaties of 1978. Carter decided that turning authority of the canal over to Panama was essential to regional peace and stability. He knew this would be tough sell, and Tennessee Republican Howard Baker for his part predicted he wouldn't even get 20 votes as conservative groups coordinated their campaign through the Committee to Save the Panama Canal and the Emergency Coalition to Save the Panama Canal. Indeed, they dispatched speakers to warn that the deal would give the Soviets a foothold in the region. However, Carter countered aggressively, both on a personal level -- helping secure the vote of Sen. Richard Stone of Florida by sending a personal letter to the senator, dispatching experts to Florida to answer the questions of constituents and addressing audiences through state-of-the-art telephone hookups. In the end, the Senate ratified the treaties by one vote more than the required two-thirds majority, although Carter also paid a political price after energizing the right during the fight. President Ronald Reagan faced a similar challenge. Toward the end of his presidency, he reached a historic breakthrough on intercontinental ballistic missiles with the Soviet Union. Yet despite excitement in the White House and across the nation about Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev's visit to Washington in December 1987, many conservatives blasted the decision, arguing that Reagan had betrayed the conservative cause. During a meeting at the White House, eight Republican senators who opposed the treaty shared their feelings with Reagan. Sen. Malcolm Wallop of Wyoming, one of Reagan's closest allies, said: "The Soviets have broken most every treaty they have ever signed. ... How do we assure compliance with the new treaty?" Right-wing organizations, meanwhile, compared Reagan with Neville Chamberlain. Reagan responded with an aggressive effort to halt their rebellion. In a hearing on the treaty, Secretary of State George Shultz attacked North Carolina Republican Jesse Helms, who had accused Reagan of "confusion, misstatements and ... even misrepresentation." He met with Republicans, spoke with reporters and lobbied the public to endorse the deal. Despite their protests, most Republicans eventually came around. On May 27, 1988, the Senate ratified the treaty 93-5. Helms, one of the few to vote against the treaty, admitted they were "licked." And the treaty, which marked the beginning of the end for the Cold War, has endured. The reality is that the signature of Congress is still worth a lot in American politics -- the ratification process brings legitimacy to a major and controversial agreement and makes it much more difficult for opponents to attack in the future as some power grab by a president. Congressional support also makes the strength of the treaty greater in the eyes of leaders overseas. All this will be true with Iran, especially as many members of Obama's own party are leery about the agreement. Ultimately, the President probably has the right to go his own way with this, and his frustration with Congress might create strong incentives for doing so. But in the long term, persuading and pressuring a sufficient number of legislators to sign on to this deal would greatly improve the chances of avoiding a regional war -- and would help prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power. The good news is that there have been some statements from the White House that offer hope it recognizes the centrality of Congress in a solid deal. Now it's time to see if the administration follows through.
Framework agreement with Iran over its nuclear program was reached this month . Julian Zelizer: White House should seek congressional approval for final deal . There's a history of Congress causing trouble for major international treaties, he says .
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(CNN)Lady Antebellum singer Hillary Scott's tour bus caught fire on a Texas freeway Thursday morning, but everyone on board was safely evacuated. Michael Barnett captured dramatic video of the fire, on Interstate 30 just northeast of Dallas, and uploaded it to CNN iReport. Smoke and flames poured from the rear of the bus as traffic slowed to a crawl and Barnett slowly approached in his vehicle. As he drew closer to the bus, Barnett decided to stop filming because he didn't know what to expect. "It was shocking," he said. "I didn't know what I was about to see. I didn't know if anyone was hurt." Barnett said he didn't realize at the time that the bus belonged to the country band. Hillary Scott, co-lead singer for the band, posted a photo of the charred bus on Instagram and noted that she, her husband, the tour manager and the driver were all evacuated safely. "Thanking God for our safety and the safety of all of those who helped put this fire out and keep us safe," she wrote. The tour manager told CNN affiliate KTVT that the bus stopped after a rear tire blew out. It burst into flames after everyone had gotten off. Scott also posted an Instagram photo and message saying that the fire destroyed everything in the bus's back lounge except her Bible. The band's two other members, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood, were not traveling on the bus, KTVT reported. Lady Antebellum is set to perform at the 50th Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday in Arlington, Texas.
Country band Lady Antebellum's bus caught fire Thursday on a Texas freeway . A CNN iReporter captured the dramatic scene on video . Singer Hillary Scott shared a pic of the charred bus on Instagram .
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Washington (CNN)In a broad bipartisan vote, the Senate on Tuesday gave final approval to a Medicare reform bill that includes a permanent solution to the "doc fix," a method the government has used to ensure payments to Medicare providers will keep up with inflation. The bill, which passed 92 to 8, also includes a two-year extension of a popular children's health insurance program. The issue of payments to Medicare providers has been a thorny issue for years. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch of Utah called passage of the bill a "major, major accomplishment." "Tonight, the Senate is voting to retire the outdated, inefficiency-rewarding, common sense-defying Medicare reimbursement system," said Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top Democrat on the Finance Committee just before the final vote. The House approved the same bill overwhelmingly more than two weeks ago and President Barack Obama is expected to sign it. Senate passage came just hours before cuts to physicians would have taken place since the last temporary "doc fix" had already expired. Some conservative senators, including Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz of Texas, balked at the more than $200 billion price of the bill and pushed an amendment to have the costs offset. The bill, "institutionalizes and expands Obamacare policies that harm patients and their doctors while adding roughly half a trillion dollars to our long-term debt within two decades," Cruz said in a statement. "Any deal should be fully paid for and include significant and structural reforms to Medicare." But that amendment was defeated, as were several others from each party that came up for votes. Earlier, House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio warned the Senate not to change the bill. "Unless the Senate passes the House-passed 'doc fix,' significant cuts to physicians' payments will begin tomorrow," Boehner said. "We urge the Senate to approve the House-passed bill without delay." Cruz voted against the bill, as did Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, another Republican running for president. GOP presidential contender Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky voted for the bill.
Bill passes 92 to 8; passage came just hours before cuts to physicians would have taken place . GOP presidential candidates Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio vote against the bill, candidate Rand Paul votes for it .
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(CNN)Caught up in a rip current while snorkeling at Finn's Beach in Bali, Roxy Walsh was holding on to some rocks when she spotted something special. Engraved with the words, "Darling Joe, Happy 70th Birthday 2009. Love Jenny," the antique ring lodged in the rocks clearly meant something to both Joe and Jenny. But there were no other clues (besides the fact that the words were written in English) as to where the couple might live. When she returned home to Palm Beach, Australia, Walsh was determined to reunite the ring with its owner. She went to the 5,000 members of her company's Facebook page, Kids in Adelaide, to reunite Joe and Jenny with the ring. She also created a "Find Joe and Jenny" page to track them down. "Hi all. It's Roxy here. This is a reaaaallyy long shot but would love some SHARE love on this post to help find Joe. Found this gold ring snorkeling at Finns Beach in Bali today. It's got a family crest on it, and engraved with the message 'Darling Joe, Happy 70th Birthday 2009. Love Jenny' How amazing would it be to find him! Please click share." The post got shared all over the world. Nine months earlier, Joe Langley had been snorkeling in the same spot in Bali when he lost the ring, which his wife, Jenny, had purchased an antique store and had engraved for his birthday. "I went for a swim, got caught in a rip, decided the rip was going to take me and finished up on the rocks," Langley told Sunshine Coast Daily. "In clawing my way over the rocks, the ring pulled off my finger." The Langleys' 19-year-old granddaughter saw the Facebook post April 9 and made the connection. It turns out that the Langleys are fellow Australians, living in the town of Noosa, just three hours from where Walsh lives in Palm Beach. Walsh had the ring professionally cleaned before she met the happy Langleys in Noosa to return it.
An Australian woman finds a ring while snorkeling in Bali . Words engraved on the antique ring give clues to its owner's identity .
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Cairo (CNN)At least 12 people were killed Sunday, and more injured, in separate attacks on a police station, a checkpoint and along a highway in Egypt's northern Sinai, authorities said. Six people, including one civilian, were killed when a car bomb exploded near the police station in Al-Arish, capital of North Sinai, Health Ministry spokesman Hossam Abdel-Ghafar told Ahram Online. He said 40 people were injured. Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, an ISIS affiliate, claimed responsibility for the attack, which came hours after another operation that the group also claimed. In that earlier attack, a first lieutenant, a sergeant and four conscripts were killed when their armored vehicle was attacked on the highway from Al-Arish to Sheikh Zuweid in northern Sinai, the military said. Two other soldiers were injured and taken to a military hospital. Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis has claimed many attacks against the army and police in Sinai. A third attack Sunday on a checkpoint in Rafah left three security personnel injured, after unknown assailants opened fire at them, according to state media. The attacks come as the military announced a reshuffle of several senior military positions, state media reported. Among those being replaced are the generals in charge of military intelligence and Egypt's second field army, which is spearheading the battle against the insurgents in the northern Sinai. Egypt's army has been fighting a decade-long militant Islamist insurgency, which has spiked since the ouster of Muslim Brotherhood president Mohamed Morsy in the summer of 2013. Hundreds of police and soldiers, as well as civilians, have been killed in militant attacks in the past months. Ian Lee reported from Cairo. Anas Hamdan reported from Atlanta.
Six people, including one civilian, are killed when a car bomb explodes near a police station . Six others are killed when their armored vehicle is attacked on a highway in northern Sinai . Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, an ISIS affiliate, claims responsibility .
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(HLN)HLN's #MeForReal is an uplifting, revealing conversation about the way we present ourselves online. We want to see the REAL parts of life, the ones that don't get a filter or a Facebook post but are a part of our realities nonetheless. Tag your favorite unscripted, unedited, un-perfected moments using #MeForReal and see what others are sharing on Facebook, Twitter and the Daily Share. The Internet is always quick to dish out judgmental opinions, such as the body-hate people showed to singer P!nk after she posted a photo of herself in a black dress she wore to a cancer benefit this past weekend (which, if you ask us, was pretty fantastic, and she looked fabulous in it.) As a woman with a lot of experience singing to her detractors, though, she knew exactly what to say and how to say it. And when it came to keeping her tongue firmly in cheek while she schooled people who had nothing better to do than be totally rude, she owned it. Clearly, it's not troubling P!nk or her hubs, Carey Hart (who, by the way, is quite handsome himself, so clearly he has rad taste). Not only did P!nk's response rally her fans, but they also started sharing their own photos of themselves post-pregnancy and embracing what P!nk tells her daughter is her "squishiness." Postscript for the haters: We think you just racked up MORE fans for P!nk. Now go look in a mirror, and tell us -- are YOU perfect?
P!nk took to Twitter to address online comments about her body . Her "squishiness" is a result of happiness, she says .
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(CNN)Cynthia Lennon, who married John Lennon when he was a struggling musician and was there when he rose to fame with the Beatles, died Wednesday, according to a post on the website of her son, Julian. She was 75. "Cynthia Lennon passed away today at her home in Mallorca, Spain, following a short but brave battle with cancer. Her son Julian Lennon was at her bedside throughout," his website says. "The family are thankful for your prayers. Please respect their privacy at this difficult time." John and Cynthia Lennon were married for six years, from 1962 to 1968. The pair met at art school, where Cynthia studied to be an illustrator and John practiced painting -- in between concerts with a band that would become the Beatles. "When we were at art college, I think he was more interested in the music than he was in the art," she told ClassicBands.com. Cynthia Lennon, born Cynthia Powell in 1939, was a stabilizing force for the young John, who lost his mother when he was a teenager and was raised by his Aunt Mimi. "John was always insecure," she said in a 2005 interview, having lost his mother at a young age. But his humor -- and his wildness -- were attractive, she told ClassicBands.com. "He was a rebel. He was outrageous. That was something I hadn't experienced before the age that I was, which was about 16 or 17. I'd had quite a normal, straightforward life," she said. "I was just instantly attracted to him." The two married in 1962, just as the Beatles were making their rise. Their son, Julian, was born April 8, 1963. Lennon's sometimes-brittle personality and his overwhelming fame became a challenge for Cynthia. During her pregnancy, "I was not supposed to be known or heard about. In the wisdom, or lack of wisdom, anything to do with somebody becoming famous, male, was not supposed to be married or have (a) girlfriend." She was threatened by fans and occasionally in danger of being left behind in the band's whirlwind; when the group traveled to Bangor, Wales, to meet with the Maharishi in 1967, Cynthia was caught in a scrum and couldn't make the train in time. She was also there on the 1965 night George Harrison, Patti Boyd and Lennon were dosed with LSD -- an experience she disliked -- and traveled to India with the band in early 1968. The couple divorced in 1968, by which time John was seeing Yoko Ono. Cynthia Lennon married three more times after John and wrote two books about her marriage to the Beatle, "A Twist of Lennon" and "John." She had no contact with the surviving members of the band until meeting up at the 2006 Las Vegas premiere of "The Beatles Love." For all the difficulties and disappointments -- she described Julian, for whom she wrote "John," as "very scarred by life" -- she acknowledged that the whirlwind could also be enthralling. "The whole situation changed my life completely. God knows where I would've been ended up. I probably would've been a schoolteacher with about three or four children in a boring situation," she told ClassicBands.com. "I've had the most amazing life, a wonderful life." She is survived by her son. Her fourth husband, Noel Charles, died in 2013. People we've lost in 2015 . CNN's Josh Levs contributed to this story.
Cynthia Lennon was John Lennon's first wife . She was there during the rise of the Beatles . Her death was announced by her son, Julian .
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(CNN)It's no surprise which image is making the headlines from this week's gathering of leaders from nearly three dozen nations in Panama: A historic handshake between President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro. But this first meeting of Obama and Castro since they announced plans to start normalizing diplomatic ties should not be the end of the summit story. Or at least Obama is hoping it won't be. After all, the President has had some unhappy experiences at hemispheric summits, where the headlines have often focused on some less than flattering moments. The reality is that the United States has been losing ground in this increasingly important region, and Obama needs to put on a strong performance in Panama at the Summit of the Americas if the U.S. is to have a chance of improving ties with neighbors who should be best friends, but who have drifted away as America has been focused on challenges at home and instability in the Middle East. Unfortunately, America has lost influence in Latin America to a hyperactive China, a cunning Russia and a troubling Iran, all of which have made inroads in the region at Washington's expense. This gathering therefore offers a chance for the U.S. to reverse the tide and build on the potential offered by a natural alliance strengthened by millions of people with Latin American and Caribbean blood who make their homes in the United States. The foundations for a strong hemispheric bloc are there. But they need attention, and the Panama meeting offers a good opportunity to start building. But first: Do no harm. Large diplomatic gatherings are minutely orchestrated events, and the U.S., with its vast experience in preparing for high-level multilateral meetings, knows the importance of dotting the I's and crossing the T's. But this hasn't stopped recent summits descending into diplomatic and PR disasters for the U.S. Just look at the last summit, held in Cartagena, Colombia, which stayed in the news much longer than anyone expected after Secret Service agents embarrassed the United States by hiring prostitutes and bringing them to their hotel rooms, in violation of basic security protocols. They were reportedly caught after one of the women accused an agent of refusing to pay an agreed fee. As a result of all this, the Americans looked dumb, incompetent -- and cheap. And back in 2009, the President -- new on the job -- was caught flat footed by a fast-talking, fiery anti-American president of Venezuela. The late Hugo Chavez outplayed the leader of the free world, who had just taken office and was trying to show America's new "outstretched hand" toward the foe of the George W. Bush era. The summit hit a depressing low for the Obama administration when Chavez walked up to Obama and, as the cameras clicked, handed the American President a copy of the book "Open Veins of Latin America," which blames the region's woes on the U.S. and Europe. Yet the problems in Cartagena weren't just symbolic. Regional leaders lined up against Washington, which had refused to include Cuba in the summit, and vowed they would not hold any more of the gatherings unless Havana was also invited. America was cornered. All this stands in contrast to the optimism of the early Clinton years, when the President issued an invitation to "democratically elected" heads of state of Latin America, which was then breaking the chains of military dictatorship. Back then, the U.S. had just led the creation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and actually seemed to stand for something attractive to the region, namely democracy, free trade and economic growth. That's what it should aim for every time: articulating a clear vision and rallying neighbors behind it. Can Obama manage something similar this time? True, the President has come armed with his new Cuba policy. Unfortunately, in an effort to placate critics who say Obama is not doing more for pro-democracy activists, the White House has miscalculated with Venezuela, handing the repressive regime of Chavez's successor, Nicolas Maduro, a stick with which to beat the U.S. Obama has long and rightly ignored Maduro's claims that the U.S. planned to overthrow him. But a modest plan to impose sanctions has suddenly handed Maduro -- who has presided over an economic catastrophe in his country -- a way to portray himself a victim of the U.S., something he will no doubt play that up in Panama. All this risks again reviving memories of past tensions with Latin Americans who already have complicated feelings toward the U.S. over its Cold War support for unseemly right-wing dictators, a policy it claimed to pursue in the name of preventing Soviet-backed communism from taking hold. But those days are behind us. Today, the people want prosperity, they want democracy, and they want the rule of law -- all of which leave a potential opening for the United States. Too many national leaders are eroding democratic norms: Opposition leaders are in prison in Venezuela; a prosecutor who criticized the President was found dead in Argentina; press freedom is under siege in several countries; and corruption is reaching new highs. All of this suggests that if Obama plays his cards right, he will have the opportunity to explain to the people of Latin America that their goals are also America's goals; that like them, he supports democracy, human rights, the rule of law, full freedom of expression and free elections in every country. The fact that he met with Cuban dissidents was welcome, and sends a message that he is not neglecting other issues such as human rights as he recasts relations with Cuba. For the millions in Latin America that still live in poverty, these freedoms can seem like a distant luxury. But if Obama can show them that the United States is a true partner in efforts to improve their lives, then he will leave a longer-lasting legacy in the region than just a handshake.
President Barack Obama is attending the Summit of the Americas . Frida Ghitis says he must work to improve ties with region .
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(CNN)Parents who refuse to vaccinate their children can lose up to $11,000 of welfare benefits a year under a new government policy, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has announced. Currently parents can choose to opt out of vaccinations for medical or religious reasons, or by stating they are "conscientious objectors," and still receive taxpayer funded child care benefits. Under the new "no jab, no pay" policy, the exemption as a conscientious objector will be removed starting January 2016. "The choice made by families not to immunize their children is not supported by public policy or medical research nor should such action be supported by taxpayers in the form of child care payments," said Abbott in a joint statement with Social Services Minister, Scott Morrison. Thousands of families could lose out on welfare payments, with the Australian government estimating more than 39,000 children under the age of seven have not been vaccinated because of their parents' objections. The number of children in Australia who have not received immunization against measles and other diseases has almost doubled in the past decade, according to the government. Anti-vaccination campaigns have recently gained traction in Western countries. Some parents believe the shots cause autism, but the theory has been widely discredited. Existing exemptions on medical or religious grounds will continue said Abbott, but guidelines on religious exemptions will be tightened. "It requires the formal position of that religious body being advised to the government and approved by the government. This is a very significant narrowing," Morrison told reporters in Sydney on Sunday. He added that no mainstream religious organizations have made any formal objection to immunizations. In response to the announcement, more than 7,000 people have signed a petition in opposition to the reforms.
Australia to cut welfare benefits for parents who refuse to vaccinate their children . The "no jab, no pay" policy will come into effect in January 2016 . The Australian government estimates more than 39,000 children who have not been vaccinated .
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(CNN)A New Jersey auction house has removed items from its April 17 event after an uproar from the public. The items are crafts and artifacts made by Japanese-Americans confined to World War II internment camps. A grass-roots campaign of a change.org petition, a Facebook page, and mediation by "Star Trek" actor George Takei has resulted in Rago Arts and Auction Center agreeing to pull the items from the sale. "There is an essential discussion to be had about the sale of historical items that are a legacy of man's inhumanity to man. It extends beyond what is legal. It is something auction houses, galleries and dealers are faced with regularly," the auction house said. "We hope this controversy will be the beginning of a discourse on this issue." Takei, who with his family spent time in one of the camps, thanked people for working to stop the sale. According to a comment on the Facebook page "Japanese American History: NOT for Sale," he was working on the issue while on a trip to Australia. "It took a few calls today here in the wee hours, and I'll be issuing a formal statement later, but we can all celebrate a bit today at this news," he wrote. The auction house said 24 lots of an original collection of works of art and crafts were removed. During World War II, about 117,000 people of Japanese descent were forced to live in 10 internment camps. The government called them relocation centers. Many of the people who lived there and their descendants had another phrase for the facilities. They call them concentration camps. Two-thirds of the people who were ordered there were native born U.S. citizens, according to the National Archives. CNN affiliate KGO reported the items were given to historian Allen Eaton, who opposed internment camps. The items were inherited from the historian's estate. Miriam Tucker, a partner with the auction house, said it had hoped the items would go to someone who cared about their historical meaning. "For us, there could be no better resolution than for a suitable museum, foundation or members of the Japanese-American community with the means to preserve this collection to come forward and secure it for education, display and research," she said. KGO reported the people it talked to would like items returned to family members if possible and any other artifacts put in an exhibition. "This was a gift and let the gift come full circle," said Judy Hamaguchi with the San Francisco Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League. She was referring to a letter the organization sent to the auction house. "It should be returned as a gift." The lots have been packed away for now, said auction house partner David Rago in an email. "Once the dust settles from this auction weekend (1,200 lots in three days) we will work with a small group of people from the Japanese-American community who have identified themselves through this process as generous, informed, voices of reason," he wrote. He said a suitable institution is the best possible home and the auction house will work with the current owner to find the right place. The seller -- known in the auction business as the consignor -- has never been in a position where the items could be donated, Rago said. "But the consignor, who has been a sensitive and dedicated custodian of this collection for over 35 years, has agreed this evening to work with Rago Auctions to secure appropriate placement of Eaton's life work," he added.
The items were originally given to a historian who opposed the camps, CNN affiliate reports . Auctioneer hoped they would be bought by museum or someone who would donate them for historical appreciation . Japanese-Americans were furious about items from family members, others being sold .
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Duhok, Iraqi Kurdistan (CNN)In the canvas expanse of the Shariya refugee camp, thousands of Yazidis live within hearing distance of one of Iraqi Kurdistan's frontlines with ISIS. The vast majority of the camp's occupants are from the town of Sinjar and fled the ISIS assault there back in August. But not everyone escaped. ISIS took thousands of Yazidis captive. Men faced a choice -- convert to Islam or be shot. But the Islamist militants separated the young women and girls to be sold as sex slaves. In its fourth edition of "Dabiq," the ISIS online magazine, an article titled "The revival of slavery before the hour," outlines the group's twisted justification and guidelines for the enslavement of the Yazidis. "One should remember that enslaving the families of the kuffar (infidels) and taking their women as concubines is a firmly established aspect of Shariah," the article reads. We're told that women who have just given birth or are breastfeeding are considered impure and cannot be taken as sexual slaves -- but Hanan, 19, was neither of those things. "They separated all of us," she says. "They dragged us away by our hair. They took married women, young ones. The youngest with us was just 10. We were all crying. "They said we are going to marry you off, you will forget your family." ISIS: Enslaving, having sex with 'unbelieving' women, girls is OK . For the first week, Hanan was held with 50 others, regularly beaten and threatened with torture, and fed just a bowl of rice. The group was then taken to a three story building in Mosul she described as a sex slave warehouse, where hundreds of girls and women were held. "They would line about 50 of us up at a time, in rows of 10. They would say don't move, don't cry or we will beat you. The men would come in and describe the kind of girl they wanted and then they would pick and choose as they pleased," she recalls. She was eventually chosen, part of a group of 25. From that group Hanan was separated into a smaller group of seven and taken into a house in a village. 'Treated like cattle': Yazidi women sold, raped, enslaved by ISIS . Two ISIS fighters guarded the door and ordered the girls to clean and bathe themselves. "They brought in a Yazidi girl who had been with them for two months. She was wearing the black niqab. They said to us we are going to do to you what we did to her," Hanan says. "The girl spoke to us in Kurdish and said they beat me, they cuffed me and raped me." Hanan and the others decided they had to try to escape. That night they crawled out the bedroom window. "The fourth girl jumped out, I was the fifth. I crawled to the wall and was about to jump over it and then I saw their flashlight," she tells me. "They caught the last two girls." They ran, and somehow evaded capture. Four hours later they were out of ISIS territory. "If I just see someone with a beard I start shaking," Hanan says. Now physically free but mentally still captive, Hanan remains tormented -- like so many others, by what she has been through and what those still with ISIS are being forced to endure -- a fate worse than death. Fleeing ISIS -- A Yazidi family's tale .
