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PlayDates don't crush their controllers for free; it costs $0.60 per minute to have a pretty girl sniping with (or at) you.

– A site where users pay to play video games against young female opponents is open for business, Mashable reports. Though GameCrush has been in a public beta stage since March, the site formally launched today. Players—generally, men—pay 60 cents a minute to play games on Xbox Live or an arcade game service against a "PlayDate" of their choice. But they also need to pony up for tips. And that tipping system hints at another side of GameCrush—players tip points to their Playdates, who redeem them for cash. How exactly a Playdate earns her tips is left open to the players, who are assured by GameCrush that their interactions are not monitored. There's even a special area of the site called "The Edge" that's billed as an everything-goes chatroom. "Add it all up," writes Ryan Tate for Gawker, "and GameCrush looks like a cleverly veiled sex talk parlor."

The president’s speech came as Republican front-runner Mitt Romney pivoted his standard stump speech to focus on energy as well, saying the president “does not understand energy. “Anybody who tells you that we can just drill our way out of this problem does not know what they’re talking about, or they’re not telling you the truth, one or the other,” the president said. Instead, Obama argued his “all-of-the-above” approach is the “only real solution” to tackle the nation’s long-term energy challenges.

– President Obama again went on the offensive over rising gas prices today, notes ABC News. Speaking in New Hampshire, he told Americans to call their congressional representatives and demand they end the $4 billion subsidies to gas and oil companies. His takeaway line: “You can either stand up for the oil companies, or you can stand up for the American people. You can keep subsidizing a fossil fuel that’s been getting taxpayer dollars for a century, or you can place your bets on a clean-energy future.” On the GOP side, the Los Angeles Times notes that Mitt Romney has joined Newt Gingrich in making energy a big theme. "This is a president who does not understand energy," Romney said in Fargo, ND. "He is the problem. He is not the solution. It's time to get him out of office and get someone in who will get us energy-secure."

The predictions were contained in a detailed roadmap for fully shutting down the three reactors, which suffered meltdowns after an earthquake and tsunami struck the plant on March 11. The most technically challenging step will be removing the melted fuel, a process that the government said will take 25 years and require new types of robots and other new technologies that have not even been developed yet. Together, those proposals form the backbone of Japan's plan to deal with the long-term repercussions of the world's second-worst nuclear accident, following Chernobyl in 1986. "There is a strong call for us to put a lot of effort into decontamination, into restoring everything that can be restored, so people can live there again," said Goshi Hosono, Japan's minister overseeing the nuclear crisis, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. That is a very different situation than at Fukushima Daiichi, where the fuel in three reactors is thought to have burned holes in their immediately surrounding pressure vessels, and in one case to have fallen all the way through to the bottom of the outer containment vessel.

– The predictions are getting worse: Japanese officials today said that it could take as many as 40 years to decommission the Fukushima nuclear plant, upping the previous estimate of 30 years. According to the detailed roadmap, TEPCO intends to spend the next two years clearing the spent fuel rods out of the storage pools situated in the reactor buildings; but the lion's share of the time will go to removing the melted nuclear fuel. That process will take some 25 years, and will necessitate the use of robots—and technologies that haven't even been invented yet, reports the New York Times. The Wall Street Journal zeroes in on one of the toughest steps in the process: Figuring out how to drain thousands of tons of irradiated water from the reactor buildings' basements. The cracks that the earthquake created in these buildings will then be repaired, allowing the reactors to be refilled with water, which must occur before the melted fuel can be removed from them. Once that process is complete, it'll be another five to 10 years until the reactors are completely decommissioned.

– The son of incoming national security adviser Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn has apparently gotten himself fired from the Trump transition team for sending dubious tweets. The New York Times reports that a transition team spokesman said Tuesday that Michael G. Flynn is no longer working for the transition. Sources say the younger Flynn had been in the process of getting a security clearance to join his father at the National Security Council, but was fired because of his tweets about the "PizzaGate" fake news story. Flynn Jr. continued to tweet in support of the conspiracy theory even after a gunman stormed a pizzeria in Washington, DC, on Sunday, looking for children he thought were being kept as sex slaves by top Democrats. Mike Pence told CNN Tuesday that Flynn Jr. was no longer part of the transition, but declined to say whether the team had been seeking security clearance for him. "All of our families want to be helpful, and four weeks to the day from Election Day, we've got a lot of work to do," Pence told Jake Tapper. "But Mike Flynn Jr. is no longer associated with Gen. Flynn's efforts or the transition team, and we're focused eyes forward." The Times notes that the elder Flynn has made so many "dubious assertions" of his own on Twitter and elsewhere that his staff started calling them "Flynn facts." Democrats and some former GOP national security officials have questioned his fitness for the role, though there is no sign that his position is in jeopardy.

Wall Street suffered one of its most volatile sessions in years Monday, with the Dow industrials plunging more than 1,000 points in the opening minutes, bouncing back to recover most of the losses and then fading into the final bell to record the biggest drop in four years. Meanwhile the main benchmark S&P 500 slipped into correction territory, having fallen more than 10% from its peak reached on May 21. “Short-term fear of the unknown is still in the driver’s seat, I would expect more volatility in the coming weeks,” said Kate Warne, investment strategist at Edward Jones. Indeed, Monday’s trading session saw the main indexes plunge by more than 5%. Nearly 14 billion shares changed hands on Monday, the largest volume since August 10, 2011. Investors remained concerned about global growth in the face of plummeting commodity prices and slowing growth in China, the second largest economy in the world. The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +0.75% ended the day down 588.47 points, or 3.6%, at 15,871.28—its lowest settlement since February 2014. All 30 members of the Dow finished the day in negative territory. The S&P 500 SPX, +0.85% dropped 77.68 points, or 3.9%, to 1,893.21, the lowest level since October 2014. The index is down 8% year to date. Nearly all 500 members of the index closed with a loss. Both the Dow and the S&P 500 scored their biggest one-day percentage declines since August 2011. The Nasdaq Composite COMP, +1.29% ended the day down 179.79 points, or 3.8% at 4,526.25. “Trading volumes are driven by ETFs today, but we are not seeing a lot of panic, where people dump large amounts of stocks in one go. There are still buyers out there, who are picking up stocks that have seen large corrections. However, volatility is back, so seeing large intraday and day-to-day swings is not surprising,” said Brian Fenske, head of sales trading at ITG. Sal Arnuk, co-head of equity trading at Themis Trading, described Monday’s open as painful. “There’s definitely blood on the street. You can check the level of the VIX,” Arnuk said. Implied volatility on the S&P 500, as measured by the CBOE Volatility Index VIX, -7.78% jumped to 38, significantly above the long-term average of 20. Investors piled into Treasurys, briefly pushing the yield on the 10-year note below 2%. Bond yields move inversely to prices. Many investors expected the People’s Bank of China to take some action over the weekend to support the financial system. In the absence of any move, a brutal bout of selling overtook markets. The Shanghai Composite Index SHCOMP, +0.39% closed down 8.5%. Read: Investors haven’t been this terrified since 2009 Ric Edelman, chief executive officer and chairman of Edelman Financial Services, said that his firm hasn't experienced a barrage of calls from panicky clients. “It appears that most of the selling is done by algorithms and institutional investors rather than retail investors. We think that’s because retail investors have learned their lesson of 2008: that the best thing to do at a time like this is nothing,” Edelman said. Stocks to Watch: Shares of Apple Inc. AAPL, +3.31% switched between big losses and big gains. Share closed down 2.5%, after opening down more than 4.3%. The stock entered bear-market territory on Friday. Energy stocks suffered as the U.S. crude benchmark CLV5, +0.00% struggled to hold above $38 a barrel. But AGL Resources Inc. US:GAS soared 28% after the energy company received a $12 billion buyout bid from Southern Company. SO, -0.96% Read more in Movers & Shakers. NIK, +0.97% Other markets: In addition to the Shanghai Composite’s heavy losses, the Nikkei 225 index NIK, +0.97% slid 4.6%, pressured by a strong Japanese yen. Investors flocked to the perceived safe haven of the yen, pushing the dollar USDJPY, -0.08% and other rivals lower. Read: China shares wipe out 2015 gains as stocks tumble 8.5% In Europe, stocks followed Asia’s lead as the Stoxx Europe 600 dropped 5.3%, falling deeper into correction mode. Gold prices US:GCZ5 failed to score any gains on Monday, despite its reputation as a refuge in times of market turmoil. The yellow metal fell 0.5% to settle at $1,153.60 an ounce. Providing critical information for the U.S. trading day. Subscribe to MarketWatch's free Need to Know newsletter. Sign up here.

– MarketWatch used a stock photo of the Grim Reaper and words like "carnage" in an early-morning article on stock futures—it appears to have been prescient. After an ugly morning in which Dow futures plummeted some 850 points, the Dow fell by more than 1,000 points in its opening minutes. MarketWatch puts an early-morning low point at around 15,441, which is down 6% from Friday's level. The Dow is currently down about 700 points. This comes on the heels of the Dow's 800-plus-point drop on Thursday/Friday, the biggest two-day drop since the financial crisis.

Story highlights Rescue efforts will go on until we "rescue the last of the survivors alive," official says Four people are arrested and four others are being questioned by police The owner of the building itself has gone into hiding, police say The building, which housed garment factories, collapsed Wednesday, killing over 300 Bangladeshi authorities arrested four people, including two factory owners, after at least 340 people died in a building collapse near the capital this week. Mahbubur Rahman Tapas and Balzul Samad Adnan are suspected of forcing staff to work in the eight-storey building, ignoring warnings about cracks. It was unclear Saturday how the mother and the baby were doing a day after they were rescued. Even after that milestone had passed, supplies of fresh oxygen, food and water helped keep alive some who had been located but who were still trapped, the state-run BSS news agency reported. Officials originally planned to end the rescue efforts Saturday morning and bring in heavy equipment to retrieve the remaining bodies, but pushed that decision back for another day. Some 3,000 people are believed to have been working in the building at the time of the collapse and about 600 are still missing. Watching the operation are hundreds of relatives of those still missing, many clutching photographs of their loved ones. The cracks led the bank to order its employees not to report for work Wednesday, and the shops in the mall were closed because of a strike. Police are also questioning two municipal engineers who are reported to have approved the safety of the building a day before it collapsed. Sohel Rana, has gone into hiding, said police, who are questioning four of his relatives, including his wife, in a bid to find him. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday had ordered police to arrest the owners of the building and the garment factories in it so that they can "face legal actions," her spokesman said. Most of the victims appear to have been garment factory workers.

– Bangladesh authorities have arrested eight people in the collapse of a building whose death toll has risen to at least 336. Two factory owners and their relatives were arrested, along with two engineers, CNN reports via state news. "It is not an accident, it is a killing incident," says the country's information minister. "All, including owners and administrative officials concerned, must be put on the dock for the killing of people." Twenty-four more people were rescued today, the BBC reports; in total, some 2,300 have been saved, according to police. About 600 remain missing. Among those rescued were a woman and her newborn after the woman reportedly gave birth in the rubble. Rescue work was set to end this morning, officials said, prompting new protests yesterday. "Whenever an ambulance is arriving" at a school housing bodies, "everyone is rushing towards hoping to find at least the body of their near and dear ones," says an anti-corruption organization rep.

A private investor bought Alwine in 2000 for one Deutschmark (Germans started using the euro in 2002) but, according to reports, that did not stop the village from falling further into disrepair. Until Germany's 1990 reunification, all the property in Alwine, which once counted about 50 residents, was owned by a nearby coal briquette plant, the oldest in Europe. Karhausen Auction House Andreas Claus, the mayor of the Uebigau-Wahrenbrück district that contains Alwine, told TheLocal.de that he only learned of the proposed sale when he saw a report in the media. Claus said he would invite the buyer “to see how we can try to develop something here, in collaboration with the people, and not against them.” In Germany’s federal elections in September, almost a quarter of Uebigau-Wahrenbrück voted for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, reflecting disillusionment with traditional parties.

– An anonymous buyer just purchased an entire German village over the phone for less than $165,000, AFP reports. The mystery person was the only bidder in an auction for the village of Alwine on Saturday. Alwine—an embodiment of the failure of what was once East Germany to match the prosperity of the West—boasts a dozen or so decaying buildings and a population of 20. According to Fortune, all but one family in the village are retired. Prior to reunification, the village 75 miles south of Berlin was owned by a coal briquette plant, which closed in 1991, leading many residents to seek out jobs elsewhere. Alwine was bought by two brothers in 2000, but they had little luck changing its fortunes. The mayor of the district containing Alwine says he wants the village's new owner "to see how we can try to develop something here, in collaboration with the people, and not against them."

(Tolga Akmen/Pool Photo via AP) (Associated Press) LONDON (AP) — Queen Elizabeth II, Prince William and his wife Kate and other senior royals have celebrated an Easter church service at St. George's Chapel in Windsor. William and Kate, who is due to welcome her third child later this month, pulled up in a royal car to join the Queen and other members of the family at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle —which is also the historic venue for the May 19 wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Now on maternity leave, the outing is likely to be the last time Kate is seen in public before she gives birth. Also absent were Meghan and Harry, who have private plans elsewhere, palace officials said. Prince Philip, 96, who had to pull out of a high-profile church service on Thursday because he was suffering from a hip problem, did not join the family again on Sunday. They said their children will probably still be finding eggs around the house in six months time.” On May 19, all eyes will again be on the steps of the magnificent St. George’s Chapel, when Meghan will sweep in — and emerge a princess.

– Britain's house of Windsor celebrated Easter on Sunday with the rest of Christendom, with a couple of notable exceptions, reports People. While one might think that would include Kate Middleton, her only concession to being in her eighth month of pregnancy was to take a car to services while most of the rest of the family walked, notes the AP. But 96-year-old Prince Philip, who retired from public life earlier this year, missed his second official event in a week. Also missing: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, whose Easter plans were characterized by palace officials as private. The family services were held at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, where the couple will marry next month.

On Media Blog Archives Select Date… December, 2015 November, 2015 October, 2015 September, 2015 August, 2015 July, 2015 June, 2015 May, 2015 April, 2015 March, 2015 February, 2015 January, 2015 AP Photo White House to skip Correspondents' Dinner No White House staff will attend next month’s White House Correspondents' Dinner in “solidarity” with their boss, Donald Trump, who is the first president to skip the dinner in decades. "The White House informed the White House Correspondents’ Association this evening that White House staff will not be attending this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner out of “solidarity” with President Trump, who has previously announced that he would skip the event,” WHCA President Jeff Mason said in a letter sent to the organization. "The WHCA board regrets this decision very much. We have worked hard to build a constructive relationship with the Trump White House and believe strongly that this goal is possible even with the natural tension between the press and administrations that is a hallmark of a healthy republic. We made clear in our meeting tonight that President Trump, Vice President Pence, and White House staff continue to be welcome to join us at this dinner.” Trump announced in February he would be skipping the annual dinner, an occasion to present awards to journalists, give scholarships to students and show respect for the presidency. But the question remained whether Pence or any other White House staff would attend. Typically, the White House press secretary sits on the front dais along with the members of the WHCA, the president, first lady and the night’s entertainment. As a result of the president not attending the dinner, there will also be no Secret Service protection or security for other dignitaries who may attend. In a short interview, Mason said the WHCA and the hotel will provide the necessary security. The night’s entertainment is also up in the air. No entertainer has been announced when in previous years, the entertainers were often announced, at the latest, in February. One late-night host, James Corden, was offered the position but turned it down. There’s also the possibility the association will choose not to tap a comedian, or not to have any entertainment at all. "I don’t have anything to update on that but, stay tuned, it shouldn’t be too long now,” Mason said. This year’s WHCD will look a lot different than past dinners. Many of the high-profile events surrounding the dinner, hosted by the likes of Vanity Fair, Bloomberg, The New Yorker, and Time/People magazines have been canceled. Some outlets are not attending, while others are inviting journalism students instead of politicos and celebrities. "Only the White House can speak to the signal it wants to send with this decision,” Mason wrote in the letter. "But our signal is clear: We will celebrate the First Amendment on April 29 and look forward to acknowledging the important work of our terrific members and awarding scholarships to students who represent the next generation of our profession." Hadas Gold is a reporter at Politico.

– It's unlikely they're going to Samantha Bee's roast of President Trump instead, but a month after the president announced he would steer clear of the annual White House Correspondents Dinner, White House staff members are following suit. "The staff is standing in solidarity with the president, who has been treated unfairly," Press Secretary Sean Spicer says in a statement. The White House Correspondents Association says it is disappointed, but the event will continue on April 29 in order to honor journalists and students, per Politico. Several news outlets have also dropped out of the event this year. The entertainment has not been announced.

Mazel tov, Anne Hathaway! After a one year engagement, the actress wed Adam Shulman yesterday. The ceremony took place on a private residence in Big Sur in front of 180 guests and some pretty rustic décor. But we digress -- the part we were most excited about was Anne's highly-anticipated wedding gown. It was revealed last week that the 29-year-old actress would wear Valentino when the designer raved about the then-bride-to-be to E! News, so our expectations were high. And then, when rumors began to swirl that Yifat Oren, Natalie Portman's wedding planner, was hired to plan the "Dark Knight Rises" star's nuptials, we couldn't help but have visions of an equally as dreamy wedding made even more special by an ethereal gown for Ms. Hathaway (we were using Natalie's exquisite Rodarte dress to guide us, obvi). So now that Anne's big day finally came, we have to say that we were not disappointed with her dress in the least. The gauzy Valentino confection was as romantic as a wedding dress can get, featuring an off-the-shoulder neckline, delicate lace and a crowning veil that cascaded down the floor-length hemline of the gown. She really looked stunning. As for Adam, the new hubby wore a traditional tuxedo (no matching styles for the couple this time). And since we plan on spending the rest of our afternoons using Pinterest to plan our own currently-hypothetical weddings, we'd like to send a big congrats to the new husband and wife! Check out the photo of Anne's wedding dress and tell us what you think. PHOTO: If you hadn't had enough cuteness for one day, take a look at celebrity couples who have matching styles! Loading Slideshow Kim Kardashian & Kanye West, 2012 Getty Images Spencer Tracy & Katharine Hepburn, 1942 Getty Images Lauren Bacall & Humphrey Bogart, 1955 Getty Images Sonny & Cher, 1965 Getty Images Sonny & Cher, 1965 Getty Images Sonny & Cher, 1966 Getty Images George Harrison & Patti Boyd, 1967 Getty Images Paul McCartney & Linda McCartney Getty Images Paul McCartney & Linda McCartney, 1967 Getty Images Paul McCartney & Linda McCartney, 1978 Getty Images John Lennon & Yoko Ono, 1968 Getty Images John Lennon & Yoko Ono, 1968 Getty Images John Lennon & Yoko Ono, 1968 Getty Images Mick Jagger & Bianca Jagger Getty Images Mick Jagger & Bianca Jagger, 1970 Getty Images Mick Jagger & Bianca Jagger, 1972 Getty Images Ronald Reagan & Nancy Reagan, 1971 Getty Images Ronald Reagan & Nancy Reagan, 1990 Getty Images Sammy Davis, Jr. & Altovise Gore, 1972 Getty Images Sammy Davis, Jr. & Altovise Gore, 1976 Getty Images Natalie Wood & Robert Wagner, 1973 Getty Images Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg, 1974 Getty Images Rod Stewart & Britt Ekland, 1975 Getty Images Jack Nicholson & Anjelica Huston, 1977 Getty Images Jack Nicholson & Anjelica Huston, 1978 Getty Images Jack Nicholson & Anjelica Huston, 1983 Getty Images Prince Charles & Princess Diana, 1981 Getty Images Sid Vicious & Nancy Spungen, 1978 Getty Images Sting & Trudie Styler, 1982 Getty Images Kurt Russell & Goldie Hawn, 1983 Getty Images Madonna & Sean Penn, 1986 Getty Images Sean Penn & Madonna, 1987 Woody Allen & Mia Farrow, 1986 Getty Images John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, 1997 Getty Images Lenny Kravitz & Lisa Bonet, 1987 Getty Images Lenny Kravitz & Lisa Bonet, 1988 Getty Images Sarah Jessica Parker & Robert Downey Jr., 1987 Getty Images Sarah Jessica Parker & Robert Downey Jr., 1990 Getty Images Bruce Willis & Demi Moore, 1988 Getty Images Bruce Willis & Demi Moore, 1988 Getty Images Bruce Willis & Demi Moore, 1988 Getty Images Bruce Willis & Demi Moore, 1989 Getty Images Bruce Willis & Demi Moore, 1990 Getty Images Bruce Willis & Demi Moore, 1992 Getty Images Johnny Depp & Winona Ryder, 1990 Getty Images David Bowie & Iman, 1990 Getty Images Keifer Sutherland & Julia Roberts, 1991 Getty Images Nicollette Sheridan & Scott Baio, 1992 Getty Images Brad Pitt & Juliette Lewis, 1992 Getty Images Johnny Depp & Kate Moss, 1994 Getty Images Matthew Mcconaughey & Sandra Bullock, 1996 Getty Images Want more? Be sure to check out HuffPost Style on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Pinterest.

– Once better known for her romantic misfires, Anne Hathaway has officially settled down: The 29-year-old Catwoman yesterday married actor and jewelry designer Adam Shulman, 31, before 100 guests on California's Big Sur, reports People. The couple had been together four years, and got engaged last November. "I'm so delighted by [Adam]," Hathaway told an interviewer last year. "He's all the things you want a partner to be. I so find joy in his presence." You can catch a glimpse, if a bit blurry, of the bride's Valentino dress over at the Huffington Post.

This July 16, 2013 photo shows Oakland Police Assistant Chief Paul Figueroa during a city council meeting in Oakland, Calif. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf removed interim police chief Ben Fairow on Wednesday, June 15, 2016, after appointing him less than a week ago amid a widening sex scandal involving... (Associated Press) OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — After firing an interim police chief who had been in place for less than a week, the mayor of Oakland vowed to recruit a new law enforcement leader from outside the city to oversee a department tarnished by "disgusting allegations" that a number of officers had sex with a teenage prostitute. (Dan Honda/Bay Area News Group) In a statement late Wednesday, BART police Chief Kenton Rainey disclosed that, while married, Fairow had "a personal relationship with a consenting adult more than a decade ago, none of which precludes him from serving as a sworn law enforcement officer or as one of my deputy chiefs." Paul Figueroa, who has served as the department's inspector general and oversaw training before becoming assistant chief under Whent, was named acting chief. Schaaf declined to reveal what that information was, citing state personnel laws, but called Fairow's brief appointment a mistake. Fairow was named the interim chief late Thursday evening following Chief Sean Whent's departure, which sources say was orchestrated by the department's federal monitor, upset over the misconduct case involving officers from Oakland police and other East Bay agencies and a teen girl. Five Oakland officers have resigned or been placed on administrative leave in the fallout, along with a Contra Costa County sheriff's deputy, with at least four officers alleged to have had sex with the girl while she was under age. Former Chief Howard Jordan was ousted as chief in 2013 by the federal monitor, with Anthony Toribio becoming acting chief for two days before Whent got the job. Oakland City Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan said Wednesday that the city council had not been briefed on the mayor's reasons for firing the interim chief. _ Associated Press Writer Ellen Knickmeyer in San Francisco contributed to this story.

– Ben Fairow's reign as Oakland's top cop was, in a word, brief. Fairow—who replaced resigning police chief Sean Whent on Friday amid an investigation into possible underage sex and murder—was removed from his post Wednesday after just six days, reports the Los Angeles Times. During a background check, Mayor Libby Schaaf says she received information that "raised concerns for me about whether [Fairow] can effectively lead this department at this particular moment in time." She didn't elaborate, but the chief of the Bay Area Rapid Transit Police Department—where Fairow previously served and will return—says Fairow told him he had an affair with a consenting adult while married more than a decade ago, per the AP. Fairow worked for the Oakland Police Department at that time. Sources tell the East Bay Times that the other party was an employee, though a BART rep denies that. While an officer's suicide note first suggested that four Oakland officers were involved with an underage prostitute, the woman now claims she had sexual contact with some two dozen officers from various agencies in exchange for protection or knowledge of prostitution stings in the works, including while she was underage; she is now 18. A Contra Costa County Sheriff's deputy has been suspended, two Oakland officers have resigned, and three are on administrative leave. "We are dealing with disgusting allegations that upset me greatly," says Schaaf. "I believe that the leadership at this time is critical in order to build confidence that the culture of this department does not tolerate unethical behavior, sexual misconduct, or lying." Assistant Police Chief Paul Figueroa has been appointed acting chief while the department searches for a permanent replacement.

A man checks on a boat storage facility that was damaged by Hurricane Harvey, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017, in Rockport, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) (Associated Press) HOUSTON (AP) — Rising floodwaters from the remnants of Hurricane Harvey chased thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground Sunday in Houston, overwhelming rescuers who fielded countless desperate calls for help. And the forecast for days of steady rain threatened to inundate the region's flat landscape with as much as 40 inches (100 centimeters). "Follow orders from officials to ensure safety." "Do not go into the attic, rescuers from the air cannot see you." More: 'Catastrophic' Houston flooding leads to at least 500 overnight rescues More: Federal government plans years-long recovery effort in states hit by Harvey President Trump tweeted support for the agencies battling the disaster and planned to visit the state Tuesday. This event could match or surpass that, meteorologists said. Rainfall of more than 4 inches per hour resulted in water levels higher than in any recent floods and higher than during Tropical Storm Allison in June 2001, said Jeff Linder of flood control district in Harris County, which includes Houston. Staff at a Houston television station broadcasting live coverage of the floods had to evacuate after water from the nearby Buffalo Bayou started to gush into the building. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said authorities had received more than 2,000 calls for help and would be opening the city's main convention center as a shelter. Another person — a woman who tried to get out of her vehicle in high water — died in flooding in Harris County, where Houston is located, , though authorities had not confirmed a cause of death, said Gary Norman, a spokesman for the Houston emergency operations center. One person was killed in Aransas County when in a fire at home during the storm, county Judge C.H. "If you think the situation right now is bad and you give an order to evacuate, you are creating a nightmare," he said, citing the risks of sending the city's 2.3 million inhabitants onto the highways at the same time. He urged drivers to stay off flooded roads to avoid adding to the number of stranded people. Harvey came ashore as the fiercest hurricane to hit the U.S. in 13 years and the strongest to strike Texas since 1961's Hurricane Carla, the most powerful Texas hurricane on record. The fiercest hurricane to hit the U.S. in more than a decade came ashore late Friday about 30 miles (48 kilometers) northeast of Corpus Christi as a mammoth Category 4 storm with 130 mph (209 kph) winds. Sheriff Bill Mills said about 30 people were treated for injuries in his county alone. Two Aransas County municipalities, Rockport, with a population of 10,000, and Port Aransas, with about 4,000 people, took the brunt of the storm. By Sunday morning the system was centered about 65 miles southeast of San Antonio, with maximum sustained winds of about 45 mph (72.42 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center, which described the flooding as "catastrophic."

– Harvey may be a tropical storm instead of a hurricane, but the devastation it is unleashing on Houston in the form of heavy rain and flooding is nonetheless severe. "Catastrophic and life-threatening flooding," says the National Weather Service of southeast Texas. "Worse than the worst-case scenario for Houston,” tweeted WeatherBell meteorologist Ryan Maue," per USA Today. Authorities were warning people to get to their roofs, and rescuers had to pick and choose which calls to go out on based on life-and-death severity, reports the AP. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez used Twitter to field calls for assistance. Among those seeking help was a woman who posted: "I have 2 children with me and the water is swallowing us up." Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said authorities had received more than 2,000 calls for help and would be opening the city's main convention center as a shelter. He urged drivers to stay off flooded roads to avoid adding to the number of stranded people.

