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A woman holds a picture of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez during an event commemorating the violent street protests of 1989 known as the "Caracazo," in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013.... (Associated Press) Venezuela's vice president said Thursday that Hugo Chavez is still fighting for his life, yet a recent poll says nearly three in five Venezuelans believe their president will return to power. Nicolas Maduro, Chavez's self-appointed successor, said on television that his boss "is battling there for his health, for his life, and we're accompanying him." The vice president had characterized Chavez's condition similarly on Dec. 20, saying the president "is fighting a great battle ... for his life, for his health." Chavez hasn't spoken or been seen since before his fourth operation in Cuba on Dec. 11 for an unspecified cancer in the pelvic area. The government says he has been breathing with the help of a tracheal tube after surviving a serious respiratory infection. It says Chavez returned on Feb. 18 and is at a military hospital in Caracas for continued treatment for "respiratory insufficiency." Despite speculation by doctors not involved in Chavez's treatment that it is most likely palliative, designed only to make him more comfortable in his remaining days, many Venezuelans apparently believe _ or want to believe _ he is on the mend. "The president's prolonged absence and his critical situation have not been converted into massive pessimism about his return," respected pollster Luis Vicente Leon tweeted Thursday. He said nearly 58 percent of Venezuelans believe Chavez will recover while about 30 percent believe he will not return to power and 12.5 percent say they don't know what will happen. One percent, meanwhile, believe Chavez was never sick. Leon, chief of the Datanalisis polling firm, told The Associated Press that the Feb. 11 poll of 1,198 people had an error margin of three percentage points. He said he thought the poll reflected people's desire not to believe the worst about someone who is dear to them, just as people resist accepting that a close relative might be dying. Leon also said he thought reports of government officials holding hours-long meetings with Chavez had contributed to the belief of many Venezuelans that Chavez will return. "The government has sent permanent messages that President Chavez will return, that he meets with the vice president for five hours," Leon noted. He said people don't necessarily believe that, however, as the poll found 44 percent think the government has not been transparent in discussing the Chavez's health. In his televised remarks, Maduro called for Venezuelans to keep praying for Chavez and remain loyal to the committed socialist who has been their president for more than 14 years. "Do you know why Comandante Chavez neglected his health and has been battling (cancer) for nearly two years?" he said. "Because he completely surrendered body and soul and forgot all his obligations to himself in order to give himself to the homeland." Chavez, 58, himself has previously acknowledged that he was neglecting his health in recent years, often staying up late and consuming cup after cup of coffee to remain alert. The president has undergone surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation treatments since June 2011, when he first announced his cancer diagnosis. He hasn't specified the type of cancer or the exact location in his pelvic region where his tumors have been removed. On Feb. 15, the government released four photographs of Chavez lying in a bed in Cuba with his two daughters by his side. They were the only images of him published since early December. Re-elected in October, Chavez was scheduled to have been sworn in on Jan. 10. But the Supreme Court said the swearing-in could be delayed. ___ Frank Bajak on Twitter: http://twitter.com/fbajak ||||| Update, Tuesday, 5:07 p.m. Eastern: Hugo Chavez is dead. Click here for more updates. Original post: Venezuela's vice president went on TV Thursday evening to bat back rumors that Hugo Chávez has died. He didn't do much to encourage the Venezuelan people about their president's health, either. Quite specifically, Nicolás Maduro said that Chávez "is battling there for his health, for his life, and we're accompanying him." Besides implying that Chávez is still alive, this does not actually offer any news of progress, since over two months ago Maduro said the Venezuelan president "is fighting a great battle ... for his life, for his health." Two months of fighting for one's life is not encouraging. No worries. A recent poll says that nearly 60 percent of Venezuelans believe Chávez will recover and return to power. Maduro's latest however repetitive report about Chávez's health came less than 24 hours after CNN Chile falsely reported that the leader had died. The network attributed the news to Panamanian diplomat Guillermo Cochez who said, "I challenge the Venezuelan government to prove me wrong, and to present President Chávez so that it's known whether what I say is the truth or a lie." And so it appears the Venezuelan government heard the challenge. Nevertheless, we do know that Chávez has been breathing through a tube since a serious respiratory infection that followed four cancer surgeries, and he hasn't been seen publicly since December 11 of last year. The man is in very, very poor health. If he's not facing death yet, Chávez is certainly knocking on its door. Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire. Adam Clark Estes

– Huge Chavez may be breathing through a tube and, rumor has it, close to death—CNN Chile even erroneously announced he was dead Wednesday evening—but nearly 58% of Venezuelans still believe their president will return to power, reports the AP. This as the country's VP yesterday said Chavez "is battling for his health, for his life, and we're accompanying him" ... which is close to the same wording Nicolas Maduro used two months ago, on Dec. 20. (The line then: Chavez "is fighting a great battle ... for his life, for his health.") But the poll, taken Feb. 11, also shows that 44% of Venezuelans don't think the government has been transparent about Chavez's health.

Richard Spencer speaks at Texas A&M University on Dec. 6 in College Station, Tex. (David J. Phillip/AP) Updated In March 2016, Sherry Spencer opened the doors to her passion project, a three-story, cherry red building that peeks over historic downtown Whitefish, one of Montana’s quaint, upscale ski resort towns. The building, 22 Lupfer, houses luxury vacation apartments and commercial office space, an embodiment of the two community strongholds — tourism and small business — that keep Whitefish on the map. But in recent weeks, the building has become the focal point of another, less-inviting slice of the town’s reputation — one that was recently thrust into the national spotlight with the victory of President-elect Donald Trump and the rise in popularity of Whitefish’s most notorious part-time resident, Richard Spencer, the white nationalist founder of the “alt-right” movement, who also happens to be Sherry Spencer’s son. Richard Spencer, who the Southern Poverty Law Center has described as an “academic racist,” is highly educated and has worked for years to promote the creation of a minority-free “ethno-state” and pride in white identity. The “alt-right,” a term coined by Spencer to avoid being labeled racist of white supremacist, is a small movement that seeks a whites-only state. What has the Whitefish townsfolk bothered is this: Sherry Spencer’s business, though not linked to her son’s radical agenda, was once tied to him through building documents, and her home address is still listed as the location of Spencer’s National Policy Institute’s principal office, Virginia state records show. By late November, Sherry Spencer still had not, activists said in local news reports, publicly disavowed her son’s beliefs. As a community business owner and longtime Whitefish resident, some believed she should. The town and Richard Spencer had tussled before, on the ski slopes and in a coffee shop, but his mother, Sherry Spencer, and his father, Rand, had kept a remarkably low profile. Rand is an ophthalmologist. Sherry owns the business. At the time 22 Lupfer opened, Sherry Spencer’s efforts were lauded by the local newspaper. But that was nine months ago, before Richard Spencer’s movement claimed Donald Trump as its champion and before Trump’s election pushed that movement into the national spotlight. It was before hate incidents targeting Muslims and people of color spiked in the days after Trump’s victory and before Richard Spencer inspired a Nazi-like “Hail Trump!” salute at a D.C. conference hosted by his National Policy Institute. It was before Whitefish once again felt the need to defend its reputation from the smear of Richard Spencer’s philosophy. The town held a vigil and the mayor reread the town’s anti-discrimination resolution at a December city council meeting, a resolution passed in 2014 when Richard Spencer’s movement first reared its head in Whitefish. But that didn’t seem like enough. Some residents directed their attention to Sherry Spencer. The escalating tension was chronicled in a local TV report last week that seemed to tell the simple tale of a small town deeply divided. The specifics of what happened next remain unclear. Sherry Spencer claims she was targeted by activists, who, using the threat of massive protests as leverage, tried to bully her and her tenants into selling her commercial building and distancing herself from her son. Those same activists tell a different story — that what transpired was the work of a tightknit community trying to defend itself. It didn’t take long for the followers of Richard Spencer’s movement, including former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, to join the conversation. The alternative right has come under fire from Hillary Clinton and establishment Republicans, but it has been seeping into American politics for years as a far-right option for conservatives. Here's what you need to know about the alt-right movement. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post) Within days, a handful of white nationalist, neo-Nazi websites took to the Internet to defend Spencer’s mother and vilify the activists listed in the local TV story, including the founders of Love Lives Here, an affiliate of the Montana Human Rights Network, a rabbi and several Jewish community leaders. The most prominent among the sites was the Daily Stormer, a neo-Nazi website that promotes a “Jewish Problem” tab and once published an article after the election that called on readers to “troll” Trump opponents and drive them to suicide. “Jews Targeting Richard Spencer’s Mother for Harassment and Extortion,” read the headline about Whitefish. “TAKE ACTION!” In the post published Friday, which called the Jewish people a “vicious, evil race of hate-filled psychopaths,” Daily Stormer shared the names of the Whitefish activists, who are all women, and their photos, which were accompanied by sexist commentary and digitally altered with overlays of the Star of David. The post included the women’s phone numbers, Twitter handles and email addresses, plus the names and contact information for their husbands. The post also shared the name, photo and Twitter account of one woman’s young son. It encouraged readers to spam Love Lives Here and the Montana Human Rights Network. “So — get to it!” the post says, reminding readers not to advocate or provoke violence. “Let these people know what you think!” All weekend, the human rights organizations and about a half-dozen people, including all three women, have been receiving death threats. “Go choke on a shotgun and die,” read one message. “You would all be of greater worth to society as human fertilizer than as citizens.” City council members have been targeted, and local businesses that support human rights are being harassed on review forums. “It’s exactly what they called for,” Rachel Carroll Rivas, co-director of the Montana Human Rights Network, told The Washington Post early Monday. “They called for an online troll storm and that’s what it is. It is very personal and incredibly anti-Semitic. These are tactics that are intended to instill fear.” Rivas said those receiving the anti-Semitic threats are reporting them to law enforcement as they flood in. Two of the Jewish women whose identities were published asked Rivas to speak on their behalf. They are trying to lay low and wait for the harassment to subside, Rivas said. No, they aren't just pranksters and they aren't an extension of European nationalism. Reporter and author Olivia Nuzzi tackles five myths about the alt-right. (Adriana Usero/The Washington Post) Sherry and Rand Spencer have publicly distanced themselves from their son’s philosophy. In the local TV story, Sherry Spencer said that as parents, she and Rand “deeply love our son, as we always will,” but, she added “we unequivocally do not agree with the extreme positions espoused by Richard.” [The alt-right isn’t only about white supremacy. It’s about white male supremacy.] She reiterated in a Medium post on Dec. 16 that she is the sole owner of the 22 Lupfer building in downtown Whitefish and wrote that “she poured her heart and soul into this project.” Sherry Spencer criticized the pressure she received from community members and directed her frustration toward one woman, a local real-estate agent, who was also a target of the Daily Stormer post. Richard does not own the building, nor has he ever used it for his writing or publishing. Put simply, the building has nothing to do with politics — and it has everything to do with tourism and local businesses. I had no intention of selling . . . until I started receiving terrible threats in the last couple of weeks. Sherry Spencer never intended to “go public” with the story, she wrote, but the media coverage “forces my hand.” She continued: Whatever you think about my son’s ideas — they are, after all, ideas — in what moral universe is it right for the “sins” of the son to be visited upon the mother? All I wanted to do with the building was help Whitefish. The people attacking me claim that “loves lives here.” Now it’s time for them to show it. In an interview Sunday night with The Post, her son, Richard Spencer, did not disavow the call to action from the Daily Stormer, but did say “that’s not really my style.” “I would not have posted someone’s personal information, it’s not the way I do things,” Spencer said. “I think it’s important to call people out.” Richard Spencer, who was in Whitefish for the holidays when he talked to The Post, was also highly critical of the group Love Lives Here. “Their lives are based around creating tension and hating people,” he told The Post. “No one in Whitefish had anything ill to say about my mother.” He said he was “shocked” by the behavior of some residents, that the last name of one Jewish activist sounded “sinister” and that the rabbi was “up to no good.” Richard Spencer called the attacks on his mother “vicious” and “totally unwarranted.” Spencer told The Post his mother has not yet decided if she’ll sell the building, but in an email to the Daily Inter Lake a few days ago, Rand Spencer said that as a result of the threats, Sherry had decided to sell the building. [We live in crazy times: Neo-Nazis have declared New Balance the ‘Official Shoes of White People’] That same day, the Daily Inter Lake published an op-ed from Rand and Sherry Spencer titled “An appeal to Whitefish: Live and let live.” In it, the Spencers explained why they love the town and decided to settle there, then claimed Richard Spencer as their son. We are the parents of Richard Spencer, president of the National Policy Institute and a leader in the alt-right movement. As parents we love our son. We are not accustomed to the spotlight. Furthermore, we feel we are not part of the story, nor do we wish to be a part of this story, as our son is a grown man. We are not racists. We have never been racists. We do not endorse the idea of white nationalism. They called themselves and their business tenants “victims” for being threatened with boycotts. There is no justification for their sustaining collateral damage. We, too, are victims, having no role in any of the events that have unfolded recently. A wise friend recently consoled us that being a parent, especially of an adult, is one of accepting responsibility without having control. More from Morning Mix: Post-election ‘Subway Therapy’ sticky notes taken down — but not thrown out Applause and anger greet 9-year-old transgender girl on January cover of National Geographic More than 40 people dead from alcohol poisoning after drinking bath lotion in Siberian city ||||| Close Get email notifications on Keila Szpaller daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. Whenever Keila Szpaller posts new content, you'll get an email delivered to your inbox with a link. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. ||||| The mother of white supremacist Richard Spencer claims she is suffering financially due to the backlash against her son's controversial views. Sherry Spencer, who lives in Whitefish, Montana, said she is being forced to sell a building she owns in the small town because residents are rebelling against her son. Richard Spencer shot to prominence last month when footage emerged of him delivering a 'hateful speech' at a white nationalist meeting held to celebrate Donald Trump's election win. Scroll down for video The mother of white supremacist Richard Spencer claims she is suffering financially due to the backlash against her son's controversial views. Richard Spencer is pictured at Texas A&M on December 6 Sherry Spencer is pictured with her husband Dr. Rand Spencer at a benfit in April 2016 A video by The Atlantic taken inside the Ronald Reagan building showed Spencer, leader of the National Policy Institute, shouting, 'Hail Trump, hail our people, hail victory!' as some of the people in attendance lifted their hands in a Nazi salute. He also claimed America belongs to white people, who he suggested are faced with the decision to either 'conquer or die'. The speech drew intense criticism from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, which said in a statement Spencer made: 'several direct and indirect references to Jews and other minorities, often alluding to Nazism.' 'He spoke in German to quote Nazi propaganda and refer to the mainstream media. He implied that the media was protecting Jewish interests and said, "One wonders if these people are people at all?"' And according to Sherry Spencer, the criticism has been echoed by people in her hometown - where he son also has a business registered and visits regularly. Sherry Spencer told KTMF she is selling a building she owns at 22 Lupfer Avenue, which she currently sublets. It houses a beauty salon and vacation rentals. She also runs a real estate business from the building. Spencer's mother, Sherry, lives in Whitefish, Montana (pictured). Her son regularly visits her, and his National Policy Institute is registered to her home Sherry Spencer says she is being forced to considering selling the building she owns at 22 Lupfer Avenue (pictured), because of backlash against her son 'As painful as this is, I am exploring a potential sale of the building,' she said. She also took aim at a local human rights group, Love Lives Here, and accused it of damaging her family. 'We are stunned by the actions of Love Lives Here, an organization claiming to advocate tolerance and equal treatment of all citizens, yet coursing financial harm to many innocent parties,' she said. One of the strongest opponents to Sherry is local real estate agent Tanya Gersh, who said Spencer has backed her son and allowed him to spread his views. Tanya Gersh (left) has called on Sherry Spencer to sell the building, while Ina Albert's Love Lives Here group has criticized Richard Spencer's statements Richard Spencer is pictured before an interview at Texas A&M in College Station on December 6, 2016 'She is profiting off of the people of the local community, all the while having facilitated Richard’s work spreading hate by letting him live and use her home address for his organization,' Gersh told the network. Love Lives Here also responded to Sherry's remarks, saying it 'did not know what she (was) talking about'. 'We don't cause financial harm to anybody,' co-founder Ina Albert said, before going on to say the group does not have a specific problem with the Spencers. 'I don't know what (Richard) does when he comes here. But that is not our problem with Richard Spencer. Richard Spencer shot to national prominence after he was filmed by The Atlantic in November delivering a speech in Washington D.C During his address, Spencer used 'Nazi-like' language, according to his critics, and said 'Hail Trump' Many in the audience for Spencer's speech raised their hands in Nazi salutes during the address 'It is the National Policy Institute and what that stands for and our town being smeared by his philosophy.' The National Policy Institute was established in 2005 by Spencer, and it is described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as 'hate group'. Gersh went on to call for Sherry to sell the building immediately, and then use the money to help human rights causes. '(She) Could address this by selling the building, making a donation to human rights efforts, and making a statement in opposition to white supremacist ideas spread by Richard,' Gersh said. Sherry Spencer also told the network she loves her son, but does now agree with his 'extreme positions'. ||||| Does Love Really Live Here? My name is Sherry Spencer, and I am Richard Spencer’s mom. I’m a resident of Whitefish, Montana, and am the proud owner of a beautiful mixed-use facility in town. It was years ago now that I first broke ground on the building, which features vacation-rental apartments and office spaces. I hired a local architect and builder to bring my ideas to life — and both exceeded my expectations. I am the sole owner of the facility. It was built, not just with my capital, but with my ideas and sensibility. The apartments even include my original artwork, and the rooftop garden features my ceramic mural, which celebrates the Whitefish Winter Carnival. In other words, I poured my heart and soul into this project. The building opened in late 2015, and received wide acclaim from the local press. And the vacation apartments have been enjoyed by people from around the world. Richard does not own the building, nor has he ever used it for his writing or publishing. Put simply, the building has nothing to do with politics — and it has everything to do with tourism and local businesses. I had no intention of selling . . . until I started receiving terrible threats in the last couple of weeks. These threats came from Tanya Gersh, a local realtor with links to “human rights” organizations Love Lives Here and the Montana Human Rights Network. On November 22, Gersh and I spoke on the phone. She relayed to me that if I did not sell my building, 200 protesters and national media would show up outside — which would drive down the property value — until I complied. Gersh’s other conditions included that I make a public denunciation of my son in a statement written by the Montana Human Rights Network and that I make a donation to this organization from the sale of the property. As Gersh announced on Facebook, she was “spear heading” the campaign. Gersh followed up on her conditions in a number of emails, which I’ve just made public. She even shamelessly suggested that she act as my realtor! In other words, she and the local “human rights” organizations appeared to seek financial benefit from threats of protests and reputation damage. The same day Gersh first contacted me, I received a sales offer, even though I had not expressed any intention to sell, nor had anything been publicized. One renter reported to me that Gersh threatened her business with boycotts unless she moved. This renter also alleged that Gersh called her “collateral damage.” As the manager of the property, I employ a number of local maids and other maintenance personnel, who would lose their jobs if I were to sell. More “collateral damage,” I guess. I never wanted to go public with this story. However, the fact that so many news outlets have reported on it forces my hand. Whatever you think about my son’s ideas — they are, after all, ideas — in what moral universe is it right for the “sins” of the son to be visited upon the mother? All I wanted to do with the building was help Whitefish. The people attacking me claim that “loves lives here.” Now it’s time for them to show it. Addendum posted on December 17, 2016. I strongly urge that everyone stays within the bounds of respectful, civilized discussion of this matter by refraining from abusive comments or targeted harassment of any of the parties involved, or their families. I disavow the harassment that anyone faced as a result of these events first being brought to light by the media even prior to this publication of my side of the story. After all, my own family and I have faced — and continue to face — numerous threats and bullying on social media as well. ||||| In his own words “We’re going to be back here, and we’re going to humiliate all of these people who opposed us. We’ll be back here 1,000 times if necessary. I always win. Because I have the will to win, I keep going until I win.” — Interview with DailyMail.com, several days after the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville. “Islam — at its full flourishing … isn’t some peaceful denomination like Methodism or religion like Buddhism; Islam is a black flag. It is an expansive, domineering ideology, and one that is directed against Europe. In this way, Islam give [sic] non-Europeans a fighting spirit and integrates them into something much greater than themselves.” — Interview with Europa Maxima, February 2017. “A race is genetically coherent, a race is something you can study, a race is about genes and DNA, but it’s not just about genes and DNA. The most important thing about it is the people and the spirit. That’s what a race is about.” — Speech at Texas A&M, December 2016. “Martin Luther King Jr., a fraud and degenerate in his life, has become the symbol and cynosure of White Dispossession and the deconstruction of Occidental civilization. We must overcome!” –National Policy Institute column, January 2014 “Immigration is a kind a proxy war—and maybe a last stand—for White Americans, who are undergoing a painful recognition that, unless dramatic action is taken, their grandchildren will live in a country that is alien and hostile.” –National Policy Institute column, February 2014 “Our dream is a new society, an ethno-state that would be a gathering point for all Europeans. It would be a new society based on very different ideals than, say, the Declaration of Independence.” — VICE, October 2013. “When we hear any professional ‘Latino’ support this or that social program, we sense in our guts that her policy proscriptions are rationalizations for nationalism. She might say ‘more immigration is good’; she means ‘The Anglos are finished!’” – Speech at the 2013 American Renaissance conference “What blocks our progress is the meme that has been carefully implanted in White people’s minds over the course of decades of programming, from Mississippi Burning to Lee Daniel's The Butler—that any kind of positive racial feeling among Whites is inherently evil and stupid and derives solely from bigotry and resentment. And that the political and social advancement of non-Whites is inherently moral and wonderful.” – National Policy Institute column, September 2013 Background Richard Spencer’s clean-cut appearance conceals a radical white separatist whose goal is the establishment of a white ethno-state in North America. His writings and speeches portray this as a reasonable defense of Caucasians and Eurocentric culture. In Spencer’s myopic worldview, white people have been “dispossessed” by a combination of rising minority birth rates, immigration and government policies he abhors. Fighting that alleged dispossession is the focus of the, until recently, tax-exempt organization he heads, the National Policy Institute (NPI). According to NPI’s mission statement, it aims “to elevate the consciousness of whites, ensure our biological and cultural continuity, and protect our civil rights. The institute ... will study the consequences of the ongoing influx that non-Western populations pose to our national identity.” NPI lost its tax-deductible status with the IRS for failing to file tax returns after 2012. Spencer became president of NPI in 2011, following the death of its chairman, longtime white nationalist Louis R. Andrews. Concurrently, he also oversaw NPI’s publishing division, Washington Summit Publishers, home of such scientifically bogus works as a 2015 reissue of Richard Lynn’s Race Differences in Intelligence and screeds by other white nationalists, including Jared Tay­lor, editor of the racist Amer­i­can Renais­sance journal, and Sam Francis, the late editor of the white supremacist Council of Conservative Citizens’ newsletter. In 2012, Spencer launched an offshoot of Washington Summit Publishers that he called Radix Journal, a website and biannual publication whose contributors include notorious antisemite Kevin MacDonald, a retired professor at California State University, Long Beach. Spencer abdicated his position as editor of Radix Journal in January 2017 to serve as the American editor of his new site AltRight.com. Launched on January 16, 2017, AltRight.com brings together several well-known white nationalist personalities including Henrik Palmgren of Red Ice, Brad Griffin of Occidental Dissent, and William H. Regnery II , a reclusive member of the Regnery right-wing publishing dynasty that founded both NPI and the Charles Martel Society. Other leadership on the site includes Daniel Friberg, European editor, Jason Jorjani, Culture editor, and Tor Westman, technical director. Described as a leading “academic racist” by the Southern Poverty Law Center, Spencer takes a quasi-intellectual approach to white separatism. In an online NPI recruiting video, he employs the tone of a sociologist discussing demographics: As long as whites continue to avoid and deny their own racial identity, at a time when almost every other racial and ethnic category is rediscovering and asserting its own, whites will have no chance to resist their dispossession. Spencer acquired that academic tone while obtaining a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree in humanities from the University of Chicago. That tone is part of an image-conscious strategy meant to appeal to educated, middle-class whites. He dresses neatly, eschews violence and works to sound rational. “We have to look good,” he told Salon.com writer Lauren Fox, because no one is going to want to join a movement that is “crazed or ugly or vicious or just stupid.” In 2007, after he dropped out of a Duke University Ph.D. program in modern European intellectual history, Spencer took a job as assistant editor at American Conservative magazine, where he was later fired for his radical views, according to former colleague J. Arthur Bloom. Following that, Spencer became executive editor of the paleoconservative website Taki’s Magazine. In 2010, Spencer founded AlternativeRight, a supremacy-themed webzine aimed at the “intellectual right wing,” where he remained until joining NPI. One of Spencer’s first acts after taking over NPI was to move its headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Whitefish, Montana, where his family has a vacation home. But if Spencer is eyeing Whitefish as a locale for his Aryan homeland, he faces significant opposition. In December 2014, the Whitefish City Council debated an anti-hate ordinance barring groups such as NPI from assembling in the community. After concerns were raised about free speech, the council ultimately settled on a resolution supporting diversity and tolerance. Spencer spoke at that council meeting, saying the anti-hate ordinance would have granted the right to “police our minds” but claiming that he supported the diversity and tolerance resolution. “But real diversity includes thinking differently,” the Flathead Beacon quoted him as saying. “Real diversity is not people of all different shapes and colors acting the same way. That is the diversity of a Coke commercial.” Real diversity and tolerance apparently go only so far, however. In an address at white supremacist Jared Taylor’s 2013 American Renaissance conference, Spencer called for “peaceful ethnic cleansing.” As an example of how this could be accomplished, he cited the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, where new national boundaries were formed at the end of World War I. “Today, in the public imagination, ‘ethnic cleansing’ has been associated with civil war and mass murder (understandably so),” Spencer said. “But this need not be the case. 1919 is a real example of successful ethnic redistribution — done by fiat, we should remember, but done peacefully.” Spencer also has termed his mission a “sort of white Zionism” that would inspire whites with the dream of such a homeland just as Zionism helped spur the establishment of Israel. A white ethno-state would be an Altneuland — an old, new country — he said, attributing the term to Theodor Herzl, a founding father of Zionism. Such historical comparisons show how desperate Spencer is to legitimize his agenda. After all, if white people are dispossessed, why shouldn’t they get a homeland, too? The problem, of course, is that white Americans have not been dispossessed, no matter how often that claim is made by ideologues of the racist right. But Spencer is doing his best to make it seem that they are. When the 2011 census revealed that for the first time the majority of children born in the United States are non-white, Spencer concluded that efforts to restrict immigration were “meaningless” going forward. “Even if all immigration, legal and illegal, were miraculously halted tomorrow morning, our country’s demographic destiny would merely be delayed by a decade or two,” he told the American Renaissance audience. “Put another way, we could win the immigration battle and nevertheless lose the country, and lose it completely.” Although Spencer has repeatedly denied that he is a racist, his protests amount to a semantic debate over what “racist” means. “Racist isn’t a descriptive word. It’s a pejorative word. It is the equivalent of saying, ‘I don’t like you.’ ‘Racist’ is just a slur word,” he told the Flathead Beacon. “I think race is real, and I think race is important. And those two principles do not mean I want to harm someone or hate someone. But the notion that these people can be equal is not a scientific way of looking at it.” Elsewhere, he has decried what he terms an overly expansive definition of racism by “Cultural Marxists.” In a 2013 NPI column, he wrote: But for most academics and policy-makers — who could be referred to as ‘Cultural Marxists’—the definition of ‘racism’ is much, much more expansive; it encompasses culture, ‘privilege,’ societal assumptions and values, and all sorts of things they deem to be expressions of power. The hetero-normative marriage, Christmas, nationalist soccer fandom can each be considered ‘racist,’ in that each is an avatar of European civilization and consciousness—and thus an obstacle for ‘multicultural’ globalism. Spencer has said he would gladly accept Germans, Latins and Slavic immigrants in his proposed ethno-state — ironically, groups that faced severe discrimination in late 19th-century America. These foreigners and their customs, including Catholicism, spurred the creation of Know-Nothing societies, which eventually became known as the American Party. Pseudo-scientific studies were released, such as Carl Brigham’s A Study of Human Intelligence (1923), that claimed that Slavs and Italians, among others, were of inferior intelligence. But today, kielbasa is considered as American as apple pie, and these non-Anglo Saxons are embraced by Spencer because of their white skins. They have assimilated. To Spencer, however, assimilation is a “deceptive” term. In his foreword to a new edition of racist eugenicist Madison Grant’s 1933 Conquest of a Continent, Spencer wrote: Hispanic immigrants have been assimilating downward across generations towards the culture and behavior of African-Americans. Indeed, one possible outcome of the ongoing demographic transformation is a thoroughly miscegenated, and thus homogenous and ‘assimilated,’ nation, which would have little resemblance to the White America that came before it. This applies to the European “motherland” as well. In a promo for NPI’s 2013 Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., Spencer opined that both Europe and America are experiencing economic, moral and cultural bankruptcy under the pressure of “mass immigration, multiculturalism, and the natural expression of religious and ethnic identities by non-Europeans.” Spencer’s efforts to reach out to European nationalists have not gone well. In October 2014, his attempt to hold an NPI conference in Budapest, Hungary, resulted in his arrest and expulsion. Dubbed the 2014 European Congress, the conference featured an array of white nationalists from both Europe and America. Among the scheduled speakers were Jared Taylor of American Renaissance, Philippe Vardon from the far-right French Bloc Identitaire movement, Russian ultranationalist Alexander Dugin and right-wing Hungarian extremist MP Márton Gyöngyösi. Before the conference even started, the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade released a statement condemning “all xenophobic and exclusionary organizations that discriminate based on religion or ethnicity.” Planned reservations at the Larus Center venue were canceled. On Oct. 3, Spencer was arrested while meeting informally with other participants at a cafe that was to have been an alternate venue. He was jailed for three days, deported and banned for three years from entering all 26 European countries that have abolished passport and other controls at their common borders. Back in America, stronger free speech protections enable Spencer to hold such conferences. But even though he idealizes an American society founded by European whites, he rejects the principles of egalitarianism enshrined in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Spencer takes issue with conservatives who advocate returning America to its “founding principles.” Even if that did happen, the outcome would be the same, according to Spencer: “One should not rewind a movie, play it again, and then be surprised when it reaches the same unhappy ending.” “Should we, for instance, really be fighting for ‘limited government’ or the Constitution, so that the Afro-Mestizo-Caribbean Melting Pot can enjoy the blessing of liberty and a sound currency?” he asked the American Renaissance gathering. In Spencer’s ethno-state there would be no such problems. In a July 3, 2014, column in NPI’s Radix Journal, he lauded Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens’ “greatest address,” in which Stephens said that Thomas Jefferson was wrong about “all men being created equal.” Spencer endorsed that sentiment, saying, “Ours, too, should be a declaration of difference and distance — ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created unequal.’ In the wake of the old world, this will be our proposition.” At every NPI event there is a book fair, and NPI’s publishing division, Washington Summit Publishers, also offers its white nationalist titles on its own website and through sites such as Amazon.com. Throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, Spencer was a vocal advocate for Donald Trump due to his signature proposal to build a wall along the United States border with Mexico and his racist statements referring to Mexicans as criminals and rapists. Following a high-profile press conference on the racist “alt-right” movement — a term that Spencer popularized — Spencer organized a press conference with Jared Taylor of American Renaissance and Peter Brimelow of VDARE, two longtime leaders in the white nationalist movement, to codify the tenets of the alt-right. “Race is real, race matters, and race is the foundation of identity,” Spencer told attendees. “You can’t understand who you are without race.” Only days after Trump’s surprising victory over Hillary Clinton, the NPI held its fall conference on November 19, 2016, in Washington, D.C. In what he later described as a moment of exuberance, Spencer, flush with victory, offered the toast, “Hail Trump, hail our people, hail victory!” to the nearly 200 attendees. He was met with a handful of stiff-armed salutes from the crowd. The gesture electrified the more radical sectors of the white supremacy movement while generating stern disappointment from some of its elder statesmen, including Jared Taylor. When asked about the incident, Taylor told Kristoffer Ronneberg: “I was as shocked as anyone by all of that. The alt-right is a very broad movement. I have always known that there were at least anonymous Twitter accounts that are openly Nazi and anti-Semitic, but I did not think that Richard Spencer was that sort of person. I was shocked by these images that we’ve seen.” The restaurant hosting the event later apologized and donated the proceeds to the Anti-Defamation League. Following what Spencer and the alt-right came to refer to as “hailgate,” the media cycle fixated on trolling attacks against Tanya Gersh, a Jewish realtor living in Whitefish, Montana, who had been asked by Spencer’s mother to help her sell a piece of property. The driving impetus behind the fracas appears to have been the possibility that some in the community might protest Sherry Spencer’s building to demonstrate their rejection of her son’s ideology. Spencer, who had recently joined into what was referred to as “The First Triumvirate” with Andrew Anglin of the Daily Stormer website and Mike Enoch of the Daily Shoah podcast (titles intended to evoke Nazism and the Holocaust), insisted that his mother was the subject of an extortion scheme, which Spencer categorized as “a nasty shakedown of an innocent woman.” The shakedown allegation originated in a web posting purportedly authored by Sherry Spencer, Richard’s mother. The very next day, Anglin parroted the allegation in an article he wrote for the Daily Stormer. Over the next several months, Anglin posted a total of 30 articles urging his hundreds of thousands of readers to unleash a torrent of abusive phone calls, voicemails, emails, text messages, social media messages — even Christmas cards — on the Jewish realtor, her family and their associates. (In April 2017, the Southern Poverty Law Center filed a lawsuit against Anglin in the U.S. District Court of Montana in Missoula.) But when Anglin threatened to bus in “skinheads from the Bay Area” for an armed protest against the town’s small Jewish population, to be held on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Spencer was forced to backpedal. Spencer tried to play the march off as a “joke” and maintained that he had no control over Anglin, whom he referred to as “totally wild — that’s not my kind of thing,” though maintaining that Anglin was a “rational” person who wouldn’t engage in physical violence. On December 6, 2016, at the invitation of a neo-Nazi and former Texas A&M student Preston Wiginton, Spencer spoke to a ballroom of nearly 400 individuals. “America, at the end of the day,” Spencer told his audience, “belongs to white men. Our bones are in the ground. We own it. At the end of the day America can’t exist without us. We defined it. This country does belong to White people, culturally, politically, socially, everything.” Following the controversy and attention generated by his appearance at Texas A&M, Spencer announced that he would be embarking on a college tour in 2017.

– An ominous call to troll Jewish residents online in a Montana town has been issued by a white supremacist website, apparently because the mom of a hate-group leader owns a building there. The Missoulian reports that in Whitefish, where Sherry Spencer, mother of National Policy Institute head Richard Spencer—described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as "a kind of professional racist in khakis"—owns a building that, per the Washington Post, holds "luxury vacation apartments and commercial office space." In a Friday post on the Daily Stormer site, the headline blares "Jews Targeting Richard Spencer’s Mother for Harassment and Extortion—TAKE ACTION!" while the story calls Jews "a vicious, evil race of hate-filled psychopaths" who "will call you names and … go after your money [and] if all of that fails, they will attack your mother." The post references a recent Daily Mail piece in which Sherry Spencer says her business has been suffering because of backlash against her son, who's been publicly celebrating Donald Trump's win. To get back at community activists who've criticized Sherry Spencer for not denouncing her son's views, the Daily Stormer posted names, email addresses, phone numbers, and pictures of three local female activists, along with those of spouses and even an image and Twitter handle for one of the women's young sons. The Post notes local human-rights groups, as well as these three women and a few others, have been getting death threats. Sherry Spencer penned a Medium post Friday noting: "In what moral universe is it right for the 'sins' of the son to be visited upon the mother?" Richard Spencer decried the "vicious" attacks to the Post and said the Daily Stormer's posting of activists' personal info is "not really my style," though he didn't disavow it. (Google isn't fighting Holocaust deniers.)

Lynn Caponera, president of the Maurice Sendak Foundation, was going through the late artist’s files last year “to see what could be discarded,” she said. “I was asking myself, do we really need all these?” when she found a typewritten manuscript titled Presto and Zesto in Limboland, co-authored by Sendak and his frequent collaborator, Arthur Yorinks. Caponera, who managed Sendak’s household for decades, didn’t remember the two friends working on a text with that title, so she scanned the manuscript and e-mailed it to Michael di Capua, Sendak’s longtime editor and publisher. “I read it in disbelief,” said di Capua. “What a miracle to find this buried treasure in the archives. To think something as good as this has been lying around there gathering dust.” Not only is the manuscript complete, so, too, are the illustrations. Sendak created them in 1990 to accompany a London Symphony Orchestra performance of Leoš Janáček’s Rikadla, a 1927 composition that set a series of nonsense Czech nursery rhymes to music. Voila! So it is that Sendak, considered by many to be the most influential picture book creator of the 20th century, will have another publication in the 21st, five years after his death. PW has the exclusive news that Michael di Capua Books/HarperCollins plans to publish Presto and Zesto in Limboland in fall 2018. This will be the third book collaboration for Yorinks and Sendak, following The Miami Giant (1995) and Mommy? (2006), which were both also edited by di Capua. In addition to their publishing collaborations, the longtime friends also co-founded the Night Kitchen Theater. The title of the new book references an inside joke between them. Though Yorinks had often visited Sendak at his home in Connecticut, “I only knew where he lived in relation to the train station.” So when Yorinks later moved to Connecticut himself, he called Sendak and said, “‘I think we’re close,’ but Maurice thought I was about a half hour drive away,” Yorinks recalled. “Then I got in the car and I was there in three minutes. When he opened the door he said, ‘Presto!’ That became my nickname.” Yorinks, in turn, dubbed Sendak “Zesto.” Yorinks had seen the pictures Sendak made in 1990 for Janáček’s symphony and remembers thinking, “What a shame that they would be seen just once.” Di Capua had the same thought. “We talked about getting really good translations of the Czech verses but they were like Edward Lear squared,” di Capua said. “It just seemed hopeless, like trying to translate Finnegan’s Wake, and Maurice had many other fish to fry.” So the illustrations went into a drawer for seven years until the violinist Midori asked Sendak if she could use them for a symphonic piece she was putting together to raise money for her foundation, which provides music education programs to underserved children in New York City public schools. Before they went back in a drawer again, Yorinks was direct. “ ‘They could be a book, no?’ ” he asked Sendak. “We both agreed they could, but what was story?” On a drawing table in Sendak’s studio, they laid out the 10 illustrations—which they always called the “sugar beets” pictures because one of the rhymes was about the marriage of two beets—and riffed. “It was a hysterical afternoon of cracking each other up,” Yorinks said. “But after a few hours a narrative thread began to coagulate. The story became an homage to our own friendship so we named the characters after ourselves—Presto and Zesto.” Over the course of the next few months, they refined the text. Di Capua says the book might have been published 20 years ago but for Brundibar, the book Sendak produced with the playwright Tony Kushner about the opera performed by the children imprisoned at Terezin, a Nazi concentration camp. “[Sendak] became a bit obsessed with that,” di Capua recalled. Yorinks was being pulled in different directions, too. “At that time, I was more into theater than books,” he said. “In all honesty, we just forgot it.” When di Capua called Yorinks to ask if he wanted to go forward with publishing the book, the response was unambiguous: “He asked, ‘Are you interested?’ I said, ‘Holy mackerel. Are you kidding me?’ ” Only minor revisions to the text were needed, which Yorinks did happily. “The memory of writing it originally flooded back in a wonderful kind of way,” Yorinks said. “We always had a lot of laughs for two really depressed guys.” ||||| The man who spread monstrous, magical nighttime adventures to millions is about to embark on one of his own. Maurice Sendak, author of Where the Wild Things Are, is going to publish a book from the grave. The Maurice Sendak Foundation announced yesterday that a new story by the beloved American writer and illustrator, who died in 2012, will be released next fall. Presto and Zesto in Limboland was co-written by Sendak and writer and theater director Arthur Yorinks, and will be published by Michael di Capua Books, an imprint of HarperCollins. “It’s about two guys who are taking a walk and not realizing where they’re going, and they end up in Limboland,” says Yorinks, a longtime collaborator of Sendak. “It’s a book about friendship and dealing with a mixed up world.” Presto and Zesto were nicknames that Sendak and Yorinks had for each other. The ten illustrations in the book were created first by Sendak in 1990, as accompaniment to an orchestra performance. Yorinks saw them and thought they should last beyond the one-time use. Together, the friends came up with a story to accompany the illustrations in one afternoon. They exchanged notes about Presto and Zesto after that, but both were too busy at the time with other projects to pursue it, says Yorinks. The finished text and illustrations were found in Sendak’s files by Lynn Caponera, the Maurice Sendak Foundation president. Though she knew Sendak well, she hadn’t heard of the story, according to Publishers Weekly. She sent it to Sendak’s editor, and after getting in touch with Yorinks, they decided to publish the book. For anyone clinging to departed children’s book legends, the story is familiar. In the last two years alone, lost stories by beloved deceased authors Beatrix Potter and Dr. Seuss have surfaced during file-rifling, going on to become bestsellers. Yorinks is firm that this is not a hastily thrown together half-manuscript published without the author’s consent. “I knew Maurice for 40 years,” he says. “He would have absolutely been thrilled to have this published, absolutely no question about it.” He adds, “This isn’t some ersatz pieced-together thing; it’s a fully fledged book that just happened, due to various circumstances, to be stuck in a drawer.”

– Maurice Sendak died in 2012, but the world is getting a new book from the beloved children's author and artist nonetheless. The president of the Maurce Sendak Foundation was cleaning out Sendak's files when she found the manuscript of a "lost book," Publishers Weekly reports. "I read it in disbelief," says Sendak's longtime editor and publisher about Presto and Zesto in Limboland. "What a miracle to find this buried treasure in the archives. To think something as good as this has been lying around there gathering dust." The book was co-authored by Arthur Yorinks, who also collaborated with Sendak on The Miami Giant and Mommy? The manuscript is complete, and there are illustrations for it that Sendak created in 1990 to accompany a London Symphony Orchestra performance of a composition involving nursery rhymes. Yorinks explains that he saw the illustrations and thought how sad it was they might only be used once. "They could be a book, no?" he remembers asking Sendak 20 years ago. They had "a hysterical afternoon of cracking each other up" while coming up with a storyline that fit with the pictures, then spent a few months refining it, but ultimately both got busy with other projects and forgot about the book. Yorinks made minor revisions to the text, and HarperCollins will publish the book in fall of 2018. Quartz notes that lost stories by Beatrix Potter and Dr. Seuss have also recently been found and published.

Parents have been advised not to dress their schoolchildren in short skirts and tight trousers amid fears they could be targeted by paedophiles. The advice to families of children at King's Park Secondary School in Glasgow was sent out as part of new guidelines on dress codes. Glasgow City Council confirmed the warning was linked to the recent conviction of a local paedophile. The Scottish Parent Teacher Council said "shock tactics" were not needed. In the letter to parents, the school states: "We believe that an appropriate school uniform (eg school trousers, knee-length school skirt etc) protects children from being targeted by sexual predators. "There is recent evidence in the south of Glasgow of adults photographing school girls in short skirts and school girls/boys in tight trousers, then grooming them through the internet. "We must do all we can to keep our children safe. A modest school uniform is more appropriate than fashion skirts, trousers or tops." The letter advised parents to buy "appropriate" school uniforms from a list of approved items at Marks and Spencer. Creating a link between school uniform and paedophilia seems to be a dangerous and unhelpful Eileen Prior, Scottish Parent Teacher Council A council spokeswoman said the choice of store was an advisory only, and was not intended as an advertisement for M&S. The letter was sent to parents following the case of Barry McCluskey, 39, from King's Park. The former nurse posed as a 14-year-old girl to entice children to perform sex acts in front of web cameras. McCluskey pleaded guilty to 49 charges stretching back to 2003, including lewd and libidinous practices and behaviour, at the High Court in Glasgow in February. The Scottish Parent Teacher Council said the letter to parents was not needed and unwise. Chief executive Eileen Prior said: "Creating a link between school uniform and paedophilia seems to be a dangerous and unhelpful one for everyone involved. "It implies that young people are in some way responsible for the activities of paedophiles, which is an extremely dangerous argument and one which has echoes of the comments sometimes made around rapists and women's dress. "If there is evidence of activity by a paedophile in the area, then police and parents should be informed and involved." She added: "Many parents - and indeed young people themselves - are keen to have a dress code in school which requires everyone in the school community to dress in a way which is appropriate for a working environment." ||||| Great news: One school has finally figured out how to stop pedophilia. We always thought adults were the problem, but apparently boys and girls are inviting predators to target them by wearing short skirts and tight pants. Barry McCluskey of King's Park, Scotland recently pleaded guilty to posing as a 14-year-old girl online and convincing dozens of children to perform sex acts via webcam. The BBC reports that in response to this troubling case, King's Park Secondary School sent a letter to parents about a new dress code. It read: We believe that an appropriate school uniform (eg school trousers, knee-length school skirt etc) protects children from being targeted by sexual predators. There is recent evidence in the south of Glasgow of adults photographing school girls in short skirts and school girls/boys in tight trousers, then grooming them through the internet. We must do all we can to keep our children safe. A modest school uniform is more appropriate than fashion skirts, trousers or tops. Advertisement Parents were advised that they could purchase "appropriate" clothing at the department store Marks and Spencer. Many parents were rightly outraged by the school implying that when a child is singled out by a pedophile, it's their fault for dressing too seductively. As Eileen Prior, chief executive of the Scottish Parent Teacher Council, points out, that horrible argument sounds all too familiar: Creating a link between school uniform and paedophilia seems to be a dangerous and unhelpful one for everyone involved. It implies that young people are in some way responsible for the activities of paedophiles, which is an extremely dangerous argument and one which has echoes of the comments sometimes made around rapists and women's dress. Advertisement There are legitimate reasons to make children wear school uniforms, such as lessening distractions or providing the school with a preppy panache, but warding off predators is not one of them. Children need more education on online safety and what sorts of activities they need to report to adults, but changes to their clothing accomplish nothing. Pedophiles don't lose interest in children when they put on a looser pair of pants. Sending this message to kids only primes them for believing that victims are somehow at fault when they're sexually assaulted. Paedophilia Warning Over King's Park Pupil Dress Sense [BBC]

– Parents in King’s Park, Scotland, are outraged over a local school’s suggestion that the way their children dress might attract sexual predators. In the wake of the arrest of an alleged local predator, the school has sent out a letter telling parents that “an appropriate school uniform (eg school trousers, knee-length school skirt etc) protects children from being targeted by sexual predator,” according to the BBC. “We must do all we can to keep our children safe,” the letter continues. “A modest school uniform is more appropriate than fashion skirts, trousers or tops.” It then names a department store where approved items can be purchased. The Scottish Parent Teacher Council has objected to the letter, saying it “implies that young people are in some way responsible for the activities of pedophiles.” Or, as Jezebel puts it: “Pedophiles don’t lose interest in children when they put on a looser pair of pants.”

Left: Nikita the husky. Right: Trip Kiss and his pet goose, which was killed. Police say a 4-year-old husky named Nikita killed two dozen animals in a small Utah town over the course of just a few hours on Memorial Day, and now her owner is facing charges. Nikita's owner, Mackenzie Morton, was cited by police on 27 counts of attacking animals, several of which survived, and one count of an animal running at large. Morton told Fox 13 that the dog, which will be in quarantine while awaiting an administrative hearing, escaped her boyfriend's house in the town of Tooele for just a few hours. "I didn't think she was going to go on a killing spree," she added. Trip Kiss, the owner of the nearby petting zoo KissMade for special needs children, said that the husky killed nine of his animals — two rabbits, a duck, a turkey, four chickens, and a specially trained goose named Rex. Kiss told BuzzFeed News that the attack ruined his Memorial Day. "I planned on mourning friends, not cleaning up pet remains," he said. Kiss's wife Kaley mourned the loss of Rex on Facebook as more than just a pet goose, but a "part of our family." "I know that sounds stupid, but most people don't know how much care and effort you put into poultry and livestock," she wrote. ||||| See more of Kayley Kiss on Facebook ||||| Please enable Javascript to watch this video TOOELE, Utah -- Tooele residents said they're upset after more than two dozen animals were killed in the backyards of at least two homes in just a matter of hours. Police caught the culprit—a 4-year old husky—and now her owner is facing nearly 30 misdemeanor charges. In Trip Kiss' yard, you'll find all kinds of animals—chickens, ducks, peacocks, a turkey and a tortoise, just to name a few. Kiss said he and his wife run a petting zoo for kids with disabilities, and they teach animal husbandry to children. In the early morning hours of Memorial Day, he said his motion sensors went off. When Kiss looked at the surveillance, it showed a husky running around his yard and driveway. He said the husky was targeting his animals. "He was chewing our goose that was at the back end there, he dug out the rabbits in their enclosure," Kiss explained, pointing to his chicken coop area. In the video, Kiss said the husky is carrying away two rabbits. It trots off camera and into the dark. When Kiss caught on to what was happening, he said the husky had already killed several of his animals. "Two rabbits, two ducks, five chickens, a turkey, a goose," Kiss listed off. He said the goose was specially trained. "The goose was so friendly," Kiss said. "It would follow us around at renaissance fairs, charities." Kiss said the husky took the animals and scattered them in a 2-block radius around his home. He spotted the husky in his neighborhood with one of his chickens still alive in the dog's mouth. "The dog continued to chew on it, and it died in the dog's mouth, and he dropped it," Kiss said. He called police, and Tooele Police Sergeant Jeremy Hansen said they found out Kiss wasn't the only animal owner affected. "A second lady from a couple houses down came and told the officers that 15 of her chickens had also been killed by the same animal," Sgt. Hansen said. It took a couple of hours, but they finally caught the husky and brought her to the shelter to contact the owner. Mackenzie Morton said she got the call from the shelter to explain they had her 4-year old husky, Nikita. Morton said Nikita went missing from her boyfriend's home, which isn't far from Kiss' house. "I didn't know where she went, because it was dark at night," Morton explained. She said she looked for Nikita, and came across a few dead chickens in a neighbor's yard. Nikita took off from there, Morton said, and Morton couldn't find her after that. Morton said she didn't want to wake the neighbors, so she kept the door cracked open at the house for Nikita to return. "I didn't think she was going to go on a killing spree," Morton said. "I did not know that, at all." She said what Nikita did left her in shock because her husky hasn't acted like that before. Morton is now offering an apology to the homeowners. "That's not fair," a choked up Morton said. "And I'm so sorry." She said she feels guilty and intends to pay for the damage. Police said it racks up to more than $1,350. For Kiss, he said he isn't mad at the dog. He explained that he's more upset that more wasn't done to catch the husky when she escaped or to alert the neighbors to the dead chickens right away. He said he doesn't want the dog to be put down. "I feel anger," Kiss said. "I feel anger toward the owner, because she could have prevented this." Sgt. Hansen said the officer cited Morton with 27 counts of misdemeanor attacking animals and one count of misdemeanor animal running at large. He said the city attorney is screening the case for the final charges. Nikita is in a 10-day quarantine at the animal shelter. Sgt. Hansen said an administrative hearing will take place involving Morton, a lieutenant, the assistant chief and chief. He said the lieutenant, assistant chief and chief will determine what to do with the husky. There are a few potential possibilities for Nikita's future, Sgt. Hansen indicated. He said the husky could be deemed not a danger. In that case, he explained they'd release the dog back to her owner and nothing more would happen. Sgt. Hansen said if they rule that the dog has the potential to be a dangerous animal, they will release her back to Morton with certain restrictions. Those restrictions include placing a lead on the dog at all times, the dog must remain on its property, and Morton would have to register the dog as a potentially dangerous animal within Tooele City limits. He said it's possible they could also rule that the husky has the potential to be a dangerous animal, but place the dog with a rescue instead. He said the police department would choose the rescue. Lastly, the husky could be determined to be a danger. If that's the case, he said the dog would be euthanized. Sgt. Hansen said they are still in the process of scheduling a hearing, and that the Tooele City Police Chief would decide what's best for the community.

– A Utah woman is facing nearly 30 misdemeanor counts after her 4-year-old husky went on an animal "killing spree." Mackenzie Morton says she found a few dead chickens in a neighbor's yard in Tooele after her dog went missing from her boyfriend's house after dark on Memorial Day. But rather than wake the neighbors in a search, Morton left the house door open, hoping the dog would slip back inside. Nikita didn't return, and as Morton later learned, the neighbors were already up. Trip Kiss, who operates a petting zoo for kids with disabilities, had spotted the husky chewing on some of his animals, left scattered across a 2-block radius. In all, the dog attacked "two rabbits, two ducks, five chickens, a turkey, [and] a goose," Kiss tells Fox 13, while police say another neighbor reported the loss of more than a dozen chickens. "I didn't think she was going to go on a killing spree," says Morton, who's vowed to pay $1,350 in damages. She just "doesn't do that kind of stuff," she tells BuzzFeed. Still, Morton is facing one charge of an animal running at large and 27 misdemeanor counts for each animal attacked by the dog, captured hours later and taken to an animal shelter. Police will decide if Nikita should be released back into Morton's care, taken to a rescue, or euthanized, Fox 13 reports. Despite the loss of a specially trained goose "so friendly … it would follow us around," Kiss doesn't think the dog should be killed since Morton is the one who "could have prevented this" (in a Facebook comment, he also suggests there might have been an intentional angle to all this). But Morton shouldn't get the dog back, according to Kiss' wife. "She has already proven to be negligent."

The stick really is better than the carrot when it comes to motivating people, a study has found Although modern management and schooling techniques favour praising workers or students, the new research suggests that negative feedback produces more improvement than positive affirmation. In fact, punishments were up to three times more effective at improving performance than rewards. Dr Jan Kubanek, of the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, US, who lead the study, said: "Our study suggests that negative feedback may be more effective than positive feedback at modifying behaviour. “Such feedback does not have to be harsh, since it appears that we tend to react in the same manner to any amount of negative feedback. "From an evolutionary perspective, people tend to avoid punishments or dangerous situations. Rewards, on the other hand, have less of a life-threatening impact." • School reward culture is harming education • Stop using classroom gimmicks and educate children properly, Michael Gove tells teachers • How to keep kids motivated at school The research involved 88 students who were asked to identify the number of clicks sounded in their right and left ears. Every time a student made a correct choice they were rewarded with a cash sum. But if they gave a wrong answer they had money deducted. The research showed that those who had money deducted were more likely to make a correct choice in later rounds. "Objectively, you would think that winning 25 cents would have the same magnitude of effect as losing 25 cents, but that's not what we found,” added Dr Kubanek. Past studies on the effects of rewards and punishments on behaviour have been unclear, said the authors. According to the research, in some situations it may be better to deduct points when students are wrong rather than reward them for correct answers. This may help students avoid making the same mistake again. Co-author and psychologist Prof Richard Adams said: "The question of how rewards and punishments influence behaviour has occupied psychologists for over 100 years. "The difficulty has been devising effective tasks to probe that question. We used a simple approach that reveals dramatic differences in the way people respond to different types of feedback." The findings were published in the science journal Cognition. ||||| When it comes to rewards and punishments, which is more effective -- the carrot or the stick? A simple experiment devised at Washington University in St. Louis suggests that punishments are more likely to influence behavior than rewards. The results, which stem from a study involving 88 students at the university, are available online in the journal Cognition. The study found that losses -- or punishments -- had a measured impact two to three times greater than gains -- or rewards. In one study group, students listened to a series of clicking noises and indicated whether they heard more clicks in the left or right ear. In another group, students watched for flashes of light on a screen and indicated whether they saw more flashes on the right or left side. The number of clicks and flashes on each side were randomized and often very close together, making the task challenging and the students often uncertain of the correct response. Every time a student made a choice, the researchers randomly displayed a token for 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25 cents that was given as a reward for the correct answer or taken away as a punishment for an incorrect response. As might be expected, when a student was rewarded, he or she tended to repeat the previous choice. And that tendency grew stronger as the award increased. When a student was punished, he or she strongly avoided the previous choice. However, unlike the response to a reward, no matter how large a sum was lost, the students showed a strong and consistent tendency to avoid the previous choice. This was true in both groups -- among those who heard clicks and those who viewed flashes -- demonstrating that the stimulus itself didn't matter. "Objectively, you'd think that winning 25 cents would have the same magnitude of effect as losing 25 cents, but that's not what we find," said the study's lead author, Jan Kubanek, PhD, a postdoctoral research associate in anatomy and neurobiology at Washington University School of Medicine. Past studies that focused on the effects of rewards and punishments on behavior have been complex, and it has been difficult to separately evaluate the distinct effects of rewards and punishments. In this study, because the stimulus -- clicks or flashes -- was random from trial to trial, the researchers were able to more easily pinpoint the effect of a reward or punishment on the subsequent behavior. The study, performed in collaboration with Richard A. Abrams, PhD, professor of psychology, may help in the understanding of learning behaviors. For example, would students learn more efficiently if their teachers rewarded correct answers or pointed out incorrect ones? According to this research, in some situations it may be better to deduct points when students are wrong than to reward them for correct answers. This may help students avoid making the same mistake again. "The question of how rewards and punishments influence behavior has occupied psychologists for over 100 years," said Abrams. "The difficulty has been devising effective tasks to probe that question. We used a simple approach that reveals dramatic differences in the way people respond to different types of feedback." Added Kubanek: "Regarding teaching strategies, our study suggests that negative feedback may be more effective than positive feedback at modifying behavior. Our study showed that such feedback does not have to be harsh, since it appears that we tend to react in the same manner to any amount of negative feedback. From an evolutionary perspective, people tend to avoid punishments or dangerous situations. Rewards, on the other hand, have less of a life-threatening impact." This could help explain why students in the study strongly avoided repeating mistakes, no matter how big the punishment was. The researchers next plan to look at how behavioral changes in response to rewards and punishments are encoded in the brain. "Do the neural signals in our brain also show discrepancies between how we react to rewards and punishments?" Kubanek asked. "Studying the neural mechanism involved may help us better understand and possibly alleviate neurological disorders in which the associated processes go awry." This research was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), grant numbers EY012135 and EY002687.

– Do people learn better by being rewarded for the right behavior—or punished for doing wrong? A new study offers a harsh answer: The stick beats the carrot. Researchers at Washington University of St. Louis had 88 students perform a challenging task. Some listened to a randomized bunch of clicks in each ear and had to say which side heard more; others saw flashing lights on the left and right of a screen and had to make a similar judgment. Each time they made a decision, they either got a reward—a token worth a randomized amount from 5 to 25 cents—or a punishment, in the form of losing such a token, Science Daily reports. When subjects received a reward, they were more likely to repeat the same answer the next time around, and the bigger the reward, the more likely they were to stick with the same answer. But when subjects were punished, they were careful to avoid repeating the same answer, and the amount of the sum lost didn't seem to matter. Ultimately, punishments had two to three times the effect on behavior seen with rewards, researchers found. The findings run counter to much current practice in education and management, the Telegraph notes. "Negative feedback may be more effective than positive feedback at modifying behavior," says a researcher. But “such feedback does not have to be harsh, since it appears that we tend to react in the same manner to any amount of negative feedback." In other words, the stick doesn't have to be so big. (Although a whole different approach might be needed when it comes to psychopaths, whose brains appear not to register punishment.)

Croatia soccer fans shout chants and cheer prior to a television broadcast of the Russia 2018 World Cup match between France and Croatia in downtown Zagreb, Croatia, Sunday, July 15, 2018. (AP Photo/Darko... (Associated Press) MOSCOW (AP) — The Latest on Sunday at the World Cup (all times local): 7:54 p.m. France has clinched its second World Cup title with a 4-2 win over Croatia in a dramatic final in Moscow featuring a series of firsts and a pitch invasion orchestrated by Russian protest group Pussy Riot. France led 2-1 at halftime courtesy of the first own-goal and the first video-reviewed penalty in a World Cup final. The own-goal off the top of Mario Mandzukic's head was the 12th of the tournament. That's double the previous World Cup record of six. Croatia rallied to equalize on a terrific left-foot strike by Ivan Perisic, but France took the lead right back when Perisic handled the ball in the area. Argentine referee Nestor Pitana initially didn't call the handball but awarded the spot kick after a video review. Antoine Griezmann converted the penalty to put France back in front. Four pitch invaders disrupted the game in the 52nd minute for about a minute before being dragged away by security and police. Punk rock group Pussy Riot quickly claimed responsibility for the pitch invasion via social media, saying it was a protest aimed at ending illegal arrests of protesters and to allow political competition in Russia. Play resumed and France quickly took a 4-1 lead with goals from Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe in the 59th and 65th minutes before Mario Mandzukic pulled one back for the Croatians in the 69th. Croatia was playing in its first World Cup final. For France, it was a first World Cup crown since winning on home soil in 1998. ___ 7:29 p.m. France has a 4-2 lead over Croatia after 70 minutes of a World Cup final that has featured a series of firsts including an own goal and a penalty awarded after a video review. And a pitch invasion for which the Russian punk rock group Pussy Riot has claimed responsibility. France led 2-1 at half time and extended the lead to 4-1 with goals from Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe in the 59th and 65th minutes before Mario Mandzukic pulled one back for the Croatians in the 69th. France is aiming for its second World Cup title. Croatia is playing in the World Cup final for the first time. ___ 7:22 p.m. Pussy Riot has claimed responsibility for the four pitch invaders who disrupted the World Cup final between France and Croatia in Moscow. Just after Croatia goalkeeper saved Kylian Mlbappe in the 52nd minute, four people emerged from the other end of the field. One made it to the center circle. They were quickly tackled by security, and the match resumed after a delay of about one minute. The balaclava-clad women of Pussy Riot, a Russian punk rock group, rose to global prominence with their daring outdoor performances critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2012 that sent two members to prison for nearly two years. The band says in a statement posted on their Twitter feed that the disruption was a protest. Before being hauled away, one woman managed to reach the center of the field and share a double high-five with France forward Kylian Mbappe, who had a shot saved a minute earlier. "Hello everyone from the Luzhniki field, it's great here," the group said on Twitter, and released a statement calling for the freeing of political prisoners, an end to "illegal arrests" of protesters and to "allow political competition" in Russia. ___ 7:18 p.m. Paul Pogba has given France a 3-1 lead over Croatia in the World Cup final with a goal in the 59th minute. Pogba made a lengthy diagonal, cross-field pass to Mbappe, who sped up the right flank. He dribbled around Strinic and crossed to Griezmann, who took two touches and cut the ball back to Pogba at the penalty arc. Pogba's initial shot was blocked by Lovren, and Pogba sent in the rebound for his first goal of the tournament. ____ 7:12 p.m. Four people dressed in suits have invaded the pitch during the second half of the World Cup final. The four, who seemed to be wearing peaked caps, approached players and one appeared to share a high five with a France player. Stewards dragged the people off the field after a total disruption of almost a minute while France was leading 2-1. ___ 7 p.m. Records are falling like the rain coming down on the field after a wild first half of the World Cup final in Moscow. France has a 2-1 lead over Croatia courtesy of the first own-goal and the first video-reviewed penalty in a World Cup final. The own-goal off the top of Mario Mandzukic's head was the 12th of the tournament. That's double the previous World Cup record of six. Croatia rallied to equalize on a terrific left-foot strike by Ivan Perisic, but France took the lead right back when Perisic handled the ball in the area. Argentine referee Nestor Pitana initially didn't call the handball but spoke into his headset with colleagues in the video booth, then made the box-shaped symbol for a video review. He awarded the spot kick shortly afterward, which Antoine Griezmann sent into the net to put France back in front. This is the first World Cup in which video review has been used. ___ 6:48 p.m. France leads Croatia 2-1 at halftime as it works toward its first World Cup title in 20 years. The first half ended with thunder rolling over Moscow after France regained the lead from an Antoine Griezmann penalty in the 38th minute following the first use of video review in a World Cup final. France had taken the lead in the 18th through Mario Mandzukic's own-goal — the first in a World Cup final and a record 12th in the tournament — off a Griezmann free kick, before Croatia's Ivan Perisic equalized with a fierce left-foot strike 10 minutes later. Perisic was also the player who conceded the penalty with a handball at a corner. It is already the highest-scoring World Cup final since France won its only previous title in 1998, beating Brazil 3-0. Croatia is playing in the World Cup final for the first time. ___ 6:38 p.m. Antoine Griezmann has given France a 2-1 lead over Croatia with a penalty after the first call made using a video review in a World Cup final. Griezmann hit the ball hard and left as Croatian goalkeeper Danijel Subasic jumped the other way in the 38th minute. The spot-kick was given after the ball bounced off the arm of Croatia's Ivan Perisic at a corner before hitting his leg and going out of play. Perisic had scored for Croatia to level the game at 1-1 in the 28th minute. There was a break of about 90 seconds as referee Nestor Pitana discussed the call with his video assistants and reviewed the footage. ____ 6:28 p.m. Croatia has leveled the score in the World Cup final against France at 1-1 on a goal from Ivan Perisic in the 28th minute. Domagoj Vida got the ball at a free kick and passed it back to Perisic on the edge of the area. The winger controlled the ball with his right foot and used his left to fire it past French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. It's the third goal in seven games for Perisic and the first goal France has conceded since its 4-3 win over Argentina in the round of 16. Croatia has now had equalize in four straight games after conceding the opening goal. All three preceding games went to extra time. ___ 6:18 p.m. France has scored with the first real chance of the World Cup final as Mario Mandzukic headed a free kick into his own net. Antoine Griezmann swung the free kick into a mass of French and Croatian players and Mandzukic diverted the ball into the net, just past goalkeeper Danijel Subasic's outstretched hand in the 18th minute. It was the 12th own goal of the World Cup, an all-time record, and the first ever in a World Cup final. It was the first goal in regulation in a World Cup final since 2006 — the 2010 and 2014 finals were both extra time 1-0 results ___ 6:05 p.m. French fans have packed the Paris fan zone, which holds 90,000, near the Eiffel Tower to watch the World Cup final between France and Croatia. Orio Hamra from the Paris region says, "Yes, I have faith ... They're hungry and 20 years on, it would be beautiful if they won the Cup." Les Bleus' last World Cup victory was in 1998. It was an occasion for all ages to dress up for France, some wrapped in French flags, others painting their faces or donning elaborate headgear in the blue, white and red national colors. Security forces are on the ready throughout France, which celebrated Bastille Day on Saturday, with 110,000 police on duty. ___ 6 p.m. Croatia's Mario Mandzukic has taken the kickoff for his team in the World Cup final against France. As their national anthem rang out around the Luzhniki stadium, Croatian fans unfurled a banner reading, "one heart, one strength, my country Croatia." Both teams were unchanged from the lineups that won their semifinal games. France beat Belgium 1-0, and Croatia beat England 2-1 in extra time. Croatia is playing its first World Cup final. France won its only World Cup title when it hosted the tournament in 1998. ___ 5:54 p.m. The French and Croatian teams are on the field for their World Cup final. The teams emerged from the dressing rooms to stand behind the World Cup trophy, with captains Hugo Lloris and Luka Modric in the lead. Philipp Lahm, Germany's winning captain in 2014, earlier brought out the World Cup trophy with Russian model Natalia Vodianova. Lahm picked up the cup and held it for cheering crowds. France is aiming to win its second World Cup and first since 1998. Croatia has never before gone past the semifinal stage. ___ 5:50 p.m. Croatia's president says no matter what happens in the World Cup final, the unexpected success of her small country's hard-working, underdog team means that "we're a winner." In an interview with The Associated Press, Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic says she wants her once-warring region to come together to support Croatia in the final and Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final. She says "sports brings people together. People in all of our countries are tired of ideological differences, of going back into the past all the time." Ahead of Sunday's final against France in Moscow, she predicts a Croatian victory but says "whatever happens, we're a winner." She has used the victory to raise her country's profile, posing in a red-and-white checkered team jersey at every opportunity — and giving one to U.S. President Donald Trump. ___ 5:35 p.m. The closing ceremony for the World Cup has started. The actor and singer Will Smith is among those performing in the brief show before France plays Croatia in the final. Dozens of people bearing video screens showing moments from the tournament are interspersed among performers dancing in glittery costumes. ___ 5:30 p.m. President Emmanuel Macron of France has been joined by one of his predecessors, Nicolas Sarkozy, as guests of FIFA to see their national team play Croatia in the World Cup final. The president of Croatia, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, is also among 10 heads of state and national leaders at Luzhniki Stadium. They have joined Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the presidents of Belarus, Moldova, Gabon and Sudan. Some western European governments stayed away from the World Cup amid the fallout from the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in England in March. The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, is also here. Qatar hosts the next World Cup in 2022 and the emir attended a handover ceremony at the Kremlin with Putin and FIFA President Gianni Infantino earlier Sunday. ___ 5:15 p.m. There was new signage inside Luzhniki Stadium for the championship between Croatia and France. For the previous six matches, the front of the second and third decks had bright blue backgrounds with "2018 FIFA WORLD CUP RUSSIA" in white in English and Russian, alternating with red backgrounds with "MOSCOW" and "(hashtag)world cup" in white. For the final, there were gold backgrounds with "FINAL2018" in navy blue, alternating with navy blue backgrounds with "MOSCOW," ''FIFA WORLD CUP" in English and Russian and "(hashtag)world cup" on navy backdrops with gold lettering. ____ 5:07 p.m. France and Croatia are on the field at Luzhniki Stadium to warm up for World Cup final with under an hour to go before kickoff. France's goalkeeper Hugo Lloris emerged first to cheers from supporters along with his team's two reserve keepers. French fans waved the tricolor as the rest of the team came out, with defender Lucas Hernandez waving to the stands. Croatian fans gave captain Luka Modric and his teammates a similar greeting minutes later. France is aiming to win its second World Cup and first since 1998, while Croatia has never before gone past the semifinal stage. ___ 5 p.m. Russian President Vladimir Putin will help present the trophy to the winning captain after the World Cup final. FIFA president Gianni Infantino will join Putin for the ceremony on the field at Luzhniki Stadium. The recent World Cup tradition is for presidents of FIFA and the host nation to jointly hand over the gold-and-malachite trophy. Four years ago, then-FIFA leader Sepp Blatter and Brazil's then-president Dilma Rousseff presented the trophy to Germany captain Philipp Lahm. Lahm is bringing the trophy on to the field before France and Croatia kick off at 6 p.m. local time (1500 GMT/11 a.m. EDT) in Moscow. ____ 4:50 p.m. France and Croatia will take unchanged lineups into the World Cup final. France coach Didier Deschamps has retained the starting 11 which beat Belgium 1-0 in the semifinals after Blaise Matuidi returned from a suspension in the quarterfinals. Zlatko Dalic has stuck with Marcelo Brozovic in midfield after he came into the lineup for Croatia's 2-1, extra-time semifinal win over England. That means forward Andrej Kramaric remains on the bench. Lineups: France: Hugo Lloris, Benjamin Pavard, Raphael Varane, Samuel Umtiti, Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud, Kylian Mbappe, N'Golo Kante, Blaise Matuidi, Lucas Hernandez. Croatia lineup: Danijel Subasic, Sime Vrsaljko, Ivan Strinic, Ivan Perisic, Dejan Lovren, Ivan Rakitic, Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic, Mario Mandzukic, Ante Rebic, Domagoj Vida. ___ 4:45 p.m. Braving rainy weather, Croatian fans are gathering in squares and streets around the country ahead of the World Cup final with France. Wearing Croatian team jerseys and waving flags, fans have filled up the central square in the capital Zagreb some two hours before the game kicks off in Russia. Fans have wrapped the square's monument in national red-and-white colors. Croatian media and officials have described the team's run to the World Cup final as the country's most important sports event ever. Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic says "all this has been a wonderful experience ... we should all be happy to be part of it." ___ 4:30 p.m. Thousands of fans have filled the historic Grand Place in Brussels to welcome home the Belgium team after its third-place finish in the World Cup. The Belgian players returned immediately after their 2-0 win over England in the third-place playoff and were first received by King Philippe at the royal palace on Sunday before they were taken in an open bus through the sun-splashed center of Brussels where thousands more stood along the way. The Grand Place only holds 8,000 and was full several hours before the players appeared on the balcony of the gothic city hall to another rapturous round of applause and cheers. ___ 4:15 p.m. Croatia has arrived for the World Cup final. The Croats, who will be playing for the title for the first time, arrived at the Luzhniki Stadium a few minutes after the French squad. Luka Modric, the midfielder who is the driving force in the Croatia team, was one of the first to enter the dressing room. Croatia's best showing before this year was when it reached the semifinals in 1998. But the team lost to host France in that game 20 years ago, and the French team went on to win its only World Cup title. ___ 4:10 p.m. The France team has arrived at the Luzhniki Stadium for the World Cup final against Croatia. The team, escorted by five police motorcycles, arrived in a bus with a French flag adorned to the windows on either side of the vehicle. France coach Didier Deschamps was one of the first off the bus, followed by his players wearing blue training outfits. France is playing for its second World Cup title after winning at home in 1998. Croatia is looking for its first. ____ 3:55 p.m. The World Cup trophy has arrived at the Luzhniki Stadium. France and Croatia will play for soccer's most important title on Sunday, with the winning captain the first to hoist the gold statuette over his head. According to a video posted by FIFA , the trophy was driven to the stadium and arrived packed in a hard case. ___ 3:40 p.m. The Croatian president has called on Russians to support Croatia in the World Cup final. In a video message recorded on a plane and posted to Facebook , Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic says in Russian "You are great hosts. Support Croatia today. Let's be happy together." Dressed in Croatian red-and-white, she then leads a chant of "Croatia, Croatia, Croatia." Croatia's political and football leaders have tried to smooth over relations with Russia after their team knocked the host nation out in the quarterfinals. After that game, some Russian social media users were angered when Croatia defender Domagoj Vida praised neighboring Ukraine in a video posted online. Vida has apologized for any offense, saying he meant to pay tribute to friends in Ukraine and not to comment on the political tension between Ukraine and Russia. Grabar-Kitarovic met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin and praised the country's hosting of the World Cup. Grabar-Kitarovic says, "This championship really has been an example for everybody. You not only ensured the fans free movement, but you prevented any kind of incident prevented any kind of expressions that could be characterized as showing hatred." ___ 3:15 p.m. The area around Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium is filling up with fans, with less than three hours before the World Cup final kicks off. Croatia fans appear to have the French outnumbered as their country plays in its first final. France is aiming to win the trophy for the second time after a 20-year wait. Some Croatia fans have turned up wearing water-polo caps in national colors, something which became a national trend when defender Vedran Corluka wore one following a head injury at the 2016 European Championship. There are fans from all over the world at the stadium, with the flags of China, Ecuador, Germany, Morocco and England all on display. ___ 3 p.m. Russian President Vladimir Putin has formally passed the torch to Qatar for the World Cup in 2022. Ahead of the final in Moscow between France and Croatia, Putin has met at the Kremlin with Qatar's emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Putin says Russia's World Cup has been a success and "I am sure that our friend from Qatar will succeed at holding the FIFA 2022 World Cup at the same highest level." Putin ceremonially handed a football to the emir to mark the transfer to Qatar, which will be the first Arab country to host the tournament. The emir says through a translator that the World Cup "will be a huge and great festival for all our country." ___ 2 p.m. France or Croatia? One of those two teams will become World Cup champion later Sunday. The French, who won their only World Cup title at home in 1998, will be playing in their third final in 20 years. The Croats have the chance to win the biggest prize in soccer for the first time. The match at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow caps a month-long tournament that started with 32 teams playing in 12 stadiums around Russia. ___ More AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/WorldCup ||||| We remember when we were imprisoned, we received news about hundreds of activists around the world putting on balaclavas and going to the streets to support us. That was the moment we understood we are not alone. But we should not forget that even though we’ve come to the other side of the fence, there are still hundreds of political prisoners behind bars waiting for your support. We received a lot of letters, smiles, and noise from you. To continue we’re calling on you today to raise attention to two guys from Ukraine: film director Oleg Sentsov and anarchist Olexandr Kolchenko, who are in Russian prison right now. Sentsov got 20 years in prison, Kolchenko got 10 years. Because they, like you, did not sit by — they were fighting for their freedom in Crimea, which was annexed by Putin. During the investigation in Russia Oleg Sentsov was tortured and two months ago, after our action, he was transported to a penal colony with some of the cruelest conditions in Russia — “Polar Bear.” We decided to do an action right now, while we are in New York, with activists here because we believe there are no borders to our solidarity. We came to occupy Trump Tower to call attention to political prisoners. We believe that political prisoners and their protection are more important than the sexist bullshit that people have been focused on. Defending political prisoners is an issue that transcends borders. We are acting in solidarity against leaders like Putin, who has exercised authoritarian force and Trump, who is displaying authoritarian tendencies — because we all need to be fighting together on behalf of dissidents everywhere. We, Pussy Riot, invite you to join our fabulous and bold path: ask questions of your politicians who shake hands with Putin in international forums, support advocacy, go out into the streets. And put on your own political, public actions too. 426 30

– France has clinched its second World Cup title with a 4-2 win over Croatia in a dramatic final in Moscow featuring a series of firsts and a pitch invasion orchestrated by Russian protest group Pussy Riot, the AP reports. France led 2-1 at halftime courtesy of the first own-goal and the first video-reviewed penalty in a World Cup final. The own-goal off the top of Mario Mandzukic's head was the 12th of the tournament. That's double the previous World Cup record of six. Croatia rallied to equalize on a terrific left-foot strike by Ivan Perisic, but France took the lead right back when Perisic handled the ball in the area. Argentine referee Nestor Pitana initially didn't call the handball but awarded the spot kick after a video review. Antoine Griezmann converted the penalty to put France back in front. Four pitch invaders disrupted the game in the 52nd minute for about a minute before being dragged away by security and police. Punk rock group Pussy Riot quickly claimed responsibility for the pitch invasion via social media, saying it was a protest aimed at ending illegal arrests of protesters and to allow political competition in Russia. Play resumed and France quickly took a 4-1 lead with goals from Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe in the 59th and 65th minutes before Mario Mandzukic pulled one back for the Croatians in the 69th. Croatia was playing in its first World Cup final. For France, it was a first World Cup crown since winning on home soil in 1998.

See more of Larissa Waters on Facebook ||||| Alia Joy Waters is just weeks old. But she has already made political history in Australia by becoming the first baby to be breast fed in the Australian parliament. Senator Larissa Waters returned to parliament today for the first time since giving birth to her second daughter earlier this year, bringing Alia Joy with her while she voted. And when her baby needed it, she didn't hesitate to feed her. Afterwards, she wrote on Twitter: "So proud that my daughter Alia is the first baby to be breastfed in the federal Parliament! We need more #women & parents in Parli." ||||| THE Australian Senate is used to childish behaviour but next week could deliver a legitimate outcry from an actual child. Just 10 weeks after giving birth, Queensland Senator Larissa Waters is returning to work with her daughter, Alia Joy, in tow – and she plans to breastfeed her in the Senate chamber. media_camera Senator Larissa Waters at work with partner Jeremy Gates, who has scaled back his digital marketing agency to be a full-time dad. Picture: Jono Searle Breastfeeding has been permitted in the chamber since 2003, but Alia will be the first. “If she’s hungry, that’s what you do, you feed your baby,” Senator Waters said. The 40-year-old Greens senator last year successfully extended breastfeeding rules in the Senate to include caring for an infant. media_camera Kelly O’Dwyer – with then four-month-old Olivia – managed to survive a push to unseat her as a Cabinet minister after she gave birth. media_camera Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young in 2009, around the time that two-year-old Kora was infamously ejected from the Senate. She will be joined in Canberra by her partner, Jeremy Gates, who has scaled back his digital marketing agency to be a full-time dad. He can bring Alia into the chamber when she needs some mother time. “I hope she doesn’t squawk her head off too much, but she’s probably going to be better behaved than many of the people in that room,” Senator Waters said. In 2009, Senator Sarah ­Hanson-Young’s two-year-old daughter, Kora, was infamously ejected from the Senate. Senator Waters said the rule changes were designed to encourage more parenting Australians to enter parliament to ensure it is representative of the community. “It is important we make all workplaces more family friendly, not just parliament,” she said. Senator Waters said the recent unsuccessful push to unseat Cabinet minister and fellow new mum Kelly O’Dwyer shows how women still face workplace discrimination. “That was atrocious, but sadly, it’s not that uncommon,” she said. “One in five women experience severe discrimination on the basis of their parenthood. It is a very sobering statistic, and it’s really disheartening for people to see that even Cabinet ministers can be subjected to that as well.”

– Australian Sen. Larissa Waters made history with her 2-month-old daughter Alia Joy on Tuesday. The Australian Greens party member became the first mother to breastfeed a baby in the Parliament chamber, winning praise for setting an example for mothers in the workplace, the Telegraph reports. Other lawmakers in countries including Argentina and Spain have breastfed their babies in parliament chambers, and Icelandic MP Unnur Bra Konradsdottir fed her baby while delivering a speech last year, though breastfeeding remains banned in parliaments in countries such as the UK. Last year, Waters introduced rule changes that made it easier for lawmakers to bring children to work, saying it is "important we make all workplaces more family friendly, not just Parliament," the Courier-Mail reports. "I'll be having a few more weeks off but will soon be back in Parliament with this little one in tow," Waters wrote in a Facebook post announcing Alia Joy's birth in March. "She is even more inspiration for continuing our work to address gender inequality and stem dangerous climate change. (And yes, if she's hungry, she will be breastfed in the Senate chamber.)"

At a campaign event in Birmingham, Ala., on Saturday, Nov. 21, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump demands the removal of a well-known activist Mercutio Southall Jr. after he shouts, "Black lives matter!" (Reuters) BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Donald Trump said Sunday that the protester who interrupted his rally at a convention center here on Saturday morning was “so obnoxious and so loud” that “maybe he should have been roughed up.” [Trump defends bogus Muslim claim and rough treatment of black protesters] Mercutio Southall Jr. — a well-known local activist who has been repeatedly arrested while fighting what he says is unfair treatment of blacks — interrupted Trump’s rally and could be heard shouting, “Black lives matter!” A fight broke out, prompting Trump to briefly halt his remarks and demand the removal of Southall. “Get him the hell out of here, will you, please?” Trump said on Saturday morning. “Get him out of here. Throw him out!” At one point, Southall fell to the ground and was surrounded by several white men who appeared to be kicking and punching him, according to video captured by CNN. A Washington Post reporter in the crowd watched as one of the men put his hands on Southall’s neck and heard a female onlooker repeatedly shout: “Don’t choke him!” As security officers got Southall on his feet and led him out of the building, he was repeatedly pushed and shoved by people in the crowd. The crowd alternated between booing and cheering. There were chants of “All lives matter!” [Conservative suspicions of refugees grow in wake of Paris attacks] “Maybe he should have been roughed up, because it was absolutely disgusting what he was doing,” Trump said on the Fox News Channel on Sunday morning. “I have a lot of fans, and they were not happy about it. And this was a very obnoxious guy who was a trouble-maker who was looking to make trouble.” That was a change in tone from just a month ago, when Trump would regularly tell his audiences not to harm the protesters who often infiltrate his rallies. “Don’t hurt ’em,” Trump said at a rally in Miami on Oct. 23 as pro-immigration activists were led out. “You can get ’em out, but don’t hurt ’em.” 1 of 12 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad × Black Lives Matter members grab microphone from Bernie Sanders View Photos Members of the Black Lives Matter Seattle chapter took the stage and forced Bernie Sanders to the side at an event in Seattle. One of the women, Marissa Janae Johnson, asked the crowd to “join us now in holding Bernie Sanders accountable” for not doing enough to address police brutality. Caption Members of the Black Lives Matter Seattle chapter took the stage and forced Bernie Sanders to the side at an event in Seattle. One of the women, Marissa Janae Johnson, asked the crowd to “join us now in holding Bernie Sanders accountable” for not doing enough to address police brutality. Members of the Seattle chapter of Black Lives Matter took over the microphone just after Sanders began to speak and refused to relinquish it. Sanders eventually left the stage without speaking further and instead waded into the crowd to greet supporters. Elaine Thompson/AP Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue. The Republican front-runner has long made provocative statements a hallmark of his campaign. Critics and rivals have said that Trump is stoking racial tension. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush said Trump’s comments about Islam are “manipulating people’s angst and their fears.” Saturday’s racially charged altercation occurred in Birmingham, famous in the 1960s as a center of the civil rights struggle. The thousands who attended Trump’s rally were nearly all white in a city with a black majority. Southall told the AL.com news site that the commotion started as he began recording himself and other protesters at the rally and saying that he wanted “Donald Trump to know he’s not welcome here.” Southall said someone knocked the phone out of his hand and made a racial slur. Then there was pushing and punches started flying, Southall told the news site. A swarm of security officers quickly made their way through the crowd of several thousand, got Southall off the ground and walked him out of the building. Trump has had Secret Service protection since Nov. 11, and those who attend his rallies and political events must now walk through metal detectors and have their bags searched. “He was so obnoxious and so loud, he was screaming,” Trump recounted in the Fox News interview on Sunday. “I had 10,000 people in the room yesterday, 10,000 people, and this guy started screaming by himself.” [Anti-Islam rhetoric increases on GOP campaign trail] As Southall was removed Saturday, Trump recounted how Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders responded to Black Lives Matter activists who came onstage during an event earlier this year. “You see, he was politically correct,” Trump said. “Two young women came up to the podium. They took over his microphone. I promise you, that’s not going to happen with me. I promise you. Never going to happen. Not going to happen. Can’t let that stuff happen.” Before the fight broke out, Trump had warned the audience that Islamic State fighters might recruit their children online and called for an impenetrable wall along the southern border, prompting the crowd to chant: “Build a wall! Build a wall! Build a wall!” In his nearly hour-long speech, Trump listed graphic details of killings committed by people who had entered the country illegally, promised to bar Syrian refugees from living in the United States because they might be terrorists and called for heavy surveillance of “certain mosques.” “I want surveillance of these people that are coming in, the Trojan horse. I want to know who the hell they are,” Trump said. “I don’t want the people from Syria coming in, because we don’t know who they are. We don’t know who they are. And I don’t want them coming in.” Trump also said he watched as “thousands and thousands of people” in New Jersey cheered the fall of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, giving the impression that he was talking about Muslims living in the United States being happy that so many Americans died in the attacks. Officials have repeatedly debunked these rumors. Trump stood by his comments during an interview on ABC News on Sunday, saying that the cheers came from the “large Arab populations” in New Jersey. “It did happen. I saw it,” Trump said. “It was on television. I saw it.” [Donald Trump calls for heavy surveillance of "certain mosques"] From the media area, reporters strained to see what was happening Saturday at the Trump event here in Birmingham. As CNN reporter Jeremy Diamond managed to make a video of the incident before Trump staff forced him back into the media pen. As the video circulated on social media that night, some of Trump’s supporters took to Twitter to call the protesters “thugs,” “Dem plants” and a variety of obscene names. Several wrote that the protesters opened themselves up to the possibility of violence by attending the rally. [Nine things that happened during Donald Trump's rally in Worcester] Trump grew agitated as reporters shifted their focus to the protesters and away from him and his thousands of supporters. “Look at those bloodsuckers back there,” Trump said. “They’re turned around, and they’re following the people, right? Because you have a small group of people that made some noise and are being thrown out on their ass. Right?” The crowd roared with cheers. Amber Phillips contributed to this report. ||||| Birmingham, Alabama (CNN) Donald Trump suggested Sunday the half-dozen white attendees at his campaign rally on Saturday may have reacted appropriately when they shoved, tackled, punched and kicked a black protester who disrupted his speech. "Maybe he should have been roughed up because it was absolutely disgusting what he was doing," Trump said Sunday morning on Fox News, less than 24 hours after his campaign said it "does not condone" the physical altercation. Trump was not asked by the Fox News hosts about the comments made by his campaign. Trump appears on stage with Nick Jonas and Giuliana Rancic during the 2013 Miss USA pageant. Trump has been executive producer of the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants since 1996. Trump appears on stage with Nick Jonas and Giuliana Rancic during the 2013 Miss USA pageant. Trump has been executive producer of the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants since 1996. Trump speaks in Sarasota, Florida, after accepting the Statesman of the Year Award at the Sarasota GOP dinner in August 2012. It was just before the Republican National Convention in nearby Tampa. Trump speaks in Sarasota, Florida, after accepting the Statesman of the Year Award at the Sarasota GOP dinner in August 2012. It was just before the Republican National Convention in nearby Tampa. In 2012, Trump announces his endorsement of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. In May 2012, on CNN's "The Situation Room," Trump said that President Barack Obama's birthplace is a matter of opinion. In regards to the President's Hawaiian birth certificate , Trump said "a lot of people do not think it was an authentic certificate." A supporter comes out for Trump at a tea party event in Boca Raton, Florida, in April 2011. Trump said he had considered running for President in 2012. A supporter comes out for Trump at a tea party event in Boca Raton, Florida, in April 2011. Trump said he had considered running for President in 2012. In 2009, Trump announced his resignation as chairman of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Days later, Trump Entertainment Resorts filed for bankruptcy. In 2009, Trump announced his resignation as chairman of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Days later, Trump Entertainment Resorts filed for bankruptcy. Trump holds a copy of his book "Think Big and Kick Ass in Business and Life" at a book signing in New York in 2007. He has published 16 books, according to his website. For "The Apprentice," Trump was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in January 2007. For "The Apprentice," Trump was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in January 2007. Trump attends the U.S. Open tennis tournament with his third wife, Melania Knauss-Trump, and their son, Barron William Trump, in 2006. Trump and Knauss married in 2005. Trump has five children from three marriages. Trump attends the U.S. Open tennis tournament with his third wife, Melania Knauss-Trump, and their son, Barron William Trump, in 2006. Trump and Knauss married in 2005. Trump has five children from three marriages. Trump wrestles with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin at WrestleMania in 2007. Trump has close ties with the WWE and its CEO, Vince McMahon. Trump wrestles with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin at WrestleMania in 2007. Trump has close ties with the WWE and its CEO, Vince McMahon. A 12-inch talking Trump doll is on display at a toy store in New York in September 2004. A 12-inch talking Trump doll is on display at a toy store in New York in September 2004. An advertisement for the television show "The Apprentice" hangs at Trump Towers in New York in 2004. The show launched in January of that year. In January 2008, the show returned as "Celebrity Apprentice." An advertisement for the television show "The Apprentice" hangs at Trump Towers in New York in 2004. The show launched in January of that year. In January 2008, the show returned as "Celebrity Apprentice." Trump dips his second wife, Marla Maples, after the couple married in a private ceremony in New York in December 1993. The couple divorced in 1999. Trump dips his second wife, Marla Maples, after the couple married in a private ceremony in New York in December 1993. The couple divorced in 1999. Trump was married to Ivana Zelnicek Trump from 1977-1990, when they divorced. They had three children together. Trump was married to Ivana Zelnicek Trump from 1977-1990, when they divorced. They had three children together. Trump stands with Alfred Eisenpreis, New York's economic development administrator, in 1976 while they look at a sketch of a new 1,400-room renovation project of the Commodore Hotel. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1968, Trump worked with his father on developments in Queens and Brooklyn before purchasing or building multiple properties in New York and Atlantic City, New Jersey. Those properties included Trump Tower in New York and Trump Plaza and multiple casinos in Atlantic City. Trump stands with Alfred Eisenpreis, New York's economic development administrator, in 1976 while they look at a sketch of a new 1,400-room renovation project of the Commodore Hotel. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1968, Trump worked with his father on developments in Queens and Brooklyn before purchasing or building multiple properties in New York and Atlantic City, New Jersey. Those properties included Trump Tower in New York and Trump Plaza and multiple casinos in Atlantic City. Real estate developer and entrepreneur Donald Trump has been in the spotlight for years. From producing and starring in TV shows to campaigning for the U.S. presidency, see how he's shaped his empire. Real estate developer and entrepreneur Donald Trump has been in the spotlight for years. From producing and starring in TV shows to campaigning for the U.S. presidency, see how he's shaped his empire. The protester, 31-year-old Black Lives Matter activist Mercutio Southall, said the attendees who attacked him also called him and two fellow protestors "monkeys" and the N-word. He told CNN he was "swarmed" by attendees at the Trump event after he and the others began chanting "Dump the Trump" and "Black Lives Matter" during the Republican front-runner's speech to several thousand supporters. The slurs cannot be heard on the video CNN recorded of the incident, and the network was unable to independently confirm them. Trump had warned in August after Black Lives Matter activists disrupted a Bernie Sanders campaign event that if the movement's activists protested one of his events, they would have a fight on their hands. "That will never happen with me," Trump said after Sanders , a Democratic presidential candidate, let Black Lives Matter activists take over one of his events. "I don't know if I'll do the fighting myself, or if other people will," Trump said then. JUST WATCHED Protester kicked out of Trump rally after altercation Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Protester kicked out of Trump rally after altercation 01:47 As Southall took blows on Saturday, Trump tried to press on with his stump speech, but paused to remark at the apparent disruption and said, "Get 'em the hell out of here." Southall, who said his grandparents crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge in the historic march from Selma to Montgomery, compared the experience to facing a "lynch mob." "I got punched in the face, I got punched in the neck. I got kicked in the chest. Kicked in the stomach. Somebody stepped on my hand," Southall said, describing his injuries in a phone call with CNN late Saturday. Southall said the man in a blue-checkered shirt who appears to take a fighting stance in CNN's video of the altercation also choked him while he was on the ground. Southall said the choking only stopped when he punched the man in the groin. A woman in the video can be heard shouting, "Don't choke him, don't choke him, don't choke him." Southall and two other activists, including Carlos Havers of the National Action Network, entered the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex with tickets to Trump's rally after police outside the event moved their planned protest with a dozen other activists away from the entrance to the campaign event. The plan, Southall and Havers said, was to protest the rhetoric Trump engages in on the campaign trail -- rhetoric that the two believe incited the violence they faced on Saturday. 14 photos: The many facial expressions of Donald Trump 14 photos: The many facial expressions of Donald Trump Many people on the Internet decided that GOP candidate Donald Trump is the most expressive person running for president. Here's a look at his many facial expressions: Hide Caption 1 of 14 14 photos: The many facial expressions of Donald Trump Trump speaks about illegal immigration July 10 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Hide Caption 2 of 14 14 photos: The many facial expressions of Donald Trump Trump speaks to guests gathered for a campaign event at the Grand River Center in Dubuque, Iowa, on August 25. Hide Caption 3 of 14 14 photos: The many facial expressions of Donald Trump Trump visits his Scottish golf course Turnberry on July 30. Hide Caption 4 of 14 14 photos: The many facial expressions of Donald Trump Trump speaks during a rally August 21 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. Hide Caption 5 of 14 14 photos: The many facial expressions of Donald Trump Trump eats a pork chop on a stick while attending the Iowa State Fair on August 15. Hide Caption 6 of 14 14 photos: The many facial expressions of Donald Trump Trump flashes a thumbs-up as he arrives for the start of the first presidential debate August 6 in Cleveland. Hide Caption 7 of 14 14 photos: The many facial expressions of Donald Trump Trump participates in the Republican debate in Cleveland. Hide Caption 8 of 14 14 photos: The many facial expressions of Donald Trump Trump arrives for jury duty in New York on August 17. Hide Caption 9 of 14 14 photos: The many facial expressions of Donald Trump Trump walks his Turnberry golf course on July 30. Hide Caption 10 of 14 14 photos: The many facial expressions of Donald Trump Trump at Turnberry on July 30. Hide Caption 11 of 14 14 photos: The many facial expressions of Donald Trump Trump talks to the media in Laredo, Texas, during a trip to the Mexico border on July 23. Hide Caption 12 of 14 14 photos: The many facial expressions of Donald Trump Trump greets onlookers after taping an interview with Anderson Cooper at a Trump-owned building in New York on July 22. Hide Caption 13 of 14 14 photos: The many facial expressions of Donald Trump Trump exits New York Supreme Court after jury duty on August 17. Hide Caption 14 of 14 "When you have a candidate going around spewing hatred and racism, that's to be expected," Havers said of the physical altercation. "He was really inciting the entire thing." Trump campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks told CNN on Saturday that "the campaign does not condone this behavior." She declined to elaborate on Trump's reaction to the confrontation. It is unlikely Trump could see the confrontation unfold from his vantage point on the stage, but was reacting to the apparent presence of protesters. Still, Southall and Havers said they hold Trump responsible for how they were treated at the campaign event. "He does condone it because he was the one saying, 'Yeah, get them out of here.' He was the one telling the supporters to do what they needed to to get them out of here," Havers said. "We want an apology from Donald Trump himself. We want him to sit down with us and explain why he did what he did and why's he's going around the country spewing hatred and racism." Southall said he intends to press charges against those who assaulted him at the event, and said the police officers who escorted him out of the event at no point asked him if he wished to do so. He also said they did not offer medical attention. "They were too busy trying to get me the f--- out of there. They weren't trying to be nothing but just getting me the f--- out of there. That was their whole concern," Southall said of the police officers who escorted him out of the event several minutes into the altercation between Southall and the half-dozen attendees. Birmingham Police Lt. Sean Edwards, the department's public information officer, told CNN on Saturday that Southall did not require medical attention and did not ask to press charges. 16 photos: 'Black lives matter' protests 16 photos: 'Black lives matter' protests Demonstrators chant during a rally in downtown Manhattan on December 13. Hide Caption 1 of 16 16 photos: 'Black lives matter' protests Police arrest a "Black Lives Matter" protester on Saturday, December 20, in Bloomington, Minnesota. Invoking the familiar names of blacks who died at the hands of police, including Eric Garner, Michael Brown and Tamir Rice, thousands have taken part in protests across the country calling for a more aggressive federal response to recent slayings by police. Hide Caption 2 of 16 16 photos: 'Black lives matter' protests Thousands of protesters fill the Mall of America in Bloomington on Saturday, December 20. Hide Caption 3 of 16 16 photos: 'Black lives matter' protests Police line up to move the protesters from out of the mall on December 20 in Bloomington. Hide Caption 4 of 16 16 photos: 'Black lives matter' protests Mikela Mosley speaks out in front of a line of police during a demonstration on Saturday, December 13, in Oakland, California. Hide Caption 5 of 16 16 photos: 'Black lives matter' protests A protester is arrested at a demonstration on December 13 in Oakland. Hide Caption 6 of 16 16 photos: 'Black lives matter' protests Demonstrators march over the inbound lane of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York on December 13. Hide Caption 7 of 16 16 photos: 'Black lives matter' protests Protesters stage a "die-in" during a march in Chicago on December 13. Hide Caption 8 of 16 16 photos: 'Black lives matter' protests Demonstrators face off with police during a march in Chicago on December 13. Hide Caption 9 of 16 16 photos: 'Black lives matter' protests Protesters march through the streets of Oakland on December 13. Hide Caption 10 of 16 16 photos: 'Black lives matter' protests Protesters gather at the Alameda County Courthouse in Oakland on December 13. Hide Caption 11 of 16 16 photos: 'Black lives matter' protests A demonstrator marches in New York on December 13 during the "Justice for All" rally. Hide Caption 12 of 16 16 photos: 'Black lives matter' protests The protest moves down Sixth Avenue in New York on December 13. Hide Caption 13 of 16 16 photos: 'Black lives matter' protests A woman marches down 14th Street in New York on December 13. Hide Caption 14 of 16 16 photos: 'Black lives matter' protests From left, Samaira Rice, the mother of Tamir Rice; Lesley McSpadden, the mother of Michael Brown Jr.; the Rev. Al Sharpton and Michael Brown Sr., the father of Michael Brown Jr, raise their hands in the air during the "Justice For All" march and rally through Washington on December 13. Hide Caption 15 of 16 16 photos: 'Black lives matter' protests Protesters fill the street as they gather for a march on December 13 in Washington. Hide Caption 16 of 16 Edwards said the department tried to contact him later Saturday at several numbers but could not reach him. Edwards said his officers "didn't see" the violent confrontation take place, but said Southall is welcome to file a police report and press charges. "I would be a little cautious with Mercutio Southall," Edwards added. "He has been an agitator from day one. Mercutio is always the agitator." Speaking on the campaign trail, Trump has repeatedly touted his strong relationship with minorities, from Hispanics to African-Americans -- noting that he is assured victory in the general election if he can win the African-American vote. But Trump's controversial comments about racial and religious minorities -- from Hispanics to, more recently, Muslims -- have strained his relationship with people of color. Trump kicked off his campaign by calling Mexican immigrants who enter the U.S. illegally "criminals" and "rapists" and lately has said he would either shut down or launch surveillance operations targeting mosques, and has appeared open to establishing a database for all Muslims in the U.S. Southall, a father to three sons, said he was disheartened by the experience and said he hoped publicity around the incident could help serve as a wake-up call in a country that he said has ignored racial divides for far too long. "This is the ugly truth of America. It was there like literally and figuratively in black and white. We saw it. We see it daily," Southall said. "It shows what kind of America we live in now and what kind of America it will be with Trump at the helm."

– A Black Lives Matter protester locked horns with Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Birmingham, Ala., on Saturday, and neither one of them emerged very happy from the encounter, reports the Washington Post. Mercutio Southall Jr., who the Post describes as a well-known activist and the founder of the Birmingham chapter of Black Lives Matter, began chanting at a Trump rally, prompting Trump to tell security to "Get him the hell out of here, will you, please?" A scuffle apparently ensued as security moved to remove Southall, cell phone video was recorded, and Southall emerged saying that he had been roughed up considerably as well as been called racial slurs. A woman in the video shouts repeatedly, "don't choke him!" "I got punched in the face, I got punched in the neck. I got kicked in the chest. Kicked in the stomach. Somebody stepped on my hand," Southall tells CNN. A Trump rep on Saturday said "the campaign does not condone this behavior," but Trump himself appeared less apologetic in comments Sunday, per CNN. Southall "was so obnoxious and so loud, he was screaming. I had 10,000 people in the room yesterday, 10,000 people, and this guy started screaming by himself and they—I don't know, rough up, he should have been—maybe he should have been roughed up because it was absolutely disgusting what he was doing," Trump said. Southall, for his part, says he intends to press charges.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says he's open to becoming the Republican vice presidential candidate, although he doesn’t give the prospect good odds. “If Gov. [Mitt] Romney were to come and talk to me about it, I’d listen, because I love my party enough and I love my country enough to listen,” Christie said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “But I love being governor of New Jersey,” he said. “If you’re betting, bet on me being the governor of New Jersey into next year." Read more about: Mitt Romney, Chris Christie ||||| Republican Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham said on Sunday they don’t expect a brokered Republican National Convention and expect Mitt Romney will do well Tuesday in the presidential primaries in Michigan and Arizona. “I think he’s going to win both states,” Graham said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” The South Carolina senator, who has not endorsed in the GOP race, said Romney redoubled his efforts after losing in South Carolina. “He’s getting better and better,” Graham said. “Our front runner Mitt Romney really has sharpened his skills.” “I’m confident Mitt will do well Tuesday night,” McCain said. The Arizona senator likened the GOP debates to “mud-wrestling,” and Lindsey admitted the candidates have been “bruising each other up.” But both said they expect a Republican to emerge victorious in November. “I like our chances,” Graham said. “We just need to get the primary behind us.” Read more about: John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Mitt Romney ||||| Former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs on Sunday zinged Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich for criticizing the administration's actions in Afghanistan. Gibbs, who's now advising President's Barack Obama's campaign, said on CNN's “State of the Union” Sunday that the Obama administration is trying to defuse current tensions in the country and that Gingrich is not someone many people would look to for leadership on foreign policy issues. “If there’s a problem on a lunar colony, he’ll be among the first we call,” Gibbs said. Read more about: Robert Gibbs, Newt Gingrich ||||| Conservative commentator Ann Coulter predicted on Sunday that Jeb Bush was throwing his hat into the ring in hopes of being chosen the Republican nominee, but had harsh criticism for that prospect. "It looks like we can throw Jeb Bush's hat into the ring, along with Sarah Palin , as hoping to be chosen as the nominee after a contested convention," Coulter said on "Fox News Sunday.". Coulter was reacting to comments Bush made earlier on in the week, when he said that the Republican presidential candidates are "appealing to people's fears." The conservative author, who is supporting former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney , said that a Jeb Bush candidacy would be a disaster. "I think on closer examination, Jeb Bush would be the worst of all candidates to run, for one thing," said Coulter. "We don't need another Bush. That would be embarrassing to the Republican Party." "He's more pro amnesty for illegals than his brother was, more than Rick Perry was," she added. But Coulter also took aim at the topics being discussed in the Republican presidential primary. "We shouldn't be prattling nonstop about contraception in the middle of an economic meltdown," she said. Read more about: Sarah Palin, George W. Bush, Jeb Bush, Ann Coulter ||||| Obama campaign adviser Robert Gibbs said on Sunday he believes former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum has a real chance to win the Republican presidential nomination. “I think he’s got a legitimate chance to be the Republican nominee," Gibbs said on CNN’s “State of the Union." "He's clearly somebody who has a very different economic background than Mitt Romney; he’s somebody that is blue collar; he’s from Pennsylvania; he’s not worth $250 million and I assume his wife doesn’t have several Cadillacs.” Read more about: Robert Gibbs, Rick Santorum ||||| On this morning's edition of NBC's "Meet The Press," David Gregory made note of the fact that Mitt Romney has not appeared on the show once this campaign cycle, despite a longstanding invitation: "One note to the viewers, because it comes up on social media from time to time," Gregory said, following an interview with Rick Santorum. "We have had a longstanding invitation to have mitt Romney on the program, and up until now he has declined. We certainly hope he will change his mind and come on for an interview in the course of the primary process." Romney has run a very reclusive media strategy relative to the other Republican candidates in the 2012 primary. Romney went almost two years without appearing on any Sunday morning show before finally agreeing to an interview with "Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace in late December. But he has been absent from the rest of the Sunday morning circuit. (He's appeared on Fox News Sunday twice this year.) Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich have both appeared on Meet The Press four times this cycle; Ron Paul has appeared twice. Read more about: Mitt Romney, Meet The Press, Fox News Sunday, Chris Wallace, David Gregory

– Ann Coulter today added to the chatter about a white knight riding in to swipe the GOP nomination at a brokered convention—and the Mitt Romney supporter is none too pleased about the prospect, reports Politico. "It looks like we can throw Jeb Bush's hat into the ring, along with Sarah Palin, as hoping to be chosen as the nominee after a contested convention," she said, adding that Bush "would be the worst of all candidates," "embarrassing," and bluntly concluding that "we don't need another Bush." She did, however, appear to agree with Bush's assessment of the focus on hard-right social issues, saying, "We shouldn't be prattling nonstop about contraception in the middle of an economic meltdown." Elsewhere on your Sunday dial, as per Politico: Lindsey Graham on Romney's chances Tuesday: “I think he’s going to win both states. He’s getting better and better. Our frontrunner Mitt Romney really has sharpened his skills.” Chris Christie on the chances of him being VP: "If Gov. Romney were to talk to me about it, I’d listen, because I love my party enough and I love my country enough to listen. But I love being governor of New Jersey. If you’re betting, bet on me being the governor of New Jersey into next year." David Gregory on AWOL Romney: "We have had a longstanding invitation to have Mitt Romney on the program, and up until now he has declined. We certainly hope he will change his mind and come on for an interview in the course of the primary process." Robert Gibbs on Santorum: “I think he’s got a legitimate chance to be the Republican nominee. He's clearly somebody who has a very different economic background than Mitt Romney; he’s somebody that is blue collar; he’s from Pennsylvania; he’s not worth $250 million and I assume his wife doesn’t have several Cadillacs.” Gibbs on Newt Gingrich: “If there’s a problem on a lunar colony, he’ll be among the first we call."

More than 101 Dalmatians have tried to become America's most prized pooch. More than a thousand, probably. Sophie, a Standard Poodle, is groomed before her showing at the 136th annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show, Monday, Feb. 13, 2012, in New York. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle) (Associated Press) A German shepherd named Cappy, handled by James Moses, competes in the herding group, in which Cappy was victorious, at the 136th annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show in New York, Monday, Feb. 13,... (Associated Press) A Dalmatian named Ian, with his handler Michael Scott, competes in the non-sporting group, which he won, at the 136th annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show in New York, Monday, Feb. 13, 2012. (AP Photo/Seth... (Associated Press) A Pekingese named Malachy walks across the floor during the judging of the toy group at the 136th annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show in New York, Monday, Feb. 13, 2012. Malachy went on to win the... (Associated Press) A group of keeshondens leave the ring after competing at the 136th annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show, Monday, Feb. 13, 2012, in New York. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle) (Associated Press) Handler Cheri Koppenhaver, right, reacts after judge Patricia Laurans, left, declared Cinders, a wirehaired dachshund, the winner of the hound group at the 136th annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show... (Associated Press) Banana Joe, an affenpinscher, owned by Zoila Truesdale and Mieke Cooymans, waits in the grooming table at the 136th annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show, Monday, Feb. 13, 2012, in New York. (AP Photo/Craig... (Associated Press) And they've all ended up in the Westminster Kennel Club dog house. That could change Tuesday night when a sprightly package of polka dots called Ian takes to the final ring at Madison Square Garden. "He's silly, crazy and pretty wonderful to live with," handler Michael Scott said after Monday night's win in the nonsporting group. Wobbling the whole way, a people-pleasing Pekingese made quite a walk down the green carpet to join the best of seven collection. He'll be joined by a German shepherd named Captain Crunch who likes to play soccer with his 15-year-old co-owner and a spirited wire-haired dachshund. "These are dogs that people recognize, people like them," Westminster television host David Frei said. The terrier, sporting and working champions will be picked Tuesday evening, with judge Cindy Vogels choosing the best in show just before 11 p.m. She has a strong terrier background but, as the fanciers like to say, the winner often comes down to "the dog on the day." And it could be the Dalmatian. Entered in the very first Westminster in 1877, these fire house dogs have made it to the final cut seven previous times. They're not alone _ Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers and dachshunds also are among the country's most popular dogs, but have never won the coveted silver bowl at the country's most prestigious show. "I don't know why that is," said Ian's owner, Barbara Lyons. "I think it's because of the fierce competition." In fact, she wasn't expecting this group win, either. She was set to head home to Laguna Beach, Calif., on Tuesday, but was changing her plans. Ian is certainly distinctive. He has black spectacle markings around his eyes and plenty of spots evenly placed on his coat. He celebrated his win by jumping on most everyone around him. Ian has won four best in show titles in his career. The Pekingese he'll face has won a whopping 114 titles. Malachy the Peke drew cheers that grew louder with every tiny step as he repeated as the top toy. Pink tongue peeking out from his black face, he beat a heralded affenpinscher called Banana Joe in a most competitive group. "He doesn't run. He has a dignified Pekingese gait," handler David Fitzpatrick said. Mexican-born Captain Crunch romped to victory in the herding group. Handled by old pro James Moses, his champion attracted ample applause, as German shepherds always do at the Garden. "The crowd really had him up," Moses said. "He handles the carpet well." Handles soccer balls, too. That's what he enjoys doing with teen Maria Deschamps, one of his several owners. "I like to play with him all day long," she said. Cinders the wire-haired dachshund led the hounds, then wanted to sit rather than stand for her victory picture. "She's a clown," handler Cheri Koppenhaver said. More than 2,000 entries in 185 breeds and varieties were at the 136th Westminster. Still to show early Tuesday: a wire fox terrier who won the National show and a standard poodle who took the Eukanuba event. There's also a black cocker spaniel who was the No. 1 show dog last year _ he's named Beckham, maybe a good omen since a 12-story ad featuring soccer star David Beckham posing in his underwear is painted on a building that overlooks the Garden. Beckham the dog, by the way, beat out Malachy as the country's top-winning show dog in 2011. Plus there's a Valentine's Day treat on tap: A couple from Washington state with a Tibetan mastiff plans to hold their wedding among all the pooches. Breed winners included a chow chow co-owned by Martha Stewart and a xoloitzcuintli called Giorgio Armani, a nice start for the alphabetically challenged contestant during Fashion Week in New York City. The xoloitzcuintli (shoh-loh-eets-KWEEN'-tlee), formerly known as the Mexican hairless, is among six new breeds at this year's show. "Pronounce it!" a couple of fans playfully called out when the name appeared on the scoreboard. ||||| It’s an anti-Romney movement five years in the making, and now it’s a large and growing “Super Pack” that even plans to crash the legendary Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show this week. Dogs Against Romney is an ad-hoc group that likes dogs (and even, when pressed, some cats) but does not like Mitt Romney. It was brought together by the now well-known story of how Romney, the Republican presidential candidate, once drove from Boston to Canada with his dog in a carrier strapped to the roof of the speeding family car. For those unfamiliar, the story –- unearthed by the Boston Globe in 2007 — goes something like this: In 1983 Romney, then a rising star in the private equity world, loaded up the family station wagon with sons and luggage for a long trek from Boston to Ontario, Canada. Seamus, the family’s Irish Setter, was put in his dog crate and strapped to the top of the car. Poor Seamus, whether terrified or over-excited or just not given a chance for a potty break, at some point soiled himself, as the Romney boys discovered when they saw brown liquid running down the window. Romney, the turnaround and efficiency specialist, quickly pulled into a nearby gas station to hose down the car, and the dog, and get back on the road. Not long after the Seamus story became public, dog lover Scott Crider started the dogsagainstromney.com website and blog, in time for the former Massachusetts governor’s first, unsuccessful White House run. With Romney now arguably the Republican front-runner for 2012, the website and the movement have returned with fresh vigor. Crider, 47, is a digital creative director and social media strategist based in Gulf Shores, Alabama, who works on the website in his spare time. He calls it “a work of satire with a serious message, and totally grass-roots.” The generic brown dog — nicknamed Rusty –- in the current stars-and-stripes emblazoned “In Dog We Trust/Dogs Against Romney” poster is “a composite of all the dogs I’ve owned in my life,” said Crider. Dogs Against Romney has some simple principles: primarily among them, that dogs aren’t luggage. The website runs regular photos of member-dogs in cars, along with the slogan, “I ride inside.” “We’ve had literally thousands of people uploading pictures of their dogs and creating their own ‘I ride inside’ art,” said Crider. “We want to help get the word out,” Crider added. “We’ll be anti-Mitt Romney until he explains to the satisfaction of dog owners why he thinks it’s okay to put a dog on the roof of his car.” Dogs Against Romney t-shirts, dog bandanas, bumper stickers and car magnets are also for sale proclaiming “Crate-Gate,” “Mitt is Mean” and “Get ‘Ruff’ With Romney.” The money raised will be donated to an animal welfare organization voted on by the Pack. Membership of the Dogs Against Romney Facebook page is fast approaching 25,000. On Tuesday, Dogs Against Romney will hold an event at New York’s Madison Square Garden on the second and final day of the famous dog show. Dogs are welcome, but not required. Photo credit: “Dogs Against Romney” flag. Watchdog Causes LLC Photo credit: Mitt Romney and his grandson Parker greet a dog as they arrive for a campaign stop at the Sun City retirement community in Bluffton, South Carolina, January 16, 2008. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst ||||| Tomorrow outside the Westminster dog show at Madison Square Garden at noon the group "Dogs Against Romney" will protest "to ensure pet lovers are aware that Mitt Romney is mean to dogs," according to the group's press release. While it may seem silly to some, Democrats are have every intention of making sure - if Romney wins the GOP nomination - that every voting American knows about the story of Romney putting his family dog Seamus in a kennel on top of his roof and driving from Boston to Canada, with said canine Seamus making his displeasure known in a rather scatological way. "I have a yellow Lab named Winston," Fox News' Chris Wallace said to Romney. "I would no sooner put him in a kennel on the roof of my car than I would one of my children. Question: What were you thinking?" "This is a completely airtight kennel, mounted on the roof of our car," Romney replied. "He climbed up there regularly, enjoyed himself. He was in a kennel at home a great deal of the time as well. We loved the dog. It was where he was comfortable." "When Seamus crapped all over the car I'm fairly certain he wasn't expressing pleasure," one top Democrat told ABC News. "31 million dog-owners vote," said another. Democrats are still trying to figure out the best way to bring this up. Certainly it wouldn't be done by President Obama or any top surrogates. But given the world of social media, not to mention shadowy third-party groups, there is no shortage of ways for Seamus Romney to become a household name. The incident has been used by Newt Gingrich in a web ad attacking Romney's heralded electability and top Democrats have every intention of pushing it into the American psyche. They feel, a la John Edwards' $400 haircut, it says something about the man. Namely that he's "weird" and "heartless," top Democrats say, Ironically, the story of Seamus was first reported by the Boston Globe in a 2007 report profiling Romney as a problem-solver: "Before beginning the drive, Mitt Romney put Seamus, the family's hulking Irish setter, in a dog carrier and attached it to the station wagon's roof rack. He'd built a windshield for the carrier, to make the ride more comfortable for the dog. "Then Romney put his boys on notice: He would be making predetermined stops for gas, and that was it. "The ride was largely what you'd expect with five brothers, ages 13 and under, packed into a wagon they called the 'white whale.' "As the oldest son, Tagg Romney commandeered the way-back of the wagon, keeping his eyes fixed out the rear window, where he glimpsed the first sign of trouble. 'Dad!' he yelled. "Gross!" A brown liquid was dripping down the back window, payback from an Irish setter who'd been riding on the roof in the wind for hours. "As the rest of the boys joined in the howls of disgust, Romney coolly pulled off the highway and into a service station. There, he borrowed a hose, washed down Seamus and the car, then hopped back onto the highway. It was a tiny preview of a trait he would grow famous for in business: emotion-free crisis management." Saturday Night Live made reference to Seamus in a skit over the weekend. Lanny Davis wrote about it at the Huffington Post last month. New York Times columnist Gail Collins mentions Seamus so often, searching for his name in her column has become like hunting for NINAs in a Hirschfeld caricature. David Letterman references it quite a bit as well. And Axelrod tweeted a few days ago: "How loving owners transport their dogs," with this picture: Democrats believe that in a swing election that could be decided by a whisker, the knowledge of the Seamus anecdote could be…ruff…on Romney.

– Dog lovers are still hounding Mitt Romney over his treatment of a family pet on a road trip in 1983. The Dogs Against Romney "Super Pack" plans to hold a protest outside the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show to "ensure pet lovers are aware that Mitt Romney is mean to dogs," ABC reports. The group wants to make sure voters know about the time Romney drove from Boston to Canada with the family dog, Seamus, in a kennel strapped to the roof of the car. Romney has brushed off the story when asked about it in interviews, although some of his GOP rivals have brought it up, and it featured in a Saturday Night Live skit over the weekend. "We want to help get the word out,” the group's creator tells Reuters. “We’ll be anti-Mitt Romney until he explains to the satisfaction of dog owners why he thinks it’s OK to put a dog on the roof of his car." His website offers T-shirts and bumper stickers for sale, and regularly posts photos of member dogs riding in cars with the slogan "I ride inside."