Hanan, 19, was captured by ISIS when militants took the town of Sinjar . She was among the women and girls separated to be sold as sex slaves .
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(CNN)Donald Sterling's racist remarks cost him an NBA team last year. But now it's his former female companion who has lost big. A Los Angeles judge has ordered V. Stiviano to pay back more than $2.6 million in gifts after Sterling's wife sued her. In the lawsuit, Rochelle "Shelly" Sterling accused Stiviano of targeting extremely wealthy older men. She claimed Donald Sterling used the couple's money to buy Stiviano a Ferrari, two Bentleys and a Range Rover, and that he helped her get a $1.8 million duplex. Who is V. Stiviano? Stiviano countered that there was nothing wrong with Donald Sterling giving her gifts and that she never took advantage of the former Los Angeles Clippers owner, who made much of his fortune in real estate. Shelly Sterling was thrilled with the court decision Tuesday, her lawyer told CNN affiliate KABC. "This is a victory for the Sterling family in recovering the $2,630,000 that Donald lavished on a conniving mistress," attorney Pierce O'Donnell said in a statement. "It also sets a precedent that the injured spouse can recover damages from the recipient of these ill-begotten gifts." Stiviano's gifts from Donald Sterling didn't just include uber-expensive items like luxury cars. According to the Los Angeles Times, the list also includes a $391 Easter bunny costume, a $299 two-speed blender and a $12 lace thong. Donald Sterling's downfall came after an audio recording surfaced of the octogenarian arguing with Stiviano. In the tape, Sterling chastises Stiviano for posting pictures on social media of her posing with African-Americans, including basketball legend Magic Johnson. "In your lousy f**ing Instagrams, you don't have to have yourself with -- walking with black people," Sterling said in the audio first posted by TMZ. He also tells Stiviano not to bring Johnson to Clippers games and not to post photos with the Hall of Famer so Sterling's friends can see. "Admire him, bring him here, feed him, f**k him, but don't put (Magic) on an Instagram for the world to have to see so they have to call me," Sterling said. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver banned Sterling from the league, fined him $2.5 million and pushed through a charge to terminate all of his ownership rights in the franchise. Fact check: Donald Sterling's claims vs. reality . CNN's Dottie Evans contributed to this report.
V. Stiviano must pay back $2.6 million in gifts from Donald Sterling . Sterling's wife claimed the ex-Clippers used the couple's money for the gifts . The items included a Ferrari, two Bentleys and a Range Rover .
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(CNN)Jason Rezaian has sat in jail in Iran for nearly nine months. The Washington Post's bureau chief in Tehran was arrested in July on unspecified allegations. It took more than four months for a judge to hear charges against him. They remained publicly undisclosed until last week. The Iranian-American will be tried soon on espionage, Tehran's chief justice said. He is accused of economic spying, the Post reported, citing Iranian state media. The Washington Post did not mince words on the allegation. "Any charges of that sort would be absurd, the product of fertile and twisted imaginations," the paper said in a statement. The State Department also reacted with term "absurd" after hearing of reports in Iran's press about the charges. "If the reports are true, these charges are absurd, should be immediately dismissed and Jason should be immediately freed so that he can return to his family," the State Department official said. Since officers picked up Rezaian and his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, on July 22 at their home, the Post, the State Department and Rezaian's family have protested and called for his release. Salehi was released on bail in October. Rezaian was denied bail. And for months, he was denied access to proper legal representation, his family has said. Boxing great Muhammad Ali, also an American Muslim, appealed to Tehran last month to give Rezaian full access to legal representation and free him on bail. "To my knowledge, Jason is a man of peace and great faith, a man whose dedication and respect for the Iranian people is evident in his work," Ali said in a religiously worded statement. The journalist has also not been allowed to see visitors aside from his wife and has endured long interrogations, family members have said. In December, after a 10-hour hearing, Rezaian signed a paper to acknowledge that he understood the charges against him, the Post reported. Iran's human rights chief, Mohammad Javad Larijani, told news outlet France 24 last year that he hoped Rezaian's case would come to a positive conclusion. He said, "Let us hope that this fiasco will end on good terms." More on detained Americans . CNN's Sara Mazloumsaki and Azadeh Ansari contributed to this report.
Officers arrested Jason Rezaian and his wife in July on unspecified allegations . It took months to charge him; charges were made public last week . The Washington Post and the State Department find the charges "absurd"
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(CNN)NBA player Thabo Sefolosha says police caused his season-ending leg injury when he was arrested last week after leaving a nightclub in New York. In a statement Tuesday, the guard/forward for the Atlanta Hawks described his injury as "significant," and said it "was caused by the police." Sefolosha suffered a fractured fibula and ligament damage when he and teammate Pero Antic were arrested near the scene of the stabbing of Indiana Pacers forward Chris Copeland and two other women early April 8. Police said Sefolosha and Antic were not involved in the stabbing incident, but they were charged with misdemeanors, including disorderly conduct and obstructing governmental administration. TMZ Sports released video last week that shows a group of police officers arresting the 6-foot-7 Sefolosha and taking him to the ground. It also shows an officer within that group getting out a baton and extending it near him, but what may have caused the injury is not clear in the video. Sefolosha appears to be limping as he is led away by officers. New York Police Department Sgt. Daniel Doody said Wednesday that the matter is being reviewed by the Internal Affairs Bureau and would not comment further. Internal Affairs had no comment. Sefolosha did not specify his injury in his statement Tuesday, but the Hawks said last week that he has a fractured fibula and ligament damage, will undergo surgery and will miss the rest of the season, including the playoffs, which begin this weekend. The Hawks enter as the top seed in the NBA's Eastern Conference. Sefolosha, who turns 31 in May, is in his ninth NBA season and his first with the Hawks. He averaged 5.3 points per game this season. "I am extremely disappointed that I will not be able to join my teammates on the court during the playoffs and apologize to them for any distraction this incident has caused," Sefolosha said in his statement. "I will be cheering for them every step of the way and will be diligent in my rehabilitation. "On advice of counsel, I hope you can appreciate that I cannot discuss the facts of the case. Those questions will be answered by my attorney in a court of law. I will simply say that I am in great pain, have experienced a significant injury and that the injury was caused by the police." Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said in a statement last week, "This is a very difficult situation for Thabo and our thoughts and support will be with him during his recovery. We know that his approach and dedication will serve him well in his rehabilitation. Our team remains focused and will be prepared as we head into the postseason." Antic, a 31-year-old, 6-foot-11 center/forward, missed the April 8 game against the Brooklyn Nets, but has played since then. In a joint statement last week, Sefolosha and Antic said they will contest the charges. According to the Pacers, Copeland underwent surgery on his abdomen and left elbow for stab wounds. He was released from the hospital two days after the incident, according to Bleacher Report. The Pacers, with one regular-season game left, are trying to secure the last spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. If they do, their first-round opponent would be Atlanta. CNN's Camille Cava contributed to this report.
Thabo Sefolosha says he "experienced a significant injury and ... the injury was caused by the police" He and teammate Pero Antic were arrested near the scene of a stabbing early April 8 . They were not involved in the stabbing police said, but they were arrested for obstruction, other charges .
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(CNN)Sometimes the best ideas come from the bathroom. But Gaioz Nigalidze's ideas from the loo were a little too good. The Georgian chess grandmaster has been banned from the Dubai Open Chess Tournament after officials discovered he was darting to the toilet to consult his smartphone, which was logged onto a chess analysis app, the Dubai Chess and Culture Club said. Nigalidze's opponent, Tigran Petrosian of Armenia, grew suspicious when Nigalidze kept bolting to the restroom. "The Armenian noticed the Georgian was oddly frequenting the toilet after each move during a crucial part of the game," the Dubai Chess and Culture Club said. When officials first checked Nigalidze, they didn't find any device on him, the club said. But after looking into the bathroom stall he visited, they found the smartphone hidden in toilet paper. At first, Nigalidze claimed the smartphone wasn't his, the Dubai chess organization said. But the phone was logged on to a social media network under his account. "They also found his game being analyzed in one of the chess applications," the chess club said. The infraction has been reported to the International Chess Federation. The Dubai tournament's chief arbiter, Mahdi Abdul Rahim, said players found guilty of cheating will be suspended for three years from all sanctioned tournaments and up to 15 years for a repeated offense, the chess and culture club said. But this wouldn't be an isolated case of cheating in high-stakes chess matches. In 2008, an Iranian player was banned from the Dubai Open after getting help from someone who was watching the game's live broadcast and was sending suggestions via text messages, the Dubai chess club said. Nigalidze's resume includes victories in the 2013 and 2014 Georgian Chess Championships. It's not clear how many times he went to the bathroom during those matches.
Gaioz Nigalidze is banned from the Dubai Open Chess Tournament . Officials say he frequented the bathroom, where his phone was hidden in toilet paper . That phone had a chess analysis application open, officials say .
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(CNN)While the fight against ISIS in Syria and Iraq holds the world's gaze, a simultaneous transformation is getting less attention: the deterioration of al Qaeda. In an audio message released Sunday, al Qaeda confirmed that two of its leaders, known as Ustad Ahmad Farooq and Qari Abdullah Mansur, were killed in CIA drone strikes in January in North Waziristan, near the Afghan-Pakistan border. Farooq's real name was Raja Mohammad Suleman, al Qaeda said. He was a Pakistani who acted as the group's liaison to the Pakistan Taliban and was the deputy commander of al Qaeda's South Asia branch. (Mansur's real name was Qari Ubaidullah, a Pakistani who oversaw suicide missions against U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan). Al Qaeda's South Asia branch is relatively new, announced with some fanfare back in September by al Qaeda's top leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri. The creation of the terror group's South Asia branch was seen by some terrorism analysts as an attempt to steal some of the limelight from ISIS, which is embroiled in a public dispute with al Qaeda for leadership of the global jihad movement. The deaths of the two men continue the decimation of al Qaeda's bench of leaders. On Monday, in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, local al Qaeda commander Nurul Hassan was killed in a raid, said Arif Hanif, district inspector general of police. Florida-raised Adnan Shukrijumah, 39, who was in charge of al Qaeda's operations to attack the West, was killed in December in a Pakistani military operation. Texas-born Mohanad Mahmoud Al Farekh, who also played a planning role for al Qaeda's operations, was arrested in Pakistan last year. The deaths of Ubaidullah and Suleman underline the fact that there are almost no top leaders of al Qaeda left except al-Zawahiri. Both Ubaidullah and Suleman were Pakistani. This is an indicator of how al Qaeda has become a largely Pakistan-focused group, increasingly able to do nothing of any significance outside of Pakistan or Afghanistan. Indeed, al Qaeda has virtually no capacity to carry out attacks in the West. The last successful al Qaeda attack in the West was the London transportation system bombings a decade ago. Al Qaeda is now reduced only to holding American hostages such as 73-year-old aid worker Warren Weinstein, who was kidnapped from his home in the Pakistani city of Lahore on August 13, 2011. To be sure, al Qaeda's Yemen-based affiliate, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, continues to pose a threat to American aviation. The group has built hard-to-detect bombs, which it has placed on U.S.-bound flights. Luckily, those bombs were faulty or were detected. The group also trained one of the gunmen who attacked the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris in January, killing 12, but it's not clear if AQAP had any direct role in planning this attack. Meanwhile, ISIS continues to attract Western recruits and also inspire "homegrown" terrorists in the West, but the core al Qaeda organization that killed almost 3,000 men, women and children on 9/11 is on life support. Al Qaeda's confirmation of the deaths of Ubaidullah and Suleman is just one of the latest pieces of evidence for this assessment.
Al Qaeda confirms that two of its leaders were killed in January drone strikes . Other leaders have been killed or captured recently . The terrorist group's capacity to carry out attacks in the West has been greatly diminished .
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Tulsa, Oklahoma (CNN)Amid growing scrutiny over whether a 73-year-old volunteer deputy who killed a suspect during a sting operation was qualified to be policing the streets, a new report raises a troubling allegation. Some supervisors at the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office were told to forge Reserve Deputy Robert Bates' training records, and three who refused were reassigned to less desirable duties, the Tulsa World newspaper reported. Claims that the volunteer deputy's records had been falsified emerged "almost immediately" from multiple sources after Bates killed Eric Harris on April 2, reporter Dylan Goforth said. Bates claims he meant to use his Taser but accidentally fired his handgun at Harris instead. The newspaper's story does not say who allegedly asked the supervisors to falsify the training records or why. But the orders apparently started years ago, before Harris' death, "back when (Bates) was trying to get on as a deputy," reporter Ziva Branstetter told CNN's "New Day." The Sheriff's Office denied the allegations in the Tulsa World's report. It also declined a CNN interview to respond to the claims. In an email to CNN, the department's Maj. Shannon Clark said the lack of named sources in the newspaper's report leaves him dubious. "Just keep in mind that the Tulsa World reporter cannot validate her sources and claims anonymity, which leaves us skeptical that her claims are unsubstantiated and deceptive," Clark wrote. Clark Brewster, an attorney who represents Bates, said the accusations are based on an affidavit from a former Sheriff's Office employee who's now facing a first-degree murder charge. "I don't put a lot of stock in that report or the credibility of who would further that report," Brewster said. Shooting casts spotlight on volunteer police programs . Sheriff Stanley Glanz and other sheriff's officials have repeatedly insisted Bates was properly trained. The Tulsa County Sheriff's Office has released a summary of Bates' training courses only over the past seven years. The office rejected CNN's request for the full training records because Bates' case is under investigation. Branstetter said she's run into similar obstacles when asking for the names of supervisors who'd signed off on Bates' training records. "You would think the Sheriff's Office, if in fact there has been no pressure applied, no falsification of records, that they would be forthcoming with these documents," she told CNN's "New Day." "We've asked for them. They've said they don't believe they're public records." Bates was classified as an advanced reserve deputy for the Sheriff's Office. That means he would have had to complete 480 hours of the field training officer program to maintain that classification, the paper said. Bates would also have needed firearms certification training. But the sheriff himself has acknowledged there is a problem with Bates' gun certification records -- his office can't find them. "Bob went out and qualified with three different weapons with an instructor," Glanz told KFAQ radio this week. He said Bates "qualified with a young lady that was a firearms instructor." But she is no longer there. "She has left the Sheriff's Office and is now a Secret Service agent," Glanz told KFAQ. "And we're trying to get a hold of her and talk to her about ... we can't find the records that she supposedly turned in. So we're going to talk to her and find out if for sure he did qualify with those." Opinion: Who gave this reserve cop a gun? Even before the Tulsa World story, inconsistencies were apparent in Bates' history with the Sheriff's Office. In his statement to investigators, Bates said he "became an advanced TCSO Reserve Deputy in 2007." But the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office has said Bates had been a reserve deputy since 2008. It also said Bates had undergone 300 hours of training. That would be less than the 480 hours of field training that the Tulsa World said is required to be an "advanced" reserve deputy, which Bates claimed to be. In a statement he made to investigators after the shooting, Bates said the gun he used was his personal weapon, adding that he last qualified at the range in autumn. He also said he'd attended "numerous schools and seminars related to drug investigations and the tactical operations associated with the apprehension of suspects involved in drug trafficking," a five-day homicide investigation school in Dallas and training from Arizona's Maricopa County Sheriff's Office on responding to active shooters. But an Arizona official told CNN Bates never trained with the agency. "He didn't come to Arizona," the official from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office said, "and he certainly didn't train with us." Brewster said that line in Bates' statement was referring to a lecture given at a seminar in Washington by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. The seminar was part of extensive training Bates received at classes across the country and through work in the field, he said. "He met every training regimen," Brewster said. "He met every requirement, and all he did was give of himself." Bates is now charged with second-degree manslaughter for Harris' death. He turned himself in to authorities Tuesday and immediately posted bail of $25,000. His attorney has said he's not guilty, calling the death an "excusable homicide." The lawyer for Harris' family claims Bates wasn't qualified to be on the force, but received preferential treatment because he'd made donations to the agency and was a friend of the sheriff -- an accusation officials deny, saying they stand by his training record. Tulsa Police Sgt. Jim Clark, who has been brought in to review the case, has said Bates fell "victim" to something called "slip and capture," a term to describe a high-stress situation in which a person intends to do one thing and instead does something else. It's a controversial claim that hasn't convinced critics of the department, and calls for an independent investigation into the Sheriff's Office and the case are growing. Earlier this week, the office spokesman rejected any idea of outside investigators into the shooting. "We're not scared to prosecute our own. ... There's nobody in this culture that can be tougher on cops than their own," Clark said. "You know that analogy that you'll eat your young? You know, that's the same thing in law enforcement. If we have a dirty cop in our ranks, we will disclose them much quicker than the media." A spokesman for Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt said his office is concerned about allegations reported in the media about the case "and will continue to monitor and assess what appropriate measures, if any, are warranted." Glanz has stated publicly that he's reached out to the regional office of the FBI to look into the shooting. Special Agent Terry B. Weber told CNN there's no open FBI investigation into the case. How easy is it to confuse a gun for a Taser? CNN's Ed Lavandera reported from Tulsa. CNN's Holly Yan and Catherine E. Shoichet reported from Atlanta. CNN's Dave Alsup and Jason Morris contributed to this report.
Maricopa County Sheriff's Office in Arizona says Robert Bates never trained with them . "He met every requirement, and all he did was give of himself," his attorney says . Tulsa World newspaper: Three supervisors who refused to sign forged records on Robert Bates were reassigned .
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(CNN)Eleven channels associated with the French-language global television network TV5Monde went black late Wednesday due to an "extremely powerful cyberattack," the network's director said. In addition to its 11 channels, TV5Monde also temporarily lost control of its social media outlets and its websites, director Yves Bigot said in a video message posted later on Facebook. On a mobile site, which was still active, the network said it was "hacked by an Islamist group." ISIS logos and markings could be seen on some TV5Monde social media accounts. But there was no immediate claim of responsibility by ISIS or any other group. The outage began around 10 p.m. Paris time (4 p.m. ET), and network teams were still working to restore service more than five hours later. According to France's Ministry of Culture and Communications, TV5Monde offers round-the-clock entertainment, news and culturing programming in French that reaches 260 million homes worldwide. It functions under a partnership that consists of the governments of France, Canada and Switzerland, as well as the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. Other networks that provide content to TV5Monde include CNN affiliates France 2 and France 3, France 24 and Radio France International.
TV5Monde went black late Wednesday and was still out hours later . The network blames an "Islamist group"; there's no claim of responsibility .
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(CNN)Hillary Clinton's campaign-in-waiting met on Saturday in its Brooklyn headquarters, a day before the former secretary of state officially announces her campaign for president, according to a Democrat who attended the meeting. Robby Mook, Clinton's soon-to-be campaign manager, distributed a "values statement" at the meeting that outlined what the campaign will stand for, what their goals are and how they plan to win -- something Clinton failed to do in 2008. The campaign's purpose, the document states, is "to give every family, every small business, and every American a path to lasting prosperity by electing Hillary Clinton the next President of the United States." The document makes clear that the campaign will try to avoid mistakes that plagued Clinton's failed 2008 run. Many of the "guiding principles" in the memo mention issues that sunk Clinton's first campaign. The document, according to the source, includes the ideas from Mook, along with a wide array of Clinton's soon-to-be staffers and advisers. The memo maintains that the campaign must remain humble, disciplined and united, something voters in Iowa and others states have said Clinton did not do in 2008. "This campaign is not about Hillary Clinton and not about us," reads the document that was obtained by CNN. In the section about the campaign's guiding principles, the document reads, "We are humble: We take nothing for granted, we are never afraid to lose, we always outcompete and fight for every vote we can win. We know this campaign will be won on the ground, in states." It also calls on campaign staffers to remain "disciplined" and "open to a diverse range of views." "When we disagree, it's never personal. Once a decision is made, we execute it -- together," reads the memo. "We know there will be tough days, but we will bounce back and get back to work." The document also appears to telegraph the name to Clinton's campaign: "Hillary for America." Clinton is planning to launch her presidential candidacy on Sunday through a video message on social media, according to Democratic sources. Shortly after her announcement, Clinton will travel Iowa and New Hampshire, critical early caucus primary and caucus states.
Robby Mook, Hillary Clinton's soon-to-be campaign manager, distributes a "values statement" The memo maintains that the campaign must remain humble, disciplined and united .
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(CNN)No identification, no Social Security card and only a box to live on. John Helinski was homeless and nameless for three years. Suddenly, he's set to buy his own place and collect a nice pension. Helinski hit it big thanks to the Social Security Administration, and a big-hearted cop and a case worker determined to untangle major bureaucracy. Charles Inman could not bear to see his 62-year-old ward land back on the street, he told CNN affiliate WFTS. The shelter where the case worker works set Helinski up with a bunk and a locker. But getting him into the system was hard, because Helinski's ID and Social Security cards had been stolen. "He needed to have an identification, but we couldn't get an identification without a birth certificate," Inman said. A hassle all by itself, except that Helinski was foreign born -- in Poland, as an American citizen. "We first had to figure out that we needed a consular record of foreign birth or something like that," said Tampa police Officer Dan McDonald, who pitched in to help Helinski. With those papers squared away, he and Inman got Helinski a driver's license and a Social Security card. Then, Helinski remembered that he used to have an account with a certain Landmark Bank. "Then it became Bank of America," he said. The account was still there, and the Social Security Administration hadn't forgotten about him. It had kept paying Helinski benefits for years, and they had stacked up high. Now Helinski is thinking of buying his own four walls. And he'll have monthly benefits to live on. "I guess I'm exhilarated, excited, you know," he said. McDonald said he and Inman were stunned. "We weren't quite sure what to say."
John Helinski's ID and Social Security cards had been stolen . His case worker and a cop had to get foreign ID papers to get him a driver's license . Then Helinski remembered a bank account he used to have .
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(CNN)A natural gas line explosion at a law enforcement shooting range in Fresno, California, injured 11 people, including some inmates who were on a work detail there. Others being treated include a county road worker and two sheriff's deputies, Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims said. The exact cause of Friday's blast is under investigation, Mims said, but it happened at the spot where a county worker was operating a front loader. The explosion sparked a fire that roared like a jet engine, Mims said. The operator of the front loader was injured but able to walk to an ambulance, the sheriff said. The most serious injuries were suffered by a group of inmates who were assigned to maintenance and cleaning work at the sheriff's firing range. There were 10 inmates near the blast site who were also injured, officials said. Three other inmates at the site were not hurt. Earlier, the sheriff's office included them in the injury count. After the blast, Mims said, two sheriff's deputies who were at the firing range ran toward the fire to move the injured. CNN affiliate KFSN posted a video of the scene that shows a tall ball of fire rising from near a highway. One inmate was airlifted to the hospital, the sheriff said. That inmate and the county worker were undergoing emergency surgery, she said. The others suffered mostly burns. The pair of deputies who provided aid also went for treatment for ringing ears and sunburn-like conditions, she said. Firefighters put out the blaze, revealing a crater at the blast site and a blackened front loader, Mims said.