Is the Large Hadron Collider dangerous? No. Although powerful for an accelerator, the energy reached in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is modest by nature’s standards. Cosmic rays – particles produced by events in outer space – collide with particles in the Earth’s atmosphere at much greater energies than those of the LHC. These cosmic rays have been bombarding the Earth’s atmosphere as well as other astronomical bodies since these bodies were formed, with no harmful consequences. These planets and stars have stayed intact despite these higher energy collisions over billions of years. Read more about the safety of the LHC here What happened with the LHC in 2015 and what does CERN plan to do in the future? The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) restarted at a collision energy of 13 teraelectronvolts (TeV) in June 2015. Throughout September and October 2015, CERN gradually increased the number of collisions, while remaining at the same energy. In November, as with previous LHC runs, the machine run with lead ions instead of protons until mid-December when it had its winter technical stop. After a successful run in 2016, the most powerful collider in the world was switched back on in spring 2017, followed by a period of tests. After a period of commissioning, the LHC experiments began taking physics data for 2017. Over the coming years, the LHC operators plan to increase the intensity of the beams so that the machine produces a larger number of collisions. This will enable physicists to have a better understanding of fundamental physics. Why is the Higgs boson referred to as the God particle? The Higgs boson is the linchpin of the Standard Model of particle physics but experimental physicists weren’t able to observe it until the arrival of the LHC, nearly 50 years after the particle was first postulated. Leon Lederman coined the term ‘the God particle’ in his popular 1993 book ‘The God Particle: If the Universe Is the Answer, What is the Question?’ written with Dick Teresi. In their book, Lederman and Teresi claim the nickname originated because the publisher wouldn’t allow them to call it ‘the Goddamn Particle’ – a name that reflected the difficulty in observing the elusive boson. The name caught on through the media attention it attracted but is disliked by both clerics and scientists. Is CERN's aim to prove that God does not exist? No. People from all over the world work together harmoniously at CERN, representing all regions, religions and cultures. CERN exists to understand the mystery of nature for the benefit of humankind. Scientists at CERN use the world’s largest and most complex scientific instruments to study the basic constituents of matter – the fundamental particles. Particles are made to collide together at close to the speed of light. This process gives the physicists clues about how the particles interact, and provides insights into the fundamental laws of nature. Why does CERN have a statue of Shiva? The Shiva statue was a gift from India to celebrate its association with CERN, which started in the 1960’s and remains strong today. In the Hindu religion, Lord Shiva practiced Nataraj dance which symbolises Shakti, or life force. This deity was chosen by the Indian government because of a metaphor that was drawn between the cosmic dance of the Nataraj and the modern study of the ‘cosmic dance’ of subatomic particles. India is one of CERN’s observer states, along with the USA, Russia and Japan. CERN is a multicultural organisation that welcomes scientists from more than 100 countries and 680 institutions. The Shiva statue is only one of the many statues and art pieces at CERN. What are the shapes in the CERN logo? The shapes in CERN’s current logo represent particle accelerators. The logo in this form dates back to 1968, when a decision was made to change the CERN logo from the original one, seen here. Some 114 new designs were proposed, many of which used CERN’s experiments as inspiration. The final design used the original lettering, surrounded by a schematic of a synchrotron, beam lines and particle tracks. Today’s logo is a simplified version of this. Will CERN open a door to another dimension? CERN will not open a door to another dimension. If the experiments conducted at the LHC demonstrate the existence of certain particles it could help physicists to test various theories about nature and our Universe, such as the presence of extra dimensions. There is more information here. What did Stephen Hawking say about Higgs potential destroying the Universe? Hawking was not discussing the work being done at the LHC. The LHC observes nature at a fundamental level but does not influence it. Measurements of the Higgs boson have allowed us to learn more about the intrinsic nature of the Universe, and it is this that Hawking was discussing. The measured properties of the boson suggest that the Universe is in a quasi-stable equilibrium, though with a lifetime far exceeding anything we can imagine (10100 years). This is explained further in the TEDxCERN talk below: http://tedxcern.web.cern.ch/video/2013/what-higgs-might-mean-fate-universe Why does CERN appear in Google Maps when I type certain keywords? Many of these associations have no grounding in fact, and are a possible result of several users renaming locations on their own maps, keyword searches, or from lots of users creating custom maps, which utilise those search terms. Can the LHC have an influence on weather patterns and natural phenomena? No. The magnets at CERN have an electromagnetic field, which is contained with the magnets themselves and therefore cannot influence the Earth’s magnetic field, nor the weather. The strength of the LHC magnets (8.36 teslas) is comparable to the magnetic field found in PET-MRI scanners (up to 9.4 tesla), which are regularly used for brain scans. Will CERN generate a black hole? The LHC will not generate black holes in the cosmological sense. However, some theories suggest that the formation of tiny 'quantum' black holes may be possible. The observation of such an event would be thrilling in terms of our understanding of the Universe; and would be perfectly safe. More information is available here. I saw a video of a strange ritual at CERN, is it real? No, this video from summer 2016 was a work of fiction showing a contrived scene. CERN does not condone this kind of action, which breaches CERN’s professional guidelines. Those involved were identified and apropriate measures taken. Does the LHC trigger earthquakes? The LHC does not trigger earthquakes. Earthquakes are a natural hazard caused by the movement of tectonic plates. As these rigid plates move towards, apart or past each other they can lock up and build up huge stresses at their boundaries, such as the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, or along the Pacific rim. When the plates suddenly slip apart, this stress is relieved, releasing huge amounts of energy and causing an earthquake. Several million earthquakes occur across the Earth each year but most are too small to be detected without monitoring equipment. There is no means by which the LHC could trigger earthquakes, and no correlation between LHC operation and the occurrence of earthquakes. Anecdote: Some high precision instruments at CERN are able to detect earthquakes due to their sensitivity to tiny movements. In the LHC, there are more than 100 Hydrostatic Levelling Sensors that monitor the relative displacements of the magnets that steer beams of particles around the LHC’s 27 km ring. These sensors can detect the waves emitted by earthquakes occurring even very far away after their journey through the Earth. Another tool, the Precision Laser Inclinometer, is used to measure the movements of underground structures that can affect the precise positioning of the LHC’s particle detectors. These are also sensitive enough to detect earthquakes.

– When CERN's Large Hadron Collider is fired up again at the end of April, physicists won't just be testing for unknown particles. They'll also be testing a new FAQ page, and it's an unusual one that distances CERN from demons and Satan. Since the LHC began smashing particles together, conspiracy theorists have suggested physicists were about to open a door to another dimension, allowing apocalyptic forces to reach our planet, reports the Wall Street Journal. An editorial in Michigan's Daily Reporter in September noted CERN "could easily and suddenly, without warning, destroy our universe." A few pointed out that CERN's logo included the 666 sign of the Antichrist. Then there was the group who planned to protest the smashing of particles at CERN. "I guess they more or less see particles as planets with very small 'people' on them," a rep says. "It got to the point where there really needed to be some intervention," says CERN's social media rep. The FAQ page, born in September, not only describes CERN's logo as depicting particle accelerators rather than a sign of Satan, it also clarifies that "CERN will not open a door to another dimension," though physicists can test for particles that may suggest extra dimensions exist. The nice thing is that the page can always be updated, says a rep. For example, it doesn't yet address rumors of "occult symbolism" hidden in a dance opera filmed inside CERN. But it isn't clear if all conspiracy theories can be crushed. CERN seems to inherently draw the "conspiracy subculture," says a political science professor at Syracuse University. "Any time you have forces that are high energy and invisible, they lend themselves to these kinds of interpretations."

Facebook is retiring its email service and has begun notifying users that all email sent to their @facebook.com address will soon be forwarded to their primary email address on file. Today's update brings another odd and unfortunate side effect for Facebook: you can now reach someone's primary email inbox by emailing their @facebook.com email address. In a statement to TechCrunch, the company said: “We’re making this change because most people haven’t been using their Facebook email address, and we can focus on improving our mobile messaging experience for everyone.” Anyone who did use them will get messages sent to their Facebook addresses forwarded to their primary email account instead of their Facebook Messages inbox. These email addresses are by default only accessible to friends, but you can easily figure out somebody's @facebook.com email address by finding their profile page's URL and pasting it before the @ symbol.

– Facebook has quietly retired the email service that many users didn't even know existed. The service—touted as a "Gmail killer" before its launch in 2010—never caught on and the company has now notified users than any email sent to their @facebook.com address will be redirected to the primary email address associated with their account, the Verge reports. "We're making this change because most people haven’t been using their Facebook email address, and we can focus on improving our mobile messaging experience for everyone," Facebook says. But even with the service killed off, users are stuck with what Josh Constine at TechCrunch calls "the death-stench of Facebook’s defunct attempt to conquer email." The other email addresses Facebook banished from profiles in favor of its own email address remain hidden, he notes, advising people to turn off Facebook's automatic email forwarding. If you don't, "anyone will be able to get your Facebook username by finding your profile’s URL and sticking it in front of @facebook.com to be able to hit your real email address with a message," he warns.

The charge has been withdrawn against a Pickens County woman who spent a night in jail for failing to return a movie she rented in 2005, according to the Pickens County Sheriff's Office. Finley, 27, was arrested Thursday in Pickens County, South Carolina, on a misdemeanor charge of failure to return the video, according to CNN affiliate WYFF-TV The movie, "Monster-In-Law," starring Lopez and Jane Fonda as a feuding potential daughter- and mother-in-law, was rented from a video store, Dalton Videos, that is now out of business. The WYFF report says Finley was at the county sheriff's office on another matter when an active warrant for her arrest was discovered. Chief Deputy Creed Hashe said the decision to not prosecute this offense was made by the former store owner after considering all of the factors including the level of media attention that has been directed at the business owner, Finley and to local law enforcement tasked with serving the charge. Hashe says that Finley was sent several certified letters to turn herself in, but never did.

– The weird part of this story is that a woman had to spend the night in jail because she failed to return a movie rental from 2005 to a business that no longer exists, reports WYFF-TV. The sad part is that she went to jail not for Capote, or Brokeback Mountain, or Good Night, and Good Luck, or really any other movie from 2005 besides the one she actually rented: Monster-in-Law, with J-Lo and Jane Fonda. Kayla Michelle Finley, 27, was at the Pickens County Sheriff's Office in South Carolina on a different matter when the old arrest warrant surfaced and deputies took her into custody. The owner of the video store, when it was still open, had gone to police after sending Finley certified letters asking for the movie back. Because Finley's bond hearing could not be held until the next morning, she spent the night in jail. CNN notes that a woman calling herself Finley explained on the Fox Carolina News Facebook page that she had moved out of state and never got the letters, and had forgotten about the movie. "I'm no criminal, but Pickens County Sheriff's office sure made me feel like I was," she wrote.

Scientists using technology for discovering oil have found a vast underground water reservoir in one of Kenya’s driest regions that could supply the country's needs for nearly 70 years, potentially turning arid zones into lush farmlands. The Lotikipi Basin Aquifer is located west of Lake Turkana, the world's largest permanent desert lake, which nonetheless contains alkaline and unpalatable water. Last year, scientists released a map detailing the vast reservoirs which lie under much of Africa. "This newly found wealth of water opens a door to a more prosperous future for the people of Turkana and the nation as a whole," said Judi Wakhungu, Cabinet secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. "We must now work to further explore these resources responsibly and safeguard them for future generations," she said. Almost half of Kenya’s 41 million people have no access to clean water, and farmers in arid areas struggle to raise crops without adequate irrigation. The discovery was made by researchers from a Texas-based company, Radar Technologies, with assistance from the Kenyan government and Unesco. The aquifers, located hundreds of feet underground in the Turkana region that borders Ethiopia and South Sudan, contain billions of gallons of water, according to UNESCO, which confirmed the existence of the subterranean lakes discovered with the help of a French company using technology originally designed to reveal oil deposits. UNESCO says 40 percent of Kenya's 41 million people lack access to safe water, and 28 million do not have adequate sanitation.

– It's another kind of liquid gold: Technology typically used to find oil has instead led scientists to massive lakes, or aquifers, hundreds of feet beneath some of Kenya's driest land. UNESCO yesterday announced that five aquifers were identified and two have thus far been verified in the Turkana region. The New York Times reports one is roughly the size of Rhode Island, and NPR reports that scientists described the aquifers' orientation as like a small stack of "interconnected pancakes." The two hold enough water to turn the dusty region into farmland and sate Kenya's water needs for 70 years—or more. It's possible that run-off from the adjacent hills feeds the underground reservoir, which would expand that timeline, the Christian Science Monitor reports. It's big news for a country that struggles mightily with access to safe drinking water, but there are also some big hurdles. The basins sit in the far northwest, which happens to be one of the country's most conflict-prone areas, and maintaining boreholes and piping the water would be no simple task. Still, Kenya seems optimistic. "We're hoping with the two test boreholes, the water should be available within a month," an official tells the BBC. (Another massive aquifer was identified last year in Namibia.)

PHOTOS: ‘We Want To Seek Justice!’ Philly DA Vows To Reveal ‘Truth’ About Cosby Sex Assault The twisted TV sleaze was convicted on April 26 of drugging and sexually abusing Andrea Constand in the same Cheltenham, Pa., estate where he is confined and reduced to wearing an ankle bracelet to track his every move. PHOTOS: The Most DISGUSTING Claims Against Bill Cosby In 15 Clicks However, the source acknowledged that the firing also could have unexpected and immediate consequences: “The judge could order him remanded because he no longer has counsel, which could make him a flight risk.” As Radar exclusively reported, Camille Cosby fled the couple’s Pennsylvania home, claiming she was fed up with the comedian and his conviction. “He can’t find anyone else willing to defend him, and besides the money is gone and he can’t pay anyone,” the source said. “She wants to reside quietly in Shelburne — and doesn’t want his reputation affecting the life she’s building for herself!” PHOTOS: Fall From Grace: The Twists & Turns Of Cosby’s Sex Assault Trial Before Found Guilty Cosby and Camille married in 1964 and somehow survived Bill’s extramarital affairs in the ’70s, the disclosure of love child Autumn Jackson and even the tragic murder of their only son, Ennis, in 1997. The sick predator now faces up to 30 years behind bars for the 2004 assault on Andrea — despite her public forgiveness of the fallen funnyman. While Cosby remains confined to his home until his Sept. 24 sentencing, he has been ordered to take a psychiatric test to determine whether he suffers from a maniacal “mental abnormality.” PHOTOS: Drug Addiction, Abuse & Murder! Bill Cosby’s Daughter Ensa’s Dark Past Before Death But insiders told Radar he has furiously fought the order, refusing to cooperate with state investigators tasked with conducting the presentence examination. We pay for juicy info! Do you have a story for RadarOnline.com? Email us at tips@radaronline.com, or call us at (866) ON-RADAR (667-2327) any time, day or night.

– Bill Cosby is now killing time as he awaits his September sentencing after being convicted of sexual assault in April, but is his wife killing time with him? Radar cites a source who claims that 74-year-old Camille Cosby has left their Pennsylvania home and moved into a home they own in Shelburne Falls, Mass., taking their chef, other staff, and three grown daughters with her. "They've been fighting and arguing since the verdict," the source says. "She wanted a divorce, but he begged her to stay." Radar notes it sent its own staff to the Mass. town and saw Camille Cosby swimming in her pool and hanging out with female friends. That's news, however, to the Cosbys, the comedian's rep tells People, calling the Radar report a "ridiculous story from an egregious publication." "The accusations they have made in their tabloid are absolutely false," says Andrew Wyatt. "Mrs. and Mr. Cosby are not getting divorced and she's with him in the Philadelphia home as we speak." He adds, via the New York Daily News: "Mrs. Cosby isn't going anywhere." There's also news on the legal front in Cosby world: Page Six reports the disgraced 80-year-old has fired his entire legal team as he prepares for his Sept. 25 sentencing, with Pennsylvania lawyer Joseph P. Green Jr. stepping in as his new counsel, per his spokesman. "Every single one of them," a source tells Radar. "He's angry. They let him down, and these aren't easy times." From newly pink-slipped celebrity attorney Tom Mesereau, per Page Six: "I wish Mr. Cosby, his family, and his new defense team all the best."

(Michele K. Short/Paramount Pictures via AP) (Associated Press) NEW YORK (AP) — The J.J. Abrams-produced "10 Cloverfield Lane" capitalized on a mysterious marketing campaign to debut with a better-than-expected $25.2 million over the weekend, though the Disney animated hit "Zootopia" stayed on top with $50 million. Directed by first-time feature filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg, Cloverfield Lane snagged a decent haul of $25.2 million with its taut plot of a woman (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) trapped in an underground bunker and told there's been a chemical attack outside. But Sacha Baron Cohen's "Brothers Grimsby" flopped with only $3.2 million, a career low debut at the box office for the British comedian by a wide margin.

– The JJ Abrams-produced 10 Cloverfield Lane capitalized on a mysterious marketing campaign to debut with a better-than-expected $25.2 million over the weekend, though the Disney animated hit Zootopia stayed on top with $50 million, reports the AP. The second-straight No. 1 weekend came easily for Zootopia, which slid a mere 33%, according to studio estimates Sunday. The monster movie 10 Cloverfield Lane, a so-called "spiritual successor" to 2008's found-footage hit Cloverfield, also performed well, boosted by positive reviews. "Some of these movies that are very clever and very genre will drop big in their second day, but it went up, so that means audiences are digging the film and talking about it," an analyst tells USA Today. The top five were rounded out with Deadpool ($10.8 million), London Has Fallen ($10.7 million), and Whiskey Tango Foxtrot ($4.6 million), notes USA Today. But Sacha Baron Cohen's Brothers Grimsby flopped with only $3.2 million, a career low debut at the box office for the British comedian by a wide margin. Perhaps sensing trouble, Sony Pictures had postponed the release date of the R-rated comedy numerous times.

– There's no need for California to waste any more time or energy on a ballot measure that proposes legalizing the murder of gay people, a judge has decided. The Sacramento County judge ruled yesterday that allowing the "Sodomite Suppression Act" to move forward "would be inappropriate, waste public resources, generate unnecessary divisions among the public, and tend to mislead the electorate," meaning that it will not progress to the signature-gathering phase or end up on any future ballots, reports the Los Angeles Times. It was sponsored by lawyer Matthew McLaughlin, who has declined to speak to the media about it. Calif. AG Kamala Harris, who says the proposed act "is the product of bigotry, seeks to promote violence, is patently unconstitutional, and has no place in a civil society," had sought the ruling, the AP reports. Harris says she will "continue to fight for the rights of all Californians to live free from hatred and intolerance," reports the Times, which notes that McLaughlin only had to pay a $200 fee to register his disturbing ballot measure, but would have needed to collect 365,000 signatures in 180 days to get it on the ballot. (Under the proposed "Intolerant Jackass Act," McLaughlin will have to pay a hefty fine.)

What neither of them realised was that it was not simply exhaustion but altitude sickness, and that it would cost 34-year-old Strydom her life. “I asked, ‘Do you mind if I go on,’ and she said, ‘Yes, you go on, I’ll wait for you here,’” said Mr Gropel, who himself suffered attitude sickness and later had to be airlifted to Kathmandu. “From that position the summit didn’t look that far, 15 minutes away. “I just ran up and down and it didn’t mean anything to me.” Mr Gropel said his thought processes were hampered by his own sickness when he returned to Ms Strydom after reaching the summit. Because we do everything together and everything else we did together was much more special. “When I made it to the summit of Everest it wasn’t special to me, because I didn’t have her there.” After he returned to Strydom the pair began their descent, but it was soon clear that something was seriously amiss. “It took a while for me to register that I had medication and so as soon as I realised I gave her a dexamethasone injection.” But the long period spent high on the mountain was taking its toll on Strydom, who by the time she faded into unconsciousness had been without extra oxygen for 20 hours. Mr Gropel said: “I’m her husband, it’s my job to protect my wife and get her home and it’s just natural for me to blame myself.” Mr Gropel, a vet, and his wife were both vegans and determined to climb the world’s highest peaks “to prove that vegans can do anything and more”, Ms Strydom said in March. I still can’t look at any pictures of her because it breaks my heart.” Sherpa climbers brought Strydom’s body down the mountain to Camp Two on Wednesday.

– The husband of a woman who died climbing Mount Everest earlier this month says he blames himself for her death, the Guardian reports. In an interview with Network Seven in Australia, Robert Gropel says wife Maria Strydom seemed exhausted from climbing when they were just 15 minutes from the peak. "I asked: 'Do you mind if I go on,' and she said: 'Yes, you go on, I’ll wait for you here,'" says Gropel. "From that position the summit didn’t look that far." Not realizing that she was suffering from altitude sickness, which can be lethal, Gropel kept climbing to the top of the world. "I just ran up and down and it didn’t mean anything to me," he adds. "When I made it to the summit of Everest it wasn’t special to me, because I didn’t have her there." When he got back and they began descending, 34-year-old Strydom had trouble walking and talking and even hallucinated, possibly due to a stroke brought on by cerebral edema. Gropel says he gave her altitude-sickness medication and the Independent reports sherpas gave her additional oxygen, but she got worse overnight and died in his arms on May 20. "I'm her husband, it’s my job to protect my wife and get her home and it’s just natural for me to blame myself," says the Australian. "I still can’t look at any pictures of her because it breaks my heart." Both vegans, Gropel and Strydom hoped to show the world "that vegans can do anything and more," Strydom said in March. Initially left behind, Strydom's body has been picked up by helicopter and flown to Kathmandu. (Meanwhile, her mother isn't satisfied by the official story.)

One of Takeout Kit's meals for sale on Walmart.com Home Chef, based in Chicago, offers more traditional American cuisine on Walmart.com, including the "Everyday Supper" collection that serves three meals for two people each, for a total of $59.70. Some meal kits have reportedly already sold out, as originally over 30 meal kits were offered on Walmart.com beginning early this week. $32 for a four-person portion Both Takeout Kit and Home Chef are responsible for fulfilling the orders and shipping them to customers’ doorsteps, while Walmart earns commission and a referral fee, people familiar with the matter told TheStreet. Meal kits are available for various cuisines, generally serve two or four people, and range from $32 to $79.60 in price. While each meal kit order from Walmart is a one-time purchase, both brands also offer subscription services on their own sites, so Walmart could be a gateway for consumers to get hooked onto these Blue Apron competitors. Exposing Walmart.com shoppers to these companies' meal kits may lead to increased sign ups for a full subscription if they can get more consumers to give their meal kits a try. The retailer could even look to purchase a meal kit brand as Albertsons has done with Plated, or start its own, in order to fully invest in the industry.

– Walmart has made the latest move in its never-ending battle with Amazon for control of people who shop in their underwear. TheStreet reports Walmart started selling meal kits from companies like Home Chef and Takeout Kit on its website last weekend. Amazon, of course, entered the meal kit game over the summer. The way it works for Walmart: customers buy meal kits on Walmart.com, the meal kit companies fulfill the orders, and Walmart gets a small commission and referral fee. The CEO of meal kit company Terra's Kitchen says it's "a low risk model for Walmart to see if their e-commerce shoppers will have an interest in meal kits." It also gives meal kit companies access to Walmart's huge customer base, according to Business Insider. So far it seems like a success, with a number of the 30 meal kits available on Walmart.com having reportedly sold out already. Meanwhile, Blue Apron continues to be collateral damage in the Amazon-Walmart war. The meal kit company went public in June only to see its stock tank when Amazon got involved in meal kits. And now Walmart is giving a boost to Blue Apron's competitors, the Verge reports. While the meal kit industry is valued at more than $2 billion, Blue Apron's stock has dropped more than 70% since the company went public. Its IPO is currently the worst-performing stock in the US this year.

J.K. Rowling took on Donald Trump with her latest tweet heard ’round the world. After the Republican presidential candidate frontrunner said that all Muslims should be banned from entering America, Harry Potter fans began comparing Trump to Lorde Voldemort, a.k.a. But Jeb Bush, who is also from the Republican party and hoping to be president, said the New York businessman was "unhinged".

– Donald Trump is usually the one dishing out insults on Twitter. Not on Tuesday. The business mogul found himself the latest to be burned by JK Rowling after proposing a "total and complete shutdown" of Muslims entering the US, reports Entertainment Weekly. Twitter users quickly began comparing Trump to Harry Potter villain Lord Voldemort, reports the BBC, but Rowling was having none of it. "How horrible," she tweeted. "Voldemort was nowhere near as bad." Her comment was retweeted more than 50,000 times within hours and racked up almost as many likes. (By the way, you've been saying "Voldemort" incorrectly for years.)

Irish recruit, 17, dies after fall in Florida Email Comments Share ESPN.com news services Notre Dame recruit Matt James died Friday in Panama City, Fla., after falling from a hotel balcony, a high school spokesman has confirmed. A spokesman for St. Xavier said Saturday that students gathered Friday night to remember the senior... (Associated Press) In this April 2, 2010 photo, students hold a candle-light vigil at St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati for football player Matt James. A spokesman for St. Xavier High School said Saturday that students... (Associated Press) Students at St. Xavier High School gathered on the football field Friday night to remember senior Matt James following reports of his death in Panama City Beach, Fla., spokesman Mark Motz said. The 17-year-old James apparently died instantly after he fell from the third-floor balcony of the Days Inn Motel at around 6:30 p.m. Friday, police told WJHG-TV in Panama City. Police had not confirmed James' identity as of Saturday morning, but Motz said the school was "devastated" by the news. Motz said the impromptu vigil was organized as word of James' death spread through social-networking sites such as Facebook. "When one of their own is in trouble, they band together," Motz said. The All-State lineman had been the first top signing for new Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly. James, a senior, chose Notre Dame over Ohio State, committing on Feb. 3 on national signing day. The 6-foot-6, 290-pound offensive lineman was an all-city and all-state football player for St. Xavier and signed a letter of intent in February to play for Notre Dame. He also was a member of the high school's varsity basketball team. James' former teammates from the football and basketball teams gathered for a private prayer service in the school's chapel on Saturday, led by chaplain Paul Rieselman. "His message was that we have to take care of one another," spokesman Mark Motz said. James was the second St. Xavier athlete to die during the school year. Junior wrestler Kevin Le was struck by a car and killed in September. The football team -- including James -- wore his initials on their helmet for the next home football game. Grief counselors will be available when classes resume on April 12 after spring break. Whit Majors, a forensic investigator with the Florida State Medical Examiner's District 14 office, said the person who died was on spring break but did not release his name. The cause of the fall was being investigated, and officials planned to do toxicology tests, Majors said. "The Notre Dame football program is in a state of disbelief and incredible sadness with the news of this tragic event," Irish coach Brian Kelly said in a statement. Kelly and his staff recruited James to go to Cincinnati, where Kelly coached the past three years. James followed him to Notre Dame when Kelly was hired in December, choosing the Fighting Irish over Ohio State. "Matt was an extremely talented person who was very bright and possessed a great dry sense of humor," Kelly said. "He could not wait to join the Notre Dame family." James' family received the news of his death at a gathering to celebrate the 50th birthday of an uncle, according to Dan Rudolph, who attended the gathering and whose son Kyle Rudolph is a Notre Dame tight end. ” -- Irish coach Brian Kelly "His mom and dad were here when they got the call," said Dan Rudolph, father of Irish tight end Kyle Rudolph, according to the Tribune. "We would like to thank everyone for their prayers and support during this tragic time, particularly the family at St. X," Jerry and Peggy James said. I can't believe that happened." Mary Massa said her son, Luke, was James' friend, teammate and a fellow Notre Dame recruit. The mother of St. Xavier quarterback and fellow Notre Dame recruit Luke Massa said she heard James was pretending he was going to fall and lost his balance. "It was an accidental fall. Nobody pushed him, there wasn't anything like that," Mary Massa said. "Luke is devastated," Gary Massa told the newspaper. "One of the visions I have in my mind is after football games at St. X he was like the Pied Piper, all the little kids, everybody's little brothers and sisters would follow him around. He was just a gentle giant, that's the best way to describe him," Massa said, according to The Associated Press. James isn't the first spring breaker to die from a balcony fall this year. Brandon Kohler, a 19-year-old from Winder, Ga., died March 24 when he fell from a fifth-floor balcony at the Holiday Terrace Motel in Panama City Beach. James' parents went to Florida on Friday night, returned to Cincinnati and released a statement Saturday evening asking for privacy while they make funeral arrangements and grieve. Motz said the school would take its cues from James' family, noting that St. Xavier is on spring break until April 12.

– One of the nation's top high school football prospects is dead after falling off a third-floor hotel balcony while on spring break in Florida. Police say he was "drunk and belligerent" before the accident. Matt James, 17, had been Notre Dame's top recruit and was on USA Today's first team All-American squad as an offensive lineman. Friends set up a Facebook tribute page. "Witnesses and friends indicate he had become drunk and belligerent," says a police official in Panama City, Florida. "He had leaned over the balcony rail, was shaking his finger at the people in the next room over. He fell over." The Chicago Tribune, AP, and ESPN have more details on James, who attended St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati.

SAN JOSE — A lawyer for a former Stanford swimmer whose conviction on sexual assault charges led to the extremely rare recall of a judge tried to convince an appellate court Tuesday to overturn his client’s conviction — on the novel grounds that the athlete wanted “outercourse” with his intoxicated victim, not intercourse. His lawyer Eric Multhaup told justices at a California appeals court that there was no evidence to prove at what point the woman became unconscious, US media report. Image copyright Reuters Image caption Brock Turner was seen by two other students sexually assaulting the woman in 2016 A lawyer for a former US student convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman has launched an appeal to have the ruling overturned. The hearing is the latest development in a high-profile case that led last month to the recall of the judge, who gave Turner what many considered a lenient six-month jail sentence for the sexual assault outside a campus fraternity party in 2015. Judge Persky was cleared of misconduct by the California Commission on Judicial Performance. Although Turner wound up serving only three months, he is required under a state law to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life because of his conviction on the charge of attempting to rape an intoxicated person. The jury also found Turner guilty of two counts of digital penetration. He has moved back to Ohio and was not at Tuesday’s hearing. The appeals court judges appeared sceptical of Mr Multhaup's arguments, the Associated Press news agency reported. The panel has 90 days — until late October — to issue a ruling. He said the jury had had to "speculate" and had "filled in the blanks" to reach their conclusion. “You can’t surgically remove things and look at them separately.” Assistant Attorney General Alisha Carlile didn’t mince words. The Stanford law school professor who led the campaign to recall Judge Aaron Persky said Turner had a chance to make that argument at trial, but did not.