This is disgraceful for a cover . And I saying when I am not fan of Kim or Trump... ||||| The New York Post called out President Donald Trump and reality TV star Kim Kardashian over their meeting at the White House on Wednesday. But the newspaper ended up getting called out by critics on Twitter instead. Trump and Kardashian met to discuss criminal justice reform, an issue Kardashian has become passionate about over the past year. However, the Post mocked her as “Kim Thong Un” and referred to the meeting as “The Other Big Ass Summit” on its front page: Tomorrow's cover: Kim Kardashian visits the White House to discuss prison reform with President Trump https://t.co/1N3bNkVmK7 pic.twitter.com/yPaL93Tyhe — New York Post (@nypost) May 30, 2018 Some loved the Post’s tabloid take on the meeting: Might have to get a keep sake copy of tomorrow’s paper https://t.co/czMz56H13u — Conor Duffy (@conorduffynews) May 30, 2018 Kim Thong Un 😅😅😅 — mallory (@malzygirl) May 30, 2018 Best everrrrrrrr, in the history of the world! Best thing I’ve ever seen on the internets! — Wall of Worry! (@wallOfWorryFL) May 30, 2018 But many others weren’t happy about the coverage at all. Even readers who admit they’re fans of neither the reality TV star nor the president are calling out the newspaper: Y’all really gonna make me go to bat for Kim K, eh? “The Other Big Ass Summit” Just in case readers interpret this double entendre to be referring to their common personality traits, you reference Kim’s butt 3 more times. This is too trite, even for you all. https://t.co/lRRhqweZgs — Rashona (@Rashona) May 30, 2018 You know, I’m not a fan of @KimKardashian, not even a tiny bit, but she’s trying to do what she thinks is right and will help people in the long run. I can respect that. — Moe (@ViciousHeathen) May 30, 2018 This cover is sexist and pathetic. Do better @nypost. https://t.co/RxJcm8K34s — Brian Kosciesza (@BrianKosh) May 31, 2018 I don't care for the Kardashians but this is over the top. She is still a person. — Andrew Donaldson (@four4thefire) May 31, 2018 This seems very mean spirited against someone who was just trying to advocate for criminal justice reform https://t.co/Cr7hG5iOAX — Saagar Enjeti (@esaagar) May 30, 2018 That’s a bit rude isn’t it? — Geoff Quattromani (@GQuattromani) May 31, 2018 Disgusting headline, @nypost. @KimKardashian was meeting with President Trump about a critical issue and you lead with her ass? This is unacceptable sexism. No woman deserves this. Thank you for using your platform to raise awareness for the issue of prison reform, Kim. https://t.co/P43Vq2mPLR — Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) May 31, 2018 This is disgraceful for a cover . And I saying when I am not fan of Kim or Trump... — betterminded (@betterminded1) May 31, 2018 woman uses her considerable celebrity influence to talk directly to the president about important and vital prison reform@nypost: yeah but did you see her bum???https://t.co/RpzjFHEnLl — Alex Bruce-Smith (@alexbrucesmith) May 30, 2018 Ya know, kardshian is trying to accomplish something if substance. I'm not a fan of either Trump nor Kardashian. While this is funny, it's also keeps you as a sub-par news rag, suited to line catboxes — Jeremy DuBrul (@DuBrulJ) May 31, 2018 i hate this Administration, but even this newspaper cover is fucking dumber than hell — Andrew Michael Flynn (@OHPFstory) May 31, 2018 I’m not the biggest Kim K fan, but this is in poor taste and sexist. — Amineh (@ZanesMyBae) May 31, 2018 I'm not a fan or either of them, but the personal remarks about her are on the line if not over it. — Tom Gladstone (@TomGladstone) May 31, 2018 The hypocrisy here is palpable. Y’all are garbage for making fun of her for doing something so good — Kelly Smith (@kellysmithmeow) May 31, 2018 So, are your editors going to blame Ambien for this cover? — Hubert Vigilla (@HubertVigilla) May 31, 2018 And at least one person saw both sides of the issue: ||||| I think, therefore you probably annoy me. If you don’t want the truth, don’t ask me for it, cause I’ll tell you, and you probably won’t like it. Western MA ||||| President Trump has granted clemency to Alice Marie Johnson a week after Kim Kardashian visited the White House to discuss prison reform and petition for her pardoning. Johnson is expected to be released from prison soon, CNN reports. This marks Trump's sixth act of clemency since taking office. Kardashian tweeted her excitement over the news this afternoon. "BEST NEWS EVER!!!" she posted. BEST NEWS EVER!!!! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 https://t.co/JUbpbE1Bk0 — Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) June 6, 2018 Here's what you need to know Johnson's case: Johnson was serving a life sentence. The 63-year-old great-grandmother was given a life sentence in prison for a nonviolent drug-related crime and was not eligible for parole. Johnson was convicted in 1996 on eight criminal counts stemming from a Memphis-based cocaine trafficking operation involving more than a dozen people. She was sentenced to life in prison in 1997. Today, she's spent more than two decades behind bars. As one of Johnson's lawyers, Brittany Barnett, told The Daily Mail, "The message to the president is that Alice Johnson, the 21 years she has been in prison, represents a punishment that more than pays her debt to society and that to keep her prison the rest of her life is morally and economically unjustifiable." I am honored to accompany @KimKardashian to The White House today to advocate on behalf of Alice Marie Johnson. Kim has spent her time, money & energy for this incredibly worthy cause. Please give credit where credit is due. — Shawn Holley (@theshawnholley) May 30, 2018 Johnson became "involved in drug trafficking" during a difficult period in her life. Johnson became "involved in drug trafficking as a way to make ends meet following a particularly rough period in her life: She lost her job at FedEx, where she had worked for 10 years, due to a gambling addiction; she got divorced; and then her youngest son died in a motorcycle accident," Mic reports. According to Johnson, this series of events led her become involved with drugs. As she told Mic: "I felt like a failure... I went into a complete panic and out of desperation, I made one of the worst decisions of my life to make some quick money. I became involved in a drug conspiracy." Memphis attorney Michael Scholl, who filed the latest court documents appealing for Johnson's sentence reduction, said she wasn't the leader of the cocaine operation. Instead, Bustle reports, "Johnson gradually became involved in a drug trafficking operation in Memphis, Tennessee. She says that she never brokered any deals or handled drugs, but was responsible for relaying coded messages over the phone." The meeting with Trump, which was initially reported by @VanityFair, marks the culmination of months of @KimKardashian West's behind-the-scenes efforts to free #AliceMarieJohnson. pic.twitter.com/EyGwQ2vct1https://t.co/We2L0m6bFV — Mic (@mic) May 30, 2018 This was Johnson's first offense, but she was given a life sentence without the chance of parole. Even though her arrest in 1993 was her first offense, Johnson received a life sentence, which she began serving in 1996. During the trial ten of her co-defendants testified against her in exchange for a reduced or dropped charges, Mic reports. Johnson, however, did not receive the same mercy, despite having not previous drug charges. Johnson's children have long petitioned for her release. Speaking in a video for Mic, Johnson's daughter, Tretessa, said of her mother, "She’s made some serious mistakes in her life, but she is not this monster. I mean, she’s really turned a very negative situation to as positive of a situation as she can." Of Kardashian's involvement in the situation, Tretessa told BBC News, "We are praying for mercy in my mom's case… that this nightmare is finally coming to an end." Johnson's family and supporters say she's a "model inmate" who's active in "many programmes including working at the prison hospice," BBC News reports. Amy Povah, who founded the organization CAN-DO Clemency, started advocating for Johnson in 2014, and even collected a "letter of support from the retired warden of Johnson's prison" on her character, which will be given to Trump. Povah told BBC News that Johnson has "always stood out to me as being exceptional. She's not bitter or angry, she's this ray of sunshine." Johnson submitted an application for clemency to the Obama Administration on three occasions. President Obama pardoned 231 individuals in December 2016, "many of whom had similar drug-related charges," Mic reports, but Johnson was not one of them. According to BBC News, Johnson "fit all of the criteria" for the former president's clemency project, but was rejected just days before Obama's term ended. The reason why is unclear. Johnson told Mic, "When the criteria came out for clemency, I thought for sure—in fact, I was certain that I’d met and exceeded all of the criteria." Kardashian has hired a new team of lawyers on behalf of Johnson. Back in November, Kardashian's Los Angeles-based attorney, Shawn Holley, told New York Daily News, "Kim asked me several weeks ago how she could help Alice Johnson in her fight for justice. We then began corresponding with Alice and her team of lawyers." Holley is a renowned celebrity attorney whose past clients include O.J. Simpson, Michael Jackson, and Lindsay Lohan, according to TMZ. Kardashian visited the White House on Johnson's birthday. The reality star made the announcement on Twitter just hours before meeting with President Trump in Washington. Happy Birthday Alice Marie Johnson. Today is for you 🙏🏼✨ — Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) May 30, 2018 One of Johnson's lawyers, Brittany Barnett, told The Daily Mail, "Today's her birthday, so no greater gift than freedom on her birthday." Kardashian met with Donald Trump regarding prison reform. Kim had been speaking with Jared Kushner, the president's senior advisor and son-in-law, regarding Johnson's case for months. Kushner has been working on The Prison Reform and Redemption Act which aims to reduce the rate of recidivism, and prepare prisoners to reintegrate into society. Hours after the reality star being spotted walking into the White House, POTUS tweeted a photo with her in the Oval Office. "Great meeting with @KimKardashian today, talked about prison reform and sentencing," he wrote. The president didn't clarify if he will grant clemency to Johnson as a result of his meeting with Kim. Great meeting with @KimKardashian today, talked about prison reform and sentencing. pic.twitter.com/uOy4UJ41JF — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2018 Johnson is grateful that Kardashian is attempting to help her case. Johnson publicly thanked Kardashian in a letter obtained by TMZ. She said: "There are no words strong enough to express my deep and heartfelt gratitude. Ms. Kardashian, you are quite literally helping to save my life and restore me to my family. I was drowning and you have thrown me a life jacket, and given me hope that this life jacket I'm serving may one day be taken off." Kardashian and her legal team hope that Johnson's case will start a wider conversation about prison reform. Johnson's lawyer, Barnett, told CBS News, "We are grateful that Kim is using her platform to raise awareness and hope that everyone looks beyond Kim and sees that there is a woman about to die in prison." Barnett added that Kardashian "was not only moved to tears, but moved to action" after she watched a Mic interview about Johnson. The KKW Beauty founder first tweeted about Johnson's case back in October 2017. This is so unfair... https://t.co/W3lPINbQuy — Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) October 26, 2017 Associated Press contributed reporting. ||||| Alyssa Milano ಮರುಟ್ವೀಟಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ New York Post Disgusting headline, @ nypost. @ KimKardashian was meeting with President Trump about a critical issue and you lead with her ass? This is unacceptable sexism. No woman deserves this. Thank you for using your platform to raise awareness for the issue of prison reform, Kim.https://twitter.com/nypost/status/1001968236966137857 … ||||| Eight years ago, Kim Kardashian stepped into Trump Tower for an assessment meeting with Donald Trump. The subject of their evaluation? Rhinestone and sequin-embellished marketing displays for her perfume line—branded “The Voluptuous New Fragrance”—which was being promoted on a Season 10 episode of The Apprentice. On Wednesday, Kim paid a visit to Trump’s new quarters for a wholly different type of tete-a-tete: this time to request a pardon for Alice Marie Johnson, a 62-year-old woman serving a life sentence for a first time drug offense. While it’s unclear how receptive Trump was to Kardashian’s plea, there’s no shortage of precedent when it comes to his profoundly discerning take on her appearance. “Does she have a good body? No. Does she have a fat ass? Absolutely,” he said in a 2013 interview with radio personality Howard Stern. Trump added, “At the word ‘Kim’ they’d say, ‘Wow, I don’t wanna go out with her.’” During Kardashian’s pregnancy that same year, Trump, unprompted to speak about her looks, told a reporter, “She’s gotten a little bit large. I would say this, I don’t think you should dress like you weigh 120 pounds.” In another interview with Stern a year later, Trump maintained his stance on Kardashian’s lower body. “It’s record setting,” he said. “In the old days, they’d say she’s got a bad body.” All of this comes after Trump’s harsh 2009 firing of Kim’s sister Khloe Kardashian from Celebrity Apprentice. “She is a fat piglet. Why did we get the ugly Kardashian?” sources from the show have recalled Trump complaining at the time. In apparent reference to Kim, he reportedly added, “We can’t even get the hot one?” Aesthetic preferences aside, two former reality television stars assembling at the White House to confer about criminal justice reform might seem like a bizarre scenario all on its own. But the summit takes on an added level of irony when considering what connected Trump and the Kardashians in the first place: Trump’s close friendship with O.J. Simpson, whom Kim’s father Robert Kardashian helped defend in court. Lest we forget, it was Simpson’s murder trial that thrust the Kardashian patriarch into the limelight to begin with, with the rest of his now-notorious family keeping up not far behind. More than 10 years after O.J., who is also Kim’s godfather, was miraculously acquitted of murder, Kim Kardashian is advocating for a very different exoneration. Although Alice Johnson went to prison more than 21 years ago, Kardashian took up Johnson’s cause after coming across her story on Twitter earlier this year. In an interview this month, Kardashian expounded upon the discovery and her decision to support Johnson in requesting an official pardon. “Where I’m at in my life right now, just like, to go and spend my money buying material things just doesn’t satisfy me the way that it used to,” Kardashian said. “To save someone’s life and do that once a year, then that would make my heart fuller.” On Wednesday, that once-yearly day apparently came. “Happy Birthday Alice Marie Johnson,” Kardashian tweeted. “Today is for you.”

– The jokes of a "Trump-Kim" summit came flying fast after Kim Kardashian met with the president Wednesday at the White House, but one snarky headline isn't going over so well. Per HuffPost, Kardashian was there to talk to Trump about criminal justice reform and to press for a pardon for 63-year-old Alice Marie Johnson, who's serving a life sentence for a non-violent drug offense. The New York Post tweeted out an advance look at its Thursday morning cover about the meeting: a photo of Kim K and Trump posing in the Oval Office along with a headline that read: "The Other Big Ass Summit: Trump Meets Rump." Kardashian is also referred to as "Kim Thong Un" on the cover. It's a riff on both the canceled summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as well as on a part of Kardashian's body, which doesn't have anything to do with prison reform—and many aren't happy about it. CNN calls the cover "appalling," while Mashable's own headline reads "Wildly sexist New York Post front page refers to Kim Kardashian's butt 3 times." Even those who aren't fans of either Kim K or Trump say the cover is out of line. One big name in particular was miffed. "Disgusting headline, @nypost," Alyssa Milano tweeted. "@KimKardashian was meeting with President Trump about a critical issue and you lead with her ass? This is unacceptable sexism. No woman deserves this." The Daily Beast dives into a related take: Trump's own "ugly history of misogynistic comments" on Kardashian's appearance.

UPDATE: Abu Dhabi Police confirm American victim was killed in attack and want witnesses to come forward ABU DHABI // A woman was stabbed at Boutik Mall on Reem Island on Monday afternoon, witnesses said. Mall employees and shoppers said the altercation took place between two women in the ladies public toilets outside of Waitrose supermarket in the Sun and Sky Tower complex. By 4pm Abu Dhabi Police and mall security had cordoned off the public bathrooms and one of the elevators outside of Waitrose where blood stains could be seen on the floor and along a rubbish bin by the elevators. Police on the scene declined to comment on the incident and Aldar Properties, the developer that owns the building, said it would not comment as it was a matter for the police. One witness, who did not wish to give his name, said he saw a woman bleeding on the floor outside of the supermarket's entrance. Another witness who works at a restaurant close to where the stabbing took place said the incident occurred in the disabled toilet while she was using the adjacent toilet. She said she could hear the two women arguing. "Women go to the bathroom together and gossip, talk and argue all the time," said Vithi Cuc, a Vietnamese who has been working in the mall for over a year. "But then I heard one of them threatening the other saying 'Sit down or I'll kill you'." The restaurant employee said she then heard banging sounds from the stall. "I heard one of them try to call out for help. By this time there were three of us outside the toilet and one of us ran to get security. When the female security guard arrived they told us to leave the bathroom. I was so scared and frightened for her," she said. The condition of the woman who was stabbed is not known and police did not comment when asked if any arrests were made. tsubaihi@thenational.ae UPDATE: Abu Dhabi Police confirm American victim was killed in attack and want witnesses to come forward ||||| A murder investigation has been launched after an American mother was stabbed to death during a clash with a burqa-clad 'woman' in shopping mall toilets in Abu Dhabi. The 37-year-old kindergarten teacher, who has 11-year-old twin boys, was stabbed with a knife in the altercation in the ladies' toilets a supermarket in Boutik Mall on Reem island in the United Arab Emirates capital. She was taken to be treated at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City but died later from her injuries in the incident on Monday afternoon. The victim - who is divorced from the father of the twins - has not been identified. Her initials are only known as ABR. Police say they do not know if it was a woman or a man in the burqa. Witnesses told police the pair had been embroiled in an argument in the public toilets, which are beside a branch of Waitrose, an upscale British supermarket chain which has a presence in the Middle East. Scroll down for video Assailant: Local police released this picture of the attacker fleeing the scene Escaping: Police released this image from CCTV of the woman making her way from the crime scene Officers are still trying to determine the reasons for the attack and the identity of the suspect, who fled the scene wearing an abaya, black gloves and the face-covering veil known as a niqab. The victim's ex-husband was said to be overseas but was flying back to comfort his sons. They were being looked after by community police officers. Colonel Rashid Bourshid, director of the criminal investigation department of Abu Dhabi police, said: 'Police found the woman lying on the floor bleeding. 'She had serious wounds after being stabbed with a knife during a brawl with the attacker. 'No reason has been established yet as to why the woman was murdered. The attacker fled the scene after stabbing the woman.' The victim worked at a private school in Abu Dhabi and lived with her sons in the city. Mall employees witnessed the altercation with her attacker. Col Bourshid said a murder investigation had been launched and police were searching for the suspect. The suspect - apparently a woman - was described as wearing an abaya, black jacket and gloves. New: The mall where the attack took place opened in 2011 and has 50 shops and restaurants. It caters for a mix of expatriates and wealthy locals Glitzy: The scene of the murder was the Reem island mall development, which sits between two towers and was opened in 2011 He added: 'Community policing is now taking care of the two boys and will provide them with shelter and all necessary support until their father, who stays outside the UAE, arrives.' It was not known whether the boys were with her at the time of the attack. Reem island is a residential, commercial and business development connected to Abu Dhabi city centre by a bridge. It was built as the city center became over-populated. It is mostly inhabited by expatriates and boasts the upmarket Boutik Mall, which opened in 2011 and has 50 shops and restaurants, including the capital city's first Waitrose, Leopold's of London and La Brioche. The mall bridges two residential buildings, Sun and Sky towers. Its website says it 'offers the best of everything that anyone needs to lead a stylish life. 'Serving the vibrant and cosmopolitan community of Shams Abu Dhabi and beyond, Boutik is an oasis of independent retailers, brand outlets, comfortable cafes and day-to-day services. 'For busy professionals living and working in the adjoining towers and for students at the Sorbonne, it is a welcome social centre and cornerstone of the community.'

– Police in Abu Dhabi are searching for a suspect who killed an American woman in an upscale mall, but they don't have much to go on: The black-clad person captured on security footage had his or her face covered with a niqab. Police say the 37-year-old woman, a kindergarten teacher with 11-year-old twin sons, was stabbed during an argument in a women's bathroom on Monday and died in a hospital from her injuries, the Daily Mail reports. Witnesses tell the National that they heard two women arguing. "Women go to the bathroom together and gossip, talk, and argue all the time," a mall restaurant worker says. "But then I heard one of them threatening the other, saying, 'Sit down or I'll kill you.'" A police spokesman says investigators are still trying to determine a motive and will "spare no effort in order to unveil this heinous crime and bring the culprit to justice." The woman's children are being cared for by authorities until her ex-husband arrives from overseas, police say.

Two days after his on-stage outburst at the iHeartRadio festival made headlines, Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong has announced he will undergo treatment for substance abuse. The band broke the news Sunday evening on their Facebook page, posting a message that read: "Billie Joe is seeking treatment for substance abuse. We would like everyone to know that our set was not cut short by Clear Channel and to apologize to those we offended at the iHeartRadio Festival in Las Vegas. We regretfully must postpone some of our upcoming promotional appearances." At press time, it's not clear just what appearances will be scrapped in support of the band's ¡Uno! album (out Tuesday), or if Armstrong's treatment will effect Green Day's just-announced tour, which is set to kick off in November. A rep for the band could not be reached for comment by MTV News. Armstrong launched into a rant during Green Day's Friday-night performance at iHeartRadio after being told that the band needed to wrap up their set, shouting "I'm not f---ing Justin Bieber, you motherf-----s. You've got to be f---ing joking ... I got one minute left." Green Day then smashed their instruments before departing the stage. And earlier this month, Green Day were also forced to cancel a concert in Italy after Armstrong was hospitalized. His bandmates would subsequently tell MTV News that he had "severe dehydration," though he recovered in time to perform at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards. Leave your thoughts on Billie Joe Armstrong's announcement in the comments below. ||||| Green Day Frontman Enters Rehab After On-Stage Meltdown Breaking News 's front manis entering rehab for substance abuse ... a rep for the band tells TMZ.The news comes just two days after Armstrong went ballistic in Vegas during a performance at the iHeart Radio Music Festival. He was videotaped screaming obscenities, slamming Justin Bieber and violently smashing his guitar on-stage.The band's rep tells TMZ, "Green day wants to apologize to those they offended at the iHeartRadio Festival in Las Vegas." The rep adds, "The band regretfully must postpone some of their upcoming promotional appearances.“ ||||| The lead singer of the US rock band Green Day has admitted he is seeking help for substance abuse. A statement on the band's website revealed that Billie Joe Armstrong was receiving treatment. It comes hours after he stormed off stage at the iHeartRadio festival in Las Vegas ending the band's set. A sign had appeared saying they had one minute left to perform but Green Day's website confirmed that the set had not been cut short. Band statement The organisers said that Green Day's set was not curtailed and afterwards Billie Joe was "pumped and laughing backstage". Green Day's website apologised to fans who were offended. It said: "We would like everyone to know that our set was not cut short. We regretfully must postpone some of our upcoming promotional appearances Statement from Green Day "We regretfully must postpone some of our upcoming promotional appearances." In a number of online videos the front man is seen stopping the band's set mid-song, swearing repeatedly and smashing his guitar. The news that he is "seeking treatment for substance abuse" comes after he was admitted to hospital in Italy earlier this month. It was said then that the singer was suffering with "an illness" - they were back on stage a couple of days later at the MTV VMAs in Los Angeles. Currently in the middle of a world tour promoting their new album Uno! the group played at London's Shepherds Bush Empire and Reading festival in August. The trio, who have a number of high-profile TV appearances and gigs booked this week to promote their new album, have yet to confirm which ones are affected.

– Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong is checking himself into rehab after a rant mentioning Justin Bieber last week in Vegas. Armstrong ended the band's performance at the iHeart Radio Festival after an obscenity-laced tirade, smashing his guitar, then storming off stage. "I'm not effing Justin Bieber," Armstrong screamed after he thought he had been told to wrap up the set, according to MTV. "Green Day wants to apologize to those they offended," reads a statement on the band's website. "We regretfully must postpone some of our upcoming promotional appearances." What substances Armstrong has been abusing were not revealed.

Ambulances transport the victims of a military plane crash in Oum El Bouaghi province, about 500 km (300 miles) from the capital Algiers, February 11, 2014. A crashed military plane is pictured in Oum El Bouaghi province, about 500km (311 miles) from the capital Algiers, February 11, 2014. A crashed military plane is pictured in Oum El Bouaghi province, about 500km (311 miles) from the capital Algiers, February 11, 2014. OULED GACEM, Algeria A military transport plane carrying members of the Algerian armed forces and their relatives crashed into a mountain on Tuesday, killing 77 people, the worst air disaster in the North African country in a decade. State television showed footage of the wreckage of the plane near the village of Ouled Gacem in eastern Algeria, smoke rising from the site and emergency crews scouring the forested area for survivors and bodies. "I saw the military plane crashing, and it was cut into two pieces," Mohamed, a fireman told Reuters at Ouled Gacem, near the crash site in Oum El Bouaghi province, 500 km (300 miles) east of Algiers. Colonel Lahmadi Bouguern told the APS state news agency that 99 passengers and four crew were on board the C-130 Hercules transport plane, which took off from the southern Tamanrasset province and was bound for Constantine. The Defence Ministry said 77 people were killed and said the crash was likely due to bad weather. Initial reports in Algerian media had put the death toll at 103. "The plane crashed into a mountain and exploded. Several bodies were burnt to ashes and could not be identified," one official told Reuters by telephone from the area. State television said President Abdelaziz Bouteflika had declared three days of mourning from Wednesday. The crash was the worst in Algeria since 2003 when an Air Algerie jet crashed shortly after takeoff from Tamanrasset, killing 102 people. The Defence Ministry said it had set up a commission to investigate the crash and that army Chief of Staff and Deputy Defence Minister Ahmed Gaid Salah would go to the crash site. (Additional reporting by Hamid Ould Ahmed in Algiers; writing by Patrick Markey; Editing by Janet Lawrence) ||||| ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — An Algerian military transport plane slammed into a mountain Tuesday in the country's rugged eastern region, killing 77 people and leaving just one survivor, the defense ministry said. Ambulances drive near the site where an Algerian military transport aircraft slammed into a mountain in the country’s rugged eastern region, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2014. A civil defense official said 102 people... (Associated Press) People look at the wreckage of Algerian military transport plane after it slammed into a mountain in the country’s rugged eastern region, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2014. A civil defense official said 102 people... (Associated Press) People watch rescue workers working at the wreckage of an Algerian military transport aircraft after it slammed into a mountain in the country’s rugged eastern region, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2014. A civil... (Associated Press) An Algerian military transport plane is pictured after it slammed into a mountain in the country’s rugged eastern region, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2014. A civil defense official said 102 people on board were... (Associated Press) Air traffic controllers lost radio and radar contact with the U.S.-built C-130 Hercules turboprop just before noon and dispatched helicopters to try to find it. The plane was discovered in pieces on Mount Fortas near the town of Ain Kercha, 50 kilometers (30 miles) southeast of Constantine, the main city in eastern Algeria. The plane was heading to Constantine from the southern Saharan city of Tamanrasset, which has a massive military presence due to its proximity to the country's unstable southern borders. It was at least 24 years old, according to sales information supplied by its maker, Lockheed Martin Corp. The plane carried 74 passengers and four crew members, the military said in its statement, blaming poor weather for the crash. Earlier in the day, Algerian government officials and Algerian state media had reported that the plane had 99 passengers, making for a much higher death toll. The lone survivor — a soldier — suffered head injuries and was treated at a nearby military facility before being flown to the military hospital in Algiers, a retired Algerian intelligence officer told The Associated Press. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. Civil defense officials at the snowy crash site said the plane broke into three parts and women and children were among the dead. Military transports in Algeria routinely carry not only soldiers but military families and sometimes even other civilians, if space is available. Commander Farid Nechad, who was coordinating recovery efforts, told the AP that 55 bodies had been recovered so far but conditions at the crash site were difficult. "Unfavorable weather conditions and storms accompanied by snow in the region were behind the crash," the defense ministry said. The presidency announced a three-day period of mourning, calling the soldiers who had died "martyrs for the country." Lockheed Martin's hulking C-130 Hercules transport, born out of the experiences of the 1950-53 Korean War, has been used by air forces all over the world to help fight wars or save lives in humanitarian situations. Lockheed Martin confirmed that it sold C-130s to Algeria from 1981 to 1990 and said if Algerian authorities asked, the company would work with them to investigate Tuesday's crash. It did not release specific information on the age of the plane. In other crashes involving similar planes, six people died in November 2012 when an Algerian Air Force C-130 crashed into a hillside in France, according to the Aviation Safety Network's database. In 2003, 10 people died when an Algerian Air Force C-130 crashed after an engine caught fire shortly after it took off from an air base near Boufarik, Algeria, according to the database. The worst plane crash in Algerian history occurred in 2003, when 102 people were killed after a civilian airliner crashed at the end of the runway in Tamanrasset. There was also a single survivor in that crash. Sole survivors of large plane crashes are extremely rare, said Ky Dickens of Chicago, director and co-producer of a documentary on such survivors. Dickens, who began research for her film in 2010, identified 15 sole survivors around the world. She limited her search to commercial planes carrying more than 40 people. Many sole survivors are either children or a member of the flight crew — a flight attendant or pilot, Dickens said. ___ Schemm reported from Rabat. Joshua Freed in Minneapolis, Joan Lowy in Washington and Karim Kebir in Algiers, Algeria, also contributed.

– A sole survivor is being treated for head injuries after being found in the wreckage of a plane crash that killed 77 other people in eastern Algeria. The Hercules C-130 military transport plane hit a mountain in bad weather, reports the BBC. "The plane crashed into a mountain and exploded. Several bodies were burnt to ashes and could not be identified," a government official tells Reuters. The survivor is a soldier, a former Algerian intelligence officer tells the AP, though there were also women and children aboard, presumably from military families. The North African country's president has declared three days of national mourning, calling the crash victims "martyrs for the country." The crash is the worst in Algeria since 2003, when a Boeing 737 crashed on takeoff, killing all but one of the 103 people on board.

BRUSSELS — All but two European Union countries agreed Monday to new and tougher measures to enforce budget discipline in the euro zone, but the bloc still showed few signs of producing a comprehensive solution for the sovereign debt crisis or a credible plan to revive fragile economies across Europe’s weakened Mediterranean tier. The meeting of 27 European Union heads of state and government here in Brussels was aimed at completing the text of a so-called fiscal compact for the 17 nations relying on or intending to join the euro zone — with only Britain and the Czech Republic opting not to adopt the measures. After a meeting lasting seven hours, the leaders also issued a declaration calling for a new push to restart growth and combat joblessness across the Continent. But a number of politicians and analysts said the pledge by the European leaders to create new jobs was mostly empty, and others complained that the proposed rules to keep deficits under control contained little to actually help nations with high borrowing costs. The summit declaration also skirted the continuing problems in Greece, where a second bailout is being held up by the inability of the government in Athens to complete a deal with private holders of Greek bonds over the losses they should accept. Until Athens and its private-sector creditors can agree on a $132 billion writedown on Greek government debt, the International Monetary Fund and the European Union are not prepared to sign off on a further bailout. Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany said the Greek situation would not be addressed until after representatives of Greece’s so-called troika of creditors — the European Union, the I.M.F. and the European Central Bank — report back on their investigation into what will be needed for Greece to manage its finances on its own. Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, told a news conference at the end of the summit that there would be a “definitive agreement” on the private sector’s involvement in reducing Greek debt in coming days. After Monday night’s summit meeting, informal talks continued between the Greek prime minister, Lucas Papademos, and European officials. Despite the various other problems to deal with, an agreement on the fiscal compact could clear the way for Germany to accept stronger efforts by the European Central Bank to support ailing countries and a more comprehensive bailout fund aimed at protecting Italy and Spain against the risk of default. “It is an important step forward to a stability union,” Mrs. Merkel told reporters. “For those looking at the union and the euro from the outside, it is a very important to show this commitment.” Britain, which clashed openly with France and Germany last month over the pact, did not give any ground Monday and was joined by the Czech Republic, which also elected to stay outside. “We are not signing this treaty,” David Cameron, the British prime minister, said. “We are not ratifying it. And it places no obligations” on the United Kingdom, he said. He added: “Our national interest is that these countries get on and sort out the mess that is the euro.” Mr. Sarkozy sounded philosophical about the Britons’ intransigence. “There are different degrees of integration and everyone is free to choose where they stand,” he said. While European leaders agreed to bring a permanent bailout fund into existence earlier than previously foreseen, they postponed any final decisions on its ultimate size and how it will be financed. The International Monetary Fund has been pressing Europe to commit enough money to provide a credible backstop that would insure that Italy and Spain could pay their bills and continue to finance their debts. Germany backed away from a suggestion that it wanted the government in Athens to cede temporarily control over tax and spending decisions to a new, all-powerful, budget commissioner before it can secure further bailouts. Italy won its battle to restrict the scope of the fiscal compact, which calls for making it easier to impose sanctions against countries that break European Union budget rules. The text said the compact would make it harder to block sanctions against countries that exceed annual deficit targets but that the same tough system would not apply to nations with excessive overall debt, like Italy. The compact will come into force in those nations that agree to its terms once 12 euro zone nations have ratified it. That would prevent the project being held up if one or two nations hold referendums on the deal. Still, impatience with the German focus on belt-tightening loomed large over the summit meeting. “You don’t have to be an economics professor to know that if you have zero growth you are not going to sort things out,” said Martin Schulz, the president of the European Parliament. Critics of austerity point to Greece, which is being strangled by a vicious cycle of deficit cutting, declining tax revenues and more budget cutting, while making little if any progress on its overall budget deficit. Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the centrist liberal and democrat group, and a former prime minister of Belgium, took a similar stand. “The new agreement consolidates fiscal discipline but omits completely to address the other side of the coin — that of solidarity and investment that will create jobs and growth,” Mr. Verhofstadt said. “E.U. leaders should act instead of producing more paper.” ||||| Media caption Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel says EU leaders have taken an "important step forward" Twenty-five of the EU's 27 member states have agreed to join a fiscal treaty to enforce budget discipline. The Czech Republic and the UK refused to sign up. UK Prime Minister David Cameron said his government would act if the treaty threatened UK interests. He still has "legal concerns" about the use of EU institutions in enforcing the fiscal treaty, he said. The Czechs cited "constitutional reasons" for their refusal, France's President Nicolas Sarkozy said. Czech President Vaclav Klaus, a Eurosceptic, may be reluctant to sign the treaty, analysts say. The goal is much closer co-ordination of budget policy across the EU to prevent excessive debts accumulating. Germany - the eurozone's biggest lender and most powerful economy - was particularly keen to get a binding treaty adopted to enforce budget rules. The treaty will empower the European Court of Justice to monitor compliance and impose fines on rule-breakers. The treaty also spells out the enhanced role of the European Commission in scrutinising national budgets. Media caption British PM David Cameron: "We will not be ratifying this treaty and it places no obligation on the UK" The Czech Republic is not yet in the euro, but like the other new EU member states it is committed to joining. European Union leaders also discussed ways to stimulate economic growth despite the stringent austerity budgets in many countries - and focused on how to reduce unemployment across the eurozone. UK concerns The UK and Denmark are the only states with explicit opt-outs from the euro. Mr Cameron said "it's good that the new treaty is absolutely explicit and clear that it cannot encroach on the competences of the EU". Analysis No-one believes that this treaty on its own will solve anything, and it could face an uncertain future. The Socialist candidate in the French presidential election Francois Hollande has promised to renegotiate it if he wins, and President Nicolas Sarkozy has now confirmed that the treaty will not be ratified in France before the election takes place. In fact given general agreement on the need for measures to promote growth, some critics have described the fiscal treaty as little more than a distraction. But Germany has pushed hard for its implementation - partly to persuade political opinion in Berlin that there really will be strict rules in place to ensure that another debt crisis can't happen in the future. Only then will Germany consider spending more money to help other countries which are struggling with their debts now. The fear is that if Germany doesn't act, the current crisis will only get worse. Q&A: Debt crisis deal What caused the crisis? "They must not take measures that in any way undermine the EU single market," he said, adding: "we'll be watching like a hawk". He insisted that the treaty would impose "no obligations on the UK". Mr Cameron used his veto last month to opt out of the treaty, arguing that the UK needed to keep its authority over financial services in the City of London. The eurozone crisis dominated Monday's summit, with debt-laden Greece still at risk of defaulting. A general strike in Belgium, paralysing transport, reminded EU leaders of public discontent with austerity as they arrived for the summit. The talks also concentrated on reducing unemployment, which is averaging 10% across the eurozone, though youth unemployment is often much higher. There are fears that wide-ranging budget cuts will harm enterprise and training. The leaders discussed measures to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), many of which complain of excessive administrative costs imposed by Brussels. In a joint statement on economic growth they noted that cutting budget deficits was "not in itself sufficient". "We have to modernise our economies and strengthen our competitiveness to secure sustainable growth," the statement said. The EU will help to fund schemes to get young people into work or training in member states with the highest youth unemployment levels. They pledged to speed up measures to develop the EU single market, including: agreement on a common EU patent system by July; better targeting of EU funds towards SMEs; national legislation to create a functioning single market in services and energy. The European Commission says 82bn euros (£69bn; $107bn) of EU money is available for countries to spend on projects to boost jobs and growth.

– The Czechs thought about it, and they said no. All other 27 EU member states except Britain agreed today to join a compact to impose budget discipline on fellow nations, the BBC reports. British Prime Minister David Cameron had already refused to take part, saying that ceding control of his country's budget is "not in my national interest." The Czech Republic, not yet in the euro, cited "constitutional reasons" for rejecting the treaty. "I'm not sufficiently familiar with the ins and outs of what's going on in Prague to understand why what was acceptable in December is no longer acceptable now," groused French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Worse, several analysts and politicians criticize today's pledge in Brussels for lacking the teeth to kick-start growth and fight joblessness, the New York Times reports. Germany's focus on fiscal belt-tightening came under fire in particular: “You don’t have to be an economics professor to know that if you have zero growth you are not going to sort things out,” said President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz.

A lifesaver is hung on the USS Sequoia presidential yacht at Washington Channel May 29, 2003 in Washington, DC. Built in 1925, the USS Sequoia was used by every president from Herbert Hoover, until it was decommissioned by Jimmy Carter in 1977. The yacht is now privately owned by attorney and entrepreneur Gary J. Silversmith. (Photo: Alex Wong, Getty Images) The years of Delaware court fights over the presidential yacht, USS Sequoia, appear to be over. But the-once stately vessel, called by some "America's most famous boat," has spent the time rotting in a Virginia shipyard and will likely require millions of dollars in repairs and possibly an exterminator before it can safely set sail again. The good news is that its new owners won't owe a penny to the previous owners following a long Chancery Court battle over possession of the historic ship. The judge in the case, Vice Chancellor Sam Glasscock III, wrote a 21-page opinion released this week that sums up the poor vessel's recent plight. "The Sequoia, an elderly and vulnerable wooden yacht, is sitting on an inadequate cradle on an undersized marine railway in a moribund boatyard on the western shore of the Chesapeake, deteriorating and, lately, home to raccoons," wrote Glasscock in the opinion. It was a sad state for a ship where Franklin Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy, among other presidents, hosted dignitaries and friends. Glasscock ruled that FE Partners, a Washington, DC investment group that specializes in historic ship restorations could purchase the Sequoia at an adjusted price of zero dollars. The decision capped years of legal wrangling over ownership and finally, the purchase price of the ship. The vessel was owned by Sequoia Presidential Yacht Group LLC. Washington Attorney Gary Silversmith was the principal owner and offered the vessel for charters along the Potomac River until it was pulled for repairs. “FE Partners is committed to restoring and preserving the Sequoia in cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard so that future generations of Americans will be able to enjoy the storied past of this magnificent yacht," said Richard Graf, general counsel of FE Partners in an email. Earlier this year, marine experts estimated the cost of repairing the national landmark to seaworthy condition ranged from an estimated $400,000 to upwards of $4 million if the hull has to be significantly rebuilt. STORY: History of the USS Sequoia STORY:Solution to clean up tainted Newark wells to be discussed Once that work is complete, the value of the repaired and seaworthy former presidential yacht would be between $7.8 million and $13 million, said Earl McMillen III, founder of McMillen Yachts in Newport, Rhode Island. The historic yacht, designed by John Trumpy and built at the Mathis Yacht Building Company of Camden, New Jersey, in 1925, is in dry dock in Deltaville, Virginia. The yacht had earlier been awarded to FE Partners, LLC, based on another Chancery Court decision. In this latest decision, Glasscock was asked to decide the value of the yacht and whether the former owner, Sequoia Presidential Yacht Group LLC was owed money for the vessel. The deal was complicated because FE Partners loaned money to the Sequoia Group to make repairs. If the loan soured, FE had an option to purchase the yacht for $7.8 million. It was Glasscock's task to assess the costs and outstanding debts. He concluded that FE Partners owed the Presidential Yacht Group, owned by Washington attorney Gary Silversmith, nothing in exchange for the yacht. A "President's Eyes Only" folder lies on the bed used by presidents aboard the yacht Sequoia, Wednesday, July 31, 2002, in Washington. The yacht, first recruited by President Herbert Hoover, was reportedly one of the few places in Washington where President Richard Nixon felt comfortable. After 77 years afloat, the Sequoia has stories to tell, even though it hasn't been a presidential cruiser since Jimmy Carter sold it off in 1977. (Photo: PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS, AP) "I find under the contracts that Silversmith was obligated to maintain the vessel such that it was safe, structurally sound and fully equipped for its intended use as a Potomac River cruise vessel," Glasscock wrote. Instead, he found there was little evidence that happened, based on testimony from Silversmith's expert. "I am left with only one side’s expert reports and testimony that bear on the question of the cost of Silversmith’s obligation to maintain the Sequoia ... Silversmith did not direct his expert to do an inspection that would allow him to answer the pertinent question, which is what would it take to put this vessel" in shape to meet the loan contract provisions, Glasscock wrote. Meanwhile, FE Partner's experts told a sad tale of the condition of the yacht, describing rotting wood and a structural decline that was so significant it changed the shape of the hull. For the last year and a half, the Sequoia has been on blocks in the boatyard. Initially, it was protected from the elements by shrink wrap but that covering was removed. The damage done while dry stored is a fraction of what already haunts the vessel. McMillen said there is extensive rot in the hull and several of the structural blocks which make up the hull are cracked. It should have new wiring, new plumbing and new marine-grade air conditioning. His total estimated cost to repair the boat ranged from $3.9 to $4.2 million. The USS Sequoia, with Queen Margrethe and Prince Consort Henrik of Denmark aboard, departs for a cruise on the Potomac River in Washington, D.C, in 2011. U.S. presidents had used the yacht until it was sold in the 1970s. (Photo: YURI GRIPAS/AFP/Getty Images) He recommended it be slid onto an ocean-going barge and shipped to Rhode Island for repairs. The area has the expert shipwrights needed to do the work, he said. In her present condition "would you ever put passengers on her?" asked an attorney for FE Partners. "No," McMillen said. "Would you ever put her in the water?" the lawyer asked. "No," McMillen said. Silversmith, during the court hearing, questioned whether there weren't capable boatyards along the Chesapeake Bay where the work could be done at less cost. Restoring and repairing wooden boats is "a lost art," McMillen said. "I think, quite frankly, that's why they don't build wooden boats anymore. They are wonderful works of art." The Sequoia's history makes it more than just an aging wooden boat. Franklin Delano Roosevelt hosted Winston Churchill on its deck; John F. Kennedy celebrated his last birthday on board the Sequoia; and Richard M. Nixon spent a night in 1974 with a bottle of whiskey at a shipboard piano before he resigned the presidency. The 104-foot wooden vessel has changed hands several times in recent years since President Jimmy Carter had it sold at auction in 1977 for $286,000. It fell into disrepair before it was purchased and restored by its current owner, Silversmith, a Washington lawyer and real estate developer. Silversmith said he paid $1.9 million in 2000, and sank millions into repairs. Silversmith operated the boat for charter on the Potomac River for many years. He said that he had been maintaining and caring for the boat all along and even took it to the Chesapeake Maritime Museum in St. Michaels for repair. The boat was regularly hauled out of the water for maintenance. Silversmith did not respond to a request for comment. His attorney declined to comment. FE Partners expect to issue a statement later Tuesday. Contact Molly Murray at (302) 463-3334 or mmurray@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @MollyMurraytnj. Read or Share this story: http://delonline.us/2fWcnLz ||||| ‘Elderly and vulnerable’ wooden vessel has become home to raccoons, says judge in handing over national landmark to financial group Sold for $0: Sequoia, the last US presidential yacht, is repossessed The last US presidential yacht, Sequoia, has been sold for zero dollars after an investment group won a lengthy court battle over the vessel – which remains listed as a national historic landmark but has become “home to raccoons” as it languishes in dry dock. Presidents from Herbert Hoover to Jimmy Carter once entertained dignitaries and diplomats on board the 104-foot wooden yacht or simply sought refuge there from the Oval Office. But Carter had it sold at auction in 1977 for $286,000. It changed hands several times, and was used to conduct entertaining and sightseeing tours of the Potomac river from its dock in Washington DC, with four-hour charters costing $10,000 plus food and drink. But most recently it has lain rotting at a shipyard in Deltaville, Virginia. Delaware judge Sam Glasscock ruled on Monday that FE Partners – an investment entity formed by Washington DC-based Equator Capital Group and members of India’s wealthy Timblo family – could exercise an option to acquire the Sequoia at an adjusted option price of zero. “The Sequoia, an elderly and vulnerable wooden yacht, is sitting on an inadequate cradle on an undersized marine railway in a moribund boatyard on the western shore of the Chesapeake, deteriorating and, lately, home to raccoons,” Glasscock noted. Monday’s ruling stems from a dispute involving a $7.5m loan from FE Partners to the boat’s owners, Sequoia Presidential Yacht Group LLC, led by Washington lawyer and businessman Gary Silversmith. The agreement gave FE Partners the right to exercise an option to purchase the yacht for $7.8m in the event of a default. After a lengthy dispute in which Sequoia tried to stop FE Partners exercising its purchase option, the judge found that the loan was fraudulently induced and eventually reduced the price to zero after deducting expected repair costs, including replacing the wooden hull, and other liabilities. The judge rejected Silversmith’s contention that it would cost only about $310,000 to address problems outlined in Coast Guard inspections and to get the Sequoia floating again. “Today the court ruled that the lender can buy the Sequoia with a credit bid that essentially allows them to not pay any additional money at closing,” Silversmith said. “Of course we are disappointed. We remain ready, willing and able to pay off the lender in full but unfortunately it appears that we will be denied that opportunity.” FE Partners general counsel Richard Graf said: “FE Partners is committed to restoring and preserving the Sequoia in cooperation with the US Coast Guard so that future generations of Americans will be able to enjoy the storied past of this magnificent yacht.” With the Associated Press ||||| (Reuters) - A Delaware judge said on Monday the former presidential yacht, the USS Sequoia, could be acquired by an investment group for zero dollars, ending a years-long dispute over the storied ship once used by John F. Kennedy. U.S. presidents for decades entertained dignitaries on the 104-foot (32-metre) wooden Sequoia until it was sold by Jimmy Carter in 1977. Washington attorney Gary Silversmith bought the yacht in 2000 and used it for private charters. In 2012, Silversmith borrowed $5 million from FE Partners LLC, which is backed by the Timblo family of India, to help fund needed repairs. The loan set off years of legal wrangling while the historic vessel, built in 1926 in Camden, New Jersey, was neglected. “The Sequoia, an elderly and vulnerable wooden yacht, is sitting on an inadequate cradle on an undersized marine railway in a moribund boatyard on the western shore of the Chesapeake, deteriorating and, lately, home to raccoons,” Delaware Judge Sam Glasscock wrote in his Monday ruling. Silversmith sued in 2013 to block FE Partners from exercising its right under the loan to buy the yacht. Glasscock ruled last year the lender had the right to purchase the ship for $7.8 million, minus various costs including the initial $2.49 million loan disbursement, because of a default on the loan. The two sides spent the past year fighting over the final deductions from the purchase price. On Monday, Glasscock said the purchase option could be exercised for zero dollars, reflecting the extensive work required to make the Sequoia safe to use. “We remain willing and able to pay off the lender, but unfortunately it appears that we will be denied that opportunity,” Silversmith said in an email, adding he was concerned the yacht was being acquired by foreign investors. “We are concerned that there is nothing to prevent the Sequoia from going overseas.” But FE Partners General Counsel Richard Graf said in an emailed statement: “FE Partners is committed to restoring and preserving the Sequoia in cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard so that future generations of Americans will be able to enjoy the storied past of this magnificent yacht.”

– How much would you pay for the presidential yacht on which FDR hosted Winston Churchill, JFK held his last birthday, and Nixon drank a bottle of whiskey before resigning? You probably overbid. The News Journal reports investment group FE Partners will acquire the USS Sequoia for $0. The 104-foot yacht was built in 1926, according to Reuters. It was used by presidents for years until Carter sold it for $286,000 at auction in 1977, the Guardian reports. The Sequoia changed hands multiple times before being acquired by lawyer Gary Silversmith in 2000. He used it for private charters before borrowing multiple millions from FE Partners for repairs in 2012. That kicked off a years-long legal battle between the two parties. This week, judge Sam Glasscock found Silversmith fell down on his part of the loan agreement to keep "America's most famous boat" in good condition. "The Sequoia ... is sitting on an inadequate cradle on an undersized marine railway in a moribund boatyard ... deteriorating and, lately, home to raccoons," Glasscock writes. The loan agreement allowed FE Partners to buy the Sequoia back, and after deducting a number of costs—including repairs estimated at potentially more than $4 million—Glasscock ruled "free" to be a fair price. Silversmith says he's concerned FE Partners, which is backed by a wealthy Indian family, will move the Sequoia overseas. But the investment group says it plans to restore it "so that future generations of Americans will be able to enjoy the storied past of this magnificent yacht." (Eva Braun's things, found in an abandoned bunker, have been sold.)

Tweet with a location You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| Man arrested for breaking out of departure area to halt Ryanair flight after arriving late Many travellers may recognise the temptation. You arrive at the boarding gate and are told you’re late. The plane’s doors have closed – you’ve missed your flight. But the plane is still there, almost close enough to touch. If you could just get through the door and attract the pilots’ attention maybe somehow, miraculously, it’s not too late. A would-be passenger at Dublin airport succumbed to that fantasy on Thursday morning when he ran out of the departure area at terminal one and tried to flag down his Ryanair flight to Amsterdam. “He was banging on the window to try to get the aircraft to wait and he then broke through a door and made his way on to the apron, trying to flag the aircraft down,” said an airport spokesman. “He was initially restrained by Ryanair staff on the apron and airport police, who had already been contacted, arrived on the scene almost immediately and arrested him.” The man, who was not immediately named, was in his 20s. He arrived late with a female passenger at the boarding gate at about 7am after the flight had closed, said the airport spokesperson. “They were engaging with Ryanair staff at the gate and the male passenger was becoming agitated.” He banged on the window then broke through a door before heading towards the plane. Airport police, who had previously been alerted, arrived swiftly and reportedly pinned him to the ground after a scuffle. Declan Harvey (@NewsDeclan) Moments earlier he’d been inside banging on the window of the terminal asking ground crew to hold the plane. He somehow made it out to the Ryanair aircraft which was taxiing. When police arrived there was a scuffle and he was pinned to the tarmac. 2/... @BBCNewsNI pic.twitter.com/mzEbD6fHyw He has been arrested and is being detained at Ballymun garda station. He was due to appear in court later on Thursday. ||||| The man was taken to Ballymun Garda Station for questioning. Credit: PA A man has been arrested for chasing a plane at Dublin Airport after missing his flight. The man, in his 20s, was held on Thursday morning after pursuing the Ryanair plane across the tarmac. It is understood that the man and a woman were late for the flight to Amsterdam. After talking to staff at the gate, the man broke through the door and began running towards the plane. Sorry, this content isn't available on your device. Declan Harvey, who was watching from the airport, said he could hear the man shouting “Wait!” as the plane taxied to the runway, before he was tackled to the ground by airport staff. The flight was momentarily delayed. A Dublin Airport spokeswoman said the man had become agitated after being told he could not board his flight. “He was banging on the window to try and get the aircraft to wait and he then broke through a door and made his way on to the apron, trying to flag the aircraft down. “He was initially restrained by Ryanair staff on the apron, and airport police, who had already been contacted, arrived on the scene almost immediately and arrested him. “He was taken to the airport police station and will be handed over to the gardai.” Sorry, this content isn't available on your device.

– He really didn't want to miss his plane, and now he's in jail as a result. The crazy tale is out of Dublin, where an unidentified man in his 20s showed up at the boarding gate Thursday morning too late to board his flight to Amsterdam, reports ITV News. Authorities say he argued with Ryanair personnel, then began pounding on an airport window, apparently hoping to get the ground crew's attention so they could hold the plane for him. When that didn't work, his strategy went from merely obnoxious to downright dangerous. "He then broke through a door and made his way on to the apron, trying to flag the aircraft down," says an airport spokesperson. The plane had been taxiing at the time, according to a tweet from witness Declan Harvey, a journalist. Ryanair staffers intervened on the tarmac, and police quickly arrived to make an arrest after a scuffle, reports the Guardian. The man was due in court Thursday.

[Fort Cumberland, Md., 18 July 1755] To Mr Jno. Auge Washington Mount Vernon Dear Jack Brother As I have heard since my arrivl at this place,1 a circumstantial acct of my death and dying Speech, I take this early oppertunity of contradicting both the first , and of assuring you that I ⟨ illegible ⟩2 of the livg by the miraculous care of I have not, as yet, composed the latter. But by the all powerful dispensatns of Providence, that I have been protected me beyond all human expectation ; probability & expectation for I had 4 Bullets through my Coat, and two Horses shot under and yet me yet although death was levelling my companions on every side of me. escaped unhurt. We have been most scandalously beaten by a trifling body of men; but fatiegue, and the want of tim⟨e⟩, will prevent s me from ⟨erasure⟩ give ing you any of the ⟨erasure⟩ details un till I have the happiness of seeing you at home Mount Vernon ; which I now most ardently wish d for, since we are drove in thus far. A Weak, and Feeble State of Health, obliges me to halt here for 2 or 3 days, to recover a little strength, that I may thereby be enabled to proceed homewards with more ease; You may expect to see me there on Saturday or Sunday Se’night,3 which is as soon as I can well be down as I shall take my Bullskin Plantation’s in my way. Pray give my Compts to all my Fds. I am Dr Jack Yr most Affecte Brothr ||||| This vintage portrait features George Washington, the first president of the United States. (iStock) Today is George Washington’s Birthday. It’s something of a political miracle that the man indispensable to the founding of his country came into the world just at the right time, in 1732, so that when he reached manhood, he was there when we needed him. More miraculous still is that he survived so long, until 1799. During the course of his 67 years on Earth, the father of our country survived smallpox, bouts of malaria, multiple infections and abscesses, tuberculosis, dysentery and in the first six months of his presidency, an extraordinarily painful boil “the size of two fists” accompanied by a fever. So worrisome was his health at that point that some feared a “dreadful calamity,” and as James Madison wrote, a “crisis” in the affairs of the new nation, which had given no thought to anyone else as president. The presidency, indeed, was designed with Washington in mind. “Were we to be deprived of his influence,” wrote Rep. William Smith at the time, “I much fear no other man could hold us together.” As a young man, Washington fought with the British army during the French and Indian War. While not wounded, he became so ill and so close to being shot that before he returned home to Virginia, rumors were already circulating of his death. “I have heard,” he wrote upon his return from battle in July, 1755, “a circumstantial account of my death and dying speech. “I take this early opportunity,” he wrote his brother, John Augustine Washington, “of contradicting the first, and of assuring you, that I have not, as yet, composed the latter. “But by the all powerful dispensations of Providence, I have been protected beyond all human probability or expectation; for I had four Bullets through my Coat, and two Horses shot under me; yet escaped unhurt.” He had also fallen victim to dysentery, which produced extreme diarrhea in a man with hemorrhoids. “At first the stoic young aide tried to conceal the malady,” writes Washington biographer Ron Chernow, “but he soon found it so debilitating that he had to travel lying down in a covered wagon.” It was not dignified. But he survived. He had an iron constitution, which can only be fully fathomed by considering the state of medicine at the time. “There was no well-defined concept of infection or immunity,” Anthony Fauci and David M. Morens wrote in a 2012 article in the New England Journal of Medicine, “no vaccines, almost no specific or effective treatments for infectious diseases and little idea that any treatment or public health measure could reliably control epidemic diseases … During Washington’s lifetime, infectious diseases were the defining challenges of human existence.” Perhaps the most defining challenge to Washington’s health was his first known confrontation with infectious disease, when he contracted smallpox at the age of 19 while visiting Barbados. And as debilitating as it was, the immunity it conferred upon him would prove vital at another pivotal moment in American history nearly three decades later, a “powerful dispensation” for him and for the nation. It was the spring of 1749 when George’s older half brother, Lawrence, contracted tuberculosis, a disease for which there was then no certain cure. In search of relief, he first traveled to England. Finding no reprieve in the treatments of English doctors, he returned to Virginia, where he only deteriorated further. He then decided to try Barbados, in hopes that the warmth there would help. “Because Lawrence’s wife had just given birth to a daughter,” writes Chernow, it “fell upon George, nineteen, to accompany his thirty-three-year-old-brother, acting as both nursemaid and companion” on the 37-day voyage and while Lawrence got treatment. Shortly after they arrived, the brothers received an invitation to visit Gedney Clarke, an uncle of Lawrence’s wife. Washington was reluctant to accept, because Clarke’s wife was confined with smallpox. Smallpox was “extraordinarily virulent; individuals exposed to the virus, which passes by contact, were almost certain to be infected,” wrote historian Jack Warren, unless through some previous exposure they developed an immunity to the disease. As Virginia had not been touched by smallpox during Washington’s lifetime, he caught it. It’s not established that Mary Clarke, Gedney Clarke’s wife, was the source of Washington’s smallpox. But as Washington wrote in his diary on Nov. 16, 1751 he “was strongly attacked” with the lethal disease. Washington was housebound for 25 days with the painful pustules and fever and managed to survive. Lawrence returned to Virginia and died of tuberculosis at his home in Mount Vernon in 1752. Washington would soon become a soldier and “where soldiers go, plagues follow,” says the old axiom. The American Revolution brought with it soldiers from England and Germany carrying smallpox, facing American forces largely unexposed to the disease, and therefore greatly vulnerable. By the fall of 1775, Boston, then under British occupation, “suffered from a widespread smallpox epidemic that threatened to spread throughout the ranks of Washington’s army,” according to the Mount Vernon digital research library. The disease “spread like wildfire through the weakened soldiers and crowded army camps, leaving death and devastation in its wake,” writes Jeanne E. Abrams in “Revolutionary Medicine: The Founding Fathers and Mothers in Sickness and Health.” “We should have more to dread” from the disease “than from the Sword of the Enemy,” Washington wrote. Because Washington had already had smallpox, he was safe. Despite the risks of spreading the disease by undertaking to inoculate the soldiers in the army he commanded, in 1777 he took the momentous decision to undertake the first mass military inoculation in history. By the end of that year, with some 40,000 troops inoculated, infection rates fell from 17 percent to 1 percent. “It averted another health crisis within the Continental Army and dramatically altered the outcome of the Revolutionary War,” as Benjamin A. Drew wrote in JAMA Dermatology in July, 2015. Washington, of course, lived on to become the nation’s first president, albeit one still plagued by the other diseases of his era and ultimately by the state of what was then modern medicine. White McKenzie Wallenborn, a physician, described his last days in an article supplementing the Washington papers at the University of Virginia: On December 12th, 1799, George Washington in his 68th year of life, rode out around his farms on horseback from ten a.m. until about three p.m. The weather that day according to General Washington was snowing in the morning and about three inches deep. Wind at NE and mercury at 30 (30 degrees Fahrenheit). Continued snowing until about one o’clock, and at about four o’clock it became perfectly clear. Wind at same place-not hard. Mercury 28 (28 degrees Fahrenheit) at night. Colonel Tobias Lear, George Washington’s secretary, stated that the weather that day was bad, rain, hail, and snow falling alternately with a cold wind. When George Washington returned from his ride, the General’s neck appeared wet, snow was hanging from his hair, and he came to dinner without changing his dress (clothes wet?). The next day, Friday December 13th, 1799, the General did not go out as usual for he had taken cold and complained of a severe sore throat. He did go out in the afternoon to mark some trees which had to be cut down. He now had hoarseness which increased in the evening. He spent the evening reading the papers, and when he met anything interesting, he read it as loud as his hoarseness would permit. On the next day, Saturday the 14th, at three o’clock in the morning, he told Mrs. Washington that he was very unwell and that he had an “ague” (paroxysmal chills). It was observed that he could hardly speak and that he breathed with difficulty. At daybreak on the 14th, Colonel Tobias Lear came in and found the General breathing with difficulty and hardly able to utter a word intelligently. A mixture of molasses, vinegar, and butter was given but he (GW) could not swallow a drop and when attempted, he appeared to be distressed, convulsive, and almost suffocated. Later he tried to use a gargle of vinegar and sage tea but in attempting to gargle, he almost suffocated and when the gargle came back from the throat some phlegm followed. At eleven a.m., his swallowing had not improved. After the last bleeding it was noted that the blood came “slow and thick” but there was no fainting (his physicians had ordered that he be bled a number of times in the course of his illness and an incredible amount about eighty two ounces or about five pints or units of blood were removed from him). Doctors now believe Washington had acute epiglottitis, a life-threatening condition, caused by injury or infection, that causes the epligottis to swell, blocking the airways to the lungs. It was, and is still today, potentially life-threatening. Today, Wallenborn writes, doctors would perform a tracheostomy, creating a surgical airway to allow air to flow to the patient’s lungs. While one of Washington’s three doctors suggested such a procedure, it was new and controversial and “might not have worked anyway,” Wallenborn writes. His friend, Lear, described his last moments. “At his bedside,” Lear wrote, “I reached for his hand. ‘My breath cannot last long,'” Washington told him. “‘I believed from the first that the disorder would prove fatal,’ he said. He seemed so perfectly resigned — dignified even — despite his gasping breaths …’I am just going,’ he said. After uttering some instructions, he whispered finally, ‘Tis well.’ And then he expired.” ||||| Interactive Timeline The Perpetual Challenge of Infectious Diseases. Among the many challenges to health, infectious diseases stand out for their ability to have a profound impact on the human species. Great pandemics and local epidemics alike have influenced the course of wars, determined the fates of nations and empires, and affected the progress of civilization, making infections compelling actors in the drama of human history.1-11 For 200 years, the Journal has captured the backdrop to this human drama in thousands of articles about infectious diseases and about biomedical research and public health efforts to understand, treat, control, and prevent them. The Uniqueness of Infectious Diseases Infections have distinct characteristics that, when considered together, set them apart from other diseases (Table 1Table 1 Characteristics of Infectious Diseases That Set Them Apart from Other Human Diseases.). Paramount among these characteristics is their unpredictability and their potential for explosive global effect, as exemplified by the bubonic–pneumonic plague pandemic in the 14th century,1,12 the 1918 influenza pandemic,13,14 and the current pandemic of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS),15 among others. Infectious diseases are usually acute and unambiguous in their nature. The onset of an infectious illness, unlike the onset of many other types of disease, in an otherwise healthy host can be abrupt and unmistakable. Moreover, in the absence of therapy, acute infectious diseases often pose an all-or-nothing situation, with the host either quickly dying or recovering spontaneously, and usually relatively promptly, often with lifelong immunity to the specific infecting pathogen. Not only are some infectious diseases transmissible to others, a unique characteristic among human diseases, but their transmission mechanisms are relatively few (including inoculation and airborne and waterborne transmission), well understood, and comparatively easy to study, both experimentally and in the field. In addition, such transmission is generally amenable to medical and public health interventions. Unlike many chronic and lifestyle-associated diseases resulting from multiple, interacting risk cofactors, most infectious diseases are caused by a single agent, the identification of which typically points the way not only to general disease-control measures (e.g., sanitation, chemical disinfection, hand washing, or vector control) but also to specific medical measures (e.g., vaccination or antimicrobial treatment). Given their nature, infectious diseases are potentially preventable with personal protection, general public health measures, or immunologic approaches such as vaccination. As preventive measures have become more effective and efficient, history has shown that certain infectious diseases, particularly those with a broad global health impact and for which there is no nonhuman host or major reservoir, can be eliminated. Such diseases include poliomyelitis, which has been eliminated in the Western Hemisphere,16 and smallpox, which has been eliminated globally.9 Another unique aspect is that the extraordinary adaptability of infectious pathogens (i.e., their replicative and mutational capacities) provides them with a temporary evolutionary advantage against pressures aimed at their destruction. These pressures include environmental factors and antimicrobial drugs, as well as the human immune response. At the same time, such adaptations provide us with opportunities to respond with new vaccine antigens, such as annually updated influenza vaccines,17 or new or different anti-infective agents. This back-and-forth struggle between human ingenuity and microbial adaptation reflects a perpetual challenge.12,18,19 Infectious diseases are closely dependent on the nature and complexity of human behavior, since they directly reflect who we are, what we do, and how we live and interact with other people, animals, and the environment.19-30 Infectious diseases are acquired specifically and directly as a result of our behaviors and lifestyles, from social gatherings, to travel and transportation, to sexual activity, to occupational exposures, to sports and recreational activities, to what we eat and drink, to our pets, to the environment — even to the way we care for the ill in hospitals and other health care environments. Moreover, microbial colonizing infections that lead to long-term carriage without disease (e.g., within the endogenous human microbiome) may influence the development of infections with exogenous microbes31,32 and also have an effect on general immunologic and physiologic homeostasis,33,34 including effects on nutritional status. Human microbiomes seem to reflect, and may even have helped to drive, human evolution.35 In this struggle, infectious diseases are intimately and uniquely related to us through our immune systems. The human immune system, including the primitive innate system and the specific adaptive system,36 has evolved over millions of years from both invertebrate and vertebrate organisms, developing sophisticated defense mechanisms to protect the host from microbes.37 In effect, the human immune system evolved as a response to the challenge of invading pathogens. Thus, it is not by accident that the fields of microbiology and immunology arose and developed in close association long before they came to be considered distinct disciplines. Disease Emergence and Reemergence Because infectious pathogens are evolutionarily dynamic, the list of diseases they cause is ever-changing and continually growing. Since newly emerging infectious agents do not arise spontaneously, they must recently have come from somewhere else, usually from animal infections, as occurred with HIV infection, influenza, and the severe acute respiratory syndrome. This interspecies transmission underscores the importance of interdigitating the study of human and animal diseases19,23,38-40 and recognizing the central role that microbial reservoirs, including those in animals, vectors, and the environment, play in human infectious diseases.19,38 Preexisting or established infectious diseases also may reemerge in different forms, as in extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis,41 or in different locations, as in West Nile virus infection in the United States,42 to cause new epidemics (Table 2Table 2 Broad Categories of Infectious Diseases.). Indeed, many human infectious diseases seem to have patterns of evolution, sometimes played out over thousands of years, in which they first emerge and cause epidemics or pandemics, become unstably adapted to human populations, undergo periodic resurgences, and eventually become endemic with the potential for future outbreaks (Figure 1Figure 1 Leading Causes of Global Deaths from Infectious Diseases.Of an estimated 58.8 million annual deaths worldwide, approximately 15.0 million (25.5%) are believed to be caused by infectious diseases. Cause-specific mortality estimates are provided by the World Health Organization.43,44 The data do not include deaths from secondary infectious causes, such as rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease, liver cancer and cirrhosis, or other chronic diseases. ).12,19,43,44 Historical Perspectives and Current Status Just over a decade before the publication of the first issue of the Journal, President George Washington died of an acute infectious disease believed to have been bacterial epiglottitis.45 Washington's life reflects the history of his era and provides both a window into infectious diseases two centuries ago and a benchmark for measuring our remarkable progress since then. Washington was born in 1732, just before the deadliest diphtheria epidemic on the North American continent. He was scarred by smallpox, survived multiple debilitating bouts of malaria, suffered wound infections and abscesses, nursed his brother on a tropical island as he died of tuberculosis, and even had an influenza pandemic named after him (the Washington influenza of 1789–1790). During his presidency, he stayed in the then-capital city of Philadelphia while most of the government fled during the nation's deadliest yellow fever epidemic.5,12 At the time of Washington's birth, there was no well-defined concept of infection or immunity, no vaccines, almost no specific or effective treatments for infectious diseases,3,46 and little idea that any treatment or public health measure could reliably control epidemic diseases. During Washington's lifetime, infectious diseases were the defining challenges of human existence. No one alive then could have imagined the astonishing breakthroughs that lay ahead. In this regard, it is noteworthy that almost all the major advances in understanding and controlling infectious diseases have occurred in the past two centuries (Table 3Table 3 Selected Infectious Diseases of Importance from 1812 to the Present. and interactive timeline). Experimental animal-transmission studies that were conducted soon after the War of 1812 were followed by the development of better microscopes, which linked fungi to skin diseases and protozoa to mucosal diseases — for example, Alfred Donné's 1836 work with Trichomonas vaginalis and David Gruby's studies of Candida albicans in the early 1840s. The breakthroughs in the late 1800s, which taken together provided the compelling unifying principle of infectious diseases and must surely rank among the most important advances in the medical sciences, were the characterization of specific cultivatable microorganisms and proof of their association with specific diseases. This triumph was led by the work of Davaine and Koch in establishing anthrax as the first fully characterized infectious disease.47,48 This seminal process was facilitated by the development of defined criteria for establishing causality (Koch's postulates). Additional breakthroughs followed quickly, including the discovery and characterization of pathogen-specific immune responses; the demonstration that when inactivated by heat or chemicals or grown under limiting conditions that changed certain biologic properties (e.g., attenuation), organisms or their products could safely stimulate protective responses in a host; and development of anti-infective serums and chemicals to destroy pathogens. Over the next 135 years, a wide array of vaccines and antibiotics and, more recently, antiviral agents have saved hundreds of millions of lives, greatly extended the human life span, and reduced untold suffering. Undeniably, these countermeasures against infectious disease rank among the greatest achievements in public health and medicine. History reminds us that new challenges in infectious diseases will continue to emerge and reemerge. We must be prompt in identifying them and devising new countermeasures. In this effort, we still follow the familiar pathway that was set down in the late 1800s for the identification and characterization, both clinical and epidemiologic, of the causative agent; the characterization of the human immune response to the pathogen; and the development of pathogen-specific diagnostic tests, treatment strategies, and public health prevention strategies such as vaccinations.49 Diagnosis and Characterization of Pathogens In the late 1800s, the realization that identifiable microbes caused specific diseases led to pathogen-specific medical diagnosis. Although the time-honored techniques of growing bacteria in broth or solid cultures and staining and examining them under microscopes are still important today, newer technologies have transformed the field of microbial diagnosis. Among the first emerging epidemic diseases to be identified by one such method was the hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a centuries-old disease caused by an unknown phlebovirus (Sin Nombre) that was discovered unexpectedly in 199350 by the application of a then-novel molecular genetic technique, polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This followed quickly on the 1992 discovery of the previously unknown agent causing an infectious chronic condition, Whipple's disease.51 Less than a year later, PCR-related subtraction techniques solved a century-old mystery of the cause of Kaposi's sarcoma, human herpesvirus 8.52 Now, less than two decades later, sophisticated, high-throughput, rapid sequencing of the genomes of pathogens not only dramatically hastens initial identification but also detects individual genetic variants,53 facilitating identification of the genetic basis of drug resistance. Additional gene-based diagnostic tools include microchips and other technologies that detect short sequences of many different genes or their proteins, allowing simultaneous diagnosis or diagnostic elimination of multiple pathogens. New serologic techniques such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay can be many times more sensitive than traditional techniques in detecting and measuring antibodies to pathogens. Furthermore, monoclonal antibody techniques, which involve the use of cellular clones to produce antibodies against specific pathogen epitopes, have been adapted for the purposes of diagnosis, identification of the molecular structures of pathogens, elucidation of the natural history and pathogenesis of infectious diseases, development of conformationally accurate immunogens to be used as vaccine candidates,54 and even treatment.55 Many of these data-rich approaches require sophisticated bioinformatics systems (e.g., phylogenetic comparisons and genome construction analyses). Vaccine Development Vaccines against infectious diseases such as anthrax and rabies have been produced since the late 1870s. Only in the past half century, however, have technological advances in vaccination led to dramatic changes in the field of disease prevention. The World Health Organization now estimates that each year more than 120 different types of vaccines save 2.5 million lives and with optimal uptake could save an additional 2 million.56 Trivalent combined inactivated and live attenuated poliomyelitis vaccines were licensed in 1955 and 1962, respectively; a live attenuated trivalent vaccine against three unrelated diseases (measles, mumps, and rubella) was licensed in 1971; and a variety of vaccine approaches and platforms have been introduced since then. It is now possible to determine high-resolution crystallographic structures of pathogens and use this information to design vaccines directed at the most relevant epitopes in the microbe's complex structure, an approach known as structure-based vaccine design.57 Treatment Successful treatment with pathogen-immune serum was another critical breakthrough of the late 19th century.55 This approach to therapy also encouraged scientists to develop chemicals to kill the specific pathogens that they were regularly identifying. Ehrlich succeeded first in 1910 with his magic bullet against syphilis (arsphenamine, or salvarsan58). Within two decades, a new generation of scientists was working on what would eventually be called antibiotics. As a result of these efforts, sulfa drugs were developed in 1936, and penicillin in 1943.59,60 In the United States, tuberculosis had been only partially controlled by public health measures and incompletely effective vaccines.61 It was not until the introduction of specific antituberculosis therapy in the 1950s62 that sanatoriums were emptied and cases of active disease were substantially reduced. Antibiotics have revolutionized the treatment of many other important bacterial infections and have saved many millions of lives since their introduction. When antiviral drugs were first developed in the 1960s, they did not seem to be particularly promising, with a few exceptions. In response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, however, the development of antiretroviral drugs markedly expanded the arsenal of available antiviral agents and invigorated the research-and-development pathway for these important drugs. Effective combinations of powerful antiretroviral drugs have led to substantial prolongation of the lives of millions of persons with previously almost invariably fatal HIV infection, a true landmark in therapies for infectious diseases.15,63 All antibiotic and antiviral drugs, however, share an inherent weakness: the organisms against which they are directed almost invariably evolve mechanisms of resistance. Bacteria become resistant by a variety of mechanisms.64 The evolution of antimicrobial resistance is enhanced by overuse of antibiotics in animals and by inappropriate use in humans. Many viruses, particularly RNA viruses such as influenza virus, rapidly develop mutations even in a single brief replication cycle. A number of approaches have been pursued to meet the ever-present challenge of antimicrobial resistance. The development of new classes of antibiotic, antiviral, and antiparasitic agents aimed at diverse microbial targets, often with the use of high-throughput screening of compounds,65 is strengthening and broadening the therapeutic armamentarium. In addition, combination therapies (e.g., antiretroviral agents for HIV infection and multidrug approaches to tuberculosis) have proved to be successful in slowing the emergence of resistance. Public Health Achievements Breakthroughs in the field of infectious diseases have had far-reaching effects, including the realization of the critical importance of clean water and basic sanitation and hygiene for the prevention of a great number of infectious diseases. In addition, disease-specific approaches to prevention and treatment have led in many cases to the widespread control of diseases that historically have caused substantial morbidity and mortality.66 The treatment of infectious diseases is in itself a prevention measure, limiting or preventing transmission to others. Eradication, the ultimate goal in facing the threat of an established or emerging infectious disease, is no longer unrealistic. Specifically, in addition to the millions of lives saved by vaccines and antibiotics, certain infectious diseases have been eliminated from large regions of the world or even completely eradicated, an accomplishment rarely, if ever, seen in other medical disciplines. In 1980, smallpox became the first eradicated disease,9 making this among the most momentous achievements in human disease control. In May 2011, the veterinary morbillivirus disease rinderpest was declared eradicated, and its presumed descendant, human measles virus, is now being targeted for eradication.67 Poliomyelitis has been eliminated from several regions of the world, and it is hoped that within a reasonable period, it will be eradicated globally.68 Dracunculiasis (guinea worm disease) is also almost completely eradicated.69 These are just a few examples of what has been and can be accomplished by aggressive and concerted public health measures using the tools provided by basic and clinical research. New Vistas An unanticipated outcome of the explosion of information concerning the microbial world is the recognition that a growing number of chronic diseases that were once attributed to host, environmental, or lifestyle factors or to unknown causes are actually directly or indirectly caused by infectious agents that potentially can be controlled through prevention and treatment. For example, liver cancer and cirrhosis are complications of hepatitis B and C infections, cervical cancer is a complication of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, and gastric and duodenal ulcers may result from Helicobacter pylori infection.70-72 Vaccines against two of these agents, hepatitis B and HPV, are already in use, exemplifying the concept of cancer-preventing vaccines. H. pylori infection can be cured with antibiotics, and chronic hepatitis B and C infections are being treated by means of antiviral regimens with growing success rates. Certain autoimmune conditions have also been attributed to infections. For example, enteric microbes have been associated with inflammatory arthritides, and Campylobacter jejuni and certain viruses have been associated with the Guillain–Barré syndrome.73 In addition, with new technologies and approaches, scientists are exploring new facets of microbiology, including the role of the human microbiome in maintaining homeostasis in the ecosystems of our bodies and its possible relationship to conditions such as obesity and inflammatory bowel disease.74 The Perpetual Challenge We are living in a remarkable era. Almost all the major advances in understanding and controlling infectious diseases have occurred during the past two centuries, and momentous successes continue to accrue. These breakthroughs in the prevention, treatment, control, elimination, and potential eradication of infectious diseases are among the most important advances in the history of medicine. Nevertheless, because of the evolutionary capacity of infectious pathogens to adapt to new ecologic niches created by human endeavor, as well as to pressures directed at their elimination, we will always confront new or reemerging infectious threats. Our successes in meeting these threats have come not just from isolated scientific triumphs but also from broad approaches that complement the battle against infectious diseases on many different fronts, including constant surveillance of the microbial landscape, clinical and public health efforts, and efficient translation of new discoveries into disease-control applications. These efforts are driven by the necessity of expecting the unexpected and being prepared to respond when the unexpected occurs. It is a battle that has been well fought for more than two centuries but that will almost certainly still be raging, in now-unimagined forms, two centuries from now. The challenges are truly perpetual. Our response to these challenges must be perpetual as well. Disclosure forms provided by the authors are available with the full text of this article at NEJM.org. ||||| By White McKenzie Wallenborn, M.D. On December 12th, 1799, George Washington in his 68th year of life, rode out around his farms on horseback from ten a.m. until about three p.m. The weather that day according to General Washington was snowing in the morning and about three inches deep. Wind at NE and mercury at 30 (30 degrees Fahrenheit). Continued snowing until about one o’clock, and at about four o’clock it became perfectly clear. Wind at same place-not hard. Mercury 28 (28 degrees Fahrenheit) at night. Colonel Tobias Lear, George Washington’s secretary, stated that the weather that day was bad, rain, hail, and snow falling alternately with a cold wind. When George Washington returned from his ride, the General’s neck appeared wet, snow was hanging from his hair, and he came to dinner without changing his dress (clothes wet?). The next day, Friday December 13th, 1799, the General did not go out as usual for he had taken cold and complained of a severe sore throat. He did go out in the afternoon to mark some trees which had to be cut down. He now had hoarseness which increased in the evening. He spent the evening reading the papers, and when he met anything interesting, he read it as loud as his hoarseness would permit. On the next day, Saturday the 14th, at three o’clock in the morning, he told Mrs. Washington that he was very unwell and that he had an “ague” (paroxysmal chills). It was observed that he could hardly speak and that he breathed with difficulty. At daybreak on the 14th, Colonel Tobias Lear came in and found the General breathing with difficulty and hardly able to utter a word intelligently. A mixture of molasses, vinegar, and butter was given but he (GW) could not swallow a drop and when attempted, he appeared to be distressed, convulsive, and almost suffocated. Later he tried to use a gargle of vinegar and sage tea but in attempting to gargle, he almost suffocated and when the gargle came back from the throat some phlegm followed. At eleven a.m., his swallowing had not improved. After the last bleeding it was noted that the blood came “slow and thick” but there was no fainting (his physicians had ordered that he be bled a number of times in the course of his illness and an incredible amount about eighty two ounces or about five pints or units of blood were removed from him). At half past four o’clock, Washington gave directions about his will and at about five he again tried sitting up but remained so only half an hour. In the course of the afternoon, he appeared in great pain and distress from difficulty in breathing, and frequently changed his position in bed. At about eight o’clock it was noted that his condition remained unchanged and did so until about ten minutes before his decease (death) when breathing became easier. He died between ten and eleven p.m. December 14th, 1799. His primary symptoms in the order of their occurrence were – severe sore throat; hoarseness; cough, chills, difficulty with breathing; difficulty with swallowing; expectoration (spitting-? drooling); fever; loss of voice-, and suffocation. From the observations of Colonel Lear, Dr. James Craik, Dr. Elisha Cullen Dick, an Dr. Gustavus Richard Brown, and the clinical course of his illness, I think that it is very reasonable and possible to make a determination of the disease process that was the cause of George Washington’s death. He had acute epiglottitis (supraglottitis) which is a severe, rapidly progressing infection of the epiglottis and surrounding tissues that may be quickly fatal because of sudden respiratory (airway) obstruction by the inflamed structures. The epiglottis is located at the base of the tongue and is the most superior part of the larynx (voice box). It is at the very entrance to the airway which goes through the larynx to the trachea and lungs. Swelling of this structure is painful and tends to rapidly obstruct the airway and also the entrance to the hypopharynx (area just above the esophagus) and the esophagus (gullet). With acute epiglottitis, George Washington would have had great difficulty breathing, talking, and swallowing and these he certainly had. The onset of epiglottitis is usually acute and fulminating. Sore throat, hoarseness, dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) , and respiratory distress accompanied by drooling, shortness of breath, rapid pulse, and inspiratory stridor (harsh high pitched respiratory noise heard while the patient is inhaling [breathing in]) develop in rapid order. Death from this dysorder is caused by obstruction of the patient’s airway and is very painful and frightening. The other possible dysorders suggested by some as being the disease process that caused George Washington’s death were acute diphtheria (laryngeal diphtheria), quinsy, acute laryngitis, and Ludwig’s angina. However none of these diagnoses quite fit the description of Washington’s terminal illness but on the other hand acute epiglottitis does explain all of his symptoms and his demise. His illness is a classic “textbook” case of acute epiglottitis. Laryngeal diphtheria is an unlikely diagnosis for several reasons. General Washington was reported to have survived a case of “black canker” as a child. This would have been diphtheria and would have given him lifetime immunity against future attacks of diphtheria more than likely. There were no other reported cases of diphtheria in his household or farm population so the likelihood that he would have picked up a case of diphtheria was remote. Diphtheria in an adult is a very rare occurrence. Although this diagnosis is a possibility because it can produce laryngeal obstruction and respiratory distress, it just doesn’t fit the picture. Quinsy is the term used to describe a peritonsillar abscess. Quinsy produces a sore throat but it is almost always unilateral (on only one side of the throat) and produces symptoms referable to that side only e.g. soreness; swelling of the neck on that side; and another symptom: trismus (a lockjaw-like symptom where the patient cannot open their mouth). This diagnosis also does not fit the disease process from which General Washington died. Acute laryngitis in an adult is not usually a life threatening dysorder. Ludwig’s Angina is an infection in the floor of the mouth in front of or lateral to the tongue. It usually results from a dental or periodontal infection. George Washington had no teeth..ergo.. not a likely diagnosis. It would be improper for today’s medical practitioners to be critical of the physicians of George Washington’s day if they were delivering the standard of care that other physicians of that era were giving to their patients. It would appear that Dr. James Craik, Dr. Elisha Cullen Dick, and Dr. Gustavus Richard Brown were well trained as physicians, were honest and caring, and gave the kind of medical care that their peers would have given. Today we know that many of their methods were wrong and we would do things differently. If Drs. Craik and Brown would have encouraged Dr. Dick to perforate Washington’s trachea (tracheostomy), it might have allowed him to survive the acute illness and live on for sometime afterwards. However this procedure was new and controversial so they were not totally wrong to oppose it. Technically it might not have worked anyway … but who knows? Today we find the removal of about eighty two ounces of blood (about five pints or units of blood) from a sick patient in less than sixteen hours to be incredible. However this was the method of treatment being taught in those days. It was the treatment of choice for many diseases and the complications of using this method were not comprehended by the physicians of that day. I certainly have a great deal of compassion for George Washington’s physicians who were attempting to save his life by using the methods that they thought best for him. I am also filled with sadness that such a remarkable man and leader should have such a painful and frightening end to his life. White McKenzie Wallenborn, M.D. Clinical Professor (Ret.) Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery University of Virginia School of Medicine November 5, 1997 References In the study of George Washington’s terminal illness, a number of textbooks of Otolaryngology were consulted. William Abbot and Dorothy Twohig, Editor in Chief of The Papers of George Washington at the University of Virginia, provided a number of valuable articles written about George Washington’s death and his overall medical history. By combining the textbook articles, the journal articles, and my own clinical experiences, I was able to reach the conclusions noted above. The journals used are listed below: Barker, Creighton. “A Case Report,” The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, 9 (1936), 185-87. Blanton, Wyndham B. “Washington’s Medical Knowledge and Its Sources,” Annals of Medical History, 4 (1932), 52-61. Brickell, John. “Observations on the Medical Treatment of General Washington in His Illness,” Transactions of the College of Physicians, 25 (1903), 90-93. Courtney, John F. “George Washington’s Final Illness,” Resident and Staff Physician, 15 (1969), 84-. Knox, J. H. Mason, Jr. “The Medical History of George Washington, His Physicians, Friends and Advisers,” Bullentin of the Institute of the History of Medicine, 1 (1933), 174-91. Lewis, Fielding 0. “Washington’s Last Illness,” Annals of Medical History, 4 (1932), 245-48. Nydegger, James A. “The Last Illness of George Washington,” Medical Record, 92 (1917), 1128. Wells, Walter A. “Last Illness and Death of Washington,” Virginia Medical Monthly, 53 (1926-27), 629-42. Willius, F. A., and Keys, T. E. “The Medical History of George Washington (1732-1799),” Proceedings of the Staff Meetings of the Mayo Clinic, 17 (1942), 92-96, 107-112, 116-121. © 1999 White McKenzie Wallenborn

– "I have been protected beyond all human probability or expectation," the National Archives quote George Washington in a letter to his brother following the French and Indian War. He wasn't kidding. In a piece written for Washington's birthday this week, the Washington Post reveals America's first president was nigh indestructible. In his lifetime, Washington bested smallpox, malaria, infections, abscesses, tuberculosis, dysentery, and a boil "the size of two fists." And that's not even mentioning the battles he survived. Washington claimed that during the French and Indian War, four bullets ripped through his coat and two horses were shot while he rode them. He apparently had so many close calls he was rumored to be dead. Yet somehow he managed to live to 67. Washington's resilience was all the more impressive as he was living at time with, as the New England Journal of Medicine puts it, "no well-defined concept of infection...no vaccines, almost no specific or effective treatments for infections diseases." As an illustration of this point, Washington finally died in 1799 when he came down with a sore throat and chills after riding around his property in the snow, according to the Washington Papers. Doctors tried everything to cure him—from molasses mixed with butter, to vinegar mixed with sage tea, to removing five pints of blood from the former president. None of it worked. A friend described Washington's "dignified" final words, which were—frankly—a long time coming: "I am just going...Tis well." (Thomas Jefferson's home is getting a renovation with slave Sally Hemings in mind.)

The seed for Wide00014 was: - Slash pages from every domain on the web: -- a ranking of all URLs that have more than one incoming inter-domain link (rank was determined by number of incoming links using Wide00012 inter domain links) -- up to a maximum of 100 most highly ranked URLs per domain - Top ranked pages (up to a max of 100) from every linked-to domain using the Wide00012 inter-domain navigational link graph ||||| Mankato, MN (56001) Today Mainly cloudy with snow showers around this morning. High around 15F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 40%.. Tonight A few passing clouds, otherwise generally clear. Low around -10F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.

– One Minnesota dog has apparently learned a new trick: how to drive a semi-truck, the AP reports. Customers at a gas station in Mankato saw a golden Labrador retriever appear to drive the semi across a road on Friday. Police say the idling truck apparently was put into gear, then went through a parking lot, across the street, and over a curb. According to the Free Press of Mankato, a passer-by discovered the dog sitting in the driver's seat when he jumped into the truck to stop it. A man in the gas station heard the truck smash into a tree and a parked car. He couldn't see the driver, but he saw the dog climb up near the driver's side. Police say the driver had left the unoccupied truck running in a nearby parking lot.

If it seems like there have been more of these sorts of outages lately, it’s because there have. “Recently, some of the major companies that provide the basic infrastructure that makes the Internet work have seen an increase in DDoS attacks against them,” the security technologist Bruce Schneier wrote in a blog post in September. “Moreover, they have seen a certain profile of attacks. These attacks are significantly larger than the ones they're used to seeing. They last longer. They're more sophisticated. And they look like probing.” “Probing” refers to a specially calibrated kind of attack, one that’s designed to take advantage of an individual website’s precise security weaknesses. “We don't know who is doing this, but it feels like a large nation state. China or Russia would be my first guesses,” Schneier wrote. The stakes of such an attack—and the possibility of a state actor—seem especially high in the United States, given the extent of alleged outside tampering with the approaching presidential election. In September, Krebs, the security researcher, also suffered a massive DDoS attack on his blog. It was so large, and so much bigger than historically comparable attacks, that internet-infrastructure company Akamai told him it could no longer host his blog pro bono, as it had for four years. (A spokesman for Akamai said none of its customers were affected by Friday’s attack.) When his blog came back online, he attributed the assault to “super-empowered individuals who have been quietly building extremely potent cyber weapons with transnational reach.” He believes that someone harnessed a vast number of digitally connected “internet of things” devices—“mainly routers, IP cameras, and digital video recorders”—to make DDoS attacks of unprecedented size. Many of these devices have weak security in the first place, and some even have hard-coded and unchangeable passwords. He compared a successful DDoS attack to a kind of censorship that the web can’t route around. “It's hard to imagine a stronger form of censorship than these DDoS attacks because if nobody wants to [host your website,] then that's pretty effective censorship,” he told Ars Technica. In the wake of that hack, Schneier argued that the U.S. government must regulate the internet of things or face DDoS-ing botnets of dangerous size. Many attacks are carried out by malicious bots, which are responsible for a huge proportion of overall web traffic anyway. “DDoS mitigation firms simply did not count on the size of these attacks increasing so quickly overnight,” Krebs wrote on Friday, “and are now scrambling to secure far greater capacity to handle much larger attacks concurrently.” Even before the attack on Krebs’s site, Akamai reported the largest DDoS attack ever measured on its routed network earlier this year. “We also saw more web application and DDoS attacks than ever before, a trend that shows no sign of reversing,” Akamai wrote in a 2016 security report. ||||| Criminals this morning massively attacked Dyn, a company that provides core Internet services for Twitter, SoundCloud, Spotify, Reddit and a host of other sites, causing outages and slowness for many of Dyn’s customers. In a statement, Dyn said that this morning, October 21, Dyn received a global distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack on its DNS infrastructure on the east coast starting at around 7:10 a.m. ET (11:10 UTC). “DNS traffic resolved from east coast name server locations are experiencing a service interruption during this time. Updates will be posted as information becomes available,” the company wrote. DYN encouraged customers with concerns to check the company’s status page for updates and to reach out to its technical support team. A DDoS is when crooks use a large number of hacked or ill-configured systems to flood a target site with so much junk traffic that it can no longer serve legitimate visitors. DNS refers to Domain Name System services. DNS is an essential component of all Web sites, responsible for translating human-friendly Web site names like “example.com” into numeric, machine-readable Internet addresses. Anytime you send an e-mail or browse a Web site, your machine is sending a DNS look-up request to your Internet service provider to help route the traffic. ANALYSIS The attack on DYN comes just hours after DYN researcher Doug Madory presented a talk on DDoS attacks in Dallas, Texas at a meeting of the North American Network Operators Group (NANOG). Madory’s talk — available here on Youtube.com — delved deeper into research that he and I teamed up on to produce the data behind the story DDoS Mitigation Firm Has History of Hijacks. That story (as well as one published earlier this week, Spreading the DDoS Disease and Selling the Cure) examined the sometimes blurry lines between certain DDoS mitigation firms and the cybercriminals apparently involved in launching some of the largest DDoS attacks the Internet has ever seen. Indeed, the record 620 Gbps DDoS against KrebsOnSecurity.com came just hours after I published the story on which Madory and I collaborated. The record-sized attack that hit my site last month was quickly superseded by a DDoS against OVH, a French hosting firm that reported being targeted by a DDoS that was roughly twice the size of the assault on KrebsOnSecurity. As I noted in The Democratization of Censorship — the first story published after bringing my site back up under the protection of Google’s Project Shield — DDoS mitigation firms simply did not count on the size of these attacks increasing so quickly overnight, and are now scrambling to secure far greater capacity to handle much larger attacks concurrently. The size of these DDoS attacks has increased so much lately thanks largely to the broad availability of tools for compromising and leveraging the collective firepower of so-called Internet of Things devices — poorly secured Internet-based security cameras, digital video recorders (DVRs) and Internet routers. Last month, a hacker by the name of Anna_Senpai released the source code for Mirai, a crime machine that enslaves IoT devices for use in large DDoS attacks. The 620 Gbps attack that hit my site last month was launched by a botnet built on Mirai, for example. Interestingly, someone is now targeting infrastructure providers with extortion attacks and invoking the name Anna_senpai. According to a discussion thread started Wednesday on Web Hosting Talk, criminals are now invoking the Mirai author’s nickname in a bid to extort Bitcoins from targeted hosting providers. “If you will not pay in time, DDoS attack will start, your web-services will go down permanently. After that, price to stop will be increased to 5 BTC with further increment of 5 BTC for every day of attack. NOTE, i?m not joking. My attack are extremely powerful now – now average 700-800Gbps, sometimes over 1 Tbps per second. It will pass any remote protections, no current protection systems can help.” Let me be clear: I have no data to indicate that the attack on Dyn is related to extortion, to Mirai or to any of the companies or individuals Madory referenced in his talk this week in Dallas. But Dyn is known for publishing detailed writeups on outages at other major Internet service providers. Here’s hoping the company does not deviate from that practice and soon publishes a postmortem on its own attack. Update, 3:50 p.m. ET: Security firm Flashpoint is now reporting that they have seen indications that a Mirai-based botnet is indeed involved in the attack on Dyn today. Separately, I have heard from a trusted source who’s been tracking this activity and saw chatter in the cybercrime underground yesterday discussing a plan to attack Dyn. Update, 10:22 a.m. ET: Dyn’s status page reports that all services are back to normal as of 13:20 UTC (9:20 a.m. ET). Fixed the link to Doug Madory’s talk on Youtube, to remove the URL shortener (which isn’t working because of this attack). Update, 1:01 p.m. ET: Looks like the attacks on Dyn have resumed and this event is ongoing. This, from the Dyn status page: Tags: Akamai, Anna_Senpai, DDoS, DNS, Doug Madory, Dyn, internet of things, IoT, mirai, OVH, Reddit, twitter ||||| Twitter, Spotify and Reddit, and a huge swath of other websites were down or screwed up this morning. This was happening as hackers unleashed a large distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack on the servers of Dyn, a major DNS host. It’s probably safe to assume that the two situations are related. Update 4:22 PM EST: Looks like this is probably going to get even worse before it gets any better. Dyn says they are being hit with a third wave of attacks. Dyn told CNBC the attack is “well planned and executed, coming from tens of millions IP addresses at same time.” Advertisement Update 12:28 PM EST: Dyn says it is investigating yet another attack, causing the same massive outages experienced this morning. Based on emails from Gizmodo readers, this new wave of attacks seems to be affecting the West Coast of the United States and Europe. It’s so far unclear how the two attacks are related, but the outages are very similar. In order to understand how one DDoS attack could take out so many websites, you have to understand how Domain Name Servers (DNS) work. Basically, they act as the Internet’s phone book and facilitate your request to go to a certain webpage and make sure you are taken to the right place. If the DNS provider that handles requests for Twitter is down, well, good luck getting to Twitter. Some websites are coming back for some users, but it doesn’t look like the problem is fully resolved. Advertisement Dyn posted this update on its website: “Starting at 11:10 UTC on October 21th-Friday 2016 we began monitoring and mitigating a DDoS attack against our Dyn Managed DNS infrastructure. Some customers may experience increased DNS query latency and delayed zone propagation during this time. Updates will be posted as information becomes available.” Here’s a list of websites that readers have told us they are having trouble accessing: ActBlue Basecamp Big cartel Box Business Insider CNN Cleveland.com Etsy Github Grubhub Guardian.co.uk HBO Now Iheart.com (iHeartRadio) Imgur Intercom Intercom.com Okta PayPal People.com Pinterest Playstation Network Recode Reddit Seamless Spotify Squarespace Customer Sites Starbucks rewards/gift cards Storify.com The Verge Twillo Twitter Urbandictionary.com (lol) Weebly Wired.com Wix Customer Sites Yammer Yelp Zendesk.com Zoho CRM Credit Karma Eventbrite Netflix NHL.com Fox News Disqus Shopify Soundcloud Atom.io Ancersty.com ConstantContact Indeed.com New York Times Weather.com WSJ.com time.com xbox.com dailynews.com Wikia donorschoose.org Wufoo.com Genonebiology.com BBC Elder Scrolls Online Eve Online PagerDuty Kayak youneedabudget.com Speed Test Freshbooks Braintree Blue Host Qualtrics SBNation Salsify.com Zillow.com nimbleschedule.com Vox.com Livestream.com IndieGoGo Fortune CNBC.com FT.com Survey Monkey Paragon Game Runescape Here’s an internet outage map from DownDetector as of 12:46 PM EST: Advertisement Here’s a gif that shows the internet outage at 9:00 AM EST versus 12:30 PM EST: Your browser does not support HTML5 video tag.Click here to view original GIF At the time of publication Dyn said that it was still dealing with the problem. What websites are down for you? Send a tip to william.turton@gizmodo.com. Update 9:05 AM EST: Judging by emails from readers, this problem seems to be getting worse. Advertisement Update 9:43 AM EST: Dyn says the issue has been resolved. Update 12:19 PM EST: Dyn says the issue is resolved, but multiple readers are messaging me to say they’re still having trouble accessing websites. Update 12:25pm EST: It’s happening again. (see above) ||||| Level3 Communications offers telecommunications services to business customers. Level 3 services include internet connectivite and managed services such as VPN, collaboration, voice and video.

– If you like to ease your way into the day by flipping on some Spotify tunes and checking out your Twitter feeds and favorite Reddit forums, Friday morning was probably pretty miserable. That's because those sites, and dozens of others, experienced annoying disruptions (or were down completely for some) as a large distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack took place on a major domain host company, Gizmodo reports. Then, just a couple of hours after host Dyn announced it had restored everything to normal, a second strike against its infrastructure came through. DownDetector.com's outage map showed huge red blotches across the parts of the US, with the East Coast getting slammed the hardest. Gizmodo lays out the technical explainer, labeling DNS (domain name server) hosts as the "internet's phone book," serving as a conduit to bring users to certain websites. If a DNS host like Dyn goes down or is otherwise adversely affected, it can have repercussions for all of the sites under its umbrella. The Krebs on Security blog, meanwhile, describes a DDoS attack, defining it as "when crooks use a large number of hacked or ill-configured systems to flood a target site with so much junk traffic that it can no longer serve legitimate visitors." Gizmodo lists all of the sites apparently plagued with issues Friday, while the Atlantic ponders an even more dire situation: what would happen if something like this took place on Election Day. (A hacker hated NYC so much he took New York magazine offline.)

Back in October of 2014 I wrote a story titled "Millions of Federal Student Loans Lining Up to Be Eliminated and Borrowers Repaid". At the time I wrote that article some people said I was crazy. After all, how could people actually have their federal student loans forgiven because they were defrauded. Well the simple answer is because it is the law. It's a little known and buried law and I went into detail with examples about it. Just look at this. As I said then, "Recently the Department of Education brought a section of federal law to light that would allow federal loans to be eliminated if, "the borrower may assert as a defense against repayment, an act or omission of the school attended by the student that would give rise to a cause of action against the school under applicable State law." For more information on this, click here." And today the Wall Street Journal ran a story that said "Americans are flooding the government with appeals to have their student loans forgiven on the grounds that schools deceived them with false promises of a well-paying career -- part of a growing protest against years of surging college costs." In the past six months, the story reports, more than 7,500 borrowers have applied to have their student loans eliminated in a process that is law today. The interesting part of the Wall Street Journal article is this quote, "The sudden surge in claims has flummoxed the Education Department, which says the 1994 forgiveness program is overly vague. The law doesn't specify, for example, what proof is needed to demonstrate a school committed fraud. Last week, the department a began monthslong negotiation with representatives of students, schools and lenders to set clear rules, including when the department can go after institutions to claw back tuition money funded by student loans." If I was right in reading the tea leaves about the regulation allowing people to apply for federal student loan forgiveness when they were defrauded, then I would bet the government will be closing that door soon. So if you feel you had been defrauded I would urge you to get your claim in as soon as possible. Lawmakers will soon get significant lobbying pressure to change that law since it will lead to a huge amount of loans forgiven and money clawed back from for-profit and public schools and universities. Since there is no official claim for to use I'm aware of, I would urge you to consider taking one of three action steps. First, you may want to contact an attorney who is licensed in your state to represent you in making your claim. The attorney should be able to help with document and submit a legal and valid claim based on the specifics of your situation. You will have to pay the attorney for their services. Tell the attorney to refer to this article and this one for more details. Second, you might want to consider a less expensive option like contacting a good debt coach like Damon Day or Michael Bovee for help in submitting a well documented and professional claim to hopefully be more easily processed by the Department of Education. Finally, you can always attempt to put forward a claim yourself. Just make sure it is not a rant, it contains specific facts to backup your allegations, and state the basis for making your claim. I can't stress enough how much you need to make sure your claim is neat, tidy, easy to read, and can be easily assessed to be valid. In my decades of experience helping people with debt problems I've just seen too many people submit sloppy documentation, poor narratives, and not track their correspondence. If you decide to go the self-help route, take time to submit a professional, through, and well documented claim. Please. And to help reinforce the sound of the door preparing to slam, here is a final quote from the Wall Street Journal story, "The Education Department has hired a special master to sort through existing claims as it drafts permanent rules." Get Out of Debt Guy -- Twitter, G+, Facebook If you have a credit or debt question you'd like to ask, just click here and ask away. If you'd like to stay posted on all the latest get out of debt news and scam alerts, subscribe to my free newsletter. Follow Steve Rhode on Twitter: www.twitter.com/GetOutOfDebtGuy ||||| Americans are flooding the government with appeals to have their student loans forgiven on the grounds that schools deceived them with false promises of a well-paying career—part of a growing protest against years of surging college costs. In the past six months, more than 7,500 borrowers owing $164 million have applied to have their student debt expunged under an obscure federal law that had been applied only in three instances... ||||| There are millions of onetime college students in America who owe huge sums of money for student loans that bought them an education that turned out to have little market value. Now, there may be a ray of hope for their financial future. The Wall Street Journal reports that what may have once been seen as a fanciful dream of desperate student debtors is now catching on in a serious way: In the past six months, more than 7,500 borrowers owing $164 million have applied to have their student debt expunged under an obscure federal law that had been applied only in three instances before last year. The law forgives debt for borrowers who prove their schools used illegal tactics to recruit them, such as by lying about their graduates’ earnings. To be clear, we are not talking here about the stereotypical “Oberlin art history major who found out their lavish degree was worthless” that is used to brush this topic away so frequently. According to the WSJ, “So far, almost all of the borrowers applying for forgiveness under the 1994 program attended for-profit schools,” those actually fraudulent institutions whose business model is to prey on the needy and ignorant and soak them in exchange for degrees with little real world value. And, the story makes clear, the government is viewing their claims as potentially valid. It is nice to imagine this debt forgiveness standard spreading to all types of universities. It would revolutionize how higher education is designed and marketed in America. But even if it only has the effect of denting the for-profit scam diploma industry, it’s worthwhile. If you went to a for-profit school and owe a ton of student debt, start Googling. [Photo via FB]

– Over the past six months, more than 7,500 Americans have applied to have their cumulative $164 million in student loans forgiven, claiming their colleges defrauded them, the Wall Street Journal reports. And as Gawker clarifies: "We are not talking here about the stereotypical 'Oberlin art history major who found out their lavish degree was worthless.'" No, these students are taking advantage of an almost entirely unused 1994 law that allows student loans to be forgiven if current or former students can prove their schools "used illegal tactics to recruit them," the Journal reports. Student activists found the law last year, and so far it's mostly been used against for-profit chain colleges, such as ITT Technical Institutes and Art Institutes. "I feel robbed of my life," one student, who owes $114,000 after attending an Art Institute, tells the Journal. Another says he was promised an industry job after graduation only to have the Art Institute get him a gig at Office Depot for $8 an hour. Meanwhile, the Education Department has been shocked by the obscure law's sudden popularity. The department is now looking at the law, which it claims is too vague and potentially costly to taxpayers. Steve Rhode at the Huffington Post writes that students who feel defrauded by for-profit schools should get their claims in ASAP, as pressure will soon start mounting on politicians to repeal the law. "I would bet the government will be closing that door soon," he says.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A U.S. appeals court has rejected a fired police sergeant's stance that forcing him to unlock his encrypted computer files in a child porn investigation would violate his constitutional rights. Former Philadelphia officer Francis Rawls has not been charged with a crime, but he has been jailed for 18 months for contempt because he hasn't entered the right passwords for investigators to access the files. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling Monday noted that police already had forensic evidence that Rawls had child pornography stored on his computer hard drive, including a relative's statement and electronic fingerprints showing he had downloaded it. Therefore, the court said, Rawls would not be incriminating himself by entering the password to decrypt the material. A lawyer with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, who argued the case last year, disagreed. "You're being compelled to provide the contents of your mind. That is squarely prohibited by the Fifth Amendment," Senior Staff Attorney Mark Rumold said. "Law enforcement is asking (him) to produce evidence that they don't have to aid in his conviction." Rawls, 38, is expected to remain behind bars until he decides to cooperate, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Rotella said. He is collecting a police pension, she said, and being held in Manhattan as a precaution given his years on the Philadelphia force. Rawls came to the attention of suburban Philadelphia police during a routine online pornography investigation. They seized his personal computers and cellphone in 2015 but could not unlock them. Rawls later spent hours in a police laboratory, unlocking a new phone he had gotten but claiming, as he tried different passwords, that he couldn't recall the one to access the encrypted hard drive. The phone contained both adult pornography and suggestive images of a 6-year-old girl, the court said. Authorities, citing a "foregone conclusion exception" to the Fifth Amendment, argued that Rawls could not invoke his right to self-incrimination because police already had evidence of a crime. The 3rd Circuit panel agreed, upholding a lower court decision. The Atlanta-based 11th Circuit — in a case where police did not have other evidence — has said that a suspect could not be compelled to turn over unencrypted computer files. Rumold questioned whether Rawls, more than a year later, even remembers his. "It's quite possible he remains in jail for failing to comply with an order he can't comply with," he said. However, Rotella said the court did not find that theory credible. "The court has found ... that he's in contempt, that he can remember, and that he's choosing not to give the password," she said. "He'll just be in prison until he decides he's going to cooperate." ||||| On Monday, a US federal appeals court sided against a former Philadelphia police officer who has been in jail 17 months because he invoked his Fifth Amendment right against compelled self-incrimination. He had refused to comply with a court order commanding him to unlock two hard drives the authorities say contain child porn. The 3-0 decision (PDF) by the 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals means that the suspect, Francis Rawls, likely will remain jailed indefinitely or until the order (PDF) finding him in contempt of court is lifted or overturned. However, he still can comply with the order and unlock two FileVault encrypted drives connected to his Apple Mac Pro. Using a warrant, authorities seized those drives from his residence in 2015. While Rawls could get out from under the contempt order by unlocking those drives, doing so might expose him to other legal troubles. In deciding against Rawls, the court of appeals found that the constitutional rights against being compelled to testify against oneself were not being breached. That's because the appeals court, like the police, agreed that the presence of child porn on his drives was a "foregone conclusion." The Fifth Amendment, at its most basic level, protects suspects from being forced to disclose incriminating evidence. In this instance, however, the authorities said they already know there's child porn on the drives, so Rawls' constitutional rights aren't compromised. The Philadelphia-based appeals court ruled: Forensic examination also disclosed that Doe [Rawls] had downloaded thousands of files known by their "hash" values to be child pornography. The files, however, were not on the Mac Pro, but instead had been stored on the encrypted external hard drives. Accordingly, the files themselves could not be accessed. The court also noted that the authorities "found [on the Mac Book Pro] one image depicting a pubescent girl in a sexually suggestive position and logs that suggested the user had visited groups with titles common in child exploitation." They also said the man's sister had "reported" that her brother showed her hundreds of pictures and videos of child pornography. All of this, according to the appeals court, meant that the lower court lawfully ordered Rawls to unlock the drives. "The Magistrate Judge did not commit a clear or obvious error in his application of the foregone conclusion doctrine," the court ruled. "In this regard, the Magistrate Judge rested his decision rejecting the Fifth Amendment challenge on factual findings that are amply supported by the record." The suspect's attorney, Federal Public Defender Keith Donoghue, was disappointed by the ruling. "The fact remains that the government has not brought charges," Donoghue said in a telephone interview. "Our client has now been in custody for almost 18 months based on his assertion of his Fifth Amendment right against compelled self-incrimination." A child-porn investigation focused on Rawls when the authorities were monitoring the online network, Freenet. The decision from the appeals court comes as encryption is becoming more common on mobile phones and computers. What's more, encryption has seemingly become part of the national political discussion concerning whether governments should demand that companies bake backdoors into their encrypted products so that authorities can access content on encrypted devices. The Supreme Court has never ruled on the forced decryption issue. A different federal appeals court, the 10th US Circuit Court of Appeals based in Denver, ruled in 2012 that a bank-fraud defendant must decrypt her laptop. The order wasn't enforced, however, as the authorities eventually accessed the laptop without her assistance. The contempt-of-court order against Rawls was obtained by authorities citing the 1789 All Writs Act. The All Writs Act was the same law the Justice Department asserted in its legal battle with Apple, in which a magistrate judge ordered Apple to produce code to enable the FBI to decrypt the iPhone used by one of two shooters who killed 14 people at a San Bernardino County government building. The government dropped the case when authorities paid a reported $1 million for a hack. "Unless the suspect unlocks the drives or a court unwinds the order, he will remain jailed," Marc Rumold, an Electronic Frontier Foundation staff attorney who filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case, said in a telephone interview. In that brief, the EFF said "compelled decryption is inherently testimonial because it compels a suspect to use the contents of their mind to translate unintelligible evidence into a form that can be used against them. The Fifth Amendment provides an absolute privilege against such self-incriminating compelled decryption." The authorities, however, said no testimony was needed from Rawls. Rather, they said, (PDF) "he can keep his passwords to himself" and "produce his computer and hard drives in an unencrypted state." ||||| Former Philadelphia police officer Francis Rawls, who has been in jail for 17 months, has refused to obey a court order to unlock the devices A former Philadelphia police officer who has spent 17 months in jail will remain there indefinitely unless he agrees to unlock two encrypted hard drives. The suspect, Francis Rawls, has so far refused to comply with the court order, citing the fifth amendment, which protects him from self-incrimination. The case has become a battleground for civil liberties campaigners, who believe that citizens should have the right to protect their critical information and to be protected from self-incrimination. However, the suspected nature of the encrypted content makes for a challenging ethical quandary: those hard drives are believed to contain images depicting child sexual abuse. In order to stand up for the rights of citizens across the US, organizations such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) must defend a suspected pedophile. Facebook and Instagram ban developers from using data for surveillance Read more According to court documents obtained by Ars Technica, the case started in 2015, when the Delaware County criminal investigations unit got a warrant to search Rawls’ home after investigating his online activity. Officers seized two iPhones, an Apple Mac Pro and two external hard drives and got a warrant to examine their contents. Rawls refused to give up the passwords required to decrypt the hard drives, which were encrypted with Apple’s FileVault software. That didn’t stop digital forensics experts from finding incriminating content, including an image of a pubescent girl in a sexually provocative position and logs showing the device had been used to visit sites with titles commonly used in child exploitation. The forensic investigation also revealed that Rawls had downloaded thousands of files known by their “hash” values to be child abuse images, although the files themselves couldn’t be accessed. The suspect’s sister also told police that she had seen hundreds of images of child sexual abuse on the hard drives. In August 2015, a court issued a decryption order, compelling the suspect to unlock the encrypted devices. He unlocked one of the iPhones, but said he could not remember the passwords to the encrypted hard drives – an assertion the court rejected based on testimony from his sister, who said she had seen him enter his passwords from memory. In September, a district court held the suspect in contempt of court for refusing to comply with the decryption order. On Monday, the third US circuit court of appeals upheld the decision. Rawls remains imprisoned without charges (for much of the time in solitary confinement) in Philadelphia’s federal detention center until he complies with the court order. “Theoretically, he could be held in jail for contempt forever ... until he’s dead,” said Dan Terzian, a lawyer from Duane Morris. “Given the powerful evidence here that the defendant knows the passwords, he holds the key to his own cell. It is his own refusal to provide the evidence covered by the search warrant that is keeping him there,” added Adam Klein, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security. In ruling against Rawls, the court of appeals has decided that his constitutional rights against being forced to self-incriminate are not being breached. This is because of an exception to the fifth amendment known as a “foregone conclusion”, which is when authorities already know something exists – in this case, police say they know there are child abuse images on the hard drives because they have a witness who saw the files (Rawls’ sister). The EFF and ACLU argued in an amicus brief that they did not believe the government could demonstrate with “reasonable particularity” that it knew the documents existed. Why don’t they go to trial without the files allegedly stored on the encrypted devices? It comes down to reasonable doubt. “The government wants every piece of evidence they can get to show the jurors what a disgusting person the defendant is,” said Terzian, who has previously attended a trial where no actual images were presented as evidence in a case addressing child abuse images. “Witnesses said he was searching for it, but he was found not guilty because the defence convincingly argued that if there was child porn, the government would have shown it,” he said. There is also the issue of identifying child victims of sexual abuse and their attackers. In her essay on the topic, published in January, the Brookings Institution fellow Susan Hennessy explained the “immediate and real” problem: Whereas with respect to terrorism cases we often end up hypothesizing how law enforcement and policy makers will respond to “the next big attack”, in the child exploitation context the next attack is happening literally every day. Children as young as infants and toddlers are raped or otherwise abused on camera; those images are routinely shared among a community of offenders; and those offenders deploy technologies that make it difficult or impossible to discover the perpetrators, prosecute their crimes, or identify and rescue victims. Hennessy proposes that instead of forcing technology companies to create backdoors for law enforcement, “lawful hacking” – in which the government exploits vulnerabilities in encrypted systems – and regulation should be more broadly applied. The suspect’s attorney, Keith Donoghue, a public defender, said he was “disappointed in the ruling” and was studying the decision to determine the next course of action. “The fact remains that the government has not brought charges. Our client has now been in custody for 18 months based on his assertion of his fifth amendment rights against self-incrimination,” he said.

– It's been a year and a half since former Philadelphia police sergeant Francis Rawls was issued a court decryption order, but he has yet to provide the passwords to two encrypted hard drives. On Friday, an appeals court upheld the September 2015 decision to hold him in contempt of court, leaving Rawls locked up without charge, almost entirely in solitary confinement. The man, suspected of possessing hundreds of images of children being sexually abused in part due to his own sister's testimony that she had seen some of them, has said he doesn't remember the passwords; his sister disputes that, reports the Guardian. "He holds the key to his own cell," one attorney says. Regardless, organizations like the Electronic Frontier Foundation and American Civil Liberties Union argue it is Rawls' Fifth Amendment right to not incriminate himself. The AP explains the counter-argument: something called a "foregone conclusion exception" to the Fifth Amendment. What that means is because evidence of a crime exists (his sister's testimony, provocative photos of a 6-year-old on an iPhone he did unlock, and electronic fingerprints—"hash" values—that suggest he downloaded thousands of child abuse files), his rights regarding self-incrimination aren't being breached. The EFF and ACLU counter that prosecutors can't show with "reasonable particularity" that it knows the images exist. Ars Technica reports that the Supreme Court has never ruled on a forced decryption issue. For now, Rawls continues to collect his police pension; he's jailed in Manhattan as a safety measure that takes into account his years as a Philly cop. (Did this disgraced cop kill a boxing champ?)

A fire blazed through Sterling House completely destroying the nursing home and forcing residents to evacuate late Friday night just before midnight in Emporia. All of the residents of the senior living facility are safe reports the Emporia Gazette. Fire crews were called to the residential home at 1200 W. 12th Ave. where residents were evacuated from the building, and taken to the Newman Regional Health, where a staging area was set up. The Emporia Fire Marshal's Office says the cause has been traced to improperly disposed of fireworks. Video: Photo credit to Emporia Gazette photographer Dustin Michaelson ||||| A man in his 40s apparently lost both his hands Friday when a firework he was holding prematurely exploded, San Jose Police reported. And in Sunnyvale, a mortar-type firework blew off the fingers of two men, officials said. Police did not identify any of the men, who were transported to local hospitals. San Jose Police Officer Albert Morales said that police were summoned at 9:44 p.m. to the 1300 block of Leeward Drive, near Cassel Park and the intersection of Story Road and Capitol Expressway in East San Jose. A man igniting illegal fireworks, as family members stood nearby, was injured when the device exploded, Morales said. The blast blew off both the victim’s hands, Morales said. He is expected to survive. The type of device was not identified. “It would have had to have been something pretty powerful,” Morales said. The Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety said it responded after a patrolling officer saw and heard an explosion just before 10 p.m. Friday at an apartment complex on 727 East Duane Ave., near the intersection of North Fair Oaks Avenue. Two men, ages 41 and 32, emerged from a group of 20 people and approached the officer. Witnesses said the two men had been trying to ignite a mortar-type firework when it went off in their hands. For one man, the firework blew fingers off his left hand and fingertips off his right hand. The other was missing part of his right hand. The officer treated the men for injuries at the scene before they were taken to the hospital. Staff writer Mike Rosenberg contributed to this report. Contact Sharon Noguchi at 408-271-3775. Follow her at Twitter.com/noguchionk12. ||||| AUBURNDALE, Fla. - A 49-year-old woman has died and her 25-year-old son was also burned during a Fourth of July fireworks accident, according to Auburndale police. [RECOMMENDED: Big rig drives itself | Dad discusses massive wasp attack] Auburndale police officers helped the Auburndale Fire Department and Polk County Fire Rescue at 8:51 p.m. Friday during a reported fire at 226 Eaker St. Quick Clicks A family get-together was going on at the home with a number of people attending. Police said Kathryn Flint, 49, went inside the home to ready multiple large fireworks, or mortars, that had previously been placed on top of a bed in a bedroom, and was going to take them outside to set them off. At about 8:40 p.m., while she was inside the bedroom with two dogs also present, there was an apparent accidental ignition of at least one mortar, police said. When the mortar exploded, it set off others inside the bedroom, resulting in the ignition of multiple other mortars. Authorities said those fireworks were all set off, causing multiple explosions inside the room and a resulting fire. Upon hearing the commotion, Flint's son, 25-year-old Christopher Flint of Winter Haven, went to the room to help his mother. Investigators said Christopher Flint went to a bedroom window, removed an air conditioner and was able to remove his mother from the room, which was burning. [SEE THESE? Worst tattoos ever | Tattoo spell check | Fashionable felons | Office signs] The explosions and fire severely burned Kathryn Flint and burned Christopher Flint as well. Police said a dog was killed in the incident and another was burned and removed for further care by an officer of the Polk County Sheriff's Office Animal Control Section. Kathryn Flint was flown by medical helicopter to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where she later died. Christopher Flint was transported by ambulance to Lakeland Regional Medical Center. Watch Local 6 News and stay with ClickOrlando.com for updates on this story. ||||| Before an errant firework blew into a Detroit man's chest and ended his life Friday night, he was spending the Fourth of July like millions of other Americans - grilling out and celebrating. Ron Mohlman, 55, of Detroit said he and his friend Mike Aburouman and some of their friends were at a house in the 6000 block of Plainview on Detroit's west side Friday night. They had a fire pit blazing, and they were grilling when people started shooting off fireworks in a driveway. Just before 10:30 p.m., Aburouman, 44, picked up a firework and lit it, but instead of shooting into the air, the firework flew ...