The cause of a gas line explosion in Fresno, California, is unknown . Two of the injured were undergoing emergency surgery .
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(CNN)For Lt. Colonel John Schwemmer, the scenery is all too familiar. This is his sixth tour in Iraq, and he's back doing a job that he's been tasked with before: training Iraqi soldiers. Schwemmer and other active U.S. military personnel are on the ground in Iraq, whipping often ill-equipped government troops into shape. They've been here before, but this time, he feels, they're getting it right. But the U.S. military isn't the only contingent of Western forces in the region -- dozens of foreigners, including Americans, have volunteered to take the fight to ISIS. And increasingly, U.S. military training efforts are being supplemented by outside agencies, who are working with Kurdish government troops and even militia in Iraq and Syria. "Many of us do feel that we do have the skills and qualifications that can be used to benefit those in the region," said Ian Bradbury, a Canadian former soldier who is training Kurdish Peshmerga forces in northern Iraq. While it is difficult to say how many foreign volunteers are fighting ISIS, a spokesman for a Kurdish militia fighting against them in Syria -- known as the YPG -- told the New York Times their forces include more than 100 American citizens. U.S. law enforcement officials say it is illegal to join a Syrian militia. But some organizations have set up recruitment drives online, featuring applications for foreign fighters complete with checklists of what to bring and advice on bringing body armor across international borders. Jordan Matson, a 28-year-old former U.S. army soldier from the tiny town of Sturtevant, Wisconsin, volunteered with the YPG. He told CNN that after much soul searching he realized that he needed to help in the battle against ISIS' brutal, expansionist regime. "I got in contact with the YPG on Facebook and prayed about it for probably a month or two and asked, 'is this what I want to do?' and eventually, you know, decided to do it. "All my life I wanted to be a solider... so I guess this just fits well over here." But foreign fighters aren't universally welcomed by those opposing ISIS. The Peshmerga, the military wing of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) that has been one of the most effective counterbalances to ISIS' expansion, has said they don't want or need foreign fighters, according to Bradbury. "The information I've been getting back is that there's very little use for (Western fighters) on the front lines, especially on the KRG side -- they have significant numbers of personnel -- it's a source of Kurdish pride for them to rise up in scenarios like this. They more need the development assistance." Peshmerga spokesman Helgurd Hekmat also told Kurdish news wire Rudaw that it was illegal for foreigners to join their ranks. While individual fighters are not always accepted, volunteers working as military trainers are sharing their expertise to support those on the front lines of the fight against ISIS forces. Bradbury set up 1st North American Expeditionary Forces (1st NAEF), a training body which, he says, is currently providing material support and training to the Peshmerga, whose name means "those who face death," in northern Iraq. "Internal capacity building is by far the solution that you can put into a region that is suffering instability from conflict," he told CNN by phone from his base in Ottawa, Canada. "Increasing their ability to maintain stability over the long term is far better than trying to influx it with a bunch of westerners who are going to leave within a short period of time." He was prompted to establish the group after seeing "fairly significant gaps" in the support provided by the coalition forces for the Kurdish, Iraqi regular and militia ranged against ISIS. The U.S. military is "confident" that its support of the forces battling ISIS on the ground is sufficient. "We're confident the U.S. military mission of degrading and ultimately defeating (ISIS) will be found by working through our Middle Eastern partners and the international community," Maj. Omar Villarreal, Communication Integration Planner, U.S. Central Command Communication Integration Directorate, told CNN. "The training element of the mission is no different. It relies on direct and comprehensive military cooperation with regional partner nations, who share a mutual interest in promoting security. One of the goals of the train and equip program, is to build the capabilities of the moderate Syrian fighters to defend the Syrian people. We are confident in our efforts." With coalition members keen to distance themselves from calls for Western boots on the ground -- and little political appetite from overseas for risking Western troops in what many see as a sectarian conflict, Bradbury contends that the best-case scenario is exactly the kind of logistical support that organizations like 1st NAEF are providing. ISIS is keen to play up religious and sectarian divisions in order to create the perception that they are the Sunni protectors of a persecuted underclass, sending non-Arab troops into the battlefield -- even in a support role -- could play into that divisive rhetoric. Bradbury downplays this risk, saying the threat is there, and is best contained in the region. Providing noncombat backing, such as medical, weaponry, logistical and training assistance would appear, he thinks, to be the best way of supporting those Kurdish and Arab troops on the front. "Regardless of perceptions of any kind of us-against-them scenario, it absolutely is a world-against-ISIS issue that needs to take place and there definitely needs to be a global response," he said.
Foreign fighters are increasingly signing up to fight ISIS on the front lines . For some of the jihadist group's foes, foreign fighters are not welcome comrades . Training and logistical support, some argue, is the best way to support the fight against ISIS .
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(CNN)It would be easy to laugh off Vin Diesel's prediction that his film "Furious 7" will win an Oscar next year, but not for the reason you might think. After all, the actor was serious when he recently told Variety "It will probably win best picture at the Oscars, unless the Oscars don't want to be relevant ever." But rather than ignore it because it's a glossy, blockbuster action film, some might argue that the movie goes against type for Academy Award nominated films because the cast is so diverse. "Furious 7" hits theaters Friday, months after controversy was stirred about the lack of diversity at the Oscars. There were no actors of color nominated and no women in the directing category, which was dominated by white males. Mexican filmmaker Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu went on to win best director for "Birdman." The lack of diversity was so glaring (even with the mostly black cast of the movie "Selma," which received a nomination for best picture) that it spurred the Twitter hashtag "#OscarsSoWhite." In contrast, "Furious 7" couldn't be more racially and ethnically inclusive. The cast includes Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson -- a Samoan/black man -- black actors Christopher "Ludacris" Bridges and Tyrese Gibson, Hispanic performer Michelle Rodriguez, Thai martial artist Tony Jaa, Beninese expatriate Djimon Hounsou and the late Paul Walker, a blue-eyed, blond-haired California native. The filmmakers even went so far as to make sure casting directors in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, where key scenes were filmed, found diverse extras. "We were mainly looking for the diverse look of the (United Arab Emirates)," Miranda Davidson, owner of the casting company, told The National. "They really wanted to make sure we reflected the international feel of the country." Almost since the beginning, the "Fast and Furious" films have had a diverse focus and appeal. The band of street racers, which encompassed white, black, Asian, Hispanic, male and female and bond as a family, has done well at the box office with each iteration. In 2011, then Boston Globe film critic Wesley Morris wrote, "Go on and laugh your Benetton, Kumbaya, Kashi, quinoa laugh, but it's true: The most progressive force in Hollywood today is the 'Fast and Furious' movies." "They're loud, ludicrous, and visually incoherent," he said. "They're also the last bunch of movies you'd expect to see in the same sentence as 'incredibly important.' But they are -- if only because they feature race as a fact of life as opposed to a social problem or an occasion for self-congratulation. (And this doesn't even account for the gay tension between the male leads, and the occasional crypto-lesbian make-out.)" According to the Motion Picture Association of America's 2014 Theatrical Market Statistics Report, while Hispanics make up 17% of the U.S. population they account for 25% of frequent moviegoers. Likewise, women make up 52% of moviegoers. Entertainment Weekly points out that the film franchise is doing a much better job of reflecting its audience than others in Hollywood. "Despite the films' cumulative worldwide gross of almost $2.4 billion, their racial inclusiveness remains an outlier; American movies are still overwhelmingly white," EW's Chris Lee writes. "According to UCLA's 2015 Hollywood Diversity Report, a mere 16.7% of 2013 films starred minorities in lead roles." At least one moviegoer tweeted that he appreciated the effort. Diesel told EW the franchise has come a long way from the original 2001 film, which featured segregated gangs of racers pitted against each other. "It doesn't matter what nationality you are," the star said. "As a member of the audience, you realize you can be a member of that 'family.' That's the beautiful thing about how the franchise has evolved."
The film's cast is diverse . EW points out that Hollywood still needs to catch up . One of the stars says the franchise has evolved .
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(CNN)A measles outbreak that affected more than 130 Californians since December is over, the California Department of Public Health declared Friday. It has been 42 days since the last known case of B3 strain of measles, the equivalent of two successive incubation periods, said Dr. Karen Smith, director of the health department. The department said in its latest update that 131 people came down with the B3 strain, and five who had a different genotype than the outbreak strain. Of the 131 cases, the state was able to obtain the vaccination status for 81 patients. Of the 81, 70% were unvaccinated. "Prompt investigation of cases, interviewing hundreds of contacts of infected people, vaccinating hundreds of at risk people, and increasing awareness among health care providers about measles, helped to control this outbreak," Smith said. The outbreak began with dozens of visitors to two Disney theme parks in the state. The health department said 42 of the cases occurred from December 17-20. Two patients with rashes have been identified in April, but they have a different measles genotype. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on its website that 19 different strains have been discovered since 1990. Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease. It causes fever, red and sore eyes, runny nose, cough and a rash. It can cause deadly health complications, including pneumonia and encephalitis. It is spread by contact with an infected person through coughing or sneezing. It can remain in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours. CNN's Debra Goldschmidt contributed to this report.
Officials say 131 Californians were affected by one strain, five by other strains . About 70% of the people who could show health records were unvaccinated . Outbreak began in December among visitors to two Disney theme parks .
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(CNN)As thousands of South Africans took to the streets of the city of Durban to rally against violence and xenophobia, an online community has joined the protests. The marches follow recent violent attacks on foreigners in the country that have claimed five lives. During the protest march Thursday, Twitter followers voiced their support through hashtag campaigns. #PeaceMarch and #SayNoToXenophobia were some of the most popular. South African Police Services said more than 10,000 people attended the march, including civil rights groups and nongovernmental organizations. Hashtags are now pouring out of South Africa. But many are asking, some via Twitter, is it enough to fight #xenophobia? Attacks this week in Durban alone have killed two immigrants and three South Africans, including a 14-year-old boy, authorities said. For South African Tim Flack, tweeting wasn't going to make a bit of difference. Flack, who lives in Cape Town, has brought allegations of hate speech and human rights violations against Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini, who he said referred to foreigners as "lice" and has said "they should pack their bags and go." "People listen to him," Flack said. "He is a monarch. The Zulu people in South Africa take him very seriously, they don't question what he says." Flack said he was motivated to make the allegations after seeing multiple complaints about xenophobic violence on social media and thinking they weren't enough. So he filed a complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission, and then tweeted about it. "The activists sit around feeling accomplished because they retweeted five times," Flack said. "I want to reach people who see that they can lay a charge and it won't cost them anything, but I will have done something to change the country and push it into a better state of being." Now, the Human Rights Commission must decide whether to investigate Flack's allegations against the King, who denies fueling any violence. Flack hopes others will also make complaints. Flack added that Zulus aren't the only people in South Africa who share in the xenophobic sentiment. "People are frustrated and unemployed, and people in South Africa pay foreign nationals a lot less," he said of the tension between nationals and immigrants. "A domestic worker would ask for 250 rand a day to clean a house, whereas a foreign national would ask for 150 rand, so it causes resentment." Imtiaz Sooliman, founder and chairman of the Gift of Givers Foundation in Durban, doesn't think most South Africans are against foreigners. "South Africans are against xenophobia," said Sooliman, who insists the majority of the country is providing an overwhelming amount of support for foreign nationals. Gift of Givers has been administering assistance at five refugee camps set up by the South African government that now hold roughly 8,000 foreign national refugees, he said, passing out things like clothing and hygiene packs. The organization posts its work at the camps online and tags it on social media with #xenophobia. Why? "In South Africa, everyone knows xenophobia," Sooliman said, "and the way a disaster agency works is we post what people understand. So if you say #tsunami or #war, people follow it. So here, people say #xenophobia, and they all know what it is -- it is a disaster, so you are going to post what people understand." He said South Africans also have been going to the camps, which are on sports fields with makeshift tents, bringing cooked food and other necessities. "This is different from what happened in 2008," Sooliman said. That year, scores were killed in attacks in the poorest areas of Johannesburg. Most of the victims were Zimbabweans who had fled repression and dire economic circumstances. Sooliman said that along with the government strongly condemning the violence, community engagement is happening now as it never happened before. It is a kind of national unity that can be best summed up with another hashtag that has emerged from this story: #WeAreAfrica. Only time, or, tweets will tell if it works.
More than 10,000 people marched in Durban against violence, officials say . Twitter followers voiced their support through hashtag campaigns . A Cape Town resident tweets his complaints against a Zulu King .
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New York (CNN)A suburban New York cardiologist has been charged in connection with a failed scheme to have another physician hurt or killed, according to prosecutors. Dr. Anthony Moschetto, 54, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to criminal solicitation, conspiracy, burglary, arson, criminal prescription sale and weapons charges in connection to what prosecutors called a plot to take out a rival doctor on Long Island. He was released after posting $2 million bond and surrendering his passport. Two other men -- identified as James Chmela, 43, and James Kalamaras, 41 -- were named as accomplices, according to prosecutors. They pleaded not guilty in Nassau County District Court, according to authorities. Both were released on bail. Requests for comment from attorneys representing Moschetto and Chmela were not returned. It's unclear whether Kalamaras has retained an attorney. Moschetto's attorney, Randy Zelin, said Wednesday that his client "will be defending himself vigorously," the New York Post reported. "Doctors are supposed to ensure the health and wellbeing of people, but Dr. Moschetto is alleged to have replaced that responsibility with brazen, callous and criminal acts," Acting Nassau District Attorney Madeline Singas said in a statement. Police officers allegedly discovered approximately 100 weapons at Moschetto's home, including hand grenades, high-capacity magazines and knives. Many of the weapons were found in a hidden room behind a switch-activated bookshelf, according to prosecutors. The investigation began back in December, when undercover officers began buying heroin and oxycodone pills from Moschetto in what was initially a routine investigation into the sale of prescription drugs, officials said. During the course of the undercover operation, however, Moschetto also sold the officers two semiautomatic assault weapons as well as ammunition, prosecutors said. Moschetto allegedly told officers during one buy that he needed dynamite to "blow up a building." He later said he no longer needed the dynamite because a friend was setting fire to the building instead. Kalamaras and Chmela are believed to have taken part in the arson, according to prosecutors. "The fire damaged but did not destroy the office of another cardiologist whose relationship with Dr. Moschetto had soured due to a professional dispute," according to the statement from the district attorney's office. Moschetto allegedly gave an informant and undercover detective blank prescriptions and cash for the assault and killing of the fellow cardiologist, according to prosecutors. He also requested that the rival's wife be assaulted if she happened to be present, authorities said. "He was willing to pay $5,000 to have him beaten and put in a hospital for a few months, and then he said he would pay $20,000 to have him killed," said Assistant District Attorney Anne Donnelly, reported CNN affiliate WCBS. The three men are to appear in Nassau County District Court on Friday.
Dr. Anthony Moschetto, 54, arrested for selling drugs and weapons, prosecutors say . Authorities allege Moschetto hired accomplices to burn down the practice of former associate . Attorney says client will "vigorously" defend himself .
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(CNN)The U.N. Security Council voted Tuesday in favor of an arms embargo on Houthis -- the minority group that has taken over large swaths of Yemen, including its capital, Sanaa -- and supporters of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The resolution "raises the cost" for the Houthis, according to Mark Lyall Grant, Britain's ambassador to the United Nations. In addition to the arms embargo, it also demands that the Shiite group pull back and refrain from more violence and includes sanctions aimed at controlling the spread of terrorism, according to Grant. Russia abstained from Tuesday's vote, saying it didn't like the inclusion of sanctions. In recent weeks, Saudi Arabia has led a coalition that is conducting airstrikes on targets associated with Saleh's supporters and the Houthis, who have emerged as Yemen's most dominant force in recent months. Also Tuesday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Saudi Arabian Minister of Defense Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz agreed to form a joint military commission to discuss the implementation of a major strategic maneuver inside Saudi Arabia, Egypt's state-run Ahram news agency reported. Egypt announced that it would dispatch several naval ships to help halt the rebels' advance. In response to media reports, Egyptian officials said no troops have yet been sent to Yemen. The Houthis forced President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi from power in January, though Hadi still claims he is Yemen's legitimate leader and is working with the Saudis and other allies to return to Yemen. Those allied with Hadi have accused the Iranian government of supporting the Houthis in their uprising in Yemen. They include Yemen's current ambassador to the United Nations, Khaled Mahfoodh Abdulla Bahah, who said Tuesday, "We refuse (the) influence of Iran in Yemen affairs." CNN's Richard Roth and Dominique Dodley reported from New York, and CNN's Greg Botelho wrote this report from Atlanta. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz contributed to this report.
Egypt, Saudi Arabia to launch joint military maneuvers inside Saudi borders . The arms embargo applies to the Houthis and backers of ex-President Saleh . Russia abstains from the U.N. Security Council vote over the inclusion of sanctions .
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(The Hollywood Reporter)A trailer for Zack Snyder's upcoming "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" leaked online on Thursday before quickly being taken down minutes later. A YouTube user uploaded the handheld or camera phone capture of the trailer, which had Spanish subtitles on the screen. The trailer begins with a commentator's voice asking, "Is it really surprising that the most powerful man in the world should be a figure of controversy?" As footage of Superman plays, numerous commentators' voices overlap one another with their opinions of the superheroes, including "We as a population on this planet have been looking for a savior" and "Maybe he's just a guy trying to do the right thing." Ryan Gosling in talks to star in "Blade Runner" sequel . A blurred image of Ben Affleck's face appears shortly before a masked Batman appears, followed by the two superheroes coming face to face. The highly anticipated footage was set to premiere in Imax theaters on Monday. On Wednesday morning, Snyder teased the trailer by releasing a short excerpt on Twitter. "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" will be released on March 25, 2016 and stars Affleck as Batman and Henry Cavill as Superman. The film also stars Amy Adams. How much it costs to get Mark Hamill's autograph at "Star Wars" celebration . ©2015 The Hollywood Reporter. All rights reserved.
"Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" trailer leaked Thursday before being yanked offline . Film will be released on March 25, 2016 and stars Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill .
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(CNN)From late January, when New England was living through one of its bleakest and snowiest winters, to a warm and sunny afternoon in April, the jurors in the first-degree murder trial of former NFL star Aaron Hernandez have considered how a promising young athlete who earned millions came to take the life of his onetime friend and future brother-in-law, Odin Lloyd. The jury of seven women and five men listened to more than 130 witnesses and reviewed more than 400 pieces of evidence over the months-long trial. On Wednesday, they convicted Hernandez, who was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, after deliberating more than 35 hours over parts of seven days. After the verdict, jurors agreed to meet with reporters, at times laughing nervously while shedding light on what some described as the grueling deliberation process. Here are five things to know about what they said: . While declining to discuss specifics of what happened in the jury room, jurors said they came away satisfied with their decision. "It's a very big decision to make, and every one of us ... made sure we came to the best conclusion," one juror told reporters. At one point on Monday, jurors asked Judge Susan Garsh to allow smoking breaks, which were permitted during trial. Some observers thought this signaled weeks of deliberations. A male juror said some panel members had meticulously filled four to eight notebooks as they listened to testimony. "It was hard ... for everyone," said a woman on the jury. "Everyone's life changed because of this." Asked to elaborate, she told a reporter, "I've been here for as long as you have." "It's the hardest thing I've ever done in my life," she said later about serving on the jury. "Absolutely, by far." Asked whether they would say anything to Hernandez, one of the women on the panel said simply, "Nothing." Others nodded in apparent agreement. Do they have any feelings about the 25-year-old former star? "For me, Judge Garsh said, 'Keep your mind suspended,' " said a female juror. "We went in there every day with open minds. We listened to the evidence. We heard what they had to say. We got to go into a room and see and touch and feel all the evidence and that's when we came to our conclusion." Did they know anything about Hernandez or the case before the trial? One juror responded: "Nothing." "Very little," said another. About six jurors raised their hands when asked who among them was a New England Patriots fan. The jurors said they found out about Hernandez's other legal woes from Garsh only after they reached a verdict. Hernandez potentially faces three more trials, one criminal and two civil actions. Next up is another murder trial in which he is accused of killing two men and wounding another person near a Boston nightclub in July 2012. Prosecutors have said Hernandez fatally shot Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado when he fired into their 2003 BMW. Another passenger was wounded and two others were uninjured. Hernandez pleaded not guilty at his arraignment. The families of de Abreu and Furtado filed civil suits against Hernandez, and a judge froze his $5 million in assets, pending the outcome of the double-murder trial. The freeze includes the disputed $3.3 million signing bonus payment Hernandez claims he is owed by the New England Patriots. Hernandez is also being sued by a man who claims Hernandez shot him while they were in a limousine in Miami in February 2013. Alexander Bradley claims Hernandez wounded him after the two got into a fight at a Miami strip club. "It's amazing a lot of the information we learned today," a female juror said Wednesday. "I think we can all say we made the right decision." Some jurors admitted to not knowing who Patriots owner Robert Kraft was when he took the stand at the trial. But they agreed that Kraft's testimony was crucial. Kraft testified that Hernandez proclaimed his innocence to him and told the team owner that "he hoped that the time of the murder ... came out because I believe he said he was in a club." "To this day -- we just went through a three-month trial, and this is now two years later -- we still don't know the exact time of Odin's murder," a male juror said. "So I don't know how Aaron would have had that information two years ago." Another juror was struck by the emotional testimony of Lloyd's family and friends. "For me, it was in the beginning -- the pictures," a woman said of autopsy photos of Lloyd's bullet-riddled body. "You're told to be unemotional and to sit there and hold back tears ... (That) was hard." One man said his time on the case made him "appreciate how quickly life can end and how fleeting it can be." And that the justice system can work. "The system is designed to be fair to both sides," he said. "In fairness, you can't rush." The jurors did not find credible the defense team's contention that Hernandez's co-defendants -- Ernest Wallace and Carlos Ortiz -- carried out the murder. The two men have pleaded not guilty and will be tried separately. In closing arguments, defense lawyer James Sultan for the first time placed Hernandez at the murder scene. Sultan described Wallace and Ortiz as a pair of drug dealers known to become crazed while on PCP, as men capable of killing someone in drug-induced fits of rage. "Did he make all the right decisions? No," Sultan said of Hernandez. "He was a 23-year-old kid who witnessed something, committed by somebody he knew. He really didn't know what to do, so he put one foot in front of another. Keep in mind, he's not charged with accessory after the fact. ... He's charged with murder ... and that he did not do." "We were all shocked about that," a female juror told reporters Wednesday. "It was very surprising," said another. Asked about post-trial fame or the possibility of book deals for their role in the sensational case, a female juror smiled. "None of us wanted to come into this room," she told the reporters gathered around her. The jurors said they expected to sleep peacefully Wednesday night. "After a beverage," one of them added. Asked whether they were leaving the experience as friends, they all seemed to say, "Yes."