– Brock Turner, the former Stanford swimmer convicted in 2016 of sexually assaulting a woman outside a 2015 campus party, wasn't interested in intercourse but rather "outercourse," his lawyer claims. Eric S. Multhaup—who's hoping to overturn Turner's conviction for the attempted rape of an intoxicated person, which came with a lifelong requirement to register as a sex offender in addition to a three-month prison stay—argued Tuesday that Turner was seeking fully clothed sexual contact when he was found thrusting on a half-naked, unconscious woman. Per USA Today, Multhaup appeared before a three-judge panel in San Jose, claiming that Turner had his clothes on and never intended to rape his victim. The "poker-faced justices ... appeared skeptical of his argument," reports the San Jose Mercury News. Indeed, Justice Franklin D. Elia announced, "I absolutely don't understand what you are talking about." Multhaup went on to argue that the jury had insufficient evidence to convict—he said it was unclear when the intoxicated victim known as Emily Doe fell unconscious—and improperly "filled in the blanks" in the case, per the BBC. "Intent is rarely proved by direct evidence," Elia responded, citing reliance on circumstantial evidence, per the Mercury News. "We are not in a position to say [of the jury], you should have gone a different way," he added, while Deputy Attorney General Alisha Carlile said there was "ample" evidence to convict. Turner, 22, lives in Ohio and wasn't present for the hearing, which follows the June ousting of his sentencing judge. A ruling is expected by late October.

Which only adds to our eager anticipation of David Guterson’s new novel, “Ed King,” a modern-day version of “Oedipus Rex.” In the three novels since his spectacularly successful debut, “Snow Falling on Cedars” (1994), Guterson has focused on alienated people driven into the woods by shame, or illness, or a thirst for the truth. Topics: Books, Sex What’s more cringe-worthy: Haruki Murakami’s comparison of “a freshly made ear” to “a freshly made vagina” or the scene from “Ed King,” David Guterson’s modern retelling of the Oedipus myth, in which the title character ends 12 hours of marathon lovemaking with his mother with one last quickie in the shower? These two paragraphs from “Ed King,” specifically cited on the Literary Review’s website, helped bring home the prize: These sorts of gyrations and five-sense choreographies, with variations on Ed’s main themes, played out episodically between 10 p.m. and 10 a.m., when Diane said, “Let’s shower.” In the shower, Ed stood with his hands at the back of his head, like someone just arrested, while she abused him with a bar of soap. Ed King, his fifth novel, takes the Sophoclean tragedy Oedipus Rex (the title is a pun on the original) and transports it to late 20th Century Seattle. The novel’s “victory” might not surprise readers and reviewers; as GalleyCat’s Jason Boog points out, Ron Charles of the Washington Post anticipated that its awkward descriptions of an awkward encounter might make it a strong contender for the prize.

– Ron Charles of the Washington Post wins the prognosticator award among book critics. When he reviewed (and panned) David Guterson's novel Ed King, he took note of one part: "What follows are three pages that might very well win the Literary Review’s annual Bad Sex Award." Well, that award came out today, and ... congratulations, Mr. Guterson (who is also the Snow Falling on Cedars author). The UK publication singled out Guterson's modern version of Oedipus Rex for a lengthy scene in which the main character has some intimate moments in the shower with, yes, his mother, reports the BBC. A few examples: "In the shower, Ed stood with his hands at the back of his head, like someone just arrested, while she abused him with a bar of soap." “Ed smelled vulnerably digestive.” "Then they rinsed, dried, dressed and went to an expensive restaurant for lunch." Salon has a more complete excerpt here, along with an antidote-like link to a discussion about good sex scenes.

If it doesn’t, all that goodwill Abadi built up will diminish.” There wasn’t always such a sense of possibility in Iraq. Mr. Maliki didn’t respond to a request for comment, but Sunday released a public statement praising the military and militias. Mr. Abadi in turn has praised the cleric, even this week saying his call to form militias was a crucial move to save the country from Islamic State dominance. The West Point study noted that in Fallujah, which was liberated from ISIS a year ago, “the citizens of the city are still facing an array of challenges, from destroyed buildings to live Islamic State munitions buried in the rubble to the continuing threat of Islamic State attacks.” As of March, the mayor of Fallujah had yet to return to the city to live; instead, he visits periodically from his home in the Iraqi city of Irbil, the study said. But fighting is likely to continue for a while longer as Iraqi troops clear the remaining pockets of ISIS fighters, Army Col. Ryan Dillon, a spokesman for the US military campaign in Iraq and Syria, told reporters at the Pentagon. “Iraqi forces are promising liberation, but they need to find out what’s happening now and stop any abuse.” One witness said that three Emergency Response Division and Iraqi Security Force (ISF) members on a key route for civilians fleeing the city boasted to him that they were executing captured unarmed men who were thought to be ISIS-affiliated instead of detaining them. “I have heard of countless abuses and executions in this battle,” one witness said. The government doesn’t have the money, and the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund haven’t come forward with funds.

– The Islamic State appears to be nearly ousted in the Iraqi city of Mosul, and now US-backed forces have the last 2,500 ISIS holdouts trapped in the group's other stronghold of Raqqa, Syria, reports the New York Times. The militants are cut off from supplies, though the final battle to defeat them promises to be a difficult one that plays out building by building. ISIS leaders already have fled the city, and the group maintains control over smaller towns in both Syria and Iraq. Related developments: The plan? Once ISIS is routed from Syria and Iraq, then what? The Los Angeles Times reports that the US doesn't seem to have a clear strategy yet for the aftermath, one that takes into account factors such as Iran, Russia, reconstruction, safe zones, troop numbers, etc. Without "rules of the road,” it's "a dangerous situation," says one analyst. Assad's role: One particularly thorny problem for the US is whether to try to keep Syria's Bashar al-Assad in check as he seeks to reclaim territory abandoned by ISIS. The AP has an analysis. 'Mom, I'm exhausted': What's it like for civilians still in Raqqa? "Mom, I'm exhausted and the situation is horrible, I can't bear this life anymore," writes a 23-year-old daughter to her mom. CNN takes a look at WhatsApp messages. A leader emerges: Iraq's success in Mosul has turned the spotlight on Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. In a profile, the Wall Street Journal reports that the 65-year-old former electrical engineer has emerged as a genuine leader after three years, to pretty much everyone's surprise. Premature? But at BuzzFeed, Nancy A. Youssef writes that Abadi and other Iraqi leaders may have made a mistake in declaring the end of the ISIS caliphate last week. Too much fighting remains, in Mosul and elsewhere. Abuses in Iraq: Human Rights Watch says it has reports of Iraqi soldiers beating and executing unarmed men fleeing Mosul.

National Review's Robert Costa broke the news that Herman Cain told his senior staff on a conference call that he was "reassessing" whether or not to stay in the GOP presidential race now that a woman is publicly claiming she had a 13-year affair with the businessman turned candidate. And that’s bad news for former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. Though Cain has declined in polls over the last several weeks, according to the Real Clear Politics average, he's still at 15.5 percent nationally, 15.8 percent in Iowa, 7 percent in New Hampshire and 16.7 percent in South Carolina. Gingrich targets Romney: Gingrich is starting to go after Romney, saying Monday that he is more conservative than the former Massachusetts governor and suggesting he is also more consistent.

– The news that Herman Cain is "reassessing" his campaign in the wake of allegations of an extramarital affair has left pundits wondering which candidate would come out on top if the Cain Train came to a halt. A look around the blogosphere: Some of Cain's Tea Party and evangelical supporters may end up choosing Michele Bachmann or Rick Santorum, but rising Mitt Romney alternative Newt Gingrich is best placed to benefit, decides Molly Ball at the Atlantic. Gingrich and Cain "share a stylistic appeal: an air of authenticity, as well as a certain joie de vivre," she writes. Cain's exit would be good news for Gingrich, and very bad news for Romney, writes Chris Cillizza at the Washington Post. Romney's stagnant poll numbers suggest that his only chance of winning the nomination will be if conservatives "fracture among several candidates rather than unify behind a single one," he writes. Cain dropping out could actually work in Romney's favor, according to Philip Klein at the Washington Examiner. The spotlight could shift to Gingrich's "messy personal life, three marriages, and extramarital affair," he writes, and while Romney probably won't directly attack Gingrich over his personal life, don't be surprised if he starts mentioning his 42-year marriage a lot more often.

USA TODAY South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of the 11 Republicans who sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee, made it clear Sunday that while he is willing to hear out Christine Blasey Ford about her sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, he has not heard enough evidence to "ruin Judge Kavanaugh's life over this." "Bring it forward, I will listen," Graham said. "I feel sorry for her. I think she's being used here." FOURTH PURPORTED WITNESS, A LIFELONG FRIEND OF FORD'S, SAYS NO RECOLLECTION OF ATTACK He added: "I don’t know what Dr. Ford expected us to do with an anonymous letter. - Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. Ford's legal team last week asked the Senate Judiciary Committee to agree to certain terms before she sits down for a potential interview. Among the terms: Only members of the committee -- no lawyers -- can question her; Kavanaugh cannot be in the room at the time; and Kavanaugh should be questioned first, before he has the opportunity to hear Ford's testimony. Graham said that Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley "has bent over backward to make this happen" and that the Iowa Republican had met six of 10 conditions set by Ford's lawyer for her to testify before the committee on Thursday morning. He said Ford's team is still contesting the committee's insistence that only Ford and Kavanaugh testify, and that outside counsel be brought in to question them. "If they continue to contest those two things, there won't be a hearing." Asked by Wallace whether Republicans wanted to bring in outside lawyers simply to avoid the optics of having the all-male Republican contingent on the Judiciary Committee asking Ford questions, Graham said there were other concerns at play. Graham explained that they wanted to bring in a lawyer because "we've got 11 politicians who haven't done a trial in about 20 years. "I thought it would be really smart to have someone come in who knows what the hell they're doing, to ask the questions, to be respectful." She will be respectfully treated," he added. Go ahead and ruin this guy's life, based on an accusation -- I don't know when it happened, I don't know where it happened, and everybody named in regard to being there said it didn't happen. I'm just being honest. Unless there's something more, no, I'm not going to ruin Judge Kavanuagh's life over this." Ford alleges that Kavanaugh held her down, covered her mouth his hand and tried to remove her clothes after he and a friend locked her in a bedroom at a party in 1982, when they were all in high school. "There’s a bureaucratic coup against President Trump being undiscovered here," Graham said. I don’t know what Rosenstein did, but I know what [Andy] McCabe, [Bruce] Ohr, [Lisa] Page and [Peter]Strzok did.

– Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham describes the woman accusing Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault as a victim of the Democrats: "I want to listen to Dr. [Christine] Ford. I feel sorry for her," he says, per Fox News. "I think she's being used here." He then takes an apparent shot at Sen. Dianne Feinstein, saying, "If [Ford] truly wanted to be anonymous, the person who brought this allegation to the public owes her an apology." Graham also reveals his thinking on the Kavanaugh vote, per USA Today: "What am I supposed to do? Go ahead and ruin this guy's life based on an accusation? ... I'm just being honest. Unless there's something more, no I'm not going to ruin Judge Kavanaugh's life over this." For more around the Sunday dial: Second-guessing: "Accusers go through a lot of trauma," says US Ambassador the United Nations Nikki Haley on State of the Union, per the Hill. "Some handle it one way and some handle it another way. Regardless, it's not something we want to do to blame the accuser or try and second-guess the accuser." Host Jake Tapper had asked if it's fair to discredit an accuser for not going to the police, as President Trump has done.

Here it is, the internal memo to Yahoo staff about the sudden — though it was not sudden, by any means — leave-taking today of its COO, Henrique De Castro, courtesy of one of my 10,563 sources left at Yahoo! The company did not give a reason for his abrupt departure in the regulatory filing and a Yahoo spokeswoman declined to comment. In it, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer makes clear she dumped the former Google exec, whom she had once effusively praised. She recruited him away from Google in October 2012 with a pay package estimated as high as $61.6 million including as much as $20 million in restricted stock units. This is clearly a big correction for CEO Marissa Mayer, since De Castro was her first major hire to be her No. I appreciate Henrique’s contributions and wish him the best in his future endeavors.” In other words: I am going to try to appear honest and forthright here, hoping it will make people forget that I did the hiring, I paid him too much and I did not act sooner when it was clear that it was not working out. And, after much knife-in-back machinating for months against him, CMO Kathy Savitt finally wrests the media unit from De Castro’s cold, um, you know, hands. As I noted last week about De Castro’s looming troubles: That pressure to perform in the advertising space has caused a lot of tension inside Yahoo, said a multitude of sources, especially between Mayer and COO Henrique De Castro.

– Marissa Mayer has fired COO Henrique de Castro, 15 months after she snatched him away from Google on an outsized four-year package worth an estimated $62 million. That was Mayer's first big hire as CEO, but he hasn't been able to boost Yahoo's flagging ad revenue as much as she'd hoped, the LA Times reports. De Castro will get a parting bonus of $20 million in restricted stock, Business Insider observes, to go with the $39.2 million in cash and stock earned in 2012. In a memo to staff, Mayer confirmed that she'd shown de Castro the door, Kara Swisher at re/code reports. It won't come as a shock, Swisher adds; her sources in the company have been calling him "dead man walking" in recent weeks, and he had a tense relationship with Mayer and her entire inner circle. "They just did not get along and did not hide it at all," one source said. "It was really awkward." Swisher doesn't expect Mayer to hire a replacement.

Play Facebook Twitter Embed Unsealed testimony details extent of FIFA bribery 1:30 autoplay autoplay Copy this code to your website or blog The bribery and corruption scandal that toppled FIFA President Sepp Blatter involved the global soccer organization's decisions on who should host at least two World Cups, in addition to millions of dollars' worth of television and marketing contracts, according to federal court documents unsealed Wednesday. According to a transcript of the 2013 hearing at which Blazer pleaded guilty to 10 counts — including racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and income tax evasion — Blazer told the court that he personally accepted a bribe for his support in the bidding to host the World Cup in 2010, which went to South Africa, and "facilitated" a bribe to a FIFA colleague in connection with the 1998 World Cup, which was won by France. Warner was bailed last week following his arrest and the U.S. is seeking to extradite him to face charges in America. Particularly significant are the maneuverings described around the 2010 World Cup — a scheme that, according to Blazer's plea, involved not only a "high-ranking official with FIFA" but also the South African government.

– FIFA's former vice president, now on Interpol's most wanted list, says he has documents that contain an "avalanche" of secrets about soccer's governing body, including a link to Trinidad and Tobago's general election in 2010. In an eight-minute paid political advertisement that aired on TV last night, NBC News reports Jack Warner said the "comprehensive and detailed series of documents, including checks and corroborated statements," also reveal "financial transactions" involving FIFA President Sepp Blatter, who is stepping down. "I reasonably, actually fear for my life," Warner said in the video. He went on to make further remarks at a political rally, where he said he's giving the documents to his lawyers to distribute, per the AP. "Not even death will stop the avalanche that is coming." Warner, who was re-elected to the Trinidadian Parliament in 2010, said the documents detail "the link between FIFA, its funding, and me ... and the people's partnership government [ruling coalition] in the general election of 2010." He added, "Blatter knows why he fell. And if anyone else knows, I do." He also apologized for not revealing the information previously, but "I will no longer keep secrets for them who actively seek to destroy the country," he says. "Let the chips fall where they fall." Meanwhile, details of a 2013 plea deal reveal former American FIFA official Chuck Blazer accepted or "facilitated" bribes in connection with the 1998 and 2010 World Cups, NBC News reports.

Postal Service called Informed Delivery might be an attempt, he says, to get back the magic of that moment. On April 14, the Postal Service is set to launch a nationwide service that allows users, in a sense, to peek at their mail before it arrives in their mailbox. The service has been available in Northern Virginia since 2014. The pilot program was later expanded to parts of California, Connecticut, Maryland, New York, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Bob Dixon, the executive program director for Informed Delivery, told NBC News the feedback was “tremendously positive,” so it’s being rolled out nationally in mid-April. McAllister, who wrote a piece on this new feature in Linn's Stamp News, says it's hard to find usefulness in a new aspect of a product that's not significant in one's daily life to begin with. boxes. If you receive more than 10 pieces of first-class mail, you’ll get 10 images and a link to see the rest. Users can also view the images for seven days on their dashboard, which they can find on informeddelivery.usps.com. Notifications are sent Monday through Saturday on days that mail is processed. It's not often that I see something in the mail that I'm genuinely excited to tear open. Dixon, as one of Informed Delivery's first users, says when he was traveling and was informed of a jury notice, he was able to ask his son to pull the letter out of his stack of mail that was piling up on the kitchen table in his absence. "The amount of mail — single-piece first-class mail — has dropped so dramatically that there isn't much magic in the daily mail anymore for most people," he says. So the benefit to us is that we continue the relevance of mail in a very digital world and we provide access to the consumers for those mail pieces.” This scanning technology has been in place since the 1990s. Users will have the option of getting an email with photos of the front of card- and letter-size mail pieces that are due to arrive that day, or a day or two later. It's situations like these, he says, where people can use the service to plan ahead for the day.

– Anyone who’s waited by the mailbox for an important letter or much-needed paycheck will want to be first in line for a new free service USPS is rolling out widely in mid-April. Residential customers who sign up for Informed Delivery will receive a daily email with high-quality photo scans of their incoming envelope fronts, reports NBC News. The emails display up to 10 images—if there are more than 10 on a given day, the rest can be viewed via a link that stays active for seven days. After receiving “tremendously positive” feedback in pilot test runs, executive program director Bob Dixon says the program has been particularly appealing to people living with roommates, since they’re not always first to retrieve their daily mail. Frequent travelers are another group utilizing the service, which Dixon personally attests to as one of Informed Delivery’s first users. He tells NPR that he was able to flag a jury duty summons while on the road and asked his son to set it aside so it didn’t get lost in a towering mail pile. With the rate of mail delivery declining (61.2 billion pieces of first-class mail were handled by USPS in 2016 compared to 98 billion in 2006), the service is one way the post office is innovating and trying to remain relevant. "Our emerging consumers, younger folks, are digital natives," Dixon says. "That's how their communications are coming to them." USPS has opened sign-up for Informed Delivery at: informeddelivery.USPS.com. (Finland's postal service tried to innovate in a different way.)

1 / 9 Gallery: Mob Raids Ebola Isolation Unit In Liberia A mob overruns an Ebola isolation centre in the West Point slum of Monrovia, claiming there is no ebola in the city. Latest figures from the World Health Organisation (WHO) reveal there have been 2,240 confirmed cases of ebola in West Africa, including 1,229 deaths in the latest outbreak. Other reports suggested the protesters had believed Ebola was a hoax and wanted to force the quarantine centre to close. The head of the Health Workers Association of Liberia, George Williams, said the unit had housed 29 patients who "had all tested positive for Ebola" and were receiving preliminary treatment. Confirming that 17 had escaped, he said that only three had been taken by their relatives, the other nine having died four days earlier. Blood-stained mattresses, bedding and medical equipment were taken from the centre, a senior police officer told BBC News, on condition of anonymity. The ebola epidemic has killed more than 1,000 people in four West African countries, with Liberia now having the most deaths. A total of 413 of these cases have been in Liberia, more than any other country and despite a state of emergency being declared.

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

Michael Conroy / Associated Press Subway restaurant spokesman Jared Fogle walks to a waiting car as he leaves his home Tuesday in Zionsville, Ind. (Photo: Charlie Nye / The Star)Buy Photo Jared Fogle's weight-loss story made him a celebrity, but his career may be forever damaged after police searched the Subway spokesman's home two months after an associate's arrest on child pornography charges. A joint task force of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, the Indiana State Police and the FBI raided Taylor's home April 29 after getting a tip that he was in possession of illegal pornographic images. Authorities haven't said anything linking the search at Fogle's home to that case or any other investigation. The video shows gloved investigators carrying electronics from the home. Attorney: He has not been charged with any crime "Jared has been cooperating with law enforcement in its investigation of certain unspecified activities and looks forward to its conclusion," Elberger said. Elberger said Fogle, the man who soared to fame 15 years ago after saying he shed more than 200 pounds in part through a Subway diet, has not been arrested or charged with any crime. "Subway and Jared Fogle have mutually agreed to suspend their relationship due to the current investigation," a Subway spokesman said in a statement. Earlier Tuesday, Subway announced that it was "shocked by the news" about Fogle, and it set about removing the spokesman’s presence from its website, starting with pages detailing Fogle's story and history with the company. Subway commercials brought fame Fogle became famous in 2000 when the sandwich chain released a commercial centered on his claims that he dropped about 245 pounds -- from a peak weight of 425 -- in one year as an Indiana University student, thanks in part to exercise and a simpler diet involving Subway subs. The FBI and Indiana State Police confirmed they were assisting with an investigation in Zionsville, but declined to confirm that he was involved and referred questions to Horty's office. Foundation's former executive director charged Authorities have previously said that the foundation's former executive director, Russell C. Taylor, 43, of Indianapolis, was charged in early May with seven counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Atty Ron Elberger (r) drives #Subway spokesman Jared Fogle from his home after morning-long criminal investigation. Shortly after Taylor's arrest, Fogle released a statement saying he was "shocked" about the allegations and was severing all ties with Taylor, the Associated Press reported. Tim Horty, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office, said Tuesday that Taylor's health has improved and that he was in the custody of the U.S. The woman said Taylor offered to send her images and videos of young girls by text message, and she also raised concerns about bestiality and other sexual matters. Investigators said they found more than 400 videos of child pornography in Taylor's home office. Investigators said Taylor "sexually exploited four children" to produce pornography in the bathrooms and bedrooms of his home between 2012 and 2015, according to the criminal complaint. The complaint indicates the children, both male and female, did not know they were being filmed. The attorney on record for Taylor did not respond to a request for comment after his initial arrest. FBI Special Agent Wendy Osborne, responding to questions, said that the agency is "conducting investigative activity in the area," but that she couldn't discuss the nature of the probe. During a late April search at Taylor's home, authorities found "a cache of sexually explicit photos and videos Taylor allegedly produced by secretly filming minor children" there, federal prosecutors said in a May news release. Fogle stepped out of the evidence truck before leaving in a black Lexus with his attorney, who returned to the home later in the day without Fogle. He became a relatable model for those seeking healthier lifestyles — he exercises, but doesn't love it, and still splurges "plenty of times," he told The Times in 2012.

– Jared Fogle hasn't been charged with anything, but after an FBI raid on his home yesterday, Subway didn't waste any time in cutting its ties with its longtime spokesman. The company announced that they had "mutually agreed to suspend their relationship due to the current investigation"—which is believed to be linked to the child-porn arrest of a former Fogle employee—and his presence, including his history with the company and a game called "Jared's Pants Dance," was scrubbed from the Subway website within hours, the Los Angeles Times reports. Fogle's lawyer says his client has been cooperating with authorities and looks forward to the conclusion of the investigation, reports KTLA. Experts say the Subway move looks like good crisis management. "If something happens to his reputation, that is going to spill over to the brand," a marketing professor at the USC Marshall School of Business tells the Times. "That is why many brands use mascots. People sometimes get into trouble, and if they do, they take the brand with them." The former Fogle employee, ex-Jared Foundation chief Russell Taylor, has been charged with producing and possessing child pornography, and court records state that two thumb drives found in his home office are linked to Fogle or the foundation, reports the Indianapolis Star.

Olivia Paige Grimes, of Lakeland, Florida, was at Carolina Point Camp, in Sunset, on Monday when she fell out of the swing, according to Pickens County Deputy Coroner Gary Duncan. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Grimes was a member of Oasis Community Church, which has posted a statement on its website asking members to pray for the family. Inspectors determined camp operators should have applied for an amusement device permit before it began operating, state officials said late Thursday. "It's with deepest sorrow and broken hearts that we let you know that Olivia Grimes, the sixteen-year-old daughter of Pastor Phil and Robyn and sister of Sabrina, passed away on Monday after an accident at a summer camp," the statement said. This is a very sad day for us all," camp manager Greg Carlton said in a statement. Terry Swenson, Young Life Vice President of Communications says it appears the agency may be unaware that the camp's swing and zip lines meet safety, training, inspection and certification requirements of the Association for Challenge Course Technology. Aleesha Mathis, Young Life public relations and marketing coordinator says the group has swings at 13 camps, all of which are currently closed as a precaution. In a release from the Pickens County Sheriff's Office, Chief Deputy Creed Hashe said it was an accident involving a swing more than 100 feet in the air. Hashe said deputies responded to the scene about 4:20 p.m. Calls to the Sheriff's Office reported that a juvenile had fallen while attached to a rope course at Carolina Point Young Life Camp, at 4000 Glady Fork Road in Brevard, North Carolina, Hashe said. Hashe said Grimes was an attendee at the camp, which uses ropes and rides through wooded areas as team-building exercises. "The victim was seated and attached to a large pendulum swing along with two other participants when she became unattached and fell approximately 100 to 120 feet from the swing onto the ground," Hashe said.

– A Florida teenager died about 6pm Monday after falling out of a rope swing at a Christian camp on the South Carolina-North Carolina border. Olivia Paige Grimes, 16, of Lakeland, Florida, was part of a group participating in an event called the "Freebird" and was attached to a large pendulum swing along with two other participants. Olivia became unhooked from the swing and fell what Greenville Online reports was 120 feet to the ground. Deputies are investigating the fall at Carolina Point Camp in Sunset; they say it appears to have been accidental. No one else was injured, and authorities say the ride was supervised by two camp employees. The camp on Sassafras Mountain is run by Young Life, a Christian youth organization. It operates 28 camps across the country and said in a statement, "We have swings at 13 of our camps; all are currently closed as a measure of precaution and to ensure a safe experience for our campers. We do not yet know what happened at Carolina Point." That particular camp released a statement of its own that noted staff immediately began administering CPR, per WYFF. Olivia was pronounced dead at the scene. "All of us at Carolina Point and across Young Life grieve with this young woman's family and friends," per the statement. "At the moment our focus is on those grieving over this tragic accident."

Image copyright AP Image caption James Kottak joined German band Scorpions in 1996 The drummer for the German rock band Scorpions has been sentenced to one month in jail in Dubai for offensive behaviour, according to local media. The reported incident occurred at Dubai airport on 3 April, when Scorpions were en route to Bahrain for a concert. Kottak was arrested following a disturbance in the transit hall, the National newspaper reports. They said he started swearing and talking about "non-educated Muslims", then flashed his middle finger at Pakistani passengers. Kottak, who pleaded not guilty to insulting Islam and raising his middle finger, was also fined Dh2,000 for drinking without a licence, to which he pleaded guilty. S O, 27, a customer service employee at the airport, said: "When he saw the Pakistani and Afghan passengers, he covered his nose and said that there was no way he will travel with them." "I confess to drinking alcohol but I refuse the other two charges, I did not do them."

– Drunk and sweary is no way to go through a Dubai airport, a Scorpions member has discovered. James Kottak, the German heavy metal band's American drummer, was sentenced to a month in prison in the emirate for allegedly ranting about "non-educated" Muslims, giving the middle finger to fellow passengers, and exposing his buttocks while in transit between Moscow and Bahrain, reports the National. Witnesses say Kottak appeared drunk and shouted that he wouldn't travel with a group of Pakistani and Afghan passengers. Kottak, 51, admitted drinking five glasses of wine on the flight from Moscow but denied all other charges, the BBC reports. He told authorities that he hadn't exposed his rear, but just "lifted my shirt up to show the tattoo on my back" as a "spontaneous act." There is "no way that I would say such a phrase about Muslims, whether I was drunk or not," he told police, according to court records. "I confess to drinking alcohol but I refuse the other two charges, I did not do them." He is expected to be deported when he finishes his sentence.