– Another Fourth of July has passed and once again, carelessness or bad luck with fireworks meant some people didn't make it through the weekend. Some cases from around the country: Detroit man Mike Aburouman, 44, was killed almost instantly when a firework he picked up to light flew directly into his chest. "It was like a flash, like a bomb, and he fell backwards. I went over there and grabbed his hand and said, 'Hey Mike, it'll be all right,'" but Aburouman's pulse was gone within a minute, a friend tells the Detroit Free Press. In Auburndale, Fla., a 49-year-old woman was killed when she went to retrieve a large mortar-style firework from a pile kept in a bedroom and one accidentally ignited, causing the rest of them to go off, WKMG reports. Kathryn Flint's 25-year-old son was severely burned as he removed his mother from the burning room. Police in San Jose say a man was igniting illegal fireworks in front of family members when one exploded, blowing off both his hands, the San Jose Mercury News reports. He is expected to survive. Two other men in the city lost fingers when a mortar-type firework they were trying to ignite went off in their hands. Fireworks were also the cause of many fires around the country, including one in Emporia, Kansas, when a senior living facility burned to the ground in a blaze blamed on fireworks that were improperly disposed of, KAKE reports. All the residents escaped safely.

Mama Grizzly Jr. Bristol Palin Bars 'Teen Mom' Stars From 'Dancing' Email This They've been gracing the covers of the weekly glossies for months and are making over $60,000 a piece from their megahit MTV show, but one place you won't be finding Amber, Maci, Farrah and the other 'Teen Mom' ladies is on 'Dancing With the Stars.' Why? Because the original teen mama grizzly (she just turned 20 on Oct. 18) doesn't want them cramping her style. " They've been gracing the covers of the weekly glossies for months and are making over $60,000 a piece from their megahit MTV show, but one place you won't be finding Amber, Maci, Farrah and the other 'Teen Mom' ladies is on 'Dancing With the Stars.' Why? Because the original teen mama grizzly (she just turned 20 on Oct. 18) doesn't want them cramping her style. Bristol Palin has made it very clear to the show producers that she doesn't want the teen moms in the audience cheering her on no matter how much it might boost ratings," an ABC executive tells me. My source points out that the hit show has deliberately placed reality stars into the mix, such as Bethenny Frankel in the audience and Kate Gosselin and The Situation on the dance floor."There is no doubt they understand the power of reality TV stars," my source says. "But the line has been drawn on MTV's super popular teen moms thanks to Bristol."Insiders tell me that Bristol sees the competition as a way for her to look beyond her past, and even though she is a teen pregnancy ambassador and has done events with Maci, she wants nothing to do with them on the ballroom floor."Bristol has hit the restart button on this show," an insider tells me. "We no longer think of her as Sarah Palin's daughter or that young girl who had a baby with Levi as a teen, but rather as a young lady trying hard to win a competition."Of course, Bristol urged ABC to keep her ex Levi away from any taping, so this news should come as no surprise, especially during a week when she could very well be voted off. ||||| 'Sorry, mom!' Bristol Palin didn't vote in election - but wants Sarah to run for president in 2012 Simons/AP; Pizzello/AP Sarah Palin's daughter, Bristol, didn't vote in Tuesday's elections. Bristol Palin remembered her dance moves well enough to survive another round on "Dancing With the Stars," but she forgot to do her civic duty. Sarah Palin's daughter admitted Wednesday she didn't vote in the midterm elections. "I did not send in my absentee ballots to Alaska," Palin told Inside Edition. "I'm going to be in trouble. Sorry, mom!" And how. Sarah Palin's reputation as a kingmaker is on the line in her home state because she is personally backing Tea Party favorite Joe Miller for the U.S. Senate and he needs every vote he can get. That race was still up in the air Wednesday, with write-in candidate Lisa Murkowski appearing to be leading Miller and Democrat Scott McAdams. Asked if she wants her mom to run for president in 2012, Bristol said, "Of course I do." "I know she is great, and she is great for our country," she said. A polarizing figure, Sarah Palin has been flirting openly with the idea but has not definitively said she will. Although she energized the GOP when she was John McCain's vice-presidential candidate, many of the Republican Party's leaders think Sarah Palin is too right wing to win. csiemaszko@nydailynews.com ||||| 'Teen Mom' Stars Earn $60,000 Per Season Email This The young parents of MTV's hit show "It's a monster hit," an insider tells me. "With ratings like that they deserve to be well compensated." Indeed it's one of the biggest shows on the network and judging by amount of magazine covers they grace, the 'Teen' stars are arguably more bankable than those 'Jersey' boys and girls. The young parents of MTV's hit show 'Teen Mom' are making a pretty good living for being a bunch of teenagers. A series insider exclusively tells Life & Style magazine that the "stars earn $60,000 to $65,000 per season." That's more than many reality stars, but not as much as their fellow MTVers at the 'Jersey Shore' or 'The Hills,' whose stars used to make between $90-125,000 per episode."It's a monster hit," an insider tells me. "With ratings like that they deserve to be well compensated."Indeed it's one of the biggest shows on the network and judging by amount of magazine covers they grace, the 'Teen' stars are arguably more bankable than those 'Jersey' boys and girls. The $60k a year is enough money to provide on-again off-again couple Amber Portwood and Gary Shirley with comfortable lives, but neither one seems to be a good saver. "Gary says he's broke," Gary's best friend, Jordan Sanchez, tells Life & Style. "The money is the only reason he's willing to do the show. You can't walk away from money like that."Which is exactly the case and Amber and Gary have already started filming the next season of the show."They're filming in Tennessee," Jordan says, but they are talking about moving to Florida, where Amber's uncle owns a business.Amber has another reason to need more cash flow: lawyers fees. As you may have heard, the fiery teen is being investigated for domestic violence by police in Anderson, Ind. and the state Department of Child Services for incidents ON THE SHOW where she physically hit her then-boyfriend in front of their daughter, Leah.When confronted about the situation by Dr. Drew Pinsky on the 'Teen Mom' reunion show last week, Amber broke down in tears and claimed to have "blacked out" during the incident, saying she only remembers striking Gary once.Please make this stop. Please. ||||| I Took a Nap and the Teen Moms Became Celebrities? Email This The stars of MTV's reality show 'Teen Mom' are gracing the cover of US Weekly again this week as well as the cover of OK! magazine. I must have blinked or taken a nap for a few minutes because I missed out on the moment when the teenage mothers from the doc-style show about women who became pregnant before finishing high school turned into famous people. I understand that the celebrity news hole is a bottomless pit, requiring more and more reality television stars and mistresses to feed its giant maw, but when I first watched 'Teen Mom' last year, I never imagined that Amber, Maci and Farrah would be as big as Spencer and Heidi. It's been a long time coming, but reality stars have finally completed their body snatch of Hollywood. The stars of MTV's reality show 'Teen Mom' are gracing the cover of US Weekly again this week as well as the cover of OK! magazine. I must have blinked or taken a nap for a few minutes because I missed out on the moment when the teenage mothers from the doc-style show about women who became pregnant before finishing high school turned into famous people.I understand that the celebrity news hole is a bottomless pit, requiring more and more reality television stars and mistresses to feed its giant maw, but when I first watched 'Teen Mom' last year, I never imagined that Amber, Maci and Farrah would be as big as Spencer and Heidi.It's been a long time coming, but reality stars have finally completed their body snatch of Hollywood. Filed under: TV News Take a look at the top four USmagazine.com stories from Thursday, Oct. 7.1. EXCLUSIVE: Angelina: 'Jersey Shore' Stars Put "Olive Oil, Grated Cheese" on My Bed2. 'DC Housewife' Michaele Runs Out of Room Over White House Question3. EXCLUSIVE: 'Teen Mom's' Amber Opens Up About Attacking Baby's Father4. EXCLUSIVE: 'Teen Mom's' Maci Denies Ex's Cheating Claims'Jersey Shore,' 'Real Housewives,' 'Teen Mom,' 'Teen Mom.' Nary a Jennifer Aniston or Jolie-Pitt in site. Imagine their relief.So, what's the appeal of the teen moms? I decided to ask US Weekly senior editor Ian Drew."The ratings were big before we started covering them and they were hitting a note with our readers. Several of our staff members, including myself, are obsessed," Drew said. "The show consistently brings in around 4 million viewers and that number is growing every week."Drew insists that the teen moms aren't merely the latest iteration of homely nobodies to become celebritized. He believes they are still real enough to be relatable to viewers and readers."There is no artifice with these women. There is no glam. It's one of the few reality shows where their celebrity doesn't encroach on it. I think MTV has been very careful not to make them into celebrities," Drew explained.And the reason they keep making the cover of US? They're a money maker."The sales, of course, have been very high and the response has been great. Everyone knows someone in the situation like this," Drew said.They do still seem to be almost like "real" or "regular" people, but that can't last for much longer. Amber already did her very star-like weight loss unveiling and it's only a matter of time before someone starts dating The Situation.All that's really certain is that the people who star in actual movies and make music are off the hook for another weekly news cycle.

– In case you haven’t been to a supermarket checkout stand recently and seen them gracing nearly every cover, here’s a newsflash for you: The teen moms of MTV’s Teen Mom are kind of a big deal right now. (Don’t believe us? See here and here.) But one person is not a fan: Bristol Palin. She’s banned them from the audience on Dancing With the Stars, a show that has used reality stars to great effect in the past, an ABC exec tells PopEater. "Bristol Palin has made it very clear to the show producers that she doesn't want the teen moms in the audience cheering her on no matter how much it might boost ratings," says the exec. An insider adds that Bristol is trying to move beyond her reputation as "that young girl who had a baby with Levi as a teen." (In other news, hilariously, Palin admits she forgot to vote yesterday—but says she does want her mom to run for prez in 2012, the New York Daily News reports.) For more on Bristol’s bizarre ban, click here.

Singles’ Day, or ‘bare sticks’ day as it is known in China, is the largest online shopping day of the year globally. But what is it all about? BEIJING—Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. ​reported a blockbuster $14.3 billion in sales during China’s Singles’ Day online shopping festival Wednesday, further highlighting the resilience of the Chinese consumer despite a flagging economy. The results, posted by the Chinese e-commerce giant in the early morning hours on Thursday local time, were 54% higher than last year’s Singles’ Day and were better than many analysts had expected. They add to a string of positive notes from China’s consumer sector at a time when its overall... ||||| Press Release Cyber Monday Exceeds $2 Billion in Desktop Sales for First Time Ever to Rank as Heaviest U.S. Online Spending Day in History Cyber Monday Posts a 17-Percent Annual Gain in Online Desktop Sales, While Weekend Buying Increased 26 Percent Full Thanksgiving-Cyber Monday Period Achieved Strong Growth Rate of 24 Percent vs. Year Ago RESTON, VA, December 2, 2014 – Comscore (NASDAQ : SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today reported holiday season U.S. retail e-commerce spending from desktop computers for the first 31 days of the November-December 2014 holiday season. For the holiday season-to-date, $26.7 billion has been spent online, marking a 16-percent increase versus the corresponding days last year. Cyber Monday reached $2.038 billion in desktop online spending, up 17 percent versus year ago, representing the heaviest online spending day in history and the only day ever to surpass $2 billion in sales. The weekend after Thanksgiving also reached a major milestone as it saw its first ever billion-dollar online shopping day on Saturday, while Sunday’s sales just fell short of the $1 billion mark. The two days combined posted particularly strong growth online, raking in $2.012 billion for an increase of 26 percent compared to the same weekend last year. For the five-day period from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, online buying from desktop computers totaled $6.6 billion, up 24 percent versus last year. 2014 Holiday Season To Date vs. Corresponding Days* in 2013 Non-Travel (Retail) E-Commerce Spending Excludes Auctions and Large Corporate Purchases Total U.S. – Home & Work Desktop Computers Source: Comscore, Inc. Millions ($) 2013 2014 Percent Change Nov. 1–Dec. 1 (vs. Nov. 2-Dec. 2, 2013) $23,125 $26,745 16% Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 27) $766 $1,009 32% Black Friday (Nov. 28) $1,198 $1,505 26% Holiday Weekend (Nov. 29-30) $1,594 $2,012 26% Cyber Monday (Dec. 1) $1,735 $2,038 17% Thanksgiving thru Cyber Monday $5,293 $6,564 24% *Corresponding days based on corresponding shopping days (November 2 thru December 2, 2013) “With more than $2 billion in online buying on Cyber Monday to cap an exceptionally strong 5-day period since Thanksgiving, the online holiday shopping season is clearly going very well at the moment and is currently running ahead of forecast,” said Comscore chairman emeritus Gian Fulgoni. “Any notion that Cyber Monday is declining in importance is really unfounded, as it continues to post new historical highs and reflects the ongoing strength of online this holiday season. Varying reports have also indicated weakness in the consumer economy due to flagging brick-and-mortar sales over the holiday weekend, but what we may really be seeing is an accelerating shift to online buying as mobile phones spur increased showrooming activity. The data we’re seeing suggest it may be more a change in shopping behavior than a lack of consumer demand.” Weekly Online Holiday Retail Sales About Comscore Comscore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in digital measurement and analytics, delivering insights on web, mobile and TV consumer behavior that enable clients to maximize the value of their digital investments. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com/companyinfo. Contact: Adam Lella Comscore, Inc. +1 (312) 775-6474 press@comscore.com ||||| Just halfway into this year's Singles Day shopping event, Alibaba has eclipsed its record sales result from 2014. The e-commerce giant says it generated $10 billion in gross merchandise volume (GMV) within 14 hours of the start of the shopping event — well above last year's record of $9.3 billion, which Alibaba surpassed by 1 p.m. in China on Wednesday. It's also well above the $2.4 billion sold on Cyber Monday, the biggest online sales day in the U.S. GMV is the total amount settled through mobile wallet Alipay across Alibaba's domestic and international platforms. Ever since the holiday officially began at the stroke of midnight on Wednesday, Alibaba has giving sales updates. In the first eight minutes of this year's sale, the company generated more than $1 billion in sales, beating last year's record of 17 minutes to hit the billion-dollar mark. Read MoreChina's tech elite like a new asset class: Startups By the time the first 17 minutes and 29 seconds of the retail extravaganza had passed, Alibaba clinched its second billion and by the first hour, it had secured $3.9 billion. After the first 90 minutes, that number had swelled to $5 billion. Known as the world's biggest 24-hour online shopping event, Singles Day falls on November 11th every year. 2015 could see the event record its best performance yet, with 56 percent of mainland Internet users expected to increase spending from last year, according to a recent Nielsen survey. This year, mobile sales are a key driver for Alibaba. Mobile accounted for 73.9 percent, or $2.9 billion, of total GMV in the first hour on Wednesday, compared to 45.7 percent during last year's sale, while the total number of mobile buyers exceeded more than 27 million. The impressive numbers are undoubtedly a boon for Alibaba, which has previously struggled with mobile strategy amid rising competition from other Internet giants such as Tencent. ||||| Jack Ma, chairman and CEO of Alibaba speaks in front of a big screen at Alibaba's headquarters in Hangzhou on Nov. 11, 2014. Singles' Day, a twist on Valentine's Day, started in China in the 1990s as an obscure holiday but has snowballed into a consumer phenomenon thanks largely to Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., founded by Jack Ma and which runs China's largest online marketplace. Singles' Day is celebrated on Nov. 11 because the date—11/11—is reminiscent of "bare branches," the Chinese expression for bachelors and spinsters. In 2009, Alibaba sparked the flame that turned it into what it is today—a massive marketing event selling everything from electronics and clothing to cosmetics and food at big discounts. It sells through Tmall, AliExpress and Taobao Marketplace platforms, and through merchants' brick-and-mortar stores. Here are five points that illustrate just how big the phenomenon is: The sales Analysts expect sales to surge to a new record. Last year, Alibaba sold more than $1 billion worth of products in the first three minutes of the sales. Total sales on Singles' Day zoomed up to 57.1 billion yuan ($9 billion) within 24 hours, or four times bigger than the U.S.'s Cyber Monday, named after the rise in online retail sales the Monday after Thanksgiving. Forty-three percent of transactions were done on mobile devices. The goods More than 1 million products were placed on sale last year, according to Comscore. Customers this year will be able to choose from more than 6 million products from around 40,000 merchants and 30,000 brands. Consumers are expected to spend an average of 1,761 yuan ($277) per person, up 22 percent year on year, according to a Nielsen survey of more than 1,000 Chinese Internet users. Couriers sort express packages at assembly line in Wenzhou on Nov. 12, 2014. Online shopping websites offered massive discounts on Singles' Day every year on Nov. 11. Photographer: ChinaFotoPress/ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images The logistics Alibaba estimates that 1.7 million deliverymen, 400,000 delivery vehicles, 5,000 warehouses and 200 airplanes will be deployed by its partners to handle the deliveries. China Post, the country's postal service, estimates that 760 million packages will be shipped by various Chinese e-shopping sites to customers on the day. That’s up significantly from 540 million packages produced last year, according to a post office quote by Alibaba's news site Alizila. Retailers will be offering more perks such as free refunds and delivery when using online-to-offline channels, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. The brands Singles' Day has become more globalized. Alibaba says Costco Wholesale Corp., LG Electronics Inc., Walt Disney Co., Fisher-Price Inc., Lego AS, Metro AG and J Sainsbury PLC will be among the global brands participating this year. Apple Inc., Calvin Klein Inc., Macy's Inc. and Burberry Group PLC have participated in recent years. Major retailers and brands are using Singles' Day as an opportunity to introduce themselves to the Chinese consumer, said Brian Buchwald, chief executive officer of New York-based consumer intelligence company Bomoda. Offline brands involved in Singles' Day promotions include Shanghai Jahwa United Co. Ltd., Suning Commerce Group Ltd., Intime Retail Group Co. Ltd., Estee Lauder Companies Inc. and BAIC Motor Corp. Ltd., according to a Barclays PLC note on Nov. 4. The stars The most important business stories of the day. Get Bloomberg's daily newsletter. Politics The latest political news, analysis, charts, and dispatches from Washington. You will now receive the Politics newsletter Markets The most important market news of the day. So you can sleep an extra five minutes. You will now receive the Markets newsletter Technology Insights into what you'll be paying for, downloading and plugging in tomorrow and 10 years from now. You will now receive the Technology newsletter Pursuits What to eat, drink, wear and drive – in real life and your dreams. You will now receive the Pursuits newsletter Game Plan The school, work and life hacks you need to get ahead. You will now receive the Game Plan newsletter Alibaba is adding some star power to the event, with a guest list that includes U.S. singer Adam Lambert and Chinese film director Feng Xiaogang, known for his top-grossing comedy films. Celebrities from Taiwan and China including pop singer Jolin Tsai, actress Vicki Zhao, Mandopop singers Jane Zhang and Amber Kuo, and boy band TFBOYS were also invited to a Nov. 10 gala ahead of the sales rush, according to a Barclays report. — With assistance by Kristine Servando, Lulu Chen, Lisa Pham, Cindy Wang, and Haixing Jin ||||| Jack Ma says China's economy will be strong for next 15 years Alibaba's Ma: We Want Money, Integrity to Be Together Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. logged a record 91.2 billion yuan ($14.3 billion) in sales on Singles’ Day, turning a sweethearts’ holiday dreamed up two decades ago into a major online shopping event. QuickTake Jack Ma Transactions had passed last year’s record of $9.3 billion before midday in China, according to the company. The top-selling items by retailers using Alibaba’s platform included baby-related and nutritional products, Nike sneakers and Levi’s jeans, the company said. Chairman Jack Ma raised the stakes this year by moving the event’s headquarters to Beijing, bringing in more foreign brands and enlisting Hollywood celebrities Daniel Craig and Kevin Spacey to add glamour to the shopathon. Tapping into rising disposable incomes has paid off for China’s biggest e-commerce emporium as it captures more of the country’s surging smartphone use with restaurant deliveries and video streaming. “Chinese consumers have a lot of money in their hands,” said Chen Xingdong, chief China economist at BNP Paribas SA in Beijing. “Online retailers need to customize their products to serve these increasingly savvy urban consumers. ” Retail Growth Alibaba got a boost as China’s retail sales accelerated in October, overcoming the slowest economic growth in 25 years. Retail sales climbed 11 percent, the quickest gain this year and beating the median projection of economists, as the nation’s leaders seek to re-balance the economy toward consumption and services. “The consumers that can create and lead demand will survive,” Ma said Wednesday night. “In the next 15 years, China’s economy will be good.” Exclusive insights on technology around the world. Get Fully Charged, from Bloomberg Technology. Taking Singles’ Day festivities to China’s political, economic and media hub came after Alibaba’s roller-coaster first year as a public company. A record offering was followed by a record fall below the initial price, allegations the company wasn’t doing enough to fight counterfeits on its platforms, and the replacement of its chief executive officer. The shares fell 1.9 percent to $79.85 at the close in New York. Jack Ma and Daniel Craig Photographer: AFP/Getty Images Ma kicked off the event with a four-hour variety show that included a performance by “American Idol” finalist Adam Lambert and an appearance by Craig, star of the James Bond films. “House of Cards” star Spacey made a YouTube video. Singles’ Day, a Chinese twist on Valentine’s Day, was invented by students in the 1990s, according to the Communist Party-owned People’s Daily. When written numerically, Nov. 11 is reminiscent of “bare branches,” the Chinese expression for bachelors and spinsters. The Singles’ Day promotion was started by Alibaba in 2009 and copied by rivals, morphing into China’s version of Cyber Monday. For the first six years, results were tabulated in Alibaba’s hometown of Hangzhou, in eastern China. Alibaba estimated that 1.7 million deliverymen, 400,000 vehicles and 200 airplanes would be deployed to handle packages holding everything from iPhones to underwear. Mobile devices accounted for 69 percent of Wednesday’s transactions, Alibaba said in a statement. “The sales on Singles’ Day shows the power of the Internet and that China still has considerable consumption potential,” said Zhu Qibing, a Beijing-based analyst at China Minzu Securities Co. “Alibaba’s success is a success of its platform, and it’s hard to replicate. ” To boost traffic on its platforms, Alibaba is focusing on attracting U.S. retailers to China. To boost traffic on its platforms, Alibaba is focusing on attracting U.S. retailers to China, President Michael Evans told Bloomberg TV. The company is opening a third U.S. office in New York to go along with those in Washington and San Francisco, he said. Ma said Alibaba is considering bringing the 24-hour Nov. 11 event to the U.S. and the U.K. “This year’s event is more global with international players joining in,” said Fangting Sun, a senior research analyst with Euromonitor. “Alibaba aims to both attract more international players selling products to China and the domestic players to expand to the overseas markets.” The company said in September it was adding Beijing as another headquarters, with an eye toward “the globalization of Nov. 11.” “Alibaba wants this event to be high profile -- Beijing has the kind of media resources that it will need,” said Jeff Hao, a Hong Kong-based analyst at China Merchants Securities Holdings. “Gaining exposure is a means to ensure growth this year.” — With assistance by Xiaoqing Pi, Emily Chang, and Lulu Chen

– Every Nov. 11, the Chinese celebrate Singles Day, an homage to the uncoupled—the 11/11 date is "reminiscent of 'bare branches,' the Chinese expression for bachelors and spinsters," notes Bloomberg. But Alibaba has something even bigger to raise a glass to: the fact that it smashed sales records for what's turned into a 24-hour shopping spree during the holiday, raking in $1 billion in gross merchandise volume in the first eight minutes of sales and $10 billion in the first 14 hours, CNBC reports. Analysts say that puts the company on track to bring in $13 billion by the time the sale ends, per the Wall Street Journal. That $10 billion beats last year's Alibaba record of $9.3 billion for the entire day, and it far surpasses the $2 billion and change that Cyber Monday attracted in the US in 2014. Mobile sales were the biggest draw for customers, making up $2.9 billion (74%) of GMV in the first hour of Wednesday's sale. Even actors Daniel Craig and Kevin Spacey helped out, flying into Beijing to add star power to Singles Day events, Bloomberg notes. "The whole world will witness the power of Chinese consumption this November 11," company CEO Daniel Zhang says, per CNBC. (This news may just sink Alibaba founder Jack Ma into further depression.)

"In the U.S. legal system prosecutors may wield even more power than cops. Prosecutors decide whether to bring a case or drop charges against a defendant; charge a misdemeanor or a felony; demand a prison sentence or accept probation. Most cases are resolved through plea bargains, where prosecutors, not judges, negotiate whether and for how long a defendant goes to prison. And prosecutors make these judgments almost entirely outside public scrutiny." Jeffrey Toobin, “The Milwaukee Experiment” The New Yorker May 11, 2015 ||||| Today, the Women Donors Network’s Reflective Democracy Campaign released its groundbreaking Justice for All*? study that tracked the race and gender of elected prosecutors nationwide. The results, covered in today’s New York Times, uncover a criminal justice system that is managed and directed primarily by white men. Of 2,437 elected prosecutors, 95% are white and 79% are white men. 60% of states have no elected black prosecutors. And, just 17% of elected prosecutors are women. Click here to download the press release. Americans are taking a new look at the relationship between race, gender, and criminal justice—in the failures to indict police officers who killed unarmed Black men and women from Ferguson to Staten Island, in the rogue prosecutions of women who terminated their pregnancies from Indiana to Idaho, and in the ongoing epidemic of mass incarceration that disproportionately affects communities of color. Prosecutors decide whether to pursue a criminal case or not, whether a crime will be charged as a misdemeanor or a felony, and even whether prison time is served and for how long. Elected prosecutors have an enormous influence on the pursuit of justice in America, yet four out of five of them are white men whose life experiences do not reflect those of most Americans. And, shockingly, this power goes virtually unchecked: 85% of elected prosecutors run un-opposed, perpetuating the imbalance of power without accountability to the communities they are meant to serve and protect. This Justice for All*? study is part of the Reflective Democracy Campaign, which works to increase the power of women and people of color in American public life through groundbreaking research, engaging communications, and catalytic grantmaking. The campaign raises awareness of the racial and gender imbalance of our political system, demonstrates the policy impact of that imbalance, and seeks to address the structural barriers that prevent us from achieving a reflective democracy. Help spread the word about this study and consider how the findings can inform or ignite your own work. For more information, sample tweets, and sharable infographics, visit WhoLeads.Us/Justice. ||||| Members of the Senate Watergate Investigating Committee are seen during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington as they listen to witness Robert Odle, foreground, in this May 17, 1973 file photo. (AP Photo/File) The folks at Who Leads Us, a project by the Women Donors Network, have posed an interesting question about the state of politics: Do we live in a reflective democracy? The short answer is no, and the long answer is also no. And the two charts below (put together by Philip Bump) prove it. It's no secret that white men dominate politics, which we've written about before, and current projections suggest that women won't reach political parity/reflective representation for another 100 years. But just how dominant are they? Here are some takeaways from the survey of 42,000 elected officials: 71 percent of elected officials are men, 90 percent are white, and 65 percent are white men. White men are 31 percent of the U.S. population but hold 65 percent of all elected offices. White men have eight times as much political power as women of color. This summer, amid the unrest in Ferguson, Mo., that followed the shooting death of an unarmed teenager, the issue of political representation came up. In that town, 67 percent of the population is African American and five of the six council members -- and the mayor -- are white. So do we all live in a Ferguson? Not quite, but some of the forces at work there, including off-cycle and non-partisan elections, do show up nationally and can have an impact on what elected officials look like, relative to the communities they serve. ||||| Photo Advertisement Continue reading the main story WASHINGTON — Sixty-six percent of states that elect prosecutors have no blacks in those offices, a new study has found, highlighting the lack of diversity in the ranks of those entrusted to bring criminal charges and negotiate prison sentences. About 95 percent of the 2,437 elected state and local prosecutors across the country in 2014 were white, and 79 percent were white men, according to the study, which was to be released on Tuesday by the San-Francisco-based Women Donors Network. By comparison, white men make up 31 percent of the population of the United States. The numbers are being released as debate continues about racial imbalances in the criminal justice system in the wake of police-related deaths in Ferguson, Mo.; Staten Island; and Baltimore. While the racial makeup of police forces across the country has been carefully documented, the diversity of prosecutors, who many law enforcement experts say exercise more influence over the legal system, has received little scrutiny. Prosecutors decide in most criminal cases whether to bring charges. And, because so many criminal cases end in plea bargains, they have a direct hand in deciding how long defendants spend behind bars. “What this shows us is that, in the context of a growing crisis that we all recognize in criminal justice in this country, we have a system where incredible power and discretion is concentrated in the hands of one demographic group,” said Brenda Choresi Carter of the Women Donors Network, who led the study. The data was compiled and analyzed by the Center for Technology and Civic Life, a nonpartisan group that specializes in aggregating civic data sets. The Women Donors Network, which undertook the project, is composed of about 200 female philanthropists who promote a variety of causes, including diversification of elected officials by race, class and sex. Researchers looked at all elected city, county and judicial district prosecutors, as well as state attorneys general, in office across the country during the summer of 2014. Kentucky had the most elected prosecutors, 161, and four states — Alaska, Hawaii, New Hampshire and New Jersey — had none that were counted by the study. Although the study found that 14 states had exclusively white elected prosecutors — Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington and Wyoming — there are only 13 because Connecticut’s attorney general exercises only civil jurisdiction and is not a prosecutor. In Kentucky and Missouri, which also has more than 100 elected prosecutors, all but one was white, according to the analysis. The study also found that 16 percent of elected prosecutors were white women, 4 percent were minority men and 1 percent were minority women. “I think most people know that we’ve had a significant problem with lack of diversity in decision-making roles in the criminal justice system for a long time,” said Bryan A. Stevenson, the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, a group that offers legal representation for poor defendants and prisoners. “I think what these numbers dramatize is that the reality is much worse than most people imagine and that we are making almost no progress.” Advertisement Continue reading the main story Advertisement Continue reading the main story Mr. Stevenson said that while African-Americans had increased in number in mayoral positions and police forces in recent decades, the numbers suggested that the prosecutorial field had not kept pace. Melba V. Pearson, a Miami lawyer and the president of the National Black Prosecutors Association, said a “long stain” caused by the imbalance was responsible for mistrust in the system by African-Americans and other minorities. “They have to see someone that looks like them,” she said. “When you walk into a courtroom and no one looks like you, do you think you are going to get a fair shake?” Ms. Pearson said she tried to show African-American lawyers that they needed to be represented in all roles in the criminal justice system, including as prosecutors, a role traditionally stigmatized in the black community, to ensure fair outcomes. Mr. Stevenson questions whether it is possible to diversify the ranks of prosecutors, given that most of them are elected and incumbents often serve long tenures. With 85 percent of incumbent prosecutors re-elected without opposition, according to a study, sitting prosecutors will either need to start making diversity a priority in vetting their successors or the system will need to be significantly altered to give state bar associations and other legal entities more of a say, he said. The new study did not look at federal prosecutors, who are appointed, or other state or local appointees. The Women Donors Network planned to make a database of all elected prosecutors available on its website later on Tuesday.

– White men make up just 31% of the US population, but they enjoy a much higher percentage among elected prosecutors' ranks: 79%, while whites in general comprise a staggering 95% of all elected prosecutors nationwide, reports the New York Times. An analysis by the Women Donors Network parsed the database of 2,437 elected prosecutors and also found that more than 60% of states have zero elected black prosecutors, while in 15 states all the elected prosecutors are white, a press release from the group notes. "What this shows us is that … we have a system where incredible power and discretion is concentrated in the hands of one demographic group," the study's leader tells the Times. Several high-profile cases involving unarmed black men being killed by police or while in police custody have reignited a national conversation on race and the criminal justice system. Why the prosecutorial makeup matters, per the release: Prosecutors decide whether a case is worth pursuing, whether a crime is a misdemeanor or felony, and how much jail time the defendant may face, if any. "Elected prosecutors have an enormous influence on the pursuit of justice in America, yet four out of five of them are white men whose life experiences do not reflect those of most Americans," the WDN's website states. The president of the National Black Prosecutors Association agrees, telling the Times: "When you walk into a courtroom and no one looks like you, do you think you are going to get a fair shake?" And it might not be that easy to shake things up, the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative nonprofit tells the Times, noting most prosecutors, once elected, serve for a long time. "I think what these numbers dramatize is that the reality is much worse than most people imagine and that we are making almost no progress," he says. (Check out the study's infographics site.)

James Blunt pictured in Stockholm in 2014. Photo: Pontus Lundahl/TT A Swedish company has created a terrifyingly tough test for their next aspiring employee: convince the entire office to listen to James Blunt if you want the job. The Borg & Owilli content agency's advert for a new account manager explains that "along with a cover letter and CV, the test for the job is to sell us James Blunt". "Can you convince us that half the planet is way off the mark and James Blunt's new pop album is absolutely world class? We're looking for people with a creative streak, but also someone who is such a good seller they can convince the entire office that James Blunt's new album should be played through the speakers on repeat," the ad expands. The person behind the idea is one of the company's partners, David Borg. "It was my idea. We previously had difficult job tests linked to current events. Last year we had a test where people had to convince our colleague who is an American to vote for Donald Trump instead of Hillary Clinton in the election," he told The Local. "Now that the world's worst and most pointless artist has released a new album, we thought it fit well." Blunt's music has a reputation for being divisive (the artist has frequently made jokes at his own expense in that regard), so the test is intentionally designed to be a challenge. "The key to success is to sell his pointless emptiness as really being deep poetry. That won’t be easy," Borg explained. If you thought 2016 was bad - I'm releasing an album in 2017. — James Blunt (@JamesBlunt) December 13, 2016 Nope, you're on your own. RT @chickenoriental: I must be 1 of only 2 who genuinely likes every @jamesblunt song. The other person being him. — James Blunt (@JamesBlunt) December 12, 2013 The successful candidate will have to convince a "Got Talent" style jury of Blunt's merits. And crucially, the judges all have one thing in common: "We're going to have a three person jury. Everyone hates James Blunt equally." Blunt's albums have sold millions of copies worldwide, so even if these Swedes aren't fond of him, some people clearly are.

– How do you sell people on the world's "most pointless artist"? That's a problem to be worked out by Borg & Owilli's next account manager. The Swedish marketing agency is looking to fill the post and has come up with a test for applicants: "Sell us James Blunt," or more specifically, "convince the entire office that James Blunt's new album should be played through the speakers on repeat," the job ad reads, per the Local. Partner David Borg explains that the stunt speaks to the challenges of the job: "The key to success is to sell his pointless emptiness as really being deep poetry," he says. "That won’t be easy." Blunt, it should be noted, has a sense of humor about his reputation—he apologized for the song "Beautiful" being overplayed, and sends out tweets likes this.

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted. Being married boosts the survival odds of men and women with colon cancer, shows a new study by researchers at Brigham Young University. Marital status has been linked to better outcomes for several types of cancer, but little is known about colon cancer, said Sven Wilson, a political science professor at BYU and co-author of the study, which was published online in the International Journal of Cancer Epidemiology, Detection, and Prevention in advance of its print publication. Wilson and researchers at Pennsylvania State University's College of Medicine analyzed 127,753 patient records to gauge the effects of marriage on their five-year survival rates. Similar to studies of other cancers, they found married people were diagnosed at earlier stages of colon cancer and sought more aggressive treatment. But even after controlling for those factors, they calculated that married patients had a 14 percent lower risk of death. It's hard to say what's driving the survival rates, said Wilson. It's possible, he said, that the extra care giving support they provide translates to better disease management and, hence, better outcomes. Kirsten Stewart kstewart@sltrib.com ||||| A sedentary lifestyle, long believed to contribute to chronic conditions such as heart disease, can increase the risk of colon cancer, according to a study in the American Journal of Epidemiology. Activities are considered sedentary if they require very low energy expenditure, such as prolonged sitting. Previous studies have associated sedentary work with a higher risk for colorectal cancer but most have focused on one occupation at a single point in time. In this study, Australian scientists collected data from 2005 to 2007 on employment history, lifestyle and physical activity from 918 colon-cancer patients and 1,021 controls. Jobs were ranked according to the level of physical activity, from light to very heavy. Subjects who spent 10 or more years in sedentary jobs had twice the risk of colon cancer and a 44% increased risk of rectal cancer, compared with those who never held a sedentary job. The association was independent of recreational physical activity. Occupations requiring heavy physical activity were associated with a 44% reduced risk of colon cancer compared with light-activity work. The findings have occupational health implications, researchers said. Enlarge Image Close Getty Images People in sedentary jobs for 10 years or more had twice the colon-cancer risk of those without such jobs. Caveat: Sedentary work was associated with cancers of the rectum and distal colon but not the proximal colon. Title: Long-Term Sedentary Work and the Risk of Subsite-specific Colorectal Cancer • Spoonful of sugar: Treating recurring diseases, such as strep throat, with antibiotics kills only some of the bacteria. Scientists believe a subset of bacteria called persisters, which are distinct from antibiotic-resistant bacteria, go into a dormant state to evade antibiotics, then resurface and can trigger another infection. A study by U.S. researchers, reported in the journal Nature, found adding sugar to antibiotics nudges persisters out of hibernation, making them easier to kill. Various sugars, including mannitol, fructose and glucose, were combined with antibiotics and tested on Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Researchers found that more than 99% of persisters were killed when sugar was added to a class of antibiotics known as aminoglycosides, which includes gentamicin and kanamycin. Sweetened aminoglycosides killed persisters grown in lab cultures and in mice with urinary-tract infections, as well as those on medical devices with thin layers of bacteria called biofilms. Without sugar, aminoglycosides had no effect on persisters. Adding sugar to aminoglycosides could improve the treatment of some chronic bacterial infections, researchers said. Caveat: While all the sugars tested killed E. coli bacteria, only fructose, when combined with aminoglycosides, killed Staphylococcus aureus. Title: Metabolite-enabled eradication of bacterial persisters by aminoglycosides • Gut-brain connection: Irritable bowel syndrome and other chronic bowel disorders are accompanied by anxiety and depression in 90% of patients. New research published in the journal Gastroenterology suggests these behavioral changes may be the result of altered brain chemistry caused by a disruption in the intestinal environment. In a series of experiments on mice, Canadian scientists found that changing the bacterial composition of the colon through the administration of antibiotics resulted in increased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein associated with memory, learning and mood. Disrupting bacteria in the colon made normally passive mice more active and adventurous. In a separate experiment, marked behavioral changes were induced in mice made germ-free with antibiotics and subsequently injected with bacteria from mice with a different genetic makeup, confirming that bacteria can influence behavior. Changes in behavior and brain biochemistry didn't cause an increase in inflammatory activity or changes to intestinal neurotransmitters, researchers said. The findings suggest that a gut-microbiota-brain axis, or pathway, exists between the intestines and brain and may involve the production of substances that influence behavior, they said. Caveat: The behavioral changes observed in mice may have been caused by undetected intestinal neurotransmitters, researchers said. A class of proteins called toll-like receptors, which are involved in intestinal homeostasis, may also have induced the altered behavior, they said. Title: The Intestinal Microbiota Affect Central Levels of Brain-Derived Neurotropic Factor and Behavior in Mice • Inflammation and breast cancer: Newly diagnosed breast-cancer patients who are found to have high levels of an inflammatory biomarker at the time of their diagnosis may be at greater risk for recurrence or death than women with low concentrations, according to a study in Breast Cancer Research. C-reactive protein (CRP) is produced by the liver in response to acute inflammation, infection and tissue damage. Elevated CRP is associated with cardiovascular disease and a poor prognosis for some cancers. In this study, CRP was measured in 2,910 Danish women age 26 to 99 diagnosed with breast cancer between 2002 and 2009. CRP was tested at diagnosis. The women were followed for up to seven years, during which 383 died (225 of breast cancer) and 118 experienced a recurrence. Five-year survival rates among women with the lowest, middle and highest levels of CRP were 90%, 81% and 74% respectively. Elevated CRP was associated with a higher rate of metastases and larger tumors. Researchers said high CRP levels may reflect the general health of women diagnosed with breast cancer and point to inflammation in the tumor area. Caveat: As subjects were from a defined area of Copenhagen, the findings may not apply to women from other geographical regions or different ethnic backgrounds. The study didn't include measurements of amyloid A, which has been associated with an even stronger increase in the risk of death from breast cancer than C-reactive protein. Title: Elevated pre-treatment levels of plasma C-reactive protein are associated with poor prognosis after breast cancer: a cohort study • DNA Test for Hearing Loss: A virus that can cause permanent hearing loss in children is detectable in the saliva of newborns using a DNA test that is faster than standard screening methods and just as effective, according to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine. An estimated 0.5% to 1% of newborns are infected with cytomegalovirus (CMV), a member of the herpes family of viruses, and 10% to 15% of infected infants will suffer permanent hearing loss. The virus is transmitted from mother to baby and is usually without symptoms. In a study of infants born at seven U.S. hospitals from 2008 to 2009, researchers compared the standard test for CMV, called rapid culture, with polymerase chain-reaction (PCR), a technology used to analyze DNA sequences. Liquid- and dried-saliva specimens were used in the PCR tests. The liquid-saliva method of PCR identified 85 newborns with CMV among 17,662 babies tested; rapid culture identified 85 as well. The liquid-saliva test also identified eight false positives. The dried-saliva method of PCR identified 74 CMV infections in 17,327 babies; rapid culture identified 76. Researchers said PCR testing eliminates several cumbersome steps in the rapid-culture method and can be easily adapted for large-scale screening. Caveat: There was no follow-up on the 34,812 infants who tested negative for CMV, raising the possibility that CMV-infected newborns may have been missed, researchers said. Title: Saliva Polymerase-Chain-Reaction Assay for Cytomegalovirus Screening in Newborns Enlarge Image Close Getty Images/Brand X A new study published in the American Journal of Infection Control points to a possible new source of hospital infections: cellphones. • Infectious phones: Hospital-acquired infections cause an estimated 100,000 deaths in the U.S. annually and are an increasing threat to patient safety around the world. A new study published in the American Journal of Infection Control points to a possible new source of hospital infections: cellphones. Swabs of the keypad, microphone and ear piece of 200 cellphones belonging to patients, visitors and health workers at a small Turkish hospital found disease-causing bacteria on 39.6% of patient phones and 20.6% of worker phones. Of the phones examined, 133 belonged to patients and their visitors and 67 to health workers. A bacterium that can cause serious infections in immune-weakened individuals, coagulase negative staphylococci, was found on 101 patient and visitor phones and 52 worker phones. Antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was found on 18 patient and four worker phones while streptococcus was present on 14 patient and seven worker phones. E. coli was detected on the phones of five patients and one worker. Patients' poor understanding of hospital hygiene and low-economic status were cited as possible reasons for the colonization of cellphone bacteria. Caveat: To date, no study has shown a direct link between bacterial colonization on cellphones and hospital-acquired infections, researchers said. Title: Do mobile phones of patients, companions and visitors carry multidrug-resistant hospital pathogens? • Metals and DNA repair: Iron and copper may contribute to the development of progressive neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease by quietly accumulating in the brain until they reach toxic levels and block the body's ability to repair DNA, according to a study in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. An estimated 200 neurological disorders have been linked to inherited or acquired defects in DNA repair pathways. U.S. researchers found that while iron and copper are essential to health in small amounts, high levels of the elements act as a double-edged sword by inducing the production of reactive oxygen species, destructive molecules that are toxic to DNA, and inhibiting enzymes critical to repairing DNA damage. Researchers tested substances that might bind to iron and copper and protect the enzymes. They found curcumin, a component of the spice turmeric, exhibited the strongest properties. The findings suggest that metal chelators, molecules that bind to metal ions, may be helpful in restoring the body's capacity to repair DNA in neurodegenerative diseases, researchers said. Caveat: Curcumin isn't a medication and doesn't require FDA approval. Safe and effective doses of curcumin haven't been established. Title: Oxidative genome damage and its repair in neurodegenerative diseases: function of transition metals as a double-edged sword • Calorie restriction: Restricting the amount of calories consumed on a daily basis is more effective than exercise at lowering the body's core temperature, a physiological state associated with increased life expectancy, according to a study in the journal Aging. Research has shown that calorie restriction increases lifespan in rodents and primates. Lowering core temperature has also been shown to increase lifespan in men. Little is known, however, about long-term calorie restriction on body temperature. This U.S.-led study compared the core body temperatures of 24 subjects on a long-term, calorie-restricted diet, 24 lean endurance runners on a high-calorie Western diet, and 24 sedentary men and women, also on a Western diet. Ingested telemetric capsules measured their 24-hour core temperatures. Results showed the core temperature of calorie-restricted subjects was 0.2 degree Celsius lower than the other two groups, which researchers said was significant. The calorie-restricted group consumed about 23% fewer calories than the sedentary subjects and 37% fewer calories than the exercise subjects. Researchers speculated the metabolic changes resulting from a reduction in core temperature may slow the rate of aging. Caveat: Subjects in the calorie-restricted group were members of the Calorie Restriction Society, who practice severe calorie restriction, believing it will significantly increase their health and longevity. It's possible that calorie-restricted subjects randomly chosen from the general population might have different results. Title: Long-term calorie restriction, but not endurance exercise, lowers core body temperature in humans

– Two unrelated bits of news today on colon cancer: Stand up: In another sitting-is-bad-for-you study, Australian scientists say people who worked 10 years or more in sedentary jobs had twice the risk of colon cancer as those who never had a sit-all-day job, along with a 44% increased risk of rectal cancer. (Even if they were diligent exercisers outside work.) Details on the two-year study in the American Journal of Epidemiology are at the Wall Street Journal. Get married: Brigham Young researchers say married people have a 14% lower risk of death from colon cancer than single patients. Among other things, married people were more likely to have the disease diagnosed early. The exact cause-and-effect isn't clear, but researchers figure the extra attention and TLC from spouses pays off. Details at the Salt Lake City Tribune.

Getty Images The YouTube account of Gavin McInnes -- the founder of far-right organization Proud Boys and one of the co-founders of Vice Magazine -- was terminated Monday because of repeated copyright violations, according to a message posted on his account page. The account, which had about 221,000 channel subscribers as of late November, is the latest instance of a giant tech platform booting McInnes, whose Proud Boys group identifies as an organization of "Western chauvinists" that has been linked to violent far-right events. It comes as Silicon Valley giants like Facebook, YouTube and Apple have been grappling with how, if at all, they exert control over free speech on their platforms. Services like Twitter and Facebook have become some of the world's most powerful places to find followers, but the companies that run them have faced intense criticism for allowing hate speech and other offensive content run rampant. Since a wave of bans against conspiracy theorist Alex Jones in August, tech companies have appeared more willing to pull down high-profile violators. Now playing: Watch this: YouTube says it's working on growing up A wrinkle in the latest ban against McInnes is that his YouTube account termination was attributed to copyright violations. Most other platforms, like Facebook and Twitter, have blocked McInnes because of their community standards, which contain rules about hate speech and violent rhetoric. "This account has been terminated because we received multiple third-party claims of copyright infringement regarding material the user posted," the message read. A YouTube representative said in a statement that when a copyright holder notifies YouTube about infringement, the company acts quickly to remove infringing content as required by law. "We terminate the accounts of repeat offenders," the rep said. A message sent to Proud Boys USA on Gab seeking comment on McInnes's behalf wasn't immediately returned. McInnes co-founded Vice Magazine in 1994 but left the company in 2008. He founded the Proud Boys in 2016. A Proud Boys member, Jason Kessler, organized last year's "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where a counter-protestor was killed. The Proud Boys later expelled Kessler following backlash against the violence at the rally. Other Proud Boys members were arrested in October because of a brawl on Manhattan's Upper East Side, which triggered other tech platforms to crack down on the organization and McInnes. Tech Culture: From film and television to social media and games, here's your place for the lighter side of tech. CNET's Holiday Gift Guide: The place to find the best tech gifts for 2018. ||||| “Blaze Media no longer has a relationship with Gavin McInnes, and per company policy, cannot comment on personnel matters,” the company tweeted Saturday. The Blaze, founded by conservative pundit Glenn Beck, merged with CRTV last week to form right-wing media giant Blaze Media. McInnes hosted a podcast with CRTV called “Get Off My Lawn,” which he used to discuss his anti-Muslim and misogynistic beliefs. Gavin McInnes , the founder of the violent neo-fascist gang the Proud Boys , was fired from Blaze Media, and his YouTube account was disabled ― the latest in a series of professional setbacks for the far-right bigot. Blaze Media no longer has a relationship with Gavin McInnes, and per company policy, cannot comment on personnel matters. Asked for comment Monday about his firing, McInnes told HuffPost he believed “there has been a concerted effort to de-platform me” and claimed he was the victim of “lies and propaganda.” “Someone very powerful decided long ago that I shouldn’t have a voice,” he wrote in an email. “I’m finally out of platforms and unable to defend myself. ... We are no longer living in a free country.” McInnes, who co-founded Vice before leaving the media company in 2008, quit the Proud Boys last month a day after a report indicated that the FBI had described them as an “extremist group with ties to white nationalism.” The FBI has since denied classifying the group as an extremist group, The Washington Post reported Friday. In October, members of the Proud Boys violently assaulted leftist protesters outside the Metropolitan Republican Club in Manhattan, where McInnes spoke earlier that evening. At least nine of them were arrested days later. His ouster from Blaze comes after several social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter, banned him over their policies prohibiting hate speech and “violent extremist groups.” He has also been kicked off Amazon and PayPal. The Daily Beast reported Monday that McInnes’ YouTube profile and channel have been deleted. McInnes said YouTube received complaints about copyright violations for old videos featured on his page. A statement on his channel’s now-defunct page reads, “This account has been terminated because we received multiple third-party claims of copyright infringement regarding material the user posted.” Asked if McInnes has been banned from the platform, a YouTube spokesperson said in a statement Monday that the company terminates the accounts of “repeat offenders.” “When a copyright holder notifies us of a video that infringes on their copyright, we act quickly to remove content, as is required of us by law,” the spokesperson said. According to YouTube’s copyright strikes policy, a copyright offender may submit a counternotification arguing that a video in question was “misidentified as infringing or qualifies as a potential fair use.” McInnes told HuffPost he plans to file counternotifications for the copyright complaints. This story has been updated with additional comments from YouTube and McInnes. CLARIFICATION: A previous version of this story stated the FBI labeled the Proud Boys an extremist group. The bureau has denied making that classification. ||||| Gavin McInnes, the onetime Vice Media bigwig and more recently the creator of the violent, far-right “Western chauvinist” Proud Boys organization, isn’t having such a great holiday season. In late November, he frantically (and disingenuously) renounced any leadership position in the group amid a wave of arrests of Proud Boys accused of beating protesters in New York and reports the FBI considers it an “extremist group with ties to white nationalism.” The FBI later walked back that description, but in the meantime he’s been denied entry to Australia and had a partnership with conservative outfit Blaze Media terminated. The Proud Boys themselves accidentally failed to redact personal information on their “Elders” in new bylaws uploaded to their website, and other members have begun to bail as well. On Monday, McInnes advanced one step closer to total ruin by earning himself a YouTube ban. Advertisement According to CNET, McInnes lost his account and its over 220,000 subscribers not due to his overtly hateful conduct—which has run the gamut from using all manner of bigoted slurs to espousing an ideology that sounds an awful lot like white supremacy—but for copyright violations: “This account has been terminated because we received multiple third-party claims of copyright infringement regarding material the user posted,” the message read. A YouTube representative said in a statement that when a copyright holder notifies YouTube about infringement, the company acts quickly to remove infringing content as required by law. “We terminate the accounts of repeat offenders,” the rep said. A message sent to Proud Boys USA on Gab seeking comment on McInnes’s behalf wasn’t immediately returned. Advertisement In other words, YouTube’s official explanation is that it takes copyright complaints more seriously than all the other horrible stuff McInnes has done (and on the record). This is indeed somewhat disturbing—vague, arbitrarily enforced moderation policies are the de facto practice at most major platforms, which goes a long way towards explaining how McInnes was able to capitalize on them in the first place. Yet it is not disturbing for the conspiratorial reasons McInnes gave the Huffington Post, in which he claimed he had really been targeted by some shadow cabal: Asked for comment Monday about his firing, McInnes told HuffPost he believed “there has been a concerted effort to de-platform me” and claimed he was the victim of “lies and propaganda.” “Someone very powerful decided long ago that I shouldn’t have a voice,” he wrote in an email. “I’m finally out of platforms and unable to defend myself. ... We are no longer living in a free country.” Advertisement He also told the Post that he plans to file counternotifications for the copyright complaints, though the Verge noted that it appears McInnes failed to resolve them in time to prevent the ban in the first place. McInnes has previously received bans on PayPal, Twitter, and Facebook and its subsidiary Instagram, and per Right Wing Watch’s Jared Holt, payment processor Stripe and merchandising platform Shopify have also stopped doing business with the Proud Boys. According to New York Magazine, at some point he picked up an Amazon ban as well. At this point, it must be getting pretty hard for him to find any nickels to rub together. In yet another instance of a prominent YouTuber being terrible, streamer and perennial edgelord Felix Kjellberg (best known as PewDiePie) reportedly posted a video on Sunday in which he directed his subscribers to sign up for an anti-Semitic channel. Advertisement [CNET]

– Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes has been kicked off another website—but it's not because of his far-right beliefs, according to YouTube. A notice on the Canadian's account, which had around 221,000 subscribers, states that it has been terminated because of multiple claims of copyright infringement, CNET reports. The company says it is legally required to remove content when copyright holders notify it of infringement, and it moves quickly to terminate the accounts of repeat offenders. McInnes says he plans to file "counternotifications" arguing that the videos in question were either misidentified as copyrighted or allowable under fair use policies. McInnes stepped down from the Proud Boys last month after it was linked to assaults and reports that the FBI considered it an extremist group. Before the YouTube ban, McInnes was kicked off Facebook, Instagram, PayPal, and Twitter, mostly due to violations of their terms of service, Gizmodo reports. McInnes was also fired by Blaze Media after its merger with CRTV. He told the Huffington Post on Monday that he was the victim of a "concerted effort" to "de-platform" him. "I'm finally out of platforms and unable to defend myself," he said. "We are no longer living in a free country." (Proud Boys members were arrested after an October brawl in New York City.)

The American Cancer Society’s estimates for leukemia in the United States for 2016 are: About 60,140 new cases of leukemia (all kinds) and 24,400 deaths from leukemia (all kinds) About 19,950 new cases of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Most will be in adults. About 10,430 deaths from AML. Almost all will be in adults. Acute myeloid leukemia is generally a disease of older people and is uncommon before the age of 45. The average age of a patient with AML is about 67 years. AML is slightly more common among men than among women, but the average lifetime risk in both sexes is less than ½ of 1%. Information on treatment success rates for AML in adults can be found in “Treatment response rates for acute myeloid leukemia.” Visit the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Statistics Center for more key statistics. ||||| Rich, creamy, nutritious and now cancer fighting. New research reveals that molecules derived from avocados could be effective in treating a form of cancer. Professor Paul Spagnuolo from the University of Waterloo has discovered a lipid in avocados that combats acute myeloid leukemia (AML) by targeting the root of the disease - leukemia stem cells. Worldwide, there are few drug treatments available to patients that target leukemia stem cells. AML is a devastating disease and proves fatal within five years for 90 per cent of seniors over age 65. Spagnuolo's new avocado-derived drug could one day significantly increase life expectancy and quality of life for AML patients. "The stem cell is really the cell that drives the disease," said Professor Spagnuolo, in Waterloo's School of Pharmacy. "The stem cell is largely responsible for the disease developing and it's the reason why so many patients with leukemia relapse. We've performed many rounds of testing to determine how this new drug works at a molecular level and confirmed that it targets stem cells selectively, leaving healthy cells unharmed." Spagnuolo's research is published today in Cancer Research, a top-ten oncology journal. Through partnership with the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM) he has also filed a patent application for the use of the compound, named avocatin B, to treat AML. "It's an exciting time for our lab. With the help of CCRM we are now pursuing commercial partnership that would take avocatin B into clinical trials," said Professor Spagnuolo. "Not only does avocatin B eliminate the source of AML, but its targeted, selective effects make it less toxic to the body, too." The drug is still years away from becoming approved for use in oncology clinics, but Spagnuolo is already performing experiments to prepare the drug for a Phase I clinical trial. This is the first round of trials where people diagnosed with AML could have access to the drug. Professor Spagnuolo is among only a handful of researchers worldwide, applying the pharmaceutical industry's rigorous drug discovery research processes to food-derived compounds, called nutraceuticals. There are multiple potential applications for Avocatin B beyond oncology, and the drug is just one of several promising compounds that Spagnuolo and his team have isolated from a library of nutraceuticals. Most labs would use food or plant extracts, but Spagnuolo prefers the precision of using nutraceuticals with defined structures. "Extracts are less refined. The contents of an extract can vary from plant to plant and year to year, depending on lots of factors - on the soil, the location, the amount of sunlight, the rain," said Spagnuolo. "Evaluating a nutraceutical as a potential clinical drug requires in-depth evaluation at the molecular level. This approach provides a clearer understanding of how the nutraceutical works, and it means we can reproduce the effects more accurately and consistently. This is critical to safely translating our lab work into a reliable drug that could be used in oncology clinics." ### The University of Waterloo and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada fund Professor Spagnuolo's research on avocatin B. CCRM is a not-for-profit, public-private consortium that supports the development of technologies that accelerate the commercialization of stem cell- and biomaterials-based technologies and therapies. ||||| Abstract Treatment regimens for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) continue to offer weak clinical outcomes. Through a high-throughput cell-based screen, we identified avocatin B, a lipid derived from avocado fruit, as a novel compound with cytotoxic activity in AML. Avocatin B reduced human primary AML cell viability without effect on normal peripheral blood stem cells. Functional stem cell assays demonstrated selectivity toward AML progenitor and stem cells without effects on normal hematopoietic stem cells. Mechanistic investigations indicated that cytotoxicity relied on mitochondrial localization, as cells lacking functional mitochondria or CPT1, the enzyme that facilitates mitochondria lipid transport, were insensitive to avocatin B. Furthermore, avocatin B inhibited fatty acid oxidation and decreased NADPH levels, resulting in ROS-dependent leukemia cell death characterized by the release of mitochondrial proteins, apoptosis-inducing factor, and cytochrome c. This study reveals a novel strategy for selective leukemia cell eradication based on a specific difference in mitochondrial function. Cancer Res; 75(12); 2478–88. ©2015 AACR.

– The unassuming avocado, so rich and delicious it's often called nature's butter, has been found to hold a key ingredient that could fight off one of the world's most devastating diseases, Eureka Alert reports. That disease is acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a cancer that the American Cancer Society estimates will kill more than 10,000 people in 2015—roughly half the number of newly diagnosed cases. Now Canadian professor Paul Spagnuolo says a lipid in avocados called avocatin B targets leukemia stem cells without damaging healthy cells. "It's an exciting time for our lab," he says. "Not only does avocatin B eliminate the source of AML, but its targeted, selective effects make it less toxic to the body, too." Don't hold your breath, though: Spagnuolo says the drug he's designing is still years away. There aren't many drugs on the market for AML, a cancer that turns blood stem cells into abnormal ones, which then proliferate in the bone marrow, push out healthy cells, and cause infections that are often fatal. Among seniors older than 65, the disease kills in more than 90% of cases within five years; the average age of an AML patient is 67. "The stem cell is really the cell that drives the disease," says Spagnuolo, whose new work appears in Cancer Research. "The stem cell is largely responsible for the disease developing and it's the reason why so many patients with leukemia relapse." The University of Waterloo professor is now seeking a commercial partnership so he can conduct clinical trials, where AML patients would take his drug for the first time. (Avocados are one food you'll want to keep away from your dog.)

WASHINGTON Florida will not implement two provisions of the U.S. healthcare law involving an expansion of Medicaid for the poor and creation of a private insurance exchange, Governor Rick Scott said on Sunday. Two other states with Republican governors, Wisconsin and Louisiana, opted out of the two provisions last week in the wake of the Supreme Court decision upholding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The healthcare law takes full effect in January 2014 and Republican lawmakers hope to repeal it before then. Florida will comply with the law if it remains in effect, Scott said. In a statement, the governor said the healthcare law would not aid economic growth in his state "and since Florida is legally allowed to opt out, that's the right decision for our citizens." Scott said expansion of Medicaid, which provides healthcare for the poor, would cost $1.9 billion while the state has other health programs in place. Premiums would rise on the insurance exchange, he said. If states do not create insurance exchanges, the federal government says it will set up them. The exchanges are intended to extend health coverage to an additional 16 million people. The Kaiser Family Foundation says 17 states have made no significant progress toward an exchange or rejected the idea. (Reporting By Charles Abbott; Editing by Eric Walsh) ||||| Gov. Rick Scott: Florida can't afford health-care expansion Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney hopes to turn the U.S. Supreme Court 's 5-4 decision into a rallying cry for his candidacy, proclaiming the only way to repeal the law now would be to defeat President Barack Obama this fall. But the announcement might be more political calculation than policy substance. TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Rick Scott says Florida can't afford expanding its health-care program and he won't make any effort to implement provisions of the federal health-care law upheld last week by the nation's high court. And Scott's office said Saturday that while the governor would continue to push for a repeal of the law, the state would follow any of its mandates required ahead of the November election. "If there is any part of the law that requires action before November, Florida will comply, but he is committed to repealing the law before it ever takes effect," Scott spokesman Lane Wright said. Florida has already refused more than $4 million to set up a website "affordable insurance exchange" where people could shop for insurance policies, but the Affordable Care Act calls for the federal government to create the exchange for any state that refuses to do so by 2014. Scott, a former health-care executive, made a name for himself in politics in 2009 by self-financing a national ad campaign targeting Obama's health-care reform, and he has criticized the law since taking office. He has said the law will ultimately hinder the ability of the free market to allow higher-quality health-care providers to prosper, and he favors giving individuals tax credits to shop for health insurance. "We're not going to implement Obamacare in Florida," Scott said Friday night on Fox News. "We're not going to do the expansion of Medicaid. … We're not going to do the health exchange." The Republican governor also said the expansion of Medicaid spelled out in the law would "kill jobs" and cost $1.9 billion a year, which amounted to a tax on Floridians. As a result, he said he won't allow the expansion to go forward. "We can't pay for that. There's no way we can pay for that," Scott said in the interview. But the Medicaid expansion isn't slated to take place until 2014, and the federal government is required to pay for 100 percent of the additional cost for the first three years. After that, Florida would pay 10 percent of the added cost. Florida's Medicaid program right now is projected to cover 3.3 million low-income families and seniors at a cost of $21.5 billion for the fiscal year that starts today. The expansion could add around 2 million new enrollees during the next six years by boosting the eligibility up to 133 percent of the poverty level, or $29,700 for a family of four, according to a state estimate.

– And then there were three: Florida will join Wisconsin and Louisiana in refusing to implement two features of the Affordable Care Act, said Gov. Rick Scott yesterday, stating that Florida does not have the money to expand Medicaid or to create a private insurance exchange, reports Reuters. The Medicaid expansion would cost the state $1.9 billion annually and cause insurance premiums to rise, said Scott, though the Orlando Sentinel notes that the expansion is not slated to kick in until 2014 and any additional expenses would be covered by the federal government for the first three years. Florida's Medicaid program currently covers around 3.3 million families; the Sentinel reports that the expansion would add another 2 million people over the next six years. Florida economists peg the cost to the state of doing so at about half of what Scott quoted—$1 billion. "If there is any part of the law that requires action before November, Florida will comply, but he is committed to repealing the law before it ever takes effect," said a spokesman for Scott. The fact that all three states opting out have Republican governors has led some political analysts to say the announcements are more about politics than policy. State Democrats noted that Florida's heath-care groups would be more than happy to file lawsuits to force the state to comply with the Affordable Care Act.

Former Penn State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky arrives for the second day of jury selection as his trial on 52 counts of child sexual abuse involving 10 boys over a period of 15... (Associated Press) A jury dominated by people with Penn State loyalties was selected Wednesday to decide Jerry Sandusky's fate in the child sexual abuse scandal that rocked the university and led to football coach Joe Paterno's downfall. The seven women and five men who will hear opening statements on Monday include an engineering administrative assistant at Penn State, a dance teacher in the continuing education program and a professor who has been on the faculty for 24 years. Also: a Penn State senior, a retired soil sciences professor with 37 years at the university, a man with bachelor's and master's degrees from the school and a woman who has been a season ticketholder since the 1970s. Sandusky, a 68-year-old former assistant football coach, is charged with sexually abusing 10 boys over a 15-year span. Picking the jury took less than two days, moving along more swiftly than some had expected, given that the rural area is rich with Penn State employees, alumni and fans, many of whom have strong opinions about the case. Bellefonte is 12 miles from Penn State's main campus in State College. The judge, however, said Penn State connections would not automatically disqualify potential jurors as long as they could pledge to be impartial. In all, at least seven of the 12 jurors and two of the four alternates have ties to Penn State. The other jurors are a 24-year-old man with plans to attend auto technician school, a mother of two who works in retail, a retired school bus driver, an engineer and a property management firm employee. Some legal experts said jurors with Penn State connections might be inclined to come down hard on Sandusky, blaming him for Paterno's firing and the damage to the school's reputation. Or they might take their frustrations out on prosecutors for bringing the case in the first place. St. Vincent College law professor Bruce Antkowiak said the Penn State factor could cut both ways. "In one sense, you worry about, this guy was for many years of his life a hero of that community, an idol," Antkowiak said, referring to Sandusky's role as founder of an acclaimed charity for youngsters. "On the other hand, there's also the consideration that there are people who believe this guy betrayed so much of what gave this institution and this area so much of the character and innocence that we love, that he has besmirched it in such a profound way." On the list of potential witnesses, along with the young men who have accused Sandusky, are Paterno's widow and son and assistant coach Mike McQueary, who said he saw Sandusky naked in a team shower with a boy more than a decade ago and reported it to Paterno. Paterno was fired in November for not acting more decisively against Sandusky. He died of lung cancer two months later at 85. On Wednesday, defense attorney Joseph Amendola asked again for a delay in the trial, alleging that the judge's gag order was violated by an ABC report that said the accuser identified in court papers as Victim 4 would be the first witness. Judge John Cleland denied the request. Amendola arrived with Sandusky at the courthouse in the morning and told reporters he was confident the nine jurors picked so far would give them a "fair shake." During a midday break in jury selection, lead prosecutor Joseph McGettigan said: "So far, so good." In court, Sandusky quietly leafed through a binder with plastic-covered pages. During a break, he turned to two media representatives and asked with a chuckle, "What did you guys do to deserve me?" and "How did you guys get stuck with this?" Several prospective jurors showed up at the courthouse in clothing with Penn State logos. And the web of Penn State connections was evident when a group of 40 potential jurors was questioned Wednesday. Ten indicated they worked at the university. Nineteen indicated they or a close family member had volunteered or contributed financially to Penn State. Fifteen said they knew someone on the prosecution's witness list, while 20 knew someone on Sandusky's defense list. Juror No. 12 has been a professor at Penn State for more than two decades and worked on a committee with university President Graham Spanier, who was ousted in the wake of the scandal. Jules Epstein, a criminal defense attorney and law professor at Widener University School of Law in Delaware, said the defense might try to use the Penn State-heavy jury to its advantage by calling people with strong ties to the university to vouch for Sandusky's character. "If some of those witnesses are also respected in the Penn State community, you are subtly, softly making that link," he said. Epstein said the defense would be wise to avoid trying to cast the trial as a vendetta against Penn State and Paterno. Jurors will probably see through that strategy, he said. "I can see somebody saying, `This case isn't about Penn State. This is about a bunch of youngsters whose lives were ruined,'" Epstein said. ___ Associated Press writers Michael Rubinkam and Joe Mandak contributed to this report. ||||| BELLEFONTE, Pa. – The 12-person jury that will decide the fate of former Penn State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, accused of child sexual abuse, was seated Wednesday with unusual speed. And with eight having deep ties to the university or potential witnesses, the panel is far more intimately connected to the case than a typical jury designed to reflect a defendant's peers. The final three women picked for the jury (there will be four alternates) all are employees of Penn State, including an administrative assistant, a dance instructor and a longtime professor who served on advisory boards with former Penn State president Graham Spanier, a likely witness in the case who was ousted by the university in the fallout from Sandusky's case. Four alternate jurors also were selected Wednesday, including a woman in her 30s who graduated from Penn State in 2007 with a degree in human development. "It's not a jury of this man's peers, as we generally refer to juries," said Julie Blackman, a trial strategist and psychologist. "It's like a jury of your co-workers. So many have a connection to this man's workplace." In rural Pennsylvania, trial Judge John Cleland told prosecutors and defense lawyers this week such ties are unavoidable. The number and depth of the connections are renewing concerns first raised by prosecutors in February, when they asked Cleland to draw jurors from another part of Pennsylvania. At that time, prosecutors argued that area residents were too "philosophically and economically" tied to the university and that it was "asking too much" for them to sit in judgment of Sandusky, the former university icon facing trial on 52 criminal counts of child sexual abuse over a 15-year span. Sandusky's lawyers opposed the prosecution request and, soon after, Cleland denied it. Legal analysts said the jury's makeup represents a double-edged sword that could favor the prosecution's case if outrage over Sandusky's alleged acts swamp potential empathy for a troubled co-worker. "This is really a mixed bag," said Widener University law professor Wes Oliver, who has closely followed the case. "You would think outrage over the alleged crimes against children would be so great that it would be hurtful for the defense. But the defense only needs one juror who remembers Sandusky as part of the team that put Penn State University on the map." During jury selection, Sandusky personally interceded on behalf of one selectee, a woman who told prosecutors and defense lawyers that her family members have been Penn State football season ticket holders since the 1970s. The same woman, however, joins the panel with some risk: Her husband once worked with the father of key witness Michael McQueary, the assistant football coach who told a state grand jury that in 2001 he saw Sandusky engaged in sexual conduct with a young boy in the school's locker-room shower. Defense attorney Joe Amendola considered removing her, but Sandusky believed she could be "fair." Another panelist, a rising senior at Penn State, said he also worked for the athletic department and was once coached by a potential witness to the allegations involving an alleged victim, designated by the grand jury as "Victim 1," whose report to authorities in 2009 led to the broader investigation into Sandusky's relationship with children. As lawyers and juror candidates continued to delve into the potential conflicts, decisions about who to keep and who to disqualify became more difficult. "I hope it's hard for everyone," Cleland said. "If it's easy, we have the wrong jury." Christopher Mallios, a former Philadelphia prosecutor who specialized in abuse cases, said the ties to Penn State are "unavoidable" in such a rural community dominated by the sprawling university. "I went to Penn State," Mallios said. "I would have more concern about people who might know the witnesses. That is a connection at another level." Blackman said that the nature of the offenses is more likely to turn sources of potential support for Sandusky into votes against him during deliberations. For the defense, Blackman said, there is "no way to be sure that people will not act in such a way as to protect themselves and Penn State by throwing him out of the club." Early Wednesday, Amendola asked Cleland to postpone the case because of an ABC News report concerning the upcoming testimony of one of the alleged victims, designated by the grand jury as "Victim 4." The attorney described it as a violation of the judge's gag order. Cleland denied the request.

– Whether it will help or hurt his cause is already up for debate, but this much is for sure: Jerry Sandusky's fate will be decided by a group of people with lots of ties to Penn State, reports USA Today. Among the 12 main jurors selected for Sandusky's sex-abuse trial are a school senior, an engineering administrative assistant, a dance teacher, and a professor who's been on the faculty for nearly 25 years, notes AP. By its count, seven of the 12 and two of the four alternates are connected to the school in some way. "It's not a jury of this man's peers, as we generally refer to juries," says one trial expert. "It's like a jury of your co-workers. So many have a connection to this man's workplace." The jury was seated today in unusually fast fashion, and opening arguments are scheduled to begin on Monday.

The main air traffic control tower at Reagan Washington National Airport is seen on March 24, 2011. WASHINGTON | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration FAA.L has identified a second air traffic controller who fell asleep on the job, the agency said on Wednesday. FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt told a congressional hearing that the controller was "found intentionally sleeping" in the radar room during a midnight shift on February 19 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Babbitt said the agency is seeking to have the person, who was not named, fired. The sleeping controller was found asleep with cushions and a blanket. The airport tower controller was forced to perform his own duties as well as handle radar responsibilities for seven flights while the other controller slept, Babbitt said. Last month, U.S. aviation authorities said a lone controller at the tower at Washington's Ronald Reagan National Airport fell asleep on the job on March 23, leaving two jetliners to land without any airport guidance. That controller, a 20-year veteran and a supervisor, was suspended. (Reporting by John Crawley, Editing by Sandra Maler) ||||| The Federal Aviation Administration is moving to fire an air traffic controller who it says decided to nap on the job while working the midnight shift in the radar room at a Tennessee airport in February. Unlike the controller supervisor at Reagan National Airport who told officials that he inadvertently dozed off while working the overnight shift in the tower last month, the controller at Knoxville’s airport intentionally napped while seven planes landed over a five-hour period on Feb. 19, according to FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. The suspected napping came to light Wednesday in Babbitt’s testimony before a House transportation subcommittee. He said he learned of it after the March 23 incident at National. Landing procedures at Knoxville differ from those at National. At National, planes are turned toward their final landing approach by radar controllers based in a Warrenton, Va., facility that serves the entire region. Those controllers hand off the planes to the National tower for guidance to the tarmac and boarding gate. At Knoxville’s McGhee Tyson Airport, the radar controller and the tower controller work on different floors of the same facility. When the radar controller decided to take a nap, the FAA said, the tower controller stepped in to assume his duties and guide the planes to the runway. “The FAA will not tolerate this type of unprofessional and inappropriate behavior,” the FAA said in a statement indicating that the napping Knoxville controller would be fired. “The agency is committed to ensuring the safety of the traveling public and is conducting a nationwide review of the air traffic control system, including overnight staffing at selected airports around the country.” Babbitt suspended the National controller after two planes carrying a total of 165 passengers landed on their own while he slept. After learning of the incident, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood ordered that two controllers be regularly assigned to the overnight shift at National. Federal officials are still investigating the incident at National. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, which voiced concern over single-staffing of overnight shifts when the National incident came to light, reiterated that position after learning what happened at Knoxville. “Once again, we’re talking about the midnight shift,” said union spokesman Doug Church. “We continue to be concerned with the issue of safe staffing on the midnight shifts and are working collaboratively with the FAA to determine appropriate staffing levels at all facilities nationwide on all shifts.” Not all of the nation’s airports served by commercial aircraft are staffed with controllers 24 hours a day. Experienced pilots land at what are called “uncontrolled” airports with some regularity. There is a risk posed by a critical difference between an uncontrolled airport and one where the tower or radar controller falls asleep or becomes ill on the job. When an airport is uncontrolled, the incoming and departing pilots are on the same radio frequency as the ground crews who conduct runway and aircraft maintenance through the night. But when controllers are on duty, ground crews and pilots work on different radio frequencies, each getting guidance from the tower controller. When that tower controller falls silent, there is a risk of collision because pilots might be unaware of equipment or airplanes on the tarmac, and ground crews might not be alerted of approaching planes.

– After a DC air traffic controller fell asleep on the job, the FAA learned of a second one who did the same thing—but this one did it intentionally. The Knoxville air traffic controller went so far as to find cushions and a blanket to use for his nap, Reuters reports. While he slept, during a midnight shift on Feb. 19, the airport tower controller was forced to cover the other man's duties. An FAA administrator revealed the story during House transportation subcommittee hearing yesterday, and said the agency is looking to fire the snoozing controller. During his nap, seven planes landed over a five-hour period, the Washington Post reports. In a statement, the FAA says it is "conducting a nationwide review of the air traffic control system, including overnight staffing at selected airports around the country.”

AL-RUMAHIYA, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - The dromedaries paraded down a dusty racetrack as judges rated the size of their lips, cheeks, heads and knees. Crowds of men watched from the bleachers, hooting when the beasts representing their own tribe loped down the track. A dozen beasts have been disqualified from this year’s Saudi “camel beauty contest” because their handlers used Botox to make them more handsome. “The camel,” explained the chief judge of the show, Fawzan al-Madi, “is a symbol of Saudi Arabia. We used to preserve it out of necessity, now we preserve it as a pastime.” Much is changing in Saudi Arabia: the country is getting its first movie theaters. Soon women will be permitted to drive. The authorities eventually hope to diversify the economy away from the oil that has been its lifeblood for decades. But as they seek to transform the conservative kingdom, the Saudi authorities are trying to smooth the path for reform by emphasizing traditional aspects of their culture. And for the Bedouin of Arabia, nothing is more essential than the camel, used for centuries for food, transport, as a war machine and companion. So, the authorities have ramped up the country’s annual month-long camel festival, which was relocated last year from the remote desert to the outskirts of the capital. On a rocky desert plateau, the government has erected a permanent venue to host the headline events: races and show competitions with combined purses of 213 million riyals. ($57 million) The pavilion features an auction where top camels can fetch millions of riyals. There are food stalls and souvenir shops, a petting zoo featuring the world’s tallest and shortest camels, a museum with life-size sand sculptures of camels, tents for tasting camel’s milk and viewing camel-hair textiles, and a planetarium showing how Arabs rode camels through the desert guided by the stars. Slideshow (11 Images) Organizers say this “heritage village” will expand in coming years as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - who is heir to the throne, defense minister and head of oil and economic policy - takes the reins through a newly-created official Camel Club established by royal decree last year. Halfway through this year’s festival, attendance is up about a third from last year, with about 300,000 people making the 1-1/2 hour trip from Riyadh so far, said Fahd al-Semmari, a Camel Club board member. “The vision is for the (festival) to become a global, pioneering forum for all classes of people to come for entertainment, knowledge and competition.” ||||| In pursuit of the perfect pout, a dozen camels have been disqualified from a camel beauty pageant in Saudi Arabia for receiving Botox injections. What distinguishes a beautiful camel is not just its height, shape and the placement of its hump. A full, droopy lip and large features are essential to achieving camel celebrity-status in the multi-million dollar industry of camel pageantry. “They use Botox for the lips, the nose, the upper lips, the lower lips and even the jaw,” said Ali Al Mazrouei, 31, a regular attendee at Gulf festivals and son of a top Emirati breeder. “It makes the head more inflated so when the camel comes it’s like, ‘Oh look at how big is that head is. It has big lips, a big nose’.” Beauty season is in full swing and 30,000 camels have gathered for the second annual King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, the largest pageant in the Gulf. It takes place in Al Dhana, 120 kilometres from Riyadh, and runs through January following Abu Dhabi's Al Dhafra Festival. Prize money at the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival totals US$57 million (Dhs209.3 million), with more than US$31.8 million for pageantry alone. About 300,000 visitors have attended the festival since it began on January 1, up a third from last year. Camels like the majahim breed, once only valued for milk, now fetch millions of dollars. For some, the temptation can be too much altogether. Days before it started, Saudi media reported that a veterinarian was caught red-handed performing plastic surgery on camels. At his clinic, camels were not only given botox but went under the knife to reduce the size of their ears. Delicate ears are a winning attribute on some Saudi breeds. Cheaters are creative, said Ali Obaid, a camel owner and pageant guide from Medinat Zayed. “For example they start to pull the lips of the camel, they pull it by hand like this every day to make it longer. Secondly, they use hormones to make it more muscular and Botox makes the head bigger and bigger. Everyone wants to be a winner.” In Al Dhafra, men have been known to darken the coats with oil. Others resort to the oldest form of deception: they lie. Botox injections and collagen fillers alter a camel’s appearance for months. By the time a buyer finds out they’ve been had, it is usually too late for recourse. Competitions may ban camels for years but owners can continue to enter other camels. Many want to see stronger punishments enforced as a younger generation takes up the sport. “The people who are just in the camel competition to make it more valuable, they are cheating everyone,” said Mr Al Mazourei. “A fine should be applied. In camel racing, whoever is using drugs is fined about 50,000 Dirhams in Abu Dhabi. The fine is not yet applied for beauty camels.” ___________ Read More: At the court of the camel kings in Abu Dhabi Camel blog: The remarkable tale of Qassim the Yemeni Camel blog: The camel detective ___________ There are already safeguards, traditional and technical. The age of a camel is measured by its teeth, camels must be microchipped to compete and some competitions require blood testing. At Al Dhafra, competing camels are obliged to overnight at judging pens on the eve of competitions. Owners still douse humps with hairspray and give camels a fine combing to give that fluff on the hump extra volume but after a night at the pens, the pampering makes little difference. Misty mornings in the desert wreak havoc on hair and by the time of the judging, prospective champions will only have their God-given beauty. If all else fails there is a time-honoured safeguard. Before winners are announced, owners must swear on the Quran about a camel's age and ownership. Whatever tactics employed to con judges, owners are reminded that while breeders may be judging the camels, God is judging them. This, in the end, does the trick.

– Saudi Arabia is holding its annual monthlong camel festival—and cheaters are not welcome. With around $60 million up for grabs in races and show competitions, unscrupulous owners have been drugging animals and even giving them Botox injections in an attempt to win camel beauty pageants, the National reports. At least a dozen camels have already been disqualified for Botox, which can give camels the full lips that judges look for. "They use Botox for ... the nose, the upper lips, the lower lips, and even the jaw," says the son of a top Emirati camel breeder. "It makes the head more inflated so when the camel comes it's like, 'Oh, look at how big ... that head is. It has big lips, a big nose.'" According to reports in Saudi media, one veterinarian was caught actually performing plastic surgery on camels to give them the small, delicate ears also considered beautiful. Anti-cheating measures include blood tests, microchipping—and requiring owners to swear on the Koran about their animal's age. Reuters reports that amid rapid change in Saudi Arabia, authorities seeking to maintain links to traditional Saudi culture have expanded the camel festival and moved it closer to the capital, Riyadh. "The camel is a symbol of Saudi Arabia," says chief judge Fawzan al-Madi. "We used to preserve it out of necessity, now we preserve it as a pastime." (The kingdom recently lifted its 35-year ban on movie theaters.)

You must enter the characters with black color that stand out from the other characters Message: * A friend wanted you to see this item from WRAL.com: http://wr.al/11P0g — One man is dead following a confrontation between a suspect and Harnett County deputies in Spring Lake on Sunday morning. Authorities said that deputies responded to a residence at 146 Everett St., near the intersection of Stage Road and West Everett Drive, at 3:39 a.m. to follow-up on an assault investigation. A confrontation with an individual at the home resulted in a shooting. John David Livingston, 33, was pronounced dead at the scene. A deputy sustained minor injuries. Bristol Edge said she witnessed the incident. "My friend Clayton and I started screaming and pretty much going crazy," she said. "The officers asked us to grab something to put pressure on the wounds." A friend of Livingston's, who only wanted to be identified as Pam, said she does not think he friend would have fought with an officer. "He wouldn't have ever gone against the police like that," she said. "There is just no way any of us are buying that. I mean, there are people that do and we know that, but that just is not who he was." Deputy Nicholas Kehagias has been placed on administrative leave while the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation reviews the incident, which is standard procedure. Kehagias has worked with the Harnett County Sheriff's Office since July 2013 and is assigned to the Patrol Division. ||||| SPRING LAKE, N.C. (WNCN) – A dad was shot several times and died in an officer-involved shooting in Spring Lake Sunday morning, witnesses said. The incident occurred just before 3:40 a.m. at a residence near the intersection of Stage Road and W. Everett Drive when deputies arrived on scene to conduct an assault investigation, the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office said. MORE NEWS: NC dad shocked Harnett Co. deputy with stun gun before being killed, documents say According to authorities, “a confrontation with an individual resulted in a shooting.” The person involved in the confrontation was pronounced dead at the scene, while the deputy received minor injuries. Clayton Carroll told WNCN that his roommate, 33-year-old John Livingston was shot several times by a Harnett County Sheriff deputy during the incident. Carroll says sheriff’s deputies knocked on their door around 3:30 a.m. Carroll said they were looking for someone that no longer lived there. When deputies asked Livingston if they could search the trailer, Livingston said “not without a search warrant,” according to Carroll. Livingston then closed the door. MORE UPDATES: NC SBI agents interviewing witnesses and the deputies involved “The cop kicked in the door, got on top of him, started slinging him around beat him…” Carroll said. Carroll said sheriff’s deputies then started spraying mace on Livingston and using the Taser, according to the roommate. Witnesses said Livingston was not fighting back and was trying to get the Taser out of the deputy’s hands. The incident eventually continued outside. “He (Livingston) barely had the Taser in his hand but he had it where it was constantly going off and the officer I guess that spoke to him rolled over there, says he got the Taser and shot him in this position,” Carroll said while on the deck outside the home demonstrating what happened. WNCN saw six bullet holes in the side of the home from the shooting. LATEST UPDATE: Deputy’s name released in fatal Harnett Co. officer-involved shooting Carroll said Livingston was shot six times, while another witness in the home, Bristol Edge, said Livingston was shot at least four times. Livingston died a short time later. Carroll said Livingston did not have a weapon. Livingston’s friends call him a very kind man and an incredible carpenter, they say he built the front porch deck a month ago for everyone to have a good time on. The father of three is described as a hard worker and very loving. “That’s the blanket I kept putting on him and telling him to breathe until he was gone because I knew he wasn’t breathing anymore,” said Bristol Edge, a friend, pointing to a blanket still on the blood-stained front porch on Sunday afternoon. As per standard procedure, the deputies involved have been placed on administrative leave and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting. Authorities have not released the identity of the deputies involved.

– John Livingston was at home early Sunday in North Carolina when two deputies arrived looking for someone else—and a few minutes later Livingston was dead. What happened is the subject of a state investigation, but witnesses say the 33-year-old father of three was Maced or pepper sprayed, Tased, dragged outside, and shot several times by the deputies. "They shot the wrong guy for the wrong thing," a neighbor tells the Fayetteville Observer. "Wrong guy. Wrong house. Wrong everything." According to Livingston's roommate, Clayton Carroll, the deputies showed up at around 3:30am looking for a guy who didn't live there anymore, WNCN reports. Livingston shut the door and told them they needed a search warrant—which is when "the cop kicked in the door, got on top of him, started slinging him around [and] beat him," Carroll says. According to Carroll, Livingston struggled with a deputy's Taser, and when the fight continued outside Livingston was riddled with six bullets. One deputy was lightly injured, WRAL reports. The killing occurred in a pretty bleak area of Cumberland County that has roads with potholes and mobile homes that are abandoned, burnt, or gutted. Authorities aren't commenting, but both officers were placed on administrative leave and one was named: Nicholas Kehagias (usually the shooting officer's name is released, the Observer notes). As for Livingston, he "was the greatest father you could imagine," says Jessika Cardwell, the mother of his children. "So kind-hearted. All the kids around here loved him. John had the best personality. Where he went, he would light up the party." (Read about a crime scene photographer who made a shocking discovery.)

Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. By Alyssa Newcomb Elon Musk gave his Twitter followers a first look at The Boring Company’s new tunnel, set to open next month in the Los Angeles area. In a sped-up 34-second video, Musk showed what it will be like to travel inside the two-mile tunnel, which he called “disturbingly long.” The test tunnel is set to open Dec. 10, with free rides for the public the following day, according to tweets from Musk. He added that the top speed in the tunnel is 155 mph. The tunnel, which is being used for research and development, is an important first step for The Boring Company in its quest to create an underground transportation network. The goal is to alleviate city congestion by digging a network of tunnels, where cars could travel on skates carrying them well above highway speeds. However, there are still significant hurdles before Musk’s plans to build two tunnels for public use in the Los Angeles area actually come to fruition. One proposed tunnel is in Los Angeles’ congested Westside. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority said in May it would coordinate with The Boring Company on “proof of concept” for the proposed tunnel, which would span nearly three miles. Musk announced plans for a separate 3.6-mile tunnel in August that would carry people between Dodger stadium and a nearby metro stop in under four minutes. As many as 16 people would travel on large skates, moving as fast as 150 mph, according to the plans posted online. Both plans have generated plenty of headlines, excitement, and criticism, but they’re likely not going to happen in the immediate future. The tunnel plans are expected to face significant reviews, ensuring safety, environmental, and construction concerns are addressed, long before anyone will get to zoom around Los Angeles the way Musk imagined. ||||| Last night, super entrepreneur and Twitter addict Elon Musk posted some mesmerizing footage of the tunnel that his nearly two-year-old infrastructure company, Boring Company, is creating in Los Angeles right now, the first of four planned projects that Musk promises will reduce congestion in car-choked city cities. Musk also tweeted — not for the first time — that the company will unveil to the public the stretch of rapid-transit tunnel in the southern L.A. suburb of Hawthorne on December 10th, roughly five weeks from now. The idea, per Musk, is to host an opening event that night, followed by free rides for the public next day — though only the brave need apply. Musk has said previously that the system will be capable of whisking pedestrians, cyclists and private vehicles at speeds of up to 155 mph. Eventually, if all goes as planned, they will travel via an electric-powered platform called a skate that will comprise either a vehicle itself carrying up to 16 passengers or that will support a car that has been driven onto it. Elevators will move between these skates and the street level. Musk did not say how long a stretch has been built yet, only calling it “disturbingly long.” ||||| CLOSE Elon Musk says a rapid-transit tunnel under Los Angeles will be opening on December 10th. Veuer's Elizabeth Keatinge has more. Buzz60 In this file photo taken on September 29, 2017, billionaire entrepreneur and founder of SpaceX Elon Musk speaks at the 68th International Astronautical Congress 2017 in Adelaide. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images) Can't wait until next month to see the Boring Company's rapid-transit tunnel under Los Angeles? Elon Musk has you covered. In a tweet Sunday, Musk said, "Walked full length of Boring Co tunnel under LA tonight. Disturbingly long." He also included a sped-up video of the tunnel in the tweet. This company's previously termed "test tunnel" is located in the southern suburb of Hawthorne, between downtown LA and Torrance. The tunnel demonstrates the company's "Loop" system in which customers will be whisked through the system's tunnels at up to 150 miles per hour. The Boring Company began construction on the tunnel last year. Last month, Musk announced via Twitter that "the first tunnel is almost done" and would be open to the public on Dec. 10. Opens Dec 10 — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 22, 2018 The Boring Company has made proposals to build other tunnels, both inside LA and in other states. One such example is the "Dugout Loop," an approximately 3.6-mile underground tunnel to Dodger Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team. Moreover, the company was asked to build a high-speed express service in Chicago between O'Hare International Airport and the downtown area. Musk said in May that rides on the LA rapid-transit service will cost $1. Follow USA TODAY intern Ben Tobin on Twitter: @TobinBen Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2018/11/05/elon-musk-tunnel-video-boring-co-la-project/1889530002/

– Elon Musk's two-mile tunnel underneath Los Angeles is set to open to the public Dec. 10, and on Saturday, Musk offered a preview of what it will be like to travel the tunnel, tweeting a sped-up 34-second-long video. "Walked full length of Boring Co tunnel under LA tonight. Disturbingly long. On track for opening party Dec 10. Will be very one-dimensional," he added. The tunnel is a test version of what Musk ultimately plans to be networks of tunnels underneath congested cities around the US in order to alleviate traffic. The so-called hyperloop tunnel, built by Musk's Boring Company, is ultimately planned to carry people, bicycles, and cars up to 150mph, per NBC News and USA Today. As TechCrunch explains, electric-powered "skates" will either carry cars that are driven onto them or will hold vehicles that can carry up to 16 passengers. The test tunnel is located near the SpaceX campus in Hawthorne; the day after the launch party, Musk plans to offer free rides to the public. (Musk has similar plans underway in Chicago and DC.)

Elizabeth Warren took center stage at the Democratic convention Monday as the party faced challenges in unifying a party base torn apart by divisive primaries and, more recently, the leak of damning DNC emails. The Massachusetts senator began by hitting on a theme embraced by both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders supporters: tearing down Donald Trump. "We are here tonight because America faces a choice, the choice of a new president. On one side is a man who inherited a fortune from his father, and kept it going by cheating people, by skipping out on debts, a man who cares only for himself," Warren charged. "On the other side is one of the smartest, toughest, most tenacious people on this planet." She declared: "I'm with Hillary." Following first lady Michelle Obama's rousing speech, Warren did not land the same number of heavy applause lines, but she did rile up the crowd occasionally with her criticism of the GOP presidential nominee. Warren ticked down a list of hits against Trump questioning what "kind of man" he was. "I'll tell you what kind of a man -- a man who must never be president of the United States. And we got the leaders to make that happen: Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine," Warren said. Warren painted Trump as selling a scam on the American people and got a few laughs from the crowd. "Trump's entire campaign is just one more late-night Trump infomercial," she said. "And for one, low, low price, he'll even throw in a goofy hat." Warren was talked about as a potential running mate for Clinton who would help shore up the left wing of the party that Sanders energized but has not fully galvanized behind Clinton. Clinton instead chose Kaine, a Virginia senator, but Warren still stands to play a major role in the Clinton campaign after emerging as one of the sharpest critics of Trump and getting under his skin in a way that few other Democrats have. Warren told The Boston Globe Sunday evening that despite not getting the VP nod, she plans to "put every ounce of her energy" into electing Hillary Clinton and reclaiming the majority in the US Senate in November's election. "I'm committed to getting Hillary Clinton elected president of the United States," Warren said. "I believe that Democrats are fired up to win the White House and take back the Senate." She called Kaine "an honest guy and a smart guy." Warren has trolled Trump repeatedly on Twitter, mocking his style and tone, and becoming, in the process, even more popular among Democratic activists. Trump has repeatedly mocked Warren as "Pocahontas" -- referring to a kerfuffle where she claimed Native American status during her time in academia. Warren has said that stories of her Native heritage have been passed down in her family. Warren is only a first-term senator, but has quickly emerged as a hero among progressives. Efforts to draft her for a White House run last year fell flat, but she maintained her strong standing on the left, with many eagerly watching to see who she whether she would endorse Sanders. Warren first emerged as a progressive hero leading the banking and financing reforms that President Barack Obama sought in the wake of the Great Recession. ||||| US Senator Elizabeth Warren’s remarks as prepared for presentation Monday at the Democratic National Convention: Thank you, Joe, and thank you to Massachusetts for the great honor of serving as your Senator. Wow! What a night. Michelle Obama. Cory Booker. And we still have Bernie coming up. Bernie reminds us what Democrats fight for every day! Thank you, Bernie! 2016 Democratic National Convention Committee logo Advertisement We are here tonight because America faces a choice, the choice of a new president. On one side is a man who inherited a fortune from his father and kept it going by cheating people and skipping out on debts. A man who has never sacrificed anything for anyone. A man who cares only for himself — every minute of every day. On the other side is one of the smartest, toughest, most tenacious people on the planet — a woman who fights for children, for women, for health care, for human rights, a woman who fights for all of us, and who is strong enough to win those fights. We’re here today because our choice is Hillary Clinton! I’m with Hillary! For me, this choice is personal. It’s about who we are as a people. It’s about what kind of country we want to be. Advertisement I grew up in Oklahoma. My daddy ended up as a maintenance man, and my mom worked for minimum wage at Sears. My three brothers served in the military. The oldest was career, 288 combat missions in Vietnam. The second worked construction. The third started his own business. Me? I got married at 19 and graduated from a commuter college in Texas that cost $50 a semester. The way I see it, I’m a janitor’s daughter who became a public school teacher, a professor, and a United States Senator. America is truly a country of opportunity! I’m deeply grateful to that America. I believe in that America. But I’m worried. Worried that my story is locked in the past. Worried that opportunity is slipping away for people who work hard and play by the rules. Look around. Americans bust their tails, some working two or three jobs, but wages stay flat. Meanwhile, the basic costs of making it from month to month keep going up. Housing, health care, child care — costs are out of sight. Young people are getting crushed by student loans. Working people are in debt. Seniors can’t stretch a Social Security check to cover the basics. And even families who are OK today worry that it could all fall apart tomorrow. This. Is. Not. Right! Here’s the thing: America isn’t going broke. The stock market is breaking records. Corporate profits are at all-time highs. CEOs make tens of millions of dollars. There’s lots of wealth in America, but it isn’t trickling down to hard-working families like yours. Does anyone here have a problem with that? Well, I do too. People get it: the system is rigged. So-called experts claim America is in trouble because both political parties in Washington refuse to compromise. Gridlock! That is just flat wrong. Washington works great for those at the top. When giant companies wanted more tax loopholes, Washington got it done. When huge energy companies wanted to tear up our environment, Washington got it done. When enormous Wall Street banks wanted new regulatory loopholes, Washington got it done. No gridlock there! But try to do something, anything, for working people, and you’ll have a fight on your hands. Democrats have taken on those fights. Democrats fought to get health insurance for more Americans. Democrats fought for a strong consumer agency so big banks can’t cheat people. We fought, we won, and we improved the lives of millions of people — thank you, President Obama! Yes, we won, but Republicans and lobbyists battled us every step of the way. Five years later, that consumer agency has returned $11 billion to families who were cheated. And Republicans? They’re still trying to kill it. I’m not someone who thinks Republicans are always wrong and Democrats are always right. There’s enough blame to go around. But there is a huge difference between the people fighting for a level playing field, and the people keeping the system rigged. Look at Congress since the Republicans took over. Democrats proposed refinancing student loans. And Republicans? They said no! Democrats proposed ending tax breaks for corporations that ship jobs overseas. And Republicans? They said no! Democrats proposed raising the minimum wage. And Republicans? They said no! To every Republican in Congress who said no: this November, the American people are coming for you! And where was Donald Trump? In all these fights, not once did he lift a finger to help working people. Why would he? His whole life has been about taking advantage of that rigged system. Time after time he preyed on working people, people in debt, people who had fallen on hard times. He’s conned them, he’s defrauded them, and he’s ripped them off. Look at his history. Donald Trump said he was “excited” for the 2008 housing crash that devastated millions of American families because he thought it would help him scoop up more real estate on the cheap. Donald Trump set up a fake university to make money while cheating people and taking their life savings. Donald Trump goes on, and on, and on, about being a successful businessman, but he filed business bankruptcies six times, always to protect his own money and stick his investors and contractors with the bill. Donald Trump hired plumbers and painters and construction workers to do hard labor for his businesses, then told them to take only a fraction of what he owed or fight his lawyers in court for years. What kind of a man acts like this? What kind of a man roots for the economic crash that cost millions of people their jobs? Their homes? Their life savings? What kind of a man cheats students, cheats investors, cheats workers? I’ll tell you what kind of man. A man who must NEVER be President of the United States! And we’ve got the leaders to make it happen: Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine! Donald Trump knows that the American people are angry — a fact so obvious he can see it from the top of Trump Tower. So now he’s insisting that he, and he alone, can fix the rigged system. Last week Donald Trump spoke for more than an hour on the biggest stage he’s ever had. But other than talking about building a stupid wall, which will NEVER get built, really, did you hear any actual ideas? Did you hear even one solid proposal from Trump for increasing incomes, or improving your kids’ education, or creating even one single good-paying job? Donald Trump has no real plans for jobs or for college kids or for seniors, no plans to make ANYTHING great for ANYONE except rich guys like Donald Trump. Just look at his ideas. Donald Trump wants to get rid of the federal minimum wage. Donald Trump wants to roll back financial regulations and turn Wall Street loose to wreck our economy again. And Donald Trump has a tax plan to give multi-millionaires and billionaires like himself an average tax cut of $1.3 million — a year. You’re struggling to put your kids through college, and Donald Trump thinks HE needs a million-dollar tax break! Trump’s entire campaign is just one more late-night Trump infomercial. Hand over your money, your jobs, your children’s future, and The Great Trump Hot Air Machine will reveal all the answers. And, for one low, low price, he’ll even throw in a goofy hat. And here’s the really ugly underside to his pitch. Trump thinks he can win votes by fanning the flames of fear and hatred. By turning neighbor against neighbor. By persuading you that the real problem in America is your fellow Americans — people who don’t look like you, or don’t talk like you, or don’t worship like you. He even picked a vice president famous for trying to make it legal to openly discriminate against gays and lesbians. That’s Donald Trump’s America. An America of fear and hate. An America where we all break apart. Whites against blacks and Latinos. Christians against Muslims and Jews. Straight against gay. Everyone against immigrants. Race, religion, heritage, gender, the more factions the better. But ask yourself this. When white workers in Ohio are pitted against black workers in North Carolina, or Latino workers in Florida, who really benefits? “Divide and Conquer” is an old story in America. Dr. Martin Luther King knew it. After his march from Selma to Montgomery, he spoke of how segregation was created to keep people divided. Instead of higher wages for workers, Dr. King described how poor whites in the South were fed Jim Crow, which told a poor white worker that, “No matter how bad off he was, at least he was a white man, better than the black man.” Racial hatred was part of keeping the powerful on top. And now Trump and his campaign have embraced it all. Racial hatred. Religious bigotry. Attacks on immigrants, on women, on gays. A deceitful and ugly blame game that says, whatever worries you, the answer is to blame that other group, and don’t put any energy into making real change. When we turn on each other, bankers can run our economy for Wall Street, oil companies can fight off clean energy, and giant corporations can ship the last good jobs overseas. When we turn on each other, rich guys like Trump can push through more tax breaks for themselves and then we’ll never have enough money to support our schools, or rebuild our highways, or invest in our kids’ future. When we turn on each other, we can’t unite to fight back against a rigged system. Well, I’ve got news for Donald Trump. The American people are not falling for it! We’ve seen this ugliness before, and we’re not going to be Donald Trump’s hate-filled America. Not now, not ever! I come to you as the daughter of a janitor, a daughter who believes in an America of opportunity. The hand of history is on our shoulders. We know how to build a future, a future that works not just for some of our children, but for all of our children. We know, and we must have the courage to make it happen. This is about our values, our shared values with our candidates Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine! We believe that no matter who you are, no matter where you’re from, no matter who you love, equal means equal. Hillary will fight to make sure discrimination has no place in America. And we’re with her! We believe that no one, no one, who works full time should live in poverty. Hillary will fight for raising the minimum wage, fair scheduling, paid family and medical leave! And we’re with her! We believe every kid in America should have a chance for a great education without getting crushed by debt. Hillary will fight for refinancing student loans and debt-free college. And we’re with her! We believe that after a lifetime of hard work, seniors should be able to retire with dignity. Hillary will fight to expand Social Security, strengthen Medicare, and protect retirement accounts. And we’re with her! We believe that oil companies shouldn’t call the shots in Washington, that science matters, that climate change is real. Hillary will fight to preserve this earth for our children and grandchildren. And we’re with her! We believe – and I can’t believe I have to say this in 2016 – in equal pay for equal work and a woman’s right to control over her own body! Hillary will fight for women. And we’re with her! We believe we don’t need WEAKER rules on Wall Street, we need stronger rules, and when big banks get too risky, break ‘em up. Hillary will fight to hold big banks accountable. And we’re with her! We believe that the United States should never, never, sign trade deals that help giant corporations but leave working people in the dirt! Hillary will fight for American workers. And we’re with her! And just one more. We believe we must get big money out of politics and root out corruption. Hillary will fight to overturn Citizens United and return this government to the people! And we’re with her! If you believe that America must work for all of us, not just the rich and powerful, if you believe we must reject the politics of fear and division, if you believe we are stronger together, then let’s work our hearts out to make Hillary Clinton the next President of the United States!

– Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who's made a part-time job of sorts taking on Donald Trump on social media, laid out two choices for the American people Monday night in Philadelphia. "On one side is a man who inherited a fortune from his father and kept it going by cheating people ... a man who has never sacrificed anything for anyone, a man who cares only for himself every minute of every day" she said, per KCRA. "On the other side is one of the smartest, toughest, most tenacious people on this planet." Warren went on to describe "Donald Trump's America," where fear and hate rule and every faction is pitted against every other one—and where it's "everyone against immigrants." While the various sectors are infighting, Warren noted that "bankers can run our economy for Wall Street, oil companies can fight off clean energy, and giant corporations can ship the last good jobs overseas," per the Boston Globe. But that's not going to happen, Warren says, as she informed the crowd that Hillary Clinton would return American to the people and that "we are not going to be Donald Trump's hate-filled America—not now, not ever." As for Trump's attempts to sow division, Warren concluded, "I've got news for [him]: The American people are not falling for it."

Automatically view any web page in your preferred language Chrome is a fast, secure browser with updates built in ||||| Luka Rocco Magnotta was arrested in Berlin Monday after a four-day international manhunt that spanned three countries. The 29-year-old Canadian wanted over a horrific Montreal ice pick murder and decapitation of a Chinese student that he allegedly filmed and posted to the Internet, was arrested in or near an Internet cafe, Berlin police said. Montreal police confirmed they are aware of the reports that Magnotta was arrested, but said they are still in the process of contacting their Berlin counterparts. The arrest comes after French authorities said they were investigating a tip that Magnotta travelled from Paris to Berlin via bus on the weekend. “Somebody recognized him and (then) all the police recognized him,” Berlin police spokesperson Stefan Redlich told CP24 Monday. Redlich said police were called in by a civilian who spotted Magnotta and he was arrested after police asked for his identification at about 2:00 p.m. local time in Berlin. Reuters is reporting it was an employee of the cafe, Kadir Anlayisli, that recognized Magnotta. The cafe is on Karl Marx Strasse, a busy shopping street filled with Turkish and Lebanese shops and cafes in the Neukoelln district of Berlin. German television quoted the owner of the cafe saying Magnotta was surfing the Internet for about an hour before his arrest. Redlich said Magnotta has been taken into custody without incident and will go in front of a judge Tuesday. Canadian officials are expected to start the extradition process for Magnotta in the near future. [np-related] BODY PARTS MYSTERY TIMELINE Tuesday 10 a.m. A janitor discovers a human torso in a suitcase in Montreal in the city’s Snowdon district 11:15 a.m. A receptionist at the Conservative Party of Canada headquarters receives a package via Canada Post, and opens it partially before calling police 11:20 a.m. Ottawa police respond to a call from the party headquarters about a suspicious package stained with blood 2:40 p.m. Police confirm there is a human foot inside the package 5:30 p.m. Police emerge from the Conservative party headquarters carrying a yellow plastic bag with the package inside 9:30 p.m. Ottawa police confirm they found a second body part — a hand — inside a package at the Ottawa Postal Terminal, where mail is processed. Wednesday 10 a.m. Police confirm both packages containing the body parts originated in Montreal 12 p.m. Montreal police say the torso, foot and hand all belong to the same person; say suspect and victim know each other 2:30 p.m. Montreal police announce they are looking for suspect Luka Rocco Magnotta Thursday Magnotta is added to Interpol’s most wanted list Saturday Paris hotel manager tells the Montreal Gazette his neighbour confirmed to police that Magnotta had a drink at his bar two days earlier Monday 10:45 a.m. Berlin police confirm Magnotta arrested near an Internet cafe after being spotted by a civilian Earlier Monday, an employee from bus company Eurolines told AFP that police had visited a station in the Parisian suburb of Bagnolet, where investigators believe Magnotta was staying late last week. Magnotta, whom overseas media have begun referring to as “Canadian Psycho,” has been at the centre of an international manhunt for the murder and dismemberment of a Chinese student in Montreal last month. French police said the 29-year-old, originally from Ontario, was seen as recently as Friday. French reports said police found pornographic magazines and air sickness bags from the airplane he took from Montreal to Paris in his hotel room. Another published report in France quoted a bar manager saying Magnotta spent two nights in his bar, looking “very nervous” and left one night with a man with an “impressive physique.” Police believe Magnotta escaped to France on May 26. Interpol has issued an alert for Magnotta, who was born Eric Clinton Newman and has also gone by the name Vladimir Romanov, along with countless Internet usernames. On Sunday, Interpol posted pictures of Magnotta going through airport security. In the two photos, the slight man has dark hair and is wearing a black Mickey Mouse T-shirt. The airport was not identified in the photos. Jun Lin, 33, a student at Montreal’s Concordia university was slain on the night of May 24. His torso was found in Montreal and some of his body parts were mailed to political party offices in Ottawa. A video of the murder, which police believe to be authentic, which posted shortly thereafter. Magnotta, who claimed to be a male model and gay porn star despite little evidence he did either professionally, has a long digital trail of attempts to become Internet famous. He claimed to be bullied by people who started a rumour he dated the infamous Karla Homolka, which led to some mainstream media attention in 2007, although it appears he may have been behind the rumours himself. Animal activists have also pegged Magnotta to be behind a kitten torturing video. Since his link to the disturbing murder in Montreal, a portrait of a troubled young man has been drawn from many sources, including his own family. One anonymous relative — who had known Magnotta from childhood — told a reporter with the local Peterborough Examiner that Magnotta was “a ticking time bomb.” “He’s a nut job. I did not trust him,” she told the newspaper. “Eric is the type of individual, I think he’s mentally ill. He has delusions of grandeur. He concocts stories that he tends to believe and they in turn become fact in his mind.” In his mid-20s, he was charged with fraud and sexual assault, although that charge was dropped. He plead guilty to fraud and received a nine-month conditional sentence. Like the National Post on Facebook ||||| Investigators in Berlin have detained a man whom they believe to be Luka Rocco Magnotta, a porn actor wanted in Canada for killing and dismembering someone and mailing body parts to political parties, a spokesman for the police in Berlin, Guido Busch, said Monday. Authorities detained him after someone in an internet cafe told them she thought she recognized a customer in the cafe as the suspect, Busch said. The suspect offered no resistance when police took him into custody. Magnotta is wanted on charges of first-degree murder in connection with the killing of 33-year-old Jun Lin, a Concordia University student from China, and threatening, among others, Canada's prime minister after mailing him a severed foot. The case began last week when a package addressed to Prime Minister Stephen Harper arrived at his majority Conservative Party headquarters, and a hand was later found at a post office addressed to the minority Liberal Party, authorities said. Authorities quickly traced the address on the packages to the Montreal apartment of Magnotta, where they discovered a torso in a suitcase in a trash bin. And the crime, Montreal police say, was captured on a graphic video posted to the Web. It features a man - who authorities believe is Magnotta - killing another man, dismembering the corpse and performing sexual acts. "We believe he filmed himself," LaFreniere said last week. "It's gross. ... This is a very deranged person. He is looking for attention, and he got it, but not in a positive way." Not all the body parts have been recovered, and LaFreniere said forensic evidence and DNA were used to identify the victim as Jun. Authorities believe Magnotta killed Jun on May 24 or May 25, posted the video, and on May 26 fled the country by plane to Europe. That prompted Interpol, the global police agency, to alert authorities in 190 countries.

– The international manhunt for Luka Rocco Magnotta ended today at an Internet café in Berlin, where police nabbed the porn actor/alleged killer, sources tell German newspaper Bild. Magnotta, who is accused of killing and dismembering a man on camera and then mailing the body parts to Canadian political parties, was last seen in Paris, but French authorities had come to suspect he had hopped a bus to Berlin, the National Post reports. Authorities caught Luka after someone in the café recognized him and tipped them off, police said, according to CNN. He offered no resistance as he was taken into custody.

(CNN) Children should not be given fruit juice before they are 1 year old unless it's advised by a doctor, according to new guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics , published Monday in the journal Pediatrics. The group had previously advised parents to wait to offer juice until a child reached 6 months old but decided to make the change based on rising rates of obesity and concerns about tooth cavities. "We couldn't really see any reason why juice was still part of the potential recommendation for 6- to 12-month-old kids," said Dr. Steven A. Abrams, chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas, and co-author of the policy statement. "We recommend breastfeeding or formula in that age group, and there really isn't any need or beneficial role for juice, so we kind of made that adjustment." It is the first change to the academy's fruit juice recommendations since 2001. It wasn't "some magical new science" that inspired the alteration, noted Abrams, but rather "this (guideline) hadn't been looked at in a long time, so we thought it was time to take a close look." 'Not good for the teeth' Children and teens continue to be the top consumers of juice and juice drinks in the US, the policy statement notes. "The problem is, parents will stick a bottle or sippy cup in the kid's mouth and kind of leave it there all day. That's not good from the calorie-intake perspective, and it's sure not good for the teeth," Abrams said. "What happens is, the kid then gets used to all the sugar, and then they won't drink water." Despite this important caveat, the academy is standing by juice. The new guidelines state that 100% fresh or reconstituted fruit juice can be a healthy part of a well-balanced diet for children older than 1. That said, the academy advises parents to limit juice to 4 ounces daily for toddlers between 1 and 3 years old. Juice should be provided in a cup, not a bottle or a box, both of which make it easy to drink juice all day, it says. For children between 4 and 6, fruit juice should be restricted to 4 to 6 ounces daily. Children between 7 and 18 years old should have no more than 8 ounces (or 1 cup) of juice a day, making up one of the recommended daily 2 to 2½ cups of fruit. The academy also strongly discourages unpasteurized juice products and says grapefruit juice should not be served to children taking certain medications -- ibuprofen, flurbiprofen, warfarin, phenytoin, fluvastatin and amitriptyline -- because it interferes with their effects. Finally, the group says, fruit juice is not appropriate in the treatment of dehydration or management of diarrhea. "We primarily are supporting that kids learn how to eat fruit rather than fruit juice," Abrams said. "I think that comes across more strongly than it has before." Atlanta pediatrician Dr. Jennifer Shu, who says the new recommendations are "great," agrees with this particular advice. "Even though it's natural sweetness, (juice) doesn't have the same benefits as real fruit, because the fruit has fiber to be more filling, whereas juice is just easy to drink and overdo," said Shu, who did not contribute to the new recommendations. Sharon Zarabi, a nutritionist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said that "with my experience of working with obese adults, we tend to see that what people eat when they're younger is what sticks with them as they get older." Zarabi, who also did not participate in the recommendations, noted that many people mistakenly believe that juice is loaded with vitamins. "When you isolate fruit into a liquid form, you're mostly getting sugar water, and it's easy to consume excess calories in liquid form, and those calories can add up, and they're void of any protein or fiber, which is usually what helps keep people satiated," Zarabi said. She recommends eating whole fruit for vitamins instead. Occasionally beneficial Shu, who agrees with limiting juice in children's diets, said it's sometimes beneficial. "In general, the time that I tend to recommend juice is if kids have constipation, and apple juice and prune juice can sometimes help with that," she said. "I do think there has been a lot of education in press about juice needing to be consumed in moderation," Shu said. "We do try to encourage parents to think about juice as a sweet, just as you would soda." Though there may be pros and cons for different juices, the pediatric academy does not favor one juice over another. "Some juices naturally have certain vitamins or minerals in them," Abrams said, noting that orange juice has lots of vitamin C. "But that doesn't mean that apple juice doesn't provide vitamin C, because it's usually fortified." Shu advises, "If you're going to go for 'better' juice, in addition to looking for 100% fruit juice, look for calcium and vitamin D supplementation." Join the conversation See the latest news and share your comments with CNN Health on Facebook and Twitter. This is especially good for kids who have a dairy intolerance or don't like to drink milk. "In moderation, it's never 'there's just one good food or perfect food or one bad food you have to avoid.' You have to know juice's place in the healthy diet," Shu said. "We prefer simply to let parents make their own decision about that," Abrams said, "and just focus on limiting the total amount of juice." ||||| One of the most common questions parents ask pediatricians is how much 100% fruit juice they should give their children. A new AAP policy recommends some children should be consuming less juice than previously advised. An AAP policy statement published in 2001 and reaffirmed in 2006 recommended no juice for children younger than 6 months of age, 4-6 ounces daily for children ages 1-6 years and 8-12 ounces for children 7 and older. Since then, however, considerable concern has been expressed about increasing obesity rates and risks for dental caries. Lower daily intakes The Academy’s new policy Fruit Juice in Infants, Children and Adolescents: Current Recommendations builds on the original but considers the evidence released since then. The new advice indicates that fruit juice should not be provided to children younger than 1 year of age unless there is a strong clinical basis for it in the management of constipation. For older children, maximum daily intakes of 100% juice products should be 4 ounces for children ages 1-3 years, 4-6 ounces for children ages 4-6 years and 8 ounces for those 7 and older. The policy, from the AAP Section on Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition and the Committee on Nutrition, is available at https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2017-0967 and will be published in the June issue of Pediatrics. Importance of whole fruits, other advice Further recommendations emphasize the importance of fresh fruit in children’s diets. Fruit generally contains additional fiber compared to juices. Consistent with recent AAP recommendations, water and cow’s milk are preferred as primary fluid sources for children after weaning. Families of small children with dental caries should have a discussion with their pediatrician about the child’s fruit juice intake and its possible contribution to the caries. The literature regarding the contribution of 100% juice to obesity development remains uncertain with recent studies failing to identify a clear connection, especially in children over age 6. The Academy, therefore, recommends eliminating 100% fruit juice from the diets of children with excessive weight gain but not necessarily from the diets of all children. In addition, the Academy strongly recommends that whole fruit be provided and encouraged for children participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. The policy also strongly discourages consumption of unpasteurized juice. These recommendations, taken together, represent a policy goal of decreasing juice consumption, especially in small children, while ensuring an adequate intake of whole fruits. It balances the role of a small amount of 100% fruit juice in meeting these intake goals while limiting the exposure to juice and emphasizing the key roles of water and milk in a healthy diet. It recognizes that juice may provide some vitamins — such as vitamin C in orange juice and calcium and vitamin D in some fortified juice products — but lacks the fiber and protein critical for the growth of children. More caveats The policy clarifies that there is virtually no role for juice during the first year of life and that expensive juice products designed specifically for infants are not of value. When juice is served to older toddlers, it is important that it not be sipped throughout the day or used to calm an upset child. It is not useful for the management of diarrheal illnesses and may predispose infants or young children to the development of hyponatremia. In summary, pediatricians should caution families that there is minimal nutritional value to fruit juice, and it should be limited to small amounts and generally avoided in infancy. Recommendations Juice should not be introduced to infants before 1 year unless clinically indicated. Daily intake should be limited to 4 ounces in toddlers ages 1-3 years, 4-6 ounces for those 4-6 years. For those 7-18 years, limit juice intake to 8 ounces or 1 cup of the recommended 2-2½ cups of fruit servings/day. Toddlers should not be given juice from bottles or easily transportable covered cups that make it easy to consume throughout the day, nor should they be given juice at bedtime. Children should be encouraged to eat whole fruits and educated on the benefit of fiber intake. Families should be educated that human milk and/or infant formula is sufficient to satisfy fluid requirements for infants, and low-fat/nonfat milk and water are sufficient for older children. Consumption of unpasteurized juice products should be strongly discouraged. Grapefruit juice should be avoided in those taking certain medications (see policy). When evaluating children with malnutrition — as well as chronic diarrhea, excessive flatulence, abdominal pain and bloating — pediatricians should determine the amount of juice being consumed. In evaluating risk for dental caries, discuss the relationship between fruit juice and dental decay, and inquire about the amount and means of juice consumption. Routinely discuss the use of fruit juice vs. fruit drinks, and educate older children and parents about the differences. Dr. Abrams is a co-author of the policy statement and incoming chair of the AAP Committee on Nutrition. Related Content ||||| Pediatricians say children under 1 should not drink fruit juice Doctors are recommending that children under the age of 1 should not have fruit juice, while consumption of the drink by older kids should be limited, according to updated guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Juice has long been touted as a source of vitamins for children, but pediatricians now say that viewpoint is outdated and that in reality there are few health benefits with fruit juice. Physicians are instead recommending that parents give older children whole fruit, rather than the juice version, saying that there is less sugar intake that way, said Dr. Steven Abrams, lead author of the new AAP guidelines. Whole fruit also contains more fiber than its juice counterpart and is not as likely to lead to tooth decay. "We want kids to learn how to eat fresh foods," Abrams said. "If you assume fruit juice is equal to fruit, then you're not getting that message." window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-5', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 5', target_type: 'mix' }); _taboola.push({flush: true}); window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-10', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 10', target_type: 'mix' }); _taboola.push({flush: true}); window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-12', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 12', target_type: 'mix' }); _taboola.push({flush: true}); Photo: Hero Images/Getty Images Image 1 of / 12 Caption Close Image 1 of 12 Pediatricians are suggesting a change in how much fruit juice children should consume, saying that children should instead be eating whole fruit rather than getting their fruit servings via a drink. Scroll through the slideshow to see 8 surprising foods that are loaded with sugar. less Pediatricians are suggesting a change in how much fruit juice children should consume, saying that children should instead be eating whole fruit rather than getting their fruit servings via a drink. Scroll ... more Photo: Hero Images/Getty Images Image 2 of 12 | 8 surprising foods that are loaded with sugar Milk Drinking milk is a great way to get your daily calcium intake, but it has a whopping 12 grams of sugar per serving. Want to skip the extra sweetness? Get your calcium from broccoli and dark leafy greens like spinach, and limit your milk intake to one cup or less (think: a small latte) per day. less Milk Drinking milk is a great way to get your daily calcium intake, but it has a whopping 12 grams of sugar per serving. Want to skip the extra sweetness? Get your calcium from broccoli and dark leafy greens ... more Photo: Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images Image 3 of 12 | 8 surprising foods that are loaded with sugar Greek yogurt Greek yogurt is a wonder food—it's packed with filling protein and loaded with calcium—but flavored versions can contain up to 20 grams of sugar. Opt for an unflavored one instead (it has nearly a third of the amount of sugar) and sprinkle a little cinnamon on top for extra taste. less Greek yogurt Greek yogurt is a wonder food—it's packed with filling protein and loaded with calcium—but flavored versions can contain up to 20 grams of sugar. Opt for an unflavored one instead (it has nearly ... more Photo: Pawel Dwulit, Getty Images Image 4 of 12 | 8 surprising foods that are loaded with sugar Protein bars Snack bars that are packed with protein make an easy snack when you're on the go. But some of the popular versions have up to 25 grams of sugar per bar. If you want a filling snack that's easy to nibble on when you're rushing around, pack a hard-boiled egg (just make sure you keep it refrigerated if you'll be out for more than an hour). less Protein bars Snack bars that are packed with protein make an easy snack when you're on the go. But some of the popular versions have up to 25 grams of sugar per bar. If you want a filling snack that's easy to ... more Photo: Steve Cohen, Getty Images Image 5 of 12 Image 6 of 12 | 8 surprising foods that are loaded with sugar Apples Red apples are a great, easy way to get a serving of fiber. And, unfortunately they contain up to 20 grams of sugar. Clearly, you're not going to gain a ton of weight from eating apples, but if you want to limit your sugar intake (and still get your apple fix), opt for a smaller green version, like a Granny Smith—it has less sugar, and about the same amount of fiber. less Apples Red apples are a great, easy way to get a serving of fiber. And, unfortunately they contain up to 20 grams of sugar. Clearly, you're not going to gain a ton of weight from eating apples, but if you want ... more Photo: Tina Rencelj Image 7 of 12 | 8 surprising foods that are loaded with sugar Low-fat snacks Pretty much anything that says "fat-free" or "low-fat" is loaded with sugar. Why? It's a great way to make things taste better without the fat. Steer clear if you can help it. Low-fat snacks Pretty much anything that says "fat-free" or "low-fat" is loaded with sugar. Why? It's a great way to make things taste better without the fat. Steer clear if you can help it. Photo: Courtesy Photo Image 8 of 12 | 8 surprising foods that are loaded with sugar Bread There's a huge difference between the packaged bread you buy at the store, and bread you pick up at your local bakery (or make yourself). The packaged kind has up to three grams of sugar per slice (so you'd be eating six grams of sugar per sandwich), while the kind you buy at the bakery or make at home has just a pinch of sugar for the whole loaf in order to activate the yeast. less Bread There's a huge difference between the packaged bread you buy at the store, and bread you pick up at your local bakery (or make yourself). The packaged kind has up to three grams of sugar per slice (so ... more Image 9 of 12 | 8 surprising foods that are loaded with sugar Barbecue sauce Not only is it packed with sodium, BBQ sauce has a serious serving of sugar, too—up to nine grams per ounce. Opt for a burger with mustard instead next time you're at an outdoor party. Barbecue sauce Not only is it packed with sodium, BBQ sauce has a serious serving of sugar, too—up to nine grams per ounce. Opt for a burger with mustard instead next time you're at an outdoor party. Photo: Renee Comet, USA Weekend Image 10 of 12 Image 11 of 12 | 8 surprising foods that are loaded with sugar Salad dressing It varies from dressing to dressing, but many of the oily ones (balsamic and raspberry vinaigrettes, Italian, etc) contain up to 10 grams of sugar. Try making your own instead by mixing olive oil, a little lemon juice, a pinch of salt, and a sprinkle of Italian seasoning. SOURCES: Nutritionist Stephanie Middleberg, RD; celebrity fitness trainer Manning Sumner Magnus Salad Dressings Image Nothing less Salad dressing It varies from dressing to dressing, but many of the oily ones (balsamic and raspberry vinaigrettes, Italian, etc) contain up to 10 grams of sugar. Try making your own instead by mixing olive oil, ... more Photo: Michael Paulsen, Staff Image 12 of 12 Pediatricians say children under 1 should not drink fruit juice 1 / 12 Back to Gallery The pediatrician group's stricter stance on fruit drinks is all part of a statement the group issued Monday describing the disadvantages of fruit juice consumption in children. The group cited evidence that high sugar content leads to increased calorie consumption and dental cavities in children. Additionally, a lack of protein and fiber in the drinks can potentially lead to kids gaining too much (or too little) weight. As an example, four ounces of apple juice contains no fiber, 60 calories and 13 grams of sugar. Comparatively, eating half a cup of apple slices instead has 1.5 grams of fiber, 30 calories and 5.5 grams of sugar; the fiber from the fruit will also increase fullness. Along with the recommendations for babies, the group also updated the guidelines on drinking juice for older age groups. According to AAP, children ages 1 to 3 should only drink up to 4 ounces of juice per day; children ages 4 to 6 are recommended up to 6 ounces of juice per day (the same as per its earlier 2001 guidelines); kids ages 6-18 should only drink 8 ounces per day. Dr. Man Wain Ng, dentist in chief at Boston Children's Hospital agreed with the guidelines, but took the AAP's stance a step further: "One hundred percent fruit juice should be offered only on special occasions, especially for kids who are at high-risk for tooth decay." The concern over fruit juice stems from the fact that juice doesn't offer much true nutritional value and could replace something else that would be more beneficial, namely breast milk or formula and the protein, fat and minerals like calcium that come with it, the group said. The New York Times News Service contributed to this story.