Female juror: "Everyone's life changed because of this" The jurors said they didn't learn of the other charges against Hernandez until after the verdict . For these jurors, the system worked: It's "designed to be fair to both sides"
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Panama City Beach, Florida (CNN)A third person has been arrested in the case of an alleged spring break gang rape that was videotaped on a crowded stretch of Panama City Beach, the Bay County, Florida, Sheriff's Office said Wednesday. Police arrested the suspect at 11 p.m. Tuesday. "After developing information that George Davon Kennedy was the third suspect seen in the video of the gang rape, BCSO Investigators obtained a warrant for his arrest," according to a news release. Investigators discovered that Kennedy had family in DeKalb County, Georgia, and reached out to the sheriff's office there. Deputies in DeKalb, in the Atlanta area, tracked down Kennedy and arrested him on a charge of sexual assault by multiple perpetrators, the Bay County Sheriff's Office said. Kennedy is from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and has been a student at Middle Tennessee State University, the sheriff's office said. Previously, Ryan Calhoun and Delonte Martistee were arrested and charged with sexual battery by multiple perpetrators, the sheriff's office said. Calhoun was released Saturday after posting $50,000 bond; Martistee remains in Bay County Jail, a county deputy said. Troy University in Alabama said the two are students and have been "placed on temporary suspension from school per the university's standards of conduct and disciplinary procedures. Martistee, a member of the track and field team, has also been removed from the team." Martistee is represented by a public defender. Calhoun's legal representation is unclear. No public statement has been made on either's behalf. The arrests come after a woman told police she may have been drugged and gang-raped on a beach behind a popular club in broad daylight as bystanders watched. The woman didn't recall the assault, police say, but she saw the video of her alleged assault on the news, and though the footage had to be blurred, she recognized her tattoos and contacted authorities. It's not the first time this has happened to a young woman in Panama City Beach, authorities say. Four young men were involved in the assault, Bay County Sheriff Frank McKeithen said, and while he previously said federal marshals were trying to track down a third suspect and investigators were seeking a possible witness, it's unclear if the person arrested Tuesday was someone the police had been looking for. "There's hundreds, hundreds of people standing there -- watching, looking, seeing, hearing what's going on," McKeithen said. "And yet our culture and our society and our young people have got to the point where obviously this is acceptable somewhere. I will tell you it is not acceptable in Bay County." Authorities have said they plan to interview the woman and show her the full video to see whether she knows the attackers and can help identify other suspects, said Ruth Corley, spokeswoman for the sheriff's office. Authorities are pressing charges, and the woman plans to cooperate, Corley said. Investigators were to meet with her this week. After interviewing witnesses, Bay County investigators determined the alleged rape took place between March 10 and March 12, behind Spinnaker Beach Club, a popular bar and dance club for spring breakers. She "does not remember the assault at all," Corley said. "She remembers taking a drink from a CamelBak and there is a strong possibility she was drugged." (CamelBak sells various products for transporting water or other drinks.) She was visiting Panama City Beach at the time of the assault, and is now home, authorities said. The Troy, Alabama, Police Department found the video during the course of an investigation into an unrelated shooting and turned it over to the Bay County Sheriff's Office. The video shows suspects pushing the victim's hand aside and holding her legs down, Corley said. "You can see in the video there are people two feet away. They were assaulting her, and we believe the people around her knew she was being assaulted." The suspects can be heard commenting about what they are doing to her, Corley said. Authorities have three sworn statements from witnesses stating that the assault happened, Corley said. The sheriff's office released part of the video to local TV stations, which blurred portions of it before airing. CNN is showing part of what was released. While the video is "one of the most disgusting, repulsive, sickening things that I've seen this year on Panama City Beach," it's not an isolated incident, McKeithen said. "This is not the first video we've recovered. It's not the second video. It's not the third video. There's a number of videos we've recovered with things similar to this, and I can only imagine how many things we haven't recovered." Corley said that through social media, "we have been able to find video of girls, incoherent and passed out, and almost like they are drugged, being assaulted on the beaches of Panama City in front of a bunch of people standing around." About 100,000 spring break revelers come to the beach community every year. This year, the Bay County Sheriff's Office made more than 1,000 arrests for various crimes -- about triple the number of arrests made in the same period last year. CNN's AnneClaire Stapleton, Josh Levs and Alexandra Field contributed to this report.
Third suspect identified as George Davon Kennedy of Murfreesboro, Tennessee . Young woman was raped on a crowded beach in broad daylight, police say . Some bystanders saw what was happening and didn't stop it, authorities say .
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(CNN)Remains of up to nearly 400 unaccounted for service members tied to the USS Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor will be exhumed this year, the Defense Department announced Tuesday. The hope is that most of the battleship's sailors and Marines can be identified. "The secretary of defense and I will work tirelessly to ensure your loved one's remains will be recovered, identified, and returned to you as expeditiously as possible, and we will do so with dignity, respect and care," Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work said in a statement. "While not all families will receive an individual identification, we will strive to provide resolution to as many families as possible." The USS Oklahoma sank when it was hit by torpedoes on December 7, 1941, during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. A total of 429 sailors and Marines on the ship were killed. Thirty-five crew members were positively identified and buried in the years immediately after the attack, according to the Defense Department. By 1950, all unidentified remains were laid to rest as unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. In 2003, five more service members were identified, with the help of historical evidence from Pearl Harbor survivor Ray Emory, 93. Emory, a native of Peoria, Illinois, was serving as a seaman first class on the light cruiser USS Honolulu that fateful day. After the war, Emory worked in Washington state before moving to Hawaii about 30 years ago. The retiree made it his mission to ensure graves are properly identified. "It's something I looked forward to for a long time," he told CNN about Tuesday's announcement. Speaking by phone from Honolulu, Emory said that proper identification means a lot to the families of those who lost loved ones -- and to him. Next of kin were being notified starting Tuesday. Service members who are identified will be returned to their families for burial, with full military honors. WWII pilot, 99, reunited with historic C-47 plane . CNN's Phil Gast contributed to this report.
USS Oklahoma was lost during Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 . Hundreds of crew members were buried without identification .
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(CNN)Thousands of Syrian and Palestinian refugees trapped in the Yarmouk refugee camp have suffered what can only be described as untold indignities. But while the story is in itself tragic, it is the individual lives at the heart of the camp that make the imperative for humanitarian action so compelling. I encountered two such individuals on my mission to Damascus -- Jihad and Mohammad -- tiny, vulnerable infants who were taken from Yarmouk in recent days, a place that was described last week by the U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as "the deepest circle of hell." The fact that they are alive truly make them miracle children. Looking into those bright young faces, touching their pristine hands, the logic of our humanitarian mandate -- the mission to protect -- never felt stronger to me. Like the wider Syrian conflict, Yarmouk has a human face; the faces of young Mohammad and young Jihad. I want to introduce you to them in the hope that you, too, will understand why I am firmly convinced that turning away is not an option -- and why the international community must act in a concerted manner to respond to the many tragedies in Syria. Jihad Ya'qoub, the youngest Palestinian refugee to flee Yarmouk, was born on March 30. His mother, Said Fatima, never imagined bringing a child into this world could be so tough. "I was hoping to drink milk and eat eggs during my pregnancy, but our financial situation did allow us to buy these expensive food items," she said. Said Fatima was living in a community where the average person survived on just 400 calories a day. Mohammad was born in Yarmouk on January 25 of this year. When ISIS -- Islamic State of Iraq and Syria -- entered the camp and tensions heightened, his mother, Nadia, fled in search of safety. Her only thoughts were to save the life of her newborn son. Yet she has not lost hope in the possibility of a dignified future. She hopes that if and when life returns to normal, she will be able to live once more with her husband and son in the family home in Yarmouk. These tales of courage and human dignity are a lesson for us all. When I next brief the Security Council, as I did a few days ago, I will tell them about Jihad and Mohammad. I will continue to press the case for humanitarian access to other children like them inside Yarmouk, other civilians who need help where they are. To do this, hostilities will have to subside. Pressure must be exerted on armed actors in Yarmouk to this end. Beyond that, those civilians wishing to temporarily leave must be allowed to do so safely. These things are all possible. But it takes the necessary political will -- nothing more, nothing less. Yarmouk must be a place where the politics of the possible begin to take hold. I believe they can. Because to abandon such belief would be to abandon Jihad, Mohammad and thousands of other civilians like them. And that is simply not an option.
Yarmouk is a refugee camp near Damascus in war-ravaged Syria . Pierre Krähenbühl of the United Nations: Individual lives underscore need for humanitarian action .
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(CNN)Authorities detained a 15-year-old girl from Cape Town, South Africa, at the city's airport after receiving information she was leaving the country to join ISIS, State Security Minister David Mahlobo said. "We are still conducting further investigation. The girl over the past period has been using technology on social media platforms interacting with strange people and reading material that suggested she expressed an interest in joining a terrorist group called ISIS," he told broadcaster eNCA. Police and airport security located the girl on a Johannesburg-bound flight, and "we got our agencies to secure all the important exit points in the country. We got her at Cape Town International Airport," Mahlobo said. Virginia teen accused of being ISIS recruiter . It's not clear how the girl was recruited or how the airfare was arranged, he said. Officials debriefed the girl's family and released her into the family's care, Mahlobo said. "The recruitment and radicalization of particularly young people to take part in acts of terror is a growing global concern and local law enforcement agencies will continue to work hard in clamping these from materializing," the minister said in a statement Monday. Australia teens suspected of trying to join ISIS stopped at airport .
Official: Girl, 15, "expressed an interest in joining a terrorist group called ISIS" Authorities detain girl at Cape Town airport, release her into family's care, he says .
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(CNN)Deputies rushed Kenneth Morgan Stancil III from court Thursday after the 20-year-old murder suspect swore at a judge and tried to flip over a table. Stancil is accused of killing an employee Monday at Wayne Community College in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Relatives have said victim Ron Lane was gay, CNN affiliate WNCN reported, and investigators are looking into whether the shooting was a hate crime. Authorities arrested Stancil after he was found sleeping on a Florida beach on Tuesday. Just a few minutes into Thursday's hearing on the first-degree murder charge he faces, Stancil snapped back at the judge after he was offered a court-appointed lawyer. "No, I don't need one," said Stancil, who stood before the judge with his legs shackled and his arms handcuffed in front of him. "You know what I'm saying? I knew I would get life anyway." Superior Court Judge Arnold O. Jones interjected, pointing out that the maximum sentence Stancil faces is the death penalty. "Yes, I know that," Stancil fired back. "But when I knew what I had to do and I knew when I got caught, you know, I knew in my mind that I could get life, I could get the death penalty. You know what I'm saying? Do you follow my topic? I would have killed you, you know what I'm saying, if you're a f---ing child molester." The judge told him not to swear. "I don't give a f--- what you want," Stancil said, lunging forward and lifting up the table in front of him. Deputies quickly corralled him and hustled him from the courtroom. The hearing resumed about 25 minutes later, when Stancil was brought back into the courtroom, this time with his arms handcuffed behind him. When asked again by Jones whether he wanted a lawyer, his response was quick -- and calm. "Yes, sir," he said. In an interview with CNN affiliate WRAL, Stancil described himself as a neo-Nazi and said he hates gay people "with a passion." Stancil had worked for Lane, the school's print shop operator, as part of a work-study program, but was let go from the program in early March because of poor attendance, college officials said. During the interview, and during a court appearance in Florida on Tuesday, Stancil said Lane deserved to die, accusing him of being a child molester who'd made advances in online messages to Stancil's 16-year-old brother. Lane's family has described those accusations as untrue and slanderous. His cousin, Steve Smith, told WRAL that Lane never made sexual advances toward children or anyone with whom he worked. He described him as a loving man who was dedicated to family and friends. "Yes, Ron was gay. But people need to get over it," Smith said. "That's between him and the Lord, him and his savior."
Kenneth Morgan Stancil, charged with first-degree murder, swears at the judge . Deputies escort him from court after he tries to flip over a table . Stancil is accused of killing an employee at Wayne Community College .
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(CNN)Robert Bates says he gets it, how you might wonder how a cop could confuse a pistol for a stun gun. Bates -- the Tulsa County, Oklahoma, reserve sheriff's deputy accused of manslaughter in the death of a fleeing suspect -- told NBC's "Today" show Friday that he used to think that, too. "Believe me," he told the show in his first appearance since being charged in the April 2 death of Eric Harris, "it can happen to anyone." Harris died after Bates shot him -- accidentally, he says -- after calling out "Taser! Taser!" in a tussle captured on a police body camera. Bates told investigators that he mistook his firearm for the stun gun. How easy is it to confuse a gun for a Taser? While Bates is at the center of the maelstrom over Harris' death, he isn't the only one under scrutiny. The Oklahoma NAACP wants charges against other officers involved in Harris' death, and a state and federal investigation into the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office's treatment of minorities. The sheriff's office also finds itself fending off allegations that supervisors were told to forge Bates' training records. In his interview Friday with "Today," Bates said he had the documentation to show he had completed the necessary training required of reserve deputies. "That is absolutely the truth. I have it in writing," he told the show. And on Thursday, a sheriff's office official denied to the Tulsa World newspaper that any records had ever been forged. As an advanced reserve deputy, sheriff's office policy calls for Bates to have completed 480 hours of the field training officer program, according to the Tulsa World. Bates would also have needed firearms certification training. Officials have yet to locate records showing what training Bates completed, said Maj. Shannon Clark of the sheriff's office. But Clark did say it's possible that some training requirements may have been waived. Sheriff Stanley Glanz has the authority to waive any department policies, Clark said. "The policies within our organization are signed off by the sheriff, but there are also policies that give the sheriff the ability to waive any policy within our organization. That's part of being a sheriff's office," Clark told the newspaper. Glanz told KFAQ radio this week that officials can't find records of Bates' firearms certification. The instructor who provided that training is now a U.S. Secret Service agent, and officials haven't been able to locate training records she was supposed to have turned in, Glanz told the station. Other discrepancies have surfaced about training that Bates claims to have attended, including questions about active shooter and homicide investigation instruction. Tulsa World reporter Dylan Goforth said the paper had been told by multiple sources that Bates' records had been falsified. The newspaper has not said who allegedly asked the supervisors to falsify the training records or why. But the orders apparently started years ago, "back when (Bates) was trying to get on as a deputy," reporter Ziva Branstetter told CNN's "New Day." Bates has donated equipment to the department and was also a donor to Glanz's re-election campaign, leading to allegations he had essentially paid to be a cop. He rejected that claim in the "Today" interview as "unbelievably unfair." Bates' attorney, Clark Brewster, also has rejected the allegations of poor training or forgery as unfounded. He said those making the accusations include fired sheriff's office employees represented by the law firm that also represents Harris' family. "His training is extensive and certainly adequate," Brewster told CNN on Thursday. Bates appeared on the "Today" show with his wife, two daughters and Brewster. He seemed composed but said he was still might be in shock over what had happened. "I can tell you it stayed with me for a number of days," Bates said. "I'm not at all sure it's not still with me today. Lack of sleep, inability to concentrate, all of those plus more. You know, I still can't believe it happened." In describing the events leading up to Harris' death, Bates said he was parked several blocks away from the site where an undercover deputy was conducting a sting operation to catch Harris in the act of illegally selling a gun. Bates said he had participated in "several hundred" such operations but always in a backup role where he would come in and "clean up" after deputies, taking photos and notes. But as deputies rolled up to arrest him after the sale, Harris bolted from the vehicle and ran toward Bates' position. As deputies were trying to subdue Harris, Bates told investigators he saw an opportunity to use his stun gun to help get the suspect under control. "I yelled, 'Taser! Taser!' as required in training. The deputy below me ducked, he pulled away from it so that I could," Bates said. "The laser light is the same on each weapon. I saw the light and I squeezed the trigger," Bates told "Today." The result was not the staccato click of a well-deployed stun gun. Instead, it was a gunshot. "I shot him! I'm sorry!" Bates is heard emotionally saying on video of the incident. Bates apologized to Harris' family, who have rejected allegations he was violent and on drugs. Harris' brother, Andre Harris, said this week that he didn't think the shooting was racially motivated. Instead, he said, "This is simply evil." But Bates,who is charged with second-degree manslaughter, said he didn't mean to kill Harris. His attorney has called it an "excusable homicide." "I rate this as No. 1 on my list of things in my life that I regret," said Bates, who is free on $25,000 bail.
"I rate this as No. 1 on my list of things in my life that I regret," Robert Bates tells "Today" He says he didn't mean to kill Eric Harris and rejects claims his training records were forged . "I still can't believe it happened," Bates tells the NBC show .
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Garissa, Kenya (CNN)The desks of the small Madrassa are empty. Its 573 students, all male, are staying home after Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta announced three days of national mourning following last week's deadly attack at a nearby university. Only a few kilometers away, 147 people -- mostly students -- were brutally massacred when Al-Shabaab militants invaded the campus in Garissa, a town in northeastern Kenya. We've come to this particular Islamic religious school because the man suspected by Kenyan authorities of being the "mastermind" behind the atrocity -- Mohamed Mohamud -- once taught here. "He was someone who was very quiet, he didn't like too much talk," recalls Sheikh Khalif Abdi Hussein, the principal at the Madrassa. He says he also taught with Mohamud for two years. "When he left the Madrassa, he joined Al-Shabaab. But before, he was normal, just like me and other people." What worries authorities here is exactly that -- Mohamud was Kenyan. But now, say officials, Mohamud is in command of an Al-Shabaab militia based near Kenya's long, porous border with Somalia -- about 118 miles (190km) from Garissa -- who are believed to be responsible for numerous cross-border attacks into Kenya. The Islamist militant group, who are allied with al Qaeda, have been waging a bloody campaign for control of Somalia. With Kenyan troops part of an African Union force deployed in support of Somalia's United Nations-supported government, Kenya has now become a target. Last year, an attack by Al-Shabaab on a shopping center in the country's capital, Nairobi, claimed the lives of 68 people. Now Mohamud stands accused of being behind Thursday's attack -- the deadliest attack in the nation since al Qaeda killed more than 200 people at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi in 1998. But Mohamud is not Kenya's only homegrown terrorist. The Kenyan Interior Ministry has said at least one of the four gunmen who carried out the attack on the university was also Kenyan. Abdirahim Abdullahi was in his 20s and the son of a government chief. His father says he lost contact with his son in 2013, shortly after he left university. The Kenyan government is concerned that Al-Shabaab is recruiting disaffected youth from inside the country. "Our task of countering terrorism has been made all the more difficult by the fact that the planners and financiers of this brutality are deeply embedded in our communities," President Kenyatta said during an address to the nation in the aftermath of the massacre. Meanwhile, Sheikh Khalif insists his Madrassa has nothing to do with Mohamud's extreme, violent ideas. "This man is a dangerous man, a killer, a criminal," he says. But he was also once a neighbor. And so Kenyans must now look within to tackle this very real threat to the country's -- and the region's -- stability.
The attack at a Garissa university last week killed 147 people, mostly students . Mohamed Mohamud taught at a Madrassa in the Kenyan town . Authorities fear the rise of homegrown terrorists in the African country .
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(CNN)It's not easy being the Pope. Not only does he shepherd nearly 1 billion Catholic souls, he also leads a small but morally significant state with envoys and interests in nearly every country. As scholars like to say, the Vatican has walked the line between spiritual and worldly concerns for centuries. Sometimes, as when St. John Paul II stood up to Communist Poland, the church's moral and political clout have combined to pack a powerful punch. At other times, popes have to make a hard choice: Adopt the sharp tongue of a prophet or the discretion of a diplomat? This Sunday in Rome, Pope Francis faced just such a dilemma. First, the back story: . One hundred years ago, more than 1 million Armenians (some estimates run as high as 1.5 million) died at the hand of the Turks. Many of the victims were part of a branch of Christianity closely aligned with Catholicism. A slew of historians and at least 20 countries call the killings a "genocide." (A U.S. resolution to do the same has languished in Congress.) Turkish officials disagree, arguing that the deaths, while unfortunate, were part of a long-running war that witnessed casualties on all sides. For their part, previous popes had finessed the genocide question. John Paul II used the "g" word in 2001, but didn't dare speak it out loud. Instead, it was tucked into a document signed by the former pontiff and the head of the Armenian church, after they had celebrated Mass together. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI called the killings "a great evil" and "terrible persecution" in a speech 2006, but avoided labeling them genocide. (Benedict found other ways to tick off the Turks, initially opposing their entry into the European Union.) As Pope Francis prepared to celebrate a special Mass Sunday to commemorate a century since the slaughter, Vatican watchers were divided about whether he would use the word "genocide." He did, but in a roundabout way, by quoting John Paul's document. "In the past century, our human family has lived through three massive and unprecedented tragedies," Francis said. "The first, which is widely considered 'the first genocide of the 20th century,' struck your own Armenian people." The middle phrase comes directly from the document issued 14 years ago by John Paul. In citing his predecessor, Francis highlighted one of the Vatican's chiefest concerns, especially on matters of moral import: continuity. Whether holding the line against artificial birth control, declining to ordain female priests or dealing with diplomatic tensions, it sometimes seems as if the church considers inconsistency the most unforgivable of sins. "The Vatican and the papacy love continuity," said the Rev. Thomas Reese, a Vatican analyst for National Catholic Reporter. If Francis had not called the Armenian killings a genocide, particularly at such a high-profile event -- the audience included Armenia's President -- it might have been interpreted as a change in church policy, Reese said. At the same time, Francis didn't want to anger the Turks more than necessary, especially since they have become a key ally against the persecution of Christians by ISIS in the Middle East, which the Pope alluded to in his speech on Sunday. "The fact that he quoted John Paul is a sign that he's downplaying it," Reese said of the Armenian murders. "He's telling people: There's nothing new here." New or not, Turkey was not happy. The nation recalled its Vatican ambassador for "consultations" just hours after Francis' comments, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said. Turkey also promptly summoned his counterpart, the Vatican's ambassador, for a meeting, Turkish state broadcaster TRT reported. In a tweet Sunday, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called the Pope's use of the word "unacceptable" and "out of touch with both historical facts and legal basis." "Religious authorities are not places through which hatred and animosity are fueled by unfounded allegations," the tweet reads. "Hatred" and "animosity" are not words often used to describe Pope Francis. Because he often shines a sympathetic face on the world, emphasizing mercy over judgment, it's easy to miss the bluntness Francis brings to the bully pulpit. On matters of doctrine and diplomacy, he may be carrying on Catholic traditions, but in his willingness to engage in geopolitics and the tone that engagement often takes, this pope is decidedly different. He has helped broker a backroom detente between the United States and Cuba, and invited Israeli and Palestinian leaders for an unprecedented prayer service at the Vatican (after annoying some Israelis with an impromptu prayer at the wall that separates the West Bank from Jerusalem.) But Francis has also suggested that force may be justified to stop ISIS' slaughter of Christians, warned of the "Mexicanization" of Argentina and said that satirists who insult religion should expect a retaliatory punch. On Monday, the Pope addressed a roomful of priests at morning Mass. He must have heard the hubbub about his "genocide" remark, but he encouraged his charges to speak frankly, without fear, and to bear the courage of their convictions, just as the early apostles had. "We cannot keep silent about what we have seen and heard," Francis said. CNN's Gul Tuysuz and Jethro Mullen contributed to this report.
Previous popes had finessed the question of whether the killing of 1.5 million Armenians was genocide. Because he often shines such a smiley face on the world, it can be easy to forget the bluntness Francis sometimes brings to the bully pulpit .