(Photo: George Frey) WASHINGTON – Prosecutors from special counsel Robert Mueller's office released a memo Tuesday evening detailing the level of cooperation by Michael Flynn, the president's former national security adviser. A mystery criminal investigation The most interesting disclosure was that Flynn had helped with what appears to be at least one separate, unidentified criminal investigation that is distinct from the probe into Russian election interference and any links to Trump's 2016 team. In January of 2017, Flynn lied to the FBI about a conversation he had with then-Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak just a month earlier, falsely telling investigators that he hadn’t discussed sanctions with him. We know, for instance, that Flynn has sat for 19 interviews with Mueller’s team, in addition to providing documents and other forms of communication; that the assistance Flynn provided was about contacts between Russian officials and Trump’s team during the presidential transition, but wasn’t limited to that topic; that Mueller’s team thinks Flynn’s willingness to flip helped others do the same. That conversation took place the day the Obama Administration announced it was imposing sanctions on Russia for attempting to interfere in the election, raising questions about whether he violated the Logan Act, which bars private citizens from negotiating with foreign governments about official disputes. Additionally, he failed to disclose that he authored an op-ed on behalf of the Turkish government about the attempted coup, falsely stating he wrote it of his own volition. Two months later, Flynn failed to fully disclose the nature of his work in Turkey when registering with the government as a foreign agent, omitting the fact that he had worked on a project at the direction of the Turkish government while advising the Trump campaign on national security issues. "The defendant's decision to plead guilty and cooperate likely affected the decisions of related firsthand witnesses to be forthcoming with the SCO (special counsel's office) and cooperate," Mueller's team wrote in the memo. "His early cooperation was particularly valuable because he was one of the few people with long-term and firsthand insight regarding events and issues under investigation by the (special counsel's office)," the memo said. But several parts of the addendum were blacked out in the publicly available version, including a section describing a criminal investigation, a second investigation that is entirely redacted, a portion describing interactions between the Trump transition team and Russia and a brief description of one way that Flynn cooperated. The memo, which is partially redacted, says, "The defendant has assisted with several ongoing investigations: a criminal investigation [redacted], the special counsel's office's investigation concerning any links or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald J. Trump, [redacted]." 19 interviews with investigators Mueller's team said in the memo that Flynn sat down with investigators on 19 occasions. On Tuesday, Special Counsel Robert Mueller shared just a small amount of what he told them in a legal filing that should spook the White House. Throughout the filing, Mueller stressed the value of Flynn's work in lifting the lid on what had gone on in the Trump campaign and the transition period before he was fired a few weeks into the administration, for what the White House said was lying to Vice President Mike Pence over a telephone conversation in which he had discussed sanctions with Russia's then-ambassador to Washington, Sergey Kislyak. It provided few definitive answers, but its line after line of blacked-out text offered eloquent testimony on the breadth of the Mueller investigation and appears to dispel expectations that he is nearly ready to wrap up.

– President Trump ought to be worried by special counsel Robert Mueller's Tuesday court filing describing Michael Flynn's "substantial" help in the probe into Russian election interference, CNN reports, highlighting one line in particular. "Senior government leaders should be held to the highest standards," Mueller writes in the 13-page document, which is heavily redacted—a sign that discoveries are still being withheld to protect ongoing and future investigations as well as potential prosecutions, per CNN. Indeed, in addition to providing information on "interactions between individuals in the presidential transition team and Russia," and claiming such individuals directed him to discuss sanctions with Russia's ambassador to the US, Trump's former national security adviser cooperated in a criminal investigation separate from the Russia probe, the filing states, per USA Today. Rep. Mark Meadows says "no mention of collusion" is "good news for President Trump," per Time, though a former federal prosecutor tells CNN he believes "Flynn provided information that is allowing Mueller to make a criminal case against someone." Mueller notes Flynn's decision to cooperate, which likely encouraged other witnesses to follow suit, "was particularly valuable because he was one of the first people with long-term and firsthand insight regarding events and issues under investigation." These words differ greatly from those Mueller has used to describe Paul Manafort, suggesting "full disclosure will be rewarded while attempts to thwart him … will be severely punished," CNN reports, mentioning "Trump's Twitter praise for associates such as Roger Stone, who have refused to cooperate with Mueller" and his criticisms of those who've agreed. (More on the filing here.)

In the latest Hunger Games installment, Lawrence’s character performs “The Hanging Tree,” a song that begins with Lawrence’s bluesy a cappella vocals and ends with a choir and orchestra joining in. Listen to Jennifer Lawrence's 'Hunger Games' Folk Ballad, 'The Hanging Tree' Industry forecasters suggest the song, performed by James Newton Howard featuring Lawrence, may sell upwards of 150,000 downloads in the U.S. in the week ending Nov. 30. 14 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart and No. 12 spot on ARIA Australian Top 50 Singles Chart and the No. (When we saw the film, our 13-year-old cousin assessed, afterwards, “Of course she can sing well, Josh—she’s Jennifer Lawrence.”) And it would appear most of the world agrees with our cousin’s assessment, as the song—the music for which was written by the Lumineers (the lyrics were crafted by Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins)—is currently perched at No. by Kevin Winter/Getty Images One of the most stirring scenes in the latest installment of the Hunger Games movie franchise, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 (just rolls off the, erm, keypad, don’t it?

– Jennifer Lawrence may have an Oscar to her name, but she's also winning praise for her singing chops. In the latest Hunger Games movie, Lawrence sings a song called the Hanging Tree that is now No. 2 on the US iTunes chart and threatening to crack the top 40 of Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart. (We'll know Wednesday.) Overseas, the song is No. 12 in Australia and No. 14 in the UK, notes US Weekly. The song "begins with Lawrence’s bluesy a cappella vocals and ends with a choir and orchestra joining in," observes Entertainment Weekly. All of which causes Vanity Fair to add: "The question is not whether or not Lawrence will EGOT, it would seem, it’s whether or not she’ll do it by age 30." (That would be an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. She's still got six years.)

'He saved my life': Joshua Quick fought off yoga studio gunman with vacuum, broom Jeff Burlew | Tallahassee Democrat TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida man who is being hailed as a hero for fighting back against the gunman who killed two people at a yoga studio said Sunday he used what he could to try to stop to the gunman. “I want to thank that guy from the bottom of my heart,” she said, “because he saved my life.” Two people, Dr. Nancy Van Vessem, an internist and chief medical officer for Capital Health Plan, and Maura Binkley, a Florida State University student, were killed in the shooting. Five other people were wounded. More: After Thousand Oaks, daughter's death in yoga studio shooting, 'time for silence is over' Quick, in an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America,” said after shooter Scott Beierle fired shots inside the Midtown studio, he confronted him with a vacuum cleaner, hitting him over the head when the shooter’s weapon stopped firing. Follow Jeff Burlew on Twitter: @JeffBurlew Nov. 3: Scott Beierle, gunman in Tallahassee yoga studio shooting, remembered as 'really creepy' Nov. 3: 'Senseless act': Gunman posed as customer before opening fire at Tallahassee yoga studio Nov. 3: Maura Binkley, victim in Tallahassee yoga studio shooting, 'just wanted to help other people' Nov. 3: State Rep. Kristin Jacobs, who represents Parkland, was witness to aftermath of Tallahassee yoga studio shooting Nov. 2: At least 3 dead, including gunman, in shooting at Tallahassee yoga studio, police say Quick was pistol whipped as he tried to fight off the gunman with a vacuum cleaner. Thrasher told trustees he didn’t have a key to offer, but instead, wanted to make sure Quick’s law school expenses are covered. “I want you to know how much gratitude we have for what you did,” Thrasher said to Quick. “Thank you all for the recognition I don’t feel I deserve.” Following a break, board chairman Ed Burr passed out pledge cards to members to indicate their support. Burr said it was clear trustees were moved by the tragedy and Quick’s efforts.

– Joshua Quick is being hailed as a hero—now, if only he would agree. "I want to offer my gratitude to everybody," said the second-year Florida State University law student Friday at a meeting of FSU's board of trustees, per the Tallahassee Democrat. "Thank you all for the recognition I don't feel I deserve." FSU President John Thrasher and the board promised at least $30,000 of their own money to pay Quick's school costs for his actions during the Nov. 2 hot-yoga shooting in Tallahassee. "We are going to start an effort to take care of the rest of his time at our law school," said Thrasher, who expressed hope the board would give more. "I want you to know how much gratitude we have for what you did." Quick has stayed humble about his actions that day. On Good Morning America, Quick said he only struck shooter Scott Beierle with his own gun because the weapon had stopped firing, per USA Today. The 40-year-old assailant pistol-whipped Quick until bloodied, but the student kept fighting: "I jumped up as quickly as I could, ran back over and next thing you know, I'm grabbing a broom, anything I can," said Quick. "And I hit him again." Quick's actions allowed others to escape the studio where two women—Dr. Nancy Van Nessem, 61, and student Maura Binkley, 21—were murdered in cold blood and five were wounded. "I want to thank that guy from the bottom of my heart," says survivor Daniela Garcia Albalat, "because he saved my life." (Beierle demeaned women in YouTube videos.)

Image copyright Thinkstock Image caption The man must tell police of his plans to have sex the day before the act happens A man cleared of rape who must give police 24 hours' notice before he has sex is to go on hunger strike in protest over the ruling. The single man in his 40s, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was cleared after a rape allegation last year, but remains under an interim Sexual Risk Order (SRO), which requires him to contact police 24 hours before engaging in sexual activity with a new partner – giving her name, address and date of birth. He said if his protests were ignored his hunger strike would "continue to either a satisfactory or a natural conclusion". I am, and always was, innocent just like the jury said.” In a recent statement, he said: “I intend to commence hunger strike in protest over the SRO to which I am subject. In a statement, he said: "I protest that even though a jury found me unanimously not guilty, after nearly two years I still find myself being punished for a crime that never happened. “I protest to being subject to an order that is unlawful in almost every syllable, is unjustified and is so extreme as to be utterly unliveable. "The law has been misapplied deliberately by North Yorkshire Police out of sour grapes over being shown to be prejudicial and incompetent in their investigation of the original complaint against me.” A Sexual Risk Order can be applied to anyone whom the police believe poses a risk of sexual harm, regardless of whether they have been convicted of a crime. The dating site - whose tagline is ‘Making dating great again’ - launched in May 2016 and now has over 37,500 active users Getty Images The man imitated talking to a woman, saying: “There’s a nice French restaurant I’d like to take you to, but first the police are just going to come around for a little chat.” The case is due to be reviewed at York Magistrates Court on 14 July, before a full hearing on 19 August. A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “North Yorkshire Police will only make an application to the Court for a Sexual Risk Order in circumstances where it is considered necessary to do so to protect the public from the risk of sexual harm. “The full details of this case cannot be provided for the man’s own protection, but we are satisfied that our actions are justified.”

– Think it's ridiculous for someone to face five years in prison for not warning police that he's about to have sex? So does a British man who plans to protest with a hunger strike. The unnamed father of two was cleared of rape but must abide by an "interim sexual risk order." Such orders can be applied to any person deemed a risk of being a sexual predator, whether or not they've committed a crime, and this one requires him to "disclose the details of any female, including her name, address, and date of birth ... at least 24 hours prior to any sexual activity taking place" so police can first visit her, reports the BBC. The 45-year-old—who says it's impossible to have a relationship under such conditions—also faces limits on his internet and cellphone use and has police show up at his door "sometimes every other day" to check his browsing history. "I cannot and will not live like this. Who could?" he says, per the Independent. "I protest that even though a jury found me unanimously not guilty, after nearly two years I still find myself being punished for a crime that never happened." The man argues that the temporary order—in place since December—was "misapplied deliberately" by North Yorkshire police officers bitter over his acquittal and visits to an S&M fetish club, reports the Telegraph. Police, however, say they are "satisfied that our actions are justified." An Aug. 19 hearing will determine whether the order should be made permanent. His hunger strike was to begin Wednesday, and he said it would "continue to either a satisfactory or a natural conclusion." (Click for more on the case.)

The Sochi Winter Olympics are set to get underway Thursday — but before the sporting events really start to get heated, there’s a another kind of spectacle to enjoy: The opening ceremony, a time-honored tradition of national pride wherein host countries very literally make a show of one-upping whichever nation held the previous Games. ( 0:45 / 5.05Mb / просмотров видео: 2493) RIA NovostiDmitry Makievsky, Petr Kasatkin IOC President Thomas Bach Tries Out Bobsled Simulator in Sochi Zoom Out Sharapova lived in Sochi for four years until the age of six, and used to practice against the wall at the club with her father. This Olympics has more rumors than Fleetwood Mac. Russia’s world-famous for its classical composers, and several top contemporaries are expected to play a role in the opening ceremony. Previous ceremonies have clocked in at around four hours, or about half the length of the average Lord of the Rings Director’s Cut. What time it's on and what to watch out for Alexander Demianchuk / Reuters Fireworks over the Fisht Olympic Stadium at the Olympic Park during a rehearsal of the opening ceremony in Sochi, on Feb. 4, 2014. Russian pop band t.A.T.u, two teenagers who semi-pretended to be lesbians and were briefly crazy-popular in the mid-2000s, is rumored to be playing, whatever such a thing might say about Russia’s treatment of gay people.

– The Olympics opening ceremony starts at precisely 11:14am Eastern time today—that's 20:14 in Sochi, meant to "symbolize the year of the first-ever Russian Winter Games," the official press release explains. (NBC won't air the ceremony until 7:30pm Eastern, Time notes.) What to expect? RIA Novosti reports that the multimillion-dollar spectacle is top secret, with participants having been sworn to silence, but we already know a good deal: The Olympic anthem will be sung in Russian by opera singer Anna Netrebko. Russian band tATu will also perform, the Telegraph reports. (Amusingly, the ceremony producer explains that tATu is "one of the few popular Russian bands that are also known in other countries.") Vladimir Putin will be there, of course, to declare the games open. But he won't be parachuting into the ceremony, the producer jokes. As for the final torchbearer and any other special guests, though, those are still secret. (Putin's rumored girlfriend, a past Olympics champ, is whispered to be the one lighting the flame.) The two-and-a-half-hour extravaganza will celebrate Russia's history, and will include more than 40 heads of state and delegations; more than 3,000 school-age participants; professional dance, acrobatic, and circus performers; and more than 6,000 costumes. "It shows all of Russian history, apart from the revolution," says an Olympic Park worker who saw a rehearsal. "There is no Lenin or Stalin." Expect other Russian traditions, like Matryoshka nesting dolls and troika (a carriage driven by three horses), to somehow make an appearance, the Christian Science Monitor reports. There will be a "special flooring" showing a projected image of the Earth that rotates, and athletes will march up "from the heart of their country's territory," the producer says. "They will arrive at the stadium just like the ancient heroes of Greece." The countries are announced in alphabetical order, but this year, they'll be in alphabetical order according to their Russian spelling. Two exceptions: Greece is always announced first, and the host nation last. Needless to say, security at Olympic Park got even tighter today, USA Today reports. No one is allowed in without tickets and credentials, and the number of police and military officers roaming about is rising. And, following a warning about toothpaste explosives, the TSA is banning carry-on liquids on all US-to-Russia flights.

The female Mallard repeatedly submerged the carcass, repositioned it in its bill and tilted its head backward, a process lasting over 10 min until the Grey Wagtail was eventually entirely consumed. Image copyright Silviu Petrovan/Mihai Leu Image caption A mallard duck closes in on a fledgling black redstart Wild mallard ducks have been observed attacking and eating migratory birds. The Black Redstart was chased by several subadult Mallards and was repeatedly attacked, grabbed and submerged as the ducks tried to swallow it or remove parts of it. Following continuous attacks by between two to five Mallards positioned in a circle, the Black Redstart disappeared, either drowned and submerged or consumed by one or more of the subadults. However, Mallards have recently been shown to learn to exploit new food sources, such as entering the sea to predate Pacific sand crabs ( Emerita analoga ) in multiple locations in California ( Lafferty et al. Mallards are one of the most abundant types of wild duck, and a common sight in parks and on lakes. The findings are published in the journal, Waterbirds.

– You probably thought ducks were cute waddlers who liked to eat your stale bread. Poof, your bubble has been burst. The BBC reports wild mallard ducks have been spotted eating other birds, swallowing one nearly whole, an "extraordinary" behavior that has never been observed before. Zoologist Silviu Petrovan of the University of Cambridge was birdwatching at a reservoir in Romania when he spotted a flock of mallards hunting a fledgling that had landed on the water. A female duck grabbed the grey wagtail in her beak, dunked it several times beneath the water, then ate it, Petrovan says. A black redstart landed soon after and "was almost instantaneously attacked" by 10 juveniles, per the study in the journal Waterbirds. Though mallards in California have been sighted munching on sand crabs, the ducks usually eat plants, insects, and the occasional small fish. As far as scientists can tell, such predatory behavior not involving fish or amphibians has never been seen before. It's not only "very rare" but also likely a new phenomenon, says Petrovan, noting mallards have "not ... really evolved" to digest bones and feathers. "The mallard was massively struggling to eat that wagtail, presumably because it couldn't actually tear it to pieces" due to the design of its bill. So why would a duck eat a bird at all? Petrovan suggests "pressure for those fast-growing juveniles to get animal protein intake." (These birds are probably safe.)

Ultimately, the researchers believe that while having more sex doesn't make people happier, it will only actively decrease their happiness if they are forced to increase the amount of sex they are having without making that decision themselves. In the first study to examine the causal connection between sexual frequency and happiness, Carnegie Mellon University researchers experimentally assigned some couples to have more sex than others, and observed both group's happiness over a three month period. In the first study to examine the connection between sexual frequency and happiness, 128 healthy individuals between the ages of 35 and 65 who were part of a married male-female couple were assigned randomly to one of two groups. The first of these two groups received no instructions on sexual frequency, the second were asked to double their weekly sexual intercourse. Daily during the experimental period, the participants answered questions online to measure health behaviors, happiness levels and the occurrence, type and enjoyableness of sex. Those who were instructed to have more sexual intercourse experienced a small, but discernible decrease in their happiness, as well as lower sexual desire and a decrease in sexual enjoyment. This was not necessarily having more sex, the researchers concluded, but because they were asked to do it, rather than initiating it themselves. "Perhaps couples changed the story they told themselves about why they were having sex, from an activity voluntarily engaged in to one that was part of a research study. If we ran the study again, and could afford to do it, we would try to encourage subjects into initiating more sex in ways that put them in a sexy frame of mind, perhaps with baby-sitting, hotel rooms or Egyptian sheets, rather than directing them to do so," said George Loewenstein, the study's lead investigator and the Herbert A. Simon University Professor of Economics and Psychology in the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Instead of focusing on increasing sexual frequency to the levels they experienced at the beginning of a relationship, couples may want to work on creating an environment that sparks their desire and makes the sex that they do have even more fun," said Krishnamurti, a research scientist in CMU's Department of Engineering and Public Policy.

– You've heard the message, seen the magazine covers: Having more sex will make you happier. A new study out of Carnegie Mellon University, however, suggests that the opposite is true, according to a post at Phys.org. In their experiment, researchers asked one group of married couples to have twice as much weekly sex as usual over a three-month period, and they gave no instructions to a second group. All the couples filled out surveys along the way, and, as Bustle notes, "this is where things get weird." Those who had double the amount of sex reported lower levels of sexual enjoyment and happiness at the end of the experiment than they did at the beginning. The lead researcher is the first to acknowledge that the reason might be because the couples were instructed to have more sex as part of a research experiment, not the most thrilling of circumstances. He elaborates, with some oddly specific advice: "If we ran the study again, and could afford to do it, we would try to encourage subjects into initiating more sex in ways that put them in a sexy frame of mind, perhaps with baby-sitting, hotel rooms, or Egyptian sheets, rather than directing them to do so." Another researcher adds that couples should be less focused on numbers and more on creating the right environment when they do have sex. Or as Wired sums up: "The moral of the story, folks, is that it's all about quality over quantity." (Another study finds that millennials will have fewer sexual partners than their parents.)

PHOTOS: Rihanna In August Issue Of Harper’s BAZAAR “Then, around 3 a.m., Rihanna came in with some girlfriends, and then went directly to his table.” And it’s no coincidence that because Rihanna and Chris have been virtually inseparable over the last few days, he has broken up with his long-time girlfriend, Karreuche Tran — as RadarOnline.com was first to report!

– Rumors of a Chris Brown-Rihanna reunion have been building for months—years, even—but they've really started to ramp up this week. And, conveniently enough, Brown today confirmed it's over between him and girlfriend Karrueche Tran after one year together. "I have decided to be single to focus on my career," Brown tells Us in a statement. "I love Karrueche very much but I don't want to see her hurt over my friendship with Rihanna." Sure, Chris, "friendship." Sure. Tran has never been a fan of Rihanna; the two have sparred over Twitter, and Tran was particularly upset when Brown kissed Rihanna on the lips at the MTV Video Music Awards. Sources say Tran has long known Brown is hooking up with Rihanna behind her back. This week, further evidence emerged that a full-fledged Brown-Rihanna reunion is in the cards: Monday night: They were spotted "hugging and kissing" on the dance floor at a New York nightclub, a source tells Celebuzz. Then "they went to the back of the club alone together." TMZ reports that they were in the bathroom together for 20 minutes, and that Brown was later spotted leaving Rihanna's hotel. (He met up with Tran soon after, the New York Daily News reports.) Tuesday night: Brown and Rihanna were spotted at yet another club together, Radar reports; the New York Post adds that they left together. Last night: They attended a Jay-Z concert in Brooklyn, and sources say they were "cuddled up" in the VIP section and "looked full-on back together." But they were "totally casual about it," not "expecting people to be shocked."

Osmotic pressure was applied to fresh skin samples taken with biopsy pinches (diameter 2 mm) from white stripes of male panther chameleons.

– Chameleons may not be the only creatures on the planet capable of shade shifting, but they're probably the best at it—panther chameleons in particular. They can go from green and blue hues to yellow and red ones in a matter of minutes, and scientists say they now think they know how. Reporting in Nature Communications, researchers say that instead of relying on pigments, these reptiles also boast nanocrystals called iridophores beneath their skin, which contract or expand to essentially reflect different levels of light. To study this, the researchers observed the male panther chameleon of Madagascar—which isn't easy given how skilled they are at shade shifting. "I assure you: In Madagascar, they are really difficult to spot," study co-author Michel Milinkovitch, a biophysicist at the University of Geneva, tells the Los Angeles Times. By filming color changes and examining the chameleons' skin using transmission electron microscopy, the scientists were able to see two layers of skin with iridophores. It turns out that tiny guanine nanocrystals boast very specific spacing between each crystal that in turn reflects different layers of light—shorter spacing reflects blue light, longer spacing red. By interacting with yellow pigment cells (xanthophores) in the skin, greens and oranges emerge. What's more, some less-organized crystal spacing may even reflect near-infrared light, helping to cool the chameleons. "We need to continue investigating the chameleons," Milinkovitch adds, "because part of the answers are there and nowhere else." (Chameleons don't necessarily boast longevity.)

FALL RIVER — A defiant Fall River Mayor Jasiel F. Correia II returned to City Hall Friday amid a call from Governor Charlie Baker to relinquish his post while his criminal case is pending and plans by city councilors to hold a special session to discuss the indictment. But a federal indictment unsealed Thursday cast an ignominious shadow over Correia’s precocious political ascent with allegations that he stole more than $231,000 from investors in his tech startup and used the money on expensive travel, a Mercedes-Benz sedan, casinos, and adult entertainment. Advertisement Correia is also charged with filing fraudulent tax returns in an effort to conceal the scheme. Prosecutors allege Correia stole about 64 percent of the $363,690 that SnoOwl’s seven investors contributed and spent it before being sworn in as mayor in 2016. “Ultimately, it is up to residents and voters to decide who is best fit to lead the city.” Advertisement City Council President Cliff Ponte said he’s convening a special meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday to discuss the criminal case against Correia and any proposals from members “regarding the leadership of our city.” Get Metro Headlines in your inbox: The 10 top local news stories from metro Boston and around New England delivered daily. Sign Up Thank you for signing up! His actions were underhanded, shameless, and greedy.” FBI agents arrested Correia, 26, in Bridgewater at about 6:30 a.m. Thursday and brought him to Boston, where he appeared in a federal courtroom smiling and wearing leg irons with his hands cuffed behind his back. He pleaded not guilty to nine counts of wire fraud and four counts of filing false tax returns as Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley set unsecured bond of $10,000, a sum Correia would only have to pay if he fails to appear in court. Correia changed from the polo shirt and jeans he wore during his arraignment into a suit before exiting court to speak with more than a dozen reporters. “I’ve done nothing wrong,” said Correia, a Democrat who was reelected last year by a wide margin. "I was elected and re-elected with 65 percent of the vote in Fall River and if you look at those bogus charges or whatever they're called there is not a single thing...I did wrong as the mayor of the city of Fall River." Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia said he did "nothing wrong" as he left federal court in Boston Thursday afternoon, following his early morning arrest on charges that he defrauded investors in his company to fuel his "lavish lifestyle." “City councilors always talk.” Correia said he has a full agenda and plans to attend events throughout the city. “I’m going to go back to my office tonight and get back to work serving the people of Fall River.” One of his lawyers, Mark Berthiaume, said Correia established SnoOwl while he was an undergraduate student at Providence College. Advertisement A prototype for SnoOwl was built, but the product never made it to market, despite representations Correia made to investors that the company was in good standing and their money was being spent on the app, US Attorney Andrew Lelling said at the news conference. “Some of the money he spent and the way he spent it is embarrassing,” said Pelletier, who has served on the council for 30 years. None of the investors are named in the indictment, though some have come forward in The Herald News, a newspaper in Fall River. “An indictment is an accusation.” City operations aren’t solely reliant upon Correia, Camara said, noting Fall River has a city administrator and department heads who run different aspects of municipal government. “I love the man,” said a woman who gave only her first name, Lydia . Laura Crimaldi can be reached at laura.crimaldi@globe.com . Follow her on Twitter @lauracrimaldi .

– Elected at age 23, arrested three years later: That's the latest on Jasiel Correia, the youngest-ever mayor of Fall River, Mass., and alleged defrauder of investors in a tech startup, the Boston Globe reports. Before turning mayor in 2015, Correia allegedly spent $231,000 in investors' money on everything from a Mercedes-Benz to pricey travel to adult entertainment—then filed fraudulent tax returns to cover his trail. "It's not my best Thursday," he said after pleading not guilty to 13 counts of wire and tax fraud in federal court in Boston, per MassLive. "It's raining. I don't like to be out in the rain." Correia also issued a public denial of sorts: "There is not a single thing ... I did wrong as the mayor of the city of Fall River," he said. Per a federal indictment, Correia lied to investors of the business app SnoOwl by saying he'd created a profitable app before. He then allegedly spent almost two-thirds of their money: $10,000 on a 2011 Mercedes sports sedan, another $10,000 to pay off student loans and boost his political campaign, and other funds on designer clothing, restaurants, jewelry, and charitable donations in his name. None of the seven investors have seen returns. "One of the frustrating aspects of [Correia's first mayoral] campaign was that a lot of people thought he was a success and had been an entrepreneurial wizard," says former mayor Sam Sutter, who lost to Correia in 2015. "But the exact opposite was true." Correia returned to work Friday at City Hall saying he would not resign, per the Globe.

News may have hit earlier today that engaged Bachelor stars Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell had split, but if you'd looked at their social media pages, the writing's been on the wall (or the post) for a while... For months, the couple had been plagued with breakup rumors, but Ben insisted they were still very much a couple.

– The question in the title of Bachelor spinoff Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After? has been answered, and the answer is "No." Reality TV stars Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell, who got engaged during Season 20 of The Bachelor last year, have split up. "It is with heavy hearts that we announce our decision to go our separate ways," they said in a joint statement to People. "We feel fortunate for the time we had together, and will remain friends with much love and respect for one another." After meeting on The Bachelor—where Higgins told both finalists that he loved them—the couple moved to Denver, where the spinoff documented their lives and attempts to plan a wedding, which was eventually put on hold, the Hollywood Reporter notes. E! Online reports that there had been breakup rumors for months before the announcement, fueled by posts on social media. (Two female contestants on the Australian version of the show ended up dating each other instead of the bachelor.)

Researchers at Brigham Young University and Colorado State University have found that the noise your food makes while you’re eating can have a significant effect on how much food you eat. This is known as the “crunch effect.” “Sound is typically labeled as the forgotten food sense," said Ryan Elder, an assistant professor of marketing at BYU's Marriott School of Management, in the statement. "But if people are more focused on the sound the food makes, it could reduce consumption.” In the study, Elder and his colleagues sought to verify how food sounds could help keep the eating habits of individuals in check throughout a series of experiments. To be clear, the researchers are talking about the effect that comes from the sound of mastication: chewing, chomping, and crunching. They were asked to either think of eating sounds while eating, or to wear headphones that played loud or mellower sounds intended to drown out the intense sounds of chewing certain foods. The most fascinating experiment discovered people eat less when the sound of the food is more intense. Among those with headphones, participants exposed to the louder background noise meant to drown out loud chewing ate four pretzels, compared to 2.47 pretzels from the group that wasn’t exposed to the extra noise. “The effects many not seem huge—one less pretzel—but over the course of a week, month, or year, it could really add up.” Elder and Mohr said the main takeaway for people should be the idea of mindfulness. Participants who ate while playing Solitaire felt less full after eating twice as many snacks and had a harder time remembering what they are than those who ate without any distractions. “When you mask the sound of consumption, like when you watch TV while eating, you take away one of those senses and it may cause you to eat more than you would normally,” Elder said. While a growing body of research explores the impact of normative and environmental extrinsic factors on food consumption quantity, less attention is given to the intrinsic cues, or sensory properties, of the food being consumed. In other words, being more mindful of not just the taste and physical appearance of food, but also of the sound it makes can help in “nudge” consumers to eat less. The “Crunch Effect,” as they call it, suggests you’re likely to eat less if you’re more conscious of the sound your food makes while you’re eating. Elder and Mohr carried out three separate experiments on the effect of that “food sound salience” and found even suggesting people think of eating sounds (through an advertisement) can decrease consumption. The study is newly published in the academic journal Food Quality and Preference.