– Handing your child a juice box might be easier than slicing up an apple. But for children under 1, it's the wrong move, according to pediatricians. Updated guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics state children under 1 shouldn't drink fruit juice "unless there is a strong clinical basis for it in the management of constipation," and older kids should drink it only sparingly, due to its high sugar content, report AAP News and the San Francisco Chronicle. The guidelines—which hadn't been updated since 2001—now set a daily limit of four ounces of juice for ages 1 to 3, six ounces for ages 4 to 6, and eight ounces for ages 7 and up. "We want kids to learn how to eat fresh foods," says the lead author of the new guidelines. "If you assume fruit juice is equal to fruit, then you're not getting that message." While juice may provide vitamin C, vitamin D, and calcium, fresh fruit provides additional fiber, protein. Juice also leads to cavities and increased calorie consumption, pediatricians say, adding it should be eliminated from the diets of children with excessive weight gain. "We do try to encourage parents to think about juice as a sweet, just as you would soda," one pediatrician tells CNN. "When you isolate fruit into a liquid form, you're mostly getting sugar water," adds a nutritionist. The guidelines previously recommended no juice be given to kids younger than 6 months. However, "there really isn't any need or beneficial role for juice" in children under 1, a co-author of the guidelines says. (Tomato juice tastes different on a plane.)

The $25 billion settlement with banks over foreclosure abuses may result in a wave of home seizures, inflicting short-term pain on delinquent U.S. borrowers while making a long-term housing recovery more likely. Lenders slowed the pace of foreclosures as they negotiated with attorneys general in all 50 states for more than a year over allegations of faulty and fraudulent paperwork used to repossess homes. With yesterday’s agreement, banks are likely to resume property seizures. “The best thing about the settlement, frankly, is that it will be done,” said Stan Humphries, chief economist for Seattle-based Zillow Inc. (Z), a provider of home-sales data. “The shadow of the settlement hung over the market for a year now.” The backlog of foreclosures has trapped homeowners in properties they can no longer afford, depressed neighborhood prices by increasing the number of abandoned homes and led banks to tighten mortgage credit standards because of uncertainty about the cost of their potential obligations. Foreclosure starts fell 46 percent in December from October 2010, when the investigation into the so-called robo-signing of mortgage documentation began, according to Irvine, California-based RealtyTrac Inc. The agreement will direct $17 billion to writing down debt to buffer about 1 million homeowners from foreclosure through mortgage forgiveness, forbearance or loan modification programs, according to Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan. About 750,000 borrowers may get direct payments of as much as $2,000 to compensate them for servicing errors. Small Borrower Universe Principal reductions and other loan modifications will be accessible to a small universe of borrowers because the deal doesn’t include loans owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae (FNMA), Freddie Mac or Ginnie Mae, which pools and sells Federal Housing Administration loans. The five banks included in the settlement control or own 7.3 percent of all outstanding single-family mortgages, according to Inside Mortgage Finance. “The primary beneficiaries of any principal reductions, loan modifications or refinancings are really a universe that excludes 92 percent of mortgage borrowers,” said Guy Cecala, publisher of the newsletter. After a six-year slide in home prices, demand is showing signs of strengthening, bolstered by a jobless rate that fell to 8.3 percent last month. The number of Americans who signed contracts to buy previously owned homes in December held near a 19-month high, indicating that stabilization in the market that began in late 2011 may continue this year. Driving Down Prices A surge of home seizures may drive down values, at least for a while, in a fragile market. The number of new foreclosure filings fell 34 percent last year, according to RealtyTrac, resulting in a backlog that now may flood the market with low- cost properties. About 1 million foreclosures will be completed this year, up 25 percent from 2011, according to the firm. “All of this will result in more foreclosure pain in the short term as some of the foreclosures that should have happened last year instead happen this year,” Daren Blomquist, a RealtyTrac vice president, said in an e-mail yesterday. About 5 million homes have been lost to foreclosure in the U.S. since 2006, according to RealtyTrac. “I think there’ll be more price weakness, because we’ll see the number of distressed sales pick up,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody’s Analytics Inc. in West Chester, Pennsylvania. “But I think the price declines will be modest. I think the banks themselves are going to be very sensitive to market prices. I don’t think they’re just going to dump property. That wouldn’t be in their best interest.” Decline Since 2006 Home prices have dropped 33 percent from their July 2006 peak, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller index of values in 20 U.S. metropolitan areas. About 11 million U.S. homeowners have negative equity, or owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth, according to CoreLogic Inc. (CLGX), a real estate data provider. That has limited their ability to sell or refinance and reduced the incentive to keep paying. Principal reductions may help cut the number of mortgage delinquencies by improving borrowers’ finances and reducing incentives for so-called strategic default, when homeowners walk away from a property because they have too much negative equity, according to a Federal Reserve report sent to Congress Jan. 4. U.S. homeowners have $750 billion in negative equity, Humphries said. The deal will help the residential market “at the margins, but little more,” according to an analysis late last month by London-based Capital Economics of the impact of the settlement on housing. Reductions ‘Seem Small’ The money may have an added benefit: It will test the effectiveness of principal forgiveness in preventing defaults, and may spur a larger-scale program if successful, said Paul Diggle, a property economist at Capital Economics. “There has been a lot of discussion of principal reductions and whether that’s the one measure the U.S. housing market needs to get it going again,” he said in an interview this week. “That may well be the case. But the amounts of principal reductions under the settlement seem small.” Principal was reduced on 10,772 loans, or 7.8 percent of the mortgages with payment modifications, in the third quarter of last year, according to the office of the U.S. Comptroller of the Currency. All of those loans were held by private investors or were in bank portfolios. The agreement announced yesterday includes $5 billion in cash for states to pay for foreclosure-prevention initiatives. Loan servicers will refinance $3 billion in mortgages to reduce homeowners’ interest rates and pay about $1.5 billion to borrowers harmed by botched foreclosures. Debt Forgiveness The money set aside for mortgage-debt forgiveness also can be used for short sales, when a lender agrees to a sale for less than owed on the home. Banks have been stepping up the sales by pre-approving deals, streamlining the closing process, forgoing their right to pursue unpaid debt and in some cases providing as much as $35,000 in “relocation” incentives. Short sales accounted for 33 percent of financially distressed transactions in November, up from 24 percent a year earlier, according to Santa Ana, California-based CoreLogic. For California, which has the highest number of properties in the foreclosure pipeline, banks agreed to pay $12 billion to help 250,000 homeowners with principal reductions or short sales, according to Kamala Harris, the state’s attorney general. Borrowers in Florida, which had the second-most foreclosures, will receive an estimated $7.6 billion in benefits from loan modifications, including principal reduction, according to state Attorney General Pam Bondi. Citigroup, Wells Fargo The total value of the agreement with lenders including Citigroup Inc. (C), Bank of America Corp. and Wells Fargo & Co. may grow to $40 billion if the next nine largest mortgage servicers sign on to the agreement, Donovan said. In a best-case scenario, if all banks participate fully, the deal might be worth $45 billion to homeowners and victims of foreclosure. The settlement adds to a series of recently expanded government steps to protect consumers and encourage lenders to refinance homes and modify payment terms for homeowners facing foreclosure. President Barack Obama this month proposed plans to expand loan modifications for delinquent homeowners to include some principal reductions through his administration’s Home Affordable Modification Program, or HAMP. Underwater homeowners would be able to refinance at current low interest rates through the Home Affordable Refinance Program, or HARP. Some of the refinancing plans require Congressional approval. Under the administration’s Making Home Affordable program, $29.9 billion in aid had been pledged as of Jan. 30. Buying in Bulk Separately, Fannie Mae, the mortgage company under U.S. conservatorship, invited investors to apply for a new program to buy foreclosed homes in bulk to be managed as rental properties, under another program announced by the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The goal of that program is to reduce the inventory of foreclosures while providing rental homes to people who can’t qualify to buy or don’t want to own. “No action, no matter how meaningful, is going to by itself entirely heal the housing market,” Obama said at an appearance with state attorneys general in Washington yesterday. “But this settlement is a start. And we’re going to make sure that the banks live up to their end of the bargain.” Investors are likely to buy many of the foreclosed homes that come on the market to take advantage of low prices and demand for rentals, Zandi said. About 21 percent of home sales in December were investor purchases, according to the National Association of Realtors. Manage as Rentals Private equity funds including Los Angeles-based Oaktree Capital Management LP (OAKTRZ) and New York-based GTIS Partners announced plans in January to buy $2.5 billion of foreclosed single-family homes to manage as rentals, focusing on states with the highest number of foreclosures, such as California, Florida and Nevada. “There’s pretty strong investor demand, particularly in some markets where prices have overshot,” Zandi said. “They’ve gone well below what you’d expect given incomes and rents.” There remains a danger that “a wave of foreclosures” may destabilize the housing market, said Susan Wachter, professor of real estate and finance at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. “The logjam has to be unleashed and it has been -- this will do that,” she said. “That’s a good thing. But then there needs to be methodical loan-by-loan determination of the best resolution.” To contact the reporters on this story: Prashant Gopal in New York at pgopal2@bloomberg.net; John Gittelsohn in Los Angeles at johngitt@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Daniel Taub at dtaub@bloomberg.net ||||| “The effect of this settlement will be catalytic,” Shaun Donovan , the secretary of Housing and Urban Development , said in an interview. He predicted it would spur more loan modifications through existing government programs as well as principal reductions — when loan debt is written down for borrowers who owe more than their home is worth — as well as additional mortgage relief provided by banks. “We do believe there should be principal reduction at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac,” he added. “We’ve been disappointed that this hasn’t happened thus far.” He said the government had proposed incentives for Fannie and Freddie to cut loan balances under an existing program, and the two mortgage giants were studying the idea. Advocates for homeowners facing foreclosure expressed cautious optimism after the settlement was announced Thursday morning in Washington. “We’re hopeful,” said Joseph Sant, a lawyer at Staten Island Legal Services’ homeowner defense project. “But we had a lot of programs that are good on paper. What will make the difference is that it’s vigorously enforced.” President Obama declared the deal the largest federal-state settlement in the nation’s history. “No compensation, no amount of money, no measure of justice is enough to make it right for a family who’s had their piece of the American dream wrongly taken from them,” he said. “And no action, no matter how meaningful, is going to by itself entirely heal the housing market. But this settlement is a start.” Homeowners in two states — Florida and California — will reap more than half of the $26 billion settlement, a reflection of the disproportionate number of loans that are delinquent or exceed the value of the underlying property there, government regulators said. The amounts from individual banks were linked to their share of the servicing market. The biggest, Bank of America, would provide $11.8 billion, followed by $5.4 billion from Wells Fargo, $5.3 billion from JPMorgan Chase , $2.2 billion from Citigroup and $310 million from Ally. Bank of America would contribute an additional $1 billion for Federal Housing Administration loans. Advertisement Continue reading the main story And if nine other major mortgage servicers join the pact, a possibility that is now under discussion with the government, the total package could rise to $30 billion. Photo Banks stocks were mixed in trading Thursday, but shares of Bank of America rose 0.62 percent to $8.18, its highest level since September. Much of the money to pay for the settlement has already been reserved, and investors expect the settlement to remove at least one legal worry for Bank of America. More than just an attempt to aid consumers and stabilize the housing market, government officials cast the settlement as an effort to finally hold banks accountable for their misdeeds, more than three years after the mortgage collapse brought on a full-scale financial crisis. The deal is about “righting the wrongs that led to the housing market collapse,” said Eric H. Holder Jr. , the United States attorney general. “With this settlement, we recover precious taxpayer resources, fix a broken system and lay a groundwork for a better future.” Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content , updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. The agreement does not release banks from a variety of other suspected misdeeds. Regulators and prosecutors could still pursue allegations of fraud in the process by which those loans were made, known as origination, and the packaging of those mortgages into securities sold to investors by the big banks. “We’re going to keep at it until we hold those who broke the law fully accountable,” Mr. Obama said. The agreement also imposes new standards that banks will have to follow as they deal with distressed homeowners. Mr. Donovan said the settlement would “force the banks to clean up their acts. No more lost paperwork, no more excuses, no more runaround.” Though some mortgage advocates praised the settlement as a needed step in the right direction, Katherine Porter, a law professor at University of California Irvine , was more skeptical. “We have to look at this as being a modest settlement even thought the number itself, the $26 billion, is an eye-popping number,” said Ms. Porter. “There are millions of people who have lost their homes and this settlement will only affect a relatively small number of them.” She was also surprised at the time — three years — that the servicers were being given to put the settlement into effect. Advertisement Continue reading the main story “That reflects to me a lack of urgency. That the banks don’t think it is urgent or they still haven’t gotten the staff, technology, ethos or platforms set up to help people quickly,” said Ms. Porter. “That three-year window makes me really nervous because a lot of people could be out of their homes by then.” What is more, other critics are raising questions about so-called moral hazard, the danger that more relief encourages homeowners to default in the hopes of getting aid. News of the settlement also reignited resentment from homeowners who are current on their payments, and have shunned government aid. Some state attorneys general closely involved with the settlement acknowledged that it provided only a small amount of restitution to individuals who lost their homes in foreclosures, even though they said their investigations uncovered rampant evidence of robo-signing and enormous problems with the servicing aspects of the loans. “This agreement is more important for the foreclosures we’re hoping to prevent,” said Roy Cooper, the attorney general for North Carolina . For homeowners like the Coopers and Mr. de Leon there is still hope, even if it won’t come through Thursday’s settlement. Both Bank of America and Wells Fargo said Thursday they were exploring other options that could prevent foreclosure. ||||| Dow Jones Reprints: This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers, use the Order Reprints tool at the bottom of any article or visit www.djreprints.com The $25 billion settlement with banks over alleged foreclosure abuses will provide financial relief to an estimated one million at-risk borrowers, raising new hopes for an economy still hurting from the mortgage bust. The pact, announced Thursday between five large U.S. banks and government officials, will offer reductions in loan principal and other assistance to qualifying homeowners. The largest portion of the aid, valued at $17 billion, goes to borrowers at risk of foreclosure. While the deal won't be a cure-all for the housing market or to the majority of borrowers at risk of foreclosure, the settlement also includes a ...

– The $26 billion mortgage settlement announced yesterday will be a boon for some—but the terms of the deal leave many homeowners out in the cold. Recipients of loans owned by the Federal Housing Administration, for instance, won't directly benefit from the settlement; nor will those with mortgages held by private investors, the New York Times reports. Millions of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans—about half of America's mortgages—aren't part of the plan, either. Economists have mixed expectations regarding the settlement's effects. In the long term, it should help the housing market recover, Bloomberg notes, though economists tell the Times they don't expect this to be a huge win for the economy because banks have three years to dole out the money. And in the immediate future, things could get harder for struggling homeowners. Foreclosures slowed as banks and officials negotiated the deal; now that it's done, we may see another rash of home seizures. "It is frankly a headline victory for both banks and attorneys general with a modest impact on the housing market," an analyst tells the Wall Street Journal.

Starting in 1996, Alexa Internet has been donating their crawl data to the Internet Archive. Flowing in every day, these data are added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period. Starting in 1996, Alexa Internet has been donating their crawl data to the Internet Archive. Flowing in every day, these data are added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period. Outpost shows you the world like you’ve never seen it. The series lives at the intersection of investigative journalism and adventure travel, bringing you a local perspective on faraway places and inviting you to explore. The series premieres March 26 @ 8 and 11 PM on Fusion TV. In the first episode, transgender model Carmen Carrera travels to Brazil, a place where rates of violence against LGBT people are some of the highest in the world, to find out what’s happening, what life is like for young transgendered people in Brazil, and what the future might hold. Gabriel Leigh takes us to El Alto, Bolivia, where some of the craziest architecture on earth is taking shape as part of a surge in indigenous purchasing power. ||||| FILE - In this Monday, Oct. 10, 2016, file photo, Mike Tyson attends a World Team Tennis exhibition to benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation in Las Vegas. Tyson traveled to Suriname as part of the new... (Associated Press) FILE - In this Monday, Oct. 10, 2016, file photo, Mike Tyson attends a World Team Tennis exhibition to benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation in Las Vegas. Tyson traveled to Suriname as part of the new Fusion TV documentary series “Outpost” and was soundly beaten when he entered a bird in a songbird... (Associated Press) FILE - In this Monday, Oct. 10, 2016, file photo, Mike Tyson attends a World Team Tennis exhibition to benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation in Las Vegas. Tyson traveled to Suriname as part of the new Fusion TV documentary series “Outpost” and was soundly beaten when he entered a bird in a songbird... (Associated Press) FILE - In this Monday, Oct. 10, 2016, file photo, Mike Tyson attends a World Team Tennis exhibition to benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation in Las Vegas. Tyson traveled to Suriname as part of the new... (Associated Press) NEW YORK (AP) — Over his career, former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson recorded 50 wins and six losses. But he recently notched another big loss in Latin America — this time as a coach of a bird. Tyson traveled to Suriname as part of the new Fusion TV documentary series "Outpost " and was soundly beaten when he entered a bird in a songbird contest, a cherished local tradition. Cameras captured Iron Mike as he learned about the contest, located a bird to enter — he dubbed the tiny guy "Little Mike" — but then suffered a TKO when a competing champion cheeped and peeped more than his bird did in the same 15-minute period. "Little Mike let us down, man. I was in his corner, though," said Tyson by phone from Las Vegas. "It was just amazing meeting the people, meeting the culture — I had a great time." The series, kicking off on Sunday with Tyson's episode, mixes travel adventure, history and journalism to shine a light on global stories. The first season focuses on Latin America and includes as hosts "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" bandleader Jon Batiste, "Brain Games" star Jason Silva, and transgender model Carmen Carrera. Spanish versions air on UniMas. Tyson was lured onto the show by the chance to visit a country he'd never heard of and his love of birds. The former boxer has loved pigeons and raced them since he was a kid in Brooklyn. (Sunday's show recorded the moment Tyson lovingly released the bird in Suriname he competed with.) "My wife always says, 'The reason I keep my pigeons is they connect me to my childhood,'" Tyson said. "Once it's in your blood, it never leaves. It's just who you are." Back home, Tyson is watching his former profession lose out to professional mixed martial arts but thinks he may have the answer to put the "sweet science" back on top: A compelling boxer somehow unifies the heavyweight title. "We haven't had a really good, exciting heavyweight champion in a long time," he said. ___ Online: http://fusion.net/series/outpost

– Over his career, former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson recorded 50 wins and six losses. But he recently notched another big loss in Latin America—this time as a coach of a bird, reports the AP. Tyson traveled to Suriname as part of the new Fusion TV documentary series Outpost, and was soundly beaten when he entered a bird in a songbird contest, a cherished local tradition. Cameras captured Iron Mike as he learned about the contest, located a bird to enter—he dubbed the tiny guy "Little Mike"—but then suffered a TKO when a competing champion cheeped and peeped more than his bird did in the same 15-minute period. "Little Mike let us down, man. I was in his corner, though," said Tyson. "It was just amazing meeting the people, meeting the culture—I had a great time." The series, kicking off on Sunday with Tyson's episode, mixes travel adventure, history, and journalism to shine a light on global stories. The first season focuses on Latin America and includes as hosts The Late Show with Stephen Colbert bandleader Jon Batiste, Brain Games star Jason Silva, and transgender model Carmen Carrera. Spanish versions air on UniMas. Tyson was lured onto the show by the chance to visit a country he'd never heard of and his love of birds. The former boxer has loved pigeons and kept them since he was a kid in Brooklyn. (Sunday's show recorded the moment Tyson lovingly released his bird in Suriname.) "My wife always says the reason I keep my pigeons is they connect me to my childhood," Tyson said. "Once it's in your blood, it never leaves. It's just who you are."

The IP address has changed. The IP address for this domain may have changed recently. Check your DNS settings to verify that the domain is set up correctly. It may take 8-24 hours for DNS changes to propagate. It may be possible to restore access to this site by following these instructions for clearing your dns cache. ||||| A group of activists from Greenpeace on Thursday scaled the Shard, the tapered 310m glass tower next to London Bridge station, as a protest against oil and gas drilling in the Arctic. In an action that was perhaps inevitable at some point after the completion last year of western Europe's tallest building, visible across much of central London, the six climbers began their ascent in the early hours of the morning. The activists reached the top of the building at around 7.10pm. The Twitter feed for Greenpeace UK carried a photograph of the activists, all women, in their climbing gear before they began the protest, naming them as Wiola Smul (23) from Poland, Ali Garrigan (27) from the UK, Sabine Huyghe (33) from Belgium, Sandra Lamborn (29) from Sweden, Victoria Henry (32) from Canada and Liesbeth Deddens (31) from the Netherlands. Police said all six had been arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass. The organisaton also carried a blog post from one of the climbers, Henry, explaining her motivation: "I'm training [the post was written before the climb] for something that I hope will help stop one of the most heartbreaking acts of wanton environmental destruction – drilling for oil in the Arctic. I'm over the moon that I can play any part in the mass resistance to this horrifying practice," she wrote. Another tweet read: "Look up London. We're attempting to scale the Shard, Europe's tallest skyscraper." BREAKING: Look up London. We’re attempting to scale the Shard, Europe's tallest skyscraper. More soon on #iceclimb pic.twitter.com/WCzFlIPd6t — Greenpeace UK (@GreenpeaceUK) July 11, 2013 A picture with that tweet appeared to show the group using ladders to gain access to the bottom of the 72-storey office and residential block from the roof of London Bridge station. A live webcam was following their progress up the tower. In a later statement, Greenpeace said the Shard was chosen because it was in sight of the three London bases of the energy giant Shell, which is involved in offshore drilling in the Arctic. When the climbers reached the top of the building they aimed to "hang a huge work of art that captures the beauty of the Arctic", it added. Ali (blue helmet) hangs on while Sandra (black helmet) does... what is she doing? #iceclimb pic.twitter.com/ckY0ojwfU9 — Greenpeace UK (@GreenpeaceUK) July 11, 2013 The statement continued: "Shell is leading the oil companies' drive into the Arctic, investing billions in its Alaskan and Russian drilling programmes. A worldwide movement of millions has sprung up to stop them, but Shell is refusing to abandon its plans." Shell released a statement that said it respected the right of Greenpeace to engage in an "exchange of views" about their operations. It said oil and gas production in the Arctic was not new. "If responsibly developed, Arctic energy resources can help offset supply constraints and maintain energy security for consumers throughout the world," said Shell. "We work extensively with global Arctic stakeholders to research and develop standards and best practice on biodiversity, ecology, marine sound, oil spill prevention and response, safety and health." A Metropolitan police spokesman said: "We were called at 4.20am today to a group of protesters attempting to climb up the Shard. We are in attendance and monitoring the situation along with British transport police." Sabine & @victohenry clinging on as they attempt #iceclimb << pls keep your support coming. pic.twitter.com/m9R1asDKD1 — Greenpeace UK (@GreenpeaceUK) July 11, 2013 A spokesman for the building, designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, said: "The Shard is being used by protesters as part of a campaign. Our primary focus is on the safety of the protesters and the workers and visitors to the building. We are working with the relevant authorities to try to ensure the safety of those concerned." Greenpeace said the climbers used a combination of traditional mountain climbing techniques, rope access techniques used by commercial building climbers and some free climbing. The building has an external metal frame providing handholds and crossbeams all the way to the top. Each stage of the climb would require the lead climber to free-climb a section of the building. Once they reached a secure position, they would fix a rope to the external skeleton of the building and the rest of the group would follow using the rope. All the climbers were wearing harnesses, meaning they would not fall more than six metres if they slipped. The British Mountaineering Council training officer Jon Garside said there was a "rich history of people climbing buildings both for recreation and for protests". He said the climbers appeared to have standard kit used by workers on tall buildings around the world and that what they were doing, while inherently risky, was fairly common practice. "Any Londoner will see all the time access workers abseiling down large buildings like the Shard to clean the windows," he said. ||||| Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption A protester unveiled a Greenpeace flag at the skyscraper's summit Greenpeace protesters have climbed to the summit of London's Shard - the tallest building in western Europe. Two of them then unfurled a blue flag with "Save the Arctic" written on it. The charity said it was protesting against plans to drill in the Arctic by the oil company Shell, although the firm said drilling there was "not new". Six climbers accessed the Shard by climbing on to the roof of London Bridge Station. They were later arrested, the Met Police said. They are being held on suspicion of aggravated trespass. It took the women 16 hours to reach the top of the building after they started their ascent in the early hours. The Shard stands at 310m (1,016ft) and has 87 storeys. 'Remarkable achievement' As the protesters reached the summit, Greenpeace UK executive director John Sauven said: "It is an honour to stand here at the foot of Europe's highest building and witness this remarkable achievement by these women. "Watching them fly the flag to protect the Arctic from the top of the Shard is a remarkable sight. Image caption The climb took the women 16 hours "And I'm not the only one watching this today - the executives of Shell, whose offices are all around this building, simply won't be able to ignore what we have done. "As a result of our action, 50,000 extra people have joined up to the campaign. "If Shell continues to ignore the huge groundswell of support for protecting the Arctic then they will do irreversible damage to their reputation." In a statement Shell said oil and gas production from the Arctic "was not new". It said: "The Arctic region currently produces about 10% of the world's oil and 25% of its gas. "If responsibly developed, Arctic energy resources can help offset supply constraints and maintain energy security for consumers throughout the world. "Shell has been operating in the Arctic and sub-Arctic since the early 20th Century, giving us the technical experience and know-how to explore for and produce oil and gas responsibly." Ladder-like structure The viewing platform in the skyscraper was closed to visitors for the safety of the public and the protest group. Image caption Greenpeace said the location was chosen because it sits in the middle of Shell's three headquarters A Shard spokesman said the building's emergency response team had advised that "The View" - the platform on floors 68, 69 and 72 which gives a view of London from 800ft (244m) up - should be closed with immediate effect. "We apologise to guests for the inconvenience caused and The View will be pleased to honour their tickets either later on today or on a different date," he said. The spokesman added that offices and restaurants in the complex remained open. BBC reporter Jonathan Savage, who was at the scene, said the group climbed the edge of the building as it has a ladder-like structure, and also used ropes. Police and ambulance teams remained at the scene. Greenpeace said the location was chosen because it sits in the middle of Shell's three headquarters and because the building was "modelled on a shard of ice". The climbers were live-streaming the ascent using helmet cameras. In its statement, Shell said: "We respect the right of individuals and organisations to engage in a free and frank exchange of views about our operations. "Recognising the right of individuals to express their point of view, we only ask that they do so with their safety and the safety of others, including Shell personnel and customers in mind." The Qatari-owned building, which was opened in February, contains offices, restaurants, a hotel and residential apartments.

– Greenpeace is taking its case against Arctic oil drilling to the skies. Demonstrators are climbing the tallest building in western Europe, London's 87-story Shard, to make their point. Safety personnel and police are watching after the team of six women began ascending the building via the roof of a nearby subway station. They're reportedly "free-climbing" the building; part of its exterior is built like a ladder, the BBC reports. The Shard is between the three headquarters of Shell, Greenpeace says, and it resembles a piece of ice. At the top, says a climber, "we'll try to hang a huge art installation ... that will make Shell think twice before sending their rigs into the Arctic." The climbers, who have been live-streaming the event via head-mounted cameras, are all highly trained, says a rep. Monitoring police say they got a call about the protest at 4:20 this morning, the Guardian reports.

MSNBC screen shot I'm traveling this week so blogging is light. But I'm compelled to comment on the way the right is hyping my Tuesday appearance on "Morning Joe." First, thanks to my friends at Newsbusters. It's nice when my videos go viral. But Newsbusters and its devotees drew an awfully weird conclusion about my conversation with Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough yesterday morning. I'm the one who posed the question: Scarborough suggested that reasonable folks on the left (that's me) and the right (that's Joe) ought to denounce the extremists in their own camp. I asked him whom he thought I should denounce, because I don't think there's anyone on the left as consistently cruel, divisive and wrong as Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck. But my question wasn't merely about media: The problem on the right includes extremists who've made death threats against Democrats like Patty Murray, Bart Stupak, Nancy Pelosi and, of course, President Obama. There's no one on the left posing the same threat to leaders on the right -- or if there is, I'd like to know about it. (The whack job who threatened the folks who made the movie "Babe," along with Obama and GOP whip Eric Cantor, doesn't count.) Joe and Mika acted stunned that I couldn't name anyone equally extreme myself, and the goofballs on the right are interpreting it as they stumped me, kinda like Katie Couric stumped Sarah Palin when she was asked to name a newspaper she read, or Beck stumped Palin when asking her to name her favorite Founding Father ("all of them" wasn't the right answer). Of course, that's stupid. I didn't name anyone not because I was stumped; it was because in my opinion, the violent rhetoric is coming from the right, not the left. It's not Nancy Pelosi who's telling her San Francisco constituents they need to be "armed and dangerous" to fight their political enemies; that's Michele Bachmann. There isn't anyone in liberal media as consistently vicious as Beck or Limbaugh. Now, the lads at Newsbusters are providing their own names, but I wouldn't compare anyone they mention to the two right-wing titans of hate. I didn't have a moment of ditz; I answered their question with my silence. My friends at Crooks and Liars have a different take on it all, here. In happier news, I'm on a train to Princeton right now to talk about women and politics Wednesday night with some of my favorite women: North Carolina State history professor Blair Kelley, Princeton's Melissa Harris-Lacewell and Culture Kitchen blogger Liza Sabater. If you're in the neighborhood, come visit. ||||| Hot sparks flew on the set of MSNBC's Morning Joe today igniting a brief but entertaining firestorm. The cause? Joan Walsh somehow being unable to name any leftwing extremists. This set off an angry reaction from co-host Mika Brzezinski which included a funny impersonation of a conveniently clueless Walsh. It was one of those moments that needs to be viewed in order to be fully appreciated but here is a transcript of the heated exchange: JOE SCARBOROUGH: ...I think it helps us all to say there are extreme voices on the left, there are extreme voices on the right, and it's our responsibility to call out people, I believe, on our side. JOAN WALSH: Who would you have me call out? I mean who would you say on the left is comparable to Rush and... SCARBOROUGH: Don't do it. MIKA BREZEZINSKI: Mmm-mmm! No thanks, Joan. We're good. We're good. SCARBOROUGH: Can we talk about the Chinese now? MIKA: I think it's all very obvious. WALSH: Is it obvious? Who on the left is comparable to Rush and Glenn on the right? MIKA: Okay, Joan, if it's not obvious to you I'll talk to you off-set. I mean, my God! Alright so let's read from the Washington Post... SCARBOROUGH: We'll talk off-set. WALSH: Okay... MIKA: Seriously, it's like BLIP... BLIP... BLIP... right in front of you and you're like [imitates willfully clueless Walsh] "I'm sorry, I don't see it!" A shocked Walsh was left with her mouth hanging open over Mika's hilarious but dead on impersonation as she pleaded to Willie Geist: "Wow! Willie, help me out here!" Willie wouldn't help Walsh out but your humble correspondent will. You want the names of some leftwing extremists, Joan? Okay, here are a few names: Rosie O'Donnell Mike Malloy Bill "The Bomber" Ayers Mrs. Bill "The Bomber" Ayers Van Jones Dylan Ratigan Rachel Maddow Keith Olbermann Keith Olbermann KEITH OLBERMANN This is only a very abbreviated list of crazed leftwing extremists, Joan, but I hope it proves useful if you are asked to identify a few in your next Bluebook exam presented to you by Mika. BLIP... BLIP... BLIP!!! *****Update by Noel Sheppard: maybe Ms. Walsh should listen to Tuesday's total meltdown of liberal talk radio host Ed Schultz for a fine example of a crazed, left-wing extremist.

– Righty bloggers are teeing off on Joan Walsh of Salon because of her appearance on Morning Joe yesterday, in which she maintained that liberals have no voices as extreme as Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck. (NewsBusters weighs in with a list here, with Keith Olbermann's name in capital letters.) Walsh defends her response today in Salon: "I didn't name anyone not because I was stumped; it was because in my opinion, the violent rhetoric is coming from the right, not the left." No liberals are as "consistently cruel, divisive and wrong" as Limbaugh and Beck, she says. But this goes beyond the media: "The problem on the right includes extremists who've made death threats against Democrats like Patty Murray, Bart Stupak, Nancy Pelosi, and, of course, President Obama. There's no one on the left posing the same threat to leaders on the right—or if there is, I'd like to know about it."

A school year just isn’t complete without a senior class prank. A group of Santa Barbara High School seniors decided to take their prank to another level, hiring a mariachi band to follow their principal around campus. Principal John Becchio got a surprise when he walked into his office about 7:15 a.m. Tuesday and saw the four-piece band inside. "What are you doing here?" he asked them. They responded with music — and continued to play for about an hour and a half as he walked around the school's hallways, he said. A YouTube video of the prank has gone viral, and was even featured on the "Today" show. Becchio's mother, who lives in Oregon, immediately called him after seeing the TV show clip. "I didn't think it would take off the way it did," he said. "It's kind of clever." The mariachi prank came after Becchio had endured another hoax from the senior class. On Monday he walked into his office to discover all of his belongings shrink-wrapped. Becchio said he doesn't mind being the center of the pranks, as long as the seniors are making good choices. "It was kind of a special send-off," he said. ||||| share tweet pin email The students at Santa Barbara High School wanted to make some noise with their senior prank this year. So the southern California seniors hired a mariachi band to follow principal John Becchio around school for an hour. From when Becchio walked into his office at 7:30 a.m., four musicians trailed him around the hallways, drawing smiles from students and faculty. Video of the prank was posted to YouTube by Barbara Keyani, the administrative services and communications coordinator for the school district. The Santa Barbara students are not the first to employ the mariachi band prank, as a group of seniors at West Linn High School in Oregon did the same musical trickery in 2013, when nearly 90 students pooled their money to get a mariachi band to follow principal Lou Bailey around for three hours. Follow TODAY.com writer Scott Stump on Twitter and Google+.

– When Santa Barbara High School principal John Becchio stepped into his office Tuesday morning, he was greeted by a strange sight: a four-piece mariachi band. "What are you doing here?" he asked, but by way of explanation, he had to endure an hour-plus of music as he walked the school's halls—the butt of a senior class joke, the Los Angeles Times reports. A video of the hoopla—uploaded to YouTube by a school district staffer—has now gone viral, with more than half a million views in two days. "I didn't think it would take off the way it did," said Becchio, who arrived to school the day before to find his possessions had been shrink-wrapped. "It was kind of a special send-off." The school district added, per KLTV, "It was a senior prank that delighted students and staff." Apparently Becchio should be thankful the entertainment lasted only a short time. Last year, students of West Linn High School in Oregon pulled the same trick on their principal, only the music lasted three hours, Today reports. (Officials at this New Jersey high school weren't as impressed with their school's senior prank, which ended in 62 arrests.)

Yep, it's hexed. "Jonah Hex" is to film what the chicken nugget is to cuisine. Bland, anonymous, packed with non-nutritious filler, prepared without pride or love, easiest to consume if you're not paying attention. This is industrially processed entertainment at it cheapest, nastiest and greasiest. Josh Brolin plays the title character, a Civil War veteran wandering the lawless, chaotic West, where the main activity of daily life is settling old scores. Fight scenes erupt every five minutes. This is not a comment on the Hobbesian brutality of the untamed frontier. The players continually empty the contents of their guns into each other because the filmmakers, recognizing they haven't given us interesting characters to follow, fear we'll get bored. The plot ... sigh, where to begin? The explosion-prone story isn't strong on exposition. Illogical plots are fine in hot-weather comic-book movies, but "Jonah Hex" (based on a DC Comic) is stupefying. Director Jimmy Hayward, a Pixar veteran in his live-action debut, has created a slapdash movie littered with discordant scenes and editing too arbitrary to follow. The film attends to its myriad confusions in a long, baffling animated sequence apparently added when the cast and crew got sick of shooting real-life footage. The gist of it is that Hex bears a grudge against Quentin Turnbull (John Malkovich, King of Camp Cinema). Turnbull is a marauder who slaughtered Hex's family before his eyes, then used a branding iron to give him a facial scar that resembles a cheeseburger. But allowed him to live. This is how feuds get started. Understandably, Hex is an ornery galoot. He grimaces like an ulcer patient, communicates in grunts and growls, and shoots people who wisecrack about his disfigurement. A bullet in the gut is Jonah's version of a witty retort. But he is no ordinary gunslinger. Hex has the power to restore the dead with his touch. Don't ask me to explain this. I gave up making sense of it 10 minutes in. ||||| John Malkovich, left, stars as Quentin Turnbull and Wes Bentley plays Adelman Lusk in Jonah Hex. handout/handout Jonah Hex (out of 4) Starring Josh Brolin, John Malkovich, Megan Fox, Michael Fassbender and Wes Bentley. Directed by Jimmy Hayward. 81 minutes. At major theatres. 14A Lots of things go ka-boom and rat-a-tat-tat in Jonah Hex, a barrel-scraping attempt at another comic book movie franchise. But the most interesting sound is the steady tick-tick-tick of the clock winding down on Megan Fox’s 15 minutes of fame. After burning her bridges with Transformers, and bombing with Jennifer’s Body, this was supposed to be the summer blockbuster that restored her to the big screen and the hearts of fanboys. No such luck in this artlessly directed and sloppily written production, which has been slipped into theatres without benefit of a proper critical preview — and it’s easy to see why. Jimmy Hayward directs the title anti-hero, drawn from the DC Comics series of the same name, who is played with neither humour nor flair by Josh Brolin. He’ll not look back fondly on this role. Hex is a bounty hunter and former Confederate Army soldier, condemned by dark magic to exist in an other-world between life and death. He has semi-supernatural powers, conferred by a sympathetic Indian shaman, but also a fearsome machine gun. Hex’s face was gruesomely disfigured by the same man who killed his family and caused his ghostly misery: terrorist Quentin Turnbull (John Malkovich). Hex’s only earthly friend is Lilah (Megan Fox), a hooker with a heart of gold and her own basket of pain. Too bad she doesn’t also have much of an actress to play her, but then nobody in this film comes out smelling like roses. Hex wants nothing to do with normal society or politics, yet he’s summoned by the U.S. president to help save his still-young country. Seems the odious Turnbull, played by Malkovich in full shrubbery- chewing mode, has managed to cheat death himself. He’s somehow managed to acquire a weapon of mass destruction that looks a lot like an atomic bomb. The movie may be set in the 1870s, the years immediately following the Civil War, but the parallels with today’s terrorism battles are driven home like a tomahawk through the skull. This looked to be a priority project by Warner Bros. at one point — that is until the cash spigot got turned off. The special effects are really cheesy, even by comic-book standards. The running time has been cut to a savage 81 minutes, suggesting serious editing, but it still feels long. You’d have think they’d had learned from the spectacular failure of Wild Wild West a decade or so ago. But you know what it is about hexes; they’re awfully hard to remove, once acquired, and Jonah Hex seems well and truly cursed. ||||| Jonah Hex ACTION: United States, 2010 U.S. Release Date: 2010-06-18 Running Length: 1:20 MPAA Classification: PG-13 (Violence, Sexual Content) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Cast: Josh Brolin, John Malkovich, Megan Fox, Michael Fassbender, Aidan Quinn Director: Jimmy Hayward Screenplay: Neveldine & Taylor, based on characters appearing in DC Comics magazines Cinematography: Mitchell Amundsen Music: Marco Beltrami, John Powell U.S. Distributor: Warner Brothers Subtitles: none With its skinny running length (80 minutes, including credits), often incoherent narrative, and neutered violence, Jonah Hex shows all the signs of having been re-worked in the editing room. The resultant production, as is often the case in situations like this, would be better off going straight-to-video. And, if this represents the true vision of director Jimmy Hayward (Horton Hears a Who), then I have only one question: What was he thinking? Jonah Hex is short enough, slick enough, and loud enough to avoid being summarily dismissed. Although the storyline, with its bizarre ventures into mysticism and necromancy, is at times difficult to follow (at least for someone not conversant with the comic book source material), the movie is never boring. It is, however, frustrating. The lead character, Jonah Hex (Josh Brolin), is a Civil War-era vigilante with a thirst for blood and death-dealing. Yet, obsessed by the desire to release this with a PG-13 rating, Warner Brothers has sanitized an avalanche of gruesome killings beyond what's reasonable. So, despite the high body count, there's almost no viscera. Defending the decision to circumvent the R-rating is fruitless, especially considering that the PG-13 restrictions are more distracting than effective. I mean, if a movie is about a stone-cold killer, shouldn't it be honest enough to show his work? The movie transpires in the post-Civil War era, with two ex-Confederate soldiers squaring off against one another. On one side is the twisted General Quentin Turnbull (John Malkovich), who is assembling a doomsday weapon that he intends to turn against Washington D.C. and use to end the presidency of U.S. Grant (Aidan Quinn). On the other side is Jonah Hex, the scarred bounty hunter and ex-subordinate of Turnbull's whose face bears the marks of a brand wielded by the General on the night he killed Hex's wife and son. Hex is not an ordinary man, either. Rescued from death by Indian magic, he's almost impossible to kill and he possesses the ability to speak with the dead. Hex's lone weakness is a prostitute named Lilah (Megan Fox), who pines for him while entertaining clients. Before he can offer Lilah a better life, however, Hex must settle his score with Turnbull and his sadistic sidekick, Burke (Michael Fassbender). Most of Jonah Hex follows Hex, who bears a passing resemblance to something out of one of George Romero's "Dead" movies, as he kills people (all of which deserve their fates). Most of them are related to Turnbull in one way or another. There are scenes that take place in some sort of parallel, mystical arena - a one-on-one affair that transpires on red sand and reflects the situation in the "real" world. The specifics of this are never made clear, although perhaps this is second-nature stuff to Jonah Hex fans. The best thing that can be said about Jonah Hex is that it has the good sense not to take itself too seriously (there's a fun scene in which Hex pulls out some serious gunfighting hardware that's a few decades ahead of its time); the tongue isn't always planted in the cheek, but it's there often enough. Josh Brolin does a game job growling his way through the part and generally looks like a badass under a lot of latex. He is often upstaged by the nicely staged visual setups and the loud metal music, but that's what he signed on for, and he delivers the requisite one-liners with aplomb. He's also not as enjoyable as John Malkovich, who lives by the rulebook for overplaying the bad guy. It's always a problem when the villain is more interesting and charismatic than the hero. Megan Fox is on hand to provide eye candy. She has no character to speak of, and her screening time is so limited that it wouldn't have been hard to eliminate her, except then the movie would have been short its token corseted brunette. The part suits the level of acting talent she has thus far exhibited. It's hard to fault the idea behind Jonah Hex - the concept of an 1870s vigilante is pregnant with potential, but the execution is awful. Without an understanding of what occurred behind-the-scenes, it's impossible to know who to blame for the final result, but something this messy should have been cleaned up before reaching the screen. Jonah Hex, like so many DC Comics properties not featuring Batman or Superman, fails a successful transition from the printed page to the big screen. Discuss this topic in the ReelViews Forums. ||||| There are few truths to be found in the smoldering ash heap that is "Jonah Hex," but here are the ones that matter: John Malkovich is responsible for the Fourth of July fireworks tradition (who knew?); Megan Fox looks better fighting in a bustier than tight white "Transformers" jeans (no-brainer); definitely consider a cosmetic surgeon to deal with those unsightly facial scars, don't get in a pique and try to do it yourself (duh).This latest DC Comics transmogrification into mega-action mess stars Josh Brolin as Jonah, a bounty-hunting latter-day saint with an ax to grind and a face that even a mother couldn't love (see cosmetic surgery tip above). The film is director Jimmy Hayward's (" Horton Hears a Who !") first go at live action and there is promise in all the fire and brimstone raining down, just no soul in the souls the devil went down to Georgia for.Set in the aftermath of the Civil War, "Jonah Hex" is an apocalypse story of betrayal and redemption that burns its way through D.C., the Deep South and the dusty West. The till-death-do-they-part battle between good and evil pits a renegade Confederate colonel named Quentin Turnbull (Malkovich) against a vengeance-hungry Jonah. At stake is more than old grudges — the very future of these newly united states hangs in the balance.Basically Jonah shot Turnbull's son and some other Confederates who started blowing up civilians rather than Union soldiers. Not one to turn the other cheek, Turnbull murdered Jonah's family and seared his QT brand into Jonah's face as a reminder that he "destroyed everything you ever loved," or something like that. It's not easy to forget the sentiment since Malkovich delivers the line so many times you wonder if he just never got the script revisions.Ah, the "script." Writers Neveldine & Taylor, who I gather aren't using their first names to protect the family's rep, have found a way to turn biblical references into bad dialogue at head-turning speed while making 83 minutes feel like a lifetime. I guess with "Crank" and "Crank: High Voltage" as a training ground, it was to be expected.In the comic book tradition, the story weaves between the real and the mythical, but it's a very boozy trip. Brolin's intermittent voice-over narration proves to be the most powerful stuff, with the rest curiously sputtering. Case in point: Jonah's caustic one-liners fall dead because their target has already bitten the dust — it's just no fun if you can't see the guy react to being dissed before he's deceased.The look of the film is great, though visually there are three distinctive streams that Hayward has trouble meshing. There is the stark graphic comic book style that is used to good effect in the beginning when Jonah is filling us in on why he's so mad. The style that dominates the film is a sort of spaghetti western wrapped in worn leather and dusted by grime, that is by far the best; and finally a surreal-scape of dry red river beds and scary dreams, which look evocative but are just not right for this movie.Of course the biggest effect is Jonah's face, with half of it Brolin's ruggedly handsome scruff, the other a swirling crater of skin with a hole that exposes very bad dental hygiene . I guess it's a good thing that Fox's Lilah, a sharp-shooting hooker with a crush on Hex, didn't find it as distracting as I did, or some of the fights would have gone on even longer.Malkovich, who does malevolence so well, is strangely flat as the villain. All would be lost without his No. 2, the devilish Michael Fassbender as a tattooed crazy Brit named Burke. He takes care of most of the hand-to-hand combat with Jonah and brings the fire needed to fuel the bad guys and inflame his adversaries.That is not an inconsequential skill, since he who controls the fire controls the action in "Jonah Hex." Cities burn, people burn, circuses burn, boats burn. The government's secret new weapon of mass destruction that Turnball has stolen and Jonah has been conscripted to recover is a molten sphere that turns ordinary cannonballs into great balls of fire. But this is one film even Jerry Lee Lewis couldn't save.

– Critics pretty much hate Jonah Hex, the new Westernish flick with Josh Brolin, Megan Fox, and John Malkovich. Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: A "smoldering ash heap. ... Brolin's intermittent voice-over narration proves to be the most powerful stuff, with the rest curiously sputtering." Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: "Industrially processed entertainment at it cheapest, nastiest and greasiest." James Berardinelli, ReelViews: "Megan Fox is on hand to provide eye candy. She has no character to speak of, and her screening time is so limited that it wouldn't have been hard to eliminate her, except then the movie would have been short its token corseted brunette. The part suits the level of acting talent she has thus far exhibited." Peter Howell, Toronto Star: "Artlessly directed and sloppily written."

Trump To Unveil Long-Awaited $1.5 Trillion Infrastructure Plan Enlarge this image Evan Vucci/AP Evan Vucci/AP President Trump will finally be unveiling his long-awaited $1.5 trillion plan to repair and rebuild the nation's crumbling highways, bridges, railroads, airports, seaports and water systems Monday. But, the proposal will not be one that offers large sums of federal funding to states for infrastructure needs, but it is instead a financing plan that shifts much of the funding burden onto the states and onto local governments. Critics say that will lead to higher state and local taxes, and an increased reliance on user fees, such as tolls, water and sewer fees, transit fares and airline ticket taxes. Senior White House officials who briefed reporters over the weekend say the plan is aimed at fixing the current system of funding infrastructure that they say is broken in two ways. The first is that the country has been under-investing in infrastructure, leading a state of growing disrepair. The American Society of Civil Engineers gives the nation a grade of D+ for the condition of transit, highway, bridge, rail, water and other infrastructure, and says the country is in need of an investment of $2 trillion more than is currently budgeted. The second way the White House says the system is broken is in the lengthy federal permitting process, which officials say can take five to 10 years or longer, driving up costs. A program that would flip funding burden Administration officials say the president's plan addresses the funding shortfall by committing $200 billion in federal funding over 10 years to stimulate state and local spending and private investment. Half of the funding, $100 billion, will be used as incentives to entice cities, counties and states to raise at least 80 percent of the infrastructure costs themselves. So, for example, if a state has a project or need identified and can come up with 80 or 90 percent of the funding for it through increased state or local taxes, like the gas tax, or with user fees like tolls, then under this plan, the federal government would kick in the rest. Critics worry that would lead to only projects that could generate revenue, such as toll roads or bridges, getting funded. That's a radical departure from the way many projects are funded now. Funding for federal-aid highways, including interstates, is usually allocated in an 80-20 federal-state split. This program would flip that funding burden. Major mass transit projects are often funded on a 50-50 federal-local basis. Again, this plan puts a much greater burden on local taxpayers and users. Enlarge this image toggle caption Alex Brandon/AP Alex Brandon/AP To address concerns that projects in rural areas don't have the ability to generate much in user fees, the White House plan calls for spending $50 billion of the $200 billion on rural infrastructure needs. That funding would go to states in the form of block grants, giving governors and state legislatures the authority to figure out the best way to spend that money. And $20 billion would go to federal loan programs that are aimed at attracting private investment in infrastructure, and into private activity bonds. Projects with an eye to the future The White House also wants to earmark $20 billion in funding for "transformative" projects, which a White House official says "have a vision towards the future." These would be "projects that can lift the American spirit, that are the next-century-type of infrastructure as opposed to just rebuilding what we have currently." The remaining $10 billion would go into a capital financing fund, which the administration says would go toward funding federal government office building infrastructure. The $200 billion in federal funding would not be new revenue but would come from cuts "in other areas of the federal budget," some of which will be outlined in the president's budget plan that will also be released Monday. That includes funding cuts to existing federal transit programs, the TIGER grant program "and things where the administration thinks that infrastructure funds haven't been spent efficaciously," said a senior administration official. But the White House officials say this new infrastructure plan "is a program that sits on top of existing programs. So we're not proposing eliminating the Highway Trust Fund, or changing the state revolving funds. So to the extent that communities are eligible for federal funds already, that eligibility remains." Trump wants to streamline federal environmental review The president's plan does not address a huge yearly shortfall in the federal Highway Trust Fund, which is funded by the federal gasoline tax. That tax of 18.4 cents a gallon for unleaded, 24.4 cents a gallon for diesel, hasn't been raised in 25 years and because of improvements in fuel efficiency and inflation, it raises less money now than it did when last raised in 1993. So Congress is already using deficit spending to pay for some transportation infrastructure needs funded by existing programs. In addition to the financing component of the plan, Trump wants to significantly streamline the federal environmental review and permitting process for infrastructure construction projects, which they say can often involve several different federal agencies that can drag the process out. The president's plan will call for the creation of "One Agency, One Decision" type of process that would put one lead federal agency in charge of completing an environmental review within 21 months. President Trump will outline some of these principles in a meeting with mayors and other state and local leaders at the White House Monday. Trump will work with Congress to make changes, if needed. The infrastructure spending plan would need 60 votes to pass in the Senate so it will need democratic support, but the White House officials say this is one issue on which there should be room to compromise, because they say the president's infrastructure plan is in line with priorities and objectives outlined by members of both parties in Congress, even if not in the way it would be funded. "This is in no way, shape or form ... a take it or leave it proposal," said one senior administration official. "This is the start of a negotiation." "The president has said he is open to new sources of funding," the White House aide said. "We want it to be bipartisan." ||||| WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump will roll out an infrastructure plan on Monday that already faces significant hurdles in Congress because it does not offer as much new federal funding as Democrats want or directly address how to pay for the effort. The plan to use $200 billion in federal funds to try to stimulate $1.5 trillion in infrastructure improvements over 10 year could reshape how the federal government funds roads, bridges, highways and other infrastructure. The administration also says it will eliminate bureaucratic roadblocks to completing projects that can tie up new roads for years. White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said on Sunday that in addition to the $200 billion the administration seeks for its infrastructure proposal, the White House wants $21 billion over two years for infrastructure that was part of a budget framework deal approved last week in Congress. Mulvaney said in a statement that the plan “reduces the regulatory burdens we face, shortening and simplifying the approval process for projects, and eliminating barriers that prevent projects from being efficiently developed.” But in the face of a divided U.S. Senate and congressional elections in November, administration officials acknowledged the plan faced a difficult road to winning approval. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said Trump’s plan “shifts the burden onto cities and states.” White House aides told reporters in a phone briefing on Saturday that the proposal, billed only as “infrastructure principles” and to be part of Trump’s budget plan on Monday, was just a starting point. “This in no way, shape or form should be considered a take-it-or-leave-it proposal. This is the start of a negotiation - bicameral bipartisan negotiation - to find the best solution for infrastructure,” said a senior official, who was not allowed to be identified under the ground rules for the briefing. The White House is pointing to a wide variety of potential cuts in its budget proposal that could be used to offset the costs of the plan. U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 9, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst HIKE IN GAS TAX? The White House proposal will offer $100 billion in incentives to state and local governments, but will propose a smaller percentage of matching finds than the federal government has typically offered. The remaining $100 billion involves $50 billion for rural project grants distributed to all states, $30 billion for government financing of projects and $20 billion toward “transformative projects” or new ideas that are not simply repairing existing infrastructure. Democrats insist that any plan must include new revenue, which could mean raising the federal gas tax. That levy has been 18.4 cents a gallon since 1993, and inflation as well as rising vehicle fuel efficiency have reduced its usefulness in raising enough money to keep pace with repair needs. Government auditors note Congress transferred $140 billion to the Highway Trust Fund from 2008 through 2015. Lawmakers, to maintain current spending levels, would need to approve an additional $107 billion from 2021 through 2026. Trump has not ruled out a gas tax hike and some in Congress have said they are open to the idea. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce recently came out in support of an increase. Democrats in Congress called last week for $1 trillion in direct federal spending, including $100 billion on schools alone as well as billions to expand rural broadband internet service, improve airports, mass transit, roads and ports, boost energy efficiency and improve aging water systems. The Democratic proposal did not identify any specific plan to pay for improvements, but aides said they were committed to finding a way. FILE PHOTO: White House budget director Mick Mulvaney holds a press briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, U.S., January 19, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo The administration also plans on Monday to unveil workforce training proposals, including expanding apprenticeships and seeking changes to federal work-study programs that typically are used by students at four-year institutions. It would allow more students interested in skilled trades to use them. It will propose as well that states that accept federal funds for infrastructure projects would have to accept workers with out-of-state skilled-trades licenses on those projects. Trump will meet with state and local officials including the governors of Wisconsin, Louisiana, Virginia and Maine on Monday, before meeting with congressional leaders on Wednesday. He will head to the Orlando, Florida, area on Friday to tout the plan, officials said. ||||| File- In this May 19, 2017, file photo, a man works on the Southern Nevada portion of U.S. Interstate 11 near Boulder City, Nev. President Donald Trump on Monday, Feb. 12, 2018, will unveil his long-awaited... (Associated Press) File- In this May 19, 2017, file photo, a man works on the Southern Nevada portion of U.S. Interstate 11 near Boulder City, Nev. President Donald Trump on Monday, Feb. 12, 2018, will unveil his long-awaited infrastructure plan, a $1.5 billion proposal that fulfills a number of campaign goals, but... (Associated Press) WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday will unveil his long-awaited infrastructure plan, a $1.5 trillion proposal that fulfills a number of campaign goals, but relies heavily on state and local governments to produce much of the funding. The administration's plan is centered on using $200 billion in federal money to leverage local and state tax dollars to fix America's infrastructure, such as roads, highways, ports and airports. "Every federal dollar should be leveraged by partnering with state and local governments and — where appropriate — tapping into private sector investment to permanently fix the infrastructure deficit," Trump said at last month's State of the Union address. Trump has repeatedly blamed the "crumbling" state of the nation's roads and highways for preventing the American economy from reaching its full potential. Many in Washington believe that Trump should have begun his term a year ago with an infrastructure push, one that could have garnered bipartisan support or, at minimum, placed Democrats in a bind for opposing a popular political measure. But the administration chose to begin with health care and relations with Democrats have only grown more strained during a turbulent, contentious year. The White House, now grappling with the fallout from the departure of a senior aide after spousal abuse allegations, may not have an easy time navigating a massive infrastructure plan through a polarized Congress. It just grappled with two federal government shutdowns and will soon turns its attention to immigration. Administration officials previewing the plan said it would feature two key components: an injection of funding for new investments and help speed up repairs of crumbling roads and airports, as well as a streamlined permitting process that would truncate the wait time to get projects underway. Officials said the $200 billion in federal support would come from cuts to existing programs. Half the money would go to grants for transportation, water, flood control, cleanup at some of the country's most polluted sites and other projects. States, local governments and other project sponsors could use the grants — which administration officials view as incentives — for no more than 20 percent of the cost. Transit agencies generally count on the federal government for half the cost of major construction projects, and federal dollars can make up as much as 80 percent of some highway projects. About $50 billion, would go toward rural projects — transportation, broadband, water, waste, power, flood management and ports. That is intended to address criticism from some Republican senators that the administration's initial emphasis on public-private partnerships would do little to help rural, GOP-leaning states Early reaction to the proposal was divided. Jay Timmons, president of the National Association of Manufacturers, saluted Trump "for providing the leadership we have desperately needed to reclaim our rightful place as global leader on true 21st-century infrastructure." "When ports are clogged, trucks are delayed, power is down, water is shut off, or the internet has a lapse, modern manufacturers' ability to compete is threatened and jobs are put at risk," said Timmons. "There is no excuse for inaction, and manufacturers are committed to ensuring that America seizes this opportunity." But a number of Democrats and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have pushed the administration to commit far more federal dollars, funded by tax increases, or by closing tax loopholes. And environmental groups expressed worry about its impact. "President Trump's infrastructure proposal is a disaster," said Shelley Poticha, of the Natural Resources Defense Council. "It fails to offer the investment needed to bring our country into the 21st century. Even worse, his plan includes an unacceptable corporate giveaway by truncating environmental reviews." ___ This story has been corrected to show that the infrastructure plan is a $1.5 trillion plan, not a $1.5 billion plan. ___ Associated Press writer Joan Lowy contributed reporting. ___ Follow Lemire on Twitter at http://twitter.com/@JonLemire and Crutsinger at http://twitter.com/@mcrutsinger

– Both parties agree that America's infrastructure is in need of some serious work after decades of under-investment, but the $1.5 trillion plan President Trump plans to roll out Monday is still expected to be controversial—especially because of disagreements over where the $1.5 trillion is supposed to come from. The plan involves around $200 billion in federal funding over 10 years, to be taken from cuts to other programs, including $100 billion in incentives to state and local governments to stimulate spending on infrastructure such as highways, ports, and airports, reports Reuters. Democrats had sought greater federal funding and new revenue, possibly through a hike in the gas tax, though White House aides say the Trump plan is just the starting point for negotiations. The proposal requires cities, counties, and states to put up at least 80% of a project's cost themselves before they can get 20% federal funding, which reverses the 80-20 federal-state funding split in place for many highways, NPR reports. The federal funding to be announced Monday also includes around $50 billion toward rural infrastructure projects. Jay Timmons, president of the National Association of Manufacturers, praised the proposals, the AP reports. "When ports are clogged, trucks are delayed, power is down, water is shut off, or the internet has a lapse, modern manufacturers' ability to compete is threatened and jobs are put at risk," he said. "There is no excuse for inaction." Critics, however, said the plan needs more federal investment—and called moves to speed the approval process, including reducing environmental reviews, a "corporate giveaway."

How do I know men are finished? I’ll read you a quote that says it all: “Yes. There have been times when I’ve been in a drunken stupor.” Toronto’s mayor, a shining example of modern manhood is what I would call the canary in the coal mine, only he’s not quite as delicate as the canary. Because, you know, He’s got “more than enough to eat at home.” Are men literally obsolete? Of course not, and if we had to prove that we could never win. For one thing, we haven’t figured out a way to harvest sperm without them being, you know, alive. But in order to win this debate we have to prove that men, quote unquote, as we’ve historically come to define them — entitled to power, destined for leadership, arrogant, confused by anything that isn’t them. As in: “I don’t understand. Is it a guy dressed up like a girl? Or a girl dressed up like a guy?” They are obsolete. (MORE: It’s a Man’s World, and It Always Will Be) Once upon a time, the men ventured out to hunt bison while the women stayed behind to dust the cave, gather berries and raise the very hairy children. This is the story we have told ourselves for tens of thousands of years to explain why men rule the world while women are relegated to being the second sex, (“physiologically unsuited for leadership” is how the current Australian prime minister put it). Now after more than a century of global economic revolutions and a few decades of recession it’s become obvious that this story is no longer true, if it ever was. Here are the reasons: The Brief Newsletter Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now. View Sample Sign Up Now ONE: It’s the end of men because men are failing in the workplace. Over the last few decades men’s incomes have been slowly declining and women’s have been rising. Last year one in five men were not working, something economists call the biggest social crisis we will face. Party this is because the economy is changing quickly, but men aren’t. As the manufacturing economy gets replaced by a service and information economy, men are failing to adjust or get the skill they need to succeed. Meanwhile, women are moving in the opposite direction: In 2009 they became the majority of the American workforce for the first time ever. Now in every part of America young single women under 30 have a higher median income than young men, which is really important because that’s the phase of life when people imagine what their future will look like. As one sorority girl put it to me — remember, I said sorority, not someone from the women’s study center — “Men are the new ball and chain.” It’s the end of men because men are failing in schools and women are succeeding. In nearly every country, on all but one continent, women are getting 60 percent of college degrees, which is what you need to succeed these days. Many boys start falling behind as early as first grade, and they fail to catch up. Many men, meanwhile, still see school as a waste of time, a girl thing. (MORE: The Real Significance of Mary Barra) TWO: It’s the end of men because the traditional household, propped up by the male breadwinner, is vanishing. For the first time in history women all over the world are marrying down, meaning marrying men with worse prospects than they have. We have a new global type, for example, called the alpha wife, a woman who makes more money than her husband or boyfriend. Not that long ago she was exceedingly rare. Now she’s part of about 40 percent of couples in the US. And that does not count the growing number of single moms who head their own families. Women are occupying positions of power that were once totally closed off to them. The premiers of the Canada’s four biggest provinces, the head of Harvard, the COO of Facebook, the newly appointed chairwoman of the Fed, ruler of the global economy, Janet Yellen, who got the job basically because Larry Summers said women weren’t that good at math. And lets not forget Christine Lagarde, who took over the job at the IMF from another shining example of modern manhood. And why aren’t there more female CEO’s or heads of state, one of you will ask? To that I have to remind you that women’s ascendance is only about 40 years old, while men have been in power for 40,000 years. So by that standard we are rising at dizzying speeds. THREE: It’s the end of men because we can see it in the working and middle class. When I speak at public universities with commuter populations about the disappearance of men, the women find what I am saying to be totally obvious, like the sky is blue and Miley Cyrus is whacked. The working class feels the end of men the most, as men lose their jobs and lose their will to be fathers, and women do everything alone, creating a virtual matriarchy in the parts of the country that used to be bastions of good old macho country music style values. Why don’t these women marry or live with the fathers of their children? As many a woman told me, “He’d be just another mouth to feed.” (MORE: Sorry, Camille Paglia: Feminism Is the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Men) FOUR: It’s the end of men because men have lost their monopoly on violence and aggression. Women are becoming more sexually confident, and something Camille Paglia has been waiting for, more aggressive and violent in both good ways and bad — that is, going to war, going to jail, and in the case of the Real Housewives of New Jersey, beating up anyone who knocks a drink out of their hand. FIVE: It’s the end of men because men, too, are now obsessed with their body hair. In her truly endlessly hilarious book Caitlin Moran catalogs the travails of being a woman, one of them being the unacceptability of hair, anywhere on the body. If that is a sign of patriarchal oppression then I counter it with Exhibit A. This is of course Anthony Weiner’s chest, and as you can see, the landscape is meticulously tended. I mean, he has called the exterminator and made sure the weeds are dead and gone. And if you asked him, “Why are you so shorn, Mr. Weiner?” do you think he would say the matriarchy made me do it? No he would not, and neither should we. Obsolete does not mean worthless. It means outmoded. The twin combustion engine made the bicycle obsolete but that doesn’t mean we hate the bicycle. We just use it the way we want to, while recognizing the necessity of efficiency and change. We don’t have to turn men into eunuchs. We can keep whatever we like about manhood but adjust the parts of the definition that are keeping men back. I dedicated my book to my son because he is one of those boys who gets in trouble a lot, who thinks the institutions are rigged against him. I see my job as accepting him as he is, and teaching him how to adapt to the world as it is. When I think of the world after the end of men, I think of the world my son will inherit, where, if he chooses to take his kids to a playground at 3 in the afternoon on a Tuesday, no one will look at him funny, no one will wonder if he’s out of work, no one will think, “What a loser,” and no one will think he’s from Portland or Toronto, they will just walk on by and not think anything of it at all. He can be his own lovely obnoxious self and also be at home in a new world. MORE: Stay-at-Home Dad: Why My Wife Is Embarrassed by Me Hanna Rosin is the author of the book The End of Men. Adapted from her opening statement at the Munk Debate, “Resolved: Men Are Obsolete,” held in Toronto. Contact us at editors@time.com. ||||| Getty Images How do I know men are finished? I’ll read you a quote that says it all: “Yes. There have been times when I’ve been in a drunken stupor.” Toronto’s mayor, a shining example of modern manhood is what I would call the canary in the coal mine, only he’s not quite as delicate as the canary. Because, you know, He’s got “more than enough to eat at home.” Are men literally obsolete? Of course not, and if we had to prove that we could never win. For one thing, we haven’t figured out a way to harvest sperm without them being, you know, alive. But in order to win this debate we have to prove that men, quote unquote, as we’ve historically come to define them — entitled to power, destined for leadership, arrogant, confused by anything that isn’t them. As in: “I don’t understand. Is it a guy dressed up like a girl? Or a girl dressed up like a guy?” They are obsolete. (MORE: It’s a Man’s World, and It Always Will Be) Once upon a time, the men ventured out to hunt bison while the women stayed behind to dust the cave, gather berries and raise the very hairy children. This is the story we have told ourselves for tens of thousands of years to explain why men rule the world while women are relegated to being the second sex, (“physiologically unsuited for leadership” is how the current Australian prime minister put it). Now after more than a century of global economic revolutions and a few decades of recession it’s become obvious that this story is no longer true, if it ever was. Here are the reasons: ONE: It’s the end of men because men are failing in the workplace. Over the last few decades men’s incomes have been slowly declining and women’s have been rising. Last year one in five men were not working, something economists call the biggest social crisis we will face. Party this is because the economy is changing quickly, but men aren’t. As the manufacturing economy gets replaced by a service and information economy, men are failing to adjust or get the skill they need to succeed. Meanwhile, women are moving in the opposite direction: In 2009 they became the majority of the American workforce for the first time ever. Now in every part of America young single women under 30 have a higher median income than young men, which is really important because that’s the phase of life when people imagine what their future will look like. As one sorority girl put it to me — remember, I said sorority, not someone from the women’s study center — “Men are the new ball and chain.” It’s the end of men because men are failing in schools and women are succeeding. In nearly every country, on all but one continent, women are getting 60 percent of college degrees, which is what you need to succeed these days. Many boys start falling behind as early as first grade, and they fail to catch up. Many men, meanwhile, still see school as a waste of time, a girl thing. (MORE: The Real Significance of Mary Barra) TWO: It’s the end of men because the traditional household, propped up by the male breadwinner, is vanishing. For the first time in history women all over the world are marrying down, meaning marrying men with worse prospects than they have. We have a new global type, for example, called the alpha wife, a woman who makes more money than her husband or boyfriend. Not that long ago she was exceedingly rare. Now she’s part of about 40 percent of couples in the US. And that does not count the growing number of single moms who head their own families. Women are occupying positions of power that were once totally closed off to them. The premiers of the Canada’s four biggest provinces, the head of Harvard, the COO of Facebook, the newly appointed chairwoman of the Fed, ruler of the global economy, Janet Yellen, who got the job basically because Larry Summers said women weren’t that good at math. And lets not forget Christine Lagarde, who took over the job at the IMF from another shining example of modern manhood. And why aren’t there more female CEO’s or heads of state, one of you will ask? To that I have to remind you that women’s ascendance is only about 40 years old, while men have been in power for 40,000 years. So by that standard we are rising at dizzying speeds. THREE: It’s the end of men because we can see it in the working and middle class. When I speak at public universities with commuter populations about the disappearance of men, the women find what I am saying to be totally obvious, like the sky is blue and Miley Cyrus is whacked. The working class feels the end of men the most, as men lose their jobs and lose their will to be fathers, and women do everything alone, creating a virtual matriarchy in the parts of the country that used to be bastions of good old macho country music style values. Why don’t these women marry or live with the fathers of their children? As many a woman told me, “He’d be just another mouth to feed.” (MORE: Sorry, Camille Paglia: Feminism Is the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Men) FOUR: It’s the end of men because men have lost their monopoly on violence and aggression. Women are becoming more sexually confident, and something Camille Paglia has been waiting for, more aggressive and violent in both good ways and bad — that is, going to war, going to jail, and in the case of the Real Housewives of New Jersey, beating up anyone who knocks a drink out of their hand. FIVE: It’s the end of men because men, too, are now obsessed with their body hair. In her truly endlessly hilarious book Caitlin Moran catalogs the travails of being a woman, one of them being the unacceptability of hair, anywhere on the body. If that is a sign of patriarchal oppression then I counter it with Exhibit A. This is of course Anthony Weiner’s chest, and as you can see, the landscape is meticulously tended. I mean, he has called the exterminator and made sure the weeds are dead and gone. And if you asked him, “Why are you so shorn, Mr. Weiner?” do you think he would say the matriarchy made me do it? No he would not, and neither should we. Obsolete does not mean worthless. It means outmoded. The twin combustion engine made the bicycle obsolete but that doesn’t mean we hate the bicycle. We just use it the way we want to, while recognizing the necessity of efficiency and change. We don’t have to turn men into eunuchs. We can keep whatever we like about manhood but adjust the parts of the definition that are keeping men back. I dedicated my book to my son because he is one of those boys who gets in trouble a lot, who thinks the institutions are rigged against him. I see my job as accepting him as he is, and teaching him how to adapt to the world as it is. When I think of the world after the end of men, I think of the world my son will inherit, where, if he chooses to take his kids to a playground at 3 in the afternoon on a Tuesday, no one will look at him funny, no one will wonder if he’s out of work, no one will think, “What a loser,” and no one will think he’s from Portland or Toronto, they will just walk on by and not think anything of it at all. He can be his own lovely obnoxious self and also be at home in a new world. MORE: Stay-at-Home Dad: Why My Wife Is Embarrassed by Me Hanna Rosin is the author of the book The End of Men. Adapted from her opening statement at the Munk Debate, “Resolved: Men Are Obsolete,” held in Toronto.

– Guys, you're obsolete. Not literally, but as men "as we've historically come to define them—entitled to power, destined for leadership, arrogant, confused by anything that isn't them," Hanna Rosin writes for Time in an excerpt of her book, The End of Men. For one thing, the traditional "male breadwinner" household is being obliterated as an "alpha wife" emerges, particularly in working and middle class families. Female wages are rising as men's fall, and women are nabbing 60% of college degrees. Pair that with the fact that women are becoming more sexually confident, aggressive, and violent, and you're left with men that are simply "outmoded," Rosin writes. So what does that mean? Well, basically it's "the end of men" as we've known them for 40,000 years, Rosin argues, but never fear, guys: "Obsolete does not mean worthless. We don’t have to turn men into eunuchs. We can keep whatever we like about manhood but adjust the parts of the definition that are keeping men back," she explains. And if you're wondering what the world looks like after "the end of men," Rosin imagines something like this: "If [my son] chooses to take his kids to a playground at 3 in the afternoon on a Tuesday, no one will look at him funny ... they will just walk on by and not think anything of it at all. He can be his own lovely obnoxious self and also be at home in a new world." Click for her full column.

Please enable Javascript to watch this video SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Attorneys representing Indianapolis families whose relatives drowned at Table Rock Lake while on a "Ride the Ducks" tour filed a lawsuit Sunday against Ripley Entertainment alleging wrongful death, outrageous conduct and negligence. The lawsuit filed in federal court seeks at least $100 million in damages for the estates of Ervin Coleman and Maxwell Ly, three of the 17 victims who died in the boat sinking on July 19. The duck boat carrying 31 people sank after taking on too much water during a storm, and the lawsuit contends that Ripley Entertainment recklessly put the lives of its passengers at risk by ignoring storm warnings and failing to take corrective safety measures. The lawsuit says that Ripley ignored repeated safety warnings over two decades about the duck boats' canopies, and the danger they pose during an emergency. It cites a 2002 National Transportation Safety Board report that found the canopies "essentially caged them (the passengers), making escape in limited time available extremely difficult." The suit also calls out unheeded warnings made by inspector Steven Paul, who told the company in August of 2017 that the duck boats' bilge pumps that remove water from the hull could fail in bad weather because they were improperly placed in the exhaust system. A number of other duck boat deaths are mentioned in the court filing, including a 1999 incident where 13 people drowned in Hot Springs, Arkansas, a 2002 incident in Ontario, Calif., where four died, two incidents in Philadelphia where a total of three people died, a 2015 incident in Seattle where five died and a 2016 incident in Boston where one person died. In 2000 following the Hot Springs incident, the NTSB said that immediate action was needed to provide reserve buoyancy for the duck boats, but the suit says the company ignored this recommendation. On the day of the sinking, the lawsuit says company operators ignored a severe thunderstorm warning issued at 6:32 p.m. The captain and driver of Stretch Duck 07's were told to take the water portion of the tour before the land in an effort to beat the storm, a reversal of the original itinerary. As passengers boarded, the captain said he had monitored the weather before the trip. When the boat sank, the lawsuit contends it was the culmination of defective design, ignored safety and storm warnings and breaks in company protocol. It says that operators should forego water entry if there is a risk of winds greater than 35 miles per hour and waves higher than 2.5 feet. The storm warning said winds could reach up to 60 miles per hour, and the boat encountered waves as high as 4 feet. Based on those circumstances, protocol calls for the captain to tell passengers to put on their life jackets, but that didn't happen. During a 6:50 p.m. safety briefing the captain said passengers would not need their life jackets. On Friday, the NTSB released an initial report following a review of video recordings, and within four minutes of being on the water, whitecaps rapidly appeared on the water and wind speeds increased around 7 p.m. The captain returned to the driver's seat, and the driver lowered plastic curtains, but court documents say as the boat sank, the curtains and canopy entrapped the passengers and crew. At about 7:04 p.m., a bilge alarm went off. The NTSB said the captain reached down and the bilge alarm ended. In the final minutes of the recordings, water splashed inside the area where passengers sit. At about 7:06 p.m., the bilge alarm once again went off, and a minute later, the inward-facing camera ended while the duck boat was still on the water's surface. A 911 call came in a 7:09 p.m. reporting that the duck boat sank and people were in the water. There are nine counts in this lawsuit, including: two counts of Wrongful Death, two counts of Negligence, Strict Product Liability, Outrageous Conduct (punitive damages), two counts of Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress, and Violations of the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act. Earlier on Sunday, FOX4 received notice that trial attorney Robert Mongeluzzi is holding a news conference on Monday at 10:30 a.m. Mongeluzzi is listed in this lawsuit as "pending admission" and has litigated other wrongful death suits involving duck boats. We will live stream the news conference on Facebook and at fox4kc.com. ||||| KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A lawsuit seeking $100 million in damages has been filed against the owners and operators a duck boat that sank last week on a Missouri lake, killing 17 people. The federal lawsuit was filed Sunday on behalf of two members of an Indiana family who lost nine relatives when the boat sank July 19 on Table Rock Lake in Branson. Others killed were from Missouri, Illinois and Arkansas. The lawsuit accuses Ride the Ducks of Branson owner Ripley Entertainment and others of ignoring bad weather warnings that day and of knowing that design flaws made the boats susceptible to sinking. The legal team that filed the lawsuit has litigated previous wrongful death cases involving duck boats. Lawyers from the team plan a news conference later Monday to discuss the lawsuit.

– A lawsuit seeking $100 million in damages has been filed against the owners and operators of a duck boat that sank July 19 on a Missouri lake, killing 17 people. The federal lawsuit was filed Sunday on behalf of two members of an Indiana family who lost nine relatives when the boat sank on Table Rock Lake in Branson, the AP reports. Others killed were from Missouri, Illinois, and Arkansas. The complaint accuses Ride the Ducks Branson owner Ripley Entertainment and others of ignoring bad weather warnings that day and of knowing that design flaws made the boats susceptible to sinking. Per WDAF, the lawsuit references a 2002 National Transportation Safety Board report that calls out duck boat canopies, noting that the canopies "essentially caged them (the passengers), making escape in limited time available extremely difficult." The suit also mentions a 2017 inspector's report that cited improperly placed bilge pumps that had the potential to fail in inclement weather. The legal team that filed the lawsuit has litigated previous wrongful-death cases involving duck boats. Lawyers from the team plan a news conference later Monday.

CLOSE Tim and Faith announce Soul2Soul World Tour 2017. Larry McCormack / The Tennessean Faith Hill and Tim McGraw on the red carpet at Music City Center in Nashville before the start of the 51st annual CMA Awards on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2017. (Photo: George Walker IV, The Tennessean) NASHVILLE — Unlike many other country music stars, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are speaking their minds about guns. In a new interview with Billboard, the superstar couple reflected on the mass shooting in Las Vegas — at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival — and talked about their support for gun control. “Look, I’m a bird hunter — I love to wing-shoot," said McGraw. “However, there is some common sense that’s necessary when it comes to gun control. They want to make it about the Second Amendment every time it’s brought up. It’s not about the Second Amendment.” Hill said they knew "a lot of people" at the Route 91 Harvest festival. More: Still reeling from Las Vegas shooting, country music gathers in Nashville to heal "The doctors that (treated) the wounded, they saw wounds like you’d see in war," she said. "That’s not right. Military weapons should not be in the hands of civilians. It’s everyone’s responsibility, including the government and the National Rifle Association, to tell the truth. We all want a safe country.” When it comes to political opinions, McGraw and Hill have stuck their neck out more than most country stars, who are often tight-lipped about the subject. In 2008, McGraw expressed his support for Barack Obama, telling People magazine, “It’s innate in me to be a blue-dog Democrat.” Follow Dave Paulson on Twitter: @ItsDavePaulson More: CMA Awards: The biggest moments, performances from the show Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2i0I9Jg ||||| Faith Hill and Tim McGraw are hosting a meet-and-greet before their Friday-night concert at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. As is the custom for touring artists, they make jovial chitchat with fans, many of whom have bought VIP ­packages; then everyone poses for a photo, which likely ends up as part of the family’s Christmas letter. Hill, who hasn't toured in over 10 years, can be ­skittish with strangers, but when fans -- mostly couples -- enter the black-draped photo area, McGraw puts them at ease. “You look like trouble,” he chirps at one guy with a ­goatee, who hasn't been ­trouble in a few decades. To a woman who’s much slimmer than her man, he says, “You could have done a whole lot better than him.” The photographer snaps a photo, and the husband exits, delighted -- as does the wife, perhaps with a new idea in mind. Toward the end of the 20-minute event, two parents urge their shy 9-year-old into the photo area. Hill squats down and exclaims, “Oh, you’re so cute!” McGraw kneels too, and the boy smiles anxiously. “You’re not that cute,” declares McGraw. Snap. Another great photo. With a combined 100 years of life on earth and nearly as many hits, Hill and McGraw are as familiar as relatives to country fans, their images and reputations well defined: mischievous but sensitive Uncle Tim and gorgeous, sensible Aunt Faith, who put her music career aside to raise their three daughters. After 20 years of duets, they’ve released their first joint album, The Rest of Our Life, and launched the third iteration of their co-­headlining Soul2Soul Tour, which continues well into 2018. Onstage, McGraw is deferential to Hill, if not ­worshipful. Offstage, he’s all that, but salty too. “I don’t see myself as a ­performer, just as a singer,” says Hill. “But I feel more relaxed onstage now than in the past. To be onstage with one of the greatest ­performers in our generation --” McGraw interrupts. “Who’s going to be here?” Hill: No, Tim is really a master at -- McGraw: Garth Brooks is coming tonight? Kenny Chesney? Hill: Tim’s a master at his craft, and I wish he wasn't ­sitting here to hear me say this, because he can get a little cocky. In his 20s, McGraw says, he found it easy to sleep on a tour bus, but not anymore. “This is another part of getting older, because we’re both over 50 now, and...” It’s Hill’s turn to interrupt: “We’re 50. Not over 50. Let’s make that real clear.” “No, we’re past 50. Fifty’s gone,” insists McGraw. He doesn't sound sad about it. McGraw and Hill were on parallel tracks in their lives even before they knew each other. He released his first album in April 1993; hers ­followed six months later. When they met for the first time, backstage at a Country Radio Seminar showcase for new artists at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville on March 5, 1994, he was with a girlfriend, and she was separated from her first husband. “For me, there was an intense physical attraction. I guess my girlfriend saw it in my eyes,” admits McGraw. “She said, ‘I don’t want you around her.’” It’s just before 2 p.m. and we’re all in Hill’s dressing room, which is decorated in soothing shades of taupe and cream. Both are ­eating a late lunch: salad from the backstage buffet. “All right, let’s tear into this salad,” says McGraw, with more enthusiasm than ­lettuce deserves. By 1996, Hill was engaged to her record producer, and McGraw was popular enough to start his first major ­headlining tour. Innocently or not, he picked Hill as his opening act. The tour started in March. By May, they were sharing a duet and a not-brief kiss onstage. In October, they married. For her next album, Hill hired a new producer. Aside from their careers, what bonded the pair so quickly, says Hill, were the unusual details of their ­raising. “Although our stories are very different, there was a missing link within our souls that we both related to.” “I had a very dysfunctional childhood,” says McGraw. “So I wanted what I didn't have: a stable family.” Until he was 11, McGraw thought a man named Horace Smith was his father. The two took long drives in his 18-wheel truck, ­hauling ­cottonseed, listening to 8-track cassettes of Merle Haggard and George Jones. “I remember sitting in ­countless truck stops, before the sun came up, listening to the jukebox. That was my ­education in country music.” Then one day, he found his birth certificate in a drawer. Name of father: Samuel Timothy McGraw. Occupation of father: baseball player. The summer before her senior year in high school, McGraw’s mother, Betty, had a fling with “Tug” McGraw, then an obscure minor-leaguer, and got pregnant. By the time Tim was born, Tug was a trail of dust. When she told him he had a son, Tug denied ­paternity -- and withheld child support. She married Smith, who said he wanted to take care of her, and had two kids with him. But Smith was a physically abusive drunk. “My mom got the brunt of the abuse,” says McGraw. “I got abuse too, because I wasn't his. All he could see was somebody else’s kid -- not to mention a baseball player’s kid, and here he is, a truck driver in Louisiana. He was envious.” After Tim found his birth certificate, Betty contacted Tug again, and he agreed to meet them in Houston during the baseball season. Tug was friendly but aloof, and didn't stay in touch with Tim. The following year, Tim and his mom drove to Houston again, but “he wouldn't see us.” Tim was wearing a replica jersey with his dad’s name and number on it. “He was warming up in the bullpen. I kept yelling at him, but he wouldn't look at me. I didn't see him again until I was 18. “I didn't think it bothered me that much. But the older I get, the more I think about it.” Later, the two grew close, and Tim and Hill cared for Tug after he was diagnosed with brain cancer. When he died, in 2004, Tug, who had gone on to pitch for 19 years in the National League and won a World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies, was living at the couple’s farm outside Nashville. Tim still wondered why his dad had ignored him for so long, but didn't feel it was fair to ­interrogate a dying man. “I was hoping he’d bring it up. That’s one of my biggest regrets, that we never had that conversation." “I knew I had that ­instability and dysfunction in me, from the way I grew up,” says McGraw. “And when I met Faith, I knew I needed her in my life -- to keep me stable, solid and on track.” Hill’s parents, Edna (a bank teller) and Ted (a ­factory worker), never hid the fact that they had adopted her, though they claimed her mother put her up for ­adoption because she’d had an affair with a married man, which wasn't true. “I used to think there was some kind of conspiracy, that I must be the daughter of one of my aunts. And of course I used to dream I was Elvis’ daughter,” Hill says with a laugh. “I have a great family: salt of the earth, hardworking. But I’m a gypsy at heart. I had a spirit that was completely outside what my family was. I didn't know anyone I was related to, biologically, which gives you a sense of not ­knowing who you are.” In her early 20s, after Hill moved from Star, Miss., to Nashville, she began to look for her birth family. She located her ­biological mother, a professional painter, and learned she had a full brother too. Knowing her mom was an artist helped Hill ­understand why she had felt like a misfit, but the two didn't become close. “I kept the relationship at bay,” she says. “They were just getting to know one another better,” adds McGraw, when White died in 2007. (Hill’s father died first, in a car accident.) When Hill and McGraw began dating, they spent hours talking about how their relationship would never work. Marriages between artists, she notes dryly, “don’t have a good track record.” Nonetheless, they started a family right away. In the late ’90s, Hill, with her torchy, grown-up voice, had the more ­successful career: “This Kiss,” “Breathe” and “The Way You Love Me” topped Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and crossed over to the pop charts. “While she was doing press, I hung out with the kids. I was just ‘Mr. Hill,’” recalls McGraw. Around 2001, Hill’s ­crossover success faded, and her chart results regressed to the mean. McGraw, ­however, was in the midst of a ­winning streak: He placed 23 consecutive singles in the top 10 of the Hot Country Songs chart, including five No. 1s in a row. So McGraw went on tour, and Hill stayed home with the girls. Hill: He’s a legit ­touring machine. Had the tables been turned... McGraw: I would’ve stayed home. Hill: That was the best choice for our family. I don’t regret it at all. McGraw: That’s the only reason she married me, so she could have kids and stay home. Hill: Wow. Did you really just say that? Are you kidding me? McGraw: I’m kidding! Hill: I don’t mean I sat home on my butt and ate bonbons. McGraw doesn't have a classic country voice -- “There are people working at 7-Eleven who can sing circles around me,” he likes to say -- but he’s unmatched at ­picking highly emotional songs that also tell the story of his own maturation. Many of his early tracks were ­borderline novelties (“What Room Was the Holiday In,” “Refried Dreams”) until the 1995 hit “I Like It, I Love It,” about a guy who loses interest in his rowdy male friends and becomes ­happily domesticated. Since then, while country has been dominated by songs about endless summer nights, McGraw has distinguished himself by picking the kind of tunes that soundtrack milestones in people’s lives: weddings, graduations, funerals. Two of his biggest smashes, “Live Like You Were Dying” and “Humble and Kind,” are about hard-earned wisdom. Earlier in 2017, he and Hill released “Speak to a Girl,” a remarkable ballad in which they instruct men to respect women and tell women to demand that respect. At a time when toxic masculinity stretches from the country charts to the White House, McGraw has challenged Nashville’s ­restrictive gender roles. Along the way, he has lost a few fans: “When did Tim become such a pansy?” one wrote earlier this year on a country music website. Country stars, on ­average, are more ­liberal than their fans, and most keep their political ­opinions to ­themselves to avoid ­alienating anyone. Speaking less than two weeks after a man with an arsenal of legally purchased military-grade guns shot and killed 58 people at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas (but before the Sutherland Springs, Texas, church ­shooting that killed 26), McGraw and Hill both make it clear: They support gun control. “Look, I’m a bird hunter -- I love to wing-shoot,” says McGraw. “However, there is some common sense that’s necessary when it comes to gun control. They want to make it about the Second Amendment every time it’s brought up. It’s not about the Second Amendment.” Hill adds, “In reference to the tragedy in Las Vegas, we knew a lot of people there. The doctors that [treated] the wounded, they saw wounds like you’d see in war. That’s not right. Military weapons should not be in the hands of civilians. It’s everyone’s responsibility, including the government and the National Rifle Association, to tell the truth. We all want a safe country.” In 2008, McGraw -- who has a nice sideline in ­acting, including The Blind Side and the Friday Night Lights movie -- had a role in Four Christmases as Vince Vaughn’s doltish brother. When McGraw saw the film’s trailer with his daughters, they gasped at how bloated he had become and told him to lose weight. A guy who by his own account lives in extremes, he had gone too far with booze and drugs, and ballooned to 215 pounds. Hill, trying to keep him stable and solid, gave him an ­ultimatum: Partying or having a family. Pick one, buddy. McGraw stopped ­partying and gave up carbs and sugar, too. He lost 40 pounds and developed topographical-map abs. Lots of music stars hire personal trainers, but to maintain his 30-inch waist, McGraw tours with Roger Yuan, a martial arts expert who trained Daniel Craig for Skyfall and Henry Cavill for The Immortals. Afternoon workouts help him “sort of build into the character by the time we hit the stage,” he says. Today, McGraw and Hill have invited me to join their 3:30 p.m. workout. Foolishly, I accept. Inside one of the weight rooms at Capital One Arena, which is home to three pro sports teams, Yuan leads us through a training session that mixes yoga, martial arts and CrossFit; a one-hour whirlwind of burpees, Hindu pushups and other ­exhausting exertions. One involves ­rotating an iron plate 360 degrees over your head; Yuan grabs 45-pound plates for himself and McGraw, then sizes me up and hands me a 25-pound plate. I’m more relieved than insulted. At precisely 4 p.m., Hill leaves to begin the ­hours-long process of ­becoming a stage-ready goddess. I resist the urge to join her. At the end of the hour, after I have succeeded in not dying, McGraw claps me on the back and says I did well. I feel proud -- until he ­mentions it’s the third ­workout he and Yuan had done that day. McGraw is ­comfortable in arenas, he told me earlier, because he was an ­athlete. He entered college on a baseball ­scholarship, but then pawned his high school ring to buy a ­guitar. Pretty soon he had dropped out and moved to Nashville. He sounded almost surprised that he’s now a ­headlining country singer, and his ­explanation of how it ­happened led to another episode of revealing marital banter. McGraw: I didn't really teach myself to play guitar until my freshman summer of college. That’s when I started. Hill: It was a way to get girls. That’s why he did it. McGraw: It was a good way to get laid. That was the whole point. Did it work? “It worked pretty good!” He looks at Hill. “Sorry, Mama.” Hill just shrugs. “I already knew,” she says patiently. Two Soulmates, Three Tours, 260 Million Bucks 2000 The first Soul2Soul outing -- though Hill had opened for McGraw’s Spontaneous Combustion Tour in 1996. Grosses $47.8 million and sells nearly 969,000 tickets to over 65 shows, according to Billboard Boxscore. Cover: Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way.” 2006-2007 The Soul2Soul II Tour becomes the highest-grossing country tour of all time, earning over $141 million. With three kids by this point, Hill says it’s “probably the last time for a really, really long time” that the couple will tour together. Opener for select dates: noted McGraw fan Taylor Swift. 2017 Soul2Soul: The World Tour kicked off in New Orleans in April and will end in Sacramento, Calif., in July 2018, after more than 100 shows. Grossed $71.3 million and sold over 838,000 tickets (for shows through Oct. 7). Cover: George Michael and Aretha Franklin’s “I Knew You Were Waiting for Me.” Watch Tim McGraw and Faith Hill play a couple's version of 'First Best Last Worst,' where they recall dancing together for the first time in the '90s and talk about the last stage mishap they had (hint: ripped pants): ||||| Two weeks after last month's tragedy in Las Vegas, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill voiced their support for gun control in an interview with Billboard magazine. Interested in Gun Control? Add Gun Control as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Gun Control news, video, and analysis from ABC News. Add Interest In October, a lone shooter opened fire at a music festival in Las Vegas, killing 58 people and wounding nearly 500 others. "Look, I’m a bird hunter -- I love to wing shoot. However, there is some common sense that’s necessary when it comes to gun control," McGraw told Billboard magazine. "They want to make it about the Second Amendment every time it’s brought up," McGraw added of violent incidents. "It’s not about the Second Amendment." Michael Tran/FilmMagic via Getty Images McGraw and Hill, both 50, are promoting their first album together, "The Rest of Our Lives," out Nov. 17. "In reference to the tragedy in Las Vegas," his wife continued, “we knew a lot of people there. The doctors that [treated] the wounded, they saw wounds like you’d see in war. That’s not right." "Military weapons should not be in the hands of civilians," Hill said. "It’s everyone’s responsibility, including the government and the National Rifle Association, to tell the truth. We all want a safe country." Since their interview with Billboard, a gunman in Texas targeted churchgoers last Sunday and killed 26, according to police, who have included an unborn child in the death count.

– In the wake of last months deadly shooting in Las Vegas, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are speaking out in favor of gun control—an unusual move for country stars, USA Today reports. “Look, I’m a bird hunter," McGraw tells Billboard. “However, there is some common sense that’s necessary when it comes to gun control." Hill says the couple knew "a lot of people" at the Route 91 Harvest festival that was targeted in the shooting that left 58 people dead. "[Doctors] saw wounds like you’d see in war. That’s not right," Hill says. "Military weapons should not be in the hands of civilians." Hill says they want a "safe country," and McGraw adds that "it's not about the Second Amendment." Hill concludes: "It’s everyone’s responsibility, including the government and the National Rifle Association, to tell the truth." Hill and McGraw, who are promoting their first album together, spoke to Billboard about gun control before a shooter killed 26 adults and children in a Texas church last weekend, ABC News reports. It's not the first time the couple have gone out of their way to take a political stance. In 2008, McGraw openly voiced his support for Barack Obama.

FILE- In this Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2018, file photo, judges preside over a hearing at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg. The European Union's top court ruled Monday, Dec. 10, 2018, that Britain... (Associated Press) FILE- In this Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2018, file photo, judges preside over a hearing at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg. The European Union's top court ruled Monday, Dec. 10, 2018, that Britain can change its mind over Brexit, boosting the hopes of people who want to stay in the EU that the process... (Associated Press) BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union's top court ruled Monday that Britain can change its mind over Brexit, boosting the hopes of people who want to stay in the EU that the process can be reversed. The European Court of Justice ruled that when an EU member country has notified its intent to leave, "that member state is free to revoke unilaterally that notification." Britain voted in 2016 to leave the 28-nation bloc, and invoked Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty in March 2017, triggering a two-year exit process. Article 50 contains few details, in part because the idea of any country leaving was considered unlikely. A group of Scottish legislators had asked the ECJ to rule on whether the U.K. can pull out of the withdrawal procedure on its own. The Luxembourg-based ECJ said that given the absence of any exit provision in Article 50, countries are able to change their mind in line with their own constitutional arrangements and that such a move "reflects a sovereign decision." The British government is free to do so as long as no withdrawal agreement has entered force. A member state can also choose to change its mind in the case where no agreement has been reached, as long as the two-year time limit, including any transition period, has not expired. Scotland's Constitutional Relations Secretary Michael Russell described the ruling as "hugely important." "People in Scotland overwhelmingly voted to remain in the EU," he said. "This judgment exposes as false the idea that the only choice is between a bad deal negotiated by the U.K. government or the disaster of no deal." British Prime Minister Theresa May has repeatedly said the government will not seek to delay or reverse Brexit. But the court's opinion is another headache for the Conservative prime minister as she battles to win Parliament's backing through a crucial vote scheduled for Tuesday for the divorce deal she has agreed with the EU. British Environment Secretary Michael Gove, who helped drive the Brexit campaign, said the court ruling would have no real impact. "We don't want to stay in the EU ... so this case is very well but it doesn't alter the referendum vote or the clear intention of the government that we leave on March 29," Gove told the BBC. May, meanwhile, was scrambling to change lawmakers' minds and stave off defeat. The government insisted Monday that Tuesday's vote will be held as scheduled, amid pressure to delay it to avoid a defeat that could sink May's deal, her premiership, or both. May's government does not have a majority in the House of Commons, and opposition parties — as well as dozens of Conservative lawmakers — say they will not back the divorce deal that May and EU leaders agreed last month. Pro-Brexit lawmakers say the deal keeps Britain bound too closely to the EU, while pro-EU politicians say it erects barriers between the U.K. and its biggest trading partner and leaves many details of the future relationship undecided. The main sticking point is a "backstop" provision that aims to guarantee an open border between EU member Ireland and the U.K.'s Northern Ireland post-Brexit. The measure would keep Britain under EU customs rules, and is supposed to last until superseded by permanent new trade arrangements. Critics say it could leave Britain tied to the EU indefinitely, unable to strike new trade deals around the world. May and the EU both insist the withdrawal agreement can't be changed. But May spoke over the weekend to European Council President Donald Tusk, who will chair an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, amid signs she is seeking to tweak the deal to win over skeptical lawmakers. "Of course we can improve this deal, and the prime minister is seeking to improve this deal," Gove said. But, he warned, "by reopening it, there is a risk that we may not necessarily get everything that we wish for." ___ Lawless reported from London. ||||| FILE- In this Dec. 8, 2017 file photo, UK's Union Flag, left, and the EU flag, flap in the wind outside EU headquarters in Brussels. The European Union's top court ruled Monday, Dec. 10, 2018, that Britain... (Associated Press) FILE- In this Dec. 8, 2017 file photo, UK's Union Flag, left, and the EU flag, flap in the wind outside EU headquarters in Brussels. The European Union's top court ruled Monday, Dec. 10, 2018, that Britain can change its mind over Brexit, boosting the hopes of people who want to stay in the EU that... (Associated Press) FILE- In this Dec. 8, 2017 file photo, UK's Union Flag, left, and the EU flag, flap in the wind outside EU headquarters in Brussels. The European Union's top court ruled Monday, Dec. 10, 2018, that Britain can change its mind over Brexit, boosting the hopes of people who want to stay in the EU that... (Associated Press) FILE- In this Dec. 8, 2017 file photo, UK's Union Flag, left, and the EU flag, flap in the wind outside EU headquarters in Brussels. The European Union's top court ruled Monday, Dec. 10, 2018, that Britain... (Associated Press) LONDON (AP) — It's crunch time for Brexit, and investors will be on high alert in the run-up to Christmas. British lawmakers are set to vote Tuesday on Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal with the European Union. All indications are that she will suffer a major defeat, opening up a dizzying array of consequences that could increase volatility in global financial markets, especially for the British pound. Defeat of May's deal could suggest that Britain is one step closer to dropping out of the EU in March with no deal, a worst case scenario that most economic commentators, including the Bank of England, say would lead to a savage recession. But it could also lead to scenarios under which the country remains close to — or even stays in — the EU. After a defeat of May's deal, Parliament could vote again on a revised version and back it. Or it could coalesce around another Brexit deal that would see Britain retain very close links to the European single market. There could even be a second referendum on Britain's exit from the EU. "It is important to keep these scenarios in mind," says said Erik Nelson, currency strategist at Wells Fargo Bank, as the risk to markets from Brexit "perhaps becomes even more acute in the coming days and weeks." How markets react in the hours and days after the vote could itself influence the politics of Brexit by either striking fear of economic chaos in the hearts of British politicians or — in case of an immediate lack of volatility — encouraging them to take risks. The prospect of financial Armageddon can be a big motivator for lawmakers. In October 2008, U.S. stock markets nosedived almost 10 percent in a day after Congress rejected a $700 billion financial bailout program, known as TARP. Days later, they approved it. In Europe, Greece's government came to power in 2015 with a declared mission to scrap the country's bailout program and its tough economic measures. Fears that the country was going to have to ditch the euro currency almost led to a run on the banks, eventually leading the government to sign up to another onerous bailout. Given the passions involved in the Brexit debate, it's unclear how anyone will respond to financial chaos. The pound will likely be at the forefront of any market reaction. It is the main indicator for international confidence in the British economy, as opposed to the FTSE 100 stock index, which is full of multinationals that make their money around the world. The pound took the biggest hit in June 2016, when the country voted to leave the EU. It slid 15-20 percent against other major currencies — an immediate cut to the wealth of the British that stoked inflation by raising the price of imports. There's concern that the pound could endure a similar drop if Britain crashes out of the EU without a deal. The Bank of England says it could fall toward 1-to-1 with the dollar from around $1.27 now. International markets could also be roiled if investors believe Britain will leave the EU without a deal. Among other things, such a scenario would see tariffs imposed on hundreds of billions of dollars in trade. Britain would drop out of Europe-wide agreements that govern area such as aviation and prescription drugs, threatening to ground flights and disrupt supplies of drugs. That would create huge uncertainties in a country and region that are home to many of the world's biggest multinationals. Few experts think the pound would suffer a precipitous fall in the immediate aftermath of a defeat on Tuesday for May's deal, as the outcome is already widely expected. "Markets appear to be attaching close to zero probability to May's bill passing," said Adam Cole, chief currency strategist at RBC Capital Markets. The market reaction would likely depend on how British politicians react and whether a "no-deal" Brexit becomes more or less likely. And that may not be become clear for days, and possibly not until the new year. Cole thinks it is possible that if May's deal gets voted down, she would have to seek some concessions from the EU. And only then might anti-EU lawmakers in May's Conservative Party back her deal in a second vote. "This is not to suggest that we are predicting the bill, or a variant of it, will pass before year-end but we do think it is closer to a 50/50 call than the 15/85 that markets appear to price in," he said. ||||| Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Theresa May announces Tuesday's planned Brexit deal will not go ahead: "I've listened very carefully" Prime Minister Theresa May has called off Tuesday's crucial vote on her Brexit deal so she can go back to Brussels and ask for changes to it. As it stands the deal "would be rejected by a significant margin" if MPs voted on it, she admitted. But she said she was confident of getting "reassurances" from the EU on the Northern Ireland border plan. But European Council President Donald Tusk said the remaining 27 EU countries would not "renegotiate" the deal. While EU leaders would be willing to "discuss how to facilitate UK ratification" of the withdrawal agreement at Thursday's summit in Brussels, he suggested the controversial Northern Irish backstop, which the DUP and many Tories want removed, would remain in place. The prime minister's U-turn came after she and senior ministers had spent days insisting the vote would go ahead, despite the scale of opposition from MPs being obvious. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption How the mace drama unfolded It prompted angry scenes in the Commons, with MPs from all sides complaining that the government had denied them the right to have any say in the move. Labour's Jeremy Corbyn, who accused Mrs May of "losing control of events" and "disregarding" MPs, was granted an emergency debate in the Commons on Tuesday while Commons Speaker John Bercow said the government's handling of the issue had been "regrettable". And Lloyd Russell-Moyle, the Labour MP for Brighton Kemptown, was expelled from the Commons after grabbing the ceremonial mace and trying to take it out of the chamber. He was stopped by an officer of the House who returned it to its place on the table. In other Brexit developments Any indication of a new timeline for vote? Theresa May refused to say when the Commons vote on her deal would now be held - saying it would depend how long fresh talks with the EU last. Some MPs called for it to come back to the Commons before Christmas, but Mrs May would only say the final deadline for the vote was 21 January. She said the the UK's departure date from the EU - 29 March next year - was written into law and the government was "committed" to delivering on it. Conservative Remainer Justine Greening said she hoped the PM would not wait until 28 March before holding the vote. Will Labour now table a vote of no confidence in the PM? Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Jeremy Corbyn says the government has "lost control" and was in "complete disarray". Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn had been hoping to force a general election if Mrs May had lost Tuesday's planned vote, by tabling a vote of no confidence. In his reaction to Mrs May's announcement that the vote would be delayed, he urged the PM to stand down because her government was now in "chaos". But Labour has rejected calls from the SNP, the Lib Dems and some of its own MPs, to hold a vote of no confidence in the prime minister on Tuesday. A Labour Party spokesperson said: "We will put down a motion of no confidence when we judge it most likely to be successful. "It is clear to us that Theresa May will not renegotiate the deal when she goes to Brussels, and will only be asking for reassurances from EU leaders. "When she brings the same deal back to the House of Commons without significant changes, others across the House will be faced with that reality. "At that point, she will have decisively and unquestionably lost the confidence of Parliament on the most important issue facing the country, and Parliament will be more likely to bring about the general election our country needs to end this damaging deadlock." What do critics not like about the deal? Dozens of Conservative MPs had been planning to join forces with Labour, the SNP, the Lib Dems, Plaid Cymru and the DUP to vote down Mrs May's deal. The Tory rebels and the DUP do not like the Northern Ireland "backstop", a legally-binding proposal for a customs arrangement with the EU, which would come into force if the two sides cannot agree a future relationship which avoids the return of a visible Northern Ireland border. Tory MPs say it is unacceptable because it would result in new regulatory barriers between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK and could continue indefinitely, because the UK would not be able to leave without the EU's approval. How did Theresa May defend the delay? Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Theresa May asks MPs: ‘Does this House want to deliver Brexit?’ The prime minister vowed to put the deal to a vote but said there was no point at this stage because it would have been defeated. She told MPs she would be speaking to EU leaders ahead of a summit later this week, about the "clear concerns" expressed by MPs about the backstop. And she would also be "looking closely at new ways of empowering the House of Commons to ensure that any provision for a backstop has democratic legitimacy". Mrs May wants to enable MPs to place obligations on the government "to ensure that the backstop cannot be in place indefinitely". She again rejected all other alternatives that have been proposed to her deal - including a further referendum and leaving without a deal. Her deal "gives us control of our borders, our money and our laws - it protects jobs, security and our Union", she said. "It is the right deal for Britain. I am determined to do all I can to secure the reassurances this House requires, to get this deal over the line and deliver for the British people," she added. Asked by Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable if EU leaders would be ready to ditch the backstop, she said they had shown they were aware of MPs' concerns that the backstop should be temporary. "A number of European leaders I've spoken to have indicated that they are open to discussions to find a way to provide reassurance to members of this House on that point," she added. Tory rebel and DUP reaction Leading Conservative Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg said in a statement that Mrs May lacked the "gumption" to put her "undeliverable" deal before MPs. "This is not governing, it risks putting Jeremy Corbyn into government by failing to deliver Brexit. We cannot continue like this. The prime minister must either govern or quit." Mr Rees-Mogg is trying to get enough Tory MPs to submit letters of no confidence in the PM to trigger a leadership contest. Graham Brady, who receives those letters as chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, said some MPs were angry and others were "fidgety" but many were glad not to be "going through the motions of a needless defeat". "We've just seen the PM doing the right thing but also quite bravely standing up... and making her case to an angry opposition," he added. The deputy leader of the DUP - the Northern Ireland party whose backing Theresa May needs to win key votes - Nigel Dodds, said the situation was "quite frankly a bit of a shambles" and the PM was paying the price for crossing her "red lines" when it came to Northern Ireland. He told Mrs May: "Come back with the changes to the withdrawal agreement or it will be voted down." DUP leader Arlene Foster said she had told the prime minister in a phone call that the "backstop must go". What is the EU saying? Theresa May's deal has been agreed with the EU - but it needs to be backed by the UK Parliament if it is to become law ahead of the UK's departure. Mrs May has also been speaking to EU leaders about re-opening the withdrawal agreement, something both sides have previously ruled out. European Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva said the EU would not renegotiate the Withdrawal Agreement. "As President Juncker said, this deal is the best and only deal possible," she said. The BBC's Brussels reporter Adam Fleming said Mrs May was "trying get more legal oomph behind the language" in the withdrawal agreement about the EU using "best endeavours" to get a trade deal which would remove the need for the backstop to be used.

– It's crunch time for Brexit, and investors are on high alert. British lawmakers were—maybe—set to vote Tuesday on Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal with the European Union, reports the AP. All indications are that she would suffer a major defeat, opening up a dizzying array of consequences that could increase volatility in global financial markets. On Monday, however, the BBC quoted two government sources who said the vote will be canceled. May was expected to clear things up in a speech Monday afternoon. That wasn't the only wrinkle: Europe's top court boosted the hopes of people who want to stay in the EU by ruling Monday that Britain could change its mind about leaving. When an EU member country has notified its intent to leave, "that member state is free to revoke unilaterally that notification," said the European Court of Justice, per the AP. Britain voted in 2016 to leave the 28-nation bloc and invoked Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty in March 2017, triggering a two-year exit process. May has worked out a deal with the EU to make that happen, and Britain's Parliament was to vote on it Tuesday. Defeat of May's deal could suggest that Britain is one step closer to dropping out of the EU in March with no deal at all, a worst-case scenario that most economic commentators, including the Bank of England, say would lead to a savage recession. Another possibility: After a defeat of May's deal, Parliament could vote again on a revised version and back it. Or it could coalesce around another Brexit deal that would see Britain retain very close links to the European single market. There could even be a second referendum on Britain's exit from the EU.