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(CNN)Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson will be reinstated as an active player by the NFL on Friday, the league said. The NFL suspended the 30-year-old football star in November over allegations that last May he disciplined his son, who was 4 at the time, too harshly with a "switch," or thin stick. In a letter, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told Peterson that his continued participation in the league was contingent on a number of requirements, including that he maintain "an ongoing program of counseling and treatment as recommended by medical advisers," the NFL said Thursday. Also required of Peterson: Avoiding "any further conduct that violates the (NFL's) personal conduct policy or other NFL policies." "Any further violation of the personal conduct policy by Peterson would result in additional discipline, which could include suspension without pay or banishment from the NFL," the league said in a statement. Peterson played in one game last season, a 35-6 win against St. Louis in September, before the league put him on an exempt list September 17 -- keeping him off the field with pay -- in light of his indictment that month in the case. Initially charged with felony child abuse, Peterson pleaded no contest to misdemeanor reckless assault in November in Texas. The NFL then suspended him without pay and he lost his appeal of that sanction the next month. In February, a Minnesota district court judge vacated the decision that upheld his suspension, making Peterson eligible for reinstatement. Bleacher Report: Latest details, comments, reaction . The Vikings issued a brief statement in which they said they "look forward to Adrian rejoining the Vikings." ESPN reported that the team will hold voluntary offseason workouts beginning Monday. The next Vikings' organized team activities begin in late May. It is unclear whether Peterson will attend. He has been unhappy with how the Vikings have handled the matter. Though Peterson dodged jail time with his no-contest plea, he received probation, community service and a $4,000 fine. He also will take parenting classes. "I truly regret this incident," Peterson said after accepting the deal. "I stand here and I take full responsibility for my actions. I love my son more than any one of you can even imagine." Peterson is considered one of the best running backs in the NFL. In 2011 he signed a seven-year contract worth more than $100 million with the Vikings, who were 7-9 last season and failed to make the playoffs. In eight seasons, including last year's abbreviated year, he has rushed for 10,190 yards and averaged a strong 5.0 yards per carry. CNN's Jill Martin and Eliott C. McLaughlin contributed to this report.
Adrian Peterson had been suspended after pleading guilty to misdemeanor reckless assault . NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell requires him to keep going to counseling, other treatment . Minnesota Vikings, 7-9 last season, say they look forward to him rejoining the team .
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(CNN)A Tulsa County reserve deputy is on administrative leave after "inadvertently" shooting a suspect with his gun. Police say Robert (Bob) Bates, 73, thought he pulled out his Taser during an arrest, but instead shot the suspect, who later died at a local hospital. The shooting happened after an apparent drug and gun selling operation by the Tulsa Violent Crimes task force Thursday. Bates, a member of the task force, was part of a group of deputies trying to arrest Eric Courtney Harris, 44, in the parking lot of a Dollar General store. Police say Harris, a convicted felon, sold undercover officers a pistol. When confronted by an arrest team, he fled the scene on foot and police say they "observed him reaching for his waistband area ...causing concern for the deputies safety." After a brief pursuit, police say Harris was forced to the ground, where he continued to resist arrest and "refused to pull his left arm from underneath his body where his hand was near his waistband." It was during this portion of the arrest that police say "the reserve deputy was attempting to use less lethal force, believing he was utilizing a Taser, when he inadvertently discharged his service weapon, firing one round which struck Harris." Harris died at a local hospital and his cause of death is under investigation. Police say Harris admitted to medics at the scene that he may have been under the influence of Phencyclidine, a street drug commonly known as PCP. When asked if another gun was found on Harris, Shannon Clark of the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office says "The suspect was placed in the ambulance and transported so quickly. I have not been told there was a second weapon found on him yet." Deputy Robert Bates, who's been placed on administrative leave during the investigation, received his reserve status from the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office in 2008 and was assigned to the violent crime task force. He had also served as a Tulsa Police officer. When asked by CNN affiliate KTUL whether age may have played a factor in the "inadvertent" shooting, Clark says "did an accident happen? Sure. But is it accredited to his age? Or was it accredited to the rapidly evolving situation? I guess that will be determined in the investigation." CNN's AnneClaire Stapleton, Joe Sutton contributed to this report .
Police say Robert Bates, 73, thought he pulled out his Taser during an arrest . Instead, he shot the suspect, who later died at a local hospital .
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(CNN)Chinese police have arrested more than 133,000 people and seized 43.3 tons of illegal narcotics during a six-month anti-drug campaign, the country's Ministry of Public Security has announced. Authorities also handled 115,000 drug-related crimes -- such as robbery -- and 606,000 cases of drug use during the nationwide campaign to "ban drugs in hundreds of cities," Liu Yuejin, Assistant Minister of Public Security, said Wednesday. The figures were nearly double the same period a year earlier, while the amount of narcotics seized was up by 44.9%, according to the ministry. Liu said drug trafficking groups have "suffered a heavy blow" and drug users have been "forcefully regulated." However, the police also paid a price, Liu said, in quotes carried by the state-run Xinhua news agency. Nine police officers died and another 657 were wounded in the mission, with 76 severely wounded. The ministry rewarded 60 units and 100 people. Liu said China's drug-related problems were still severe, with online drug trafficking an increasing problem. He said the ministry had launched a three-month online campaign starting in April targeting people engaged in drug-related Internet crimes. Over the past nine months, a string of movie and television stars, film directors and pop singers have been arrested and charged over drug related incidents, including Jaycee Chan, son of kung fu movie star Jackie Chan, who was convicted on a drug charge and sentenced to six months in prison by a Beijing court. In August last year, dozens of management agencies representing actors and singers signed an agreement with Beijing authorities banning drug use from the entertainment industry and pledging to sack any artists who broke the law.
Police arrest 133,000 people and seize 43.3 tons of narcotics in a six-month period . China launches a new online campaign to crack down on online drug crimes . Celebrities have been embroiled in the nation's intensifying anti-drug campaign .
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(Billboard)Fresh off his scorching performance at Coachella Saturday night (and days before his next one on the festival's second weekend), rocker Jack White announced he'll take a hiatus from touring. White will wrap his touring efforts in support of "Lazeretto" with a brief, first-ever acoustic tour that will hit "the only five states left in the U.S. that he has yet to play," according to White's website. Rounding out the acoustic quartet on tour will be Fats Kaplin, Lillie Mae Rische and Dominic Davis. The shows will be unannounced until day-of-show, with tickets priced at $3 and limited to one ticket per person, to be purchased only at the venue on a first-come, first-served basis. Billboard: Jack White on Not Being a 'Sound-Bite Artist,' Living in the Wrong Era and Why Vinyl Records Are 'Hypnotic' The purposely vague announcement surely has fans (and journalists) scouring the Internet for White's touring history. Unclear is whether White includes his work with The White Stripes, The Raconteurs and Dead Weather in his touring history, or just his solo road work. Presumably, he's including all of his touring, with all bands, as Billboard could find only 29 states in which he has performed as Jack White. Tour dates with White Stripes add another 12 states. That leaves nine states for which we could not find a show for White: Hawaii (where a show is scheduled for tomorrow, April 15), Arkansas, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Vermont, Iowa, and North and South Dakota. Billboard: Jack White Plays The Hits, Declares 'Music Is Sacred' at Coachella . Through the process of elimination (surely he has played Boise, Little Rock, and Salt Lake?), our guess as to which five "states" White will play on the brief acoustic run: South and North Dakota, Wyoming, Vermont and ... Puerto Rico? If that's the case, this tour is in for some long jumps, with Puerto Rico to Vermont being a potential beast. (Though shipping acoustic instruments and ribbon mics will be a lot less taxing than a full electrified stage setup.) ©2015 Billboard. All Rights Reserved.
Jack White taking a hiatus from touring after brief acoustic jaunt . He'll play five states he has yet to get to, charge just $3 . Places and times of shows are currently a mystery .
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Sanaa, Yemen (CNN)As the transport plane comes in to land at Sanaa Airport, the deep scars of the brutal conflict tearing Yemen apart are only too clear: wrecked aircraft line the runway, and nearby buildings lie in ruins. To most of the outside world, this war-torn country is off limits, the weeks-long battle between Houthi rebels and Saudi-led coalition forces making it too dangerous to visit, and a no-fly zone rendering its international airport all but obsolete -- but on Tuesday, CNN was granted rare access on a desperate aid mission by Unicef, the United Nations Children's Fund. The airport has previously been bombed. Hostilities are likely to resume before the day is out: a brief, peaceful window has been delicately negotiated following a special request from the U.N. -- but it won't last long. Unicef hopes there will be just enough time to deliver vital food and supplies, helping to ease the country's worsening humanitarian crisis. More than 100,000 Yemeni civilians have fled their homes since fighting began, and OCHA, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, estimates that 15.9 million people here are in need of assistance. The main terminal at El Rahaba Airport is under the control of the Houthi rebels. We can't get near it for fear of provoking trouble. But there is plenty to be done out on the tarmac. Within minutes of touching down, a small army of aid workers is busy unloading huge mounds of much-needed provisions. Gusts of wind blow dust across the runway, as crates and pallets of emergency nutrition and medical equipment pile up rapidly beside the plane. Unicef's team has overcome more than one hurdle just getting it this far -- now they'll have to work out how to distribute it to those most in need in a country paralyzed by a lack of resources. Even before Saudi airstrikes, most of the 25 million people in Yemen required humanitarian assistance to meet their most basic needs, according to the United Nations. As they work, an Air India plane is taxiing away from the terminal. Thousands have fled the country on evacuation flights in recent weeks as the situation in Yemen has deteriorated. But for those who have nowhere else to go and no chance of a flight out, mercy missions by Unicef and other NGOs like it are the only hope. READ MORE: 'A window into hell' - desperate Yemenis flee by boatREAD MORE: Civilian catastrophe looming in YemenREAD MORE: Yemen crisis - how you can help . Bryony Jones contributed to this report .
Almost 16 million people in Yemen are in need of humanitarian aid, according to U.N. Planeload of aid supplies including food and medicine was flown in to Sanaa on Tuesday . A rare ceasefire was negotiated to allow the plane to land briefly .
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(CNN)Their eyes reflect childhoods marked by tragedy. Their faces show wrinkles made deeper by pain and the passage of time. Tomasz Lazar spent hours photographing and interviewing adults who were ripped from their homes as children in the 1940s and forced to live thousands of miles away in Siberia. "For me those faces are like maps," Lazar said. "The more you look at them, the more you are discovering." Soviet authorities invaded Poland during World War II and deported hundreds of thousands of Poles. Some were sent to prison camps in the frozen wilderness of central Russia. Many were children. In effect, Moscow stole much of an entire generation of young Poles, a handful of whom Lazar has located seven decades later. During Lazar's interviews, many of the survivors broke down in tears. "It was very traumatic for them," he said. "Some lost mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters -- killed by the Soviets." Lazar remembers hearing 84-year-old Boguslaw Dokurno recall his grandfather's dying wish. Dokurno's grandfather asked his grandson to return home to Poland after his death to retrieve Polish soil and bring it back to his Siberian gravesite. Another exile, Sofia Bocian, told Lazar how her brother escaped their prison camp, leaving her with the horrifying experience of being interrogated by Soviet secret police. Lazar began his professional photography career in 2006 after fully realizing the medium's storytelling power. "For me when you're doing photography -- whether it's conventional journalism or other types -- you want to share something with people," he said. Social media . Follow @CNNPhotos on Twitter to join the conversation about photography. Lazar said the interviews surprised him. Despite his subjects' traumatic experiences, "they welcomed me with open arms," he recalled. "They really wanted to share their stories." Fearing for their safety, they couldn't tell their stories publicly until the fall of the Soviet Union. Now that they're in their 80s, time is running out for them to document their struggles. Look at Lazar's images. The faces fill each frame. Each portrait is unique. Before taking each photo, he waited "for the moment when they really started going inside themselves," he said. "Those people are really strong in their souls." Their stories should be documented for history, he said, to remind future generations "not to make the same mistakes." Tomasz Lazar is a Polish photographer. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The Soviets invaded Poland in World War II and deported hundreds of thousands of people . Tomasz Lazar photographed some of these Poles and listened to their stories .
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(CNN)The lawyer for Robert Bates, an Oklahoma reserve deputy who fatally shot a man he meant to subdue with a Taser, on Saturday released documents that he says verify some of Bates' training as a law enforcement officer. The documents show Bates had one Taser training class over a six-and-a-half-year period, took three firearms training classes and qualified 10 times, from 2009 to 2014, to use a handgun. His evaluations say he got along with other officers and related well with the public. "Robert Bates has met all the requisite training required by Oklahoma to be a reserve deputy," said the lawyer, Scott Wood, in an interview with CNN. Read the documents . CNN could not independently confirm the documents were authentic. Wood said he got them from Bates, who asked the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office to provide his training records. The sheriff's office has turned down CNN's requests for the training documents, saying they are part of the investigation. Authorities did not reply Saturday to a request for comment on Wood's statements. The documents are important because Bates' training has become a central issue in the case. The lawyer for the family of the man who was killed claims that Bates, 73, wasn't qualified to be on the force, but received preferential treatment because he'd made donations to the agency and was a friend of the sheriff. The Tulsa World newspaper reported some supervisors in the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office were told to forge Bates' records and were reassigned when they refused. The Tulsa County Sheriff's Office has denied these allegations. The documents provided to CNN cover the period from July 22, 2008, to December 12, 2014. Bates had one Taser training class, on March 4, 2009, according to a document with a heading from The Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training, which sets the standards for training peace officers in the state. Wood said the council requires only one hands-on class on use of a Taser. Bates had weapons training once in September 2008 and twice in 2009, according to sheriff's office records that Bates obtained, Wood said. He scored high enough at the pistol range 10 times from September 24, 2009, to April 9, 2014, that he was allowed to carry a handgun while on duty, Wood said. Bates is charged with second-degree manslaughter in the death of Eric Harris. Friends and family of Harris gathered in Tulsa on Saturday afternoon for a visitation and viewing. Bates is free on $25,000 bond. He says he meant to use his Taser on Harris during the April 2 arrest but accidentally fired his handgun instead. "I shot him! I'm sorry!" Bates is heard saying on video of the incident. Bates, an insurance company executive, has gone to his own defense. In an interview Friday with the "Today" show on NBC, Bates said he had the documentation to show he had completed the necessary training required of reserve deputies. "That is absolutely the truth. I have it in writing," he told the show. Questions have already been raised about Bates' training and when his service with the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office started. In his statement to investigators, Bates said he "became an advanced TCSO Reserve Deputy in 2007." Wood said Bates started working for the sheriff's office in late 2007 or 2008. But the sheriff's office has said Bates had been a reserve deputy since 2008. Bates, who worked as a police officer for one year in the 1960s, completed 300 hours of training and 1,100 hours of community policing experience since becoming a reserve deputy, according to the sheriff's office. The Tulsa World said 480 hours of field training are required to be an "advanced" reserve deputy, which Bates claimed to be. Questions have been raised about Bates' firearms qualifications scores. To be allowed to carry a pistol on duty, deputies need to score 72 while firing at a silhouette of a man at the firing range, Wood said. Documents with a heading "Firearms Qualification Record" show Bates scoring at least 72 on six different days. But firearms qualification records from four dates in 2012 and 2013 are missing for the entire sheriff's office, Wood said. The Tulsa County Sheriff's Office says it can't find the records. The department's summary of Bates' weapons training shows he scored 80-84 those four times. "If you're going to forge somebody's score why not give them a 90 or a 95," Wood said. CNN provided the documents to the Tulsa World. Ziva Branstetter, an editor with the newspaper, said the new information doesn't undercut the World's reporting. "These records back up the validity of our story and we stand by our story," she said Saturday. Another seeming oddity of the records is how many classes Bates took on two days. The Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training records show Bates took 14 training classes worth 20 credit hours on December 10, 2013, and 20 classes worth 31 credit hours on December 11, 2014. Wood said Bates may have been cramming in his required training before the end of the year by taking computer classes. "It's possible you could take a half-hour class and if you know the material you could finish it in 15 minutes," he said. Evaluations show supervisors had a good opinion of Bates. One from March 14, 2009, says of his strengths: "Works well with his fellow officers and relates to the public very well." His weakness: "Radio usage/geography." Remedial training: "Does not have a lot of radio usage time which will be worked on. Will have to work on his geography skills. Both will be remedied in time!"
Reserve deputy Robert Bates said he meant to use a Taser but accidentally shot and killed a man . Lawyer for slain man's family says Bates wasn't qualified to be on the force and received preferential treatment . "Robert Bates has met all the requisite training required by Oklahoma to be a reserve deputy," Bates' lawyer says .
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(CNN)A naturalized U.S. citizen pleaded not guilty in Ohio Friday to federal charges of providing material support to terrorists and lying to the FBI. Abdirahman Sheik Mohamud, 23, of Columbus, allegedly traveled to Syria for training and wanted to return home to kill Americans -- particularly U.S. soldiers, execution style, the U.S. Department of Justice said Thursday. Mohamud was remanded into custody on Friday. "I am confident in the system working fairly and (in) our client getting a vigorous and aggressive defense," said his lawyer, Sam Shamansky. Mohamud told someone that he wanted to target U.S. armed forces, police officers or other people in uniform, the indictment alleges, adding that "Mohamud's plan was to attack a military facility, and his backup plan was to attack a prison." "Mohamud talked about doing something big in the United States. He wanted to go to a military base in Texas and kill three or four American soldiers execution style," it says. Mohamud allegedly said he was happy that his brother, Aden, died fighting for al-Nusra Front, al Qaeda's largest affiliate in Syria. Mohamud told someone he planned to join Aden in death soon, the indictment says. He became a U.S. citizen in February 2014 and submitted a U.S. passport application days later, according to the indictment. Mohamud traveled to Syria in April 2014 "for the purpose of training and fighting with terrorists," prosecutors said in a news release. To get there, Mohamud bought a one-way ticket to Greece with a layover in Istanbul, Turkey, the Department of Justice said. He skipped the connecting flight "and instead completed pre-arranged plans to travel to Syria." Once there, he trained in shooting weapons, breaking into homes, using explosives and hand-to-hand combat, prosecutors said. Mohamud "also stated that, after completing this training, he was instructed by a cleric in the organization to return to the United States and commit an act of terrorism." CNN's John Newsome contributed to this story.
Abdirahman Sheik Mohamud pleads not guilty to charges of providing material support to terrorists and lying to the FBI . The Columbus, Ohio, resident became a U.S. citizen in February 2014 . In April 2014, he went to Syria for terrorism training, prosecutors say in a news release .
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(CNN)Most airline pilots have an above average ability to compartmentalize personal problems. The cockpit is our "safe" place. The flight deck is a structured world of black and white. Checklists. Procedures. Standardization. Stress from the job is an accepted part of our career. However, sometimes during the course of an airline pilot's career, or anyone's career for that matter, stress issues may manifest as depression. Depression is treatable. And for airline pilots, it is no longer debilitating to our livelihood. The Federal Aviation Administration now approves certain prescribed medication, allowing us to continue flying until depression is no longer a factor. As the world learns more about Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot on Germanwings Flight 9525, it is readily apparent that this young man had psychiatric issues far beyond clinical depression. He reportedly was administered a series of injections to mitigate his problems, an absolute reflection on the serious nature of his illness. But Lubitz's illness didn't just appear out of thin air. Its effects had to be apparent to others. Lubitz's girlfriend made her concerns public knowledge -- unfortunately after events took their course. Considering the hoops Lubitz had to jump through to have established himself as a Germanwings co-pilot, it's curious to me how the red flags of his illness were missed. To what hoops am I referring? First, let's start with his passion for gliders. Glider flying is one of the purest forms of aviation. Although it is mostly an individualistic endeavor, the sport involves teamwork. Interaction among fellow enthusiasts is paramount to both enjoyment and safety. I'm a glider pilot. Participation among the members of my club uncovers the personalities and idiosyncrasies of each pilot. Behaviors not quite conducive to the activity are readily apparent. Second, Lubitz had to compete successfully in a selection process just to have the opportunity to train through Lufthansa's flight program, a requirement of Germanwings employment. The selection process is most likely highly competitive, requiring above-average aptitude. Is the selection process flawed to the extent that a serious mental disorder would go unnoticed? Regardless, the process had to be a stressful experience. Opinion: Germanwings and the stigma of mental illness . Once accepted into the flight program, a rigorous training period began. For primary training, Lufthansa utilizes an ab initio (from the beginning) program based at a facility the airline owns in Goodyear, Arizona, near Phoenix. The training is geared toward a multi-crew pilot license, or MPL, recognized by the International Civil Aviation Organization. The purpose of an MPL is to funnel airline pilot candidates having little or no flight time into the right seat as first officers. Countries that don't have the luxury of selecting from a large pool of experienced pilots use this license. Airline pilots in the United States are not licensed in this manner, requiring as much as 1,500 hours to qualify as a co-pilot. This is a fairly recent change in FAA regulations, initiated as a result of the 2009 Colgan Airlines crash in Buffalo, New York. Lubitz had barely over 600 hours of flight time when he committed his act of horror. As a 21-year-old flight instructor, I had that much flight time; it hardly qualified as a lot of experience. As with all of the MPL programs, the training involves an intense period of airline-specific instruction. And to add insult to injury, candidates are not paid during the training until such time as they pass a final check ride. Regardless, the cost is borne by the student to the tune of about $76,000. Using both actual flight experience in a single-engine airplane and simulator time, the student receives about 250 hours of training. It is a period of almost constant supervision. Aside from observing and checking performance criteria, wouldn't at least one instructor have noticed behavioral issues in such an intense environment? And wouldn't a fellow trainee have noticed also? According to reports, Lubitz took a leave from his training -- a very untypical behavior. Was that not in and of itself a red flag? Wouldn't a manager in Lufthansa's flight department consider it prudent to reconsider a candidate with an indication of potential issues? After all, the selection process was most likely highly competitive, with other qualified candidates readily available. Once the primary training in Arizona was complete, Lubitz would have returned to Germany and completed more specific schooling on the Airbus A320 he was about to fly. Again, no one observed issues. But even more curious, according to reports, Lubitz disclosed a diagnosis of previous depression to Lufthansa. Over the course of a career, an airline pilot spends thousands of hours sharing the confined space of the cockpit with colleagues. Even if we have never flown with a particular individual, experience allows us the intuition to know when something isn't quite right. That determination can be made through performance observation of typical routines, or perhaps through a simple conversation. In that regard, I find it difficult to believe that none of Lubitz's colleagues made a less than positive assessment at some point in time. As supplemental background, Germanwings had been established as the low-cost, alter ego carrier of Lufthansa. Depending upon a pilot's monthly flight time, salary for pilots can be as much as 20% lower than the mainline carrier. In addition, more days on duty were part of a Germanwings crew member's schedule. Apparently as late as March 20, Lufthansa pilots had been on strike, one of the main disputes being an early retirement option and less desirable working conditions for new hires. Perhaps enough of a disparity existed for Germanwings pilots such that medical leave benefits would not have covered Lubitz's absence. Regardless, all of these factors combined to add a perfect storm of stress to one sick 27-year-old man. The world knows the end result. It just seems to me that this was an accident waiting to happen. Could it have been prevented? Well, this is the primary purpose of accident investigation: Never allow the same tragedy to occur again.
Les Abend: There were likely warning signs during the co-pilot's training . He says Andreas Lubitz had to go through many challenges to qualify to be a co-pilot .