– The hot new dieting fad could soon be eating in complete silence. A new study from researchers at Brigham Young and Colorado State found that people who can hear the sounds of their own eating—chewing, swallowing, and so forth—tend to eat less. Ergo, listening to music or watching TV during meals could lead to unintentional overeating, according to a press release. The Huffington Post UK reports researchers conducted three experiments to show the power of what they call the Crunch Effect. In one, for example, subjects listening to loud noises on headphones ate more pretzels (4) than subjects listening to quiet noises (2.75). Researchers believe that's because the sound of eating may be a "consumption monitoring cue" for our bodies. Sound is an important part of eating, but its exact role hasn't been studied much. "For the most part, consumers and researchers have overlooked food sound as an important sensory cue in the eating experience," study coauthor Gina Mohr says in the press release. Medical Daily reports the study's results reinforce those of a 2007 study that found people who are distracted while eating tend to eat more. "If people are more focused on the sound the food makes, it could reduce consumption," BYU's Ryan Elder says in the press release. But that doesn't necessarily mean we should all be eating in silence. "The key takeaway is to be hyperaware of all your food’s sensory properties," Medical Daily states. "Your senses are the best tools for mindful eating." (Meanwhile, being tired may make you snack like a pot smoker.)

Mikey Welsh 1971-2011 Dear friends and fans, It saddens me and the guys in Weezer so much to say that our beautiful, creative, hilarious and sweet friend Mikey Welsh has passed away at the very young age of 40. Our deepest heartfelt condolences go out to his family and friends. Such a talent... he made a special mark on the world with his art.

– Former Weezer bassist Mikey Welsh has been found dead in a Chicago hotel room at age 40, reports the Chicago Tribune. Police suspect a drug overdose is involved. Welsh was found unresponsive yesterday afternoon after he failed to check out of his room at 1pm; he was reportedly in town to watch his former band play tonight. Current bassist Scott Shriner tweeted this morning: "Really bummed about Mikey. My heart goes out to his family and friends. Such a talent... he made a special mark on the world with his art." "As many of you may have heard, Mikey Welsh has passed away," the band posted online. "Understanding that many here are grieving, Weezerpedia has created a digital eulogy page for Mikey Welsh where fans can post stories, pictures, or thoughts. R.I.P. Mikey."

Although the decision is disappointing, you have brought attention to this behaviour that unfortunately is far too common," the St. John's mayor tweeted. Provincial court Judge Colin Flynn dismissed the single charge against Justin Penton, 28, of causing a public disturbance. A provincial court judge in St. John's has ruled it could be illegal to shout a sexist slur at female reporters, but not in the case of what happened to NTV reporter Heather Gillis last year outside the city dump. "Something more than emotional upset and a momentary interruption in a conversation is needed to constitute the criminal offence of causing a disturbance in a public place. And that more is not present in this case," Flynn wrote. The judge also said his ruling on the specific facts "does not mean that these noted words can be said to persons, in particular female reporters out doing their jobs, with impunity." "It very much depends on the circumstances and context of the case whether such words would attract criminal liability. Fed up with it, Gillis waited for the truck to return and snapped a photo of the licence plate. Gillis testified she was "humiliated, embarrassed and disgusted" with the remark, particularly because it happened as she was interviewing then city councillor Danny Breen, now the mayor of St. John's. Flynn said Penton yelling the words at Gillis at the dump — which was closed that day — did not cause any interference with that "ordinary and customary use of the premises." Judge says it's not fair game Gillis was not available for an interview, but testified in court this was not the first time she had the phrase yelled at her. "You should be proud of the stand you took for yourself and for your colleagues. After she posted it on social media, Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Const.

– Since 2014, pranksters have yelled an obscene phrase—commonly referred to by its acronym, FHRITP—at reporters in an effort to get the phrase, "f--- her right in the p----," featured live on television. (You can view the prank's history here, but be warned that the site contains profanity.) At least one man has lost his job over uttering the phrase, and authorities have warned it could lead to criminal charges in some cases. But a case involving the phrase was dismissed Tuesday by a judge in Canada, who found it's not always illegal to shout the phrase at female reporters, the CBC reports. Justin Penton, 28, yelled 'f--- her in the p----" at reporter Heather Gillis last year as she interviewed the mayor of St. John's and he drove by them in his truck. Gillis took a picture of Penton's license plate and ultimately criminal charges were filed against him. A provincial court judge in St. John's found that while it could be illegal to shout the phrase at someone, in this case the circumstances did not merit a charge of disturbing the peace. "Something more than emotional upset and a momentary interruption in a conversation is needed to constitute the criminal offense," he wrote in his decision. Rather, Penton would have needed to disturb the "ordinary and customary" proceedings of a public place in order for him to have committed a crime, the judge said. (On the day in question, the dump where Gillis was interviewing the mayor was closed.) Gillis could be heard calling the judge's ruling "ridiculous." The mayor she had been interviewing at the time of the incident called the judge's decision "disappointing." The judge himself noted that while not criminal, Penton's outburst was "vulgar and offensive," Metro News reports.

PRINCETON — The Princeton University employee who was told he would lose his job if he participated in the state’s medical marijuana program has been placed on paid administrative leave until the sides can come to an agreement over “reasonable accommodations.” Don DeZarn, an East Windsor resident, returned to work today at Princeton’s campus dining department for the first time in nearly two weeks, after he informed the university that he would be purchasing and using medical marijuana to treat symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease and post-traumatic stress disorder. Princeton spokesmen Martin Mbugua and Mike Caddell yesterday said the university would research options of providing reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act. “The individual met with University administrators this morning to discuss the process.” “He remains on paid leave while the university works with him through an interactive reasonable accommodation process,” Mbugua said. “The law seems to support an employer’s right to maintain a drug-free workplace, including prohibiting the use of marijuana during work hours as well as working while under the influence of marijuana,” university vice president Lianne Sullivan-Crowley wrote in an Aug. 27 letter.

– Don DeZarn is a Navy veteran who suffers PTSD, a candidate for New Jersey state office, a member of the Legalize Marijuana Party, and a user of medical marijuana. He's also the senior operations manager of campus dining at Princeton University, which is taking exception to that last part of his resume, reports the Times of Trenton. Princeton, which told DeZarn to choose between his job and his weed, put DeZarn on paid leave yesterday as the two sides try to come to what Princeton terms "reasonable accommodations." DeZarn says he smokes at home, not on the job, and that he'd let Princeton know if he ever had an "emergency situation." But as the AP notes, that raises a legal gray area: Under state law, Princeton doesn't have to let DeZarn toke up for medical reasons while he's on the job, or, as a university vice president puts it, work "while under the influence of marijuana." But whether that control extends to his personal time is unclear. DeZarn, who's loud and proud about his status as an advocate for legal pot, clearly hopes things go his way. "It’s the best job I’ve ever had," he says. "I hope somebody up the chain of command will look at what I’m requesting and have an open mind and some common sense." (Click to read about how couples who smoke pot together seem to have less trouble.)

The U.S. Embassy reported an hourly peak level of PM2.5 _ tiny particulate matter that can penetrate deep into the lungs _ at 526 micrograms per cubic meter, or "beyond index," and more than 20 times higher than World Health Organization safety levels over a 24-hour period. BEIJING | BEIJING (Reuters) - Beijing temporarily shut down 103 heavily polluting factories and took 30 percent of government vehicles off roads to combat dangerously high air pollution, state media reported on Tuesday, but the capital's air remained hazardous despite the measures. But the emergency measures only last until Thursday. Air pollution has long been a problem in Beijing, but the country has been more open about releasing statistics on PM2.5 _ considered a more accurate reflection of air quality than other pollutants _ only since early last year. The government has already announced that it would take 180,000 old vehicles off the roads in Beijing this year and control the "excessive" growth of new car sales in the city.

– Once again, air pollution in Beijing is literally off the charts. It's gotten so bad that airlines have had to cancel flights as locals wear face masks for protection, and state news says it's difficult to see beyond 100 yards in sections of eastern China. Airborne particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers has hit 526 micrograms per cubic meter, the US embassy says. That's "beyond index" (the scale goes to 500), and more than 20 times what the World Health Organization calls safe, the AP reports. The government has closed 103 factories and cut its vehicle use by 30%, Reuters adds. Over the past two weeks, pollution levels have largely held to dangerous numbers; the WHO says anything above 20 isn't healthy, while above 300 is "hazardous." It's a particularly bad time for flights to be canceled, with travel peaking around the Chinese New Year on Feb. 10.

A medium-sized popcorn and medium soda at the nation's largest movie chain pack the nutritional equivalent of three Quarter Pounders topped with 12 pats of butter, according to a report released today by the advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest.The group's second look at movie theater concessions -- the last was 15 years ago -- found little had changed in a decade and a half, despite theaters' attempts to reformulate.CSPI bought multiple servings of popcorn from the three largest movie chains, Regal Entertainment Group, AMC and Cinemark, and had them analyzed in an independent lab.It found that a Regal medium popcorn -- 20 cups -- contains 1,200 calories, 60 grams of saturated fat, and 980 milligrams of sodium. That's without the buttery topping that can be drizzled -- or poured -- on the popcorn, which adds another 200 calories and 3 grams of saturated fat per 1.5 tablespoons.An AMC medium popcorn did better because of its smaller size -- nine cups -- at 590 calories and 33 grams of saturated fat, and a 14-cup Cinemark medium was 760 calories and just 3 grams of saturated fat (in both cases, before adding buttery topping).One problem is that Regal and AMC, the two largest chains, pop their popcorn in coconut oil, which is about 90% saturated fat, noted Jayne Hurley, senior nutritionist at Washington-based CSPI.Cinemark, the third-largest chain, now pops its corn in canola oil, which explains its much lower saturated fat levels. "Cinemark gets a thumbs-up for switching," Hurley said.In two positive steps, trans fatty acids were not found in the samples, Hurley added, and theaters have stopped using hydrogenated oils in the butter-flavored toppings.The study, published in the December issue of CSPI's Nutrition Action HealthLetter, found that in several cases the theater company calorie counts were lower than the numbers revealed in the study.For example, Regal's figure of 720 calories for a medium popcorn was considerably lower than the one determined by CSPI.

– Figure 1,600 calories, 60 grams of saturated fat, and 980 milligrams of sodium—that’s what you’re eating when you scarf down a medium helping of movie popcorn at the nation's biggest theater chain. Add a soda and it’s the equivalent of eating a pound of baby back ribs and a scoop of ice cream, or three Quarter Pounders with a stick and a half of butter, an analysis by a nutrition watchdog group says. In many cases, calorie counts are significantly higher than those posted in theaters. Regal, the No. 1 chain, and AMC cook their popcorn in coconut oil, which is 90% saturated fat, while Cinemark gets better grades—relatively speaking—for using canola oil, reports the LA Times.

“I would have loved to have played a real baddie,” he once said. The much-loved English actor, who made his name on the small screen before taking on the mantle of 007, has passed away in Switzerland Irreverent and knowing as James Bond: Sir Roger Moore obituary Read more He was the epitome of the suave English gent, quipping sweatlessly in a bespoke three-piece suit, who enjoyed an acting career spanning eight decades. Moore was best known for playing the third incarnation of James Bond as well as his roles in hit shows The Saint and The Persuaders. After George Lazenby was done as 007 in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), Moore took on the guise of the superspy in Live and Let Die (1973) and stayed for The Man With the Golden Gun (1974), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker (1979), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983) and A View to a Kill (1985), which hit theaters when he was nearly 58. On her song “You Know I’m No Good” from the 2006 album Back to Black, she sings, “By the time I’m out the door, you tear men down like Roger Moore.” “I probably just rhymed with door,” he once said. When asked by Time in 2012 who his favourite Bond was, he changed his mind from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig. “The knighthood for my humanitarian work meant more than if it had been for my acting,” Moore said to the Guardian. It’s no good being talented and not being in the right place at the right time.” His first break in TV came in romantic adventure Ivanhoe which was the start of a set of hit shows for Moore, including western Maverick and crime shows The Saint and The Persuaders. I would have loved to have played a real baddie.” Roger George Moore was born Oct. 14, 1927, in Stockwell, England, south of the River Thames in London. He played a tennis player who is the object of Elizabeth Taylor’s flirtation in the MGM drama The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954), followed by parts in such films as the biopic Interrupted Melody (1955), starring Eleanor Parker and Glenn Ford; The King’s Thief (1955), with Ann Blyth and David Niven; Diane (1956) with Lana Turner; and The Miracle (1959), with Carroll Baker. His savoir faire was perfect for the part, and Moore became an international celebrity. Roger Moore: ‘Being eternally known as James Bond has no down side’ Read more In 1999, Moore was awarded a CBE which then became a knighthood in 2003, given to him for his charity work. In a statement, fellow Unicef ambassador and actor Ewan McGregor said: "Thank you, Roger, for having championed so tirelessly the rights of all children for the last 26 years. "In his most famous roles as an actor, Sir Roger was the epitome of cool sophistication; but in his work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, he was a passionate – and highly persuasive – advocate for children. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Roger Moore and his wife, Kristina Tholstrup, at a charity event in 2009. "The love with which he was surrounded in his final days was so great it cannot be quantified in words alone," read the statement from Deborah, Geoffrey and Christian. Why would I?” After handing over the reins to Timothy Dalton, Moore took a break from the spotlight and didn’t make another film until 1990. The actor took the character of James Bond in a more humorous direction than his predecessor Sean Connery. “People often call me ‘Mr Bond’ when we’re out and I don’t mind a bit.

– Actor Roger Moore, most famous for his starring role as James Bond in seven 007 flicks, has died at age 89. "With the heaviest of hearts, we must share the awful news that our father, Sir Roger Moore, passed away today," said his family in a statement. It added that he died in Switzerland after a short battle with cancer, though no other details were provided. Among the Bond films in which he starred were Live and Let Die and the Spy Who Loved Me, notes the BBC. Moore starred as Bond longer than any actor so far, a 12-year stretch from 1973 to 1985. The Guardian remembers him as "the epitome of the suave English gent, quipping sweatlessly in a bespoke three-piece suit." (See some of those quips in this video.) Moore, however, had a long career beyond Bond, including roles in the hit TV shows The Saint and The Persuaders. He also was known for his humanitarian work, becoming a UNICEF goodwill ambassador in 1991. Moore received a knighthood for his charity work in 2003, thus becoming Sir Roger Moore. The Hollywood Reporter says Moore's Bond was "more of a charmer than a fighter," especially in contrast to the original Sean Connery take. And it seems Moore agreed with that: “My personality is entirely different than previous Bonds," he once said. "I’m not that cold-blooded killer type. Which is why I play it mostly for laughs."

The factory has already totted up a 100 orders within days of opening the booking. Being able to access self-defence information is one thing, but Forbes reports that orders are piling in for India's lightweight revolver, designed especially to help women defend themselves.

– In a country where sexual violence is widespread and vastly under-reported, Olympic boxer Mary Kom is working to make women feel safe on the streets again. She has launched a smartphone app and text service to give Indian women tips on how to fight off attackers, Wired reports. The five-time world champion has also launched a self-defense camp for women and hopes all women in India will soon be able to access her advice. "Most of the women are really happy and excited to learn something," she says. But while Kom hopes the spread of self-defense skills will make a difference, India's state-owned gun maker is offering a deadlier solution, Forbes finds. The Indian Ordnance Factory has unveiled the "Nirbheek" lightweight revolver designed especially for women. "It is easy to handle and fits nicely in a lady's purse," says an official at the factory, which has already had plenty of orders for the $2,000 firearm.

They come from many rounds of playing the peculiar Connecticut liberal cocktail party game 'I hated Joe Lieberman before you hated Joe Lieberman.' Lieberman had even entertained the idea of running as a Republican, with the other options being another independent run or a return to the Democratic primary. He selfishly held on to his Senate seat in 2000 when he ran with Gore; if they'd won, Lieberman's replacement would have been appointed by a Republican governor.

– Joe Lieberman today confirmed what everybody knew: He's not running for Senate re-election in 2012. Some quotes from the Connecticut independent's news conference, as collected by the Washington Post: "Along the way, I have not always fit comfortably into conventional political boxes—maybe you've noticed that—Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative. I have always thought that my first responsibility is not to serve a political party but to serve my constituents, my state, and my country, and then to work across party lines to make sure good things get done for them." "The politics of President Kennedy—patriotic service to country, support of civil rights and social justice, pro-growth economic and tax policies, and a strong national defense—are still my politics. So maybe that means that JFK wouldn't fit into any of today's partisan political boxes neatly." Some first reactions: Steve Kornacki, Salon: "He could run as a Democrat, he could run as Republican, he could run as an independent, but each path led to the same glum place. So he's hanging it up instead." It's fitting that it ends this way, given that he perfected the role of "Every Republican's favorite Democrat" when he first ran in 1988, then settled into that role in the Senate. Click for full analysis. Emily Bazelon, Slate: Echoing a familiar sentiment on the left, she explains why she "loathes" Lieberman, including his ardent support for the Iraq war and his holding the "health care bill hostage." His pivotal support of repealing "Don't Ask" didn't come close to making up for the rest. Click for full column. John McCain: He tells CNN that he hopes President Obama will make Lieberman defense secretary if Robert Gates leaves. He's "one of the most informed members of the Senate on national security issues and homeland security issues."

Updated: Dec 15, 2016 - 7:15 PM AMBRIDGE, Pa. - Two teachers are credited with saving a family from their burning home. The teachers were walking the picket lines near Ambridge High School on Duss Avenue when several of them noticed a cloud of smoke rising in the sky about a block awake. I was pounding the front door, and eventually I think the front door just kicked through," DeMarco told Pittsburgh's Action News 4. "I just see her sprint across the road, almost get hit by a car," said Jeff Modrovich, another striking teacher who joined in the rescue, along with Pete Keller and Todd Hartman. Then the teachers found three people who lived in the home: one, elderly; one of them with medical oxygen; one, a woman whom they once taught. “Kayla’s a former student of mine, and I just felt that I had to do something to get that family out,” she said. "She's already in the front door, I'm yelling, 'Anybody in the house, get out!' I just wanted to see them safe for the holiday season.” The cause of the fire was not known. Once they were all out of the house, they saw the fire get worse.

– A family in Pennsylvania was saved from a fire thanks to some sharp-eyed teachers—and the Ambridge Area School District's failure to agree to a new contract with their union. The striking teachers were walking the picket line Thursday morning when they spotted smoke rising from a house about a block away, dropped their pickets signs, and ran to help. Science teacher Karen DeMarco tells WPXI that after there was no answer when they banged on a door, they knocked it down instead of waiting for firefighters to arrive. "We found the lady of the house sitting in the one room, and there was several oxygen tanks there," DeMarco says. “We felt that we needed to get her out with the oxygen tanks. There was a daughter there and a grandfather there." "Everybody got out," says music teacher Todd Hartman. Physical education teacher Jeff Modrovich and special education teacher Peter Keller also helped save the family from the fire, which ended up as a six-alarm blaze that destroyed the house, the Beaver County Times reports. "If the teachers wouldn't have been here, somebody wouldn't have observed that, there's a chance somebody could have been very seriously injured or even worse," says Ambridge Fire Chief Rob Gottschalk. DeMarco tells WTAE that the younger woman they rescued from the house turned out to be one of her former students. CBS reports that the teachers, who have been without a contract for almost 18 months, walked off the job Tuesday after negotiations broke down Monday night. (Motorists in Florida formed a human chain to save a man from a burning vehicle.)

A Nova Scotia family grieving the loss of a relative said they were stunned when they went to a local funeral home for her service only to be presented with the bodies of two other women – and then told their loved one had accidentally been cremated. Relatives of Sandra Bennett say they arrived at the Serenity Funeral Home in Berwick on Dec. 27 for a visitation following her death a week earlier after a prolonged illness. Wrong body wearing woman's clothes Before Bennett's open-casket visitation was set to begin, family members say Bennett's widower, Gary, pointed out to funeral home staff that the body of the woman in the casket was not his wife. “This has been unquestionably, an horrific experience for Gary and his family – an experience that no grieving family should ever have to go through,” he said in the email. Adam Tipert, chairman of the Nova Scotia Board of Registration of Embalmers and Funeral Directors, said they are examining how the home handled Bennett’s remains and ultimately how the 65-year-old woman was cremated, despite wishes from her family that that not take place. Some funeral homes in Nova Scotia require that a family member identify the deceased before the cremation process begins, he said, and with more and more people opting for cremation, he recommends that families make that request.

– The first body the funeral home showed them wasn't Sandra Bennett. Neither was the second. CBC reports a Canadian funeral home is under investigation after Bennett's family says it mistakenly cremated her body after she died in December at the age of 65 and then presented two other bodies as their loved one. During Bennett's visitation a week after her death, Bennett's husband pointed out that the body being displayed at Serenity Funeral Home in Novia Scotia wasn't his late wife. Bennett's sister says staff were adamant the body belonged to Bennett before eventually relenting and bringing in a second body, according to the Canadian Press. The second body, while dressed in Bennett's clothes, was also not Bennett. Bennett's family says the funeral home finally admitted to accidentally cremating Bennett's body. They say the whole thing has been "just like a horror story." Serenity owner Anthony Facey isn't commenting, but a lawyer says the funeral home "takes this matter very seriously." Adam Tipert, chairperson of the Nova Scotia Board of Registration of Embalmers and Funeral Directors, tells CBC the situation is "definitely very concerning." He says the funeral home only admitted to two bodies being involved, not three, and the board needs to "find out exactly what is going on." A section on the Serenity Funeral Home website reads: "There are labels that are used to make sure it is next to impossible to receive the incorrect remains."

Story highlights More than 1.2 million people were advised to evacuate to shelters, officials say Two U.S. airmen missing, one dead after they were swept from beach on Okinawa A Japanese surfer is also missing after disappearing in waves near Tokyo suburb Typhoon Phanfone hit central Japan on Monday, disrupting air and train travel Two U.S. airmen and a Japanese surfer remained missing Monday after a powerful typhoon swept past the southern part of the country. The Meteorological Agency said Typhoon Phanfone was off the coast of Shikoku in southwestern Japan on Sunday night, local time, packing winds of up to 90 miles per hour, after hitting the southern regions of Okinawa and Kyushu. The two airmen were among four who were washed out to sea as a group of them took photos of big waves on a beach on the island of Okinawa on Sunday afternoon, according to the Japanese Coast Guard. The storm whirled over Tokyo at around 11:00 am (0200 GMT) and then headed northeast, dumping rain further up the coast of Honshu while its eye moved out over the Pacific Ocean. Seven people were left dead or missing, including the three US military officials who had been photographing the storm, Japanese police and coast guards said. Typhoon Phanfone has also grounded more than 600 flights and forced Japanese authorities to suspend a search for the bodies of those still missing more than a week after a volcano erupted, claiming dozens of lives. The leading edge of the storm brought a nasty commute to Tokyo's morning rush hour, with hundreds of thousands of office workers caught up in the driving rain that lashed the streets. A powerful typ … - Risk of further flooding - The weather agency warned that even as the storm passed out to sea landslides and floods were still a risk in a country where a relatively wet summer brought numerous landslides, including in Hiroshima where more than 70 people died. Hundreds of flights canceled More than 1.2 million people throughout a wide area of central and eastern Japan have been advised to evacuate to shelters, Japanese fire and rescue officials said Monday. Three US military officials were engulfed by high waves triggered by the storm on the southern island of Okinawa. "Three officials were taking pictures with high waves whipped up by the typhoon in the background," a spokesman at local police said. Surfer goes missing near Tokyo The seas were churned up by Typhoon Phanfone, which made landfall in central Japan early Monday. A 21-year-old university student went missing at lunchtime Sunday while surfing off the coast of Fujisawa, a beach suburb of Tokyo, the coast guard said. A junior high school boy had also disappeared after being swamped by high waves on the coast at Yokosuka, south of Tokyo, a city official said. Local governments in many areas issued evacuation advisories to more than 300,000 residents, according to public broadcaster NHK said. In the mountainous centre of the country, the typhoon meant the suspension of the search for the bodies of at least 12 hikers believed to be lying on the still-smouldering Mount Ontake. The volcano was packed with walkers when it burst angrily to life on September 27, with many there to witness the spectacular colours of the countryside as summer turned to autumn. The eruption was Japan's deadliest in almost 90 years and nearly 1,000 troops, firefighters and police have participated in a search made treacherous by the gases still rising from the peak, as well as a knee-deep layer of sticky ash. "We want to resume operations as soon as possible when weather permits," said an official of the crisis management office of Nagano, where the volcano sits.

– The story of the three American airmen swept out to sea as Typhoon Phanfone pummeled Okinawa yesterday carries this coda: They "were taking pictures with high waves whipped up by the typhoon in the background," a local police rep tells AFP. They were apparently part of a group taking pictures, adds CNN; a total of four airmen were actually washed out to sea, but one managed to make his way back to shore. One was confirmed dead yesterday, while the other two remain missing. A 21-year-old surfer and a junior high schooler are also missing, as are two people lost in mudslides; some 57 people have been injured due to the storm, and more than 600 flights have been grounded, Yahoo reports.

Date: Sept. 22, 2015 prefix = "o" ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" / Urgent Change Needed to Improve Diagnosis in Health Care or Diagnostic Errors Will Likely Worsen, Says New Report WASHINGTON – Most people will experience at least one diagnostic error -- an inaccurate or delayed diagnosis -- in their lifetime, sometimes with devastating consequences, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. To improve diagnosis and reduce errors, the committee called for more effective teamwork among health care professionals, patients, and families; enhanced training for health care professionals; more emphasis on identifying and learning from diagnostic errors and near misses in clinical practice; a payment and care delivery environment that supports the diagnostic process; and a dedicated focus on new research. This report is a continuation of the Institute of Medicine’s Quality Chasm Series , which includes reports such as To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System , Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century , and Preventing Medication Errors . "Despite the pervasiveness of diagnostic error and the risk for patient harm, they have been largely unappreciated within the quality safety movement in health care and this cannot and must not continue," Dr. Victor Dzau, the president of the National Academy of Medicine, said in a press conference this morning. I am confident that Improving Diagnosis in Health Care, like the earlier reports in the IOM series, will have a profound effect not only on the way our health care system operates but also on the lives of patients.” Data on diagnostic errors are sparse, few reliable measures exist, and errors are often found in retrospect, the committee found. "Diagnostic errors are nothing new, they've been happening all along and this report emphasizes how significant they are," he said The report identified several common causes for diagnostic errors, including: Inadequate collaboration and communication among clinicians, patients, and their families Limited feedback to doctors about the accuracy of diagnoses A culture that discourages transparency and disclosure of diagnostic errors, which impedes attempts to learn and improve in the medical community As health care continues to grow more complex, experts say the problem of diagnostic errors will likely worsen unless steps are taken to address it. To improve diagnosis, a significant re-envisioning of the diagnostic process and a widespread commitment to change from a variety of stakeholders will be required. "Diagnosis is a collective effort that often involves a team of health care professionals -- from primary care physicians, to nurses, to pathologists and radiologists," Dr. John R. Ball, committee chair and executive vice president emeritus of the American College of Physicians, said in a statement. “The stereotype of a single physician contemplating a patient case and discerning a diagnosis is not always accurate, and a diagnostic error is not always due to human error. Therefore, to make the changes necessary to reduce diagnostic errors in our health care system, we have to look more broadly at improving the entire process of how a diagnosis made.” Critical partners in improving the diagnostic process are patients and their families, because they contribute valuable input that informs diagnosis and decisions about their care. To help them actively engage in the process, the committee recommended that health care organizations and professionals provide patients with opportunities to learn about diagnosis, as well as improved access to electronic health records, including clinical notes and test results. In addition, health care organizations and professionals should create environments in which patients and families are comfortable sharing feedback and concerns about possible diagnostic errors. Hospitals, healthcare systems, organizations and others should “develop and deploy approaches to identify, learn from, and reduce diagnostic errors and near misses in clinical practice,” the report recommends. Currently, most health care organizations do not have systems in place to identify diagnostic errors, and the culture of many of these organizations discourages such identification, the authors say. They recommend reforms to the medical liability system, to help encourage transparency and disclosure of diagnostic errors in an effort to learn from them and prevent them from happening again. Voluntary reporting efforts should also be encouraged and evaluated for their effectiveness. Additionally, the committee recommended that health care professional education and training emphasize clinical reasoning, teamwork, communication, and diagnostic testing. The report presents resources to help patients better engage in the diagnostic process. THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES, ENGINEERING, AND MEDICINE Institute of Medicine Board on Health Care Services Committee on Diagnostic Error in Medicine John R. Ball, M.D., J.D. "The time has come to address diagnostic errors," Dr. Mark Graber, founder and president of the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine, told CBS News. Chief Division of Clinical Decision Making Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies School of Medicine Tufts University Boston STAFF Erin Balogh Study Director _________________________ *Member, National Academy of Medicine # # #

– Virtually all Americans will at some point receive a wrong diagnosis or a delayed one, a new report from the National Academy of Medicine finds. "Everyone will experience one meaningful diagnostic error in their lifetime," the chairman of the committee that wrote the report tells NBC News. The stats are troubling: At least 5% of US adults in outpatient care each year are victims of a diagnostic error, with 6% to 17% of "adverse events" in hospitals and 10% of patient deaths occurring due to these mistakes, per medical and postmortem records. The solution, according to the report, includes embracing more communication with pathologists and radiologists, better harnessing of technology, and bringing back autopsies. There should also be more transparency and encouragement of disclosure, the report notes, so doctors won't be hesitant to reveal errors because they're afraid of malpractice suits, per CBS News. No one knows this better than Susan Sheridan, a patient-involvement advocate from Idaho whose 20-year-old son is permanently disabled because of a jaundice misdiagnosis when he was an infant, and whose husband died of cancer because of a diagnosis received too late. "Our healthcare system … I have no clue who is in charge," she tells NBC. "I assumed somebody was in charge of keeping us safe." The president of the National Academy of Medicine says in a release that this report "is a serious wake-up call" and that "diagnostic errors are a significant contributor to patient harm that has received far too little attention until now." (A mistaken brain surgery, unnecessary chemo, and erroneous mastectomies all had devastating consequences.)