With Netflix streaming its way out of original content obscurity via popular shows like "Orange is the New Black" and "House of Cards," the Internet is making a serious play at competing with traditional TV to create shows of its own that attract eyeballs on a level with cable and network channels. That's why it was so astonishing to watch the mess that was the inaugural YouTube Music Awards, as homegrown YouTube sensations like the compelling and bizarre Tay Zonday shared screen time with international superstars like Lady Gaga and Arcade Fire. It was also more than a bit puzzling when Eminem took the award for Artist of the Year. The decision was a purely democratic one — with 60 million YouTube viewers casting their votes to decide the winners, but still. PHOTOS: YouTube Music Awards 2013 | Arrivals YouTube is famous largely thanks to its rich landscape of unknown creators who post videos of themselves singing Eminem songs or put their own oddball visions up onscreen and cross their fingers that they'll be discovered. Thus Eminem's victory felt somewhat hollow. He had performed on "SNL" the night before, after all. He is hardly a YouTube sensation in the traditional sense. He's more of an MTV kind of guy. Shouldn't YouTube try harder to honor its own? As one Times reader wrote in the comment section of a previous post on the show, "This awards show was a slap on the face to all the talented musicians on Youtube..." The same reader, JB Clem, posted a YouTube video crying foul. On the set: movies and TV "It's going to be like the lamestream music awards," said Clem in the clip. "Thousands and thousands of original YouTube talent is not getting recognized." As an example Clem pointed out that Yvlis' song "the Fox" was not nominated for YouTube phenomenon. With more than 190 million views on YouTube that song alone has eclipsed Eminem's audio-only video for "Rap God" by more than 80 million views. In the end, the YTMA was a meta spectacle if there ever was one. And for all of its unscripted pitfalls there was still the sense that new doors were opening — that this was just the beginning, and that if YouTube can't get it right, someone somewhere on the Internet will. ALSO: Watch the inaugural YouTube Music Awards here George Romero dismisses 'The Walking Dead' as 'soap opera' YouTube Music Awards: Unscripted babies cry, and so does Lady Gaga ||||| But YouTube is owned by Google, and Google has a market capitalization of about $340 billion, which means that this was a counter-professional production put on by complete pros. In charge was Spike Jonze, who served as the event’s creative director and directed some of the segments. The preshow emphasized the spit-and-glue-ness of it all. “The whole spirit of this thing is to be in over your head,” said Mr. Schwartzman, who a few minutes into the live broadcast reassured viewers, “I’ve never hosted anything in my life.” What a relief that turned out to be. Flat, scripted banter was replaced by flat, unscripted banter. He and Mr. Watts were frisky and mumbling, not plastic. Their bafflement and meandering were genuine, and often appealing. Photo Somewhere in this miasma, there were awards (voted on by fans). Getting little red bricks with a “play” arrow on them were: Eminem for artist of the year; the K-pop phalanx Girls’ Generation for video of the year for “I Got a Boy”; Macklemore & Ryan Lewis for YouTube breakthrough; Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble” for YouTube phenomenon, whose award was accepted by Cimorelli, a group of sisters whose YouTube covers have been extremely popular. Their speech was interrupted by Win Butler of Arcade Fire, Kanye West-style, to insist that the real winner should have been Baauer’s “Harlem Shake,” which was true, so much as anything hewed to logic. The easiest-to-consume performances were from the most established and least experimental artists, Lady Gaga and Eminem, both of whom were taut and focused. There was an implied tension between the need for bankable names like these — all of whom conveniently have new albums to promote, and who likely hitched their wagon to whichever awards show was available — and YouTube’s implicit mission of supporting bootstrapping self-made-creator curios like the New Age-meets-dubstep violinist Lindsey Stirling (who won the award for response of the year for a collaboration with Pentatonix). Both types excel in the form, but they have next to nothing in common. Directors — Fafi, Chris Milk, Mr. Jonze and more — were given almost equal billing to the stars they were working with. The medley part of the show — say, akin to what Billy Crystal does at the Oscars, or Neil Patrick Harris does on awards shows and possibly on street corners — was left to a YouTube-friendly comedy band, CDZA, with cameos from Tay Zonday, of “Chocolate Rain” fame, punching up and looking great, and T-Pain, of regular fame, punching down and looking lost. Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. In keeping with the show’s ragged spontaneity, it was at times troubled by technical glitches. About midway through, the live stream froze repeatedly, making parts of the presentation unviewable (including, frustratingly, the performance in a cramped pink room by Tyler, the Creator with Earl Sweatshirt, which looked like a riot, at least in the two-second snippets that eked through). What’s more, every time the stream had to be restarted, it was preceded by a 30-second Kia ad starring those damned driving hamsters. I watched it about eight times. Unlike regular videos on YouTube, neither the stream of the awards show nor the preshow would play on my smart TV, even though it comes equipped with a YouTube app. (According to a Google spokeswoman, YouTube live streaming is only compatible with Google TV or Chromecast.) But Mr. Jonze didn’t control the wires and pipes, only what was shot through them. He used the event as an excuse to line the coffers of the indie mafia — Lena Dunham wrote a goofy choose-your-own-adventure script synced to an Avicii song, Greta Gerwig herked and jerked her way through her “Frances Ha” dances as Arcade Fire performed, and Rashida Jones dropped babies off with the hosts, then disappeared. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Whether it was worth everyone’s time — well, that’s still to be determined. There is at least one measurement that’s native to this show: the ruthless people counter at the bottom of the screen throughout the night. “204,512 watching now,” it read during the moment when Ms. Stirling and Pentatonix won their award. By the time Eminem closed the show with a blistering performance of “Rap God,” the number, which shot up and down all night, was 177,903. He could have announced a Ustream session on his Twitter 15 minutes earlier and attracted more people. From one angle, at least, the lack of structure was an asset. This was perhaps the only awards show in history to run short, ending before the advertised time even with several minutes of filler stuffed in like so much Styrofoam before Eminem’s closing performance. And so someone at the Google mother ship will likely be poring over charts and spreadsheets that assess dollars spent per viewer minutes of engagement. It clearly cost a lot of money to look this disheveled. But like any number of artists with a webcam, a dream and a bit of hubris, YouTube was entitled to screw up in full view of everyone. And after this bizarre but comforting experiment, it’s earned the right to try again next year. ||||| The inaugural YouTube Music Awards kicked off Sunday night with a live music video of the song “Afterlife” by Arcade Fire directed by Spike Jonze and starring Greta Gerwig. Gerwig danced with the same awkward Turrets style that was so endearing in "Francis Hah." She grooved through a fake kitchen and into some fake snowy woods. She danced right up to Arcade Fire, which was performing on a stage at Pier 36 in New York City where the show was being shot. A bunch of kids joined her. A little more than 155,000 viewers watched the stream. The future looked promising for the brand new awards show. And then everything went downhill. PHOTOS: YouTube Music Awards 2013 | Arrivals In the days leading to the show, much had been made of webcast director Jonze’s promise that the show would be unscripted and very much off the cuff. This could be good or bad, speculated the many interested parties. Scripts, it turns out, were invented for a reason. YouTube thrives on unscripted moments. Toddlers bursting into hysterical giggles, cats flushing the toilet, moms being caught unaware singing badly on the beach. But on the creative / musical side of things, quite a bit of care and planning goes into most YouTube videos that go viral. That’s to say, they’re scripted for the most part. From Autotune the News, to Tay Zonday’s song "Chocolate Rain" to Andy Samberg and T-Pain’s "SNL" “I’m on a boat” video, and more, the stuff we love to watch on YouTube was made with a ton of premeditation. That’s not to say that lots of thought wasn’t put into the YTMA, just that the chaos of the Internet, if unchanneled, is just that: chaos. That much was painfully clear as the show careened off the rails in the form of two small babies handed by Rashida Jones to hosts Jason Schwartzman and Reggie Watts. On the set: movies and TV As the men handed out the first award for the night — for YouTube Breakout to Maklemore & Ryan Lewis — the babies began to bawl in psychic communion with viewers chiming in on Twitter with concern that the lunatics had finally taken over the asylum. Then came a deeply strange and out-of-tune performance by a barefoot Lady Gaga dressed in a black ball cap and a checked shirt buttoned to the top. She was crying too. Tears streamed silently down her face as she wailed, and viewers streamed silently out of the show. During the three minutes or so that Gaga was on screen more than 4,000 viewers exited and continued to do so as microphones cut in and out, cakes were mashed to uncover awards, and Tyler the Creator and Earl Sweatshirt were bleeped out for most of their unintelligible performance. By the time the webcast was almost an hour in viewership had dropped from its peak of about 215,000 to a median of about 180,000. This for an event that 60 million people apparently voted for. YouTube may break viral videos, but unless it tries harder next time it may not be able to break itself. ALSO: George Romero dismisses 'The Walking Dead' as 'soap opera' Scandal's Kerry Washington: Is she a sellout for hosting 'SNL'? Sacha Baron Cohen: 'Borat,' 'Ali G' star make sexy time in FX deal ||||| The first-ever YouTube Music Awards have wrapped. All of the night’s trophies have been handed out, and all of Spike Jonze’s “live music videos” have been, um, video’d. Eminem was made Artist of the Year, just days before the release of his eighth album, The Marshall Mathers LP 2. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis were crowned 2013’s YouTube Breakthrough on behalf of their world-conquering “Thrift Shop.” And K-Pop collective Girls’ Generation took home Video of the Year for their “I Got a Boy” visual. Okay, but how was the show? Were we to boil it down to a handy quotable — and yes, let’s — we’d probably say something like, “A charming mess.” Co-hosts Jason Schwartzman and Reggie Watts operated without a script, in a gigantic warehouse without hidden corridors, full of fans and industry people and the artists themselves. In the way that YouTube lets everyone in on the fun, from creation to comments, this ceremony was … blurry. Schwartzman aptly called it, “A festival of excitement.” Exciting things are rarely tidy, and after it was clear that we weren’t watching the Grammys, the imperfections and the unpredictable became reasons to keep watching. Schwartzman’s voice cracking, Watts’ hammy improvisations, and that part where they could’t figure out how to pronounce the word cake — Reggie: “Is that pronounced ‘cake’ or ‘cock’?” Jason: “Kike?” Us: [facepalm] — but really, some sort of award should’ve gone to Win Butler for playing court jester, and pulling a “Winye” on “not Taylor Swift.” Speaking of, Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble” earned the YouTube Phenomenon distinction, but alas, the Red singer didn’t show up to collect her award. Innovation of the Year went to DeStorm’s “See Me Standing” video, which beat out clips by Atoms for Peace, Bat for Lashes, and Toro y Moi. The Response of the Year honor — recognizing the best responses, remixes, and parodies uploaded to YouTube — was given to Lindsey Stirling and Pentatonix for their take on Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive.” Which brings us to those much ballyhooed “live music videos.” Stirling was the focus of one of the most endearing works of the night, as she performed her violin-meets-dubstep hit “Crystallize” while wearing a makeshift jetpack. With a little of creative director Jonze’s camera magic (although Michel Gondry’s might have dazzled a little better), she was seen flying through a cityscape, soloing on her fiddle while mighty wubs fell like rain. And then there was Michael Shannon playing a douchebaggy version of EDM star Avicii. Those highlights were among a handful taken from the individual performances (Tyler, the Creator, Lady Gaga, M.I.A.) that we’ll share individually as they inevitably emerge as stand-alone clips. The 90-minute ceremony took place at New York City’s Pier 36 and was live-streamed via YouTube. It’s currently playing on loop. Watch the entire webcast right here at SPIN, and scroll down for a full list of the categories. And their winners. Follow @SPINMagazine on Twitter for on-the-scene reporting as the event winds down. Also, did Rashida Jones get her babies back? Video of the Year: Epic Rap Battles of History – “Barack Obama vs Mitt Romney” Demi Lovato – “Heart Attack” Girls’ Generation ­- “I Got a Boy” (winner) Justin Bieber (feat. Nicki Minaj) – “Beauty and a Beat” Lady Gaga ­- “Applause” Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (feat. Mary Lambert) – “Same Love” Miley Cyrus ­ – “We Can’t Stop” One Direction ­- “Best Song Ever” PSY ­- “Gentleman” Selena Gomez ­- “Come & Get It” Artist of the Year: Eminem (winner) Epic Rap Battles Justin Bieber Katy Perry Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Nicki Minaj One Direction PSY Rihanna Taylor Swift Response of the Year: Boyce Avenue (feat. Fifth Harmony) ­- “Mirrors Jayesslee ­- “Gangnam Style” Lindsey Stirling and Pentatonix ­- “Radioactive” (winner) ThePianoGuys ­- “Titanium / Pavane” Walk Off the Earth (feat. KRNFX) – “I Knew You Were Trouble” YouTube Phenomenon: “Diamonds” “Gangnam Style” “Harlem Shake” “I Knew You Were Trouble” (winner) “Thrift Shop” YouTube Breakthrough: Kendrick Lamar Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (winner) Naughty Boy Passenger Rudimental Innovation of the Year: Anamanaguchi ­- “ENDLESS FANTASY” Atoms for Peace ­- “Ingenue” Bat for Lashes ­- “Lilies” DeStorm ­- “See Me Standing” (winner) Toro y Moi – “Say That” ||||| CLOSE BackStage host Carly Mallenbaum talks with reporter Hilary Hughes about the unpredictable and chaotic show that was streamed online and hosted by Jason Schwartzman and Reggie Watts. Internet stars mingle with industry heavyweights at the inaugural New York show. Lady Gaga performs onstage at the YouTube Music Awards. (Photo: Jeff Kravitz FilmMagic for YouTube) Story Highlights Eminem took artist of the year, while Girls' Generation's 'I Got a Boy' won video Winners were determined entirely by fan vote The show streamed globally Sunday evening on the video-sharing site NEW YORK — Internet superstars stepped out from behind the computer screen and onto the stage at Pier 36 Sunday night to make history at the first YouTube Music Awards. Hosted by Jason Schwartzman and Reggie Watts and featuring live performances by Lady Gaga, Eminem and other pop and rock greats, YouTube set quite a challenge for itself in the show's first year: The event was live-streamed the world over, and the awards were entirely dependent on the participation of viewers. Unfortunately, it got distracted by its own gimmick, and the chaos overwhelmed the otherwise inspired performances and subsequent dance parties. Unlike the Grammys or the MTV Video Music Awards, winners were voted on entirely by fans, with One Direction, Miley Cyrus and Nicki Minaj among the nominees. With director Spike Jonze at the creative helm of the ceremony, the YouTube Music Awards promised — and delivered — a volley of strange surprises, including the creation and broadcast of music videos with notable talents as the show unfolded. This wasn't your typical red-carpet affair with a few songs and dances thrown in between acceptance speeches, but a frenzied, disorganized (albeit spontaneous and fun) event that broke down boundaries between YouTube stars and their fans. The YouTube Music Awards sought to redefine expectations for a celebration of popular music, and instead fell short of revolutionizing them. Confusion reigns: The general vibe is a confused one. Upon entering the main room at the awards, a handful of stages greet you, and many showgoers choose to sit down on the ground in front of these setups. A staffer walking around backstage mentions that Schwartzman has a different "set of directions" than everyone else, and that no one has any idea how the show will go — the idea is to be unscripted and spontaneous from start to finish. Schwartzman and Jonze come out into the audience to greet the crowd, and the message is simple: The audience is going to fully participate in the show. WINNERS LIST: Who took home YouTube honors? "I want you to know that not only are you watching the show, you're going to be a part of the videos," says Schwartzman. "If you feel like you're in the video, don't watch the show around you, watch the performance!" Call-and-response: Arcade Fire hits the ground running with this emphasis on audience participation, walking the crowd through a call-and-response. Frontman Win Butler seems to be all about it: "If you tried this at the VMAs, you'd be (screwed)!" So much for the fourth wall: Greta Gerwig (Frances Ha) makes the first non-performer cameo of the night as the star of the "video" being filmed for Arcade Fire's live performance of Afterlife. Dancing her way through an apartment hallway into a grove of snowy trees, Gerwig is joined by Butler before taking off into the audience flanked by a group of tiny dancers, effectively shattering the fourth wall. This theme of breaking down expectations for music videos and awards shows is effective, so far, and one the audience embraces. Unscripted: After A Brief History of Music, featuring Walk Off the Earth, brings us through Beyoncé's Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) and Psy's Gangnam Style, Rashida Jones hands off two babies to our bewildered hosts. Yes, babies. They announce the first award of the night, the YouTube breakthrough award, which goes to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. (The trophy is a red-and-white click icon.) "We spent about $5,000 on this music video and just had fun making this with our friends ..." says Macklemore, before laughing at the screaming tots in Schwartzman's and Watts' arms. "I can't believe we won these kids!" Rickrolling: CDZA, the band behind YouTube's History of Music, thoroughly enjoyed the task of covering some of the more popular songs that exploded via the social network. "T-Pain was supposed to lead into a big reveal, and Rick Astley was supposed to Rickroll the world, but that didn't happen ... He said he was never gonna give us up, but he did!" Lindsey Stirling performs at the YouTube Music Awards. (Photo: Jeff Kravitz FilmMagic for YouTube) Let them eat cake: The winner of the response of the year award is in the ... cake? Our hosts are faced with the task of demolishing five cakes in order to find the category's pick. "This feels like Nickelodeon!" Watts cries before Schwartzman pulls the envelope from the crumbs. Lindsey Stirling and Pentatonix's cover of Imagine Dragons' Radioactive are the big, sugary winners here, and the hosts have to keep from getting frosting on the victor during her acceptance speech. No boundaries: Earl Sweatshirt and Tyler the Creator take to a frenzied crowd in a tight space for Sasquatch, and though the thrashing, crowd-surfing crew seems into it, it's difficult not to cringe — if there really are no scripts or boundaries, who's to say an audience member won't get kicked in the teeth in the name of innovation? A weighty win: DeStorm's See Me Standing is the voters' pick for the innovation of the year award, which DeStorm calls "the dopest paperweight ever" before passionately thanking the platform and his fans. Backstage, DeStorm is elated. "I've been doing videos for like ever. This one means a lot to me. To be one of the winners at the first awards, it just felt good to be a nominee. ... It was actually a surprise for me!" Who's a fellow YouTuber that DeStorm finds innovative? Fellow winners Lindsey Sterling and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. "I want to work with people who can take my craft to another level," he says. Michael Shannon, left, and Vanessa Hudgens perform in a live music video at the YouTube Music Awards. (Photo: Jeff Kravitz FilmMagic for YouTube) You know this will end badly: The next live-music video experiment brings high Hollywood wattage to the stage — or DJ booth — for Avicii. Michael Shannon and Vanessa Hudgens star as a DJ and a girl who's ditching her ex-boyfriend for the booth, and a high-strung concert-goer puts her in a headlock before Wake Me Up revs up in the background. Puzzling it out: "It was very nerve-wracking just because there were so many things that had to be right from so many people, like a giant jigsaw puzzle," Stirling says backstage after her video experiment. "In between my takes, I had to run from one side of the stage to the other while playing." For Sterling, the YouTube win is huge, as she credits the network for being the first place to accept her as an artist. "I'm an artist that was fully born through YouTube," she says. "That was the only platform that gave me the chance to make art that I loved. ... It was the only place that accepted what I did." It happens: Hudgens reveals that the Avicii video/short film didn't go according to plan. Apparently, they missed a sound cue and were left hanging for a second, but Hudgens rolled with it. "I love that about doing something live! It's live, (expletive) happens!" she says with a laugh. "Trying to get everyone on the same page at the same moment, it's tough," she says of the quirks of a live show. "I survived! As I got up, I realized my earring fell off, and I was like, 'Classic chick-fight move!' " And what did Hudgens think of Lady Gaga's performance? "It was very un-Lady Gaga! She's really raw and emotional and breathtaking." Girls' Generation's Tiffany on the group's video-of-the-year win: "Being part of the nominees was an award in itself, but to win, speechless." Girls' Generation beat out Lady Gaga, among others, for the title of the night, which was clearly a shock to the young singer. "It's surreal — she was sitting right in front of me. It's all thanks to the fans. I personally loved her video!" So what'd you think?: How does Watts feel about the broadcast? Great, though a couple of moments were hair-raising. "It was hard to be reluctant to a degree, because things just happened, but ... I didn't want to break a baby!" he says of his least predictable moment. "When Rashida Jones hands you babies, you take them. You ask her where she got them from, but you take them." He's particularly excited about looking back on the videos created here tonight, specifically Arcade Fire's "awesome and inspired" Afterlife. The show's haphazard approach worked for him. "I'm used to that," he says. "That's the way I like to work. Jason was a bit more nervous, but he's a natural at being a natural." Next year's plans: Is Schwartzman up for hosting the YouTube Music Awards again? Totally. "In my mind, it wouldn't be doing the second YouTube Awards, it'd be like we were doing it again for the first time!" he says. Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1hbOPzc ||||| The first YouTube Music Awards webcast wasn’t broadcast-quality in any sense — it was marred by video and sound snafus, and the show’s hosts looked adrift as they tried to wing it without scripts — with Eminem and a South Korean girl group winning top prizes based on fan votes. The kudocast, which may be prelude to YouTube launching a music-subscription service, was held Sunday at New York City’s Pier 36 and streamed live over the Internet. A peak of more than 220,000 people were concurrently live-streaming the event, which started at 6 p.m. Eastern and clocked in at just under 90 minutes. That’s compared with 10.1 million who tuned in for MTV’s Video Music Awards in August to witness a writhing Miley Cyrus. The Grammys in February drew 28.4 million viewers for CBS. The YouTube video stream froze at several points, and microphones malfunctioned. Performers missed their cues several times. And even when the video played normally it often wasn’t clear what was going on. Instead of producing zany water-cooler moments, the unscripted nature of the show felt muddled. Nine-member K-pop supergroup Girls’ Generation “I Got A Boy” won video of the year, beating out bigger-name nominees in the music biz including Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, One Direction and Psy. The announcement of the win by Girls’ Generation — a group popular across Asia — elicited a muted reaction (evidently a collective “who?”) from the Gotham crowd. Related Two Elton John Tribute Albums — With Mary J. Blige, Coldplay, Lady Gaga, More — Coming in April Lyor Cohen Talks YouTube, Run-DMC, Russell Simmons Allegations at SXSW Keynote “There’s nothing scripted tonight — it’s about anything happening,” co-host Jason Schwartzman said at the start of the show. Problem was, nothing very interesting happened. Schwartzman was dusted with blue powder near the end; that was after members of the band OK Go painted him to look like Gotye in the video for “Somebody That I Used to Know.” The actor-musician hosted the show with comedian-musician Reggie Watts. Both were handed babies by actress Rashida Jones for some reason. The YouTube Music Awards — a.k.a. “YTMA,” following the nomenclature of MTV’s VMAs — featured live performances by Lady Gaga (wearing a baseball cap and flannel shirt), Eminem, Arcade Fire, Avicii, M.I.A., Earl Sweatshirt, Tyler the Creator, Walk Off the Earth, and YouTube musical acts Lindsey Stirling and CDZA. Confusingly, most of these were staged as “live music videos” with actors instead of the usual live-performance presentation. The show was directed by filmmaker Spike Jonze and exec-produced by Vice Media and Sunset Lane Entertainment. Kia Motors was the title sponsor. At the close of the show Jonze thanked YouTube “for letting us make this mess.” Other YTMA winners: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis won in the breakthrough artist category; Lindsey Stirling and Pentatonix won best response video for their version of Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive”; Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble” won in the “phenomenon” category (songs that generated the most fan videos) though Swift was not in attendance to accept the award; and YouTube personality DeStorm won innovation of the year for “See Me Standing.” The full list of YouTube Music Awards nominees is available here. YouTube determined the nominations based on data over the last 12 months, to represent the artists and videos with the highest levels of engagement, including views, likes, shares, comments and subscriptions. Fans voted by sharing the official YTMA nomination videos for each nominee via Facebook, Twitter or Google+, with about 60 million “votes” cast. The voting kicked off Oct. 21, with the final tallies taken right before the show, according to YouTube.

– YouTube threw its first awards show last night, and the results were ... interesting. The unscripted show, directed by Spike Jonze and hosted by Jason Schwartzman and Reggie Watts, took place in New York City and was livestreamed on YouTube. Awards were handed out and artists offered up performances (er, "live music videos," as they were called). The consensus? It was all a bit weird: "Scripts, it turns out, were invented for a reason," writes Jessica Gelt in the Los Angeles Times. Sure, we love unscripted YouTube moments involving cats and babies, but when it comes to actual music on the site, "quite a bit of care and planning goes into most YouTube videos that go viral." But the YouTube Music Awards were pure chaos, from random crying babies to a "deeply strange and out-of-tune performance" from Lady Gaga, who was also randomly crying. And what was up with Eminem winning Artist of the Year? Sure, 60 million YouTube viewers voted, so the result was democratic—but "YouTube is famous largely thanks to its rich landscape of unknown creators who post videos of themselves singing Eminem songs or put their own oddball visions up onscreen and cross their fingers that they'll be discovered," writes Gelt in a separate Times article. "Shouldn't YouTube try harder to honor its own?" "Unfortunately, [the show] got distracted by its own gimmick, and the chaos overwhelmed the otherwise inspired performances and subsequent dance parties," writes Hilary Hughes for USA Today. It was "frenzied, disorganized," and "confused." Sure, parts of it were also fun, but while the awards "sought to redefine expectations for a celebration of popular music," the show "instead fell short of revolutionizing them." On Variety, Todd Spangler calls the webcast "glitchy and awkward." It "wasn’t broadcast-quality in any sense—it was marred by video and sound snafus, and the show’s hosts looked adrift as they tried to wing it without scripts." The video stream "froze at several points, and microphones malfunctioned. Even when the video played normally it often wasn’t clear what was going on." And, though one would think an unscripted show would allow for some good moments, "nothing very interesting happened." But not everyone hated it: On Spin, Chris Martins deemed it "a charming mess" and declared that all the imperfections were reasons to keep watching. And in the New York Times, Jon Caramanica says that while the show was "essentially [of] no consequence" and "often inexplicable," it was also a "surprisingly easy-to-watch jumble."

U.S. stock markets were preparing to open in the wake of Sandy on Wednesday, ending a shutdown that left investors unable to trade for two days and sparked recriminations over whether Wall Street should have been better prepared to handle the impact of such a storm. After four days away from the markets --Saturday, Sunday and two days of storm-related delays -- the New York Stock Exchange is open for business again. Jonathan Cheng reports on the markets returning to business as usual, post-Sandy. Photo: Reuters. The New York Stock Exchange said Tuesday that it plans to open as usual at 9:30 a.m. and that its trading floor and headquarters in lower Manhattan were "fully operational" despite widespread blackouts and flooding in that part of the city. The Nasdaq Stock Market and other exchanges will open as well. Bond markets will follow suit. After a historic two-day closure because of Superstorm Sandy, Asian markets are anticipating the reopening of the U.S. stock exchanges. The WSJ's Ken Brown talks about why U.S. firms and banks were unprepared to act on the backup plan during the disaster. While investors and industry officials breathed a sigh of relief, critics argued that the storm exposed how ill-prepared exchanges and their Wall Street customers are for such an event. Regulators on Tuesday said they plan to probe whether more needs to be done to get exchanges and the trading community ready for such disasters. Enlarge Image Close European Pressphoto Agency Regulators plan to probe the readiness of exchanges during disasters. Here, a firetruck outside the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. "The whole saga has demonstrated just how little the exchanges have prepared for a natural, pandemic or terrorist threat since 9/11," said Christopher Nagy, an exchange and trading-firm consultant who formerly handled the routing of orders for brokerage firm TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. "This is another in a long line of examples of exchange failures and an exercise in losing consumer confidence." Conflicts between the exchanges and customers arose Sunday, when Big Board operator NYSE Euronext said it was seeking to close its trading floor for the hurricane but keep electronic trading open, something that it hasn't done before. Banks and brokerages complained that they hadn't properly tested such a mode of trading, and that doing so would mean bringing workers into their offices just as Sandy was approaching. NYSE and customers have been at odds over this emergency backup plan for more than a year. Customers expressed similar concerns ahead of Hurricane Irene in 2011, according to people involved in the discussions. Irene went easy on Lower Manhattan, and didn't require the backup plan. After Irene, NYSE kept the same emergency plan in place but many firms didn't test their systems. Throughout the weekend and Monday and Tuesday, exchange officials and customers in private pointed the finger at one another for not having a proper emergency system in place, according to people involved in some of the conversations. Enlarge Image Close Associated Press The streets surrounding the New York Stock Exchange are deserted as financial markets remain closed for the second day due to superstorm Sandy. The industry pushed back, arguing that without the Big Board's floor in operation, brokers weren't sure they could trust the markets to set opening and closing stock prices. Trading firms said on conference calls with exchange officials Sunday night that they weren't prepared for the NYSE plan, known as "Print as N," named after the designation for the Big Board used by computerized trading algorithms. New York's Blackout Skyline Compare New York's usual skyline with its blackout skyline View Interactive "The comfort level wasn't there" with the NYSE's plan on Sunday night, said Jamie Selway, managing director at ITG, a New York brokerage firm, who participated in many of the industry calls ahead of the storm. "People either didn't understand it or trust it." Instead, the industry agreed to shut down the markets. Banks, brokers and exchanges continued Tuesday morning to test a new backup plan put together Monday that would shift NYSE operations to its all-electronic platform. But as weather eased, the exchange announced it would open its trading floor. The Securities and Exchange Commission, which approved the NYSE backup plan in 2009, expects to review the NYSE's tests and preparations and determine how the industry can be better prepared for the next disaster, according to an agency official. The regulator isn't involved with testing of computer trading systems. But some critics say the SEC needs to do more to ensure that exchanges and trading firms are prepared for natural and man-made disasters. "The regulators had a responsibility, particularly after 9/11, to see to it that every exchange had a backup plan that would ensure that regional disruptions wouldn't cause them to go down," said former SEC Chairman Arthur Levitt. For now, the agency is primarily focused on getting markets back into working order. Throughout Tuesday, SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro participated in calls with NYSE officials about the exchange operator's ability to resume trading Wednesday. While a remote possibility, the SEC has the option of halting trading midday if trading gets overly erratic. Trading could start Wednesday with a flurry as investors with pent up orders rush to get their trades in, investors said. With many roads flooded and mass transit still in disarray, NYSE officials helped trading-floor workers arrange rides and carpools to reach the exchange for the market opening. The NYSE needs about 100 staff and traders on hand to effectively open its stock exchange, according to exchange officials. The NYSE building remained accessible from the north despite floodwaters encroaching on lower Manhattan, NYSE Euronext Chief Operating Officer Lawrence Leibowitz said. The NYSE switched over to its backup power generator Monday night when Consolidated Edison Inc. cut power to sections of lower Manhattan amid Sandy's surge, Mr. Leibowitz said. On Tuesday morning, extra fuel was delivered to the exchange, enabling it to run for 40 hours, and plans were to further top up the supply as the day progressed. Reopening the NYSE floor is critical for U.S. stock markets because of the NYSE's role as the primary exchange for many blue-chip listings. NYSE Chief Executive Duncan Niederauer plans to be at the Big Board for the market open, an exchange spokesman said. Nasdaq officials had pushed for stock-market trading to resume Wednesday, telling customers that they intended to keep Nasdaq OMX Group's downtown Manhattan headquarters closed and run operations from data centers in Carteret, N.J., Shelton, Conn., and Philadelphia. Nasdaq's chief executive, Robert Greifeld, will work in Carteret on Wednesday morning, according to a person familiar with the matter. —Matt Jarzemsky contributed to this article. Write to Jenny Strasburg at jenny.strasburg@wsj.com, Scott Patterson at scott.patterson@wsj.com and Jacob Bunge at jacob.bunge@dowjones.com A version of this article appeared October 31, 2012, on page C1 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Questions Cloud Market Reopening. ||||| The devastation was so widespread and so severe many residents cannot find the words to describe what they have seen. Loading Photo Gallery By Dan Goldberg and Brent Johnson/The Star-Ledger MORRISTOWN — No light, no power, no rest. More than 24 hours after Hurricane Sandy pummeled New Jersey, crews worked through the night to assess the damage, and formulate a plan to rebuild in months what Sandy destroyed in moments. This morning, Gov. Chris Christie said, New Jersey enters a new phase. Today is when the state must transition from remorse to recovery, he said. And there is plenty of work to be done. The devastation was so widespread and so severe many residents cannot find the words to describe what they have seen. Christie called the losses “almost incalculable.” Homes gone, landmarks crumbled and loved ones lost. At least seven people in New Jersey have died because of the storm. The governor plans to tour the shore today with President Obama and U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez in the afternoon — after a 9 a.m. cabinet meeting and a tour of Sayreville. Early Tuesday morning on MSNBC, Christie said the president’s handling of the disaster “has been great.” When asked about the elections at a press conference later in the day, he said: “This administration at the moment could give a damn less about the Election Day. ... I've got much bigger fish to fry.” “(Tuesday) was a bit of a day of sorrow for a lot of people,” Christie said. “And we need to feel that. It’s appropriate to feel that. We need to feel it and take it in. There’s nothing wrong with that. But as long as sorrow does not displace resilience, then we’ll be just fine.” Moonachie, which had four feet of river water running through town, is slowly drying out, police said. “There are no more rescue efforts, and the water has receded quite a bit,” said borough police officer Jeff Napolitano. Waters are also beginning to recede in Hoboken, though the city is still a mess. Late Tuesday night, the National Guard rolled in, using high-wheeled vehicles to bring supplies to the beleaguered city and help thousands of residents who found themselves trapped by flood waters. Forecasters predict the state will have some time to clean up. Light sprinkles are expected today but nowhere near enough rain for there to be more flooding, said Walter Drag, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “Sandy has moved on,” he said. “It’s a matter of cleanup now.” Utility crews spent most of Tuesday night riding around New Jersey, assessing damage and restoring service where possible. Though progress was made, more than half the state will again wake up without power. Loading Photo Gallery Estimates vary on when it will return, but Christie said it could take more than a week for service to be fully restored. “To the people of New Jersey, hang in there,” the governor said on Tuesday. As of 3:30 a.m. today, JCP&L; was able to restore power to about 13,000 customers during the night, but there are still 958,000 to go. “Today, the goal is still to be assessing damage,” said Jennifer Young, a spokeswoman for the power company. “Where we can, we will also make repairs. This is the worst storm damage we’ve seen in our company’s history. It is far worse than what we saw during Irene and the snowstorm last October. With the damage we are seeing, it is really going to take a while to get all customers back online.” PSE&G;, which had a peak of 1.4 million outages, reported at 5 a.m. that about 900,000 customers without power. Atlantic City Electric still has 121,000, down from a peak 152,000. But if you are looking forward to a bit of trick-or-treating to break the monotony of a dark, disconnected home, think twice before heading out, especially if you have children. Christie advised against walking in the streets in the wake of so many felled trees and downed power lines. Loading Photo Gallery “I can’t imagine it is going to be safe for kids to go around for Halloween,” he said on Tuesday. “If we have to reschedule Halloween for another day … we want kids to have Halloween, but I also want kids to be safe and alive.” The lack of power — and the uncertainty of its return — has forced the state to ask resident to conserve water. “Power companies are working hard to restore electricity to water utilities, but right now it’s impossible to say how long these facilities will have to be operated on backup generators,” state Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin said in a press release. “Everyone must pitch in immediately and take steps to reduce water consumption. Without conservation now, homes and businesses could find themselves without water in the near future if backup generation fails. We need full and immediate cooperation.” Star-Ledger staff writer Jenna Portnoy and the Associated Press contributed to this report. ||||| People in the coastal corridor battered by superstorm Sandy took the first cautious steps Wednesday to reclaim routines upended by the disaster, even as rescuers combed neighborhoods strewn with debris and scarred by floods and fire. People walk through the houses destroyed in the aftermath of yesterday's storm surge from superstorm Sandy, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in Coney Island's Sea Gate community in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews) (Associated Press) Marcus Konner, 22, boards his home in the aftermath of a storm surge from Hurricane Sandy, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in Coney Island's Sea Gate community in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews) (Associated Press) A car is upended on a mailbox on Surf Avenue in Coney Island, N.Y., in the aftermath of Sandy on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012. Sandy, the storm that made landfall Monday, caused multiple fatalities, halted... (Associated Press) People stop along the Brooklyn waterfront to look at the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012 in New York. Much of lower Manhattan is without electric power following the... (Associated Press) One World Trade Center and large portions of lower Manhattan and Hoboken, N.J., are seen without power from Jersey City, N.J., Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, the morning after a powerful storm that started out... (Associated Press) This photo provided by Metropolitan Transportation Authority shows people boarding a bus, as partial bus service was restored on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012. Mass transit, including buses, was suspended during... (Associated Press) A parking lot full of yellow cabs is flooded as a result of superstorm Sandy on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012 in Hoboken, NJ. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes) (Associated Press) But while New York City buses returned to darkened streets and the New York Stock Exchange prepared to reopen its storied trading floor, it became clear that restoring the region to its ordinarily frenetic pace could take days _ and that rebuilding the hardest-hit communities and the transportation networks that link them together could take considerably longer. "We will get through the days ahead by doing what we always do in tough times _ by standing together, shoulder to shoulder, ready to help a neighbor, comfort a stranger and get the city we love back on its feet," New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. The scale of the challenge was clear across the Hudson River in New Jersey, where National Guard troops arrived in the heavily flooded city of Hoboken to help evacuate thousands still stuck in their homes. And new problems arose when firefighters were unable to reach blazes rekindled by natural gas leaks in the heavily hit shore town of Mantoloking. As New York began its second day after the megastorm, commuters noticed an uptick in traffic and a small sign of normalcy: people waiting at bus stops. On the Brooklyn Bridge, closed earlier because of high winds, joggers and bikers made their way across the span before sunrise. One cyclist carried a flashlight. Car traffic on the bridge was busy, and slowed as it neared Manhattan. By late Tuesday, the winds and flooding inflicted by the fast-weakening Sandy had subsided, leaving at least 55 people dead along the Atlantic Coast and splintering beachfront homes and boardwalks from the mid-Atlantic states to southern New England. The storm later moved across Pennsylvania on a predicted path toward New York State and Canada. At the height of the disaster, more than 8.2 million lost electricity _ some as far away as Michigan. Nearly a quarter of those without power were in New York, where lower Manhattan's usually bright lights remained dark for a second night. But, amid the despair, talk of recovery was already beginning. "It's heartbreaking after being here 37 years," Barry Prezioso of Point Pleasant, N.J., said as he returned to his house in the beachfront community to survey the damage. "You see your home demolished like this, it's tough. But nobody got hurt and the upstairs is still livable, so we can still live upstairs and clean this out. I'm sure there's people that had worse. I feel kind of lucky." Much of the initial recovery efforts focused on New York City, the region's economic heart. Bloomberg said it could take four or five days before the subway, which suffered the worst damage in its 108-year history, is running again. All 10 of the tunnels that carry commuters under the East River were flooded. But high water prevented inspectors from immediately assessing damage to key equipment, raising the possibility that the nation's largest city could endure an extended shutdown of the system that 5 million people count on to get to work and school each day. The chairman of the state agency that runs the subway, Joseph Lhota, said service might have to resume piecemeal, and experts said the cost of the repairs could be staggering. Power company Consolidated Edison said it would be four days before the last of the 337,000 customers in Manhattan and Brooklyn who lost power have electricity again and it could take a week to restore outages in the Bronx, Queens, Staten Island and Westchester County. Floodwater led to explosions that disabled a power substation Monday night, contributing to the outages. Surveying the widespread damage, it was clear much of the recovery and rebuilding will take far longer. When New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie stopped in Belmar, N.J., during a tour of the devastation, one woman wept openly and 42-year-old Walter Patrickis told him, "Governor, I lost everything." Christie, who called the shore damage "unthinkable," said a full recovery would take months, at least, and it would likely be a week or more before power is restored to everyone who lost it. "Now we've got a big task ahead of us that we have to do together. This is the kind of thing New Jerseyans are built for," he said. President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit the state Wednesday to inspect the storm damage. By sundown Tuesday, however, announcements from officials and scenes on the streets signaled that New York and nearby towns were edging toward a semblance of routine. First came the reopening of highways in Connecticut and bridges across the Hudson and East rivers, although the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, connecting Brooklyn to Manhattan, and the Holland Tunnel, between New York and New Jersey, remained closed. A limited number of the white and blue buses that crisscross New York's grid returned Tuesday evening to Broadway and other thoroughfares on a reduced schedule _ but free of charge. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he hoped there would be full service by Wednesday. Still, school was canceled for a third straight day Wednesday in the city, where many students rely on buses and subways to reach classrooms. In one bit of good news, officials announced that John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and Newark International Airport in New Jersey would reopen at 7 a.m. Wednesday with limited service. New York's LaGuardia Airport remains closed. The New York Stock Exchange was again silent Tuesday _ the first weather-related, two-day closure since the 19th century _ but trading was scheduled to resume Wednesday morning with Bloomberg ringing the opening bell. Amtrak also laid out plans to resume some runs in the Northeast on Wednesday, with modified service between Newark, N.J., and points south. That includes restoring Virginia service to Lynchburg, Richmond and Newport News, Keystone trains in Pennsylvania, and Downeaster service between Boston and Portland, Maine. But flooding continues to prevent service to and from New York's Penn Station. Amtrak said the amount of water in train tunnels under the Hudson and East rivers is unprecedented. There will be no Northeast Regional service between New York and Boston and no Acela Express service for the entire length of the Northeast Corridor. No date has been set for when it might resume. But even with the return of some transportation and plans to reopen schools and businesses, the damage and pain inflicted by Sandy continued to unfold, confirming the challenge posed by rebuilding. In New Jersey, amusement rides that once crowned a pier in Seaside Heights were dumped into the ocean, some homes were smashed, and others were partially buried in sand. National Guard troops arrived in Hoboken on Tuesday night to find live wires dangling in the floodwaters that Mayor Dawn Zimmer said were rapidly mixing with sewage. About 2.1 million homes and businesses remained without power across the state late Tuesday. When Tropical Storm Irene struck last year, it took more than a week to restore power everywhere. The state's largest utility, PSE&G, said it was trying to dry out substations it had to shut down. Outages in the state's two largest cities, Newark and Jersey City, left traffic signals dark, resulting in numerous fender-benders at intersections where police were not directing traffic. And in one Jersey City supermarket, there were long lines to get bread and a spot at an outlet to charge cellphones. Trees and power lines were down in every corner of the state. Schools and state government offices were closed for a second day, and many called off classes for Wednesday, too. The governor said the PATH trains connecting northern New Jersey with Manhattan would be out of service for at least seven to 10 days because of flooding. All the New Jersey Transit rail lines were damaged, he said, and it was not clear when the rail lines would be able to open. In Connecticut, some residents of Fairfield returned home in kayaks and canoes to inspect widespread damage left by retreating floodwaters that kept other homeowners at bay. "The uncertainty is the worst," said Jessica Levitt, who was told it could be a week before she can enter her house. "Even if we had damage, you just want to be able to do something. We can't even get started." The storm caused irreparable damage to homes in East Haven, Milford and other shore towns. Still, many were grateful the storm did not deliver a bigger blow, considering the havoc wrought in New York City and New Jersey. "I feel like we are blessed," said Bertha Weismann, whose garage was flooded in Bridgeport. "It could have been worse." And in New York, residents of the flooded beachfront neighborhood of Breezy Point in returned home to find fire had taken everything the water had not. A huge blaze destroyed perhaps 100 homes in the close-knit community where many had stayed behind despite being told to evacuate. John Frawley, 57, acknowledged the mistake. Frawley, who lived about five houses from the fire's edge, said he spent the night terrified "not knowing if the fire was going to jump the boulevard and come up to my house." "I stayed up all night," he said. "The screams. The fire. It was horrifying." There were still only hints of the economic impact of the storm. Forecasting firm IHS Global Insight predicted it will end up causing about $20 billion in damage and $10 billion to $30 billion in lost business. Another firm, AIR Worldwide, estimated losses up to $15 billion _ big numbers probably offset by reconstruction and repairs that will contribute to longer-term growth. "The biggest problem is not the first few days but the coming months," said Alan Rubin, an expert in natural disaster recovery. Some of those who lost homes and businesses to Sandy were promising to return and rebuild, but many sounded chastened by their encounter with nature's fury. They included Tom Shalvey of Warwick, R.I., whose 500-square-foot cottage on the beach in South Kingstown was washed away by raging surf, leaving a utility pipe as the only marker of where it once sat. "We love the beach. We had many great times here," Shalvey said. "We will be back. But it will not be on the front row." ___ Contributors to this report included Associated Press writers Angela Delli Santi in Belmar, N.J.; Geoff Mulvihill and Larry Rosenthal in Trenton, N.J.; Katie Zezima in Atlantic City, N.J.; Samantha Henry in Jersey City, N.J.; Pat Eaton-Robb and Michael Melia in Hartford, Conn.; Susan Haigh in New London, Conn.; John Christoffersen in Bridgeport, Conn.; Alicia Caldwell and Martin Crutsinger in Washington; David Klepper in South Kingstown, R.I.; David B. Caruso, Colleen Long, Jennifer Peltz, Tom Hays, Larry Neumeister, Ralph Russo and Scott Mayerowitz in New York. ||||| NEW YORK Some limited air travel is expected to return to the New York City metro area on Wednesday following the superstorm Sandy. Superstorm floods New York City The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and Newark International Airport in New Jersey will open at 7 a.m. with limited service. They were closed in the storm. It's unclear what carriers will have flights operating. "As airports ramp up service this week, passengers are strongly urged to confirm with their individual carriers regarding flight status in the coming days before traveling to the airports," read a Port Authority statement, CBS New York station WCBS-TV reports. The Port Authority says some carriers would be landing planes with no passengers at JFK starting Tuesday night to be prepared for flights Wednesday. Watch: Aerials of flooded LaGuardia Airport in NYC New York's LaGuardia Airport remains closed. East Coast airports, including Washington's Reagan National, were largely deserted for a second straight day as airlines cancelled 7,000 Tuesday flights, CBS News correspondent Bob Orr reports. There were a few hopeful travelers. Among them were Colby Kuhns and his new bride, who were anxious to start their honeymoon. "We came in this morning and it was out of one of those Apocalypse movies where everybody's gone," Kuhns said. Sandy creates transportation nightmares across U.S. The storm caused one of the largest disruptions of the U.S. aviation system since 9/11. Since Sunday, airlines have cancelled more than 16,000 flights, and 2,116 more have already been scrubbed for Wednesday. Every major carrier is taking a hit. United Airlines has cancelled more than 2,100 flights; American Airlines more than 1,800 flights; Southwest/AirTran just about 1,800 flights; and US Airways has cancelled more than 1,500 flights. Industry analysts say airlines stand to lose more than $200 million to Sandy. And frustrated travelers, like Rod Johnson, are running short on patience. "So far today I've had my flight cancelled four different times," Johnson said. Superstorm's most dramatic images Rail travel through the storm zone is not much better. While Washington's Metro service limped back to life Tuesday, Amtrak's northeast corridor, between D.C. and Boston, remains shut down. Some Amtrak service may resume Wednesday. But spokesman Steve Kulm says track inspections must be done. "We have over 300 miles that we own and operate, that we need to go out and inspect to make sure everything is safe and ready to go for the operation -- when we are ready to get back to operations," Kulm said. It will take longer for air service to get back to normal -- it could be the end of the week. It will take so long because there are so many planes and flight crews out of position. The whole system essentially has to be reset. Even after a snowstorm in New York, it can take two days to unwind the travel logjam. Sandy is, of course, is much, much worse. ||||| Eventually they loaded him onto a city bus that carried them out of the flooded area, and later into an ambulance that took him to Maimonides Hospital. He was treated for cuts, muscle strains and hypothermia . Video Fifteen people in the Far Rockaway section of Queens and nine in Coney Island were charged with burglary and other offenses in connection with looting at stores. Among them was a 29-year-old woman who faced a weapons charge “after the safe she was carrying from a store was found to contain a firearm,” Mr. Browne said. For those who did not have basements that flooded or buildings that slipped off their foundations, there were lines at the gasoline stations that have power to pump fuel for generators and for cars. In New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie ’s office warned drivers to be careful because lines were so long that they had stretched onto the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike. One Twitter feed that had been following the hurricane on the Jersey Shore began sending out updates about where to buy gas. A wide stretch of Lower Manhattan remained dark, as did the Jersey Shore, waterfront neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens, and most of Long Island . But the first section of Manhattan that lost power on Monday night, after an explosion and fire at a substation on East 14th Street, had had its lights turned back on, a Consolidated Edison executive said. Doing that restored power to about 2,000 of more than 220,000 customers below 39th Steet in Manhattan. The rest will probably have to wait until Friday or Saturday, said John Miksad, Con Ed’s senior vice president for electric operations. Power also returned to the Brighton Beach section of Brooklyn. But repairing all of the downed wires in other boroughs and in Westchester County could take another week, Mr. Miksad said. In New Jersey, executives at Public Service Electric and Gas Company said 900,000 customers were still without power, down from a peak of 1.7 million on Tuesday. Some of the company’s main lines, carrying power to substations for local distribution, still needed to be repaired, officials said. But they said electricity was on again in Newark, Elizabeth and parts of Jersey City, and they expected to have all power restored by Nov. 9. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Another big utility, Jersey Central Power and Light, said nearly 950,000 customers did not have electricity. About half were in Monmouth and Ocean Counties along the shore. Video Connecticut Light and Power reported that more than 318,000 customers were out, including about two-thirds of its customers in Greenwich and New Canaan and 9 out of 10 in Weston. Mr. Cuomo said restoring power to Long Island, where the storm knocked out power to 90 percent of the Long Island Power Authority ’s customers, posed particular difficulties. He said 1,800 utility workers from other areas, mostly upstate, were being sent there to provide extra help. It was clear that it would be a while before many of the small businesses that were so much a part of the city — visually, with their kaleidoscope of street-level storefronts, and economically — recovered. It was just as clear that it would be days before many restaurants reopened. Some lost large inventories when the power went out and food in their walk-in refrigerators began to spoil. Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content , updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. Some lost more than food. Before the storm, Andrew Carmellini, the chef at the Dutch in SoHo and Locanda Verde in TriBeCa, rented a car for around-town transportation. He left it on West 23rd Street. “The car got destroyed in the flood,” he said. “The water went over the dashboard.” Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said his evacuation orders remained in effect for low-lying communities from Coney Island in Brooklyn to Battery Park City in Manhattan. Mr. Bloomberg said they would not be lifted until the Buildings Department had had time to inspect buildings in those areas. “I know it’s annoying to everyone,” he said at a briefing, “but we don’t need more loss of life.” Would the city be back to normal? Perhaps, he said — but not for families who were missing a child, a parent, a brother, a sister. “For all we do to recover, it’s fair to say we can’t replace the lives of the people lost in the storm,” he began, speaking in a softer voice than he had used at earlier briefings. “Any loss of life is tragic; sadly, nature is dangerous, and these things occur. The best thing we can do for those who did die is make sure this city recovers for those who come out of this and build a better life for those left behind.” ||||| There may be no light in the kitchen, but there’s likely food in the pantry. The city’s food network roared back to life yesterday, with trucks rolling in and out of the Hunts Point Cooperative Market in The Bronx and other key distribution hubs. “That’s why we have produce and people standing on line outside going into the store,” said John Catsimatidis, who owns the city’s 32 Gristedes supermarkets. “We are doing it hour by hour, trying to get trucks from our warehouses,” he said. “Customers might notice a few things missing. What goes first? Bread and milk. We might be running a day behind.” But residents of downtown neighborhoods without power, where 11 Gristedes are located, may have to trek uptown to re-stock their shelves. For most shoppers, the main inconvenience may be the lack of their favorite brands, but there are plenty of substitutes. For instance, Perdue Farms of Maryland warned local grocers that it would have trouble for the next few days because of Sandy, but other chicken suppliers are working to make up the shortfall. Some brands that distribute directly to retailers from their factories or farms may also encounter delays. City and state officials take food distribution very seriously. “The literal movement of food into the city is the problem; that’s the thing that’s going to be the trick,” said Columbia professor Irwin Redlener, who heads the Ivy League university’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness. Advances in supply-chain management mean that large cities like New York typically have only two to three days of food on hand at normal consumption levels. During the Cold War era, from the late 1940s to 1991, cities had as much as five days. Representatives from major food suppliers have a seat in the command centers of the city’s and state’s Office of Emergency Management. That way, food trucks can convoy with police escorts along roads and bridges closed to the public. “We have priority consideration so we can restock shelves and people can feel a return to normalcy,” said James Rogers, president of the Food Industry Alliance of New York. So far, neither the state or city has needed to give food trucks escorts to keep them rolling. “We restocked three of our stores last night from The Bronx,” said George Zoitas, CEO of Westside Market. “We are fully operational and fully stocked with everything. Milk, we got,” he said. Other deliveries were getting back to normal. The United States Postal Service has resumed limited services in parts of the city and suburbs. FedEx said it’s delivering essential medical supplies, and expects to resume regular operations soon.

– Hurricane Sandy's fingerprints are still all over the Northeastern US—particularly in New York and New Jersey—but the region began slowly churning back to life today. Here's the latest on the recovery: New York City's subway is still waterlogged, but buses are expected to be out in full force by rush hour, and running free of charge, the New York Times reports. There will also be 4,000 cabs on the streets implementing a ride-sharing program. The Brooklyn Bridge has reopened. Food trucks are rolling to try to restock empty grocery shelves, the New York Post adds. The New York Stock Exchange will also reopen today, and says it expects to be "fully operational," the Wall Street Journal reports. The NASDAQ and bond markets will do likewise. More than half of New Jersey is still without power, and the state is asking residents to conserve water. National Guard troops have arrived in Hoboken with high-wheeled vehicles, to bring supplies to or help evacuate the thousands trapped in their homes there, the Star-Ledger reports. Kennedy and Newark airports are open for business again, but it's unclear how many carriers will actually have flights running, and LaGuardia remains closed, CBS News reports, adding that most major East Coast airports, like Washington's Reagan National, are mostly deserted. Amtrak is restoring a good amount of its East Coast service, the AP reports, with modified service between Newark and points south, including Virginia and Pennsylvania. In Connecticut, the AP found people returning to inspect their homes via kayak and canoe. "The uncertainty is the worst," said one woman who might not be able to get inside for a week. "Even if we had damage, you just want to be able to do something. We can't even get started."

Online activists angered over antipiracy legislation in Congress as well as today's indictment of operators of popular file-hosting site MegaUpload attacked the sites of the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI, Universal Music, and the Motion Picture Association of America, shutting them down at least temporarily, and were targeting many others. "The Largest Attack Ever by Anonymous - 5,635 People Confirmed Using #LOIC Bring Down Sites!" the AnonDaily Twitter account read, referring to the Low Orbit Ion Cannon (LOIC) tool Anonymous supporters use to launch distributed denial-of-service (DDOS) attacks on sites. Apparently Anonymous tried a new tactic in its attack campaign -- disseminating a Pastebin link that when clicked automatically launched a Web-based version of LOIC. People clicking on the link, thinking they were going to be getting new information from Anonymous about the attack, instead were having their computers take part in the attack. The page appeared to be aimed at the MPAA when this reporter saw it before quickly closing it. The attacks were affecting Internet traffic patterns overall, according to a real-time Web monitoring site operated by content delivery company Akamai. The site had registered 218 attacks in the last 24 hours and reported that attack-related traffic was up 24 percent over normal, while general network traffic was up 13 percent. IRC chats show supporters of the Anonymous online activist collective claiming victory over shutting down the Justice Department site and talking about other U.S. government sites to target, including the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the White House, the FBI, BMI.com, Copyright.com, Viacom, Anti-piracy.be/nl, Vivendi.fr, Hadopi.fr, and ChrisDodd.com, the site for the former U.S. senator who now heads up the MPAA. Some of the targeted sites were intermittently down, like the FBI, while others were accessible but opening very slowly. (A list of known targets is here.) The activists are angry about two proposed antipiracy bills backed by the music and movie industries, SOPA and PIPA, that critics say would give authorities broad power to shut down Web sites for the mere accusation that they had pirated content on them. Screenshot by CNET "Seems like some friendly ships are launching torpedos justice.gov as we speak. The site seems down to us! (via @AnonOpsSweden)," Twitter accounts associated with the Anonymous online activist group posted today. "RIAA.ORG DOWN! The Largest On Scale Attack EVER by #Anonymous 10 sites in 20 minutes," the Anon Daily Twitter account read. "#OPMegaUpload is in Full Effect. Justice.gov DOWN - MPAA.org DOWN - UniversalMusic.com DOWN - MASS DDOS ATTACK!" Shortly before the outages, seven people were named in an indictment and four were taken into custody on online piracy charges. One of those arrested was Kim Dotcom, aka Kim Schmitz, the founder of Megaupload, an Internet locker service. A Justice Department spokesperson provided this comment: "The Department of Justice Web server hosting Justice.gov is currently experiencing a significant increase in activity, resulting in a degradation in service. The department is working to ensure the Web site is available while we investigate the origins of this activity, which is being treated as a malicious act until we can fully identify the root cause of the disruption. Universal Music had no comment. The attacks were designed to forcibly shut down sites in protest, but a number of big Web sites and tech companies, including Google and Wikipedia, expressed their anti-SOPA sentiments yesterday by blacking out or otherwise changing their sites. The widespread opposition to the the controversial antipiracy measures appeared to be having an effect on lawmakers, including senators who are scheduled to vote on their version--dubbed Protect IP Act or PIPA--next Tuesday. Several senators said they were withdrawing their names as co-sponsors or voting against the measure and some representatives also expressed wavering support yesterday. Akamai Updated January 20 at 7:35 a.m. PT with Anonymous using automatic LOIC tool for attacks and January 19 at 5:07 p.m. PT with Akamai reporting Web attack statistics and 4:51 p.m. PT with FBI site downed and DOJ comment, 3:53 p.m. PT with more details and background, 3:19 p.m. PT with more targets and details, and 2:45 p.m. PT with Universal Music and MPAA down and more background and details. ||||| The FBI closed down Megaupload, one of the world's most popular file-sharing websites. Geoffrey Fowler reports on digits. Photo: AP. The Federal Bureau of Investigation shut down one of the world's most popular file-sharing websites as a debate rages in Washington over whether to give the government new powers to crack down on Internet pirates. Authorities claim Megaupload Ltd., based in Hong Kong, and its collection of websites generated more than $175 million in criminal proceeds and caused more than half a billion dollars in harm to copyright owners. Police on Thursday arrested four employees of the company in Auckland, New Zealand, charging them with conspiracy to commit racketeering and criminal copyright infringement. The raid heats up a growing political debate that has pit Internet liberties against copyright enforcement. In response, the Anonymous hacker group said Thursday that it had brought down the U.S. Justice Department's website and several others. Thursday evening, the department said its Web server was experiencing "a significant increase in activity, resulting in a degradation of service." Officials said they were treating it as a malicious act and were investigating. New Zealand authorities arrested MegaUpload founder Kim Dotcom at his own birthday party, Geoffrey Fowler reports on digits. Photo: AP. The FBI's indictment named Kim Dotcom, 37 years old, as the founder and until last year chief executive of Megaupload. He was among the four people arrested Thursday. It wasn't immediately clear if the suspects had retained criminal defense lawyers, and none could be reached Thursday. Ira P. Rothken, a lawyer for Megaupload in Novato, Calif., said "the allegations do not appear to have support in the law, and the company is going to vigorously defend against them." In a post on Megaupload's website before it was taken down, the company wrote that "the vast majority of mega's Internet traffic is legitimate." Megaupload is already engaged in a legal fight with Vivendi SA's Universal Music Group over a promotional video featuring UMG artists Kanye West, Mary J. Blige and others, in which they appear to endorse Megaupload as a way to send large files to specific recipients—not for pirating content. Megaupload sued Vivendi, claiming a "takedown notice" Vivendi served to YouTube demanding that the video be removed constituted "misrepresentation of copyright claims." The case is pending. Representatives for Mr. West and Ms. Blige didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. Sites such as Megaupload, known as cyberlockers, have grown in popularity and shifted the technology and business of stealing content. Cyberlockers—so called because they offer virtual storage homes for files that can be accessed from any device with a Web browser—are often foreign sites that offer a smorgasbord of pirated movies, TV shows, music and e-books that people can download with a few clicks, say media companies, and now account for about half of all online pirate activity. FBI officials said the timing of the arrests was unrelated to the debate over antipiracy legislation known as the Stop Online Piracy Act in the House and Protect IP [Intellectual Property] Act in the Senate. The arrests were done Thursday in large part at the recommendation of the authorities in New Zealand, one official said. The proposed legislation, known as SOPA and PIPA, would stop U.S. companies from providing funding, advertising, links or other assistance to foreign sites involved in piracy, and would give the Justice Department controversial new powers to prevent pirate sites from getting U.S. visitors and funding. Enlarge Image Close European Pressphoto Agency Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom rented this home near Auckland, New Zealand. SOPA and PIPA have riled Internet companies and some users. Much of that controversy came to a head this week, when some of America's most popular websites, such as Wikipedia, protested against the proposed legislation on Wednesday by turning their homepages into virtual protest banners. Following that, the bills lost some support in Congress, where some lawmakers in both parties began backing away from them. Cyberlockers emerged as a big new source of piracy as an older technology, called peer-to-peer file sharing, has slowed down. Peer-to-peer programs split up big media files into many small parts, which people download from multiple locations using special software. But with cyberlockers, pirates upload and share files from a single website, often based outside of the U.S. Enlarge Image Close European Pressphoto Agency Megaupload founder Kim Schmitz, also known as Kim Dotcom, was in custody Friday. With many of the companies behind cyberlockers often based in foreign countries, they "are beyond the reach of what we can do legally unless we want to send our lawyers to Russia," said Maja Thomas, a senior vice president of Hachette Digital, a unit of Lagardere SCA's Hachette Book Group. Megaupload bills itself on its website as a place where people can store large quantities of data, but prosecutors said internal emails and other evidence gathered during the probe show company officials deliberately designed the system around uploading the most popular types of files, which tended to be copyrighted material. The indictment claims Megaupload took in more than $110 million over five years in membership fees and other payments via a PayPal account. It also leased capacity on more than 1,000 servers in North America and another 630 in the Netherlands. The U.S. is moving to seize a great deal of property, including $175 million, or as much of that as they can find, and the funds in dozens of bank accounts. They are also looking to seize some of the perks of the charged executives' lavish lifestyle, including a 2010 Maserati, a 2008 Rolls Royce, and a number of Mercedes Benzes." Officials declined to say if they were eyeing other large cyberlocker sites for similar practices, but one said the Megaupload case should be viewed as a deterrent to anyone who might engage in large-scale illegal file-sharing. Some media companies point the finger at search engines for making it easy for consumers to find the pirated content on the cyberlockers, including Google Inc. A Google spokeswoman said, "When infringing uses of cyberlockers appear in our search results and copyright owners let us know, we promptly remove those links." In 2010, it removed three million links to infringing websites; in 2011, it took down five million. —Erica Orden, Ethan Smith and Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg contributed to this article. Write to Geoffrey A. Fowler at geoffrey.fowler@wsj.com, Devlin Barrett at devlin.barrett@wsj.com and Sam Schechner at sam.schechner@wsj.com

– After yesterday's SOPA protest comes more online piracy fun: The FBI today shut down the file-sharing site Megaupload.com and charged seven people with copyright infringement, reports the Wall Street Journal. Soon after, the hackers of Anonymous sought revenge by taking down the websites of the Justice Department, Universal Music, and the Motion Picture Association of America, reports CNET. Megaupload is a so-called "digital locker" that is "widely used for free downloads of movies and television shows," according to the Los Angeles Times. The site boasted of having 50 million daily visitors and insisted that nearly all of its traffic was legit. The indictment, however, says it has cost copyright holders about $500 million, adding that today's action is "among the largest criminal copyright cases ever brought in the United States."

Since January 17, English-speaking parts of Cameroon have had their internet blocked. Although no official reason has been given, residents of the African country say it's an intentional act by the government, affecting about 20 percent of the population. This apparent crackdown on dissent is affecting people far outside the country's borders, including my own family in Ottawa and Montreal. I am the son of a Cameroonian immigrant, and my family has had to find other ways to reach loved ones in affected areas. Social apps like WhatsApp and Facebook are lifelines between members of the African diaspora. When I was growing up, calling cards were always on our grocery list, until the proliferation of instant messaging and VoIP technologies made them obsolete. Now, we can't access them to reliably check in on our loved ones and see how they're being affected. For people currently inside Cameroon, it's even worse. "We have empty offices all over the city. All tech companies are down," Otto Akama, community manager of a tech hub in the city of Buea, told CNN earlier this month. Without internet access, local businesses are hurting: Internet Sans Frontières has estimated that the shutdown has cost them over $700,000 USD. The first African winner of a Google coding contest, who is a 17-year-old Cameroonian, is among those affected. For now, travel through potentially dangerous areas is the only way to get online. "When there was internet, we had WhatsApp. It's like going back to the Dark Ages" Cameroon's case is different than recent internet outages in countries like Turkey, which faced a social media block in late 2016. With the use of VPN services like TunnelBear, and the addition of dark web links to sites like Facebook, those blocks could be easily circumvented. In Cameroon, if anyone is suspected of traveling with controversial images on their phone and intending to post them once they reach a place with working Wi-Fi, they can have their devices confiscated or worse. But many have not let this stop them. To find out how people are fighting back, I reached out to Benn Bongang, a professor of political science and public affairs at Savannah State University (and former journalist for Radio Cameroon) who recently returned from a visit there. "Someone just sent me an email and she had to go from Limbe to Douala [60 km away] to [get internet access]. She runs a travel agency in Limbe, and she's felt the economic cost," said Bongang. Read More : The City That Was Saved by the Internet Like my own family, he's finding it more difficult to communicate with relatives. "Now, to talk to my sister in Bamenda, I have to go back to the regular telephone. We used to buy calling cards all the time to talk to people back home but [when there was] internet, we had WhatsApp. It's like going back to the Dark Ages." He explained that, for people who can afford it, traveling to the capital city of Yaoundé to buy local sim cards is an option. Out-of-region sims have become lifelines of data access. This method is preferable for people who want to post images of protest, like the ghost towns where businesses are closed as a form of economic resistance. Right now, my family back home in Cameroon is still getting the kids to school and managing to stay mobile in the face of demonstrations. We can still communicate with those who have internet access. They form a bridge to the others, but without an end in sight, it's hard not to be frustrated and fearful. Get six of our favorite Motherboard stories every day by signing up for our newsletter. ||||| Image copyright Nji Collins Gbah The first African winner in Google's annual coding competition is 370km (230 miles) from home, sitting outside his cousins' house in the Cameroonian capital, Yaounde, because the government has cut off his hometown from the internet. As cocks crow in the background, 17-year-old Nji Collins Gbah tells the BBC about the series of complex technical tasks he completed for Google between November and mid-January. Nji had thrown himself into the contest, using knowledge gained from two years of learning how to code, mainly from online sources and books, as well as other skills he was picking up on the fly. The prestigious Google Code-in is open to pre-university students worldwide between the ages of 13 and 17. This year more than 1,300 young people from 62 countries took part. By the time entries closed, Nji had completed 20 tasks, covering all five categories set by Google. One task alone took a whole week to finish. And then just a day after the deadline for final submissions, the internet went dead. Nji lives in Bamenda in Cameroon's North-West, a journey of about seven hours by road from the capital (according to Google). It is an English-speaking region where there are long-held grievances about discrimination and what people see as the Francophone establishment's failure to respect the status of English as an official language of Cameroon. In recent months, disgruntlement has escalated into street protests and strikes by lawyers and teachers. Image caption North-West and South-West are Cameroon's two English-speaking regions The authorities have responded with scores of arrests and a text-message campaign warning people of long jail terms for "spreading false news" or "malicious use of social media". Cutting off the internet, an act still unacknowledged by the government, is seen by rights activists as both punishment and a blunt tool for holding back dissent. Read more: Why has Cameroon blocked the internet? Cameroon's victorious footballers mock minister For an ambitious, tech-savvy though outwardly unpolitical teenager like Nji, whose school was already closed because of the protests, living without the internet was unthinkable. As it was becoming clear that the outage was more than temporary, Nji received some unexpected news - he had been chosen as one of Google's 34 grand prize winners. "I was really, really amazed," he says. "It meant my hard work writing a lot of code had really paid off." But a champion coder without the internet will not stay on top of his game for long. Hence the trip to Yaounde. "I wanted to get a connection so I could continue studying and keep in touch with Google," says Nji. Image copyright Nji Collins Gbah In due course, he hopes to finish school back in Bamenda, and then study computer science at a good university. As part of his prize from Google, Nji will spend four days in June at the tech giant's Silicon Valley headquarters, meeting its top engineers and gaining insight into one of the world's most successful enterprises. "Hopefully I would like to work there one day, if that is possible," he says. At the moment, Nji says he is hard at work building his knowledge of artificial intelligence, neural networks and deep learning. "I'm trying to develop my own model for data compression, using deep learning and machine learning," he says. His eventual goal is a "huge step" forward in capabilities for data transfer and storage. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Nji is looking forward to visiting Google's Silicon Valley HQ in the summer, as part of his prize In a few days, Nji will turn 18, having already won international recognition for his achievements. He admits to having gone back through previous years' Code-in prize announcements to double-check he was the first African winner. When I ask, he says he has received congratulations from "a lot of friends and family and some people I don't really know". Has anyone from the government been in touch? "No, no-one," he says. Back in Bamenda, a city of 500,000 and home to one of the continent's brightest young technologists, they wonder when the government will plug the internet back in. ||||| (CNN) A crippling Internet shutdown is entering a third week in the English-speaking region of Cameroon. The government suspended services for Southwest and Northwest province after a series of protests that resulted in violence and the arrest of community leaders. The shutdown has proved particularly damaging in the city of Buea, the capital of Southwest that has been lauded as Cameroon's " Silicon Mountain ," where dozens of successful start-ups have been launched. "(The ban) has affected us very badly," says Otto Akama, community manager of Activspaces , a tech hub and incubator that serves many of the city's young entrepreneurs. "We have empty offices all over the city. All tech companies are down. Most banks are down and ATM machines are not working so people don't have access to cash." With no resolution in sight, conditions are likely to deteriorate further. Demonstration on November 9 in the town of Kumba in Cameroon's anglophone Southwest province. Survival mode The shutdown is occurring at the worst possible time, says Akama, as fledgling companies struggle to scale up. "January is the month when businesses start employing new strategies (and) this will kill energy in many companies," he says. "The cash-flow issue might lead to poverty in the next weeks if this does not stop." Entrepreneurs are having to adapt to survive now. Akama makes a two-hour commute to work in the French-speaking city of Douala. Others stay in hotels or offices. ActivSpaces is playing a supportive role during this crisis, offering free office space to tech workers and fundraising to cover their hotel bills. But the company cannot maintain this arrangement much longer, and Akama fears that hard-earned gains could be lost. "People have taken the last seven years to build the Silicon Mountain community with their bare hands and no government support" he says. "But the government's one move is about to crush all that. It is so frustrating." Leading entrepreneurs will soon flee Cameroon, he believes, and the nation will be poorer for their loss. Cameroon's Ministry of Communications did not respond to a CNN request for comment, and has made no statement on the shutdown. A divided country The current crisis has deep roots. Residents of Cameroon's two English-speaking provinces have longstanding grievances against the largely-francophone central government, complaining of economic marginalization and the imposition of French legal and education systems upon them. "We have problems with water, roads and healthcare not being delivered," says Edna Njilin, secretary general of the opposition Cameroon People's Party. "We don't want our teachers delivering lessons in French." In November and December 2016, anglophone lawyers led protests against the use of French in courts that resulted in clashes with police in which protesters were killed The Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium (CACSC) and Southern Cameroons National Council (SCNC), two influential activist groups, responded with a series of strikes and "Operation Ghost Town" -- an instruction to all supporters to stay at home as a mode of nonviolent resistance. On January 17, the government banned both groups, holding them responsible for the protests. The CACSC President Nkongho Felix Agbor-Balla and Secretary General Dr. Fontem Neba were arrested on charges relating to terrorism , according to state media. "The groups...are declared null and void for their purpose and activities which are contrary to the Constitution and liable to jeopardize the security of the State, territorial unity and national integration," the Ministry of Territorial Administration announced. This crackdown was answered with more protests in anglophone regions, and Internet service was promptly suspended there. Backlash The shutdown appears to have emboldened rather than crushed dissent. The hashtag #BringBackOurInternet spread rapidly in Cameroon and beyond, with Edward Snowden among the high-profile supporters. Many users shared menacing text messages from the Cameroon government warning them of imprisonment for sharing misinformation. This is the future of repression. If we do not fight it there, it will happen here. #KeepItOn #BringBackOurInternet https://t.co/UCzV1kN2Wx pic.twitter.com/uwzy8uhtpi — Edward Snowden (@Snowden) January 25, 2017 The campaign also attracted the support of campaign groups such as Internet sans Frontieres (ISF), which has been seeking to quantify the economic damage. "We receive daily reports from people who cannot receive money from abroad," says Julie Owono, head of the Africa desk at ISF. "There are transactions that are blocked, customer orders that cannot go through...and if money does not transfer someone has to pay charges." The group conservatively estimates that businesses in the anglophone provinces have lost over $700,000 during the shutdown so far. Disturbing trend This episode highlights a disturbing trend of governments using Internet shutdowns for political purposes, according to Owono. "This is unfortunately not a surprise as two neighboring countries -- Chad and Gabon -- both resorted to this radical solution to suppress opposition during elections," she says. Egypt, Sudan, Niger, and the Democratic Republic of Congo have also cut access in recent years. ISF has sent an open letter to the Cameroon government demanding the restoration of Internet services. The letter cites a recent United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution against shutdowns, and stresses the economic damage being caused. In a high-profile speech last year, President Paul Biya hailed the "Android generation" and Cameroon's rising digital economy. "I urge the entire nation to resolutely mobilize and support the numerous initiatives undertaken by our youths in this area," he said. "It is through such collective commitment that we will be able to rise to the challenge of digital transition." But while the anglophone provinces remains offline, this vision of a united and prosperous future is in jeopardy. ||||| English-speaking regions of Cameroon have now been without the internet for more than a week after Anglophone teachers, lawyers and students went on strike over alleged bias in favour of Francophones. Wednesday marks the eighth day since the authorities ordered the country's telecommunications providers to shut off internet connections to the regions of Northwest and Southwest. Al Jazeera contacted Communications Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary, the country's minister of communications, who pledged to comment on the situation but he has yet to do so. The internet blackout came after the government outlawed at least two Anglophone groups - Southern Cameroons National Council and the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium - and arrested some of their leaders. The groups had been pushing for so-called Ghost Town actions, in which they urge members of the public to stay at home and shops and businesses to shut. The aim is to peacefully protest against what activists call the marginalisation of the English-speaking regions by government imposing the French language on their schools and courts. The towns of Bamenda, Yuku, Nkambe and Buea came to a standstill on January 9, according to pictures and videos posted online. Using hashtag Bring-Back-Our-Internet, many on social media expressed their outrage at the government's response to the protest. #Cameroon govt blocked all internet access in English-Speaking regions Join us in telling them to #BringBackOurInternet #KeepItOn Pls RT — Rebecca Enonchong (@africatechie) January 22, 2017 Protests in the Anglophone regions have been going on for years, but intensified late last year when protests turned violent. Anglophone teachers, lawyers and students have been on strike since early December with many urging peaceful protests to call for the establishment of a two-state federation. On Monday, Cameroonian President Paul Biya reportedly signed a decree establishing the National Commission of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism in the country. Activists, however, rejected the measure saying their strikes and protests are about more than language. The discontent Areas controlled by Britain and France joined to form Cameroon after the colonial powers withdrew in the 1960s. As a result, the country now has 10 semi-autonomous administrative regions; eight are Francophone, while the Northwest and Southwest regions are home to approximately five million English-speakers. Anglophones in the country have long complained that they face discrimination, saying that they are excluded from state jobs as a result of their limited French language skills. They also complain that official documents are often only published in French, even though English is also an official language. READ MORE: Cameroon teachers, lawyers strike in battle for English There are issues in the judicial sector as well. The country's legal system is largely based on French civil law, but English-speaking regions still operate under the English common law. Cameroonian lawyers say that the government is sending French-educated civil law judges who do not understand English common law to their courts. Anglophone Cameroonians believe that only a complete overhaul of the administrative departments in the country and an inclusive federal constitution can end their woes. Cameroon had adopted a federal government system in the 1960s but this system was later dropped after a referendum. ||||| GENEVA (10 February 2017) – A United Nations expert has called on the Government of Cameroon to restore internet services to predominantly English-speaking parts of the country which have been cut off in “an appalling violation of their right to freedom of expression.” “I am particularly concerned at the tightening of the space for free speech at a time where its promotion and protection should be of the utmost importance,” said the Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, David Kaye. His call follows reports that Cameroonians in the northwest and southwest regions, which are predominantly English speaking, have been unable to connect to the internet since 17 January. It also comes against a background of widespread protests against government policies which have reportedly marginalized the country’s English-speaking population. Cameroon has two official languages: French and English. But English speakers have long reported that they face discrimination and marginalization, and are excluded from top civil service positions and public services. They also complain their access to justice is limited because the majority of legislation and judicial proceedings are in French. “A network shutdown of this scale violates international law – it not only suppresses public debate, but also deprives Cameroonians of access to essential services and basic resources,” said Mr. Kaye, urging the government to restore internet facilities immediately. In 2016, the Human Rights Council passed a resolution which unequivocally condemned measures to intentionally prevent or disrupt access to or dissemination of information online in violation of international human rights law, and called on all States to refrain from and cease such measures. This followed the 2015 Joint Declaration of UN and regional experts in the field of freedom of expression, which stated that network shutdowns or internet ‘kill switches’ are measures which can ‘never be justified under human rights law’. The UN Special Rapporteur will continue to monitor developments in Cameroon closely, and is at the disposal of the authorities to provide assistance or advice as required. Mr. David Kaye (USA) was appointed as Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression in August 2014 by the United Nations Human Rights Council. As Special Rapporteur, Mr. Kaye is part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity. UN Human Rights, country page: Cameroon For more information and media requests please contact Ms. Azin Tadjdini (+41 22 917 9400 / atadjdini@ohchr.org) or write to freedex@ohchr.org. For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts: Xabier Celaya, OHCHR Media Unit (+ 41 22 917 9383 / xcelaya@ohchr.org) Tag and share - Twitter: @UNHumanRights and Facebook: unitednationshumanrights ||||| Now, sub-Saharan African governments are increasingly employing the tactic: Blackouts have grown most rapidly in the past two years, researchers say. In recent months, governments in several countries have turned off internet access during elections when violence broke out or was merely expected. Photo In December in Gambia, the president at the time, Yahya Jammeh, a ruthless leader known for human rights abuses, shut off internet services and blocked international cellphone calls as votes were cast in a presidential election that eventually ousted him from office. In Gabon, officials cited security concerns for an internet blackout during presidential elections that prompted deadly demonstrations after the vote was considered by observers to be fraudulent. And in the Republic of Congo, internet access was blocked, television networks switched off and the nation’s main airport closed during an election that spurred violence. Government officials were accused of using airstrikes on opposition forces. Elsewhere on the continent, Ethiopia has shut down some social media sites and internet services after demonstrations. In Zimbabwe, after protests over the travails of daily life, officials raised prices on cellphone data, a move widely seen as an effort to curb the use of social media. Lawmakers also pushed measures to allow the police to intercept data and seize electronics like laptops and cellphones, levying charges of terrorism for misuse. The Democratic Republic of Congo has blocked social media sites and text messaging amid demonstrations over the president’s attempts to extend his tenure in office. Freedom House, an American watchdog organization, said in its annual Freedom on the Net survey of 65 countries that 24 nations experienced restrictions on social media and communications last year, up from 15 countries the previous year. Network shutdowns occurred in 15 countries last year, more than double that in 2015, the survey found. Mai Truong, program manager for the survey, said, “It’s a strategy that the authorities are increasingly turning to as a method of controlling both the information landscape and citizens’ ability to mobilize, in recognition of the fact that the internet has become a fundamental tool for people to realize their rights and participate meaningfully in society.” Advertisement Continue reading the main story The United Nations Human Rights Council last year condemned the practice of intentionally preventing or disrupting access to information on the internet, saying access was a fundamental human right. Network blackouts also have economic consequences. Many residents of some regions of Africa where joblessness is soaring are increasingly using online or mobile transfers to receive money from relatives in urban areas or abroad. If the internet is shut off, users cannot use Wi-Fi to transfer cash and must pay for mobile data to go online. The cost is prohibitive for many people. Between July 1, 2015, and June 30, 2016, 81 short-term internet shutdowns in 19 countries cost at least $2.4 billion in gross domestic product globally, according to Darrell M. West, founding director of the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution. Photo “As the digital economy expands, it will become even more expensive for nations to shut down the internet,” he wrote in an October analysis. “Without coordinated action by the international community, this damage is likely to accelerate in the future and further weaken global economic development.” Mr. West estimated that the election-time shutdown last year in the Republic of Congo alone dealt an $72 million hit to the economy of the struggling nation. Cameroon’s continuing internet blackout affects only English-speaking regions of the country. It followed weeks of protests from lawyers, teachers and other residents in those areas who have been agitating for better treatment from the French-speaking government, which they say has long marginalized their communities. Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. Before independence in the early 1960s, Cameroon was colonized by the French and the British. The Constitution allows protections for both languages, but Francophones rule the government. Most official documents are offered in French and not translated, evidence that Anglophones cite as proof of their marginalization. Some demonstrations in English-speaking areas have turned violent, and security forces have fired on protesters. The blackout has attracted attention from Edward J. Snowden, the former intelligence contractor who revealed extensive surveillance and data collection programs operated by the National Security Agency. He recently criticized Cameroon’s government on Twitter, saying, “This is the future of repression.” A hashtag #BringBackOurInternet has been circulating. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Yet the shutdown is a stopgap measure until another filtering system can get up and running, said one diplomat with knowledge of operations in the region, who declined to be identified because of continuing tensions there. The government is buying technology from Chinese companies that will allow officials to filter websites in the same fashion that the Chinese government has long employed to control content. Still, the blackout could have political ramifications for Cameroon’s government. Bankers have largely stayed apolitical over the more than three decades since President Paul Biya has been in office. But as the shutdown starts to hurt their business, they could become a potent adversary, analysts fear. Photo The blockage has also made it difficult for local journalists to report on what is widely viewed as an overly harsh government response to the demonstrations. Before the internet went dark, some cellphone users received ominous messages from officials. “Dear subscriber,” one message the government circulated on WhatsApp warned. “You incur six months to two years imprisonment and 5 to 10 million fine if you publish or spread on the social media information that you can’t prove.” Another message read, “Do not be an accomplice of disinformation or destabilization of our country through the social media.” Some citizens in blackout areas have come up with clever ways to get around the shutdown. Cellphone users type out messages and then pay drivers who gather garbage bags full of phones and take them outside the blackout boundaries. After crossing into an area where the network is up and running, they hit the send button on each phone. Since the blackout, Henry Boh has not been able to send money to Bamenda in the northwest, where his brother needs cash to take his nephew to the hospital for treatment. “This is a clear sign that the government of Yaoundé doesn’t listen to its people’s voices,” said Mr. Boh, who lives in Yaoundé, the nation’s capital. Mr. Boh said the shutdown further proved the Anglophone protesters’ point that the government mistreated them. In the nation’s Far North region where Islamic militants from Boko Haram wage deadly attacks, they say, the internet is operational. Advertisement Continue reading the main story “The government respects Boko Haram more than us,” Mr. Boh said.

– Large swaths of the African nation of Cameroon have been cut off from the internet for a nearly a month now—and it's a punishment, not a tech glitch. The government ordered telecom companies to block access to regions in the southwest and northwest on Jan. 17 following protests, putting about 20% of the nation off-line. Here's what's happening: The regions affected are predominantly English-speaking, and the move came after groups staged protests over what they claim is government bias against them. Most of the nation speaks French. Al Jazeera has the background on the growing animosity over the issue. One of those affected is 17-year-old Nji Collins Gbah, one of 34 winners of Google's Code-in competition for teens worldwide. Gbah is Africa's first winner, but he lives in the northwest city of Bamenda, where the internet is now dead. He's had to travel seven hours to the capital city Yaounde for a connection. His full story is at the BBC. Shutting off the internet is an increasingly common practice by governments across Africa, reports the New York Times. Gambia, the Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, and Egypt made similar moves before Cameroon. At Motherboard, a blogger in Canada writes that he is scrambling to communicate with his relatives in Cameroon. "Social apps like WhatsApp and Facebook are lifelines between members of the African diaspora." Read the piece here. The blackout is particularly painful in the southwest city of Buea, which is nicknamed Cameroon's "Silicon Mountain" and has spawned dozens of startups. Tech companies are reeling, and critics fear that entrepreneurs will be forced to leave the country, reports CNN. A UN human rights official calls the shutdown an "appalling violation of their right to freedom of expression." Read the post here.

Tweet with a location You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| Tweet with a location You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| Tweet with a location You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| Tweet with a location You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| As finals week approaches and students try to learn a semester's worth of information in a few days, it’s likely many will have the inclination to weep. But with campus libraries teeming with students, it can be tricky to locate a private space to shed a tear. A student at the University of Utah has invented a solution to the pressure of finals week, which begins at the college today: a library “cry closet.” Nemo Miller, a senior in the fine arts program, installed the closet in Utah's library Sunday. The installation will remain in the library until finals week ends May 2, spokeswoman Jana Cunningham said in an interview. Miller was profiled as a Human of the U last week. The closet went viral on Twitter after its announcement. Miller was unavailable for an interview, as she was studying for finals, but she expressed excitement about the reception to her work on Twitter and provided a statement Wednesday: "I am interested in humanity and the inherent complexities of the human condition. In my work, I reflect on my experiences and explore what it means to be human. One aspect of humanity that I am currently exploring is connections and missed connections through communication. It’s been interesting to watch the response to this piece about human emotions, and I’m proud to see the power of art in action.” The installation, called Safe Place for Stressed Out Students Otherwise Known as The Cry Closet, has five rules: Knock before entering, only one person in the closet at a time, limit your time in the closet to no more than 10 minutes, turn lights and timer off before leaving, and use the hashtag #cryclosetuofu if posting on social media. Students are encouraged to use the closet, Cunningham said. "You can cry, scream, look your phone and decompress, and hopefully you come out feeling a little better in this crazy week of finals," Cunningham said. ||||| Tweet with a location You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more

– Students cramming for finals week at the University of Utah can let off a little steam in the "cry closet." Art student Nemo Miller installed the Safe Place for Stressed Out Students Otherwise Known as The Cry Closet in the university library Sunday, posting five rules including a time limit of 10 minutes and an occupant limit of one along with the request, "Knock before entering." Students were also asked to use the hashtag #cryclosetuofu if posting on social media about the installation, which will remain at the library until finals week ends May 2. Inside Higher Ed has a picture of the rules. A quick peek at the hashtag on Twitter shows some were incredulous about the closet: "LMFAOOOOOOOOO what is higher education," one person posted; another wrote, "When you’re thinking this is just one of those made up viral things on Twitter then realize it’s at your school..." But others were supportive. "I really love the idea of the #cryclosetuofu because college is stressful. I'm an educator & that sounds like an amazing idea for the elementary/high school level too," wrote one person. Added another, "The #cryclosetuofu is, in fact, the kind of thing you learn to use in therapy. All these people say 'get help instead' but my therapist told me to schedule in worry/cry times into the day. Like 'I’ll let myself break down for 10 minutes at 3:00 and then move on.'"

Nomophobia A lot of people with cell phones have experienced the churning sensation in their stomachs when they realize they’ve lost their phone. For most, it is easy enough to get another and move on, but for others, losing their phone or not having reception truly is a reason for panic. Nomophobia is an overwhelming fear of being out of contact through mobile phone which causes physical side effects such as panic attack, shortness of breath, dizziness, trembling, sweating, accelerated heart rate, chest pain and nausea. Nomophobia is a relatively new phenomena with a study in the UK concluding that 53 percent of cell phone users will suffer from nomophobia. Some people can get by their phobias easily, like with fear of rats (since they are easily avoidable), but for those who fear being disconnected more than anything, it could be time to seek professional help. Symptoms of Nomophobia If losing a cell phone or cell phone reception causes negative physical symptoms, or one never turns off their phone One recognizes that a panic attack is an overreaction to lack of reception or a dead battery Obsessively making sure that one has their cell phone or mobile device Worry about losing one’s phone is constantly present despite it being in a secure place Phobia has persisted over a significant length of time and is affecting one’s health or everyday life Treatment of Nomophobia Treatments for phobias can be approached from several different angles such as exposure therapy or medications to treat the worst of the phobia. Using the exposure therapy method slowly exposes the person with their phobia first through the mind in therapy sessions and then in real life situations. For someone afraid of losing their phone, a therapist might ask them to be without it for a certain period of time. Personalized solutions are also possible. People with nomophobia can try self-help methods to deal with the worst of the symptoms. Getting informed about nomophobia is the first step in overcoming the fear of disconnection. Learning to keep negative thoughts at bay is also helpful as a negative train of thought can invoke the phobia. Lastly, practicing relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, yoga and muscle relaxation can help you deal with the emotional and physical symptoms of a severe phobia. The development of nomophobia should not come as a surprise, it is simply an extention of the human need for connection. In these modern times of social media, high speed internet and laptops, people feel more connected than ever. However, it is important to be at peace with disconnection as well. Phobia treatment professionals are out there. Getting informed was the first step, next it is important to find a professional who knows how to lead you down the path of recovery. View Resources ||||| A man talks on a cell phone at Cannes, circa 2005. A recent online survey says nomophobia, the fear of being without a cell phone, is on the rise. (Patricia Williams / Los Angeles Times) Do you feel anxious if your cellphone isn't nearby? Does just the thought of losing your phone make your heart pound? Do you keep an extra phone on hand, just in case your primary phone breaks? Do you sometimes take it to bed with you? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you may be a nomophobe, and you are not alone. Nomophobia -- the fear of being without your cellphone -- is on the rise, according to a new report sponsored by SecurEnvoy, a company that specializes in digital passwords. Using the online polling service OnePull, SecurEnvoy found that 66% of the 1,000 people surveyed in the United Kingdom say they fear losing or being without their phone. Just four years ago a similar survey found that only 53% of people suffered from nomophobia (no-mobile-phobia). Back then, men were more likely to fear being without their phones, but today women are more concerned about being disconnected. SecurEnvoy's study found that 70% of female respondents fear losing their phones, compared with 61% of male respondants. However, men are more likely to have two phones than women, which may account for that discrepancy. People 18-24 tend to be the most nomophobic (77%), followed by people aged 25-34 (68%). The third most nomophobic group is 55 and older. Is there a cure for nomophobia? According to the website allaboutcounseling.com, nomophobes can be treated by exposure therapy. First a person can start imagining what it would be like to be without a phone. And then maybe spend small amounts of time away from the phone. But if it's really bad, you might consider medication. ALSO: The fight against robo-calls continues Smartphone apps dial up privacy worries Beam, the smartphone compatible toothbrush -- Deborah Netburn

– You cell phone is ... where again? If that question fills you with panic, you may be a nomophobe—someone who fears being without a cell phone, the Los Angeles Times reports. Odd as it may seem, two thirds of 1,000 people polled in a British survey say they feared being phoneless, up from 53% four years ago. Those aged 18-24 had it worst (77%) followed by 25-34's (68%). Women were 9% more likely to be nomophobic, perhaps because men more often carry a second cell phone. Signs of nomophobia (no-mobile-phobia) include trembling, sweating, and nausea when a cell phone is out of reach, according to AllAboutCounseling.com. Obsessively checking for your cell or worrying about it when it's in a safe place are also signs. Phobia therapists have treatments, thankfully, such as going phoneless for a time, avoiding negative thoughts, and trying breathing techniques or yoga. If you fear a sense of disconnection more than anything, the site says, it may be time to seek help.

How old are you? If you ask Microsoft, chances are you're probably 36 or something. Microsoft has introduced a new website called How-Old.net that guesses your age. Besides being an innovative piece of technology, it's also just a fun way for people to waste time trying to outsmart a computer. The way it works is you upload of photo of yourself, or your friend, or maybe Taylor Swift or some other celebrity you like, and the site uses facial recognition and other data to make an intelligent guess of your age and gender. Sometimes the site gets it right, but most of the time it errs on either the extremely flattering or ridiculously overshoots the user's age — and people on Twitter are having endless amounts of fun posting their results. Remember that age is just a number, Internet. ||||| Tweet with a location You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| Head over to Microsoft’s how-old.net, upload a photo of yourself, and the site will spit out a prediction for how old you are—as well as your gender. Did it guess right? Probably not. But that doesn’t mean it’s not fun. The website is powered by Microsoft’s new Face API, launched this week at the company’s annual Build Developer Conference. The Face API gives developers the ability to analyze an image, detect faces, and then to complete more complex tasks, like identifying whether two faces are the same, or finding other similar faces from a database. Advertisement How Old Do I Look is meant mostly as an illustration of some of the possibilities of the tool—obviously, there is additional coding involved here. It’s using a database of faces with known gender and ages to try to determine how old people are. We tried out the website with lots of different images of ourselves and others, and while sometimes its prediction is close, the How Old Do I Look app isn’t what anyone could reasonably consider remotely accurate. In fairness, they developed the whole thing in just a day, so we should maybe cut them a little slack. Real age: 116 real age: 21 It’s fun! Check it out and post your results below! Oh, and if this kind of technology creeps you out, remember—companies only ever show us a fraction of what they’ve developed. [How Old Do I Look? and TechNet via @alyssabereznak] ||||| We've detected that JavaScript is disabled in your browser. Would you like to proceed to legacy Twitter? Yes ||||| We've detected that JavaScript is disabled in your browser. Would you like to proceed to legacy Twitter? Yes ||||| If there’s one thing Microsoft’s new web toy “How Old Do I Look?” is good for, it’s exploiting our collective narcissism to build a robust facial recognition database. But if it’s good for a second thing, it’d have to be answering the open question of how old alleged celebrity teenager Lorde really is. The Lorde Age Truther movement first emerged more than a year ago, pointing to evidence like the time Lorde accidentally said “when I was a teenager” and then corrected herself, a lyric about being “kinda older,” and photographs of Lorde’s face. It’s since been joked about on South Park and by Lorde herself. The Hairpin even obtained a printout of Lorde’s New Zealand birth certificate, showing she was 17, but such things can be easily forged. But amateur Lorde researchers have always lacked a smoking gun, some kind of scientific proof that Lorde is a middle-aged woman claiming to be a teenager. We ran a variety of Lorde photos, with and without makeup, through “How Old Do I Look?” to see if Microsoft would give it to them: Conclusion: Sorry, truthers. Lorde could be in her 30s at the oldest, but is mostly likely a teen in adult makeup. [Photos: Getty Images, Lorde/Instagram] ||||| If Microsoft is to be believed, I am a 23-year-old man, married to a 66-year-old man with a two-year-old daughter and a 42-year-old mother-in-law. Aside from the fact that this is a biological impossibility, it is also entirely wrong on almost every aspect. The suggestion above is based on results from a new experiment launched by Microsoft at its Build conference in San Francisco on Thursday, 30 April. The truth is that I am a 35-year-old man married to a 33-year-old woman with a 7-month-old son and a [redacted]-year-old mother-in-law. Microsoft's How-old.net uses the company's face detection technology in collaboration with machine learning through its Azure cloud infrastructure to try and accurately guess the gender and age of people in photographs uploaded to the website. I tested the system with a number of pictures of myself and while some were right on the money (above), others had be rolling back the years to my early 20s. Constantly learning The system was built in just a couple of days and when the developers at Microsoft sent out a few emails to ask people to test it, they hoped for at best 50 responses. In fact the test grabbed people's attention in a big way and within a few hours over 35,000 people had tested the system with over half of those using it uploading their photos of themselves - something which the developers didn't think would happen at all. The robot - as Microsoft calls the project - is constantly looking online for more photos to analyse in order to improve its recognition algorithms which would suggest that with time, the service will improve. Looking at the what people have shared on Twitter, the results have varied wildly from entirely accurate to completely wrong. It has recognised a plastic doll as a four year old girl, said that a zombie is 87-years-old and said that Alf doesn't have a face. My favourite outcome however comes from Scottish comedian Brian "Limmy" Limond:

– Because Microsoft doesn't want us to get any work done, the company has launched a new website that uses facial recognition technology to scan a photo and guess a person's age and gender, Mashable reports. How-Old.net makes use of Microsoft's new Face API, which debuted at this week's Build Developer Conference. Gizmodo reports the site was built in one day, and people are frittering away nearly that much time on it, age-exposing (or age-shaming, in some cases) their own photos or those of famous entities such as Vladimir Putin, Yoda, and Ronald McDonald. Its accuracy (or lack thereof) is being poked fun of all over the Internet (one International Business Times writer says the site identified his 33-year-old wife as a 66-year-old man), but it's an entertaining way to kick off the weekend, at any rate. If you can't bear to watch Microsoft age you half a century, head over to the #HowOldRobot hashtag on Twitter to see what fun others are having assigning ridiculous age designations to celebrities, politicians, and inanimate objects with faces. Or check out Gawker's valiant attempt to appease Lorde Truthers by trying to figure out how old the singer really is.

Il frate cappuccino autore del contestato discorso in San Pietro Padre Cantalamessa: chiedo scusa Il Papa non conosceva la mia predica «Avevo intenzioni amichevoli, non volevo urtare la sensibilità di nessuno» CITTÀ DEL VATICANO — Padre, che cosa direbbe agli ebrei che si sono indignati e hanno parlato di paragone «improprio», o anche «ripugnante e osceno», tra l'antisemitismo e gli attacchi alla Chiesa sui pedofili? «Se, contro ogni mia intenzione, ho urtato la sensibilità degli ebrei e delle vittime della pedofilia, ne sono sinceramente rammaricato e ne chiedo scusa, riaffermando la mia solidarietà con gli uni e con gli altri». Padre Raniero Cantalamessa, il giorno dopo, è fuori Roma. Al telefono la voce è serena come sempre, ma è rimasto colpito da tutto ciò che è accaduto nelle ultime ore. Frate cappuccino, trent’anni fa è divenuto predicatore della Casa pontificia dopo gli studi di teologia a Friburgo e lettere classiche alla Cattolica. Uomo di fede e cultura, è un profondo conoscitore del cristianesimo delle origini, dei rapporti e dei problemi bimillenari col mondo ebraico. «Io credo che si debba dire della Shoah ciò che Macbeth grida a se stesso dopo aver ucciso il suo re: "Le acque di tutti i fiumi della terra non basteranno a lavare questo sangue"». Non temeva che quel riferimento all'antisemitismo, di Venerdì Santo, potesse creare problemi? «Una cosa devo precisare: il Papa non solo non ha ispirato, ma, come tutti gli altri, ha ascoltato per la prima volta le mie parole durante la liturgia in San Pietro. Mai qualcuno del Vaticano ha preteso di leggere in anticipo il testo delle mie prediche, cosa che ritengo un grande atto di fiducia in me e nei media». «Contro ogni mia intenzione», diceva. Qual era la sua intenzione? «Quest’anno la Pasqua ebraica cade nella stessa settimana di quella cristiana. Questo ha fatto nascere in me, prima ancora di ricevere la lettera dell’amico ebreo, il desiderio di far giungere ad essi un saluto da parte dei cristiani, proprio dal contesto del Venerdì Santo che è stato sempre purtroppo un’occasione di contrasto e, per loro, di comprensibile sofferenza...». E la lettera? «Ho inserito la lettera dell’amico ebreo solo perché mi sembrava una testimonianza di solidarietà nei confronti del Papa così duramente attaccato in questi tempi. La mia era dunque un’intenzione amichevole, tutt’altro che ostile». Tra l’altro: può dire il nome del suo amico ebreo? «L’amico ebreo, un italiano molto legato alla sua religione, nella sua lettera mi autorizzava a dire anche il suo nome. Sono io che ho ritenuto opportuno non coinvolgerlo direttamente, e tanto più lo ritengo ora». Resta il fatto che lei ha toccato un punto delicatissimo... «Mi dispiace sinceramente di aver urtato la sensibilità degli amici ebrei. Se avessi lontanamente immaginato di innescare questa polemica con essi, mai avrei resa nota la lettera di quell’amico ebreo. Credo che almeno gli ebrei italiani conoscano i miei sentimenti di amicizia più volte espressi nei loro confronti, dallo stesso pulpito di San Pietro. Un’intera predica del Venerdì Santo, nel ’98, la dedicai a mettere in luce le radici storiche dell’antisemitismo cristiano. Qualcuno, penso, la ricorderà perché ebbe larga eco anche in alcune riviste ebraiche». Ciò che ha creato sconcerto è l’associazione: crede si possano paragonare le persecuzioni contro gli ebrei e gli attacchi alla Chiesa e al Papa per i crimini dei preti pedofili? «No, non penso affatto che si possano paragonare antisemitismo e attacchi alla Chiesa di questi giorni e credo che neppure l’amico ebreo intendesse farlo. Egli non si riferisce all’antisemitismo della Shoah: intendeva — e mi pare che lo dica chiaramente—"l’uso dello stereotipo e il facile passaggio dalla colpa individuale a quella collettiva", cioè l’antisemitismo come fatto di cultura, più che come effettiva persecuzione. Ma questo— che cioè si sia in presenza di un diffuso "anticristianesimo" nella nostra società occidentale— non mi sembra che egli sia il solo e il primo a pensarlo». C’è chi si è stupito perché nell’omelia, con tutto quello che sta accadendo, lei si è soffermato sulla violenza contro le donne. «In una fase acuta dello scandalo della pedofilia, qualcuno forse ricorderà, perché la cosa ebbe una certa risonanza nei media, che dedicai al tema un discorso alla Casa Pontificia nel quale bollavo questa piaga con parole durissime e chiedevo alla Chiesa di dedicare un giorno di penitenza e di preghiera per solidarietà verso le vittime. Nello stesso discorso del Venerdì Santo, del resto, parlavo anche della violenza sui bambini di cui "si sono sciaguratamente macchiati non pochi membri del clero". Ma pochi, evidentemente, hanno sentito il bisogno di leggere il testo». ||||| VATICAN CITY | VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict's personal preacher apologized to Jews on Sunday after he compared attacks on the Church and the pope over a sexual abuse scandal to "collective violence" against Jews throughout history. "If -- and it was not my intention to do so -- I hurt the sensitivities of Jews and victims of pedophilia, I am truly sorry and I ask for forgiveness," Father Raniero Cantalamessa said in an interview with Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper. He also said the pope was not aware of his remarks and that the pontiff heard them for the first time along with everyone else in St. Peter's Basilica on Good Friday. "Not only did the pope not inspire me but, like everyone else, heard my words for the first time like everyone else during the liturgy in the basilica," he said. Cantalamessa, speaking with the pope sitting nearby, said Jews throughout history had been the victims of "collective violence" and drew comparisons between Jewish suffering and attacks on the Church. "The use of stereotypes, the shifting of personal responsibility and guilt to a collective guilt remind me of the most shameful aspects of anti-Semitism," Cantalamessa quoted from a letter he said he had received from a Jewish friend. A Vatican spokesman later said the comparison "is absolutely not the line of the Vatican and of the Catholic Church." Jewish groups around the world have reacted with shock to the comments, using words like repugnant, obscene, and offensive to describe the sermon. Rome's chief rabbi, Riccardo Di Segni said the remarks were particularly insensitive because they were made on the day that for centuries Christians prayed for the conversion of the Jews, who were once held collectively responsible for Jesus' death. (Editing by Jon Hemming) ||||| Pope Benedict XVI has surrounded himself with a small group of men he feels he can trust, but he acts very much on his own. That isolation and shunning of advice have frequently created problems and are increasingly under scrutiny as the clerical sex scandal inches closer to him. Pope Benedict XVI celebrates a service in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Friday, April 2, 2010. Pilgrims and tourists flocked to the Vatican ahead of Good Friday ceremonies as the Catholic church... (Associated Press) Pope Benedict XVI, at center, followed by Bishop Guido Marini, walks with a candle during the Easter Vigil Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Saturday, April 3, 2010. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito) (Associated Press) Pope Benedict XVI, at right, uncovers a crucifix draped in red during a service in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Friday, April 2, 2010. Pilgrims and tourists flocked to the Vatican ahead of Good... (Associated Press) Early on in his 5-year-old papacy, Benedict provoked a furious reaction from Muslims when he linked the Prophet Muhammad to violence in a speech Vatican officials said he wrote himself. Then he enraged Jews for the "unforeseen mishap" of being unaware that a bishop whose excommunication he lifted was a Holocaust-denier. The pope similarly is unlikely to have known that his personal preacher, during a solemn Good Friday sermon, would compare the uproar over the church's sex abuse scandal to persecution of Jews. Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi _ who has frequently had to put out these fires _ said Saturday that such a comparison was not the line of the Vatican, the Catholic Church or even the intent of the preacher himself, Rev. Raniero Cantalamessa. That the Vatican has had a communications problem during Benedict's papacy is fairly well-established. Amid a swirling scandal at the pope's feet, Lombardi recently said he hadn't spoken to the pontiff about his letter to Irish Catholics, and that his information on Benedict's views on it was second hand. While part of the problem is Benedict's reserved personality, perhaps more to blame is a culture of secrecy at the Vatican, rooted in church history for centuries, and its tendency to shun being held accountable to the secular world. The Rev. Thomas Doyle, a canon lawyer who has testified in U.S. court cases about Vatican secrecy and sex abuse, has written about the medieval-era canonical concept of the "privilege of the forum" _ whereby clerics accused of crimes were tried by church courts, not civil courts. "Although this privilege is anachronistic in contemporary society, the attitude or mentality, which holds clerics accountable only to the institutional church authorities is still active," he wrote in a recent article. "There is a cult of secrecy in Catholic Church. It's a paranoid culture," Doyle, who worked as a canon lawyer in the Vatican's U.S. nunciature in the 1980s, said in an interview Saturday. Against that backdrop sits Benedict's inner circle. It is formed principally by the Vatican's No. 2 official, Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Benedict's trusted deputy during his long years as a Vatican official; and Benedict's private secretary, fellow German Monsignor Georg Ganswein. The pope also is known to still consult his former personal secretary, Monsignor Josef Clemens, now the No. 2 at the Vatican office for the laity. Benedict's closest friend is his older brother, Georg, a retired priest who often visits from Germany but who himself has been drawn into the scandal stemming from his years leading a pre-eminent German choir. "The pope listens to his collaborators, but then he's very autonomous in his decisions _ above all on questions of doctrinal and theological nature," noted Ignazio Ingrao, the Vatican columnist for Italy's Panorama newsweekly. The top adviser is Bertone, a 75-year-old soccer aficionado who used to give play-by-play commentary on local television when he was archbishop of Genoa. The pope trusts him deeply, and shows a real affection for him. Two days after Benedict broke his wrist last summer in the Italian Alps, the pontiff kept an appointment to visit Bertone's hometown of Romano Canavese, where he had lunch at the Bertone family homestead. Just last month, he referred to Bertone as "my dearest secretary of state" when the city of Romano Canavese conferred an honorary citizenship on him. But Bertone has also been accused of not shielding the pope enough from pitfalls. "Tarcisio Bertone, the cardinal who was supposed to help the pope," Vatican watcher Sandro Magister wrote in 2007 after a particularly bad gaffe involving the botched appointment of a Polish prelate suspected of being a communist collaborator. Ganswein, a former ski instructor often satirized because of his good looks, is extremely solicitous and protective of the 82-year-old pope. But Vatican insiders say he lacks the political savvy of his predecessor as papal secretary, the Polish Stanislaw Dziwisz, now cardinal-archbishop of Krakow, Poland. Ganswein also has a more formal relationship with the pontiff than Dziwisz did with John Paul. Ganswein once described his job to friends as "living in a gilded cage." "John Paul met a huge variety of people from all walks at his breakfasts and lunches," said Marco Politi, a biographer of the late pope. The future pope Benedict would stay for dinner after their regular Friday afternoon meetings. As pope, Benedict is known to eat alone. "In reality Benedict doesn't have an inner circle. He has collaborators, not advisers," said Politi. His 2006 speech to an audience of professors at a university in Germany where he once taught is a case in point. A theologian known for his intellect, Benedict strayed into new territory when he quoted a medieval text that characterized some of Islam's Prophet Muhammad's teachings as "evil and inhuman," particularly "his command to spread by the sword the faith." He later expressed regret that his comments offended Muslims. Vatican insiders said at the that time that even those who considered the speech could be taken as inflammatory would not cross the line and press Benedict to change it. Benedict was out of the loop on another major incident involving his rehabilitation of British Bishop Richard Williamson, a member of the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X, which broke away from Rome because it opposed the liberalizing reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Williamson has said no Jews were gassed during the Holocaust. Amid the uproar his rehabilitation created, the pope took the remarkable step of admitting to mistakes that Williamson's views could have been known by an Internet search _ had his aides done one or told him about it. "I have learned the lesson that in the future in the Holy See we will have to pay greater attention to that source of news," he wrote at the time. The case of Cantalamessa is yet another chapter for a pope who has prided his outreach to Jews yet routinely ends up enraging the Jewish community with incidents such as the Williamson affair. In his Good Friday sermon, Cantalamessa likened the tide of allegations that the pontiff has covered up sex abuse cases to the "more shameful aspects of anti-Semitism." Both Jewish and victims' groups responded that it was inappropriate to compare the discomfort being experienced by the church leadership in the sex abuse scandal to the violence that culminated in the Holocaust. On Saturday, the affable and cultured Lombardi was at it again, trying to stem the damage. Cantalamessa is by no means a papal adviser, and is known to have provocative views that he often expresses when he interprets the Gospel on Italian television each Saturday. "A comparison between the criticisms to the Catholic Church for the scandals of pedophilia and anti-Semitism is absolutely not the line of the Vatican and of the Catholic Church, and was also not the intention of Father Raniero Cantalamessa, who had the intention to bring only a witness of solidarity to the Church by a Jew from his personal experience of suffering," Lombardi told Associated Press Television News.

– The Vatican official who compared the fallout from the church's alleged cover-up of child sex-abuse cases to the "more shameful aspects of anti-Semitism" has acknowledged the subsequent firestorm of criticism but stopped short of apologizing. "If—and it was not my intention to do so—I hurt the sensitivities of Jews and victims of paedophilia, I am truly sorry and I ask for forgiveness," Raniero Cantalamessa said in an interview with an Italian newspaper. Benedict was in the room for the Q&A with a reporter from Corriere della Sera, notes Reuters. Cantalamessa defended his boss, saying, " Not only did the pope not inspire me but, like everyone else, heard my words for the first time like everyone else during the liturgy in the basilica." Although he's the preacher to the papal household, Cantalamessa isn't part of the githt-knit inner circle advising the pontiff, reports the AP. To see Cantalamessa's reaction in the original Italian, click here.

These crawls are part of an effort to archive pages as they are created and archive the pages that they refer to. That way, as the pages that are referenced are changed or taken from the web, a link to the version that was live when the page was written will be preserved.Then the Internet Archive hopes that references to these archived pages will be put in place of a link that would be otherwise be broken, or a companion link to allow people to see what was originally intended by a page's authors.The goal is to fix all broken links on the web . Crawls of supported "No More 404" sites. ||||| Sharing Bluegrass North of the Mason-Dixon Line The Stockdale Family Band performs a combination of Bluegrass and Gospel with a touch of Appalachian music and comedy. Father, Tim, and brothers Calvin, Charles, Jacob, and James often spend kitchen and farm chore time together singing their favorite songs and honing their harmonies. Their 5 piece band includes guitar, fiddle, mandolin, banjo and bass. Audiences find the Stockdale boys affection for people and enthusiasm for bluegrass music welcoming and infectious. The family band has played for Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri, Pennyroyal Opera House, Ohio Valley Opry, community concerts, festivals, churches, parties, and schools. They have earned first place in 3 regional band contests and 2nd in a national “Youth in Bluegrass” band contest. Jacob is a Ohio State Fiddle Grand Champion. With an entertaining and down-home style stage show, the Stockdales provide a bluegrass show that the whole family is sure to enjoy. ||||| BEACH CITY, Ohio (AP) — Police are investigating a double homicide and attempted suicide involving members of an Ohio family band known for its bluegrass music. The Stark County Sheriff's Office says two family members are dead and a third, believed to be the shooter, has been taken to a Cleveland hospital for a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police investigating a 911 hang-up call Thursday arrived at the home of The Stockdale Family Band, where officers found 21-year-old James Stockdale and 54-year-old Kathryn Stockdale dead. They believe 25-year-old Jacob Stockdale shot his brother and mother with a shotgun before turning the gun on himself. Early Friday, Calvin Stockdale, the eldest brother of James and Jacob, released a statement say the family "appreciates the prayers and support we are receiving from our friends and the community."

– Police are investigating a double homicide and attempted suicide involving members of a family band known for its bluegrass music. The Stark County Sheriff's Office in eastern Ohio says two family members are dead and a third, believed to be the shooter, has been taken to a Cleveland hospital with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police investigating a 911 hang-up call Thursday afternoon arrived at the home of the Stockdale Family Band, where officers found 21-year-old James Stockdale and 54-year-old Kathryn Stockdale dead in the farmhouse. They believe 25-year-old Jacob Stockdale shot his brother and mother with a shotgun before turning the gun on himself, the AP reports. Police haven't commented on a motive. Jacob was the band's fiddle player and James was the bass player, according to the band's website. Neighbors say they were a conservative, religious family and the shooting seems "out of place." Father Tim Stockdale, who also plays and sings in the band, fell to his knees weeping after arriving home from work and being told by police what had happened, the Canton Repository reports. Early Friday, Calvin Stockdale, older brother of James and Jacob, released a statement saying the family "appreciates the prayers and support we are receiving from our friends and the community."

Tweet with a location You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| Image copyright Reuters Image caption Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the attempted suicides "heartbreaking" An indigenous community in northern Canada has declared a state of emergency after 11 people attempted to take their own lives in one day. The Attawapiskat First Nation in Ontario saw 28 suicide attempts in March and more than 100 since last September, Canadian media said, with one person reported to have died. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the news "heartbreaking". Canada's 1.4 million indigenous people have high levels of poverty. Their life expectancy is also below the Canadian average. Bruce Shisheesh, the chief of the Attawapiskat First Nation community, said 11 people attempted to take their own lives on Saturday, prompting him to declare a state of emergency. He tweeted that the regional Weeneebayko Health Authority was flying in a crisis team, mental health nurses and social workers, and that he was waiting for Ontario's minister of health to deliver more emergency workers to the area. The First Nations government was sending a crisis response unit to the community following the declaration on Saturday, Canadian media said. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence held a hunger strike in 2013 over living standards Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The plight of indigenous people has sparked protests in Ottawa Attawapiskat First Nation isolated First Nation tribe in Kenora District, northern Ontario, Canada population around 2,000 on the reserve former chief Theresa Spence had a hunger strike in 2013 to protest over the Canadian government not providing enough money, education and health care for the tribe had a state of emergency in 2011, the third in three years, due to low temperatures and insufficient housing in 2013 accused Stephen Harper's Conservative government of being right-wing and racist The Health Canada federal agency said in a statement it had sent two mental health counsellors as part of that unit. Charlie Angus, the local MP, said: "This is a systemic crisis affecting the communities." "There's just not been a serious response from any level of government until now," he said. "We'll continue to work to improve living conditions for all Indigenous peoples," Prime Minister Trudeau said. Another Canadian aboriginal community in the western province of Manitoba appealed for federal aid last month, citing six suicides in two months and 140 suicide attempts in two weeks. Suicide and self-inflicted injuries are among the top causes of death for First Nations, Métis and Inuit people, according to studies from Health Canada. National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Perry Bellegarde called for a national strategy to combat indigenous suicide last month. "Immediate support to communities is essential & a #FirstNations driven national strategy on mental health," he tweeted on Monday. More from BBC Magazine BBC reporter Joanna Jolly went on the trail of the murdered and missing to find out why so many of Winnipeg's Aboriginal women and girls have been killed. Read full article ||||| A group of First Nations adults and youth finish a spiritual journey from Attawapiskat First Nation to Parliament Hill on Feb. 24, 2014. SEAN KILPATRICK/THE CANADIAN PRESS Where is Attawapiskat? The Attawapiskat First Nation is located at the mouth of the Attawapiskat River on James Bay in Northern Ontario and is home to about 2,000 people. It has been plagued by suicides for decades. How did it start? The suicide epidemic in Attawapiskat started in the fall, when a number of people tried to kill themselves, said Jackie Hookimaw, a member of the community. She said the latest round of youth suicide attempts started with the death of her great-niece Sheridan, who took her life in October. She was 13 years old. What is being done? Chief Bruce Shisheesh and council declared a state of emergency on Saturday. The designation has meant that a Nishnawbe Aski Nation crisis response unit is being sent to the community. The federal and Ontario health ministers said the Weeneebayko Area Health Authority hospital was immediately flying in a crisis team, including mental health nurses and social workers. Meanwhile, Perry Bellegarde, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, said he has offered Chief Shisheesh his support and is pressing for long-term help for the community in addition to immediate action, adding that the crisis is a "national tragedy." Story continues below advertisement The news from Attawapiskat is heartbreaking. We'll continue to work to improve living conditions for all Indigenous peoples. — Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) April 10, 2016 The crisis in context 1. Suicide is not just an Attawapiskat problem Previous studies have suggested suicide and self-inflicted injuries are among the leading causes of death among First Nations, Métis and Inuit people. Waves of suicides like the one in Attawapiskat are not new, but several others in recent months have gained renewed attention – such as a string of deaths in northern Manitoba's Pimicikamak Cree Nation, also known as Cross Lake, which has also declared a state of emergency. A grave site for Finola Muswaggon, who died at Cross Lake in March, 2016. She was 14. ANN MARY FOR THE GLOBE AND MAIL Mr. Bellegarde said last month that there should be a national strategy to combat indigenous suicide. "Our young people need hope and inspiration," Mr. Bellegarde said. "They don't see that right now. We've got to make those key strategic interventions now. It's a life-and-death situation." 2. Suicide is not just an on-reserve problem The renewed attention on suicide crises on reserve had led some critics to propose urban resettlement as a solution. Indigenous suicide problems do not disappear in cities, however. A Statistics Canada report released in January found that more than one in five off-reserve First Nations, Métis and Inuit adults reported having suicidal thoughts at some point in their lives. Problems with suicide on reserve can be more acute, though, due to challenges of distance and availability of mental-health services. Charlie Angus, the MP for the Attawapiskat area and NDP indigenous affairs critic, said northern communities aren't given the resources to deal with complicated grief. "When a young person tries to commit suicide in any suburban school, they send in the resources, they send in the emergency team. There's a standard protocol for response. The northern communities are left on their own," he said. "We don't have the mental health service dollars. We don't have the resources." 3. Indigenous suicide is not just a mental-health problem Conditions on reserves lag behind those in the rest of Canada in more respects than just suicide and health: Unemployment, lack of access to education and substandard infrastructure are factors too. Attawapiskat declared a state of emergency five years ago over a housing crisis that James Anaya, then UN Special Rapporteur on indigenous peoples, said "seems to represent the condition of many First Nation communities living on reserves throughout Canada, which is allegedly akin to Third World conditions." Studies have pointed to economic hardships and the legacy of colonialism as key factors in high indigenous suicide rates. The January Statscan study, for instance – which reviewed findings from the 2012 Aboriginal Peoples Survey and the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey – found a strong connection between residential-school experience and suicidal thoughts. Doing more to prevent suicide was one of the recommendations of last June's report by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on residential schools. Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott said in a statement regarding the Attawapiskat suicide crisis that improving the wellness of indigenous peoples will require a focus on improving the socioeconomic conditions they face. "I have worked with the province to set up a joint action table so that federal and provincial governments can work together, hand-in-hand with First Nations leadership, to find concrete solutions," Ms. Philpott said. Story continues below advertisement 4. Attawapiskat is more than just a community with problems During some of Attawapiskat's previous moments in the national spotlight – the housing crisis, former chief Theresa Spence's contentious role in the Idle No More movement – Attawapiskat residents have sometimes criticized outside observers for only paying attention during times of crisis. Residents tried to challenge that narrative in 2014 with a 1,000-kilometre trek to Ottawa to urge politicians and First Nations chiefs to renew discussion of treaty rights. Danny Metatawabin, middle, walks with fellow Omushkegowuk Walkers and supporters while marching towards Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Feb. 24, 2014. CHRIS WATTIE/REUTERS Youth from Attawapiskat and neighbouring communities held a healing walk last week to create awareness of the current suicide crisis, Jackie Hookimaw told The Canadian Press. "They said, 'We will not give up, because our youth are killing themselves … We will not be defeated.'" Graphics by Murat Yükselir With report from Evan Annett and Gloria Galloway MORE READING Edit video ‘Something horribly wrong’ with First Nations health: Chief 0:32 The suicide epidemic of Cross Lake: Consider urban resettlement Suicide is at crisis levels in First Nations communities, reflecting the grim realities their young people face, Gary Mason writes. ||||| After an increasing number of young people attempted to take their lives in a remote northern Ontario First Nation last week, the chief and council have declared a state of emergency. The suicide epidemic in Attawapiskat started in the fall, when a number of people tried to kill themselves, said Jackie Hookimaw, a resident of First Nation on James Bay. Hookimaw’s great niece Sheridan took her own life in October. She was 13 years old. Hookimaw said Sheridan had a big heart, but she was plagued with multiple health conditions and was bullied at school. More recently, Hookimaw said, she was at the community’s hospital where she saw a number of teenage girls being treated after purposely overdosing on drugs. As she was leaving, a man came in for treatment. Later, she would learn that he, too, had tried to take his own life. There’s different layers of grief The Attawapiskat First Nation, which has been plagued by suicides for decades, is home to about 2,000 people, and Hookimaw said the community needs more resources. She said the latest round of youth suicide attempts started with Sheridan’s death. Sheridan’s peers were grieving, Hookimaw said. They didn’t have the support they needed to manage their grief, so they tried to end their lives, she said. “There’s different layers of grief,” she said. “There’s normal grief, when somebody dies from illness or old age. And there’s complicated grief, where there’s severe trauma, like when somebody commits suicide.” Charlie Angus, the MP for the area and NDP indigenous affairs critic, said northern communities aren’t given the resources to deal with complicated grief. “When a young person tries to commit suicide in any suburban school, they send in the resources, they send in the emergency team. There’s a standard protocol for response. The northern communities are left on their own,” he said. “We don’t have the mental health service dollars. We don’t have the resources.” He said it’s been a “rolling nightmare” of more and more suicide attempts among young people throughout the winter. They didn’t think it could get any worse than it was in March, he said. But April brought even more attempts. We don’t have the mental health service dollars. We don’t have the resources On Saturday alone, 11 people tried to commit suicide, Chief Bruce Shisheesh told the CBC. It’s that situation that led the Attawapiskat chief and council to declare a state of emergency on Saturday. The designation has meant that a Nishnawabe Aski Nation crisis response unit is being sent to the community. On Twitter, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the news from Attawapiskat “heartbreaking.” “We’ll continue to work to improve living conditions for all indigenous peoples,” Trudeau tweeted. The federal and Ontario health ministers said the Weeneebayko Area Health Authority hospital was immediately flying in a crisis team, including mental health nurses and social workers. “We will be providing additional health-care experts as needed and we have contacted the ministry of children and youth services about providing emergency life-promotion supports,” Ontario Health Minister Eric Hoskins said in a release. Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott said in a statement that improving the wellness of indigenous peoples will require a focus on improving the socio-economic conditions they face. “I have worked with the province to set up a joint action table so that federal and provincial governments can work together, hand-in-hand with First Nations leadership, to find concrete solutions,” Philpott said. Hoskins said Ontario has asked Ottawa to accelerate the work of the action table and will be identifying additional community programming that can help “give people hope in this terrible time.” Angus said that the work of grief counselling often gets left to untrained community members who are dealing with their own grief. “It’s the local cops, it’s the local teachers, it’s parents,” he said. And now, Hookimaw said, some of the youth are taking healing into their own hands. Youth from Attawapiskat and neighbouring communities held a healing walk last week to create awareness, she said. “They said, ’We will not give up, because our youth are killing themselves … We will not be defeated.”’ Feel like you need help and want to speak with someone? Call the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention at 204-784-4073, contact a local crisis centre or call Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868 or reach out online at ||||| The chief and council for the Attawapiskat First Nation on remote James Bay have declared a state of emergency, saying they're overwhelmed by the number of attempted suicides in the community. On Saturday night alone, 11 people attempted to take their own lives, Chief Bruce Shisheesh said. Shisheesh and the council met Saturday night and unanimously voted to declare the state of emergency. That compels such agencies as the Weeneebayko Health Authority in Moose Factory, Ont., and Health Canada to bring in additional resources. Including Saturday's spate of suicide attempts, a total of 101 people of all ages have tried to kill themselves since September, Shisheesh said, with one person dying. The youngest was 11, the oldest 71. The Cree community — home to about 2,000 residents — saw 28 attempts in March alone. Last September, a group of five girls overdosed and had to be medevaced out of the community, Shisheesh said. I have relatives that have attempted to take their own lives ... cousins, friends. - Attawapiskat Chief Bruce Shisheesh Four health-care workers without specialized mental health training are trying to keep up with the attempts and to avert future ones, he said. "I'm asking friends, government, that we need help in our community," Shisheesh said. "I have relatives that have attempted to take their own lives... cousins, friends." The council has hired security to keep an eye on patients currently in hospital. The Mushkegowuk Council, which represents eight northern Ontario First Nations, is also trying to help. "These four workers, crisis workers, are burned out. They can't continue working daily because of the amount of suicides [that] have happened. They're backlogged," said the council's Deputy Grand Chief Rebecca Friday. "There are no services at the moment, no counsellors in the community." A few support workers have been brought in by the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, an association of northern Ontario First Nations, she said, but that's not enough to stem the number of attempted suicides. Government response The federal and Ontario health ministers announced support for Attawapiskat on Sunday evening, saying that the Weeneebayko Area Health Authority hospital was immediately flying in a crisis team, including mental-health nurses and social workers. Ontario also said it would deploy its Health Ministry's Emergency Medical Assistance Team to "get to work immediately" as well as to "determine what further supports are needed for the medium term." "Hearing about the loss of life to suicide and the feelings of despair felt by the community of Attawapiskat reminds us of how important it is to work with First Nations and indigenous peoples across the country to address the very real challenges facing their communities," federal Health Minister Jane Philpott said in a statement. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also weighed in on the situation Sunday, calling the news from Attawapiskat "heartbreaking." The news from Attawapiskat is heartbreaking. We'll continue to work to improve living conditions for all Indigenous peoples. —@JustinTrudeau Charlie Angus, the region's MP and NDP indigenous affairs critic, echoed others' sentiments that northern communities aren't given the resources to deal with complicated grief. "When a young person tries to commit suicide in any suburban school, they send in the resources, they send in the emergency team. There's a standard protocol for response. The northern communities are left on their own," he said. "We don't have the mental health service dollars. We don't have the resources." Angus said it's been a "rolling nightmare" of more and more suicide attempts among young people throughout the winter. Triggers include overcrowding, abuse As for the triggers, there are many, Shisheesh said. Overcrowding with 14 to 15 people living in one home is difficult, he said. Bullying at school is another trigger. Emotional damage caused by abuse during enrolment at residential schools is having a ripple effect through the generations, he said. (Erik White/CBC ) Drug abuse is another factor, Shisheesh said. People try to numb themselves after physical and sexual abuse. "We have people that are on prescriptions. We have people that are selling pills. And I believe that's how some of them have withdrawals and they feel unwanted, or they don't know how to express their feelings and they have to use a drug to drown their problems or their pains," Shisheesh said. "And when you don't have money to buy drugs, that's when they turn to suicide." As for the near-daily attempts in March, Shisheesh said he had no explanation. He just said he worried every time his phone rang in case it was more bad news. The chief and council are planning to meet Monday to formulate a strategic plan. "We need help in Attawapiskat," Shisheesh said.