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(CNN)Han and Chewie are back. An ESPN reporter went on a regrettable rant. And we all taxed our brains trying to deduce the date of Cheryl's damn birthday. Here are pop culture's most talked-about stories of the week. Producers of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" unveiled a nearly two-minute trailer for the upcoming movie, arriving in December. When Harrison Ford shows up with Chewbacca at the end, you can almost hear the Internet's collective squeals. A logic problem from a Singapore math test somehow spread across the Web, leaving millions trying to figure out the hypothetical birthday of someone named Cheryl. We're guessing that most of us cheated and peeked at the answer. Who retires at age 34? Supermodel Gisele Bundchen, who walked what she says was her last fashion-show runway this week in her native Brazil. She'll still keep modeling, though -- and hanging out with her husband, who is apparently a football player of some kind. Oh, Britt McHenry. We all hate having our car towed. But for someone who's on air at ESPN, you don't seem to understand how to behave on camera. Speaking of McHenry, a new book by Jon Ronson explores how social media may go too far in encouraging haters to shame people who make public missteps. Ronson told CNN, "It's so corrosive to create that kind of society." The first set of female quintuplets in the world since 1969 was born in Houston, Texas. Just imagine how fun it'll be for their parents 16 years from now when they all start dating. Fire department, I need you now . Singer Hillary Scott of country band Lady Antebellum had to vacate her tour bus when it caught fire outside of Dallas. Most of her stuff was burned, but her Bible survived. To infinity and beyond . Famed physicist Stephen Hawking, known for his sense of humor, partnered with the silly lads of Monty Python to recreate the "Galaxy Song" from their 1983 film "The Meaning of Life." Duckie dances! Remember Duckie from "Pretty in Pink?" Of course you do. Actor Jon Cryer charmed fans on CBS's "Late Late Show" by reprising his character's record-store dance to Otis Redding's "Try a Little Tenderness," right down to the wall-dancing and counter-bashing.
Here's a roundup of the week's trending pop-culture stories . They include a new "Star Wars" trailer and an ill-advised, on-camera rant .
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(CNN)Wanted: film director, must be eager to shoot footage of golden lassos and invisible jets. CNN confirms that Michelle MacLaren is leaving the upcoming "Wonder Woman" movie (The Hollywood Reporter first broke the story). MacLaren was announced as director of the movie in November. CNN obtained a statement from Warner Bros. Pictures that says, "Given creative differences, Warner Bros. and Michelle MacLaren have decided not to move forward with plans to develop and direct 'Wonder Woman' together." (CNN and Warner Bros. Pictures are both owned by Time Warner.) The movie, starring Gal Gadot in the title role of the Amazon princess, is still set for release on June 23, 2017. It's the first theatrical movie centering around the most popular female superhero. Gadot will appear beforehand in "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice," due out March 25, 2016. In the meantime, Warner will need to find someone new for the director's chair.
Michelle MacLaren is no longer set to direct the first "Wonder Woman" theatrical movie . MacLaren left the project over "creative differences" Movie is currently set for 2017 .
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(CNN)When Etan Patz went missing in New York City at age 6, hardly anyone in America could help but see his face at their breakfast table. His photo's appearance on milk cartons after his May 1979 disappearance marked an era of heightened awareness of crimes against children. On Friday, more than 35 years after frenzied media coverage of his case horrified parents everywhere, a New York jury will again deliberate over a possible verdict against the man charged in his killing, Pedro Hernandez. He confessed to police three years ago. Etan Patz's parents have waited that long for justice, but some have questioned whether that is at all possible in Hernandez's case. His lawyer has said that he is mentally challenged, severely mentally ill and unable to discern whether he committed the crime or not. Hernandez told police in a taped statement that he lured Patz into a basement as the boy was on his way to a bus stop in Lower Manhattan. He said he killed the boy and threw his body away in a plastic bag. Neither the child nor his remains have ever been recovered. But Hernandez has been repeatedly diagnosed with schizophrenia and has an "IQ in the borderline-to-mild mental retardation range," his attorney Harvey Fishbein has said. Police interrogated Hernandez for 7½ hours before he confessed. "I think anyone who sees these confessions will understand that when the police were finished, Mr. Hernandez believed he had killed Etan Patz. But that doesn't mean he actually did, and that's the whole point of this case," Fishbein has said. But in November, a New York judge ruled that Hernandez's confession and his waiving of his Miranda rights were legal, making the confession admissible in court. Another man's name has also hung over the Patz case for years -- Jose Antonio Ramos, a convicted child molester acquainted with Etan's babysitter. Etan's parents, Stan and Julia Patz, sued Ramos in 2001. The boy was officially declared dead as part of that lawsuit. A judge found Ramos responsible for the boy's death and ordered him to pay the family $2 million -- money the Patz family has never received. Though Ramos was at the center of investigations for years, he has never been charged. He served a 20-year prison sentence in Pennsylvania for molesting another boy and was set to be released in 2012. He was reportedly immediately rearrested upon exiting jail in 2012 on failure to register as a sex offender. Since their young son's disappearance, the Patzes have worked to keep the case alive and to create awareness of missing children in the United States. In the early 1980s, Etan's photo appeared on milk cartons across the country, and news media focused in on the search for him and other missing children. "It awakened America," said Ernie Allen, president and chief executive officer of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. "It was the beginning of a missing children's movement." The actual number of children who were kidnapped and killed did not change -- it's always been a relatively small number -- but awareness of the cases skyrocketed, experts said. But the news industry was expanding to cable television, and sweet images of children appeared along with destroyed parents begging for their safe return. The fear rising across the nation sparked awareness and prompted change from politicians and police. In 1984, Congress passed the Missing Children's Assistance Act, which led to the creation of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Former President Ronald Reagan opened the center in a White House ceremony in 1984. It soon began operating a 24-hour toll-free hot line on which callers could report information about missing boys and girls. Joe Sterling and CNN's Lorenzo Ferrigno contributed to this report.
The young boy's face appeared on milk cartons all across the United States . Patz's case marked a time of heightened awareness of crimes against children . Pedro Hernandez confessed three years ago to the 1979 killing in .
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(The Hollywood Reporter)It may be time to light the lights. ABC is filming a proof of concept for a revival of "The Muppets," The Hollywood Reporter has learned. "The Big Bang Theory" co-creator Bill Prady is co-writing the script for a pilot presentation that sources say could be unspooled at May's upfront presentation to Madison Avenue advertisers. Sources tell THR that the project, if all goes well, could go straight to series. Bob Kushell ("Anger Management," "3rd Rock From the Sun") will also co-write and is attached to serve as showrunner, with Wilfred's Randall Einhorn attached to exec produce and direct the presentation. ABC's "Muppets" revival is being produced by ABC Studios and The Muppet Studios, which Disney owns. The presentation is set to film next weekend on the Disney lot in Burbank with some of the original Muppet performers returning. Sources say the concept for the presentation includes the regular cast of characters created by Jim Henson — Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo and Animal, among others — gathering at ABC Studios for a meeting about the new "Muppet Show." However, the show won't move forward unless Miss Piggy signs on, and her current relationship with frequent love Kermit is on the rocks, preventing the show from getting off the ground. Early plans call for two celebrity cameos — including Miss Piggy's current co-star — as well as new roles including Fozzie's girlfriend and her parents. For Prady, the revived "Muppets" — which landed at ABC after initial interest from Netflix — marks a return to his roots. The producer, who currently does not have an overall deal, started his career working for Henson in 1982 and ultimately started writing for "The Jim Henson Hour," remaining on the series until a year after Henson's death in 1990. This marks the second time Prady has attempted to revive "The Muppets." The writer-producer shot some test footage before CBS' "The Big Bang Theory" that Disney ultimately passed on. For his part, Prady earned an Emmy nomination in 1991 for writing tribute "The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson" in 1990 and has contributed writing to Disney's Muppet-themed attractions. Should ABC order "Muppets" to series, Prady would juggle both that project and CBS' "The Big Bang Theory," which he exec produces. Created in 1955 by Henson, the original Muppet characters appeared on "Sam and Friends" from 1955-61 before going on to appear on late-night talk shows and commercials and becoming a regular part of "Sesame Street" in 1969. "The Muppet Show" launched on its own as a comedy-variety series and ran from 1976-81, with Kermit serving as the de-facto showrunner on the syndicated series that was produced out of the U.K. The franchise has spawned multiple movies (1979's "The Muppet Movie," 1981's "The Great Muppet Caper," 1984's "The Muppets Take Manhattan") as well as NBC's 1989 series "The Jim Henson Hour." Following Henson's death, the franchise continued with "Muppets Tonight" airing on ABC in 1996 with reruns airing on sibling Disney Channel from 1997-2000. That was the last television series to feature the Muppets characters. On the feature side, the franchise featured 1992's "The Muppet Christmas Carol," 1996's "Muppet Treasure Island" and 1999's "Muppets From Space," the latter two of which were co-produced by Disney, who acquired rights to the Muppets in 2004 and formed The Muppets Studio. The company rebranded the franchise in 2008 with Jason Segel's "The Muppets," with an eighth feature in the franchise, "Muppets Most Wanted" bowing in 2014. For ABC, the Muppets revival comes as variety shows are in the midst of a resurgence on the broadcast networks. NBC has made the format a priority, unspooling Marlon Wayans-hosted celebrity variety series "I Can Do That!" in the summer and has Neil Patrick Harris entry "Saturday Night Takeaway" in the works. The decision to revive "The Muppets" also comes as remakes and reboots are having their moment in the sun on the small-screen, as broadcast networks look to fan bases for existing franchises to help cut through the clutter and draw eyeballs in an increasingly crowded scripted space. On the comedy side, "The Muppets" arrives as it has become increasingly challenging to launch original scripted half-hours. Prady is repped by Rothman Brecher and Lichter Grossman; Kushell is with ICM Partners; Einhorn is with WME, Odenkirk Provissiero and Bloom Hergott. ©2015 The Hollywood Reporter. All rights reserved.
"The Muppets" might return to television on ABC . "The Big Bang Theory" co-creator Bill Prady is co-writing a pilot script . The old Muppet gang would return for the variety show .
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(CNN)I remember traveling one day in the local train in Mumbai with my mother, my younger sister and brother. The compartment was extremely crowded. As we prepared to disembark, I felt my skirt being lifted and someone groping my private parts. It was terrible. I wanted to scream, but my voice would have drowned in the noise of the crowd. I wanted to push the hands away, but my arms were pinned to my body. I wanted to cry but could only think to myself, "Stop it! Please stop touching me." I was 13 years old. I never told anyone about that day until recently. Twenty-five years later, I continue to hear similar stories of women and girls being harassed on local transportation and other public spaces. The stories can be stomach churning: men masturbating on buses and at bus stops, boys stalking young girls -- both physically and online, men taking pictures of women without permission and uploading them on the Internet. Then there are just the everyday, uncomfortable stares, frequently accompanied by comments with sexual connotations. This isn't all simply anecdotal. A study by We the People found that 80% of women in Mumbai had been street harassed, primarily in crowded areas like trains and railway platforms. Most people, including women, only think of sexual violence as rape and tend to overlook touching, groping and stalking, not to mention the "milder" forms of ogling, leering, catcalling and whistling, even though all of this can be intimidating. Indeed, many women choose to limit their hours outside, select more conservative clothes, or opt for a longer but safer route home. It was only recently that I realized my phobia of trains likely originated with that bad experience I had as a child. I still avoid trains when I can. Most people are silent when inappropriate sexual behavior occurs to women. It was depressing to hear one young college student tell me in a recent sexual harassment workshop I led that "staring and commenting by men is normal and I've learned to ignore it." The reality is that sexual harassment in India is pervasive in all aspects of life. It hits you in the face every day when you walk down the street, take local transport, go about your daily routine or at the workplace. According to U.N. Women's report, 1 in 3 women around the world face some form of sexual violence at least once in their lifetime. This statistic is likely even higher in India. Out of the 2,000 women who have attended workshops I've conducted, only a handful of them have never been at the receiving end of harassment in some setting of their daily lives. Shockingly, less than 10 of them had reported harassment to any official channel. Why are we constantly limiting our options rather than confronting sexual harassment? Over the past two years, I have been working to encourage women to talk about their experiences and realize the tremendous potential power they hold within themselves through acknowledging the problem and being a part of the change to shift the culture around sexual harassment in India. It is not always easy speaking up about sexual harassment. I know firsthand. But acknowledging that it is unacceptable is an important first step. India has laws for sexual violence in public spaces as well as at the workplace, and knowing these rules gives women the power to confront her harasser. But is it enough? Women still have to confront the cultural challenge of not feeling "ashamed" and bringing "disrepute" to their families while overcoming their fear of dealing with the police, who too often file complaints in the wrong categories to reduce the number of official cases on which their performance is judged. However, despite the barriers, two recent cases in India provide proof that even when the perpetrator is in a position of immense power, coming forward to report sexual harassment can make a difference. There is, for example, the young employee from an environmental research organization who alleged that her boss Rajendra Pachauri made unwelcome advances to her through text messages. Her bold and persistent quest for justice resulted in Pachauri stepping down from his position as chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Pachauri denied the allegations and insisted his computer and phone were hacked. His counsel stated in court that Pachauri's inbox was not hacked, but he had shared the password with several people who could have sent inappropriate emails to the employee under his name. Similarly, last year, Tarun Tejpal, founder of one of India's leading media companies, was arrested for sexually assaulting his employee in an elevator. She first told her female editor who reportedly did not take her seriously. She then spoke about it to her male colleagues who encouraged her to report the incident to the police. Tarun Tejpal, who explained the incident as a "bad lapse of judgment," was let out on interim bail while the case is still ongoing. Women have allies -- both male and female -- who are willing to help clear the barriers. Women everywhere just need to find the courage to speak up. The alternative to speaking out is a world where women feel less able to live full lives, restricted and disempowered. We cannot accept harassment as part of our daily routine. We cannot ignore it -- for our own sake and the next generation of women.
Women in India are street harassed, primarily in crowded areas like trains and railway platforms . Elsa Marie D'Silva: It's time we speak up; we cannot accept harassment as part of our daily routine .
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(CNN)Canadian actor Jonathan Crombie, who co-starred in the "Anne of Green Gables" TV movies, died this week at age 48. Crombie died Wednesday from complications of a brain hemorrhage, "Anne of Green Gables" producer Kevin Sullivan said. "It's a real tragedy to see someone at age 48 go like that," he said. "I will remember him as someone who worked extremely hard to make the roles he played onscreen come to life." Based on Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery's children's books, "Anne of Green Gables" debuted in Canada on CBC TV in 1984 and became a cultural touchstone. The plot focused on the adventures of fiery orphan Anne Shirley, played by Megan Follows, who is sent to live on a farm in Prince Edward Island. Crombie played Gilbert Blythe, who evolves over time from Anne's pigtail-tugging tormentor to friend to husband. Follows and Crombie reprised the roles in the sequels "Anne of Avonlea" (1987) and "Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story" (2000). The movies were carried in the United States by the Disney Channel and PBS, drawing a cult following beyond Canada and extending to Japan, which made its own animated series based on the books. Crombie, son of former Toronto Mayor David Crombie, was cast in the role at 17, beating out other aspiring Canadian actors of the era, including Jason Priestly, Sullivan said. Despite his lack of acting experience, Crombie's boy-next-door looks and cool demeanor made him the perfect actor to star opposite Follows, Sullivan said. "It was an amazing chemistry between him and Megan Follows," Sullivan said. "There was a lot of affection, but they kind of grounded each other." The movies spawned various spinoffs, including "Road to Avonlea," starring child actor Sarah Polley, and turned Anne's fictional home on Prince Edward Island into a popular tourist destination. The role made Crombie a heartthrob of his time, a sentiment expressed by many fans in the wake of his death. As one person said on Twitter, "I don't know any female Canadian from my generation that *didn't* have at least a little bit of a crush on Jonathan Crombie as Gilbert." Crombie went on to play roles in other American and Canadian TV shows, including "21 Jump Street" and "The Good Wife," but even his Facebook page acknowledges he is best known for his portrayal of Gilbert Blythe. Crombie's sister told CBC News that her brother happily answered to the name Gil when greeted by fans in public. "I think he was really proud of being Gilbert Blythe," she said. "He really enjoyed that series and was happy, very proud of it -- we all were." People we've lost in 2015 .
Jonathan Crombie is best known for playing Gilbert Blythe in "Anne of Green Gables" Book, movies about girl sent to live on Canadian farm .
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(CNN)This week's attack on Garissa University College is Al-Shabaab's fifth major assault in Kenya in the past year and a half. The Thursday massacre was the most deadly assault so far, with 147 dead, easily eclipsing the terrorist group's most notorious attack, a four-day siege in late September 2013 at the Westgate Mall in Nairobi in which 67 people were killed. After the Westgate attack, Al-Shabaab unleashed a string of attacks in Kenya that have killed more than 100 people -- assaulting the coastal town of Mpeketoni on June 16, 2014; shooting bus passengers who could not recite the Quran on November 22, 2014; and then, days later, executing Christian quarry laborers. Why is Al-Shabaab, a Somali nationalist, Islamist group affiliated with al Qaeda, targeting Kenya? Al-Shabaab says its attacks are to protest the more than 3,500 Kenyan soldiers participating in the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia. But if that is the case, why doesn't Al-Shabaab target Kenyan military bases rather than attacking undefended so-called soft targets such as Kenyan malls and universities? In fact, Thursday's attack on the university is one more sign of the weakness of Al-Shabaab, which has steadily been losing ground for years in Somalia as a result of the African Union forces fighting them there, as well as a covert U.S. drone and Special Operations Forces campaign that has also degraded the group's capabilities. In 2006, Al-Shabaab controlled the Somali capital of Mogadishu and, in the following years, much of central and southern Somalia. Six years later, African Union forces had recaptured Mogadishu, parts of southern Somalia and critical cities such as Kismayo. The loss of Kismayo, Al-Shabaab's last city stronghold and an important port, took a financial toll on the group. Ground battles with African Union forces have decimated Al-Shabaab's rank-and-file, while U.S. drone strikes and Special Operations raids have killed some of the group's leaders. In the past four years, according to a count by New America, the U.S. has launched a dozen drone strikes and six Special Operations raids against Al-Shabaab. These strikes and raids -- almost all occurring in southern Somalia -- have targeted the terrorist group's training camps and leaders. American drones or special operators have killed 10 leaders: Aden Hashi Ayro, the top commander; Ahmed Abdi Godane, Ayro's successor; a top commander, Sheikh Muhidin Mohamud Omar; Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, a senior official who operated training camps; commander Jabreel Malik Muhammed; Bilal al-Berjawi, the deputy of military leader Fazul Abdullah Mohammed; chief bomb-maker Ibrahim Ali Abdi; intelligence chief Tahlil Abdishakur; Yusef Dheeq, the chief of external operations and planning for intelligence and security; and Adan Garar, who was involved in planning the Westgate Mall attack. Al-Shabaab has been unraveling for years. Thursday's attack should remind the world that the group is a pale shadow of the organization that once dominated much of Somalia but now is reduced to high profile attacks against undefended civilian targets.​ .
Al-Shabaab's attack on Garissa University College is the group's deadliest so far in Kenya . Authors: The group is under pressure from African Union forces and a covert U.S. war .
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Los Angeles (CNN)Former rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight was ordered Thursday to stand trial for murder and other charges stemming from a deadly hit-and-run confrontation on the movie set of the biopic "Straight Outta Compton" earlier this year. In addition to that ruling, Judge Ronald Coen also lowered Knight's bail to $10 million from $25 million, a figure that defense lawyers called excessive. The judge also dismissed one of the two counts of hit-and-run against Knight. In all, Knight will stand trial on one count of murder, one count of attempted murder and one count of hit-and-run, the judge ruled after holding a two-day preliminary hearing this week that ended Thursday. Knight, 49, faces up to life in prison if convicted. Knight suffers diabetes and blot clots, and the case has clearly strained him: He collapsed in court last month after learning of the $25 million bail and he was taken to the hospital for treatment. Knight was in court Thursday. At the end of hearing, he turned around and looked at his family in the gallery, and he smiled to his fiancee as deputies led him handcuffed out of the courtroom. In a press conference after the hearing, fiancee Toi Kelly said regarding Knight's health that he is "doing much better." The judge dismissed the other hit-and-run count because California law says no more than one charge of hit-and-run should be brought against a defendant when the same weapon, in this case the vehicle Knight was driving, is used against several people. Knight is accused of running over two men, killing one of them, during an argument. Killed was Terry Carter, 55. The survivor is Cle Sloan, 51, who in testimony this week declined to identify Knight as his attacker because Sloan doesn't want to be a "snitch" who sends Knight to prison, according to CNN affiliates KABC and KTLA. Prosecutors offered Sloan immunity, but he still refused to testify against Knight on Monday, the affiliates reported. The deadly incident happened on January 29, after a flare-up on the set of the biopic "Straight Outta Compton," a film about the highly influential and controversial rap group N.W.A. The alleged argument spilled over to the parking lot of Tam's Burgers in Compton. At the time, Knight was out on bail in a separate robbery case. The hit-and-run was captured on videotape and allegedly shows Knight inside a red truck. In the video, the truck pulls into the entrance of the Compton restaurant, and he is then approached by Sloan, who was working security on the site. The two men appear to talk for a few moments, with Knight still in his vehicle. Suddenly, the vehicle backs up, knocking Sloan to the ground. While still in reverse, the truck moves out of range of the security camera. The vehicle is then seen zooming forward, back into camera range, running over Sloan a second time, and then running over a second man, Carter, a former rap music label owner. Carter later died. In closing arguments prior to the judge's ruling, Knight's attorney Matthew Fletcher argued that Knight was the victim. Knight was only defending himself against Sloan, whom the defense attorney accused of possessing a gun at the time. "Mr. Sloan is the initial and consistent aggressor," Knight's attorney argued. "There's no intent to kill, there's an intent to survive." "Even without a gun, we know Mr. Sloan was brave enough to attack in broad daylight," the defense attorney said. Fletcher added that Knight's defense was to stand his ground. Sloan "needed immunity because he was the actual aggressor," Fletcher said. "He is the person who got Terry (Carter) killed." Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Cynthia Barnes argued, however, told the judge that Knight was engaged in "mutual combat situation" where he used his car as deadly weapon. If Knight "ever had the right of self-defense, the moment he backed-up and Mr. Sloan was ran-over, he lost the right of self-defense," Barnes said. "There was pre-mediation and intent when he (Knight) ran over him a second time." Knight is scheduled to be arraigned on April 30. The incident is the latest run-in with the law for Knight, who founded the wildly successful Death Row Records in 1991 and signed artists such as Snoop Doggy Dogg (now known as Snoop Lion) and Tupac Shakur. Knight was driving the car in which Shakur was a passenger when the rapper was shot to death in Las Vegas in 1996. Shortly afterward, Knight spent several years in prison for violating parole on assault and weapons convictions. That prison time -- along with Shakur's death, feuds between Knight and a number of rappers, and desertions by Dr. Dre, Snoop and others -- contributed to the label's bankruptcy in 2006. In August, Knight and two other people were shot while inside a celebrity-filled Sunset Strip party hosted by singer Chris Brown on the eve of the MTV Video Music Awards.
Former rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight will be tried for murder in a videotaped hit-and-run . His bail is reduced to $10 million from $25 million . A judge dismisses one of four charges against Knight .
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(CNN)From the giant sequoias of Yosemite to the geysers of Yellowstone, the United States' national parks were made for you and me. And for Saturday and Sunday, they're also free. Though most of the National Park Service's 407 sites are free year-round, the 128 parks that charge a fee -- like Yellowstone and Yosemite -- will be free those two days. It's all part of National Park Week, happening April 18 through April 26, and it's hosted by the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation. Check out night-time astronomy parties, daytime Revolutionary War programs, Earth Day parties and family-friendly Junior Ranger activities at national park sites across the country. Not sure how to start? Go to FindYourPark.com to learn more about park sites near you. Go to www.nationalparkweek.org for more ideas on how to explore. Then the park service wants people to share their stories using the hashtag #FindYourPark and at FindYourPark.com.