“It is an interesting question for someone to research if any central banker has ever made a statement that strong” about unemployment.

– Ben Bernanke left little doubt today that the Fed would soon resort to yet more attempts to inject money into the economy. In a speech at Jackson Hole, Bernanke said unemployment was still "a grave concern" because it inflicts both "enormous suffering" on the people and "structural damage on our economy that could last for years," the Wall Street Journal reports. "The Federal Reserve will provide additional policy accommodations as needed to promote a stronger economic recovery and sustained improvement in the labor market," Bernanke promised. Though he didn't announce any specific new action, or even a timetable for when that action might come, many analysts assume it'll be at the Fed's next policy-making committee meeting on Sept. 12-13, the New York Times reports. Benanke also defended the Fed's past asset-purchasing programs, saying they provided "economically meaningful" benefits, and that the costs "appear manageable." The markets liked the speech—the Dow was up about 140 points at 11am.

The company, which trains dolphins and killer whales to perform tricks in front of stadiums full of spectators, on Thursday reported declines in attendance, sales and profits because of “continued brand challenges”. SeaWorld has been in the headlines since the 2013 documentary Blackfish detailed claims that its treatment of orca whales provoked violent behaviour contributing to the deaths of three people. Facebook Twitter Pinterest A clip from the documentary Blackfish, which tells the story of a performing killer whale that allegedly caused several deaths while working as part of a live show The company has since launched a nationwide marketing campaign to combat animal rights activist claims that, among other things, captive orcas die at younger age than their wild counterparts. “We realize we have much work ahead of us to recover more of our attendance base, increase revenue and improve our performance as returning to historical performance levels will take time and investment,” Manby said on Thursday. Those promotions cut into revenues. SeaWorld's net income for the quarter declined to $5.8 million from $37.4 million the previous year. Jared Goodman, director of animal law for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta), which has been leading campaigns against SeaWorld, said: “SeaWorld is in the midst of a spying scandal, animals are dying in its tanks, and tens of thousands of people have opposed its bid to build a new orca prison, so it should come as no surprise that SeaWorld’s quarterly earnings have plummeted yet again in the second quarter.

– Animal-rights activists celebrated a victory yesterday after SeaWorld announced an 84% drop in profits in the wake of continued controversy over its treatment of captive orcas. The Guardian reports SeaWorld's second-quarter income plummeted from $37.4 million to $5.8 million year-over-year. The company, which operates 11 theme and water parks, cites bad weather in Texas, the poor timing of Easter, and "continued brand challenges" for its poor performance, according to the Orlando Sentinel. That last item refers to the public response to the 2013 documentary Blackfish, which put a spotlight on SeaWorld's treatment of its killer whales and resulted in a drop in attendance and torpedoed the company's CEO. Despite declining profits at SeaWorld, which one PETA director calls an "orca prison" and "abusement park," the company's recently installed CEO said he believes it's on the right track, the Guardian reports. Though it discounted ticket prices and ran a $10 million marketing campaign to combat the influence of Blackfish, attendance dropped 1.6% in the second quarter. Still, the company expects earnings to be unchanged or even slightly up in 2015 when all is said and done. The calendar will be on its side for the rest of the year, as Labor Day comes late and Halloween is on a Saturday, notes the Sentinel. But its former glory is a ways away: Shares traded at less than $18 yesterday, down from $39 in 2013.

Here is a verbatim statement just issued by the University of Mississippi: At the request of Chancellor Dan Jones, the university’s Alumni Association has offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of two individuals involved in an early morning incident on The University of Mississippi campus. The University Police Department (UPD) is looking for two men who were seen early Sunday morning near the James Meredith statue, which commemorates the 1962 integration of the university. A pre-2003 Georgia state flag, which featured the "stars and bars" of the Confederacy, was also draped around the statue's shoulders.

– After a noose and a Confederate flag were found early Sunday on a statue of the University of Mississippi's first black student, James Meredith, Ole Miss is now looking for two men who, according to a witness, were shouting racial slurs while vandalizing the statue. The FBI is also investigating, the New York Times reports. Yesterday, students held a vigil at the 2006 statue. "The actions done in the cowardly dark will never diminish the light of James Meredith’s legacy nor our creed," read one sign. The university's chancellor weighed in on the attack: "These individuals chose our university’s most visible symbol of unity and educational accessibility to express their disagreement with our values," said Daniel Jones. The Ole Miss alumni association is offering $25,000 for information on the case. But as of yesterday, university police had little to go on, the chief told Talking Points Memo.

Netanyahu convened senior defense officials for a second meeting late Friday hours after authorities launched a frantic search for three yeshiva students who went missing in the West Bank on Thursday. In his first on-camera statement since Eyal Yifrah, 19, from Elad, Gilad Shaar, 16, from Talmon and Naftali Fraenkel, 16, from Nof Ayalon went missing, Netanyahu said he could not elaborate on the search, but that the kidnapping shows the real results of the Hamas-Fatah unity government, and held the Palestinian government responsible for their fates. (photo credit: REUTERS) An Israeli soldier (R) stands guard next to Palestinians near the West Bank city of Hebron June 13, 2014.. (photo credit: REUTERS) Palestinians hurl stones at Israeli troops near the West Bank City of Hebron June 13, 2014. He was making his normal trek home for Shabbat from his high-school yeshiva, Makor Chaim in Kfar Etzion, as he does every week.He called his father around from the hitching post and said he had already left school. Initially his father did not worry, because his son often took his time coming home and sometimes did not arrive until late at night.But after midnight, the father called his son's phone. According to initial reports the three teenagers were last heard of on Thursday night as they made their way to a hitchhiking station at Alon Shvut in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc south of Jerusalem. An extremist Salafist organization in the West Bank claimed responsibility for kidnapping three missing Israeli youths, Channel 10 is reporting. JERUSALEM — Three Israeli teenagers were missing in the West Bank and were presumed to have been kidnapped, Israeli military officials said on Friday. After hours of rumors and a news blackout of the episode imposed by Israeli security services, the chief military spokesman announced shortly after 5 p.m. that Israeli forces had been searching for the three boys since before dawn. According to an official statement from the Prime Minister's Office, "Israel sees the PA as responsible for the well-being of the kidnapped," adding that Netanyahu spoke with the families of the three missing teens and pledged he would do all in his power to locate them. (photo credit: REUTERS) A Palestinian Authority spokesman denounced Israel for blaming the new Fatah-Hamas unity government for the disappearance of three settlers in the West Bank, Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported Friday night.Adnan Dmeiri said the PA was not responsible for the safety of settlers and had no way to prevent the possible kidnapping of the teenagers.The PA “is used to accusations from [Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu’s arbitrary government, which does not want to commit to any agreement and wants to damage all relations with Palestinians,” he was quoted as saying.Earlier on Friday, Israeli government officials said they were holding Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas responsible for the fate of the three students. The IDF said that it was holding routine situational assessments with other security arms in order to ascertain the whereabouts of the missing yeshiva students.While they do strongly fear the boys were kidnapped, security forces have not yet been able to rule out all other possibilities police said.Meanwhile, security forces have also placed roadblocks on roadways leading to the border with Egypt and the Gaza Strip for fear that this event is a kidnapping by Islamist extremists who may seek to transfer the three Israelis to Gaza.According to reports, the IDF and the Shin Bet security service are in touch with their counterparts in the Palestinian Authority security apparatus in an effort to advance the search.A torched car that was found alongside a highway in the vicinity of the search. US Ambassador Dan Shapiro has been briefed on the situation.The army said on Friday that it was seeking intelligence leads that could shed light on the fate of the missing youths. Earlier on Friday, Israeli government officials said they were holding Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas Israeli soldiers patrol the West Bank City of Hebron June 13, 2014. Israel refuses to negotiate with the government, which is made up of politically independent ministers, on the grounds that it is backed by Hamas. Shin Bet warnings The Shin Bet security service has warned in recent weeks of increasingly frequent attempts to kidnap Israeli soldiers and citizens in the West Bank. But the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency, said it had foiled more than 60 planned abductions in the West Bank since the beginning of 2013, arresting suspected Palestinian perpetrators before they could carry out their plans. Security officials said the Palestinian man had lured the sergeant to the West Bank and killed him in the hope of trading his body for a brother imprisoned in Israel.

– Israeli forces are conducting an intense search in the West Bank for three male teenagers they think were kidnapped by Palestinian militants, reports the Jerusalem Post. One of the teens is a US citizen, but not much else is known about him. Two of the teens are age 16 and the third is 19, and they were reportedly hitchhiking home last night when snatched near Hebron, reports Haaretz. The best guess is that militants will try to use them in a swap for prisoners held in Israeli jails. Israeli police got a cell phone call from one of the youths about 10pm yesterday, and though he didn't speak, the noise in the background suggested they were in trouble, reports the New York Times. The only lead is the discovery of stolen, burnt car in the area. Benjamin Netanyahu, who has met with his senior leaders on the case, says he holds the Palestinian Authority responsible for the boys' safety. The development comes less than two weeks after Palestinians formed a new government, though Israel thinks it's controlled by Hamas and refuses to negotiate on anything beyond security issues.

OSLO, Norway — Norwegian police have formally accused several foreign nationals over a 1993 attack on the Norwegian publisher of “The Satanic Verses,” thus preventing the statute of limitations from closing the case. “We have no reason to believe there is any other motive for the attempted killing than the publication of ‘The Satanic Verses,’ ” said Ida Dahl Nilssen, a spokeswoman for Norway’s National Criminal Investigation Service. OSLO — William Nygaard, publisher of the Norwegian edition of Salman Rushdie’s novel “The Satanic Verses,” was shot three times and left for dead outside his home in a quiet suburb of Oslo on the morning of Oct. 11, 1993. Police said the move was purely procedural, to keep the case active before a statute of limitations ban comes into force on the shooting’s 25th anniversary on Oct. 11. After the 1988 publication of the “Satanic Verses,” deemed blasphemous by some in the Muslim world, Iran’s former supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a “fatwa” calling for the death of Salman Rushdie and his editors.

– Police in Norway just made a move to keep alive the investigation into a 25-year-old shooting that captured the world's attention, reports Reuters. Back in 1993, the man who published Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses in Norway was shot three times outside his home. William Nygaard survived, but no arrests were ever made. This week—two days before a deadline that would have forced police to close the case—authorities finally filed charges, reports the New York Times. However, they're releasing few details, not specifying how many people are charged, their names, or what, if any, evidence exists. About the only thing authorities will say is that they think the shooting is indeed related to the controversy over Rushdie's book and that the suspects are "foreign nationals who are not in Norway," per the AFP. "This is good news, and one can hope that this 25-year-old case will now finally advance," Rushdie said in a statement, though he criticized the withholding of names and nationalities of the suspects. Nygaard, now 75, also praised the development and said he has no regrets about his decision to publish. As for his unexpected survival despite being shot three times: "I used to be a very good Norwegian ski jumper," he said. Rushdie's book first came out in 1988, and Iran's supreme leader at the time considered it so blasphemous to Islam that he issued a fatwa on Rushdie that forced the author into hiding and remains in effect to this day. As recently as 2016, groups in Iran raised $600,000 to beef up a bounty already estimated to be $4 million.

“As her condition declined, her tweets amped up both in frequency and intensity. I couldn’t stop reading — I even set up a dedicated @adamslisa column in Tweetdeck – but I felt embarrassed at my voyeurism,” Keller explained. “Should there be boundaries in this kind of experience? Is there such a thing as TMI? Are her tweets a grim equivalent of deathbed selfies, one step further than funeral selfies? Why am I so obsessed?” Keller’s rhetorical questions were met with anger and hurt from her audience, including Adams, and the Guardian has since removed the entire column, but not before she passed the obsession on to her husband, former New York Times executive editor Bill Keller. In the Times today, Mr. Keller picked up where his wife left off, likening Adams’s treatment and personal writing to “a military campaign” and contrasting her cancer fight with that of his father-in-law’s: “His death seemed to me a humane and honorable alternative to the frantic medical trench warfare that often makes an expensive misery of death in America,” Keller wrote. For the record, the "military" metaphors Keller repeatedly associates with Adams's approach to treatment and choice to be public about it is a metaphor Adams herself soundly rejects. — Lisa Bonchek Adams (@AdamsLisa) January 13, 2014 His point, like his wife’s, is underinformed and muddled in a mess of condescension toward Adams’s suffering and her work. She was interested in it as a new frontier in social media – a woman living every intimate detail of her disease in such a public way, and why readers are so drawn to such unsparing self-revelation. On the other hand, as cancer experts I consulted pointed out, Adams is the standard-bearer for an approach to cancer that honors the warrior, that may raise false hopes, and that, implicitly, seems to peg patients like my father-in-law as failures. Ms. Adams herself responded this way on Twitter: I don’t know why I, a person dedicated to education and personal choice by cancer patients, have been so mischaracterized as lay in hospital — Lisa Bonchek Adams (@AdamsLisa) 13 Jan 14 And a reader, Ximena Pena, who wrote that she has breast cancer, included this among her several objections: “The piece lacks empathy. — Lisa Bonchek Adams (@AdamsLisa) January 13, 2014 Others have rightly responded with anger to the tag-team cancer-explaining (or "cansplaining," as Megan Garber put it in the Atlantic). celeb Ken Jennings and Boing Boing blogger Xeni Jardin, who has written extensively about her own breast cancer: Terrified I might get cancer, because what if Bill and Emma Keller yell at me. — Xeni Jardin (@xeni) January 13, 2014 15) “there is something enviable about going gently” LADIES WITH METS SHOULD BE SEEN AND NOT HEARD. But here are a few highlights: Problems I have w Bill Keller's bullying NYT oped about @AdamsLisa, which oddly mirrors & follows his wife's earlier Guardian shitfest: — Xeni Jardin (@xeni) January 13, 2014 14) “Lisa Adams’s choice is in a sense the opposite” of “my father-in-law’s calm death.” SHE'S ALIVE AS YOU CAN TELL BY HER FUCKING TWEETS. I don’t think either of the Keller pieces was a “slam” of Lisa Adams or her choices. I regret not doing so.” The piece has since been taken down for quoting the private correspondence, “pending investigation.” But beyond the potential journalistic malfeasance, the larger issue remains the discounting of one woman’s vast and varied experiences to make more general, misguided points about the types of treatment available or our culture’s urge to “overshare.” Adams is very much alive and has found an audience that values her personal journey as more than just voyeurism. He wrote to me, noting that “it’s clear the column touched a nerve, particularly among her devoted following.” He added: Some of the reaction (especially on Twitter, which as a medium encourages reflexes rather than reflection) has been raw, and some (especially in comments posted to the article online, where there is space for nuance) has been thoughtful and valuable. “I think some readers have misread my point, and some – the most vociferous – seem to believe that anything short of an unqualified ‘right on, Lisa!’ is inhumane or sacrilegious. But I’ve heard from readers who understood the point and found it worth grappling with.”

– A pair of columns questioning a woman's very public battle with Stage IV breast cancer are lighting up the Internet. Former New York Times executive editor Bill Keller and his wife, writer Emma Gilbey Keller, both wrote pieces on Lisa Bonchek Adams, who is chronicling her fight via Twitter and her blog. Emma Keller's column (with a headline that compared Bonchek Adams' social media postings to "funeral selfies"), posted last week, was removed from the Guardian's website yesterday amid all the furor; Bill Keller's column was published in the Times yesterday. Both Kellers weigh various questions that seem to come down to this: Is Bonchek Adams engaging in "TMI"? And would it be better for someone like her to opt for a peaceful, quiet death instead of "heroic measures"? A sample of the reactions: "[Emma] Keller seems to be concerned about whether Adams's decision to publicly discuss her diagnosis and treatment is 'dignified,' both for Adams ... and for Emma Keller personally. You see, a particularly intense series of updates from Adams apparently ruined the Kellers' Christmas, because Emma couldn't stop reading what Adams wrote, and that gives her complicated feelings," writes Abby Ohlheiser for The Wire. Ohlheiser refers to the Keller columns as "tag-team concern trolling," and goes on to quote the relevant portion of Emma Keller's piece: "As her condition declined, her tweets amped up both in frequency and intensity. I couldn't stop reading—I even set up a dedicated @adamslisa column in Tweetdeck—but I felt embarrassed at my voyeurism. Should there be boundaries in this kind of experience? Is there such a thing as TMI? Are her tweets a grim equivalent of deathbed selfies, one step further than funeral selfies?" As for Bill Keller's column, "His point, like his wife's, is underinformed and muddled in a mess of condescension toward Adams's suffering and her work," writes Joe Coscarelli for Daily Intel. "Instead of using their respective positions of power to wrestle awkwardly with something that makes them uncomfortable, the Kellers could attempt to consider Adams' online presence on its own terms, or just unsubscribe." There's much, much more—but in a response to the uproar posted on the Times website yesterday, Bill Keller insists he's also "heard from readers who understood the point and found it worth grappling with."

Officials with City of London Corp., which owns some of the property, served the demonstrators with orders to leave within 48 hours, but Occupy London is likely to lodge a court appeal to stay.The battle of wills has transfixed the country and put St. Paul's in an awkward position. Rowan Williams , the archbishop of Canterbury , said in a statement that "the urgent larger issues raised by the protesters at St Paul's remain very much on the table, and we need — as a church and as society as a whole — to work to make sure that they are properly addressed. A senior clergyman resigned Monday over St. Paul's Cathedral's handling of anticapitalist protesters camped outside the church, the second cleric lost to an increasingly tense standoff involving God, mammon and their earthly representatives.Graeme Knowles said his position as dean of the cathedral "was becoming untenable" in the face of mounting criticism of the way St. Paul's has responded to the tent camp that has sprouted outside its imposing porticoed entrance near the banks of the Thames.The protesters, organized by the London offshoot of Occupy Wall Street , have been on the spot for more than two weeks but now face eviction by the City of London, the historic downtown area that is home to Britain's financial district.

– Occupy London is turning into a big mess: Another senior clergyman resigned yesterday over the controversy surrounding protesters at St. Paul's Cathedral. Graeme Knowles, dean of the cathedral, said that in the face of rising criticism over the church’s response, his position “was becoming untenable.” St. Paul’s, which became the protesters’ base on Oct. 15 after they were unable to occupy the London Stock Exchange, has been criticized for its hard line against the demonstration, the Los Angeles Times reports. In the wake of Knowles' resignation, however, the church announced that it would abandon plans to boot the Occupiers. Though church leaders have professed to sharing many of the protesters’ concerns, they had continued to ask the Occupiers to leave, and even closed the cathedral for four days. A high-profile cleric and part-time chaplain has also already stepped down. In his resignation statement, Knowles said that the issues facing the church “appear to be … insurmountable." The city of London today ordered protesters to vacate the site within 48 hours or face eviction, the Telegraph reports, but the Occupiers will likely appeal in court for the right to remain.

I didn’t know until this year with the publication of Rolling Stone’s article how bad that time was for her. Their trust in Jackie, they said, had been “misplaced.” Misplaced is a good word for how I feel right now. There was something in that story which stuck. The University of Virginia is a school historically known for its powerful student body. This is not to say that it does not matter whether or not Jackie’s story is accurate. He noted that Phi Kappa Psi has denied the assault, and said it didn't host an event on the night Jackie alleged she was raped. I remember her telling me that multiple men had assaulted her at this party. That same friend, a few days after the article was released, publicly identified herself as a survivor for the first time.

– "I was Jackie’s suitemate first year. I fully support Jackie, and I believe wholeheartedly that she went through a traumatizing sexual assault." So writes Emily Clark in a letter posted last night to the University of Virginia's Cavalier Daily. Clark goes on to describe Jackie's evolution from "bright, happy, and bubbly" to "withdrawn and depressed"—unable to get out of bed to shut off an alarm clock and watching ever-darker selections in endless hours of Netflix, eventually leaving school before December finals in 2012. "I remember her letting it slip to me that she had had a terrible experience at a party. I remember her telling me that multiple men had assaulted her at this party." To be clear, Clark herself wasn't at the party, and says that "while I cannot say what happened that night, and I cannot prove the validity of every tiny aspect of her story to you, I can tell you that this story is not a hoax, a lie, or a scheme. Something terrible happened to Jackie at the hands of several men who have yet to receive any repercussions." No matter the details, the reporting, or the recollections perhaps skewed by trauma, Clark writes, "the blame should never fall on the victim's shoulders. Jackie is a victim." Clark is not the only voice of support: UVa student Julia Horowitz wrote a piece called "Why we believed Jackie's story" for Politico, writing, "Yes, the story was sensational. But even the most sensational story, it seems, can contain frightening elements of truth." Another student tells CBS: "I think UVa has an opportunity to get it right. We absolutely need to stand with Jackie." Clark's full piece is here.

– Twelve people in China have highlighted their grievances by swallowing pesticide in public and falling to the ground, frothing at the mouth, the Telegraph reports. In one incident, a group of seven people from Jiangsu province (all from the same family, says the Daily Mail) went outside a newspaper office in Beijing Wednesday morning and drank the pesticide. One told a journalist from the state-run paper that they were protesting against local officials who had thrown them off their property and destroyed their home five years ago. They received little or no compensation, depending on which report you read. "We had no other option but to resort to this to make ourselves heard," said the wife of a 58-year-old protester. "We’ve been driven to homelessness. We’ve been driven into a corner—the government gave us no way out." She said her husband had gone to Nanjing to protest and was tossed into an illegal "black jail" for three days without sleep, food, or water. In another incident, five protesters came to Beijing and drank pesticide over a complaint that wasn't reported. Among the first protesters, four are still in life-threatening condition, but nothing is known of the latter five. Petitioning goes back centuries in China, where millions of people travel to Beijing every year to voice grievances, but rarely make headway with officials.

Facebook is expected to unveil on Wednesday a new location-sharing feature for the social network's 500 million users. In fact, it's unclear if location really is what Facebook plans to discuss at its upcoming press event. In this sense, Facebook's location service could be a bigger threat to Google and Yelp than Foursquare, which has been focused so far on the mobile-app aspects of its service, and not the web. Again, if this is it, it sounds like Facebook's location service could be a bigger threat to Google and Yelp than Foursquare, especially if you'd be able to check-in to Facebook pages from the Foursquare app, or push your Facebook check-ins out to Foursquare.

– Looks like Facebook is a fan (ha!) of Foursquare. The social networking giant is expected to announce a Foursquare-inspired, location-based feature at today's press conference at HQ, reports BusinessWeek. Some things to consider ahead of the rumored launch: Purpose: The verdict is still out on whether Facebook's new offering will tap into the gaming model popularized by Foursquare, or just stick to sharing location details with friends, notes Reuters. Game angle: Business Insider is guessing that there won't be mayors or badges. "That seems too silly for Facebook," notes Dan Frommer. Privacy: Key questions: How easy will it be to opt-out? Will your location be public? What are the default settings? Should we be scared? Considering Facebook's serious privacy flaws and the fact that its CEO has called users "dumb" for trusting him, "I am beyond apprehensive," writes Zack Whittaker for ZDNet. Who else should be scared? It's possible that every physical store will get a page, just like bands and awesome news sites do now, meaning the service "could be a bigger threat to Google and Yelp than Foursquare," notes Frommer. Click here for more things to watch for.

Hastert pleads not guilty The former House speaker emerged after more than a week in seclusion. CHICAGO — After days of silence, J. Dennis Hastert, a former speaker of the House of Representatives, on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to federal charges that he illegally structured bank withdrawals and lied to the authorities about millions of dollars he had promised to pay someone for misconduct that occurred decades ago. Standing at the lectern in a dark gray suit and blue tie, Hastert answered, "Yes, sir," several times in a barely audible voice as U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin asked him if he understood the charges and the terms and conditions of his bail. In a dark pinstripe suit and with his familiar helmet of gray hair, Mr. Hastert, 73, stood slightly stooped before the judge, flanked by lawyers, quietly answering the judge’s questions with a simple “yes” or “yes, sir.” It was the first time the once-powerful former congressman had appeared in public since the charges were announced last month, and he was met with a chaotic crush of news media in the federal courthouse here. The judge noted — as reported by the Tribune last week — that he had made two donations totaling $1,500 to Hastert's campaign more than a decade ago while he was a private attorney at the Mayer Brown law firm in Chicago. In addition, the judge said he had worked at the same law firm as Hastert's son, Ethan, including working closely on one matter together in 2011. "We were friendly business colleagues, but I do not consider him a personal friend," Durkin said. Durkin’s nomination to the bench did not come until about 20 years later, when President Barack Obama tapped him in 2013. Durkin acknowledged his brother is Jim Durkin, the current Republican leader of the Illinois House, but he said Hastert "is not a personal friend of my brother" and the relationship would have no bearing on him overseeing the case. The judge said he had "no doubt" he could be impartial in the case. If Durkin was disqualified — a rare step in federal court — another judge would then be randomly assigned to the case. The judge set a tight deadline of Thursday afternoon for the defense and prosecution to make up their minds. By that standard, Durkin said he would recuse himself from the case unless both sides agree to keep him on as judge. Durkin set a $4,500 unsecured bond as a condition of release for the former speaker, instructing Hastert to surrender his passport and firearms within two weeks, as well as to provide a DNA sample and avoid others associated with the case. The two attorneys, both with the law firm Sidley Austin, replaced another prominent defense lawyer, Barry Levine of Dickstein Shapiro — the same firm Hastert resigned from as a lobbyist when the charges were announced late last month. Shortly after members of the media had been ushered in, filling up the jury box and at least one half of the gallery, Hastert walked into the courtroom about 1:45 p.m. For 15 awkward minutes before the hearing began, Hastert sat at the defense table, his eyes darting to the ceiling and then down to his hands as reporters observed him and scribbled notes. Aside from entering a not guilty plea, Mr. Hastert and his lawyers offered no further sense of their response to the charges, which are narrowly focused around financial transactions but which have raised a cloud of allegations of sexual misconduct for a man who had receded from public life. The answers marked Hastert's first public words since the indictment was unsealed May 28 alleging he had agreed to pay $3.5 million to a longtime acquaintance to conceal wrongdoing from Hastert's days as a high school teacher and wrestling coach in Yorkville. Nearly $1 million of that was withdrawn from the former speaker’s bank accounts in increments of just under $10,000 after bankers warned him that larger cash withdrawals would trigger reports to the authorities, the indictment claims. One of the charges brought against Hastert — structuring cash transactions to avoid federal reporting requirements — is unpopular among defense lawyers and libertarians because it can render routine cash banking transactions in increments of just under $10,000 illegal even if the reason for the cash payments or withdrawals is lawful.

– Dennis Hastert has finally made a public statement about the allegations against him: not guilty. The former House speaker made the plea today at a federal courthouse in Chicago, reports the Chicago Tribune. Hastert, who is accused of making illegal cash withdrawals from his bank accounts, has largely been in seclusion since the news broke, notes Politico. He reportedly was paying hush money to cover up allegations that he molested a male high school student decades ago. (This woman says her late brother was molested, too.) Hastert, 73, didn't address reporters' shouted questions as Homeland Security officers escorted him into the courthouse. The New York Times gets into detail: "After making his way through the building’s revolving doors, Mr. Hastert walked slowly, his body slightly hunched, toward the metal detector. A courthouse security officer used a wand on him after the metal detector sounded when he walked through." He was later released on a $4,500 bond, reports the Washington Post. Hastert faces up to 5 years in prison and $250,000 in fines on each of the two felony counts against him. (He's got a high-profile lawyer, however.)

Image copyright Getty Images Open heart surgery appears to be safer in the afternoon because of the body's internal clock, scientists have said. The body clock - or circadian rhythm - is the reason we want to sleep at night, but it also drives huge changes in the way our bodies work. The research, published in the Lancet, suggests the heart is stronger and better able to withstand surgery in the afternoon than the morning. And it found that there is a link between a person's body clock and how at risk they are of undergoing heart damage and major events like heart attacks after having heart surgery. Researchers looked at the medical records of 596 people who had heart valve replacement surgery including half who had surgery in the morning, half in the afternoon. They checked for any major cardiac events such as a heart attack, heart failure or death from heart disease in this research which took place between January 2009 to December 2015. They found: 54 out of 298 morning patients had adverse events 28 out of 298 afternoon patients had adverse events Afternoon patients had around half the risk of complications One major event would be avoided for every 11 patients operated on in the afternoon One of those involved in the research, Prof Bart Staels, from the Institut Pasteur de Lille, told the BBC News website: "We don't want to frighten people from having surgery - it's life saving." Tests on heart tissue samples from 30 of the patients - including 14 who had morning surgery and 16 from the afternoon surgery group - showed that the afternoon surgery samples more quickly regained their ability to contract when put in conditions similar to the heart refilling with blood. Genetic analysis of these samples also showed that 287 genes linked to the circadian clock were more active in the afternoon surgery sample.