– A "suicide epidemic" that started last fall in a northern Ontario community—with 11 suicide attempts this past Saturday alone, per the CBC—has led the Attawapiskat First Nation to declare a state of emergency, per the National Post. The remote enclave of 2,000 people has reportedly experienced suicides for decades, but the latest string is so worrisome that the Attawapiskat community is pleading for help. Resident Jackie Hookimaw says the latest string of deaths was spurred by the fall suicide of her 13-year-old great-niece. Chief Bruce Shisheesh tells the CBC that 101 people between the ages of 11 and 71 have attempted suicide since September; one has died. "I'm asking friends, government, that we need help in our community," Shisheesh says. "I have relatives that have attempted to take their own lives." Members of the Attawapiskat community say citizens suffering from drug abuse, overcrowding, and bullying—as well as intense poverty, per the BBC—don't receive enough government help. "When a young person tries to commit suicide in any suburban school, they send in the resources, they send in the emergency team," the area's MP tells the Post, calling the problem a "rolling nightmare" often left to untrained teachers, cops, and parents to handle. "The northern communities are left on their own." There are four health-care workers, but they lack training and are "burned out" and "backlogged," says the deputy grand chief of the Mushkegowuk Council, representing eight Ontario First Nations. On Sunday, federal and Ontario health officials said a crisis team of mental health nurses and social workers, as well as an emergency medical team, was being sent ASAP. Canadian PM Justin Trudeau lent his own moral support Sunday, tweeting, "The news from Attawapiskat is heartbreaking. We'll continue to work to improve living conditions for all Indigenous peoples." (The Globe and Mail offers further context.)

We now know the precise location where 19 innocent victims were hanged for witchcraft in Salem in 1692. I am honored to be a member of the Gallows Hill Project team who has worked with the City of Salem to confirm the location on a lower section of Gallows Hill known as Proctor’s Ledge. And I am pleased too that the city has already begun planning to properly memorialize the site. The executions on Gallows Hill were the climax of one of the most famous events in American history, but the hangings themselves are poorly documented. The precise location and events surrounding the executions have been, until this point, generally lost to history. Tradition has simply placed it broadly on Gallows Hill, which covers many acres of land. In the seventeenth century, Gallows Hill was common land located just outside the boundary of the City of Salem, then defined by a protective palisade (a fortified wall). Most people have traditionally placed the execution site at the top of Gallows Hill. In the early twentieth century, the eminent Salem historian Sidney Perley studied the issue and settled on the Proctor’s Ledge location, an area bounded today by Proctor and Pope Streets, near the foot of Gallows Hill. The City of Salem even acquired a small parcel there in 1936 “to be held forever as a public park” and called it “Witch Memorial Land.” As it was never marked, most people erroneously assumed the executions took place on the hill’s summit. Over time, the spot became forgotten again. In 2010, Elizabeth Peterson, Director of Salem’s Corwin House, also known as the Witch House, brought together a team of experts to re-examine Perley’s research. In addition to myself, that team included Benjamin Ray, Professor of Religion, University of Virginia; Marilynne Roach, Salem witch trials historian and author; and Peter Sablock, Emeritus Professor of Geology, Salem State University. The team’s analysis brought together multiple lines of evidence to confirm Proctor’s Ledge as the execution site. Marilynne Roach had years ago called attention to the testimony of accused witch Rebecca Eames. She testified that on her way into Salem for questioning on the morning of 19 August 1692, she and her guards had traveled along the Boston Road which ran just below the execution site. Five people were being executed at the time, and from her location at “the house below the hill” she saw some “folks” at the execution. Roach determined that the “house below the hill” was most likely the McCarter House, or one of its neighbors on Boston Street. The McCarter house was still standing in 1890 at 19 Boston Street. Professor Benjamin Ray conducted research that pinpointed the McCarter house’s location and worked with geographic information system specialist Chris Gist of the University of Virginia’s Scholars Lab to determine whether, in fact, it was possible for a person standing at the site of the house on the Boston Street to see the top of Proctor’s Ledge, given the rising topography of the northeastern slope of the hill. Gist produced a view-shed analysis, which determined that the top of Proctor’s Ledge was clearly visible from the Boston Street house, as well as from neighboring homes. However, the traditional site on the top of Gallows Hill was not visible from the houses. Meanwhile, Professor Peter Sablock carried out geo-archaeological remote sensing on the site with a team of his Salem State geology students. Ground-penetrating radar and electronic soil resistivity do not disturb the soil, but can tell us about the ground underneath. His tests indicate that there is very little soil on Proctor’s Ledge. There are only a few small cracks in the ledge, and here the soil is less than three feet deep—certainly not deep enough to bury people. Although it is admittedly negative evidence, this finding is in keeping with oral traditions that the families of the victims came under cover of darkness to recover loved ones and rebury them in family cemeteries. There is no indication that there are any human remains on the Proctor Ledge site. The witch trials have cast a long shadow over Salem’s history. For generations, many residents wanted to forget the trials, and refused to acknowledge their community’s role in one of the great injustices in American history. The fact that the execution site has been “lost” more than once speaks to a collective amnesia and desire to forget. Yet, others, including Nathaniel Hawthorne, have tried to have the site properly marked. In 1835, in “Alice Doane’s Appeal,” Salem’s famous son laments the lack of memorial for “those who died so wrongfully, and, without a coffin or a prayer.” In 1892, on the bicentennial of the trials, an effort was made to build a memorial on Gallows Hill, but it failed. The memorial was to take the form of a lookout tower—a popular monument of the day, as they were constructed on the high ground of Civil War battlefields to honor the dead and provide a peaceful and reflective place to view the battlefield. Indeed, the large lookout memorial at Gettysburg’s Little Round Top was dedicated in 1893. This is just one of many interesting comparisons between Gettysburg and Salem—two communities whose identities and economies are linked to a great American tragedy. We are seeking a much more modest memorial for Gallows Hill than the Civil War veterans proposed in 1892. The City of Salem, led Mayor Kim Driscoll, plans to clean the heavily wooded Proctor’s ledge parcel up, maintain it, and install a tasteful plaque or marker. I believe that marking and maintaining this site is a long overdue step in Salem’s acknowledgement of the role the community played in the loss of innocent lives in 1692. The healing process continues 324 years after the trials. I concluded my recent book on the Salem witch trials, A Storm of Witchcraft, by lamenting the fact that despite efforts going back to the nineteenth century, there still was no memorial on Gallows Hill. I am delighted that the last line of my book will soon be out of date. Image Credit: Proctor’s Ledge on Gallows Hill, Salem. Photo courtesy of Emerson W. Baker. ||||| Beverly, MA (01915) Today Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low near 25F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low near 25F. Winds light and variable. ||||| Salem’s witch trials were a memory by the time artist Thomas Satterwhite Noble painted “The Salem Martyr” in 1869. He portrays a young girl found guilty of witchcraft walking to the gallows with the hangman and her stern judges. SALEM — The wooded spot overlooking Walgreens on Boston Street is unremarkable. The rocky ledge of knotted trees is surrounded by houses, and the path to the top is unpaved. But the days of anonymity for the site known as Proctor’s Ledge are over. Researchers announced this week they have confirmed the plot is where 19 people accused of witchcraft were hanged in a wave of hysteria that swept this seaside city in 1692. Salem plans to mark the ignominious spot, Mayor Kimberley Driscoll said. The memorial is expected to be modest, the mayor said, given the lack of easy access or parking at the site. Advertisement Still, Driscoll said: “This is part of our history, and this is an opportunity for us to be honest about what took place.” Get Fast Forward in your inbox: Forget yesterday's news. Get what you need today in this early-morning email. Sign Up Thank you for signing up! Sign up for more newsletters here The quest to confirm the precise spot of the hangings started in 2010, though it was not the first time historians examined the question, said Emerson “Tad” Baker, a Salem State University professor who helped pinpoint the location. While there are about 1,000 records detailing the Salem witch trials, Baker said information about the executions is scant. Historians have found no evidence that gallows were constructed and surmise the accused witches were hung from tree branches, he said. All 19 people who were executed by hanging during the witch trials are believed to have died at Proctor’s Ledge; five others accused of witchcraft died in jail, and one was crushed to death. They focused their inquiry initially on Gallows Hill, where many believed the accused witches met their death at the peak. But the researchers concluded that the hangings happened closer to the base of the hill, on the spot known as Proctor’s Ledge. Advertisement They reached this conclusion by using eyewitness accounts from the time of the hangings, aerial photography of Gallows Hill, and images of the area generated with advanced mapping technology, the researchers said. Patrick Garvin/Globe Staff SOURCE: Emerson “Tad” Baker. First, they determined where the eyewitnesses were when they saw the executions. The researchers relied on the work of Sidney Perley, a lawyer and historian who wrote about Salem history, said author Marilynne Roach, a member of the research team. “He must have read every deed and will in the courthouse,” she said. “He’s a very good source.” In an article published in 1921, Perley cited a letter written in 1791 by “Dr. Holyoke.” The letter described a story told by John Symonds, who was born the year the hangings occurred. Advertisement “He has told me that his nurse had often told him, that, while she was attending his mother at the time she lay in with him, she saw, from the chamber windows, those unhappy people hanging on Gallows’ Hill, who were executed for witches by the delusion of the times,” the letter read. Another description came from Rebecca Eames, a Boxford resident hauled into Salem for questioning Aug. 19, 1692, the same day five executions took place. Eames’s guards escorted her along Boston Road, below Proctor’s Ledge, the researchers said. As they approached the courthouse, the guards came upon the hangings and left Eames at a nearby house while they watched the executions. Eames later told the magistrate she was at “the house below the hill” and saw some “folks” at the execution. Roach determined the house Eames cited was probably the McCarter residence or one of its neighbors on Boston Street. Once researchers established the vantage points for the eyewitness accounts, they turned to the mapping technology and aerial photography. They learned the eyewitnesses could not have seen the top of Gallows Hill from where they observed the executions, but they could see Proctor’s Ledge, located in between what is now Proctor and Pope streets. Their inquiry also concluded no victims are buried at Proctor’s Ledge, the researchers said. “I just get this tremendous sense of history here and also kind of the burden of that history in Salem,” Baker said. At the time of the hangings, Proctor’s Ledge was public land where residents could let sheep graze, Baker said. It is named for Thorndike Proctor, who purchased land there during the 18th century. He is a descendant of a witch trial victim, John Proctor. Given that executions then were meant “to serve as an example of what happens to people who break the law,” the highly visible site was logical, Baker said. John Blanding/Globe Staff “When people come [to Salem] . . . they all want to know where it happened,” said Kenneth Glover, who gives tours. The inquiry also found Salem had considered erecting a tribute to witch trial victims on Gallows Hill going back more than a century. Plans for a memorial there were devised in 1892 and Salem purchased a strip of land at Proctor’s Ledge in 1936 to construct a park, Baker said. Neither proposal went anywhere. Baker said the desire by some to forget the witch trials was probably to blame. “What a wonderful thing it is for us to finally have the city recognize this spot,” he said. There is a memorial in downtown Salem to 20 victims. Tom Brophy, 72, lives in front of Proctor’s Ledge. He said he gave directions decades ago to Gallows Hill to a driver chauffeuring John Lennon and Yoko Ono. “The old timers that used to be here when I was a little kid used to talk about the witchcraft and [that] this was the probable site,” he said. Kenneth Glover, who runs a tour in Salem, visited the site Tuesday. Now, he said, he can definitively tell visitors where the hangings occurred. “When people come here from other places . . . they all want to know where it happened,” he said. Laura Crimaldi can be reached at laura.crimaldi@globe.com . Follow her on Twitter @lauracrimaldi

– Nearly a century ago, historian Sidney Perley identified the place in Salem, Mass., where 19 accused witches met their end in 1692; now, finally, confirmation. The Salem News reports that the seven scholars who compose the Gallows Hill Project have after a five-year effort definitively determined that Proctor's Ledge was where the executions took place. One of those scholars, Emerson Baker, writes in the Oxford University Press blog that the hangings had "broadly" been considered to have taken place on Gallows Hill, which comprises many acres. Perley had zeroed in on the Proctor's Ledge location near the hill's base, with the city in 1936 even dubbing a small part of the area there "Witch Memorial Land." But Baker explains that land went unmarked, and the belief that the hill's summit was the infamous spot returned. Though there is a dearth of eyewitness accounts of the hangings, one big clue came via the witch trials court record dated Aug. 19 of that fateful year. Accused witch Rebecca Eames traveled to the court via the Boston Road; when asked whether she'd passed an execution that morning, she answered that she saw some "folks" there while at the "house below the hill," which the scholars ultimately identified as one of a few homes on Boston Street. A " view-shed analysis" revealed it was possible to plainly see the top of Proctor's Ledge, but not the top of Gallows Hill, from this location. Today the wooded area overlooks a Walgreens, notes the Boston Globe, which adds the city plans to mark the location with a "modest" memorial. (A modern-day Salem witch saw her prediction come true in court in October.)

Catholic Bishops Reject Compromise On Contraceptives Enlarge this image toggle caption Patrick Semansky/AP Patrick Semansky/AP It seems the third time wasn't the charm, after all. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has officially rejected the Obama Administration's latest attempt to ensure that women with health insurance get access to no-cost contraceptive coverage without violating the rights of religious employers. The administration issued the rules last Friday. While other groups that oppose abortion and birth control immediately dismissed the proposal, the influential bishops held back, saying only that they "welcomed the opportunity to study the proposed regulations closely." Now, however, it's clear that this attempt by the administration doesn't clear the bar for the bishops, either. The proposal calls for insurance companies — rather than religious hospitals, universities or charities — to provide contraceptive and sterilization coverage. But that's not good enough, said a statement from Cardinal Timothy Dolan, president of the conference. "It appears that the government would require all employees in our 'accommodated' ministries to have the illicit coverage — they may not opt out, nor even opt out for their children — under a separate policy," Dolan said. He also complained that while the rules seek to accommodate nonprofit religious employers (including churches themselves, which are exempt from the coverage requirement, along with affiliated entities like educational institutions), they don't relieve for-profit employers of the obligation. "In obedience to our Judeo-Christian heritage, we have consistently taught our people to live their lives during the week to reflect the same beliefs that they proclaim on the Sabbath," said Dolan, referring to owners of non-religious businesses who are suing the federal government because they say the coverage violates their personal religious beliefs. "We cannot now abandon them to be forced to violate their morally well-informed consciences." Compared with some of Dolan's previous complaints about contraceptive coverage requirements, the latest statement was more measured. "We welcome and will take seriously the Administration's invitation to submit our concerns through formal comments, and we will do so in the hope that an acceptable solution can be found that respects the consciences of all," he said. ||||| WASHINGTON — The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops on Thursday rejected the latest White House proposal on health insurance coverage of contraceptives, saying it did not offer enough safeguards for religious hospitals, colleges and charities that objected to providing such coverage for their employees. The bishops said they would continue fighting the federal mandate in court. The administration said the proposal, issued last Friday, would guarantee free employee coverage of birth control “while respecting religious concerns” of organizations that objected to paying or providing for it. The bishops said the proposal seemed to address part of their concern about the definition of religious employers who could be exempted from the requirement to offer contraceptive coverage at no charge to employees. But they said it did not go far enough and failed to answer many questions, like who would pay for birth control coverage provided to employees of certain nonprofit religious organizations. “The administration’s proposal maintains its inaccurate distinction among religious ministries,” said Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. “It appears to offer second-class status to our first-class institutions in Catholic health care, Catholic education and Catholic charities. The Department of Health and Human Services offers what it calls an ‘accommodation,’ rather than accepting the fact that these ministries are integral to our church and worthy of the same exemption as our Catholic churches.”

– With Catholic bishops opposed to an ObamaCare mandate on contraception, the White House recently moved to change the rule—but the new package hasn't satisfied the religious leaders, the New York Times reports. The deal would allow women employed by a religiously-affiliated employer, such as a Catholic hospital, to get free contraception under a separate insurance policy paid for by their insurance provider. Among bishops' concerns: The compromise doesn't apply to a wide enough arena of religious employers, they said yesterday after six days spent studying the proposal. The bishops noted that it still doesn't accommodate secular businesses whose owners hold religious objections to contraception; the rule also seems to "require all employees ... to have the illicit coverage—they may not opt out," Cardinal Timothy Dolan said, per NPR. Still, the bishops' response was more "moderate and measured" this time around, the Times notes.

In her newly published collection of personal essays, Not That Kind of Girl, Lena Dunham describes experimenting sexually with her younger sister Grace, whom she says she attempted to persuade to kiss her using “anything a sexual predator might do.” In one particularly unsettling passage, Dunham experimented with her six-year younger sister’s vagina. “This was within the spectrum of things I did,” she writes. In the collection of nonfiction personal accounts, Dunham describes using her little sister at times essentially as a sexual outlet, bribing her to kiss her for prolonged periods and even masturbating while she is in the bed beside her. But perhaps the most disturbing is an account she proudly gives of an episode that occurred when she was seven and her sister was one. Here’s the full passage (p. 158-9): “Do we all have uteruses?” I asked my mother when I was seven. “Yes,” she told me. “We’re born with them, and with all our eggs, but they start out very small. And they aren’t ready to make babies until we’re older.” I look at my sister, now a slim, tough one-year-old, and at her tiny belly. I imagined her eggs inside her, like the sack of spider eggs in Charlotte’s Web, and her uterus, the size of a thimble. “Does her vagina look like mine?” “I guess so,” my mother said. “Just smaller.” One day, as I sat in our driveway in Long Island playing with blocks and buckets, my curiosity got the best of me. Grace was sitting up, babbling and smiling, and I leaned down between her legs and carefully spread open her vagina. She didn’t resist and when I saw what was inside I shrieked. My mother came running. “Mama, Mama! Grace has something in there!” My mother didn’t bother asking why I had opened Grace’s vagina. This was within the spectrum of things I did. She just got on her knees and looked for herself. It quickly became apparent that Grace had stuffed six or seven pebbles in there. My mother removed them patiently while Grace cackled, thrilled that her prank had been a success. Dunham describes the book as a “work of nonfiction” in which “some names and identifying details have been changed.” She also states that she considers herself an “unreliable narrator,” which gives her some wiggle room on the truth of her accounts. As National Review's Kevin D. Williamson notes, this passage is “especially suspicious.” The one-year old Grace’s "prank" is supposedly done with the expectation of her older sister “poking around in her genitals. … There is no non-horrific interpretation of this episode.” Update After Lena Dunham went on a self-described “rage spiral” in response to this article, which she called “f*cking upsetting and disgusting,” her lawyer sent a cease and desist letter to TruthRevolt threatening to sue us for “millions of dollars” if we did not pull the piece and post a retraction stating that this story was “false.” TruthRevolt refused. Monday, TruthRevolt editor-in-chief Ben Shapiro posted a response to the cease and desist letter, which includes more of the passages from her book upon which our assessment was based and argues that “quoting a woman’s book does not constitute a ‘false’ story”: Lena Dunham may not like our interpretation of her book, but unfortunately for her and her attorneys, she wrote that book – and the First Amendment covers a good deal of material she may not like. Dunham announced Monday that she canceled book tour events in Berlin and Belgium. Tuesday, she issued a public apology via Time in which she said she wanted to be "very clear that I do not condone any kind of abuse under any circumstance" and apologized for passages and language in her book that might have "been painful or triggering" for readers: If the situations described in my book have been painful or triggering for people to read, I am sorry, as that was never my intention. I am also aware that the comic use of the term “sexual predator” was insensitive, and I’m sorry for that as well. Grace Dunham also responded to the controversy via Twitter on Monday, stating: As a queer person: i'm committed to people narrating their own experiences, determining for themselves what has and has not been harmful / heteronormativity deems certain behaviours harmful, and others "normal"; the state and media are always invested in maintaining that / 2day, like every other day, is a good day to think about how we police the sexualities of young women, queer, and trans people Update II Lena Dunham commented again on this article while speaking on Bill Simmons’ podcast show “The B.S. Report” on Jan 1, 2015, suggesting that TruthRevolt had manufactured the story and published it for political purposes “the day after I launched a Planned Parenthood campaign and the day before the midterm elections.” She said, however, that she did not care “what conservative white men" think about her: I don’t care what conservative white men think about me. But I do care if anything I write is painful for survivors of sexual abuse, if anything I write is painful for other feminists. Though she admitted she regretted describing herself as pursuing her sister like a “sexual predator,” she insisted that she and her sister had been raised with “very healthy” sexual boundaries and said it was“painful to be accused of being things that I know I’m not, and to sort of have what I thought was a very natural childhood experience and curiosity vilified.” Image source. ||||| These crawls are part of an effort to archive pages as they are created and archive the pages that they refer to. That way, as the pages that are referenced are changed or taken from the web, a link to the version that was live when the page was written will be preserved.Then the Internet Archive hopes that references to these archived pages will be put in place of a link that would be otherwise be broken, or a companion link to allow people to see what was originally intended by a page's authors.The goal is to fix all broken links on the web . Crawls of supported "No More 404" sites.

– Lena Dunham has again addressed the controversy swirling around her memoir, this time with slightly less "rage." Dunham was called a child molester by conservative writers who were upset by anecdotes in Not That Kind of Girl, including one in which Dunham recalls being a curious 7-year-old who looked at her baby sister's vagina. Though Dunham isn't backing down, ABC News notes that she has apologized for one line in which she describes offering her toddler sister "three pieces of candy if I could kiss her on the lips for five seconds ... basically anything a sexual predator might do to woo a small suburban girl." In a statement to Time, Dunham says, "I am ... aware that the comic use of the term 'sexual predator' was insensitive, and I'm sorry for that." She adds, "I do not condone any kind of abuse under any circumstances. ... If the situations described in my book have been painful or triggering for people to read, I am sorry, as that was never my intention." She also says her sister, Grace, is her "best friend" and approved anything written about her in the book. But she's not letting one writer who initially stirred up the controversy off the hook: On Truth Revolt, Ben Shapiro writes that Dunham has sent the blog a cease-and-desist letter demanding the site remove the post in which Bradford Thomas said Dunham sexually abused Grace, as well as publish an apology. Shapiro says Dunham is threatening legal action if the site doesn't comply—and it doesn't plan to. "Quoting a woman's book does not constitute a 'false' story," Shapiro writes. Click for more reactions.

The Gwinnett County Police Department has released dramatic 911 calls in the case of two brothers who are accused of trying to kill their parents. Police say Yvonne Ervin called 911 on Sept. 5 around 7:49 a.m. and told emergency dispatchers her sons Cameron, 17, and Christopher Ervin, 22, were trying to kill her and her husband Zachary Ervin. In the newly released 911 calls, Yvonne is heard telling the dispatcher that her sons drugged her and Zachary's food. As they were waking up, Yvonne said the couple was beaten and strangled by their sons. RAW AUDIO: 911 calls released in attack on Gwinnett Co. parents "My sons are trying to kill me," Yvonne told the dispatcher. "They attacked me and my husband. They drugged us with Xanax, and they attacked us. They are trying to kill us." For five minutes, Yvonne talked with the dispatcher, saying she was hiding in her bedroom as her husband Zach distracted their two sons downstairs. “He's in the garage and he was screaming. He was trying to blow the horn just to get attention of our neighbors,” Yvonne said. In the call, Yvonne also told the dispatcher that her sons may have wanted insurance money. Toward the end of the call, you can hear Yvonne scream and the line goes silent. When officers arrived, they found Zachary and one of the sons outside the home. Zachary was severely injured and bleeding heavily from a stab wound. Officers found Yvonne with the other son inside the home. Police say she was also severely injured. Police say they noticed the gas line had been tampered with and suspect the sons tried to burn the house down. Both parents were transported to a hospital, and both sons were transported to police headquarters. While in a police cruiser, Cameron allgedely said "Just kill me now" and when asked why he said, "I tried to f****** kill my parents. Who does that?" Cameron and Christopher Ervin are charged with two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of first-degree arson. Monday, Channel 2’s Tony Thomas saw Yvonne leave the home with relatives. According to Thomas, she had at least one black eye and didn't respond to questions. Police and neighbors struggle to figure out what led up to the violent attack. " I won't say a perfect family, but as close as you could get," neighbor Sylvia Johnson said. In a police report Thomas obtained, Zachary, who is still hopsitalized, told officers his son Cameron beat him. The dad suffered stab wounds and severe head injuries. Both sons remain in jail. ||||| Just One More Thing... We have sent you a verification email. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your profile. If you do not receive the verification message within a few minutes of signing up, please check your Spam or Junk folder. Close ||||| New information is released concerning two men who are in police custody, accused of trying to kill their parents at their Snellville home. Police said Yvonne Ervin called 911 at 7:49 a.m. Sept. 5 and told emergency dispatchers that her sons Cameron, 17, and Christopher Ervin, 22, were trying to kill her and her husband, Zachary Ervin. Channel 2’s Tony Thomas learned exclusive details about the case. A detective writes in the search warrant affidavit,"One of the sons also stated that he had been planning this since he was eleven years old." The parents told police "their sons used plastic wrap and plastic bags to try to asphyxiate them" and gave them drugs in cocktails the night before. Over the past week, Thomas detailed how police say Chris and Cameron Ervin tried to blow up their Forbes Trail home earlier this month and, when that didn't work, attacked their parents, Both survived. “This is something that no one that would look at this family would expect this would happen,” Derrick Butts said. Police also believe the sons tried to burn their parents. Police say Yvonne Ervin told them that "during the attack the sons poured an unknown substance on her and then she felt heat on the back of her leg and she believed this was an attempt to set her on fire." "A lot of times, my clients do horrible things and I meet them and I say 'yeah I can see why,'” attorney Tom Clegg said. “If in fact my client did what is alleged, it is impossible to figure that out from talking to the young man, because he is just a really quality kid.” The brothers remain held in jail without bond.

– "I'm sure they didn't just wake up and decide to kill their parents yesterday." That was a Gwinnett County police officer's speculation after two Georgia brothers allegedly drugged and attacked their parents earlier this month. It appears that conjecture may have been spot-on: A search warrant revealed yesterday states that Cameron Ervin, 17, and Christopher Ervin, 22—both being held at the Gwinnett County jail without bond on charges of aggravated assault and first-degree arson—admitted to police "attempting to set the residence on fire, [attempting to strangle] their parents with a pillow and/or plastic bag, and stabbing the father," the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. And while the Gwinnett County DA told the paper last week that both young men had hinted at a "bad home life," an unspecified brother reportedly mentioned something even more chilling: that he had been planning this attack since he was 11. The brothers reportedly offered to make dinner for their parents the night before the attack, the warrant notes—a meal at which Yvonne and Zachary Ervin both apparently ingested Xanax-spiked drinks, police say. The parents revealed to cops that "their sons used plastic wrap and plastic bags to try to asphyxiate them," per WSB-TV, and Yvonne said "the sons poured an unknown substance on her and then she felt heat on the back of her leg and she believed this was ... to set her on fire." The case has baffled those who know the foursome. "If you call a troubled home life having everything you ever wanted, then I'll take that trouble any day," a family friend tells the Journal Constitution, while a neighbor tells WXIA, "Very nice kids ... I can't stress that enough." (A new study reveals the type of man most likely to murder his partner.)

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

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

MoviePass isn't finished making changes. The troubled movie subscription service told customers Thursday that it will limit the films and showtimes that are available each day. The restrictions are part of the company's transition to a new plan that allows customers to see only three movies a month. Previously, MoviePass offered a movie every day. The service is fighting to stay in business and stop burning so much cash. In an email to customers, CEO Mitch Lowe said MoviePass will offer up to six films a day to choose from. He added that availability might be limited depending on popularity. The schedule of available films will be published online at least a week in advance. On Thursday, the MoviePass website listed seven films, not six, available to watch that day, including a couple of recent top-five box office hits, "The Meg" and "BlacKkKlansman." But one of the weekend's most anticipated releases, "Crazy Rich Asians," will not be available until Sunday. Most theaters require MoviePass customers to order their tickets in person. The restrictions do not apply to theaters that use e-ticketing. It's unclear how long MoviePass will enforce the movie limit. The service has been tinkering with its features lately. Last month, it announced a price increase to $15 a month. A week later, it abruptly switched course and said it would keep the cost at $10, but only allow users to see three movies a month. MoviePass amassed millions of subscribers after it stormed onto the scene last year promising unlimited movies in theaters. But it's down to its last $15 million in cash. Stock in its parent company, Helios and Matheson (HMNY), was trading at 4 cents Thursday — down from a split-adjusted high of more than $8,000 last fall. ||||| To our members: Today we are rolling out our new subscription plan that was announced last week. We believe this new model provides great value to the MoviePass community and, equally important, ensures that we can continue to provide these benefits for you to enjoy into the future. As we transition to the new subscription plan, we want to share more details about our service moving forward as part of our commitment to keep you fully informed. For the time being, we will be limiting the films and showtimes that are available to members each day. During this transition period, MoviePass will offer up to six films to choose from daily, including a selection of major studio first-run films and independent releases. In addition, showtime availability may be limited depending on the popularity of those films on the app that particular day. While the films and showtimes available in the app will change daily, the schedule of available film selections will be published at least a week in advance on the MoviePass website so members can plan ahead for the films they want to see. Click here to see the current schedule. Please note that e-ticketing will continue to include ALL movies and showtimes with no restrictions. Because actual availability will change daily, we encourage our members to always check the MoviePass app before leaving for the theater. As we celebrate the one-year anniversary of our $9.95 subscription offering, we want to thank you -- our millions of members -- for your loyalty and for your continued support. We’ll have some exciting updates on additional features and service offerings -- that will bring greater value to you as a member -- in the near future. Mitch Lowe ||||| The well-documented woes of MoviePass users were supposed to end this week. On Wednesday, the new plan intended to introduce “long-term stability” into the movie ticket subscription service was supposed to go into effect. No longer would users have to deal with random showtime outages or “peak pricing.” The trade-off was that instead of $9.95 per month getting subscribers up to one ticket per day, that same price would now get you three movies per month. Still, any way you slice it, that was a bargain — and it got rid of a lot of unpopular restrictions too. Finally, the long season of customer frustration would be over! But this is MoviePass, which means the season of frustration seemingly never ends. This week has been all over the place for the beleaguered company and its customers, with literally every day bringing a new source of strife. Here’s what happened: On Monday, shareholders filed a class action lawsuit in New York federal district court against MoviePass parent company, the data analytics firm Helios and Matheson, as well as its CEO and CFO. The lawsuit was filed “on behalf of hundreds, or potentially thousands, of investors who suffered losses because they were misled about the company’s business and its prospects,” according to Deadline. On Tuesday, the day before the new plan was to go into effect, scores of irritated former customers found notices in their inboxes that said that, actually, their canceled MoviePass accounts were going to be un-canceled. On Wednesday morning, Helios and Matheson posted a quarterly earnings report that revealed the company’s loss had grown from $3 million a year ago to $126.6 million by June 30. The report also showed that the company was spending about $73 million per month, and would run out of money in about two months. And on Thursday, subscribers received an email from MoviePass CEO Mitch Lowe that announced that, contrary to what subscribers had expected, they wouldn’t be able to choose their three movies per month from any movie they wanted after all. Instead, the email said, the company would be “limiting the films and showtimes that are available to members each day,” with “up to six films” available daily, a “selection of major studio first-run films and independent releases” that would be posted at least a week ahead of time. Showtime availability also may be limited, the email said. Only e-ticketing (available at some theaters which have a business relationship with MoviePass) would still be available for all movies at all times. That last restriction is yet another shift from a company that has changed the terms of customers’ subscriptions with a dizzying frequency in the past month. Lowe’s email says the change is only “for the time being” and “during this transition period,” but there is currently no end date set. Whether that’s enough to keep users who have been hanging on from jumping ship isn’t clear right now — but neither, given Wednesday’s earnings report, is MoviePass’s future.

– Movie subscription service MoviePass has announced that users will only get to choose from a limited number of films on any given day, CNN reports. The restrictions follow the unveiling of a new plan that will limit the number of movies a subscriber can see to three a month. Previously, users could see up to a movie a day. In an email to users, CEO Mitch Lowe said that MoviePass will offer up to six films per day from which users can choose, adding that the offerings will appear on the MoviePass website at least a week in advance. As noted by Vox, MoviePass has had a heck of a week: Shareholders filed a class action lawsuit against the company, and it came to light that MoviePass would be out of cash in about two months based on its current burn rate. The new changes are designed to curb that.

This "Survey" crawl was started on Feb. 24, 2018. This crawl was run with a Heritrix setting of "maxHops=0" (URLs including their embeds) Survey 7 is based on a seed list of 339,249,218 URLs which is all the URLs in the Wayback Machine that we saw a 200 response code from in 2017 based on a query we ran on Feb. 1st, 2018. The WARC files associated with this crawl are not currently available to the general public. ||||| If you’ve heard screams (and some laughter) and seen lots of fake blood and camera equipment, you might have run into the cast and crew of horror flick “Marla Mae.” The low-budget film, which is in its third and final week of filming in Olympia’s Wildwood neighborhood, is set to be a full-length horror film produced by Adventus Films and Cut Publishing. About 20 people are involved in the project — 12-15 crew members and four main cast members. Film writer and director Lisa van Dam-Bates, an Olympia High School alumna who also plays the main character, Marla, describes the under-$8,000 movie as “chick-flick horror.” Van Dam-Bates, 28, grew up watching classic horror movies with friends, and now she is a self-proclaimed “gore snob.” Digital Access for only $0.99 For the most comprehensive local coverage, subscribe today. “Cult classics are my jam,” she said. Van Dam-Bates has provided most of the locations for the film. Filming has taken place at her aunt’s house in Centralia, and at her parents’ home on O’Farrell Avenue in Olympia, as well as a bar in Tacoma. Not surprising for a horror film, much of the shooting took place in the middle of the night. She’s never done anything in film before, besides catering sets in Austin, Texas, but has always wanted to be an actress. Now she is hoping that filmmaking might be a career path for her. A press release for the film said, “Inherently modeled after many of the cult classic horror films of the 1980s, the story follows modest 20-something Marla who must uncover the diabolical reason for her boyfriend’s death while being sought after by local Olympia police who suspect her of the crime.” Van Dam-Bates said, “I could not imagine a better crew. Everyone we’ve found has been doing way more than needed for less than they are usually paid.” Marla’s boyfriend, Jake, is played by Travis Johnny Ware, van Dam-Bates’s childhood friend. “I really appreciated this role because Lisa is a good friend of mine,” he said. “Lisa is a friend I really respect and care about.” He described his character as a love interest for Marla. Marla is a bartender to whom terrible things happen. “They go through obscured circumstances that change their perspectives of each other,” he said. The film is named after a blind Chihuahua adopted by van Dam-Bates and her boyfriend, Brandon Roberts, the film’s producer. Marla Mae the chihuahua was in the film’s first trailer, but died recently after liver failure. “She was the fattest, cutest thing I’ve ever seen,” van Dam-Bates said. Concerned about some sexism in mainstream horror movies, van Dam-Bates said she tried to put a lot of thought into the details, plot and character motivation in her film to make it more appealing to women. But the film will still have some nudity at appropriate times, as well as blood and guts. “I love gore and this is my movie,” van Dam-Bates said. One tricky element has been figuring out how to choreograph violent acts without hurting the actors. Van Dam-Bates said she hopes editing will be finished in three to six months so they can enter film festivals and seek distribution.

– When it comes to promoting a movie, no press is bad press, right? Unless you happen to be a fugitive, in which case any press is bad press. Police in Olympia, Washington, arrested Jason Stange, 44, after recognizing him in photos that ran in the Olympian about the horror movie he's in, reports the News Tribune. Stange pleaded guilty to an armed bank robbery in 2006, and authorities say he walked away from a halfway house last year. He's now back in custody, and the producer of Marla Mae says he will remain in the film. "Everyone really liked him a lot," says producer Brandon Roberts. The movie will be out next year.

General view of the house of Sandor Kepiro a former WWII Hungarian military officer who has been charged with war crimes photographed in Budapest, Hungary, Monday, Feb. 14, 2011. The Budapest Investigating... (Associated Press) General view of the house of Sandor Kepiro a former WWII Hungarian military officer who has been charged with war crimes photographed in Budapest, Hungary, Monday, Feb. 14, 2011. The Budapest Investigating... (Associated Press) A former Hungarian police officer has been charged with war crimes for the killing of four civilians during a 1942 mass slaughter of 1,200 people in Serbia, prosecutors said Monday. The charges against Sandor Kepiro, 96, stem from his alleged participation in a raid by Hungarian forces on the northern Serbian town of Novi Sad in January 1942 that left more than 1,200 civilians dead, the Budapest Investigating Prosecutor's Office said. According to court papers, unidentified members of a patrol under Kepiro's command killed the four during the raid on Jan. 23, 1942. One of the victims, Irene Weisz, was shot while in bed. Kepiro, who was at the top of the Simon Wiesenthal Center's most-wanted war criminals list, returned to Hungary in 1996 after living for decades in Argentina. Hungarian authorities reopened Kepiro's case after his whereabouts were uncovered in 2006 by Efraim Zuroff, the Wiesenthal Center's chief Nazi hunter. "I am innocent and need to be acquitted," Kepiro told The Associated Press by phone from his apartment in Budapest. "I am bedridden and can't leave my home. I have nothing." Kepiro, who turns 97 on Friday, said he wants to return to his family in Argentina and stay there at a nursing home. Most of those killed in the raids in the wake of the Nazi occupation of Yugoslavia in World War II were Jews, Serbs and Gypsies, also known as Roma. Some 550,000 Hungarian Jews and 50,000 Roma died in the Holocaust. Hungary joined the Axis powers after the start of the war but was occupied by Germany in 1944 after attempting peace talks with the Allied powers. Kepiro's location was discovered as part of Operation Last Chance _ a campaign led by Zuroff to locate and prosecute Holocaust war criminals before they die. "It has been an uphill battle to convince Hungarian authorities to bring him to justice," Zuroff told the AP from Jerusalem. "But this is a powerful message that you can still be held accountable even for crimes committed decades ago." Kepiro said his task in Novi Sad was to supervise the identities of those being rounded up, but he denied knowing about the killings until after they were carried out. The bodies were dumped into the Danube River. In 1944, Kepiro was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a Hungarian military court for charges stemming from the Novi Sad raids, but the verdict was later annulled in a retrial. Kepiro, at the time a gendarmerie captain, said he was a scapegoat in a show trial meant to exonerate his superiors. According to Zuroff, Kepiro was convicted again in 1946 for his role in the raids, but Hungarian prosecutors have not been able to find records of the trial. Hungarian officials, however, did find new documents recently in archives in Belgrade, the Serbian capital, and used those to prepare the current charges against Kepiro, said Gabriella Skoda, a spokeswoman for the Prosecutor's Office. In 2009, a Budapest court denied the prosecution's request for Kepiro to be banned from leaving his home and Skoda said Monday that no similar appeals were planned now. Kepiro's lawyer said he would ask the courts to postpone a defamation suit launched last year by Kepiro against Zuroff, at least until the charges against his client are settled. "I expect the independent Hungarian courts to exonerate Sandor Kepiro," Zsolt Zetenyi said. "The documents are incapable of demonstrating his criminal responsibility and I am convinced that he did not commit any war crimes. "I will ask for the hearings to start as soon as possible," Zetenyi said. ||||| Karl Lotter, a prisoner who worked in the hospital at Mauthausen concentration camp, had no trouble remembering the first time he watched SS doctor Aribert Heim kill a man. This Feb. 28, 2005 file photo shows John Demjanjuk arriving at the federal building in Cleveland. Demjanjuk, a former concentration camp guard, has been fighting deportation from the U.S. for three decades.... (Associated Press) This 1950 file photo released by the State Office of Criminal Investigation, LKA, in Stuttgart, southern Germany, shows suspect Dr. Aribert Heim."Heim is the person we feel is the most important Nazi... (Associated Press) This June 3, 1992 file photo shows convicted Nazi war criminal John Demjanjuk, center, laughing in Israel's Supreme Court in Jerusalem, at the start of an appeal hearing. Demjanjuk, a former camp guard... (Associated Press) It was 1941, and an 18-year-old Jew had been sent to the clinic with a foot inflammation. Heim asked him about himself and why he was he so fit. The young man said he had been a soccer player and swimmer. Then, instead of treating the prisoner's foot, Heim anesthetized him, cut him open, castrated him, took apart one kidney and removed the second, Lotter said. The victim's head was removed and the flesh boiled off so that Heim could keep it on display. "He needed the head because of its perfect teeth," Lotter, a non-Jewish political prisoner, recalled in testimony eight years later that was included in an Austrian warrant for Heim's arrest uncovered by The Associated Press. "Of all the camp doctors in Mauthausen, Dr. Heim was the most horrible." But Heim managed to avoid prosecution, his American-held file in Germany mysteriously omitting his time at Mauthausen, and today he is the most-wanted suspected Nazi war criminal on a list of hundreds who the Simon Wiesenthal Center estimates are still free. Heim would be 93 today and "we have good reason to believe he is still alive," said Efraim Zuroff, the Simon Wiesenthal Center's top Nazi hunter. He spoke in a telephone interview from Jerusalem ahead of the center's plans to release a most-wanted list Wednesday, and to open a media campaign in South America this summer highlighting the $485,000 reward for Heim's arrest posted by the center along with Germany and Austria. According to an advance copy of the list obtained by the AP, the most wanted, after Heim, are: John Demjanjuk, fighting deportation from the U.S., which says he was a guard at several death and forced labor camps; Sandor Kepiro, a Hungarian accused of involvement in the wartime killings of than 1,000 civilians in Serbia; Milivoj Asner, a wartime Croatian police chief now living in Austria and suspected of an active role in deporting hundreds of Serbs, Jews, and Gypsies to their death; and Soeren Kam, a former member of the SS wanted by Denmark for the assassination of a journalist in 1943. His extradition from Germany was blocked in 2007 by a Bavarian court that found insufficient evidence for murder charges. The hunt for Heim has taken investigators from the German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg all around the world. Besides his home country of Austria and neighboring Germany where he settled after the war, tips have come from Uruguay in 1998, Spain, Switzerland and Chile in 2005, and Brazil in 2006, said Heinz Heister, presiding judge of the Baden-Baden state court, where Heim was indicted in absentia on hundreds of counts of murder in 1979. Thousands of German war criminals were prosecuted in West Germany after World War II. In the 1970s Western democracies began a hunt in earnest for Eastern European collaborators who had fled West claiming to be refugees from communism, and the end of the Cold War gave access to a trove of communist files in the 1990s. "All of a sudden there was pressure on countries like Latvia and Estonia to put these people on trial," Zuroff said. "So two times in the past 30 years we've been given a tremendous infusion of new energy and new possibilities." The Wiesenthal Center's previous annual survey counted 1,019 investigations under way worldwide. The number is lower this year and inexact because not all countries responded, but new investigations were up from 63 to 202, Zuroff said. Still, a lack of political will in many countries, and what Zuroff called the "misplaced-sympathy syndrome" _ reluctance to pursue aging suspects _ has meant that few people have been brought to trial and convicted. Lotter, the witness to Heim's atrocity, was in Mauthausen because he fought with the communists in the Spanish Civil War. His statement from the 1950 arrest warrant was viewed by the AP at the National Archives in College Park, Md. Now that the necessary evidence is in place, numerous witness statements have been taken and Heim has been indicted, all that's left is to find him. Born June 28, 1914 in Radkersburg, Austria, Heim joined the local Nazi party in 1935, three years before Austria was bloodlessly annexed by Germany. He later joined the Waffen SS and was assigned to Mauthausen, a concentration camp near Linz, Austria, as a camp doctor in October and November 1941. While there, witnesses told investigators, he worked closely with SS pharmacist Erich Wasicky on such gruesome experiments as injecting various solutions into Jewish prisoners' hearts to see which killed them the fastest. But while Wasicky was brought to trial by an American Military Tribunal in 1946 and sentenced to death, along with other camp medical personnel and commanders, Heim, who was a POW in American custody, was not among them. Heim's file in the Berlin Document Center, the then-U.S.-run depot for Nazi-era papers, was apparently altered to obliterate any mention of Mauthausen, according to his 1979 German indictment, obtained by the AP. Instead, for the period he was known to be at the concentration camp, he was listed as having a different SS assignment. This "cannot be correct," the indictment says. "It is possible that through data manipulation the short assignment at the same time to the (concentration camp) was concealed." There is no indication who might have been responsible. The U.S. Army Intelligence file on Heim could shed light on his wartime and postwar activities, and is among hundreds of thousands transferred to the U.S. National Archives. But the Army's electronic format is such that staff have so far only been able to access about half of them, and these don't include the file requested by the AP. Heim was relatively well-known, however, having been a national hockey player in Austria before the war, and there were plenty of witnesses from his time at Mauthausen. Austrian authorities sent the 1950 arrest warrant to American authorities in Germany who initially agreed to turn him over, then told the Austrians, in a Dec. 21, 1950 letter obtained by the AP, that they couldn't trace him. What happened next is unclear, but in 1958 Heim apparently felt comfortable enough to buy a 42-unit apartment block in Berlin, listing it in his own name with a home address in Mannheim, according to purchase documents obtained by the AP. He then moved to the nearby resort town of Baden-Baden and opened a gynecological clinic _ also under his own name, Heister said. In 1961 German authorities were alerted and began an investigation, but when they finally went to arrest him in September 1962, they just missed him _ he apparently had been tipped off. Heim continued to live off the rents collected from the Berlin apartments until 1979 when the building was confiscated by German authorities. Proof that he is alive may lie in the fact that no one has claimed his estate. Heim has two sons in Germany and a daughter who lived in Chile but whose current whereabouts are unknown. In Frankfurt, Heim's lawyer said he still officially represents the fugitive, but has not heard from him for 20 years and has "no clue" to his whereabouts. Asked in a telephone interview if Heim was dead, Fritz Steinacker said only: "I don't know." Ruediger Heim, one of the sons, would not comment when telephoned at his Baden-Baden villa. "All I can say is that it has been implied that I am in contact with my father, and that is absolutely false," he said. "The rest is speculation, and I can't enter into that." ___ Associated Press investigative researcher Randy Herschaft contributed to this report from New York and Washington, D.C. ___ On the Net: Operation Last Chance: http://www.operationlastchance.org/ Austrian Justice Ministry: http://www.justiz.gv.at/_cms_upload/_docs/auslobung_englisch.pdf

– A 96-year-old Hungarian police officer has been charged with war crimes committed during World War II, the AP reports. Sandor Kepiro allegedly ordered the killing of four civilians during a massacre of 1,200 that took place in Serbia. Hungarian courts had convicted Kepiro twice in the 1940s, says the Simon Wiesenthal Center's top Nazi hunter, but the first was overturned on retrial, and the second tossed out when court documents were lost. Now, new documents uncovered in Belgrade have given fresh evidence of Kepiro's involvement. The man himself remains adamant: "I am innocent and need to be acquitted," he said in a phone interview. "I am bedridden and can't leave my home. I have nothing." Kepiro had previously been included on a list of top war criminals sought by the Weisenthal Center.

Did you know? Walmart employs over 2.2 million associates around the world — 1.5 million in the U.S. alone. About 75% of our store management teams started as hourly associates, and they earn between $50,000 and $170,000 a year — similar to what firefighters, accountants, and even doctors make. Last year, Walmart promoted about 200,000 people to jobs with more responsibility and higher pay. ||||| But The Times’s examination uncovered a prolonged struggle at the highest levels of Wal-Mart, a struggle that pitted the company’s much publicized commitment to the highest moral and ethical standards against its relentless pursuit of growth. Under fire from labor critics, worried about press leaks and facing a sagging stock price, Wal-Mart’s leaders recognized that the allegations could have devastating consequences, documents and interviews show. Wal-Mart de Mexico was the company’s brightest success story, pitched to investors as a model for future growth. (Today, one in five Wal-Mart stores is in Mexico .) Confronted with evidence of corruption in Mexico, top Wal-Mart executives focused more on damage control than on rooting out wrongdoing. In one meeting where the bribery case was discussed, H. Lee Scott Jr., then Wal-Mart’s chief executive, rebuked internal investigators for being overly aggressive. Days later, records show, Wal-Mart’s top lawyer arranged to ship the internal investigators’ files on the case to Mexico City. Primary responsibility for the investigation was then given to the general counsel of Wal-Mart de Mexico — a remarkable choice since the same general counsel was alleged to have authorized bribes. The general counsel promptly exonerated his fellow Wal-Mart de Mexico executives. When Wal-Mart’s director of corporate investigations — a former top F.B.I. official — read the general counsel’s report, his appraisal was scathing. “Truly lacking,” he wrote in an e-mail to his boss. The report was nonetheless accepted by Wal-Mart’s leaders as the last word on the matter. In December, after learning of The Times’s reporting in Mexico, Wal-Mart informed the Justice Department that it had begun an internal investigation into possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a federal law that makes it a crime for American corporations and their subsidiaries to bribe foreign officials. Wal-Mart said the company had learned of possible problems with how it obtained permits, but stressed that the issues were limited to “discrete” cases. “We do not believe that these matters will have a material adverse effect on our business,” the company said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission . But The Times’s examination found credible evidence that bribery played a persistent and significant role in Wal-Mart’s rapid growth in Mexico, where Wal-Mart now employs 209,000 people, making it the country’s largest private employer. Advertisement Continue reading the main story A Wal-Mart spokesman confirmed that the company’s Mexico operations — and its handling of the 2005 case — were now a major focus of its inquiry. “If these allegations are true, it is not a reflection of who we are or what we stand for,” the spokesman, David W. Tovar, said. “We are deeply concerned by these allegations and are working aggressively to determine what happened.” In the meantime, Mr. Tovar said, Wal-Mart is taking steps in Mexico to strengthen compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. “We do not and will not tolerate noncompliance with F.C.P.A. anywhere or at any level of the company,” he said. The Times laid out this article’s findings to Wal-Mart weeks ago. The company said it shared the findings with many of the executives named here, including Mr. Scott, now on Wal-Mart’s board, and Mr. Castro-Wright, who is retiring in July. Both men declined to comment, Mr. Tovar said. The Times obtained hundreds of internal company documents tracing the evolution of Wal-Mart’s 2005 Mexico investigation. The documents show Wal-Mart’s leadership immediately recognized the seriousness of the allegations. Working in secrecy, a small group of executives, including several current members of Wal-Mart’s senior management, kept close tabs on the inquiry. Michael T. Duke , Wal-Mart’s current chief executive, was also kept informed. At the time, Mr. Duke had just been put in charge of Wal-Mart International, making him responsible for all foreign subsidiaries. “You’ll want to read this,” a top Wal-Mart lawyer wrote in an Oct. 15, 2005, e-mail to Mr. Duke that gave a detailed description of the former executive’s allegations. The Times examination included more than 15 hours of interviews with the former executive, Sergio Cicero Zapata, who resigned from Wal-Mart de Mexico in 2004 after nearly a decade in the company’s real estate department. In the interviews, Mr. Cicero recounted how he had helped organize years of payoffs. He described personally dispatching two trusted outside lawyers to deliver envelopes of cash to government officials. They targeted mayors and city council members, obscure urban planners, low-level bureaucrats who issued permits — anyone with the power to thwart Wal-Mart’s growth. The bribes, he said, bought zoning approvals, reductions in environmental impact fees and the allegiance of neighborhood leaders. Advertisement Continue reading the main story He called it working “the dark side of the moon.” The Times also reviewed thousands of government documents related to permit requests for stores across Mexico. The examination found many instances where permits were given within weeks or even days of Wal-Mart de Mexico’s payments to the two lawyers. Again and again, The Times found, legal and bureaucratic obstacles melted away after payments were made. The Times conducted extensive interviews with participants in Wal-Mart’s investigation. They spoke on the condition that they not be identified discussing matters Wal-Mart has long shielded. These people said the investigation left little doubt Mr. Cicero’s allegations were credible. (“Not even a close call,” one person said.) But, they said, the more investigators corroborated his assertions, the more resistance they encountered inside Wal-Mart. Some of it came from powerful executives implicated in the corruption, records and interviews show. Other top executives voiced concern about the possible legal and reputational harm. In the end, people involved in the investigation said, Wal-Mart’s leaders found a bloodlessly bureaucratic way to bury the matter. But in handing the investigation off to one of its main targets, they disregarded the advice of one of Wal-Mart’s top lawyers, the same lawyer first contacted by Mr. Cicero. “The wisdom of assigning any investigative role to management of the business unit being investigated escapes me,” Maritza I. Munich , then general counsel of Wal-Mart International, wrote in an e-mail to top Wal-Mart executives. The investigation, she urged, should be completed using “professional, independent investigative resources.” The Allegations Emerge On Sept. 21, 2005, Mr. Cicero sent an e-mail to Ms. Munich telling her he had information about “irregularities” authorized “by the highest levels” at Wal-Mart de Mexico. “I hope to meet you soon,” he wrote. Ms. Munich was familiar with the challenges of avoiding corruption in Latin America. Before joining Wal-Mart in 2003, she had spent 12 years in Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America as a lawyer for Procter & Gamble . Advertisement Continue reading the main story At Wal-Mart in 2004, she pushed the board to adopt a strict anticorruption policy that prohibited all employees from “offering anything of value to a government official on behalf of Wal-Mart.” It required every employee to report the first sign of corruption, and it bound Wal-Mart’s agents to the same exacting standards. Ms. Munich reacted quickly to Mr. Cicero’s e-mail. Within days, she hired Juan Francisco Torres-Landa, a prominent Harvard-trained lawyer in Mexico City, to debrief Mr. Cicero. The two men met three times in October 2005, with Ms. Munich flying in from Bentonville for the third debriefing. During hours of questioning, Mr. Torres-Landa’s notes show, Mr. Cicero described how Wal-Mart de Mexico had perfected the art of bribery, then hidden it all with fraudulent accounting. Mr. Cicero implicated many of Wal-Mart de Mexico’s leaders, including its board chairman, its general counsel, its chief auditor and its top real estate executive. But the person most responsible, he told Mr. Torres-Landa, was the company’s ambitious chief executive, Eduardo Castro-Wright, a native of Ecuador who was recruited from Honeywell in 2001 to become Wal-Mart’s chief operating officer in Mexico. Mr. Cicero said that while bribes were occasionally paid before Mr. Castro-Wright’s arrival, their use soared after Mr. Castro-Wright ascended to the top job in 2002. Mr. Cicero described how Wal-Mart de Mexico’s leaders had set “very aggressive growth goals,” which required opening new stores “in record times.” Wal-Mart de Mexico executives, he said, were under pressure to do “whatever was necessary” to obtain permits. In an interview with The Times, Mr. Cicero said Mr. Castro-Wright had encouraged the payments for a specific strategic purpose. The idea, he said, was to build hundreds of new stores so fast that competitors would not have time to react. Bribes, he explained, accelerated growth. They got zoning maps changed. They made environmental objections vanish. Permits that typically took months to process magically materialized in days. “What we were buying was time,” he said. Wal-Mart de Mexico’s stunning growth made Mr. Castro-Wright a rising star in Bentonville. In early 2005, when he was promoted to a senior position in the United States , Mr. Duke would cite his “outstanding results” in Mexico. Mr. Cicero’s allegations were all the more startling because he implicated himself. He spent hours explaining to Mr. Torres-Landa the mechanics of how he had helped funnel bribes through trusted fixers, known as “gestores.” Advertisement Continue reading the main story Gestores (pronounced hes-TORE-ehs) are a fixture in Mexico’s byzantine bureaucracies, and some are entirely legitimate. Ordinary citizens routinely pay gestores to stand in line for them at the driver’s license office. Companies hire them as quasi-lobbyists to get things done as painlessly as possible. But often gestores play starring roles in Mexico’s endless loop of public corruption scandals. They operate in the shadows, dangling payoffs to officials of every rank. It was this type of gestor that Wal-Mart de Mexico deployed, Mr. Cicero said. Mr. Cicero told Mr. Torres-Landa it was his job to recruit the gestores. He worked closely with them, sharing strategies on whom to bribe. He also approved Wal-Mart de Mexico’s payments to the gestores. Each payment covered the bribe and the gestor’s fee, typically 6 percent of the bribe. It was all carefully monitored through a system of secret codes known only to a handful of Wal-Mart de Mexico executives. The gestores submitted invoices with brief, vaguely worded descriptions of their services. But the real story, Mr. Cicero said, was told in codes written on the invoices. The codes identified the specific “irregular act” performed, Mr. Cicero explained to Mr. Torres-Landa. One code, for example, indicated a bribe to speed up a permit. Others described bribes to obtain confidential information or eliminate fines. Each month, Mr. Castro-Wright and other top Wal-Mart de Mexico executives “received a detailed schedule of all of the payments performed,” he said, according to the lawyer’s notes. Wal-Mart de Mexico then “purified” the bribes in accounting records as simple legal fees. They also took care to keep Bentonville in the dark. “Dirty clothes are washed at home,” Mr. Cicero said. Mr. Torres-Landa explored Mr. Cicero’s motives for coming forward. Mr. Cicero said he resigned in September 2004 because he felt underappreciated. He described the “pressure and stress” of participating in years of corruption, of contending with “greedy” officials who jacked up bribe demands. Advertisement Continue reading the main story As he told The Times, “I thought I deserved a medal at least.” The breaking point came in early 2004, when he was passed over for the job of general counsel of Wal-Mart de Mexico. This snub, Mr. Torres-Landa wrote, “generated significant anger with respect to the lack of recognition for his work.” Mr. Cicero said he began to assemble a record of bribes he had helped orchestrate to “protect him in case of any complaint or investigation,” Mr. Torres-Landa wrote. “We did not detect on his part any express statement about wishing to sell the information,” the lawyer added. According to people involved in Wal-Mart’s investigation, Mr. Cicero’s account of criminality at the top of Wal-Mart’s most important foreign subsidiary was impossible to dismiss. He had clearly been in a position to witness the events he described. Nor was this the first indication of corruption at Wal-Mart de Mexico under Mr. Castro-Wright. A confidential investigation, conducted for Wal-Mart in 2003 by Kroll Inc., a leading investigation firm, discovered that Wal-Mart de Mexico had systematically increased its sales by helping favored high-volume customers evade sales taxes . A draft of Kroll’s report, obtained by The Times, concluded that top Wal-Mart de Mexico executives had failed to enforce their own anticorruption policies, ignored internal audits that raised red flags and even disregarded local press accounts asserting that Wal-Mart de Mexico was “carrying out a tax fraud.” (The company ultimately paid $34.3 million in back taxes.) Wal-Mart then asked Kroll to evaluate Wal-Mart de Mexico’s internal audit and antifraud units. Kroll wrote another report that branded the units “ineffective.” Many employees accused of wrongdoing were not even questioned; some “received a promotion shortly after the suspicions of fraudulent activities had surfaced.” None of these findings, though, had slowed Mr. Castro-Wright’s rise. Just days before Mr. Cicero’s first debriefing, Mr. Castro-Wright was promoted again. He was put in charge of all Wal-Mart stores in the United States, one of the most prominent jobs in the company. He also joined Wal-Mart’s executive committee, the company’s inner sanctum of leadership. The Initial Response Ms. Munich sent detailed memos describing Mr. Cicero’s debriefings to Wal-Mart’s senior management. These executives, records show, included Thomas A. Mars, Wal-Mart’s general counsel and a former director of the Arkansas State Police; Thomas D. Hyde, Wal-Mart’s executive vice president and corporate secretary; Michael Fung, Wal-Mart’s top internal auditor; Craig Herkert, the chief executive for Wal-Mart’s operations in Latin America; and Lee Stucky, a confidant of Lee Scott’s and chief administrative officer of Wal-Mart International. Wal-Mart typically hired outside law firms to lead internal investigations into allegations of significant wrongdoing. It did so earlier in 2005, for example, when Thomas M. Coughlin, then vice chairman of Wal-Mart, was accused of padding his expense accounts and misappropriating Wal-Mart gift cards. Advertisement Continue reading the main story At first, Wal-Mart took the same approach with Mr. Cicero’s allegations. It turned to Willkie Farr & Gallagher, a law firm with extensive experience in Foreign Corrupt Practices Act cases. The firm’s “investigation work plan” called for tracing all payments to anyone who had helped Wal-Mart de Mexico obtain permits for the previous five years. The firm said it would scrutinize “any and all payments” to government officials and interview every person who might know about payoffs, including “implicated members” of Wal-Mart de Mexico’s board. In short, Willkie Farr recommended the kind of independent, spare-no-expense investigation major corporations routinely undertake when confronted with allegations of serious wrongdoing by top executives. Wal-Mart’s leaders rejected this approach. Instead, records show, they decided Wal-Mart’s lawyers would supervise a far more limited “preliminary inquiry” by in-house investigators. The inquiry, a confidential memo explained, would take two weeks, not the four months Willkie Farr proposed. Rather than examining years of permits, the team would look at a few specific stores. Interviews would be done “only when absolutely essential to establishing the bona fides” of Mr. Cicero. However, if the inquiry found a “likelihood” that laws had been violated, the company would then consider conducting a “full investigation.” The decision gave Wal-Mart’s senior management direct control over the investigation. It also meant new responsibility for the company’s tiny and troubled Corporate Investigations unit. The unit was ill-equipped to take on a major corruption investigation, let alone one in Mexico. It had fewer than 70 employees, and most were assigned to chasing shoplifting rings and corrupt vendors. Just four people were specifically dedicated to investigating corporate fraud, a number Joseph R. Lewis, Wal-Mart’s director of corporate investigations, described in a confidential memo as “wholly inadequate for an organization the size of Wal-Mart.” But Mr. Lewis and his boss, Kenneth H. Senser, vice president for global security, aviation and travel, were working to strengthen the unit. Months before Mr. Cicero surfaced, they won approval to hire four “special investigators” who, according to their job descriptions, would be assigned the “most significant and complex fraud matters.” Mr. Scott, the chief executive, also agreed that Corporate Investigations would handle all allegations of misconduct by senior executives. Advertisement Continue reading the main story And yet in the fall of 2005, as Wal-Mart began to grapple with Mr. Cicero’s allegations, two cases called into question Corporate Investigations’ independence and role. In October, Wal-Mart’s vice chairman, John B. Menzer, intervened in an internal investigation into a senior vice president who reported to him. According to internal records, Mr. Menzer told Mr. Senser he did not want Corporate Investigations to handle the case “due to concerns about the impact such an investigation would have.” One of the senior vice president’s subordinates, he said, “would be better suited to conduct this inquiry.” Soon after, records show, the subordinate cleared his boss. The other case involved the president of Wal-Mart Puerto Rico . A whistle-blower had accused the president and other executives of mistreating employees. Although Corporate Investigations was supposed to investigate all allegations against senior executives, the president had instead assigned an underling to look into the complaints — but to steer clear of those against him. Ms. Munich objected. In an e-mail to Wal-Mart executives, she complained that the investigation was “at the direction of the same company officer who is the target of several of the allegations.” “We are in need of clear guidelines about how to handle these issues going forward,” she warned. The Inquiry Begins Ronald Halter, one of Wal-Mart’s new “special investigators,” was assigned to lead the preliminary inquiry into Mr. Cicero’s allegations. Mr. Halter had been with Wal-Mart only a few months, but he was a seasoned criminal investigator. He had spent 21 years in the F.B.I., and he spoke Spanish . He also had help. Bob Ainley, a senior auditor, was sent to Mexico along with several Spanish-speaking auditors. On Nov. 12, 2005, Mr. Halter’s team got to work at Wal-Mart de Mexico’s corporate headquarters in Mexico City. The team gained access to a database of Wal-Mart de Mexico payments and began searching the payment description field for the word “gestoria.” Advertisement Continue reading the main story By day’s end, they had found 441 gestor payments. Each was a potential bribe, and yet they had searched back only to 2003. Mr. Cicero had said his main gestores were Pablo Alegria Con Alonso and Jose Manuel Aguirre Juarez, obscure Mexico City lawyers with small practices who were friends of his from law school. Sure enough, Mr. Halter’s team found that nearly half the payments were to Mr. Alegria and Mr. Aguirre. These two lawyers alone, records showed, had received $8.5 million in payments. Records showed Wal-Mart de Mexico routinely paid its gestores tens of thousands of dollars per permit. (In interviews, both lawyers declined to discuss the corruption allegations, citing confidentiality agreements with Wal-Mart.) “One very interesting postscript,” Mr. Halter wrote in an e-mail to his boss, Mr. Lewis. “All payments to these individuals and all large sums of $ paid out of this account stopped abruptly in 2005.” Mr. Halter said the “only thing we can find” that changed was that Mr. Castro-Wright left Wal-Mart de Mexico for the United States. Mr. Halter’s team confirmed detail after detail from Mr. Cicero’s debriefings. Mr. Cicero had given specifics — names, dates, bribe amounts — for several new stores. In almost every case, investigators found documents confirming major elements of his account. And just as Mr. Cicero had described, investigators found mysterious codes at the bottom of invoices from the gestores. “The documentation didn’t look anything like what you would find in legitimate billing records from a legitimate law firm,” a person involved in the investigation said in an interview. Mr. Lewis sent a terse progress report to his boss, Mr. Senser: “FYI. It is not looking good.” Hours later, Mr. Halter’s team found clear confirmation that Mr. Castro-Wright and other top executives at Wal-Mart de Mexico were well aware of the gestor payments. In March 2004, the team discovered, the executives had been sent an internal Wal-Mart de Mexico audit that raised red flags about the gestor payments. The audit documented how Wal-Mart de Mexico’s two primary gestores had been paid millions to make “facilitating payments” for new store permits all over Mexico. Advertisement Continue reading the main story The audit did not delve into how the money had been used to “facilitate” permits. But it showed the payments rising rapidly, roughly in line with Wal-Mart de Mexico’s accelerating growth. The audit recommended notifying Bentonville of the payments. The recommendation, records showed, was removed by Wal-Mart de Mexico’s chief auditor, whom Mr. Cicero had identified as one of the executives who knew about the bribes. The author of the gestor audit, meanwhile, “was fired not long after the audit was completed,” Mr. Halter wrote. Mr. Ainley arranged to meet the fired auditor at his hotel. The auditor described other examples of Wal-Mart de Mexico’s leaders withholding from Bentonville information about suspect payments to government officials. The auditor singled out José Luis Rodríguezmacedo Rivera, the general counsel of Wal-Mart de Mexico. Mr. Rodríguezmacedo, he said, took “significant information out” of an audit of Wal-Mart de Mexico’s compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The original audit had described how Wal-Mart de Mexico gave gift cards to government officials in towns where it was building stores. “These were only given out until the construction was complete,” Mr. Ainley wrote. “At which time the payments ceased.” These details were scrubbed from the final version sent to Bentonville. Investigators were struck by Mr. Castro-Wright’s response to the gestor audit. It had been shown to him immediately, Wal-Mart de Mexico’s chief auditor had told them. Yet rather than expressing alarm, he had appeared worried about becoming too dependent on too few gestores. In an e-mail, Mr. Rodríguezmacedo told Mr. Cicero to write up a plan to “diversify” the gestores used to “facilitate” permits. “Eduardo Castro wants us to implement this plan as soon as possible,” he wrote. Mr. Cicero did as directed. The plan, which authorized paying gestores up to $280,000 to “facilitate” a single permit, was approved with a minor change. Mr. Rodríguezmacedo did not want the plan to mention “gestores.” He wanted them called “external service providers.” Mr. Halter’s team made one last discovery — a finding that suggested the corruption might be far more extensive than even Mr. Cicero had described. Advertisement Continue reading the main story In going through Wal-Mart de Mexico’s database of payments, investigators noticed the company was making hefty “contributions” and “donations” directly to governments all over Mexico — nearly $16 million in all since 2003. Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content , updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. “Some of the payments descriptions indicate that the donation is being made for the issuance of a license,” Mr. Ainley wrote in one report back to Bentonville. They also found a document in which a Wal-Mart de Mexico real estate executive had openly acknowledged that “these payments were performed to facilitate obtaining the licenses or permits” for new stores. Sometimes, Mr. Cicero told The Times, donations were used hand-in-hand with gestor payments to get permits. Deflecting Blame When Mr. Halter’s team was ready to interview executives at Wal-Mart de Mexico, the first target was Mr. Rodríguezmacedo. Before joining Wal-Mart de Mexico in January 2004, Mr. Rodríguezmacedo had been a lawyer for Citigroup in Mexico. Urbane and smooth, with impeccable English, he quickly won fans in Bentonville. When Wal-Mart invited executives from its foreign subsidiaries for several days of discussion about the fine points of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Mr. Rodríguezmacedo was asked to lead one of the sessions. It was called “Overcoming Challenges in Government Dealings.” Yet Mr. Cicero had identified him as a participant in the bribery scheme. In his debriefings, Mr. Cicero described how Mr. Rodríguezmacedo had passed along specific payoff instructions from Mr. Castro-Wright. In an interview with The Times, Mr. Cicero said he and Mr. Rodríguezmacedo had discussed the use of gestores shortly after Mr. Rodríguezmacedo was hired. “He said, ‘Don’t worry. Keep it on its way.’ ” Mr. Rodríguezmacedo declined to comment; on Friday Wal-Mart disclosed that he had been reassigned and is no longer Wal-Mart de Mexico’s general counsel. Mr. Halter’s team hoped Mr. Rodríguezmacedo would shed light on how two outside lawyers came to be paid $8.5 million to “facilitate” permits. Mr. Rodríguezmacedo responded with evasive hostility, records and interviews show. When investigators asked him for the gestores’ billing records, he said he did not have time to track them down. They got similar receptions from other executives. Only after investigators complained to higher authorities were the executives more forthcoming. Led by Mr. Rodríguezmacedo, they responded with an attack on Mr. Cicero’s credibility. Advertisement Continue reading the main story The gestor audit, they told investigators, had raised doubts about Mr. Cicero, since he had approved most of the payments. They began to suspect he was somehow benefiting, so they asked Kroll to investigate. It was then, they asserted, that Kroll discovered Mr. Cicero’s wife was a law partner of one of the gestores. Mr. Cicero was fired, they said, because he had failed to disclose that fact. They produced a copy of a “preliminary” report from Kroll and e-mails showing the undisclosed conflict had been reported to Bentonville. Based on this behavior, Mr. Rodríguezmacedo argued, the gestor payments were in all likelihood a “ruse” by Mr. Cicero to defraud Wal-Mart de Mexico. Mr. Cicero and the gestores, he contended, probably kept every last peso of the “facilitating payments.” Simply put, bribes could not have been paid if the money was stolen first. It was an argument that gave Wal-Mart ample justification to end the inquiry. But investigators were skeptical, records and interviews show. Even if Mr. Rodríguezmacedo’s account were true, it did not explain why Wal-Mart de Mexico’s executives had authorized gestor payments in the first place, or why they made “donations” to get permits, or why they rewrote audits to keep Bentonville in the dark. Investigators also wondered why a trained lawyer who had gotten away with stealing a small fortune from Wal-Mart would now deliberately draw the company’s full attention by implicating himself in a series of fictional bribes. And if Wal-Mart de Mexico’s executives truly believed they had been victimized, why hadn’t they taken legal action against Mr. Cicero, much less reported the “theft” to Bentonville? There was another problem: Documents contradicted most of the executives’ assertions about Mr. Cicero. Records showed Mr. Cicero had not been fired, but had resigned with severance benefits and a $25,000 bonus. In fact, in a 2004 e-mail to Ms. Munich, Mr. Rodríguezmacedo himself described how he had “negotiated” Mr. Cicero’s “departure.” The same e-mail said Mr. Cicero had not even been confronted about the supposed undisclosed conflict involving his wife. (Mr. Cicero flatly denied that his wife had ever worked with either gestor.) The e-mail also assured Ms. Munich there was no hint of financial wrongdoing. “We see it merely as an undisclosed conflict of interest,” Mr. Rodríguezmacedo wrote. Advertisement Continue reading the main story There were other discrepancies. Mr. Rodríguezmacedo said the company had stopped using gestores after Mr. Cicero’s departure. Yet even as Mr. Cicero was being debriefed in October 2005, Wal-Mart de Mexico real estate executives made a request to pay a gestor $14,000 to get a construction permit, records showed. The persistent questions and document requests from Mr. Halter’s team provoked a backlash from Wal-Mart de Mexico’s executives. After a week of work, records and interviews show, Mr. Halter and other members of the team were summoned by Eduardo F. Solórzano Morales, then chief executive of Wal-Mart de Mexico. Mr. Solórzano angrily chastised the investigators for being too secretive and accusatory. He took offense that his executives were being told at the start of interviews that they had the right not to answer questions — as if they were being read their rights. “It was like, ‘You shut up. I’m going to talk,’ ” a person said of Mr. Solórzano. “It was, ‘This is my home, my backyard. You are out of here.’ ” Mr. Lewis viewed the complaints as an effort to sidetrack his investigators. “I find this ludicrous and a copout for the larger concerns about what has been going on,” he wrote. Nevertheless, Mr. Herkert, the chief executive for Latin America, was notified about the complaints. Three days later, he and his boss, Mr. Duke, flew to Mexico City. The trip had been long-planned — Mr. Duke toured several stores — but they also reassured Wal-Mart de Mexico’s unhappy executives. They arrived just as the investigators wrapped up their work and left. A Push to Dig Deeper Wal-Mart’s leaders had agreed to consider a full investigation if the preliminary inquiry found Mr. Cicero’s allegations credible. Back in Bentonville, Mr. Halter and Mr. Ainley wrote confidential reports to Wal-Mart’s top executives in December 2005 laying out all the evidence that corroborated Mr. Cicero — the hundreds of gestor payments, the mystery codes, the rewritten audits, the evasive responses from Wal-Mart de Mexico executives, the donations for permits, the evidence gestores were still being used. Advertisement Continue reading the main story “There is reasonable suspicion,” Mr. Halter concluded, “to believe that Mexican and USA laws have been violated.” There was simply “no defendable explanation” for the millions of dollars in gestor payments, he wrote. Mr. Halter submitted an “action plan” for a deeper investigation that would plumb the depths of corruption and culpability at Wal-Mart de Mexico. Among other things, he urged “that all efforts be concentrated on the reconstruction of Cicero’s computer history.” Mr. Cicero, meanwhile, was still offering help. In November, when Mr. Halter’s team was in Mexico, Mr. Cicero offered his services as a paid consultant. In December, he wrote to Ms. Munich. He volunteered to share specifics on still more stores, and he promised to show her documents. “I hope you visit again,” he wrote. Mr. Halter proposed a thorough investigation of the two main gestores. He had not tried to interview them in Mexico for fear of his safety. (“I do not want to expose myself on what I consider to be an unrealistic attempt to get Mexican lawyers to admit to criminal activity,” he had explained to his bosses.) Now Mr. Halter wanted Wal-Mart to hire private investigators to interview and monitor both gestores. He also envisioned a round of adversarial interviews with Wal-Mart de Mexico’s senior executives. He and his investigators argued that it was time to take the politically sensitive step of questioning Mr. Castro-Wright about his role in the gestor payments. By January 2006, the case had reached a critical juncture. Wal-Mart’s leaders were again weighing whether to approve a full investigation that would inevitably focus on a star executive already being publicly discussed as a potential successor to Mr. Scott. Wal-Mart’s ethics policy offered clear direction. “Never cover up or ignore an ethics problem,” the policy states. And some who were involved in the investigation argued that it was time to take a stand against signs of rising corruption in Wal-Mart’s global operations. Each year the company received hundreds of internal reports of bribery and fraud, records showed. In Asia alone, there had been 90 reports of bribery just in the previous 18 months. Advertisement Continue reading the main story The situation was bad enough that Wal-Mart’s top procurement executives were summoned to Bentonville that winter for a dressing down. Mr. Menzer, Wal-Mart’s vice chairman, warned them that corruption was creating an unacceptable risk, particularly given the government’s stepped-up enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. “Times have changed,” he said. As if to underscore the problem, Wal-Mart’s leaders were confronted with new corruption allegations at Wal-Mart de Mexico even as they pondered Mr. Halter’s action plan. In January, Mr. Scott, Mr. Duke and Wal-Mart’s chairman, S. Robson Walton, received an anonymous e-mail saying Wal-Mart de Mexico’s top real estate executives were receiving kickbacks from construction companies. “Please you must do something,” the e-mail implored. Yet at the same time, records and interviews show, there were misgivings about the budding reach and power of Corporate Investigations. In less than a year, Mr. Lewis’s beefed-up team had doubled its caseload, to roughly 400 cases a year. Some executives grumbled that Mr. Lewis acted as if he still worked for the F.B.I., where he had once supervised major investigations. They accused him and his investigators of being overbearing, disruptive and naïve about the moral ambiguities of doing business abroad. They argued that Corporate Investigations should focus more on quietly “neutralizing” problems than on turning corrupt employees over to law enforcement. Wal-Mart’s leaders had just witnessed the downside of that approach: in early 2005, the company went to the F.B.I. with evidence that the disgraced former vice chairman, Mr. Coughlin, had embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars. The decision produced months of embarrassing publicity, especially when Mr. Coughlin claimed he had used the money to pay off union spies for Wal-Mart. Meanwhile, Wal-Mart de Mexico executives were continuing to complain to Bentonville about the investigation. The protests “just never let up,” a person involved in the case said. Another person familiar with the thinking of those overseeing the investigation said Wal-Mart would have reacted “like a chicken on a June bug” had the allegations concerned the United States. But some executives saw Mexico as a country where bribery was embedded in the business culture. It simply did not merit the same response. “It’s a Mexican issue; it’s better to let it be a Mexican response,” the person said, describing the thinking of Wal-Mart executives. In the midst of this debate, Ms. Munich submitted her resignation, effective Feb. 1, 2006. In one of her final acts, she drafted a memo that argued for expanding the Mexico investigation and giving equal respect to Mexican and United States laws. “The bribery of government officials,” she noted dryly, “is a criminal offense in Mexico.” She also warned against allowing implicated executives to interfere with the investigation. Wal-Mart de Mexico’s executives had already tried to insert themselves in the case. Just before Christmas, records show, Mr. Solórzano, the Wal-Mart de Mexico chief executive, held a video conference with Mr. Mars, Mr. Senser and Mr. Stucky to discuss his team’s “hypothesis” that Mr. Cicero had stolen gestor payments. “Given the serious nature of the allegations, and the need to preserve the integrity of the investigation,” Ms. Munich wrote, “it would seem more prudent to develop a follow-up plan of action, independent of Walmex management participation.” The Chief Weighs In Mr. Scott called a meeting for Feb. 3, 2006, to discuss revamping Wal-Mart’s internal investigations and to resolve the question of what to do about Mr. Cicero’s allegations. In the days before the meeting, records show, Mr. Senser ordered his staff to compile data showing the effectiveness of Corporate Investigations. He assembled statistics showing that the unit had referred relatively few cases to law enforcement agencies. He circulated copies of an e-mail in which Mr. Rodríguezmacedo said he had been treated “very respectfully and cordially” by Mr. Senser’s investigators. Along with Mr. Scott, the meeting included Mr. Hyde, Mr. Mars and Mr. Stucky, records show. The meeting brought the grievances against Corporate Investigations into the open. Mr. Senser described the complaints in Mr. Lewis’s performance evaluation, completed shortly after the meeting. Wal-Mart’s leaders viewed Mr. Lewis’s investigators as “overly aggressive,” he wrote. They did not care for Mr. Lewis’s “law enforcement approach,” and the fact that Mr. Scott convened a meeting to express these concerns only underscored “the importance placed on these topics by senior executives.” By meeting’s end, Mr. Senser had been ordered to work with Mr. Mars and others to develop a “modified protocol” for internal investigations. Mr. Scott said he wanted it done fast, and within 24 hours Mr. Senser produced a new protocol, a highly bureaucratic process that gave senior Wal-Mart executives — including executives at the business units being investigated — more control over internal investigations. The policy included multiple “case reviews.” It also required senior executives to conduct a “cost-benefit analysis” before signing off on a full-blown investigation. Under the new protocol, Mr. Lewis and his team would only investigate “significant” allegations, like those involving potential crimes or top executives. Lesser allegations would be left to the affected business unit to investigate. “This captures it, I think,” Mr. Hyde wrote when Mr. Senser sent him the new protocol. Four days after Mr. Scott’s meeting, with the new protocol drafted, Wal-Mart’s leaders began to transfer control of the bribery investigation to one of its earliest targets, Mr. Rodríguezmacedo. Mr. Mars first sent Mr. Halter’s report to Mr. Rodríguezmacedo. Then he arranged to ship Mr. Halter’s investigative files to him as well. In an e-mail, he sought Mr. Senser’s advice on how to send the files in “a secure manner.” Mr. Senser recommended FedEx . “There is very good control on those shipments, and while governments do compromise them if they are looking for something in particular, there is no reason for them to think that this shipment is out of the ordinary,” he wrote. “The key,” he added, “is being careful about how you communicate the details of the shipment to José Luis.” He advised Mr. Mars to use encrypted e-mail. Wal-Mart’s spokesman, Mr. Tovar, said the company could not discuss Mr. Scott’s meeting or the decision to transfer the case to Mr. Rodríguezmacedo. “At this point,” he said, “we don’t have a full explanation of what happened. Unfortunately, we realize that until the investigation is concluded, there will be some unanswered questions.” Wal-Mart’s leaders, however, had clear guidance about the propriety of letting a target of an investigation run it. On the same day Mr. Senser was putting the finishing touches on the new investigations protocol, Wal-Mart’s ethics office sent him a booklet of “best practices” for internal investigations. It had been put together by lawyers and executives who supervised investigations at Fortune 500 companies. “Investigations should be conducted by individuals who do not have any vested interest in the potential outcomes of the investigation,” it said. The transfer appeared to violate even the “modified protocol” for investigations. Under the new protocol, Corporate Investigations was still supposed to handle “significant” allegations — including those involving potential crimes and senior executives. When Mr. Senser asked his deputies to list all investigations that met this threshold, they came up with 31 cases. At the top of the list: Mexico. After the meeting with Mr. Scott, Mr. Senser had told Mr. Lewis in his performance evaluation that his “highest priority” should be to eliminate “the perceptions that investigators are being too aggressive.” He wanted Mr. Lewis to “earn the trust of” his “clients” — Wal-Mart’s leaders. He wanted him to head off “adversarial interactions.” Mr. Senser now applied the same advice to himself. Even as Mr. Halter’s files were being shipped to Mr. Rodríguezmacedo, Mr. Stucky made plans to fly to Mexico with other executives involved in the bribery investigation. The trip, he wrote, was “for the purpose of re-establishing activities related to the certain compliance matters we’ve been discussing.” Mr. Stucky invited Mr. Senser along. “It is better if we do not make this trip to Mexico City,” Mr. Senser replied. His investigators, he wrote, would simply be “a resource” if needed. Ten days after Mr. Stucky flew to Mexico, an article about Wal-Mart appeared in The Times. It focused on “the increasingly important role of one man: Eduardo Castro-Wright.” The article said Mr. Castro-Wright was a “popular figure” inside Wal-Mart because he made Wal-Mart de Mexico one of the company’s “most profitable units.” Wall Street analysts, it said, viewed him as a “very strong candidate” to succeed Mr. Scott. Case Closed For those who had investigated Mr. Cicero’s allegations, the preliminary inquiry had been just that — preliminary. In memos and meetings, they had argued that their findings clearly justified a full-blown investigation. Mr. Castro-Wright’s precise role had yet to be determined. Mr. Halter had never been permitted to question him, nor had Mr. Castro-Wright’s computer files been examined, records and interviews show. At the very least, a complete investigation would take months. Mr. Rodríguezmacedo, the man now in charge, saw it differently. He wrapped up the case in a few weeks, with little additional investigation. “There is no evidence or clear indication,” his report concluded, “of bribes paid to Mexican government authorities with the purpose of wrongfully securing any licenses or permits.” That conclusion, his report explained, was largely based on the denials of his fellow executives. Not one “mentioned having ordered or given bribes to government authorities,” he wrote. His report, six pages long, neglected to note that he had been implicated in the same criminal conduct. That was not the only omission. While his report conceded that Wal-Mart de Mexico executives had authorized years of payments to gestores, it never explained what these executives expected the gestores to do with the millions of dollars they received to “facilitate” permits. He was also silent on the evidence that Wal-Mart de Mexico had doled out donations to get permits. Nor did he address evidence that he and other executives had suppressed or rewritten audits that would have alerted Bentonville to improper payments. Instead, the bulk of Mr. Rodríguezmacedo’s report attacked the integrity of his accuser. Mr. Cicero, he wrote, made Wal-Mart de Mexico’s executives think they would “run the risk of having permits denied if the gestores were not used.” But this was merely a ruse: In all likelihood, he argued, Wal-Mart de Mexico paid millions for “services never rendered.” The gestores simply pocketed the money, he suggested, and Mr. Cicero “may have benefited,” too. But he offered no direct proof. Indeed, as his report made clear, it was less an allegation than a hypothesis built on two highly circumstantial pillars. First, he said he had consulted with Jesús Zamora-Pierce, a “prestigious independent counsel” who had written books on fraud. Mr. Zamora, he wrote, “feels the conduct displayed by Sergio Cicero is typical of someone engaging in fraud. It is not uncommon in Mexico for lawyers to recommend the use of gestores to facilitate permit obtainment, when in reality it is nothing more than a means of engaging in fraud.” Second, he said he had done a statistical analysis that found Wal-Mart de Mexico won permits even faster after Mr. Cicero left. The validity of his analysis was impossible to assess; he did not include his statistics in the report. In building a case against Mr. Cicero, Mr. Rodríguezmacedo’s report included several false statements. He described Mr. Cicero’s “dismissal” when records showed he had resigned. He also wrote that Kroll’s investigation of Mr. Cicero concluded that he “had a considerable increase in his standard of living during the time in which payments were made to the gestores.” Kroll’s report made no such assertion, people involved in the investigation said. His report promised a series of corrective steps aimed at putting the entire matter to rest. Wal-Mart de Mexico would no longer use gestores. There would be a renewed commitment to Wal-Mart’s anticorruption policy. He did not recommend any disciplinary action against his colleagues. There was, however, one person he hoped to punish. Wal-Mart de Mexico, he wrote, would scour Mr. Cicero’s records and determine “if any legal action may be taken against him.” Mr. Rodríguezmacedo submitted a draft of his report to Bentonville. In an e-mail, Mr. Lewis told his superiors that he found the report “lacking.” It was not clear what evidence supported the report’s conclusions, he wrote. “More importantly,” he wrote, “if one agrees that Sergio defrauded the company and I am one of them, the question becomes, how was he able to get away with almost $10 million and why was nothing done after it was discovered?” Mr. Rodríguezmacedo responded by adding a paragraph to the end of his report: They had decided not to pursue “criminal actions” against Mr. Cicero because “we did not have strong case.” “At the risk of being cynical,” Mr. Lewis wrote in response, “that report is exactly the same as the previous which I indicated was truly lacking.” But it was enough for Wal-Mart. Mr. Rodríguezmacedo was told by executives in Bentonville on May 10, 2006, to put his report “into final form, thus concluding this investigation.” No one told Mr. Cicero. All he knew was that after months of e-mails, phone calls and meetings, Wal-Mart’s interest seemed to suddenly fade. His phone calls and e-mails went unanswered. “I thought nobody cares about this,” he said. “So I left it behind.”

– Looks like Walmart stores blew past their competition in Mexico by doling out millions of dollars in bribes—and, when the scandal came to light, sweeping it deftly under the rug, the New York Times reports. Former Walmart de Mexico executive Sergio Cicero Zapata revealed the payoffs in 2005, triggering alarm bells at Walmart's headquarters in Bentonville, Ark. ($27 million in foreign bribes would, after all, violate US law). But records show that Walmart execs handed off the investigation to their Mexican general counsel—himself accused of authorizing bribes. In his hands, the probe slowly died. Top executives at Walmart de Mexico had allegedly kept the bribery system hidden from Bentonville for years while payoffs continued to buy zoning approvals, lower environmental impact fees, and the support of local leaders. In particular, Cicero blames Walmart's highly ambitious former chief executive in Mexico, Eduardo Castro-Wright, for keeping the bribery system alive (even though Walmart promoted him to vice-chairman in 2008). As for Walmart, it posted a press release today saying it has met with US authorities and is "deeply concerned by these allegations."

This Texas family was headed to Disney World when a fatal wreck killed five family members. (Photo: Courtesy Photo) MONROE, La. – The teen driver in a crash that killed five family members has been charged with reckless operation of a vehicle, according to a Louisiana state police spokesman. The family, from Terrell, Texas, was en route to a vacation at Disney World when their SUV rolled over on I-20, ejecting six of the vehicle's eight occupants. The 16-year-old son apparently fell asleep at the wheel, according to an Associated Press report. The incident occurred Wednesday night around 10:45 p.m. on I-20 west of Calhoun. According to Louisiana State Police, the 2005 Chevy Tahoe was being driven by a 16-year-old when it ran off the road to the left and into the median. Police said the driver then over-corrected and the vehicle began to rollover, ejecting six of the seven passengers, none of whom were wearing seat belts, according to Colonel Mike Edmonson. The dead included three children, ages 4, 7 and 15 and two adults, identified as Michael and Trudi Hardman of Terrell, Texas. The driver, who was belted, suffered only minor injuries. Two other passengers had moderate injuries. "Our heartfelt condolences go out to all of the people affected by this tragic crash," said Colonel Mike Edmonson, Louisiana State Police Superintendent. "Crashes like this one don't just affect the people involved. They affect family members, friends, Troopers, first responders and the community at large. In an instance this family vacation turned into an unspeakable tragedy. I cannot stress enough the importance of wearing a seatbelt anytime you are in a vehicle." Troopers suspected the driver may have fallen asleep prior to the crash. Although impairment is not suspected, a toxicology sample was obtained from the driver and will be submitted for analysis as required by law. The crash remains under investigation. Trudi Hardman was a kindergarten teacher with Wills Point ISD. Michael taught second grade in Terrell ISD. The superintendent for Terrell ISD released the following statement: "Today, our Tiger Family grieves the tragic loss of one of our team members, Michael Hardman, who was dedicated to his second grade students at J. F. Kennedy Elementary School," Terrell ISD Superintendent Michael French said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family members, colleagues, students and friends. We must lift each other up during this difficult time." There are several funds set up for the surviving boys and their families. A Go Fund Me page for the boys is set up here. Read or Share this story: http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/local/2014/11/20/texas-family-killed-louisiana-crash/19326845/ ||||| NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A 16-year-old boy driving relatives from Texas to a vacation in Disney World apparently fell asleep at the wheel, causing the sport utility vehicle to veer off the highway and roll over, killing three children and two adults, authorities said Thursday. The teen, who had a driver's license but was not identified, was charged with reckless operation of a vehicle following the crash on Interstate 20 near Calhoun, Louisiana, at 11 p.m. Wednesday, said state police spokesman Michael Reichardt. He and two additional passengers suffered minor injuries. Authorities identified the adults killed as school teachers Michael and Trudi Hardman of Terrell, Texas. The children killed were ages 4, 7 and 15. Their names were not immediately released. None of those killed wore seat belts but the driver did, officials said. Reichardt said all the children in the vehicle were related to one another as siblings or half-siblings. Michael Hardman was a second-grade teacher at an elementary school in Terrell, said Terrell Independent School District Superintendent Michael French. He had worked in the district for two years, French said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family members, colleagues, students and friends," he said. "We must lift each other up during this difficult time." French said a counselor contacted the parents of students in his class to let them know about his death, and counselors also are available to support both staff and students. Trudi Hardman was a kindergarten teacher at the Wills Point Independent School District, the district said in a statement on its Facebook page. Telephone calls and messages left with the district were not immediately returned to The Associated Press. The 16-year-old veered left onto the median and then tried to get back onto the highway but overcorrected, causing the 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe to roll over, police said. The drive from east Texas to Orlando, Florida, where Disney World is located, is about 1,050 miles — a 16-hour drive. Calhoun would have been about three-and-a-half hours into the drive, but it was not immediately clear when the family left their home, or how long they had been on the road Wednesday. Six of the eight people in the SUV were thrown from the vehicle, police said. Ouachita Parish coroners pronounced the five family members dead on the scene. "Our heartfelt condolences go out to all of the people affected by this tragic crash," said Col. Mike Edmonson, the Louisiana State Police superintendent. "In an instance this family vacation turned into an unspeakable tragedy." Police don't believe the young driver was impaired, but a toxicology sample was taken, troopers said. The stretch of I-20 where the deadly crash took place is flat and straight and the weather was clear.

– Two parents and three children en route to a Disney World vacation were killed last night in a car accident, reports WFAA. Police say none of the five were wearing seat belts, and all were ejected from their SUV when it rolled over on an interstate in northern Louisiana. Killed were parents Michael and Trudi Hardman of Terrell, Texas, and three kids ages 4, 7, and 15. The 16-year-old driver and two other passengers suffered minor injuries. Police think the teen may have fallen asleep at the wheel, and he has been charged with reckless operation of a vehicle, reports AP. Authorities think that after the SUV veered left onto the median, the driver over-corrected and rolled the vehicle. The Hardmans were driving from Texas to Orlando, Florida, and would have been less than four hours into a 16-hour drive. The crash took place about 10:45pm. Police have not released the names of the younger passengers, but they said all were either siblings or half-siblings, suggesting they were the Hardmans' children.

Cash-strapped students who seek government loans to get them through their tertiary studies may face debts of up to HK$192,000 at the end of their courses, a survey has found. Some of those polled could not see themselves repaying the loans until they are in their 40s, the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups survey said. The poll was conducted from late August to mid-September. Some 727 tertiary students who had applied for the loans were interviewed. The sampling error was plus or minus 1.9 per cent. Students on publicly funded degrees racked up an average debt of HK$109,000 during their studies, the survey found. For those taking self-financed sub-degree or associate degree courses, average debt was HK$192,000. Just 15 per cent of respondents believed they would be able to repay loans soon after they graduated. But 32.6 per cent said they would likely be able to clear the debt between the ages of 30 and 39. Some 5.8 per cent could not envisage being able to repay the money until they are in their 40s. The respondents were also asked to rate their financial burden, with 7.31 the average on a scale of 0 to 10 - and 10 meaning the burden was very heavy. About two-thirds of the students said they were working part-time to keep afloat. The average working hours were 33.8 per month, the survey found. Some 6.7 per cent of respondents said they worked more than 81 hours a month. About 14,600 first-year degree places are provided via eight publicly funded tertiary education institutions. In 2000-01, then chief executive Tung Chee-hwa vowed to give 60 per cent of secondary school leavers access to tertiary education, after which there was a significant rise in self-financed sub-degree courses. The Student Financial Assistance Agency offers four schemes to help students who are struggling. ||||| It’s no fun being young in Hong Kong. There’s the whole matter of communist encroachment, for starters: in recent years, the semiautonomous territory’s democratic freedoms have been undermined by its sovereign leaders in Beijing, imbuing the new generation with a deep anxiety for its political future. On top of that, members of said generation still by and large live with their parents in some of the densest and most-cramped apartment blocks in the world, leaving them with few opportunities to, well, blow off steam. Enter 25-year-old Yau Wai-ching. She’s a radical anti-Beijing activist whose election in last month’s Legislative Council election here evinces a mounting popular frustration with the local political old guard, seen by many as feckless in the face of Beijing’s sovereignty. Her stances are extreme — she’s championed an unprecedented separatist movement for this maritime territory of 7.5 million people, a bold rebuke to the nation of 1.4 billion to which it belongs — and her words are frank. This week, she went on the record to lament the fact that young Hongkongers don’t get to have much sex. “If we want to look for a room to bang in, we fail,” she said, according to the local English-language paper the Standard, using a Cantonese slang term that literally means “to strike something.” She added: “This is a matter of fact.” There was a broader political point to be made, of course. She went on to damn the Hong Kong government’s failure to adequately address the bleak state of local housing, which she chalked up to the political establishment’s general disdain for the younger generation. (She is not the first to draw attention to this ideological chasm.) “But does the government even care?” she told the Standard. “In order to make society care, I won’t hold back even if it means criticism.” In a Facebook post cited in local media, Yau added: “Under debt, young people are facing limited options [when it comes to] spaces to bang in … What dreams can we have for our future?” Despite its reputation as a cosmopolitan hub of global commerce, Hong Kong is a deeply conservative town. A 2008 survey cited by the South China Morning Post found it to be the most prudish place in the world on matters of sex — more than half of the young people surveyed said they were too embarrassed to buy condoms — and political issues like gay marriage are fringe topics at best. “I don’t know what’s in her mind,” one online commenter wrote, according to the Standard. She takes office next week. She will be the second youngest lawmaker in Hong Kong’s history. ||||| The special administrative regions (SAR) are one type of provincial-level administrative divisions of China directly under Central People's Government which enjoys the highest degree of autonomy. The legal basis for the establishment of SARs, unlike the administrative divisions of Mainland China, is provided for by Article 31, rather than Article 30, of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China of 1982. Article 31 reads: "The state may establish special administrative regions when necessary. The systems to be instituted in special administrative regions shall be prescribed by law enacted by the National People's Congress in the light of the specific conditions".[3][4][5][6] At present, there are two SARs established according to the Constitution, namely the Hong Kong SAR and the Macau SAR, former British and Portuguese dependencies respectively,[7] transferred to China in 1997 and 1999 respectively pursuant to the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984 and the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration of 1987. Pursuant to their Joint Declarations, which are binding inter-state treaties registered with the United Nations, and their Basic laws, the Chinese SARs "shall enjoy a high degree of autonomy".[8] There is additionally the Wolong Special Administrative Region in Sichuan province, which is however not established according to Article 31 of the Constitution. Generally, the two SARs are not considered to constitute a part of Mainland China, by both Chinese and SAR authorities. The provision to establish special administrative regions appeared in the constitution in 1982, in anticipation of the talks with the United Kingdom over the question of the sovereignty over Hong Kong. It was envisioned as the model for the eventual reunification with Taiwan and other islands, where the Republic of China has resided since 1949. Special administrative regions should not be confused with special economic zones, which are areas in which special economic laws apply to promote trade and investments. Under the One country, two systems principle, the two SARs continue to possess their own governments, multi-party legislatures, legal systems, police forces, monetary systems, separate customs territory, immigration policies, national sports teams, official languages, postal systems, academic and educational systems, and substantial competence in external relations that are different or independent from the People's Republic of China. Special administrative regions should be distinguished from the constituent countries system in the United Kingdom or Kingdom of the Netherlands. List of special administrative regions of China [ edit ] There are currently two special administrative regions established according to Article 31 of the Chinese Constitution. For the Wolong Special Administrative Region in Sichuan province, please see the section § Wolong below. Characteristics [ edit ] The two special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau (created in 1997 and 1999 respectively) each have a codified constitution called Basic Law.[7] The law provides the regions with a high degree of autonomy, a separate political system, and a capitalist economy under the principle of "one country, two systems" proposed by Deng Xiaoping.[7] High degree of autonomy [ edit ] Currently, the two SARs of Hong Kong and Macau are responsible for all affairs except those regarding diplomatic relations and national defense.[9] Consequently, the National People's Congress authorizes the SAR to exercise a high degree of autonomy and enjoy executive, legislative and independent judicial power,[10] and each with their own Courts of Final Appeal.[11] External affairs [ edit ] Special administrative regions are empowered to contract a wide range of agreements with other countries and territories such as mutual abolition of visa requirement, mutual legal aid, air services, extradition, handling of double taxation and others, with no Chinese Government involvement. However, in some diplomatic talks involving a SAR, the SAR concerned may choose to send officials to be part of the Chinese delegation. For example, when former Director of Health of Hong Kong Margaret Chan became the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, she served as a delegate from the People's Republic of China to the WHO. In sporting events the SARs participate under the respective names of "Hong Kong, China" and "Macau, China", and compete as different entities[12] as they had done since they were under foreign rules, but both SARs are usually allowed to omit the term ", China" for informal use. The Government of Hong Kong has established Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices (HKETOs) in few countries as well as Greater China Region. HKETOs serve as a quasi-interests section in favor of Hong Kong. For regions with no HKETOs, Chinese diplomatic missions take charge of protecting Hong Kong-related interests. Some countries which have a diplomatic relationship with the central Chinese government maintain Consulate-General offices in Hong Kong. Defense and military [ edit ] The People's Liberation Army is garrisoned in both SARs. PRC authorities have said the PLA will not be allowed to interfere with the local affairs of Hong Kong and Macau, and must abide by its laws.[13] In 1988, scholar Chen Fang of the Academy of Military Science even tried to propose the "One military, two systems" concept to separate the defence function and public functions in the army.[13] The PLA does not participate in the governance of the SAR but the SAR may request them for civil-military participation, in times of emergency such as natural disasters. Defence is the responsibility of the PRC government.[9] A 1996 draft PRC law banned People's Liberation Army–run businesses in Hong Kong, but loopholes allow them to operate while the profits are ploughed back into the military.[13] There are many PLA-run corporations in Hong Kong. The PLA also have sizable land holdings in Hong Kong worth billions of dollars.[13] Immigration and nationality [ edit ] Each of the SARs issues passports on its own to its permanent residents who are concurrently Chinese (PRC) citizens. PRC citizens must also satisfy one of the following conditions: Apart from affording the holder consular protection by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, these passports also specify that the holder has right of abode in the issuing SAR. The National People's Congress has also put each SAR in charge of administering the PRC's Nationality Law in its respective realms, namely naturalization, renunciation and restoration of PRC nationality and issuance of proof of nationality. Due to their colonial past, many inhabitants of the SARs hold some form of non-Chinese nationality (e.g. British National (Overseas) status, British citizenship, British Overseas citizenship or Portuguese citizenship). However, SAR residents who are Chinese descent have always been considered as Chinese citizens by the PRC authorities, an exception to this case is Macau, wherein residents of Chinese descent may choose Chinese or Portuguese nationality. Special interpretation of the Nationality Law, while not recognizing dual nationality, has allowed Chinese citizens to keep their foreign "right of abode" and use travel documents issued by the foreign country. However, such travel documents cannot be used to travel to mainland China and persons concerned must use Home Return Permit. Therefore, master nationality rule applies so the holder may not enjoy consular protection while in mainland China. Chinese citizens who also have foreign citizenship may declare a change of nationality at the Immigration Department of the respective SARs, and upon approval, would no longer be considered Chinese citizens. SAR permanent residents who are not Chinese citizens (including stateless persons) are not eligible for SAR passports. Persons who hold a non-Chinese citizenship must obtain passports from foreign diplomatic missions which represents their countries of citizenship. For those who are stateless, each SAR may issue its own form of certificates of identity, e.g. Document of Identity, in lieu of national passports to the persons concerned. Chinese citizens who are non-permanent residents of two SARs are also ineligible for SAR passports but may obtain CIs just like stateless persons. Comparisons [ edit ] Offer to Taiwan and other ROC-controlled areas [ edit ] The status of a special administrative region for Taiwan and other areas controlled by the Republic of China was first proposed in 1981.[7] The 1981 proposal was put forth by Ye Jianying called "Ye's nine points" (葉九條).[15] A series of different offers have since appeared. On 25 June 1983 Deng Xiaoping appeared at Seton Hall University in the US to propose "Deng's six points" (鄧六條), which called for a "Taiwan Special Administrative Region" (台灣特別行政區).[15] It was envisioned that after Taiwan's unification with the PRC as an SAR, the PRC would become the sole representative of China.[15] Under this proposal, Taiwan would be guaranteed its own military,[15] its own administrative and legislative powers, an independent judiciary and the right of adjudication, although it would not be considered a separate government of China.[15] In 2005 the Anti-Secession Law of the PRC was enacted. It promises the lands currently ruled by the authorities of Taiwan a high degree of autonomy, among other things.[16] The PRC can also employ non-peaceful means and other necessary measures to defend its claims to sovereignty over the ROC's territories in the event of an outright declaration of independence by Taiwan (ROC).[16] In January 2019, the 40 year anniversary of a statement made by the PRC to Taiwan in 1979, Chinese Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping outlined in a speech how the "one country, two systems" principle would be applied to Taiwan.[17] Several major points from the speech include:[18] Taiwan would be a special administrative region of China, and part of the PRC. The ROC would no longer exist. [18] Taiwan's institutions would metamorphose into sub-national bodies. [18] From Hong Kong's experience, they would likely be organized to preclude groups and leaders deemed unsuitable to Beijing from political participation. [18] From Hong Kong's experience, they would likely be organized to preclude groups and leaders deemed unsuitable to Beijing from political participation. Taiwan's social system and economic lifestyle would respected. [18] Taiwan's private property rights, belief systems, and "legitimate rights and interests" would be safeguarded. [18] The "Taiwan issue" should not be passed down from generation to generation (i.e. reunification should be done promptly). [18] The reunification of Taiwan would lead to the "great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation".[18] Wolong [ edit ] The Wolong Special Administrative Region[19] (Chinese: 卧龙特别行政区; pinyin: Wòlóng Tèbié Xíngzhèngqū) is located in the southwest of Wenchuan County, Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan. It was formerly known as Wolong Special Administrative Region of Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province and was founded in March 1983 with approval of the State Council. It was given its current name and placed under Sichuan provincial government with administrative supervision by the provincial department of forestry. Its area supersedes Sichuan Wolong National Nature Reserve and its administrative office is the same as the Administrative Bureau of the State Forestry Administration for the reserve. It currently has a population of 5343.[19] Despite its name, the Wolong Special Administrative Region is not an SAR as defined by Article 31 of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China; as a result, it has been proposed the Wenchuan Wolong Special Administrative Region of Sichuan Province change its name, with designations such as special area or township.[20] History [ edit ] In the Republic of China (ROC) era between 1912 and 1949, the "special administrative regions" (Chinese: 特別行政區; pinyin: tèbié xíngzhèngqū) were historically used to designate special areas, most of which were eventually converted into provinces. All were suspended or abolished after the end of the Chinese Civil War, with the establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the ROC government's retreat to Taiwan. The regions were: Chahar SAR [ edit ] Chahar was made a special administrative region in 1914 by the Republic of China, as a subdivision of the then Zhili Province, with 6 banners and 11 counties. In 1928 it became a province, with 5 of its counties partitioned to Suiyuan, and 10 counties were included from Hebei. See also [ edit ] Notes [ edit ] ^ References and details on data provided in the table can be found within the individual provincial articles.

– Twenty-five-year-old Hong Kong politician Yau Wai-ching isn't concerned with your typical boring political issues, TIME reports. Yau is concerned with sex. She recently asserted that rising debt among young people, coupled with the density of housing in Hong Kong, has made it almost impossible for young people to find a space of their own. As the South China Morning Post reported a few years back, young Hong Kong residents find themselves in a situation similar to many US millennials: buried under debt and unable to afford a place of their own in a highly competitive housing market. "If we want to look for a room to bang in, we fail," Yau said. When she takes office next week, Yau will be the second-youngest lawmaker in Hong Kong's history. She represents a radical young voice among the traditional attitudes that permeate much of the culture in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, which is technically a part of China but allowed a large degree of autonomy. Yau has advocated for Hong Kong's secession from China. She is also a vocal critic of Hong Kong's current government, which she says doesn't care about the younger generation.

SEOUL — North Korea ’s torrent of threats — and the matching show of military power and political resolve from the United States and South Korea — began showing signs of unsettling foreign investors’ confidence Friday. The development magnified the challenges Seoul and Washington face. The two powers are trying to show the North’s novice leader, Kim Jong-un, that they will not be blackmailed by his bluff and bluster. But at the same time, they do not want to escalate the tensions to an extent that they hurt the South Korean economy, the pride of the local population, or President Park Geun-hye’s political standing at home. “In the past, North Korea-related events had little impact or the markets recovered quickly,” the South’s vice finance minister, Choo Kyung-ho, told a meeting of top finance officials Friday. “But recent threats from North Korea are stronger and the impact may therefore not disappear quickly.” His comment came hours after the chief executive of General Motors, Dan Akerson, underscored the increased concern by saying that his company was making contingency plans for employee safety at its South Korean plants and that further increases in tensions would prompt G.M. to look at moving production elsewhere. In an interview with CNBC television, he said, “If there were something to happen in Korea, it’s going to affect our entire industry, not just General Motors.” South Korean stocks slumped 1.64 percent Friday in a selling spree among foreign investors that analysts attributed to jitters over North Korea. The South Korean won also sank against the U.S. dollar. Although South Koreans have become almost nonchalant after decades of on-and-off threats from North Korea, they believe that when things get ugly with the North, their globalized economy has much more to lose than the North’s isolated and already highly sanctioned economy. “The North Koreans are now using the propaganda in an extreme form to try to damage foreign direct investments into South Korea,” said Tom Coyner, a member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea and author of “Doing Business in Korea.” “They are, in a sense at this point, winning in an asymmetrical psychological warfare, attacking the economic strength of South Korea.” War cries from North Korea have been factored into the stock market for decades. Still, its threats have grown in their intensity and frequency since the country upheld Mr. Kim as its top leader in late 2011, and especially after the United Nations imposed sanctions against the North following its nuclear test in February. The sanctions took direct aim at North Korea’s Achilles’ heel by focusing on cash transfers and luxury items, which the Kim regime uses to buy the loyalty of the elite. North Korea has since called the Korean Peninsula “back to a state of war” and declared that it would launch “pre-emptive nuclear strikes” at the United States and its allies. It also said it would never bargain away its nuclear arsenal but rather expand it. Also making this situation different was the way Washington and Seoul responded. South Korea matched the tone by declaring that if provoked, it would target the North Korean military leadership and by revising the rules of engagement to let its military respond more swiftly, forcefully and “without political consideration.” Meanwhile, the United States flew nuclear-capable bombers over the peninsula on training sorties and signed an agreement with Seoul to respond jointly to any North Korean provocation. “The relentless show of force on a daily basis by not just North Korea, but also the U.S. and South Korea as part of their annual military exercises, has captured the attention of the world, and made the Korean Peninsula a place associated not with ‘Gangnam Style’ but with nuclear weapons and stealth bombers,” said John Delury, an American scholar who teaches at Yonsei University in Seoul. “Markets hate risk, even if it is the perception, rather than reality of risk,” he added. “This poses a serious challenge to President Park, who was elected on the basis of promises to keep growing the South Korean economy and improve relations with the North.” ||||| 1 of 16. A North Korean soldier films military vehicles carrying missiles during a parade to commemorate the 65th anniversary of founding of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang October 10, 2010. LONDON/SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea warned on Friday it could not guarantee the safety of diplomats after next Wednesday and asked embassies to consider moving staff out of the country, European diplomats said, amid high tension on the Korean peninsula. The requests came on the heels of declarations by the government of the secretive communist state that real conflict was inevitable, because of what it termed "hostile" U.S. troop exercises with South Korea and U.N. sanctions imposed over North Korea's nuclear weapons testing. "The current question was not whether, but when a war would break out on the peninsula," because of the "increasing threat from the United States", China's state news agency, Xinhua, quoted the North's Foreign Ministry as saying. It added that diplomatic missions should consider evacuation. North Korea would provide safe locations for diplomats in accordance with international conventions, Xinhua quoted the ministry as saying in a notification to embassies. Britain said its embassy in Pyongyang had been told by the North Korean government it "would be unable to guarantee the safety of embassies and international organizations in the country in the event of conflict from April 10th". "We believe they have taken this step as part of their continuing rhetoric that the U.S. poses a threat to them," Britain's Foreign Office said. It said it had "no immediate plans" to evacuate its embassy and accused the North Korean government of raising tensions "through a series of public statements and other provocations." A Polish spokesman said Warsaw saw the latest statements by Pyongyang as "an inappropriate element of building up the pressure and we obviously think that there is no risk from outside on North Korea." He added that the Polish Embassy saw no need to move staff out. "This question has been directed to all embassies that are on the ground in Pyongyang," a Swedish Foreign Office official said. The United States, which does not have diplomatic relations with North Korea and is served by Sweden as a "protecting power" in Pyongyang, echoed the British and the Poles. "This is just an escalating series of rhetorical statements, and the question is, to what end?" said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland. Asked if the United States had received any instructions from the Swedes on the small number of U.S. aid workers or tourists who could be in North Korea, she said there was no indication Sweden would heed Pyongyang's warning. 'DEEPLY CONCERNED' U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon "remains deeply concerned about escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula," but U.N. humanitarian workers remain active across North Korea for the time being, a spokesman said on Friday. "U.N. staff in the DPRK (North Korea) remain engaged in their humanitarian and developmental work throughout the country," said U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky. The United Nations has 36 international staff and 21 locally recruited personnel working in North Korea, the world body said. Under the Vienna Convention that governs diplomatic missions, host governments are required to help get embassy staff out of the country in the event of conflict. Russia's Foreign Ministry said North Korea had "proposed that the Russian side consider the evacuation of employees in the increasingly tense situation", according to a spokesman for its embassy in Pyongyang. Moscow said it was "seriously studying" the request. A statement from its Foreign Ministry said Russia hoped all parties would show restraint and considered "whipping up military hysteria to be categorically unacceptable." In a fusillade of statements over the past month, North Korea has threatened to stage a nuclear strike on the United States, something it lacks the capacity to do, according to most experts, and has declared war on South Korea. Military analysts say North Korea might be able to hit some part of the United States, but not the mainland and not with a nuclear weapon. The threats against the United States by North Korea's young leader, Kim Jong-un, are "probably all bluster", said Gary Samore, until recently the top nuclear proliferation expert on President Barack Obama's national security staff. The North Koreans "are not suicidal. They know that any kind of direct attack (on the United States) would be end of their country," he added. On Friday, South Korean media reported that North Korea had placed two of its intermediate-range missiles on mobile launchers and hidden them on the east coast of the country in a move that could threaten Japan or U.S. Pacific bases. The report could not be confirmed, but White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters that based on past behavior, "we would not be surprised" to see North Korea conduct another missile test. Speculation centered on two kinds of missiles, neither of which is known to have been tested. One is the so-called Musudan missile, which South Korea's Defense Ministry estimates has a range of up to 3,000 km (1,865 miles). The other is the KN-08, believed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile. North Korea has always aggressively condemned the regular military exercises held by U.S. forces and their South Korean allies, but its reaction to this year's has reached a blistering pitch. "The rhetoric is off the charts," said Victor Cha, former director for Asian affairs at the White House National Security Council. CASTRO WARNS AGAINST WAR Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, in an essay in Cuban state media, warned ally North Korea against war, describing the situation on the Korean Peninsula as "incredible and absurd" and "one of the gravest risks of nuclear war since the Crisis of October (Cuban Missile Crisis), 50 years ago. The verbal assaults from Pyongyang have set financial markets in South Korea, Asia's fourth largest economy, on edge. South Korean shares slid on Friday, with foreign investors selling their biggest daily volume in nearly 20 months, hurt after aggressive easing from the Bank of Japan sent the yen reeling, as well as by the tension over North Korea. "In the past, (markets) recovered quickly from the impact from any North Korea-related event, but recent threats from North Korea are stronger and the impact may therefore not disappear quickly," Vice Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho said. Kim Jong-un, 30, is the third member of his dynasty to rule North Korea. He took over in December 2011 after the death of his father, Kim Jong-il, who staged confrontations with South Korea and the United States throughout his 17-year rule. Some fear the young leader of the isolated communist state may view the risk of conflict as one worth taking. "We don't understand this new guy at all. And if the North Koreans move to provoke the South, the South is going to retaliate in a way we haven't seen before," Cha said. (Additional reporting by Lim Seung-gyu, Hyunjoo Jin, Somang Yang, Peter Apps, Louis Charbonneau at the United Nations, Paul Eckert and Roberta Rampton in Washington, and Jeff Franks in Havana; Editing by Andrew Roche and Peter Cooney)

– North Korea has installed two medium-range missiles on mobile launchers hidden close to its east coast, Yonhap News reports by way of South Korean military sources. One senior official describes them as Musudan missiles, which Yonhap notes were debuted in October 2010 and are believed to have a 1,865-mile range, but have yet to be test fired. He sees the move to hide the missiles as indicative of possible plans for a surprise launch—though many experts believe such a launch could come on or around April 15, founder Kim Il Sung's birthday. Seoul and Washington are keeping a close eye on the facility believed to house the missiles. Meanwhile, South Korean markets are starting to feel the stress of the situation, reports Reuters. "In the past, North Korea-related events had little impact," the South's vice finance minister told fellow officials. "But recent threats from North Korea are stronger and the impact may therefore not disappear quickly." With foreign investors selling heavily, South Korea's stocks dropped 1.64% today, the New York Times reports, and its won dropped against the dollar. Meanwhile, GM's CEO cited safety concerns for the company's workers in the country, noting that it might eventually consider moving out if tensions worsen.