It's National Park Week, and that means the parks are free April 18-19 . Stargazing, Revolutionary War programs and other fun happens this week .
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(CNN)Can you imagine paying $1,000 a month in rent to live in a one-car garage? Nicole, a 30-year-old woman, doesn't have to imagine this scenario because it's her everyday reality. The small and unusual living space is all that this employed, single mother can afford in her high-cost community in San Mateo, California. Nicole isn't alone in her struggles. CNN recently published a powerful piece called "Poor kids of Silicon Valley" that documents the affordable housing challenges facing families in the Bay Area. One aspect featured a house that is home to 16 people, including 11 children. Another chronicles a husband and wife named Rich and Stacey, both of whom have jobs, who are living in a San Jose homeless shelter with their two kids because they don't have the money to go anywhere else. Although Silicon Valley has unique characteristics, it isn't the only community confronting these challenges. Our entire nation is in the midst of an affordable housing crisis. The agency I lead, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, recently released a report estimating that 7.7 million low-income households live in substandard housing, spend more than half their incomes on rent or both. These are families who are dedicating $1 out of every $2 they earn just to keep a roof over their head. And the more they spend on housing, the less they have to invest in their children's education, build up savings and shop at local businesses. These are outcomes that hurt our nation's economy and require us to respond with swift and bold action. HUD is working with local partners across the country to do just that. First, we're focusing on preserving the affordable housing that already exists. Since the mid-1970s, we have directed and insured loans for multifamily properties that have resulted in more than 700,000 affordable units. But by 2020, we're in danger of losing more than 125,000 because these mortgages are maturing, ending agreements to control rents in these units. So we've launched a preservation effort with private partners to keep these properties affordable for generations to come. We're also doing the same with public housing. Right now, the nation is losing 10,000 units of public housing every year, mainly because of disrepair, HUD created the Rental Assistance Demonstration initiative to bring private investment into the fold for the public good. It's cost neutral for the federal government and making a big impact for communities such as Lexington, North Carolina, where the local housing authority is making 58 years' worth of repairs in just 22 months, including new lighting, modern windows and better insulation to help residents stay warm and cut energy costs. RAD has allowed local communities to raise more than $733 million in new capital to date. That's why we're asking Congress to give every community the chance to participate by lifting the restrictions on this program. No American should ever have to wait six decades to have a decent and healthy place to call home. In addition to preservation, HUD is also working to create new affordable housing. A Harvard study revealed that in 2012, there were 11.5 million extremely low-income households and only 3.3 million affordable units available. It's clear that we can't preserve our way out of this problem. We've got to grow the supply to meet demand, so HUD is taking a multifaceted approach. For example, our HOME Investment Partnerships Program is leveraging $4 in private and other public resources for every $1 in HOME funds and leading to more than 1 million new and rehabilitated units for rent or sale to lower income families. This is more than just a statistic: It is progress for people, from the families living in the Broadway Crossing development in Washington to the seniors living in the Woodcrest Retirement Residence in Pennsylvania. To keep this momentum going, we've asked Congress to increase HOME funding by 16% to keep building affordable homes, prosperous partnerships and strong communities across the nation. We are also asking Congress to expand our Housing Choice Voucher Program, which allows recipients of modest means, the elderly, and people with disabilities to find housing in the private market. This includes restoring 67,000 vouchers that were lost to sequestration. And we're targeting our resources where they can have a big impact. For instance, HUD awarded $94 million in targeted homelessness assistance to 274 programs across the San Francisco Bay Area, including Silicon Valley, in January. And we continue to work with local partners to encourage private investment. To empower communities, President Barack Obama has also requested $300 million for new Local Housing Policy Grants to help them increase housing affordability, economic growth and access to jobs. All of this work is making a significant contribution to families and communities from coast-to-coast. Our nation's affordable housing challenges won't be solved overnight, and we still need to do more to make sure that more folks are able to prosper. Let's not squander this chance to make real progress for American families. Incredible things can happen when a wide variety of leaders come together for the common good. By leveraging private investment and increasing collaboration with state, local and tribal governments and other traditional housing partners, I know we can build a future where affordable housing is available to all.
CNN's John Sutter told the story of the "Poor kids of Silicon Valley" HUD Secretary Julián Castro: Our shortage of affordable housing is a national crisis that stunts the economy .
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(CNN)An American citizen was wounded by gunfire Thursday as she drove from the medical school in Karachi, Pakistan, where she works, police said. Debra Lobo, a 55-year-old California native, was shot in the right cheek and left arm and is unconscious but expected to survive, according to Mohamad Shah, a Karachi police spokesman. Police found pamphlets that the assailants had thrown into Lobo's car, written in Urdu, saying "America should be burnt," Shah said. Lobo had left the Jinnah Medical and Dental College, where she works as vice principal, to pick up her two daughters from school. Two assailants on a passing motorcycle shot her while she was driving, Shah said. "Our U.S. Consulate General in Karachi is in close contact with Pakistani authorities and is working to obtain more information," said a U.S. Embassy spokesperson. Lobo is being treated at the Karachi's Aga Khan Hospital, said Shah. She has lived in Pakistan since 1996 and is married to a Christian Pakistani who is a librarian at the American School in Karachi. Karachi police are investigating, Shah said.
Debra Lobo, 55, is unconscious but is expected to survive after being shot Thursday, police say . She is vice principal of the Jinnah Medical and Dental College in Karachi . Police: She was on her way to pick up her daughters from school when she was shot .
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(CNN)A jury of Rolling Stone's media peers has dissected the magazine's disastrous, discredited story about rape on the campus of the University of Virginia, and the emerging consensus is that Rolling Stone's lapses and sloppy blunders amount to journalistic malpractice -- made all the worse by the magazine's head-in-the sand reaction to the thorough, devastating report released by a panel of investigators from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Rolling Stone's egregious mistakes of reporting and editing are regrettable but understandable. The magazine's decision not to fire anybody or reorganize its newsroom operation is not. Before the original story, "A Rape on Campus," was pulled from the Rolling Stone website, it registered 2.7 million hits following its publication in November -- more than any noncelebrity story in the magazine's history. An anonymous undergraduate, given the name "Jackie," told Rolling Stone writer Sabrina Rubin Erdely she had been invited to a party thrown by Phi Kappa Psi fraternity in 2012 -- only to end up beaten and gang-raped by seven boys, who were allegedly coached along in the attack by the same student, a casual acquaintance, who had invited Jackie to the party. The horrific allegations sparked protests against the fraternity, a police investigation, the temporary suspension of all fraternities at the school and a nationwide debate about the prevalence of sexual violence on college campuses. But the story began to unravel almost immediately when Washington Post reporter T. Rees Shapiro took a closer look, leading Rolling Stone to back away from the story and request a review by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. That review, which is considerably longer than the original article, reveals startling lapses in basic journalistic practice. Rolling Stone writer Erdely never verified the identity of the attacker and therefore never confronted him with the allegations; she never spoke to three of Jackie's friends who allegedly talked with Jackie immediately after the attack, and she never gave the fraternity a fair chance to respond, refusing to provide specific information about what happened and when. And at every step of the way, when Jackie began acting flaky -- refusing to provide basic information needed to verify her story or vanishing for weeks at a time without returning calls from the reporter -- neither Erdely nor her editors or the magazine's fact checkers made the hard but necessary decision to hit the pause button and decline to run the story. Having worked part time as a journalism professor for a decade (including one semester at Columbia), I would agree with colleagues who call Rolling Stone's lapses the kind that would be unacceptable in a freshman classroom. I've told students for years: You should never print allegations without giving people a fair chance to respond. And you should never take a source's word about important facts without verifying the truth. (There's a reason we call it reporting and not dictation.) Most of all, I tell students, remember that you're writing about human beings, who are complicated creatures: The good guys are never all that good, and the bad guys usually aren't completely bad. People can be mistaken or deceitful, I tell young reporters, they frequently forget and often lie to themselves. That doesn't make a source useless, but it must make you extra careful. Unfortunately, the early word from Rolling Stone is that they've absorbed none of these lessons. Publisher Jann Wenner has apparently decided not to fire, demote or discipline anybody at Rolling Stone, provoking expressions of disbelief among seasoned journalists. "No one fired at Rolling Stone. Really?" wrote CNN media critic Brian Stelter. "What would Rolling Stone in its heyday write about an institution that screwed up unbelievably, damaged people's lives, but punished no one?" tweeted John Bresnahan, the Capitol bureau chief of Politico. "Rolling Stone outsources its investigation to Columbia and proceeds to do nothing in terms of individual accountability afterward? OK...," tweeted pundit Joe Concha. Worse still, the editors who committed the blunder seem unprepared to revamp their operation to prevent a repeat of the debacle, framing the error as an earnest but misguided attempt to believe the word of a sexual assault victim. "Rolling Stone's senior editors are unanimous in the belief that the story's failure does not require them to change their editorial systems," the Columbia report says. And check out this amazing conclusion from Will Dana, the managing editor who presided over the disaster. Dana told the Columbia team: "It's not like I think we need to overhaul our process, and I don't think we need to necessarily institute a lot of new ways of doing things. We just have to do what we've always done and just make sure we don't make this mistake again." That smug attitude pretty much ensures Rolling Stone's newsroom managers will commit another goof in the future. At a minimum, they should heed the wise counsel of my friend Bill Grueskin, an executive editor at Bloomberg who formerly served as dean of academic affairs at the Columbia J-school. "When doing big, investigative stories, reporters face many challenges: recalcitrant sources, complex numbers, buried records. Editors, whose labors are usually cloaked in anonymity, are spared most of those hurdles. But they face their own internal newsroom challenges, particularly when handling a potential blockbuster story," Grueskin writes. "They must keep their star reporters happy, trim verbiage that interrupts the narrative, and deal with the expectations of bosses hungry for prizes and traffic." The problem could be, says Grueskin, that Rolling Stone had too many chefs in the kitchen, instead of "a single, talented editor with an intact set of vertebrae." Until Wenner and his team learn that basic lesson -- and revamp their hiring, editing and fact-checking process accordingly -- the Rolling Stone fiasco will eventually be followed by another, one made less forgivable because we all saw it coming.
Columbia journalism school team finds major lapses in Rolling Stone's University of Virginia rape story . Errol Louis: Incredibly, the magazine isn't holding its staff accountable or changing procedures .
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(CNN)Duckie's still got moves. On Tuesday night's "Late Late Show" on CBS, actor Jon Cryer reprised the character's record-store dance to Otis Redding's "Try a Little Tenderness," right down to the wall-dancing, the counter-bashing and, of course, the trademark white shoes. In the original scene, one of the best-loved bits from the 1986 John Hughes film, Cryer dances around a record store, lip-syncing the song as he tries to win the affection of Molly Ringwald's Andie. In Tuesday's recreation, he dances in tandem with host James Corden, who tweeted that he'd "fulfilled a childhood dream" by re-creating the scene with Cryer -- who turned 50 on Thursday. "I watched that 'Try a Little Tenderness' dance routine so many times, the tape on the VHS wore out," Corden said on the show. Like Cryer, who has most recently appeared on "Two and a Half Men," many of the film's original fans are well into middle age. But still some may have squealed like teenagers when they saw the routine.
Jon Cryer revives "Pretty in Pink's" Duckie dance routine for "The Late Late Show" Host James Corden tweets that the bit "fulfilled a childhood dream"
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(CNN)The public outrage over the "religious freedom" bills recently passed in Arkansas and Indiana caught the governors of those states completely off-guard, judging by their confused and contradictory responses. As poll watchers, they surely knew that most Americans now oppose the discriminatory laws and practices they accepted as normal only a dozen years ago. But the politicians underestimated the pushback organized by local and national businesses, including companies with no previous record of public support for social equality. They had better adjust to a new reality. For the past three decades, socially conservative evangelicals and pro-business interests have been powerfully allied against government regulations, environmental initiatives and social welfare programs, while supporting lower taxes for the wealthy and pushing back against the growing diversity in America's population. For many, this alliance been puzzling: Other, equally devout Christians who place more emphasis on Jesus Christ's message of unconditional love and on his denunciations of excessive wealth and neglect of the poor, have been uncomfortable with it, as have many business leaders. Their priorities, after all, are based on the bottom line. And companies that sell goods and services to the public are learning that support for discrimination -- or even passive acceptance of it -- threatens that bottom line. Hence, after Indiana Gov. Mike Pence signed a law that opened a new door for discrimination against same-sex couples, the threat of boycotts and other retaliation was swift, from groups as diverse as the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the Indiana Pacers, Walmart, Eli Lilly, Apple and even the Marriott International hotel chain. Marriott International was founded by J.W. Marriott, a dedicated Mormon, and is now run by his son Bill, also a Mormon who fully accepts his church's teachings about traditional marriage. Yet in June, Marriott International launched a "#Love Travels" marketing campaign, aimed at attracting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender travelers with an assurance of "the company's commitment to make everyone feel comfortable about who they are." Asked about the discrepancy between his religious rejection of same-sex marriage and his marketing overtures to same-sex honeymooners, Marriott pointed to the Bible's injunction of unconditional love, but added "beyond that, I am very careful about separating my personal faith and beliefs from how we run our business." In 2014, global spending by LGBT travelers was estimated at more than $200 billion, and spending by this market segment is rising much faster than overall spending on travel. So Marriott worries when states start to make such travelers feel unwelcome. Businesses seeking to develop brand loyalty among younger consumers have a special incentive to highlight their rejection of anti-gay bias. A CNN poll taken in February found that 72% of millennials nationwide believe that same-sex couples have the right to have their marriages recognized as valid. Even among white evangelical Protestants, 43% of millennials support same-sex marriage, compared with less than 20% of those their grandparents' age, 68 and older. It used to be that businesses could close their eyes to discrimination in areas geographically isolated from the more liberal coasts, but that is no longer possible. According to researchers for MTV's "Look Different" anti-bias campaign, 90% of youths aged 14 to 24 agree that it is important to make their communities a less biased place, and almost 80% say that everyone has a responsibility to help tackle bias. So who's the "moral majority" now? For media-savvy millennials, following that moral imperative means spreading the news about discrimination wherever it occurs and reaching beyond geographic boundaries to mobilize against it. In the first 24 hours after Arkansas passed its version of the "religious freedom" bill, the Twitter hashtag #BoycottArkansas was used 12,000 times. It then snowballed after celebrity blogger Perez Hilton tweeted it to his 5.9 million Twitter followers. America has crossed a threshold where it is no longer a good business model or political strategy to be intolerant of diversity, whether that pertains to race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation. Since 2011, the majority of children that have been born in the United States each year are members of racial or ethnic minorities. Hispanics are projected to account for most of the growth in the labor force between now and 2060. Women now lead men in educational attainment. And more than half of Americans live in states where same-sex marriage is legal. Business leaders and politicians who ignore or offend these constituencies do so at their own peril.
Stephanie Coontz: Indiana, Arkansas governors caught off guard by outrage, boycotts over anti-LGBT law . She says religious conservatives who discriminate no longer hold sway in a culture comfortable with diversity, including same-sex marriage .
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(CNN)Editor's Note: Ines Dumig was recently announced as a CENTER Grant Recipient. Sahra, a Somali refugee, left her home at 14 years old. Throughout her journey in search of asylum, she managed to overcome dangers and discomforts. But she never gave up, and she continuously reminded herself to keep going. She's the focus of Ines Dumig's photo series "Apart Together." Dumig met Sahra through a photo workshop at Refugio, a shelter in Munich, Germany, for refugees and torture victims. What drew Dumig to Sahra specifically was her strength and her ability to effectively reflect on all of her experiences. "It really impressed me how she deals with everything," Dumig said. "She's strong in her way of connecting with the culture here and also reflecting on what happened, the culture where she comes from." The number of refugees seeking asylum in the European Union increased by 25% last year, with Germany receiving the most applications. One of the reasons Dumig decided to photograph Sahra is because growing up in Germany made Dumig realize that she lived a fortunate lifestyle. Another reason has to do with Dumig's interest in people's emotions and finding one's identity. "I realized so many people want to come to Europe, and I always had the feeling to disappear or to go away," Dumig said. "Seeing how people live in other parts of the world made me realize how privileged I am." "Apart Together" serves not only as a documentation of Sahra, but as a far-reaching story about people from all backgrounds. The title of Dumig's work refers to the fact that although people may be physically apart from one another, the comparable feelings they experience are what link all people together. "Sometimes we feel strong, sometimes we feel lost -- that's kind of universal, I think," Dumig said. "That's why I want to universalize (Sahra's) story as well, not only make it about her." The underlying themes of "Apart Together" include the feelings of isolation and "otherness" and the search for a valuable human dignity. Social media . Follow @CNNPhotos on Twitter to join the conversation about photography. "Every one of these (refugees) have strong stories, and in the bureaucratic system, they are just a number or a document," Dumig said. "But they are a person, they are people with emotions and lives." Sahra is currently under the status of "suspension of deportation," meaning German immigration officials may grant her discretionary relief from deportation. Dumig describes Sahra as someone living through an unresolved situation. Regardless of the challenges Sahra faces as a refugee in Germany, she is a survivor and the embodiment of resilience, determined to establish a new life for herself. She has learned to speak German fluently, and she has started working in the nation as well. Like an unsolved photographic puzzle, each photo within "Apart Together" provides a piece of insight into Sahra's experiences. There is no certain and clear way in which to arrange the pieces, because they are a representation of the fragmented nature of Sahra's life. Many of Dumig's photos are not of Sahra herself, but instead show her surroundings. This makes "Apart Together" rich in symbolism and challenges viewers to develop their own perceptions. The photos are powerful because of this symbolic nature, as there are infinite interpretations attached to each one. "I think everyone interprets by themselves, by however way they perceive it through their own experience. That's up to the viewer," Dumig said. "It depends on who looks at the pictures. ... Everyone will see something different." "Apart Together" allowed Dumig to share various special moments with Sahra, and they were both able to learn from each other. "It was just something we both got something out of," Dumig said. Ines Dumig is a photographer based in Germany.
Ines Dumig's photo series "Apart Together" follows a Somali refugee living in Germany . The underlying themes include isolation and "otherness" and the search for human dignity .
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(CNN)Hockey player Jarret Stoll of the L.A. Kings was arrested Friday at the swimming pool of a Las Vegas resort on a drug-possession charge, CNN affiliate KSNV reported, citing a police spokesman. Stoll, 32, was charged with possession of controlled substances, including cocaine and ecstasy, according to KSNV. He was released from the Clark County Detention Center late Friday on $5,000 bail. The Kings said in a statement, "We are aware of police reports out of Clark County, Nevada regarding Jarret Stoll. Our organization is concerned and has begun conducting a thorough internal investigation. While we continue to actively gather facts, we are withholding further comment at this time." The Canadian player is a center and has been with the Kings since 2008. The Kings, who won the Stanley Cup two of the past three seasons, did not make the NHL playoffs this season. He is reportedly involved with TV personality Erin Andrews, who is a Fox Sports reporter and co-hosts "Dancing with the Stars." CNN contacted the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department to confirm details on Stoll's arrest, but according to the dispatcher no information was available until the beginning of the week.
Stoll is a center who has played for the Kings since 2008 . He is reportedly involved with sportscaster and "Dancing with the Stars" host Erin Andrews .
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(CNN)At first police in Marana, Arizona, thought the shoplifted gun Mario Valencia held as he walked through a busy office park was locked and unable to fire. The cable through the lever and trigger couldn't be taken off, an officer was told by an employee of the Walmart where Valencia took the gun and some rounds of ammunition. But just 10 seconds after the worker told police that ... a shot. Valencia had fired into the air, and less than a minute later a police car slammed into him in a move that ended a crime spree and sparked nationwide discussion on the officer's unusual tactic. The 36-year-old Valencia was hospitalized and within a few days transferred to jail where he faces 15 charges, including shoplifting the .30-30 rifle. That February morning, police have said, Valencia committed several crimes in nearby Tucson before stealing a car and driving to the Walmart in Marana. There he went to the sporting goods department, asked to see a rifle, then told an employee he wanted the ammunition. Officer who drove into suspect justified, chief says . The woman told police she gave Valencia the rounds because he told her he would break the case with the bullets inside. He also told her not to do anything stupid. In spite of that she also said she didn't feel threatened, leading police to charge him with shoplifting and not armed robbery. Walmart told CNN's Miguel Marquez that the store clerk acted appropriately, even using a code to alert security to call police. Valencia took the gun and ammo and fled into a nearby business park where he encountered an officer in a slow-moving patrol car. At one point he pointed the weapon at an officer and at another he pointed it at his head. The officer told him several times to put down the gun, police have said. The officers that were tailing him assumed that he likely couldn't shoot anyone because of the store's lock. Marana police on Thursday said the cable gun lock was still on the rifle when it was recovered. But the wire that goes through the trigger and the lever to reload the gun were loose enough to allow it to still be used, police said. It also should have been wrapped through the lever twice, not once, police said. A Walmart spokesman told CNN that the rifle had been properly locked and might have been affected by the hard blow caused by the police car. Valencia, who is in Pima County Jail, will appear in court again on May 18.
Before he was slammed into by a police car, Mario Valencia fired a rifle with a loosened lock . He shoplifted the gun and ammo from a Walmart, where a saleswoman who showed him the weapon alerted security . Walmart says the lock was properly installed but police say it was loose when it was found .
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(CNN)Two Delaware boys are in a coma and their father still is unable to talk or move two weeks after they became sick -- perhaps from pesticide exposure, federal officials say -- during a trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands, their lawyer said Saturday. Steve Esmond, his teenage sons and the teens' mother fell ill more than two weeks ago in St. John, where they were renting a villa at the Sirenusa resort. The family was airlifted to hospitals in the United States. The boys, 16 and 14, were in critical condition at a Philadelphia hospital on Saturday, the family's lawyer, James Maron of Delaware, said. "The boys are in rough shape," Maron said. "The family are all fighters," he added. "They're fighting for everything right now. I understand it's a long recovery." Esmond, also being treated at a hospital, is conscious but cannot move, Maron said. The teens' mother, Theresa Devine, was treated at a hospital but released, and is now in occupational therapy, Maron said. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Friday that the presence of a pesticide at the rented villa in St. John may have caused the illnesses, which were reported to the EPA on March 20. Paramedics were called to the villa, which the family began had been renting since March 14. Esmond was found unconscious; the boys and their mother were having seizures, Maron said. The lawyer did not say who called the paramedics. Elias Rodriguez, an EPA spokesman, said the agency's preliminary test results "do show that there was a presence of methyl bromide in the unit where the family was staying." Exposure to methyl bromide can result in serious health effects, including central nervous system and respiratory system damage, according to the EPA. The use of the pesticide is restricted in the United States because of its acute toxicity. It's not allowed to be used indoors. Only certified professionals are permitted to use it in certain agricultural settings. "It's an ongoing investigation; we're still on the island doing our assessment," Rodriguez said. "We have been doing different types of air sampling and wipe sampling." Final test results were expected next week. The EPA said it is working with local government agencies to investigate whether the family was made ill after a fumigation at the resort on March 18 and whether any environmental regulations or laws were violated. Maron, the family's attorney, declined to comment on the investigation. Depending on the season, the luxury villa where the family stayed rents between $550 and $1,200 per night. Sea Glass Vacations, which acts as a rental agent for several units at Sirenusa, said the unit directly below the one where the family stayed was recently treated for pests, but their unit was not treated. The company said it licensed an outside company, Terminix, for the pest control services. "Sea Glass Vacations does not treat the units it manages for pests but instead relies on licensed professionals for pest control services," the company said in a statement. The U.S. Department of Justice has initiated a criminal investigation into the matter, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing made Monday by ServiceMaster Global Holdings, the parent company of Terminix. In an email to CNN, a spokesman for Terminix wrote that the company is "committed to performing all work ... in a manner that is safe for our customers, employees, the public and the environment" and is "looking into this matter internally, and cooperating with authorities." "We're thinking about the family, and we join the community in wishing them a speedy recovery," Terminix wrote. The SEC filing described the injuries to the family members as "serious."