– Should you ever need heart surgery, it might be worth pressing for an afternoon appointment. New research in the Lancet finds patients who undergo morning heart surgery are twice as likely to suffer heart issues and other complications as patients who have surgery in the afternoon, per the BBC. It's not that doctors are drowsy in the morning and therefore prone to mistakes. Rather, researchers say the body's circadian rhythm regulates genes that are in top form and better able to handle stress in the afternoon, a fact that also explains why one's risk of heart attack is highest in the morning. To discover this, researchers conducted several studies, one monitoring 596 patients who underwent an aortic valve replacement, half in the morning, half in the afternoon. After 17 months, they found 18% of morning patients had suffered a major adverse cardiac event, acute heart failure, cardiovascular death, or a heart attack during the operation, compared to 9% of afternoon patients. Morning patients also had twice the risk of other complications, per the study, which identified 287 genes linking the body clock to heart health, reports the Independent. A second study also found morning patients had significantly higher levels of troponin, a measure of heart damage, per the New York Times. This doesn't mean morning surgeries should be avoided, but "we should identify patients at high risk for complications—those with diabetes or other metabolic risks, for example—and operate on those in the afternoon," a study author tells the Times.

– Synthesized versions of tetrahydrocannabinol—that's THC, the active ingredient in marijuana—already exist in pill form and are used to treat nausea, vomiting, and appetite loss that often follows cancer treatments or appears in patients with AIDS. But a new process out of Germany could offer a less expensive, easier way to create this cannabis component from scratch, with nary a marijuana leaf in sight: genetically engineering it from yeast, the New York Times reports. Biochemists at the Technical University of Dortmund say in a paper published in the Biotechnology Letters journal that by using the yeast, a consistent supply of THC for medicinal purposes could be generated without growing pot. "This is something that could literally change the lives of millions of people," the CEO of a company that produces yeasts for THC and cannabidiol—another compound used for medicinal purposes—tells the Times. Japanese experimenters were among the first to eke out one of the necessary THC enzymes from yeast nearly a decade ago, and since then, less expensive and quicker DNA technology has helped scientists across the board find the rest of the genes needed to make THC. Right now only a small amount of THC can be generated from the yeasts, though scientists are working on boosting that production with some finagling of the gene-engineering process. And yeast does have one big competitor when it comes to producing THC: marijuana itself, with some varieties containing an ample 30% THC content by dry weight, the Times notes. "Right now, we have a plant [that's] essentially the Ferrari of the plant world when it comes to producing the chemical of interest," a professor who helped out with earlier gene-sequencing efforts tells the paper. "Cannabis is hard to beat." (Hemp isn't pot, by the way—and there's just one gene that separates them.)

Anti-Cheating Ring Availability: In stock $550.00 Quick Overview With Arnold, Tiger and two timing IMF guy in mind, we have created this wedding ring for people intent on cheating. The negative engraving on the inside means that when you are in the ‘Club’ and an attractive woman…or man comes along to chat, slipping your wedding ring off is not an option. The mark left on your skin says…’I’m Married’ TheCheeky sells a $550 titanium wedding-band with I'M MARRIED etched on the inside in block serif caps.

– Worried about your spouse slipping off the wedding ring and cheating on you? Put this in the last-resort category: a ring that leaves the words 'I'M MARRIED' on the flesh. The band is engraved on the inside, so an imprint on the skin is made after it's worn for a while. Offbeat gift maker TheCheeky is selling the titanium ring for $550, notes BoingBoing. "With Arnold (and) Tiger in mind, we have created this wedding ring for people intent on cheating," explains the product description. "The negative engraving on the inside means that when you are in the ‘Club’ and an attractive woman…or man comes along to chat, slipping your wedding ring off is not an option..."

(Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post) A month before Donald Trump clinched the Republican nomination, one of his closest allies in Congress — House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy — made a politically explosive assertion in a private conversation on Capitol Hill with his fellow GOP leaders: that Trump could be the beneficiary of payments from Russian President Vladimir Putin. For instance, perhaps a Congressional aide might forget about a fleeting chuckle-fest, and would instinctively deny that the House Majority Leader had seriously alleged that Trump is a Russian agent. So yeah, it sounds like it was just a joke, though probably in a “funny cuz it’s true” sort of sense. Last year, after a meeting with the Ukranian prime minister, the #2 Republican in the House turned to Paul Ryan and said, “There’s two people I think Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump.” That’s from Rep. Kevin McCarthy, and it’s apparently what he thought back in June after Trump had won the Republican nomination. Lawmakers laughed at McCarthy's comment, the Post reported, and then he added, "swear to God."

– The Washington Post has another front-pager on President Trump in regard to Russia: It dug up a recording from June 2016, a month before Trump clinched the nomination, in which House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy tells a few fellow House members he thinks Trump is on Vladimir Putin's payroll. McCarthy, however, now says it was a bad joke. The Post hasn't made the recording available, but it has a transcript in which McCarthy is quoted as saying, “There’s two people I think Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump,” referring to Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, a California Republican. The comment is met by laughter, and McCarthy adds, "Swear to God." At that point, House speaker Paul Ryan interjects and asks that nobody leak the conversation. "This is how we know we’re a real family here.” Spokesmen for McCarthy and Ryan initially denied the exchange, then said it was clearly a joke when told there was a recording. The Post story acknowledges "it is difficult to tell from the recording the extent to which the remarks were meant to be taken literally," and McCarthy himself tells NBC News: "It was a bad attempt at a joke. That's all there is to it." Another bombshell? Not everybody thinks so: From the left: Kevin Drum at Mother Jones writes that he can buy the explanation of it being a joke. "McCarthy's comment really does sound like dark humor. Still, even if he didn't mean it literally, it shows just what he thought about Trump and the Russians. In humor, veritas." From the right: In a week of scoops, this is a "dud," writes Guy Benson at Townhall. For one thing, he thinks the Post should release the recording so people can judge tone for themselves because it reads like a "fleeting chuckle-fest" among lawmakers. As for Ryan's no-leak request, it makes sense he wouldn't want an out-of-context joke making headlines just as Trump's dicey relations with GOP leaders (including himself) were starting to heal.

Boehner also said the House might vote on disapproving the agreement, a move that would bring it in line with the Senate, which is set to vote Thursday on whether to proceed on a measure to disapprove of the pact. After an afternoon meeting on Wednesday, Republicans emerged with a new strategy on how to handle votes on the deal, deciding to hold three instead of one. Conservatives rallied around a proposal from Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) stipulating that the House would not vote on the Iran deal until the Obama administration provides Congress with the text of side deals between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The documents in question are two confidential agreements between Iran and the IAEA relating to the agency's investigation into whether Iran pursued nuclear weapons development activity in the past. The first vote, which is expected Thursday, will be on a resolution stating Obama did not submit all the documents related to the Iran deal and therefore the 60-day congressional review period has yet to start. “Because it makes clear that any side agreements and any other type of an agreement — including those that do not directly involve us — must be turned over as part of it.

– With Republicans running out of ways to stop the looming Iran nuclear deal from becoming a reality, John Boehner is entertaining the idea of suing President Obama. The House speaker, who described the deal as "worse than anything I could've ever imagined," said yesterday a lawsuit is "an option that’s very possible," Politico reports. At issue is Republicans' complaint that Obama didn't hand over every document relating to the deal for them to review, specifically leaving out agreements between the International Atomic Energy Agency and Iran, according to the Huffington Post. But, the Hill reports the administration claims it doesn't even have those documents because the agency keeps them confidential. Regardless, the House passed a resolution yesterday stating Obama didn't give it every necessary document related to the Iran deal, which would see the country scale back its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. The House passed another resolution rejecting the deal today and has more votes scheduled for next week. However, these votes are all "essentially symbolic," as the Iran deal has the support of 42 Democrats in the Senate, according to HuffPo. The Hill reports that leaves Republicans with no clear way to stop the Iran deal. But Boehner isn't giving in yet. "This debate is far from over," the House speaker said yesterday. "It is just beginning."

– It wasn’t a stroke that caused Serene Branson’s unintelligible reporting on Grammy night—it was a migraine. Specifically, a complex migraine known as a “migraine with aura,” whose symptoms can mimic stroke symptoms, her doctor tells the Los Angeles Times. But the CBS reporter, who viewed the now infamous clip of herself for the first time yesterday, says she’s now “fine, wonderful,” though her instant (and reluctant) celebrity has been “a bit overwhelming.” In her first interview since the incident, back on her own station, Branson says she got a headache while working and felt “nauseous and dizzy.” She was “frustrated and terrified” during the report: “I was like watching myself in a movie. I knew what I wanted to say, but I couldn’t say it.” Afterward, "I felt like I was going to collapse. My right cheek went numb, then my right hand." But her doctor thinks it was an isolated incident, and she is looking forward to getting back to work and “reporting on the stories, not being the story,” she says. “This will all blow over. I’m looking forward to covering the Oscars.” Click for more on complex migraines.

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

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

Representative Joe Wilson, the South Carolina Republican who gained a measure of infamy after shouting “you lie” at President Barack Obama during a joint session of Congress in 2009, had that memorable catchphrase hurled back at him by a group of his constituents at a town hall event on Monday.

– Rep. Joe Wilson, the congressman notorious for yelling "You lie" at former President Obama as he addressed Congress in 2009, had his words used against him by constituents in his South Carolina district Monday. Wilson, the latest Republican to face a hostile reception at a town-hall meeting, drew boos and chants of "You lie" as well as cheers when he spoke about plans to repeal and replace ObamaCare, WRDW reports. He was also booed after saying anybody in the US illegally should be deported, though the crowd at Aiken Technical College reacted more positively when he said he is against Planned Parenthood and does not believe human activity is contributing to climate change. Wilson, who voted against extending the Violence Against Women Act in 2013, also faced chants of "You lie" when he said he fully supported enforcement of laws against domestic violence, the Post and Courier reports. Other Republican members of Congress have been skipping such events and Wilson's supporters said he deserved credit for facing his critics, though local pharmacist Julie Edwards, one of the most prominent anti-Wilson voices at the event, did not agree. "I think it's a shame that other senators and congressmen are not showing up," she told the New York Times. "But I'm not going to give him a gold star for showing up and doing his job."

| Getty White House: Keystone exempt from 'Buy American' requirements The Keystone XL Pipeline will not be subject to President Donald Trump's executive order requiring infrastructure projects to be built with American steel, a White House spokeswoman said today. "It's specific to new pipelines or those that are being repaired," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters on Air Force One, when asked about a report by Politico that Keystone would not need to use U.S. steel, despite Trump's executive order issued on Jan. 24. “Since this one is already current, under construction, the steel is already literally sitting there, it would be hard to go back,” she said. Some pipe segments that could be used for Keystone XL, which would bring 830,000 barrels of oil a day from Alberta to Nebraska, have already been built. Trump signed the order calling for the Commerce Department to develop a plan for U.S. steel to be used in “all new pipelines, as well as retrofitted, repaired or expanded pipelines” inside the U.S. projects “to the maximum extent possible.” Story Continued Below By the White House’s judgment, that description would not include Keystone XL, which developer TransCanada first proposed in 2008. Asked about the issue, TransCanada issued a statement saying it continued “to be encouraged as our Presidential Permit application makes its way through the approval process.” “This project will support U.S. energy security, create thousands of well-paying U.S. jobs and provide substantial economic benefits,” the company said.

– President Trump's "Buy American" order calling for American steel to be used in American pipeline projects doesn't cover the Canadian, Italian, and Indian steel being used in the Keystone XL Pipeline project. White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Friday that Trump's order applies to "new, retrofitted, repaired, or expanded pipelines," but Keystone is "currently in the process of being constructed, so it does not count as a new, retrofitted, repaired, or expanded pipeline," Politico reports. She added that since "the steel is already literally sitting there, it would be hard to go back." Trump revived the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipeline projects with days of taking office, and the AP notes that as recently as last week, he said American steel must be used "or we're not building one." Bloomberg reports that the president repeated the pledge to build Keystone XL with American steel at several rallies last month, boasting that he had demanded the clause before signing the order. Around half the 821,000 tons of steel needed for the project is expected to come from outside the US. Justin Trudeau's office praised the allowance of non-American steel in a statement Friday, calling it a "recognition that the integrated Canadian and US steel industries are mutually beneficial," the CBC reports.

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

Sophia celebrates her ninth consecutive year as the top choice for girls, while Jackson remains the most popular name for boys for six years running.

– In news sure to provoke heavy sighing and eye-rolling from people who like to complain about kids today: Kids today are now being named after Instagram filters, Us Weekly reports. In fact, Today calls it "one of the hottest baby name trends of 2015." So who are these new Insta-children? According to BabyCenter's list of top baby names released Tuesday, the name Lux is 75% more popular for boys than last year, while Ludwig is 42% more popular. Other filter names—Amaro (26%), Reyes (10%), Hudson (4%), and Kelvin (3%)—are also rising in popularity for boys. Meanwhile on the girls' side, Juno ("makes outdoor photos especially gorgeous") is up 30% in popularity, Valencia ("gives pictures a soft, warm glow") is up 26%, and Willow is up 13%. BabyCenter reports one of the reasons for the increase in filter-inspired names is the amount of time new parents spend on social media. According to Us Weekly, 75% of new moms use their phones to share baby photos, with 30% doing so daily. "There’s this beautiful thing that happens with an Instagram filter," BabyCenter's editor-in-chief tells Today. "You take these precious moments in your life and it makes them even more beautiful, it enhances them. I think people just have really warm feelings about that." However that doesn't hold true for every filter. BabyCenter reports Sierra, Walden, and Lark—all names of Instagram filters—are becoming less popular human names.

5 years ago Washington (CNN) – Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced for the first time Monday she supports marriage rights for same-sex couples, saying that "gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights." "America is at its best when we champion the freedom and dignity of every human being," Clinton said in a video produced by the Human Rights Campaign, a pro-same-sex marriage advocacy group. That was the position of most Democratic primary candidates that year, including President Barack Obama. It also denies federal benefits to same-sex couples in the nine states where same-sex couples can now legally wed. She says in the five-minute video that gays and lesbians are "full and equal citizens and deserve the rights of citizenship." "That includes marriage," she says, adding that she backs gay marriage both "personally and as a matter of policy and law."

– Hillary Clinton publicly got behind gay marriage today, reports CNN, proclaiming that "gay rights are human rights" in a Human Rights Campaign video. "America is at its best when we champion the freedom and dignity of every human being. That's who we are," she says. "It's in our DNA." The announcement, while hardly surprising, puts her in line with other Democrats eying a run for the Oval Office in 2016, notes the AP.

[See Images of the Oldest Petrified Sperm from an Ostracod] "Because sperm cells are so short-lived and fragile, they are vanishingly rare in the fossil record," said lead author Benjamin Bomfleur, a paleontologist at the Swedish Museum of Natural History. Benjamin Bomfleur and his colleagues spotted the sperm fragments when they used an electron microscope to examine the inner surface of the cocoon fossil, which had been collected by an Argentinian expedition on Seymour Island, which lies off the Antarctic Peninsula. Through radiometric dating, it was determined that the cocoon and its contents were at least 50 million years old, making the sperm the “oldest fossil animal spermatozoa yet identified.” After comparing the pictures with his “enormous collection” of sperm pictures, Ferraguti determined the specimen was likely the product of a “crayfish worm.” Now retired, Ferraguti made a point of mentioning that he finds it amusing that he gets to be part of such an eye-catching study because, while in the field, he found it “really, really difficult to tell people the work [he does] is interesting.” What allowed this sperm to survive for so long was the biology of its creator. The cocoons are secreted by some worms, including earthworms and leeches, which deposit sperm and eggs inside. In a paper published today in Biology Letters, Benjamin Bomfleur and his colleagues announced the discovery of 50 million year old sperm cells found in a cocoon in Antarctica. Jakob Vinther, who studies invertebrate evolution at the University of Bristol, UK, agrees that cocoon fossils could represent an underexplored avenue for understanding the origin of earthworms and leeches.

– They were looking for mammal bones, but scientists exploring an island in the Antarctic instead stumbled across an unexpected milestone—the world's oldest animal sperm. They found it inside a fossilized cocoon made by some type of worm (possibly a crayfish worm) 50 million years ago, reports Nature. It beats by 10 million years the previous record-holder, a specimen from an insect relative called the springtail. “A 50-million-year-old worm sperm from Antarctica?” Benjamin Bomfleur of the Swedish Museum of Natural History marvels to the Washington Post of his team's discovery. “Who would have thought that’s possible?” These types of cocoons aren't of the butterfly variety but were instead used in the mating process, explains Popular Science. They're secreted by the worms to hold the sperm and egg, and they often trap other things inside as they harden. "That's what makes this research so exciting," writes Mary Beth Griggs. "By taking a closer look at the cocoons, researchers can get a better idea of what kinds of microorganisms were around in the past." Because sperm cells are so delicate, it's rare to find any this old. Still, the age doesn't come close to the oldest sperm on record, reports Live Science. That hails from a plant found in Scotland and goes back 410 million years. (A bioethicist thinks men should freeze sperm samples at age 18.)

– If you are somehow not already creeped out by Kourtney Kardashian's boyfriend and babydaddy Scott Disick, this should do the trick: None other than Bret Easton Ellis himself wants Disick for the planned American Psycho remake, the New York Post reports. "I have warned Lionsgate that I will not approve a new version of 'American Psycho' unless it stars SCOTT DISICK or MILES FISHER," Ellis recently tweeted, continuing, "I am waiting for Scott Disick to ask: 'Who in the hell is Bret Easton Ellis?'" "Not going to happen, I know just who u r!" Disick quickly responded. He had earlier expressed his excitement at the announcement of the remake, tweeting, "best news i have ever heard! i hope they call me!" If you don't quite see the resemblance between Disick and Ellis' sociopathic killer Patrick Bateman, who apparently serves as Disick's style icon, perhaps this video will shed some light. In other news related to the Kardashian clan, there was much Kim-and-Kris drama on last night's episode of Kourtney & Kim Take New York. (Spoiler alert: It doesn't end well for the couple.) Click for one of the clips.

Non-partisan budget office says replacement for Affordable Care Act would leave millions uninsured but reduce federal deficit by $337bn in first 10 years As many as 24 million Americans risk losing health coverage over the next decade under the Republican plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office said on Monday. Though the report found premium growth that would decline on average by 10 percent over the course of a decade, it also emphasized that those reductions would disproportionately benefit younger people, while older Americans could see sharp spikes. “Just absurd,” was the way Mick Mulvaney, director of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, responded to the forecast, while Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said, “The CBO report’s coverage numbers defy logic.” House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), meanwhile, said in a Fox News interview that the report “exceeded” his expectations, and he jumped on its prediction of a smaller deficit to try to assuage the chamber’s most conservative members, many of whom oppose the idea of new tax credits to help some Americans buy coverage on their own. The House speaker, Paul Ryan, said the report confirms that his plan will “lower premiums and improve access to quality”, indicating that Republicans intend to press ahead with the legislation despite the sizable loss of coverage. When people have more choices, costs go down.” But Senator Susan Collins called the report a “cause for alarm” and urged her colleagues to slow down and revisit the replacement plan. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) argued that the CBO’s score was incomplete because it does not include parts of the GOP plan not included in the current repeal bill. Republicans were bracing for an unfavorable accounting from the budget office on Monday, as the bill, called the American Health Care Act, faces intensifying opposition from conservatives, Democrats, consumer interest groups and nearly every sector of the US healthcare industry. The healthcare plan was approved by two key House committees last week after all-night debates and despite objections from Democrats, who argued that it was critical to know the findings of the CBO report first. Number of uninsured under the Republican plan Before Obamacare 57 million In 2026 52 million Now 27 million Projected 2013 2016 2020 2026 Before Obamacare 57 million In 2026 52 million Now 27 million Projected 2013 2016 2020 2026 Before Obamacare 57 million In 2026 52 million Now 27 million PROJECTED 2013 2016 2020 2026 Several main changes under the Republicans’ proposal would cause fewer people to have insurance. Number of uninsured if the current health law is not repealed The report concluded that after 10 years, the Republican plan would create 24 million additional uninsured people — the difference between the number of uninsured under the proposed plan and the number if the Affordable Care Act is not repealed. The House bill both ends the extra federal funds for the expansion of Medicaid and caps overall federal spending for the program, both of which CBO says would lead to people losing coverage. Projected cumulative change in deficit under the Republican plan +$56 billion $0 -$42 billion -$100 -$165 billion -$200 -$300 billion In 2026 -$337 billion 2017 2019 2022 2024 2026 +$56 billion $0 -$42 billion -$100 -$165 billion -$200 In 2026 -$337 billion -$300 billion 2017 2019 2022 2024 2026 The savings would have been substantially larger, but Republicans would also eliminate about $600 billion in taxes imposed under the Affordable Care Act, including taxes on investment income, prescription drugs and indoor tanning. “The biggest fear I have – what keeps me up at night – is that Republicans pass a healthcare bill that keeps the fundamental architecture of Obamacare,” Michael Needham, the CEO of Heritage Action, told reporters on Monday. “In terms of insurance coverage it’s immoral, in terms of giving money to the rich at the expense of working families it is indecent and wrong,” Pelosi said, adding: “I hope that they would pull the bill. Number of people who would lose Medicaid coverage under the Republican plan 0 -4 -8 -9 million -12 In 2026 -14 million -16 million 2017 2020 2022 2024 2026 0 -4 -8 -9 million -12 In 2026 -14 million -16 million 2017 2020 2022 2024 2026 Under the current health care law, 31 states and the District of Columbia expanded Medicaid to cover low-income Americans without children, a group that previously found it difficult to afford insurance. “The CBO score was, shall we say, an eye-popper.” Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas sought to distance the Senate from the House bill, saying “we expect to do better” than the results that CBO showed. About two million fewer people will be covered through work in 2020 under the Republican plan. Net premium for a single individual with annual income of $68,200 Age Under Obamacare Under new plan 21 years old $5,100 $1,450 40 years old $6,500 $2,400 64 years old $15,300 $14,600 But experts say that tax credits for those earning more won’t have a meaningful effect in reducing the number of uninsured because most high-earners are already insured anyway. Net premium for a single individual with annual income of $26,500 Age Under Obamacare Under new plan 21 years old $1,700 $1,450 40 years old $1,700 $2,400 64 years old $1,700 $14,600 While premiums have risen under the current law, it shielded many Americans from increases because a majority of those buying insurance through the marketplaces received tax subsidies from the federal government. “The one thing I’m certain will happen is CBO will say, ‘Well, gosh, not as many people will get coverage,’” Ryan said on CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday. The Republican health care plan being considered by Congress will significantly increase the number of uninsured people, but save the federal government hundreds of billions of dollars, according to an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office. Doesn’t look good,” said Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.). Republicans have noted that the CBO predicted more people would be covered by Obamacare in its assessment half-decade ago; those forecasts, however, came up short. Republicans have long said their replacement would take place in three phases: the repeal bill itself, moves by the Health and Human Services Department to deregulate the insurance industry and additional health care bills that would allow people to purchase insurance across state lines.

– The Republican Party was on damage control Monday after the release of a Congressional Budget Office report warning that 14 million people would lose coverage under the House's plan to replace ObamaCare, Politico reports. As some moderates backed away from the plan, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said White House officials "strenuously disagree" with the "not believable" CBO report, which predicts that 24 million fewer Americans will have health insurance a decade from now if the House health care plan replaces the Affordable Care Act. A roundup of coverage: House Speaker Paul Ryan went for a glass-half-full approach and highlighted the report's prediction of a smaller deficit, the Washington Post reports. The bill is about "giving people more choices and better access to a plan they want and can afford," Ryan said. "When people have more choices, costs go down." Top Republicans showed no sign of backing away from the bill after the report, though some GOP senators expressed deep misgivings, the Hill reports. Sen. Bill Cassidy called the CBO score "awful," while others said they would wait for the House's final version. Sen. Lindsey Graham said the chamber would work to improve the House product, not reject it. Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi held a joint press conference and called for the House bill to be dumped, the Guardian reports. "In terms of insurance coverage it's immoral, in terms of giving money to the rich at the expense of working families it is indecent and wrong," Pelosi said. House Republican Rob Wittman said he's opposing the House bill because of the CBO report. "It is clear that this bill is not consistent with the repeal and replace principles for which I stand," he said in a statement posted on Facebook. "I do not think this bill will do what is necessary for the short and long-term best interests of Virginians and therefore, I must oppose it." The New York Times takes a look at the report's findings and at who will be most affected by the House health bill. Those most likely to lose health insurance under the plan are low-income people without children who gained Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Vox has six charts explaining the CBO report, which it describes as "devastating" for the GOP health care plan.

– An Idaho judge has sentenced a high school football player to three years of probation and 300 hours of community service after prosecutors said he took part in a brutal locker room assault on a black football player in a small Idaho town, the AP reports. According to the Times-News, John Howard of Keller, Texas, was originally charged with sexually assaulting his classmate after prosecutors said he kicked a coat hanger into the victim's rectum during the October 2015 incident at Dietrich High School. But in December, Howard pleaded guilty to felony injury to a child as part of a modified guilty plea, in which he acknowledged he would be found guilty in a trial but maintained his innocence. District Court Judge Randy Stoker issued his decision Friday.

(Published Tuesday, July 17, 2018) A woman remains hospitalized in critical condition after suffering over 200 bee stings in Lake Forest Monday morning, the Orange County Fire Authority said. The incident occurred about 10:25 a.m. when firefighters responded to a report of a bee sting in the 23000 block of Buckland Lane, the Orange County Fire Authority tweeted. Tony Bommarito said. The woman was basically covered with bees from head to toe when officials arrived, said Ryan Wilson, one of the four firefighters credited with saving her life. “They got out, they started felling the bees, they saw the patient down this cul-de-sac completely covered — her face was completely covered with bees," he said. Please enable Javascript to watch this video A woman was critically injured after being stung “hundreds of times” by a swarm of bees in Lake Forest Monday morning, and three others — including two firefighters — were also injured, officials said. A woman was in critical condition Monday, July 16, after she was stung hundreds of times by bees in Lake Forest, and two firefighters were hospitalized after also getting stung several times while trying to help her. The firefighters were also stung “multiple times” and taken to a hospital in stable condition, but returned to work later Monday afternoon. A few hours after, an ambulance was sent to the home to transport the homeowner, who was also stung but didn't feel or complain about symptoms until later. Late Monday, the OCFA said in a tweet that according to her son, the woman was doing better and was expected to survive.

– "Her face was completely covered with bees." So said a captain with the Orange County Fire Authority of a woman who was stung more than 200 times on Monday. Cpt. Tony Bommarito tells NBC Southern California she was essentially covered head to toe. The scene in Lake Forest was so bad that responders opted against protocol and didn't suit up in protective gear before coming to the aid of the woman, identified by KTLA as a 48-year-old named Maria. They used carbon dioxide spray in an attempt to get the bees to release and carried her, "barely conscious," from the scene. A paramedic and three firefighters suffered stings themselves, two badly enough to be briefly hospitalized themselves. As for the primary victim, the Orange County Register reports she's a housekeeper who had gone to get cleaning supplies from her car, which was parked near the hive. She is expected to survive. NBC Southern California describes a bee company as later "removing buckets full of bees and beehives from the area." KTLA reports the removal company estimated the hive held as many as 80,000 bees. (This hiker died after being smothered by bees.)