Tweet with a location You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| I was told Twitter was the place to go for nuanced, respectful and intelligent political discourse. # RadicalCramSchool # KristinaWongforPublicOffice All Tweets Are My Own ||||| Trump posts vague, midnight tweet about 'negative press covfefe' CLOSE "Despite the negative press covfefe," Trump wrote, and nothing more. The tweet was deleted, but only after it had been up for several hours. It gave Twitter a lot to chew on. USA TODAY Donald Trump has been active on Twitter since his return from his first overseas trip as president. And he kept the ball rolling with a tweet shortly after midnight on Wednesday morning. But it is not at all clear what the president was tweeting about. "Despite the negative press covfefe," Trump wrote, and nothing more. The tweet was deleted later Wednesday morning, but only after it had been up for several hours. Screen shot of the "corvfefe" tweet. (Photo: Donald Trump via Twitter) By the time the tweet was taken down, #covfefe was a trending topic. Trump played along with the "covfefe" jokes, writing, "Who can figure out the true meaning of "covfefe" ??? Enjoy!" in a post at 6 a.m. ET. Who can figure out the true meaning of "covfefe" ??? Enjoy! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2017 Even if we assume "covfefe" was a typo and the president meant to type "coverage," it remains a mystery what the tweet refers to. Perhaps it was meant as a follow-up to his previous tweet, in which he retweeted a Fox and Friends tweet citing an unnamed source who said, "Jared Kushner didn't suggest Russian communications channel in meeting." Jared Kushner didn't suggest Russian communications channel in meeting, source says https://t.co/nF6bM1FEt1 — FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) May 30, 2017 Unsurprisingly, most of Trump's fellow Twitter users jumped all over the apparent mistake. #Covfefe quickly became a trending topic, and a quick check on GoDaddy revealed the domain name covfefe.com was already taken. Wakes up. Checks Twitter. . . . Uh... . . . 📈 Lookups fo... . . . Regrets checking Twitter. Goes back to bed. — Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) May 31, 2017 By 4 PM tomorrow, National Review will be anti-anti-covfefe. — Jeet Heer (@HeerJeet) May 31, 2017 Yeah, this album is dedicated to all the haters & loser It was all a dream I used to read covfefe magazine#covfefe — Mohamed Salih (@MohamedMOSalih) May 31, 2017 I couldn't agree more. No matter how negative, I always press my covfefe. https://t.co/2PHx0nd8VN — Brent Spiner (@BrentSpiner) May 31, 2017 Make America Covfefe Again — PopehatWitchHunt (@Popehat) May 31, 2017 Ask your doctor if Covfefe is right for you. pic.twitter.com/XcDAXMNw1m — Travon Free (@Travon) May 31, 2017 TRUMP: Despite the constant negative press ME: COVFEFE pic.twitter.com/PfA6xrwL4W — Covfefe Deluxe (@superdeluxe) May 31, 2017 Conservatives tomorrow "I never heard of #covfefe before." "It's a perfectly cromulent word." pic.twitter.com/OkwTcYGzXC — Ocular Nervosa (@ocularnervosa) May 31, 2017 DON'T TALK TO ME UNTIL I'VE HAD MY COVFEFE. — Jesse McLaren (@McJesse) May 31, 2017 Your word is covfefe. May I have the country of origin? pic.twitter.com/feo1mAqd9u — marshall weber (@marshmau5) May 31, 2017 THINKPIECE: The media's inability to understand "covfefe" early on gave rise to Trump. — Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) May 31, 2017 Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this covfefe — Jeet Heer (@HeerJeet) May 31, 2017 I don't know if the lawyers have improved these all that much. https://t.co/VCD9KRQp5s — Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) May 31, 2017 The meaning of "covfefe" may forever remain a mystery, but Trump's later tweets Wednesday were somewhat clearer. He slammed the Democrats, saying they no longer want his former adviser, Carter Page, to testify. So now it is reported that the Democrats, who have excoriated Carter Page about Russia, don't want him to testify. He blows away their.... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2017 ...case against him & now wants to clear his name by showing "the false or misleading testimony by James Comey, John Brennan..." Witch Hunt! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2017 He also went after comedian Kathy Griffin for the photo shoot in which she held up a mock decapitated head of the president. Kathy Griffin should be ashamed of herself. My children, especially my 11 year old son, Barron, are having a hard time with this. Sick! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2017 Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2rmBoqm ||||| This article is over 1 year old Puzzling tweet by US president leads, naturally, to madness on the internet What is covfefe? The tweet by Donald Trump that baffled the internet If you haven’t looked it up already, don’t bother. Just after midnight in Washington, Donald Trump tweeted: “Despite the constant negative press covfefe.” That was it. No more. Just that word “covfefe” left hanging there. Covfefe is a word now. Deal with it | David Shariatmadari Read more It left many of his 31 million followers on Twitter baffled, and slightly concerned. Anthony Brian Smith (@AnthonyBLSmith) that was the moment Trump became prsiduvhirw pic.twitter.com/fKVPPNVFH0 The tweet had been active on Trump’s account without comment or clarification overnight and was not deleted until shortly before 6am the following morning. Trump replaced it with a tweet reading: “Who can figure out the true meaning of ‘covfefe’ ??? Enjoy!” That it had not been immediately deleted was confusing to users who, in the hours between the two tweets, had indeed tried to work out what exactly Trump might have meant. Clive Thompson (@pomeranian99) Does no one on staff have his password? Have they tried the most common ones? 123456, or 11111, or, like ... "password"? emily nussbaum (@emilynussbaum) It's been five minutes. What if this is it. That is his final tweet & the rest of history stops. Ashley Feinberg (@ashleyfeinberg) I was about to go to bed but I guess i have to stare at this covfefe tweet until it goes away now The Merriam-Webster dictionary, which has a track record of fact-checking Trump’s tweets and neologisms on Twitter, decided to sit this one out. Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) Wakes up. Checks Twitter. . . . Uh... . . . 📈 Lookups fo... . . . Regrets checking Twitter. Goes back to bed. Others suggested the tweet had taken the heat off US comedian Kathy Griffin, who had earlier been under fire for posting a video in which she held a replica of Trump’s severed bloody head. Victoria Cliett (@VictoriaCliett1) Kathy Griffin: Tonight, I have all of Twitter paying attention to me!@realDonaldTrump: Hold my #covfefe. Lauren Reeves (@laurenreeves) "Thank god for covfefe." -Kathy Griffin Erik Brooks (@ChipBrooks17) Congratulations Kathy Griffin. No one cares about you anymore. We have #covfefe now. Kristina Wong, a US comedian, observed that the domain Covfefe.com had been promptly snapped up. Kristina Wong ❄️ (@mskristinawong) Goddamit. Someone already bought #Covfefe.com. Probably the Russians. pic.twitter.com/duRrtb41PO Kristina Wong ❄️ (@mskristinawong) I think #Covfefe is Russian for "Take Jared and spare me." pic.twitter.com/pDpjqX0Cyg The actor Zach Braff predicted Sean Spicer’s wholehearted defense of the word. Zach Braff (@zachbraff) "Not only is covfefe a word, it's the greatest word ever uttered." pic.twitter.com/kWhfLrFaKn “Covfefe” was trending in the US as Twitter rushed to get its gags in. billy eichner (@billyeichner) When they go low, we covfefe. Matt Slevinsky (@_MATTATTAK) You used to #covfefe me on my cell phone. pic.twitter.com/rkp5r9XDJ0 Jason Filiatrault (@jfiliatrault) "Nevertheless, she covfefe." Jordan VanDina (@Shrimptooth) Finally figured out what Bill Murray whispered in Scarlett Johansson's ear at the end of "Lost in Translation" #covfefe pic.twitter.com/fDFJUYlEz8 Eli Matthewson (@EliMatthewson) *sings* I’M GONNA SWIIIIIING FROM THE COVFEFE-FE FROM THE COVFEFE-FEEEEEEE Travon Free (@Travon) Ask your doctor if Covfefe is right for you. pic.twitter.com/XcDAXMNw1m KimKierkegaardashian (@KimKierkegaard) Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived covfefe Patrick Monahan (@pattymo) When the covfefe hits pic.twitter.com/onkjuvcuVN Jesse Singal (@jessesingal) Don't normalize covfefe Matt '15 (@Aggie_Matt15) Media frantically typing #Covfefe on Google translate to see what it means in Russian. pic.twitter.com/0DubNBvs3C Trump has been known to tweet on both Android and Apple devices in the past, but the “covfefe” tweet had been sent from the Twitter app on an iPhone. The news site Axios had reported on Thursday that the president’s current device was an iPhone with only one app: Twitter. It cited anonymous White House officials who said that limiting screen time was key to “forcing a more disciplined President Trump”, as witnessed on his overseas tour:

– Did President Trump fall asleep mid-tweet? The Internet was baffled by a tweet posted just after midnight Wednesday from the president that read, in full, "Despite the constant negative press covfefe." The post was retweeted and liked tens of thousands of times over the following hours as people debated the meaning of "covfefe" and the reason why the post remained up for so long, reports the Guardian. It was taken down shortly before 6am, and shortly after that the president himself addressed but didn't unlock the mystery, tweeting, "Who can figure out the true meaning of "covfefe" ??? Enjoy!" USA Today notes that even if Trump had misspelled the word "coverage," the subject is still totally unclear. Merriam-Webster declined to define the term, tweeting that it had checked Twitter and gone back to bed. Comedian Kristina Wong tweeted that someone—"probably the Russians"—has already bought covfefe.com. If you have nothing to do this morning, you can while away the hours reading the avalanche of reactions to the tweet on Twitter. (Here's what the president tweets about the most.)

About 20 years ago, biologists tried to limit the spread of a fungus that ultimately wiped out more than 200 species of amphibians. Now a related fungus called Bsal threatens more salamander extinctions in North America, they warn. Why the new health-care bill may keep affordable care out of reach for some The Ensatina salamander (Ensatina eschscholtzii), a lungless salamander common along the west coast of the US, is one of hundreds of species of salamanders endemic to North America threatened by an emerging infectious pathogen. The salamander pet trade faces a surprising adversary – fungus. Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, or Bsal, an infectious fungus fatal to many salamander species, has caused significant die-offs in Asia and Western Europe. In a report published Thursday in Science, researchers urged US officials to ban salamander imports. Because salamanders are so popular in North America, researchers say the fungus could run rampant here, causing severe population declines and even extinctions. Researchers first described Bsal in 2013. At the time, the fungus was found to cause lethal skin lesions in fire salamanders, native to Europe. Since then, the pathogen has affected salamander species in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. “Some die from infection, some are infected and are able to recover, and some do not get infected at all,” says lead author Tiffany Yap, a PhD candidate at UCLA. “More testing is needed. There are three species from Asia that have been identified as Bsal carriers, and what's worrisome is that they are common in the international pet trade.” The three species – the blue-tailed fire-bellied newt (Cynops cyanurus), the Japanese fire-bellied newt (Cynops pyrrhogaster), and the Tam Dao salamander (Paramesotriton deloustali) – are endemic to China, Japan, and Vietnam respectively. As such, some scientists believe that Bsal may have Asian origins. Alarmingly, the Cynops and Paramesotriton genera account for more than 90 percent of pet salamanders imported to North America. While an outbreak would certainly be bad news for the international pet trade – hundreds of salamander species could be at risk – there are much greater implications for the spread of Bsal. Wild salamanders play a key role in their ecosystems, and population loss could negatively impact local biodiversity. “Salamanders are important in food chains and in the carbon cycle,” Ms. Yap told the Monitor. “They are important predators of insects, and they provide an important food source for larger predators, such as birds, mammals, and snakes. They also help facilitate carbon sequestration by eating invertebrates that enhance the release of carbon into the atmosphere. In some woodland ecosystems, they are the most abundant vertebrates.” To prevent the further spread of Bsal, researchers are calling for state-sponsored importation bans. But according to Yap, who studies fungal pathogens at UCLA, government intervention is difficult to secure. “There is a lack of international infrastructure that facilitates rapid responses to emerging infectious disease in wildlife,” Yap says. “The US, which is home to a significant portion of the world’s salamanders, could call an immediate ban. But it has not done so, purportedly because of the lack of data on Bsal. The US should protect American species and should work with the international community to control the spread of this deadly pathogen.” Two organizations, the Center for Biological Diversity and Save the Frogs, have petitioned the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), requesting action under a conservation law called the Lacey Act. Title 18 of the act prohibits importation and interstate transport of species deemed “injurious.” But while the FWS states that the fungal strain is “of great concern” to the agency, they claim legal precedents prevent government action. “[T]he Lacey Act is a workhorse for wildlife conservation that we use to prevent the introduction and spread of damaging non-native species and to halt the illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products,” says Laury Marshall Parramore, a spokeswoman for the FWS, but "the act does not include a provision to list injurious species on an emergency basis." In other words, the law is not a rapid-response tool. Scientists have raised a similar alarm before. In 1998, researchers first described Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), a rapidly spreading pathogenic fungus closely related to Bsal. It took seven years to implement limited preventative measures, at which point the damage was already done. Bd has been called a “global pandemic,” and is responsible for the extinction of over 200 amphibian species. “Bd represents the worst case in recorded history of a single pathogen affecting vertebrates,” Yap says. “With Bsal, we have an amazing opportunity to act early and prevent an ecological crisis if we can stop it from spreading.” And according to Yap, there are many small ways to do so. These measures can’t substitute for federal regulation, but they can help. “Anyone can have their animals tested for Bsal,” Yap adds. “Some treatments have been shown to clear Bsal infections, and these should be used if any animals are found to be infected with Bsal. The Bsal pathogen was recently discovered in the pet trade in the UK, so time is of the essence.” [Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story suggested that Ms. Yap and colleagues had petitioned the FWS. In fact, the petition was filed by two organizations, The Center for Biological Diversity and Save the Frogs.] ||||| These crawls are part of an effort to archive pages as they are created and archive the pages that they refer to. That way, as the pages that are referenced are changed or taken from the web, a link to the version that was live when the page was written will be preserved.Then the Internet Archive hopes that references to these archived pages will be put in place of a link that would be otherwise be broken, or a companion link to allow people to see what was originally intended by a page's authors.The goal is to fix all broken links on the web . Crawls of supported "No More 404" sites. ||||| Two Ensatina salamanders (Ensatina eschscholtzii), a species native to the West Coast of the United States. These salamanders are likely vulnerable to a horrific new chytrid fungus that has spread from Asia to Europe and now threatens to arrive in North America. Each year, thousands of live salamanders arrive in shipments on U.S. shores, a trade that must stop immediately, scientists say. According to new research, a ban on salamander imports is crucial to stopping the spread of a deadly fungus that kills almost every salamander it infects. Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, also known as Bsal, is a chytrid fungus, and a close relative of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), a frog fungus that is threatening species worldwide. Bsal was first discovered in 2013 after fire salamanders in the Netherlands began dying in droves. Since then, the fungus has appeared in Belgium. Bsal originated in Asia, researchers have found, and spreads via the pet trade. [Album: Bizarre Frogs, Lizards and Salamanders] It's that trade that puts North America at risk, researchers report today (July 30) in the journal Science. The continent is the global center for salamander diversity; 48 percent of all known salamander species live in North and Central America. Among these species are those most vulnerable to Bsal. "This is the hot bed in the world for diversity of amphibians, and if that fungus gets here, it's going to be devastating," said study author Vance Vredenburg, a biologist at San Francisco State University. Saving the salamanders The story of the frog fungus Bd foreshadows the high stakes for North American salamanders. That fungus kills its froggy victims by invading their skin and thickening it. Because amphibians absorb water through their skin, the infection causes dehydration, electrolyte imbalance and eventual cardiac arrest. Bd acts rapidly. In the Sierra Nevada mountains, the fungus killed 75 percent of the mountain yellow-legged frog population in a mere four years. The disease has also spread worldwide; In February, researchers wrote in the journal Scientific Reports that Bd has been found in Madagascar, an island long thought free of the disease. "I've just seen devastation on a scale that is unbelievable, tens of thousands of animals dying in front me," Vredenburg, who has studied Bd for decades, told Live Science. Bsal appears to be similarly devastating. The fungus is widespread in Asia, where amphibians don't appear susceptible to the infection's effects. But when salamander populations that didn't evolve alongside the fungus are exposed for the first time, the results are catastrophic. In Europe, the fatality rate among infected salamanders is about 96 percent, previous study has found. An Ensatina salamander guards its eggs. These salamanders live in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, a region at risk from infection by the deadly new Bsal fungus, which kills nearly all salamanders it infects in new areas. Credit: Brian Freiermuth Stopping the spread Fearing that Bsal may soon land on North American shores, Vredenburg and his colleagues mapped out the regions where the Asian salamanders that carry the fungus are likely to find welcoming habitats. Next, the researchers combined that map with a measure of species richness, or how many salamander species live in each region. The combined data revealed three spots that are particularly at risk because they're both high in salamander diversity and welcoming to the foreign carriers of the fungus: the southern United States, including the hot spot of diversity in the southern Appalachian Mountains; the highlands of Central Mexico; and the Pacific Northwest and Sierra Nevada Mountains. These areas are home to many salamanders from the Plethodontidae and Salamandridae families, which are particularly vulnerable to Bsal infection, the researchers report. North American newts, which are in the Salamandridae family, have a 100 percent mortality rate when infected with Bsal in lab tests, researchers reported in 2013 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academies of Science. [Alien Invaders: Destructive Invasive Species] The top U.S. ports for live salamander imports are alarmingly close to several of these hot spots, and 99 percent of the salamanders these ports trade hail from Asia, home to the chytrid fungus. Between 2010 and 2014, the researchers found, 768,572 salamanders potentially carrying Bsal arrived in U.S. ports. The top points of entry were Los Angeles; Tampa, Florida; New York; Atlanta; and San Francisco. (There were 779,002 salamanders imported in total during that time, with slightly more than 10,000 not carrying a risk of Bsal.) "Atlanta and San Francisco really stood out as being in highly vulnerable zones," Vredenburg said. Predicting exactly how and where Bsal might hit is a difficult task, warned Karen Lips, a biologist at the University of Maryland who has been involved in efforts to stop the fungus, but who did not take part in the current report. Vredenburg and his colleagues have made a good approximation, Lips told Live Science, but basic information about Bsal remains scarce. "We don't know all the species that this thing can infect. That's one of the big problems," Lips said. "We also really don't know the details of the temperature requirements [for the fungus' spread], and we have no idea how the biology of the animals and the temperature and moisture requirements all interact." [7 Devastating Infectious Diseases] Vredenburg and his colleagues are calling for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to immediately ban live salamander imports. The agency is very concerned about the potential spread of Bsal, USFWS spokesman Laury Marshall Parramore told Live Science. However, the Lacey Act, which allows for the agency to forbid the importation and interstate transport of injurious species, does not have a provision for emergency listings, Parramore said. "We are working with colleagues from federal and state government agencies, academic institutions, industry, and nongovernmental organizations to find innovative solutions to the problem," she said. The Lacey Act is a century old and applies only to vertebrate animals, Lips said. It wasn't built to contain fungi, parasites or even invertebrates like invasive worms. Lips is part of efforts to get new laws on the books that would allow for better control and testing for disease in imported wildlife. "Having gone through the Bd story, we know this is something that we need to be concerned about," Lips said. "We need to take this seriously, and we need to do everything we can now to prevent its introduction." Vredenburg recommends that concerned citizens avoid buying Asian salamanders and urge their representatives to take action to regulate the foreign pet trade. People with amphibious (or reptilian) pets should never release them into the wild, he added. "When people think they're releasing these animals into a nice little home somewhere, what they don't realize is they're also releasing all the pathogens and symbiotes that go with them," he said. Follow Stephanie Pappas on Twitter and Google+. Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science. ||||| Summary In the midst of an ongoing sixth mass extinction (1), more than 40% of all amphibians are threatened (2). Chytridiomycosis, an emerging infectious disease (EID) caused by the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), has been more devastating than any infectious wildlife disease recorded, with >200 amphibian species collapsing to or near extinction (3). Recently, a new infectious chytrid fungal pathogen from Asia and specific to salamanders (4), Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal), has been described (5). With no effective means to control spread of Bsal once it is established in wild host populations, Bsal invasion of North America could lead to rapid epizootic (wildlife epidemic) declines and extinctions in the world's richest and most diverse salamander fauna. We demonstrate the likelihood of Bsal introduction to North America via international trade, the likelihood of species being exposed to Bsal, and the potential impact of species exposure to Bsal. This presents a unique opportunity for wildlife management officials and the international amphibian trade community to prevent the spread of this deadly pathogen and to develop and implement rapid risk assessments and international responses to EIDs in wildlife.

– US scientists have been keeping a worried eye on a fast-spreading fungus overseas that proves devastating to salamanders, and yesterday in Science they issued a plea to the federal government: Stop the imports of salamanders immediately. The stakes are about much more than pet store sales, explains LiveScience: North America is home to almost half of the world's salamander species, and the creatures play a big role in local ecosystems. Among other things, they gobble up insects and are themselves a food source for larger predators. "This is the hot bed in the world for diversity of amphibians, and if that fungus gets here, it's going to be devastating," says study author Vance Vredenburg of San Francisco State University. The culprit is Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, or Bsal, the cousin of a fungus lethal to frogs. "This fungus is much worse," says a Berkeley researcher, per the LA Times. "Bsal is an acute infection that just turns them into little masses of slime in three to four days." Researchers think it originated in Asia and has since spread to Europe via the pet trade. Given that thousands of salamanders are imported to the US yearly from Asia, the researchers say it's only a matter of time before catastrophe strikes here—unless something is done. Two environmental groups have petitioned the US Fish and Wildlife Service to take action, but the Christian Science Monitor quotes a spokesperson who says that probably won't happen anytime soon because the conservation law in question isn't set up for use "on an emergency basis." (A much older fungus may have gotten dinosaurs high.)

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

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

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A federal judge threw out multiple aspects of Wisconsin's voter ID law on Friday, leaving the law itself intact but ruling unconstitutional many restrictions on voting passed by the GOP-controlled Legislature and Republican Gov. Scott Walker. Two liberal groups filed a lawsuit in May challenging the laws, including a requirement that voters show photo identification. U.S. District Judge James Peterson agreed with arguments that the laws were enacted to benefit Republicans and make it harder for Democratic supporters to vote, and ordered a range of changes. He ordered the state to quickly issue credentials valid for voting to anyone trying to obtain a free photo ID for voting. He struck down a restriction limiting municipalities to one location for in-person absentee voting, time limits on in-person absentee voting, an increase in residency requirements from 10 to 28 days, and a prohibition on using expired but otherwise qualifying student IDs to vote. Earlier Friday, a federal appeals court blocked a North Carolina law that required voters to produce photo identification and included other provisions disproportionately affecting black voters. Judges in the Virginia-based 4th Circuit Court of Appeals said the law was enacted "with discriminatory intent." Earlier this month, a federal appeals court ruled that Texas' strict voter ID law discriminates against minorities and must be weakened before the November elections. And earlier this month, a federal judge in Milwaukee said people without required photo identification can still vote in the Nov. 8 presidential election. That ruling, which isn't in place for the Aug. 9 primary, provides a pathway for people having trouble getting photo identification to still vote. In the Wisconsin lawsuit decided Friday, liberal groups challenged the laws saying they were unconstitutional and discriminate against the poor, racial minorities and younger voters who are more inclined to vote Democratic. They presented evidence at trial attempting to show that Republicans were motivated to pass the laws to suppress Democratic turnout. The state Department of Justice, which defended the restrictions, countered that they have not suppressed turnout and that the state works hard to ensure everyone who needs a free ID to vote gets one. A spokesman for the agency didn't immediately return an email message seeking comment on Friday's ruling. Bobbie Wilson, the lead attorney for the groups that brought the lawsuit, One Wisconsin Institute and Citizen Action of Wisconsin Education Fund Inc., didn't immediately respond to a voicemail left at his San Francisco office. "We argued Gov. Walker made it harder for Democrats to vote and easier for Republicans to cheat, and the judge agreed," said Scot Ross, director of One Wisconsin Now. Walker spokesman Tom Evenson did not immediately return messages seeking comment. ||||| Poll worker Kim Tinsley checks a photo identification for a voter while stationed at Ward 238 at the Lincoln Court Apartments, 2325 S Howell Ave., on Feb. 16. Credit: Rick Wood SHARE By of the Madison — Finding that Republican lawmakers had discriminated against minorities, a federal judge Friday struck down parts of Wisconsin's voter ID law, limits on early voting and prohibitions on allowing people to vote early at multiple sites. With the presidential election less than four months away, GOP Attorney General Brad Schimel said he plans to appeal the sweeping decision by U.S. District Court Judge James Peterson. Peterson also turned back other election laws Republicans have put in place in recent years. "The Wisconsin experience demonstrates that a preoccupation with mostly phantom election fraud leads to real incidents of disenfranchisement, which undermine rather than enhance confidence in elections, particularly in minority communities," U.S. District Judge James Peterson wrote. "To put it bluntly, Wisconsin's strict version of voter ID law is a cure worse than the disease." The ruling came the same day a federal appeals court struck down numerous voting laws in North Carolina and a week after a different appeals court ruled a photo ID law in Texas violates voters' rights. Last week, a federal judge in Milwaukee determined voters in November could cast ballots without showing ID if they submitted statements at polling places saying they could not easily get a state-issued ID card. Friday's 119-page decision in Madison is broader than the Milwaukee ruling and resets the rules for voting less than four months before the presidential election. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett praised the ruling, saying that "without a question" the city would take advantage of it to help more of its citizens vote. "Gov. (Scott) Walker and the Legislature wanted to create a bottleneck in the city of Milwaukee to make it more difficult for people to vote," Barrett said. The decision deals with a swath of election laws that have been modified in recent years by Walker and Republican lawmakers. Peterson, who was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2014, concluded many of them violate the First Amendment right to free speech, the Fourteenth Amendment guarantee of equal protection under the law and the Fifteenth Amendment protection of the right to vote. He struck down: ■ Limits on early voting Republicans have put in place in recent years. GOP lawmakers restricted early voting to weekdays during the two full weeks before elections, thus eliminating weekend voting that was popular in Milwaukee and other urban areas. ■ A requirement that cities can have only one place for early voting. Critics have said large cities such as Milwaukee should be able to have multiple voting sites because not everyone can get downtown easily. ■ A requirement that people must live in their voting ward 28 days before an election. Previously, people had to live in a ward for 10 days before an election. ■ The system the state uses to determine if people with the most difficulty getting IDs should be provided identification for voting. He ruled anyone in that system must immediately be granted an ID for voting within 30 days. ■ Part of the voter ID law allows people to use certain student IDs to vote, but those IDs cannot be expired. Peterson found that aspect of the law is unconstitutional, ruling that expired student IDs can be used at the polls — just as expired driver's licenses can be used for voting. ■ A requirement that dorm lists provided to poll workers include citizen information. Universities provide the lists of those living in dorms to poll workers so they have an easy way to check whether students are voting in the right wards; lawmakers put in a requirement that those lists show whether the students are U.S. citizens. ■ A prohibition on providing voters with absentee ballots by email or fax is unconstitutional, the judge ruled. The ruling will not change any of the rules for the Aug. 9 primary. But — if kept in place — it will reshape how the Nov. 8 general election is run. Further rulings higher courts could change that, however. The law limiting early voting "intentionally discriminates on the basis of race," Peterson wrote. "I reach this conclusion because I am persuaded that this law was specifically targeted to curtail voting in Milwaukee without any other legitimate purpose. "The Legislature's immediate goal was to achieve a partisan objective, but the means of achieving that objective was to suppress the reliably Democratic vote of Milwaukee's African-Americans." The ruling drew praise from the executive director of One Wisconsin Institute, one of the liberal groups that brought the lawsuit. "As the eyes of the nation are focused on the accomplishments and legacy of our nation's first African-American president and first lady, Governor Walker and his legislative allies refuse to accept the expanding diversity of our nation," Scot Ross said in a statement. "Republicans instead chose to rig the laws to rig the ballot box." Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke (R-Kaukauna) dismissed the ruling, saying that Peterson overstepped his authority. "Another in a long line of judicial overreaches that usurp states' rights. One more example of why (the U.S. Supreme Court) is critical," Steineke tweeted. A key part of the case dealt with the system the state has used to provide IDs to people who are qualified to vote but who have trouble getting them because they don't have birth certificates or have errors on them. Walker made changes to that system on the eve of the May trial before Peterson, but for years people without birth certificates have had to go through a lengthy process to try to get IDs, and even then many of them failed to get them even though they were considered eligible voters. Those who have had the most difficulty getting IDs are overwhelmingly minorities, and Peterson called the system created for them a "wretched failure." Most people have been able to get free IDs from the state with little trouble after a single visit to the state Division of Motor Vehicles. The decision comes at a time when voting rights cases are making their way through the courts. Peterson issued his decision just hours after a federal appeals court struck down a similar requirement in North Carolina that voters there show ID at the polls. The ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit in Richmond, Va., also reinstated one more week of early voting in North Carolina, concluding that lawmakers had sought to discriminate against certain voters in passing those measures. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld Indiana's voter ID law in 2008 and since then such laws have flourished around the country. Many of those states, including Wisconsin, have passed laws that are more stringent than Indiana's, sparking a new wave of litigation. Wisconsin's voter ID law was blocked for years by court orders, but revived last year after rulings by the Wisconsin Supreme Court and U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. Even after those decisions, one of the cases remained alive as those opposed to the voter ID law argued some people needed another method of voting because they had great difficulty in getting IDs because they lacked birth certificates or had errors on them. U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman embraced those arguments last week and ruled that in the Nov. 8 election voters who don't have IDs can cast ballots if they submit affidavits at the polls saying they can't easily get IDs. A former Democratic state senator, Adelman was appointed to the federal bench by President Bill Clinton. That decision has been appealed to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago, which has shown it is equally divided when it comes to Wisconsin's voter ID law. The same court will hear an appeal of Peterson's decision. A panel of three 7th Circuit judges upheld the voter ID law in 2014. The full court then split 5-5 on whether the law should be overturned, leaving the earlier ruling in place. Bruce Vielmetti of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.

– The same day a federal judge ruled North Carolina's voter ID law was racially discriminatory and unconstitutional, a federal judge made a similar ruling in Wisconsin. While he didn't strike down the state's entire 2011 voter ID law, Judge James Peterson did repeal big chunks of it, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. Limits on early voting have been removed, as has a requirement that voters must live in Wisconsin for 28 days prior to the election. According to the AP, expired student IDs will also once again be valid at the polls. Wisconsin's voter ID law had been accused of unfairly targeting African-Americans, Latinos, and other people likely to vote Democrat. However, an appeal of Friday's ruling could keep the restrictions in place for November's election.

Oscar’s Wine Bar and Bistro in Lancaster must pay £100,000 after Gaby Scanlon needed life-saving operation following consumption of cocktail A wine bar has been fined £100,000 after a woman needed to have her stomach removed after drinking a smoking liquid nitrogen cocktail handed to her for free. Gaby Scanlon, now 20, had been with friends at Oscar’s Wine Bar and Bistro in Lancaster when she was given the Nitro-Jägermeister shot in celebration of her 18th birthday. But upon drinking the normally £3.95 drink she described feeling agonising pain and was forced to loosen her clothing as smoke billowed from her mouth and nose. Preston crown court heard on Thursday that she was left close to death after experiencing “an explosion” in her stomach four seconds after the cocktail was poured for her. Scanlon said: “I turned to the man and asked if it was OK to drink. He said ‘yes’. Smoke was coming from my nose and mouth. Straight away I knew something was not right. My stomach expanded. The manager said nothing about waiting for it to die down.” Scanlon from Heysham, Lancashire, was taken to the Royal Lancaster infirmary for surgery to remove her stomach and her small bowel connected with her oesophagus, to save her life. Oscar’s Wine Bar and Bistro, which had only opened five months prior to the incident on 4 October 2012, pleaded guilty to one count of failing in the duty of an employer to ensure the safety of persons not in its employment, admitting it failed to ensure the shot-sized cocktail was safe for consumption. No risk assessment had been carried out on the dangers. In passing sentence, judge Pamela Badley said the bar had shown a “flagrant disregard” and that its “failings fell very far short of standards”. Teenager has stomach removed after drinking liquid nitrogen cocktail Read more Badley added: “It’s astonishing that no risk assessment had ever been carried out. There was a failure to heed warnings and advice from a senior health and safety officer. Overall there is evidence of serious systemic failings within the organisation.” The bar had sold a range of cocktails using liquid nitrogen in order to create a smoking effect after company director, Andrew Dunn, saw similar drinks in the Berkeley Hotel in London. He was said to have found them alluring and was “intrigued by the dramatic effect”. But senior health and safety officer Peter Lord, who visited the bar in May 2012 before the incident, said he had concerns about the drinks and sent a letter with guidance on liquid nitrogen usage, which received no response. The court heard that Scanlon and her friends had been poured four of the drinks before she was told “the birthday girl could have a free shot”. A verdict of not guilty was accepted by the crown against bar employee Matthew Harding, who denied failing in his duty to take reasonable care for the health and safety of others at work. Scanlon had not been given any advice, with one friend saying that the barman had said: “Drink it while it’s still smoking.” Prosecutor Barry Berlin said: “Immediately on consuming the drink she was taken violently ill, retching and vomiting and smoking from her nose and mouth. The liquid nitrogen itself is a dangerous product.” Upon consuming the liquid nitrogen which is used for freezing warts, internal tissue was killed and the lining of her stomach was perforated. The court was told that three years on, Scanlon still suffers from pains. Berlin added: “The investigation in this case uncovered serious systemic failings by this company and director.” Training notes were said to have been “loose”, with staff told to wait 10 seconds until the liquid nitrogen had boiled off before consumption. But the rule, devised by the family-run company, was said to have been an arbitrary figure. Berlin added: “The crown say the company is culpable for the injuries. They failed to ensure the safety of its customers. They served liquid nitrogen shots in cocktails without considering any suitable risk assessment. The serious injuries suffered show a failure by the company to ensure her safety. They knew it was dangerous and they didn’t properly police it.” Dunn, of York, pleaded not guilty to being part of a corporate employer which failed in its duty to ensure the safety of persons not in its employment. The prosecution offered no evidence against him after a payment of £20,000 towards court costs was made. Kevin McLoughlin, for Oscar’s Wine Bar, said that the family had been left mortified and apologised to Scanlon and her family for the errors and misjudgments that were made. He added: “The company and the family are truly sorry. At no time did they see anything warning them of the risks of ingestion. The essence of this calamity was the ignorance on the part of the company.” ||||| Image copyright Rex Features Image caption Gaby Scanlon had been celebrating her 18th birthday when she drank the cocktail A wine bar has been fined £100,000 after a woman drank a cocktail containing liquid nitrogen and had to have her stomach removed. Gaby Scanlon, of Heysham, Lancashire, was served the Nitro-Jagermeister while celebrating her 18th birthday in 2012. Oscar's Wine Bar in Lancaster previously admitted health and safety failings, at Preston Crown Court. The court heard Ms Scanlon was left close to death after drinking the £3.95 shot. She was taken to Lancaster Royal Infirmary, where a CT scan found a large perforation in her stomach. Ms Scanlon, now 20, spent three weeks in hospital, undergoing surgery to remove her stomach and connect her oesophagus directly to her small bowel. 'Smoke from nose' Her solicitors told the court the experience, on 4 October 2012, had "completely changed" her life. She now suffers from "episodes of agonising pain", has to avoid some foods and can no longer enjoy eating, they said. Image copyright PA Image caption Oscar's director Andrew Dunn, of Old Earswick, York, pleaded not guilty to his part in the company's failings Describing the moment she drank the shot, Ms Scanlon told the court: "I turned to the man and asked if it was okay to drink. He said 'Yes'. "Smoke was coming from my nose and mouth. Straight away I knew something was not right. My stomach expanded." Oscar's Wine Bar Ltd, registered in Swinton, South Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to one count of failing in the duty of an employer to ensure the safety of persons not in its employment, admitting it failed to ensure the shot cocktail was safe for consumption. No risk assessment was carried out regarding the potential dangers of the drinks. The firm's director Andrew Dunn, of Old Earswick, York, pleaded not guilty to his part in the company's failings. The prosecution said it would offer no evidence against him if he made a £20,000 contribution to the court costs prior to sentencing. A spokesman for Lancaster City Council said: "We took the view that in the public interest it was not necessary to prosecute Mr Dunn, taking into account the interests of the family." 'Safety concerns' Passing sentence, Judge Pamela Badley said the bar's actions "fell very far short of standards". Liquid nitrogen was present in the Nitro-Jagermeister shot to create a cloud of smoke in the glass. While such drinks are not illegal, physicists say the liquid must completely evaporate before the drink is safe for consumption. The court heard the bar had sold a range of cocktails using the chemical after Mr Dunn saw similar drinks in the Berkeley Hotel in London. He was said to have found them "alluring and intrigued by the dramatic effect". But senior health and safety officer Peter Lord, who visited the bar in May 2012, said he had concerns about the drinks and sent a letter with guidance on liquid nitrogen usage, which was met with no response. The family-run bar's barrister Kevin McLoughlin said the family had been left "mortified" and apologised to Miss Scanlon and her family for the "errors and misjudgements that were made". He said: "The company and the family are truly sorry. At no time did they see anything warning them of the risks of ingestion. "The essence of this calamity was the ignorance on the part of the company."

– A UK wine bar is in the hole for a $155,000 fine after a teen ingested a liquid nitrogen shot given to her on the house, became instantly ill, and had to have her stomach removed, the Guardian reports. Gaby Scanlon, now 20, was with friends at Oscar's Wine Bar and Bistro in Lancaster in October 2012 to celebrate her 18th birthday when one of the staff handed her a free "Nitro-Jagermeister" shot. "I turned to the man and asked if it was OK to drink," Scanlon told a Preston Crown Court yesterday. "He said 'yes.' Smoke was coming from my nose and mouth. Straight away I knew something was not right." It wasn't: Internal tissue was destroyed and her stomach lining perforated, and she had to undergo emergency surgery to remove her stomach and have her small bowel attached to her esophagus. The bar's director was said to have been "intrigued by the dramatic effect" of a similar drink at a London hotel, so he decided to bring it to Oscar's. But a local health inspector had been concerned about the offering when he checked out the bar in May 2012 and had sent the bar a letter with notes on the safe way for liquid nitrogen drinks—which the BBC says aren't illegal—to be consumed; he says he never heard back from the bar. Scientists say the drink has to completely settle down and the liquid must evaporate before it's consumed, the broadcaster notes. The lawyer for the family that owns the bar says they're "mortified" and that "at no time did they see anything warning them of the risks of ingestion," though they blamed the incident on their own "ignorance." Scanlon, meanwhile, now experiences "episodes of agonizing pain" and has a limited diet, per the BBC. (In the US, a parental lesson about drinking went tragically wrong.)

The space adventure "Gravity" continues to be a box-office juggernaut, topping the box office for the third straight week, The film, starring Sandra Bullock, earned $31 million over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. The Warner Bros. film has now made more than $170 million in three weeks. Tom Hanks' Somali pirate docudrama "Captain Phillips" also held in second place at the box office, taking in $17.3 million in its second week. "Gravity" and "Captain Phillips," both likely Oscar contenders headlined by veteran stars, were able to best the horror film remake "Carrie" in its debut weekend. The Sony film opened with $17 million. The WikiLeaks drama "The Fifth Estate" opened poorly, taking in a paltry $1.7 million. Sylvester Stallone's "Escape Plan" debuted with $9.8 million. ||||| "Carrie" was unable to spook the unflappable "Gravity" at the box office this weekend, as the hit 3-D space drama easily claimed No. 1 for the third week in a row. Heading into the weekend, industry projections indicated the two films would be in a tight race for the top spot, with each movie poised to take in between $30 million and $35 million. But only "Gravity" hit that mark, collecting $31 million. According to an estimate from distributor Warner Bros., the film starring Sandra Bullock has sold $170.6 million worth of tickets since its debut 17 days ago. FOR THE RECORD: Movie box office: An article in the Oct. 21 Calendar section about the weekend box-office results said Fox Searchlight was one of the co-financiers on the movie "12 Years a Slave." The studio did not contribute to the film's budget. — Things didn't get downright bloody for "Carrie," but the film still fell far short of tracking predictions. The remake of the 1976 horror classic opened with a so-so $17 million -- about as much as the studio releasing the movie, Sony Pictures, had said it expected the film to start off with. PHOTOS: NASA's space shuttles in film Things were even worse for the weekend's other newcomers. The pricey action film "Escape Plan," co-starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, launched with an embarrassing $9.8 million. And practically no one was interested in the story of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, as a drama about him, "The Fifth Estate," flopped with $1.7 million. "Carrie" would be in worse shape if it hadn't been made on a modest budget, but the picture was co-financed by MGM and Sony's Screen Gems label for $30 million. Even if the film isn't a major failure, it won't be a big success, either. To put things in perspective, Brian De Palma's original "Carrie," based on Stephen King's 1974 novel, grossed $33 million in 1976 -- about as much as the remake may ultimately collect. The new version of "Carrie" stars Chloe Grace Moretz as a bullied teen girl who uses special powers to get back at those who have taunted her. At 16, Moretz has already appeared in a number of supporting roles in prominent films like "Hugo" and "Kick-Ass," though "Carrie" marked her debut as a leading lady. Its subject matter apparently helped the film appeal to a younger female audience this weekend; 56% of those in attendance were under the age of 25. Those who saw the movie assigned it an average grade of B-, according to market research firm CinemaScore, the worst grade given to any of the weekend's new wide releases. SNEAKS: Movie trailers, full coverage Meanwhile, the few who saw "Escape Plan" were older: 61% of the audience was over 30. The movie, in which Schwarzenegger and Stallone try to escape from a locked-down prison, received a B+ CinemaScore. After tax incentives, the film's budget was about $50 million. The movie was co-financed by Emmett/Furla films and Lionsgate's Summit Entertainment, which says it recouped much of the film's production costs through international pre-sales and licensing deals. Though he was a big movie star in the 80s and 90s, Schwarzenegger has been unable to reclaim box office glory in recent years. "Escape Plan" is the second flop for the 66-year-old actor-turned-governor this year, following "The Last Stand" in January. While he is a part of the successful "The Expendables" franchise, it seems moviegoers are uninterested in seeing "The Terminator" as a leading man. "The Fifth Estate" is a major disappointment for DreamWorks SKG, which had initially hoped the movie might be an awards contender. But when the film was unveiled at the Toronto Film Festival in September, it was met with lukewarm reviews. Furthermore, Assange has publicly slammed the production. In an email to actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays him in the movie, Assange said he did "not believe that this film is a good film." PHOTOS: Hollywood backlot moments "This film is going to bury good people doing good work, at exactly the time that the state is coming down on their heads," Assange wrote. "It is going to smother the truthful version of events, at a time when the truth is most in demand." The movie, distributed by Walt Disney Studios, was co-financed by DreamWorks and Participant Media for $26 million. DreamWorks says foreign pre-sales took care of 50% of the budget, though the film is still likely to be a financial loser for the studio. On Sunday morning, Dave Hollis, Disney's executive vice president of distribution, did little to mask his feelings about the film's performance: "We are disappointed with these results," he said. ALSO: Should space epic "Gravity" be afraid of supernatural "Carrie"? Bill Condon on giving life to the online world of "The Fifth Estate" "Carrie" star Chloe Grace Moretz plays a hit-girl of a higher power Follow @AmyKinLA amy.kaufman@latimes.com PHOTOS AND MORE PHOTOS: Faces to watch 2014 | Movies ENVELOPE: The latest awards buzz DOCUMENTARIES: 10 best of 2013, and a new crop in 2014

– Gravity scared off Carrie this weekend, pulling off its third box-office win in a row with a hefty $31 million take, reports the Los Angeles Times. Both films were expected to fetch around $30 million, but the Stephen King classic fell far short, with $17 million and the No. 3 spot. Tom Hanks' Captain Phillips held on at No. 2 with $17.3 million, adds the AP. The week's other newcomers flopped, with Escape Plan taking in $9.8 million, and Julian Assange's favorite whipping boy, The Fifth Estate, garnering a truly wretched $1.7 million.

Republican leaders, racing against the clock to find a tough response to President Barack Obama’s immigration policies, are now left with two messy options: punt or risk getting blamed for shutting down an agency that fights terrorism. A punt is looking more likely by the hour. Story Continued Below On Monday evening, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell moved the Senate toward a standalone bill narrowly targeting the president’s 2014 executive action and sparing the 2012 action aimed only at certain young immigrants. It’s the GOP leader’s first step in trying to disentangle the immigration fight from a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security. Senior Republicans said privately earlier in the day that the party may have no choice now but to fund the agency on a short-term basis. The length of a so-called continuing resolution isn’t clear, but McConnell plans to discuss the matter with GOP senators in a closed-door lunch on Tuesday. The dual efforts — to potentially move a short-term funding bill and attack the immigration policies separately — are meant to signal to conservatives the GOP will continue to battle the president on immigration without jeopardizing DHS funding. While passing a short-term continuing resolution without restricting Obama on immigration would likely clear the Senate, it faces an uphill climb in the House, where it is unclear if conservatives will view the GOP’s evolving tactics as a run toward political cover. Both McConnell and Boehner have vowed to avoid any shutdowns — raising the stakes for the leaders in only the second month of a Congress now fully under GOP control. “There will be no shutdown,” one top Republican said privately Monday. The Republicans’ first choice — a bill that would keep DHS open while blocking Obama’s executive order shielding roughly 5 million illegal immigrants from deportation — stalled again in the Senate on Monday. For the fourth time this month, Senate Democrats filibustered the measure. The vote was 47-46. But with worries growing over national security preparedness in the event of a shutdown, an increasing number of Republicans said the party may have no option other than to extend the department’s funding for several weeks under a Continuing Resolution. “Clearly I’d prefer a CR over lapsing,” said Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), who’s up for reelection next year. Though members of both parties don’t want a temporary fix —“I’m not for a short-term CR,” the No. 2 Senate Republican, John Cornyn of Texas, said Monday — Republican leaders are unlikely to have a better alternative unless they can persuade their rank-and-file to defer to the courts. A Texas district judge recently blocked Obama’s November order, but the administration is appealing. “We’re in a really strange constitutional spot: That you can’t ignore a president who has exceeded his authority, but neither can you put the nation at risk,” said Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.). “I don’t think [a shutdown] is going to happen. I think we’ll resolve it. I don’t hear anyone rushing to say: ‘Let’s have a shutdown to prove a point.’” Like many Republicans, Lankford refused to say whether he would vote for a continuing resolution with no immigration provisions. But he did say a delay is more likely than a shutdown because it would allow time for the GOP to continue to fight the immigration order — and he wasn’t alone on Monday. “That’s the most likely way out of it. I don’t think we ought to shut the government down, it doesn’t serve conservative ends,” said Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.). And after playing down the effects of a funding lapse last week, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) is now calling for an end to the stalemate. A range of fall-back proposals continued to be floated on Monday. One would be to tie a short-term budget bill to the outcome of the Texas immigration case, another would be to file an amicus brief in support of the lawsuit. A number of outspoken conservatives — such as Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz — are trying to stiffen GOP leaders’ spines, arguing that Democrats will shoulder the blame if the department shuts down. And as McConnell began to search for a way out of the jam and his colleagues expressed openness to punting on the immigration fight, Cruz did little to hide his disregard for party leaders’ tactics. “There was a reason in December I so vigorously opposed the CRomnibus strategy: Because leadership had no way out,” Cruz said of a bill to fund the entire government until October, save for a short-term DHS bill that set up this month’s fight. “I now await, eagerly, leadership’s solution,” Cruz said. Neither Sessions nor Cruz would say if they would seek to throw procedural hurdles in front of a stopgap funding bill, which could add days to Senate consideration, with passage in the House anything but assured. Still, the approaching deadline could spur Congress to act, as deadlines typically do with one major exception: the government shutdown over Obamacare in 2013. The parallels were not lost on Democrats, who spent Monday circulating polls that showed Americans would blame Republicans for a shutdown and that they prefer immigration policy be kept separate from funding the homeland security agency. Democrats are also gleefully highlighting remarks from Republicans questioning GOP leaders’ strategy. Both Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and John McCain of Arizona warned on Sunday of major political fallout for their party and urged the GOP to place its bets on the legal challenge to Obama’s executive actions. ”Leave it to the courts. It would be an excellent case for the Supreme Court,” McCain said on Monday, seeking to separate the funding deadline from the immigration fight. “I want to leave it to the courts and see how it all plays out.” But even as Republicans lamented their situation, they also blamed Democrats for refusing to debate a bill. Ever since the Senate minority rejected the House’s proposal from being debated on the floor, Republicans have tried to saddle Senate Democrats’ with responsibility for a potential shutdown. “If Democrats would quit filibustering and allow us to get on this bill, which fully funds the Department of Homeland Security, we’re [open] to letting them have amendments,” said Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.). “Can’t finish the bill if you can’t start it.” But Hoeven, an appropriator who oversees homeland security spending, also threw cold water on a temporary bill. “I don’t support going to a CR. I think it would be better to get to a bill like we got and go through the process and offer amendments,” Hoeven said. “But at the end of day, whatever we pass, has to get through the House, too.” As the congressional standoff barrels to a climax, the Obama administration revved up its messaging machine. Flanked by nearly 30 employees from across the department and the chiefs of FEMA and Customs and Border Patrol, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Monday up to 80 percent of the department would work without pay in the event of a shutdown, while 30,000 employees would be furloughed, including 80 percent of FEMA. Though it seems the only way out of a shutdown he decries, the DHS secretary also lambasted a potential short-term funding bill and likened it to “trying to drive across the country with no more than 5 gallons of gas in your tank and you don’t know when the next gas station will appear.” Jake Sherman contributed to this report. ||||| Washington (CNN) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced he is changing tactics in an attempt to break a stalemate with Democrats ahead of Friday's deadline when the Department of Homeland Security will run out of money, after taking his fourth failed vote on a House-approved measure. On a measure that needed 60 votes to succeed, it failed with 47 voting in support to 46 against. McConnell said he would bring a separate bill to the floor this week that would block funding for the implementation of President Barack Obama's immigration executive orders -- provisions in the current DHS bill that Democrats object to. By separating the immigration matter from the DHS funding bill, McConnell hopes to satisfy conservatives by allowing them to vote against the immigration orders while allowing a so-called "clean" DHS bill possibly to move on a separate track. While it's too early to know if the new plan will work -- and there are many procedural hurdles that could doom it -- it's the first new idea in weeks to break the congressional logjam over DHS. Republicans also believe it will put on the spot a handful of centrist Democrats who raised concerns with the immigration orders but have so-far refused to vote against them as long as they were attached to the DHS bill. "Some Democrats give the impression they want Congress to address the overreach," McConnell said. "But when they vote, they always seem to have an excuse for supporting actions they once criticized. So I'm going to begin proceedings on targeted legislation that would only address the most recent overreach from November. It isn't tied to DHS' funding. It removes their excuse." Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, used the failed vote as an opportunity to blame Republicans for failing to fund the agency. "It's becoming clear Sen. McConnell realizes he must separate himself from the far right, but the bottom line is this proposal doesn't bring us any closer to actually funding DHS, and Republicans still have no real plan to achieve that goal," he said. It's not apparent how many Democrats might be persuaded to vote against the immigration orders in a standalone bill and whether it would be enough to give Republicans the 60 votes they need to get over procedural hurdles. It is unlikely supporters could get the 67 votes needed to overcome a veto, which surely would come from the President should the legislation clear Congress. Before Monday's vote, Senate Democrats squabbled with House Republicans about who exactly was to blame for the ongoing standoff. There are only four days before DHS funding ends, which will leave large parts of the agency shuttered or employees will be forced to work without pay. "We passed a bill that fully funds the department," House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said in an interview on CNN. "We'll probably see something come from the Senate this week and we'll have to make some tough choices. It would be irresponsible for lawmakers and policy-makers to shut down his national security agency at this grave time." Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri urged her colleagues, via Twitter, to pass a funding measure to "show unity against terrorists." "Let's pass funding for Homeland Security today to show unity against terrorists," McCaskill tweeted. "Then R's can bring up immigration for vote immediately after." Let's pass funding for Homeland Security today to show unity against terrorists.Then Rs can bring up immigration for vote immediately after. — Claire McCaskill (@clairecmc) February 23, 2015 But DHS is still prepping for the worst case scenario. In a letter to employees, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said the department was making preparations "in the unlikely and unfortunate event that Congress does not fund DHS before Friday night a shutdown of this department occurs." "Have faith that his difficult and unnecessary situation will be resolved," Johnson said. ||||| Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, joined by the department employees, during a news conference in Washington, Monday, Feb. 23, 2015. A partial shutdown of the Homeland Security Department loomed... (Associated Press) WASHINGTON (AP) — Days from a Homeland Security Department shutdown, Senate Republicans sought a way out Monday by splitting President Barack Obama's contested immigration measures from the agency's funding bill. It was not clear whether the gambit by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would succeed ahead of Friday's midnight deadline to fund the department or see it shut down. It was far from certain whether it would win any Democratic support, and House conservatives remain firmly opposed to any funding bill for the Homeland Security Department that does not also overturn Obama's executive actions on immigration. But with Senate Democrats united against a House-passed bill that funds the agency while blocking the president on immigration, McConnell said it was time for another approach. "It's another way to get the Senate unstuck from a Democrat filibuster and move the debate forward," McConnell said on the Senate floor after a vote to advance the House-passed bill failed 47-46, short of the 60 votes needed. Three previous attempts earlier in the month had yielded similar results. "This is our colleagues' chance to do exactly what they led their constituents to believe they'd do: defend the rule of law, without more excuses," McConnell said in a jab at the handful of Senate Democrats who have voiced opposition to Obama's executive actions offering work permits and deportation deferrals for millions in the country illegally. A spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, welcomed McConnell's move, though without predicting its chances of success in the House. "This vote will highlight the irresponsible hypocrisy of any Senate Democrat who claims to oppose President Obama's executive overreach on immigration, but refuses to vote to stop it," said Boehner spokesman Michael Steel. McConnell left unclear whether a vote overturning Obama's immigration moves would be followed by a stand-alone vote to fund the Homeland Security Department — an omission not lost on Senate Democrats. "With four days left to go before Homeland Security runs out, he's bringing a bill to the floor that doesn't fund Homeland Security," said Adam Jentleson, spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. McConnell's move came after Obama warned the nation's governors that states would feel the economic pain of a Homeland Security shutdown, with tens of thousands of workers in line to be furloughed if the agency shuts down at midnight Friday, and many more forced to work without pay. "It will have a direct impact on your economy, and it will have a direct impact on America's national security," Obama told governors as they visited the White House as part of their annual conference. Within hours of Republicans securing the Senate majority last November, McConnell vowed there would be no government shutdowns, but the immigration fight threatened to shut down the Homeland Security Department and undermine GOP promises that they would show the nation they could govern. McConnell's move seemed aimed at dividing Senate Democrats who have been united against the $39.7 billion House-passed legislation that funds the Homeland Security Department through the Sept. 30 end of the budget year, while also rolling back Obama's executive actions granting work permits to millions of immigrants in this country illegally. Aides said McConnell's bill would target only the executive actions Obama announced in November, not an earlier directive from 2012 that provided protections to hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought illegally to the country as youths. That could make it more difficult for the handful of moderate Democrats who opposed Obama's executive actions when he announced them in November to vote against the legislation. The move came as growing numbers of Senate Republicans called for Congress to jettison the immigration fight and pass a "clean" Homeland Security spending bill without immigration language. In wake of a federal court's ruling last week stating that Obama had exceeded his authority and putting his immigration policies on hold, several Senate Republicans said the courts were the best place to fight that battle. "Leave it to the courts. I think we have an excellent case before the Supreme Court," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said Monday night. The Obama administration on Monday asked U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen in Brownsville, Texas, to put his ruling on hold and filed a notice of appeal of his ruling to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. House conservatives, by contrast, said the court developments only strengthened their resolve to use the Homeland Security budget to fight Obama on immigration. "A federal judge has confirmed that what we've done is the right thing," conservative Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio said Monday. "I hope that the U.S. Senate can see the light and do the right thing." A short-term extension of current funding levels remained possible, but lawmakers have only a few days to come up with even that partial solution before the agency's funding expires. A Homeland Security shutdown would result in some 30,000 administrative and other workers getting furloughed. Some 200,000 others would fall into essential categories and stay on the job at agencies like the Border Patrol, Secret Service and Transportation Security Administration, though mostly without drawing a paycheck until the situation is resolved. ___= Associated Press writers Andrew Taylor and Charles Babington contributed to this report.

– Funding for Homeland Security teetered closer to the proverbial cliff today as Senate Democrats again stalled a bill to fund the US agency—but a compromise may be in the works. Senators voted nearly down the middle, 47 for and 46 against, on a measure that needed 60 votes to take up the House bill, CNN reports. Democrats opposed it for the fourth time in four weeks because, they say, it contains poison pills to stop President Obama's immigration orders. "I don't understand what my Republican friends are trying to do," says Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid. "Their plan is destined to fail." Now Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is edging toward a new solution: dividing the DHS and immigration efforts into two separate bills, Politico reports. A rep for John Boehner applauded the move, but House conservatives seem opposed and Democrats may not go for it either, the AP reports. The apparent plan is to vote on Obama's immigration order (which would protect about 5 million illegals from deportation) before voting on DHS funding separately. But the funding deadline is Friday, and Obama has warned that states will feel the economic pain if DHS shuts down and tens of thousands of workers are furloughed. Meanwhile, Republicans are divided over the effect of a Texas judge blocking Obama's immigration order: Some say it supports their fight in Congress, while others say the courts should handle it. "Leave it to the courts," says Sen. John McCain. "I think we have an excellent case before the Supreme Court."

Over 60 years after the first excavations at Qumran, researchers from Hebrew University said Wednesday that they identified a twelfth cave near Qumran they believe contained Dead Sea Scrolls until it was plundered in the middle of the 20th century. The latest excavation was conducted by Hebrew University and the Israel Antiquities Authority under the auspices of the IDF’s Civil Administration. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up It yielded no new scrolls, but archaeologists found a small scrap of parchment in a jar and a collection of at least seven storage jugs identical to those found in the other Qumran caves. Altogether there was “no doubt we have a new scroll cave,” Oren Gutfeld, head archaeologist from the dig, told The Times of Israel. “Only the scrolls themselves are not there.” The bit of parchment and other organic remains have been dated to the first century CE, when the community at Qumran was active during the twilight of the Second Temple period. Pickaxes from the 1940s, a smoking gun from the Bedouin plunderers who dug in the cave, were found along with the ancient remains. The dig in the cliffs west of Qumran, situated over the Green Line in the West Bank, was headed by Hebrew University’s Oren Gutfeld and Ahiad Ovadia with the collaboration of Randall Price and students from Virginia’s Liberty University. “This exciting excavation is the closest we’ve come to discovering new Dead Sea Scrolls in 60 years,” Gutfeld said. “Until now, it was accepted that Dead Sea Scrolls were found only in 11 caves at Qumran, but now there is no doubt that this is the twelfth cave.” At the same time, Gutfeld said, the cave’s association with the Dead Sea Scrolls means “we can no longer be certain that the original locations (Caves 1 through 11) attributed to the Dead Sea Scrolls that reached the market via the Bedouins are accurate.” The first batch of ancient scrolls plundered from caves near the shores of the Dead Sea were purchased by Israeli scholars from the black market in 1947, and additional texts surfaced in the years following in excavations in the Jordanian-held West Bank and for sale on the black market. After Israel captured the West Bank in 1967, many of the scrolls stored in the Rockefeller Museum in East Jerusalem were transferred to the Israel Museum. Altogether, the nearly 1,000 ancient Jewish texts dated to the Second Temple period comprise a vast corpus of historical and religious documents that include the earliest known copies of biblical texts. Roughly a quarter of the manuscripts are made up of material belonging to the Hebrew Bible, while another quarter detail the Qumran community’s unique philosophy. The various scrolls and scroll fragments are identified by the cave they were believed to be stored in over the centuries. The new cave’s discovery shakes things up. “How can we know for sure that they only came from 11 caves? For sure there were 12 caves, and maybe more,” Gutfeld said. Among the other finds discovered in the cavern, now designated Q12 to denote its inclusion in the Qumran cave complex, were a leather strap for binding scrolls and a cloth for wrapping them, the university said in a statement announcing the find. Other discoveries included flint blades, arrowheads, and a carnelian stamp seal, all of which point to the cave’s inhabitation as far back as the Chalcolithic and the Neolithic periods. Experts at the Dead Sea Scroll Laboratories in Jerusalem found no writing on the scrap of parchment found in the jar, but they plan to carry out multispectral imaging of the artifact to reveal any ink invisible to the naked eye. The Q12 study was carried out as part of the IAA’s efforts to systematically excavate Judean Desert caves that may hold ancient scroll caches in a bid to foil antiquities theft. The expedition to Qumran was the first of its kind in the northern Judean Desert. The IAA announced in November that it was launching a massive project to find as yet undiscovered Dead Sea Scrolls in the desert. Last summer an IAA team excavated the Cave of the Skulls in Zeelim Valley after the antiquities watchdog caught thieves in the act. Gutfeld said he and his team “absolutely” plan to survey more caves in the region of Qumran in the coming months to determine where else to dig. ———————— Follow Ilan Ben Zion on Twitter and Facebook. ||||| Story highlights First discovery of a Dead Sea cave in over 60 years; "Operation Scroll" is a yearslong effort to survey Qumran cliffs Archaeologists think the new cave was looted around the 1950s (CNN) Excavations on the storied Judean cliffside revealed a new Dead Sea Scrolls cave, full of scroll storage jars and other antiquities, the first such discovery in over 60 years. The discovery upends a decades-old theory in the archaeological community that Dead Sea Scrolls were only found in certain caves at the Qumran cliffs, which are managed by Israel in the West Bank. Entrance of newly discovered Dead Sea Scrolls cave. "Until now, it was accepted that Dead Sea Scrolls were found only in 11 caves at Qumran, but now there is no doubt that this is the 12th cave," said Dr. Oren Gutfeld, one of the project's lead archaeologists. Pottery shards, broken scroll storage jars and their lids -- even neolithic flint tools and arrowheads -- littered the cave's entrance. Farther in, there appeared to be a cave-in. Neolithic flint tools found inside the newly discovered cave. After a bit of work with a small pickax, the team made a monumental find: an unbroken storage jar with a scroll. It was rushed to Hebrew University's conservation lab, where it was unfurled in a protected environment. Read More

– Israeli researchers have discovered what they believe is the first new Dead Sea Scrolls cave uncovered in more than 60 years—but looters got there long before them. The site at the Qumran cliffs, an Israeli-controlled site in the West Bank, has yielded artifacts including pieces of pottery, broken scroll storage jars, and even an unbroken jar containing a scroll, though researchers later found it was blank, CNN reports. Clues including old pickaxes have led the Hebrew University team to believe that the site was ransacked in the 1940s or 1950s by looters who made off with ancient scrolls. There is "no doubt we have a new scroll cave," Oren Gutfeld, chief archaeologist on the dig, tells the Times of Israel. "Only the scrolls themselves are not there." Researchers believe the scrolls looted from the cave were sold on the black market many years ago, possibly as long ago as 1947. Gutfeld says the discovery of the cave upends the theory that the scrolls were held in only 11 caves, because this was definitely a 12th. His team plans to survey more of the hundreds of caves in the area in the hope of finding more of the scrolls, which held ancient religious and historical writings. (Israeli authorities busted a gang that was trying to steal an ancient comb from a cave in the area.)

Subscriber Content Read Preview Beijing, U.S. Unveil New Korean Sanctions The U.S. and China introduced a new round of sanctions against North Korea at the United Nations that the U.S. said would significantly impede the development of Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs, in response to its test last month of an atomic bomb. ||||| Ready to fight back? Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation’s journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue Subscribe now for as little as $2 a month! Support Progressive Journalism The Nation is reader supported: Chip in $10 or more to help us continue to write about the issues that matter. The Nation is reader supported: Chip in $10 or more to help us continue to write about the issues that matter. Fight Back! Sign up for Take Action Now and we’ll send you three meaningful actions you can take each week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation’s journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and we’ll send you three meaningful actions you can take each week. Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue Travel With The Nation Be the first to hear about Nation Travels destinations, and explore the world with kindred spirits. Be the first to hear about Nation Travels destinations, and explore the world with kindred spirits. Sign up for our Wine Club today. Did you know you can support The Nation by drinking wine? An update, including Walmart's new statement blaming the apparel's presence on a rogue supplier, and reactions from advocates, appears below. Ad Policy NGOs slammed Walmart over a fire that killed at least 112 workers at a Bangladesh factory that supplied apparel for the retail giant. While Walmart says it has not confirmed that it has any relationship to the factory, photos provided to The Nation show piles of clothes made for one of its exclusive brands. In a statement e-mailed Sunday night, Walmart expressed sympathy for the victims’ families, and said that it was “trying to determine if the factory has a current relationship with Walmart or one of our suppliers…” The company called fire safety “a critically important area of Walmart’s factory audit program,” and said that it has been “working across the apparel industry to improve fire safety education and training in Bangladesh.” Walmart added that it has “partnered with several independent organizations to develop and roll out fire safety training tools for factory management and workers.” But in a Monday interview, Workers Rights Consortium Executive Director Scott Nova said Walmart’s “culpability is enormous. First of all they are the largest buyer from Bangladesh” and so “they make the market.” Nova said Bangladesh has become the world's second largest apparel supplier "because they’ve given Walmart and its competitors what they want, which is the cheapest possible labor costs.” “So Walmart is supporting, is incentivizing, an industry strategy in Bangladesh: extreme low wages, non-existent regulation, brutal suppression of any attempt by workers to act collectively to improve wages and conditions,” Nova told The Nation. “This factory is a product of that strategy that Walmart invites, supports, and perpetuates.” The WRC is a labor monitoring group whose board is composed of students, labor organizations, and university administrators. The fire started Saturday night in a ground floor warehouse. According to media reports, the factory’s emergency exits were insufficient in number and unsafe in design, routing through the inside, rather than the outside, of the building. Some workers survived on the factory’s roof; several jumped out of the building. A lack of safe fire exits contributed to the death toll in New York’s notorious 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. A document on the website of the factory’s owner, Tuba Group, showed that the factory had received an “orange” rating from Walmart in May 2011, due to “violations and/or conditions that were deemed to be high risk.” The same document said that three such ratings within two years would result in a year-long suspension by Walmart. “Obviously, they didn’t do anything about it,” said Nova. He called Walmart’s internal monitoring system “a joke” that was “set up to enable Walmart to claim that it’s policing, without in any way, shape or form inconveniencing its production process.” A Walmart spokesperson told the New York Times that the retail giant had been “unable to confirm” the veracity of Tuba Group document, or whether Tazreen Fashions, the Tuba Group subsidiary running the factory, was supplying any Walmart goods. But photos taken after the fire taken the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity, provided to The Nation by the International Labor Rights Forum, show clothing with Walmart’s exclusive Faded Glory label (photos below). Nova accused Walmart of intentionally dragging its feet on admitting its connection to the factory, in hopes that by the time the connection is confirmed, the media will have lost interest. WRC's Nova said that Bangladesh’s deadly labor conditions are a direct consequence of Walmart’s business model. If a factory “really followed the law,” said Nova, “if they allowed workers to organize and bargained a contract, if they invested in necessary health and safety equipment, if they restructured the building to make it safe, put in place sprinklers and outside fire escapes, their costs would rise, they would have to charge more for their product, and they would immediately lose Walmart and their other customers.” According to ILRF, Saturday’s fire had the highest death toll of any Bangladesh factory accident to date. Had it happened earlier in the day, it could have been much higher. Another Bangladesh factory fire Monday morning resulted in at least eight injuries; that factory is also a Walmart supplier, according to the WRC. Nova said that worse death tolls are ahead if the status quo persists. “You do not need to be a fire safety expert to realize that a factory like this is dangerous…” said Nova. “And yet there is no evidence that Walmart has taken any meaningful action to improve their safety practices in the supply chain in Bangladesh.” The fire comes eight months after the body of Bangladeshi labor activist Aminul Islam was found dead and apparently tortured. Islam was working to organize the Bangladeshi garment factory’s workers and to expose their conditions in international media. “It’s virtually certain that somebody acting at the behest of the government or industry killed him,” said Nova. In an interview following his death, Islam’s co-worker Kalpona Akter told The Nation that “workers do not have their voice in the workplace,” that major companies’ monitoring “is so poor,” and that the brands “should really take some responsibility.” The WRC’s criticisms were echoed by other non-profits, including the Amsterdam-based Clean Clothes Campaign, which charged in a Sunday statement that major brands’ “failure to take action amounts to criminal negligence.” Walmart has come under repeated scrutiny for the labor conditions at its suppliers. In June, guest workers at C.J.’s Seafood went on strike over alleged forced labor conditions; after initially saying it had investigated and couldn’t substantiate the accusations, Walmart eventually suspended the supplier. In September, Human Rights Watch releases a report finding widespread debt bondage at the Phatthana shrimp company in Thailand, and accusing Walmart of offering shifting and contradictory explanations of its relationship to the company. “The only way factories in Bangladesh can survive, given the prices that the western brands are willing to pay, is to operate unsafely,” said Nova. “And that’s why you get fires. And for all of their rhetoric about corporate social responsibility and all of these monitoring programs and audits, brands and retailers will not pay one penny more for factories.” Update (7 PM Monday, November 26): In a new statement released Monday evening, Walmart said that at the time of the fire, the factory "was no longer authorized to produce merchandise for Walmart" and said that a supplier had "subcontracted work to this factory without authorization and in direct violation of our policies." Walmart said that it had terminated the rogue supplier today, and added, "The fact that this occurred is extremely troubling to us, and we will continue to work across the apparel industry to improve fire safety education and training in Bangladesh." In response to an inquiry from The Nation regarding the identity of the supplier, when the factory ceased to be authorized, and whether Walmart continued to pay for work performed there after the authorization ended, a Walmart official said the company is not commenting beyond the new statement. Interviewed following that statement, Liana Foxvog, the Director of Organizing for the International Labor Rights Forum, said she did not have the information "to evaluate whether or not Walmart is telling the truth," but that if the company's claim is accurate, it reflects poorly on its oversight of supplier compliance with local safety and labor laws, and with its own Code of Conduct. Foxvog added that the remedy to dire safety issues should not have been "to keep the results of its inspections hidden and to walk away from workers who are working in a death trap factory." Instead, said Foxvog, Walmart should "pay sufficient prices" and "require the factories to come into compliance." She said Bangladesh factories "often feel like they have to cut corners in order to make products at the low prices" expected by top brands. Asked Monday evening about Walmart's latest statement, Nova e-mailed, "Walmart is a company whose foundational corporate principle is precise control of supply chain logistics and information. Now, after equivocating for 48 hours, they tell the world that they are shocked to discover that their goods were being made at the Tazreen factory." Nova noted Walmart's refusal to identify "the supplier responsible for this supposed unauthorized subcontracting, or any other details about how Walmart goods miraculously found their way to Tazreen." "Whatever Walmart now claims," added Nova, "what we know for sure is that Walmart goods were being produced at this factory and that Walmart is responsible for protecting the rights and safety of workers who make Walmart clothes." Photo Credit: International Labor Rights Forum While Walmart is denying claims of human rights abuses overseas, US employees are striking against poverty wages and intimidation tactics here at home. Check out Josh Eidelson’s coverage of the historic Walmart worker strikes here.

– Thousands of protesters marched in Bangladesh today after a garment factory fire linked to Walmart killed more than 100 workers this weekend, the Wall Street Journal reports. Angry workers blocked traffic, damaged cars, and threw rocks at factories as some 500 plants declared a "holiday," reports AFP. "Most workers are in shock," a garment union leader said. "They want to see safety improvements to these deathtrap factories." Fires at Bangladeshi garment factories have claimed more than 600 lives over the past six years. The plant that burned Saturday made clothes for Li & Fung, a global trading group that buys for retailers like Target and Walmart. Documents posted online include a letter, apparently from Walmart, declaring the plant to be "high risk" and warning that two more such ratings over two years would force Walmart to stop orders from the factory. Walmart said it wasn't sure whether the company still bought clothes from there, but the Nation has photos showing piles of an exclusive Walmart brand at the factory.

Johannesburg - Zephany Nurse, who was abducted from the Groote Schuur Hospital 19 years ago, has spoken out and asked the media to respect her feelings. In her own words, issued in a statement by her lawyer Ann Skelton, Nurse said: "Wow you have done it again. Have you got no shame or a bit of remorse about what I am going through? "I am writing my supplementary exams. You invaded personal things about me and my loved ones. Not even half of those things are true. "You have no idea what it's like to walk in the street where people know me and judge me because of you invading personal things about my life. "Don't you think for once that that is my mother? Whether it is true or not is not for you to toy with. Take all the professionalism away and think how it would be if this was you and your family, and your reputation gets swept through the disgusting gutters of filth. "How would you look at yourself in the mirror? How would you feel as a father, desperately broken but still finds the goodness to support his family. While you are out there publishing stories which you yourself don't know if it's true or not? "How would your daughter or son feel when their skin feels ripped of their face? Because of you. Appreciate the privacy you have with your family and think what I am going through, and my father and mother. I plead again: don't hurt me no more with these lies please. I am 18 years old. I am also trying to structure my life. Thank you." Skelton, from the Centre for Child Law, said the message from Nurse followed media reports this week which were seen to be "spurious attacks on her and people close to her". She said Nurse understood that the media had a duty to report what was happening in the trial, however, the so-called attacks went beyond that. "The girl known as Zephany Nurse has tried from the outset to keep her private life private." ‘Victim of a crime’ A 51-year-old woman, accused of stealing Nurse is standing trial in the Western Cape High Court. The accused, who may not be named as it could lead to the teenager being identified, faces charges related to the Children's Act, fraud, and kidnapping. The woman was arrested shortly after police came knocking on February 25 2015. The matter came to light when the girl's biological sister, who is four years younger, told her parents that a matric girl at her school bore a striking resemblance to her and her parents. When the parents discovered the girl had the same birthday as their missing child, they reported it to police. DNA tests confirmed the teen was indeed their daughter. Skelton said Nurse had had a difficult year adjusting to her new situation. "Although she is a victim of a crime, she finds herself being vilified and criticised in the media. Although it is against her instinct to reveal her feelings in the media - and she feels she should not have to do so - wild speculation about her is making her extremely unhappy," Skelton said. Nurse was currently writing her supplementary matric exams because last year's events took such a toll on her that she was unable to write with her classmates. ||||| Cape Town – "At least I can build my relationship with my daughter,” the biological mother of kidnapped Zephany Nurse said after the woman who snatched her daughter 19 years ago was found guilty in the Western Cape High Court on Thursday. Celeste Nurse burst into tears when Judge John Hlophe convicted the 51-year-old woman of kidnapping, fraud, and contravening the Children’s Act. The verdict came just over a year after she was arrested and the now 18-year-old girl was found in her care. Overwhelmed, Nurse had few words as she left the court with her fiancé. “I am happy,” she said. Zephany’s biological father, Morne Nurse, had no words. “We are just glad this woman is locked up,” a relative said. Celeste Nurse's mother and Zephany's biological grandmother, Marilyn Francis, said after crying about her missing grandchild for years, they were happy the “Lord gave our child back”. “I feel sorry for [the accused]. She also felt like a mother to that child,” she said. Forgave the accused Francis said she forgave the accused. “She is going to jail. Prison for a woman at that age is not a good place. But this is justice.” In an interview with News24 before the verdict was handed down, the accused said the 17 years and 10 months she spent raising the girl had been the happiest of her life. Her husband, who also cannot be named as it may lead to the teenager’s current identity being revealed, said Zephany still considers the accused her mother. He continued to refer to her as his daughter. She is living with him at their Lavender Hill home. The accused maintained that the child was handed to her 19 years ago by a woman helping her with her infertility problems, who told her the baby’s biological mother did not want her. On Thursday, the husband said Zephany had told him to wish his wife luck and give her a kiss. Both said they wanted the child’s biological parents to be part of her life. Build a relationship “I have encouraged her to build a relationship with them. They are her birth parents. We don’t want to stand in the way of that,” he said. The accused nodded in agreement, and said she was sorry for what they had been through. “I am glad they found her. She is a wonderful child. I am proud of how she turned out.” She said she was not sorry for taking the baby when she was apparently handed to her. “What I am sorry for is that [Zephany] found out about it this way. I love her and if she wants me, I will always be in her life. I will always be her mother.” The biological family had bonded with Zephany, Francis said. She would grow out of her connection to the accused. “Blood is thicker than water. She will definitely come back. That lady was her mother for 18 years. It’s not easy for a child to lose her mother.” Overwhelming evidence Hlophe, delivering his verdict, said there was overwhelming evidence that the woman, who had suffered a miscarriage four months before the kidnapping, snatched the infant while her mother slept in the maternity ward of Groote Schuur Hospital on 30 April 1997. She registered Zephany as her biological child at the Malmesbury home affairs office, and lied to both her husband and the girl that she had given birth to her. Sentencing will take place on May 30. ||||| South Africa South African woman guilty of abducting baby she raised for 17 years Kidnapped girl’s true identity emerged after she went to same school as her sister and classmates noticed their resemblance Celeste Nurse, the mother of the kidnapped girl, outside the court. Photograph: Schalk van Zuydam/AP A South African woman has been found guilty of kidnapping a newborn baby, raising her for 17 years until her real identity emerged through a remarkable twist of fate last year. Zephany Nurse was abducted from a hospital in Cape Town in 1997, three days after her birth. Her parents, Morné and Celeste Nurse, never gave up hope of seeing their first-born again and celebrated her birthdays without her. For those years, Zephany grew up just a couple of miles away with a different name and a different family, never suspecting she was not their real daughter. But in January 2015, her biological sister, Cassidy Nurse, began at the same school. Soon fellow pupils noticed a startling resemblance between them. Morné Nurse then saw Cassidy and Zephany eating burgers together in McDonald’s, and, struck by the physical similarities, contacted the police. DNA tests confirmed that she was the Nurses’ long-lost daughter and Zephany was placed in the care of social services, while the woman was arrested. The 50-year-old cannot be named in order to protect the new identity of Zephany Nurse, who requested protection from international media interest. Celeste Nurse, 36, wept as she described in court how she woke up in the maternity ward in Groote Schuur hospital to find her baby had vanished from her cot. Witnesses said they had seen an unknown woman in a nurse’s uniform at the hospital around the time of the kidnap, and one of them picked out the accused at an identity parade. The accused woman also sobbed in court as she told of being barred from seeing the girl after her arrest in February 2015. She said that after a miscarriage in 1996 she paid a woman who promised to find her a child to adopt, and in April 1997 was handed a baby wrapped in a blanket at a train station. She had not told her husband of her miscarriage, so presented the baby to him as their own. Giving his verdict, Judge John Hlophe described the defendant’s account as a fairytale. “You must have been the person who removed the child from hospital,” he said. “Your story, if anything, is a fairytale and the court rejects it with the contempt it deserves.” The accused was denied bail and ordered to return to court for sentencing on 30 May. She faces a minimum of five years in jail.

– A 51-year-old woman was found guilty Thursday of kidnapping a newborn in 1997 as the girl's mother slept in a hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. The unnamed defendant had pleaded not guilty, insisting she adopted the infant and "didn't know the baby was stolen." Incredibly, the girl was reunited with her biological parents, Celeste and Morne Nurse, last year after befriending a girl at school who resembled her—and who ended up being her younger sister. The Nurses cried as the verdict was read; the defendant had also cried in court while testifying about being barred from seeing the girl she'd raised as her daughter. She testified that she had miscarried a baby in 1996 without telling her husband, then paid a woman to find her an infant to adopt, and that when the woman did so, the defendant told her husband the baby was theirs. The judge rejected that story as "a fairytale," the Guardian reports, adding, "You must have been the person who removed the child from [the] hospital." She was convicted of kidnapping, fraud (she registered the child as her own daughter in 2003 and changed her birthdate), and contravening child protection laws; the judge said she faces 10 years in prison when she's sentenced on May 30. As for the abducted girl, News24 says that she's still living with the husband of the defendant, who raised her as his daughter. The now-18-year-old issued a statement Sunday in which she ripped media portrayal of the case and seemed to imply she still considers the couple who raised her to be her family: "How would your daughter or son feel when their skin feels ripped [off] their face? Because of you. Appreciate the privacy you have with your family and think what I am going through, and my father and mother." Take an in-depth look at the trial here.

Before passing comment on someone's "baby bump," take a pregnant pause. Likewise, give up promoting "shared sacrifice." And if you're tempted to proclaim your desire to "win the future," you've lost it here in the present. Michigan's Lake Superior State University is featuring those phrases in its annual List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Misuse, Overuse and General Uselessness. The 2012 list, released Friday, was compiled by the university from nominations submitted from across the globe. What else do the syntactical Scrooges want to cast out with the good cheer in the new year? The list also includes "occupy," "ginormous," "man cave" and "the new normal." In all, a dozen words or phrases made the 37th end-of-the year list. The list started as a publicity ploy by the school's public relations department on New Year's Day 1976, and has since generated tens of thousands of nominations. "Amazing" received more than 1,500 nominations, the most of any on this year's list. Disdain for the superlative was apparently universal among English speakers, garnering disparaging dispatches from across the United States and even the United Kingdom and Israel. While it lacked a single pop-culture culprit, such as the proliferating protest movement that occupied the word "occupy" or the collective ooh-ing and aah-ing that accompanied Beyonce's "baby bump," nominations to banish "amazing" cite its overuse on reality television and by daytime talk show hosts. Social media also spurred the call to surrender the word's conversational credentials, notably through a Facebook page called "Overuse of the Word Amazing." "The word has been overused to describe things only slightly better than mundane," Alyce-Mae Alexander of Maitland, Fla., wrote in her nomination. "I blame Martha Stewart because to her, EVERYTHING is amazing!" University spokesman John Shibley said he and his colleagues were surprised that "amazing" hadn't already graced the archive of about 900 banished words. "The simple ones are always the ones that get through the cracks _ until this year," he said. Other terms circulating for years that have finally raised enough ire to earn a spot on the list include "blowback," "man cave," "the new normal" and "thank you in advance." The last one particularly annoys Mike Cloran of Cincinnati, Ohio. "This is a condescending and challenging way to say, `Since I already thanked you, you have to do this,'" Cloran wrote in his submission. Lake Superior State University, located in Sault St. Marie _ the last stop before Michigan's northernmost border-crossing with Canada _ has seen its list survive despite many banished words stubbornly clinging to the language. For evidence, look no further than last year's "fail," "viral" and "a-ha moment." And then there is, well, blowback from critics who can't take a little tongue-in-cheek critique. Shibley said some people have missed the point over the years and complained that the list is an effort to control the language. But most seem to receive it in good cheer, rather than with jeers. "A lot of people can take this wrong. We don't mean any malice when we publish it," Shibley said. "If it makes you angry, it gets you thinking about language. If it gets you laughing, it gets you thinking about language. It's done its job _ to get you to think about how you express yourself." ___ Online: Lake Superior State University's banished words: http://www.lssu.edu/banished ___ Jeff Karoub can be reached at http://twitter.com/jeffkaroub ||||| Lake Superior State University's 42nd Annual List of Banished Words The wordsmiths at Lake Superior State University have taken their best "guesstimate" and released LSSU's 42nd annual List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness. "Overused words and phrases are a 'bête noire' for thousands of users of the 'manicured' Queen's English," said an LSSU spokesperson, who released the 'historic' list during a town hall meeting. "We hope our modest 'listicle' will figure 'bigly' in most 'echo chambers' around the world." LSSU's word banishment tradition is now in its fifth decade, and was started by the late W. T. Rabe, a public relations director at Lake Superior State University. Rabe and fellow LSSU faculty and staff came up with the first list of words and phrases that people love to hate at a New Year's Eve party in 1975, publishing it on Jan. 1, 1976. Though he and his friends created the first list from their own pet peeves about language, Rabe said he knew from the volume of mail he received in the following weeks that the group would have no shortage of words and phrases from which to choose for 1977. Since then, the list has consisted entirely of nominations received from around the world throughout the year. Through the years, LSSU has received tens of thousands of nominations for the list, which now includes more than 850 entries. This year's list is culled from nominations received mostly through the university's website. Word-watchers target pet peeves from everyday speech, as well as from the news, fields of education, technology, advertising, politics and more. A committee makes a final cut in late December. Compilers hope this year's list is "on fleek." And now, the 2017 list: You, Sir - Hails from a more civilized era when duels were the likely outcome of disagreements. Today, we suffer on-line trolls and Internet shaming. Focus - Good word, but overused when concentrate or look at would work fine. See 1983's banishment of, We Must Focus Our Attention. Bête Noire - After consulting a listing of synonyms, we gather this to be a bugbear, pet peeve, bug-boo, pain, or pest to our nominators. Town Hall Meeting - Candidates seldom debate in town halls anymore. Needs to be shown the door along with "soccer mom(s)" and "Joe Sixpack" (banned in 1997). Post-Truth - To paraphrase the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, we are entitled to our own opinions but not to our own facts. Guesstimate - When guess and estimate are never enough. 831 - A texting encryption of, I love you: 8 letters, 3 words, 1 meaning. Never encrypt or abbreviate one's love. Historic - Thrown around far too much. What's considered as such is best left to historians rather than the contemporary media. Manicured - As in a manicured lawn. Golf greens are the closest grass comes to being manicured. Echo Chamber - Lather, rinse, and repeat. After a while, everything sounds the same. On Fleek - Anything that is on-point, perfectly executed, or looking good. Needs to return to its genesis: perfectly groomed eyebrows. Bigly - Did the candidate say "big league" or utter this 19th-Century word that means, in a swelling blustering manner? Who cares? Kick it out of the echo chamber! Ghost - To abruptly end communication, especially on social media. Is it rejection angst, or is this word really as overused as word-banishment nominators contend? Either way, our committee feels the pain. Dadbod - The flabby opposite of a chiseled-body male ideal. Should not empower dads to pursue a sedentary lifestyle. Listicle - Numbered or bulleted list created primarily to generate views on the Web, LSSU's word-banishment list excluded. "Get your dandruff up . . . " - The Committee is not sure why this malapropism got nominators' dander up in 2016. Selfie Drone - In what could be an ominous development, the selfie - an irritating habit of constantly photographing and posting oneself to social media - is being handed off to a flying camera. How can this end badly? Frankenfruit - Another food group co-opted by "frankenfood." Not to be confused with other forms of genetically modified language. Disruption - Nominators are exhausted from 2016's disruption. When humanity looks back on zombie buzzwords, they will see disruption bumping into other overused synonyms for change. View / Add comments on our Banished Words Facebook page Lake Superior State University, in the heart of Pure Michigan and the Great Lakes, overlooks the St. Mary’s River and northern Ontario, Canada in Sault Ste. Marie, is Michigan's smallest public university with an enrollment of approximately 2,100 students. It is known for its academic programs such as fisheries and wildlife management, engineering, nursing, criminal justice, fire science, teaching, and much more. LSSU students enjoy the personal attention they receive from their professors both in the classroom and in the field, and all North American students at LSSU pay Michigan resident tuition under our “One-rate at Lake State” program. For more information, visit lssu.edu/admissions. Additional Links

– The compilers of the 37th "List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Misuse, Overuse, and General Uselessness" say it's amazing that "amazing" didn't make their annual list earlier. With more than 1,500 nominations from around the world, the overused superlative topped this year's list, followed by "baby bump," "shared sacrifice," "occupy," and "blowback," the AP reports. Wrote one "amazing" nominator, "Hair is not 'amazing.' Shoes are not 'amazing.' I saw Martha Stewart use the word 'amazing' six times in the first five minutes of her television show. Help!" The list, compiled by Michigan's Lake Superior State University, also included "man cave," "ginormous," and "thanking you in advance"—which is "a condescending and challenging way to say, 'Since I already thanked you, you have to do this,'" one nominator wrote. The university stresses that the list is tongue-in-cheek. "A lot of people can take this wrong. We don't mean any malice when we publish it," a spokesman says. "If it makes you angry, it gets you thinking about language. If it gets you laughing, it gets you thinking about language. It's done its job—to get you to think about how you express yourself." The last entries on the dozen-word list are: pet parent, win the future, trickeration, and the new normal.

CLOSE Bill Cosby's retrial on sexual assault charges will be delayed as his new legal team gets up to speed on the case. The District Attorney says his team will be ready when a new date is set. (Aug. 22) AP Bill Cosby arrives at a pre-trial hearing in his sexual-assault case in Norristown, Pa., Aug. 22, 2017. (Photo: Matt Rourke, AP) Bill Cosby's new celebrity legal team is already having an effect: His second trial on sexual-assault charges will be postponed until sometime next spring. Cosby's motion for a delay in his retrial was heard Tuesday by Judge Steven O'Neill at a pre-trial hearing to deal with issues in advance of his second trial, which had been scheduled to start in Norristown, Pa., outside Philadelphia on Nov. 6. O'Neill said at the hearing he would tentatively set a new trial date for mid-March or early April 2018. The hearing was the first appearance of Cosby's new team of defense lawyers, led by high-profile California lawyer Tom Mesereau, the defense attorney who won an acquittal for Michael Jackson on multiple child-molestation charges in a California trial in 2005. Cosby, 80, announced he had hired the new team on Monday. It's not unusual for new lawyers in a criminal case to seek a delay in a trial in order to get up to speed on the case. "To ask someone to review the voluminous record over 18 months — now 20 months in this case — simply cannot be done," O'Neill said from the bench. Cosby's original legal team of Brian McMonagle of Philadelphia and Angela Agrusa of Los Angeles sought and received permission from O'Neill to withdraw from the case. O'Neill praised them for their "extraordinary advocacy." Bill Cosby's new lawyer Tom Mesereau arrives for a pre-trial hearing in Cosby's sexual assault case in Norristown, Pa., Aug. 22, 2017. (Photo: Matt Rourke, AP) McMonagle and Agrusa defended Cosby at his first trial, in June, which led to a mistrial after the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict on three counts of aggravated indecent sexual assault. After the hearing, the outgoing team of lawyers was seen shaking hands with the incoming team, which includes former federal prosecutor Kathleen Bliss of Nevada and Sam Silver, a Philadelphia litigator who represented now-imprisoned former Pennsylvania Congressman Chaka Fattah in a corruption case. Cosby is charged with drugging and molesting Andrea Constand during an encounter at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. He says the encounter was consensual. In a surprise move during the hearing, the new team also argued for picking a new jury in Montgomery County, where Cosby's home is located and where the second trial also will take place. The first jury was selected from the Pittsburgh area — after Cosby's original team of lawyers argued for a change of venue due to pre-trial publicity — and spent two weeks sequestered in Norristown. That jury deliberated more than 50 hours over five days but remained hopelessly deadlocked. Contributing: The Associated Press Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2wvsgDg ||||| Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. NORRISTOWN, Pa. — Bill Cosby's retrial on sexual assault charges will be delayed until the spring to allow his new high-profile legal team to get up to speed. Bill Cosby (R) departs from the Montgomery County Courthouse on June 15, 2017 in Norristown, Pennsylvania. Tracie Van Auken / EPA file The trial was supposed to start Nov. 6 but the judge postponed jury selection until mid-March after a request from defense lawyer Tom Mesereau, best known for representing Michael Jackson. In a surprise move, Cosby's attorneys announced in court Tuesday that they won't ask for the jury to be picked outside of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, where the encounter at the center of the case happened and where trial will be held. The jury in the first trial was chosen in Allegheny County after the defense complained that pre-trial publicity made a fair trial in Montgomery County impossible. Those jurors deadlocked, forcing a mistrial in June. Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele, who made the decision to retry Cosby, expressed disappointment at the delay. "We're ready to proceed," he told reporters outside the courthouse. "It's a case that deserves a verdict." A lone protester, sexual-assault survivor advocate Bird Milliken, marched in front of the courthouse wit a sign that read "Spring 2018, We're Ready For You, Tom/Cosby," the Guns N Roses song "Welcome to the Jungle" blasting from her megaphone. "It's disappointing, but it gives the rest of us more time to prepare," she said of the delay, adding that plans to hold nightly vigils in front of the courthouse during the second trial. Cosby, 80, is charged with giving Andrea Constand pills and then molesting her during a visit to his suburban Philadelphia mansion in 2004. She did not report the encounter to police for a year, and struck a civil settlement with Cosby after prosecutors at the time declined to charge him. After allegations from other women began piling up in 2014, the DA's office brought charges of indecent aggravated assault against Cosby in connection with the Constand incident. The case represents the only criminal charges stemming from dozens of accusations ranging from groping to rape and spanning decades. Cosby has denied all the allegations, pleaded not guilty to attacking Constand, and sued some of his accusers for defamation. He did not take the stand at his first trial, which ended after 52 hours of deliberations failed to produce a verdict. Several jurors told reporters after the trial that the panel was deeply divided throughout the deliberations. "It was hopeless, from the first time on," one juror said later. Related: Juror Says Cosby Talked His Way Into Guilty Vote Tuesday's hearing marked Cosby's first return to court since the mistrial. He arrived on the arm of his spokesman and appeared to be in a relaxed mood, joking around with his new and old lawyers before the hearing got underway. The attorneys who represented him at the first trial, hard-charging Philadelphia lawyer Brian McMonagle and Los Angeles civil litigator Angela Agrusa, have withdrawn from the criminal case. Agrusa will continue to work on civil matters for Cosby. Taking their place are Mesereau, former federal prosecutor Kathleen Bliss and prominent Philadelphia attorney Sam Silver. Mesereau — who bills himself as "unconventional" and "unpredictable" — represented Michael Jackson when he was prosecuted in 2005 for allegedly molesting a child; the star was acquitted. He also represented "Baretta" star Robert Blake, who was acquitted in 2005 of murdering his wife. More recently, Mesereau defended former Playboy Playmate Dani Mathers after she was charged with taking and posting a photo of a naked older woman at her gym; she struck a no-jail plea deal. After the hearing, Mesereau declined to answer reporters' questions but did pause to pose for pictures with Cosby outside the courthouse. Before he was retained by Cosby, Mesereau drew parallels between his prosecution and the Michael Jackson case. "The worldwide media had already condemned him and basically discarded him as trash," Mesereau said of the pop star last year. "I see something similar happening now." "I don't know Mr. Cosby," Mesereau said then. "I don't know the evidence. I don't know the accuser. I just think he has the right to a fair trial. And having been through what I went through with Michael Jackson, I'm a little alarmed by the groundswell of opposition [to Cosby]."

– Bill Cosby's retrial on sexual-assault charges has been pushed back after his new legal team successfully argued for a motion to delay Tuesday, USA Today reports. The trial had been scheduled to start Nov. 6 but now won't get underway until March or April. The delay will give Cosby's new defense team, which was just announced Monday and includes Michael Jackson's former attorney, time to catch up. "We're ready to proceed," says district attorney Kevin Steele, who NBC News reports was not happy about the delay. "It's a case that deserves a verdict."

A report from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds Hollywood has cut its depictions of smoking by half from 2005 -- which helps explain why the percent of teens trying cigarettes also went down during the same period. James Cameron, director of the movie Avatar, was criticized for having the character played by Sigorney Weaver smoking during many scenes. Hollywood is quite willing to depict reality in movies but it’s unwilling to admit that its depictions of smoking onscreen can create a reality: a rise in teenage addiction to nicotine. That point, already well proven by studies, was reinforced last week by the federal government. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a report about trends in film depiction of tobacco use and concluded with this: “Effective methods to reduce the potential harmful influence of onscreen tobacco use should be implemented.” Specifically, the federal agency wants R ratings put on films with tobacco imagery, which would ban teens under 17 from seeing such movies. The effect could be immediate. The national Youth Risk Behavior Survey found a marked decline in high school students trying a cigarette from 2005 to 2009 – during the very same period that the number of tobacco incidents depicted in top-grossing movies also declined by nearly half, according to the CDC report. Each day, about 4,000 teenagers in the US from ages 12 to 17 try their first cigarette, many after seeing movie actors light up. The Motion Picture Association of America responded to the CDC study by noting the progress it has already made, citing a statistic that three-quarters of movies that depicted smoking since May 2007 were R rated. Still, that means about one-quarter of such films could be seen by teens or even younger. With the evidence so clear that Hollywood is guilty of encouraging an addiction with such harm, why does its still not impose an R rating for all movies with tobacco use? ||||| Persons using assistive technology might not be able to fully access information in this file. For assistance, please send e-mail to: mmwrq@cdc.gov. Type 508 Accommodation and the title of the report in the subject line of e-mail. Smoking in Top-Grossing Movies --- United States, 1991--2009 Exposure to onscreen smoking in movies increases the probability that youths will start smoking. Youths who are heavily exposed to onscreen smoking are approximately two to three times more likely to begin smoking than youths who are lightly exposed (1); a similar, but smaller effect exists for young adults (2). To monitor the extent to which tobacco use is shown in popular movies, Thumbs Up! Thumbs Down! (TUTD), a project of Breathe California of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails, counted the occurrences of tobacco use (termed "incidents") shown in U.S. top-grossing movies during 1991--2009. This report summarizes the results of that study, which found that the number of tobacco incidents depicted in the movies during this period peaked in 2005 and then progressively declined. Top-grossing movies released in 2009 contained 49% of the number of onscreen smoking incidents as observed in 2005 (1,935 incidents in 2009 versus 3,967 incidents in 2005). Further reduction of tobacco use depicted in popular movies could lead to less initiation of smoking among adolescents. Effective methods to reduce the potential harmful influence of onscreen tobacco use should be implemented. To conduct this analysis, TUTD counted the number of incidents of tobacco use in the 50 top-grossing movies each year during 1991--2001 and in all movies that were among the 10 top-grossing movies in any calendar week during 2002--2009. U.S. movies that rank in the top 10 for at least 1 week account for 83% of all movies released in U.S. theaters each year and 98% of all ticket sales (3). For each time frame, teams of trained observers reviewed each movie and counted tobacco incidents (3).* An incident was defined as the use or implied use of a tobacco product by an actor. A new incident occurred each time 1) a tobacco product went off screen and then back on screen, 2) a different actor was shown with a tobacco product, or 3) a scene changed, and the new scene contained the use or implied off-screen use of a tobacco product. The number of in-theater impressions (one person seeing one tobacco incident one time) delivered in theatrical release was obtained by multiplying the number of incidents in each movie by the total number of tickets sold nationwide to the movie. The number of movies without any depiction of tobacco use also was counted. Cumulatively, more movies qualify for the weekly top 10 category in a given year than for the annual top 50 category. Estimated counts of tobacco incidents for 1991--2001 were adjusted for the larger sampling frame used later, based on prior research on movie grosses and tobacco incidents for 2002--2007 (3). Approximately one third (34.5%) of 2002--2007 weekly top 10 movies also were included in the annual list of top 50 movies. Weekly top 10 movies that were not in the annual top 50 category had, on average, slightly fewer tobacco incidents than movies that were in the top 50 (21.5 incidents versus 23.0 incidents). To adjust for the difference in study methodology across the two periods so that results would be comparable, incident counts for 1991--2001 were inflated by a factor of 2.7 (calculated as [1/0.345] × [21.5/23.0]). The count of movies lacking tobacco depictions was inflated by 3.0 to maintain whole numbers. The total number of incidents in the entire sample of top-grossing U.S. movies (Figure 1) ranged from 2,106 to 3,386 per year from 1991 to 1997, decreased to 1,612 in 1998, and then more than doubled to peak at 3,967 in 2005. From 2005 to 2009, the number of incidents dropped steadily, to 1,935 incidents in 2009. More than 99% of tobacco incidents related to smoking (versus smokeless tobacco use). During 1991--2001, total in-theater impressions varied between 30 billion and 60 billion per year, then generally declined to a low of approximately 17 billion impressions in 2009 (Figure 2). The percentage of all top-grossing movies that did not show tobacco use exceeded 50% (51%; 74/145) for the first time in 2009 (Figure 3); similarly, the percentage of top-grossing, youth-rated movies (G/PG/PG-13) that did not show tobacco use generally has increased since 2003, reaching an all-time high of 61% (58/95) in 2009. Nonetheless, in 2009, more than half (54%; 32/59) of PG-13 movies contained incidents of tobacco use, down from 65% (133/205) during 2006--2008 and 80% (107/133) during 2002--2003. Reported by SA Glantz, PhD, Univ of California San Francisco, K Titus, MBA, S Mitchell, Breathe California of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails, J Polansky, Onbeyond LLC, Fairfax, California. RB Kaufmann, PhD, Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, CDC. Editorial Note The results of this analysis indicate that the number of tobacco incidents peaked in 2005, then declined by approximately half through 2009, representing the first time a decline of that duration and magnitude has been observed. However, nearly half of popular movies still contained tobacco imagery in 2009, including 54% of those rated PG-13, and the number of incidents remained higher in 2009 than in 1998. This analysis shows that the number of tobacco incidents increased steadily after the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA)† between the state attorneys general and the major cigarette companies, in which the companies agreed to end brand placement. In 2001, the Smoke Free Movies campaign began to publicly link the tobacco content of movies to specific movie studios and their parent companies.§ Subsequently, several state and local tobacco control programs began efforts to raise awareness of the public health importance of reducing the amount of onscreen smoking. These efforts included activities such as engaging youth empowerment programs on the issue, media campaigns, and community outreach. Beginning in 2002, many state attorneys general also increased advocacy directed at the movie industry, and in May 2004 and May 2007, Congress held hearings on smoking in the movies.¶ In 2007, demands from state attorneys general led the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), which controls the movie rating system, to seek recommendations from the Harvard School of Public Health and to pledge their implementation. Harvard recommended that MPAA "take substantive and effective action to eliminate the depiction of smoking from movies accessible to children and youths" (4). MPAA's response was to attach smoking descriptors to the ratings for a fraction (12%) of nationally-released, youth-rated movies with smoking, beginning in May 2008 (5). Since 2007, several major studios adopted internal protocols for monitoring smoking content and promulgated corporate policies to discourage tobacco in their youth-rated movies. In 2009, Paramount (Viacom) became the first company whose youth-rated movies for the year contained no tobacco use incidents. In addition to other factors, these studio protocols might account for the some of the recent reduction in smoking incidents. A meta-analysis of four studies estimated that 44% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.34--0.58) of the likelihood of youth trying smoking could be attributable to viewing smoking in the movies (6). Given the dose-response relationship between exposure to onscreen smoking and youth and young adult smoking, reductions in youth exposure to onscreen tobacco use since 2005 would be expected to have a beneficial effect on reducing smoking initiation (7). The national Youth Risk Behavior Survey** found that the national prevalence of ever having tried a cigarette declined significantly among high school students from 54.3% (95% CI: 51.2%--57.3%) in 2005 to 46.3% (95% CI: 43.7%--48.9%) in 2009. The reduction in smoking in movies might have been a contributing factor to this decline. The findings in this report are subject to at least five limitations. First, the sample did not include all movies. However, an analysis of movies accounting for 96% of ticket sales during 2002--2008 suggested that movies that ranked in the top 10 for at least 1 week accounted for more than 95% of theater tobacco use impressions (3). Second, this analysis examined all tobacco use incidents rather than smoking alone. However, the majority of tobacco use incidents depict smoking, and exposure to both smoking and total tobacco use incidents are predictive of youth smoking initiation (1). Third, although theatrical tobacco impressions are down substantially, this measure must be interpreted cautiously because movies, including those containing incidents of tobacco use, can be viewed through many other channels (e.g., recorded media [DVDs], television, and the Internet), which do not factor into the calculation of movie theater impressions. Fourth, detailed audience composition data are not publicly available; therefore, the number of tobacco use impressions delivered by a particular movie to children and adolescents could not be determined. Finally, although this analysis shows the trends in movie tobacco depictions over time, it cannot definitively assess the reasons for those trends. Effective methods to reduce the potential harmful influence of onscreen tobacco use should be implemented. Policies to decrease the negative effects on youths of onscreen depictions of smoking in movies have been recommended by the World Health Organization (8) and endorsed by a number of public health and health professional organizations.†† These include assigning R ratings to new movies that portray tobacco imagery. An R rating policy would create an economic incentive for producers to leave smoking out of movies that are marketed to youths. A 2005 study concluded that the return on investment for youth-rated movies was 70%, compared with 29% for R-rated movies (9). Reducing the number of movies containing tobacco incidents is expected to reduce the amount of onscreen smoking seen by youths and the associated likelihood that they will become smokers (10). Complementary recommended policies (8) include requiring strong antitobacco ads preceding movies that depict smoking, not allowing tobacco brand displays in movies, and requiring producers of movies depicting tobacco use to certify that no person or company associated with the production received any consideration for that depiction. Acknowledgments This analysis was funded, in part, through contributions by the American Legacy Foundation and the California Tobacco Control Program. The funding agencies played no role in the conduct of the research or preparation of the report. References National Cancer Institute. The role of the media in promoting and reducing tobacco use. Tobacco Control Monograph 19. Bethesda, MD: US National Cancer Institute; 2008. Song AV, Ling PM, Neilands TB, et al. Smoking in movies and increased smoking among young adults. Am J Prev Med 2007;33:396--403. Titus K, Polansky JR, Glantz S. Smoking presentation trends in U.S. movies 1991--2008. San Francisco, California: University of California San Francisco Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education; 2009. Available at http://escholarship.org/uc/item/30q9j424. Accessed February 14, 2010. Harvard School of Public Health. Presentations to the Motion Picture Association of America on smoking in the movies. Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard University, School of Public Health; 2007. Available at www.hsph.harvard.edu/mpaa. Accessed August 12, 2010. Polansky J, Mitchell S, Glantz S. Film-flam: how MPAA/NATO movie labels hide the biggest media risk to kids. San Francisco, CA: University of California San Francisco Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education; 2010. Available at http://escholarship.org/uc/item/8hn866tt. Accessed August 12, 2010. Millett C, Glantz S. Assigning an 18 rating to movies with tobacco imagery is essential to reduce youth smoking. Thorax 2010;65:377--8. Sargent JD, Beach ML, Dalton MA, et al. Effect of parental R-rated movie restriction on adolescent smoking initiation: a prospective study. Pediatrics 2004;114:149--56. World Health Organization. Smoke-free movies: from evidence to action. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2009. Available at http://www.who.int/tobacco/smoke_free_movies/en. Accessed August 13, 2010. Fuson B. Study: G-rated fare more profitable. The Hollywood Reporter. June 7, 2005. Available at www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000947222. Accessed August 13, 2010. Glantz S. Smoking in movies: A major problem and a real solution. Lancet 2003;362:281--5. What is already known on this topic? Exposure to onscreen smoking in movies promotes adolescent and young adult smoking, and greater levels of exposure are associated with increased probability of smoking. What is added by this report? After a peak in 2005, the amount of onscreen smoking depicted in U.S. movies declined 51%, from 3,967 to 1,935 in 2009. However, nearly half of popular movies still contained tobacco imagery in 2009, including 54% of those rated PG-13, and the number of incidents was higher in 2009 than the 1,612 in 1998. What are the implications for public health practice? Effective methods to reduce the potential harmful influence of onscreen tobacco use should be implemented. Such policies could include having a mature content (R) rating for movies with smoking, requiring strong antitobacco ads preceding movies that depict smoking, not allowing tobacco brand displays in movies, and requiring producers of movies depicting tobacco use to certify that no person or company associated with the production received any consideration for that depiction. FIGURE 1. Number of tobacco incidents* in top-grossing movies --- United States, 1991--2009 Alternate Text: The figure above shows the number of tobacco incidents in top-grossing movies in the United States during 1991–2009. The total number of incidents in the entire sample of top-grossing U.S. movies ranged from 2,106 to 3,386 per year from 1991 to 1997, decreased to 1,612 in 1998, and then more than doubled to peak at 3,967 in 2005. FIGURE 2. Number of in-theater tobacco impressions* delivered by top-grossing movies --- United States, 1991--2009 Alternate Text: The figure above shows the number of in-theater tobacco impressions delivered by top-grossing movies in the United States during 1991–2009. During 1991–2001, total in-theater impressions varied between 30 billion and 60 billion per year, then generally declined to a low of approximately 17 billion impressions in 2009. FIGURE 3. Percentage of top-grossing movies with no depiction of tobacco use --- United States, 1991--2009 Alternate Text: The figure above shows the percentage of top-grossing movies with no depiction of tobacco use in the United States during 1991–2009. The percentage of all top-grossing movies that did not show tobacco use exceeded 50% (51%; 74/145) for the first time in 2009. Use of trade names and commercial sources is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. References to non-CDC sites on the Internet are provided as a service to MMWR readers and do not constitute or imply endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. CDC is not responsible for the content of pages found at these sites. URL addresses listed in MMWR were current as of the date of publication.

– Between 2005 and 2009, tobacco use in top-grossing movies declined by almost half—and that same time period also showed a notable decline in the number of high school students trying cigarettes. Coincidence? Probably not—which is why the CDC is calling for all films with tobacco use to be rated R. The MPAA’s response to this request was to point out that, since May 2007, a full three-quarters of movies depicting smoking were rated R. “Still, that means about one-quarter of such films could be seen by teens or even younger,” writes Clayton Jones in the Christian Science Monitor. “With the evidence so clear that Hollywood is guilty of encouraging an addiction with such harm, why does it still not impose an R rating for all movies with tobacco use?”

As you you might have heard, Glenn Beck recently confessed to Fox News' The Kelly File that he "played a role, unfortunately, in helping tear the country apart." This is both introspective, and a terrible indictment of his work. But first, here's the quote: I remember it as an awful lot of fun and that I made an awful lot of mistakes. I wish I could go back and be more uniting in my language because I think I played a role, unfortunately, in helping tear the country apart and it’s not who we are and I didn’t realize how really fragile the people were. I thought we were kind of a little more in it together. Now I look back and I realize if we could have talked about the uniting principles a little bit more, instead of just the problems, I think I would look back on it a little more fondly. [The Blaze] Does a confession make it all better? One problem with letting bygones be bygones is that it provides a disincentive for future good behavior. It basically says that someone can cater to the lowest common denominator, help tear the country apart for years, and then — when it's convenient — wash their hands of the past, reinventing themselves as a statesman. Don't get me wrong, I'm not for harboring personal grudges (it hurts the person holding the grudge the most), and yes — sometimes people do change — but I'm also a believer in incentives. And I think how we collectively respond to something like this might impact how future showmen conduct themselves in the public square. And I think it's worth making a distinction between somebody who errs in the personal realm versus an adult who uses the large megaphone he's been given in order to make the world a worse place. That microphone is a gift. Rush Limbaugh jokes that his talent is "on loan from God," and there may be some truth to the sentiment. People who are granted giant audiences are also given a huge responsibility to use their talents for good — or, at least, not evil. And based on Beck's own words, it sounds like he believes his contribution might have been a net-negative. While individuals should not harbor bitterness toward him, should our society collectively forget his (fairly recent) histrionics and the paranoia he helped spread? He already has the money. Should he be welcomed back into polite society? One's vocation is an extension of their purpose. And if Beck really believes that his work was a net-negative for society (and some skepticism is warranted given his contrarian tendencies), he ought to be doing some serious soul searching. Wouldn't it have been terrific if he had this epiphany when he still had his popular Fox News show? In a way, this reminds me of how celebrities only come to conservatism after their careers have languished. In this case, Beck probably contributed to negative stereotypes about conservatives. Others see different parallels. Caitlin Dickson calls it a "too little, too late" apology, and compares it to Robert McNamara's disavowal of his role in Vietnam, among others. That might be going a little too far. The good news for Beck is that he still has a huge platform. And if he is sincere, there is much good he can still do in the world. Let's see if he goes about doing good, or if this is merely the latest example of a master showman reinventing and repackaging himself for the times. ||||| Meager Mea Culpa Glenn Beck admits his divisive language and outlandish conspiracy theories may have played a role in tearing the country apart. Like Sandy Weill and Robert McNamara before him, Beck’s apology is more than tardy. An uncharacteristically subdued Glenn Beck took to Megyn Kelly’s Fox News show Tuesday to reflect on his own time at the network. The silver-bearded Beck, who left Fox in 2011 after more than two years to start his own online TV and radio show, The Blaze, looked slightly embarrassed watching clips of himself parading around in lederhosen, waving a dead fish and installing a red phone on set strictly for receiving calls from former White House communications director Anita Dunn, a vocal critic of Fox News. “I remember it as an awful lot of fun and that I made an awful lot of mistakes,” Beck told Kelly of his time at Fox. “I wish I could go back and be more uniting in my language because I think I played a role, unfortunately, in helping tear the country apart and it’s not who we are and I didn’t realize how really fragile the people were. I thought we were kind of a little more in it together. Now I look back and I realize if we could have talked about the uniting principles a little bit more, instead of just the problems, I think I would look back on it a little more fondly.” The start of Fox’s Glenn Beck show coincided with President Obama’s first inauguration, and Beck’s tenure at the network was largely dedicated to harshly criticizing the administration, accusing the president and his staff of secretly harboring socialist or communist sympathies, and, of course, nourishing the nascent Tea Party movement with his 2010 “Restoring Honor” rally on the National Mall. From 2009-2011, Beck was paid to spew damaging—not to mention unfounded—conspiracy theories about President Obama, including the charge that the president was going to release Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, the 1993 World Trade Center bombing mastermind also known as the “Blind Sheikh.” Beck also suggested that Obama planned to boost his own popularity by faking a terrorist attack similar to the Oklahoma City bombing. Beck also endorsed the gold firm Goldline by warning his audience of impending economic collapse, and he continues to urge his audience to prepare for any potential natural, political, or economic emergencies by purchasing Food Insurance’s freeze-dried emergency food supplies. Beck preyed on and profited from his audience’s fears, many of which he planted himself. And now that the country is practically ripping at the seams politically, he wonders if his language was perhaps a bit too divisive. Beck’s admission of self-awareness on The Kelly File was reminiscent of some other too-little-too-late apologies. Ex-Citigroup CEO Sandy Weill, for example, said in 2012 that he thinks investment banks and commercial banks should be kept separate. Thirteen years prior, Weill had spearheaded the effort to strike down the 1933 Glass-Steagall Act that did just that, eliminating the legal limits on banks’ investing risks, and allowing the creation of financial conglomerate Citigroup—the biggest of the “too big to fail” banks. Time Magazine named Weill one of the “25 People to Blame for the Financial Crisis” because of his efforts to shatter Glass-Steagall. Then there he was, after the dust had settled, telling CNBC that “what we should probably do is go and split up investment banking from banking, have banks be deposit takers, have banks be commercial loans and real estate loans, have banks do something that’s not going to risk the taxpayer dollars, that’s not too big to fail.” Sandy Weill saying banks shouldn’t be too big to fail is like former Alabama governor and civil rights opponent George Wallace apologizing for his racist policies. Which he did. In the late ’70s, Wallace—the man who famously declared “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever” during his 1963 gubernatorial inaugural speech; who blocked the entrance to a University of Alabama auditorium in an attempt to prevent black students from enrolling—announced that he was a born-again Christian and asked for forgiveness from black civil rights leaders. Wallace continued to emphasize his change of heart throughout the last decades of his life, right up until his death in 1998. Twenty years after the end of the Vietnam War, former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara made several unofficial apologies for the way the doomed war was managed from 1961 to 1968, while he was at the helm. “We were wrong, terribly wrong. We owe it to future generations to explain why,” he wrote in his 1995 memoir, In Retrospect.