A Delaware family becomes ill at the Sirenusa resort in the U.S. Virgin Islands . Preliminary EPA results find methyl bromide was present in the unit where they stayed . The U.S. Justice Department begins a criminal investigation into the matter .
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(CNN)ISIS claimed responsibility for a suicide car bomb attack Friday near the U.S. Consulate in the Kurdish Iraqi city of Irbil, according to several Twitter accounts linked to the terror group. The U.S. Consulate was the target of the attack, ISIS said. At least four people were killed and 18 injured, police said. All U.S. Consulate personnel were safe and accounted for following the explosion, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said. Irbil is the capital of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government. Police said the incident began with an explosion of a small improvised bomb in the area. After that blast, a car moved in the direction of the consulate. Security personnel fired at the car, which exploded but did not reach the consulate, a police official said. It appeared that people inside the car detonated explosives that the vehicle was carrying, according to the police official. A separate official, B.G. Hazhar Ismail, said three civilians were killed and five others were injured. Ismail is a spokesman for the Peshmerga, the force that defends Iraq's Kurdish region. The blast sent a huge fireball into the sky on a street parallel to the consulate. Dark smoke filled the air, and gunfire was heard intermittently for the next hour. One witness said he saw attackers in a gunbattle with consulate security and police. Helicopters circled the neighborhood where the blast occurred, and a loudspeaker at the consulate building warned people to stay indoors and away from windows. In addition to the U.S. Consulate, the blast occurred immediately across the street from a strip of bars, cafes and shops popular with expats and consulate employees. The State Department thanked the response by the Kurdish government and will investigate the bombing together with them. "The United States will continue to stand with the people of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region and all Iraqis as we work together in confronting these terrorist acts and towards our shared goal of degrading and defeating (ISIS)," the department said in a statement. CNN's Kareem Khadder and Jason Hanna and journalist Mat Wolf contributed to this report.
All U.S. Consulate personnel safe after blast, State Department spokeswoman says . Suicide bombers blow up car near the U.S. Consulate in Irbil, Iraq .
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(CNN)More than 300 suspects have been arrested in South Africa in connection with deadly attacks on foreigners that have forced thousands to flee, the government said Sunday. "We once again unequivocally condemn the maiming and killing of our brothers and sisters from other parts of the continent," the government said. "No amount of frustration or anger can justify these attacks and looting of shops." Thousands sought refuge in temporary shelters after mobs with machetes attacked immigrants in Durban. The attacks in Durban killed two immigrants and three South Africans, including a 14-year-old boy, authorities said. Heavily armed police have scrambled to stop clashes after local residents accused immigrants from other African nations of taking their jobs. The government praised law enforcement agencies for stopping further bloodshed in Durban. "We believe that their commitment to duty has prevented injuries and even deaths that could have happened if they security forces had not acted," it said. The xenophobic sentiment is certainly not representative of all South Africans. "There has been an outpouring of support from ordinary South Africans who are disgusted with the attacks not only because they are foreign, or African, but because they are fellow human beings," said Gift of the Givers charity, which is helping those seeking refuge. The charity said last week that about 8,500 people had fled to refugee centers or police stations because of the violence. South Africa's government implored citizens to remember the country's history of overcoming challenges with the support of African neighbors. "During the Apartheid many South Africans fled persecution and death at the hands of the Apartheid government," it said in its statement. "Africa opened its doors and became a home away from home for many South Africans." President Jacob Zuma has canceled a trip to Indonesia and visited displaced foreign nationals in Chatsworth to express his support, the government said. The Gift of the Givers charity assured immigrants that it has a facility in Johannesburg to help those who might need shelter there. "We have tents and all essential supplies on standby but pray that sanity prevails and this does not become necessary," it said. In the past, Johannesburg has been the epicenter of anti-immigrant tensions. In 2008, scores were killed in attacks in the poorest areas of Johannesburg. Most of the victims were Zimbabweans who had fled repression and dire economic circumstances. In that attack, police arrested more than 200 people for various crimes including rape, murder, robbery and theft. CNN's Larry Register contributed to this report.
South Africa is battling xenophobic violence after some said foreigners are taking jobs away . A 14-year-old boy is among those killed after a mob with machetes targeted foreigners .
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(CNN)The boy who asked a church to help him find a forever parent finally has one. Desperate for a home in 2013, Davion Navar Henry Only dressed up in a suit and borrowed a Bible from the boys home where he lived. Then he headed to a St. Petersburg, Florida, church to make a plea for his own adoption. Now 16 years old, he had lived his entire life in foster care, bouncing from one home to another. The older he got, the less likely it was that he would be adopted. But the Tampa Bay Times documented his journey, and a video of his plea went viral. Thousands of calls came into his agency, and a minster's family in Ohio asked him to come live with them. But he got into a fight with one of their sons, and they sent him back to Florida. Forever wasn't forever in that case. And to the people who asked what went wrong, his social worker had the answer. "That boy spent his whole life in the system, that's what went wrong," Connie Going told the Tampa Bay Times. Photo helps gets teen adopted . For a year, he went through four more foster homes and wouldn't speak about what happened in Ohio. Finally, he reached out to Going, the woman who had been there for him since he was 7. Only had repeatedly asked her to adopt him, but she didn't think that she could be enough for him. She already had three children, ages 21, 17 and 14. But something changed in that latest call, and she knew she would finally say yes. So did her three children. Going rented a larger house, and Only moved into the home after his new mom passed the home study. His official adoption date is April 22. "I guess I always thought of you as my mom," Only told her before Christmas. "Only now I get to call you that for real, right?"
Davion Only took to the pulpit to find a forever home . After some setbacks, his family is set to make it official in April .
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(CNN)In response to reports of big banks threatening to withhold campaign funds from Senate Democrats, Sen. Elizabeth Warren last week offered a defiant response: "Bring it on." Warren said she isn't going to slack off on her calls for breaking up banks and other measures to rein in Wall Street. As Hillary Clinton prepares to officially launch her presidential campaign this month, she will need to make a choice about how much to highlight issues relating to economic inequality. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who is also running for the Democratic nomination, is trying to steal Clinton's thunder by talking about the problems of disproportionate wealth. In other words, there are many signs that Democrats are planning to take on the big issue of economic inequality. But in other recent news, the likelihood that New York's Chuck Schumer will replace Harry Reid as leader of the Senate Democrats means the dreams of a more economically leftward party are crashing into political reality. While Schumer has been a very effective Democrat and skilled legislative leader, he is also a Wall Street Democrat who has spent much of his time courting and protecting powerful financial interests who run one of the dominant industries in his state. He is not alone. Even at his most progressive moments, President Barack Obama relied on Wall Street donations for both of his campaigns. Despite all the talk from conservatives about left-wing "socialism" in the White House, the financial community has been willing to open its coffers to Democrats without much concern, even in the 2012 election. Democratic populism can't really work within the current campaign finance system. The enormous pressures for parties to raise funds in campaigns has for many decades created pressure on Democrats, despite their political base, to court big donors. During the 1980s, California Democrat Tony Coelho, serving as the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and then as majority whip, made a strong appeal to savings and loans executives before the crash of the industry to catch up to Republicans who had been outflanking them in raising money. The Democrats were, and have continued to, losing their traditional base of campaign support --organized labor -- which had been a central source of campaign muscle since the 1930s, providing money and campaign assistance during campaigns. Without organized labor to serve as their foundation and with the pressure for raising private funds increasing, many Democrats concluded they needed business by their side. Democrats running for president have made the same kind of choices. In 2008, Obama disappointed many supporters upon becoming the first president to abandon the post-Watergate public finance system for campaigns altogether, preferring to raise money himself for the general campaign. While small donors were enormously important to his victories, so too were business and Wall Street executives. At the height of the financial crash, when public sentiment had clearly turned against Wall Street, the administration agreed to a financial regulation bill (Dodd-Frank) that was structured in such a way as to give powerful interests more than enough opportunity to limit the bite over the coming years. Wall Street, with an army of counsel, succeeded in eroding the impact of the legislation. Not only does the acceptance of our campaign finance system limit the policy choices Democrats can make, but it also greatly damages the party's brand name. As The Washington Post reported, the scandal that might bring down New Jersey Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez is the first involving large scale super PAC donations. At the heart of the story is almost $600,000 that physician Salomon Melgen gave to Senate Majority PAC, possibly in exchange for favors. This is not simply some sort of accommodation of Democrats to the corporate system. They don't have much of a choice. Without these funds, they won't be able to compete. In this election cycle, independent campaign donors are causing a huge stir. In conservative circles, the Koch brothers and their allies are throwing around enormous amounts of money to candidates who will support their deregulatory agenda. Individual donors such as Las Vegas gambling magnate Sheldon Adelson are causing ripples every time candidates speak, pressuring them to adjust their agenda. Democrats have found their own magnates for political support, such as Tom Steyer and George Soros. This is why campaign finance reform is so important, Without Congress changing the fundamental dynamics, there won't be much room for populism to thrive. Even if Democrats select someone like a Elizabeth Warren as their candidate or Hillary Clinton decides to move sharply to the left on economic policy, there won't be much room for reform when the time of governance actually starts. The Democratic Party needs Wall Street more than it needs to take a stand against Wall Street. Those are the facts on the ground. If Democrats really want to take on Wall Street and tackle economic inequality, they first have to bring about reform of the campaign finance system. If campaigns were publicly funded or there were more stringent limits on independent expenditures, Wall Street would have much more trouble achieving disproportionate influence. Reform could level the playing field. More often than not, campaign finance reform is an issue that gets sidetracked with little more than some pro forma words of support. A more populist economic agenda that revolved around progressive taxation and substantial public assistance to strengthen the middle class can only work in a different kind of political system. If things stay the same, Democrats can only continue to win elections by turning to their corporate and financial base of support.
Julian Zelizer: Elizabeth Warren was defiant about Wall Street, but Hillary Clinton likely won't be . Zelizer: The Democrats need Wall Street's campaign donations to be competitive in 2016 .
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(CNN)Thursday will mark three weeks since Saudi Arabia began airstrikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen. But there is as yet little sign that the rebels are being driven back, that the fighting in Yemen is dying down or that lives there are being saved. To the contrary, increasingly more Yemenis appear to be fleeing the country, attempting the dangerous trip in rickety fishing boats across the Red Sea to the Horn of Africa -- a trip historically made by people fleeing Africa rather than the other way around. Hopes for stability, not only in Yemen but in the Middle East in general, are fading as fears grow that Saudia Arabia and Iran are fighting a proxy war in Yemen for regional domination. And the number of dead continues to mount. Yemen's health ministry said over the weekend that 385 civilians had been killed and 342 others had been wounded. The World Health Organization has put a higher figure on both tolls -- 648 killed and 2,191 wounded -- but includes militant casualties in the totals. The Houthis forced Yemeni President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi from power in January, though Hadi still claims he is Yemen's legitimate leader and is working with the Saudis and other allies to return to Yemen. Those allied with Hadi have accused the Iranian government of supporting the Houthis in their uprising in Yemen. Like the Iranians, the Houthis are Shiites. And like the Saudis, Hadi and his government are Sunni. Since it began on March 26, Saudi Arabia has launched more than 1,200 airstrikes. Saudi officials claim to have killed more than 500 Houthi rebels. The U.N. Security Council voted Tuesday in favor of an arms embargo on Houthis -- the minority group that has taken over large swaths of Yemen, including its capital, Sanaa -- and supporters of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The resolution "raises the cost" for the Houthis, according to Mark Lyall Grant, Britain's ambassador to the United Nations. In addition to the arms embargo, the resolution also demands that the Shiite group pull back and refrain from more violence and includes sanctions aimed at controlling the spread of terrorism, according to Grant. Russia abstained from Tuesday's vote, saying it didn't like the inclusion of sanctions. Why is Saudi Arabia bombing Yemen?
Saudi officials say 500 Houthi rebels killed, but signs of progress appear scant . Civilian casualties continue to mount . U.N. Security Council favors Houthi arms embargo .
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Moscow (CNN)Joy Womack is taking part in her first ballet class of the day at the Kremlin Ballet Theatre, kicking her legs up to her head, jumping and spinning across the room. After class, she eats boiled sweets, one after another -- they are a cheap form of energy. The dancer, raised in California and Texas, left her parents and eight brothers and sisters behind when she arrived in Russia six years ago, aged 15, speaking no Russian. She studied at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy and was one of the first Americans accepted from the school into the company. But in 2013 she left under a cloud -- media reports suggested she had claimed she was asked by an unnamed Boshoi official to pay $10,000 to dance in even small roles. The Bolshoi still stands by comments made at the time by its general director, Vladimir Urin. He asked the dancer to make an official complaint and defend her position legally, saying the theatre was ready to assist the law enforcement agencies to investigate the case and that "if the facts are legally established, those responsible should be punished accordingly." The dancer did not pursue a case against the Bolshoi. When she left the Bolshoi in 2013, Womack joined the Kremlin Ballet Theatre where she still works, aged 20, as a principal ballerina; dancing close to the Russian president's office, next to the cathedrals inside the red walls of the Kremlin. The surroundings may be opulent but her pay packet is not: for her role as a principal dancer Womack says she is paid around $240 a month -- which works out at around $8 a day. The dancer says the amount of money she makes in dollars each month has fallen as the Russian ruble has weakened -- the currency has suffered, in part, from a low oil price and international sanctions imposed on Russia over its annexation of Crimea last year. Womack says a friend helps her with accommodation and she says she has to make the money stretch in order to buy food. "For anyone paid a salary in rubles, especially since the crisis, it is extremely difficult. You have to decide what is worth more for you - experience or financial stability. I'm at a point in my life where experience is worth more." Sitting in the wings of the stage, chatting in Russian to the other dancers and stretching before her rehearsal for Swan Lake, she says she has to make the $185 in her bank account last for the next few weeks. To earn extra money she dances bigger roles or takes part in events abroad. The Kremlin Ballet Theatre says Womack's salary corresponds to her job title as a principal dancer and that, "on average, the salary [principal] dancers are paid is significantly higher" than $240 a month but that Womack could have been paid that equivalent in dollars "depending on the exchange rate on the day and depending on how much she danced in productions the previous month." As an American, Womack says she is paid the same as her contemporaries and is treated just like the Russians. But she says that is not always the case offstage. "It's extremely difficult to watch the deteriorating relationships between the United States and Russia. The great thing about working for a Russian company is that we are focused on creating art but...outside the ballet world it is difficult for foreigners; the general tendency tends to be more nationalistic and they unfortunately judge foreigners by their cover." Although relations between the U.S. and Russia have taken a nosedive since Russia's annexation of Crimea last March, Womack says she is "very loyal" to the Kremlin Ballet Theatre. "I love the Russian system and I'm very patriotic in that sense," she says. And despite the political situation -- and the money -- she says, "Russia has a lot to offer, it is a beautiful place that creates stars and that itself is worth investing one's career in.
20-year-old American dancer makes $240 a month at Kremlin Ballet Theatre . Joy Womack studied at Bolshoi Ballet Academy but left in cloud of controversy .
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(CNN)A group of six young Minnesota men conspired to sneak into Syria and join ISIS "by any means necessary," federal prosecutors said Monday. The group of friends, ages 19 to 21, were arrested Sunday. "What's remarkable about this case was that nothing stopped these defendants from plotting their goal," said U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger of the District of Minnesota. "They were not confused young men. They were not easily influenced. These are focused men who are intent on joining a terrorist organization by any means possible." Recruiting for the ISIS terrorist network is a particular problem in Minnesota's community of Somali immigrants. "People often ask who is doing the recruiting and when will we catch the person responsible," Luger said. "But it is not that simple. In today's case, the answer is that this group of friends is recruiting each other. They're engaged in what we describe as peer-to-peer recruiting." Zacharia Yusuf Abdurahman, 19; Adnan Farah, 19; Hanad Mustafe Musse, 19; and Guled Ali Omar, 20, were arrested in Minneapolis. Abdirahman Yasin Daud, 21, and Mohamed Abdihamid Farah, 21, were arrested in San Diego after driving there in hopes of crossing into Mexico, Luger said. They plotted for 10 months, Luger said. "Even when their co-conspirators were caught and charged, they continued to seek new and creative ways to leave Minnesota to fight for a terror group." Another friend, who was part of the group, changed his mind and became a cooperating witness for the FBI, even tape recording some meetings, Luger said. The FBI investigation has previously netted Abdullahi Yusuf, who has pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support to ISIS, and Hamza Ahmed, who has been indicted on charges of conspiring and attempting to provide material support to ISIS and is now pending trial, according to the criminal complaint. The complaint describes a man, identified only as "Nur," who has spent time in Syria and allegedly helped the six accused men. Four of the men who were arrested appeared in federal court on Monday but did not enter a plea. The judge ordered they all be held without bail, and a detention hearing was scheduled for Wednesday. CNN's Tony Marco contributed to this report.
Six young Minnesotans conspired to sneak into Syria and join ISIS "by any means necessary," prosecutors say . The men, ages 19 to 21, were arrested Sunday . They plotted for 10 months, the U.S. attorney for the District of Minnesota says .
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(CNN)In case you haven't noticed, we're in the midst of a medical marijuana revolution. Given the amount of questions and mystery surrounding the science behind it, Dr. Sanjay Gupta wanted to provide some insight. He's been investigating medical marijuana for the last couple of years. His research has resulted in three CNN documentaries, culminating with "Weed 3: The Marijuana Revolution," airing at 9 p.m. ET/PT Sunday. Gupta opened up to questions on Twitter. Here's what you wanted to know: . How does this affect me? Readers were curious about the effects of medical marijuana in easing symptoms of various ailments, asking how it could help with everything from life-threatening illnesses and neurological conditions to chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder. Gupta pointed out the 10 diseases where medical marijuana research could have an impact and how it helped to stop one young girl's severe seizures, and he also referenced other studies. He said that the potential benefits of medical marijuana for people suffering from PTSD is actually the subject of a federally approved study. The belief: It could suppress dream recall and allow those sufferers to focus on the present. There is also research into how the drug might affect the spasms associated with people who have multiple sclerosis. Medical marijuana could also be an important option for those who rely on painkillers, as painkiller overdose is the greatest preventable death in the United States, Gupta said. Why don't other doctors talk about it? Many of the questions around medical marijuana can be tied back to the fact that it's just not discussed much. Teaching about medical marijuana remains taboo in medical school. But Gupta also presented the science directly, showing what your body on weed looks like. Readers also wanted to know why people are so against the legalization of marijuana. Decades of misinformation, Gupta said. What are the drawbacks? With medical marijuana so misunderstood, there naturally is a fear of potential side effects. There are legitimate, long-term concerns with the developing brain, Gupta said, and suggested that readers seek out the research of Dr. Staci Gruber, who has conducted numerous studies on marijuana use and brain function. Isn't it dangerous? When confronted with questions rooted in fear about the dangers of medical marijuana, Gupta confessed that he used to believe the same thing -- that marijuana is dangerous without proven benefits. After extensive research, he said he changed his mind on weed.
CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta answers questions about medical marijuana . Readers wanted to know how medical marijuana could ease symptoms of illnesses .
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Surkhet, Nepal (CNN)Ten years ago, with her high school diploma and a backpack, Maggie Doyne left her New Jersey hometown to travel the world before college. She lived in a Buddhist monastery, helped rebuild a sea wall in Fiji, then went to India and worked with Nepalese refugees. There, she met a young girl who wanted to find her family in Nepal. Doyne went with her. That's when Doyne's life took an unexpected turn. Do you know a hero? Nominations are open for CNN Heroes 2015 . A decade-long civil war had just ended in the country, and Doyne witnessed its effects firsthand. She met women and children who were suffering, struggling to survive. "It changed me," said Doyne, now 28. "There were children with mallets that would go into the riverbed, pick up a big stone and break it into little, little pieces (to sell). And they were doing that all day, every day." Doyne called her parents and asked them to wire her the $5,000 she had earned babysitting. In 2006, she purchased land in Surkhet, a district in western Nepal. She worked for two years with the local community to build the Kopila Valley Children's Home. Today, Kopila -- which means "flower bud" in Nepali -- is home to about 50 children, from infants to teenagers. Doyne started the BlinkNow Foundation to support and grow her efforts. In 2010, the group opened its Kopila Valley School, which today educates more than 350 students. Doyne lives in Nepal year-round, traveling to the U.S. a few times a year. See more CNN Heroes . The CNN Heroes team traveled to Surkhet and talked to Doyne about her work and the community she supports. Below is an edited version of their conversation. CNN: How does it work, raising nearly 50 kids? Maggie Doyne: It's communal living, for sure! We're a family of almost 50 kids ages 8 months to 16 years. Everybody just pitches in and helps each other. They all have their chores. They all have their duties. And everybody cooks the meals together and makes sure that they do their part to make the home run smoothly. The staff at the home, we call them the aunties and the uncles. We wake up in the morning and go off to school. And then come home and do homework and eat our meals together, and everybody goes to bed at night. CNN: How does a child come to live in your home? Doyne: Our first priority as an organization is to keep a child with their family if at all possible. In order to come into the home, you need to have lost both parents, or in some rare cases have suffered extreme neglect, abuse or have a parent who's incarcerated. We have to conduct a full investigation. So usually that involves going to the child's village, making calls, doing police checks, getting documentation and paperwork. We have to dig up birth certificates, death certificates, make sure that everything lines up the way that they say it does. CNN: Meanwhile, you have 350 children attending your school. What is their background? Doyne: Every single year we'll get from 1,000 to 1,500 applicants. And we choose the ones who are the most needful and really won't be in school without us. Most of them live in one room, a mud hut. A lot of them are just in survival mode. We try to relieve the burden from the family, so that the child has food, medical care, books, zero fees for education. CNN: What have you learned working with the local community in Nepal? Doyne: I learned very early on, from the beginning, that I couldn't come in and just be like, "Here, I have a vision. This is what we're going to do." That doesn't work. It has to be slow; it has to be organic. And it has to come from the community and be a "we" thing. It's really important to me that this is a Nepali project, working for Nepal, for the community. So the faces that you see are strong Nepali women and amazing Nepali role-model men. CNN: How does the project continue to grow? Doyne: We started with the home and then school. We run the school lunch program. Then we needed to keep our kids really healthy, so we started a small clinic and then a counseling center. From there we started getting more sustainable and growing our own food. And then from there we decided to start a women's center. We just bought a new piece of property to create a totally green and sustainable off-the-grid campus. This year we converted to solar energy. So we'll have a high school and then a day care, preschool, elementary, all the way up, and a vocational center where kids can become a thriving young adult with everything they need to succeed moving forward. It's become so much more than just a little girl with a backpack and a big dream. It's become a community. And I want to teach and have other people take this example and hope this sets a precedent for what our world can be and look like. Want to get involved? Check out the BlinkNow Foundation website at www.blinknow.org and see how to help.
Nepal civil war aftermath inspired Maggie Doyne to help children . Doyne's BlinkNow Foundation supports a home for 50 children and a school that educates hundreds more. Do you know a hero? Nominations are open for 2015 CNN Heroes .
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