Tishay Wright sued Southland Construction Management and its supervisors and co-owners Kenneth and Anita Hayden on Thursday in Alameda County Court, on 12 causes of action, including racial discrimination and harassment, retaliation, assault and battery and wrongful firing. In one, she said, her employers gave her photos of themselves posing at her desk with Confederate flags emblazoned with the words “the Southland shall rise again.” Tishay Wright said her former boss Kenneth Hayden gave her this photo of himself dressed as President Trump in front of a Confederate flag. The lawsuit claims that Kenneth Hayden, Southland’s CEO, and Anita Hayden, its CFO, in addition to unwanted racist comments, decorated the office with photographs of President Trump and Confederate flags stating “THE SOUTHLAND SHALL RISE AGAIN.” Proud of their handiwork, The Haydens had photographs taken of themselves in front of the offensive symbol of slavery with Kenneth dressed as Donald Trump and Anita photographed appearing to be a Trump supporter with a confederate flag purse strung over her shoulder. Tishay Wright said her former boss Kenneth Hayden gave her this photo of Anita Hayden. Dolan Law Firm posted in Case News on San Francisco, CA – June 8, 2017 – The Dolan Law Firm, on behalf of their client, Ms. Tishay Wright, filed suit today against Southland Construction Management Inc. and its owners Kenneth & Anita Hayden for racial discrimination and harassment. We request you state that the photos were provided by the Dolan Law Firm or that the Dolan Law Firm was the source of the photos. They fired her in March, she says, after she told Anita Hayden it was unacceptable to give a black employee the gifts they had given her. When she objected to the language, she says, Kenneth Hayden told her: “This is the way I talk and if you don’t like it and can’t work with me then you don’t have to.�? I am not a slave.” Wright alleged that Southland co-owners Anita and Kenneth Hayden became hostile to her after she complained about Kenneth Hayden allegedly telling her and another female employee, “Y’all are my bitches and you’re going to take notes for the smaller projects coming up.” Then, at a “white elephant” gift exchange at a company Christmas party, the lawsuit alleges, Kenneth Hayden did not allow Wright to pick her present, instead giving her a separate, wrapped gift. PLEASANTON, Calif. (CN) — A gag gift that a black employee did not find funny has landed a Bay Area construction company owner in court, for giving her a photo of himself dressed as Donald Trump in front of a Confederate flag, inside a rhinestone purse also emblazoned with the Stars and Bars. Wright, who began working for Southland in 2015, says the Haydens used racist language openly and regularly around their employees, with “we’ll just make the Mexicans do it�? She seeks damages and punitive damages, for charges that include racial and gender harassment and intentional infliction of emotional distress. This country is going backwards and it has to stop.” Her lawyer Christopher Dolan stated, “This is just a sign of how people feel empowered by our current President, and his racist and sexist statements about women and minorities, to blatantly harass and discriminate against others.

– A black employee at a Bay Area-based construction firm is suing the company for racial discrimination and harassment, alleging that her supervisor gave her Confederate-themed gifts at a holiday party before firing her in March. Tishay Wright, a former project administrator at Southland Construction Management, claims the gifts were retaliation from boss and co-owner Kenneth Hayden after Wright objected to him calling her and another female employee “my bitches,” Courthouse News reports. According to SF Gate, the suit says Hayden stopped Wright from picking a present at an anonymous company Christmas exchange and handed her a special wrapped gift. Inside she found a Confederate flag-decorated purse with photos inside of Hayden dressed as President Trump sitting before a Confederate flag and posters reading “The Southland Shall Rise Again” and “Make Southland Great Again.” “I couldn’t believe what I had received from my bosses,” Wright says. “It takes me back to slavery days. I am not a slave.” Wright claims she was fired in March after telling co-owner Anita Hayden that the gifts were inappropriate. The suit alleges further discriminatory workplace behavior by the Haydens, claiming that along with reducing her responsibilities after she complained about Kenneth’s language, the supervisors used racist rhetoric, including telling a Sikh intern to “go get your people before they blow something up" and often joking that Mexican workers could be paid in beer. Southland Construction has yet to issue a statement regarding the complaint filed on Thursday. “I kept being told by my family to not be afraid to speak up,” says Wright, who hails from liberal Berkeley, where she “never encountered anything like this.”

"In other words, the same groups that were galvanized by Obama's first election and swelled dramatically as a result, were demoralized by his re-election, which seemed to signal that their battle was lost despite enormous effort," Potok wrote in the report.

– Tough times for the far right? The number of militias, skinhead gangs, and other extremist groups in the US dropped last year for the first time since 1999, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. The hate-group watchdog found that the number of extreme-right groups dropped around 14% to 2,035, though it says the fall followed "four years of explosive growth," reports CNN. The number of organizations classed as hate groups dropped 7% to 939—up from just 457 in 1999. "Patriot" groups dropped by 19% to 1,096, but there were only 149 such groups in 2008. The drop is owed to many factors, including internal squabbles, legal troubles, the improving economy, widespread demoralization at President Obama's re-election—and the adoption of some extremist policies by mainstream politicians, the SPLC says. But despite the drop in numbers, the center warns that far-right extremists are still a serious threat, reports the Los Angeles Times. "The radical right is growing leaner and meaner," a senior fellow at the center says. "The numbers are down somewhat, but the potential for violence remains high."

“There was a bit of time it appeared that Lamar was going to admit publicly his addiction and go to rehab, again,” the source told Radar. Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom have taken a giant step toward an unlikely reconciliation after the reality star allowed her troubled husband to move back — for now — into the couple’s multi-million dollar mansion, RadarOnline.com has exclusively learned. Odom returned home after a failed intervention by teammates from the Los Angeles Clippers, his former team the Los Angeles Lakers and agent Jeff Schwartz on Monday afternoon at a Los Angeles hotel, who all encouraged him to seek treatment for an addiction to OxyContin.

– Good news for those of us who still believe in true love: Lamar Odom is back home with wife Khloe Kardashian, TMZ reports. To catch you up, Lamar reportedly went missing after skipping out on a drug intervention Khloe wanted to throw him, but then it turned out he was just hiding out with friends in a hotel. Despite rumors that the marriage has gone down the tubes, TMZ says they're not discussing divorce, and a source says Odom is "open to reason" as far as his drug problems go. He's supposedly "receptive" to treatment, but still undecided. Radar has a slightly less romantic take on the whole thing; it reports that Odom's return home followed an ultimatum he gave Kardashian: "Let me move back into the house or I am going to file for divorce." Radar also claims Lamar blames the Kardashians, but not Khloe herself, for leaking all the recent stories about his drug abuse. Odom "absolutely believes Khloe’s family has been leaking stories to the tabloid press," a source says. "Khloe is also extremely angry that details about Lamar’s past trip to rehab and recent failed intervention were published on various gossip websites."

While Comment Crew has drained terabytes of data from companies like Coca-Cola , increasingly its focus is on companies involved in the critical infrastructure of the United States — its electrical power grid, gas lines and waterworks. And the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday that the allegations were ‘‘unprofessional.’’ ‘‘Making unfounded accusations based on preliminary results is both irresponsible and unprofessional, and is not helpful for the resolution of the relevant problem,’’ said Hong Lei, a ministry spokesman. ‘‘China resolutely opposes hacking actions and has established relevant laws and regulations and taken strict law enforcement measures to defend against online hacking activities.’’ While the unit’s existence and operations are considered a Chinese state secret, Representative Mike Rogers of Michigan , the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said in an interview that the Mandiant report was “completely consistent with the type of activity the Intelligence Committee has been seeing for some time.” The White House said it was “aware” of the Mandiant report, and Tommy Vietor, the spokesman for the National Security Council , said, “We have repeatedly raised our concerns at the highest levels about cybertheft with senior Chinese officials, including in the military, and we will continue to do so.” Advertisement Continue reading the main story The United States government is planning to begin a more aggressive defense against Chinese hacking groups, starting on Tuesday. While the Obama administration has never publicly discussed the Chinese unit’s activities, a secret State Department cable written the day before Barack Obama was elected president in November 2008 described at length American concerns about the group’s attacks on government sites. Once inside the digital perimeter - especially if the intrusion is not identified, there is the possibility of causing real physical damage to the infrastructure that the computers control. 'Extensive campaign' In its unusually detailed report, US-based computer security company Mandiant said it had investigated hundreds of data breaches since 2004, most of which it attributed to what it termed "Advanced Persistent Threat" actors. The only other possibility, the report concludes with a touch of sarcasm, is that “a secret, resourced organization full of mainland Chinese speakers with direct access to Shanghai-based telecommunications infrastructure is engaged in a multiyear enterprise-scale computer espionage campaign right outside of Unit 61398’s gates.” The most fascinating elements of the Mandiant report follow the keystroke-by-keystroke actions of several of the hackers who the firm believes work for the P.L.A. Mandiant tracked their activities from inside the computer systems of American companies they were invading. At the time, China's foreign ministry dismissed the New York Times accusations as "groundless", saying that to "conclude without hard evidence that China participated in such hacking attacks is totally irresponsible". China’s defense ministry has denied that it is responsible for initiating attacks. "We believe that APT1 is able to wage such a long-running and extensive cyber espionage campaign in large part because it receives direct government support," said Mandiant. Those organizations confirmed they were attacked but have said they prevented attackers from gaining access to their network.

– A Shanghai-based unit of China's People's Liberation Army has liberated vast amounts of data from the US and other countries in a huge cyber-spying effort over the last seven years, according to a report from computer security firm Mandiant. PLA Unit 61398—known to some victims as the "Comment Crew"—is probably "one of the world's most prolific cyber-espionage groups," according to Mandiant, which has traced thousands of cyberattacks to an area around a 12-story building used by the unit, the BBC reports. Analysts believe the unit employs hundreds, possibly thousands of people fluent in English and skilled in computer programming. Other security firms—and US intelligence agencies—also believe that the Chinese military is behind the cyberattacks, which have increasingly focused on critical US infrastructure. "Either they are coming from inside Unit 61398," Mandiant's chief executive tells the New York Times, "or the people who run the most-controlled, most-monitored Internet networks in the world are clueless about thousands of people generating attacks from this one neighborhood." White House officials say they are aware of the Mandiant report and plan to warn Beijing that the volume of the attacks threatens to seriously damage US-China relations.

Glenn Beck, Vince Vaughn, Peter Billingsley Launch Reality Show Yes, the kid from "A Christmas Story" is in business with Glenn Beck Tim Molloy Follow @TimAMolloy By Glenn Beck is launching a reality show with Vince Vaughn and Peter Billingsley to find great documentary filmmakers. “Pursuit of Truth” will pit 20 documentary filmmakers in a competition for financing and distribution for their film. (Also on POLITICO: Rubio: Science, faith 'not inconsistent' on earth) "I am proud to announce that Vince Vaughn and I are going to be the executive producers," Beck said on his Wednesday radio show. "That should make everybody's head spin. What the hell is Vince Vaughn doing with a crazy man? I know, that's what my friends say. Glenn, what are you doing with the crazy man Vince Vaughn? Yes. It's great, isn't it? I love it." “I’m looking for somebody that really wants to change the course of America by telling the truth that you think is never, ever told,” Beck said. “And done right. And done without conspiracy. I’d love to see something on the Federal Reserve, the game that’s being played there. I would love to see something on why capitalism is actually a good thing, why it’s not a bad thing.” Billingley added in a statement: “Getting any film beyond the idea stage has become increasingly difficult these days, especially for documentary filmmakers that want to shine a light and make a difference. Beck’s TheBlaze TV, Vaughn and Peter Billingsley’s Wild West Productions and Gary Auerbach’s Go Go Luckey Entertainment are behind the nine episode series, which will launch on TheBlaze TV in spring 2013.

– The newest entry in the world of reality shows probably isn't what you expected: Glenn Beck is teaming with actor and director Vince Vaughn to create a competition for documentary filmmakers, reports Politico. The Pursuit of Truth will air on Beck's TheBlaze TV sometime next year, with 20 filmmakers competing against each other. Also involved is producer Peter Billingsley, better known to the world as the kid in A Christmas Story. "What the hell is Vince Vaughn doing with a crazy man?" Beck said on his radio show today. "I know, that's what my friends say. Glenn, what are you doing with the crazy man Vince Vaughn? Yes. It's great, isn't it?" (The Wrap notes that Vaughn is "one of Hollywood's highest profile conservatives.") Beck added a bit on what to expect: "I’d love to see something on the Federal Reserve, the game that’s being played there. I would love to see something on why capitalism is actually a good thing, why it’s not a bad thing.”

While in custody, Thomas was questioned about the Wilkinsburg shooting that left five adults and an unborn child dead. Common Pleas Judge David Cashman agreed with the prosecution and found that Thomas was a danger to the community and a flight risk and revoked his bond, meaning Thomas will be jailed while the drug charges are pending. "I think that some names were brought up, some old cases were looked at and the individuals that have been recharged now a third time were brought in and questioned" about the shootings, White told KDKA. And because they’re not cooperating, because I don’t believe any of those individuals have any idea what happened, none of them are involved, especially my client and they want them to talk and they’re not because they don’t have anything to do with it and they’re not providing information that the Commonwealth thinks that they have but they don’t have,” attorney Casey White said. While there, county police say, they found an assault-type rifle, several other guns — all of which were stolen — as well as suspected heroin and drug paraphernalia. The 27-year-old Thomas and three other people were arrested Wednesday night on drug and weapons charges stemming from the search of a home in Wilkinsburg in February 2013. Hitchings' testimony was the first time any law enforcement official has named a suspect in the cookout shootings. One gunman walked up an alley near the backyard and fired shots from a .40-caliber pistol toward about 15 cookout guests, who then ran toward the back door of the home for cover, authorities say. The victims were identified as: Jerry Shelton, 35 Tina Shelton, 37 Brittany Powell, 27 Chanetta Powell, 25 Shada Mahone, 26 Chanetta was eight months pregnant when she was murdered.

– A Pittsburgh man arrested a third time on drug and weapons charges stemming from a police search three years ago is a suspect in a cookout ambush last month that killed five adults and an unborn child, a detective testified Thursday. Allegheny County Detective Steve Hitchings testified at a bond hearing that Robert Thomas is a suspect in the March 9 cookout shootings in Wilkinsburg and has been told he's a suspect, KDKA-TV first reported Thursday. Common Pleas Judge David Cashman agreed with the prosecution and found that Thomas was a danger to the community and a flight risk and revoked his bond, meaning Thomas will be jailed while the drug charges are pending. Hitchings' testimony was the first time any law enforcement official has named a suspect in the cookout shootings, the AP reports. The 27-year-old Thomas and three other people were arrested Wednesday night on drug and weapons charges stemming from the search of a home in Wilkinsburg in February 2013. All four were questioned about the cookout shootings, but they haven't been charged in it. Defense attorney Casey White said he's not sure why Thomas is being questioned or called a suspect in the killings. "I can't really comment on the specifics of what the commonwealth's investigation is," White told the AP. "I just know my client is innocent of any wrongdoing as to the homicides that occurred on March 9 of this year." No one's been charged with the shootings and, except for vague references that the shooting might stem from bad blood involving unspecified individuals from the nearby Homewood neighborhood, authorities haven't discussed a motive. Click for more on the recent arrests.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two women have now passed the Army's grueling Ranger test, and even tougher and more dangerous jobs could lie ahead. The military services are poised to allow women to serve in most front-line combat jobs, including special operations forces, senior officials told The Associated Press. RETRANSMISSION TO REMOVE THE REFERENCE TO THE ARMY RANGERS. THESE WOMEN ARE NOT TRAINING IN THE RANGERS PROGRAM - FILE - In this Aug. 13, 2013 file photo, U.S. Navy Master-at-Arms Third Class Danielle... (Associated Press) Based on early talks, officials say the Army, Navy and Air Force likely will not seek exceptions that close any jobs to women. Marine Corps leaders, they say, have expressed concerns about allowing women to serve in infantry jobs and yet may seek an exception. The services are wrapping up reviews and must make their recommendations to Defense Secretary Ash Carter this fall. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the internal debate. Even if Marine leaders object, they are likely to meet resistance from senior Navy and Defense Department officials who want the military to be united on this issue. Undercutting the Marines' reservations is that Special Operations Command is likely to allow women to compete for the most demanding military commando jobs — including the Navy SEALs and the Army's Delta Force — though with the knowledge that it may be years before women even try to enter those fields. Women have been steadily moving into previously all-male jobs across the military, including as members of the Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, best known as the helicopter crews that flew Navy SEALs into Osama bin Laden's compound. Women are also now serving on Navy submarines and in Army artillery units. Friday will mark another milestone as the two women graduate at Fort Benning, Georgia, from the Ranger school, a physically and mentally demanding two-month combat leadership course. Completing the course lets the two women wear the coveted Ranger black-and-gold tab, but it does not let them become members of the Ranger regiment. Neither woman has been publicly identified by the military. Longer term, the uncertainty of the Marine decision underscores the wrenching debates going on within the military over the changing role of women, and it reflects the individual identities of the services and how they view their warrior ethos. Only a handful of jobs in the Navy and Air Force are currently closed to women. Last year the Navy considered seeking an exception that would have prohibited women from serving on older guided missile frigates, mine-countermeasure ships and patrol coast craft. Some argued that those ships, which are due to be phased out in coming years, would need millions of dollars in construction to add facilities for women and it wasn't worth the expense. But Navy Secretary Ray Mabus withdrew that plan in a memo late last month that was obtained by the AP. Officials said Navy leaders concluded that since women can serve in all the same jobs on other ships no real exclusion existed. The Army and Marine Corps, however, have thousands of infantry, artillery and armor jobs that are currently closed to women. There has been a lot of study and debate over whether to open those positions, because they often involve fighting in small units on the front lines, doing physically punishing tasks. The Marine Corps set up a task force this year to set gender-neutral job standards and determine whether incorporating women into small squads affected unit cohesion or combat readiness. Companies made up of all men and mixes of men and women spent up to three months in California performing a broad range of unit tasks and going through detailed scientific evaluations to see how they did. Senior leaders are reviewing those results. Army leaders did similar scientific analysis, reviewing all tasks needed to do the combat jobs and have been creating gender-neutral standards that troops will have to meet in order to qualify. Meanwhile, however, the Army began to slowly open some combat positions, including artillery jobs, to women. In recent days, officials familiar with the discussions said they believe the Army will allow women to seek infantry and armor jobs as well. Gen. Ray Odierno, who retired last week as Army chief of staff, hinted at that conclusion. "In order to best manage your talent, you have to pick the best people who can perform to the standards that we have established," Odierno said. "If you can meet the standards that we've established, then you should be able to perform in that (position). And I think that's where we're headed." In January 2013 then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey signed an order wiping away generations of limits on women fighting for their country, ordering a quarter-million positions open regardless of gender. They called for sweeping reviews of the physical requirements for combat jobs and gave the military services until January 2016 to argue if any positions should remain closed to women. Throughout the process, all the services have made it clear they will not reduce any standards to allow women to qualify for the most demanding jobs. But they reviewed the requirements for the various combat posts to make sure they were directly related to tasks that had to be done as part of the jobs. During the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, thousands of women served and fought, and about 160 died. Dempsey told reporters during that 2013 news conference that he did not rule out women serving as members of special operations forces, although it might be years before they actually qualified. "I think we all believe that there will be women who can meet those standards," he said.

– Navy SEALs go through some of the toughest military training in the world, and the Navy's top officer believes any woman who can get through it has earned a place on the elite force. "Why shouldn't anybody who can meet these [standards] be accepted? And the answer is, there is no reason," Adm. Jon Greenert tells Defense News. "So we're on a track to say, 'Hey look, anybody who can meet the gender non-specific standards, then you can become a SEAL.'" The admiral says Rear Adm. Brian Losey, chief of the Naval Special Warfare Command, agrees with him, though no timeline has been set for when women can start training. An overview of SEAL training, which describes Stage 3's "Hell Week" as "the ultimate test of a man's will," can be seen here. The News notes that it's not clear how many women will sign up if the Navy does integrate training, as there is an "exceedingly low" percentage of women in other specialized Navy roles—only seven of the Navy's 1,153 divers are women. The military services are conducting reviews on which combat roles should remain closed to women, and sources tell the AP that the Army, Navy, and Air Force aren't expected to seek exceptions, though the Marine Corps may seek to keep women out of some infantry roles. (Two women have made military history by passing Army Ranger training.)

The bill, trade negotiators say, is necessary before the 11 other countries participating in the talks will agree to finalize the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

– Senate Democrats have struck down a measure that would have helped President Obama settle a trade pact with Asian countries, the New York Times reports. Sixty votes were needed to pass a measure to launch debate on Obama's "trade promotion authority"—but it was blocked thanks to a 52-45 vote. Democrats are calling for additional measures before they'll provide such authority as Obama pushes for passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Senators in his party want to address currency manipulation, child labor laws, and the possibility of job losses, among other concerns, before the trade deal is agreed, the Times notes. "We can't keep pushing through trade deals that benefit multinational companies at the expense of workers," Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren told NPR this morning, as CNN notes. Among those who opposed the measure was Democratic co-sponsor Ron Wyden of Oregon. Majority leader Mitch McConnell called the vote "shocking": "What we've just witnessed here is the Democratic Senate shut down the opportunity to debate the top economic priority of the Democratic president of the United States." Obama could now be stuck between a rock and a hard place: He might have to accept Democrats' provisions to pass the measure—but doing so could spell disaster for the trade negotiations themselves, the Times reports.

Tink Nathan, who owns Tink’s Deer Scent Company and a hunting video firm in Centerpoint is running for State Representative from the Hill Country and one of his campaign planks is to allow Texans to eat critters that they run over with their car. While collecting and eating roadkill is legal in some states, Texas banned “engaging in the collection of any animal life on public roads or the right-of-way of public roads” in 2007, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife.

– Is your average roadkill a stomach-churning mess, or tonight's dinner? A Texas politician says it will become the latter if he wins a seat in the Texas House of Representatives and succeeds in pushing his agenda, NBC News reports. Tink Nathan, a 72-year-old Republican, wants to rescind the state's law against gathering roadkill. "That meat goes to waste. Why not utilize it?" he asks the San Antonio Express-News. "Certainly not all of it could be saved. Nobody will take it if it's stinking," but "axis [deer] venison sells for $26 a pound." On his Facebook page, Nathan says the Department of Transportation collected more than 1,400 deer from roads in a year in a single Texas county—a costly operation. But Texas Park and Wildlife argues that gathering squished animals for dinner is both a health and safety hazard. People collecting roadkill "could be struck by other vehicles," a TPWD spokesman tells WOAI. And "eating dead animals could result in serious health issues for anyone who did something like that." Some states do allow it, but Texas banned the practice in 2007.

The ongoing measles outbreak in the United States has reached a record for any year since the disease was eliminated in this country 14 years ago, with 288 cases of the potentially deadly infection reported in 18 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. About half of those were people who picked it up in the Philippines, where a large measles outbreak has affected more than 32,000 people, causing 41 deaths, since January alone, said Anne Schuchat, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

– The tide of measles stories is growing stronger—and more dismal: The CDC yesterday revealed that some 288 cases have been recorded across 18 states in the first five months of this year, making 2014's outbreak the biggest in 20 years. Things are worst in Ohio, with the CDC logging 138 cases there; California has seen 60 and New York 26, the Washington Post reports. But another non-US location is a big factor in the story: the Philippines. Some 97% of the cases are related to foreign travel by people who haven't been vaccinated, and about half visited the Philippines, where 32,000 people have been infected since January. To wit, the Ohio outbreak started with two members of the Amish community who contracted the highly contagious disease on a humanitarian aid trip to the Philippines in March then infected others at home. "This scenario is the one that I've had the most nightmares about," an Ohio health commissioner tells the Wall Street Journal, adding some Amish communities are refusing immunization. Officials across the country are now trying to make it more difficult for parents to exempt kids from vaccinations, and free clinics have been set up, but some still avoid the needle. "This is not an insignificant illness," warns a medical director. "This is an illness that is well worth avoiding." (The US eliminated measles in 2000, but that never meant we were measles-free.)

LONDON (Reuters) - Iran's oil exports have fallen by an estimated 40 percent since the start of the year as Western sanctions tear into the country's vital oil industry, the International Energy Agency said on Wednesday. The agency, which represents the interests of major consuming nations, said preliminary indications suggested exports - the lifeblood of Iran's economy - fell to 1.5 million barrels per day in April-May from 2.5 million at end 2011. "In months ahead, Iran may need to shut in production volumes if export markets remain similarly constrained and storage fills up," the IEA said in its monthly report. It said it believed Iran was still producing 3.3 million bpd, down from 3.5 million last year and stockpiling unsold oil. Tehran has denied it is experiencing problems with oil sales [ID:nL5E8HCK1I] despite mounting evidence its major customers, including China, are turning down offers of cheap crude under pressure from Washington to cut trade ties. [ID:nL3E8HC39L] On Monday the U.S. government, which aims to choke off Tehran's oil revenue and force a halt to nuclear development it believes is aimed at making weapons, said India, South Korea, Japan and Turkey have made significant cuts to oil imports from Iran. Iran says its nuclear program is for civilian purposes. The European Union will impose a full embargo on Iran's oil from July 1. The measure will also effectively cut off tanker insurance, a major problem for Asian buyers who traditionally account for the bulk of Iran's oil sales. The IEA report came out days ahead of nuclear talks in Moscow between Iran and world powers - the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China. The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, of which Iran is a member, will meet in Vienna this week to discuss production running at a multi-year highs. U.S. ally Saudi Arabia has been stepping up supply to replace lost Iranian barrels. Earlier this year, oil prices rallied to $128 a barrel, their highest since 2008, on fears of a loss of Iranian production. But they have since fallen below $100 per barrel on signs of slowing economic growth in China, weak U.S. data and an escalation in Europe's debt crisis. The IEA said the world was better supplied with oil now than in recent years but warned against calling it an over-supplied market. "Nobody knows exactly how oil supplies will develop this summer. Memories are indeed short: crude prices remain very high in historical terms, and are acting as a drag on household and government budgets in OECD and emerging markets alike." The IEA said other bullish factors for oil prices included power sector oil demand this summer and stockpiling by major non-OECD economies including China, which have been accumulating crude in the past months ahead of the Iranian embargo. The agency left its global oil demand growth forecast broadly unchanged at 820,000 bpd. Its view contrasted with reports by OPEC and the U.S. government which said on Tuesday that global oil markets could loosen further in the second half of the year. The IEA said its demand estimate for OPEC's oil also remained broadly unchanged although it was 1 million bpd higher for the second half of 2012 at 30.9 million bpd. The figure was still 1 million bpd higher than OPEC's current production levels. (Reporting by Dmitry Zhdannikov; editing by Janet McBride)

– Iran says it has begun building a nuclear submarine—a move which conveniently gives it an excuse to enrich uranium to above weapons grade. An Iranian rear admiral announced the project in Iran's state-run Fars News Agency yesterday, and went out of his way to remind reporters that powering submarines is a civilian nuclear application available to all countries. The US and Israel have been worried Iran would try the sub gambit for months, according to the Wall Street Journal. "One of the few if only civilian pretexts for weapon-grade uranium are nuclear submarines, so it was fairly predictable," one expert says, though he adds that "the gap between Iran's bluster and its capabilities … is wider than the Strait of Hormuz." But Iran is paying dearly for that bluster. Thanks to sanctions, oil exports have fallen about 40%, to just 1.5 million barrels per day, Reuters reports. Experts believe Iran is still producing 3.3 million barrels a day, and stockpiling the excess oil.

– A Cleveland couple was ready for the apocalypse—but apparently not for thieves. Teena Brayen says burglars broke into her home early Tuesday while her family was sleeping and made off with five shotguns, a high-powered rifle, a pellet gun, $1,000 worth of ammunition, 12 machetes, smoke grenades, a bulletproof vest, and food rations, reports ABC5. Brayen and her husband are members of militia group Three Percenters—a name based on the claim that just 3% of the US population fought in the American Revolution, per the Washington Post—and hoped to use the supplies to protect and provide for themselves in the event of catastrophe, or perhaps invasion by another country, Brayen tells Fox 8. Brayen, who believes thieves saw the family moving weapons into their Cleveland home when they moved from New York a month ago, says she fears for "military personnel, especially, and our police officers" as one of the weapons taken "looks like a sniper rifle" and can pierce bulletproof vests and even cars. "They're ready for a war," she says of the thieves. "We were war-ready." Brayen adds she believed the weapons and gear were secure when she went to sleep on Monday night, but now suspects one of her two children left a door to the home unlocked. "I don't want to see anybody get hurt by what people took out of my home," she says. Police are investigating, reports the AP.

Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, a division of Pfizer Inc., is voluntarily recalling one lot of Children’s Advil® Suspension Bubble Gum Flavored 4 FL OZ Bottle because of customer complaints that the dosage cup provided is marked in teaspoons and the instructions on the label are described in milliliters (mL). Bottle GTIN #: 3-0573-0207-30-0 Lot #: R51129 Expiration Date: 11/20 The most common symptoms associated with ibuprofen overdose include nausea, vomiting, headache, drowsiness, blurred vision, and dizziness. Children’s Advil® Suspension Bubble Gum Flavored 4 FL OZ Bottle Lot and Packaging Information NDC Lot Number Expiration Date SKU UPC Configuration/Count 0573-0207-30 R51129 11/20 F005730207300 3-0573-0207-30-0 4 FL OZ (120 ml) Bottle 36 bottles/case Pfizer, Inc. places the utmost emphasis on patient safety and product quality at every step in the manufacturing and supply chain process. If consumers have questions regarding this recall or to report an adverse event, please contact the Pfizer Consumer Healthcare Information Line at 1-800-88-Advil (1-800-882-3845).

– Check your bottle of Children's Advil: Pfizer is recalling one lot of Children's Advil Suspension Bubble Gum flavor because while the label instructions describe dosages in milliliters, the dosage cup is marked in teaspoons. That puts users at risk of overdosing, Pfizer says in a press release. The recall is a voluntary one, and anyone who purchased the lot in question can get a full refund, USA Today reports. More details on how to identify whether your bottle is affected can be found at the FDA's website.