– Glenn Beck yesterday expressed remorse for, in his words, "helping tear the country apart" during his Fox News tenure. But Caitlin Dickson at the Daily Beast isn't accepting that apology, calling it "too little, too late." This is the guy who once told the world that President Obama was planning to stage an Oklahoma City-scale terrorist attack for political purposes, among a host of other, outlandish and unfounded conspiracy theories. "Beck preyed on and profited from his audience's fears, many of which he planted himself." Dickson likens Beck's apology to such other tardy changes of heart as George Wallace apologizing for segregation, and Robert McNamara apologizing for the Vietnam War. Matt Lewis at The Week thinks that's going "a little too far," but agrees that society can't just forgive and forget. "I'm not for harboring personal grudges," he writes, "but I'm also a big believer in incentives." Forgiving Beck would send a message that it's fine to use your megaphone to divide the country, "and then—when it's convenient—wash their hands of the past." Click for Dickson's full column, or here for Lewis'.

Executives in the $25 billion-a-year industry are taking note. One game designer’s online call for civility prompted a meeting with Microsoft executives about how to better police Xbox Live. In February, shortly after the Cross Assault tournament, LevelUp, an Internet broadcaster of gaming events, barred two commentators who made light of sexual harassment on camera and issued a formal apology, including statements from the commentators. Even so, Tom Cannon, co-founder of the largest fighting game tournament, EVO, pulled his company’s sponsorship of the weekly LevelUp series, saying that “we cannot continue to let ignorant, hateful speech slide.” “The nasty undercurrent in the scene isn’t a joke or a meme,” he said. “It’s something we need to fix.” Mr. Bakhtanians, whose actions during the Cross Assault tournament were captured on video, later issued a statement in which he apologized if he had offended anyone. He also blamed “my own inability in the heat of the moment to defend myself and the community I have loved for over 15 years.” But the issues raised by the Cross Assault episode gained more attention with Anita Sarkeesian’s campaign in May to raise $6,000 on Kickstarter to document how women are portrayed in video games. Her YouTube and Facebook pages were instantly flooded with hate-filled comments. People tried to hack her online accounts. She received violent personal threats. Ms. Sarkeesian responded by documenting the harassment, posting online the doctored, pornographic images of herself that her detractors had created. Supporters of her efforts, aghast, donated more than $150,000, further angering her critics. A man from Ontario created an Internet game where players could “punch” her, layering bruises and cuts on her image until the screen turns red. “The gaming industry is actually in the process of changing,” Ms. Sarkeesian said. “That’s a really positive thing, but I think there is a small group of male gamers who feel like gaming belongs to them, and are really terrified of that change happening.” Advertisement Continue reading the main story When Sam Killermann, a gamer in Austin , Tex., saw the reaction to Ms. Sarkeesian’s project, something “broke through,” he said. A few weeks ago, he began a campaign for “Gamers Against Bigotry,” asking people to sign a pledge supporting more positive behavior. The site received 1,500 pledges before it was hacked, erasing its list of names. Photo Like Ms. Sarkeesian, many women gamers are documenting their experiences on blogs like “Fat, Ugly or Slutty” (whose name comes from the typical insults women receive while playing against others online). It cheekily catalogs the slurs, threats and come-ons women receive while playing games like Resident Evil or Gears of War 3. The blog publishes screenshots and voice recordings that serve as a kind of universal citation in each new controversy, called upon to settle debates or explode myths. For instance, many of the site’s recordings feature deep voices captured from the chat features of online games, debunking the widely held belief that bad behavior begins and ends with 13-year-old boys. Jessica Hammer, a longtime player of video games and a researcher at Columbia University , said the percentage of women playing such games online ranges from 12 percent to close to half, depending on the game type. Industry statistics from the Entertainment Software Association say 47 percent of game players are women, but that number is frequently viewed as so all-encompassing as to be meaningless, bundling Solitaire alongside Diablo III. Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. Women report greater levels of harassment in more competitive games involving strangers. Some abandon anonymous play for safer communities or “clans” where good behavior is the norm. In other game communities, however, sexual threats, taunts and come-ons are common, as is criticism that women’s presence is “distracting” or that they are simply trying to seek attention. Some have been offered money or virtual “gold” for online sex. Some have been stalked online and in person. Stephen Toulouse , who was the head of enforcement for Xbox Live from 2007 until February, policed the most egregious behavior on the network, owned by Microsoft. And women were the most frequent target of harassment, he said. In that role, Mr. Toulouse experienced the wrath of angry gamers firsthand, who figured out where he lived, then called the police with false reports about trouble at his house (more than once, SWAT teams were sent). If players were reported for bad behavior, they could be disciplined by being muted on voice chat or barred temporarily. At least once a day, Mr. Toulouse said, the company blocked a specific console’s serial number from ever accessing the network again. But policing the two or three million players who are active on Xbox Live at any given time is hard. Just as on the broader Internet, there are people who delight in piquing anger or frustration in others, or “trolling.” For trolls, offensive language — sexist, racist, homophobic comments — are interchangeable weapons that vary with the target. Advertisement Continue reading the main story “They treat the Internet like a vast game,” where offending others scores points, Mr. Toulouse said. But the standard advice to ignore the taunts (“don’t feed the trolls”) is now, in the wake of Ms. Sarkeesian’s treatment, being accompanied by discussions about “how to kill a troll.” And many people are calling for the gaming industry to do more. James Portnow, a game designer who has worked on titles including Call of Duty and Farmville, wrote an episode about harassment for his animated Web series “Extra Credits.” In it, the narrator says: “Right now, it’s like we gave the school bully access to the intercom system and told him that everyone would hear whatever he had to say. It’s time we take away that megaphone.” At the end of the video, viewers were encouraged to e-mail Microsoft’s Xbox Live’s team, asking for changes to communication tools and improvements to reporting systems. After hearing from gamers, Microsoft called Mr. Portnow and invited him to headquarters. He met with a team of executives, including a vice president, for four hours, and they discussed how Microsoft was developing better algorithms for things like automatically muting repeat offenders. Microsoft confirmed it was working toward improvements to its community tools. “For the longest time, people have seen games as a children’s pastime, and we as an industry have stood behind this idea,” said Mr. Portnow, who will be speaking on a gaming convention panel later this month called “Ending Harassment in Gaming.” “But that’s not true any longer,” he added. “We are a real mass medium, and we have a real effect on the culture. We have to take a step beyond this idea that nothing we could possibly do could be negative, or hurt people.” ||||| Hey everyone! It’s been a while! Have some freshly-baked updates: Comments Yesterday, Disqus migrated us to the new version of their comment platform. This means that we’ve lost the colorful badges we had on the old version, and perhaps more importantly, we lost the ability to muffle trolls without actually deleting their posts. (More on our original badge/greying-out system described here.) We held out as long as we could, but Disqus decided to migrate everyone to the new platform and discontinue the old one. We’re still looking at what our other options are, but for the time being, please be aware that previously-greyed-out trollish posts will now appear normal. -jon Posts Some pieces of life needed to get taken care of for the past little while, plus I started another side-project a while ago, so I took a sort of unannounced hiatus from posting FUoS. New posts will be back soon! But just to explicitly Manage Your Expectations going forward, take note that the post schedule will be a little sparser. more »

– At first, competitive fighting gamer Miranda Pakozdi tried to laugh off her coach's comments about her bra size or body, his tendency to train the team webcam on her legs and chest, and even the time he sniffed her as a punishment. But when she heard him defend his behavior, arguing that "the sexual harassment is part of our culture," she quit. It's one of a few recent incidents that have gotten the video game community talking about the abuse it often showers on women, the New York Times reports. In another incident, feminist moviemaker Anita Sarkeesian posted a Kickstarter campaign for a video documenting sexist tropes in games, only to be showered with negative comments and personal threats—one man even made a Flash game in which players punched Sarkeesian in the face. But there are positive signs as well. Sarkeesian's video wound up trouncing its goal, and many women are now speaking up about their experiences with blogs like this one. Microsoft recently promised to revamp its X-Box Live system to better police harassing comments.

(CNN) Panic over needles found in strawberries in Australia has provoked fury from politicians and fears for the country's multi-million dollar fruit industry. At least 100 reported cases of needles in fruit have been reported across the country, though many are thought to be "hoaxes or copycat events," according to the government. Concern that local farmers will suffer as a result of the needle scare as consumers turn away from the popular fruit has prompted a viral, grassroots social media campaign urging Australians to #SmashAStrawb to support local growers. "Smash" is an Australianism which means to eat or drink something enthusiastically or quickly. "Western Australians, get behind our local industry. Slice them in half and #SmashAStrawb to help out our local growers today," Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan said on his official Twitter. Western Australians, get behind our local industry. Slice them in half and #SmashAStrawb to help out our local growers today. 🍓 pic.twitter.com/KMoHeTKPpJ — Mark McGowan (@MarkMcGowanMP) September 18, 2018 Following the needle controversy, the Australian government has announced tougher penalties for food tampering, increasing the maximum prison term from 10 to 15 years. By comparison , knowingly possessing child pornography and indecent assault both carry a maximum prison sentence of 10 years in the state of Victoria, Australia's most densely populated state. "It's not a joke, it's not funny, you're putting the livelihoods of hard-working Australians at risk and you're scaring children. You're a coward and you're a grub and if you do that sort of thing in this country we will come after you," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Wednesday. Empty shelves, normally stocked with strawberry punnets, are seen at a Coles Supermarket in Brisbane on September 14. Metal detectors used on exports Sewing needles and pins have been found in strawberries in all six Australian states, in at least six different brands. There are also isolated cases of metal found in a banana, and a needle found in an apple. From Wednesday, all international exports of fresh strawberries will be scanned by metal detectors or x-ray machines , the Australian Department of Agriculture announced, as part of a range of measures to restore confidence. "Visual inspection alone is not an acceptable measure," the statement said. Supermarkets across Australia removed large numbers of strawberries from their shelves in response to the scare but the effect has also been felt internationally. Australia exports strawberries to Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the UAE, among others. One big retailer in New Zealand has already withdrawn Australian strawberries from sale Some buyers in Russia and the UK have also blocked Australian imports, said Jennifer Rowlings from Queensland Strawberry, according to local media. #BREAKING EXCLUSIVE @7NewsSydney @7NewsBrisbane@NSWPolice is investigating the discovery of a needle inserted into an apple in Sydney's north-west. More to come. pic.twitter.com/fHDtrzX3Lu — Robert Ovadia 👀 (@RobertOvadia) September 18, 2018 Dozens of Australian politicians and social media users joined in the #SmashAStrawb, posting images of themselves eating strawberries, cutting them up or even providing their favorite strawberry-based recipes. Among the recipes flooding social media was a politician's secret family recipe for strawberry jam, a range of milkshakes and smoothies as well as many cakes and slices. "Cut 'em up. Don't cut 'em out," a campaign by the Nationals political party said on their social media. Strict prison terms Despite the public support, representatives for the Australian strawberry industry told CNN they were concerned about the impact on the country's farmers. In Queensland alone, there are 150 different strawberry growers who produce up to 15,000 tonnes of the fruit a season. In total, the state's strawberry industry is estimated to be worth up to $160 million. Speaking to CNN, a representative from Strawberries Australia in New South Wales said the crisis was a "catastrophe for Queensland farmers," who are producing the majority of the country's fruit. To warn off any further food tampering, Prime Minister Morrison announced on Wednesday the penalty for food tampering would be increased, while also promising additional funding for food inspectors. .@ScottMorrisonMP on strawberry tampering crisis: We will create a new offence that deals with the issue of recklessness. MORE: https://t.co/xJEP5oJ5yE #newsday pic.twitter.com/EXyeSrTvlr — Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) September 19, 2018 "We'll put these deterrents in place but we need to encourage calm ... Just go back to buying strawberries like you used to and take precautions as you should," he said. Law enforcement has been quick to react to the health scare. According to Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, a team of 100 police in her state have been tasked with finding the culprits. In addition, both the West Australian and Queensland governments said it was offering a $100,000 reward for information which leads to the arrest of those contaminating strawberries. But it was Prime Minister Morrison who had practical advice for Australians across the country. "Make a pavlova this weekend and put strawberries on it," Morrison said Wednesday. ||||| Australia plans to increase the maximum jail term to 15 years for anyone convicted of food tampering, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday, as a scare over needles found in strawberries and other fruits gripped the country. Police are investigating more than 100 reports of needles found in fruit. Needles, first found in strawberries produced by one supplier in the northern state of Queensland, are now turning up around the country. On Tuesday, police in New South Wales said they were investigating incidents involving an apple and a banana. Nobody has sustained serious injury yet, and a senior Australian minister said many of the cases would turn out to be hoaxes. But with demand plunging, strawberry farmers have been forced to dump produce, casting a shadow over an industry worth A$160 million (£121 m). Responding to the scare, Morrison said his government would seek to increase the maximum jail term to 15 years from 10 years for anyone convicted of tampering with food. The government will also move to criminalise hoax claims before parliament rises for a two-week holiday on Thursday, Morrison said. "It's not funny, putting the livelihoods of hard-working Australians at risk, and you are scaring children. And you are a coward and a grub," the prime minister told reporters in Canberra. "If you do that sort of thing in this country we will come after you and we will throw the book at you." ||||| Western Australians, get behind our local industry. Slice them in half and # SmashAStrawb to help out our local growers today. pic.twitter.com/KMoHeTKPpJ ||||| Jackie Dunham, CTVNews.ca A young boy has been arrested in New South Wales, Australia after he admitted to inserting sewing needles in strawberries as police continue to investigate at least 20 other instances of food tampering across the state in a crisis that has rocked the country’s agriculture sector. Last week, the first reports of needles hidden inside of strawberries emerged in New South Wales. According to the NSW Police Force, the contaminated fruit came from Queensland and affected three brands – “Berry Obsession,” “Berry Licious,” and “Donnybrook” – which were then distributed across the country. The brands have since been recalled by Queensland Health. There have been dozens of other reports of tampered fruit across Australia over the last week, but many of those are believed to be hoaxes. During a press briefing on Wednesday, NSW police Acting Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith told reporters that the young boy said he put the needles in the berries as a “prank.” He said the boy would be “dealt with under the youth cautioning system.” The acting assistant commissioner said police still believe the other cases of needles found in strawberries are the work of copycats and pranksters. He said there is a AUD$100,000 (CAD$93,943) reward in New South Wales for information leading to the prosecution of any individual responsible for tampering a food source. On Wednesday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced, during a press conference in Canberra, that his government would be introducing tougher penalties for those found guilty of deliberately contaminating food or producing hoaxes or fake posts online about tampered food. The prime minister is seeking to increase the maximum prison time from 10 to 15 years for food contamination offenders. Those who engage in hoaxes on the topic could face up to 10 years in prison. “Some idiot for his reasons, or her reasons, has engaged in an act of sabotage it would seem,” he said. “We can’t put up with it. The authorities are pursuing this matter with full vigour.” Morrison encouraged shoppers to continue to support Australian farmers and purchase strawberries. He advised residents to cut into their fruit before biting into it as an extra precaution. NSW police said they have received reports of contamination of other types of fruit, including a banana and an apple, but they said they are being treated as isolated incidents. There have been no reports of any injuries connected to the reports of needles in fruit.

– Australia's "Smash a Strawberry" campaign can be easily misinterpreted if one isn't up to date on Australian slang. Here, "smash" refers to devouring a strawberry, rather than turning it into mush. Some might prefer to do the latter, however, after at least 100 reported cases of needles found in fruit. While many cases are believed to be hoaxes or copycat events stemming from original cases in Queensland, sewing needles and pins have been found in strawberries from various brands in all six Australian states, while two other cases involve an apple and banana, reports CNN. Fearing the effects on the country's multimillion-dollar fruit industry as supermarkets pull strawberries from shelves—one grower describes dumping $35,000 worth of fruit per day, per the Telegraph—politicians are encouraging Australians to #SmashAStrawb in support. "Get behind our local industry. Slice them in half and #SmashAStrawb to help out our local growers today," Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan tweeted Tuesday. Another politician published his family's secret strawberry jam recipe, per CNN. Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday announced the maximum prison sentence for food tampering would be raised from 10 to 15 years. Though there are no reports of serious injuries, "it's not a joke, it's not funny, you're putting the livelihoods of hard-working Australians at risk and you're scaring children," he said. As international strawberry exports undergo X-ray scans, three states are offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to culprits' convictions, per ABC Australia. CTV News reports there's been one arrest: a young boy in New South Wales, who cops say he admitted to placing needles in some of the cases as a "prank."

In a bedroom in a townhouse near Amsterdam, Miguel Panduwinata reached out for his mother. "Mama, may I hug you?" In this Monday, July 21, 2014 photo, candles are lit next to a portrait of Irene Gunawan, one of three Filipinos who died in the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 downed over in eastern Ukraine, on an improvised... (Associated Press) In this Sunday, July 20, 2014 photo, Jijar Singh Sandhu, 71, looks at his son Sanjid Singh, a Malaysia Airlines flight attendant who was onboard the crashed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, during an interview... (Associated Press) Indonesian Christine, fiancee of Willem Grootscholten of the Netherlands who was a passenger of the crashed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, receives a phone call at her guesthouse in Bali, Indonesia, Monday,... (Associated Press) In this undated photo released by the Calehr family, Miguel Panduwinata, left, Mika Panduwinata, Samira Calehr, second from right, and Shaka Panduwinata, right, pose for a photo. Shaka Panduwinata and... (Associated Press) This 2011 family reunion photo provided by the Pabellon family, shows Irene Gunawan, second from left in back row, her Indonesian husband Budy, right in front row, and their children Darryl, second from... (Associated Press) In this Monday, July 21, 2014 photo, Zenaida Ecal, 53, childhood friend and grade school classmate of Irene Gunawan, one of three Filipinos who died in the downed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, lights candles... (Associated Press) In this undated photo released by the Calehr family, Samira Calehr, left, poses with her son Shaka Panduwinata. Shaka Panduwinata and his brother Miguel Panduwinata, were killed aboard Malaysia Airlines... (Associated Press) In this July 2011 photo provided by Ron Peter Pabellon, Irene Gunawan poses with her son Darryl at a resort in her Philippine hometown of Pagbilao, Quezon province, while attending a family reunion with... (Associated Press) FILE - This Nov. 27, 2010 file photo released by the Ayley family, shows Rob Ayley, left, with wife Sharlene Ayley pose for a photo on their wedding day in Nelson, New Zealand. Rob Ayley died in the downed... (Associated Press) In this Sunday, July 20, 2014 photo, Jijar Singh Sandhu, 71, right, and his wife Jagjit Kaur Sandhu, 73, read a newspaper reporting the downed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 during an interview at their... (Associated Press) Indonesian Christine holds a portrait of her fiance Willem Grootscholten of the Netherlands who was a passenger of the crashed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, at her guesthouse in Bali, Indonesia, Wednesday,... (Associated Press) In this July 2, 2014 photo released by the Ayley family, Rob Ayley poses for a photo with a dog near Langenbach, Germany. Ayley died in the downed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. (AP Photo/The Ayley Family) (Associated Press) Samira Calehr wrapped her arms around her 11-year-old son, who'd been oddly agitated for days, peppering her with questions about death, about his soul, about God. The next morning, she would drop Miguel and his big brother Shaka at the airport so they could catch Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, the first leg of their journey to Bali to visit their grandmother. Her normally cheerful, well-traveled boy should have been excited. His silver suitcase sat in the living room, ready to go. Jetskiing and surfing in paradise awaited. But something was off. A day earlier, while playing soccer, Miguel had burst out: "How would you choose to die? What would happen to my body if I was buried? Would I not feel anything because our souls go back to God?" And now, the night before his big trip, Miguel refused to release his mother from his grasp. He's just going to miss me, Calehr told herself. So she stretched out beside him and held him all night. It was 11 p.m. on Wednesday, July 16. Miguel, Shaka and the 296 other people aboard Flight 17 had around 15 hours left to live. ___ The Boeing 777 tasked with shepherding its passengers from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, held the promise of beginnings and endings for many on board: the thrill of a new adventure or dream vacation for some, and the comfort of going back home for others. It was love and a fresh start that had lured Willem Grootscholten aboard. The burly, 53-year-old divorced former soldier from the Netherlands — a gentle giant of a man — had sold his house and was moving to Bali to build a new life with his darling Christine, a guesthouse owner. He'd met her by chance on a trip to the Indonesian island last year. Christine, who like many Indonesians has only one name, had heard through a friend that some guy had fallen off a cliff and hurt his back. She told her friend to take him to a traditional healer she knew. The next day, Grootscholten called Christine to thank her. They connected over coffee. Grootscholten had to return to the Netherlands, where he was working as a bouncer at a pot-selling cafe. But the two stayed in touch online, and their relationship blossomed. On New Year's Eve, he surprised her by showing up at her doorstep. He stayed three weeks. The father of Christine's two children, 14-year-old Dustin and 8-year-old Stephanie, had died six years ago, and they quickly bonded with Grootscholten, calling him "Daddy." The four stayed in touch online. Almost every day, they shared meals via Skype by placing their iPads on their tables during dinner for Christine's family and lunch for Grootscholten. In May, Grootscholten returned to Bali to celebrate Christine's birthday and told her he wanted to spend the rest of his life beside her. She drove him to the airport on June 3 and kissed him goodbye. It would be their last kiss. ___ For 29-year-old New Zealander Rob Ayley, Flight 17 marked both the end of a month-long European trip and the start of a new career. Life hadn't always been easy for Ayley. Diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome as a teen, he'd struggled to understand others' emotions. At 16, he dropped out of school and hopped from job to job — fast food, horticulture, cheese-making. He flitted between obsessions, from cars to drumming and eventually, to Rottweilers, after his parents bought him a puppy. Along the way, he fell in love with a woman named Sharlene. They married and had two sons, Seth and Taylor. Fatherhood changed him; he was determined to provide for his family. He enrolled in college to study chemical engineering and decided to turn his Rottweiler fixation into a profit by becoming a breeder. That dream prompted Ayley to book a trip to Europe with his friend Bill Patterson, a kennel owner. Ayley's goal: to look at Rottweilers and hopefully bring back breeding dogs to New Zealand. The duo spent a month driving all over Europe, visiting kennels and grabbing a coffee, beer or meal with the owners. They delighted in speeding along the German autobahns in the small Peugeot they'd rented. Finally, it was time to come home. On Wednesday night, Ayley sent his mother an email: "It's been a long, long journey. We've seen the world's greatest Rottweilers, we have established contacts, and made life-long friends, but now I'm just ready to come home. I hope all is well, if we don't talk before hand, I will see you on Saturday. Lots of Love Rob" Flight attendant Sanjid Singh was looking forward to getting home, too. He hadn't originally been scheduled for Flight 17, but he wanted to get back to Malaysia a day early to visit his parents in northern Penang state. So he asked a colleague to switch shifts. Only five months ago, a similar last-minute switch had saved his family. His wife, also a flight attendant, had agreed to swap assignments with a colleague who wanted to be on board Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. The plane vanished en route to Beijing. The near-miss rattled Singh's parents, who fretted about the pair continuing to fly. But Singh was pragmatic. "If I am fated to die, I will die," he said. "You have to accept it." On Wednesday, he called his mother and told her the good news — he'd nabbed a spot on Flight 17 and would be there on Friday. Take care of yourself, he told his mother. After they hung up, she said a prayer for Singh, the way she always did. ___ Family was also the reason Irene Gunawan had booked a seat on Flight 17. She was headed to an annual family reunion in the Philippines: a major event held at a resort that would include specially-designed shirts, drinking, singing and dancing. And 53-year-old Gunawan would — as always — be the star. Gunawan was the light and laughter of her clan. The fifth of six children, the bubbly, music-loving girl had wanted to see the world outside her sleepy rural village. After high school, she moved to Japan to sing and drum in a band. There, she met Budy, a fellow band member. They toured Europe together, playing music and eventually falling in love. They married and settled in the Netherlands, where she gave birth to Daryll and Sheryll, now 19 and 14. Gunawan took up office work, and sent money to her family in the Philippines. Budy worked as a supervisor at Malaysia Airlines in Amsterdam. Gunawan flew back occasionally to the family's neighborhood, called "Heaven," in the town of Pagbilao, outside Manila. At reunions, she belted out songs by Norah Jones and Diana Ross. When neighbors heard the music, they knew she was in town. This year, the couple and their two children were flying to Pagbilao, and Daryll was bringing his DJ equipment. They'd planned to leave earlier, but a typhoon was lashing the Philippines, so they delayed their trip until it subsided. By chance, they nabbed seats on Flight 17. Albert and Maree Rizk weren't supposed to be on that flight either. Every year, the fun-loving 50-somethings from Melbourne, Australia, went on a month-long vacation with friends. They had hopscotched the globe, from Thailand to Fiji to Europe. This time, the Rizks had nearly skipped the trip due to family commitments. Family came first for Albert, a real estate agent, and Maree, parents of two and beloved fixtures in their community. A change of plans freed them up to join their friends, Ross and Sue Campbell, but they weren't able to snag a seat on the Campbells' return flight. So they bought tickets for the same route, a day later: Flight 17. The Rizks and the Campbells had become more like family than friends since Sue and Maree met at a mother's group when their now-grown children were babies. They had a ball traveling through Italy, Switzerland and Germany. It felt like they'd laughed for a solid month. Together, they realized a lifelong goal: climbing to the top of the Klein Matterhorn in Switzerland. On Tuesday night, the four gathered at an Italian restaurant for a final meal. They reminisced about their latest adventure — one of their best — and made plans for a reunion back in Australia. On Saturday, they would get together to feast on the delicious Dutch cheese they'd bought, drink wine and pore over their vacation photos. The four headed back to the hotel, exchanged hugs and retired to their rooms. Some friends were surprised that the Rizks were willing to fly Malaysia Airlines, after the disappearance of Flight 370. Maree's stepmother, Kaylene Mann, had lost her brother and sister-in-law in the disaster. Albert's buddy of 30 years, Jack Medcraft, got in a friendly dig: Why Malaysia Airlines? "Lightning never strikes twice," Albert replied. They burst out laughing. The nonchalant explanation had a double meaning. Albert's house had been struck by lightning last year. ___ Thursday, July 17, dawned warm and sunny in Amsterdam. Before leaving his house for Schiphol Airport, Grootscholten called Christine and the children for one last Skype chat. He was so excited, he began to dance. "Daddy's flying to see you!" he told the kids. "We will be together forever!" Meanwhile, Ayley was struggling. Patterson, his Rottweiler business partner, had flown out Wednesday, so he had to get himself to the airport — and it was not going well. "Missed the airport bus," he wrote to his wife on Facebook. "Waiting for the next one." Back in Malaysia, Singh's excited parents awaited their flight attendant son's arrival. His mother had prepared his favorite dishes — spicy prawns, blue crab curry, roast pork and vegetables. Irene Gunawan couldn't wait to get home to Heaven to see her own family. She asked her sister-in-law to make that syrupy custard cake she loved. Gunawan's daughter was eager to stop at Jollibee, a popular burger chain. Samira Calehr and her friend Aan had ushered her sons onto the train to the airport. They were joking and laughing, excited to spend time with their grandmother in the mountains of Bali. Shaka, 19, had just finished his first year of college, where he was studying textile engineering, and promised to keep an eye on Miguel. Their other brother, Mika, 16, hadn't been able to get a seat on Flight 17 and would travel to Bali the next day. At the check-in counter, Calehr fussed over her boys' luggage. Shaka, meanwhile, realized he'd forgotten to pack socks. Calehr promised to buy him some and send them along with Mika. Finally, they were outside customs. The boys hugged Calehr goodbye and walked toward passport control. Suddenly, Miguel whirled around and ran back, throwing his arms around his mother. "Mama, I'm going to miss you," he said. "What will happen if the airplane crashes?" What was this all about? she wondered. "Don't say that," she said, squeezing him. "Everything will be OK." Shaka tried to reassure them both. "I will take care of him," he said to his mom. "He's my baby." She watched the two boys walk away. But Miguel kept looking back at his mother. His big brown eyes looked sad. Then he vanished from view. ___ They all converged at Gate G3. Singh and his fellow flight attendants finished their preparations. The announcement finally rang out. It was time to board. Miguel and Shaka made their way to their seats in the first row of economy. Grootscholten was in the same row, two seats to their left. He'd just changed his Facebook cover photo to an image of Schiphol's air traffic control tower. Farther back, Ayley settled into his seat. Against all odds, he'd made it. The anxious flier had shot one final message to his friend Patterson: "Gidday mate, leaving Amsterdam now. Great trip, not looking forward to the plane." Up front, Albert and Maree Rizk slid into the first row of business class. Budy Gunawan sat down next to Maree. His wife Irene and their children settled in a few rows behind them. They'd been among the last to check in. Irene, still worried about how her family was coping with the typhoon, sent one last text to her sister-in-law: "Hehehe Lov u, turning off cellphone, time to take off...take care always, you may get hit by falling trees." She was on her way to Heaven. ___ Flight 17 took off around 12:15 p.m. on what should have been an 11 hour and 45 minute flight. It lasted two hours. ___ The bodies began to fall. The phones began to ring. The confusion erupted, the hearts broke. And the twists of fate or happenstance that brought these people to this plane on this day unfurled. In New Zealand, Ayley's frantic family began sending him messages, hoping his email about missing the bus meant he'd also missed the flight. "Your booked plane has been blown up, literally," his mother Wendie wrote. "So wherever you are, whatever mess you're finding yourself in, we'd be delighted to hear that you missed your flight. ... We love you heaps and heaps and we just want to know you're alive my darling." In Australia, the Campbells had just arrived when they heard that a Malaysia Airlines plane had been shot down over Ukraine. Fearing the worst, they rushed over to the Rizks' house to check on their kids. And for the second time in five months, Maree's stepmother learned she'd lost a loved one to a Malaysia Airlines disaster. In Bali, Christine prayed. "Hope you will be fine... ohhhhhhhhhh GODDDDDDDDDDDD... PLEASEEEEEEEEEE!!! I beg You..." she posted on Facebook. And in Amsterdam, Calehr had just finished buying Shaka's socks when her phone rang. It was her friend Aan. "Where are you?" he screamed. "The plane crashed!" She made it home just in time to faint. ___ They grapple now with the what-ifs, the astronomical odds, the realization that the world they knew has turned alien in a blink. In the Philippines, the Gunawan family home has grown quiet. Irene is gone, and with her, the community's joy. Friends stop by to offer condolences and pray. Irene smiles out of an old picture on an altar ringed by candles. A videoke machine and microphone she bought on her last visit lie idle in the corner. Her best friend, Zenaida Ecal, is furious. What does she want as punishment for those who stole Irene? "What is worse than death?" she replies. In Malaysia, the food Singh's mother had so lovingly prepared remains in the fridge. She cannot bear to look at it. The parents cannot comprehend how something as simple as a swapped shift could have proven so kind to their daughter-in-law and so cruel to their son. "It saved her life," Jihar Singh says. "Now my son has saved someone else's life." In New Zealand, Wendie Ayley's work as a hospice nurse has given her a different perspective. She knows the end must come for everyone, including her son, who missed the bus but not the flight. "When he died he was 30,000 feet closer to God. He would have known he was dead, and opened his wings," she says. "I believe his first thought would have been, 'This is awesome.'" In the Netherlands, Samira Calehr thinks about how her baby boy seemed to sense that his time on earth was running short. She imagines the futures that will never be: Shaka's dream of becoming a textile engineer, gone. Miguel's dream of becoming a go-kart race driver, gone. How could he have known? How could she have known? "I should have listened to him," she says softly. "I should have listened to him." ___ Associated Press writers Nick Perry in Wellington, New Zealand; Jim Gomez in Pagbilao, Philippines; Firdia Lisnawati in Bali, Indonesia; Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands; and Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia contributed to this report. ||||| KHARKIV, Ukraine (AP) — Two military aircraft carrying the first bodies of victims of the Malaysia Airlines crash left the embattled plains of eastern Ukraine Wednesday, bringing some consolation to grieving relatives who still must wait for positive identifications and answers about who caused the disaster. Dutch cargo plane crew members wait as Ukrainian honor guards load a coffin with the body of a Malaysian Airlines plane passenger in Kharkiv airport, Ukraine, Wednesday, July 23, 2014. The Dutch government... (Associated Press) A woman lights a candle near flowers and candles placed in honour of 3 citizens, a mother,17 year old daughter and 13 year old son who were among the victims of flight MH17 in Delft, Netherlands, Wednesday,... (Associated Press) Ukrainian honor guards march away from a cargo plane, as Dutch crew members load a coffin holding the body of one of the Malaysian Airlines plane passengers in Kharkiv airport, Ukraine, Wednesday, July... (Associated Press) A youth holds a placard during a rally to seek justice for the victims of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, outside the Parliament house in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Wednesday, July 23, 2014. A team of Malaysian... (Associated Press) Ukrainian honor guards lift up a coffin, holding the body of one of the Malaysian Airlines plane passengers, to load it onto a Dutch cargo plane in Kharkiv airport, Ukraine, Wednesday, July 23, 2014.... (Associated Press) Indonesian Christine holds a portrait of her fiance Willem Grootscholten of the Netherlands who was a passenger of the crashed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, at her guesthouse in Bali, Indonesia, Wednesday,... (Associated Press) The Dutch government declared a day of national mourning as the country prepared for the arrival of the first bodies in the afternoon. The crash on Thursday killed all 298 people — most of them Dutch citizens — aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. Ukraine and western nations are pressing the pro-Russian rebels who control the crash site to allow an unfettered an investigation, something Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would use his influence to achieve. Though confident that a missile brought down the aircraft, U.S. officials say Russia's role remains unclear. Two military transport planes, one Dutch and one Australian, departed at midday, heading for Eindhoven air base, to be met by Dutch King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima, Prime Minister Mark Rutte and hundreds of relatives. For one grieving mother, the arrival of the bodies marked a new stage of mourning and brought to an end the pain of seeing television images of victims lying in the undulating fields or in body bags being loaded into a train. "If I have to wait five months for identification, I can do it," Silene Fredriksz-Hoogzand, whose son, Bryce, and his girlfriend Daisy Oehlers died in the crash, said before setting off for Eindhoven. "Waiting while the bodies were in the field and in the train was a nightmare." Dutch government spokesman Lodewijk Hekking said about 60 coffins were expected, but the number wasn't immediately confirmed. There was confusion as well about how many of the 282 corpses which the rebels said they have found were on the train which arrived in Kharkiv, a government-controlled city, on Tuesday. Jan Tuinder, the Dutch official in charge of the international team dealing with the dead, said that at least 200 bodies were aboard the train and that more remains could be found once the body bags are examined fully. Britain's Air Accidents Investigation Branch said Wednesday that Dutch authorities had delivered the plane's two "black boxes" to the agency's base at Farnborough, southern England, where information from the data and voice recorders will be downloaded. The Dutch Safety Board announced that it will lead an international team of 24 investigators, and said unhindered access to the crash site is critical. "At the moment, there are no guarantees for the investigators' safety" at the scene, the board said, adding that it "and other parties" are working to get access to the site and to secure it. Wreckage of the Boeing 777 fell on territory controlled by pro-Russian separatists who have been battling the Kiev government since April. U.S. officials say the plane was probably shot down by a missile, most likely by accident. The European Union on Tuesday imposed sanctions against more Russian individuals but refrained from targeting entire sectors of the Russian economy while waiting for clearer evidence of Moscow's role in the disaster. Senior U.S. intelligence officials said Tuesday that Russia was responsible for "creating the conditions" that led crash, but they offered no evidence of direct Russian government involvement. The officials, who briefed reporters Tuesday under ground rules that their names not be used, said the plane was likely shot down by an SA-11 surface-to-air missile fired by Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. The officials cited intercepts, satellite photos and social media postings by separatists, some of which have been authenticated by U.S. experts. The intelligence officials were cautious in their assessment, noting that while the Russians have been arming separatists in eastern Ukraine, the U.S. had no direct evidence that the missile used to shoot down the passenger jet came from Russia.

– The first victims' bodies from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 are today making their way to the Netherlands, where they'll be met at Eindhoven Air Base by the nation's king, queen, prime minister, and their own relatives, reports the AP. As forensic experts begin the task of identifying victims, the AP takes a haunting look at some of their last days and hours. These are their stories: An 11-year-old plagued by thoughts of death couldn’t stop hugging his mom the night before he boarded Flight 17. Ahead of his trip to visit his grandmother in Bali with his brother, Miguel Panduwinata kept asking his mother questions like: “How would you choose to die? What would happen to my body if I was buried? Would I not feel anything because our souls go back to God?" A poignant kiss at the airport was the last contact an Indonesian woman had with her Dutch fiance. Christine had met 53-year-old Willem Grootscholten last year in Indonesia and they quickly clicked. Her two kids had started to call him "daddy" and they all ate long-distance meals together via Skype. Right before he boarded Flight 17, he told Christine he "wanted to spend the rest of his life beside her." An Australian couple who made an annual monthlong trip with friends almost backed out of this year’s vacation, but their schedule changed and they opted back in—with a return flight on MH17 (the couple they traveled with booked a different flight). Friends of Albert and Maree Rizk asked them if they were spooked flying the airline after Flight 370 disappeared. Albert’s response: "Lightning never strikes twice." The full AP story about Flight 17’s victims is here.

Tweet with a location You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| Washington (CNN) Iranian President Hassan Rouhani issued a challenge to President Donald Trump on Monday, saying the Islamic Republic would welcome talks with the US "right now." "I don't have preconditions. If the US government is willing, let's start right now," Rouhani said during an interview that aired on state television late Monday local time, just hours before the US renewed sanctions on Iran. "If there is sincerity, Iran has always welcomed dialogue and negotiations," Rouhani said. Trump's national security adviser John Bolton, when asked about the offer by CNN's Jake Tapper, dismissed it as possible "propaganda." "Let's see what really comes of it or whether it's just more propaganda," Bolton said, adding that Trump has been "consistent" that he would be willing to negotiate with regimes such as North Korea and Iran. "If the Iranians are really willing to come and talk about all of their malign behavior in the region and around the world, I think they'd find the President willing to do it," Bolton said. But the Iranian President expressed concern that Trump is the unreliable one, pointing out that the US President has backed out of previous dialogue with Tehran as well as other international agreements. 'The coming Congress elections' "The person who is claiming to be willing to negotiate today has withdrawn from all international commitments, from Paris Agreement (on climate change) to its business commitments with other countries," Rouhani said. He indicated that Iran would want the US to scale back sanctions before any talks could begin. "If somebody puts a knife in its opponent or enemy's arm and says we want to negotiate, the answer is that they must first pull out the knife and then come to the negotiation table," Rouhani said. He added that "these sanctions are targeting Iranian children and people." Rouhani also suggested that the Trump administration is ramping up sanctions and rhetoric on Iran in part for domestic consumption as November's midterm elections draw near. "I believe that they want to wage a psychological war and create skepticism in the Iranian people to be able to use it in the coming Congress elections," Rouhani said. "So Trump's remarks are aimed at taking advantage of them in Congress elections." Rouhani also sought to downplay the impact of newly reimposed US sanctions announced by the Trump administration on Monday -- reiterating his unspoken theme that it is the US, not Iran, that finds itself increasingly isolated. "They will exert pressure on us and cause pain, but we will certainly come out of the end of this healthier," he said about the penalties that went back into effect at 12:01am ET Tuesday. "I think if in unison, if we work together, we will make America regret this action very quickly. If we work together, the world will understand and America will understand that these sanctions are not effective," Rouhani added. Specifically, Rouhani said China and Russia have indicated they will not abide by US sanctions despite Trump's threat of "severe consequences" for those who continue to trade with Iran. "Last month I was in Europe, conducted talks with China," Rouhani said. "Their promise: They will ignore the American sanctions." "China is our biggest trading partner. China and Russia stated clearly they will stand with the framework of our agreement," he said. Monday's announcement by the US covers the first of two rounds of sanctions the US is unilaterally reimposing as a result of leaving the Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Rouhani also mentioned that when a French company pulled out of a gas project it had signed on to, China immediately stepped in to fill that void. "Under current conditions, Asian countries (are of) utmost importance to us," he said. The sanctions that went into effect Tuesday cover the purchase or acquisition of US dollars by the Iranian government; trade in gold or other precious metals; the direct and indirect sale, supply or transfer to or from Iran of graphite, raw or semi-finished metals such as aluminum, steels and coal; as well as significant transactions of the Iranian currency; and the country's auto sector. The other signatories to the nuclear deal, including the European Union, Russia and China, are sticking with the accord. In a statement Monday, the EU, the UK, France and Germany said they "deeply regret" the US action. The EU announced it would take legal steps to protect European companies "doing legitimate business in Iran." ||||| Donald Trump has warned America’s trading partners that anyone who does business with Iran will not be doing business with the US, after his administration reimposed blanket sanctions. EU acts to protect firms from Donald Trump's sanctions against Iran Read more The US president described the new sanctions, which hit Iran’s access to dollars, gold and precious metals, as “the most biting ever imposed”. “In November they ratchet up to yet another level,” he tweeted. “Anyone doing business with Iran will NOT be doing business with the United States. I am asking for WORLD PEACE, nothing less!” Within hours of the sanctions taking effect, the German carmaker Daimler, which announced a joint venture in Iran last year, said it was halting its business activities in the country. The punitive measures came into force in the early hours of Tuesday, and follow Trump’s decision in May to renege on the landmark 2015 deal to curtail Iran’s nuclear ambitions. The sanctions also target a range of industries, including Iran’s carmaking sector, and will be followed by a set of additional and even more stringent measures by 4 November, including an embargo on the import of Iranian oil and sanctions on its banking sector. Trump’s latest comments appear aimed at the EU, which is attempting to protect European businesses from the sanctions and has vowed to safeguard firms. Companies have been instructed that they should not comply with demands from the White House for them to drop all business with Iran. Those who decide to pull out because of US sanctions will need to be granted authorisation from the European commission, without which they face the risk of being sued by EU member states. “This morning the EU’s updated ‘blocking statute’ entered into force to mitigate the impact of the reimposed US sanctions on the interests of EU companies doing legitimate business in Iran,” a European commission spokesman said. The UK Foreign Office minister Alastair Burt told the BBC that the “Americans have really not got this right”. He said it was a commercial decision for companies whether to stay in Iran, but that Britain believed the nuclear deal was important “not only to the region’s security but the world’s security”. The Trump administration said on Monday it was not particularly concerned by the EU decision and that the US strategy was designed to apply maximum pressure on Tehran. Ultimately, the US administration wants a new deal that it says will address “the totality of the Iranian threat”. Iranians have been anxious about the return of sanctions, which will compound the country’s economic woes. Its currency has been sent into a tailspin in recent months, fuelling street protests over economic grievances, a lack of social and political freedoms, and growing environmental challenges. Some analysts fear the country is on an economic and political precipice. “There’s a sense of anguish in Iranian society – everyone is worried and waiting,” said Sadegh Zibakalam, a professor of politics at Tehran University. “There is no hope that the situation will get better. People think that in the best-case scenario, it won’t get worse. Among the youth you see a huge tendency to leave the country,” he said. Timeline Trump's rhetoric on Iran Show Hide 'Nuclear holocaust' "They are going to be such a wealthy, such a powerful nation, they're going to have nuclear weapons," the Republican presidential frontrunner says. "They are going to take over parts of the world that you wouldn't believe and I think it's going to lead to nuclear holocaust." 'Dismantle' the agreement Trump says his "number one priority" is to dismantle the nuclear agreement. "This deal is catastrophic for Israel, for America, for the whole of the Middle East," he says. Iran 'playing with fire' The White House signals a tougher stance towards Iran, condemning a recent missile test and declaring America is putting the Islamic republic "on notice" following its "malign actions". Trump tweets: "Iran is playing with fire – they don't appreciate how 'kind' President Obama was to them. Not me!" 'Isolate' Iran Trump calls on all countries to "isolate" Iran, in a speech in Riyadh. "From Lebanon to Iraq to Yemen, Iran funds, arms and trains terrorists, militias and other extremist groups that spread destruction and chaos across the region," he declares. 'Rogue state' Trump says the nuclear accord is "an embarrassment to the United States". He tells the UN general assembly that Iran's government turned a "wealthy country with a rich history and culture into an economically depleted rogue state". 'Brutal, corrupt' regime Trump says it is "time for change" in Iran, after days of deadly protests against the government in Tehran. A day later he denounces the "brutal and corrupt" regime. Trump tears up deal Trump pulls the US out of the nuclear pact. Describing the deal as "defective at its core," he says: "Today, we have definitive proof that this Iranian promise was a lie. Any nation that helps Iran in its quest for nuclear weapons could also be strongly sanctioned by the United States." 'NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES' Iran's president, Hassan Rouhani, tells the US it should not "play with the lion's tail" and warns that any conflict with Iran would be the "mother of all wars". Trump responds with an all-caps Twitter tirade: "NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE." 'Open' Trump says he is open to a new Iran deal, while confirming a return to sanctions. "I remain open to reaching a more comprehensive deal that addresses the full range of the regime's malign activities, including its ballistic missile program and its support for terrorism," he says in a statement. On Monday night, Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, dismissed the new round of sanctions as “psychological warfare” designed to help Trump’s allies in the upcoming mid-term elections. He reassured Iranians that his government was able to stave off pressure from the US, but said it was only possible if different factions within the country showed unity. “Our system is stable, we’re all standing together,” he said. Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said on Monday that enemies were pulling out all the stops to target “Iran’s existence”, pledging that his country “will overcome this period of hardship”. The head of the German Association of Chambers of Commerce said German businesses were already “in retreat” from Iran amid fears that legal banking channels between the countries were crumbling under US pressure. “It’s important that the EU and the German government work to find funding channels,” said Martin Wansleben, who speaks for more than 3 million German entrepreneurs, in a statement. “As well as the financial damage there is also the threat of losing trust in Iran.” Last week the US ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, persuaded the German government to stop a cash transfer of €300m (£268m) from Hamburg to Tehran via the Europäisch-Iranische Handelsbank. German firms were among the first to take advantage of the opening up of the Iranian market following the Iran deal. Last year German exports to Iran jumped by 16% and were valued at nearly €3bn. But uncertainty over the future of the deal is reversing that trend, Wansleben said, with German exports to Iran down 4% in the first five months of 2018. Facebook Twitter Pinterest A carpet seller at a bazaar in Tehran. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Rouhani’s administration is scrambling to mitigate the impact of sanctions and their effect on the plummeting value of the national currency by easing foreign exchange rules. Internally, many prominent Iranians believe the pressure from the US is mainly intended to provoke regime change. The reformist ex-president Mohammad Khatami, one of the most popular politicians inside Iran but who is currently sidelined, was quoted by local media as saying that efforts to engineer regime change would prove futile so long as people believed in reform. Khatami has set out 15 suggestions to Iranian leaders to bring the country out of the political deadlock. His suggestions include the release of all political prisoners, and establishment of a free atmosphere for political activities. Some names have been changed to protect identities

– President Trump issued another warning in regard to Tehran on Tuesday, but this time it's directed at nations outside Iran. "Anyone doing business with Iran will NOT be doing business with the United States," Trump tweeted. "I am asking for WORLD PEACE, nothing less!" The message comes as the first round of US sanctions goes back into effect on Iran following Trump's decision to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear arms accord. As the Guardian reports, the warning seems to be aimed mainly at the European Union, which opposes the sanctions. In fact, the EU has sought to protect member nations who continue to do "legitimate business" with Tehran. Trump calls the sanctions "the most biting" ever imposed and noted that they "ratchet up to yet another level" in November. Iran's president, meanwhile, tells CNN the US is engaging in "psychological warfare" to sow divisions within Iran, though Hassan Rouhani predicted the sanctions would end up isolating America, not Iran. In addition to EU states, Rouhani said China and Russia would similarly continue conducting business with Iran. However, Rouhani also said he is open to talks with Trump immediately, though he suggested that the sanctions must end first. "If somebody puts a knife in its opponent or enemy's arm and says we want to negotiate, the answer is that they must first pull out the knife and then come to the negotiation table." (Secretary of State Mike Pompeo previously outlined what the US wants.)

Mark Zuckerberg manse undergoes extreme makeover Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at TechCrunch Disrupt 2013 in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, September 11, 2013. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at TechCrunch Disrupt 2013 in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, September 11, 2013. Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg is rebuilding a $10 million home in San Francisco's Dolores Heights neighborhood. Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg is rebuilding a $10 million home in San Francisco's Dolores Heights neighborhood. Photo: Andy Ross, San Francisco Chronicle window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-4', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 4', target_type: 'mix' }); _taboola.push({flush: true}); Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close Mark Zuckerberg manse undergoes extreme makeover 1 / 4 Back to Gallery The Dolores Heights pied-a-terre that Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and his bride bought a few months back for almost $10 million has turned into a real fixer-upper. According to San Francisco city records, the couple's contractor has taken out five construction permits this year for: -- A $720,000 addition of a first-floor office, media room, half-bathroom, mud room, laundry room, wine room and wet bar. Plus, a new second floor half-bathroom and remodel of the second, third and fourth floors. -- $750,000 in other additions to the lower floors, as well as a new roof and windows and reconfigured landscaping. -- A $65,000 kitchen and bathroom remodel. -- A $60,000 greenhouse. -- And finally, $30,000 to replace an exterior wall and stairway, plus seismic upgrades. It all adds up to about $1.6 million, though workers at the site tell us they wouldn't be surprised if the final tab comes to several million more. They expect the job to take a year. Last week, the entire house - just a couple of blocks from hipster magnet Dolores Park - was pretty well stripped to the studs. Crews were busily working on a new basement garage, complete with a turntable pad so cars can get in and out more easily. "It's nice to be rich," said one passer-by surveying the scene. Records show at least one person lodged a complaint with the city last spring after part of an external wall was removed before any permits were issued. So far, Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, haven't even publicly confirmed they own the 5,542-square-foot, four-bedroom house, and the workers say they haven't actually seen the couple. It was purchased through a holding company run by a lawyer who specializes in forming trusts for high-end clients. Reps for Zuckerberg and Facebook politely declined comment. Supervisor Scott Wiener tells us he knew the Facebook founder and his wife had bought the house in his district, though he's still waiting to run into them. "Maybe I'll bring over the apple pie," he said. In the huddle: There was a big stadium sit-down at Raiders headquarters the other day. Team owner Mark Davis, along with Oakland and Alameda County officials, met to update a delegation from the National Football League on the prospects for a new stadium. Sources tell us Davis appears sincerely to want the Raiders to stay in Oakland. However, reports from city planners indicate the money for a new Raiders home is as elusive as ever. "The fact is that Davis doesn't have finances like, say, a Jerry Jones (owner of the Dallas Cowboys) to swing a stadium deal on his own," said one person who was at the meeting. "We'd have to ask the voters to help." And while no one said it at the meeting, everyone knows the chances of voters helping out with a new stadium deal - while they are still paying off $20 million a year for the 1990s renovation of the old one - are slim to none. People at the meeting - none of whom would speak on the record, because the session was supposed to be private - say their efforts to convince the NFL that there's still hope in the East Bay weren't boosted by the tardy entrance of Oakland Mayor Jean Quan. "She arrived 20 minutes late," said our attendee. "She apologized, saying she was held up by a phone call." And finally: Even before the Kiwis have clinched victory in the America's Cup, the New Zealand Herald was online Friday with this familiar-sounding prediction from the financial wizards: "Should the America's Cup be brought back to New Zealand, it would drive more than $500 million into the economy." The paper said the rosy estimate was based on the assumption that "the same number of syndicates and super yachts show up as for the unsuccessful 2003 defense" - when 10 teams competed in Auckland. Those kinds of riches, unfortunately, are something San Francisco never saw - though city officials tell us it will be year's end before they know the true financial impact of hosting the yachting fest. In the meantime, the mayor, port officials and others are hosting fundraisers to cover the millions of dollars in expenses that the city incurred from playing host. ||||| The San Francisco Chronicle reports that renovations at Mark Zuckerberg’s Dolores Heights home will cost the Facebook CEO more than he had planned. City records show that the billionaire and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have taken out the five permits below this year: — A $720,000 addition of a first-floor office, media room, half-bathroom, mud room, laundry room, wine room and wet bar. Plus, a new second floor half-bathroom and remodel of the second, third and fourth floors. — $750,000 in other additions to the lower floors, as well as a new roof and windows and reconfigured landscaping. — A $65,000 kitchen and bathroom remodel. — A $60,000 greenhouse. — And finally, $30,000 to replace an exterior wall and stairway, plus seismic upgrades. They purchased the home in November 2012 for $9.9 million according to Zillow, a real estate website. When news broke that Zuckerberg was moving to the Mission last year, Mission Local went out and asked people in the neighborhood what they thought about their new neighbor. Watch our 60 Seconds on Zuckerberg here.

– Mark Zuckerberg's crazy expensive San Francisco mansion is about to get even more crazy expensive. His contractor has taken out five construction permits that add up to more than $1.6 million in remodel costs, and workers at the house tell the San Francisco Chronicle they think the construction will actually cost a few million more than that—and will take an entire year to complete. The Chronicle describes the 5,542-square-foot Dolores Heights house as "pretty well stripped to the studs" at this point. Zuck and wife Priscilla Chan bought the home for $9.9 million in November, according to Mission Local, but they have yet to confirm they actually own it, nor have they shown their faces to workers. Among other expenditures, the Zuckerbergs will spend $720,000 to add a number of new rooms, including an office, media room, laundry room, wine room, mud room, and wet bar, plus $60,000 on a greenhouse. Workers are also currently putting in a new basement garage with a turntable for cars. As one passerby put it: "It's nice to be rich." Really nice: Zuck and Chan were spotted looking at property in Hawaii earlier this month, according to the New York Post. (In more insane real estate news, click to read about how a foot-wide slice of beach sold for $120,000.)

Email 1K Shares [WASHINGTON, DC] At approximately 10:22am EST an email address assigned to a Sparrow Project volunteer received a communique by a party identifying itself as the decentralized hacker collective, Anonymous. The communique details a planned effort by the groups’s affiliates online to disrupt the online streaming and syndication of the President’s State of the Union Address, scheduled for 9pm EST. The communique goes on to elaborate that this action is in response to a proposed executive order that would reinstate the most protested elements of the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Information Act (CISPA). In 2012 a synergistic movement of progressives, legislative reformers, online activists, and autonomous hackers successfully defeated CISPA and another controversial bill, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). Many credit Aaron Schwartz and the group which he cofounded, Demand Progress, with coordinating the successful campaign to stop these bills. The following is the communique in its entirety, edit marked in red. BEGIN COMMUNIQUE Article II, Sector 3 of the US Constitution, says the President “shall from time to time give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.” At 9PM Eastern Standard Time, February [12], 2013 President Obama has planned to address a joint session of Congress to deliver the State of the Union Address. The following day, President Obama will be introducing an executive order, purportedly aimed at bolstering U.S. cybersecurity, after repeated failed attempts to pass legislation through Congress. Anonymous has reached a verdict of NO CONFIDENCE in this executive order and the plans to reintroduce the CISPA bill to Congress on the same day. As such, President Obama and the State of the Union Address will be BANISHED from the Internet for the duration of live delivery. So as not to infringe upon the President’s free speech, subsequent broadcasts will be allowed to pass unhindered. This action is being taken to underline a fact that appears to be sorely unrecognized by the Obama Administration — that the Internet is a sovereign territory, and does not fall under the jurisdiction of any nation state. We are the natives of this space, and its guardians, and we will fight until death to protect it as a neutral grounds for the unhindered interaction of all members of the human race, so long as they themselves act in harmony with this inviolable principle. Our determination is that President Obama is acting in direct contravention of this principle, and his brief exclusion is an educational, rather than a punitive measure. We hope that its lesson will be learnt. Punitive measures have not been ruled out. — Anonymous END COMMUNIQUE ||||| Anonymous has made a grand claim ahead of Tuesday night's State of the Union address. In a communiqué posted on AnonRelations.net and spread through Anonymous' social media channels, the hacker collective announced it "will form a virtual blockade between Capitol Hill and the Internet" such that "there will be no State of the Union Address on the web tonight." What exactly Anonymous has in store for this evening is not detailed in the communiqué, nor is it clear whether hackers could indeed disrupt the feeds screening President Obama's speech online. However, the communiqué took the opportunity to decry the president for some of the worst civil liberties and privacy abuses perpetuated by his administration and to renew the hackers' tribute to the late Aaron Swartz. The message reads: Tonight, the President of the United States will appear before a joint session of Congress to deliver the State of the Union Address and tomorrow he plans to sign an executive order for cyber-security as the House Intelligence committee reintroduces the defeated CISPA act which turns private companies into government informants. He will not be covering the NDAA, an act of outright tyrannical legislation allowing for indefinite detention of citizens completely outside due process and the rule of law. In fact, lawyers for the government have point-blank refused to state whether or not journalists who cover stories or groups the Government disfavors would be subject to this detention. He will not be covering the extra-judicial and unregulated justifications for targeted killings of citizens by military drones within the borders of America, or the fact that Orwellian newspeak had to be used to make words like “imminent” mean their opposite. He will not be covering Bradley Manning, 1000 days in detention with no trial for revealing military murders, told that his motive for leaking cannot be taken into consideration, that the Government does not have room for conscience. He will not be covering the secret interpretations of law that allow for warrant-less wiretapping and surveillance of any US citizen without probably cause of criminal acts, or the use of Catch-22 logic where no-one can complain about being snooped on because the state won’t tell you who they’re snooping on, and if you don’t know you’re being snooped on, you don’t have a right to complain. We reject the State of the Union. In a separate communiqué emailed out and picked up by activist publicity group the Sparrow Project, Anonymous again announced plans to disrupt SOTU online. In this email, however, Anonymous note that they plan to allow "subsequent [SOTU] broadcasts will be allowed to pass unhindered" after the live speech has concluded, "So as not to infringe upon the President’s free speech." The statement adds: "This action is being taken to underline a fact that appears to be sorely unrecognized by the Obama Administration — that the Internet is a sovereign territory, and does not fall under the jurisdiction of any nation state." What precise interventions Anonymous can make during the address remains to be seen, but at this point #OpSOTU, as it is named, is a playful rallying cry to challenge abuses of executive power. The communiqué closes, "For freedom, for Aaron Swartz, for the Internet, and of course, for the lulz."

– If you're trying to follow President Obama's State of the Union Address online tonight and run into trouble, this might be why: The hackers of Anonymous promise a "virtual blockade" of the speech during its live delivery, reports Salon. It's not clear exactly what that means, but a communique states flatly, "There will be no State of the Union Address on the web tonight." A second one reaffirms the point. Why? The group cites the federal prosecution of Aaron Swartz for one thing and a pending executive order on cyber-security that Anonymous says "turns private computers into government informants." Click for more.

A collection of websites selected and archived by the National Library of Medicine on biomedical, clinical, cultural, and social aspects of HIV/AIDS in the early 21st century. Website captures began in 2016 and are ongoing. The collection’s principal themes are HIV treatment, HIV prevention, biomedical research on HIV/AIDS, clinical care for HIV patients, living with HIV, and social-cultural responses to HIV/AIDS. The collection includes websites for U.S. federal agencies, state public health HIV/AIDS departments, community organizations, international clinical trial and vaccine research sites, non-governmental organizations, advocacy groups, and a wide array of social media including blogs, YouTube videos, Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, and more. ||||| Are we winning against HIV? The latest update from UNAIDS wants to say yes, we are. There is a lot of progress - a lot of ground has been won in the last decade and more. New infections are down and so are deaths, thanks to antiretroviral drugs which have now reached nearly 10 million people. But our grip on the pandemic sometimes seems fragile. Risky behaviour appears to be increasing in some countries - and the money to fund prevention efforts is never enough. The good news is that the number of people newly infected has dropped to 1.9 million in low and middle-income countries in 2012, which is 30% lower than in 2001. There are 26 countries where the rate of new infections is dropping. So far so good. As the report points out, "opportunities to dramatically lower HIV incidence have never been more promising". We have the tools: drugs to keep people well also prevent 96% of the risk of infecting other people, male circumcision also lowers transmission rates by 60% and giving antiretroviral drugs to people at risk lowers their chances of infection. There has been an impressive 34% drop in new infections in sub-Saharan Africa since 2001, although the biggest drop is in the Caribbean, where it has been 49%. New infections are still on the rise in eastern Europe, however, and in Central Asia, north Africa and the Middle East. But worryingly, unsafe behaviour is putting the gains that have been made at risk in some countries in sub-Saharan Africa where the epidemic has been most concentrated and the efforts greatest. The report says: Recent evidence indicates a significant increase in the number of sexual partners in some countries (Burkina Faso, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gabon, Guyana, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zimbabwe), as well as a decline in condom use (in Côte d'Ivoire, Niger, Senegal and Uganda). Many countries do not have a comprehensive strategy for rolling out the sort of behavioural change programmes which have been shown to help prevent new infections, says the report. Such programmes may also be wrongly seen as less urgent than they were. There are worrisome signs that social and behavioural programming might now have a lower priority. Mid-term reviews identified declining support for social-behavioural HIV prevention programmes in several countries, including in Namibia, where the highly successful 'Take control' campaign was discontinued in 2011. There is little change in the HIV burden among people who use drugs - the report categorically says we are not on track to reduce HIV transmission by 50% in that group by 2015. HIV prevalence among people who inject drugs remains high – up to 28% in Asia. HIV prevention coverage for people who inject drugs remains low, with only two of 32 reporting countries providing the recommended minimum of at least 200 sterile syringes per year for each person who injects drugs. Among 35 countries providing data in 2013, all but four reached less than 10% of opiate users with substitution therapy. In addition to exceptionally low coverage, an effective AIDS response among people who inject drugs is undermined by punitive policy frameworks and law enforcement practices, which discourage individuals from seeking the health and social services they need. There is better news on women and children, with 62% of pregnant women with HIV in 2012 being put on antiretroviral drugs which will save their lives and that of their baby. The number of newly infected children dropped by a third from 2009 to 2012. But getting the numbers down further will be harder - they need access to better prevention services as well as contraception and family planning. The funding is short of what is needed, says the report, but there was $18.9 billion available in 2012, which is a 10% increase over the previous year because low and middle income countries stepped up their contribution while rich countries flatlined. HIV continues to lead the way in people-based and rights-based services, says the report, and is increasingly linked in with other health and development programmes. But the report argues that we need to maintain the special focus on Aids that has got us this far. ||||| About 2880 candles are seen lit during a World AIDS Day event in Jakarta December 1, 2009. LONDON The global rate of HIV infection and the number of AIDS-related deaths have been dramatically reduced, thanks to expanding access to treatment, the United Nations said in a report issued on Monday. In its annual update on HIV, which it said now infects around 35.3 million people worldwide, UNAIDS said deaths from AIDS and HIV infection rates were falling, while the number of people getting treatment is going up. AIDS-related deaths in 2012 fell to 1.6 million, down from 1.7 million in 2011 and a peak of 2.3 million in 2005. And the number of people newly infected with the disease dropped to 2.3 million in 2012 down from 2.5 million in 2011. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS can be transmitted via blood, breast milk and by semen during sex, but can be kept in check with cocktails of drugs known as antiretroviral treatment or therapy. By the end of 2012, some 9.7 million people in poorer and middle-income countries had access to such AIDS drugs, an increase of nearly 20 percent in a year. Since 2001, the U.N. report said, there has been a 52 percent drop in annual new HIV infections among children and a 33 percent reduction in newly infected adults and children combined. In 2011, UN member states agreed to a target of getting HIV treatment to 15 million people by 2015. As countries scaled up treatment coverage and as evidence showed how treating HIV early also reduces its spread, the World Health Organization set new guidelines this year, expanding the number of people needing treatment by more than 10 million. Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS' executive director, said the international community should aim to surpass the 2015 goal. "Not only can we meet the 2015 target of 15 million people on HIV treatment, we must also go beyond and have the vision and commitment to ensure no one is left behind," he said in a statement with Monday's report. The UNAIDS report found that despite a flattening in donor funding for HIV, which has remained near 2008 levels, individual countries' domestic spending on the epidemic has increased, accounting for 53 percent of global HIV resources in 2012. Total funding for the global fight against HIV and AIDS in 2012 was $18.9 billion, about $3 billion to $5 billion short of the estimated $22 billion to $24 billion needed annually by 2015. (Editing by Stacey Joyce)

– The UN today released its annual report on the state of HIV/AIDS around the globe, and though the big number is still big—roughly 35.3 million people are currently infected with HIV—the report contains a laundry list of encouraging numbers. Highlights, per Reuters and the Guardian: At its 2005 peak, AIDS-related deaths claimed 2.3 million lives; in 2012, that number was down to 1.6 million, a drop of 100,000 over the year prior. Since 2001, the number of new infections per year has decreased 33%, a number that's even more substantial among children: That category saw a 52% drop. In the span of a year, the number of new infections sank by 200,000, to 2.3 million last year. The Caribbean claims the biggest drop in new infections since 2001: 49%. In sub-Saharan Africa, that figure is 34%. Antiretroviral drugs now reach 9.7 million people in low- and middle-income countries. And the AFP notes that on Wednesday, a top UN official noted that the HIV epidemic—though not HIV itself—could be kaput by 2030. But the Guardian flags some problem spots, particularly in Africa, where some countries have seen a decrease in condom use (Niger, Senegal, Uganda), a rise in the number of sexual partners (Uganda as well, along with Ethiopia, Rwanda, and South Africa), and withering support for social-behavior campaigns.

BARNSTABLE (CBS) — A skydiving instructor and student were killed in a training jump on Cape Cod Sunday afternoon, officials said. The skydivers, jumping in tandem, crashed into a garage on Race Lane in Marstons Mills beyond the intended landing area of the Cape Cod airfield authorities said. The victims were both adults males, according to Massachusetts State Police. “We responded to the scene and we observed two people – the instructor and the student – laying on the ground beside the garage,” Barnstable Police Sgt. Ben Baxter said. “It appears they did hit the garage.” Both of the skydivers were rushed to Cape Cod Hospital, but did not survive. The Federal Aviation Administration and the district attorney’s office are also investigating. The identities of the victims have not yet been released. It was not clear if an equipment malfunction was to blame. Neighbors tell WBZ-TV that skydivers are a fairly common site at the airfield, but this time something went wrong. One person living close by said she saw the two men parachuting, but then heard a frightening sound. “Unfortunately I don’t know what happened, but I heard a thud,” the neighbor said. “The parachute looked deployed.” MORE LOCAL NEWS FROM CBS BOSTON ||||| Authorities in Barnstable, Massachusetts, confirm an instructor and a student are dead after attempting to land at Cape Cod Airfield. (Published Monday, Sep 29, 2014) UPDATE: Officials identified the victims on Sept. 29. A skydiving instructor and a student are dead after a skydiving accident on Cape Cod, officials confirm. Police in Barnstable, Massachusetts, found the victims next to a garage at 885 Race Lane in the Barnstable village of Marston Mills, across the street from Cape Cod Airfield. "It appears they did hit the garage," said Barnstable Police Sgt. Ben Baxter. "The Mass. State Police will be investigating, along with our detective division." The two male victims jumped in tandem, attached together. They were both transported by ambulance to Cape Cod Hospital, where they were pronounced dead. A Boston MedFlight helicopter had been asked to stand by in case either patient needed to be taken to a trauma center. Officials are working to determine what went wrong. There is a skydiving school at Cape Cod Airfield, but it is not yet known whether the victims were from there. NECN will have more as this story develops.

– The Federal Aviation Administration and local authorities are probing the deaths of two skydivers yesterday evening. The instructor and student, both adult males, were found next to a garage across the street from the Cape Cod Airfield, reports NECN. "We responded to the scene and we observed two people—the instructor and the student— laying on the ground beside the garage," a police spokesman tells CBS. "It appears they did hit the garage." The pair were jumping in tandem, and it's not clear whether there was an equipment malfunction.

See more of Sarah Palin on Facebook ||||| "She loves to drive and really admires those hardcore lady RVers who maneuver their rigs and even haul trailers behind, but Sarah humbly admits there must be a better way than her white-knuckling on the highways behind the wheel of our Lexa. A smaller rig may do the trick for her," her husband said, in a Facebook post announcing the sale.

– It's got a washer and dryer, two HD televisions, radiant floor heat, 29,683 miles, and two famous owners: Todd and Sarah Palin. Yes, the Palins are selling the bus they used to tool around the country as part of Sarah's One Nation tour in 2011, reports the Daily News. The asking price for the 2004 Country Coach Lexa is a mere $279,000. In a Facebook post, Todd explains that they're "downsizing." His wife "loves to drive and really admires those hardcore lady RVers who maneuver their rigs and even haul trailers behind, but Sarah humbly admits there must be a better way than her white-knuckling on the highways behind the wheel of our Lexa," he writes. "A smaller rig may do the trick for her." The listing and photos are here.

Bill Cosby walks from the Montgomery County Courthouse during his sexual assault trial, Tuesday, June 6, 2017, in Norristown, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) (Associated Press) NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Bill Cosby's chief accuser said she shot down the actor's casual advances twice before she found herself paralyzed and unable to fight him off the night she took pills that he convinced her were safe herbal supplements. Andrea Constand emerged from 12 years of silence Tuesday to testify at Cosby's sexual assault trial. Constand, who returns to the witness stand Wednesday, described how her professional relationship with the Temple University trustee evolved into a friendship that she considered critical to the school's athletics department where she worked. At the same time, she said, Cosby became more flirtatious and suggestive — grabbing her thigh during one encounter at his home and attempting to unbutton her pants in another. Both times, Constand said, she made it clear she didn't welcome the behavior. But she didn't feel threatened. "I'm not here for that. I don't want that," Constand recalled telling him. The next time she visited Cosby's home, to discuss her future with the women's basketball team, Constand said the pills Cosby gave her left her incapacitated as he grabbed her breast and touched her genitals. She said she awoke in the early morning, quietly passing Cosby in the kitchen as she left so she could make it to her Temple office on time. She said she didn't tell anyone about the alleged assault at the time out of loyalty to the women's basketball team, which she managed. "I did not want to stir up any trouble," she said. "He was a trustee, he was an alumni there. And I believed he supported many of the athletic programs," Constand said. She said she also feared what Cosby might do. "I felt that if I had gone to the police, that Mr. Cosby would retaliate and try to hurt me, that he would try to hurt me or my family in some way," she testified. Cosby, 79, is charged with drugging and sexually abusing Constand in 2004. The TV star once dubbed America's Dad could get 10 years in prison if convicted. His lawyers tried to poke holes in Constand's story, citing differences between her courtroom testimony and the accounts she gave to police and in a lawsuit in 2005. The defense has argued the two had a romantic relationship, that Constand wasn't incapacitated and that the sexual encounter was consensual. Constand, an athletic 6-footer with dark curly hair, was calm and direct as she testified, frequently speaking straight to the jury. Cosby, sitting across the room at the defense table, leaned in to listen, whispered to his lawyer and, at times, shook his head. Before Tuesday, Constand had never spoken about Cosby in public, barred from doing so under the terms of a confidential settlement they reached in 2006. Her deposition from that lawsuit remains sealed. Some 60 women have come forward to say Cosby sexually violated them, all but destroying his nice-guy image, but the statute of limitations for prosecution had run out in nearly every case. Constand's case is the only one in which Cosby has been charged. The defense has pointed out that phone records show Constand called Cosby 53 times after she says he assaulted her. Constand told the jury the calls mostly involved the women's basketball team, especially around tournament time. "He was a Temple friend, somebody I trusted. A mentor," she said. The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are sexual assault victims unless they grant permission, which Constand has done. ||||| Bill Cosby walks from the Montgomery County Courthouse during his sexual assault trial, Tuesday, June 6, 2017, in Norristown, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) (Associated Press) Highlights from the testimony on Tuesday of Bill Cosby's chief accuser, Andrea Constand, at his suburban Philadelphia sexual-assault trial. Constand, a former Temple University basketball administrator, says Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her in 2004, but Cosby says their encounter was consensual. ___ ON HOW COSBY'S PILLS AFFECTED HER: "I began to slur my words, and I also told Mr. Cosby that I had trouble seeing him, that I could see two of him, and my mouth was very cottony ... I said, 'I see two of you,' and I'm slurring my words. Mr. Cosby stood up, and I stood up because he said, 'You probably need to relax,' and when I stood up my legs were not strong, and I began to panic a little bit. Mr. Cosby grabbed, helped me by my arm and assisted me to a couch." ___ ON WHAT SHE SAYS COSBY DID: "I was laying on my left side, and he placed some kind of pillow under my neck, and I don't really remember passing out. I have no recollection until some point later, I was jolted awake, and I felt Mr. Cosby's hand groping my breasts under my shirt, and I also felt his hand inside my vagina moving in and out, and I felt him take my hand and place it on his penis and move it back and forth." ___ ON NOT BEING ABLE TO FIGHT COSBY OFF: "In my head I was trying to get my hands to move or my legs to move, but I was frozen, and those messages didn't get there and I was very limited. I wasn't able to fight in any way . I wanted it to stop." ___ ON WHY SHE WAITED A YEAR, CONTACTED LAWYERS BEFORE GOING TO POLICE: "I felt that if I had gone to police, Mr. Cosby would retaliate and try to hurt me, that he would try to hurt me and my family in some way." ___ ON A PREVIOUS COSBY ADVANCE: "At some point he sat very close to me and commented on my pants. And he also touched the side of my waist and then took his hand and attempted to unbutton my button, and I felt his hand at the top of my zipper, and when I felt that I leaned forward and he took his hand away." ___ ON OBJECTING TO COSBY'S PRIOR BEHAVIOR: "I said, 'I'm not here for that. I don't want that.'" ___ ON WHY SHE TALKED TO HIM AFTER THAT: "I trusted him. I wasn't scared of someone making an advance at me or a pass at me. I trusted him and and wasn't scared of him in any way." ___ ON HER UNDERSTANDING OF HER RELATIONSHIP WITH COSBY: "He was a Temple friend. Somebody I trusted. A mentor. And somewhat of an older figure to me." ___ ON WHY SHE THOUGHT COSBY BEFRIENDED HER: "I think because I was new, I was a Canadian person in a new city, with a new job. I think it was just him maybe extending the invitation to meet new people in the community, I suppose. But I really don't know." ___ For more on Cosby, including trial updates, historical photos, videos and an audio series exploring the case, visit: http://www.apnews.com/tag/CosbyonTrial

– Bill Cosby's chief accuser said she shot down the actor's casual advances twice before she found herself paralyzed and unable to fight him off the night she took pills that he convinced her were safe herbal supplements, the AP reports. Andrea Constand, a former Temple University basketball administrator, emerged from 12 years of silence Tuesday to testify at Cosby's sexual assault trial. Constand, who returns to the witness stand Wednesday, described how her professional relationship with the Temple University trustee evolved into a friendship that she considered critical to the school's athletics department where she worked. She says Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her in 2004, but Cosby says their encounter was consensual. Highlights from her testimony Tuesday, per the AP: ON HOW COSBY'S PILLS AFFECTED HER: "I began to slur my words, and I also told Mr. Cosby that I had trouble seeing him, that I could see two of him, and my mouth was very cottony ... I said, 'I see two of you,' and I'm slurring my words. Mr. Cosby stood up, and I stood up because he said, 'You probably need to relax,' and when I stood up my legs were not strong, and I began to panic a little bit. Mr. Cosby grabbed, helped me by my arm and assisted me to a couch." ON WHAT SHE SAYS COSBY DID: "I was laying on my left side, and he placed some kind of pillow under my neck, and I don't really remember passing out. I have no recollection until some point later, I was jolted awake, and I felt Mr. Cosby's hand groping my breasts under my shirt, and I also felt his hand inside my vagina moving in and out, and I felt him take my hand and place it on his penis and move it back and forth." ON NOT BEING ABLE TO FIGHT COSBY OFF: "In my head I was trying to get my hands to move or my legs to move, but I was frozen, and those messages didn't get there and I was very limited. I wasn't able to fight in any way. I wanted it to stop." ON WHY SHE WAITED A YEAR, CONTACTED LAWYERS BEFORE GOING TO POLICE: "I felt that if I had gone to police, Mr. Cosby would retaliate and try to hurt me, that he would try to hurt me and my family in some way." Click for more, including why Constand continued to talk with Cosby even after an alleged previous sexual advance.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption The alleged corruption scheme was unveiled after a nationwide Federal Police investigation A mayor in Brazil is on the run after she was accused of siphoning off funds from the school system and running the town remotely through WhatsApp. Lidiane Leite, 25, lived a life of luxury in the capital of Maranhao state, prosecutors said. They say her only contact with her town, Bom Jardim, was through daily WhatsApp messages to her cabinet. An arrest warrant has been issued against her and her boyfriend, who served as her main adviser. Ms Leite's lawyer said she was not aware of any wrongdoing. 'Young and inexperienced' She was in her early 20s when Beto Rocha, her boyfriend, was banned from running for mayor in 2012 for alleged corruption. Ms Leite stepped in and was elected. She appointed Mr Rocha as her main adviser and went to live in the state capital, Sao Luis, 275km (170 miles) away. "She was too young and and inexperienced when she took office," said her lawyer, Carlos Barros. "She lacked confidence and delegated many tasks to Mr Rocha." Brazilian media say the couple ended their relationship earlier this year and Mr Rocha resigned shortly after. Ms Leite went on the run after her name was mentioned in a federal investigation on the misuse of state education funds. Operation Eden uncovered evidence that some $4m (£2.6m) in funds for Bom Jardim's schools went missing. The town's already precarious education system has now collapsed. Teachers are not being paid. An arrest warrant was issued on Thursday and a new mayor - Ms Leite's former deputy - was sworn in on Saturday promising to carry out a full investigation. A state judge said he would seek an international arrest warrant if she does not hand herself in by Tuesday. Maranhao, in north-eastern Brazil, is one of the country's poorest states. ||||| A mayor in Brazil has gone on the run after she was accused of stealing funds, and found to be running her town via WhatsApp - 150 miles away. Lidiane Leite, 25, boasted on social media about how she had embraced a luxurious lifestyle after becoming mayor of Bom Jardim - one of the poorest municipalities in Brazil. She was elected after her then-husband, Beto Rocha, was barred from running for mayor in 2012 for alleged corruption. "Before I was mayor I was poor, and had a Land Rover," she wrote on Instagram, according to Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo . "Now I'm in a Toyota SW4. I should have bought a better car, because thanks to God money is no longer a problem." The social media site was filled with images of her drinking champagne at parties, posing with her personal trainer, or frolicking on jet skis with her friends. "I can buy whatever I want, spend it how I like," she added. But it all came crashing down on Thursday, when an arrest warrant was issued as part of Operation Eden. Police found evidence that some $4 million (£2.6 million) in funds for Bom Jardim's schools went missing. The town's already precarious education system has now collapsed, and teachers are not being paid. Furthermore, she was said to have been living in Sao Luis, a coastal town in between Belem and Fortaleza in northern Brazil, and running her cabinet via WhatsApp. Miss Leite has not been seen since. The local newspaper, Maranhao da Gente, said: "The lawyers are saying the mayor of Bom Jardin could be arrested at any moment." Prefeita Lidiane Leite pode se entregar a qualquer momento http://t.co/uxbNUeesEh pic.twitter.com/DRNIC6botK — Maranhão da Gente (@maranhaodagente) August 25, 2015 "She was too young and and inexperienced when she took office," said her lawyer, Carlos Barros. "She lacked confidence and delegated many tasks to Mr Rocha." ||||| Publicidade A Prefeitura de Bom Jardim (a 275 km de São Luís) está com as atividades paralisadas desde a última quinta-feira (20), quando a prefeita Lidiane Leite (PP), investigada por suspeita de desviar recursos das escolas municipais, fugiu da cidade. Ela é conhecida por publicar nas redes sociais fotos nas quais aparece ostentando luxo. Na quinta-feira, foram presos Beto Rocha, marido da prefeita foragida e ex-secretário de Assuntos Políticos, e o também ex-secretário Antônio Cesarino, que havia sido afastado da pasta da Agricultura no ano passado após denúncias de corrupção. Segundo o vereador Marconi Mendes (PSB), a Câmara está impedida de avançar com um processo de impeachment por causa de uma liminar concedida pelo Tribunal de Justiça do Maranhão. "Não se sabe como será. Nada está sendo feito até que [um eventual afastamento] seja definido", diz o vereador. A prefeita já havia sido afastada em outras três ocasiões, duas delas por pedidos da Câmara Municipal: em abril de 2014, por improbidade administrativa, e em maio deste ano, pelos indícios de corrupção nas escolas de Bom Jardim. Nos dois casos, foi reconduzida ao cargo por meio de liminar em apenas 72 horas. O terceiro caso ocorreu em dezembro de 2014, quando a Justiça determinou o afastamento da prefeita por 180 dias por não cumprir decisão de outro processo do Ministério Público estadual, também relacionado à gestão dos recursos públicos na educação. Nas eleições de 2012, o marido de Lidiane era candidato a prefeito de Bom Jardim pelo PMN. Sua candidatura foi indeferida pelo TSE (Tribunal Superior Eleitoral) com base da Lei da Ficha Limpa e, 24 horas antes da votação, ela assumiu a vaga do então namorado e venceu a eleição. Como prefeita, Lidiane compartilhava fotos na rede social Instagram em que aparecia em selfies segurando taças de champagne em micaretas, posando com um personal trainer ou com amigos em um jet ski. Em uma postagem, diz a uma seguidora: "Antes de ser prefeita eu era pobre, tinha uma Land Rover. Agora estou numa SW4 [automóvel cujo modelo mais simples tem preço de tabela a partir de R$ 130 mil]. Devia era comprar um carro mais luxuoso porque graças a Deus o dinheiro está sobrando". Para a mesma seguidora, ainda afirmou: "Eu compro o que eu quiser, gasto sim como eu quero. Não estão nem aí para o que acham. Beijinho no ombro para os recalcados". Segundo dados do IBGE (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística), a renda média domiciliar per capita é de R$ 193,77 em Bom Jardim, um dos 30 municípios com os piores índices de IDH (Índice de Desenvolvimento Humano) no Maranhão. INVESTIGAÇÃO A investigação sobre desvios de recursos está sendo conduzida pelo Ministério Público Federal e pelo Gaeco (Grupo de Atuação Especial de Combate às Organizações Criminosas), do Ministério Público maranhense. A gestora é acusada de desviar recursos do Fundeb (Fundo de Manutenção e Desenvolvimento da Educação Básica e de Valorização dos Profissionais da Educação), do Pnae (Programa Nacional de Alimentação Escolar), da reforma das escolas e das refeições destinadas aos estudantes. Segundo Danilo Mohana, advogado do município de Bom Jardim, o casal ainda não tem advogados constituídos. A vice-prefeita, Malrinete Galhada (PPS), afirmou que a questão está sendo conduzida pela Câmara Municipal e que não iria comentar o caso. "Estamos todos aguardando uma posição da Justiça." A reportagem não conseguiu contato com a defesa do ex-secretário da Agricultura Antônio Cesarino.

– While people in the Brazilian town of Bom Jardim were facing daily economic struggles and teachers stopped getting their paychecks, prosecutors say Mayor Lidiane Leite was partying it up in the Maranhao state capital—and running the town under her charge from 170 miles away via WhatsApp, the BBC reports. After Leite's name was linked to misappropriation of $4 million from the Bom Jardim school system in a sting labeled Operation Eden, the 25-year-old took off for Sao Luis, prompting an arrest warrant to be issued last week for both herself and Beto Rocha, her former adviser and variously reported as her ex-boyfriend or ex-husband. The Telegraph notes that Leite would post pictures on social media from her hideout—including photos of her sipping champagne and hanging out with her personal trainer—boasting of her newfound fortune. "Before I was mayor I was poor, and had a Land Rover," she reportedly posted on Instagram, per a local newspaper. "Now I'm in a Toyota SW4. … Thanks to God money is no longer a problem. I can buy whatever I want, spend it how I like." It was actually Rocha who originally wanted the mayorship of the town in Maranhao—said to be one of the poorest states in Brazil—when it was up for grabs in 2012, but he was banned from running due to corruption suspicions. He's the one Leite's lawyer says really ran the show. "She was too young and inexperienced when she took office," the attorney says, per the BBC. "She lacked confidence and delegated many tasks to Mr. Rocha." While Brazilian authorities try to track down both Leite and Rocha, Leite's former deputy was sworn in as mayor over the weekend, the broadcaster adds. (Another group that lives in a "fantasy world" of luxuries and perks: Illinois college presidents.)

DENVER - A Denver mother's video on Facebook is going viral after she shamed her 13-year-old daughter for posting racy pictures and saying she was 19 years old. "You're 13," the mother, Valerie Starks, says to the girl. "So why does your Facebook page say that your 19? Are you 19?" The girl, whose face has been blurred in the video, says, "No." "You've got a Facebook page and you're on there with your bra on, right?" Starks asks the girl. "Is that what you do?" When the girl starts crying, Starks continues, "Don't cry now. You wasn't crying when you was posting pictures on Facebook, was you? In a bra? Some little girl in some lace panties that you know you don't own. You still wear panties that say Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday." Starks told 7NEWS she was floored when she found her daughter's racy Facebook profile and the grown men she was connected with. "She's had issues with Facebook in the past, at least four times in the past," Starks said. "She spent half of last summer on punishment after being on Facebook, and it wasn't even half as bad." Starks said she explained to her daughter why she posted the video, which has now been viewed more than 10 million times. "I said, 'I did this because I love you not because I really wanted to embarrass you,'" she said. "I wanted to make a statement and a stand for all parents that this is not going to be tolerated." Most of the people who have commented on the video have supported Starks. Karen Hall-Inglese wrote on Starks' Facebook page, "Now that's how you parent!! From one Mom to another good job!!" Valeri Jones wrote on Facebook, "You're a good mom, Val. One day, she will understand and appreciate you." But others have been critical, asking whether humiliating a child is good parenting. Starks said she's glad the video has sparked conversation. "Negative or not, maybe it made them think," Starks said. As for her daughter, she says the girl has learned her lesson. "She's not mad at me. Her friends are not bullying her at school, and she's OK," Starks said. "Next time she thinks about Facebook, she's going to remember this day." Watch the video here. (The story continues after the video player.) ATTN ALL PARENTS PLEASE WATCH WHAT HAPPENS TO A GROWN ASS 13 YEAR OLD... MY CHILD Posted by Val HairLyfe Starks on Sunday, May 17, 2015 ATTN ALL PARENTS PLEASE WATCH WHAT HAPPENS TO A GROWN ASS 13 YEAR OLD... MY CHILD Posted by Val HairLyfe Starks on Sunday, May 17, 2015 In the video, Starks included a message for the men on her daughter's Facebook page: "She's a kid and she's going to stay a kid. And as long as she's under my roof, she's going to do what I say." The video lasts 5 minutes and 40 seconds. Starks posted a second video on Monday thanking the people who supported her. "I just wanted to say the word of the day is overwhelmed," Starks says. "I am truly overwhelmed with gratitude, I thank each and every one of you. I have over 5,000 friends now. Facebook won't let me accept any more." She said she appreciates everyone calling her a great mom. "It was really hard for me to do, but I didn't want to be another parent on Facebook putting out a video where I beat my child or anything like that," Starks said. "I wanted it to be something that showed from one mother to another mother, to the fathers out there struggling trying to raise a child or a teenage child, just to get them to be aware and to understand how serious it is and how important it is to be aware of what your child is doing at all times. "Don't trust nothing they say," Starks said. "They lie, they're going to be sneaky. I was the one parent who would say, 'My daughter is not going to do that.'" "Don't ever say what you won't do, or what your child won't do, because you don't know until it happens to you," Starks added. Since posting the video, Starks says her Facebook page has maxed out. "I have over 5,000 friends now," Starks said. "Facebook won't let me accept any more." See Starks Facebook page. More memorable stories: ||||| To help personalize content, tailor and measure ads, and provide a safer experience, we use cookies. By clicking or navigating the site, you agree to allow our collection of information on and off Facebook through cookies. Learn more, including about available controls: Cookies Policy ||||| Video of a mother shaming her 13-year-old daughter for having a hidden Facebook account has gone viral. Val Starks found out that her daughter had a secret Facebook account on which she said she was 19 years old and used a photo of herself in a bra as her profile image. She confronted her daughter about the account and the adult men who had asked to be her friend, bringing up the dangers of Internet predators. "I just told her how disappointed I was in her and there's no reason for her to want that kind of attention," Starks told ABC News. The Denver mom went on to give her daughter the choice of being spanked or making a video that she would post to Facebook. "She said she'd rather have a whoopin', so I chose the latter," Starks said. In the video made as a result, which runs more than five minutes, Starks is seen loudly confronting her daughter, making her repeat her real age to the camera. Starks notes that her daughter does not have lingerie, still watches children's shows and has a bedtime, among other assertions. The daughter starts crying in the middle of the video, and tried to get out of going to school on Monday, the day after the video was posted, Starks said. Starks added that she is shocked by how quickly the video has spread and how much support she has received from parents worldwide. In three days, the video has been viewed more than 10 million times. Starks' popularity has gone up as well, jumping from having only 45 Facebook friends to more than 5,000 requests two days later. After the surge, Facebook suspended her account temporarily and stopped her from adding any more friends. In a second video that Starks, a cosmetology student, posted Monday to thank supporters, she said that she is a convicted felon who cannot get a job because of her record. She told ABC News that she spent nearly eight months in jail after being convicted for complicity to traffic marijuana. She said she told her daughter, "I'm an adult who made a bad decision and I had to suffer the consequences, and I'm still suffering the consequences. And you're a kid who made a bad decision and there are consequences to that." Starks said she first got the idea of posting a shaming video to Facebook when her daughter "got in a little trouble" with the social media site last year when she was "messaging too many boys." Facebook's user agreement states that users must have their real names on the account and not be under 13. While there have been thousands of messages of support for Starks, she said that she has also gotten comments from people who believe she went too far. To her critics, Starks said, "It was coming from a place of love." "Anybody could have coerced her into meeting her in a park, and she would have thought it was a 13-year-old boy but it [could have been] a grown man who wants to do bodily harm -- and the coroners could have been coming to my house," Starks told ABC News. "I would rather embarrass her and done this than to go to a morgue and verify my child's body." ||||| A mom stands on the sidewalk, berating her 13-year-old daughter for pretending to be an older teenager and making suggestive posts on Facebook. The girl fidgets and sniffles. "You've got a Facebook page, and you're on there with your bra on, right? Is that what you do?" Valerie Starks asks as the girl begins to cry. "Don't cry now. You wasn't crying when you was posting pictures on Facebook, was you? In a bra?" the mother continues. "Some little girl in some lace panties that you know you don't own. You still wear panties that say Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday." ATTN ALL PARENTS PLEASE WATCH WHAT HAPPENS TO A GROWN ASS 13 YEAR OLD... MY CHILD The video, posted Sunday, has drawn more than 11 million views and thousands of comments, many praising Starks as a tough-love parent. "We need more Moms like you. Good job taking care of your kid," Facebook user Rhonda Snow wrote on Starks' Facebook page. But other commenters, and some parenting experts, are aghast at what they said was little more than cyberbullying. While Starks clearly has the best of intentions and obviously loves her daughter, McCready said, the tactic isn't an effective way to get kids to open up and tell the truth about what's happening in their lives. "If kids fear that they are going to be publicly humiliated, guess what, they are going to get really good at hiding the truth," said McCready, of Raleigh, North Carolina. Starks told CNN affiliate KMGH that she explained the reasons for the video to her daughter. "I said, 'I did this because I love you, not because I really wanted to embarrass you,' " she said. "I wanted to make a statement and a stand for all parents that this is not going to be tolerated." JUST WATCHED Mom shames daughter for posing as a 'freak' on Facebook Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Mom shames daughter for posing as a 'freak' on Facebook 03:00 In another video posted Monday, Starks said she has been overwhelmed with support. She's reached Facebook's limit of 5,000 friends because of the video, she said. She also said she's made mistakes in her life that she doesn't want her daughter to repeat. Starks says she's a convicted felon "for being around the wrong people who had marijuana" and doesn't have a job but is renting a room from her brother and going to night school to try to improve her situation. She said critics need to understand that she's trying to do the best she can for her daughter. "I'm not her friend. I am my own village, and I am trying my best with this little girl. And she's going to understand and respect me for it later," she said. "The streets won't raise her; the schools won't raise her; the system won't raise her. I will raise her if it kills me," she said. But McCready said that publicly shaming her daughter may have frayed bonds of trust that could be difficult to repair. McCready's advice for parents in similar situations: Don't back down from being tough with your kids, because they need that discipline when they make big mistakes. But, she says, do it in a way that ensures that the child knows you'll "have their back no matter what." That means reining in privileges and reinforcing obligations while using the child's mistake as an opportunity to explore why it happened and what parent and child can do together to prevent a repeat -- not embarrassing them publicly, she said. "No one feels inspired when they are humiliated," she said. Starks said she posted the video to emphasize to other parents "how important it is to be aware of what your child is doing at all times. Don't trust nothing they say. They lie. They're going to be sneaky. Don't ever say ... what your child won't do. Because you never know until it happens to you."

– Baltimore's "Mom of the Year" might have competition. A video showing a Denver mom lecturing her 13-year-old daughter about a secret Facebook page has gone viral, nabbing the young girl plenty of attention, but probably not the kind she wanted. Val Starks, 31, says she uncovered the secret account—featuring her daughter in a bra as the profile picture and stating that the girl was 19—and began warning her about the dangers of online predators; several adult males were among her daughter's Facebook friends. Starks tells ABC News she expressed her disappointment and then gave her daughter a choice: endure a spanking or make a video and post it to her Facebook page. "She said she'd rather have a whoopin', so I chose the latter," Starks says. In the five-minute, 40-second video, Starks makes her daughter repeat various statements, including her real age and the fact that she doesn't own "lace panties" and still watches the Disney Channel. Starks is pretty relentless with her questioning, and the girl breaks down in tears: "Are you a freak? Does your Facebook page say you're a freak? Do you even know anything about being a freak?" In a second video, Starks says she told her daughter there are consequences to every bad decision, including Starks' own; she says she was jailed for eight months in connection with a marijuana offense and that's made it tough to find a job. The original video has been viewed more than 11 million times and Starks says she has been flooded with messages of support. But others say her actions look a lot like bullying, and a parenting expert tells CNN humiliation is not the answer. But as Starks puts it, "I'm not her friend. I am my own village, and I am trying my best with this little girl." She tells KMGH her daughter isn't being bullied at school over the video. (And on the opposite end of the spectrum: these Florida parents.)

Brutally cold weather has iced plans for scores of events in the Northeast from New Year's Eve through New Year's Day. But the show will go on in New York City, where people will start gathering in Times Square up to nine hours before the famous ball drop. Authorities are warning revelers to dress in layers, cover exposed skin, lay off the booze and bring some hand warmers. They say it could be one of the coldest New Year's Eve ball drops on record. The coldest New Year's Eve in Times Square was in 1917, when it was 1 degree at midnight. This year, the forecast is for 11 degrees with a wind chill around zero, which would tie for second with 1962. Extra New York Fire Department personnel are going to be on hand to provide medical support. Meanwhile, frigid conditions in Boston are taking their toll on the nation's fifth-largest transit system. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has spent heavily to winterize what's known as the "T'' since it was crippled by record-breaking snowfall in 2015. But the agency reported "severe delays" on one of its lines Friday, citing a broken piece of track and a disabled train among other problems. Keolis Boston operates the commuter rail system for the MBTA and reported delays on several of its lines. A company spokesman says crews worked through the night to repair cracked rails and broken switches ahead of the morning commute, but he says it's not always enough to deal with the extreme conditions. Commuters were advised to dress in layers to stay warm while waiting on platforms. Across the U.S., the toll from record-breaking snowfalls and temperatures across the U.S. is starting to pile up. Bitter temperatures and snow squalls have been blamed for a handful of deaths. Already winter-weary parts of the nation are dealing with a mounting number of weather-related headaches, from highway pileups to frozen pipes and a rash of car thefts. Police in the Cincinnati area said a half-dozen cars have been stolen in recent days after being left running unattended by owners trying to warm them up. In Erie, Pennsylvania, a five-foot snowfall is now frozen in place, with residents marooned underneath it. Homeless shelters in Chicago were jammed with people like Lee Lane. Imagine a person without this," Lane said. "I can't even imagine that. You would pretty much die in the street. You would freeze to death." Along Cape Cod, three thresher sharks have washed up frozen since Wednesday. In Boston, Mayor Martin Walsh warned this weekend will be arctic. "The only thing I know to guarantee is the ice sculptures will not melt for the next three days," Walsh said. ||||| CLOSE Over Christmas weekend, Erie Pennsylvania received record breaking snowfall, and it looks like another holiday storm is already on its way. Veuer's Sam Berman has the full story. Buzz60 Workers unload the numerals 1 and 8 as they arrive in Times Square ahead of the New Year's Eve celebration. (Photo: Drew Angerer, Getty Images) It's going to be a frigid fest in Times Square this year. With temperatures forecast for 11 degrees at midnight in the heart of New York's New Year's Eve celebrations, partygoers may have to weather the second-chilliest ball drop on record. To get you ready for staying warm for the New Year's bash, USA TODAY got a few tips from the party's planners, emergency management officials and extreme weather legend Al Roker of NBC's Today show. Here's your guide to staying warm in Times Square this New Year's Eve: What should I wear? Layers, layers, layers. "Folks should start with a base layer of long underwear of merino wool and then use a number of lighter layers, finishing with a good warm coat," Roker said. More: New Year's Eve revelers: Get ready for one polar party For your hands, Roker suggests insulated mittens, not gloves. Your fingers will stay warmer when they're not separated by fabric. "And warm, insulating socks with a great boot like a Sorel are a must. If your feet get cold, all is lost," Roker added. Try not to have any skin exposed to the cold air, said Herman Schaffer, assistant commissioner for community outreach at NYC Emergency Management. Consider synthetics, too — like Gor-Tex and polypropylene jackets — as well as wind-and water-resistant clothing, the Times Square Alliance, which co-coordinates the New Year's Eve bash, recommends. Bundling up in layers and staying dry is one of the best things you can do to stay safe this winter. https://t.co/t18DZLimyl#WinterSafetypic.twitter.com/FlZF787JPm — NOAA (@NOAA) December 28, 2017 What should I bring (other than warm clothes)? Backpacks and other large bags won't get through security, according to the Times Square Alliance, so make sure you pack smart. A portable phone charger can't hurt, either. More: Arctic blast over much of nation is a holiday guest not leaving soon Schaffer also recommends bringing extra hand and foot warmers. "If you don't use them, someone else will appreciate them." What about booze? Won't that warm me up? Don't even think about it. Not only is it illegal to drink in the street, but it also could be dangerous. "The booze may go down all warm and tingly," Roker said. But "it dilates your blood vessels and brings your blood closer to the skin surface and all that frigid air, making you feel colder." So save the bubbly for when you make it home. What if the cold gets serious? Even if the forecast doesn't look too daunting, Schaffer warned that hypothermia and frostbite could be serious concerns. AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Paul Walker predicts it will feel up to minus 10 degrees at midnight in Times Square with winds reaching 20 mph. If you notice yourself or your friend shivering, slurring speech or feeling low energy, it may be time to go inside. Schaffer said you may notice your muscles freezing up as the first sign of hypothermia. The symptoms often start gradually, according to the Mayo Clinic, so it could be hard to tell if someone is at risk. Some also experience confusion, which can exacerbate the problem. Emergency medical staff will be all around Times Square, Schaffer said, so don't hesitate to seek care if you think you may be at risk. "It's not something (you) should be playing around with," Schaffer said. "As much fun as it is to see the ball drop, you need to take care of yourself first." How long will I have to wait outside? Most partygoers will have to wait outside for hours before the drop as the Times Square Alliance is expecting one million people this year. Schaffer said most tourists and first-time partygoers don't expect the wait to last as long as it does each year. "It's going to take you some time to get to a warm spot." The Times Square Alliance recommends arriving early in the afternoon for the best view, but knowing the perfect time to show up is impossible. Police will close nearby streets off at 3 p.m., and if you arrive before they barricade off viewing areas, they may ask you to move. Some shops and restaurants nearby may be open, but it'll be up to each location to decide, the Times Square Alliance said. And don't bank on getting your spot back if you have to peel off. Contributing: John Bacon Follow Ryan Miller on Twitter @RyanW_Miller. Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE N.C. officials urge people to stay home | 0:46 Even after the storm blew off shore, North Carolina officials urged people to stay home while crews worked on roads made treacherous by the storm. (Jan. 18) AP 1 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Thawing ice spells trouble after U.S. deep freeze | 1:18 Warmer weather is causing new problems in the US. Ice fell off tall buildings in Houston. Thawing pipes are leaking in Louisiana, leading to water conservation and boil advisories. Maine residents worry that frozen rivers may thaw and flood. (Jan. 19) AP 2 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Raw: Deep snow, power outages in North Carolina | 0:55 North Carolina is dealing with up to 10 inches of snow and thousands of power outages after Wednesday's storm. Montgomery, Alabama firefighters contended with the frigid weather as they battled a fast food restaurant blaze early Wednesday. (Jan. 18) AP 3 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Frigid air brings snow and ice to the South | 1:09 The frigid air that brought snow and ice to the South has ushered in record-breaking low temperatures for New Orleans, Louisiana, as well as other cities in the South. (Jan. 17) AP 4 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE South Slammed Again with Arctic Mix | 1:30 The South awoke Wednesday to another Arctic mess. First came a thin blanket of snow and ice, and then below-zero wind chills from Atlanta to New Orleans. (Jan. 17) AP 5 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Hundreds of flights delayed, canceled because of Atlanta snow | 1:13 Despite the cancellations, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport says "we're remaining efficient." USA TODAY 6 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Frigid cold following snow to southern states | 1:05 The South awoke on Wednesday to a two-part Arctic mess. First came a thin blanket of snow and ice, and then came the below-zero wind chills. Dangerous, icy roads are reported from Texas and Louisana east to Georgia and North Carolina. (Jan. 17) AP 7 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Ice covering areas of northern New England | 0:56 The National Weather Service says rivers dropped back below flood stage in northern New England, after heavy rain and ice jams covered large areas with ice over the weekend. The region could get seven inches of snow by Wednesday. (Jan. 16) AP 8 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Raw: Ice jams cause Conn. town to evacuate | 0:53 Flooding is reported on several swollen Connecticut rivers, causing problems around the state. In Kent, ice jams on the Housatonic River prompted the private boarding school the Kent School to send more than 500 students home. (Jan. 15) AP 9 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Winter storm Hunter threatening most of U.S. with blizzards and ice | 1:06 It's expected to hit an area from Washington State to Mississippi and the Northeast Time 10 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE 5 ways to improve your Winter mood | 1:00 Beat those cold weather blues. Buzz60 11 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Another big snowstorm is coming for the U.S. this week | 1:05 Now it’s the Midwest’s turn for extreme winter weather. Time 12 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Hypothermic sea turtles rescued during cold snap | 1:34 Protected sea turtles across the South Texas coast are being paralyzed by the sudden cold weather. Texas Parks & Wildlife officials have rescued hundreds of turtles. Animalkind 13 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Frozen floodwaters form street of solid ice near Boston | 0:41 That's not just snow. Floodwaters froze over and trapped cars as the "bomb cyclone" pushed through Revere, Massachusetts. USA TODAY 14 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Coastal Mass. Town Reels from Winter Flooding | 1:04 Residents in the coastal community of Scituate, Massachusetts spent the day cleaning up after suffering from major flooding as a result of Thursday's fierce winter storm. (Jan. 5) AP 15 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Raw: Historic coastal floods swamp New England | 0:59 People in coastal areas of New England are cleaning up from massive floods that covered streets from Massachusetts to Maine as a gigantic winter storm pushed through the area. AP 16 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE When it's cold out dating apps heat up | 0:55 The New Year brings new opportunities for love and dating app users are logging in more often in January. Tony Spitz has the details. Buzz60 17 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE New England Battles Frigid Temps After Storm | 1:29 Frigid temperatures, some that could feel as cold as minus 30 degrees, moved across the East Coast on Friday as the region attempted to clean up from a massive winter storm. (Jan. 5) AP 18 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Bitter Cold Strikes NY Region | 0:58 Bitter cold air sweeping across the New York region is slowing the process of digging out from Thursday's major snowstorm that blanketed the region. (Jan. 5) AP 19 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Cars trapped in water, roads submerged in Boston | 0:50 A 'bomb cyclone' sweeping the Northeast triggered flooding in Boston and unprecedented high tides along the Massachusetts coast. USA TODAY 20 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE East coast storm grounds nearly 5,000 flights | 1:19 The flight-tracking site FlightAware reports nearly 5,000 canceled flights across the U.S. due to the massive winter storm, disrupting travel nationwide. That includes over two-thirds of flights in and out of New York City and Boston airports. (Jan. 5) AP 21 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE 'Bomb cyclone' slams East Coast | 0:38 Old Man Winter's first big breath brought similar snowy scenes all along the East Coast. Meteorologists say the strengthening storm has already surpassed the criteria for a "bomb cyclone." USA TODAY 22 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Monster storm hits East Coast, record cold next | 1:37 A massive winter storm roared up the East Coast on Thursday, threatening to dump as much as 18 inches of snow from the Carolinas to Maine, unleashing hurricane-force winds and damaging flooding. (Jan. 4) AP 23 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Cape May ferry travels through extreme, icy conditions | 0:40 The Cape May Lewes Ferry cruised through icy waters as the Northeast battles a violent "bomb cyclone" that could produce blizzard conditions. The 17-mile journey ended in Lewes, Delaware. USA TODAY 24 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Bomb cyclone fails to impress New Yorkers | 0:46 While New York Mayor Bill de Blasio told New Yorkers to stay off the roads, many braved the storm to get to work, or like Caylee Betts, just to see what all the chatter was about. (Jan. 4) AP 25 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE South revels in rare snow as north gets hit hard | 2:12 A brutal winter storm smacked the U.S. coast Wednesday. Savannah, Georgia saw their heaviest snowfall in three decades, Virginia Beach saw snow instead of the usual rain, and Philadelphia's streets are covered as the storm brews on. (Jan. 4) AP 26 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Navigating the storm in Times Square | 2:19 A massive winter storm roared into the East Coast on Thursday, dumping as much as 18 inches of snow from the Carolinas to Maine. In New York City, visitors and workers in Times Square were taking it all in stride. (Jan. 4) AP 27 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE 'Bomb cyclone' winter storm hits the East Coast | 0:40 High winds and snow usher in the first major winter storm of 2018. Brrrr! USA TODAY 28 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE What is a 'bomb cyclone'? | 0:44 Whether you call it a "snow hurricane" or "bombogenesis", this storm packs a punch worthy of its namesake. USA TODAY 29 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Cities prepare for brutal cold, major snowstorms | 2:01 Cities across the U.S. are bracing for extreme cold weather and major snowstorms. (Jan. 3) AP 30 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Winter storm shows some their first-ever snow | 1:44 A winter storm smacked the coastal Southeast with rare snow and ice Wednesday. Savannah, Georgia had their heaviest snowfall in nearly three decades. Forecasters warned that the same system could soon strengthen as it rolls up the East Coast. (Jan. 3) AP 31 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Niagara Falls partially frozen over in North American cold snap | 0:47 Niagara Falls partially frozen over in North American cold snap Video provided by AFP Newslook 32 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Raw: Gigantic winter storm reaches Times Square | 0:54 The massive winter storm that's moved up the eastern seaboard is dropping snow in New York's Times Square on Thursday. The storm has canceled flights, shuttered schools and businesses and sparked fears of coastal flooding and power outages. (Jan. 4) AP 33 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Brutal winter storm marching up the coast | 0:48 A brutal winter storm is smacking Southern cities such as Savannah and Charleston with a rare blast of snow and sleet. Forecasters warn that the same system could soon strengthen into a "bomb cyclone" as it rolls up the East Coast. (Jan. 3) AP 34 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Big winter storm reaches Mid-Alantic states | 0:45 The winter storm moving up the east coast reached the Mid-Atlantic states, dropping snow in coastal areas of Maryland and Delaware. It made roads dangerous in North Carolina and could drop over 8 inches of snow on the Boston area on Thursday. (Jan. 4) AP 35 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Raw: Massive storm pours snow on New Jersey | 0:57 Snow fell and piled up quickly before dawn in Long Branch on the New Jersey coastline on Thursday. A massive winter storm is moving up the U.S. Atlantic coast towards New York City and New England. It could drop 14 inches of snow on Boston. AP 36 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE 5 ways to keep your house warm during the cold weather | 2:03 Much of the U.S. celebrated the beginning of 2018 in the grip of record-breaking cold temperatures Time 37 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Snow freezes S.D. waterfall, surprises Florida | 1:01 A brutal winter storm dumped snow, sleet and freezing rain from normally balmy Florida up the Southeast seaboard Wednesday, delivering a white coating that some cities hadn't seen in decades. (Jan. 3) AP 38 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Disney, Universal Studios & SeaWorld close parks for cold weather | 0:52 Disney World, Universal Studios and SeaWorld have closed their water parks in Orlando, Fla. due to cold weather. Buzz60 39 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Leaking pipe creates incredible frozen waterfall | 0:25 Water from the leaking pipe froze over and covered the side of an abandoned building in China with a 30 feet of ice. USA TODAY 40 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Floridians revel in rare snow | 0:50 Sunshine State residents savored every snowflake during an unusual winter storm in Tallahassee, Florida. USA TODAY 41 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Monster 'bomb cyclone' forecast to move up East Coast | 1:40 Meteorologists say a monster storm called a "snow hurricane" or "bomb cyclone" is expected to bring wintry weather to Florida and Georgia on Wednesday. Forecasters expect it to make the East Coast even colder and drop heavy snow on New England. AP 42 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Big storm brings winter to Florida, Georgia | 0:53 Media reports from Jacksonville, Florida say frozen precipitation is already falling from a massive winter storm that's expected to move north. Jacksonville could get sleet and possibly snow. Blizzard conditions could reach New England by Friday. AP 43 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Alaska basks in warm temps as nation shivers | 0:50 A large swath of the U.S. is freezing under Alaska-like weather, but parts of the nation's northernmost state itself are basking in balmy conditions. Tuesday's official temperature tied a record 44 degrees in Anchorage. (Jan. 2) AP 44 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Bone-chilling cold shatters longtime U.S. records | 1:23 Bone-chilling cold gripped much of the U.S. as 2018 began, breaking century-old records and leading to several deaths that authorities attributed to exposure to the dangerously low temperatures. (Jan. 2) AP 45 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE 2018 is shaping up to be a cold winter | 1:09 These cities have already seen record-cold temps. Time 46 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Watch: Bubble crystallizes in frigid weather | 0:19 During cold weather, bubbles will become frozen after a few seconds. The Green Bay area is under a wind chill advisory until noon Jan. 2, 2018. Sarah Kloepping/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin 47 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Raw: Frigid temps, icy roads blanket much of U.S. | 1:18 From north to south, cold weather is affecting much of the United States. Niagara Falls is covered in snow, parts of Texas near Houston battle dangerous icy roads, and Hollywood, Florida deals with strong winds and colder-than-usual temperatures. (Jan. 2) AP 48 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Lakes turn to ice, and people still jump in | 0:51 While ice and snow are pretty to look at, they can be dangerous. We do not recommend jumping into anything frozen. USA TODAY 49 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Survive the cold with these winter wardrobe hacks | 0:45 Cold weather worries be gone. Buzz60 50 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Hundreds enjoy Coney Island Polar Bear plunge | 1:03 An annual Coney Island tradition, the Polar Bear Club plunge, took place as scheduled Monday, despite a forecast high of only 19 degrees. Hundreds start off the new year at the famed beach by jumping into the Atlantic Ocean. They've never canceled because of the cold. (Jan. 1) AP 51 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Raw: Ice forms on Duluth Harbor in extreme cold | 0:42 Ice can be seen forming on Lake Superior around Duluth Harbor in Minnesota. The wind chill was 36 below zero there on Monday. WDIO-TV reports that more ships than usual are in the harbor because the cold slows down some cargo loading equipment. (Jan. 2) AP 52 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Thousands brave cold at Philly's Folk Parade | 0:39 Thousands of marchers have braved bone-chilling temperatures and wind chills to take part in Philadelphia's annual Mummers Parade, the oldest continuous folk parade in the country. (Jan. 1) AP 53 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Raw: Extreme cold temperatures in much of U.S. | 0:56 Chunks of ice floated down the Mississippi River and fountains froze in Texarkana, Arkansas as wind chill advisories stretched South Texas to Canada and from Montana and Wyoming through New England. (Jan. 2) AP 54 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE 2017's year-end arctic blast has turned deadly | 0:44 2017's year-end arctic blast has turned deadly. Both a man and a dog have frozen to death in Ohio. USA TODAY 55 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Very cold New York Times Square ball drop | 1:13 Throngs of revelers ushered in 2018 in New York's frigid Times Square as the glittering crystal ball dropped. The temperature was only 10 degrees in New York City at midnight. It was the second-coldest ball drop on record. Only 1917 was colder. (Jan. 1) AP 56 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Science says climate change is real despite cold spells | 1:30 The critics are loud, but weather experts still say sub-freezing temperatures do not discredit global warming theories. USA TODAY 57 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Watch what happens to boiling water in the freezing cold | 0:16 Temperatures at the Mount Washington Observatory are -31 degrees. That's cold enough to turn boiling water to ice, instantly! USA TODAY 58 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Bundle up! Here's what extreme cold does to your body | 0:56 An Arctic Blast has the U.S. in the deep freeze, but what does it really mean when your body starts to shiver? Tony Spitz has the details. Buzz60 59 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE These are the coldest cities in the U.S. | 1:12 Using data from NOAA, these are the five coldest cities in the United States. Buzz60 60 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Meteorologists predict very cold storms for New Years | 0:39 Over Christmas weekend, Erie Pennsylvania received record breaking snowfall, and it looks like another holiday storm is already on its way. Veuer's Sam Berman has the full story. Buzz60 61 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Raw: Extreme cold in northern New England | 0:50 Extreme cold temperatures spread from the Midwest to Northern New England, with record lows reported in Maine and New Hampshire on Thursday. (Dec. 29) AP 62 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Raw: Erie, Pennsylvania snowfall over 65 inches | 0:55 People in Erie, Pennsylvania, continue to dig out from a storm that brought more than 65 inches of snow in just a few days. Strong winds blew the snow in from Lake Erie. (Dec. 28) AP 63 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Michigan man skis behind Amish horse and buggy | 0:21 He's making us feel a little guilty for complaining about our icy commutes. USA TODAY 64 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Warm weather winter getaways | 2:27 Looking for a holiday in the sun? Here are some tips on getting the most out of your tropical vacation. USA TODAY 65 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE U.S. deep freeze expected to stretch into New Year | 1:07 Forecasters say the freezing temperatures in the northern U.S. could stretch into the new year. They are warning about hypothermia and frostbite. People who work outdoors in Burlington, Vermont have some ideas about dealing with the cold. (Dec. 28) AP 66 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Raw: Extreme cold in northern Minnesota | 0:47 The National Weather Service says International Falls, Minnesota, known as the "Nation's Icebox," set a record low temperature of 37 degrees below zero on Wednesday. Hibbing, Minnesota was 28 below. More ice formed along Lake Superior in Duluth. (Dec. 28) AP 67 of 68 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE This cold snap poses far greater health risks than just the flu | 0:54 Doctors say that cold weather could be far more deadly than you think. Tony Spitz has the details. Buzz60 68 of 68 Last VideoNext Video N.C. officials urge people to stay home Thawing ice spells trouble after U.S. deep freeze Raw: Deep snow, power outages in North Carolina Frigid air brings snow and ice to the South South Slammed Again with Arctic Mix Hundreds of flights delayed, canceled because of Atlanta snow Frigid cold following snow to southern states Ice covering areas of northern New England Raw: Ice jams cause Conn. town to evacuate Winter storm Hunter threatening most of U.S. with blizzards and ice 5 ways to improve your Winter mood Another big snowstorm is coming for the U.S. this week Hypothermic sea turtles rescued during cold snap Frozen floodwaters form street of solid ice near Boston Coastal Mass. Town Reels from Winter Flooding Raw: Historic coastal floods swamp New England When it's cold out dating apps heat up New England Battles Frigid Temps After Storm Bitter Cold Strikes NY Region Cars trapped in water, roads submerged in Boston East coast storm grounds nearly 5,000 flights 'Bomb cyclone' slams East Coast Monster storm hits East Coast, record cold next Cape May ferry travels through extreme, icy conditions Bomb cyclone fails to impress New Yorkers South revels in rare snow as north gets hit hard Navigating the storm in Times Square 'Bomb cyclone' winter storm hits the East Coast What is a 'bomb cyclone'? Cities prepare for brutal cold, major snowstorms Winter storm shows some their first-ever snow Niagara Falls partially frozen over in North American cold snap Raw: Gigantic winter storm reaches Times Square Brutal winter storm marching up the coast Big winter storm reaches Mid-Alantic states Raw: Massive storm pours snow on New Jersey 5 ways to keep your house warm during the cold weather Snow freezes S.D. waterfall, surprises Florida Disney, Universal Studios & SeaWorld close parks for cold weather Leaking pipe creates incredible frozen waterfall Floridians revel in rare snow Monster 'bomb cyclone' forecast to move up East Coast Big storm brings winter to Florida, Georgia Alaska basks in warm temps as nation shivers Bone-chilling cold shatters longtime U.S. records 2018 is shaping up to be a cold winter Watch: Bubble crystallizes in frigid weather Raw: Frigid temps, icy roads blanket much of U.S. Lakes turn to ice, and people still jump in Survive the cold with these winter wardrobe hacks Hundreds enjoy Coney Island Polar Bear plunge Raw: Ice forms on Duluth Harbor in extreme cold Thousands brave cold at Philly's Folk Parade Raw: Extreme cold temperatures in much of U.S. 2017's year-end arctic blast has turned deadly Very cold New York Times Square ball drop Science says climate change is real despite cold spells Watch what happens to boiling water in the freezing cold Bundle up! Here's what extreme cold does to your body These are the coldest cities in the U.S. Meteorologists predict very cold storms for New Years Raw: Extreme cold in northern New England Raw: Erie, Pennsylvania snowfall over 65 inches Michigan man skis behind Amish horse and buggy Warm weather winter getaways U.S. deep freeze expected to stretch into New Year Raw: Extreme cold in northern Minnesota This cold snap poses far greater health risks than just the flu Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2BV4v6Y

– The 1 million revelers expected to flood Times Square on Sunday night are in for a seriously frigid start to 2018. CBS News reports the current forecast of 11 degrees with a wind chill close to zero will tie 2017 with 1962 for New York City's coldest New Year's Eve celebration. The coldest ever was in 1917, when it was 1 degree at midnight. With people expected to start gathering up to nine hours before the ball drops, the Today show's Al Roker has some suggestions for keeping warm. "Folks should start with a base layer of long underwear of merino wool and then use a number of lighter layers, finishing with a good warm coat," he tells USA Today. He also warns that while "booze may go down all warm and tingly," it will ultimately make "you feel colder." So keep that champagne corked until, let's say, August.